Hello hello hello! What's going on people?! I have missed you all so much and I am so sorry for being M.I.A. for a while, but since I am a full time student this semester I haven't really had a chance to write as much as I had planned to. Believe when I say that I will do the best I can to make it up to you all. So, last time I posted I said there would be a surprise in this chapter, and I have been true to my word:). With that said I am going to shut up and let you all read and I'll talk to you all at the end. As always, I do not own TMNT only my OCs. Enjoy:)!

Chapter 10: I Can't Help Falling in Love With You

Verena's P.O.V.:

I flutter my eyes open from a good night of sleep and gasp as I realize that I'm no longer in Leo's room with him, but rather on the streets of the city at night. Did I sleep walk all the way up here? No, I would never do that. Then what is going on? As soon as I get up from the ground a bright light flashes in my face, blinding me as I shut my eyes tight and block it with my hand. When I open them I see the horror before me as the city is engulfed with flames, the buildings misshapen and black, and an army of demonic creatures and warriors attacking all the innocent people running for their lives. The chilling screams echo the city so loud that it'll make your hair stand straight up from fright, the sky is dark and foggy with no signs of light from the moon or the stars, but the worse of it all was each and every corpse that littered the streets. These monsters are slaughtering innocent people, young and old, adults and children, all of this is just horrifying that I am on the verge of tears. Is this what is to come of Earth if we don't stop the new threat?

Suddenly, a giant four-armed being emerges from the bodies and opens its blood red eye to look at me with a big grin on its face. Right as I try to see the markings on its arms and cuffs it shoots out an enormous stream of fire like a flamethrower at me, and when I try to move a few corpses hold my legs down so I could not escape. I try to punch them off, but then another corpse locks my arms behind me and I am left defenseless. As the fire gets closer I scream from the intense heat and pain… until there is nothing left… and just silence…

I shoot my eyes open and sit straight up to find myself once again in Leo's room, with him looking at me in shock and concern. It was all just another nightmare, but this one was more intense than the others have been lately. My nightmares have been mild compared to this one just now, and I have a feeling that they are only going to get worse from this point on. As I wipe the sweat from my forehead I take in a few deep breaths to calm down and stare at Leo, who has been waiting patiently to speak.

"Verena, are you okay?" He asks gently as I know he's trying not to push me into answering.

I nod once I feel better enough to talk, "Yes, I'm fine. It was just a bad dream."

"Do you want to talk about it? I mean we don't have to if you don't want to." He said as he rubs my back in a soothing pattern.

I sigh as I rest my head on his shoulder while we lay back down, "All I can really say is it's getting stronger… like last time. I just know that I'll be seeing things all over again, and that's what scares me the most out of all this craziness. I do not want to take out my fear on you all, and who knows if I will be able to keep it together long enough for us to figure out what this thing is."

Leo lifts my chin up to meet his face as his eyes gaze into mine, "You will, Verena, but not alone. We'll figure this out together and help you with everything that comes at you. I'll even meditate with you this time around so we can keep you at ease. Beautiful, I will do whatever it takes to make you happy because I love you with all my heart."

I smile and hug him, "I know you do, Leo, and I love you too." I peck his cheek and my smile changes to a frown, "But what if I can't control myself? What if I hurt someone? What if-"

"Hey." Leo kisses me to shut me up and pulls away slowly, "That's not going to happen, okay?'

I nod slightly as I look down and lift my frown enough to convince him, "Okay."

He pecks my cheek and sits back up in bed, "Want to get some breakfast?"

"Sure. Food sounds so good right now." I said as I got out of bed to help him make it.

Leo chuckles as he wraps his arm around my shoulders, "Well let's see what we can make for that beautiful stomach of yours."

"Leo…" I warn him playfully.

"What? It's a compliment." He says in an innocent tone.

"Of course it is." I continue to tease him as we walk out of his room.

It is so nice to wake up around an early time, mostly because of how quiet it is around here. Normally when everyone else is awake the Lair gets to be too noisy especially since it's in the morning, you know the most relaxing time of the day before you have to do any work. Then again that's just my opinion. I mean every time of the day is good, but the morning is my favorite. I am a big morning person. Even back on Kennistar I would get up early to see the sunrise over the ocean and touch the city with its golden rays. The way the light made everything glitter was so beautiful. Peaceful even… and that is why I love the morning, it brings out all the joyous things of the new day.

Anyway, as Leo and I are making our way to the kitchen I notice the light coming from the lab behind the door. Donnie must have stayed up all night, again. I swear that turtle doesn't know when enough is enough. Leo has me follow him to the door and right as he puts his hand on the nob we hear the sound of a guitar being played and we shush each other. The both of us lean our heads closer to the door as we continue to hear the guitar, but then the sound of Donnie's voice can be heard softly within the lab. Leo and I give each other confused looks while we listen to Donnie's singing.

