holding OUT for a HERO ;; fredrick

[laura delaford. <3]

where have all the good men gone
and where are all the gods?
where's the street-wise Hercules
to fight the rising odds?

Laura stepped up into the carriage and sat down carefully making sure her dress wasn't wrinkled in anyway. Today was market day for Laura. She had this day planned out for almost a month and had her list of everything she needed that she had wrote out the night before. She didn't enjoy going to the market but it was something that she needed to do anyways, especially since when she sent other people to do it for her they never got the correct items. If you want it done right you just have to do it yourself. Her plan was just to go into the market and get everything as quick as possible before heading back to the estate. Quick and simple.

Laura didn't feel like talking to anyone while she was there. Of course she was suppose to mingle to get a good image of herself out there but honestly she wasn't in a good mood today. Yesterday she had broken down after a maid had told her she was wrong and those feelings seemed to travel with her into today. The truth was that she was mad at herself for still being a single lady with pretty much no one courting her. It sucked. She had to just go on with her life, she knew someone would come eventually who would want her just because of her title and if he had a title himself well then there you go. She wasn't worried about the thing people called love because truthfully she didn't believe in it herself.

She nodded to the driver before stepping down from the carriage and into the marketplace. She headed over to the vendors to pick out everything she needed. Needles and thread for the new sewing piece, she thought to herself. That was really the main reason why she came here, to get her sewing supplies. She loved to sew but only with the thread she liked which was why she needed to pick it out herself or else she just wouldn't use it.

"Excuse me sir, how much does this cost?" she asked holding up a set of needles. After he replied Laura set them back down. Even needles weren't worth that much, it would use up all the money she had with her meaning she couldn't get anything else in her list. Laura began to slowly walk down the row of vendors careful not to skip over anything that she might need. Hopefully she could just find everything then leave.

i'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
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tagged for fredrick. not the greatest start...time for you to take over![/size]

[• fredrick norwood]

Frederick hadn't bothered to comb his hair. The natural brown curles were a mess, but despite or perhaps because of that, he was a remarkable handsome fellow. His white shirt was unbuttoned on top, and it wasn't tucked in. He hadn't bothered with a belt and his trousers drooped slightly. He stuck his hands in his pockets as he sauntered through the market place. He nodded and smiled at every girl he passed. They all knew Frederick Norwood. He was of a rich family and his two sisters were very popular in society. People also knew that Frederick was the bad boy. He was constantly in trouble for things, and mothers told their daughters to stay away.

Frederick snagged a soft pear from a quiet market stand and kept walking. Unfortunately the shopkeeper saw him and yelled. Frederick spun around and lobbed the fruit at the man's head. It struck him square on the forehead. Before the shopkeeper could get him in trouble Frederick had dissapeared into the crowd. Now he was bored. He scanned the crowd until his eyes found Laura Delaford. He grinned and began weaving through the stalls in persuit.

He didn't really know Laura that well. She was a Delaford, so he hated her even though he didn't have a good reason. Norwoods hated Delafords, that's just the way it was. She was also very pretty. Beautiful, in fact. Frederick had been stalking her as a hobby recently. He sent her flowers, letters, and accidentily bumped into her on outings. He knew she found him annoying, but that was the point. He finally reached the stall behind her and came up behind her. "Hello, Laura. Isn't it a lovely day?" he put on his hunky darling face and prepared himself for some fun.

Sorry it's short, I hate typing on my iPod! It'll be better when I'm on a computer. (: Honest!

[laura delaford. <3]

somewhere after midnight
in my wildest fantasy
somewhere just beyond my reach
there's someone reaching back for me

A bit of this, a bit of that. Laura's days had been going exactly as planned, except for yesterday morning which offset everything. Just one thing could change her attitude for the rest of the day and even the next one too. Those little things that were out of order were what set her off.

When people saw Laura they pretty much already knew what she was like. Her hair was pulled back into a bun that stayed that way almost everyday. She walked like she was better than everyone else, which she strongly believed. Her face stayed tight without expressing any emotion. You could tell just by looking at her that she wasn't one to put up with any nonsense, which was the truth.

