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((POOOOSSSSTTSSS!!!! biggrin !!!!))

Talen snorted with laughter. "I think she's joking." He told Abel. "Or maybe she's being serious. I dunno. She's a strange girl." He laughed.

"I'M COMING FOR YOU, ABEL!" She shouted. "BRACE YOURSELF!" She slid a little in the snow and laughed to herself. "I should have worn better shoes." She said mostly to herself, running more carefully. "Ah!" She exclaimed, putting her arms over her head as Abel pelted her. Talen followed suit.

"THE BEAST!" He shouted.

Leah laughed. "Jerks!" She cried and pelted them in return with what snowballs she had. "Calling a lady a BEAST! That's so RUDE!" She turned to chase after Abel, slipping and sliding, but just at his heels.

Talen laughed. "She's after you NOW, man. I feel sorry for YOU."

Leah wriggled her fingers. "I NEVER SURRENDER!" She laughed up at him on the bench and then threw her arms around his knees, not truly aware of what she was going to do now that she had him, but was pleased just for the fact she had caught him. However, she blinked at the sudden chill in the air. She shivered, watched her breath fog up and released Abel. "It got really cold." She said, smiling while her teeth chattered.

Talen seemed rather tense all of a sudden. He jogged over to stand by his friends. "Maybe we should head back, huh?"

((LALALALALA.))

Alice smiled at Gabriel's response about missing David. "You should come by more." She said. "He'd like that." She nodded and moved over to a computer she had in the kitchen where she'd pulled up a recipe to print off.

"That makes two of us." Alice said and laughed. "But maybe if both of us are terrible enough it will turn out alright! Sort of how two negatives make a positive." She shook her head at her own logic and grabbed the recipe that had just finished printing. She stopped briefly and cast Gabriel a look and seemed to want to say something. She chewed on her lips briefly and seemed inclined to say what it was on her mind, but she stopped and turned away, rummaging about in a cupboard.

It was at this point David returned with a stuffed bear. "FOUND HIM." he said.

"Good." Alice said, laughing. "Then we can really start." She pulled out some things to cook with and pushed some eggs at Gabriel. "You can crack those, can't you?"

((Lalalalalala LALALALA....!!!))

((YOU'RE AVATAR IS SCARY. SCAAAAAAARY.... I'm gunna post now.))

Leah looked a little disappointed that they had to leave. She bit her lips and furrowed her brow. "Alright." She said and shook her head at his apology. "I had a good time." She said sincerely, smiling just slightly.

Talen grinned at her. "Good. We can do it again sometime, huh?"

Leah brightened at this and then plodded through the snow after Abel's heels. Talen picked up the pace behind her. Both of them looked at the broken lamp when it was mentioned and Leah instead moved beside Abel and drew close, Talen at her elbow.

"I'm probably too old to be afraid of the dark." She said, laughing a little.

Talen snorted. "Yeah. A little." Leah gave him a look and he just pat her on the head. "Let's get our cold, wet asses home."

((HOOOMREEEEE... yeah. AND ALRIGHT. YOU'RE THE BOSS.))

"My bear wouldn't get grumpy." David insisted. "He is a friendly bear... except when he wants to be mean!" And he roared, baring his fingers like claws. And then he was laughing at Gabe. "PFT! He can't crack eggs!"

Alice smiled at David. "Nope. I guess not... wait... no, he can." She punched the tall man in the shoulder. "Good boy. Maybe we'll keep you after all." And with that she went about doing what else she needed to make the cake.

"When is Abel getting back?" She wondered. "I don't want him to see until tomorrow."

((THEEEEERE... YOU CAN TAKE THEM HOME. I GOT THEM TO THE PARK. So there XD))

((Hahahaha. It was my friend's sweet sixteen. So we played like all day, went out to eat, saw a movie (Brothers...for the second time), and then went over to our friend's house and just talked until literally, six in the morning. It was wonderful.

