give a little bit .

[kaler ryan scott]

Kaler had always enjoyed winter time in the east. Having been born and raised in Texas, he was used to the dry air and the lack of snowfall. It had seemed like an ultra special treat to get to travel to Virginia at the age of six with his newfound adoptive family for the holidays, and getting to see real snow for the first time and experience the crazy cold temperatures was the strangest, most amazing thing ever. He was lucky in the way that he got to spend every Christmas vacation there with his new family, and Kaler had learned to appreciate it. Going back to his Texas home had always felt…dreary, but Kaler hadn’t had to worry about traveling there for the holidays for two years now. His home was here in Arietta, Maine, and while coastal residents rarely saw heavy snowfall they certainly had winter weather. It was cold, and the small seaside town seemed to move slower than it normally did. Kaler loved that sleepy feel, loved how the world could seem so quiet of a place. It brought a strange sense of calm with it, like things were really all very right in the world when beneath it all it was the far from the truth. That never seemed to matter, though, and Kaler wasn’t so much of a cynic that he ruined the illusion of peacefulness for himself with his bitter, realist thoughts. This time of the year gave him tons of reasons to be bitter and cynical of the whole holiday spirit thing, but Kaler chose to rise about it and that was made all that easier to do this year with a few extra special added to his life.

He had made a lot of good friends since he had moved to the small town a little over two years ago. Everyone here had been so warm and welcoming, and they had taken him in with arms wide open. It was not that kind of acceptance that Kaler was accustomed to when arriving in new places as most people always seemed so untrusting, but here things had been different. He was made to feel like he was a part of the family and some people were quickly able to befriend the young man who was all too often guarded and didn’t seem friendly at all. If anything, he had an intimidating presence when he walked into a room, drawing attention to himself and people somehow knowing that he was some odd kind of dangerous. However, these people had not let him put up those defensive walls and had made him feel right at home. Those were the people that had kept Kaler anchored to this town and led to his eventual decision to make it a permanent residence. They were all apart of this new life he had developed for himself away from his father and family in Texas, away from school at Yale, and just what he had called a clean slate. Granted, he wasn’t doing the greatest job with that clean slate and already had quite a few things on it that most would frown upon, but that was Kaler. And, despite all of that, these people still cared for him. Kaler had somehow even managed to rope in the most amazing girl, finding someone that he genuinely loved and cared for with all of his heart. Vidette was the first of those special people that had added so much to his life; his newfound sister would be the second.

Discovering that he had a half sister in this world shouldn’t have been so much of a surprise. Kaler had known that his birth mother had been a tramp, and was bound to end up pregnant more than just once. He was sorry that it had happened, sorry that there were more children in this world that shared the childhood he had had because Sylvie Moreau had been a terrible, deadbeat waste of space, but he was also glad that if it had to happen that he could be part of the solution. Peyton Roth had lived a miserable kind of life. She had suffered through a mother leaving her, living with an abusive father, and watching that abusive father beat her twin sister until there was no life left in her. It was against the odds that he and Peyton would find each other in this big old world, but she had showed up on his doorstep one day with all the proof that he would need to believe that they were indeed related. It had been a shock at first, something that was hard for the then twenty-four-year old that had grown up as a single child to wrap his mind around, but Kaler had adjusted. Peyton was a good kid, and he found himself taking a liking to her easily. Since that first day, the two had been able to bond and become closer. They weren’t super close, and Kaler still got the sense that she was wary of him, not entirely sure how far to trust him, but that would all come with time. At least, he hoped so, because he really did care for his sister and wanted to make things right between them. With Christmas coming up, he wanted to give her something useful, something that she didn’t have but needed, and Peyton needed a lot of things.

The gift had started out small at first, Kaler’s idea to get her an iPod because she had hijacked his for a while. Then, he had gotten to thinking and knew that she would need a computer to go with the iPod, as well as for school. From there, the idea had snowballed. He didn’t know that he had ever put that kind of thought and effort into gift before, but he hoped that this one would be worth it. It was something that was kind of difficult to hide, but whenever Peyton came to Kaler’s house he always said that the construction she saw or heard was just him adding on. After all, his house wasn’t large; it made sense. Peyton had been over to help him decorate his Christmas tree and put up other decorations along with Vidette and few of his other closest friends, all of them knowing and the poor girl herself unsuspecting, but that’s what made it fun. When Christmas rolled around, Kaler spent Christmas Eve with the Trent family and went with Vidette on Christmas day to meet her parents. That had gone surprisingly well, Kaler getting the sense that they had approved of him and were happy for their daughter. Viddy didn’t seem surprised, and doted on him the entire day. They only parted ways that evening, Kaler headed to her home later that night but he was there when Peyton showed up. He might have even made a small dinner if he still weren’t afraid of killing the girl with her food allergies, but sitting and chatting was good enough. He told her about meeting Vidette’s family and showed her some of the cool things that the Trents had gotten him. Then he shot a small smile her way. “So I know I said not to worry about presents, but I did have to get you something. Only, I was kind of lazy and didn’t wrap it so it’s in the spare room. Come on.”

