The Gypsy seemed to gallop into the penthouse, settling the many shopping bags on the ground against the wall.

As promised, Brandon had taken her out shopping during the day of Hearts. And like most women, shopping sprees were taken full force, and took no survivors. Brandon was barely a survivor.

Chase knelt down to the mountain of shopping bags she had created on the floor. Pulling a particular piece of clothing out of the bag, the bathroom door was closed behind her. She was too excited about the prized item she had bought!

Brandon was amazed by her amount of excitable energy. They had been shopping all day long and he had kept his promise of spoiling her rotten. As she ran to get dressed, Brandon shuffled over to drop the rest of her bags into a small mountain near the walk in closet. Then he went over to the bed and collapsed down onto it.

He lied there with his arms outstretched and on his back. His feet were hanging off the edge. There was a big smile on his face, happy about the day's events so far.

There were still surprises to come and he hoped that she loved them as much as he loved getting them set up for her.

It was a rare sight, the newly purchased article of clothing. Which is why she was so excited about it. She was never one to stray from her staple of fashion.

Yet, this had caught her attention.

Once it was put on, she stared into the mirror. She couldn't believe what she was wearing. Still, for what it was, it looked good. It was her, but wasn't. In that fashionably charming sort of way.

As she strode out of the bathroom, she looked down at herself. Her hands instantly went to the fake belt at her hips.

She wore a white vertically striped sailor's dress.

The dress was black, the stripes white. The shoulder straps were buckled where they were, and grommeted. The exposure of the dress allowed more of her tattoos to be seen.

He laughed as he was brought down to her level. He was all ready to be kissed and to kiss back. But she merely whispered and then let him go. He rebounded to his full height and groaned. "You are so wicked." He laughed and took the tie from her once she handed it over.

"Shoes! We need shoes!"

"I'll stop doing it when you stop laughing, mate." She would have been more tasteless, but his urgency had her eyes plunge to his shoe selection.

It was then that she frowned.

No Converses? What kind of person didn't have All Stars? Making a face, her eyes stubbornly combed through the selection.

"Then I'll never stop laughing." He grinned proudly and looked down at his socked feet. He noticed the face she made and he folded his arms across his chest. "What? Is there something wrong with my shoes?"

"You've got no Chuck Taylors?" Chase's bare foot poked at the shoes there. Dress shoes, boots, and more dress shoes. Her tone was defeated, and almost pitieous.

"Chuck Taylors?" He looked down at his shoes and then back up at her. "I have what I need, work shoes and dress shoes. Simple man, remember?"

"Yeah yeah, I know.." Walking past him and out of the closet, she dismissed his ironclad defense by raising her arm with a wave. Rounding to the foot of the bed, she collapsed onto the mattress.

It was a free fall to the mattress, hands landing on that fake belt at her hips. "Dress shoes're fine."

He watched her walk out of the closet and shrugged. Picking up a pair of simple shoes, he sits down and puts them on. Once he's completed that task, he's up and walking out of the closet and into the bedroom. Spying her laying there, his breath catches and he has to adjust his jeans to a more comfortable fit.

Brandon walked over slowly, then dropped to his knees in front of her. His hands went to her knees, then her thighs. Without even thinking about it, he bowed. His head lowered to deliver soft kisses to the insides of her knees and starting to trail up her thighs.

Chase peered down at him, legs slowly parting in slow response to his lips on the sensitive skin of her legs. Lips parted softly to sigh softly. Propped onto her elbows, she peered down. "Heeey..." She whined. "This isn't til after we get back!" As if a referee's whistle pierced her thoughts.

He lifted his head when she spoke and he grinned boyishly. "Sorry, I simply couldn't resist." With a chuckle, he then placed one more kiss before he rose to his feet. He offered his hand to help her up. "You're not going barefooted, are you?"

Chase's legs were still chilled at the portions which he had kissed and touched. Taking his hand, she pulled and rose.

"Alley-oooop!" This was chirped. A laugh of triumph was upon reaching her feet to stand. "No sir!" And it was then that she scampered to the mountain of bags.

She knelt and searched. Plucking the new pair of leather grommeted boots she sat and tugged them on. The insides were unzipped already. Zipping one, then the other, she rested her legs along the ground to marvel.

