PEYTON --- cold as you

[nicholas]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, background-color:#555555; width:400px; padding:15px; border: 15px solid #111111; border-radius: 60px 0px 0px 0px;] LIGHTS WILL GUIDE YOU HOME AND IGNITE YOUR BONES - - - - AND I WILL TRY TO FIX YOU He wasn’t quite happy about the current situation, especially not with what was about to happen. But, as it so happened, Nick kind of still felt an obligation to fulfil, even if he hadn’t been in Hope Harbor for a while, ever since leaving for university. Those had been the best and also saddest years of his life really, studying outside his home town. The best, because he’d gotten himself together again and pulled every piece out of the hole it’d fallen into, assembling them and making sure there weren’t any visible cracks after the marijuana stunt he’d pulled. The saddest, because he missed his family and his friends, the true friends he’d had even through the dark times, and well, he knew that he’d be heading home after he was done hopefully, but because of the field he’d chosen to study in, there was a big question about that as well. He could still remember how nervous he’d been that they would assign him to a city somewhere on the other end of the States from where home was, and he’d been practically sweating rivers over that decision his last semester at university. Luckily for him, however, they’d opened a slot right here, at home, and he’d jumped at it with all fours extended into claw-like grips so that he could get it. He was a pro at knowing Hope Harbor in and out, he still remembered everything about the town even if he’d been gone for a while. That made little difference. And so that worked out well enough for him in the end because his plus points came from being a native ... except he was going to be under supervision until he passed the last two exams after which he’d be able to work as a forensic without a mentor, though he had also agreed that he would go in for testing every two months. Why? Because he’d had his marijuana stint at home and he desperately wanted the job here. Let’s just say it wasn’t exactly something they would have given him without some stipulation that he would do exactly as they told him to do. But now that he was back and working at a slot they’d given him, enjoying in the fact that he was back at the Scott family house and catching up with his brothers and sister, he had also found that being an officer of the law had its downsides. The most notable one was when the surname Malone popped up once or twice, and he’d overheard a discussion going on about it. He remembered that one in particular, remembered the young man who’d joined their group back in the day ... remembered he also had a sister, while he was at it, a sister Nicholas never really gave two thoughts about, but he kind of felt obligated to right now. He sighed as he pulled his car into the parking lot in front of Grand Harbor Inn, knowing this wasn’t going to be easy at all. There were definitely perks and downsides to the job and right now, he wished he didn’t have to come here, but he also knew that no one else at the station had any intention on telling the Malone family about what was going on with their son, that he had just had another black mark added to his already-growing file, and he was pretty sure he wasn’t supposed to really know this either, but, as stated before, eavesdropping on accident is still eavesdropping ... and he knew he needed to take the information to the one person he knew would probably appreciate it. The man’s sister. Locking the car behind him and zipping his jacket up, Nick checked his watch to see if he had enough time. He’d promised Leila he’d meet up with her to watch the parade, so he didn’t have all the time in the world, but there was plenty enough of it given he’d taken off early and was going to be covering one of the holiday shifts instead of a senior agent, because he was still new in the place. The bell above the door rang when he pushed it open and he sighed when he felt the warm air surround him, shaking his shoulders out a little and smiling as he stepped aside for an older woman to pass him by. Cold today isn’t it? I hope it doesn’t keep people indoors for the parade! I’ve never seen it happen before so let’s hope not, he agreed, holding the door for her and then looking around, before slowly walking over to the main counter. Excuse me, would it be possible to speak to miss Malone? he asked politely with a smile on his face. tagged .

[/b] PEYTON <3 words .[/b] 797
notes .[/b] there we go <3[/color]

[/div]

this lovely template was made by Arro from Caution 2.0 and features lyrics belonging to the oh so amazing Coldplay. please leave all of this credit stuff in tact and leave a link for Miss Roro here if you are going to be using this anywhere. Thank you, loves!

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[peyton]

It was winter, the Christmas season and Peyton Malone was far from feeling festive. With the vandalizing that had occurred downtown on the night of the fair and Natalie Owens' close call to death, Peyton was forced to pretend that she was in the Christmas spirit when dealing with the lodgers that came to stay at her father's inn. The winter, the inn didn't have the rush of customers that the summertime usually brought to the town of Hope Harbor, but Peyton found that she was often busy with preparing for the new year.