I love you too much
to live without you loving me back
I love you too much
heaven's my witness and this is a fact

I know I belong
when I sing this song
There's love above love and it's ours
'cause I love you too much

I live for your touch
I whisper your name night after night
I love you too much
There's only one feeling and I know its right

I know I belong
when I sing this song
There's love above love and it's ours
'cause I love you too much

Heaven knows your name and I've been praying
to have you come here by my side
Without you a part of me is missing
Just to make you my whole life will fly

I love... you too much
I love you too much
Heaven's my witness and this is a fact
You live in my soul
Your heart is my gold
There's love above love but its mine 'cause I love you
There's love above love and it's yours cause I love you
There's love above love and it's ours if you love me as much

Once we hear the last strum of his guitar, Leo and I are just speechless as we don't know what to say. After hearing that gorgeous song I can really tell how much Donnie is in love with Sasha, and I think everyone else can see it too. He truly cares for her beyond words to describe. I have a very strong feeling in my gut that something amazing is going to happen. Something life-changing, in a good way of course.

A moment later we decide to check up on Donnie to see if he's alright and if we can help him out. I quietly knock on the door so no one else can hear us but Donnie and we hear him stand up from his chair.

"Come in." he replies and we walk in to the lab as Donnie is surprised to see us, "Oh, he guys. What's going on?"

"Nothing much, Don. Verena and I were making our way to the kitchen when we couldn't help but overhear you playing your guitar." Leo said after he closes the door.

"Oh… you heard that, huh?" He asks as he rubs the back of his neck becoming shy.

We nod and Leo places his hand on his brother's shoulder, "Yeah. Are you feeling okay about tonight, Bro?"

Donnie shrugs his shoulders, "I guess so. I'm just afraid that Sasha is going to reject me after I tell her."

"Donnie," I place my hand on his other shoulder to have him face me, "you have nothing to be afraid of."

"Are you kidding me? This is so terrifying compared to the other things we faced off against, and out of all those times I had to use my brain to get us out of situations to save our shells. Tonight, however, I am going to do something so different and nerve-wracking that once I say it there's no turning back. Everything will be out in the open on display. How could not be scared over this?!" Donnie finally stops to catch some much needed breath after saying all of that in one go.

He is, no offense, worrying about something that is not so scary. I remember when Leo told me he got like this before he confessed his love to me, but then he talked to his brothers about his doubts and they gave him that confidence boost he needed. Tonight will be no different then what happened last year, and what Donnie needs right now is the exact same boost. Leo and I give each other a quick nod as I let him take the lead on this one, knowing that Donnie will listen to him.

"Don," Leo starts and has them sit down, "I can understand how scared you are, and I also know that Verena is right." He holds his hand out to stop his brother from interrupting, "Please, let me finish. Do you remember last year when I was doubting myself to tell Verena how I felt about her?" Donnie nods and Leo continues, "Well, this is almost like that time. You, Raph, and Mikey gave me the strength and support I needed to say my confessions, so now I am going to return the favor because I think you really need to hear it. You are in love with Sasha, and all of us have a feeling she loves you the same way. You can do anything you set your mind to, Don, like with what you build and come up with every day to protect us. So my question to you is this, what makes Sasha different compared to what you always do in the lab?"

We stare at Donnie for a moment as he thinks over everything Leo has told him so far. I feel like he know that deep down he has nothing to fear, but there is always that annoying voice in your head that tells you the complete opposite of what you feel. It's what causes us to have doubts. If Donnie can shut that little voice up then he will have that push he needs to stick with his plan.

"Nothing." Donnie says as we both want him to elaborate, "There isn't a difference. When I really thought about it they are almost the same, except for one thing. All of my inventions are nothing more than a bunch of objects, Sasha is so much more than that. She is like a summer breeze, always moving, gentle, and graceful. She is so intelligent, helpful, and sweet. Everything she says and does is beautiful. Sasha… is the girl I am in love with, and I am going to tell her exactly how I feel tonight. No more holding back."

I give him a big hug, "Alright Donnie!"

Once I let him go Donnie hugs Leo, "Thanks for all your help guys."

"It's no problem, Don." Leo said after they release each other.

"I think this calls for a big breakfast, don't you think?" I said and earn a chuckle from both of them.

"I think so." Donnie agrees happily feeling a hundred times better.

Leo wraps his arm around me as we walk out of the lab, "Come on. Let's go eat."

The three of us walk into the kitchen to see Raph and Master Splinter sitting at the table while Mikey is busy cooking us all breakfast. I give Leo a peck on the cheek, feeling so proud of him for handling Donnie's dilemma so well. Actually, Donnie was able to gain his confidence back perfectly. Not to mention all of those things he said about Sasha were just so beautiful that I almost cried. Donnie is such a romantic. If everything goes his way Donnie could possibly end up having the best night of his life.

