* HIDE AND SEEK [BRAD]

[lizzy]

hi

hi

hi

h i d e and s e e k . . .

trains and sewing machines, oh you won’t catch me around here. blood and tears, they were here first. mmm whatcha say? mmm that you only meant well? well of course you did. ---------------------------------

THE OUTFIT;

Sydney may not have been the world’s best mother; she may not have even been in the running. But she did do nice things for Stella, did things that Stella liked that she couldn’t stand. Like going to the park. Sydney hated the park for so many reasons – she didn’t like the screaming kids, she didn’t like the bugs, and she didn’t like sitting on a bench for hours while her daughter wore herself out. But she did it because Stella’s favorite place to go was the bark. But Sydney never did it alone. Normally, Cerian, her boyfriend of about six months, would be going with them, but he had work and Stella just wouldn’t wait until he got off. So, she’d called her friend Brad, praying that he didn’t have plans. Luckily, he didn’t, and was meeting the two at the park.

”Mommy, come on! Come on!” The four year old tugged at the hem of her mother’s dress as she readied herself to leave the apartment. Stella had a bit of a British accent that she picked up from her mother, but it was fairly Americanized from all the time she spent in day care. Sydney still sounded like she’d just moved to America, however. The blonde refused to lose her accent; she may have been forced from her home, but she wouldn’t leave everything behind. London had been her home for seventeen years, and she’d be damned if she stopped sounding like it. ”Stella, for goodness sakes. Calm down.” The pair made their way down the elevator of the apartment complex and into Syd’s Prius, heading for the park.

Sydney’s parents had never done things like this with her and her older sister, Lydia. The girls had been told to go play with each other in the back yard. Syd liked to blame the fact that she had no idea how to parent on her own upbringing. Her father, the pastor, was more in love with the church than his family. And her mother, the political science professor, was more in love with lesson plans and getting published. Oh, and bother were more in love with Lydia than they ever had or ever would be Sydney. But no sense in dwelling on that, all was in the past. Parking her Prius, Stella began bouncing in her car seat at the sight of the swings and monkey bars. Sydney couldn’t help but crack a smile – her daughter was adorable. The minute she was let out of the car, Stella dashed for the slide. Looking around, she didn’t see Brad anywhere, so Sydney took a seat on the bench to watch her daughter play.

thanks sophia of caution.

hi

hi

[bradley wyatt del rosa]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 420px; border-top: #bd003e 8px solid; border-bottom: #bd003e 10px solid; background-color: #ffffff; background-image: url(http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx40/tippykazoo/Caution/24o0v2t.png);] [atrb=width,400] DAY'S NIGHT TODAY brad was really thankful that his job was so accommodating. honestly, with the way his social life had spiked when he started living in connecticut, it was just another sign from god that he had made the right decision in his life. because he had been wondering what a kid with basically no history, no support, and no educational background was supposed to be doing with his life. to be honest, it was hard. growing up, he had always been well-liked around school but if he was being completely honest, he wasn't exactly cut out for it the way that others were. he caught on quick and it was easy for him to understand but he just didn't enjoy it. he hated being there; it stifled his creativity and made him feel stupid even if he wasn't. because he did understand everything but he couldn't afford any of the things he needed to do projects and he didn't have the time that other kids had to do homework for obvious reasons. so he failed. he didn't know how annika did it; then again, annika was allowed to have light where she was kept when they were kids. but no matter. he didn't dwell much on school because it had led him down the path to programming, and it was because he had chosen that career path that when sydney had called him asking if he wanted to go to the park with her and her daughter stella, he was able to happily and easily say yes without thinking twice. a day in the park was exactly what he needed; he had been cooped up for far too long, either in his house with his sister or the wilson's with one of the many people who lounged there, or even in bars when people tried to get him to go out and loosen up a little bit more. he didn't have much time for parks anymore and it made him sad because as a childish spirit, brad had an affinity and love for parks that could only be matched by his love for his friends, sydney and stella included. with the promise of all three ahead of him, he had promised to be there before finishing up a few lines of code and getting dressed to go. when he arrived at the park, he couldn't help but smile. even just the sight of the playground, the kids, the cheerfulness that usually sounded the area was enough to bring that standard del rosa grin to his face, and he got out of his car and locked it before scanning the area for a familiar blonde head. he caught sight of her sitting on the bench and his grin just widened as he walked up to her, his heart jumping with the usual flutter it got when there was someone around that he recognized. to say that brad was fond of all of his friends was the biggest understatement in the entire world, and when he reached sydney, he bent down to kiss her cheek before saying, "hey there, boo bear," and laughing quietly to himself at the small rhyme. then he took a seat next to her, throwing his arm up on the back of the bench behind her shoulder. "sorry i'm late. work. it's always such a pain whenever i want to rush to the park." tag: lizzy/sydney outfit: CLICK notes: brad with kiddies D'AW i'm excited

