Joshua Goddard King

musebysentence | 73.3 New Tricks

touchkitndie — Sun, 16 May 2010 09:31:26 GMT

He couldn't rest once the idea was planted, and he was just grateful he hadn't thrown out his good kilt, or that Lachlan had a shirt and jacket that fit him.

RP Log with missparamedic | proposition

touchkitndie — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 07:51:43 GMT

[Follows THIS]

Emma wasn't really nervous about talking to Josh, she was just a little uncertain about how he would feel about what she wanted to do. There could be enough potential issues in the whole thing to keep Dr Phil busy for a month, but she figured a lot of it wouldn't be relevent. Ever since she had seen Aiden with RJ the day Tara fell ill, she had just had this urge in her gut that had done nothing but get stronger and more determined. She was a little anxious about it, but there was no sense that she couldn't talk to him about it. Josh might be a bit unique in general, but she had never had issues leaning on him or talking to him. In fact, surprisingly, he had been amazing when things were tough.

She knew they had touched on the whole thing the night he was online and drunk, but she also knew he didn't remember anything about it. He really had been sloshed that night and she did need him to hear this sober. Not horny was just an added disclaimer because she knew how distracted he could get when he had a hard on. This was serious, and important to her, she needed him to understand because there was no way she would even begin any of the process unless she had his 100% support. He was going to be the one to help her through it all, and that was huge. He needed to be completely okay with it. Andrew was also another big factor in her choice. Seeing how amazing he was with Jamie and not her biological father just made Emma realise that some people just should have the chance to be parents if they yearned for it so badly. It was painful to watch a couple not even let themselves yearn for it because they didn't think they had a hope in hell of it. It wasn't fair. Life shouldn't be so tough when there were solutions out there. She just hoped she could be a viable one.

She was sitting on the sofa with a half-spent cup of coffee waiting for Josh to get home from his shift at the bar. He had been really tied up with the band preparing for their big gig on the horizon, and she was fine with that. She had taken a few extra shifts, so it was all good. She did miss him when she was home and he wasn't, though. He wasn't the sort of guy she ever thought she would fall in love with, but she had. She really would consider settling down with him and marrying him... if he was into any of that. But he wasn't, so she just rolled with it.

Josh had managed to have the quickest wank of his life, and still clock off on time. There had been nothing especially arousing about his sojourn in the mens' room. He had just done it because he knew Emma was right. If he didn't take care of himself, he probably would wind up distracted by her body. That wasn't to say he still wouldn't, but thankfully his dick would stay out of things for a while.

It was only when he was letting himself in that Josh started to think about what was so important. It wasn't him quitting smoking, and he assumed it wasn't a break up talk. You didn't break up with someone you just told to wank, and that you loved them... right? He'd certainly never had a break up like that before. For a brief moment his gut twisted, and he worried that maybe that really was it. He couldn't offer her marriage, so what if she figured he wasn't worth the time? He knew proposing to her just to keep her from breaking up with him was mental thinking, so he had no idea how he would convince her not to leave him.

By the time he'd entered the living room he really had it set in his mind that she was breaking up with him. He gave her an awkward smile, and a peck on the top of the head, his usual affectionate greeting gone when he realised he probably shouldn't greet a girl about to break up with him like her tonsils were the greatest thing invented since porn. He sat down stiffly beside her, trying not to let his shoulders slump, or a look of defeat cross his face. "Well, I, erm... I'm all yours."

Emma blinked in surprise, getting a vibe off him that something was wrong. She wasn't sure how he got from cheery online to looking like someone just told him they were going to snip the end of his dick off with gardening sheers. "You did jerk off, right?" she asked him nervously, realising his demeanour was enough to kick her nerves in full force. What if he really wanted to just shoot the idea down in flames? She wouldn't really blame him, but he had known Patrick for years. He wouldn't just automatically hate the idea, right? He might. She realised now that he really might.

Josh nodded, and raised his eyebrows a little as he looked at her. "Are you going to break up with me?" he blurted out.

Before Emma could stop it, a laugh escaped her and she put a hand over her mouth to catch it. "What? No! Why would- what the hell?" she laughed again and then put a hand on her chest, relieved that was where his mind had been and not elsewhere. "No... no. Of course I don't want to break up with you. Don't you think I would have a lot sooner than now if I was going to? You haven't suddenly done anything weird. No, I'm not breaking up with you. But I do need to talk to you about something that's going to affect you... and maybe affect us."

Josh wasn't finding it very funny right then, but he let out a rush of air in relief and sunk back against the sofa as he rest his hand against her back. "Okay, well... good. Because I didn't think I had, but then I wasn't sure. And you were talking about it being important, and I guess I get worried that any conversation that's important might be a bad one. If it affects us though, it still might not be that bad... Maybe. What is it? Are you okay?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Perfectly healthy and all good," she assured him and gave his head a small kiss as she took his hand. She soon found herself playing with his fingers anxiously, threading and unthreading her own through them. "I spoke to you a bit about this that night you were really drunk, but I know you don't remember it. And that's fine, but it's why I wanted to touch on it again with you now. There's no rush it in all or anything, and you don't have to just... go along with it if you don't like it. I've just been thinking seriously lately about helping someone with something. Two someones..."

"You mean Christmas?" Josh asked, still looking at her a little like he wasn't quite sure he was really in the clear. He watched her play with his fingers while he listened. "I'm trying to remember, I really am. It's just a blur. I'm sorry I can't remember. Hey, why wouldn't I go along with you helping two someones? Are you planning on robbing a bank with them? Because if you are, I'd help hide you. Plus fugitive sex could be hot." He smirked. "But I'm not horny. Promise."

"Um, I can't remember if it was Christmas. Whenever it was you managed to get online with a bottle of scotch in your hand," Emma told him in amusement and then shook her head. "Nothing illegal, so you'll have to live out your fugitive fantasies watching Law & Order." She paused and cleared her throat, her grip on his hand tightening just a little. "The people I want to help are Pat and Aiden."

Josh scrunched up his nose as he tried to remember. That could have been a couple nights, but for some reason he just assumed it was closer to Christmas. "There aren't any hot chicks in it any more. Not even in the Brit one. I'd rather stick with my sexy paramedic fantasies." He pulled his mouth to the side. "Pat and Aiden? Okay... How are you going to help them?"

Emma bit down on her lip and her nose scrunched up a little sheepishly. "Have a baby for them," she told him, and braced herself for his response. "Or, I'm going to offer, at least..."

Josh was nodding, but then he had to stop, and just stared at her. "A baby? For them? With them? Like, a surrogate?So you'll be, erm, fully pregnant. With their baby inside."

He hadn't bolted. That was a good start. She was still biting on her lip and nodded. "Yeah, for them. Well, it would be one of theirs. It's impossible to be both of theirs. But yes, it would be inside. Inside me. For nine months, kind of like a safety deposit box. Then it's all up to them."

Josh cleared his throat as he pointed at her stomach. "But what about... erm, us? I mean, I can't... with a baby in there. What if they think I'm tainting their kid? I'm not saying you shouldn't!" he quickly added as he gave her hand a squeeze. "I really think you should because Pat and Aiden deserve to be parents so badly, and if you can help them, then yeah, do it. I just don't want to get in the way."

"I want you to get in the way!" Emma jumped in quickly. "I want you to be right there with me. I don't think I can do it without you. It'll more be us helping them, because you know, you're just as much a part of this as me. I just... well... I don't think you and I are ready to breed yet. I'm pretty sure I'm not. I'm happy with how things are right now. I'm happier than I've been in a long time, but like I said, I'm healthy and it would only be nine months. I don't think you can taint a baby just having sex with me."

Josh gave her a crooked smile, but he was still looking at her nervously. She was going to get pregnant. He understood the whys, and really didn't have an issue with it. It was still just the technicalities. "What if I poke it in the head with my dick? I might traumatise it..." He blinked and reached up to tuck some of her hair behind her ear. "Are you really happy?"

"Baby, your dick is beautiful and huge, but it's not that huge. You couldn't reach my uterus if we fucked standing on our heads," Emma had to laugh, patting his cheek affectionately. "I'm very happy, and if I wasn't, I don't think I would be content enough to even think about this, so in a way, you're the reason I think I can. But I'm just a little scared it won't be easy. I mean, technically, the baby probably won't even be mine. They will probably prefer to get a donor egg from someone else so it's just easier. I'll just be babysitting for a little while. They might not even say yes. But I saw how important it was to Aiden that day we got the call out on Tara and RJ. Aiden was amazing, and they can't just always be everyones godfathers, even if they are brilliant at it. They deserve to experience that on their own and not just watch everyone else explode in baby happiness."

Josh puffed out his chest and let his ego inflate a little before smirking. He would never get sick of her complimenting his penis. He was also relieved to hear it wouldn't hurt the baby. He scooped her up to pull her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her as he kissed her shoulder. "You'll be a wonderful babysitter, love. The bairn will be well taken care of, and I'll help any way I can. I also hear that pregnancy sex can be pretty awesome. Assuming you'd even be horny while knocked up. You're a good woman, Emma Hamilton."

Emma was smirking down at him and kissed him, letting it linger for a few moments. "I hear it can also be really crappy. Sure you can deal with the mood swings and the morning sickness and me being a huge bitch? I was talking to Evie about it. She's got two in there, though, so it's harder, but she said there has definitely been some shitty times. She can't even have sex now, it's too awkward. Well, she could, but it's not that much fun. Riley has a complex about it, too. I just thought that nine months isn't long, then things will be back to normal."

Josh rubbed his hand against her back and sniggered a little. "Yeah, but she's also having Browne twins. They're taking their sweet time. She'll have them out soon, then Riley can start having a heart attack for new reasons. I'm sure I can deal with it. I reserve the right to a few freak outs, but if it's Pat and Aiden's kid, and it's you, then I'll look after you both. Have you actually spoken to them?"

"I saw Riley on shift in the ER yesterday and he was sort of wavering between bitchy and helpless. He seems really nervous," Emma noted and then shook her head. "No, I needed to know you would be okay with it first. I wouldn't have done it if you weren't. It wouldn't be easy for any guy to deal with his girlfriend being pregnant with another guy's kid. But I thought if Andrew could manage somewhere along those lines, you might be alright with it."

"Understandably so, love. He's got two kids on the way. He was nervous enough, now they're late." He kissed the soft skin of her throat and chuckled quietly. "Also a difference between helping out a woman you love who's carrying someone else's baby you need to raise as your own, and helping out a woman you love who's carrying a baby for someone else. I never would have shot it down, Em. I love Pat, and by extension his husband. They deserve a family, and if you can give it to them, then I'll be proud to be a part of it. You should talk to them as soon as you can. It might also help them to know you're willing. It's still a topic they can't really broach without pain."

Emma nodded, biting on the corner of her lip in thought. "I know they might shoot me down in flames... or that Pat probably will, most like. I know there are issues there. But it might be a different if they know there is a means to an end. Pat does a good job of concealing how he feels about children, a really good job. Aiden's not as savvy. Especially now with Campbell, you can see what he's thinking some of the time. Plus, Tara and Lachlan offered, but Pat told them no when Tara was sick. He knew Lachlan couldn't deal with seeing Tara pregnant again, and it not his child, without it hurting him beyond belief. I haven't been part of your whole family for very long, and they might be weird about it, but all I can do is offer."

