&&WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

[*Alayna [x]Marten*]

^{Alayna felt his strong arms pick her up and a sudden pain hit her like a freight train. She cringed her eyes going from the pale icy blue to a dark brown almost black. He walked slowly as to not jar her so much but it was painfull all the same. For awhile Alayna stuck it out one arm around his neck and the other gripping into her now ruined pants. For awhile she didnt really know where to focus here painful face on but then she looked at Chance. She had felt this way only about one other person before and that had been the father of her child, and even then the feeling wasnt as strong as it was now. She wondered for a moment why he was helping her. She didnt even know his name. She had the sudden urge to tell him her name but she didnt know if that was right. Her throat still hurt her but she knew she would be able to get the words out if she really tried. Alayna Marten.. Was all she could cough out before tears began rolling down her face again. Within seconds her eyes began to flutter and she was passed out mainly from the lose of blood. All she could think about was Ruben and Sydney. They were the only ones that she had been living for this past month. But for some reason this mans face appeared in her head brighter than all the other ones. His transparent grey eyes shining above anything else. She couldnt understand this. Why was he appearing over anything else? He didnt know his name or anything else about him. All she knew was that he was kind for helping her.}

[&.chance traven;]

The walk down the alley way was hard; Chance would not lie and tell you it wasn't. He was a journalist, not a body builder, and he sure was not used to carrying anything heavier than some boxes in his arms. He wished he didn't have to cause her pain when he picked her up, and he hoped she would be okay. It took a while for Chance to warm up to people, a while before he would be able to have a relaxed conversation with them or say much other than his name and polite trivialities. But, with this woman, he had been forced to become more intimate than he had in a long while. He couldn't remember the last time he had touched anyone in anyway past a handshake. The last person he could think of was Calisto, because he hadn't even done anything more than hold his grandfather’s hand as he passed on. Cancer was a brutal thing, and something that Chance loathed deeply. Something he would probably react violently to if ever exposed to it, the word, the news, someone he loved. The pad he had in his back pocket, the one that housed and carried all his ideas, dug ruthlessly into the flesh of his back, tender flesh, but he was concentrating on far more important things to notice it. He tore his eyes from the street ahead of him when he heard her hoarse voice. He bit his lip hard, trying not to look away, but almost unable to watch the tears mix with the blood.

“Chance Traven.” he whispered, but he knew she had fallen unconscious. It must have been a good half hour walk to the double doors of the hospital, and he was coated with her blood and his own sweat by the time he made it to the building. His muscles ached and he had a throbbing headache, but he was there. At least, that’s what the hospital sign proclaimed atop the building. He made it into the emergency room waiting area, thank god for automatic doors, and called hoarsely for someone to help him.

[*Alayna [x]Marten*]

<sup>There was nothing left to do. She was passed out and more and more blood continued to poor from the cuts and gashes on her body. She had lost allot of blood and no matter how badly she wanted to wake up she couldnt. Alayna knew things were going on around her but she couldnt react to it. Her head lay motionless against Chance's shoulder tears mixing wih the blood flowing from her nose and a trickle from her mouth. The next thing she knew she was in the hospital. Alayna could feel Chance's chest expand as he yelled for help. It took a few minutes for some nurses to single out his voice. There were so many other people there crying and asking for help but as soon as the nurses saw the bloodsoaked boy and girl they ran over with a bed and gently took Alayna from his arms and placed her on the bed. It didnt soak the bed immediately with blood but if they did stop the bleeding than it definetely would be soaked soon. The nurses nodded towards him to let him know she was in good hands before they took her off to the emergency room. Another nurse saw his blood soaked shirt and jeans and walked over towards him. This nurse just so happened to be a man I have a extra pair of clothes I can get for you to change into. He looked concerned and he knew that sitting in someone else's blood was quite nerve racking and sickening. In the meantime the doctors had Alayna in surgery trying to stitch up and repair the injuries that had been done to her. She had been cut up pretty bad so it would definetely take awhile.