Several Hours Later…

Layla's P.O.V.:

Yesterday was such a rough day as it is every year that me and my family celebrate Raiden. Normally the day after I would be depressed and angry with the world for taking my big brother away, but for some very odd reason I feel… at peace. All of those years of acting negative were such a waste of time when I could've worked on being in the good place I am at now. Sure I still feel sad, but knowing what I know now I can finally go down the right path. Besides, I know that Raiden would want me to move on and be happy, and hopefully my new happiness will involve Mikey being a part of it. We'll find out soon enough.

But enough about that, today is an exciting day for Palms as she's getting ready for her date tonight with Donnie. I'm getting all hyper just thinking about it! They are the sparkle in each other's eyes. Thunder and lightning. Macaroni and cheese. A perfect match made in nerd Heaven. Speaking about nerds, I'm on my way to see my nerd right now along with Cheryl and Verena who are already at the apartment. I stop at the entrance and knock on the door, hearing Chief run up and press his paws on the door. Not long after the door opens and I see Cheryl standing there with a big toothy smile on her face along with Chief wagging his tail.

Cheryl gives me a tight hug, "hey there Kea! How are you doing?"

"I'm doing okay, Sovi. How are you?" I ask after she lets me go and closes the door.

"Good. Tired. Happy. You know the usual." She said and we walk into Palms' bedroom where we see Verena doing our nerdy friend's hair. "Look who I found at the front door ladies."

"Hi Layla." Verena cheerfully greets me, "It's so great to see you."

"It's great to see you all too." I giggle as I give them a hug and sit next to Palms, "Are you nervous?"

Sasha shakes her head and smiles, "Not really. I think I will be though once I see Don and actually go on the date."

"Wow. You're very calm considering that you are going on a date in a few hours." I said making her giggle.

"I know. The only reason I am so relaxed is because of you three. All of you ease my nerves and worries that I do not have anything to fear, and I am almost tempted to take you all with me." Sasha said and we laugh.

Cheryl rubs her shoulders, "Oh I don't think you want us to tag along with you two."

"I couldn't agree more. It would be weird to have all of us watching your date." Verena said brushing out Sasha's wavy hair.

"True," Sasha starts out as she fishes for her blush in her make-up bag, "but it would make me feel better."

Cheryl laughs lightly, "You're going to be just fine, Palms. It's not that scary as you think it is."

Sasha grabs her blush brush and begins to apply some on, "Well I would not know that, only you and Verena have been on a date of the four of us."

"Palms does have a point there." I said and look at Cheryl and Verena, "So what was it like when you both had your first date?"

Verena sets down the brush and sits down on a chair, "I will not lie, I was almost as nervous as Sasha because I had this attraction to Leo… a very strong attraction. Butterflies in your stomach attraction. Then once I saw him and we went out, all of my fears disappeared into thin air."

"Are you sure it wasn't because he looked so handsome?" I ask joking around with her.

"It was part of it actually." Verena giggles as we know she's thinking back to that memory.

I then stare at Cheryl, "And what about you?"

She sits on the bed and crosses her legs, "I was cool as a cucumber, Kea. When I went on my date I was so hyper that I thought I was going to bounce off the walls, but then I got over it and calmed my ass down. But I feel that if you're on a date with the right guy then it will be like you're out with a friend and having a good time."

"So basically what you two are saying is that your dates were what you expected." Sasha says curling her eyelashes.

Verena and Cheryl nod together, "Yeah."

"Well that does make me feel a little bit better.' Sasha smiles at us and gets up to turn on her radio, "Although, music helps me loosen up."

"Now we're talking!" I cheer out ready to get my mojo back.

"And I think I know what song we should listen to." Cheryl said as she takes a CD, puts it in the radio, and picks the song.

Right into the first few seconds of the song I recognize it immediately as "You Get What You Give". Cheryl, Sasha, and I used to listen to this song when we were younger, and all of those times we would dance and sing like crazy. We never cared if we looked dumb to everyone else, all we did was have some fun. Now we have Verena to be a part of it and I think she can rock out like the three of us. This is going to be fun!

