Author's Note: Right off, I don't mean to be bitchy but, if you haven't read "A Perfect Game" then you probably shouldn't read this story. It will probably be really confusing. But you can try if you like.

Anyway, here is the sequel! The title is bound to change (because it's a crap-tastic title and I hate it!). I'm not sure how often I'll update but I hope to be able to every week or so. And I also don't know how soon I'll get Rob and Daisy Lynn's story up but be on the look out for that. Well, I hope you enjoy... even though this chapter is really rough and doesn't flow too well. Sorry guys. But, please, enjoy! Vanderhall

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Trent Harbor wove carefully through the masses of pleasantly-tanned people, twirling the keys to his new Mercedes casually around his finger. As he continued through the people, he noticed many of them eyeing him. It was something he dealt with all the time but he still hadn't gotten used to it.

"Hey," a sweet voice said.

He looked to his side and saw two beautiful blond girls smiling brightly at him as they passed. He made little effort to smile back and he said nothing, simply continuing to walk. Under other circumstances, he would've been enthralled by the attention he got from females but now it never really fazed him. There was still the tiniest voice in the back of his mind, however, that constantly reminded him that he wasn't married. But the voice, though often loud, was always silenced before it could do any damage.

Glancing around, he scanned the masses in search of that one familiar face. It'd been too long since he'd seen her and, at the moment, it was all that he wanted. But it was all that he'd wanted since he'd left her.

"Are you Trent Harbor?" a small boy asked.

Trent looked down and saw a little boy of about seven, eyes shining brightly up at him from under a Yankees hat. Trent nodded at the boy, a slight smile coming to his face. "That's me."

"Can I have your autograph?"

"Sure."

The boy handed Trent a black Sharpie and the hat that had been on his head. Trent signed the bill of the hat quickly, handing it back to him and hoping that no more people would request his autograph. But, when he saw that no one else was approaching, he smiled down at the boy again.

"You live in Tampa?" Trent asked the boy.

The boy nodded excitedly. "I do."

"Do you know where the Yankees train?"

"At Legends. I go there all the time."

"You should come down again. I'll give you a tour," Trent offered politely, still smiling.

"Really? You can do that?"

Trent nodded. "I definitely can. What's your name?"

"Pete Mitchell."

"Alright, Pete. Just tell someone at the office that you're looking for me and they'll get me."

"Okay! Thanks!" Pete exclaimed. He put his hat back on and scampered back to his parents. Trent watched as Pete excitedly told his parents what had been said. His parents looked over at Trent and smiled thankfully.

In his one week in Tampa, Trent had signed what seemed like a million autographs. Because the training facility of the New York Yankees was in Tampa, everyone in the area seemed to know who he was. But it had its perks, including getting a lot of things for free. Trent didn't mind that but he did mind being constantly bothered by people. It wasn't something he saw himself ever getting used to.

"You're late."

With a huge smile coming onto his face, Trent spun around and pulled her into a hug. He kissed her softly as he hugged her tightly. He never wanted to let her go.

"And why were you late?" Ally Leinberg asked sweetly, though she didn't even care that Trent was a few minutes late. He could've been three hours late and she wouldn't care, as long as he was there.

"I was out saving the world," Trent joked.

"My ass you were."

Trent kissed her again. "I missed you so much."

"Of course you did," she giggled, not wanting to remove her arms from around him. She pulled him into another kiss, keeping her lips against his for quite some time.

"Are you ready?"

Ally nodded at him, resting her forehead against his. "I'm ready."

"Then let's go." Trent very reluctantly released her and grabbed her suitcase off of the floor, being a little surprised by how heavy it was. He smirked at her, slipping his arm around her waist. "Did you forget that you're only going to be here for a week?"

"I'm sorry if I don't believe in packing light," she laughed, leaning into him.

"Or you could stay longer than a week."

Ally smiled up at him. "Maybe that was my plan all along."

Trent tightened his arm around her waist, smiling down at her. He didn't say anything, he just walked her out to the parking garage. They walked silently to his car, which was parked off to the side on the top level of the garage, in a pool of sunlight.

"Ooh, it's pretty," Ally exclaimed, eyeing the Mercedes closely.