"Doesn't matter how long, love, you're a part of it. This family is your family. They'll appreciate the offer, and it might take them a little while to give you an answer either way. Don't think they won't appreciate it." His hand slipped over her hip and he pushed up her top a little as he splayed his fingers over her stomach and imagined a bump there. For a brief moment Josh entertained the idea of the bump being because of him. He'd never thought about kids before, but Emma had him thinking about a lot of things he'd never wanted before. He could do it with her. Eventually. If she did become a surrogate for Pat and Aiden it would give him a practice run. "You'd be a fucking sexy pregnant woman."

Emma looked down at her stomach, which was flat and pale. It never saw much sunlight. She pressed her lips together, giving it a small poke. "It's weird to think about. I wasn't sure I'd ever have kids of my own, and being a surrogate never crossed my mind before. I kept putting myself in their shoes. Not so much trendy gay guy shoes, but if it was us who wanted a kid and couldn't have any. It would be a huge gift if someone offered to help us out." She pushed her hips forward a little and tried to imagine being pregnant, but it was near impossible. "I became a paramedic to help people, so I just thought this wasn't much more of a jump in the same direction. Even if I'm scared."

Josh smiled up at her, and gave her stomach a rub when she tried to push it out. Truth was he could actually picture her pregnant, and she really would be sexy, and beautiful. "It really would be a gift, and I'm glad you're in a position to give it to them. It might mean taking it easy on the paramedic thing eventually. Not sure you'll be up for much running around even if you'll still want to save lives."

Emma nodded, humming in agreement. She looped her arms around his neck. "So, you're okay? You're not going to freak out on me or anything? This isn't just the calm before the storm?" She paused and smirked at him. "Because I'm so horny right now. I want to get you in the bath with bubbles and ride you hard."

Josh's eyebrows went up as he held her gaze. "If I was going to freak out, it would definitely be averted with the promise of bubbles, and you riding me hard." Josh tugged on a lock of her hair, and pulled her in for a kiss. "I'm okay, love. Promise. And just as horny as all fuck. It has been an hour, right?"

"It's been long enough," Emma murmured and melted into the kiss. Whatever happened, she just knew she needed to thank him for understanding somehow, and it was just a bonus she got to be on the other side of her gift.

just_muse_me | 26.3.5 As easy as pie...

touchkitndie — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 05:37:04 GMT

[ooc: backdated and set after THIS]

Josh stood in Emma’s kitchen staring at the two pieces of rye bread. Rye, not white. Because this wasn’t going to be an ordinary sandwich. He’d even made a special trip to the store to get all this fancy gourmet shit and good bread, and now he was suffering from the equivalent of stage fright for sandwich making.

He reached behind him to scratch at the back of his head, his eyebrows drawn together as he bit his lip. Making her a fucking awesome sandwich in return for some Emma-style lovin’—but not sex, because it wasn’t time yet—had seemed easy. Plus it was going to make her feel better. Just like the bath. He’d even Googled fucking sandwiches! What other boyfriend would sit on a computer and do that shit?

Of course he’d gotten distracted by yet another so-called news story about that wanker who played a bigger, sparkly wanker in that movie. He didn’t get what the fuss was about. The dude was British—just like Josh, looked like he didn’t bathe—just like Josh, and apparently played guitar, or some shit. Josh was a drummer. Nothing beat that!

He’d let himself get sidetracked, and it was only when he had a text message from Emma telling him she was leaving the hospital that he kicked into action. And promptly stopped when he had the bread on the counter and all the other ingredients surrounding him. The Kaiser Chiefs played through the stereo, and slowly he started to nod his head to the beat, his blue eyes narrowing as he reached out for the mustard. He could do this. He could make a sandwich that Emma would love.

Because he loved her, and that was what he was planning on telling her tonight. He wasn’t telling her because he wanted in her knickers—she did let him in her knickers after all. It was just her... sandwich she wasn’t letting him in just yet. He was telling her because it was true, and he wanted her to understand that he wasn’t going anywhere. He’d been through two crises with her now, two times he’d wanted to be her emotional support, and it didn’t scare him.

Josh’s tongue stuck out the corner of his mouth as he continued to work, occasionally cursing when something wasn’t quite going to plan. Like when his cucumber slices were looking more like cucumber spears. Spears weren’t going to sit on the sandwich properly!

He was sure he was sweating by the end, and as he put the toothpick with the olive through the second half of the sandwich, Josh let out a slow breath. It was also the same moment when he heard the front door, and Em call out that she was home. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly swept all of his mess into a container to shove in the fridge. He’d deal with it later. After the bath, and after he’d told her those three little words that were making his heart pound in his throat, and his palms sweat as he picked up the precious plate with the sandwich he was treating like it was a solid gold g-string.

He stepped out into the hall where she was taking off her coat, and smiled. “Welcome home, love. Hungry?”

Joshua Goddard King
Original Character
Words: 552

missparamedic used with much love & permission

For musesandlyrics | 2.23 No Doubt Lyrics

touchkitndie — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:49:51 GMT

2.23. And it's so sad,
It's too bad
Maybe I can make you feel better
Oh maybe I'm supposed to make you feel better
Dark Blue - No Doubt

Co-written with missparamedic | Follows THIS

It was true that not many of the guests actually knew what was going on once the alarm was raised that something had happened. All Emma had been focused on was finding Andrew, and he hadn't been easy to locate. She inadvertently spooked a few people, panicked as she tried to find where he was to get to Ali. After she found him and told him, it was like the world tipped upside down. One minute, everything had been wonderful and happy, with everyone having a brilliant time, and then next it all came crashing down. She had done like Andrew had requested and told Evie and Tab what was happening. At least, she told them Ali had gone to the bathroom and had pain and bleeding. Tab hadn't seemed to realise exactly what that might mean, not that Emma expected her to, but Evie being an expectant mother herself knew and paled at just the thought. Emma had to tell her Riley was going to the hospital with Andrew and Ali, and although she probably wanted her husband more than anything right that moment, she understood, and was probably glad Riley could be there for Ali.

The paramedics were just arriving, and Emma stood back, even though they were her colleagues. They rushed the gurney into the ladies room, and Emma swallowed, looking around in the crowd. She just needed Josh, and she kind of wished he was more like six foot eight all of a sudden so she could spot him. Luke was ordering his staff to get people out of the bar, and most people were doing as asked, although there were always some with a horrid morbid curiosity when an ambulance was on the scene. She finally spotted him up near the stage, looking about as bewildered and confused as everyone else. She pushed her way through the crowd and before she even got to him, she found herself bursting out crying as she threw herself at him.

Josh hadn't been close enough to any of the group to catch what had happened. All of a sudden there were paramedics rushing in, and Luke trying to disperse the crowd. He hadn't seen Emma since she disappeared into the bathroom, and when the paramedics went that way, he'd got a sick feeling in his gut. It couldn't have been her, right? She'd been fine. He grunted as Emma threw herself at him, the confused look remaining before he caught her familiar scent, and realised it was his girlfriend. Not that they'd really had that conversation, but he was pretty certain she was. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, and pressed his lips to the top of his head. She was crying, and his heart broke at the sound. It hurt in ways he couldn't even begin to protest, but he knew it had to be related to how much he was coming to care for her.

"Em?" he asked hesitantly. "Are you... are you okay?"

Emma shook her head against his chest. "No," she sobbed, gripping hold of a handful of his sleeve. If he didn't like being a human-sized tissue, he was going to have to speak now or forever hold his peace. "Yes, I mean... no, yes... but not me. I'm okay, just not!" And she was going to have to manage to get her shit together so she didn't look like a complete idiot. "Not me, Ali and Andrew." With her eyes closed, she could still see Ali sitting there, begging with her to get Andrew. Emma wouldn't even know how it would be if it was her. She had never thought about family before, but what if making a family was her world and it was suddenly all in jeopardy?

Josh frowned, wetting his lips as he swallowed. He tried to wrap his mind around her words, attempting to translate what she meant. The paramedics hadn't been for her, or she wouldn't be here in his arms. But she was upset about something, so she must have seen--He felt his blood run cold as she mentioned Ali and Andrew. For some reason Lachlan being shot flashing into his mind, but he hadn't heard any shooting. He hadn't heard much of anything. Josh pushed his fingers into Emma's hair and tilted her head back so he could see her face. He dipped his head and kissed at the tears streaming down his cheek. He was so desperate just to try and stop her from hurting. "What happened?"

Emma went to tell him but the words all choked up in her throat when she thought about Andrew, and how excited he had been over the last couple of weeks at the thought of Ali having his baby. Sure, it hadn't been a storybook scenario and both had been shocked when they found out she was pregnant, but it was like they processed it and accepted that all wasn't as bad as it seemed. Andrew was excited Jamie was going to have a baby brother or sister that was part of him, too, like it was the small missing piece of the puzzle that made him finally feel like he was meant to be in Ali's life. He was made for the family life, and Emma always knew he would make someone an absolutely perfect husband one day. "She's losing the baby," she finally got out and put her hand over her mouth as if she had just spoken the most horrific lie. But like Andrew, she was a paramedic. She knew the signs. That much blood, the baby wouldn't survive.

Josh felt his eyebrows shoot up, and his mouth fall open. He couldn't help it. It was the last thing he'd expected to come out of her mouth. He hugged her close to his side as he turned away, guiding her towards another exit away from the rush of people trying to get out. One benefit of knowing both of Luke's clubs inside and out was that he knew the exits. They arrived outside, and Josh took in a lungful of air. He was desperate for a cigarette, but he wasn't going to light up right now. "Em..." He was struggling to think of what to say, not even beginning to know what words would make her feel better. "Fuck, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He wrapped both arms around her again, and held her.

"I know!" Emma said tearfully, trying desperately to wipe away the tears with the edge of her hand. She stayed in his embrace, feeling like if she shifted away from him, everything would fall apart that little bit more. "He's just... he's my best friend, and everything was finally going right for him. He's lost enough already and she was over three months. It's not just like bleeding and that's the end of it. A tiny baby is in there, with hands and feet. He's going to know that, too. She was okay, she was dancing with him and they were having a great time, but there was blood and... and... I know this is all hard to wrap your head around, and I'm really sorry. I just don't know what to do."

Josh rest his chin on the top of her head, and rubbed his hand against her back. "No, it's okay. You need to talk about it. I understand that. I can't even imagine... I mean, shit. It's a baby, and it was growing. This is going to hurt so much for both of them. But shit... how does that even happen? If she was okay, what changed?" Josh tucked some of hair behind her ear. "It's enough that you're feeling his pain. I think... I think it'll help."

Emma nodded, but now the tears had started, she wasn't sure how to stop them. "I know it seems stupid. I mean, we get called out to stuff like this all the time, every day. But when it's one of your own, and you can't do anything to help them, it makes you wonder how you can manage to even be so impartial at any other time. Now they have to go to the hospital and be told their baby has died. Or is dying." She shook her head slowly. "Sometimes there is just no explanation. Maybe she had an infection she didn't know about, or maybe she was under too much stress. Then, it hasn't been that long since she had a baby before, so maybe her body just couldn't cope. He's going to blame himself... she already is. All she was saying to him was that she was sorry, over and over again."