Cheryl: Wake up kids
We've got the dreamers disease
Age fourteen we got you down on your knees
So polite, you're busy still saying please
Me: Frienemies, who when you're down ain't your friend
Every night we smash their Mercedes-Benz
First we run, and then we laugh 'til we cry

All of us: But when the night is falling
You cannot find the light
You feel your dreams are dying
Hold tight

Me and Sasha: You've got the music in you
Cheryl and Verena: Don't let go
Me and Sasha: You've got the music in you
Cheryl and Verena: One dance left
Me and Sasha: This world is gonna pull through
Cheryl and Verena: Don't give up
Me and Sasha: You've got a reason to live
Cheryl and Verena: Can't forget
Me and Sasha: We only get what we give

All of us: I'm comin' home baby
You're tops,
Give it to me now

Sasha: Four a.m. we ran a miracle mile
We're flat broke,
But hey we do it in style
The bad rich
God's flying in for your trial

Verena: But when the night is falling
You cannot find a friend (friend)
You feel your tree is breaking
Just then

Cheryl and Verena: You've got the music in you
Me and Sasha: Don't let go
Cheryl and Verena: You've got the music in you
Me and Sasha: One dance left
Cheryl and Verena: This world is gonna pull through
Me and Sasha: Don't give up
Cheryl and Verena: You've got a reason to live
Me and Sasha: Can't forget
Cheryl and Verena: We only get what we give

All of us: This whole damn world, could fall apart
You'll be ok, follow your heart
You're in harms way, I'm right behind
Now say you're mine

You've got the music in you
Don't let go
You've got the music in you
One dance left
This world is gonna pull through
Don't give up
You've got a reason to live
Can't forget
We only get what we give

Don't let go
I feel the music in you
Don't let go
Fly high
What's real, can't die
You only get what you give
You are gonna get what you give
Don't give up
Just don't be afraid to leave
Health insurance rip off lying FDA big bankers buying
Fake computer crashes dining
Cloning while they're multiplying
Fashion shoots with Beck and Hanson
Courtney Love, and Marilyn Manson
You're all fakes
Run to your mansions
Come around
We'll kick your ass in

We started to laugh as the song was finishing up, having such a great time together. Years ago when we would listen to this song we had always believed that it was our escape from all the bad vibes we felt, and in a way it still is true to this day. Seeing everyone laughing and smiling and forgetting everything brings a very good feeling of being care-free again. Back then when life was so simple with no worries. No sadness. No danger. No fighting. That's what we strive for, to have peace and love in the world. Everyone deserves it even when they can't see it. No matter how dark our lives get there will always be a light to guide us.

I'm praying to the Gods that Sasha's date will go well with Donnie tonight, and I wish them both all the luck I can give. I even wanted to see Mikey tonight too, since I start work at six in an hour I can't. Maybe tomorrow… Gods thinking about him makes me have butterflies in my stomach!

Later…

Leo's P.O.V.:

"Leo…" I hear Verena say my name sweetly as she pecks my lips and breaks me out of my trance, "you've been meditating for a long time."

I open my eyes and see her on her hands and knees smiling at me, "Sorry about that, Beautiful. I guess I got caught up in it that I lost track of the time. What's up?"

She sits on the floor with me with a notebook and pen, "I thought we were going to talk about who's going to be in the wedding."

"Oh yeah!" I said realizing what I promised we would take care of for the wedding party.

So far for our wedding we have planned out the location, date, and honeymoon; which I think is pretty good considering these seemed the hardest to figure out. What we need to do now is pick our groomsmen and bridesmaids. That should be a no brainer to us. Soon after we can start getting ideas for the attire that we want our wedding party to wear. I have Verena sit with me on the couch so we wouldn't have to be uncomfortable on the floor.

"Let's get started. I already know I want Liza as my maid of honor, and have you decided on your best man?" She asks writing down the names.

I nod and smile, "Yeah. I was thinking about asking Raph since we've been close for a long time. He will make a great best man."

"Excellent. Of course you'll have Donnie and Mikey in your party and I want the girls in it too." She writes the names down.

"I would want April and Casey to be included too. After all, they've done so much for us and I think this would be a great way to show our gratitude." I tell Verena seeing her write again.

"And I couldn't agree more." Verena said and has a puzzled look as she reads the list, "Leo, you are still left with one more spot open."

I think it over for a minute and immediately know who to choose, "Usagi. I'll be happy to have Usagi as my last groomsman."

Verena jots his name down, "Perfect. Gods, this wedding stuff is so easy to figure out."

"No kidding." I peck her cheek, "I'll ask Master Splinter to send a message to Usagi's dimension in the morning and we can tell April and Casey tomorrow when they come over."

"Alright." Verena hugs me and rests her head on my shoulder, "Now that we got that taken care of, how do you think your brother's date is going to go?"

I wrap my arm around her waist and chuckle, "I think Don's going to be just fine as long as he remembers what he told us this morning. You should have seen what he has planned for Sasha, Verena, it looked like something out of a romance novel."

"I bet it does, but nothing can compare to what you do for us." She says and kisses my lips.

I caress her cheek, "I love you, Verena."

"And I love you, Leo." She said and plants her lips on my own once more.

