Monica laughed, "I'm very grateful for you, Mr. Best Friend," she elbowed him back, just for kicks. She had always teased her friend about everything; from the color of shoes he was wearing with [i]those[/i] pants to the girls who were crushing on him. Monica had always had a bit of a crush on her friend herself, and it was only in their senior year when she finally realized that her crush had lasted far longer than something she could truly call just a "crush". Their prom had been wonderful; the night before, her memory reminded her, had been something of a dream for her. She had been asked, albeit quietly to the dance before Gray had asked her, but in the hope that her friend would indeed ask her she had turned the other guy down. Nicely, to the best of her ability. She had kept it a secret from Gray, as she felt that if she told him he'd feel pressured to ask her. He had asked her of his own free will though, in the end. His sudden change of position caused her to look at him, and she found her eyes locked with his. Their faces were rather close, and she couldn't help but wonder if he had felt the same way she did. She fought her urge to lean in and meet his lips, and when she turned her head to the side she was surprised to feel the sensation of his mouth against her ear. She didn't know what she was expecting from her prankster friend, and playfully pushed him away with a chuckle when he asked her about the flowers in her hair. She felt the back and sides of her head, and sure enough he had snuck some of the flowers into her hair. "Cut it out," Monica smiled before brushing her hair back over her shoulder, "Of course I'd look great," she joked, and ever so slowly reached for the mass of flowers. "But I bet," she leaned in slowly until her own face was inches from his, "They'd look great on you!" She laughed, throwing the whole lot of them into his hair. Monica was laughing so hard; she couldn't remember the last time she had found something so funny. "You're so pretty!" she teased him, falling flat onto her back as her whole chest heaved with laughter. "God, I missed you," she looked up at him for a good long moment before clambering to her feet. She supported herself on the crutches, and sighed a little, "We should probably get back. I'm sure there's some movies on TV or something," she smiled gently. It was getting a little chilly. If she was going to make a move, tonight would have to be her night to do it. ----------- It wasn't long before the two pulled up at the apartment building, and made there way up to the woman's room. She opened the door, still laughing with Gray, and her mouth dropped open. Sitting on the couch, in a simple black tee and jeans, was Austin O'Connell. The man turned his head, he had been busy reading and had only just noticed the door open. He smiled, revealing his neat row of teeth that matched just perfectly with his neat crew cut. Monica stumbled into the room, her eyes locked on the man. "S-sir? What're you doing here?" She questioned. "Checking up on you, sergeant," his voice was smooth as stone, and in an instant he was in front of her. He was about to close the door behind her, when he noticed Gray. "Who's this, Monica?" He raised a skeptical eyebrow. What was she doing bringing men home with her after a day? She was going to get herself into a nasty situation. "Oh!" Monica had nearly forgotten her friend was still standing behind her, "This is a friend of mine, Gray Yin," she motioned to her best friend, gently touching his arm. "Gray, this is Lieutenant Austin O'Connell," she introduced him, and he flashed a smile once more. "Pleasure to meet you, Gray," his smooth voice was notably accented, probably from somewhere in Tennessee.