[Friends::With]{{Emmy}}[Benefits]

[Tucker Pierce]

Slightly confused, Tucker began to speak his heart half ripped open. "Lou, I don't want your virginity! I want YOU!! I want someone who understands me, and can love me for who I am! Someone who can mend my broken heart." He shook his head, the muscles in his jaw tightening as a look of pure understanding crossed his face. "No... Lou, I don't... I know you can't be satisfied with sex, like I just couldn't. Emmy made nothing better for me, she actually made them worse. Again I say, truthfully, I love you. I'm in love with you."

Tucker felt her slip out from under him and he looked up at her his heart finally tearing fully. He looked deeply into her eyes, feeling melancholy wash through him. Her apology didn't help at all either. He jumped after her his voice filled with sorrow, "Lou!" He pulled her back to him, spinning her around. "I don't just keep trying and trying when I get turned down from a girl! I just don't! I kissed you the first time I saw you. There's one try. Then the Black Lake. I would call that a second try. Then here. There's my third try. Here's my fourth one."

Tucker pressed his lips against hers, holding her close and protectively to him. His eyes fell, and this kiss felt like nothing he had ever experienced before. He didn't want to pull away, but he knew that he had to. When he did he looked back at her, hoping that she finally would feel the same way about him. "If you reject me again, I will just keep trying, you know that right? I do know you Lou. Truthfully, I do. With all of my heart. I know you, trust me. I love you." He looked at her begging to himself that she would finally say yes.

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[Lou McGooken]

<sub>She let him kiss her, even if it was only for a moment. It took her a moment to bring her back down to Earth. Did the swooping feeling of being kissed ever get old? Lou wondered. After all, she'd only ever been kissed by this man standing in front of her. It wasn't as though she had a lot of experience.

Finally, though, she pulled her mouth gently away from his. She hadn't exactly realized how far he'd bent down just to get to her, and how much on tiptoes she was simply to make it easier for him. There faces were still only inches apart, and Lou didn't feel the need to ruin the moment and pull her face away. Instead, she simply kept it there for a moment, a confused look on her face as she thought.

The next moment she muttered. "And you think you really love me?" She watched him for a moment, as he nodded solemnly, her caramel eyes watching his dark ones. Finally, she let up and smiled her cute little smile. The girl knew for men that thoughts like love were fleeting and hardly worth anything, but Tucker seemed sincere. It may have been that he was simply a good actor. But Lou wasn't a stranger to getting hurt. And she trusted people too easily. So perhaps that's why she gave in.

"Then I suppose we can try, can't we?" she asked, her eyes smiling with her mouth as she referred to their whole whacked up relationship. Perhaps it might work to date Tucker. She'd never know until she tried. "Just promise you won't hurt me, all right?"</sub>

[Tucker Pierce]

Finally, Tuck's body relaxed, but his smile never faded. It grew even bigger as he heard her little giggle, which oddly reminded him of Claire's giggle. It made his heart grow even more and his smile did also. There was no way that he was ever going to let her go. He wanted to jump up in the air screaming, "YES! FINALLY!" He had to fight the urge to pick her up and swing her around into his arms. He loved her so much already, it had seemed impossible to love someone so much.

Eventually, Tucker's voice filled the empty space between the two people. "I'm going to use a cheesy line to answer your question, so please forgive me." He paused, clearing his throat but began his 'cheesy statement.' "I don't think I love you. I know I love you. But, I also know that I'm in love with you, Lou." He smiled widely at her, his adrenaline pumping. He was so happy, it was beyond words to describe what he was feeling in that split second of pure happiness, and love.

Tucker looked down at her, his eyes shining with delight. "Yeah, we can try." He laughed at her, his hand flying up to her head. He rested it gently there his eyes never leaving the depth of hers. He felt as if he was a small gentle puppy as he looked at her. He would never hurt her. "I swear to God that I will NEVER in my whole life hurt you, Lou. You gotta believe me." He looked at her, seeing everything that he loved inside of her eyes. She was the one for him. There was no doubt in his mind. It just took him forever to realize it, and to finally get her. "So, would you like to attend the Yule Ball with me?"

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[Lou McGooken]

<sub>She still didn't quite believe the fact that he loved her. Heck, he barely knew her. Sure, they'd become better friends in the past few months, especially since he saved her from a certain deathly encounter with one particular Slytherin girl.

But Lou didn't really get look upon the concept of love the way Tuck did. The Hufflepuff girl loved everyone, and she never felt the need to tell people that. Most of the people she encountered in everyday life could simply feel the kindness and love radiating off of her small figure. But, she supposed she could say that she'd grown to love Tucker a little more in the past few months. She didn't know why. It'd just happened. Maybe it was all the extra time they'd been spending with each other. Whatever the reason, she simply smiled her knowing little smile at him and answered, "We'll see about that, Tuck."

When he asked her to attend the Ball with him, Lou's heart soared. She giggled a little and attempted to rise on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek. She missed and ended up kissing the line of his rather strong jaw. "I'd love to," she told him as she returned to flat-feet, her creamy eyes sparkling.</sub>