My hand gently strokes her cheek as I pull her closer to my body, making Verena wrap her arms around my neck. Our lips move together in their loving dance as we keep tightening our hold to one another, becoming more passionate by the second. I begin to lay her down on the couch as I press my body on hers as she sighs and takes in a deep breath causing her to relax in this position. As we continue to kiss I can taste the hibiscus tea she drank on her lips, the sweet flavor causing me to suck on her soft, beautiful lips. I wish we could stay like this forever…

"Well, isn't this a nice surprise. Instead of you guys trying to suck each others faces off in your room you choose to do it on the couch for the whole world to see." I heard someone say and we open our eyes to see Cheryl standing there with Raph.

Verena blushes and has us sit up, "No one told you two to watch us."

"Kinda hard not to when you and Fearless are out in the open." Raph said as he crosses his arms and grins, "What happened? Your rooms get too borin'?"

I shake my head and chuckle, "Not even. It just happens."

"You'll understand when you have a girlfriend of your own, Raph." Verena said and fixes her dress.

"Yeah," Cheryl adds on and grins at my brother, "so until then quit giving your brother and your soon to be sister a hard time, Red."

"Whatever." He said and bumps his shell on Cheryl's side, almost making her fall.

"I thought you two were finishing up the battery for the Battle Shell?" I said wondering what was going on with their project.

"We are. All we have to do is put it back in and test it out." Raph answers.

"Believe me, the battery should work perfectly since we added the Krytanium to it and more importantly your ride will be more energy efficient." Cheryl adds in and looks around like she's searching for something, "Where the heck is Mikey?"

"He went out with Master Splinter on a training run. They should be back in a couple of hours." I answer her question thinking about Mikey coming home exhausted and barley moving. It's pretty funny.

"And Don?" Raph asks.

"Already gone. He wanted to make sure everything was still set up in the park." Verena said and smiles, "I have a feeling tonight is going to be special."

"Let's just hope you're right." Cheryl says still keeping her grin.

I wrap my arm around Verena and smile, "Hey, if I know Verena she's never wrong."

"No duh, Leo, that's because your fiancé's psychic." Raph teases her and makes her laugh.

"And proud of it." Verena cheers doing a few fist pumps in the air.

After a few more minutes of talking Raph and Cheryl left to the garage to put the battery in the Battle Shell while Verena and I stayed behind to watch a movie. As soon as I sat back down on the couch with some pizza slices on our plates I see Verena choose Back to the Future to watch, and the funny thing is that this is Don's favorite movie. In a way watching this seems fitting because tonight he is going to do something that you only get one chance to do in your life and that would be your very first date. If what Verena says is true than Don and Sasha's lives will be changed, I guess we'll have to wait and see.

8:00 pm

Donnie's P.O.V.:

I climb down the fire escape and open the window to Sasha's apartment that she left unlocked for me so I wouldn't have to wait outside. So technically I'm not breaking into her apartment. I have been waiting all day for this date to come and now that it's here I feel like my stomach is doing backflips, getting both excited and very nervous at the same time. This must have been what Leo felt on his first date with Verena. Whether I feel nervous or not I'm still going forward with my plan, and I hope it will pay off in the end. Anyway, once I step inside I shut her window and hide my gift for Sasha behind my shell so she doesn't see. Hopefully she likes it.

"Sasha, I'm here." I call out to her sounding as calm as possible.

"Hi Don! I'll be right out!" She yells back and I see Chief walk to me.

I pet Chief with my free hand as he stands on his hind legs and licks my face, "Hey Chief. It's nice to see you too."

He barks and steps back down, rubbing his head on my legs as I continue to pet him. Not even a minute later I hear soft footsteps and see Sasha wearing her mother's dress, still looking like a beautiful Native American princess. My heart is beginning to race to a point where I thought I was going to have a heart attack just admiring her grace and beauty. She has a huge smile on her face showing off her pearly white teeth, her skin and hair looking radiant, and her blue eyes still shimmering like sapphires. As soon as she steps in front of me I snap myself back into reality.

"Hey." It's the only thing that comes out of my mouth at the moment.

"Hi." She says sweetly with her cute accent.

"You look beautiful." I compliment her and she blushes.

"Thank you, and might I say you look very handsome this evening." She tells me.

"Thanks. Before we go," I reveal to her the bouquet of peonies I got for her, "these are for you."

Sasha's face lights up and she takes the flowers, "Don, these are beautiful! I love peonies!" She walks up and hugs me, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

She sets the flowers down on the piano and walks to the window, "Shall we go?"

I nod and open the window taking her hand, "Of course."

