He took her hand, grinning and shaking his head a bit at Carito's...presence.? "That guy should be on TV," he said.

"No kidding.? He'd totally give Batali a run for his money."? She sighed with extreme content, caramel gaze leaving David's face long enough to do a circuit of the room and then rest on him again.?

"Sure would."? He fell silent, watching her.? He could see how relaxed and happy she was, and it made him feel the same way.? His mind went back to the first few times they met, and a little grin curved his lips.

"What?" she said, spotting that smile.

"I was thinking about when I first got here," he said, "and first met you."

"And how we got on like gas and fire?"? She snorted and took a sip of the wine and grabbed a bread stick, ripping it neatly in half and dunking it into the sauce before taking a bite.

"Yeah," he answered, chuckling.? "We had our share of clashes." He snagged the other half of the bread stick and ate it.

She huffed.? "Bread stealer!"? Then she gave him a smirk and opened her mouth to say something, but her attention was suddenly caught by a woman who was crying and smiling at the same time.? Her boyfriend was kneeling next to her, holding a ring out to her.? Riley smiled softly and nodded towards the couple.? "Looks like someone just got engaged."

He turned to see where she was looking.? "He's doing it right, too.? Good for him."? He glanced surreptitiously at her to see how she was reacting to the sight. She was watching, a complicated look on her face - equal parts happiness and sadness.? She glanced back at David and caught him looking at her.? With a little duck of her head, she smiled self-consciously and tucked her hair over her ear.? "That's really romantic."

"Yeah.? This is a great place for a proposal."? He stifled a chuckle at her automatic grooming motion.? He was pretty well acquainted with the ways the Jaguar manifested its emotions by now.?

Luckily, she was saved further embarrassment by Mr Carito dropping off their food. He made a big show of unwrapping the fish from its paper wrapping.? It was displayed beautifully, nestled in amongst shell-on shrimp and clams still in their shells, fat, juicy Roma tomatoes, and springs of fresh rosemary and parsley.? "Bella, si?" the big man asked and the proceeded to serve the bass, cutting large portions first for Riley and then for David.

"It's great," he said, watching Carito serve the food.? "Almost too nice to eat."? He grinned.? "I think we can manage, though."

Carito laughed, poured them more wine and then disappeared back into the kitchen.? Riley inhaled deeply and then dug in, sampling bits of everything and moaning in culinary ecstasy.? "Sophia is a freaking genius in the kitchen," Riley commented around a big mouthful of tender, flaky fish.? "She's gotta be like a goddess or something."

He made a noise of agreement, unable to speak through the helping of fish he'd already shoveled in.? It tasted even better than it looked.? Eventually, he reluctantly swallowed the mouthful, and took another sip of the wine.? "Damn," he said appreciatively. Comfortable silence ensued as they dove into their meals.

After eating everything in sight and even cleaning the few remaining shrimp nubs out of their tails, Riley sighed deeply and pushed her plate away.? "Wow," she said breathlessly.? "That was...amazing."

"It was good for me, too, baby," he said, grinning.? He remembered her comparison of food to sex.

She cracked a grin at that and prodded his shin gently with the toe of her shoe.? "Behave.? We're in public."

"I'll try.? Dessert?"

"Tiramisu?"

"Yup."? He lifted a hand, calling a waiter over to order tiramisu for two. The tiramisu - plus tiny demitasse cups of espresso - appeared at their table a few moments later, and Riley was silent again as she applied herself with single-mindedness to her cake. He didn't eat his for a moment, instead watching her.? He always enjoyed seeing her eat, how intent she was, and how much she loved it.? After a bit, he started in on his own cake.? It was just as good as he'd expected it to be.

"Ugh.? I think I may explode."? Her plate was clean and now she was sipping the strong, bitter coffee.

"My stomach is very happy now."

"Mine, too."? She sat back in her seat and sighed.? After a short silence, she cocked her head to the side and studied him for a moment before saying, "When Danny and I first got together, I asked him his feelings about marriage."

