dark knight \\ aaron

[noelle ackerman]

you gotta be out there
wherever you are, i'm waiting
________________________________________________________

It was a cold night, which Noelle was thankful for because it gave her something to think about that didn't involve the last four hours. It was her birthday today, and her parents - who she loved to death, just to get that straight - decided to throw a party for her. Normally, the girl would absolutely love the idea, but this party was more of a dating game. Her father had seen fit to invite some of the city's "most eligible bachelors" that he had met during his years in marketing. Sure, she had gotten some nice gifts, but wasn't it just a lovely thing to have your parents rub in your face that fact that you were single at twenty-five and they wanted grandchildren? Maybe that wasn't fair, they only wanted her to be happy, but spending the evening stuck in a room with stiff businessmen and trying to keep a smile on her face was not all that fun. At least her brother had been there, it was some relief from the tense atmosphere.

The young woman pulled on her warm, black gloves and then pushed her hands deep into the pockets of her white coat. She tried to pull it closer to her in attempt to warm her neck, which was bare since her mother had insisted that she put it up and "look halfway decent" tonight. That implied that Hannah Ackerman wanted her daughter to update her wardrobe. She had offered yesterday, in fact, to take Noelle shopping for something nice to wear, but the girl refused. It wasn't that she didn't want to, because shopping with her mom could actually be a good time, but Noelle had been busy. Instead, she was able to find a beautiful black blouse and a pair of black pants, then some simple silver jewelry to make her parents happy. As of right now, though, she had wished she had picked out different shoes, because the winter temperatures were making her toes freeze.

Noelle pulled her hand out of her pocket for a moment, taking out her phone so she could check the time before sliding it in again. It was around 8:00, which meant she would be home by 8:15 unless she managed to get herself lost in the dark. That wasn't possible though, because even though the sun had gone to sleep the streets were still well lit with lamps and the lights from the buildings. The girl couldn't wait to get home and shower the day off of her, then sit down with a mug of hot chocolate and watch a good movie. The party had sucked the life out of her like a leech; it was all she had the energy for at this point. A nice, quiet night at home though seemed like just the right remedy. If only she had a dog to lay on her feet and keep them warm while he watched the movie with her, that would make it perfect.

A swift breeze brushed by as Noelle passed a dark alley in between two buildings, making her pull her coat closer to herself for warm. Her heels clicked in rhythm on the cement as she walked, the only other sounds to break the silence coming from the occasional passing car. She breathed out a deep, warm sigh, watching as her breath turned into mist in front of her and quickly disappeared. The street then fell quiet aside from the sound of Noelle's quick walking. At the same time, an eerie feeling washed over her, like the feeling you get when you are being watched. Her eyes darted across the street, but there was no one, then to her right into another alley, but in the darkness she saw nothing. "It's nothing, the dark is getting to you, that's all. Just keep walking." Noelle had to admit; nighttime wasn't exactly her favorite time to be walking home alone.

The feeling started to grow stronger when the girl heard the quiet shuffling of feet behind her. Her breath grew heavier, as did her pace. All Noelle wanted was to get home, nothing else. The sound of dragging feet came a little closer, and she decided that it was time to find out if she was imagining things or if the noise had a source. Nonchalantly, Miss Ackerman glanced back over her shoulder. Just as she did so, a group of three or four men passed under a street light, illuminating their faces for a moment long enough for her to see the greed in their eyes when they noticed her look. Noelle quickly faced forward again and her heart started pounding against her chest. With all of her might she hoped that this was just a coincidence and they would soon be turning off to go into some bar or what not. Deep down, however, she knew that was not the case.

What was she supposed to do? She had never been in this sort of situation before. Should she call someone to get her? Could they get here fast enough? Did she run? Did she go in some random building and wait for them to leave? That sounded good, she could give that a try. Noelle set her eyes on a door about twenty yards away, slowly walking over to the right as if that was where she had been planning on going all alone. Fifteen yards, ten yards, five yards, her hands came out of her pockets and wrapped around the handle, ready to open the door and find herself some safety. But when Noelle tried to pull, the door didn't move. It was locked. She tried again, but it still didn't budge. A light chuckle came from the group of guys that were nearing her, and she looked up at them with fear taking over her eyes.

Gulping hard, the girl dropped her hands and continued walking, even faster than she had been. It didn't matter much by this point. Noelle could practically feel them standing over her, eyes fixed and ready to grab her or whatever it was they were going to do. She pressed her own eyes shut, pushing back the frightened tears that were beginning to well up. Just then, a rough hand grabbed her elbow and made her jump, then tugged her back around so she was looking up at a rough young man who couldn't be any older than herself. As if on cue all of the fear vanished from her face and she put on a stern expression, even though her gut was still twisting and her pulse was getting quicker.

'Why so nervous? You look like you could use some company.' The words cut through Noelle like a cold knife, making it almost impossible for her to talk as he stared down at her with hungry eyes. Somehow, she managed to find her voice. "I'm fine, thank you." Her words were polite, but her tone was harsh. She tried to pull away from the man's grasp, but it only tightened around her and the other two (she how now discovered that there were, in fact, three men) stood on either side of her. Noelle was really starting to wish she had been smart enough to bring her car, but the walk had been fine and she didn't want to waste money on parking if she didn't have to. Next time you could bet that she would spend the money for it, after this.

"If you guys don't mind, I have to get home, I have a dog." She tried pulling again, but still couldn't get out of his grasp. It tightened to the point where Noelle found herself cringing against the pain. She had done okay at keeping her cool, but now she was beginning to lose it. Her expression grew more nervous with each word the man said. "Your dog will be fine. We'll take you home, I'd like the company." The words could have been sweet if they hadn't been said in such a sinister tone. His free hand lifted from his side, carefully brushing over her cheek and down her neck. A chill spread over her whole body from his touch. Noelle swallowed hard again, trying to find something to say. "I have a boyfriend if I need the company, no thanks." Amusement clearly reflected in his eyes as they fell to look her over. He smiled to himself. 'A woman like you doesn't need a boy, she needs a man.' Those light laughs came again, this time from either side of her instead of from behind her. How did they think that was funny? That wasn't funny!

"I have a man." Her voice faltered, making her sound unsure. The man holding her looked at his friends for a moment with a smirk, then turned back to Noelle and pulled her closer so their faces were almost touching. 'Then lets make him jealous." Her heart stopped after he said those words, and he started pulling at her arm. That was it, there was no way she could get away from three guys when all she had was a cell phone that they would take before she could even use. However, this fact didn't keep the adrenaline from rushing through her veins as he tried to pull her off the sidewalk. "No! Stop it!" Noelle tried to hold her place, but he was stronger than she was. No matter how much she pulled and tugged and struggled, it was still three against one.

