The day after his and Patric's date Jason found himself at Sophie's place enjoying a home cooked meal prepared lovingly by his friend. Meatloaf and potatoes, yum. She had just brought two platefuls and set them down on the table for them to enjoy. They sat at the little oak table and began to eat.

"So, how was your date?" Sophie asked with simmering curiosity. She had been dying to ask that question ever since Jason arrived at her house, but had tried to be tactful and waited a little bit before breathing down his neck and playing Twenty Questions. The time for tact was now over.

"He's just so good," was Jason's almost whined reply.

"And that's a bad thing?"

Jason chose his next words carefully, aware that he was going to be silently judged by his friend no matter what he said. "No. Not bad. Different. Refreshing," he hesitated before deciding to voice his innermost feelings about Patric to Sophie. "We've only been on one date but I feel, Christ, I feel like I might, maybe, kind of love him."

Sophie placed he fork down on the table and folded her hands, resting her head on them and fixed Jason with a look. For some reason, he had the distinct feeling he was being psychoanalyzed. "That's not so weird," she commented.

At Jay's disbelieving look she expanded on her thoughts. "Sure, you've only been on one date, but you've known of each other way longer. And, hey, you've already lived with the guy," she reasoned.

He words sounded logical and Jay really wanted to believe them but he still argued the point, "But you're not supposed to fall in love with someone that fast."

"Who says?"

                                                         ~GP~

Patric was out with his sister Mia for the first time since they took his bracelet off. He had decided he wanted to hang down at the park and they were both sitting on the old rickety swings. As Patric kicked his legs lazily back and forth the chains on the swings groaned in protest.

"I called your house last night," Mia began subtly bringing up the fact that he wasn't home.

"Did you?" Patric asked all innocently, even though he had seen the message from Russell that his sister had, in fact, called the day before.

"You weren't home," she stated the obvious. Although to Patric's trained ears it sounded more like Mia's way of saying: "Bitch, where were you?"

"No, I wasn't," Patric happily agreed. If she wanted to spend their time together pointing out the obvious, who was he to stop her?

"Why not?" she hissed angrily kicking at his swinging feet and causing him to fall off of his precious swing. As Patric pouted on the ground Mia asked, "Didn't the cop guy tell you to lay low?"

Patric stood up and brushed the dirt off of his pants before hopping back on his swing. "Yes he did," and his sister was about to go off on him until he added, "but 'cop guy' was with me."

"Huh?" Ahh, that was so like Mia. Always articulate, practically spewing sonnets every time she opened her mouth.

"We went on a date!" Patric informed with glee.

"I thought he hated you," Mia said flatly.

Great, he finally went on a date with someone new and Mia didn't believe him. Patric's smile only grew. "You know, I don't think he does."

"Obviously not. Do you like him?"

Patric had to bite back a retort of how dumb that question was. Of course he liked Jay. If he didn't like the man in some way, he wouldn't have agreed to go out with him in the first place. "Very much."

"Ooh, it must be pretty serious," Mia teased from her swing.

Heart fluttering excitedly, Patric breathed out what he had scarcely hoped, since finding out Jay liked him, "I think it could be."