He cleared his throat quietly, and kissed her forehead. "I hate to say it, love, but if you didn't feel something right now, then I'd be seriously wondering about you. I know some people can switch it off when they have to, but he's your best friend. She's your best friend's girl. How can you not be upset by this? And it's okay, Em. It's okay to cry, and feel pain, and hurt, and confusion. I don't know much, but I do know that. If you don't let it out now you'll wind up imploding. And if you don't stop crying, I'll deal. I can get a raincoat, or something."

Emma looked up at him, sniffling and still trying to wipe her eyes. "You know, you're not half the bad boy you like to think you are," she told him with a small laugh, even if her heart was still aching to think about Ali and Andrew would face over the next few hours. She pressed her lips together and closed her eyes as more tears spilled over. "Had us all lulled into a false sense of security, she did. Nothing can prepare you for this. Even if she wasn't sure about the pregnancy, this is still a shock no parent should ever have to experience."

Josh smirked, and kissed her lips softly. "You tell anyone else that, and I'll have to come up with a suitable punishment. Can't exactly withold sex given the circumstances, but I'll think of something. As far as the rest of the world's concerned I'm a bad boy. You're just lucky enough to see my other layers." He gave her a smile, and brushed her hair back from her face before he brushed his thumb against her face to wipe the tears away. "No, it isn't. And it fucking sucks, and I wish I knew what to say to make you stop hurting. I just think everyone's going to be hurting for a little while. This is going to be a blow for Ali, Andrew, Luke, Leila... their whole family. I'm not going to pretend to know how any of 'em are gonna feel. And as selfish as it is, my priority is you. You're the only one I'll probably be able to struggle to look after. I promise not to duct tape you in nappies."

"I'll avoid any Shrek references," Emma promised, "even the good ones." She felt so tired, realising it was probably the shock of going from a successful party to seeing Ali like that. She leaned heavily against him, her head falling against his shoulder again. She still couldn't quite believe she had fallen so hard for a guy like Josh. She had always just gone along in life and dated the odd guy with a stick up his arse who had too many complexes either about his appearance or his family or his money. Josh wasn't like any of them, and she never wanted him to be, either. He was there to remind her that life didn't have to be all work and while he wasn't someone she would have anticipated falling for, she wouldn't change it for anything now. She rose up a little and gave him a wet kiss, her cheeks still damp from the tears. "I like watching you with RJ, and your family. You don't realise how wonderful you are."

Josh sniggered quietly. "I'll resist the urge to be like him completely, and not ruin the moment with a giant fart. I'll also manage not to eat slugs at dinner." He rubbed his hand against her shoulder, wondering how he'd been lucky enough to score Emma in the first place. He still wasn't sure, and for once he was happy to let it remain a mystery. All he knew was that he didn't actually want to let her go. "Probably best I don't. I still need my head to fit in the door. Do you... do you want kids?"

Emma managed another small laugh at his joke. "Right now? No," she admitted and pointed behind her at the bar. "That in there, I wouldn't have the strength to deal with if it was me. To get excited and anticipate something like expecting a baby with someone you love, and then it's just... gone?" She shook her head, the thought process not doing anything to help stop the tears. "But yeah, I guess I always assumed I would if I found the right guy, and had the wedding thing, and the starting a family thing. People... I believe everyone should have a family if they want one so badly."

He curled a lock of her hair around his finger and looked at her. He was still hurting to see her cry like this, but was grateful she could still laugh at his stupid jokes. "Do you think they'll try again?" Josh couldn't help asking another question. He was still trying to wrap his head around it. What if it happened to Evie and Riley? It had already happened to Tara and Lachlan, even if they had RJ. "RJ was supposed to have been a twin," he found himself saying. "Did you know that? Tara lost one of their babies... I don't know how anyone deals with it, either. Apparently that Aussie doctor's wife miscarried as well before they got Mia, RJ's fated girlfriend."

Emma looked up at him and shook her head. "No, I didn't know that. I... I wouldn't wish it on anyone. How could you not blame yourself for it? What can anyone possibly say right now to them to even ease some of the pain? There's nothing. But the hardest part? Their daughter. They can't just stop processing because she's going to need them. But that's easier said than done. Things like this just shouldn't happen to good people... to people who are wonderful parents. Their baby shouldn't die."

"I know, love," Josh murmured as he kissed her again. "Look, um... I know you probably won't want to make the trip back to Princeton if Andrew's here. Should we... You wanna get a room for the night? Or did you want to go to the hospital?" His eyebrows drew together. "Um, what hospital are they even going to be at?"

"Sinai," Emma said, almost running the route in her head. "She might need surgery. Riley was going, Luke and Tab will no doubt go, and Ali's friends. They won't need more than that hanging around. Times like this, it can be more unnerving than comforting if you think everyone is hanging around wanting to help when they can't. If there isn't chance of saving the baby, the grief will kick in pretty quick. I just... don't know how Andrew's going to cope. He is an awesome paramedic, but hospitals have memories for him. Maybe we can stay at a hotel near the hospital? If anything happens, we can be nearby then, but not invading their personal space?"

Josh nodded, and gave her a soft squeeze. "Yeah, absolutely. We can definitely do that. I'll text Riley to let him know. I don't know that everything will be fine, but it'll--we'll be close," he finished awkwardly.

Words: 2645 | All muses referred to with permission and from the princeton2nyc verse

For musebysentence | 8.4 Helpless

touchkitndie — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:31:49 GMT

He hopes it's enough just to hold her, because he doesn't know how else he can help.

musebysentence - 1.7 Drunk

touchkitndie — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 08:25:56 GMT

She's still talking to me after I showed up pissed and tried to serenade her with 'Whole Lotta Love', so I call that a win.

They forgot talented and sexy

touchkitndie — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:37:36 GMT

Your Favorite Color Says You're Cheerful

Joyful --- Enthusiastic --- Optimistic

Outgoing --- Accepting --- Confident

Loud --- Unruly --- Impulsive

What Does Your Favorite Color Say About You?

For muses_w_remotes | 13.9. Vicar of Dibley quote

touchkitndie — Wed, 27 May 2009 08:43:54 GMT

13.9. “I am a great supporter of sex before marriage. Otherwise I wouldn't have had sex at all.”
| Vicar of Dibley

Co-written with missparamedic | Follows about a week after THIS

Josh wasn't sure whether he should be amused, or beg forgiveness. He hadn't expected Emma to get drunk so quickly, but the paramedic was a teetotaller of the highest order. He knew it couldn't have been the lack of food since he'd taken her to one of the better restaurants in Princeton, but he wondered if maybe her mixing the wine from dinner with the beer, vodka, and whiskey at the bar had been a contributing factor.

He smirked as she tried to unbutton his shirt, and dutifully pushed her hands away even if he wanted to get naked with her. If he slept with her, for once he wanted them both to be able to remember it. He kissed her forehead, and pushed her back onto the bed so she could work on getting her knee-high boots off without her hands grabbing for him. It was cute how much of an affectionate drunk she was.

"As much as I wish it were otherwise, love, only one of us will be getting into this bed tonight. Just remember to tell me if you feel sick, okay? I'll find you a bucket, or pot plant, or something..."

Emma grinned up at him deviously and trailed the tip of her boot up his thigh towards his assets. Very nice assets if the bulge was anything to go by. She wrapped her hand around his wrist and tried to tug him down on the bed with her. "You know how hot you are?" she purred, using her other hand to pull him forward by his belt buckle. "I've been waiting all night for this. No holding out on me now." She was drunk. She was absolutely off her face drunk. She couldn't remember the last time she had drunk this much... actually, she could hardly remember her surname. She started to giggle. The whole thing probably felt way hotter in her brain. She had a vague recollection of a night like this with Andrew months ago. Maybe years ago. Before he was a non-drinker, anyway. But this time sex was so going to happen. She wanted Josh's ass, and she wanted it now.

Josh cleared his throat as he braced one hand on the bed and tried very valiantly to ignore the fact his bulge was becoming rock hard. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fucking fair for her to want him now while she was like this. "You don't know what you want," Josh murmured quietly as he looked down at her. "Five minutes ago you wanted toasted marshmallows and peanut butter. If I didn't know you were a good girl, I'd be asking you if you were pregnant." He leaned in to kiss her lips softly, tasting the alcohol on her breath. Not that it mattered, his probably tasted like beer and cigarettes. He was aware that he didn't always have minty fresh breath. "You're pretty fucking hot, even when you're sauced. Have you really been waiting all night? What happened to the three week rule?"

With him now in very easy grabbing vicinity, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down on top of her, giving him very little ability to actually move now she had him locked against her. She wrapped both her legs around him and arched her back, pushing up against him. "Fuck it," she growled hungrily and caught his lower lip between hers, biting down on it before kissing him heatedly. Her hips rocked up against his again and she made a messy attempt to try and get his belt undone, but her coordination was so off, it was a struggle. She pulled back a little, giggling mischievously. "I'm not wearing any pants," she revealed against his lips.

Josh groaned, silently cursing whatever stupid idiot brain cell of his decided taking her to a bar had been a good idea. He'd been hoping for dancing, but instead they'd sat and talked and gotten pissed. She was so warm, and firm, and fuck... right there. He was incredibly tempted to say 'fuck it' too, in fact his dick was definitely in favour of that plan as it seemed to give a twitch at the idea of being anywhere near Emma and her pantiless body. "Jesus, Em... not like this..." He clenched his jaw as he tried to wrestle out of her hold, but she had him pretty good. His hand gripped her thigh in an attempt to push her leg away but thrust forward with his hips instead to grind down again her. He instantly regretted it, even if his eyes rolled back into his skull and he let out a low growl. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, shit, fuck, bollocking arse."

"Yes..." Emma moaned. The way he growled was exactly the response she was hoping for, now if only she could get him out of these damn pants. She tugged at them again, but they must be child proof or paramedic proof. She growled herself, but it was in frustration as the arousal pulsed through her. She tried to pull him closer with her legs, but she was losing momentum and maybe the room was starting to spin just a little bit...

She had to put her head back against the mattress when the dizziness just increased. She continued to try and battle with his pants, but didn't realise it was actually coming across like nothing but a clumsily grope at his crotch. Did he always have two heads? She was giggling again, but it definitely didn't have the bite it did a few moments ago.

Josh managed to get her hands away from his crotch and held them up over her head to try and keep her still. His eyes were dark as he tried to fight the desire pulsing through his body, that seemed to be pooling straight to his dick. If he didn't have blue balls from this, it would be a miracle. The way she was starting to wane in her determination was helping a bit, but even as he tried to get her legs from around him, the bulge in his pants was rubbing up against it. He would be lucky if he managed not to bruise her with his cock.

He brushed her hair back from her face and shifted so that he was lying next to her, more than over her. "You need to take it easy, love. Just close your eyes and take deep breaths. Better you survive the night without regrets, yeah?"

