Lost sight, not heart

[Alex Lovasz]

Call her crazy but anything Anthony did was a turn on to her. Just the sound of his voice was irresistable to her. She was lucky she wasn't weak minded or she would be all over him and not even think about where they were. Or who was around. But she held herself together very well she thought. Though she wasn't sure how she was going to manage that with him living with her... In fact all that would go away. And she wouldn't have to hold herself back anymore. She would have to try for Alessandra'd sake. But Alessandra neverminded before because Alessandra was usually just happy to see Alex happy and Alessandra was always guy hopping anyway. So even if she didn't have a guy now she would. Though that was hard to predict a lot of guys were stupid and would judge her for already being a mom. "Extra Package" You know that whole story. It was pathetic but true.

He started telling her his.. story about Doubt. She gave a sort of lop sided grin. And shrugged. She was very good at covering up what she knew. I mean she should be she'd been doing it all her life. But then sneaky him tried to change the subject. But being the stinker that she was wasn't going to give up that easily no sir. "it was good." She stated simply. There really wasn't much to say. The place was gorgeous and the foals were adorable. But other then that just like all the other racing farms that she'd been to. And she had been to several all over the country so it wasn't that easy to wow her with your facilities. She smirked and glanced at the colt from the corner of her eye. He was the cutest one in the bunch, that she knew for sure.

But just when she turned her attention back to Anthony he kissed her. She kissed him back and then he pulled away and just smiled at her. She grinned up at him in a you little booger type of way "Nice try. But you can't get away that easy." She grabbed his hand and pulled it so his arm was in his face, showing him the blood stain on his shirt. She pulled it down slightly after a moment so she could see his face. "Care to explain?" She thingyed her head to the side with a you can't fool me mister look on her face. It was true he couldn't hide anything from her. She would always find out one way or another. She could get him to spit it out. She had her ways just like any girl did that she used to get their man admit to something or to spill what they're hiding. It was just one of those gifts.

She raised her eyebrows and put her hands on her hips waiting for his response. She had nailed him like a court room when the lawyer stated something and no one could prove his point wrong. She had him like a bug under a microscope. But she couldn't keep him their long. Even though he tried to hide it from her it was what he thought best. But he should know by now it was best to tell her straight up... or suffer the consiquences. She let her arms drop to her sides and then stepped back closer to him and wrapped them around his waist. She couldn't stay mad at him for long he was just to cute. She couldn't resist him. Nope, staying mad at him was physically impossible for her. She was always a strong independant person who could always so no and what not but against him she was powerless.

She smiled and stood on her tip toes and kissed him. "I'll make it better and make you dinner. And we'll both take the night off how does that sound?" She was in need of a night off and she was guessing that cut on his arm was only a part of many unplanned dismounts. Which told her that he wasn't going to work King that night. Which was probably a good idea seeing how King was acting weird this morning. And Loco well... he had no excuse but Alex was tired and she would us Anthony as an excuse. He needed her to tend to his wounds... by making him dinner. Sure it was a lowsy excuse but it was one all the same. It would be their first night officially living together. Mmm that thought was so perfect. Them living together. She couldn't wait.

[Anthony Lovasz]

Anthony was quite relieved, needless to say, when Alex didn’t press the matter anymore. Of course, since they were living together now…she would probably find out, but he sort of wanted to wait for it to stop bleeding before she did so. Just the mention of blood made people worry a lot more, so if he told her about it later when it wasn’t all bloody, she’d be less likely to be overly concerned. He hated it when she worried about him, simply because he didn’t like to see her unhappy. He always wanted her to smile and be happy, not all worried about him. He was more than capable of taking care of himself in most cases, the exception being when he was having a withdrawal or in so much pain that he couldn’t even drive. Other than that, he was completely fine.

She didn’t exactly go into too much detail when she answered his question, but at least they weren’t focused on him anymore…or so he thought. Although little detail cold be a good thing…it meant that nothing out of the ordinary or unsettling had happened on the way down there…either that or she was playing the same game he was, which he doubted. She wasn’t really like that as far as he knew; he was the only one in the relationship who was trying to sneak around things. Most would consider that a bad thing, but not Anthony, oh no. What he was sneaking around wasn’t all that significant, and wouldn’t negatively affect their relationship in any way.

There was a bit of a silence then between them before he kissed her, and she kissed him right back. He just loved her so much he couldn’t even believe it. She could pull out a knife right there and carve his heart out of his chest and he wouldn’t have minded. As far as he was concerned, she already owned his heart, so anything she did was just…perfect. If someone tried to get him to leave Alex for some unheard of amount of money, he would downright refuse. They would offer him ownership of the whole world and he wouldn’t have taken it. In his opinion, Alex was more valuable than the whole world.

Then there was another bit of silence when they pulled away, but this time it was different. The expression on Alex’s face was one of triumph, like she knew something he didn’t know and she was going to use it to his disadvantage in ten, nine eight…yes she was definitely about to say something, and he was about to get into a bunch of trouble…seven, six, five…here it came, there was no stopping it now…four three two one…Wait what? How did she…dang…he should have used more gauze. Leave it to him to mess this up by not using enough stuff to keep the blood from getting through. He supposed it was probably a little deeper than he had suspected, and he hadn’t been expecting that much blood.

When she brought his arm back down again, he had a sheepish innocent smile on his face that could be equated to the lopsided grin of a little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar right before dinner. He should have known she would find out before he wanted her to, there was no keeping secrets with Alex around. Hm, that was going to make proposing to her in the future rather difficult. If he wanted it to be a surprise, how was he supposed to keep her from knowing something was up? Ah well, he had a handful of guys who he could count on to help him out there…including Charlie and Sebastian, since he was in Sebastian’s wedding and had helped Charlie out with all his proposal plans.

He shook his head slightly, still smiling, What that? He asked, knowing that he was caught red handed, but deciding to play the innocent game for a little longer…even though she already knew. Just a scratch, must’ve forgotten to mention it. No big deal really. Of course, he meant the no big deal part, but it obviously was a bit more than just a scratch, nothing requiring stitches though. Alex was going to have to get used to him getting hurt, because he was fairly sure he hadn’t ever gone a week without getting hurt…well, excluding those three weeks when he’d been confined to the ground in that blasted cast. She’d have to stop worrying eventually.

Okay, that was it, he wasn’t going to not tell her anymore. Besides, he knew that she’d get it out of him sooner or later, and he was choosing sooner. No sense in fighting it when he knew the outcome, he’d lose again. He always did, and probably always would. He threw me a few times, and I guess it happened sometime between hitting the ground and him taking off without me. He didn’t really know when it happened, considering he hadn’t even realized he was bleeding until after he got back to the stable with Doubt. Kind of screwed up my shoulder too. He added after a moment. Sure she didn’t know about that one yet, but she would find out soon enough on her own if he didn’t tell her, so why not just tell her along with the other thing? He figured she already knew that his leg was killing him considering he got thrown and that generally took a toll on anything that was already hurting.

He smiled when she said she’d make them dinner, he could get used to living with her. He wasn’t one of those guys who lived off microwave prepackaged stuff, but he got tired of making his own meals every night. Considering the fact that he was sort of Mexican, he was actually pretty good at putting things together and making a semi-decent meal out of it, since down where he’d lived you couldn’t find prepackaged food, and his parents sort of hated him and his siblings meaning they were on their own for getting food. So it wasn’t that he was bad at it, he just got bored with it…it wasn’t fast enough. Sounds perfect. He said in response to her question.

He paused for a second, glancing down at his bleeding arm. This remind you of anything? He asked suddenly, the lopsided grin turning into a fond smile. The first day they’d met he’d been bleeding from King and then again when Loco decided to find out how he tasted, and then they’d been standing in this very aisle with the horses. Although at that point he hadn’t really realized that he was in love with her yet, so it was different in that sense…but still, it was a very similar situation to that when they first met.

[Alex Lovasz]

His sheepish grin had guilty written all over it. The little stinker tried to hide something from her. Lucky for him she couldn't stay mad at him. His guilty grin was far to cute. He tried playing innocent but it was far to late for that. She nailed him and now he was just squirming. He went on trying to say it was no big deal and that he just so happened to forget to mention is. She shook her head and rolled her eyes slightly. "Mmhmm sure." She smiled up at him. Like she said she couldn't stay mad at him but that wasn't a bad thing because she didn't want to be mad at him. She let go of his arm, still smiling. Was he ever going to go a week without getting hurt.... when he wasn't being forced to. I mean really minues the three weeks he had to go when he had the cast he hadn't not hurt himself. It was pathetic. She knew racing was a risky thing and you were bound to get hurt but she raced and she had a crazy horse and she managed to go a week without getting hurt. Was she just going to have to threaten him?

Then finally came the true whole story. She listened carefully as she slid her arm around him. She leaned back slightly looking up at him as he told his story. Worry was written clearly on her face. She didn't like that he did this to himself right after the last big accident. If he'd just ask for her help sure she was already pulling 3 horses but she could help and work with King or maybe Doubt.... Sure he had said he was a devil on the track unless Anthony was on him but Alex knew a few tricks. And obviously he wasn't doing all that grand with Anthony either. But he needed a break or he was going to work himself to death. And in turn that would kill Alex then there wouldn't be anyone to take care of the horses. But until he realized he wasn't superman and that he couldn't do it all she was just going to have to stand by and watch him hurt. No matter how much it hurt her to watch him do it.