It was almost two hours later before the doctor came out of the surgery room. A few nurses rushed to tend to Alayna and get her comfortable and soon she was sleeping soundly. The doctor and nurses knew she would wake up in a matter of minutes and would be in some pain but they had given her some meds in IV to get rid of most of it. The doctor walked over towards Chance with a happy smile on his face. Well it looks like she is going to be ok. She has many stitches and a couple of her muscles were torn, you may go see her now. She should be awake when you get in there. If not she will be awake soon. He really hated to ask people that question but it was his job. He had brought the girl in so he must be of some relation or know her somehow. He had immediately recognized the poor girl as the model that was ever so slowly starting to become famous. HE had rather taken an interest in her but he knew she wasnt going to be modeling any time soon. Luckily he had saved her from the misery of having scars and that was a good thing or else she would never be able to model again.

ooc:I wasnt going to post anything with Alayna until my next post.</sup>

[&.chance traven;]

The blood clung to his skin, until it was all he could feel, seeping up between the fibers of his shirt, onto his skin. The muscles in his arms were on fire, and he somehow managed to still keep clear thoughts in his head. The few minutes waiting were silent, at least on his part, as he struggled to keep holding her, trying not to drop her. Chance was weak, yeah, he didn't work out, unless you counted writing a work out, and he was pretty much out of shape. Had it not been for the adrenaline coursing through his veins, he very well might have loosened his grip, or maybe even notice that his legs were trembling slightly. Not enough for anyone to notice, but enough so that it made him look just a teensy bit unsteady. As soon as the nurses came into view, he let out an internal sigh of relief, glad she was going to be taken care of. As the weight was taken from him, he became aware of the intense ache in his back and the fire in his arms that made him want to grab onto something solid. His palms were sweaty, so he wiped them on his pants, grimacing when all that accomplished was getting more slick blood on his hands.

He blinked, pulling much needed air into his lungs, but couldn't force himself to look away from the girl, Alyana, his teeth troubling his bottom lip until the only spot on him not covered in blood was bleeding too. Okay, well, it wasn't the only spot, his back was clean, except for the sweat, but his forehead had recently gathered the crimson liquid as well when he couldn't help but run his hand through his hair to get it off his face, putting red streaks within the brown and blond hues as well. His heart still beat fiercely in his chest, the feeling he wasn't quite fond of, being hot, and sweaty, and cold and numb all at the same time. Being covered in blood didn't help either. His eyes trailed after her long after the emergency room doors swung shut. He flinched when the male nurse addressed him, but a steady, though weakened smile appeared on his pale lips.“I'd appreciate it, sir, and thank you.” Hah! There goes that annoying habit of being polite again. Only, you really couldn't call it annoying because being polite was the thing that most people were supposed to be. He watched as the man went into the locker room to retrieve the clothes.

Chance could only stand in the middle of the waiting room, looking tired, and slightly lost, before the man came back with a pair of black slacks, and a white Killers long sleeve shirt. Chance smiled gratefully, his eyes loosing some of the misty grey color, but still not entirely filled with relief. The man nodded and went off to do the other medical duties he had to do, and Chance wandered into one of the washrooms, the man had pointed out and assured him it was perfectly fine to go in there. His Converse were probably the only article of clothing not soaked with blood, and he was a bit relieved about that, considering those were the first shoes he had ever bought in America. It felt odd, really, when he thought that he was somewhat of an immigrant to the United States, at least if you went by his old identity, the one whose citizenship lay in Australia, and not here in America, like Chance Traven`s did. Chance used to get hung up on the name change and would slip up sometimes and give out his real name, but he had stopped doing that a while ago. The staff washroom was tiled in green, two shades, light and dark, and there was a mirror all the way across the wall, with very neat, large sinks. Chance wasn't feeling tired, just a little achy. He bit his lip, harder than he wanted and winced, watching as the reflection in the mirror did the same. The crimson liquid soaked through him, and he almost shuddered at the image, thinking briefly that this could have been Cali`s blood. He wished he could have been there to save her.

