AN: AHH, I'm working on both my stories at the same time and trying to prep a story of my own creation to send to an agent and I feel like I keep losing my place. Luckily I really love my fan fic stories and try to spend as much time as I can on them. I have quite a bit on this story already written, it's just finding time to edit that's hard. I'm glad so many people are enjoying this story... I've been making up stories about these characters since the movie came out and this is by far better than I ever could have imagined. I've always been of the opinion that a story should be able to affect the author the same way they want it to affect their audience. If you stop enjoying your story than you're not doing your story, characters or readers justice. I hope to find some more time before the holidays are over to edit so I can post more. I hope you all enjoy some romantic progression. ;)

Caleb looked down at Aria, standing beside him, as Branwen left the house. Aria smiled at him like they had just executed a devious plan. "That went well." She said.

"Almost like we planned it." Caleb agreed.

Aria rolled her eyes. "The best interventions happen in the heat of the moment. You have to say how you feel when you're feeling it or it doesn't have the desired effect."

"I will keep that in mind the next time I have a cause for an intervention."

He continued to watch her and soon she grew to realize how close they were standing. When she had moved away from Branwen earlier, she'd stepped to his side. Caleb wondered if she'd expected him to protect her from her cousin's retaliation. Caleb hadn't believed her comment about static shock. It was more likely Branwen had pinched Aria for trying to play matchmaker.

"I should go to my room. I have insurance papers to finish filling out." Aria said.

Caleb didn't miss the pink creeping up Aria's neck and their eyes locked. Her attraction to him wasn't well hidden and Caleb had to admit that he was surprised in his own enjoyment of it. He had been so concentrated on finding Sarah and proving that she was overreacting that he hadn't had much time to think about other girls. With Pogue and Branwen's drama he had been distracted from his thoughts of Sarah. And with Sarah off his mind, he had time to admire Aria.

Her green eyes sparkled up at him and a wavy tendril of that remarkable deep red hair hung over her forehead. He reached up and swept it to the side of her face, letting his fingers linger against her cheek a moment more than necessary.

"Do you need help with those?" He asked her. After all, he was studying law.

"What?" she squeaked. Caleb realized she might have forgotten about the papers given the pause since she's spoken of them and he was immediately intrigued by what she might have been thinking that had her so shocked at his offer to assist her.

"The insurance papers." He regretfully reminded her.

She laughed nervously. "Oh, yeah, right." She stepped back out of his reach and cleared her throat. "No, I think I can manage. Thanks, though."

She went to leave and he couldn't resist his enjoyment of her blush. "Aria?"

She paused at the door to look back at him. "Yes?"

"My room is two doors down from yours, in case you need… anything."

Aria turned bright red before nodding and disappearing into the hall. He didn't know why he said it. After all, he had never been one for sexual innuendo but her attitude had been challenging his gentlemanly honor for hours now and he liked being able to get under her skin for a change. Smiling to himself, Caleb grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and headed to his room. After all, he wanted to be there should Aria need anything.

There were seven. Sitting in the 'garage', which was more like a warehouse, were seven stunning vehicles that cost more than Branwen's college tuition. Opening the key box by the front door, Branwen searched for the key fob to match the car she had only dreamed about since she was 11 years old and watched 'Eleanor' be stolen and trashed.

Holding the keys, Branwen approached the '67 Shelby GT500 with a reverence only a true fan could muster. She took a moment to run her hands over the beautiful creation. There wasn't a mark on her and for a moment Branwen considered putting the keys back, lest she hurt the masterpiece. But then she shook herself. When again would she get the chance to drive such a car?

Five minutes later, Branwen was flying down the road, testing out how fast Eleanor could really go. After having a little fun, she reminded herself she had an apology to give and she got down to business. Pulling over she turned on the small GPS unit and searched in the library for Pogue Parry. When she found it, she brought it up and followed the robot-lady's directions to a house that was barely smaller than Caleb's. No wonder it felt lonely inside. One person in all that? Branwen realized that Evelyn must feel lonely when the boys were at school.

She parked in the circular driveway and walked up the front steps. She felt like an ant next to the large white columns and antique oak door. Hesitantly she raised the iron knocker and banged it a couple times. Despite knowing Caleb had servants, Branwen was still surprised when a butler answered the door. She had never looked at Pogue and thought he looked like the kind of person to have a house full of servants. Caleb acted moneyed. Pogue acted like he spent his life changing his oil and sleeping on a couch. Then again, it was his appearance of not caring that Branwen found intriguing.

"Is Pogue home?" Branwen asked the distinguished looking man.

"Who, may I say, is asking?"

