I sat in my car and looked straight towards the hotel, it was really lovely, just like those old fashioned types you'd see in a movie, so charming. I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted the job; it was quite far from my apartment.

//Okay, I can do this interview and get the job, because I'm good enough and gosh darn itÉpeople like me! //. I gave myself the mental-pre-interview-pep-talk. //I mean it may be over an hours drive, but this could turn out for the best. // I reviewed the incident in my head that had brought me here.

Job searching was not fun; I had spent all morning looking through various newspapers, and decided that any hope of ever finding the right chef's job was useless. I needed a carefree environment, where I could basically make my own rules and whatever I wanted with the menu. My current job offered none of this, and I was beginning to get very stressed out.

This was just depressing; I threw all the newspapers off the couch and began to sort through the mail, // bill,ÉÉbillÉÉ.bill, don't these people ever stop? //, I leaned over and picked up the nearest magazine, a small envelope fell out, there was no return address or stamp, // How curious, wouldn't it be funny if this were the answer to my prayers// I joked to myself.

Inside there was a neatly typed letter, but no header or name of sender: Hotel restaurant in search of talented young chef!! You may be what we're looking forÉ.The letter continued on and ended with a phone number to call in order to set up at interview, but that was all.

I sat a while trying to figure it out in my head, where was it from? Who wrote it? Was this some kind of joke? The phone suddenly rang, and I must have jumped thirty feet in the air, waking the two cats that were dozing on the couch next to me. // Whoa! This is getting spooky// I swallowed my sudden fear and answered. Before I could even say hello, a cheerful voice began:

"Hi!! I'm calling in reference to a letter you might have receivedÉ" she kept going on with how she was looking for a chef, let's make an interview and whatnot. I slowly agreed and we set up a day, "How about tomorrow, Friday? And pack enough clothes for a weekend stay, well I'll see you tomorrow them." (Click) I didn't even get to ask her what her name was, and a weekend stay? Oh well, I guess I did deserve a break. I made some arrangements for my cats and dog, packed a few bags, after all I was female, I could just travel with less than one bag.

I got up early the nest morning and began the drive to the hotel. I had been driving for about 1 hour, normally I'd be enjoying myself with my music turned all the way up and enjoyed signing out load to myself, but I didn't recognize where I was. The navy- blue power suit I had put on was beginning to get uncomfortable; I was stiff and irritated. I turned down the metal and tried to concentrate on my surroundings, no use, I was lost, "Oh sh*t! I'm lost! Where the hell is this place? I knew it was sick joke! When I find out who pulled this one they're so f*cking dead!" I shouted my obscenities to no one in particular. "That's it, I'm turning around and going home damn it!"

Even if this weren't a joke and I did get the job, I'd burn half my paycheck on the gas just to get to work everyday. A few more minutes passed by and a building slowly came into view "It's about freaking time!" I kept shouting. As I got closer I noticed that it wasn't the hotel

//Crap!!//

But an airstrip. I had no idea there was one this far out. A few more seconds and I passed what looked like an ice rink. "Where the hell am I?"

My questions were soon answered; the old hotel building came into view.

// Finally! //

As I pulled up towards the hotel, I noticed that there was a tavern opposite from it.

// Note to self, check out the tavern after the interview. //

I pulled into the parking lot and turned off my car. Okay the mental-pre-interview-pep-talk was over and I was ready to go in and give it my best shot. Even if I didn't get the job, I'd have all weekend to enjoy myself and relax.

I got out of the car and grabbed a few papers, my résumé, etc. I had parked right next to an Audi, // nice car// truth to be told I had always wanted one but my Maxima would have to do. Before I walked in, out of the corner or my eye I saw a man leaning against a fence post in front of the hotel. I turned full- face to look at him, he was beautiful!! Even though his hat shaded most of his face, I could tell he had perfect features. He was wearing an impeccably pressed 50's style grey suit, with a fedora to match. He leaned there, smoking; he smiled slightly and nodded in my direction.

//Gawd, I hope he's staying here too, that would be heaven. I better not trip on my way up the steps or do anything stupid // I hoped silently, I seemed to have the knack for that, and just smiled in return. I carefully walked up the stairs and into the building, it was so cozy and homely, I knew in an instant that I would love to work here. There was something in the air- the place was oddly familiar, it seemed as if I had been there before. I reached the front desk and rang the service bell, shortly a young woman came out and introduced herself,

"Hi! I'm Peaches, we talked on the phone, I'd like to welcome you to the Crowe's Hotel.'' She was so jovial and cheerful, now I remembered her from the phone conversation. But wait, "Did you just say Crowe's Hotel?" My jaw dropped, and I just stared blankly at her, in complete disbelief.

