when fate comes knocking,

[gabriel eric taylor]

Paying the cab, the young Brit exited the vehicle and stepped onto the sidewalk, glancing up at the house in front of him. He referenced the slip of paper in his hand where he had scribbled the address from a phone book in his hotel room, confirming he was at the correct place. Eric would have done this the moment he got off the plane from London, but it was about one in the morning when they landed. It was about six in London, but he had just been on a plane for eight hours so his time was all sorts of fucked up. But now that his cell had switched over carriers and was settling in the new time zone, he was right. Well, except for the jet lag and lack of sleep. He did sleep on the plane, which made him wide awake as soon as he got here in Arietta. Now he was going to be crashing around supper time. It would take a few days, but he would eventually get it right. One thing was for certain, he didn't want to spend the rest of his time in Arietta at a hotel, making meals from Little Debbie snack cakes and orange soda. Which brought him here, to the doorstep of his old friend Aislinn. He couldn't remember the last time they had seen each other...whenever it was she was last in London. He was only happy she had an instant messenger so they could continue correspondence that way instead of running up their cell phone bills with long distance fees. At any rate, he was anxious-nervous to see Aisy again, and young Benjamin, of course. He could never get enough of that little guy. A smile spread wide across his face as he dropped his knapsack on the porch and knocked on the door.

tag aislinn hunter / luna

[aislinn marie hunter]

“Ben, please, just sit down and eat.” Aislinn Hunter pleaded with her three-year old son. He didn’t want to listen tonight, though. The small boy was more hyper than usual, and the last thing he wanted to do was make things easy on his mother. She sighed, frustrated but trying to be patient. Being a single mother was a hard job, but Aislinn did the best that she could. She didn’t really have anyone to help her out. Sure, she had friends and such, but her family was gone. Her mother was dead and her father was in prison. What other family she had lived in London, and they weren’t really all that willing to help out. So Ais was left to try and do it on her own. And so far they were making it. Somehow. She was trying to set the bouncing toddler back in his seat when there was a knock at the door. She sighed, getting up from her seat at the table. “Sit,” she instructed, Ben looking up at her with that sly grin that told her there was no way in hell he was going to sit. She walked to the door, opening it up, not sure who she was expecting to see there, but knowing that this guy wasn’t it. A smile immediately broke out on her tired face. “Gabe!” she exclaimed, stepping forward and throwing her arms around his neck. It had been several years since she had seen her close friend, and she had really missed him. She also knew he didn’t particularly like to be called Gabe, but she did it anyway. She stepped back, taking him in completely. She heard footsteps running down the hall and knew Ben had gotten up to see who their guest was. She was too excited to be angry, though. “Oh my God! What are you doing here?” Because she had no idea why he would be here in Arietta. It was a long way from London, England.

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tagged for: gabriel eric taylor // word count: 334 // notes: so excited!!!

[gabriel eric taylor]

Eric was growing impatient and it had only been a few seconds. He just wanted to see his old friend again and her little boy. Eric had never actually met Ben, but he heard plenty about him and was excited to get to know him, especially because he was Aislinn's son. He never imagined her as a mother, at least not at such a young age. He knew girls who got pregnant unconventionally, but none so close to him and his heart. He tried to ignore the voice in his head poking his brain and giggling. It knew the truth, that Eric didn't see Aislinn as a friend. Well, not only a friend. He always knew he had stronger feelings for her, but wasn't one of those guys that had to act stupid around her. He did that naturally. It was more out of humor than anything. He enjoyed Aislinn's company and that wouldn't change either way. He just accepted it and lived with it. Still, there were ulterior motives for his visit to Arietta. When Ais finally opened the door, Eric opened his arms anticipating the embrace that was soon to follow. He wasn't disappointed. Wrapping his arms tightly around her, Eric lifted her off the ground and spun in a circle out of sheer joy to finally share the same air with one Aislinn Hunter. He finally set her back down, the grin never leaving his lips. "I'm here to see you! Duh! So, did you miss me?!" Seriously, there was no other more joyous moment in his life he could think of right now. He's been in a bit of a shitty mood since the death of his mother, but things have been looking up since. Noticing a bit of movement behind Ais, Eric glanced passed her to see a little boy peering back at him. He knelt down so he was closer to Ben's level. "And you must be Benjamin! You're pictures don't do you justice, you're much more handsome in person. Bigger too." He definitely looked like Ais. Then again, Eric didn't know what his father looked like, or much about him really.

notes ^.^ i love them already!

