Sorry this chapter is so short - I promise the next one will be longer. Thanks to Mike11!
"How do I look buddy?" Alex asked, turning around, viewing himself in the large mirror mounted on the wall. He was wearing a red, button down shirt with black slacks. His dark hair was combed neatly to the side. Downstairs, the turkey he had stuck in the oven was cooking nicely, the smell drifting upstairs. He mouth watered at the scent, thinking of the stuffing, mashed potatoes, and chocolate cake cooling off on a rack.
"Well?" he asked, stepping away from the mirror and showing off to his bored dog. Lance gave his owner a 'you've got to be kidding me' look before letting his head fall back on his paws. Alex sighed.
"You're nuts, I look great." he stooped down, giving his dog an affectionate pat on the head. Lance tossed his head, shaking his fur before standing and following his master down the stairs right as the doorbell rang. He gave a small bark but stayed but Alex's side.
He could tell by his owner's scent that whoever was at the door wasn't an enemy, but welcomed. But he was still ready to jump to his master's side and defend him with his life. Alex brightened, rushing to the door. "Stay Lance." he told his dog, so the sight of his large German Shepherd wouldn't scare his guests.
"Casey!" Alex greeted his friend. He was in a black jacket with a white polo underneath, although April couldn't force him out of his jeans.
"Alex, meet April O' Neil. My girlfriend." Casey said proudly, holding her slim hand.
April's hear was done up in a bun, and she wore a deep purple skirt and a white sleeveless top with a matching purple jacket over it. With simple star shaped earrings and a matching necklace.
"Pleased to meet you Miss. O' Neil." Alex said, taking her hand and raising it to his lips, planting a gently kiss on them. April hid a smile. "Always wanted to do that." he whispered in her ear.
"Alex?" A female voice called from upstairs. A woman with a slender build and brunette colored hair and eyes descended down the steps, wearing a simple jean-skirt that went slightly above her knees and a red shirt. She went to Alex's side.
"And this," Alex said, taking her hand. "Is my number one girl, Emma."
"Pleased to meet you." she gave Casey a nod and a smile at April, who returned it.
Half an hour later, they all sat at a dark brown wooden table, enjoying a heavy meal that Alex had prepared. Lance sat beside Alex's side, waiting and watching for any food pieces to fall to the floor.
"So how are the horses?" Emma asked Alex. "I think we should all go to the stable after out meal. Maybe take a ride."
Alex spit out the mouthful of water he had in his mouth, sending it spraying across the table. April let out a yell, scraping back in her chair. Emma started pounding him on his back, as he started coughing heavily, trying to regain his breath. Casey just stared.
"Are you okay?" April asked, handing him a glass of water. Alex gave a choking nod, draining the glass in one gulp.
"Yeah," he gasped out. As soon as he recovered his breath, he shot an embarrassing look at the slightly stunned faces. "Sorry about that."
Emma gave him a slightly odd look. "Um, okay then. So anyway, I think there's enough horses for all of us to go riding after lunch."
"Um no," Alex said quickly, earning himself some more odd looks from the people around the table. "Two of the horses are... uh.... sick."
"Sick?" Emma asked wordily. "Does Buck know?"
"Yes." Alex said, looking down. He saw Emma give him a weird look. For the rest of the meal, Alex was silent, trying not to cringe under the burning gaze of his girlfriend.
"I had a wonderful time." April said, shaking hands with Emma and Alex, two hours later as she and Casey stood at the doorway.
"Me too." Casey smiled. "See ya later Alex."
"Bye Casey." Alex shut the door behind them. He sank to the floor with a relived sigh – his hand flew up to his cheek as he received a stinging slap from Emma. "What the -"
"What is wrong with you!" Emma screamed. "Making a fool of yourself and me."
"Emma, I'm sorry." Alex said, standing up and embracing her in a hug. "It's just that... nobody can go to the barn for awhile."
"Why?" Emma searched his face for something, anything to give her a hint of what he was talking about. "Alex?" She framed his face in her hands. "Baby, talk to me. What's going on?"
"Emma," Alex sighed, turning away from her brown gaze. "I... that explosion I went too, remember? Well there was something there... strapped down."
"What?"
"It was like a turtle... and a human."
For a second she just stared at him. Then her face broke into a smile and she started laughing. "Very funny Alex." when his face didn't change, her laughter died down. "You're joking aren't you... Alex?"
"No." He grabbed her hand and opened the front door up. "Come on... I'm going to show you to him." he let out a whistle to Lance who jumped to his paws and followed them out the door and to the barn. Alex, hesitantly, led her to Emma to the far stall.
She took one look in and let out a loud, ear splitting scream.
Ummmm? review please?