Right after she says goodnight to Chief we head out the window and climb up the fire escape to the rooftops. I carry Sasha as I jump through each roof so she doesn't have to feel worn out and tired. Besides, I don't mind it. Several minutes later I set her down as we make our way to Central Park for the first part of the date; the other part is nearby that I'll save for later. There is a cool breeze touching our skin, the sky is nice and dark, the moon is full, and the entire park is peaceful and silent. On the grass under one of the trees there is a red checkered picnic blanket with a few lit candles in glass jars to give us some light along with two cups of water and bowls filled with white rice and teriyaki chicken for us to eat. When I look at Sasha I can tell how much she likes this from the way her eyes widen and her smile grows bigger.

She sits down as I let go of her hand and sit across from her, "Oh, Don, this is lovely. Amazing. Romantic. Beautiful… there is not a single word to describe what you have created." Sasha leans close to my face and kisses my cheek, but as she pulls away she keeps her face a few centimeters from mine, "You did a fantastic job."

I slowly lean back keeping my eyes on her, "Thank you, Sasha, hearing it from you means a lot to me. I know I asked you at the last minute yesterday, but I wanted to make this special for you 'cause I feel like you deserve the best."

"Don… that is so sweet. I-I do not know what else to say." Sasha said as a light blush paints her cheeks.

I place my hands on top of hers, "You don't have to. Just having you here with me is more than I can ask for." I reach back and hand her one of the bowls so we can eat, "I hope you haven't lost your appetite."

She giggles and holds her plastic fork, "Not at all. The food looks and smells great."

"Thanks."

I see her take a bite of the food and smile, "Mmmmm. This is delicious!"

"Really? You like it?" I ask finishing my mouthful of food.

She nods, "Absolutely! Did you make this?"

"I did. I mean I'm no Mikey, but I know how to cook a few things." I answer and take another bite.

"Well, I can definitely say that you have succeeded." She said as she continues to eat.

After I take a couple sips of water I take a deep breath and speak, "So, Sasha, can you tell me more about your parents?"

"Hmmm… alright. Let's see, what else can I share with you?" Sasha thinks it over and drinks her water, then figures it out, "I got one. When my parents first lived on Earth my father had a home in Kingston and my mother spent her time with the Navajo tribe."

"That's very interesting. How did they meet?"

"Believe it or not they actually met at a medical convention here in New York. My father saw my mother from across the ball room, went up to her, started talking, and from that point on they dated for a few weeks… then got married a month later. I guess you can say my parents found their soulmate."

"Wow. It's a cute story if you think about it." I said trying to picture two people falling in love like her parents did.

"Yes, it is." Sasha smiles and giggles softly as she remembers the story, "It's funny, when I was a lot younger they told me their memory as I played doctor with my stuffed animals."

I chuckle wondering what she looked like as a kid playing with her toys, "You would play doctor?"

She nods and laughs, "Yes. I remember I performed a major surgery on my stuffed manatee, Mimi, when she needed her flipper stitched back together. After the surgery I bandaged her up and had her in recovery a couple of months, and like that she was as good as new."

"Well I commend you on your brilliant work, Dr. Palmer." I said joking around with her a bit and making her laugh more.

"Thank you." She calms down as she takes a forkful of food and eats it, "What about you, Don? Did you ever invent things when you were younger?"

"All the time. I remember the first thing I invented was a toaster I put together out of some of my disassembled toys." I answer her question.

"Incredible. Does it still work?"

"Surprisingly it does, but every now and then the toast catches on fire."

"My Gods that's hilarious! I guess we both got a head start into what we love at such a young age."

"So it would seem." I said smiling at her.

As soon as we settled down we finished our meal and continue to have a great conversation. There is so much that I learned about Sasha through all of our talking and laughing, and I never would have guessed that she was once so care-free and easy going. Then again this was before she was bullied as a kid because of her glasses. It's kind of unbelievable that human children can be so cruel to others because of what they look like, and honestly I think it's sad that these children have to face the struggles of getting hurt all on their own. If I was ever a kid and seeing someone bully Sasha I would beat them up and defend her with all my might because she didn't deserve it; no child deserves to be bullied. From that experience Sasha matured faster than anyone else around her age and I feel that she had become the strong and intelligent woman she is today. That is something I admire about her the most, is her willpower to push all those haters aside and to just be herself. It makes me fall for her even more than before.

The whole couple of hours we've been out here I almost forget about my final surprise for Sasha that I still need to show her. Throughout the whole day I have been waiting for the moment to come, and I feel that right now is the best time to do it. That and the candles will burn out soon if I don't do this quick. While we stare up at the sky I begin to stand up and immediately Sasha notices and gives me a questioning look. Alright, if I'm going to it, let's do it.

Sasha's P.O.V.:

"Don? Is everything alright?" I ask him as I thought we were enjoying this romantic time together.

He nods, "Yeah. Everything is fine. Actually, there's something I have to tell you… although I'm not sure how to say it."

I stand up as well and meet his face, "Tell me what, Don?"

"Um… before I do I need to show you something, over there." Don said almost nervously, pointing beyond the trees.

