i can't believe *, tag;; ash

[NORA MAY VITETTA]

save me because i feel like i'm fading away

The Words: 673 The Outfit: here The Notes: hope it's all good (:

Nervous thumbs twiddled back and forth underneath the table of a little restaurant in the middle of New York City. The hands belonged to that of Nora Vitetta. She was nervous because she was on a blind date. Her son's babysitter had set Nora up with this guy that Nora had never even heard of. The babysitter had sad that she babysat for him too and thought they would be perfect together. Well, okay, that wasn't exactly what the babysitter had said, but that's what Nora had inferred. It had been a while since Nora had been on a date with anyone, let alone a complete stranger.

So, she reluctantly agreed to show up at the restaurant. The babysitter had said she would take care of Nora's son, so Nora didn't have to worry about that much. But what Nora did have to worry about was the fact that she had work right before the time of the reservation, and had no time to head home to change. She had packed her nicest clothes in her work bag, but that still didn't comfort Nora. She wasn't sure if she would be overdressed or underdressed. The baby-sitter hadn't mentioned what kind of restaurant it would be. Now that Nora was there, though, she felt a little more confident seeing that she wasn't the only one in jeans.

The other problem that Nora had was that she had no idea what the guy looked like. He could be any one of the guys already in the restaurant; the one twirling his food around, the one checking out his waitress, or even the one that frequented the bathroom just a little too much. She sighed and looked at her watch. 6:48. The reservation had been set for seven. She laughed to herself; of course she was the one that was fifteen minutes early for a blind date. Even after she had left a nice extensive list of instructions and another list of things to do for the babysitter, she had managed to make it to the restaurant early. Nora let out a breath and sat back in her chair. The extra time would give her a few moments to prepare.

"Hi, how are you? Just great, thank you. I'm Nora. I know. Wait, wh-? she mumbled to herself. Being a single mother of a five-year old meant that no matter the situation, Nora assumed the worst. In this particular case, she was going to assume that her 'date' was a serial killer that had been stalking her since the day he'd heard about her. She shuddered at the thought and looked around again. No one seemed to jump out at her in appearance.

She bit her lip. "Alright, Nor, just breathe. This guy isn't going to be a serial killer who's going to slit your throat and then laugh at you." A waiter walked by with his eye's wide open. Nora laughed. She realized how stupid she must have sounded. She ran her hands through her blonde hair and then drummed her fingers on the table. It wasn't from impatience; raising a toddler made you one of the most impatient people in the world. No, it was because of her nerves. It had become a habit of Nora's to look annoyed about something when she was actually nervous about it. She hoped her date didin't see how impatient she looked and then ditch her.

Nora tilted her head as she thought. She didn't know what he looked like, and he didn't know what she looked like. So maybe she was in luck. Or maybe not. The worst and most ironic things usually happened to Nora. She left early for work and got stuck in traffic for an hour and a half or she left her keys where she wouldn't forgot them and then she forgot to grab them. It had become a sort of lifestyle for Nora; one that she had accepted. But for once, she hoped--no, wished--that this one wouldn't turn around and backfire on her.

created by STALK ME REDNECK!

[ASHER COLBY EMERSON]

JUST BY BEING YOU

WHEN I SEE YOU STANDING THERE, YOU KNOW IT ALL BECOMES SO CLEAR THE WAY YOU LOOK, THE WAY YOU TOUCH, I NEED THE WAY YOU LIFT ME UP

THE NOTES!? This is going to be fun! THE OUTFIT!? sexy time! THE WORD COUNT!? 679

A blind date set up by a teenager? No good could possibly come out of that. At least those were Asher's thoughts as he watched his daughter being snagged away for the evening by said teenager. A teenager who just so happened to be his trusted babysitter once or twice a week when the babysitter that usually babysat Sienna needed a bit of time off. She was a good kid, going into her Sophomore year of High School and an aspiring teacher. She was shy though and didn't talk all that much when Asher was around – she babbled a lot though. He'd seen her with Si on more than one occasion in the past seven months she'd been working for him and he knew for a fact that she was perfectly capable of handling kids. As far as handling adults' love life however, he couldn't be too sure. Blind dates weren't really his thing, dates in general had been the last thing on his mind these past two years.

Sighing, Asher checked himself out in the mirror that rested on the wall next to the front door of his apartment. He wasn't dressed too formally, with an old pair of jeans he'd worn to work last night and a dark blue button-down shirt. He hoped it wasn't that bad; after all he wasn't entirely sure just what restaurant had been picked out and just how fancy it would be. This wasn't going to result in anything though, so he didn't give it another thought. This woman that would be his date for the night was a single mother and he was a single dad. That was probably all they had in common. Either that was enough for them to seem like a good couple in a romantic teenager's eyes or they just both seemed too desperate for their own good. He really did hope it was the former, because looking desperate had never been in Asher's agenda – although, he did miss being out there playing the field. The fact that a teenager saw that though...