"That's right", she just giggled, "Then the man outside wasÉÉ." I trailed off trying to put all of it logically into my head. I turned quickly and looked back to the man standing outside. "Yup! Alex Ross, it might be hard to believe, but here you are and I think you'll want to stay." She kept smiling at me, thoroughly amused at my astonishment. "Well now, how about we get started with that interview?"

She showed me around the restaurant and the kitchens, which were surprisingly modern, for such an old looking hotel. It seemed like something I could work with. The bell rang at the front desk and Peaches politely excused herself.

I took the chance to give the kitchen a closer look. I opened and closed the cabinet doors to find that the pots and pans were neatly organized by size. There were 3 large fridges and 2 freezers against one wall, opposite 4 sinks. The pantry was at the end of the counters; it was also quite large but very poorly stocked.

"Scrambled Egg mix? Whoa, I'm going to have to do a major supply shop. I can't work with this stuff." The fridges weren't any better, most of the food was pre- cooked and pre- packaged. Nothing looked natural, it was all store bought. My first decision was to make all the desserts seasonal, "Because you can't have pumpkin pie in the summerÉ"Peaches came back, "sorry about that- oh I see you've discovered our little secret, the restaurant was never really run by a professional chef. We basically had people heating up pre-cooked meals, but that will all change now, you're here!" she said brightly.

We sat down and I gave my little "This is what I would like to accomplish, blah blah blah" speech, which I'm sure she didn't listen to half of. When I finished Peaches just smiled and said, "You've got the job!"

I was actually a bit surprised; she didn't really have any objections to my proposals. Yet I was still in shock that I was actually here. Oh well, it was a job and I would live in the Crowe's Hotel, not too shabby.

"Don't worry about accommodations, we've got a room for you on the top floor with an exquisite view of the beach, and after the weekend you can get your stuff, and move right in."

"Well, I'd like to get to work right away if you don't mind. I want to take inventory and do a huge supply shop this evening if I can." I said looking around. The kitchen would also need a good scrub down. The previous chef may have been organized, but he was a complete slob.

"Sounds great! I'll see if I can get you a pick-up from the stables so you'll have some trunk room, and you can use the hotel credit card. I can't wait to see what you've got up your sleeves." Peaches smiled, she filled me in on the common kitchen procedures they had, and who was whom in the kitchen and waiters, staff. It was nice assortment of people, but not too many.

"Even at it's busiest, the restaurant never has more than 70 people." She added,

"Well, now all we have to do is get you settled in" Peaches had a devilishly wide grin on her face. I agreed and brought my bags in from the car, waiting for my at the front desk was the one and only, Alex Ross. I could feel my legs begin to give way under me. There should be some kind of warning before a man with that face smiles.

"Alex would be so kind as to show Annabella up to her room, and help her get *settled* in?"

"Certainly," he smiled broadly at Peaches then turned to me and offered his arm,

" Shall we?", which I took greedily, and we walked to the stairs.

We walked in silence, and Alex just wore a wide smile.

I was so dumbfounded by what had just happened: I got a phone call, got a job, and I was going to live in Crowe's Hotel. I was walking up the stairs,arm-in-arm with Alex Ross. I let out a small chuckle.

"Somethin' funny?" Alex asked.

"No, well, it's just the fact that here I am and I wasn't really expecting anything like this to happen to me. When I was job searching I was expecting to get a crummy job in a smelly un-air-conditioned restaurant, and fail miserably for the rest of my life when it came to relationships. "  I let go of his arm for a moment to re-adjust my bags; they were a bit heavy.

"Here, lemme take those, I shoulda been carryin' them to begin with." He reached over and took one of the bigger bags.

"Whoa-" he stopped suddenly, grabbed me arm hard, and pulled me against the wall.

"Ow, Alex-" but I stopped when I saw what was coming.

It looked like a man, I couldn't be too sure, covered with blue- goo and feathers, running down the hall at top speed, laughing like a mad-man. He rushed past with two feather-covered women close at his heels, yelling profanities at him.

"Sorry darlin', you all right?" he asked as we picked up my bags.

