In a flying rush right now as I'm going to be late for work very soon. :S I wanted to post this first though - you guys deserve it, just 'cause you're awesome like that. :P

Here we go again...

Escaping Gravity: Chapter Four

"Yah yah yah yah, I'm not listening, I'm not listening!" Peyton was yelling – again.

"Hush Peyton, we're almost there."

"Yah yah yah!"

Mitchie sighed, mentally blocking him out. Right now they were in the elevator, on their way to meet Shane at his work. Peyton was being a complete terror this morning and there was nothing that Mitchie could do to stop him. He had started yelling the instant she had picked him up from preschool. Nothing would calm him down.

"Peyton!" she said when he paused to take a breath. He looked at her. "Peyton, it's really important that you be a good boy when we get there."

"Yah yah yah."

The elevator stopped at the 10th floor and Mitchie pushed Peyton's stroller out. Standing waiting to get into the elevator was the same girl that Mitchie had seen in the park the day before. The girl looked at Mitchie curiously.

"Hey," Mitchie said in a friendly tone.

"Hi," the girl replied shortly and then got into the elevator without a second glance. Mitchie turned around as the doors closed and she got another glimpse of the girl's face. Big dark eyes, creamy porcelain skin and long hair. She was pretty no doubt about it. Although, Mitchie thought, her sense of style could use some work.

The door shut with a bang then and Peyton began his rant again. "Yah yah."

"Peyton, do you want some juice?" Mitchie tried to quiet him. She couldn't really take him into Shane's office screaming like that. The boy frowned at her and smacked the juice box out of her hand. "No!"

Mitchie sighed, now she had juice all over her. She picked the juice box up and wheeled Peyton into the first set of doors on the right. The receptionist looked up as soon as she came in, "May I help you?"

"Yes," Mitchie shouted over the top of Peyton's yelling. "I'm here to see Shane."

The receptionist smiled and shouted back, "Right, you must be Mitchie. Just head down the hall, last door on the left. He's expecting you."

"Thanks." Mitchie walked down the hall and knocked on the frosted glass door.

"Enter," a voice came from within. Mitchie giggled and opened the door. Seated inside was Shane at his desk.

"Sorry!" she called, gesturing to Peyton. "I don't know what his problem is!"

Shane got up quickly and came around to the stroller, kneeling in front of it. "Hey buddy."

Peyton stopped his yelling and looked at Shane. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing."

"Well what's all the fuss about?"

"I want to go home."

Shane smiled at the little boy, "How about we go somewhere even more fun than home?"

"Where's that?"

"Let's go out for lunch," Shane unstrapped Peyton and he got out of the stroller.

"Okay. I like you." Peyton smiled up at Shane.

"Good, I like you too buddy."

Mitchie watched this little exchange in amazement. Peyton never responded to anyone as well as he was to Shane right now. Once he started getting into tantrum mode, there was normally no stopping him. But Shane, well he had managed to do what Mitchie thought was impossible!

"Thanks," she whispered when Shane stood up again.

"No problem." He winked at her and reached for Peyton's hand. "Let's go bud." They left the stroller in the office and Shane locked the door behind him. As they were walking down the hall a bundle of curly hair flew out of one of the other offices.

"Mitchie!"

She looked up surprised. "Cait!" The two girls hugged each other excitedly. "I haven't seen you in ages."

Shane put his hand lightly on Mitchie's shoulder. She stiffened, and he pulled back. She turned to look at him. "I'm just going to get Peyton a lollipop okay?"

"Sure," she smiled at him and then turned back to Caitlyn. "How are things going with you?"

"Great thanks. How's Elle?"

"Really good," Mitchie smiled. "You should come over and see her sometime."

"I will!" Caitlyn looked down the hall and Shane's receding back. "Now tell me how you met Shane."

Mitchie blushed slightly. "Well, he just kind of bumped into me in the street and then he asked me to have dinner with him. Then when he dropped me home I left my cardigan in his car so I've just come to pick it up."

"Just come to pick it up?"

Mitchie blushed again. "Well maybe we're going out for lunch too."

"Oooh," Caitlyn said, nudging Mitchie.

The other girl frowned slightly. "It's not like that Cait. He's just being friendly."

Caitlyn grinned. "Well maybe, but I know for a fact that he's super busy at the moment and he wouldn't take time out to have lunch if he didn't think it was important."

"Really?"

Caitlyn nodded. "He's a really great guy Mitch. I think you'll like him a lot."

Mitchie smiled shyly, "I think I do already."

"Aww," Caitlyn hugged her again. "I have to get back to work now, but hopefully we can catch up soon!"

