"Take that" Alan typed in the chat feature just before he entered his word. Art had suggested a website where one could play online scrabble with other people. The computer bleeped as an additional seventy eighty points were added to his score.

"You're gonna be sorry!" his opponent, screenamed sciencepunk, typed. The two had played a couple of times before.

After some more gametime, sciencepunk asked "Does it bother your wife that you play this much?" It was midnight Alan's time and three in the morning her time.

Hesitating, he typed "I'm a widower..."

"I'm sorry" she said. Her real name was Abby.

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"What do you do for a living?" She asked at another day using the game's chat feature.

"I'm retired.Y ou?"

"I work in forensics" Abby didn't want to reveal that she worked in Navy NCIS. "What did you do?'

"I worked asa city planner."

"Do you have kids?"

"Two sons. Don, and CharlieOne is a math professor and the other is in law enforcement."

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"What do you do when you're not losing at scrabble?" she asked sometime later.Alan was losing by a dozen points.

"Well, I love to cook, play golf, and play chess" he told her after earning quite a few points from entering the word 'equip', as the 'q' landed on a red square. "You?"

"I love role playing games"Abby typed, then entered a word that used all the letters that she had.

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"Charlie tells me that you've been spending lots of time on the computer" Don commented at dinner three weeks later.

"I've been playing scrabble online, and talking to people." Alan took a piece of bread from the basket.

"Like sciencepunk" Charlie teased. "They spend more time talking than playing."

"Do I smell an online romance?" Don asked, tongue in cheek.

"No! We're just friends" Alan protested.

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" Would you like a picture?" Abby asked via chat,during their next game. She had, with her skills, done the necessary precautions to know that aleppes555 was was not a predator.

"If you'd like, though I'm afraid I can't do the same." Alan had sensed that sciencepunk was younger than he. The man wondered why he felt self conscious about sending his picture when they were just friends.

"Why?"

"I don't have any pictures of myself on any computer." His wife had enjoyed taking pictures, but with traditional cameras.

"That's okay" she typed as he read. "For now"

They exchanged emails, and a few minutes later, Alan saw her picture.

Alan's jaw dropped when he opened the file.The first thing he noticed was a spiked collar on her neck. Then he saw the dark clothes, makeup, and whitened face. However, he loved her smile, and what it did to her eyes.

"Such a pretty face doesn't need all that makeup!" he muttered. Carefully, Alan worded his email.

"Thanks for sending me your picture! You're a very lovely young woman. I look forward to kicking your ass at scrabble tomorrow"

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Monday came, and he found a quick email from Abby.

"I'm swamped with work, so I won't be able to play for a while. Sorry"

Disapointed, Alan wrote back " That's alright, I know what that's like. Sometimes, Don,comes by only to leave again because he gets called from work. It's the same thing with Charlie. He gets so occupied, that the house could fall down and he wouldn't notice.Last night I had to call him several times to dinner"

"Work is going very slow" she emailed back a few hours later. "I'm gonna need my caffeine fix pretty soon. I hope Gibbs brings me my big gulp"

Alan wondered who this Gibbs was, and wrote "I went golfing with my son, Charlie. He's made some of progress, though he still thinks too much about where the ball is going to go. Maybe next time, Don can join us."

It was a little over a week before they had their next game.

-
"You seem rusty " Alan teased, and used the winking smiley. Abby was behind by about twenty fivepoints.

"Not for long!" she countered, but only gained eighteen.

"You were saying?" he taunted

"squat" she put on her next turn, and typed "A very pleasurable position"
Alan raised an eyebrow and pondered his next move. Finally he added a d,u,c,and t to the word aqua, which Abby had put on another turn.

"Aquaduct" she murmured from her end,and put on a word. Now she was ten points ahead. When Alan had his turn again, she groaned. "Damn it!" Alan had entered a forty point word.

"Ha!" he typed.

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Tuesday morning came, Abby found an email from Alan from the afternoon before.

"Things are peaceful around here. Don's working overtime on some case, and Charlie is doing a project, here at the house, with Larry, a friend of his who is a physicist. I can't make heads or tails about what they're talking about. I'm doing volunteer work at skid row tomorrow. Maybe I could ask Edna out." Alan had mentioned her a couple of times over scrabble games. She was a fellow volunteer at the homeless shelter.

