Todd Wants Key's Face

Sam: Come on you two, go to bed. XP I'll tuck you in and everything.

Harry: *Wages his tail*

Lance: *yawns again* But I'm not tiiiireeeed...

Sarah: Yes you are. *picks Lance up with little resistance, and walks him upstairs*

Emma: *makes grabby hands at her father, asking to be picked up*

Sam: *With a small laugh, he picks Emma up and heads upstairs with her, following behind Sarah and Lance* Soon you'll be too big for this, Emma. <:P

Harry: *Follows them up the stairs*

Emma: *shakes her head vigorously* Nuh-uh...

Sarah: *puts Lance down in his crib*

Lance: *protests sleepily* but i dun wannah...

Sam: Ohh yes you will. Just like how you're almost too big for your crib. *Puts her in*

Harry: *Curious, but waits near Sam, head tilted*

Emma: *pouts* Nuh uuuuh.

Sarah: *kisses Lance's forehead* Goodnight, Lance.

Lance: *is half asleep* mnuuhhh...

Sam: *tucks Emma in and kisses her cheek* Go to bed, Kiddo. We'll see you in the morning, alright? <:P

Harry: *scratches himself with his back leg*

Sarah: *tucks Lance in, then moves over to Emma and kisses her forehead* Goodnight, sweetie.

Emma: m'night...

Lance: *is practically asleep*

Sam: *He backs out of the room a bit* <:P

Harry: *Bounces out of the room*

Lance: *is asleep*

Emma: *is dozing off*

Sarah: *flips off the light, and steps out with Sam, careful not to bump into the dog*

Sam: *Walks out, ten downstairs to retrieve the dog bed he bought for Harry. Then he heads back up and puts it in his and Sarah's room. After a few tries, he manages to call Harry over into the room and get him onto the bed. It takes some effort to keep him on the bed, as he obviously just wants to get off and run around*

Harry: *Playfully nips at Sam*

Sarah: *laughs a bit, keeping her voice low to avoid disturbing the kids* Sheesh, it's like we suddenly had another kid. X);

Sam: Ugh, yeah, I know. XD; *Picks up Harry and puts him back on the bed* We might need to get a crate for the little guy.

Harry: *Gets off the bed again*

Sarah: *gets ready for bed* I'll go pick one up tomorrow. <:P

Sam: That'll be great if you do. <:P

Harry: *Scampers around*

Sarah: *sits down on the edge of the bed* Oof... Harry! *whistles* Harry, c'mere. C:

Harry: *Looks over at Sarah, nose quivering, tail wagging so hard it rocks his backside*

Sam: He doesn't really know his name just yet. ^^;

Sarah: Figured as much--no harm in trying to teach him. :P *whistles again, waggling her fingers at him* C'moooon, Harry.

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Harry: *Leans his head back into Lance's hand, tail thumping against the floor*

Sam: *Comes back with things* I need to make a few more trips. <:P

Sarah: Want me to help you? I think the kids have the situation under control. X)

Lance: :D *pets him more*

Emma: *giggles, excited by the mere fact that they now have a puppy*

Sam: Alright, then, the help's appreciated. CX *heads out again*

Harry: *flops over onto his back*

Sarah: *follows him out to help him carry things* So, just out of curiosity, how big is this dog going to get?

meanwhile

Emma: :D!! *rubs his belly, as she knows puppies enjoy belly rubs*

Lance: *pouts when Emma takes the puppy's attention* |:c

Sam: Well, it's a Caucasian Shepard, so... big. :/

meanwhile

Harry: *Enjoys the belly rub*

Sarah: *whistles* Fun. I'm glad we got a big place, then. X);;

meanwhile

Lance: My turn! >:c *pushes past Emma to rub Harry's belly*

Emma: *thumps back into a sitting position on the carpet. her expression goes from confused to incredibly unamused, crossing her arms and pouting* >:I

Sam: Heh, right. ^^;

meanwhile

Harry: *Enjoys this just as much*

Sarah: *grabs some stuff, comes back inside, and finds them like that--it takes all her willpower not to burst out laughing at Emma's ridiculously serious face* Emma, honey, what's wrong?