Then he told her it also hurt his shoulder. He was going to break himself apart piece by piece at this rate. She just held him tighter, still leaning back and looking up at him. "Poor baby." She said not in a mocking way more serious then not. She leaned over and kissed his shoulder gently. "We'll just have to fix that too." She had just the thing to make it better but that would just have to remain a secret. She had her own little surprises for him... course hers weren't bad they weren't secret injuries that she was hiding. At least not this time. But she wouldn't be surprised if the tables turned and that was her standing before him guilty of hiding an injury. She couldn't help it though she never thought it was a big deal. And if she did she would take care of it herself and let it slide away. But Anthony.... He didn't have that touch that a girl had... he couldn't fix his injuries like she could. It was just nature. She had the gift and he... well he was a guy not a lot of them have that gift.

He said her plan sounded good. She liked it too but it was her plan of course she liked it. But she really didn't think he would protest to someone else making his meal for him. Not that she wasn't going to make him help. She just might do that... mainly because she knew if she left him on the couch he would fall asleep. Not that she didn't want him to rest but she wasn't going to spend an hour or 2 in the kitchen to put the food in the fridge cause he fell asleep. But if that did happen she wouldn't be mad like we said she couldn't be. So she'd put him to work... even if it just meant feeding the dogs or whatever. It wouldn't be hard to keep him busy. Nothing to strenuous since he just hurt himself for the umtillionth time. What was she going to have to do to keep him out of trouble, tie him to a chair? If it came down to that she probably wouldn't hesitate.

He made her smile when she was frowning. He made her feel warm inside when it was cold. He made her feel safe when she was scared. He made her lose her breath when she saw him. He gave her that crazy love feeling. He made her want to be with him every moment of the day. He made her want to kiss him all the time. Whenever she saw him she felt hot she couldn't resist him. She loved him and everything he did drove her nuts. Everytime he touched her she went weak. She felt like she couldn't think when she was with him. And when she wasn't with him all she could think about was him. She had never felt like this before. Usually she was strong and could control herself. But she couldn't seem to hold herself back when she was around him. And now with him she went crazy went weak and didn't know what she was doing. Usually she would hate feeling like that she always had to be strong and in control... But with Anthony she didn't care she knew she loved him and she loved feeling this way about him. He was all she needed.

He stopped and looked at his arm and she looked at him curiously. Wondering if it was hurting or maybe he had something else he wanted to say. But nope that wasn't it. " This remind you of anything?" He said with a fond smile. She grinned back up at him, she knew exactly what he was talking about. Mmmm It sure does." She said squeezing him a little and leaning in a little closer to him. She thought back to that day. The day they first met. She remembered exactly how it happened. seeing King brought back memories and she knew who she was. Besides finding someone else out here as nuts about racing was surprising. She remembered walking up to them... then telling Anthony he was bleeding... somehow he had hurt himself... yet again on the track. Then Loco insisted on making it worse by attacking him. That was one crazy day.

It seemed so long ago though... But in reality it was just a month ago. Love managed to work its magic on them. Withing 24 hours they had both said i love you... Something that Alex hadn't said to anyone of her boyfriends and now she was saying it to a practically complete stranger. You might have said the chaos caused them to say crazy things but seeing them today you would no longer think that. "It seems like that was so long ago." she rested her head on his chest again sighing. So much had happened in that month. She felt like she had known Anthony her whole life it was sort of a shock to realize it was only a month. Were they moving to fast? No she honestly didn't believe they were. I mean everything they did was fast. And this wasn't any different. She wouldn't go as far as marriage right now but him moving in was exactly what she wanted and he wanted it to so that be the case then obviously it wasn't to fast. Everyone had their own speed... theres just so happened to be faster them most.

[Anthony Lovasz]

Anthony was actually pretty good at taking care of himself...usually. He hurt himself so regularly that he sort of had to make himself good at taking care of various injuries. Besides, before Alex came along, and King was still crazy, he seemed to almost always be bleeding. Normally he did just fine with wrapping it tight enough and using enough gauze to stop the bleeding, but this time he'd made two mistakes. The first, was under estimating how deep it was, and so not using enough gauze. The second was hurrying so he could get it done before Alex got back, and not making sure it was tight. Ah well, he didn't doubt that she was going to drag him off and to it herself now that he'd messed it up.

Alex was going to have to wait a long time before Anthony stopped hurting himself though. You could say he was reckless, and he probably was, but it wasn't like he as trying to get thrown. This was the same way he had trained Doubt last time...except last time he hadn't been injured just three weeks prior. Not to mention he'd been a full time jockey back then and was in better condition than he was now. Woah...crazy thought. Was that even possible, to be in better condition than he was now? Oh yes, it most certainly was. Don't forget, he had just taken three weeks off of almost all physical activity because of the cast, meaning that he had lost a bit of his strength and whatnot.

He brought his other arm back around Alex, making sure to keep the bleeding part away from her so he wouldn't get blood all over her too, pulling her closer. He loved holding her, it just sort of made him feel like he was needed. Now every guy always wants to feel needed, and although Alex more took care of him than he took care of her, it still just fulfilled that want in his life. Alex was everything perfect for him. Sure there were lots of girls out there who could fill this need or that need, but he was completely convinced that Alex was the only one in existence now and forever that could fill his every want, need, and desire that ever crossed his way.

When she kissed his shoulder, almost playfully, he realized that he actually couldn't wait for tonight. Normally, he hated the night because he had to say goodbye and he hated goodbye. But tonight...he wouldn't have to worry about that at all. No, tonight he could crawl into bed and hold her in his arms all night long, and never have to worry about goodbye ever again. Now that was a dream come true. Not too long ago, no one would have ever put Anthony as the type of guy to want to curl up with a girl in his arms, but now...oh yes, he was that kind of guy through and through, and almost everyone who knew him could tell.

He was rather curious as so what she meant by fixing his shoulder too...but he figured she wasn't going to tell him. She just seemed like she had something in mind that she wouldn't tell him about for anything...or almost anything that is. He was sure he could come up with some way to bribe her into telling him...if he really wanted to that is. But if it was good enough that she wanted to keep it a secret...he was thinking that maybe he should just let her have it remain a secret...let her have her fun and enjoy teasing him with it. It sort of turned him on the way she always did that...and that was why she always won.

He had to agree with her on how long ago it seemed. It felt like he had been with her forever, even though it really was a very short time ago. Although, if you consider how quickly their relationship developed, one month actually was a long time. Most people take a month or so to say I love you, many times even longer, they both said it within 24 hours of meeting each other. Most people took a year or so to move in together, it took them a month. Most people took their time before the first kiss...they took only a few days. Everything about this relationship was faster than usual. Some would presume that it was because they were desperate, but it wasn't that at all. They just really truly and honestly love each other.

Anthony leaned down and kissed Alex gently for a moment, though it didn't last long. Just down the hall he could hear the approach of his "fan club" as Alex called them, and so pulled away from her. Yes he loved her, and yes he would have liked to kiss her longer, but he was getting really tired of being interrupted by giggling girls running away after seeing them kiss, so he decided that he should probably just not kiss her when they were around and within sight. What do you say we finish up here and go somewhere more...private? He asked, meaning of course, feed the horses and get them all ready for the night then head home. Of course, he had to stop by his house first to get the dog since he hadn't been home for more than half an hour in the past two days, and he was probably starting to wonder if he was abandoning him.

He knew Alex and her two dogs wouldn't mind, Cowboy, the russet colored hound, though larger than most dogs, was a complete underdog and would let anybody boss him around. He was really honestly a big baby. If something happened, he would beat Anthony back to the house instead of trying to help him. Besides, Cowboy had come up with Anthony from Mexico, and was basically family, so there was no way the five year old hound wasn't coming with him when he made the move. Of course, Cowboy would have to give up his spot next to Anthony on the bed since Alex was there now, but he was sure the dog would be just as happy on the floor.

He was incredibly excited for this new chapter in his life, and couldn't wait for it to get started. Living with Alex was going to be like being in heaven. He loved that girl more than anything in the whole world, and wouldn't want anyone else in his life...ever. He couldn't see himself with someone else in his arms. Even the memory of Tristanne being there was fading. No, he would never forget her, ever. She was the first girl he had ever truly loved, he just had a hard time putting her face where Alex's was now. Tristanne had died, leaving him alone again, and he knew that she would want him to move on and be happy with Alex.

[Alex Lovasz]

His arm wrapped around her back, she loved how it fit perfectly in the small of her back. She fit perfectly in his arms and she was definitely looking forward to waking up like that every morning. She couldn't ask for anything more then to belong to Anthony. Most girls wouldn't like that... it would make them feel owned. But she wouldn't care even if he thought like that. She was all his and if anyone else tried to take her away she'd be the first to knock their lights out no questions asked. Unless she was drunk there was no way she would let any guy touch her the way she would let Anthony. He was just... well special privileged. She loved him more then anything in that world... no not world.. Universe. Yes more then anything in the Universe. She was all his and would let him get away with anything... well almost anything.

It was hard to explain the way Alex felt about Anthony. There wasn't enough words in the dictionary to describe it. It was like fireworks... and magnets and too many things to list. When she was with him she forgot about everything else. Well except maybe when she was with the horses. Normally she always had her head on her and could focus. But when Anthony was around she couldn't get her eyes off him. She thought she did a pretty good job of pretending that he didn't effect her.. minus the fact that she was totally head over heals. But she liked to lead him on and tease him it was more fun to see him drool and stand there totally helpless. She liked to make him speechless and to drive him totally crazy. She was just waiting for the day she pushed him over the edge. Not exactly her goal... but she knew if she kept it up it would happen.