"No, no..." Emma whined, turning her head to the side in an attempt to shake it, but that was a huge mistake, and the whine turned into a whimper as she put a hand up to her head which was pounding way sooner than she ever wanted it to. But he could still fuck her! She made a weak grab for him, but her hand just curled around his arm. She pressed her lips together and for a moment even forgot where she was. Hang on, she was supposed to be riding him by now. Something was wrong with this picture.

Josh smiled as he watched her, and for a brief moment he suddenly understood everything that Lachlan, and Riley had been preaching about. Even Tara... He didn't really know Emma, but already this felt different. This thing with her was like nothing else he'd experienced. He felt an urge to protect her, even against a pounding head, and his thoughtless dick. He pressed a kiss to her temple as he held her, and just lay with her. "I don't want to be the guy you think I am, Em. I don't want you to give up on me. I'm also incredibly glad you probably won't remember me getting all mushy."

Emma looked up at him, her hair splayed messily under her head, and her blue eyes searched groggily over his face. "I..." she began, but that's as far as she got before pushing him away and managing to get to the side of the bed before she threw up spectacularly all over his floor. This was so not the finale she had been planning every since vodka shot number three.

Josh looked up at the ceiling with a sigh before he got up into a sitting position and held her hair back from her face as he waited to see if there was anymore vomit coming. "Better out than in, love. Trust me when I say that's one thing you don't want to be swallowing back down." He leaned forward to try and look into her eyes. "You gonna be okay if I leave you for a moment?"

There was maybe a slight moment of recognition in Emma that twigged how nice this was. Again, Andrew, her closest friend, had been the last one to help her when she was sick and he came around with chicken soup after she called in to work. This was different. This wasn't platonic friends. At least, she was pretty sure she didn't want it to be. Despite all the talk, Josh was... something she couldn't put her finger on. She groaned, managing a nod before squishing her face into the mattress. She felt sick and awful and she really didn't want him to go away, but it was okay if we went for a bit, right? She would have to analyse the fact she wanted him to stay when she was sober.

He rubbed his hand against her back and kissed her head as he managed not to step in her puddle of spew on his floor. He reluctantly left her alone to go and get her a bottle of water, and a chip bowl to throw up in. By the time he came back, Emma was out cold, and he set the water down on the bedside table near her before picking up a blanket and pulling it over her. He'd clean up the mess before he even contemplated trying to sleep himself. He'd even do the right thing and sleep fully clothed. He wasn't so determined to be a gentleman that he'd go and sleep on the sofa.

Words: 1687 | All muses from the princeton2nyc universe, and referenced with permission

Yeah, right...

touchkitndie — Tue, 12 May 2009 09:16:56 GMT

Your Band Name is: The Fried Stockbrokers

Time to rock!

Band Name Generator

I think the meme got confused...

touchkitndie — Tue, 05 May 2009 11:11:52 GMT

You Are the Dining Room

You love entertaining friends, and you're a good host. You enjoy getting lots of people together.

You like to do interesting, unusual things. You are most likely the social director in your group of friends.

You are ambitious and driven. You want to be the best person possible.

You are a bit of a show off. You don't mind letting people know how successful you've been in life.

What Room of the House Are You?

Locked from missparamedic

touchkitndie — Sat, 02 May 2009 01:10:55 GMT

Slow dancing should lead to kissing, shouldn't it? At least. I wasn't asking for a lay (for once) but a kiss would have been nice.

Wait, let me change that... slow dancing at a wedding should lead to kissing if you're not related. A kiss isn't much to ask for!

Plus I practically saved the day by chasing after my runaway boss. That definitely deserves a kiss.

Christ, she was hot.

For musebyquotes | 2.10. Nathaniel LeTonnerre quote

touchkitndie — Fri, 01 May 2009 23:54:03 GMT

2.10. "For some, pleasure is a fever they can't shake. For others, it's a disease they cannot seem to catch."
- Nathaniel LeTonnerre

Co-written with missparamedic | Simultaneous to THIS and THIS

Josh scratched the back of his head as he surveyed the crowd at the reception. He was exhausted, and he hadn't even had to do anything. Other than chase one rogue groom and try and talk him into marriage. He cleared his throat as he sipped his beer and tried to work out if there were any single ladies here. One hundred guests and he was pretty sure they were either couples, or gay.

A lone brunette caught his attention and he smirked to himself as he sauntered up to her. She was definitely gorgeous. Had killer blue eyes that had him thinking all sorts of things. There was something familiar about them, but he couldn't quite place it. "Buy you a free drink?"

Emma had been trying to blend into the wall behind her. The only people she knew here were Andrew and sort of Evie. She felt out of place and like she didn't belong. True enough, however, everyone was amazingly friendly and chatty. She had met quite a few of Evie's friends, and found them to be a great group of people. It was also really nice to see Andrew relaxing with his girlfriend, even if they were both clearly worried about their baby girl and her untimely bout of chicken pox. Emma knew they would both probably make a polite, but early exit soon enough and then Emma would be down to one person she knew... and even then, she wasn't sure she could classify what she had with Evie as 'knowing' her yet.

She had to double take a little at the voice. She wasn't exactly expecting anyone to speak to her here. She had actually been wondering if she could make a polite and early exit herself. She blinked at his question and then shot him a smirk. "How chivalrous of you," she commented and held up her drink, which was still two thirds full.

"Chivalry being dead is just a rumour. Whoever started it hadn't met me yet." Josh struggled for a moment to think of something else to say. All this wedding stress had just about killed his mojo, and she really didn't look like the kind of girl that would respond to 'fancy a quick shag?'. "So you here for the bride, bride, groom, or groom?"

Emma looked over at the couples and sipped her drink. "Bride and Best Man, opposite sides of the fence. Andrew's my closest friend, Evie's my sister," she told him, trying not to balk when she said that. It still felt weird to say it. Really weird, but in a good way. She glanced at him again, trying to figure out why he had approached her. "What about you? Brit accent, could be the groom, could be other Best Man, could be Aiden's husband," she deduced.

"Do I look gay?" Josh asked, looking down at his shirt and pants. It was the tidiest he had looked in a while. He was still worried about Tara trying to spit polish him. Then the cogs in his brain started to kick in and he stared at her. "Evie's sister? Riley's Evie? As in the now Mrs Browne's sister? Fuck me. No wonder you're gorgeous. Must run in the family. I'm Riley's mate. I am in no way a Best Man. Riley's was Lachlan, our resident Evil Scotsman."

Emma looked at him, smirking in amusement. "No. I didn't realise gay was catching," she commented. "All the time I've spent with Aiden's other half tonight, I could walk away gay." She nodded. "Evie's sister, only we've only just found out the relationship. I can't take any credit for how gorgeous she is. You don't think you're Best Man material, huh?"

"It's not, it's just you said I could be Aiden's husband. There's no mistaking Pat for, well, Pat. Just checking to see if I looked like Pat. If you've spent time with him, then you should know I'm not him. And since you've only known Evie a short while, I'll excuse the fact you don't me. I'm Josh King. Knew Riley from his days in Edinburgh. Was Lachlan's drummer in his band." He offered her his hand, and his best knee-weakening smile. "You can take credit for how gorgeous you are though, love. And no, not really. I'm bachelor party material, but not speeches and tuxes."

Emma laughed and waved her hand. "No, no. I didn't say you could be Aiden's husband. I said you could be linked to Aiden's husband, being English. I was trying to figure out which side of the fence you were supposed to be lingering. I'm pretty sure Pat's husband is one of a kind... in an identical twin type capacity," she told him, still watching him in amusement. "A drummer, huh? Very impressive, Josh King. I have heard about the musical talents in this group. I'll have to see you all play one day. And yes, I heard all about that bachelor party and the groom's little... souvenir."

"Oh yeah, me and Patto go way back. Sorry, blame the lack of sex. I need an orgasm to get my brain working." Josh winced as the words left his mouth and cleared his throat as he looked away. "Fuck, sorry. There are times I need to keep my mouth shut. Even I know that. You still haven't given me your name, love. Planning on keeping it a secret? Hopefully you'll see us play. Campbell's recording an album with Riley's sister... apparently I'm supposed to volunteer myself for drumming duties. Actually haven't had the conversation with him yet. You'll definitely see them play. Plus Luke's got a bar that'll be opening soon here. I'm going to be manager," he added with a grin. "Hey, it got him royally laid. He actually thanked me for it this morning."

Emma raised her eyebrow. "That sounds like an unfortunate condition you have there. How did you ever survive before hitting puberty?" she asked, enjoying teasing him. She couldn't help but wonder if he was working his way up to hitting on her. She made a mental note to ask Evie about this Josh King. "I'm Emma. Planning on screaming it out later?" she threw back, not missing a beat.

She took another drink and licked her lips. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around everyone linked here. I only know two people. It's a little odd. Nice bunch, though. I live in Princeton, so no doubt I'll check the bar out at some point. What got you moving from drummer to bar manager?" She laughed, shaking her head. "What was your role? Holding him down while it got pierced?"

Josh coughed as she mentioned the screaming, nearly choking on his beer. "Never was much of a screamer, but I might just groan it against your skin if you let me." He liked the fact she teased him back, even liked that she seemed to catch him off guard. The girls that just seemed to become putty in his hands were usually far too agreeable and weak. "Pleasure to meet you, Emma."

"Links can be hard to work out. I know I'm still trying to work out the New York contingent. They're not really my people. I'm mostly linked the the Princeton folks." Josh shrugged. "Not many decent bands left to play with on the pub circuit in Edinburgh. Well, the ones that are already have drummers. Lachlan mentioned Luke and the bar, and I figured why not? Something different. Plus I'm back with boys. My role was more like supplying the alcohol to make sure he stayed plastered. I'm a charitible friend."

Emma's eyes were shining as she watched him over the top of her glass. "That's awfully deep confidence in my talents, Mr King."

She gestured with her glass to Andrew across the room. "That's Andrew, or Andy. He's my closest pal and my ex-boss. He's Luke's cousin, which is where the Princeton and New York contingent starts to link. The girl with him is Ali. They're dating and live together, she has a baby girl, but Andrew's not the father. Aiden is Luke's marketer and his friend. I know Luke and Aiden through Andy. As far I can gather, Aiden met Pat at Luke's bar one night when he was there for a Princeton-ite party of some sort. That's where my brain stops working. I don't really know any of the Princeton chapter." She laughed. "I can only imagine how the bachelor party scene went down. Evie said Riley was practically comatose after the whole showing her appreciation of his newest accessory thing. Why do I get the feeling you lot are far from innocent when you're together?"

"Or just knowledge in my own ability, and the fact I like watching a girl react to them," Josh smirked, but he raised his bottle to her and winked. "Having said that, I have complete faith in your abilties, Miss Emma."

He nodded, even though his eyes never really left her face. He already knew what the other guys looked like, so it was just listening to how they linked up. "Pat's Lachlan's best friend. Grew up in Scotland together. Same with Cameron for obvious reasons. The big football star avoiding his brother. Riley came to Scotland for some fancy medical placement thing, and we all corrupted him. Lachlan and Tara first clapped eyes on each other after some bar outing after he moved here. Evie is Tara's best friend. Riley and Evie are also both the godparents to the mini-Kilted One. Ah... Tara and Lachlan work with the blond Aussie doctor. Aiden's best friend is a patient of Riley's. She's pregnant, apparently. Doesn't really look the sort." Josh couldn't help but laugh loudly at her deduction. "What can I say?"

