Topic: Night on the Town

Charlotte Ravenlock

Date: 2007-12-01 14:00 EST
?No, sweetie. Mama has to leave now.?

Megan screamed even more loudly. Now a year old, Megan had begun to learn when Mama and Papa were leaving and was in that stage where such things were not acceptable. 24/7 she clung to Charlotte or Dakota, not wanting to be without one or the other.

It broke Charlotte?s heart to see her little sugar beside herself like this, but there comes a time in every mother?s life when you have to let your child just cry it out. If only that night was not this night. Charlotte crooned over the baby standing in her crib, heart breaking as she observed Megan?s hands shaking from gripping the crib railing so tightly. Tears streaked down the 1 year olds face, her nose was running, and her screams echoed in the nursery. Charlotte bent to place a kiss in those soft, auburn curls before turning briskly and heading for the door. ?Goodnight, baby.?

Once the door had closed, she leaned against it and sighed. It was tough, sometimes, being a mom. Better make that most of the time. High heels click-clicked against the hardwood floor as she made her way down the hallway, stopping to poke her head in the boys room to say goodbye.

?We shouldn?t be too late, guys. You?d better be in bed, though, when we get back.? Aiden and Thomas didn?t even look up from their video game, only making grunts of understanding. Charlotte chuckled and closed their door. Megan?s cries still echoed from the small room at the end of the hall, but that wasn?t what caused the sudden pain in Charlotte?s chest.

Elena?s room was on the other side of the boys room, still empty. She?d been gone from Rhy?din for so long now and it was beginning to take it?s toll on Charlotte. She was due anytime now that Brian and his family were back, but it wasn?t soon enough for the heartbroken mother. Charlotte was also hesitant about her eldest daughters arrival now that Dakota had returned home. She?d made sure Elena knew this information, but the child seemed disinterested, almost angry. There were many times Charlotte wondered if Elena had been hurt more than she had at Dakota?s leaving.

The sound of her name being called shook Charlotte from her reverie. Ignoring the cries from the baby, Charlotte hurried downstairs and into the kitchen where Dakota was waiting. They were finally going out, one on one. A chance to rekindle the dying flame that heated their marriage. She wore the dress he?d bought her and the pearl drop earrings he?d gotten her when they first started dating 4 years earlier. Feeling sexy wasn?t exactly something that Charlotte experienced much these days, but tonight was a different story. She felt exotic. Daring. Bold. She was ready for what the night had to offer, and hopefully for the after party in their bedroom. It was time? but first, she had to get through the date.

?Ready??

Dakota Steele

Date: 2007-12-04 16:39 EST
"Let's roll, babe...."

Dakota had been planning this night for a helluva long time. He wanted to make sure everything was just right for him and Charlotte. It had been so terribly long since they'd had any time alone. Even before their breakup, they hadn't had any true alone time in what seemed like forever. Needless to say, this was long overdue.

He'd trimmed his flowing black mane quite a bit. It was almost manageable now, falling to roughly along the base of his neck. He was clean shaven, he had rings in every one of the piercings along his ears, and he even smelled pretty good. Turns out a little cologne wasn't such a bad thing every now and then. Who knew?

He wore a white collared shirt with black pinstripes, with the top three buttons undone. The shirt was tucked into a pair of his very best jeans, and he wore a black blazer over the shirt. Naturally, he wore his black boots and matching hat. It looked like he'd put a little time and effort into getting his boots to look good, as they were shining like never before. Three necklaces dangled around his neck, with the pendants from each necklace resting comfortably upon his chest, hidden underneath the opened buttons of the shirt.

His heart practically skipped a beat as he laid eyes upon his drop dead gorgeous wife. To say that she still did it for him would be an understatement like no other. He took her into his arms for a few seconds and just held onto her, his hands connected at the small of her back. They swayed gently to whatever song that happened to be playing in their heads, even if nobody else could hear it. He leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"Let's have us a night to remember, darlin..."

And they were out the door. It was a chilly December night, but neither of them seemed to pay much attention to the weather. This night was about them and them only.

Dakota Steele

Date: 2007-12-04 17:25 EST
He'd made these reservations weeks ago, so when Dakota and Charlotte arrived at the small club, they were seated almost immediately, much to the chagrin of the countless number of people who had been waiting over an hour for a table.