"Yeah thanks, um, I'm guessing that was Sid."

"Sure was, and you better watch ya self around him, understood?" he gave me a serious look.

"You bet I will." No sooner had the words left my mouth Goo-Man came running back in the other direction, now with four feather-covered woman chasing him.

A few flights later and we had reached my floor; my room was at the end of hall.Most of the rooms had one door for an entrance, some had double-doors. The hallway décor was simple yet pleasant. Alex fiddled with the keys a bit before opening the door. We dropped the bags as I stared into a completely empty room. It was freshly painted, but none the less, empty. Alex walked over to the side and opened a door, "This must be ya bed room". He continued opening doors and few windows. The bedroom had a small cot, I needed to get my stuff moved in soon, I'd die sleeping on that thing.

"The bathroom's got some toiletries, and if ya need anythin' just ask Peaches." Alex returned, "but the best surprise lies behind them double-sliding doors."

He walked to the opposite side of the room and slid open two white doors, revealing a glassed-in sunroom that opened onto a balcony.

"It's perfect" I gasped, walking out onto the balcony. The view was exquisite!

Past the parking lot and tavern, over treetops I could see the ever-expanding length of blue water. Melting into the perfect light blue sky.

"Isn't it though?" Alex walked out next to me.

"Ya wanna head down to the tavern for a couple of drinks? On me?" he asked shoving his hands nervously into his pockets.

"Aw shit, I'd love to Alex but I've got a lot of work ahead of me. Can I take a rain check on it?" I felt so bad but I really needed to get moving.

"S'alright, but only if you'll join me for dinner too, and you won't have to cook it."

"It's a deal" I stuck out my hand and we shook on it laughing slightly.

"I'll come by and check on ya later then?" he asked walking to the door.

"I'll be waiting" he smiled, I melted, and closed the door after himself.

My first plan was to move in and set up my computer so could look through my files for my recipes. I figured moving in would be a cinch with all of the very muscular men hanging around. I couldn't sleep due to the terribly uncomfortable cot. Thus, I woke early, showered, changed, and left a note for Peaches.  I stopped at the rental place and rented a small U- Haul.

My apartment building had gotten a new manager and the new policies were no animals in the building except for seeing-eye dogs and such. Well I wasn't just going to give up my pets, and had been planning to move anyways. Most of my crap was already boxed because of this. It was amazing to see the amount of ÉSTUFFÉ. I had accumulated over time. A few friendly neighbors helped me with my belongings, we said some short good-byes and I left without looking back.

By noon I arrived back at the hotel, I found that Peaches had done me a huge favor,she had asked Bud, Max, and John to help me out. Some time later the U-Haul had been emptied out and we were huffing and puffing.

"So that's everything?" John asked, wiping the sweat that had began to accumulate on his brow.

"No, just one more thing, it should be here any minute" I looked down the street, "wait here it is!" A large truck stopped in front of the hotel and I ran up to meet the driver. We exchanged a few words; I paid him and walked back to the three very confused looking guys.

"They'll unload it and all we have to do is take it up." I announced excitedly.

"What,exactly is- IT?" asked Bud.

"You'll see." I kept smiling.

"Shit, that's huge!" cried Bud in a whinny voice when he saw it, "how are we gonna get it into your room?"

"Remember Bud, I have double-doors."

Max went over and slowly put a finger to one of the keys, he jumped back a bit at the sound it made.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's a piano, you knowÉ. makes music?" I made some small gestures with my hands.

"Hm, I've heard of them and saw one on the TV, but this looks much different, and a lot larger."

"You saw a bar piano Max, this is a grand piano. The biggest they come." added John, "and before we do anything else, you got anymore big surprises?"

"Oh yeah, I do, hold on a sec. How could I forget?" I ran back to the U-Haul and opened the door. I pulled out two pet carriers.

"I'd like ya'll to meet my cats, andÉÉÉ..Neo!"

I reached in a poked the sleeping dog on the seat, "C'mon girl!" I said proudly as my 110 pound Rottweiler- German Shepherd mix jumped out. She stretched and yawned and sat down by my side. John made a small gasp, and Bud moved back a few steps becoming visibly nervous.

"Your dog is huge!" exclaimed Max; "He's bigger than mine." He went over and let Neo smell his hand, then began to pet her.

