Sneaking Out and About [complete]

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna carefully applied mascara in the mirror of her tiny on suite bathroom, trying to make herself presentable without doing too much. No need making the residents of Redención House suspicious. She shook out her hair, pulling her fingers through the dark waves to separate them, checking the time on her cellphone as she did.

Almost time! Anna grinned despite herself, and tucked her lip gloss into her purse, hurrying out of her room and down the stairs. Tess and Aidan had taken Jamie out to a movie, and Tess was going to watch her the rest of the night. Not the whole night, that is, just until Anna got home. At a decent hour. She blushed a little, straightening the blue sundress she was wearing, fingering the matching eyelet lace that embellished it at the hem just above her knees.

Her stomach was growing larger every day, and the style of her dress seemed to accentuate it. She wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. "I'm heading out now, have someone to help out... I'll be gone a while! I have my cellphone!"

Jen waved good-bye from the living room, and Anna slipped out the front door, locking it behind her. Her strappy sandals were loud on the sidewalk as she made her way down Banyon Street to where it intersected with the next avenue.

Turning the corner, she looked for a familiar truck.

[Tycho Auriville]

The way he was checking the rearview mirror every two seconds was straight out of a Jason Bourne flick, except it wasn't justified paranoia motivating Tycho, it was nervous anticipation. Parked around the corner from Banyon Street, he sat waiting for Anna in the desperate hope that Murphy's Law would not apply tonight and that she'd be able to get away as seamlessly as they'd planned.

Barely half-an-hour ago he'd been at Redención House himself. It hadn't been a guise, Ty had put in a legitimate day of work. He'd promised Anna that replacing the rotting section of roof above the attic wouldn't take long and he was going to make good on his word. But in all honesty it had been hard to concentrate on taking the skylight out when he knew that in the matter of a few hours he'd be here, waiting for her. The task had been needlessly frustrating because of his wandering mind.

But now he was here and he'd pulled a Clark Kent and changed in his car, stripping out of his tar-crusted work clothes and into a clean pair of jeans and a new shirt, biting the tags off with his teeth.

He was adjusting the collar for the fifth time when she rounded the corner, effortlessly gorgeous in a flimsy blue dress. It was the sort of thing that girls thought was casual and innocent but which was pretty much the exact opposite. Swallowing hard, he leaned over to pop the passenger door of the idling truck.

"This feels like high school. I'm waiting for your father to come bearing down on us with a baseball bat," Ty said with a grin. He offered a hand to help her in. It would have been better if he'd gotten out and opened the door but they'd agreed that the sooner they got gone the better. Not that they were sneaking, really. They had nothing to hide. They were just being discreet.

Tycho cleared his throat as she settled herself in the passenger seat and smoothed blue cotton over the tanned stretch of her legs . "You look great."

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna laughed a little breathlessly as she settled into the truck, looking over her shoulder as though someone had been following her. "Gracias," she said, fastening her seatbelt. "You clean up mucho bueno, yourself," and she felt like she would burst, and he pulled the truck away from the curb, rumbling down the street.

She tucked her hair behind her ears, and held her purse in her lap, turning slightly in her seat so she could watch Tycho as he drove. "I am so hungry," Anna admitted, laughing. "And... I could barely concentrate on what I was doing today. Because of you," she added. "Add in the sneaking out and I feel like I am sixteen again."

[Tycho Auriville]

The truck made a winding curve out of the neighborhood and onto the main thoroughfare, cutting across the first lane and slotting in next to the median line. Tycho squinted up at an overhanging street sign; the last thing he needed was to get turned around and wind up wheedling them around on a wild goose chase.

"Guess we're even then, mutual distraction," he glanced at her, dimples on cheeky display. "Shoot, I almost forgot..."

Twisting awkwardly, Ty stretched an arm to the narrow space behind the bench where TMC had somehow managed to shove a jump seat; maybe they'd envisioned the average working man having a very tiny assistant. Child labour was a bigger trend than ever these days according to Nancy Grace.

"As instructed," Ty said, coming up with a yellow rose wrapped in clear plastic, a few sprays of baby's breath bracketing it. "It's, uh, a little wilted. Did my best to keep it shaded today but..." he handed it to Anna with a sheepish look. "Still smells good."

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna accepted the rose, pressing it to her nose and inhaling. "It's lovely, Tycho." She looked up at him over the flower, giving it another sniff before lowering it into her lap. "Thank you."

She crossed her ankles, looking out the windows as he drove, the sun beginning it's slow descent toward the horizon. "I can't quite believe we are doing this," she said, turning back toward him. "I mean, I'm glad we are, just... This time last week I was going about my day, minding my own business. I didn't think something like this would happen."

Anna fiddled with the rose in her lap, the cellophane crinkling.