There was indeed dancing going on, with couples swaying back and forth to the sounds of tonight's house band. That'd come a little later on. For now, the waitress took their drink orders. Dakota ordered himself a glass of one of the more expensive wines on the menu. Tonight, money was no object.

A hand reached across the table to gently take hold of hers, and from underneath the brim of his hat, she could see his brown eyes just piercing through her.

"Do you still love me, baby....? After all this.....everything that's happened....you still really love me...?"

Well, he pretty much laid it all out there from the getgo, didn't he?

Dakota never did believe in beating around the bush.

Charlotte Ravenlock

Date: 2007-12-04 19:21 EST
The mere sight of her gorgeous husband had Charlotte's heart caught up in a whirlwind of emotions. It was true, this had been a long time in coming..something for which Charlotte had long waited.

As Dakota pulled her close, Char let her head fall and rest on his shoulder as she inhaled the scent of his cologne. She always loved when he wore it; it reminded her of when they'd first started dating. Back then.. well, things were different now. All marriages change, nothing can ever be like it was and until Dakota had left, even with the stress in the house, Charlotte liked where her Marriage had been.

When they got to the upscale club/restaurant, Charlotte was floored. They really didn't have the money for things like this, but tonight was supposed to be special and somewhere deep inside, Charlotte suspected that Dakota had had money put away for such an occasion.

Charlotte sat quietly with a smile on her face while Dakota ordered his drink and then ordered her own, a glass of white wine. There was a moment of waiting to see if her husband would remove his hat and then laughter when he didn't. But then, that wouldn't be Dakota if he'd removed it. His hat was his signature and it looked good on him, she must admit.

Her smile softened as Dakota reached across the table, her own hands meeting his halfway, fingers curling around his own. She'd loved the feel of his hands. They were rough and calloused from working outdoors most of his life... but she knew every single line and imperfection of his skin. They'd fought long and hard one afternoon a couple years ago, and Charlotte had ended up burning one of his hands in anger. He'd done her a bit of damage, but Charlotte was simply mortified that she'd caused him physical pain. Slowly and carefully with the aid of her magic, she'd reformed the skin on his hands to match.

Thinking on this memory, Charlotte gently rubbed her thumbs over his palms. His blunt question caused her head to snap up, chocolate brown gaze wide with worry. "Of course I love you!" There was no hesitation there. She was surprised he'd even asked. "I never stopped..." her voice trailed off as she let her gaze drop back to their entwined hands. "The truth is.. I thought I'd never get over you. I was afraid that I'd have to go on forever alone and just hide that love."

After a moment or two, Charlotte looked up at him once more. "Is that what you've thought all this time? That I didn't love you anymore?"

Dakota Steele

Date: 2007-12-05 00:47 EST
Hell, the thought of taking off his hat never even crossed his mind. He'd wear the damn thing to bed if he could. It was indeed as much a part of him as any of his physical features.

Holding onto her hands from his seat across the table, Dakota sat there for a few seconds in silence, contemplating her question. Well, it was no time to clam up now. They hadn't had a truly open conversation like this in many, many months.

"Baby, I guess I didn't know what to think. Things just seemed to have been so tense between us since we got back together. My biggest fear was that it happened on nothin' more than an impulse, and that you were regrettin' takin' me back. I been scared that what we were tryin' to build back together was nothin' more than a house of cards, and that the slightest bit of trouble was gonna shoot it all to hell again. I been....hell, baby...I just couldn't stand the thought of losin' you again. I guess I just needed to actually hear you tell me that you loved me. An' I just heard it from you. S'all I needed, darlin'..."

Their glasses of wine were brought out. In the few seconds beforehand, Dakota had glanced down at the menu, although he knew exactly what he was getting. Looking up at the waitress, he offered her a smile as he ordered.

"I'll take the 24 oz. porterhouse, medium well, with the mashed garlic taters, roasted corn on the cob, and a house salad....no tomato, ranch dressin'.....oh, an' you reckon I could get me one of them there shrimp skewers for an appetizer..?"

Charlotte had to be looking at him like he was crazy. The bill was going to be insane!!! And she had NEVER seen him order that much food. All he could do was grin at her, as if he was reading her mind.

"Damn right, babygirl.."

With that, the waitress turned to Charlotte.

"And for you, ma'am?"