And I am just now waking up.

Oh, and yes, it is scary. Haha, I love it.))

Abel looked down at Leah when she drew closer and he smiled reassuringly to her. "No. No one's too old to be afraid of things. Especially the dark. It's natural, I think." He put a hand on her shoulder and nodded. "Everyone's afraid of something." Glancing at Talen he laughed a little. "Yeah...we should go over to Mei's, give your sister a break from us. And I can cook you two dinner!" He exclaimed happily, a little skip in his step. "We can stop by the store and get some food."

And so they did. Abel ended up buying a little more than just food for one night, knowing Mei's fridge was bare and stark. He bought the essentials, somethings for meals for the next week, and a few other things he saw that he had to get because they were just so amazing and unbelievable in his eyes.

When they got to Mei's house, which fortunately wasn't too far a walk away from the store, Abel was able to manage opening the front door, even though it was locked. Hades and Hercules came barreling out from the kitchen, nails skittering on the tile as she ran over to their visitors, barking excitedly.

Abel laughed when they both jumped on his legs, panting, tails wagging, and happiness quite obvious. He gently pushed them down and moved to the kitchen, placing the bags down, his being the heaviest after arguing with Talen who was carrying the jugs of liquid and canned foods. He had let Talen take them, knowing eventually Abel would end up carrying them instead.

He waved Talen and Leah in, Hercules and Hades, wagging their tails and running excitedly around them. "I guess Yanmei isn't home yet...we can just save some dinner for her when she gets home."

((Now let's cook!...I'm hungry... And GIRL I am not the boss! You can make whatever the heck you want to happen too! Seriously! Do what you want, you don't have to wait for me to do things you know. Haha.))

Gabriel smirked at David and Alice and gave a shrug. "I used to crack eggs for a living. I've got egg cracking hands you know. Very sensitive and delicate." He wiggled his long fingers, laughing a little. At Alice's question he rubbed his chin and looked up.

"I bet you he's going to go to Mei's house, because he usually avoids me at all costs when he's with other people. And he probably has the mindset to leave you alone, probably thinks you need your alone time." He gave her a smile and leaned up against the counter.

After a few minutes of quiet he looked down to David and raised his brows. "Don't you have to be taking a bath or something? It's getting late, kid." He pointed to his slick expensive looking watch on his wrist and nodded. Looking back at Alice he added, "If you want me to make sure he washes up, I can, while you slave in the kitchen like the woman always should. Especially with the man coming home soon. He DOES bring home the bacon. A majority of it anyhow." He said, all with a playful tone of voice, not really meaning any of the words he said, except for the fact he'd help with David.

((Well you BETTER do what you want!))

Abel laughed a little as Talen said Leah was naive before walking away. "Well. I'm making beef sauerbrauten with potato dumplings, red cabbage, and green beans. It's a German recipe my mom made whenever she'd cook dinner. It's really good." He said with a smile as he put water into a pot and put it on the stove so it would start to boil. He arranged everything he needed to start warming up and looked back at Leah.

"If you want to help, you could start peeling some potatoes. But make sure to get all the skin and brown spots off." He put some potatoes in front of her and handed her a knife. "Be careful...I don't want you to cut yourself or something." He said with a concerned look, eying the knife as if thinking of taking it away from her. It seemed to take him a lot of effort to walk away and check on the water.

As he pulled out the beef round roast and started to clean it off in the sink. Hercules and Hades had made themselves comfortable on the floor, waiting expectantly for any food to drop. Abel glanced over at Leah and then back at the sink.

"So what is your job? I'm guessing you have a job." He looked over at her again. "I mean...if you don't...that's okay too. Sometimes it's hard to find one." He laughed nervously and pulled the roast into a large pan. "I'm sorry, you don't have to answer. I just want to get to know you better." He paused and looked down again. "Uh...you know...because we only met a few hours ago." Laughing again he put the roast into the oven.