"SHE" I corrected, "is also very active and a bit violent by nature, so you guys might want to watch yourselves around her. Aren't you?" I bent down, rubbed her head, and spoke to her like she was a baby.

"Um, where are you gonna keep it?" Bud was still backing up.

"I was thinking at the stables, she's a bit too big for my room. Plus she'll be able to get some exercise that way. Don't worry Bud, she's really sweet, just don't stare her in the eyes for too long, or piss her off, and she won't take a bite out of your ass."

"Why did ya get such a big dog? I mean there are some really cute lil ones." John came over and gave Neo a few pats on the head.

"She has a sister, bigger than her actually, they were abandoned in front of our house when they were puppies. My brother took one and I took the other.  No one really wants such a huge dog, she had no where to go."

"Neo," Max remarked, "that's a funny name, where does it come from?"

"Well, I don't know how many movies you guys watch, but there's one called The Matrix, she's named after the main character, Neo. Happens to be a favorite movie of mine. I named her sister Alice, from the character in Through the Looking Glass, a favorite book."

He only nodded, I assumed everything I just said was nonsense to him.

I walked over to the piano with Neo following me closely; as we passed Bud she stopped for a short second and studied him. "Bud, she can tell that you don't like her and you're a bit scared." I tried so hard not to laugh.

"I'm not scared..." he started but stopped short when Neo got closer for a quick smell. "Um, AnnabelÉÉ.." he looked like he ready to cry, "Neo, come here." She walked over to me, sat down, and kept glowering at Bud.

"Hey, I just had a brilliant idea" John was shoving the piano lightly, "we can push it through the side door and send it up the elevator. But it's not moving."

"You need to unlatch the brakes on the wheels, John" I kicked them up, and the four of us started pushing from behind. We made it up and pushed the piano into my room, Bud gently pulled me aside, "Look, I'm not so comfortable around yourÉ dog. Don't you have a muzzle or something?" His cheeks turned a bit pink, and I felt bad.

"I know she can be intimidating Bud. But you have to remember; she's a sweetie as long as you're nice to her. But just for the first few days I'll keep her Halti on her. It's like a muzzle but a lot nicer to the dog."

"Thanks."

"No problem, a lot of people are afraid of her." The pink in his cheeks was getting darker, so I shut up.

"Bud, come in here, you've got to see this!" John shouted. We walked in; Max and John had already slouched in my large couch. "You won't believe this couch! And the TV too, it's great for watching hockey!"

Bud ran over and plopped down in-between them. All three gave out a loud, Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, in unison. I had a feeling that it would be awhile before they moved. 

"I've got two more surprises to get, I'll be right back." I left the three potatoes, Bud shouted after me, "Better not be another dog!!"

I came back with my two carriers, "oh, they're little doggies." Sarcasm dripping from Bud's voice.

I opened the smaller one, " Nope, cats!!"

LG, my pure-breed-runt Siamese gracefully jumped out and stretched. She promptly sat; ignoring the three guys and began to wash herself.

"Ha! What a tiny, cute little kitten." John has a large grin on his face.

"Actually, she's an adult, she's a runt, only 6 pounds, but one bad-ass attitude."

She rubbed one of my legs, then made a beeline for Bud. She jumped up next to him and hissed, then jumped down again.

"You must really hate animals," laughed Max. Hearing his voice, LG then walked over to him and jumped up onto his lap and began to purr.

"Yeah, I do. And you love them." Bud looked very pissed and grumpy, he kept make dirty faces between Neo and LG.

"Wait wait Bud, there's more" I opened the larger carrier, and OJ slowly trudged out.

"And a fat cat too!"

"It looks like a tiger, does it also have a muzzle?" Bud was so uncomfortable he pulled his legs unto the couch, under him.

"He wouldn't hurt a fly, he's a VERY obese cat. About 10 pounds overweight, which is a lot for a cat, but we're working on it. Aren't we OJ?"  I sat on the floor and rubbed OJ's ears.

"I like this one." LG was still on Max's lap, his muscular arms and hands were massive compared to the tiny cat. He could crush her with one finger, yet he was being so gentle, and she was purring loudly. John was scratching Neo's head and Bud was still sitting with his legs curled under him, looking very uncomfortable. 

I busied myself with unpacking a few things here and there, setting my computer, and the three guys vegged on the couch for a bit.

They got up to leave, and I thanked them for their help, Bud being the first to the door.

