A/N: Hey ya'll I posted yesterday while I was at my grandmothers. Made some awesome pants that I am proud of ^.~ gotta love grandmas. Anyway I am still very excited to be writing this story. I hope it is as good and as popular as You Saved Me. This last marking period is going to be a lot easier if you ask me. I have also decided to take a year off from school and work on the books that I am writing. A couple people in my family don't think that I can do it. But, I feel like this is what I should be doing. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter.

Chapter Two: Oh Joy

It was the day when Orael, Jeff, and Nicol were coming over to visit; and make wedding plans. I sat on my deck with a water bottle in my hand. The sun beat down on my solid frame without remorse. It was hot for a June day. I looked to the temperature on the wall and sighed. It was ninety eight degrees and it was still morning. Today was not a day to be going outside. I would have to convince Orael that we had to stay inside. I listened to my hot tub, which wasn't on, trickle into the pool. Maybe we could swim for a little while.

The sound of water was calming. I closed my eyes and sighed with content. Taking a swig out of my water bottle I remained in my own thoughts until I heard Jeff's car roll into the driveway out front. I didn't want to move. The sun was nice against my skin and I couldn't resist the allure of the quiet breezes that whispered it's way over the top of my fence.

With a groan I lifted myself out of the lounge chair and into my kitchen. I grabbed a menu out of the drawer and sat it on the dining room table. I then made my way to the front door where Jeff was knocking patiently. Opening the door with ease I welcomed them warmly standing aside to let them in.

"Hey everyone, how's it goin'?" I asked my slight southern undertone, which I was never able to get rid of, sneaking into my words.

"Good Uncle Shannon!" Orael squealed. He ran right to the door of the backyard.

"Only until food gets here, then you know the rules!" I yelled after him before turning back to a kissing Nicol and Jeff. I didn't know weather or not to clear my throat or to just leave them there, making it look like I was going after Orael. I finally cleared my throat and as Jeff pulled away from Nicol and patted him on the shoulder. "Glad to hear you finally asked her brother!" Jeff smiled crookedly.

"Yea, me too. Best decision I have ever made!" Nicol clung to him with all her might. I motioned to the table.

"I was about to order pizza, what do you want?" Jeff walked to the table and sat down immediately. He was a pizza fiend and I knew that he would want some. Nicol put down several notebooks and sat herself on Jeff's lap looking at the menu. Once they had ordered I made the order to be delivered. That was the one good thing of being near a populated area.

I walked out of the house and out back. Orael was waiting on a lounge chair for me to come out. I pulled down my shorts to reveal my swimming trunks. I pulled my shirt over my head and walked over to the pool. Orael with his swimmies followed me into the pool. I jumped into the deeper end and Orael into the shallower end. He came up sputtering and laughing. I took him by his arms and guided him to the deeper end.

"Orael would you like to learn how to swim?" I asked and kicked around the pool with Orael in tow. Orael looked to me eyes scared, but feverish for a new adventure. I could see him swallow the lump most likely forming in his throat and nod.

"Yes Uncle Shannon I would." He murmured softly and I took us back to the shallow end.

"I'm going to take off your swimmies okay?" I asked reaching for one of the inflatable arm bands. Orael looked at my hand like it was going to be the one to kill him.

"Promise you won't let me drown?" He asked and I nodded, smiling to him.

"I promise I won't let you drown." I took the swimmies off of his arms and placed them on the side of the pool. Taking him by his arms I coaxed him into the beginning stages of learning how to swim, just as my father had taught me how to before his accident. "Kick your legs Orael."

He did just that, splashing me with all the water he could out of fear. "Orael, I won't let you go, just kick. Kick like how you see Daddy and I kick when we are swimming." Orael tried again. This time it was a little less fearful and more concentration. I smiled as I guided him around the shallow end of the pool. He was panting his heart out by the time the pizza came. Orael ran into the house forgetting his towel on the chair to tell his father what he had done.

"Daddy! I leaned how to swim!" He yelled triumphantly. I put the towel under Orael before he sat down on the chair and smiled.

"I taught him how to kick correctly to swim; we haven't been taught how to move our arms yet." I said sitting down at the head of the table. Jeff put a piece of pizza onto Orael's plate and everyone said a quick grace.

"Shannon, one of my friend's is coming over to help with the planning of the wedding." I heard Nicol say before she took another bite of her pizza. "I hope you don't mind." I normally minded when people gave out my address. Who knew who would leak my address to the public.

"I don't mind Nicol." I said and continued eating as well. Lunch went by pretty fast. I had to grab Orael by the trunks to stop him from running out to the pool after he had finished eating. Everyone sat down on my couch to watch some television. Nicol laid down on Jeff's lap and dozed for a few minutes while Jeff and I talked. Orael was so engrossed in the TV show to care what we were saying.

"I'm glad that we are getting married. I really thought that the whole, you know, Ethbe thing would ruin the relationship." Jeff didn't often speak pig Latin, but I knew he was talking about Beth. I'm surprised that Orael was as happy as he was right now.

"Naw man, she loves you. Everyone could see it. The whole Matt thing was a bit weird, but still, we all know that she loves you." I flipped the channel, with a protest from Orael and flipped it back.

"I know, I just wish I could have seen it before I did." I nodded slowly to what Jeff had said.

"You weren't in your right mind brother, don't worry about it." Jeff sighed and I saw him stroke Nicol's hair in the peripheral of my vision. I got up and walked into the kitchen. I was going to get water from the fridge and Jeff another soda. Hearing the door bell ring I raised and eye brow. No one rang my doorbell it much have been that friend of Nicol's. I walked into the living room, tossed Jeff his soda, and walked to answer the door.

Opening the door I looked to a woman with hair as dark brown as the trees and as wavy as water curling onto the shore. Her eyes were a deep blue/green like the Mediterranean Sea at night, with skin the color of burnt sienna. She wore loose clothing for this hot day; a tank top, with a flowing skirt that came down about mid thigh. I couldn't tare my eyes away from her. Something in my mind clicked and started to bother me, like an itch I couldn't reach. I finally found the words jumbled in my mind. Mentally picking each one up I tried to put them in the form of a sentence.

"Hello, my name is Ezmeralda." She said. Her voice was silken sweet, like sun light dancing across a calm lake. I forced a reply out of my mouth as it tried to betray me.

"I'm Shannon; you must be Nicol's friend she was talking about." I held out my hand and smiled. Ezmeralda looked at my hand and took it with a smile of her own.

"Nice to meet you Shannon." Wow.

A/N: Alright there is the second chapter. I didn't think I was going to put Ezmeralda into this chapter. But, anyway I did. So enjoy! REVIEW PLEASUSMS!!!!!!

~*Morna*~