Laura was moving towards the next vendor when she heard a voice behind her. Her mind instantly put it together with who it belonged to. Fredrick Norwood. He was a creeper that had been following Laura wherever she went, not to mention that he was Norwood. Laura pretty much hated him but he didn't seem to get that, or he did and that was the reason why he was putting all this time and energy into her.

She slowly turned around to face him. She had to admit, he was good looking and maybe if he wasn't a Norwood...no, no way. Laura wasn't even going to go there. "Hello Sir Norwood. It was a lovely day until you entered my view," Laura spoke sharply addressing him by his last name instead of his first like he did for her. She didn't hide any of her feelings towards him because when it came to him it didn't matter if she acted lady like or not because well he didn't even come up on her scale of worthiness.

Laura began to walk away slowly saying, "If you don't mind, I am going to be on my way now..." She knew that he wouldn't leave just because of that and would most likely follow her the whole time she was at the market. He was just extremely annoying and he knew he was too which was probably why he was doing this in the first place. Maybe if she just left quietly...

i'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
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i believe you! and well there is the post it is...blah.

[• fredrick norwood]

Frederick admired her dress. Laura was dressed very nicely, in garments that showed her station. Still, only she could carry them off with that self-confident high and mighty look. It was amusing. She addressed him formally, by his family name. That alone was a sign of her disdain. Delafords and Norwoods simply did not mix. Still, that was what made this fun. The insult was a petty one, and Frederick easily countered. "Milady," he began mockingly, "I pity the poor existence that sees this grey sky as a lovely day. Or perhaps you were referring to the reek of the dung pile just there?" he gestured in that direction with a smirk. "Surely your day must be brighter now that you have intellectual conversation instead of grey sky and dung piles. This market is lovely isn't it?" Perhaps that had been a tad random, but he enjoyed rankling her.

She moved as though she was going to leave and gave him a brief farewell. Frederick turned as though he wasn't interested and picked up a little mirror, pretending to examine himself but really watching her. It seemed as though she had decided he wasn't going to follow and was moving away at a relatively swift pace. Nonchalantly Frederick popped out from behind the next booth. "What are we looking at now?" he asked, staring intently at her. He knew she found that annoying. The grey sky above, which had seemed sunny earlier, now acted as though it planned to hurtle down spittle upon unsuspecting folks.

Frederick suddenly had a plan. He guessed it would rain soon, and most woman hated to be caught in the rain. It was all about "my hair! my hair!" and "my makeup! my makeup!" and sometimes "my shopping! my shopping!". He planned to "save" Laura from that, and in the meantime have himself some more fun. He gave a short bow and said, "Rain is imminent, milady. Over there," he pointed, "Is a small shop that sells teas. We shall be safe in there until the rain stops." He knew she'd probably refuse to go anywhere with him, but the threat of rain would hopefully help to counter that urge. He gave her an expectant glance, hoping his scheme would work.

Ugh, I'm on the computer and still not doing too hot. Oh well. If she does choose to go with him, I'm thinking there's like a bar behind the tea shop that he could trick her into or something. After all, he is a schemer. Whatever you want. My head is aching. -goes to find Tylenol-

[laura delaford. <3]

up where the mountains meet the heavens above
out where the lightning splits the sea
i would swear that there's someone somewhere
watching me

Laura walked away trying not to look back. She knew that Fredrick wasn't just going to disappear but maybe if he found something more interesting than her he would leave her alone. She glanced up at the sky as she felt a breeze wrap around her. It was going to rain, an excuse to leave the market early. Of course then she would have to come back another day which she wouldn't want to do. Maybe Fredrick didn't like the rain...

She paused for a second coming over a vendor full of different threads. She let her hand run over them feeling their texture. If only she could just take all of them home with her. She glanced over her shoulder and didn't see Fredrick so she relaxed slightly. Her eyes picked out a light blue color and she was reaching over to grab it when she heard a voice come up behind her.

"What are we looking at now?"

[/b] He couldn't just leave her alone. She opened her mouth to snap something back at him when he continued talked. Oh. So he noticed that it was going to rain too but that wasn't the plan that she was thinking of. "I believe that you may be suggesting things that shouldn't be suggested by that offer. So I decline," Laura said moving slowly away again moving her hand from the thread. Then the first drop of rain began to fall. Laura lifted her head and felt the cold rain hit her. She knew she wasn't going to make it to the carriage before she was drenched. She looked at her only other option, Fredrick. Why did it always end up like this?

