#meriguffin

[phoenixlionme]

My Favorite Fictional Couples Part 34

NOTE: Be respectful of my choices; the OTPs are not ranked, just of who I thought when making this list.

1. Mortal Kombat franchise: Johnny Cage + Sonya Blade = Cageblade

2. Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away: Chihiro + Haku = Chihaku

3. Disney’s The Jungle Book franchise: Mowgli + Shanti = Mowglianti

4. The Lunar Chronicles: Jacin Clay + Winter Hayle Blackburn = Jacinter

5. Record of Grancrest War: Theo Cornaro + Siluca Meletes  =Theoluca

6. Final Fantasy franchise: Oerba Yun Fang + Oerba Dia Vanille = Fanille

7. Pixar’s Brave: Merida DunBroch + Young MacGuffin = Meriguffin

8. Marvel Comics: Danielle Cage + Lucy Rand = Powerfist

9. Marvel Comics: Danny Rand aka Iron Fist + Misty Knight = Ironknight

10. Marvel Comics: Sergei Kravinoff aka Kraven the Hutner + Calypso Ezili aka Calypso = Kravelypso

[ljf613]

O, V, and X for the fandom asks!

O: Choose a song at random, what ship does it remind you of? Hmmmm.... I've been listening to Ed Sheeran's new album on repeat since it came out, and one of my favorite songs on there is "Toughest", which gives me such Hiccstrid vibes.

You're the type to defeat the hardest obstacles Put in front of you You are the toughest in the room And I know that love will get us through And life will overcome the pain that grows in you 'Cause you are the toughest in the room You showed me strength I never knew When love is on our side, there's just no way to lose But I still can't help but break down

V: Do you have any 3-way ships? If so, what? Like an OT3/throuple-type ship? No, not really a fan of poly ships.

X: 3 OTPs from 3 different fandoms. YukiShura from Blue Exorcist, MeriGuffin from Brave, and Hinny from Harry Potter.

Ask me about my fandoms!

[joshuasumter]

Now that'd be a good sequel

do you have any ideas for a Brave 2? i really want a sequel

I’m never sure if I really want a sequel to Brave or not, but if there was one and I had supreme godly powers over the narrative? Oh my god, hold onto your buttcheeks mate.

There are so many loose ends I want to see tied up and, erm, non-bear oriented Scottish mythology to be tackled.

First the major loose ends.

- You don’t fuck with the stones

In Scottish folklore, custom, and tradition you just don’t mess with old stones. Hell I’m not even that superstitious, but you wouldn’t catch me drawing so much as a handlebar moustache on an old standing stone (mind you, I am a coward). People are still superstitious about standing stones today. Not so long ago in the 1960s there was a building site in my town that caused a lot of anger in the neighbourhood because they had moved an ancient standing stone. They were eventually forced to move it back (right smack bam in front of the house they had built).

A great deal of mystery surrounds the purpose of these megaliths. Were they used in Bronze Age rituals? If so, what about the older sites, such as the Callanish Stones (the inspiration for the stone circle in Brave) which were erected in the Neolithic era? Were stone circles a kind of early lunar observatory? Did they align with surrounding mountain ranges? The explanations in folklore are just as numerous: the Grannie Stone in Irvine tells the story of a Goddess turned to stone. Sometimes the stones are said to be haunted by faeries or ancestors, or they were giants turned to stone after refusing to convert to Christianity. In other stories the stones are soldiers- private armies ready to be called upon by their master. In these tales bad things tend to happen to those who harm the stones.

The climax of Brave saw Mor'du being crushed by the stone Elinor had broken, thus symbolically breaking the cycle of violence. But if we’re to follow the logic of Scottish lore, not only has a stone been felled, but a sacred circle has been broken. There could be consequences to that. Can’t imagine the Bear Witch would be much chuffed with it either. Seriously, there are tons of stories you could pull from this. Get on it, Pixar!

- Elinor’s necklace

At first Elinor’s necklace seemed to be important to be the plot. After all, we see Elinor wearing it in the film’s very first scene. In the end its purpose was largely symbolic. But maybe there’s more to explore there? The witch was certainly quick to snap it up. Maybe there’s a reason why… The necklace bore a symbol of three bears chasing each other endlessly, much like the Ouroboros symbol, and the stone circle that features in the film. However, once Merida gives away her mother’s necklace to the witch we never hear nor see of it again. So Brave ends with the stone circle broken and the necklace bearing an infinity symbol lost. Definitely something to work with there! Add to that is Elinor’s crown. We never see her reclaim it (but I guess that’s also symbolic of her own personal journey and changing attitude to her role as Queen and mother).

- The Ex-Suitors

I really, REALLY hate Once Upon a Time’s portrayal of the suitors. It’s just too easy, too obvious and too insulting to portray the young lords as stupid, arrogant dudebros who disrespect Merida because she’s a woman. How about a story where Merida and the young heirs have to put aside their differences and work together, preparing the four of them as future leaders? There’s a ton of stuff you could work with here. When we last see them, Wee Dingwall is slobbering kisses up Merida’s arm, MacGuffin has struck up a strong friendship with MacIntosh, and if we’re to take the cut epilogue from the artbook as canon (which I do as it explains certain things in the movie), Merida sees something in Young MacGuffin. I wouldn’t want a sequel to be a romance, however. I like the idea of hinting at Merida and MacGuffin as a future couple, without their romance leading a sequel or even being a major sub-plot. 

I think one of the reasons Brave wasn’t so popular with audiences was its narrow focus on two characters: Merida and her mother. Now I personally love that. We rarely get mother/daughter stories that are adventurous and fun and genuine. But I wouldn’t want a sequel to have the same narrow focus. As Merida grows, her world should expand and a sequel should reflect this, developing relationships with people outside her family. Her ex-suitors are perfect for this. When we’re first introduced to them, they appear very one dimensional. MacIntosh is arrogant, MacGuffin is shy, and Dingwall is …uhm. Odd. By the end of the film, like Merida they are revealed to be more than first meets the eye: MacGuffin may be shy, but he’s also empathetic and kind, aware of the unfair situation the suitors and Merida have been forced into. MacIntosh may be arrogant, but he also cares deeply for his father and shows signs of great leadership. Dingwall is surprisingly lucid, even eloquent - despite his vague stares, he has strong views on his situation. They’re far from fully-fleshed out characters, but there’s enough there to build on. After all, if Brave is partly about not judging people by first appearances, then it would be good to explore and challenge audience expectations. Just because MacIntosh is arrogant and a bit of a git doesn’t mean he can’t have heart. Just because Dingwall is a bit of an oddball doesn’t mean he can’t be observant and clever. Just because MacGuffin is shy and fat doesn’t mean he can’t be brave or a romantic interest.

You’ve also got the makings of a cracking comedic set up with Merida and the young lords. Imagine Dingwall as this cunning Machiavellian strategist who also has a tendency of breaking into sonnet around Merida; MacGuffin trying desperately to keep the peace between MacIntosh and Merida who constantly pit their egos against each other; the occasional sweetly awkward moment between Merida and MacGuffin, with typical gender roles completely reversed (think MacGuffin damsel in distress XD); MacIntosh being the butt of every joke, but too enamoured with himself to realise. Each character should present some kind of challenge for Merida or support her in what she lacks. MacIntosh’s big ego presents a challenge to her own pride and ego. Where Merida tends to be a bit hot-blooded and quick to jump, Dingwall hangs back and observes. MacGuffin is humble and shy, where Merida is bold and brave. He is the antithesis to Merida’s stubbornness and opens up potential romantic feelings which are entirely new to her and take adjusting to.

Ultimately, I think the focus of a Brave sequel should take its lead from the first. Brave is largely a film about family, coming of age, and the connection we have to the rest of the world. The tapestry in Brave symbolises our interconnectedness - our decisions don’t just affect our own fates, but the fates of those around us (especially if you’re a privileged person with power). So a sequel should really be the next chapter in Merida and her kingdom’s story. What are the consequences of the first film’s ending? The stone circle is broken. Could that be symbolic of a threat to the unity of the four clans? After all, the Lords didn’t exactly intend their sons to stop competing for Merida’s hand.

Merida has had her first real taste of leadership and that should definitely be built upon. Will she be the future leader and Queen of Dunbroch, or will that title fall to one of her three brothers? Her relationship with her mother has changed, so how about exploring her relationship with her father? Fergus never believed in magic and his ignorance almost led to the death of his wife by his own hand. Would he blame the Bear witch? I can also totally see Fergus secretly preparing Merida to take his place when he’s gone, with or without Merida’s knowledge. How would the four Lords feel about that when it’s revealed?

I think if Brave was to get a sequel it should be part of a trilogy, with each film marking a new turning point and chapter in Merida’s life. This would tie in nicely with the recurring number 3 in the film: the symbol of the three bears on Elinor’s necklace, the triplets, Merida’s relationship with her parents, the three lords, the three clans, the three suitors. If this is Merida’s story, then her relationship with each of the aforementioned should be the focus of a trilogy. And I think at the forefront of that should be her relationship with the three young lords. The kingdom was forged in Fergus’s friendship with MacIntosh, MacGuffin and Dingwall. Therefore, if Merida is to lead then the second part of her story should be about challenging her (and the audiences’) first impressions of the young lords and forging a bond with them, strengthening the kingdom and thus symbolically repairing the broken stone circle. 

The second part of the trilogy should also introduce a major conflict which has its roots in the first film. Maybe there’s a looming threat on the horizon; a supernatural threat i.e. the broken stone circle (could be symbolic of the threat to the four clans unity?) or the threat of invaders? Maybe it’s both?

So yeah, I think there are a TON of things you could do with Brave. I know it’s not one of Disney Pixar’s more popular films, but that’s easy to fix. Merida continues to be a fan favourite, so expanding the scope of her story would be a risk worth taking. Definitely more so than Cars 3 or Toy Story 4. -_-

[merguffinlove]

Brave AU: The Road Less Traveled Chapter 3

Chapter 3: From Dressage and Driveshafts to Dinner and Drinks

--------------------|} à->>>---------[(<+>)]------<<<-ß{|-----------------

“SON-OF-A-BITCH!”  

    Merida’s eyes widened in astonishment and worry as she listened to the string of curses being shouted inside the makeshift barn/auto-shop.

She looked down at Dodger who was sitting next to her feet. He looked back up at her with a soft whine.

           “Well, that certainly doesnnae sound good, does it boy?” she asked the tan and white mutt at her feet. The dog whined in response once more and moved a little closer to her.

Kneeling down, Merida gave the anxious pooch a god scratch behind his ears.

           “Come on, laddie, let’s what Shae’s gotten himself into now. Make sure he hasnnae hurt himself…” she muttered,

Dodger huffed, but cautiously followed as the woman stood and pushed open the door to the converted auto shop.

The smell of grease, oil and gasoline filled Merida’s senses when she stepped inside the building. She loved the mechanical smell of Shae’s shop! It was just so…

           …so strong and masculine. And it definitely fit him!

She looked around the large open area and noticed an older Lincoln Town car on one of the lifts. Shae had been working on the car, recently, she deduced. He didn’t like to leave vehicles up on the ‘rack’, as he called it.

She kept looking around, keeping an eye out for her tall, blonde and burly new friend.

   As she looked about, she realized that this was only the third time she’d been inside the “barn”, as Shae affectionately called it.

The first time had been when Shae had brought her back here after their first meeting about two weeks ago. She’d needed to grab some things for her new job out of her cab before he started work on repairing the truck.

That was the same night he’d let her borrow a loaner car from his extra stock of random cars, so she’d been able to have a vehicle while he fixed up her truck. He’d been so kind and gone the extra mile and Merida was very grateful for all his help!

The second time she’d been in the barn was when she’d picked up her repaired truck.

           Shae had done an excellent job and Merida was thankful and amazed at all of his hard work!

 He’d showed her a few of the things that had been wrong with the engine and he’d cleaned out parts that she didn’t even know needed the extra maintenance. He moved so accurately and swiftly with his hands that Merida was a little shocked that a man with hands his size could move them so deftly.

           Thinking back, Merida briefly wondered if he was as good with his hands in other endeavors…

           ‘Stop that!’ she blushed and scolded herself!

She barely knew the man!

           And a relationship was not one of the reason’s she’d moved to DunBroch!

Suddenly, Dodger gave a low growl and Merida was pulled from her own thoughts.

           “What’s the matter, boy?” she asked the scruffy canine.

Just then, another string of curses echoed through the auto shop/barn.

           “Damn it all to hell!” Shae cried out followed by another chorus of angry expletives. Dodger whimpered and ran off to hide in one of his cubby-holes.

   Merida winced,

           ‘Well, hopefully Shae’s alright. Sounds like something bad…’

     “Shae?” She called out, trying to locate him.

           “Miss Merida!?” Shae’s voice sounded startled!

    His yell was then followed by a loud crash and another group of curses. Merida winced again and followed the sound of the crash to a little ante-room off to the back of the barn shop.

   Inside this other room, she saw Shae bent over his emergency wash sink, rubbing the top of his head with one hand and his left one stuck under the gently running water.

      A cabinet full of clean hand towels and first aid items was standing open and a few of the items lay strewn along the floor.

It didn’t take long for her to deduce the scene in front of her.

           “Shae, are you alright?”

Shae glanced over his shoulder at her, careful to avoid the cabinet door this time.

           “Oh, aye. I’m fine Miss Merida. Donnae mind me. And I’m sorry you had to hear all that.” He apologized.

Merida rolled her eyes,

           “You donnae have to apologize to me, Shae. I’ve heard worse. Hell, I say worse, on a daily basis.”

Shae chuckled at her candor.

       She walked across the room over to him and it was then that she finally noticed the large open gash on his hand that was under the faucet. Her face scrunched up in concern and she reached out for his hand, worriedly.

           “Oh, Shae! What have you done to yourself? We need to clean this up and get it dressed! How bad is it? Do you need me to take you to a doctor?” she rattled off her words quickly as she took his injured left hand gently. She examined it more closely and noticed the cut wasn’t as deep as she’d first thought.

           “Oh, this isnnae really a bother, Miss Merida. I’ve hurt myself worse before…” he told her, but quickly shut up when she shot him a harsh look.

           Merida sighed heavily and took the rubbing alcohol and soft soap from the cabinet above.

           “What happened?” she asked, putting his hand back under the faucet and washing off the grease, grime and blood out of the open wound.

           “Before, after, or during slicing my hand open?” he asked teasingly.

Merida frowned and raised a brow, clearly not amused with his attempt at humor.

     Shae grinned sheepishly at her and answered.

           “I was working on changing the oil of that old Lincoln in yonder and my hand slip off the grip I was holding onto. It caught a loose piece of metal in the under carriage there. Sliced myself pretty good. I’m used to doing things like this though…it happens…”

   Merida pursed her lips and asked,

           “So, why were you yelling?

Shae chuckled nervously,

           “Well, I knew I needed to wash out the cut, but I turned on the hot water on by itself, and at full force! It scalded the hell out of my hand and hurt like crazy! And I yelled again because I poured too much alcohol on it. That burned like a mother…”

Merida gave a tiny smile as she patted at the cleaned-up wound.

           “And that loud crash Dodge and I heard?” she teased gently.

Shae blushed and looked up at the cabinet door accusingly.

           “When you called out, it startled me. I lifted my head too fast and whacked the top of my skull on this stupid door!” Shae groused and rubbed the top of his head once again.

Merida forced back a laugh but couldn’t stop the smile on her face.

           “Well, I donnae know why your cabinet is set so low in the first place, but I can see how you could bang your head so easily. You should have put that cabinet up higher when you installed it.”

    Shae laughed.

           “If you knew how many times I’ve conked my noggin’ on that damn door, you’d roll your eyes.”

Merida giggled,

           “And see, you’ve made my point.” she laughed.

Then she added,

           “You know, I’ve got to say, MacGuffin, I was shocked to hear that string of curses come out of you. You donnae seem like the swearing type of guy.”

Shae blushed darkly.

           “I donnae like to curse in front of women or children…old habit my grand-da’ instilled in me. He’s probably rollin’ in his grave knowing what you heard me say. Again, I’m sorry you had to hear all that…” Shae ducked his head.

           Merida grinned up at him and gave his shoulder a pat with one hand,

                       “I told you, it doesnnae bother me any, Shae. I curse like a sailor myself. It was just a little strange hearing it come from you, is all. I mean, you’re like the poster boy for the clean cut-no foul language - ‘Yes Ma’am/No Ma’am-bring home to your mum- kind of guy. It’s nice to know there’s a little bit of a foul-mouth rogue in all that gentlemanly wrapping.” She winked up at him.

     Shae blushed, but gave her another sheepish grin.

           “You make it seem like I’m some kind of strange rare specimen, Miss Merida.”

Merida finished dressing his wound and wrapped his hand with a bandage. Her brow furrowed slightl, and she raised an eyebrow at him.

           “In a way, you kind of are, Shae MacGuffin. I can honestly say that I’ve never met a man who acts or behaves quite like you do.”

Shae raised his brow at her,

           “You havennae known me very long, Miss Darroch. I could be the most chauvinistic, misogynistic, foul-mouthed man you ever met.”

Merida laughed and touched the tip of his nose playfully. Shae blinked and pulled back slightly, not ready for the boop or the jolt of electricity that shuddered down his neck.

           “I seriously doubt that, Shae. If that were the case, then you’d have all of DunBroch fooled.”

Shae shrugged,

           “Maybe everyone else is in on it.”

Merida rolled her eyes and smiled. Shaking her head, she scoffed,

           “I highly doubt that…”

At that moment, Dodger decided to finally come out of his hiding spot and make his way over to his master’s feet.