((Awww he's kind of nervous. Hahaha.))

Gabriel shook his head at David. "It's GETTING late. Anyways. Who doesn't like baths? I love taking baths. I read in the bath. Sometimes I even sleep in the bath. Maybe it's because I'm old." He said with a laugh and rubbed David's hair around playfully.

He looked over at Alice and nodded. "Told you." When he was punched he gasped and looked at her with mock pain. "That HURT." He raised his brows as Alice and David bargained with each other. When David grabbed his hand he smirked over at Alice. "I really wish this kid was mine." He laughed a little, even though he seriously meant it, and then allowed David to pull him away, stumbling slightly. "You should learn to control your strength. I almost fell." He joked before grabbing the boy and throwing him over his shoulder.

"Away to the bath with ye."

Abel looked up from his position at the stove, mixing together some ingredients. When she said he made her laugh he smiled a bit and rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh..." He was going to say something more, but he had forgotten exactly what it was. Fortunately she continued talking, allowing him to remain quiet.

"I kind of guessed that's what you did. But sometimes I can be wrong about assumptions." He turned down the heat on the stove and moved over to the cabbage. "I don't think people are smarter or better than others. There's just different types. People are equally smart, but in other areas." He took out a large cutting knife and was about to start chopping the cabbage until Leah cut herself.

Looking at her finger he quickly pulled out a band-aide from his pocket, having them with him at all times. He laughed a little as she began to guess what his job was. He unwrapped the band-aide as she guessed. "I guess I should be flattered." He began, slowly taking her hand away from her mouth. "I don't have a job." He smiled weakly as he examined her finger. Carefully, he placed the small band-aide onto the cut and wrapped the sticky part over the finger. "I used to want to be a doctor. My dad was a doctor. But then I saw how much blood and stuff you have to deal with, and I knew I'd probably pass out or throw up if I had to do that." He was still looking at her hand, avoiding eye contact.

"Then I decided I wanted to be a musician, since my dad played a lot of instruments. But I didn't learn very fast. After that I was determined to become an artist. But after I tried painting, I decided it was way too messy. I almost gave my mom...and myself...a panic attack when I accidentally got black paint everywhere. That was when I thought the only possible thing I could ever be good at was being a homeless person. There was actually a time when I went out for a few days on my own. But I got really sick and I hated being dirty, so I went back home." It was at that moment that he realized he still had her hand in his. He quickly dropped it and turned around, chopping the cabbage.

"Yeah...uh...so nothing really ever fit. But now I don't have to worry about finding something I can succeed in. So I guess my job is...not having one. Sometimes I think that's equally hard." He laughed nervously again and moved to the stove, putting the cabbage into the boiling water. After another few moments he looked back over to her.

"Once you finish with the potatoes, just put them in the other pot of water. They need to boil for a while to get soft."

((Hahaha. I never realized how bad he is at a lot of stuff. He has the potential and talent, but not the patience and willingness to get dirty and messy.))

Gabriel moved upstairs with David. He put the boy down as they got to the bathroom. "I'll get the water going, go get the toys you want. But don't take too long. I'll have to come in and take you away again." He said as he bent over the tub and turned on the faucet. Sticking his hand under the water he made sure it was warm, but not hot.

"And get your pajamas too, I would let you run around naked, but your mom might not appreciate me giving you that kind of freedom." He laughed and sat down on the edge of the tub. "Hurry up, I won't stop the water until you get back, and it might overflow by then."

Abel stirred around the sauce that was heating up in a sauce pan, add a bit more salt to it. He moved to grab some green beans but stopped when Leah wrapped her arms around him. He flinched at the sudden hug. He put down the beans and stood still, listening to what she said. He felt a pang in his heart, a dull ache, where something was missing. Rubbing his face he laughed and gently eased her arms away from him so he could turn around.

