Heaven on Earth - Barnaby (open tag)

[elizabethlivingsto]

The more Liz thought about Prom, the more excited she got. She was pretty sure that Fel would not be upset at her anymore, he would have to know she was sorry. "I better have a good time..that little yank tart better keep her paws off my boyfriend." The last half of the comment was defintely said under her breath. While she understood and accepted Felipe's decision to ask Abby to go with them...it didn't mean she had to like the girl. She was trying though at least. She better damn well get brownie points for that!

"I do." Liz lifted a hand partially, glancing over at Casper, whom she was now going to call Ghost. Not only for his name but for his silence. "I'd personally pay to watch you make a tosser of yourself but I'll be nice and take you over that direction." Liz was in a generous mood, plus being able tp spend time with someone she had known before her move here, someone from home, it would be good. "And no, you won't let me off on that first assignment, students don't pull favors on teachers for helping them..." What the hell was she saying?! Of course she was going to take that offer. She wasn't stupid. "See you later Ghost.." She waved to casper as she lightly looped her arm in Barnaby's, he would be a proper escort after all, being raised the same as she was. "Come on...Professor.." She snorted.

[barnaby]

Barnaby had been joking about the assignment lift but apparently Elizabeth had taken him seriously. No way was he about to play favourites! He lifted a hand in farewell to Casper. “Have a great prom!” he called out as LizBeth literally hauled him away and towards that promised coffee...

* * *

Barnaby blew gently across the rim of his coffee cup, careful not to puff too hard. He might just have sent a globule of cappuccino froth into LizBeth’s face otherwise. For herself she’d opted for tea and they sat back to relax and enjoy their drinks.

“So what have you been up to since you got here?’ he asked. “Caused any trouble?” Barnaby grinned and sipped some coffee. Her temper had been no small secret back at high school in London. Barnaby had kept well clear when she’d been on the rampage! Sensibly so.

[elizabethlivingsto]

Liz was seated comfortably, legs crossed at the knee, leaning lightly on the table with her tea cup in her hands. She smiled, inhaling the delicious scent of a properly done Earl Grey tea. "Mmm" She sighed happily, taking a sip of the heated liquid.

"Oh..what have I been up to?" She asked with a grin. the grin faded slightly however, as she recalled the reason for her moving there. She took a sip of her tea before she spoke. "Well..I moved here..just over 2 months ago..right after my parents died." She looked down at the tea in her cup, watching it swirl slowly. "I'd be surprised if you hadn't known..it was all over the press back home...here too some when I first got here.." There was a soft sigh from the Brit. "They left me under Spencer's guardianship..our lawyer...his home office was here..so he pulled me from school..and uprooted me." Liz glanced back up.

"Trouble? Me?" She asked, a grin curling the corners of her lips, glad for the slight subject change. "Not like I used to..It's a little harder to manipulate the teachers here when your father isn't paying for the new library or soemthing." She smirked. "But if you can consider meeting a guy, falling for said guy only to have things damn near stop cause you were an idiot and fooled around with another guy and lied to first guy about it...to which it took 2 months to regain everything there with the first guy.Then when he finally asks you to go officially, you get stupid and jealous when he tried to help a friend by asking her to go to prom with us.....yeah...maybe a little trouble?" She grinned slightly.

"What about you?"

[barnaby]

"Wow," was all he said. "You HAVE been a busy girl, haven't you?" Barnaby commented. "My condolences about your parents. I hadn't heard," he added. "Uprooted? I take it you weren't too keen on coming here... am I right?"

LizBeth didn't answer... She hadn't needed to as Barnaby knew how attached she was to England. "Sooo you found love, right?" Barnaby grinned. "Maybe I should warn the poor guy what he's letting himself in for. I mean, I've seen you in action! But from what you say he's already seen the real Elizabeth Livingston. I mean I remember many times seeing boys crying in your wake over their broken hearts." Himself not included in that, of course. She was much too young for him. "I wopuld have thought you past the lying stage by now. Don't you ever learn?" he asked as he sipped his coffee.