[Tycho Auriville]

It was too much to try and define something and Ty didn't want to make himself dizzy by attempting. That there was a definite hum of electricity between them was enough. For now.

"Funny how that works," he chuckled. "I figured California for good sushi and easy money. Not..."

He trailed off and stole another glance at her. That blue was unreal against the honey-washed sheen of her skin. "Not you."

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna's mouth twisted ruefully, and then she grinned. "I'm almost as good as sushi, I promise!" She rubbed her hand over her baby bump, adding, "I can't eat it right now, but I do enjoy a little sashimi now and then." She smiled, "My mother thinks I am crazy to eat it, but it's so good."

She sighed, leaning back in her seat and resting her head on the headrest. "And, of course, I'm starving. Are we still going to the bistro on the pier you mentioned?"

[Tycho Auriville]

Tycho nodded and then did a double-take.

"I mean, unless you're not into it," he said. "It's kind of silly, I mean, you probably eat this kind of stuff all the time. Not that it's all you eat. I mean, you just said you love sashimi so obviously you have a very varied palette."

Fumbling awkwardly, Ty took a breath and tried to stop the spiral before it went out of control. "If you're up for it, I thought it'd be nice. It's quiet and the view's something else."

[Anna Fernandez]

"No, it is great. Sounds wonderful," Anna assured him, reaching over and patting his forearm before dropping her hand in her lap again. "I love the ocean... I don't get out there as much as I would like."

She didn't do a lot of things that she used to, come to think of it. Anna ran her fingers through her hair, a smile touching her lips again as they drove on towards the sun.

[Tycho Auriville]

"The House must keep you pretty much on a steady run," Tycho flicked the blinker and twisted to check behind him before merging into the right hand lane. Once they passed the old Replay Records it wasn't far before their turnoff, and it was a bitch to get over after the overpass with everyone speeding to make their exits.

"When was the last time you got out like this? On your own - sort of - with no obligations other than having a good time?"

[Anna Fernandez]

She blushed, eyes downcast for a moment before she straightened her neck. "Oh, I'd say it's been about fifteen weeks." Anna bit her lip, "Before that... I couldn't tell you. The House ...it takes up so much time."

She played with the ends of her hair. "I love working with the kids, don't get me wrong."

[Tycho Auriville]

Leave it to a woman to pin down an exact date like that. Tycho couldn`t even remember if he`d paid his electric bill yesterday or the day before, but here was Anna plucking a four-months gone experience out of the air like it was newly forged. A curl of fond amusement danced in his eyes.

"I don`t think anyone could doubt your sincerity with your kids," Tycho said. It was the first thing that had struck him about the House, it`s honest stalwartness and the care and attention that was crammed into every worn nook and cranny. That same nurturing selflessness rolled off Anna in waves. "Doesn`t mean you don`t need a break now and again."

The cab shuddered a little as the truck`s tires glided over a rumble strip, Tycho guiding it down the exit ramp.

"So. In the interest of having a good time, gimme the scoop. The guide to making a good impression with Anna Fernandez, so to speak," Ty grinned. "A crash course in deal-breakers so I don`t end having a glass of water tossed on my brand new shirt."

[Anna Fernandez]

"Ha!" Anna laughed, "Well, it is quite a list, I hope you have some paper and a pen. Lets see..."

She held up a hand so she could tick off items with her fingers. "I really hate rap music. And if you make fun of my weight... Well, you'll end up wearing your dinner." Anna laughed, "I don't know! Deal breakers? No, no, you have already passed the initial tests.

"And no, I'm not telling you what those were," she added mischieviously.

[Tycho Auriville]

"Well, there go all my jokes..." Ty heaved a heavy sigh. A moment later saw him fending off an attack from his right and he laughed, holding up an arm and waving it in supplication. "Kidding, kidding! I would never..."

The rapscallion gleam in his face had less to do with the comedic interlude and more kinship with the fact that he`d cleared the first hurdle. The world of female preliminary consent was strange and varied. No man had a chance at deciphering the landscape beyond a few basic rules (don`t stare at sisters, mothers are always lovely, no sports conversation until after the third date unless she brings it up.)

"And now you`re keeping me in the dark over your hidden criteria!" Tycho clucked his tongue and shook his head. "I feel like now is a good time to mention that keeping secret ratings about me is numero uno on my list of no-go`s. Thirty minutes in and you`re on strike one, Ms. Fernandez..."

[Anna Fernandez]

She laughed, then sighed dramatically. "Oh no, lo voy a hacer?" Anna tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't.

"Well, the first 'tests'" she put air quotes around the word with her fingers, "you must pass are simple. Mostly physical," she raised an eyebrow but refused to look at him directly. "Tall, good teeth. Healthy. Good smile...easy laugh."