Kaler led the way, knowing that Peyton hadn’t been expecting this from him at all. He grinned as he got to the door and turned to face her. “Close your eyes, and no peeking, got it?” Yes, he knew this was strange and that she was probably a little nervous about this, but Peyton did as she was told and let her eyes drift shut. Kaler swung the bedroom door wide open and then stepped around his sister. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders, expecting the small jump he felt at his touch. Kaler guided Peyton forward, placing her inside the door and off to the left just a bit so she would be able to see everything. “Aight, you can open them,” he said, his tone soft as he brilliant blue eyes moved to watch her face, wanting to see the reaction when she took this all in. When Peyton opened her eyes, she would see a completely remodeled version of the what the spare bedroom had been. It now had a full walk-in closet, its own bathroom, two new dressers, a desk complete with a new laptop, printer, and iPod, and a queen sized bed with all new bedclothes. The walls were freshly painted, new carpet had been put down, and there was even a window seat, overlooking the small property Kaler owned behind the house. “It’s all yours. I hope mine and Jared’s carpentry skills aren’t too bad, and I had Vid and Izzy helping me with the colors so if it sucks, blame the girls. We can always change it. I just…wanted you to have a room for yourself here so you could feel more at home.”



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tagged: peyton//luna!

[peyton angela roth]

open your eyes soon you're in the spotlight ,

Christmases were never anything special for Peyton Roth. She and Preston had never woken up on December 25th to a tree full of presents from Santa, their parents standing nearby to take pictures of them as they opened the gifts they had planned and bought for. Peyton had learned at a very young age that Santa didn’t exist. She never once got a gift from the jolly man in a red suit, and her father had told her in very blunt terms that the man didn’t exist when she had asked him why she and Preston never got any gifts. He didn’t even try to pretend by saying they had been naughty children. To say that the Roth twins had never had a childhood of innocence was putting it lightly. Peyton had had to grow up extremely fast, and she couldn’t really look back on anything in her past and actually be happy about it. Tragedy and sorrow followed her everywhere, and now she was alone. Well, okay, not completely alone, but up until recently she hadn’t had anyone. Without Preston, Peyton had been left to her own devices, and that hadn’t been easy. But for Peyton, Christmas was just another day of the year; nothing special. She had never really had a reason to look forward to the day, just like every other holiday. She had never actually experienced Halloween or Thanksgiving or Easter until she had come to her foster home, and now she was being exposed to the wonders of Christmas. Helping Kaler decorate his house for Christmas had been an entirely new experience for the young girl, though she had to say that she had actually enjoyed it. Which Peyton couldn’t really say about a lot of things. With her new found brother in her life, Peyton was being shown a lot of new and different things, not all good, but most were, and she couldn’t even begin to express how thankful she was that she had found him.

Not that Peyton and Kaler were as close as siblings just yet. Peyton had her reservations where he was concerned, and though she wasn’t completely trusting of him just yet, she did enjoy spending time around him. He was great fun and she found herself smiling often when she was around him. She found that she could almost relax when she was around him, and she had become so familiar with his house that she didn’t have to ask where anything was anymore. It was a new experience for Peyton: having a brother. She had had her twin sister all her life, but somehow having Kaler was different. He was practically a stranger to her, but she found herself growing fonder of him every day, as flawed as he was. Peyton herself wasn’t perfect, so she suspected that made their little family somewhat messed up. How many other people out there could possibly have their story. It was really quite crazy, both of them abandoned, though Kaler had certainly got the better hand out of that one. She was envious of that, and maybe even a little jealous. It really wasn’t fair that he had gotten something so great and Peyton hadn’t. All she had ever wanted were parents to love her. She wouldn’t have cared how rich they were or what kind of standing they would have had. Anything was better than what she had been raised in. But what had happened couldn’t be changed, and there was no point lingering on it. Though Peyton was certainly in better conditions than she had been before, they still weren’t preferred. Her foster parents didn’t even really care, though the holiday season had made them somewhat more joyful. And Peyton felt more wanted there than she ever had in her own home. It wasn’t great, but it was definitely better.