           “Oh, looks like Dodge wants some attention now that you’re not yelling anymore. Haha!” Merida laughed.

           Shae knelt down to pet his dog and make peace with his furry friend.

                       “I’m sorry I scared you, boy. Do you forgive me?”

Dodger barked happily and licked at his master’s cheek accepting the apology. Merida laughed again and Shae shooed the dog down. After giving Dodger a good scratch and making up with him, Shae stood and thanked Merida.

           “Thank you again, Miss Merida. You didnnae have to help me for my own stupid mistake but I do appreciate it.”

Merida smiled and gave a shrug,

           “You’ve helped me since we first met, Shae. I’m happy to help you back. Besides, I have three younger brothers. I used to dress wounds and soothe burns all the time. Hell, I even set one of my brother’s legs once while we rushed him to the hospital.”

Shae looked at her in awe.

           “Did you study nursing, then?”

Merida shook her head,

           “Uh, no. I thought about studying veterinary sciences at one point. But I realized early on I wouldnnae ever be able to put an animal to sleep. I have too big a soft spot when it comes to animals.”

Shae smiled softly at her. He didn’t know much about Merida Darroch, as they hadn’t really had a chance to get to know one another very much, but he could tell from their first meeting that she had a large heart for animals. Even the first time she’d been to his place, she was so at ease around the farm and his menagerie of animals. And of course, how she acted with her own stallion, Angus.

Dodger gave a bark and Merida knelt down to scratch his ears.

           …And she doted on Dodger almost as much as Shae did, so there was that…

Realizing he’d been staring at her silently a little too long, Shae cleared his throat and asked her:

           “So, what brought you by today, Miss Merida? Your rig isnnae giving you anymore trouble is it? Did I not get everything fixed right?”  

Merida smiled up at him,

           “No, the truck’s fine, Shae. To be honest, I just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing. I havennae seen you since I picked up that old rust bucket of mine, and that was over a week ago.”

Shae raised a brow,  

‘She wanted to come and see me?’ he pondered.

Feeling a warmth spread in his chest he wondered what was happening with him.

He helped her to her feet, and she looked up at him expectantly.

To fight off the tight feeling in his chest, Shae donned his best ‘flirt’ voice, and sent her a teasing grin,

           “Missed me that much, did you now?” he asked cheekily and with a waggle of his eyebrows. He wasn’t actually trying to flirt with her, just tease her a bit, mostly to calm himself.

Now it was Merida’s turn to raise a brow up at him. After a beat, she chortled, laughing at his attempt at joking flirtation.

           “Okay, you shouldnnae try to flirt like that, MacGuffin. You look ridiculous!”

Shae knew he was rusty, but he didn’t think it was that bad…even if it was a joke…

His face fell to a frown,

           “I was only trying to make a joke, Miss Merida.”

She nodded still chuckling,

           “Oh, aye, I get it. But it’s a good thing I know you’re not actually like that or might have had to belt you one right in the nose for that remark.” She shook a teasing fist under his chin.

Now, Shae laughed loudly, and Merida joined him.

      The pair walked back into the work area of his shop and Shae lowered the rack that the Lincoln was still up on.

           “You know, you donnae have to resort to violence, Miss Merida. I’ll stop if you ask me.”

Merida suddenly stopped her pacing and frowned,

           “I wish some of the others around here were that considerate, Shae.” She sighed.

Hearing the tiredness in her voice, Shae raised a brow at her as his grin fell,

           “Is something the matter, Miss Merida?” he asked, concerned.

Merida sent him a half-smile, grateful for his concern.

           “It’s nothing really, Shae. I’ve just had a really trying week at the Academy.”

Shae pursed his lips,

           “But school hasnnae started yet.” He shook his head, not following her train of thought.

Merida gave a tired laugh,

           “No, not yet. But I’m not talking about students. I’m talking about the annoying toady’s that I’m forced to work with.”

Shae look of concern deepened, and Merida backpedaled her statement,

           “Not everyone, mind you. Actually, most everyone I work with is decent.” She paused before adding,

           “But if I have to put up with any more smart-ass remarks from Colin Dingwall or that insufferable Monsieur Gaston de LeGume, then I’m going to allow my students to use them as target practice! And that’s before I teach them to aim properly!”

           Shae grimaced.

He knew Colin could be a bothersome little jackass at times, but he’d never heard his old friend be lumped in with the likes of Gaston. If Colin ever found out about Merida’s comparison, his friend would be mortified!

Trying to calm the riled red-head, Shae gave her a soft smile and offered a shrug.

           “I’m sure Colin didnnae mean any harm, Miss Merida. He can be an annoying pest at times but I donnae think he deserves to be in the same league as Mr. LeGume.”

Dodger barked in agreement.

Merida raised a skeptical brow at Shae and Dodger,

           “I know he’s an old friend of yours, Shae, as he’s told me many a time this week. But he’s still an annoying smart ass.” She groused.

Unable to stop himself, Shae belted out a loud blast of laughter and Dodger gave another bark of agreement.

           “Well, that he certainly is, Miss Merida.”

Merida smiled despite all the frustrations she was feeling. She liked being around Shae and Dodger. They made her feel welcome and like she was becoming part of something in the community. Quite a humorous thought, considering he lived out of town and was kind of an aloof character himself.

           Shae had calmed his laughs and looked at her with a soft smile. Merida felt her heart jump just from a simple look! This was ridiculous! She hardly knew him! Why was her body reacting this way?

           “So, I take it that you didnnae just come by for a visit then, eh, Miss Merida? Did you need me to talk to Colin for you, at least? I donnae have any pull with Mr. LeGume, but I can tell Colin to lay off.”

            Merida sighed in relief!

                       “That would be a big help, Shae! And I’d be very grateful to you. Not that I’m not already with everything you’ve done.”

Shae gave a nod,

           “Considerate it done, then, Miss Merida. That is what guardian angels are for, after all.” He gave her teasing wink, knowing that was her nickname for him.

Merida smiled at him sweetly,

           “That you are, Shae.” She said touching his arm gently.

Shae felt his cheeks heat and he smiled sheepishly back at her.

“I’m really not a guardian angel, Miss Merida. I was only teasing, again.”

Merida shook her head, still smiling,

           “You’re one to me, Shae. So just go with it. Also, you can just call me ‘Merida’. You donnae have to be so proper all the time.”

He gave her another warm smile and nodded,

           “So, you’ve said before Miss Merida, and I appreciate it.”

She shook her head and bit back a laugh,

           “How would you like it if I started calling you, ‘Mr. MacGuffin’?”

Shae wrinkled his nose,

           “Not the same thing, Miss Merida. And Mr. MacGuffin is my da. If you call me that outside of here, people will look around for him, they don’t expect me. Besides, you make me sound old when you call me that.”

           “Well, turnabout is fair play, Mr. MacGu…hmph!”

Shae shushed her by cupping his large hand gently over her mouth.

           She raised a brow and him and he shook his head,

                       “You wonnae win this, Miss Merida. And if you insist on calling me, ‘Mr. MacGuffin’ to prove your point, then I’ll just have to go back to calling you Miss Darroch, again.”

           Shae pulled his hand away from her mouth and Merida pursed her lips,

                       “Stubborn ass.” She muttered, but the corners of her mouth turned slightly up, hinting at a smile.

Dodger barked again, adding in his agreement to Merida’s statement. Shae shot the dog an annoyed look, but Dodger simply ignored his master’s harsh look and sauntered back over to Merida’s feet.

Merida knelt and scratched at Dodge’s ears and chin. The mutt-dog made a happy, contented noise in response. Shae stared at the dog, accusingly.

           “Traitor.” Shae teased.

Merida laughed and stood up, dusting off her knees as she did. She sent Shae an apologetic smile.

           “Alright, I give, Shae. I wonnae call you, ‘Mr. MacGuffin’, as long as you donnae go back to calling me ‘Miss Darroch’. Though, I’d still prefer you drop that ‘Miss’ nonsense.”

    Shae blushed and rubbed at the back of his neck.

           “I’ll try to work on that, Miss Merida.”

Merida chortled and rolled her eyes again.

           “There you go again…”

Shae grinned sheepishly and gave a half shrug.

           “Habits…”

  Merida shook her head and continued,

           “Anyway, besides talking to Colin for me, do you think you could do something else for me?” she asked.

That made Shae snap to attention and he nodded,

        “Of course, Miss Merida. What do you need?”

    “Well, like I said, it’s been a trying few days, and I could really use some friendly company tonight. I’d like an ear to bend, and I wondered if maybe I could bend yours.”

Then she added quickly,

           “While we have dinner.”

Shae was slightly stunned, and he gaped at her.

           “You want to go have dinner with me?”

Merida giggled, nodding her head she asked,

“Why, of course! Why wouldn’t I?”

Shae shrugged and rubbed at the back of his neck,

           “Well, it isnnae like we know each other all that well, Miss Merida. I mean, we’ve only known each other a total of two weeks and other than when I was fixing up your rig, we haven’t really been around each other…”  

Merida rolled her eyes,

           “Well, that may be true, but I’d still consider you my friend, Shae.”

Merida paused and looked at him expectantly,

“At least, I’d like to think we’re friends. Or, becoming friends…”

Shae smiled softly at her and nodded,

           “I’d like to think so too, Miss Merida.” He said gently.

Merida thought she could hear the twinge of something in his voice.

           Was it hope perhaps?

Regardless, when she heard the soft inflection in his voice, she smiled back at him.

           “Well, I’m glad. I donnae have many friends…even less since moving out here to DunBroch.”

   Shae frowned.

           “I’m sorry, Miss Merida.”

She waved it off.

           “It’s fine, Shae. Except for some of the staff and a few of the people I’ve met in town while out shopping or eating, I havennae really had a chance to befriend anyone else. But it’s fine, really.”

Shae’s frown deepened. DunBroch was normally a friendly little town…but newcomers were usually treated a little different until they go to know the community…

     Maybe he could take her out to some of the people and places he knew…

Wait? Wouldn’t that be a date if they did something like that? Is this dinner tonight a date? His brow furrowed and he stared down at the ground, lost in his thoughts.

           “Shae?”

                       “Shae…”

      Merida waved a hand in front of him, but he still didn’t look at her. What was wrong with him? Had she said something wrong? She touched his forearm gently, trying to pull him back to earth.

      Finally, Shae shook his head and looked back at her. He had zoned out and had gotten lost in his own thoughts. He snapped out of it when he heard Merida said his name again and place a hand on his forearm.

           “Yes, Miss Merida?” his voice was suddenly hoarse.

   “I said: ‘Dinner is my treat.’” She repeated then looked at him in concern,

“You alright? You sort of zoned out there a minute or two…”

   Shae forced a grin,

           “I’m fine, Miss Merida. Sometimes I just get lost in my own thoughts, is all. Sorry about that. And dinner sounds wonderful.”

Merida’s smile widened.

Shae added,

           “If you’ve got dinner, then at least let me drive us into town. No use in wasting both of our gas.”

Merida giggled again,

           “Sounds fair to me, Shae, let’s go!”

Shae chuckled, then, giving a sweeping gesture towards the door in a gentlemanly fashion, he said,

           “After you, m’lady.”

Merida laughed loudly at his ridiculousness.

           “You are such a dork, you know that?” she laughed.

Shae chuckled lightly along with her. He realized that he was quickly falling in love with the sound of her laughter. He wanted to hear more of it from her.

           He gave a shrug as she walked by,

                       “At least I keep things interesting, Miss Merida.”

Merida’s laughter echoed throughout the building as they both headed towards the door to the auto-shop. Dodger followed them in tow. Before leaving and locking up, Shae grabbed the keys to the Lincoln he had been working on and placed the tag name “Mrs. Potts” on it. Merida noticed the name and grinned,

           “Is that Theodora Potts’ car?”

Shae paused and looked over at her with a furrowed brow.

           “Uh, yeah it is.” He lifted a brow as he eyed her,

                       “How do you know Mrs. Potts?”

Merida giggled,

           “She and her sister are my land ladies. I’m renting out one of their flats.”

Shae’s mind flashed to her address and his eyes lit up with realization.

      “Oh right, the one right next to theirs on the second floor.”

Merida looked at him in astonishment.

           “Yeah…that’s the one…damn that’s a little unnerving that you knew that so quick, Shae. You’re not stalking me, are you?” her voice was serious, but her expression looked playful.  

           Shae blushed and grimaced, wrinkling his nose. He probably shouldn’t have known that. Dammit! He did have her address on file, but he’d also memorized it…and he’d even driven by the apartment…not necessarily because he was stalking her. Not really…

He cleared his throat to cover up his embarrassment.

           “I happen to have a good memory, Miss Merida. Especially with dates, numbers, locations, things like that. I know which flat is Mrs. Potts and Ms. Martha’s, and I know of the other tenants in the lower apartments. Ergo, I deduced that you must be renting the one next to the sisters on the second floor. I donnae stalk my clients or my friends, Miss Merida. Not even the beautiful ones.”

Merida’s cheeks flushed slightly, but she let him continue talking, as he didn’t even catch his slip.

“Besides, Stalker Mechanic doesnnae sound very good on a business card, nor would it look good on my advertisements either.”

Merida laughed and bumped his shoulder with hers.

           “Maybe not, but it would probably get you your own Netflix special.”

Shae rolled his eyes and shook his head, but he had a smile on his face.

           “I doubt that, Miss Merida.”

“Oh, I donnae. The Stalker Mechanic of DunBroch sounds mysterious and dark. Just the kind of docudrama Netflix is always making.” Merida grinned.

She winked at him as he shot her an incredulous look,

“You know I’m right. Also, props to your deductive reasoning skills, Shae. I’m not that observant.”

Shae’s face flushed again, and Merida’s grin widened. She liked teasing Shae. He was cute when he blushed.

           ‘Stop that!’ she chastised herself again.

Shae finished what he was doing, and the pair walked out of the barn/auto shop.

        “So…dinner?” Shae raised a brow at her as he locked up the building for the evening.

The pair headed towards where Merida had parked next to Shae’s truck. As they neared the two vehicles, Merida patted at his shoulder.

           “Aye dinner…” she paused before adding,

                       “And if we happen to go to the pub afterwards and get shit-faced on whiskey and scotch…then so be it.” She added nonchalantly.

Shae gave a hearty deep belly laugh.

           “Never a dull moment with you Miss Merida! Haha!”

Merida smiled coyly at him as Dodger bounded and barked in excitement at his owner’s laughter.

           “I aim to keep people on their toes, Mr. MacGuffin.” She said smugly.

   “BARK!” Dodger added happily.

The human’s laughed again at their excited canine companions’ antics. Shae gripped the passenger side door handle to his truck’s cab and opened the door for her.

           “Such a gentleman.” She teased as she climbed into the cab.

  “Go on!” Shae shooed her in and shut the door. He walked over to the driver’s side of the truck and got in. Raising a brow at her, he asked,

           “Now, did I hear you correctly? You want to go to the pub and get shit-faced? With me? Are you sure?”

Merida laughed loudly.

           “First of all, I believe I suggested dinner beforehand, MacGuffin. But, yeah, I do! And yes, I am sure! It’s been a damn long week and it’s been a while since I’ve had a good night out. I thought maybe you could show me what else DunBroch has to offer.”

Shae smiled and fired up his truck.

           “It would be a pleasure, Miss Merida.”

Merida laughed again.

    Shae decided that he really liked seeing her smile and hearing her laugh. And he wanted to find more opportunities to make her smile and laugh.

Before leaving, Shae rolled down his window and called out to Dodger.

           “Head on back up to the house boy. We’ll be back later.”

Dodger whined but obliged and headed back up to the farmhouse.

   Merida chuckled,

           “That dog is too smart for his own good!”

Shae nodded in agreement.

           “Aye, that he is, Miss Merida. Come on, let me show you some of DunBroch and its ‘wild’ night life.” he grinned.

           “I can hardly wait.” Merida smirked playfully.

“Oh, and I didnnae forget,” she added with a wink

“You said you think I’m beautiful, Mr. Stalker Mechanic.”

Shae blushed and bowed his head slightly,

           “I was hoping you hadnnae heard that…and you’re not going to call me that tonight, are you?”

Merida shrugged, smirking slightly,

           “Depends on how shit-faced I get.”

Shae laughed,

           “Fair enough.”

And with that, the pair headed down his lane and to the road into town.

  --------------------|} à->>>---------[(<+>)]------<<<-ß{|-----------------

  Shae pulled into the parking lot of a small, cozy looking establishment. Merida surveyed the exterior of the building, thoughtfully. It reminded her of a storybook cottage from one of her old childhood fairy tales.

Which seemed appropriate, given the name of the place was called, ‘The Three Faery Sisters’.

Merida almost laughed!

Once fully parked, Shae turned to Merida with a sheepish grin.

           “Okay, I’ll just tell you right now, this isnnae the fanciest place in town. But, they have great food and the ladies who run it are very sweet…” Shae paused and added a teasing shrug,

           “Well, usually anyway. They can get rather feisty, at times. But I think you’ll really like this place.”

Merida smiled softly.

           “I wouldnnae expect the finest place in town on the first date, Shae.” she teased.

      “First date?” he repeated, raising a brow at her.

Merida laughed and patted his knee.

           “Teasing, Shae. Just making a joke.”

Shae chuckled nervously,

           “Oh, aye! Of course.”

Merida raised a brow, curious.

“Unless you want this to be a date? I mean, I guess…”

Shae put his hands up, staving off that train of thought.

           “No, no, no, no. It’s fine. I didnnae think it was a date, you just caught me off guard is all, Miss Merida. Just a nice dinner and outing for a pair of friends sounds great.” He hurried over his words and hoped Merida wouldn’t catch the nervous tremor in his voice.

