So what now? (Katydid50 x 5Bulletproof-Marshmellows)

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Grace continued to bring him up, probably because she was being protective and she still hadn't gotten over what had happened with her father. Elenore couldn't help but sigh, deciding to let her daughter get it all out before she brought in her own points. She hated arguing with her kids. Sure when they were just joking around it was all fun and games but when the topic of their father came up, she preferred to stay off of it.

An hour or two passed by and the two got things. Aunt Rose had called once to see what was going on and Elenore had told her that they would be there soon. She figured the kids might as well spend a few days there and she could just go home, give them some space and also let herself let of of her stress though she doubted that it would go away so easily. She had taken her kid's clothes over and she had talked to Aunt Rose over the phone. Of course she had been telling her before that she worked herself too hard and now she seemed happy that she was taking a small break, also saying that she needed a man in her life, which in turn made Elenore roll her eyes though an image of Daniel appeared before her eyes.

After she had taken Grace over there, she had a good long goodbye with Nicolas and Deserai, she drove home. Nicolas wasn't big on affection but she showed it to him anyway, he was her child after all. It seemed like a long quiet drive but in a way it was peaceful.. she did miss her kids though and it hadn't even been a full hour. Biting her lower lip, she came home to a silent apartment. The place didn't seem to have any life in it which made her frown. Feeling cold as she locked the door, she walked around her place before going to her bedroom, finally paying attention to the uncomfortable feeling that she had, like something was digging into her skin.

Pulling her shirt off, she noticed the small piece of paper fall to the floor. Picking it up, she was confused as to where it had come from but when she opened she found Daniel's name and address. So he had given it to her without her noticing it. Laughing slightly, she shook her head and placed the paper on her night stand. Call him now would not be a good idea since he was most likely already asleep. The thought that he had given her that information though made her smile before she got ready for bed, taking a shower and changing into some more comfortable clothes.  

[Katydid50]

It didn't take Daniel long to finish his supper. Ten minutes, if even that. Of course, he wasn't slowed down by small talk or whatever it was families did at the dinner table. As a child, his supper had mostly consisted of cheap junk food, like bags of chips and gas station cakes. They'd had microwave dinners in the freezer but it was impossible to tell how old they were. Anyway, neither him nor his mother had been game enough to use the microwave, fearing the beeping noise at the end would disturb his father. It had been impossible to tell what would bring him into a drunken rage.

After he'd finished, he filled the sink up with hot soapy water and got to work cleaning. He didn't own a dishwasher and, since it was just him by himself, he didn't see the point. By the time he would actually fill it up with dishes to make it worth using, the food specs would be so caked on them, they would never come off. But it didn't take him too long anyway. Within another ten minutes, he was finished. The dishes were dry and put away. The counter top was wiped off. The sink was drained and dried. Everything was done.

But then there was nothing for him to do. As he once again scanned the house of his, he guessed he could work on something. After all, if Elenore did stop by unexpectedly, he didn't want her to think he lived in a pigsty. But she didn't have any reason to stop over, or so he told himself. It wasn't like they were dating or anything. They were friends, but just friends. But friends stopped over to visit other friends, didn't they? Michael stopped over all the time, but that was a bad example. Michael was weird. The man didn't own a car. Instead, he rode a horse everywhere. Though, he supposed that worked. He couldn't remember the last time Michael had gone into town. He had even more reason to hate the city than Daniel did.

Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair before looking over at the clock. It wasn't exactly late but he was starting to feel the day ware on him. With a yawn, he walked into his bedroom and dug around in his dresser for a clean pair of underwear. Finding a pair, he left his bedroom again and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. It didn't take him long to shower. He wasn't covered in sweat or dust, dirt or sawdust, so there was nothing really to get rid of. More showering just for the sake of it. Besides, being clean always made him sleep better. Stepping out, he dried off before pulling on his clean underwear, tossing the towel and his dirty clothes -though they weren't really that dirty- into the hamper.

