First Impressions [Lucas]

[Lucas Blacke]

He felt his eyes widen at the suggestion and almost felt like he was looking through the wrong end of a pair of binoculars. She wanted what? Was she talking about a date-date? It wasn't hard to look beyond the mention of there not being any sweaty bodies or jumping, but still. She freaking got the gist of it. And what more, it didn't have her backing down like it would other girls if a random guy showed up and said stuff like this, but he wasn't just a random guy to her anymore, was he? He'd started out as random but then she was taking a look at his past and he suddenly stopped feeling like a random guy talking to a random girl. And now what, she wanted a date?!

He was stumped and left alone at the booth as she took off, calling it a date yet again which snapped him back to reality. ''Y-yeah, be right there!'' He very nearly yelled back as he decided to let his cup of tea stand there without taking another sip before leaving and following Kate.

When he got outside he saw her sitting on a bench. The girl that had spontaniously asked for a date. A date. It still had him quite speechless as he took a seat on the bench and tilted his head back to see what she was looking at -the stars. If they'd stay there the entire night it'd be perfect, no expectations, no needs, nothing. Just two people on a bench enjoying the night sky, they could potentially sit there without talking. Or so Luke thought when a question entered his mind.

''So Kate, did ya want to know 'bout my power?'' He asked her without taking his mind from the sky. Normally he'd tell people at the mere mention of their power, but this one, this one had to ask.

[Kate Warren]

Kate didn't need to look away from the mesmerizing stars to know that the shift of weight on the bench next to her was Lucas. There was something intoxicating about the night air that brought out a side of her that felt far less stressful than the perfection-craving Kate. She glanced over at the boy sitting next to her and smiled, even though it was dark and he probably could barely see it.

"I thought you were a mind reader." She teased, reflecting on their previous encounter where he'd guessed her power without even realizing it. Of course she wanted to know about his power, she'd just been waiting for the right time to ask if he wasn't eager to tell her all on his own. "Well, unfortunately I only have the power to read memories, not minds, so what is your power?" She asked curiously, staring at him in the dim light that the fading streetlight provided.

Kate wondered vaguely what time it was, but brushed the thought off. It was better this way, not worrying about any responsibilities that she had to honor the next day. This was dangerous, this was new, but it was refreshing. Being perfect was getting awfully boring and stressful, and even if this only lasted one night, she was grateful for the temporary freedom.

"What about me?" She asked, moving her gaze from him back up to the sky. "I know so much about your past already, it hardly seems fair that you barely know me." She was still a stranger to him in many ways, but that wasn't his fault. He wasn't a retrocog, like her.

[Lucas Blacke]

She probably thought he didn't really see her due to the dark nature of the night, that he wouldn't see her glance over to him as he sat down. Obviously he did see and notice, not only because he did the same thing but because he picked up on movement if he needed to copy it. His sight wasn't any better in the dark, but the mere outline of a person was enough to know how they moved when they did so. So when she looked and smiled, so did he. In fact, he mirrorred her.

He pulled his eyes away from the sky as she finally asked about his power and was about to reply, only to let her finish any thought she had and voice it before opening his own mouth. As the air blew by him he figured that it was true, that it was a bit unfair that she was a stranger still. But was she really? He had opened up to her about his family, he wouldn't do that with a stranger. He felt it was fair enough that she knew this as he shook his head lightly to indicate that he knew what he needed to know.

''I know plenty, Kate.'' He said, not yet talking about his own power. ''I know ya like readin', love caffeine, rarely listen to music from after the year 2000, love workin' out an' have retrocognition.'' He told her with a smile which she maybe saw but maybe didn't, he wasn't quite sure on that one. Unfortunately, like she so eloquently put, she only had the power to read memories.

''An' judgin' by how ya responded to me tellin' ya 'bout my uncle an' parents I'm gonna assume ya come from a difficult family as well.'' He snickered lightly at the mention of his own family being difficult and not downright impossible.

''See, my power allows me to pick up on that sorta stuff. Know of photographic memories? Well, I have that an' the ability to move like whatever I see. This also means that I pick up on even the smallest movements, like the movements yer nose makes, or where yer eyes look, or what yer hands do an' what they want to do. I might not be able to predict what, when or where,'' He took her hand and just simply held it with his own.

''but observing comes a long way.''

[Kate Warren]

Kate was grateful for the darkness, because as he listed things about her she felt heat raise to her cheeks and she blushed. So, he did listen when she spoke. That meant something to her, more than he could possibly understand. He paid attention to her, as opposed to her family who didn't care that she was an individual. They didn't care that she liked books and music, because they didn't love her. Sometimes she thought they must be robots, which would explain their inability to feel or show emotion. Oh, so that's where Kate gets that quality from. She's part robot.

"That's the nicest thing anyone has told me." She said softly, her eyes dropping to her hands that lay crumpled in her lap. This was dangerous. She was feeling things that she shouldn't allow herself to feel, because the second she did she would no longer be in complete control. Control was not easy for her to surrender.

