The Right One • •

[Allela Katherine Wilcox]

Winter was Allela's favourite time of year. She loved the cold and she loved the snow, no matter what people had to grumble about it. It was usually the time of the year when she booked her flight back to Glasgow, too, ready for another ridiculously chaotic Rosslyn Christmas, but this year she was staying in New York. She had broken the news to her father via a private Skype conversation whilst Ryder was in class and while the rest of her family were at work or out. Allela didn't want to cause a fight with her news, but she knew that it was for the best. The dust was still settling for the newlyweds and to drag Ryder to Glasgow to meet the in-laws when they'd be flying out just a few months later for the wedding seemed like unnecessarily hassle. Besides, with Owen still giving Allela grief or the silent treatment over what had happened, she didn't want Ryder's first actual encounter with the Rosslyns to be awkward or unpleasant. Her father had understood and got the necessary details from her to mail out the presents for that year, along with a long promise about calling on Christmas day to talk to her and his new son-in-law. Allela knew that she'd find this Christmas a little difficult being away from home, but she also knew that she'd be fine in the end. After all, she'd be spending it with Ryder and his family, and they always made her feel welcome, even before there was a ring on her finger making her part of their family.

Before all of that though, there was fun to be had. The snow had been falling heavy for a few days now and New York looked like something off a postcard. Allela didn't often get excited by something that wasn't music or a good party, but snow and a day off did the job. Since neither of them had work or class that day they had decided to spend the day just goofing off in the park and making something of a date out of it. Their date nights were something of the norm now, with Ryder constantly changing them up from dinners to movies to something Allela wouldn't even think of had she ever been left in charge of them. However, today was supposed to be a little more foolish and something to give them both a break before they had to think about Christmas shopping, finals, and the usual rush that came with Christmas on Broadway. Allela was up early, in and out of the bathroom before Ryder could complain about him needing to use it, too. Dressed and ready to go before she needed to be asked twice by her husband. Usually she was trying to clamber back into bed when she ought to be walking out of the front door, but the fresh snow had changed her; at least for today.

Allela didn't know if Ryder had anything specific in mind for today. He had always been the romantic one who could think up the brilliant dates whereas she was the anti-romantic one, usually undateable. If it hadn't been for their drunken incident in Atlantic City then there wouldn't be a chance in hell of Allela eating at a table for two in some nice restaurant, but Ryder made the reservations every once in a while and she played her part to appease him, knowing that the next night they'd be fighting over video games or putting music and lyrics together over cold pizza. Today though, Allela would be content with a snowball fight in Central Park, or laughing at Ryder building a snowman. She wanted the day to end with cold noses, damp jeans and frozen fingertips. And hot chocolate, of course. “Hey, you ready, Ry? Snow melts in the spring.” She teased, sticking her head around their bedroom door and grinning at her husband.

• • •

TAGGED! Ryder Xavier Wilcox
WORDS! 659!
OUTFIT! Shivering Scot!
LYRICS! When The Right One Comes Along - - - Clare Bowen
NOTES! <3

[Ryder Xavier Wilcox]

Anyone who knew Ryder knew he had kept to his Italian roots when it came to the colder weather. He disliked the snow with a passion. Sure it was fun and all but it was bloody cold and Ryder liked the warmth! It hadn't been all that common to be dressing up in a parka for months at a time just to make it down the street to the store to pick up a thing of milk in Verona like it was in New York. He liked the warmth, the heat, the ability to run down the street in his basketball shorts with a button down shirt tossed over his shoulder to be worn just long enough to walk into the shop, pick up what he needed and walk back out again. He'd been like that since they moved to New York. And no matter how much Allela loved the winter, he doubted he would change.

Winter though did mean Christmas and Ryder loved the holidays more than he would ever admit. His mother put on a big to do around the holidays and everyone was invited. This year, Allela would be joining them when before she’d gone home. His family loved her, even the grumpy old man they called Grandpa liked her! Ryder was pretty sure it was more respect on some level instead of affection since she hadn’t backed down from the man’s evil glare or rude conversation. Ryder knew of grown men who backed away from his grandfather. The whole situation just made Ryder like Allela more because she, like the family, wasn’t afraid of the grumpy old ass.

Allela however loved winter and Ryder tried to do things and plan things to make her happy. It wasn’t her fault they woke up married any more than it was his but he could make the most of their situation. Besides that, Ryder liked making Allela smile. She was quicker with a quip than she was with a genuine smile but he had found ways of bringing out that quick grin more and more as of late. And today’s plans were some of his better ones if he did say so himself. The snow was fresh and Ryder knew the park would be filled with people, vendors and fresh snow just waiting to be ruined by them. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m coming.” He said, stuffing his feet into another pair of socks before shoving them into his boots. He really didn’t like the cold. Hell, he was in the house with three layers on and still, he felt like he was walking out the door with his wife, to freeze to death.

Wrapping his scarf around his neck, he shoved his arms through his jacket sleeves and mentally prepared himself for the cold weather that was about to attack him. When this day was through he was going to have the longest, hottest shower and the biggest cup of hot chocolate known to mankind. “Alright, let’s go.” He said, shoving his hands into his gloves. He looked like he was dressed for the Antarctic Circle or the North Pole or something but at least he was warm! He let Allela go out first before locking the door up behind them. He took her hand, out of habit and walked with her through the streets to Central Park and where their adventure for the day would be. They laughed and joked the entire way, pointing out little things. Ryder complaining of the cold and his wife hitting his arm for such statements.