Anna was quiet for a moment, and added, "Knows how to put a roof on a house..."

[Tycho Auriville]

"So basically what you`re saying here is you spend all your time objectifyin` me..." Tycho grinned and shrugged. "Not that I can blame you. No wonder you were so distracted today."

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna shrugged. "It's not my fault you insist on walking around on my roof in your t-shirts and jeans, looking... hot."

She pretended to fan herself, a little pink in the cheek that didn't have anything to do with the summer heat, and added, "What about you? What hidden criteria did I have to pass?" She turned in her seat to look at him a bit more directly.

[Tycho Auriville]

He kept as straight a face as he could, lips jerking at the corners like gleeful marionettes.<br /> <br /> "Well, obviously you had to be a good cook," Ty said in a voice of scholarly import. "I like my women in the kitchen. And the fact that you own your own home was a <i>huge</i> point in your favor. Plus, since we`re being brutally honest tonight, you had to look good. What`s a house and hot food without sex appeal?"<br /> <br /> It was as though his reservation in purgatory was being inscribed on stone tablets. Ty manfully carried on.<br /> <br /> "Jury`s still out on the gardening skills. I`m waiting to see who wins in the battle royale , you or the slugs."

[Anna Fernandez]

She laughed, and raised a fist in a threatening manner. "You better watch it, I will hit you and we will crash and I will not feel guilty about it!" Anna tagged him lightly on the shoulder, and added, "I am a very good gardener. Well, my Papa is, anyway," she amended.

"But I have been doing just fine for years," Anna said, with a touch of pride. "Of course, the slug thing..." she shuddered. "I am sorry you had to see that, to be honest. Being pregnant means that I cry over the silliest things."

[Tycho Auriville]

Tycho nodded and gave a little shrug of his shoulders, face still shadowed with a playfulness that felt easy. The nervous wriggles that had settled in his gut earlier were quickly knitting cocoons and stowing away, replaced by a tentative warmth that was a rare beast on first dates.

Unwilling to let the atmosphere die, Ty let out an empathetic breath. "Don't worry about it. I cry all the time too, and I don't even have an excuse. When Harry Met Sally came on TNT the other day and that New Years Eve scene? Gets me every time."

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna laughed, settling back into the seat and propping her elbow up on the lip of the window. "You will make fun of me," she said, "But I have never seen that movie. All I know about it is that one line - 'I'll have what she's having.'"

She chuckled, shrugging her shoulders at his incredulous look. "I don't watch a lot of movies. There never seems to be time."

[Tycho Auriville]

Tycho blanched. "Seriously? You've never seen When Harry Met Sally?"

Anna shook her head, face innocently blank. He glanced at her suspiciously and waited it out. Maybe she was kidding. He'd never met anyone who hadn't seen Billy Crystal annoy the shit out of Meg Ryan, ultimately sealing their fate to one another. It was the only film he knew of that was both a solid chick flick and also awesome.

Anna remained stubbornly insistent for an entire two blocks while he probed, the banks of kitschy trinket shops that lined the tourist district giving way to a soft-lit boardwalk that traced along the old harbour edge. It hadn't been used as a shipping port for decades, not since all the commercial contracts had moved over to San Pedro, but the community had seen it put to good use. Where once old planking had lined the waterfront now lay coral-hued cobblestones, marked every few feet by a commemorative limestone brick engraved with the names of sponsors who had helped transform the historic strip. Benches lined the path and a grassy pavilion had been set up next to the pier - now reinforced with attractive iron plates and strung up with twinkle lights - where live music played on Saturday nights.

With the absurd determination of a man on a mission, Ty jerked the truck into a little parking lot sandwiched between the end of the boardwalk and a small coffee stand. He shifted the truck into park and turned to face Anna. There was nothing but solid faith etched on his face as he announced, "Tomorrow we're going to Blockbuster."

Before Anna could come up with a reason to resist he unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the Toyota, coming around it's front to her door. It stuck a bit as he opened it, humidity catching on the passenger-side clasp. "You haven't lived," Ty grinned, offering his hand, "until you've seen that movie."

[Anna Fernandez]

"I feel muy vivo," she said skeptically, putting her hand in his and letting him help her out of the truck. In fact, as he didn't release her hand immediately once she was firmly on the ground, she did feel very alive. Anna inhaled the sea air, her eyes closing slightly for a moment as Tycho closed up the truck.

"I have wanted to see it," she admitted, a twinkle in her eye as he led her toward the boardwalk. "So, if you don't completely blow it tonight then sure, we can watch it tomorrow." Anna winked at him.

[Tycho Auriville]

"Ha - pressure's on, then," Ty slipped his keys in his pocket and gently put a hand on Anna's back, pressed a light pressure against the soft sway to indicate they were heading toward the right before his touch politely retreated. His fingertips felt like they were buzzing, kissed with a transverse vibration of electricity.