Luckily, she didn’t.

   Smiling at him, nodded in agreement,

           “Aye dinner and drinks as new…ish friends.”

Getting out of the cab of his truck, the pair headed to the door of the restaurant. Ever the gentleman, Shae reached out and opened the door for her.

           “After you, Miss Merida.”

She giggled and rolled her eyes.

           “You really are a dork, you know? A gentlemanly one, but still a dork.”

Shae laughed and slipped in behind her.

He leaned in and whispered to her,

           “If it makes you laugh and keeps you entertained, then I’ll be as dorky as you want me to be.”

Merida blushed slightly as he grinned down at her.

Before they reached the front podium, Shae touched at the small of her back and added in another whisper,

           “Oh, I almost forgot to warn you, the ladies who own this place will probably ask a lot of…invasive questions. You can just ignore them, they donnae mean any harm.”

Merida was about to ask him what he meant, but an older woman’s voice cut into her thoughts.

           “Good evening! Welcome to the ‘Three Faery Sisters’! How many do you have tonight?” Called out the cheery voice from behind the podium.

Shae greeted the woman politely.

           “Good evening to you too, Ms. Flora. How are you tonight?”

The middle-aged woman with greying brown hair startled and took a better look at her guests.

Merida also took a better look at the older woman as she smiled up at Shae and greeted him fondly. Merida winced slightly at the woman’s pastel pink pant suit but didn’t say anything. She wasn’t about to be rude!

           “Why, Shae MacGuffin!? It’s so good to see you, dearie! We haven’t seen much of you in here in a long while!” Flora smiled wide.  

Shae gave a shrug as Merida quietly watched the interaction.

           “Och, you know how it goes, Flora. Long hours at the shop, working the farm…things like that. It doesnnae leave a lot of time for social visits.”

           Merida watched the older woman’s face fall slightly and the woman’s eyes softened with understanding. That wasn’t the first time she’d noticed someone do that when talking with, or about Shae MacGuffin. Mrs. Potts and Ms. Martha had kind of had the same wispy look when she’d mentioned Shae to them.

     It seemed obvious that there was a story there, but Merida wouldn’t pry into it just yet. She and Shae needed to get to know each other better first. Besides, as they got to know each other more, he might just tell her on his own…

Merida watched Shae and the older woman he’d called Flora talk, while her mind wandered.

           Secretly, she hoped that she and Shae could become good friends. God knew she could use some actual friends now. Maybe eventually something more…

           She shook her head to clear her thoughts,

‘Dammit Merida stop thinking like that! You didnnae move away from home to meet someone! You moved to get away from…’

Merida was pulled from her thoughts when she felt Shae place a gentle hand on the small of her back. The soft touch brought her back to the moment and she snapped her attention to what Shae was saying to the Flora lady.

           “…a table for two, Ms. Flora?”

The lady in front of them blinked a few times before turning her gaze to Merida, as if just noticing her there!

Flora’s brows knit together in confusion and Merida gave her a sheepish smile. She hoped it looked innocent and non-threatening, but she didn’t know how the people of the town would react to her. She hadn’t had much of a chance to meet a lot of people yet and it probably didn’t help that she was being seen out with Shae. And it did look like they were out on a date…

           …Merida had a feeling that might ruffle some feathers.

Flora eyed the young woman at Shae’s side cautiously. She’d never seen this young lady in DunBroch before…

           Who was she? And what did she want with their wonderful, sweetheart Shae?

Flora opened her mouth, ready to ask those questions, but she was interrupted by her sister.

           “Oh, Shae!? You have a date with you tonight?! That’s wonderful, sweetie!” came a sweet soft voice from behind them.

Shae flushed red and Merida giggled at his reaction!

     It was better than the one she’d gotten out of him from her teasing earlier. And Shae looked just flustered enough that Merida thought it was adorable! He probably didn’t enjoy the attention, though.

Soon, Flora was joined by another middle-aged woman with auburn, but slightly greying hair. This woman bore sharper features than Flora, but they had a very distinct resemblance. Merida surmised that these two were sisters…

           ‘Especially given the fact the name of this place is ‘The Three Faery Sisters’.’ Merida mused as she watched the other two women and Shae interact.

The second lady had a sweet, genuine smile on her face, but she also had a child-like twinkle in her eye.

           ‘Maybe a tad ditzy sounding.’ Merida thought to herself as she listened to the new woman at the podium.

The new woman was wearing a pine green and light grey chevron sweater with a charcoal grey ankle length skirt. An apron around her waist, pencil sticking out of her hair bun and a small note pad in her hand completed her ensemble.

           If Flora was the hostess, then this other woman was definitely the waitress. Shae cleared his throat and spoke to the new lady with a soft voice.

           “We arennae on a date, Ms. Fauna. This is Miss Merida Darroch. She’s fairly new to DunBroch and I brought her here so she could try your delicious food and experience your wonderful hospitality.”

Fauna’s brow rose as she listened to Shae.

           “Are you sure it isn’t a date, sweetie? I mean, you haven’t been out with anyone for quite some time. And it would do you good, Shae!”

Shae’s cheeks flushed dark red.

           “No, it isnnae a date, Ms. Fauna! Miss Merida and I are just friends. Just two friends going out to dinner, that’s all.”

Fauna frowned at him,

           “Well, it’s certainly a shame, Shae. Do you have something against red heads?”

Shae went to shake his head, but Fauna continued to prattle on,

           “They say red-heads make the most passionate lovers; you know.”

“FAUNA!?” Flora gaped at her sister.

     Merida snorted a laugh. She’d tried to remain unfazed by the older woman’s bluntness but failed miserably. Shae’s mouth fell open,

           “I…uh…no! I have nothing against red heads and I’m sure Miss Merida is a very passionate…” he paused and buried his face in his hands,

           “What am I saying…” he muttered into his hands and shaking his head.

Merida burst out laughing at his flustered state and the whole situation in general,

           “Shae, you just pretty much shot the whole, ‘We’re not on a date,’ thing all to hell.”

He frowned, looking down at her,

           “But it isnnae a date!”

      “Are you sure?” Fauna asked innocently.

Merida laughed again and shook her head. Fauna’s smile widened as she eyed the young woman appreciatively.

           “She is quite beautiful, you know, Shae. She has a wonderful laugh too! You’d be a fool to pass this one up.” Fauna harped on the young man.

“FAUNA!?” Flora gasped again, not believing the blatant speech coming from her sister!

   Shae blushed a deeper shade of red and now wished he’d picked a different place to have dinner.

           Merida bit at her bottom lip to stop her giggles.

Turning to Fauna, she smiled sweetly and gently touched the woman’s arm.

           “Thank you for the compliment, Ms. Fauna. I appreciate the boost of confidence.”

Fauna smiled back,

           “Well, I’m sure Shae is thinking it, dear. Even if he won’t say it. He’s a little shy when it comes to beautiful women.”

           “FAUNA!” Flora snapped at her sister again, but Fauna ignored it.

    “Would you say this is a date then, Miss Merida?” Fauna asked.

Merida’s face flushed slightly, but she waved her hand flippantly.

           “Shae and I are just friends…and I think we’d kind of like to keep it that way…” she paused and sent a teasing wink Shae’s way.

           “For now, anyway.”

Shae blushed, having caught the wink intended for him. And he was sure that Fauna and Flora had seen it too because they exchanged knowing looks with each other.

           “Sure, it’s not a date.” Fauna rolled her eyes.

Merida bit her lip and winced slightly.

The wink may have been a little much, so she tried to back-peddle,

           “Look ladies, Shae and I are still getting to know each other.” She touched his arm gently and Shae felt that jolt he’d felt the day at the dressage event.

“I’m new in town and Shae’s been the only person that’s really helped me try to find a place to fit in so far. He’s my friend.” Merida tried to tease the two sister by playfully teasing them.

“Besides, you donnae know anything about me. I could just be after Shae for his money, for all you know.” Merida teased the two women.

           Fauna’s face took on a look of concern and Flora frowned slightly,

                       “You wouldn’t be the first one, my dear.” Flora stated.

Merida’s brow furrowed and she frowned back. She’d only meant that as a joke!

      Shae interrupted with an awkward chuckle.

           “I believe Miss Merida was only joking, ladies.”

For an unexplained reason, Merida felt her temper flare up! Someone had actually tried to trick Shae because of money?! She knew his family was wealthy, but no self-respecting woman would be able to do that to the sweetheart of a man standing beside her.

Her temper won out over her common sense and she shot her mouth off hotly,

     “Aye, I was only joking!”

Flora nodded,

“Oh, we understand that dear…”

“No, I’m not sure you do. First off, if Shae and I were in a relationship, I wouldnnae ever lead him on like that! He’s too nice of a sweetheart to try to swindle! It’d be like kicking a little hurt puppy in the dirt!”

Fauna nodded in agreement and Flora just listened to the young woman’s fire,

“And second, he’s my friend!” she paused to look up at Shae’s stunned expression.

After a beat, Shae’s lips turned up in the corners, offering her his own smile.

Merida turned back to the two sisters as she finished her rant.

           “Any woman who plays a man just for money is a …” Merida clamped her mouth shut and held her tongue.

    She took a deep breath to calm her temper.

           “Well, I donnae think I should say out loud what I call that kind of woman. It wouldnnae be polite…”

Shae looked at Merida in admiration,

           “Thank you, Miss Merida. That means a great deal to me…and to my friends.”

Merida suddenly realized how riled she’d gotten over a simple thing and now it was her turn to blush,

           “It’s fine Shae, I just…It isnnae right for a woman to do that, especially to a man like you…”

Fauna and Flora both grinned and eyed Merida with approval. Fortunately for the sisters, Shae and Merida both missed their approving glance, because they were both too busy staring at each other.

Fauna elbowed her sister in the side, giving her a coy smile and vigorous nod. Flora rolled her eyes and shook her head.

The two younger people still hadn’t acknowledged the sisters again, so Flora decided she needed to get their attention back. She grabbed two menus and shooed her sister away. Fauna frowned but went back to work bussing and waiting tables.

Clearing her throat, the motherly like woman asked,

“So, dinner for two then?

The sound of Flora’s voice caused Shae and Merida to snap out of their staring contest and they both turned to face Flora.

Shae found his voice first,

           “Aye, Ms. Flora. Dinner for two…” his voice was deep, full of emotion and Flora had to hold her tongue.

If these two were any more attracted to each other, they would probably set the foyer on fire. Donning her best customer service voice, she told the young couple to follow her.

           “Right this way, dearies…” she smiled, leading them to the dining room.

        “I’ll make sure to not put you two in a romantic little, private corner, since this is most definitely not a date.”

Merida smiled in thanks and Shae sighed in relief. Walking from the front lobby, Flora took them through the open dining room and sat Shae and Merida next to the window before sending them both an apologetic smile. She handed them their menus.

           “You’ll have to forgive us, my dear, “she said turning to Merida.

     “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Shae in here…” she paused before adding,

           “Even longer since he’s had a… ‘friend’ with him.” Flora cleared her throat as she finished her explanation.

Shae ducked his head into his menu.

Merida looked up at Flora and nodded.

           “It’s alright, Ms. Flora. I just donnae think people should get the wrong impression about Shae and me. There’s no need in other’s thinking anything is going on between us, when there isnnae.”

           ‘Clearly…’ Flora thought wryly.

To save Shae from more embarrassment Flora decided to excuse herself. She turned to look at Merida once more and gave her a sweet smile.

           “I would love to stay and share stories with you, Miss Darroch, but unfortunately I have some things I need to check on. I do hope you enjoy the rest of your evening. And welcome to DunBroch.”

Merida smiled cordially in return,

           “It was wonderful to meet you, Flora. And you can call me Merida.”

Flora smiled back and gave a nod to the young woman before heading back up to the front.

Shae frowned as he watched Flora walk back up to the front podium. This was going a little too well…for the most part, and Shae was suspicious.

   Merida eyed him curiously

        “Shae, why are you watching Ms. Flora like that?”

He looked over at Merida with a furrowed brow,

       “Like what?” he asked.

Merida chuckled,

        “Like she’s got something insidious planned for us tonight? What is the problem?”

Shae’s frown deepened.

He wasn’t sure what it was. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on…

There was one thing that had really embarrassed him tonight and he might as well let Merida know.

Shae’s blush crept up to his ear tips and down his neck. He rubbed at the back of his neck nervously.

      “They…well, Ms. Fauna was WAY out of line with the whole ‘red-heads and passionate lovers’ thing…”

   Merida laughed,

“Really?! I thought that was hilarious! And your reaction to it made it even better!”

Shae blushed again,

“It was inappropriate! She didnnae have to say something like that!” he growled, his voice no louder than a whisper.

    Merida leaned on the table, propping her chin in her palm,

“But it’s, oh so accurate.” She teased, winking at him playfully again.

Shae was sure his blush wouldn’t ever go away now!

Great! Now he had to fight off those kinds of images in his head…

Merida smiled at him and reached over to pat his hand good-naturedly.

           “Aw come on, Shae. This evening hasnnae been as bad as all that…”

Shae shot her a look of annoyance but Merida simply grinned back at him.

           “Oh really? I cannae imagine how this night could get any more embarrassing…”

She caught his eye and sent him a soft smile.

           “If it makes you feel any better, I’ve been having a great time.”

He sighed and rolled his eyes,

           “I’m sure you have. Having to defend yourself to the sisters, and then reminding everyone that this isnnae a date…”

Before either of them could say anything else, Fauna came to their table carrying two wine glasses and placed them on the table in front of them.

Shae’s shoulders sagged,

           “Ms. Fauna, what is this?” he asked, pointing to the two glasses of wine.

Fauna grinned innocently,

           “House specialty wine. Compliments of me.”

“But…” Shae tried to interrupt but Fauna wouldn’t allow him too,

           “Just because it isn’t a date, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t indulge in a nice spirit or two, Shae.” She paused and gave the couple a cheeky grin and winked discreetly at Merida,

           “Besides, you never know where the night may lead.”

Merida forced back a laugh. She really like the cheekiness of this lady!

           Fauna was determined to turn this into a date, come hell or high water!

     “Look over the menu for a bit and I’ll be back shortly to get your orders, dears.”

With that, Fauna turned and left to go help another table.

Merida smiled at him trying to force back a laugh. He replied with an apologetic one.

           ‘Sorry.’ He mouthed to her silently from across the table.

      Giving a shrug, she took ahold of the wine glass and brought it up to her lips. Just to see his reaction, she teased him,

           “I’ve had worse first dates.”

Shae’s head jerked up in shock as she shot him another wink and took a sip of the wine.

  --------------------|} à->>>---------[(<+>)]------<<<-ß{|-----------------

   “What is going on out there?” Merryweather, the last of the sisters, asked as both Fauna and Flora rushed back into the kitchen.

           “Our dear, sweet, Shae has a date here with him tonight!” Fauna grinned.

“WHAT?!” Merryweather’s mouth fell open.

Flora shushed her sister,

           “Hush! Merryweather, please. We don’t want to attract any unwanted attention to ourselves…or the young couple, for that matter.”

           “But, who is he here with? None of the young women in town have any interest in our Shae. Well, none have any decent interest in him that is!” Merryweather huffed.

Fauna giggled and clapped her hands together,

    “This one does.” Fauna turned to Flora with a big smile,

           “Did you see how she acted with him? That was not ‘We’re just friends’ flirting.”

Flora nodded,

           “Yes, but we shouldn’t push too much. You know how Shae is, and after everything else…don’t want to scare this one off.”

Her tone changed to one of admonishment,

           “And Fauna, what were all of those innuendos and dreadfully crude remarks for?”

     Fauna grinned,

           “I was just testing the waters a bit, Flora. She laughed. She wasn’t offended by any of it. I sense feistiness in that one, if you ask me.”

Merryweather stomped her foot,

           “Who are you two talking about? Who is Shae here with?”

“SHH!” Flora and Fauna hushed their sister harshly. They pulled her to the kitchen door and pointed through the door window towards the couple’s table.

           “There. That’s her. She’s lovely, Merryweather! Very passionate and she seems bright!” Fauna whispered excitedly.

          “Probably a little bit stubborn…” Flora added with a snort.

Fauna shrugged,

           “Well, she is a red head. It kind of comes with the territory.”

She smiled wider as she continued to describe her to her shorter sister,

           “She’s already falling for our boy! You can hear it in her voice and see it in the way she acts!”

The three stepped away from the door so they wouldn’t be heard through the door.

Merryweather shook her head,

           “Just listen to you two! What do you actually know about her? Who is she? Where did she come from?” Both Flora and Fauna became silent and Merryweather rolled her eyes, heaving a sigh.

           “For all you know, she could just be after Shae’s family’s deep pockets.”

Fauna snickered mischievously,

           “On the contrary dear sister, I think if she’s after anything, it’s what’s in his pants…not his pockets.”

Flora’s mouth fell open and she slapped her sisters arm warningly.

           “FAUNA! Don’t be so crude and vulgar! Honestly! Besides Shae isn’t the type to allow something like that to happen so soon anyway.”

Fauna rolled her eyes,

           “Oh, stop being so old-fashioned, Flora. Shae’s an adult and he can do what he wants with whom he wants. Whenever he wants.”

Merryweather sighed in exasperation,

           “Sisters, please? Can we get back the actual topic? You still didn’t tell me if you knew anything about her. I mean, do I need to go out there and question her myself?” she asked.      

           “NO!” Flora and Fauna snapped at their sister and the shorter woman took a step back.