As Christmas came closer, Peyton started thinking of what kind of present she could possibly get for him. The whole gift-giving concept wasn’t new to her, as she and Preston had often exchanged gifts around Christmas and on their birthdays when they got older. They never had much, but they tried. Peyton, for once, actually had a little money to her name, and she hadn’t earned it in the illegal ways that her twin had once gone about them. Instead she used her art, the one thing she was truly good at. She spent a lot of time around the beach and the boardwalk where the tourists came, a lot of them enjoying her drawings and paying her well for them. It was an idea that had never occurred to her before, probably because she had once lived in a place that didn’t get a lot of outsider traffic, and no one had cared whether she could draw or not. But money aside, Peyton had absolutely no idea what to get her older brother. What did you get for someone that had, well, practically everything? And anything he didn’t have he could get. That was when Peyton had started thinking outside the box and got creative, using her skills and coming up with something she had been really quite proud of. So when Peyton made her way to Kaler’s that evening, she was actually quite excited for it. She had spent the day with her foster family, Julia making a rather big lunch for the family in honor of the holiday. It was actually really nice. They had also bought her a new sketch pad as a gift, which had made her extremely happy. Peyton could never have enough of them. And now she was in her brother’s house, enjoying a Christmas with him, listening to how his day had gone and telling him about her own. He hadn’t made any dinner, Kaler still having the somewhat rational fear of killing her, though Peyton had more confidence in him than that. She had even written him out a list and posted it on his fridge as a way to help him, and yet he still felt that way, which Peyton could only just roll her eyes at and smile. He would get it, she was sure. She had faith in him.

After he finished showing her what the Trents had gotten him for Christmas he shot a smile her way. “So I know I said not to worry about presents, but I did have to get you something. Only, I was kind of lazy and didn’t wrap it so it’s in the spare room. Come on.” Peyton was slightly surprised by this. She had done something for him in honor of the holiday, which was still located in her messenger bag by the couch, but she hadn’t expected anything from him in the process. It was certainly a pleasant surprise. He lead her towards his spare bedroom, then turned to face her with a grin on his face. “Close your eyes, and no peeking, got it?” Peyton was hesitant, but she nodded and closed her eyes. She heard the bedroom door open and then felt Kaler’s hand touch her shoulder, which she jumped at slightly, though not nearly as bad as she once had. He guided her inside. “Aight, you can open them.” When Peyton did open her eyes, she was very much surprised by what she saw, and it was definitely the last thing she had expected. The room looked absolutely amazing, better than any she had ever gotten to see, though it didn’t take much to beat that. “It’s all yours. I hope mine and Jared’s carpentry skills aren’t too bad, and I had Vid and Izzy helping me with the colors so if it sucks, blame the girls. We can always change it. I just…wanted you to have a room for yourself here so you could feel more at home.” This certainly was a surprise, and definitely one she hadn’t see coming, and in the moment she only had one word for it all. “Wow.” It was absolutely, without a doubt, the biggest and most amazing gift she had ever gotten, and it really meant a lot to her that Kaler had made a place for her in his home. It meant more than she could ever say. “Seriously?” she asked, looking at him, a smile touching her lips. “Well your gift definitely out does mine,” she said with a smile. She turned back and looked back at the room, taking it all in again. “This is amazing.”

Peyton explored the room after that, taking it all in and feeling completely overwhelmed. She didn’t think she could ever thank Kaler enough for this, because it truly was amazing. It was just... wow. After Peyton had seen everything there was to see there, she walked back out to where she had left her messenger bag sitting, find the gift she had badly wrapped for Kaler and taking it back into the room with her to give to him. It was nothing great compared to what he had given to her, but she was still quite proud of it. When he tore off the paper he would find a picture frame with a drawing that she had done, and all colored in with colored pencil, which had taken her forever to get right as she wasn’t one that usually added color. It was a picture of Kaler himself, nothing all that special but it was definitely a showcase of her artistic ability. It looked completely realistic, and though it wasn’t much, she hoped that he did like it. His definitely trumped hers, but it was something she had worked hard on and had put a lot of thought into. She didn’t think she’d ever put so much into a gift before, but that was what made her so proud of it. It was the thought that counted, right?

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tagged for ; kaler ryan scott status ; complete word count ; 1,641 words lyrics ; spotlight by selena gomez notes ; aww, so sweet!!

