E-MAIL: Ciderbreak@aol.com
SERIES: Path Less Traveled Story #10.
DISCLAIMER: Joss Whedon and the WB own all BTVS characters. No infringement implied.
DISTRIBUTION: Charity's Site, Fever of Fate.
FEEDBACK: if you love me.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Dinner for two, right this way."
Willow pressed her lips together to keep from babbling. If she didn't, she would have prattled on about how strange it was that the hostess always said "dinner for two" as though it were the dinner itself that was going to have the meal and not the people she was leading to the corner table by the window. Silly little grammar thing. Willow nervously smoothed down the skirt of her velvet dress and let Angel pull out her chair for her.
Per Amanda's suggestion, Angel took Willow to the Dolphin Striker, a posh, upscale restaurant with a brilliant view of the Los Angeles area. The dining facility was located in an old mansion that used to belong to a gangster back in the 1930's. Seven tables, all quite separate from each other for privacy, were adorned with pristine white tablecloths, freesia in cut crystal vases, white candles in crystal holders, silver place settings and delicate bone china that was hand washed after each use. The floors were Italian marble, carefully preserved, as was the frescoed cathedral ceiling that trapped the chamber music and spun it around. They specialized in seafood, though not dolphin, and also dessert.
"There's a cheesecake with raspberry coulis tonight," the hostess said in a hushed tone. "Order it with your meal, because the kitchen staff took a liking to it and there will not be enough for each table tonight."
"Thank you," Angel replied, wondering what kind of restaurant let its help sample the gourmet food. The same kind of establishment that allowed only seven couples to dine each night, evidently. Amanda had made the reservation. Angel wondered what she'd told the person on the phone to have gotten them such exceptional service. Already their water glasses were filled and their waiter bustled over to the table.
"Good evening, sir, madam," he greeted them formally, but with a genuine smile. "My name is Alfred and I shall be at your service tonight. Miss James informed me that this is a very special evening and I thank you for choosing the Dolphin Striker. Would you like a moment with the wine list?"
"Please," Angel said.
Alfred bowed slightly and quietly moved away, leaving Willow and Angel alone at the table. The music grew slightly louder and another couple entered the dining room and were seated on the far side, near the wall with the Picasso.
"This is beautiful," Willow said in a hushed voice. "I've never been to a place like this. I feel like royalty."
"You look the part," Angel complimented her. The rich red velvet was a perfect color with her hair and skin. She'd taken Amanda's advice and gone to a salon to have her hair professionally styled and her makeup done. All the expert work made her look at least 24 years old, Angel reflected as he gazed into her eyes, which seemed more colorful with eyeliner to draw them out. That, and the fact that she was proudly wearing a "miracle bra." Angel wondered what the miracle was until she'd put it on. Visions of vamp Willow danced in his head when she twirled around in the dress, giving him the full effect.
He glanced at the wine list, selected a mellow Chardonnay, and then motioned for Willow to open her menu.
"I'm scared."
"I'll help you with the silverware."
"No, not that," she said with a little "pshaw" noise. "I'm scared because this is very romantic and that's not typically something I associate with you."
"Oh." Angel looked crestfallen and she hastened to reassure him. He'd done his best to look romantic. He wore an expensive black suit with a velvet shirt, spiked his hair in what she called "Angelus" fashion, and caused the hostess to blush the moment he swung off his cape. Yes, cape. From the back of the armoire he unearthed a black watchman's cloak decorated with matching braid and still bearing the original silk lining.
"This is lovely, Angel! I'm just- I'm just a little wary, that's all."
She had every reason to be wary, mistrustful, scared, even suspicious. In three months he'd shown her every emotion he possessed including rage and cruelty. Not exactly a gentle wooing.
"All right. Here's what I'm thinking, so we can get it out of the way and have a pleasant evening as friends. You're a beautiful, intelligent, charismatic woman and as Doyle said, you're an amazing woman I don't even deserve to touch, let alone spend eternity with. It's inevitable that we fall in love with each other. We might as well admit it. We're attracted to each other, we're stuck together for the rest of our lives, and old loves will pass away and leave only precious memories behind. I'm not ready for that yet, I know you're not, so we'll just take it slowly and see what happens."
"Oh," Willow said.
His bluntness definitely removed any mystique from the evening. And suddenly, the china was just plates, the crystal just glass, and the gorgeous man just Angel again, the handsome devil she was glad to call her friend. His presumption galled her a little, though.
"You're saying it's inevitable that I fall in love with you?" she challenged.
"Yes," Angel said matter-of-factly and opened the thick leather folder with red satin strands separating each course selection. He smiled into the thick vellum, knowing he'd struck a nerve. He liked pushing her buttons.
"Well, I think that's a-a little arrogant."
"I'm an arrogant man," Angel said sanguinely. Then he lowered his menu and, even though he knew it wasn't fair, gave her a deep look that made her blush instantly and part her lips. It was the look he'd give a woman right before he kissed her, letting her know what was also inevitable.
Willow was startled for a split second, then guessed his calculated move and matched his look with one of her own, sucking her bottom lip into her mouth. Angel's gaze wasn't all that hardened as he smiled ruefully and went back to the menu.
