We are the [k i n g s} and queens. [De}

[Brendan Reid]

Brendan stood, his hand never leaving hers. His fingers were interlaced with Dianes. Something felt right, perfect, about their hands together. He walked to the front with her and paid for their meals, then escorted her out. He lead her to the car, making sure she was settled inside before getting in himself. He started the engine, then drove off, down the main road which slowly became a narrow, dusty road. He loosened his tie a bit, reaching down to shift gears as he drove faster down the rocky road. Then reaching a sheild of trees, he killed the engine and got out of the car, walking over to help Diane out. He lead her through the mass of trees, then into a clearing.

A pond was before them, clear and beautiful. It was moderatley large, since a small stream ran into it. A duck or two swam around in cicles, making the clearing seem even more remote and calm.

"Beautiful, isnt it? Me and dad found it when we came up here. The car broke down and we followed the path to this clearing.." He looked at Diane, squeezing her hand gently.

[Diane McLain]

She followed his movements perfectly, feeling like she was floating in a dream, out of control except for certain moments, when she would see the world clearly, then look back into his eyes and feel herself lose control of her body again. Luckily, her auto-pilot was well-behaved, slipping through the restaurant and back to the car, barely able to concentrate on anything as she melted into her seat, waiting anxiously for what was to come.

She stepped out of the car, looking around herself a little uneasily, but determined to give him a chance. She wasn't the greatest fan of nature, but she could appreciate beauty when she saw it, and she saw it in that clearing. Her eyes opened a little wider, smiling as she looked around herself, forcing her eyes away from Brendan, though they kept coming back. "It's... beautiful." she admitted, stepping close to him as she felt the cold wash over her. She had whispered the words, afraid to scare off the ducks, wondering what they were doing here when it was so cold.

She smiled a little to herself, putting an arm around herself as the other still fell limply with Brendan's hand in hers. "My Dad used to bring me to places like this all the time, too, back when we lived in the country," she said softly. "Even a while after he took me out a lot, desperate to try and get me to like the countryside." she said, smiling fondly at the memories, looking down as she realised that they were just memories.

[Brendan Reid]

Brendan nodded. It was truly beautiful. The way the water sparkled in the moonlight. The way the ducks seemed like an illusion. It made all the cares in the world just that - cares. And the only thing he cared about at the moment was Daine. The way she kept glancing at him, almost making sure he was still there. But in all reality, he wasnt going anywhere. He would stay right here with her forever if he could.

Brendan pulled her close, unable to retain himself any longer. He pressed his lip gently to hers, his arms rubbing the small of her back. He pulled her as close to him as possible, their bodies pressed together. His hands left her back and wandered to her hips, where he rocked his against hers gently.

[Diane McLain]

She felt his soft lips against hers, suddenly afraid that her whole body would collapse under him. She leant close, following his unspoken instructions to perfection, half because she was afraid of falling and half because she was so cold. She tucked herself into him, feeling cocooned inside his warm body, his heartbeat pressing against hers as they tried to reach the same impossibly fast beat.

She pulled her lips back a little, mostly because she was afraid of running out of breath, but another look into Brendan's eyes and she couldn't resist putting them in their rightful place, pulling her bare arms around him and forgetting completely about the cold, about the ducks and the beautiful clearing. Nothing else existed. If this was a film, there would be fireworks going off in the background. It was actually quite lucky it wasn't a film, since she was terrified of fireworks.

[Brendan Reid]

Brendan reached up to undo his tie, throwing it carelessly aside. He began kissing her neck gently, his hands wanting inside her dress. For it being so cold outside, he was starting to sweat. He pulled her hands to his chest, waiting for her to unbutton his shirt. He pulled it out of his pants, untucking it and letting it hang carelessy. He kicked out of his shoes smoothly, almost unnoticing. He bit his lip, leaning back a bit to look in her eyes.

"You wanna do this?" He mumbled. He had never actually asked anyone if they had wanted to do anything before, always assuming.

