Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original character's from "Howl's Moving Castle". The only ones I own are the ones that you were not familiar with coming into this story. You know which ones they are.

Author's Note: How long has it been? Even the time that it has taken for me to update is no reflection on the difficulty of writing this chapter. I'm still not 0 in love with this one, but it'll do. Sorry to keep you hanging in suspense for so long! FYI, this chapter is mostly filler. I just really needed a place for Howl and THE BOYFRIEND to meet… I promise I'll try to update faster next time!

I have corrected my mistake. Thank you to those who helped me out! This is why I need you guys! It's unfortunate when one can't keep their own story straight... It seems that what was in my mind and what I had previously typed were completely different. AWESOME. However, you may be pleased to know that this now works out to my advantage. :)

Chapter 3
The Outing

"…Justin."

How predictable. Howl thought. It seemed that this world he was in would take some getting used to. Of course if there was another Sophie and Justin, could there be another one of him? Sophie flopped back down on the bed. Howl immediately stood up, but was hesitant to leave.

"…Argh. Why am I even telling you this?" Sophie cried.

"Because I asked you." Howl calmly stated.

Sophie turned her head slightly and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Why does it even matter?" she mumbled.

"Because, I…" Howl caught himself. He was just about to confess his love for her, but realized not a moment to late that she didn't love him back.

"Please go." Sophie squeaked out. She didn't seem to notice that Howl had stopped mid-sentence. At the moment she felt very much like crying.

"Why?" Howl whispered.

"I don't know. I can't think of a good reason, other than I just want you to. You can't stay in here all night Howl. What would my mother think?"

Howl leaned against the doorframe, still facing Sophie. "She'd think nothing of it, probably."

Still, Howl shook his head and left. Sophie sighed and placed her hands over her face. It scared her how quickly she'd fallen for this new guy when she had been going out with Justin for a whole year. Sophie had never felt less like herself than now.

--

The next morning Howl felt as thought he didn't even want to get out of bed. What use was it staying in bed though? It's not as if he could have escaped the one girl who ripped out his heart and then stepped on it repeatedly by staying in her house. The only answer was to get up, make it through breakfast, and then leave. Even though Sophie's answer last night hadn't been a surprise, it still had hurt. He would never admit it; at least not right now or anytime in the near future.

The smell of bacon and eggs was enough to finally force Howl out of bed. He wouldn't turn down a good meal, especially if his beloved was making it for him. Much to his disappointment, it was not Sophie in the kitchen, but her mother.

"I see you're up!" Lydia said with the cheerfulness of a morning person. Howl was the complete opposite. He enjoyed lounging about in the morning, ignoring those minute details that could always wait until later. "Sophie will be right along, so don't you worry."

True to her mother's word, Sophie appeared in the kitchen doorway moments later, pyjamas framing her slight figure, eyes only half open, and hair mussed from sleep. Howl allowed a slight smile appear on his face at the sight of her. It appeared that unlike the Sophie he knew, this Sophie was not at her best in the morning. He found it rather endearing.

"Sophie dear!" exclaimed Lydia, "Why aren't you dressed yet? Did you just wake up?"

Not bothering to pay attention to her mother's babbling, Sophie plopped herself down into a chair and patiently waited for food. She didn't even seem to notice Howl's unwavering gaze upon her.

"Sophie, how did you sleep?" Howl asked sweetly.

From under her silver bangs, Sophie shot Howl a dirty look. He understood at once and quickly let the subject dissipate.

"So," Lydia started as she put full plates of food in front of both Howl and Sophie, "what have you kids got planned for today?"

Sophie continued to glare ahead of her as she pushed her eggs around on her plate. Howl, thinking it rude to ignore a question being the gentleman he was, turned to Lydia and began to speak, "Actually, Lydia…"

Howl's sentence trailed off as he noticed Sophie's mother's scrutinizing stare directed at him. "Are these the only clothes you have, Howl dear?" Lydia asked rather directly.

Howl looked down at his own tight slacks and billowy shirt. "What's wrong with my clothes?" Howl asked, worriedly. This nostalgic sensation was almost unfamiliar to him; he hadn't worried about his appearance in a very long while.

"Aren't they a little old-fashioned? I know I'm not the hippest person around…" Lydia turned to her daughter to ask her opinion, "Sophie! Do kids dress like this now?"

Sophie snorted into her breakfast. "No mom, they don't."

Lydia's eyes sparkled at Sophie's answer. "Then I have the perfect activity for the two of you! Sophie could take you shopping Howl!"

