 
### His Dream Girl

#### By Natalie Fields

#### Published by Publications Circulations LLC.

SmashWords Edition

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, companies and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.

The following story is for entertainment purposes only. This book contains sexually graphic scenes depicting consenting adults above the age of 18 engaging in passionate sexual acts. This story is intended only for persons over the legal adult age. By downloading and opening this document, you are stating that you are of legal age to access and view this work of fiction. Mature readers only. Reader discretion is advised.

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**~ ~ ~ ~**

### 1.

"HONESTLY, Dr. Rhys! This is all a huge misunderstanding!"

Dr. Charlotte Rhys studied the attractive young woman sitting across from her. She was a bit on the thin side with long, brown hair and deep brown eyes, but she was pretty enough. At the moment, she was fidgeting without seeming to notice it. To Charlotte, this was a sign of lying.

"Emily, do you understand why you've been court-ordered to see me?" Charlotte asked.

"Of course, I understand why the judge thought I might need some therapy sessions, but I promise you that it is all a misunderstanding!" Emily replied with her voice squeaking into higher levels at certain points.

"Why don't you tell me why the judge feels that you need to see me, Emily?"

"Well, because Homer said that I was stalking him, of all things! But I wasn't stalking him. We just happen to eat and shop or whatever at the same places. Just because we aren't together just now shouldn't mean that I have change my favorite places."

"Emily, how long have you and Homer been apart?"

"Well, about six months ago, he said that we needed to take a break, but he's going to come back to me."

Repressing a sigh, Charlotte made a few notes and then looked back at her patient.

"Emily, I was under the impression that Homer and his wife had reunited. Is that correct?"

"Oh, that's just what she says! You see, Homer just had to pretend to go back to her, don't you see? He's just waiting for the right time before he comes back to me."

"Emily, let me explain to you what I've been told and then we can discuss it together," Charlotte said.

Then she read all of the facts regarding her patient.

Emily James and Homer Talbot had begun an affair over a year ago. Approximately, six months previously, Emily had begun to demand that Homer leave his wife and commit to Emily. Homer refused and, instead, left Emily after deciding to give his marriage another try.

That was when all of the trouble began.

Emily simply could not, or would not, accept that Homer was no longer a part of her life. She began to stalk him, although she adamantly refused to admit that it was anything more than just running into him when they were both out dining or shopping. Of course it also made perfect sense to Emily that they would run into each other at such places as the public library, coffee shop, diner at lunch, and even the car wash. They simply must have maintained the exact same schedule for these things.

There might not have been any action that Homer could take if she had just kept to these places where anyone had a right to be no matter who else may have been there.

However, Emily branched out to parking down the street from Homer's house.

She also took to following Homer's wife all over the place and gave her threatening glares. These instances increased by leaps and bounds, but they still had not reached the point where any legal action could be taken.

That all changed one night, when Emily broke into Homer's house while they were out.

She went into the master bedroom and meticulously cut all his wife's clothing items into ribbons with a pair of scissors. Then she left all of the evidence strewn across the, bed as well as the floor and dresser. Next, she poured bleach all over Homer's clothes, leaving white discoloration everywhere.

Once she had left as much damage as possible, she went back outside to her car, which she had left parked a few houses down. In fact, she had not even attempted to hide. She had waited until Homer and his wife returned home so she could witness their reaction to what she had done.

This meant that she was still watching when the police arrived to investigate. This made it so much easier for them to arrest her for breaking and entering, plus malicious vandalism.

Since Emily had a clean record with not even a parking ticket in her past, she was let off easy as long as she attended regular therapy sessions with a psychiatrist. Charlotte offered to take a few court-ordered cases each month, depending on her caseload. She just happened to have a few vacancies at the moment so she had agreed to take on Emily as a patient.

Emily was proving to be quite interesting. So far, Charlotte could see that this woman was completely delusional. But that was only scraping the surface. There were many more layers to this woman's personality and Charlotte intended to uncover them all.

She watched Emily's face as she heard the accusations against her. It was clear that Emily didn't accept them. She had excuses for all of the stalking incidents. As for the breaking and entering and vandalism, she simply refused to acknowledge or discuss that.

"Well, Emily, you and I have quite a bit of work to do but I'll be here with you every step of the way. The first step is for you to understand what has actually taken place and what the difference is between reality and what you perceive as reality. So far, you don't seem to comprehend what your situation is and that is what we need to work on first. Do you understand what I am saying to you?"

"Of course I understand what you're saying! Do you think I'm a complete moron?" Emily cried.

"No, Emily, I don't think you're a moron -- complete or any other kind. But we do have some work to do so that you can fully comprehend what has happened. However, I cannot help you until you agree that you need treatment."

"I don't need anything, Dr. Rhys. That's what I am trying to tell you! This has all been a complete and total misunderstanding!"

"Emily, if you are refusing to work with me, you leave me no choice but to hospitalize you for a few days to stabilize you. In case you do not understand, the court has ordered that you either work with me or you will be remanded to custody."

"What does that mean? They can't force me to do this!"

"Actually, Emily, they can. But I would much rather that you work with me willingly rather than having to hospitalize you for a bit. That will be up to you, though."

At this point, Emily came completely unglued. She began shrieking at the top of her lungs, gnashing her teeth and thrashing about on the sofa.

Quickly, Charlotte pushed a concealed button underneath her desk while opening a draw and withdrawing a syringe and a vial containing a sedative. She kept these on hand for just such emergencies. They didn't happen often but one of these situations only had to happen once to insure that she wasn't caught unawares again.

Within seconds, Rico, her assistant was in her office and was in the process of restraining Emily long enough for Charlotte to give her a shot. The sedative was fast acting and started to take effect almost instantly.

Emily gradually stopped shrieking and started to fall over.

Rico caught her and laid her gently on the sofa.

"Wow," he said as he stepped back and stood with Charlotte. "What happened to her?"

"She's very delusional," Charlotte answered quietly. "I didn't realize just how serious it was until it was too late. Thank you for your help. I'm going to have to hospitalize her. I'll call and make the arrangements."

"Okay, Doc," Rico said. "Do you need for me keep an eye on her for you?"

"No, she will be fine. I expect she will remain unconscious until the ambulance arrives, but thank you."

"Sure thing. That's why you pay me the big bucks," he said over his shoulder as he left her office and headed back to the reception area.

Rico Chase was a true lifesaver. Not only was he a registered nurse but was a body builder proficient in several forms of martial arts as well as a great office manager. With Rico, she got an office manager, emergency nurse and a bodyguard all in one. She damn well paid him what he was worth and then some.

He was, quite simply, irreplaceable.

Charlotte made the phone calls to arrange what she needed for Emily. She had really hoped to avoid this step, but it was pretty clear that she had no choice.

Emily was not functional enough to be on her own. She had at least 72 hours to work with Emily and try to get her grounded somewhat.

Beyond that, she would have to see.

The ambulance arrived in record time and without flashing lights or sirens. Charlotte had requested that they not draw any more attention to themselves than necessary. She had explained that the patient was sedated for now and was in no immediate danger.

Most of the EMTs had worked with her at one time or another and she had a good relationship with them, that's why they paid attention to her requests when she needed to call on them. She was happy to say this wasn't all that often.

Rico let the EMTs into her office and she explained the situation. She told them what she had given Emily and how much of it. They noted everything as they loaded her onto a gurney.

"I will be at the hospital shortly," she told them as they were leaving with Emily.

Rico would need to postpone her last two appointments of the day and reschedule them. She was going to need to make sure Emily was settled and receiving medication immediately.

Well, maybe she would at least be finished in time to make dinner with Elys and Alexander, she thought.

She had promised them for ages that she would visit them, but something always seemed to get in the way. Elys had come into Moon Bay a few times so that they could grab lunch and do some dress fittings for Elys' upcoming wedding to Alexander Sage. But, so far, Charlotte hadn't quite made it to the castle.

Charlotte couldn't help but smile.

That's what she had dubbed the enormous structure that Alexander and Elys called home. It actually was a castle and was very beautiful, located on one of the most amazing property that she had ever seen. Whenever she got a chance, she would drive out and spend a few days there. It was so relaxing there.

Her friendship with Elys started the moment they met each other on one of the social gatherings organized by her sister Theresa for their father's Law Firm. Alexander Sage and his beautiful fiancee were invited, and she only went because her dad personally called her to attend. And, all right, because she knew Brennan would also be there.

Brennan Trey, one of the youngest partners in the firm and a brilliant lawyer, happened to be her friend. She knew the party wouldn't be dull with him there. Actually, she though as she felt an uncontrollable brush to her cheeks, Brennan wasn't just a friend. He was and for a long time her most favorite teenage crush. And it was easy to understand why. He had the kind of suave, confident gorgeous looks that could make a woman's blood sizzle. He used to be her wet dreams' hero, and the knight on her fantasies. Her one obsession then was to have him kiss her, finally. But if only he could see past Theresa, her elegant and beautiful older sister, to see her more silent prettiness.

Well, her mother had said she was pretty and she had done her best. But Brennan... Theresa had a claim on Brennan, she thought. This erased the dreamy look on her face. If it was true that Brennan did feel a little something for her, Charlotte was sure Theresa would find a way to snap him out of it. No woman had ever resisted Therese's femme fatale looks, with the personality to boot. There would be war if Brennan so much as look her way.

She knew it. It was proven already. She and Brennan couldn't be allowed to be together as long as Theresa hadn't found another man to set her hooks on.

She had wondered, though, what was taking so long for her sister and Brennan to get it on. There was something in her that hoped... maybe Theresa wasn't telling the entire truth. Charlotte certainly knew that if Theresa had her way, they would be married by now.

Well, she found out that Brennan was a personal friend to Alexander Sage, one of the youngest billionaire businessmen in the country. And it was a delightful bonus that she and Elys had become friends right away -- actually, as soon as they started talking. Elys was honest and delightfully real to the core. It was thrilling to actually meet someone like her. When she learned her background and how she managed to hold on until Alexander found and saved her from her dire situation, she couldn't help but admire and respect her strength.

Elys also liked her and said so, even saying as much as that she was like a sister she never had. Their friendship just went so smoothly that it felt like it was something that's just waiting to happen.

It was one of those things that made her feel sad that she had never enjoyed even a minimal part of that closeness with Theresa. But this time, being Elys' friend also made her feel relieved that she had someone now to really be like a sister to. She had wanted something like this for a long time, and she was grateful that it seemed the heavens had finally granted her prayer.

Thinking about all of it also brought a stray thought to her mind.

She idly wondered if Brennan Trey might be joining them for dinner.

Charlotte's heart thudded just a bit harder and beat a bit faster as she thought of the handsome Brennan. Theresa wanted him, but she still couldn't help the way she felt about him.

She sighed heavily. If she could find a man that could even compare to someone like Brennan, this wouldn't be so difficult. Most of the times that she thought about him, her body reacted like a teenager with raging hormones. For a woman her age, this was really a bit aggravating. Like right now, her pulse raced and her heart was working overtime just at the possibility of seeing him. She shouldn't be feeling like this anymore. She should have moved on a long time ago from behavior like this -- especially after what career she had chosen to study! One would think she would have found a way to cure this infatuation a long time ago.

She sighed again. At any rate, she had some things to take care of if she was going to make it to dinner. She better distract herself with that before she hyperventilate.

With that, she gathered her purse and briefcase and locked her office door. Waving to Rico as she went out, she knew that he had already re-scheduled those last two appointments. That's just how efficient this man was.

Maybe it was time to give him another raise, she was thinking as she got to her car.

### 2.

BRENNAN LOOKED ACROSS his massive desk at the young man seated there.

He had known that he was going to help Joey Martin from the second they had shaken hands. That little current that ran through him when someone was innocent had alerted him that Joey was, indeed, telling the truth with his version of events.

But he had to go through the motions. Part of being successful as a human being was to act as clueless and normal as them. He had perfected this trick after practicing it for so many years.

Besides, he had to hear the full story so that he would know how to proceed and where to look for the evidence that would clear Joey.

"So you're saying that you were never at Ms. Stevens' home on the evening of November 24th," Brennan said. "Is that right?"

"Yes, Mr. Trey," a very nervous but earnest Joey replied. "I was at home and I was passed out." He frowned. "That's another thing -- I know I only had a couple of beers with my buddy Brock. We were at my house watching the game. After I had my second beer, I started to feel kind of weird, and then there was just nothing. When I woke up, it was like 7 o'clock the next morning, I was still lying on my couch with an afghan over me. I guess Brock covered me with it and turned off the television before he left, whenever that was."

