She shouldn't be surprised that Aaron had noticed her exhaustion, as he was very observant. She watched him go into the house for just a minute before she got to work. She gave orders to the under gardeners that were there and then worked on her own project. She was so lost in what she was doing she didn't realize how fast time was passing.

There was suddenly a cough behind her and she looked up.

"Derek what are you doing here?" Norah asked blinking in astonishment at her friend's appearance.

"Aaron wants you to join him for lunch in the kitchen," Derek gave her the message he had been told to deliver.

"Surely it can't be lunchtime already," Norah questioned, then looked at the position of the sun and realized she was covered in sweat, as it had gotten quite hot while she had been absorbed. "Yeah, I guess it can be. I had no idea that it was this late."

"You seemed rather distracted," Derek suggested.

"Not distracted so much as absorbed," Norah said. "Sometimes when I'm particularly involved I lose track of time."

"Like what happened this time," Derek said with a teasing smile.

"Well, when you really enjoy your work the time does seem to pass faster," Norah returned Derek's gentle barb with a smile.

"That's true," Derek agreed. "Can I escort you my lady?"

"I need to visit the bathroom first so I can freshen up," Norah said. "I'd like to at least get most of this sweat off me."

"A good idea," Derek said. "I'll escort you to the nearest restroom so you can freshen up first."

"Oh no, I'll just use the one provided for employees," Norah protested.

"I would think you would know better than to protest by now," Derek told her half seriously.

"But I don't want to mess up one of Aaron nice bathrooms, with the dirt and debris that's on my clothes and in my hair."

"Norah that's what cleaning droids are for," Derek told her rolling his eyes, as normally, Norah was more sensible than she was being at the moment. "Besides, that's what bathrooms are for to be used and gotten dirty. I mean, seriously, you usually have more sense then you're showing at the moment."

"I didn't think of that," Norah said sheepishly. "I suppose, I feel like I'm intruding into Aaron's private space, as other than that first interview you know I've never been into the house and I didn't really see much of it when I was there."

"Alright, I can understand why you feel like that," Derek said, even as he helped Norah to her feet, as one of her legs had fallen asleep and was all tingles. "But I promise you Aaron won't care. He's hoping to make you his wife and if he hasn't made that fact plain by now then you're not as smart as I thought you were."

"He has," Norah said, even as she walked out the tingling in her leg with Derek's support. "I suppose I could get used to living in such an in enormous house if we do marry."

"It took me awhile to get used to it to," Derek told her. "I started working for Aaron right after college and I remember it taking me nearly 2 years to really get used to living in what I considered more a mansion than a house."

"Yes, that's exactly what I consider it too," Norah laughed. "I've never seen a house so big, even though I knew they existed. I remember thinking that the first time I was driving up the rather long driveway that this place wasn't just a house it was a mansion. It was certainly the biggest place I had ever seen. Now, I've seen other houses this size just driving to work every day, but I suppose it's all a matter of status."

"Not entirely, not for Aaron at least," Derek said. "It's mostly about privacy for Aaron, not status. In other neighborhoods, those that don't have the kind of wealth that this one boasts, he would be constantly hounded the minute he stepped outside, not necessarily by his neighbors either, but by people who learned where he lived and wanted to have a word for whatever reason. He'd need a whole security team, instead of just me and of course some droids as back up. In this neighborhood, well, somebody would call the cops if they saw anybody suspicious lurking. Someone hanging outside one of the gates of one of the estates for instance and of course, they'd likely be caught on camera. The security around here is as good as it gets and they're very few blind spots."

"Someone would have to know exactly where they were," Norah said in understanding.

"And it's not exactly the type of information you can get it on the internet, though I won't say it's impossible," Derek added. "A good enough hacker can certainly locate a blueprint."

"But hackers that good aren't that thick on the ground," Norah said.

"Oh, they're plenty of people out there with good computer skills, they just don't become hackers," Derek shrugged. "They either don't have the interest or they're too honest. Here is the bathroom. Why don't you take a few minutes to wash up while I let Aaron know we're on our way."