Howl got rather flustered at this suggestion. He had just been about to make his escape from Sophie, and he was pretty sure that she wasn't the least bit interested in spending the day with him. Still…

"How about it Sophie?" Howl asked hopefully. Howl's mind avidly ignored the rejection from the night before; he still couldn't help thinking of her as his Sophie.

Sophie looked at him, an eyebrow raised. "Do you have any money?" she challenged.

"No," he admitted, slightly abashed.

"No worries," Lydia interjected, "I'll just let you borrow some." She was already across the room searching for her wallet. "How much do you want? One hundred? Two hundred?"

"That is very kind, Lydia, but unnecessary. I can not take your money," Howl stated.

"Nonsense," Lydia returned. She handed him a wad of money. "Take it. And I want to see every last penny spent."

"How much is that, mom?" Sophie asked warily.

"Never you mind. Now you go get dressed and help the poor boy shop!"

Sophie rose from the table. She gave her mother a wary glance and then headed to her room. Her mother was known for exuberance, but sometimes she took things a little too far.

--

As Sophie opened her door to exit her room – now fully dressed and presentable to the public – she almost ran straight into Howl, who was blocking half her doorway.

"Do you mind?" Sophie asked, acidicly.

Howl advanced forward, forcing Sophie back into her room. As soon as they were far enough in, Howl closed the door.

"Please…" he breathed.

"Please, what?"

"Let me kiss you." The rejection from the night before was now a distant memory in Howl's mind.

Sophie searched Howl's eyes to see if he was joking. When she was satisfied that he was not, she had to look away. The mixed emotions of pleading and passion that he held in his eyes did not hinder his request.

"Please," he repeated.

Sophie was surprised to find her breathing a little shaky and her answer stuck in her throat. Howl spotted this moment of uncertainty and took advantage of it. His mouth was on hers in an instant. Sophie remained stoic for a moment, but as Howl clutched her body close to his, she couldn't help but respond. Her arms locked themselves around Howl's neck and her lips moved with his. She didn't understand why this man could cause such a passionate and intense feeling inside her when he touched her, but he did.

Howl's lips slowly softened and his grip on Sophie loosened as well. He then pulled his head back and placed a soft kiss on Sophie's forehead. Her eyes were still closed and her arms were still around his neck. As Howl leaned his forehead against hers, he noticed how uneven her breathing was.

"Why?" Sophie asked in a whisper.

Howl opened his mouth to answer, but found that even now, he was unable to tell her the truth. He pressed his lips into a firm line as he realized how frustrated he was. He did not want to be keeping secrets from Sophie; he wouldn't be able to keep them forever.

Sophie opened her eyes to look into his, took a deep breath, then moved away from Howl's arms.

"I apologize," Howl muttered as he exited the room.

Sophie ran a hand through her silver hair and smoothed out her shirt as she prayed that Howl would not be waiting outside of her door. She was in luck. The hallway was empty, but she did hear voices coming from the bottom of the stairs.

"That boy is no good for her you know," Sophie heard her mother say. Was she talking to Howl about Justin? What business of his was it anyway?

It appeared that that was the tail end of the conversation for Sophie heard no more words, only footsteps coming up the stairs.

--

Downtown, Sophie and Howl got more than their fair share of stares from strangers. They weren't the least inconspicuous couple – silver hair mixed with strange clothing was bound to be interesting - but certainly the stare was unnecessary; a glance or two would have sufficed. Sophie grabbed Howl's arm and pulled him into the first men's clothing shop they came across.

"You must find something to wear in here," she hissed at him, "I don't care what it is. Just find something!"

Howl rolled his eyes, but began to diligently browse through the dress shirts. Sophie kept close and eyed the other customers in the store. This is going to be a long day, she thought to herself.

As Howl headed to the back of the store, his arms laden with various articles of clothing, Sophie spotted some familiar people walking by the shop windows. She hoped that they wouldn't see her too because she didn't really feel like explaining this situation to them. Luck was not on her side for this moment, however, and sure enough, when one of them spotted her, the three of them entered the store.

"Sophie!" said the blonde girl, "What the hell are you doing in here?"

The blonde boy that lead the pack came forward and snaked his arm around Sophie's waist. "Nothing, Lettie," Sophie replied, "Just helping a friend. And hello to you too Justin." Sophie smiled as she said the boy's name.

Her smile did not last for long because shortly after these greetings had been exchanged, they all heard Sophie's name called out from the back of the shop. Sophie turned around to see Howl standing there, his arms spread, wearing a turquoise dress shirt and black slacks. Justin's arm tightened slightly around her waist; Howl looked stunning.