Abby shook her head and commented under her breath "What could you possibly see in Edna?" Then, she continued to read the email.

"Speaking of dates, did I tell you about the time, when I cooked a duck for this woman, who didn't eat them? Turned out that she had three as pets. In my defense, she did say that she ate meat."

Abby stopped reading the email, as laughter convulsed her.

"What's so funny Abbs?" McGee asked as he came in to ask Abby about some results to a test.

"I was just reading an email from Alan."

"You mean that guy you play scrabble with?"

"Yeah."

Later, Abby read the rest of it.

"...Not to mention that fact that it had been my first date in over thirty five years. Dating's changed so much! After that fiasco, I went out with the butcher who sold me the duck, but she cancelled our second date, because she had decided to go back to some ex boyfriend."

"Poor Alan!" Abby pouted, as her protective side came out.

The next day, Alan read her response.

"I'm sorry that you've had a few bumps along the way, but don't get discouraged. I remember one time where I was dating this really cool guy, and it turned out that he had a very jealous girlfriend, who I didn't know about and who threatened me with a whip!"

"Oh my God!" Alan put a hand on his chest.

"What is it dad?" Charlie asked.

"Abby was telling me about a bad dating experiance she had." Alan told him.

"Abby?"

"Sceincepunk"

"Oh." Charlie went back to his work, as Alan continued to read the email.

" I outran her, though I had to leave the hotel room in the buff."

The man laughed, and saw that there was more.

"And this other time, I wanted to surprise this boyfriend by being in his car, wearing something sexy, ya know, but that was the day, he lent it to his sister!"

Alan gaffawed until his eyes watered.

Just then, Don came in.

"What's so funny dad?"

"Abby was just sharing a few dating fiascos that she's had"

"Abby?"

"Sciencepunk" Charlie said.

"Oh..now you're on a first name basis?" Don smiled.

"Yeah." Alan said, but then added in answer to his eldest son's facial expression. "We're just friends. She's not my type, and I promised myself,that I would not date anyone more than twelve years younger than me."

"Okay..." Don found his father's tone a bit defensive.

"She's a goth." Alan added to make his point. "I'll show you the picture she sent me."

He opened the file. "Does this look like the kind of woman I would date?"

"You have not been dating long ,dad, so we wouldn't know" Don answered facetiously, as Charlie snickered.

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When Abby and Alan played again, both realized how much they had missed the real time chatting.

"Prepare to lose big time!" Abby taunted.

"I am shaking in my boots!" Alan replied, after putting in a thirty five point word.

Abby countered by getting forty points on her turn.Then she asked "How'd you date go last night with Edna ?"

"Good, we talked about nothing and everthing. I'm taking her to dinner next week"

Part of her felt odd about the fact that he had a good time on his date, while the generious side of her was glad for him. Trying to put that thought away, she entered the word sultry.

"Do you like to play scrabble in the nude?" she asked suddenly. "I sometimes do"

Blushing, Alan carefully responded. "I don't live alone" Her revelation caused Alan to earn a palty six points because of the picture in his head.

"How am I ever gonna beat that :p ?" Abby teased.

Alan tried extra hard to focus on his next turn and got twenty points.

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"Hey dad!" Don greeted about a week later as he came in. "Is Charlie here?"

"He's in the solarium" Alan replied as he prepared dinner.

"How are things with Abby?"

"Good, though she beat me at our last game of scrabble. Mark my words, I will kick her ass next time!"

"I'm sure you will."

"I've got a date tomorow night"

"With who?"

"Edna."

"That's great dad!" Don happily got a beer from the fridge.

-
"Things with Edna went great!" Alan beamed as he waited for Abby to make her next move.

"I'm glad!"She tried to ignore that odd pang that conflicted with her truly wanting Alan to be happy.

"We had the most engaging conversation at dinner, then we went to one of those theaters that showed old film noir movies."

"Sounds awesome!" Abby's next word gave her a mere ten points.

Alan entered a thirty point word and continued "She was a social worker, until she retired about a few months ago. Like me, she has two sons. Her husband died of cancer in '97."

"Where's my picture?" Abby asked suddenly

"I don't have any digital pictures of myself." He told her, while again wondering why he felt self conscious.

Abby made her move. "Don't you know anyone with a digital camera or scanner?"

"It's your turn"

"Are you an alien or something?"

"Yes" Alan put in a low point word. "It's your turn again."

"Now I'm really curious ;) " she told him. "How about snail mail?" She had already done the precautions.

"You're willing to give me your address?"

"I trust you"

After some more coaxing, Alan reluctantly agreed to send a picture. When she got it, Abby liked what she saw, especially in light of their online friendship.

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Over the next two months, Abby noticed that Alan was not online as often.

"How are things with Edna?" Abby asked over a game.

"They are progressing"

"You're sleeping with her, aren't you?"

"It's your turn" Alan told her when he made his move with annoyance and chagrin.

"Alan's gotta girlfriend! Alan's gotta girlfriend!" she teased. "Do your sons know?"

"They know that I'm seeing someone"

"But you haven't introduced them to her?"

"That's a big step. How are things with that guy you told me about two weeks ago?"

"I'm sleeping with him." Abby had her turn.

"Oh." Alan had an odd feeling and found himself putting down a lower scoring word.

"Do you use music during sex?"

Alan choked on his drink."Excuse me?"

"I do sometimes, it depends ."

"Abby, there are some things I would rather keep private. Please respect that"

"You're no fun :( " Abby complained.


"Well, if being no fun means respecting Edna by being discreet about what she and I do behind closed doors,so be it." Alan told her.

"Oh...Kay..." Abby replied.

"What kind of question was that to ask?" Just then, Alan heard the phone ring, so he wrote "BRB. The phone is ringing."

It was Edna. She had red hair and blue eyes."Hey sweetie!What are you up to?"

"Playing online scrabble. You?" Alan went back to the computer, phone in hand,and waited for Abby to make her move.

"putting away groceries." She told him "Who's winning?"

"My opponent " Alan said carefully. "but by a hair."

"Who is it?" Abby asked.

"Edna."

"Oh.. It's your turn."

So, Alan talked to Edna and played scrabble at the same time.

To his frustration, Abby scored sixy points on a turn.

"Gotcha!" she boasted.

"My opponent scored sixty points on me" Alan complained to Edna.

"Oh no!"

A while passed, and Edna had to go, so the couple said their goodbyes.

"You're not on the phone anymore are you?" Abby asked a few turns later. Alan was beginning to catch up.

"No."

"When's your next date?"

"Tuesday Night"

"Where are you taking her?"

"Spring Garden. It's an excellent Chinese restaurant that's nearby."

"So will you go to her place after dinner ? I assume you will since Charlie has yet to leave the nest."

"Whether we go to her place or Manchu Pinchu after dinner is none of your business." Alan retorted. He still was not quite used to Abby's lack of inhibitions.

"Manchu Pichu? That's actually a fantasy of mine. To do it there., among the ruins."

"Do you want to know know what my fantasy is?"

"I'm all ears!"

"That you someday have a grasp of a concept known as Too Much information."

"It's your turn:)" She took what he had said in good stride.

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"I think it's time we met each other's sons" Edna said over dinner at Spring garden as Alan paused his fork at midair.

"Sure." he said with more confidence than he felt. Meeting the kids would make what he had with Edna more real and this scared him.

"Great! Edward, my eldest, is visiting from San Fransisco, and Tom lives nearby. We can all go out to dinner."

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"Something wrong Alan?" Abby asked a week later, as they played. Alan's playing was not up to par with what he was capable of.

"I'm going to meet her sons!" he told her. "We're all having dinner"

"Alan, just be yourself" she advised him.

"The last time I had to do this, was with my wife's parents!"

"I'm sure you'll do fine"

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"The dinner went great!" Alan wrote an email to Abby as soon as he got home from meeting Edna's sons. "We went to this Italian restaurant in Arcadia. Tom is a writer, while Edward works for some insurance company. Both of them love sports, so we had something to talk about. Apparently, my worries were unfounded. How's work?"

Abby made this reply when she read the email the next morning:

"It's awesome that the meet the kids dinner went well! When are you having her meet Charlie and Don? Work is rather hectic right now. Gibbs wants everything five minutes ago."

The aforementioned person, with a large drink, came in just as Abby clicked on the send botton.

TBC