He walked around the house, turning off the lights, before he walked into his bedroom and turned off the lights there. With another yawn, he climbed into bed. In the following silence, he could hear the soft patter of little feet that told him Max had come back, probably only to make sure that it was his human that was there. Daniel smiled weakly before letting his mind empty itself and drifting off to sleep.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

She woke up to her alarm, she thought it didn't work anymore since Deserai was always the first one to wake her up, and groaned, hiding her head under a pillow, not wanting to go to work but then she realized that this was her day off. Smiling, she turned off the alarm with an outstretched hand and then pulled the blankets around herself tightly, keeping her eyes closed. Ah, the beauty of sleeping in for a little bit longer. Since when was the last time she had done that? Rolling over onto her side, she placed her head on top of the pillow, thinking about the day ahead of her.

A nice long bath to start it off would be wonderful and then a good big breakfast. She wasn't a fan of going out to eat because it was either too expensive or she wasn't quite sure what the food was made of there, so cooking her own breakfast was the best option. Breakfast in bed would be even better but that wasn't going to happen any time soon.. and probably never would.. unless.. Danie- she stopped herself from finishing that thought and shook her head. No, they were friends. Why were these thoughts becoming more constant? Sighing, she pushed herself up so that she was sitting on her bed and stretched her arms out and back.

Biting her lower lip, she glanced at the paper that had Daniel's information on it before she smiled a bit. She wouldn't have taken a break off if he hadn't convinced her that it was best for her to do so. Getting out of bed, she left it unmade for the time being and walked into the bathroom that stemmed off of her room. Turning on the hot water, she let it fill the bathtub as she brushed her teeth and hair before she picked out something to wear. A nice dark green v-neck sweater with a white tank top underneath, some black dress pants, bra and underwear was what her clothing for today consisted of and she laid her things out on her bed after making it and then went back into the bathroom to turn off the water and fill the tub with bubbles. Sure the action was slightly childish but she was having fun with it.

Undressing, she climbed in after pinning her hair up, not wanting it to skin to her skin like it often did when it was wet. During this short amount of time that she had been up, breakfast and Daniel hadn't been the only things on her mind. Her kids were staying with Aunt Rose and even though she knew that they would be safe, she couldn't help but hope that everything would be alright. Elenore knew that she had told Nicolas to stop his late night walks but that didn't mean he had. She was barely ever home to know for sure and this break probably wasn't helping that situation either. Biting her lower lip, she closed her eyes. Grace was also in quite a bit of a mess. She was sure that her daughter hadn't given her the whole story but at least she got a good chunk of it, she could work with that.

Perhaps they needed a father figure.. they had Aunt Rose and her, as well as some other relatives but those all had their own families. Ever since Deserai knew that other people had fathers, she wouldn't stop asking where her's was. She had even searched the house for him at one point, thinking that he was playing hide and seek. It pained Elenore to see her that way and she tried explaining it to her but that hadn't gone down well. Nicolas probably wanted another male around the house so that he had someone to relate to. Once he went to middle school that would probably be the time he would need someone like that the most. Grace on the other hand.. well, she just needed some weight lifted off her shoulders and another person to lead her in the right direction.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel groaned as he started to awaken, being woken up by that damned cat pawing at his face. "F**k off, Max," he growled, pulling the pillow over his head. Of course, that did nothing to deter the determined feline. Max simply climbed under the blanket, crawled down to Daniel's toes and started nipping at them. With a defeated and annoyed groan mixed into one, he lifted the pillow off his head and sat up. Swearing loudly and colorfully -he didn't appreciate being woken up early on his day off- he watched, simmering, as Max crawled out from the under the covers and looked up at him with those large eyes of his.

The rest of the morning was quite uneventful. Knowing he wasn't going to get anymore sleep, he climbed out of bed and, still dressed in only his underwear, untangled himself from his bedsheets and made his way from the bedroom to the kitchen. Max, of course, followed him the entire way. Daniel reached up and pulled open one of the cupboards, pulling down a can of cat food. He wasn't sure why he fed the cat who spent the whole night hunting. If Max was hungry, he couldn't understand why the cat just didn't eat whatever mice and things that he caught. At this rate, Max was going to end up some fat, lazy lap cat. He told Max that but the cat just looked up at him, watching and waiting for his breakfast.

Pouring the contents of the can onto a plate, he set it down on the floor before retreating to his bedroom while Max was busy. He wasn't going to get anymore sleep. He knew that for a fact, and not because Max would wake him up again. The cat had been fed. There was no need to annoy the human anymore. It was because Daniel found it nearly impossible to get back to sleep once he'd woken up after the sun rose. He'd never taken afternoon naps as a child and had never taken naps on his free days as an adult, unless he was completely exhausted. Then it was more like passing out than actual naps.

