William smiled when he saw herinalky calm down and looked into her eyes. She was beautiful and he wondered if she had a boyfriend in her preveous life. But he quickly cleared them from his mind, she was a guest and a friend. He would t do anything to her and he was going to keep it that way. His thoughts where interuptes when he felt her hand on his and smiled. He then pulled away and nodded when he heard her.

"then let's go, I can show you everything and then my favorite places tomeat. You can chose where we eat if you like." he said as he smiled at her. He smiled at her and could see her exitment as he talked about showng her around. He would show her all the great and wonderful things this place had to offer even though there where only a few. He then felt her arms around him and her words ran threw his head. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, huging back. "no need for thanks, happy to help you." he whispered back and smiled.

Ari loved the way his arms felt around her and was reluctant to let go. She pulled away, smiling warmly. She wondered briefly if she would get to hold his hand again while he showed her the town, but quickly dismissed the thought. For all she knew, he could be seeing someone. Just because he lived alone didn't mean there wasn't someone in his life. She didn't want to let herself get too attached to him if it turned out he had a girlfriend. She stood up and waited for him to lead the way, bouncing on her feet a little.

With her thoughts turned in this direction, it shouldn't have been a surprise that she ended up blurting something else out like she had earlier, without any thought as to if she was being rude, like the comment about it being lonely out here. "Won't your girlfriend be upset that I'm staying here?" She turned blood red after she had asked the question. It wasn't any of her business after all, even though she was staying here.

William chuckled when he heard her ask about a girlfriend. He just simply shook his head and looked at her as he smiled, "sorry but I dont have a girl friend." he said as he looked at her and smiled. He had one girlfriend but that was a long time ago. He had broken it off with her when he found out that she was just trying to get close so that she could get his money and also was cheating on him at the same time. He stopped trusting any girl in town because of this but he found that even though he didn't know Ari very well he trusted her.

"now then lets go, I can show you the park, all the resturants in town, all of the shops and any other place you wish to see." he said as he smiled at her and coudlnt' wait to show her around everywhere. "so are you ready to go?" he asked as he smiled at her and waited for her answer.

She had been waiting for him to tell him he had a wonderful girlfriend who wouldn't care about her staying and had braced herself to be disappointed. When instead he told her he didn't have one she felt a fierce joy spread through her. Even though she couldn't remember anything it felt as she had known him her entire life, she was so comfortable with him.

She smiled at him brightly and stood up. Her excitement shone in her eyes. "Yes, let's go. I can't wait to see everything with you." That last part had just slipped out but she didn't regret adding it. She especially couldn't wait to see the park.

William smiled when he saw her stand up and the the excited look in her eyes. When he heard her say that she couldn't wait to see everything with him he felt something. It was a joy to know that he wouldn't be alone anymore and to know that someone wanted to stay with him and be with him. He then gently took her hand into his and smiled, "then lets go, I know you will like it here." he said as he started to lead her outside.

Once they where outside he started to head her down the street and pointed out all the clothing shops, small family owned shops and all the other places that he thought she would like.

She felt her heart leap when he took her hand. It looked as though one of her wishes would come true after all. She followed him out the door and outside. As they began to walk down the street and he began to point out shops, she looked around eagerly trying to take it all in at once. She loved the way the town was set up and that most of the businesses were family owned.

As they passed by the bakery, she felt her stomach growl again. She laughed. "I think my stomach's complaining again that it's hungry." There was a cafe up ahead. She pointed to it, "What about there?"

William smiled and loved how she was liking the town. It seemed that he would be staying here instead of leaving like he had First thought. Bit as he looked at her he found he didn't care about leaving anymore. He would stay here with her and make sure that nothing happened to her and hope her memory would come back. He then looked at the cafe and smiled, "that is one of the best cafes in town. How abot if we stop there for some food." he said as he lead her there.

William smiled as he lead her inside and looked around. It wasn't that packed which was perfect for them. He quickly found a table and sat down with her. "ger what ever you like. It is my treat." he said as he smiled at her.

She looked around at the decor as they walked in. She had only got a quick look before William had found them a table. She looked over at him, worry in her eyes. "Are you sure? I don't want to take advantage of you." She didn't want him to think that she was faking her memory loss just so she could get a free ride for a while. She really couldn't remember anything.

