Claire sat at her desk, typing away on her latest report. She couldn't concentrate; thinking back to how abruptly she left the hospital. If she hadn't have gotten that phone call from HQ, she would have had to continue waiting there with the new tension between her and Piers. "Why does he have to be so difficult?" Her feelings were running haywire, leaving her to question which direction she should take. "I wish life wasn't so complicated..." Unfortunately that was a sentence that she tended to repeat over and over again. She sank down in her chair, depressed. "Ugh! I can't stand this!"

"Can't stand what?"A voice responded to her from behind the front door. Claire jumped in fright, but calmed down when she recognized who it was.

"Piers? What are you doing here?" She had made her way to the door, putting her back against it.

"I'm not here to yell at you or anything if that's what your thinking. I just wanted to see you." She stood there, unable to decided whether or not to allow him entry. After a few minutes of silence pasted, Piers spoke again. "Claire! Please, for the love of God let me in! It's pouring out here!"

"Oh!" She quickly opened the door, pulling Piers out of the downpour. "You could have said something sooner! I didn't know it was raining." Claire expected him to respond to her in anger, but instead he smiled at her, flashing his brilliant teeth at her.

"I'm glad you didn't leave me out there." As he spoke, he pulled her to him, locking her in an embrace. "I just wanted to see your face. I can't explain it well, but I just wanted to hold you. That's not weird, right?" He pulled her away to stare at her, trying to read her face. She turned away from him to hide the fact that she was blushing. Being so close to him made her heart race to the point where she thought it was going to jump right out of her chest. He asked her a question, but she didn't hear it. Her brain had seemed to stop working momentarily, causing all of her reactions to be delayed.

"What did you say?" She was completely bewildered by the whole situation, unable to get a grasp on what was reality. He laughed softly before repeating himself.

"I asked if I could get a towel. I don't like dripping water all over the floor." She looked down at the puddle that was starting to form where he was standing. A switch went off in her mind and without a word, she went straight to the bathroom to retrieve some towels. When she came back, dressed in a different pair of clothes, she began drying off the floor. Piers took the towel she handed him, drying himself off.

"Here, let me help." She took the towel from him, helping him dry off his hair. He grabbed her hands, gazing passionately into her eyes. Before Claire could do anything, Piers swept her into his arms, whispering in her ear.

"I want to show you all the things I want to do with you." He laid her on the couch, kissing her repeatedly. His hands moved up her sides and across her stomach, leaving behind a trail of heat from where his hands had touched her. He pulled back, stopping in the middle of what he was doing to look her dead in the eyes. "Why won't you give me a chance? I really do like you Claire." She could tell by the intensity in his eyes that he was telling the truth. She just shook her head, not even able to look him in the eyes.

"I'm just to old for you. I mean your like, what, in your early twenties? I'm thirty for crying out loud! There is an eight to nine year age difference between us!" She still refused to look at him even as she talked.

"I know it's a cliche thing to say, but age is just a number. I like you for you. The strong willed, smart, devious, seductive woman I met months ago. Our age difference means nothing." He gently brushed her cheeks with his hands, bringing her face up to his. "I want to know everything about you. I want you to confide in me and show me the sides of you that you wouldn't dare show anyone else. I want to be your best friend, your partner." He trailed off, his eyes looking distant. "If all your going to do is make excuses of why we can't date, then it seems I've wasted my time coming here." He got up, stepping over all the water he trailed in on his way to the door.

"Don't go. I want you to stay." She came up right behind him and held her had firmly on the door to block his exit. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh? So you want me to spend the night?" He winked at her and smiled. He felt his playful nature surface.

"Yea, I kinda do. So? What of it?" Claire's sudden boldness surprised him. He turned around to face her, and was met with a forceful kiss. She pushed him against the door, trapping him, making it impossible for him to escape.

"I never said I didn't want to date you. I just wanted you to know all your options before you decided it was a good idea to ask me out."

"Noted. So then what do you say? Do you want to date me?" They both sat there, locked in a stare down. It lasted for what seemed like forever. After a while, he could tell that she was just purposely prolonging his anxiety.

"Yes, I think I will take you up on your offer." She smiled at him warmly. In reply, he kissed her gently, moving his lips slowly across hers. He bit playfully at her lip, pulling away for her to smile.

"That's the answer I was hoping for. I just want to warn you ahead of time, your not going to get any sleep tonight."