Yawning, he changed into a pair of old jeans and a plaid red button-up. Since it was his day off, he figured he would spend it working on his house. His melancholy thoughts from the night before had vanished. Everything always seemed better the morning after, except in the case of one night stands. Things just always seemed awkward and slightly embarrassing after one of those. He would know.

But he couldn't help but wonder. Was there any point in continuing? It wasn't like anyone was ever going to live in the house, except for him. When he died, sure, someone would move in, but they could take care of it. He wasn't even sure who he would leave it to when he died. With that in mind, he probably should have started thinking about getting a will written up. He may have lived in a semi-hole of a house, but that didn't mean he didn't have things of value. Like the land. The land itself was worth quite a bit. And there were always those things, the stashes, the proceeds of his younger years, hidden in secret places through his land. Of course, he wouldn't include those in the will because, well, they were the proceeds of illegal activities. That would make it a nice surprise for anyone who happened to stumble across them after he died.

Actually, maybe he would leave it all to Elenore and her kids. It wasn't like he had anyone else to leave it to. Michael would be dead long before him and Daniel didn't have any other friends. So, with that partially decided, he nodded to himself before walking into the living room and getting to work.

As he worked, his mind went blank. Manual labor always did that to him and he loved it. He didn't have to think about his past, or his uncertain and probably lonely future. He didn't have to think about his present problems. He could just do things without having to contemplate anything. But, it seemed, his brain was against him this time. As he worked, he began to wonder if Elenore would approve of the room once it was done. At that thought, he froze, halfway through sawing a plank of wood.

Scowling, he shook his head. That was ridiculous. They were friends. Nothing more. They would never be more. It was for the best for everyone.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

The only person that she would even think about giving a chance for the position of being a father to her kids was Daniel but that would be unfair to him. He would suddenly have three kids looking up at him and possibly fighting as well. Who would want to jump into a relationship like that? Shaking her head, she sunk lower into the bathtub until she was lying on the bottom, her eyes closed, thinking. She really did like Daniel, there was no denying that even though she had tried to many times before.. but what could she do about it. Forget him.. she thought. Or give it a chance.. running out of air she sat up and rubbed the water away from her eyes, taking in a deep breath of air as she moved her red hair back.

She was crazy. Why even think of giving it a chance? She was torn between the two choices, though the bigger half was all for giving it a chance.. for now thought, they would stay friends. Nothing more. She would see if he felt anything more and perhaps then things could move forward or she wouldn't even like him like that anymore by that time. Letting the water drain as she got out and wrapped a towel around her body, drying her hair with another towel since she personally hated blow dryers. She found the noise annoying. Biting her lower lip once she was dry, she walked out of the bathroom and got dressed. It was kind of a dark outfit but she was comfortable in it. Picking up all the things that needed to be washed, she put them into the washing machine and let it do it's work.

Checking all her kids' rooms to make sure they were relatively clean, she picked up some of Deserai's stuffed animals that were all the floor and set them on her bed. Grace and Deserai shared a room, sleeping on a bunk bed. She was glad that the two didn't complain about sharing a room since there wasn't another spare room in the apartment. Smiling slightly, she then walked out, closing the door behind her and went into the kitchen to make herself some breakfast. Some orange juice, eggs and bacon sounded just fine. She wasn't going to be complex about her meals, simple things made her happy at times. Getting out a pan, she set it on the stove and turned it on before grabbing some eggs and bacon from the fridge.

About fifteen minutes later her breakfast was ready though she wished she had someone to share it with. Her kids were always there.. The only time she had eaten alone was at work or back when her mother died and she still lived with her father. Sighing at the thought, she then looked down at the eggs which happened to make a smiley face, she had done it on purpose. Elenore always liked to cook and since she had kids, they often made different kinds of pancakes that made animals or something like that. In the end she preferred it to food that was just plain even though it was just as good.

Finishing off what was left of her orange juice, she then put the dishes into the sink and washed them quickly, thinking about what she was going to do now. Watching TV wasn't something she enjoyed that much unless there was a really good movie on. Comedy. She loved comedy. She loved things that made her laugh. Smiling at the thought, she then decided she might as well give Daniel a call to see if he was busy or not later on or even now. Perhaps he would have an idea of something to do or perhaps they could or somewhere.. maybe her hopes were getting too high but it was worth a shot. She was prepared for the worst so how bad could it be?