She sighed before addressing him again, "Now I am still not going with you. I shall just head to the tea shops until the rain ceases. Don't be getting any ideas." Laura moved towards the shop without waiting for him, with the hope that maybe he wouldn't follow. Laura knew he would, she was going exactly where he wanted her to go. She was falling into his trap and she didn't know any way to get out of it. She felt like a fly that no matter where it went there was web.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote]

i'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
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sorry this took so long to get this up and it is shortish. and that sounds good...(:[/size]

[• fredrick norwood]

He had a momentary feeling of panic when she refused. Not that he had any elaborate plans as such, but he would have liked the chance. Suddenly the rain began to fall. Shoppers scurried to get away, afraid of getting wet. Laura seemed to be wrestling with the decision, but she finally told him she would go in the tea shop. She said she wasn't going with him as such, but he didn't care.

Frederick loved this particular tea shop. It wasn't that he was really into tea as such, but he enjoyed the small alcoholic bar that was behind. He and his friends had spent many days hanging out together in the back rooms of this tea shop. Frederick doubted he could get Laura back there, and he doubted further that he could get her drunk. Unless he bought her spiked tea. He liked that idea. Maybe just enough to loosen her inhibitions, but not enough that she would forget what happened. That would give him an edge on her...if it worked.

They entered and he went up to the counter. While Laura was distracted he wrote a quick note to the shopkeeper explaining his intentions, then walked back over to Laura. "The best tea is the Earl Grey," he said. "Obviously, with plenty of sugar." He thought of how to proceed, then decided on a proper course. "Can I buy you a cup of tea? We escaped the rain, but a good hot cup will keep away the chill. We did get a bit wet after all." He hoped his arguement sounded plausible. This hasty plan would never work otherwise.

Sorry I took so long! I'm having computer issues.

[laura delaford. <3]

through the wind and the chill and the rain
and the storm and the flood
i can feel his approach
like the fire in my blood

Laura was a bit uncomfortable in this situation. She knew that Fredrick wasn't the most trusted man in all of Cheshire, and to state it simply - she didn't trust him either. She knew just being around him was a risk, especially since he was a Norwood. Of course she was stuck now because of the rain that was pouring down outside and she knew he wouldn't leave her alone as long as she was at the markets.

She stayed away from him looking impatient, since she was. Why did God have to decide to make it rain now? Laura knew she had no hope of getting away from Fredrick but at least she could pretend that she wasn't with him for anyone that was watching. He would probably change that. Laura took a big breath and let it out, clearly annoying. Today wasn't turning out how she had planned and she wasn't happy one bit about that. When it didn't go as planned, that was when things that shouldn't happen happened.

Fredrick came back over to her and began to talk about tea. She raised her eyebrows slightly, he had acted "proper" most of the time she was around him but she knew he wasn't trying to impress her in anyway. Or at least that was what she thought. Really she had no idea why he was acting how he was. When he offered her some tea, she opened her mouth to refuse right away then she went back to her lessons. You were never suppose to refuse, no matter who it was for it would lessen your image.

"Thank you, I suppose," she said not talking directly to him, more to the side of him. She hoped he would get the picture that by saying thank you she would take the tea, but if he needed up not giving it to her well then all the better. As Laura stood there she began to look around at everyone else in the tea shop. The number of people had increased because of the rain and you couldn't help but hear their conversations. She stiffened as she heard her name but she couldn't catch the rest of it because they had already moved on. The sooner she got out of here the better.

i'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
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don't worry about it! just post whenever you have time and your computer is cooperating.

[• fredrick norwood]

Frederick knew she was uncomfortable. He wasn't surprised. Even if he wasn't a Norwood, having someone come after you so ferociously had to be annoying. He heard her accept the offer and headed back to the counter. The clerk had already prepared the tea. The bar specialized in a certain unnoticeable alcohol. You couldn't taste or smell it. However, it's affect on reason an propriety was nearly triple that of normal alcohol. Frederick loved the stuff. It was perfect for losing oneself at a party. The tea he was delivering to Laura contained a goodly amount of the stuff. It would probably mainly affect the areas of her brain that caused her to act so snotty and upright. If it did exactly as Frederick hoped, he could have some fun.