Tag|| Allela Katherine Wilcox
Words|| 593
Clothes|| Mr. Freeze!
Music|| Best Of You ---Foo Fighters!
Notes|| <3!

[Allela Katherine Wilcox]

Allela knew how much Ryder despised the cold, but if they were going to be married then he was going to have to deal with just how much she loved the winter. A marriage was all about compromise, right? She loved being out in the cold, feeling the frosty air biting at her skin. The feeling of coming into a warm room afterwards always felt so much more rewarding from it. Plus, it was snow! What wasn't there to like about it? Still, she listened to Ryder grumble and then usually swiftly punched his arm or threw some other complaint back at him. Nothing he said or did could ruin her feelings about the colder months of the year. Besides, she was sacrificing her one usual trip home for him, which was a bigger deal for Allela than she was making it out to be. In her opinion he could handle a day of snow for that, even if he didn't realise it. She knew it wouldn't change his mind, that he would come home at the end grumbling about how he couldn't feel his fingers and then hog the shower until the bathroom resembled a sauna. However, Allela wasn't setting out to change Ryder; she liked him the way he was. To be honest, she was relieved that they actually had a few differences of opinions at times. There were moments when they were far too alike for their own good when it came to what they enjoyed.

Her blue eyes looked Ryder up and down when he finally emerged from the bedroom. “Are we going on a trek to the South Pole?” She asked, arching her eyebrow as she slipped her hand in his. Maybe it was her preference for cold weather over hot, but she wasn't all that wrapped up. She had her thickest coat on over a thin t-shirt, but her hat was a slightly more ridiculous looking one that also doubled as her scarf and her gloves. It wasn't wholly practically, but Allela loved it and she didn't feel the cold as bitterly as her husband clearly did. “Remind me to book us a holiday to Norway. Or Finland.” She said when they turned onto the usually busy New York street, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. She knew she would never convert Ryder into a winter wonderland lover, but Allela enjoyed a challenge and now she was creating one to make him enjoy a short trip to a place known for ice and snow. If their marriage was a success, she had plenty of long years to make it happen.

Reaching the park, Allela pulled away from Ryder's warm side and quickly skipped ahead, stooping down to grab a handful of snow. Her fingers were already turning pink in the cold, but she didn't care. It was part of the fun as far as she was concerned. Packing the white stuff tight, she launched the snowball at Ryder, grinning when it hit him square in the chest. “What do you say, Ry? Plan on cracking a smile for me?” She asked teasingly, unable to resist tormenting the currently grumpy aspiring architect. It meant a great deal to Allela that he would come out to Central Park with her today when she knew he disliked the cold weather so much. However, Allela wasn't about to let Ryder know that in so many words. Feeding his ego with compliments like that was only going to lead to him never letting her hear the last of it, or using it against her whenever one of his soppy movies came out and he wanted someone to go to the cinema to see it with. “I'm buying you a Mr Grumpy mug on the way home.” She joked, crossing back over to him and tossing more snow in his direction.

• • •

TAGGED! Ryder Xavier Wilcox
WORDS! 652!
OUTFIT! Shivering Scot!
LYRICS! When The Right One Comes Along - - - Clare Bowen
NOTES! <3

[Ryder Xavier Wilcox]

Ryder equated winter with things like root canals; he loved both equally, as in not at all. He’d been the only kid at school who would have preferred to stay in the library, reading or drawing over going outside to play in the snow with the rest of the kids on break. His teachers forced him outside but he didn’t like it. He ran around with the rest of the kids and it took until the end of break before he was finally acting like a kid should in the winter. And then he didn’t want to go inside, despite the fact that by then his lips were bordering on that white before the blue of hypothermia. He might have disliked the cold that winter brought along with it but he did enjoy a good snowball fight or building a snowman in the park. He especially liked the hot chocolate and the roasted chestnuts that followed a trip into the outdoors during the colder months. To make Allela happy wasn’t the only reason Ryder agreed to this night; the after events of the main attraction were crooking their finger at him as well. And the man could hardly say no to hot chocolate.

“Yes.” He said deadpan. He hated being cold and dressed in so many layers beads of sweat formed on his brow. Summer was his season. He could wear shorts, a shirt if he wanted to or not and still be nice and warm. And it wasn’t like he’d spent the first six years of his life in the tropics, Verona was a Northern Italian village but it hadn’t been nearly as cold as the winters that followed the move stateside. “Both places are great in summer.” He agreed, grinning. He knew where the conversation was going. He hated the cold and they were both big on winter recreation. It wasn’t all that grand of a leap to figure Allela who loved the winter as much as he loved the summer was trying to get him more interested in the snow and all the activities that could happen only with snow on the ground.