"As for me... absolutely nothing I've got up to can compete with that! When I moved away from Kew I ended up in Canterbury where I took my teaching degree. As soon as I had that tucked under my belt I high-tailed it over here. The Land of Opportunity... apparently," he added with a wry smile. 'Opportunities' had been pretty damned good so far...

"I miss fish finger sarnies though. Do you know they haven't even heard of that over here?"

[elizabethlivingsto]

"You know me..busy little Lizzie." She quirked a grin at him over the rim of her tea cup. "Thank you.." She said softly, accepting his condolences. He'd known them as well, not really close, but he had. He commented on whether she'd been keen on moving here, and all she could do was look at him. No..she had not been keen at all about moving across the pond to LA.

Then he proceeded to tease her about finding love. Liz blushed..she actually blushed. "Yeah, he saw a bit of the real Liz..the old Liz..mostly anyway." She admitted. "I didn't lie to lie per se..it was more of..trying to avoid an issue...and he got hurt. The rest of the yanks can bleeding take a leap as far as I car..but not him.." She smiled softly. "So yeah..I learned..trust me." Liz took another sip of her tea. "I know I care ver ymuch for him..I'd do anything for him..when he smiles..I get butterflies..I dream about him.." She caught herself rambling on. "I think maybe I do love him.." The admittance was soft, leaving the Brit to biting on her lower lip. "Wow.."

She shook herself out of her thoughts as Barnaby kept talking. "I never figured you for the teaching sort..but even though you're gonna be all professor like next term..." She smiled. "I'm glad to have a familiar face around here." She gave him a grin.

"Tell me about it!" Liz set her near empty tea down. "The first time I asked for bangers and mash when Fel and I went out..the server looked at me like i'd asked for an adult film.." There was a definite laugh. "So, how are your parents? I've not seen them in quite some time."

[barnaby]

“Oh god... I feel sick,” Barnaby commented when Liz went on (and on!) about being in love. “Please... no more... I can’t take it!” He clutched at his stomach in a totally over-the-top and melodramatic manner but held back from making any actual ‘gagging’ sounds... fake or otherwise! The scowl he received in return made it well worth the effort!

“The teaching thing was a bit of a surprise to me, too, but staying in or around London wasn’t for me. I had this yearning to travel and see at least something of the world. I guess California sounded good... Sun, sea and oh so tiny bikinis... “ Barnaby grinned. “Can’t go wrong with that sort of a combination, can I?”

He watched a pretty redhead wander past the table and he tilted his head to get a better view of her rear view. “Did I say it sounded ‘good’? Understatement...”

He laughed at her story about bangers and mash. “Thanks for the heads up... and that wasn’t another adult film reference,” he quickly added. “Just I now know to ask for meals long hand rather than how I might have done back home!” Then again, wasn’t *this* his home now?

Time would tell as it was still too early for that kind of a sweeping statement.

“So other than wallowing in the smile of this local Adonis what do you get up to for fun around here? I can see the weekend stretching out pretty endlessly as things stand!”

[elizabethlivingsto]

Liz threw a small sugar packet from a ceramic dish on the table at Barnaby as he took the mickey out on her about her feelings. She gave him a scowl as well. "You're just jealous because we both know that you have been in love with me since I was 15!" She smirked playfully.

Liz listened to him explain wanting to travel, see the world. She'd done a bit of that after her parents died. She'd spent a week sunbathing in France trying to lose herself for a while in her grief before Spencer had yanked her here. There was a clear laugh at his comment about bikikini's. "Your comment earlier...Fefe said the same thing the other night when we went swimming, couldn't believe so little material cost so much!" She grinned, watching him checking out the arse on the redhead. "Ok..I just watched my history teacher check out a girl..I think I need eye bleach and a brillo pad." She teased. "Watching you check out girls is unreal...you were always so..non-sexual before..hell I thought you were gay at one point." She grinned.

