Takes place in the time between chapters 81 to 85 of Seeking

I would really appreciate some reviews, they encourage me to type more, and for those who do, thank you greatly!

So this chapter started off as 6k words, then while I was editing the first time it got 1k added, and then when I edited it the second time another 2k where added. Hope everyone enjoys this rather long look at life from Charlotte's view.


Chapter 12
Charlotte's POV
February 14th, 2012
Tonight was amazing! Aidan came to the house at half four to ask if I wished to go to Valentine's Day dinner. From my window I watched as he gets out of his car along with a large, colorful bouquet of flowers. I hadn't realized that he actually had three different bouquets until I got downstairs and discovered that he had given one to each of my sisters as well. I was surprised to hear how much Madeline had said to him, she has a habit of not speaking with people, so she must like him. He had seemed to like the card that I made him. After I bid Daddy farewell for now, he politely escorts me to the car before getting into his side.

During the car ride I am a bit nervous. I didn't know where we were going and he gives off such a small little amount of scent that I have a hard time placing his emotions. Of course, I am still learning how to determine what emotions are by scent, so his minimum amount of scent makes it even harder for me. Though his base scent, his natural scent is very appealing, and if I sniff to much I find it affecting me. Part of me wants to nuzzle my nose against that spot where his smooth porcelain skin merges with those intriguing black scales. I really hope he is not as telepathic as his dad or this could be awkward.

The restaurant he took me to is one of my favorites but not one I am able to go to often because of the cost of it. Generally we only go there for celebrations. Since I do not use sign language, I suggest that he uses telepathy, that way we can still talk with each other without having to pause between bites. Past that, I love listening to his voice, whether aloud or mentally he has a very beautiful voice. Somehow though, I ended up being the one doing the majority of the speaking. At least that's the way it is while we are at the restaurant. After the restaurant we head to a beautiful green house, his idea of adapting my desire to walk around the park and go somewhere where he will speak aloud. It is there I can get him to talk about himself more and it is interesting what I learn. I never would have guessed he could speak nine languages. Though I was unsurprised by his enjoyment of the computers. While I enjoy reading and drawing, I am unable to play any instruments very well, Madeline is the one who knows how to play the piano, not me. Still, it was great fun just to spend time with him.

I can't believe how easily he agreed to me having a lover when I am in heat. Some reason I had not thought that it would go so easily, but he seems to think it is perfectly natural for me to have a shifter in my bed while I am in heat. Though he has already promised that he is going to be over to spend time with me as soon as my heats end. I am nervous about how my first heat is going to go and I now that I know that it will not cause problems between us, I plan to ask Konrad at the next pack meeting if he will be my partner during my heat. It will be awkward to ask him, but I better to it a head of time just to make sure everything is all lined up.

I still can't believe that I kissed him on his cheek before I wished him goodnight. It left such a warm feeling in me. I had almost kissed him on the lips but at the last moment I chickened out and kissed his cheek instead. I was so surprised that he is noticeably cooler to the touch than I am.

-o-O-o-

At school the next day Alethea cornered me at lunch, "So how was your date with the male?" her voice low so not to be over heard.

A smile curves her lips as she thinks about the previous night, "It was great, we went to one of my favorite restaurants and had dinner. Just talked and visited with each other, and got to know each other. After dinner he took me to a flower green house where we visited while walking around. It was great," a blush colors her checks as she considers the fact that she had kissed him and wanted to kiss him again, only a bit more properly.

"You're blushing! What happened that caused you to blush?" her gifted friend inquires as they take their seat to eat.

Ducking her head, she murmurs, "I kissed his cheek but I kept thinking about what a real kiss would be like."

A small tremble goes through the gifted girl, "I realize you're a shifter and it's perfectly normal to you, but I still find the idea a bit weird. Though didn't you say he is a snake of some type?"

She nods, "Black cobra, he is cooler to the touch than me or you."

"Cobra? Then he is one of Her children then. Did you know that gifted respect only the cobras of the shifter species because they hold the Blessing?" her gifted friend says, "So you kissed his cheek? Do you have plans for another meeting?"

She shakes her head, "Not yet, I, um," she blushes harder ducking her head, "I sort of fled back into the house before I even thought about it. I was embarrassed to have been so bold. What if he didn't like the fact I kissed him? What-"

Her friend cuts her off with a grin, "Cobras are matriarchal, I am sure that he didn't mind, besides, your beautiful, what straight guy doesn't like a beautiful girl kissing them?" she pauses for a moment before asking, "What are you doing after school?"

"Today? Nothing. Tomorrow I have the girls when they get done with their after school lessons." She answers her friend as the two of them walk over to put the trash away.

"Do you think that your dad would have a problem with me coming over for a few hours tonight?"

"I'll text him," she tells her, "and tell you after our next class."