Taverna Can Margarit was a small restaurant, it's front a tastefully understated collaboration of dark wood and stone. There were a few tables outside under an awning, antique wine barrels with farmhouse spools of wood serving as tops. Through the front window the rustic decor continued, walls rough and unpolished but somehow welcoming in their natural state under the golden light cast by the hanging farmhouse chandeliers and hewn candles adorning the bar.

The door was propped open by a whitewashed beach stone and Tycho motioned Anna in. They were greeted by a smiling, dark-haired hostess from behind the bar.

"Benvinguts a Taverna Can Margarit! Would you folks like a table?"

Tycho smiled and nodded. "I made a reservation - Auriville?"

"For two? Would you like to sit inside or on the back patio tonight?" The girl looked up with a smile and then lowered her voice and jerked her head at the glass doors that were open to a deck over the ocean. "Night like tonight where there's no wind, I recommend out there. It's gorgeous."

Tycho looked at Anna. "Up to you."

[Anna Fernandez]

"Outside," she said without hesitation. "Its so beautiful tonight."

The hostess nodded, gathered menus and indicated that they should follow her, getting them settled at one of the outside tables on the deck. The sun was beginning to set, just starting to turn the sky slightly pink and orange. Anna settled in her chair, her eyes drinking in the waves that were rolling up gently on the beach below them. There was something magical about the beach - she'd always thought so, even as a little girl.

"Oh, it is muy bonita," she said softly, tearing her eyes away from the glittering water and to her menu.

[Tycho Auriville]

It was beautiful, seascape caught between the high sparkles of afternoon and the silver gilding of nightfall. With the bleeding sun pouring out over it in fiery shades of citrus the ocean had become a swaying smudge of oil pastel, dark waves lapping at the pylons of the pier in soft sighs. The briny clean smell of salt filled the cooling air, mixing with the deeper, strangely earthy scent of seaweed and it seemed to sharpen the edges of everything it encompassed, heighten one's awareness of the slowly waning day.

Tycho's stomach seized hold of the brisk awakening and he was suddenly famished. Just in time the hostess came back with a dish of mixed olives, green and black gems nestled in golden oil, and a basket of pa amb tomàquet. The grilled sourdough rounds were fragrant with a roasted garlic and fresh tomato spread, cracked black pepper dusting the top.

"Yeah," Tycho nodded his agreement. "The food here is great but honestly, with a view like this they could serve Kraft Dinner and it'd be worth it."

He meant that as it sounded but found that he couldn't tear his eyes away from Anna as he spoke, and the way she traced a corner of the menu with her finger thoughtfully as she studied it, hair framing her face softly. The view was definitely the Taverna's best feature, especially tonight.

[Anna Fernandez]

The menu was full of things her Mama would make, and Anna studied it for a few minutes before looking up and catching Tycho looking at her. She smiled, a little pink in her cheeks, and raised an eyebrow before returning her attention to the menu.

Their waitress arrived, a bottle of Pinot Grigio in hand and a smile on her face. "Hello! My name is Amber, and I'll be your server today. Would you like some wine?" She looked at Anna, and added, "We have red as well, whatever you'd like. And I can take your order whenever you'd like... If you need a few more minutes..?"

Anna smiled, "Oh, no wine for me, thank you. Water is fine."

[Tycho Auriville]

"For me, too," Ty nodded at the bubbly server. He was driving anyway but beyond that, it just didn't seem right to drink vino alone on a date. "And I'm ready - Anna?"

The menu was really just a formality. He'd eaten here enough over the last six months that he didn't even need to look at it to know exactly what he wanted. No matter how many new specials the brilliant Javier - the chef and owner, husband of the Margarit from whom the restaurant borrowed it's name - came up with, Tycho remained a steadfast devotee of the conill amb herbes al vi negre, rabbit cooked in red wine and herbs and served over rice with roasted aubergine and peppers. Why deviate from a beautiful thing?

[Anna Fernandez]

She nodded, "Yes, I am ready. I will have the ollada, it looks delicious. With a salad - italian dressing, of course," she grinned.

Tycho ordered a rabbit dish, and took her menu to give to their server, who promised their food would be ready before too long. Anna stole a bit of pa amb tomàquet, biting into it's savory loveliness. "Mmm, it's so good. Reminds me of my grandmother's house when I was young."

She thought about that a moment and then said, "You know, it occurs to me that I have no idea how old you are." Anna took another bite of the appetizer and chewed, eying Tycho thoughtfully.

[Tycho Auriville]

"Me? I'm 23." Ty beamed and took a sip of his ice water, eyes skirting away to look at the broad stretch of ocean. He managed to keep a straight face for a full thirty seconds before Anna's expression goaded a laughing breath.

