AN: Hi guys. I swear it wasn't my intention to leave you guys hanging so damn long. I have a lot of the next ten chapters already written, so hopefully (fingers crossed), I can get them out much faster. Thanks so much for your patience. I love seeing the favs/alerts. Anything recognizable is not mine.

Jen

Chapter 11

"What the hell do you mean she was mugged?" Eliot growled.

"Parker…Parker! Give me the….it's not as horrible as it sounds Eliot!" he heard her calling out from the other end of the line. "I'm fine…I just…"

"He stole her purse and cell phone," Parker added. "She has…"

Her stolen phone explained why he couldn't get a hold of her earlier. "Were there any witnesses?"

"Nope. Her driver was late picking her up. She…"

"Just stop Parker," he heard Ally telling the thief. "You're blowing this out of proportion. Tell him I'm alright."

"She has scrapes on her hands and one of her knees where he pushed her to the ground. She says it's not bad, but…"

Eliot heard a struggle before Ally's Irish lilt filled his ears. "Eliot…I assure you I am perfectly fine. Parker is drastically exaggerating the whole incident."

He'd have to ask her later how she managed to get the phone away from the thief.

"Were you mugged?"

She sighed. "Yes."

"Were you injured when he pushed you down?"

"Well yes, but…"

"Then she's not exaggerating. Where are you?"

"At the pub having a drink with Parker; I've already given a statement to the guards, and I've called to have my credit cards replaced. All that's left is to get new identification and a cell phone."

"I can take you."

"You don't have to do that Eliot."

"It's not a problem; I was already on my way there anyway. I'll see ya soon," he assured her, before hanging up his cell and turning his car around to head in the opposite direction.

When he arrived moments later and saw her bandaged hands and knees, he had to stop himself from checking her over for other injuries. Ally didn't seem too traumatized by the incident though, and Eliot didn't know if that worried him or made him respect her more.

"You need to learn to defend yourself," he stated simply.

She cocked her head to the side, "How would I do that? I'm at a bit of a disadvantage."

"I've already told you that bein' blind wasn't an excuse for learnin' new things."

"Alright, where would you suggest? Are there specific places I would have to go?"

The idea of someone else teaching her bothered him.

"I can teach you."

Her eyes widened. "Really? That would be…I mean, I would feel more comfortable since I ….wait, do you have the time? I don't want to take your personal time away from you."

"You should know by now that I don't offer unless I mean it. You mentioned that you still needed to get an id and a new phone?"

"Yes…I just don't look forward to the wait or the…crowd at the department of motor vehicles." The distress on her face was clear as day.

Surprisingly, Parker picked up on it. "Alec can renew it for you online if you want. It'll just be sent to your house."

"That would be amazing Parker. Thank you," she sighed, smiling warmly at the thief.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Eliot watched as Ally approached him from where he leaned against one of the walls of the cell phone store. When she was close enough, he reached out to touch her arm and let her know where he was. "All set?"

"Yes. Brian was kind enough to setup the voice commands for me. Thank you again for bringing me."

"Not a problem. Did he ask for your number?"

Her face expressed confusion. "Well…yes. He needed it to setup the new phone."

"No, I meant personally."

"Why would he do that?"

Eliot smirked. "I would have thought by the way he was flirtin' with you, it would have been obvious."

She chuckled. "Don't be ridiculous. He was just being nice. There's no chance that he would…and I'm with Josh."

"Guys won't know that until you tell 'em. And why wouldn't he ask you?"

"Well, because I'm…" she seemed at a loss for words.

"Because you're blind?" he finished, opening his car door.

"There's that, but no, I meant because…well…I'm not…never mind," she finished softly.

Eliot started the car. "If someone ever made you feel different, they're idiots, because I can assure you, there's nothin' wrong with you darlin'." The term of affection rolled off his tongue unnoticed to him, but not to the red head whose cheeks flushed. "Do you like salmon? I found a new recipe you might like." It was obvious that he had missed her reaction.

"Yes, that sounds…great," she managed to reply.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Ally's new apartment was on the twenty second floor of a new building not four blocks from her father's place. It came with a desk clerk and a security guard, which made her father feel marginally better about his little girl living on her own.