Ten minutes later Asher found himself at the destination, a nice little restaurant in the midst of New York City. It was 6:53 meaning he had an entire seven minutes before actually having to be present. He wasn't one for tardiness when it came to dates – having a woman feeling as if she was being stood up wasn't something he liked – but he wasn't usually the one to make sure he was all that early either. He tried to be exactly on time, sometimes a minute or two early. He remained outside for just a few seconds longer, trying to decide how to go about things. The only thing he knew about his date was that she was a single mother who hadn't been on a date in a while and that she was blond. There were probably loads of blonds that could be mothers, how the hell was he supposed to find his date? He was going to kill Mandy once he got back from this thing.

He rolled his eyes at himself before finally entering the restaurant, deciding to go to a waiter for help. “Hey, excuse me.” he said, “A friend of mine made reservations for me and a date for seven, do you by any chance know who she could be?” he added when the man was paying attention to him. At first he looked confused, but then he chuckled lightly. Apparently a woman had been mumbling to herself about a serial killer earlier and he'd gotten the impression that she had no idea who exactly she was meeting. Asher thanked the waiter quickly before making his way toward the woman sitting by herself, looking downright impatient. Or maybe she was just nervous about tonight – he pretended not to notice. “Hey,” he said with a hopefully friendly smile. “I'm Asher, apparently I'm your serial killer for the night.” he chuckled, nodding toward the waiter to show he was just messing around.

TEMPLATE BY DAN IS AN ELDER @ CAUTION 2.0

[NORA MAY VITETTA]

save me because i feel like i'm fading away

The Words: 758 The Outfit: here The Notes: these two = total epicnesss

Nora smiled at the stranger, who introduced himself as Asher. All the things she had been thinking earlier dissipated from her mind. She laughed at his joke and stood, extending her hand. She wasn't that good at meeting strangers, so she wasn't sure if that was what you were supposed to do. After they shook hands, Nora sat down and studied the man across from her. Short brown hair, hazely eyes, tall, muscular build, and a good smile. Fleeting thoughts of her husband crossed her mind, but she shoved them to the back of her mind and smiled at him.

"I'm Nora, and I was really hoping I could make it through the night without dying."

Nora laughed and ran her hand through her hair again. Her face had turned bright red. She had never been one for making jokes, and if she did, it usually resulted in an awkward silence. Where most blondes were the life of the party, Nora seemed to be the polar opposite. Sure, she knew how to have fun, but she never seemed to have that kind of party personality that people gravitated towards. That and most of Nora's time nowadays was taken up by either her son or her job, so she really didn't have any extra time to go out and have fun.

Even this blind date had been pushing it. She had to have a coworker of hers fill in for the last hour of her shift, adding yet another favour to her seemingly neverending list of favours. But Nora pushed all thoughts of stress to the back of her mind and instead focused on the situation at hand. She wasn't really sure what she should say to Asher. Frankly, she was sort of breath-taken by his appearance. He reminded her greatly of her husband, and those kinds of looks attracted her like a magnet. And so far, Asher seemed to have a great personality. He obviously had a sense of humour, which had also been a quality of her husband.

And then what she had heard from Mandy. About how he was a single father. For most of her son's life, Nora had felt like she was the only single parent in the world. It was especially hard raising a kid in New York City with no one to turn to. She had to find a job on her own, she had to take care of her son on her own, and she definitely did not have any financial help from anybody. With the exception of the money from the army she received on the first of every month. That money had been the only staple for Nora and Dean for the last six years. It had become the only thing Nora had been able to rely on. Nothing else was reliable; babysitters cancelled at the last minute, her old bosses had left her empty-handed, and even her friends had abandoned her. From all this came the result of Nora being a very level-headed, strong, and independent woman.

This blind date set up by a teenager that Nora only knew through babysitting had been pushing her comfort zone. Nora had had nothing to do with the planning of the date; she was basically told when and where to be. Silently, she wondered if it had been the same for Asher. She knew next to nothing about him. Like why he was a single parent. Had he had a spouse that had died like Nora's? Had his kid's mom up and left? Nora had no idea, but she wasn't going to ask, either. That was a personal question that she figured shouldn't be asked on the first date.

So, instead, Nora smiled warmly and said, "A blind date, huh? Can I tell you something?" She leaned in closely like a child whispering a secret in someone's ear."I've never done this before."

Nora chuckled and sat back in her chair. She really had never done too much dating in the first place. She met her husband and fell in love right out of high school. There hadn't really been too much room for dating. Even after he had died. She'd been way too busy focusing on her son to even consider going on a date. Recently, though, Dean had gotten old enough that he was fine with just a babysitter. And Nora was making more money on less hours at the restaurant, so her schedule had freed up a little bit. At least enough that she could come here tonight.

created by STALK ME REDNECK!