Despite all the chaos that had been unleashed upon Hope Harbor as of recent, that didn't change the fact that Peyton had a lot of chores and tasks to complete at the inn. After all, an inn couldn't run itself. Today, she found herself in the office of the inn, organizing paperwork and filing away records that were no longer needed in preparation for the new year. It was a tedious task that only she or her father could perform and this time it was her turn.

While Peyton had a lot on her plate, her true reason for not being in the Christmas spirit was because of the fact that her brother was MIA, while her father kept himself immersed in his work. Christmas had never been the same since her mother passed away, the Malone's had never been the family they once were since then and it strained Peyton's heart to think that she would never spend a Christmas with her mother ever again.

"Peyton?" The familiar voice of the inn's receptionist caused Peyton to pause her work and look up as she sat behind the desk in the office, piles of paper strewn around her. "There's a man that wants to speak with you at reception. His name is Nicholas Scott." After hearing that name, Peyton perked up in incredulity. She hadn't seen Nicholas years – which was lucky...for him. "Send him in." Peyton responded politely, forcing a professional smile before leaning back in her chair after the receptionist exited the room. She would have been lying if she had denied being curious by Nicholas' unanticipated appearance.

"You've got a lot of nerve coming here." Peyton said as Nicholas entered the room. She wasn't threatening him, merely stating a fact, given that she and Nicholas hadn't parted on good terms the last time she saw him – which had been just after her brother had skipped town before she had started her senior year of high school. A lot of blame had been placed on Nicholas from Peyton since she believed he and his so-called "friends" influenced her brother to take drugs in order to deal with their mother's death. In her mind, Nicholas had been one of the leading factors that had consequently lead to her brother's sudden departure, despite having been childhood friends when they had very little responsibilities.

[nicholas]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, background-color:#555555; width:400px; padding:15px; border: 15px solid #111111; border-radius: 60px 0px 0px 0px;] LIGHTS WILL GUIDE YOU HOME AND IGNITE YOUR BONES - - - - AND I WILL TRY TO FIX YOU He wasn’t looking forward to what was about to come to pass. Why not? Well, because frankly speaking, Nick and Peyton hadn’t parted on the best of terms when he’d finished high school and applied for university outside of Hope Harbor. The girl was unfortunately under the delusion that, for some odd reason or another, NICHOLAS had been responsible for her brother getting involved with drugs. Obviously Nick knew about this, the hatred the Malones seemed to have for the Scotts all stemmed from that factor, though granted he also knew it was completely false. The Malone kid had simply wandered into his group and Nick hadn’t really turned him away, but he hadn’t accepted him with welcome arms either, knowing there would be trouble wherever he went just because he was a Malone. And then the drug thing? Nicholas certainly hadn’t forced any of the substance down the other guy’s throat or into his veins, depending which you wanted to hear first, and all of a sudden someone was trying to hold him responsible for their brother skipping town and being unable to grow up, face his past and move forward. Sure. He was all for family reunions really and old friends and all that jazz, but he knew today was going to be difficult enough without his delusional daydreaming, besides, he wanted to be on time to meet Leila for the parade and so he wasn’t about to really spend much of his minutes here. He’d come to deliver the file, something he shouldn’t even have had in the first place, but he wondered whether Peyton would ever be able to appreciate what he had gone through to procure the copies without anyone actually noticing, and when you were adept at police work you also knew how to erase all traces of what you’d been up to without actually leaving any breadcrums behind. It was pretty simple in the long run, they hadn’t been taught that at school but Nick had sort of picked up on the skill along the way from a roommate who was into programming. Lucky him. He smiled pleasantly at the receptionist who smiled back and went to do what he’d politely asked her to, while his blue eyes swept around the inn to see how many people had showed up for the holidays. Quite a bunch according to his mental calculations and everyone seemed already moving out of the place to go watch the parade, which was probably the highlight of today anyway, though granted, Nick would only count it as one because he would be spending time with his baby sister. The receptionist suddenly came back into his view and he turned his head so that he wouldn’t seem impolite. He had been groomed to almost perfection at the academy after all. Mister Scott, if you’ll follow me, Peyton’ll see you in her office. He arched an eyebrow but didn’t say a word as the woman led him around the counter down a short hallway, where she opened the door to a room and smiled encouragingly. Thank you for your help, he said with a charming smile before stepping by her and slipping into the office. Well, some things never did change, which was why he wasn’t even surprised at the feeling icy winter that he got the moment his eyes aligned on the girl. She was still as arrogant and presumptuous as she had been when her brother had hung out with Nicholas and the rest of the gang. He refrained from sneering though; that would simply open a dam worth of insults and forgotten histories. He so didn’t need that right now. Nerve? I wouldn’t call it nerve. After all, this is a free country and a free city from what I can tell, he responded with a shrug of his shoulders. If she thought that he would have any inhibitions going to places simply because of his past, she was barking up the wrong door. I didn’t come to argue either – I thought you might want to see this. He held the brown folder up from where he’d been holding it against his side for a moment, before he offered it over to her. I figured you might want to have some news about your brother since I gathered he isn’t here, at home. Little wonder. The Malone boy had always been blinded by grief after the loss of his mother, and Nicholas had actually felt sorry for him, for a while. tagged .