The park was full of tourists and locals with their kids but not as busy as Ryder would have thought. Apparently he wasn’t the only one who thought it was nicer to stay indoors and enjoy the view while surrounded by the warmth. At least the park looked nice with all that fresh powder covering the ground the way it did. Ryder shook his head as his wife raced ahead to play with the snow and mess up an area that had yet to be touched by the children running about. He put his best frown on his face, like he’d rather be anywhere else than in the park when Allela hit him in the chest with the snowball she’d been forming. “After that, no.” He said with a straight face even as he started moving forward. He crossed his arms over his chest and kept the pout on his face. He had two options, either he met her half way or he waited until she reached him to exact his revenge. He dodged the snow she tossed his way and with that his decision was made; he’d wait it out. It didn’t take a minute before she was standing in front of him, teasing about some silly mug that even if she didn’t get today, he’d probably find under the Christmas tree in their living room. “I think Mr Sexy would suit better.” He said with a grin brightening up his features with a devilish spark. He didn’t give Allela a chance to answer before he had her up in his arms and over his shoulder. “Now, what to do next?” He queried though he had an idea in mind and started walking forward to a rather large pristine section of snow; perfect for snow angels. “I have the perfect idea for a snow bunny like yourself.” He said casually before dropping her into fresh powder.

Tag|| Allela Katherine Wilcox
Words|| 673
Clothes|| Mr. Freeze!
Music|| Best Of You ---Foo Fighters!
Notes|| <3!

[Allela Katherine Wilcox]

The only weather Allela didn’t like was the rain, and even then she only hated getting caught out in it. Winter was her favourite time of the year, but she enjoyed summer since she loved her shorts. Plus, with all the travelling she had done prior to arriving in New York, she had grown used to the hotter weather. However, nothing would take away her love of the ice and snow. If Ryder hadn’t come with her today she would have roped one of their friends into joining her for fun in the snow instead, and Ryder would have to settle for dealing with a freezing cold, possible soaking wet wife returning home to their apartment later in the evening. However, she was glad that wasn’t the case and that Ryder was in the park with her now. Even if he was pouting about it and being melodramatic about the cold.

Shaking her head, Allela looked at Ryder with a serious expression plastered on her pale face. “Nope, sorry. I promised your ma I’d take you to Asia in the summer. We’ll have to save Europe for the winter when there’s all that snow.” She told him, letting him in on a conversation that had taken place in the Wilcox kitchen a few weeks earlier during the prep for Sunday dinner. Allela couldn’t remember how they’d ended up talking about her travelling days, or vacations in general, but she had been helping peel potatoes when her mother-in-law had made her promise to pick up travelling again with Ryder when school let up for them both, even if it was just the summer. Apparently both of them should see more of the world and take some time for themselves once the second wedding was out of the way. Allela had nodded and agreed only half-heartedly just so the subject could change before anyone could pull out a bridal magazine on her.

Allela was about to roll her eyes at her husband and come back with a quick quip when she was tossed over his shoulder. Instantly she was kicking, hitting and shouting threats at him, promising to kill him the minute her feet were back on the ground. She loved that their marriage hadn’t changed their ability to fool around like idiots most of the time; in fact, it seemed to be happening more and more when she thought about it. It had always been there, but now it seemed more of a frequent thing to tease Ryder about something over breakfast, or to threaten him for dragging her out of bed or out of the car when she was being stubborn about sleeping in or taking a nap. Allela put it down to being around each other almost 24/7. “You are such an arse, Ryder Wilcox!” Allela shouted up at him from where she lay in the snow. An icy damp seeped up through the bright denim of her jeans, but Allela expected that chill from today. It was part of what made her winter memories so wonderful, even if it did come with the risk of the flu at the end of it. A wicked glint shone in her bright blue eyes and she reached up quickly, yanking Ryder’s waistband to pull him down to join her in the snow. She rolled over on top to pin him down just long enough so that she could force a handful of snow down his shirt, or at least the first layer of his clothing. He had wrapped up in so many that Allela didn’t have time to be absolutely sure or else he would figure out what she was up to and probably throw her off him. “Revenge is a dish best served freezing cold!” She grinned, jumping up and running away before he could grab her and retaliate. Allela hoped the shock of the cold snow would stall him for a moment anyway, at least long enough for her to gather a few snowballs to throw at him when he did come after her.

• • •

TAGGED! Ryder Xavier Wilcox
WORDS! 681!
OUTFIT! Shivering Scot!
LYRICS! When The Right One Comes Along - - - Clare Bowen
NOTES! <3

[Ryder Xavier Wilcox]

Ryder would and could deal with any weather. He didn't mind all that much getting caught in the rain, even the wind wasn't the worst that could happen and everyone knew how much he loved the summer months but the winter and the snow were his enemies. At the very least, they were not his friends. He wasn't fond of being cold at any time but especially when he was dressed in as many layers as he was and still shook with the cold! It just wasn't natural. But he would suffer through it and hop in the hottest shower known to mankind once they were back in their apartment again. Being out in the colder weather made Allela happy and that was what mattered for the day; that at the end of it, she'd had a good time out. His amusement came from muttering curses about the frost and the cold, even if his teasing words did hold a ring of truth to them.