Emma: LANCE PUSHED ME. >:I

Lance: DID NOT! >:C

Sam: ... Lance. Son, tell the truth. DID you push your sister? <:/

Harry: *scampers over to Sam*

Lance: *mumbles* yes...

Sarah: Apologize to your sister, Lance. <:/

Lance: *grumbles something unintelligibly*

Emma: :I

Sam: Come on, louder. It'll be better for everyone, you know.

Harry: *sits and wags his tail*

Lance: *mumbled* M'sorry, Emma...

Sarah: And what do you say to that, Emma?

Emma: *very seriously* I forgive you...

Sarah: :)

Sam: There, see? That wasn't so bad! Now we're all a big happy family again! ^^

Harry: *barks*

Emma: *grins widely*

Lance: *pouts*

Sarah: *crouches down to pet the puppy, scratching behind his ear* ^^

Harry: *enjoys this, leaning into Sarah's leg*

Sam: <3

Lance: *goes to pet Harry again, but pauses to yawn widely*

Sarah: Ah, thank you for reminding me--it's past your bedtime. :P

Emma: Laaance, why would you do thaaat? 8C

Lance: I didn't do it on purpoooose... 8C

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Gilder: *With a smile, he does*

*Four years later*

Sam: *He comes home from work holding a Caucasian Shepard puppy in his arms* I'm home!

Puppy: *Looks around the place, nose quivering. It's incredibly fluffy and somewhat chubby, being pretty young*

Emma: *looks up from the toy she was playing with on the couch, and her face lights up when she sees her father and what he's carrying* PUPPY! :D

Lance: *from the other room* PUPPY??? *runs over into the main room, nearly tripping over his own feet as he does so* PUPPY!! 8D

Sarah: *runs out after him, picking up Lance as she passes him on her way to Sam, an eyebrow raised* Hey there Sam, and extremely unexpected cute puppy.

Sam: *makes the puppy wave at his family by moving his paw a bit. He "speaks" for the puppy in a squeaky voice* 'Well hey there, new family!' *He then drops the paw and clears his throat* I hope this isn't TOO unexpected. I've been visiting the pound for a while now, during my lunch breaks, and, well... I dunno, I just couldn't say 'no' to the little guy's face. What do you think? Sorry for the... sudden... ness of it all. ^^;

Puppy: *Struggles a bit in Sam's grip, wanting to run around and release all its pent-up energy*

Sarah: *sighs a bit, but her smile never wavers* I dunno, Sam... I mean... Will the KIDS be okay with it?

Lance: YES. O_____O

Emma: *bounces up and down on the couch excitedly* Keep the puppy, keep the puppy! :D

Sarah: Well, I think we have our answer. :P

Sam: Alright then! ^^ *He lets the puppy go, setting it down on the ground*

Puppy: *Scampers over to Emma and Lance, licking their faces*

Sam: I borrowed a military car in order to bring him and some supplies over. I, uh... I actually had an idea. For a name for him, I mean. <:)

Lance and Emma: *squeal excitedly, happily playing with the puppy*

Sarah: Yeah? Well, let's hear it! *genuinely curious*

Sam: *He watches their children play with the young dog for a bit, a sad smile on his face, before answering* ... Harry.

Sarah: ... *her smile soon mirrors his, and she puts a hand on his shoulder* I like that name. <:)

Sam: *He smiles a little wider from Sarah's answer, and he pulls her into a one-armed hug* ... Thank you.

Harry: *Scampers around the place*

Sarah: *hugs him back and kisses his cheek, then watches the kids play with their new family member*

Lance: *chases Harry around*

Emma: *watches them run around, giggling with amusement*

Sam: *calls out to their son* Now Lance, be nice to the puppy, alright?

Harry: *just keeps running around*

Lance: *only giggles excitedly in response, still chasing the dog around*

Emma: *tries to pet Harry whenever he runs by her, and pouts when he runs off again* :c

Sarah: Heh...

