Anne pulled Joe into her apartment and closed the door behind her. She turned around to face him and realized she must look horrible. She said, "I must look like a mess right now."

"No way, you look just as beautiful as you did yesterday," Joe replied.

"Glad you think so. If you don't mind, I'm going to take a quick shower and change. If you want, there is coffee made on the counter. The mugs are in the cabinet to the right of the sink. I'll be back shortly," Anne said and walked to her bedroom.

As the door closed, Joe made his way to the kitchen, grabbed a mug from the cabinet, and poured himself a cup of coffee. He leaned back against the counter and took a sip. As the liquid hit his lips, he turned around to the sink and spat out the vile stuff. He said, "That is what she considers coffee? This will not due at all." He went over to the refrigerator, opened it up, and noticed that it was almost bare. He sighed and then remembered that there was a store just down stairs. He figured that he would make breakfast for both of them while she showered and changed and had plenty of time to do so. Joe left the kitchen, grabbed Anne's keys from the table by the door, and left the apartment to get the supplies he needed from the store.

He arrived at the store a few minutes later, and perused the fresh fruit that was on display right in front of the store. He grabbed a basket and started picking out some of the freshest strawberries, bananas, and melons he could find. When finished, he went into the store, grabbed some eggs, bacon, juice, coffee, and some muffins. He then went to the front counter to pay for it all, put his items on the counter, and took out his wallet from his coat.

The shop's owner noticed a strange man wearing a grey pin-striped suit enter her store. In all of her years of owning and running the store, never had a man dressed like this entered her store. When he walked over to the counter and started placing his items on it to be tallied, she asked, "Will that be all?"

Joe replied as he finished putting his bounty on the counter, "I think so ma'am."

The shop's owner started to ring up Joe's purchases and asked, "So, do you cook for a living?"

"No, I'm going to make breakfast for a friend and her cabinets are empty. So I am doing a little shopping for her," Joe answered.

"Oh, a 'She' friend. With the way you are dressed, I am guessing that this friend is more than just a friend?" the owner asked.

"She might be. I have to admit, my friend is one classy lady, not to mention downright beautiful," Joe responded.

She finished ringing up his order and said, "That will be twenty five sixty, cash or charge?"

"Cash," Joe answered and pulled a Fifty dollar bill. He handed it to her and said, "I'm sorry, that is the smallest I have."

"No problem," she said. She quickly made change for him when Joe noticed a bouquet of lilies in the corner.

"Can you please add that bouquet of lilies to the order?" Joe asked and pointed to the bouquet.

The owner turned her head and saw the bouquet of flowers Joe was referring to. She stopped, went to get the flowers, and added them to his order. She then said, "That will bring your order to forty five dollars."

"Please keep the change ma'am," Joe said as he gathered up his order.

"Good luck with your 'she' friend," the owner said.

"Thank you," Joe replied "I'm going to need it," and left the shop.

He opened the door to Anne's apartment, closed the door, and went back to the kitchen. He took off his jacket and went to work. The first thing he did was to dump that stuff Anne called coffee down the drain, hoping that it didn't eat through the plumbing as it traveled down the drain. He quickly cleaned the pot and started a fresh pot of coffee right before he started slicing up some of the fruit. He plated the fresh fruit and put the plate in the center of the dining room table. Joe quickly went back to the kitchen and found a couple of pans in a lower cabinet. He placed the pans on the stove and lit the burners underneath them.

Anne finished her shower, shut the water off, and dried herself off. She dressed in a white fluffy robe and went into her bedroom. As she entered, her nose caught a whiff of very expensive coffee being brewed and the odor of bacon cooking. She said, "Joe is making breakfast for us? Well that is a surprise; I never had a man make breakfast for me before." She grabbed a pair of grey leggings and a blue sweatshirt from her dresser and pulled them on her body. She ran a brush through her hair. She then spritzed a little perfume on her wrists and left her bedroom to return to the kitchen.

She entered the living room and walked towards the kitchen and saw Joe at the stove, without his jacket on. She saw the muscles of his back and arms through the material of his tailored shirt. Anne entered the kitchen and said, "I can get used to having a man cook for me every day."

Joe tuned his head to her and said, "I will be more than happy to cook for you Anne. Take a seat at the table and let me serve you."