"Yes definitely." Mitchie hugged her back and waved as she went to find the boys. She found them sitting on the floor in the reception area looking at a book. She smiled at the sight. A week ago she never would have thought that Shane Grey would sit on the floor and play with a child like he was doing now.

"You ready to go?"

Shane looked up with a smile, "Yes, Peyton and I were just reading 'Green Eggs & Ham'." He stood up, "Can you believe he hadn't heard it before?"

Mitchie took Peyton's hand and they walked towards the elevator together. "Yes, I can. He's only 4, and he can already read in French, but he seems to have missed out on some classic childhood things."

"You can read?" Shane looked down at Peyton.

"Yes!" the little boy said excitedly. "I can read Martine à la mer."

"Wow, I don't think I could read that. You're pretty clever."

Peyton nodded wisely. "I know."

By now they were out in the street and as they strolled along, Mitchie remembered something. "Shane, do you know a girl with long dark hair? She was just getting into the elevator when Peyton and I got out before. I think she came out of Grey & Grey."

Shane nodded, "About your height? And pretty, wearing very short shorts?"

"That's the one!"

"That's Riley," Shane looked at her. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering. She looked familiar, but I can't think where I would have seen her before."

"Riley is our newest project. She's a bit of a trouble maker, but I think she's had a bit of an unhappy life, so I'm trying really hard to get her signed to a label."

"She's a singer?"

"Yes, you should hear her Mitchie. Her voice –" Shane paused, trying to think of the right word, "You really can't describe it – it's ethereal, almost other worldly. It totally doesn't match her image."

"I'd like to hear her sometime."

They came up to a café then and Shane opened the door. "Here we go. What do you want to eat little man?" He crouched down in front of Peyton.

"Chocolate!"

Shane looked up at Mitchie questioningly. She nodded. Peyton wasn't meant to eat chocolate. He also wasn't meant to eat anything processed or not organic or that any sort of additives in it. He and Mitchie had an agreement though that he could eat what he wanted when he was with her as long as he didn't tell mommy. "How about you have a hamburger and then you can have chocolate. How's that sound?" Shane suggested.

"Good!" Peyton ran off to find somewhere to sit and was back in a couple of minutes. "Can we eat outside? There's birds out there!"

"Sure," Mitchie laughed at his excitement. She and Shane quickly ordered their food and then went to sit out in the courtyard in the sunshine.

When Peyton was happily eating his hamburger (on a wheat-free roll with non-processed meat) Mitchie turned back to Shane. "So you're having trouble getting Riley signed to a label?"

"Yes," Shane sighed. "As you saw, she was in seeing me again today. I just can't seem to get through to her." Shane's voice was frustrated, "I don't know what to do. I want her to get signed as bad as she wants it, but I can't help her if she won't try."

Mitchie nodded sympathetically. "I wish I could help. I was a bit of a sullen teenager myself once, and I know that the way that I coped with the pain that I was going through was by just blocking everyone out. I didn't want to let anyone in, just in case they hurt me." She looked down and blushed slightly. She didn't know why she was being so bold with Shane after she had only known him for a week.

Shane looked at her thoughtfully. "Maybe there is something that you could do to help. You sound like you might be the sort of person that could get through to her."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Well, next Friday night we're having a showcase. It's just where some of our potential singers perform and some producers and representatives from record labels come and hear them. It's not really a big deal. Riley's going to sing. She's not the main focus, but I thought it would be good for them to hear her again. You could come if you wanted and I could introduce you."

"I'd love to," Mitchie smiled at him.

"Are you sure you don't mind? I can send a car to get you."

"You make it sound like I'm doing a favour, but really you know I owe you one."

"How so?" Shane raised his eyebrows.

"Well, you did save me from being drowned in a torrential downpour last week."

Shane laughed, "True. But you already paid me back by agreeing to go out to dinner with me."

"Was that you doing me a favour or me doing you one?" Mitchie laughed.

Shane laughed along with her. She was really starting to open up. "Speaking of dinner though, how about I send the car to get you a bit early on Friday and we can go out first."

Mitchie nodded, "Yes. I'd like that."

Shane smiled. "Good. It's a date."

Mitchie smiled back, albeit a little nervously. She hadn't really been on a proper date since, well since before Elle. Last week's dinner was kind of off the cuff and today's lunch was just that, lunch, but Friday would be a real date. She wondered briefly if this meant that Shane really did like her, like Caitlyn had said.

