Dark Receiver

"Well said, it is usually the very brave or very stupid who partake in creating that play. I have been part of it a few times and I have directed three of them. It's like running a concentration camp with rules so strict you could spank somebody with them."

Claire grimaced; it didn't sound particularly attractive to play. Glen on the other hand seemed unconcerned.

"I do think there's a few more plays we could work on, but for now I want you to play the adoring girl who is not ready to be swept of her feet during a dance."


She was sure he meant the particular little 'scene' they were re-enacting now, but chose to misunderstand him.

"Ahhh so this is a ... rehearsal? So I'm convincing as Juliet in Act I , Scene V?"

She asked him demurely.

He chuckled,

"Well yes, but then again she wasn't dancing was she? But I must admit, I love how you do the whole shy thing, how do you blush on command? Or is Elron really THAT convincing? Making you blush with his lush use of words?"

He winked at her,

"And since we are doing that scene, doesn't that mean that this sinful pilgrim should kiss the lips of the saintly angelic lady to purge himself of his sins?"

"Well yes, but then again she wasn't dancing was she?"

Not in Glen's version, Claire had to admit, though she had seen versions where Romeo and Juliet meet whilst dancing.

"But I must admit, I love how you do the whole shy thing, how do you blush on command? Or is Elron really THAT convincing? Making you blush with his lush use of words?"

His words threatened to send the blood rushing to her cheeks; she was unused to such minute observations being made of her.

"And since we are doing that scene, doesn't that mean that this sinful pilgrim should kiss the lips of the saintly angelic lady to purge himself of his sins?"

She was sure her cheeks were flaming by now, for it was Glen and not Elron who put her so easily to blush.

"Perhaps I'm a better actress than you thought?"

She suggested in answer to his first questions.

"As for playing out the scene, I would assume you to be a 'good pilgrim' until you prove to be otherwise.
How could a lady as 'saintly and angelic' as you describe me to be possibly consider anything ... sinful...even in a prospective lover?"

By now his eyes were twinkling in delight, here was a woman he could banter with, talk with and be with, that much was clear as crystal to him,

"Oh because she has no need of sinful thoughts that is."

As the song slowly ended, he surprised her once more, but not by kissing her, he was sure that she was expecting that, but with a slight shift of his hands, he pulled her closer, lifted her up and twirled around a few times with her, settling her down as he laughed heartily,

"I just couldn't resist doing that, I did warn you I'll be sweeping you from your feet."

He gave her a tight hug and with a smile led her back to the table, the waiter came over and he looked at Claire,

"Anything specific in mind for a nice desert?"

"Oh because she has no need of sinful thoughts that is."

Claire giggled and gave Glen a look that suggested that perhaps he had enough sinful thoughts for the two of them. She loved his banter, even the way he put her to blush with his observations and questions. No one, certainly no man had ever given such close attention, but more than that, she loved his company and trusted him as a friend...

She savoured the last strains of the dance. She had expected he might kiss her once more, but as ever, he still managed to surprise her. Just as her eyes were closing, savouring the softly sensual touch of his lips on hers she found his arms around her and somehow he managed all too easily to pick her up and twirl round with her prompting her to gasp and laugh in response as she clung to him now totally uncaring about the many eyes who were watching them.

"Glen!!"

She managed a breathless exclamation as he set her on her feet once more, her hands on his chest to steady herself, more than content still to be within the compass of his arms.

"I just couldn't resist doing that, I did warn you I'll be sweeping you from your feet."

She allowed her body to press closely against Glen's as he hugged her against him, savouring the closeness.

"You did and you are ... "

She murmured softly in response. Impressive though the setting for their 'date' was, it was Glen's warmth and charm and playfulness that Claire felt herself increasingly attracted to. She let him take her hand and lead her back to their table, clearly relaxed and oblivious to any attention that was directed at them.
The appearance of the waiter prevented further conversation.

"Anything specific in mind for a nice desert?"

Claire considered briefly.

"Something with chocolate...?"

She suggested not sure what the choices might be.

"I promise my producer to work out extra so I still fit into my dresses..."

She joked with Glen as she wondered what he would select for desert.

He arched an eyebrow,

"If you do not fit into your dresses, your producer will take you on morning jogs until you do."

He looked serious for a few moments and then grinned, then he looked at the waiter,

"You know that very lovely choc nut sundae with the abundance of Bar-One sauce? I'll take one of those."

He smiled,

"Like I said, I prefer what I like, if they can make it, I'll be having it."

"If you do not fit into your dresses, your producer will take you on morning jogs until you do."

Claire rolled her eyes playing along with his threat, the two of them laughing at their banter.

"You know that very lovely choc nut sundae with the abundance of Bar-One sauce? I'll take one of those. Like I said, I prefer what I like, if they can make it, I'll be having it."

She considered his choice and dismissed it.

"It that case I'll have a chocolate brownie or pudding, something like that ... with raspberry or strawberry .. fruit or coulis?"

She suggested, thrilled when she was told that they could bring that for her.

"What is is to be able to get what you want... "

She commented cryptically as she relaxed back in her chair her eyes taking in the handsome man opposite her, as if seeing him anew.

