JoMarie's writing and blogs

Real Life Chapter 3

2011-01-22T18:29:00.002-05:00

"Cae! Cae! Caeee!!" Aylin bounced energetically on the bed beside Caelyn.

"What time is it?" whined Caelyn as she pulled the covers down to check the alarm clock across the room. "4:30 in the morning?! Aylin have you lost your mind?"

A now pouting six year old flopped down onto the bed, "I want to play!" she exclaimed.

"How about we play a game called 'lay here next to me and sleep'!" Caelyn asked her niece as she patted the bed beside her.

Shrugging, Aylin climbed under the covers with her aunt and sighed. "I guess..."

"We'll play in a few hours when the sun is up to play too!" exclaimed Caelyn as she closed her eyes again.

She shook her head, what had her sister set her up for?

--

Turning to her new husband, Jolie smiled at his sleeping face. "You're the most handsome man in the entire world." she whispered to his sleeping form.

"Really not.." he mumbled back and smiled sleepily.

"Well, I think you are! That's all that matters." she giggled, pressing a kiss to his lips.

"Well, thank you baby. You're right, that's all that matters. What's on the agenda for today?" he opened one eye as if worried by what her agenda would hold.

"I don't know...I was thinking sleeping in, maybe some sight seeing and pictures?" Jolie smiled cupping his cheek, "Too much?"

He snuggled close, "Naw, never. Let's do it."

Real life Chap 2

2011-01-20T00:35:00.000-05:00

Jolie stretched her hand out to her daughter and pulled Aylin close. "Now, Mommy and Daddy are going away for a little while, Auntie Cae and Auntie Cheyenne are going to stay with you, remember?"

Aylin nodded somberly, "I'm 'zausted mama." She rubbed her eyes slowly and sighed. "I'll miss you." she hugged Jolie's waist tight and then ran to McHale.

Jolie slipped the house keys into Caelyn's hand, "Brand new house, Cae, try not to trash it...Have Eli over whenever you want." she winked at her sister.

"I'm going to kill you for all of this matchmaking! We'll be nice to the house. You enjoy your honeymoon love." Caelyn hugged Jolie too.

Arms wrapped around her waist tightly, and instinctively she knew her husband stood behind her. Hot breath tickled her neck and ear, "What do you say we get outta here, Mrs. McHale Maddox?"

She giggled feeling the suprise she always did when he showed his sweet affection. "I'm more than ready, Husband of mine."

His hand snaked around to clasp hers, "Then by all means lets get out before someone else stops us!" McHale tugged her toward the limo.

--

Caelyn buckled a now sleeping Aylin into her safety seat as Cheyenne climbed into the drivers seat with a yawn. "Well party animals, Lets get back to the house." she chuckled as she climbed into the passenger seat.

"Strange being here in Kansas, right? You have the directions to the house?" asked Cheyenne with another yawn.

Nodding, Caelyn produced the directions from her handbag. "Lets get to the house and see what awaits us."

Within a half hour they had reached McHale and Jolie's new home. Most people in a new home, purchased within a month of their wedding, would still have a mess. Not her sister! The house was perfectly clean and organized with a notebook full of information for the house/baby sitters.

"Thanks Jolie." whispered Cae as she flipped through the pages. At the end of the notebook, Eli Sabin's phone number was scribbled with a smiley face sticker beside it.

Shaking her head, Cae shut the notebook.

Life As We Know It! Our Real Life, Love & Drama!! Chapter 1

2010-08-29T00:47:00.002-04:00

Many stories have been written about myself and my sisters...but this one is the embellishment of our real lives, love, and drama as of right now! Love you girls! Enjoy!

Jolie adjusted her veil in the mirror and seemed to use it as a mirror to the past. Tears streamed down her face as she recalled the things that had brought her and her family to this point. Everything was working out for the best, and yet tears still came.

"Don't you start!" warned Caelyn from behind her as she fidgeted with Lydia's hair. Chrissy had graduated from beauty school just a few short months ago and was flourishing in her new career-working toward owning her very own salon.

"Yeah, jerk, we've done enough of that!" sighed Cheyenne, who was helping Aylin with her flowergirl dress.

"Mommy?" Aylin wrapped her arms around Jolene's knees as she viewed her tears. "You okay?" the six-year-old asked.

"I'm fine, doll." she replied stooping to kiss the top of her daughter's head. As she did she surveyed her sisters all 6 of them standing around and the tears began all over. Three of them had graduated high school, two had successful jobs, one was attending a prestegious college, and the twins were almost finished with high school. Her heart was filled to bursting with pride as she surveyed their beauty, intelligence, and character. "I love you all," she stated finally, "lets do this!"

The wedding march began, and she stood at the back of the gathering staring up the aisle at the most handsome man in the entire world waiting on her. Silently she gave her thanks to God for saving her heart and everything for the man of her dreams who now stared at her with such pride and love that tears began again.

"Come on, Mommy." plead Aylin from beside her gripping her hand.

With that she followed her sweet little one to their most trusted man's side. He gave her a look that spoke volumes as he always did, they had a way of silent communication between them.

She winked and sent it right back at him, including all of her love and devotion.

As she walked up the aisle behind her daughter, she thought back on what had brought them to this point. Heartbreak, devastation, loss, joy, gain, a whirlwind romance, and finally love. Her eyes were glued to her soon-to-be husband, he was truly everything she had ever wanted in a man. McHale was smart, sweet, hilariously funny, amazing with children, loved life, and had real goals. Beside that...she blushed, he was incredibly handsome and smiling just at her. His eyes never waivered from her, and that's what really counted. With so many people letting each of them down in their pasts, they cherished the trust and communication that they had between them.

--

Caelyn walked around the reception hall with her niece trailing her.

"Cae! Dance with me!" Aylin pleaded.

Caelyn smiled at her niece, but on the inside she sighed. Really the only person who wanted to dance with her was female, and six? "Let's do this!" she exclaimed with more enthusiasm than she felt.

Together they hit the dance floor and began to dance to a popular song. Mid-way through the song, her cousin Cheyenne joined them in a sort of circle of dancing.

"I need to sit down!" Caelyn finally conceded after two more songs.

Aylin began to pout.

"Almost cake time." Cheyenne provided.

"Yay! Cake!" Aylin fell into line behind them walking toward the head table.

"Hey C!" shouted Jolie from across the room.

Caelyn left Aylin with Cheyenne and went to her sister. "What is it?" she asked, rather tired of doing for this wedding. They had been planning this wedding for months, and now she was exhausted!

"I wanted you to meet Elias, a friend of McHale's." Jolie said immediately turning on her heel and pulling a six foot tall man over to her. "Eli, this is Caelyn, my sister. Caelyn, Eli." she gestured between the two and then took off to find her husband.

Silently, Caelyn vowed to kill her sister when she saw her later. Okay, maybe kill was rather strong... as she stared up at the tall handsome man she decided, no kill wasn't too strong. Who gave her sister permission to try to hook her up?

"Having a good time?" asked Eli, an easy smile creased his handsome face.

Caelyn nodded and bit her lip. "I'm sorry my sister threw you at me..I'm really not as desperate as she makes me out to be..." she smiled hoping to ease the tension.

He chuckled, "Well, Caelyn, I'm not sorry. I may have asked your sister to introduce us."

She felt her cheeks burn, "May have, eh?" Maybe this wedding reception bit was looking up...

Engaged!!

2010-08-29T00:47:00.000-04:00

Guess what?? Im engaged!! My amazing fiance, after returning home from Iraq, proposed with help from our little one :-). So excited to take these next steps in the journey of life with the two of them!! Loving and living life to the fullest.

All my love,
JoMarie <3 <3

My picture....haha.

2008-01-25T08:10:00.000-05:00

I just got a new hair cut, not long ago and I've decided it's about time you all knew what I looked like haha.

Untitled (collaborative with Lydia) chap 1, post 1

2007-01-28T22:19:00.000-05:00

Chapter 1, post 1

The sun shone bright over Marie City University, yet somehow it only served to make Mandy Thomas sick to her stomach. In her hand she held her college fate, her dorm assignment. Building J room 150. Her roomate would not be Angela Picatto as she'd once thought, no the name beside her's read Bree Palmer. Building J was right before her, yet somehow she couldn't bring herself to open the door and walk inside. Whomever Bree Palmer was, she wasn't what Mandy enjoyed. Mandy Thomas liked what she knew, and what she knew only. Her home town, her friends, her boyfriend of five years...no, rooming with a complete stranger was not on her to-do list.

"Could you move? You're sort of blocking the door!" a voice called from behind her.

Quickly, Mandy shifted out of the way, pulling her books closer to her as she watched a human tornado dressed in a business suit fly past her. Shaking her head, Mandy pulled her purse strap closer to her shoulder and walked inside the dorm. With each step she took, she looked at the number beside the room. 100, 102, 104..her breath was getting harder to catch as she made her way toward her doom. 148 loomed just ahead, and Mandy couldn't make herself take another step.

"Are you standing in the middle of the hallway for a reason?" asked the same voice who'd demanded her to move only minutes before.

"Um..yes." she replied calmly, careful to not let her voice carry too much emotion. Mandy Thomas had learned the hard way that people could be cruel.

"And that reason would be?" this girl was not budging, she stood before Mandy grey eyes assessing. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a pretty bun, something Mandy's hair would never do as it was just too frizzy. Aside from having beautiful hair and incredible eyes, this woman seemed to have confidence, and as well she should with a body like that!

"I..mm..was looking for my room." Mandy handed her schedule to the girl, knowing that the stupid card could get her out of nearly anything.

"Well, don't be silly! You're in my room!"

Mandy could feel her self-confidence taking a nose dive as she stood before whom she now assumed was Bree Palmer. "Oh..great." She sighed, moving past her and laying her books on the desk provided for her. The room was larger than her room at home, and her things had already been placed inside courtesy of her father and brother.

"I guess we'll be living together now. I'm Bree Palmer, and you are?" Bree, sat on the bed she'd apparently claimed for herself.

All that Mandy could do was stare at her roomate, "Mandy Thomas." she replied, shaking Bree's slender hand.

"Mandy..that's quaint."

Her giggling made Mandy cringe, but she sighed and bore it. She had a feeling that this year would bring her a lot of that.

To be Cont. by Lydia

"Too Tall, Too Dark, Too Handsome"chap 10

2006-12-08T14:19:00.001-05:00

Chapter 10

The sun rose in the sky, announcing Christmas morning, however Shea didn't want to open her eyes. Fear of what this day would bring nearly choked her, and she took a deep breath.

"Good morning, sunshine." Kent whispered, from beside her.

"Is it safe to open my eyes?" she wondered aloud.

"If you don't you won't see Miss Lilly, she's awake. Check out your Christmas miracle, Shea."

Slowly, she opened her eyes to see Lilly propped up in Kent's arms. Tears of joy burned her eyes, "But how? When? Why?" she asked, completely amazed as he lay Lilly in her arms.

"Dr. Sloan came in during the night, and we worked on Lilly. Come to find out this little fighter was not as hurt as she pretended to be." he smiled as he ran a finger down her cheek. "She has two broken ribs, and a broken arm. Other than that, Lilly will be just fine. Once the bones mend you can take her home, and celebrate Christmas again."

Shea looked at the man she now loved, watched as he struggled to stand and limped toward the door. "Kent! Wait!" she shouted, uncaring of the nurses were now watching her.

"What is it Shea?"

"Would you celebrate Christmas with us? I don't want you to leave." she said finally, looking at him hoping to convey every feeling that now welled up inside of her.

"Do you mean that Shea?" he asked, coming to kneel in front of her.

She nodded, "You're the one thing I'm certain of. You're the man I've waited for, the man I didn't think existed. If I didn't know that before, I know now. Watching you take care of Rick like that, seeing you with Lilly, knowing who you are, what you are. I cannot turn away from this now, you're it for me."

A smile stretched his face, "Good, then I won't have to return this..." he whispered, reaching into his pocket and producing a jewelry box. "O'Shea McMalley, would you marry me? I love you." With that, he opened the box to show a beautiful solitary diamond engagement ring.

She felt herself crying and smiling all at the same time, "Of course I'll marry you, Kent."

--

Kent sat surrounded by his family and friends, with Shea and Lilly at his side. It seemed a perfect way to bring in the new year. They'd made an agreement to tell the family once the countdown for midnight began. Now at 11:59, he smiled at Shea and tapped his glass with a fork. "Excuse me everyone? We have an announcement to make!"

"Oooo!" squealed his mother, winking at him.

He couldn't help but feel giddy, he was going to be married and somehow their relationship had come full circle. Within a few months Kent and Shea would be standing at the altar, instead of him ushering and her bursting in through the front doors.

"Give us the announcement already!" his sister yelled over the start of the countdown.

"We're engaged, Shea has agreed to marry me!"

The place errupted into congratulations, hugs and well wishes, and cheering as the new year came in.

Shea turned to him, "Thanks for everything, Kent. Somehow I didn't see this coming a year ago, when I ran into that church. I simply thought you were some guy, too tall, too dark, and too handsome for his own good."

He kissed her softly then grinned, "Maybe, just maybe I was too tall, too dark, too handsome and too for you Shea McMalley. I love you."

The End

"Too Tall, Too Dark, Too Handsome."chap9

2006-12-06T18:09:00.000-05:00

Chapter 9

Shea sang "Jingle Bells" merrily, as she hung Lilly's first Christmas ornament beside Keely's. Somehow, she felt at peace with the entire situation as she listened to Lilly's babbling. It was like nothing she'd felt since Keely's death, the joy of being a mother wrapped around the joy of her favorite holiday. As she turned to tend to Lilly, the face she'd all but hoped to forget forever stared back at her.

"Merry Christmas, O'Shea." he snarled, his hand coming down to grasp her's. "I've seen you around lately, playing Mommy again, dating Dr. Perfect, living a nice life, huh? Well guess what? You're still mine! You've always been mine! This baby, this baby is just like the last one. She's nothing, a nothing that's going to distract you from being mine and mine alone."

His voice sent shivers down her spine as she did her best to shield Lilly with her body.

"Don't you try to protect her, she's going to be gone just like that other kid." he growled, snatching the carseat.

"Rick Harley, you put that baby down. She's not yours, I'm not yours. Get out." that was the best she could muster, yet her insides shook with a fury as she watched him take the baby from the seat and drop the seat.

"Oh you are right, about her. She's not mine, that's why she's expendible." With a look at her, he dropped the baby to the ground.

The crying, Rick's walking toward her, it all came back to her with a vengence, and soon enough she was on the ground reaching for Lilly. A swift foot to the head, had her grasping for something to keep her steady as she kept on advancing toward the sound of Lilly's cries. She was touching the soft skin of Lilly's cheek when he stomped on her hand, leaving her reeling in the pain of crunching bones. "Stop, please?" she whined, hoping he would feel something, anything and leave them.

It wasn't until her vision came back to her that she saw him lifting the baby up once again. She did her best to stagger to her feet, but once again it was no use, Lilly was flying. A cry errupted from her as she did her best to force her entire weight at Rick, but it did little to stop him. Now he was advancing toward her, his eyes flickering with anger and his hands reaching for her waist. It was going to be just like last time, this was the part that she'd blacked out in hopes to forget every man who'd done something such as this to her before.

Lilly had long sense stopped crying, and once again Shea could do nothing but close her eyes and hope to God it was over soon. Pain rippled through her body as she did her best to bite her lip, knowing that if she cried out it would only be worse.

Just as she was ready to scream, the door flew open. There stood Kent looking like a man of war, anger flickering in his eyes as he lunged for Rick. "Get away from her!" he shouted.

The two battled in the middle of the living room floor, Shea did her best to get herself together and go off to get Lilly. It wasn't long until she was looking down at the tiny limp baby, her brain overloaded with the magnitude of what had just transpired she let the tears fall.

"Call 9-1-1 Shea!" shouted Kent, his voice bringing her back to where she sat cradling little Lilly praying over and over for God to take care of the tiny angel he'd brought her.

--

Kent did his best to hold back from killing the man he now held in a choke hold waiting for the police to do their job. He wanted to kill Rick Harley above all else, when he'd heard the ruckus at Shea's house he'd gone over to check things out. Standing at the front window, he'd seen Rick hurting Shea in the worst way, and that was when he'd gotten ready to kill Rick. It wasn't long until the police finally relieved him of Rick, and he jumped in his car his destination the hospital. What would he say to Shea? Would she even see him? He knew precisely where he'd find her.

Walking in the door to the NICU, Kent sighed at the silhouette of O'Shea McMalley. She was hunched over in the rocking chair, her arm in a cast, her head bandaged. He knew she was hurt, but he hadn't expected the damage to be so extensive. "How is she?" he whispered, careful to keep his hands to himself. He knew how Shea was around men, now he wondered if she'd ever let him touch her again.

"Oh Kent!" she exclaimed, standing and hurling herself into his arms. She shook uncontrollably, and sobs wracked her body.

"It's okay, Shea, it's all going to be okay." he whispered into her ear, rubbing her back gently.

"It's not going to be okay, Lilly is dying, Kent. Do you know what he did to me? How can you even look at me?" she pushed against his chest with both hands, and his heart broke for the broken woman who stood in his arms still.

"I know what he did, Shea, I do. But that doesn't make me love you any less." he caught her eye, cupping her chin and turning her face toward his. "I'm only worried for you, not upset or revolted. Please don't push me away."

She swallowed hard, her eyes finally meeting his, and he could see there in the green depths the war that weighed within her heart. "I cannot push you away, Kentavious, you're all I want. I'm so sorry." she whispered, her voice hoarse as she lay her head on his chest.

"Don't be sorry, you're all I want too. I'm willing to wait for as long as you need, Shea. I want to make sure Lilly is okay, we're going to do everything possible to make her well. I promise there is nothing you can do that will make me love you any less, I'd never lay a hand on you like Rick did. You know that right?"

He watched as her eyes closed and opened again, she nodded, "I know that. You are the one I want, Kent, I don't want another man who'll hurt me. I want you."

With that, she collapsed against his chest, and he held her there as he monitored Lilly. Somehow, an odd peace found its way into his heart and he realized with stunning clarity that this was what he wanted for the rest of his life.

"Too Tall, Too Dark, Too Handsome" chap 8

2006-12-06T17:35:00.000-05:00

Chapter 8

Months Later..

"It's going home day, Lilly!" Shea chanted brightly to her new charge, the baby cooed and regarded her with twinkling blue eyes.

"Well aren't you all a sight for sore eyes." Kent stood in the doorway, smiling at her.

"Are we?" she lifted the baby to rest beside her cheek, both looked at Kent as if waiting on bated breath for his answer.

"Incredibly beautiful, amazing, and both happy as ever. Makes me want to go home with you as well." he winked and ran a hand down Lilly's soft cheek.

"Well you do live next door." Shea was quick to fill the awkwardness with words as she always did, something about this man caused her to be nervous for a completely different reason. He turned her world upside down, made her heart dance and her head spin. There was nothing about him that she did not like, especially the fact that he treated she and Lilly like family.

"True enough, can I come and visit Lilly when she's gone home?" he asked, his eyes meeting her's with a spark of something she couldn't quite identify.

She was nodding before she could get her mouth to work again, "Anytime you wish, Kent, seriously. We're more than greatful for you, and I'd like to see more of you, to be honest." Her cheeks heated with a blush, as she looked down. It was impossible to meet his eyes after saying something like that aloud.

"I'll be sure to visit then, as soon as possible." he winked and stuffed a hand into his pocket. "I brought something for Lilly, to make her going home outfit complete." With a flourish, he produced a tiny santa hat from the pocket of his lab coat. "Happy first Christmas, Lilly."

"Oh! It's adorable!" exclaimed Shea, adjusting the hat to sit on her niece's tiny head. "It's just right. I cannot wait for her to see the tree, to see everything. I know she's too young to remember, but I worked so hard to get things to be perfect."

"How could things not be perfect with you, Shea McMalley?" he asked, pulling her closer, his lips meeting hers.

Her heart sped up it's beat, he was kissing her! Instead of pulling away as she might have months before, she leaned into the kiss and enjoyed every moment of it.

--

Kent relished the feel of Shea's lips against his, and he was not surprised in the least when the nurses clapped from their stations.

Whistles and cat calls followed by "I told you so!" echoed in the room of tiny beds and babies.

Smiling against her lips, Kent pulled away finally, "You're magnificent, Ms. McMalley." he whispered.

"As are you, Dr.Pharrell."

Together they walked out of the nursery, among many well wishes from the nurses and doctors. Kent helped Shea load little Lilly into her carseat. He tapped the roof of the car with his fingers, "So you're going right home?"

She nodded, "Yes, right home. We're going to bake cookies, would you like to join us tonight? Say around 8?"

He couldn't help but smile, she sure had come a long way in a few months. "I'd be delighted."

"Great, see you then!" she exclaimed, hopping into the driver's seat and taking off.

He stood watching her drive away, she was something else that woman.

"You sure are a lucky man." came a deep voice from behind him.

"I know." he replied, turning to get a good look at the man, who's dark eyes gave him chills up his spine. Something about the man made him want to punch him. Kent shook his head and shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his lab coat, he was going mad. Maybe it was all of the stress and the love and everything combined.

"See you later, Dr. Pharrell." the man smiled at him and winked, before strolling back into the hospital.

Who was he? His mind raced as he walked in after the man, it had to be nothing.

--

Crouching deep in the bushes, Rick glanced at his watch careful not to make noise. It was going on 7 o'clock, it was time to move. He didn't want to run into Dr. Pharrell, not now not when he was about to do what he was going to. Through the window, he could see Shea talking to the tiny baby she'd adopted and hanging decorations on the Christmas tree. It was just like that night all those years ago, just as he'd planned. It couldn't have been any better, the set up not so hard to get, she'd set herself up yet again. His eyes set on the prize, Rick climbed into the basement through the window he'd left open last time he was taking a tour through Shea's house. It wouldn't be long until Dr. Pharrell got the message of his life, his woman wasn't up for grabs. Neither was the kid, he'd make sure the baby didn't mess anything up like the last one had.

"Too Tall, Too Dark, Too Handsome"chap 7

2006-10-14T20:44:00.000-04:00

Chapter 7

The car ride back to the hospital was one taken in complete silence, silence that had not been broken since they'd given their orders of what to eat. Since then, Kent hadn't looked at her, he'd simply been polite holding doors for her, and then driving back to the hospital. As soon as the car was parked, she hopped out saving him the trouble of holding yet another door. "Thank you for dinner." she said quietly, then stalked toward her car.
"Wait, Shea!" his voice echoed in the parking garage.
She turned on her heel hoping to get an explanation for his silence, yet all he did was extend her purse toward her. "Thank you." she replied, and turned once more.
"Wait, Shea, I can't let it end like this. What's going on? Why are you so scared when I touch you?" his words echoed even in their softness, and her heart stopped.
Once more she turned toward him, saw the hurt in his eyes and she couldn't hold onto her heart any longer. Slowly, she walked to him and let herself grip his hand. "It's not you, it's men in general." The words were hollow, she was dettached from all emotion.
His hand cupped her chin, "What happened to make you afraid of men, Shea?" His eyes held intense emotion, anger mixed with something unidentifiable.
Closing her eyes so she wouldn't think about what she saw in his eyes she sighed, "My ex-boyfriend. My father. You name a male figure in my life, and they've touched me inappropriately."
"Inappropriately? Shea..."
When she opened her eyes and forced herself to meet his gaze, his eyes were blazing. What had she done? "That's not even the worst of it. He killed my daughter, Kent." No longer hollow, her voice was now thick with tears as he pulled her close embracing her, which for the first time in years did not make her breathing stop.
"Who? Who, Shea? I'll kill him with my bare hands." his words rumbled, and it made her catch her breath. He was serious.
"Rick Harley."
--
The name made his insides burn, the man had hurt Shea. More than her, he'd killed a child. A child that bore Shea's features he was sure, one that could've been his. Holding her closer to him, he couldn't help the protective feeling flowing through him, nor the anger that pushed to the surface. He needed to get control of himself before she got scared of him again. What could he do though?
"What happened to him?" he asked slowly, hoping beyond hope that the man had been put out of his misery or incarcerated.
"No one knows." her tears were more than he could handle.
Reaching beyond his own anger, he wiped her tears slowly and kissed her cheek. "Shea, if that man were around right now .... I can't stand the thought of anyone mistreating you, or your daughter."
"Well, that's what happened. Now if you'll excuse me, I should get home." she whispered, tugging out of his embrace and backpeddling toward her car.
"Can I see you tomorrow?" he asked to her back.
He saw her head nod, as she climbed into her car.
Sighing, he watched as she drove away. She had just taken his heart with her.
--
Rick looked around the apartment, kicking the cat as he went. Why did Shea have so much garbage around this house? A large picture of their daughter hung over the couch, the cat crowded his walking space, and even worse books. Piles and piles of books. What was the woman, trying to make a library all her own? The sound of a car pulling into the garage alerted him it was time to spring into action if he was going to. Yet, he looked around. No, not tonight, it was not worth it. He looked at people milling down the street and sighed. This was going to be a complicated escape. Opening the front door quietly, he slid off the side of the porch and crept out into the darkness. He'd attack another night. Tonight, he'd let Shea enjoy what she thought was her safe home.

"Too Tall, Too Dark, Too Handsome?" chap 6

2006-10-14T19:02:00.000-04:00

Chapter 6

As the weeks passed, Shea found herself sitting in the Neonatal nursery everyday. Giving Lilly all of the attention that she possibly could, and trying to ignore Kent Pharrell, which proved to not work. Everytime she looked up, he was there, eyes soft, luring her into them and losing her there in their depth. And now, if that wasn't bad enough, she was thinking about him. Thinking about his eyes and their effect on her, and how he walked into the room and her head turned automatically.
"Deep in thought?" the deep voice jolted her and she nearly fell out of the rocking chair.
With a sharp intake of breath, she turned and smacked him, "That's for nearly giving me a heart attack."
He chuckled, "I'm sorry, I can make it up to you."
Blinking, she narrowed her eyes, "How can you do that?"
"I'll take you to lunch." he stuttered over his words, proving he must be as nervous as she was herself. Standing there before her, arms stuffed in his pockets, looking quite like a five-year-old begging not to get into trouble with mom.
With a deep sigh she nodded, "Sure, let me get Lilly settled first." Slowly, she set Lilly in the incubator and pressed a kiss to her tiny fingers.
"You look so natural with her." whispered Kent, his voice soft.
She found herself staring into his dark eyes, her breath taken by him. "She's not the first baby I've ever cared for." was her reply, even though she'd done her best to keep the words inside her.
"Oh yeah?" his eyes were piercing hers with the startling realization that he somehow knew that already. He extended his hand toward her, and she took it.
Instead of harping on what she'd said, Kent lead her to his car and drove toward the small diner on the edge of town. It's charm was hardly lost on Shea, she'd only heard of Vincenzo's.
"Gonna' get out or shall we sit here admiring the facade?" he smiled, eyes shining as he opened his door.
"I suppose we should, they may get a bit suspicious if we just sit out here." she replied as he opened her door for her and helped her out of the car.
Together they walked into the diner, once they were seated, Kent stared across the table at her, "What looks good?"
She smiled and inhaled, "Just about everything, including the man I'm sitting with."
--
Kent felt his cheeks heat with a blush at her words, when had Shea turned into a flirt? Had he blinked his eyes for too long? Just as he was about to reply, the waitress stepped up to their table asking for their drink orders. "I'll have an iced tea," he choked out, running his finger between the collar of his shirt and his neck.
"I'll have the same." Shea whispered, her eyes lowering as she reguarded the menu instead of Kent. Was it possible she hadn't meant to say that?
Once the waitress had left the table, he reached his hand out across the table and touched her hand. "Shea?"
She startled, her eyes widened with fear and she tugged her hand back.
His eyebrow furrowed of it's own valition, was she afraid of him? What had just happened? He looked at the contrast of her skin and his. What exactly was happening here? Instead of asking the question he simply set his hands in his lap and focused on his menu. Had he read the signs all wrong? Was she just being nice to him for the sake of his care of her niece? Or had he just startled her. Thinking about it made his head ache, as well as his heart. So instead, he ordered his food and focused on getting out with his heart in tact.
--
Rick Harley shoved the tree out of the way, peering into the dimmed lighting of the diner. The tip he'd been given had been correct! Shea O'Malley was seeing someone, a doctor at that, one he hated the moment he'd seen him. She knew exactly what she was doing, too. Shea O'Malley was his woman, not some doctor from the "big city" who swept in and left with the woman's heart under his feet. Eyes narrowing, he vowed right then to make sure that Shea was never with another man beside him. She was his to deal with, to dispense of or whatever it was he decided to do. Luckily, in the past she'd stuck with that. Apparently now she'd forgotten. He was the one to remind her.

"Too Tall, Too Dark, Too Handsome" chap 5

2006-10-05T07:52:00.000-04:00

Chapter 5

It had been a long night, mused Shea from her place at the nursery window. Sometime around three in the morning Kent had returned asking if she'd like to hold her newborn niece, and she hadn't but the baby down since that time. Now the sky was turning colors, the sun bringing the promise of another day while Shea's heart felt real joy for the first time in months. This tiny baby was her second chance.

"Well, I didn't realize you'd be holding her for hours." the hushed voice of Kent Pharrell made the hairs on her neck stand on end.

"I couldn't put her down." she replied, turning to face him, which proved to be yet another mistake. His eyes, a deep chocolate color were soft, and they begged to see the little one she held close to her chest. Could it be that he'd built a bond with her niece?

"I know the feeling." he smiled, eyes glimmering as he crossed his arms over his chest.
She couldn't resist anymore, the thoughts of the combination of big, handsome man with tiny, adorable baby too much. "Would you like to hold her?"

He nodded, unfolding his long arms and taking the baby cradling her against his chest gently. "She's going to need a name you know." he whispered, never taking his eyes off of the newborn, beholding her as the gift she was.

Shea sighed, "I know, I've been thinking about it, but nothing seems right." She spoke around the lump in her throat, he was far too much for her to deal with.

"What about Lilly?" he asked, eyes finding hers.

Her breath caught in her chest, and she fidgeted with the blanket she had on her shoulder. "Lilly is beautiful." she whispered, standing and looking down at her new charge.

"Yes, she is," answered Kent, his smile growing then slowly disappearing as he looked into her eyes once more. "So is her aunt."

Cheeks burning, Shea fought to tear her gaze from his, what was she doing? Slowly her gaze reached his again, "Thank you."

"For what? The truth?" he chuckled and set Lilly back into the incubator.

"That and taking care of Lilly. You're a sweet man."

"Sweet? Not good-looking, charming, handsome?" he smiled wide, tugging on one of Shea's curls.
"Well, of course those too, to an incredible extent..but...oh my look at the time!" she smacked a hand over her mouth. What had she just said aloud? Lilly would be fine until she could get something to eat and maybe some sleep, then she'd be back.

"Shea! Don't leave." he called, running after her. She was almost to the elevator when he grasped her arm and pulled her back. He always had a habit of catching her at her worst, and now he had her. She just hoped that she could get away without letting him have her heart as well.

"I've got to leave, Kent, I've got to keep my heart in tact. You don't understand." she gushed, tugging away from him and wishing she could disappear.

"Make me understand, Shea. Make me understand, why you think I'll break your heart. We're just friends, for now. Remember? Tell me. What's wrong?" his eyes burned into her's, and for once she actually felt like she had a real friend in the world.

"Maybe another day, Kent, I've got too much going on right now. I'll be back in a few hours to visit Lilly. See you around." With that, she tugged her arm out of his grasp and slammed her hand against the elevator button. It showed up with some speed and she escaped leaving him standing there alone in the hall. Somehow she needed to either get with the program and offer her heart and her story, or she had to play it safe. Either way seemed painful to her.

--

After a long day of wondering about Shea, and caring for thirty babies in the Neonatal unit, Kent left the hospital for his mother's house. Even after nearly thirty years of life, he was still held to the Saturday night dinner at his mom's. As was his sister and her family, but still he liked to complain. It wasn't too far from the hospital to his mother's small home, so he parked the car within minutes and crossed the street. Soon he was being swept inside, his nephews clinging to his legs and his mother yelling at him. Life was always the same there, nothing different except his heart was heavy for the woman who'd left the hospital earlier. He really couldn't enjoy the dinner, nor the time with his family because she continuously was running through his mind. Along with her precious niece.

"Earth to Kentavious..you alive man?" his brother-in-law Rick sat beside him on the couch, and handed him a cup of coffee.

Kent nodded, "Yeah, I suppose, if I have to be."

Rick laughed, "So what's her name?"

Swallowing hard, he looked at his brother-in-law, what was he wearing a sign that said he was tripped up by a chick? "How'd you know?"

"You've got that 'she-got-me-tripping-over-my-own-heart" look, I know it all too well." Rick grinned, winking at Yvonne as she passed.

"Truth," Kent nodded, "Her name is Shea, she's incredible, although she's kind of down on herself for some reason. I don't know, I guess I really don't know much about her. But, one look at her and I'm head over heels. I don't understand it..."

Rick chuckled, "Of course you don't, man, nobody does. It's called love, it makes the world go 'round."

"You're sounding like an after-school special." muttered Kent.

"Maybe so, but he's right." Yvonne sat on the arm of the couch wrapping her arms around her husband.

Kent sighed, seemed he wasn't going to get very far with his wishing he wasn't attracted to Shea. Somehow he needed to figure out what to do with her.

"Aw! Look at him, he's adorable, all in love." Yvonne giggled to her husband, touching Kent's cheek.

He groaned, "Please, I hardly know her, Vonne."

"Maybe not, but from the look on your face, I'd say you're going to stop at nothing until you do know her." his sister grinned.

Kent nodded, he couldn't contend that point. For once in his life, he didn't feel like putting his sister's head in the toilet and flushing it. She was dead on, and from what they said it was perfectly normal. Now if only he could get to know Shea without her pulling away again. Driving toward home he sighed, he'd figure it out in the morning. For now, he was ready to drop.

"Too Tall, Too Dark, Too Handsome" chap 4

2006-10-03T18:35:00.000-04:00

Chapter 4

Darkness stole over her bedroom quickly tonight, it was much like every other night only she felt heavier somehow. What was going on? Her stomach seemed twisted in knots, and her heart thudded against her ribcage. The feeling that something was amiss washed over her like a tidal wave. Just as she lay in her bed, the phone began to ring. Taking a deep breath, Shea lay her hand on the phone and picked it up quickly so that she wouldn't be able to chicken out. "Hello?"

"Is this Ms. O'Shea McMalley?" the female voice on the other side of the phone made Shea sit up and take notice. She had no idea who the woman was.

"Yes, this is her."

"Miss McMalley we have you listed as the next of kin for a Miss Elizabeth McMalley. There's been a terrible accident, if you could get to the hospital as soon as possible it'd be most appreciated."

The woman's words made Shea shiver. Elizabeth was her sister. What had happened? Before she could ask, the phone clicked with news of the other party hanging up. Burying her face in her hands, Shea got out of bed and dressed quickly. With everything her head begged her to stay here, save her heart the trouble of caring. Yet her heart yearned to see what was wrong with her sister, and so her heart won the battle. Jumping into her car, she took off toward Rangeton's only hospital hoping for the best.

Stepping out of her car, she ran toward the main entrance feet flying as she prayed with every step for her sister. What could be wrong? Sure they hadn't spoken in years, but now was her time to get back together with her sister. To support her, to love her. Finally inside, she strode to the information desk ignoring the fast-paced life of Rangeton General and trying her best to focus on the busy woman behind the desk.

The woman's deep chesnut curls sprang to life around her head, and piercing blue eyes bore straight into her's as she spoke. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, I am O'Shea McMalley, I got a phone call about my sister Elizabeth McMalley?" Shea could do nothing but stare back into the woman's eyes hoping for some spark of hope, and yet none seemed to come.

"Oh yes, I'll be right back. Dr. LaVerne will be out to see you in a moment..." the woman's lively step seemed to mirror her personality, yet it only made Shea sink deeper into the chair. What had happened?

The doctor came as soon as the receptionist rounded the corner, and with each step the doctor took toward her, Shea's stomach became more sick.

"Miss McMalley, would you follow me?"

Slowly she followed the tall man through the halls, each one seemed to be closing in more and more. Why was it that he wouldn't just tell her what was going on? The Neonatal Nursery loomed before them, and her breathing became labored as she remembered what an awful time she'd spent there with Keely. Was this some kind of sick joke? "Doctor LaVerne, I'm going to have to ask you to tell me what is going on. I cannot go in there." she gestured to the nursery and plastered her back against the wall refusing to budge.

"Miss McMalley, your sister Elizabeth was in an accident, which forced us to deliver her baby early. Elizabeth was hemorraging badly, I'm sorry to say she did not make it through the procedure. She had you listed as her next of kin. Someone needs to take care of her little girl. That's why we asked you to come here."

The words spun around in her head taunting her, her chest was tight with emotion and tears ran down her face. "No." she whispered, wishing with everything inside her that she could turn away and run. Run as far as possible.

"No?" asked the doctor, his face sagging with disappointment. "At least see her?"

The question made her heart contort painfully, yes she wanted to see her. She wanted to see the little one so badly, yet her brain screamed for mercy from the situation. This little one would most likely be taken from her just as Keely was. Even more painful, it was a little girl in need of love and a complete family. Yet her heart still longed to see the little one, to have one last link to her sister and to her baby. "Yes, I'll see her." she whispered finally.