________________________________________________________

`Status: Finished! <33
`Tag: Aaron Seymour
`Word Count: 1622
`Lyrics By: Kelly Clarkson - Here Me
`Notes:

[/font] pic by me
that picture doesn't fit for this post...but it will later!! xD[/blockquote][/size]

[aaron seymour]

It had been a long and cold night and it wasn't getting any shorter or warmer yet. He felt for the young woman at the party, having to remain pleasant and respectful to her parents and their friends' sons. It must have been hard. Certainly some of the guys were, at least from what Aaron could tell. He wondered if she actually got along with any of them. None of them looked very promising from his point of view, but he was biased her supposed. Many of them were phonies too, he could tell just from observing. He could see their parents giving them a life speech about growing up and getting a life, apparently they were hoping a girl would help them. Ha! Wishful thinking. It took much of Aaron's self-control to prevent himself from knocking some sense into the young men. Instead he found amusement in it, but pity for the girl. It didn't seem to be much of a birthday.

Now heading down the lit streets of Chicago, Aaron walked slowly behind a woman. She was almost a whole city block ahead of him, but he kept her in sight, only losing her when she turned corners. His dark leather jacket was zipped all the way to his chin, and a gray scarf was wrapped around his neck. He wore black leather gloves, the gloves of a killer. But he wasn't a killer tonight, just a man walking a lady home. His hands were in his pockets and his shoulders hunched against the cold breeze that rustled trash bags and signs. Every noise kept him alert. His heavy boots thumped heavily against the sidewalks, but no one a city block away would hear them. He was camouflaged by experience and common sense.

The woman turned another street corner, Aaron watched her white coat disappear around a brick building. His continued at his casual pace, speeding up only slightly. Cars whizzed by and a motorcycle growled past as Aaron made it to the corner where she had turned. He too turned off the main road onto the quiet side street, catching sight of the light coat under a street lamp. His face stung with the cold as he again followed the coat, pushing his face under the scarf to the bridge of his nose. He breathed in the warmth slowly, feeling his chin tingling as the blood came rushing back. He couldn't wait until they made it to her apartment safely so he could turn back and head for his own humble abode. There was a fried chicken Hungry Man with his name on it sitting in the freezer.

Suddenly, Aaron's eyes narrowed to focus further down the sidewalk. His view had been obstructed by a dark mass and it didn't take him long to figure out it was a group of people. At first, he didn't think anything of it, until he passed by the dark alley where they had come from. That didn't seem like a normal place for a short cut, especially this time of night. They had been waiting there for something and now that they found it they were on the move. Blood rushed to Aaron's head and he suddenly wasn't cold anymore. He walked faster now, the thumping of his own boots were overshadowed by the three men in front of him. They were trying to be discreet about their movements, but it didn't appear to be doing any good. They were either drunk or stupid, or both. He went with the latter.

A gap broke between the third guy and the other two, giving Aaron a quick glance of the woman they were all following. She was standing in front of a building that wasn't hers. He couldn't see what she was doing because he was too far away, but could only guess. From his distance, it looked like the group of men had a while until they made it to where the young woman was but the next instant he saw her jerk to a halt as one of them grabbed her. This sent heat rushing through Aaron's body. How dare they touch a woman in such a manner. He was walking faster now, nearly jogging toward the group. If they were saying anything he couldn't hear it but it didn't matter, he was more than ready to intercede.

"Let's make him jealous." Aaron's eyes were narrowed into a deadly glare. He wasn't more then a few strides away and could easily grab the nearest of the three guys in a choke hold, but he controlled himself. "No! Stop it!" That was his cue, stepping behind the group, he smiled to himself when he realized he stood taller than all of them. "Wha's goin' on here?" His voice boomed with authority and power, he looked around at the situation with a scowl. His eyes landed on Noelle offering her reassurance. He pushed between the two guys to the third and Noelle. He put a gloved hand on the attacker's arm and squeezed it. "Get yar hands off me girlfriend." He didn't raise his voice, he didn't need to. His words were final.

The attacker glared up at Aaron for a moment, as if sizing him up and debating whether or not he could take him. He looked to his friends who were both shaking their heads. "We weren't gonna do nothing. Just offering to walk her home." He let go of Noelle, but Aaron still had a grip on his arm, when he tried to pull away there was no where for him to go. "I'll take it from here." The attacker was squirming under his dark stare and trying to pull away, but Aaron held him firm. "Hey man, let go. I said I was sorry." "No ya didn'" He said flatly, waiting. "Oh. Sorry." He pulled but couldn't budge. "What?" "Sorry." Aaron gave the guy's arm a tug. "Sorry, I'm sorry! Let go!" He was groveling, Aaron hated grovelers. Pulling him around to face Noelle, he gestured toward her. "I don' want yar apology." He wasn't going to let him leave until he apologized for scaring Noelle and grabbing her, even though his friends had backed away and left their third party to fend for himself.
______________

yay! good post. me likey! xD

[noelle ackerman]

cause there are these nights when
i sing myself to sleep
________________________________________________________

A numbing pain was beginning to spread through her arm because the more Noelle fought, the harder he gripped onto her and pulled. Fear had a firm hold on her now, and tears stung her eyes as she tried to keep herself put in her spot. The heels she was wearing didn't help though, because more of her weight was focused forward anyway and it just made it easier on the attacker. For a split second, she began to wonder, what would happen if she didn't show up to work? Would they worry? Would they even notice? Of course they would notice, because they would have to get someone to cover her class, but would they care? She was just a teacher, and a daughter, and a sister, and one of the many million people who had fallen into the routine of every day life. She was just a part of a greater population, but by the end of the night she fear she would be a statistic.

She felt another hand lay on her, a hand of one of the other two guys ready to help their friend. It was only there for a second though, because right when he touched her a deep voice broke through the darkness. 'Wha's goin' on here?' The accent was thick and the tone was demanding. Noelle knew that she had heard that voice before, but she was so scared that at the moment she couldn't think of where. She turned away from her attacker, trying to find the source of the voice. The girl did find him, and it was not someone she had been expecting. "Aaron..." His name came out just above a light whisper, for she was so afraid that she could barely make herself speak. But his soft eyes offered her comfort, and his commanding words when he grabbed onto the man and told him to let go made a flood of warmth flow through her. Even though her arm was still in the man's grasp, she could breathe again just knowing that someone was here.

The attacker's grip loosened when Aaron's tightened, and then completely let go. Noelle quickly pulled her arm away, holding it close to her as she backed up a few steps out of his reach. The pain wasn't anything that she couldn't handle, but from how it felt the girl was sure that she would have some bruising. At least it was colder now, so she had an excuse to wear long sleeves and no one would be tempted to ask her about it. That was the last thing she wanted. Noelle was still getting funny stares from the whole "witnessing a murder" thing; she didn't want people thinking on top of it that a boyfriend or someone abused her. It was difficult enough being a new teacher this year; she didn't want to be everyone's pity case too.