Anne sat down at the table and Joe left the stove to drape a napkin over her lap and push her in. He went back to the kitchen, grabbed a fresh mug from the cabinet, poured her a cup of coffee, and went to serve it to her. He placed the cup of steaming hot liquid in front of her and said, "This is one of my favorites. I hope you like it?"

Anne lifted the mug to her lips and took a sip. The coffee didn't taste burnt like when she made it. It actually tasted very similar to the coffee she had when she was in Venice. She put the mug down and asked, "How did you get the coffee to taste like this? Every time I make it, it turns out bitter and tastes burnt."

Joe had just flipped the bacon and put the spatula down. He took a sip of his coffee and replied, "It's a two-step process. One, you need to have the right beans and two the water has to be the correct temperature. Your coffee maker is good, but the water was set too hot for brewing good coffee. I found the thermostat and turned the temperature down. Now you should be able to get a decent cup of coffee out of that machine."

Anne took another sip and then said, "I had no idea. I'll have to remember that little tip."

"The bacon will be ready in about five minutes, how do you like your eggs?" Joe asked as he grabbed the carton of eggs out of the refrigerator.

Anne was just about to take a bite of a strawberry when Joe asked her about the eggs. She replied, "Surprise me." and took a bite of the strawberry. "Mmm, where did you find such fresh fruit at this time of year?" Anne asked and then finished the strawberry.

Joe cracked four eggs into a bowl, added a dash of pepper, and whisked the mixture together. As the mixture hit the pan, he answered, "That is easy, do you ever go to the store right down stairs?"

"Only to get the essentials, I normally food shop at one of those larger chain stores and as you could tell, I haven't gone in quite a while," Anne responded.

"The owner seems nice and everything came from her store. Including that," Joe said and pointed to the bouquet of lilies on the corner of the counter.

Anne saw the bouquet, got up, and went to the flowers. She smelled them and her tail swished back and forth on its own accord. She said, "Oh Joe, they are beautiful. How did you know they were my favorite?"

Joe flipped the eggs over and then turned to Anne. He saw her smelling the flowers and then noticed her tail's reaction. He was mesmerized as it swished back and forth at a very steady rhythm. He then noticed her backside in the tight material and gulped. Joe replied, "Beverly loved lilies, so I took a risk that you would like them too." He then plated the eggs and walked over to the table and said, "Breakfast is served."

Anne came back to the table and sat down.

Joe pushed her back in and draped her napkin in her lap again before he took his own seat.

Anne took a bite of her eggs and then asked, "You keep mentioning I remind you of your late wife, do you have a picture of her?"

Joe replied as he went to get his wallet from his jacket, "Of course I have a picture of Beverly." He pulled out his wallet, flipped through a few photos, and found one of him and Beverly holding each other right after she told him that he was going to be a father. A Tear left his eye as he looked at how happy both he and his late wife looked when he found out he was going to be a father. He brought his wallet back over to Anne and said, "This was taken by her father, right after Beverly told me I was going to be a father."

Anne took a look at the photo and her eyes focused on Beverly. She said, "She was a lovely woman Joe, I am so sorry for your loss."

Joe looked at the photo over her shoulder and said, "Thank you Anne. She was such a loving and caring woman. Every time she walked into the room I was in, the air felt lighter for some reason. "

"You loved her Joe and she was going to be the mother of your child. So of course you felt differently around her," Anne said.

Joe took his seat; obviously sadden from talking about his lost wife.

Anne caught on rather quickly and asked, "Why did you start working for gangs after your wife was killed by them? I figured that would be the last thing you would want to do."

Joe took her hand in his and then answered, "I didn't want to at first Anne. But the offer they dangled in front of me was too tempting at the time and I was still very distraught after burying my wife. I accepted their offer on the condition I would be allowed to mourn Beverly's death in peace. I was allowed to do so, as long as I produced the designs and the explosives that were required of me. After about a year, I became numb to everything around me. The only thing that mattered was my work. My employers provided me with various women as outlets for my frustration and I partook in order to appease them. However, I was a mindless soul until finally after five years I wanted out of that life and return to be the man that I once was. I just needed that final push to leave that life behind and start anew." Joe took her hand in his and then said, "Anne, you were that push I needed. I now have a job that I can take pride in and I am on my way to being the man I want to be again."

Anne was in shock that he had to endure such a life, but she was also happy that he now had the opportunity to turn his left around, possibly with her in it. She said, "Why don't we finish up here Joe. This breakfast is too good to waste and then we can sit in the living room and we can talk more or something, if you like."