--

Kent stood over the tiny incubator staring at the little one with tiny red ringlets and tiny eyelids scrunched in sleep. Sometimes the trouble of being a doctor in a neonatal unit was more than he could handle. His heart constricted painfully with each breath the little girl took. The tubes carrying oxygen were breathing for the premature infant, and other machines were helping her to eat. It was understood now that the little orphan girl had an aunt who was on her way in to see her. Dr. LaVerne walked around the corner and waved, he was followed shortly by Kent's neighbor, O'Shea McMalley.

"This is her aunt?" Kent asked quietly, his eyes drinking in Shea's tall form. Since he'd told her of his moving in next door she'd kept herself scarce. It was the truth that Shea was not like any other woman he'd seen before, even better she was gorgeous without looking like a person from a feed the children commercial. Tall with curves in all the right places, he had to swallow and look away to gain his composure.

"Yes, Ms. McMalley is unsure if she would like to take charge of the child.." Dr. LaVerne's eyes conveyed his message, they both knew just by looking at Shea's pale face that she was scared to death of the tiny child. Why, neither of them could be sure, but they needed an answer. If Shea was not going to care for the baby they'd need to contact Social Services.

"I'm sure I'd like to take charge of her." whispered Shea, her eyes wet with tears as she looked at Kent and Dr. LaVerne.

"You would?" they asked in unison.

She nodded, curls flying, "I would love to take care of her. Can I stay for a bit?" tears were tracking down her cheeks in tiny rivers.

Kent fisted his hands in the pockets of his lab coat trying to keep them to himself, "Of course."
Once more she nodded, and she took the rocking chair that Dr.LaVerne offered her. Kent did his best to walk away and not look back, the little one had stolen his heart from the minute she was wheeled into his care. Her aunt had done much the same way, only she'd walked herself straight into that church and nearly right into his arms. Now, he wanted her back there, and there was nothing much he could do about it.

"Too Tall, Too Dark, Too Handsome" chap 3

2006-09-17T15:52:00.000-04:00

Chapter 3

Safely inside of her house, Shea breathed deep cleansing breaths. How would she live next door to that man? Her heart rate increased just thinking about him! Sliding down the closed door, Shea sat with her face in her hands. She'd promised herself she'd never fall for another man. Never!

Jingle Bell rubbed up against her leg, purring sweetly as if to say she was there for Shea, it was then that she realized just how pathetic her life was. The only living being left to comfort her was the cat she'd found in a snow bank on Christmas eve!

Sighing, she scooped the up the cat and rubbed her cheek against Jingle's soft fur. "Thanks Jingle." she whispered. It was days like today, when she felt the most lonely, that she'd gather herself and take off to her quiet spot. Where she could think, and say her good-byes once more to her last chance at love.

Standing, she set Jingle down and scooted out the garage door. With a quick good-bye to her cat, she hopped into the car and took off toward the cemetary.
The breeze flirted with the trees encompassing the headstones. Somehow the peace of this place drew her. With knowledge of the lay of the land, Shea began her walk. As she came upon the headstones she looked for, she sat nearest the tiniest one. With shaking hands, she ran her fingers over the delicate inscription on the marble.

"Keely McMalley
October 6, 2004 - December 24, 2004
Mommy's Angel."

Tears flowed down her cheeks in tiny streams. No matter how many years it had been, the memories still brought her to tears. She'd tried to tell herself it wasn't her fault, and yet it still galred in her mind.

It had been a normal day just like any other, only it was Christmas Eve. To be exact, her first Christmas Eve as a mother. Keely sat in her bouncy seat watching with wide green eyes as Shea decorated the tree. With each ornament she hung, Shea made a noise making two month old Keely giggle with joy. Her heart was truly full.

"We're going to make it, Keely Grace, I can promise you that!" she babbled to her baby animatedly.

Just as the words left her mouth, the front door flew open. Her worst nightmare stood in the doorway, Rick Harley.
"I hear you've got my daughter, O'Shea!" he slurred, staggering across the wooden floor bringing with him the stench of alchohol.

"Get out Rick!" she screamed, doing her best to hide Keely with her body.

"I want my baby!" he shouted back, throwing Shea across the room.

She hit the wall and the room began to spin, head pounding Shea did her best to make the room stop spinning. Yet the need to get to her baby before Rick did, made the room spin worse as her blood pressure rose at the sight of him grabbing Keely and maliciously tossing her across the room. "STOP!" she screamed, her heart plummeting for her toes at Keely's cries.

"You kept my baby from me, Shea, I'm going to take her from you." he said, his voice calm now as he stalked across the room and lifted the baby shaking her violently.

"Rick!" she did her best to crawl across the floor and grab the phone.

Just as she dialed 9-1-1, her world went black, and everything was gone.

"I'm so sorry Keely." she cried, wishing she could comfort the baby she'd lost. Nothing in the world could keep the tears from flowing now. Not even if they had found Rick. With a long sigh, she stood to her feet and adjusted the small potted plant before Keely's headstone. Life was never the same after that, and her pit was deeper than ever now.

--

Kent shoved the last box into the dumpster and looked around with satisfaction, maybe his mom was a bit of a taskmaster, but she got the job done. She'd ordered he and his moving crew around all afternoon, but every last bit of his stuff was in its place. No need for a second day of moving, nor weeks and weeks of shoving boxes into the dumpster.

"So the rumor is true." came a sultry voice from behind him.

Turning quickly, he identified the voice. Isabella Ramirez, his childhood sweetheart. "I don't know..I'd suppose it depends on the rumor." he quipped, not so much in the mood for her games.

She fiddled with the silk of her red dress with long nimble fingers, "That you're moving back home. You must've finally given up on the city. We all knew you'd come running back home to me." Tip-tapping across the sidewalk, she wrapped her long arms around his waist and stood on tip toe to kiss his neck.

"Get away," he growled low, stepping out of her arms.

"Come back here baby." she whined, wrapping herself around him again.

Sighing he tugged away, "Touch me again and you're next in the dumpster. I don't understand what you find so hard to understand about this, Isabella. You hurt me once, I won't stay around for it a second time. I came to be here for my mother. Not you. Good bye." Turning, he stalked back to his house.

"You're making a huge mistake!" she screamed after him, folding her arms and pouting like a child.

"Only mistake here, honey, is that lipstick with that dress!" shouted his mother after her.
He chuckled, "Thanks Mama."

"Anytime honey." she laughed, hugging him close.

Maybe moving back wasn't a total mistake, it felt good to say good bye to Isabella finally. To move on with his life, that was something completely different for him. Shea climbed out of her car, eyes puffy and red as if she'd been crying, and he sighed. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad though, if he could successfully reach out to her. There was something so magnetic about O'Shea McMalley.

"Stop drooling and get back in here, Kentavious!" shouted his mom, as she walked inside.
He chuckled, "Yes, mother."

Too Tall, Too Dark, Too Handsome? chap 2

2006-09-16T15:14:00.000-04:00

Chapter 2

Shea knelt on the green grass before her small garden, nothing like pulling weeds to take all of her anger and get her mind off losing a friend. The bright colors of the flowers she'd planted did little to cheer her, however. What had transpired the day before had kept her awake all night long, and still replayed in her memory as a horror film.

The sounds of the morning floated on the slight breeze, tickling her senses yet doing little to awaken the part of her spirit that'd been dead along with her last chance for love. Bitterness still flowed through her veins cold and thick. Why couldn't she pull herself out of this pit, nor could she see outside of it. Yesterday, Sherry had only kicked more dirt in on top of her.

Looking back down at the flowers, Shea shook her head, as a truck pulled up at the empty house next door. Apparently, the house that'd stood empty since Mrs.Johanssen had been transferred to the nursing home, was about to be occupied. Really, she could care less who moved in next door. Shea prided herself on not getting too close emotionally to any one human being. No, it was just her and her cat. Jingle Bell, so named for her Christmas birth, was a tiny little scrap of fur with a large attitude. Yet, she was good company, and she was dependable.

Sighing, Shea began to sing. It'd been years since she had sang, her father had encouraged her to start the singing lessons at the age of three. After he'd hurt her, Shea lost her zest for singing. When he did finally leave her and her mother, she'd quit the lessons and singing all together. That was nearly ten years ago, and the first notes of a song came from her lips startling her voice box. The song was one she'd written, but never sung.

"Well, well, well, imagine running into you here."

The voice startled her, making her lose her balance and fall face first into her little garden. Blinking, she stared up at him from her place on the ground, "Do you ALWAYS have to do that?" With quite an effort, she straightened herself out and stood on her own, ignoring his offered hand.

"I didn't try. You scare so easily though." he smiled, and her knees wobbled. He was the most incredible looking man she'd ever seen. That was for sure.

"I know, mostly because no one bothers with me. I'm what you'd call a hermit, Mr...." her voice stumbled as she realized she had no idea what his name was.

"Pharrell. Kent Pharrell." he offered, his smile widening.

"Nice name." she stuttered, tugging the last weed and tossing it in her garbage bag.

"My mother seems to think so," he winked and moved closer, "You ran off so quickly I never caught your name either."

"O'Shea McMalley." she bit off, standing and swiping at the dirt on her knees.

"Well, Ms. McMalley, I suppose now is a nice time to ask if I can assist my new neighbor in any way?"

--

Kentavious watched his new neighbor's face transform, no longer did she seem composed and slightly flirtacious. Her deep green eyes were now shuttered, and her teeth seemed clenched so tight he was waiting for one to fly out and slap him in the face. Something wasn't right about O'Shea McMalley. Aside from losing a friend, she seemed cut off from the world around her, and she had said she was a hermit. Well, he'd have to change that. Wouldn't he?

"New..New Neighbor?" she stuttered, grabbing up the garbage bag from the ground and twisting it in her hands nervously.

"Yes, that's my house over there." he replied, gesturing with his hand toward the house beside her's.

"Oh my..." she groaned, pushing her hair back from her face with a hand. "If you'll excuse me, I really should be getting back inside."

Kent watched O'Shea's retreating form and he sighed, "If I am always scaring you, you're always running away from me. How exactly am I going to get to know you any better, Miss McMalley?"

"Kentavious Josiah Pharrell!" his mother's shrill voice echoed around the neighborhood, and he hurried to get to her side.

"Here I am, Mom." he whispered, sliding his arm through her's.

"When I come to your house to help you unpack, I expect you to be here to let me in. Do you see this? A locked door." she muttered, tugging on the locked door knob.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I'll get it." with his free hand, he slipped the key from his pocket and unlocked the door. Somehow he needed to learn to juggle the women in his life, because if not they'd soon kill him. And, he had the feeling that if they knew he was thinking like this, they'd kill him anyway.

With yet another sigh, he shook his head and whispered to himself Hold onto your head, Kent.

Too Tall, Too Dark, Too Handsome? chap 1

2006-09-13T19:46:00.000-04:00

Chapter 1

The minutes ticking away on her watch spurred O'Shea McMalley to action. In only thirty minutes her best friend in the world would be saying 'I do' to a man who was completely wrong for her. As if to prove that to Shea at least, she'd seen the lying, no good man out last night with another woman. It'd taken her this long to work up enough nerve to tell Sherry that her fiance was nothing more than a man. A no good man! Shea's entire life had been filled with them, oh sure they come with some good lines and in some pretty packages, but at their core they were men! This time however, they weren't toying with her emotions, it was much more personal when they were blind-siding her friends. She would stop at nothing, even intruding on a wedding to keep this from happening to Sherry.

The church stood tall and beautiful against the slowly descending sun, her heart thudded in apprehension and adrenaline. Somehow, Shea felt like a movie star climbing the marble stairs of the church and throwing open the heavy cedar doors. The minister's booming voice echoed in the entry hall and it only served to make her heart beat faster. Each step echoed louder in her ears until it seemed one more step might make her ear drums burst. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, she found herself staring at the double doors that lead to the sanctuary. Just as she grasped the door handle, a hand gripped her arm.

"Can I help you?" a deep voice asked from behind her.

A scream exited her lips, alerting the ushers on the other side of the door. Soon the entire sanctuary full of people were staring at her and the man who's hand dug its imprint into her upper arm.

"Shea?" Sherry asked from where she stood hand-in-hand with Joe Lampart.

"Yes, Sherry, it's me. I came to tell you not to do it. Don't marry this jerk!" she yelled from the back of the church, wishing that she hadn't seen a thing. Yet she had, and so this was her duty. Simultaneously, she was doing her best to squirm out of the man's grip, yet he did not let go. Turning back toward him she came face to face with the most incredible looking man she'd ever seen in her life. Dark eyes, dark hair, dark skin, an amazing smile...blinking she mentally slapped herself. What was she doing? Shea McMalley didn't drool over men, she ignored them. Instead of drooling any longer, she gave one last forceful tug against his hand forcing him to release her and she stomped toward the front of the church.

"Someone get her out of here!" shouted Joe, tugging Sherry toward him and whispering something in her ear.

"No, I won't leave until I've told Sherry everything I've seen. She needs to know the truth. Either I tell her in private or I tell the world. Your pick." clamping both hands onto her none-to-slim hips Shea stared him down.

"Private works." he choked, running a finger between his neck and his collar.

It seemed everything was going to be okay now, Sherry ushered her into a side room, her face red as a tomato. "What do you think you're doing, O'Shea McMalley?"

"Telling you something you need to know, I saw Joe making out with another woman last night. He is no good, Sherry." she sputtered, hoping her friend didn't hate her for ruining the day she'd dreamed about for her entire life.

"Not my Joe, you must be blind Shea. Can't you see the love in his eyes? He'd never do that. Not to me. Maybe it was someone who looked like him. Now, if you'll excuse me I have friends and family waiting to see me get married." her long time best friend shoved past her long white gown flowing in the breeze she'd created.

"Sherry! He doesn't love you, he can't if he's doing that!" she shouted after her.

The door swooshed open nearly slamming the wall and Sherry turned toward her, "Well maybe I do not care, Shea. I love him, this is my life, I'll take my chances. Good-bye."

A tear tore down her cheek, and Shea exited from the side of the church hoping not to interfere with Sherry's special day anymore. Heart heavy, she glanced back at the church, why didn't Sherry believe her or care? Was this the end of their friendship? Sighing, she realized with growing certainty that it most likely was.

"Hey!"

The deep voice caught her off guard once again and the heel of her shoe got caught in a crack in the sidewalk. Tugging her foot, she lost her balance, tumbling end over end to land on her behind in the moist grass. "You seem to catch me at the most embarrassing times." she muttered, turning her face up toward the man.

He smiled, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I just wanted to tell you that I respect what you did in there. That took some guts." Extending his hand toward her, he implored her with his eyes to take his offer of friendship.

Sighing, Shea placed her hand in his silently thanking him for trying. There was nothing she hated more than men, but right now she needed someone to tell her everything was going to be alright. That she wasn't hated, that she had a friend in this world. "Guts. I've got guts, what I haven't got is friends." she whispered, tears began to trickle down her cheeks at that.

"Oh now, now." he said, his voice growing softer, he tugged her into a gentle embrace, rubbing her back as he soothed her.

Arms now wrapped around the man's middle, Shea stood uncomfortably in his arms crying her eyes out. Yet, after a few minutes the original feelings of thankfulness subsided and she realized what was happening. He had control. Her breath became labored, and she tugged away. "I'm sorry, I really should go." she clipped out, wiping furiously at her eyes.

"No, wait. What's your name? Can I call you? Don't leave now." his hand caught her's, and her knees went weak.

"I've really got to go!" she replied, tugging her hand away from his and sprinting the rest of the way to her car. She could not let herself get too close to a man again, couldn't allow her heart the pain.

--

Kentavious Pharrell stood watching the little red sports car disappear down the street, never in his life had he seen such a gorgeous woman. The moment he'd laid eyes on her, he'd been amused. Scared as she was, she still had a presence that told him her temper was like none other. Irish, that was for sure as he took in her red curls and deep green eyes, not to mention the smattering of freckles that littered her rosy cheeks. When on his ushering duties, which he really hadn't wanted in the first place, he'd seen her nearly stomping into the church he had to see what was going on with her. When he'd grasped her arm, electrical sparks had shimmied up through his nervous system and from that point on he wanted to kiss her.

Sighing, he lay his head in his hands and shook his head furiously. Maybe his braids were too tight, but there was something undeniable about the connection he felt with that woman. Not that he knew her name, or even anything about her, but something in her eyes made him want to hold her and never let go.

"Kent, you giving up on us?" his sister Ivonne's voice floated to him from the doorway of the church.

"No, I'm coming back." he replied, straightening himself out and walking back toward the door.

Ivonne laughed, her eyes sparkling, "Good, Mom was beginning to think that you'd run off with that crazy lady who came burstin' in here."

Kentavious shook his head, "No, I would never do that." Yet his heart screamed, yes you would. Telling it to shut up, he linked his arm with his sister's and walked back into the sanctuary to watch the rest of the wedding unfold.

That's all for chapter 1, let me know what you think!!--Jo

"The Ole Ball Game Series Explained!"

2006-08-11T21:37:00.000-04:00

Hi Everybody!!

I'm so sad to see this series end! But, I thought it'd be fun to tell you all how it started, who the characters actually represented and some more stuff about the series.

First of all, the series started because I was bored (as always) and thought it'd be funny to write a story using my real life friends as characters. So I started with my sister, and the characters kept getting added. Soon we had a six character series!! I couldn't get enough of writing the characters, and soon they each had their own story. Most of my friends, my sister and I included are sports fanatics, so I definitely had to make the series surround what is closest to my heart, BASEBALL! Especially Yankee Stadium and New York.

Who the characters actually represented?

The first story ("Take Me Out to the Ball Game")
Was about Charity, who is really my sister Chrissy.
The baseball fanatic who is in love with athletic guys. Her personality was really captured in Charity, and I'm pleased to announce that I made up her hero. Eventually, though, I hope she ends up with a guy better than Alex. And maybe in the end, I wont have to do any matchmaking!

The second story ("Route for the Home Team") was based on my good friend Lydia. :) Lidia was most definitely a stretch of the imagination. Right? Not really. She was very much like her character, well except in some parts. heh. Obviously I got as close as I could. I matched her up with someone who really does exist, and obviously they have some chemistry. Their great together..however, sometimes fiction is different than real life. Right? Maybe eventually, love wont be such a story. But then again, life does surprise. Again I did my best to capture Lydia. She's great, one of my most faithful readers. She's also a writer & you should all check out her blog!!

Third was Keely's story, "1,2,3 strikes your out". It was inspired by one of my best friends, Kellie. She's the sweetest, deepest person I know. During the story, a lot of you were surprised by the quick change of events in her seemingly happy story. But as the story states 1,2,3 strikes sometimes your out. I wanted to capture the feeling that not all stories have happy endings, and the real life people that you use sometimes don't work out. Thankfully though, Kellie, and Keely in the story, is incredibly resilient. She is one of the strongest people I know. Even though she's dealt with so much tough stuff in her life, she still takes the time to listen to others.

Fourth story was "Take Me Out...Period!" I really wanted to capture a good friend of mine and my sister's, she's so much like a sister to us I hesitate to call her friend. Bethanie is really, Beckie. A country girl at heart, transplanted to the city. Within the timeline of the story she finally finds her cowboy, the guy she's waited for all of her life. She's come to terms with growing up, and being who she is. A sweet girl with a huge heart, especially for the country. Sometimes she takes the role of the ditz, but generally she knows what she's going to say and makes sure it's said. In real life, she's quite more than that, but she's so much fun. Her hero, T.C. was also fabricated, yet hope is out that such a man exists. The perfect man of God, turned cowboy just for her ;)

The fifth story, "If they don't win it's a shame" was fashioned solely for the male character of the story. Andre. Andre is in reality my friend Ant. He's a great guy, so into baseball which is awesome. A fantastic witness for Christ and his goodness, as he raps the gospel. How cool is that? Aria was made up, yet again. (I love making up characters!!) But, hopefully a girl twice as good as her exists for the guy who gives some of the best advice and takes the role of brother incredibly.

The sixth and final story was "The Ole' Ball Game." My own story. Yes, I was Jazzelle. I suppose its time now to disclose that my hero is my real life hero. Danny. :) We've been together now for almost six months, and I can only hope that our ending is half as happy as I've written for us. I really am sort of a matchmaker at heart, being as I'm a romance writer & love giving advice to my friends and others. Danny is very much a match maker too. EVERYONE goes to him with problems, and he's more than happy to lend a listening ear. It's one of those things I love about him. I love him more every day. He's incredible and very much a real life hero. One of the guys girls label as "one of the good ones." Anyway..the final pics follow. :)

Hope you enjoyed the series, please leave some comments as to your thoughts!

"The Ole' Ball Game"epilogue

2006-08-11T21:34:00.000-04:00

The Epilogue

Two Years Later..

Jazzelle sat in the reception hall, her arms full of her newborn baby, a smile stretched her face making her cheeks hurt. It never failed, even after two weeks with little Xavier in her arms she still couldn't keep from smiling at him. The perfect combination of she and Daemyn, the little boy had transformed her life with just his arrival.

"Good afternoon." a voice called from behind her, the voice she'd be able to identify without thinking.

"Hello handsome." she couldn't help herself, the man was everything she'd ever wanted. Standing, she kissed his lips softly. Xavier sighed in his sleep, snuggling himself against her, making her heart thud with love for her boys.

"Is everyone on their way?" Daemyn asked, smoothing her hair away from her face with gentle hands.

She nodded, "I got a call from Lidia saying Altan was making them late, Charity said the kids are making her late, Bethanie should be here any minute. I think Andre and Aria are already here." The noise level outside was somewhat conducive to Andre's voice.

Daemyn took in the hall in a long glance, "Looks great."

Again, Jazzi nodded, "The moms were here late last night making everything perfect. I'm just surprised they haven't tried to steal him yet." she smiled again, looking down at their son.

"Hello!" shouted Andre, walking in the door, he clasped Aria's hand in his.

"Shh!" cautioned Daemyn and Jazzelle simultaneously looking down at the sleeping Xavier.

"Oh please, the kid will live." said Andre, "Give him here."

Awkwardly, Andre took the baby from her arms and held him.

Aria smiled wide watching him, "So tiny."

Jazzi winked at her husband and went to check on the refreshments, knowing that the gathering of their friends and family would get crazy. The door was slammed against the wall, as the next group of people came in. Bethanie looked frazzeled as she walked in behind her three children, the five year old twins ran straight for the cake. Two year old, Ben straggled behind, holding his father's hand.

"Hi babies!" Jazzi called, walking over to hug Bethanie and T.C. The little ones quickly flooded the hall, just as Lidia walked in.

"Oh Lord, baby station!" she shouted.

"Hello to you too!" chuckled Daemyn.

"Don't close the door in my face again. I'm trying to juggle five kids here." sighed Charity as she walked in the door. Alex held the door for Cole and Ava, with two year old Andrew running ahead of him.In his other arm was the carseat holding one of the twins. Charity set the carseat she held on the table beside her.

"Oh my babies!" exclaimed Jazzi, moving across the room to welcome her nieces and nephews.

"Yeah, they will be if they go on keeping us up every night. I haven't slept in three weeks." she sighed, setting the diaper bag beside little Adonica.

"Oh stop complaining about these beautiful babies!" exclaimed Jazzi and Charity's mother, picking Adonica up.

Alex set Caemon down on the table beside the other carseat and rubbed his eyes, "Their beautiful all right, but quite loud."

Jazzi laughed, fighting her way through the crowd to get back to Daemyn's side. Keely had long since come in, and stood watching Chailyn run around with the kids who'd very much become her cousins. Together they made a close net of friends, more like a family.

Jazzi looked around and smiled at the couples that had formed, the children that'd been born, the situations that had made them grow stronger as a family. Somehow this was so much bigger than the ball game that had brought them together, yet it still held a special place in all of their hearts. Still every summer they gathered at the stadium to watch their team beat the others, they stuck beside them through thick and thin while enjoying the time together.

Her long-time friend Mike, strolled into the room, tapping her chin she watched him as he watched Keely with little Chailyn. Tenderness stole over his features, and she couldn't help but think about the last time she'd matched Keely up. She'd thought her matchmaking days were over. However, the same stirring began inside.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Daemyn whispered in her ear.

She smiled up at him, "Precisely."

Together, they walked hand in hand to begin their life as a matchmaking couple. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear her friends laughing and talking. Right now though, she was just thankful that they were all here and thankful most of all for the ole' ball game that'd brought them together.

And They Lived Happily Ever After...The End..Or is it just the beginning?

Following are the pictures :)

"The Ole' Ball Game" chap 10

2006-08-09T19:48:00.000-04:00

Chapter 10

Eight months later....

"Push Keely," Jazzi urged gently, counting under her breath as her friend's contraction came to an ending and another began.

"I'm trying." her normally mild friend grated out, clinging to Lidia's hand as she came closer to the birth of her baby.

"Aye Dios! She's killing my hand." grumbled Lidia, looking across the bed, eyes pleading with Jazzi to switch places with her.

"Would you rather deliver the baby?" she questioned from where she sat, guiding her friend through the next contraction.

"No, I suppose not, on with the killing." sighed Lidia, concentrating on helping Keely with her breathing exercises.

"I don't know if I want to do this in a few months..." whined Bethanie from her seat in the room, as she lay a hand over her rounded middle.

"Of course you do!" exclaimed Charity with a smile, "You got yourself into that predicament, didn't you."

"Yes..but not intentionally.." Bethanie muttered, rubbing her stomach.

"Okay, everybody hush, we're about to have a baby!" announced Jazzelle.

Silence fell over the room, to be pierced only seconds later by the infant's cries. Jazzi couldn't help but smile at the little one through her tears. "Welcome to the world little girl." With a heart overflowing, Jazzelle handed her friend the little one that would change her life.

Keely's eyes filled with tears as she beheld her tiny miracle baby, and hugged her close to her chest. "Welcome to the world Chailyn Grace." she whispered, her smile and tears telling the story.

--
Jazzelle sat beside Daemyn on the couch, laying her head in his lap as they watched the home video from Charity's wedding. After the entire thing had run itself through, she looked up at him, a smile stretching her lips. "Nothing compares to seeing that tiny baby." she whispered, still amazed at the miracle of life.

He smiled along with her, "You're still in love with that little one, aren't you?"

Shrugging, she sat up and snuggled herself closer to him, "Always amazed with little ones, especially ones I get to deliver. Ones I'll get to help raise. I so admire Keely for everything she's done, and has gone through. I'm so overjoyed to be Chailyn's godmother." Keely had decided to move in with Jazzelle after everything that had happened. It seemed the best decision, for now however Keely and Chailyn would spend a few nights in the hospital recuperating.

"I know you're loving that they'll be living here." he ran his hand up and down her cheek softly, eyes pinning her with his sincerity.

"Of course! You know me. I love children, and Keely is one of my best friends. Things will be great." she could feel the air crackle with excitement as his lips moved in closer to her's. He was going to kiss her. Her eyes closed in anticipation of his kiss, just as his lips settled over her's.

"I have something for you.." he whispered as his lips broke from her's.

"Oh really? I love surprises." she grinned and bounced excitedly on the couch, feeling very much like a little kid at Christmas.

"Come on, we've got to go find it." he tugged her to her feet, and helped her out the door and into his car.

"Find it? I thought you HAVE something for me, not something we'd have to find." grunting, Jazzi watched his smile transform his face, darn him. He always made her lose her composure! Her own smile shone through as they drove toward the unknown surprise. What would it be? Her heart thudded with excitement. Something about all of this gave her goosebumps. What was going on?

--
Lidia tugged the curtains back into place and sighed, "Where are they?"

"Will you calm down?" asked Altan, securing his hands around her waist and turning her toward him. "They'll get here when they get here."

"I'm trying..but seriously..it's like Ludia's taken over my body. What is wrong with me?" she smiled at him.

He laughed out loud, "Maybe she has, maybe that's why I love you so much right now."

With a gasp, she stepped back out of his arms, "Excuse me? You love me so much because Ludia's taken over my body? Well tell Ludia to kiss those lips of your's then." feigning hurt she pushed him away when he tried again to take her into his arms.

"You know I was joking, Lidia. You're the only one for me. Ludia could fall out of a plane for all I care!" he grinned and winked, making her stomach fill with butterflies.

"Nothing you've said all week has turned me on more than that sentence." she answered, walking into his arms willingly and settling her head against his chest. He was everything that was right and wrong in the world. The perfect combination of making her crazy beyond belief, and fall head over heels.

The sound of a car pulling into the driveway stole her out of her stupor born of love, sighing, she tugged herself away. "That's them." she hissed, peeling back the curtain slowly.

"Who cares?" he whispered back, tugging her back into his arms.

"I should..." Lidia tapped her chin, wishing for all the world she could lose herself in his embrace and forget everything that told her not to give her entire soul and being to this man.

Footsteps crunched in the snow and she knew exactly where they were headed. To the small backyard she had, where Daemyn had been earlier setting up his surprise. True to her word, she hadn't peeked once, not that the suspense wasn't KILLING her. But, she'd promised.

"You want to watch, don't you?" asked Altan, tugging her hand as he walked toward the back door.

She nodded slowly, "That and a few other things..."

He laughed again and winked, "Later, much later. Come on..look he's got her eyes covered."

Before her, the scene played out. There stood Daemyn and Jazzi, he held both hands over her eyes as he stared out at the snow covered ground. In one corner of the yard a snowman stood, wearing an assortment of old winter clothes. A smiling face, and stick arms welcomed his guests, the carrot nose seemed a bit sparce, as Lidia was sure some creature had gotten to it. Atop the pure, white snow were the stark, crimson colored rose petals. They'd been scattered all over, only broken in pattern by the white bags holding small candles. Against the darkness of the sky, she watched as Daemyn uncovered Jazzi's eyes. A smile stretched her friend's face, and she welcomed his arms around her. Much like Lidia had Altan's just moments before, and had now. Then, the surprise unfolded. A jewelry box appeared in his hands, and he was down on his knees. Jazzi covering her mouth with both hands, Lidia laughed as it did nothing to slight her shriek.

Tears were now pouring down her friend's cheeks, and darn it all they were burning in her own. How did Jazzi say yes with abandon, and why was she still flailing for an answer? Was Altan the one? As surely as they snow was cold, she was baffled. Sighing, she smiled up at Altan, "You ready to get out there and congratulate them?"

He nodded, "Yes ma'am."

Together, they walked hand in hand down off of her back porch, hugging and congratulating their friends. It seemed yet another couple had formed, almost instantaneously. She was willing to bet baseball season would never be the same for any of them, again.

Technically this is the end of the story..but there will be an epilogue & another surprise afterward. Hope you enjoyed "The Ole Ball Game Series"

"The Ole' Ball Game" chap 9

2006-08-06T18:28:00.000-04:00

Chapter 9

Lidia poked Altan in the ribs, "Faster, I need to know if their alright."

"I'm trying, I'm trying." he muttered as he shoved his body weight into the front door of Daemyn's apartment for the fifth time.

"Never send a man to do a woman's job." she groaned finally, shoving him out of the way and forcing her shoulder into the door causing it to fly open and thwack the wall. She could hear Altan snorting in derision behind her, yet she pressed on ahead of him through the reckage that now was Daemyn's home. Trees littered the front room, a large piece of his roof had stabbed through his couch, or what was left of it. Lidia closed her eyes and pressed onward, hoping beyond hope that the two had gotten out of here or were at least in the safest room of the house. Still, her hope was dying slowly as she heard no movement or life in the house.

Altan, as if sensing her dismay kept close to her back, pressing through the house with her, investigating each room. "What's this?" he asked, when they reached the kitchen. A door stood the only thing untouched in the room, yet garbage and most of his kitchen furniture and possibly the neighbors stood in front of the door.

"Looks like a door, Sherlock, start digging." she commanded, being the first to grip a chair and pull it out of the way.

"Lovely, your friend gets herself trapped in a house of horrors during a hurricane, and I have to go digging." he grumbled under his breath, tugging at the kitchen table which had somehow lodged itself between the cabinets and the door knob.

"Shut up, she set us up remember? I, unlike you, have the common courtesy to check on my friends after a storm." she huffed gripping the garbage can and yanking it away from the door.

Soon enough, all of the debris had been cleared and Altan pulled the door open. Slowly, the two descended the stairs. Her heart lept at the sight of Jazzelle laying in Daemyn's arms, both seemed to be sleeping. It seemed she couldn't help but keep looking at her friend, after every possible situation had run through her mind, most bad. It was great to see them both alive. But, of course, the compromising situation she found her friend in was a great way to relieve some of this anxiousness that'd built up inside of her. "Well aren't you two cozy?" she asked in a voice that could raise the dead, at least that's what her mother had always said.

"Lidia? How did you get in here?" asked Daemyn sleepily rubbing his eyes, and helping Jazzelle up.

"Oh I have my ways." she taunted, rubbing her now sore shoulder.

"Is the storm over?" asked Jazzi, her ear inclined toward the window.

"Sure is, and boy should the two of you be glad you made it down here." put in Altan.

"Why?" they asked in unison, both sets of eyes peering at the stairs leading upward.

"You probably don't want to see it up there, Daemyn, but I sure hope you have insurance." Lidia shook her head and hugged Jazzelle, "Nice to know you're alive."

"Alive? But...What's going on?" her friend muttered, looking rather confused.

She could only continue to shake her head, "The storm has been over for almost an entire day, we still hadn't heard from you. Everyone is worried sick, Bethany is nearly on her way home. Which reminds me, we have to get you guys out of here." she led the way up the stairs, through the wreckage and toward Altan's car. There were some days where she'd just love to believe that all things worked together for the good, but other days she was worried out of her skin that they wouldn't.

Thank God, today they had.

--

Jazzelle stared out the window of Altan's car, the city was a mess. Her hand still clasped Daemyn's in a death grip. They could have easily died in the past three days, seeing his apartment the way it was made her heart sit in a cozy spot in her throat. Her eyes made their way to Lidia, who still sat in the front seat shaking her head. Thank God for her friends and family, if Lidia hadn't come would they have left the cellar?

Soon enough, she had no more time to think as they drove up in front of her house and were greeted by the mass that was her friends and family. She'd received so many hugs she thought she might burst with the next. However, when she looked up, she came face to face with Daemyn who smiled at her. Her heart gave another leap, and she automatically reached for him. Something about him compelled her toward him like no other man she'd ever met. "Thank you for everything." she whispered.

He smiled, "Pleasure was all mine, I'd love to have a few more days with you."

Slipping closer she let him hold her in his arms, "I'd like the rest of my life with you." she whispered back, hoping it wasn't too soon to say something that important. Yet, she'd felt that way since the moment she'd laid eyes on him.

Daemyn's eyes were round, yet his smile spread, "Sounds good to me, so when's the wedding?"

"Wedding?" Lidia piped up from beside her.

Jazzi groaned, great another source of entertainment for them all.

"I don't know when their's will be, but ours will be next year at this time." shouted Andre from across the yard.

"Next year?" they asked in unison turning toward Andre and Aria.

Both grinned widely and nodded.

Jazzi wrapped her arms around Daemyn's waist, "Two years?" she whispered hoping no one but Daemyn would hear this time.

He nodded, "Sounds good to me."

--

Charity passed the popcorn to Keely, "So you skipped right past the whole dating thing and you're going straight for marriage?"

Jazzelle sighed her sister had a way of going right to the heart of the matter, with no reguard for who was listening. "I guess so."

"Well, you'd better not rush right into this..what if he isn't 'the one'?" asked Keely, her blue eyes sincere as she lay a hand across her slightly rounded stomach.

"He is." she answered abruptly, fidgeting with the wrinkle in the slipcover of the chair.

"How can you be so sure?" questioned Lidia from her perch on the arm of Charity's chair.

"Because I am. Okay?" she was getting annoyed, why were they on her case all of a sudden?

"Okay! Geesh!" the three answered in unison.

"Can we talk about someone else now? Like maybe you, Charity, what about the little one you've been talking about? Alex told Daemyn something about adopting?" she cornered her sister with the question, hoping it'd stop her blood from it's near boil.

Charity nodded excitedly, "We're adopting a little boy, his name is Andrew. He's only six months old, his parents have decided they can't provide for a little one. We've been thinking about it for a while, and somehow God just dropped this little one into our laps." she smiled dreamily, and for the first time since her sister's wedding day, Jazzi seriously saw the woman her sister had become. A beautiful wife and mother, and an incredible human being.

She wiped her eyes and rose from her seat to hug her sister, "That's great." she whispered though her voice had gone from the emotion lodged in her throat.

Everyone was smiling along with her, hugging and Jazzelle remembered again what had brought her to this point. Love. That's what would keep her going, and now that it had invaded her life, things would never be the same. She looked around the room and took in all of her friends faces, some things were better than the old ball game after all.

"The Ole Ball Game"chap 8

2006-08-01T21:06:00.000-04:00

Chapter 8

Jazzi tucked her shirt into her pants, and turned toward Keely and Lidia. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"We're not three, Jazzi, go on your date. Come back with juicy details." winked Lidia as she shoved her toward the door.

"Okay..you know my cell phone number if you need me. You know where I'll be.." she felt as if she were leaving a house full of children. They must feel the same way, because they reguarded her with narrowed eyes.