Emma huffed out a laugh. "Maybe I'm a lesbian?" she suggested with a smirk. "How would your 'abilities' fair then, Rhythm King?"

"It makes my head spin. The Mini Kilt, though, I have to admit that little guy won my heart from the get-go. I hope you lot aren't going to corrupt him. Although, the way he was laughing at the woman with the purple feather hat a little while back, I have a feeling his infant brain is already cottoning on to the corruption. It's all one big family. It's nice. I grew up with just my Mum and grandparents around me. Then I moved to New York and was too busy working to actually have a life. I probably need to learn to live a little," she decided, watching the Scot sweep his wife onto the dancefloor while Mini Kilt was happily offloaded to Pat and Aiden. She looked from Josh to Lachlan and then back again with a nod. She sought Tab out and nodded again. "I can see you three performing together. Evie told me Tab was a musician, I can clearly see Lachlan feels the music just from the way he's moving there, and you... if you've played your way around Edinburgh, you must have quite the talent."

"Lesbians still dance, right?" Josh asked as he held out his hand for her, placing the beer bottle on a nearby table. He'd watched her glance slide that way and figured what the hell. Truth was he could actually dance. It wasn't anything amazing, but he could manage. The slow dances were the easy ones in his mind. Plus he got to be close to her. "And my abilities would do just fine. I have been known to convert a lesbian, or two."

Josh smirked. "I don't like to brag... well, actually I do. I have fuckloads of talent and I've been forced to piss it away on shit gigs with shit bands. I needed a change, and I thought I may as well change the entire scenery while I'm at it. Hence the great journey to your fair land. I'm already feeling at home, plus the girls are much prettier."

"Convert, huh? Well, I'll save you the trouble. I'm very straight, just sorely lacking a social life to speak of." Emma took his hand, sliding her glass on the table beside his bottle and letting him lead her out onto the dancefloor. "Of course, I wouldn't be opposed to making out with a girl if the right guy was involved with us."

She put her hands on his waist when they reached the dancefloor and laughed. "Our fair land is pretty nice. I'm new to Princeton, but I love it so far. I don't really have a comment on the girls, but I know all the guys seem to be gay, taken or misanthropes, which really aren't my style. I think you'll like it here, especially if you have some of your posse on hand. The guys there are real sweet."

"I can help you there, love. Having a social life is my speciality. I could've been one of those lifestyle coaches, or whatever. Made sure all those corporate types knew how to let loose the right way. Just like RJ will when he's older. Because, yes, we probably are already corrupting him. Don't forget he's also his mother's son, so he's not going to get so bad as his father."

He smiled at her as he rest his hands on her waist in turn, and started to move slowly to the music. "Ah, I guess I might fall into category three, but don't let that deter you. I've already had the talk about fish dinners and flowers. Also, I do shower. And I own stock. I can't remember what in, but I do own some. Us deviants aren't all bad. So where were you from originally?"

Emma just smirked. "You have a distaste for the human race, do you? See, I got the opposite sense. I think you quite like life and people, you just operate on a different orbit to most. Not that there is anything wrong with that. The way I hear it, our Luke over there was much like you in the past and now look at him. Scared?" she teased. "I was born and bred in Boston. My Mom is a professor at Harvard. Then when I graduated, I came to New York for a job and that's where I was until only a few weeks ago when I moved to Princeton to find Evie."

"I do like life and people, but I'm not... I'm not this," Josh said as he jerked his head towards the two recently wedded couples. "Tara wants to convert me, so I've been trying to avoid her like the plague. I get that dating might be cool, and nice... Just not with the girls from back home. Not the fans at the gigs. You know? I don't know, maybe you don't. I know I probably sound like a tosser, but I'm just trying to be honest. Luke's just lucky. He found a girl that still lets him be him. Same with Yodalan." His eyes fixed with hers and he smirked. "You should show me your New York."

Emma tilted his head. "That's sad. She seems like a really sweet girl. But also kind of mischievous. Do you think maybe she's just trying to wind you up?" she laughed. She gave him a small nudge. "You need to keep an open mind. Not all girls are the same. You don't know what's waiting around the corner. My New York is a real dirty place, Josh. Not for the fainthearted."

"She is... most of the time. Other times I think she's genuinely serious. Other times I just know she's got that married person compulsion to see the rest of the world paired up and happy." His blue eyes looked over her face, and he chuckled. "I'll tell you a secret. If there was really a chick that had me thinking about her every night and day, and just needing to be around her; then I'd be very open-minded. I know not all girls are the same, but I can't even think of the last time a girl gave me cravings. Until now. I don't really slow dance with every girl, you know. I'm hardly fainthearted. My Edinburgh wouldn't be the for the fainthearted either, Emma."

"And there, you hardly know me. Maybe Mrs Scot has a point, hm?" Emma suggested pointedly. Actually, he wasn't too bad a dancer. She couldn't remember the last time she had slow danced with a guy. Her love life was woefully lacking in any fine moments. "I'm a paramedic, just like Andrew is. That's about the extent of my New York. Blood shed, vomit and lots of racing around in rush hour."

"Again, really not that different to my Edinburgh," Josh joked as he laughed. "And if you mention to Tara that she has a point, I'll never hear the end of it. 'Course if you do plan on telling her, I could always kiss you to keep you quiet."

Emma shook her head in amusement. "I don't know her very well. Tonight is the first night we met, but I can't see the evil chick you're making her out to be, so I'm curious as to whether she really is or you're just actually scared you might find someone like she suggests you will. There's talking about it and there is actually pulling it off. I doubt any of the couples here in this room will say it's an easy thing, even if they got their One already." She glanced down at his lips. "Are you trying to get into my pants, King?"

Josh leaned in close and tightened his hands on her hips. "Yeah, I am. Lucky for me you're not actually wearing pants. Formal does have some benefits."

"And what if I'm not into one night stands?" Emma challenged, holding his gaze.

Josh arched an eyebrow. "Then I guess I'll have to keep an open mind where you're concerned."

"Well, if you have a stroke keeping that mind open in the process, I know a very good paramedic," Emma said cheekily, her eyes shining in a way that indicated she was certainly not going to be like the girls he was used to.

Words: 3035 | All muses referred to come from the princeton2nyc verse and used with permission

For muses_w_remotes | 12.5. Splash quote

touchkitndie — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:10:21 GMT

12.5. “Yeah? Well, that's a crock. It doesn't work that way. Look, do you realize how happy you were with her? That is, of course, when you weren't driving yourself crazy. Every day? Come on. Some people will never BE that happy. I'LL never be that happy. What am I talking to you for? You don't know anything.”
| Splash

Co-written with notskywalker | Follows THIS and THIS

The guest house was on a large estate and Luke just ran without really thinking. It was only when he got to the front gates of the estate that he finally stopped, realising he had two directions to choose from. It was only then that the panic attack seemed to finally reach a peak and he bent over, throwing up on the grass by the gates. This would probably be the only time in his life he actually felt relieved to throw up because he normally was a really terrible sick person. It seemed to release some of the tension inside him and he grabbed hold of the fence to brace himself.

He was breathless when he was done and dragged himself up into a position that resembled vertical. His shirt was still sweaty and sticking to him, but the breeze here away from the confines of the guest house was nice and pricked the perspiration on his face to cool him down. His hands were still shaking like he had too much caffeine and his breathing was unsteady and rasping. Never in his life had he had a panic attack and he never wanted another one again. One direction was Princeton and the other was an unfamiliar town. He had no keys to any cars, so it was feet or nothing. He tried to regain his breath as he glanced one way, then the other, rubbing his palm over his stomach which was still sore from the tension.

Josh had been the only one able to give pursuit, chasing the runaway groom through the guest house and then through the grounds. Ironic given his position on marriage, but hey--he was doing this for Riley's sister, and to make sure there wasn't going to be a wedding and funeral. Riley was definitely going to kill Luke if he ever got hands on him. "Hey! Hey, boss!" Josh called as he got closer to Luke. "For a saxophonist you can run really fucking fast. I thought you'd be soft." He braced his hands on his knees as he stopped to catch his breath. "Jesus, this is why I play drums. I just have to sit there and look awesome."

Luke turned around with a frown and then shook his head. "What?" he asked, not really managing to grasp the notion of why Josh was here. "Has the bar burnt down?" he asked, putting his hand up to swipe the thick layer of sweat from his forehead.

"I don't know, in this metaphor is the bar your brain? I'm at the wedding, Jackson. Friend of the other groom and all that. And apparently the only one available to hunt you down." He held up his hands. "Not that I'm really equipped to convince you marriage is a good thing. Other than Tab seems to really love you, and apparently married sex is even hotter than normal, and there's always blow jobs in the morning."

Luke blinked, his forehead creased as he tried to latch onto Josh's sporadic train of thought. "I don't want a blow job," he said, shaking his head. "I just need to get as far away from this place as I bloody can. Tab will understand," he mumbled. At least, he really hope she would. He looked at the Princeton sign post, wondering how long it would take him to walk there.

Josh snorted. "Yeah right, and my dick's made of fucking nougat. Look, you're freaking out and I get that. I would too if it was my wedding. Thing of it is, you've got a fiancee back there who doesn't understand right now why you're trying to run away from her." He wanted to mention Riley, but figured the homicidal twin went without saying. Plus he was trying to talk Luke back to the wedding, or at least his girl. "What exactly are you trying to get away from?"

"Nothing..." Luke began. He had no clue how to answer any questions like that. "Everything. I don't know! Everything is just so fast and big. It's all twins and wedding shit! I don't know any of this. It's like, we just got engaged! Then it's all a rush because Riley and Evie want to get knocked up or whatever! And she doesn't do fucking commitment, either! She's going to realise it was a mistake and it'll be all over! It's just... none of this is me."

Josh stared at him. "Are you seriously telling me that it was so fast you never once thought to tell her no? Explain that it was too quick? If it really wasn't what you wanted, you shouldn't have let it get this far. And also? That little redhead has been bouncing around the guest house for two days. If I hear one more chorus of her 'I'm getting married, so stick that up your arse' song one more time... you won't have to worry about doing a runner because I'll kill her."

"No, I didn't fucking think, okay?!" Luke snapped, starting to pace restlessly back and forth by the gates. "I thought I was just tired or stressed or sick or anything but this! You don't know! You're the fucking epitome of sex without commitment! You're Tab with a cock!" His cell phone in his pocket started to ring but he ignored it. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He just wanted to stop feeling like a great pile of shit.

"So people keep telling me, but the way I hear it--she proposed to you. No fucking epitome of sex without commitment does that, even when they're drunk. There has to be something deep down that drives them to. Tab doesn't hide the deep down. If you even took one moment to think about that disgustingly gooey eyed look she gives you, I think you'd know that." Josh stabbed a finger in the direction of the guest house. "Look, be afraid all you want, but don't be a fucking prick about it. At least go talk to her yourself."