He leaned in and kissed her... but this time it ended way faster then she wanted it to. But she as well as him heard that pitter patter of foot steps. She let out a sigh... Being interrupted constantly was really getting on her nerves. For once she just wanted to kiss him without worrying if some little girl had just seen them and ran off to tell the rest of the stable. She honestly didn't care if the whole stable knew they were together. If they didn't already then they were either really out of it.. or just plan stupid. I mean really it was rather obvious. But even though she didn't care that they all knew... She couldn't let that effect Chey's rep. I mean having them making out in the corner all the time wasn't exactly what you wanted. And as soon as the mothers and fathers of those little girls got word they wouldn't be to pleased either. Not that they had any reason to be but you know parents they wanted to protect their children from the world as long as they could.

But then he put in his suggestion and she was more then happy to go along with it. She smiled then looked up as if thinking... she did that often. Habit i guess. She giggled before slipping out of his grasp and moving across the stall toward the half door. she whipped around and giggled. "Race ya" She jumped onto the half door and slid over landing on the other side. She raced to the feed room grabbing the door frame and whipping around into the sweet hay smelling room. She grabbed a slice of Loco's hay along with a scoop of his special dietary feed. He had a specific diet that she kept to... It was good for him plenty of supplements to keep him in top form. She walked quickly back into the aisle and placed it in his feeder as well as dumping the scoop into his bucket. She checked his water but she had filled it earlier and it was still full. She slipped her hand into the colt's room and grabbed his grain bucket and then ran letting the bucket fling behind her. But she made sure no one was behind her of course.

Once again in the feed room she grabbed a few scoops of colt plus. Some grain. A scoop of water and some pellets and let it sit on the counter while she weighed the hay. Sure you could say that was a little over the top but when you were dealing with an animal where the slightest thing could set him off track you made every precaution you could. After doing so she grabbed the bucket and mixed it a little bit then grabbed the hay and walked back to the colt's stall. Sadly you'd think she was done but no she still had Cadricane's stall. She ran back to the feed room and grabbed the charts to find out what he got on a regular basis. After reading it carefully she picked out his specified hay and grain supplements and took them to his stall. She patted each on on the nose as she walked by then looked over her shoulder to find Anthony. "Meet you back at the house." She hollered followed by her sweet melodious laugh as she ran down the aisle toward her SUV and the trailer. She had almost forgotten she came in that. She she slid on her heels to a stop and spun around. Letting out a loud whistle. Then not even 5 seconds later Kodak and Radar came flying around the corner. She smiled and opened the back door. The jumped in and she jumped into the drivers seat and pulled out of the drive.

She pulled into her driveway happy to be home but still had a lot of stuff she wanted to do before Anthony got there. She let the dogs out and they ran around back as she unhooked the trailer which she was really good at and it only took her about 10minutes now. But she had to do it so she had that car free if she needed it. Once that was done she walked down and got the mail. Unlocking the door she stepped in flipping through the mail. "I'm home!!" She shut the door behind her and walked into the kitchen. She dropped the mail on the counter and opened the back door letting the dogs in. She turned around grabbed the mail and ran up the stairs she walked straight to the office and plopped the mail on her desk. Then retraced her steps and stopped in Alessandra's doorway.

Alessandra was laying on her bed belly sticking out asleep with a magazine in her hand. Alex smiled and walked into the room. She slipped the magazine out of her hands and covered her with a blanket, turning the lights out as she closed the door. Then ran to her room and rinsed off. She wasn't really that dirty but she knew she probably had hay in her hair and heck she was used to taking several showers a day. And wearing several different outfits per day. But she neverminded the washer and dryer were her best friends. After rinsing off quickly she slipped on some jeans and a black tank top. She felt refreshed and ready to start another adventure. She loved how showers did that to her even if she felt dead if she took a shower she would feel ready to take on anything else the day had left to through at her. Which was a huge cooking ordeal.

She was lucky Keke was a heavy sleeper. She skipped down the stairs and then grabbed the stereo remote on the coffee table. She turned it on super loud and walked into the kitchen. She tied and apron on around her waist and began scrummaging around the kitchen trying to find out what to make. She had just about everything but she wasn't sure what Anthony liked to eat... or what he was in the mood for. So she grabbed a cook book and plopped her butt into a bar stool, flipping through pages. But then one of her favorite songs. Hot by Avril Lavigne came on and she felt the urge to dance. So she jumped of her roost and began dancing around the room singing into the spatula completely oblivious to what was going on around her. The dogs sat in the living room watching her parade around as is she were some TV show. She didn't even notice though. She was in her own happy world.

She loved to dance... but not that formal stuff that everyone else liked she loved to just let loose not lose control no she was always in control but she had that good way of dancing that had gotten her into trouble the first night here. But that was another story. But then the song ended and she pulled her cook book over to her side of the island and leaned over the counter. She played with the spatula in her hand breathing heavily. She loved just dancing around her house for no apparent reason... course she was never at her house long enough to do that but she used to always do it back in her apartment in NY. It felt good to do it again. It was fun to run around and dance when you thought no one was looking... but of course whenever you thought that it turned out someone always was. But she didn't care at the moment. Now she was determined to find the perfect recipe for the evening.

[Anthony Lovasz]

Anthony shook his head as she called out the challenge of a race. He knew she did it because he was pretty much crippled and even walking was painful. Ah well, even if he was capable of moving at a faster pace he would have let her win. And I'm not just saying that. Anthony was the kind of guy who just did that sort of thing. He was incredibly competitive when it came to horse racing, but other than that he was totally cool with losing...especially if he was losing to Alex. He waited a moment longer in the stall as Alex took off to get her feeding started. As she disappeared into the feed room, he patted the colt on the neck and stepped out of the stall, being sure to latch the door securely behind him.

Instead of going directly to the feed room though, he went down the few stalls to where Doubt was waiting for him. He stepped into the stall, and very carefully checked over the horse's legs again. He had worked himself harder than he needed to, and Anthony was quite concerned that he might strain himself too much and get hurt. That would be a huge set back in training. It might not seem like he had made any leeway today, because he hadn't. He had to continue with doing it this way though, he knew it was the only way to get through to this horse, and it would work eventually.

Of course, it wouldn't work until Anthony had been thrown about a hundred times, probably dislocated his shoulder a time or two, and discovered fifty new ways to get yourself hurt on the track. That was a sacrifice he would just have to make. It was going to be far more difficult though, considering his leg. It made the pain a lot worse...since he was already in pain to begin with. Ah well, he could deal with that. It wasn't like he hadn't been riding with a broken arm for the past with nothing more than a wrist brace. He could survive riding on a partially healed broken leg.

When he was satisfied that Doubt was alright, he walked over to the feed room in no particular hurry. Alex was just coming out with Cadricane's food, and he stepped aside to allow her to pass. She probably wanted to do some stuff at home before he got there anyway. Not to mention the fact that he did have to go home to pick up Cowboy. No, he wasn't going to bring anything from home except the dog. He didn't feel like searching through the house for this or that. He could always stop by at home in the morning again like he had today. They needed to get better arrangements and whatnot on what exactly they were going to do with this whole living together thing before he even thought about moving anything out of his house.

Being a Jockey at about the maximum height any trainer would put on their horse, Anthony was very weight conscious for a guy. Not quite like a girl, but more than most men, and not just about his weight, but the weight of anything he put on his horse too. Because of that he knew exactly how much the saddle weighed, he knew exactly what the combined weight of all the tack was, and basically could pick anything up and come within half a pound of it's exact weight just by guessing. That made feeding easier in that he didn't have to take the time to weigh it on the scale or whatever.

It took him only about five minutes to get both his horses ready for the night, and then he headed out for the truck. He pulled the door open and settled himself into the driver's seat. Getting his weight off that leg felt amazing. It still hurt yeah, but the pain was reduced by quite a bit which was a huge relief. He didn't remember being in this much pain last time...but then again, last time was a long time ago, and he hadn't actually broken his leg, just cut it open. Last time it had been his arm that had broken, and he was pretty good at using both his right and his left hand for whatever, so he hadn't been required to use the injured arm at all. Unlike now when he had to use his broken leg just to get anywhere.

It didn't take long for him to get home, and as he expected, as he pulled into the driveway he was met by the unique hound dog howl of Cowboy. Anthony had been driving the same truck ever since he got the dog, and even now, five years later, Cowboy barked at him like he was a stranger when he pulled up to the house. That dog was a character...basically afraid of his own shadow. But Anthony loved him, even despite all of his weird little quirks and habits. He walked up to the front door, unlocked it, and stepped in. As the door swung closed behind him, he braced himself for the greeting.

Cowboy flew around the corner, his long legs devouring the space between him and his human, jowls flapping wildly, tongue lolling out and flailing in the "wind." His big paws hit the ground and he slid to a stop within inches of Anthony then threw himself up into the air and planted his paws squarely on Anthony's chest, nearly knocking him over, and laying a sloppy dog kiss right on his face. That was the greeting Anthony got every time he walked in the door, and he'd stopped trying to avoid it now. If you ran away from him or anything like that, he would just pursue you more vigorously until he got his greeting.

Thanks Cowboy. He said pushing the dog back down on the ground. We're out of here in five minutes man, you'd better be ready. He headed up stairs and stripped off his shirt. He stopped on the way to his room to toss it in the wash with cold water to get the blood out of the sleeve, and then went on into his room. He always had some sort of something in there to take care of his many injuries. First came the sterilized cotton pad to absorb the blood, then the gauze wrap which would be wrapped securely around his arm, tight enough to slow the bleeding. Then came the medical tape to hold it all in place. It wasn't a thick bandage at all, but it would do for holding him together. By tomorrow morning he wouldn't even need it anymore.