Drying her hands on a towel, she went back to her bedroom after she had put all the dishes away and took her phone alone with her. Picking up the paper she began to dial the number but then glanced at the clock. Would he be awake by now? A few other thoughts ran through her mind but she dismissed them, she had told herself she was going to call him and she wasn't going to come up with excuses not to now. Putting in the rest of the numbers, she sat on her bed cross-legged as the phone began to ring on the other side and she bit her lower lip nervously, holding the piece of paper in her other hand.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel frowned when the sound of knocking reached his ears. Setting down the tape measure, he wondered who could possibly be coming to see him as he left the living room and headed for the door. When he reached the front door and opened it, he had half a mind to slam it right in Michael's face. He'd done so before. The old British man stood there, grinning like there was no tomorrow. Daniel assumed he was doing it just to piss him off, and it was working.

Not saying anything, he turned away from the door -though left it open- and returned to his work in the living room. He heard the front door closed followed by the sound of footsteps. Sighing, he turned to see that Michael had followed him. Surprise, surprise.

Michael wasn't a bad guy and he wasn't overly annoying either. He was just the one person that Daniel saw the most and hence he got on his nerves the most. Though, in reality, Daniel also owed him the most. Michael had been a father figure to him ever since he had met the sixty-something man. They had met when Daniel had still been involved in the gang. Michael had been one of them once and had managed to persuade Daniel to leave, after beating him over the head a few times. It had taken quite a bit of persuasion but Michael had managed to do it and Daniel was sure that if he hadn't, he would have been in a box in the ground by now.

Michael himself had had a pretty hard life. He'd left Britain after his parents had died in a fire when he was fifteen. After that, he traveled around a bit, stealing, begging or doing odd jobs to get him by. He finally settled down when he was twenty, but that was more because he'd gotten involved with some heavy s**t than any real will to settle to one place. After that, he spent a few decades in a gang, nearly managing to make his way to the top before witnessing his best friend and boss be slaughtered like an animal by some rogue cops. Michael, not wanting to share the same fate, had left the gang but Daniel suspected he wasn't as detached as he wanted him to believe. He knew for himself that that lifestyle didn't easily let go of its people.

But that didn't make him any easier to deal with. "What do you want Michael? Can't you see I'm busy?" he snapped before outright glowering when Michael just grinned wider.

"A little birdy told me that someone 'as found 'imself a pretty little female companion," Michael said as he crossed the room and plopped down on the couch.

"I really ought to kill that bird." In all honesty, Daniel had no idea how Michael found these kinds of things out. "If you've come here to talk about my love life and to lecture me again on how I should settle down and start a family and all that bullshit, you can leave now. We're just friends and that's all we'll ever be."

Michael raised his hands as if in surrender. "I didn't say a thing," he pointed out. "But, you know, if there's ever the slightest chance that you two could be more."

"There isn't." Daniel paused before sighing deeply. He walked over to the couch and sat down beside the older man. No matter how much they argued and how much Michael got on his nerves, he would never stop going to him for advice or to tell him his problems. "I want there to be," he confessed. "but it wouldn't work out. She's good. Like, really good. And I'm not."

Daniel didn't need to look at him to know Michael's eyebrows were coming together. They'd known each other so long, he could guess just what his friend would do and say. "Daniel, you know that's not true."

"And you know the things I've done," he pointed out. His history wasn't pretty and Michael knew every bit of it.

Michael sighed deeply before placing a hand on Daniel's shoulder. "You're not that person anymore," he said. "Yes, you have done some bad things. So have I. Do you think I'm a bad person?"

He had him there. "It's not just that," he told him. "She's got kids. Two of them are pretty young. Ten and three, I'd guess. The other's a teenager."

Michael didn't say anything else. He knew what the problem was. Well, what the problems were. No amount of discussion was going to persuade Daniel that he would be a good father. Michael couldn't prove it. In fact, he wasn't even sure it was true. Yes, he did believe that Daniel had the potential to be a good father, but he would eventually end up having to punish one of them and that was where the problem would lie. Daniel's father's idea of punishment was beating him until he was a bloody mess on the floor. He knew Daniel wouldn't take it that far but physical punishment was the only kind Daniel knew.