[ASHER COLBY EMERSON]

JUST BY BEING YOU

WHEN I SEE YOU STANDING THERE, YOU KNOW IT ALL BECOMES SO CLEAR THE WAY YOU LOOK, THE WAY YOU TOUCH, I NEED THE WAY YOU LIFT ME UP

THE NOTES!? Total epicness! THE OUTFIT!? sexy time! THE WORD COUNT!? 714

The woman smiled at him, which must be a good thing, right? Then again, it could always be a fake smile. He smirked slightly at her, hiding his own nerves perfectly well – so much so that even he had no idea just how nervous he actually was. He hadn't gone on a real date in over two years and had actually never gone on a blind date before. To be honest, it wasn't like him to actually care what a stranger thought about him, but for some reason at this very instant he did want to make a good first impression. She was definitely pretty and although he knew nothing about her, there was this part of him that felt as if maybe this wasn't such a bad thing after all. Sure, the date had only gone on for about five seconds at this point, but who knows, maybe he'd earn a friend out of this whole thing. Could it be that teenagers weren't all that bad?

Asher nodded as she stood up and extended her hand, his own moving to shake hers. Once the awkward introduction part was over he took a seat in front of her, absentmindedly playing with the napkin on the table. “Yeah, dying definitely wouldn't be my top priority at this point either. No worries though, I'll behave myself tonight.” he said with a slight laugh. Now this was such a great first conversation! They were joking about serial killers and... death. Okay, so it really wasn't great. And now here Nora was, looking embarrassed. He wasn't too sure why, but maybe changing the topic to something else while they waited for the menus would be a good idea.

What were they supposed to talk about however? As they both sat there in what seemed to be a never-ending silence – Well, it had only been roughly thirty seconds, but it seemed like a lot more for Ash – Asher tried to scrape up something to say to this stranger. Should they talk about their kid? She needed a babysitter, therefore she had a child, or children. Was that going too far too quickly? They should get to know each other a tiny bit more before going off about their kids. She had a Southern accent so he decided she was from the South... Maybe he could bring that up? He'd actually never been too far from the New York State so he really didn't know all that much about what other States were really like.

Then Nora decided to take the reins and speak up first, something Asher actually appreciated. He smirked lightly, “Sure, go ahead.” he said as she asked him whether or not she could say something. They were going to be here a while, obviously she could say something. Silence was never good on dates, he knew that much. He leaned in slightly, fallowing her movements and then nodded as she told him she'd never actually done this before. His smirk widened slightly. “You know what? Me neither.” he admitted which was somewhat of an understatement. He wasn't about to tell her just how much he lacked of a love life though.

“I actually uh, haven't been on too many dates these past few years either, so I don't really know what to expect out of this.” he told her, keeping things light. He had been on no dates in the past two years actually. Sure, there had been those pretty girls at the bar whom he had flirted with, but there hadn't been anybody remotely special in so long. Maybe Mandy was right though, maybe he needed something other than work and his child. He was only twenty-six years of age, he couldn't not have a little bit of fun once in a while. “I guess this isn't so bad though.” he added with a shrug.

That was when a waiter – the same that had overheard Nora talking to herself earlier as well as pointed her out to Asher – came and handed them the menus, asking them what they wanted to drink. Asher glanced at Nora before nodding at the waiter. “I'll have a coke.” he said, “How about you?” he added to Nora.

TEMPLATE BY DAN IS AN ELDER @ CAUTION 2.0

[NORA MAY VITETTA]

save me because i feel like i'm fading away

The Words: 999 The Outfit: here The Notes: um, novel anybody? haha.

Asher seemed to be a pretty funny guy, Nora would admit. She found herself constantly smiling. The situation was still slightly awkward, but less than Nora figured it was going to be. Although she had known Asher for about five minutes, she felt somewhat comfortable talking and laughing with him. That was how she remembered her husband. And that's what Nora had fallen in love with about her husband. The more she thought about Asher, the more she liked him. Maybe this whole blind date thing wouldn't be so bad after all.

When he said that he had never really dated in the last few years, Nora was nearly relieved. She had thought for years that she was the only person that hadn't put themselves out on the market. And it's not like it was easy dating when you were a single mother anyways. Most men met your kid and then booked it out of there. They were scared of going into a serious relationship with a kid. Nora had never gotten it. So she was glad that she was sitting across from this man who also had a child; she knew he understood what she was going through. He was probably going through it too.

"Water, please," Nora said as the waiter asked what they wanted. She was a little surprised to see that neither of them ordered some type of alchoholic beverage. Then again, she didn't because she had to go back and watch Dean and she also had work tomorrow. She knew from experience that work with a hangover is no fun. She smiled at Asher and then looked down at her menu.

"Alright....what's a good topic starter? Um...." Nora laughed. There were so many things that she could ask him, but she knew this wasn't the right time. She would keep her personal questions to herself and she hoped that he would, too. Not that it would bother her to talk about Dean and his life and her past and all that. She just wasn't sure if she would be able to handle it all in one night. And she tried to remember her first-date etiquette; she was pretty sure My husband is dead. was not something you discussed on the first date.