Jim greeted Ally as they entered the lobby, and she sent a smile and greeting in return in his direction before feeling for the keycard reader at the elevator and swiping her security card.

"Did you read that book I recommended?" the hitter asked, as the elevator began moving.

"Yes. I'll admit though, I wouldn't have thought that it was the type of book you'd like," she smiled.

"Why? Because it's Science Fiction and I beat people up for a livin'?" he smirked.

Her soft laughter spoke of her amusement. "I enjoyed it very much. It definitely pushes the reader to shake off their preconceptions and force them to think outside of the box."

Eliot nodded. "I enjoyed how it showed a satirical side to Western cultures' views on religion and sex."

"I liked the idea of him being raised by Martians. It put a different spin on the being raised by wolves trope. Did you read that book of poetry I lent you?"

"Yeah. She was big on sexual betrayal; it seemed to be a constant theme."

"Well she suffered from depression after divorcing her husband and having to raise her daughter in poverty. It was her way of voicing not being able to find a way to a better life for them," she explained as she unlocked her front door.

Whereas her father's place had been decorated in masculine themes, hardly showing any sign that a young woman had lived there, Ally's place was completely the opposite.

The long hallway turned to the left, before opening up into a large, open area that encompassed a dining room, a spacious living room with a fireplace and vaulted ceiling…and a large, island kitchen with white cabinets and honeyed granite countertops that made Eliot jealous.

Light wood covered the floors, pairing well with the pale green paint that adorned the walls. Friendly, inviting, and cheerful…..just like Ally.

She didn't have much in the way of wall decorations for obvious reasons, but what she did have stood out; mainly because their purpose was to engage the owner in texture instead of visual pleasure. A large piece on the living room wall that depicted a mermaid staring longingly at land, made from a spackling technique using plaster to give it a 3d effect, a sculpture on a small table against one wall of an otter, unsurprisingly, and a teal, chocolate and gold afghan on the large, cream, sectional couch that looked to be handmade. The plants around the apartment were a nice touch, giving a living feel to the place, and filling the space with gentle floral scents.

Having found most of the ingredients needed and arranged them on the island, Eliot was unpacking the salmon and the creole seasoning when Ally came out of the back hallway in turquoise lounge pants, a pair of comfortable looking flats, and an oversized t-shirt depicting the little robot from that Disney movie she loved. He just shook his head with a smile.

"Would you like a beer?" she asked, making her way to the fridge.

"Sounds good, where's your olive oil?"

"It's in the cabinet above and to the right of the stove."

She set the beer on the counter next to Eliot's work space, along with the orange marmalade needed for the recipe, and when Eliot picked up the mug moments later, he was pleasantly surprised to not only find it chilled, but that it was his favorite beer. His gaze drifted to her as she poured herself some wine.

"Since you're making the main dish, how about I make the side dishes," she offered. "I was thinking Basmati rice with some bacon wrapped asparagus. What do you think?" When he didn't answer, she set her wine down. "Eliot? Are you alright?"

Her worried tone pulled him from his thoughts. "Yeah, I'm fine. That sounds good."

The distraction in his voice made her eyebrows bunch in concern, but she trusted his answer as she headed to the pantry.

The hitter wasn't so sure of the answer himself though.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

After they had finished their dinner, which Ally declared a keeper, they decided to watch a movie. They were discussing what to watch, when Eliot's attention turned toward the hallway as the lock was engaged. Moments later it opened, and Josh walked in, followed by Kieran.

Josh's expression immediately soured upon seeing Eliot, but he masked it quickly with a smile as he turned his attention to Ally. "There's my girl," he greeted, walking up to her and kissing her on the cheek. "You look better than I expected. When you said you were mugged, I thought you'd be more shaken up or injured. It couldn't have been too bad then."

A flicker of hurt crossed her face before she smiled. "Luckily I just have scraped knees," she told him as he stepped away to let Kieran wrap her in a hug.

"I'm happy you weren't injured more seriously firefly. You sure you're okay?"

Ally nodded.