Norah entered the bathroom, which was large and very opulent. It was decorated with the blue and white marble tiles, instead of ceramic. The counter where the sink was, was also marble, but blue, shot through with veins of white. There was no shower or tub, as this was only a half bath, meant for guests. Norah looked at the toilet and decided she'd better go before she ate lunch with Aaron. The toilet was pristine, and cleaner than the one in her own apartment, as the ceramic just gleamed. Norah decided she better clean herself up as best she could. She exited the bathroom 10 minutes later.

"The bathroom kind of impressive," Norah said. "It's at least double the size of ones I've seen before and all that marble is lovely."

"You tell Aaron you think so, as he'll appreciate the compliment. He designed most of this place himself. Not that he didn't take the contractors advice, just that most of the interior was his ideas.

"Well, I never knew he knew how to decorate," Norah said, as she looked around intently as they walked towards the kitchen.

"It is an impressive place," Derek agreed, as he watched Norah's enjoyment of the décor. "By the way, you certainly cleanup well."

"Thank you, Derek," Norah flushed. "Luckily, it wasn't mud just a little dirt and a lot of sweat, so it came off relatively easily. Mud would've been much harder to remove until my clothes had been throughly washed. I might have gotten some of the stains out but most of them likely would've stuck until they were put in the cleaning unit. So do you think I look presentable?"

"Aaron won't care," Derek reminded Norah. "But yes, you look pretty good considering you've been out playing in the dirt and also in the sun."

"I do need a shower, but I can take one of those when I get home," Norah said. "Aaron is the most unusual man I've ever met."

"He would take that as a compliment, I promise," Derek said with a laugh, as they arrived at their destination. "I'll leave you now, but you can call me if you need help getting back to the garden."

"Thanks Derek, you're a very good friend," Norah said.

"Why thank you Ms. Norah I'll take that as a compliment," Derek said smiling.