Her friend nods, and the two of them head to their individual classes. On her way to the class she sends off that text. After class she checks it in order to see what he says and he agrees. So she relays the message to her friend and the two agree to meet after school to get a taxi home. The rest of her classes go smoothly and after school she meets her friend at the locker before placing a call for a ride. When the cab gets there, she is only mildly surprised to see it is a mouse, but Alethea is nervous about it at first.

"Ummmm," her friend bounces from foot to foot as she looks at the mouse, "I," her friends scent is full of nervousness.

Grinning, she remarks, "It's alright, Eric makes sure that the mice and crow cab drivers are paid good money to make sure that any of us that need a ride are safe. Folks do not tend to anger him." she climbs in and gives her address again.

Slowly her friend gets in as well, but she is leery and watching the driver carefully.

When they get to her house she offers the driver some money and the older shifter waves her off, "You know it's taken care of. Venomous pays all of us good money to make sure that we are available when needed."

She nods, "Thanks, see you later then," she comments before heading to the house with her friend close behind. The two of the head up to her room after a quick stop in the kitchen to get snack foods, once in her room both girls set their stuff aside before settling on her bed and grinning for each other. "So what did you want to come over here for?" she queries of the gifted girl.

"Well I feel uncomfortable discussing our world in a human school. So let's talk more about your cobra. What's he like?" her friend questions as she looks at her, "Do you have plans to see about doing any more dating? Are those from him?" she motions to the flowers sitting on the small desk. "They're beautiful."

Smiling, she answers while blushing again, "Okay, ummm," she ducks her head, "He's quiet, telepathic, mildly empathic, apparently way smarter than me, he's always polite, and cute."

"Why do you think he is smarter than you?" her friend asks curiously.

"Well I can barely use French, and he knows nine languages, I still have a year left before I am done with high school, he's already in university. Then there is traditions, I have no idea how he keeps track of them so well." She answers softly. It is something that she worries about. The idea that she will not be good enough worries her.

"Cobra's are blessed. Most of them have prefect memories. Mum said that I ever had to deal with the Old Laws to find a cobra Tracker because they would be the safest bet. Among all of the Trackers, they are the only ones who always uphold the laws and are always honest. Is he a Tracker or Tracker in training?" her friend comments.

Shaking her head, she responds, "His father is a Tracker, he isn't."

Both of them grab their packs and tug their homework out for their shared classes. They would continue their conversation while working. "Why isn't he?"

"I think he wants to be something else than a tracker because his dad is only a Tracker due to the loss of family." She answers after a few minutes, she is not sure if she should have mentioned that.

Curious her friend asks, "How did they lose his family?"

The two of them fell silent for a few while each read their assignments and started working on them. The conversation lagged and for a while the only thing said is related to their homework.

After a while she finally looks up and remarks, "Hunters I think," she pauses for a moment looking down, "I don't know the exact story, I overheard Jace and Kon talking about it once, Kon's training to become a Tracker as well under Eric, and Jace had asked him about it. I know those who did it are dead."

Her friend's eyes widen as she stares at her, "Hunters? That's what those who gifted and hunt evil shifters are called. They do not go through the same type of training as Trackers. I, oh my," her friends eyes widen further as if something clicks, "When I was little there was a group of gifted who were hunted down and killed by a cobra for going rogue, one of my uncles had been dating one of them. I just barely remember him turning up dead, his neck snapped like a twig."

She shrugs, going back to working on her homework for a bit, before commenting, "I don't know, what I do know is all of the adult shifters in the pack are terrified of Eric but I don't get it myself. He's always really nice to the pack's pups and he is the one teaching Madeline how to use her gifts. He even lets me sit in sometimes. Did that even before I knew about possibly being his son's bondmate."

The gifted girl nods, her expression and scent thoughtful, "Did you take any pictures of him with your mobile?"

Startled, she reaches in her pocket to check, because while she remembers taking pictures of the plants, she doesn't remember if she got one of him. As she flicks through the pictures she is surprised to find one that has both of him because of the reflection on the glass behind the flower she took a picture of. So she flips the mobile towards her and shows her the picture. It was originally of a purple orchid but in the glass behind the orchid is the reflection of the two of them with him standing just a few inches behind her. She hadn't realized quite how different their height difference was until she saw the picture.

"He's really easy on the eyes, isn't he?" her friend remarks as she studies him, "And tall, really tall."

Blushing she mutters, "I hadn't really noticed how tall until I look at that, I mean I realized I barely came to the middle of his chest but for some reason I was thinking he was a little shorter."

The two of them get back to their assignments, getting them done rather quickly. When they are done with the first set of assignments they move on to the second, both still working mostly quietly. After a bit they get that done as well, only talking when talking about their work. It is when they move on to the third that they start talking again.

"So what do you think of him look wise?"