Looking down at her he smiled, his smile soft and somewhat distant. "Please don't say you're sorry. You don't have anything to be sorry about. I hear it too often..." His voice was just above a whisper. He turned his head and pulled the green beans from the counter, putting them into a pot. There was a subtle pull he felt towards her, and he was doing everything he could to ignore it.

"Could you hand me the potatoes?" He asked, pointing towards them politely. "If we don't start boiling them now they'll still be hard by the time the roast is done. We don't want that." He smiled again.

((Haha. He really wants those potatoes.))

Gabriel watched David run back in and smirked. "You were faster than I expected." He reached over and checked on the temperature of the water and started to let it fill up the tub as David get out of his clothes. Once David was in he took the dinosaur. "What's this one called?" He asked and then laughed.

"Alright alright! Hold on there. Some of us aren't as fast as you!" He exclaimed. He stood up from the toilet seat and pulled some bubble bath from the sink. "I'll give you a lot." He declared, sitting back down and unscrewing the bottle.

At the boy's sudden question he paused and looked over at him. There was a brief moment when he was silent, unsure how to respond to the question. He pulled the top off the bottle and started to pour some bubble bath into the tub. "What made you bring up that question?" He asked, chuckling. When there were quite a good amount of bubbles he put the bottle down.

He lifted up the dinosaur that was given to him and put it in front of his face. "Of course I love you. More than you'd ever know." He said in what he deemed fit of a dinosaur voice. He then proceeded to pick some bubbles up and place them on David's head. "You should know that without even asking." He added softly.

((Hahaha. Rocket ship pajamas are the best. JAMMIES.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/116561/saturday-night-live-digital-short-the-tizzle-wizzle-show-jammy-shuffle

Amazing.))

((Hahaha. Awwww. Yeah I agree with you. He does need a LADY. I think if he had someone like Mei...he'd just get upset a lot.))

Abel looked over at her as she moved away. He caught the look in her eyes and he frowned. Taking the potatoes he shook his head and placed them into the water, putting a top over it to keep the heat inside. He knew he should say something to her, tell her it wasn't her fault, tell her it was just him being shut in and secluded. He suddenly turned and was about to say something before Talen walked in. All that came out was, "Oh." And he smiled at Talen and nodded.

"It's going well." He said, lowering the heat on some of the pots and then checking the clock. "It should be about ready in forty minutes or so." He moved to the sink and washed off his hands, scrubbing harder than a normal person would. It took him a good five minutes to feel like they were clean. Turning off the faucet he glanced over at Leah and then to Talen.

"Oh!" He pointed at Talen and turned. "I have something for you...I forgot to show you yesterday." He said as he moved down the hall to the guest room he was staying in. A minute later he came out with a guitar case. "I actually had wanted to give this to you years ago. But then...you know." He walked into the kitchen and set it on the counter. The case looked old, there was a gold plate on the front that was slightly rusted, the lettering nearly deteriorated.

"I want you to keep this. I think it's in better hands if its with you. I can't play guitar, and I have others. My dad made it. I have some of the first ones he made, but I wanted you to have one too. Maybe you can use it. You might have to change the strings on it though. They're really old." He laughed a little and unlatched the case. Inside was a perfectly carved guitar. It was of a deep oak color, neatly polished with intricate branding and carvings along the sides and front of it. Inside the opening was a neatly written signature that read 'Jean-Paul C.'.

Abel stared at it for a while and then carefully pulled it out of the case. "I picked this one for you because it reminded me the most of you for some reason." He finally looked over at Talen and smiled weakly. "You don't have to have it if you don't want it though." He quickly added and looked back at it. Gently he laid it back down and moved to the refridgerator.

"Do you two want anything to drink?"

((I honestly dunno anything about guitars...but I just made it up!! Haha. And he's gonna do something for Leah to make her happy, he just has to wait for the right moment.))