Nora scratched her forehead and pursed her lips. She wasn't really sure what she wanted to get because she didn't want to get something really messy and seem like a pig. But she also didn't want to get some little prissy dish, because she was from Texas, and Texans did things much bigger. Finally, she decided she would get a steak with mashed potatoes. Sure, it was a manly meal, but she liked steak. Who was going to stop her from getting it?

The waiter delivered their drinks and then asked about appetizers. Nora shook her head while looking at Asher in the corner of her eye. "I won't have any." She smiled and set her menu down. "I have to go to the bathroom, but will you take my order now?"

The watier nodded. She gave him her order and then turned to Asher. "Excuse me for a minute." She laughed and stood, heading back towards the ladies room. Nora didn't actually have to go to the bathroom. She just wanted to call Mandy and find out how Dean was doing. Maybe even talk to him because he had been awful curious about where she was going that night. All she had told him was that she was going out. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth, either. And Nora felt kind of bad about that. Dean was always asking where she was going. He was pretty much attached to Nora at the hip, and she figured it was because Dean had to grow up with no father. Nora wanted so badly to change that, but this was the first opportunity that had presented itself in a while.

Nora was pacing back and forth in the bathroom as the phone rang. She knew she looked kind of funny, but she didn't really care. Finally, a soft voice picked up and said hello. Nora exhaled the air she'd been holding in. "Hey, Mandy, it's Nora. How's he doing?" She leaned against the counter-top and listened to Mandy explain how Dean was watching some cartoons and how he had had some mac 'n cheese for dinner.

"Can I talk to him?" Nora knew it was a stupid question to ask, because of course she could talk to her own son. Mandy said yes and put him on the phone. Nora smiled at his voice.
"Hi mommy. Where are you?" He sounded happy, and that made Nora happy.

"I'm at dinner with a very nice man. I think you would like him lots. I should be home in an hour or two, but you'll be asleep. Now be a good boy for Mandy, okay?"

"Yes mommy. Are you going to bring that man home?" Nora laughed. Leave it to her son to be all curious about some guy he didn't even know. There was another woman staring at her, and Nora frowned. Couldn't a mother talk to her son in a bathroom?

"Not tonight, Dean. Maybe some night. Alright, I love you, okay? Be good." Nora hung up the phone without speaking to Mandy again. She put her cellphone in her pocket and walked back out to the dining area. She sat down across from Asher. For some reason, she felt the need to explain why she really went back to the bathroom.

"I had to, uh...call my son. I wanted to make sure everything was okay." Nora laughed, and her cheeks gained some color from embarrassment. She was nervous, so she ran her hand through her hair again. It was something the Nora did a lot these days. Being nervous, not messing with her hair. She chuckled and looked down at the ground. She hoped Asher didn't mind.

created by STALK ME REDNECK!

[ASHER COLBY EMERSON]

JUST BY BEING YOU

WHEN I SEE YOU STANDING THERE, YOU KNOW IT ALL BECOMES SO CLEAR THE WAY YOU LOOK, THE WAY YOU TOUCH, I NEED THE WAY YOU LIFT ME UP

THE NOTES!? Yours wasn't as big of a novel as mine. Still, they're really adorable. THE OUTFIT!? sexy time! THE WORD COUNT!? 1082

To be honest, Asher was very quickly beginning to realize that maybe Mandy wasn't completely out of her mind for thinking that he'd be able to pull off a blind date without completely screwing things up, whether it was intentional or not. So maybe it had only been five minutes, maybe they were still considered complete strangers in other people's minds, but there was a stronger chance that some good may come out of this. Commitment at this point wasn't exactly something Asher was thinking about; obviously he wasn't about to be thinking that far along so early in the game, but a friend was a definite possibility. Of course, that was if he didn't say something wrong by the end of dinner... It was actually pretty likely that he would. Asher had a tendency to say the wrong things sometimes and with his temper? Who knows what could happen.

The look of relief on her face as he told her about his love life, or lack of, he couldn't help but laugh out loud somewhat. What could possibly be going through her mind right now? Had she maybe expected him to be some kind of man-whore? After all, the only thing she really did know about him was the fact that he had a two year-old daughter without a mother to care for her. In a sense maybe he had been a man-whore, but that was just it. Past tense. He wasn't anymore; his daughter was the person that managed to make him realize what an ass he'd been all those years and how he desperately had to change to make things work. He wanted his daughter to grow up good – not like him. He wanted her to want to go to College and become a Doctor or a Lawyer. He wanted her to be happy with herself twenty years from now and not remember him and think of how bad of a father she'd had.

Asher smirked slightly as he mused over Nora's question, glancing around at his surroundings. Frankly he had no idea just what was served here, not having actually really noticed what type of restaurant this was when he'd first entered. Sure, he'd known the name and address from Mandy, but otherwise he hadn't really cared. Sure, he had looked around on arrival, but could you really blame him for not registering the decoration and table arrangements? Sure, there was always the fact that this type of thing – the way things looked, paint, carpets, flower arrangements... anything of the sort, really wasn't his thing. The apartment he'd been living in for the past few years merely had a few framed pictures on the walls as well as a bookshelf full of different books. It wasn't exactly a museum in there. “Um, what do you do for a living?” he asked finally, hoping it wasn't too personal.

