take me there;; hallie/open

[braden royce barbary]

Admittedly, Braden was a good deal nervous about the whole carnival thing. After Hallie had gone all hardcore commitment on him, he wasn't sure just how comfortable around her he could act. It wasn't that he didn't like her or didn't want to be with her, since he did, but the whole idea of settling down and getting married was a bit much for him yet. Then she went on to add four kids to the mix. Braden didn't even know if he wanted kids and there she was planning their entire future or whatever as if he had already agreed to it all. Maybe if she had slowly brought him around to the idea it wouldn't have freaked him out all that much, but just outright saying it was a bit crazy for him. However, there wasn't much that he could do to get out of the carnival and at least he had his little cousin as a barrier to make things less awkward. Or, that was his plan at least.

Knowing that Hallie would probably show up to the carnival rather early, Braden had gotten up a bit earlier than usual to head over to his aunt's house and pick up Charlie. He apparated as soon as he left from the castle grounds, arriving at his aunt's house just in time for a quick breakfast. Entering into the small house with a bit of a smile, Braden bent down to pick Charlie up as he came running into the hallway to tacklehug Braden. Although Braden wasn't always all too fond of kids, he had a bit of a soft spot for his younger cousin and was generally a pretty decent guy when around the kid. However, that didn't mean that he wanted four of his own by any means and that was definitely something that he would have to think about quite a bit. Perhaps Hallie would just forget about it, however, and it would become a nonissue.

As soon as they had finished with breakfast, Braden hefted Charlie up onto his shoulders and apparated the two of them over to the carnival to start off their day. Having apparated to the outskirts of the event, Braden looked up at Charlie with an excited grin. "Alright kid, wherever you want to go, you tell me," he said with a nod. With an excited giggle, Charlie started to tug at Braden's hair to show the direction he wanted to go, chattering all the while about everything that he wanted to do that day and all the people he would meet and all the foods that he would eat. Braden mostly blocked it out, just letting the kid show him where he wanted to be and taking him there without a complaint. It was much easier to do things that way than to try listening to every little thing that Charlie said.

Walking up to a booth that sold funnel cakes, Braden paid for one before taking it back over to one of the picnic tables set up near it. Sitting himself down into one of the seats, he plopped Charlie down next to him. "Don't make too much of a mess, kid, eh?" he chuckled, watching as Charlie started to tear apart the mess of dough and sugar. He knew that Hallie would show up eventually, so he figured that it would probably be best to just hang around in one spot until she showed up to meet with the two of them. "You get to meet a real pretty girl today, kiddo. Make sure you're real nice to her, alright?" Braden said, looking down at Charlie. The boy nodded eagerly, promising profusely that he would do just as Braden had asked.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[hallie beatrix cauldwell]

I was thinking about him, thinking about me.
Thinking about us, what we gonna be?

Stepping out of the Great Hall after a small breakfast, Hallie realized that she was running a little behind schedule. Intending to be at the carnival by nine o’clock the latest, the youngest Cauldwell accidentally overslept, which was understandable, considering she tossed and turned all night. Hallie suspected it was because she didn’t want to face Braden, after the uncomfortable conversation when he flipped out about her desire to have four children one day. Regardless of the bags under her eyes and the lack of her usual perky behavior, Hallie wasn’t going to ruin the day for Braden’s little cousin, even if things were a little awkward between them right now. She would just have to suck it up, and enjoy these rides at the carnival, or whatever Braden called them.

Walking to the outskirts of the castle, where the event was located, Hallie put on her happy face. She was a bit nervous, to be honest, simply because she had no idea what to expect...and she wasn’t talking about things between her and her boyfriend. Hallie’s never been to a carnival, which in turn meant that she didn’t know what these rides were. But Braden seemed pretty excited about the event, and so she thought it was best to go along, without showing signs of fear. Biting her lip as she continued to walk, Hallie heard the loud chatter of little kids shrieking, and thunderous roars. She didn’t know what was making the latter sounds, but she knew she was heading in the right direction. Glancing around, Hallie was in awe of the vibrant colors surrounding her, the oranges and reds of a passing clown, the greens and blues of fish hanging from game tents. When she spotted s gigantic steel skeleton with colorful cars zooming by, and people screaming from those cars, Hallie realized she was looking at one of these rides that Braden had mentioned. She was terrified just looking at them, and there was no way she was getting on it, regardless of how much pleading she heard from Braden.

