Chasing Stars

Chapter One.

"Not only did I love her, but I could tell the universe loved her, too. More than others. She was different. After all I would be a fool not to notice the way the sunshine played with her hair." - Christopher Poindexter

---

Max sat quietly on his porch overlooking the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, mountains he had came to love. He watched his beautiful wife and daughters playing in the yard and couldn't help but remember not only what brought him here, but who.

---

Several years before

Max sat quietly at the scarred bar, taking in the den of noise surrounding him and his best friend Ash. He couldn't believe he had allowed Ash to drag him out when he knew he should be studying. The beer before him held little interest, as did the cover band banging out tunes on the equally worn stage behind him. Pittsburgh had taken some adjusting to, it was nothing like the small town in South Dakota he and Ash had grown up in. It had been three years, and he found himself still adjusting to the crazy pace the Steel City set. He nursed a little more of his brew while he contemplated how he came to be in this hole-in-the-wall music bar, as usual Ash had came home to their shared apartment and begged Max for his company. 'It's the best... You won't believe the band playing...He used to hang with...' He'd heard it all before, yet here he sat in a run down brick building on the east side of town. He let out another beleaguered sigh as Ash prattled on about some co-ed he was hot for.

He'd rather be studying he thought, let Ash have all the co-ed's and bad music his little heart desired, he would take his books over it all. Just as he opened his mouth to tell Ash farewell a blast of cold air and bright light caught him off guard. A small group had entered the bar, most of the female's were complaining about the heavy wet snow that had became lodged in their hair, all except one. She was a small little slip of a thing, squeezing past patrons while laughing heartily at her disheveled state. The snow melted where it clung to her dark auburn brown locks, her eyes darkened by the low lights still managed to sparkle. Max was intrigued by her, a lull in the music brought his attention to a large man line backing his way through the crowd, knocking people over left and right, most had managed to keep their balance, but not the bright girl before him. She fell knocking over several chairs before coming to rest at the table her friends had been headed for. His blood boiled. He stood from his barstool and waited patiently for the man slowly loping over to the bar. A flash of color stole his eyes, it was her. Oh man did she look pissed, Max could almost feel the anger rolling off of her in waves, could imagine what it would feel like. Her anger was a dark, cold, tempest tossed sea, and the man, no matter his size, was about to be swallowed up whole. Max watched with perplexed amusment as she tapped the man on one beefy arm, he turned to face her with a grin.

"Well hi Sugar, is there something I can do for you?" His words, a thinly veiled proposition, sickened Max. He immidately felt as though he needed a shower. The girl smiled prettily in return, before pulling back her fist and hitting the man broadside across his nose and left cheek.

"Sure is Sugar, you could start by learning some manners." She sneered.

Her voice was a soft alto, a sweet southern drawl laced with honey, and whiskey. Max was enchanted. He watched dazedly as she gave the man laying on the floor one more indignant stare before saddling up to the bar. She smiled kindly at the bartender who was holding out a bag of ice, and ordered a triple shot of Fireball. Max nudged himself past a still chattering Ash to take the bar stool beside her.

"I was going to ask if you were okay, but... Well.." He gave up trying to form a proper sentance and just tipped his head towards the man with a chuckle.

>The girl laid the ice on her shoulder and downed her whiskey in a single shot, Max couldn't help but wince, he'd tried Fireball once, it was aptly named.