The sound of the phone ringing grasped both of their attention. Looking up, Daniel pushed himself off the couch and walked over to where the phone hung on the wall. Picking up the phone, he brought it to his head. "Hello?"  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

It seemed like an eternity for that one ring. Elenore even found herself blushing slightly though she tried to get rid of it. What if he had given her the wrong number? No, she didn't think so. He had seemed pretty happy but then again, her ex husband had seemed pretty happy with her as well, even overjoyed at times. Sebastian had definitely been something and she knew that she would probably never forget about him, she had three kids that shared his genes, but she knew that with time the pain would fade away completely.

If her kids hadn't been alive then, perhaps it would have been easier. She would have been able to get a better degree and she would have possibly had a home by now that she could actually own. She didn't regret having her kids. She never had and she never would, she loved them to death and she didn't know what she would do if something happened to one of them. Elenore already wanted to have a talk with the people that Grace had gotten into a fight with, as well as her boss. She also knew that Nicolas wasn't having an easy time at school even though he never told her anything.. he was always so quiet.

Deserai on the other hand always talked unless she was sleeping in her bed or somewhere else in the house. Running her fingers through her hair, she smiled a bit. They were all little angels when they were asleep, she had never told them that though. Her little red headed children. The thought made her heart swell with pride that she had raised them this far. She wanted to do even better for them later on though.

Closing her eyes, she lay back on the bed before she heard the phone being picked up on the other end. She hadn't thought about how to introduce herself over the phone yet and so she panicked. Saying, 'hey, it's me' wouldn't be a good idea since it was possible that he wouldn't be able to recognize her voice and she had never talked to him over the phone before. Mentioning her name would definitely be a good idea. Hearing a voice, she grinned when she realized it was Daniel's and thought about joking around or having him guess but that would be mean.

"Hey.. it's Elenore." she spoke before biting her lip nervously wondering what to say now. She hadn't thought about this like she should have, she had just acted.. maybe this was a bad idea. What if he was busy? Or had people over? Ugh. It didn't should like he had been sleeping so that was good, hopefully he wasn't busy, she didn't want to be distracting him from something that was important.

"I found the paper last night.. so I thought I would give you a call.." she added. "See how you were and that type of thing." yeah, this made her sound so sophisticated. Why was she so worried about this? Because she liked him but still, she knew that he probably didn't feel the same way back.. she had told herself to give it a chance though, so she was just going to go with this. "I can call back later if you're busy." Elenore knew that it was a possibility, he had a life after all. Sitting up, she then got up and walked around her bedroom and then walked out of there and down the hall to the living room.

Would he want to see her today? It was his day off after all and he could have plans for something else.. or for someone else. Closing her eyes, she leaned against the back of the tan colored couch and rubbed her neck, eagerly waiting for some kind of a response. Maybe she was talking to much.. was she? She just had to calm down and not worry about this so much. She was acting as if she was some teenager calling her first crush. Shaking her head, she knew her actions weren't all that great and hoped that she would get better at this type of thing.. that is if she was going to be able to call him again. Yeah it had been a while since she had talked to someone she genuinely liked but she still needed to get her act together.
((Sorry couldn't make it any longer at the moment >.< ))  

[Katydid50]

Daniel blinked, it taking a few moments for everything to register. It was Elenore. S**t. "Uh, hey." When she went on to explain about how she found the paper, he smiled weakly. She probably found it when she was getting changed for bed. That thought brought an imagine to his mind that wasn't entirely unpleasant but was definitely inappropriate. Forcing the imagine from his mind, he focused back on the phone call. When she said she could call back later, he said, rather firmly, "No!" Clearing his throat, he added more gently, "No. I'm not busy." The last thing he wanted to do was be left alone with Michael and his all too personal probing questions.

Even as he stood, Daniel could feel Michael's eyes on him. No doubt he'd already figured out who it was on the phone. He expected at any moment for the man to jump over, snatch the phone from him and tell Elenore everything that had been said. With a cautious glance at Michael, who was still sitting on the couch but wore a knowing smile on his face, Daniel took a step away from the man and turned so he was between Michael and the phone.

"So, uh, how are you?" He absolutely failed at small talk. Maybe it was that fact that brought Michael into action. Either way, the older man was going to pay for it.