Asher glanced down at his menu as he considered just what to eat. He wasn't all that hungry, having eaten a late Lunch with his daughter a few hours ago at a café near his apartment building, but he wasn't about to simply order a salad or something like that. Eventually the waiter came back with their drinks, which was around the time Asher decided he would be getting the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. It was a decent-sized meal, nothing too big yet nothing small either. It wasn't messy, which meant he wouldn't be looking like a total pig – sure, he was a guy and usually didn't really care, but for some reason he didn't want to put off a bad impression. “No starters for me either, thanks.” he said with a nod.

“Sure, take your time.” he said with a slight smile as he watched her – not in any stalker-like way, thanks – head out to the bathroom. He glanced at the waiter still standing at the table and smirked slightly. The waiter left, but not before getting Asher's order. When he was alone he took out his phone and checked for messages. He had promised Mandy he wouldn't do this on the date – she had told him she wanted him to have fun and that she was perfectly capable of handling the two kids – but it was a rare thing for him to be out without his daughter for reasons other than work. Was he really supposed to not worry to a certain level? He had no messages though and he wasn't about to call... It had only been fifteen minutes since he'd gotten here. He'd check in later tonight.

After all, it wasn't exactly fair to Nora if his attention was on his daughter at this very moment, right? They were both supposed to be out to have some fun and not have to worry about their kid for a few hours. At least that was what Mandy had said to him. Sighing he realized that a love life at this point really wasn't something he'd be able to have with just about anyone. He was the father of a girl in her troublesome two's and this little girl meant the world to him. There weren't many women out there who were too keen on dating a man who already had someone that meant so much to them... Besides, how many women were able to handle becoming mothers to children that weren't even theirs to begin with? It wasn't the first time he'd had these kind of thoughts in his mind, but this blind date was really making him realize how true they were.

Nora came back a few minutes later looking somewhat embarrassed as she explained just what she'd been doing. He couldn't help but laugh somewhat at her words. “I can honestly say I know just how you feel.” he said with another one of his smirks. “I don't usually leave my daughter unless I have to work, which I guess is pretty often.” he paused, realizing just how much he was spilling out right now. A part of him decided that it was good to talk about his life to somebody that wasn't too drunk to remember in the morning – let's face it, he'd done it countless times at the bar – but there was another bigger part of him that realized this may all be a turn off for her. “So, he's not getting in too much trouble I hope?” Right, smooth.

TEMPLATE BY DAN IS AN ELDER @ CAUTION 2.0

[NORA MAY VITETTA]

save me because i feel like i'm fading away

The Words: 1149 The Outfit: here The Notes: gah, i can't believe how crappy this turned out! and its sooo emotional lulz.

Nora smiled and shook her head. "No, he's being a good kid. He usually is, too. He never acts out." She picked up her glass of water and took a drink. After she finished, she tried to pick her brain for something to talk about. And then she remembered that Asher had asked her a question before she had gotten up to go call her son. Nora was somewhat forgetful and she had come to accept that fact. She was glad that she didn't forget about his question, though, because her ideas for questions had ran down to about zero.

"My job, huh? Nothing too spectacular. Just a waitress." Nora smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "How about you? Surely you must do something exciting."

Nora raised her eyebrows at him with a half-hearted smile on her face. She placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her interlaced fingers, gazing at him with interest. This blind date was turning out to be interesting after all. Never before would Nora have thought that someone like Mandy, who was just her babysitter, would be capable of putting her in a situation like this. A date with a complete and total stranger who also happened to have a similar type of life to Nora's. She had never thought it would be possible. And then here she was, sitting in front of that very guy.

For the first time that evening, Nora studied their surroundings. The place was sort of fancy, but luckily it wasn't the kind of place where you had to wear a dress or a suit. There was music playing in the background, but nothing to talk about. There were maybe nine or ten other tables filled, which made the tiny restaurant just about packed. There were four waiters who were busy doing their job, a hostess at the front, and then a bustling kitchen behind them. The lights were dim, and Nora laughed out loud. Were they trying to set the mood or something? She was half-surprised that there weren't candles on the table.

Nora returned her attention to Asher. She hadn't missed the comment on his daughter, and now she was interested. She knew it was a personal question, but she still found herself asking it. "I really hope you don't mind my asking, but where is your daughter's mother?"

She bit her lip and twiddled her thumbs. It was rude of her to ask, but she was curious. That seemed to be a repeating problem with Nora. She was constantly sticking her nose into other people's business. A lot of times, it got her in trouble. But her justification was that it was better to put everything out there first instead of holding it all in. As she thought about the question, she would have given anything to take it back. It would probably upset Asher, and that would be the end of the date. Or maybe he would tell her, and Nora would know what she was getting into early on.