"Sure Anne, Beverly and I used to have breakfasts like this, and then sit around and watch movies together," Joe said after he took his hand back.

"That does sound nice Joe, on second thought; I was hoping to go for a stroll around the park. It's such a nice day and I would hate to not enjoy it," Anne countered.

Joe liked the idea of walking around the park, especially if he managed to have Anne on his arm. He said, "Alright, if a stroll in the park is what the lady wants that is what the lady is going to get."

They ate and discussed happier times and laughed at some of the stories Anne told about when she first started out as a reporter. They also talked about how some of Joe's experiments went awry and created exploding globs of goo that covered the lab. That story caused Anne to laugh so hard she started choking.

Joe got up and patted her on the back until the coughing stopped. They looked at each other in the eye and Joe's heart starting thumping in his chest.

Anne was also feeling nervous as she looked into Joe's eyes, especially when he started moving forward bringing his lips closer to hers. She closed her eyes and waited for their lips to touch for the first time.

As luck would have it, Anne's phone started to ring just when their lips were a breath's distance from connecting. Anne pulled back and said, "I really should get that, it might be the office with an assignment."

Joe wasn't ready to let the moment go just yet, he said, "Are you sure you would rather get that or continue where we left off?"

Anne gave him a slight push away and went to answer the phone, she answered with panted breaths, "Hello?"

"Hey Anne, its Callie, Chance and I are taking Sabrina for a ride out in the country. We wanted to know if Sabrina's favorite aunt wanted to join us." Callie asked.

Anne turned her head back to Joe and saw him starting to clean up. She turned back towards the empty room and answered, "As much as I love spending time with my niece, I have company."

"Company? As in the male type? Ooo, is he at least handsome?" Callie asked.

"Hold on a minute girl, who is the reporter here? And yes, he is quite handsome," Anne said.

"Well, bring him along then. I'm dying to meet this man who has wormed his way into your heart Anne," Callie said.

"So you can ask twenty questions in five minutes? I don't think so. We are going for a nice leisurely walk in the park this afternoon. Then who knows?" Anne said.

"A leisurely walk in the park, more like a nice romantic stroll sounds more like it Anne," Callie said.

"You watch way too many of those romance movies Callie. I'll talk to you later; I need to help him clean up from breakfast. Kiss my niece for me, bye," Anne said just before she hung up the phone. As the phone was hitting the base, Anne heard, "Don't you hang up on.." the receiver hit the base, disconnecting the call. Anne then walked back to the kitchen and to Joe who already had an apron on and was doing the dishes. "You don't have to do those Joe, you cooked, the least I can do is clean," Anne said.

"I have this Anne, as much as I like seeing you in tight clothing, I don't want to have other men looking at you in them. Please put on a pair of slacks and a decent shirt while I take care of this. Then we can go for that walk."

"Alright, I'll be right back," Anne said and started walking towards the bedroom.

Joe turned to watch her walk away and then continued with the dishes. As he washed, he said, "My dear Bev, I will forever love you. However, I don't want to be alone anymore. Anne makes this old heart yearn for her and her love. Please understand. I am not being un-faithful to you. But I need to move on with my life."

Anne heard Joe loud and clear as she entered her bedroom. She leaned against the door and put her hands over her heart. She then said, "He feels that strongly about me? Do I feel that way about him?" She walked over to his coat which was draped over her bed rail, picked it up to her face, smelled his scent in the material, and then smiled. She put the coat back down and went to her closet to change. She pulled out a pair of slacks that tapered down her legs but were tight across her waist and butt as well as one of her favorite shirts. She quickly dresses, applies some makeup to her face, and leaves her bedroom.

Joe had finished up with the dishes and was drying them when he heard Anne's bedroom door open. She walked out of the hall and into his field of view. Joe was frozen in place as soon as his eyes saw her.

Anne walked through the living room and over towards the coatrack to find a pair of sensible shoes to slip on her feet. She found the pair she was looking for and bent over to retrieve them.

Joe watched her every move. He was completely entranced by her beauty and grace. When she turned to the side so she could get her shoes and he received an eyeful of her profile, he dropped the plate he was holding. The plate shattered on the floor and that snapped him out of the trance he was in. Joe instantly went to his knees to pick up the broken plate when Anne joined him on the floor and assisted in cleaning up the mess.