She glared at the man in Aaron's grasp, whose face had changed from cocky too cowardly all within a minute’s time. Now he got to stand in her shoes, trying to get away but not able to. Bet he thought he was going to get the pulp beat out of him, huh? Noelle wouldn't mind that, but she had a feeling that Aaron wasn't that type of person. All the same, the woman could not be any more thankful that he had showed up when he had than she was right now. He was almost like her guardian angel, protecting her when she desperately needed it. Noelle was so happy to see him that she didn't even stop to ponder why he was here or how he had even been able to get to her quick enough without seeing what was happening or being close by. It didn't matter at this point anyway. All that mattered was that he was handling it, and she didn't have to be afraid or worried.

When he turned the man around to face her, the guy's face was almost pleading. 'I'm sorry, okay, I'm sorry!' He said it in her direction, but he wasn't saying it to her like Aaron wanted him to. Noelle's glare hardened and she stepped forward, looking at him with a face full of contempt. "You don't mean that. You just want him to let you go." That wasn't a good enough reason for her to accept his apology, not after what he tried to do to her. She stared coldly into his eyes, trying so hard to hold her composure even though her entire body was shaking. Though Noelle felt the relief of Aaron being here and helping her, which still didn't get rid of the nerves. Who knew what this man had been planning on doing to her, and she was standing a foot away from his looking right into his eyes. The girl couldn't help but think of everything that could have happened when she saw a flash of frustration cross his features at her words.

The attackers voice grew gruff, his face still nervous but also angry. He wanted to be let go of really badly, but Noelle could tell that he knew he wasn't going to be until he pleased her. 'Yes, I do. I'm sorry! It won't happen again.' It was getting really hard for her to look at him when he was getting so angry. The look that he had had in his eyes when he had first grabbed her kept playing before her like a movie. It had been the most intimidating and frightening look a woman could ever see. Noelle clenched her jaw, fighting back her shaking as she glanced up at Aaron in a way of saying that that was fine. It wasn't, really, but she didn't want to look at him any more when any second she was going to break. Her eyes fell, and the girl turned her back to them to let Aaron do whatever he was going to do while she crossed her arms close around her and tried to calm her trembling body.

________________________________________________________

`Status: Finished!
`Tag: Aaron Seymour
`Word Count: 1046
`Lyrics By: Kelly Clarkson - Here Me
`Notes:

[/font] pic by me[/blockquote][/size]

[aaron seymour]

It was too easy. Americans were much too weak compared to the Scottish. In Scotland, he would have been in a full-blown blood fight by now for stepping in the way he had. He was just another man in his homeland. Here, he was seen as a big guy; a force that no one dared to reckon with. One step below a body-builder. It was a comfort in some ways, but it also made him stand out; something that was easily used against him. He tried to blend in with the crowd, but with situations like this he just couldn't help but interlude. He hadn't had any run-ins with the police so far, but that was just luck working on his side. His time would come, the life of a professional killer wasn't a long one. There was a chance he could be taken out by a target who got suspicious, or by someone else's hitman. Murdered by his own kind. If a job went sour, he might even be killed by the person who hired him as payment for missing the target. There was always the chance of the police catching up to him. For sure he would get life imprisonment, maybe even death by lethal injection. He could only go day-by-day, when the trail got too hot he would move on to a different city. Once he hit the west coast, all he could do was double back.

Aaron waited for the guy he was holding to decide whether or not he really wanted to keep his arm. He was sure to be embarrassed, apologizing to a woman who, two minutes ago, he had almost full control over. Now, it was Aaron who had the control and the big shot who was left helpless. What a feeling it must be, and Aaron wouldn't have a second thought about breaking him at the elbow. No, he would. He wouldn't want Noelle to see him do such a thing, but if she wouldn't have been there, he would have done it. The only thing he could be thankful now was that his friends were too cowardly to assist and none of them appeared to have any sort of weapon. Obviously they were just in it for a good time, not to actually do serious damage, but since he couldn't be sure of that Aaron would show no mercy. It was wrong either way.

When Noelle decided his apology wasn't good enough, Aaron wanted to yank the guy so hard he got whiplash. He didn't believe the apology either, it was one of desperation not sincerity. He wouldn't last two minutes in a government interrogation. If he would have done it right the first time he could have been on his way back to the alley he crawled out of. But instead he decided to grumble and make things difficult. In one swift motion, Aaron's other hand flew onto the guy's shoulder as he brought his arm tight behind his back, pulling up tighter until he sang like a fucking canary. Looking over his shoulder, he could see the dark shapes of his friends standing a few feet away watching. He could tell by their stance that they were unsure about helping their buddy or running for it. The indecision kept them in place to watch.

When he heard the apology come from the guy for about the fifth time, his eyes narrowed again. He wouldn't have believed that one either, but when he glanced up at Noelle he saw her looking at him. Her eyes told him that it was good enough, but he could also see that she didn't really accept it. "Yar a lucky man." He growled in his ear, taking a handful of his jacket at the shoulder and turning him around toward his friends. "I'd 'ave made ya beg fer fergiveness...on yar knees." He gave the guy a shove foreword with his twisted arm and down from the shoulder, tripping him up so he fell right on his knees. Aaron let go in time that the guy could catch himself before he did a face plant, but couldn't stop himself from sticking his boot in his ass. The guy sprawled forward on the sidewalk. His friends each grabbed and arm and hauled him up. He turned around and took a daring step toward Aaron, but his friends both held him back."It's not worth it. Come on." "Be'er listen to'em." Aaron's eyebrows rose in a warning way, he was more than willing to bash his face in, but he wouldn't if he didn't have to.

It took a moment for him to decide he really didn't want his face rearranged and he allowed his friends to pull him away. He spat on the sidewalk at Aaron's feet before turning away. Waiting until they were at a decent enough distance, Aaron allowed his face to soften its icy expression to a loose frown as he stepped back to Noelle. He laid a hand lightly on her shoulder, standing to her side. "Ya all right?" He asked quietly, sliding his hand from her shoulder to the middle of her back. "Don' get the wrong impression, but would ya mind if I walked ya the rest o' the way?" It would make him feel better to know she made it home safely, it would also make it easier to follow her if he didn't have to keep himself a block apart.

[noelle ackerman]

and i'm hoping my dreams bring you
close to me, are you listening?
________________________________________________________

Behind her, Noelle could hear Aaron still talking to the man with cold words, saying that if it were him he would have him on the ground pleading for forgiveness. That would have been very enjoyable on her part, seeing him beg after what he had tried to do to her, but the young woman couldn't bare to look at him any longer. It wasn't due to shame or disgust; it was due to fear. There was something in his eyes that had frightened her almost as much when he had first grabbed her arm. Just picture it sent shivers down her spine. The sound of the man being pushed down to the pavement made her jump a little and look down at him, stepping farther away as to stay out of arms length. At first he was on all fours, then Aaron kicked at his backside and he smacked down against the pavement. Noelle really hoped that this didn't turn into a fistfight, that wasn't something she wanted to see.