They were interrupted as their waitress came over to get their drinks. "Oh um, water's fine for me." She noticed the girl had a look of curiosity on her face as she looked from William then back to her.

((ACK! sorry so short!))

William smiled at her, "it is fine, I want to pay." he said as he smiled at her. He then saw that he had gotten lucky and his friend Lindy was there waiter. "hey long time no see." he said and Lindy smiled, "hey." she said as she wrote down water and then looked back between him and Ari. "I thought you said you where headed put of town for a while." she said and wiliam looked over at Ari, "I got a little side tracked and it looks I am staying here for a while." he said and you could see that Lindy wasn't to happy that Ari was here. A lot of girls in this town wanted William and he was with someone they didn't know, it was eating her alive. "that is great, oh what would you drink?" she asked and William smiled, "just some water." he said and Lindy ran off.

William smed over at Ari, "that would be Lindy, I will introduce you when she comes back. She is a nice girl and we have been friend for a long time. I hope you two can be friends." he said as he smiled at her. "so after this what would you like to do?" he asked and found he just wanted to be close to her.

She relaxed a little, smiling at the 'side-tracked' comment. Her smile faded a little as she saw the look on Lindy's face that clearly said NOT happy. She looked back over at William and her smile brightened again. "She seems very nice." She decided not to mention the fact that Lindy was obviously sending out signals that she would rather Ari not be here with William. She looked down at the menu and scanned over it. Everything looked really good.

She had noticed a small bookstore as they had walked over to the cafe. "Can we go look in the bookstore when we're done? I love to read." She said it naturally but then started as she realized she had remembered something. "Oh! My memory seems to be coming back if I know I love to read. Maybe something in the bookstore will spark some other memories!" She grew excited. It would be wonderful to get her memory back.

William smiled at her, "she is nice sometimes but others she acts kind of weird." he said as he looked at Aria and smiled. He had seen the look but he hoped tht Lindy would look past that Ari was with him. She thought she owned him since she had known him the longest but she didn't get that he didn't like her. He then looked at the menu and smiled as he looked at her, "I think I am going to get a cinnoman roll" he said as he looked at her.

When he heard her he smiled, "that is great news, maybe you will remember something if we head there." he said as he looked at her and couldn't help but smile. She was finally remembering and he couldn't wait to see what else she liked to do. "and that is one thing we have in common, I love to read too." he said as he relaxed and smiled at her.

"That sounds really good, maybe I'll get one of those too." Her eyes lit up when her told her he loved to read as well. She laughed out loud. "It's nice to hear that you like to read as well. Most guys just think it's a waste of time. I like how you can go to a whole other world and lose yourself in the story. Just let the world fade away for a little bit at least." As she spoke there was a dreamy look on her face.

She was suddenly brought back out of her musings as Lindy brought them there drinks. When she asked what they were having, Ari smiled sweetly at her and asked for a cinnamon roll. She smiled at William as he ordered the same thing. It wasn't long before Lindy brought them out. Ari took a bite and closed her eyes in bliss. It was delicious! When she finished she couldn't help but lick the frosting off her fingers. "Wow. That was really good." It felt so nice just to be able to sit here with William and relax. "Thank you so much," she said softly. "Not just for this but for everything." She gave him one of her sweetest smiles as she sat there with him, her hands resting on the table.

William smiled at her, "I know what you mean. When I was little I would go to the bookstore and spend hours on end there. I use to lose myself in so many books that I became know as hte bookworm. But I didn't care, I just wanted to read and I still do." he said as he looked at her and liked how dreamy she looked as she spoke of this. It was hard to find a girl who liked to read as much as he did and it was great that he finally found someone.

He then laughed when he saw how much she liked her cinnamon roll and finished up his. "I am glad that you like it. It was one of my favorite things to eat when I have the chanse." he said as he drank his water and smiled at her. He then looked into her eyes and loved that sweet smile on her face, "no problem, I am happy to help you. In truth I think we are both helping each other out in some form." he said as he gently touch her hand. He then set some money on the table and looked at her as he stood up. "now then lets go to the bookstore and see if some more of your memory comes back." he said as he held out a hand to her.

