Floating (Eva)

[Evangeline Irvine]

Ah, family love. It was always so entertaining to watch family member's interact, but especially one as boisterous as this. No wonder Sam is such a goof, growing up with people like this, Eva thought, not unkindly, as his uncle tugged on his ear. She laughed and leapt back as chocolate sauce was splattered across the floor. "Now, Sammy, don't waste all of that," she giggled, though she made no move to help him.

He managed to break free himself shortly anyway, and jesting with his uncle for a moment longer, he turned and suggested that they leave the kitchen. "Well, we certainly wouldn't want you in pieces, now would we?" she mused playfully, pretending to have to think about it for a moment. Chuckling, she reached over to grab his hand and pull him around the chocolate sauce on the floor. "Apologies for the mess," she said for him as she pulled him out into the main room again.

Looking around, she sought out the only table in the room with a reserved sign on it. It was more secluded than she'd expected, sitting off in the corner, but then she noticed that it was also the closest spot their was to the kitchen door. It would seem as though Jimmy intended to eavesdrop, if he could. Silly man. "I assume that's the spot Jimmy reserved for us?" she asked, glancing back at Sam with a slight smirk.

[Sam O'Connor]

"You're not supposed to think about it," he said, tickling her softly in the side with his finger before she seized his hand and pulled him from the room, apologising for him on the way out. It didn't take long to find the table, and it made Sam shake his head. Jimmy obviously already had all sorts of ideas in his head about the two of them, and he was mistaken, as per usual. "It would appear so," he returned Eva's smirk, "Jimmy will be lurking somewhere near by, be mindful of that," he added, hinting that she would be able to hear him, even if everyone else couldn't.

Dinner was superb, as per usual. His Uncle had kept a lot of the things on the menu that Sam had suggested while he had been working here, but had reworked a lot of the dishes in his own special way. Sam had learnt a lot from the man, and was eternally thankful. After the meal, as the restaurant began to empty out, Jimmy and Sam's Uncle joined them at the table for a while for a chat before it was time to say goodbye. Tight hugs all around, even for Eva, and they were out of there, back to the shuttle port to catch the last shuttle.

Sam glanced at his watch as they were walking along. Apparently, he'd been a bit hasty getting out of there, and they still had potential time to kill. "I want to make one more stop before we leave," he told her quietly, sliding his hand into hers once again as he headed away from their original route, out to the old pier. It was a calm night, and the moonlight bathed the town in white light, causing the water around the pier to sparkle. "This," he said as the reached the end, "is my favourite place in the whole universe. I've probably spent more time here than anywhere else I can think of."

Ruffling his hair absentmindedly, he leaned against the railing and looked out at the giant white orb in the sky. "So," his voice was quiet, but crisp in the still, silent air, "have you enjoyed yourself?"

[Evangeline Irvine]

The food was absolutely delicious, as promised, and Eva found that she had a genuinely good time. Sam's uncle and cousin both were just as entertaining as he was, and when all three of them were seated at the table, all she had to do was sit back and listen. By the end of the evening, she was fairly sure it would take a jackhammer to remove the smile from her face, and the suffocating hugs she received on the way out made it all the more worthwhile.

They were on their way back to the shuttle when Sam suddenly checked the time, and then he caught her hand and veered them in another direction. Eva didn't complain. It was so beautiful here--who was she to argue a few more minutes? They ended up on an old pier, overlooking another gorgeous lake. Sam admitted to her that this place meant more to him than almost anything. She found that she couldn't help but smile at the conviction in his voice.

At his following question, Eva wove her fingers through his again and squeezed his hand gently. "This is the most I've enjoyed myself in years, Sam." With a soft smile, she bumped their connected hands against his leg and added, "The last time I enjoyed myself this much, I was fourteen, and a gangly twelve-year-old boy had wandered into my yard."

[Sam O'Connor]

Sam looked across at Eva, a deeply happy smile tugging at his eyes and lips. "That's what I like to hear," he said, a calmness to his voice, as opposed to his goofy, jokey tone. Although he did chuckle, and reply, "and I when I when I was caught stumbling into a certain lovely blonde teenager's back garden, completely unaware of what was about to befall me."

He didn't know whether it was just because he was tired and his eyes were playing tricks on him, but Eva looked glorious in this light - perfect. Leaning across, he looked at her for a moment before touching a soft kiss to her cheek. "Thank you for being a part of the best minutes of my life." And with that, it was time for them to leave.