I am so confused, "What?"

He starts to walk away from me with a grin, "Come on."

Right as I am about to ask again he runs off, "Don! Wait! Where are you going?!"

I let out an annoyed sigh and take off after Don before I lose him. Personally, I thought this date was going spectacular, but why on Earth did he run away from me like that? I mean this night has been fun… and romantic, but still this stunt of his caught me completely off guard. I run pass several trees as I try to keep up with Don, and for a slight second I thought I went the wrong way until I saw his silhouette in the moonlight getting farther away. I am about to shout his name until I see a candle in a glass jar in front of me along with more placed in the same direction Don ran in, so I make the decision to follow the candles. What in the Gods names does Don want to show me all the way out here?

When I finally make it through all of the trees I gasp at the beautiful site before me, the Bank Rock Bridge is lit up with so many candles in glass jars. On the other side of the bridge Don is standing under a giant tree with candles around him in a huge circle as he holds a guitar in his hands. My Gods… this entire setting looks like something taken out of a fairytale… a romantic fairytale, and right there on the other side is my handsome prince to sweep me off my feet. My heart is fluttering with so much joy as I make my way across the bridge and look at its reflection in the water with the moon accompanying the scene perfectly. It is so beautiful. I finally reach Don and I see him smile at me as he begins to play his guitar gently, sending a pleasurable feeling all over my body like a girl feels when she has fallen in love. In this moment… I am falling in love.

Wise men say only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you…
But I can't help falling in love with you

I am just stunned. Not the bad stunned, but a surprised stunned. The type of stunned where you admire the person in front of you more than anything else going on. Don did all of this… for me… and I am hoping that it was for the same reason what I am feeling radiate all over. Love. He sets his guitar down and holds my hands in his as that handsome smile is still planted on his face.

"That was beautiful. All of this is beautiful, Don." I said taking deep breaths.

"What you feel at this very moment is what I've been feeling for you, Sasha. I guess what I'm trying to say is that…" He pauses to breathe in deeply and stare at me with confident eyes, "I am in love with you. I know that we've known each other for a short amount of time, but when I'm with you I feel like all that doesn't matter. Every time I look at you I can feel the void deep inside me fill up with your kindness, friendship, and beauty. I know that I can't offer you much, but I what I can give you is my love and commitment to you. No matter what happens I will always be here to protect, talk, and care for you, Sasha, because I love you with every fiber of my being."

I flutter my eyes trying to fight back the tears as I am so overwhelmed with joy from what Don just shared to me. He really does love me. I have never felt this kind of happiness in my life. It is so amazing.

I squeeze his hands, "And I love you, Don. I-I have ever since you came into my life to help us with our situation. Yes we have known each other for a short amount of time, but that does not matter to me at all. What I have been feeling cannot be measured or calculated by logic, but rather be put together form our experiences together. I feel like we were destined to find each other for this special moment that I thought I was never going to experience. You are super intelligent, caring, and the most special person to ever love me like how I love you. I truly, deeply love you, Don."

My mind feels so relieved that I got that secret out of my system and out in the open. We stare at each other as we smile at one another, feeling so happy over what we said to each other as it is still fresh in our minds. All of a sudden I feel Don's arms circle around my waist and pull me into his muscular body as I slowly wrap my arms around his neck. The both of us lean our faces closer at a slow pace as I can already feel his warm breath on my skin. Our eyes are so focused on each other… chocolate brown against sapphire blue. All of this feels like a beautiful dream, a dream that I do not wish to end.

"Sasha…" Don whispers to me softly.

"Don…" I said, my voice having a breathy tone to it.

The next thing I knew Don leans down to me and his lips carefully brush against my own. My heart begins to beat faster as I feel his lips on mine, and all I want to do is feel them on my lips even more. I squeeze my arms around his neck and rest my lips on his. Instantly I see a bunch of fireworks light off in my head, figuring out that this is what a first kiss feels like. All of those stories about seeing fireworks, shooting stars, hearts… they are true. I slowly close my eyes and melt into the kiss with Don.

Our lips move together as one as Don's arms pull me closer to his beautiful body, feeling so safe and protected from the dangers of the world threatening to break this moment of love. It begins to get to the point where I thought my lips were going to fall off from all the moving and sucking coming not just from me, but from Don being so confident and bold towards his affections for me. Suddenly, Don lowers us to the ground and I pull away as I feel the cool grass touch my back and legs while my love gently lowers his body onto mine. Despite his confidence, Don is also showing me his lovable soft side that I have always adored since knowing him. He is perfect. His body feels so warm against me that I smile a loving smile as he does the same. We come back together and reconnect our lips once more into a passionate kiss.

