How it Began

by AshleyChantal

Now this is the story of how Warren and Layla come together in this story. This will be the prequel to Mr. Rabbit, so if you are ready for another round of comedy and romance. I do hope you enjoy this!

How it all began

Will just knew it the minute he had seen Layla and Warren interacted. That they were meant to be together. It had been a few months since he and Layla had broken up and all was well. They had split amicably and knew they were better off as friends.

But he knew something was brewing between his two best friends, something that wasn't there before and knew they had a shot. It made perfect sense after all, Layla needed someone to bring out the fire in her, Warren was that and he needed her to help bring that goodness in him.

He really believed in them and he was glad to know he wasn't the only one who had noticed the connection they shared. Everyone knew about it, including his parents, who were shocked that they were all noticing it now. Magenta and the others had been so sure that they would get together instantly, but when nothing happened they knew they had to do something.

It just so happened they were at his house right now coming up with a plan.

Zach said, "We could always just put them in a closet and they can do the rest by shoving into each other's throats."

Ethan said, "No way man that's too cliché. We need to do something bigger."

"What like shove them into a hole?" This caused everyone to look at him. "It's just a suggestion sheesh. We don't have to do it."

Will finally said, "We won't, but how do we get them into a room without them knowing we did it for our own purposes. They won't do anything because their too stubborn to tell each other how they feel. Besides if we did do anything our asses would be handed to us. And if I am going to be honest I don't want to get my ass handled with a fireball from Warren."

"Or get hung upside down by Layla's vines," added Magenta.

"That too," agreed Will. "So what do we do?"

"You're not going to do anything," said his mom coming in with a plate of cookies.

"Mrs. Stronghold, we have to," emphasized Zack. "If we have to continue watching them make googly eyes at one another waiting for someone to make the first move for three years, I won't be able to handle it. We need to do something or I think those feelings will go away."

"That's just it you can't force them to confront their feelings. If they like one another they will come together when they are ready. Not by some silly thing you all plan to do."

"Your mother is right," said Mr. Stronghold coming in. "Although it is still hard to process to accept them together because of his father…" Mrs. Stronghold sent a glare at her husband making him look away from her. "They need to come together on their own. Now instead of thinking of some plan, you all ought to do your hero-assignments. Now get to work."

Mrs. Stronghold smiled leaving the room, while Mr. Stronghold bended down on his knees.

"Okay so here is what you do?"

Will looked at his father in shock at the surprise turn of events. "Dad, if mom…"

"Your mother isn't going to find out. Do we have an understanding?" he asked his son, who nodded. "So here is what you do, they like each other so make a fake call to them."

"I'm sorry what?"

His father sighed, "One of you calls Warren and Layla telling them that you have an emergency, when really you just get them into a room with all the romantic stuff and let them have a dinner. Then if luck just so happens to be on your side, they tell each other their feelings and all is done. Their together and no one has to throw up."

Magenta said, "Mr. Stronghold that won't work. I know Layla enough now to know she would read threw me and Warren to Will too."

Will agreed, "Yeah it's like they can read our minds."

"Well that's why I said one of you, I didn't say you two you knuckleheads."

This caused Will and Magenta to turn to face Ethan and Zach, who had just swallowed his cookie with a scared look on his face.

After swallowing he said, "No way."

Ethan pointed at Zach. "I side with him, no way is my ass getting handled by Warren."

"Or Layla."

"Aww, are the two heroes afraid of the big bad alphas?" teased Magenta.

"Yes," said the two simultaneously.

"Look it's better you two do it anyway. Besides Zach wasn't it you who said if they don't get together soon that you would throw up. The sooner we get this done the quicker they get together. I, for one, would love to just have all this over with, so that I don't have to watch Layla look so damn sad."

Will asked, "Are we really going to consider this? Maybe I ought to call Natalie."

Magenta stopped him from pulling out his phone. "Don't do it because she will just stop us."

"But she hates it when I don't tell her about stupid things until after I do it."

"That is true," agreed his father.

"I still remember when she took away my new comics that came in the mail when I lied to her about throwing a…" he paused, when his father turned to look at him in confusion, while the others were crossing their necks telling him to stop. "A study session. Yeah study group and she took them away."

"Oh but remember when you ran over her…"

"Dad please not now!"

This caused everyone to look at them in confusion wondering what he had run over.

Magenta warily said, "Anyway, you shouldn't call her. She'll just stop us from doing this. It's best that she doesn't know."

"But…."

"No buts. So if we are going to go through with this, we have to think what should we make that both Warren and Layla like?"