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[lizzy]

hi

hi

hi

h i d e and s e e k . . .

trains and sewing machines, oh you won’t catch me around here. blood and tears, they were here first. mmm whatcha say? mmm that you only meant well? well of course you did. ---------------------------------

THE OUTFIT;

A pair of familiar lips was pressed to her cheek, and Sydney smiled up at Brad. ”Hey,” the blonde said in her thick British accent. She was glad he was here. ”Of course, of course, work comes before spending the day with your favorite foreigner.” It was so nice to be around adults. Well, adults without children. They were hardly even adults. All the moms from Stella’s daycare were impossible. For one, almost all of them were married. There was another single mom, but her husband died, so she was a bit of a downer. The mom’s with husbands just had it all together and figured out. They were all working in careers, lawyers, and doctors, whatever. Sydney was a manager at Victoria’s Secret and getting her fashion merchandising degree. The host family that she’d been sent to live with after being kicked out of her own family still sent her money, and Syd had put that money into a top daycare for her daughter. See? She wasn’t the best mother, but she did care. Anyway, the mother’s all looked at her like she didn’t belong. Which she didn’t but that was beside the point. They all looked at Stella with pity in their eyes, like she wouldn’t turn out all right. Bitches.

Looking up, she watched Stella running towards the bench. ”Brad!” The little girl said, her cheeks flushed, giggling. She climbed up in her mother’s lap, reaching up with her tiny hands to pat either side of Brad’s face. Sydney smiled, rubbing the little girls back. Stella was cute, especially in public. It was when the mother and daughter were home alone that the problems arose. Stella was more defiant, mouthier, things of that sort. She’d even started letting that side come out around Cerian, which made sense considering he’d become a staple in their tiny family. But those who weren’t around Stella as often didn’t really understand why Sydney was so easily frustrated with her daughter. Of course, Sydney was easy to frustrate anyway. But her daughter could just get on her last nerve. Stella was a mix Sydney and Lydia, it seemed. She wasn’t seeing a lot of James, Stella’s dad in her, which was odd. I mean, she’d never met him, but she’d never met Lydia either. Stella could be hard headed and defiant like her mother, but also sweet and perfect like Lydia.

thanks sophia of caution.