Remembering that her boyfriend mentioned something about meeting up in the food court, Hallie walked off in the direction where the scent of greasy, fried food wafted through the air. Looking around for Braden and his little cousin, Hallie almost bumped into little kids that were racing all around. She smiled, as they quickly said sorry and ran off. The thought of being surrounded by little kids all day excited Hallie, simply because she thought they were adorable. Crazy for wanted to go on that steel skeleton ride, but cute none the less. Walking deeper into the food court, careful not to run over anymore kids, Hallie spotted Braden sitting at a picnic table with the absolute cutest kid sitting across from him. Leaning against a metal pole with her arms crossed, not wanting to go over just yet, Hallie watched her boyfriend interact with his cousin, as a smile spread across her face. Even though he evidently had commitment issues, Hallie knew he’d be a great father someday, even if it wasn’t their kids.

Crossing the rest of the way, Hallie went to sit down next to the boy, apparently destroying a funnel cake. When he looked up at her, she completely melted at the sight of his big hazel eyes. Hi! I’m Hallie. And who are you? She smiled, to make the young boy feel at easy. When he replied with a sheepish grin, and said Charlie, Hallie knew the little boy was an angel. Charlie had the most innocent voice and look in his eye, and seemed completely at ease with her. You are so adorable, I could just eat you up. Like a dinosaur. ROAR! Hallie made dinosaur noises, knowing perfectly well that Braden was probably embarrassed to be seen with her. But Charlie seemed to like it, as he clapped his hands and giggled. Looking up, she caught Bray’s eye and smiled. Hi. So what’s on the game plan? She didn’t want anything to be awkward, so she didn’t let it. And jumping right into the day’s agenda would probably be the best for keeping her, and ultimately his, mind off the conversation they had about kids.

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outfit;; jeans and a tank
words;; 706
tagged;; Braden and Charlie
lyrics;; just a dream-Nelly
[/size]

[braden royce barbary]

The longer that the two boys sat there waiting for Hallie, the more irate Braden became. He was already a bit anxious about seeing her after their well, argument you could call it. He definitely wasn't too happy about the fact that they'd gotten into a bit of a tiff, but it was obviously all Hallie's fault. Honestly, Braden just wanted a normal, chill day, however, without all the drama following them around. At the very least, he was glad that Charlie was there to help relieve any tension that may have mounted between the two. The kid was adorable, obviously, and there was no way Hallie would want to say or do anything that would upset the poor kid and neither did Braden. Perhaps it was a brilliant idea to have brought the boy along as some sort of safety blanket.

Hearing someone walking towards them, Braden's head swiveled for a moment before he caught sight of Hallie. He wasn't really sure what to say just yet, so he let Hallie start up the conversation, instantly sitting down next to Charlie to greet him. It was nice to see that she was actually really good with kids, probably better at it than he was and Charlie seemed to be taking to her rather well. Be it because Braden had asked him to be on his best behaviour or because Charlie was just a good kid, Bray wasn't sure, but he preferred to think it was his own doing that had put the boy in such a good mood. Charlie could be a bit of a mischievous little one at times, but he wasn't usually to bad to deal with and Braden had confidence that between him and Hallie the kid would be just find and have a pretty good time at the carnival that day.