The first thought that comes to mind is she would love to see him naked, see if he has patches of scales in other places besides the back of his neck.

"You're blushing! Why are you blushing?" her friend giggles as she stops and stares at her.

"I was just thinking that I wonder if he has scales in other spots besides the back of his neck." She answers as continues to blush.

Alethea blinks at her for a moment before she starts chuckling, "I take it you find him appealing then?"

She nods, "I do. I love his eyes the most. They're beautiful silver."

"So when are you going to invite him over for dinner?" Her friend inquires as she finishes her assignment.

While she finishes up her current assignment she is quiet, once she has finished it and set it aside she answers, "I was thinking of asking him over next Wednesday but I don't know what his uni schedule is like."

"You'll have to tell me about it," the gifted girl tells her as she gets her next set of assignments out.

"First I gotta ask," she chuckles, "I don't even know his phone number," she tilts her head to the side for a moment, "but that is the day after the new moon meeting, so I was thinking of asking him there."

The rest of the night goes smoothly. They finish their homework before going downstairs to make dinner. Her dad gets home just a little after they get done with it with her sisters and the five of them visit while eating. After dinner, Madeline works on cleaning up while Sofia does her homework, occasionally asking them for help. Shortly before ten pm Taisce shows up to get her daughter, spending just a few minutes visiting before the two of them take off.

Over the next week she frets about how she is going to ask him over to dinner, she doesn't want to be too direct and push him away, at the same time she really wants to find out if he will come. She has already cleared it with her dad for either Wednesday or Friday, leaving Thursday out of it for now. However the night of the new moon comes around and when she finally works up the courage to ask him over, he is nowhere to be seen. She is embarrassed and decides to retreat to the library to read only she is surprised when Konrad tracks her down.

"Both the tall and scaly's had to go, a family emergency, but Aidan wanted me to give you this." He remarks as he holds out a small folded piece of paper.

She blinks at him in shock before taking it and looking it over.

-Miss Charlotte, I apologize for not getting in touch with you sooner. Class has been crazy and a family issue has arisen. If you would like to meet up sometime feel free to text me. Aidan.- At the bottom of the note was his phone number.

Smiling, she looks up to thank the pale-eyed wolf only to find he has already vanished.

The following day after class she text him to ask about dinner on Friday, only to get a response that he is still dealing with the family situation and is unsure if it will be resolved by then. Instead they make plans for the following Monday. The day after that a small package is delivered before school while the family is eating breakfast. When she opens it, she is mildly surprised to find long, slender zebra wood box with several carefully cut shelves. On each shelf is a collection of fine pencils, including all of the HB, shading, metallic, watercolors, and basic colors.

"I'm sort of surprised that he took so long, but at the same time, considering the quality of that gift, I am not surprised at all." Daddy remarks as he looks at the gift while putting the leftovers up for tomorrow's breakfast.

"What?" she asks mildly shocked at that statement.

"When Gabriel was courting Audrey he sent her small gifts nearly daily, not always costly gifts, but just little signs of his affection." He replies while shooing Sofia upstairs to grab her backpack.

After going upstairs to put her new pencil box up, she comes back down and inquires, "How long did Uncle Gabriel court her?"

"Two years. She was sixteen when their marks appeared. He courted her through her A-levels while he was in uni." He answers with a smile.

"Two years?" she repeats as she thinks about the fact that he had specified a three year courtship between them. "He said he wanted to do three years."

Smiling, Daddy pauses next to her to kiss her cheek, "He wants you to be twenty before you bond for a couple of reasons."

"Do you know what the reasons are?" she inquires, watching her dad curiously.

He nods, replying, "So you can finish maturing and growing, decide whether he is really what you want or not, and so you will not have to worry while you are in school." Finishing heading to the door he calls out, "Come on girls, it's time for school."

Throughout the day she cannot help the smile that curves her lips or the slight hum that she does pretty much any time she is not listening to a lecture. One of the things she does is considers the things that they had discussed including her love of drawing, music, jewelry, scented candles, cooking, animals, and all of her other little passions. Another thing that she thinks about is the fact that they are going to be effectively dating for three years, if he does gifts like this regularly, then she is going to end up with a lot of stuff that she wouldn't necessarily purchase for herself that he was giving her. She also figures that she will have to do something for him, since they don't have a lot of money, she thinks that she will have to do something artsy for him or maybe surprise him with dinner sometime.

Over the next week she receives a gift every morning before school, except for on the weekend when the gift shows up a bit later in the day. The gifts include high quality water color paints, sketch and water color paper, and four books on drawing and water colors.

Then on Thursday she gets a text at lunch asking if she would like to go to dinner the next night. After she checks with her dad to make sure that she is not needed for anything the next night, she answers that she would love to go. The smile that had curved her lips for the last week is even bigger as she hums to herself the rest of the day. She is both excited and nervous, most of her friends comment on her smiling, but only Alethea understands exactly why she is smiling so much, and teases her about it discreetly.