The two friends of the man who had grabbed her helped him to his feet. His nose had started bleeding from when Aaron forced him down to the sidewalk and he hit it hard. The look in his eyes was one looking for a fight, but his friends seemed wiser in telling him that it wasn't worth it this time. Was it worth it at all? What did they expect to get from trying to beat up a guy twice their size? Was it an issue of pride? Well, when Aaron left him lying on the ground broken and in pain he would have a lot to make up for it, so really his friends were right in saying it wasn't worth it. They were obviously too cowardly to fight him, and it was clear who would win in a one-on-one fight. The man ripped his arms out of his friends’ hands, looking up at Aaron with hard eyes before spitting at his shoes and glancing for a moment at Noelle. Her breath caught in her throat when his dark eyes met hers before turning away. The girl's whole body felt tight and numb making her unable to move as the group walked off.

A strong, yet gentle hand rested on her shoulder and helped ease her shaking muscles. 'Ya all right?' Her chocolate eyes moved up to meet Aaron's icy blue ones, unsure for a moment of what to say. No, she wasn't all right. She had pictured situations like that before, and always imagined herself kicking her assailant's ass, but actually living it was completely different. Noelle knew that despite how much she kicked and fought she wouldn't have been able to overcome them. Still, she managed to nod and wipe the dampness from under her eyes, putting on a brave face even when her heart felt weak. "Yeah...now I am." His hand moved from her shoulder to the middle of her back, bringing her a feeling of stillness as it smoothed over her coat.

'Don' get the wrong impression, but would ya mind if I walked ya the rest o' the way?' On top of his touch helping to ease her troubled mind, his gentle voice and sincere words warmed and calmed her. At the same time, the growing comfort left her with a feeling of vulnerability as the scared tears she needed to get out so badly but was trying to hold back fought their way forward. Noelle had never been one to get so worked up over something before, but having never been in the situation she just experienced it was hard for her to wrap her head around it and sort it out in her mind. Pressing her lips together, she shook her head. "No, I wouldn't mind. I'd like that." The woman could feel herself putting her complete trust into him as she stood there, needing someone to give it to after having been shaken up so badly.

That was it; Noelle could no longer restrain herself. All she had to do was get these tears out and she would feel much better. A single drop began to roll down her cheek, and the woman raised a hand to her lips when her muscles shuttered again. Another tear fell, and before she could stop herself the woman stepped forward and buried her face into Aaron's warm scarf. It was possible that she was already emotional from having to sit through that party all night and fight losing her mind, and this pushed her over the edge to her breaking point. Overall, it was just a bad night, and having him here now gave her just the crutch she needed to get herself standing straight again, after she let the bottled up emotions come out. "Thank you," she said quietly but with all the sincerity she could muster. Noelle didn't sob, or hyperventilate or anything like that, she just let the tears fall as they needed to.

________________________________________________________

`Status: Finished!
`Tag: Aaron Seymour
`Word Count: 852
`Lyrics By: Kelly Clarkson - Here Me
`Notes:

[/font] pic by me[/blockquote][/size]

[aaron seymour]

The night suddenly seemed so still after their previous escapade. It reminded Aaron of the night he first saw Noelle, sitting in her window while he stood atop the complex just across the road. There was that same sense of quiet then as well. He didn't like it, it gave him the feeling that something was just waiting to happen. He felt as if he was being watched, a chilling feeling. Now he could understand how his targets must feel before the phone rings and the lights go out. But as he stood there on the sidewalk, in the dark between street lamps, nothing looked suspicious or out of place. No funny looking shadows or mysterious footsteps. The wind was still rustling the trash bags across the street and cars zoomed along the bisecting avenue but nothing else seemed out of place.

Aaron still couldn't seem to shake the feeling though. He wanted to get a move on rather than be a sitting target, but he tried to brush it away. He was just being paranoid, it was part of who he was. There was no one else on the street but them, the three thugs who had caused all the problems had turned off the road moments ago and their voices were no longer carried back to the pair of them. Besides, he didn't want to make Noelle any more frightened than she already was, especially over something that was probably nothing. As Noelle's head tipped up to look at him, saying she would like him to walk her home, he let his own eyes drop from the shadows to look down at her. He smiled, gently rubbing his hand along the back of her coat in a soothing manner. She didn't need to be afraid anymore, as long as he was around. You could bet your ass he wouldn't let anyone touch her, not even himself unless deemed necessary.

Slowly, his reassuring smile began to fade when he noticed her eyes welling up with tears. He probably wouldn't have noticed if it weren't for the nearest street lamp making them glisten. He didn't say anything, unsure if she actually wanted him to see her cry. Then she leaned foreword against him and he froze. Swallowing hard, he had his arms awkwardly resting against either side of her waist as she cried into his scarf. He didn't mind, really, it was just slightly uncomfortable for him to see a girl cry. He could comfort fear, but he didn't really know how to make tears go away. They seemed to like coming at their own accord and sometimes didn't like to stop. He never actually saw a girl really cry before. Even his wife never cried, at least not in front of him. He heard her, a couple times, in the bathroom or their bedroom. It was from raging hormones from her pregnancy though, those he knew he couldn't stop, but she never let him try either. She always locked the doors on him.

"Thank you." The words were slightly muffled, but he could hear them perfectly. Aaron bit the inside of his cheek lightly, before finally folding his arms around Noelle's back. He really didn't know what he could say or do to comfort her any more, so he just did what he could at the moment. "Any time." He said lightly, meaning every word. Certainly after tonight's encounter, he would be keeping a much closer vigil from now on. As much as he wanted to deny it, Noelle was another part of his job now. He was a loner for a reason and that was to protect those around him. But because of his insistence to find out all she knew about him, he inadvertently tied her to him. Now he had to be careful that he didn't give himself away each night he walked her home. He wouldn't call it 'stalking', she wasn't a target. But if he was watching others, then someone had to be watching him. He didn't know who, when or where, but he just knew. It could even be by a government satellite for all he knew. And whoever was watching him, already knew about his weak spot for women and probably knew about Noelle. It had been what? two days since they met, but two days was a long time.

Aaron waited a couple minutes for Noelle to get her tears out, hoping it was sufficient time but not wanting to rush her either. "Uh..." He cleared his throat, cursing the unintentional show of discomfort. "Shall we get along then?" He didn't move from where he stood, continuing to smooth his hands along Noelle's back, waiting for her to make the first move. He was ready whenever she was, although he had been ready a time ago.

[noelle ackerman]

hear me i'm crying out
i'm ready now
________________________________________________________

The night was still again, as still as it had been when she had first stepped outside however long ago. The thugs were gone, and with Aaron's arms around her she could feel her nerves completely disappear. In case you hadn't noticed, Noelle wasn't exactly the toughest person in the world. She could be as stubborn as a pack mule but when you put her in a situation like this she didn't know how to handle herself. People saw her as the fragile little dance teacher that would break if one stick too many was placed upon her back, and as much as she wanted to it was really difficult to change that image. She was strong in other matters, such as social things. For instance, Noelle had gone the whole night with a smile on her face and without getting frustrated with her father for inviting the Carmichaels' son. Like, really? The guy had the attention span of a goldfish.