"You did?? He's never mentioned it."

She shrugged and played with the tiny cup and its saucer.? "He said only if I wanted to." He nodded, waiting to see if she'd say more. After a pause, she continued, "I guess it's like what he said about you and I - monogamy isn't in the nature of a Cat and he's more cat than he is human."

"You think he's not interested in marriage?"

She shook her head.? "He'd do it if I wanted it, but not because he wanted it.? He's happy the way things are now."? She sipped her coffee, very carefully keeping her voice and her expression neutral.

He knew, though.? "Are you?"

"I'm happy, yes.? I love you both very much."? Again her face, her voice, her body were all held in very careful arrangement so as not to give anything away.

He leaned forward just a bit.? "Is that all?" he asked softly.

She frowned and set the coffee cup down on the table in front of her.? "Is what all?? Isn't that enough?"

"When your voice and face get all neutral like that, it means there's something you don't want to say."? It wasn't exactly an answer.

"David," she started and then shook her head.? "I'm happy.? I love you both," she said again.

He nodded, letting it go.? "I'm happy, too," he said.

"Good."? She reached for his wrist, turning it gently so she could see the face of his watch.? "Crap.? It's late."? And it was nearly 11:30.? "Danny's gonna wonder what happened to us."? She looked around for Carito or a waiter to get the check, even though she knew that they would likely be shoved out the door and told their money wasn't any good there.

"Yeah, we'd better go."? He stood, deciding that the best thing to do was just leave some money at the table.? Then Carito couldn't refuse it.

Daniel was sitting on the couch, watching television when Riley came in.? He looked up from the TV and smiled at her.? "Hello, sundari," he said.? His gaze flicked past her for a moment, noting the lack of David.

"He said he's been monopolising me and gave us the night off."? She gave him a little smirk and headed to her Closet of Holding, stepping inside and shedding her clothing in exchange for something more comfortable.

He rose from the couch and walked into the bedroom area with her.? "Very kind of him," he said, chuckling.? "Did you have a good dinner?? I smell Carito's."

She reemerged from the closet, wearing a light cotton chemise in a turquoise blue print with multi-coloured lotuses and chrysanthemums.? She tied closed the belt on the matching robe and nodded.? "We had baked sea bass and tiramisu.? It was really good."

He sat down on the edge of the bed and studied her.? "Something's bothering you," he said.? It wasn't a question.? "Want to talk about it?"

She sighed deeply and reached for the hair brush on the dresser and then sat next to him, giving her hair its nightly hundred strokes.? "We saw a guy propose tonight."

"At the restaurant?"

"Yeah.? Down on one knee, candlelight, ring in his pocket, the whole nine yards."? She sighed and flipped her hair over her shoulder, a curtain of sun-kissed sable between them now.? "It was wicked romantic."

He tilted his head, watching her closely.? "Sundari, are you saying that you want to get married?"

"I almost did, you know.? Twice," she said by way of a patented O'Rourke Non-Answer.

"Yes, I know.? I was speaking more in the present tense, however."? He didn't think he had misjudged the reason for her current mood, despite what she said.

She shook her hair back and began braiding it, pulling the tail over her shoulder when it got too long to continue with it behind her.? "Yes, I think I would like to get married at some point in the future.? Maybe adopt a baby, too."? Her voice was very soft, very hesitant and she refused to make eye contact with him.? Everything about her screamed vulnerable and scared.

He reached out, running his hand down her arm slowly.? "You know I would marry you if that was what you wanted," he said quietly.?

She stood suddenly and put the brush back on top of the dresser and turned to face him, her arms crossed loosely over her chest.? "Yeah, if that's what I wanted, not if that's what we wanted.? Do you know how unromantic that is as a proposal?? 'Hey, baby, if you think we should be married, well then, let's make it so!'? No, thank you."? She took a deep breath and shoved aside the sudden flare of anger.? "I want you to want to marry me, Daniel.? I want you to want to spend the rest of your life with me, raising kids and growing old."