" ... do you usually get what you want Glen..?"

She wondered aloud.

" ... I would imagine that you're pretty determined once you set your sights on something ... "

She speculated admiring his work ethic.

He smiled at her and leaned forward,

"It takes hard work to get what you want, it also takes time and experimentation. So most of the time yes, I get what I want."

He poured himself a glass of water from the crystal jug seated next to the central display and took a sip of the cool water,

"And when I do want something I might just set all my sights on it."

He was looking into her eyes as he said this, not insinuating anything, just...answering. But he knew that they both knew exactly what he meant and it wasn't about having her in the play

"It takes hard work to get what you want, it also takes time and experimentation. So most of the time yes, I get what I want."

Claire nodded. She had never been so single minded. Perhaps it was time for her to really commit to the career she had chosen?

"And when I do want something I might just set all my sights on it."

Somehow, Glen's comment was no longer about work. Her eyes widened and she felt her pulses jolt and then race at the intensity of his gaze. Could it be that it was she he really wanted? That he had set his sights on.

"Then ... I'm sure you'll get just what you want ... "

She found herself telling him breathlessly.

He smiled warmly at her,

"Be careful, I might just take you up on that offer."

For a first date, things was really heated between them and he knew it, but it was not unpleasant at all. Instead he wondered if more evenings like this waited, in fact that was something he looked forward to. And how he loved how her eyes glistened, so happy and that was what he wanted to give her, happiness,

"And you Claire? Would you like to have something that nobody else can get?"

"Be careful, I might just take you up on that offer."

His soft warning did not worry Claire. She had spent her life being careful and perhaps it was time to take a few ... calculated ... risks?

"And you Claire? Would you like to have something that nobody else can get?"

His question made her consider. She wasn't sure about having something that no one else could get, but she was realising what she wanted out of life.

"All I want is to live my life, make my own choices."

She told him simply.

"I want to have a career of my own, friends of my own and not be hauled off somewhere as soon as I meet someone special or start putting down roots."

In the past she had lost many best friends through her parents' constant moving about and right now she didn't want anything they might do to take her away from Glen and the theatre and the friends she had made there.

"I want to work hard, have fun and find out just what I can make of my life... "

Suddenly self conscious she blushed and shrugged.

"That must sound so silly to someone like you. Not exactly 'aspirational' ... "

But she had been honest with him, as she always was.

He chuckled,

"It is how you see it my dear, if that is what you want and how you see it, that is perfect."

Again he leaned forward, taking both her hands in his this time,

"As long as you wish to you can stay where ever you wish to and you can do just about anything you wish to within reason. I will be there to support you. You can count on that."

"It is how you see it my dear, if that is what you want and how you see it, that is perfect."

His words were reassuring, as was the way he too her hands in his.

"As long as you wish to you can stay where ever you wish to and you can do just about anything you wish to within reason. I will be there to support you. You can count on that."

She was touched by his earnestness.

"Thank you Glen. That means a lot. Not just you putting up with me in your home, but your support ... the fact you know my ... situation ... "

She still couldn't believe that he was 'ok' with it.

"I feel like I'm just starting out ... scary, but ... exciting... "

She confessed with a shy smile.

He smiled,

"At least you're starting out with help, not thrown out on the street with a child to support."

He grimaced,

"Sorry, didn't need that image did we?"

He gave her hands a gentle squeeze again and then leaned back,

"And here comes that very interesting desert you ordered."

He watched as they placed the desert in front of him and actually licked his lips,

"Oh they know just how to spoil me."

And spoil him they did, the chocolate sauce basically smothered the ice-cream and it was well-supplied with crushed nuts.

"At least you're starting out with help, not thrown out on the street with a child to support."

She was surprised at his words. That would never have been a possibility with her. She had only had a few boyfriends and none of those had been 'intimate', at least not to that extent.

"Sorry, didn't need that image did we?"

Claire did not comment, the necessity for doing so covered by the arrival of their desserts. A sticky chocolate brownie, still warm and accompanied by raspberries and thick cream on the side was put before her.

"Oh they know just how to spoil me."

She laughed.

" ... me too ... this is incredible ... my idea of heaven... "

She told him as she wasted no time in tucking in, eating steadily and savouring every mouthful.

He chuckled as he watched her eat her desert with total concentration, an almost determined look between each bite, a look of pleasure on her face after each bite. He set to his own desert, Claire did have a point though, a large sum of energy will have to get done. But that was worries for another time, right now he was spending time with a beautiful woman, in a place he liked to dine and he was enjoying himself immensely.

After their deserts found a way down to their bellies and the table had been cleared did Glen talk again. He leaned forward, resting his elbow on the table, chin propped up on an open fist and he wore a devilsih smile,

"So does the lady feel suitably wined and dined to call this a date?"

They ate companionably, both of them enjoying their desert immensely. Claire marvelled just how comfortable she felt with him, even in a place she had considered 'fancy' when they had first arrived.

Only when the dishes were cleared did Glen speak again, that now familiar grin indicating to Claire that he was going to make one of 'his' comments.