Daniel didn't even hear the man get up and suddenly Michael was by his side, snatching the phone away from him. Ignoring his protests, Michael shoved Daniel away and held out an arm to keep him at arm's length. "I'm going to assume you are the one Danny 'ere's being 'anging around with. Just so you know, 'e's completely 'ead over 'eels in love with you."

"You know that's not true!" Daniel yelled as he struggled to get the phone back. Michael was stronger than he looked. "b]Michael! Give me the phone!" The last thing he wanted was for Michael to tell Elenore everything.

Grinning like a maniac, Michael ignored Daniel's attempts. "Also, 'e wants you two to get married and 'ave kids, lots of them." Was he completely trying to screw with both of them? Yes, yes he was. And he was enjoying himself immensely in doing so. But he also thought it was the best. They may have thought he was screwing with them but it would hopefully get them talking to each other on matters more important and personal than the weather.

"Michael! Give me the f**king phone!" Daniel yelled again, becoming more frantic. None of it was true. He wasn't in love with Elenore, though he could have been, with time. And he didn't want her to move in, at least not at that point. Becoming desperate, he full on tackled Michael to the ground but the older man still refused to give up the phone. "Damn it all, Michael!"

"And 'e wants you to grow old together and 'ave tons of grandkids to spoil and-." Michael didn't get the chance to say anymore as Daniel finally managed to take the phone off him. At that point, Michael burst into a fit of laughter and didn't even bother trying to get up off the ground. Panting, Daniel stood, shot a glare at Michael before bringing the phone to his ear and stepping away from the maniac on the floor.

"I am so sorry about that," he told Elenore. "That's my neighbor, Michael. He's insane." He rolled his eyes as Michael yelled out a comment about him being a 'mad genius' before he burst into another laughing fit. "Anyway, how are you? What have you been up to?" He really did want to keep the subject away from Michael and his own unexpressed feelings towards Elenore. After all, he wasn't a good guy, morally or for her and her kids. There was no chance for them so why even try it? There were plenty of guys out there better for her and her kids than him.
((It's all good.))  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

At least he responded after a few moments though when she went to explain that she could call back later, he automatically said no. Blinking, she crossed her arm over her waist before he spoke again. "Alright, just making sure." she spoke, glad that he was willing to talk. It seemed like he wanted to stay away from something but perhaps that was all her imagination. Shaking her head slightly, she then waited for him to say something else.

Small talk, wonderful, but it was a start so she wasn't complaining, that much at least. "Good I guess.. what about you?" during her words though she could hear movement so it was possible that he hadn't even heard her response. Hearing someone else's voice she couldn't help but wonder who it was. So they had been talking about someone? Her? A light blush returned to her cheeks, wondering what they had been saying.

"Head over heels, huh?" she laughed slightly, not believe him but then again in every lie was a kernel of truth.. though she honestly didn't think that Daniel was in love with her. How could someone fall in love with another in such a short time. Hearing Daniel yelling she couldn't help but smile a little bit. It was obvious that the man on the phone was just messing with both of them. Why? She wasn't quite sure. At least now she knew the man's name was Micheal.

Married? Kids? Rubbing one of her temples, she swallowed. Well.. this was definitely interesting. It seemed like small talk had vanished for the time being. Daniel on the other hand was still trying to get the phone back from what she could hear. Hearing lots of noise, she couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Were they fighting now? She walked around the couch and sat down on one of the cushions, they probably weren't listening to her either.

She had thought about playing along with it, saying that she completely agreed and so forth but the thought of Micheal later saying it to Daniel made her stomach turn into knots. "It's fine. He's rather entertaining." she told him with a small weak laugh. "I'm alright and be honest, not a whole lot. What about you? Enjoying your day off so far?" she asked, not sure what kind of answer she would get since she had a lovely conversation with Micheal.

Now that she actually gave some thought to his words, which she probably shouldn't have done, why had Micheal said any of those things? Was it possible.. that perhaps.. even if it was a little bit, he felt something for her? She dismissed those thoughts. If he did she guessed he would tell her with time but then again he was always saying that he didn't have a woman because he was a bad person. Sighing, she lowered her head. It seemed like her only way to find something out was through time.. and lots of it.