He drew back slightly from her sudden anger, narrowing his eyes in surprise and a little annoyance.? "I'm sorry," he said.? "I realize that might not have come out well.? You know the idea of marriage isn't a natural one to me.? That doesn't mean I don't love you.? I do love you.? I do want to be with you."

She softened in the face of his annoyance.? "I'm sorry for barking at you, Danny."? She went and sat next to him once more.? "I'm human, well, mostly human.? I want what most humans want.? A husband, kids, grandchildren, a white picket fence and two dogs.? I feel like I should apologise for not being able to get past that."

He reached out and took one of her hands in both of his, holding them against his chest.? "No, no...it isn't your fault.? It's only natural for you to want what humans want.? It's me who should get past it."

She shook her head and then leaned against him.? "No, Danny.? You shouldn't.? You can't help the way you feel anymore than I can help the way I feel.? You're not human enough and I'm not cat enough."

"Have you spoken to David about this?" he asked, rubbing his cheek against her shoulder.

She took a deep breath and nodded.? "Sorta." He tipped his head to look up at her, waiting for her to elaborate. "I saw a wedding set - you know, an engagement and the wedding band - in that little antique jewelry shop and then as we were coming home from Carito's, I saw a gown.? He'd have to be dumber than a box of hair not to pick up on it.? He feels the same way as I do, Danny.? He was going to ask his girlfriend in San Francisco when he made Detective."

"I see," he said very softly.

She kissed him very gently, simultaneously changing the subject away from something that made her highly uncomfortable while at the same time exploring the level of interest in pursuing something more than kissing. He responded immediately, pressing his lips against hers a little more firmly.? No matter what he was thinking at the moment, it wasn't enough to stop him from loving her touch. She climbed into his lap, one knee on either side of his hips and gently guided him down to the bed, not breaking the kiss as they moved together.

His fingertips dug into the muscles of her back when she pushed him back.? A soft growl escaped his throat, and he nipped gently at her lip. She sat up just enough to untie the robe and let it slide off her shoulders and pool on the floor next to the bed.? Then she skinned off the chemise and dropped it to the floor as well, leaving her naked, her skin like glowing honey in the dim light of the loft.

Hours later, she opened her eyes and smiled at him, her skin still flushed with blood and heat and desire.? Wriggling a little, she managed to get comfortable curled in the foetal position, she sighed heavily, a smile like the Cat who'd just gotten the cream spreading over her full lips.? "Mmmmm..." she moaned and stretched luxuriously.

His eyes were half-closed, the perfect picture of feline contentment as he watched her stretch.? He couldn't resist reaching out to lay a hand on her flank, stroking the smooth skin there softly. She jumped and the muscles underneath his hand jerked like a fly-bitten horse.? She lazily shoved his hand away.? "Tickles," she said in a content, breathless voice.

A lazy smile spread across his lips as he pulled his hand away, propping his head up on one hand to watch her. She gave him a slightly shy smile and then rolled onto her back, looking up at the ceiling.? "That was nice," she said at length.

"I though I was the one with the gift for understatement," he said, chuckling softly.

One of the benefits of running a busy cafe was that while you were at work, it was easy to avoid thinking about things you didn't really want to think about.? This held just as true for a Cat as it did a human.? Daniel found that every time there was a break during the day, he found himself sitting or standing there, staring at nothing, and thinking about his conversation with Riley the night before.? While she hadn't come right out and said it ? and never would, he knew ? he could definitely tell that not only was she interested in being married, but that his attitude towards it was bothering her.

Problem was, he couldn't help feeling the way he did.? Though he'd been exposed to human ways since his teenage years, there was a large, essential part of him that wasn't human, could never be human.? He was already bucking his feline nature by staying with Riley and being monogamous to her, and while he really didn't foresee a time when he'd want to go off and be with someone else, the idea that he would essentially be forced into a permanent arrangement made the Leopard uneasy.