The following day she does not get a present before school but that is perfectly fine since she will be going to dinner with him instead. She spends pretty close to all day smiling and happy, ignoring those who are rude or mean to her including the one jackal who had recently transferred to her school and acted like she was a second rate person because she did not belong to a jackal pack. After school, the first thing she does when she gets home is her homework so she does not have to worry about it for the rest of the weekend. Once she is done with the school work, she puts everything away before heading into the bathroom to get cleaned up. She had just finished picking out her clothes when she hears the low purr of his car's engine pulling into the driveway.

While she dresses she listens as he comes up to the house and greets her sister Madeline. She is mildly surprised by how warmly her sister responds, normally Madeline is really shy, she avoids speaking with people as much as possible, so hearing her visit with the cobra is most unusual. Though she is really happy about it, she sees it as a good sign since it tells her that they will get along fine. Even though her sister is gifted, she is hoping that she will be matched with a good shifter, one who would love and appreciate her appropriately.

Once she is done putting on her hip-hugging jeans and loose blouse, she brushes her hair and puts on a little bit of make-up before finishing the look off with some pewter and jade jewelry that matches her moss green shirt. Cute boots and a jacket since it is still cold outside are the last articles of clothing she slips on before heading downstairs and closing her bedroom door behind her.

As she is coming downstairs, she is mildly surprised to see Aidan leaning causally against the doorjamb between the hall and kitchen speaking with her dad and sisters while her dad cooks and her sisters do their homework at the dining room table. Biting her lip, she takes in the form-fitting clothes that he wears and accents his form. Today's outfit is dark blue slacks and jacket with a lighter blue shirt.

Really, it's not fair how good he looks without trying. She thinks to herself as she steps off the bottom stair. "Hi Aidan," she murmurs in greeting.

He turns slightly, straighten to his full height as he does so and smiles at her as he bows politely in greetings. "Good afternoon, Miss Charlotte."

"Please call me Chare or Charlotte, I keep wondering what I did wrong when you add miss." She suggests as she walks past him to her hug dad.

Inclining his head politely he replies, "Alright, Chare," his voice a low murmur that makes her stomach tingle in ways she's not used to.

Kissing her forehead her dad murmurs against her ear, "Enjoy your night. Try to be home at a mostly reasonable hour, text me if you are going to be out longer than expected."

Smiling at the amount of trust he puts into her, she stands on her toes to kiss his cheek as she answers, "Thank you Daddy, see you in the morning, don't forget to get some rest."

"Bye Chare! Have lots of fun!" Sofia exclaims as she packs her things back into her bag.

Still smiling, she turns to Aidan and catches her breath at the expression in his mercury eyes. "Ready?" she inquires happily.

He nods, politely offering his arm and escorting her out of the house and to the car. Like the last time, he makes sure to hold the doors for her before getting in and taking off.

"Did everything work out alright with your family situation?" she eventually inquires as he drives through the afternoon traffic with ease.

"Yes," he replies softly, nodding once, "things were dealt with."

"Can I ask what the problem was?" she is hesitant to ask because she doesn't want him feeling like he has to answer. She would prefer that he answers or tells her because he wants to instead.

Cocking his head to the side he considers it for a few minutes before finally replying, "My sister Zara was running into some issues because Kimberly tried to freeze her accounts. Since both myself and Eric are skilled with computers, and I have the diplomacy he tends to lack when dealing with people, we got them unfroze but it meant I had to make a trip to the States and actually had to deal with Kimberly in person. Something I severely would have preferred not to do."

She nods once before asking, "Who's Kimberly?"

"The female that birthed me," he replies after a long moment of silence though his voice is really low and she gets the impression that his relationship with her is a lot like her relationship with her mum.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was a sore subject." She mumbles when his scent changes from his normal pleased smell to something different and fretful.

He shakes his head a bit, trying for reassuring but not really getting there, "It's alright. We both have mothers who are not worth calling mother." After a brief pause he inquires, "How has class been the last few days?"

Accepting the change in subjects she grins, "Its been good, I have been smiling a lot so most my friends are trying to figure out why but I just smile at them more. We never discussed what your view on the human world is and what I should refer to us in the human world, so I just stick with my smiling. Alethea finds it all sorts of funny the way I am not answering them."

She watches the look of consideration that wrinkles his forehead as he pulls into the restaurant, this time a rather nice Greek place. Once parked, he opens the doors for her, escorting her politely from the car to inside where he greets the hostess in what she thinks is Greek.

Switching back to English, the hostess beams at her before stating, "If you will please follow me," and leading them to the other side of the restaurant where she motions to a nice booth, "Here are the menus. I will be back shortly for your drink orders."

