Echo sat watching the puppy on her bed. She'd found an old sweater and balled it up into makeshift bed, telling herself she would get him a bed and supplies tomorrow, but no matter how many times she continued to put the tiny thing onto the sweater, it always began to crawl around looking for her. She watched it with a big smile, unable to hide how sweet the whole thought was and she just hoped this little one wouldn't end up hating her just like Rocko. That little pup kept her up most of the night with it's crying. It had refused to sleep until it had curled up with her in the bed.

"What am I going to do about you?" she said sweetly as she scratched his head with her index finger. Everyone had searched and searched for a note but in the end, Echo didn't need it. She knew exactly who sent the flowers and who had given her this puppy. Lord, she didn't even realized that she wanted a puppy until she was holding it in her arms.

Of course, the trouble was that now everyone was asking questions about who she thought would do all this. Her father and brother were demanding some sort of explanation, Michael had even tried calling the delivery company but he couldn't get any answers. The sender had used a personal courier. And when he tried asking Echo and she wasn't sure what to say, it was her mother who somehow instinctively knew to come to her rescue.

"All women, even our little Echo, are entitled to their own secrets." Alice said, winking at her as she spoke. "Leave her alone and let her enjoy it."

Her mother didn't bug her about it later either, she just helped her bring some of the arrangements upstairs to her room and let her have her privacy. Echo glanced around the room now- despairing a bit. It was a large room, very plainly decorated with old furniture that Echo had not bothered to think of replacing. The flowers stood out like a sore thumb and somehow they made her wish she had somewhere better to keep them. Without really meaning to, she pictured what they would look like in the room at Luke's house.

She sighed.

What was she going to do? She absolutely could not go to see Luke tonight. What was he hoping to accomplish with all this? She still couldn't understand his infatuation with her. How could she go see him? Was she really going to go have dinner with a criminal? She wasn't even sure just how far his criminal ties were. Besides all that, he was also arrogant and rude and extremely bossy. She didn't find any of those things attractive. And that obsession he had with what she wore... Echo felt embarrassed. She knew she didn't dress very well, but she'd always felt so ridiculous and over the top when she tried to dress up. She couldn't quite feel comfortable and she had no idea how Romy felt so good that way when she was the only in the room doing it.

She had pictured Luke with someone like Romy at his side, thinking how much sense it made. Then she almost laughed at herself for thinking Luke walking around with Echo dressed as she was. No, he was right. It would look ridiculous. That was all the more reason he should just forget about it.

"What do you think?" She said, holding up the puppy and looking at it's tiny face. It was just so adorable.

"Come in." Echo muttered even though, as usual, Maru had not bothered knocking.

"He's a cutie, isn't he?" Maru said, walking in with Rocko. "Someone wanted to meet the new baby."

Echo smiled and looked at Maru nervously.

"Don't worry, He'll be gentle." Maru said, sitting next to Echo and taking the puppy. "Oh, he's just so adorable."

"I know. He is." Echo said as Maru held the puppy towards Rocko who just sniffed the puppy curiously.

"It's good for him to get to know his smell if they're going to be friends." Maru said, eventually handing the puppy back to Echo. "Think of a name yet?"

"Not a clue. Any ideas?" Echo asked.

"I think maybe you should ask you know who when you see him tonight." Maru said casually.

"I told you-I'm not going." Echo said.

"Of course you are. The man sent you all the flowers in the world and this adorable little guy... how can you not go? Unless you don't like him." Maru said.

"I don't." Echo said, sounding unconvincing even to herself.

"Well then tell him so and that will be the end of that." Maru said, standing.

"I don't have anything to wear." Echo said suddenly, "and he will definitely have something to say if I show up in something from my closet. "

"That's a little bit concerning." Maru said, "I mean, I agree. You can't wear any of that on a date but sheesh- the man could be a little nicer about it. After all... he knows what you're like."

Echo stared at Maru who disappeared from her room.

"Was that conversation over?" Echo asked, picking up the puppy and walking down the hall. Maru's room was on the far end, the farthest from her own but one she'd been visiting quite a bit lately.

"Get in here already." Maru called out from beyond her closet.

Echo walked in, shutting the door behind Rocko as he trailed in, and walking towards the closet in the back.

"Now you and I are about the same size... we'll you're a little smaller around the waist but I'm sure we can find something to work with... and you're a bit bustier too." Maru said, taking quick glances at Echo.

"Maru, really you don't have to do this... I'm not... oh my." Echo said as Maru reappeared holding a dress in her arms.

"Like it? I picked it up on a whim." Maru said, holding it out and admiring it appreciatively.

Maru had always expressed admiration in Romy's fashion choices but being seen as the youngest, she knew she would be faced with a certain amount of objections if she tried to dress that way. While Romy was given a bit more freedom for being the oldest, Maru was often limited in her choice. In fact, Maru was babied and overprotected constantly... and she was only like fifteen minutes younger than Lena.