Branwen frowned. Really? Did they still do that whole calling card thing where you told them who you were and then the person decided whether they wanted to be home or not? It was rude. Either you were home or you weren't. Then again, wasn't Branwen just worried he would send her away?

"Branwen Argall." The butler nodded and went to turn away when Branwen panicked. "Wait." She said, "Can you also tell him I'm here to apologize. Or at least that I'd like to talk to him about everything?"

She was surprised when the butler smiled. "Why don't you wait in the sitting area and I will go get him." He held the door open and when she stepped inside, he closed the door and led her into a medium sized room filled with antique furnishings and not a speck of dust. She felt like she had entered a room and walked into the seventeenth century. She turned to ask… well she didn't know what she was going to ask, but the butler had already left.

In an effort to stop herself from fidgeting, Branwen walked around the room and looked at the art on the walls. They were all historic and probably very expensive pieces. Then she came to a tall portrait and she knew that the people on the canvas had to be Benjamin and Daphne. They were in their wedding garb and Branwen smiled at how much of both his parents Pogue had in him. His mother's eyes and brown hair and his father's bone structure and piercing hazel eyes.

As she turned from it she saw a photograph on the mantle and walked to the fireplace. It was lit and she hadn't realized how cold she was until the heat reached her. But that was nothing compared to the warmth she felt as she beheld the picture. In a simple gilded frame was a picture of Daphne and Benjamin, hugging, as a young Pogue looked up at them smiling. And sadness hit as she realized she had never once, even in her year of watching him in school, ever seen a smile so true on his face. The pain he must carry…

"Does Caleb know you took Eleanor for a drive?"

Branwen jumped, knocking the picture over but catching it as it fell. She turned to look at Pogue, standing in the doorway and looking sexy as the devil in his worn jeans and plain white t-shirt.

"He told me I could use whatever car in the garage I liked."

"Eleanor was in the garage?" he asked, walking up to her so that he was barely a foot away. His eyes were heavy, probably from sleep if his hair was any indication, and his voice rumbled as he reached towards her. She held her breath but instead of touching her he took the picture from her and reached past her to set it back on the mantle. "Usually he keeps it in the warehouse."

"What?" She gasped, jumping. She hit his arm and his hand knocked the picture again. He caught it, but barely. Picture in hand, he grabbed her shoulders and moved her to the middle of the room before putting the picture on the mantle and stepping away from it slowly. Then he led her out of the room and down the hall. The room he led her into next had much more modern furnishings and a TV. It was on and by the looks of the couch, Branwen would say this is where Pogue had fallen asleep.

"I said, usually Caleb keeps Eleanor in the warehouse with the other collector cars." Pogue repeated as he stood by the door.

His words condemning her, Branwen slumped onto one of the chairs and put her head in her hands. "I'm so screwed." She should have known he wouldn't let anyone drive such amazing cars.

"Why?"

"He said I could drive whatever I found in the garage. I thought that was the garage."

"The size didn't give it away?" Pogue asked.

Branwen glared at him. "Have you seen the size of his house? Your… house? I figured if you have a house that big the garage being larger made sense too."

Pogue looked at her until she looked away. "The Garage only houses five cars and it's where Caleb keeps his mustang and Evelyn keeps her Mercedes. I usually keep my bike in it when I'm there. The warehouse is where they keep all the cars Caleb's dad collected."

"Oh God! He's going to hate me. I totally just took his deceased father's car joy-riding."

Pogue actually smiled a little and it only proved to annoy Branwen more.

"Are you laughing at me? Do you not understand how horrible I feel?"

Rolling his eyes, Pogue slumped down on the couch. "That you feel horrible for? It's a car. It's about time Eleanor got out for a drive."

"First of all," she said, standing up, "I came here to apologize for everything and you are making me feel less and less inclined to do so. And second, it might not just be a car to Caleb."

He looked at her and narrowed his eyes. "Well, A) I think I know Caleb better than you do and how he will react. And B) you're doing a really shitty job of apologizing." He turned back to the TV and picked up the remote, flipping through the channels.

Reaching her limit, Branwen walked over and grabbed the remote before turning off the TV and tossing the remote onto a chair across the room. Pogue glared at her before sitting up and turning to face her. "This what you want? You have my attention."

Branwen's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe he was being such an ass when she had come to apologize. Well he didn't deserve and apology if he was going to act like this. "You're an ass!" she yelled at him before stomping out of the room and down the hall. She reached the end of the hall before she looked around and realized she had no idea which way she was supposed to be going. She turned around and he was standing outside the door she had just exited. As they stood there in their silent stand-off, Pogue leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest.