Joe said, "I'm sorry Anne, I didn't mean to break your plate."

"It's alright Joe. I had these dishes since college. They were bound to break sooner or later," Anne replied.

Joe realized how close they were and how wonderful Anne smelled. His body started to react on its own accord and he backed away before he did something that he would regret.

They finished picking up the shards from the broken dish, placed the pieces in the trash, and dusted themselves off. Joe extended his hand to her and asked, "Shall we go? I can't wait to walk around the park with you holding onto my arm."

Anne blushed a just a hair and said, "Sure Joe." She slipped her arm into his and then said, "Lead on."

They left the apartment and headed out into the city streets and eventually into the park. They walked arm-in-arm for about a half an hour, then Anne rested her head in his shoulder.

Joe liked, no loved having Anne this close to him and never wanted it to end. They walked a little further down the path and found a young man who was making sketches of cats in order to help defer some of his college costs. The man spotted Joe and Anne and asked, "Does the married couple wish to have a sketch made of them?"

Both Joe and Anne looked at each other and then laughed. Anne then said, "We are not married but I would not mind having a sketch done. What do you think Joe?"

"Sure, why not," Joe replied.

"Great! I'm sorry that I assumed you two were married. It's not often that I get to see a couple so in love with each other. Please take a seat, this won't take much more than a fifteen minutes," the man said.

Joe and Anne sat on a pair of five-gallon buckets turned upside down. They put their arms around each other and faced the young man.

The student could not get the same feeling from them as when they were holding each other, he said, "I'm not getting the same vibe from you two as I did when you walked over. Get closer to each other and don't be so tense. You two love each other right? Well act like it."

Joe looked over to Anne and questioned himself, 'Do I really love her? I have only known her for a day and I feel like I have known her all my life but is this really love that I am feeling?'

Anne was asking herself similar questions at the moment. She looked at Joe and asked herself, 'What is it with him? I feel like a teenager again with her first crush on a boy. Technically this is our first date and I am almost picturing spending my life with him. What is wrong with me? Am I that desperate?'

Joe pulled her tighter to his body and whispered into her ear, "Relax Anne, it's a simple sketch. It's not a wedding photo we are taking." Joe tensed up as soon as he finished speaking.

Anne felt him tense up and giggled a little. She then kissed his cheek and said, "You would make a handsome husband Joe."

"And you would make a gorgeous bride Anne," Joe replied and relaxed. Then they touched noses together and the student said, "Hold it right there! Don't move an inch!" He quickly started sketching on his pad.

"Well, this is embarrassing. I mean, I like you but this is almost kissing," Joe said

"In some cultures, we are kissing Joe," Anne said.

The student made quick work of the sketch and then said, "Almost done, would the lovely couple care to take a look?"

Joe didn't want to let Anne go. Her breath was turning him on and the only thing he wanted to do was to dive in and kiss her.

Anne was feeling very similar to Joe. His hot breath on her lips was quite affecting and she wanted to taste his lips on hers. She then answered, "Sure."

They reluctantly pulled back, got off of the buckets, and took a look at the sketch. What they saw in the sketch was pure emotion pouring off of the page. The sketch showed them hopelessly in love with each other, even though they both denied it.

Joe gulped and then said, "Great work! How much do I owe you?"

"Twenty please," the student responded.

Joe opened his wallet, pulled out a hundred, gave it to the student, and said, "Clean it up and keep the change."

"Thank you! Come back in a half an hour and this will be life like, I promise!" the student exclaimed.

Joe turned to Anne and asked, "Shall we continue our stroll?"

Anne didn't even respond, she simply latched her arm through his and led him down the path.

They walked for another fifteen minutes, when they came across a playground full of young kittens running around and having fun. They stopped to watch the kittens play while their hands were tightly intertwined. Out of the corner of Joe's eye, he spotted a kitten girl running off of the playground by herself and heading towards the pond just across the path. Her mother also saw her daughter running towards the pond and shouted, "Bethany! Stop right there and come back!"

Joe let go of Anne to help the mother stop her daughter before she accidentally ended up in the pond. Unfortunately Bethany was a shade quicker than he thought. She ended up in the pond and started screaming for help. Joe got to the end of the pond, removed his jacket and shoes, and jumped into the pond to get the kitten.

Anne followed Joe to the pond's edge and tried her best to comfort the mother.