Nora frowned and said, "Dean, my son, will never be able to meet his father...My husband was in the Army. I met him when I was nineteen. I was young and I didn't know what I was doing. I sold the farm I owned and followed him to New York. He proposed on my twentieth birthday. The wedding was before he left for deployment again. One thing led to another, and I was pregnant. He was able to come home for a couple weeks to watch our son be born. And then he had to leave. I was quite a few months along on Christmas Eve when I got a phone call. My husband was killed in a roadside bombing. I thought it was all a joke. His body came back two weeks later, and I--well, you know. I've been raising Dean on my own ever since."

She glanced up at Asher. Her voice had wavered a couple times, but she didn't cry. She had cried her last tears years ago. Of course she was sad about the whole thing, but she wouldn't let that get in the way of her having a relationship. Nora smiled and looked back down at the ground. She had probably just ruined the whole date, and she knew it. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it again. It had not been in her plans to tell her whole life's story to a complete stranger that she had known for the span of ten minutes, but she felt she had to.

Nora had asked Asher something personal, so she felt that she should return the favour. One of her motto's was 'an eye for an eye' and she was constantly sticking by it. So it was really no surprise to her that she had blurted out the story. Most of the people that she told the story hadn't been able to understand what it was like, and she hated it when they did try. She wanted to slap those kinds of people in the face. If they hadn't experienced it, how the hell did they know what it was like? And truthfully, Nora wasn't sad about her husband dying. It was the fact that she had no one there at her side to help her take care of her son.

It sounded cold-hearted and selfish, and Nora knew it. But she had always been like that. When her parents had died, she hadn't cried. For Nora, she knew that death was part of the cycle of life, and she had accepted that at an early age. Living on a farm where farm animals died all the time had taught her that lesson. Now, Nora wasn't some chick who went around expressing her beliefs. She really tried to keep to herself. If someone asked her about it, then she would explain to them her reasoning. But, people actually rarely asked her, for which she was glad.

"Listen, Asher, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ask you that. And I...felt the need to tell you about my husband. I hope you understand." Nora looked back up at him again. "If I scared you away, or whatever, it's okay. You can leave. You won't hurt my feelings."

Nora knew that she had very well scared him away, and she knew it was her fault. So if he wanted to bail on her now, she would rather that than him try to stick around and possibly hurt her feelings later. But she hung onto the slight hope that he didn't care and would want to stick around. That maybe Nora was more than just some dead guy's grieving wife who was back on the market. She could only hope, though. She was completely prepared for the worst, as she usually was.

created by STALK ME REDNECK!

[ASHER COLBY EMERSON]

JUST BY BEING YOU

WHEN I SEE YOU STANDING THERE, YOU KNOW IT ALL BECOMES SO CLEAR THE WAY YOU LOOK, THE WAY YOU TOUCH, I NEED THE WAY YOU LIFT ME UP

THE NOTES!? It's totally okay, definitely not crappy. And I'm a sucker for emotional, haha. THE OUTFIT!? sexy time! THE WORD COUNT!? 1067

Asher nodded, yet another smirk appearing on his face. “That's a good thing. You must be a good Mom.” He said the last bit without thinking and immediately wondered if he was pushing it just a little bit too far. Sure, she was probably without a doubt a fantastic mother but it didn't feel as if it was really time for them to discuss all of this just yet. They had only known each other for a half hour, give or take a few minutes. Sure they'd both been set up together because of their kids in the first place, but was it really the proper conversation topic for a first date? It sounded so... serious. He wasn't one to speak much of his personal life to begin with, not to mention his past and what he hoped for the future and by the looks of it things weren't going to stay all that casual and laid-back if they kept going like this. He didn't want anything intense and personal... Not right now. He had a two year-old at home and a job, he had no time for a woman in his life and he just couldn't deal with the idea of having her leave him the way his ex-girlfriend had left... even if he'd fully expected that much even before Si had been born.

Her job? For a second he had to rack his brains in order to get just what she was saying, but then he remembered his question from earlier. A waitress huh? It seemed they had pretty similar lifestyles beyond being single parents. “Nothing special, just a bartender.” he said with a light chuckle, adding a shrug of his own. “I guess though it is somewhat exciting... when you ignore the fact that you're pretty much a psychologist half the time, listening to problems of drunks.” he went on, deciding to give her a little more of him to work with rather than just his job. He really wasn't sure where the honesty and openness was coming from. She was really getting to him even if he would never actually admit it, not to himself, not to anyone. The thing is... they'd known each other for thirty minutes – 1800 seconds. Yet here he was, feeling as if he'd found a friend to relate to. Someone who could actually understand to an extent what his life consisted of.

Then Alyson came up, which made Asher's stomach twist slightly. The mere mention of her was enough to make his surroundings seem somewhat colder. He tried not to show it on his face, but it wasn't exactly working entirely. The anger showed in his eyes to a certain degree and the fact that the muscles in his jaw tightened were just another sign that he really did not feel like talking about it. “She's just not around anymore. It's just me and Sienna.” he said with what he hoped was a casual shrug. He glanced down at the table cloth idly, realizing that he'd probably made her feel uncomfortable. “Um, I didn't mean to come off as cold. She's just a sore subject. Not exactly something that's going to get me brownie points on a first date.” he said. “She uh, walked out on me and Sienna when she was just a week old. It was a train wreck from the very beginning.” he told her with an honest look on his face, showing her that he didn't hold it against her that she'd been curious. He was actually pretty curious about her son's father as well. What he was saying right now though wasn't exactly something he usually talked about even with his closest friends. Not that he had many.