"Bloody gorgeous!" She sang, running her hands along the new material.

As he pulled her up, he gave a kiss to her cheek before she could dart off. He took a lean against the bedpost as she dug through her mountain of bags to find the boots.

As she put them on and zipped them up, he laughed softly. "Yes, yes you are. Bloody gorgeous." Pushing off of the bedpost he walked over to her and offered her his hand once again.

Taking his hand, she heaved herself up with ease. Bare arms solidified into naturally trimmed muscles, only from them to disappear into her skin while thinning out the wrinkles in her dress. "Ready, love?"

He hefted her up easily and pulled her close. "Born ready." He lowered his head and deposited a kiss to her lips.

"But, first things first. Go sit." He let go of her and disappeared into the walk in closet.

Chase smiled into the kiss in a curve, only to be left and given directions. "Um.. Doesn't scram mean.. going?" She pointed toward the door pointlessly. However, she did in fact do what he said and sat on the foot of the bed. Had he forgotten something?

?Aw Christ, Brandon.." With one elbow hooked, the hand on the opposite arm came to her face, rubbing at her cheek with a dreaded grin. "You want me to die of surprise overdose, don't you? I can't take much more of this.." She laughed, and sighed happily.

"As long as you die happy and let me bring you back, all's fair." He laughed and led her up to the limo. Once she was seated, he dropped in beside her. As the door was closed, he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "I love you, Chase." He smiled when he said it.

She slid inside, minding that dress of hers, and sat. Only to be melded against Brandon as he prompted her close. "You're just making me plump to show off or somethin'..."

She smiled, unable to remove the smile on her face. How could it leave? "Love you, too.."

"Show you off, but of course. I've got the most beautiful girl in my arms. I'm so proud of you." He closed his eyes and lowered his head to deliver a kiss to her smiling lips. Pulling back he glanced at the empty seat beside her. "There's something over there for you."

"Shaddup! I swear ta God, y'need to gentle down with that stuff.." Still, she puckered a decibel to accept his kiss with gusto. And no sooner did she give another dreaded look. Without a word, she turned to see what it was.

On the seat beside her was a simple long stemmed red rose.

"Shutting up." He chuckled softly. Squeezing her shoulders, he let out a very contented sigh.

The rose made her sigh in relief. It wasn't as decadent as what he had given her so far. It was a reduction in guilt. Or at least a lacking of that heavy feeling. She took the rose.

Though, a different heaviness set in the back of her mind.

The symbolism. Her nickname. Only a prized few knew her as the Gypsy Rose.

One in particular had her eyes close as she brought her nose to the red bud. Turning to escape from the thoughts, she smiled toward him. "I love it.." Her hands guided the bud by the stem to ran along his cheek, smiling sweetly towards him.

He watched the emotions play across her face and he was slightly saddened when her face reflected the dark and heavy feelings deep within her. But as the rose was dragged across his jaw line, he dipped his head to kiss her gently. He only wanted her utterly and completely happy.

Breaking the kiss, he smiled once again. "I hope you like where we're going to eat. it's... different."

"Thought we were going to the Great Hall? To that party you were talking about.." Chase gave him a quizzical look, before bringing the flower over his lips.

No sooner, she hid her lips with the bud, lowering to delve her nose into its center for a whiff.

"I made reservations some place else. This Valentine's day is about you and me. I don't want to share you with anybody tonight." His eyes closed as the petals dragged across his mouth and opened in time to see what looked like her delivering a kiss to the top of the bud.

"That so?" Chase smiled into the bud, and nodded. "Fair enough."

She still treasured that rose, and smiled into it. "So, where is it that we're going, Valentine?"

"We are going to a place called O.Noir. The entire wait staff is blind." He gave a moment for that to sink in. He waited for the inevitable question.

Or, at least he thought it was inevitable.

"Ooooh.." She wiggled softly in his arms to show an impressed look. "Sounds like a club more than any restaurant." At his added detail, she gained a confused look. "Uh, is it a Braille cafe or something?"

"No, the restaurant is totally pitch black. You can't even see your hand in front of your face. At least, that's what Marcus said." He smiled nervously and laughed. "Should be interesting."