It took him a few moments to focus, before he pulled himself into a stall and turned on the water. Yup, they had showers. Which was nice. He turned on the water, letting the water bleed over his fully clothed body. It was cold, and hot, and nothing all at the same time. He briefly wondered if he was supposed to be using it, but as his head leaned against the wall, probably from the shock of it all, he couldn't bring himself to care. The blood that was on his skin slowly started to seep off, mixing with the water into a pinkish swirl of water down the drain. He blinked, shaking his head slightly to free the heavy feeling he experienced when his hair got waterlogged. That was the trouble with having a hair style such as his. He never did anything with it because he hated stylists and anything prim and proper, which basically constituted not styling his hair. After a moment, he turned off the water, all the blood he could have removed now gone, and undressed, shivering slightly. Hospitals were cold! He was sure they knew that, but still. Must be so the patients were never comfortable enough to die. Which, quite frankly, was perfectly okay with him. His skin was smooth and pale, a pale tan that blended nicely with the white of his boxer shorts. He grabbed a towel someone had placed outside, and dried himself off.

The slacks were loose, but not enough to warrant a belt, and the shirt fit nicely on him, not tight, but not loose either. Perfect. This took him quite a few minutes, a half hour at the least, and once he was done, dry and blood free he stepped out of the shower block. Luckily, no one was there to see him, so he put his Converse under the hand dryer. It took another half hour for them to dry; it wasn't like he had anywhere to be, and if they had any news on Alayna the man who had let him borrow the clothes would surely come find him. Once his shoes were void of any moisture and laced up on his feet, he pushed cautiously on the swinging door and emerged into a world of light and colors he forgot existed. In actuality he emerged into the emergency room waiting area, but it's all the same to him. He blinked softly, the harshness of the florescent lights hard against his now sea green eyes. The color was muddied, but at least it wasn't grey. Grey meant heartbreak, and that was just something Chance wanted nothing to do with at the moment.

Chance collapsed into one of the waiting room chairs as soon as his knees touched the edge. The chair was rather hard, not one he would expect many people to relish sitting in while they awaited news of a loved ones survival or death, but he couldn't really bring himself to care at the present moment. Though you would expect him to drift off, or collapse, or like, die or something, he found himself incredibly alert. This was just all surreal. I mean, how many people you knew carried a woman for a half hour to a nearby hospital after finding her in an alleyway shortly after getting mugged? Chance didn't want to believe it, because he had already dealt with enough evils in the world. Including himself. Chance had drunk driving, hit and run, abuse of parental figure, running away, fake name almost anything you could imagine under his belt. And he regretted it all, but when your life was as fucked as his, what were you really going to do about it? Nothing, which in the end only made him feel extremely guilty and consumed with guilt, but he could do little more than nothing.

The next hour passed by excruciatingly slow, but it's over before he knows it. Which was odd considering time seldom sped up and slowed down at the same time. But, whatever, Chance really wasn't one to explain his feelings. The first thing Chance notices about the doctor is the happy smile he is wearing on his face, and he relaxed suddenly, because, what doctor in their right mind would come up to a waiting person with a big grin on their face and then tell them extremely bad news. That just didn't happen, unless of course, that doctor wanted to be decked. Yeah, Chance has some anger issues, but he’s working through them. He stands, only because he believes it is expected of him, and listened attentively to what the man has to say. It's his journalistic nature to tune into anything interesting or important, and this was definitely important. His whole demeanor visibly relaxed even though he couldn’t have known the woman for more than an hour at the most. I guess saving someone’s life really gave you a bond with them, whether you realized it or not. He wasn't quite aware of it yet. He nodded politely and murmured a thank you, before he headed straight toward her room, only to stop and stand in the doorway.