She blushed as she realized just how she must have looked as she devoured her cinnamon roll. She stood up and took his hand as he led her back out of the quaint cafe. They headed towards the bookstore that she had noticed earlier. It wasn't a very big store but it wasn't small either. Ari's eyes lit up with delight as they went inside, a small chime ringing out softly above them as the door swung open. She eagerly looked around, taking in all the books inside. As they went further inside she noticed soft chairs scattered all throughout the store, so that people could take a moment and read some of a book they were interested in and be comfortable at the same time. There was also artwork hanging on the walls done by local artists.

She paused in front of a section of the young adult novels and scanned them slowly, pleased to see some of her favorites on the shelves. Near the end of the aisle, was a display of some of the art that the students at the collage nearby had done. Ari stopped to look at them. There were beautiful paintings, some artistic photos and some sketches arranged artfully on the wall. Each one had the name of the artist printed on a small piece of paper below the work. She was engrossed in looking at them, giving each one a moment of her time when she came upon the last sketch in the series.

Shock raced though her and she felt her breath catch as panic threatened to overwhelm her. The lines were simple but straightforward and it was all in all a beautiful piece of work. It was a drawing of an angel falling from heaven, feathers falling all around as their wings were torn off in the plummet to the ground below in the drawing. It was a wonderful piece of work. It filled her with fear. Suddenly she started to remember everything all at once, images crashing down on her. Watching the humans from heaven with longing, sneaking down just to watch them for a few hours, making the trip back to heaven only to be met at the gate by the guardians with flaming swords drawn, pleading that she hadn't done anything but watch, that she just wanted to know how it felt to be human and finally the searing pain as her wings were cut from her and she was thrown down to the earth below. She heard the words they had said to her with crystal clarity ringing in her head. "You wanted to know how it feels to be human, now you are one."

It was all too much for her and she staggered and put a hand out against the wall. "What have I done?," she breathed out, almost too soft to hear. She closed her eyes as a feeling of hollowness flowed through her, the blood draining from her face. It was then that she remembered William. Her eyes flew open, a stricken look in them. What was she going to tell him? He would think she was crazy. Who wouldn't? She felt despair consume her as she pictured him rejecting her, telling her she would have to find somewhere else to stay, that he didn't want her in his life.

William smiled as he followed her to the book store. He smiled as he looked around and remembered all the times he had sat in here. He had just about been to every corner of the store and he always liked it here. It was like a second home to him and he wished that he owned it. But then again he would have to maintain it so he was happy to be here and be able to read the books here.

He then saw Ari he knew something was going on. "are you okay?" he askedher as he wrapped a arm around her gently to steady her. She looked like she might fall over sometime soon. But he would make sure that she was okay and that she wouldn't fall over. "did you remember something? Are you sick? Or something?" he asked as he looked at her worryed and saw something in her eyes. She deffinately remembered something or part of something. Yet there was fear in her eyes and it worried him.

"do you want me to take back home?" he asked as he kept her close to him. You could hear the worry in his voice as plain as day. She was his friend and he wanted to make sure she was okay.

Unable to speak for a moment she just shook her head. Finally she caught her breath and looked over at him. She could tell he was worried about her and for a moment it made her feel good that he would worry about her but then the despair crept back in. She was still shaken and her voice trembled when she spoke. "Yes I think that would be best."

She could feel the warmth that came off him as he stayed close to her and took some comfort in it. Her mind raced as she went over everything in her head. How would she tell him? Would he believe her or just think she was crazy?

William nodded and silently started to lead her out of there. "everything is going to be okay." he whispered to her softly as he tryed to get her to calm down. She looked like she was having a mental break down or something. But he would be here for her and stay close to her. After a little while they where soon at his house and he smiled at her. "we are home." he said and lead her over to the couch.

He sat down with her and looked at her worryed, "now then tell me what is the matter. I amhere for you, you can tell me anything." he said as he looked at her and hoped that she believed him. He wondered if she thought he was going to toss her out now that she remembered. He would let her leave when she wanted, she was welcome to stay here with him as long as she wanted. He also liked her company and wouldlove it if she stayed.

Ari let him lead her back to his house willingly. She heard his words and tried to let them sink in but it was hard to do. She just knew he was going to think she was crazy. She sat down on the couch next to him and gave him a weak smile. He said she could tell him anything but this was unreal.