Unless.. she went to Micheal but she didn't even know him and it was possible that he was just trying to hook them up. Why was she getting her hopes up so high? Daniel didn't deserve to have so many things to worry about.. he wasn't the father of her children. He'd find himself a good wife, someone that he could raise his own family with and not have to accept another one. She had told herself that she would give it a chance though.. Why was this so complicated?  

[Katydid50]

Daniel rolled his eyes when Elenore told him that she found Michael entertaining. She didn't know Michael personally. And, anyway, she wouldn't find it so entertaining if it was her crush -was it a crush?- that he was telling her secret feelings to. But he wasn't really sure why it upset him so much. It wasn't like anything could ever happen between them. She was too good for him and people like him didn't change, at least not enough to make it worth while. Eventually, something would happen and he would get sucked back in and then she would wish she had never met him. He would n** it in the bud right now, or at least try to. Then neither of them would end up getting hurt.

When she told him she wasn't doing a whole lot, he smiled. He could imagine her sitting on her couch in an overly large t-shirt and sweatpants, just hanging out at home. When she asked about him and if he was enjoying his day off, he scoffed. "I would be enjoying it if somebody would stop harassing me," he said, shooting a glare at Michael who was sitting cross-legged on the floor, smiling innocently. "He's planning something, I just know it." He would not put it beyond Michael to find out who Elenore was and visit her at home while trying to set them up.

Sighing, he turned his attention away from Michael who he was sure was going to behave, at least for a little while. "Other than that, I've just been working on trying to finish renovating my living room. Haven't really gotten as far as I would have liked but it's coming along, slowly but surely." At least he was getting something done. That was better than nothing.

((Geh. So much shorter but I didn't know what else to put and didn't want to stretch the post just for the sake of length))  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

She smiled when she heard his words. The two obviously got along even though they didn't always agree with each other. "Planning something? What would it be?" she asked him and only when those words had escaped her lips did she know what the answer was. His future. To have them 'get together' for lack of better words. That would definitely take some time though, and she didn't know how well it would work out and so forth.

"Sounds like fun." she told him in a joking tone. It seemed like he had work to do but perhaps he wouldn't be free for part of the day. Why was it always her that got then to do something together? Getting stuck in the elevator didn't count but she had to ask him more than once to get him to go to dinner with her to repay him for saving her from their boss, Mr. Ruggles. She still didn't know his first name and she didn't think she would ever want to for that matter.

Biting her lower lip, she pulled her knees up to her chest. "Just out of curiosity, do you have any plans for the rest of the day?" she asked him, maybe she shouldn't do this but she couldn't take back her words so she would just go with it now. If he did have plans then she would just have to find some way to entertain herself or she would probably end up taking her kids to the movies. She already felt back for leaving them while she was here, doing nothing at the moment. Playing on the guitar for a little bit would only take an hour or so.. and she wasn't in the mood to draw. She had to find something or someone to distract her from the things that stressed her out and she enjoyed being around Daniel.. but if he didn't want to be with her, she would simply accept that.
((It's okay.. I can't think of anything to put now either >.< ))  

[Katydid50]

Daniel smiled weakly when she asked what he thought Michael was planning. "Guess," he told her. It didn't take a genius to figure it out, especially with everything the older man had just said over the phone, even if none of it was true. Michael was much more manipulative and sly than Daniel could ever be. That probably came from his numerous years working with criminals. Either way, it made Daniel nervous when Michael got that scheming look on his face. Even though he'd spent years around crims as well, he wasn't nearly as good as Michael was.

When Elenore told him that it sounded like fun, he laughed. He actually laughed. "Actually, I do really enjoy it. It keeps me busy." And being busy kept him from thinking too much. It kept him from thinking about how much he wanted to be with her, relationship-wise. And physically as well but he would never admit that aloud. It also kept him from thinking about how worried he was about Nick and Grace. It was obvious something was going on with both of them, though, in all honesty, he was more worried about Nick. He knew the kinds of people that roamed the streets and night and the idea of Nick being caught by one of them made his heart skip a beat in fear.