Quirking a brow towards his hairline, Ryder looked down at his wife. “You and my mother have been planning vacations?” He asked both intrigued as to how that conversation came to be and amusement as to the fact that his mother was still putting her nose into her grown son’s life. She always said though that she would put her nose wherever she pleased when it came to her children. She said it was the Italian way and they should just deal with it now and get over the disruptive nature she was bound to force on him and Nik. Lucky for Nik, with him and Allela doing all that had in the surprise marriage department, their mother was a little too busy messing about in her son’s life to pay that much attention to her daughter’s. Something said daughter seemed more than pleased about which told Ryder she had a new man in her life and she wasn’t ready to share him with the rest of the Wilcox clan. And that was also fine with Ryder; he didn’t want to disappoint his twin by disliking her latest boyfriend. It was as simple as there was no one out there good enough for Nik. It was something he himself had to deal with coming from Allela’s brothers, though his situation was a little more different than meeting the girlfriend’s family when they were married. He was grateful though that her father wasn’t quite so extreme about it all.

The young musician was quite used to hefting about equipment for gigs and textbooks and a few friends when they’d get too drunk and couldn’t walk properly on their too high heels; Allela, Rhiannon or Thea they were not. He wasn’t quite used to the kicking and the hitting, guitar cases didn’t fight back after all but he easily worked around it and only pretended to drop her once because the idea had made him chuckle. They might not have expected to wake up one morning married to each other, with the prospect of doing it all again in front of their families but they were making it work. And they were making sure things didn’t change too much between them. Things would always be different now, they were married but they could still joke around and poke fun at each other. Sometimes that was what they needed more than anything else. “Yes, yes I am.” He agreed with a grin. He was an ass, they both knew it but he got away with it because he was only giving back as much as he got.

Just like he should have expected retaliation from Allela, and he did, but he didn’t think she would try and get back at him so quickly. One second he was standing over Allela, laughing her threats, the next he was in the snow next to where she was. He barely opened his mouth to warn Allela against doing anything stupid, to remark about how he was a delicate man but none of it came out of his mouth. The only thing that did was a little strangled sound at the cold penetrating the first couple layers he was wearing. “Allela!” He yelled as he got his voice back. “You’re a dead woman.” He said, getting to his feet again and shaking the snow out of his clothing. As he stood, he gathered some snow so he had something to distract her with until he reached her.

Tag|| Allela Katherine Wilcox
Words|| 745
Clothes|| Mr. Freeze!
Music|| Best Of You ---Foo Fighters!
Notes|| <3!

[Allela Katherine Wilcox]

Growing up in Glasgow Allela was used to her fair share of bad weather. She was used to it a hell of a lot more than she was used to hot summers and being able to actually head out in her shorts and vest tops without being reminded that she would need a jacket by tea time. Not that she ever heeded such warnings when she was a teenager and rebelling against everything her mother advised. How she managed to keep her Snow White skin so pale now was something of a miracle, but she put it down to good genes and an excellent sun screen when the summer months did hit. Allela didn’t care for tans, not even when she had spent close to a month on the beaches of Thailand with another group of travellers who were all out to find themselves somewhere tropical in between parties and hiking. As fun as it had all been, ultimately it had led Allela to New York; if she was going to ever find herself it would be in the city that never sleeps. She just hadn’t expected that in the process of finding herself she would become someone’s wife.

She shrugged and let out a soft sigh. With all the wedding planning she was starting to think that she was seeing more of Ryder’s mom than he was. There was still plenty of time before the big event, but the families were as excited as though it was the next morning every morning. “We talk about many things. Vacations and holidays are just the very tip of the iceberg.” She offered up ominously. “Besides, we’re married and we haven’t even had a honeymoon.” She threw in a wistful sigh, as though it was the only dream she had left. That was how the conversation had truly turned to dream destinations and tropical beaches. Apparently they had to fit one in somewhere, just like they needed to fit time in for so many other things from cake testing to talking about what food should be served. At least boarding a plane came with the promise of an escape.

The pink haired Scot enjoyed being unpredictable. If there ever came a day when Ryder knew her every move before she made it then that would be the day when she knew she would have to walk away. She needed that element of surprise or else life became mundane and not worth the excitement that she thought life ought to promise the young and the restless. Laughing almost manically at his reaction to her attack, she skipped a couple of more steps backwards and shook her head at her oh so loving husband. “Nu-uh. We haven’t sorted out the life insurance yet, and they always look at the husband first.” She teased, tossing snowballs his way while keeping out of his reach as best as she could. Allela was far from stupid. She wasn’t willingly about to let herself be captured by him after that. “And, we both know your life would be miserable without me.” She added with a huge grin, the snow bringing out the worst of her mischievous side.

• • •

TAGGED! Ryder Xavier Wilcox
WORDS! 537!
OUTFIT! Shivering Scot!
LYRICS! When The Right One Comes Along - - - Clare Bowen
NOTES! <3

[Ryder Xavier Wilcox]

Ryder spent the first six years of his life in a fairly warm climate. He’d become acclimated with the warmer weather and hadn’t quite adjusted when the family decided to move to the other side of the world. It hadn’t always been so warm in the northern part of Italy but the colder days were few and far between. And then there was New York, a place that became a frozen winter wonderland for too many months out of the year. He’d never really, fully transitioned to the different winters. He made it through well enough, though he usually had so many layers on, he couldn’t walk. Ryder was teased, obviously but it didn’t last long. The friends he’d made had stuck up for him and made sure the other kids didn’t pick on him for adding a few extra layers under his coat and snow pants. What did it really matter that he felt the cold a little more than the rest of the kids in his class? He had ended up climbing the fickle social ladder to popularity quickly enough and had managed to stay there easily enough. He figured it was his soccer skills and the fact that he was actually nice to people. His sister said it was because all the girls thought he was hot. The idea didn't hurt his ego.