"We could always call the Paper Lantern but that would probably be a big giveaway that something is up since Warren is working right now."

"Hmm… we could do French food."

Zach gasped, "We could order from the Monsieur's Javier's restaurant."

Magenta nodded. "Nope can't do it they got shut down after they had the infestation."

Will suggested, "Mexican."

Ethan said, "Can't do that remember Layla doesn't like spicy food."

"Well than that rules out Indian food. Oh, we could do Italian. Ahh spaghetti and meatballs."

"Like Lady and the Tramp, dude I think you're forgetting that Warren isn't like that and that Layla is a vegetarian."

"But around Layla he is and besides we can have the restaurant make it vegan."

Mr. Stronghold got up and said, "Whatever you decide. Make sure it isn't here, your mother would kill me if she found out I helped you, good luck."

Magenta said, "Okay so if we're going all lady and the tramp style then I know the perfect place."

Will said, "We're not doing it an alley."

"I wasn't going to say that, but now that I think about it." Seeing the look on his face, she knew the idea was gone. "Fine no to an alley, but I know the best place. I will send you the address to set up everything, we just need some people to do the phone calls, while we are preparing."

The two turned to Zach and Ethan once more sending them a 'come on' look.

Ethan sighed. "Fine."

Zach and Ethan shouted, "I get Layla! Damn it!"

Ethan asked, "Rock, paper scissors for Layla?"

Zach said, "You're so on."

….

Warren was serving at the restaurant when he felt his phone on his back pocket vibrate. He knew it had to be one of his so-called friends, but there was no chance in hell he was picking up. As much as they did annoy him, they knew when they could call him as he often worked the night shifts. So knowing it couldn't be that important he didn't answer and took care of another table.

Again, his phone vibrated, he knew when he had to answer his friends, one call was seeing if he wanted to hang out with his friends, two was when Will or Layla would check up on him when he was annoyed at the others, if it was more than three than he knew it was an emergency.

Once he was behind the counter, he checked his phone to see 'slime-ball' calling him again. Yeah that was right, he had nicknames for the whole group, but only one person matter the most. Hell if anyone found out, he was sure he would get into big trouble.

He hit the decline button from slime-ball thinking it couldn't be that important anyway only to be called again. Okay, he had to admit he was curious, the others hardly did call him, so if it was something so bad, it was usually Layla who called him or Will. Now his interest was piqued when his phone vibrated once more and he was about to answer until his boss caught him and told him to get off the phone.

With a deep sigh he took care a family who had just come in for a meal, but it didn't stop him from getting curious and angry that the slime-ball wouldn't stop. After all he was trying to work and with his temper filing high he was beginning to notice his body temperature heat up more than so. Especially when he given someone their food with the plate extra hot.

Okay he had to calm down or he would blow this place up into fire. He didn't want that, not when it was he and Layla's favorite restaurant, so he focused on regaining control, he pushed away the surrounding heat that he was gaining from and focused on the one person he cared for most.

Damn it, he thought, which was when he felt his body melting down from the high temperature in his body simmering down to his regular heat temperature. Of course thinking about her helped and he knew it was wrong in every way. She was the ex-girlfriend of his best friend and he knew that if he stepped to that level. It would be wrong as it was against the bro-code to go after the ex.

He felt the vibrating again and this time he had enough.

He answered, "What the hell do you want slime-ball?"

"Dude why haven't you been answering your phone?"

"I am at work, you dumbass." He heard his boss shout at him, but he told her he was taking a quick 5 and he would be back on. "Look I don't have time for this so whatever you have to say…"

"Layla's in trouble."

This picked him up and worry about Layla had been flushed into his mind. "What happened? Is she okay?"

"Dude do you think I would be telling you Layla's in trouble, if she was okay? Come on, man, look she had accident when we were putting things up for an event she was hosting and she is calling for you man."

"What?" None of this made sense, if something had happened she would have called him straight up. "What happened anyway?"

"Look just get here at fast as you can. Zach calm down! He's coming! Look just get here as fast as you can before she throws a tantrum and swallow us whole! I'll send you the address."

He heard the call get disconnected on the other side.

Did he find the situation weird?

Most definitely.

Was it going to stop him from helping her?

Hell no.

Grabbing his jacket, he went to the back and spoke to his boss about the situation. When she had asked if it was about the girl who was always in here and he responded. She had practically kicked him out and told him good luck.

Good luck? What did he need the good luck for?

This night was just getting weirder by the minute.