"I see," Brennan replied. The wheels were already turning in his head. He had a feeling that Joey's good "buddy" Brock knew quite a lot about what had happened to Samantha Stevens on that fateful night. He just needed the evidence that would prove his hunch was right.

Samantha was Joey's ex-girlfriend and he had been having trouble moving on from her. He genuinely loved her, even though the relationship had not worked out, and it had been very painful for him to let go of her.

So the breakup had been very hard on Joey. He freely admitted that. He also had, admittedly, shown up at her house on more than one occasion following the breakup in an extremely intoxicated state, and loudly begged her to come back to him. But he had never been threatening and had only served to embarrass himself as well as Samantha. Sadly, she had moved on and simply felt bad that Joey couldn't do the same.

Yet, on the night of November 24th, someone had broken into Samantha's house. This person had attacked her while she slept, raped her and cold-bloodedly left her for dead. She did not die, but she was now in a coma from which the doctors weren't sure she would emerge.

Being the only suspect because of motive, the police had focused their entire investigation on Joey and would most certainly be arresting him any day now if he couldn't prove his innocence. But his alibi was weak. Someone who knew Joey personally and never believed the young man could do such a thing had recommended Brennan to him, and now they sat talking here in Brennan's office about what measures could be taken to help his case.

"Did the police speak to Brock?" Brennan asked while making some notes on his legal pad.

"Yeah, they talked to him and he told them that I got drunk and passed out. He said that he finished watching the game, covered me up, turned off the television and left."

"Okay. Do you know if they checked into this more thoroughly?"

"Actually, I don't know. They seemed so focused on me that I don't think they looked at anyone else too closely."

"What about the man Samantha had been seeing? Victor Campbell?" Brennan asked. "Did the police question him?"

"Yeah," Joey sighed heavily. "It turns out that the only thing that guy is guilty of is being an asshole. Do you know he went to see her in the hospital, took one look at her, and ran out of the room gagging? He hasn't been back, either from what I understand. Can you imagine? The woman you're supposed to love is that near death and you can't even be with her? That's disgusting!"

"Sounds like a true man," Brennan commented dryly.

"Look, Mr. Trey, I know that I made an ass out of myself more than once after Sam broke up with me. But it was only because I loved her so much and I desperately wanted to get back together with her! I would never hurt her! All I want is for her to wake up and be okay again. Of course, she also can tell everyone that I would never hurt her, true, but she must wake up and be okay. That is the most important thing to me." His voice broke and he had to pause for a moment. "Even if she never speaks to me again, I still want her to wake up so she can have a chance to be happy whether that's with someone else or not. I mean, the breakup wasn't the high point of my life, but we don't hate each other or anything like that. Do you think you can help me, Mr. Trey?"

Brennan looked at this young man who was fairly trembling on the other side of his desk. He almost had it all worked out as to what had happened, but there were still plenty of blanks to fill in before he could help Joey. But help him, he would.

"Joey, I'm not going to lie to you. This isn't going to be easy especially if Samantha doesn't wake up. In fact, right now, the fact that she's still breathing is the only reason you haven't been arrested and charged with murder. It's definitely in your best interest for her to wake up. Now the first thing we need to prepare for is that the police will be arresting you soon. Have they executed a search warrant on your home yet?"

"Yeah, and that was all kinds of fun," Joey replied glumly.

"Yes, I can imagine," Brennan said sympathetically. "I'll be checking into what they found, if anything. I'm going to also check into what their interview with Brock produced. What you need to do is be ready for the cops to show up at your door with an arrest warrant. When they do, call me immediately. Do not, and I can't stress this enough, answer any questions without me there. Now do you have any assets that you can use for bail if it becomes necessary?"

"Not really," Joey said. "I actually don't have any money. Working in a body shop doesn't pay quite as much as you'd think. But I'll try to figure out something. I can't stay in jail."

"Well, I'm sure we can work something out if the time comes," Brennan said smoothly. "Now are you sure that you haven't left anything out? I need to know everything, even if it's something that you feel is embarrassing or makes you look bad. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir, Mr. Trey," Joey nodded emphatically. "I absolutely do understand. I wouldn't keep anything from you. Besides, I already made an ass out of myself by going over to Sam's drunk and obnoxious."

"If that's all they have on you, then it may be easier than I think," Brennan laughed. "You're not the only person to ever pull a stunt like that -- believe me, I know. But let's not assume anything either way. I'll be happy to represent you, Joey, and I'll get started on your case immediately."

Brennan rose and so did Joey. He came around the desk and shook hands with the younger man, and started to walk him to the door.

"Okay, Joey, I'll let you know as soon as I find out anything. In the meantime, remember to call me the second you hear anything from the police."

"Yes, sir, Mr. Trey. Thank you so much!"

"You can thank me when I've gotten you out of this mess. Now, try not to worry. Remember, you've got me on your side and, even if I say so myself, I've had a quite a bit of success in defending falsely accused people."

"I'm so happy to have you helping me, Mr. Trey. You just don't understand how much hope you've given me."

"Well, Joey, you keep holding on to that hope. We'll get this sorted.

After Joey left, Brennan closed the door and sat down at his desk. Picking up the phone, he punched in a number that he could have recited in his sleep and waited for an answer.

"Hi, Brennan. How's it going?"

"Oh, you know how it is, Alexander. Never a dull moment. How's Elys? Have you run her off yet?"

He heard Alexander chuckling and Brennan couldn't help but grin. That was one of the very significant changes in his personality since falling in love -- yes, Alexander Sage, one of the most cynical of them angels, had fallen in love. This news had created such a noise among the Earthbound Angels. He could almost imagine the sound they made before their wings were taken from them. The flapping of thousands of wings could be quite... liberating.

Well, that was what he'd thought with not just a bit of sentiment as news about the impending wedding passed from line to line. If the Earthbound still had wings, they would be flapping. Like hands clapping. Quite a lot of Earthbounds had embraced the human life and had married and raised kids of their own. But with Alexander being here on Earth longer than most and managing to hide himself from personal human interactions in his castle for years, one could imagine the stir it caused to watch him "fall", no pun intended.

So, back to the beginning. Alexander wasn't a chuckler. It was a good experience to hear him do this now. If someone could make Alexander chuckle, then the world really wasn't such a hopeless place.

"You know, I'm not quite sure how I got so lucky but I'm very thankful. Now, you're still going to be my Best Man, aren't you?" he asked.

"I wouldn't miss it, my friend," Brennan said enthusiastically before sobering and becoming serious. "Look, I've got a favor to ask you."

"Sure thing. What's up?"

"I've got this new client," Brennan told Alexander. "Nice young man named Joey Martin. You might have heard about the Samantha Stevens attack a couple of months ago?"

"Oh yeah, I did hear about that. So Joey's your client. Does that mean that he's innocent?"

"Yes, he had nothing to do with it but he's about to be arrested for attempted murder and rape. I wonder if you can get in touch with Jayden when he gets back from where he is now." Jayden, another one of their kind, worked more closely with Alex than Brennan and it would usually be Alex who would know when he's back in town. "I need all of the information I can get."

"Of course. Give me the details and I'll put in a call to him right now. Let's hope he checks in every day."

"Thanks, Alexander. I really appreciate it."

After giving Alex the information he needed to pass to Jayden, Brennan assured him that he would see him that night for dinner before he finished the call. He was frowning a bit about why Alex had to make sure twice. He wasn't always like that. On the other hand, he had done some things he didn't usually do since being with wonderful, beautiful Elys.

Sitting back in his chair, he gazed out the window of his high rise office. The view of the city of Moon Bay never failed to amaze him. Even as old as it was, the city still rose to meet the challenges of modern technology while meshing it with the older and more historical sections.

His view of all of it calmed him.

As Brennan thought back on his journey thus far, he couldn't say that he regretted any part of it. Well, there were some regrettable areas -- those events when he'd been incredibly ignorant.

He and Alexander had both been angels. Jayden was, too, who worked and functioned as a bloodhound -- a private eye. There were others but they were the ones living in this area.

They were all heaven cast outs. They now lived among the humans that they used to criticize. At first, they had been angry and confused at the situation but the longer they remained on Earth, the more adjusted they had become. Brennan, who lived and breathe rules, had adjusted faster than Alexander after seeing his way through the system here. He wasn't very happy at first, but he was able to adjust to what people considered happy here by just following the basic rules of survival. But it had taken meeting Elys for Alexander to realize that he could live a very happy life here as a human.

He had to smile when he thought of the changes that had taken place in Alexander since he had met and fallen in love with Elys Dawson. These changes were so intense that Brennan had heard it in Alexander's voice the first time he had spoken to him after meeting Elys even through the phone. It was a truly beautiful experience for them both, and it warmed Brennan's heart each time he thought of it.

Even though they were disgraced and fallen angels, their Father had not totally abandoned them. They wanted for nothing. Their only condition was that they had to use special powers that they had been granted to help unfortunate humans.

He had long since stopped questioning how certain humans were chosen to receive help. Rather, he had started to just accept it and help those that were sent to him. They might be considered outlaws of heaven but they remained obedient to the core, because that was what angels were, intrinsically. They were created to obey.

It was this very situation that had brought him together with some of the most special people that he had ever met. Of course, there was Alexander who was his brother. Then there was Bill, his house manager. Brennan had long ago started to think of Bill in that capacity. But he was much more than that. He was Brennan's friend, and that meant more than any of Bill's other numerous talents, which weren't simple necessities -- he often wondered how he could live as comfortably and accomplish many things without Bill. As a friend and a house manager who took care of most of his needs, Bill was irreplaceable.

The first thing he had learned when he started living as a human was how activities that used to be mundane were pushed in the forefront of his struggle. Angels didn't eat, do laundry, and clean after themselves. But suddenly, he needed to learn how to cook, wash clothes, and take a bath every few hours. It sometimes made him feel foolish, remembering his early struggles were about which to use in order to clean an undershirt -- a bar of soap or the powder? Although the bath soap had smelled much better, and yes, he did use that for quite a while.

And then there was Bill, and there wasn't anything Bill could not do. He was a registered nurse, a world class chef, a licensed masseuse, and his chauffeur. Not only that, but Bill did do windows when cleaning the Brennan's home as well as the laundry.

Since Bill came, Brennan could finally have time to face the more serious challenges in being human after thousands of years of being an angel. And that had been quite a ride. It was curious that the first unfortunate incident in his interaction with humans that had pushed him to the direction that he needed to take and the mission that he had to take upon as a mantle -- defender of the innocent. Brennan used the Law to defend humans who had been falsely accused of wrong doing.

His first mission was a man whose name was Henry Ryker. The first time he met him was the time Henry had saved him from a muggers. But he had been beaten so much that he lost consciousness, only to learn upon waking up in the hospital that Henry himself had been accused of the one that had beaten and tried to steal from him. Oh, and did he need to be reminded how painful it was to be mugged?

It was ironic, that the beings he'd been accusing for a long time of being worthless of the Father Time's love, proved themselves to be worthy just by being themselves -- reckless, ignorant, and weak. Oh, how much they had thought him about humility. Angels and humans had the capacity to believe they were "better" than certain other people. It's the attitude, and not the person, and someone with a superior attitude would always find something -- even the most ridiculous reasons -- to insult another and then feel superior.

Did that mean that angels were just incredibly insecure? That would have been Charlotte's answer, had she known about angels. Had she known about me, he thought.

As he reflected on the past, he gradually moved forward and landed in the present.

### 3.

THIS BROUGHT the beautiful image of Charlotte Rhys to his mind.

With her perfect light blonde, shoulder length hair and sexy aquamarine eyes, she drew him in more and more all the time. Even though he had known her for a while, he had never been able to get as close to her as he wanted because of some inescapable complications.

The first one was that she was the younger daughter of the senior partner in the Law Firm where he worked. The second was that Theresa, the older and favorite daughter, had made it quite obvious as soon as she could manage that she wanted him for herself. And Theresa could be very ruthless when she wanted something. Just a whiff that Brennan was actually interested in Charlotte could set manipulated events that would make life uncomfortable for the younger woman.

That was the reason why, on social gatherings when both of them were there, he avoided being near Charlotte for too long, in case Theresa noticed that he was interested in being more than a friend to her younger sister.

Yes, truly. Theresa could be such a pain in the ass.

But Charlotte, truly, had turned out as beautiful as she knew he would be the first time he saw her. Her mind had been older than her age when she was thirteen, and he could not explain it at the time... but he had been drawn to her from the first moment. There was intelligence and grace in her that shoots out like a gentle aura. Her beauty emanated from within, and she did not have to be loud or be in the center for an angel like him to see it.