If someone had told him back in high school that he would be married to his best friend and planning a proper wedding before he was twenty one, he would have laughed until he dropped. And yet here, they were and oddly enough, Ryder was okay with it all. They could do a hell of a lot worse than each other. And at least they already knew pretty much everything about each other and got along well enough as long as one didn't touch the other's record collection and the other didn't touch the one's guitar collection, all was right with the world. And as long as there was plenty of Mountain Dew in the apartment. "I didn't think I'd ever see you get on the wedding bandwagon. Have a destination in mind for that honeymoon?" He asked, grinning. He could only imagine what sorts of conversations Allela got into with his mother. He could guess the ones with his sister well enough, he'd had the pleasure of being in their company a time or two whilst they spoke; much to his dismay.

Ryder never knew what to expect with Allela; ever. That had been some of the appeal in being her friend at the beginning. She kept him on his toes. Even now, he didn't know what they would get up to next. It was pretty fun when it all came down to it. Before he had never known if he would get a text with just an address and a time or if he would get more than that. It had been like a scavenger hunt, finding where they would be partying from one night to the next. And now outside in the cold and the snow, Ryder wasn't sure what Allela had up her sleeves. He just had a feeling he would be an icicle by the time they finally made their way back to the apartment. "We should definitely get on that then. The sooner that's done, the sooner I can hire the assassin." He said with a glare. It was too amusing to let Allela stay just out of his reach, knowing he could just tackle her again in a second. He threw a couple snow balls her way. "Life without you would be silent." He said, throwing another ball of snow in her direction. Ryder hadn't really been that kid to play out in the snow for hours on end with his friends. He went out, bundled to the teeth in layers to keep warm but he usually only lasted a couple hours before he was back in his house, setting to work on the hot chocolate he wanted and thought he was old enough to make himself; even at six or eight. His mother always knew and let him get so far as to set the kettle on the stove top before she waltzed into the kitchen and demanded to know what he was up to. "I could do with a bit of silence." He added, a wicked spark in his eye.

Tag|| Allela Katherine Wilcox
Words|| 735
Clothes|| Mr. Freeze!
Music|| Best Of You ---Foo Fighters!
Notes|| <3!

[Allela Katherine Wilcox]

Allela would always torment Ryder about the cold. It was probably the one thing where they were on the opposite side of the fence with their preferences. Now that she saw him wrapped up like some abominable freeing idiot, she was more tempted than ever to drag him on a cold holiday, and make him enjoy the places that she would thrive in. Since he was stuck with her now she was going to make it her personal mission to make him enjoy the winter months in some way or another, snow included. Allela enjoyed a good challenge, and such a thing might give her something to stop worrying over other things about their marriage. Plus, she liked the silly arguments with Ryder when he was layering up for the ice and snow and she was dressing similarly to how she dressed all year round. It always brought a smirk to her face, because Allela preferred to say she smirked rather than smiled. Smiling made it sound like she was nice, and she knew she was far from nice with her temper and sarcasm.

Ryder knew that all too well, but if anyone in New York could handle it, it was him. That much Allela was certain of, and they shared the memories to prove just that. She still felt guilty though that he was stuck with her. She had never been one for romance, and past experiences had left her ice cold to the idea of dating, but in her opinion Ryder could have just about any girl he wanted; she had seen the way they looked at him when they were out. He might have told her it didn’t matter not that there was a ring on his finger, but that didn’t change how Allela felt. Their marriage had been a drunken accident, for lack of better phrasing, and she knew she was far from being even a half-decent wife. Shooting him a look, Allela kicked up some of the snow with the toe of her boot. “Trust me, I’m not on it. I’ve been dragged kicking until I’m clutching to the back wheels by your mother and Nikki.” She grumbled. If Allela had been left to plan this herself, she would have gone out one weekend and picked and booked everything in two days and then sat back and just had to wait. Apparently, that wasn’t allowed, and plans had to be discussed with a small committee of relatives. It was slowly driving her crazy. “When I told your maw that I had gone picked and paid for my stupid dress by myself, I thought she was going to have a heart attack.” Allela added, telling Ryder for the first time about that little plan. The Scottish girl didn’t wear dresses and for such a big day, to have people picking and poking at her, commanding her to try on half a dozen styles and then a dozen more, it would have killed her. Ryder would have been a widower before they had said their vows again. “How about somewhere cold? Get you all wrapped up like this. I’m sure the girls there would swoon over the thought of playing reverse buckaroo with a guy.” Allela teased, a wicked smirk on her lips.

Scoffing, Allela rolled her eyes. “Please, we both know if you needed an assassin you’d come to me.” She said, putting her hands on her hips and jumping to the left to avoid one of the snowballs he threw her way. So far, she would admit that married life hadn’t been all that bad. Of course, being married to Ryder meant that they just spent more time doing the things they loved together, like working on stuff for the band, and playing video games when they probably ought to be spending a bit more time studying. They were far from the typical married couple who had spent years falling in love and declaring it to friends and family, having romantic moments and whispering sweet words to each other. Even their date nights were more on the side of fun than they were romantic and full of promise. She narrowed her blue eyes at him and then charged at him, jumping into the air at the last second and tackling Ryder back into the snow. She sat back and tilted her head to the side. “You know you’d miss me after five minutes.” She grinned, grabbing a handful of throw and throwing it towards her husband’s face. “Else why would your drunken ass put a ring on my finger?” She added, wiggling her left hand at him, where the ring stood out more now against the bright red of her fingers that were starting to burn with an icy chill.