Gabriel laughed when David told him the dinosaurs' names. He raised his brows. "I like your taste, man. Ringo was the best of the Beatles, in my eye. John Lennon was pretty close to a tie with Ringo. But Ringo was my favorite. And who doesn't like Spider-man?" He placed the dinosaur onto the edge of the tub.

At the boy's next comments he smiled at him but then his smile faded slightly. There were things that David said that made Gabriel feel like he was talking to an old man sometimes. At times it was a good thing, but there were other times when he felt like no kid should have to question or ask the things David did.

"David..." He began, pulling some shampoo out and squirting into the palm of his hand. "You know your dad loves you like crazy, right?" He asked. "Close your eyes." He added as he started to rub the shampoo into the boy's hair. "He just has a very stressful and busy job. But he does that job so he can support you and your mom." He dipped his hands into the water and washed the shampoo from his hands. After grabbing a cup he filled it with water and put one hand to the boy's forehead to stop any suds from getting in his face.

As he washed out the shampoo he tried to think of way to phrase his next question in a manner that a young child could understand. Once the shampoo was out he put the cup away and leaned back. "Does your mom or dad ever say anything about this? Is that why you asked me? You know you can ask me anything you want." He put a hand on top of David's head and matched his eyes, serious and caring at the same time.

((What an adorable child...))

((Hahaha. You're so silly. I did nothing today and felt strange about it, because I'm so used to being at someone's house or running about shopping or doing errands. But today...nothing. Tomorrow I am getting my new phone's SIM card and a haircut though!!! Yeah...I lost my old phone, amongst the chaos of Christmas, it left me. But screw him, I got a new one! He's handsome too! I just have to get the SIM card for him so I can use him.

Not that you know...but if you do...do you know if you have to get a new number when you get a new SIM card? You probably won't answer before I go to the store though. So I will find out from those folks!))

Abel smiled, the kind that surprisingly reached his eyes. The blue hues seemed to brighten and he laughed a little, rubbing the side of his face and shrugging slightly. It was a rare sight to see him smile such a truthful smile. "Oh, it's nothing really. He made a lot of them. It was his side job I guess. I'm glad you like it though. I always wanted to give you one when I first met you and saw you like playing. Just never got around to getting the chance to get it and bring it back."

He pulled a glass out and poured some water in it. Handing it over to Talen, he took two wine glasses and poured one with a sweet white wine and the other with a more bitter red wine. He then checked the food before moving to the table and sitting down, shifting the white wine to Leah. "Uh...you didn't ask for any. But I figured you'd want something at least to sip on. And you seem like the type for white wine...yeah." He looked away to his glass and then to the guitar.

"You should play something with it, Talen. Give it a test run. It's gotta be out of tune after sitting around unused for so many years." He took a sip of wine and looked down as Hercules wandered over to the table, taking a seat between Leah and Talen. Promptly, he spread out in a lazy sprawl and closed his eyes again.

((YEAH. Show us your SKILLS.))

Gabriel smiled softly at the boy. "Of course you do. We all know what love is. It's a terrible thing if somebody doesn't." When David asked if Gabriel loved Alice, he was caught of guard. It should have been such a simple question to answer, yes or no, but he wasn't sure what he was supposed to tell David, the truth, or lie and make things simple. He reached out and grabbed the dinosaur from off the tub and looked down at it, then back at David.

"I do." He said quietly, putting a finger into the toy's mouth. "But sometimes when you love someone so much, you have to keep it inside. Sometimes when you love someone, it can hurt people. I hope you never have to go through that." He pushed a finger against David's forehead and smiled sadly.

"Love is a very strange thing, kid. It's kind of crazy is what it is. It shouldn't be called love, it should be called crazy." He laughed and then made the dinosaur jump off the edge of the tub and drop into the water. "Freddy's gonna eat Ringo!" He yelled playfully, deciding it was enough grown-up talk for the night. "Better watch out!" He proceeded to make dinosaur sounds like roaring and growling.

((Hahaha. Don't eat Ringo, Freddy! NO. How strange.))