She was all honesty and joy, and she had been quite infatuated at him at the time that he worried, if he would give her the attention that she deserved, that it would be difficult for both of them, since he knew quite well what humans would think when a twenty-two year old man and a thirteen year old young woman became close -- oh not that kind of closeness! He had no intention of it, would never think of harming Charlotte! He would protect her with everything that he had.

But it certainly did not help that she was as beautiful as sin now that she had bloomed into a full, young woman. It did not help the purity of his thoughts to know that he felt desire for her now. The physical feeling had blossomed as she aged \-- his blood racing through his veins, his whole body tensing and his manhood hardening whenever she was very much around that it had become quite uncomfortable wearing his pants... if he could feel this much disturbance just by her mere presence, what more when he got the chance to be alone with her?

He did not know, but he knew he would want to be alone with her. Soon, if you please. He wanted to know... what would she do? Would she still do her very attractive blushing and would she smile the most seductive smile he had ever seen, the one that told him she wanted him, too? She had started visiting the law firm to see her father. There were some things she had needed to consult with him, and they would sometimes meet along the corridor. Also, since Charlotte started assisting Elys in her wedding preparations, the younger woman would sometimes be near enough the office that she would drop by to visit her father or bring him something that he liked, peeking into his office a few times, too, before she would leave for a restaurant or for the castle to meet Elys.

He felt something between them during those moments, knew it was still there. Now... if they could only find a way to be together, away from prying eyes that could tell Theresa what was going on.

Brennan was still very much lost in thought, figuring out how he was going to find time being with Charlotte without Theresa there, so they could try to move on from what he knew had started a long time ago. In fact, she could be here today. She was helping Elys with the wedding preparations. She could come visit her father or say hello to him if she ever passed by his door.

Then the phone on his desk buzzed.

Hitting a button on it, he said, "Yes, Melissa?"

"Brennan, Ms. Rhys is here to see you," Melissa said over the message system.

He jumped from his chair as if there was a spring on the seat. Was she thinking the same thoughts? She finally came to see him on some excuse! "Wonderful, Melissa! Send her in!"

Brennan hurried to the door. Whipping it open to greet her, he had to adjust the disappointed look on his face when he saw who it was.

"Ah, Theresa," he said.

"Well, yes, Brennan," the woman said to him. "Who did you think it was?"

"I knew it was you," he lied as he allowed her to hug him.

"Oh, did you think my lovely sister just dropped by?" Theresa said archly.

"No, I knew it wasn't Charlotte." Even as Brennan lied to Theresa, he had a feeling that he wasn't fooling her in the least. So Theresa had heard that Charlotte had been dropping by recently. There was no doubt that she was here today to find out how he likely that he and Charlotte see each other, too.

He had actually thought when Melissa said a Miss Rhys was outside his office door. How he wished it was true!

Theresa tilted her beautiful head to the side a bit, her long black hair swinging. Her dark eyes flashed at him in disbelief, but she kept her thoughts to herself. Instead, she laid a well-manicured hand on his arm. "I thought we could have lunch together, if you don't have any plans," she said.

"Um, sure, I'd like that," he said. "Let me just tell Melissa that I'm leaving."

Turning his back to grab his suit jacket gave him a chance to regain his composure. He didn't want to be so transparent, especially to Theresa, but it was becoming harder all the time to deny how he felt about her sister Charlotte.

Dammit, he had to get a grip. If he didn't, everyone would know how he felt and that just wasn't something that could happen.

At least not yet.

So for now, he turned around and smiled at Theresa as they strolled out of the office.

OVER LUNCH, Theresa kept up a running stream of chatting.

She was really quite good at that, which came in handy when Brennan wasn't in the mood to talk. He had a lot on his mind that he barely tasted his steak sandwich and cheese fries. There were times that he simply didn't want to eat healthy and this was one of them.

Theresa had lifted a carefully arched eyebrow at him when he ordered his food but wisely remained silent and ordered her own shrimp salad and mineral water.

Finally, she stopped talking and sipped her water.

"Brennan, you haven't been listening to a word I've said," she said icily.

"Sure I have, Theresa," Brennan protested. "I've just got a new case that's kind of preying on my mind right now. I'm sorry if I've made you feel that I'm not paying enough attention to you. Please, go ahead with what you were saying."

"Oh, never mind," Theresa said, waving her hand dismissively. "It's not important, anyway. What I wanted to ask you about is Alexander's wedding. You're his Best Man, aren't you?"

"Yes, I sure am," Brennan answered, smiling, even as he began to feel like he needed to take care about what he would say next. If Elys and Charlotte had hit it off from the first, Elys and Theresa did not. Upon knowing about Charlotte's humble background, Theresa had acted snobbish, and had petulantly declared that she wasn't someone worthy of a billionaire like Alexander to a select few. Noone had to tell Elys about this, because she already was sensitive enough to know. But when Alexander noticed, the look on his face was enough to tell that Theresa would never be in any if his lists. Not even of his least favorites.

"Well, I thought I would help you out and go as your date, since I know you don't want to be hounded by all of those single women that are sure to be there. Just let me know when you have all the details on the date and time so I can have a new outfit to wear."

Brennan stared at Theresa for a few moments more before he was sure she actually said what she had said.

And then he would have wanted to laugh, but he instead put what remained of his tasty sandwich down on his plate.

There was no way Theresa was going to be his date to the wedding.

How long was this nasty business going to last? If he only knew what Charlotte actually felt about him, things would have been different.

Theresa had always felt herself to be in competition with her younger sister. There had been some issues in the beginning when Brennan and Charlotte had first met. Theresa had been jealous that he and Charlotte had hit it off and it had been a bit of a problem.

In fact, Brennan hadn't seen Charlotte very often at first because of the way Theresa reacted -- and because something always "happened" that would eliminate either one of them in any event when they could have been together.

When he learned that Theresa had been manipulating arrangements so that schedules would not permit he and her sister would not be in one place at the same time, especially when the event had something to do with the firm, he knew he only had opportunities to act freely with Charlotte anywhere wherein Theresa would definitely not be there, like events arranged by other people and other friends.

He didn't understand what was going on in Theresa's head. He had never given her cause to think anything else between them could be more than... well, friends. Although, come to think of it, they weren't really friends. Theresa was a lawyer, too, and she was actually intelligent and smart. They had discussed cases many times but they hadn't been personally close. She might talk about personal happenings in her life, but he never did unless it had something to do with the firm.

He had dated his share of women, but no one had hit him like Charlotte and he had never even taken her out on a date. He definitely had never dated Theresa. But there were those instances when they were together in one place and she would call it a date when she talked to other people. He only had heard about this recently, when colleagues had begun kidding him about dating the senior partner's daughter.

But he already had plans for pursuing Charlotte by that time that he took care not to aggravate Theresa until he was sure about how he stood with her younger sister.

### 4.

BRENNAN HAD BEEN HOPING to make his move on Alexander and Elys' wedding.

Charlotte would be there, and he could ask her out. It would be the perfect way to spend some time with her so that she might consider actually going out on a date with him.

Charlotte was going to be Elys' maid of honor, a fact that did not escape Theresa's notice. Theresa wasn't even included in anything that would put her remotely in the "in circle" that included Alexander and his would be wife. Not even her father's association with Brennan, who was known to be one of Alexander's close friends, had earned her invitations to parties in the castle.

She was surely hoping she would be invited in the wedding, at least, and was making sure she would be there with Brennan for people to see, giving her an edge over Charlotte. Brennan already knew her enough to know how she would think about things like this.

Elys hadn't hit it off so well with Theresa due to Theresa's inherent competitive nature. Not to mention that Theresa had been a bit snarky to Elys, which was a serious mistake because that was the only reason why she had never been invited to the castle ever.

Elys Dawson-soon-to-be-Sage took nothing from people. It may have been due to the things that she had gone through in her life that made her intolerant. Whatever it was, Elys had refused to be faced with Theresa's insulting nature, so she would avoid her as much as she could. She certainly would not be insulted in her own territory.

Brennan didn't blame Elys for not liking Theresa. It wasn't as if Theresa made any great effort to be liked. But the fact that Charlotte and Elys had become like close sisters seemed to irritate Theresa more. She was jealous. When she used to be the one people prefer to be with, now Charlotte was having her own place in the spotlight.

Brennan knew things about Theresa that she probably didn't realize herself. He had been around her family enough time to find some things out. There was a time when he actually thought she was one of those he needed to help, but when it turned out this wasn't so, he still tried by being a friend. It was just so unfortunate that she did not view it as that.

Theresa had been "trained" in competitive situations since she was old enough to walk and talk. Her mother had thrown her into one beauty pageant after another until Theresa had become old enough to refuse.

The really sad thing was that once Theresa started to put her foot down about not entering pageants any longer, her mother lost interest in her. It was almost as if Theresa had been a doll that she could play dress up with over the years.

So Theresa went from being the center of her mother's world to being an afterthought. That couldn't have had a positive effect on her.

When Charlotte came along, things got worse for Theresa.

Since Theresa was the one entering all the pageants, Charlotte never had to deal with any of that. Not only was she very young, she was intelligent in a quiet way, and had started to make her own way by being very good in her academics. Her father adored her and her mother seemed to find time for her that didn't involve a purpose of some sort. Charlotte looked quite a lot like her mother, with her light blonde hair and aquamarine eyes. Truthfully, her name was perfect because she did look a lot like a dream woman. She had always looked like that.

But Charlotte's appearance belied the type of young woman that she really was. In spite of the fact that she looked angelic and almost waifish, Charlotte was actually a very strong young woman. When she was asked to enter a contest her mother wanted her to enter, she refused, reasoning her way intelligently out of it that made her mother proud of her instead of hateful that Charlotte refused to obey. The people that dared to challenge her had found out quite quickly just how strong she was.

Her strong personality pushed her into situations that should have made other people cower. She was so unselfish she would put herself in the way to protect other people who could not protect themselves. She was something of a rebel and a champion of the underdog. That was one of the many qualities that made her such a wonderful psychiatrist.

Her intelligence and quick wit made her very memorable, too. Once you met her, you would not easily forget her. Brennan certainly thought about her all the time. Did he want to cause more problems between the two sisters? They already had such a rocky relationship that something like this would be more than a drop in the proverbial bucket. Charlotte had really never shown him the slightest romantic interest. For all he knew, she had a boyfriend tucked away somewhere.

But that didn't seem possible unless she was hiding him from everyone. He could not imagine why she would. She was not the kind of person who would hide the person she loved from anyone, regardless if other people would love him or not.

So he perked up. He knew that Charlotte would still be available. But he was also sure he wasn't the only one attracted to her, so he really had to make his move as soon as he could.

"Well?" Theresa's voice intruded on his thoughts. "Will you let me know what the dress code will be?"

"Um, yeah," he finally replied. He did not find this harmful. A lot of people would be waiting to know the dress code, invited or not. "I'll see what I can find out and let you know."

"Excellent!" she exclaimed. "Now, would you like to tell me what's got you so lost in thought? You've barely said two words the whole time we've been here."

"Oh, it's just this new client I met with today. Nothing unusual."

"Is it anything you would like to bounce off me?"

"Not really," Brennan replied, erring in the side of caution. He should best avoid even the usual talks he used to have with Theresa. In fact, he should avoid her altogether.

This would mean he would have to continue with his plan to put up a firm of his own. Alexander had introduced the idea a long time ago, but he was more focused then about clients and not about building up a reputation for himself, enough for opening up a successful law firm. He did not realize that taking care of his clients also earned him the reputation he needed that people would notice when he started business on his own.

It wasn't a bad idea. He realized that once Theresa found out he was interested in Charlotte, she would be more than determined in hounding him, whether his pursuit of Charlotte be successful or not. He certainly didn't need that. He knew she would never be anything more in his eyes than a colleague and a friend, if only she wasn't such a difficult person to be with.

"You know how I get when I'm first getting into a new case," he heard himself saying.

"Well, if you change your mind," Theresa said, beaming. "I'm happy to listen."

"I appreciate that," he said. Theresa was one of the top attorneys in the Moon Bay area and she had a legal mind like a steel trap. If he had actually needed any help with a case, she would have been the one to go to. He also knew it wasn't a coincidence. With her nature, this was the best career she could go to. There was a time when she even considered him a competition. She didn't know about Brennan's special ability, of course, and for a time she tried to find out why he knew so many things that were important and needed in his cases. But his choice never to accept clients he knew were guilty of the crimes they were accused of took her out of the competition, though it would have made him a rival had he been working on another firm considered competition.

