Rory snorted as she laughed, louder than she had anticipated which she then winced at. “Hey you never know and plus if he makes it big, I bet you'd be the first one bragging about how he’s the best ventriloquist in the whole world.” Her grin widened, eyes sparkling as she looked at the toddler and then at Dean. “Though I can't argue with that. Let's just hope he makes it big. That way he can put you in a good retirement home. And one with more games than just BINGO." At his comment about Shane's face, she studied it momentarily, "hmm, he does seem to have your goofy grin, otherwise he must look like his mom. Because he's a cute kid. Must have gotten it all from her." She gave him a wink and a playful and light nudge with her elbow. When he alluded to her own excitement, her smile softened, and she glanced down at the small bump under her own shirt, then back at him, nodding. "Exciting as in… yeah.” She placed her hand lightly over her bump again. “Looks like you weren’t the only one having a busy year.” Her tone playful and her eyes searched his face for a reaction, "dirty diapers will be my near future too, ventriloquist toddlers however won't be." @dean-walker

Dean laughed along with her, “I’ll tell you what, when he makes it big in ventriloquism, I’ll get you front row tickets to his show and you can give me a big ‘I told you so’, how does that sound?” Then, in a serious tone though he was clearly kidding, he said “Well I would never settle for a retirement home that didn’t at least have shuffleboard, obviously.” Truthfully he had never really considered the reality of reaching an age that he would need to be moved to a retirement home. He had lived his whole life going out and doing whatever he wanted, he couldn’t imagine being under supervision to that degree. “Goofy? I’ll have you know, this is a very likable grin. I get many compliments on it” he feigned offense, though he knew she was kidding. “Watch what you say about me, I might get my kid to beat up your kid on the playground in retaliation” he joked again, obviously he would never encourage that from Shane. “Well holy shit, congratulations!” He told her, hearing the news that she was expecting. Most people actually wanted to have the children they were having, unless Dean who had been blindsided by parenthood so soon before his son was born. Now he wouldn’t change it for anything in the world, but at the time he hadn’t been pleased. “Do you know if you’re having a boy or a girl?” He asked, curious. “I mean who knows, maybe your baby will have a passion for ventriloquism too, you never know” @auroraxjackson

Dean hadn’t always been a big coffee drinker, but more recently he had needed the boost to make it through the day. With long physically demanding hours at work, and him having his son in his care for half of the week- it was adding up to be a lot. Amerie was going to be dropping off Shane later that night, and he needed a good coffee so he would be awake enough to spend time with him before bed. “Right? I was expecting some people but this is a lot. I guess I’m not the only person with a broken coffee machine at home” he said, shaking his head a little as he looked back at Dana. “Daylights saving has been rough, it’s dark by like 5pm it’s ridiculous. I already can’t wait for Spring and Winter hasn’t even started yet” he complained a little. Dean was very outdoorsy, and honestly there just wasn’t as much he could do outside when it got too cold out so he wasn’t a fan of that time of the year. @danaxallenlopez

“I don’t know how you can travel so much for work, that would kill me” Dean admitted. There were some people who loved the opportunity to travel and see the world, but he had always preferred the comfort of consistency. He liked going to the same place every day, seeing the same people, and taking care of the same animals. “What’s your favorite place you’ve travelled for work, if you had to pick one?” He asked, curious, since he himself couldn’t even think of anywhere in the world he would’ve wanted to travel to. Then it happened, the lights started flickering before shutting out completely. “Ah, shit” he said quickly, looking around the room to try and see if everyone was alright, though the visibility wasn’t great. “Yeah I don’t think it’s such a good idea to operate a coffee machine when you can’t see anything” he agreed, his eyes slowly adjusting to the situation- though that hadn’t helped much, he still couldn’t see very much of anything. Damn daylights savings making it dark out so early. “I really don’t want to have to use the instant coffee sitting in the back of my cabinet at home” @danaxallenlopez

The only person in town that Darren knew was Sebastian and he needed to get out there and make more friends. It was something that he had learned in therapy that he needed to stop blocking people out and let them in to see who he truly was. "I don't normally gamble, no. But there's honestly a good reason to start. I like the odds of that so I am going to take you up on it." He replied as he pulled a ten dollar bill out of his wallet and placed it on the bar top in between them. For all he knew, this guy could know this woman and know exactly what she would do but this was fun banter and he was excited to give it a go. "Yeah. I'm not from around here, I just got in a few days ago. How long have you been living here?" Darren asked Dean. "Oh... Also, I'm Darren. It's rude of me not to introduce myself when we are placing a bet here." @dean-walker