Branwen watched his muscles flex and was shocked that despite how angry she was, she suddenly wanted to rip his clothes off, throw him on the ground and have her way with him. How could she be so angry and so horny at the same time?

He must have seen something of her thoughts on her face because he stood up straight, letting his arms fall to his sides and his eyes grew dark.

Knowing she had to get away from him before she did something stupid, she saw a stairway she recognized and went to walk past him, but he reached out and grabbed her arm. He looked like he was about to say something when he looked down at her shuffling feet and smiled. "What are those?"

She looked down at her feet and frowned. "Boots."

"Biker boots?"

"Yes. They're one of my favorites. They only survived the fire because they were in my car."

"Do you have a thing for all things biker?"

Branwen narrowed her eyes at him. Was he hitting on her? Here, now? Was he insane? Was she? Because all she wanted to do was smile and say something just as pathetic back. Instead she closed her eyes to regain some sanity. "Pogue,"

But before she could finish, he spun her around, pushed her back against the wall and covered her mouth with his. The tingling erupted instantly and spread down to her stomach as he reached inside her sweater and shirt to grip her waist and pull her closer. His mouth moved over hers in the most delectable way, pulling moans from her without her knowing she'd made them. While one of his hands roamed her back, the other came up to tilt her head back, allowing his searing mouth access to her throat.

Her whole body grew into a tingling, throbbing form that she barely recognized and when his mouth returned to hers she discovered her nails were digging crescents into the flesh of his shoulders. She didn't even remember how they'd gotten under his shirt and up his back. It took every ounce of control she had to pull her mouth away and gasp for breath. "Pogue, stop. We have to stop."

Stopping his ministrations and resting his forehead into the crook of her neck and shoulder, Pogue heaved a heavy sigh. "Why do we have to?" he asked, pressing another hot kiss against her collarbone.

"First, because we are standing in your hall and anyone could walk by."

Pogue looked up and smiled and it was as close as she'd seen to the one in the picture. "There are forty-eight different rooms in this house, take your pick."

And if that offer in his deep and sensually effected voice wasn't temptation, Branwen didn't know what was. "Second," she said, not allowing him to distract her with his words, or the fascinating thing he was doing with his finger against the skin of her stomach, "I didn't come here for this."

"You did say something about that but I haven't heard an apology yet. In all honesty, I would pass it up for more of this." He teased by slipping a finger into the front of her jeans and pulling her closer, if that was even possible.

She sighed as her brain started working again, telling her that there was more than a few reasons she shouldn't be doing what he wanted to do, whether or not a part of her wanted to do it too. "Pogue, I came here to talk with words, not bodies."

He looked her straight in the eyes and smirked. "I've always been better with the bodies, human and automotive."

She had to smile at that. Pogue could be really charming in his own way. But that didn't mean she had to fall into something that would probably never work. "I know that. But I need to apologize, not only for avoiding you and not telling you who I was but also for implying that I didn't feel anything, because if whatever just happened wasn't obvious enough, I do. But I don't want to rush into anything. I have a lot going on in my life and I've been working a long time to get where I am."

"I get that."

"Good, because I want you to understand that when I say I can't get involved right now, it's not because I don't want to or because I'm not attracted to you. I need you to respect that I have been working on getting my Doctorate since I was fifteen and need to follow it through."

"So you're saying you just want to be friends." Pogue sighed, stepping back and running his hands through his hair. The look on his face made her feel like she'd just kicked his puppy.

"No. I mean yes, I would like to be friends, if you'd like to be friends. Maybe one day we can be more." Branwen wasn't sure she believed that, because when they got their Doctorates, Aria and Branwen would be gone. But she had to do something to make Pogue feel better. As stupid as it seemed, she didn't want to hurt him. And she didn't know how to feel after her next words sunk in and she knew they were true. "Pogue, I want you in my life."

She bit her bottom lip as she considered her own feelings and realized she was quickly getting in more trouble than she needed to juggle right now. She got so caught up she didn't notice him until he touched her face and ran his thumb over the lip she was destroying. Her tongue accidentally touched his thumb and it was such a sensual feeling that she almost lost complete control right there.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Going back to her fail-safe method, Branwen put everything she was feeling into a box and locked it until a more appropriate time when she could handle it. "Nothing," she said. "Just worrying. I hope Caleb isn't mad."

"Is that all?" Pogue asked, searching her eyes.

No. Not even close.

Pasting on a smile, Branwen nodded. "Of course."

Pogue nodded. Branwen was pretty sure he didn't believe her. "Okay then." He took her hand in his and led her down a hall she hadn't even noticed. "Lets get you and Eleanor back to Caleb's."