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[kaler ryan scott]

When Kaler had been trying to figure out gifts for everyone, he would have to say that he put the most time and effort into Peyton's. Everyone else seemed easy enough, just because Kaler was a very observational kind of person and picked up on things people mentioned year round and bought their shit then rather than waiting until the last minute and trying to remember who had said that they liked what. Of course, it was a little easier for Kaler to be able to do things like that. His trust fund was a large one, and though no one would assume that he had that kind of money from the home he lived in or because of his actions, Kaler did have the kind of wealth that was nothing to share. His family had taught him to be generous, and though it was probably the last characteristic that anyone would expect Kaler Scott to have, he was nothing if not generous. He bought people things that they needed, things that would actually be used and welcomed instead of big, flashy items that would just show how much money he had to spend, or little junk items that no one used and went straight to the regift pile. Kaler Scott could be a royal ass all year round, but he could usually find a way to make up for it around this time of the year. That was the whole point of the holidays, right? Spreading the joy and the love and whatever else? Kaler didn't often read all the sayings on the holiday cards, but he did get the general idea and he came through with it. For Peyton though, he had wanted to do something really special. Building onto his house and giving her an entire room for herself would seem like more than enough to most people, and Kaler had planned on stopping there.

He watched her eyes open, a smile on his lips as he saw the surprise dawn over her face. He knew that this was probably the last thing in the world that Peyton had ever expected from her half brother that she had only just started to get to know, but it really was the least that he could do for her. After finding out about Peyton, and her twin sister, and the kind of life that they had had to live all those years while he had seemingly gotten a fairy tale life handed to him, Kaler had felt...guilty. He knew that it hadn't been his fault, that there was nothing that anyone could have done because no one had known about his sisters, but it didn't make it feel any better. He had his own emotional scaring from what their biological mother had done to him, and had a long history with anxiety and antidepressant medications to show for that, but it was nothing compared to the abuse and the losses that Peyton had had to suffer throughout her lifetime. There was nothing that Kaler could do to take away any of that, and he knew that there would never be anyone in this world that would be able to replace Preston, but he had to try and make something better for his sister. He knew that she was currently living in a crowded home with a foster family that had probably lost track of how many foster children they actually had living there and that there was little space for her and her things. He also knew that she had been living without the kinds of things that most people take for granted every day, like an iPod or a computer, or even just a bed that was bigger than a twin size. Material things couldn't make up for anything that really mattered, but at least he could give her this much. "Wow....Seriously?" Kaler just nodded, smile still on his lips as he leaned back against the door jamb, arms crossed over his chest as she watched Peyton take it all in. He was surprised that she was so brave to walk across some of the newly added structure after hearing Jared's name brought into it; Kaler had been hesitant to enlist his friend in the task of building this but as it turned out, he had actually known what he was doing.

Peyton said that this had out done her gift, and Kaler just rolled his eyes. He had told her not to worry about getting him anything, but obviously neither of them had listened to that. Peyton moved around the room, looking and taking it all in. Kaler still had no idea if the colors were right or if she liked the comforter or...anything, but he was sure that Peyton wasn't the kind of girl that was going to complain about those kinds of things. If she wanted them changed, it could happen later. Right now, she seemed overwhelmed with this, which was kind of what Kaler had expected. The computer and iPod were Kaler's own favorite personal touches, just because of the small joke that went with it and because that was probably about the only thing he had known how to pick out. He didn't know how to pick out girl comforters or girl colors, so the electronics and the carpentry fixtures were Kaler's areas of expertise. When Peyton had roamed all around the room, she stopped and walked passed Kaler, back toward the living room. He was a little confused, but it made more sense when she walked back with what looked like a present in her hands. Kaler really wished that she hadn't gotten him anything, but he knew better than to try and tell her otherwise now. She handed it to him, and Kaler looked at her somewhat suspiciously before he started to tear at the wrapping paper. When he saw what this gift was, a soft smile touched his lips. "Wow. Peyton, this is so...good." What Kaler was looking at was a portrait of himself, drawn by his younger sister who had obviously put a lot of work and effort into this. The likeness was amazing, and the colors were eerily realistic. "This is amazing. It must have taken you forever." Kaler's blue eyes were still taking it in, thinking to himself that the best that he could do in drawing a person was a stick figure. His artistic abilities ended there, peaking in pre-K. "Thank you," he said, looking up her now with that same smile.