Flora, Fauna and Merryweather all winced, realizing how loud they had become. They dropped their voices lower as they continued to converse.

           “No. We shouldn’t interrupt them too much. They might become suspicious.” Flora stated in a whispered tone.

Then she gave Fauna a pointed look,

           “And don’t think I didn’t see you bring that wine to their table. I seriously doubt they ordered it.”

Fauna shrugged,

           “Wine goes good with dinner.”

“Wait a minute, you two are trying to set them up and you don’t even know anything about the young woman. Nor do you know if Shae is attracted to her or not!”

           The sisters paused when they heard a throat clear sharply behind them.

                       “Ahem.”

The three sisters turned and saw a very irked looking Shae MacGuffin standing in front of them. Immediately the three of them clammed up.

           “Shae dear, can we help you?” Flora asked innocently.

He crossed his arms and shook his head.

His brows furrowed and his frown deepened as he looked at them,

           “Aye, you can explain to me why it’s taking so long to come get our order, and why you,” he pointed to Fauna accusingly,

           “decided to bring us glasses of wine? We already told you, this isnnae a date.” Shae snapped.

Merryweather looked at her two sisters in frustration.

           “You two got all worked up over this? You just heard Shae, it’s nothing! Obviously, it’s not a date.”

Fauna frowned,

           “But they want it to be.”

Shae sighed,

           “Ms. Fauna…”

Flora shook her head too,

           “Oh, come now Shae, dear.  We may be older, but we’re not blind! You’re both attracted to each other. That much is obvious!”

Shae looked at Merryweather for help, but the stouter older woman simply raised a brow at him,

           “I have no opinion in this, dear. I don’t even know who this young lady friend of yours is. These two won’t give me a straight answer.”

Shae sighed and looked between the three sisters before beginning.

           “Merida.” He said her name so soft and quiet, Merryweather almost didn’t hear him.

Shae cleared his throat,

    “Her name is Merida Darroch. She’s new here in DunBroch. Doesnnae know anyone as far as I know…”

Flora looked concerned and Fauna had a sad look on her face. Merryweather just listened quietly.

“She was hired at the Academy as the new Archery instructor and, with a wee bit of help from me, was able to land the position as the Equestrian instructor, too.”

The sisters all looked impressed at that bit of information.

          “How did you help her with that?” Merrywather asked.

Shae felt his cheeks flush,

           “I was able to get her and her mount to a dressage event. She wouldnnae have made it and might have missed out on the chance to impress the board…” He shrugged, suddenly self-conscious,

“I didnnae do too much…”

“Dressage? So, she must be good with horses then?” Fauna interjected.

  Flora rolled her eyes,

“Obviously, dear. The school gave her the equestrian job, didn’t they?”

    Shae smiled softly,

           “She’s amazing with all animals. Loves being around them…Dodge loves when she comes over…”

The three sisters were starting to get the picture…

Shae’s eyes zoned out and a goofy smile started to spread over his face

           “She’s funny. Bright…passionate…a wee stubborn. Hot-headed too, I’d say.” He added with a smile.

He glanced up and nodded to Fauna knowingly,

           “And you’re right Ms. Fauna, she has a great laugh. And smile too…” his voice tapered off as he lost himself in his own thoughts.

           Merryweather stood in semi-shock. There had been a tenderness in his voice that she hadn’t heard in a long time!

None of them had.

The sisters glanced back and forth between each other.

           “And you’re absolutely sure this isn’t a date, Shae, dear?” Merryweather questioned gently, patting at his elbow.

That question pulled him from his thoughts, and he frowned at Merryweather.

           “Och, now donnae you start too Ms. Merryweather!”  

Flora stepped up to him,

           “Shae, dear, it’s just us. Your Miss Merida isn’t here, now. You can talk to us…”

        Shae was trapped and he had no escape this time!

He rubbed at the back of his neck nervously.

           “Merida is…” he paused, not knowing how to end his thought.

Taking a deep breath Shae, bowed his head as he exhaled,

           “…Special…She’s my friend. And, maybe it’ll turn into something more, eventually, but right now…we donnae know enough about each other…”

The three sisters looked at him expectantly and Shae brushed the loose hair back out of his face. Another nervous habit of his.

           “I’m attracted to her, I wonnae lie. I mean, who wouldnnae be? I thought she was stunning the first time I saw her…”

  “It’s the red hair.” Fauna interjected.

Shae frowned,

   “It’s not that! Well, it’s not just that!”

But he paused and grinned,

     “Though, I have to admit, it is a big turn on.”

“TMI, dearie.” Flora rolled her eyes. Fauna and Merryweather chuckled.

Shae winced and blushed,

“Sorry.”

He cleared his throat and continued,

“There’s just some kind of…pull there that I havennae ever experienced before. It’s so intense! And completely out of nowhere! I just cannae explain it!”

    “Maybe you’re in love with her…” Fauna offered with a smile.

Shae scoffed,

      “How could I be? I barely know her! Besides, you cannae fall in love with someone you met a few weeks ago!”

           “Okay, maybe you’re in lust with her, then.” Merryweather responded.

Shae rolled his eyes,

           “Well, that’s a romantic thought. That does make more sense, but I’ve been around attractive women before, and it was never like this. And those women were way more forceful than anything Merida has done or said.”

           “Have you kissed her yet?” Fauna asked curiously.

    “What?” Shae’s head snapped over to look at her, a ‘deer in the headlights’ look was in his eyes.

Fauna proceeded to elaborate,

           “Kissed her. You know, lip-locked? Given her a big ol’ smack? Laid one on her?”

Shae bowed his head to rub his temple and hide his red face.

“I know what you meant, Ms. Fauna. I know what a kiss is!”

      “Well, have you?”

Shae instantly shut up, blushing. All three sisters looked at him, intrigued and slightly shocked.

           “You have! You have kissed her!” Fauna squealed excitedly pointing an accusing finger at the young man.

      “SHHH!!” Merryweather and Flora hissed at their sister.

Shae winced,

           “Well…not technically. It was an accident.”

Merryweather and Flora looked at him skeptically,

           “You can’t accidentally kiss someone, Shae. Either you did or you didn’t.” Flora said.

Shae frowned and grimaced.

           “Actually, it was an accident. I swear! She was leaning over to kiss my cheek and I didnnae know! I just saw movement out of the corner of my eye and turned to look. Next thing I know, her lips are on mine and…and it was…”

           “It was what, Shae, dear?” Flora urged.

Shae sighed as another goofy grin covered his lips.

           “It was nice. It was quick and soft and really didn’t count as a real kiss at all, but it was…it was a spark of something, you could say.”

The sister smiled at him knowingly,

           “Well, what are you going to do now, Shae? You just told us you’re attracted to her. And it’s obvious she’s attracted to you…”

Shae scoffed,

           “Merida isnnae attracted to me.”

     “Boy, are you blind?” Flora asked.

Shae looked at the older woman in confusion,

           “What do you mean?”

Fauna and Flora both rolled their eyes at him.

           “You really don’t see it?”

“Look ladies, I donnae care what you see. Merida told me that we’re just friends and that’s all she wants right now.”

           “Ah, that’s the key.” Merryweather nodded in understanding.

    “What?” Shae looked even more confused.

  “You said, she said, ‘right now’.’”

Shae shrugged,

           “Annndd?”

Fauna sighed,

           “That means she probably does want something more than friendship but she’s holding out for a while. Maybe she just had a break-up. You said she moved here recently, but you haven’t asked her where she is from. She could have been engaged and broke it off or was cheated on or something like that, so a new relationship this soon might seem a little much to her.”

Merryweather nodded too,

           “Or, maybe she’s giving herself some time. A recent move and all that, maybe she wants time to settle into a routine before pursuing a relationship, Shae dear.”

Flora added a final statement.

           “Regardless of her reasons, you mark my words, Shae MacGuffin, that young woman is smitten with you. No matter if you want to see it or not!”

Shae frowned and huffed indignantly. Throwing up his arms, he turned to the door. He was ending this conversation!

           “Whatever you say, ladies. You’re wrong, but whatever you say! And you do have other patrons out here to attend to, donnae forget.”

           “Oh, shoot!” Fauna exclaimed and headed out to the dining room too.

Flora turned to her shorter sister and sighed,

           “He’s being awfully stubborn about this, Merryweather. I wonder why he just won’t talk to her.”

Shrugging, Merryweather went back to her cooking pots and ovens, checking and hoping nothing had overcooked or burned during the interruption.

           “Give it time Flora. Shae is a grown man and can take care of himself. And since we don’t know this Miss Darroch, it’s better this way. Besides, I’d rather see Shae stay his wonderful gentlemanly self and take it slow with this one. She may have him captivated already, but maybe she has her own skeletons to unbury too.”  

  --------------------|} à->>>---------[(<+>)]------<<<-ß{|-----------------

  Merida sighed and took another long sip of her wine. She kept looking over at the kitchen doors that Shae had disappeared behind a while ago. He had gone to get Fauna to come out and take their order, but she was sure they had cornered him and were grilling him about her behind closed doors.

           Well, semi-closed swingable doors.

She giggled to herself.

           ‘That wasnnae funny, but for some reason it is to me…’ she thought, chuckling to herself.

           The wine was already making her a little giddy.

  She pursed her lips and considered going over to the kitchen too, but realized if they were talking about her, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know what Shae thought of her.

           Obviously, she wanted him to like her. And he seemed to…but what if he was turned off by her overabundance of flirtatious talk and innuendos.

  She worried her bottom lip.

    She knew she was attracted to Mr. Shae MacGuffin, but that didn’t mean that she should be so flirty with him! She didn’t come to DunBroch to start a new relationship. She’d come to start over. To get away from home, and her mother…and her mother’s plans for her life!             And to get away from her other…problems.

   Thinking about that left a bad taste in her mouth!

Angrily, Merida downed the rest of her wine and looked down at her phone to check the time. Normally, she also wore her smart watch and would have just used that to check the time, but she had left it back at her apartment that afternoon. Her father and mother had always had a rule of no cell phones at the table growing up and even now, as an adult, she tried not to have her cell out at meals. But this waiting was boring…

           And she was getting hungry.  

CREAK!

           The sound of the swinging door caught her attention and Merida looked up as Shae stalked out of the kitchen, red in the face. Merida wasn’t sure if it was because of embarrassment or he was upset. She hadn’t figured that part of him out yet.

As he walked back over to the table, Merida assessed the man she was slowly and surely becoming more attracted to.

She wouldn’t deny any of her attraction to him.

           He was tall, (very tall), blonde and charming, in an old-fashioned sort of way. He was strong too! He had showed how strong just by what she’d seen him work in his shop and around his farm. That was definitely a turn-on for her.

   His size might have been a turn-off for a lot of women, but she knew that his mass actually did an amazing job of camouflaging all the hard muscles of his arms and chest. Her father had a similar build, so she knew the shape and size was deceiving.

           He was also one of, if not the sweetest man she’d ever met! Their first meeting together proved that. She was very glad Shae had found her and Angus on the side of the road that day!  

Merida knew she shouldn’t get into a relationship so soon…and she especially couldn’t get into one with a man she’d only known for a little over two weeks!

Shae reached the table and slid into the booth across from her.

           “Sorry for taking so long.” He sighed.

                       “The ladies decided that having a talk in the kitchen was more important than serving dinner.”

Merida waved off his concern,

           “Donnae sweat it, Shae. I am getting more than a little hungry, though.”

Shae looked at her in concern.

           “I’ll make sure Fauna brings us some bread or something to tide us over until…”

Before Shae could finish his sentence, Fauna walked up and set down a medium size tray full of breads and cheeses on the table in front of them.

           “I’m sorry, my dear, you must be famished! Shae came to tell us to get back to work. He’s good at taking care of us, you know. Keeping us on task when he’s around. Would you like some more wine? Still compliments of me.” Fauna smiled gently.

           ‘I’d love some.’ She thought but knew better than to drink another glass. Especially if she talked Shae into a pub stop later.

Shaking her head, she politely refused.

           “No thank you, Ms. Fauna. Just water, please.”

Fauna nodded,

           “Alright, dear.”

She looked back and forth between Shae and Merida expectantly,

           “Are you ready to order?”

Smiling at each other from across the table, Shae and Merida nodded in agreement,

           “Aye!”  “Oh, you bet we are!”

Fauna giggled and pulled out her note pad from her smock and plucked the pencil from her bun,

           “Well then, what would you like?”

  --------------------|} à->>>---------[(<+>)]------<<<-ß{|-----------------

  The rest of the dinner went along without a hitch. And for that, Shae was grateful! They had just finished up and were about to ask Fauna for the bill when Flora walked up to them and leaned forward, placing her hands on the table. She looked at Merida apologetically,

           “I’m sorry to interrupt, my dear, but my other sister, Merryweather, would very much like to meet you. We told her that our dear Shae was here with a…’friend’ of the female persuasion and now she would like to meet you and…”

           “…and take an assessment of me?” Merida ventured.

Flora flushed lightly,

           “I suppose that is one way of putting it.”

Merida chuckled and winked at Shae,

           “Donnae you feel so loved, Shae? They want to make sure I’m up to par for you.”

Shae flushed a light shade of pink,

           “That really isnnae their business…”

She reached over and patted his hand,

           “They just care about you.” Merida then looked up at Flora,

                       “I’d love to meet Merryweather, Ms. Flora. That way I can thank the chef personally.” She said with a smile.

Flora smiled and nodded,

           “I’ll be right back with her.”

As Flora walked to the kitchen to get Merryweather, Shae leaned across the table and whispered to Merida,

           “You donnae have to humor them like this, Miss Merida. It really isnnae any of their business…”

Merida smiled at him,

           “You’re probably right, Shae, but if you and I are to become better friends then I want to be liked or at least tolerated by your other friends too. And these ladies do seem to have your best interest at heart.”

Merida sent him a teasing smile,

           “Although, Ms. Fauna didnnae do a very good job at hiding her attempt to turn this into a romantic date.”

Shae grimaced,

           “They really are wonderful women, but they have a bad habit of getting ideas stuck in their heads and not letting them go. Like thinking we’re on a date, when we just wanted to have dinner…I mean, it isnnae like men and women cannae go to dinner for completely platonic reasons…”

Merida smiled but raised a brow at him,

           “Shae, I donnae mean to pry, but just how long has it been since you’ve been out on a date?”

Shae’s cheeks turned bright red and his mouth dropped open slightly. Before he could answer, another voice interrupted them,

           “Much too long, my dear. Much too long!” answered a new voice Merida didn’t recognize.

           Looking towards the kitchen, the couple saw that Flora was walking back over to them and this time, a short, squatty woman with strands of greyed black hair followed along behind her.

           Merida noticed the navy-blue jumper dress looked a little worse for wear on the shorter woman and she had flecks of white flour in her hair and smudged along her face. This sister was definitely the cook of the three.

Merida stood up and greeted the new woman with a smile.

           “You must be the chef who made our meal tonight! It was delicious!”

Merryweather looked taken aback a moment before recovering with a smile of her own.

           “Thank you, Miss. It’s not often I get to hear feedback on my cooking from the patrons themselves. Usually Flora or Fauna rely their approval to me. It’s nice to hear it straight from the source.”

Merida stuck out her hand to shake the other woman’s.

           “You can call me, Merida, Ms. Merryweather. Your sister said your name earlier.”

Merryweather smiled and nodded.

           “You’ll have to forgive me, child. I was just curious to know who Shae had brought in tonight. Flora and Fauna can make such a fuss over some things. But Shae told us that you are new to DunBroch.”

Merida raised a brow at him as he stood up, as well.

           She smirked at him, teasingly,

                       “Ah, so you did talk about me behind my back, eh, Shae? I figured you had when you went into the kitchen earlier.”

Shae blushed and rubbed at the back of his neck.

           “They pressured me, Miss Merida.”

She laughed at his embarrassed reaction,

           “Tortured you, I bet.”

Shae cleared his throat and avoided her gaze. Merida was smiling wide as she turned her attention back to Merryweather and Flora. Fauna walked up to join them too, carrying the bill in hand.

Merida crossed her arms as she addressed the three sisters.

           “Aye, I’m sure what Shae told you is true. Um, let’s see if I can fill in any gaps… I’m new in DunBroch. To be honest, Shae is the only friend I have here, so far. I was hired on at Stonebridge Academy less than a week ago as both the new Equestrian and Archery instructors. I’ve met some of my co-workers, but other than that, I really havennae had a chance to get to know anyone here, yet.”

She paused, trying to remember anything else.

           “Let’s see, did I forget anything?”

Just then her eyes lit up and she looked up at Shae with soft smile on her lips. Shae raised a brow at her,

           “I almost forgot to tell you! Shae’s my guardian angel!”

Shae groaned lightly.

      “Miss Merida, you really donnae need to tell them that.” Shae’s cheeks flushed as all three sisters looked at him in confusion and awe.

Ignoring Shae’s protests the three sisters asked Merida to elaborate.

           “Guardian Angel?” Merryweather asked.

Merida nodded,

           “Oh aye! If it hadnnae been for Shae, I would have never made it to the dressage event with Angus. He’s my mount. And in turn I wouldnnae have gotten the Equestrian instructor’s position.”

“Shae told us about making sure you got to the event, but not that he was your guardian angel.” Flora smirked, raising a brow at the young man in front of her.            

Shae threw up his hands in exasperation!

           “Her truck had broken down on the side of the road. I simply hitched up the hauler and drove Miss Merida and Angus to the event. It’s not like I performed a miracle.”

Merida turned to him; her brows were knit tight together.

           “It was like a miracle to me, Shae MacGuffin! If you hadnnae come along when you did, I would have been stranded out there for God knows how long! Plus, I would have missed my opportunity for that job.”