"I'll take you tomorrow during lunch to get your cards and phone replaced," Josh told her as he took off his suit jacket.

"That's sweet of you, but Eliot already helped me with that earlier."

The blonde's eyes jerked to the hitter in accusation. Eliot wasn't fazed in the least. "You know I would have taken the rest of the day off if I could have Ally, but I was in the middle of a very important client meeting with Kieran."

Her brows furrowed. "I wasn't blaming you for anything. Eliot found out because Parker called him."

"And you happened to have the day off."

"That's right," Eliot answered.

"For a 'private investigator' you sure do have a lot of time on your hands."

"Sometimes," Eliot admitted.

"Well I for one am grateful he was available," Ally interjected. "Are the two of you hungry? I'm sure I can put something together quickly."

"We actually came by to take you out to dinner to make up for not being there for you earlier," Kieran answered with a smile.

A contrite expression crossed her face. "Oh, Eliot and I already had dinner."

"Of course you did," Josh muttered.

Kieran tried to lighten the mood. "You still have the number to that wing place I like? I can order Josh and I some wings. Were you getting ready to watch a movie?" he asked, moving toward the kitchen.

"We were still deciding on what to watch. Are you two in the mood for anything specific?"

"Anything but those animated movies you like so much," Josh interjected, taking her hand and leading her to the couch. "Maybe something more for adults," he suggested, pulling her down to sit next to him.

"How about a comedy?" Kieran suggested. "I haven't seen The Other Guys yet."

"I think that's on Netflix," Ally answered, reaching for the remote, only to have Josh beat her to it.

Kieran came back in the living room, taking off his blazer to sit on the other couch. "Quick question firefly…was there a camera in the parking garage by chance? Maybe it caught the guys' face."

"No unfortunately."

"Next time it might be more prudent to wait inside the building until your driver actually arrives," Josh admonished, kissing her on the temple. "That way you don't make yourself such an easy target."

It took every bit of restraint the hitter possessed not to break the blonde's jaw.

"I was actually considering learning self-defense."

Josh's eyes widened comically as he looked sideways at her. "That's going to be a bit impossible considering you're blind. You do have limitations Ally."

Eliot's eyes hardened and he was about to say something, but Ally beat him to it.

"My only limitations are the ones I put upon myself," she told him, pulling away from him a bit.

Josh's smile dripped condescension. "I meant no insult. There are just going to be some things you can't do."

"Eliot said he could teach me," she defended.

"He did, did he?" His eyes met the hitter's.

Any further discussion on the subject was halted as the movie started. But Eliot had a feeling Ally wasn't finished hearing about it from Josh.

...

(One Week Later)

"Okay, the first thing I want to work on is your awareness of your surroundings using only your hearing."

"At least you don't have to blindfold me," Ally snickered.

"You need to take this serious," the hitter admonished, a smirk still forming.

She sighed. "I am taking this seriously. I'm here aren't I? I think that you are possibly taking this too serious though."

"You were attacked," he deadpanned.

"A mugger grabbed my purse and shoved me to the ground. It's not nearly as bad as you're making it out to be," she defended. "And Parker already gave me a mini taser to carry."

"Which has limited efficacy at best," he retorted. "Humor me."

"Alright then," she answered with a smile, easing the tension building inside him.

For the tenth time, he walked up behind her and to her left silently, while the overhead TV played in the gym, giving off environmental noise to try and make the scenario more realistic. He was two steps away when she turned to face him, her blank gaze only slightly off to his right by a foot.

"Very good," he praised. "We'll keep working on this until it's muscle memory for you to always be aware of the people around you even while you're goin' about your day. Now I'm gonna show you a few basic moves to get out of a bear hug from behind and if someone grabs your wrist. It will injure them temporarily, giving you a moment to use the Taser and activate this," he explained, placing a small object in her hand.

"What is this?" she asked, feeling it, and discovering a button on it.

"Don't push that unless you need to. It will sound an alarm and alert the police of your location as well as an emergency contact. I used my number, but you can change that if you want. It's best to clip it to your bra or the waistband of your pants. So once you've escaped their hold, you taser them, and then you push that."

"Eliot, don't you think you're overreacting?"

