She stared at him, not entirely sure she'd heard him right, feeling her jaw slowly drop until her mouth hung open. After catching flies for a few moments, she snapped it shut quickly, that blush renewing itself as as she fidgeted, shy and acutely aware of her heart beating hard and fast beneath her shirt. "You do?"

"Yes," he replied, his heart constricting with nervous apprehension. She loves me, she loves me not....He tried to remember what Rufus had told him only a few short hours ago. Take it slow; let her lead the way. "I've known for a while, but..." He frowned, terrified she'd reject him, despite admitting her growing feelings for him. "I was afraid you didn't feel the same way, and I didn't want to pressure you or make you feel awkward. I didn't want to ruin things between us. I didn't want to break your trust or assume too much."

"I-I thought you didn't like me like that," she hurried to say, right on the heels of his words. "I mean, you hold me when we're sleeping, but you let go as soon as I wake up, and it seems like you can't wait to get away from me. And just now, when you came in" I wanted you to kiss me, and I thought you might, but you turned away, and ....Well, how the hell am I supposed to know that means you love me" I'm too busy loving you and trying not to make a mess of things to take the lead as well, you know!"

"It's not like that at all!" he replied, taking one step closer before forcing himself to come to a halt. "It's not that I don't like you. It's that I like you too much. I was afraid to kiss you, afraid if I told you how I feel, you'd leave." He took another tentative step closer. "The truth is, I was afraid of losing you, but you weren't really mine to lose."

"I don't want to leave," Kaylee confessed in a soft whisper, looking down at her hands once again. She had never felt this awkward, this nervous, when confessing her feelings before now. Did that mean that this time they were truly real" She'd asked herself over and over again whether or not she loved Taylor for himself, or for what he represented to her, and over and over again had come back with the same answer. She couldn't see her future without him to hold a light to it. Everything was dark without Taylor, and darkness was the one thing she couldn't face anymore. "I love you. I can't not be with you. You-you're the voice in my head keeping me going, you're my light. I don't want to embrace the darkness, I want to embrace you. But only if you want me."

He had asked himself those same questions, in the still of the night when she was asleep, curled up beside him and he laid there wide awake, listening to her breath, praying she wouldn't wake up screaming. Praying he wouldn't wake up screaming. Did he only love her because of what she'd been through' Because she was the one person who could truly understand him' Or was it something more than that' If and when they put an end to all this, would they still feel the same" Would she still love him then" But like her, he couldn't see that far ahead, and he didn't want to consider a future without her in it. That way, lay darkness. He softened, his whole body wanting to reach for her, though he only held out his hand to reach for hers, to touch his fingers to hers. "Of course, I want you. Haven't you heard a thing I've been saying" I love you, Kaylee."

Hesitantly, she reached out to him, her fingertips sliding over his, deepening the touch until they were palm to palm, fingers linked together tightly. Those brown eyes weren't haunted now; they were bright, hopeful and soft, loving. A small voice echoed in her head ....was this really what she wanted" And suddenly she was moving, curling her other hand into his hair, pulling him down to her, into a kiss that answered that question beyond any doubt. Yes.

He'd only kissed her once before, weeks ago, shortly after he'd first found her and brought her here. They'd been flirting a little, and he'd wound up kissing her. Or she had kissed him. He wasn't quite sure who'd kissed who first, nor did it matter. Her kiss had felt right, even then, and it had given him hope, but he'd said nothing of the feelings that were starting to stir inside him, patiently waiting until the time was right, if it was ever right. Nothing until now. The kiss than answered hers was soft and tender and filling with longing; gentle enough not to be too demanding, and yet warm enough to promise so much more than just a kiss. A tentative hand found her hip, possessive fingers clutching the fabric of her jeans, tugging her closer, to drown deep in the depths of that kiss.

Despite all the trauma of the past year, all the nightmares that still plagued her, the quiet discontent with the ravages left behind to mark her body, Kaylee knew this. She'd never felt it so deeply, so strongly, before Taylor; she'd never had it twinned with a terrifying anxiety over losing it. Her kiss gentled, softened, and slowly drew away, but she didn't release her grip on him, happy to block out the shadows and the darkness with him. "Why didn't you say so before?"

He let her break the kiss, touching his forehead to hers as he remained close, almost afraid to touch her, afraid one of them might break or wake up to find it was only a dream. He touched his fingers to her cheek, smoothing her hair back from her face, savoring the softness of it. How many nights had he laid awake watching her, memorizing her face, not daring to touch her lest she awaken and discover his secret' There was only one way he could answer her question, as ridiculous as it might sound. "Because I was afraid to."