Finally, he was able to end the lunch to get back to the office. He would have to figure out a way to get out of taking Theresa to Alexander and Elys' wedding.

As far as he knew, she hadn't been on the guest list because of the way she behaved to Elys. Maybe he should tell her he could be shot on sight if he dared to bring her to their wedding, and not by Cupid's arrow.

Maybe not. He wouldn't want to be there when she found out.

As it turned out, Elys provided the way out of his dilemma.

She called him soon after he had returned to his office with a question about the wedding present she was getting for Alexander. During the conversation, he mentioned that Theresa had invited herself to be his date for their wedding.

"No," Elys said firmly. "I will not have that woman at my wedding. In fact, you know what? Tell her that you can't escort her to the wedding because the wedding party is matched up with each other. Now, that means that you, as the Best Man, will be paired with my Maid-of-Honor, which is Charlotte. If you don't feel that you can tell her, I certainly have no issues with letting her know another way."

Brennan was relieved, though worried. "Theresa's not going to take this very well. But I completely understand why you feel the way you do. This is your wedding, and after the way she's acted toward you, if you don't want her there, I won't be the reason for her to turn up."

Sighing, Brennan disconnected the call. On one hand, he was relieved that he wouldn't have to take responsibility for Theresa not being allowed to attend the wedding.

On the other hand, however, he would be the one to tell her that he couldn't take her as his date. Since Theresa had asked him specifically about the dress code, she would be back for the answer as soon as she possibly could. He knew her to be that way. So he could tell her about the dress code, but would keep quiet about the invitations. She would soon find out she wasn't invited to the wedding soon, anyway.

He was not looking forward to see her face when she found that out. Not at all.

### 5.

WHILE BRENNAN was having his uncomfortable lunch with Theresa, Charlotte was at the hospital getting her patient settled in a private room.

Emily required the privacy because she was rather unpredictable at this stage, and Charlotte didn't want to risk her hurting another patient while in one of her tirades. The sedative had worn off about the time that Emily was being transferred to a room and she had needed to be sedated once more.

After leaving instructions with the nurses that would be attending to Emily, she checked on her patient once more before leaving. As it turned out, she had just enough time to run home and change clothes and still make it to Alexander and Elys' for dinner.

She was very excited about tonight because she was hoping to have some time alone with Brennan, if he was to be there.

Once she reached her condo, she hurried inside and took a quick shower. Applying light makeup and blow drying her hair gave her a more restful look along with emphasizing her natural beauty. She had decided to wear a pair of black well-fitted jeans along with a purple V-neck sweater and black leather knee boots.

After spraying on some of her signature perfume, she felt she was presentable enough, even for the very handsome and very appealing Brennan Trey.

She got into her car and headed to the outskirts of Moon Bay. It was a drive that she always enjoyed because it was all countryside once she had left the city. No one loved the beauty of nature more than Charlotte. Of course she also loved visiting the castle. It was one of the most relaxing locations on earth as far as she was concerned, and she couldn't wait until she had a few days to spend there.

She smiled when she remembered how she was informed that a part of Elys' closest friends could stay in the castle after they left for their honeymoon. Elys specifically informed her she was one of those a few weeks ago, and so she made preparations and had her schedule wrapped around this short break. She would love getting to catch up on those books she had long ago purchased but had not enough time to read.

When Charlotte finally arrived at the castle, Elys threw open the front door and hurried down the front steps to greet her. She had to smile at the enthusiasm that Elys seemed to inject into everything she did. It also didn't hurt that she loved to feel so welcome. Elys rarely met a stranger and, even when she did, that stranger typically became a fast friend in no time. Everyone, that was, except Theresa.

But it was Theresa's fault. For some reason, she had disliked Elys on sight and was actually embarrassingly rude to her on many occasions. It had shocked Elys and Charlotte, though Elys recovered pretty quickly, which was pretty cool. After a couple more attempts at being friendly to Theresa to win her over had failed, Elys threw down the gauntlet. She would often say that she was surprised Charlotte and Theresa were sisters. Charlotte had heard this observation numerous times in her life, and she really didn't have an answer as to why Theresa remained this way anymore.

Charlotte knew more than anyone else how life had been for her older sister when they were young, but she was expecting that Theresa was mature enough by this time to know to cut her losses and look forward to a future she was adult enough to be able to control. Charlotte, more than anyone else, knew how lucky they were to be born in a rich family, and been able to afford more necessities and comforts more than any other people in this world. Look at Elys, who had lost so much more than Charlotte could ever imagine. Yet, she remained positive and happy.

On the other hand, Theresa had always been more selfish than anyone Charlotte knew. And that's really sad, she thought as she sighed and shook her head. Some things, there was no way other people could help with.

Theresa had to learn to become unselfish and sensitive to other's needs first before she could be really happy.

Charlotte happily accepted Elys' hug and entered the house with her.

"It's so great to see you!" Elys enthused. "It's been too long!"

"I agree, Elys," Charlotte said. "You know how much I love coming out here and seeing you. It's just been so crazy lately."

"Alexander and I were hoping that you would be able to spend a few days here," she said.

"I wish I could," Charlotte lamented. "But I'm going to have to go back into the city tonight after dinner. I've got a new patient that is in pretty bad shape and I need to be able to spend some time with her for the next few days. I'm hoping to get her stabilized."

"Ah, I understand," Elys said. "Your patients always come first. Your dedication is one of the many things I adore about you! Well, you know that you're welcome here at any time. And when Alexander has business near you, I can always come! Do you know that I'm, well..." Elys suddenly looked a bit shy. "I'm thinking of going back to the university. If you have time, I was hoping I can discuss what course to take with you?"

"Of course, Elys! I will be delighted! Oh, I'll make inquiries and I'll prepare a list of choices for what I think you might want to take."

"How about -- oh, not immediately after the wedding," she said, giving her future husband a sweet smile. "Maybe you can spend time here sometime after that? When you're free?"

"I honestly cannot wait to get some free time to come here for that. Imagine, you're about to study for a new career! Isn't that just wonderful?"

They got inside the castle talking like this. When they got to the hall, she started giving her updates about the wedding preparations that she didn't know yet. Alexander quietly left them to get the dining room ready for their dinner after giving them drinks as they sat on the massive sofa.

Suddenly, Elys turned to Charlotte smiling widely.

"So you don't mind having Brennan as your escort to the wedding, do you?" she asked.

"Are you serious?" Charlotte exclaimed. "How on earth are you going to pull that off?" she asked in a whisper. Only Elys knew about her real feelings about Brennan.

"It's simple," Elys smiled. "I decided today that the bridal party will be each other's escorts. That means that you, as my Maid-of-Honor, and Brennan, as Alexander's Best Man, will be paired off together."

Charlotte looked at her friend more closely. And Elys rolled her eyes.

"Okay, something happened." And Elys quickly told her about Brennan's call.

She couldn't help but feel sad about her sister, but she worried about something else. "You know how much I love you, Elys," Charlotte said. "But I really don't like the idea of myself being forced on Brennan."

"Oh, it will be nothing of the sort," Elys replied as she waved her hand through the air dismissively. "If I am not mistaken, he actually sounded relieved and excited about it. I can imagine that he liked you rather better than your sister. I mean, when you talk about someone pushing herself at someone -- that would be Theresa at Brennan. I heard from some reliable sources that although Theresa has been telling people they are dating, Brennan didn't seem happy when confronted with this. In fact, they said he had looked irritated. Besides, this decision helped me out of a rather sticky spot."

"Really? What spot was that?"

"Okay, Brennan said that Theresa is insistent on being his date to the wedding. Well, I know she's your sister, but you also know that there's no way in hell that I'm going to allow her here on the most special day of my life."

"Uh-oh," she said.

"So... I decided on the spot that Brennan already had a date for the wedding. And, I also told him that she's not welcome here."

"I am sorry, Charlotte, but I know you understand."

"I see what you did there," Charlotte said, nervously. "You know that the shit is going to hit the fan when Theresa hears this."

"I know, and I couldn't care less! I'm sorry, Charlotte. Again, I know she's your sister, but the two of you couldn't be more different than day and night. She is not a nice person. I know that she wasn't treated well when she was growing up, but she's an adult now. Theresa is responsible for making her own choices. Therefore, when she starts acting like a bitch, that's all on her."

"You know, if Theresa really wants to come to the wedding, she'll find a way to do it," Charlotte said ruefully.

"Oh no, she won't. Alexander has already taken care of that by making a guest list that included everyone individually. Even married people are each getting separate invitations. There are no 'and guest' invitations for single people. So if she turns up, she won't have an invitation and won't get past the men working the wedding entrance. All the guests must present their own invitations so it doesn't matter who she shows up with. She is not getting in."

Charlotte looked at Elys in amazement. No one had ever stood up to her sister like this. Those that had tried had lived to regret it.

Somehow, she didn't feel that Elys would have that problem. She was pretty strong on her own and didn't seem to be afraid of anyone. It was clear to see what Alexander had found so enticing in her.

"Besides," Elys went on in a cheerier tone. "We have to do something to get the two of you together."

"Shhh," Charlotte cried as she frantically looked over her shoulder. "This is not something that I want to be overheard!"

"Oh, don't worry..." Elys replied. "Alexander's out of earshot. He would be happy about it, though. He also isn't fond of your sister."

"Well, still." Charlotte sighed. "Be careful of what you say." She consciously rolled her eyes. "It occurred to me just recently that when it comes to Brennan, I always revert to my former teenage self. I've been a professional for a long time. But I also have had these... feelings for him from the moment I've seen him when I was but fourteen and lurking on the edges of my parent's Christmas Party. He was new to the firm then. Since then, I had this huge crush on him. I thought it would go away, but it never did." She shook her head embarrassingly.

"Oh, don't worry your beautiful head. I've seen the way he looks at you when you think he's not looking. I'm telling you that he's going to be thrilled! "

"We'll see," Charlotte muttered. Elys had said so many times that Brennan had tried so many times to be here when he knew Charlotte would be here. And that Brennan had been giving her looks that he never let her see. Maybe she was right, she thought hopefully. Maybe Brennan Trey was finally seeing her as her own woman, and not just a partner's young daughter or a colleague's younger sister? "We'll see."

"Oh, and by the way, you did know that Brennan will be having dinner with us tonight, didn't you? I couldn't remember if I told you or not."

"You mentioned that he might be in attendance," Charlotte said teasingly.

"Well, he has accepted and will positively be joining us. I also have it on good authority that he quite eagerly accepted the invitation once he heard that you had also been asked to come. Now, I can't say for sure, of course, but that sounds like he is definitely interested."

"Maybe," Charlotte said as she smiled. "Maybe."

### 6.

BEFORE DRIVING OUT to the castle, Brennan returned home to shower and change clothes. He stopped at the foyer mirror and glanced at himself one more time before heading outside again. He wanted to be sure he looked good for a certain someone.

He appeared fit, he thought. He wore his khakis and pullover shirt quite well. Looking at himself with the eyes of human females, he thought his slightly long black hair looked attractive as the strands fell onto his forehead, highlighting his neon green eyes. His quirky smile would be considered sexy, he thought, and displayed some dimples that had caused more than one woman to drool. He knew those had made Charlotte blushed a few years ago. He hoped the pesky little dimples would still be as effective now.

It did not take long of his stay on Earth to know how women delighted in looking at him, but it did take a while before he could be comfortable on spending time with them. He learned the trick that all it took for a successful date was that he should really like a woman's personality, and he had found many women who were really likeable. But no one had held his interest than Charlotte's beauty, because she really was beautiful inside and out.

Once he decided that he was presentable, he grabbed his jacket, and called out to Bill that he was leaving. He had given Bill the night off to visit his friends or members of his family. Bill's favorite nieces and nephews were all grown up now, but he would often treat them to nights out oftentimes. Bill had fallen in love with a woman a decade ago, and they had planned to get married. It was very sad, because the woman died in a tragic car crash before they could push through with this. Since then, Bill had not even looked at another woman. Brennan wished he would, but if time could not heal her friend's broken heart, he would make sure he would be comfortable all his life.

For now, though, he had his mind on getting to Alexander's and spending the evening with the lovely Dr. Charlotte Rhys. Bill had been happy when he found out where he was going and why he was so excited that he had spent a long time choosing what to wear and preening on the mirror. Okay, he did a little, he admitted. Grinning.

Hurrying to his car, he got in and drove away.

