For the first time

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story, except for the ones I make-up. They all belong to Disney, and any other company that owns 'In a Heartbeat.' The song "For the First Time" is by Kenny Loggins. I'm sorry it took me this long to write. I haven't been able to spare some time to do this. At least summer is almost here.

Initial Attraction

For the first time - Tyler and Val - Chapter 10

Val woke up at the noise she had heard from inside her room. 'It must be Brooke,' She opened her eyelids and saw Brooke carrying a box outside.

"What are you doing?" Val asked with a yawn. "And that's a box of my stuff."

"We're having a yard sale. Mom told me to bring down all the junk that we have."

"Well, my stuff are not junk."

"They are now," Brooke said as she left the room.

Val shook her head and went to the bathroom to freshen up. After she finished, she went downstairs and decided what to have for breakfast. She saw her mom putting some dishes in the dishwasher. As usual, some French toasts and some juice were left on the table, most likely for her.

"Mom?" Val asked. "What's this yard sale all about? And why is Brooke taking my old stuff out?"

"It was your dad's idea," Joanna Lanier replied as she turned to her daughter. "And I don't know why Brooke is doing what she's doing. Do you have some important stuff in there?"

"Maybe," Val said. "I have to go to the station later. If there's anything that you think I might need or want to keep, could you set them aside?"

"Sure," she said before returning to her work.

After Val finished her breakfast, she went back up to her room. Getting all the stuff that she needed, she bid her family goodbye and headed for the station. When she got there, only a few people were present. She went into the common room, and accidentally knocked a bunch of folders on the file cabinet.

"This is a nice welcome," she mumbled before picking the papers up.

She noticed that there was a signed note on top. It said:

Dear Brooke,

I included Alex's note in here somewhere. I found this on the couch. You'll probably get this either the day after I wrote this note or the following day after that. Hopefully, Alex won't be here then. In case he forgets, I'm on my camping trip. I hope I saved you from the wrath of Alex. I'll see you later, Shorty.

Tyler

The note brought a smile to her face for no particular reason. As she continued to pick the papers up, she noticed that they were files containing personal info on Tyler, Hank, Jamie, and herself. Absent-mindedly, Val found herself looking through her co-workers' info and reading them out loud.

"James Timothy Waite," she said before giving a small giggle. "The name seems nothing like a rebel."

She continued to look through the papers.

"Tyler Parker Connell," she spoke quietly. "Nice name. It suits him perfectly I guess."

She finally got to the last pile.

"Hank Beecham," she read. "His name seems so professional. Straight to the point."

After she finished stacking up the folders, she put them in the cabinet to save Brooke from any trouble, putting Tyler's in Brooke's notebook on the counter. Suddenly, Jamie came through the door.

"Good morning, Valerie," greeted a sleepy Jamie Waite. "So, what's up? Anything new happening?"

"Not that I know of, James Timothy," she replied before going to her locker.

"OK," Jamie said before turning back to Val. "What did you just call me?"

"I believe it was James Timothy," she called out from the locker room.

"Who told you? Did Caitie tell you?"

"Nobody," she replied.

"Sure," Jamie said. "Just, you know, don't tell anybody."

"Why? Cause it might ruin your rebel rep?"

"You read my mind," he said as the alarm buzzed.

"Now the work begins," exclaimed Val as she ran to the ambulance.

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Tyler already finished packing the rest of his belongings. His parents gave him the choice of either staying or leaving, in which he gladly chose to leave. William and his mother are still packing their things. Tyler sat on a log, which was located beside the tree where the letters Tyler carved out were on. He continued to gaze at it as if it was going to disappear any time soon. It was all he could think about the whole night, he wondered if he was even able to sleep.

"Tyler!" called out his mom. "Are you coming?"

"Yea," he answered. "I'll be right there."

Taking one last look at the engraved initials, Tyler left.

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Val had been working on paperwork all day long. She had been in the station since nine o'clock, and it was almost five. She and Jamie were the only ones on duty from their usual squad. Tyler was still on his camping trip, while Hank had some business with Hannah. Val looked over the bunk bed, and saw one of Jamie's arms dangling from the top bunk. With that, Val continued to work.

"Hey Val!" greeted Brooke. "Any calls lately?"

"Not for the last two hours," she replied. "By the way, Tyler left a note for you, probably before he went camping. It's in your notebook."

Brooke grabbed the notebook and read the note.

"Thank goodness. I thought I was going to get it trouble with Alex."

"Yea. So, what brings you here?"

"I just came by to pick up some papers and to show you this, which I think you want nothing to do with."

Brooke showed Val an old box that seemed to be covered with a bunch of adhesive tape. Val looked at the box curiously, trying to dig through her brains of any memory of the box. As Brooke proceeded to throw in the trash, Val stopped her.

"Wait Brooke!" she yelled out. "Give me that. That's mine."

"This junk?" Brooke asked. "This seems so antique."

"Well, maybe. Just give it to me."

"What is this?" Brooke asked as she gave her the box.