Shaking his head, Tycho assured her, "Nah, I'm kidding. I'll be thirty in November. And wow, that... seems very strange." Having successfully shaken himself up, he turned his attention back to less daunting realities. "What about you - you are legal, right? I'm not going to arrested if we get caught together?"

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna laughed, "Oh, now you are shamelessly trying to flatter me. I'm thirty, thirty-one in December." She wrinkled her nose a bit as she shook her head at him. "You had me going there for a minute. I was pretty sure you were older than twenty-three but then..."

She laughed again. "You never know! Stranger things have happened." Anna sipped her water and added, "You had better be nice to me, I'm just an old woman..."

[Tycho Auriville]

"A whole year older than me, I dunno. That's a little risky, people's tongues might start waggin'," Tycho raised his brows.

They both reached for the olives at the same time and their hands bumped against one another. Ty pulled his back, waiting for her to fish out her quarry before he snagged a Manzanilla.

He popped the green flesh into his mouth and licked olive oil from his fingers, the richness of it a relief after the salty burst. "So, when did your family move here, to the US?"

[Anna Fernandez]

The brush of his hand had given her a little thrill, like she was sixteen again. "1989. We all became citizens the next year, just before my brother Antonio was born. It was very exciting."

Anna snagged another olive. "I was not thrilled about the move though. I had to leave behind my friends, grandmother... and Rudy, the neighbor boy." She sighed dramatically. "He had such beautiful brown eyes. He kissed me in my grandmother's yard just before we left for America."

Anna raised her eyebrows a bit. "So, you know. The bar has been set very high." She ate her olive and asked, "What about you? When was your first kiss?" She grinned mischievously at him from across the table.

[Tycho Auriville]

Rudy sounded like a dramatic douche. What sort of dude gave a girl an emigration kiss? That was like shooting every other guy to come in the foot because who could top a moment like that? And in grandma's yard too. Just pile on the sentimentality.

The conversation had taken an intimate twist. Tycho ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck as he conjured up Sarah Bowerman's face. She'd had strawberry-blond hair and a hint of a lisp that made her self-conscious enough to carry herself with a quiet awkwardness that he'd found irresistible. And she hadn't been so shy once you got to know her. Loved Hemingway.

"Uh, I was fourteen," he said, clearing his throat. "It was... an experience."

[Anna Fernandez]

"Mm," she shook her finger at him while she swallowed her water, and then set the glass down. "Oh no, you will have to share more details I am afraid. Fourteen? I feel so much more experienced, first kiss at twelve."

She looked at him expectantly, a smile on her face.

[Tycho Auriville]

"I was a late bloomer," Ty defended with a wry smile. "And.. I'm not sure that the story is really... dinner conversation."

His reluctance just added more fuel to the fire though and there was a delighted expression on Anna's face that he recognized, a sort of dogged determination to exploit the situation for all it was worth. That was proof positive right there that she could hold her own with all those brothers.

"Well, Sarah - that was her name - and I were y'know, making out. We were supposed to be working on a science project on organic combustion and it seemed a fitting detour," Tycho grinned. "So anyway, I was... exploring the territory and during my navigation I accidentally uh, turned her..." he trailed off and glanced around before gesturing discreetly at his chest with both hands, "into gold."

Aware that his face was colouring, Ty shook his head ruefully. "She freaked out. And that's how I confirmed I was a mutant."

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna's eyebrows raised higher, and her mouth made a little O shape. "Well... that..." She narrowed her eyes. "Was it permanent? And that... doesn't happen any more, does it?"

She quickly waved away her questions, not wanting to make him more uncomfortable. "I discovered my ability by freezing a girl's arm solid. Not while making out," she added, with a wink.

[Tycho Auriville]

"Always seems to happen in some traumatic way the first time, doesn't it?" Tycho said. He pointed a finger at her. "And the answer to both of your very important questions is no, by the way."

[Anna Fernandez]

She grinned, "That is... good to know." Her cheeks colored slightly, and she looked out over the ocean, the sun dipping ever lower and a myriad of colors staining the sky. It was gorgeous, but she wanted nothing more than to turn back to Tycho and gaze into his eyes.

Possibly forever.

She blushed a little more, hoped he didn't notice, and sipped her water.

[Tycho Auriville]

They were caught there, in a tangled moment of uncertain comfort and Tycho was suddenly struck, watching the gentle lines of Anna's profile and the way her hair tumbled in the warm summer breeze, by just how far out of his league he really was. By all rights a guy like him - tumbledown and rootless, blowing through one town after the other with a restless unease - shouldn't have even been a consideration for a woman like her, all self-aware strength and purpose. And yet, here they were.