He swallows, hard, and leaned against the doorframe, his eyes trailing over her bruised body. What if he hadn't been there, would there have been anyone to help her? He was eternally thankful to his boss for pressuring him to complete the story, even if now the story was even less finished than it had been when he started. The hospital room was blindingly white, and the doorway he is standing in his oddly firm against his weight. Even odder, is that somehow comforted him. Everything seems different now, more solid, like the days after his mother’s death, even as he was wallowing in grief. It's strange for him because he knows Alyana is still alive, but he can’t fight the feeling off. He tries to really look at her and assess her condition, but all he can see is Calisto, lying out on the highway somewhere, and the thought is so terrifying he shakes his head quickly, the motion making him feel slightly dizzy. Once the thought has left his mind, he walked into the room, his steps slow and cautious, almost like he’s afraid of being caught. By whom? He actually has no clue, but that doesn't make the feeling go away.

He wishes they had made the room look a bit homier, a little less hospital, deathly ill type of style. There is a chair next to the bed, and he eyes it with a hesitant gaze for a few moments before he actually lets himself sit down on the slightly more comfortable, but not by much, chair. He swallows for the millionth time that day, accompanying the motion by biting his lip. He never even thought he would be here, where is now, when he stepped out the front door that morning. Subconsciously, his hand moved over the fabric of the foreign slacks, over the flesh of his thigh, his leg, remembering the past. He knew there was a scar, and it ran all the way down his leg, reminding him of what he had done, and made him pay for it each and every day he lived. The pain was something that he had learned to deal with, just a dull ache that never bothered him. The only time it got real bad was when he was under extreme stress, or experienced some trauma. He was lucky that all that walking hadn't aggravated his injury, but if it started up he could ignore it until he got home and was able to down some nice pain pills.

He wanted to reach out and touch her, make sure she was still there, but at the moment he was only an acquaintance, and anything but a hand shake, at least he thought, would be deemed inappropriate. He hated waiting, mostly because back in Australia, he had been called there just to wait for his grandfather to die. If you were to just glance casually at Chance, at the present moment, you would be able to tell, just from the way he sat, in a guarded, tensed, almost fearful way, that he was worried about this woman. And angry. Angry at those muggers for doing something so idiotic and heartless, and had he not been as smart as he was, he probably would have went out looking to kick some ass. What can I say? Chance does have a slightly protective side.

[*Alayna [x]Marten*]

<sup>All Alayna could think about was the man that had saved her. She thought the only things that would accompany her mind at a time like this would be Sydney and Ryben. They were the only things that she had left in this life. They were her best friends even though Ruben was only a puppy he allready had a fatherly bond on her. Alayna remembered not to long ago Ruben had snapped at Talan just for having a pillow fight with her and accidently hit her in the face. She loved that little golden retriever puppy. He was just to good to be true. Then there was Sydney. The childhood best friend that went from respectful young lady to hooker. Alayna was proud that she was trying to straighten up her act, which mostly was because of Talan, and by far they were better friends then ever. So why was it that this man, this stranger that she had only known for about an hour, accompanied her thoughts. He was handsome she had to give him that, though he seemed rather pained and hurt. The way his eyes had that sorrowful transparent look almost killed her. No matter how much she so dreadfully hated most men this one seemed different. The only man she had actually dated while she had been in Los Angelas had been Talan and they are much better off being friends than anything else. Alayna could only imagine this man, Chance, was leaving thinking that girl wasnt worth it. He would be heading out the door and she would probably never see him again. Alayna normally wasnt the one to show her emotions her eyes were the ones that did that for her.

Suddenly she could feel everything coming back to her. Alayna was hit with a slight pain though it was not as bad as it was before. Opening her black eyes Alayna was suddenly blinded by the brightness in the room and the fact that everything is white didnt help. The blinds on the window were open and the sun was shining flat on her face. Turning her head to get the sun out of her eyes a little bit Alayna was suddenly face to face with Chance. So he had stayed. She couldnt believe it. Alayna noticed that he had different clothes on, clothes that were not covered in blood. Alayna looked into his eyes and noticed that they were a muddy color and not the transparent grey. Her own eyes were a amber/honey color. Showing that she was content. Mainly because she was being drugged to high heaven. Hi.. Was all she managed to get out. Lifting the hand with the IV in it she felt her throat tenderly feeling the bruise that was growing even worse. Grimacing slightly Alayna closed her eyes for a minute once again the sun blinding her and shining off the white walls. Looking back at Chance she had a kind smile on her face. She hoped he understood just how thankful she was because he helped her.</sup>