She looked at the sisters and finished the rest of her story,

           “And after all that, he still tows my rig to his shop. Drops it off, then turns right around and comes back out to the event and waits for us to finish then brings us back.”

She turned her attention back to Shae momentarily,

           “And you gave me a place to house Angus until I could move him to the school’s stables, donnae forget that!”

Shae put his hands up in surrender,

           “I’ve simply been helpful, Miss Merida. I help people, it’s just a thing I do. It doesnnae make me a guardian angel…It just means I’m nice.”

Merida sighed and rolled her eyes,

           “So, you keep telling me.” She muttered,

Turning back to the sisters, she smiled,

           “Anyway ladies, that is how I met Shae. And why I’m very thankful for him and his friendship. No one has ever gone out of their way for me like that, and I…I appreciate him and all he’s done. I respect him. And I hope that clears up any more questions. And hopefully we can all be friends now, too?”

    The sisters all nod in agreement with Merida.

           “We agree, my dear! It’s been lovely to meet you!” Flora smiled warmly at the young woman.

           “Yes, it has!” Merryweather and Fauna added.

  Merida put her hand out in front of Fauna, and the woman looked at it curiously.

           “Yes, dearie?”

Merida raised a brow at the woman,

           “I see that you have the bill ready, Ms. Fauna. I’ll take it. I promised Shae that dinner would be on me. This time.”

Fauna shook her head,

           “Nope, I’m afraid it’s already been taken care of, Miss Merida.”

Merida pursed her lips and looked at Shae accusingly,

           “Shae! I told you I would take care of dinner tonight.”

Shae’s eyes darted to the ceiling, avoiding her gaze. Merida sighed and grabbed her phone/wallet case.

           “Fine. Be that way, you stubborn ass…” she grumbled.

Fauna and Merryweather snorted a laugh and even Flora had to cover up her grin. Merida shot him one last dirty look before turning a smiling face back towards the three sisters.

           “Again, it was wonderful to meet you all! And thank you for not telling Shae to tell me to Skedaddle-off. And even if he doesnnae listen when I tell him, I’ll pay, I think he’s starting to grow on me a little.” She winked up at him and Shae’s blush darkened.

           “Now, if you ladies will excuse me, I need to use the lavvy* before Shae and I head out.”

           Merida moved past the woman and headed up towards the restrooms at the front of the restaurant.

After Merida left them, Shae let out his breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He looked between the sisters who were now staring intently at him.

           “What?” he asked innocently.

“And you donnae think she’s attracted to you, huh?” Merryweather rolled her eyes.

Shae frowned,

           “So, she flirts with me, so what? I’m pretty sure it’s like a game with her. It doesnnae mean anything.”

All three women rolled their eyes at him.

           “You really need to learn to read women better, Shae, my dear.  She’s definitely attracted to you!” Merryweather interjected.

Fauna nodded in agreement.

           “The flirting is probably her way of keeping it from becoming awkward or serious.”

Shae rolled his eyes and waved off the comments.

           Merryweather and Fauna both sighed, deeming the young man too hopeless for his own good, and left Shae alone with Flora as they went back to work.

           Shae turned to face the oldest sister with trepidation. She was normally the one he counted on to be the voice of reason, but even she was determined that something was, or should be, going on between Merida and him.

           “Ms. Flora, I get the feeling you have something you want to add to all this too?”

Flora pursed her lips before giving a quick ‘tsk’ sound with her teeth.

           “Shae, dear…I’ve known you since you were a small child. I’ve seen you grow and mature and fall in love once already…”

Flora paused to take a breath,

           “But I can honestly say, I haven’t seen you like this in a very, very long time. That young woman is already doing so much good in you, Shae.”

Flora pointed the direction that Merida had disappeared in,

“I can see it in you. I can sense something…You even look different. And, you’re happier than you have been in a long time.”

Shae bowed and shook his head, not wanting to hear Flora’s words, but secretly knowing she was right…

    “I’ll say one more piece, Shae, and then I’ll leave it alone, I promise.”

Shae rolled his eyes but still listened to her advice,

           “You hold on to this one as long as you can. Because finding love is hard, but keeping it? That’s even harder.”

Shae sighed heavily,

           “Ms. Flora, right now, there is nothing going on between Merida and I. And nothing may ever will.”

Flora looked at him in annoyed disbelief, but Shae continued,

“But, if things change, I promise I’ll follow your advice.”

 He saw Merida exit the restaurant out of the corner of his eye and he started to follow. Before walking out the door he called back towards the kitchens

           “Oh, and I’m telling her you all picked up the tab! I’m not going to have her upset at me for that!”

Then he headed out the door with the faint sound of women laughing echoing behind him.

  --------------------|} à->>>---------[(<+>)]------<<<-ß{|-----------------

              “They took care of the meal for us, Miss Merida. I offered to pay, true, but they’d already cleared it. They felt bad for making us wait so long and for all the questions and prodding.” Shae said as he climbed into the driver seat.

Merida shook her head and chuckled,

           “You know, I thought it might have been them. Sorry I jumped on you for that, Shae.”

He shrugged nonchalantly,

           “It’s fine. No harm done. So, home then?” he asked as he fired up the engine.

Merida shook her head

“Per our earlier conversation this evening, I do believe I still need to get shit-faced tonight, Mr. MacGuffin.”

Shae raised a brow at her,

           “After wine, you still want to pub crawl?”

Merida sent him a challenging glare,

           “One glass of wine at dinner is not enough to help me forget the week I had, Shae. So, yes, if you know of a good place to go then lets at least knock back a round or two. I donnae have anywhere to be tomorrow.”

Shae belted out loud laugh!

           “Okay, I may have just the place to go…”

  --------------------|} à->>>---------[(<+>)]------<<<-ß{|-----------------

  “’Scat’s Flat’? That’s an odd name for a pub.” Merida stated as they walked up to the unassuming stonewalled corner bar.

Shae chuckled,

    “Well it used to be called O’Malley’s, but the original owner sold it when his wife became pregnant with their first child. She told him that they couldnnae start a family and run a bar at the same time. It wouldnnae have been respectable.”

Merida raised a brow in confusion

           “O’Malley’s? An Irish pub in a Scottish town?”

Shae laughed at her puzzled look,

           “Well, donnae let the name or the exterior fool you, Miss Merida. It’s the best place in town for a drink and music. Granted, other than ‘Louis’ Palace’ on the other side of town or the ‘Six North’ down in Stonehaven* I donnae really frequent pubs myself, so I donnae have much to compare it too.”

Merida grinned nudging him playfully as they walked.

           “As long as they serve whiskey straight, I donnae need anything fancy. Shit-face remember?”  

           “Yeah, I remember. Just stay close to me once we get inside, please. I donnae want to have to search everywhere for you once you’re inebriated.”

           Merida laughed loudly.

                       “You ready to show this girl a good time, Shae?”

Shae sighed as they headed inside,

           “As I’ll ever be…” he muttered to himself.

  --------------------|} à->>>---------[(<+>)]------<<<-ß{|-----------------

              Shae nursed a pint of ale at the bar as he watched Merida rock out on the dance floor. It hadn’t taken her long to completely unwind. Afterall, three straight shots of whiskey and two Boilermakers worked wonders on one’s stress levels. At least, they’d loosened hers up.

           Shae on the other hand was more tense than a two week wound clock! He hadn’t taken his eyes off Merida in the last hour. He was sure he probably looked like a creepy stalker, but he didn’t care! Stalker Mechanic, Merida had called him.

Well, he sure as hell felt like that right now!

     He didn’t trust any of the other men there to not hit on Merida, and he was ready to step in should anyone get too ‘friendly’ with her.

Suddenly, he was jolted from his fixed stare when he felt a hard slap to his shoulder. Shae flinched and turned to look at his assailant, ready to throw a punch should he need too. Much to his relief, the familiar mug of Thomas O’Malley hovered next to him.

           “Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in! Shae MacGuffin, you bastard, what are you doing here? You’re not really one to come in on nights like this. You’re here for rugby and football, but the dance scene’s not really your thing, is it?”

Shae shrugged,

           “Yeah, I’m not used to this kind of crowd, Thomas. I’m here with someone. They wanted to go out tonight so I brought’em here.”

Thomas cocked his head,

           “Here with someone? Is it that little peon, Dingwall? If it’s him, better not let Nessa know he’s here or she’ll make a fuss…” he said looking around the bar.

Nervously, Shae took a long sip of his pint,

           “No, it isnnae Colin, Thomas. Havennae been anywhere with him in over a month.”

Thomas looked at him, confused,

           “If it ain’t Dingwall, then who are you here with?”

Just as Thomas asked his question, he was given his answer, as Merida walked up to Shae.    “Wahoo! Shae, you really should come out on the dance floor with me! It’s so much fun! I can show you some easy moves so you can follow along. Oh, guess what!? I met this wonderful lady out there! Her name is Belle! She works at the Academy too! Do you know her? Anyway, we’ll be working together! Isnnae that great? She’s the only other woman I’ve met that works out there. They did warn me it was kind of a boy’s club out there. Oh, what kind of drink is that? Can I try it?” Merida excitedly and very tipsily rattled off statements and questions at 100 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour for my non-American readers lol).

           After she finished her barrage of information overload, she reached over and took large swig of Shae’s pint before he could protest.

           “Mmm, that isnnae bad. I might have to have one of my own later.”

Shae’s brow knit together,

           “I donnae think you should have any more to drink tonight, Miss Merida. Except maybe water.”

Merida scrunched up her nose,

           “Oh, Shae donnae be such a kill-joy! I told you I wanted to get plastered and…

“…And you’re plenty hammered right now, Miss Merida. Maybe it’s time I take you home.”

Merida took a step back,

           “Oh, come on Shae, live a little! You’re not even slightly tipsy yet. At least have one shot of scotch and dance with me one time! Would that kill you?”

           Shae shook his head

                       “No, I’m not drinking anything heavier than ale or beer because I have to drive you home. I already had wine and I donnae need anything else. I wonnae put us in danger when I’m driving.”

Merida seemed to sober up just slightly at his statement. She pursed her lips into a pout.

           “Will you at least dance with me for one song?”

Shae sighed,

           “I donnae dance. Not to this type of stuff anyway.”

“What about a slow dance?” She asked hopefully.

           “*Sigh* Miss Merida…” Shae shook his head.

But it was too late!

She leaned up and pecked his cheek softly,

           “I’ll go ask the DJ!”  And she took off towards the disk jockey booth.

Shae bowed his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked up as he heard a low whistle sound near his ear. His eyes caught Thomas’s and the carrot top looked at him curiously.

           “Now Shae, you and I have known each other a long time, and I know you aren’t really a man to kiss and tell, but I’ve got to ask…where did you find a feisty little number like that? I sure as hell have never seen her around here before.”

           Shae frowned,

                       “That’s because she’s new to DunBroch.”

           “New?”

  “Aye, she just moved here less than two weeks ago.” Shae told him.

           “And you know her already, how?” Thomas asked.

“I towed and fixed up her truck. That’s all…”

      “Are you sure that’s all? Sure you weren’t revving her engine too? She seems to be pretty interested in you.”

Shae frowned at him and changed the subject,

           “You know what, I donnae have to answer that. And by the way Thomas, why are you here, exactly? I thought your wife didn’t like you coming to the pub?”

The scruffy man just shrugged,

           “My Duchess doesn’t mind if I come down and play with the band occasionally. I like to keep up my skills.”

           “Did Scat and your band play tonight? I never heard you guys.” Shae commented.

Thomas nodded,

           “We did. It was way earlier, though. Scat likes to let the DJ run on the busy nights. He says it keeps people out on the floor dancing and drinking. And if you’re new girlfriend is anything to go by, then he’s right.”

           “Miss Darroch isnnae my girlfriend, O’Malley! We’re just friends who happened to go to a bar together. I do that with Colin all the time!”

Thomas O’Malley smiled mischievously at his old friend.

           “That may be true, buddy. But I doubt Colin wants to jump your bones at the end of the night.”

Shae’s brow furrowed,

           “Don’t be an ass, O’Malley! Besides what would your lovely duchess say if she heard you talk like that.”

Thomas shrugged and chuckled,

           “I’m smart enough not to make comment like that in front of my wife, Shae.” Shae rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to tell O’Malley to take a flying leap off a short cliff, but was distracted when the loud thumping music abruptly stopped!

Curious, Shae looked around the pub.

   The crowd on the dance floor began to mumble and murmur their displeasure. They quieted down when the lighting switched from seizure inducing strobes to a solid cool mist of blues and purples.

The DJ’s voice came through the loudspeakers,

           “Time to cool it down just a bit out there tonight, folks. We have a request, so we’re slowing it down for you. Here’s a sweet slow jam for all you bae’s out there tonight. An oldie but a goodie, lads and lassies.”

The scratch sound of the record on the turntable echoed through the pub. Familiar lyrics began to play through the speakers and the crowd cheered wildly!

 [Verse 1]

(Turn around) Every now and then I get a little bit lonely And you're never coming 'round

 Shae had a sneaking suspicion a certain red-head was behind this…

(Turn around) Every now and then I get a little bit tired Of listening to the sound of my tears

Obeying the lyrics of the song, Shae turned to see Merida making her way back over to him.

 (Turn around) Every now and then I get a little bit nervous That the best of all the years have gone by

A coy smile played upon her lips and she winked at him as she neared. Shae raised a brow, unsure of what Merida had planned. Also, as she was quite wasted, he didn’t like the thought of her being so flirtatious…

           ‘Any guy here could take advantage of that’ he thought to himself as he watched her come closer.

(Turn around) Every now and then I get a little bit terrified And then I see the look in your eyes She held out her hand to him when she reached him at the bar. Her smile had never left her lips.

 [Refrain] (Turn around, bright eyes!) Every now and then I fall apart (Turn around, bright eyes!) Every now and then I fall apart

           “Dance with me, Shae.”

It wasn’t a request…not really.

           It was an order.

And the way that Merida was looking at him, Shae was suddenly very happy to oblige. Even if he did look ridiculous when he tried to dance. If it meant he could prevent her from being hit on by one of the other men here at the pub, then he’d gladly oblige. Besides, he didn’t think Merida would judge him too harshly…

[Verse 2] (Turn around) Every now and then I get a little bit restless And I dream of something wild

He took ahold of her outstretched hand and let her lead him to the dance floor. Thomas gave him a cocky smile as they walked away.

           “Have fun, buddy.” Thomas teased.

Shae flipped him his middle finger as he followed along with Merida.

 (Turn around) Every now and then I get a little bit helpless And I'm lying like a child in your arms

Merida maneuvered the two of them through the sea of swaying, swooning couples and brought him to a more secluded area that was away from the larger crowd. Shae looked around, uneasy.

 (Turn around) Every now and then I get a little bit angry And I know I've got to get out and cry

Seeing the distraught look on his face, Merida leaned up and gave him a soft peck on his cheek once again. Then she whispered,

           “I get the feeling this is out of your comfort zone, Shae. But thanks for dancing with me. I miss being able to do this.”

Shae winced slightly,

           “I think you’re going to regret picking me as a dance partner. I’m horrible.” He muttered to her.

Merida laughed gently,

           “That’s alright, Shae. So am I. Hahaha!” she winked at him before throwing one arm around his wide neck and shoulders.

 (Turn around) Every now and then I get a little bit terrified But then I see the look in your eyes

Shae gave a light chuckle and tried to get into the rhythm of the music. He loved music, but a dancer he was not. Dancing was awkward for him, slow or otherwise.

   He had always felt he was too large to be graceful enough for it…

[Refrain] (Turn around, bright eyes!) Every now and then I fall apart (Turn around, bright eyes!) Every now and then I fall apart

They swayed together, slowly, trying to get a rhythm and a flow going between them. They just ignored the other couples out on the dance floor.

           Shae was trying not to step on Merida’s toes and Merida was suddenly finding it more and more difficult to stay upright.

           ‘Maybe Shae was right…I think I need to lay off any more drinks tonight…’ she thought to herself as they continued to dance in a gentle sway to the music.

She hadn’t been out drinking like this in a long time and she had a feeling she would pay for it tomorrow.

  [Chorus] And I need you now tonight And I need you more than ever And if you only hold me tight We'll be holding on forever And we'll only be making it right 'Cause we'll never be wrong Together we can take it to the end of the line Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time (All of the time) I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks I really need you tonight “Forever's gonna start tonight” “Forever's gonna start tonight” Merida sang along with the lyrics under her breath and Shae smiled, glad that she was enjoying herself.

     Listening around, he could hear a majority of the people singing along too. [Post-Chorus] “Once upon a time I was falling in love Now I'm only falling apart There's nothing I can do A total eclipse of the heart” Merida grinned at him,

           “Come on, Shae! Sing along! Everyone else is!” Merida teased good-naturedly. Shae blushed and shook his head.

           “No, I think I’m good…”

Merida rolled her eyes, but the smile never left her face,

           “Fine. Have it your way.”

“Once upon a time there was light in my life But now there's only love in the dark Nothing I can say A total eclipse of the heart”

Merida and multiple others belted out the second chorus as they sang along with the lyrics.  

   Shae shook his head and chuckled lightly as Merida continued to sing along with the 80’s Power Ballad that was blasting through the loudspeakers.

           “You have a lovely voice, Miss Merida.” Shae whispered to her during the instrumental interlude of the song.

Merida blushed and wrinkled her nose,

           “You donnae have to try to butter me up, Shae. I sing way off key and you know it.”

