Disclaimer and A/N: They aren't mine, they all belong to the people who own them. (Though I really would love to find Christopher Ralph under my Christmas tree this year...LOL!) ANYWAY, I felt SO bad about not getting this chapter out fast enough that I decide to write not one, not two, but three parts and post them tonight!! *grin* Actually, it's three right now, but now I know what I am going to do with this story, so more parts could be out real soon!! ANYWAY, this chapter is for Amanda, who really really really seems to want some Tyler/Val action. Oh, um, what else...oh yeah...a note on my other story, "Traditions"--I don't watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and only caught a few episodes of Angel. I actually HAVE a claddagh (I only wear jewerly that has a story behind it, I'm weird like that!), and that's why I used that ring. :) Sorry for the confusion--I got a couple reviews that mention Buffy and Angel, and I figured out that they must have a storyline behind a claddagh (and then my friend who is a BIG BtVS fan told me that I was right), and I didn't want people to think that I was stealing B&A's thing! Sorry, my bad!! *grin* Okay, now I'm just rambling...so without further ado...
Matchmaking 101 3/??
"So...any ideas?" Tyler asked Val later that afternoon. They were sitting together on the couch, attempting to fill out the never ending paper work that seemed to go along with being an EMT.
"On what?" Val asked distractedly, looking up from her clipboard where she was hurriedly trying to fill out the last of her report before Brooke jumped all over her for being late with it.
"Catie and Jamie."
"Oh. Well, actually..." Val started, then made a face. "Not really."
"Did I just hear you right?" Tyler asked, a smile pulling at his lips. "You, the Queen of Matchmaking, are drawing a blank?"
"Yes, yes I am." Val confessed, rolling her eyes at him. "I mean, if this was any of my other friends, I know what to do."
"The same thing we did with Jasmine and Hank?" Tyler guessed, suppressing a shudder at the memory. That little scheme of Val's had not been as much fun as she had thought it was.
"Yeah." Val muttered, her eyes back on her report. However, she had quite writing on it, and was just tapping her pen, a frown furring her brow.
"Val?" Tyler asked, slightly concerned. She jumped slightly, and smiled sheepishly at him.
"Sorry. Just thinking." Val informed him, chewing on the bottom of her lip. "I mean, I can't believe I don't know my best friend well enough to know what would make her realize that she likes a guy!"
"Hey...Catie's a little...different. I'm not ever REAL sure that this whole matchmaking thing is going to work, but Brooke can be pretty convincing." Tyler laughed, trying to pull Val's mind off her thoughts. "Just like her big sister."
Val smiled up at him, and swatted him lightly on the shoulder, her eyes dancing. "Should I take that as a compliment?"
"I think so." Tyler nodded solemnly; or as solemnly as one can when one is rubbing their should and wincing.
"Well, thank you." Val laughed, shaking her head.
"No problem." He laughed as well, before reaching out and snatching her clipboard from her.
"Hey!" Val cried, jumping to her feet and trying to snatch her board back from him. "Give that back!"
"No way! Not unless you promise not to hit me with it again!" Tyler laughed, holding the clipboard out of her reach.
Val punched him in the shoulder, still reaching for her clipboard. "Tyler, I have to finish my report or Brooke is gonna string me up!"
Tyler laughed again, and moved out of her reach, his blue eyes sparkling. "No, Miss Linar, I don't think so!"
"TYLER!"
The young man in question jogged off, still carrying Val's clipboard. Val twisted her lips into a mock snarl and ran after him, trying to suppress her own laughter. "Tyler come back here!"
"Come and get me Val!"
"You are in so much trouble when I catch you, Connell!"
@-}--}---
Catie rested her cheek against Jamie's strong back and sighed softly. She had never thought that riding a motorcycle could be this...exhilarating.
'Maybe it's not the bike at all...maybe it's just being this close to Jamie.' A small voice whispered in the back of her mind. Catie blushed, and promptly vanished that voice into the deepest recesses of her mind, burying her face even deeper in Jamie's jacket to hide her flaming cheeks.
The dull roar of the engine suddenly listened and then stopped all together. Pulling her face out of Jamie's jacket, she looked up to realize that they were already at her face.
'Already!? No way...that was very long at all!' Catie thought to herself, surprised by her thoughts and the overwhelming reluctance to let go of Jamie's back. But she couldn't just cling to his waist forever.
'Even thought you want to.' The annoying little voice was back.
'Shut up.' Catie snarled mentally at the voice, then commanded her arms to unwrap themselves from Jamie's waist.
However, her arms seemed to have a mind of their own, and refused to let go. Catie bit her lower lip, and tried again.
This time, her arms almost listened to her. And they probably WOULD have let go of Jamie--if he hadn't have spoken up.
"Wanna go for a ride?" He asked her, his deep voice caressing her ears.
"Didn't we just do that?" Catie asked, and then mentally kicking herself for not saying yes immediately.
Jamie chuckled. "I meant, somewhere that's not your house."
'Yes!' Catie screamed mentally. However, she out loud she asked "Where? It's not like there a lot of places to go in this town. I mean, anywhere interesting that is."
"Oh, you'd be surprised." He told her, a light chuckle in his voice.
"And what does that mean?" She questioned, lifting an eyebrow even though he couldn't see her.
"Ever been to Lover's Leap?" Jamie wanted to know, instead of answering her question.