A smile blossomed on her face, highlighting the sweetness that was slowly returning each day she woke up free and in his arms. Nuzzling close, she kissed him once more. "Don't be afraid anymore," she whispered softly. "You can't get rid of me now."

He drew comfort and courage from that kiss, startled to find himself reacting to that kiss in ways he had not expected, that sweet, simple act kindling the fire that was burning in his soul. "Why would I want to?" he whispered back, the back of his hand touching her cheek, straying to feel the softness of her hair once again, suddenly needing to touch her and know that this was really real.

For the first time in a long time, Kaylee heard herself giggle, tilting her head into his touch as her hair spilled over his fingers. "I guess you know all the worst parts of me now," she conceded, forcing her voice to stay light, her thoughts away from the very worst that they had shared. "Hair in the drains, toothpaste splatters, drying my underwear all over your apartment."

There was a sparkle in his own eyes suddenly that wasn't there before and a smile on his lips. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that," he teased back, hinting at a sense of humor that made itself known far too rarely. "You're going to have to start pulling your weight around here, Miss Granger, or I'm going to have to raise your rent." He didn't bother to mention his own bad habits - leaving the toilet seat up in the middle of the night, forgetting to rinse the sink after shaving, using up all the hot water before she had a shower. But those were small things, things that didn't really matter - not for two people who were grateful just to be alive and see the sunrise every morning.

"You don't have to worry about competition, Kay," he assured her, going to the fridge, rather than following her to the table. "What do you want to drink?" he asked as he pulled it open. He didn't blush, but he felt slightly embarrassed by the compliment, not having heard one from anyone in a very long time. There had been a time when girls had noticed him, but it seemed like a very long time ago. Another lifetime ago.

She smirked, having bought something earlier today that was now looking right back at him from the door of the fridge. A small bottle of red wine, of excellent vintage, just begging to be opened. "Surprise me," she challenged him, looking down into her meal with a small grin.

His powers of observation being what they were, he noticed the bottle of wine right away, knowing where it must have come from. Where they celebrating something" If they weren't officially, maybe they should be. A milestone of sorts had been passed today. There was no turning back from here, nor did he want to. A smile crossed his face again, wondering if she'd planned this all along. It made sense - the food, the wine, the ring. "You planned this," he said, surprised but not displeased.

She shrugged, innocent until proven guilty. "Figured I should stop being a coward," she admitted, looking up from her bowl. "I wasn't gonna give you the ring until we ate, though. You kinda startled me with the whole be honest, be truthful deal there."

"You weren't going to put it in my jambalaya, were you? Because I'm the one here who knows what to do when someone's choking, not you!" he teased with a grin as he took the wine from the fridge and set it on the table, before going to the cupboard to fetch a couple of glasses. Once that was done, he joined her at the table and pulled off the cap to fill both glasses.

"Hey, I'm not that blonde!" she protested, but giggled as she did. Two months had done a lot for her confidence, her ability to be a shade of the Kaylee others knew. But Taylor accepted her as she was, and that made all the difference. "Besides, I couldn't have you biting down and vanishing, could I?"

"True, that might be a bit awkward, though I seem to recall you said it had something to do with intention," he pointed out as he handed her a glass. "To us?" he asked, uncertainly. If there was anything worth toasting, it was that.

She smiled, gently clinking her glass to his. "To us." Taking a sip, she sighed contentedly, setting her glass down. "And no rubbing one out in the shower later, that's my job now."

Despite his own warning or maybe in spite of it, he nearly choked on the gulp of wine he'd taken, a little shocked at her brazen flirtation. He coughed a few times to clear his throat, holding up a hand to indicate he was okay.

Kaylee giggled, ridiculously pleased with herself. It had been a long time since she'd allowed her slightly less than suitable for public consumption personality out of its cage, and that had been a great reaction to its first outing in months. "Need the kiss of life there, boo?"

He waved his hand at her to decline, though he wouldn't have minded the kiss. It took a moment for him to find his voice, which came out as something of a squeak at first. "Can I take you up on that later?" he asked, setting the glass down and picking up his fork.

"Of course," she smiled at him from over her fork. "I've got to make a down-payment on my new rent agreement, don't I?" It was a silly tease, but she had a feeling he might possibly take it the wrong way. Which was why she added, "And then I'm going to rock my boyfriend's world. How's that sound?"

To his credit, he didn't take it the wrong way, chuckling at she turned the tables on him and used his own words against him, though he'd only been teasing at the time. "Point taken," he replied as he dipped into his dinner. "Is that what I am now" Your boyfriend?" There was a teasing smirk on his face, though he thought it was a bit more serious between them than that.

