saw all the signs, but you let it go -JUDE-

[Dolly Jean]

she walked through the many people crowding around the main area of the cony island beach. She hated being around this many people, but to get to where she needed to go, she had to go straight through this hell. Some girl who was obviously not from here, pushed her for bumping into her purse, which was expensive, Dolly guessed, but honestly, was ugly. She decided to let her go easily, and just pushed her away, with a warning glance, and something in her eyes made the girl clam up, and cling to her boyfriend. Dolly chuckled. What was it with these girls that decide that they can do whatever they want, but when they get challenged, they run scared, most of the time to some man, she shrugged it off and kept walking. Now that she thought of it though, Dolly had never really had a man to run to when she was scared, or in trouble, that man was supposed to be her father growing up, but he was not there, so she learned to deal with problems herself, and the easiest way to resolving a conflict, was to beat anyone involved in it.

When she broke free of the crowd, she smiled, and continued to walk down to the part of the beach that hardly anyone went to, mainly because it was kind of crappy, and a little bit worn down, but for Dolly, this was her hiding place from the world. No one knew about it, not ever her mother, who used to know everything about Dolly. It was the one place that she could go where she did not feel the need to protect herself from a fight, or razors. She set her bag down, and took her camera from around her neck, and started snapping away at the ocean, and at random angles of the boardwalk that lie above her. The sun streaming through the boards created an amazing effect. She still stood, snapping away when she heard someone approaching, thinking it was one of the tourists, she continued to take pictures, ignoring their presence.

[Jude Grant]

Jude had his first day off in a while. When he left the house, Gary was still asleep. Jude left him a note telling him he'd gone for a walk for a little bit and that they'd go out tonight. He wore a shirt that had belonged to his best friend in the Marines. The name said Colbert. Jude gently touched the name while he walked, giving a small sigh and remembering what it was like to have his best friend die in his arms. He shook the memory, not really wanting the memories to come back and the depression along with it. Jude just kept walking thinking. He was wondering how he could help his brother be more... Open, maybe. He wasn't exactly sure.

Somehow, he made is way to the beach. He had been here once on a call, but it was a party that got out of hand. That's all he remembered about it. He shrugged it off. He thought too much about his job, and rarely made his thoughts leave the police department. He hoped one day to be a chief or something like that. Maybe go for a detective. He wasn't sure yet. He came up on a figure that looked to be taking pictures. He gave a smile. His friend, Colbert, had taken a zillion and a half photos when they were in basic, and in Iraq... good times. Jude just walked up to the water, trying not to pay any attention to the figure, but it was a girl. He was a couple yards from her, he wanted to give her space. He knew from his friend that some people taking pictures get rather jumpy and mess up good shots if someone comes up behind them.

[Dolly Jean]

She could see the man out of the corner of her eye. He stood tall, with blond hair. She had seen his kind around before, army dogs, she could just tell, but the shirt made it easy. A few minutes went by, and she still saw him standing there, she turned and eyed him full on. He stood as if the weight of the world were on his shoulders. she was about to look away when the sun hit a perfect point behind him, and the shot was amazing. His eyes were so filled with something that she could only guess at, and would not dare to ask about. Something happened to to him while he was a in the military, she had heard about stories that were too terrible to tell again.

"Don't move," She said, taking a few steps closer to him. "you have absolutely perfect bone structure," She mumbled, snapping away, but the amazing moment did not last forever, and the sun passed.

She laughed and walked up to him. "Sorry about that, when i see a shot, I have to take it," She reached out her hand. "I'm Dolly,"

[Jude Grant]

Jude loved the beach for the most part. It was nice and peaceful. He heard her say not to move, so he stayed put and got a bit of a smirk going. He waited for her to get done patiently. He kind of liked the attention. When she was done, he turned in her direction and smiled big. "It's okay, I can understand.. My friend was a photographer, too," He said shaking her hand. "I'm Jude." He loved his name. His parents named him after the popular Beatles song, it was mostly his mother that wanted it, though.

After introductions, Jude took a couple steps back from the water and sat on the sand. "I'd stand longer, but my knee is starting to hurt a little." He explained looking up at her. He hoped she'd join him, too. He was kinda feeling akward sitting on the ground.

[Dolly Jean]

She smiled at him, he understood then, when you had a shot, you had it, and you would get it. The look in his eyes, combines with his bone structure, and the way that the sun hit him, it was too perfect. he sat down, saying his knee was hurting. Dolly glanced up to the boardwalk, and thought if she should maybe leave, but she decided against that, sitting right next to him on the sand. Her bare legs getting warmed by the sun. She kicked off her flip flops, and buried her toes in the sand a little bit.

"So Jude, you're a military man then? Are you on leave, or are you out?" She asked, casting a glance his way. She knew something about the military, they were crap to their men, and they really didn't care about them. She completely supported the troops, but the whole thing could use someone to get in there, and do things right. The way those guys are treated after they have an injury? It was terrible. She once had a friend who damaged his knee while in active duty, he didn't get a surgery until a few months after he got back, and still, the doctor was a dick. She let those thoughts clear themselves from her mind, there was nothing she could do about it though, she was just some eighteen year old with a camera.

[Jude Grant]

Jude was relieved when she sat down next to him. The sun was pretty damn bright, so he was squinting a lot and looked over at Dolly. When she asked if he was a military man, he grinned. "I was. I just got out about a year ago. I went home, moped a while, went to police academy and graduated, and came here when someone told me there was an opening." He replied massaging his knee a little. He figured rain would be coming sometime the next day or so, but there was not a cloud in the sky right now.

He looked at her camera and nodded at it. "Whatcha got there?" he asked her, genuinely interested. He had his buddy's Nikon at the house, still in a box in the closet. Jude liked photography because it allows you to capture what really goes on... But he's no photographer. He still gets his finger in the picture sometimes.

[Dolly Jean]