Getting on his bike and checking the message that Ethan send him with a HURRY, at the end he was out of the area and heading to a rooftop.

…

Layla was hanging out with her mom playing scrabble when she had gotten the phone call from Zach.

"Go on ahead, answer it."

Layla sighed and picked up. "Hello."

"Layla oh thank god, you picked up," said Zach in a shaky voice.

Layla was suddenly worried. "Zach is everything okay?"

"God no look there was an incident at this place with Warren and I think he is going to blow the place up."

Layla's eyes widened and said, "Okay, well what happened?"

"It's a long story which I don't have time for. I'm sending you the address and I am begging you please. You have to come! Ethan calm the hell down!"

"Oh, okay, I'll be there."

Zach disconnected and she had gotten up from the couch so fast she ran up the stairs with her mother on tow asking what was wrong.

She slipped on her shoes and answered, "Warren's in trouble I have to help him. Is it alright if you can drop me off please?"

"Layla, what happened?"

"Mom I don't know. Look can you just drive me there, please?"

"Sweetie its late at night…"

She begged, "I know but mom please, you have to take me. Otherwise I will take the bus."

"Fine I will. I don't know what is going on, but hopefully you can calm him down."

"I always do. Now come on."

…

Warren had ran up the stairs hoping to see Layla and the others but when he got there. He got the biggest surprise of his life. The roof had been decorated with lights surrounding the area, candles lit up for a romantic evening and then there in the center of the roof was a small table with two sets of chairs and food with a bottle of champagne, he guessed in the middle of it in a bucket. He checked his surroundings making sure he wasn't getting pranked and walked to the table. Okay, so it wasn't champagne, no it was sparkling juice. And beside the table was a backpack and in it was a sleeping bag and pillows.

Okay what the hell was going on?

There was no one in sight, until he heard the door flew open and saw Layla looking at him in shock and suddenly she was crashing into his arms. Which wasn't a bad feeling until he remembered this was his best friend's ex-girlfriend and shoved her back. Which made him regret it after he had seen the disappointed look in her face.

She finally said, "I have no idea how you were able to calm yourself down, but I am so glad you are okay. When Zach called me I was worried sick and I didn't know if I would make…"

"Whoa wait a minute hippie, I got a call from the slime-ball claiming that you were in trouble."

"What, no I am fine."

"I can see and so am I."

He watched her as a small frown formed between her eyebrows and asked, "What the hell is going on?"

He smirked. Really he was becoming such a bad influence on the group with the whole cursing, but whenever he heard it from her. He couldn't help it but enjoy it.

"Why the hell are you smirking? Aren't you at least a little curious as to why we are here in the first place?"

Finally it all came together. The phone call, the venue, the dinner and the sleeping bag next to him, it was all a set-up. When he next saw them he was going to send fireball after fireball into their asses until they could take the hint to back off. It was like it had all come together for her when she took one look at the table and saw the anger flash into her.

She grumbled, "Oh I'm going to kill them."

"Join the club. I can't believe they did this to us. I was working."

"And I was having a night with my… you know what that doesn't matter. What does matter is that my mother is here and is waiting for me."

He scoffed. "I doubt that. I wouldn't be surprised if Stronghold and the others had gotten to her first."

She frowned at the possible and went to the ledge to see if her mother's car was there, but all she saw was a vacant spot.

"Oh I'm going to kill them."

"Well you can't kill your mother."

"No but I will punish her for this. Geez, why the hell would they do this? Did they really think this was going to work?"

He let out a dark chuckle. "They probably did, which is why I am going to leave and kill them now."

Layla grabbed his arm. "Or we can eat the food first and then kill them. We wouldn't want to leave with an empty stomach now would we?"

Just the touch of her was making him want to stay but he had a mission and he couldn't get sidetracked. "Hippie I am leaving."

"Warren please stay."

He had to leave, if he stayed he didn't know what he would say or do. "And what play this little plan of theirs. Look you can fucking stay here, but I have no intentions on staying here at all."

"Warren stop you're angry and I cannot actually let you hurt them."

"Of course I am angry. I have a right to be."

"And so do I, but we can't just ignore this. They did this for a reason and a part of me wants to believe that you want to stay."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do I can see it in you. You could have left now and pushed me aside but you haven't. So that has to mean something, your just too afraid to admit."

"Don't tell me how I should feel."

"My hand is still on you," she pointed out. "You could have left but here you are standing before me. So please we need to talk."

He huffed out and took her hand off of him. "Fine you want to talk then let's talk."