Shane noticed her nervousness and wondered why briefly. She was so lovely that he thought she had probably been on lots of dates before. Although, he remembered, She does have a small baby so she probably hasn't been out in a while. He smiled at her reassuringly and then turned to Peyton. "How are you doing? That brownie good?"

"Yes!" Peyton looked up at him, his mouth covered in chocolate brownie. "But I'm done now. Can we go soon?"

Shane looked at his watch. "Yes, actually I should be heading back to work shortly. I need to go through some things with Nate before the show on Friday."

"Okay," Mitchie wiped Peyton's face down with a wet wipe that she pulled out of her bag.

"Very resourceful," Shane commented, nodding towards the bag.

Mitchie laughed. "You never know what you'll need when you're a nanny!"

"And a mom," Shane's voice was soft.

Mitchie looked up quickly at him. Then she looked back down so that her hair hid her face. "Yes, and a mom," she said quietly. She looked back at him after a minute, "Anyway, let's go."

Shane nodded and stood up and held his arms out to Peyton. "How'd you like a ride big guy?" Peyton giggled excitedly and clambered onto Shane's back.

"Look at me Mitchie! I'm flying!" he cried as Shane took off down the street, spinning in circles and narrowly missing hitting an elderly lady walking along.

"Look out young man," she wagged her finger at Shane.

Mitchie laughed and ran to catch up with them. "Yes watch out young man," she teased, imitating the lady.

Shane laughed loudly, "Sorry, just got a bit carried away there."

"I saw," Mitchie smiled. They were almost back at Shane's work. "We'll just come up quickly and grab the stroller."

"Okay," Shane replied as they got into the elevator.

"Thanks for lunch Shane."

Shane smiled at Mitchie. "No problem, it was my pleasure. And thanks for offering to help with Riley."

"I don't mind really," Mitchie didn't mind in the least. Riley sounded just a little like her, and she thought that maybe that there was something that she could do to get through to her. She hoped there was, because she knew for a fact that living in a state where you perpetually hate the world around you, did not make life happy for you or for anyone else.

The elevator opened and Peyton ran down the hall. "Look Mr. Shane! I remembered which was your office!"

Shane smiled at him, "Good job buddy." He unlocked the door and Peyton got in the stroller. Shane looked around the room. "Just a minute Mitchie. I'll go and get your cardigan. I think I left it in Caitlyn's office." He went out of the room and Mitchie strapped Peyton into his stroller. In a minute he was back, the cardigan folded neatly. "Here you go."

"Thanks," Mitchie smiled at him and put the cardigan in the tray of the stroller. "Let's go Peyton." She looked at the small boy, "What do you say?"

"Thank you Mr. Shane," Peyton grinned up at him.

"No worries," Shane ruffled his hair and grinned back. "We'll have to do this again sometime."

"Yes!" Peyton yelled excitedly.

"Hush," Mitchie tried to scold him, but she was laughing so it didn't really work. She smiled at Shane apologetically. "Sorry, we'll go before he yells the place down."

"Don't worry about it, I like kids." Shane smiled at Mitchie. "Thanks for coming out with me."

"No, thank you." Mitchie smiled back. "See you Friday?"

"Yes, right. Text me your address and I'll have the car there at 6. The showcase is at 7.30."

"Sure, see you then."

"Bye Mitchie." They smiled at each other one more time and then Mitchie was gone. Shane sat down and put his feet up on the desk, smiling to himself.

"You're looking mighty pleased with yourself," Caitlyn's voice came from the doorway. She smirked at him. "I take it lunch went well."

Shane smiled back; he was in too good a mood to even care if she teased him. "Yes thank you, it did."

"And did you ask her out on a proper date?"

Shane screwed up a piece of paper and threw it at her. She ducked, laughing. "Not that it's any of your business, but yes I did."

She laughed again. "Good, Mitchie's a nice girl. I think you'll like her a lot."

Shane nodded thoughtfully, "I already do."

Caitlyn grinned, "I think she likes you too."

Shane smiled, "I hope so."

* * *

When Mitchie got down to the street she realised that in the few short minutes she had been inside a cold wind had come up. "Come on Peyton honey, put your coat on." She held it out to him to put on before reaching under the stroller and picking up her cardigan from the tray. As she unfolded it a small card fell out. She frowned slightly, what could it be?

She picked up the card from the ground. She could see that it was a Grey & Grey business card, but when she turned it over she could see there was a man's scrawl on the back of it.

Thanks for lunch Mitchie. Can't wait to see you Friday.

Yours,

Shane

Mitchie smiled. She couldn't wait to see him again either.

Fluff. Yes, I know. Forgive me?

There will be more substance in the next chapter!

Love you forever,

-Nikki