• • •

TAGGED! Ryder Xavier Wilcox
WORDS! 807!
OUTFIT! Shivering Scot!
LYRICS! When The Right One Comes Along - - - Clare Bowen
NOTES! <3

[Ryder Xavier Wilcox]

Ryder could complain about the weather until he was blue in the face but it wouldn’t change anything. He would still be out there with Allela, he would still be bundled up with about a half dozen layers, two pairs of gloves and three pairs of socks. Because she wanted to be out there. Even if they weren’t married and sharing space, she could have called him and he would have complained but he would have met her out there. It wasn’t martial obligation that had Ryder freezing his ass off in the New York winter weather, it was his friendship with Allela that had him out there. Things may have changed but Ryder still considered Allela his best friend. And he hoped she always would be, even when they fought over stupid things like whose turn it was to do the dishes or the hoovering.

Lucky for them both that they liked each other the way they were or their marriage wouldn’t have lasted the weekend. But Ryder didn’t care if Allela made a mess or couldn’t cook to save her life. He could cook and he actually enjoyed a bit of housework so if their roles happened to be reversed, so be it. That was how they worked the best and Ryder was quite okay with that. “They do have one track minds when it comes to projects.” He agreed, shaking his head. His mother and sister were too alike, even if they refused to admit it. They jumped into projects head first and put all their determination and drive into that specific project until it was perfect. “Isn’t buying the dress supposed to be some big to do with massive tears and a dozen appointments with a hundred dresses or something? Maybe it was safer to run off without them.” Ryder said, making a face like being stuck in that situation would have ended with a body bag.

He was never more glad to be a guy in his entire life than since they started with this whole wedding thing. Ryder knew without a doubt he couldn’t have done all of that bullshit that Allela had to go through. He added his opinion when prompted but it usually went ignored, despite the fact that they asked it of him. At the end of it all though, he had to get a suit that fit and make sure his ass was at the alter on the day of; job done. His was the easiest job. “Uh, no, thanks.” He said, making a face. Not only was he not a fan of the idea of a cold honeymoon, he wasn’t particularly fond of a mass of women undressing him, even with their eyes. It usually surprised people but he actually wasn’t all that good with women. He could flirt well enough but that was a one on one sort of thing, groups of them freaked him out.

“It is a pain in the ass knowing the best assassin in the world happens to take up most of the bed and all of the sheets.” Ryder said as though he was totally disappointed with his luck in the draw. “It’s ridiculous having to keep two duvets handy.” He added with a shake of his head. Though the bed set Nik bought them was pretty perfect for them. Ryder had no idea where in the hell his sister found the set with the my side, you side sections set in the three quarters to one quarter. But then again, Nik could find a needle in a stack of needles. “I do remember Beyoncé telling me to...” He said carefully, slowly like he was actually remembering something from that night and not just remember the annoying hit from a few years before. It was stupid. But then he was always saying stupid things. So it was right on par for him. “Mm, how about some roasted chestnuts?” Ryder asked, noticing the cart set up only a few metres away from them.

Tag|| Allela Katherine Wilcox
Words|| 705
Clothes|| Mr. Freeze!
Music|| Best Of You ---Foo Fighters!
Notes|| <3!

[Allela Katherine Wilcox]

Allela had never thought herself as a suitable wife. She still didn’t think of herself as one, for a whole list of reasons that she could give if she was ever asked. The only reason she could think of for why Ryder hadn’t resorted to hitting her with one of the pans he cooked their dinners in was that they already got along so well to begin with. Allela wasn’t the type to call someone her best friend on a whim. There was a genuine affection there, and plenty of trust that she didn’t have with anyone else. Allela didn’t show her feelings often, not really, but if she were to ever lose Ryder then she would truly feel like a piece of herself was missing. He was one of the reasons she had stuck about New York City and not continued to travel after getting some more money behind her. Now it seemed like she was with him no matter what life threw at them or where she wanted to go. After all, she was Mrs Wilcox now. “Exactly why I did go alone. Besides, you know how much I hate dresses on a good day; could you imagine what I’d be like after a whole afternoon of your maw and sister forcing me into all kinds of hideous gowns out of Disney movies? You’d be a widower or the husband of a murderer.” She stated, shuddering at the thought of what it could have been like. Allela was glad she had done it her way and gone off on her own. She had the dress she wanted picked out and measured all in under three hours. “You’re coming this weekend to the cake tasting and whatever the hell else is planned. I’ll threaten your babies if I have to.” She’d told him as much already and wasn’t spending one more wedding weekend alone. It was killing her slowly but surely and if she was going down then she was sure as hell taking Ryder along with her.