[&.chance traven;]

There was a sudden nervous energy around him; it flowed through his veins as his fingernails dug into his leg. The pain was sharp, but it was only after he felt that pain that he realized he was trembling. Not the light, shiver tremble, but something that made him want to get up and clear his head, get some fresh air, pour some ice cold water over his skin and then take a run. And Chance normally was not too fond of running. Some people thought they were alone, but that was only because they overlooked a few people, that even if the bond was weak, it still existed. Chance thought he was alone, and the truth was, he was alone. His mother was gone, as was his grandfather, Calisto had died, and his father probably no longer remembered his name. Which, could hardly be true, but it comforted Chance to think that the reason his father hadn't sought him out to see how he was doing was because he didn't remember, and not because he did not have the intention.

Chance was the definition of mess. Look it up in the dictionary and you would most likely find his name. He never really healed after the big fight with his father, and after that, things just plummeted, so low until he was here, in America, with a name that wasn't his own and father that despised him just as much as Chance did him. The fact that the letter he had gotten while in Australia was one that could, and had changed his life forever, that he hadn't even fully comprehend what that letter had said just yet, and the fact that when he did realize it, that he was now completely alone, it was going to hurt worse than any fight or accident ever did. Pain was not something Chance liked, nor ever wanted to deal with. And still he ended up being placed in a life that was choc full of pain and hate and loathing and all the other petty things that made the world the jealous place it is.

His eyes were on the white sheets when she awoke, not because he didn't want to look at her, but because he couldn't, the bruises too real for his comfort. He licked his lips, and his head snapped up so fast you would think he achieved whip lash, and he gave her a hesitant but fully sincere smile. “Hey.” he said, his voice soft, hoarse, and slightly worn. He noticed her grimace, and for the second time the brightness and jumped up from his chair, his bad leg almost folding with him because he had sat so long. He went over to the blinds and closed them so the room was mercifully dark, and then stepped his way slowly over to the chair where he sat once more. He didn't say anything more, one because he had no clue what to say, and two, because he didn't want to force her to say anything, assuming her throat hurt, what with that nasty bruise and all.

[*Alayna [x]Marten*]

^{Alayna could tell that he was tired. He must've been for carrying her so far. A nurse came in for only a minute to give her more meds and slowly but surely Alayna could feel her throat open up her breathing more easy and calm. She leaned her head back on the pillow and sighed a great relief at being able to breath again. The next thing she knew the room was filled in darkness. Not like complete darkness for she could still see Chance but it was dark enough to keep the walls from blinding her. A thankful and VERY sincere smile came on her face as she looked at him her eyes turning into an icy sea blue. Thank you Chance....For everything. I dont know how I could ever repay you. Another smile lit across her face. Then all of a sudden her ex was sitting in the chair next to her. Eyes turned a dark greyish color when she though of him. Hate was an understatement whenever she thought about him. He had hurt her so badly and now she could never raise their daughter. Snapping back into reality Chance was sitting there again. Alayna wanted to lighten the modd a little but she didnt know what to say. Would she ever see this man again after today? She so dearly hoped so for he must be a nice guy if he had rescued her like he did. Maybe she should give him her number or something just in case. She needed to repay him but how was she going to? There was really nothing else to do. The doctor had said that she would be in the hospital for about a week before she would be allowed to go home.}

[&.chance traven;]