[Diane McLain]

She blushed a little, adding to the rosiness that wasn't just smothering her cheeks but spreading over her face and neck as she felt hot from a new heat. She knew he was forward, but this much? She wanted him, more than she'd ever wanted anything in her life, but she couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated by the whole situation. Was this normal? It had been so long since she had done anything like this, and that had never been for affection, or to 'make love'. Just a chance to unleash the unwanted pain.

"Brendan..." she said softly, her voice slightly horse and seductive, even though it wasn't the intention. "Wait...." she said, looking down and letting her hair slightly cover her face, taking a step back. It seemed like the biggest step of her life, the gap plunging her into a freezing cold, like she had been thrown into a bath of ice. "I do like you," she told him, her eyes pleading, unable to stop herself looking at him. A thousand voices calling her a fool in her head, battling a thousand more who told her to calm down and step away. She held onto herself uncertainly, knowing what she must look like to him. A virgin, or even worse just uninterested. They were both untrue, but the first was only barely, only thanks to one mistake two years earlier.

[Brendan Reid]

Despite the anger boiling in him from her practically leading her on and making him think she wanted him when she didnt, and the fact that hed spent nearly two hours in a suit that was seriously uncomfortable and paid nearly two hundred dollars on food that wasnt even worth it, he calmly bent down and picked up his tie. He shivered a bit, the cold finally hitting him. He tucked his shirt back in, ignoring every wrinkle and crease in his shirt. He refused to look at her, refused to give into her. Braxton was right.

"Comeon." He mumbled, picking up his shoes and walking barefooted through the twigs. Something very sharp got caught in his foot, and without a cringe, he continued on. Finally back at the car, he slipped in, throwing his shoes into the extremely small backseat and investigated his foot, hoping whatever it was did more damage than it was worth. Turns out, hed stepped on a knife and was just bleeding. He grabbed a shirt from under his seat and wrapped his foot lazily in it as he waited for her to come.

"Aw geez, hurry up so I can get home and take a shower. And get my dumb ass to the emergancy room for a fucking tetnis shot." He gumbled, leaning back in his seat as the heat coming from the vents was almost too much to bear.

I done everything she wanted and this is how I get repaid. he thought as he saw her coming towards the car.

[Diane McLain]

She found herself unbelievably slow, the guilt and pain acting like huge weights on her heels as she tried to follow him as fast as she could. Was that it? Was all he wanted from her sex, and without that she was useless to him? She felt slightly angry, like she had been expected to be used as some sort of sex toy, as a prostitute paid for with dinner and compliments.

She opened the car door for the first time and was sliding in, looking at the bloody mess that Brendan had got as her heart skipped a beat, worry for him taking over all else. Well, almost. "Brendan, here...." she said, putting her hand over the wound and breathing words under her breath, watching as it started to clean and heal slightly, though she guessed it would have stung. "I am sorry..." she said, as she stared at the strange glow the spell made. "I just... freaked out a little. It's not that I don't want... that." she said, smiling and feeling like a twelve year old girl, unable to actually say the words out loud. She pulled her hand away, looking up at his eyes. "I just feel like I'd rather make it... special. Somewhere we're both comfortable. Not rushed but..." she laughed a little, "But I'm not gonna make you to wait very long."

[Brendan Reid]

Brendan pushed her away gently, not wanting his foot healed. He wanted it to hurt. Looking down at it, he decided he would just cut it open himself. The blood brought a smile to his lips, imagining the mess he would later make.

"Dont bother." He said, pulling out of the trail with a squeel of tires. He snapped on his seatbelt as he drove quickly. He wasnt mad at her. He was mad at himself. He turned the music up loudly, feeling something of an adreneline rush.

"I dont want someone who doesnt want me. I said I wouldnt hurt you and I wont. This is best for you. And no, Im not mad at you. I was the dumb bastard who paid five hundred dollars on a date that was worthless to everyone. Including you." He tossed his head to the side, his hair falling out of his face. He started unbuttoning his shirt, pulling it off and throwing it in the back seat. He was getting entirely too hot.

"Where do you live?" He asked between clentched teeth, shifting another gear as he drove faster. He couldnt lie to himself. He wanted her. Badly. But as a girlfriend. And he obviously wasnt good enough for even that.