[aislinn marie hunter]

NEVER SAY NEVER, I WILL FIGHT TIL FOREVER

Aislinn honestly didn’t think she could remember the last time she had seen Gabriel Taylor. She hadn’t been to London since before she had graduated from high school, which had been three years ago at least. She had had Ben when she was seventeen. Shortly after that her father been arrested and put in jail and then her mother had died. Aislinn had been truly alone after that. She tried not to think about her father these days, or the days in which they had spent in London, now that she knew the true intentions of those trips. They had never really been about spending time with family or friends, but for her father’s illegal actions with his friends in the West family. She resented them all for what her father was, resented them for not looking out for him and helping him out when he needed them. She also blamed them for the death of her mother. Though they may not have been directly responsible for it, she had no doubts that they were somehow involved in it or had something to do with it. Considering how closely it had come with the sentencing of her father, it just seemed too big a coincidence not to be. So it had been a long time since she’d her friend, and the last thing she had ever expected was for him to end up on her doorstep. "I'm here to see you! Duh! So, did you miss me?!" She grinned. “Of course I have! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming!?” Because had she known he was coming she would have been more prepared for him. As it was, she had had no clue. She felt Ben behind her legs, and she looked down to see him peeking around her to see who the stranger in the doorway was. "And you must be Benjamin! You're pictures don't do you justice, you're much more handsome in person. Bigger too." Aislinn smiled, looking down at her son and ushering him out. “Ben, this is my friend Gabe.” She got him to come out and she picked him up from the floor. He was getting heavier and heavier every day, though, and soon she’d be unable to lift him at all. “Oh! Come in! Come in!” She stood to the side to make room for him and once he was in she shut the door behind him. “Are you hungry? I just made dinner. It’s not much but we almost always have left overs so there’s plenty if you want some.” She led him in the direction of the kitchen. She sat Ben back in his chair. He was acting more shy now, because of their new guest, though by the time the night was over he would undoubtedly be talking Gabriel’s ear off. She knew her son well. This little shy moment of his wouldn’t last long.

tagged for: gabriel eric taylor // word count: 485 // notes: me too!! <33

[gabriel eric taylor]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,10,true][atrb=style,background-image: url('http://i53.tinypic.com/wb98wn.jpg');,true] couldn't stay away, couldn't fight it ! The jet lag Eric had been experiencing since landing the night before seemed to dissipate in Aislinn's presence. He was just so focused on reuniting with his old friend again and meeting her young son he didn't have time to think about how tired he truly was. Or that the two cups of coffee he drank this morning had him pretty wired from the lack of sleep. He didn't even notice he used the American term "duh" while speaking. A few hours in the country and already he was turning into one of its citizens. He did take notice, though, that after so many years of being in the States, Aislinn still had a rather prominent British accent. "I thought about it, but I figured it would be better left a surprise." Not to mention Eric wasn't entirely sure he was even going to come until about three hours before boarding the plane. He had become spontaneous like that in the past few months. Eric extended his hand to Ben to see if he would shake it, but the boy seemed to be still trying to figure out their visitor, so Eric didn't push him. He would rather not imprint a negative first impression with someone whose opinion he would learn to value. He wanted Ben to like him, not be afraid of him. He stood when Ais picked her son up. Eric ended up shaking his head, trying to commit the image to memory as he followed her inside. "I just can't believe you're a mom. It's still going to take some getting used to." Even though he was seeing it with his own eyes, not reading about it over the internet, it was still having trouble sinking in. Eric set his bag near the door, not sure where else to put it, and surveyed the home. It was more than obvious a small child lived there, what with the toys scattering the floor and the pictures on just about every surface. It made Eric smile, wandering over to a cluster of photographs on a nearby end table. “Are you hungry? I just made dinner. It’s not much but we almost always have left overs so there’s plenty if you want some.” He looked up from a photo of Ben during his first birthday. He hadn't been hungry until she mentioned food, but now it sounded good. "Sure I could go for a bite. I've been living on Twinkies and coffee for the past twenty-four hours." He never even bothered to stop at a diner or anywhere for a decent bite to eat; actually he never thought to do so. He followed Ais into the kitchen, watching her place Ben back into his chair where he must have climbed out of before judging by the half eaten meal in front of him. 495 WORDS , AISLINN MARIE HUNTER , ANY NOTES KEEP IT SHORT!

table by california dreaming @ caution 2.0. Edited by Sarah.

