i wish i was a man in the mud because mud is enjoyable.

Katsa and Alton had had an awesome dinner at the Kiborante, and now they were taking a midnight walk along the beach.

Alton was such a nice guy! Katsa was glad he had asked her out. She was having so much fun with him!

For the first time in two and a half years, Alton felt completely...content. He didn't feel angry at the world for letting his family down. He didn't feel depressed about his dead family. He didn't even feel guilty for not feeling depressed. Most importantly, he didn't even feel the need for vengeance. It was amazing how, in just a few hours, this girl had somehow managed to completely turn his life around.

"Hey Katsa?" he said to her. Maybe another reason he was feeling so content was the four or so glasses of wine he'd had at dinner. xD "You look really...really...really pretty right now."

Katsa smiled. She knew he had had a little too much to drink at dinner, but she thought it was cute.

"Thanks," she said with a smile and a little bit of a blush. She slipped her hand into his as they continued walking. The moon reflected upon the ocean and cast an pretty, pale light all around them. It was so peaceful out here.

"I'm glad we did this," she said. And she was. She still couldn't get over the fact that he had actually asked her out.

Alton couldn't help but smile. "Me too," he said, swinging their hands back and forth a bit. "I haven't felt this way in...a...really long time."

He knelt down for a second and wrote in the wet sand with his finger "I heart Katsa" only he drew an actual heart. It was mostly the wine talking, because he wouldn't do that in a totally normal state of mind, but he did really like her.

He stood back up and just looked down at the message until a wave washed it away.

Katsa smiled. "That was really cute," she said. Then she did something weird which I don't know why she's doing it but I just feel like she wants to. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

Alton actually blushed. No seriously, he did. Hey, this was probably the closest he'd gotten to any girl in two and a half years. xD "Thanks..." he said, at a loss of anything else to say. He put a hand to his cheek, then looked down at Katsa. Then he leaned down and kissed her on the lips.

Katsa really enjoyed the kiss. She hadn't kissed anyone since, well Keegan, and that had only been enjoyed on the one end. This kiss was so much better. :3

"I hope we can do this again," she said as they broke apart. "Hang out, I mean, not kiss. Well, kiss, too," Katsa laughed.

"Yeah," Alton agreed, smiling. It just felt so good to be carefree and having fun, and not dwelling on all the horrible things that had happened in the past. "What do you want to do next time?" He felt like suddenly the world had opened up to a million possibilities of fun things he could do with Katsa. When was the last time he'd had fun? A long, long time ago. "There's so much I wanna do, Katsa."

If Katsa wasn't so fat from being pregnant, she would have suggested skinny dipping, but she was fat, so that was a no no.

"You know what I'd love to do?" she asked him. "I'd really like to go mountain climbing. I've never done that before." Of course, she would have to wait now, because there was no way she could climb a mountain when she was five months pregnant with twins.

"But next time, I think it would be cool if we could rent a boat, and then stay out all night, just to watch the stars on the water." Maybe they could bring a picnic, and go swimming. She wondered if Alton liked swimming.

"How much does it cost to rent a boat?" Alton wondered out loud. Given the fact that he didn't have a job, he didn't have a whole lot of extra money. Just enough to pay the bills and buy food. Maybe he should get a job (like everyone else in the world.) He looked down at Katsa. Pregnant or not, she was a cute one. "Do your feet hurt or anything?"

Katsa honestly didn't know how much it took to rent a boat. It was probably cheap if you rented one in Ughdarras.


"Kinda," she admitted. "But I've sorta gotten used to it. Five months and you'll get used to anything."

"Want me to carry you?" Alton asked. Without waiting for her to reply, he grabbed her and lifted her into his arms, bridal style. He smiled at her. Even though she was five months pregnant with twins, she was a tiny girl to begin with so she wasn't too heavy. Plus he was strong. He could probably carry her all the way down the beach if she wanted him to.

"Alton!" Katsa squealed when he lifted her up. "Put me down! You'll break your back!"

"Whaaat? Are you kidding me?" Alton asked, as he easily started walking forward. "I feel like I'm carrying air." He held her a little tighter, because he liked how it felt to hold her close. There was something about Katsa that not only made him happy, but made him want to take care of and protect her.

Katsa smiled. "You know, if you're planning on doing this all the time, I might have to keep you around," she said giggling a little.

Alton laughed. "Well, whatever it takes for you to want me to stick around," he replied.

Katsa wrapped an arm around his neck and brought his face down to yours. "I'm glad you want to stay," she said, kissing him.

But would he want to stay? After she had the babies and she didn't have time for things like walking the beach? She hoped, but of course, it was only the first date. They hadn't commited to anything yet.

"I'm glad that you're glad," Alton said, sort of lamely, but also sort of cutely. That line just may have been the four glasses of wine talking. Though he really was happy that Katsa liked him. He had all but given up that something good would ever happen to him. Now something good was happening.

Katsa smiled up at Alton. She snuggled closer to him and yawned. Jeez, it was probably late. "We should probably be getting back, huh?" she asked. She didn't want to, but she also didn't want Keegan or Kai to worry about her.

Alton didn't want this night to end yet, but it was getting late, and Katsa was probably getting tired. "Alright," he replied. "If you want I can carry you, or I can just walk with you if you'd prefer."

"I think it's best if I walk," Katsa laughed.

Alton obliged and set her down. The two walked back to Katsa's place, talking and being cute and having a good time all the way up until they said their goodbyes.

END