She tried to say something, but her voice died with her. She thought she could do this but she was totally wrong. Maybe Warren was right maybe they ought to leave before they both did something stupid and hurt the other. She couldn't do that to him and she couldn't admit her feelings for Warren that she had hidden from him so long. Ever since she and Will had broken up, she would hang out with Warren and slowly but surely she began to realize that she had loved him every minute she was with him. Every minute he was there by her side to console her, help her and be a friend. Now that she was in this moment. She couldn't do it and knew she had to leave.

"I'm sorry, you were right. Let's just go."

"No you wanted to talk, so let's talk," he said provoking her.

She tried to leave but he grabbed her arm and she felt the sparks in her flame by his warm touch. The touch that she had craved for months and wanted so bad. That now just by the touch and the look of his eye, she knew there was something brewing.

"You're all talk about how they did this for a reason, so talk Layla, or are you too chi…"

"Fine Warren I like you! Is that what you want to hear?" She asked, pulling her hair. "Damn it Warren for months all I have wanted was you but every time I thought there was something between us. You would turn away damn it. So I hid my feelings for you, harder than I ever did with Will, but clearly the whole group knew about it, and tried so many ways to set us up. But now I just can't do this anymore. I needed you to know and now I need to know it from you. Please you have to tell me something."

Warren wasn't going to show Layla how surprised he was when in the inside he was thinking that she actually was into him just as much as she was to him, but he knew he couldn't say anything. If he did then he was betraying his friend and knew that Layla needed someone better. She needed someone who would do right by her side and give her the touch she deserved. He wasn't that.

So he walked away from her.

"Warren stop, please. Oh so is this is how the big and almighty Warren Peace is going to leave me. Is this where our friendship ends because I told you I liked you. Warren stop."

Suddenly he turned around to face her and shouted, "Layla enough. I'm sorry but I can't do this."

He saw the disappointed look in her and knew that he had hurt her. But he had to, it was the only way to keep her at arm's length and away from his powers.

Her voiced cracked, "So this is it, Warren I can't lose you, your my best friend. I don't want to lose you because of me. Please if you don't like me then just get it over with and we can pretend that none of this happened. We can be just friends, I'll be okay with that."

"Damn it Layla, of course I fucking like you, probably even more, but we can't do this, I can't be with you."

"Why? Why not?"

"Because you're his ex-girlfriend. I won't stoop to a level so low that I would hurt my friend by doing this to him. Do you know what kind of person that would make me?"

"You know he wouldn't mind. He's with Natalie and we're still friends. If the others went through all this trouble, what makes you think that Will didn't help? Because something tells me he did."

"It doesn't matter if he did help. I am not going to be that guy."

"Stop it, stop making excuses for not wanting to be with me. I want to be with you, so why do you think you can't be with me. It isn't just because of Will."

"You can't be with someone like me. I could hurt you."

"If you wanted to hurt me you would have done so by now."

"Really tell that to the burn I made you on your wrist."

She looked down at the mark that he had left her, but that was a long time ago before they were all friends. When they were, she had forgiven him, but seems like he never forgot about that.

"I forgave you for that."

He took a long breathe and remembered that she had, but it still haunted him. That if he could something like that, he could do again.

"It doesn't matter."

"Well it matters to me. Warren, you can't let your powers think the worst of you. If you do then that is just going to prove to everyone what they think of you, but you have to know that I don't think of that when I see you. When I see the flame in your eyes, the warmth you give me, I know that you couldn't hurt me. I trust you, I have always trusted you before this that you wouldn't hurt me. Please Warren, I…"

Warren tried to look away but Layla had stopped him when she pressed her hand to his cheek moving it back to her to look at him. It was then he knew that all he wanted was her. The touch of her sent a wave of fire through him and the more she moved her hands to his hair, arms and chest. He just knew his feelings were out and he couldn't put it back and neither could she. He wanted more than just her touch. He wanted everything to do with her.

He wanted to be her partner in crime, he wanted to be with her every fucking second and that she was his world. For the past months, he had thought the same way wanting her, devouring her in his arms and taking her with him, but the thought of him not being good enough ate at his brain. He had pushed her away, thinking it was the best, but it wasn't. All it did was hurt the two and he was tired of it.

Suddenly he felt a pair of lips come to his and he knew he was a goner. He brought her closer to him so that they were clutching onto each other for dear life. He felt a grin come from Layla lips who had now opened her mouth granting him entrance. So he slid his tongue to hers and from there was an ongoing battle who would dominate the kiss, which he won.