"yeah, the yanks don't seem to get the terms right..I got a really strange look in class when I said I was dying for a fag one day." She laughed. "What else do I do?" She asked. "Honestly, not a huge lot really..it's taken some time to get used to the school here..there's Felipe and his family obviously. They are..incredible..so warm and welcoming..I love them." She smiled softly. "Spencer has me on a short leash these days. Thin's I'm gonna bail and skipt he country." Liz toyed with another sugar packet. "2 months ago, yeah I'd have been all over it...but now..I'm doing ok. I have a few friends, and..." She trailed off, knowing he'd gag at her talking more about her Brazilian. "I actually do homework here.." She smirked. "I still ride..horses.." She pointed out before he could get a snarky comment in. "Stuff in town, cinema, shopping and whatnot..you should come over for dinner sometime next week. I'm sure Spencer would appreciate knowing there will be someone at school that can reign me in when he's nto there and Fel's graduated."

[barnaby]

Barnaby really DID gag at her response to his taunt about her love life. She was hardly his type, after all. Age not even taken into consideration. Anyway, he'd known her for too long to even contemplate looking at her in *that* way!

"Bleach and a Brillo? Consider it done. I will find a way to get my hands on a Brillo pad if it takes me all damned summer! Besides, I'm only... what...? Six years older than you? It IS six, isn't it?" He couldn't be sure. His eyes opened at the gay comment. "How werid is that?" he said with a short laugh. "I only ever saw you dumping on boys and facing up to girls. I took that to mean you batted for their side!"

If only she knew how he'd passed last night... Barnaby highly doubted the waitress at the Copper Kettle had thought him to be gay... Oh yeah... sweet memories...

"Huh? What? Oh the fag thing... Yeah, that's one you have to watch out for." He dragged his thoughts away from swaying hips and a teasing laugh... and with no small amount of personal effort.

"This boy sounds to be a paragon," he stated. "And a perfect family? Sounds to me like you hit the motherlode. Is he rich as well?" Money meant a lot to the Livingstons... it always had and acorns never fell far from the oak... did they? "He's graduating? You snagged an older guy? I'm impressed. And with him out of the picture you can let those blue eyes wander and find the next vic... aah... love of your life."

[elizabethlivingsto]

Liz grinned wickedly at him when he gagged. She'd always enjoyed teasing him, which would go to show how much fun the next terms were going to be!

She laughed, tossing her hair back over her shoulder. "Yes, it's 6 years only..which wouldn't be that bad when I'm 24 and you're 30.." She teased, only playfully flirting, nothing more. If Fel could do it..so could she. Plus Barnaby knew how she was. She'd never go there, and as long as she had Fefe, she'd never let another guy touch her (again).

"OY!" she exclaimed, throwing another sugar pack at him. "I am so not into that!" She kicked him lightly under the table. "I like my man..that is it..no girl on girl things for me..." She scowled at him.

Let's be honest, Barn was a good looking man, and if she'd had any thought as to how he'd spent the night before, 4 months ago, she could have relished in thinking about that! Wow...4 months? Had it been that long since she'd been with someone? Cobwebs!

She smiled. "Yeah, he's a really great guy..his family..they love to tease..which he's good at too..but his parents..I really like them..really soft and very family oriented." Liz moved her teacup to the edge of the table, indicating it could be refilled or taken, depending on how long they were there for. "Yes, I'm dating a senior." there was, once again, that soft, warm smile on her mouth. I've snagged older guys before..and the younger ones...so eager to have my favor tht they did anything for me!" She smirked, then shook her head. "No..he's staying local for Uni..not that I would stray if he went to a Uni out of town..I'm commited to him..and I like it..I really do."

[barnaby]

"Sounds like you landed right on your feet... like any half decent kitty would do," he replied with a wink. It was no secret that Elizabeth Livingston had a somewhat feline nature, after all. That said, maybe this guy of hers had somehow managed to tame the beast. Stranger things had happened.

"No ore for me... thanks," he said to the waitress and LizBeth also declined. "So... Miranda Drive. I kept my half of the deal and bought you a drink. Now help me find my way home!"


They set off side by side, reminiscing about London. Barnaby wasn't even remotely homesick but he caught the odd twinge in LizBeth's voice. Not as much as he'd expected to hear, he had to admit.

They walked two blocks and then hit Miranda. "We were *that* close? You could have told me and saved me the tea expense!" he stated with a frown. His heart wasn't in it, though, and despite their good-natured bickering they'd always got on ok back in England. There was no reason that couldn't continue now.... Well, as long as she handed her homework in on time!

(wrapped or tag for one?)