"Ohhh. Pitch black.." She furrowed her brows, and nodded. That easy going part of her was tickled. And she managed to grin in amusement. "Alright, sounds janky. Off the charts, yeah?" Chase nodded, laughing.

"Definitely something different." He grinned when she did. He held her close the rest of the way there. When the limo stopped, he helped her from the car. "Are you ready for this, baby?" He held her hand as they walked up to the building.

"Ready as I'll ever be, mate. Blind as bats, here we come!" She cheered, looking forward to experiencing something new.

He ushered her into the restaurant and they placed their orders before they were led to their table. As promised, it was pitch black inside.

Brandon held onto Chase tightly to keep her safe and to make sure they didn't get separated. "Jesus." He muttered over and over again.

Chase smiled the whole way, testing the theory of being unable to see one's hand in one face. Laughing at the discovery of the truth of such a claim, her hand was on the shoulder of the Maitre'D.

Chase noted the tightness of their hands, and rubbed her thumb along the skin between his forefinger and thumb. His anxiety made her less anxious, as she laughed and enjoyed the thrill of the darkness.

The single act of rubbing her thumb over his hand relaxed him quite a bit. The fear of tripping and falling was relieved when they got to their tables and led to sit in the comfortable chairs. He kept his hand in hers and felt for the edge of the table with his free hand. Once it was located, it started to explore the tabletop.

He almost knocked over his glass of water, but saved it at the last minute. He could hear others around him, laughing, cutting up food, and the smells were amazing. Using his hand in hers to lead him, he leaned over and laughed a whisper. "This is nuts!"

"Who booked this, huh? Suck it up.." She murmured back. She would have offered a kiss, but feared that she would kiss his eye or some other awkward place.

Her one hand found the table edge as home base. The cold steel of silverware was found.

In a slow creepy crawl of her fingers, she found cold sweat against glass. She presumed that to be the glass of water. Acquiring the glass carefully, she took a heavy chug of it before carefully placing it back down. A shaky UFO seemed to land across a clear portion of table space, and placed the glass back down.

He laughed at her response. Slowly he brought their joined hands up to the table top and let her go. He suddenly felt all alone in the dark. His hands moved slowly and carefully across the table, feeling the cloth, the stainless steel of the cutlery and finally the smooth ceramic finish of the empty plate.

When his hand found the water glass again, he was more careful. He lifted it and felt the weight of it in his hand. It was brought to his mouth and he was very careful to not tip it up until his lips had a firm seal on the rim. He took a nice sized gulp and then lowered the glass back down. He hit his silverware before finally landing on an empty spot.

"I just know I'm going to spill that."

Chase laughed at the sound, knowing somehow that Brandon had been the one responsible. It came from his direction. She laughed good naturedly. She was tempted to reach up and over her head, but knew that a tray would conveniently be above for her to knock over. And she had far too many new clothes to risk such a thing!

She heard steps behind and around her, and pointlessly would look about toward the sounds. She had done her eyes a favor and closed them. They were of no use to her.

He left his hands on the table, as if his life depended upon it. "The only thing I don't like about this place is that I can't see you." He laughed and turned his head over in her general direction. "You are still there, right?"

Her lips were tucked in, and she decided on a prank. Her hands were hidden to rest on her lap, out of his reach. Well, unless he decided to cast his arm like the fishing pole length that it was.

Chase then brought her hands to her lips. Her Ventriloquism was rusty, and out of practice. But she'd give it a shot anyway, just for fun's sake. Happily, she threw her voice to the opposite side of him. "Yep, I'm here alright.."

His head whipped around, towards where the voice had come from. "Hey, when did you move?" He reached out with his hand towards where he thought she was and groped air. "Chase, I can't find you. Hold out your hand or something."

"Is that you..?" She tossed her voice to be directly in front of him. Her shoulders, not that he could see, were trembling with the silenced laughter rolling from her breath.

"Chase..." he nearly whined, both hands now pawing at dead air. He twisted around so that he was facing the table once again. His hands found their center on the table top and he breathed out heavily.

Chase smiled brightly, and didn't throw her voice this time. "Me, me, me.."She sang softly, and laughed. ?I'm here."

This time he moved much more slowly. Head turning as his hand reached out towards the voice. Gently he tapped at what he hoped was her arm. "Oh, so not funny." He laughed breathily.