It was difficult for him to keep to the speed limit because he was so eager to reach Alexander's and see Charlotte. He had decided that this would be the night. He would manage to speak with her alone at some point and ask her if she would have a drink with him or something in the near future. He would book an entire restaurant for just the two of them if she would just agree to spend an evening with him. Then he could probably install Bill on the door to make sure Theresa would not be able to enter should she be able to find out about it. He thought how it would be horrible that he and Charlotte would be rushing to the back door just to escape Theresa! By the time he pulled onto the road leading to Alexander's, he felt so relieved that something like that could never happen in Alexander's castle.

And then, he sat there, nervous as a school boy about to go out on his first date. His hands were sweaty on his steering wheel. His heartbeat had accelerated and his stomach felt like bursting with butterflies. He turned off the engine and found that he couldn't seem to move to get out of the car.

This is ridiculous, he thought. I'm a grown man -- an adult. Not a teenage boy going on a date with the homecoming queen.

Charlotte definitely looked like a homecoming queen, yes. And any man would feel very lucky to be with her.

And wasn't he really lucky?

That seemed to be enough to motivate him to get out of the car.

As he approached the steps, he was rendered breathless at the enormity and terrible beauty of this place. He couldn't, for practical reasons, acquire a place like this to live with, but he appreciated the reasons why the Alexander Sage that he knew lived in a huge, private, imposing but beautiful place like this. Alex was the equivalent of a soldier when he was an angel. He was a messenger, and part of his training was to defend and fight himself out of situations to get his mission across. He was like this fortress, tough and imposing. He would find this place like this home in a place as bleak for angels as the Earth.

Meanwhile, Brennan liked his condo in its high rise building. He liked watching how the city managed to survive from sunrise to sunset, how order could solve many problems. He liked to watch how things eventually righted by itself, and he would sometimes frown when he saw imbalance. It was the motivation that drove him out of his place every day.

He used the heavy knocker to announce his arrival. Listening as it echoed through the huge structure, he waited patiently for someone to answer the door.

Noah opened the door to Brennan within a few seconds.

"Mr. Trey," Noah greeted him. "Please come in. Mr. Alexander, Ms. Elys and Dr. Rhys are all in the study. Shall I take you there?"

"That's okay, Noah," Brennan said. "I know the way. Thank you."

After handing his jacket to Noah, he walked down one of the long hallways and turned a corner into the large room that was used as a study. Sure enough, the three of them were all sitting there sipping on drinks. They all looked up at him when he appeared in the doorway.

"Brennan!" Alexander exclaimed as he got to his feet and went to embrace him. "We were just having a drink while we waited for you. Come in and join us!"

"Brennan, it's so wonderful that you could join us tonight," Elys added. "We don't see nearly enough of you."

Brennan leaned over to give her a quick hug and kiss before accepting his drink from Alexander. Finally, he had the nerve to look at Charlotte.

He lost time for a while as she smiled tentatively at him. As always, she looked as if she had just walked out of a dream. It wasn't even the clothes she was wearing or her lightly made up face. She would have been exceptional no matter what she had been wearing.

"Hi, Brennan," she said quietly.

"Charlotte," he acknowledged. "You're looking beautiful, as always."

"You are such a flatterer," she laughed, her eyes crinkling at the corners, looking alive and beautiful.

"I just call it like I see it," he retorted.

Alexander cleared his throat discreetly before the exchange could get any more involved. "I believe dinner should be ready by now," he announced. "Brennan, bring your drink with you."

"Holly has something very special waiting for us tonight," Elys said as she got to her feet. "I've been banned from the kitchen all day, but that didn't stop these absolutely mouthwatering aromas from wafting out of there."

They all headed to the formal dining room where fine china adorned the table as well as many lighted candles. It was all quite beautiful. Covered dishes lined the middle of the table that held the food that constituted dinner.

And Elys was right. The aromas were incredible.

As they sat down and filled their plates, there was plenty of conversation revolving around the food that Holly had obviously spent quite a long time preparing. There was a beef roast cooked to perfection along with au jus, mashed potatoes, vegetable medley, fresh baked bread and butter, and salad with a vinaigrette dressing. They all began eating immediately.

Elys skillfully directed the dinner conversation to the wedding.

She managed to work in that Brennan and Charlotte would be paired as the Best Man and the Maid-of-Honor. To her relief, Brennan's face actually lit up at that. Elys gave Charlotte an "I told you so" look and a smug little smile. Charlotte couldn't help but smile back. She felt warmth building within and she was starting to feel a flickering of hope for the two of them.

Maybe Theresa wouldn't be able to ruin this for her after all.

After dinner, they told Holly that they would have dessert in the study, one of the most beautiful rooms in the entire place. It had a floor-to-ceiling window that made up the back wall overlooking the garden and everyone that ever saw this room felt peacefulness and serenity that wasn't easy to find. At night, there were small twinkling lights that adorned the garden. These lights strongly resembled the stars in the sky. She had heard Alexander told Brennan that he loved the garden at night because he was reminded of their home, so she supposed they must have grown up in a lovely, vast place away from the city, where the view of the stars would not be hampered by heavy smog at night.

As they continued to discuss wedding plans, Brennan and Charlotte had started exchanging discreet looks between them, which did not go unnoticed by both Elys and Alexander. These two were exchanging some looks of their own as Elys' matchmaking tendencies kicked into overdrive.

Alexander knew what she was thinking and smiled indulgently. He knew it was a waste of time to ask her to let nature take its course. Many times, Elys professed to be nature's best friend, and there was no stopping her once she was on a mission to help two people get together.

They were all having a wonderful conversation about inconsequential things, really, when Charlotte's cell phone rang. Glancing down, she saw that it was the hospital.

"I'm so sorry but I must take this," she said as she stood up and quickly stepped out into the hallway.

While Charlotte was taking her call, Elys looked at Brennan with a somewhat mischievous look on her face. "So Brennan," she began. "When are you going to ask Charlotte out on a real date?"

Brennan's face suddenly looked tanner than a second ago.

"Now, Elys," Alexander said. "Please don't make Brennan uncomfortable or he will stop agreeing to come visit us."

Brennan laughed at the two of them. "I appreciate you trying to run interference for me, Brother," he said. "But this is one time that Elys has it right. I have been thinking all night of how I can ask her out before she leaves here."

"Wonderful!" Elys cried. "It's not that hard, Brennan. Just ask her. I know she'll say yes!"

"You do, eh? Now, just how are you so positive that she will say yes?"

"I... uh... I just know," Elys said. "I can't give away all of my secrets, you know. But I can tell you that you won't regret it if you do ask her."

Charlotte suddenly hurried back into the room. "I'm so sorry but I'm going to have to leave. That was the hospital. Apparently, my new patient is awake and causing a ruckus. I need to get there as soon as possible."

"Oh, Charlotte," Elys exclaimed. "I wish you didn't have to go but, of course, we understand. At least you got to enjoy your dinner first."

"And it's so wonderful! Thank you so much for inviting me. I promise we'll get together later this week to go over more wedding plans."

Brennan saw his chance slipping away. "Charlotte, let me walk you out," he said.

"Oh, Brennan, that's not really necessary," she said but then she caught a look from Elys. "However, that would be nice. Thank you."

After hugging Elys and Alexander, she and Brennan headed back down the large, long hallway. Noah was waiting at the front door with her coat. Charlotte never could understand how Noah knew these things. It was almost as if he was psychic at times.

Brennan helped her into her coat and they walked outside to her car.

Just before he opened the car door for her to get inside, Brennan turned to face Charlotte.

"I know you need to leave," he said, almost panicking as he felt his throat constricting in his nervousness. "But I wanted to ask you if you might be free some evening this week. I thought we might go out for dinner or something. If you're really busy, maybe we can meet for a drink."

By the time he finished, he was already wincing. It wasn't the best delivery he had ever done, and he's a defense lawyer, for pity's sake. What must she think?

But Charlotte's smile was brilliant as she looked up at him. "I would love that, Brennan," she said. "Let me just check my calendar and see what my schedule is like. Also, I've got to see how things go with my new patient, but I should at least be able to manage a drink, if nothing else."

"Great!" Brennan smiled back. "I'll wait to hear from you."

Then a tensed moment passed as he lowered his head to bestow a kiss on her cheek. After that, she smiled at him, but he felt too heady to remember if he was able to smile back. He remembered opening her door for her, though. And he might have said, "Be careful going home. I really enjoyed getting to see you tonight."

He distinctly remembered her say, "Me, too. I'll call you tomorrow."

"I'll look forward to it," he had replied just before shutting the car door.

After she started the car engine, she gave him a little wave before driving away.

Brennan watched her as she drove down the long driveway until she was out of sight. By this time, he had recovered from the spell and from the feeling of his warm cheek on his lips. He was kind of glad that she couldn't see him now because he didn't want her to see the huge, goofy smile that he was wearing as he returned to the house.

### 7.

AFTER THE INCREDIBLE EVENING that Brennan had spent with Charlotte the night before at Alexander and Elys', he was more convinced than ever that something wonderful was going to happen to them in the next few days. If he could only move their drink date fast enough so it could happen in the next hour.

Of course, Elys had pumped him for details when he had re-entered the house after seeing Charlotte to her car. Since he knew it would do no good to try to ignore her, he confessed that he had asked Charlotte out and that she had said yes. Elys couldn't almost contain her excitement, telling him that if he hadn't made his move that night she would have made sure there would be another dinner as soon as she could arrange it, to give both of them their chance. He kissed both of her cheeks to show her how much he appreciated her efforts to help them.

He had also made another decision, now that Charlotte had agreed to go out with him. There was going to be no sneaking around. He was proud to be seen with Charlotte and wanted the world to know that he was dating her.

Of course, he might be putting the cart before the horse here, but somehow he didn't think so.

That's why he had thought through the whole thing about Theresa and had reached a conclusion. Brennan had decided to tackle the problem of telling Theresa that she wouldn't be his date for Alexander and Elys' wedding as soon as possible.

He figured that it would be simpler to do this in a very non-public venue so he had invited her over to his place for dinner that night. It wasn't the first time he had done so, but there were other people always around.

This time, it was just going to be Theresa. And he hoped it would be the first and the last time.

Bill, ever the perfect chef, had created a meal using many of Theresa's favorite dishes.

When she arrived, dinner itself went well and was, of course, delicious. Bill had prepared a particularly flavorful seafood casserole with a salad and freshly baked bread as sides. For dessert, they had strawberry shortcake made with fresh, newly picked ripe strawberries and topped with homemade whipping cream.

But when he finally decided to tell her the unwelcome news, he never expected her to react quite the way she had.

Theresa started screaming at the top of her lungs right in the middle of his living room that he had to physically try to stop her. He crossed the room to where Theresa stood still ranting and raving and put his rather hands on her shoulders. She moved to throw herself at him but his arms were like steel.

He looked her directly in the eyes.

"Theresa, stop this right now," he calmly commanded. "You are behaving like a child. You're only embarrassing yourself. What would your father think when he sees you like this?

Theresa was momentarily struck silent. The expression on her face was a combination of outrage and anger. She had been used to getting her way and was enraged that nothing was going to plan.

She was sure that once her bitch of a sister had the opportunity to be with Brennan, she would grab it with both of her greedy hands. Why did she get everything that Theresa wanted? It never occurred to Theresa that she only felt desperate of wanting something when she saw that Charlotte wanted it, too, or that if it had been a person, that someone liked her more than Theresa.

Glaring at Brennan, she did at least manage to stop yelling. But Brennan had heard more than enough of the words she had yelled at him in her rage.

"I cannot understand why you would think Elys had a way with this when you're not even in the arrangements to begin with. And you don't even like the woman. You have made that fact abundantly clear ever since you met her. Why do you even dislike her so much? You don't even know her before she became Alexander's fiancee."

Theresa looked like she had been slapped. "How dare you question me?"

He shrugged his shoulders "I've known you enough time to find this reason logical. Maybe you wanted Alexander for yourself. I don't know. But whatever reason that you're so angry over this, you must get a grip. You are becoming irrational in your jealousy. Do you hear me?"

Slowly, Theresa nodded while still staring at Brennan in complete amazement. He had never spoken to her that way. In fact, no one had ever dared talk to her that way. They both know that everything that he'd said was true. Theresa knew for a long time that her behavior had become unwelcomed in many circles, and that it was just her father's clout that was protecting her from the backlash. But no one had ever faced her and told her exactly how bad she was.

She wasn't sure that she liked it, but strangely, she appreciated Brennan more because of it. She had never met a man who could measure up to her. It made the possibility of losing him to Charlotte more intolerable.

