The pounding of horse hooves suddenly disturbed the once quiet fields. Judy and her steed were well ahead of Roger and Zeus all though those two were gaining ground fast. She laughed in spite of herself and coaxed Hera to move quicker. "Come on, girl. We can't let some foolish males catch up to us and win." As if in response the horse gleefully whinnied and galloped all the faster bolting well ahead of Roger and his mount.

"Hey no fair!" Roger shouted from behind her. Zeus wasn't a horse to be left behind and the black beast gathered his long legs from under him and charged after his white friend and her rider and the chase was on. They galloped on through the fields off the small worn trail and after a while came into a clearing near a small lake.

Seeing the water suddenly made Judy pull the reins and bring Hera to a stop. She's seen many a lake before, but this one somehow struck her as a real beauty. How she longed to dismount and take a walk on the shore, perhaps Roger would join her and they could share in a much needed quiet moment alone together, but that wasn't going to happen. He wasn't really the full romantic type, but then again a sight like this could surely bring out the Romeo in even the most hardened of fellows.

Roger and Zeus soon caught up with the pair and stopped to see what was going on. He looked at Judy and followed her gaze to the lake. He wrinkled up his long pointed nose and snorted, "What're you looking at, girly? Ain't nothing there but water."

"Ah, but what a fine sight to behold. The sun is setting at just the right angle to bring a special crimson colouring to the water it's glinting off of. Such is a sight many a fine poet and artist grows inspiration from and if one is not careful that kind of sight is something that brings out the desires of every hopeless romantic out there."

Roger rolled his eyes not especially caring for things like that, but then it dawned on him that he would have to learn to like it if he wanted to fully win her heart. Granted he had her, but he knew it probably wasn't enough. Judy was all about drama and romance, but he really wasn't and she would know if he were faking regardless of what he might say or do. Still, the lake did look rather pretty just now and it would be a nice place to go and sit near later on if they were able to find the time.

Gathering the reins and pulling up on Zeus to stop him from cropping the grass, Roger moved closer to Judy with a sigh signifying that he was slowly falling victim to the scene behind him, just like she hoped he would, and was reluctant to leave. "Well, I suppose you're right, but it ain't like we're gonna have much time to gawk over a sight like that. I'm sure chow's almost ready. We're not that far from the party area and I can already smell food. We gotta get there before everyone else does and takes the good food and spots to sit."

Letting out a sigh herself and giving the lake one last glance Judy agreed that it was indeed time to move onwards and join the festivities. There would always be a chance for more leisure time after they have eaten, that she was sure of. She was getting quite hungry anyway and could concentrate better on any inspirations on a full stomach. The sun would be down by the time she'd get back to the lake, but perhaps the moon would be out and offer a whole new turn on the sight the sunset brought.

"C'mon girly, enough gawking let's go eat already," Roger interrupted her thoughts and gave her a gentle shove on her arm.

Judy reluctantly followed him leaving the lake and its beauty behind. She made a mental note to herself to always keep a small notepad of some sort with her from now on for any bits of inspiration for plays or poems that would come her way. Tonight's events could no doubt be shaped into a theatrical production of some sort as well and perhaps she could have it be a romance of sorts that included the muscular man from her fantasy.

Roger turned in his saddle and smirked, "What're ya thinking, girly? You've been awfully quiet since we got in this area. Don't tell me you wanna look at that dopey lake some more?"

She somberly shook her head, her fantasy of that strong man dissolving into nothingness until there was just ordinary Roger at her side. If only there were more to him then being rich and a punk. What is your problem, Judith? She angrily asked herself knowing that was a lie. Roger had way more on the inside then he let on to everyone. Judy was one of the rare people to actually see Roger behind the tough guy act he put on.

She had heard his guitar playing and saw his paintings. She saw him perform in many a play as well as her own. She even heard his singing and that was like the voice of an angel to her, but she wasn't one to swoon. Roger did have tons of talents, but they were muted by his ability to hide them behind the bully that seemed to dislike everything and things he labeled as sappy.