Sam: I'll start bringing in the supplies, alright? Alright. See you in a sec. <:P *He leaves the house in order to bring things in*

Harry: *slows to a trot, then a stop, in order to bite at his backside, which has developed an itch*

Sarah: Alright! *stays behind to watch the kids*

Lance: *seizes the opportunity and grabs the puppy when he stops, hugging it tightly* puppy! :DDD

Emma: *squeals and clambers off the couch to go pet the dog*

Sarah: Lance, be careful with Harry!

Harry: *struggles in the boy's grip*

meanwhile

Sam: *Whistles as he gets the puppy supplies*

Lance: *loosens his grip on Harry, petting the puppy's head almost apologetically*

Emma: *also pets the puppy*

Sarah: *finds herself smiling, and laughs a little bit*

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Gilder: *His face turns a bright shade of red and he quickly hides it from Claire, embarrassed*

Claire: *laughs a little bit, still rather amused by his bashfulness* <:P

Gilder: U-Uh, thank you for that! ^/////^;;;

Claire: *looks away from him, putting a hand over her mouth to contain her snickers*

Gilder: *Is embarrassed further when he hears her* >////////>;;;

Claire: *grinning widely, still trying to contain snickers* It's alright, John! There's nothing to be embarrassed about...!

Gilder: Noo, no, I'm just overreacting to it - I mean, what am I, twelve? <://///D

Claire: I just didn't expect it from you, I think it's adorable. <:P

Gilder: AHAHA. AHA. 'ADORABLE'. RIGHT. <8////D;;;

Claire: *manages to contain her snickering long enough to nuzzle into Gilder's shoulder* <3

Gilder: *He's still a bit red, but he ends up happily snuggling with Claire* ... <3

Claire: *is happy to be so close to him. It's been a long while since she's been so close to ANYONE*

Gilder: *Tries to not think of Harry. Lieutenant Gatzsky Senior. John can't help but wonder if he'll be as good to Claire as HE was*

Claire: *doesn't really think of much as they sit together. they stay there for a little while, until the breeze starts getting a bit chilly* Mm. I think it's time for us to be heading back...

Gilder: Oh, alright. Would you like me to walk you home? :)

Claire: That would be wonderful, thank you. :)

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Gilder: *Reddens and looks away from Claire with embarrassment, but doesn't move his hand. He's trying not to smile, and failing*

Claire: *laughs a little bit, smiling at him, lightly rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb* You don't have to hold it in, you know.

Gilder: *Looks over at her* ! ... I-is it okay with you? I mean, I didn't realize how obvious I was being...

Claire: *smiles a bit more widely* You were being very obvious. *her smile softens* And yes, I'm okay with it.

Gilder: *He's very happy to hear this and grins widely* ... If only Sam knew... <:D

Claire: I think he should find out on his own. He'll be quite surprised. <:P

Gilder: Hah, and how! I hope he doesn't treat me any differently from before once he knows. ^^;

Claire: Ah, he shouldn't. He'll have a severe talking-to if he does. :P

Gilder: *He laughs a bit at this* Good, good. That'll teach him. XD ... *He flips over his hand from under Claire so that he's holding her hand as she holds his* ... <:)

Claire: *returns his smile, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. it sure was a nice day out...*

Gilder: *He carefully, slowly leans over and gives Claire a quick kiss on the cheek*

Claire: *gently nuzzles his cheek, then leans her head against his shoulder*

Gilder: *Becomes very happy from this and leans his head against hers, smiling*

Claire: *sighs happily, closing her eyes, enjoying the slight breeze on her face and the rustling of the tree above her*

Gilder: *He stays like this for a while with Claire* ... This is nice... I'm very happy to be spending my day off with you, Claire.

Claire: And I'm glad that you chose to spend it with me. :)

Gilder: Truthfully, Claire, I wouldn't want to spend it any other way. <:)

Claire: *returns the warm smile, and leans up to kiss his cheek*

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Gilder: *He smiles back at her - a small one - while inside, he celebrates the successful step forward in a real relationship with Claire*

Claire: *the sudden darkening of the theater distracts her, and she turns to look at the screen, the movie now starting* !