By evening I had my computer set up and had printed out some supply lists.  After a quick, refreshing shower and change of clothes, I headed down stairs. Peaches gave me the hotel's credit card and the keys to a very large pick-up. "Andy will be going with you, he has to get some things for the tavern."

"Sounds good to me, thanks Peaches." I went outside, Andy and another man were waiting by the pick-up. 

"Oi, Annabell!" Andy shouted, "Jeff wants to come with, so we're going to have to squish in" I came closer and saw the two, yep; it was Andy and Jeff Mitchell. Andy made the introductions and we left for our great adventure.

"So where exactly are we going luv?" Jeff asked.

"This isn't the regular small supply shop we're going to a huge outlet to food by the bulk." I drove and looked through what CD's were in the car. Nothing good.

Andy and Jeff made great company, they were hysterical, non-stop laughter the whole ride. They were amazed by the store, everything came in bulk, and they had a merry time playing around with it. We had passed through the fruits and vegi's,gotten some dry goods and baking materials.

"Look at the size of these cans." Andy picked up the nearest one, " this isn't just a can of peas, this is a CAN OF PEAS!"

"These bags of flour are even better!" shouted Jeff from down the aisle; he was reaching up to a super size bag of flour on a top shelf.

"Wait Jeff! I wouldn't try that &endash;" I began, too late, there was a loud PLOP, and huge white cloud flew up into the air. The intercom said," cleanup aisle 5".

"Shit!" laughed Jeff; Andy and I were laughing to hard to even move. After a few moments the cloud began to settle, the sales clerk came to clean it up, and found three white figures lying in a heap on the floor laughing. She muttered a few things as we tried to brush ourselves off a bit.

Half an hour later I had most of what I needed; last stop was the dairy and meat departments. We had only managed to break two bottles of apple juice on the way there.

Andy and Jeff made a point of playing with the eggs in the dairy section. Jeff would take them out of carton and toss them quite a long distance to Andy, after which they would both yell, "He scores!!!!!!!!!!!" at the top of their lungs.

"Like two little kids let loose in a candy shop." I remarked and joined the game. I had to admit it was pretty funny to see people duck as the eggs went soaring through the air. I ordered some meat and fish, and then we took the three, over loaded carts up to pay. I was expecting a high bill, but the total almost gave me a heart attack.

"Why is the bill so high?" I asked the cashier. Andy and Jeff both turned to the side and occupied themselves in magazines, Jeff's was upside-down. "Well miss," the cashier seemed a bit peeved, " you broke a lot of stuff."

She pulled out a list and read it off," 3 jars of honey-"

"Honey!!??"I shrieked

"Um,luv, we were juggling with it." Jeff's maggy was still upside-down.

Cashier continued, "- 2 dozen eggs, 1 jar of pickles, bag of flour, want to me go on?"

"No ,I get the picture." I paid and we raced the carts back to the car.

Peaches was waiting for us when we got back, she didn't look happy.

"Hiya Peaches!"  Andy tried to sound as if nothing had happened.

"What happened at the grocer's?" Peaches asked rather sternly.

"Well, nothing really bad, luv-", but she cut off Andy.

"Because the manager gave me a call just now. He mentioned that if we ever do that again we'll be banned from the store." Her hand moved on to her hip.

"We had a little accident." I answered as I opened the truck, please don't let her notice the flour; it was pretty dark out..

"What kind of&emdash;waitÉis that flour?" she took a step closer to Jeff and brushed some off of his shoulder.

"Jeff accidentally dropped a bag of flour...." We began laughing at the memory, but stopped as soon as we saw Peaches' expression. She shook her head and sighed.

"Look, I'm sure you had fun, but it can't happen again, we don't want to attract too much attention, agreed?"

We gave a muffled "alright", and she walked back in to the hotel. I later thanked the two for their help after all of the perishables had been placed in the fridge. I really wanted a hot shower and sleep. I gave Peaches the keys and card and made my way upstairs, while tracking flour on the steps.

When I entered the room, three hungry animals jumped me, "My poor babies, hold onÉ" I rummaged through boxes looking for food, oblivious to the sleeping mass on my bed.

I heard a rustling of sheets and jumped back a few feet. I slowly approached the bed, it looked likeÉ

"Alex?" I asked cautiously.

The mass rolled over and pulled its disheveled hair away from its face, yep, it was Alex.

"UhÉohÉ hey doll." He sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. " I must've fallen asleep while waiting for ya." He yawned again.