Joe managed to get the kitten into his grasp, and started to bring her to the edge of the pond. When they got to the edge of the pond, he gave the kitten to her mother and asked, "Now why would a sweet little girl go and run into a pond?"

"Duck," the girl responded. "I wanted to see the duck."

"Well, you saw the duck, nice and close,' Joe said.

The mother hugged her daughter and said, "Thank you! I don't know what I would do if I lost her. How can I ever repay you?"

"Don't worry about it, I don't need anything, except some dry clothes," Joe turned to Anne and said, "Let's get out of here before the Enforcers and the press show up. I don't need the publicity."

They left the pond and headed back towards Anne's apartment. On the way back, they stopped to pick up the sketch that was done earlier. The student said as they arrived, "I heard what you did by the pond, nice save man. That took guts to jump into that pond for a girl that you didn't know."

"No it didn't. I did what had to be done and I would do it again in a heartbeat," Joe said as he dripped water onto the pavement.

"You are a hero buddy. The press is going to love you," the student said.

"No! No press! Look kid, you never saw us period." Joe said as he reached into his jacket pocket that Anne held and pulled out another hundred dollar bill. He handed it to the student and said, "You understand! You never saw us!"

"Got it. Not sure why though but I never saw you two," the student said.

"Good," Joe said and took the sketch from the student. He then led Anne out of the park and back to her apartment.

Anne was completely confused as to why Joe did not want to be recognized for his bravery. She let them into her apartment and closed the door behind them.

Joe quickly engaged the deadbolt and then slumped down to the floor.

"What was all that Joe? You save a kitten from drowning, told that nice student that he never saw us after giving him a hundred dollars, and then drag us back here. My reporter's nose is telling me there is a story here and I want to know what it is," Anne said while crossing her arms over her chest.

"I want to keep you safe Anne, "Joe muttered.

"What was that Joe? I didn't hear you," Anne asked.

"I want to keep you safe Anne! That is what I told the judge. Part of the deal with him is you are to be protected at all times by any means necessary Anne!"

"Why do I need to be protected? I don't understand Joe, what are you not telling me?" Anne asked almost on the verge of tears.

"You need to be protected because I can't lose you!" Joe yelled.

"What makes you think that you will lose me Joe?" Anne asked.

"They took away everything I loved Anne and they will do it again! I don't want to lose the woman I am in love with!" Joe yelled and then started crying. He continued, calmer this time, "Until my former employers are all behind bars you are not safe. Once they know you and I are involved with each other, they will use you to get to me and I will not allow that to happen."

Anne was in shock when she heard that Joe loved her. She nervously asked, "You.. You love me?"

Joe looked up into her eyes though his tear filled ones and simply replied, "Yes Anne, I love you."

"How Joe, we just met and you are telling me you love me?" Anne asked as she slumped down to be next to him.

"Anne, I feel so comfortable around you. I feel I can tell you anything. When we were trapped in that warehouse yesterday, something told me to keep you safe at all costs and when I was being arraigned, I only thought of you and how wonderful it would be to date you. That is why I want to go straight; I want to be with you Anne. This old man is in love with a young, sassy, red-hot reporter who only hopes that she loves him back," Joe said.

"I.. I don't know Joe, this is all so sudden. I'm not ready for this," Anne said.

"Anne, that sketch we had done this afternoon tells me you are. Look into your eyes in the sketch and tell me you don't see love pouring out of them," Joe said as he stroked her hair.

Anne turned and looked at the sketch; she saw exactly what Joe did. Her eyes showed the love she had for him and it was plainly written all over her face and her smile as their noses touched. She turned back to Joe and said, "Why does this have to be so hard, love is supposed to be easy when you find that right someone, yet this is so hard. Joe, I care for you, but is this love? I don't know."

"You don't have to say it now Anne. Just because I said that I love you does not mean you have to say it back. We will take our time and let this relationship bloom just like those lilies alright Anne?" Joe said.

Anne went to him and wrapped her arms around his neck just before he buried her head in his left shoulder.

Joe wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close. He said, "Anne, I will wait forever just to hear you say that you love me back. I don't care how long it takes."

Anne cuddled into him and softly said, "I love you too Joe."

Joe heard her and then said, "You have just made me the happiest man in the city. May I kiss you?"

Anne lifted her head, leaned forward, and then kissed him.

Joe kissed her back for a minute and then pulled back. After they separated he said, "I'll take that is a yes." He then kissed her again.