She took a deep breath as she turned to look at him. "Your going to think I'm crazy but here goes." Ari closed her eyes and said in a rush, "I'm a fallen angel. That's what I remembered. They stripped my wings and when you found me in the woods and thought I had gotten hit by something that fell, you were partly right except I was what fell." She opened her eyes again and looked down at her hands, unable to look at him and see the disbelief in his eyes that she just knew was there.

William listened to her intensely as she talked and he couldn't believe anything that she said. He tried to wrap his mind around the idea of having a fallen angel in his house but his mind wouldn't take it. Then he looked at her and wondered if she was really telling the truth. But the way she looked at her hands and said nothing after words he knew it was true.

He gently reached out and touched her hand gently, "your right, I do think your crazy but I find myself believeing you." he said to her softly and looked at her. "I know you wont lie to me so I know your telling the truth. It is just really hard to take in." he said as he looked at her and hoped that he was doing the right thing.

She cringed when he admitted he thought she was crazy. She knew this was coming. Now she waited on him to throw her out but when he said he believed her, she looked up in shock. He....believed her? She sat very still, just waiting for her delusion to crumble but when nothing happened after a few moments she started to believe that he really did believe her.

"You...don't want me to leave?" She knew she shouldn't have just blurted it all out like that. Of course it was hard to take in. She would have thought she was crazy too if she had heard such a wild story. She was in shock that he was taking it so well. Anyone else would have just laughed at her and told her to get her crazy butt out. She felt a surge of happiness that William had been the one to find her.

William looked at her and shook his head, "why would I want you to leave? You gave me even more reason to keep you here." he said with a slight smile. "if you are a fallen then that means you really have nothing in this world and you know nothing. So I shouldn't kick you out, you need me more then ever." he said as he looked at her and smiled. He would let her stay here as long as she needed, she was welcome here any time.

"and is there anything else you need to tell me?" he asked as he looked at her and wanted to make sure that that was all she needed to tell him. If there was anything else she needed him to know he was all ears.

She felt a wave of tremendous relief course through her. He really did believe her, he wasn't just trying to make her feel better about being crazy. Unable to help herself she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. "Thank you so much," she whispered in his ear. She started to shake her head but then stopped when she remembered what the angels had said at the end.

She pulled back from him and looked at him. "The only other thing would be that I'm as human as you are now. Before they...left me they said that I was one now." She was overjoyed that he was going to let her stay. He was right, she did need him more than ever. He was starting to mean something more to her than just being her friend. Her eyes softened as she looked at him. "I'm so glad you found me," she murmured softly.

William was surprised when she hugged him but happily hugged her back and smiled at her. "I am happy to help you." he said as he looked at her and smiled. She was his friend and he would happily help her and be there for her. Even though it was the oddest situation he had been in he was happy to help. She was his friend and he would not throw her put on the street like some other person would have.

He then nodded when she said she was as human as he was now. It made sence since no angel would let you keep any power they had when they kicked you out. He then looked at her and smiled, "okay, well itlooks like I get to teach you about the human world. This will be fun." he said as he smiled at her and knew that his life would never be the same now that he knew this about her. She was someone very important to him and he would keep her safe. "qnd I am glad I found you too." he said as he looked at her and smiled. He had needed this friendship very badly and he was happy he had her.

She smiled sweetly at him. "I know a little about the human world, but your right I don't know much. I would love for you to show me more." Her eyes had lit up when he said he would teach her about the human world. She was almost like a little kid with no way to know what was what.

She started to get up but had forgotten that the couch was so soft. Instead she found herself falling into William's lap. She blushed bright red as she struggled to sit back up. "I'm so sorry!" This made the second time she had fallen onto him. She felt mortified, sure that she had just humiliated herself. Why do I have to be so clumsy?

William smiled at her, "yeah I guessed that. I will teach you everything you need to know." he said to her and smiled. He was glad that he could help her. He liked the light that was in her eyes and how she was like a little girl. She was just learning about the world and he would happily teach her.

When she fell into his lap he was slightly surprised but chuckled. "it is okay, I know the couch can be to soft sometimes." he said as he looked at her and wrapped a arm around her. He didn't mind her being so close to him, infact he kind of liked it and he smiled at her, "now then, what would you like to do before we get up? we can do anything you feel like." he said as he looked at her and smiled.