"You should," Norah told him mock severely before she pushed the door to the kitchen open and walked through.

~~~Aaron and Norah~~~

"Good afternoon Aaron," Norah said as soon as she walked through the kitchen door

"Good afternoon Norah," Aaron said getting to his feet as soon as Norah had entered the kitchen. "You look lovely."

"And I think you're blind," Norah told him looking down at her jeans and her white shirt. She had worn white, because she knew that it was supposed to be really hot today, and white was better than wearing dark colors. Dark colors were supposed to absorb the heat while lighter ones were supposed to reflect it and while she had gotten rid of the dirt stains, that didn't mean that her shirt was pristine. It might not have any dirt or manure stains, but it was still covered in wet spots from sweat. "I've been working out in the hot garden ever since early this morning my shirt is covered in sweat stains and so are my jeans."

"You'd look lovely, even if you were wearing a gunny sack," Aaron told her smiling.

Norah blushed at the sincerity of Aaron's words. Aaron Hotchner was very good for a girl's ego

"Let's just enjoy lunch, shall we?" Aaron suggested.

Norah surveyed the table and noticed the large spread of food. There were many delicacies she had heard about but never had.

"It all looks scrumptious," Norah said.

She spoke nothing but the absolute truth, as the spread of food did indeed look and smell scrumptious, though there was certainly more than she and Aaron alone could possibly eat.

"So what would you like to try first?" Aaron asked as soon as he had pulled Norah's chairs out and watched her sit before pushing it back closer to the table.

Norah picked up a toast point off one of the platters, that was piled high with looked like tiny pieces of chicken, with celery and carrots somewhere in the mixture.

"I think I'll start with this," Norah said, as she took a tiny bite. Flavors exploded over her tongue.

"Like it, hm?" Aaron asked dryly, as he watched Norah's expressive face go through several different transformations. From delight to pleasure, to happiness.

"It's great," Norah said once she had swallowed. "What the heck is this?"

"Its just chicken, with carrots, celery and onions with mayonnaise. Think of it as a kind of fancy chicken salad on toast."

"Well, whatever it is it's great," Norah said, as she took another toast point from the platter.

"Remember you have other things to try," Aaron reminded her. "Don't fill up on the chicken salad."

"You're right," Norah sighed in regret, as she finished off her second toast point.

"Don't worry you can have them again," Aaron told her with a smile.

"So what's your favorite?" Norah asked.

"Oh, I like everything on the table," Aaron said, "So I don't really have just one personal favorite."

"So is there something if you like more than others," Norah asked.

"Try this one," Aaron suggested, pushing a plate towards Norah.

Norah used the serving fork that was on the side of the dish and took just a little bit and put it on her plate. She then used her on fork to take a tiny bite.

"This ones really good to," Norah said once she had chewed and swallowed.

"I forgot to ask is there anything you're allergic too?"

"Foodwise?" Norah asked and Aaron nodded. "Not that I know of. In fact, I'm not allergic to anything, not that I'm aware of anyway."

"That's good," Aaron said.

"I'm definitely glad I'm not allergic to pollen or I doubt very much I ever would have chosen to be a horticulturalist," Norah said.

"Now that definitely wouldn't be the right career for you if you were allergic to something like pollen or bees."

"Or anything that stings," Norah said in agreement. "I know having an allergy to pollen is quite common but I'm certainly glad that's one trait I didn't get."

"You just got the luck of the lottery when you were born, as you have no known allergies," Aaron said.

"Well, I'm just grateful I don't," Norah said, even as she selected another item to sample. "I got very lucky considering that my father has terrible allergies."

"You must of gotten your trait from your mother then," Aaron said.

"That's what I always figured," Norah agreed.

The two of them ate, even as they chatted and Aaron took pleasure in Norah's enjoyment of the food. Norah definitely wasn't a picky eater like so many people, as she was always willing to try something at least once.

"So no caviar on toast points?" Norah questioned with a teasing smile.

"If you want to try that I can arrange it, but I've never been to fond of caviar if you want to know the truth," Aaron said.

"No, that's okay," Norah said making a face. "I was just wondering why there wasn't any caviar. I thought that's what rich people ate."

"Many do," Aaron said, "But not every wealthy person on the planet is the same, just like not every middle class person is the same. We all have different tastes, in clothes and food and many other things."

"I know that. I was kind of just teasing you," Norah admitted with a smile. "That doesn't mean I wasn't curious, as to why there was no caviar, just that I was mostly joking. I don't think I ever want to try fish eggs thank you."

"And here I thought you were willing to try anything at least once," Aaron teased her with a smile.

"If you want me to try something don't tell me what's in it until after I've already determined whether I like it or not," Norah told him seriously. "Normal things I can handle, chicken beef, pork, ham, but things like frog legs or fish eggs forget it."

"I'm exactly the same way," Aaron said laughing. "I would say that's another point of commonality that we share. I don't mind trying something exotic at least once, just don't tell me what's in it until after I know if I like it. I've tried a lot of exotic food, and while I like a lot of it things there were some things I never want to try again."

"Have you ever been to a country that consider bugs a delicacy?" Norah asked curiously.

"Yeah, I have, but that doesn't mean I've eaten any," Aaron shuddered. "I'm all for trying new things, but there are some things I never want too put in my mouth thank you. I know I can be rather broad minded when it comes to my food choices, but if you ask me there are some thing they're not fit for human consumption."

"I have to agree," Norah said. "On the other hand, sometimes it's a matter of survival, particularly in places like Africa. Some bugs are supposed to be high in certain proteins that are vital to humans, though that still doesn't mean I ever want to try any."