A smirk of amusement appeared on his face when she started to act like a total goofus, but he wasn't really embarrassed by it. He knew that sometimes you had to act differently, more childish, when you were dealing with kids and he'd never had much of a problem with that. Sometimes Braden was no more than a big kid himself and he found excitement in the most inane things. Of course, he would never break the image of badassery that he had built up while other people were around. That just wouldn't do. He leaned back into the table as he watched Charlie and Hallie interact, glad for the distraction. The moment hadn't turned awkward yet and if Braden was lucky, they would somehow manage to avoid any awkwardness altogether that day. Maybe, if he was extremely lucky, they'd even manage to just not discuss the things that had come up anyways.

Giving her a bit of a nod in welcome, he shrugged his shoulders at her question. To be honest, he didn't really have much of a plan of attack for the day. Really, he'd kind of just figured that they could walk around and make it up as they go. "Well, there's fun houses and rides of course. Charlie likes the coasters a lot. Err, and there's going to be shows and stuff throughout the day. And food. Lots of fried goodness," Braden said, giving her a list of the options that they had. Though, there was probably way more than he was hitting on just now. "Anything you wanted to do first, or should we just go wander around?" he added, looking over at her with a questioning look. Surely Hallie would have a plan. right? She always did.

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[hallie beatrix cauldwell]

I was thinking about him, thinking about me.
Thinking about us, what we gonna be?

Considering the fact that Hallie and her boyfriend had gotten into a bit of an argument about a potential future together, she wished for an afternoon filled with fun. Her plan was to leave it in the back her of mind, and only bring it up if Braden did first. And knowing the guy, he definitely wouldn’t. Looking down at Charlie, Hallie saw that he was a complete mess. There was powdered sugar all over him, as well as his shirt, and a little ended up on Hallie’s arm. Aww, Charlie. Are you done with your snack, and ready for some rides? Watching him bob his head up and down in response, Hallie took a wad of napkins, in an attempt to clean him up. Satisfied, she turned her attention back to Braden. Well considering the fact that he just ate, it wouldn’t be wise to take him on a fast ride. Charlie would get sick. She looked down at the child, who was tugging on her tank top, while pointing. But Hallie, I want to go on the roller coaster. She looked in the direction that he was pointing, stopping when her eyes landed on the steel skeleton ride. The shock quickly passed over her face, which was then replaced by fear. She obviously didn’t want Charlie to go on it, because it didn’t seem very stable.

Getting up from the table, Hallie walked over to throw the used napkins in the garbage. She wanted this to be a fun day for both Charlie and Braden, but she didn’t know if she could keep up the happy image for very long. Not only was she tired, but she could feel the awkwardness between her and Braden. And of course she didn’t want to be the complete bitch to Charlie, but she didn’t feel very comfortable with Charlie going on the roller coaster. Looking down at kid that was now standing next to her, Hallie flashed a smile. Well how about we take a walk around the grounds, to see what’s here, and then go on rides. Do you like that idea? The small child nodded his head, but Hallie could clearly see the disappointment on his face. Walking over to where Braden was, with Charlie holding onto her hand, Hallie flashed another smile. Today will be so much fun, yeah? Nodding her head towards the direction she came from, Hallie motioned for Braden to follow her.

Bending over to pick up Charlie, Hallie pointed out all the exciting things she saw. Simply for the fact that she’s never been to a carnival, she was in complete awe of the colors and aromas surrounding her, even if she did think greasy fried food was disgusting. The chatter of Charlie by her ear warmed Hallie from the inside out, as a real smile of joy passed over her face. She glanced back at Braden, who was trailing behind. Well hurry up slowpoke. She laughed, while putting Charlie back on the ground. Waiting for Braden to catch up, Hallie asked if Charlie wanted to do anything in particular. Yes, I want to ride the roller coaster…and I want a donkey. Smiling at his request for a stuffed animal, Hallie walked over to one of the game tents, that just so happened to have a donkey hanging from the ceiling. It was one of those knock over all the cans with one shot sort of things. Okay Charlie. This is for you. Being the dork that she is, Hallie tried to calculate the perfect angle at which she needed to throw the ball, so she would knock over all the pins. However, any math calculation is no match for gravity, and she ultimately failed. I’m sorry Charlie, maybe next time. Although the child didn’t seem too upset, Hallie was, because she couldn’t give Charlie a gift to remember her by.