When that was all completed, he grabbed a clean shirt out of his closet and pulled it on over his body. Now most guys would have probably grabbed a clean pair of jeans as well, but Anthony had only just changed at the stable...they weren't hardly dirty at all, so no need to change. That done, he headed back downstairs to where Cowboy was waiting. He grabbed some food for the dog, and headed for the front door. He opened it, but turned back to Cowboy. Go get your dish. He said, pointing back towards where the dog's food bowl was located. Cowboy looked up at him with his sad hound dog eyes as if that was too much to ask. No, I'm not carrying it for you. If you want to eat you're going to have to get it yourself.

Seeming to give up, the big dog ambled over to his dish ans seized it between his jaws, carrying it over to Anthony, again looking up at him as if to say "happy now?" The two of them headed out the door, and Anthony let the dog jump in first and take his seat on the passenger side, head hanging out the window. He put the food and the dish on the floor, and started the engine. If there was one thing Cowboy loved more than his food, it was going for a car ride. He was your typical dog...only he seemed to prefer the driver's side for some reason, and if Anthony left him alone for two minutes in there, he would com back to find the hound hunkered down in the driver's seat.

Alex's house was just a short twenty minute drive from Anthony's although it seemed like forever to him. He parked the truck, and stepped out, waiting for Cowboy to follow. All the rest of that could wait until later to come in. For now, it was just him and Cowboy. As he walked by the windows he could see Alex dancing in side, not to mention hear her music blaring from within. No way was he going to let her get off Scott free for that one. He walked up to the door and pushed it open, telling Cowboy to sit on the porch for a while. He stepped in, and saw Alex in the kitchen. She apparently hadn't heard him arrive, and probably didn't even realize he was there.

The remote was on the counter, sort of nearby to her. He walked over, casually reaching out to the remote and pressing the pause button. Just as suddenly and at the same exact moment as the music stopped, he put his arms around her waist and locked his hands together on her stomach. Really Alex, He said from behind her, You're going to make Cal have a heart attack if you keep that up. He was, of course, talking about her elderly neighbor who treated Alex pretty much like one of his own kids, being all protective over her and whatnot. He was almost always sitting out on his porch just watching the life going on around him, and anthony didn't doubt that he could hear Alex's music all the way across the street.

[Alex Lovasz]

Music was her escape in more cases then not she was found with the music blaring and you would see her sitting in front of her desk and computer working away. Some would wonder how she concentrated with it so loud. But it helped get ride of all the stress and worries from earlier in the day. Plus it helped her stay awake. But those days have come and gone. Sure she'd still stay up till God knows when but no loud music. She had Alessandra living with her now. And Anthony and she didn't think that would go over very well when both of them were up with her till about 1 in the morning. She wasn't sure how she got by on those 2 hours of sleep from 1 to 3 but she managed and took naps on her break... well at least she used to but then she met Anthony and well any hopes of a nap went out the door. She didn't mind though. Spending time with him was more important to her then taking a nap.

She swayed her hips to the sound of the music while looking through her cook book... one of several. She got several books filled with copies of family recipies... in writing from her grandma. But she loved the traditional meals that were family made so she always used them. But tonight she wasn't all that hungry, really when was she? So something light would do. Unless Anthony wanted something more. But she had a feeling he wouldn't. Who knew really for all she knew he could just want to eat everything in her kitchen... or just a carrot. But either way it really didn't matter to her. She was happy to, for the first time ever, be cooking in her kitchen. Usually she just ate whatever simple thing she could put together fast and eat on the run. But now she planned on making more and more dinners.

But then something went wrong. The music stopped but just when she was about to look up someones arms were locked around her. She jumped but then realized whose warm inbrace she was in. A smile came over her face as his words tickled her ear. She gasped in shock of being accused of such a deed. "Whatever! Besides Cal should be used to it by now." She leaned to the side and smirked up at him giving him that gosh if you weren't holding me i'd whack you one kinda look. She placed her hands over his and her mischeivious grin turned into one of those sweet smiles that she always gave him. She couldn't be mad at him. Not ever. Besides being wrapped in his arms was her favorite place. She wouldn't want anyone else there with her, never in a million years. We all know Anthony and her were ment to be together its as simple as pie.

She squirmed in his grasp a little but then settled with her head sort of on his shoulder. Her back was still pressed up against his stomach but it wasn't awkward or anything. She giggled a little she figured if she tried to fight to get away he'd just hold her tighter. Besides she knew he wasn't up for a chase. Which was just fine for her. He didn't need to catched her, he had already accomplished that. She was all his no one else stood a chance. She smirked and glanced down at the cook book. "What do you feel like eating?" She could care less what they ate. Heck she wouldn't care if all they did was just sit and relax and not eat at all. Just being with him made her happy. And the fact that at the end of the day she wouldn't have to say goodbye to him. She could just crawl into bed wrapped in his arms and sleep soundly. This was definitly the start of a good chapter.



OOC; sorry its so short and crappy.

[Charlie Parker]

Anthony smiled at Alex's surprise when he turned off her music and wrapped his arms around her. For once he'd sort of won a little...maybe. Well he had the upper hand for now anyway, if that was any consolation. Whatever? He asked in seeming disbelief, Now Alex, is that any way to respect your elders? Especially Cal...you know I honestly thought he was going to pull out a shotgun and interrogate me before he let me walk in here the first time. He was really only joking, but at the same time he was fairly serious. Cal was extremely protective over Alex, just like most kind old neighbors would be. Since then, Anthony and Cal had improved their relationship and got along pretty well.

Alex was right though, the more she squirmed in his grasp, the tighter he held her. She wasn't getting away from him this time. He'd let her do that enough times as of late, and this time...he wasn't letting go. He held her tightly in his arms, but not tight enough to make it so she couldn't breathe or anything...just so much so that she couldn't get away from him. He was plenty strong enough to ensure that she stay securely in his arms and had no hope what so ever of escaping. Not that she wanted to or anything. He knew that she'd happily give in and just stay there content to be held by him.

She asked what he felt like eating, and he just shrugged. He didn't really feel like eating anything at the moment. It was rare when he got more than two meals a day, and it wasn't very often that he even got two. I know, I know...it's unhealthy for a guy of his activity level to not eat at least three meals a day, but with his schedule, he almost never had time to feed anyone but the dog before he either had to go ride again or else was just about passing out from exhaustion. So you could say that he wasn't exactly hungry at all. Plus, pain sort of has a tendency to cause a person's appetite to dwindle down into nothing, and he was kind of in pain...okay, a lot in pain.

Which reminded him...she said she was going to fix that...and he was still incredibly curious as to what she meant by that. He was fairly certain that whatever it was he was going to like it...but he still really wanted to know. Curiosity may have killed the cat...but it was only torturing Anthony instead of killing him. He wasn't sure which was worse. Ah well, he would find out soon enough, he was sure, and he wasn't going to let on that he even remembered that she had said anything...he knew how much she enjoyed watching him totally helpless against her power over him.

We don't have to have anything... He said after a minute or two, Unless you really want to. Considering that Anthony was a guy and weighed only 115 lbs, he didn't really need a whole lot of food to sustain him. The only time he ever really made sure he had eaten a good few meals in one day was before a race, otherwise there was no telling what might happen. With all the nerves and then the intensity of the race, you burned up calories pretty fast, and he'd learned his lesson the hard way that it was possible to pass out when you were racing...of course, that had been in Mexico, and it hadn't helped that all the other jockeys were trying to knock everyone off their horses.

He leaned over her shoulder, and kissed her cheek gently, still holding her tightly so she couldn't get away. I just want to spend time with you. He said honestly. Even though they saw each other a lot at the stable, they weren't really spending time together since they were constantly doing this with a horse or that with a horse...but now that they were both taking the evening off...he just wanted to spend the whole night with her. It didn't matter what they did, so long as they were together. Heck, they could just sit on the couch and do nothing at all and he would be perfectly happy just to hold her.

[Vivian Kings]

She giggled what he spoke almost in shoke at her response. So over dramatic. But she knew he was just playing. She loved his sense of humor. He was more sarcastic though because sometimes you couldn't really tell if he was serious or not. But Alex always seemed to guess right. She loved thathe could make her laugh, make her feel all giggly. Like a little girl who was being tickled and just couldn't help but giggle. He always could make her smile. And even if she was mad at him she couldn't stay that way, when she was with him, for longer the a few minutes. If that. She loved that. Being a business gal she knows how to play hardball and you can't let your emotions get in the way of that. But with Anthony she had totally submitted to her emotions and here she was living with him, kissing him, telling him those three little words that were always nerve wrecking to say. She was all for being taken. Especially by him.

"You know i repsect him he's like my grandpa i love him." Which was true, Cal was like her grandpa in more ways then one. He treated her like his own child always looking out for her and watching the house for her. When she first moved in it was scary living in a new place but after getting to know Cal she felt way better. Safer like she knew she was being taken care of. "He probably would have if he didn't already know who you were and that i liked you." She said with a little giggle. Yes she talked about Anthony way before he ever showed up to pick her up. Cal was very protective and always asked if there was a man in her life. And everytime that answer was no... Till the night she didn't come home and he worried. And when she did come home she had to tell him the whole story. That was the night she met Anthony. Also in which they said i love you. So Cal knew all about him before he even met him.

But now she had Anthony and felt even safer with him around. Not really that she was scared she knew she if she could handle Loco then she could handle any dumb stalker guy that could be around. Which she highly doubted, Pinewood was a fairly safe place. Sure there were guys like Tyler but that didn't scare her. But just having Anthony and Cal made her feel tons better. There was just something about being wrapped in his arms at night that made everything feel all better. Last night had been the best 3 hour sleep she had ever had. So relaxing and peaceful. Waking up to his embrace felt amazing. Sleeping to the sound of him breathing and the feel of his chest rise and fall. Nothing was more soothing then that right there.