End Part 1
"…and then the entire party laughed me out into the street," Angel finished his most embarrassing moment with a self-deprecating grin.
"What did you do after? Hide in shame?" Willow teased.
"No, I hunted them all down and fed off them. Alcohol in the veins is an intoxicating treat."
"Ha ha. But that doesn't count, that was Angelus. What's *your* most embarrassing moment?"
"Well, Buffy caught me once."
"Caught you doing what? Oh. Oh! What happened?"
"I let her finish."
"Oh."
Willow blushed again, inwardly chastising herself. The dinner conversation ranged from absurd to serious to playful, where Angel's idea of fun was to see how many times he could get her to blush in one conversation. It was an endearing way of flirting she had never witnessed in him before. The dinner was drawing to a close, two hours behind them and two hours of dessert, coffee, and talking ahead of them. The table was theirs for the night, no pressure to leave. Alfred was so discreet in his service that Willow never even noticed when her plate with the remains of Greek style shrimp and penne was removed until a little silver cup of raspberry sorbet was placed in front of her. A crisp spring of mint adorned the purple scoop.
"I love raspberry," she exulted, letting the first taste of the icy treat melt on her tongue until it was lukewarm sugar, then swallowing. Sugar rush! Or maybe that was the wine. She'd had two full glasses. Three would be pushing it, since she wasn't even legal to begin with. Somehow that detail was the last thing on her mind. She still couldn't get their argument about the big drug companies out of her head. She was for standardization, Angel favored keeping conglomerates.
"I'm not crazy about fruity stuff," Angel said and shrugged. The sorbet slipped down his throat, cooling the unusually warm passage. For tonight, he was more human than vampire. The demon was in control for the first time in a long time, almost like he'd left it home with a babysitter.
When Alfred brought two slices of the famed cheesecake, he also brought a freshly-brewed pot of hazelnut coffee and then waited for Angel to dismiss him before he left.
"That will be all for tonight, Alfred. We'll linger over dessert for awhile."
"Very good, sir. It has been a pleasure to serve you both this evening. I hope you return many times to the Dolphin Striker."
"So do I," Willow shared, gifting Alfred with a huge smile. He left swiftly and quietly again, leaving the couple to their mouth-watering dessert.
"More raspberry," Willow said with a sigh. The thick syrup was homemade and drizzled over the cheesecake with generous portions on the side. Despite a full course meal, she devoured the treat as her sweet tooth cried out for joy. Angel also managed to put away most of his dessert. His large hands looked out of place cradling the dainty coffee cup.
"Oh my goodness, I can't move," Willow said, then moaned a little. She didn't dare slouch in her chair, not in this restaurant, but she felt like crawling under the table and sleeping for a week. Such food was too good to be earthly, it must come from heaven itself.
"That's too bad, because I was going to ask you to dance. But if you can't move I'll have to sling you over my shoulder and shuffle out of here."
"You wouldn't dare. Angel."
Angel rose and placed his napkin on the table. It was still disconcerting to see a dim reflection of himself in the clear window, human or not. He beckoned her with an outstretched hand and nodded to Alfred, who came and pulled Willow's chair out for her and then motioned to the small violin quartet to slip into a waltz.
"Follow me," Angel instructed her as they walked out to the dance floor. Willow's heart skipped a beat as he took her into his arms and began to move. She felt awkward and tried to slow down the twirling, but he simply bent his head, pressed his hand tighter into the small of her back, and told her that the man was supposed to be the leader in this dance.
The other couples in the restaurant, mostly older folks, watched happily for a few minutes at the young couple dancing. Angel was tall and broad and knew exactly what he was doing, Willow looked flushed and uncertain and very striking with her hair and dress. After a few minutes, two other couples took the dance floor and the quartet segued into another waltz.
"You're unsettling me," she replied.
"Good."
"I want to know if it's you or the bond that's making me feel this way."
"Feel what way?"
Angel wasn't giving her a hard time any more. He wanted her to be descriptive, wanted to know what was on her mind. If only she could talk about her heart with as much boldness as she argued politics.
"Take the spell away," Willow asked carefully. "The spell that locked the mindspeech down. I don't know how to express myself to you, but maybe if you could feel what I'm feeling you'll understand."
"It might not work without actual words," Angel said, frowning. He murmured the incantation anyway, expecting to have a whole host of thoughts flood into his brain and lap at the shores of his consciousness. Instead Willow concentrated on handing one simple thought to him.
She stared into his warm brown eyes and wordlessly spoke her appreciation. He'd made her feel like a woman tonight, not a burden or a responsibility. A true woman with valid thoughts and opinions and after all that, he let her know she was attractive. The order was important. She was thankful he wouldn't rush her into love, thankful he knew the difference between lust and love and that there was the whole PTB bond thing involved. In short, she needed to say thank you.
"Did you get it?" she asked breathlessly, looking excited like a child. If they could also report feelings without words, it might be even more helpful. Empathy shared could divert a number of conflicts.
Angel bent his head down and pressed his lips against hers, barely using any pressure at all. Then he picked his head up and felt his heart thump wildly at the soft look in her blue-green eyes.
She was falling in love with him
And damned if he wasn't falling right in love alongside her.