Walking away from the tent, Hallie grabbed hold of both Charlie’s and Braden’s hand, the latter so he couldn’t trail behind them. Watching Charlie as he excitedly chattered about that roller coast, a moment of fear shuttered through Hallie’s body. Glancing over at Braden, Hallie shrugged her shoulders. Well, I suppose we have waited enough time for you to go on that ride. She looked down, and saw the beam of excitement wash over Charlie’s face. Alright, if you really want to go, we can go on the roller coaster. Trying to maintain her happy composure for Charlie, Hallie started walking towards the start of the line for the roller coaster.

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outfit;; jeans and a tank
words;; 758
tagged;; Braden and Charlie
lyrics;; just a dream-Nelly
[/size]

[braden royce barbary]

Even though Braden was pretty decent with taking care of Charlie, he was a bit lacking in the whole "keeping him clean" department and the young boy had gotten sugar and grease all over himself. A fact which Braden clearly had no intention of fixing and so brought a snicker of amusement as the boy got it all over Hallie. He probably should have wiped the kid clean, but he couldn't be bothered. It wasn't hurting anyone, so he was fine to go do things and have a good time, obviously. A slight frown crossed Braden's face when Hallie suggested that they not go on any fast rides yet, since obviously those were the coolest ones. "Yeah, well, hey. Don't worry kiddo, we'll hit up the coaster as soon as your stomach settles. You know that shit's the best," Braden nodded, addressing Charlie more than he was talking to Hallie. It wasn't exactly intentional, it was just easier to talk to Charlie since he was just a kid and didn't know much. Besides, the kid just couldn't get mad at Braden and his eyes lit up at the offer, much happier now that he had the promise to get on at some point. Braden would definitely have been the fun parent in this situation, rather than the one that made all the rules. Well, at least he knew Charlie would be super happy with him that day.

The idea of just walking around sounded kind of lame and Braden had almost the same reaction as Charlie when Hallie suggested it. However, he didn't particularly want to step on any toes just yet so he agreed to simply follow along with whatever it was she wanted to do. Not the most ideal situation, exactly, but he could deal with it for awhile. However, if it went on for too long than he most definitely intended to take charge and get them doing something worthwhile. He nodded a bit at Hallie's remark, though he wasn't sure just how much he agreed with her. "Yeah, I guess it'll be cool. There's good stuff to do around here or whatever," he said with a shrug. It was easiest for Braden to slip into that uncaring, rather distant persona, especially when he had the fight with Hallie to think about. She'd probably get more upset with him, but whatever. Falling in behind her, Braden trudged along a few steps behind, not particularly interested in working to keep up with her and Charlie. If she wanted to spend the day with the kid, than she could damn well do that.

As he followed along, his eyes briefly followed wherever Hallie was pointing things out to Charlie, but he still had a rather disinterested gaze as he walked. He'd been to carnivals before, so very little of it was extremely exciting and awesome to him. It was all too cutesy anyways. His attention sparked up briefly when she addressed him and he gave her a grumpy look, but still quickened his pace slightly so that he was walking next to her, as opposed to walking behind the pair. When they turned to one of the game tents, Braden couldn't help but give an amused look as he watched Hallie attempt to win the donkey for Charlie. It was admittedly kind of cute, since she obviously was attempting to figure out just how to throw it perfectly with some sort of crazy math formula or something. Braden shook his head a bit when she missed and stepped forward himself. "Don't worry kiddo, I got this for ya," he nodded. Throwing down the payment of a few sickles, Braden picked up the ball and threw it up lightly in the air to test the weight. Braden, unlike Hallie, was more relying on the brute force of his throw and as he threw it, the cans smashed apart, scattering in all different directions. Not the most graceful way to win, but it worked and Braden nodded up at the donkey. The man handed it over and Braden tossed it over to Charlie with a slight grunt. Charlie, much more excitable than Braden, squealed with excitement as he held the donkey close to him.

