My, oh my, has it been awhile since I've updated this story. I do apologize for the time it's taken me—I am now in college (rah, rah, Redlands!), so I can't promise anymore speedy updates (as if I've been precisely forthcoming with them), but I can promise that I will do my best.

Please give me feedback, because I can guarantee that will at the very least HELP me update sooner.

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Batter Up—Chapter 10.

Natalie!

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I stared across at my companion and wondered what I could say to make him blush—then I quickly erased the thought from my head. This was certainly not a path that I needed to be going down at this time, on this night, in this place—with all this romance running around and love in the air. Nu-uh. This is absolutely not what I need to be thinking of.

But, though my mind tells me not to, I ponder the question for a moment longer, as a small smile crosses my face as the possibilities flood through my head. There are so many possibilities, all equally shocking—but while I don't have the self-control at this moment to stop these thoughts circling my mind, I thankfully have the self-control to stop myself from saying them.

He smiles at me. "What?"

I shrug and look downward—a product of shame, I'm sure, but I don't really give a damn. "Nothing."

He eyes me suspiciously "That's what they all say."

"Uh-huh—and, fancy that, that's what I'm saying."

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"Dr. Corday, you are in rare form this evening."

She smiled and picked up her wine glass "Funny, I thought I was always in rare form." She eyed him from over her wine glass.

He smiled and his eyes turned serious "That is most certainly true. You, Dr. Corday, are in rare form all the time."

She looked down into her wine glass—knowing he meant it as a compliment—knowing he thought she was beautiful. "If that, Dr. Romano, was supposed to be a compliment, then, I thank you."

"Ah—who said it was a compliment?"

"Not I. Notice the conditional: If."

"True—precautionary measure, I'm sure. But, you were right."

"Was I?" she smiled faintly.

"Of course. I'm sure it's no secret that you are extremely beautiful, and I know it's no secret that I find you extremely attractive."

Under normal circumstances, she would have said something witty to his admission—to lighten the moment. But, these were not normal circumstances—these were anything but. She turned serious, and looked him in the eye: "Thank you." She said—and she meant it. It had been awhile since anyone had made her feel truly and utterly beautiful—and as much as she hated to admit it, she loved it.

"So..." Romano led off, breaking the intolerable tension that had mounted between them as a result of his last comment. "Tell me something no one else knows about you..."

She hesitated—she couldn't think of anything. Not for lack of items, mind you—but nothing was coming to her mind—it was blank. "To be quite honest, I can't think of anything worth knowing." She chuckled, and so did he.

"Well, fine, tell me some of your hobbies." He stated affirmatively.

"Hm, let me see---well, I like reading...um, I actually rather enjoy cooking, and I have a passion for Easy mac."

"Wow, I never would have pictured you as the easy mac type."

"No?"

"Nope."

"Well, you learn something new everyday" she stated as she ran her finger along the rim of her wine glass.

"Yes, I suppose you do." He smiled at her. "Is that all? Easy mac?"

She laughed "And," she said as she lowered her voice "I'm a closet writer."

"Ah, a closet writer... I could have guessed that about you."

"Oh, really?"

"Yep."

"And how is that?"

"Because you love Shakespeare." He said as he met her gaze.

"Huh. How'd you know that?"

"Lucky guess?" he tried.

"haha, funny. But, seriously..." she was curious.

"Truthfully—I saw his collected works in your office one day. No one has the entire collected works of Shakespeare if they don't love him, and no one loves Shakespeare enough to have his collected works unless they like writing on some level, however small that may be."

She laughed at that. "Ah, that's very.... Analytical."

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"They seem so comfortable with one another." I stated matter-of-factly as we watched them from our table.

He looked at me "Yep, that's because they're in love."

I shot him a look "Really? You think so?" I asked in my best sarcastic voice. "Who's ball game is this?" I questioned.

He smiled "Yours."

"Damn Straight—and don't you forget it. Of course they're in love, and of course that's why they seem so comfortable with one another—I was just saying."

"I know. So was I." he laughed a little and dropped his head down to stare at the table cloth.

I know him well enough to know when he's holding something back, or so I'd like to think. So, I ask: "What is it?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah. Uh-huh." I say, rolling my eyes. "You might as well just tell me."

"Well, don't you... I don't know, don't you think that... ah, never mind, it's stupid."

"Probably. But, I want to hear it anyway."

"Well, I was just going to comment on the fact that... we're...comfortable with one another, too."

Oh Holy Mother of God. He was seriously suggesting what I thought he was suggesting. Oh no no no no no no no no. He could not be suggesting this... not this, not now, not tonight... hell, not ever. That's just not good. Not for him, not for me, not for us...together, apart, either way—this road was not good. This road was never good for either of us. Damnit.

But still, somewhere inside of me, I was quite glad that he had said that—but I shouldn't be. I shouldn't be feeling this in my stomach; I shouldn't think of him and get dizzy... I really really shouldn't.

"Yes, I suppose we are." I said.

He looked me in the eye and I felt my knees go weak even though I was sitting down. This is what this man does to me. "Yeah." He said.

And that's all it took... I knew he was right. But there was nothing I could do about it. I can't go down this road again, I just can't. I'm not ready. Not tonight. I'm just not ready.

And the strange thing is, he sensed that. And he let it go.

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"Yeah, it's pretty analytical. But, then, I think about you a lot." Realizing what he had just said, and not having meant to have said it, he quickly changed the subject back to Shakespeare "So, you do love him then?"

"Of course I do." She smiled "Wonderful writer—strange human being—but, wonderful writer."

"Yes, I agree."

"So then you love him, too?"

"Not a kind of 'have his entire works' love, but I tend to like him in many aspects. And, may I just say, I die for you Elizabeth Corday."

She smiled and blushed at this—she didn't know if he knew what he had said in Shakespearean terms, until she noticed the strange look in his eyes and the beginnings of a smirk on his face. He knew exactly what he had said.

"Uh huh. You do, do you?" He never failed to amuse her.

He cleared his throat and lowered his eyes along with his voice, before he met her gaze again, and he said: "More than you know."

She laughed slightly; he hadn't caught her off guard that time. "Well, you know" she said, as she too, lowered her voice, "Perhaps I die for you, too."

He was speechless as he sat there staring at her. He cleared his throat, and Elizabeth sat back in her chair, smirking with content.

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End Chapter 10—more to come soon (I hope). Oh yeah, more to come ONLY if y'all review... : )

Hasta Luego!

Oh yeah, I put the little Shakespeare bit in there because I'm taking a Shakespeare class (which I LOVE by the way). The things we learn.

R-E-V-I-E-W

Natalie