Their eyes met and before they could do the shuffling laugh and aversion of those having been caught trying to sneak a glance, their waitress arrived bearing white ceramic dishes filled with bright, fragrant food.

"Here we go. Ollada," Amber set a bowl in front of Anna, steam rising in plumes from the top, and then set Tycho's plate down. "And the conill. Can I get you two anything else?"

"Could we have some more water, please?" Tycho smiled and Amber nodded, threading away with the promise that she'd be right back. She disappeared into the restaurant and Ty inhaled the lovely richness of the food, sharpened by the ocean and a sweet breath of something drifting over from a patisserie on the corner. He smiled as he picked moved his cutlery to one side, unfolding the napkin below. "Confession: I wasn't sure you'd agree to come tonight. But I'm really glad you did."

[Anna Fernandez]

Anna smiled a little, putting her napkin in her lap and pulling the bowl of stew a little closer. "I was not sure I would either," she said softly. "But after I met your mother, cómo podría yo decir que no?"

She laughed at the expression on his face, and waved her hand as if to dismiss the previous sentence. "No, no, honestly... good food, good company -" Anna met his eyes and held the contact for a few moments. "It was an easy decision to say yes."

Their waitress returned and refilled their glasses, and Anna waited for the girl to leave again before bowing her head for a silent prayer of thanks over her food.

[Tycho Auriville]

The wash of rolling Spanish moved by too quickly for Ty to catch it entirely, but he didn't hear loca or aterrador so he took it as a good sign. Besides, Anna was laughing - a quicksilver sound that turned in the air and slipped down his throat like honeywine.

He waited politely while she prayed. Growing up in the isolated backcountry outside of Taos with a free-spirited folk singer as a parent meant that Tycho had a broad respect for the spiritual; but 'religious' wasn't a term he felt comfortable qualifying himself with.

When she finished, he picked up his fork and shifted the rabbit on his plate, mingling the sauce.

"You've got to try some of this," Ty said, prongs gliding through the meat like butter to cut a bite. "It's like every good thing in the world wrapped up in a blanket of heaven and put on a plate."

[Anna Fernandez]

She was inhaling the drifting scent of the ollada, a rich and hearty beef stew full of vegetables and potatoes. "Mmm, if its anything like mine I believe you." Tycho secured the meat on his fork and extended it across the table towards her.

Anna obediently leaned forward, putting a finger against the edge of the fork to steady it as she carefully took the bite in her mouth. She chewed. "Oh, that is good. I have not had conejo since..." She thought for a moment. "I have no idea. A long time." Anna licked her lips and then dabbed at them with her napkin.

She looked down at her stew and then across the table to his plate. "You better eat it fast, I may decide to steal it if you get distracted." Anna grinned, using her spoon to stir her food a little, releasing little puffs of steam as she did so.

[Tycho Auriville]

Tycho narrowed his eyes and brandished his fork in the air. "I dare you to try, Ms. Fernandez. I've seen Star Wars about three million times and I've got wicked good lightsaber skills. You don't stand a chance."

[Anna Fernandez]

She giggled at his antics, and dug into her bowl. "Ooh, never mind, this is fantástico." They ate their meals in companionable silence, giving the food due reverence as they consumed it, interspersed with teasing remarks and light conversation.

As Tycho perused the check their waitress brought over, Anna sat back, feeling immensely satisfied. "Oh no," she moaned, rubbing her prominent belly, "I ate too much. It was so good. Why didn't you stop me?"

[Tycho Auriville]

"If there's one thing I've learned," Tycho remarked, slipping his Visa into the slot between the billfold, "It's never to get between a woman and her food. I expect that's doubly true if said woman is eating for two."

He winked and presently Amber returned with his credit card. Tycho left her tip on the table, weighed down under the glass bowl centerpiece, and then offered his hand to Anna. "Best cure for a full stomach is a walk, or so they say. Pier looks pretty nice."

[Anna Fernandez]

"Gracias," she said, taking his hand and getting to her feet. "A walk sounds perfect."

The sun had set during their meal, only a faint gleam of lighter blue remained where the sky met the ocean, and the breeze was cool. Anna had forgotten how temperate the beach was compared to the oven that was Los Santos, and wished she had brought a light sweater with her. Tycho held her hand as they walked down toward the pier, and she felt content. No - happy.

[Tycho Auriville]

Where the Atlantic ocean had a wistful sort of beauty, all misty grey and deep stone blue peppered by screeching gulls and a crisp fold to the air, the Pacific was as a wayward younger brother experiencing Hendrix for the first time. It had a warm, lazy strength to it and as it bent through the extinguishing of day, took on a giddy pull like pub-mellowed students, rolling languid beneath the broad sky filling up with stars.

Tycho held the soft slip of Anna's hand and their feet brushed along the wooden planks of the pier, path illuminated by the tiny twinkling bursts of light threaded around the railing.