As they turned to leave the booth, Braden let Hallie take his hand, his fingers meshing in with hers. He wasn't much of a hand holder, but he wasn't going to complain about it either. Especially not when she said they could go over and ride the roller coaster. Braden was all for the danger and excitement that the roller coaster promised, though he could sense that Hallie wasn't at all looking forward to it. Of course, he wasn't about to let her skip out on the best part of the entire carnival. Reaching the line, an actual smile surfaced on Braden's face. Looking over at Charlie with a bit of a smirk, Braden picked him up from the ground and threw the kid over his shoulder, tickling at the younger boy's stomach with a laugh. "Are you sure you can handle the big, bad roller coaster?" he asked Charlie, before launching into a description of just how terrifying and gutwrenching the experience would be. Charlie, of course, was just as excited as he was before and as they reached the front of the line, Braden set the boy down to let him run over into the seat. "You aiight?" he asked Hallie, looking over at her before getting into the furthest seat in the row of three, leaving the middle for Charlie since it was the safest place to be.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[hallie beatrix cauldwell]

I was thinking about him, thinking about me.
Thinking about us, what we gonna be?

Coming back to the table after cleaning Charlie up a bit, Hallie frowned. She didn’t think it was best for Braden to be cursing around such a little kid, who is easily influenced by his surroundings at this young age. However, she knew better than to bring voice to the situation, because that would cause a fight she just didn’t need at the moment. She watched once again as Bray interacted with his cousin, a smile spreading across her face. He obviously knew his way around kids, perhaps because he acted like one at times, and maybe that’s why he freaked out so badly the other day when she suggested a potential future together. Braden evidently didn’t want to assume the responsibility of a parent, and would rather resort to acting like a child. At least, that’s how she saw it.

Seeing the disappointment cross Bray’s face when she suggested walking around the grounds a bit before going on the rides, Hallie bit at her lip. Maybe she should just let them go on the ride, but she didn’t want Charlie to become nauseous. How much of that was her own attempt to stall from going on the roller coaster, Hallie wasn’t exactly sure. But she did know that she’d have to face it eventually, because Charlie and Braden were walking around the carnival with her, so she’d have to return the favor. Sighing, Hallie turned her attention back to the game that she ultimately failed at. Disappointed once again, Hallie started to walk away, but stopped when Braden stepped up to the plate. Watching him play the game in the most ungraceful ways, Hallie smiled as the pins fell down. And of course the excitement from Charlie made it all worthwhile.

Unable to stall anymore, Hallie finally agreed to ride on the roller coaster. Letting go of Braden’s hand and folding her arms, Hallie watched the boys practically run to the start of the line. Walking a few steps behind them, Hallie frowned when her boyfriend decided to go into a full detailed account of what a trip on that damn roller coaster entailed. Glancing over at the front of the line, Hallie realized that the wait was much shorter than she thought, and within no time they were getting ready to take a seat on the thing. No chance to back out now, Hallie’s stomach sank, as she ignored the excitement bubbling over from the two boys. Allowing Braden to take the lead across the coaster car, Hallie felt herself getting pale. The feeling only intensified when the lap bar lowered on them. Glancing over at the smaller boy between the two teens, Hallie smiled weakly, as he was still chattering away at how cool this ride was. Looking pass Charlie, Hallie caught Bray’s eye. Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks.