And therefore, unacceptable. She had to find a way to turn things around her way. This wasn't over by a long shot. But for now, she would have to drop it.

She plastered the most pitiful expression on her face. Looking tearful helped, too. "I... I'm sorry," she finally whispered. "I'm not sure what got into me. You're right, of course. I was making a big deal out of something that really isn't."

Brennan was looking at her strangely. "Good," he said. But he still looked... unconvinced. How could he not be? This expression had never failed her before. "You must know that I don't enjoy speaking to you that way, but it was necessary that you know the truth."

"I still don't know why Elys wouldn't want me at the wedding," Theresa pouted.

Instead of following that thread, he asked, "What's so wrong with her that you act this way?"

"I honestly don't know what it is," Theresa replied. "She just grates on my nerve."

"But that makes no sense, Theresa. There has to be a reason that you don't like her."

"She's just so perfect or something. No one is that sweet!"

"Maybe Elys is that sweet simply because all the things she's been through had made her realize that being bitter will not change anything but make things worse for her."

"Oh no, I don't believe that. By acting sweet, I believe she'd set a trap for Alexander!"

He actually looked disagreeable. She couldn't understand that he could still be so ignorant after being such a smart lawyer!

"You can't actually believe she's not putting an act!"

"He fell in love with her, Theresa, all on his own. If you know Alexander as I do, you would also know that he will never fall for a trap. Elys is a great person, that's it. And it's time that you try to accept that."

And that was when Theresa realized that after all his politeness, Brennan Trey hadn't liked her at all; and that her hope that he would one day see that she was the perfect woman for him would be an almost impossible feat.

Who is it? she seethed. Who is the woman that he's in love with? It is the only explanation. There is someone else, and she's the reason why I can't seduce him. She's the reason why he can't see how great we are together!

She remained sullen and silent throughout Brennan's admonishment. He could tell that she hadn't totally caved, but at least she had calmed down. But he had a hunch that he would not like whatever thoughts were racing through her head at the moment.

He was right.

Theresa was thinking that her sister would be at Alexander and Elys' wedding, too. She had noticed lately that Brennan had been looking at Charlotte the way she had been hoping he would look at her. Aside from that, Theresa had once been so sure that once she got Brennan in a wedding environment, she could make him turn to her in a different way.

Finding out that he would walk the isle with Charlotte holding on to her arm had made her realize that her sister would be reaping what she had planned to reap for herself for a long time!

Charlotte was not going to get Brennan. Theresa had decided that a long time ago. If Theresa couldn't have him, her sister certainly wasn't going to walk off into the sunset with him.

Theresa might shut up for now, but she was more determined than ever to get into that wedding. She just had to figure out how.

"Fine, Brennan, I said that you're right. I over reacted and I apologize. Now, please, can we talk about something else?"

"I would love to talk about anything else," Brennan said. "But I need you to promise me that you're not going to do anything stupid regarding this wedding."

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about. I don't want you to show up at that wedding and cause a scene. If you do anything to ruin Alexander and Elys' special day, believe me, you will be sorry. And this isn't even about you anymore. Remember that your father had been working hard to get Alexander to support a big event that will help a lot of people in grief-stricken areas for the Holidays?"

"He's only doing this to promote the firm," she said nonchalantly, and knew she had made a mistake because of the way Brennan was looking at her. "I m-mean, it's part of the promotional campaign for Christmas. Dad's not really serious about it."

Brennan had been with Theresa's father when the project had been discussed. Theresa didn't know it, but a friend's passing due to a storm while he was out of the country and into one that had been severely devastated had affected the older man so much that he'd decided to use his clout to raise funds for disaster stricken areas in the globe.

Had Theresa even known about the dead family friend? It just seemed that she didn't.

"I'm just telling you -- don't cause trouble on Elys' special day. Do you understand?"

She suddenly knew something vital had changed the last minute. Something had been lost to her. She might not know what it was, but she hated how things were going. "How can you choose her over me?!"

"I'm not choosing anyone here, Theresa. I'm just telling you that if you hurt Elys in any way, you're going to have to contend with Alexander Sage. I mean what I say. If you want us to remain friends, then you'll stay away from that wedding. Promise me."

"Okay, Brennan, I promise," Theresa replied petulantly as she crossed her fingers behind her back.

She could see that she had a lot of work to do to get Brennan to see her way -- and a lot to make sure her sister would not be able to snatch him under her nose. She had to let things go for now to be able to start making plans about what to do in the next several days. She needed to ensure she would have her future with this man by her side.

She could not stand by if Charlotte gets him! She absolutely could not!

She would kill before she would let that bitch get away with taking what she considered to be rightfully hers from the beginning she laid eyes on him.

She would never let Charlotte take Brennan away!

### 8.

AFTER SEEING THERESA to the door following dinner in relief following the eventful dinner, Brennan went into his home office. He still could not believe how she completely lost control of herself just because she was told she could not attend a wedding of someone she did not even like, but he was relieved that it was over now. He hoped Theresa would think about her actions over the past few days and she would finally realize how she pushed everybody away by her nastiness towards those she considered inferior.

But he wanted to forget about her now. There were some things he needed to do.

He wanted to go over the files of Joey Martin. The man was completely innocent of the rape and attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend, Samantha Talbot. He knew this because he was one of the angels who could see honesty in people... well, an ex-angel, anyway. Now, as a human, his lot in life was to protect innocents and make sure they didn't go to prison unjustly.

Now, he needed to talk to Alexander and see if his friend had uncovered anything on Joey's buddy, Brock, the one he considered the real culprit in the crime.

Placing the call, Brennan put the phone on speaker so he would have his hands free to take any notes he might need.

Alexander's voice came through the speaker.

"Hey, Brennan. So far, Jayden still hasn't submitted anything to me. But he says that he has come up with a few things and that he should be completed with his research within a couple of days."

"That's great news, Alexander," Brennan replied. It was, indeed, very good news that it was another earthbound Fallen was doing the investigation into Brock's past. "Good to know that Jayden has settled into his new house. Just keep me posted, okay?"

"Of course, Brennan," Alexander assured him. "Oh, by the way. Elys would like to invite you to have dinner with us again on Friday, if you're free."

"I think that will be fine, but I need to check a couple of things first."

"If your hesitancy has anything to do with a certain beautiful young blonde woman, you should know that she is also invited and has accepted. Actually, Elys didn't give her a chance to say no."

Both men laughed at this. They both knew how Elys was when she made up her mind about something.

"Well, in that case, I'll be happy to have dinner again with you both on Friday night," he said laughing.

"Wonderful! I'm sure by then I'll also have more information for you on this Brock fellow."

After the call, Brennan remained at his desk studying the information he already had while he waited for the new information to arrive. Most of this would be pretty simple to use to Joey's advantage in court.

He just hoped that Jayden had come up with something on Brock. He just knew that Brock was more involved than he had claimed to be....

THAT SAME MORNING, Charlotte stopped by the hospital on her way to the office to check on Emily.

It had been a truly horrifying sight when she had arrived there late the previous night. Emily was screaming at the top of her lungs. She had wanted to go home. It didn't help that she had needed to be restrained in order to keep her from hurting herself or anyone else.

Charlotte had had no choice but to change the sedative from what Emily had previously been given and amp up the dose a bit. Finally, with the help of the new sedative, Emily had fallen into a deep sleep that lasted through the rest of the night. Charlotte had left instructions for the sedative to be given again if needed but she preferred to have Emily at least somewhat alert so that she could work with her. Then she called the hospital first thing when she awoke that morning to check on her new patient.

Apparently, Emily had only awakened a few minutes prior to Charlotte's phone call. So far, there had been no issues. As relieved as Charlotte was to hear that, she did tell the nurse that she would be there within the hour to see her patient.

Now, Charlotte stood just outside of Emily's door and read the latest notations on her patient prior to going in to see her.

It looked as if the nurses had been able to take her to the bathroom, wash her up and dress her in a new gown without any issues. Breakfast had just been served and she had eaten without incident. This news gave Charlotte hope that she might be able to actually begin therapy with this woman.

Pushing open the door to Emily's room, she put a professional smile on her face and entered.

"Good morning, Emily," she said. "I understand that you had a restful night after all. How are you feeling this morning?"

Emily gave her a rather sheepish look. "I'm feeling much better, Dr. Rhys. I'm so sorry for the way I acted. I just don't know what got into me. But I promise that I won't do that anymore. I'm perfectly fine now and am ready to go home."

"It is wonderful that you're feeling so much better, Emily," Charlotte replied. "It will help us to work together much more effectively on your treatment."

"What do you mean?" Emily asked, with an edge creeping into her voice.

"I mean that you're not ready to be on your own, yet. You and I still have some work to do together before we can look at releasing you."

Emily's eyes narrowed into angry slits as she glared at Charlotte. "Did Homer come to see me?" she demanded to know.

"No, Emily," Charlotte calmly replied. "He has not been to visit you."

"You're lying to me!" Emily yelled. "Why would you want to lie to me and keep Homer away from me? He loves me! He's not going to stop coming here until you let him see me!"

Charlotte sighed. While not exactly unexpected, this behavior was rather interesting. Emily was capable of mimicking normal behavior but the switch could flip very suddenly when others didn't buy into her fantasy. This gave her an idea of what direction she needed to go in with the best treatment.

"Emily, what do you remember when you and Homer broke up?"

"Oh, he had to pretend to break up with me because of his bitch wife. We never really broke up. That's why I know he's going to be so upset when he cannot find me! I bet he's already found me and been here to see me! That's just what he would do because he loves me so much!"

"Alright, Emily. I'm quite sure that Homer hasn't been to the hospital to see you, but if he does show up, I'll be sure to let you know. However, if you want to earn the privilege of seeing visitors, you must do your best to remain calm. When you behave as you did last night, you're proving that you cannot be trusted to have visitors because you are behaving in a harmful way. Does that make sense to you?"

Again, Emily's face took on that expression of sheepishness. Charlotte knew that Emily believed herself to be crafty and shrewd when she entered this particular behavior, so it didn't fool her.

"I do understand, Dr. Rhys," she said meekly. "I promise you that I'll behave. You'll see that it happened only because I was so upset."

Charlotte spent a few more minutes with Emily. Before she left, she told her that she would be receiving some medication that would keep her feeling more like herself.

"Now you must take this medication, Emily, so that you can start to feel better. If you need anything at all, just call the nurses and they'll make sure that you're taken care of. I'll check back with you again later this evening."

"Okay, Dr. Rhys," Emily said.

Charlotte was not fooled by Emily's docility. As long as she felt that Charlotte was getting her way, there would most likely be no further outbursts. But if something didn't go the way she wanted, all hell would break loose. Charlotte would just have to pretend that everything was going the way Emily planned.

### 9.

WHEN CHARLOTTE REACHED her office, Charlotte checked her commitments for the rest of the week. She smiled when she realized she could definitely have dinner with Brennan. In fact, she could manage it for tonight, if he was also free.

Picking up her cell phone, she called Brennan's number and waited for him to answer.

He picked up almost instantly. "Charlotte! How are you?"

"Hi, Brennan," she replied, glad that he sounded happy to hear from her. "I'm calling to let you know I can definitely make it tonight. I mean, if the invitation's still open and you have no other engagements tonight?"

"Of course it is and no, I have no other engagements! I'm glad you can go. Can I ask what time I'll pick you up first before you can change your mind?"

She laughed. "No, I don't think I'll change my mind. You can pick me up at seven."

After that, they talked about preferences. By the time they hanged up, they had dinner plans for the evening. He really sounded excited while she... her excitement was definitely not just by sound. She almost could not wait for tonight.

She stayed on her seat, grinning from ear-to-ear, even when she had let go of the phone. She was truly happy for the first time in so long. She had a dinner date with Brennan Trey, the man that she had wanted for years! They were going to spend time and talk and probably laugh with each other again the way they used to, when given time to talk for a moment before Theresa or some other reason could interfere.

Will he like me, I wonder, she worried. I mean, as the grown up, adult me. He looked at me strangely last night, after his kiss on my cheek. It definitely looked male-ish... like he is finally really aware that I can be courted.

So far, their conversation in the past had left her satisfied. Actually, more than a bit giddy, though she didn't let anyone see that. Actually, it still did. But it wasn't proper for a grown woman to feel giddy because of a man. On the other hand, if it was Brennan Trey, it was understandable. She had seen elder women grew giggly while talking with him, as if they were being tickled by something under their dresses and they just couldn't stop it.