"Your tea, milady." He delivered the cup with a flourish. He knew she found that both annoying and embarrassing. He handed her the cup and went back for one himself. His was not spiked. He did not wish to miss any moment of this. While he waited, he sipped his tea and noted how crowded the place had become. Apparently most of the marketplace did not appreciate rain. Well, at least the entire town wasn't crammed into this place. He saw a few of his friends, the ones that had more ill repute, and he motioned with his eyes that they should stay away for the time being. No sense setting off warning bells in Laura's head before she was properly intoxicated.

The rain outside pelted to door and made a terrible racket. Frederick wondered if it was hailing as well, but he didn't think it was cold enough for that. He sipped his tea again, noting that it had just the right amount of sugar. He might have to lick the excess sugar out of the bottom. His mother hated it when he did that. Perhaps that was why he did it. He loved to get a rise out of people.

When Frederick took another look around he noticed that Laura and he were the only Delaford or Norwood presence among all the people. Thankfully, no one seemed to take much note of them. They were all focused on the rain and the present state of their shopping. A few seemed concerned about their hair. Frederick hadn't gotten that wet, so he ignored them and turned back to Laura. Another amazing bit of the alcohol was how fast it worked. He wouldn't have long to wait.

Just let me know if you want to take this a different direction. I'm kind of making it up as I go.

[laura delaford. <3]

Laura paced back and forth slightly as she waited for the tea. She felt some cold air blow in through the door of the tea shop and she shivered. Hopefully the tea would warm her up a bit. Her eyes looked over and saw Fredrick coming back with her tea. She was a bit skeptical about this whole situation but she knew the sooner she satisfied him the sooner she could get out of here.

Your tea, milady." Laura took the tea and nodded her head. She held it in her hands just letting the warmth flow into her hands. She let her eyes follow Fredrick back over the counter to get himself some tea. She knew what she thought about him and he knew it too. Then why did he keep annoying her like he did? Probably for the reason of enjoyment on his part. Shallow, self-centered boy. Laura sighed. The only guy that paid any interest in her was the one that she could never have and most likely would never want to have. Unless he did something to completely change her opinion of him which would never happen and there was still the whole family thing which she wouldn't disobey. Ever.

Laura took a sip of her tea. Normal tea that tasted fine. Still she had this feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was wrong. She took another sip liking the way it warmed her body. She turned to Fredrick as he came back. She felt herself becoming lightheaded. Thinking it was just the tea helping her warm up she took another longer sip this time. Now her mind was beginning to change and she was feeling a lot different. She wasn't thinking like she was before. She turned to Fredrick and wondered why she thought he was such a bad guy before. Drinking her tea she kept an eye on him. She was with him right? She did seem to remember that they had come into this shop because of the rain. Too bad they didn't stay outside, they could have had some fun in the rain. Not to mention that it was getting stuffy and crowded in here. Maybe she and him could escape from here together. He was very good looking. Maybe they could have some fun together.

Laura drank her tea again taking a huge sip of it, finishing off all that was left. She looked in the cup and wondered where it all went so fast. She moved the cup back and forth between her hands not sure what to do with it before just placing on the ground. Grinning she moved over to Fredrick. She stood next to his so her arm was pressed against him. She moved her head so her mouth was right on his ear. "Do you want to go outside with me? So we can be, you know...alone?" she attempted to whisper to him but it came out louder than she wanted it to. Realizing how loud she said it she covered her mouth and giggled. Tonight was going to be an interesting night.

i'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
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um. sort of love this new laura. sorry it took so long! and i'm too lazy to get lyrics[/size]

[• fredrick norwood]

Frederick sipped his tea normally and watched Laura eye her glass every so often. She seemed wary. He wasn't surprised. Even if he wasn't a Norwood, he was still a rogue. The tea seemed to be working though, Laura appeared to be attempting to figure out what was happening. He knew the alcohol he'd given her tended to give a feeling of light headedness, which could be unpleasant to some people.