He gives a small shake of his head, setting the menu aside and just watching her while she reads it. The feeling of his eyes on her draws her attention.

"Yes Aidan?" her hands automatically comes to her cheeks, "do I have something on my face?"

He shakes his head a bit, "Your face is fine, lovely as ever, without a blemish to be seen," he softly answers startling her that he is speaking aloud. Apparently he understands her confusion because he smiles remarking, "Its well ventilated in here, not surprising since the owners and most the staff are Eleonora's flacons of the same," he pauses for a moment as he considers the correct word, "coop."

Grinning, she realizes that that means he will actually be speaking aloud most of the night. That's just too awesome, she loves hearing his voice. "This place is beautiful, what made you think of it?"

He shrugs, "You mentioned wishing to try new foods, it's a few miles from my apartment, and I eat here some nights when I want to work on my assignments without having to cook." He tilts his head to the side as he continues, "I have the owner's son in my English class. He was the one who first showed me to this place."

Cupping her chin in her hands, she leans on the table as she asks, "Are you friends?"

He gives a small shake of his head, "Not particularly, we get along but I do not like to be around people who stink of fear a lot of the time. His parents and elder sister do not have that problem, but he does."

"Well thank you, so do you have plans for after dinner?" she queries, still smiling and leaning on her palms against the table.

"Well you are dressed for a night out, I was going to suggest go dancing afterwards, though understand I will be using telepathy while around large groups of people." He answers after a bit, his light skin turning just a touch of red at the edge of his scales.

Before she answers the waitress comes back to take their orders. She tries the grilled chicken breasts with penne pasta while he orders Mediterranean chickpea salad with grilled pork tenderloin. Both of us get sodas to drink that she brings out a few moments later.

Once she is gone, the two of us go back to visiting and she remarks, "Dancing is fun," smiling, she gives him a curious look as she asks, "How do you plan to get in? Most places require you being eighteen to get in."

He just about smirks at her, "Strong telepath, Eric's not the only one able to manipulate humans. No drinking alcohol though, harder to maintain when they are actively questioning it."

She nods, excited about the idea that she is going to have a chance to dance with him, "I don't drink anyways, Uncle John said it can mess with the shifting ability and that's the last thing that I want." Ducking her head she mumbles, "I'm not that good of a shifter to begin with, no reason to mess it up."

"For someone who has only been shifting for a few months you are doing fine." He comments softly, "Particularly since you did not grow up in a house hold of full shifters."

She can feel herself blushing, but nods and smiles, "Thank you for the gifts," she murmurs blushing even further.

"You're welcome," he responds with a small smile.

Silence falls between the two of them and before either of them has a chance to say anything the waitress comes over with their meals. For a little bit they are silent, however eventually conversation picks back up, this time with her quizzing him about what type of foods he likes and if he has any allergies. Unlike the previous time where she is not hungry for desert, in this case she is, and the two of them linger over their yogurt and fruit desert.

Eventually the restaurant starts to fill up, and the two of them decided to leave after he pays for .their meal. Their next stop is a night club several miles away that has music with a nice dance beat to it. Like he promised the bouncer doesn't even ID her as they enter and she soon finds herself pressed close to his side because there are a lot of people in here, more than she had expected. It worked out alright though because it felt nice to be pressed close to his side with one of his lanky arms carefully draped from her shoulder across her back to her hip.

There are a lot of scents in here, are you alright? he queries as they head towards a booth on the back wall.

Her arm snakes around the hip that she's pressed close to as she answers, I hadn't realized there were so many people at a club. When the girls tell me about it, they mention the dancing and hot blokes, but never so many people.

This isn't even at full capacity, if it was we wouldn't be able to get a booth without having to use some strong compulsions to get them out of the way. He responds, but she gets the impression that he is smiling. Most of the staff is human, but there is a mouse on staff, I will be flagging the mouse for our drinks, that way common paths telepathy can be easily used.

Really? There are that many people who come to clubs? Wow, she questions as she slides into the booth seat and he slides in next to her. She cuddles close to his side, resting her head against him as she watches the people all around them.

She gets the impression of a smile as she curls against him and adjusts to all of the scents in the building. There are a lot of emotions in the air and it takes her a little bit to adjust to it. In order to not be overwhelmed she tucks her nose against his shirt, delicately sniffing his scent and enjoying it. It's a low, musky scent, a lot like she imagines a swamp or bayou would be, over lying it is a sweet spice, and the natural male scent beneath that.

You smell good, she thinks not realizing that he can hear until he remarks.

Thank you. You have a lovely scent as well, though I appreciate the apple fragrance you use for bathing, though I can tell it's a human made shampoo since there is a chemical after taste. His voice is soft in her mind.