His care for horses and his knowledge over them proved even more to her that Roger was more human then he actually let on. For a man that genuinely cared for other living creatures had a great heart no matter how much he hid that sensitivity. She hasn't seen him around young children or babies, but she was certain that when someone wasn't looking he would show them the same care and respect he seemed to have for the horses and other animals.

Glancing over to him she smiled a bit. Aside from hidden personality traits, Roger was also good looking and stately, but still had a boyish quality about him. Granted she was two years his senior, but that didn't stop her from being oddly attracted to him, almost hotly, during a few rare moments. She had been teased by her fellow peers about dating someone so much younger, but her argument back was that in about four more years the age difference wouldn't even be an issue so it shouldn't be one now.

Roger squirmed a bit uncomfortably as he felt her gaze and he sharply turned to look at her. "Somethin' wrong with you, girly?" he grumbled starting to feel very self-conscience and he nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

Judy just shook her head. Just when she started thinking things were going well and he was being such a gentleman and pleasant something nasty always had to come out of that mouth of his. "No, Roger, I'm fine," she softly responded and focused on the path the horses were now taking in order to hide her disappointment.

Soon, a large red barn loomed in the distance as well as a huge corral that was very intricate with bars and troughs and also much more posh than the first corral where they encountered Zeus and Hera. Soft music could be heard coming from the barn and there was quite a gathering of people heading inside. This was no doubt the party area that Roger was talking about.

"Looks like we're right on time," Roger remarked and prodded Zeus into a faster gait. Judy followed, but said nothing. As they got to the corral, Roger dismounted and tied Zeus' reins to a fence post then began to brush himself off and straighten his hat.

Judy did the same and looked around for someone to take the horses in and relieve them of their saddles and cool them down. "Where are the hired hands? I mean, isn't someone going to tend to these horses?"

Roger smirked and stepped to her side while slowly and boldly slipping his arm around her waist. "Don't let it worry ya, girly, they'll be just fine. Someone'll come and take care of 'em in a few minutes. Trust me, Mrs. Keane doesn't let her horses go uncared for. Now, let's go get some grub, shall we?" The last part of his sentence sounded choked in some way as if attempting proper manners let alone grammar was difficult for him. Hesitating for a moment Judy allowed herself to be held by him and followed him towards the barn.

Outside, rows of barbeque grills were set out, smoking with the meat they were cooking and others just waited to be tended to. Inside the barn the scene was a bit more chaotic. Tables and chairs were set out almost entirely in the middle of the barn floor. Along the walls were rows and rows of tables filled with all kinds of appetizers such as fruits, salads, breads, and the meats that had been cooking on the grills outside. Cooks and farm hands rushed about trying to get last minute preparations settled and a small band looked like they were eyeing up the area where the stage was set up for their later performance.

Judy boredly looked around the barn feeling this was now beginning to become hokey. "Well," she sighed, "I just hope that this is going to be real food and not the usual insipid bits of cow parts that suffice at other gatherings of this nature."

"Give it a chance, girly," Roger responded handing her a china plate. "This ain't exactly your normal picnic."

Judy arched a brow at what she was given. "China? Since when do they give out glass plates for a barbeque?"

Roger couldn't help but snicker at that. "It's just nothing you're used to, huh? Trust me, girly, just because this is a stupid little country bumpkin thing doesn't mean the richness of the area is taken away."

"I suppose not," she answered without so much of a change in her voice. She sounded truly bored out of her skull, but Roger didn't let it faze him. He was used to her droning and almost disinterest in anything that wasn't Shakespearian or dramatic in any way. At times it almost seemed as if Judy only tolerated his company, but when they had a moment and things did get cozy like they did earlier in his limo Roger knew otherwise.

They've been going out for quite a while now and they knew each other pretty well by ways of likes and dislikes. Judy enjoyed new things, but it did take her a while to warm up to them because her actress mind was always working overtime to make something into a play or script and if she put all that aside she might actually begin to have true fun. They were almost total opposites with Roger taking risks and trying fun things while Judy enjoyed sitting back and relishing the finer beauty and dramatics in life.