He just shrugged when she asked him what he wanted. Well that helped a whole lot. I mean her kitchen had everything in it. Of course she always had everything... but never used any of it. I mean eating wasn't exactly top on her priority list. Besides she didn't need much to stay sustained. And it wasn't as if she worried about passing out on the track. She went her whole life living like this. At least she didn't eat crap all the time. When she ate it was usually organic and healthy. Which also helped her stay fit. She didn't like to show off but she loved being older then her brothers.. but also smallest of them all. But still manage to beat them all up when she wanted. She was strong and muscular. She had to be to work with Loco. And even when she stopped working with horses she still went to the gym and stayed in good condition so that she wouldn't have to recondition herself when she wanted to go back to riding. She always thought ahead.

Then he spoke his true opinion. A huge smile ran over her face. Really want too? When did Alex ever really want to cook. Never unless she was having guests. It was fun to cook when you knew other people were going to eat it. But when it was just for youself. It wasn't all that grand. Course if he had been hungry then she would have made him food but considering he didn't seem all that interested in eating she wouldn't push it. It was funny. They would never have to worry about spending too much money on food because neither of them had time to eat. Of course now that Ale moved in she guessed that would change. Alessandra loved cooking it was one of her gifts. And every guy she was ever with loved that. Heck Alex loved it.

He still held her tightly and that was just fine with her. She knew he wasn't going to let her get away now that he had her. And she was just fine with being a captive. Heck she wouldn't care if he tortured her. She had done it plenty of times to him, she deserved it. He kissed her gently on her cheek and went on and she giggled and leaned into him. "Then lets just skip the making food. I'll never get it done with you holding me anyways." She smiled up at him. She wasn't sure what they would do but not having to do anything was the greatest thought in the world. Sometimes you just had to slow down and watch the world pass you by. Not the easiest thing for Alex to do though. She was always going but so long as she was with Anthony she was sure doing nothing with him would be the best feeling in the world.

She had a feeling she was going to like him lilving with her. I mean sure she would most likely get nothing done whatsoever. but that was just fine. She was the boss she could get away with that. Sleep and food just totally jumped off the time charts. And the horses and workouts then Anthony and th of course taking care of awhole thing. And then of course taking care of Alessandra was there too. She just got herself very busy. But she like previously stated liked being busy. She let the tenseness in her body fade away and just melted into Anthony's grasp. She was her man and no way was she going to let him get away... or be stolen.

She looked down at the dogs staring at them and counted... one two... one two. She thought for a moment then looked back at Anthony. "Wheres Cowboy? She had heard about cowboy a lot and met him once or twice. And from what she heard Anthony loved that dog... So where was he? She didn't figure Anthony would leave him at home all alone. Sure she didn't think he'd be smart and bring clothes or anything but at least he wouldn't leave the dog at home would he? No of course not. He had to be around here somewhere. But then it came.. All the quiet faded and she heard it. That loud hound dog "I'm dying" howl breached her ears. And she knew... Anthony had left him on the front porch. And he was wondering why the heck he'd been stuck outside. Poor Dog. "Well that answers that." She laughed. Cowboy was such a character. He fit in the family well. And it was a big Family at that.

[Charlie Parker]

Anthony wasn't about to let go of Alex. He knew that if he did, she would dart away and play the catch me if you can game, which at this point, he was losing every time because of his current status as Pinewood's resident cripple. She knew he couldn't catch her too, and that was exactly why she would do it. Just to drive him crazy and watch him struggle with the persistent desire to kiss her and hold her in his arms but be unable to do so. Of course, she always eventually stopped torturing him and let him hold and kiss her, since she wanted it too. Although he wouldn't ever admit it, they were pretty much an incredibly cute couple.

Finding a girl had always been sort of difficult for Anthony, considering he was only 5'4" and most girls were either the same height as he was or else taller than him. Tristanne had been taller than he was, but he had known her for...forever, and he had been so much in love with her that it didn't matter. Of course, Charlie and Sebastian gave him crap for that all the time. Usually they made some sort of comments about him needing a step ladder to kiss her, or something along those lines. She was 5'8" and he was 5'4"...sort of a problem. With Alex, he didn't have to worry about that. She was 5'1" so he had absolutely no issue with the girl being taller than him. Plus, she was just so darn cute...

Anthony was hopelessly in love with Alex, he was powerless when she was there with him, and even more so when she even so much as touched him. Pretty much the only time he didn't think about Alex was when he was riding and had to put all of his focus on the horse. Even then it was difficult to concentrate, and he occasionally thought back to her when he was in the middle of a run, and somehow messed up his workout. Of course, it was easier to focus when he was riding Doubt since the horse was such a devil and if he didn't pay attention he would get thrown more often than he did already, and he really didn't want that to happen.

Which reminded him, his whole body was currently aching. His leg didn't hurt as bad as it had last night though, so they were good at this point...even if he couldn't really move all that well without pain. He had had surgery on his shoulder back in Mexico, and they had messed something up inside which mad it so he couldn't raise his arm above his shoulder, and it was more likely to get dislocated when it was hit hard enough. He was lucky he hadn't dislocated it today when he fell on it as hard as he did. It still hurt like crazy though, and was incredibly stiff. That had been a hard fall, and he hadn't been able to turn himself in time to make the landing a little more...gentle.

She suggested that they skip making food, and he was totally okay with that. He just wanted to hold her in his arms...and she was right, with him holding onto her like that, she wouldn't ever get it done. Some people would think the way he was always holding her hand or had his arms wrapped around her, or was kissing her was a desperate touchy feely thing, but it really was no such thing. He just loved Alex so much that she was the sole occupant of his mind, and because of that he always had to be touching her in some way. It was love through and through for these two, and it was perfect just the way it was.

Then she asked where Cowboy was, and he was about to reply when Cowboy did the answering for him. He was such a big baby, that dog. Hound dogs were supposed to be big tough hunting dogs, but not Cowboy. Oh no, that dog was completely terrified of almost everything. He got along alright with horses since Anthony spent so much time around horses, but anything else, he was totally afraid of. They had numerous stories to tell or photos to show that were evidence of that. But Anthony loved him. Especially the way the dog liked the drivers seat so much. Anthony was convinced that if he could, he would drive away with Anthony's truck when he was out doing something.

He's guarding the door. Anthony said, sounding completely serious, but quite obviously joking. If anything happened that they needed to be guarded from, Cowboy would probably dig through the door and climb into their laps hoping to be protected. You couldn't not love that dog. He might be a big mutton head, but he was a good companion, and incredibly sweet and lovable. Not to mention that award winning personality. Anthony had purchased him as a puppy when he was 16, since he already lived on his own and it got kind of lonely when you lived alone. Of course, even as a puppy the hound dog had howled unceasingly unless Anthony let him sleep on the bed with him.

So, now Anthony had a 80 pound dog sharing the bed with him every night. He didn't mind it though. Especially on cold winter nights. Anthony had a feeling that he and Alex would end up with Cowboy between them or even on top of them some nights. Anthony was his man, and he would stay as close to him as possible whenever he could. It was like having a giant heated teddy bear with a very small brain and long legs. On the nights when Anthony would crash on the couch, he always woke up with Cowboy on the couch beside him using Anthony as a pillow. Cowboy was definitely Anthony's dog...not many other people would put up with him.

Finally, Anthony let go of Alex, though his hand slipped down to hers and closed around it, she wasn't getting away that easily. He walked over to the door, and opened it, letting Cowboy inside. He was more than happy to come in. His tail was going about a million miles an hour, he was panting like crazy, his whole body was wiggling with the tail wagging, and he didn't seem to know what to do with all that energy. Yes, he was almost exactly like Anthony in dog form. Both of them had a ton of energy, and had to figure out ways to spend it or go absolutely insane. It was a good thing they had Alex, to keep the both of them in line. How had they survived for so long without her?

[Alex Lovasz]

She laughed a little at the hound dogs moan. And then again as Anthony explained what he was doing there. It was extremely hard to imagine Cowboy guarding anything. Even though she had only met him a couple times before when she went to Anthony's house and when he brought him along to the barn. So she knew pretty well that the dog was a pretty big chicken. It was cute though. I mean watching a huge hound dog, the dog of men, run and hide behind his master to be protected. She loved him he was a like a teddy bear that you cuddled. It was going to be interesting though. Her dogs were used to sleeping in the bed with her. And she knew for a fact that Cowboy slept with Anthony.... and her bed wasn't nearly big enough to hold all 5 of them. Raider and Kodak would probably be ok with being demoted to the floor or the end of the bed, on the couch seat thing that she could never remember the name of. And Cowboy well he'd just... who was she kidding she would probably end up being pushed off the bed by him so he could sleep with Anthony.

Finally he let her go... but he wasn't going to let her get away from him. He quickly slipped his hand around hers and walked toward the door. She holding his hand walked behind him. Then as if a count down went off in her mind the door opened and Cowboy came rushing in... all over the place. Kodak and Raidar came rushing from the kitchen as if saying "what the hell alex who is this? have you been cheating on us." They looked at the new comer but kept their distance to avoid being whacked in the face by Cowboy's tail. Kodak sat down next to Alex and looked up at her like "how could this be?" But Raidar being the younger one was a little more thingyy. So he hunkered his head down as in attack mode. Not killer herding attack mode but playfull finally someone with enough energy to keep up with me.