Scoffing, Allela rolled her eyes and folded her arms, tucking her hands by her sides to try and warm them from the chill. “Says the bloke who put his leg on my back just last night and practically pinned my head to the pillow with his arm.” She pointed out, knowing that she wasn’t the only one of the pair who could be a nightmare when they slept. It confused Allela a little bit. She still had a lot of issues to work through when it came to intimacy, but with Ryder she had absolutely no qualms about falling into the same bed with him and waking up either curled against him, which was rare, or spread out with her limbs on top of his, which was common. “Nu-uh. If Beyoncé was there on Halloween I dinnae want to hear it. No memories, remember?” She didn’t want to know how they had wound up here and a small part of her was bizarrely worried that remembering would cause them to split up. Why she was afraid of that she didn’t know. It wasn’t like she had wanted to marry Ryder before that night or anything remotely close to it. Hell, she hadn’t even thought of him as anything more than a friend!

Allela’s piercing blue eyes found the cart and she smiled, nodding her head. “Go for it, but throw in a hot chocolate too if you want to keep your wife happy, mister.” She punched Ryder in the arm, as she often did and then took a step away from him. “I’ll get the bench warm for your delicate Italian self.” She mocked, flicking her thumb towards the closest seat. Allela stalked away, reaching the bench just as an older lady with a dog sat down there. Forcing a polite smile and only sitting because she had told Ryder she would be there, Allela folded her arms. “I saw you with your boyfriend, dear. You reminded me of me and my late husband years ago. We’d come here all the time; he proposed to me in the winter right by the lake. We had picnics there all the time.” The lady was rambling on, but Allela had no choice other than to listen until Ryder returned. “He’s my husband actually.” Her correction came out of habit now, the words falling from her lips before she could think about them. “Oh, young love. I can tell you two have the real thing though. There’s just something about a couple who are truly in love with each other that it resonates for the whole world to see. I bet that young man means the world to you.” The whole time she was talking, Allela’s eyes were on Ryder hoping he would hurry up. However, as the older lady spoke, her words sunk in and something inside Allela started to make sense. All the questions that had been bubbling up since Halloween seemed to find an answer, and all the weird quirks she had been ignoring in herself were suddenly solved. “He does.” She whispered, eyes fixed on the man she was actually proud to call her husband. Turning to the woman, Allela swallowed hard, doing her best to ignore the sudden racing of her heart. “Can you do me a favour? I need the bathroom, can you tell my husband that when he comes over? I won’t be a few minutes.” Allela took off before the woman could do more than nod her head.

Inside the cold bathroom, Allela locked herself into a cubicle but remained standing behind the door, back against the wood. Her breathing was ragged, her thoughts and heart racing as the realisation of her feelings set in. She was in love with Ryder. She began to wonder if that was why she had said yes on Halloween, drunk or not, and if this had played a part in so many more of her reactions before now; say her burning hatred of Aimee? Allela wanted to know how long she had felt this for and what it meant now. Sure, she was married to the man, but did he feel the same way? There was a big difference between loving someone platonically and being in love with them. Allela felt her head beginning to spin from everything and she didn’t know how to handle any of it. She was a mess when it came to romance and past experiences had left her jaded, untrusting and scared to let anyone get close to her. She knew Ryder was different, one of the good guys, but that scared her even more. What if she wasn’t good enough in the long run? He deserved a great girl, not a pink haired mess with a short fuse. Shaking the thoughts away, Allela knew she couldn’t hide for the rest of the day in the Central Park toilets. She had ignored these feelings before surely she could do it again, right? Well, she had no choice. If she wanted to get through this without Ryder demanding to know what was wrong then she would have to. Heading back towards the bench she tried to think of anything but this new revelation, silencing the voice in her head that was asking how she could be so blind when the man was right in front of her. Still, ignoring and pretending things were normal was difficult when the minute she clapped eyes on him her heart started racing out of her chest again. “You better have saved some chestnuts for me.” She said, hoping her voice came out steady and calmer than she actually felt right now.

• • •

TAGGED! Ryder Xavier Wilcox
WORDS! 1,303!
OUTFIT! Shivering Scot!
LYRICS! When The Right One Comes Along - - - Clare Bowen
NOTES! <3

[Ryder Xavier Wilcox]

If winter left and never returned to New York, Ryder wouldn’t be all that upset about it. In fact, he’d probably throw a party to celebrate the good news. He’d never wondered why they decided on New York to relocate when they really could have gone anywhere at all. But New York was where his father was originally from, it was the place on his birth certificate and it was his home; his real home. And his father’s company had an office there that was in need of a leader. It was the obvious choice; become the head of that office, or take some low rung job in a sunnier state. They might like the sunshine but New York was home. “I think I’d be both, really because that would end in murder suicide. I would visit your grave.” He offered, teasing. He knew what his mother was like and knew when she had something in mind, she was going to see it through. So it was better for everyone involved if Allela did her own thing from time to time. He wouldn’t have put it past her if she’d done everything for the wedding in one sitting with a dozen phone calls. “There is no need to threaten unborn children Alley-Cat. We both know all you had to say was there would be food.” He said, choosing to ignore the real meaning behind her words.

