Stepping out of the shadows of the palm tree, Alyssa adjusted her sunglasses on her nose and glanced about. As was typical, the weather was pleasantly warm, though a little too warm for her. She often missed the rain of Seattle, but LA had its charms, or so she was reminded often. She hadn't really chosen to come to LA, more it chose her to come to it. Things seemed to be working out all right, she guessed. It wasn't her home.

Tucking an escaped chocolate curl behind her right ear, she scanned the park once more. That was the park they were to meet at, wasn't it? But he was never late. Not once in the decade they had known each other had he ever been late, which in itself was odd. Other men were habitually late all through her life, even her father. But the one man with whom she had maintained an odd friendship with since she was ten, had never once let her down.

So what was keeping him today? His wife? His daughter? His work?

Reaching in her purse for her cell phone, Alyssa hit his number without even a glance at the touchpad. As she raised the phone to her ear, a familiar ringtone sounded behind her. A grin quickly filled her face as she ended the call.

"Dammit, Lyssa! Not even enough patience to let me sneak up on you!" he cursed as she turned around, though he was smiling.

"Well what do you expect, Chris? You've never been late before," she replied with a straight face.

He glanced at his watch, "And by my watch, I've still got five minutes."

"What? No," Alyssa retorted, pulling his wrist towards her to glance at his watch. "Damn. You're right. Guess I walked faster than I thought."

"That excited for babysitting duty?" he arched a brow, bringing Alyssa's eyes to his.

She frowned, "That's what today is about? Babysitting? We never do anything fun anymore. Besides I don't see Toni anywhere."

He turned around as if looking frantically about for his daughter, "Oh no. I've lost her. Vicky will kill me!"

"You lost your daughter?" Alyssa repeated in a flat voice. "I'm so not buying that, Chris."

He flashed her a grin, "Good. Because she's with her mother."

"Then who am I babysitting?"

"You really have to ask?" Chris countered.

Alyssa shook her head, "What are we really doing, Chris?"

Instead of answering her, he winked and started to head back in the direction he had come. She had no choice but to fall instep with him. Across the grass they walked, Chris maintaining a silence no matter what Alyssa attempted. He simply shook his head to her questions and nodded when she attempted other means at getting the information from him.

Reaching the other side of the park, Alyssa smiled, her brown eyes falling on his Harley. Of course. They were going on a ride. Oh how long it had been since they had done anything like that at all.

"I'm not really dressed to go on a ride, Chris," she pointed out, glancing down at her sandle-clad feet.

"Nonsense," he quickly looked her over. "You should know by now I come prepared when I come with a surprise. We've only known each other for what? five years?"

"Ten," she corrected.

He stopped in his tracks and turned to her, handing her a helmet, "You mean we met when you were in high school? What the fuck was a 32 year old doing hanging out with a 15 year old?"

Alyssa shook her head as she pulled the helmet on. They had had this conversation many times during their friendship. Both knew she hadn't disclosed her age when getting that job at the deli across from where Soundgarden spent a lot of time jamming. Both knew she had looked about 18 when they met, if not older. And both knew age had never made a difference to them, no matter how much it had bothered their families, friends, and significant others. They'd become best friends and somehow managed to maintain that friendship to that day, against everyone's expectations and desires.

Already on the bike, Chris waited patiently, looking at her, "Are you coming? Or am I stuck eating ice cream alone?"

"Ice cream!" Alyssa squealed, jumping on behind him. "You should have mentioned ice cream in the beginning."

He chuckled, the rumblings of his chuckle overridden by the rumblings of the started Harley. Within moments they were on the busy street, Alyssa's chin on his shoulder to watch the traffic as well. Sure they often travelled that way, but she was always uneasy about it. Not because of Chris, but the rest of the drivers on the roads. But as always he weaved just fine through traffic and soon they were at the ice cream parlour. Alyssa slid off with ease, waiting for Chris to do the same before handing her helmet over.

Entering the parlour he asked, "Cone?"

"You have to ask?" she teased.

He flashed her a grin before stepping up to the counter to order while Alyssa moved to a wait at a table. When he approached with the sweet, she smiled crookedly and stood, knowing they would have to eat it outside or she would be frozen inside and out.

"So what's the occassion?" she asked as they sat on a bench outside the parlour.

"There has to be an occassion for me to treat you to ice cream?" he retorted, watching as she licked her cone.

"Without the wife and kids along? Yes," Alyssa replied simply.

There was a dark flash of something in his eyes. But instead of replying immediately, explaing whatever it is she briefly saw, he stuck a spoon in his mouth. Alyssa frowned and focused on licking her ice cream cone for a few minutes, just until it was pass the point it would drip.

"What's really up, Chris?" she asked.

"You didn't want nuts this time, did you?" he evaded.

"Chris," she warned.

He shook his head, "Nothing. Can I not want to spend time with a friend and not get harassed about it?"

Alyssa bit her lip at his tone and looked away. She wasn't interested in the ice cream any more and therefore just held the cone statically in her hand. His sigh reached her ears but still she didn't turn to look at him. Combing over what they had said to each other on the phone before deciding to meet at the park, she tried to piece together the hints into something solid.

"We're going back into the studio next week. You should come along," he attempted conversation.

"Sure," she replied, eyes leaving the tree across the street they had focused on, to meet his eyes. "Whatever you want, Chris."

He reached over and took the little touched cone out of her hands and deposited it in the trash can near him, "Let's go some place we can talk."