[aislinn marie hunter]

NEVER SAY NEVER, I WILL FIGHT TIL FOREVER

This was a surprise that Aislinn hadn’t expected at all. Not that she could say she didn’t like seeing him. She had missed her best friend, and though they hadn’t seen each other all that much the last three years, she had still kept in contact with him. The internet was an amazing invention, and without it she might not still be able to call him her best friend. "I just can't believe you're a mom. It's still going to take some getting used to." She offered him a smile. “Yeah, well, sometimes I can hardly believe it myself.” It wasn’t like she had planned on it when it had happened. She had been insanely in love with a boy who hadn’t cared about her at all. But the last thing she had ever thought would happen would be that she would get pregnant. Then again, she figured that most felt that way. Now Brody was just a pain in her side that she wished would go away. Still, now that she had him, she couldn’t imagine her life without the little boy in her arms. He was her whole world now, and no matter what he always came first. She tried her hardest to do right by him, but sometimes she wondered if she was really doing the best for him. It didn’t stop her from trying though, and it didn’t stop her from keeping Brody from him. "Sure I could go for a bite. I've been living on Twinkies and coffee for the past twenty-four hours." She shook her head. “Well that’s no good!” That was probably the mother in her that believed in good, balanced meals. She walked to the cabinet and grabbed an extra plate, which she sat in front of her friend and then took her own seat next to him. Ben stared at him from across the table, slowly and mindlessly shoving food into his mouth. Aisy shook her head. “So what have you been up to? I honestly never thought I’d see you here in Arietta.” The thought had never once crossed her mind.

tagged for: gabriel eric taylor // word count: 351 // notes: me too!! <33

[gabriel eric taylor]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,10,true][atrb=style,background-image: url('http://i53.tinypic.com/wb98wn.jpg');,true] couldn't stay away, couldn't fight it ! Ais seemed to be doing pretty good for herself judging by the state of her house. Then again, he had to remember she was living with her father before he was arrested. Eric was never really a fan of the man. It was just intuition but he pegged him as a bad apple since he knew him. Then again, the ties he had with the West family was a pretty good indicator. Eric knew their son Royal for whom he had great distaste. They never got along from the off and Eric learned to just keep his distance. But, that was all left back in England with the other bad memories he possessed. Onward and upward. Eric took a seat where Aislinn placed a third plate for him, grateful at the offer of dinner. Now that it was within view his stomach was not shy about expressing its feelings. However, his eye was drawn to the little boy across the table who was fixated on Eric. He smiled at the boy, finding him utterly adorable. He was never really around young children since his younger brother who was now fifteen, but he never passed up a chance to interact with them. “So what have you been up to? I honestly never thought I’d see you here in Arietta.” Ah, the inevitable question. Eric had prepared for it, knowing he had not yet told Aislinn about his mother's death. Well, now was as good a time as any. "Traveling, mostly. Well, for the past few days anyway. Mum died a couple months ago so after getting her affairs in order things just kind of came to a stand still." He wasn't an emotional guy so the halting way in which he answered just showed he was still pretty beat up over it. "I got tired of the forced conversation and having to tiptoe around my own house, so I thought I would take a trip, see some of the things mum always wanted to see." He had called home after landing in North Carolina and even that conversation was subdued and short. 365 WORDS , AISLINN MARIE HUNTER , ANY NOTES KEEP IT SHORT!

table by california dreaming @ caution 2.0. Edited by Sarah.