Luke shook his head. "She was caught up with her brother. That happens when you're a twin. She was just confused because Riley was heading towards the commitment thing," he said, folding his arms across his chest and looking down at the grass. "Which I have no problem with, but sometimes I can't see where Tab ends and Riley begins."

"Way to give your girl credit for not having her mind," Josh commented with a wry smile. "Tab doesn't strike me as someone who does something she doesn't want to do. Otherwise I'd be up there right now trying to do her regardless of Riley's promise to lynch me. No offense, mate. Just being honest. So you need to at least go and make sure I don't fuck you over. If you bail on this without a word, how do you expect for her to just go back to being your girlfriend, or something? If you even want to be with her. With them. And just a tip, but Riley's the big tall one with glasses and a dick."

Luke shook his head with a small snort of a laugh. "He would, you know. Lynch you. And it wouldn't be pretty." He pushed his hand through his hair, trying to shake the crawling, panicked feeling still creeping through him. "I just... I get one shot at this. I'm not doing it again, ever. No matter what. And it doesn't feel like it has anything to do with me. I feel totally separated from it all and I have done from day one. You know, I love that she proposed to me because I wouldn't have asked her that soon because right up until New Year, she was still in limbo about her relationship past. I wouldn't push her, but even then, I feel like I fucked up something I was supposed to do properly and right, because it happens once. I'm the guy who had to have his girlfriend propose to him and maybe that's just screwed my whole notion of marriage up somewhere along the line because I feel like I'm a step behind everyone else!"

"Oh, Christ," Josh groaned as he pushed his fingers through is hair. Now more than ever he felt ill-equipped to be dealing with this. "Look, if it's really that much of a deal for you, march up there and bloody propose to her! I'm not going to pretend to know anything about marriage, but I think the point is declaring your love for someone, and promising to stand by them no matter what. Which you've done since day one, if what Riley says is true. And sometimes it's sacrificing something for them. Like going along with a twin wedding." Josh shrugged, and shuffled his feet as he tried to work out what else to say. "He's going to lynch you too, if you don't at least go see her. She doesn't deserve to have her heart broken by a messenger."

If Luke was going to answer, he would've wasted his breath. Riley had spotted them from up the drive and swooped on them angrily. He had the front of Luke's shirt seized in his hand and pushed him up against the fence with a small growl. "Thanks, Josh," he said, even though his eyes were firmly on Luke. "You and I are going to talk, mate," he told his soon-to-be brother-in-law. "And I will hurt you if you try to screw me over without giving me the courtesy of listening."

Words: 1595 | All muses referenced with permission and are from the princeton2nyc universe

For just_1_word | 26.6 Work

touchkitndie — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:57:37 GMT

Co-written with notskywalker | Backdated to after THIS

Josh was still wearing sunglasses as he stepped into the bar. As soon as the door swung closed he pushed them up onto his head and let his eyes adjust as he looked around. The scrap of paper tucked into the back pocket of his pants had the time and address scrawled on it, and for a moment he thought he'd got it wrong. There was no one there waiting for him, and he scratched the back of his neck as he stood there awkwardly. There were noises coming from a backroom and Josh was smirking as he imagining Luke and Riley's sister going at it. Then he imagined Riley smacking him in the back of the head for thinking about his sister that way and tried to think about something else.

He walked around the room a bit to try and get a feel for the what the place was going to look like. He could see the red, black, and silver theme starting to come together. He was almost envious of any band that would get to play this space, but if he worked here, and if it was true about Lachlan recording with Tab, then it was possible he might get a regular gig again yet. Fuck, he missed playing with decent musicians. Even more than he missed a decent lay that didn't involve bathing in disinfectant afterwards.

Luke came out of the backroom with an armful of painting drop sheets and his cell phone locked between his ear and shoulder. He hadn't heard anyone come into the bar and figured he would be alone for the rest of the day with Riley and Tab meeting up for some twin thing or another. Truth was, Luke had been relieved in some alone time. Everything felt like it was rushing towards him at a rapid pace but at the same time, he felt separate from everything going on. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't come to think of it as his wedding in his mind. The mental block was doing him no good and just seemed to create a tight stress headache that felt like a band constantly was wrapped around his forehead and gradually being pulled tighter and tighter.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the unfamiliar person standing in the middle of the bar. "Fuck, mate. I nearly shit myself," he said, dropping the sheets to the floor. It was only then that his scattered mind let him remember the appointment with Lachlan's drummer. Yes, Lachlan referred to the guy in present tense and always had, despite apparently not playing in the same band for a few years now. "Josh King, yeah?" he asked, taking his cell phone back into his hand and snapping it closed. Aiden still wasn't answering.

Josh had watched the the guy with amusement, and gave a nod. "Yeah, that's me. Well, that's what the inside of my underwear says, anyway." He stepped forward to offer his hand. "Luke Jackson? Sorry if I caught you at a bad time. Riley mentioned you guys were still working on the place. This could have waited for another day."

Luke took Josh's hand and shook it firmly. "Not at all, mate. It's cool. This is an ongoing thing for the moment. I could use the interruption, really. Can I get you a drink? Coke, beer, water, RJ's milk?" he asked with a laugh. "Did you have a good flight?"

"RJ? Campbell's spawn? Is there a reason you've got his milk here?" Josh rubbed the side of his face. His initial urge was to ask for a beer, but this was supposed to be about a job. Josh wasn't knowing for always behaving himself, but he did generally know when it was required. Like now. He'd even put on a nice clean shirt, and underwear. Not to mention rocking up on time. "Coke's fine, cheers. You really planning on spending the rest of the day doing this yourself? Even if I don't get the job, I'll stick around and give you a hand if you want."

Luke nodded and went over to the fridge they had set up. It was one of the first things that had been moved in. Hard work meant the vital need for cold drinks. "Lachlan and the rugrat were here yesterday afternoon helping us paint. Hence the giant penis and hand giving the bird painted on the wall over there." He gestured with the can of Coke to the wall in question and then handed it to Josh. "The milk just got left over by accident. The lad needs to be feed more often than most kids his age."

He sat down on one of the boxes and waved his hand for Josh to join him. "Tab's with Riley for the afternoon, so I figured I'd just keep going. I won't turn down any help, though. How are you with a paintbrush? You can just chill a bit too, mate. I'm hardly a conventional boss, and have never had conventional interviews. I only hire people I can actually carry a normal conversation with. This whole bar thing I really only just stumbled into myself a few years back."

"You haven't really talked to Lachlan about what I'm really like then, have you?" Josh chuckled as he took a seat on one of the other boxes. He cracked open the can of coke and took a sip. "Normal conversations with me are just about impossible. I get distracted easily. Not in a bad way, just tend to go off on tangents sometimes." He turned his head to grin at the picture. "Should've recognised his handiwork. Trust him to leave you with that mural when he was supposed to be helping. What made you get into the bar business? What were you doing before? Riley mentioned you hit on his sister while you were busking, or something."

Luke laughed. "He had nothing but praise to say about you, mate. He has this knack of respecting all sides of his mates, no matter what. It sounds like you'll get along well with Tab. Seriously, though, mate. I'm looking for good workers and if you can do that whilst still going off on tangents, we'll be cool." He looked around at the progress in the bar. "I wanted a place that offered good music where people like me who loved it could just rock up and play, whenever they wanted, whatever they wanted. The only problem was, New York can be cliquey. Suburbs, genres, tastes, styles. It was hard to find somewhere to play without already being a professional muso. You don't have to want to be pro to play music. I'm pretty much one of those. So, I made a place. Totally selfish, but it turns out I wasn't the only one looking for a place like that and it took off. Now it's a function venue, we have competitions, Karaoke nights, free-for-all mic nights, jamming sessions for people who want to play with bands but aren't actually in a band. And we offer good drink and dancing to go along with it. That's basically the ins and outs of it. We hope this place will be just like it."

He nodded with a smirk. "Something like that. I'm not really backwards in coming forwards myself. Only, I caught her right after a rebound fuck and she wasn't interested. We met again, though. Her friend brought her to the bar one night. She didn't realise I was one, more than just a street busker, and two, owned the place."

Josh nodded as he listened. "Sounds like you know what you want, and what you want I can pretty much fucking agree with. Thing about Edinburgh is that it's kind of the same. If you're not in one of the decent bands, or don't know anyone from 'em, you're doomed to playing the shitholes, and joining coverbands. I'll admit I've basically been a session player for a year now. Things have kind of sucked since we lost Yodalan to this side of the ocean. I just want to check what it is exactly that you need me to do since Lachlan was really only talking in passing, and probably wasn't certain I'd ever come to Princeton. Something about managing the place? Or did I get that arse backwards?"

Josh snorted out a chuckle. "Those rebound fucks can be killer, I've been one more often than not. That being said, at least she had the ex out of her system before you. Better you weren't the rebound fuck. Sounds like things clicked into place though, what with the upcoming nuptuals. Congratulations, mate."

"That band you guys had has a deep place in his heart. I get the sense he misses it when he talks about it. I don't really know the ins and outs of why he came to Princeton. I've only been in the picture with the group since late last year. Plus I know he's had a lot on his plate since getting here. I think he's going to be over the moon when he finds out you're here. I think once you connect musically with someone, you never really lose that." Luke stretched his tired muscles a little. "I'm definitely looking for a manager. I'll stretch my time between the two places, but I actually live in New York. We're just here in Princeton temporarily to get the bar up and running. Plus it gave Tab time with Riley after he had that bad patch. But there's no way I have the time to run both places and I need someone I can trust in the driver's seat here. I figure you've played in bars and drink in bars, so you'll know what the clientele want. In my experience, it's not those with management degrees who make the best managers, it's someone who loves what they do and loves why they do it. Good music, drinking, dancing... if you understand that, then we're on the same page."

He smiled. "Cheers, mate. Didn't actually think I was the marrying sort, but hey. Here we are."

"Hm." Josh tugged on a lock of his hair as he turned over the job description in his mind. He definitely liked to think he knew what it took to manage a bar given how often he could walk into a place and see everything that was wrong with it. "Lachlan's just... well, he's Lachlan. Play with him even for a night and you usually wind up in withdrawal soon enough. He's a bastard that way. Worse than crack. So you'd be going back to New York soon after it's up and going? Makes sense. It's a cool idea, though. Good district too. Promise not to harrass the clientele and abuse my position of power to get a lay from the college girls," Josh snickered. He held up a hand in apology. "The dancing might be a bit of a question mark. Just because I can keep the beat doesn't mean I can dance to it."

"Seems to be a lot of that going around," Josh said with a shrug as he offered Luke a smile.

Luke just laughed. "Hey, if you pull, I don't give a shit. Just wait until your shift is over to do it. No giving out freebies either unless you pay for them yourself. I just want someone in here who loves the place for all the reasons I do. I can take care of the ownership shit from New York. Aiden does absolutely all of my marketing and I have an accountant. All ordering, hiring, firing, etc cetera I mostly take care of myself. But don't feel like I'm going to throw you in the deep end. I'll stick by you until you get a feel for what has to be done to run the place," he promised. "Have you got any questions about anything?"