"It's just something back from the days."

"What's in this thing anyway?"

"A piece of paper."

"About what?"

"About something that's completely none of your business."

"Can I see it anyway?" Brooke asked hopefully.

"Maybe."

"Fine," said Brooke as she left Val alone. "I'm going home after I get the papers. Mom said to be home by dinner time."

"OK," said Val. "I'll see you later."

As Brooke left, Val eyed the box on the table. 'How long has it been? Eight years? Should I open it? Should I call Caitie first? Well, we didn't decide on any particular date, or if we should open this together. I'm dying to know what I wrote. What was it about anyway? Oh yea, I remember. But I can't open it. What if the person exists? But then, what if he doesn't? I just hope the saying "curiosity killed the cat" is not true.'

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After another six hours, Tyler and his family finally arrived home. He was now in his room, looking out the window.

"Maybe I was just hallucinating," he tried to convince himself. "Maybe it really wasn't her. Maybe I just read the papers wrong. Maybe it wasn't her name. Maybe it was another Lanier working at the station. Maybe they typed the whole info wrong. Maybe someone changed the carvings on the tree. Maybe it was Hannah talking about the whole thing back then. Maybe it was all a dream. Man, I'm so pathetic."

Tyler continued to rattle for an hour, before finally deciding to take action.

"OK, I know what I did and said before, and I know what was on that tree," he started talking to himself once again. "The only thing I need to prove that this is real is to look at the files again. I'll just say I left something, and then I would quickly look at them. OK, that's what I'm going to do."

Tyler stood up and headed outside to his car. He only had one place in mind: the EMS station. When he got there, a few people greeted him. After the short greetings, Tyler immediately headed for the file cabinet and started looking for the folders. Little did he know that someone was watching him.

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Val was on the process of opening the box when he heard hurried footsteps coming towards her direction. She looked and was surprised to see Tyler. She was about to greet him when Tyler just opened the file and started going through the folders. Curious, she decided to get his attention.

"Tyler!" she called out with a cheery voice and a matching smile. "What are you doing here?"

Caught by surprise, Tyler accidentally slammed the cabinet shut, causing his left hand to be jammed in the middle. He let out a small cry of pain. 'What is she doing here?' Tyler felt his knees start to buckle. Immediately, he leaned on the cabinet for safety measures. 'Just smile and act cool. Why did she have to be here? And why did she have to smile? Stop smiling, Val! OK, now I'm officially psycho. Like she would really hear my thoughts. Say something, you grinning idiot!'

"That hurt," he said calmly, despite the fact that his hand felt like it had a thousand needles going through it. "Hey Val!"

"Are you all right?" Val asked in concern as she walked towards him. "Let me see your hand. It looks broken. Come here."

Val took his right hand and led him to the counter as she took out a first aid kit. As Val was trying to fix his hand, all Tyler could do was look at her.

Are those your eyes?

Is that your smile?

I've been looking at you forever

But I never saw you before

Are these your hands holding mine?

Now I wonder how I could've been so blind

For the first time I am looking in your eyes

For the first time I'm seeing who you are

I can't believe how much I see

When you're looking back at me

Now I understand what love is.....

Love is.....for the first time.....

"You're all done," she said as she noticed him staring at her. "Did it hurt?"

"No, not at all," Tyler said as he looked at his bandaged hand.

"You still need to see the doctor however," informed Val. "I'm sorry if I scared you earlier."

"That's OK. It was partly my fault for not being careful."

"So, what are you doing here this early?"

"Hannah and her family had to leave early. After they left, we decided to just go home as well."

"Did you have fun?"

"I guess. Um, are you still on duty?"

"Only for a few more minutes."

Tyler nodded his head and looked around the room. He noticed Jamie still sleeping. He continued to look around and saw a box near the seat Val was sitting on earlier.

"What's that thing?" he asked.

"It's just something Caitie and I did a long time ago."

"Well, what is it?"

"It's some kind of magical stuff. Curses. Whatever you call them."

Hearing the words magical and curses put a smile on Tyler's face.

"You believe on those?"

"Probably not as much as I did when I was little."

"Can we open it?"

"I don't know…"

"Come on. What have you got to lose?"

"Please don't laugh if you see it."

"I promise I won't."

With that, Val led him to the couch as she resumed opening the box, When she finally got all the tape off, she opened it and found a neatly folded pink paper.

"I can't believe I haven't thought of this in ages," she whispered to herself, although it was completely audible in Tyler's ears. "This was just a list that Caitie and I made about some guy we made up. Some guy we wished for. He was supposed to be my prince charming. That sort of thing. Anyway, I'll read them now. And don't laugh."

Tyler just nodded, even though he wasn't really paying attention anymore to whatever Val was saying. He was just enthralled by her smile and the joyful look expressed in her eyes.

"One: blond hair and blue eyes. Two: taller than me. Three: perfect smile."

Tyler just nodded. Val looked over him and saw him staring at her again. 'Why is he doing that? OK, just keep reading. Maybe he'll eventually stop.'