"Go, Jazzi. Just go." called Keely with a smile, one of the first genuine smiles Jazzi had seen from her in weeks.

"I'm gone. Love you all." she called through the screen door as she ran toward her car.

Jazzi could hardly wait to get to Daemyn's house. A night of movies and popcorn, cuddled beside that man caused her insides to jump and dance like nothing had before. Aside from, maybe his kiss. Grinning like an idiot, she started her car and drove toward his apartment. When she finally came to park in front of his apartment, her heart was still dancing with excitement. Striding the sidewalk quickly, she reguarded the darkened sky with some interest. They were about due for a storm. Taking a deep breath, Jazzi rapped her hand against the door in a slight knock.

Within seconds the door opened to reveal a smiling Daemyn, "Good evening."

"Hiya." she smiled and walked inside beside him.

"I got us some movies to watch." he guided her toward the couch and gestured for her to take a seat.

"Sounds nice." she tried to play it cool while watching him walk toward the television and hit play on the vcr.

All too quickly, the movie captured her attention. Yet even the movie couldn't keep her mind off of the feel of Daemyn's arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to his chest. The warmth of his arms captured her heart and she leaned back to look up at him. Big mistake. Heart pounding, she watched as he smiled slowly and pressed his lips to hers. Just as he pressed his lips to hers, rain began to pound against the roof. Lightening stole across the night sky and thunder began to echo in the distance. Instead of letting him go, she pressed closer and smiled against his lips. "Wow," she muttered.

"Just what I was thinking." he smiled and winked before pressing a kiss to her cheek. It wasn't long until the rain began to fall faster, and just as the movie ended the electricity cut out.

"Oh boy, guess it's just one movie tonight." she said, sitting up and trying to see her date in the dark.

Daemyn chuckled and linked his fingers with hers, "Would anyone believe us if we told them that the electricity waited until after the movie to go out?"

Jazzelle grinned at him, "I doubt it, but then again their electricity probably went out as well. Do you have any candles?"

He nodded, "Yeah, of course, the problem is just finding them."

She felt bereft as he stood, leaving her on the couch to her own thoughts.The sounds of Daemyn rustling through things looking for candles. Finally a sound of triumph parted the air, making her catch her breath.

"Didn't mean to scare you, I found them." she could feel his breath on her neck as he whispered in her ear.

The flames of the candle flickered and danced in the darkness, Jazzelle could hardly keep her eyes from drinking in the sight of him. Her lips ached for his kiss, instead she bit her lip and stared at him. He smiled wide and pressed a kiss against her lips making her lose the little grasp she had on her control. He was incredible.

--

Daemyn fooled with the radio dial, hoping to pick up a weather report. Finally, the siren of the weather station pierced the station, and he sat back taking time to lock eyes with Jazzelle who sat quietly at his left. Her eyes were glistening as she watched him, her hand snaked over to grip his. He could not keep the smile from his lips, yet it quickly departed as the weather man for HLD news began to speak. "Severe storm watch, it's imparative that you find a safe place to wait the storm out."

He sighed, "I was afraid of that. We should get things together and head for the storm cellar."

Eyes wide, Jazzelle nodded, "Okay, if you insist." She twisted the strap of her purse in her hands and followed him through the house as he gathered the essentials, and went on walking down the stairs to his cellar.
The basement wasn't used often, he'd have told Jazzi that, except she was investigating herself. He could tell, the way her hazel eyes scanned the ceiling, the floor and everything in between. "You like it?"

She grinned, her face bright with the light from the candle, "It's cozy." she crinkled her nose as she laughed. He could get used to this, he decided.

Before long he was smiling himself, completely engaged in conversation with the woman of his dreams. She was so real, down to earth, yet over the top in a good way. Daemyn could easily see himself spending his life with her, feeling like this forever.

Together they talked long into the night, playing board games and laughing about mostly everything. The rain kept pounding, lightening cracking in the sky, thunder booming, yet he really could care less what was happening outside. She had captured his attention, and even better, his heart.

"The Ole Ball Game" chap 7

2006-07-19T09:11:00.000-04:00

Chapter 7

Jazzelle stood beside Keely, supporting her as she shook hands and hugged people who'd come to pay there last respects to Blaze. His parents stood on her other side, they had come to the hospital to see how Keely and the baby were. Somehow she'd expected them to be upset with Keely, but they'd been nothing but completely tuned into her needs. Things she needed for the baby. All in all, Jazzi was thankful for their support, because in the coming months her friend would need it. To her left, Daemyn stood with his arm around her waist, supporting her. It felt good to have him here again, yet she felt sorry for Keely having to see her other friends and herself with the ones they loved. Shaking her head, Jazzi surmised Keely wasn't exactly looking at their flirtaciousness, only at the fact that her love was gone.
Just as they thought the last of the mourners had come, one last woman scurried inside. Dark eyes assessed the casket and the cold body inside, then just as Jazzi expected her to turn and say that she was sorry for their loss, the woman laid herself over the casket and began to cry. With little reguard for the scene around her, she began to press kisses to Blaze's cold lips and face. Keely reeled backward and stared at the scene before her. Blaze's parents stared hard at the woman as if they wished to identify her. Jazzi who could no longer take their laid back approach walked forward, grabbed the woman by the arm and yanked her away from the casket. "Just who are you and what do you think you're doing here?"

"I'm Julie, Blaze's wife."

"Wife?" both of Blaze's parents reeled in shock, each taking a seat behind them.

"Yes, I supposed to be here earlier, but I couldn't get away from work. I'm sorry I've never met you before, Blaze said you were very busy people." Julie extended her free hand to the pale looking parents, while still squirming to get out of Jazzi's grip.

Daemyn stood and tugged on Jazzi's arm, "Let her go, honey, she has a lot of explaining to do."

"I should say so!" exclaimed Jazzi, letting the woman free, but keeping her pinned with a deadly glare.

"And you are? Blaze's sister?" Julie extended her hand toward Keely.

"Sister?" Keely's blue eyes were filled with tears and rage, Jazzi simply set her hand on top of Keely's hoping to comfort her long time best friend. "I am..was his fiance. I'm carrying his baby." A lone tear escaped from the corner of her eye, and Jazzi reached to wipe it away.

"His baby?!" the other woman seemed stricken and fell back into a chair.

Something about this situation had Jazzi reeling herself. How could Blaze do that to both of these women? Hadn't she known him better than that?

--
Daemyn wrapped an arm around Jazzelle's waist, escorting her toward the car. "Are you okay?" he whispered against her ear. She shook her head hard, dark hair flying in the breeze as she lay her head on his shoulder.

"I never thought he could do this. Never in a million years would I have thought he was married, Daemyn. I did this to Keely. Did you see her face? The hurt, oh Daemyn what have I done?" her voice broke and tears began to trickle down her cheeks in twin rivers.

"Here let's sit," he whispered, tugging her toward a bench, "It's not your fault. Keely is a big girl, and she should have found out that stuff before dating him. She knew him more closely than you did, Jazzi. How could she have missed his going to see his wife?" he rubbed her back gently, hoping to calm her and stop the tears. He hated seeing her cry.

His heart contracted painfully as she looked over at him, tears still pouring down her cheeks. "I set them up, Daemyn. I should have known better. Now she's having the man's baby and she's not even his true love. Never was. That's got to kill her. I know it would kill me." Her eyes had changed to that blue-green color he knew so well. She was past upset.

Seeing those eyes, hearing the words she'd just uttered he could hardly hold back a smile as he thought of something to say. With one hand, he cupped her cheek, with the other he dried her tears. "Jazzelle, you are my one true love. I just want you to know that." The whispered words hung in the air between them. Daemyn watched her eyes transform, yet tears still dripped from her eyes as she stared into his eyes.

Her hand slowly made it's way to his cheek, "You're mine as well. I love you, Daemyn."

Holding back his happiness was not an option, it seemed like forever hung between them as he leaned in to cover her lips with his own. Body full of the electric charge that came with kissing her, he felt like fireworks were going off inside of his heart. She was incredible.

"Jaz....oh...sorry." the words stopped him, and he painfully dragged himself away from Jazzelle.

"Keely, stay. I'm sorry, honey. Do you need a ride home?" Jazzi jumped up from her seat on the bench beside him, and raced to her friends side.

Keely shook her head hard, "I don't want to go home, maybe not ever. Could I stay at your place? I can't be alone tonight."

Jazzi nodded tugging her friend into a hug, "You're welcome for as long as you need."
Daemyn swallowed the lump in his throat, the love for her friends and family had him nearly tripping over his own feet. This woman was incredible. She turned to him, eyes assessing him.

"You ready?" her eyes caught his, the sincerity he saw there caught his breath.

"Yes ma'am."

--

Lidia sat on Jazzelle's couch watching her friends and their solemn faces. It was just like the old days, just the girls and Andre sitting around. All of them had been asked to come alone. Slowly, Keely began to speak, telling them what had happened. Lidia fastened her eyes on Keely and Jazzi, watching for any sign of a cruel joke, but none came.

"I got into the car with him, I wanted to give him a chance to make it up to me. He always went back to the, "I love you baby." But, right now I can't help but be unsettled when I hear those words in my thoughts." she rubbed her hands up and down her arms as if she'd caught a chill. "We were just driving down the street, I was trying to get him to tell me where he'd been instead of taking me to my doctor's appointment. He wouldn't speak to me. I thought maybe I'd done something for him to be mad at me for. Then it was like the gravity was turned off, we were kareening toward a tree, and he never swerved. He wasn't kidding! Blaze wanted to kill me, to kill us!" she rubbed a hand protectively over her mid-section. "When I woke up, Jazzi told me-told me about what had happened to him. I couldn't believe it." Keely errupted into sobs, laying her head against Jazzi's shoulder.

"There's more." Lidia said instinctively. There was trouble brewing and she could feel it. It was no time to joke, there was something dreadfully wrong with her good friend Keely.

"He's married to another woman. Or rather he was. Apparently the wife was putting pressure on him, trying to find out where he was all of the time. He didn't want to tell them about Keely or the baby." Jazzi supplied for them.

A hush fell over the room and the only thing they could hear were Keely's sniffles and sobs.

Lidia's mind ran fast and furiously, that lying, backstabbing....she was growling under her breath. If the man wasn't dead already she would've killed him with her own hands. "We're going to be here, Keely. We're going to make it through this and everything else." She lay a hand on Keely's shoulder and sighed. The way her sobs came one after the other, her friend's heart was broken.

"She's right, and we're going to be better for it." added Charity, walking toward them and sitting beside Jazzelle.

"This is what family is for." came Andre's voice as he crossed the room to pull them all into a sort of group hug.

"Thank you guys." said Keely, her face red and puffy from her tears, yet her eyes remained steady and thankful.

"No thanks needed, we love you and we're going to take care of you." said Jazzelle, her eyes filled with self-torment. Lidia made a note to talk to Jazzi later all by herself. There was something in those eyes that made Lidia want to cry herself.

Yet, she knew deep down that everything was going to work out for the better.

"The Ole' Ball Game" chap 6

2006-07-16T17:42:00.000-04:00

Chapter 6

Jazzi sat straight up in bed, breathing heavy and holding her chest for fear that her dream had become a reality. Grabbing the phone beside her, she dialed Keely's number. It wasn't every night that she called someone to verify her dream, but it was so real she just couldn't deny it. After the sixth ring, she hung up and laid back. "Everything's fine." she whispered to herself in the expanse of her bedroom. Yet, she still couldn't convince herself that it was the truth. Just as she laid back on the bed, the phone began to ring. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the phone, "Hello."

"Jazzelle, we need your help down here, we're swamped. Two large crashes tonight." it was Howard from the Emergency Room and he was always straight to the point.

Before she could respond he'd hung up, sighing she threw the covers off and got dressed in a hurry. No chance in finding out how Keely was, instead she tossed her cell phone into her purse and hurriedly pulled on her shoes. Jogging through the house she grabbed a brush and a bottle of water, with a twist of the door knob she was in business and ready to rock. Jumping into the car, she stuck the key into the ignition and turned the car on before driving to the hospital. She pulled the car into the staff parking lot and showed her badge to Jim, the night time guard.

"Thank God you're here!" exclaimed Sherry, one of the resident's on call tonight.

"Well, yes I'm here." she smiled and tossed her stuff in the locker before walking toward the desk. "What've we got?"

"We've got two car accidents," Sherry handed her a file, "Female. Twenty-six years old, she and her boyfriend crashed into a tree. The boyfriend DOA. She's three months pregnant. Shook up, in shock but needs to be looked over."

Sighing, Jazzi nodded and looked at the chart. As soon as she flipped open the file the name written in bold handwriting across the top of it made her feel woosy. "Oh my..." Pushing open the door to exam one she nearly passed out. Keely. The dream, it all was coming back to her. Blaze was dead? Keely and the baby were in trouble according to her file. There laid one of her best friends, pale, fragile and sleeping. Bruises littered her face from hitting the windshield. The windshield had cracked, but luckily it had stayed in tact. Now there was just a few things to deal with. For one, Keely's arm needed to be splinted, two the baby needed to be monitored, and three someone needed to tell Keely about Blaze.

Swallowing hard, Jazzi walked toward the bed and stared down at her friend trying her best not to cry. She needed to tell someone that she was closely related to Keely, she really couldn't work on her. But everything compelled her to stay close to her friend. Just as she was about to walk out, Keely's eyes fluttered open.

"Jazzi?"

"Hi hunny, yeah it's me. How do you feel?" she walked closer to the bed and sat in the chair beside her.

"I have a headache..what happened? Where's Blaze?" Keely's blue eyes were cloudy with confusion, and automatically her hand came protectively across her stomach.

"You were in an accident. Do you remember that?"

Keely nodded slowly, "Jazzi..tell me..what happened?"

"Blaze hit a tree..I'm so sorry Keely, but he's gone. We're monitoring the baby, right now everything is fine. You have a concussion, and a few bruises, other than that. You're fine. Probably be in here a few days. I'll see what I can do...Do you need anything?"

Instead of answering, her friend closed her eyes and sighed, "I'd like to have things back to the way they were before he swerved toward that tree. What was he doing, Jazzi? Why did he want to kill me, to kill us? Now he's gone, but I can't help but hate him!"

Sighing herself, Jazzi scooted closer and wrapped her friend in a hug, "I know, honey, it'll be okay. I promise, everything will be okay."

--

Daemyn sat on the porch of his apartment looking out at the dark midnight sky. He'd tried to sleep, but never could close his eyes and achieve the results he wished for. Instead, he reached for his cell phone and sighed as it rang. "Hello?"

"Daemyn?" the scared sounding voice was none other than Jazzelle Douglass.

"Jazzelle? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," then she sighed, "Everything."

"What is it?" he sat up and wished he could hug her. The sound of fear and confusion in her voice made his heart hurt.

"It's Keely. She got into an accident, Blaze hit a tree. He died, Daemyn. He's gone, and he tried to kill Keely and the baby. I don't know what to do, what to say to her. I'm in shock myself and we all know that isn't helping anyone. I need you." she sighed as she finished her speal.

He couldn't help but sigh himself, why could nothing be good for a whole week? Something always seemed to happen to spoil what good there was left in the world. Instead of moaning anymore to himself, he scooted the phone closer too his cheek. "I'll be there in a few hours. Stay where you are. Have you called Lidia or Charity?"

Daemyn could almost envision her eyes a blue-teal color from her worry and the tears that undoubtedly pooled in her eyes. The picture in his mind disturbed him, and he stood to his feet, walking into his house to grab a few things to prepare for the journey back to New York.

"No, but I plan on calling them as soon as I hang up from you. I think it's too late though, they may be sleeping." her voice conveyed the worry and undoubted hate for her friends boyfriend who'd nearly taken away one of her closest friends.

"Okay, well I'm on my way. I'll make my way straight to the hospital. Don't worry so much, Jazzi, everything will work out. Rely on God, honey." How he wished he could touch her as he heard her sigh of disappointment as she hung up the phone. With a head full of thoughts of Jazzelle and her friends, he climbed into his car and headed back in the way he'd come just days before.

--

Keely sat staring out into the blackness of night, her heart felt that dark at this moment. Here she was a single mother by circumstance, his fault, the circumstance that the man she'd once loved created. Cringing, she felt the slight flutter of her baby's foot against her stomach's wall. Somehow, she couldn't exactly be happy about the tiny miracle she carried inside of her. Instead it reminded her of everything she'd lost in a few minutes of terror. Why, oh why had she trusted her heart to someone again? The flutter came again, though she tried to ignore it.

"Couldn't you sit still for a few minutes so I can be alone with my thoughts?" she spoke to the little baby inside of her, yet still her child persisted.

Her child.

The words hit home, tears burned her eyes as she laid a hand against her stomach where the kicks persisted. "I'm so sorry, baby." she whispered, her throat constricted with the tears that were about to fall. "You did nothing wrong, innocent little baby of mine." Sighing, she let the tears fall and wrapped both arms around her middle in efforts to hug the little one in her womb. Looking out to the starry heavens, she saw the hope that lingered there. It may be far away, but there was still hope for her and for her baby. "We will make it, no matter what anyone says." she persisted, hugging the slight bump in her stomach which showed the life that resided there tighter. No matter what Blaze had tried, she'd keep going. Her gaze captured the stars and what existed behind them, she bit down hard on her lip. Was there a heaven and hell? If so, where was Blaze tonight? As she sat here re-living what hell on earth was made of, she wondered if the once proclaimed love of her life was enduring the real thing. Her heart gave a wild thump for him, yet her baby's tiny kicks persisted taking her thoughts off of the betrayl she'd endured and gave her hope for her future.

"Keely?" the soft voice was none other than Jazzelle's, and she turned slightly to see her friend entering the room.

She smiled tearfully at her friend, "Thanks for being her, Jazzi, and for calling everyone. I'm just not in the right mind to do so..." her voice faded away as she turned her gaze back to the window. If she was going to survive, she had to stop worrying so much, and stop letting things bother her. She had to pull herself together, be the Keely she used to be before Blaze. For herself, for her family, her friends, but also for the little life she now was responsible for.

"The Ole' Ball Game"chap 5

2006-07-10T20:15:00.000-04:00

Chapter 5

Spotlights swung in the room as the happy couple emerged into the dining hall, Jazzelle couldn't help but wipe at her eyes when the dj announced T.C. and Bethanie
for the first time in public. Everything was changing, and somehow that made her happy and sad at the same time.

Lidia thwacked her on the back, "It's okay, Jazzi, I'm sure they'll stop playing country music sooner or later."

"Later.."sighed Charity from across the table, "Much later."

Jazzi laughed and wiped at her eyes feigned crying in light of the music selection, "I'm trying so hard to adjust, y'all, but I just can't."

"Oh shut up and dance!" shouted Altan above the sounds of merriment from the dance floor.

Shaking her head, she stood and walked across the dance floor narrowly escaping a slew of people who'd taken to a conga line, Jazzi waved to Bethanie and T.C.
"I just wanted to come and say congratulations, and that we'll miss you all." She did her best to smile, yet tears began to burn at the back of her eyes as Bethanie's
tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Thank you, Jazzi, for everything." she whispered, pulling her into a hug.

"You're worth it." she winked at T.C. and talked for a few minutes to Shadow and Shiloh who looked ready for a nap. When she managed to escape, she crept toward the door hoping no one would follow her this time. For some reason she couldn't get alone at this reception. Not enough time to think about anything. Sighing, she let the door close softly behind her, and walked out to where you could see the entire city. Street lights twinkled off of windows on the buildings making it look like a thousand stars lit the city. The darkness was welcome after the harsh lighting in the church and then the reception hall. Her polite smile had long since warn off and she felt like crying her eyes out. Inside that hall sat everything she'd worked so hard to achieve, yet everything she hated. Change.

A hand snaked around her waist, and Jazzi nearly jumped out of her skin. Turning swiftly, she came face to face and most definitely within kissing range of Daemyn.

"Hi." he whispered, a smile stretched his face.

Eyes widening she watched him and then omitted a breathless, "Hi" of her own.

Chuckling, he took advantage of the situation and pressed his lips against her's. Fireworks seemed to explode around her, a satisfied sigh crossed her lips as he smiled at her. "Wow," she hissed smiling back at him.

"Yeah, wow." he laughed again and tilted his head, "So why are you standing all alone out here? Seems to me that the party is inside."

"I don't know..I'm not enjoying all of the flirting at my table, nor am I enjoying thinking about all of the changes that are happening. It's too much, too fast Daemyn. What am I going to do without my friends?" in one breath she'd let out all of her anxietys and fears to the man she'd only known a few months.

He sighed and pulled her close, "You're not losing them, and everything changes Jazzelle. From what I hear, you're the one who pushed for those changes. Listen to them in there they are happy. Seems to me the change was for the best."

"What if it wasn't though..what if in a few months they stop being so happy? What if I lose them all? What if I lose you?" she looked into his eyes and nearly lost her breath with the emotion she saw in those brown depths.

"You're not losing anyone or anything. You're gaining, new friends, new family, and most importantly new love."

His sincerity took her breath away, and made her long to have a lasting love like she knew her friends had found with a little help. Somehow she couldn't help but hope that that lasting love was with the man she stood in front of today.

--

Daemyn stuffed the last box into the moving van and sighed as he watched Jazzelle discreetly wipe tears from her eyes. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

She sighed, "Yes eventually. I hate that you're leaving so soon. I'll miss you." Slowly she walked toward him and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder.

Rubbing her back, he sighed feeling helpless, "I'll be back, and we'll talk every night. Remember?"

She nodded against him, yet her tears still wet his shirt.

"I really should get going." he hated having to just leave like this, but the date he'd be moving back had moved up on account of his work. What needed to be done, needed to be done.

As if in physical pain, Jazzelle slowly straighten and pulled herself away from him. He kissed her one last time, before climbing into the van and starting it. He honestly felt like crying himself as he drove away and watched her stand in front of his apartment crying her eyes out. Sighing he vowed to call her as soon as possible, and try to make it back sooner rather than later. There was something incredibly special about that woman, and he so wanted to make her his forever.

--

The darkness enveloped the street and Keely paced on her front porch worrying indefinitely. Where was Blaze? He was supposed to pick her up two hours ago for a doctors appointment. Now, it was far past her appointment, but he'd called a half hour ago to say he'd take her out to dinner. A late dinner at that, apparently. Her stomach growled alerting her to just how late it was, and to how hungry she was. Which only served as further reminder that Blaze was no where to be seen.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity the car pulled up and he waved smiling the smile she couldn't resist. Instead of asking questions, she simply got into the car.

"Hi love." he smiled sweetly and leaned over to kiss her.

"Where have you been?" she asked, pushing him away with the strength she hadn't worried away.

"You know, out." he said with a shrug as if he didn't care he'd nearly worried her to death.

"No, I don't know. I had a doctor's appointment today Blaze..I had things to do. And you just blew me off, as usual. What's wrong with you lately?" worried she stared at him, hoping he'd straighten himself out. Instead, she watched horrified as he sped toward a tree on the edge of the road, "BLAZE!" she screeched.

But, she didn't see him straighten the wheel and fix it like he had in the past when he'd been joking with her. This time they sped into the tree, and her entire world went black. Her last thoughts were of her unborn baby, and if he or she could survive the impact they'd just incurred. Delirious with shock, she hummed the last few strains of a lullaby her mother had sung her as a child until she could no longer hum.

"The Ole Ball Game" chap 4

2006-07-08T18:44:00.000-04:00

Chapter 4

Jazzi sighed, "You really don't have to walk me up to my door. It's fine. You didn't have to follow me home either, I'm quite capable of..."

Just as she was about to continue her rant, his finger came to her lips to silence her.

"I know that I didn't have to, I wanted to." he smiled, "Can we sit on your porch swing?"

Nodding slowly, she watched as he walked up onto her porch, instead of standing and staring like a mindless idiot, she walked up after him.
"It really isn't anything special, but I love sitting out here to think or pray."

Together they sat in the silence that surrounded her apartment, until she began to get sleepy and laid her head on his shoulder. Half waiting
for him to ask her to move, she waited, listening as he began to hum softly.

Her eyes began to close, even though she fought it with all she had. She could not fight the knowledge that he was the one. Maybe others
would doubt she could know so soon, however she couldn't. Looking up at him, into the eyes that made her tingle on the inside, made her smile.
Smile like she never had before, because something in those eyes told her he'd be here forever. "Do you think we could do this more often?" the whispered
words hung between them in the night air swirling until she thought they could swirl no more. He wasn't answering. What was wrong?

Daemyn's brown eyes closed tight, "I have to tell you something, Jazzi. I didn't want to tell you because I was having such a good time, but..you need to know."

Sighing, she sat up "I figured something couldn't be right."

"I'm only here in New York for six months. I don't live here all of the time, Jazzelle. I would now that I've found you, but I need to go back." he paused, sighing.
"I spent most of my six months chasing you, and now I've got to go back next month without knowing how things would turn out between us. Are you willing
to see how things would work out with a long distance relationship?" his hand came to clasp her's.

Slowly, she seemed to grasp what he was saying. He was leaving next month, going who knows where. The only guy she'd actually cared enough about to date.
"I suppose we could. I don't really want to see anyone else." she whispered, feeling like her heart was being ripped out of her chest.

"Really?" his eyes sparkled like the stars that now lit the sky.

She felt her smile returning, "Really. Can you come over tomorrow night? I'll make dinner, we can watch some movies?" Feeling somewhat needy, she pressed her
head against his shoulder again.

"Yeah, of course." she could sense he was happy, and somehow that freed her mind. Closing her eyes once more, she drifted off to sleep with the sound of his humming and heart beat her lullaby.

--

Looking at his watch, Daemyn sighed, he really should wake her up and get home. However, the feel of her in his arms and her sweet breath on his cheek made him
want to sit on the porch swing for the rest of his life. Instead, he touched her back, "Jazzelle." he breathed softly, hoping not to scare her.

"Hum?" she mumbled, turning to look up at him.

"It's time for me to leave, honey." he knew she wouldn't appreciate sleeping there all night long, at least not in the morning when her back bothered her from the wood
that would surely cut into her.

"Oh..I'm so sorry. I don't know what possessed me to...ah.." her cheeks turned the color of a tomato as she tried to cover up her embarrassment.

"It's fine, I enjoyed myself." he smiled and leaned over kissing her cheek softly.

"Are you sure you don't secretly hate me for falling asleep in the middle of our conversation?" her eyes had turned a deep green color as she stared at him, wide-eyed.

"I could never hate you Jazzelle. Just the opposite in fact. Now I'd better get going before I'm tempted to stay." he smiled again and kissed her other cheek.

"Thank you for such a lovely evening, Daemyn. I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked as she walked toward her front door and clasped the door knob between her hands.

He nodded, "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

When the door closed behind her, he sighed. That woman did something to his insides that no one else could. Warmth flowed through his body, and he felt like he was
walking on cloud nine. He despised the thought of leaving New York next month, but he'd take something new with him. The relationship with Jazzelle Douglass.
He had a feeling that he'd carry that with him for the rest of his life.

--

Bethanie worriedly chomped on her fingernails as she watched the scenery pass by her window on the way to Jazzi's apartment.

"Stop worrying, their all going to keep in touch with you." T.C. reached for her hand, tugging it out of her mouth.

"But...I hate leaving them, T.C. Their my family." just as she uttered the words they came to a stop in front of Jazzi's house.

T.C. smiled and smoothed his hand over the ring he'd placed on her finger only moments before. "We'll make do. We'll come back every weekend if we have to.
This is our dream, baby. We need to make it a reality."

She nodded, "You're right. Let's do this."

Linking her hand with his, Bethanie walked up the steps to Jazzelle's front porch and knocked on the screen door. "Yoo hoo, anyone home?"

"Coming!" Jazzi's voice beckoned from the inside, "Well, well, well, how unexpected. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"This." Bethanie announced, feeling as if her face would fall off from the smile that held there.

The ring seemed to weigh her entire hand down, what T.C. had been thinking when he bought it was far beyond anything she could imagine. He'd
had Shiloh and Shadow bring it to her door step this very morning. It had taken until now for all of the festivities to die down. Along with the ring, he'd
brought all of them to see the new home he'd purchased. A ranch home a few states over, beautiful land, trees, cattle. Her heart seemed to thud to a
stop thinking about that. She'd be moving far away from the family and friends she knew to start her new life. But a wonderful life it would be, she realized
as she stared into T.C.'s eyes.

"Oh my!" exclaimed Jazzi, leaning over to inspect the ring further. "So any idea when the big day will be?"

"As soon as possible, so we can move to the ranch." said T.C. finally speaking.

"What ranch?" Jazzi's smile haulted as she took in their now pale faces.

"We're moving, Jazzi. As soon as we get married...." A clog the entire size of Texas seemed shoved into her throat as she watched Jazzi transform from a
happy individual to a sobbing one.

"You're leaving." her voice was flat as she stared at the two of them.

They nodded in unison.

"I see...well.." she seemed to pause to collect herself. "We'll have an incredible time planning the wedding and the good-bye party. I won't let you leave without
a party." she smiled emotionally before hugging Bethanie. "Nothing will change between us. I'll make sure of it."

"The Ole Ball Game"chap 3

2006-07-07T20:30:00.000-04:00

Chapter 3

The summer breeze tickled the wind chime Jazzi had set on her porch, the tingling only serving to make her
more nervous. Keely had called early this morning to say she needed to tell her something important. Since
seven o'clock, Jazzelle had been sitting on her front porch staring into the expanse before her house and wondering
just what that important thing could be. The trees swayed in the breeze, the soft buzz of bumble bees whizzed by her head, yet
her focus was still one of her best friends. Finally, Keely's car pulled into the drive way. With a sigh of relief
Jazzi watched her climb from the driver's side and nearly skip to the porch.

"I couldn't wait to get here and tell you. Blaze doesn't even know yet, but I had to tell someone!" Keely hugged Jazzi as she took the
seat beside her on the porch.

"I can't wait either. What is it, Keely?" she asked, fully knowing she was pushing Keely to tell her. She had a right though,
calling and waking her up at seven in the morning only to make her wait all afternoon to find out.

Keely bit her lip then shrieked, "I'm pregnant, Jazzi."

"Pregnant?" Jazzi shrieked with her friend before pulling her into a hug. "Oh that's exciting! So exciting. You HAVE GOT to tell Blaze right away."

"I know, I know, but I wanted to wait until he got home from work and tell him. Then I couldn't wait any longer, so I had to come and tell you." Keely
smiled wide and tried to sit still in her seat.

"Well, this is simply going to be the most spoiled child in the history of spoiled children. First in our group to have a baby!" Jazzi exclaimed,
secretly envious of her friend. She was the one, after all, who was the eldest of the women in their group. Yet, everyone else seemed to pass
her by like she was standing still. What was she doing about it? Nothing. That's right, nothing.

"I know, I know. Wait until everyone else finds out! I can't wait." Keely exclaimed, just as she was about to open her mouth to say more, her cell
phone began to ring in her purse. "One sec., Jazzi."

Jazzelle nodded.

Keely smiled as she answered, "Oh yeah, hi baby. Yeah I'll be right there." After she'd finished talking, she hung up her cell phone and dropped
it back into her purse. "Blaze has a lunch break, so I'm going to go tell him. I cracked and left a message on his cell phone." her friend smiled
sheepishly and shrugged.

"Well go! Go and tell the man already." she smiled at her friend and hugged her again. "I'll start working on a baby shower. It might take me nine months
to get it to be good enough."

Keely chuckled, "Yeah, right. I'll see you later. Give me a call and let me know how it goes with Daemyn. Before long, I'll be planning a baby shower
for you all."

"Oh shush." she called after Keely.

Long after Keely had gone, Jazzi sat on the porch staring into the distance. Her heart pounded with the loneliness she felt, it coursed through her blood stream
alerting every unhappy pore of her body. Why was it that every one else found it so easy to fall into love, yet she sat here dragging her feet? The alarm on
her watch alerted her it was time to get ready for her date with Daemyn, her heart gave a leap. Something about this man was different. The question was,
was it time to stop dragging her feet? Only time would tell.

--

Daemyn looked down at his watch and then back at the horizon again, it was nearly ten minutes past the time Jazzi had set for them to meet. Was she coming?
Sighing, he sat back and propped himself up on his elbows, keeping an eye on the happenings of the park. A family passed him, two little girls fighting over
a big beach ball ran past, then two teenagers who were aimlessly wandering the park. Yet, still no sign of Jazzelle. He should have known. Lidia and Charity
told him it might be this way, but he had hoped that she'd felt the connection to him that he had to her. Closing his eyes, he absorbed the sun's rays, enjoying the
warmth on his face, the breeze at his back. Then he felt it. The electrical current that zapped him everytime he stared into Jazzelle's eyes. The one that now traveled from his toes all the way to the top of his head and back down again.

"I've had a few guys stand me up, but never one fall asleep on me." the soft voice compelled him to open his eyes and stare up at her.

"I wasn't sleeping, I was merely wondering if you'd ever show up." he winked at her.

"Of course, I couldn't stand a good looking man up. Especially with my sisters on my hind parts about it." she smiled and sat down beside him.

Daemyn found himself chuckling at her and leaning closer, intrigued by the glimmer in her eye and the smile on her face. "Sounds like you've
had an interesting day."

Jazzelle nodded slowly, "They wouldn't leave me alone for a minute, 'Are you getting ready?' 'Are you sure you'll go?' I was about to cancel
just to get at them."

Laughing again, he looked toward the picnic basket that sat beside her, "So are you going to share what's in the basket or are you going
to leave me here in suspense?"

She shook her head, "Suspense."

He feigned being hurt and opened his mouth wide, "I'm shocked!"

They were laughing together now, and she opened the picnic basket. "I suppose I could share, everything but the dessert. I automatically claim
anything chocolate."

"I've heard you're something of a chocoholic." he winked again.

Jazzi nodded, "That I am, kind sir, that I am."

--

Lidia handed the binoculars to Altan, "See I told you their adorable together." she hissed.

"I think you are adorable..adorably insane, but adorable. We're hiding here in the bushes Lidia. The bushes! This is not fun, nor cute. Why? Why
in the name of the Lord and all things that are holy are we spying on your friend and her new date in the bushes?" he tossed the binoculars aside.

"Because she did it to all of us. I don't know. It's just fun, that's all. And since Charity is on her honeymoon, you're my new accomplis." she informed him, poking
him in the chest. "You are all I've got right now."

"Oh gee, that was the most romantic thing I've heard ever. Although, you look especially sexy in this light if I do say, and with leaves and twigs in your hair. I
can barely keep my hands off of you." he replied with a cocky smile as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Really now? I thought you'd come up with a new Ludia scheme. Say you like Ludia more because she doesn't crouch in bushes or have friends." she found herself
nearly cackling as he tugged her closer to himself.

"Your friend is going to notice laughing in the bushes."

She shrugged, "So what? C'mon we'll get out of the bushes if it means that much to you." With one hand she grabbed the binoculars, with the other she tugged his
hand.

"Oh no, now you've got me in these bushes..uh uh. I'm not getting out until I get a kiss." he tugged her back into the bushes, pressing his lips against her's.

Just as things were getting good, truly good, the branch holding their combined weight snapped, leaving them both rolling down a hill. The light blinded Lidia, until
she came face to face with Jazzi.

"Um hi." she ground out, tugging herself out of Altan's grip.

Jazzi smiled and reached for a twig that apparently stuck out of Lidia's hair, "Having fun at the park, Lidia?"

"I'd say so." piped up Daemyn from beside Jazzi as he watched Lidia and Altan get up from the ground.

"We were having a terrific time in the bushes until Ludia got jealous and snapped that there twig from under us." Altan feigned an accent as he chuckled and
removed more debris from Lidia's hair.

Lidia stomped on his foot, "Shut up. We are having a terrific time..what about you?" she raised an eyebrow and watched as Jazzi and Daemyn burst into laughter.
"I can see we're disturbing you, so you just call me when you're through here, Jazzi." Huffing, she grabbed Altan's hand and tugged him away from the picnic.

"I love it when you talk rough to me." he grinned and pulled her toward him again.

"Oh shut up, we're going home."

"The Ole' Ball Game" chap 2

2006-06-27T19:52:00.000-04:00

Chapter 2

Jazzelle watched her sister and her new brother-in-law ride off into the sunset in a pinstriped limosine. Sighing, she walked back into the nearly deserted reception hall.

"Alright, we're going home. You okay, Jazzi?" Keely linked her arm with Blaze's and tilted her head toward Jazzelle.

"I'll be fine, on my way home now." she called grabbing her keys off the table and making sure for the sixth time that Daemyn wasn't around. Apparently he'd left without even saying good-bye. Thoroughly disappointed, she climbed into her car and drove toward her apartment. Instead of going straight into the house, she walked into the convenient store and trailed her way to the freezer section. Tapping her chin she looked between the flavors and finally grabbed the carton promising the most chocolate. With a sigh, she hoisted the carton onto the counter and paid the woman behind it. "Thanks Terri."

Terri smiled, "How was the wedding?"

"Beautiful, but tiring. I'll bring pictures next time."

The woman nodded sending her red curls flying and waved calling out a good-natured, "Sleep well." as the door swished closed behind Jazzelle.