The woman wasn't entirely sure how long passed, but just when she felt about ready to move again she heard Aaron ask if they should be on their way. Noelle stood straight again, having a new energy in her eyes now that she was able to get that out of her system. She smiled almost whole-heartedly, drying her cheeks with the back of her glove before she spoke. "Yeah...sorry...I was just....really shaken up." That was a bit of an understatement, but that was the least of her worries. Now Noelle was feeling a little bad for making him have to deal with her emotions when they had only know each other for a couple days. If it was any consolation to him, she wasn't as much of a roller coaster ride as she might appear to be. "I'm good though," she added, inhaling deeply, "let's go.

The young woman turned away from him, shoving her hands into her pockets again as she began once more walking in the direction of her apartment. It was so much more of a relief having someone with her now. Whether it be Aaron or someone else, Noelle preferred to be with a person at this time of night that she knew and trusted. Granted, she hadn't known him for long enough for people to agree with her trust for him, but Noelle couldn't help it. It was the kind of person she was, an eternal optimist. She preferred to see the good in people than the bad, and didn't want to go searching for their closed doors to find out things that she didn't need to know. That was how people got themselves into trouble. What Noelle didn't realize was that she was a little too trusting at times, and that was what had gotten her into the crappy relationships and other things that could have been avoided were she a little less naive.

The cold no longer got to her, because the adrenaline had warmed her veins and given her all of the heat she needed for the rest of that walk home. The only chill that Noelle could feel was from a bit of wetness one the corner of her eye that she had missed. She reached up and wiped it away, glancing up at Aaron for a second afterwards. "So...do you frequently find yourself rescuing people at this time of night or was I just lucky?" She was joking around, not really meaning anything by the question and only trying to start conversation. He didn't even have to answer it if he didn't want to, as long as they didn't go the rest of the way back to her apartment in complete silence because that would make her uncomfortable all over again. It was like when you were stuck on a long drive with someone who didn't like to talk or listen to the radio. Noelle simply wanted to get some kind of talking going before the silence set in and they were stuck.

________________________________________________________

`Status: Finished!
`Tag: Aaron Seymour
`Word Count: 686
`Lyrics By: Kelly Clarkson - Here Me
`Notes:

[/font] pic by me
man i really hope that post made sense, sorry i'm
getting really tired >.< my next one will be better[/blockquote][/size]

[aaron seymour]

As soon as Noelle composed herself and continued walking again, Aaron remained behind for a few paces, looking back the way they had come and where the thugs had gone. He wouldn't put it past them to lay low until things were settled down then continue following again. But with Aaron there they probably wouldn't chance it. If they did happen to try again, he wouldn't be as forgiving as he was the first time. Actually, he wasn't very forgiving at all, just on the outside for Noelle's sake. He would have liked to have picked a fist-fight; let loose some of his bottled up anger and frustration. To do it on the punching bag in the gym was one thing and only helped so much, but to actually hit another living thing was another thing entirely. Of course, he wouldn't do it if he didn't have to or wasn't provoked, but that isn't to say he wouldn't avoid antagonizing someone to throw the first punch.

His icy eyes searched the vacant street as a precaution for any more funny looking shadows but, as before, there was nothing out of the ordinary. He was relieved in a way, but at the same time kept on edge. When he noticed Noelle's footsteps growing fainter, he snapped out of sniper mode and back to semi-normal human being. Looking after her, he hastened to reach her side again before she noticed he hadn't followed right away and turned to look for him. How would he explain what he was checking for? "Just making sure there are no snipers around." Yeah, like that would go over real well. It wouldn't really matter anyway, a sniper was a master of camouflage and even a trained eye wouldn't be able to find one. Of course, he would know all the tricks, but that didn't mean he would be able to say exactly where one was hiding.

Aaron walked silently along beside Noelle for a few moments, listening to the clicking of her heels on the sidewalk compared to the heavy thump of his boots. The sounds alone showed the difference between the two. It was like the difference between hot and cold, or day and night. She was hot and he was cold. She was day and he was night. What an odd pairing they must make to any who happen to witness them walking together. Aaron was so lost in the sound of their shoes, that Noelle's voice breaking the steady rhythm made him start. His head came up from the bowed position it was in and he was suddenly alert again. "A li'le o' both, really." His tone was matter-of-fact, as if this wasn't the first time he was asked such a question. It was actually, the first time.

"I often find meself in the right place at the right time, or wrong time, depending on how ya look a'it." Which was the truth. Tonight was a right place, right time deal, as it often was. There were only a handful of times where it was right place wrong time. He could count them on one hand. The first would be when he was younger, back in Glasgow, when he was home and his father was in a drunken stupor. The second would be the day of his wife's murder; he was at work, where he was supposed to be, while she was getting her head bashed in. He was still debating on whether the third was when he was standing on the rooftop and Noelle saw him. If she hadn't, he probably wouldn't be here now, walking with her. But if that was the case, then what would have happened back there with those thugs? It was a Catch 22.

[noelle ackerman]

turn my world upside down, find me
i'm lost inside the crowd, it's getting loud
________________________________________________________

The street, for a moment, was no longer silent. In the distance Noelle could hear a car slowly approaching them, crunching over the loose rocks as it did so. She looked over her shoulder out of instinct toward the sound, Aaron being the only thing keeping her from being blinded by the headlights. Her eyes watched it as it passed by them slowly, and then fell back to the pavement as they walked. That was a habit of hers, looking down while she was walking on the sidewalk, especially in heels. She liked to know where she was stepping in case there was a crack or something. Could you imagine if her heel got wedged in a crack right now? Right in front of the handsome Scotsman walking along beside her? As if she hadn't embarrassed herself enough around him already. Well, that is why Noelle watched where she stepped.

When the man's thick accent broke through the air in answer to her question, the young teacher pulled her eyes away from the cement and looked back up at him. 'A li'le o' both, really.' The comment made her smile. He said it like stuff like this happened to him often. He must be some superman in disguise as "Aaron Seymour, the teacher." Either that or he was just her white knight, or maybe dark knight in this case. Whatever he was, Noelle knew that she was going to have to come up with a good way to thank him, because just saying "Thank you" didn't seem to suffice very well. Maybe it was enough for him, but for her there was still a big gap that she had to make up. The thing was, since they had just met she didn't know how to make up for it. Noelle didn't know what he liked or anything like that, and since she already offered to give him dance lessons for free in exchange for getting rid of that horrid painting she couldn't offer that. She would come up with something, eventually.