She patted Kodak on the head, he was her best friend. He was her guardian and she knew she could always count on him. Raidar on the otherside. Well he was the young pup that Kodak put up with. They were quite the pair. She loved them and felt horrible for neglecting them as of late. Before Alessandra and Anthony they were her babies and got all the attention after Loco. But now She had Loco, Cadricane, and The new colt. Then Anthony, Alessandra, and work. Then they were at the bottom of the stack. But she did her best to keep the priorities in line. It was proving rather difficult to do but she was pretty sure having Anthony live with her it would get better. And she would never lead onto the fact that she was completely swamped. She didn't like letting others know she needed help and that was still something that needed work. So she just always said yes and packed everything in. Hence why she was working Cadricane and said yes to Keke staying with them. I mean she wasnt going to say no.

After a moment or so Kodak went and laid on the couch. And Raidar just watched the new comer with intensity. Alex slipped her hand out of Anthony's and slipped it around his waist leaning into him a bit without putting pressure on him. She was pretty could about that. She never wanted to put more pain on him that was already done. And that was proving to be a rather difficult task. He was always getting himself hurt. They whole time she had known him he was getting hurt. When she first met him he was bleeding. Then Loco worsened the damage then he went through the railing. Then since then he got Doubt and it didn't seem as if it was getting any better. She had a feeling she was going to have to tie him to a chair for a month so he would heal properly and get into full health instead of being impatient and just doing it now when he wasn't fully healed.

She let out a sigh of... not relief but just letting her body relax. She had been go go go all day and just needed to wind down. After a while Raidar lost intrest and walked away toward the couch that Kodak had claimed as his bed. She smiled at the dogs and patted Cowboy on the head. It was good to have him in the family. He was quite the character. He fit right in that was for sure. They had one huge family. And yet there was no human children. But that was to soon change with Alessandra being pregnant in all. Soon there would be two little ones running around with the dogs. That would be quite a sight. But she was excited to be an aunty twice. She was already dubbed aunty of Chuck Hayley's son. Whom of which she loved he was one cute kids... even if he did cuss a whole lot. But like they say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

She smiled down at the big goofy dog and then looked up at Anthony. "He fits in perfectly"Then kissed him standing on her tippy toes. no she really didn't need to but it was more fun that way. She loved being with Anthony and loved teasing him even more. It made the relationship more... interesting. Fun. But in the end she always gave in. Because she loved being wrapped in his arms and kissing him. She moved away and looked over to the couch were the dogs were. "Alright boys. What should we do tonight?" She hollered over her arm still wrapped around Anthony's waste.

This was all she ever wanted. She had the perfect guy. The best friend. The fun loving dogs. Course her phsycotic horse wasn't exactly perfect but man could he run when he focused. Then the new colt. The babies on the way. And then Anthony had King and Cowboy and Doubt. King the now huge teddy bear. Cowboy the chicken hound dog. And Doubt the sweet...devil. Sweet off track devil on. He was like bipolar or something. But other then that this was all she could have ever imagined and more. She was happy. And nothing was going to change that. Nothing could take away. She was in love, successful, and happy. Even if it had been a bad day there was no way she was going to let it kill her mood. Nothing ever could kill her mood when she was with Anthony he always had a way of making everything ok even if it wasn't.

[Tyler Haze]

Anthony laughed as Cowboy cowered behind him from the other dog who came running towards him. It didn't take long before he flopped down on his back in the submissive "don't eat me!" stance. He was such a ninny, a toy poodle could boss him around. Hound dogs were supposed to be big touch hunting dogs, but not Cowboy. Anthony had no idea why he was such a big baby, nothing bad had ever happened to him...he was just a great big chicken.He probably had some sort of brain malfunction that cause irrational fear. If someone clapped loud enough unexpectedly, it would send him running for cover behind something.

After a few minutes, they decided to just hang out and watch a movie. Alex was feeling brave and wanted to watch I am Legend, so after a quick trip down to the store to rent the movie, the two of them hunkered down on the couch, the dogs next to them. Anthony was on the end, with Alex next to him, then Kodak and Raidar on the other side, and Cowboy at Anthony's feet. The big scardy cat, wouldn't go sit with Alex's dogs because it was too far away from Anthony. It would get better in a day or two, once Cowboy realized that this was home now, and he would be living here with them.

Alex was about as giddy as a school girl during the movie, but Anthony was totally okay with it. He thought it was totally cute. Not to mention he liked it when she hid her face in his shoulder during the really scary parts. Not that he would know...if you asked him later on what his favorite part of the movie was, his answer would be "Alex." He didn't really watch the movie...he was too busy cuddling with Alex to pay much attention. Yeah they had it on loud and all...but he honestly couldn't tell you one single line from the whole thing. Heck, he couldn't even tell you what the story line was. He was just too engrossed with Alex to pay any attention to it.

By the time the movie was over, he was pretty much exhausted, and about to pass out right there. Alex seemed pretty tired two, and after a little flirting and teasing, they had a mutual agreement that they should get more than one hours sleep tonight, and headed upstairs to Alex's room. Anthony wasn't sure if Alessandra knew he was living with her now or not, but he was certain that she wouldn't find it odd or at all awkward if she for some reason or another came into Alex's room and found them wrapped up in each others arms completely unconscious in their sleep. Besides, it wasn't like they were having sex in there or anything...just sleeping.

Almost the instant his head hit the pillow, he was out like a light. It usually took him a while to fall asleep, but when Alex was there, he just instantly fell asleep. It was like he had always been missing something before, and his mind couldn't rest until he found out what it was. Well, now he was complete, and he could sleep easy. The warmth of Alex's tiny body against his muscular chest was more than he could ever ask for. She was all he ever needed and more than that. She satisfied his every need and his every want. With her, he was quite confident that he could live to be a thousand years old, and never need anything at all.

Anthony's eyes popped open, 3:00 am...the exact same time as it was last time he checked. He hadn't slept at all that night. Alex was still wrapped up in his arms, and Cowboy's chest was against his back, with his front paws on Anthony's side...kind of like he was hugging him the way Anthony was hugging Alex. For a split second, Anthony couldn't remember why he hadn't slept more than 30 seconds that night, but then it hit him head on. He was proposing today! Oh dear lord could he be any more nervous than he was right now? The only things that entered his head were Alex, and the ring he would be presenting her with today.

So much had happened in the past month. Alessandra had died in a car accident, leaving Alex with Tyler's baby and Sebastian with his baby, Chey and Seb had gotten married, Charlie and Hayley had been fighting more than ever to the point that Charlie got her sent to the psych ward and then when he was out of town, got her and about 50 other people arrested for an underaged drinking party Hayley put on at his house and got drunk and high while pregnant. She also stated that she hated him and said she was breaking up with him. Charlie was a complete wreck still, he'd paid Hayley's bail, but she had to stay locked up for a minimum of two days. Poor Charlie, he went through so much for her and he was completely terrified that she was going to break up with him. Anthony couldn't remember seeing Charlie so scared...ever...in his life. He and Sebastian had tried to be of some comfort to him and get him to calm down, but it was like he had totally lost his mind to terror. Then Tyler slept with Vivian, and called her Alessandra which ticked her off enough to run out and call Anthony. He let her stay at his house that night, since Seb would kill her if he found out what had happened. So Anthony called him and left a message on his phone...a lie, but it was to protect Vivian. Then Tyler was apparently so afraid that he'd lost Vivian that he went and told Sebastian what he'd done, and Seb got really angry...and nothing short of almost killed Tyler. Of course, Tyler had been so miserable and upset that he didn't fight back, or even try to defend himself...according to him, he deserved it. Then Anthony brought Vivian home, and Seb punched Anthony for not telling him and lying to him about what had gone on that night. Strangely enough, Tyler and Sebastian were on good terms now.

Today was a good day though, because Anthony was going to ask Alex to marry him. That made everything better. He was so nervous all day, he about drove Charlie and Sebastian crazy with all his pacing and nervous ramblings. He was lucky to have such good friends. Sure they made fun of him some for it, but they were both incredibly understanding and supportive. Of course, they both gave him a bunch of crap for "showing off" with the ring he got her. Sebastian had given Chey the ring he had intended to give her right out of high school, so it was rather simple. Charlie had given Hayley a ring a bit more ornate, but not incredibly expensive. The one Anthony had for Alex was up there in the expensive range. It wasn't huge, a giant rock wasn't Alex's style, and he didn't have a million dollars to spend on the ring. But it was quite nice...thanks to having once been one of the best jockeys in the world.

The time finally came, and as Anthony stood out in the pastures, he was so nervous he couldn't control the shaking. If it didn't settle by the time she got there he was going to have a hard time getting the ring on her finger. The moment that she came up to him though, and he kissed her, the shaking went away, his nerves settled, and he asked her to marry him. Of course she had said yes, she was more than happy to say the least. Needless to say, she had been completely surprised, which was just what Anthony had wanted. She had nothing short of leapt into his arms as he put the ring on her finger. That day had turned out perfectly, exactly how he had wanted it to, he couldn't have asked for a happier moment.

This morning, he was up again before her, but this time he didn't disappear. He took care of the baby and all three dogs, then left a single long stem rose on the table with a small piece of paper tied to it with the words "I love you, Alex Chasse" scrawled neatly across it. Unlike most guys, Anthony actually had very nice hand writing, very distinct, bold and elegant. Some would say it looked like girl's handwriting, but he didn't care. It looked nice, that was all that mattered. Besides, it made it just that much better when he left things for Alex. Once that was done, he headed out for the stable before she was up.

When he got to the stable, he walked purposefully down towards the stall that most people avoided. The one containing the devil's horse, Loco. Anthony was determined that one of these days he would get Loco to stop hating him. He kept a fair distance between himself and the stall, but he stopped in front of it, and looked in at the big black horse. You're going to have to get along with me someday Loco. He said with a sigh as he watched th horse, wondering why in the world the horse hated him with such passion. He'd never done anything to him. I've staked my claim on Alex, and there's nothing you can do about it so we might as well just get alone.