"So does the lady feel suitably wined and dined to call this a date?"

She laughed and nodded slowly.

"The lady would definitely call this a date ... "

She responded.

"Though we now come to that awkward part of the evening ... "

She told him with mock solemnity.

" ... coffee here ... or ... at your place or mine...?"

Her mouth twitched as she resisted the urge to giggle and ruin the 'gravity' of her question.

He leaned back in his chair, considering her question with the same gravity that she had asked it with,

"With no offense to them, they make terrible coffee, though I have tasted my own coffee, it does pale in comparison to that heavenly delight you make and since I am on a streak tonight to satisfy my appetite for good food, I think coffee at your place will be just the right answer."

His lips twitched with a slight smile,

"You will have to direct me though, I have this feeling that I have forgotten the road to your casa as your beauty have really robbed me of my senses of observation."

Somehow Claire remained impassive as Glen matched the seriousness of her questioning. It was as if they were playing out a scene, each one of them attempting to best the other.

"With no offense to them, they make terrible coffee, though I have tasted my own coffee, it does pale in comparison to that heavenly delight you make and since I am on a streak tonight to satisfy my appetite for good food, I think coffee at your place will be just the right answer."

She nodded coolly at his logic, but inwardly congratulated him on his 'move'. Forcing her to pass off his place as hers would be more than a challenge. But she was not going to let him best her easily. She saw the tell-tale twitch of his lips and inwardly congratulated herself for her self control.

"You will have to direct me though, I have this feeling that I have forgotten the road to your casa as your beauty have really robbed me of my senses of observation."

Again the strategy to put her on the back foot.

"I thought you'd already been to my place before..?"

She enquired casually, as if genuinely speculative, then allowed herself a shrug as if realising that it must have been some other 'beau' she entertained.

"We are in luck, though,"

She commented conversationally.

"My flat mate is actually out for the evening, unlikely he will be back until much later, if at all ... "

She told him demurely.

" ... fate conspires in our favour for once... "

"Ah Fate whom are always cursed as a heartless female, she indeed does smile upon those who truly wish to sample of your delights."

Of course that there was as graphical as he'll ever get in polite company,

"I have heard this tale of a sweetener that actually adds more flavor, perhaps along with the coffee you make it could be a new groundbreaker in the laws of physics and science in general."

He leaned forward,

"And as I have been there before, I have realized that I have no idea where I am now, so I have no idea how to return."

"Ah Fate whom are always cursed as a heartless female, she indeed does smile upon those who truly wish to sample of your delights."

It was clear that Glen was in mercutio-esque flow and she simply let him continue.

"I have heard this tale of a sweetener that actually adds more flavor, perhaps along with the coffee you make it could be a new groundbreaker in the laws of physics and science in general."

She gave him a sceptical look. Just what sweetener he was referring to she was unsure, but it was clear he was continuing in the same suggestive vein.

"And as I have been there before, I have realized that I have no idea where I am now, so I have no idea how to return."

She managed to respond demurely.

"That it is to be hoped that I recall my way home, for I have never been here before. We could both end up hopelessly lost ..."

She told him softly.

" ... if neither of us knows the direction we're heading in we could merely end up going round in circles ... "

Her words were heavy with double meaning.

"Whilst I do not mind taking a scenic route, I like to know where I will end up eventually at least... "

He leaned forward,

"Yet when one is lost and found to go in circles, the best way to find your way back is to follow your heart. Home is where the heart is, so your heart will guide you home."

His mouth corner pulled into a small smile,

"Otherwise you could always wish upon a star, let it take you near and far, when you feel cold and all alone, it will gently guide you home."

"Yet when one is lost and found to go in circles, the best way to find your way back is to follow your heart. Home is where the heart is, so your heart will guide you home."

It sounded like a quote from the Wizard of Oz, but was none the less a telling sentiment.

"Otherwise you could always wish upon a star, let it take you near and far,
when you feel cold and all alone, it will gently guide you home."

She laughed; Oz to Disney ... His poetry had broken her façade of solemnity.

"The problem with that, as you well know,"

She told him with a shake of her head.

"Is that home is where the parents are, but not where I rest my weary head..."

She paused to consider.

"But maybe where I sleep is where my heart is, though it's not my home... ?"

She suggested with a soft smile.

"Then if your heart is where you rest your head, then that is your home."

He smiled at her,

"And it could stay your home if you wish it to be."

He drained his glass of water and got to his feet,

"Shall we attempt to find your home for that coffee? Otherwise we could always just buy wine and sit on the hood of the car watching the stars."

"Then if your heart is where you rest your head, then that is your home."

Claire smiled, touched by his words.

"And it could stay your home if you wish it to be."

Whether they were spoken as a friend or as much more, his offer was clear.

"I'm more than happy to make it my home, for the foreseeable future in that case."

She agreed.

"Shall we attempt to find your home for that coffee?
Otherwise we could always just buy wine and sit on the hood of the car watching the stars."

She laughed as she stood and fell into step beside him.

"Would you be too shocked if I confessed to actually liking that second idea?"

She asked him.