'I often find meself in the right place at the right time, or wrong time, depending on how ya look a'it.' Noelle's lips parted a little as she laughed softly. It did kind of depend on how you look at it. In this case, it was definitely right place, right time, from her point of view anyway. She still wasn't completely sure what those guys were going to do to her but just from what the one had said she had a pretty good idea. She would probably be in some alley or back room right now...man; she didn't even want to think of the rest. It gave her chills just picturing the three guys surrounding her let alone everything else. If she was lucky, the topic would never come up again, and Noelle would never have to let it touch her thoughts. No one but Aaron new about the night's events, and he didn't seem like the type to go blabbing to everyone so the woman figured there wouldn't be anyone at her door at school asking questions about when had happened and if it had anything to do with the "guy on the roof thing."

With a pretty smile on her face, Noelle said, "Sounds like you do this kind of thing a lot. I guess I'm not so special then." She was teasing, trying to poke fun at the situation in order to lighten her own mood. On top of that, she liked to joke around, it kept the air from getting tense and if she was able to keep a smile on her face then she could remain in a relatively good mood. Straying from the point for a moment, Noelle wondered what her mother would think of the situation right now. First of all, she would have scolded her daughter for not taking a cab in the first place, and then she would have scolded her for walking home with this older man. It was a darn good thing her mother wasn't here then, wasn't it? Her mother meant well, really, but sometimes her parenting came off a bit cold or selfish, as any parent's could with time.

________________________________________________________

`Status: Finished!
`Tag: Aaron Seymour
`Word Count: 723
`Lyrics By: Kelly Clarkson - Here Me
`Notes:

[/font] pic by me[/blockquote][/size]

[aaron seymour]

At the sound of the car approaching, Aaron too turned his head to watch as it passed, narrowing his eyes against the glare of the headlights. He was too blinded by the lights to see through the windshield and the rest of the windows were tinted and in the dark it was impossible to see who was in the car. For the second time that night he felt better knowing that he was there between Noelle and the vehicle. It would be easier to abduct a woman walking by herself, especially in inappropriate running gear such as heels. And the fact that this person would have had a car would be disastrous. But they wouldn't dare try it with a body guard. However, if they really wanted to Aaron probably wouldn't be able to stop them. He had no weapon on him and if they did he was powerless unless he could somehow disarm them. The car rolled on passed without so much as slowing down and Aaron again relaxed. He really needed to loosen up, any imminent danger had since passed. If he kept going at this rate, he'd be burned out and looking at another suicide attempt.

When Noelle laughed at his answer, he felt a simper tug at the corners of his mouth. She had a cute laugh and he had a feeling it was one that would make him smile under any circumstance. His wife had a similar affect on him only it could do a bit more than make him smile. He could feel the simper widen into a grin at the mental image that had just appeared in his memory and for once the thought of his wife didn't pain him as it usually did. He usually had to force himself to remember the good things about the short time they had together and not the brutality that ended it. But when he remembered those good things like; sitting on the porch swing in the dark, listening to the crickets in the warm summer months; the soft green paint they had chosen for the nursery and the deep cherry wooden crib Kate had fawned over but insisted it was too much, so Aaron bought it anyway just to make her happy and annoyed at the same time. That was the hardest part for him to remember; the nursery, the baby. It was the part of it all that killed him inside, that still gave him nightmares. He always wondered: Did he know? Did he know that the woman he was raping was pregnant? Did he know that when he bashed her head against the ground that he wasn't killing one person, but two?

Aaron had to press his eyes tightly shut and grind his teeth to get rid of the new mental image that had appeared. He turned his head away toward the road where Noelle couldn't see his face. What she would possibly see would be an undecipherable mix of pain and anger and hatred and guilt all jumbled together torturing and haunting one man. Causing the strongest of them to show his weakest point and actually bring on the threat of tears. Tears! He would never let it happen. Not again, he cried once and only once and he had his fill. It was over and done with, there was nothing else left to do. He got his revenge. It didn't bring his wife back, but he felt better knowing that the man who ended her life couldn't harm another woman again.

The death of his wife was how he found his soft spot for women, it was always lying there beneath the surface, brought up for air whenever need be. But ever since then, he found himself keeping an extra eye on those close to him. Whether simply an acquaintance or slightly more, as Noelle was. Not quite a close friend but more than an acquaintance. It was how he found himself on her street tonight, thinking it was his job to watch over her and make sure no harm came to her as his wife. She wasn't his wife, he knew that, she could never be it simply made him feel better to know she was all right. Maybe it was the guilt of not being able to protect Kate; in fact, that was exactly what it was.

Aaron tilted his head back to the night sky, forcing the pricking of his eyes to slide back into his head and leave him alone. The last time he looked at the sky it was cloudy and snowing except for a small patch of stars. Tonight, it was perfectly clear. The meteorologists were calling for a light snow by morning, but right now there wasn't a hint of it. When he felt comfortable enough, Aaron lowered his head back to look ahead to where they were going. Another car was heading down the road and he kept one ear on it while he listened to Noelle with the other. He smiled at her statement slightly, lowering his eyes to the pavement. He pushed his leather-gloved hands into the pockets of his jacket and sniffed in the cold air. "Every one o' ya is unique." It wasn't like he was always saving girls from losers. Sometimes it was just from themselves, cause they tripped over their own feet. Or from Christmas trees that just don't want to be decorated with tinsel and brightly colored lights and glittery bulbs.
_____________

woo! i found something to babble about xD a depressing something, but it got my muse flowing ^.^
wow, and i just realized that he spoke once through the whole thing.
sorry if that makes your next post harder >.<

[noelle ackerman]

i need you to see i'm screaming for
you to please hear me
________________________________________________________

'Every one o' ya is unique.' Aaron was such a sweetheart. He seemed to know exactly what to say to make her smile even more. It was hard for Noelle to think that just a couple minutes ago he looked like he was about to bash the guy's face into the ground. Since they had met a couple days ago he had been nothing but nice to her, and it made her wonder how they had not met earlier. She had never really heard anyone mention him. Noelle had probably seen him in the teacher's lounge once or twice but she didn't recall him ever talking with anyone. It intrigued her. There seemed to be so many different sides to this man, sort of like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde but without all of the flashy costumes, dancing, and Broadway music. She would have to see that play one day.

Actually, one thing that Noelle wanted more than anything was to be in a Broadway play as a dancer in the background or something. She didn't need to have a major role; she just wanted the experience of being a part of something like that. She had seen a few plays in her lifetime, as a teenager when they would take the occasional trip to New York City, and the one that really stuck out in her mind was Phantom of the Opera. Noelle wanted so badly to be one of the ballet dancers. Even though in the story they were a little clumsy and needed more practice, she could picture herself on the stage in front a full theater and alongside people who loved dancing just as much as herself. Before that happened though, Noelle had to move closer to New York City, and they had to be auditioning for new dancers. Who knew how long it would be until then? So, for now, it remained a dream that was sitting just out of her reach.