Dean had a talent of being able to talk to anyone and everyone that he met, whether he knew them already or not. He hadn’t considered it a talent, he just thought it was normal- but he had never truly considered how difficult other people had found that sometimes. “There we go, I love to get a good bet going” he said, smiling when Darren agreed to his small wager. “I don’t gamble much but it’s fun sometimes, just as long as I’m not putting up my whole paycheck or anything” he laughed. Glancing back over at the date they had just bet on, he watched the girl force a smile and what was probably a very bad joke or attempted compliment. “I’m liking my odds right now, we’ll see” he said before turning his attention back to the other man. “A couple days ago, very new. Welcome to town” he told him before asking, “What brings you here?” Dean couldn’t help it, he was a curious man by nature. “I’ve lived here about uh…. 8 or 9 years now, I think. And I’m Dean, it’s good to meet you” he said, reaching out to shake his hand. @darrenanttila

“You’re lucky I like you, cause I wouldn’t share with just anybody” Dean joked, fully aware of the fact that he likely would have shared equipment with anyone who had asked. He loved his hobbies, and even more he loved the opportunity to show them to new people and get them interested in pursuing it themselves. Truly, any chance to be around others was good enough for him. “That’s probably your best move, this stuff is not cheap. I think I’ve spend an arm and a leg on just my fishing rods alone” he pointed out, though he was well aware that Omar would’ve been able to afford it himself just fine. Dean wasn’t struggling with money, but it certainly wasn’t abundant in his life. With his expensive hobbies and a child, sometimes he had less cash left over than he wanted. “I’ve never really been a fan of following all of those ridiculous rules” he said with a shrug, knowing that his departure from the organization was not from one instance but from several repeated instances of him breaking the rules. “I think the final straw before I got kicked out was sneaking away with one of the Girl Scouts on an overnight trip” he recalled with a laugh. “I didn’t care about being kicked out, I had to work on my family’s farm anyway so it just gave me more time for that” he said, clearly the consequences of his choices hadn’t taught him anything. “Don’t get your hopes up, I said I had coffee, I didn’t say I had good coffee” he corrected, kidding of course. “I made this at home so keep those expectations low” he laughed, pouring two cups of coffee into cups before holding my one out for Omar to take. “Have you ever gone fishing before or is this your first time?” He asked, knowing he didn’t have much experience but maybe he had tried once or twice before. @omarxmorrison

Dean hadn’t always been a big coffee drinker, but more recently he had needed the boost to make it through the day. With long physically demanding hours at work, and him having his son in his care for half of the week- it was adding up to be a lot. Amerie was going to be dropping off Shane later that night, and he needed a good coffee so he would be awake enough to spend time with him before bed. “Right? I was expecting some people but this is a lot. I guess I’m not the only person with a broken coffee machine at home” he said, shaking his head a little as he looked back at Dana. “Daylights saving has been rough, it’s dark by like 5pm it’s ridiculous. I already can’t wait for Spring and Winter hasn’t even started yet” he complained a little. Dean was very outdoorsy, and honestly there just wasn’t as much he could do outside when it got too cold out so he wasn’t a fan of that time of the year. @danaxallenlopez

“Not looking, definitely not looking” Dean said, doubling down on his previous statement. He had tried a relationship once, clearly that wasn’t something he was ready for before. Now he had a kid to worry about along with everything else in his life, so he definitely didn’t think getting into a new relationship was a good idea. Besides, he was content with the way he was before trying to date. “Offer is open if you ever want me to come over and prove you wrong on that, just give me a call” he said with a quick wink. The comment was mainly a joke, but let’s be honest, if she had called him he wouldn’t have hesitated. “First of all, no one can outshine the birthday boy, he’s the handsomest boy in the world- he’s a Walker, after all” he said with a grin, “And as we all know, the Walker boys are the best” he joked. @calxwallace

Hearing the voice, Dean had immediately recognized who it was. Hooking up with her had been something he realized he shouldn’t have done, but that hadn’t meant that he disliked being around her. He had always thought Rory was a cool person to hang out with, and maybe had he made better choices they could’ve been good friends at this point. “Woah, Shane, what happened to your voice? You kind of sound like a girl” he joked, obviously knowing that he hadn’t been his toddler son that answered him. Turning his head in her direction, Dean offered Rory a small smile, “You can join us for chicken and pasta if you want. I’ll even cut your pieces up real small like I do for him” he continued to joke, holding his arm out and motioning for her to come in for a hug. “I haven’t seen you in a long time, how’ve you been?” He asked, very genuinely. @auroraxjackson