"And its not that I dont want to date you. Because I do. But Im starting to get really pissed off at the games, the run around." He looked at her. "What is it that you want? Its up to you."

[Diane McLain]

She bit her bottom lip, his anger slipping past hers and going straight into her sorrow, building it higher and higher until she found that she couldn't even look at him anymore, turning to the road ahead of them as she felt her eyes growing wet, afraid that if she was to cry then they would turn to icicles. "I'm sorry," she said, feeling instantly foolish for what she said, not even sure what she was thinking.

She shook her head, turning outside of the passenger window as she didn't want Brendan to be able to see her hurt look, "I want you..." she said softly, running her fingers against the edge of the window. "I want you and me to be together. But I'm practically a virgin, Brendan. I can't just randomly have sex straight after the first kiss, in the middle of a forest." she said, feeling her cheeks burning red.

She turned and looked to him, the words flowing effortlessly from her lips, even if in her mind they were hard to believe. "I want you and me to kiss and cuddle and talk and then, after a little, we could move forwards," she said with a small shrug. It seemed foolish for her to have refused back then, but she knew it would have just been a mistake, and she would have felt angry with herself for denying her own principles.

[Brendan Reid]

Brendan nodded. It made him feel even more like a jerk at the fact that he had been so rude and inconsiderate.

"I didnt mean to move so fast. I just thought you... I misread you." He said, reaching over to take her hand in his. His thumb rubbed gently against hers. He wanted to be able to take away the pain but he knew he couldnt. No matter how hard he tried.

"Ill go as slow as you want, as long as youll date me." He said, looking over at her, his teeth bared down on his lip.

[Diane McLain]

She smiled, bowing her head self consciously, feeling the need to apologise but not quite sure what for. She leaned over, laying her head on his shoulder but being careful so she didn't interrupt his driving. "Thank you," she said softly. "I-I don't mind you pushing me a little. Sometimes I just need a push in the right direction, to know what I want. Just... a bed, yeah?" she said, laughing a little.

She looked out into the night, watching the bright streetlights flying past through the black night, feeling warming, but knowing that wasn't going to be the end of it all. "We should probably take you to the hospital," she said, her voice offering no leeway on the decision. "And just think... that blade or whatever it was could've ended up in our backs." she said, shuddering a little.

[Brendan Reid]

Brendan shook his head, more worried about getting her home than getting his foot fixed.

"Im getting you home. Now where do you live?" He asked, starting to get a little agitated that the question he wanted answered and that he had asked her just mere seconds ago still wasnt answered. So he took it as a 'no'. He decided he was giving up on love, relationships, and the such.

"Im serious. Where do you live? Im not worried about my foot. Im worried about getting you home." He said, choking on his words as he bit back stinging tears. He reached to the dashboard and pointed his vent away from him.

[Diane McLain]

She bit her lip a little, watching him with worry. Why was he so desperate to get rid of her? "Girl's dorms, where do you think?" she said, immediately afraid that her words had come out too snappy as she closed her eyes tightly. "But..." she sighed, not wanting a perfect note to end so badly. "If you go to the hospital first, then you could come back to mine...?" she said, her voice a little shaky this time, but just as suggestive as it had been before. She was a little afraid of saying those words, as she didn't want him to fall again in a trap of misreading. But this time, she knew as long as she felt like she was in control and in an environment she was comfortable in, she was ready.

[Brendan Reid]

Brendan realized that he had missed the schools exit and had to make another hasty U-turn. He pulled into the parking lot, then killed the engine, just wanting to sit in the quiet by then.

"By the time Ill get back, itll be late." He said, this time not getting his hopes up. "You know how slow hospitals are. Even when it comes to just getting a shot. I wouldnt wait up for someone like me."

He slumped down in his seat, his eyes closed. This had turned out to be an awful night, not at all like he was lead to believe it would be. He was cold, hurt, and miserable. He just wanted to lay down in his bed and fall asleep. And he wouldnt even care if he didnt wake up.

"I said Im not pushing you into anything. And Im not. Have a good night.." He mumbled.