Staring straight as the car started moving, Hallie held on to the metal pole in front of her, as if her life depended on it. Knowing the Ministry, they probably put a spell on the coaster so that it would function properly, but that didn’t reassure Hallie anymore than Charlie saying it was going to be alright. Any other time, Hallie would be quite embarrassed at the fact that she was receiving advice from a four year old, but she could care less at the moment. In fact, nothing seemed to matter as she silently prayed to get off this ride safely. Her breath catching in her throat as the car crossed over the top of the hump and plummeting straight down, Hallie let out a bloodcurdling scream. Thankfully, most of it was lost on the wind, as well as mixed with the screams of other riders. Closing her eyes and wishing for it to all be over, her grip on the metal pole tightened as she experienced a feeling of weightlessness. She only relaxed when she felt the brake system kick in, and Hallie sighed a breath of relief.

Opening her eyes and releasing her grip on the metal pole, Hallie looked over at Braden and Charlie. The little boy was staring at her like she was a freak, which was probably true, but didn’t care. Hallie did it, and she satisfied a wish of Bray’s and Charlie’s. Following the smaller boy off the ride, on shaky legs, Hallie waited until she was on solid ground before she made a sound. Moving closer to Braden, Hallie glance up at him, whispering into his ear. Please, please, please don’t make me do that again. She was practically begging him, but she honestly couldn’t stomach another ride on the roller coaster. Sitting down on a bench by the exit, Hallie tried to get her shaking under control. She looked over at Charlie. Would you like to go on a slow ride now? Watching the boy shake his head, Hallie’s heart sank at his next request. No. I want to go on the roller coaster again! Frowning weakly at his bubbling excitement, Hallie looked up at Braden. Well. What do you think? She gave him pleading eyes, clearly saying that she didn’t want to do it again. But knowing the boy, he’d probably jump at the exciting ride.

[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[braden royce barbary]

Although Hallie claimed that she was alright, Braden didn't quite get that impression from her. Though he wasn't always the most attentive and typically didn't read people all that well, he could at least tell that Hallie was definitely not all that comfortable with the idea of riding the coaster. He almost felt tempted to give her a pass on that one and let her just get off without actually riding the thing, but that would defeat all the fun of it. Obviously, even if she was scared now, she'd be completely in love with the ride once she got off of it. After all, that's how most people were with coasters. Though they were scared looking at them, they were hooked as soon as they road their first one. Hallie, however, was not one of those people it seemed.

As soon as the coaster took off at whirlwind speeds, Braden could tell that it was probably a miracle that Hallie hadn't just unclipped herself and gotten off the ride just part of the way up the first hill. Braden wasn't a screamer when it came to roller coasters, though he did let out a whoop of excitement a they plummeted down each of the higher bumps in the track. It was drowned out completely, however, by Hallie's screams. Admittedly, Braden did let out a bit of a winded laugh when he looked over to see Hallie's face completely awash with terror, but he kept the laughter to himself and had recovered from his fit of amusement by the time the ride had ended and they hopped out of the cart. Obviously, he didn't want to make Hallie feel any worse than she already looked.

As they exited the ride, he held a hand lightly on Hallie's shoulder to make sure that she didn't collapse of fright or something equally awful. He gave her a quick nod at her request before helping her over to the bench just a few feet away. Clearly, she needed a few moments to recover from the awesome that was the roller coaster. It was kind of too bad, as far as Bray was concerned, that she was still against the idea of going on the coaster, but he couldn't fault her for it. She had tried for them and that was really all that he could ask from her. Charlie, on the other hand, didn't quite get that and was jumping about and ready to race back over to the carts. Despite Hallie's attempts to convince the small kid to do something else, he was pretty deadset on getting back on the coaster.

Obviously, it was up to Braden to step in and get Charlie to head off to some other ride. There must have been something else that would catch the kids attention. "Ay, Charlie, how about we head over and get on the bumper carts, yeah?" Braden suggested. "I'll even let you drive," he added as an extra incentive. Considering the offer for a moment, Charlie eagerly agreed to the idea. Reaching down his hand to offer it to Hallie, Braden turned to start heading over towards the bumper cars. Those were relatively tame, he thought, so maybe Hallie would want to ride those. If not, he could just send Charlie on with some kid or something and he and Hallie could wait for him to get off. That would work.

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