"Neither do I and luckily, we both live in United States of America, where food is plentiful and neither one of us is exactly poor," Aaron agreed.

"I suppose I had better get back to work," Norah said reluctantly. "I'm stuffed as I usually don't eat this much for lunch. Now, all I want to do is take a nap."

"I can't blame you there as I feel the same," Aaron said. "I know it is a boiling outside, so it's no wonder you want to sleep, as between the heat and a very full stomach..."

"And the fact I've been working outside all morning before the heat got so bad, doesn't help," Norah agreed with a wide yawn. "I think I'll just go home. I've accomplished about all I'm going to accomplish today anyway."

"I can understand why you mostly come in the early morning, particularly in hot weather," Aaron said. "My former head gardener did exactly the same thing. He came in when it was cool and then left once it started to get hot and of course, in cooler whether he came in late in the afternoon, once it had warmed up a little. It's one reason that gardeners that work for people like me have no set hours, as that kind of job isn't 9 to 5.

"There just isn't as much to do in cold weather," Norah said. "I hate to leave Aaron, but I'm so sleepy right now that I'm barely keeping my eyes open. I just hate to be a party pooper."

"Why don't you take a nap in one of the guestrooms?" Aaron suggested. "I would hate to see you have an accident on the way home just because you're so sleepy."

"That's what the autopilot is for," Norah reminded Aaron.

Aaron shot her his best puppy dog look and Norah immediately fell under its power.

"Alright, fine, but I'm going to take a shower first if you don't mind. I would hate to get your sheets dirty just because I'm covered in sweat."

"I can provide you with a set of clean clothes, thought they might not be an exact fit," Aaron said. "We keep a few changes of clothes on hand for possible guests, that stay overnight for whatever reason and they don't happen to have an overnight bag with them."

"That sounds really good actually," Norah said not even blinking at Aaron's explanation. She just figured that was the way that the wealthy did things. That keeping clothes for possible overnight guests was just normal for someone of Aaron's social position.

"It's also in case a guest gets something on their outfit when they stay for dinner or lunch," Aaron added after he saw that Norah had accepted his explanation. "In that case, they are not going to have an overnight bag. Ladies in particular hate to get something on their shirt or their dress, particularly if it's something like silk."

"It's not like they can't afford a whole department store, so why worry about a few stains that aren't likely to come out?" Norah snorted cynically.

"Many ladies put a lot into their appearances. They have to look perfect, no wrinkles, no stains, no messed up or running makeup, their hair perfect," Aaron shrugged. "And that's just not high society ladies either."

Norah had to agree that Aaron was right. She had never been like that, but a lot of ladies were always concerned about their appearance and not just those that were wealthy.

"By the way, you're hardly a party pooper. Your body knows when you need to rest and with having a full stomach it's a natural reaction for most people to get sleepy. You've also been working hard out in the heat," Aaron told her. "Now come with me and I'll take you someplace that you can take a quick shower and then just climb into bed. Stay all night if you like, you can always go back to your apartment tomorrow to change clothes."

"Thanks Aaron. You're one of the nicest most understanding men I have ever met," Norah said as Aaron led her up a flight of stairs and down several hallways, before opening the door to a large suite. "A nightgown will be waiting on you when you get out of the shower," Aaron said. "Your clothes will be washed while you're sleep and that way you can wear your own clothes home."

Norah nodded still looking half-asleep, so Aaron shut the door very softly.

Norah gazed around the room and saw what she assumed was the bathroom door and headed straight for it taking her clothes off along the way. The bathroom was luxurious, Norah vaguely noticed, even as she ordered the shower to turn on and the temperature she wanted. The shower turned on obligingly and reached the temperature she had told it within seconds.

Well, it's rather nice to have a shower that actually works like it's supposed too, Norah thought to herself.

Her own shower often sputtered before coming on at all and when it did it was often just a trickle of water. The shower at her apartment was one reason she was anxious to move to somewhere better, somewhere the shower worked like it was supposed to. The building manager had tried to fix it and had failed. A plumber had even been called. The building she was living in was ancient and the owners really needed to renovate, but they weren't about to do so, as they were cheapskates of the highest order.

Thank God, Aaron wasn't like that or she would never agree to date him or would dump him as soon as she learned about his penny-pinching tendencies. No, Aaron was totally different from the owners of her apartment building. It wasn't even that she needed to be spoiled, just that the kind of man would complain about every penny spent. If they needed the sink fixed, because of a leak the man in question would no doubt complain about the expense, if their child needed braces then whatever man she was married to would probably complain about the money involved, especially if insurance didn't cover it and a lot of times it didn't depending on what type of insurance a person had.

She never wanted to get involved with a penny pincher, especially not if they had plenty of money in the bank.

Norah took a quick shower, which cleared her head, though she was still tired. She know this surge of energy she was getting wouldn't last, so she used the toilet and then went directly to the bedroom. Norah slipped on the nightgown that had been supplied over her naked body and looked at the huge bed like it was a small piece of heaven and immediately climbed in.

Norah sighed and knew instantly that this was the most comfortable bed she had ever been in, as the mattress seemed to encase her body to make her as comfortable as possible. Thanks to the warmth of the room, the steamy shower and the very comfortable mattress Norah was asleep nearly immediately.

~~~Aaron and Norah~~~