Gilder: *Looks over at the screen, half disappointed by the movie starting and half relieved*

Claire: *watches the film with interest--it was just as good as the reviews said. she never pulls her hand out from under Gilder's*

Gilder: *Is happy with this and doesn't pay too much attention to the movie. All his thoughts and feelings were focused on Claire*

Claire: *casts an occasional glance at Gilder, and catches him doing the same once or twice. she smiles to herself, but doesn't comment on it*

*After the movie*

Gilder: *walks out with Claire* Er, that was interesting. Don't you think? :)

Claire: Yep, it was better than I expected. Thank you. :)

Gilder: Oh, you know, don't thank me... I mean, you bought the popcorn... ^/////^;

Claire: *teasingly* You bought the tickets. :P

Gilder: Then we're equal. ^///^;

Claire: *raises an eyebrow at him* Alright, if you insist. But thank you nonetheless. :)

Gilder: Heh... You want to head back and see if the park is still as crowded? ^///^

Claire: That sounds alright to me. ^^ *leaves the movie theater with Gilder*

Gilder: *Walks to the park with Claire, happy to see that it's got less people now*

Claire: *is relieved to see the park less crowded. she spots an empty bench under a shady tree, and goes to sit on it*

Gilder: *Sits next to her, smiling at her. Much like he knows Sam has been to Sarah, Gilder has been harboring feelings for Claire for a very long time* <:)

Claire: *looks over at him, and smiles back. she puts her hand over his*

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Gilder: Well, alright then. ^^

*They walk to the movie theater*

Claire: *walks in with Gilder, glancing at the posters on the wall labeled "NOW SHOWING"* ...hm...

Gilder: Anything interest you? I'm okay with whatever you'd like to see.

Claire: I'm not sure--anything catch your eye?

Gilder: Ah, well, I'm fine with anything. :) Is that too indecisive? :/ I-I can be more decisive if you'd like! D8

Claire: Well, maybe we could--ah! *points out one of the posters on the wall* How about that one? I've heard good things about it.

Gilder: Moon Pig? Sure, we can go see that one. I've read nothing but good things about it, heh. :D *he goes to pay or two tickets*

Claire: *goes to buy a bag of popcorn as he does so* :)

Gilder: *Waits for for, smiling, then when they meet up again, they enter the theater playing the movie*

Claire: *takes a seat with Gilder, eating a bit of popcorn while they wait for the previews to end*

Gilder: *Would be more interested in the previous if Claire wasn't there to distract him* >///> ...

Claire: *holds the bag of popcorn out to him* Want some? :)

Gilder: Huh? Oh - Oh, sure. :) *He takes some popcorn and eats it* ^///^;

Claire: ^^ *keeps the bag between them so Gilder can get at it. she lets out a quiet sigh, not really watching the previews. her mind wanders off to Sam and his family, and she wonders how they're doing...*

Gilder: *Gives Claire a look of curiosity, noticing her change in facial expressions* <:/

Claire: *doesn't notice him looking at her. She wonders if she should call them later*

Gilder: *Carefully and with much nervousness, he places his hand of Claire's* <///<;

Claire: ! *is snapped out of her thoughts, and she glances down at their hands before looking at Gilder. She holds his gaze for a moment before smiling at him*

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Gilder: *Decides to wear black long pants, a long-sleeved white shirt and a brown vest. Not too fancy, not disgustingly casual. Perfect*

Claire: *decides to leave early and walk to Gilder's instead, wanting to enjoy the weather. It was a bit of a lengthy walk, and she arrives at his doorstep just in time--she rings the doorbell*

Gilder: *He answers the door completely ready to go* Ah, Claire, you're looking, uh... very nice. ^///^

Claire: *smiles at him* Thank you, John. I can say the same for you. ^^

Gilder: *Looks away from Claire a little to hide his sudden blushing from the compliment* U-uh, well then... Shall we walk? ^////^;

Claire: *grins, rather amused by his bashfulness. hopefully he'll realize there's really nothing to be too shy about* We shall. :)

Gilder: Heheh, okay then! ^///^ *He starts walking with Claire, admiring the city (and her) as he does so*

Claire: *walks with him, in a rather good mood. She can't help but notice him stealing glances at her every so often, and a small smile forms on her face. They reach the park after a little while of walking*

Gilder: Would you like to stop here?