He, in fact, touched her arm. Like a mysterious button, it was then that she emerged into laughter. "That was great!" Impishly, she praised his brief moment of being duped, and laughed even more. "Oh, that was good. You were ready to cry, weren't you?"

He was saved from having to answer when the waiter deposited their dinners in front of them with a soft clatter. Pulling his hand from her arm, he put it back onto the table. "Thank you."

He arched his head back and to the side where he had felt the waiter brush against his arm.

"Thanks." Laughter rattled in her voice like a restless maraca, as she smiled broadly. The smell wafted to her, which assured her that she had in fact been served. Her hands slid to find the silverware, and probed at the plate in dim chimes as she found pieces of.. something. Stabbing into a tender piece of something, she placed it into her mouth and chewed. Lo and behold, it was a steamed piece of a carrot.

He nodded and then hung up the phone. His arm goes back around her and he sweeps her into his lap. "Are you having a good time?" He whispered as he grazed her earlobe with his teeth.

She was able to be swept, considering her nonexistent weight in comparison to his own natural strength. Enjoying his displays, she sat on his lap with a simple slide. "Yep. You look so good!" She chirped, and brought her hand to capture his silken tie, and flicked the loose collar.

Her fingers came to the skin exposed in a v-shape, and she trailed an abused finger to find his bulging collar bone. "Are you, sweet pea?"

He hummed contently as he continued to nibble her earlobe. "The time of my life. And it's all because of you." He squeezed her tightly then, feeling the smooth material of her dress under his hands. "I love you so much. So much."

The vibrations of his humming against the hollow shell of her ear were hypnotic. A gentled close came to her eyes, smiling weakly as his words tumbled against his teeth. The soft skin of her ear was scraped and breathed on, casting a spell that had her hands search further beneath his shirt.

A palm spread, and brushed across his chest in admiration. Notable pectorals were touched, as a unique quiet giggle came from her. "Henh.." She managed to chuckle, and craved to kiss the skin her palm was lucky to touch. They would arrive soon, to her dismay.

His breathing had increased and gently blew tendrils away from her ear in warm bursts of air. Hands had traveled down to her hips, across the magnificent swell of her behind and just beyond the hem of her dress to the bare flesh of her thigh.

Fingers caressed the silky soft skin and he was panting heavily. His jeans felt too tight once again. When the limo came to a stop, he groaned. Partly out of frustration and partly out of relief.

Once the door was opened, he slid out from under her and brought his hand down to give her a boost out of the limo. He could hear the music from the club from where he was and he smiled at her.

Cooperatively, she slid off of him. Before she rose out of the limo, her jacket was shed. The thing would be nothing but a burden in the hordes of people. Only then did she grab his arm and pull herself off. One hand minded the dress's skirtly bottom.

He watched her remove her jacket and admitted to himself that it was a good idea to leave it behind. He quickly removed his leather one and tossed it into the limo once she was out. Once the limo pulled away, he took her elbow and escorted her up and into the club.

"Ready to dance?" He had to yell to be heard over the loud music.

Her elbow was taken, only for her arm to tangle around it like inken vines of skin and bone. Hugging his arm, she chimed an affirming, "Hoo rooo!" With a hooting trill afterwards.

He laughed all the way to the dance floor. Once there, he slid his arms around her as the song was a bit slower of tempo. He remained held back a bit, and gazed into her eyes as he swayed to the music.

Chase smiled, and brought hands to rest comfortably on his biceps. It wasn't a slow dance, but couples were on the floor mirroring them. Her gorgeous boots tapped in side steps. It was a high school fashioned sway, and she smiled. She kept good time with the slowed beat as if it were as natural as her own natural heart beat.

He couldn't resist the urge to pull her even closer. She was a magnet and he was steel. She fit so perfectly in his arms and against his body it seemed only natural that they finish the dance that way. Words of adoration, edification and love were whispered into her ear as they swayed.

Her head turned into the side of his skull, smiling in response to his whispered messages. Laughs and a soft bite of her bottom lip were in an unpredictable pattern as they moved together. Shoulder blades were moving bones in gentle shifts that were caught by the disco balls spinning about above them.