She leaned over and asked if he wanted to go outside. She was a tad loud, but nobody really looked up. Frederick gave a slight bow and said, "I would love to accompany you, milady. Lead the way!" Perhaps the gentlemanly thing would be for him to lead the way, but Laura seemed so eager he didn't think she'd mind much. Perhaps this could change things forever. If not, it would surely be fun for a time.

They exited the building quickly. It was still raining, but it was a light rain. Frederick doubted it would cause them to catch cold. He noted how deserted the market was. Everyone must have run for cover. Frederick liked rain. He felt his clothes becoming slightly damp, and he raised his face to the sky. He wondered what the normal Laura would have done in rain. Earlier she had reluctantly followed him into shelter, which matched her stuffy personality. This hyped Laura seemed to be thrilled to be in the rain. Frederick made a mental note to not be anywhere near Laura when the alcohol wore off.

He leaned over to her and asked, "What would you like to do, Dear?" He risked the sweetheart term because of her present frame of mind. He wondered how it would go over. This would be fun!

I forgive you! <3 I think this will be quite interesting. I wonder what effect it'll have on Laura once she's normal again? 0.o

[laura delaford. <3]

Laura grinned as she led the way for Fredrick out the door. As the rain hit her she lifted her face up to the sky and stuck out her tongue catching some of the raindrops. Not very lady like but this Laura probably didn't know what the word lady meant. She began to skip a little and looked around. There was almost no one outside. Perfect. No one would disturb them.

"What would you like to do, Dear?" Laura looked at Fredrick and grinned. She had a few ideas formulating in her mind. Not really though. She wasn't able to think enough to formulate a plan, she just did whatever she felt like doing. "Well. I would like to take this horrible hair out. Who dressed me this morning?" she said reaching up and beginning to tear out her neatly made bun. She just dug her fingers into the blonde hair and began to pull so everything that was holding it together fell to the ground. Bringing her hands back down she shook her hair out so it was surrounding her face in waves of blonde.

She turned back to Fredrick and struck a pose. "You like?" Without waiting for an answer or even caring if she got an answer she moved closer to him. She came close enough so her face was right in front of his. "There is one more thing I want to do..." she said before closing the space between the two of them and kissing him. She let her mouth open slightly as she kissed him. She kissed him for a second longer before pulling away slowly letting him know she would rather not stop. Laura looked at him and raised her eyebrows waiting to see what kind of reaction she would get from him. She was having lots of fun. For sure.

i'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
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ahh. love this thread even more. and when Laura is normal again...hahaha...Fredrick will most likely be close to dead.

[• fredrick norwood]

Frederick grinned as he watched Laura catching the raindrops on her face. He was sure he'd never see this again, so he was enjoying every minute. He heard her say something about her hair and she began to pull out her bun. He watched closely. He'd never seen Laura with her hair down before, and now that he thought about it, having it all pinned up probably added to her snooty appearance. Her hair finally collapsed in ringlets around her face. She struck a pose and asked, "You like?" She didn't wait for a response, but he nodded. "Laura, you look ravishing." Having her hair down made her beautiful instead of proud. He liked that. Perhaps his sincerity in that moment would be remembered after the alcohol was gone. He hoped so.

She came up close and said there was something else she wanted to do. Without warning she was kissing him. It wasn't a simple kiss, or a passionate one, but something in between. She seemed to be waiting for a reaction. He smiled at her and said in a teasing tone, "Why don't we do that more often?" He didn't wait for a response, but kissed her back. This time it was slightly more passionate. He held her close and kissed her deeply, knowing in the back of his mind that this would probably be the first and last time this happened. He felt sad about that. Sure he was a total womanizer, but Laura was truly gorgeous, and he didn't have any other girls to be chasing. He pushed away his more frivolous thoughts and concentrated on her.

The rain continued to fall steadily around them. Frederick thought that the pitter-patter of the rain made a soothing background noise for this scene. He and Laura finally pulled away and he gave her a little bow. He wondered if somewhere inside the non-intoxicated Laura there lurked this beautiful, daring vixen he now saw in front of him. If not, then he was simply fooling himself with this little game. He didn't know how to find out if there was a way to draw this Laura from the sober one without alcohol.