The past was the past and Rory didn't regret her past hook ups. At least not the ones here in town, and so far none had come back to haunt her. Plus she was happily with Brody and now carrying his child and knew Dean had his own. For the two of them, she figured they could at least be friends. Hearing Dean say what he said to his son sent a loud laugh eminating from Rory as she wasn't so far behind them. "Kid might have a future career as a ventriloquist," she lifted a shoulder in a shrug as she caught up to the pair. "Now how can I say no to chicken and pasta and a face like that?" Asking as she pointed to the small toddler, her own heartbeat racing at the thought of her own child in the not too distant future. As Dean held out his arms for a hug, she happily obliged and hugged him back, smiling at him and the little boy. "It has been a while, and things have been rather," she looked down at her small bump, "exciting to say the least. How about you?" @dean-walker

Dean laughed before giving her hand a light smack as she reached for his fries. He had bought them knowing she was going to steal some, and he didn’t mind, but it was more fun to tease her about it. “Eh, maybe 10% of your jokes are funny but that’s as high as I’ll go. Anything higher than that would be a lie and I’m a very honest person” he joked, but there was some truth to it. Dean messed up a lot, but to his credit he was fairly honest about his wrongdoings. “I won’t make any jokes about you being a bridezilla don’t worry…. I will however definitely make a joke about me and you hooking up” he said with a grin, knowing that joke would’ve bothered her. Obviously that wasn’t something he would ever bring up at her wedding, but he would still use it to annoy her from time to time. His smile grew brighter with her next comment, choosing to completely ignore her saying he was a cautionary tale, “So you think I have a charming smile?” Of all the compliments he received, that was probably one he’d heard most often- but he was flattered every time. “I got pockets, I can carry stuff” he offered- figuring he was likely going to be holding some of her stuff for the wedding anyway. “I would totally be in your wedding party. We can get ready together in the bridal suite, that might even be your favorite and most memorable part of the day” he said, always needing to add a small joke at the end of something genuine. @islaricci

Isla let out an exaggerated groan, covering her face with her hand for a second like the mere idea of Dean in the bridal suite was too much to handle. "You are so deeply unserious," she said, peeking at him between her fingers before dropping her hand and grinning. "There is no way I’m letting you anywhere near the bridal suite. I actually like my sanity, thank you." She picked up one of his fries without asking this time, casually popping it into her mouth. "And please, if you even joke about us hooking up in front of my family and especially Elian, I will personally have you escorted off the premises, probably by my very large, very judgy cousins." Her tone was all mock-threat, but her eyes were warm. "But yes, obviously I think you have a charming smile. It’s the only reason people tolerate you half the time." She smirked, then nudged his shoulder. "You can be in the wedding party. But only because you’ve got pockets and I trust you not to lose my lip gloss." @dean-walker

He just hadn't been feeling great lately, his emotions getting the better of him. His mental health had always been a battle; he had so many ups and downs over the years. He smirked lightly as he took a sip of his drink. "It's not really about them, I don't know them," he said, watching them for a moment. "I've been there so into someone and to have the other not... or try and see them fall in love with someone else," he sighed as he set down his cup. "So just as much as I can see it going bad for them, it sucks to be on the other chair, you know," he nodded. He had dated girls and guys over the years, but really did tend to stick to himself as he always had feelings for one of his exes and felt like he always would, even though that chance was long gone for him. "But what about you? Why are you watching them..." watching date fail over out and having a good time. @dean-walker.

Dean smiled a little when she responded agreeing with his initial thoughts, glad that someone else had been up for a little bit of people watching. “Has it really?” He said, sounding almost shocked at her admitting that she hadn’t been on a first date in a long time. “Is that because you’re married to a long term partner or because you’re just not dating?” He asked, curiously. Dean couldn’t imagine either option for himself, really. He had never dated anyone for more than a couple of months, and he was going on dates with new people all the time. “Unfortunately nothing on the tv that’s catching my eye right now. I do watch football, but my team is only doing okay so far this year so it’s not that exciting to watch yet” he said playfully, though most of what he had said was completely true. “Do you watch?” He asked her, nodding up at the screen playing the current game. @natalie-makan

Natalie shook her head with a small smile. "Neither, actually. Though more in column A than column B I suppose." She offered in explanation. "Not married or engaged, but we've been together a long time. Going on 8 years or so." Although the raven-haired woman was inclined to keep the more intimate details of their relationship private, she was happy to talk about Leo with anyone who wanted to listen. After all, he was a massive part of her life and arguably the most positive. Turning attention back to the screen, the attorney shrugged slightly. "I usually take part in a small fantasy league or something. But I'm not sure football will ever be the same. I'm still salty about the Raiders leaving Oakland. I know that's probably not fair, but having your childhood team leave your childhood city sucks."

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Food was all Darren could think about and he came to the first local spot that he saw. He had only been in town for a few days and so he was willing to try anything so that he could get some food in his system. He was sat at the bar top and had a water in front of him and he looked over at the person towards him who was going on about the people that were out together. Darren turned around in his seat and then he aaw what Dean was talking about. He couldn't help but laugh a bit as he looked at them some more and then over at the guy who had caught his attention. "I mean.. I don't know.. I feel like there is a reason that she is here with him." He said to Dean. "I think she's going to keep trying a bit more to see if he will take the bait before she pulls out." @dean-walker

Isla narrowed her eyes at him, fighting the amused smile already tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Five percent? Please. You laugh at at least ten percent of my jokes, and the other ninety you steal and use later like they’re your own," she shot back, reaching for another fry like she was making a point. "And that speech better be good, because if I hear one joke about cold feet or bridezillas, I will revoke your invitation and have you replaced by someone who's actually funny." Her eyes sparkled with mischief, but there was affection behind the teasing. "And you’re not catnip, Dean. You’re like… a cautionary tale wrapped in a charming smile. Honestly, I should warn my guests ahead of time: Do not make eye contact for too long, or he’ll assume you’re in love with him." She grinned, then added, just a little softer, "But fine, you can come. Someone has to carry my emergency lipstick and make sure I don’t trip walking down the aisle." She added, "Might as well make you a part of the bridal party while I am at it." @dean-walker

Dean laughed before giving her hand a light smack as she reached for his fries. He had bought them knowing she was going to steal some, and he didn’t mind, but it was more fun to tease her about it. “Eh, maybe 10% of your jokes are funny but that’s as high as I’ll go. Anything higher than that would be a lie and I’m a very honest person” he joked, but there was some truth to it. Dean messed up a lot, but to his credit he was fairly honest about his wrongdoings. “I won’t make any jokes about you being a bridezilla don’t worry…. I will however definitely make a joke about me and you hooking up” he said with a grin, knowing that joke would’ve bothered her. Obviously that wasn’t something he would ever bring up at her wedding, but he would still use it to annoy her from time to time. His smile grew brighter with her next comment, choosing to completely ignore her saying he was a cautionary tale, “So you think I have a charming smile?” Of all the compliments he received, that was probably one he’d heard most often- but he was flattered every time. “I got pockets, I can carry stuff” he offered- figuring he was likely going to be holding some of her stuff for the wedding anyway. “I would totally be in your wedding party. We can get ready together in the bridal suite, that might even be your favorite and most memorable part of the day” he said, always needing to add a small joke at the end of something genuine. @islaricci

"Right. Next time I need a weather forecast I'll just call you and ask how your knees are shaking. Must be hard being a man. Our knees shake for entirely different reasons." A pause. "If we're lucky anyway. You've never made mine shake." A little jab, but she was certain he would survive. "And yet again, you skip the opportunity of being a gentleman." Calliope said with a slight shake of the head. "Please tell me you're throwing him a birthday party. Am I invited? I'll get him the cutest plushy ever." @dean-walker

“They are very reliable for that, ready- wait” Dean said, placing his hand on his knee and making a dramatic thinking face, “It’s definitely going to rain this Saturday” he declared, lifting his hand off his leg and looking back at her. “I think we already know I’m not a gentleman” he continued to joke, though that statement had more truth to it than anything else he had said. “I’ll be a gentleman to a girlfriend if I have one, but that’s all, and I’m not looking for a girlfriend” he insisted. As untrue as the statement sounded, Dean actually had been more of a gentleman to Amerie when they were together. Holding doors, giving her his jacket, planning dates and surprises- he was a good boyfriend… until he wasn’t. “You insult me twice and then you ask if you’re invited to the party I’m throwing?” He teased her before smiling, “Luckily for you, Shane gets to choose the guest list so I’m pretty confident you’re getting an invite” @calxwallace