It bothered him, though, that it seemed like he wasn't able to give her what she really wanted.? He loved her, wanted her to be happy.? Yet he couldn't make her truly happy by wanting to marry her.? Being willing to do it wasn't enough; she would feel guilty about that, thinking that he was only doing it for her.?

What's more, when he'd spoken to David at lunch time, Daniel had brought up the subject in the form of mentioning that Riley had told him about the proposal they'd seen.? While he had no doubts about David's love for Riley, he wanted to hear about his feelings on marriage.? It hadn't taken him very long to establish that David was definitely interested in getting married again one day, with a strong indication that he would prefer it to be Riley. It was almost cute how David had danced around that subject, clearly trying to avoid making him jealous.

After that, though, Daniel found himself thinking hard about their situation.? He had more than suspicion that he was actually hurting Riley's ? and by extension, David's ? happiness by letting the situation go on as it was currently.? Maybe it would be better if he stepped out of the way, let them be together alone.? It would hurt to do that, but it would hurt a lot more if he was right about holding her back.?

When it came time to close up the Cafe, he did so almost in a daze, hardly paying attention to what he was doing.? When he finished, he went up to their loft.? He found Riley there, sitting on the couch, reading a book, with music playing.? It was bluesy kind of music, Stevie Ray Vaughn, he thought. That selection was usually a sign that something was making her pensive.? He had an idea what it was.

Riley glanced up when Danny came into the Loft...and was bludgeoned with the agonising scent of his worry, frustration, and sadness.? She stood and set the book aside without remembering to mark her place - honestly, she'd even forgotten the name of it at this point - and went to his side, folding him into a fierce hug.? It just seemed to her that he needed one.

Daniel wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her almost uncomfortably hard, burying his face in her hair.? She smelled of sadness, concern, and some fear.? It made his heart break, knowing that what he had to tell her was going to make it all worse, at least in the short term.

"What is it, Danny?? You're scaring me," she whispered against his ear and then leaned back to look into his eyes, searching his face for any hint of what had him so upset.

He looked into those caramel eyes and steeled himself for what he knew he had to say.? "Sit down, sundari," he said.? "We have to talk."

She went cold and it felt as though her chest was caught in a vise grip.? She nodded dumbly and went to perch on the edge of the couch where she'd been sitting when he'd come home.? This was like a nightmare - she knew what was coming, she'd heard the talk a million times in her dreams.? Her mouth was suddenly dry and she had to clasp her hands together to keep them from shaking.

The sudden wave of fear and sadness that rolled off of her hit him like a sledgehammer to the chest.? What was he thinking?? How could he do this to her?? He almost lost his nerve right then, something that had never once happened to him before.? He almost turned away, almost said he wanted to marry her, just to stop that flood of emotions from streaming out of her.?

He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.? He couldn't stop now, or he'd hurt her a thousand times worse in the future.? "I've been thinking all day long about our talk last night," he said, reaching out to take her clasped hands in his own.? "It's become clear to me that I can't give you what you deserve.? As much as I love you, I can't give you the normal life, the marriage, the children, that you want and that you should be able to have." The words poured out of him in one big rush, as he hurried to finish them before he lost his will to continue.? "I would spend the rest of my life with you if it would make you happy, but we both know that you would feel as though I were only doing it to please you, with no thought for myself.? Maybe that would even be partially true.?

?Regardless, it would affect us, our relationship.? We would always be wondering if something was missing, and something would be.? Not love, because I do love you, Riley.? Humanity, maybe.? All this time I've spent with you, I've been teaching you to accept the Cat, but maybe I should have been learning how to be more human."?

He took another deep breath, sighed it out.? "When I look at you and David, I see the love that's grown there, and I see the possibility for both of you to have what you want, what you deserve.? But only if I'm gone.? The three of us may be happy together, but this won't fulfill your dreams and desires.? I'm holding you back from those by being here."? The flood of words trickled to a halt, and his body sagged, as if all the energy had gone out of him.