He blinked in surprise, though he really shouldn't have been all that surprised, when she asked him if he had any plans. "Uh, no. Why? Did you have something in mind?" The idea of spending time with her definitely appealed to him. It was odd though. There was nothing particularly special about her, aside from her kindness and her good heart. She wasn't overly pretty but she wasn't homely either. He had seen women more beautiful than her -mostly whores- but they had all seemed over the top, like they purposely went out of their way to make themselves beautiful. Elenore didn't. She had this kind of natural beauty -both inside and outside- about her that seemed to draw him in no matter how much he fought it.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

She already knew the answer for the most part and when he told her to guess, she knew how to respond. "Your future." she wrapped an arm around her legs. His neighbor did seem like an interesting person though, someone that could make you laugh and annoy you at the same time. Tilting her head back, she smiled a bit more, curious about Micheal's plan and Daniel's opinion on it though she didn't voice it

Hearing him laugh, she blinked. He was laughing. The next moment she smiled, glad that she got that kind of reaction from him. Well now she knew something else about him, he liked fixing his living room. "Everyone has things they like to do." she shrugged. "A little bit of free time here and there doesn't hurt though, does it?" she asked him, smiling once again though he wouldn't be able to see it. For some reason she couldn't sit still for too long so she decided to lay down, hoping that would help calm her down. When was the last time she had been really excited about something?

So no plans. Now all she had to do was bring up another question or request. "I was wondering if you would mind spending some time together." she closed her eyes, unsure of what his response would be. Sure he had said that he didn't have any plans for later on but that didn't mean he would suddenly change his mind and 'remember' that he had something scheduled already. She had had that happen to her before and it wasn't all that fun. Hope for the best but he prepared for the worst.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel smiled weakly at her guess. Yeah, his future. His future that included her and lots of kids, though he suspected that was more for Michael's benefit than his own. Michael had been more of a dad to him than his own, biological father. That included badgering him about getting married and giving him grandchildren -of sorts- to spoil rotten. Michael had never had any kids of his own and, to Daniel's knowledge, had never even been married but Michael did like kids. That was no secret. In Daniel's mind, Michael had been put on this earth to be a dad but had never gotten the chance to father children of his own. It was sad really and he wished there was something more he could do for him but he just couldn't think of anything. "Uh, yeah. We'll go with that."

When she said that a little bit of free time didn't hurt, he smiled weakly. He would have thought she'd have known better, would have remembered when they sat in the elevator in the dark with nothing to do but dwell on their thoughts. "No, but a lot can be dangerous." If he kept himself busy, he didn't have the time or energy to dwell on what he was missing out on. If he wasn't kept busy, he would think and then he would get depressed and who knew where it would end?

When she suggested they spend some time together, he raised an eyebrow. That was kind of a given, and he told her so. Rolling his eyes, he ignored a comment from Michael on how 'bad' they were at this type of thing. "Oh, shut up Michael. What would you know?" he snapped at the man. The next thing he knew, the phone had been snatched from his hand. "Hey!"

"Unless you've got any other ideas, why don't you come out 'ere? I'm sure the fresh air would do you some good and this place could do with some feminine company." Pulling away from the phone, Michael asked, "When was the last time you had a woman over?" The only answer he got was a glare from Daniel.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Elenore smiled as he spoke. Was it really that bad though? She doubted Micheal had already named all the kids that he thought that Daniel and her should have and so on, it was pretty funny to her though.. and slightly awkward as well. It would definitely take time before they got anywhere though, they both had a lot going on.. or their past following them. Closing her eyes, she got up and walked to the kitchen deciding to get herself a glass of water. Grabbing a cup from one of the cupboards, she then turned on the sink and let the water fill the cup before she turned it off and picked up the glass, bringing it to her lips briefly as she took a sip.

"I can agree with you there." she told him as she set down the cup. After all she had only had a couple hours of freedom and already she didn't know what to do or what to think.. well she was actually thinking about her kids a lot which then only made her feel miserable for leaving them in the first place. Perhaps one day would be enough for a break, she didn't think that Daniel would want to keep her busy for the next two days. Sure she was stressed but she couldn't handle this.. she didn't know what to do. It was sad really but it was the truth.

Hearing Micheal in the background, she wasn't quite sure what he had said but she didn't bother asking Daniel about it. Obviously Daniel wasn't happy about it though and the next thing she knew, she was talking to Micheal again.. or rather he was talking to her. For some reason she blushed at the request. "Um.. sure.. I guess, as long as it's fine with Daniel." she said, before biting her lower lip. She didn't want to show up with Daniel angry and telling her to head back. Then again he was too nice to do that but she didn't want him to think about when she was going to leave while she was there.