As the song came to a slow end, he pressed his lips to hers and attempted to bend her back into a deep dip. Once there, he marveled at how she easily bent over his arm. He kept his head bent down and softly kissed her breastbone at the apex of her cleavage.

Then slowly, and carefully, his strong hands brought her back up to standing position. He finally let go of her and applauded her. Then the music changed to a very loud and thumping techno song. He laughed out loud and started jumping up and down to the beat. His arms went over his head and he laughed out loud.

Chase's head fell back, showing a symbol of trust. The lips on her inken chest had her lips part in a distracted smile, until she was brought back up. Standing apart, she clapped and cheered. Still, the thunder had arrived! Chase had began to jump as well, and twist her arms artfully in accordance to the sound circulating in a deafening barrage. She showed an adjusted custom to the dance, and cheered. Her hips artfully swayed in time, making a repetitive pattern of dance to the repetitive beat.

He bounced and twisted his body. His arms moved in time to the music and he couldn't stop laughing. He eyed her doing the same and it made him laugh even more. The entire dance floor was a throng of jumping people. His calves began to ache and his voice was becoming raw, but he would not stop until the music did.

The Gypsy found comfort in the dance. Still, she was able to see Brandon move like the others did. He actually looked his age! The maturity had gone, and he was being foolish and reckless like everyone else. It was a fond sight to see that he could have fun like any other could.

She had never seen him dance in such a way, and enjoyed their dance significantly as the beat gained the stupendous slap dash of the sound.

He stopped jumping and grabbed her around her waist. In a single fluid movement of strength, he lifted her up and over his head. His knees still bent and he bounced to the beat, only he had his arms locked up. He looked up at her and laughed as he started to turn with her well up there.

Skyrocketed above, her hands, out of acrobatic protocol, came to his shoulders. Hauled high, she looked about and laughed down at him with a thrilled yelp of cheer. Chase laughed, and was able to admire his strength. It was a shame those lovely arms of his were hidden beneath sleeves.

When the song came to a sudden end, he brought her down quickly. He nearly dropped her and caught her just before she hit the ground. He grinned down at her and hugged her tightly.

She was not taken aback by his movements. Landing with his gentle guidance, she was laughing with the general delight from the trip of being so high. It was then that she realized how tall the damned bloke was. She was several inches above him moments before, and had an exquisite view.

She cheered, hugging him in kind. He was acting lower than his age, which only thrilled her even more. It was clearly a delightful sight. Something she'd note on a cue card and stash away for later admiration.

Hugging her tightly, he led her from the dance floor to the crowded bar. He found an empty barstool and deposited her upon it. He kept his hands on her waist as he ordered her Goldschlager and two shot glasses with a beer chaser. "You were amazing out there." he still had to yell, so he didn't get too close to her ear.

"You're fun!" She called back to him, and laughed for being placed like the doll she was on a stool. Even hoisted on a stool, he seemed so much taller than her!

"You stole the floor!" She chirped in a yell, laughing thoroughly.

"Only because they were trying to stay out of the way of my size thirteens!" He laughed out loud. When the shots came, he picked then both up and offered hers to her.

"Happy Valentine's Day!"

She laughed, taking the shot with gratitude. At his yelled cheer, she lifted her snifter to him. "Happy Valentine's!" She replied, and took down the shot. The liquor could easily be mistaken for water with the speed she consumed the shot. Setting the glass back down, she smiled.

He knocked back the shot and slammed the empty glass onto the bartop. She hadn't wiped the gold flecks from her lips as she usually did and he saw it as an opportunity. His hand went behind her neck and as he leaned forward, he pulled her towards him. Gently and carefully he sucked the alcohol from her lips. Blessing it with a kiss, he finally leaned back. "Yum."

Her eyes fell closed, expecting a kiss. Surprised moans came as his lips enclosed every supple bud of a lip, doing so to both of them. Then, came the nearly forgotten expectation of the kiss itself. Upon withdrawal, her lips were robbed, and newly dampened. She sucked them into her mouth together in their first new moments of freedom.

Without a word, she decided to take a pull of the beer he also ordered, smiling brightly at him.

He watched her drink the beer with a grin. When she was done, he leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "I?ve got one more surprise for you tonight."

He leaned back and weighed the decision to tell her. He wasn't sure if the timing was right for this particular gift. But the night had been so perfect already. He only hoped that it would be the nice shiny topping to the already sweet cake.