"How long have you been waiting?" I carried on with dinnertime at the zoo.

"Well, I came up to see ya, but you were out. While I was waiting I thought I might make up the bed. IÉ would, uh, hate for ya to have to sleep on the cot again. Sorry if I made a mess, but I had to go through a lot of boxes to find your linens. After I made it, I sort ofÉfell asleep waiting." He was still blinking sleep out of his eyes, and stretching a bit.

"Well, that was very sweet of you, but didn't my little zoo kill you for just walking in?" It was so nice of Alex to do this, but the thought of someone just walking into my room and going through my stuff while I was out was a bitÉcreepy.

"Not really, but there's this one cat" he pointed to the little Siamese," yeah that one, she's evil she is, watch out for her!"

"Gee,thanx." I was still pulling things from boxes.

"Wait, I didn't mean it that wayÉaw shit, I didn't mean to offend you or anythin'" he was fidgeting uncomfortably.

"It's alright, don't worry."

He stood up and took a few steps closer, trying to get a better look at my state of appearance without being too obvious.

"Um, ain't the nosy type, but, what's all over ya?" He leaned in a bit closer.

I related the whole story of what happened at the grocer's, " And now all I want to do is take a long, hot shower." I finished.

"Oh." He sounded a bit disappointed, "Then I'll leave ya alone." He walked over to the chair where he had dropped his hat, jacket, and shirt. I assumed it was because he didn't want to wrinkle them. His little quirks were so cute, I smiled a bit.

"No, stay for a while, I'd enjoy some company while I try to find my things and get sorted out, but first, if you don't mind, I'd like to get out of these clothes, I'm getting flour all over everything."

Alex's eyes brightened up and he made the `go-ahead-you-live-here` gesture to me,

"At least let me put my shirt back on." He started.

"Don't worry, the undershirt is fine" I smiled even more. He nervously shoved his hands into his pockets. "So..."

But I cut him off again, "Hold that thought luv, I'll be right back." I ran into the bathroom, stripped off my clothes and found a robe; I washed off my face, but left the hair. That would take some serious scrubbing.

"Okay, that's a bit better, " when I came back out he was still standing, in the same position. My little cat, LG, was sitting on the couch glaring at him, he was glaring right back. I interrupted the staring contest and we made some small talk while I rummaged through boxes for my toiletries and whatnot. As I walked back and forth between boxes I didn't notice the side table, and stubbed my toe very hard,

"SHHIIIITTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Fucky fuckers, I hate when that happens!" I cried out, grabbed my foot, and slumped onto the couch.

"Here now, lemme see that," Alex sat next to me and took my foot, "that's gotta hurt" he remarked while looking at The Swollen Mass Formerly Known as My Toe.

"But you'll live" he said casually.

"Thanx."

I looked up and our eyes met. Those beautiful blue-green eyes, I was trapped in them. Drawn into their depths. They sparkled as if to say, `I'm so content right now`, his smile was lopsided but so sweet, I couldn't help myself, I was glued.

I finally pulled away and looked down a bit, "SorryÉ" I whispered.

"S'alright, I ain't any better", there was a short, but comfortable silence between us.

"You're beautiful," he finally whispered. He leaned in a bit and planted a soft kiss on my nose, then put his forehead against mine.

"From the moment I saw you get out of your car I knew you were the one-" his eyes were closed and he was still leaning his forehead against mine, "I know I ain't the only one who brought you here, but I hope you can understand how much I feel for you."

"I understand perfectly luv," I whispered back.

He gently began to kiss me and placed his hand upon my cheek, softly rubbing it. Our kisses slowly deepened; all the while he was still holding my foot I felt his hand move into my hair, he paused briefly,

"I think I should let you shower."

"There's no way I'm letting you leave now." I got up and stumbled a bit forgetting about my toe. Alex caught me and I dragged him into the bathroom, closing the door behind us. And let's just say that after thatÉstuff happens :) :)

I was floating through clouds, not a care in the world, but what was that awful beeping noise? I forgot about it for a moment and felt the warmth around me, but still, what was that noise? As if pulled from a pit I opened my eyes with a start and remembered, I had to work and that was my alarm. Damn it. There was a large arm draped around my waist and a warm body next to mine. I was so comfortable, didn't want to move. Too bad, a large cat jumped onto the bed and stuck its nose into my face.