[/b] PEYTON <3 words .[/b] 753
notes .[/b] there we go <3[/color]

[/div]

this lovely template was made by Arro from Caution 2.0 and features lyrics belonging to the oh so amazing Coldplay. please leave all of this credit stuff in tact and leave a link for Miss Roro here if you are going to be using this anywhere. Thank you, loves!

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[peyton]

Had Peyton been quick to judge Nicholas after her brother skipped town? Yes. Had she been irrational? Most definitely. However, after losing her mother, when Larsen ran away it felt as though she had lost him as well. Stricken with grief, she sought someone to blame for her world falling apart – unfortunately for Nicholas, that someone had been him. She had jumped to conclusions and had convinced herself that her assumptions were justified, when really, she was just in denial.

Peyton had been in denial all these years and falsely jumping to conclusions wasn't all that she denied. Every day Peyton denied that she was still hurting inside, pretended as though she was composed and sure of herself. However, each day she only found herself floating in her comfort zone, succumbing to her fears, rather than seeking the adventure she had always dreamed of. She was afraid of change, yet always held the desire for it. She was stuck in a rut that she had no idea how to get out of.

When Nicholas entered the room, Peyton's guard was up. "True," She considered her response for a moment. "but this is my family's inn. So unless you intend to pay for a room, I have every right to kick you out." She mocked, a hint of satisfaction in her voice. Normally, Peyton could be considered as a kind and approachable kind of a person. However, she also wasn't afraid to let other people know what she thought of them if she deemed it necessary – even though she tended to be quite considerate when it came to people she cared about.

Although Peyton was preparing herself for an argument, one thing that she couldn't hide was the curiosity (and perhaps even anxiousness) she felt as Nicholas produced a file before her. She hesitated for a moment, staring at the file with unease, before finally taking it from him. Peyton felt a pang in her heart as Nicholas unintentionally reminded her as to exactly how much she missed her absent brother.

As she flipped through the pages of her brother's file, it dawned on Peyton as to how much lying her brother executed in order to cover his tracks. From destruction of property to shop lifting, the file informed Peyton of the various petty crimes that her brother had undertook over the past few years. What got to Peyton the most wasn't the fact that he had committed the crimes, but rather that he lied to her about it. Peyton and Larsen used to be able to confide in each other for anything, now that trust was something that seemed to have gotten lost along the way of losing everything else that mattered in her life.

A stunned silence filled the room as Peyton stared blankly at the family photo that was perched on the desk – her guard had been unintentionally lowered now. The photograph contained Peyton, Larsen and both their parents – before her mother was diagnosed with cancer. As she stared at the smiling faces in the photo, she felt a sense of both detachment and longing as she tried to recall the way things used to be. "What do you want me to do about it?..." She spoke softly as she placed the file on the desk, trying to speak through the numbness that began to consume her. She felt a sense of emptiness, but attempted to appear unfazed by the situation – she was sure she was failing as she avoided making eye contact with Nicholas and knew that the newly discovered information about her brother was something that she wouldn't be able to deny this time round.