Within a few feet Jazzi was on the threshold of the apartment she shared with her cousin, she knew for a fact that she wouldn't sleep tonight. So instead, she kicked off the emerald green pumps that now killed her feet and sat on the couch eating the ice cream directly from the carton. Sure it wasn't lady-like, but who cared? She was home alone and exhausted. Further more the only man who seemed interested in her in weeks left before she could even talk to him for longer than ten minutes. Leave it to her friends and family to take her away from meaningful conversation.

With a loud sigh, she stood and limped to the freezer tucking the ice cream inside of it. There was nothing like a good chocolate binge to cheer a girl up. Was there? Maybe talking to an incredibly cute man, but that would have to wait. Right now, she needed to check her email and change, in that order.

Sitting at the computer, she moved the mouse around to get the screen saver to scoot off the screen. She hissed back at the computer as it hissed at her. "Slow piece of junk, should replace you. Would if I could." she jeered.

A window popped up on the screen as soon as she got it to work.

"Hi Jazzelle. It's Daemyn." the instant message made her heart stop its beat.

Daemyn?

"Hi." she typed then scolded herself, "That was original, Jazzelle. Let the man think you're a complete idiot from the get-go."

"How are you?"

The three words had her wracking her brain. How was she? Finally she shook her head and laughed at herself, "I'm tired, how are you?"

"Good. Sorry I left so fast, my parents were expecting me."

She nodded, apparently he did have to go. "It's fine. Maybe we could get together some other time?" After she hit enter she stared wide-eyed at the screen waiting for his answer. How could she ask him that? Did she just ask Daemyn on a date?

"Sounds good. When are you free?"

Breathing wasn't an option anymore. He'd accepted! She squealed, then tried to maintain her cool. "How's Friday, around six?"

--

Daemyn stared at the computer screen, she'd asked him out! Friday at six...what was he doing? Wracking his brain, he wished it'd move faster so he could answer her already. Then finally he decided it really didn't matter what he had going on, he'd move his schedule around to meet with Jazzelle.

"Sounds great. Where do you want to meet, or would you rather I picked you up?"

His heart beat so fast he was waiting to see it outside of his chest.

"I'll meet you at Fieldings Park, okay?"

Nodding his head he typed in, "Sure thing."

"Alright, I'm going to get going now. I need to get out of this dress."

He closed his eyes and tried to repress the image her statement brought. "Okay, see you Friday." She was signed off before he could say anything more and he sat staring at the screen. He had a date with Jazzelle Douglas on Friday. Wow.

Another instant message popped up on the screen, "So did you get ahold of her?"

It was Lidia, Jazzi's friend. He smiled, "Sure did. We're going out on Friday."

"Good. I'll bother her about it. I love this job, no wonder Jazzi liked it so much." With that, Lidia too was gone.

Daemyn sat shaking his head, the group of friends he was joining baffled him. They were so much like a family, yet they accepted without question. Instead of ignoring the yawn that now plagued him, he too signed offline and walked toward his bedroom. He'd think more about the whole date in the morning. For now, sleep reigned.

"The Ole' Ball Game"chap 1

2006-06-26T09:01:00.000-04:00

This is the last story in 'The Ole' Ball Game' Series. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 1

The sun rose high in the ball park, and Jazzelle watched it with a smile on her face. Today was the day that her sister would be married to the man of her dreams. Charity beamed as she stood before the full length mirror in her wedding dress. Tears burned Jazzi's eyes as she watched her little sister twirl around in the dress to catch a glimpse of the back. Something about this wasn't right. Her younger sister was getting married before her, and in Yankee Stadium!

"I can't believe Alex pulled this off!" exclaimed Charity, blue eyes glittering with excitement.

"I knew you'd get the perfect guy for you, Charity. I'm glad he got all of this for you." Jazzi spun once in her own dress of emerald green satin and smiled as she dashed the tears away.

"Oh please, you're going to make me mess my make up here. Let's be happy. Please?" Lidia smoothed her hands over the satin of her own emerald green dress and stood beside Jazzelle and Charity.

Bethanie came out of the changing room and swiped at her eyes, "Y'all are making me teary here too."

Keely walked out of the changing room last and enveloped the rest of them in a group hug, "We look like a girl band gone wrong.." she hissed finally.

"No, you look beautiful." said Charity with a smile as she stepped back from the hug.

"You look beautiful." said Charity and Jazzelle's father from the doorway, "There is a whole stadium full of people waiting to see you. Are you ready?"

Charity swallowed hard and nodded, "Are you all ready?"

They nodded slowly and walked out before her.

Jazzelle walked out into the light of the stadium after all of her friends had gone before. She was the last one to walk just before the bride. Her heart thudded in time with the music and she sighed deeply as she reached the altar. Turning, she took her place beside Lidia and looked out over the crowd. Daemyn smiled and waved discreetly. She felt her eyes widen as she stared at him. He'd come? How had he snuck in here? Her heart raced faster until she was sure it would hop right out of her chest. Pulling her gaze from his, she focused her eyes on her sister and father.

In a flowing white, glittery gown, her sister walked down the aisle toward the make-shift altar. A smile seemed to be permanently fixed on Charity's face for the entire day, even though tears brimmed in her blue eyes. Jazzi couldn't help but let her own tears fall as she witnessed her younger sister take the vows to love, honor, and obey Alex. They'd be happy together forever. She watched the couples walk down the aisle one after the other, Lidia and Altan, Keely and Blaze, Bethanie and T.C., Charity and Alex and Andre ran straight for Aria's seat after the wedding was over.

The reception wasn't much better, as Jazzi sat with her friends and watched them make goo-goo eyes at each other. She could puke, really.

"You've got an admirer." Lidia hissed in her ear.

"Whom?" she couldn't help but let her eyes wander around the room.

Chuckling, Lidia turned Jazzi's head for her. "Right there, and you know it. Go say hi. Ask him to dance already. You know you want to."

Shaking her head vigorously, Jazzelle stared at Daemyn. He did look awfully good in that suit of his. No, no she would not, simply could not involve herself with someone so good looking. He'd most likely leave behind a trail of broken hearts, her's included. "No, I'm perfectly happy by myself Lid."

Lidia rolled her eyes, "Please! If you're happy by yourself I'm a monkey's uncle."

"And a very good looking one at that." quipped Altan with a grin in Lidia's direction.

She swatted him from across the table, "Shut up you. Now, get over there and talk girl."

Shrugging Jazzi left the table simply to get away from the good-natured flirting going on. Instead of heading toward Daemyn's table, she went toward the punch bowl. After a whole day of being on her feet, smiling for the crowd and hugging long lost relatives, she was ready to go home, put her feet up, and binge on chocolate. Aunt Martha's many "aren't you married yet?" speeches took their toll after a while.

Just as she thought she could handle no more, a hand caught her elbow. Turning quickly she was ready with a smart remark on the not married thing when she caught sight of Daemyn's brown eyes.

"Hi." he said quietly.

"Uh..hello." she replied, hoping that maybe she could keep her heart from stomping right out of her chest and flopping onto the floor for him to trample.

"I noticed that you're all alone at the table there..must be lonely for you." he bit his lower lip as he waited for her reaction.

"Oh no, I'm perfectly fine...actually yeah, it is pretty boring." when he smiled at her, she couldn't help but smile back.

"Come with me?" he whispered.

Looking over at the tables full of her friends and family, she cast a glance back at the incredible looking man asking her to follow him. Somehow she couldn't reason past the incredible looking man. He would win out every time. Smiling she bit her lip and nodded, "Sure."

--

Daemyn Francis couldn't believe his luck. Somehow, Charity and Lidia had talked Mike and Rachel into bringing him to the wedding as well. And now, Jazzelle Douglas trailed him out the door to the reception hall and onto the patio. Playing it cool, he took a seat on the porch swing that sat before him and waited while Jazzelle walked toward it.

"Okay, it's killing me. Who invited you?" she asked propping a hand on one hip as she stared at him with eyes that matched her green dress.

He shrugged nonchalantly, "Your sister and Lidia."

"But...why...oh no, oh no no no! Their matchmaking now?" she flopped down onto the swing beside him, a frown marring her features.

He almost begged her to smile again, her smile had been the first thing he'd noticed about her. Second only to her eyes that flashed when she was angry, sparkled when she was happy or fiery. Instead, he turned to face her. "Is that such a bad thing?"

Her frown deepened, "Well..no..not exactly. I..I just..I didn't think you'd be interested is all." voice now suddenly a slight whisper she glanced down at her clasped hands that sat in her lap.

Grinning he wriggled his eyebrows, "Oh I'm interested."

She chuckled, "In me?"

He nodded slowly.

"You two making out yet?" Lidia poked her head out the door and smiled at them.

"LIDIA!" Jazzelle blushed five shades of red.

"Just finished." he winked standing and tugging Jazzi along with him.

"DID NOT!" Jazzelle still seemed mortified.

"Oh shush, Jazzi, you would if you could. It's time for you to make the toast for your sister." Lidia directed her words to Jazzelle as she tip-tapped across the linoleum of the dance floor in matching emerald green pumps.

"Sorry, that's my cue." Jazzi offered an apologetic smile then followed Lidia.

Sighing, Daemyn sat back down at the table assigned to him and watch Jazzelle. She was graceful and beautiful, made him want to stare at her forever. He couldn't though. Instead, he said good-bye to the bride and groom and left before she was finished with her maid of honor duties. His parents were expecting him by six. Besides, if it was meant to be they'd meet again. Daemyn sure hoped it was meant to be.

SORRRRYYYY!!!!!!!

2006-06-25T19:42:00.000-04:00

BAH! I'm sooo sorry that I've not been writing lately. You all deserve my apology. I'm glad to see you all liked the ending to Andre & Aria's story. Jazzelle's story is on the way :) Thought I'd take some time before I posted that to tell you about why I havent been writing lately. Well first of all...say hello to the college graduate. YES I OFFICIALLY GRADUATED!! WOOOTTTT!! See..look at my cake!

Yea..see I've grown up..I used to look like this:

Now...I'm a highschool graduate, note my lovely grad. pic:

Okay anyhow..beside that...my mom had dental work done. So I've been trying to help out a lot. And Danny was in...my boyfriend :) So..yea it's been a long week. Tomorrow I'll be posting Chapter 1 of Jazzelle's story. "The Ole Ball Game." Thanks for being patient & for reading!! :)

~Jolene

"If They Don't Win It's A Shame" chap 10

2006-06-10T20:11:00.000-04:00

Chapter 10

Aria walked up the stairs behind Andre. Yankee Stadium. She'd never been to Yankee Stadium in all of the years she'd lived in New York. When Andre had offered to take her to a baseball game, she'd never known he meant a Yankee game! She smiled at his friends as they took up most of the row. With only four seats left over.
"You remember everyone, right Aria?" asked Andre as he swept his arm from one side of the row to the other.
"Remind me again, because I'll forget. I'm human, sue me." she smiled at the group of friends noticing that Jazzelle was missing from the group.
"Charity and Alex are down there, Bethanie and T.C., Lidia and Altan, Keely and Blaze, and of course you and I." Andre took a seat next to Blaze and motioned for her to take the one beside his.
Sitting down, she surveyed the seats in front of them and behind them before looking out at the field, "Where is Jazzi?" she whispered finally.
Andre smiled and pointed to the tier across from them. There sat Jazzi alone in the tier watching the baseball game.
"Why doesn't she join us?" she asked frowning.
"Because, she's the nosy one who wants to spy. We let her spy. Don't worry. Soon enough, she'll be joining us." he added.
"Her and her little boyfriend too." chuckled Lidia from down the row.
"Boyfriend?" Aria was completely confused now.
They all began to laugh.
"We're going to set her up, she's going to love it. Don't worry about her. Jazzi can take more than she lets on." added her sister Charity.
Aria nodded, but somehow she couldn't get over being a part of this family of friends. It was nice, especially with Andre at her side.
--
Andre smiled at Aria and kissed her cheek. "You want to go to a wedding with me in a few weeks?"
She looked around, "Who's getting married?"
The game was nearly over and he had to ask soon. It was a good time to ask when his friends were very much involved in the game.
"Charity and Alex." supplied Keely with a smile.
"Oh wow, I sure would love to go to a wedding. Especially with you." Aria smiled at him.
"Good, because I was thinking we could go to a few weddings together and start collecting ideas for ours?" his throat constricted as he watched her face take on a few different emotions.
"Ours?" her voice squeaked.
He nodded, hoping she wouldn't completely reject the idea.
"Sounds good." she added finally, after what seemed like an eternity she leaned in and kissed him softly.
"Oh thats so sweet!" exclaimed Lidia with a chuckle. "How come you never say anything so sweet?" she nudged Altan with her elbow.
"Because you aren't as sweet as that girl. You hurt me." he rubbed his side.
"Oh shut up!" Lidia shook her head.
"Don't you just love my friends?" he asked Aria with a smile.
She chuckled, "Yes, and I love you too."
He could feel his smile stretch to the point where his cheeks hurt, "I love you too, Aria."
--
Jazzelle watched her friends sit together and have fun, and somewhere deep inside of her she secretly wished she hadn't set them all up. Now she sat here alone with no one to talk to, no one to love, no one to hold her. Sighing, she propped her chin up in her hand and watched the game. She was now alone, and that was that.
"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" began to play over the loud speakers and she sighed, maybe she was being selfish. After all if they didn't win it was a shame, her friends deserved to win. Most definitely.
A hand tapped her shoulder and she turned quickly, "What do you want?"
He laughed, "I thought I'd find you here." his smile maddened her, and made her stomach drop at the same time.
"Daemyn..please, I'm kind of brooding here." she sighed as he sat down beside her.
"Why brooding?"
"Everyone has a match now. Look at them, their having fun, I'm stuck here alone."
"Excuse me?" he smiled as gestured to himself as he laid an arm across her shoulders.
"I...um...next story please!"
He chuckled, "The next story is ours, Jazzelle."
She shook her head. Could she really be matched up next?

The End

Stay tuned for the final volume of my series "The Ole' Ball Game." :)

"If They Don't Win It's A Shame" chap 9

2006-06-10T20:09:00.000-04:00

Chapter 9

Aria sat beside Andre watching the movie, she smiled as she felt his hand slide around her's. There was something about the gentleness of the man that had her heart, that made her never want to change this moment with him. The popcorn sat between them a reminder of the movie, yet she had no idea what was going on. She could only feel his lips against her hand as he pressed a kiss to her palm. Turning, she smiled at him, and watched as he rose to his full height seated and kissed her lips.
Fireworks. Seemed that was exactly what she saw when their lips touched. When he looked at her a certain way, when he smiled. Her cheeks turned a bright red, she was sure of it, for they burned.
Soon enough, the lights came back on in the theater, the movie was over. However, she had no idea what it'd been about at all. Slowly, they made their way out of the theater and into the lobby. Her heart stopped. Sharon and Michael Jonson stood there, between them they held hands with a tiny blonde boy, with eyes that gleamed with happiness.
"Aria!" Sharon called out, running toward them.
Andre surveyed her face, she was sure he was calculating the look she was giving right now. She sure wished she knew what she was feeling, however her brain stopped working. Sharon hugged her tightly in her arms as she hadn't seen her in nearly six years.
"We've missed you, where have you been? Have you seen how big Isaac has gotten?" Susan motioned for Michael and Isaac to come closer.
Isaac reguarded Andre and Aria with a smile, although his eyes still shone as he looked up with admiration at his parents. Or the people he knew as his parents.
Andre reached out a hand and grasped hers, he now knew why she hesitated. Swallowing hard, she looked down at the little boy and then back at Michael and Sharon's beaming faces. She'd done what was right for her boy. He was perfect. A smile tugged at her lips, "I've been busy, but it's so nice to see you all."
Andre tilted his head and smiled at her, knowing that she was okay with her situation now he gripped her hand tighter within his.
"And who is this?" asked Michael with a smile.
"This is Andre Harris. Andre, Michael, Sharon, and Isaac Jonson." she introduced.
"Nice to meet you all." Andre nodded to them.
"You as well, Andre." added Michael.
After another half hour of catching up, Aria handed them her phone number and watched as they entered the movie theater for a popular children's movie.
"Are you okay?" asked Andre, encircling her waist with his arms.
She nodded feeling tears rush to her eyes, "I'm fine. I know now that he's okay. Nothing could be better. I'm ready to start over now.." her breath caught at her own words. What would Andre say about this?
--
Had she just said what he thought she'd said? She was ready to start over. Great! Smiling, he hugged her closer. "Are you ready to start over with me?"
She nodded slowly, tipping her head down a bit in embarrassment.
His smile widened, "You're adorable." He kissed her lips softly, "Let's get you home."
As soon as they walked through the door to Lidia's home, she stopped them. "There's a phone call for you, Aria."
Sighing, she released Andre's hand and moved toward the phone. Andre watched the door close behind her, and sighed. This was it. She was for him, and that was that. Lidia was chuckling at him as she sat down on the couch and motioned for him to do the same.
"You're in looovee." she hummed softly.
"Shush." he growled, but smiled still. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't get the smile off of his face. Somehow he felt like a fool, yet he didn't care.
"You are, and so is that woman in the kitchen. You two are for each other. Admit it, Jazzi has done it again."
"Okay, okay, so Jazzi was right. Aria is perfect." he sighed once more. Lidia was right, no use in lying.
Just as he said that, the kitchen door swung open. Tears were running down Aria's face as she moved toward him.
"What's wrong?" he asked hurriedly. Why was she crying?
"It's over. They caught Jerry. He tried to get into the Jonson's house, and some neighbors saw him. They called the police, and apparently Jerry was stupid enough to hang around. My nightmare is over." she smiled now through her tears.
"That's great, honey." he whispered, pulling her into his arms.
"Yeah, don't mind me..I'll just go disappear again." said Lidia loudly as she walked into the kitchen.
Both Andre and Aria began to laugh as they watched her exit the room.
"Hey, you wouldn't want to go to a baseball game tomorrow would you?" he asked finally, as she smiled up at him.
"I would love to go to a baseball game, especially if it's with you." she replied, cuddling further into his arms.
"Perfect. We'll go to the game tomorrow. Tradition continued."

"If They Don't Win It's A Shame" chap 8

2006-06-07T08:01:00.000-04:00

Chapter 8

Aria woke in a strange room, her heart beat fast as she turned this way and that to get a better view of her surroundings. The door opened to the room, and she tried to find somewhere to hide. Too bad the person behind the door was faster than she.

"It's okay, you're safe now." it was Jazzelle's friend Lidia.

"Where am I?" she asked, feeling completely lost.

"You're at my house. When Andre said he needed somewhere to put you that would keep you safe, I volunteered. I figure, if someone is going to join our little group then I might as well check them out too. You'll be here for about a week or so, far as anyone can tell..." Lidia smiled at her.

"Oh..okay..." Aria was incredibly confused, but she'd learned long ago agreeing got you farther than disagreeing. "So, who's taking care of my father and Brayden?"

"Andre. He really cares about you, honey. If you ask me, which you didn't but I'll give my opinion anyway, he's the perfect guy for you." Lidia smiled knowingly as she watched Aria, "You already know that. Look at you blushing!"

"I..I don't know anything. Especially not about Andre. I just met him a few weeks ago." she pinned the woman with a look, hoping she'd stop talking about her relationship. No such luck, apparently.

"That never stopped the rest of us. Although Keely and I knew our men before hand. Everyone else just met them. Heck, Charity and Alex are getting married already!" Lidia smiled widely as she presented her case. Apparently Andre's friends were just like this, she'd definitely have to get used to it. First Jazzelle now Lidia.

"Married?" she choked, would she get married? And to whom? Andre? Her heart was beating even faster now that she thought of him. The blue walls seemed to be closing in on her, her breathing grew labored.

"Oh wow, you're really not ready for all of that talk, are you?" Lidia laughed and patted Aria's shoulder. "You will be. Believe me."

Aria watched Lidia walk out the door of her home for the next week or so. Something about the woman told her they'd be good friends before the week was up. However, right now she needed to focus on what she'd do about Andre and her feelings for him.

--

Andre smiled at Aria across Lidia's kitchen table, "So your Dad sends his reguards."

"I'll call him later." Aria replied quietly, staring at the ceiling.

Lidia smiled, "I'm going to head to the living room, Altan's on his way over anyway. You two have a lot to talk about, I'm sure." She quickly retreated to the other room, closing the door in between the rooms.

"Okay, Aria, what's wrong?" he asked after the door had closed.

"What? Wrong? Nothing." she shook her head, yet her eyes never quite met his.

Sighing, he dragged his chair over beside hers and turned her chair to face him. Reaching one hand out, he cupped her face in his hand forcing her eyes to meet his. "What is wrong?" he annunciated each word as he stared into the depths of her green eyes.

"Lidia said we'll end up married, what do you think of that? Knowing about my past, knowing what I'm like, knowing my work schedule...could you really marry me?" tears shimmered in her eyes as she stared back into his eyes.

"Of course, and in a heart beat, Aria." He watched her throat work as she tried not to cry, and he smiled softly. Tugging her closer, he pressed his lips to hers. He'd done it. Finally, he'd kissed her.

When he pulled away, Aria was still staring at him, "Wow."

He chuckled, "Yeah, I know."

--

Lidia grinned at Altan, "It's so cute! Their so in love, but it's so new. I miss when you were like that." she poked him.

"Oh shut up, I'm still the same." he said with confidence.

"Right, instead of 'I love you Lidia', I get 'pass the remote, Lid.'"she frowned at Altan and reached for the phone, "Nevermind, I'll just call Jazzi, she'll understand."

Shaking his head, Altan tugged the phone from her hands, "When I get through with you, you won't remember about Jazzi." He laughed before pulling her closer.

"Wow..you sure you're still Altan?" she could feel her heart begin to race as he pressed his lips to hers.

"Does it matter?"

She shook her head, "At this point? No way. You're a better kisser than Altan anyhow."

The phone rang, and Lidia looked at him before watching him toss the phone. Laughing now, she returned his kiss and ignored the phone she was mostly sure Jazzi was on the other end of. At this point, who cared? Not her.

"If They Don't Win It's A Shame" chap 7

2006-06-06T07:59:00.000-04:00

Chapter 7

Aria puttered around the kitchen in her bare feet, a day off that she'd never have taken in a million years if she didn't have to. This house needed order again, an order she wouldn't attain working a ten hour work day. Sighing, she pulled more tupperware containers out of the cabinet. Someone had to do it. Humming to herself, she listened to the complete silence of her home this morning. Brayden was off skateboarding with his friends, and her father had yet to wake up. There was something about the early morning that got her blood flowing, heart pumping, especially when she had a project to do. Slowly, the cabinets got reorganized and the kitchen was finished. As soon as she finished the kitchen, she moved onto the living room knowing full well this would be all she did today. There were too many crevices in this house for teenager garbage. Like thirty cds shoved into the corner beside the couch, or three pairs of sneakers under the entertainment center. She was in the middle of tugging the cushions off the couch to see what awaited her there when Brayden walked in.

"Morning, I've got the mail." he announced strolling toward her.

"What's in there? Anything good?" she smiled at her brother's look of frustration as he shook his head through each piece of mail.

"Mostly bills from the looks of it...oh wait." he pulled one envelope to the front of the pile and looked at it. "This looks interesting, for you, but no return address."

Frowning, Aria stood and left the couch in disarray to take the envelope. Opening it, she felt all of the blood rush from her face as she freed the letter and picture from its surroundings. Staring back at her were her own deep set green eyes fringed by blonde lashes. Isaac.

"What is it?" asked Brayden, his expression worried as he clasped a hand on her arm.

"N-n-nothing." she tried to cover, pulling away from him. "I'm fine."

"Have it your way." her brother shook his head and walked out of the room.

Quickly, she opened the letter and glanced at it.

He's beautiful, isn't he? Why didn't you tell me about him, Aria? Apparently we make beautiful babies together. Should try again soon. I know where he is, Aria, the secret is no longer safe.

Her heart thudded against her ribcage, he knew? Jerry knew. Isaac stared back at her in the picture, his expression happy. But how long could she keep him that way? Tears began to pour down her face as she grabbed her cell phone. She needed to call a few people to ensure his safety. Right away. Her heart longed to simply call Andre, have him make it all better. However, there were some things no one could fix. Like Jerry Reynolds.

--

Andre gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were white, Aria had called saying the police were at her house to meet her there as soon as he could. Something was most definitely wrong, just by the frantic sound in her voice. He'd reached her house in record time he was sure. Climbing out of the car, he didn't waste any time slamming the car door and walking up to her front door which stood open. Police milled around the living room, one asked her questions, another scribbled things down in a notebook. Her brother stood in the kitchen beside their father staring at all of the action.

"What's going on, Brayden?" he asked the teenager, standing beside him.

"I don't know, she won't tell us anything." he complained, his eyes fierce looking. Apparently Brayden was feeling as helpless as he was.

"Help her." whispered Mr. McKenzie, his eyes sorrowful.

"I will, sir." he answered taking the first few steps toward the living room.

When the police officer had finished questioning her, Andre walked in and sat beside her. "Okay, what's going on, Aria?"

As soon as she saw him, her eyes filled with tears and her lower lip quivered. "Jerry." she whispered as she handed him a piece of paper and a picture.

He read the letter, and tried to keep from crumbling it in his hand. The picture was up close, and the man had hardly been joking around. His heart beat double its normal pace as he watched tears run down her cheeks. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Tugging her closer, he lay her head on his shoulder. "They'll find him." he said nodding toward the police.

"They said something about protective custody, Andre, I'm so scared. Not for me, but for my father, Brayden, and Isaac. What would I do if he hurt them?"

"Don't think about that, Aria, think positively. Their going to find him, and he won't bother you again." he rubbed her back soothingly, letting her lay there for as long as she needed.

Brayden walked into the room as the police population thinned out, "So this is serious." his voice was calm even if his look belied it.

Andre nodded, glancing over to see Aria asleep on his shoulder. "It's most definitely serious. You need to take precautions..."

"No, I don't mean this whole letter thing, I meant the two of you." Brayden smiled even though it was forced it made Andre want to laugh.

"Yeah, I suppose we are."

"If They Don't Win It's a Shame" chap 6

2006-06-05T14:16:00.000-04:00

Chapter 6

Jazzelle cupped her hands around the mug of hot tea, "So you saw this man in the restaraunt..who is he?" she watched as Aria's already white face blanched a pale shade.

"The father of my son." the words were hallow and made Jazzi nearly fall off of her chair.

"Your son?" her eyes were wide, she knew that, but she'd never known about a son.

Aria nodded, her eyes sorrowful as she reguarded Jazzi, "Isaac Alexander McKenzie..at least that's what I would have called him had I kept him. I couldn't though. Too many memories and Jerry was after me. I couldn't let him have Isaac. He doesn't know about Isaac and I'd rather if he never did. My baby was adopted by a nice couple in my old church, I had to leave after that. I couldn't bear to see him with his new family." she sighed and wiped at the tears that now dripped down her cheeks in twin trails. "I was raped, Jazzi. Jerry Reynolds, he seemed like a good guy. He really did. I was so in love with him, but I held firm to my beliefs. I wouldn't have sex before I was married. Jerry didn't like that. Not one bit." Her tears fell faster now as she shook her head.

Jazzi reached a hand out and rubbed Aria's back gently.

"He followed me home that night I was walking home from the park. I could feel someone behind me, and when I turned and saw the look in his eyes I knew it was wrong. I started to run. I just wasn't fast enough, Jazzi. His arms grabbed mine, and..." sobs began to echo in her kitchen.

"Oh Aria." feeling the tears burn her own eyes, Jazzelle pulled her new friend into a haphazard hug hoping to take the hurt from her. The woman had lived with this for so long. Now she was reliving it because of one glimpse of that man. Burning with rage, yet held to her spot, Jazzi simply talked quietly to Aria and prayed with her. There was nothing she could do, no revenge that would pay that man for what he did to Aria. But, Jazzelle knew Andre would be perfect for Aria. She would feel the love she'd never felt before, and it would be mutual.

The door creaked behind them, and Andre walked into the kitchen "Hey...what's wrong?" his eyes were troubled as he saw Aria's tear stained face on Jazzelle's shoulder.

Nodding to Aria, she stood, "I'll leave the two of you alone."

--

Aria reguarded Andre's face devoid of all emotion aside from worry as he looked at her.

"Please tell me you're alright?"

She nodded, "I will be once I tell you what I just told Jazzi." Slowly, she launched into the story once more, until Andre's face transformed into angry and then soft as she explained about Isaac.

His hand covered her's, "I'll help you through this, Aria."

She smiled, "I know you will, that's why I told you. I had to get Jazzi's opinion first. I needed to get it out."

Tugging her closer, he tucked her into his arms and hugged her tight. A smile stretched her face as she snuggled into his arms. This was right.

"Thank you." she whispered into his ear.

"For what? You're the one revealing your past." he looked at her, eyes confused.

"For being here, for listening and understanding. For offering to help me through it. For the hug most of all."

"The hug is my pleasure, Aria. I like you a lot, you know that right?"

She nodded, "I know, because I feel the same way."

"You want to go see a movie or something?" he inquired.

Again she nodded, "Sure thing. Let's go let Jazzi know we're leaving?"

He shook his head, "I think Jazzi already knows." Motioning toward the door, she saw Jazzi flash them the thumbs up sign.

Aria laughed, "Doesn't she EVER mind her own business?"

"Not until we give someone to mind HER business." he chuckled, tugging her toward his car.

--

Andre liked the feeling of Aria's head on his shoulder as they watched the movie together. His hand held tight to her's. There was something incredible about the strength this woman exuded and showed in her everyday life. Especially with the story she'd told him moments before the movie. He smiled as he watched her eyes slowly close. Something had told him telling her story had left her tired emotionally, yet she lay there with a smile on her face. It had set her free finally telling someone about herself. About the part that so made up her character.

Still something inside of him wanted to kill that man who'd done such a thing to her. He couldn't see straight when she'd said that man had touched her, had hurt her so badly. Left her with a son she'd had no choice but to give up, even though she so loved children.

Sighing, Andre reached over and swept his hand down her cheek, she was so sweet. So beautiful. She deserved a life that made her happy from now on. Could he give that to her? He hoped so. Because, if he had his way, she'd never be sad like that again.

"If They Don't Win It's A Shame" chap 5

2006-06-02T08:28:00.000-04:00

Chapter 5

Andre loosened his grip on Aria's shoulders and reached his hand toward her's. As if considering her options, Aria slowly set her hand in his before quickly searching over her shoulder. Whomever had been in that restaraunt had nearly stolen his first date with this woman, and boy was he glad he'd caught her. Gently, he guided her back toward his car, "Let's just go some where else." he supplied, hoping she was hungry enough to say yes.

"Actually, I think it'd be better if you just took me back to the hospital to get my car so I can get home. I don't feel very hungry right about now. If you'd like you can follow me home and I'll make you a sandwich." she pinned him with sorrowful green eyes and he couldn't resist.

"Sounds good." he muttered, hoping she bought it. A sandwich really didn't sound as good as what he'd had picked out on the menu, but the time spent with Aria sounded nice.

Closing her door, he walked back around to his side and climbed in. In silence he drove back toward the hospital. Aria's eyes never stayed in one place far as he could tell, always looking over her shoulder, out the window, and around the perimeter. Something wasn't right with this woman. The man in that restaraunt had done something to her in her lifetime, and he wondered exactly what that was.

"You can just park here, I'll be right back." said Aria as he rounded the corner near the parking garage.

"Are you sure? I'd be glad to walk you into the parking garage." he watched as Aria shook her head.

"No, no, I'll be fine. Just wait right here, be out in a minute." she gave him a small smile before climbing out of the car, and walking toward the parking garage.

Soon enough, she was driving back out waving him to follow her, and so he did. Down back streets and alleys he followed her to a small house that nearly resembled a log cabin. He smiled at the warmth it seemed to give off, it fit Aria perfectly. She parked her car out front and he parked behind her. Still ever the gentleman, he raced to open her door for her.

"Thank you." she smiled, her entire face softened when she smiled he noted.

"My pleasure." he answered following her into her home.

--

Aria watched Andre take in the details of her home as she walked beside him. Somehow she didn't see him living in a small country type home as she had her entire life, but did that matter? She really needed to look forward not backward and Andre was the person to do that with. He kept her on her toes alright. With that smile and the sense of humor he had, she'd smiled more tonight that she had in months.

"Who's this?" Brayden sat at the table beside their father feeding him the dinner she'd left for them.

"Dad, Brayden this is Andre Harris. My friend that I was telling you about."she tried her best to smile as they all sized each other up.

"Nice to meet you." said Andre, extending a hand to Brayden and then her father.

Both nodded accordingly.

"I'm going to make some sandwiches, anyone want one?" she turned around from the refridgerator to see Andre take a seat on the other side of her father and her breath caught for a minute. The sight of the man of her dreams in one seat, her father in another, her brother beside him had a feeling of coming home for Aria. All that was missing...no, she wouldn't let her mind wander back to Isaac. Nor to Jerry. She was moving on.

"I'll take one." said Brayden, smiling at Andre who'd raised his hand when she'd asked.

Nodding at Brayden and then Andre, she grabbed the supplies from the refridgerator and began to make sandwiches. Whistling as she moved around the kitchen, she finally placed the finished products on plates and offered them to Andre and to her brother.

They sat together in the silence as they ate, when finally Brayden finished and offered to take her father to bed.

She smiled at him, "Thank you Bray. Good night Daddy." she stood and kissed her father on the cheek before returning to her seat.

"Good night Mr. McKenzie." offered Andre.

Her father mumbled his best good night as Brayden wheeled him away from them.

"So, tell me..who was that man at the restaraunt?" asked Andre, she'd known it was coming but still the question stole her breath.

"Jerry Reynolds." she answered, hoping it would keep the questions at bay.

"Yes, but what about him made you run, Aria?" his eyes bore into her's and she could hardly keep herself upright.

"I can't tell you Andre, you'd take off too. It's too much. My former life is not pretty, Andre. Not nearly as pretty as it is now."

"I want to hear about it, all of it, but if you aren't ready to tell then you don't have to. You tell me in your time." he smiled and patted her hand.

"Thank you." she seriously doubted she'd ever tell Andre the truth about Jerry Reynolds and about Isaac. Instead, they began a conversation about what they liked to do in their off time. Apparently he liked music, and she was a dancer. That she told him. They talked the night away, until finally Andre glanced at his watch and announced it time for him to leave. Her heart constricted at the words, yet she nodded. "Thanks for coming over."

He smiled, "Anytime. We'll do something again, soon."

She nodded and agreed, "Soon."

"If They Don't Win It's A Shame."chap 4

2006-05-29T18:04:00.000-04:00

Chapter 4

Andre glanced at his watch and grabbed his bible nonchalantly from the bedside table, "It's been a great visit, Mrs. Henderson."

She nodded with a sweet smile affixed on her face, "Thank you for coming Pastor."

"I'll be back tomorrow." he assured her, shaking her fragile hand before walking toward the door. As soon as he was out of the room it seemed his feet couldn't take him to the Neonatal unit fast enough. He was in a hurry to see Aria, there was no fooling himself about that. Now all he had to do was hold onto this girl, see what her story was. Find out why he felt this way about her, why she did this to his insides. He actually felt like skipping to the elevator. Strange.

When he finally made his way into the hall way which was completely covered in windows where a person could see the tiny babies inside, he could barely contain himself. Yet again he heard the soft humming which had drawn him to the NICU that first night he'd visited Mrs. Henderson. The woman in the rocking chair however was not an unnamed face, it was Aria McKenzie. He smiled and waved watching as a smile stretched across her face.

After a few minutes, she got up from the rocking chair and gently laid the tiny newborn in one of the bassinets that spanned the entire nursery. Softly she whispered departing words to the nurses and walked out into the hallway to meet him. "Hello."

"Hi yourself, you look great." he whispered.

She smiled wider and shook her head, "I'm in scrubs, I'll just duck in here and change. Be back in a few."

He watched as the door swung shut behind her, and he looked up toward the ceiling. Silently he held a conversation with the Lord about the woman and how He'd brought her into Andre's life. Was this it for him or was it just another woman? Just as he'd again asked the question to God, the door swung open.

"Are you ready?" her green eyes sparkled as she smiled at him.

"As ready as I'll ever be." he answered, linking his arm with her's and guiding her toward the parking garage where his car was.

--

The car door closed behind her and Aria watched Andre walk around the car and climb into the driver's seat.

"You okay?" he asked with a smirk.

She nodded, "Quite alright, it's been a while since I've been out. Excuse me if I get all of this wrong, please?" Nervous to look at him she glanced down at her feet.

His hand grazed her cheek and she jumped and turned toward him. With a smile, he rested his hand underneath her chin, "I'm destined to get this wrong faster than you, Aria, believe me."

She chuckled and watched as his eyes sparkled down at her, suddenly at ease she let her hand graze his. "Thank you."

Looking startled, Andre pulled his hand away and smiled at her. "Shall we?"

Nodding, she folded her hands in her lap. She was sure he was just trying to make her feel good, but it was working. Silence reigned in the car on the way to the restaraunt, and somehow Aria was okay with that. Finally they were at the restaraunt, again Andre got out of the car and walked around to open her door for her.

Together they walked into the restaraunt, the hostess seated them and handed each of them a menu. Aria perused the menu, as did Andre, slowly she came to a decision of what she'd get to eat. But, just as she lowered the menu, her eyes met someone she never thought she'd see again.