"What about playing during my shift? What's the hours, and pay? Oh, and do I get medical? Isn't that something you're supposed to ask? It's been a while since I've done one of these things. I'm rusty. I did manage to put on some pants this time," Josh added with a grin. He looked too proud to be joking. "I guess it doesn't really start until this place is finished, yeah? Like I said, I'm still happy to help out with the, ah, rennovation."

Luke waved his hand. "If things are going okay and you can make sure your head bartender has things in order, then you can play. I'm cool with that. Hours will be shifts, of course. We'll open from midday on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but four pm every other day. Open til late every night, which usually means we close around two or three by the time we clean up and shut shop. We won't open at all on Mondays. I'm thinking about doing Tuesdays and Thursdays here myself, so if you want Monday and Tuesday as your weekend, that's cool. The hours tend to be flexible according to the crowds anyway. If it's a quiet night, we'll close early. Full benefits included, and don't worry, you'll wrap your head around the employment system here sooner or later." He pressed his lips together in thought. "If you're happy to work at a reduced pay until the place opens, I can hire you now to help us get the work done. I can't technically hire you on management salary, see, because we're not an operating business."

Josh shrugged. "Happy to do it for free, mate. Mostly I just like keeping my hands busy when I'm not playing." He also liked to keep his dick busy, but maybe he should just keep it in his pants for a couple days and see if that somehow managed to save some of the decent girls for when he really needed it. "You really don't fuck about, do you? I like that. I don't think I've ever got a gig this quick. Unless you count playing one song with Lachlan and scoring the drum spot in the band. Also seemed to remember that ended up with us all drunk out of our skulls and trying to get our underwear off without taking our pants off. Bras are easier."

"Why am I not surprised?" Luke laughed. "I promise I don't need an audition like that. If you want to run around in the nick, just don't go outside and get arrested. Bad PR and Aiden will murder me with his bare hands. So, you miss being part of a band, then? You might be able to inject a bit of Lachlan's music mojo back into him. Hell, when I first came onto the scene, he wouldn't even touch his guitar. Not at all."

"Now that is a crying shame," Josh said as he drank some of his Coke. "Talent like that shouldn't be wasted, but I think I get it. He must have found it hard to do much of anything after the shooting. And yeah, I do miss being part of a band. Scratch that, a good band. Been playing with a few rejects lately that make me want to stab my eyes out with my sticks. I promise not to run outside in the nude. Wouldn't want to sully the future good name of the bar."

"Tab helped him tap into it a little. She was recording and he went to hang out with her one day apparently. They played together and the rest is history. They're brilliant together. You lot should form a band. I can supply at least two venues and there gonna need some sort of rhythm for their album. Lachlan's already about demanded everything bar gold-plated toilet paper from the agent and still kept him keen. He could demand a drummer. Would you be into the whole recording thing?" Luke asked curiously.

Josh smirked. "Mate, I'm into anything that Campbell's involved in. Can't say much about your woman, though. I might have to try and filch the CD from somewhere. Unless she's into singing on demand. If they need a drummer, I'll happily offer my services. Not surprised he's had the reps on the go... He always was a smiling assassin. Probably didn't realise what they were getting with him."

Luke shook his head. "I doubt it. They'll have their hands full with both Tab and Lachlan. I just steer clear when they're doing the music thing. I'm a musician, but I'm not that passionate about it. I'm kind of like the Caffeine Free Diet Coke musician in comparison to them. They're brilliant, though. The album's going to be something. I'm hoping to coax Lachlan into being a regular gig here, but so far he keeps resisting."

"Caffeine Free Diet Coke, huh? At least you still know how to run a bar, and you're not just some failed musician trying to make like he's something else." Josh grinned. "Hey, with me in his ear, I bet I could get him to agree. Not like he can refuse if I'm managing. So, want me to start, or what? And if I definitely have the job... mind if I switch to beer?"

Luke nudged Tab's abandoned roller and tray in Josh's direction. "Go for it. The colour map for all the walls is taped to the door. It's pretty straightforward. Beer's in the fridge, help yourself. I'm curious, though. Tell me where you'd really like to be, career-wise. If you could choose anything right now, what would it be."

"Mitch Mitchell," Josh answered without thinking about it. "That doesn't automatically make Campbell Hendrix, though. Different breeds. Still both insanely talented. I'm not a frontman, and I don't pretend to be. I'm just a shit hot drummer that needs a shit hot frontman, or frontwoman, to show off my assets."

Luke laughed and nodded. "Fair enough. I get the feeling you would've followed Lachlan right to stardom if he recorded all those years ago. I saw you guys play at their wedding, on the video, mind. Videos rarely do a live act justice. There's video of the Karaoke comp he sung in with Tab somewhere. You'll have to check it out. They totally rocked. Won, of course. There was no doubt they were going to. Aiden had a lot to do with the publicity and I think Lachlan only ended up going through with it because it was for MS. I am intrigued, though. I'm fascinated watching true talent at work. It's probably why it was never much effort for me to kick the New York bar off in the first place."

"So really you're just a fanboy," Josh snickered as he picked up the roller and took a look at the wall. "I'll definitely have to check out that footage. Be interesting to see Riley's sister in action. Three years I had to listen to him talk about her, and never be able to put a voice to the name. He had pictures of her, so the face was easy. As for Lachlan, well, he's always been a bit strange. I think the moment he had more than just himself to worry about his priorities shifted. Which is fine. He fits into this life a little too well."

"They're tight," Luke agreed without hesitation. "I guess most would get shitty with how close they are. Bottom line is, they both come first before anyone else. I mean, they're part of each other. It's the way it goes. Apparently her ex had some issues with all the time she spent with her brother, but they had been apart for three years. Who could blame her? Evie and I just got it, and I think if we didn't, we wouldn't be here right now. The twin thing is pretty cool, even if they scare me sometimes with the psychic thing."

Josh arched an eyebrow. "Psychic thing? Please don't tell me they have glowing eyes, or some shit."

Luke smirked. "Like Pat and his brother, only they're more freaky than Riley and Tab on account of the identical thing. But yeah. Tab and Riley, they know when something's wrong with each other. I swear sometimes they know what each other is thinking a lot of the time, too. It's funny. But when she tells me she needs to see Riley right now, it's freaky."

Josh nodded in understanding. "Yeah, right... I get it. I mean, I don't, but I do. Although just between you and me, I was sure there was some eye glowing action between Pat and Cam. At least with Riley and Tab there's no getting in bed with the wrong twin."

"Did that really happen, with Pat and Cam, I mean?" Luke asked, eyebrows shooting up. "I heard some of the stories but I thought people were just pulling the piss."

Josh just smirked. "Yeah, but I'll leave it to ya imagination to guess whether it was a gay climbing into Cam's bed, or some woman feeling up young Pat."

Luke had to stop and think on the scenarios for a moment before he burst out laughing. "It was a woman feeling up Pat, wasn't it? Please tell me it was. It'll keep me going for weeks with the imagery. Poor bastard." He shook his head in amusement. "I so need to tell Aiden that one."

"My lips are sealed, mate." Josh started laughing himself before he scratched the back of his neck. "Ask me again after a couple beers, though. I'll give you the gory details."

Words: 3604 | All muses referred to with permission and come from the princeton2nyc universe

From a couple of wankers.

touchkitndie — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:29:50 GMT

You Are Apple Red

You're never one to take life too seriously, and because of it, you're a ton of fun.

And although you have a great sense of humor, you are never superficial.

Deep and caring, you do like to get to the core of people - to understand them well.

However, any probing you do is light hearted and fun, sometimes causing people to misjudge you.

What Color Red Are You?

"He's got the Midas touch, but he touched it too much..."

touchkitndie — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:18:14 GMT

Your Supervillain Name is Mad Goldfinger

Muhahahaha!

What's Your Supervillain Name?

For just_muse_me | 17.2.3 Boys will be boys

touchkitndie — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:41:01 GMT

Co-written with pullmysteth

It seemed that Lachlan's ex-drummer had about as many forward-planning skills as his lead singer. Not only did he give Riley the wrong flight time (misread the 24 hour time on the ticket), but he picked a flight in rush hour and subsequently left Riley stuck in traffic trying to get into Newark International Airport in Jersey. Riley had been at work since six am, so by the time he got to the airport at just after four pm (needing to leave work early to make it in time), he was late and the flight from Edinburgh had landed a good half an hour ago. Riley hoped Josh had been caught in customs or baggage claim, but no such luck. As Riley bounded through the doors to Arrivals, Josh was already there leaning against the wall by the vending machine, bags at his feet waiting for Riley to get there.

Riley still had his work clothes on and had just pulled his leather jacket on over the top. He smirked when he saw his friend and pulled a couple of stray latex gloves from his pocket and held them up as he approached. "You ordered a personal prostate exam, sir?" he said loudly.

Josh King grinned as he pushed off the wall and moved his hands to his belt buckle. "Yeah, I did actually, mate. Do you want me to just drop trou here, or should we go somewhere a little more private?" He'd entertained himself with a flight attendant on the trip, their entrance into the mile high club probably heard all the way through economy class. Wasn't his fault the girl was a screamer. Fucking tight though, so Josh chalked it up as a win. Not to mention the rest of the crew, and most blokes on the flight just wanted to congratulate him.

Also managed to get him a number from some blonde bird with killer legs. He'd almost thought about taking her into one of the public restrooms here, but figured he better save it just in case all the other women in Princeton were married, or lesbians.

Riley pulled one of the gloves on with a sharp snap. "Right here, mate. I'm very, very good," he said succintly, but soon became aware that their audience included kids so he just shoved his hands in his pockets with a smirk. He hadn't seen Josh since Tara and Lachlan's wedding, which was almost a year ago now. Hell, he couldn't wrap his head around the fact he had been back in the States for nearly a year. So much had happened since. He knew he probably looked a little different considering what his body had gone through with the HIV. He was only just starting to get that healthy look back about him, which was good timing for his own wedding. "Have a good flight, mate?" he asked knowingly.

Josh left his belt alone and stooped to pick up his bags. "Yeah, pretty good. Only one way to kill time on a flight, and that's with the stewardesses. Or flight attendants. Whatever the fuck PC bullshit you have to say these days. You look like you've had better times, but I heard all about your engagement. What the fuck happened there? Last I saw you, you were still pining over Anderson."

"Yeah, get yourself stabbed in the throat, and a whole new world opens up for you," Riley said and took his car keys from his pocket. "Beth and I just didn't connect the second time around. I was too screwed up and she soon found something that fitted her much better. Tara's cousin, to be exact. I threw piss on a lass and she ended up agreeing to marry me. I'll tell you, mate. Princeton keeps you on your toes."

Josh made a face as he followed Riley through the terminal. "Yeah, sorry 'bout the HIV, mate. Fate really fucked up that one... As for throwing piss on someone, is that really a story I want to hear? Are all the Princeton chicks kinky? I'm not into piss. Not like that." He had an itch on the back of his head, and juggled his bags so he could get at it. "Beth and Tara's cousin. You and the piss girl. Got it. Lachlan was telling me about your sister's boyfriend's bar, or something. Wasn't your sister the one that refused to date? I've been dying to get a good look at her. If she was still single I would have totally had a go..."