[nicholas]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, background-color:#555555; width:400px; padding:15px; border: 15px solid #111111; border-radius: 60px 0px 0px 0px;] LIGHTS WILL GUIDE YOU HOME AND IGNITE YOUR BONES - - - - AND I WILL TRY TO FIX YOU Given the fact that Peyton was only two years younger than him, Nicholas would have thought that she would have outgrown the whole blaming people without evidence stage, however, that didn’t seem to be the case. Not that he was expressively blaming her or anything, he simply thought that, maybe, the idea would have been that after you got out of high school and into the real world, you kind of needed to separate fact from fiction and make sure there was nothing inbetween, and that you knew what you were talking about. Somehow, this situation right now didn’t seem to be one of those and all of a sudden, he felt so tired of his own past. Did he have to go into drugs? Well, no, technically not, but at the time, it had been the only reprieve he could get from the situation and shenanigans he’d gotten himself into while in high school. Afterwards, after making sure he was clean and the painstaking amount of time it took him to really perfect the art of not going back to drugs to begin with, well, Nicholas could see things in a different light. Also, when you were being trained to catch drug dealers, you kind of didn’t want to be one yourself, and it had shown, however, he also had inside information now which was also good, it came in handy from time to time especially when there needed to be guesses and whatnot. He wouldn’t, however, back down from the whole stare though, Peyton was apparently trying to defend her turf from someone she considered an intruder and dangerous, and honestly, while he wanted to roll his eyes he could also understand her, to a certain degree. That didn’t mean that he was just going to stand there and let her walk all over him. She was doing a pretty good job at alienating herself from people with her attitude though, so he didn’t want to enlighten her about that particular prospect yet. He’d save it for later. Oh how generous of you. I’ll let out the word, shall I? Potential customers beware, if you’ve ever looked at Peyton Malone the wrong way she’ll kick you out of the Inn even before you’ve stated why exactly you’re there, he responded in a dry tone, giving her a level look. Honestly, she was being beyond childish and ridiculous right now. Kicking him out on that basis? He kind of wished she would have given him some other reason to return the quip with a little more G-force, but as it happened, she had weak ammunition in general. He wasn’t going to point out that she was really grating his nerves by her higher-than-life attitude, though, simply because he did have a task to perform and complete at the Inn or else he wouldn’t have come here to begin with. His blue eyes remained serious, however, when she took the file from him and he watched her as she flipped through it. Generally speaking he wasn’t even supposed to be showing her that, but he had a hunch that she had no idea. At her question, he shrugged, lifting his shoulders and keeping them there for a moment, before lowering them again. Whatever you want. I only brought this to you because I was pretty sure you had no idea. It struck me as odd when I got back that the Malone family who I remember as pretty serious and strict when it came to obeying rules, seemed to be so in denial about what their son was doing. His voice was quiet and even. What you have on your desk the police already knows. I took it directly out of our database. Honestly, I wouldn’t have even bothered if not for a fact that two years ago while I was studying someone went and stole something from the local music shop. I became a little more aware of it when it happened again and they caught him because the name sounded familiar. Since then, I’ve loosely been keeping tabs on him. Currently, they’re looking for him in one other State, not just here. Nicholas watched Peyton with an unreadable expression on his face. What you do with the information is up to you – I just thought you deserved to know. Whether you believe me or not, at the beginning, Larsen was my friend. I kind of wish he would’ve stuck with me through it all and to where I am now, it might’ve been better. He fell silent afterwards, watching the girl as she seemed to process this new development. tagged .

[/b] PEYTON <3 words .[/b] 771
notes .[/b] there we go <3[/color]

[/div]

this lovely template was made by Arro from Caution 2.0 and features lyrics belonging to the oh so amazing Coldplay. please leave all of this credit stuff in tact and leave a link for Miss Roro here if you are going to be using this anywhere. Thank you, loves!