Chewing, Kaylee considered this. "It's a stupid word that doesn't describe what you are to me, but lover just seems too grown up," she admitted. "Eternal child, remember" So it's boyfriend for now, until it's husband."

Thankfully, he wasn't chewing when she said that or he might have choked again. Instead, he merely lowered his fork, studying her carefully a moment as if to determine if she was teasing him again or serious. "Is that a marriage proposal, Miss Granger?" he asked, curiously. If it was, things were certainly moving quickly since they'd declared their mutual adoration for the other.

Soft brown eyes met his, serious and gentle. "Not yet," she told him honestly, taking a fresh sip of her wine. "Ask me again in a couple of months." That smile flashed in his direction again as she took another mouthful, chewing and swallowing with a little quirk to her lips. "How is Rufus" I mean, I haven't met him yet, but I figure he's family now I'm with you, so ....how is he?"

He looked surprised again, but pleasantly so. She wanted to marry him' He had not been expecting that, and was so stunned, he was clearly speechless for a moment. And then, she was changing the subject again, and he was having trouble following, still stuck on the idea of marriage. "I, uh..." He cleared his throat, wondering if he should just get down on one knee here and now, but no, he thought. Not yet. Not until it was all over. Then he'd do it right. "He's, uh, good, I guess."

Seemingly unaware of how she'd managed to blindside him for the second time that evening, Kaylee nodded, moving onto the next topic easily enough. She'd always had something of an attention deficit, though it was more to do with her perception of how much time a subject needed to have spent on it than any actual negligence on her part. "Did he say anything about training me, or are you still not sure about that?"

At least, he took a forkful of the jambalaya, yet another look of amazement on his face, this time at the taste of his food. He'd stopped doing the cooking over a month ago when it had become clear that she was the better cook, but this was better than anything she'd ever made before. The question, however, dampened his praise a little, as it required him to turn his attention back to a less than savory subject, the one dark cloud that always seemed to be hanging over their heads. "He said it's up to you." Which was more or less, the truth, in not so many words.

"They just want to help you because they love you and care about you, Kaylee," Taylor tried to explain, but didn't press the matter. In a way, he envied her, all those family members who loved her and wanted to do what they could to make things better. The only person he'd had after his own ordeal was Rufus, but somehow, it had been enough. Maybe it didn't matter how big your family was so much as how closely-knit you were. "No pressure. We can go whenever you like or not."

"We will go," she promised him. "Just not tomorrow." With his hand in hers, she raised it to her lips, pressing a soft kiss to his palm. Her eyes flickered down to her empty bowl. "I didn't get any dessert. Oversight."

"I know." He smiled softly back at her, hoping he didn't sound or look too disappointed. It would happen sometime soon, when the time was right, hopefully before the twins were born. "We don't need dessert," he replied, watching as she pressed her lips to his hand. "It's perfect."

"Well, perfect would have been you getting home about twenty minutes later," she informed him with an impish quirk to her expression, though she didn't elaborate. He would have to ask directly if he wanted to know what else she'd had planned to surprise him with. She moved to her feet, taking up their empty bowls to transfer them to the sink.

"Twenty minutes later?" he echoed, curiously. "Why?" He moved to his feet to help clear the table and help with the dishes. After all, she'd done the cooking. The least he could do was clean up.

"You didn't give me time to get changed," she chuckled softly, draining the sink to refill it with hot water so she could actually wash the dishes rather than leave them to soak in the cold overnight. "I had it all planned out. I was going to seduce you, you know. Probably not very well, but it was gonna happen."

"Oh," he replied, obviously surprised by this as well, wondering how he could be so dim that he hadn't sorted that out for himself by now. "Well, there's nothing stopping you really. I mean, I can do the dishes while you get changed and pretend to be surprised, if you like," he suggested. What man would pass up the opportunity to be seduced by a beautiful woman, especially if he was in love with that woman' He'd been fantasizing about it for weeks, but holding back out of fear that she didn't share his feelings.

A childlike flicker of delighted mischief crossed her face - it seemed that, even now, Kaylee couldn't resist a little dress up. She stepped back from the sink with a bounce in her step, drying her hands as she smiled at Taylor. "Okay. No peeking." Her fingertip bopped the end of his nose warningly.

"How can I peek when I'm doing the dishes?" he asked with a chuckle, crossing his eyes to follow the movement of her finger as it tapped his nose. He couldn't help but laugh a little, though this was a very serious situation. He was about to be seduced by the woman he loved, presumably resulting in having sex. For the first time in over seven years. If that wasn't enough to make him both excited and nervous, nothing was. He felt his body reacting to the possibility, a feeling which was both as uncomfortable as it was pleasant.