The feeling of his heart dropping into his stomach when Parker had called him with the news of her mugging flashed through his head again.

"No," he replied simply.

And so their training continued.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

A little before five, Ally got a call from Josh. They had been training for three hours, so while she spoke on the phone, he began gathering their things, deciding it was as good as a time as any to call it for the day.

"I said no Josh."

Ally's raised voice drew his attention back to her.

"I've already told you that I'm not going to change my mind about the company. Daddy and Kieran have both accepted it, you need to as well. I've already trained my replacement."

Eliot smiled.

After a few more moments of her listening to him talk, she finally sighed in exasperation. "I don't appreciate you trying to make me feel guilty about this. Now I'm willing to speak to you more about this at dinner tonight. Eliot and I should be finished soon."

Well then…it seemed therapy was helping her to speak up for herself at least.

"I told you that Eliot was going to teach me self-defense. Thank you, but I feel more comfortable with Eliot, since he's a friend."

"Alright, I'll talk to you…"

The hitter guessed quickly that Josh had hung up on her, when she pulled the phone away from her ear in the middle of her sentence.

"Is everything okay?"

She turned toward him wearing a very fake smile. "No need to worry, everything's fine," she tried to assure him.

"Don't do that."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Lie to me. I know when you're doin' it. Like you told me, if you don't wanna talk about it that's fine, but you don't have to lie to me."

She sighed, "You're right, I apologize," she conceded as the mask fell away. "He's just….having a difficult time adjusting to…how I am now."

"You mean bein' yourself?"

She smiled sadly. "Yes."

"He'll either deal with it or he won't. If he can't learn to love the real you, then he's the one who'll be missin' out."

"Thank you Eliot," she smiled, albeit a bit wistfully. "But it doesn't keep me from feeling a bit horrible about the situation."

"Why's that? It's not your fault."

"But it is," she corrected him. "I hid who I was. For months he was under the assumption that I was this other…persona. And now I've completely turned him on his head, acting like someone he doesn't truly know. And he's right…he doesn't really know me."

He could understand that. "Doesn't really sound like he's tryin', to be honest."

"Yes, well…that's something we're trying to work through. I had hoped to talk with him tonight, but he cancelled our dinner plans. Hopefully we'll have a chance to truly sit down and talk soon."

"Well how about I drop you at home to clean up, and then we'll go get something to eat."

"Are we finished training for today?"

"I think three hours is a good start. We can continue on Thursday night if you're free."

"That sounds good. You didn't have plans for this evening?" she asked, picking up her bag and cane.

"Not unless you count working in my garden and then watching a recorded MMA fight. Having company for dinner will be a step up in my opinion."

She smiled. "So where should we…" Her phone rang, interrupting her. "Hello? What seems to be the problem? She was supposed to have done that days ago. Did you try and speak with her? Alright, I'll be right there. No, it's not a problem. Stop apologizing, I'll see you in fifteen minutes." She ended the call with a frustrated huff.

"Problem at the clinic?" the hitter asked knowingly.

"Of course, do you mind if we make a quick detour?" Eliot agreed, and she took a deep breath. "You can do this Ally," she murmured, pushing a button on her phone, dialing another number.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

They had barely walked through the front door of the clinic when Samm rushed up to them.

"I am so sorry I had to bother you on your night off Ms. Hayes, but …"

Ally smiled. "Relax Samm. Breathe, it's alright. Where is Victoria?"

"In her office."

With a sigh, Ally made her way through the door into the back area, Eliot trailing behind. He stopped and leaned against the wall outside the office as Ally entered.

It didn't take long for the yelling to begin; at least on Victoria's part. Eliot spotted a few of the nurses and therapists pausing in their work to take notice. Not thirty seconds later, the door flew open and slammed against the outer wall, and Victoria came storming out, emanating a fury that impressed even Eliot.

"I'm not going to listen to this crap any longer. I'm going home for the night. I'll be back in a couple of days. I feel the need to take a day or two off after the…stress of this evening," she snarled.

The hitter could see Ally tremble just the slightest, but he knew her well enough to know it was her nerves and not anger. "No, you will be back tomorrow at eight am to complete the task that you should have finished already," she calmly retorted.