"My fiancee's a nurse," Riley told him with an amused shake of his head. "I ran into her one day on shift with a bottle of a kid's piss I needed for a sample. That's how we met. Dude, seriously, I'm not into kinky shit like that either." He nodded as Josh relayed the relationships in process. "Pat and Aiden, who seriously looks like he could be a centrefold. Wait til you see him. Trust Pat to pluck a Fabio out of the air right when we all thought he was tagging behind."

He shot Josh a Look. "No you fucking wouldn't have. Mate, it's my sister. No way I would be letting someone like you near her," he said with a snort. "Luke owns a really hip bar in New York. He's opening this place as a companion to it. If it's anything like it's New York counterpart, it's going to be hot with the local music scene."

Josh smirked. "I don't think Fabio's quite who I want with Pat. Guy's the size of a brick shithouse with abnormally long shiny hair. I will still never understand what made women swoon over him. Bet his pecker's tiny. Probably takes steroids, too. Nice work pulling a nurse... Guess that doctor thing's working for you, then." Josh blinked at the look, and frowned. "What's wrong with someone like me? I'd treat her right, mate. Seriously. I'd even stay until morning if she wanted."

Riley laughed as they neared his car and he turned his alarm off. "Dude, you know too much about Fabio than should be legal. I get your point though. Aiden's nothing like Fabio. He's a fucking self-made millionaire with some high rise business in New York. I'm sure he would be the first to agree with me about the benefits of pulling a nurse." He unlocked the boot of his car and helped Josh get the bags in. "She'd kick your arse, mate, not want it. She's a female you. I still wouldn't want you touching her, as much as I love you."

Josh let out a low whistle. "Nice work, Patto. Looks like I know who to hit up when funds get low." Josh let out a chuckle as he stretched his arms over his head and scratched his stomach under his shirt. "Female me? Didn't realise that even existed... Not sure I've ever been one to indulge in fantasies of shagging myself. I think your mate can keep her." Josh grinned and slapped Riley in the arm. "Love you too, mate."

"I only know him through Tab. The bloke hit on her one day when he was busking in New York. He was a total ninja, too. He's also rich. I work my arse off on a weekly basis and I've got to get HIV to make my millions. Life's fucked, mate." Riley unlocked the car doors and slid into the driver's seat. He took his pager from his pocket and clipped it to the dashboard, followed by plugging his cell phone into the charger. His stethoscope and ID bagde were lying on the floor too, so grabbed them and threw them in the back seat. "Think you'd be interested in the job, though?"

"He's rich as well? So does that mean I have to go win the Lotto or something, to get a look in these days? Job sounds interesting enough, I just want to meet the bloke. But if Lachlan likes him, I'll probably like him. How'd he manage to win your approval? Besides not be like me." Josh watched Riley in amusement. Made him glad he'd never gone for a regular job. Lugging his kit around was enough. He hated the idea of having to be in constant touch with his work, but then he supposed that saving lives meant Riley always had to be available. He sniffed and stretched his legs out. "Any more sitting and my arse is going to go numb. It's not going to be a long drive, is it? Thanks for coming. Meant to say that before. I'm dying for a smoke."

Riley opened the glove compartment and pulled out his smokes and lighter, chucking them into Josh's lap. "Just under an hour, give or take, depending on the traffic." He found a decent radio station and turned it low, finally ready to actually get going. "Luke's a great guy. He met Tab right after I got the needlestick, so he was basically there through all the shit. That's how he won it. He never left her side and helped me, even though he didn't know me from a bar of soap. You wouldn't know to look at him that he's loaded, but that's pretty much like most of us. No airs and graces in our group. We've been through a bunch of shit, so we're pretty tight."

Josh picked up the lighter and packet gratefully, and pulled one of Riley's smokes out to sit it between his lips as he lit up. "God bless you for being a doctor that smokes, Riley Browne. So he's one of those dependeble types, yeah? I'm trying to think of one girl who's ever wanted to make me protect her, but I got nothing. Not like that. Sounds like Tab was lucky to find the guy." Josh inhaled on the nicotine with a moan of pleasure and smirked. "Since when am I the airs and graces type? Fuck 'em. So long as they know how to laugh, I'll be alright. Any single ladies, or am I about to enter Couplesville?"

They got caught in the traffic getting out of the airport too, so Riley took advantage of the halt to light up a cigarette of his own. He dropped them into the tray between them and turned out onto the road to head for Princeton. "I don't know how he is with anyone else, but he was cool with Tab. That's all that matters. I think he's basically a hippy type without being a hippy. He just lives for the moment, to fuck with anything. I really can't believe they're getting married, to be honest. Neither seem the sort, but they're happy." He wound his window down and blew the smoke outside. "Directly in the bunch, we're mostly hooked up, but don't worry, mate. There's more to Princeton than just us and if all goes well, you'll be running a very successful bar. You'll have chicks throwing themselves at you. Plus, the bar is near both the hospital and the university... single student, doctors, nurses. We've got some pretty hot girls at work."

Josh put his own window down and blew the smoke out of it. "Hot girls at the hospital, huh? Probably time I had a checkup."

"Knowing your luck, you'll get House," Riley said with a snigger of amusement at the thought. "What made you decide to make the move to Princeton?"

Josh stuck out his tongue a little as he placed the name. House was the one that had looked after Lachlan when he'd been shot. Abrasive fucker. "Maybe I'll just go lurk in the corridors, then. Don't know. Guess Scotland just got a bit boring without Campbell. Plus if this bar thing pans out, it'd be good."

Riley nodded in understanding. "The place is probably not how you expect. I guess some of us are still trying to pick up the pieces after repeated shit hitting repeated fans, but it's cool. I think you'll like it. If one thing we know, it's how to have a good time and a laugh." He glanced at Josh. "It can get pretty heavy sometimes... intense. Sure you're cool with that?"

Josh pointed at himself as the cigarette hung from the corner of his mouth. "I can be deep, mate. I'm like a fucking abyss of feelings. What are you trying to say about drummers?"

Riley laughed. "You can take your banging sensitivity somewhere else. I've had to put up with you musical lot my whole life. Don't think I'm totally naive. I'm just trying to warn you, mate. Shit's been going on. RJ's barely been out of hospital a few weeks, another mate just got diagnosed with cancer. It's cool. It's just not like it was in Scotland."

"Look, we're all mates. Mates are meant to be there in hard times and good. I have no idea how the fuck I'll be able to help, but I can try," Josh said as he took a long drag on his cigarette. For a drummer he seemed to have fucked up timing, but then maybe he was supposed to be here while it was hard. Maybe there was something he could do, and he just didn't know it yet.

"Think you'll still stick to the drumming when you're here?" Riley asked. "Were you even with a band recently? I know it's gotta be hard after being with Lachlan and crew all those years."

"I've been a drumming slut for twelve months. Nothing feels like playing with our crew, so I just play with whoever needs a drummer at the time. I feel dirty," he admitted with a smirk.

Riley just snorted in amusement. "Yeah, right. Did you know Lachlan and Tab just signed a record deal for a joint album. Lachlan got scouted again at a Karaoke comp back in December, but he didn't want a piece of it unless he could record with Tab, so the agent signed them both up. Lachlan's pretty much been off the music scene since he left the band, but there's been a few times he's taken the stage and nothing's changed. You guys should think about hooking up, old times."

"I think I'm just an ex he's polite to as far as music goes," Josh laughed. "He'll call me up and throw me the odd bone, but that's it. We're still mates, so no hard feelings. Joint album, huh? Nice. Always knew Campbell'd wind up getting scouted again if he ever sung in public."

Riley shook his head. "Don't underestimate his music. It's still running deep in his blood. None of us really know why he quit the band and made the decision to move to Princeton, but his ex fucked him over pretty damn good. He probably just needed to get away. And sure, he does come off like a totally hooked married bloke, but he's still the same Lachlan, like you wouldn't believe," he laughed, remembering the other night. "He has an issue with crowds though. A big issue. Since the shooting, he's been phobic of them. He keeps thinking someone is going to pull a gun on him again. You might be able to help him get back on the stage, mate."

"If I didn't know this conversation was about music, I'd be taking that last comment differently. Yeah, I can only imagine how he must feel in crowds. I'll give it a go. His ex was... well, I wouldn't piss on her if she was on fire." Josh took the last drag of his smoke before he flicked it out the window.

Riley smirked. "Hey, don't worry about it. Half of us in our group have a one-tracked mind," he assured him. Queen came on the radio, so he reached over and switched channels with a shake of his head. Even he was all Queened out for the moment. "Last you saw him was the wedding. He looked pretty rough, even then. He's looking much better. He just has his moments, you know? I guess we all do. I can guarantee it'll be fun, though. Never a dull moment, and we're usually all safe if we keep him away from the booze. Plus, a whole world of fresh meat for you to set your sights on," he added, sniggering.

"A-fucking-men. Man, I was with this bird, and it was only when I was sneaking out of her place that I realised she was the sister of some other girl I'd fucked a few years back. Edinbugh's getting small, mate. I need a change." Josh scratched the side of his face and looked over at Riley. "But he is doing better, yeah?"

"Who can blame you? I love the place, but you gotta be running into Lachlan's old lays by now. Between the two of you, you would've had about every Scottish chick in a twenty mile radius." Riley chewed on his lip for a bit and glanced back with a slight shrug. "Most days he is, some days, when he's bad, he's really bad. He can joke about it now. He'll also probably be reluctant to strip off around anyone. He wears wifebeaters under most things these days because he hates the scarring. The crowd thing. Plus, he is extremely protective of Tara and the baby. But he's cool. He's a lot better than he was. More freaky is the place it happened. It's a weird feeling walking by there. It seems so innocent."

Josh frowned as he looked back out the window. "Still hard to believe something that freaky happened. Or that you got stabbed with a needle and wound up with HIV. I know it's a bit inappropriate to say, but I'm starting to wonder what's going to happen now I've left Scotland. Fingers crossed I last long enough to get at least one good lay this side of the ocean."

"Wrong places, wrongs times... that's all," Riley said quietly. "Just think of it as being isolated to PPTH doctors. Lachlan was stalked, I got a bad patient. Patients can suck. Neither really should've happened, but it did because of a series of small wrong moves. The only reason I'm in this position is because I was a fucked up idiot back in my teens, otherwise I'd probably be fine right. Lachlan had a chick who was freakishly obsessed with him. You gotta come in and make things normal, mate," he said.

"Me and normal?" Josh started to laugh loudly. "Yeah, right. I'll give it a go, Riley. Can't promise much."

Words: 3094 | All muses referred to with permission and come from the princeton2myc verse

Like there was ever a doubt...

touchkitndie — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 05:33:50 GMT

Your Taste in Music Says You're Wild

Your musical tastes are intense and rebellious.

You are intelligent... but in a very unconventional way.

You are curious about the world. You love doing something new.

In fact, you enjoy taking risks and doing things most people would shy away from.

You are very physical. It's likely that you're athletic, but not into team sports.

You have the soul of an artist. Beauty and harmony are important to you.

What Does Your Taste in Music Say About You?

Well, thank fuck for that. Anything else I might have killed myself.