Wow I got 400 reviews on my story Sweet Stranger. That is a first for me and I'm super, super excited. And just a little bit weirded out too.

Part of me wants to hide under a rock now that everyone's expectations are running high.

By the way before I forget, Happy Holidays everyone.

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Leo drank his soda while covertly watching Chris from his place by the window across the room. Oddly enough, despite how things had appeared in the beginning when he had brought her to April's for the house warming party, things actually seemed to be going better than expected.

Chris appeared to be a normally quiet and shy person.

And as such tended to only reply to questions that she felt weren't too invasive. So far he had gleaned that her favorite color was violet, she was a ghost writer and had just recently finished up helping with a book that was going to be published sometime within the next six months or so.

Her work salary was staggeringly impressive to say the least. Especially since she usually worked on multiple projects all at once.

On top of that, she was artsy. Like crazy artsy.

Writing aside she also managed several art galleries, floral shops, and owned her own chain of small business jewelry stores. She also admitted to having an online store or two where she sold her own artsy creations. Things like perfumes, scented lotions, candles, soaps, hand made aprons, did some flower arranging, and made her own beaded and fine jewelry. Just to name a few.

Mikey had jokingly asked if she knitted too only to have her go almost ashen for a moment as she stared at him in horror and slowly shook her head no.

She also admitted to being an bit of an insomniac and mentioned that she usually went for days and days on end without rest before she finally crashed.

Which was good to know, Leo supposed, especially if one day he stepped out of his apartment and found her lying somewhere in the hallway or at the bottom of the stairs unconscious. At least he would know whether or not to be worried.

But then knowing him- he would probably worry anyways.

"Well you haven't even touched any of the food," April finally said as she pushed her way through Leo's brothers. All of whom got a glare from the red headed woman for crowding the poor young woman. "Are you hungry?" April asked curiously as she looked over at her husband and then glanced towards Leo who subtly nodded his head at her to encourage her to go on since Chris had been cornered by his curious brother's from the very second she had entered the apartment.

"A little bit." Chris said with a small frown as April smiled at her and promptly shoved the guys away from her so that she could get up out of her seat and go get something. Leaving April standing over the three brothers menacingly cracking her knuckles as she stared the trio down and mouthed, Back. Off. Down.

Causing the brothers to shift and exchange an uneasy look as Leo moved away from his spot over by the window to go get another soda since his can had suddenly become empty.

Taking up a temporary place a few feet away from Chris, he watched her as she fixed herself a hamburger with all the trimmings and noted that she seemed to be a bit obsessive compulsive from the way she fixed her food. She was careful to place everything on the burger in a specific order before grabbing some chips, dip and a can of soda before she seemed to notice him.

"What?" She asked in a somewhat defensive manner that had Leo cocking his head.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Leo asked, choosing to ignore the pointed stare she was now giving him.

"Yeah. This is more fun than I've had in a while." She said as she held her soda out to him and said, "Open this please. I-I kind of cant with my hands more or less full."

Leo took the soda without putting his own down and easily popped the tab on it and then handed it back. Chris seemed to hesitate for a moment before reaching out and awkwardly taking it from him with a muttered word of thanks before she started to turn and then suddenly stopped for a second, her whole body tensing up a little bit as she looked at his brothers before she seemed to shake herself from her stupor and then walked over to where he had been a few minutes prior and sat down on the floor, abandoning her somewhat more than crowded seat on the couch.

Frowning for a second at her actions, he started to make his way over when April intercepted him and grasped his arm for a moment to gain his attention as she whispered, "She isn't trying to be rude Leo. She simply doesn't handle others well."

Sensing that there was more that his friend wanted to say about Chris's behavior, but seemed to think better of it with ninja's like his brother's around to eavesdrop on the conversation. He nodded his head subtly in understanding, April let him go so that he could move back to his prior spot- minus the small space that Chris was occupying- and drank his soda as he covertly watched her eat. While taking note of the peculiar way that she was watching everyone else interact now that she seemed to have a moment's peace.

Casey looked over at them from where he stood speaking with Don for a moment and smiled in an encouraging manner that Leo at first thought was for him, but after a few minutes or so realized that it was for Chris.

Probably to encourage her to come out of her shell a little bit. Finally Casey managed to wrap up his conversation with Don and excused himself from any other conversations- he made his way over to where Chris was sitting and dropped down in front of her and reached out and absently brushed her long dark hair back from her pretty face causing her to stiffen a little bit, her slender shoulder's tensing almost as if she expected something else aside from the soft touch the man gave.

"Hey kiddo, you look like your about petered out. When was the last time you slept, hn?"

"Four days, thirteen hours." Chris replied as she popped a chip in her mouth and chewed slowly. Casey made a humming sound and got a thoughtful look on his face before asking,

"Still having trouble sleeping alone?"

Leo tilted his head to the side a little bit as he listened to his friend speak with Chris. The conversation hinting that the two had known each other for a while. Possibly years.

It was interesting to say the least.

"A bit, but I manage."

"After the party winds down and your ready to go to your place, want me to come with? I'm sure April won't mind me disappearing for a few hours. If you haven't hooked up your TV or anything then I can do that and we could watch a movie and you could doze. I remember which ones to watch to put you out."

"Okay? Aliens and Jaws."

"Aliens and Jaws." Casey said with a grin before he got back up and went to speak with April.