Riley's eyes filled with tears but she didn't say anything, even when they spilled over.? She'd long since learned to cry silently; there was less danger in it.? She tried to take a deep breath, tried to formulate coherent thoughts, tried to do something other than just sit there with hot tears streaking down her face.? She made some wordless noise of protest and shook her head.? Then the walls came tumbling down and she bent forward at the waist, the breath leaving her body in a sudden explosion of high-pitched keening.? She felt sick to her stomach; her head was a swirling mass of pain and confusion.? She covered her face with her hands and sobbed.

"Oh, sundari," he said softly, putting his arms around her and hugging her close to him.? "I'm so sorry."? His vision swam as tears well up in his own eyes.? "I'm so sorry,"? he said again.?

She shook her head again, clinging to him fiercely, denying his words, denying the truth that she knew was in those words.? "No, Danny.? No...you can't...? No," she repeated the word over and over as if it could erase his words, could erase the veracity of it.? But ultimately, and to her utter horror, she knew he was right.

"Shh," he whispered.? "Shh.? I would do anything for you, my love.? I would stay if I weren't sure it would hurt you more in the end.? You know I'm right.? The best way I can show you how much I love you is to clear the way for you to be truly happy."? He stroked her hair softly, over and over as he spoke, trying to blink away his tears.? It didn't work, though, and they quietly spilled over.

"I did this, Danny.? I wanted him.? I'm selfish.? I can tell him to go, Danny.? Stay, please.? Don't leave me.? Please."? The words waterfalled from her mouth in a rush of feelings, of desperation.? She pulled back, looked into his eyes, her own wide and filled with tears that continued to streak down her face to drop from her chin and leave dark splotches on her shirt.

He shook his head firmly, holding her shoulders gently.? "I have to.? I can't let you give up your chance at real happiness.? He loves you, as much as I do."

Daniel was right, of course.? Her talk with David last night, even if it was an intricately choreographed dance around the subject, had given her insight into David's feelings for her.? Yes, he'd told her on several different occasions now that he loved her, and she had discovered that she returned the feelings just as strongly, it was still kind of a shock to learn that what had begun as a purely physical relationship had somehow morphed to the state it was in now.? She let go of her Leopard and stood shakily, wrapping her arms around her stomach to stem the tide of nausea that threatened.? "What will you do?? Where will you go?? The house, Danny...? the Cafe."? She was grasping at straws, trying to think of ways to make him stay, to keep him with her.

"I'll go back to Oxford, spend some time with my parents.? They're getting old.? You and David can live in the house.? The Cafe...give it to Anisha, or rent it out."? He looked away, out the window, down at the floor, anywhere but at the pain on her face.?

"But...but what about me?"? Her voice was so tiny, so thick with tears.

"You'll have David, and a chance at the happiness you've always dreamed of."

"Please, Danny, don't.? Please.? I need you.? I need you.? I love you."? The sobs started anew and she sunk slowly to the floor, curling up in a miserable heap as the strength left her legs.

"I love you, Riley.? That's why I must do this.? I'm so sorry, sundari.? One day, I hope, when you've found your happiness, you'll be able to forgive me."? He crouched, kissed the top of her head softly, then stood and went quickly to the door and out before she could beg him to stay again, because he knew he would give in if she did.

She was nominally aware of the door closing and the complete absence of her Leopard's scent in the loft, but they were too deeply buried under her own grief, her own guilt.? If she'd never given in and slept with David, if she'd never fallen in love with him, she'd still have Daniel.? Hell, if she could more readily accept the thinking of her Cat, she wouldn't want so desperately to be married and have a family, she wouldn't yearn for all the trappings of humanity the way she did.

On the way out of the Gardens, Daniel saw the familiar figure of David returning from his work on the new house.? He drew close to him, clasped his shoulder firmly, and said quietly.? "Goodbye, David.? My brother.? Go see Riley, she needs you now."? Then he turned away and Shifted so quickly it seemed as though his clothes just exploded.? He ran off, so fast and quietly that not even someone like David could follow him.? A moment later, the wail of a Leopard rang through the night air of WestEnd.? Then all was silent again.