[aislinn marie hunter]

NEVER SAY NEVER, I WILL FIGHT TIL FOREVER

Aislinn had never thought that she would end up being a teenage mother. She had always been rather careful when it came to that sort of thing, and she had never been then kind of girl that just slept around and did whatever. She was crazy and outgoing and put herself out there, but not in that area. But then Brody Whitter had came along and she had stupidly fallen for him. She had been head over heels for him, but to him she hadn’t mattered at all. It broke her heart when he had ran away from her, leaving her alone to deal with everything. And then Aislinn had lost her parents and things had just been all the more harder. But she had somehow succeeded in doing it all on her own. She resented Brody now, especially how he thought he could just decide he wanted to be a part of her son’s life and felt he had rights. He hadn’t had to deal with any of things Aislinn had, he hadn’t been there, and in her eyes that meant he had no right to anything. She no longer wanted him in her life, and she didn’t want him in Ben’s. When Ben got older he could make the decision to get to know his father, but for now she made the decisions for her son, and this was the only way it was going to be. "Traveling, mostly. Well, for the past few days anyway. Mum died a couple months ago so after getting her affairs in order things just kind of came to a stand still." Aisy frowned. She hadn’t heard anything about his mother’s death, and she felt bad now that she hadn’t. She and Gabe were close, and she had known his family well. "I got tired of the forced conversation and having to tiptoe around my own house, so I thought I would take a trip, see some of the things mum always wanted to see." Aislinn offered him a small smile. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” Aislinn knew what all that was like. She had lost her own mother around the same time that she had also lost her father. It was never an easy thing to deal with. Ever. “So are you okay? Cause you know you can talk to me about anything.” Some people liked to talk about things. Some didn’t. Aislinn was one that preferred to get it all out in the open, because she knew that bottling things up never went well. Some people didn’t think that way and preferred to do otherwise. But she was just letting him know that she was there if he so desired her to be. She was a good friend like that. “And you can help yourself to whatever you like,” she added, offering up a bigger smile this time and motioning to the food on the table. They would have plenty, and he could have whatever he wanted.

tagged for: gabriel eric taylor // word count: 498 // notes: me too!! <33

[gabriel eric taylor]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,10,true][atrb=style,background-image: url('http://i53.tinypic.com/wb98wn.jpg');,true] couldn't stay away, couldn't fight it ! Eric never thought he would see himself hopping on a plane and taking off with no real idea as to where he was going, and yet that is exactly what he did just a couple days ago. He was usually very steadfast, never having much ambition for travel; a homebody if you prefer. He could never stand his family's holidays for more then a week. He always wanted to visit Aisy, but stopped himself. It wasn't always the discomfort of travel, but more he didn't know when would be a good time. Then his mother's illness became worse so he buckled down, grabbed extra classes and graduated a semester early to be home with her. His younger brother was there, but he had school and his older brother was on some mission trip to Cambodia. But Eric was there, doing the little things around the house his mother could no longer do while his father worked and took care of the more difficult things, like speaking with doctors and the insurance company. It was probably about a month before his mother passed that he started feeling the change. They talked a lot in the time they had, about everything. Eric learned things he never knew or thought he would know, like her ambition for travel. After she died, it took him a couple months to recuperate, he still wasn't one hundred percent, but then he finally took the plunge. Got up and took a cab to the airport, boarded a plane and landed in North Carolina before he knew what happened. Now, here he was. Now that Eric had spilled the beans, he held his breath and waited for Aislinn to respond. "I know. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. I just figured you had a lot on your plate and didn't need any more. Besides, telling you would have made it real when I was trying so hard to wake from a dream." There were many a night he would lie in bed, hoping to wake up from the sick waking dream he was having. He hoped something outrageous would happen to tell him it wasn't real. Those hopes were still fresh. When she then asked if he wanted to talk about it, Eric shook his head. "I still just need some time to get to acceptance." The five stages of grieving: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Eric would say he was on the border of depression and acceptance, but he was getting there. He looked at Ais with a reassuring smile. "I knew you were my best friend for a reason. Come here." He draped his arm over her shoulders and pulled her into a one-armed hug. Giving her a squeeze he let go and took a deep breath to clear out the depressing thoughts and bring in cheerier ones. "So, what have we got to eat. Everything certainly smells intoxicating." Really, it looked even better. Eric reached for the first dish and scooped some onto his plate then handed it on to Ais. AISLINN MARIE HUNTER

table by california dreaming @ caution 2.0. Edited by Sarah.