"A difficult family, yes." She said distantly, quietly, almost a whisper. She didn't laugh like he did, because the wounds were deep and she wasn't ready to laugh about it. She did, however, push away the pain that came with thinking about her past and paste on a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. When he changed the subject to his power, she was grateful.

"Assumed muscle memory, then?" She said with unmasked fascination in her tone. "I've always thought that would be a neat power. You must be good at everything physical, then." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, and sounded more suggestive than she had intended. When he took her hand, she stared at their intertwined fingers. The touching was nice. It was new. Kate let it go on for a moment before pulling away and walking to the streetlight, hanging lazily from the pole. It was almost like a spotlight.

"There is something you don't know about me, Lucas." She said with a smile, spinning once around the pole. "I'm a dancer. Ballet, primarily. Although assumed muscle memory would make it so much easier." She had to rely on repetition and memory. She envied his power. Kate watched him from her spot under the light.

"Dance with me."

[Lucas Blacke]

The mention of her family, though indicative of him listening to her, seemed to upset her a bit. While she didn't show how much it did to her she went silent and stern for only a moment before doing what Luke had painfully done so many times before. Fake a smile, and he knew exactly how it looked, what it felt like to have to put one on, not showing people anything below the surface. Oh how he wished she didn't do that, how he wished she didn't hide anything no matter how painful. She didn't have to try and keep things from him to be perfect, in his eyes she already was.

''Sorry for bringin' it up.'' He said in a hushed tone, referring to the family bit. ''Ya know I'm here for ya right?'' He added though he quickly went on to talk about his own power and he did notice she was grateful for that, so he dropped the family talk alltogether for now. Maybe that'd come at a later date.

When she guessed his power in one go Luke nodded twice, once about her saying it was a neat power and the second time at him being good at everything physical. If only she knew. Yet he had no intention of showing her just yet. Not those things anyway.

It lasted a mere moment before she pulled away and got up, but their fingers had been intertwined and all he could think of was that she had allowed it and not just pulled away at the very second they made contact. As she got up though, she moved to a streetlight and hung from it, spinning around as she told him with a smile that there was something he didn't know about her.

He instantly wondered what it was when she cut short his thoughts and told him she was a dancer, a ballet dancer, specifically. He'd actually known one of those before, however short that was so he knew what that entailed.

What she sid next made him get up with a smile though; she wanted him to dance with her. ''I can do that..'' He said with a smile as he moved closer to the girl on the pole. He moved his hands to be around her waist and pulled her close, moving his head closer to hers as he could almost feel her every breath.

''When we part, an' the night is done. The stars old an' bright. When that moment comes, I will dance with ya. An' that's a promise.'' And a promise it was. One he wouldn't soon break as it pained him to let go of her and step back a bit.

[Kate Warren]

She wanted to tell him not to be sorry, that everything was alright with her and her world was as perfect as it looked from and outside point of view, but it simply wasn't. She wanted to tell him that she appreciated his concern for her well being, but she couldn't accept that kind of care from him. The moment had passed from that nonsense, and this was not a suitable conversation for a first date anyways.

Kate watched him, her hand numbing as it gripped the frosty cold pole. She smiled with just her eyes as he met her to follow through with her silly request. She'd never been looked at like this before. Maybe she was stupid for allowing herself to be affected by him like this, but in moments like these she didn't care. She didn't want to care. Part of her wanted to believe that this wasn't too good to be true, that she would be able to feel this kind of happiness forever without faking it. This night would eventually end, and she had to prepare herself for that, but for now she let go of every concern that surrounded it.

"I'm sure you can." She said with a nod and an amused grin, almost like she was on the verge of laughing. His touch took away any silliness that she'd felt, and it was like everything slowed down. He sounded like a poet. She stared into his glistening eyes, just inches from his face. She studied every part of this moment. His hands on her waist, where nobody had ever touched her. The sound of only his poetic words and then only their breathing against each other. If she only leaned forward a tiny bit, it would all change from an innocent first date to something unknown to her...

When he pulled away, she gently took his arm and tugged him back. She wanted him close again, selfishly enough. "It's cold." She said, and it was, but it was still a lame excuse.

"Are you a poet, Lucas Blacke?" She asked, half jokingly, hesitantly leaning her head on his chest. This couldn't end. Not yet.

[Lucas Blacke]

When he had promised her a dance when the night would end he decided to pull back in case it became a bit too much for a first date. He didn't want to let go of her, he really didn't but he needed to unless he was okay making her uncomfortable, funnily enough one of the last things he thought he'd be wrong on. As he pulled back, she had grabbed his arm and pulled him back in with the excuse that it was cold. Well, she obviously used it as an excuse, but it was actually cold so he figured she had a valid point as she leaned her head on his chest.