Jerry Reynolds.

Swallowing hard, she watched as he grinned and waved. Her stomach turned in revolt and she clamped her mouth shut to keep it's contents on the inside. Heart pounding in her chest as if it'd like to escape her rib cage, Aria shoved her chair back and did the only thing she could do. Run.

Sweat poured down her face in streams as she relived her past one more time. Feet clattered behind her, dirt shot up around her as her feet moved faster and faster to get toward some unseen, unknown goal. The memories played like a movie screen in her mind, it was four years ago all over again. Arms came around her middle and she screamed, knowing what came next.

"Aria? Aria? It's Andre. Why are you running?" he huffed softly as he turned her toward him.

Aria swallowed again, wiping at the tears and sweat that poured down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. I had to get out of there...it was him." she felt her chest heaving as she tried to explain without revealing the exact details of her life. It had destroyed her life once, she wouldn't let it do so again. Not anything.

"If They Don't Win It's A Shame." chap 3

2006-05-28T20:10:00.000-04:00

Chapter 3

Andre sat back in his lawn chair and listened to Aria talk, he couldn't decide if it was her voice that kept him so captivated or those expressive eyes of her's. Either way, he could listen to her for hours, and he had. She'd told him about her job as a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit nurse. She didn't have to say how much she loved it, because he could tell by the excitement in her voice. In turn, he'd told her about the church and how he loved to preach. She'd admitted that she hadn't been to church in years, and when she said it, her eyes lost their sparkle. Something had gone amiss in Aria McKenzie's life. Something that she wasn't willing to talk about. Quietly, he resolved to pray for her to regain that love she'd once had.

"Are you thirsty?" the question brought him out of his thoughts and into focusing on Aria's smiling face again as she held a can of soda out toward him.

"Yeah, thanks." he accepted the can and popped the top.

She sat quietly beside him, it seemed with more on her mind that she told him of. Checking her watch every five minutes, she finally glanced up at him. "I need to get going, my father will need help to get into bed."

He frowned, "You have to go? Can I get your number or something?"

Watching as she collected her things and turned to him he felt as if a part of him was leaving.

"Oh..um..sure." reaching into her purse she withdrew a small tablet and pen and scribbled the numbers down. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah, I'll call." he assured her, watching as she nodded and then walked away.

His eyes followed her as she said good night to Jazzi and to the rest of his friends before leaving. He sighed and walked over to his friends, "I think I'm going to call it a night."

"You're leaving just because Aria left?" Lidia grinned at him and elbowed Jazzelle, "You were right, this one is going to work."

Andre groaned and just turned away. No use lying, it was the truth. His interest in the cook out was now gone as he thought back to Aria's sweet voice and sparkling personality. Something about that woman was different, and he didn't plan to let go of her until he was sure it wouldn't work.

--

Aria pulled the covers up over her father and kissed his forehead, "Good night, Daddy."

He smiled at her and grumbled a soft good night of his own before closing his eyes.

Sighing softly, she walked out of the room and left the door open a small crack. Her hands performed nightly routines of washing the dishes, cleaning the kitchen up, and getting ready for work but her mind spun with thoughts of Andre Harris. He was everything she'd never had in a guy, and everything she'd dreamed up. Sweet, charming, incredibly cute, and had a love for God. She wished that she had more time to date, because if she did he'd be the kind of guy she'd go for.

The phone rang shrilly in the silence of the kitchen and she rushed to grab the cordless receiver. "Hello."

"Aria?" the voice held questions.

"This is her."

"Hello, it's Andre Harris."

She involuntarily smiled at his voice and the mention of his name. "Hey Andre, how are you?"

"I'm good, I'd be better if you'd agree to go to dinner with my tomorrow."

Her breath caught in her throat, a date? "Sure.." the word rolled right off of her tongue before she thought about it.

"That'd be great, can I pick you up at six?" he sounded worried.

Aria nodded, "Six would be fine, you'll have to pick me up at the hospital though."

"Sounds fine, I have a visit to do tomorrow at the hospital anyway."

"Great." she smiled at the sound of excitement in his voice.

They talked for another half hour before Aria finally broke off the conversation because Brayden walked through the door. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, Andre."

"Oh, a man?" Brayden raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

She hung up the phone and shook her head, "Where were you?"

"Out."

Groaning she watched her brother walk to his bedroom, just when she thought things were going better between the two of them they worsened. Now he wouldn't talk to her again. Something had to be done about Bray. In the mean time, she needed to finish cleaning up so she could get to sleep. Tomorrow was a big day.

--

Jazzelle tossed another soda can into the garbage bag she held, "It's okay, you really can go home if you want."

"What if I don't want to?" Rachel's friend stared into her eyes in a way she found quite disconcerting. His smile showed her that he knew exactly what he was doing to her insides.

"Um...well, I'm unsure about that." shrugging she sat on the picnic table and looked at him steadily. "Why is it you're around so much?"

"Ever think that I might find you beautiful, intelligent, and madening all at the same time?" his eyes held her's as he sat next to her on the table.

"No, I didn't." she replied hoping that he'd leave soon. This wasn't like her to feel this way, no not at all.

"Alright, I'll leave then, but you'll see more of me. Our story isn't over." he smiled at her and walked toward the gate.

Heaving a sigh of relief, she stood to her feet and finished cleaning up the yard. Their story wasn't over yet? Maybe he was right.

"If They Don't Win It's A Shame"

2006-05-24T08:14:00.000-04:00

Chapter 2

Andre sat back in the lawn chair and stared at Jazzelle's evilly grinning face, "What is this about?" he asked.

"It's not about anything, I decided to have a cook out do you have a problem with that?" her eyes glittered mysteriously in the midday sun.

His stomach began to do flips, he was next in Jazzi's line up. Some woman he'd never seen before would show up and be all over him. Lovely. He could always bail out early, but she wouldn't let him. No, Jazzi enjoyed inflicting pain on her prey.

"Hey y'all!" Bethanie mosied into the backyard with her new boyfriend on her heels. His daughters ran in front of them diving for Jazzi first.

"Bethanie, T.C." he nodded to each of them before fixing his eyes on the gate again. If Jazzi was going to set him up he at least wanted to know what she looked like before he decided what to do.

Ten minutes later, the gate creaked open again allowing Lidia and Altan inside. Both came in with plenty of words for them and an abundance of witty insults. He still sat silent aside from saying hello, as he waited on edge. Keely and Blaze followed right on their heels. His heart pounded hard in his chest as he waited for the woman Jazzi would set him up with. What would she look like? Would her personality be half-okay? He trusted Jazzelle, but still, he wasn't sure if he trusted her completely with the matters of HIS heart.

Just as he was worrying, a movement from the back door of Jazzelle's house caught his eye. A woman was walking toward their gathering holding a bowl full of salad. Long, blonde curls spilled down her back, a worried smile was on her lips. "Here's the salad, Jazzelle." she said, her voice light and melodic.

His eyes were captivated. Her shirt was the same green as her eyes, long legs encased in denim that seemed to go on and on. Jazzi's new friend was beautiful.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend, Jazzi?" he asked, walking to where the two of them stood talking.

"Maybe and maybe not." she winked at her friend and turned to smile at Andre menacingly.

"Well, fine, have it your way then." reaching around Jazzelle, he extended his hand, "I'm Andre and you are?"

The nervous smile slipped a bit and a real one took it's place, "Aria McKenzie."

"Nice to meet you, Aria."

Aria nodded, blonde curls bobbing with her head. "You as well."

"I've got to go check on those burgers.." said Jazzi, but it seemed she was in the distance, he could focus on nothing but the woman before him.

Aria still held the bowl of salad in one hand while her other was still inside of his. To be honest, it felt nice, but he relinquished his hold on her and took the bowl of salad. "Let me help."

"Okay.." her voice trailed off as she watched him set the salad on the table.

He could feel her gaze on him, and it did strange things to his heart making it dance to a quicker rhythm. Any other day he would've been sure he was having a heart attack, today with this woman standing before him staring at him it was something different.

--

Aria watched as Andre set the salad on the table, and she couldn't help but wonder about the man who hid inside the best exterior she'd seen in a while. Her cheeks were flooded with pink, as heat infused her body. She'd been caught staring, Andre peeked up at her and smiled. Knees melting, she grabbed the table, something was different about this guy.

"Are you okay?" he asked, placing his hand atop her's on the table.

She nodded, "Yes, I'm fine...warn me the next time you're going to do that."

Andre raised an eyebrow, "Do what?"

"Startle me with that smile of yours....ever thought of modeling?" she couldn't believe she was saying it.Aria clapped her free hand over her mouth, what was with her? Usually she was so shy around new people that she met.

"Modeling?" he began laughing so hard she thought he'd wet himself.

"I was being serious.." her voice trailed off as she watched him continue to laugh.

"I'm a Pastor, definitely not a model anything." he assured her with a small grin as he patted her hand.

"Model citizen maybe." said a woman who patted him on the shoulder.

Aria tried to stop staring at him and at the woman's hand on his shoulder, but she simply couldn't. "I'm sorry, I don't think I know you." she addressed the woman.

"Charity Douglas, Jazzelle's sister. And you are?" blue eyes twinkling with laughter, Charity extended her hand.

"Aria McKenzie."

"Nice to meet you, Aria. I'll leave the two of you to your discussion. Looked like you were having fun." she winked at the two of them and then turned tail.

Aria glanced helplessly at Andre, who grinned.

"You've got to excuse this bunch of matchmakers, Aria, their terrible anymore." he leaned closer, invading her space until he was but a few inches from her. "Especially Jazzi."

Coherent thought flew there was nothing around her except for the smiling man to her left. Jazzelle was right, he was a perfect match for her. If for nothing else, he made her smile and feel things she hadn't ever felt before in her life. This was one event she wouldn't be ducking out of early.

--

Jazzelle tried hard to listen in on Aria and Andre's conversation without being noticed.

"Stop that, Jazzi, you're letting the burgers burn because you're more worried about those two than anything else." said a voice from behind her.

She jumped, "You scared me." she accused Lidia, even as she smiled at her friend.

"Yes, I know. I meant to." Lidia smiled back.

The gate to the backyard opened again, revealing Mike and his girlfriend along with the man who'd haunted her dreams. "Who invited them?" she hissed to Lidia.

But, Lidia was already on her way over to greet them and Jazzi could feel her blood pressure rising. What was wrong with her being alone? When would they stop hassling her. Is this the payment received for matching them up?

When she turned her head back that way, her eyes locked with his and he smiled. Something about him didn't allow her to relinquish him from her memory. And somehow, she didn't want to either.

"If They Don't Win It's a Shame"

2006-05-22T08:11:00.000-04:00

Chapter 1

The quiet of the hospital seemed to draw him as he walked deeper into the heart of it with one purpose in mind, to see Mrs. Henderson who'd apparently had a stroke in the middle of the night. He clipped his pager back onto his belt as he walked through the corridors watching the numbers on each door. Finally, he spotted room 223 and he quickly rapped on the door.

Janet Henderson's daughter, Pauline, answered the door and ushered him inside. "Mom, Pastor Andre is here." she whispered in the stillness of the dark room.

He smiled at Mrs. Henderson as he took the seat near her bed, "How are you, Mrs. Henderson?"

The woman stared at him with a blank look in her eyes.

"Can I pray?"he asked both women, yet only Pauline answered him with a nod.

Gently, he lay his hand on the woman's forehead and prayed for her. After he'd prayed, he sat long into the early morning hours with Pauline and Janet. Finally, Pauline noted his weariness and looked at him pointedly, "Go home and get some sleep, Pastor."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded, "I'll call you in a few hours to update you, promise."

He smiled, "God bless you." After saying a quick good-bye to both mother and daughter, he made his way back down the corridor.

However, instead of getting right back to the exit, he ended up going past the nursery. A soft humming stopped him in his tracks. What was that? Slowly, he walked up the corridor, only to see movement inside the glass of the nursery. A woman sat in the soft light, rocking a tiny whimpering baby. However, this time instead of just humming she began to sing what sounded like an old hymn, and Andre was frozen to his spot in awe of the woman and her voice.

Blonde curls cascaded down from the top of her head to the middle of her back, he could barely make out her facial features, only enough to see the outline of her eyes, nose and mouth. Yet, somehow he could hear the beauty of her soul in only the song she sang. As he listened closer, he could hear the song she sang.

"I am weak but Thou art strong, Jesus keep me from all wrong. I'll be satisfied as long, as I walk dear Lord close to Thee."

The words seemed to go straight from her mouth to the heavens, and Andre couldn't help but stand and watch in amazement. Something about this woman was different, yet he couldn't stay around to find out. What would he tell her? I walked by the nursery and heard you singing? Rolling his eyes at his own stupidity, he turned tail and walked back the way he'd come. He needed sleep, and right now.

--

Aria MacKenzie held the tiny baby in her arms, she swallowed against the onslaught of tears this was the hardest part of what she did. Knowing that not one of these babies was her's, and that no matter how much she did for them nothing would bring back her baby. Her world swirled around her, mixing reality with flashbacks. The crying of the baby in her arms mixed with the memories of Isaac's cries as they took him from her arms.

"Aria?" a soft voice broke into her memories bringing her back to the present.

"Yes?" she asked, hoping to cover over the fact that she'd been having yet another flashback.

"It's time for the next shift, Holly's going to bring Jacob here to his parents." smiled Kristine, her fellow nurse.

"Oh..okay." gently, she lay the baby back in his tiny bed before grabbing her things from under the desk and walking toward the exit.

Outside, the sun was already rising, somehow it felt like she'd just got to the hospital. However she'd been there for hours, and now it was time to get home. Jumping into her car, she took off toward home remembering all the things she had to do today. As soon as she pulled up in front of her home, she parked the car and jumped out. The house still stood exactly how it had for years, it had been her parents house, and when her mother had left she'd taken over. Now, Aria cared for her father, brother, herself, the house, and the dog.

As quietly as possible, Aria crept into the house and smiled at the dog who haulted at her feet wiggling all over. "Morning Fisher, what've you been up to?" she asked the excited dog.

He yipped before running toward the kitchen where her father already sat at the table. He smiled at her, despite the wheel chair and all of the pain Aria knew he was in. "Morning Dad." she kissed his forehead as she came around to grab a dozen of eggs from the refrigerator and began to crack them into a bowl. "How do eggs sound this morning?"

Her father nodded.

Heart constricted in her chest, Aria watched as he mouthed, "Sounds good."

Just as she was about to say more, her brother rounded the corner. "Morning." he growled, taking the seat next to her father's.

"Morning Braeden." she smiled as she finished making the eggs and lay a plate in front of each of them. Everyone who met her told her she worked too much, that she did too much for her family, however in all reality doing so much kept her mind off of her past. And that was a very good thing.

"That Jazzelle Douglas called for you again." grouched Braeden as he shoveled eggs into his mouth.

"Did she leave a number this time?" she asked her brother, taking a seat at the table.

He nodded, "Yeah, it's over on the cork board."

"Thanks Brae."

"Anytime." he offered with a shrug.

Her heart lept, her brother who'd recently been having trouble with everything and everyone was finally beginning to become himself again. Sure it was tough to be sixteen and have your world crashing around you, but he would come around. She had to believe that. Just like everything would work out with the guy Dr. Douglas was trying to set her up with.

--

Jazzelle walked out of the hospital with purpose, things were looking up. She'd talked to Aria MacKenzie, the nurse she'd picked out for Andre. The woman was sweet, adorable, and she was learning to completely rely on God. Something Andre, a pastor, would appreciate. Her heart felt light as she took steps toward her car, one last match to make.

Time to get home and get some sleep, and somehow wait for everything to work itself out.

"Take Me Out..Period"

2006-05-12T14:14:00.000-04:00

Chapter 10

Bethanie shifted Shadow so that the baby lay closer to her as she fought through the crowd to get to their seats. "It's not usually so crowded down here." she shouted to T.C.

T.C was having a time holding Shiloh and trying to follow Bethanie, yet he remained a good sport, and ever patient. "It's just fine, Beth, don't worry so much."

His hand touched her back giving her goosebumps and leaving her near breathless. "Here we are." she said finally. With a wave to Charity, Alex, Altan, Lidia, Blaze, and Keely, Bethanie took her seat and waited for T.C. to follow suit. "Everyone meet T.C., Shiloh, and Shadow."

Her friends introduced themselves one by one and doted on the little girls, she couldn't help but smile. She knew they'd love them. T.C. so easily fit in everywhere. Bethanie sat back in the seat and held Shadow close to her. The little girl had gotten somewhat attached to her lately it seemed. Shadow had begun talking more as well. Just as she was thinking about the little girl, she looked up at her and smiled at Bethanie. Shiloh looked over at them and slapped Bethanie's back a few times, "I wanna sit with Miss Bethie!" she complained.

T.C. shot her a smile as he passed Shiloh to her as well. Her heart thudded against her ribcage in stunning reality, this was her life now. Her family and her friends. She looked up toward the designated Jazzi spy seat, sure enough there she was. However, instead of being seated as normal she was having a royal tantrum. Uh-oh was all she could breathe under her breath.

"What's wrong?" T.C. asked close to her ear.

Bethanie nearly jumped out of her skin, she was so used to being with Jazzelle in the spy seat that she'd forgotten about T.C. and the kids. Pointing toward the upper stands she smiled, "trouble in Jazzi's paradise."

"Jazzi? Why would she sit all the way up there?" he asked aloud.

"To spy on us." came the reply of Bethanie and her friends in unison.

T.C. laughed, "Oh really now? And you all know about it? Why do you let her do that?"

Lidia smiled, "Because if we didn't, we'd go crazy from all of her spy antics. It's easier to keep watch of her up there."

Charity and Bethanie nodded at Lidia's explanation.

"You'll get used to it." commented Alex with a wave of his hand.

"Okay.." T.C's voice trailed off as he shrugged.

Bethanie smiled, "It's okay, there's nothing we could do that any of my friends couldn't see." she whispered, kissing him for the whole world to see.

--

T.C. laughed as he watched the antics of Bethanie's friends and near family, they were something else, he'd decided. He'd already gotten threatened by Alex and Blaze that if he dare hurt Bethanie, they'd kill him. Charity, Lidia, and Keely had done something similar only they'd been nicer about it. Charity had also offered to watch the kids anytime he and Bethanie wanted to get out and have a break. He couldn't help but like the group of them.

"Enjoying yourself?" whispered Bethanie.

He smiled and stared into her blue eyes, "I am."

"Great." her voice was breathless.

He couldn't help but feel the same way, and then to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless. Instead, he kissed her cheek.

"Awww!" exclaimed Charity, who'd apparently seen what had transpire.

"Way to go, Beth!" said Keely, her eyes alight with mischief.

"I see you have a cheering section." he said to Bethanie.

She grinned, "Only the best one ever. At least this time we're here I'm not chanting 'take me out...period!'"

He chuckled, "You wouldn't."

"She would!" exclaimed all three of the females at once.

"Well seems like I got here just in time then, I'll take you out. How's tomorrow?" he winked at the three women then turned back to Bethanie.

"Tomorrow's good for me."

"Good, because you're good for me." with that, he kissed her and prayed that these kinds of moments would last forever.

--

Jazzelle hurrumphed and sat on the seat Rachel claimed was her's. This wasn't the correct seat, how could she tell? She couldn't see a lick of what was going on with any of her friends.

"Relax., Jazzi." whispered Andre in her ear.

"Can't do that, I'm afraid. Her friend there is in MY seat!" she pointed to the object of her dream's affection for the last week.

"Not a problem, we'll go sit with them, Jazzi."

"No!" she exclaimed bordering on whining. This wasn't her style, but she really was sick of Rachel and her friend showing up everywhere she went.

"Do you want the seat?" the voice caused her to stop mid-whine.

What now? She couldn't exactly push the man out of HER seat, but then again he'd offered..hadn't he? "Yes, I do. Thank you."

He chuckled, "Not a problem."

They traded seats, and she sat there staring out at her friends. "See the thing is, my friends are almost all matched up. See them?" she pointed toward the row of seats filled with couples.

"Oh, a matchmaker, eh?" he smiled at her, eyes twinkling.

She nodded slowly, "my job."

His grin only widened, "Nice."

She shrugged and focused on the matchmaking aspects. It was time to introduce Andre to his match, only she really couldn't tell him that it was her doing. He'd need to think it was his idea, men!

"So..."the man beside her just wouldn't quit.

"Listen, I'm kind of trying to watch a baseball game and monitor things..so if you wanna' chit-chat call me later. I'm busy right about now.." she fixated her eyes on the game.

Again he laughed, "So what's your number?"

"Number?" she frowned.

"Yea, I wanted to call later to 'chit-chat."

"Oh dear." she groaned.

'Take Me Out to the Ball Game," began to play over the speaker system and she worried her lower lip. Maybe Lidia was right, maybe she did need someone beside herself. She couldn't help but hope that person looked something like the one now sitting beside her. She smiled as she glanced down at Bethanie and T.C. Things were going just as planned.

See "If They Don't Win It's A Shame" for more updates on Bethanie & T.C. This is far from the end of their story.

"Take Me Out..Period"

2006-05-12T14:09:00.000-04:00

Chapter 9

Bethanie smiled as she rang the doorbell to T.C.'s home, he'd invited her over for a day with his family. Unsure what that would entail, she was sort of nervous, but mostly excited to play with his adorable daughters and meet his mother.
"Come in!" called a voice from beyond the door, and she twisted the door knob to find it was open.
Slowly, she walked through the front door, "Hello?"
Two sets of feet echoed in the long hallway, and two tiny bodies flung themselves at her knees. "Miss Bethie!" added Shiloh.
Shadow smiled shyly and reached her hands up to be held.
"Hello girls." she lifted both of them off of their feet and set one on each hip. "Where's Daddy?" she asked.
"Store." supplied Shiloh, wide eyes taking in their teacher at their house.
"Oh..where's your Grandma?"
"Right-a here, dear." came a soft voice from beside her.
"Hello Mrs. James." she smiled at the woman, T.C. looked mostly like his mother she noted as she took in the woman's features.
"Please call me Vivian,love." Vivian lay a soft hand on her shoulder and smiled at the girls. "They like you, Bethanie, you're all they talk about when they get home."
By they Vivian meant Shiloh, obviously.
"I'm glad they like me, because I like them." she put in, kissing each tiny forehead.
Shiloh and Shadow nodded in unison, smiles large on their faces.
"Daddy's home!" a deep voice beckoned from the kitchen.
Both girls squirmed to get out of her arms and race for their father, she smiled and set them on their feet before following them to see T.C. She was just as anxious to see him as they were. Smiling, she rounded the corner and saw him with the girls. Her heart melted in her chest as she watched him gather them in his arms and kiss their little faces.
"Afternoon, cowboy." she smiled.
"Bethanie." he smiled back, standing and setting the grocery bag he held on the kitchen table. "So nice to see you again."
"You too."
His mother rounded the corner, "Oh stop acting like you don't know each other and hug already." she smiled at the two as she reached for the bag he'd set down.
Swiftly, as if not waiting for another request, Tucker pulled her into his arms. "Gotta' listen to my Mama." he whispered in her ear.
"Glad you did." she whispered back with a wink.
--
"A baseball game?" he held the tickets in his hand and smiled at a hopeful looking Bethanie.
"It's tradition, every game all of my friends go to the games. We sit together and have tons of fun." she supplied.
"Sounds like fun, let's do it." he couldn't resist the way she was looking at him.
"Good, I can't wait for you to meet them all. Their a great group, and I'm sure that the girls will love Cole and Ava." she reached for his hand.
He supplied his hand, rubbing his fingers over her's. "I'm sure they will. Won't you girls?" he asked, looking down to where his daughters played in the sandbox at their feet.
Shiloh nodded, "Baseball."
Shadow looked up, "Miss Bethie?"
Both adults stopped talking and looked down to where Shadow sat playing as if nothing had happened. She'd spoken!
"Yes, Shadow?" asked Bethanie, still looking shocked.
"You come baseball game?" she asked, brown eyes accessing.
Bethanie nodded, tears glistening in her eyes, "Yes, Shadow, I'm coming."
"Good." the simple word had tears rolling down Bethanie's cheeks.
T.C. smiled and rubbed at her tears, "Yes, good." he whispered.
"She talked..." Bethanie's voice wore thin as she stared into his eyes.
"To you." he completed her sentence and kissed her cheek, "Yes, she did."
"Amazing." she whispered.
"You are, incredibly so." he kissed her quickly with a smile. She was perfect for them.
--
Jazzi smiled as she grabbed her ticket to the game and shoved it in her purse. Bethanie today. Bethanie and T.C. had been going out for two weeks now, and finally they were going to a game together. They were bringing Shiloh and Shadow as well, apparently. Her smile widened as she took her steps two at a time to get to the front door faster.
With any hope she'd be at the stadium in time to take her seat far enough away to watch the couples interact. The traffic would be bad today, so she walked. Smiling at a few people, but mostly keeping to herself she hurried along. Her breath stopped in her chest as she nearly ran into Rachel and the man she'd seen in her dreams for nearly a month.
"What, no hello?" asked Rachel, her eyes accusing.
"I meant to say hello, I was just sidetracked..yes sidetracked. Hello." her eyes weren't on Rachel at all, instead they were locked with the brown eyes of her "dream man." It just so happened that was what she called him, she didn't mean anything by it. At least, she hoped she didn't.
"No harm done." Rachel smiled, "So, did you know my friend?"
"Um...no.." she whispered, frowning she cleared her throat and stole her gaze from his. He smiled at her, only making it worse. "No, but I really must run. Sorry, about that, but I've got a previous engagement."
"Ah, that really is too bad." he said, his smile appeared, and she frowned as it was all she could do to stay on her feet.
"Yes, too bad. See you all later." she said, pushing past Rachel.
"Yes, yes, goodbye!" called Rachel.
Deep breaths, Jazzelle, don't pass out. He was being friendly, that's all. She said that over and over to herself as she walked down the street toward the stadium. Only her imagination wanted to make the best of things, no. She wouldn't let that happen.

"Take Me Out...Period"

2006-05-09T07:03:00.000-04:00

Chapter 8

Bethanie stood outside glancing at the note in her hands, it'd been attached to a dozen roses. Sighing, she realized she'd seen part of the romantic side of T.C. only to push him away. His truck pulled into the parking lot of her daycare. "Make it snappy Cowboy, I've got to get back in there." she called as he climbed out of his truck.

"Actually, you don't. I've called your staff, their going to take over for an afternoon." he smiled and her world seemed to tilt on it's axis.

"Okay, if you insist." sighing once more she let him open the door to his truck for her, and guide her inside. "So where are we off to?"

"You'll see." his smile widened, as he winked and closed her door.

The ride to the surprise location was a quiet one, she knew they were both thinking about what had gone wrong between them and just what could make it right. Finally, the truck stopped right in front of a small pond, he smiled and climbed out of the truck. Shrugging, she went along with it and got out of the truck.

Slowly, he led her to a picnic table beside the pond, "Bethanie, we need to talk. I've made some changes in my life, and you need to know about them. I'm unsure that they have anything to do with what we have between us, but you still need to know." He took her hand in his, and pressed a kiss to the top of it. "I've given God control of my life again, I no longer doubt Him. I never doubted that He existed, simply that He would give me what He'd said He would."

She felt a smile tug at her lips, "That's great, T.C."

He nodded, "I feel much better about life right now, and I wanted to make things right with you. What we had wasn't much, but I'd like to make it more."

All of a sudden her throat felt like it was closing, there wasn't enough oxygen outside, she was gasping for breath.

"Bethanie?" he questioned putting an arm around her, eyes full of concern.

"No, no, I'll be fine." she whispered hoarsely.

"Okay..so what do you say to this?" he asked.

She did her best to smile without letting tears fall, "I'd say yes. Let's see where it takes us. I know now that things will work out for the best."

He smiled, "Everything will work out, Bethanie, I promise."

--

T.C. walked back to his truck and retrieved the fishing poles, he'd heard from a pretty reliable source that the country girl liked fishing. With a smile he extended her pole toward her.

"Thanks." she smiled back.

"Anytime, Bethie." winking, he sat on the chair beside her's and bated his line. "So, any questions for me?"

"Yes! I've been dying to ask a question since I first heard about you." her eyes were wide, face serious.

Nervous now, he fidgeted with the pole, "Oh? What's that?"

"Your name..T.C, what does it stand for?"

He chuckled, "Is that it?"

"Is that it? It's a very important question! If we're going to be doing more things together, then I should know your name!" her blue eyes were twinkling with laughter.

"Tucker Callum." he supplied finally, waiting for her reaction.

"Oh it's a good name, why do you hide behind initials?" she leaned in closer to him, eyes sparkling and a smile on her face.

Just in the right position for...he grinned back at her before pressing his lips against her's. "Just because my mama always called me T.C." he answered finally.

Face flushed, she sat back in her chair, "Oh."

He grinned again, "What's your middle name?"

"Dawn." she supplied.

"Oh that's pretty, Bethanie Dawn. I like it."

"Oh yeah, Tucker Callum?"

"Don't make me kiss you again!" he winked.

"Is that a threat?"

He leaned closer he whispered against her lips, "Most definitely."

--

Jazzelle pressed the binoculars into Lidia's hand and smiled at Lidia and Charity, "See told you."

"Indeed you did, my friend, indeed you did." Lidia shook her head as she pressed the binoculars against her eyes.

"I cannot believe that you've set her up with a cowboy. Their children will be like, cowpeople!" exclaimed Charity with a laugh.

"Shhhh! It doesn't matter as long as their happy, and look at them! Their happy." said Jazzi with a mischievous smile.

"Right, well, first child that says 'howdy auntie Charity.' I'm blaming you!"

"Shut up, Chari." exclaimed Lidia, trying to monitor the couple's progress.

Jazzi smiled and turned toward the other side of the park. Come next week, Andre would be meeting the love of his life. Whether he liked it or not. "So what do you all think about Andre's upcoming romance?" she asked, handing them the folder with information on the woman she had in mind.

"Oh my, Jazzi, she looks just about perfect." said Lidia handing the binoculars to Charity.

"He'll love her." added Charity as she looked out at the couple too.

"I sure hope so..."

"Take Me Out..Period"

2006-05-08T07:26:00.000-04:00

Chapter 7

The darkness of the sanctuary seemed to impart tranquility to Bethanie's heart. Sighing, she knelt at the altar laying her forehead against her clasped hands. "Why?" she questioned pointedly not looking toward the ceiling. Her heart was in no place to be thanking God, yet she felt quite stupid for bringing something like a crush before Him. "I know You are God, and that You know best in my life..but right now this isn't making much sense. He's adorable, a good guy, a great father, but he doesn't believe so obviously it's automatically a no." Groaning, she crossed sat on the floor before the altar, and unfolded her hands not feeling quite so holy at this moment. "I thought this was actually going to lead to something, sure enough it wasn't like we were dating, but still. I thought You gave us the desires of our hearts!"

"Bethie?" the voice was one she'd heard many times but she'd just as soon ignore Jazzi right now. She'd been meddling far too much in her life right now.

"Please go away, Jazzi. I need to be alone right now. I don't know what to do." She fixed her eyes on the ceiling hoping that her long time friend would listen to her request.

"You're questioning, right?" Jazzi took a seat next to her, completely ignoring her.

"Yes, but Jazzi, I thought this was it. I thought God's grand plan was to use you to introduce me to someone as great as T.C. To end up with him..and now? He's not even saved, Jazzi. He doesn't even remotely believe in God.."her voice wore thin as she expressed her worst fears and worries all at once.

"The question is do you believe, Bethanie?" her friend's hazel eyes pierced her's and seemed to burn with passion.

"Of course I do, you know that!" she couldn't even believe Jazzi would dare ask something.

"Then why do you put it past His reach, Bethie, this problem isn't bigger than God. It's something He can handle. Do you believe?"

All of the weeks of prayer, worry, and doubt collapsed in one heavy burden on her heart. Tears began to pour down her face and she laid her head on the altar.

Jazzi rubbed her back gently, "It'll be okay."

--

T.C. walked up and down the driveway in front of Jazzelle's apartment. Where could she be? He checked his watch again, it'd been an hour now and still no sign of her. Groaning, he rubbed his forehead, maybe he should just leave. Taking a seat on the stairs leading to her porch, T.C. felt alone for the first time in a month. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, a car came up the driveway. No, it wasn't Jazzi's car. Who was it?

Straining to see, he watched as the car parked in the driveway and a woman climbed out.

"Just who are you?" she questioned as she slammed the door of her car.

"T.C. James, ma'am. Who are you?"

"Lidia. Jazzelle's friend...what're you doing here?" she moved toward him a few inches but halted awaiting his answer.

"Waiting for Jazzelle. I'm having a rough time with Bethanie, that lil' lady has me twisted up, she sure does. I can't see straight anymore. That's just what's happened this week!" he stopped suddenly as he realized he was giving Lidia more information than she probably wanted.

"Okay, for starters, the name is Lidia, not lil' lady. Secondly, I'm not Oprah. Jazzelle might listen to your problems and give you advice, but that isn't my department. I'm primarily on the imagination committee around here.

He sat staring at her, she was something that was for sure. "Oh..perhaps you could 'imagine' up what time Jazzi would be home?"

A smile stretched her lips, "Sure I can, she said she'd be home around three. She was at the church with Bethanie."

"Oh." he looked down at his hands, why had he asked? Church. Another thing he didn't do.

"Something wrong?" seemingly Miss. Non-Oprah had some advice coming, and if it was a first and last time he didn't want to miss it.

"Yes, she wants me to believe in God. Do you know how hard that is, Lidia? I can't have a relationship with Bethanie because I don't believe in God." he buried his face in his hands and awaited her advice.

"Why don't you believe in God?" she asked, her eyes locked on his.

"So much has gone wrong in my life, Lidia. My wife died, my girls are without a mother, my mother who's helped me raise those babies had a stroke last year. Why? If there is a God, He sure doesn't care about me!" he felt the anger at God boiling up inside of him.

"So whenever things don't go your way you pull away, is that it? How about with your horses, if they don't win a race do you get rid of them?"

He frowned, "I don't race my horses."

"Stick with the imaginary scenario!"

"Okay, okay, no I wouldn't get rid of them. I love them." His frown deepend as he said the words and heard them with his own ears.

"Then maybe you need to reconsider what you feel for God, T.C." she smiled and patted his shoulder, "Get over yourself, talk to God, and then to Bethanie. Things will work out right, I know that." With that she walked past him up into the house and left him to think.

Sighing, he looked up toward the sky, "I'm going to give this another try. I want to have you in my life, God. I know that I've been selfish, made mistakes, but I want another chance. I know you give many chances, my mom has told me that too many times to count. I'm going to need a little help with this and with Bethanie. Please show me the way."

--

Lidia smiled as she looked out the window and saw T.C. get up and climb into his truck. Finally the big cowboy would leave, find Bethanie, and talk. Hopefully. The back door to Jazzi's apartment creaked open. "Hello?" she called, turning the corner.

Jazzi stood in the doorway with a smug smile on her face, "Nice lecture, Oprah."

"Shut up!"

"Make me!" Jazzi stuck her tongue out at her.

"So, what do you think about T.C. and Bethanie, will they get back together?" she asked her friend as she took a seat at the kitchen table.

Jazzelle nodded, "They've made progress. Really, they have. I know it doesn't look like it quite yet, but it will. And when it does, it's time to move onto Andre."

"Right, Andre, but what about you?" Lidia smiled at her friend knowing Jazzi would once again turn down any rights to matchmaking.

"Don't worry about me, Lid, I'll be fine. Just fine."

"Exactly, but will you be happy?" leaving her friend with those words, she stood and walked to the refridgerator pulling out a bottled water.

"One session of advice and she's turned into Dr. Phil. Geez." Jazzi shook her head.

"You aren't much better my friend, you aren't much better." Lidia smiled handing Jazzi a bottle of water as well.

"Oh well, are you ready to get started on that book we talked about?" her friend stood and started walking toward her office.

"Um-hum...and nice change of subject by the way."

"I thought so!"

"Take Me Out..Period."

2006-04-27T07:31:00.000-04:00

Chapter 6

Bethanie looked over at T.C. as she sat on the horse he'd saddled for her. The breeze blew past his ranch home, through the large trees, and she could feel herself drifting back to strong, sweet memories of country living.

"You okay?" he asked, a concerned look pasted on his handsome face as he rode to her side.

"Perfect." she smiled at him, watching as the concerned look drifted away.

"You are." winking, he took off on horseback leaving her in the dust.

"HEY! Come back here!" she shouted, clicking to the horse and going after him.

The scenery passed in a blurr as she focused in on T.C., and she realized that somehow that was more than a thought about the here and now. It was almost as if that's what her life was coming to. Shaking her head, she frowned. Hadn't she promised herself no commitments? No commitments meant no broken heart, it meant no breaking up or divorce. The sky above was a brilliant blue, with puffy clouds that resembled cotton candy. It was as if God, is His infinite wisdom and mercy was telling her to trust.

T.C. came to a stop in front of her, and turned to face her, "You keep up well."

"Thanks, I know." smiling at him, she took off her cowboy hat and swatted it against her leg. "This is fun."

"I love it." he smiled as well.