"What do you think?" he asked Sophie, a huge grin on his face.

Sophie heard Lettie gasp from behind her and answered, "It looks fine." She thought she saw Howl's smile waver a bit, but she couldn't be sure from the slight distance. As Howl turned to retreat to the dressing room, she too turned to her friends. Lettie was the first one to pounce on her.

"Who is that?" she demanded.

Sophie shrugged and replied nonchalantly, "No one special."

"No one special? Soph, he's gorgeous! Where did you find him?"

"Yes, where did you find him?" Justin asked.

"In the park," Sophie stated calmly.

"Well then let's go!" Lettie responded enthusiastically.

"No need," Sophie said, "You can have him."

"Are you sure? I mean, he was all eyes for you. He didn't even give Justin a second glance!"

A red-headed boy that made up the last member of Sophie's group of friends spoke up finally, "I'm surprised no one has asked this yet, but, why are you with this man?"

Sophie looked at him, surprised. "Because he needed my help," Sophie replied evenly. "It's not like you to be quiet for so long, Cal," she noted.

Cal smiled sheepishly and looked away. "Just got a lot on my mind."

"What's her name?"

"What do you mean, 'What's her name'? Why does there always have to be a girl involved?"

"Because," Lettie answer, "There always is a girl involved."

Cal opened his mouth to retort, but at that moment Howl stepped up to the four of them. "Hello," Howl said as he approached them. He stuck out his hand. "I am Howl… Jenkins."

Sophie eyed him suspiciously as her friends took turns introducing themselves and shaking his hand.

"I have already purchased these items," Howl announced, drawing attention to the receipt in his hand and the clothing on his body. "Are you ready to go?"

Sophie nodded in response. She moved to get out of Justin's grasp, but he held on more tightly to her as he took a step towards Howl.

"Hold on," Justin told Howl, "We need to talk about this."

"Talk about what?" Howl replied, dumbfounded.

"About this situation," Justin clarified indicating Sophie. "Just what exactly are you doing with her?"

"We're shopping," Howl said calmly. This brought a small smile to Sophie's face as Justin became more irritated.

"You know what I mean."

"Sophie's mother has kindly offered a place for me to sleep while I try to… get back on my feet. Sophie, herself, has also kindly offered to help me out with a few things."

"Like what?" Justin growled.

"Like keeping me company, befriending me, you know the usual kind person stuff."

"Honestly Justin," Sophie interjected before Justin blew this way out of proportion, "you don't have to worry. There is nothing to get jealous over. Don't worry."

Justin released his arm from around Sophie waist and conceded to let her go with Howl. "Fine," he muttered. He took a final look at Howl and Sophie noticed a strange emotion that she couldn't quite put her finger of pass between them.

"Let's go Howl. I'll see you guys later."

--

Outside of the store, Sophie sighed. "That did not go how I expected," she said conversationally.

"Did you expect it to be better or worse?" Howl counted, a wry smile playing on his lips.

"Better, actually. I never knew Justin could be so jealous." Sophie looked at him. "What's that smile for?"

"Did you not notice your friend, Lettie?" Howl asked surprised.

"What about her?"

"When she shook my hand, she almost fainted!"

"Well, that's Lettie for you. She kind of overdoes most things." They walked in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. "Speaking of noticing things," Sophie started, "what was that between you and Justin?"

"What was what?" Howl asked.

"That look just as we were about to leave."

"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about." Howl looked away from Sophie as he said this.

Sophie hit his arm lightly. "You totally know what I'm talking about! Tell me! I hate secrets."

"I was just letting him know something."

"Letting him know what? C'mon Howl, tell me!"

"That I'm up for a bit of competition."

"Competition?"

Howl looked down at Sophie's face with a soft smile. "Yes, competition."

"Oh," Sophie replied dumbly; she understood. "Are you happy with your new clothes?" Sophie asked, changing the subject.

"Immensely," Howl replied.

"Your clothing was so strange before, like something out of a fairy tale… Where are you from, Mr. Jenkins?" Sophie mused.

Howl chuckled as he motioned for Sophie to follow him into the next shop. His laughter was merely a cover up for the real crisis playing in his mind. How long would he be able to keep up this charade? When would Sophie find out his real predicament? Would she still accept him once she knew the truth?

"I have a hunch that my time with you, Howl, will be very interesting," Sophie stated. Howl chuckled once more as he noted that she didn't realize how right she was.