Shae frowned,

           “Actually, you donnae…you sound nice…” he tried to tell her, but the music had picked back up again, and so Merida didn’t hear his quiet compliment.            They continued to sway along with the other couples on the floor, but this time Merida simply hummed along with the song, now very self-conscious of her singing…

           They had almost made it to the end of the song when suddenly, a wave of dizziness swept over Merida and she felt lightheaded, about to faint!

             She stumbled slightly and pulled tight on Shae’s neck to keep her balance.

 Feeling her go limp, Shae gripped her waist tightly and without thinking pulled her flush to his chest.

           “Merida, are you alright?” Shae asked in concern.

Merida nodded slowly and put her free hand to her forehead.

           “Oh, aye. Sorry, Shae. I think all those drinks are catching up to me.”

“Let’s get you someplace and sit down…” Shae muttered, ushering her off the dance floor.

Stubbornly, she shook her head,

           “No, I’m fine. I just need…I just need to splash some cold water on my face. I’ll visit the loo and then I’ll be fine…”

Shae frowned,

           “Merida…” his voice was laced with worry.

She waved off his concern.

           “Donnae worry, Shae. Just let me go a minute or two and then we can leave afterwards, I promise.”

Shae sighed,

           “Alright, but I’m going to wait for you right outside the bathroom. Just in case you have another dizzy spell.”

Merida grinned up at him and gave a laugh.

           “And if you hear a crash will you just come rushing in to save me, my hero?” she teased.

Shae huffed,

           “It isnnae funny, Merida. I donnae want you getting hurt.”

Merida pulled free of his hold on her arm and waist as they neared the bathrooms.

She tossed a soft smile over her shoulder at him as she reached the women’s bathroom door.

           “Who knew all it took for you to finally drop the honorific was to go all damsel in distress around you…”

Shae sighed in exasperation,

           “Merida…”

She smiled,

           “Even in that annoyed tone, I like the way you say my name.”

Shae bowed his head in defeat.

           ‘This woman is impossible!’

He looked up at her and smiled despite himself,

           “Just go. I’ll be right here, waiting.” He said, leaning up against the archway to the bathrooms.

Merida raised a teasing brow at him,

           “Well you might want to stand a wee bit closer to the men’s room, Shae. You look like a perv…” she teased before disappearing inside the women’s bathroom.

Shae snorted and shook his head, but looking around, he noticed a few women watching him suspiciously.

           Blushing profusely, he cleared his throat and stepped over to the other side of the archway.

           “Just waiting for my friend…” he muttered sheepishly as the ladies passed him on the way to the bathroom.

They giggled at him and left him alone in his embarrassment as they went into the bathroom too.

  --------------------|} à->>>---------[(<+>)]------<<<-ß{|-----------------

  Merida splashed the cold water on her face, then ran her hands up and over her forehead and top of her head. She smoothed down her wild red hair and pulled a hair tie out of her pocket.

           ‘Maybe if I pull it back I wonnae feel so hot.’ Merida mused.    

She knew that wasn’t true. She was feeling hot because of all the alcohol in her system. She went ahead and pulled her hair back anyway. She splashed another handful of cold water on her face and rubbed at the back of her neck with her wet hands.

Merida was just about to turn and leave when Belle and another woman Merida hadn’t met yet, walked in. They were talking animatedly and didn’t notice her at the other end of the mirrors and sinks.

    “My stars Belle, did I actually see Shae MacGuffin here with a woman, tonight?” A woman with a thick Southern American accent questioned.

Belle answered back,

           “Hmm…you mean the red-head I was talking to earlier?”

“Yeah! That’s the one! She’s quite a looker, eh?” the blonde woman’s eyes widened, anxious for some gossip.  

           “That’s Merida Darroch. She’s new to town and she’s going to be an instructor at the Academy. I think she’s going to teach archery and equestrian studies.” Belle explained.

The other woman scoffed,

           “Oh, she’s probably butch then. Straight girls actually teach real subjects. History, English, Literature, stuff like you do.”

Merida gritted her teeth.

Belle admonished her friend.

           “Be nice, Lottie. I seriously doubt Miss Darroch is gay. Not with the way she talks about Shae MacGuffin. And the fact she’s hardly taken her eyes off of him tonight.”

           Merida blushed and bowed her head slightly,

‘God, was I that obvious?’ she wondered.

     Merida turned her back to them and pretended to fiddle with the front of her blouse hoping they wouldn’t notice her eavesdropping.

The Lottie woman pulled a mascara stick from her clutch and applied some touch ups as Belle and her continued to talk.

           “Well, not that it matters much. You know that Katherine has her claim on MacGuffin, anyway. I doubt she’ll let a newcomer horn in on her ‘territory’, if you know what I mean.”

Merida heard Belle scoff,

           “Shae MacGuffin has about as much interest in Katherine MacBain as a mouse does in a house full of cats.”

“Well, that may be Belle, sweetie, but with a man like Shae it doesn’t always take interest or love…or even liking someone. Katherine catches him in one moment of weakness and she’ll have him. And all his inheritance.”

“Oh, Lottie! Shae’s not that kind of man! He’s not the kind to just fall into bed with anyone.”

     Now it was Lottie’s turn to scoff,

           “Please! A man is a man. Give ‘em what they want. Sweet talk your way into their bed. Forget a pill or two and next thing you know, Mr. Shae MacGuffin being the honorable man that he is, would be vowing to spend the rest of his breathing days caring for his child and the woman carrying it. Love or no. That’s the kind of man Shae MacGuffin is.” Lottie said, snapping her compact shut, effectively cutting off any more of Belle’s arguments.

  Merida frowned.

           Was there really a woman in town that was trying to get Shae in bed just so she could get pregnant?! That’s insane!

Belle shook her head,

        “I still don’t think Shae would allow himself to get into that kind of situation. Not with Katherine, at least…”

Lottie huffed,

           “Katherine has a thing about getting her way, you know …”

Merida raised a brow and listened closely.

           “I think this Miss Darroch has a better chance with him. What about you?” Belle raised a brow.

Lottie shrugged,

“He did come in with her. And I overheard someone say that they’d been out to dinner too.”

Belle put on a fake shocked face,

           “Dinner, drinks, and dancing? Oh, goodness, alert the press!” she teased her friend.

Lottie rolled her eyes and swatted her friend,

           “Don’t be a smart ass…”

The two friends laughed and then Belle looked at her blonde friend questioningly,

     “Lottie, you said once that MacGuffin was off limits. And that you wouldn’t date him, why? Because of…”

Lottie interrupted Belle.

           “Yeah, that. After what’s happened it wouldn’t feel right, I guess. But he’s still prime real estate for any woman willing to throw her hand in the ring. That MacGuffin’s got a lot of assets and a lot of bonuses that come with him. The woman who ends up with him will be set for life. I can see why Katherine is so eager…”

           What happened? What are they talking about now?

   “Lottie honestly…” Belle admonished her friend as they headed out the door.

Merida waited a minute after they had left before finally heading out on her own. Except she never made it out of the bathroom.

Just as she began to pull the door open to leave, someone else was pushing it in. Merida jumped out of the way as the door swung open and crashed into the side of the wall.

           “Hey watch it!” Merida snapped at the woman entering.

A tall blonde with dark eyes blocked the exit. She was a little taller than Merida, but skinnier build, model size almost. She had an air of self-importance and she frowned when she saw Merida in front of her.

           “You watch it, bitch!” the blonde spat out, her speech slightly slurred.

  ‘Great a drunken idiot…’ Merida thought.

“Hey! No need to name call! I donnae even know you! Besides, you practically slammed the door into me!”  

The inebriated woman stood tall and stepped over to Merida and sneered at her,

           “That’s right, you donnae know me. If you did, then you’d know that you need to stay the hell away from my boyfriend!”

“EXCUSE ME?!” Merida snapped back.

   Who was this crazy-ass bitch?

The drunk woman didn’t let up. She got right in Merida’s face and Merida could smell all the alcohol on her breath. She tried not to wince.

           “Shae MacGuffin, you slut! He’s my boyfriend! What the hell do you think you’re doing here with him?”

Merida suddenly felt very sober. Standing at attention she put a hand up between her and the blonde woman.

           “I’m sorry, but I’m pretty sure Shae is NOT your boyfriend. I think he would have at least told me if he was seeing a psychopath.”

Merida was sure the woman would have spit fire at her if she’d had the ability, but alas, she only seemed to be a dragon…

Suddenly the woman became eerily calm. A sly, condescending smile spread over her lips.

“Oh, I get it now…You must be a charity case of his. *Tsk* My Shae’s just too nice for his own good. Fine then, have a few drinks and a dance or two Charity case, he’ll get bored soon enough.” Then the woman pushed passed her and Merida watched her disappear into one of the stalls.

Merida clenched her fist! She was seething! She needed to hit something!

Merida stomped out of the bathroom! That short stay in the bathroom had sobered her up enough and now she was pissed! She hated being talked down too! She wasn’t a charity case! And what had Belle and her friend Lottie been talking about?

Maybe there was more to Shae MacGuffin than she realized.

She knew something was up because of the way everyone acted around him and the way he was treated…

She shook her head.

What was she thinking? Shae was her friend!

           …or…so she thought.

     “Is everything alright, Miss Merida?” Shae’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

She frowned, looking up at him. He was standing exactly where he promised he would be when she’d gone in, but his sweet half-smile didn’t make her feel at ease.

           “Back to the ‘Miss’ again, MacGuffin? I thought we’d finally worked past that.” She huffed and walked by him in a hurry.

           Shae frowned in reply too,

                       “Hey? Are you alright? What happened?” he asked and reached to take her hand.

Merida jerked away from him.

“Nothing, Shae! I went to the bathroom. My god, you’re not my keeper!”

She headed back over to the bar. Shae followed close behind.

           “I thought you wanted leave?”

“I changed my mind! A woman does that you know…”

Shae’s frown deepened.

“Merida I really donnae think you should…”

She stopped abruptly and turned to face him. Shae almost tumbled into her!

           “Yeah? Well, you’re not my father, or my boyfriend, so you donnae get to say what I can and cannae do. If you want to leave, then go! I’ll take a cab home...or I’m sure I can get a ride with someone here.”

Shae stood dumbstruck, unsure of where her hostility was coming from. Something had happened in the bathroom, but he had no idea of what!

He shook his head before answering her.

           “No Merida. I wonnae let you do that. I’ll stay too…I just…” he didn’t know what to say or do. He didn’t want to set her off again, but her also wanted her to know to be careful.

           “Just…try not to overdo it. There are a lot of lads here that’ll try to take advantage of that…” Shae told her as he took a seat close to her at the bar. Merida gave a tired sigh, turned her back to him, and ordered a double shot of scotch straight.

 --------------------|} à->>>---------[(<+>)]------<<<-ß{|-----------------

 Shae nursed another mug of ale as he kept one eye on Merida. He had just watched her down 2 more shots of whisky…

           He frowned and gave a quiet sigh.

                       ‘I wish I knew what had riled her up so much.’ He mused as he watched her.

He was pulled from his thoughts by another female voice behind the counter.

           “Oi MacGuffin! You alone tonight? Didnnae bring that little jackass Dingwall with you, did you?” Nessa Douglas asked him as she walked up.

Shae looked over at her and shook his head,

           “Oh, Miss Nessa…no I…Colin isnnae with me tonight, I’ll let him know you asked about him, though. I brought Miss Merida out for drinks.”

Nessa raised a questioning brow at him, and Shae blushed, back-tracking,

           “It’s nothing like what you’re thinking I’m sure Miss Nessa. Miss Merida and I went to dinner and she mentioned going out for drinks afterwards…”

Nessa waved her hand shooing off his awkwardness,

           “I donnae care, MacGuffin. You could go out with the Prime Minister of Egypt, for all the good it does me. I donnae deal in gossip.”

Since when?! Shae wondered.

Nessa continued,

“Listen, will you do me a favor though? Next time you see Dingwall, you tell that little cheapskate he owes me for all the drinks and for cleaning up his messes the other night…and tonight!”

Shae raised a brow,

           “His messes?”

“You didnnae hear? I’m surprised. I thought you two ran in the same circles.”

Shae shrugged,

           “Not too much anymore.”

That was true. He and Colin Dingwall were the best of mates but where Colin had become more of the socialite and moved in the influential circles, Shae had become more of an anti-social outcast. Especially when it came to keeping up appearances…

           Shae considered himself a working man anyway…socialite society bothered him.

Besides, most of them were too snobby.

           “Ding-bat was here yesterday evening and brought along some of his family’s clients and friends…or something. They drank a lot, made a god-awful mess and almost started a fight! I even heard there was almost another one in here tonight.”

           Shae shook his head,

                       “Scat wouldnnae allow a fight to start in his pub.”

Nessa rolled her eyes,

           “He would if it started in the lady’s bathroom. I think your date might have been involved in the one tonight, but I havennae got any proof.”

Shae’s brow furrowed.

           “I’m not on a date with Miss Darroch, Nessa. And why do you think she may have been involved?”

“Because Katherine McBain said she was.”

Shae frowned,

           “And you believed her?!”

Nessa shrugged,

           “Donnae have a reason not to. Miss Darroch is the new one to the area and you’ve been showing her an awful lot of special attention since she moved here. And everyone knows Katherine has the hots for you. It was a given that words would be shared between them eventually, you know.”

Shae sighed.

“I’ve told her multiple times that I’m not interested…you’d think she’d take a hint.

Nessa scoffed,

           “It’s probably because you’ve never had the balls to tell her to f **k off.”

Shae frowned, but Nessa kept going.

“Anyway, there were some people who said they saw McBain go into the bathroom, heard some very heated shouting and then your date…”

           “Miss Merida isnnae my date!” Shae interjected.

Nessa rolled her eyes.

    “Whatever, MacGuffin. Donnae care…Anyway, they said that your Miss Merida stormed out not long after the yelling in the bathroom was heard.”

           Shae snorted,

                       “Knowing Katherine, she was probably to one doing the yelling.”

Nessa nodded,

           “Probably. She’s a pain in the ass and too stuck up for her own good. But unfortunately, her family has weight in this town. You of all people know that firsthand…”

Shae frowned,

           “Yeah, I know…”

He cast a glance towards Merida. She had a sad look in her eyes and was now sipping more slowly at her drink. If she’d had a run in with Katherine in the bathroom that would explain the drastic change in her demeanor. Katherine had a way of souring people real quick…

           Shae leaned across the counter to speak with Nessa more quietly.

                       “Do you know if Katherine is still here?”

Nessa ‘harrumphed’ and tilted her head in the direction of the dance floor.

           “Last I knew, she was nursing a bruised ego and a strawberry daiquiri in one of the booths across the way. Donnae know if I’d go talk to her if I were you.”

Shae nodded.

           “Duly noted, Miss Nessa. But I think it’s time Miss McBain and I have some serious words.”

Nessa simply shrugged once more as Shae stood to leave.

He turned to Nessa before walking away,

           “Thank you, Miss Nessa. If Colin wonnae pay for the cleaning and drinks, then I’ll make sure it’s covered.”

Nessa shook her head as he walked away from the bar,

           “You are way too nice, Shae MacGuffin. One day that’s gonna bite you in the ass…”

Out of the corner of her eye, Nessa glanced over at Merida, curiously. She winced as the fiery red-headed woman downed another double shot whisky.

           ‘Ooh…that’s gonna be one hell of a hangover tomorrow…’

  --------------------|} à->>>---------[(<+>)]------<<<-ß{|-----------------

  Merida slogged down another shot. She’d forgotten which number she was on now. She’d lost count about shot four. Now it was just a test to see how many more she could get into her body before she blacked out…

    Considering the speed that the room was currently spinning in, she didn’t have much more to go.

   She glanced over at Shae’s seat, expecting to see him sending her more concerned looks.                        

               Maybe even some judgmental ones…

But the seat was vacant.

Merida frowned.

           ‘Must ‘ave gotten tired of m’sulkin’.’ She mused

Have a few drinks and a dance or two, Charity case. He’ll get bored soon enough. The bitchy blondes voice echoed in the back of her mind.

           “Ah, f*** it.” She snorted.

Merida ordered another drink and laid the money on the counter.

The semi-familiar looking bartender set down the glass in front of her.

           “Donnae you think you should slow down?” the bartender asked quietly.

Merida sneered and grabbed the glass.

           “I’ll say when I’ve have enough!” she snapped at the woman.

Or at least…

           …that’s what she tried to say.

What came out was,

           “I say wh’n’ve ‘ad ‘nuff.” She slurred.

The bartender put her hands up in defeat and stepped away from the inebriated redhead.

Merida huffed and took her drink in hand.

She swirled the contents of the glass and looked longingly into the dark amber colored liquid. She turned up her top lip at the drink and sighed.

   She’d finally hit the proverbial wall but was too proud to admit it. Swirling the drink once more, Merida steeled herself and prepared for her final drink.

                       …And she silently prayed that she could keep it all down!  

She threw back her head and the glass, downing the scotch. Her throat had become numb by her third round so there was no burn anymore.

 However, all the alcohol, plus the stress and tense situation tonight put her body into overdrive and she suddenly felt the familiar lurch of her stomach tumbling. Merida clenched her abs and stood quickly, rushing for the outside door instead of the bathroom.

Maybe if she could make it outside, the cooler air could help her nausea to subside. Without pausing to find Shae, or anyone else, Merida ran out of the pun and into the cool night air!

  --------------------|} à->>>---------[(<+>)]------<<<-ß{|-----------------

  Shae stood silent and stone-faced with his arms crossed over his chest. He glared down at Katherine McBain fighting back the urge to growl.

       As a general rule, Shae didn’t do confrontation, but Katherine had seriously upset him tonight, so it was time to do something about it!