Jumping off the horse, he came to her side and helped her down as well before leading her to the hill nearest the river. Together they sat on the overhang, looking down at the river below and then up toward the sky where the sun was beginning its descent. Bethanie breathed deep of the fresh air and focused her attention on the man beside her. "What's your dream, T.C?"

"My dream?" he looked stunned as he took his hat off and lay it beside him.

"Yes, you know something you aspire toward."

Sitting back with his weight resting on his hands, T.C. moved his eyes heavenward as he thought. Bethanie couldn't help but smile at the way thoughtfulness wrinkled his nose just a bit, his eyebrows hung low over his eyes. Every inch cowboy, and both eyes placed exactly where they should be. On God.

"To raise my daughters correctly." he finally uttered.

Something inside of her lept at the mention of his daughters, they were simply adorable. She smiled at him, "Their adorable you know."

"Yes, I know, they take after their mother." he winked, before his eyes probed deeper into her's, "So what are your dreams, Bethanie?"

Somehow she didn't see that turning around on her, but instead of getting flustered she thought, really thought. "To find the man God pre-destined for me, and to be happy with him for as long as I live." The words simply seemed to flow out of her mouth into the empty space between them, and she realized it was true. That was her dream.

"You believe in God?"

The words shook her to the core, and she couldn't help staring at T.C. His eyes were hollow as he stared back, her heart seemed to cease its beating as she looked at him. What had she done? He didn't believe in God? "You don't?" she stuttered still staring in shock.

"I did once, not anymore. I'm sorry Beth."

"Not as sorry as I am..." she whispered, standing to her feet. "I think I'm going to head home...hope you don't mind me cutting out early."

"Oh no, go right ahead.."

--

T.C. watched Bethanie pull away in her truck, and he felt his heart being emptied of all hope for any future with the woman. He shouldn't have bursted her bubble so quickly, really he should have went along with the God thing. However, his honor didn't allow him to lie, even by omission. Shrugging, he walked back toward the house. Immediately, Shiloh raced into his arms hugging him tightly. "Hi baby."

"Daddy! Daddy! Where's Miss Bethie?" her brown eyes sought her beloved teacher.

"She had to go home early.." he said quickly, hoping that would pacify his daughter.

"Oh." her big eyes fringed in full, dark lashes pinned his, "Story, Daddy?"

"Yes, let's read a story. Where's Shadow?" Taking his daughter's hand in his he let her lead him toward their bedroom where Shadow sat quietly playing with toys. "Ready to read a book, Shadow?"

Her head bobbed up and down as she tossed the blocks she'd been playing with out of the way.

Quickly, he sat on the floor, pulling Shiloh onto one leg and Shadow onto the other. With a hand, he grasped their favorite book from beside him, and he began to read. Half way through the book, he looked down at the toddlers in his lap and smiled. Both had fallen asleep against him. Sighing, T.C. set the book down on the shelf and scooped up both girls.

"Their getting so big." his mother whispered from the doorway.

He nodded, "I know, I can hardly believe how big they are now. Remember how tiny they were when we first brought them home?" Casting a glance toward the pictures on the wall, he let his mind wander back to that time.

His mother chuckled, "I remember you thinking they'd break if you did anything wrong."

"I still think that sometimes." he whispered, as he touched Shadow's cheek softly.

His mother nodded, "Me too, son, me too."

Following her into the kitchen, he sat in one of the chairs at the table. "Even after twenty seven years, you still think you can mess up?"

Vivian James chuckled, "It's quite possible to still mess up, Tucker."

"Thanks for the encouragement." he muttered with a grin toward his mother.

"Anytime, baby, anytime." pressing a kiss to his forehead, she walked toward her bedroom.

Still possible to mess things up, even after all those years? Was that true?

"Take Me Out...Period."

2006-04-25T08:24:00.000-04:00

Chapter 5

The aroma of french vanilla and coffee enticed Bethanie's nose as she walked through the door of the coffee shop in search of Jazzelle. The woman had taken up to one table at the coffee shop where she had all sorts of file folders with her. Beth was sure that her friend had become quite the matchmaker because of those very folders, and the time she concentrated on them. Affixing a smile to her face, Beth walked toward Jazzelle. "Evening, Jazzi."

"Hey Bethie, what are you up to?" she smiled as she began putting away her folders.

"Just came to talk, hope you didn't have much planned..."

"Nope, not at all, take a seat. Just don't get in my view of that table over there." Jazzi indicated the table with a nod of her head.

"That one?" asked Beth, turning in her seat to see the people at the table, wondering why Jazzi wanted to keep an eye on them.

"Don't stare openly, Bethanie Dylia!" she hissed.

The man at the table waved a bit, and Bethanie watched Jazzi nearly crawl under the table. Interesting. A smile tugged at the sides of her lips, someone had a crush.

"So what's going on with you and T.C.?" asked Jazzi finally.

"Way to change the subject, but things are going no where. He has such a HUGE ego Jaz, you wouldn't believe it. I actually embarrassed myself totally in front of him, and he said 'don't worry about it I'm used to it.' Can you believe him?"

Shaking her head, Jazzi sipped her tea as she stared at Bethanie. "He is a good looking man, Beth. Give him a chance."

"A chance? Guys like that have no place in my life, Jazzelle Michaela."

Jazzi's green eyes widened, and she smiled, "Well, I suppose you two will just have to encounter each other more. It's really not a big problem, there are tons of men who would be perfectly happy to have you like them, Bethie. You're adorable."

"Right, right, adorable..in the meantime..who IS THAT?" she asked, gesturing toward the man who'd waved as he now paid for his bill at the register.

"One of Mike's friends friends...he's cute isn't he?" Jazzi's cheeks were stained a vivid pink.

"Sure is..I think someone has a crush." she smiled at her friend, and then waved the man over when he'd finished paying. "Hey."

Jazzi's eyes were about to pop out of her head, "Bethanie Dylia Halloway!" she hissed, sliding down in her seat.

"Hello ladies." he smiled brightly as he stood before their table.

"Hello. What's your name?" Bethanie asked automatically, as she glanced over her shoulder to see Jazzelle nearly under the table.

Just as he was about to answer, the door opened to the coffee shop and in walked the tallest man she'd ever seen. T.C. James stood in the door way looking around with a purpose it seemed. "There you are!" he called out, walking over to their table.

Bethanie felt her eyes get round as saucers, "Looking for me?" she asked over a stuttering tongue.

He nodded quickly, "Your friend called me...I'm sorry for the way I sounded. I'd really like to talk over a cup of coffee if you'd be okay with that."

She shot Jazzi a look, Jazzi nodded vigorously.

"Um..sure." she muttered, standing and letting him guide her to a table. One day she might thank Jazzelle for this, but today she felt like strangling her.

--

T.C. looked across the table at Bethanie Halloway. After a long day of dealing with children, she still looked every bit as beautiful as she had that first day he'd met her. He was seriously inept when it came to women, especially pretty ones. "I'm so sorry, Bethanie, I have a hard time talking to women. Especially pretty ones, such as yourself."

Apparently that surprised Bethanie, she sat back in her seat, "Really?"

"Really." he smiled, she was cute.

"I've had a pretty hard time keeping my wits about me around you too." she smiled, yet her cheeks were turning more pink by the second.

"Well we've got something in common then."

"Yeah, I guess so." her blue eyes probed his, and he couldn't help the breathless feeling that stole at his lungs. What was it about this woman that was so different from others?

"Before we go any further in the conversation, let me tell you what happened to my wife, please. I hate that you've thought I would give a second thought to cheating on my wife." he sighed, watching her nod, and felt the emotions in his heart bubble to the surface. "Juliette and I were married for only a few years, two to be exact, when we found out she was pregnant. Boy, were we ecstatic! We bought a crib, and all of the necessary baby items. Then not to long after that, we found out that she was pregnant with twins. Even better in our eyes. More to love. Right? However, she died during childbirth from complications. I've never dealt with a more severe pain in my life. My mom moved in to help raise them, and that's how it's been ever since."

"That's horrible..I'm so sorry,T.C." Bethanie wiped her eyes as she stared across at him, and slid her hand over his in a gesture of comfort.

"I've still not totally gotten used to being without her, but I'd never go behind her back and see other women. You've got to believe that. I'm just now seeing another woman I'd be interested in." he pinned her eyes with his hoping she'd get the hint.

"Are you saying that you'd like to get to know me? Or am I hearing things?" her blue eyes were wide.

He nodded, "Sure would, lil' lady." he tipped his hat.

She laughed, "Sounds good to me."

"Sounds even better to me." he grinned, turning his hand to catch hers.

Jazzelle smiled and gave him a thumbs up from across the room as she scampered out of the coffee shop. The man she'd been talking to on her heels.

"Take Me Out...Period."

2006-04-20T07:04:00.000-04:00

Chapter 4

Bethanie Halloway stood as tall as her five foot, four inch frame would allow. Today was opening day and she was proud of her success, now if only the clock would tick the minutes by faster. Sighing, she glared at the time piece on the wall once more, it was only eight o'clock.
"Staring isn't going to make it go any quicker." commented Liv from behind her.
"No kidding, Sherlock." she smirked at her friend and looked around for a convenient place to sit. A chair caught her eye and she sat. "Better?"
"Much." added Stacie, an aid who's smile seemed to brighten the room.
"Can you stop smiling for one minute?" grouched Janine who was obviously not a morning person.
"I'd stop smiling if you'd start." Stacie sing-songed as she handed a mug full of freshly brewed coffee to Janine.
"Never mind that, look who's coming up the walk way, Mr. Drop-dead-gorgeous-and-taken!" pointed Liv, as she stared out the window with her mouth hanging open.
"Let me see this man for myself!" called Stacie, pushing Liv out of the way. Janine crowded in behind the two.
"Have you all no shame?" shouted Bethanie as she grasped the door handle, "Remember, we're adults. Act like adults."
"Yes Mother." they chorused.
"Shut up!" she groaned as she opened the door.
"But I didn't say anything, darlin'." drawled T.C. as he stood in the door way with a grin that melted her knee caps into mush.
"Not you, I was talking to my....well never mind that.." she rushed out, hoping she didn't sound again like a complete idiot. "Who do we have here?"
As she crouched down to their level, one of the girls pushed her sister forward and hid behind her both of her chubby little hands clenched her father's leg. The other girl stood with her arms folded staring wide-eyed at Bethanie. "Hiya." she smiled brightly.
"Hello, I'm Miss Bethanie, what's your name?" she asked the child.
"Shiloh Grace." the child beamed with accomplishment.
"It's very nice to meet you, Shiloh. Who do we have here?" asked Bethanie, peeking behind Shiloh to wave to her sister.
"Shadow, but she's a bit shy I'm afraid." muttered T.C. trying to extract himself from the child's hold on his leg.
Staring up into T.C's coffee brown eyes she could hardly help but smile and nod, because she knew darn right well nothing intelligent was coming out of her lips. She could focus on nothing else but the man in front of her from boot clad feet, to legs encased in denim, past his white t-shirt right up to his cowboy hat.
"How about you all come inside?" asked Liv from behind her.
"Oh yes..inside.." she groaned, standing to her feet.
"Don't drool so much, we'll need to hire a cleaning service." Janine hissed in her ear.
"I'm not drooling over that man!" she shouted.
All time seemed to stand still as she realized what she'd said aloud. Groaning again, she buried her head in her hands to hide the pink stains that now reached her cheeks. The room was suddenly to cramped, too warm, and nothing absolutely nothing to fix the blunder she'd just created. Without glancing right or left, she took off toward the back entrance hoping to find some kind of reprieve from the torture that was her life. Leave it to her to open her mouth and create a catastrophe.
Just as she sat on the bench outside the doors of the day care, a voice echoed in the hall behind her.
"Bethanie?" the voice was much too deep for any of the women at the daycare.
"Go away, please." she whispered as she heard the door close behind him. She trained her eyes on the tree line hoping this was all some bizarre nightmare. Or maybe there was a hole big enough to hide her from the embarrassment back there..who knew?
"Don't be embarrassed, Bethanie. It's perfectly normal for women to be falling all over time."
The breath seemed to be gone from her lungs, turning toward him she made a sound of disgust. "Well aren't you full of yourself! A married man taking pride in women falling all over him. Lovely. How proud your wife must be."
"That didn't come out right.." he sighed, taking his hat off and batting it against his leg.
"Well, I think I've heard about enough, Mr. James. We'll see you later when you come to pick up the girls."
--
Bethanie brushed past him, and T.C. turned on his heel. Oh well, no big loss. Another woman who'd decided not to listen to him, saw what was on the outside and took off. In his opinion, if they took off then sianara, it wasn't his fault. He'd go on with his life like he always did. Depending on himself, after all, he was the only one he could count on. The door slammed in his face as she practically ran to get away from him, blonde hair flying behind her. Shaking his head, he opened the door and walked inside.
Shiloh and Shadow clutched each other's hands as they cautiously took in their surroundings.
"Toys." whispered Shiloh, pointing with her free hand.
"Go on babies, play nice." he smiled at his daughters, pressing a kiss to the top of each of their heads.
A whimpering sound came from Shadow, as she looked up at him with big, round eyes full of tears.
"Daddy?" asked Shiloh, as if communicating for her sister.
"I'll be back after work, I'll tell Patches hi for you both." he smiled at them, though inside his heart was breaking. Both of his daughters looked at him as if he'd never come back for them and it dawned on him that this was the first time he'd ever left them with someone other than family. Tears burned at his eyes as Shadow clung tighter to her twin. Shiloh's eyes glistened as well, yet she bit her lip. "Buh-bye, babies." he whispered.
Quickly, he got to his feet and walked toward the door hoping he'd make it outside before the tears took over. "I'll be back by noon." he ground out to the woman at the desk, not particularly caring to know who was watching him right now. He needed to get to work before he lost it.
Climbing into the truck, he looked back at the daycare and sighed. He could hear Shadow's whimpering from his seat in the truck. Shaking his head he remembered that the people who worked in the daycare were in fact trained professionals. They could handle Shadow. He needed to work.
--
Jazzelle smiled as she walked into the daycare that afternoon, Bethanie was walking around with a tiny child in her arms and a few more at her feet. "How are things going?" she called over the sound of children playing.
"Great!" she answered with a satisfactory smile, yet deep in her blue eyes Jazzi caught a hint of something else.
"What's wrong?" she asked finally, although she knew Beth wouldn't answer with all of the kids around and her staff only a stones throw away.
"Can we talk later?"
"You know my door is always open."
Bethanie nodded her head, looking down at the girl who now slept in her arms. "Thanks for stopping by Jazzi."
"Anytime." winking at her friend, she turned tail and walked out the door hoping Bethanie would make good on her words and come talk it out. She was known to have some of the girls over into all hours of the night just talking. Mentally she noted that she needed more chocolate before a girls session. Whistling, she jumped into the car and took off toward the store.

"Take Me Out..Period"

2006-04-18T12:59:00.000-04:00

Chapter 3

"Am I late?" Bethanie called to her friends, moving past them to reclaim her seat beside Charity.
"No, no, you're just on time." said Lidia, leaning against Altan as Bethanie scooted past them.
"I knew I'd make it." she huffed as she took her seat.
"Just in time to check out the ring." smiled Charity, extending her hand toward her friend.
"Wow...wish I were so lucky."
"You will be!" called Jazzi, a mischievous smile on her face.
Sitting back in her seat, she shook her head, nothing like a baseball game with her friends and a full day of Jazzi's nose in her business. The field was full of crisp green grass, and light sand in the base line. Sighing, she tried not to picture T.C. James or his wedding ring.
"Whats wrong?" asked Charity in a whisper from beside her.
"Nothing." she sighed again, trying to avoiding her friend's eyes.
"I'm not buying that answer, come for a walk with me."
Before the second inning had even begun, she found herself strolling the corridor behind the stands with her best friend. They walked in silence for a while, until Charity gave her a pointed look that said 'spill.' So, she did.
"I think I've met someone..I always do, you know that. As soon as things start going well, and I run into him somewhere beside the rodeo. He's got kids! Which means, he's married. I can't get past this. Why would he smile at me like that if he were married." her heart readily came pouring out of her lips as her friend stood beside her smiling. "Why are you smiling?" she demanded.
"Because, Beth, don't you see where I'm at with a man who has children?" she held out a hand and showed her ring. "You never know when someone is divorced, widowed or even adopted a child or two. I'd give him a chance until you know for sure."
It was as if a light turned on inside her head, he didn't have to be married. She'd have to wait and see what happened. Leave it to Charity to bring out the truth in a situation so easily, when she'd battled with it for nearly a week. "Thanks, Char."
Together they walked back to their seats, Jazzi smiled and winked at her. She knew exactly what was going on, that sneak. Shaking her head, she vowed to try her best to see past exteriors, but if Jazzi thought she was going to mess in her life without getting something in return she'd see.
--
Blowing out a deep breath, T.C. walked through the front door carrying the acceptance letter for daycare in his hand. "I'm home."
"Daddy!" two sets of tiny feet reached his before he could take another step.
A smile tugged at his lips as he lifted both toddlers off their feet and into his arms. "How are Daddy's girls?"
"They've been good." his mother's voice came from the door, yet she didn't stay long. He could hear her dragging footsteps going toward her bedroom.
He sighed, and sat in a chair at the kitchen table pulling both girls closer.
"Down." commanded Shiloh, her brown eyes twinkling with mischief.
Shadow nodded her agreement.
Frowning, he watched as they toddled away from him toward their toy room. Shadow wouldn't speak, she was very much what her name led to believed. Her sister's shadow. Worried about that, and a list of other things, he laid his head in the palms of his hands and sighed. Things weren't the same since Juliette had passed away. They hadn't gotten any better. The letter in his hands scraped at his face, so he raised his head and stared down at it. Shiloh and Shadow were accepted into the daycare. Bethanie Halloway's daycare, none the less. One thing on top of the other, that was how it went in T.C. James' life. Now he was left with telling his mother that they were going to daycare.
Knocking softly on her bedroom door, he waited for her answer.
"Come in."
Turning the door knob, he walked inside the room feeling the tightness in his chest as he watched her try to make it across the room without her cane. Quickly, he moved himself to her side, helping her to steady herself and getting her onto the bed. "Mama...the girls are going to be going to daycare next week." he said finally.
"I know, baby."
"You know?"
He watched her face soften as she smiled at him and patted his cheek, "I've known for quite some time you were wrestling with what to do for your girls. They need more care than I can give them, darling, we both know that."
He nodded sadly, he knew she was right. However, it hurt him just as much to take the girls away from their main caregiver for most of the day.
"We'll still have time together, Tucker."
"I know, Mama." he hugged her gently.
"I'm not made of glass, Tucker Callum, you can hug me tighter than that."
Chuckling, he hugged her tighter, "I love you Mama."
"DADDYYY!" Shiloh screeched from the next room.
His mother joined in with his chuckling, and he stood quickly, "Be right back." Taking large steps into the hallway, he ran toward the next room," What's wrong Shi?"
"Daddy, Shadow won't give me that doll!" the little girl cried, bottom lip trembling as she pointed to her sister accusingly.
"Shadow, share with your sister." he said softly, sitting between them.
Shadow shook her head back and forth, disapproving of what his daughter obviously thought was a suggestion.
"Shadow Leigh James." he warned, staring into his daughter's eyes.
With a dramatic sigh, the tiny girl plopped the doll into her sisters hands.
"Thank you."
"Denk' you." said Shiloh with a satisfied grin.
"Both of you share, bed time in a half hour." he kissed each of their cheeks producing giggles from both of them. With a smile he walked back toward his mother's bedroom, things were changing, but some things never did.

"Take Me Out..Period."

2006-04-15T22:55:00.000-04:00

Chapter 2

The sign was finally placed in front of the kid-friendly building, Bethanie sighed in relief and happiness. Her dream come true stood before her, well minus the hunky cowboy, but that would be remedied soon enough. Bright colored blocks spelled out "Sweet Blessings Daycare Center," on the new sign.
"It looks great." called one of the new teacher's she'd hired, Liv Johansen was just as excited as she was about getting the sign up. Because it meant they were one step closer to opening.
"I know, I can't wait!" she squealed, staring up appreciatively at the building. "We just need students and we'll be set."
"Did you call in the ad to the paper?" asked Liv, her green eyes sparkling in the sunlight.
Bethanie nodded her head, "Sure did. I just can't wait open house should go over without a hitch."
"Without a doubt!" said Janine, another teacher she'd lined up for the daycare, "We're ready for anything."
"Well ladies, I'm done for today, I'll be back bright and early on Monday to prepare for the open house. See you all then." grabbing her briefcase from the front steps, she walked toward her truck and climbed in. With a wave to her friends, she took off toward Jazzi's house anticipating the meeting of their little group of friends.
"I'm here, I'm here no need to wait any longer. The best thing since horseback riding has arrived." she smiled her easy going smile as she burst through the front door.
"Hey Beth!" called Charity, making a beeline for her best friend from across the room.
"Hey yourself, lil' lady." she tipped the cowboy hat she'd donned on the ride over.
"Oh please!" commented Lidia from across the room.
"Alright, alright, where is Keely?" asked Jazzi, immediately playing peacemaker between the core group of friends.
"Probably making out with Blaze, somewhere or other." chuckled Lidia.
"If I had a guy, that's what I'd be doing." added Bethanie, wistfully twisting a strand of blonde hair around her finger.
"It won't be long before Jazzi has you near married off." said Charity, patting her back.
Bethanie shrugged, doubting the validity of that claim, but nonetheless, best to pity her friends. "So where are these chips I've heard so much about?"
--
T.C. ducked into the tiny building he supposed was child-sized for a reason. It'd been one of the hardest decisions to make to take the care of his twins away from his mother and put them in daycare. But, as they were about to turn two in a few months, they were becoming more mobile. Poor Mama couldn't keep up with her quickly aging body. When he'd left the house in search of the "Sweet Blessings Daycare Center," his mom had been in tears. Breaking the news to her was even harder than the decision, staring into space wasn't a good sign.
"Hello, sir, welcome to Sweet Blessings Daycare Center." said a tiny blonde he recognized, yet he had no idea from where.
"Hello...do I know you?" he asked finally, it was incredible how much she looked like...
"I'm Bethanie Halloway." she replied, her blue eyes sparkled mischievously.
Finally, he placed her. Add a cowboy hat, some tight jeans and a tee shirt that proclaimed "Blondes Have More Fun," and you had the newest addition to the Rodeo Fan Club. "T.C. James, but you know that. I'm here to see about getting my daughters enrolled for the new season."
Her smile died on her lips, he could tell she'd just lost all interest in him. Kids. It was what he read in every young woman's eyes as he proudly displayed his twin daughters pictures. The wedding ring he'd stopped wearing last year got him in trouble. Women either stopped being interested because they were sure he was married, or they assumed he was divorced. Too much baggage for most women.
"Well, that's wonderful, see Liv over there for some paperwork. I'm sure I'll see you around, Mr. James." she nodded politely, adding a smile almost as an after thought.
"Yes, yes, see you around." sighing, he walked off toward the direction she'd pointed him in and grabbed up the forms from the polite woman behind the table.
After a full day of touring the tiny building he figured a pretty nice place for kids, he filled out the forms. What could it hurt to have such caring people looking after his children, even if the one in charge of it all disturbed him a bit. Seeing her made his world tilt off it's axis, and that was not good.

"Take Me Out..Period"

2006-04-15T22:38:00.000-04:00

Chapter 1

Bethanie Halloway smiled as she climbed out of her big Chevy truck and nearly skipped her way to the seats her friends had already set out. Another rodeo, another chance to see the one man wonder who'd so captured her attention last time. T.C. James. She saw him in her dreams every night since then, and she was sure this would cure her. Holding back a squeal, she watched as he walked over toward her friends, would she get to meet him this time?

"Hello ladies." his voice echoed from where he stood, deep and full of a thick down south accent. Dark eyes honed in on her friends, hair covered by a pure white cowboy hat. He was all that was good and right in the world rolled into one, or so it seemed to her. Skin the color of milk chocolate, broken only by the bright white of his teeth.

She slowed her pace, and wiped her mouth to be sure she wasn't drooling on herself. Then, she took a few more steps toward her friends.

"Beth! Hey Beth, c'mon over here!" yelled Dana, silencing T.C. for a moment with a finger.

"Hey." she called, trying to be as non-chalant as she could.

"Beth, this is T.C. James, T.C. my good friend, Bethanie Halloway." Dana introduced, brown eyes sparkling with mischief.

T.C. tipped his hat, and winked at her, "So nice to meet you, lil' lady."

Eyes widening by the minute, she nearly stumbled back into her friends, graceful, perfect, Beth. "Thanks."

With a confused look, T.C. held up a hand to Dana and Sarah before walking back to his horse.

"What was that?" asked Sarah, shoving her playfully.

"I just said 'thanks' didn't I?" Groaning, she sat back in a seat they'd set out for her. "I'm such an idiot!" Burying her head in her hands, she listened as he was announced as the next rider.

"Oh, don't worry, T.C. is used to women falling all over him. I'm sure of it." giggled Dana.

"I'm awful! Just awful!" she moaned.

"Oh shut up." said Sarah, shoving her again.

She really was awful. Sighing, she sat back in her seat and watched the rest of the rodeo quietly. So much for making a good impression on the handsome cowboy.

--

T.C. James couldn't get over the blonde beauty who now tagged along with the group he had long ago named, "The Rodeo Riders Fan Club." They usually ended up everywhere the rodeo went, only to watch the men and drool. Nice women, hilarious to talk to, even funnier to date. Sighing, he boarded his horse for the night and tromped toward his house. He could see his mother's outline in the window, hear her singing echo in the night.

"Evenin' Mama." he called, as he walked inside.

"Hey, baby." she smiled her usual smile and went back to crocheting the afghan she always worked on. The woman liked to work with her hands, she was always doing something.

"How is it going tonight?" he asked, hoping she'd give him a good answer.

"The babies are down for the night." came her answer, as she finished off another row in her afghan.

"Both of them?"

Beginning to walk toward their room, he smiled as he noted she was right. Tiptoeing into the room, he leaned over one crib and pressed a kiss to Shiloh's forehead. Within a few feet he'd made it to Shadow's crib, and pressed yet another kiss to her identical forehead. Twins. It still brought tears to his eyes when he looked at their precious little faces and remembered their mother. Juliette would've been twenty-five today. His throat clogged, as he stepped out from between the cribs and clasped the framed picture in his hands.

"Tucker?" his mother's voice beckoned him from the door.

"Yeah?" he asked, putting the picture down on the dresser.

"Are you alright?" she whispered, coming to his side and hugging him gently.

"I'll be okay, Mama." was his answer as he helped her out of the room, and closed the door partially.

"If you need anything, you know where to find me!" she called, walking slowly and unevenly toward her bedroom.

He sighed, protectiveness tight in his chest. Once more he was left alone to be the man of the house, and somehow he didn't like the decisions he was being made to make. "You're gonna' hafta' help me out." he said to what he hoped was God up above. He wasn't quite so sure anymore though. Not since Juliette had been taken away from her newborn babies, or since Mama had had a stroke that left her near paralyzed on one side, not with his little girls having to grow up without a mother. Too many things worked against him for there to be a God. At least, that was what he was convinced of.

--

Jazzi set down the folder, and sipped her tea. Everything was working exactly according to schedule. Now, only one more to go after this match took place. Andre. Shrugging and going back to the folders she held, she began to search again. This couldn't be brain science..could it?

"1,2,3 Strikes You're Out."

2006-04-13T10:57:00.000-04:00

Chapter 10

Keely wrapped her arms around her waist, as if by doing that she could hold herself together for a few more minutes. She'd nearly run away from him, and he'd been telling the truth. The truth. It was a new concept to her, no more strikes. Could she give her heart over to him once and for all? Her heart echoed its reply, thumping against her rib cage in appreciation of the man who sat wide-eyed on her couch. "I'm sorry." she said finally, taking in his eyes that got even wider.

"Sorry? For what?"

"For just assuming you'd taken up with another girl, for running, for..." her mouth seemed to be stuck on it's on switch.

Blaze slipped a finger over her lips, "Forget about it, all I want is you saying that we can work this out. I can't live without you Keely."

Tears burned the back of her eyes as she stared into his eyes so full of the love he conveyed, "You're serious?" she whispered, her voice barely audible to even her own ears.

"I'm completely serious. I love you Keely, I'm not leaving again, not unless you make me."

Her heart danced it's own happy jig as she wished she could, instead she stepped into his waiting arms. "I love you, I don't ever want you to leave." The complete love she'd felt for him settled deep in her heart, hurt ebbing away slowly as he rubbed her back. The reassurance of his trust comforted her like a cup of cocoa after a long snow storm. Things would be getting better, she knew it.

"So what now?" asked Blaze, gently pulling her away from him to look into her eyes.

She smiled, "Baseball?"

He grimaced, "I guess so."

--

Blaze sat beside Keely at the game, the ring burning its imprint in his mind as it sat in his pocket. Slowly, as to not alert the people on either side of them, he leaned closer to her and whispered, "What about the ring?"

Her eyes widened beneath her baseball cap, "What do you mean, what about it?" she hissed.

"I want you to have it back, I want our arrangement back." he smiled as he reached into his pocket and pulled it out again.

A smile stretched her face, "Sounds good to me, I missed this ring."

Slowly, he slid the ring back onto her finger, stopping at her words. "You missed the ring, not the man attached to it?"

Laughing, she poked him in the side, "I missed the man attached to it more than life itself."

"Awww." came the chorus from Charity and Lidia.

"Shut up." he hissed to them as he finished putting the ring on her finger.

Laughter rang up from their section, and he realized he was part of this. Thanks to Keely, there were no more outs in his life. Forever.

--

Jazzelle pulled the binoculars from her eyes and handed them to Andre, "It worked, it really worked."

"Of course it worked, Jazzi, you are the matchmaker extraordinare." came his reply as he rolled his eyes.

"Don't give me any of that..your turn is soon enough, Mr. Grumpy."

"What about me, Jazzi?" asked Bethanie from her other side.

"Oh don't worry, dear, you're sooner than you think." she smiled pulling her yankee cap down over her eyes.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Bethanie's blue eyes were wide.

"Oh, you'll see, you'll see."

"Take me out to the ball game" began to blast in the speaker system, and a knee wedged in her back began to drive her crazy. Turning quick, she spied Mike and Rachel behind her.

"Hey you two!" she smiled at them, before taking in Rachel's mysterious friend on the other side of Mike.

"Hey Jazzi, you got a minute? I want to introduce you to my friend.." Rachel's voice began.

Shaking her head, she stood and raced out of the row of seats, "No time to stop, got to get something to...drink yeah, that's right, drink." Ducking into the corridor, she took off toward the soda stand in the middle of the hallway. No, she wouldn't be going to any ball games with a man for a long time, that was for sure. She was waiting for the best, and the best was yet to come. She was sure of that.

In the meantime, she was ready to move onto her next victim. Bethanie Halloway.

The End, hope you enjoyed. Please stick around for the next story: "Take Me Out..Period."

"1,2,3 Strikes You're Out."

2006-04-13T10:44:00.000-04:00

Chapter 9

Air. She needed air, and quickly. Hyperventilating beside Jazzelle wasn't the funnest thing to do ever, but it had its strong points. Like the fact that she was into the whole medical thing. In the blink of an eye, the car was pulled to the side of the road and she was instructing Keely on how to breathe. As if she didn't know already, rolling her eyes she focused on her friend as her breathing slowly returned to normal.

"Are you okay?" Jazzi asked from her seat as she turned toward her.

"Do I look okay? No. I'm not okay, Jazzi. I just knew something like this would happen, I knew it." shaking her head, Keely fidgeted with some papers on the seat. She wouldn't cry here. Wouldn't.

"How about we stop off at the store get ourselves a chocolate supply, run home and watch sappy movies?" inquired Jazzelle, her heart was in the right place obviously.

"No, I really just want to be alone. Thanks for the offer though, Jazzi."

Jazzi nodded, and drove toward home. Keely could hardly wait to get home and contemplate on her life without him, yet again. She didn't have the stuff to stick around for strike four. No, she'd move, change her name, anything for him not to be able to get to her hurting heart again.

Finally, the car stopped in front of her house, no longer did it give her a feeling of happiness to look at it. It was one more thing keeping her heart on the line, he knew where she lived. Sighing, she looked at Jazzi, "I'll be moving to the other side of town..I don't want him knowing where. Do you understand?"

Jazzi nodded, "I wouldn't give out that information without your permission." Reaching over, Jazzi hugged her, "Be good, call me if you need anything. You know where I'm at."

Keely nodded, "Thanks for being there and here."

Without another glance back, she hopped out of the car and walked toward her building. Sighing, she slid the key into the lock and walked inside. Exhaustion clung heavier than sadness, cuddling up on the couch, she fell fast asleep.

--

Blaze could kick himself, here he was still standing where Keely had left him, holding her ring in his hands, and crying like a baby. What could he do to get her back? This wasn't like the first times where he'd given up because he couldn't commit to her. No, he loved this lady and he wasn't going to quit and back down now.

"What's going on, Blazey-baby?" called Emma from the doorway.

"Leave." he barked, clutching the ring closer.

"But Blaze..." her big brown eyes welled with tears as she clung to him.

"Don't 'but Blaze' me. I have a woman to get back, if you'll excuse me." hopping in his truck, he sped off toward Keely's house ring still in hand. He had to do something. He just had to.

Every scene possible played through his head, including the one he'd just lived through. How could he have known she would have come in just then? Why had she shown up? Sighing, he worried his bottom lip, this was not good. Not at all. He couldn't get her out of his head, and she wanted to be the farthest from him she could be.

Her apartment was dark, yet he knew she'd be there. Turning off the truck, he walked to the door and knocked twice. "Keely?"

Nothing.

"Keely, I'm not leaving until you open this door." he called, waiting for her to answer the door.

"Go away, I'm not opening the door." she yelled back, he could envision her red, puffy eyes boring holes through the door.

"Well then I'll come in. Back away from the door."

"I'm not backing away from the door." she added stubbornly.

Grumbling under his breath he backed away from the door, "I'm serious, Keely, back up." Giving her adequate time to back away, he ran for the door kicking it in. He smiled, "I told you I was coming in one way or another, we need to talk."

She didn't give him the pleasure of lending her ear, no she was already half way to the bedroom. He wondered if this was some sort of test from God or something, possibly. Having the woman he loved ignore him, run away as if he was a stalker.

"I don't want to talk, Blaze. I want you to go away. For good."

The words rent his heart further, he sighed, "Please, Keely, hear me out."

"No."

"I'm not seeing Emma, I promise." he called, hoping she'd listen anyway.

"Right, and I'm the only woman you'd ever see for the rest of your life. Or that's what you want me to believe. I wasn't born yesterday, Blaze."

He could hear the window slipping open in her bedroom, sighing he moved backward again kicking in the door. "This could get really tiring, Keely. Fast." Grabbing her arm, he hauled her toward him, "Please believe me, baby, I'd never do that to you."

Jerking away, she shoved against him, "Don't touch me, go home Blaze. You aren't welcome here any longer."

Stepping away from her, he tried once more to get her to listen, but she turned her back. Sighing, he began walking toward the opening where the front door had stood.

"Alright, you take a seat. Keely, get in here!" Jazzi was walking in the front door hauling Emma behind her, by the hair.

Keely rounded the corner, "Jazzi what...What is SHE doing here?"

"Sit." Jazzi commanded, pointing toward the couch with her free hand.

"Yes, yes, fine." Keely sat as far away from him as possible on the lone couch.

"Tell her." Keely's friend told Emma.

"Blaze didn't want me there, I showed up. I still love him, I...missed him. Couldn't keep my hands off of him. I still had a key. I'm so sorry, Keely." the woman's brown eyes held contempt not repentance, but Blaze was smart enough not to point this out. He simply bit his lip and waited for Keely's reaction.

"Good enough, now Jazzi get her out of here." Keely commanded, standing to her feet and stalking before him like a caged tiger.

Jazzi nodded, and tugged Emma out the door with her.

"We need to talk.."

"I agree." he waited, what was coming next, he didn't know.

"1,2,3 Strikes You're Out"

2006-04-11T22:50:00.000-04:00

Chapter 8

The party had come to life when Alex and Charity walked through the doors, Charity's mouth dropped open when she viewed all of her friends and family gathered in the hall. Then in the same bubbly manner that was uniquely her's, she showed off her ring. Keely smiled at Blaze, his arm was wrapped around her waist. For once in her life she felt part of someone else, something else. Her heart could get no fuller. Charity worked her way toward them and hugged each of them, thanking them for coming.

After the entourage had passed them, Blaze turned her toward a table where they sat before someone else could intercept them.

"This is fun." she smiled at him from across the table.

"Yeah, it is." he agreed, reaching for her hand. "What do you say we try something like they are sometime?"

His casual question caused her to nearly choke on the sip of water she'd taken. "What?"

"You know, a ring, a wedding, love, the whole deal..." his voice trailed off, yet a hint of his smile showed on his face.

Brain racing, Keely stared at the man across the table from her. Was he serious? The glint in his eye and smile affixed to his face, as if permanently, told her her answer. "Are you asking what I think you're asking?" she hissed, leaning in closer.

Smile widening, he bridged the gap between them with a kiss, "I am asking exactly what you think I'm asking."