I feel one of his hands travel up to the back of my head as his fingers brush my hair, causing me to sigh from the gentle touch. Don moves his lips away from mine and begins to kiss both my cheeks, then down to my neck as his lips give me goosebumps. He kisses all over my sensitive neck and I bite back a gasp as I feel his lips suck the crook of my neck, making me moan from this new sensation. I hear him lightly chuckle as he presses his tongue on my neck and slides up to my earlobe and teases me by sucking on it playfully. Gods, he really knows what he is doing as I continue to moan and slide my hands to his shoulders and dig my fingers into his flawless green skin. Oh how I love every single inch of him…

Don caresses my cheek with his hand and presses his lips to mine for another heated kiss. I open my mouth and shyly rub my tongue on his bottom lip to see if he will open up, and to my good fortune he does and my tongue enters his mouth. Don's moans match up with mine as our tongues rub against each other causing the both of us to take in shallow breaths. It is like we cannot breathe from this intense passion, but we do not care as we realize that nothing is going to stop us now. I even lost all feeling in my lips for a few moments and soon noticed just how much we are kissing; think of the most emotional dance and now increase it tenfold. It is that intense… and I am loving every single moment of it. Through all of the kissing we hold each other in a tight embrace filled with nothing but pure love for one another.

Sadly, this beautiful moment comes to an end as we pull away and catch our breaths from that incredible make-out session. When I open my eyes I see just how romantic this entire scene is while we were kissing under a tree by candlelight. This really is a dream come true. Don smiles down at me as I return the smile to him, silently telling each other 'I love you'. We sit up and relax on the grass, seeing each candle burn out until the park is dark once again.

"So," I turn to Don as he starts to talk, "was this everything you dreamed of for your first date?"

I smile and caress his cheek, "Everything and more than I can ever imagine. Thank you for all of this, Don."

He leans in and pecks my lips, "You're welcome." We feel a chilling gust of wind and shiver, "Come on. I better take you home."

Don helps me up, grabs his guitar, and we leave the park. I asked him about all of the other things he brought, but he said his friends from the junkyard offered to collect it for him so he would not have to worry about it. About twenty minute later we make it back to my apartment and I open the window, stepping inside as Don comes in with me. The apartment is so dark and quiet as we stand there close to the piano, smiling at each other as we enjoy the rest of this date.

"I had a really great time tonight." I tell Don as I press my body on the piano.

Don chuckles and faces me, "So did I. although I wish it didn't have to end so soon."

"Same here, but I am looking forward to what will happen in the future for us."

"Me too." Don steps forward and gives me the most knee buckling kiss I have ever felt as he presses my body on the piano. A moment later he pulls back and smiles, "Can I call you in the morning?"

I nod, still recovering from the kiss, "I would like that."

"Great. I love you, Sasha." Don said with a loving tone.

"I love you too, Don." I walk him to the window and peck his lips, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He said and leaves out the window, disappearing into the night.

I close the window and lock it, sliding down to the floor with this dreamy look on my face like a giant dork. Chief walks in wondering what I was doing as he sits in front of me and leans his head to the side, waiting for me to do something. Finally coming to my senses I pet my dog and stand up, walking to my room to change into my pajamas for bed. Once I was washed up, changed, and put the flowers in a vase I climb into bed with Chief beside me as he is already fast asleep. Tonight was a night I will never forget for one very good reason, and that is Don and I are now a couple. I am so in love with him. Even though I thought it would be best to wait longer, I realize that sometimes life just speeds things along in unexpected ways. Thank the Gods for whoever is in charge of that one. As I close my eyes I sing the song Don performed for me as a lullaby for tonight, and I am looking forward to waking up and seeing him again tomorrow. Don, my love, my heart will always belong to you.

Wise men say only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you…

Whew! Don and Sasha are officially a couple! So what do you all think? I am so excited to see how you all feel about this chapter so as always, you are my judges. Hopefully I did Donnie proud for this romance chapter for him because he is so adorable:). The inspiration for this chapter comes from The Book of Life from the songs and one of the cutest scenes ever in a children's movie, and for those of you that haven't seen it I highly recommend it. Now I want to take this time and list a few things before I go:

First, I am so sad for the loss of Prince as he was a legend and one of my favorite musicians growing up. He will forever be missed and live on in the memories of those that love him. God bless Prince.

Second, here is the song list from the chapter: "I Love You Too Much- The Book of Life", "You Get What You Give- New Radicals", and the first part of "Can't Help Falling in Love- The Book of Life and Ingrid Michaelson".

Finally, I have no idea when I will post another chapter for this story, but I am happy to say that I am working on chapter 2 of A Megatropolis Love Story. I kind of neglected that story and my Modern Warfare one so those need to come first before I post another chapter for this story.

Please R&R, PM me, and all of that great stuff I love. Thank you all so much for being patient with me while I was gone and without you all I wouldn't have a reason to keep going. Until next time:)!