Derek sat by his lonesome on a bar stool, attempting to while (and drink) away this lurking unhappiness that had been filling his soul of late. Nothing, not even a good beer could flush it out. No amount of beating her pillow or his punching bag could fight it out. He sighed. It was those nightmares he'd been having again. Nightmares of him and his little sister in the car together. How the three teenaged guys had broken in. Derek had protected his younger sibling. Then of his sister getting ill. No amount of money could cure her. A two year-old shouldn't have to die of cancer...

Derek sighed, ruffling his hair with his hand, the other firmly fixed around a mug of Molson Canadian. Damn, that was the best beer ever. But not even the best beer imaginable could conquer his sadness.

A pair of people, one male and one female, entered the pub togather. He looked as if he'd had a hard work day, long blonde hair pulled into a half ponytail, the rest of his hair flowing down gracefully. He wore black slacks and a white button up work shirt. The girl on his arm looked much like he did, her facial features nearly identical to his, same green eyes and ivory skin. Her waist length auburn hair was let down, two braids on each side were pulled back and tied in the back. She wore a tan-jean skirt of a cargo style and a blue shirt, the top of the sleeves slit open and closed togather at the wrists. They looked around breifly before pushing their way through the crowd to take seats at the bar, near a man that did not look like he was having a good evening.

He ordered two glasses of Shiraz Wine and turned to talk to the young woman, conversing about how their day had been. She seemed to be distracted, unused to city life and peoples greifs that she seemed unhappy to see the man nearby unhappy.

Derek sighed, finishing his second beer and ordering a third immediately. What he wouldn't give to have had that little girl back... he remembered how happy his parents had been, his mother in particular. Not that she didn't love or like Derek, and Derek had always understood that, but he also understood that his mother had always wanted a little baby girl. He half-smiled in fond remembrance of the look of heavenly bliss that had spread it's self across his mother's face...

He didn't really notice the newcomers. Hell, there had been several randoms walking in and out in the seemingly short amount of time he had been at the pub. Why would they be any different? He took another swig of his beer, running a hand through his dirty-blond hair, then absently rubbing his bright blue eyes that were so strangely void of happiness today.

The aubrun haired girl turned on her stool. The man leaned on the bar to look at her. "Aftin, what are you doing?" She didn't answer. Rather, she turned to the man that looked so miserable.

"Are you alright?" she asked softly.

"Aftin leave the man alone." The man insisted.

"You look upset. Is there anything I can do?" well, thats what you would have said in a small town...here in the big city she did not know how many answers could really come from that question.

The man beside her rolled his eyes, giving up. He put his head in his hands. "God! Why me!?" He asked sarcasticlly.

At first, Derek hadn't even realised that he was being addressed.

"Is there anything I can do?"

Sure, Derek thought. Bring back my little sister and buy me another beer... Aloud he said, "no. No, not really. I'm just... thinking. I didn't realise I was so obviously sad, though." That was said genuinely, lacking in any form of pretense. He gave the man a half smile. Poor guy. He seemed embarassed for some reason.

"My name's Derek Peterson. And you are?" he asked, half to get his mind of his sorrow, half because he actually cared. Not often was ot that one would find people interested in him in this big city.

She smiled a brilliant smile to him, smiles always seemed to make people in small towns happy enough, maybe the big city wasn't as different as Akin told her it was. "My names Aftin Helton, This is older brother Akin, don't mind him. His tie was on too tight all day and he's a little bit stingy."

Akin elbowed her. "Nice to meet you Mr. Peterson," Akin siad around his sisters shoulder. He took yet another sip of his wine.

Aftin smiled. "Yes, nice to meet you...do you mind if I call you Derek. I like that much better then Mr. Peterson, it makes people sound so old." She smiled again. She certianlly had a childish quality to her tonight, she was in a better mood then was normal. She'd had the day off work today after all.

"Good to meet the both of you," Derek said, smiling at the two of them. Aftin seemd like a sweetheart, and Akin didn't seem so bad either. Hey, a person could always use friends, right?

"Nah, I don't mind. Makes me feel old and faceless whenever anyone calls me 'Mr.Peterson'. Makes me feel like I'm a bloody PH.D, or something." He smiled again and winked slightly. "Far from it, may I add. So what are you two doing in this city? Work? Enjoyment?" Derek was and is and forever will be a rather blunt and straightforward guy. Some people don't like that, but hey, screw them! He was his own self, and didn't need anyone reciting the laws of conformity to him.

Akin leaned foreward. "Sorry, Derek." Hecorrected himself for calling him Mr. "Can I get you another drink?"

"He's just trying to fix his mistake." She smiled sweetly. "Akin moved to the city a long time ago for school and now he's a journalist and has to stay inthe big city. NOt too much worth reporting goes on in little towns. He brought me over here a couple of weeks ago. My life wasn't going to good over there. I've never been tothe big city so it's actually very interesting." She smiled again. "Why are you here in the city?" she askedhim back. She was just on this side of being ablunt person but she was always one to be blunt about herself and her own feelings. Akin however, always settled for the polite way of things.

Derek smiled. What a lovely pair of people. "Nah, but thanks," he said, politely declining the offer of drink. "If I have any more I'm liable to get rather tipsy and stumble out of here, probably doing something terribly foolish in the process, like taking off my pants and wearing them on my head..." he winced slightly at the highschool memory. "Now that's something I'd really rather not remember..." he said with a small grin.

Derek was terribly fascinated by this incredibly forthright younger lady. He gave her a huge, white smile before answering. "I've lived in this city for quite awhile now, I work as a bartender down at one of the local pubs. Pay's not too bad... The smaoke could kill a person, though. The air's practically blue half the time, so I'm glad I've come to a half decent bar instead. I hope you like the 'big city'. Not terribly a lot to see here, though. Akin, you're a journalist?"