"I think it's much too old for you." Echo said, staring at it.

"It is not." Maru said with a frown, "But it might suit you better."

"I don't think I can." Echo replied, shaking her head.

"Well, unless you plan on wearing the same dress as the other day, which would be worse than wearing what you're wearing now, I see no other choice. Unless you want to go shopping?" Maru asked, looking excited for a second.

"No, no. I have no need for clothes like this. I'm just going to thank him for the gifts and tell him that it's completely over." Echo said, Maru noting that she had finally agreed to go.

"Great and..." Maru said, disappearing again. "The shoes."

"I can't be seen walking out of the house like this." Echo said and Maru rolled her eyes.

"Wear the dress under your clothes and when you're far enough out, just take the extra clothes off. Easy." She said.

"You talk like you've done this before..." Echo said suspiciously and Maru laughed.

"Being the youngest... even when I'm not really... has forced me to get creative." Maru said.

"What about this baby? I can't leave him." Echo said and Maru reached out.

"I'll watch him." Maru said, making baby faces at the pup.

"But I..." Echo began and Maru shook her head.

"No. Either you're dating the guy or you're not. You failed to make it clear last time so you go tonight and straighten it out." Maru said and Echo was left with no argument.

---

Echo pulled into the parking lot of the Sawashee restaurant and stared up at it for a second. For some reason, she just couldn't picture Luke in a place like this. There was no way she was getting out, especially not dressed as she was. She barely felt comfortable in the dress and shoes as it was but she was definitely going to feel out of place in this dump if she got out like this.

"Nope, big mistake." She said to herself as she debated between putting her own clothes back on over the outfit or just leaving.

"No, I'm leaving." She said after a few more seconds, preparing to switch her car back into reverse but as she looked through her rear view mirror, she noticed the giant SUV blocking her.

"What in the... oh my god." She said as her door was suddenly pulled open and Marco stood staring at her.

"You're dressed." He said simply, extending his hand to help her out. "He'll be glad to see that's one less stop to make."

Echo raised her brow as she turned off her car and got out.

"Did he have an outfit picked out for me?" She asked.

"He thought you might need the help." Marco said, signaling towards the SUV where another man was waiting to open the door for her.

"Right, and where is the famous Luke?" Echo replied, moving slowly towards the SUV. The parking lot was particularly gravely and she had zero command over the heels.

Luke watched as Echo stepped out of the car, pulling her dress down as she did so. He was glad to see she'd taken the initiative this time and was admiring the long legs as they wobbled across the parking lot. He tried not to laugh but it was too much. She was going to have to start wearing heels more often or she'd never get used to them.

As the door opened, Echo slipped in, taking a minute before realizing that just on opposite end of the seat was Luke and he was staring at her with a frown on his face.

"What?" She asked, wondering what she had done wrong. She'd worn a dress, matching shoes and shown up on time as he requested. What more did he want?

"Come here." He said, reaching for her and making her flinch. "What are you? Come on... I'm not going to hurt you."

Echo watched as Luke leaned over and reached to her hair, pulling out the hair tie.

"Owww..." She said with a frown, bringing her hand to her scalp to soothe it.

"I told you that you should wear your hair down." He said, slipping the hair tie into his pocket.

"What is your deal? Do people just always do exactly what you say?" She asked as she smoothed out her hair and tried to tame it.

"Stop messing with it, your hair looks fine." He said, reaching towards he but she swatted his hands away.

"Hey, stop I got it." She said.

"Great, so now, come here." He said, smiling and tapping the empty space between them.

"I'm not just going to do whatever you want." She said, crossing her arms.

"Wrong answer." He said, reaching out and pulling her to him.

"Damn it, Luke." She said, wiggling around a bit.

"I told you that you were going to have to start greeting me differently..." He said with a smirk.

"Oh come on..." She muttered.

"Well..." he said, once he'd settled her comfortably next to him.

"Well?" She repeated, feeling annoyed at how comfortable she was.

"Well I'm waiting for my thank you." he said, making her look up at him.

"Thank you? Thanks to you I have an entire family asking uncomfortable questions." She said.

"So tell them the gifts are from the guy you're dating." He said with a shrug, looking down at her pretty lips.

"You could have asked me before sending them." She said.

"It would ruin the surprise." He said ."Besides, I thought you would like it."

"That's not the problem..." She said and he sighed.

"So what is the problem? I like to give the women I'm dating presents." He said simply.

"We're not..." Echo began to say again but instead she stopped and took a deep breath. "Thank you for the flowers... and for that sweet puppy. I loved it."

Luke smiled, thinking how beautiful she looked as she suddenly remembered the puppy.

"I'll give you anything you want, Echo." He said, making her look back up at him, "Anything as long as I get to see you smile like that."