Roger saw that part of her come out more often then not, but tonight she was proving that she had it in her to at least try and be relaxed and enjoy things. He then realized he had to get her to that lake later on tonight if they had the time. If she was that captivated by the lake and it's beauty during sunset, she should be smitten with it when the moon hung over it casting dappled shimmers on the black water. If she wanted romantic that setting would definitely be what she craved and perhaps it would turn into the something that he desired for a while now.

Judy watched him as he piled hamburgers and ribs onto his plate then reached for some mashed potatoes and an ear of corn. Not too hungry herself, Judy chose a steak, which surprised her as being part of the menu, and some mixed vegetables. A gentleman handed her a glass filled with iced tea and she followed behind Roger who was briskly walking towards an empty table up ahead. He just about dropped his plate and glass of rootbeer then darted around to the other side of the table and yanked out the chair for her. "After you, my sweet," he managed to get out, but this time it didn't sound forced or fake.

Judy gave him a gentle nod then slowly sat down while Roger pushed the chair in. She admired his attempt at his politeness, but had to shoot her hands up in front of her to stop from getting shoved into the table as an over-eager Roger pushed the chair in a bit too far. "Thank you, Roger, that's fine." she managed to get out then turned to look up at him, a frazzled smile tugging at her lips.

He gave her a nod and headed back to his seat. As he sat down he noticed Larry enter the barn. Jerk, Roger thought to himself and watched the groomsman carefully almost daring him to come over to where he and Judy were, but much to Roger's relief Larry didn't even notice the black clad bully and went on his way. Judy noticed his sudden change in posture going from being laid back to almost bristling. "Something wrong, Roger?" she asked while cutting into her steak.

Roger snorted and shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong girly, I'm absolutely fine." he then gave her a forced smile and started to work on his own plate of food.

Still not sure why Roger was so angry just for that moment, Judy started to glance around the barn in hopes to find the source, but couldn't see what could have riled him up like that. Hoping to ease the tension she softly asked, "So, anything going on with you in school that I should know about or pique my interests?"

"Hm? Well, umm...yeah, got a Shakespeare play comin' up soon and I might try out for it," he mumbled around a mouthful of hamburger. Why is it that everyone on the face of the Earth seems to ask a question just as someone else has something in their mouth?

Judy motioned for him to finish chewing and to swallow before asking him to continue. The last thing she wanted to see was the food in Roger's maw. Grimacing at the very thought she drew her attentions on her glass of iced tea and wondered if the glass was really crystal or just something that looked good, but wasn't too expensive to use on an outdoor gathering. Realizing that wasn't anything too significant she glanced back up at Roger who already had an annoyed look on his face in waiting for her to pay attention. "I'm sorry, please continue."

Roger cleared his throat and wiped his hands on his napkin. "Eh, well like I was trying to say, we got a Shakespeare play comin' up sometime at school and I was thinking on trying out for it."

She smiled at hearing that. "Do tell. What play is it and do you know the role you are after?"

He shrugged. "Some tragedy about some loser named after a salad or something. I wanna be the guy that helps kill him off."

Judy groaned and shook her head. "If you mean Julius Caesar he is not named after a salad you neanderthal. He came way before that and the salad was named after him." She blinked at how stupid that sounded and rubbed the side of her face. "Roger, how could you possibly show an interest in something if you really don't know the background or the proper names?"

"Well, I do have an interest in the play! I just didn't really pay much attention to it at first because I thought it was some sappy romance and I didn't want to get stuck in that kind of thing! I mean, umm...not that that's a bad thing, I just wanted to try something a bit more challenging. They're not doing auditions for a few weeks though so I'm really not too worried about it."