Chance eyed the nurse as she entered, stayed silent and looked slightly nervous, as if someone was going to yell at him for being here any moment, or bust him for using the staff showers. Not that he cared about any of that stuff, being a journalist and all, he could manipulate people if he was desperate, but luckily he hadn't needed to resort to any sort of manipulating as of late. There was always the future though, the future which Chance feared and craved and hated and all those other emotions one could possibly feel. Chance liked the dark, the kind of dark where everything was visible but he could hide his emotion, hide the pain that hospitals caused him. The truth was, he had only been to the hospital once, right after the car crash, but he had been drunk and obviously had no recollection of it. It was just that, all the times someone had died, they hadn't died in the hospital, it had been in a guest house, in their home, out on the road, and he just couldn't see why the people who worked at hospitals couldn't have helped them, even if he knew they had. He was surprised to see the smile spread across her features, but it influenced a slight one of his own, his features softened as his eyes glinted an ice blue that normally would have been extremely intimidating, had it not been for the smile and the revealing of his pearly whites, teeth that had luckily stayed intact despite his slightly rough past. He managed to meet her gaze for a few moments as she spoke, but then had to look toward the floor, not at all used to being thanked. Formal thank you? Yeah sure he got them all he time from his boss, but never from someone else. It made him blush, almost, that is if Chance were the type to blush. Which he, er, wasn't. “You don’t need to repay me. You shouldn’t have been in that situation anyway; I just did what was right.” Yup, denial, one of the things Chance was infinitely good at.

[*Alayna [x]Marten*]

^{Alayna looked at him and smiled. She could see just a hint of a smile on his face and was happy that she had finally gotten a smile out of her. Alayna wasnt the one to show her emotions to anyone but her eyes always gave her away. Alayna was actually surprised at how kind she was being to begin with. Her eye color changed to a muddy brown to hazel color as she met his gaze blushing slightly. She could tell that he didnt want to open up to her but she could understand that. Alayna had a knack for seeing right through people and this man seemed in pain. Heartbroken was what she would call it. Well I was careless...it was my mistake. She spoke with kindness though her own heart was aching just as bad as his were. Alayna smiled once again showering her pearly white. She was lucky to still have those in place after the beating she got for she loves her teeth. They were what made a model to begin with. Then a good idea came to her. Maybe to repay you I could buy us dinner sometime? She really wanted to get to know him better and dinner was definetely the way to go. Alayna so dearly hoped that he would accept her proposal for she wanted to pay him back as well. She wanted to try and help him and the only way she knew to do that was to get to know him. He was in pain, through his heart and she knew that she would probably be able to help him. That was how she could keep the pain away from herself. By helping others in need.}

[&.chance traven;]

Ask Chance what his favorite childhood memory was and he could barely get the story out. Because, he didn't remember, the only good memories he had were from his fifth and sixth year, when everything hadn't quite taken a turn for the worse yet. He could remember his father telling him stories, at least the one night of the week he was home, and he could remember his mother’s gentle soothing voice when he got sick. Most kids took those moments for granted, but Chance had clung to them, somehow, as if he knew that this would be one of the only times he had with his parents. It would have been better off if his parents had died, because you don’t know how hard it is to live and exist with them, and have the feeling that they aren’t even there, that you aren’t even there. That was much worse than knowing your parents were dead. But, he couldn't explain it, even if he wanted to. It was like… well, first you had to know how it felt to have your own father, your very own father, shun you, look upon you as if he had no clue who you were, and you couldn't blame that on a disease, or a injury, or anything other than reality. Then, maybe you’d know a fraction of what he felt. Australia was not a place to him anymore, it was a land, like those in fairy tales that you’ve heard of, but wouldn't ever dream of visiting. He shook his head, silently refusing to accept that answer, she couldn't have prevented it no matter what she said, but said nothing at all. He looked surprised at her question, but he only considers it for a few moments. “That sounds nice. But only when you’re healed up enough.”. He didn't want her to feel obligated to him, just because he saved her life. Which, theoretically sounded stupid, but to Chance it sounded just fine.