"Where?"
"Thought as much. When do you have to be home?" He asked her, looking back over his shoulder at her. Catie blinked, trying to keep herself from losing herself in those dark pools of light.
"Who says I even wanna go?" She demanded, knowing even as she said it that it was in vain.
"You'd have already been gone if you didn't." Jamie reminded her, chuckling slightly.
Catie huffed slightly, before letting a ghost of a smile touch her lips. "You know me too well."
"I try." Jamie agreed, before restarting the engine and taking off.
Matchmaking 101 3/??
"So...any ideas?" Tyler asked Val later that afternoon. They were sitting together on the couch, attempting to fill out the never ending paper work that seemed to go along with being an EMT.
"On what?" Val asked distractedly, looking up from her clipboard where she was hurriedly trying to fill out the last of her report before Brooke jumped all over her for being late with it.
"Catie and Jamie."
"Oh. Well, actually..." Val started, then made a face. "Not really."
"Did I just hear you right?" Tyler asked, a smile pulling at his lips. "You, the Queen of Matchmaking, are drawing a blank?"
"Yes, yes I am." Val confessed, rolling her eyes at him. "I mean, if this was any of my other friends, I know what to do."
"The same thing we did with Jasmine and Hank?" Tyler guessed, suppressing a shudder at the memory. That little scheme of Val's had not been as much fun as she had thought it was.
"Yeah." Val muttered, her eyes back on her report. However, she had quite writing on it, and was just tapping her pen, a frown furring her brow.
"Val?" Tyler asked, slightly concerned. She jumped slightly, and smiled sheepishly at him.
"Sorry. Just thinking." Val informed him, chewing on the bottom of her lip. "I mean, I can't believe I don't know my best friend well enough to know what would make her realize that she likes a guy!"
"Hey...Catie's a little...different. I'm not ever REAL sure that this whole matchmaking thing is going to work, but Brooke can be pretty convincing." Tyler laughed, trying to pull Val's mind off her thoughts. "Just like her big sister."
Val smiled up at him, and swatted him lightly on the shoulder, her eyes dancing. "Should I take that as a compliment?"
"I think so." Tyler nodded solemnly; or as solemnly as one can when one is rubbing their should and wincing.
"Well, thank you." Val laughed, shaking her head.
"No problem." He laughed as well, before reaching out and snatching her clipboard from her.
"Hey!" Val cried, jumping to her feet and trying to snatch her board back from him. "Give that back!"
"No way! Not unless you promise not to hit me with it again!" Tyler laughed, holding the clipboard out of her reach.
Val punched him in the shoulder, still reaching for her clipboard. "Tyler, I have to finish my report or Brooke is gonna string me up!"
Tyler laughed again, and moved out of her reach, his blue eyes sparkling. "No, Miss Linar, I don't think so!"
"TYLER!"
The young man in question jogged off, still carrying Val's clipboard. Val twisted her lips into a mock snarl and ran after him, trying to suppress her own laughter. "Tyler come back here!"
"Come and get me Val!"
"You are in so much trouble when I catch you, Connell!"
@-}--}---
Catie rested her cheek against Jamie's strong back and sighed softly. She had never thought that riding a motorcycle could be this...exhilarating.
'Maybe it's not the bike at all...maybe it's just being this close to Jamie.' A small voice whispered in the back of her mind. Catie blushed, and promptly vanished that voice into the deepest recesses of her mind, burying her face even deeper in Jamie's jacket to hide her flaming cheeks.
The dull roar of the engine suddenly listened and then stopped all together. Pulling her face out of Jamie's jacket, she looked up to realize that they were already at her face.
'Already!? No way...that was very long at all!' Catie thought to herself, surprised by her thoughts and the overwhelming reluctance to let go of Jamie's back. But she couldn't just cling to his waist forever.
'Even thought you want to.' The annoying little voice was back.
'Shut up.' Catie snarled mentally at the voice, then commanded her arms to unwrap themselves from Jamie's waist.
However, her arms seemed to have a mind of their own, and refused to let go. Catie bit her lower lip, and tried again.
This time, her arms almost listened to her. And they probably WOULD have let go of Jamie--if he hadn't have spoken up.
"Wanna go for a ride?" He asked her, his deep voice caressing her ears.
"Didn't we just do that?" Catie asked, and then mentally kicking herself for not saying yes immediately.
Jamie chuckled. "I meant, somewhere that's not your house."
'Yes!' Catie screamed mentally. However, she out loud she asked "Where? It's not like there a lot of places to go in this town. I mean, anywhere interesting that is."
"Oh, you'd be surprised." He told her, a light chuckle in his voice.
"And what does that mean?" She questioned, lifting an eyebrow even though he couldn't see her.
"Ever been to Lover's Leap?" Jamie wanted to know, instead of answering her question.
"Where?"
"Thought as much. When do you have to be home?" He asked her, looking back over his shoulder at her. Catie blinked, trying to keep herself from losing herself in those dark pools of light.
"Who says I even wanna go?" She demanded, knowing even as she said it that it was in vain.
"You'd have already been gone if you didn't." Jamie reminded her, chuckling slightly.
Catie huffed slightly, before letting a ghost of a smile touch her lips. "You know me too well."
"I try." Jamie agreed, before restarting the engine and taking off.