12.16.98

Her first thought was "Alex Krycek!?". Her second was much less articulate, consisting of a mere, "Wow..." The third was a wild guess that one of the Russian boys from the house down the hill had seen their plight and had come over to offer assistance, and that gee, Mr. Lea really -did- look Russian, what a great casting call...

The young man grinned at her, and only then did it register - Hair was cut funny, though it wasn't -too- different, leather jacket, nice jeans... A tiny bit of a tummy, and the proportions of his face were just a bit off, like someone had made a copy of a marginally-flawed copy... And Alex, she felt rather certain, would -never- be caught dead in that ugly pearl-snap, red-and-God-knows-what-else plaid Western shirt. 4.99 at Wal-Mart, on sale... No, it wasn't Alex Krycek/Nicholas Lea, after all. No matter, dissapointment didn't have a -chance- to set in, because he was speaking to her.

"Hi!" Grin, grin.

"Hello..." Shy, but not much... Hope welled within her, maybe her dad had recruited him to lend a hand! It was the season for miracles, riiiight?

"Hey, can you tell me where 'Our' road is?" Leaning over the hood, peering into the dim interior, friendly.

Even though he looked like a skinnier, odd-jawed Nick Lea, she was -sure- he had muscles. Even though he looked like he might be on his way to a date, or a party, he could still -help-, couldn't he? Despair returned with a vengance. Maintaining her cheerful front, she nodded. "Um, I believe it's over off of O'Malley."

He nodded, backing away from her car. "Off O'Malley? Okay, thanks!" And with that, he turned and was gone, back into the darkness.

"Yeah... 'Welcome." She called, even as he was diminishing in her mirrors.

Scowling, she railed against Fate. "That was just great! Thank you! Am I -supposed- to have my car stuck? Can you be any more unhelpful?" The second the words had been spoken, she gasped in horror. "No, wait, I didn't mean that! I was -kidding-! Being sarcastic! You don't have to show me, honest...!"

She never -did- get the car unstuck.