[*Alayna [x]Marten*]

^{Alayna smiled once again this being her first really sincere smile in ages. What was she to do. She hated to admit it when her feelings would lead her astray but there was something different about him. Her eyes turned to a deep green when she looked at him, even though only few knew it meant she liked that person, and another smile lit across her face. Alayna blushed when he shook his head then she thought about it. She really couldnt have prevented it even if she had tried. That made Alayna wonder. What would've happened to her if Chance hadn't have been there? Would she be dead? Probably because everyone else just looked at her and kept walking. Then that made her think of her mother. How could any mother kick her own daughter out of her home when she needed comforting the most. She had allready disliked her mother to begin with but now she loathed her beyond belief. Looking again at Chance with her deep green eyes she turned her frown into a small smirk of a smile. Well I should be out of here in a week. So how about next Saturday? At Angel Park? She knew that she definetely was not going to be in the mood for clubs anytime soon and that was really al that Los Angelas had. Though she would gladly cook a meal for him and she knew that Ruben would like to be out and about. That little puppy had grown so much and Alayna loved him more than anything. She looked deep into Chance's eyes and awaited his answer. Then something else occured to her. Surely he had something better to do than sit with a stranger at a hospital. You really dont have to stay..}

[&.chance traven;]

Chance decided he liked her eyes, it was a random decision but that was exactly what he was thinking as he looked at her. It took an incredibly long while for Chance to realize he had anything but platonic feelings for anyone, and that even was true for Calisto. You could be his best friend in the world, and the sun could rise and set on your shoulders, and you could tell he thought that, but it would take forever for he, himself, to realize it. It had always been a problem and not just in relationships, though he wasn't exactly sure why. Maybe it was because Chance hadn't really witnessed any sort pf romantic relationship as he was growing up. He seldom saw his parents or anyone else besides his grandfather, for whom his love extended to his record collection and not much further. So you could say he was romantically deprived as a child, however odd that may sound. There was nothing more than that simple problem, and he was usually an incredibly suave and smooth guy, as long as you were at least ten feet away and it was only non verbal flirting you were doing. Brow furrowed as she spoke and he swallowed. “Saturday’s fine. I think I know where the parks at.” He was new to the city, so he wasn't quite sure, but he had a vague idea, and could most definitely figure out where it was by the following Saturday. He bit his lip, sitting back in his chair as gently as he could with the feeling of nerves and something else he couldn’t place traveling through his veins.”Nah, I’m a journalist, I have a pretty free schedule. Plus, I want to make sure your okay…you know, so I didn't carry you here for nothing.” His voice was now slightly teasing, but a bit shy.

[*Alayna [x]Marten*]

^{Alayna just could not name the feeling that she felt deep within her gut. It pained her yes but she had felt something similar to it before. Was it the little like called love? No probably not, more like a deep like. She smiled for a second realizing he must be fairly new to town if he didnt know where the park was. But he was bound to find out. It was fairly large and easy to find. Listening to him intently her eyes suddenly went from a deep green to a dark brown. The only reason for her eyes to be changing this much was because she didnt know what her feelings were. Her soul was having a hard time deciding. She laughed a little bit at hearing his joke. Well as you can see Im allright and you didnt carry me for nothing. She smiled deeply and sincerely for the first time in years. It was a true happy smile. She was happy to have met him because so far he seemed like a nice guy. But looks could be decieving, maybe he would change later. She hoped he wouldnt or she would much rather have died in that dark alley than go through that pain again.}

[&.chance traven;]

Chance didn't know a lot about this woman. He knew her name, and that she was kind, and that was just the extent. Ever hear the express, that which does not kill you makes you stronger? Yeah, well it's not exactly true. Chance had been in a car accident, he had been drunk, and he had first participated in a hit and run, which, wasn't exactly what caused his injuries. He then proceeded to race down the highway and crash into the concrete divider at fifty miles per hour. That’s what did the damage. He doesn't remember much, but he knows one thing, the accident did anything but make him stronger. Sure, he could live on his own and had been since he was eighteen, seventeen really, but that didn't mean he didn't wish things had gone differently, didn't wonder if he could have changed things. It had been ten years since he had gotten into that fight, nine since he had left, and honestly he couldn't believe time went by so fast. He was already twenty seven years old, almost thirty, and he hadn't really done anything with his life worth noting. He chewed his lip absently, and gave her a ghost of a smile, sincere as it was, as she laughed. Chance liked laughter; it meant that not everything was wrong in the world. “I’m glad.”