A feral grin that bordered on pity stretched across the dark haired beauty's face as she rounded on the red head. "You'll take what you can get. I do this for pennies as a favor because I feel sorry for you. Little, rich blind girl trying to play philanthropist to make up for some dark secret." Ally's composure faltered just the tiniest bit. "It's amusing and it intrigued me, which is why I agreed to work here. It's not as if you could find anyone else to do what I do around here."

Ally seemed to square her shoulders. "If you mean not taking your job seriously or doing the tasks appointed to you, then I would have to disagree. I'm sure there are many people like that. But there are also people that would do what they were hired to do."

Eliot grinned.

Victoria's eyes narrowed. "Are you threatening me?"

"Not at all; I'm just stating the facts. Now, will you be coming in tomorrow or not?"

"I don't believe I will," Victoria answered with an assured smile. "I said I was going to take a couple of days off; unless your hearing is damaged as well."

Now Eliot had never hit a woman that hadn't hit him first…

Some of the nurses gasped at her tactless comment, while one of the doctors started forward, as if to defend the red head.

Ally wasn't fazed though. At least that's what she was outwardly portraying. But Eliot knew better. He briefly wondered if he should do something, even argued with himself on whether he should or not. He didn't want to undermine her authority here. In the end, she pleasantly surprised him though.

"Then I have no other choice. Victoria, you're fired," she stated firmly, a look of resolve settling on her face.

Victoria unleashed a sound that bared the resemblance of a mix between a growl and a wounded animal as she reared back her hand to slap Ally.

But it never landed.

The dark haired beauty glared at the hitter in shock. "How dare you lay your hand on me. I'm a lady," she spat out.

"I have yet to see proof of that," the hitter snarked, releasing her wrist.

Ally addressed her in a soft voice. "As always Victoria, you have comported yourself in a manner befitting you."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're showin' your ass like the spoiled brat you are," Eliot clarified.

He did not miss how the corner of Ally's lips tilted upwards before she addressed Victoria again. "Now please leave the premises before you embarrass yourself further."

"Or what?" she snarled.

Eliot smirked. "Or I'll remove you myself."

Victoria's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare."

"I assure you I will."

After taking a silent moment to assess his threat, she sniffed at him before turning back to Ally with a smug grin. "Fine…fire me. I'm sure my father will love to hear about how the owner of one of his 'investments' fired his daughter."

"He already knows. I called him on the way here to inform him that I might have to fire you for neglect of duties, and that I hoped it wouldn't impede our business relationship. After explaining that he understood my position, he apologized. He might want to have a discussion with you about this. Now please leave."

Eliot's grin split his face. He was so damn proud of his friend at that moment.

Left without another card to play, she stalked through the waiting room, yelling about how the clinic was a joke anyway, and would be shut down before the end of the year, before disappearing out the front door.

Ally's trembling slowly subsided, before the sound of clapping alerted her that she had in fact had an audience, and a faint blush bloomed on her cheeks. The employees quickly resumed their work though, not wanting to embarrass her further.

She wasn't finished though, as she turned to Samm with a smile. "It seems that the clinic is in need of a new administrator. Are you interested?"

The young woman's eyes widened to comedic proportions. "I'm….are you….but I don't…"

Ally smiled. "Yes you're ready, yes I'm sure, and you can't get any experience if you don't try," she answered, knowing everything Samm was trying to say. It was obvious she knew her well.

A blush lit Samm's cheeks as she took a deep breath and stiffened her spine. "Then I would be very happy to accept," she declared.

"Good. Victoria's office is now yours, you can throw out anything that's hers, and you have all the necessary numbers, including my own."

"I won't let you down Ms. Hayes."

"You haven't yet, so I have no doubt. I'll be in Friday to see how things are going, unless you need me before then." The blonde nodded eagerly before walking back through the office doors, leaving Ally alone with Eliot. "Well that was eventful," she murmured light heartedly.

Eliot smirked, "Handled pretty well too."

"I feel like I'm going to be sick," she admitted.