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[peyton]

Generally, Peyton was known for being a logical person – despite her stubbornness that seemed to rub people up the wrong way at times. She was normally mature and considerate, but for some warped reason – with Nicholas – she seemed to hang on her teenage angst, as if she connected him to that time in her life where everything was turned upside down. She was being childish for holding onto her irrational accusations that probably weren't even true. Any childishness that was on display in that moment was a mere defense mechanism that made her feel like she was hiding the hurt she felt inside, when really she was only making things harder on herself.

Peyton allowed Nicholas' words to sink in, which resulted in her removing herself from her trip down memory lane. She felt as though she could have broken down right then and there, but she kept herself calm and composed. She didn't need Nicholas to witness her in an over the top state of vulnerability right now. "My family wasn't always strict..." She responded distantly, of course referring to when her mother was still alive. She took in the information that Nicholas gave her and looked up at him in awe when she realised the danger he had put himself in by taking her brother's file without consent.

She was just about to inquire as to why Nicholas would take that risk for her and her family, when he – as if he had read her mind – answered her question. In response, Peyton found herself speaking what she thought to be was the impossible. "I'm sorry..." She spoke without thinking, as if her natural instincts had broken through her arrogant facade. A look of astonishment entered her features, as if surprised with herself for apologizing. "I shouldn't have blamed you for Larsen's actions...I was wrong...incredibly wrong." She spoke quietly, but honestly, the tension seeping from her as she hid behind the desk like a timid animal. "I guess reading his file is the slap in the face that I needed in order to realise that..." She added sheepishly as an attempt to add a little light to the situation. "I just miss him, you know?" She continued as she felt her eyes welling up with tears. However, before her tears had the chance to roll down her cheeks, Peyton attempted to rebuild the facade she initially had around herself for protection, but found that it was harder now that she opened up a bit. "Thank you. I'll deal with this." Peyton said with a cough as she felt her throat tense up. She handed back the file, her tone becoming more professional, as if she had just secured a business deal – as if her moment of weakness had never occurred.

[nicholas]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, background-color:#555555; width:400px; padding:15px; border: 15px solid #111111; border-radius: 60px 0px 0px 0px;] LIGHTS WILL GUIDE YOU HOME AND IGNITE YOUR BONES - - - - AND I WILL TRY TO FIX YOU He couldn’t really hold anything against her right now, especially since he could definitely see how much this was taking out of her, and how much she still wanted to feel being in that comfort zone. The one you were in when you were at high school, when the clichés were all around you and you fit into a niche and then at the end of the day you got home t a loving family or a not-so-loving family but they were still family anyway, and you could go to sleep knowing that the day after was going to be just the same as always. Once you were out of high school though, once everything of that part of your life was over, you needed to start thinking about the future and nothing seemed set in stone anymore, and definitely nothing was as secure as it was before. For that reason, and that alone, Nicholas was quite happy that h had gone out of Hope Harbor to build a life for himself outside of the city, to study some place else and then return home with the new experiences, because it meant he had had to cut his ties to his home and family earlier on to get everything together and make sure things didn’t collapse around him. Now that he was back, it was easy to fall into familiar patterns again, but at the same time there was also the fact that he didn’t necessarily need the reassurance of his old life to be happy, like Peyton seemed to do. She was surrounded by familiar things here, with her family, or what was left of it, with running the Inn or helping to run it, and there was no telling whether she even had any plans of leaving town any time soon. He could pity her in that aspect, grasping over anything that remotely reminded her of what once was and apparently unable to move forward. He had done so with a clean cut behind him to place some new foundations in and return knowing that he was the better person now that he’d managed to get himself clean and not only that, but also to get through the school he’d picked for himself, manage to graduate and only needed the last practical exam that would eventually get him into the field to work on his own, something he was definitely looking forward to in the long run, but it wasn’t something inherently connected to his degree. For all intents and purposes, Nicholas’ life was all set to go. Peyton’s, on the other hand, seemed to have come to a standstill at the passing of her mother and Larsen’s little escapades, and Nicholas couldn’t do anything but pity her right now. Maybe in retrospect he could have probably found something else to feel on that account, however, right now, she was making it extremely difficult. He arched an eyebrow slightly though, at what she said, granted he hadn’t actually made himself clear but then again he knew what she was referring to. Things were always easier when a mother was involved. Well, you know what I mean – I doubt even your mother would actively support breaking laws, he commented with a shrug of his shoulders again. The conversation was definitely better than he could have hoped for but at the same time he knew it could change in the blink of an eye, the Malones always were the type to make sure the Scotts knew where their apparent place was, not that it really touched Nicholas as much anymore. He had gone off in his own little world and came back, and he didn’t feel as tied down by everything in town as he once had. It was actually fairly easy to survive through it all now come to think of it, and he wondered why teenagers always seemed to have that many problems in general. His eyebrows shot up though at her apology, and it seemed they were both in the same boat about that since she looked as surprised as he felt. Nicholas had certainly not been expecting this particular turn of events, though granted he wasn’t going to mess around with them either. I – well, it’s okay. I guess. We’re all wrong at some point. Really, how was he supposed to respond to that one? He had no idea. I’m sorry I have to be the bringer of bad news though – I wouldn’t be if I could choose, but I firmly believe people ought to know. His blue eyes rested on her and he sighed softly. I can understand that better than you think. I missed my siblings too while I was away. So that was a good thing in all of this, being home. She seemed to go back to the normal Peyton that he was used to in moments though, but the sign that she wasn’t quite the ice queen she presented was going to be remembered. Nicholas shook his head. No, keep that. I don’t need it. We have everything in the database, those are just print-outs. Burn it, lock it away, do whatever you want with it. tagged .