"Alright alright, I'm getting up." I mumbled rolling over. "Alex honey." He made a faint muffled noise in response, "Alex I need to get up and get to work luv." He still mumbled, "Alex c'mon, I need to get to work, wake up."

"Don't leave," he mumbled again, eyes still closed, "so warm, so peacefulÉ"

I reluctantly shoved his arm off of me and got up. I showered quickly and put on a pair of khaki's and a small black t-shirt. Alex was still in bed when I came out. I went over, took his arm and tugged a bit.

"K, I'm up, I'm up" he sat up, yawned and stretched. "Don't ya wanna just stay in bed all day darlin?"

"I would love to, but I have a lot to do today, c'mon lazy, let's go already." I left the room and busied myself with the animals. A few second later he came out in his pants and undershirt, his hair was everywhere. I leashed up Neo and walked to the door.

"So, we gonna have a romantic breakfast?" he asked pulling me into his arms.

"Nope, sorry luv," I kissed him quickly," I'm taking Neo to the stables then it's work work work all day for me."

"Then I'll come and visit you later in the kitchen?" another short kiss and he grabbed the rest of his clothes. "What about your shoes?" he asked looking down at me feet.

"I hate wearing shoes, just give me good thick pair of socks any time." I smiled down at my feet and wiggled them a bit. "That, plus the whole hotel is carpeted."

We walked out and as I was locking the door I heard a voice, "Well well, look who it is." Looking up I saw the ownerof the voice. She was short, but had the air of a giantess, and the longest, prettiest hair I've ever seen.

"Brynn?"

"In the flesh baby!!" she said merrily, we hugged like old friends and talked a little, as we began to part she looked over at Alex, "I want to know about that one later" she giggled. Yes it was childish, but all I could do was giggle back at her, he was quite a site, only wearing his pants and undershirt, hair going in every direction, and holding the rest of his clothes.

We parted and Alex and I walked in silence to the door, "Do you want me to take Neo up to the stables?" he asked rubbing her head.

"If you don't mind, that would really help me out."

"Not a problem darlin" he smiled, we kissed and he walked out the door.

Now was the part I'd been dreading, there was a kitchen to organize and so many things to be prepared before I could even begin cooking. The kitchen may have been organized, but no one had used it in a long time. I spent a good few hours scrubbing counters and cabinets, thank goodness for Rick!

Next came the refrigerators, there were so many and much food to organize. Occasionally a few girls from the hotel would come in, introduce themselves,and visit for a bit.

Around lunch Alex came in with small basket and we picnicked in the garden just outside the kitchen. It was so thoughtful and I was glad that I didn't have to make myself a lunch. After he left I went straight back to work.

About evening I had gotten around to beginning my cooking, most of the kitchen staff was gone for the evening, and the few that were left were cleaning off tables or getting ready to leave.

I was left by myself, with Neo; Alex had brought her back a bit earlier.. There was soup cooking, and various other things, and I was occupied with filleting a fish. I liked to buy then whole then gut and fillet them myself. While working on a particularly bloody one, I heard the back door open then close and footsteps. I was too busy to look around. There was a quick chill that ran up my spine and something telling me to turn around. Neo had gotten up and was standingbeside me. She could obviously feel the same thing.

I turned my head slightly and out of the corner of my eye caught something bright purple.

Oh crap! It's Sid. Now stay cool and just let him know how you feel, he shouldleave you alone after that. But I still felt a bit nervous.

"It's a bit late to be working, don't you agree mon cherie?" he moved up right behind me. I could feel his hot breath on my neck. Neo got into a defensive stance and started growling at him, but he ignored her.

I angled the knife just a bit, and cut real hard, a long squirt of blood came out of the fish and sprayed all over his face and suit.

"Shit! My suit!" He jumped back and looked down with disgust. "You really shouldn't have done that, you know."

"Yeah I know, but it's my kitchen and I'm busy right now. It's your fault you just walked in and interrupted me." I didn't look up.

He started to move in again, I turned around wielding my huge, bloody knife. "Look Sid, I'm not attracted to you in any way, understand? To me you're nothing more than an overstuffed turkey trying to dress up as an eggplant. So if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

He nodded slightly and gave a creepy smile, then turned and left. I ran to the door and locked it behind him.

Thank goodness he got the message, or at least I hope he did. And thank goodness for my dog. Around 1 in the morning I finished up and went to bed.

Early the next morning I woke to a pounding at my door.