Lifting both of their hands ever so slightly to gesture at the horizon, Tycho said, "This is my favourite time. When the night hasn't sunk in yet and everything is sort of stuck halfway. It's quiet, peaceful; intimate."

[Anna Fernandez]

"It is beautiful," Anna agreed, breathing the salt air and trying to remember every detail, from the glimmer of city lights on the water to the warm strength of Tycho's hand around hers. "We used to take summer trips to the beach after we moved here. Lots of fun memories."

They stopped at the railing about halfway down the pier, and she leaned against it, peering down into the darkened water. "Its a long way down." Anna held his hand a little tighter as she looked down, a subconscious reflex brought on by her fear of heights.

[Tycho Auriville]

"Yeah, but the water'd break your fall," Ty squeezed her hand reassuringly and leaned over the railing edge, peering to the swirling water below as it rushed up and down the barnacle encrusted pilons. "Nothin' to worry about so long as you can swim. And I'm pretty sure this dock is sturdy, they've got really strict codes for marine structures."

Leaning over, he winked theatrically. "I know that 'cause I build stuff."

[Anna Fernandez]

"Oh, do you?" Anna gave him a friendly shove and he of course pretended she'd sent him over the edge. She squealed in spite of herself, tugging him away from the railing.

[Tycho Auriville]

Tycho laughed and without thinking tucked Anna under his arm, pulling her against his side. "First you try and keelhaul me, then you save my life? I'm getting mixed signals here."

[Anna Fernandez]

She laughed breathlessly against him, her heart still pounding in her throat. "Must be my mood swings, they can be vicious." Anna looked up at him, her arm going around him at his waist in an unconscious movement.

For a moment they were looking at each other, both laughing, and then the moment subtly changed as the laughter faded. Anna looked away first, flustered, and stared down toward the end of the pier, suddenly conscious of his body next to hers, his arm across her shoulders.

[Tycho Auriville]

"No, no, don`t - " Tycho stammered, a half-laugh tumbling from his lips even though a spike of irrational alarm had knit his ribs tightly and made it hard to catch a breath. All he knew was that it felt as though something kept slipping and he didn`t... didn`t want that happening here. Not with Anna, not with the lovely scent of her pressed against him so that he knew he`d be able to smell her perfume on his shirt for hours.

Tycho shook his head and gently curled a forefinger under Anna`s chin, guiding her eyes back. "Don`t." he whispered, lips quirking, "Just stay here. Let`s stay right here."

[Anna Fernandez]

She raised her eyes to his, wider than usual, and gave him a half smile. "I am not going anywhere." His eyes were warm liquid pools that seemed to have a gravitational hold on hers, drawing her in with every second that passed.

Anna parted her lips and breathed through her mouth softly. "I am finding that I am still afraid." She looked away again, but turned back to him quickly, studying the crinkles at the corners of his eyes, and the angles of his high cheekbones.

[Tycho Auriville]

"Afraid of what?" Tycho asked lowly, voice honey-over-gravel. Both arms looped around Anna but loosely, a presence not a pressure. "Pier isn`t gonna fall, remember?"

[Anna Fernandez]

"Oh," she said. "True. I just -"

[Tycho Auriville]

Anna`s voice was snatched from the air, Tycho`s lips thieving their efforts as he leaned down and kissed her. It was a thunderclap heartbeat of a thing, as unexpected to her as it was to him and yet it came as no surprise, not by the way everything seemed to slot into place so that it felt as though his entire life - all the miles and mistakes and bruises and laughs, all of it - seemed to be a culmination leading to this moment. The world was a footnote; there was only Anna, Anna wearing a blue dress and dark eyes that he wanted to drown in. The drum of the ocean wrapped around them like a cocoon, silencing the muted noises from the boardwalk .<br /> <br /> Tycho pulled back, hand tangled in her long hair and breath tumbling against her skin because she was everything and you didn`t stray more than a few milimeters away from the only other living soul left on the earth. "Still afraid?" he whispered, thumb tracing the soft outline of her lips.

[Anna Fernandez]

Más que nunca, she thought, pressing her cheek gently against the callused palm of his hand. And yet, with him so close that his breath was warm on her skin, words failed. Anna smiled against his thumb, her hesitation fading under a surge of electricity that crept up from the base of her spine to tingle along her skin as if she were a live wire arcing in a street after a storm.

She tilted her face up slightly, brushing his lips with hers almost gingerly, then more firmly as though she was remembering the steps to a dance she'd forgotten. He pulled her closer, holding her firmly but gently, the new roundness of her belly creating a space between them that could not be ignored.

