Thanks for the reviews! All right, this is short, but further planting the seed for romance. I swear the next chapter will be the wedding and longer (if anybody actually cares, of course!).

Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

Chapter 7 (I think)

A Phone Call From Mom.

Sparrow's point of view

"Know when you give me your hand you're giving me your heart as well."

"And know when you take it, my love, I have taken yours."

"Darling, I'd have it no other way." He lifted me out of the water. My clothing, which had consisted of soaked jeans and a sweater became a beautiful blue shimmering dress of twilight. The keys fell back in the pond forgotten. I looked deep into his blue beautiful sparkling eyes that held my past, present and future, my very existence. At the moment at least. A day could have gone by with us just starring into each other's eyes. We were the only two people in the world.

"Dance with me, my Shelky, for I have taken you from you're watery home and thus you must do my bidding!"

"Only if you can catch me." Music swelled around us as I ran. The landscape became that of Van Gogh's "Starry Night." He chased and caught me easily.

"You are mine," he whispered in my ear.

"Oh Charlie." Our lips touched just barely.

It was at this point that I woke up screaming and resolved to burn all my brothers' romance novels at my earliest convenience. No matter how ridiculously funny I find them such images as those don't belong in my head, particularly with CHARLIE THOMAS, a widower with a child for goodness sake! I don't care how blue those eyes are or how strong his arms were (A/N I have no idea what Charlie looks like in the books, so I'm just making it up), it's Charlie Thomas! I began to laugh at myself and only just registered that my cell phone was ringing. The clock blared at me that it was 4 in the morning. Only one person would phone me this late when I was out of town.

"Hello, mother."

"Hello dear, how are things?"

"Mother it's 4 in the morning."

"Really? I thought it wasn't even past ten! I guess my mind must be going!" I refrained from saying something sarcastic, but true. "Oh well! You sound wide awake." She seemed rather unconcerned and then her maternal instincts kicked in. "Why is that?"

"I'm a vampire, I forgot to tell you. If you could pass it onto the rest of the family that would be very helpful." I paused for a second and in an afterthought added, "Perhaps they would leave me alone then." I shuffled through my bag looking for a mint and telling myself silently that I really needed to come up with better flippant answers.

"You're trying to cover up something, dear. Now quit stalling and tell me why you're up this late. Isn't the wedding later this morning?" Now her maternal instincts were being fueled by her nosy ones.

"I can't sleep because I keep thinking of a guy I think I may have married in a past life. Ah Ha!" I pulled out the mint and stuffed it in my mouth. There was only silence on the other end.

" Fine, I'll drop it for now. (She enunciated that now pretty hard.) Where have you been the last two days?" I cringed and rolled my eyes at the same time.

"I was getting folding chairs."

"For two days?"

"I was the map person."

"Oh I see. Wait, directing US?" Curse my inability to think clearly at 4 in the morning!

"I went with Charlie Thomas."

"Kristy's brother?"

"Yes."

"And how was that?" There was also a lot of emphasis on that, that.

"Peachy."

"So?"

"So, what?"

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Are you two now an item." Funny that wasn't even a question, more a statement of fact.

"Mother, Charlie is just a friend of mine. Nothing more."

"Oh that's wonderful dear! From what you've told me, he seems like such a nice young man!"

"Mother, I repeat, Charlie and I are friends. This is a reality you must accept no matter how much you may prefer your delusions."

"Charlie is such a nice name and ordinary! Normally you go for guys named after weather, months or redundant things like trays."

"This coming from a woman who named her children after birds."

"And he has a child doesn't he? A family man!"

"Mother," I was annoyed.

"He'll be good for you my dear. You need someone sturdy and grounded."

"Mother, just because." I desperately tried to shut her up, but she didn't seem willing to let me do so.

"You've finally gone with someone that is good for you and can support himself!"

"MOTHER!" Forget annoyed, I was insulted and furious!

"Maybe you'll even give me some Grandkids!" It was at this point I took the phone away from my ear and looked at it like it had turned into a neon pink leopard printed elephant.

"Sparrow? Sparrow! SPARROW?!" quickly putting the phone back to my ear, I prepared to speak my piece.

"Mother, you really have lost it. I should have had you committed years ago."

"Dear(."

"I'll say this only one more time. Charlie and I are FRIENDS."

"Dear(." There was an annoyed quality to her voice now (see how she liked it).

"NEVER have I, nor will I ever have ANY feelings for Mr. Thomas other then those of friendship for as long as I breathe on this earth!" I jerkily rearranged my pillow, before lying my head back down on it. "And now I am going to bed. Good morning mother." Her last words to me before I turned the stupid phone off were a little too ominous for my liking.

"Dear, never say never."

Meanwhile at the Thomas house

"Don't get lost on the way to the door? DAD! That's pathetic!" Charlie Thomas was filling his daughter in on the previous days dealings, while enjoying an early breakfast.

"You know she said the same thing." Charlie calmly took a sip of his coffee and smiled at the petite red head that sat across from him.

"Good. That kind of response should be curbed as quickly as possible, so as to not allow it to be repeated again in an environment were it is neither wanted, appropriate or easily forgiven."

"What?"

"Mrs. Carr always says that when I tell Billy he's an idiot."

"Mac!"

"Well he is!"

"What you think is beside the point. You don't say people are idiots. It's mean!"

"So we should all pretend he isn't? Isn't that mean?"

"There is a difference and you know it. I don't want to hear you calling Billy an idiot. Got it?"

"Fine."

"Now we have to go see how your Aunt Kristy is." Charlie rose from the table and put his plate in the sink.

"Yah, yah hold on. What happened after that anyway?"

" We managed to talk the man into giving us his keys, Sparrow promptly lost them and I shoved her into a pond." Charlie opened the side door. The girl turned and looked at her father in disbelief.

"And you're telling me to be nicer to people! At least I'm not pushing them into ponds!"

"It was an accident that sort of wasn't."

"Now that made sense."

"Funny, when you say it, it does. Come on we're going to be late." Charlie shoved his daughter out the door and turned to lock it.

"I hope you at least helped her out of the pond." Mac missed the blush that crept over her father's face at that statement.

End of whatever chapter this is.

Lizzie: Well I suppose you could call Sparrow good!

MBCBROCKS: thanks