"Four: sporty like Dad. I guess that means athletic. Five: gentleman. "

As she looked over at Tyler once again, she can't help but be drawn into his eyes. 'This is not good. Stop staring at me, Tyler! OK, just don't look directly in his eyes. Don't look and keep reading.'

"Six: has the initials T. P. C., which means 'the prince charming.'"

Val slowly turned towards Tyler, hoping for any comment from him whatsoever, but all she got was that same look in his eyes. 'Don't look into them. If you do, you'll drown. I am not going to look is his eyes. I am not going to look in his eyes. I am not going to look in his eyes. I am…looking…in his…eyes.' Without a clue to whatever was happening, Val found herself leaning forward for a kiss. Tyler on the other hand, was doing the same thing. After she felt his tender lips on hers, it seemed as though a storm had just come over her.

Can this be real?

Can this be true?

Am I the person I was this morning?

And are you the same you?

It's all so strange

How can it be?

All along this love was right in front of me

For the first time I am looking in your eyes

For the first time I'm seeing who you are

I can't believe how much I see

When you're looking back at me

Now I understand what love is.....

Love is.....for the first time.....

Val pulled back, and Tyler looked on as she started to mumble a few words.

"T…P…C…initials…"

"What?" Tyler asked bewildered.

"Tyler Parker Connell…you…TPC…the initials…on paper…"

"What about my initials?"

Val started to back away. At the moment, she can't even think straight. 'I knew I never should have opened that box. Now curiosity is going to kill - - - the cat. But it's him. I can't believe it's him. It can't be him. He's Tyler. He's my friend. I've known him for a few years. I work with him. Did I read that paper correctly? I can't even look at him straight in the face.'

"Val? Where are you going? Why are you running away from me?"

"I can't," was all she could say.

Tyler looked down and saw the paper she was talking about. She remembered her saying something about some guy she made up and supposedly her prince charming. She remembered her saying something about magic. Something about curses. A wish. Tyler finished reading the paper, and to his surprise, it was as if he was reading a sketch of himself.

"This is me…" he told her. "You made a curse for me."

"No," Val said. "There was a mistake. It can't be you. You're Tyler."

"Why not?" Tyler said as his expression grew serious. "I wished for you, too."

"You know, that's not going to make me feel any better, or this whole situation for that matter," said Val.

"I DID!" Tyler almost yelled. "If you don't believe me, go to the place where I went camping. You'll find a tree. On there is something I also made up a long time ago. I specifically asked for a person. Someone that deemed to be impossible to me then. And it turned out it was you. That's the reason why I came here."

"Tyler, these things are not bound to happen. That's why they're called magic. Curses. They don't come true. They're not real."

Tyler went over to Val and grabbed one of her hands.

"Then why can I hold your hand? Why can I see your beautiful face? Why can I hear your voice? Why can I feel things for you and only you? Why are you in my life? Why are you real? Val, even the impossible comes true. And when they do, they just do. And it only means that it's truly meant to be."

Val was speechless. She can feel a tear falling from her eyes. She knew that he was right, but everything just seems like a fantasy story. A fairy tale. Fairy tales end, and she didn't want this to end.

"You know the first time we met," Val started to say. "Something like this happened. Well, not really quite like this, but something out of the ordinary. Time stopped, Tyler. You can call me crazy, but it did. Now tell me the truth. Do you believe me?"

"I do," Tyler responded with nothing more but sincerity in his voice. "I have never even thought of that until you mentioned it today. It's one of the reasons why I would never forget you. It was as if time left a special place…"

"…For us," Val continued as she gazed once more into his eyes.

Such a long time ago

I had given up on finding this emotion....ever again

But you're here with me now

Yes I've found you somehow

And I've never been so sure

And for the first time I am looking in your eyes

For the first time I'm seeing who you are

Can't believe how much I see

When you're looking back at me

Now I understand what love is.....

Love is.....for the first time.....

Val reached out for Tyler's face.

"You are real," she whispered to him. "I just can't believe it's you."

Tyler did nothing but give her a smile.

"This is kind of awkward, isn't it?"

"Yea," Val said with a nervous laugh as she took her hand off the side of his face. "Weird."

"We'll manage," Tyler reached for her face to assure her. "Well, I better go see the doctor now."

"Yea," Val said. "You should."

With his hand still on her face, he went over to Val and gave her a kiss on the forehead, and then one on her lips.

"I'll see you later," he whispered on her mouth. "I can call you, right?"

"Yea," Val said.

"Bye," Tyler said before leaving her.

As Tyler got in his car, he noticed something different. He looked at his left hand. It was still covered with some bandages. He took the bandage off, and to his surprise, his hand wasn't hurt. In fact, it wasn't even broken.

"I guess the magic lives on," he said with a smile before heading home. "And I guess miracles do come true after all."

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I hope you liked it. It took me a while, but I had no time to write for the past two weeks. Plus I was sick. And Amanda, I hope this meets your satisfaction : ) I'll be back! ~ Scarlet182