hi

hi

[bradley wyatt del rosa]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 420px; border-top: #bd003e 8px solid; border-bottom: #bd003e 10px solid; background-color: #ffffff; background-image: url(http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx40/tippykazoo/Caution/24o0v2t.png);] [atrb=width,400] DAY'S NIGHT TODAY he had an affinity for people. that was how he always described it to anyone who asked - he really did. there wasn't a person in the world he could think of off the top of his head that he could say that he hated. well other than his mother, but honestly he stopped thinking about her as a 'person' somewhere around the time he had snapped and gotten her arrested and convicted for the vicious crimes she had committed against both him and his sister when they were younger. after her, there was nobody in the world he could honestly admit to being annoyed with. even those people who hated him he found it in him to love and he thought that played a big part in why he was so sociable now as opposed to when he was younger. when he was younger, he still had the weight of his mother and her abuse on his shoulders. now that he knew that he was rid of her, he was free to be...brad. lover of all and afraid of none, even if they were people who really wanted to hurt him. it would take a lot to make bradley del rosa annoyed with you; he honestly loved people so much that the very thought of it was absurd. and sydney and her daughter were definitely no exception. he had taken to them like a bee to honey, attracted not only by the adorableness of the little girl but her mother as well and the fact that she had an accent that did funny things to his heart when he heard it. he liked that about her, even if it was something trivial, and it was something that drew him to her and made him realize that they just had to be friends. no matter what. not that he wouldn't have found another trait to fixate on had she not had the accent, but he supposed that, "your accent is super cute," was a lot less creepy than saying, "wow those jeans do so much for your figure, where did you get them?" especially when someone accustomed to the del rosa way of communication. but sydney had turned out to be just fine and he wouldn't turn his back on her and her little girl for the world. they had already made a house inside his heart. "oh who told you you were my favorite?" he laughed, pretending to scold her. "they shouldn't have done that; that was supposed to remain a secret so the other foreigners didn't get jealous." he looked around behind him as if expecting some other random foreign stranger to come running at them in the park to attack them. when it didn't happen, he just gave her a wink. his attention was then grabbed by little stella who he beamed at as she put her little hands on his face. brad loved children; he loved kids and though he could never quite explain it without sounding like a total pedophile to his friends, he just loved to be around them when they were so cute, so unhurt by life, so happy. they were his favorite people in the world because he aspired to be like that again. carefree. free from the burdens of his own horrible childhood. "stella!" he beamed, leaning in to kiss the little girl's forehead and ruffle her hair playfully as he scrunched up his nose. "there's my beautiful princess. are you having fun out here in the lover-ly fresh air?" tag: lizzy/sydney outfit: CLICK notes: brad with kiddies D'AW i'm excited

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template by tippy of caution.

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[lizzy]

hi

hi

hi

h i d e and s e e k . . .

trains and sewing machines, oh you won’t catch me around here. blood and tears, they were here first. mmm whatcha say? mmm that you only meant well? well of course you did. ---------------------------------

THE OUTFIT;

Being a mother just wouldn’t be so bad if she wasn’t a single mother. Now, Cerian had been a great help, and he did all he could for the little girl. But he wasn’t her father. James would have been a great father, Sydney was sure of it. When she’d told him that she was pregnant, he’d been excited. Scared out of his wits, naturally, but excited. They were in love, or… well, as in love as two seventeen year olds could be. He didn’t think about backing out, didn’t think about breaking up with Sydney. Instead, they’d stayed up late, lying on the roof of his house, talking about baby names. They’d liked Stella Marie for a girl and Jasper James for a boy. It was unclear whether or not the child would be St. Claire or Van Buren, and marriage was in the talks. But honestly, Syd wasn’t ready to marry James. Sure she loved him, but was she ready to be tied down to one man for the rest of her life? No. James had encouraged her and held her hand when she’d told her parents. But she didn’t have him, Syd was more or less alone in this. She couldn’t be the good guy, because she had to discipline Stella and be the bad guy.

”No one had to tell me, my dear,” Sydney said with a grin. ”It’s written all over your face.” With Sydney, you either loved her or you hated her. It was hard to find an in between. She could be selfish and shallow, especially if you didn’t know her well. But she could also give great advice, and be a shoulder to cry on, when the time called for it. She was blunt, which wasn’t always a bad thing, and stood up for what she believed in, stood up for herself. For all her bad qualities, Sydney had some surprisingly good ones as well. She watched the interaction between her daughter and her friend with a content smile on her face. ”Yes,” Stella said with a girlish giggle to Brad’s question. ”Mommy let me wear my new sparkle-y tenny shoes!”

[/b] To emphasize the fact, Stella wiggled her feet around, looking down at them. Well, the little girl loved shoes; like mother like daughter. ”Stell,” Sydney said. ”Go play, give Mommy and Brad some adult time.” Stella rolled her eyes (like mother like daughter), and patted Brad’s face again before skipping off to the playground once more. ”What’s new, my love?” The blonde asked, raising her eyebrows.

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thanks sophia of caution.

hi

hi

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