"Pretty was tops on my list of requirements," Trent laughed. He hit a button on the remote and the alarm deactivated, he hit another and the trunk popped open. Grimacing slightly, he hoisted Ally's suitcase into the trunk. He closed the trunk and pulled her to him again. "Now, we can either go to the hotel first or we can go straight to the houses."

"I wanna see the houses."

"The houses it is."

Ally slid into the passenger seat and faced Trent, who had just closed his door. She cocked her head to the side, smiling at him. "I brought something."

"I hope it's you," Trent breathed quickly, cradling her face in his hands and pulling her into a very deep kiss. When the kiss finally ended, the smile on his face was one of satisfaction. "I've wanted to do that for a week."

"That wasn't what I brought you but I did enjoy that," Ally giggled.

"Then what did you bring me?"

Ally grabbed her messenger bag off of the floor and pulled out a Tupperware container. "I brought you cookies."

Trent leaned over and kissed her cheek, smiling. "I love that I'm marrying a girl who bakes."

"I only bake when I'm depressed."

"Why were you depressed?" he asked, suddenly sounding very concerned.

"Because you were gone."

The smile came back onto Trent's face. "It's because you love me," he declared in a mocking but sweet tone. "And you just can't stand to be away from me."

Ally stuck her tongue out at him. "Not for long, rookie."

"What are you gonna call me when the season starts? I won't be a rookie anymore."

"You'll always be a rookie in my eyes."

"Thanks," Trent laughed. He started the car and sped out of the parking garage, swerving around people and cars very haphazardly. Once he'd paid the parking attendant and gotten onto the freeway, he put his cell phone to his ear.

"Who are you calling?" Ally asked.

"The realtor."

Ally nodded, not saying anything. She took her cell phone from her purse and turned it on. Immediately, she saw that she'd missed two calls. One was from Tristan and the other was from a number that she didn't recognize. She put the phone to her ear to listen to the voicemail message and was nowhere near prepared for what she heard.

"Hey, Al. Uh, I know it's been a while and this is way out of the blue but I talked to Georgia and she mentioned that you were engaged and I just wanted to extend my congratulations."

It was Joey. Ally's heart stopped when she heard his voice. He sounded happy but she could tell that it was forced. Ally could always tell when Joey was being truthful or not. Casually, she glanced over at Trent as he talked happily to the realtor. Her insides dropped and suddenly she felt bad for even thinking about Joey.

"Anyway," Joey continued, laughing uneasily, "I'm really happy for you. It's great that Trent finally came to his senses and realized what he had with you. Uh... I've got a little time off next month so we should do something. I'd love to see you again. Call me when you can. Bye."

The phone slipped from Ally's hand and landed in her lap, next to the Tupperware. Ally glanced over at Trent and saw that he hadn't notice. He'd gotten off the phone too but he was now quite busy swerving in and out of traffic. Ally looked out her window, debating whether or not she should see Joey. It wasn't a question of her feelings – Ally's heart belonged to Trent and there was absolutely no one else in her eyes – but it was a question of Joey's feelings; he'd made it quite clear that he still loved her. She didn't want to cause him any pain.

"Which house are we going to?" Ally asked without removing her eyes from the window.

"My favorite one. It's right on the bay," Trent replied with an eager smile. "I think you'll love it."

"And this is the one you want?"

"If I had my choice, yes."

Ally met his eyes again. And, seeing the sparkle in them, she couldn't hold back a smile. "I'm sure I'll love it."

"I hope you do."

---

"I feel like I'm in Orange County," Ally said when she got out of the car in the driveway of a massive, Spanish-style house.

Trent smiled adoringly at her. "It kinda looks it," he agreed. "Does that bother you?"

"Nope."

The front door opened and a bubbly blond of about 45 came bouncing out to them. She pulled Trent into a quick hug and then turned her sights on Ally. And, much to Ally's surprise, the tiny woman hugged her too.

"You must be Ally," she said sweetly. "It's so nice to finally meet you. I'm Pam."

"It's nice to meet you too," Ally replied, trying not to be overwhelmed by Pam's presence.

"Trent hasn't stopped talking about you since I met him."

Ally blushed, not sure what to say.