Katherine simply took another sip of her daiquiri and gave a half-hearted shrug.

       “Katherine, I’ll ask ye one more time: What did you do?”

The blonde smirked up at him, and Shae caught the glint of something dark in her gaze.

           “Why I havennae done anything, Shae sweetie. I just put that little slut in her place.” She took another drink of her daiquiri.

Shae saw red flash before his eyes, and he clenched his fist. But he composed himself before he completely lost his temper.

           “You did what?! Katherine, you pissed her off! Miss Darroch is my friend of mine! We were having a fine time until you showed up and opened your mouth.”

Katherine rolled her eyes,

           “You’re mine Shae. Everyone knows that, and she simply needed to be informed.” The blonde smirked.  

Shae let out a slow breath to control himself. Leaning across the table, Shae put his face close to Katherine’s. His voice came out low and quiet and Katherine sat back, suddenly very nervous.

           “You listen good, McBain. I. AM. NO. ONE’S. I’m not Merida’s, nor am I anyone else’s. And I am damn sure not yours.”

Shae growled low,

“I’m only going to say this once: You best leave me alone. And you leave Miss Darroch out of your pettiness too.”

Katherine looked gob smacked!

           “Bu…but Shae, sweetie?” Katherine whined; eyes wide.

Shae stopped her,

           “No Katherine! You and I, we arennae together. We will never be together…I donnae want to be with you. Hell, we’re barely acquaintances. From now on, you leave me and my companions alone.”

Shae turned to walk away after speaking quietly to her.

Katherine looked around the pub and sneered threateningly to the eavesdroppers. Shae had been gentlemanly enough to not call her out in front of everyone, but Katherine McBain was not a woman who took ‘no’ so easily.

Katherine stood quickly and slammed her drink glass down hard on and fast on the table, drawing most of the pub’s attention towards them.

           “She’ll never be Shannon, Shae! No woman will be! There’s not a woman alive that can live up to those standards. Not in your eyes, anyway. I’m not the one who’s delusional, MacGuffin! You are!”

Shae paused, fighting the urge to turn around.

All eyes of the pub were now on him and Katherine. He hated being the center of attention…especially this kind. He hoped that Merida couldn’t see all this…

Shae didn’t turn around, but he quietly answered Katherine’s outburst with a soft and sincere answer.

           “I’m not looking for someone to be Shannon, Kate. No one could ever replace her…even you should know that.” And with that, Shae walked away, leaving Katherine to stew in her self-pity.

Shae walked back over to the bar where he’d left Merida, only to find her gone!

‘Oh god! Did she see all of that?!’ Shae panicked!

           “Oi! MacGuffin! Did you come in with that fiery Miss Darroch?” Colin Dingwall called over the newly started music.

           Shae sighed and turned to face his diminutive friend.      

“If you must know, Colin, yes. Miss Darroch and I had dinner earlier and then she asked if I knew of somewhere to get drinks. Unfortunately, I seem to have lost her, at the moment.”

Colin grinned and raised a brow,

           “How?”

Shae frowned,

           “I had something I had to take care of.” He sent a glare back where he’d left Katherine sulking.

           “Well, you might want to know that the poor girl is out in the parking lot emptying out the contents of her fun night of revelry. You sure know how to ‘wine ‘em and dine ’em, mate.” Colin teased.

Shae’s expression turned from annoyance to worry as soon as Colin said Merida was sick!

He grabbed Colin’s shoulders,

           “She’s where?!”

Colin motioned towards the door.

           “The parking lot, poor thing. You know, you really shouldnnae have let her have so much to drink. I know she’s a grown woman, but there are some unscrupulous types who might try something with a highly inebriated woman like that.”

           “Yeah, and you’re one of ‘em Dingwall!” Nessa groused as she walked up to the two men.

Colin had the good humor to look insulted,

           “Me?!”

Shae turned to Nessa quickly.

           “Excuse me, Miss Nessa, but I need to get Merida and take her home.”

He started to leave but stopped and pulled a little over 300 quid out of his wallet and laid it down in front of her.

Nessa liked at him in shock.

           “What the devil is all this for?” She asked, wide-eyed.

Shae motioned to the bar with a tip of his head.

           “Miss Darroch’s drinks and mine. And for Colin’s mess and rudeness the other night.”

He left quickly after answering and Colin frowned. How had he gotten dragged into the conversation?

           “Excuse me? My mess and rudeness? He’s the one taking off without so much as a ‘thank you’.”

Nessa rolled her eyes.

           “What does he need to thank you for?”

“I told him where to find Miss Darroch.”

“Someone else would have told him…and the last thing was about you and the other night. You and your lazy ass…” Nessa huffed and walked away.

Colin followed close behind, not letting her get away.

           “My lazy ass?”

Nessa rolled her eyes again,

           “Do you have to repeat everything as a damn question, Dingwall?”  “I’m legitimately interested, Miss Nessa. What did I do the other night?”

“Oh, you mean when you brought all those hoity toity farts in here, ordered drinks for hours, and made a mess so large I was here till 4 AM cleaning everything up? That’s what you did.” Nessa frowned and started to move away again.

           Colin frowned too.

                       “I thought I took care of that tab…and I didnnae mean to leave such a mess. You should have detained us…well, me at least…”

Nessa scoffed,

           “Detained you? By the end of the night you were so sloshed you couldnnae tell your ass from a hole in the ground. And no…you never did cover that tab. MacGuffin was fixing your mistake. At least one of you rich boys has some decency.”

Colin looked legitimately hurt, but only for a moment. Then his slick and unusually suave nature came back out.

   “Look Nessa, I’m sorry about those lads the other night. They are just some family business associates. I donnae even like going out with them, but I have to help out my da’ and his interests occasionally. So, it is unfortunately a part I must play. But I will make it up to you.” He winked flirtatiously

   Nessa rolled her eyes again,

           “You donnae have to make up anything to me, Dingwall. Besides, MacGuffin paid your due.”

Colin shook his head,

           “No. It isnnae his place to fix my mistakes.”

Colin walked behind the bar and picked up a grey plastic tub used for collection the dirty glasses and dishes.

 Nessa looked at him incredulously,

           “What in the hell are you doing?”

Colin grinned at her cheekily,

           “Making amends.”

Nessa sighed and shook her head,

           “Fine. Do whatever the hell you want. Just donnae get me in trouble with Scat. You already put me on thin ice last week.”

She turned to get back to work but Colin stopped her by grabbing her wrist gently. She raised a brow at him.

           “Look, I’m sorry for my behavior last week, Nessa. And I’m sorry that I got you in trouble. I promise to make it up to you, and to Scat.”

Nessa’s frown deepened and her brows creased together.

Finally, she jerked her hand away,

           “Whatever, Dingwall. Either help or get out of the way.”

And with that, Nessa pushed past him to go wait on some new patrons at the bar.

Colin frowned as he watched her work.

           ‘Gonna have to work hard to earn your forgiveness, wonnae I?’ he thought to himself as he went about picking up empty glasses.

 --------------------|} à->>>---------[(<+>)]------<<<-ß{|-----------------

 Shae looked around frantically as he weaved through the packed parking lot. He shouldn’t have left Merida alone! Not for any amount of time and certainly not when she’d been drinking the way she had tonight.

           “Damn it! I knew I shouldnnae have brought her here…” he chastised himself.

‘BLETCH!’

Shae stopped abruptly. The sound of retching caught his attention and he hurried towards the unpleasant sound.

Shae found Merida doubled over in the grass behind an old white lorry.

           “Merida! Are you alright, love?” he called as he rushed to her side.

Merida threw a brief questioning look over her shoulder up at him. Shae realized his verbal slip, but he didn’t retract his words. He did blush, though.

Merida lurched forward again and heaved more of her stomach contents onto the grass.

Shae knelt beside her and held her massive mane of fiery red curls back out of her face as she continued to vomit.

           “Ughh…” Merida moaned.

She panted and tried to get her breath.

“Easy now, lass. Let it all out if you need too.” Shae whispered soothingly.

Merida gave a half-hearted chuckle and wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand.

           “I must look so lovely to you right now, huh, Shae?” she teased.

Shae quirked a brow.

           “People get sick, Merida. It’s a natural reaction our bodies have.”

Merida gave another soft chuckle.

           “Yeah? Well, it’s also a natural reaction to be disgusted by it…”

Shae frowned and brushed his fingers through her curls as he continued to hold it back for her.

           “It really doesnnae bother me, Merida. But why did you run out here instead of the loo?”

Merida glanced at him from over her shoulder and gave him a soft, shy smile. That look sent a jolt through him and he felt like tumbling over!

           “Truthfully? I donnae know…but if I’d run to the ladies’ room, you wouldnnae be here now, sharing this wonderful moment with me.” Merida teased, sending him a wink.

Shae gently smiled back.

Tentatively, Shae used his unoccupied hand to rub along the small of her back, hoping to help ease anymore of her discomfort. They sat in silence a few minutes longer. Shae was waiting to see if Merida was still queasy and sick. Merida was just enjoying the quiet.

After a few minutes more Shae gripped her arm gently.

           “Are you alright now, lass?” he asked, his voice low and soft.

Merida felt a chill go down her spine, but it wasn’t from the cold air or from getting sick.

  “Aye. I think I’m done puking my guts out now.” She chuckled.

She moved to stand but stumbled and Shae pulled her to his side to keep her from tumbling over.

           “Easy, lass. You donnae need to move so fast. You’ll fall over.” Shae warned.

Merida huffed, her cheeks flushing red,

           “Obviously…”

Shae pushed himself off the ground and held out a hand for Merida. She took it readily, and he pulled her to her feet. She fell against his chest dramatically as she stumbled getting up. Merida splayed a free hand over his broad chest.

           “My hero!” she teased with a giggle.

Shae rolled his eyes but teased back with a grin.

           “If you thought I was a hero or guardian angel before, then you’re going to love me for this next move.”

Merida stopped giggling and raised a brow at him.

Without warning, Shae bent forward and picked Merida up in his arms, bridal style.

           “Shae!” Merida squealed, half-delighted, half-terrified.

“Shh…” he shushed her gently as he walked.

           “You donnae want all of DunBroch to see us like this do you, Miss Darroch? It could cause quite a scandal, you know?”

“We may already have.” Merida muttered and Shae made a small noise of agreement.

Then she laughed at the absurdity of the situation.

           “Shae, I donnae need you to carry me! I can walk on my own two feet.”

Shae walked back to his truck with her in his arms.

           “From what I saw a moment ago makes me think otherwise, Miss Merida Darroch. Besides, we got here much faster this way.”

Merida laughed again as Shae put her down to open the passenger door of his truck.

           “M’lady.” He grinned, offering her his hand.

Merida shook her head but took his hand anyway.

           “You really are a dork, you know…”

Shae simply smiled and helped Merida into his truck. Shae walked to the other side and got into the cab. He looked over at Merida, who had laid her head back against the head rest. Her eyes were closed!

Had she really fallen asleep that fast?

Shae winced,

           ‘Well, she’d had a lot to drink tonight so…’

He started up his rig and headed out of the parking lot.

           “Where’re you going?” Merida mumbled quietly, raising her head and startling him.

Shae looked over at her.

           “I’m taking you home Merida. You’re in no condition to drive yourself.”

“Taking me home…” Merida giggled,

           “Shae MacGuffin wants to take me home…so he…he can kiss me goodnight…”

Shae’s blush crept down his neck and he focused on driving. Merida giggled again. She was clearly drunk now. The alcohol that she hadn’t vomited up must have completely taken over her liver…

As they drove Merida tried to focus on anything other than the man beside her, but it didn’t seem to be working…

Suddenly, a very improper thought jumped into her head. It was sexy and she chuckled, biting at her bottom lip.

           “You know MacGuffin, it takes more than one dinner date and one night of drinks and dancing to get into my pants! I’m not exactly a prude, but I’m not easy either.”

Shae almost choked! He stopped his truck abruptly and turned to her.

           “MERIDA!? I wouldnnae ever…”

Merida rolled her eyes and waved a hand. She leaned over and put her fingers over his lips.

           “Shh, not so loud…I didnnae really think you would Shae. I was only teasing ya. Besides,” Merida leaned back against the window, her eyes getting tired,

           “You’re too damn gentlemanly to ever take advantage of a situation like this.”

Shae frowned, concerned with her state of mind.

           “Am I? And you know this?” his voice was deep and his tone was almost challenging.

Merida looked over at him again and Shae felt a jolt go to his soul!

The small sleepy, drunk smile on her lips teased his senses.

           “Aye. I do know Shae. I know you wonnae do anything to me. All other men I’ve known would’ve taken me home and to their bed as soon as they realized how smashed I am. But not you…you care about people and their well-being. You’re a gentleman, in every sense of the word…and you’re my guardian angel remember?”

She reached over and rubbed the top of his hand gently.

Now it was Shae who had to fight off an improper thought or two…

Merida closed her eyes and leaned back against the head rest again. She still had that sleepy smile on her lips.

“I may be drunk, but that doesnnae mean I cannae be philosophical.” She muttered sleepily.

Shae chuckled lightly and put the truck in drive again.

Her hand still rested on his and he wondered if he should move hers so she could rest more comfortably.

Feeling emboldened, Shae deftly turned his hand over and threaded his fingers with hers. He held onto her hand as he drove her home, gently circling his thumb over the back of her hand. He didn’t even notice Merida’s smile widen as he drove.

 --------------------|} à->>>---------[(<+>)]------<<<-ß{|-----------------

 Shae drove in silence trying to figure out if Merida was sleeping or just resting…

           A soft sigh and even breathing touched his ears and he knew she’d fallen asleep. Shae let out a deep sigh and smiled softly over at her.

Merida Darroch had certainly kept him on his toes tonight! He wondered briefly if she’d be able to get herself settled into her apartment. Shae frowned at the thought.

Merida was in no shape to do much on her own, at the moment.

Shae pulled up to the familiar complex and parked his truck.

Mrs. Potts and her sister lived up the stairs, in the flat on the right side. Merida’s flat was opposite theirs.

Gently, he shook her shoulder so he could wake her and let her know they were at her apartment.

           “Merida…” Shae whispered.

Merida gave a low moan and grimaced, but she didn’t budge otherwise. Shae frowned. He shook her again, this time with a little more force.

           “Merida.” He repeated.

Merida gave a whimper and screwed her eyes shut tighter.

Shae rolled his eyes.

           “Merida, please. I’m trying to tell you we’re here. I’m going to take you to your apartment…” He said giving her shoulder one last shake.

Merida let out a groan of protest and muttered,

           “2A.”

Shae smiled softly.

           “I know that. Do you think you can wake up enough to walk, or do I need to carry you again?” he asked aloud.

Merida made another soft noise and Shae realized she was asleep again.

Looking over Merida’s sleepy form, he sighed gently.

    “You may develop a complex if I have to start carrying you everywhere.”

She released another soft snore and Shae rolled his eyes,

           “I’m such a damned softy…” he chastised himself.

Getting out of his truck, he walked over to the passenger side and opened the door. He unbuckled her and then gently lifted her out of the truck. His movements jostled her enough to wake her a little.

Merida rubbed her face sleepily into his collar bone before turning her head and grinning up at him. She was deliriously drunk.

           “Shaaeee….” She slurred his name in a whispering voice.

                       “What’cha doin’?” she asked, teasing the hair at the back of his neck.

Shae flushed slightly at her touch and cleared his throat. He had to remember she was completely smashed. Anything she said now, he couldn’t or wouldn’t hold against her.

He carried her up the stairs to her apartment.

           “I’m taking you home, lass. Remember?” He explained.

Merida giggled.

           “You move fast MacGuffin. I figured you were more of a fourth or fifth date kind of guy before you spent the night with a woman.”

Shae almost dropped her!

           “I didnnae mean I was staying with you, Merida. I’m just taking you home, to your OWN home, so you can sleep off all the alcohol in your system. Jeez woman, not every man wants to sleep with a woman on the first date…”

Shae winced.

           ‘This isnnae a date MacGuffin. You both vehemently declared as much all night to everyone you met…and to each other…’

Merida gave an exaggerated sigh,

           “Well, do you want to spend the night? I wonnae tell your girlfriend if you did.”

Shae looked down at her in confusion.

           “Girlfriend? Merida, I donnae have a girlfriend.”

Merida scoffed,

           “Sure, you do. She told me so in the bathroom. That Katherine McBitch woman.”

Shae choked back a laugh! Merida was drunk, had no filter and it amused him. Not that he wanted her to stay like that. But it did work out in his favor. Now he knew could get some more answers out of her….well, maybe…

           “Katherine MacBain isnnae my girlfriend Merida. Hell, she’s barely an acquaintance…”

Merida made a noise that sounded like she didn’t believe him.

           “Those other women seemed to think she was…”

Shae frowned.

           ‘Other women?’ he wondered.

‘Who else had been in the restroom with Merida?’

He went to ask her, but she had passed out again. He sighed and shook his head.

Once at the top, Shae realized he didn’t have a way to open her door. He didn’t know where her keys were…

    He patted gently at her pockets as best as he could, but he didn’t want her to wake up and think he was trying to grope her…

Shae blushed and shook his head.

   ‘How am I going to get her inside?’ he wondered.

           “Ahem.”

Shae turned towards the sound of an older feminine voice behind him.

   Mrs. Theodora Potts and her sister Ms. Martha Wentworth greeted him with questioning looks and sly smiles. With Merida still drunk asleep in his arms he could only smile back sheepishly.

           “Good evening Mrs. Potts, Ms. Martha…” he could feel the heat rising up his neck to his cheeks.