Tilting her head up a bit, she is surprised to see how close they are. Are there any shifter shampoos? She inquires as she stares at him.

He nods once, though his eyes are mostly on the people around them.

She is mildly surprised when a waitress brings a pair of Pepsi bottles unopened though she pops the little metal top off of it as she sets them down with a smile.

For a little bit the two of them sit there. Occasionally one of them takes a drink, though she tucks the straw into hers so she doesn't have to move her head away from where she is curled at. With all these people around her, the coolness of his body is even more refreshing than she expected it to be. Eventually he inquires if she would like to dance. She nods alright, and the two of them scoot out of the booth. Once they stand he flicks his fingers at the table, and it seems to get a bit blurry.

Why is the table blurry? She inquires curiously.

That way only shifters will be able to see it, so us and our waitress, everyone else will not, I placed shields on it. Might as well avoid anyone trying to steal our seat or mess with your drink. He replies as he leads her to the dance floor.

She smiles at his protectiveness, not asking why they would mess with hers and not his because she figures it is related to the fact he is a snake and thus immune to most venoms and poisons. On the dance floor, she finds herself pressed close to him and is surprised at the reaction that she has to his proximity. She does not know how long that they dance, all she knows is she vastly enjoys it. Eventually there gets to be too many people so she inquires if they can sit back down to which he nods and leads her back to the seat.

When one bloke tries to grab her arm and pull her away, she watches as he locks eyes with the other bloke and hiss low in his throat. A moment later the bloke is backing up with his hand held up by his head.

Did you say something to him? she inquires as the bloke moves off.

He gives a small shake of his head, replying, No. I used the cobra's gaze on him, something that makes pretty much all humans back away because it unsettles them.

Oh, she thinks as they scoot into their seat and she cuddles against his side. Now that she is seated she can see that there are a lot of people, probably nearly half as many as there had been when we first got here. It is nearly too many people. Can we get out of here? There is a bit too many people.

He nods, finishing his drink and summoning the waitress so he can pay for their drinks. As soon as he hands over the money to the waitress he slides out and offers her a hand. Soon they are working their way out through the throng of people with her pressed close to him, his arm draped around her once more. Once they get outside he turns them towards the next street over rather than the car, and she sniffs the air, taking in the clean air. With a smile, she follows as he leads her to an ice cream and coffee shop two roads over.

"Pick what you, if you want something," he tells her before switching to server to place his order. "I'll take a double chocolate hot coco."

"Just chocolate or some other flavor as well?" the server asks, his voice high and nasally.

"Just chocolate," he repeats with a slight smile, "hot chocolate with melted chocolate pieces in it."

The older gentleman nods as he sets to making it. When he is done he turns to look at her, "What would you like miss?"

Her glance flickers between the menu and Aidan for a moment before she answers, "A death by chocolate sundae."

Bobbing his head the older man goes to making it and she watches with somewhat wide eyes as he piles chocolate fudge ice cream in a bowl on top of a piece of brownie, over the ice cream he pours hot fudge, Oreo pieces, and both dark and white chocolate pieces with regular chocolate syrup across it.

When he is done making them Aidan pays for it and the two of them retreat to a booth after thanking him.

"So you like chocolate I take it," there is amusement and happiness in his scent, though he sounds almost like he is joking when he says it.

She nods as she slowly attacks the pure chocolate treat, making noises of pleasure with every bite. It takes her a few minutes before she realizes that his normally light silver eyes have darkened to a smoky grey. Blushing, she remarks, "I've always loved chocolate, and occasionally we get chocolate ice cream but it is not something that we get often. Mum did not like us having any sort of treats and Daddy tends not to buy too much of it, he is too busy paying the bills and such." Ducking her head she mutters, "I also love toffees and caramels as well," she is a bit embarrassed to admit it.

He smiles at her, commenting, "Alright." after taking another sip of his hot chocolate he asks, "Would you like to make it a weekly thing, as scheduling allows, for us getting together for dinner and spending time together?"

It takes her a moment to think about what he said however once she realizes what he said she beams at him. "That'd be awesome!" She takes a couple more bites of her sundae and brownie combination before remarking, "Though you are still invited over on Wednesday for dinner with the family."

He inclines his head after finishing his hot chocolate, "Alright. Wednesday dinner at your house, Friday dinner at mine." He smiles though it seems a bit nervous, "I'll cook dinner for you," ducking his head a bit he mumbles, "Like Eric I enjoy cooking," a slight blush covers his cheeks.

Still beaming, she happily agrees. The rest of the time they are in the little parlor is quiet with the two them merely enjoying each other's company. When she is done with her sundae, he stands, before politely offering her an arm. Accepting it, the two of them walk back to the car where he politely opens the door for her before getting into his side. Roughly half hour later he is pulling into their drive way where there is a repeat of Valentine's Day with him walking her to the door before she kisses his check and bolts inside.