As if he'd voiced his curiosity aloud, Nora started going on about her own past and how her son came to be. Asher really didn't know what to make of everything he'd found out. She'd been married and her husband, a man who seemed to have been the love of her life, had been killed while out to war. Well now that trumped his own story as far as the pain is concerned. Asher knew that his ex had been a bitch, knew that his daughter was better off but Nora had it different. Her late husband hadn't walked out on them. He'd been fighting for his country and had sacrificed himself for the safety of his wife and son. Asher had to admit, he was somewhat at a lost for what to reply to this, but it wasn't going to push him away. It wasn't as if he could be jealous of a dead guy, right? That was just not fair to Nora. Besides, they weren't even considering the chance of actually doing this again... Asher had no idea if she even wanted to. If he even wanted to.

Finally he came up with something half-decent to say. “Well Dean may not get to have a chance to meet his father in person, but that doesn't mean he can't know him.” he said, his bar-tending words of wisdom finally coming in handy for something that was actually worth it. “He can know him through you. You can tell him all about who he was, what he did and why he can't be here today. Anyone would be proud to have a father who gave up everything for the safety of his family and friends... And don't worry about it, it's better we get some stuff out early rather than find out later on...” Was there going to be a 'later on'? As if to save him from having to look at Nora's reaction to his words – Thankfully – the waiter came back with their meals. Asher nodded up at the man, “Thanks.” he said before finally facing Nora after his speech about the man his date had loved and most likely still did... in a way. I mean, does anyone ever stop loving a spouse that passed away?

“And don't worry about scaring me away. I don't scare that easily and I have no intention of leaving unless you want me to. Another smirk as he took a sip of his coke, which had yet to be touched. Now this time he was pretty smooth, wasn't he? And no sarcasm either.

TEMPLATE BY DAN IS AN ELDER @ CAUTION 2.0

[NORA MAY VITETTA]

save me because i feel like i'm fading away

The Words: 901 The Outfit: here The Notes: i love these two so much (:.

After Nora explained what was basically her whole past, she admitted that she felt kind of ridiculous. She had no idea what had compelled her to tell Asher all of that. That had been Nora's secret for years; she hadn't told anybody. Not even her closest friends, who were all long gone by now. But that was beside the point. The reason Nora felt ridiculous was the fact that she was comfortable telling Asher her secret. Something she had never really felt before.

Nora smiled at Asher's kind words. She had never known a guy could say something like that and actually mean it like he did. It made her feel good. But she didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say. His mini-speech left her somewhat speechless. This was the first time someone had comforted her about her husband's death. It was sort of ironic because his death had occured just under six years ago, and here she was being comforted by a complete stranger. Well, not so much a complete stranger now, but still.

Finally, Nora was able to form words in her throat. She looked up at Asher and smiled slightly. "I think you're just fine right here." She laughed and sat up to better eat her food. For some reason, she had lost her appetite. A frown took over her features, and she wasn't exactly sure what to do. Was she just supposed to sit there and stare at her food while Asher ate? Or should she just dig in and make herself sick? She didn't want to completely ruin the date just yet.

"You know, I'm not really all that hungry." Nora pursed her lips and looked up at Asher. [b]"But if we try to go pick up the kids, I think Mandy would take them hostage and force us to go back out."

Nora laughed. She imagined the scene going down in her head. The shy-yet-all-too-eager-to-set-up-a-blind-date teen taking a two and a five year old hostage just to get the parents to go back out. She shook her head and crossed her legs. She was trying to rack her brain for something they could do, but nothing was coming to mind. Maybe Asher had a better idea...

"So, uh, any ideas? I've got nothing."

Nora uncrossed her legs and twirled her white cloth napkin in her hands. She felt a slight awkwardness between the two of them, but she wasn't sure if it was just a one-sided thing or if it was a mutual feeling. Silently, she hoped that the awkwardness would dissipate as the night went on. She really liked Asher as a person, and she hoped they could at least get a friendship out of the whole thing. If it turned into more than that, Nora knew she would be happy, regardless of the fact that she had been married.

If Nora got together with Asher, that would technically make him the rebound guy because he was the first guy she dated since her husband. Nora still loved her husband, but that wouldn't stop her from carrying on with her life. The love that she had for her hubby was different than the kind of love she could have for someone else. Really, Nora loved the memory of her husband, considering it wasn't really possible to stay 'in love' with a deceased person. And she no longer harbored the sad feelings about her husband's death; she had come to terms with that. So nothing about her past would hold her back from dating someone.

