Alastor approached the front door, still as giddy and chipper as he was this morning. He stopped every few steps to check his breath and make sure that his hair was perfectly in place. In his hands he held a bouquet of Roses, Tulips, Carnations, Orchids, and Peonies. All the flowers that Niffty had recommended he buy, and he hoped that Charlie liked them. Although their beauty paled in comparison to her.

However just as his hand was reaching for the door knob, something occurred to him.

What was he doing? Humming and skipping all about? Buying flowers for Charlie? Constantly worrying about what she would think about his breath and his hair? This wasn't like him at all. In fact he had never once acted like this in his entire life. What was happening to him? Ever since the festival he had been acting so very strange and he didn't have any idea why.

Just then the door was swung open by Charlie, and Alastor found himself instantly looking into her eyes. He was suddenly drowning in a pool of silver and blue, and for once in his life he wanted to go on drowning for a very long time. He got a lump in his throat just looking at her. He's already thinking about the things they could do with just the two of them being all alone here. This frightened him though, because he had never had such thoughts before.

"I thought I saw your car pull up." She said with her usual smile, the one that always sent his heart fluttering. "You're just in time for lunch, I've finished making the sandwiches."

She looked at the bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"Those are lovely." She remarked. "Are they for Beth?"

"No." He said handing them over to her. "Actually they're for you."

"Oh they're beautiful. Thank you." She smelled the fragrant petals and sighed happily. "You know I've always wanted someone to bring me flowers."

"Really? No one has ever given you flowers before?"

"No one."

"I don't believe that." He smirked. "A pretty belle like you, and before today, no one ever brought you flowers."

"It's true." She insisted. "I'll swear to it."

She spun off into the kitchen, singing to herself. Alastor watched her every move and listened to her voice as though he was hypnotized. The poor fellow just couldn't help himself. She was as beautiful as an angel, she had eyes that could be two different colors, she smelled of flowers without using any perfume or specially scented products, and she could sing just as lovely as his mother could. She was everything he ever dreamed of in a woman and more.

"Oh no!" He was so shocked when the realization hit him, that he almost let those two words slip out of his mouth instead of keeping them in his mind. "No...It's not possible...It just isn't."

"You're so sweet." Charlie said.

She placed a peck-like kiss onto his mouth, this made the lump in his throat rise higher and his heart beat turn terribly rapid. Such a reaction to a kiss from her made it impossible for him to deny it any longer. It couldn't have been anymore obvious.

"I'm falling in love." He unconsciously whispered out loud.

"What was that?" Charlie asked as she searched for a vase to put the flowers in.

"Uh...I said I'm feeling very hungry!" He fibbed. "Thank you for having lunch all ready."

"You're welcome." She said. "But I hope I made yours just the way you like it. I know making sandwiches is easy enough, but I've heard people in restaurants made so many complaints about their sandwiches not being just right."

"Don't worry about me Charlie, I'm not so picky. At least not in the sandwich department." He assured her. "I'll join you at the table in just a moment, I need to wash up first."

He went into the bathroom and turned on the sink's faucet, but he didn't wash his hands. Instead he just splashed water into his face, trying to make sense of what was happening here.

"This is ridiculous." He said to himself. "I can't be falling love. I don't want to fall in love. Falling in love leads to stupid decisions and someone like me can't afford that."

In a way, he had a point. A lot of people have done foolish and sometimes immoral things in the name of love. He recalled how one mad man from his hometown actually killed somebody for the psychotic love he felt for a woman. Although his mother had often told him that in cases like that, there was no real love at all.

"Sweetheart what that man felt wasn't love, it was obsession." She had said. "There's a big difference, but I will admit that folks tend to get the two mixed up."

"Well what's the difference?" He had asked her. "Both can cloud a person's judgment, both can cause a person to feel a pain that never heals, and both can drive a person to sheer madness. Is there really any difference at all?"

"Yes there are plenty of differences. For starters, when you love someone you can't lie or deceive them. At least not very well and if you somehow get away with it, you feel absolutely guilty about it. You can never abandon someone you love when they really need you. The instant you sense that they're in trouble, nothing in the world can stop you from rushing to their side. But I think the biggest difference of all is that love, true love, requires sacrifice."

"Sacrifice?"

"When you love someone you can't afford to be selfish. Your needs, your wants, even your own life, you'd be more than willing to give any of them up for the sake of a person you love."

"Well I know that I wouldn't hesitate to give up anything for you or Beth. But I can't see myself doing that for anyone else."

"That's because at the moment your sister and I are the only people you love. But someday you might change your mind." She had sighed in a bittersweet tone. "I sacrificed so much for your father and he in turn made the greatest sacrifice of all for you and me."

"What do you mean? He died in a ship bombing."

"Yes but that happened because he continued to serve in the navy and men like that, they risk their very lives to ensure that their friends and families, the people they love, can continue to live safe and free lives here in America. The love they have is more deep and true than anyone on earth."

But Alastor always believed that his mother was the one who had love that was the most deep and true than anyone else's. Because in the end, she gave her very life to protect her children. Nothing could be greater than that in his opinion. However he didn't know if he could actually love Charlie that much. So much so that he'd give up anything for her. What if he had been asked to give up Beth for her? He couldn't do that. He couldn't give his sister up for any reason or for any person. And if Beth would always come first then, his heart couldn't allow room for anyone else.

"This isn't love." He insisted. "Not yet. I have to be impartial. Treat her as I would treat any other woman in my life. I need to set some boundaries before this gets out of hand. Tomorrow, I'll take Charlie aside and tell her that there can't be anymore of this kissing or touching. We're just two friends and nothing more."

Distancing himself from her wouldn't be so difficult. After all, Alastor was fairly used to not getting what he wanted and he accepted it. And yet for a moment, he couldn't help but wonder if that was only because he had never wanted anything too badly. If it was because he had never wanted anything or anyone the way he wanted Charlie. He could deny it all he wished, but he wanted her. She was all he ever wanted, all he ever longed for, and somehow he had the strangest feeling that he had spent so many years looking for her. But what sense did that make? How could you spend your entire life looking for someone and not even know it? It was utter nonsense.

But was love something that even made sense?