"Well," Pam said, motioning to the house, "this is the house. It's Trent's favorite, if he didn't tell you that already. So, let's go have a look."

Trent put his arm around Ally's waist and they followed Pam into the spacious front room. The house was empty (its occupants had moved to the North Shore of Hawaii the month before) and Trent could already picture it being full. He felt a little odd for liking the house so much but he couldn't help it; he just seemed to be drawn to the house.

"This is beautiful," Ally whispered, gazing up at the ceiling. The upstairs hallway was visible from where she stood and the ceiling extended out from the second floor, topping out at 21 feet. It was absolutely stunning. "I already love this."

"It gets even better," Trent informed her.

"So, the house is 12,000 square feet plus the 1,000 square foot pool house," Pam began.

But Ally, who was a little shocked, cut her off. "That's 13,000 square feet!" She looked at Trent, her eyes wide. "Do you have any idea how big that is? It's like six times the size of my apartment!"

Trent smirked. "I liked lots of space."

"But that's a shit load of space."

Pam's suave realtor side kicked in and she smiled sweetly at Ally, nodding her agreement. "It is a lot of space but it's used very well and it really doesn't seem like that much."

Ally was still very apprehensive; 13,000 square feet was a lot of space, no matter how well used it was. She glanced nervously at Trent, her eyes already looking sad. She knew how much he liked the house (it was obvious) but she already didn't like it.

"It's fine if you don't like it," Trent told her, as if he could read her thoughts. "There are plenty more out there."

"Is this one a no-go?" Pam asked, her voice an understanding one.

"No... I just need to look around a little more." Ally smiled at Pam, hoping that the smile didn't look as forced as it felt. "Tell me more about the house."

Pam smiled at her. "There are five bedrooms and seven bathrooms, plus an eighth bathroom in the pool house. Each bathroom has marble floors, with marble that was imported from Spain. The kitchen is completely new with stainless steel appliances and imported marble counters. It's really an amazing house."

"C'mon, you have to see the best part," Trent said excitedly, grabbing Ally's hand and leading her in the direction of the kitchen. Before they got to the kitchen, they went through a doorway and down the staircase that lay behind it.

"Every man seems to love this part," Pam laughed, following them down the hall.

Trent pulled open a set of French doors to reveal a large room filled with several red armchairs and a massive projection screen on the wall. "The screening room."

"There's a screening room?" Ally gasped. "What the hell do we need a screening room for?"

"To watch your screenplays on," Trent replied without missing a beat.

Ally rolled her eyes at him, a smile coming onto her face. "Good answer."

"And look at this." Trent picked up the small, handheld control panel off of one of the chairs and pushed one of the buttons on its digital screen. The screen on the other side of the room went up into the ceiling to reveal a 50-inch plasma TV set in the wall. "You can watch all of my games on the big screen. I'll be life-size!"

"Won't we be back in New York by the time your games are on TV?"

"Perhaps...." Trent bit his lip in thought, trying to come up with any other reason why they might need a screening room. Luckily, Pam knew just when to step in.

"It's great for movies," she pointed out casually. "And it's great for when people come over. Everyone has the best seat in the house."

Ally still looked apprehensive. She glanced at Trent, trying to bring a smile to her face. "Would you actually use it?"

Trent put an around her shoulders and gave her a quick squeeze. "I would actually use it. I could watch the Knicks."

"If you promise." Ally looked at Pam again and was a little surprised when a genuine smile came to her face. "What's next?"

"Why don't we go to the backyard next?" Pam asked Trent.

"Good plan," he said with a nod. "That view could convince anyone."

Pam nodded and led them back upstairs. They walked through the kitchen (Pam took a few moments to show Ally the kitchen, casually trying to convince her that the house was perfect) and they stepped into the backyard.

"Wo," Ally gasped.

The backyard was breathtaking; the covered patio that they were standing on extended out about ten feet to the garden. Just past the garden was a stone staircase that went down on both sides, letting off in front of the pool. The pool was bigger than most that Ally had seen and it looked as if it was part of Tampa Bay, which lay just beyond it.

"Isn't it amazing?" Pam asked.

Ally nodded a silent 'yes.' "It just keeps going... like it's part of the water."

"It's an infinity pool. I love them. They look like they really belong. They're wonderful."