Kissing him with fervor, she felt his hands set firmly onto her hips, to which she wrapped her arms around his neck and jumped around his waist with him catching her smoothly in his arms holding on until she felt her back hit the wall.

She couldn't believe they were actually kissing. It the kiss, their first kiss, and god it was incredible. It was definitely better than Will's kiss as she felt herself wanting to succumb to Warren. She heard a growl come from Warren and a smile erupted on her face. Suddenly his lips were no longer on her, now he was placing kisses to her jaw, making her erupt into moans which made Warren growling, leaving more kisses until he bit down on her shoulder and gave her a hickey. Causing her to moan once more until she felt his lips disappear from hers.

He put her down, stepped back and ruffled his hair. He scanned the night sky begging it for a couple of answers to this but when he scanned the rooftop he hardened his eyes. He turned to see Layla who was still flustered from the kiss and it took every ounce of him to not back to her, but he stayed put.

"Warren…"

He shook his head. "We can't do this."

He saw the confusion and anger seeping through her. "W… what?"

"I shouldn't have done that."

"But I thought…"

"You thought nothing Layla this whole," he said throwing his hands in a circle around them, "think could never happen. I could hurt you and that's it."

The confusion was still wrapped around her and he watched as she looked around the area and the dinner until she caught sight of the same thing that he had seen. She quickly recovered as if she was blinking at the sky to keep her tears at bay with anger seething through her.

She kept the tremble in her voice at bay. "You're right, we can't do this. I was stupid enough to think something could happen between us. You will always hurt me and after all of this I want nothing to do with you."

He nodded, coolly. "Glad we got that out of the way."

She swallowed. "Me too."

She slowly backed away and headed down the stairs to breathe in everything that had happened but she couldn't help the smirk that came up on her first. She was hoping they had gotten one hell of a show.

…

Magenta sat in her seat troubled by the scene that had played before the group on the computer screen. Okay so they had put a camera at the scene so that they could see the whole thing, that wasn't wrong, well at least she thought so. Now she was regretting that they had done so and should have let the two figure things out on their own.

"Okay what just happened?" asked Will.

"I will tell you what happened, we happened that's what. We screwed things up and now we got Layla and Warren to hate each other forever," finished Ethan.

"Maybe your mom was right, Will. We should have left them alone and let them figure out their feelings," suggested Zack.

"Gee thanks, I didn't know today was let's gang up on Will today." Said Will sarcastically. "So we screwed up maybe there's another chance."

"Will there is no more chances," finished Magenta slamming down the cover, "let's just go. We were stupid to think this would work. Just take us back to your place."

She looked out her window of the van that Will had driven in to the alley to set things up and they headed back. They all were quiet on the trip back to the house when they all saw Mrs. Stronghold and Will's girlfriend Natalie at the steps and knew they were going to hell.

…

Meanwhile, on the rooftop, Warren managed to get the camera out from behind a spot where the losers had put the camera at and burst it into flames not giving a damn who had bought it or how much it paid. Then he headed down the same stairs he had gone up and there at his bike he saw the same person who he had kissed with her arms crossing her chest.

"Is the damage done?" she asked, surprisingly with a calm voice.

He nodded.

"Good, then I can do this," she said, as she rushed into him wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him one hell of a kiss to remember as her tongue slid into his mouth. He welcomed her and gripped her hips bringing her closer to him. Pulling away a small grin formed on her. "So everything you said wasn't true. It was all part of the show right?"

"Yeah, it was. So the next time we see them we will have to be careful that way they don't know about us. There is no chance in hell I am going to give them the satisfaction knowing they were right about this."

"I agree. So us?" she asked looking up at him wanting him to press on. "What do you mean about that?"

"I mean," he said, gripping his hands on her waist a little harder than before, "that you are my girl."

"I like the sound of that, very sexy, but how about girlfriend, I want people to know that I am yours but in the official kind of way."

His grip on her hips was harder than before and he let a small grin form on his face that she was beginning to swoon.

"Girlfriend, Layla Williams, my girlfriend."

"It even sounds sexy when you say it."

"I can do it just as long as people can take the hint about me too."

"Oh they will. Trust me…." She said whispering to him. "They will."

"Then I guess I should get you home."

"You could or we could make out."

"I'm going to be a bad influence on you."

"I think you already are, but I am definitely okay with that."

He pulled her into another smoking kiss probing her to let his tongue into her delicate mouth to which she obliged. This was it, this was they both wanted and he didn't let go of her until she was ready to go back home where they could conceive an epic battle of revenge.