He ignored the horse's reaction to him being there, and walked on down towards the tack room. There, he set the remaining 11 roses of the dozen on Alex's tack, the same note attached to the bunch. From there he set out to getting King ready for the track...only this time, he was taking Doubt with him too. The little gray wasn't going to be tacked, but Anthony was going to close the gate to the track so Doubt couldn't get out, and he was going to work King. He hoped that maybe as Doubt went nuts and he and King ignored him and just ran, that something in the little gray's mind would click and his competitive side would kick in. He wanted Doubt to get the passion for running back, and forget about killing the other horses. Of course, if this didn't work...there was a very good chance he would end up dead, but he was just going to have to take that risk. Dangerous yes, more dangerous than the way he was attempting to train Doubt before, a little, completely stupid and without reason, no. This was the only way to go about this, and he was going to do it, no matter what.

[Alex Lovasz]

Alex giggled as Cowboy hunckered down in submission to Kodak and Raidar. Raidar quickly got bored with the knew being. And followed Kodak's suit.... the couch. After not deciding to eat the decided to watch a movie. And though she was pretty sure it would scare the crap out of her mind the first movie that came to mind was I am Legend. She heard it was good and wanted to see it for herself now. So they jumped into Anthony's truck and drove down the road to rent to movie and then back. Didn't take longer then 20 minutes to get there get the movie and get back. One thing she loved about living in the city/town area. She loved th closeness of everything it reminded her of the New York City. She loved it there but she needed a breath of country air every now and then. And this was where she got it.

Once back they settled themselves on the couch. Anthony, Alex, Kodak, and Raidar in that order. And then Cowboy on the floor right by Anthony's feet. She loved that big goof of a dog. He was a cutie that was for sure. The movie was pretty intense she liked it but she liked the fact of having a guy to hide her face in in the scary parts. She loved cuddling with Anthony and hiding her face in his chest and hold him and practically jumping into his lap when she got scared. It was her perfect life right there. She was happy. Cuddling normally wasn't her thing but it was all very different with Anthony. She found herself doing tons of things she had never done in a relationship. Crazy i know. She loved him so much she would do anything he wanted her to do. Course she wasn't stupid she still had commen sense and wasn't going to let him run her life. But she knew he wasn't like that and felt safe with him. She could trust him.

After the movie was over he teased her a bit for being scared and she laughed and teased him back. And they played around a little before deciding to get a little more then the usual amount of sleep. She went up the stairs with Anthony on her tail followed by all three dogs. She tip toed past Keke's room even though she knew for a fact that she was a heavy sleeper and there was no way they were going to wake her. But it was more fun pretending you were sneaking around. The got to her room and she shut the door behind them and changed into "Pajama's" if you could call it that it was more of a night gown... minus the long part for a gown though. After doing so she slipped into bed with Anthony letting his arms wrap around her. And not longer then a millisecond she was out cold. Sleeping blissfully.

The horse was everything. The perfect conformation the intimidating eye and color. The heart the strive to win. He had racing running through his blood. His father was a Champion. His mother had the lines and nearly matched his sire stride for stride. The determintation was there. But the compramise wasn't. He was a colt of great desire. Training started and all seemed well. Until the rider came into play. They hoisted the man on and no sooner had he been up he was off. The dragged him to the track the place he had been raised. And the exercise rider came and he blew up. There was no chance that man would come anywhere near him. The trainer pronounced him untamable. The owner grew deppressed that such an amazing animal could fail so badly. There seemed to be no hope for this colt. Everyone was begining to give up.

That was until the bosses daughter came into play. He loved that girl and she made everything better for that horse. He became gentle to her touch. She was the first one to understand his free spirit. She was the only one he let near him when the saddle was on. She was the only one capable of riding him. She flew across the track.... but it all seemed to good to be true. She got him to the big league but she wasn't aloud to race him. So when the big time deals came in so did the men. He flipped out and nearly killed every man out there on the Pimlico track. He was dubbed "A danger to society" So the girl fought back. She argued with her dad and pushed and pushed. And everytime he said no. Till on day she disguised herself. They one the race with her on his back illegaly.

Her father found out while she was in the barn with that Black beauty. And he struck her. After that day the horse never saw the girl again. He rebelled and no one could tame him. The owner tried and tried to sell him till finally someone took him. A woman. She trained him to the point that he would be saddled and let others touch him so long as he knew them well. But they found that was as far as the could get with him. And the woman had to move on she was getting older and needed more business. So even she gave up on the now renowned "devil's horse" After the girl had left him way back he got the name Loco. And it stuck. The Black beast was now a monster a horror to the business. He was cast out expelled no matter how you said it he was dangerous and not aloud to race.... and now homeless.

No man could touch him... No one could tame him. He was a monster. Till luck once again was on his side and Alex Chasse came to his rescue. She took him from his home with the "To busy lady" and brought him to a foreign place. And no longer then two days after he got there the work begain. Heavy training twice a day. Diets shoeings and everything else it took to get him into condition. It took him a couple months and he was on the track with her on his back. She was his soul mate so to speak. She was the one who understood that he couldn't be controlled and you just needed to know how to channel his energy. Instead of taming him and controlling him. He was a beast, a freight train, a speed demon. This was what he was bred for. He just needed the girl to give him that extra push and Alex was well on her way with him.

This horse Loco and his girl Alex. She was all he needed and there was no way he was letting any male of any kind come anywhere near her. He was needless to say ver protective. And when that catch Anthony came along instincts flared. She was his not Anthony's. He was a simple minded creature that now saw male as a threat. Poor horse knew no better. He had been pushed to his limit. There was really no explaining his actions except to say he was a lot smarter then what he let one. Now most of you would say he is just an animal he can't comprehend that kind of tragedy. But that just makes you stupid. They have hearts just like us and they know what pain and suffering is. They have a mind though it be but little. They have instincts.

One particular morning things just seemed off. Alex wasn't there yet but someone else was. Foot steps echoed in the aisle. It was still dark out when the barn light flickered on. The magnificant animal shoved churned in his stall tension running up his body. When the form stopped infront of the stall. He stopped and stared out at the man. Staring him straight in the eye. he held a glare that almost said "You better watch you back man." His eyes almost read out that he was going to get him. The he broke the glare with a snort and stomping of his hoof. He bobbed his head and slammed his hoof one last time then stopped and stared back up. Not a moment longer and Anthony turned away from him. The horse was one terrifying beast. He was a near 18 hd black devil out to put the world in its place. Amazing runner.... without and inch of focus.

Alex rubbed her eyes and stretched leaving her arm in an out stretched position with her palm flat admiring the dazzling pieve of jewelry that graced her finger. She smiled it was so perfect. And not because of how much it cost or how shiny it was. But because Anthony the man of her dreams the only one for her the love of her life had bought it for her and it was from his heart. She loved it because it was from him. But then she rolled over realizing she was the only one in the bed. Yet again Anthony had escaped the house before her. She rolled over and looked at the clock to see it was a little past three. She jumped up and ran across the bed jumping off at the edge to land on cold white tile. Then straight to the closet throwing in breaches, a tank top, and a light jacket. She just slipped socks on because her boots were in the car.

This was the first time in forever that she'd slept passed 3 am. Even when she was younger she wa accustomed to getting up before light and working the horses. But with all the added stress from the late events.... she had been under pressure. Course she would never let on that she was stressed. This was what Alex Chasse did, she added on and added on and even when she was on the brink of losing it she held it all in and put up a blockade that said she was handling it all fine. And there wasn't anyone on this earth that could tell she was about to crack. Yes she was a master of disguise. It was becoming a regular thing for her now, a Talent almost. Besides even if she was cracking and couldn't take anymore she would pile something on top and remain steady on the outside.

So many things had happened like the dinner with Charlie and Hayley and finding out about Hayley and her dad. And then Vivian sleeping with Tyler and Sebastian nearly killing Tyler and Seb and Chey's wedding. And she was still copping with Alessandra's death... Course no one knew about that one as far as they were concered she was well over and pasted that. And then she wasa going to sign as owner for King so Anthony could ride him. And then she had to take Cadricane to New York to stay there for the remainder of his training which killed her to do but she couldn't take 4 horses with no trainer or extra rider. Especially with the baby and then Charlies wedding and now her own. Even she knew that was to much for her to handle. And on top of all that work was asking for double time on a case she had no time for which left her withh zip time for Alessandra and Anthony. She just wanted time with her fiance now.

She tip toed down the hall to Alessandra's room and peered in. She was already awake and in fresh new clothes. Anthony was here alright she smiled and walked into the room. "Good morning sunshine" She spoke in hushed tons smiling down at the little bundle. She loved that baby girl. She picked her up grabbing the blanket too and threw the diaper bag over her other shoulder. She patted the dogs heads as she headed down the stairs and glanced around at the dark house to double check and make sure everything was in order. Then her eyes stopped at the table by the door there was a bright red rose with a note tied to it. A huge grin spread over her face as she picked it up and read the writting. She looked down at Alessandra. "isn't he cute?" She smiled as Alessandra reached out for the rose. But Alex pulled it out of her reach and walked out into the foggy dark morning.

She locked the door behind her and put Alessandra in her car seat then walked around to the drivers side. She placed the rose in the seat next to her and drove over to The Kings' residence. She dropped of Alessandra and headed to the barn. She liked the arrangement they had made it was a lot easier on her and then she didn't have to find a sitter or worse take her with her. It was far too early and besides she didn't want her to get a cold out in the cold morning air. So this worked out much better. She glanced at the rose as she got back into the car and smiled. Anthony never ceased to impress her she loved how he could always surprise her with anything he did. But the one thing she loved most about him was she could never be mad at him no matter how hard she wanted to be she always found herself smiling and collapsing into his arms. True love at its best.