"This is so nice."

Pam smiled at her, sensing a sale. "This would be a great place to throw a party. You could put a nice table and chairs here and the grill's already built in over there." She motioned to her left, where a marble countertop extended off of the house into a large, stainless steel grill that just screamed, 'expensive!' "And the Jacuzzi is big enough for 12."

Ally perked up. "Jacuzzi?" She walked over to the stairs, looking down at the pool in search of the Jacuzzi. She spotted it right away; it was off the lower left hand corner of the pool and it looked like it was real rock. "I've always wanted a Jacuzzi...."

"You sold yet?" Trent asked Ally suavely.

Ally gave him a soft pat on the arm. "Not yet, sweetie."

"Then we need to keep going."

Pool house, formal dinning room, four bedrooms, six bathrooms, two living rooms, a library and an office later, Ally was exhausted. She felt like she'd walked miles and, in truth, she'd come quite close to it. The house was beginning to grow on her but she still wasn't sure that it was the right one, even if it was Trent's favorite.

"This is definitely the best part," Trent promised as Pam led them down the hall to the master suite. Pam opened the door for them and watched them step into the room, knowing that the deal was about to be finalized.

"We could fit like fifty people in here," Ally noted as she looked around the massive room.

Trent smirked at her. "Not my kind of fun but whatever you're into."

Ally rolled her eyes at him and trotted excitedly over to the closet. She peered inside and almost jumped up and down in excitement. "This closet is huge! I'd buy the house just for this."

"Or this." Trent opened the doors onto the balcony and smiled; the sun was setting and he knew that Ally would never be able to resist it. "Come see this."

Raising an inquisitive eyebrow, Ally crossed the room and followed Trent onto the balcony. "That's beautiful," she sighed, watching the sun sinking down into the bay. "I think I'm in love."

Trent put his arms around her, pulling her close to him. He set his chin on her shoulder and watched the sun going down. He didn't say anything, all he did was hold her back tightly against his chest, trying to fight off a very content smile.

Finally, Ally turned her head. She smiled when she saw how intently Trent was watching the sun. "You just have to promise to use the screening room."

In one swift motion, Trent picked Ally up and spun her excitedly around. He set her down and kissed her lightly, a smile anchored to his face. "I knew you'd love it."

"You like it?" Pam asked confidently.

"Yeah, we'll take it," Trent replied without removing his eyes from Ally's.

Ally was the first to break their eye contact. She looked over Trent's shoulder at Pam, who was still smiling brightly. Suddenly, Ally was very nervous. "How much is it?"

Trent turned around, still smiling. "Maybe don't tell her that part."

"I'll have to find out sometime," she reminded him.

Pam looked from Ally to Trent, waiting for permission. He reluctantly nodded and Pam looked back to Ally. "4.2 million."

Ally's knees buckled and she fell back into Trent. "Holy shit...."

Trent held tightly to Ally's arms, holding her upright. "It's worth it," he told her. "I promise it's worth it."

"I don't have 4.2 million dollars," she whispered unevenly.

"Baby, it's okay. I have money and you have money. We'll be fine. We don't even need it all up front. We can cover it."

Ally faced him again, looking very worried. "Are you sure that we should do this?"

"We should." He leaned his forehead against hers, smiling and trying to get her to smile too. Softly, he assured her, "We really should."

Ally nodded slowly, still very shocked by the price of the house. But, at the same time that she couldn't fathom spending that much money on an off-season home that they would only use for five months out of the year, she knew that Trent could afford it. Maybe not presently, but he was on the brink of an amazing career and the Yankees paid very well. Not to forget the money that she made. Suddenly, 4.2 million didn't seem too unreasonable.

"Then let's do it," she said quietly, a smile finally breaking onto her face.

"Really?"

Ally nodded at him, her smile a little brighter now. An odd feeling of accomplishment began to rise in her, creeping up from her stomach. With an ecstatic smirk, she jumped into Trent's arms, tightening her arms around his neck. Trent kissed her lightly, a smile overtaking his face.

"Happy?" Trent asked quietly, his nose touching Ally's.

"Very happy."

"Then my work is done for today."

Ally said nothing, she just gave him a kiss and continued to smile.