His hand still in her's, he tugged her to her feet and guided her back out to the gazebo away from the crowd. She could feel her heart thudding against her rib cage, and goose flesh rose on her arms. Was he that in love with her? Was this finally the time he'd settle down and not leave her..forever? Forever was a very long time.

"I wanted to wait a while longer to do this, but seeing your eyes light up in there..." reaching into his pocket, Blaze pulled out a red velvet covered box. With one hand, he flipped it open and presented it to her.

Tears began to stream down her face, he really wanted to be with her forever. Heart now bursting with the love he'd presented practically at her feet, she surged to those feet and hugged him tight. "I love it." she whispered.

"Just it?" his eyes twinkled merrily as he teased her.

"I love you, Blaze, more than anything."

"I love you too, Keely."

The words only served to make her insides quiver with delight as he slipped the ring onto her finger.

--

Blaze didn't think his smile could get any wider, he'd dropped Keely off at home and started toward his house. Yet, still the smile remained. His face hurt from smiling, literally. She'd said yes and accepted the ring. He could dance. Man, could life get any sweeter?

Pulling up in front of his house, he turned off the truck and climbed out of it. Sighing happily, he slid the key into the lock and opened the door. The dim lights of his home comforted him, and he wasted no time in getting comfortable on the couch.

The lights flickered on, nearly blinding him, "Thought you'd never get home, sweetie." came a soft voice from the doorway of his kitchen.

"Who are you?" he asked, sitting straight up.

"Oh silly, you know who I am." the woman came out of the shadow and sat in his lap, bringing with her the scent of lavendar perfume.

"Emma."

Giggles of recognition filled the room as she pressed a kiss to his cheek, "So happy you remembered."

"How could I forget.." his voice trailed off, then his mind flashed a picture of Keely the last time he'd disappointed her. "Emma, I can't..."

"Can't what?"

The door creaked open revealing two wide-eyed women, Jazzelle unconciously slid an arm around Keely. "Come on, let's get out of here." she hissed, tugging Keely along with her.

Blaze stood, letting Emma fall where she may, and ran toward the door. "Keely, Jazzi, come back, I can explain." he called.

Keely turned on her heel, tugging the ring from her finger and tossing it at his chest, eyes blue fire. "Nothing to explain, three strikes you're out, Blaze. I've had it. Goodbye."

"Please, Keely, no." he whispered, grabbing for her hand.

She ripped her hand away from his and began stomping toward the car once more.

"Jazzi, talk to her?" pleading with her friend to go on his behalf, he couldn't lose her, he couldn't. Not again, and certainly not for good.

"I doubt anything I can say would help. Bye Blaze."

He watched as the car sped toward it's target, Keely's home. Where she'd most likely hide away, drowning her sorrows in bowls of ice cream and tissues. His heart nearly broke as he cradled her ring in his hands. He had to get her back, there was no such thing as an out in the game of love. Was there?

"1,2,3 Strikes You're Out!"

2006-04-07T07:42:00.000-04:00

Chapter 7

Her eyes fluttered open, and Keely looked around noting that she was in her living room. Must've fallen asleep on the couch last night. Rubbing her eyes, she winced at the pain from crying so much the night before. Well, not again. Sitting up, she frowned at Blaze who was asleep where she'd just gotten up. When had he come over? Finally, she remembered the knock at the door at four in the morning, of looking out the window and seeing him standing there, arms open. Sighing, she tugged him into a sleeping position and covered him with the blanket he must've covered her with. "What a sweetheart." she whispered in the silence of her home as she pressed a kiss to his forehead. He had come in the early morning, on nothing but pure instinct.

Standing, she walked to the kitchen and began to make coffee and breakfast. Everything was just finishing when she heard footsteps in the hallway. Turning toward the door to smile at him and wish him a good morning, her breath caught in her throat. Hair tousseled, eyes sleepy he stood in the doorway.

"Good Morning." he smiled as if he knew what he did to her.

"Morning." her word came out as a whoosh of breath, her eyes were wide as she took in each of his movements. Commanding her brain to work correctly, she set a plate down on the table for him.

"Thanks Keely." sitting, he retrieved the fork she'd already set out and began to eat.

Her heart jumped back into beat as she stared at his bent head. Something was seriously wrong with her, maybe she needed a doctor. Taking the seat across from Blaze, she set her own plate in front of her. "Did you sleep okay?" she asked finally, not daring to look up at him.

"I slept great, thanks. How about you?"

She could feel the heat of his gaze on her, yet she kept her eyes downcast, "Never better."

"Great...Keely?" his voice was different than usual, he had a question.

Her heart began to dance again, "Yes?" She looked up at him, big mistake. Face now flushed she sat before him feeling all of six with a school girl crush.

"You're so beautiful, did you know that?" he reached across the table and took her hand in his.

The blush deepened causing her to turn red as the table cloth beneath their plates, "Thank you.."

"I mean it." his voice was a whisper, so intimate it snaked across her spine causing gooseflesh to rise on her arms.

The phone rang from its place on the wall, and she jumped, "Sorry, I should get that." With an apologetic sigh, she got up from her chair and retrieved the phone. "Hello."

"Hey, where are you? You're supposed to help me set up today." hissed Jazzelle's voice.

"Oh my, what time is it?" she questioned.

Blaze offered his watch to her showing the time was well past breakfast time, the time she was supposed to be at the hall helping to prepare for Charity's engagement party.

"Two o'clock!" insisted an irritated sounding Jazzelle.

"I'm so sorry, Jazzi, I'll be there right away." hanging up the phone she looked over at Blaze who was already clearing their plates from the table.

"You've got to go?" his eyes showed his sadness, while his voice was even and held no emotion.

"Yes, I'm so sorry. I forgot all about volunteering to help Jazzi with Charity's engagement party." she hugged him quickly, before taking off toward her bedroom to get ready to go.

A knock on her bedroom door startled her, "I'm going to get going, Keely. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay." she called back falling back, breathless on her bed. She didn't know whether to hate Jazzi for calling or thank her immensely. What was she going to do?

--

"He spent the night?!" Jazzi nearly came up off the seat, her smile was faltering as she stared down her friend. What was going on with the two of them?

"Not really, well he did, but nothing happened. You know better, Jazzi." Keely's smile was still ever-present as she hung a string of flowers on the wall.

"Well of course I know," she hesitated, "What did happen?"

"I cried, he held me, we fell asleep on the couch. End of story."

"Ohhh, so you two are getting close like that, huh?" every notion in her busy mind was jumping for joy. Maybe this time Keely and Blaze would get together, for good.

"I see the gears in your head working, girl, don't get started. This is not about your matchmaking game. This is about two REAL people, living REAL life."

Jazzi grinned, turning away from her friend to hang the balloons that matched the color scheme of purple and white. "It isn't about my REAL matchmaking game?"

"No..speaking of your matchmaking game, who's next?" asked Keely, apparently desperate to change the subject. Her blue eyes had long since grown dreamy with thoughts of Blaze.

"After you and Blaze, Bethanie. I've already started, you should see this guy, K. He's adorable, tall, dark, handsome, a cowboy..no doubt she'll be in love three weeks. Flat."

"Thanks for mentioning us in your matchmaking game again, but what about Jazzi. Has she found anyone for herself yet?"

Her entire being went stiff at the question, why was everyone asking that so much? Automatically, her mind went back to Rachel's unnamed friend. Instead of mentioning that little incident, she shook her head, "No, Jazzi is happy as is. Matchmaking her friends and living her life. Leave the love games to you all."

"Hello Ladies!" Andre's voice echoed in the hall.

"What about him?" hissed Keely, leaning in close.

"Oh don't you worry about him, I've got him covered." she said aloud with a smile.

"Got me covered for what?" a frown creased Andre's face.

"Don't you worry about that, dear." she smiled and patted his cheek.

--

Blaze stood in front of the jewelry counter, staring in through the glass. It was perfect, absolutely perfect for her. Nodding his head to the jeweler he began the transaction, things were looking up for him. Ducking out of the small shop, he jumped into his truck and sped toward home. Sooner or later he had to get ready for Charity and Alex's engagement party. Jazzi had sent out an invitation a while ago, with a special note to him. Something about a surprise for Keely, and he'd have to be there a bit early. The casual looking dress clothes he'd selected, Jazzi had approved. However, he had no idea what she had told Keely. For all he knew this was a practical joke, but if he got a chance to see Keely, it was all worth it.

Jumping back into the car, he went toward the hall with specific instructions to park in the parking lot behind the hall. Down further in the yard of the hall was a gazebo made of white wood. He smiled at Jazzi's thoughtfulness as pink roses crawled up the lattice on each side. Keely sat in the midst of them in a blue dress that matched her eyes.

She smiled when she saw him, "I suppose Miss Matchmaker has set us up, again." As she stood to her feet, yards of fabric fell to her feet, causing him to look from her beautiful face all the way to the tips of her shoes. She made one incredible picture.

"I could care less if she locked us in a closet, as long as I'm with you." he stepped into the cover of the gazebo and kissed her cheek lightly.

Keely giggled, awarding him with a larger smile, "You're so sweet."

"I know." winking, he wrapped an arm around her waist.

As if by some magnifiscent magic trick, music began to play softly around them. Together they swayed to the music, he smiled as she lay her head on his shoulder. This was no practical joke, this was perfect for them. Sighing when the music stopped, he kissed her lips softly. "That was great."

"Thank Jazzelle." whispered Keely with a smile.

"I think I will," checking his watch he smiled back, "you ready to hit the party?"

She nodded, linking her hand with his.

"All right, let's get in there." dragging himself away from the peace and serenity of being with her, he walked into the already busy hall. Jazzi waved to them from across the room and he smiled at Keely. That woman knew exactly what she was doing.

"1,2,3 Strikes You're Out!"

2006-04-06T08:13:00.000-04:00

Chapter 6

Keely climbed into bed, her body exhausted from the day before, and the feelings her body now was flooded with. Sliding between the sheets, she let the exhaustion seep out of her as she snuggled into the warmth of her bed. Sleep wasn't far off, it clipped her as soon as she got comfortable.

The fog around her lifted and she stood before his casket once more. It wasn't fair. Why hadn't she been able to stop this? Tears slipped down her cheeks in trails, soaking the black blouse she wore. The scent of flowers only served to make her stomach flip in nauseous tumbles. Sounds of weeping and mourning of the family made her want to jump in along side her friend and cry him back to her. There was nothing anyone could do. Least of all her.

Before she could blink, she was standing on the sidewalk outside of her apartment, watching the dust rise behind Blaze's truck. It wasn't the last time he'd gone on a search for some "time." No this was present time, present day. Bile rose in her throat, tears welled behind her eyes yet they couldn't fall. No three strikes your out. Stomping inside, she threw her clothes into suitcases and closed them tight. She would not wait around for him to come back. When he did come back, he'd eat her dust this time. Walking out the door, Keely slammed it closed hard.

Jumping up from her sleeping position, she sat up and tried to regulate her breathing.What was that about? Why when things were just getting to be good she'd lose it? Her heart racing near out of her chest, she grabbed the phone and dialed Blaze's number.

A sleepy, "Hello" was mumbled into the phone and she smiled despite herself.

"Hey honey." she whispered, wishing she hadn't waken him.

"Keely? Is anything wrong?" his voice cleared immediately, she could invision him sitting up quickly and at attention.

"No, baby, no." hurriedly she reassured him, "Everything is fine, I just needed to hear your voice, that's all." After a quick conversation, she hung up the phone and tried to get settled in bed. However, her heart still raced, her body shook. Standing to her feet, she shoved her sheets back onto the bed. It didn't seem like she'd be sleeping much tonight.

--

Blaze sat holding the phone in his hand long after Keely had hung up and went back to bed. His heart raced as his mind still spun with the thoughts he'd had. What if something had been wrong with her? How would he move on or make it without her? Closing his eyes, he leaned back against the headboard of his bed. Something had to change, he had to keep her in his life forever before he lost her. How could he do that? Feelings inside of him warred for the pedestal in his heart. He loved her, but could he make the kind of commitment that would make him her's forever?

Getting up from his bed, he padded his way barefoot toward the closet and pulled out an old pair of jeans. Quickly, he dressed and reached for his shoes. He wasn't going to sit here thinking. No, he had better places to be, things to do, people to see. The clock ticked three a.m. as he shrugged out the door and slammed it behind him. He was on his way to a fast food joint and some cigarettes.

The road spread before his truck was empty and dusty, he pulled into the drive thru of the fast food joint and ordered himself a hamburger and french fries. What he'd do after he got something to eat, and smoke he had no idea. But, good enough. Driving to the next window, he paid the tired looking woman who handed him the bag of food, instructing her to keep the change.

"Where to now, Blaze?" he asked himself as he reached into the bag to pull out a few fries.

Keely's. The voice inside commanded, yet he shook his head. It was nearly four in the morning, she wouldn't still be awake. Would she? Shrugging it off, he turned toward home, and began on his way. Yet, he still couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to be with her. Checking in his mirror, he did a U-turn taking him in the course toward Keely's apartment. Too bad if she was asleep, she'd wake up to open the door for him. She had to.

Parking his truck in front of her house, he climbed out and raced up the sidewalk knocking on the door. Footsteps inside alerted him to the fact that Keely hadn't been sleeping. His insides grew jittery as the steps came closer and closer. Finally, the door slid open and a crying Keely stood on the inside. Walking inside, he pulled her into his arms, "What's wrong?" he asked immediately.

"I..I..had a bad dream." she sobbed between sniffles.

"Want to talk about it?"

She shook her head against his chest, "No, but I'm so glad you came."

With one arm, he closed the door behind them and then led her to the couch. Together they sat in silence, him letting her cry and get it out, she crying her eyes out thanking God he had shown up. When she'd exhausted herself, she closed her eyes and fell asleep with her head in his lap. He smiled at her, this idea was the best idea he'd had in a long time. Retrieving the blanket from the back of the couch, he covered her with it and settled back himself. This was turning out to be the start of a good day.

--

Jazzelle sat in the coffee shop across from her friend Mike rolling her eyes as he began to talk about his girlfriend again. "Could you hurry, it's nearly four in the morning and I have to be bright and cheery tonight for my sister's engagement party." she motioned with her hand for him to wrap it up.

"Fine, fine, but I'm warning you, when you run into Rachel you had better be nice." he cautioned standing and laying money on the table to pay for their check.

"I wouldn't know if I ran into her right now." she said walking toward the door almost running into a short woman with dark hair.

"Well, you just did!" called Mike running up from behind her. "Hey honey." he leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"Hey love." Rachel turned to look at Jazzi, "This must be Jazzelle."

"How did you know?" Jazzi asked, skeptical as a friend of Rachel's walked in behind her.

"Instinct." she shrugged, totally ignoring her friend who interested Jazzi a great deal. His dark eyes assessed her in a way that made the hairs on the back of her neck tingle.

"Right..well we'll see you later, Jazzi needs sleep." claimed Mike grabbing her arm and tugging her away from the coffee shop.

On the way out Jazzi waved slightly to Rachel and her friend, and followed Mike. Tongue tied the entire way home, she simply sat as Mike drove, waiting for the time when she could climb into bed and dream about the encounter she'd just had.

Maybe it was more than a look, more than a chance encounter...you're dreaming without even reaching the bedroom! Her mind commanded her, and within that second, she knew she'd read and written too many romances for her own good. Time to get back to reality.

1,2,3 Strikes You're Out!

2006-03-28T22:52:00.000-05:00

Chapter 5

Keely cuddled up next to Blaze, tugging the afghan she'd swiped for them closer to herself. Her eyes drifted shut with the peace and security she felt surrounded by her loved ones and enclosed in Blaze's arms. She wasn't even sure what the movie was currently as she slowly lifted one lid to peer at the screen. It had just turned black and credits were scrolling up signifying the end of the movie.

"Alright all of you lazy bums, out." commanded Jazzelle, retrieving the remote and turning off the television.

Keely winced as she turned on the light, "No, no turn it back off." she whimpered.

"Uh-uh, I have to be up tomorrow morning, you all get to sleep-at your own home, I might add!"

"Right away,ma'am." quipped Altan, standing to his feet and hoisting Lidia up beside him.

Alex didn't waste time setting an already sleeping Charity on her feet, he pulled her closer to him and stood. "See you all on Saturday." he hissed as he walked out the door Jazzi opened for him.

Blaze eased her away from him, "Come on, I'll take you home." he growled low in her ear.

She giggled as his breath tickled her ear, and his voice sent every nerve on edge. "Alright. Bye, guys." she waved and sluggishly followed Blaze toward the door.

"I saw all of that, keep it up girl. This time is the real deal." hissed Jazzi in her ear on the way out.

Nodding at her friend, she followed as Blaze tugged her along beside him.

"That was fun." he said as he helped her into the truck.

Again she nodded, "It really was, I enjoyed it. Thanks for coming, Blaze."

"Anytime, Keely, and I mean that." was his reply. All over again she felt herself falling for him, this time she was in for it. Most definitely.

--

Blaze pulled into a parking spot in front of Keely's house and turned to watch her sleep. She'd fallen asleep on the way back to her house and she looked so peaceful he didn't want to wake her. Her long hair had fallen across her face, covering delicate features he longed to touch. Sighing with desperation, he reached out and swept the hair from her face, taking in each soft curve of her face and the swoop of her lashes. "You're beautiful." he whispered in the silence of the truck.

The moon cast a silvery shadow into the truck allowing just enough light to see her soft, kissable lips puckered in sleep. He kept his restraint and shook her softly, "Keely?"

A soft moan was her sleepy reply, before she turned toward him.

"Keely, you're home." he whispered, trying again.

"Can't I just stay here with you?" she asked, eyes fluttering open.

"No, honey, I doubt your back would appreciate that in the morning. Come on, I'll bring you inside." jumping from the truck, he walked around the front of it and opened her door. Reaching across the seat, he unbuckled the seat belt and took her hand. "It's not so far, hon, really."

She smiled half-heartedly, "Thanks for walking me in." Beginning to fumble with her keys, she turned toward the door.

"Keely?"

"Hum?" she turned, her left hand still in his as her sudden movement jingled the keys in the other hand.

Taking advantage of the fact that his fingers were still intertwined with hers, he tugged her back into his arms and kissed her thoroughly. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Blaze." flustered and sleepy, Keely made her way inside closing the door in his face.

All of a sudden, the warm air was chilled, he didn't like being without her. Man did he have it bad.

--

Bethanie giggled in glee as she slipped her cowboy hat on her head with a thump. She was going to a good old-fashioned rodeo, looking incredible-if she did say so herself. Checking one last time in the mirror, she nodded. This day was going to be good, she could feel it. Walking out her apartment door, she smiled at the outside noises. She was a country girl living in the city, but she was enjoying being with her friends.

The crisp air she breathed in only served to make her step lighter, as she climbed into her big chevy truck. Soon she was ready to see some good looking cowboys, and kick back with her cowboy friends. Nothing was better than some country music, men in tight jeans, and cowboy hats to boot.

"Hey girl!" called one of her friends, Sarah, who wore a hat with rhinestones around the brim.

"Howdy!" she replied, taking her seat between Sarah and Dana. "How're things?"

"Goin' well, how's things with you?" asked Dana.

Just as she was about to reply, a cowboy entering the rodeo ring caught her eye. He was taller than she'd ever seen a person before, what must've been six foot six inches. Long legs encased in denim, drew her attention from his boots all the way up to his muscular upper body.

"Wooooo-eeee" she called out, taking her hat off to fan herself with.

"What? What?" her jittery friends called taking her by the arms, and jumping up and down excitedly. They knew the signs of new coming hotties.

"New guy at twelve o'clock." she hissed, pointing toward the man who climbed onto the horse with little effort and rode like a pro.

"That's no new guy, that's T.C. James. He's been around for years, you've never heard of him?"Sarah jolted her with an elbow. "Oooh I'll have to introduce you later, girl!"

"Oh you sure will!" came her reply.

--

Jazzelle laughed behind the truck as she lowered her binoculars and flashed Sarah and Dana a thumbs up. Things were working just great.

"1,2,3 Strikes You're Out."

2006-03-26T17:24:00.000-05:00

Chapter 4

Keely sat staring into Blaze's eyes long after she'd finished her lunch, the spring breeze that filtered through the trees and moved her hair only heightened her senses. He still liked her. That was enough to keep her floating on air all day long. Speaking of all day, her heart raced as she broke eye contact and looked down at her watch. It was long past time for her to get back to her office. "I should go." she mumbled, completely regretting her words now that she made eye contact once more.

"I'm sorry, I must've kept you pretty late..."his voice trailed off as he began cleaning up some of the dishes from the table and stuffing them into the basket once more.

"Don't apologize, Blaze, I'm just as much at fault." she replied, reaching to slow his hand as he kept shoving things into the basket.

He turned his hand over so their hands rested palm to palm, before he tugged her closer their lips just inches from touching. Her entire body began to spark with life and energy as she stared into his eyes, knowing what was about to happen. Slowly, ever so painfully slowly, his lips advanced toward her's. She nearly danced with the energy in the air, and she could hardly wait for the brush of his lips against her own. Finally, as if a drink to a thirsty desert traveler, he lowered his lips to her's fully. Together they stood there until the sound of someone clearing their throat behind Keely caught her attention. Begrudgingly, she tugged herself away from him and turned to see her last appointment of the day standing hands on hips behind her.

"So this is what you do on your lunch break, eh Miss K?" the very hostile, Paige Henderson stood daring either of them to deny what she'd seen.

"Only every other day." shot Blaze, his eyes glittering with laughter as he released her hands smiling his good-bye. "I'll call you later, Keely." he whispered for her ears only, before going back to his cleaning up.

Keely took a few steps toward the girl, gesturing toward the side door to the school. "Let's go on inside and we'll discuss this."

"Nothing to discuss, you were making out with your boyfriend. Way to go, Miss K, he's pretty cute." the sixteen year old smiled broadly as her eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Yes, he is, isn't he?" Keely had long since found out that Paige was sick of being misunderstood and not listened to. She'd made it a practice to tune everyone out since her parents had stopped caring, as she put it. Sighing, she held the door for one of her regular appointments. This had all the makings of a long afternoon.

--

Blaze sighed as he packed the picnic basket back in his truck, their afternoon together was over. It seemed it had just started. Jumping in the truck, he drove toward home wishing he could've had longer to spend with Keely. Instead, he'd have to deal with Jazzelle's questions over the phone and getting some sort of work done today.

His mind wandered to the kiss they'd shared, the chemistry that still flowed between them. Did she feel it still? Sighing once more, he resolved to ask her out again and see what would happen. He really did like her. Parking the car in his reserved spot outside of his apartment, he climbed down and walked toward his front door. He wasn't in a hurry to be subjected to 20 questions, Jazzelle style.

The phone rang inside, he could hear it already. Rolling his eyes, he shoved the key into the knob and opened the door. Letting the phone ring, he set the basket down on the counter and unloaded each dish individually into the sink. Let Jazzi sweat a bit. If he'd known Keely's friends were this crazy and close, maybe he would've rathered to meet her family. Laughing out loud, he grabbed the phone. "I'm home and no ones dead, what more do you want woman?"

"Wow, is that how you always answer your phone or are you waiting for someone special?" the voice on the other end was not that Jazzi's, it was Keely.

Shaking his head at his own stupidity, he lowered himself into a kitchen chair. "I was waiting for Jazzi to call and ask how the date went."

"I see," she chuckled aloud, "my friends drive you crazy yet?"

"Yet? No, not yet." he grinned, it helped him to feel better just hearing her voice.

"Do you think you'd be up to movies and popcorn tonight at my place with all of us?" her hopeful question sent his brain and heart flying. They didn't invite people to join them all often, but when they did it meant they were thinking about adding to their family.

"I'd love to." was his reply immediately.

--

Jazzelle watched the couples file in and take seats together, and the singles file to the other side. Feeling torn by being a hostess, and avoiding the couples like the plague, she took a seat in the middle of their lines. Her sister's near fiance pulled Charity into his lap and kissed her cheek. Altan and Lidia sat cuddled together on the couch, hand in hand laughing at some joke that'd passed between them.

The doorbell rang, another couple. Standing, she scooted to the door and opened it to reveal Keely and Blaze smiling at each other. So far, so good. Her plans were working. "Come on in."

"Thanks for inviting me along, Jazzi." Blaze said as the two of them stepped in through the door together.

"No problem, we've got couples row over there." she gestured toward the couch where the two other couples dwelt.

Bethanie and Andre beckoned her from singles wall and she sighed. She really needed to step up her game here. "I'm coming, I'm coming." she called waving her hand to silence them.

Closing the door, Jazzi watched as Keely and Blaze took a seat on the floor before greeting everyone. She sighed, and walked into the kitchen grabbing the bowl of popcorn from the counter. "Anyone want a soda?" she called after she'd handed the bowl to Bethanie.

"I'll take one!" called everyone in unison.

"Sure thing, I'll bring in a variety."

Grabbing an assortment of soda bottles from the refridgerator, Jazzelle set up the table full of refreshments. This was the life, all of her friends together to watch movies, old favorites and new ones. She smiled happily. Life was good just as it was, nothing needed to change. She'd show Lidia.

"1,2,3 Strikes You're Out."

2006-03-24T22:51:00.000-05:00

Chapter 3

Grasping the door handle, Keely opened the side door to the school and walked inside. So much to do today, and not so much time to do it in. The school halls were already humming with students, some who acknowledged her with a wave and others who ignored her completely. Sighing, she tip-tapped her way down the hall to her office.

"Hey Keelz, what's up?" greeted Megan, the desk clerk with a wave and a broad smile.

"Nothing much, Meg, what's up with you?" she returned her smile.

"Just sorting mail, which reminds me, here's your's." handing her the mail with a flourish, Megan went back to her sorting.

Keely waved her thanks and walked back to her office, glad to have the reprieve from people for a few minutes. Lowering herself to her plush office chair, she began sorting through the mail herself trying to find something aside from junk to look at. One envelope in particular caught her attention, it displayed tiny roses crawling across the front and in the midst of the roses was scrawled her name. Catching her lower lip between her teeth, she began to open the letter.

Dear Keely,

Meet me at the picnic table under the oak tree at noon. See you there ;)

Blaze

The short note sent butterflies to her stomach and goose flesh rising on her arms, what was it about him? Sighing, she smiled and tacked the note to her small cork board as a reminder. Lunch with Blaze for the second day in a row, Jazzi would be pleased. But was she? The butterflies took flight all over again as she spied the picture on her desk of the two of them together at last years school picnic. Yes, she was pleased. Quite pleased.

Staring holes through the clock she begged for it to move faster. Would noon ever come?

--

The sun was exceptionally warm for the spring day, but Blaze smiled as it was the perfect setting for the picnic. Throwing a checkered table cloth over the table he set the basket atop it. Jazzi had assured him that the idea was sure fire. It was sweet, innocent, and quite the alternative to taking Keely out to dinner every night. The aroma of homemade pies wafted his nostrils as he set up the plates and cups he'd brought from home. Jazzi had hand-made the food, but she'd told him he didn't have to tell Keely that. Laughing, he shook his head, the woman was almost more worried about their relationship than either of them was.

"Hey there."

Keely's voice came from behind him, making him turn swiftly and nearly dropping the dishes all over the ground. He swallowed hard trying to take in the picture of her in an official looking suit and smiling eyes. "Hey." What a cunning answer, witty Blaze, really. Witty.

Searching through brain files for something better to say, he went back to setting the table before being haulted by a soft hand touching his.

"Don't be so nervous, it's only me, Blaze." she winked, before taking the silverware he held and setting both places.

"Me? Nervous? Never." he grinned at her as he set the last glass down on the table. "You're just so beautiful that I lost all thought, that's all."

Looking flustered, she sat on the picnic bench and reached for the basket, "So what did you bring me?"

Chuckling to himself, he opened it, "I have no idea, Jazzi cooked."

"Knew she had something to do with it. It wasn't your handwriting on the front of the envelope." she shot him a smile that made him weak at the knees, so he sat on the bench facing her.

"Thanks, you under estimate me you know. That very well could've been my handwriting." he dared her to say anything, tossing his chin in the air like that of a four-year-old fighting over a toy.

"But it wasn't." she grinned tugging his chin down until he met her eyes. They sat transfixed for a moment in each other's eyes before she shrugged away.

"No it wasn't." he hedged, trying to pull himself together after the electric shock her blue gaze had jolted into him.

"Right...well I suppose we should eat before it gets cold." said Keely, reaching for the fried chicken that sat in the basket.

"I suppose so." he replied, watching her although he wasn't quite as hungry as before. What had just passed between them?

--

Jazzi pulled the binoculars away from her face with a smug grin replacing her serious set lips, "This is working." she added aloud.

"You are bordering on crazy." came Lidia's voice from the seat beside her.

"Shut up, I am not." she shot back, groaning as she watched Blaze and Keely pull away from each other and begin eating. "This is going to take a while."

"Stop complaining, you think everything should happen right now. Let's leave them alone and take a walk for goodness sake." Lidia rolled her eyes and tugged the keys from the ignition when Jazzi hesitated.

"A walk? Now? When it's just getting good?" she complained.

"Yes, right now. Maybe you'll spot someone who will help take your mind off of everyone else!" Lidia began to stomp up the sidewalk ahead of her.

Jumping from the car, Jazzi began to run to catch up. "I do not need anyone, I'm perfectly capable of a long, happy life without anyone."

"Right, you keep thinking that."

"I will." she sputtered, crossing her arms and stomping along behind her friend like a child mid-tantrum. But did she care? No, not really.

"1,2,3 Strikes Your Out."

2006-03-23T16:38:00.000-05:00

Chapter 2

The small cafe buzzed with life around them, yet Keely's eyes were focused on the man across the table from her. He smiled at her and her insides seemed to go numb of all feeling, aside from what lingered in her heart for him. Unsure of herself, she lifted her menu and considered the options carefully. "So," she began non-chalantly, "what are you doing back?" Peeking over the corner of her menu at him, waiting for an answer she was surprised when his mouth dropped open.

"I came to see you, to see if we can patch things up, start over..." his voice trailed off as he reached around her menu for her hand. "I really have missed you, Keely."

"I've missed you too, Blaze. I've missed what we have together, but it's so hard apart." she dipped her head to avoid eye contact with him, she knew if he could see into her eyes now he'd see how much she hurt inside.

With his free hand, Blaze pulled the menu from her free hand and reached across the table to cup her chin. "It's okay, I'm staying this time."

"How can I be sure?" the question was out of her mouth before she could stop it, but she needed to ask. She needed to be reassured that he wasn't going to up and take off again. Her heart could take no more, it'd broken and mended too many times within her lifetime.

"You can trust me, Keely, I won't let you down again." he whispered.

"Can I take your order?"

They both jumped as the waitress appeared at their table. Thankful for the interruption as tears were welling in her eyes, Keely grabbed the menu from the table top. "Yes.." As she began to give her order, her thoughts flew in her mind and she had to give them a stop sign as she spoke. He was back, and for good it seemed. She still loved him, but could she risk her heart again?

--

Blaze watched as Keely's face transformed back to a cool mask when the waitress walked away, she'd composed herself. Sighing mentally, he released her hand again before unfolding and refolding his napkin. What could he do? She didn't trust him to stay, and rightfully so. He hadn't stayed before, he'd left and come back over and over. She should hate him, but not Keely. No, her heart was breaking, and he could see that in those blue eyes clear as the sky.

"Stop thinking like that, I don't hate you." she whispered, staring back into his eyes.

"You should, hon." he replied feeling at a loss for what to do.

"That's the problem, I can't."

He couldn't help himself, he chuckled, "So what do you say, another date tomorrow?"

She nodded slowly, "Yeah, another date sounds nice, but not tomorrow. After a night with the girls I'll be exhausted. Too much chocolate and girl talk."

"Ahh, so is THAT what you all do at your girl nights?" he liked the change of conversation, yet missed the openness they'd shared a few minutes ago.

"I can't say," she mocked zipping her lips, "that my friend is highly confidential information."

He shook his head, "You are something, Keely."

"Thank you."

Glancing down at his watch he noted that it was nearly time for said girls night, they'd talked for hours already. "I'd better get you to Jazzi's before she grounds you." he winked.

"Yeah, Lord knows she'll want to hear all about the date." replied Keely, getting up from her seat and grabbing her jacket from the back of the chair.

Carefully, he took it from her hands and held it aloft waiting for her reaction. Slowly, she donned the coat, turning and kissing his cheek, "Thank you, I missed that." she whispered.

He grinned, "Always at your service, ma'am." And he meant it.

--

Jazzelle had nearly worn the carpet down by her windows waiting and watching, pacing back and forth in her haste to see Keely.

"Will you sit already, you're making me nervous!" exclaimed Lidia, hands on hips.

"Yeah, really, Keely will be here soon enough." cautioned her sister, taking a seat in one of the overstuffed couches.

"I can't wait to hear about the date, that's all." she replied, sitting in the chair closest to the door so she could still keep an eye out.

"You need a man." said Lidia, her eyes twinkling with mischief, Charity and Bethanie nodded along with her.

Shaking her head, Jazzi stood again doubling back to the window, "Too busy marrying you all off to find someone of my own." she said focusing on the task at hand.

"Will you marry me off, Jazzi?" asked Bethanie from her place on the arm of Charity's chair.

"Soon as I'm done with Keely, now everybody look busy here they are." she called to her friends as she scooted back to her chair and grabbed a magazine.

The door creaked open, letting in the noise of Blaze's truck pulling away. Keely walked in, "Okay you all can stop looking busy, I'll tell you about the date." she laughed even as she closed the door behind her.

Jazzi found herself laughing and listening to Keely's adventures for the day, but her mind wandered back to her matchmaking. Blaze and Keely were all right for each other, in fact, they should already be together. However, sometimes they were so stubborn. Well, this time, she wouldn't let them get away with it. If she had to ducttape them both to a chair and lock them in a room together until they worked it out, she would. That's just how serious about this she was. Besides, it was fun to see Keely so happy, and Jazzelle was making it her goal to see that look in Keely's eyes forever.

1,2,3 Strikes Your Out..

2006-03-19T22:02:00.000-05:00

Chapter 1

The blue sky and the green grass surrounded her in a state of near nothingness that was morning, as Keely took a simple walk down the street. She had nothing on her schedule for today, aside from a movie night with the girls later on. Her heart sighed in relief at the fresh air that filled her lungs, it was a chance to get out of the office today. Away from the counseling that so consumed her life and burdened her heart.

A childish giggle from beside her rent the morning air, and she turned to see a father and son tossing a frisbee to a tiny dog in their front yard. Her mind ran with the idea of family for a few minutes, and soon Blaze entered her thoughts. Where was he? What was he up to today? They were still friends after all of these years together and apart. The spark was there between them, her friends had often commented on how sweet they were together, yet nothing ever cemented their relationship.

Just as if everyone had the right to barge into her thought life, her cell phone came to life in her pocket. "Hello." she chirped, feeling much like the birds around her.

"Hey Keely, how are you?" came the gruff voice she'd come to identify as Blaze's.

"Good actually, on a morning stroll. I've got the day off today." she smiled as she spoke and took in the sights around her as her neighborhood came to life.

"Well, would you be interested in lunch?" his next question intrigued her.

She nodded as if he could see then laughed at herself, "Yes, I would love that."

He chuckled, "Okay, how about I pick you up for noon?"

"That'd be perfect, see you then Blaze." she answered, clicking the button to end the call and depositing the cell phone back in her pocket.

Could she get away with dancing her way back home? Excited at the possibilities of a lunch date with Blaze, she nearly skipped all the way back to her apartment. When she retrieved her key from her pocket, and opened the door, she came face to face with Jazzelle nearly screaming. "What are you doing here?"

"I've got a key and permission, remember?" Jazzi smiled presenting her key before tugging Keely inside with her. "Besides, I hear we have a date to get you ready for."

"A...hey, how'd you know that?" she questioned even as her friend dragged her into her room and began going through her closet.

"I've got my sources." Jazzi's answer was muffled by the pile of clothes she grabbed out of the closet and transferred to the bed. "Start trying them on."

"Yes, mom."

"Don't take that tone with me, young lady. I'll be waiting outside!" her friend called over her shoulder as she closed the door behind her.

Keely collapsed on the bed beside the clothes, what to do, what to do.

--

Blaze squinted at his reflection in the mirror, "Oh well, good enough." he shrugged walking away from it without a backward glance. Walking out the door of his apartment, he climbed into the car and took off toward Keely's. She was expecting him at noon, and he'd be there. He'd let her down too many times in the past to do so again. Why couldn't he just admit to himself that she was too good to let go? Sighing, he slammed a fist off the steering wheel as a red light stopped his progression toward her house. "Come on, don't have all day!" he called to the inanimate object.

Finally, it turned green and he passed through the light finally arriving at her house. Getting out, he half walked, half jogged up the sidewalk and pressed the doorbell.

Jazzelle opened the door with a smile, "Well, Blaze, aren't you looking nice."

"Yes, yes, where's Keely?" he asked anxious to see her after their near month break from one another.

"She'll be right out, come on inside." she ushered him inside, and closed the door behind him. "Take a seat, I'll be back with her." Jazzelle disappeared down the hallway before he could even say anything more, so instead he took a seat on one of the couches.