She got to the barn and parked beside Anthony's truck. They were the only nuts out at 3:45 am so they were the first. So whomever got there first ,be it Anthony or Alex, turned the lights on and unlocked it. Which neither of them minded it was pretty simple. She parked and pulled her knee high riding boots on. Once she had her boots on she grabbed her phone and the rose and pulled the keys out of the ignition. She walked down the aisle straight to the head sticking out in the way back. Her stallion Loco.... He was still a work in progress. He could let her on and would somewhat do what she told him to but he wasn't focused on running his best he would either fight her for instructions or if there was anyone else out there you knew his mind was on the fact that there was another horse. He was just a difficult case and usually she worked him first because he was the most difficult and she needed to be at her prime for him.

She stroked his forehead and then went to grab his tack. She flicked the light on in the tack room and spotted the bundle of roses and the note and a wide grin spread over her face. She was almost glad no one was around to see her blush. She placed the other rose ontop of the rest and cradled them like a baby in her arm slipping the rest of the tack on her other arm and walking back to Loco's stall. His box was on the outside and she placed the roses on top of it while she walked down the aisle noticing no noise or movement in either one of Anthony's horses stalls. She got a curious look and peered in each one.... There wasn't a horse in either which ment that he had taken both. Her eyes widend a bit but remained calm he obviously knew what he was doing and she trusted him. So she tacked Loco up which only took about 5 minutes he was being surprisingly easy that day.

After she tacked him up she lead him out and up toward the track hoping she would catch him during... whatever it was that he was doing or before he started. She wanted to make sure he wasn't pulling some stupid stunt that would just get him hurt.... yet again. She wanted him to get fully healed before they got ready for intense training with King and that wasn't going to happen if he kept pulling these stunts with Doubt. The walk up to the track was sort of a long one and she really didn't want to wast time getting there and was now letting worry take over. It was nerve wrecking knowing your fiance was out doing something not exactly safe with no one around... Lets just say she wanted to be there just in case. So she hoisted herself onto Loco, not the smartest move since he was only used to being riden on the track but she would manage.

She made sure the stirrups were low enough to keep control over him and moved him into a light and steady trot. He was obviously confused but moved along just as he would on the track minus the nagging energy that constantly made him want to speed up. Which she was thankful for. The trees seemed to flash by with his speedy trot. Leaves were changing colors prepairing for fall weather. It was dark still though so it was pretty much like riding in at night minus the moon because it was foggy. But that was the time Alex loved to ride the best. She loved needing to rely in the horse for sight. It was like a trust exercise. Something that every horse and rider should experience. But Loco wasn't exactly the safest horse to pull this stunt on. But before she knew it the clearing where the track was, was coming around the corner so she guided him carefully to the benches. She knew the scene and distance and measurements like the back of her hand. She had been there so many times before. The lights were on but they didn't do much when the horse was going about 40mph. She pulled Loco up and hopped off trying to see what was happening.

[Anthony Lovasz]

After Anthony got King all tacked up, and Doubt ready to go, he realized that he didn't ever ride King up to the track, for safety reasons...and he didn't want to risk getting all three of them hurt. He usually rode Doubt up there, but jumping up on a horse like him without a saddle and only a halter for control would just be plain old stupid...and Anthony wasn't stupid. He stood motionless for a moment looking at the two horses, who both stood placidly watching him...in a way that almost seemed to mock him and his current situation. After a moment of indecision, he grabbed Doubt's lead, and King's reins, and started them forwards. Once they were out to the trail, he let go of King's reins, knowing that the tall thoroughbred would keep his muzzle right against Anthony's shoulder and follow him step for step.

The walk up to the track was totally uneventful. Kind and Doubt got along like they'd been together their whole lives. A few months ago, King would have been throwing a fit and shying away from Doubt and lashing out at him and giving Anthony so much grief that he was frustrated to no end. Now though, after two weeks of having Alex be his sole handler, King was a totally different horse, a sweet heart, an angel by way of manners. Sure, he still had his little quirks and weird things that he did, but Anthony didn't have to worry about him hurting anyone anymore. He didn't know what Alex had done, but whatever it was, it had worked.

The trio moved in silence up the darkened path towards the track. When they got there, Anthony switched the breaker and the oval was illuminated. It didn't matter how many times he came out here and turned that light on...it always took his breath away. His whole life...at least the good parts...were lived out on that circle. Yes, he had the best parts of his life wherever Alex was, but it was the track that had brought them together. Funny how accidents could bring people together and keep them there. Alex was what got him through every day, every withdrawal, every ounce of pain, every moment...and he had the track to thank for bringing her to him.

He lead both of the horses onto the track, and in almost the same motion, closed the gate, and unclipped the lead on Doubt's halter. As he expected Doubt exploded. He leapt into the air, then took off full speed around the track, galloping like a mad beast. Not as he expected though, King tried to follow him...that racehorse instinct you know...chase after the one who's running ahead of you. Anthony was jerked forwards as King tried to follow after Doubt, and he felt the joint groan with the effort to remain intact. His poor right shoulder...took so much grief. Blasted doctors...if they hadn't messed up that surgery it wouldn't get dislocated so easily. Ah well, at least it didn't just now...only hurt like none other.

When King felt the resistance from Anthony he stopped, seeming to remember that Anthony wasn't on his back, and he had to wait for him. Relieved that King didn't get loose and he didn't now have two horses loose on the track, he moved quickly to his side and hauled himself up onto the huge animal. As he did so, Doubt raced by again, and King tugged eagerly at the reins, wanting to accept the challenge the little gray was putting out. Anthony kept him in check though. They weren't out here to race, they were out here to make Doubt back into a race horse and not a fighting horse.

Just like their regular workouts, he let King have enough rein for s simple canter so he could get him warmed up. It was a bit more difficult to keep him at that easy pace considering every time Doubt went by or made some commotion King wanted to go catch up to him, but he managed. As they neared the now closed gate, Anthony saw Alex arrive on Loco. Well, now at least if he got hurt she would be there to help him. He could tell she was worried though...she always worried about him. Anthony and Sebastian had told her time and time again that she should just stop worrying about him...he'd been doing crazy things like this since...before anyone could remember...and he was still alive and kicking. They called him Cucuracha out on the track for a reason...he just wouldn't die. No matter how many times you ran him over, he got stepped on, thrown off...whatever it was...he was always up again before any normal person would be.

He suddenly realized that he was thinking about Alex and not what he was doing when King made another attempt to take off as Doubt raced by. This time though, once Anthony had regathered his nerves he let King go. It was now or never, life and death...this was it. King was all too willing to respond, and within a few bounds was in a full gallop, his eyes, however poorly they perceived anything, were locked on Doubt ahead of him. King was a leader, he loved being in front where no dirt was kicked up into his face, and being behind Doubt like he was only spurred him on more.

By this time, Doubt had begun to fade. Already he had circled the track three times, with mad antics in between. It was a terrible sight really, seeing the monster that the sweet gray horse was on the track. Everyone loved him so much, his wonderful temperament, his willingness, his love of people...but this...this was a whole different animal. This was a beast, this was very nearly the worst a horse could get. This was the demon unleashed, the devil unmasked...this was the real Shadow of a Doubt. An uncontrollable rage, a mass of fury, an atomic bomb on four legs. It was rather saddening...and no one knew why.

Anthony and King came up on Doubt, bearing down on him. The were neck and neck for several strides, but Doubt had about run out of steam, and before long, the gray's shoulder was level with the chestnut's hip. He was determined though, he somehow found another gear, and managed to hold that position for about 1/4 of the track, but King was only just started. Anthony could tell Doubt was laboring, and asked King for more speed. He was all too willing to oblige. He took off like a shot, leaving poor Doubt in the dust. When they had completed the track yet again, Anthony pulled King up, and glanced behind him. Doubt was still there, about eight lengths back, still not giving up.

He was done though, he had nothing left. His normally light gray coat was drenched in sweat, a dark gray, almost black, with white froth built up on his coat. As King stopped, Doubt did too. When he came along side Anthony and King, his legs were nearly shaking, and his head was held in a low position so that his muzzle was about level with his knees. But Anthony could see in him that angry fire...he was down but not beaten...it would take several outings like this to turn that anger into determination to win. Anthony felt terrible for doing this to him, but it was what had to be done. If Doubt was ever going to be something again, this had to be done.

He jumped off King, and quickly checked Doubt's legs for heat, then King's. When he was satisfied that everything was normal, he took the two horses off the track. King was the only one out of the trio who didn't look like he was in any discomfort at all. Anthony's shoulder was aching, yet again, and Doubt...well he was obviously rather...well, just not like his normal self. He was exhausted, weary, at the end of all of his energy. He was done for the day. Anthony wasn't going to make him run again, that would just be cruel torture...and Anthony wasn't into that sort of thing at all.

He tied the two horses to the rail a little ways away, then walked towards Alex, keeping Loco in the corner of his eye. He smiled despite the pain, and put his arms around her waist so that they were facing each other. Good morning beautiful. He said, leaning down to kiss her gently...even though he was a mess. He'd stripped off his helmet, like usual, and ran his fingers through his hair, which made the "helmet hair" go away instantly. That was the best thing about not having hair like Charlie or Sebastian...helmets didn't ruin it for the whole day. But still...despite his hair being "perfect," he was still covered in dirt and sweat from the ride. But he knew Alex didn't mind...she might pretend to be disgusted, but in about ten minutes she would look the same way...and he knew she was okay with it.