"Good point." She blew him a last kiss, and for the first time since she'd come to the apartment, turned and walked the dark hall to the bedroom without flinching. Admittedly, she closed her eyes and reached around the door-frame for the light-switch in the bedroom itself, but this was still progress. It seemed that a little playful excitement was enough to help her forget her fear for just a few moments. And that was all Taylor's doing. She disappeared inside, and he could hear her giggling to herself as she closed the door.

He smiled to himself for a moment at the sound of her giggling, wondering a little at the change in her - at the change in them both. Was this what it felt like to fall in love, he wondered. But then, his thoughts turned to the inevitability of getting undressed and baring himself to her, and the smile faded. His scars were not so prominent as hers anymore, but they were still there to see, marring his flesh. And yet, if anyone would understand where those scars had come from, it was Kaylee. Would she find him repulsive or would she be able to ignore them' No one else had seen those scars. No one but himself and Rufus. Though faded, they were constant reminders of seven months in hell.

Battle scars, the tangible mark left behind by the creatures who had tried their best to break them. But they hadn't succeeded, not with Taylor and not with Kaylee. Instead, they had created a new entity they would regret - the fusing of two survivors, choosing strength over weakness to destroy the things that had tried to destroy them. Though she found the sight of her scarred skin revolting right now, Kaylee told her herself that one day she would look into the mirror and be proud of those marks. It helped. But at the same time, she was glad to cover them.

It didn't take long before the dishes were done, but the closer he got to finishing them, the more nervous he became. It was an excited kind of nervous, but also a little fearful. Fear of the unknown, perhaps. Worrying if she'd find him desirable, if he'd do all the right things. One day at a time, Rufus had advised, though it seemed that in just a few hours' time, they had skipped past all the pleasantries and were getting right down to the one act that could make or break their relationship.

About ten minutes after Kaylee had slipped out of sight, the bedroom door opened once again. The girl who stepped out was sweet and nervous, and almost unrecognizable. Taylor was used to seeing Kaylee covered from neck to ankles, from wrist to wrist, and her clothes these days didn't exactly cling. But tonight ....shades of purple and pink hugged her slender form snugly, shimmering sheer silk wrapped her legs, her arms lay bare, long hair brushing her pale shoulders. This, in its way, was as brave as stepping out naked, presenting a very grown up woman before him with every intention of seeing this through. "Surprise."

He was just drying his hands and hanging the towel up to dry when she rejoined him, and he turned to find a very grown-up, very desirable woman in place of the girl. The face was the same, but everything else about her seemed different, or maybe it was just that she had never presented herself to him like this before. The dress was definitely made for seduction, and her curves filled it out perfectly in every way possible. His jaw couldn't help but drop open a little at the sight of her sheathed in shimmering shades of purple and pink, as pretty as a sunrise. So taken with her, for a moment, he almost forgot to breathe. Though for a moment he almost didn't recognize her, inside that dress was the same girl he had fallen in love with. "Wow," he mumbled to himself, at a sudden loss for words.

Biting her lip, Kaylee twirled for him, shy and eager all at once, hoping he wasn't too put off. "The woman at the shop said that black was more grown up, but I kinda like pink," she admitted with a shrug, dropping her arms to her sides. She studied his expression for a moment, her heart beating double-time to rival the butterflies in her stomach. "But, uh ....yeah. This was the plan. Dress, food, wine, ring, and whatever happens after. Did I break you?"

As they moved together, Kaylee slowly forgot the room around them, the lingering shadows, the growing darkness outside the uncovered windows. She forgot to worry that she didn't really know what she was doing, or that maybe he wasn't enjoying himself. She was too caught up in the husky voice, the gentle melody, and the man holding her close, unable to tear her eyes from his. Whether he knew it or not, Taylor had her in the palm of his hand, and she was happy to stay there, just so long as he wanted her to. Her fingers curled in and out of his hair as she breathed him in, the familiar scent that lulled her to sleep each night and kept the nightmares at bay. "You're pretty good at this romance thing, aren't you?"

He smiled, pleased by her question, but also a little amused. "Not really, but I was pretty popular at school dances. You're not so bad yourself, you know. This whole dinner thing was your idea," he told her, smiling warmly down at her, tempted to kiss her, but waiting for what he deemed might be the right time, taking his cues from her. He leaned in, holding her close - close enough to catch her scent, soft and feminine and familiar. There was no one else in the entire multiverse who smelled quite like Kaylee, and he found himself sighing contentedly.

