A/N: I have character profiles on my profile. If you go to it, there are three links for you to see the characters and a little more about them

Have you ever been to a place that completely took your breath away? That exceeded all your expectations and made you wish you had been there sooner?

Well, that's exactly what happened to Tessa Kershaw. She honestly couldn't imagine herself being anywhere else. She thought this place, this city, was where she was meant to be all along. Tessa remembered going there once a couple of years ago with her brother and sister-in-law (her brother had asked her to go with them because he had a baseball game and wanted her to attend). Now he immediately regrets ever asking her to join them; once she stepped foot on San Francisco soil, it owned her heart and once she left, her heart stayed behind. Tessa promised herself one day she'd be back and now she was….permanently.

It was another beautiful day in the month of June. It was cooler today than it had been the previous days, but Tessa didn't mind one bit. She sat at the windowsill looking out into the street; a mug of hot chocolate in one hand as the other scratched behind the ear of her cat Momo. He purred delightfully, swinging his tail back and forth contently. As soon as she got up to put the dirty mug in the sink, she heard her phone start to ring. She already knew who it was without even giving it a second thought. She picked it up from the coffee table and smiled seeing his name across the screen, knowing it would be him.

"Hey Clayton," she said in a rather drone tone.

"Awe, come on Tess. That didn't sound like a happy greeting," he replied.

She rolled her eyes and sat down on her couch. "Hmm...Maybe because you call me twice a day, every day."

Clayton scoffed on the other end of the line. "Well, excuse me for being a good brother. I'm sorry for being so worried about my little and only sister," he said dramatically.

Tessa laughed into the phone. "Okay, okay, I see your point, but couldn't you down the calls to once a day? Or twice a day every other day?" she asked, petting the sleeping corgi next to her.

He didn't answer right away, thinking about the compromise. "Fine, I'll only call once a day, but you have to text when you get home, so I know you're okay."

Tessa didn't hesitate to answer. "Deal."

"Awesome. So, Ellen and I were talking and thought you should come down and visit soon," Clayton said.

"Really? I just moved here three weeks ago. Why do y'all want me to go visit so soon?" she asked curiously.

"Because Tess, L.A. misses you," he answered.

Tessa chuckled a little. "Uh-huh. I'm sure it does and it's not just you," she said sarcastically.

"Actually, it's Ellen who misses you and wants you to move back," he whispered.

"He's lying!" Tessa heard Ellen yell from the background. "But I do miss you Tess!"

"Awe, I miss you too Elle!" Tessa answered back.

"Okay enough of the yelling through the phone. Gosh. So, how do Momo and Tuck like their new home?" he asked.

Tessa smiled as she looked at Tucker, her corgi, and Momo, her cat. "Well, Tuck loves it here and gets excited when we go for walks. Momo on the other hand, isn't taking the move quite as well. He doesn't like being inside all day. Do you Momo?" she asked looking back at the yawning cat.

"I knew that cat was smart. You see, you should've just gone to school here."

Tessa let out a fake laugh. "You're so funny. The cat does not determine whether or not I'd move somewhere. He'll get over it."

"Yeah, I'm sure he will. So how's the apartment looking? Did you unpack all your stuff?" Clayton asked.

Tessa looked around her empty apartment. The only things that occupied the empty rooms were her essential furniture (her bed, dresser, tables, couch, and TV) and the many boxes of her other things. She frowned, realizing she hadn't made an effort to make her new apartment homey.

"Um…no. I still need to unpack a lot of stuff," she admitted.

"I should've figure. Well since you have the day off today, maybe you can get all that done," he suggested.

"Actually, I don't and I probably should get going," Tessa said looking at the time on her phone.

"What? I thought you had the night off?"

"I did, but a co-worker asked if I could work her shift, so I took it. I mean, I could use the extra money," Tessa said heading towards her room to get ready.

"Extra money for what? And you're working at night? I don't know Tess, I don't like the idea of you out at night in a city you've barely moved to," Clayton said expressing his worry.

"Well, grad school isn't exactly cheap and neither is this apartment. And I'll be fine and I'll text you when I get home," she said grabbing her work uniform from her closet.

"I already told you, I'd help with all that so you wouldn't have to worry and stress over it. I know you don't like it when I help you out financially, but think of it as a present for getting into grad school. Ellen and I are very proud of you sis." Tessa could tell he was smiling.

She sighed. "I know and thanks. Okay, I really, really need to get going. I'll talk to you later. Bye!" she said hurriedly.

"Okay. Bye," she heard before the sound of the dial tone came up.

The ace pitcher brushed back his hair into one of his hands and secured it into a ponytail. It wasn't his usual hairstyle, but he thought it suited his semi-casual attire. Zito had extended an invitation to Tim for dinner and drinks, which he gladly accepted. After the sweep in Oakland, his start being one of them, he was definitely going to enjoy the last of his Monday off.

Tim smoothed out the small bumps in his hair and did a once over to make sure his appearance was okay. He wanted to make sure he wouldn't be told to, "Please don't bother Mr. Zito. No autographs tonight." A memory he vividly remembers and laughs about every time he and Zito meet. As soon as he walked into his bedroom, his phone went off, which caused a sleeping Cy to perk up and grunt at the noise.

Tim laughed as he picked up the phone. "Hello?" he answered.

"Aye, you on your way already?" Zito asked.

Tim looked at his watch and saw it was probably a good idea to head out. "Yeah just about to leave," he said grabbing his car keys.

"Cool, see ya in a few then," Zito responded and Tim could hear him slam a car door.

"All right man," he said hanging up.

Tim was really looking forward to hanging with Zito and having a few drinks. He really needed to unwind before the Twins series, which he would be pitching in. Plus his Monday had been pretty mundane. All he did was sleep in, walk Cy, and bum around his apartment until it was time to get ready for dinner. Not only that, he was still hung up over his latest break-up, which he thought she was "the one". And he really needed to shake it off by his next start.

He dug his hands into his pockets as he walked towards the fancy restaurant. He was hoping no one would recognize him, thinking the ponytail would help some, so he could just relax and enjoy drinks and a meal. He saw Zito leaning against the bar with a drink in hand and waved at him as he entered the restaurant. Zito waved back and motioned for Tim to hurry over.

"Glad to see you made it through without someone telling you to leave me alone," Zito said before sipping on his drink.

Tim smirked and laughed off his comment. "Yeah, must've been my wardrobe last time."

Zito gunned down the rest of his drink and chuckled. "Probably," he agreed and walked over to one of the empty tables.

Tim followed behind and took a seat across from Zito. "Lemme guess, your sister's working tonight," Tim said scooting his chair forward.

"Of course, otherwise I would've suggested something more casual," Zito responded.

Tessa placed her recent tip inside the pouch of her apron. It had been a busy evening and although the tips were good, she was exhausted. She looked up and saw a couple of men sit in her section and let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Why do so many people sit in Emily's section?" she asked one of her co-workers.

"Hey, I wouldn't be complaining about this one," the waitress said, motioning her head towards the men.

Tessa eyed her curiously. "Why? They famous or something?" she asked jokingly.

"You really don't know?" the woman asked seriously. Tessa shrugged her shoulders. "That is Emily's brother, Barry Zito," she said pointing to the shorthaired man. "And that," she said smiling, "is 'The Freak'."