first_in_time | Zagreus Sits Inside Your Head (for Splendid

Barbara looked out at the view as Ian put the last of their things in the car. From the front door of the little Bed and Breakfast, she could see beautiful rolling hills for miles. The last of the morning was being chased away as the sun rose higher in the sky, thawing everything out. Even the cows seemed more active on one particular hill.

"I wish we could stay for a little longer," she sighed to Ian, turning her back on it all so that it might be easier to leave. Her arms folded, one hand still held on to the key they were yet to return. "I don't suppose your car has a secret time traveling device so we can spend an extra few weeks here?"

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From:

first_in_time

"We could," she agreed and slipped her hand in his as they walked together. "We could come back for our anniversary every year if we wanted."

The office was a short walk from their little room. A bell chimed as the door swung open and an elderly lady looked up at them from behind the counter. She smiled sweetly at them both and left the pile of tourist flies she was fiddling with to the side.

"And how are we this morning?" she asked in a thick accent. "Did you enjoy breakfast?"

"It was lovely, thank you," Barbara replied and handed over the key.

"We're sad to see you go but life does call us back, doesn't it? Still, it was nice to have a young couple here at this time of year. Not many families visit so it's often people my age here. Not that we mind that, either!" The friendly woman chatted as she pulled out her book to sort the account.

From:

splendid_roman

If they were going to save for a house and a baby then that would make it harder to afford to come back every year. But knowing that only made it harder to leave.

As he paid Ian said how much they'd enjoyed it here and that they wanted to come back.

"And maybe bring the kids in a few years." The woman winked at them - she had known they were on their honeymoon.

Ian was still blushing at that when they left and made their way back to the car. "This isn't that different from the cottage in Wales we used to go on holiday to when I was little," he said, as he unlocked the car. "Just with different scenery."

From:

first_in_time

"Really? What drew your parents to holiday in Wales?" Barbara asked, sliding into the passenger seat and shut the door. She rested a hand on his leg and leaned over to kiss him before he started the engine, and prevented her from doing so for the next couple of hours.

From:

splendid_roman

He lingered over the kiss before he answered. "I think some of my aunts and uncles and cousins had been there and recommended it." He started the engine and brushed his hand against her leg as he put the car in gear. "I like it. There was plenty of space to run around and we could go pretty much do what we liked all day. Me and Tom even argued less."

From:

first_in_time

"You and Tom argued less?" Barbara settled back into the seat as the rumble of Ian's -- no, their car's engine growled. "I don't believe it. Or did Alice gang up on the two of you so brutally that you had to stick together?"

From:

splendid_roman

"No." Ian laughed. "Maybe it was because it was just the three of us, so we had to stick together or play on our own."

From:

first_in_time

"So if Helen or I weren't there, the three of you would play a little nicer?" she giggled at him. "Or does that not work because you're all adults now?"

From:

splendid_roman

"We're friends now." Even if it didn't look much like it, but they never could help teasing each other. "And we do play nicely when you and Helen are around," he protested.

From:

first_in_time

"Because Tom sitting in your lap and cuddling you against you will, then holding you in a headlock while Alice put ice down the back of your shirt was so very friendly." At least they had both received a good scalding from Audrey for it. And Helen, in Tom's case.

From:

splendid_roman

He could see why she thought that. "No one ended up in casualty." That counted as friendly among his siblings.

From:

first_in_time

"Thank heavens. I can't imagine that Audrey would have been pleased by that." Barbara paused a moment as she realised something: "Audrey's my mother now. And Robert is my father."

From:

splendid_roman

He glanced over at her. "They'll certainly see it that way." He couldn't think of Joan as anything more than Barbara's mother though. "But they loved you before we got married. anyway."

From:

first_in_time

"It's not that. The realisation hit me rather suddenly. It's a good realisation, I love your parents, too. I hope they still love us after we've talked to them." Barbara didn't think that Robert would mind so much, neither would Tom. Probably. But Audrey and Alice were so determined to see Ian married in some kind of elaborate wedding...she began to wonder if eloping was such a good idea after all.

From:

splendid_roman

Ian's mother and sister's excitement and attempts to plan their wedding was partly what had driven them to elope in the first place. "They'll get over it," he said confidently. There was just a question of how long it would take.

"Alice might sulk for a while, but not long enough to give up the free babysitting." He grinned to show he wasn't entirely serious about that reason.

From:

first_in_time

"At least now that Katy has gotten used to me, we can do it together, or have her for sleepovers when Alice needs a weekend to herself." And Barbara had promised that to her already. She vaguely hopes that she wouldn't spend that time with Gregory. The very thought of him made her skin crawl.

"Maybe we should stop for dinner somewhere and face everyone tomorrow?"

From:

splendid_roman

He smiled, liking the idea of having Katy over for longer and there being two of them to look after her.

"That's a good idea. It'll be nice to have another night to ourselves."

From:

first_in_time

Barbara sighed happily to herself and listened to the radio for a moment. Then asked: "where do you think we should go? Somewhere before the boarder or somewhere closer to the flat?"

From:

splendid_roman

It would be nice to stop somewhere in Scotland, but he said, "Closer to home. Going back on the road after dinner will be easier when we know we're nearly there."

From:

first_in_time

"Hmm. True enough," Barbara replied and turned to face him in her seat. She knew that it was wrong to distract te driver so she didn't lean in and kiss him or play with the hair at the top of his neck, but she did say: "I wonder what I've done to deserve such an intelligent husband."

From:

splendid_roman

"The same thing I did to deserve such an intelligent wife." He smiled broadly. Even with the anticipation of their mother's reactions he couldn't be upset that they'd eloped, he was just glad to be married to Barbara.

At which point there was a scraping sound and the car became hard to manoeuvre. Ian frowned. "I think we've got a flat tyre." Fortunately there was a lay-by not far away, so Ian stopped the car there, so they could get out and look.

From:

first_in_time

"Could we have run over something?" Barbara asked as Ian slowed down, "at least there's a spare I suppose."

From:

splendid_roman

"Perhaps." He hadn't noticed anything, but it could be a slow puncture.

Once they were stationary he got out of the car and walked around it, looking at the wheels. The passenger side one was most definitely flat. At least it was on the passenger side and he wouldn't have to change the tyre in the middle of the road.

When we went back in the car to turn the engine off he said, "That one's flat," and pointed to where it was. "I don't know why, but it'll be easier to find the whole once it's off."

He got out again and went off to the boot to get the jack and the spare tyre.

From:

first_in_time

"Is there anything I could do to help?" Barbara asked as she stepped out of the car.

At least they'd stopped at a nice spot, with a forrest on one side and more farmland on the other. They were most certainly going to hacd to come back.

From:

splendid_roman

Ian thought about it while he put the jack under the car and the spare wheel nearby. "Not really." While it would be nice to have her help he couldn't think of anything useful she could do. "It's a one man job really."

From:

first_in_time

"Right," Barbara said and turned on the spot before sitting back down on her seat facing out of the car so that she might still talk with Ian.

"Looks like we definitely won't have time to visit our parents today," she told Ian, glancing at her watch.