Another groan escaped her and she closed her eyes behind her sunglasses thankful she kept them on so he couldn't see her frustration. "Roger, it's not important," she sighed trying to keep calm. "I'm just glad you are interested in such a fine piece of dramatic work. Caesar is one of the best plays I read when I first started out in the tragedy department. It's basically about a Roman Emperor who ignores a profit's warning about the Ides of March. He more or less got full of himself after a victory and there were plots to kill him." She then paused for a moment and took a sip of her iced tea before continuing. "Whom by the way are you interested in playing the part of?"

He casually shrugged and struggled around another mouthful of food, "Brutush," he mumbled, not saying it wrong, just that trying to get out a name like that with food in one's mouth doesn't help matters.

Judy glared at him and then smirked, "Et tu Bruté?"

Roger just nodded and tried desperately to swallow the contents in his mouth. "Uh huh, he just seems like a good character and if I don't get him I really don't care who I get just as long as I can do the play, it sounds pretty cool."

"Well, the play is pretty cool so to speak. I can see why it would be right up your alley. There's vengeance and betrayal. Caesar is also quite arrogant and I'm surprised he's not the one you are interested in portraying. He tends to get so full of himself and thinks everyone loves him and would follow him to the ends of the world, but he's wrong. He was given a warning and ignored it and it ended up being his downfall. Now on the other hand..."

Roger rolled his eyes and poked at his food. He knew he shouldn't have got Judy started in any sort of play speak. She was capable to prattle on and on endlessly about any given topic pertaining to Shakespeare or any other dramatic performance including poetry and her infamous artsy things. Glancing up at her he saw that she was starting to get well wrapped up on her words by not only giving him a further play description, but she was now doing character backgrounds and dropping various quotes from the play.

He scooped up a spoonful of mashed potatoes and was about to stuff it into his mouth when he noticed that Larry was sitting just a few tables away from where he and Judy were seated. A wicked grin began to tug at the corners of his mouth and a horrible idea formed in his mind. Roger knew he could easily hit Larry with the food without even trying. Roger's aim was always so true that he could nail the groomsman without getting it onto anyone else or on the floor. Giving his spoon an extra large scoop of the potatoes, Roger began to focus his sights on the man and took aim knowing that Judy was too out of it to even notice what he was doing.

However, he was wrong and Judy wasn't as oblivious to his actions as he assumed she was. Just as he bent the spoon backwards to launch his ammunition Judy slammed her hands down loudly on the table and quickly stood up almost knocking over her chair. "Roger Michael Klotz how dare you!" she shouted. Startled, Roger flinched and the spoon of mashed potatoes went clattering to the floor and fortunately for him it missed his pants. He looked up at her and flinched again knowing he was in for it now and by the look on her face he knew he was in deep trouble.

"I cannot believe what you just now tried to pull, Roger! How could you? I thought you were becoming the perfect gentleman and your juvenile action just now proved me very wrong. And to think I honestly thought that you had some vague interest in what I was saying to you."

Knowing it was futile to argue or protest Roger brushed his hands off on his napkin and stood. "Sorry to disappoint ya, girly," he muttered, thoroughly embarrassed with what she said to him and of course all eyes were upon them, but he took no notice. He gave her a small nod, tipped his hat slightly then turned on his boot heel and marched out of the barn disappearing someplace outside.

Judy watched him go with an annoyed shake of her head. Unbelievable! She was morbidly shocked that Roger would have actually tried to do something like that in her presence, but what hurt her more is the fact he was doing it while she was trying to inform him about the play he was trying to get a part in. If he didn't want to listen he should have just said something, not do something as repulsive as this.

Judy sighed and sank back down onto her chair feeling both insulted and betrayed. After all this time Roger's true colours finally came out and it was obvious he wasn't going to change no matter what he said or did. She tried to overlook many things in the past, but this was something that was not going to be forgotten or forgiven easily if at all.

Settling down a little she cut at her steak and reluctantly started eating again. When she was done with her meal she was going to find the rich punk and request him to take her home so she could meditate and possibly wipe this entire fiasco from her mind and be rid of the strained patience she had put up with for him for the last few years. Her limits were seemingly pushed to the max and she wanted nothing more then to have this abrupt nightmare to be over with.

To be continued...