She is not surprised to see her dad's light on when she gets in, and she knocks twice on his door. A moment later, he opens it, so she gives him a hug goodnight before heading into her room to change into her nightclothes and go to bed.

Over the next few days she is the first one up nearly every day. Since she enjoys cooking and doesn't get a chance to cook breakfast during the week because they tend to eat cereal, instant oatmeal, and yogurts she makes breakfast both days of the weekend. She is also the one to answer the door when the delivery man stops by with her small presents from Aidan. Happily school goes smoothly, as does her work at the animal shelter, plus her time spent with her family. On Tuesday she talks her dad into taking her to the store so she can get the stuff for a beef roast and the vegetables to roast with them.

Wednesday morning comes with her being extremely excited for after school. She is very eager for dinner, happy that her family is going to have dinner with Aidan though she is not sure why she is as excited as she is. However she just about floats through the day, though she is occasionally picked on by some of the girls that she used to consider friends but no longer does so. The ones that understand is the shifters who are excited for her, of course most of them in her school are mice and they are very social. Even her friend Alethea picks on her about being so excited, though she does it in a friendly method not a cruel one.

When she gets home, she makes sure that she does all of her homework before getting cleaned up and starting to prepare dinner. She had just put the roast with all its vegetables in the oven when Daddy pulls in. With him is her sisters and the three of them come in a few moments later. Both Madeline and Sofia get straight to doing their homework while her dad stops to give her a hug before heading up to his room for a short nap because he has a headache. Once her sisters are done with their homework both also go to put their stuff away before coming back down to help with dinner. Madeline makes sure that the table is cleaned while Sofia sets the table. Just before half five, she sends Madeline to wake Daddy up. At exactly half five she hears the purr of his car as Aidan shows up.

Sofia is the one who greets him at the door and she chuckles as she listens to her sister do so.

"Chare! Mr. Tall brought your present himself!" her youngest sister just about yells as she excitedly comes running into the kitchen where she is cooking.

"Calm down Sofia," she chuckles as she pulls dinner out, "Gezz you act like it is a really surprising idea when he has been sending gifts daily." Turning, she is not surprised to see her bouncy sister or to see that Aidan is leaning against the doorjamb. "Hello Aidan," she greets him with a smile.

Bowing he responds, "Good afternoon Charlotte," his voice is a low hum.

Checking to make sure the food will be fine for a moment she moves over to where he is, giving him a slight hug before turning to go back to dinner. Before she fully turns away he hands her a small box and she pauses for a moment to open it and a huge smile curves her lips when she sees the box of fresh made chocolate fudge.

"Thank you," she murmurs, reading the instructions and quickly putting it in the fridge so it stays fresh.

A few minutes later her dad and Madeline come downstairs.

Still smiling she tugs dinner out of the oven and sets it on the table before taking a seat herself. Madeline grabs the drinks for everyone. The next few hours go smoothly as the five of them sit around the dining room table chatting and eating. She is nearly overwhelmed with happiness over how smooth dinner went. Eventually Aidan excuses himself bidding everyone farewell and gently kissing her cheek.

Just a little after everyone goes to bed she hears her dad's phone go off and him sigh as he gets out of bed. There must have been a bad case for him to be called away so late, since he had gotten custody of them the superintendent tried to avoid calling him at night. Before she goes to sleep she makes sure to set an alarm for a little earlier than normal so that she can make sure she gets everything ready for her sisters.

Come morning there is a text waiting for her on her mobile, telling her to call for a cab to take them to school and pick them up afterwards. He was going to try and be home before it was time to head to the pack meeting. Of course it did not work out like that. About an hour before he is supposed to be home, she gets another message telling her that she can take the girls to the pack meeting using a cab if she wants otherwise stay at home. After telling her sisters, the three of them, agree to go, they can spend some time at the pack home.

So she calls for a cab and is only mildly surprised when they get the same cab driver as the one who had taken them to school. When they get to the pack home the cab is actually stopped at the front gate by Trace, one of the military wolves, until she says hi and he waves them through.

Near the door the mouse lets them out, waving off extra money the way he always does and gives her his number, telling her to call if they need a ride home before he takes off.

When they get inside Aunt Sandra greets them, and then each of them goes their own way with Sofia going to join the other children, Madeline tracking down Eric, while she joins the others of her age group. Everyone pays attention while Uncle John is speaking. Afterwards she asks Konrad for a private word and blushes the entire time she is asking if he would be willing to assist her through her heats. She is relieved how politely he listened and responds, agreeing without making it more awkward.

She is just getting ready to the cab when Aidan startles her by appearing next to her. With a curious look he inquires if she needs a ride and blushing she agrees. He nods once before offering them a ride, but mentioning that it would have to be soon because he has class in the morning. So after she collects her sisters the four of them head out. All three of them thank him before getting out.