*The park is somewhat busy with people*

Claire: Mmn. It's a bit more crowded than I would've liked...

Gilder: Oh, is it? Because we don't HAVE to be at the park. We can go somewhere else if you want. D:>

Claire: *pauses to think* Hm... Ah--Do you have any idea what movies are out right now?

Gilder: No, sorry. I've been working. ^^; Would you like to go? :)

Claire: I don't see why not. ^^

Gilder: Oh, okay - Okay, I can -- I'll pay for your ticket if you'd like! :D

Claire: I'll buy popcorn, then. :)

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Sam: So far, so good; Still breathing. ;P Go sleep while you still can! *He then leaves for the Outpost*

meanwhile

Claire: *is up early, as usual, even though she really has nothing to do. She gets dressed and goes downstairs to fix herself some breakfast*

Gilder: *Has taken a day off today. He wonders if Claire is busy. He eats breakfast and waits for an appropriate time to call and check*

Claire: *sits down at her table and quietly eats her breakfast, wondering if it's going to be nice enough out to go for a walk or some such thing. She's been cooped up in her home for too long*

Gilder: *Waits until about 10:30am before calling Claire, hoping she's there and especially hoping that she won't turn him down*

Claire: ! *wasn't really expecting the phone to ring--she quickly answers* Hello?

Gilder: Hello, Claire -- How are you, today? Good? Bad? Terrible? Excellent? The weather's nice, or at least... I-I think so. What are you doing right now?

Claire: *laughs a little bit* I'm doing just fine, John. I was actually just about to go out--would you like to join me?

Gilder: *this catches him off guard* Wha -- Buh -- Y-YES! D///8 I-I mean -- I mean, uh, I'd love to. ^///^;

Claire: *tries to refrain from laughing again, settling for just grinning to herself* Alright. Is it okay if I meet you at your place in around half an hour?

Gilder: H-half an -- ? O-okay! I'll be ready by then, don't worry! D///8

Claire: *smiles a bit more widely* You can take longer if you have to. <:P

Gilder: No, it's fine -- It doesn't take me that long to get ready, I'm fine! ^^;

Claire: If you insist. <:P I'll see you then. :)

Gilder: Yeah! Yea, see you later! ^////^; *hangs up in order to quickly find something nice to wear*

Claire: *laughs a little as she hangs up, and heads back upstairs to change into something a little nicer. It was a lovely day outside--may as well make the most of it*

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Sam: *Nuzzles Sarah back* Goodnight. <:)

Sarah: *puts an arm over him, and snuggles closer* Goodnight. <:)

Sam: *Closes his eyes and rests against Sarah, comfortable*

Sarah: *does the same, nuzzling into his shoulder, falling asleep after a few minutes*

Sam: *He also falls asleep quickly. He's happy where he is*

The Next Morning

Sam: *asleep*

Sarah: *is awake a bit earlier than him, still nuzzled against him*

Sam: *Is smiling. He's dreaming of something happy, apparently*

Sarah: *smiles at this, glad that he's getting rest. she rubs his back, snuggling closer*

Sam: *nuzzles her a little, still asleep* Mh...

Sarah: *kisses his cheek* <3

Sam: *drowsily wakes up from this* Mn... Hey there... 'Morning, Sarah... <:)

Sarah: Mornin'. <:) *nuzzles his cheek* Sleep well?

Sam: *nuzzles back* Really well. *He gives her a quick kiss* Time for me to head out, I guess. *He gets out of bed and starts getting dressed*

Sarah: Mmmkay. *pulls the covers up a bit higher* Let's see if the kids'll let me sleep in... XP

Sam: Don't get your hopes up. XP *gets his jacket and puts it on, then adds his hat*

Sarah: A girl can dream. XP

Sam: Haha, alright then. I'll try getting more work on the Mafia done. Wish me luck!

Sarah: The luck has been wished. Don't get yourself killed. <:P

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