She sighed. Giddy or not, she was just so happy. The rest of her day seemed to be very long compared to other days but the truth was she couldn't wait to be free to go get ready for her dinner date! Finally, she had finished with her last patient of the day and was able to leave her office.

She was relieved that she had received no emergency calls regarding Emily, but she was going to be sure to stop by the hospital to check on her before heading home. When she got there, the nurses had no difficulties to report and Charlotte found Emily calm and cooperative.

She now looked forward to her evening with Brennan without any other worries.

Charlotte hurried home and took a quick shower and got dressed -- she took a longer time selecting a dinner dress because she wanted too much to look good for Brennan. Finally, she was on a light blue simple dress that she knew made her look sexy without being too loud about it. She let her long hair down, but put a silver pin so her strands would not go to her face. Her only excess were her shoes, black and sinfully sexy with three-inch heels. Brennan was tall so this would not be a problem.

She was ready to go a full five minutes before Brennan was due to arrive, so she checked her appearance one last time before the doorbell rang.

Looking through her peephole, she saw Brennan. She smiled brightly and opened the door to welcome him. Her heart was almost slamming against her ribs as she saw how dashing he looked in a pair of dark dress slacks and a deep red shirt with a black silk tie. It was obvious he, too, took pains to look great tonight.

"Hi, there," she said. "You're right on time!"

He laughed. "I'm an attorney and I'm not allowed to be late for court so I guess it stuck. Besides, I could have come sooner. I can't wait to see you and I'm not disappointed." He sighed. "Charlotte, you look simply gorgeous."

She felt herself blush at his compliment. "Thank you. You look dashing yourself. Come in and I'll just grab my coat and purse."

He walked into her foyer and waited as she collected her things. She was smiling as she did this again, rather goofily, since she had seen the way his eyes lit up with admiration when he saw her, and then darken with heat while he complimented her. That felt really nice, and warm, and really satisfying, to know that Brennan wanted her. And then she hurried back to his side.

He helped her with her coat and then held the door for her. She locked it and pocketed her keys. Once they were in his car, he turned to her.

"I want to take you to this wonderful restaurant that I discovered a few months ago. They cook the most incredible Cajun food I've ever put in my mouth. So I think before I take us there, I should be sure that you actually like Cajun food."

"Oh, I love it!" Charlotte cried with delight. "New Orleans is one of my favorite cities anywhere."

"Terrific!" Brennan exclaimed. "Then you're going to really love this place, I promise."

### 10.

BRENNAN HAD NOT exaggerated in the least.

Laveau's Cajun Cuisine turned out to be just as much a joy for the eyes as well as the taste buds. Both the exterior as well as the interior were modeled after some of the more popular restaurants in The French Quarter.

"This is just like being in New Orleans," Charlotte said in wonder as they were seated in a comfortable booth. Their table was decorated with a hurricane lamp that cast soft light around them as well as various condiments and flowers. "It is perfect, Brennan!"

"It is one of my favorite places and it's so great to share it with you."

"Thank you for doing that," Charlotte said. "It makes me feel very special that you wanted to bring me here."

He took a deep breath and suddenly looked serious. "You are special to me. I hope you will understand just how special you are someday."

Charlotte felt warmth and excitement flow throughout her body at these words -- especially with the way he was looking at her. There was that heat again, and it was finding an answering heat inside her. She didn't know what to say for a moment as she felt herself being drawn to him. Then their server approached and the moment had to pass, though it didn't leave. The warm feeling stayed through them through dinner.

Over a truly tasty dinner of jambalaya, salad, fresh baked bread and wine, Brennan and Charlotte talked about the upcoming wedding of Alexander and Elys and what each of them had been up to lately.

Inside, Brennan couldn't believe that Charlotte was really out with him. He couldn't stop looking at her when she's not looking at him. She was, hands down, the most beautiful woman he had ever met. Her blue dress made her aquamarine eyes look alive and this made her look more like an angel than any "real" angels he had ever seen. Her full lips had the sexiest way of smiling this little sideways smile that brought out a single dimple that looked literally, and breathlessly, adorable. He could not count how many times he had held his breath without knowing it the whole time, while staring at her like a lovesick fool. This must be how giddiness felt. He felt so much like a human being at that moment, and he had to admit it felt really good.

Charlotte caught Brennan watching her again and she couldn't help but smile. He was such a beautiful man. His dark hair with that rakish style he wore it in certainly suited him even if it didn't seem to fit any attorney that she had met. His green eyes were mesmerizing, and she had found herself caught in them on more than one occasion.

She couldn't believe that someone hadn't grabbed him up already, or that in spite of all the beautiful, seductive women who wanted him like Theresa, he was out with her and enjoying himself with her.

She had believed for so long that Brennan had been nice to her because she was Theresa's sister, and she was still a bit in awe that she had been wrong. He had really been interested in her all along. And yet, Theresa had often said she wasn't the type someone like Brennan would take out. Many times.

Oh, she knew that Theresa was only trying to guard something she considered territory, but Charlotte believe her because something inside her thought this was true. Brennan had always been careful with her, but now she had this suspicion that he only did this then because she was still an underage a few years ago.

And her sister managed to use this to her advantage.

Theresa.

Now that was the real elephant in the room that neither of them seemed to want to discuss.

The thought of her sister brought a momentary frown to her face. The two of them hadn't gotten along since she could remember. Would it ever end? Charlotte knew she wouldn't deliberately do anything to hurt her sister. But what about this date with Brennan? What if she found out? She would surely think she was trying to get Brennan from her.

She was more skillful now doing the things she did, even at the young age of twenty-four. She knew now that Theresa had been obsessed with Brennan, and it wasn't shared even remotely -- Theresa obsessed over Brennan because he was someone she wanted but she could not have. It was a classic. There were too many times in the past that Charlotte would act her disinterest in something so Theresa would not go for it like a dog with a bone. But her infatuation for Brennan? Charlotte wasn't able to hide that even if she had wanted to.

Theresa had talked about Brennan all through college and law school but she had managed to keep him safely tucked away from the family. Charlotte avoided going to the Law Firm as much as she could because that was Theresa's "territory", in that the few times she was there her sister acted like she owned the place and Charlotte didn't belong there. So she had no chance to see Brennan and see for herself that he really wasn't as interested with Theresa as she claimed many times he was. In fact, even their father never acted like he also believed the same thing, come to think of it. He would just listen and would shrug. Their father liked Brennan. He would at least show something if this particular claim was true.

There was this particular night three years ago. Charlotte was still in college then and she with her date had shown up at the same high end restaurant where Theresa and Brennan were having dinner. Charlotte had no choice but to introduce her date, and she remembered how Theresa had turned a dangerous shade of fuchsia when Brennan insisted that they joined them for drinks for a while, which her date was more than excited to accept because he was a Law student and Brennan had started to make a name for himself as one of the youngest, brilliant defense lawyer in Moon Bay's history.

Charlotte stayed tensed and uncomfortable through that whole time they were with them since her sister had been throwing dagger looks her way, especially since Brennan was asking her many questions about herself, her college, her course, or how she liked it... if they had been close she would have kicked him under the table for neglecting his date. She remembered Brennan saying it was only a business dinner and their client never showed up, but the way Theresa acted made Charlotte believed he had been lying.

Now she knew he wasn't. And this changed a few things about her perspective about him and the possibility of finally, finally being with him!

### 11.

IT WAS NOT TOO long from that coincidental meeting when Theresa announced in the dining table that she and Brennan had started to exclusively date. Charlotte had been quietly devastated, but that was also the time when she moved to an apartment nearer her campus and she hadn't seen Brennan for a very long time since then. In fact, she only saw him again during her graduation, and she had been too busy they only got to say greetings before he'd left.

Since then, she had dated several men but never got seriously involved with any of them. When she realized she was just going with the flow, she stopped and concentrated on her career, deciding that she would only date when she found someone who really, really moved her the way Brennan did.

But there hadn't been any.

He might have ruined me for other men, she thought in amusement. Other men but him, which was kind of alright because he is the only one I want...

Brennan was also remembering that dinner and how beautiful she was -- and the jealousy he'd felt to see her with someone else. He had meant to pursue her then but he got busy with a controversial case and clients in need of his special kind of defense had seemed to be lined outside his door. Months flew liked days.

Then one day, he had overheard Theresa telling her father that Charlotte was going out with a doctor, and had confessed to her in a phone call that she was falling in love. He thought it was over by then, that he was late. But... for some reason he hadn't heard anything more about the relationship. Now he was having this sneaky suspicion that it wasn't as true as Theresa made it seemed. He was just outside an open door then and couldn't really see her while she said this to her father, so he had missed some signs that she was just lying. Or did she know he was coming?

Of course! He came for an scheduled meeting. He'd been had!

He felt a twinge of anger at how Theresa was able to manipulate him, of all people. There was a sudden attack of relief as he now gazed at Charlotte's lovely face as she talked about something at work. He must be looking at her so strangely that she suddenly stopped.

"Hey. Is there something wrong?" she asked, worriedly.

"What? Why?" he asked.

"You look... I thought you just looked a bit angry for a moment."

He took a deep breath, and then he reached for her hand. "Charlotte?"

"Yes?" she asked hesitantly as she looked at their hands on the surface of the table.

"Theresa... she... there was nothing between us, and there had never been. If she ever made it seem like that... it was never true. You have to believe me."

She gazed back at him, and then she smiled. He thought her eyes seemed a little shiny, but he wasn't sure. "I believe you," she said. And there was sincerity in it. There was no doubt that he meant it.

He took a deep breath, and he now smiled, his relief complete. "Please go on. What was it you're saying about Emily?"

The conversation flowed easily between them and was punctuated even more by now meaningful, heated glances. By the time their authentic New Orleans bread pudding with rum sauce arrived, they both knew that something very special was going on and that there would be no more ignoring it.

After sharing a single huge serving of the pudding, they left the restaurant with her hand held in his.

When they got into the car, Brennan turned to look at Charlotte. "So where would you like to go now?" he asked.

"I think I would like to go home," she said softly.

"Oh. Okay," Brennan said, the disappointment heavy in his voice. "I'll take you home then."

"Brennan," Charlotte said, with a smile on her face. "I meant that I want you to come home with me." Then the smile became shy again. "I'm not ready for this evening to end, yet. Are you?"

"God, no," Brennan said as the relief he felt crept into his voice.

"Good," Charlotte said, then looked out on the road. "Then let's go back to my place and continue it for a little longer."

"I'm very much in favor of that," he said as he smiled and drove in the direction of Charlotte's condo.

As he drove, he again reached over and took Charlotte's hand, smiling when he felt no resistance. They remained that way until he pulled into her condo parking lot.

Without a word, Brennan exited the car and walked around to open the passenger side door for Charlotte. Hand in hand, they walked up to Charlotte's condo.

She unlocked the door, checked the alarm and told Brennan to make himself comfortable while she went into the kitchen to make coffee.

Once the coffee was made, she brought a tray with mugs and a coffee pot to the living room and set it on the coffee table. Then she excitedly joined the grinning Brennan on the sofa and poured them both a cup.

And that was where they stayed for the quickest two hours of their lives, talking and sharing old stories from their past. They laughed together and simply had a magnificent time. And then they talked about going to dinner with Alexander and Elys on Friday.

"If everything goes well with my newest patient, I may be spending the weekend," Charlotte said. "I'm not sure yet how it's all going to go, but at least I should be there on Friday night."

"Do you find it amusing at all that Elys is so obviously trying to hook us up?" Brennan laughed.

"Of course I do, but I wouldn't take her fun away from her for anything."

A moment of silence occurred as they both contemplated on the next move. Brennan sighed, thinking that as much as he did not want to scare her away, it would be much better if he would be honest with his feelings before anything else hampered what they had started that night.

"You know, the night has passed away much too quickly for me. What about you?"

"Oh, yes," she replied, giggling a little. "It felt like those nights when my friends from school would sleep over. Suddenly it's just morning, and I haven't slept for even a wink."

"Had any one of them wanted nothing more than to take you in his arms and kiss you for a long, long time?" he asked.

She looked at him, and then blushed. "Had I mentioned that all of them are females?" she whispered.

"You did. I guess I'm just trying to find a way to get that into the conversation," he whispered back.

"Oh, wow. It didn't just occur to you to ask?"

He sighed. "I'm worried I'll scare you away."

"Uh-huh." Her arm reached up and around his neck, and she pulled his face down to her. "This woman doesn't scare off that easily," she said before she placed her mouth on his.