The two sisters glanced at each other, each quirking a brow at the man on their landing with the woman in his arms.

    “Good evening to you too, Mr. MacGuffin…Mind telling us what you are doing with our lovely new tenant in your arms like that?” Marth asked candidly.

Shae’s blushed burned his cheeks even more.

           “Well, you see Ms. Martha, Miss Merida and I went to dinner and then we went for drinks and…”

Just then, Merida squirmed in his arms and he had to readjust his hold on her. She sighed against his neck once she was situated more comfortably in his embrace. Shae’s face was on fire by this point.

           “Had a wee bit too much to drink tonight, eh?” Mrs. Potts gathered.

Shae nodded.

           “I had to bring her home. Wanted to make sure she was alright, you know. I couldnnae very well leave her at the pub.”

Both sisters nodded.

   “How every noble of you, Shae.” Mrs. Potts teased, but there was a kindness in her voice.

Shae was sure his blush was going to be permanently burned onto his cheeks by now.

           “Here, let us help.”

Martha walked over to Merida’s apartment door and unlocked it for him.

           “Thank you.” He shot them both an appreciative smile.

“Don’t be too long, dear. We’ll be keeping time.” Mrs. Potts warned with a playful wink. Shae had to fight back the urge to roll his eyes.

The two sisters headed back into their own apartment and Shae carried Merida into hers.

Stepping inside he let out a heavy sigh. Everyone tonight had gotten the wrong idea about Merida and him.

He looked around the apartment, familiarizing himself with the space.

           ‘Idiot! You donnae know if she’ll ever invite you over after this! Donnae be creepy!’ he chastised himself.

Merida’s flat was semi-spacious. Though that was due to lack of furniture. The door opened into the living room and dining-kitchen space. It was mostly one big open room, except that the dining-kitchen area had a tile floor and the living area was carpeted.

Looking towards the living room Shae was happy to see a couch!

Not that he wouldn’t have carried Merida to her bedroom, but a couch made this less awkward for him.

He carried her over and laid her down on the faded suede couch gently.

Merida stirred once again and looked up at him. A sleepy smile formed on her lips.

           “Shaaaeeee…” she drew his name out again.

Without thinking, Shae reached out and brushed some loose hair out of her face.

           “Aye, lass?”

    “Are you going to stay? You should…I have the room…” she mumbled, reaching to touch his hand.

Shae smiled softly but shook his head,

           “I cannae. I need to get back home to Dodge. And you lass…you need some rest and water…”

Not in any position to argue, Merida simply nodded,

“Dodge is a good boy…” she muttered and closed her eyes. In a quick moment, she was passed out again. From alcohol or exhaustion, Shae wasn’t sure which.

Shaking his head, he set to work making sure she would be more comfortable.

He took off her shoes and placed them by her door. Grabbing a blanket off the back of the couch, he draped that over her too.

He also brought her a cup of water from the kitchen and placed it on the coffee table. Lastly, he walked down her hallway and found the bathroom. He rummaged around the bathroom looking for headache medicine.

Finding a large bottle of ibuprofen Shae took 2 tablets out and brought them back to the living room. He laid them next to the water glass on the coffee table.

Shae felt a little bit bad for just leaving her alone, but she needed her rest…

                Plus, he wasn’t her boyfriend…she didn’t need him to watch over her…

He rubbed at the back of neck and thought a moment.

If he stayed it would look very bad on the both of them…

As he stood and contemplated all the reasons for and against staying to make sure she was going to be okay, a knock at the door made him jump.

Mrs. Potts and Ms. Marth were standing at the door eyeing him strangely.

           “Is something wrong, Mr. MacGuffin?” Mrs. Potts asked quirking a brow.

Blushing lightly, Shae glanced down at Merida once more before deciding it was best to leave. He walked towards the door and the two landlady sisters.

           “No, nothing is wrong, ladies. Just wanted to make sure she had the essentials when she wakes up, you know. Water, headache meds…that sort of thing.”

He saw Ms. Martha’s lips quirk up at the corners and his blush spread to his neck.

He cleared his throat.

           “Be best if we leave and let her rest now…”

The three of them stepped outside of Merida’s apartment and closed her door.

  “Thank you for letting me in to drop her off, Mrs. Potts, Ms. Martha.” Shae thanked them.

Mrs. Potts stopped him from going anywhere by putting her hand on his arm.

           “Just a moment, young man. We have a few things to ask you.”

Shae winced,

           “I had a feeling you might…”

  --------------------|} à->>>---------[(<+>)]------<<<-ß{|-----------------

 After spending a half hour sitting in Theodora and Martha’s living room explaining the last five hours to them, Shae was finally free.

Taking a step outside, Shae took in a deep breath of air!

Sparing one last glance towards Merida’s apartment, Shae smiled softly then headed down the stairs.

He had asked Mrs. Potts and her sister to check up on Merida at some point tomorrow. Luckily, they’d agreed. He figured that they would, but he wasn’t going to assume.

As he climbed into the driver seat of his own truck, he realized he would have to find a way to bring her truck back to her too.

He could always tow it back…that was the obvious solution.

Shae clicked his tongue, thinking…

Too bad he didn’t have her keys…

Sighing again, Shae started the engine and let the machine roar to life. Suddenly, rattling and rumbling next to him caught his attention.

           Merida’s truck and probably apartment keys vibrated along the passenger seat. Shae thanked whatever force decided to make his life easy and grabbed the keys from the seat.

He placed them in the cupholder beside him for safe keeping.

   “That was fortuitous.” Shae grinned before heading on home.

As he drove back out to his home, he worked through how he would get her truck to her in the morning.

Somewhere along the way his mind began to drift. He thought about the evening and dinner and having drinks at Scat’s. Merida Darroch was certainly a different kind of woman than what he was used too.

She was fiery, feisty and passionate, with a hefty side of sass and sarcasm. Perhaps a dash of cynicism…

    Looking at his left hand, he thought about how she had bandaged his hand earlier and her behavior around Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather at dinner.

She was soft and caring when she let her guard down.

She was definitely someone that he wanted to continue to get to know.

Suddenly, his mind flashed to the quick, accidental kiss from a week ago and he felt his face flush.

Was he really thinking about that again?!

     He’d replayed the scenario over and over in his head almost every day since then…

Shae sighed as he pulled up to his house. Dodger trotted up to meet him as he got out of the cab.

Shae leaned down and pet the mutt on the head, still thinking about what to do about Miss Merida Darroch, not just her truck…

     Then he decided…

He needed to make a phone call as soon as he could…

  --------------------|} à->>>---------[(<+>)]------<<<-ß{|-----------------

  Thump. Thump! THUMP!

     Merida’s head was pounding and there was a high-pitched ringing in her ears.

           “Oh, god, my head…” she groaned and grimaced, scrunching her eyes even tighter together.

           “Why on earth did I drink so freakin’ much last night?” she asked aloud.

She didn’t get an answer, but at the moment, she really didn’t care.

    Merida sat up slowly and peeked one eye open, still massaging her throbbing head.

She scanned her surroundings and realized she was in her own apartment!

           When had she gotten back here? And a better question was, ‘how’?!    

The last thing she actually remembered from last night was getting pissed off at some blonde at the pub, then drinking herself silly.

Shae had left her alone and then…

           ‘Shae?’ Merida wondered.    

                       ‘Did he bring me home?’

She shook her head gently, trying to remember more details. Unfortunately, everything was a fuzzy, blurry mess inside her head. And her headache was getting worse, aggravated by the light filtering into the room.

           Merida went to stand but as she did, her eyes caught sight of the water glass and the ibuprofen tablets on her coffee table.

Merida quirked a brow and shook her head slightly, once more.

Shae MacGuffin. Wonderful Shae, ‘Guardian Angel’, MacGuffin.

           That was the only explanation.

Sitting back down, she reached over and took the pills and water and swallowed them down. After a minute or two, Merida stood back up, slowly. She ungracefully made her way to her bathroom to freshen up.

           She splashed some cold water on her face and thought about last night.

Shae must have brought her home.

           And somehow, he had been able to get her up to her apartment and inside.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to her!

           Shae had been in her apartment!

‘Idiot! It’s not like he undressed you or took creepy photos of you while you slept. You know Shae’s not that kind of guy!’ Her brain chastised her.

     Her head was still throbbing slightly as she walked back down the hall to the living room and kitchen.

As she stepped up to the kitchen island, she noticed a note on the countertop. Her keys to her truck and apartment laid there with the note.

She reached over and plucked the note up from the counter, and as she did, her coffee maker suddenly clicked on.

           ‘Funny…I donnae remember setting that thing last night…’

She frowned and pinched at the bridge of her nose,

           ‘But then again, I cannae even remember Shae bringing me home…’  

Merida read the not in her hand as she readied her coffee mug.

           Miss Merida,

                       I hope you are well this morning and are not too sick from last night.

“He means, he hopes I’m not too hungover…” Merida grinned, then continued reading.

            I want to apologize for Ms. McBain’s attitude last night and I’m sorry that you had a run-in with her. The woman is an absolute horror sometimes.

“Absolute whore, you mean.” Merida scoffed, pouring herself a cup of fresh brewed coffee.

Shae turned the note towards her so she could keep reading.

           Up until that point, I really enjoyed our evening. And to be honest, I enjoyed being able to take you home. Even the stairs weren’t that bad.

Merida blushed lightly,

           “So, he did carry me up the stairs…” she ‘hmmed’ and took a sip of coffee.

She read on.

           I hope you don’t mind, but I borrowed your keys last night. I only did it so I could bring your truck back to you this morning and leave the keys back inside with you. As you can see, I left them here with this note. They are all there. The apartment keys and the truck keys, and whatever else all those others go too.

            And don’t worry…I didn’t make any copies.

I’m not that creepy.

Merida laughed out loud!

           Oh, and please don’t be alarmed about the kitchen. I thought you might need coffee. It always makes me feel better after I drink too much.

Merida chuckled and took yet another sip of coffee.

           I hope that we can have dinner together again soon. (?)

                       And maybe a few drinks at the pub…who knows…

Have a great day,

           Shae MacGuffin aka “Your Guardian Angel”  

Merida shook her head and chuckled lightly. She turned the note over and noticed an additional blurb on the back.

           PS. I brought you some breakfast too…

                       I set the box in your fridge, on the top shelf.

                                   Enjoy! :)

She giggled at the little funny smiley face drawing he’d left at the end of his note.

Merida finished Shae’s note and smiled softly.

           “He really is a guardian angel…even if he just jokes about it. Such a sweet man…” she muttered to herself.

She placed the note on the counter and took a big swig of her coffee finishing off her first cup.

           “Mmm, that’s the stuff.” Merida sighed happily.

She poured another full cup of coffee for herself and glanced down at his note again. She doubled checked what he’d written.

Curious, she went to her fridge and opened the door. Sure enough, on the top shelf was the breakfast container Shae had promised. Merida reached in and grabbed the box. It was still warm to the touch, so it couldn’t have been in there long.

She turned back around to the kitchen island with her breakfast box in hand.

She set it down and re-read Shae’s note thoroughly before she opened the box.

When she finally did, she shook her head.

           Shae MacGuffin really must be an angel. There is no way he could have known her favorite breakfast meal…it had to have been a fluke…

The warm cinnamon-y smell of the French toast filled her senses and her stomach rumbled.

She bit her bottom lip trying to force back the stupid grin on her face.

Shae MacGuffin really was something else. He was smart, caring, handsome…even though she could tell he didn’t think he was…

And he was every reason she had moved away from home to begin with…

           She’d always gotten involved with men too quickly. Plus, she’d come to DunBroch for a new start, not find a new boyfriend!

           She’d promised herself she’d stay away from all men for at least a year after moving away from home.

    Merida sighed.

           Yeah, that promise had lasted all but a week…

  Going out with Shae MacGuffin had been a mistake. Even if they’d both decided it wasn’t a date, it had still been a mistake…

           …and it had been a date, no matter what they told themselves…

Merida took a long swig of her coffee and pushed her mass of red curls out of her face.

           “You’re going to be bad for me, Shae MacGuffin…”

She looked down at his note, the breakfast he’d brought, her coffee mug and her keys and she sighed heavily.

She felt her heart beat a little faster just thinking about how sweet Shae had been to her!

           “Yep…definitely bad for me, alright…”

But as Merida took a bite of the French toast he’d brought her, she realized she didn’t really care.

           And she smiled.

  --------------------|} à->>>---------[(<+>)]------<<<-ß{|-----------------

 Yay! Chapter 3 of the AU is done. I really didn’t intend this chapter to be so long…or any chapter to be honest…I really can’t right short chapters. That’s why you have to wait 2-3 years for any updates on any of my stories… I’m sorry ☹

 Anyway, if anyone is still reading this, I will keep working on both this and Ties.

Ties Chapter 19 should be coming soon, I’ve had a lot of mental blocks when it came to that chapter and other upcoming ones. I may end up doing like “deleted scenes” or Alternative scenes for certain chapters because I can’t make up my mind.

 Hope you enjoyed seeing a little bit more of Shae and Merida in a modern AU setting. Oh, and as promised, way more Disney cameos. Most of DunBroch will be filled with Disney and Pixar characters, mostly so I don’t have to create too many more OC’s lol! No Kenna in this chapter but we did get to see some more of Nessa and Colin. And Duncan Macintosh will eventually make an appearance too.

[joshuasumter]

Robin Hood reference

I told you I was working on a Brave / Merida as Disney’s Robin Hood parody. XD I’m sorry, I just can’t stop cackling every time I picture Young MacGuffin as Maid Marian.

pffft I should have given him a wimple.

[bugchuckles]

Young MacGuffin practice.

Gawd I love this boy. He's a total sweetheart and needs WAY more fans. Seriously.

[cinneamhain-archive]

Meriwall (◡‿◡✿)

Meriguffin (◕‿◕✿)

Meritosh (⊙‿⊙✿)

Merida and the Suitors ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*\(⊙ω⊙✿)/*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

[merida-x-macguffin]

Merida and Young MacGuffin commission by the super awesome Pinkyapple on Deviantart. I love them in their style, couldn’t be happier. ^^

[weasley-detectives]

I certainly hope it's not pesky of me, but are there any odds you'll continue writing "Bold"? At first I was looking for a fanfic with my OTP, but now I'm positively taken by the usage of Scottish folklore and dialect. ( I may not be Scottish, but I find the culture to be quite a bit enchanting) Also I'm immensely curious how are they gonna overcome seemingly impossible challenges.

Hi anon! You're not being pesky at all, thank you so much for taking an interest in my story! It makes me so happy to know people are reading my silly wee fics and actually enjoying them. I definitely intend on finishing Bold - my problem is my stupid adhd brain never wants to kick into gear until I'm fully invested in something again. So I need that inspiration to write, but I'm still desperate to finish it. (if it makes you feel any better, I'm a big fan of slow painful tortuous burns with a happy ending, so that's what you can expect 😂) . Thanks again anon! Xx

[yuramec]

Merida: P-put me down

Y. Macguffin : ....???

...........

ah, the old times -w-

[bugchuckles]

Concept art from Brave (2012)

JK it's a crappy pencil thing I did at lunch I NEED TO FINISH MY CHALLENGE PIECES ARGH

[cinneamhain-archive]

Would you please tell us about your betrothed? What made you choose him over others? How are Wee Dingwall and Young MacGuffin? Are all of you friends?

She raked a hand through her disheveled hair and sighed, a lazy smile tugging at her lips. “I didnae choose him. It just sort o’… happened.” Their courtship was through paper and ink, and then afterwards bumping teeth and clumsy fingers.

"He’s ae right numpty," she said, snickering a bit. "pulled m’ skirt right o’er m’ head first time we met an’ then had the gall tae ask fer ae kiss." She had made good on several kisses since then. “‘s also arrogant, competitive, pretty ‘n he knows i’." Her face softened. "But he always saves the biggest apple tart fer me, an’ his feet arenae cold like mine are a’ night. ‘s also good for getting things off o’ high shelves." And when he kissed her he said her name like a pray. "Guess I love him." 

At the mention of her other two former sighs, she brightened. “Wee Dingwall is well. We speak often - well, mostly me. He’s guid a’ listening.” He preferred listening. “Haven’t seen much o’ Young MacGuffin since the Highland Games, sent him off with some jam tarts he fancied. I’ve heard guid things from m’ mum’s correspondence with Lord MacGuffin. Hope they’re true.”

She fiddled with the cuff of her sleeve. “Aye,” she said, nodding her head. How couldn’t they be after what they had been through together?

[weasley-detectives]

I must thank you for all the Merguffin content. They are the single cutest, most underrated ship in Disneydom, and good god the level of Slow Burn in Bold is sapping my will to live. Can’t wait for them to just KISS ALREADY or hold hands, or something. Anything. Aaaah.

Mate, I’m so sorry, I thought I had replied to you! I think I just got overly excited at your PM, mentally gushed over it for a week and forgot I hadn’t, y’know, literally replied. XDDD But gosh thank you so much, you honestly made my fandom experience with this message. I loooove writing Merida and MacGuffin and slow burn is my absolutely favourite thing to read, so I’m absolutely stoked to hear you’re enjoying my take on them. Thank you again mate, you’re bloody brilliant!! *tackle hug*

[yuramectoo]

cuz da fndom is hungry >: D!!

[weasley-detectives]

My amazing bestie @pale-silver-comb commissioned this Brave fanart of Merida and Young MacGuffin from the equally amazing @aredblush for Christmas a year ago. Been meaning to post a pic of it before now, because GAH! Just look at his wee face, he’s so smitten. The feels! I believe @aredblush is offering commissions again so take a look because trust me, you won’t me disappointed. :D