Somewhere in the distance, the young woman could hear the sound of a falling trash can lid and a raspy screeching, then watched as a young orange cat ran out from the corner at the end of the block and across the street. She had seen that cat on numerous occasions, and wondered why it wasn't inside somewhere safe. Had it run away? No, cats didn't normally do that, and if they did they would come back. Maybe the owners moved and left it. Well, all the same, she didn't fret. As sad as it was to see a wandering animal the cat seemed very content with the mouse it had caught in its mouth and was now carrying away. Noelle actually felt more for the mouse than the cat. The cat was fat and healthy (to a point) and the mouse was about to be its dinner.

"Oh!" The woman lit up a bit at the sudden remembrance of something she had wanted to tell Aaron the next time she saw him. "Administration came and asked about the painting..." They had been very commanding in their asking too. Noelle was sure when they had come that she would be fired for getting rid of it. "...I told them that someone stole it. They didn't see very worried." It was much to their relief that they weren't worried, too. The teacher had been a mess over that thing until administration found out that it was gone and there was nothing they could do about it. It was a heinous thing anyway, she was sure that the faculty was passing it around waiting for someone to have the guts to get rid of it.

________________________________________________________

`Status: Finished!
`Tag: Aaron Seymour
`Word Count: 619
`Lyrics By: Kelly Clarkson - Here Me
`Notes:

[/font] pic by me
sorry for the wait, i was looking for a picture
and couldn't find it and...*sigh* i gave up xD [/blockquote][/size]

[aaron seymour]

The street became eerily quite again. Aaron wasn't much of a talker to begin with, but with silences like this he half wished that Noelle was the type of person who could talk and talk and talk, jumping from one topic to the next without even the slightest transition. It would fill the silence and give him something to focus his thoughts on. Usually then he encountered a person like that, they would go one for about fifteen minutes straight before noticing that Aaron hadn't responded though the whole thing, then apologize and offer up some reason for their blabbering. He often got the impression it was because they were intimidated by him, more of a nervous habit than anything else. But he wasn't the type of person to be annoyed or bothered by such a dysfunction. He sometimes found what others had to say quite interesting, or amusing. Since he couldn't really talk about himself like others could, he lived vicariously through them.

Aaron tried to focus on other things besides the silence or else his mind would wander either to his past or he would get paranoid over harmless noises all over again. He tried to focus again on the sound of their walking, but since he already did before it didn't catch his attention as much. He kept his eyes facing straight ahead, a new intersection looming ahead of them. He wasn't entirely sure what street they were on now, whether Noelle would end up turning off or continue to the next one. Either way, he had to remember that when they came to her street he couldn't make the first move. He wasn't supposed to know where she lived, even though he did. If he turned off before she had a chance to that would probably start up another series of questions he would prefer not to answer. Then again, it probably wouldn't. She may not even notice he made the first move and if she did she could also assume it was a lucky guess. Either way he could play dumb and harmless, he did it before.

He suddenly felt a vibrating against his hip, but didn't jump as he would have expected. Thankful for something to distract him until a conversation was struck up again, Aaron reached into his front pocket of his pants to retrieve his cell phone. The vibrating now became audible at there was nothing to muffle the noise anymore. As soon as he held the phone to his face, the vibrating stopped, it was a text message. If it had been a phone call the phone could have continued to vibrate until he either answered or it went to voice-mail. Aaron looked at the number, but there wasn't one, it simply said 'Restricted'. Could restricted numbers text cell phones? He remembered blocking his number once then trying to text a friend and it was sent back to him. Frowning curiously, Aaron flipped open the device and pressed 'OK' to open the message.

Watch me, watch
you.

He suddenly felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end as a shock went right through his body. He felt like he had just missed a step going down the stairs as his stomach gave a jolt. Looking up from the phone, Aaron's eyes darted around the empty street. Just when he was starting to relax, he was put back on edge again. He still didn't see anything, but now that he was so worked up he wouldn't anyway. Quickly, he hit 'Reply' and text-ed:

who is this?

He hit send, then stared at the phone and waited anxiously. Whoever had just contacted him would still be by the phone, definitely waiting for him to reply.

Noelle was talking to him now, but he was only listening with half an ear, or quarter of one. His eyes were glued to the phone, but when he didn't get an immediate response, he let it drop to his side to look at her. He tried to appear listening and interested, but the truth of the matter was his mind had jumped far away from here. "Na, they wanted someone to dispose o' it." At least he had paid enough attention to know what she had said. The phone vibrated once again and Aaron jerked his arm up so fast the device almost went flying out of his hand. He opened the message and felt a wave of frustration.

Message could not be sent. Invalid number.

[noelle ackerman]

i used to be scared of letting someone in
but it gets so lonely being on my own
________________________________________________________

They were still about seven minutes or so from her apartment, thanks to the hold up earlier. All Noelle had wanted a few minutes ago was to get home but now that someone was here next to her she didn't feel so tense. Now, the woman didn't really mind if the walk took five minutes or a half an hour, as long as there was someone to keep her company whom she felt safe with. At the same time, she didn't think that Aaron would want to spend a half an hour with someone he didn't really know and had just met two days ago, so it wasn't like she was going to be strolling along at a glacial pace either. Maybe Noelle was too much of a thinker, but she wasn't even sure how much Aaron liked her yet, and if he was impartial then she didn't want to torture him. What made it a little harder was that he seemed very reserved, and she wasn't sure if that was because he didn't like her or because that was just how he was. Silently, Noelle kicked herself. She really had to stop thinking so much.

'Na, they wanted someone to dispose o' it.' Noelle gave a half smile, agreeing with him but still quietly hoping that she wouldn't end up getting fired or something. Then, she noticed something, a change in the air around them. Her eyes wandered up to look at Aaron, expecting to see the same calm and collected man who had been walking with her this whole way. Instead, he seemed distracted. Her brow furrowed a bit when she noticed his slightly harden expression. Had something happened? Did he just remember that he had to be somewhere or that he had forgotten about something? He seemed very interested in his phone, which up until a second ago Noelle didn't even know he had. Did it die on him and he needed to make an important phone call? He could use hers if he had to. Something told her that that wasn't the case though.

The young woman stopped walking and turned to the man, gently touching his arm for a moment so he would notice that she had done so. "Hey." Her voice was now soft and caring, in contrast to the light-hearted joking-around tone that she had had before. "Are you okay?" Noelle's face hinted at her worry, since not one minute ago Aaron had appeared to be perfectly fine. Now it looked like there was something wrong again, and that made her nervous. He was the one who had helped her calm down, and if he was now upset what was she supposed to do? It would only make her get worked up all over again. She dropped her hand from his arm, crossing her arms in front of her against a breeze like she had done earlier. The night wasn't too bad right now, but Noelle could tell that they were definitely getting colder as they headed into the winter months. As much as she loved winter she wanted to keep herself warm for as long as she could.