Moments later, Jazzelle reappeared followed shortly by an incredible looking Keely. Eyes blue as the sky lit at the sight of him, and her face stretched with a smile, "Hello, Blaze."

"Hello yourself, I've missed you." he stood, walking toward her and bending slightly to kiss her cheek.

She leaned into his kiss, smiling wider than he thought possible, "Thanks for calling, I've missed you too."

Jazzelle made a coughing noise to be sure they knew she was still in the room, he grinned at her then turned his smile on Keely. "You ready to hit the road, beautiful?"

Keely nodded, "Yep. Lock up before you leave?" she directed her question to Jazzelle.

"Wouldn't leave without doing so, you kids have fun. Have her home before six! We're having girls night!" she called after them.

He chuckled, "Yes, Mom."

--

Jazzelle watched after Keely and Blaze drove off together, she walked back into Keely's bedroom and got back to putting away the clothes she'd strewn all over in a mad search for the perfect outfit. "Well, that's one more couple in your hands, God." she said aloud before hanging another hanger on the rack in the closet. "You know what has to be done, I'm still keeping the others in prayer as well. Keeping the tricks up my sleeve, as well." she grinned.

Her own cell phone jingled to life and she reached for it, "Hello." she greeted the caller.

"Hey Jazzi, it's Alex."

"What's going on, Alex?" she asked, her mind flying to her sister or one of the kids. He never called her cell phone, so why now?

"Nothing is wrong, Jazzi, don't have a cow." he chuckled softly before continuing, "I wanted you to help me co-ordinate a surprise engagement party."

"For who?" she asked, a smile crawling across her face.

"Your sister." he sounded as nervous as she thought he'd be.

She chuckled, "No problem, Alex, we'll give her the proposal she'll never forget." After squaring away the details of the meeting she'd set with her sisters future-fiance, she closed her cell phone and put it in her pocket. "One down, two more to go, two on their way."

"Route for the Home Team."

2006-03-18T18:40:00.000-05:00

Chapter 10

Lidia climbed the stairs to the box seats her friends had insisted on every year, year after year that they'd lived in the Bronx. "So this is it." she said grandly, making a great show of the row of empty seats.

"It's..nice." he muttered behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist and letting her guide her into the seats.

"Nice? This is what Charity calls, prime seating. You see third base?" she pointed toward where the third baseman stood.

He nodded in the affirmative.

"Exactly!" exclaimed Charity from behind them.

"Hey, when'd you get here?" asked Lidia, pulling herself away from his grasp to hug her long time friend.

"Just now." was the reply as Alex filed in behind Charity and the four of them took their seats.

"Where's the rest of the crew?" Altan questioned, as he looked around.

"I'm unsure," came Charity's reply as she looked arounnd the stadium, "Jazzelle said they weren't coming, something about a double date?"

Lidia glanced into the upper tier and sure enough...

--

Jazzelle elbowed Andre, "Pass the popcorn, man."

"Alright, alright, it's coming, it's coming!" he exclaimed shoving the box into her hands.

"Yeah, yeah, so is Christmas." came her muttered reply as she scarfed a handful of the buttery fluff and handed it back.

"This is fun, Jazzi, who's next?" questioned Keely from beside her as she watched Altan and Lidia beside Charity and Alex.

A mischievous grin was her only reply as Jazzelle met her eyes.

"Oooohh no! Not me!" said Keely lifting her arms in surrender.

"If Jazzi says it's you, it's you." called Bethanie from beside Andre.

"It's not me!" Keely said defensively.

"Sure it isn't." laughed Andre.

Muttering to herself, Keely pulled her baseball cap down over her eyes and looked toward the baseball diamond again.

Her friends fell against each other in uproarous laughter, but somehow, she didn't find them the least bit funny!

--

Altan watched as Lidia smiled at him from beside her friend Charity as she carried on a conversation about an upcoming party for one of Alex's children. Sighing, he leaned against his hand and watched further.

"You've got it just as bad as I do." muttered Alex from beside him with a grin as he watched Charity with the eyes of a sleuth.

"What do you mean?" he asked hating taking his eyes from her and turning them toward her friend's boyfriend.

"Wanna' see something, man?" asked Alex reaching for his pocket.

Altan found himself nodding, what did the man have?

A tiny jewelry box was in Alex's hand, he extended it hiding it from the outside world. With a soft rasp, the velvet box was open and Altan found himself staring at a huge diamond on what appeared to be an engagement ring. "I'm going to be asking her to marry me soon. I never thought I'd even settle down enough to marry. You've got it just as bad, I can tell."

"Wow, that's the biggest rock I've ever seen outside of a jewelry store display case." he whispered so as not to be overheard by the women.

"Yep, and if I estimate correctly, you'll be doing just the same thing not so long from now." with those words, Alex hoisted himself up and out of the chair walking toward Charity with a grin on his face.

Altan tapped his chin considering this as he watched Lidia with her friends, he loved her. He really did. Was Alex right? His smile grew as he too hoisted himself to his feet and walked over to the group. This was what was right in his life. Guess it was time to route for the home team and get with the program. He was staying around, for good.

"Route for the Home Team"

2006-03-17T22:29:00.000-05:00

Chapter 9

Sleep evaded her the next week, why she couldn't sleep she'd never know. Staring at the ceiling, she moved further under the sheets, until the sudden ringing of the phone had her squirming to get out. Grasping the phone in on hand, she shoved it up against her ear, "Hello?" she asked breathlessly.

"Lidia? It's Altan. I couldn't sleep. I wondered if you could?" his voice held a hint of a suggestion.

"You called to wake me up to ask if I wasn't asleep?" she raised one eyebrow and smile slyly.

"Well...yes, I suppose so." came his answer.

"Lucky for you I'm awake, or I'd be wringing your neck right about now." she laughed as she spoke, belying her upset state.

"I wondered if you couldn't sleep, if you'd like to come over for that first date I promised. We'll certainly go out somewhere some other time, but I've got a few tricks up my sleeve..." he let his voice trail and she felt awkward.

"Wow, well, okay." she whispered, coughing to get her voice back.

"Not exactly the most enthusiastic reaction to a date request I've gotten before, but it'll work." he added before hanging up the phone.

Smiling now, she hung up the phone and went to find something to wear. He wanted her over for a date, that apparently he'd prepared inside his home. What guy did that? Her mind quickly supplied, only the ones in your books. Sighing, she grasped a nice outfit from her closet and tried it on. Taking a look in the mirror, she decided it was good enough. Any guy who didn't have the decency to call before 3 am to ask for a date didn't deserve more.

Walking out the door, she locked it behind her and shoved her keys into her pocket. It seemed their houses which were close had now gained distance. It was sick really, she was sick. Why did she like him so much? Her heart thumped his praises and she couldn't help listening to it, knocking on the door she took a deep breath and anticipated him.

He sat in his wheel chair inside the door with a smile pastered to his face. "Come on in." he said, opening the door wide to her.

"Thanks," she replied stepping inside.

Once inside, she followed him through the kitchen and into the living room. Her first reaction was to gasp in awe of the room. Altan had prepared an incredible feast, which sat on a small table in the middle of the room.

"For you." he whispered at her side, extending a single red rose toward her.

"How did you..?" her heart gave an excited thump, as her mind worked overtime to figure it out.

"Called in a few favors." was his smug reply.

His hand cupped hers and he led her to the table where a pillow sat on either side of table, where candles were their only light. Lowering herself to the pillow, she watched as he manuevered to do the same keeping his legs clear of the table.

"So we finally get our date." she sighed happily before testing the food before her.

"Yes, finally." he winked at her as if he was in on a private joke.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked finally, annoyed that he wouldn't stop grinning at her.

"You're beautiful, even at three in the morning."

She felt her face heat, "Thank you."

--

Altan watched Lidia turn as red as the strawberry shortcake before her, he couldn't help but smile again. With one hand he reached across the table to grasp her hand, while the other traveled to her returning smile as if drawn there by itself. Slowly, he traced the lines of her smile with his finger tip while she watched him with growing brown eyes. "Your cute when you're flustered too." he whispered.

"Thanks." came her return whisper as she stared into his eyes.

He swallowed hard at the look in her eyes, he'd been right. She had fallen for him as badly as he'd fallen for her. "Lidia?" he questioned, pulling his hand away for a brief moment before placing it in his pocket.

"Altan?" her voice was soft as if she knew he'd peaked in at the emotions that dwelt deep inside of her.

"Do you mind coming over here?" his voice now seemed all to loud for the quiet setting around them.

Within seconds she was at his side, "This better?" she asked in a whisper.

Nodding slowly, he ducked his head to press his lips to hers getting lost in the very presence of who she was. Her scent surrounded him, and her soft dark hair flowed over his hands. Sighing in happiness, he deepend the kiss and pulled her close to him. He never wanted to let go, he realized that now. With that shocking realization, he broke the kiss. "Lidia, I don't want this to end." he pressed, reaching for her hand.

Her eyes were wide, "You broke that kiss to say that?" Her teasing smile returned as well as the glint of mischief in her eyes.

With a smile of his own he pulled her into his arms gently as to keep her away from his legs, slowly he rocked back and forth. Smile growing by the minute he began to sing, "I think I love you, so what am I so afraid of?"

Laughter greated his singing as she knew as well as he did he was terrible, however he hoped she got the picture. "Are you serious?" she grinned throwing her head back to stare up into his eyes.

He nodded his head again, "I'm quite serious. I love you, Lidia."

Eyes brightening, she covered the distance between them to bring her lips to his again. "I love you too, Altan."

"Route for the Home Team."

2006-03-16T08:28:00.001-05:00

Chapter 8

Lidia rolled the wheel chair into Altan's home, complete with complaining patient.

"I do not need to be wheeled around like a baby." he muttered as he transfered himself from the chair to the couch.

"Sure you don't, Mister I-enjoy-jumping-from-airplanes-and-landing-hard." she taunted, poking him in the side, frowning as he winced. "Sorry!"

"Yeah, next time remember the ribs, please!" he exaggerated falling over and clasping his side with one large hand.

"I said sorry, shut up, Altan." she tossed a pillow at his head, ducking into the kitchen before he could throw it back at her. Grabbing the makings for a sandwich from the cooler she'd hauled over from her house, she made him a quick lunch of a sandwich and chips. Peace ascended over her at the thoughts of him being home, finally. After two weeks of him complaining in that hospital room, they'd gotten sick of him and thrown him out. Okay, so not exactly, but it was what she'd told him.

"Are you hurrying or am I starving?" he called from the other room.

"Starving!" she yelled, grinning as she filled a glass with lemonade. Quickly, so as her new patient wouldn't starve, she scurried back into the living room. "I'm here, I'm here, don't die!" Handing him the plate and glass, she took a seat beside him.

"Thank you." he whispered before taking a bite of the sandwich and smiling. "This is peanut butter and jelly."

"Well, what did you expect? Roast beef? A girl's only got so much on hand at a time." rolling her eyes, she chuckled letting herself feel the unexpected happiness that bubbled inside of her at his surprise.

"I didn't expect to revert to my childhood, but it's not so bad." he grinned now as he broke off half of his sandwich and handed it to her. "Got any cookies and milk for later?"

She nodded, "Sure do." The smile that stretched his face made her heart do a happy dance, what was this feeling and why for Altan? Would he still need her after he'd recuperated from his injuries? Could her heart handle letting him go again?

--

Altan watched as Lidia cleaned up his apartment for him, and he hadn't the heart to tell her the maid would be over tomorrow. Her smile as if she was enjoying herself caught him off guard, and he laid back on the couch. Just watching her made his heart do odd things, he really was falling fast and hard. Too sleepy to sit up any longer, he closed his eyes and waited for sleep to overtake him. However, it seemed his heart was too busy doing flip flops and his brain involuntarily reviewing all she'd done for him over the years and for the past month. Sighing, he opened his eyes, if he was going to see her anyway, might as well be in the present. "Lid?"

She stopped her progression through the house, and turned to him, "What?"

"Come here." he beckoned, sitting up and tapping the seat next to him with a hand.

Shrugging, she walked over and sat beside him, "What is it?"

With a smile, he caught a piece of her hair between his fingers and smoothed it behind her ear. "Once I get better, I'm going to take you on a date that you could only dream of." he said finally, letting his fingers graze her cheek.

"A date? You and me?" her eyes popped open wide as she stared at him in disbelief.

"Who else? We're the ones who've been flirting shamelessly for a month now. Also the ones who feel something for each other." he whispered, knowing he sounded to her like a complete idiot. Somehow he wished his heart wasn't beating so loud that she could most definitely hear it.

"Well..I guess you're right." she turned toward him, eyes full of questions as she found herself within inches of his face.

"I am right, Lid, believe me." with a wink, he leaned in a pressed his lips to hers. So much for staying unattached until he was sure.

Flustered now, she pulled away, "Okay, I can try." she whispered back, leaning against him for what he considered all too brief a moment.

"Try hard, because I like you, Lidia." he now felt all of sixteen again.

"I'm glad you do, Altan, I like you too." saying that, she rose from her seat beside him and went back to cleaning up.

After a few hours more of being together, she paused the movie they were watching, "I think I should go on home now. It's getting late." Standing, she grabbed her sweatshirt and pulled it over her.

"Alright, if that's how it has to be." grinning at her, he transferred himself back into the wheelchair and strolled along after her. "Thanks for being here, Lidi."

She turned toward him with a smile, "Anytime, and I'll be back tomorrow. Call me if you need anything." With a nod she was on her way.

Sighing, he watched after her as she walked to her house just next door. That girl had sure gotten a hold of his heart. But what was he going to do about that?

With a stunning realization, he found his answer. Nothing. He was going to do absolutely nothing about it.

"Route for the Home Team."

2006-03-16T08:28:00.000-05:00

"Route for the Home Team"

2006-03-13T22:48:00.000-05:00

Chapter 7

The smell of antiseptic only served to make Lidia nauseous as she sat faithfully waiting in the chair beside Altan's bed. The doctor had said he'd be waking up anytime now, yet he still lay there with closed eyes. He drew ragged breaths in and out, and for the first time in her life she worried more than she thought healthy. Two broken legs, three broken ribs, fractured arms...the list kept going on. Her heart thudded painfully against her chest as she watched him. He was so full of life, why had this happened to him? Biting a lip thoughtfully, she decided that whatever it took for him to get better she was going to be there to help.

"Stop staring, that look could raise the dead." muttered Altan, his lips moving slowly.

Feeling like she'd pushed a key into an electric socket she watched him, "Well my my my, look who's ready to wake up."

"Not so much, the world being dark was much better than staring at a hospital room and feeling what I feel." he whispered before turning to her. "Although, from this angle it's not a bad view."

She wished she could slap him without hurting him, "Aw, shut up."

His lips tugged into a grin as he watched her, "I'm serious, you're all I thought about while I was laying there, Lid."

"Well," she said scooting her chair closer to the bed, "would you believe that I thought of everything but you while you were gone?"

Chuckling now, he shook his head, "No way, Jose'."

"The name's Lidia..where did those nurses go? I think you've got amnesia too."

"Oh this is Ludia all over again!"

She found herself laughing so hard at the old joke that she could hardly stay seated. "I still hate her." she added decisively. He'd made Ludia up a long time ago, yet the years seemed to fade away when they were together.

His eyes met hers in that brief moment, "I know you do." he uttered with a smile.

A shiver ran through her limbs as she stared into his dark eyes, what was going on with her?

--

Altan sat staring at a now sleeping Lidia, a smile crossing his face briefly before confusion clouded his mind again. When he'd come back into her life he'd expected for them to pick up with being friends and shameless flirting, however now he was feeling much more. Could the things he felt for her be put into words? How could he feel so much without even a first date? His heart confirmed what he felt, kicking up against his sore ribs. Taking in a deep breath he kept his eyes fixated on her, vowing whenever she awoke to kid her about the soft snoring that he now found endearing. Comforted by her presence, he closed his eyes and felt himself drift off into the nowhere land that was his dreams.

Opening his eyes what seemed like minutes later, he took in the empty chair and the breakfast tray that lay on his bedside table. Where was she? Ears tuning to a soft melody from a slight distance, he moved his head to find where she was.

"I'm over here." came the soft voice he'd dreamt about.

He felt himself smiling, "Hey, did you know you snore when you sleep?"

She blinked from her spot arranging baskets of flowers on the window ledge, "I do no such thing."

"Okay, you believe that, Lidi..."he let his voice trail off, "Who are the flowers from?" He was confused, no one knew it was him missing yet, did they?

"My family and friends." she put in quickly, turning toward him wearing a large smile.

"That was awfully nice of them." he felt unworthy of the gifts they'd sent. What had he done, aside from crashing a plane into the mountains?

"Stop thinking like that, their glad you're okay. That's all." she read his mind.

They both settled into the comfortable silence between them, until a nurse came in and she scooted out to get something for herself to eat.

"Your girlfriend is quite pretty." put in the nurse as she took his blood pressure and inspected his wounds.

"Thanks..but..." he tried to correct her, but the nurse simply wouldn't shut up about all that Lidia had done during the night.

Did he really want to correct her? His brain spun in the cloudy sea of confusion, yet one thing remained sure. He loved Lidia. Heart pounding, he listened to the nurse babble on, yet his eyes were fixated on the door waiting for her to return.

--

Jazzelle cornered Lidia in the hospital corridor outside of Altan's room, "How is he?" she asked, leaning against the wall and very much aware of her spot in Lid's way.

"He's fine. I'm falling faster than I've ever fallen before." she relayed dejectedly hanging her head.

"Hey," said Jazzelle, lifting her friends chin with her hand, "Come on, Lid, we've had it rougher than this. Remember Howard?" She could almost see the gears working in Lidia's head as she conjured up an image of the awful blind date Bethanie had set for her.

"Oh my, do I..who could forget Howard? He's an awful memory." decided Lidia, gaining more of her usual sparkle to her eyes.

"Well, that man in there is much better than Howard could ever hope to be. If he likes you even a tenth of as much as I can see that you still like him, you've got a chance." she enthused, feeling much like the cheerleaders she despised.

"You think so?" her friend, very much like a younger sister looked at her with eyes full of doubt and questions.

She smiled and nodded, "I do." She watched as Lidia turned on her heel and walked back toward the room. "Now if I were only so certain about my own love life, we'd be set." she added decisively before turning on her own heel and walking back toward the waiting room.

"Route for the Home Team."

2006-03-12T14:10:00.000-05:00

Chapter 6

Lidia was beyond furious with the plant life around her, "This is why I live in New York City!" she fumed, shoving away a plant that'd attacked her leg. It's bristly thorns clung to her sock and she kicked angrily. "Dane! Help me with this thing!" she shouted at her friend's back ignoring his eye rolling.

"You are holding us up, Lid, we could've been down the other side of this mountain by now." he muttered as he knelt and freed her of the clingy plant.

"You don't have to tell me again, I'm quite aware of the time constraints. Thank you for once again making me feel all of two feet tall." Shoving past him, she stomped up past the next few trees before more brush slapped her in the legs. Feeling the pain twinge in her already open wound she gritted her teeth and moved further.

"I'm sorry, Lid, really, I am." he whined moving closer to her and keeping his steps measured with her's, so he could be a total and complete nuisance.

"Well, Dane, right about now I'm pretty sorry I asked you to come." she muttered.

"Aw, c'mon Lid, don't be a spoil sport."

"A what? Where did you even get that phrase from?!" she questioned, rolling her eyes at him and shaking her head. When she had gotten in front of him, and pushed through the large growth of trees and brush, she came to a clearing.

"I don't know exactly, it just fit." he said, coming up behind her.

Jumping, she swatted him with her hand, "Don't scare me like that."

"Ooooh, someone's jumpy!"

Just as she turned to yell at him once more, something that eerily felt like a hand grasped her ankle.

--

Altan held tight to the first glimmer of hope as he opened his eyes, was he halucinating or was he really holding a human ankle? His heart fluttered with renewed hope as a very feminine scream pierced his ear drum. "Calm down." he whispered, trying to use his quite sorry sounding voice.

"Altan?" the question was also asked in the near-hilarious voice as the woman's face came into view. She looked familiar, who was she? Why was she here?

"That's my name..who are...wait a minute! Lidia?" he asked, sitting up and then regretting that he had he fell back.

"Aye Dios mio! Dane! Look at him.." her voice was soft now as she touched one of his beyond sore legs.

"I'll be okay, don't worry." he added quickly taking a deep breath between clenched teeth as she aggrivated the injury with prodding hands.

"You don't look okay to me!" she whimpered taking in the scrapes he'd acquired on his face. At least, he hoped they were just scrapes.

"You're gonna need some medical attention, man." agreed Dane, lifting a cell phone from his side.

"I tried calling...but you see my cell phone looks worse than me." he gestured to the pile of broken parts beside him.

"I'd say so." said Lidia, her voice still hushed.

"Hey, I'm really not so bad, Lid. I'll be fine, and we can go out on a date. How's that sound?" he did his best at an attempt to smile.

"Sounds okay, I don't know. Are you sure I have to go on it with you?" she smiled back at him, grasping a hurting hand inside hers. Though, he hardly minded at this point, he was just pretty glad she was here.

"Well, hey, fine suit yourself. Find yourself some other guy who'd put up with you on this mountain." slowly he turned his head from side to side as if looking for another man. "Sorry, no takers."

Lowering herself next to him, she pressed a kiss to his forehead, "That's quite fine."

"Can't even go away for five minutes to call some help and you two are flirting again. Man, you'd think a week of seperation would stop the two of you." called Dane from his spot on the sidelines.

"Shut up." Altan called back, grinning up at Lidia.

--

Dane sighed as he watched out the window of the helicopter, "Did you have to kiss him before they knocked him out?" he asked Lidia from his seat beside a rescue flight paramedic.

The paramedic cocked an eyebrow of interest, "You two an item?"

"No!" she replied testily before turning back to Dane, "And shut up."

Holding up both hands in his defense he pulled back away from her, "Bite my head off why don't you, I was asking a question!"

"Right, and I'm the queen of England." Lidia rolled her eyes before casting them back on Altan's now still form.

"All hail her majesty." he muttered a grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Real pleasure to meet such royalty, ma'am." said the paramedic tipping his cap.

"You can shut up too, you're not supposed to be talking. You are supposed to be making him better."

"Right away." griped the paramedic.

Dane couldn't hold back his smile any longer as they landed with a whirl in the parking lot of the nearest hospital. The paramedics rushed off with the gurney containing a very broken, yet hardly dead Altan. Lidia trailed along behind them, and he walked at a slower pace following them. His cell phone jangled to life, and he repeated the details he'd been told by the paramedic and that he'd lived to Jazzelle. When he hung up the phone, he dialed his wife's work number, this had the promise of a long day. At least this story was going to have a happy ending, right now.

"Route for the Home Team"

2006-03-10T08:32:00.000-05:00

Chapter 5

The morning dawned bright and fine, the sun's first rays of light shone into her bedroom causing her to stir awake. Stretching her arms high above her head, Lidia stood on the wooden floor for a few minutes before grabbing fresh clothes from her closet for the day. With measured steps, she reached the bathroom and quickly stepped from the chill of the morning into the shower. Letting the warmth of the water wash away the night's cares and waking fully, she stepped out and toweled off before donning her clothes. Sighing, she made her way to the kitchen and hit the on button on her coffee maker before turning on the morning news.

"When we come back, Hillary Matthews will follow the story of a missing pilot and the search for his remains."

The words had her eyes glued to the set, and she searched for some sign of Altan. Feeling like she'd been kicked in the stomach, she sat waiting as the news logo flashed on before a commercial. "You'd better come back soon, Miss Hillary Matthews!" she shouted at the television feeling helpless.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the news report came back. HIllary Matthews was a slinky, blonde who made her want to rip her hair out of her head and scream. The woman knew next to nothing, and "as of now there is no word," seemed to be her favorite saying. They wouldn't mention the pilot's name, all they'd say was he had been on his way to San Francisco with freight. Sighing, she switched off the television and reached for the phone. By memory, she dialed the number she'd dialed next to eighty time this past week. Where was Altan?

"Altan, it's Lidia again. I'm worried about you. Call me back when you get this!" she said to his answering service. If and when he got home he'd hate her for the number of messages she'd left over the week.

Taking a deep breath, she hung up the phone and stared out the window toward his house. Where was he? Her heart thudded that she knew the answer, her mind reeled as she took in the possibilities. Altan was somewhere between here and San Francisco hurt or even more possibly dead. Tears burned at her eyes and she wiped them back furiously, why would he come back into her life only to be ripped away again?

Sighing, she grabbed the phone there was only one person to call for a rescue mission. Dialing the number she knew by heart, she waited for the voice on the other end to sound. "Dane, I need help."

--

Oxygen. Fighting the frustration and fright that closed in around him, Altan tried to catch what little breath he had left. He had no idea how long he'd laid in this same spot, paralyzed by the pain and elements that swirled to life around him. Birds flew above his head, calling to one another in their own native tongue. For once he felt part of the things going on around him, not an outsider intruding on the peacefulness of nature. However, he noted, peaceful wasn't a word he'd use for the things that surrounded him for what had to be an eternity now. No, this colidescope of colors that swirled around him had life of its own, quite a stressful one as well. Bears, wolves, mountain lions, they all roved somewhere in the distance searching for their prey. Their calls could be heard at all hours of the night as he tried to sleep away the exhaustion lethargy had preyed upon him.

Beyond the animals that surrounded him, was the elements. Wind, water, and sun were among the harshest of all. If it wasn't raining in the form of a torrential downpour, it was so hot he could barely lay still. He was sure most of his skin had burned off in the light the sun gave off. Even the thought of the wind that blew through the trees at night had him shivering. He was so sick he could hardly believe it when he heard voices in the distance. Maybe he was hallucinating, he'd heard that that could happen during extreme cases such as he was in.

Staring up at the clear blue sky, he once more ignored the throbbing pain in his back and limbs, he wondered what Lidia was thinking right now. Laying there on his back, surrounded by nature, he decided one thing. Should he come out of this ordeal alive, he'd look at life much differently. Beginning with his relationship with Lidia first.

--

Dane climbed the foot of the mountain along side Lidia, his best friend of ten years, shaking his head at the situation. How did she get herself into these things? A question he voiced out loud, only to be silenced by a quelling look from his counter part. "Fine, hate me, like I care!" he exclaimed, extending a hand to help her up to the next rock.

"Shut up, Dane." she commented moving up past him, "I'm listening for Altan."

"You do know chances are pretty slim that he's in this mountain range, right?" he cocked an eyebrow and waited for her reply.

Apparently she'd chosen to ignore him, for she walked past again hands on hips and a closed look on her face. Her mouth moved as she muttered a curse when she tripped over a large piece of scrap metal.

"What is that?" he asked focusing in on the piece of metal instead of his now injured friend.

"Like I know, or care at this moment..I do know that my leg is now ripped open." Lidia muttered, biting her lip as she inspected the cut on her leg.

Grabbing the metal with both hands, he inspected it closely a number 32 was printed in big bold letters. Under the bold numbers were the smaller letters, AEB. "Lid!"

"What?" she muttered, looking up at him ready to pounce.

"What number did they say Altan's plane was?"

"132, why?" standing again, she moved to his side looking over the piece of metal in his hands.

"What are the chances?" he asked, handing it to her.

"I'd say their pretty slim, let's get moving though." she led the way up the mountain through trees and brush, hoping against hope they'd find Altan this way.

"I just hope we find him alive." Dane whispered to himself watching with concern as Lidia climbed further ahead.

"Route for the Home Team"

2006-03-08T08:03:00.000-05:00

Chapter 4

The next morning, Lidia opened her file and lost herself in the lives of her characters again. With each passing minute, another thought about Altan bombarded her thinking process. Shrugging it off, she once more plunged with both feet into her writing and tried to lose herself. The coffee pot, which was set to a timer, came to life and she found herself leaving the document for another time. Surveying the refridgerator, she grabbed out a carton of eggs and began making herself an omlet. All while trying to press her neighbor out of her mind. Checking the clock on the microwave, she noted that it was now ten in the morning and if he hadn't waken up by now that was his own fault. Grabbing the phone, she dialed his house number which he'd left the night of the party.

After three rings, the answering machine kicked on and she left a quick message before returning the phone to it's cradle. Maybe he had an early morning flight, or some errands to run? Shrugging, she went back to making a quick breakfast before trying to return to the characters who tried to beckon her. Just as soon as she sat back down in her computer chair, the phone came to life. Grabbing it quickly, she propped it between her ear and shoulder. "Hello."

"Hey, how are you?" it was Charity's voice, instead of the one she'd hoped for.

"I'm writing, how are you?" she asked, typing in a few more words as her muse allowed her to work.

"Trying to get Ava to eat her green beans." this statement was punctuated by a shrill noise and the clatter of a plate to the floor.

"Sounds like you're having as much luck with her as I am with writing." grinned Lidia, typing a few more words then shaking her head at them.

"Well listen, I did want to give you a heads up, seems theres a big storm headed our way. Just letting you know ahead of time so you can be prepared to save your document quickly and turn off the computer. We know what happened last time." she could almost see Charity nodding as she recalled the situation.

"We had to have a chocolate drowning party to drown away my sorrows. I miss that manuscript."

"Exactly, now save it and get away from it. Come over if you want, I'm baking again."

Lidia smiled at her friends insistance, closing out of the document and hitting save when the button came to the screen. "I'll be over later, I want to go over and see Altan first."

"Awwww, okay. That's so cute though, Lidia. I'm so happy for you." Charity babbled as she whispered to Ava to eat the veggies.

"Thanks, Charity. I'll see you in a bit." With quick precise movements she turned off the computer and got ready for the day. Grabbing her writing notebook and some pens, she tossed them into her canvas bag. Slowly, she made her way out the door and walked the space between her and Altan's houses.

Knocking, she waited for Altan's smiling face to appear behind the door, but nothing happened. Sighing, she resolved that he must be out right now, and she walked to her car. Soon, she was at Charity and Cherlin's apartment, explaining that Altan was out. She tried to hold back the fact that it disappointed her to not be able to see him before she started her day.

--

Altan lay on his back in what must be three feet of mud, yet still through the stickiness of mud he could feel the rough rocks. Nothing worked out in his favor, the rain had only served to make him cold instead of refreshed. Now, shivering and aching to do so was his life. Staring up at the still grey sky, he searched for a way to move. Last night, during the torrential downpours that had fallen upon him, he'd tried to get up. What a mistake that had been! Both of his legs were broken, he was coming to terms with that now. The pain was terrible, starting at the tips of his toes and slowly making a ripple effect throughout his body. He only hoped there was nothing wrong with his spine, yet he hoped the pain he felt was a good thing.

Glancing to the side, he saw the plane in its disarray, part of it was missing as it'd slid down the mountain last night in the rain. Shrugging mentally was easier and so he did so, before thinking about Lidia again. What would she think? Would she realize he was missing? His heart near stop beating, no one would notice he was missing, aside from the freight guys who would miss their cargo soon. Virtually, he had no one that cared where he went or what he did, who would miss him if he died up here on this mountain? The grey clouds drifted in the sky and he wondered if Lidia would miss him.

"I won't let this happen again, if I get off this mountain." he vowed aloud to himself. "I'm going to find out what is going on between us, I'm going to set things straight. I need her to care." The words uttered aloud had him feeling less strained. Slowly, ever so slowly, the pain ebbed away as sleep overcame him. In the darkness of his mind, his body sighed in relief.

--

Earl Peabody checked his watch and the calendar again, it was three days after he'd demanded his shipment be at his loading docks. Grabbing the phone off it's hook, he jammed it up against his ear and dialed the numbers hurriedly. "HUDSON!" he barked into the phone as someone on the other line answered.

"Yes, Mr. Peabody?" asked Hudson, most assuredly jumping to butt-kissing mode at the angry tones of his employers voice.

"Where is my freight, man? You promised it three days ago!"

The man on the receiving end of his temper seemed flustered, he could hear papers shifting on the other end. Nervous humming, and the phone being passed between his hands, "I thought it had reached you, sir."

"Well obviously it hasn't if I'm calling, who did you send on the run?" he demanded.

"Altan, sir." came the clipped reply.

"Altan?" he felt the confusion the name brought. Usually, Altan would have the freight in just after he called in the order. Something was wrong. "Well, I think we have a missing persons case on our hands. Altan never showed."

"He never showed?" the confusion of the other man was apparent as well.

"Something is definitely wrong with him, Hudson, get the police on the phone."

"Yes sir, right away!" came the next reply just before the dial tone rang in his ear.

"Route for the Home Team"

2006-03-07T07:15:00.000-05:00

Chapter 3

Stepping out of her car, Lidia walked toward the mall waving to Keely and Jazzelle as she crossed the street. "Hey, sorry I'm late, important meeting over lunch."

Jazzelle stepped closer looking her up and down with a grin in place, "You were with Altan."

"What? How did you know?" questioned Lidia, taking a step back from her friend.

Keely giggled, walking over toward them. "You see the glassy-eyed stare into space, where you're most likely day dreaming about him."

"That goofy grin plastered on your face." added Jazzi with a nod.

"Okay, so maybe I was." she hestitated feeling defensive of her personal life for the first time in a long time. These friends of hers hadn't let her shun them out of her life as was her normal pattern. No, they'd thrown the door open to her heart and made themselves comfortable. "Now are we going to shop or talk about my personal life?"

"Both!" decided Jazzi, linking her arm through Lidia's with a flourish.

"Um-hum!" Keely added, grabbing hold of her other arm.

"I have the feeling this is going to be a long day." complained Lidia good naturedly teasing her friends.

Together they went in and out of stores for hours, until all three of them were thoroughly exhausted. Jazzi checked her watch, "What do you say we call it a day and meet Charity and Bethanie for dinner?"

"Sounds great to me." she answered decisively, taking a seat on the bench outside the mall.

"Me too." added Keely, taking the seat beside her.

Within the hour, they were at the food court in the mall ordering pizzas for the four of them, laughing about the recent situations in their lives. After catching up on the latest guy stories, and cute children stories from Charity, the group sat in near silence.

"Wow...we're growing up." whispered Jazzelle after a long break in the conversation.

Lidia nodded, "I guess everyone has to sometime...right?" She looked around at the group of friends who'd been through a lot with her in the past years. Together they were unbreakable, yet so much had changed in each of their individual lives. Just as she was going on to think about Altan, a hand shot over her shoulder and grabbed a slice of pizza from the tray.

"Hey Andre." said Charity very casually glancing over Lidia's shoulder.

"Hello ladies." he mumbled around a mouthful of pizza.

"Always eating!" stated Jazzi, shaking her head at him.

He grinned, "Man's gotta eat!"

"Yes, but why not somewhere else?" asked Lidia smiling over her shoulder at him.

Chuckling, he grabbed another slice of pizza, "Oh you all love having me around, admit it."

"Okay, we love you..now go away..we're talking about boys again." Keely giggled as she spoke, looking around for someone to add to their collection of 'available men.'

"Don't say I stopped your quests for husbands...I'm gone. See you all later!" he walked away, joining a group of friends before he was out of their line of sight.

--

Altan frowned at the feeling of foreboding in his gut as he climbed aboard the charter plane he was to fly to San Francisco today. Shrugging it off as a fluke, he did a quick routine check of the gauges and the plane itself. Satisfied, he took his seat and got the flight under way.

Staring out at the thick clouds under him, Altan felt the joy of his flying. He still loved every minute of it, no matter how many flights he'd been on. The feeling wasn't the same with both feet on the ground. He'd always enjoyed being up in the air, and being in control of the plane. Just flying for the sake of the love of it. However today, instead of just thinking of flying, he was also thinking about Lidia. The way her eyes lit when she laughed, or the way she could read what he was thinking before he even said it aloud. What was that? The connection that still ran so deep after all of these years.

A dinging in the background caught his attention, shaking his head, he came back from his day dream and looked down at the board of lights and gauges before him. What was happening? He was losing altitude quickly, hurtling toward the ground at a speed he used only for good weather flying. His mind flew with pictures of safety techniques that'd been drilled into his head over the years. Yet, not one seemed to be good for this experience. Quickly, he made his way to the back of the plane and strapped on a parachute.

Glancing out the window, he noted he was just above a mountain range. "Lovely, this will make for quite a splattering." he muttered, trying to find the safest place to jump to.

With what looked like seconds to go, he jumped from the plane into what seemed to be a pile of pine needles. His world was turning upside down, side ways, and every other way, ways that couldn't be natural. Closing his eyes, he wondered why he'd enjoyed flying so much in a plane if without it he was having a hard time believing he was even alive. As he came to meet the ground, he found that the pile of pine needles was really a cover up for large boulders. Sprawled out on his back against the rocks, he found the sky to be quite blue through the mess of trees and mountains. "It's beautiful here, but where am I?" Ignoring the throbbing pain in his body, he reached for what had been his cell phone. The shattered remains filtered through his fingers and lay on the rocks beside him. "Great service." he muttered wishing he could kick something. Heck, being able to move would be lovely right about now!

Not too far from him lay what remained of his charter plane. He sighed heavily, wincing at the pain breathing brought. "Well now what?" he asked no one in particular.

Rain began to fall from the sky, and not a light rain either. Sighing, he winced again. If he thought it couldn't get any worse, it just had. Lovely. All in a day's work for Altan, or so it seemed.