The hitter chuckled as his hand easily found her lower back and began leading her toward the exit. "How about we go get dinner now? Definitely my treat."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

They decided on a high-end oyster bar whose specialty was a lobster roll that usually had people lined up to get.

He had dropped her off at her apartment after she assured him quite vehemently that she could call for a car and meet him, not to mention pointing out that he needed to clean up as well. She concluded that there was no point in him coming back the opposite way just to pick her up.

Their wait was short before they were being led to a small table against the back wall. Moments later, a young woman in her early twenties with bottle blonde hair and expertly applied makeup arrived to take their drink orders, while very obviously giving Eliot a lingering, appreciative glance.

"I'll need to see your id miss," she requested after Ally had ordered a Sangria. The waitress barely glanced at it before handing it back though, her attention was too focused on catching the hitter's eye.

"Did you ever find someone to take you to that dinner you asked me about a couple days ago?" he asked, making the blonde finally walk away in frustration after her attempt was ignored.

"Oh yes. Kieran asked a friend of his from work to accompany me," she answered with a smile.

"Sorry I can't do it."

"It's not a problem Eliot. I understand you have a job. I can't expect you to be my dinner escort all the time," she chuckled.

"What's his name?"

Her brows creased in concentration, "Adam….Michaels I believe?"

The waitress returned with their drinks and sat them on the table, while continuing her earlier perusal of the hitter with a flirtatious grin. "Are you and your…friend ready to order?"

"What are your specials today?" Ally asked, pulling the waitress's attention to her.

"They're on the first page of the menu," she replied dismissively.

"I'm sure they are, but as the menu is not in braille, I'm unable to read them," Ally replied in a light tone.

The waitress's eyes widened to comedic proportions. "Oh, okay…we…have…a…lobster…roll…with…" she replied, her voice actually getting louder and speech slower.

Ally smiled at the young woman, but the hitter could see that it was a bit strained. "I can assure you my hearing and mental faculties are perfectly fine."

That almost sounded like a snarky response. Eliot was impressed.

Her cheeks stained pink for a moment before an incensed expression formed.

"We'll both have the lobster roll plates," Eliot interjected. The waitress nodded curtly and walked off to put in their orders. "A lot of people are ignorant."

"There's ignorance and there's common sense," Ally answered. "I'm not sure why some people connect being blind and being deaf as the same thing."

Their food arrived fifteen minutes later, and after one bite of the roll, Ally was hooked.

"Why have I never had this before?" she all but moaned as she chewed.

Eliot's pants tightened. "I take it you like it then?" he chuckled.

"Like it? I might just start wanting this over your sandwiches," she murmured, taking another bite.

"Look, I know it's good, but don't lie to yourself. Nothin' beats my sandwiches."

She looked up and cocked an eyebrow in his direction. "Are you jealous of a lobster roll?"

He scoffed. "No. I just know how good my sandwiches are."

"I don't know Eliot. This is pretty good."

He called her bluff, "So I don't need to make you one when you come over to Nate's for lunch on Wednesday?"

She paused for the briefest moment before catching herself. "I wouldn't say that. I mean, I will need to eat."

"I could always make you salad." He offered, holding in his amusement.

Her face scrunched up at the thought. "Fine, your sandwiches are the best sandwiches ever. Please don't deprive me of your sandwich making skills,' she grinned.

He nodded. "That's better. So how's your therapy going'?"

She put her sandwich down to take a drink and sighed. "It's going well. I'm…coming to realize that I was doing my family and I a disservice by hiding away." Eliot silently agreed. "She wants me to explore music more."

"What for?"

'Well, I've only really listened to classical music and opera, because it…."

"Pleased your dad?' he finished.

She nodded. "Yes. And she believes starting on something small like discovering my own music choices might help me become more comfortable at the idea of realizing that I don't have to please everyone all the time."

"That makes sense. I have some cds you can borrow. Some country, classic rock….I even have a few R&B."

"That would be lovely Eliot, thank you."

Their waitress came over and asked if there was anything else she could get them, giving Eliot a suggestive look that he supposed she thought was sexy.

"No thanks, we're good, just the check."