The woman could feel her stomach growl a little bit, which made her once again really want to get home and sit down in front of the TV with a blanket and some food. However, Aaron had helped her out tonight so if he needed any sort of help from her now she would be here for him, even though it still didn't seem like a fair trade. She would have to ask him what he thought would be good, or casually ask him what he liked so she would be able to do something nice for him as a thank you instead. That was all stuff to think about later however, because right now there were more important things. Noelle wanted to know what had caused his sudden change in attitude. Actually, she didn't want to know, because thinking about it made her wonder what could possibly be so bad to make him become so tense. If it did that to him, what would it do to her? Again though, he had helped her so it was only fair, and if he wanted to tell her what was bothering him he could.

________________________________________________________

`Status: Finished!
`Tag: Aaron Seymour
`Word Count: 737
`Lyrics By: Kelly Clarkson - Here Me
`Notes:

[/font] pic by me
I feel like I keep repeating myself >.<
Sorry again D:[/blockquote][/size]

[aaron seymour]

Staring at the cell phone in his hand, Aaron began playing around with the applications it had. He went into his text message Inbox then the Outbox, as if it would give him the answers he was looking for. Who was it? What did they want? Were they watching now? How did they know who he was? Why did they choose now to send him a message? Or a warning was more like it. What did they expect him to do? If anything. Furrowing his brow he shook his head slightly to himself. Of course they knew he would do something, or else they wouldn't have given it away that they were watching. But what were they expecting him to do? He couldn't do anything if he didn't know what it was he was supposed to be doing or looking for. He would just be running in blind. He wouldn't even know where to begin.

He could find some computer genius and pay him to hack into his phone records, trace the message. But then his own skeletons would come loose. The number of the last man he killed would come up on his log and he would be caught. He had an excellent cover if the police tried to trace the phone records back to him. His number was linked to a database in Vancouver that would randomly pick a person, usually non-existent or dead, to send back to the trace. Each time they tried, a different person would come up. If was nearly fool-proof, as long as he erased all the outgoing numbers, and whoever was trying to trace him only called once. Calling twice would bring a whole new identity to a single phone number and that would certainly arouse suspicion. Of course, it would take a long time for them to track down the true owner of the number.

But if his identity was fool-proof, then whoever had sent him the message was impenetrable. No, Aaron refused to believe that no one was made of steel. It might take him a while, but he could find out who it was. If they continued sending him messages then it might not take as long as he expected. He felt someone touch his arm, squeezing it gently. Being too deep in thought, he over-reacted to the gentle pressure and jumped away. He could feel the adrenaline rushing through his body and was ready to take on whoever it was. Than he stopped, feeling his gut drop again. He was looking at Noelle, who had stopped walking and was staring at him strangely, like she was wondering what was going on. "Are you okay?" His heart was racing in his ears and he had the sudden urge to run until he beat his adrenaline into the pavement. He tried to relax his stance, but his face wouldn't ease from the hardened expression in his eyes. "Yeah." He said absently, looking at the phone. "I just go'a strange text message..." If she asked he would just say it was a prank for the wrong person, but he just hoped she wouldn't because the lie would be a giveaway. He wouldn't have gotten so worked up over something so childish.

It was childish. Someone sending a message that said "watch me, watch you" how can he watch someone watch him? They hadn't sent any proof that they were watching him, like a picture. Almost every phone had a camera in it now-a-days. It had to be a prank. Maybe one pf his students got a hold of his number and thought it would be amusing. He did write his number down for Noelle on a sticky note. Perhaps one of her students saw it and copied it down. It was unlikely, but not something he could completely rule out. However, with this new and less hostile idea in his head, he felt a little bit better. He looked at Noelle's concerned expression and let the hard lines smooth over. "Wrong number and I don' think whomever tha' was fer is gonna like it." He forced his lips to curve in a simper, but it didn't reach his eyes.
______________________

ah don't worry about it. lmao >.<

[noelle ackerman]

no one to talk to
and no one to hold me
________________________________________________________

Aaron's jump at her light touch made Noelle flinch a bit with surprise. Well, if that wasn't a sign that something was bothering him then she didn't know what was. It made her heart beat hard against her chest for a moment before she was able to take a slow breath to calm herself. Gosh, that might make her never want to touch someone like that again. The coldness in his eyes was unmistakable now, almost as if for a moment he didn't recognize who she was. Even after he did seem to calm down at noticing it was only her, the look didn't go away. Noelle didn't like that look, it was too different from the gentle gaze he had laid upon her earlier. It was the difference between an ice cube and a hot burner. Whatever was bothering him ahd to be pretty bad to make him become so jumpy so quickly.

His stance relaxed a little, which subconsciously made Noelle feel a little better, but his eyes were still cold and searching. He said that he was okay, but he didn't look okay. 'I just go'a strange text message...' A text message? That was all? It seemed a littl silly in her opinion, but at the same time she didn't want to be too quick to judge. "A text?" It was hard not to vocalize her disbelief, for that was just so far off from what the woman had expected to hear. "I've gotten strange texts before too but they've never made me almost dart out into oncoming traffic." If it was a text message that made him nervous then it obviously wasn't "just" a strange one. Noelle really wanted to help him out, but if he didn't clue her in at all (which she had a feeling he wasn't going to) she wouldn't be able to help him. It was just like her students, if they didn't want to be helped then they wouldn't listen to her. Figuring it was useless to fight it, Noelle breathed a deep sigh and glanced down at the pavement while shuffling her feet, silently dismissing the subject if that was what he wanted to to.

Even if he wasn't going to tell her, that would only make it bother the girl more. She shouldn't pry, and she knew that, because most likely it was something personal that was none of Noelle's business. She had been pestered one time too many over the past few days by people who wanted to know things that they had no business in knowing, and it had taught her just how incredibly irritating it was, so she fought her urges and restrained it. 'Wrong number and I don' think whomever tha' was fer is gonna like it.' If it was a wrong number then why did he get so uptight in the first place? Never mind, she wasn't going to ask. Instead, Noelle let a tiny smile slid onto her lips to match his, followed a moment later by an unmistakable worried frown. "Are you sure you're all right?" His mouth may have said yes but his expression still said no.

Maybe she was thinking too much - again. After all, some people were pretty sick and got a cick out of sending creepy stuff like that. There was one text she had opened her phone to once that had read "What are you wearing right now?" Later she had found out it was one of her friends being stupid, but in the moment it had really given her the chills. She had thought some crazed sex hound was after her and ended up shutting all of her windows and locking them. An hour later or so her friend had called her and she could tell that she was trying to keep a straight face while talking to her until Noelle eventually told her about it and she started cracking up, which was followed by a very amused "it was me!" Needless to say, Noelle hadn't been happy and ended up hanging up on her, only to be sent a text later that said 'sorry.' She couldn't hold a grudge, and the two ended up going out for lunch the next day and oogling over cute guys. This situation was obviously very different, though. This time, Noelle didn't know what she could do to make him calm down no matter how much she wanted to.

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`Status: Finished!
`Tag: Aaron Seymour
`Word Count: 764
`Lyrics By: Kelly Clarkson - Here Me
`Notes:

[/font] pic by me[/blockquote][/size]