Soul Mates

Summary: From the time they meet to the birth of their child and then on. HM: A New Beginning-Rachel/Neil

A/N: Edit-thanks Gyarii for pointing out the wrong name :)

Chapter Three - Purple Heart

After Ninian had helped with the angry customer and sick cow, she had started letting herself in Neil's house and loved to, more or less, surprise him with a visit. Though Neil would scowl and mutter to himself, both of them knew he didn't mind and welcomed her surprise visits. He even told her how he loved music and played the bass guitar. When she asked if he'd play for her, he laughed slightly and patted her head saying, "It'll take more than just you asking, I can tell you that! Silly!" Ninian had pouted about it all day, eventually to the point where he sighed, long and deep, and then told her maybe one day in the future he'll play for her, which successfully cheered her back up.

It was sunny out as Ninian walked up to Neil's house and let herself in. She nearly crashed into a surprised looking Rod as he was on his way out.

"Rod? Ah, hi! S-Sorry, about that!" Ninian apologized nervously.

Rod laughed waving it off, "Hello, Ninian. Are you here to see Neil too?"

"Y-Yes, I-I wanted to give him th-this." Ninian answered shyly, showing Rod a jug of milk.

Rod raised his eyebrows and ginned knowingly, which Ninian blushed at and then looked down at the floor like she always did when she was nervous or being really shy, and then nodded, "I was walking my dog and dropped in to see him on my route."

"That's nice." Ninian smiled, looking up at him again, thankful that he changed the subject.

Rod grinned again, "Neil's inside the house. I'm going home to pick up something I forgot. See you later."

Ninian nodded, "Nice seeing you today." She said softly.

He waved and left out the door. Ninian looked at the floor again and sighed uneasily. She then walked over towards Neil's room but hearing a dog's sudden bark she looked up in surprise and then as soon as her mind registered the scene, she smiled softly.

Neil had his back to her and was petting and playing with a dog.

"Hey, you're a cutie, aren't you!" Neil cooed. "Rod's just gone to get something he forgot. Don't worry, we'll wait for him to come back together."

The then dog saw Ninian and ran over to her.

"Hey, wait! Hold on!" Neil laughed and turned around.

Ninian quickly hid her smile. Neil looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He blushed and looked embarrassed.

"H-Hey, how long have you been standing there for? You s-surprised me!" He stammered, scowling.

"Hi, Neil." Ninian greeted, "I didn't mean to startle you…" Neil gave her a flat look and she quickly added, "…this time! I swear!"

She laughed nervously. Neil then walked over to stand right in front of Ninian. He crossed his arms to look more intimidating and looked down at her accusingly.

"Fess up, how long have you been standing there?" He demanded, "You didn't see…see any of that, did you?"

Ninian looked nervous for a second but then put on her best innocent look and shook her head no. "I just got here."

Neil glared her down for a few minutes, and just when Ninian thought she was going to crack under pressure, he eased up and uncrossed him arms.

"Good." He said looking relieved. "Forget I said anything."

Ninian nodded and giggled a bit, "Alright, alright! Here this is for you."

Ninian handed Neil the jug of milk. Neil nodded his thanks.

"Rod left me here with his dog. Not for too long, just a little while." Neil said and then looked annoyed. "I've got a lot of over things to do, though! I don't have time for this."

Ninian raised an eyebrow, but her eyes held amusement.

"I fact, I was just about to go and drop his dog back off at Rod's house. Do you want to come along?"

Ninian smiled, "Sure! Why not?"

Neil nodded, "Let's go then." He turned to the dog, "Come on, doggy. We're not leaving you behind."

The dog barked happily and followed Ninian and Neil outside.

….H.M.:.A.N.B.…

Rod shouted in triumph. "There it is!" He exclaimed, "Right, I'd better get back to Neil's place."

Suddenly the door opened, startling Rod a bit. Ninian walked in, followed by his dog and Neil.

"Hey? What are you doing here?" He asked, looking confused and started walking over to the three of them. "I was just about to come back over."

Neil scowled and spoke, "I'm bringing your dog back. A dog needs a master, after all! I can't do you favors all day long!"

Rod looked at Ninian and raised an eyebrow, to which she shrugged back, but Rod saw a bit of amusement shining in her eyes, and looked back at Neil.

"What're talking about?" Rod asked confused. "You're the one who said you'd look after my dog while I came back to get this."

"Enough double talk!" Neil said scowling and stubbornly looked away. "I've no idea what you're talking about! Here's your dog. I'm going home."

Neil turned to face Ninian, "See you later," He said to her and then glanced at Rod and added, "Both of you."

He then turned around and quickly left the house. It was silent for a few seconds before Rod turned back to Ninian.

"What's up with Neil?" He asked her.

Ninian burst into a fit soft giggles.

"When you left, I went over to Neil's room and saw him playing with your dog. He didn't notice me until the dog saw me and ran over to me. Neil then started acting all flustered and demanded me to tell him if I saw anything. Even though I did, I told him that, no, I didn't see anything. He was bit embarrassed, I guess." Ninian explained with amusement still glittering in her eyes.

"You saw him playing with my dog?" Rod laughed a little bit. "I guess he was embarrassed at getting seen."

Ninian hummed in agreement.

"He must know you saw him and came here to hide his embarrassment." Rod said. "He's got a bit of a sharp tough so it can be hard to tell, but he's actually a really kind guy."

Ninian nodded in understanding, "I know he is." She said softly.

Rod looked happy, "I'm glad he's got someone else who understands him now, anyway." Rod grinned, "I know this sounds a little odd coming from me, but I hope you'll be a good friend to Neil."

"Of course!" Ninian said, smiling widely. "I know he's a good guy deep down. I'll just have to work hard to get him to show that more often." She looked determined. "I'll see you later, Rod! Have a good rest of your day!"

Rod grinned and laughed, agreeing completely and bid Ninian a good day as she excitedly ran out of his house.