She smiled sweetly at him as she took out her pad from her apron and handed the check to him. "If I may say, I think it's very sweet of you to take care of your friend so," she told him softly with a charming grin.

Eliot's quick glance at Ally gave him the opportunity to see the brief expression of hurt cross her face. He didn't like it.

That was the only excuse he could come up later for what he did next.

Slowly he reached over for Ally's hand, giving her plenty of time to pull away. The redhead's face turned to him in mild surprise. A soft smile graced the hitter's face as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. A quiet gasp escaped her. "Ally is very capable of takin' care of herself, and I'd hardly call it a chore enjoyin' her company." He returned his attention to the waitress, pulled a few bills out with his other hand and gave them to her, silently dismissing her. Speechless, she turned and walked away.

"You didn't have to do that," Ally told him softly.

He smirked. "True, but she was just bein' plain rude."

"It's nothing I'm not used to," she assured him. "Must have been a shock for her to think you were on a…date with me," she replied with a forced smile.

"Don't do that."

She looked up at him. "Do what?"

"Self-pity doesn't look good on you. Bein' blind doesn't make you any less dateable."

"Experience tells me otherwise," she snorted.

"Can't be that bad," he chuckled.

"The first guy I ever went on a date with was to my high school prom. I heard him talking with his friends during the dance; he had only asked me as a dare from his friends because I was blind. I was fifteen."

"One experience hardly…"

"A friend of mine in college set me up with her brother when I was seventeen. She was the first friend I made there, so I didn't want to upset her by saying no. He was nice at first. Bought me my favorite flowers, took me out to dinner, then for walk through the park. I thought it was going well, we talked easily with one another, and he was funny…"

"But?'

"He drove to a nearby hotel that was considered one of the nicest in the city. Went on about how he spared no expense to make it special for me." Eliot's expression turned hard. "When I asked what he meant, he made it clear that he thought that we would have sex. That he knew I was still a virgin, and knew that I didn't have that many…prospects because of my sight, but that he didn't mind." Ally could have sworn she heard the hitter growl. "When I made it clear nothing of that sort would be happening, he angrily drove me back to my house before spitting out a last biting remark that I should have been flattered."

Eliot was confused by her wistful smile. "I wouldn't think that would be a good memory."

"No, but his sister punching him in the jaw in front of his friends after I reluctantly told her what happened makes it one," she grinned before continuing. "When I was twenty, Kieran set me up with one of his friends from work. Kieran told me that Evan had made mention of how pretty he thought I was, so I went out with him. It turns out; I was apparently a good foot in the door to my dad's company. When he didn't get the job he had finally gotten an interview for, he ended our brief one month relationship, if you could call it that, before telling me he never thought I was pretty to begin with." She took a drink of her sangria. "I could give a few more examples of my disastrous dating history, but those are the ones that stand out."

"Well what about Josh? You've been dating for what? Almost a year?"

A sad smile adorned her face. "True. Daddy set us up last September. He assured me that he was not only a hard worker, but a gentleman as well."

Elliot wondered briefly if that was why she was trying so hard with him…..because her father introduced them.

"What's the look for? Things still not goin' well?"

"We haven't spent as much time together lately as we used to, and he treats me as if…"

"You're a child that needs lookin' after?"

"Yes," she sighed with a pained expression. "I'd rather not talk about it anymore if that's alright."

"Sure," he assured her, squeezing her hand.

It was at that moment that they both realized that he was still holding it.

"Excuse me, I need to go to the ladies' room before we leave," she announced softly, pulling her hand away and getting up. "Could you point me in the right direction?"

He watched her open her cane and walk away after giving her simply and concise directions, trying to figure out what just happened. Storing it away for later, he pulled out his phone.

"What's up man?" the hacker greeted.

"I need a background check," he immediately replied.

"Sure, what's the name?"

"Adam Michaels."

"Got it. Possible job?"

"No, just let me know when you've got something," he told the hacker in a curt voice before hanging up.

He pushed aside the little voice in his head asking why he was doing it.

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NOTE: The recipe for Orange Glazed Cajun Salmon is on Yummly. If you can spare a moment, I would love to hear what you like or what you don't like. Reviews help me write better. =)