Chase showed a skeptical look of dread, and smiled toward him. "Good, so no more after that one?" There was a relieved look. It would go from spill to overflow if she were given anymore gifts.

Her wonderful amount of gifts given was still zero.

He laughed nervously and nodded. "I promise, no more after this one." He picked up the beer and chugged the rest. Putting the mug down, he tugged at the hem of her skirt. "Come on, let's go."

He returned, not even five minutes after she gained her comfortable pose. He took a deep breath and blew it out as he walked towards the couch. Once he rounded it, he dropped to one knee in front of her. A small black box was held in his palm as he looked into her fiery depths.

"Chase, before you freak out, just hear me out, ok? This is a promise ring. A symbol of my promise to be faithful to you. A token to show my love for you, every time you look at it."

He had planned to say so much more, but his mind had went blank.

Opening the box, a white gold ring sat nestled in a blanket of black velvet. The diamond was a quarter carat and it sat inside of the band. He slowly looked back up into her eyes and held his breath, waiting for her reaction.

He had resurfaced quickly, gaining a straightening posture as if unsure of how to respond. Yet, as he towered over her, he soon shrank below her. Was that a black box?

That caused her to tense, legs lowering to touch the ground for her to sit on the couch properly. His limited words had come to her with the volume severely turned down.

A certain reluctance was in her gaze, looking from the ring to him. "Brandon..."

She didn't know what to say. She really didn't.

A Promise Ring, he said. She'd never heard of such a trinket.

He could feel her tense up and he gained a pained expression. His own stomach tightened. He simply held the box up and searched her pretty face.

"Chase..." He whispered. Then, nothing more.

"It's.. a promise ring, you said?" She studied it, finding the modest diamond.

The ring would stick out being neighbored with the surgical steel of her other elaborate rings. It was simple, shining. Her hands had come to her lap, looking toward him.

Faith. Loyalty. She had been fooled before. A hand reached for the ring, pulling it from its bedded home of black velvet. Still, she studied the band.

He found courage when she spoke. "Yes, a promise ring. To let you know how committed I am to you, Chase." No pet names would do in a situation this serious.

"It's a symbol of my unending love, devotion and loyalty to you."

There it was again. Those venomous words. Loyalty. Unending love. Devotion.

Words that were matched to a ring that went by a different name. Replacing its original home of black velvet with her very finger was hardly a good substitute. It would get scratches, scuffs.

That shine would fog with wear and tear. Her other rings proved this. Still, she examined the ring. He wasn't the first. The others had gone, for whatever reason. The most painful reason was the most recent one. Could she do this?

Introversion aside, she looked toward him. Commitment. Weren't they committed already? She looked back at the ring. Chase looked to her left hand. Her right hand had positioned the ring.

The only vacant spot available happened to be the spot it belonged. She slid the band around her finger, setting it at the base of her left ring finger.

Brandon's heart beat loudly in his ears as he watched her battle her inner demons. He began to shake, fear of rejection so strong he could taste the bile of it. Baby blues searched her eyes and face, hoping for a trace of a smile. All he was met with was stoney silence and what appeared to be doubt.

Was she doubting him? It was only when she slid the ring onto his finger did the fears subside and a smile creased the corners of his mouth upwards. He took her hands then and kissed them both.

He rose then, and sat on the couch beside her. Words still eluded him. Gathering her in his arms, he pulled her onto him as he lay back on the couch. Blowing out a breath, he closed his eyes.

Tears escaped that had previously been threatening. But just the two ran down the sides of his head. No others were to follow as he held her against his chest. Everything in his world was in place, a harmony struck and he was happy.

Somehow, there was a part of her that sensed she had insulted somebody, somewhere. But, that was the past. That wasn't now. It wasn't here, nor there. It wasn't anywhere.

That wasn't his fault. He wasn't first. His adoration was still filled with a silence that scared her. She was thinking too much. It hurt to think. She thought the wrong things. Pulled to be above him, she saw the relief in his eyes. She couldn't begin to imagine what he was feeling.

The tears gave her an idea of what he had been going through. Still, she didn't want to speak. She didn't know what to say. Luckily, she wasn't expected to say 'Yes'.