With the exception of Nora's son, of course. He was very protective of his mother. For his whole life, he had never had a father figure in his life. He still was unaware of why that was, though. Nora hadn't been able to tell her son why he had no father. It broke her heart to see her son with a little scrape on his outside. She felt that if she told him about his father, it would tear him up and kill her. She wasn't prepared to tell him that yet. But, in her mind, if she could find a guy that could actually be a father to Dean, she might be able to break the news to her son. She wondered if that guy was Asher.

And, Nora thought, maybe it was the same for Asher. His daughter didn't have a mother. Nora didn't want another kid to grow up the way her son had. She almost felt herself wanting to be Sienna's mother, although it was too early in her and Asher's relationship to actually consider such a thing. All those years ago when Nora got pregnant, she had been wishing for a little girl. It had always been her dream to have a little girl. Of course, as soon as she saw her baby boy's face, she had fallen in love with him. But that part of her that had yearned so much for a little girl still existed; Nora still very much wanted to be the mother of a girl.

But they would just have to see where things ended up. Tonight could turn out really well and they would see each other again, or it could end very badly and they wouldn't speak ever again. Nora was wishing very badly for the former, but she would let destiny carry it's course.

created by STALK ME REDNECK!

[ASHER COLBY EMERSON]

JUST BY BEING YOU

WHEN I SEE YOU STANDING THERE, YOU KNOW IT ALL BECOMES SO CLEAR THE WAY YOU LOOK, THE WAY YOU TOUCH, I NEED THE WAY YOU LIFT ME UP

THE NOTES!? We can have a second thread in Central Park once they get there, if you want, just continuing from the sort-of-not-really-dinner. THE OUTFIT!? sexy time! THE WORD COUNT!? 786

Asher wasn't sure just how things had managed to get this way. When he'd first walked into the restaurant he'd been thinking about how a blind date couldn't possibly be something that could spark anything as far as romance went. He'd been nervous to finally date again after two whole years had gone by – he hadn't been expecting this, that was a given. Now here they sat, half an hour into the date and already she'd told him about her husband and how he'd died and she knew – at least to some level – about Alyson's departure from his and his daughter's life when Sienna had been so young. He wasn't one to talk to people about his past or anything remotely personal yet here he was, doing just that now. Did it mean something? Had Asher found someone who could possibly... mean something more to him a few months from now? Was this blind date going to result in an actual relationship? Or was he only the rebound guy? The thought suddenly surfaced: Was she comparing him with her husband at all?

Brushing the thoughts away and smirking slightly at the woman before him and her speechless look, the young man seemed to have never even thought about all of this. As if he wasn't thinking about the possibility of a future. If they could be friends, that would be good for him – did he even want something more? It wasn't as if he'd known her very long... definitely not long enough to be able to tell. He didn't really seem like the type, being a twenty-six year-old bartender with a two-year old daughter that lacked a mother, but he wasn't the type to jump into relationships, especially not these days. He did not just sleep with people and then leave them to their own devices without ever speaking to them again. He did not try to lead women on that he knew he was not interested in. He wasn't one to actually be thinking about the second or third date before the first was even finished. He was definitely not supposed to be thinking about whether or not she was thinking of her husband at this point and he should in no circumstances have been somewhat jealous. Yet here he was – he was actually just the tiniest bit jealous.

Asher nodded at her words, glancing down at his food, which he had barely even touched at this point. He took another small bite, chewing slowly. He glanced up again as Nora told him she was no longer all that hungry. He smiled, somewhat relieved. “I'm actually not that hungry either.” he admitted, placing his fork on its napkin. Was she suggesting they up and left this place to do something else? To be honest that sounded good to him, he didn't exactly want to stay here anymore. He wanted to do something – move a little. Maybe a walk or something. Anything. Although he had to admit, there was this part of him that just wanted to go and get Sienna and head home. That wasn't exactly fair for Nora though, and being the man that he was, he wasn't about to just ditch her on their first date. “Yeah, you're right on that one.” he chuckled, imagining what Mandy would tell them and how she'd throw them out on the streets and tell them they couldn't come back for another two or three hours at the very least.

Did he have any ideas? Well, this was New York City. There was so many things they could possibly do. “Well,” he said thoughtfully, running a hand through his brown hair, hazel-green eyes glancing around the room as if it was going to give him the best advice in the world. “Central Park is only a ten minute's walk from here. I haven't gone in quite some time, it could be nice.” He wasn't usually the type to suggest twilight walks in the largest park in New York City, but the fresh air could do them both some good right now. Honestly, this was somewhat awkward and he didn't really want that. He just wanted to have a little bit of fun and relax, tension and awkwardness left behind. They could still turn the date around to take on a non-awkward spin, right? “By the way... you look great.” he said, “I would add 'tonight', but due to the fact that we haven't actually had the chance to see each other beforehand... It isn't exactly something I can say just yet.” He had to add a joke, right? Though to be honest, he had a feeling she looked just as great every day.

TEMPLATE BY DAN IS AN ELDER @ CAUTION 2.0