A/N: this is the beginning of a story that has been working in my mind for two years. It's been under constant revision and is constantly changing. This story has a life of its own. This is only the prologue.

"The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: If there is any reaction, both are transformed."

First impressions are always the ones that count the most. A pretty face or a shy demeanor can make all the difference as to whether you merit a second glance or a simple hello. In high school, first impressions sealed your fate for the next four years. You were instantly cast into one of the two cliques: the accepted or the outcast. In college, they decided what fraternity parties you were invited to. In the real world first impressions make your friends and can sometimes decide your future.

My first meeting with Peyton Huntzberger was one that at the time I would have never assumed would lead to an established girlfriend and home. Dr. Peyton Huntzberger is everything a man could wish for in a woman. Blonde, witty, and gorgeous. The good lady doctor is also smart as hell and what's worse is she knows it. She might even be smarter than my brother, maybe you've heard of him; but don't tell him that. Peyton has what you call a sharp tongue; a sharp tongue that can flay the skin right from the bone. She doesn't boast egos. Hell, she doesn't even stroke egos. Peyton Huntzberger flattens egos. She steamrolls over them and throws them back into your face all the while laughing. She's the perfect poster girl for the new twenty-first century woman. For a five foot tall petite blonde, Peyton intimidates men and just about anyone else who gets in her way. Exuding a confidence that is rivaled by none, she's strong and so sure of her place in the world. She scares people. Well, I take that back. She scares people who don't know her. But to those who do know her, Peyton is caring, compassionate, and fiercely loyal. She's perfect to me. Or rather, perfect for me.

With my first meeting of Peyton, I didn't think much of it. It was not until several weeks later that I even began to entertain the idea of asking her out. That was mainly due to the fact that all we did was butt heads against one another like those mountain rams you see on the National Geographic channel. But if I look back and really think about it, there was something there, something that passed between the two of us. Something that changed not only our lives, but our friends' and families' too. And I have reached the only conclusion that I can think of: I, Don Eppes, was half way in love with Peyton Huntzberger when I first met her that fateful Monday morning.

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"There's a lot to be said for self-delusionment when it comes to matters of the heart."

Love is blind. There have never been any truer words. Whoever first wrote them down to be forever remembered was a genius. A true genius. But when it comes to love, we sometimes tend to overanalyze. Instead of listening to our hearts we tend to hear our brains. We sometimes pass over those we are meant for because of fear and logic. You begin to make excuses to get out of seeing him. You have no time at the moment. You're not ready for a serious commitment. He controls you too much. He has a lisp. Any imaginable thing our brains can formulate we use. In short, we tend to ignore what is so often right beneath our noses.

But Don Eppes was not a man that I could ignore. For that matter, he was not a man that wanted to be ignored, nor needed to be ignored. You see, Don Eppes is gorgeous. Tall, well muscled, and blessed with a pair of beautiful brown eyes that express every possible emotion that Shakespeare ever dreamt of. Eppes is also dedicated to just about everything, his job, his friends, his family; it borders on obsession sometimes. To sum it all up, Don Eppes is a highly attractive, single, senior FBI agent. Did I mention that he was single?

But anyway, back to the important things. I tried to ignore him. My brain screamed that he was dangerous and to stay away from him. It wasn't very hard in the beginning. Neither one of us got along very well to begin with. He didn't like when I challenged his authority and I wrongfully saw him as standing for everything I despised about my new job. My heart begged for me to take a chance. I tried to listen to my brain and it worked quite nicely for a while. But Don Eppes would have none of that. He started being nice and then it got to the point where I could no longer hate him or his teammates. I fought as long as I could. He refused to be ignored; he can be very persistent when he sets his mind to something. Heaven help the person who dares to stand in his way when he makes his mind up about something. He refused to be ignored and according to him I had no say in the matter. Meh, Men. What are you going to do with them? And so after a few screaming matches, some broken dishes, European driving lessons on how not to drive a half a million dollar German imported Porsche, and a psychotic Neo-Nazi serial killer, I did it. I, Peyton Huntzberger, listened to my heart and found the man that I was meant to be with. At least I hope it's him or God is going to have some serious explaining to do as to why he would put me through all of this and still not let me have the guy.

A/N: This is only the prologue. The first chapter will more than likely be up later today or early tomorrow. R&R as much as you can for a prologue. Constructive criticism is appreciated. :)