### 12.

BRENNAN RESPONDED INSTANTLY, and it was if they had always been kissing. In just a pretty second, the kiss became passionate. Both of them quickly started to lose control as sensations of desire and lust hit them unbidden, coursing through their bodies. Charlotte wanted more, so much more from this connection with Brennan. She found herself pushing much closer to the source of that heat that she craved. Closer to Brennan's body.

Then she remembered a huge reason why she couldn't go through with this.

She started to pull back from Brennan before it was too late and she has become too weak to fight herself, and he uttered a low groan in his throat that sort of ended on a question, though he didn't fight her or try to make her change her mind.

"Brennan," Charlotte gasped. "I'm so, so sorry. I just can't. Not yet. Please forgive me."

"It's okay, Charlotte," he said also breathing a bit heavily. "I never want to rush you if you're not ready. There is nothing to forgive, baby."

Snuggling up against him, Charlotte buried her face in his chest. "It's just that I shouldn't have encouraged you and then just stop like that."

He held her hand and brought it to his lips to kiss her open palm. "I like getting encouraged," he said in such a way that made her giggle.

"Oh, Brennan..."

And then they kissed again, and then had to gasp and push away at each other because it was just so explosive.

"I... I'm not on the pill," she finally confessed. "And I really think we should at least think about doing this for another night before we do it."

He was breathless and giddy. "Yes. Yes, of course."

And of course they kissed again before they could finally get off the sofa.

"Please don't take this the wrong way, but I really believe I need to go now," Brennan said.

Charlotte giggled, feeling she was drunk. "Are you sure you're okay? Can I help you with anything?"

He groaned, and she couldn't help but giggle again.

He finally made it to the door. This time, they were both serious as they both got ready to say goodbye.

"I'm really sorry about what happened," Charlotte said. "It's just that... I want to be sure and really, really ready."

"Charlotte, it's okay, really. We need to take a little break here before we rush into something. I want to do things the right way with you."

She smiled so sweetly at him that he felt his heart melting. "Thank you."

He nodded. "So I'm going to leave now. But I will call you tomorrow to tell you how much I miss you."

"I'll wait for your call," she said in almost a whisper.

They almost kissed again before she closed her eyes, tight.

"Don't, or I'll pull you back again."

"Okay," Brennan agreed, then with a foolish grin on his face, he went out the door walking backwards.

"Friday at dinner with Alexander and Elys?" she reminded him.

"Yes. In the meantime, I am going to be thinking of you constantly."

"Yeah, okay. I'll probably be doing the same thing."

He looked almost like he was going to come back, but he continued. Charlotte watched him as he walked down her sidewalk and down to his car, and stood in the doorway until he had disappeared from sight.

Then she closed the door and went straight up to bed. She wanted some time to relive tonight's events and, if she did that while she was falling asleep, she just might see it all again in her dreams.

**~ ~ ~ ~**

**Read the next book by Natalie Fields:**

**If you like this book, you will also like Fighting Chance...**

AN OPPORTUNITY, A MAN, AND A WOMAN IN LOVE

HOW WILL YOU FIGHT FOR THE CHANCE TO FIND TRUE LOVE?

Finally! Brennan and Charlotte are dating! It took some scheming and the efforts of a well-intentioned matchmaker before they finally manage to be together away from Theresa's sharp claws.

Meanwhile, Brennan acquires the assistance of his brothers to dig into the past of the person he suspects to be the real culprit in a case he's handling. Alexander and Elys' wedding preparation continues to be the excuse for Charlotte's stay in Alex's castle, safe from Theresa and open to more "quality time" with Brennan. But for how long will this go on, now that Theresa knows what's going on?

She will stop at nothing to get Brennan. Does this include harming her very own sister to get her out of the way?

**Unravel more of this fascinating book, continue reading Fighting Chance...**

**~ ~ ~ ~**

### Related Books

Did you enjoy this book? I recommend reading these related books, available on various retailers:

### Fallen: An Angel Outlawed Prequel

### Tender Hearts

### Finding Home

### An Angel Outlawed Complete Collection

# Bonus Preview:

## Fighting for Chances

### 1.

CHARLOTTE DROPPED by the hospital to see Emily the next morning before she went into her office. Emily was looking much better and had started to respond positively to the new medication. She only asked about Homer once during their visit, and didn't even become upset when she was told that he hadn't been to see her.

Charlotte took that as a good sign. Of course, she knew that Emily could just be playing games with her so that she could be released from the hospital, so she would remain under observation.

Rico had this very odd smile on his face when she arrived at the office. "Good morning, Dr. Rhys," he called as she crossed the reception area.

"Good morning, Rico. And why the formality? Also, you're looking quite like the cat that swallowed the canary. What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing," he said with an exaggerated casualness. "I was just thinking how your day is about to get very nice."

Shaking her head and giving him an odd look, she went into her office. Then she smiled from ear to ear.

There, sitting right in the middle of her desk, was a vase filled with two dozen roses in various colors. A card was attached. She picked it up and opened it.

Thank you for what I hope will be the first of many beautiful nights.

Now, she was the one smiling as if she was the cat that had swallowed the canary. She couldn't agree more with the sentiment in the card. She picked up her phone and punched in Brennan's number.

He answered instantly.

"Good morning, Beautiful," he said. "Did you get the flowers?"

"Yes, I did," she said with a smile in her voice. "They're so beautiful! Thank you!"

"I'm glad you like them," Brennan said. "They're still not as gorgeous as you are, but they're a start."

"Oh, stop!" she laughed. "You're making me blush."

"Good," he said. "I hope to make you do a lot more than blush in the future."

"Okay, now I'm just speechless," she said. "My first patient is due any minute so I need to go. I just wanted to thank you."

"I'm so glad that you did, and I'm glad that you like the flowers. Think of me whenever you look at them," he said in a voice that had become low and intimate.

She almost closed her eyes at the way her body responded to his voice. "Bet on it," she couldn't help but to whisper back.

She was still smiling when Rico ushered in her first appointment of the day. She had another smooth day where everything went exactly as it should with no unpleasant surprises. All of her patients on that day seemed to be doing well and had no crises going on.

She also had not heard from the hospital regarding Emily. That was another wonderful thing.

When she stopped in to see Emily on her way home, Charlotte found her patient looking and behaving much better. The medication was working wonders for her, it seemed. After speaking with her for a few minutes, she encouraged Emily to join some of the other patients in group therapy and in the recreational area. There was actually an excellent lending library in the hospital as well. If she wanted to read anything in particular, she could tell the nurses and they would make sure she got some books.

By the time Charlotte was ready to leave, she felt quite comfortable and encouraged by Emily's behavior. It was still a bit early to tell what the overall result would be, but for now, she was feeling more positive than she had on the day Emily had been admitted.

### 2.

WHEN CHARLOTTE WENT home that night, she stopped on the way to get some Chinese takeout. She would spend tonight catching up on organizing some patient notes and files on her computer.

Once she had slipped into some comfortable pajama pants with a matching t-shirt, she propped up on her bed with her laptop and her dinner. What she didn't count on was just how difficult it was going to be to focus on her work rather than the memories of the night before with Brennan. She wished they were together again tonight. But she knew what would happen the next time they were together. Their need for each other would be a lot harder to fight, she was sure of it.

She could still feel his mouth on hers, his tongue tangoing with hers, and his strong arms around her as he crushed her against him. If she had not stopped, she would be a much different person today.

But she had no real regrets other than the carnal kind. She knew she and Brennan had made the right decision. When they finally made love, it would be fantastic and magical simply because they got themselves ready as they waited for the right moment.

Finally, she was ready to turn off the lights and to go to sleep. The next day was Friday. She was already very excited about having dinner with Brennan, Alexander and Elys.

She had just turned off her lamp when her cell phone rang. Instantly worried, she picked it up quickly, but then saw that it was Elys.

"Elys, hello. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, yes, it's fine, and I do apologize for calling you so late, but there's something that I need to discuss with you," Elys said.

"Sure, Elys," Charlotte answered. "I wasn't even asleep yet. I was just getting ready to turn off the lights. What's up?"

"Well, you know this whole thing with Theresa being upset at not being invited to my wedding has me thinking that she might also decide to, I don't know, do something to keep you from being in it. I don't mean to sound crazy, but if you can manage it at all, I would love for you to stay here with Alexander and me until after the wedding. How much trouble would that be for you?"

At first, Charlotte was too surprised to speak. Then as she started running things through her head, she realized that it might be possible for her to pull this off after all.

"Charlotte? Are you still there?" Elys asked.

"Yes, yes, Elys, I'm sorry. I was just thinking. You know, I do think I might be able to do this. Can I let you know in the morning? There are some things that I need to take care of first then I'll call you right away for an update."

"That would be so wonderful!" Elys cried. "I really hope you can. Not only would you be safe from Theresa, but I could so use your help with things." The last part sounded rather sheepish.

She laughed. "Well, it might be a bit tricky on this short notice, but I think there's a way I can do it," Charlotte said. "I'll work on it in the morning and let you know for sure, okay?"

"Of course," Elys said. "If there's anything that I can do to help, please let me know."

"Just make sure I've got a strong Internet connection," Charlotte laughed.

"That's not a problem."

"Okay, then, I'll speak to you in the morning."

"Perfect! Goodnight, Charlotte."

"Night, Elys."

Lying back in her bed, Charlotte mused over Elys's proposal. There were her patients, but if she could manage to insure their care while she was away from the city, she could manage it. Then she yawned. She really was tired. She reached for a pillow and hugged it to her side, hoping it was Brennan.

Then she fell asleep to a dream of hot kisses and breathless gasps and the passionate smell of roses.

### 3.

THAT FRIDAY NIGHT, Charlotte and Brennan joined Alexander and Elys for an amazing dinner. Holly had never disappointed them before, and she certainly didn't this time, either. But aside from the delicious food, Brennan's meaningful glances kept distracting and also exciting Charlotte.

Earlier that day, Charlotte had managed to set things up just the way she and Elys had discussed the night before. Jo Finnigan, a colleague of hers, had agreed to meet with Emily regularly and monitor her medication as well as her behavior.

Her reaction to Charlotte's news of an impromptu vacation was close to Rico's, but she hid it much better than he had. Rico happily agreed to monitor Charlotte's more urgent patients with Jo. They would stay in touch daily and, if anyone needed Charlotte urgently, they would arrange for a video session.

Emily Gardner was a different situation. If there were any, Jo was to contact Charlotte immediately, though she wasn't expecting any sort of emergency with Emily. She continued to respond positively to the new medication. There was never any way to be one hundred percent positive but she was more hopeful than not.

The dinner was wonderful, as expected. Meanwhile, all of the staring that was going on between Charlotte and Brennan didn't escape Elys. Following dinner, the couples made their way into the very cozy den where a fire was burning nicely.

Then Elys took over and explained to Brennan and Charlotte what parts they would be playing in the wedding. As Best Man and Maid of Honor, they would be responsible for taking a lot of the pressure from Elys and Alexander at the rehearsal dinner, the wedding, and the reception. Most of the invited guests were people that Alexander knew from various business situations. Elys had a few friends that she had made during her time in Moon Bay as well as a few of her own business contacts.

Of course, once they knew that she was marrying Alexander Sage, they were dying to be on the guest list.

"Now, we need to go over the rather delicate subject of Theresa," Elys finally said. She had been holding off on that discussion because she didn't want to ruin the evening.

"I already know what you're going to say," Brennan said. "I made her promise not to do any tricks. I hope she believed me when I told her how seriously you guys will guard the privacy of your wedding."

"As for me, I'm not even planning to see Theresa between now and the wedding, since you've got me staying here," said Charlotte.

"You're staying here until the wedding?" Brennan asked, then looked at Elys admiringly. "Wow, Elys, you really mean business, don't you?" He couldn't help but laugh. Charlotte was trying very hard to contain her own laughter.

"Don't you make fun of me, Brennan," Elys demanded. "It's the only way I can think of to keep Theresa from ambushing Charlotte between now and the wedding. Besides, my Maid of Honor must be nearby in case I need her for something."

Just then, Alexander threw a meaningful look at Brennan that the two women did not notice.

"Well, I don't know about you, Brennan, but I'm starting to feel as if I'm turning into a woman after all of this wedding talk. Why don't you join me in my study for a drink and some man talk?" Alexander said as he rose from the love seat he shared with Elys. Leaning down, he gave her a kiss.

"Sure, Alexander, that sounds good," Brennan agreed as he himself stood up. They left Elys and Charlotte talking about gowns and flowers.