[/b] PEYTON <3 words .[/b] 865
notes .[/b] there we go <3[/color]

[/div]

this lovely template was made by Arro from Caution 2.0 and features lyrics belonging to the oh so amazing Coldplay. please leave all of this credit stuff in tact and leave a link for Miss Roro here if you are going to be using this anywhere. Thank you, loves!

[/div][/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[peyton]

Never in her right mind did she think that she'd be apologizing to Nicholas Scott in her lifetime. She couldn't pinpoint as to why she had done such a thing, let alone meant it. Perhaps deep down, she knew all along that she had been wrong all of these years? Perhaps, the good deed of Nicholas bringing her the file made her feel obligated to admit defeat? Or perhaps she felt inclined to apologize because in one fleeting moment, she remembered the little boy that she had played with as a child; way before everything became so complicated? Whatever had encouraged her to apologize was unclear to Peyton in those moments, but she felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders simply by saying 'I'm sorry'.

The awkwardness that followed her apology was almost unbearable, but Peyton pretended to be unfazed, as if she had merely commented on the weather. Whether or not she succeeded in the matter was a different story. "Thanks. You didn't have to let me know...so er...yeah...thank you." She replied, sounding as awkward as she felt. It felt strange actually be civil to Nicholas, considering the last time she saw him, she was a seventeen year old girl who obnoxiously got in his face, ranting and raving as she cursed him away. The contrast compared to the present felt odd to her and she felt slightly embarrassed reflecting on how she acted in the past.

As he too reflected on how he missed his siblings when he was away, Peyton merely nodded, choosing not to point out the fact that their situation was slightly different. Nicholas left to better himself and become a better person, his siblings knew that he still loved them. However, with Larsen, he left to escape; making Peyton feel unloved and forgotten. The fact that they were twins – and had a whole other bond extending from their close sibling relationship – made Peyton feel like a part of her was missing. Even when Larsen came to visit on the odd occasion, Peyton still felt the obvious distance that had grown between them. That was something Peyton didn't feel like discussing in that moment in time.

"Alright." Peyton stoically accepted Nicholas' offer to leave the file behind. She offered him a brief, toothless smile, secretly glad that she had a chance to look over the file again in private to sort our her feelings and decide how to go about approaching her brother. "Well...I have a lot of work to do, so I'm going to have to ask you to leave." She said bluntly, but politely as she glanced at the door to her office. Honestly, the ups and downs of this particular conversation had worn Peyton out, causing her to have the sudden desire of being alone. "Thanks again."