Ooo...Frederick's actually falling in love I think! Behind the scenes: he's worried that she'll hate him forever after this, that nothing can bring this vixen out again, etc. etc. I wonder how this will work out!

[laura delaford. <3]

Laura was having fun. Sure, she wasn't thinking properly or even sober but still if she was to remember anything of this night it was that she had a bunch of fun of course the fact that it was Fredrick who did this to her. But she had drank that whole cup of tea so who knew how long she would be in this drunken state.

"Why don't we do that more often?" Laura was actually wondering the same thing too. It seemed like she had never done this before yet she was having lots of fun. She didn't have time to tell him that though before this time he kissed her first. She quickly closed any space that was between them and placed her hand behind his head kissing passionately. She let herself just stay there, her mind not really thinking about anything because it hadn't been doing much thinking along.

As the pulled away Laura wished that they could just stay like that for the rest of the night. She watched him bow and she did something like a curtsy before twirling around and letting the wind blow her dress outwards. When she stopped she looked at Fredrick. Now she wasn't sure what to do. She began to skip a little bit again then settle back to where Fredrick was. "Okay! Your turn to pick something to do. I'll do anyyyyythingggg!" she said giggling a bit at the last word. The truth was she would do anything and Fredrick could easily take advantage of that. And this Laura, well she would probably love for him to do just that.

'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
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ah ah ah. behind the scenes: when Laura wakes up she will most likely be angry at Fredrick on the outside but on the inside she is completely and utterly confused and sort of wants to do it again. XD

[• fredrick norwood]

Frederick sighed softly as they pulled apart. He smiled at her and for a minute he wished that it was a true moment and not one he'd engineered. She seemed to snap out of the quietness and began to skip. She suddenly told him it was his turn to pick something to do. He had thought about just using the alcohol to take advantage of her and leave it at that, but he wasn't sure he still wanted to do that. Frederick wasn't sure what to do, so he stood there for a moment, watching her.

After a bit of consideration he said, "I've heard it said that it is incredibly romantic to dance in the rain." He decided that something simple like that would be more in his favor then taking advantage of her now and losing her forever. If pressured though, he wasn't sure how he would hold up.

The rain showed no signs of slowing. If one glanced at the market now, they would see no sign that barely two hours before it had been a bustling throng of people. Frederick was glad they were alone. He couldn't stand the idea that someone might see them and report to his parents. His mother might be sympathetic, but his father would beat him raw for even thinking about Laura. Oh the evils of a feud.

He turned back to Laura and held out a hand. It was an open invitation to a dance in the rain. Who knew what would come next?

Blech, I'm not sure what to do here. Do you want to have some kind of "compromising situation" between them? Possible a fade to black...unless you want to do it over PM, lol. Maybe when this is all over he could write her a letter? That might help slowly bridge them together without the help of alcohol. I dunno. Let me know if you have any good ideas. <3

[laura delaford. <3]

Laura twirled a bit while she waited for Fredrick's reply. It was obvious she wasn't herself right now for many reasons. Her hair was down. She was in the rain. She was with a Norwood. She just kissed Fredrick. She was smiling. Anyone who looked at her would know something was wrong yet Laura was having the most fun she had ever had in a long time.

"I've heard it said that it is incredibly romantic to dance in the rain." Laura smiled and took his hand. She placed her hands exactly where she was suppose to, habit not disappearing even in this state. Of course she let herself get closer to him than she was really "suppose" to. As she began to dance with him she rested her head on his shoulder and let herself breathe him in. In this state she would enjoy being with him all day and never leaving his site and while she was still like this that was most likely exactly what she was going to be doing.

Of course they could only dance for so long. After that would most likely come some more things that the real Laura would never do. That she would most likely come to remember doing once the alcohol ran it's course and then try to make sense of. Then the horde of feeling would come rushing at her.

i'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
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yes yes. i don't mind doing PM or just blacking out. if we just black out then we can move it along quicker. a letter would be good. then Laura well she will just sort of be angry at him for a while then get over it in a way and see him again. (: