Leo didn't remember falling on the feet of anyone in his life, but today would most probably be an exception.

His feet slipped on the smooth pebbles and he felt the earth shift as he toppled back. Water sloshed in from all sides into his nose, mouth and eyes.

"Oh shit, are you ok?"

He heard a small splash and water sloshing around and felt a small hand grabbing his leg. Unfortunately this caused his head to dunk underwater and he gurgled water.

Thankfully, the less than bright creature he had the misfortune to encounter realized this soon enough. She let out a stream of colorful curses and let go of his leg. She sloshed towards him and grabbed his wet arm in a hard grip and pulled him out.

"Are you crazy? What are you doing in the water so early? If you wanted to kill yourself, you should at least have picked out a spot where the water's deeper."

Charming lady.

Leo coughed out the water from his lungs and brushed his overgrown hair out of his eyes. It wasn't quite light yet, but the moon illuminated the heart shaped face of a young girl. Her brow was furrowed and she looked at him with annoyance in her dark eyes. Like she couldn't believe that she had to deal with him so early in the morning.

At least the thought was mutual.

Her tirade wasn't over. She shook him fiercely, no mean feat for a pixie sized woman when handling a big buffoon like himself.

"Are you ok? Damn, maybe he's crazy."

Say what?

"Hey, keep off your hands, lady!" He laid extra emphasis on the "lady", enough to let her know that he, in fact, doubted that she was one.

She let out an annoyed huff and crossed her arms across a chest. A less than impressive chest. 

Really, she had the figure of a boy. 

He had definitely seen better. Somehow, now she was even more annoying in his books. Just as if it was her fault for not having good boobs.

"Fine, kill yourself, see if I care! I'll just wait on the banks till you're done and then call the cops." This was punctuated with a stream of epithets which basically revolved around calling his paternity into question. She was sure spunky for such a wee little thing.

"I wasn't trying to kill myself, I slipped when you startled me. The bed is laid with slimy pebbles and I was just trying to get back my footing. I would've been fine if you hadn't come along."

"Why, of course you would've been!" The girl said, with false cheer, as if talking to someone mentally deficient. "Having a bath in the cold lake before daybreak is definitely the action of someone sane and not trying to kill himself."

He noticed that she was hugging herself and rubbing her arms. He suddenly felt a wave of sympathy for the wee little thing. Her t-shirt and flimsy yellow jacket were drenched and she had jumped in fully dressed, so she must be suffering the consequences of her misguided kindness.

"Especially naked!" She let out in a huff.

Leo allowed himself a slow smile. "Thank you for noticing, is that why you couldn't keep your hands off me?"

Shock registered in the dark eyes and the nostrils flared. "You arrogant, son-of-a.....Die then, see if I care!"

She turned in a huff and Leo grinned and caught her hand. She glared at him and made to strike with the other hand. He easily pinned both arms behind her and gave her a wolfish grin.

The daybreak illuminated her elfish features and he saw that the short hair which he had thought was dark, was in fact a deep red.

"Temper, Red. I was just teasing." He let her go and she stumbled back a few steps. He would have followed, but was mindful of his nakedness. It was one thing to jump in the lake in the dark naked, it was quite another to flash a woman in the budding daylight. He was pretty sure that there were laws against that.

Red scowled at him but beat a sodden retreat.

"Arrogant jerk." She muttered.

Leo just chuckled. "You're just saying that as the water isn't clear enough for you to see anything."

"Nope, I seen it all. And really it's nothing to brag about. In fact, I don't blame you at all for hiding your junk."

It was Leo's turn to be pissed off. Damn the mouth on the little pixie. It wouldn't do to let her know that he was affronted by that dig on his manhood. "Why, now you're just begging for it."

"You wish! Even if I hadn't sworn off men, you could walk out naked and I wouldn't even bat a lash."

This was interesting. "You've sworn off men?"

"As much as I would love to discuss my life with a naked stranger when submerged in freezing water, I'm going to pass." He admired the scowl and the flick which she managed with even her short hair. He almost felt sorry for her as she clumsily strode out of the water on the bank, her blue sneakers squishing water. She really had jumped in to save him and though, of course, he could've saved himself, he should be touched. Well, what do you know, he actually was.

"Anytime you feel like talking," he nonchalantly crossed his arms making sure she got an eyeful of his biceps. Chicks were known to go wild over them.

She didn't even spare him a glance.

"I'll pass." Red started the slow walk back in the direction she had come from. She was really in a pitiable state. She made a sorry figure and Leo couldn't let her walk back home in this state. He supposed it was his fault, after all.

"Wait," Leo called out. "If you don't mind closing your eyes for a bit, I'll walk you home. You're freezing and I would hate for anything to happen to you after you so gallantly rescued me."

Red's eyes widened and then narrowed suspiciously. He had a feeling that she wasn't used to much kindness.

"Nope, thanks, naked stranger. I live just few minutes away, I think I'll survive." She waved him away.

The only place few minutes away from Shallow Oak lake was the abandoned fishing shack and the... Holy shit!

"You live in the Holden House over the hill?"

Red whirled around. "Yes, I moved in a few months back. Do you know the place?"

"Do I know it? I grew up in Prescott, Red. Are you a spirit?"

"What? Are you really mad?" Leo felt a smile tugging on his mouth. In the soft daylight, she looked pathetic and half-drowned but still, he could see that steel laced her backbone. She went stiff and he could see that she could take care of herself. He would go so far as to say that she was intriguing.

"Didn't you know that Holden House is haunted?" Leo could see the shock come over her features. Her eyes widened and she drew a hand over her throat. It was as if she'd seen a ghost.

Aww, hell no!

"I didn't say that I am a ghost. Wow, you're shaking, Red." Leo made to get out of the lake. Naked or not, she was too spooked and he didn't feel right about leaving her alone in the woods.

"No, no, no!" Red covered her eyes. Leo grinned as he walked to the rock he had put his clothes on and hurriedly finished dressing. 

Meanwhile, Red hadn't stopped her babbling. "I never said anything about you being a ghost. Really, ghosts! Pfft! As if anyone believes in it in the 21st century!"

Yeah, right.

"You can open your eyes now, Red." He saw her open her eyes and take in his rumpled jeans and white shirt. He had dragged them on without wiping down so they were getting sodden. He needed to hurry home after escorting Red home otherwise he was going to catch a cold.

Red was still wide-eyed, "Are you human? How could you be bathing in the freezing water and not shivering?"

"A little cold doesn't bother me, and I was pretty drunk when I got in." He picked up his jacket from the tree branch that it was hanging on and held it out for the girl.

She looked at it dubiously and shook her head. "Explains a lot."

Red started stomping away and only stopped and turned around when she saw he was following her. "You don't have to walk me back home, I'm a big girl."

Leo gave a wolfish smile and allowed himself a slow perusal. The water made her clothes stick to her lithe body. She wasn't bad, on the whole.

"Yes, and I'm glad of the fact."

The girl let out a huff and he grinned and followed her. It was easy to match her angry stride and Leo felt that he should make amends.

He cleared his throat. "Umm, I'm Leo, by the way. The fact that I was drunk should explain a lot of my brashness. And, welcome to Prescott and I hope you enjoy your stay in Holden House, I'm pretty sure that it's probably not haunted."

Red clearly cringed. The bravado was purely for him.

"There isn't anything remotely funny about being stuck in Podunk," Leo noted that she deliberately mispronounced the town name, " so you can take your welcome and shove it."

Leo bit back a grin. "Oh I'm sure you will like it once you settled down. Some things just take some getting used to."

The girl huffed and turned to him only once she neared the front door of the cottage. Man, but the cottage was in serious need of some work. It was much worse off than before and at least it had been abandoned then. Nevertheless, he wouldn't turn down the offer of a cup of coffee here. He really hoped that Red would take a hint and gave his best impression of a drowned puppy.

"I would sure hope so!" Red glared at him and looked him over, making it crystal-clear that she was talking about him and not the town.

Then she stormed into her house and slammed the door.