Then Kaler looked back down at the picture, thinking that now was as good a time as any to go on with part two of this present, the part that he hadn't planned on but had just kind of...happened. "So listen. There's something else that I might be able to do for you, but I'm not going to do it without talking to you, and making sure it's something that you would want." He looked back up at Peyton, still friendly, but a more serious tone in his voice. "I know we haven't known each other that long, and I'm sure you've figured out that I'm not the model older brother. There's nothing perfect about me, and I still have this horrible fear of killing you if I bring something into this house that you're allergic to, but I was thinking... you could move into this room permanently if you were in my custody." He paused, giving Peyton a moment to take that one in. "I know it wouldn't be for very long, but I want to help you in anyway that I can and if that's something you would want, I can make it happen." Kaler had already done his homework, learned the process and figured out what he would need to do. All he needed was Peyton's consent, and they could have something of a make-shift family put back together again.

[peyton angela roth]

open your eyes soon you're in the spotlight ,

For as long as Peyton could remember she had been able to draw. Art was the one thing she was very good at, the one thing she didn’t have to think about or try at. She had always seemed to just know how everything was to look, and how it was that she could recreate what she saw in front of her. Peyton had never had any kind of formal class or lesson, only what was obtained in school, which wasn’t much. No, she had been born with her talent, an ability to see things that others couldn’t and to be able to bring them to life on paper. Discovering that she could use her talent to get her some money had been a breakthrough moment for her. Coming from the situation she and her sister had, they hadn’t gotten lot of the things that others did. Most of the items that others took for granted Peyton and Preston never got. What they did get, they had gotten for themselves, or mainly Preston had gotten for them. And now Peyton had to pick up the slack in that area, using what it was that she did best. And she loved doing it. She loved to draw and examine people, creating what she saw and what she thought things should look like. She was good at it, too, and people appreciated her work.

"Wow. Peyton, this is so...good." This made Peyton smile. She was glad that he liked it, as she hadn’t been completely sure that he would. Some people didn’t always appreciate that sort of thing. "This is amazing. It must have taken you forever." It had taken her a very long time, and several sheets of paper before she had gotten it just right. The sketch itself had taken no time at all for her to do, but adding color had been very difficult, as it was something she hadn’t done before. After several tries, though, she had gotten something she was quite proud of, and her brother seemed to really like it, which made her love it even more. "Thank you." She returned the smile that he gave her. “You’re welcome,” she replied. What Kaler said next, though, greatly surprised Peyton. It was something she had definitely not been expecting. "So listen. There's something else that I might be able to do for you, but I'm not going to do it without talking to you, and making sure it's something that you would want." This confused her slightly, but she decided to listen and figure out what it was that he had to say. She never expected this, though. "I know we haven't known each other that long, and I'm sure you've figured out that I'm not the model older brother. There's nothing perfect about me, and I still have this horrible fear of killing you if I bring something into this house that you're allergic to, but I was thinking... you could move into this room permanently if you were in my custody." Peyton smiled slightly at the part about him killing her. Despite her constant assurances that he wouldn’t do so, she couldn’t seem to convince him.

What he said after that, though, wiped the smile off her face and all she could do was stare at him in completely surprise. She was almost sure that she hadn’t heard him correctly until he spoke again. "I know it wouldn't be for very long, but I want to help you in any way that I can and if that's something you would want, I can make it happen." She could only stare at him for a moment. “You… you want to adopt me?” It was a little weird, and saying that he was adopting her felt wrong as that wasn’t necessarily what it was that was going on here. It was the same concept, though. “Really?” she asked, as if she didn’t totally believe him. It all just seemed to good to be true. Peyton didn’t really have to think on it after that. The smile quickly returned to her face and she nodded. “I… I would like that. Yeah.” It was certainly more than she could have ever hoped for. Peyton had thought she would be stuck in that group home for the next year before she was cast out to fend for herself. But now? Now it didn’t seem that it was going to be like that, and it was all because of Kaler. “Thank you, Kaler.” She didn’t know if she could ever really express to him how much it meant to her that he wanted her to live with him. For a girl who had spent her life never being wanted, it felt good that someone did, that someone did want her to be a part of their family. Kaler didn’t have to accept her the way that he had, but she was really glad that he had. She loved that now she was going to have an even greater chance to get to know him.

It was at that precise moment that Peyton felt and heard her stomach growl. She bit her lip, glancing up at Kaler. “But you’re really going to have to get over your fear of killing me.” Because it wasn’t really going to work if he couldn’t buy groceries and fix food for her. “Maybe start with a pizza?” She grinned, her request for food less than subtle. He really was going to have to get over that, though, and what better time to start than now?

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tagged for ; kaler ryan scott status ; complete word count ; 929 words lyrics ; spotlight by selena gomez notes ; aww, so sweet!!

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