The following day goes about the same, though she calls the mouse driver instead of the company. He is thankfully not bothered by her calling early in the morning. After school, her sisters go to their after school lessons while she heads home and arranges rides for them, only they end up not being needed since their dad picks up the girls on his way home.

Just before half five Aidan shows up to pick her up but she makes sure her sisters and dad have dinner plans before she leaves. Thankfully, all three of them had become fairly self-sufficient so they did not require Daddy to take care of them due to their mum.

Dinner at Aidan's flat was nice, he made a simple barbequed baked chicken breasts with twice baked potatoes. They spent the evening chatting and he started teaching her sign language. Thankfully he is really patient about it because she is feeling a bit slow. After a while, they decide to stop for the night so he turns on the radio and the two of them just sit and visit, curled up close without actually touching on the sofa. Sometime during the conversation she drifts off to sleep by the fact that she wakes up on an unfamiliar bed, still fully dressed except for her shoes, under the blankets. He is nowhere to be seen.

When she leaves the room, she is mildly surprised to find him curled up on the sofa in a nest of blankets in his cobra form. With wide eyes she inches closer, staring at the long black snake, well the part she can see. She just about jumps when he suddenly shifts how he is curled, straightening so that part of his upper body including his cobra's hood is no longer within the blanket.

"Can I…?" her voice trails off as she asks, one hand tentatively reaching towards his scaled form. The only thing she can think is, he's beautiful.

Of course. I tend to sleep in this form, its easier to stay warm. He moves a little bit closer to her hand, nudging the tip of his head against her hand.

"Oh," she murmurs as she gently runs her finger tips over the tiny scales on his face. He closes his eyes and holds perfectly still as she carefully explores him. When she gets to his hood, she pauses for a moment but he softly butts his head against her hand again. With a smile she continues to trace the scales of his hood which he fans out. There is a small dark gray pattern that reminds her of sunbursts on either side of his hood, though she has to be close to see them. In this form his scent is even more noticeable and attractive. Part of her just wants to curl up with him, but instead she continues touching the scales, mildly surprised how cool his form is along with smooth. For a long while the two of them stay where they are, eventually she starts to get tired again and mutters, "Would you mind if I laid back down?"

Go ahead, I am just about done with my sleep cycle for tonight, so I will be doing homework here in a bit. He tells her as he resettles into the blankets.

Biting her lip, she tilts her head to the side and softly asks, "Would you," she hesitates for a moment, "would you cuddle with me for a bit?"

He inclines his head, going from curled in the blankets to next to her in human form in an instant. "I texted Greg that you had fallen asleep and I had just let you stay sleep," he tells her softly. Heading back in the room, he mutters, "This is actually my room, the other is the guest bedroom but I keep that one scentless since my sister stays there when she visits."

She nods and hops on the bed, he stretches out on the other side of the bed but looks rather hesitant to do anything more. Biting her lip, she thinks about it for a moment before shifting a bit wobbly into her jackal form and curling up next to him. He chuckles, carefully running his long fingers through her fur around her neck and behind her ears. Carefully shifting his weight so he is on his side, he shifts, curling his much longer body around her.

The last thing she thinks before drifting off to sleep is she could get used to this. It is a rather pleasant and content feeling.

When she wakes up the next time he is nowhere to be seen but she can hear him in the kitchen moving around. Stretching, she discovers that she had shifted back to her human form at sometime during her sleeping. Going on in the front room, she smiles at him as he wishes her good morning and continues to cook. A little bit later he brings her a plate with an cheese, ham, and veggie omelet along with one of his own. The two of them sit on his sofa and chat while eating breakfast, before he stands to take the dishes to the kitchen. Afterwards he takes her home and bids her good day. She gives him a quick hug before heading inside to see how everyone else's night went.

Over the next two weeks everything continues on close to the same pattern as had been set the week before with her doing school during the week days, twice a week working at the animal shelter, and spending Friday afternoons with Aidan either at his house, her house, or in town. Every morning that she doesn't see Aidan a gift shows up for her before school or after she gets up. She spends time with her friends, primarily Alethea and some of the mice that she is working on befriending and the others of her age within the pack.

At the new moon meeting Jace and his family is not there that she notices and Uncle John seems to be a bit tired. Apparently Daria had given birth to a daughter the night before and the family was staying home to deal with it. She enjoys a visit with Aidan and the others of her age before they go home.

The following week she ends up canceling her dinner with Aidan because halfway through the school day she goes into heat and calls a cab to take her home while text Konrad about it.


I've not been in a club before, so I patterned it off the clubs I have seen in Criminal Minds. However, I am 5'2" and used to date a guy who was 6'6" so the height differences are based off of that. .