[Tycho Auriville]

Beneath their feet the salt-cured planks seemed to sway and Tycho realized that Anna's fears were not unfounded. They were standing on a high place of unmarked ground and it wasn't such a hard thing to misstep, to trod where loose shale and eroded soil gave way to open air and a long tumble. Unease blushed across his skin, waking up nerve endings that trembled under the strain of trying to balance under the weight of a realization only half-formed.

His forehead bumped against hers and he closed his eyes, the press of Anna against his hands the only thing keeping him tethered to coherency.

"I don't want to..." Tycho let out a burst of breath, swallowed back a stopgap of needwant. "Don't want you to feel rushed. God, I can't even think straight around you."

[Anna Fernandez]

Eyes closed with their heads together, Anna felt as though they were an island, the sound of the waves the only other thing in the world. She nodded her head gently, unwilling to break the contact between them, her hands on his arms stopped halfway before she could encircle them around his neck.

"I know how you feel," she murmured, eyes finally opening and staring at his green ones - flecked with gold she could see now, and then she giggled, reaching up and touching his face. "You look like a cyclops this close."

[Tycho Auriville]

"Better be careful, then," Tycho laughed, hand rising to twine with hers like a loyal shadow. "They're supposed to be brutes."

He took a few steps back, pulling Anna with him, until he was leaning against the railing and she was comfortably snug against him. Even with the amber haze rising from the boardwalk lights the sky was filled with stars, a warm crosswind clearing the broad expanse of whiskery pulls of cloud.

Tycho brushed a cascade of hair from her face. "I've never done this before, you know," he said. "Never been much for putting down somewhere. Just didn't see the point or ever have much cause to make it appealing. But... if slow is good for you, I'd like to try, Anna. I meant what I said about more of this. About getting to know you and you getting to know me. "

[Anna Fernandez]

She was quiet for a few moments, standing there with him supporting her, comfortable in his arms. "I am okay with slow," she said at last. Taking it slow was ideal... the baby on the way made everything she did more complicated, and the last thing she wanted was for Tycho to think she was in a hurry to find a father figure for her infant.

"I don' want to rush into anything, or for you to feel any pressure." Anna hesitated, trying to choose the right words. "I really like you, Tycho. And I know there are ...'circumstances,'" she put air quotes around the word with her fingers, "here that..."

Her voice trailed off as she threaded her arms around him again. "Sí, slow is good." Anna flushed a little, hiding her face against his shoulder.

[Tycho Auriville]

In the pause that followed, Tycho tried to find a right way to articulate the web of thoughts weaving through his mind. Was there one? This was so far beyond his scope of experience, past anything remotely familiar. But they were both adults and the luxury of turning a blind eye wasn't afforded and more than that, he couldn't stand the thought that she might not feel a freedom.

"By circumstances you mean the baby, right?" Ty bumped her gently, enough to draw her attention. He stared into her face with an open acknowledgment and shrugged. "You're having a baby, Anna. That's a huge part of you, I mean, that's something so intimate that I don't think I could ever fully comprehend it. But it's a part of you. Just like the kids are a part of you, what you do for them. Trying to get to know you without those pieces is like trying to build a house with one nail.

"We take it slow," he said, and then shook his head. "But don't feel like you have to gloss over anything because of that."

[Anna Fernandez]

His words unlocked and released a tension inside her that she hadn't even been aware of. Relief was a cool balm to the parts that had secretly been under stress, and Dios mio, I am going to cry. Anna took a deep breath, looking away for a moment to will away the unshed tears that threatened to spill.

"Thank you, for that," she managed, her voice perhaps a little husky with her sudden emotion. Then she glared at him playfully. "A huge part of me, hmm? I can't believe you just said that. I mean, I'm not even halfway yet and you're already making comments about my size."

[Tycho Auriville]

Tycho winced and ruefully rubbed at his forehead as though a headache were coming on. "Must be the one-eyed bastard side of me showing through - quick!"

Releasing Anna, Tycho pointed to the other end of the dock and bent over with a grimace of pain. "Save yourself, Anna. It's too late for me - oh, no, hang on," spry as ever he stood up and cautiously patted his waist and chest for injury. When nothing grievous was found, Ty quirked a puzzled brow.

"Huh. Must've passed. Good thing, too. I'd have hated for our first night out to end in an epic, mythological battle."

[Anna Fernandez]

She laughed, pushing him a bit. "I would really hate to have to vanquish you. Because I would win, of course."

He caught her hand and she let him pull her close again, both of them grinning and laughing like kids half their ages. Tycho tipped her face up with a finger under her chin, kissing her again, and she closed her eyes, surrendering to the moment.

Take it slow? She wanted to take it so slow that time itself might stop and strand them in this moment of flirtations and first kisses. She wasn't sure what this was, or what it might grow to be in time, but she realized that she wanted nothing more than to find out.