Ryder laughed, remembering how he’d woken up that morning. He was equally ridiculous when he slept and had woken up more than once before Allela started sharing his bed in silly positions. How he managed to get from the top of the bed when he fell asleep to waking up with his head where his feet should be was beyond him, especially since he never woke up through the night moving about. Instead of saying something else and riling Allela up, Ryder mimed zipping his mouth, locking it up and tossing the key away before holding his hands up like he was claiming innocence. No memories had yet to resurface about that night for either of them as far as Ryder knew. He at least couldn’t remember a damn thing about the night but at this point, he didn’t care either. It was done and over with and they were sticking to the plans they’d made the next morning. So he didn’t see a point on dwelling on what they couldn’t remember, except to annoy Allela with the lack of knowledge.

“Who says I want to keep you happy?” He asked, raising his brows. Seeing Allela genuinely smile was a pretty rare thing when it wasn’t thanks to some new records in her collection so any reason to make it happen, Ryder would try his hand. Grinning because he was going to complain anyway when he sat down, he turned and jogged over to the cart, grabbing two bags of chestnuts and two hot chocolates. He stuffed the bags in his pockets after handing over the notes and took the hot chocolates, turning away to return to the bench his wife had pointed at. At least, he’d thought so and turned searching for her when he’d reached the bench, wondering if he’d gotten it wrong. But no, there was only a little old woman with her dog. “Your wife ran off to the washroom, dear. Pretty girl, a bit wild too, hmm? Reminds me of me when I was young. My late husband used to tease me until the day he passed that I was too wild to be tamed. Luckily for the both of us, he’d been wrong.” The little old woman said with a light laugh.. Ryder chuckled, too, sitting down next to the woman. “Yes she is.” He agreed, shaking his head. “The pair of you remind me of me and my late husband. Young love is always so precious to witness. It warms these old bones.” She continued blissfully unaware of her new conversation partner’s silence.

He was the first to admit that when it came to him and Allela, he was more of the girl than she was. He hardly hid his emotions and realising he was in love with Allela had him silent. He wasn’t all that shocked when he took the time to think about it. They were best friends and now married. They spent so much time together and got along so well it was a wonder he hadn’t seen it sooner. “Yes, she’s quite something. Um, would you like a hot chocolate? It’s quite chilly out here.” He said, offering up his hot chocolate. “Thank you dear. You’re so kind, just like my George. I can definitely see what that girl sees in you. The calm to her storm, right?” The old woman said with a shake of her shoulders, laughing as she accepted the drink he’d offered. “Exactly so I think.” Ryder admitted, smiling. He definitely was the calm one of the pair. His head whipped around when he heard Allela’s voice and grinned. “I might have saved a couple. There would have been more if you’d been waiting where you said.” He teased, pulling one of the bags of chestnuts from his pocket. “I brought you a hot chocolate but I gave it to my friend here. I felt she needed it more.” He said lightly before lifting the second drink upward, teasing.

Tag|| Allela Katherine Wilcox
Words|| 981
Clothes|| Mr. Freeze!
Music|| Best Of You ---Foo Fighters!
Notes|| <3!

[Allela Katherine Wilcox]

Allela couldn’t get enough of the colder months. She might have been one of the first in the summer to strip down and jump into the ocean, but she was also the first to start throwing snow about and pulling on ridiculous knitted hats in the winter. They were her favourite months simply because they were so much fun, and they brought back some of her favourite memories of growing up. This would be a memory added to that list, even with Ryder’s constant moaning about the cold. “You’re such a dear.” Allela said, rolling her eyes. She stumbled over his joke, and then glared up at him. Even with everything she was growing comfortable with, the thought of babies, children or anything that so much as related to them still pushed her towards freaking out. “You know I meant your guitars, you ass.” She snarled, throwing a solid punch into his arm.

She shrugged lightly and then folded her arms. “You’re only spending the rest of your life with me.” She said with a raise of her eyebrow. Before today the line was something Allela threw about, a joke she made just because she knew it was true. They had agreed to spend their lives together since their drunk selves had apparently been fans of the idea, but now it was an idea that carried so much more weight. Allela was in love with Ryder, and suddenly the thought of spending her days with him filled her stomach with butterflies. It was all so overwhelming and it was taking all of her willpower to actually stay in the park and not just run away to some other place in the city until her thoughts and feelings could settle into something a little more understandable. She knew that running away would only make Ryder suspicious though, and she didn’t feel anywhere near ready to tell him what she was feeling. It was all too new, and it could change so much between them that Allela wasn’t all that sure if she wanted to open that can of worms.

“Well you took so long I had to pee.” Allela lied, but not wanting to make it obvious that she had just made a hasty exit because of a freak out. She knew Ryder could read her well, better than anyone else in fact. She also knew that if suspected anything was wrong then she wouldn’t be able to act like everything was fine; he’d want to know what was wrong with her. She couldn’t tell him the truth without embarrassing herself and making their situation even more confusing. Smiling at the old woman, Allela reached out and stole Ryder’s cup from him, taking a long gulp from it herself. More than anything, and in light of her sudden revelation about her feelings, she wanted something a lot stronger than hot chocolate, but it would have to do. “Then I’ll just have to have yours. Keeping me happy and all that crap.” She mumbled, taking another sip of the hot drink and shoving the bag of nuts into her back pocket. She didn’t really fancy them right then, but what she did fancy actually scared the life out of her.

• • •

TAGGED! Ryder Xavier Wilcox
WORDS! 548!
OUTFIT! Shivering Scot!
LYRICS! When The Right One Comes Along - - - Clare Bowen
NOTES! <3