He looked down with a smile as she asked if he was a poet, and it was clearly a joke. But one he answered seriously anyway despite not wanting anyone else to answer him if he made a joke like that, unless in a sarcastic manner. ''I might be.'' He replied as he slowly took her head off his chest and moved his hand up over her coat. ''Not that hard to make things sound beautiful though, 'cause, well..'' He hesitated a moment. ''Yer makin' them look beautiful.''

His hand finally reached the zipper of her coat and grabbed it gently, him looking into her eyes teasing, wanting, almost asking. ''I'll better be able to warm ya without this in the way.'' He said as he opened up her coat and wrapped his arms underneath it and around her waist, putting one hand in the small of her back as he pushed her against him.

It was difficult for him to imagine she was the one that almost asked him to stay, move closer. To prolong the moment. It was difficult to admit.

Not difficult to oblige.

[Kate Warren]

The part of Kate that wanted to rebel against the part of her that wanted to leave this irresponsible first date was growing stronger. She remembered reading something in church, when she used to go, about temptations. About how they were bad things disguised as good, like the fruit in the garden that Eve ate and damned the human race. If Kate was Eve, then Lucas was the fruit, and she wanted a taste even if it damned the careful tendency she had to analyze every decision she made for its potential outcome.

"No, I think it was the words." She whispered with a small smile, moving the conversation away from her. The compliment was nice, though, even if she had trouble accepting it. He was different from her in that way, from what she saw. His confidence was as attractive as his physique.

Then his hands were on her and she felt the tug of her zipper as it lowered, revealing her t-shirt that faintly glowed in the dim light. She almost pulled away, nervous about what he might try to do, but she stayed out of curiosity. She felt the warmth from his hands through the thin material as he pulled her closer. Thousands of things raced through her mind as he did this. Did she tell him that nobody had ever held her like this? Did he already know? Damn, her inexperience must be showing.

Kate moved one hand up to her face, the other resting against his heart. In this moment, she decided not to care about the consequences, or that she'd just met him. All she wanted to care about was the blue eyed boy in front of her that made her feel alive. She ran her thumb across the faint stubble of his jaw and smiled.

"You are a bad influence on me." She teased, to mask the fact that her heart was beating fast against her chest.

And then she kissed him.

[Lucas Blacke]

''Words are just that; words. They are made special by who listens to them.'' He replied softly with a smile as she tried to move it away from her, but as he held her he would make sure that everything about that night was about her. Him thanking her for being there when he needed it, thanking her for who she was when he needed it, needed her. Were he given a choice he would hold her and never let go, never let the chance there was something more slip like words that weren't meant to be spoken.

On top of cherishing this moment, this moment where he held her close and made it all about her, which she deserved, he would make it both count and last. Make sure they had both something to go on, to base the memory of each other on. One perfect moment. He would slowly lean in closer to her, make her anticipate what was going to come next when she looked at him, ran her thumb over his chin..

He was tempted to withdraw one of his arms to take the hand on his face, the retrocog touching him once more. He wanted to know this was real and not just some wicked dream or fluke, a real chance at something, even if slightly fast. But she was the one moving, he was just following the motions.

Then she told him he was a bad influence on her. He shook his head at that statement and smiled. ''No, Kate. Yer a good influence on me.''

And she kissed him right then instead of him kissing her. He'd widen his eyes slightly but quickly give in to the moment, the moment that was previously about getting to know each other and dancing and stars, was now about them. Just them. He returned the kiss and let it last for as long as possible, nearly running out of breath before finally pulling back.

He put one hand on her cheek and inhaled deeply as he smiled at her, staring into her eyes.

[Kate Warren]

The kiss was long, and left her wanting more. She opened her eyes and watched for his reaction, unsure of her reasoning for kissing him in the first place. This was moving way too fast and she was the only one to blame for getting caught up in her own head and the faint urge she had to rebel that was growing. Kate dropped her hand from his cheek and pulled away, for good this time. She shook her head, declaring the kiss a mistake. A mistake that felt damn good, she thought.

The fact that she had been so stupid astonished her. Vivian would be shaking her head if she knew exactly where her daughter was at this time and what she was doing. Kataline Warren was not someone who got swept off her feet by boys, and she was most certainly not somebody who kissed them. She felt beyond embarrassed to have gotten herself into this situation and acted like some easy bimbo.

Kate kept shaking her head and backing away from him. She needed to get out, to get away from this temptation. She bit her lip and stared at him, searching for any sign of regret on his end. "I'm sorry, that was stupid. I don't know what's gotten into me tonight. Must have been the tea." She made a half hearted attempt at a joke, but the humor just wasn't there.

"It's getting late. I need to go. It was nice meeting you, Lucas." Kate said, giving a weak smile and reassuring nod. With that, she left him before he could say anything more. She needed to clear her head. As quickly as she came, her alter ego left and was replaced with the reasonable Kate, who knew her actions tonight would have serious consequences.