"I never went to any of my school dances," she confided with a faint smile, closing her eyes as her temple found a place to rest against his jaw, enjoying the fact that he seemed so comfortable with her like this. "Dropped out when I was sixteen and got a job instead. I'm not the brightest bulb in the store."

He arched a brow at her confession, realizing how very little they actually knew about each other. But then, wasn't getting to know each other half the fun" "You don't give yourself enough credit, Kay. You don't have to have a diploma to prove how intelligent you are."

"I've had my moments," she giggled softly, inching just that little bit closer to lay her head on his shoulder as they danced. "I thought for the longest time that the moons only came out when my dad told them to. He had me convinced, even when my brother showed me textbooks that proved otherwise." It was easy to laugh at herself about it now. "Figures I'd spend the first couple of years out of school looking after sheep. At least I was marginally better educated than they were."

"Looking after sheep?" he asked, curiously. "Did you enjoy it?" That was the only thing that mattered really. Someone had to do it, after all, though he wasn't quite sure why she'd choose that particular profession. "I thought you were a musician."

She shrugged. "I always liked music, but my dad didn't want me studying it," she sighed, lifting her head to meet his gaze as they talked. "Grangers should work in the Granger family business, my dad always says. So he got me a job at one of the wool farms the company owns outside the city, and I did my work there. I used to write songs while I was out with the sheep and test them on the other workers. It was strange, kinda peaceful. Not something I appreciated then."

"Granger or not, you should be able to do what you want with your life. It seems to me that there are enough of you to carry on the business without you all being involved," he pointed out, though it was just an observation and he didn't want to criticize her father or her family too harshly. "Are you parents still..." He broke off, not wanting to use the word alive. "Around?" he substituted in its place.

"Yeah, sort of," she answered his question, taking the observation with good grace but choosing not to go there. "My dad's heavily into work, always has been, and he takes a lot of business trips, if you get my meaning. Not that it bothers my mom - Jay did her marital duty, and since then has spent about three days a year in Rhy'Din."

"Her marital duty?" Taylor asked, only just realizing that the song had ended, but the CD had not, moving on to the next track, which by pure chance happened to be "Tonight's the Night", a song that was just as romantic and appropriate for slow dancing as the previous song. If he wasn't careful, they were going to end up with "Do You Think I'm Sexy". "Where's she live now?" he asked further.

"Yeah, she had two kids," Kaylee shrugged. "We both hit three without dying, so she'd fulfilled her contractual obligations. She never agreed to raise us." Once upon a time, that had hurt. But knowing Jay the way she did now, and the circumstances, Kaylee could see her mother's point of view. "Uh ....I think she's visiting boyfriend number four, so that puts her in Sweden for the next month or so."

"Oh, sorry," he said, frowning, wishing he hadn't asked. Maybe it was better just to sway back and forth and listen to the music. It was safer anyway, though they wouldn't get to know each other that way. Meanwhile, the raspy Scotsman was promising that tonight was the night, and everything's gonna be alright.

"Hey." She slipped her hand from his, reaching up to cup his face between her palms as she smiled up at him. "It's fine. It doesn't bother me anymore. I had people looking out for me while I was growing up, I didn't need my parents. And now I've got you. So don't you get partway guilty on me, dude. That won't work at all."

"Not guilty," he replied, though there was a little of that. "I just feel bad. I just assumed with that big family of yours..." He trailed off again, knowing it was never good to assume. At least, she'd turned out okay, or as well as could be expected, the last seven months notwithstanding. The song dragged on, the singer seemingly knowing what Taylor was feeling in his heart, but unable to say. Tonight's the night; It's gonna be alright; Cause I love you, girl; Ain't nobody gonna stop us now...

"I had family," she promised him. "Not my parents, but I had them. My great-grandfather, and my cousin, Caroline, they looked out for me." She smiled, touched that he felt bad for something she had come to terms with years ago. She rose up on her toes, kissing him softly, knowing he hadn't volunteered much about his own family and prepared to wait until he did. It was a touchy subject. "What's a Watcher?"

"And your brother," Taylor pointed out, wondering why she hadn't mentioned him in that mix. He had yet to meet any of her family, other than Miranda, who he supposed was his aunt now, by marriage. He had not even met his own flesh and blood in the form of her daughter yet. "A Watcher?" he echoed, frowning again. That was not an easy explanation for him to make, especially since he wasn't too sure himself. "It's hard to explain, but I think his primary job is to train vampire slayers and do all the background work. Sort of like a supernatural detective and martial arts instructor all rolled up in one." He knew it was far more complicated than that, but that was the best he could do.