The First One I'll Remember

Participants:

dax_icon.gif elle_icon.gif

Scene Title The First One I'll Remember
Synopsis Two people catch up on the times, and make their Thanksgiving one to really be thankful for.
Date November 25, 2010

Dax's Apartment


Thanksgiving is the time of year when the united states shuts down for a day, gorges itself on turkey and all the trimmings, spends time with Family and friends, and basically celebrates the landing of some guys on a rock way back in the 1600's. Here, at Dax's place, it's no different. He's been up since about 5:00 this morning, baking, cooking, brining the chicken (organic, the only thing he could find on short notice and something easily eaten by two people), making a pie, and being horribly suburban. A glance at the clock shows it to be a little before 11:30 in the afternoon - Elle was supposed to arrive around 12:00 or 12:30, so a little more cleaning and a shower is in order before the grand arrival and the setting of the table.

Elle did some cooking of her own. It's really nothing special, compared to what Dax has been cooking, but she tried. Elle's green bean casserole turned out remarkably well, for someone who so rarely cooks anything beyond things that can be put in a microwave. She's as dressed up as she can manage, wearing a pair of black leggings, a black long-sleeved shirt, and a blue sweater dress, complete with a pair of furry boots. She's still on the crutches, and he knee is still in a brace, but she seems to be doing better every day.

She's about 15 minutes early, when the knock sounds on the door. Elle stands there, fidgeting a bit, with her dish held in a bag at her side.

"Just a second!" Dax calls out, a plate hitting the table with a clank, the man jogging through the living room to the front door and opening it after rattling a few chains and checking the peephole- never hurts to be careful with the riots going on, after all. He opens the door and gives Elle a smile, the heat from the apartment inviting, considering how cool it is outside. "Welcome, welcome. Hope I wasn't interrupting anything on your thanksgiving." He reaches out to take the green bean casserole, leading the crutch-clad woman inside.

With a smile on her face, Elle slips into the apartment on her crutches, glancing around. The heat feels good, and she immediately stops her shivering a little bit once inside, removing the coat that she also wears over her sweater dress. "Interrupting? Heavens no. There was a thanksgiving thing that my coworkers are going to hold a little later, but I'll be fine just making an appearance. In any case, this is…quite possibly the nicest thanksgiving I'll have ever had, I'm certain. Definitely a lot more…intimate?"

Elle's casserole is taken and placed on the stove next to the rolls that are finishing their rising before going into the oven - The boy seems to be going all out with his cooking in order to impress the blonde woman. Or, at least, give her a good thanksgiving to remember.

Dax's apartment is a small condo, more or less, with a fireplace in the living room, a couple of bedrooms (one used as an office, the other for sleeping), a decent kitchen and a decent dining area. That's set up with two place settings and little paper-craft pilgrims in the middle of the table as a sort of centerpiece. "Well, yeah…it will be the common things, but it will just be the two of us. It'll be the first one I've had in a while with anyone…"

Elle follows after Dax with a faint smile on her face, peeking into the kitchen briefly, before turning to examine the rest of the condo with raised brows. Not too bad, really. The centerpiece prompts an even larger smile on her face, as she settles down at the table. She's really not much of one for standing right now. "I think this will be my first real thanksgiving ever, really…I don't remember much about Thanksgiving, really." A shrug, as she leans back in her seat. "This is a nice place." She really likes the fireplace.

The apartment, for all intents and purposes, is nice. A little geeky in places, mainly around the computer and the TV where there's a framed poster from a Kung Fu movie hanging on the wall. Unlike a lot of computer guys, Dax has managed to avoid the whole man-child thing and actually grew up a little instead of clinging to his childhood.

The Haitian probably had a little to do with that, though.

"Well then…with your casserole here and the rolls about to go into the oven, we've got about five minutes or so before eating. Can I take your jacket, offer you a drink, or put on some music?"

"Well…I did just take the last pain pill I had yesterday, since I'm getting much better. About another week and I should be off the crutches, too." She smiles cheerfully up to him. "And to be honest, I was hoping you'd have something to do with this." With that, she pulls from her purse a bottle of sweet red wine, setting it on the table. "I don't know how well it will go with everything, but it shouldn't be too bad, right? I'm not much of a wine connoisseur."

Elle giggles softly, turning her eyes briefly toward the fireplace, then back to Dax with a faint grin, looking him over with a thoughtful and more than appraising gaze.

"I think it'll fit into the meal definitely. For dessert, certainly. But for dinner, I'd think something in a Riesling would be a little better with the chicken." A wine snob? Dax? He saunters over to a small cabinet that is opened, the smell of tobacco and coffee and other good things extruding from the inside. He peers at a few of the bottles lining the periphery of the cabinet and selects a single bottle along with a well worn corkscrew and two crystal glasses from the five on top.

"It's good to hear that you're healing up well. You never told me how you were hurt….it could either be something mundane, like a car accident or getting run over by a bike, or it could be espionage-esque stuff. I don't know if I want to know how you got hurt, which is why I haven't asked as of yet." The bottle is placed on the table and, with a small bow, Dax retreats into the kitchen, returning with the rolls in a basket, heaped high, covered with a cotton cloth. "Well, dinner is ready, miss. Shall we?"

He even pulls Elle's chair out for her to sit.

"Ooh, a Riesling sounds amazing." She giggles softly up to Dax, tilting her head to the side as she watches Dax. She seems to be lost in a daydream for a moment, before she perks up again at his question, a smile still on her face. "Honestly? I was a not-so action hero. Meaning I was trying to be awesome in a big fight against a very bad person, but I ended up getting my ass kicked instead. Thankfully, I should be on a cane in about a week." She grins.

She settles into her seat, rubbing a little at the brace over her knee. "I am starving. I skipped breakfast on purpose. So…I'm ready when you are." She offers a wink to Dax, leaning against the table a little.

One could definitely say that she's giving him 'eyes', as it were.

The chair is pushed in with Elle on board and Dax, the perfect host, gives her a smile before vanishing into the kitchen for the big reveal. Out on a platter comes the roasted chicken, surrounded by nice roasted vegetables, to be placed near the center of the square table. "Go ahead and start serving yourself and I'll get to carving up the bird here." Sure, it's no turkey, but for two people, this'll be more than enough food.

The eyes she gives him are exchanged, a small blush and a casting down of his gaze as he works quickly and efficiently with the carving knife, dissecting the chicken into component parts.

The girl offers a charming smile back to Dax, watching him thoughtfully with a warm smile. She promptly grabs a roll and a scoop full of the green bean casserole, watching him carve the chicken. "Thank you so much for inviting me to spend Thanksgiving with you. It— it really means a lot to me." She smiles up to him as he blushes, a faint grin forming on her face.

"Well, it only seemed like the right thing to do - get to know someone who knows a lot more about you than you do yourself, basically." A breast portion of the chicken is cut away, the whole bit placed on Elle's plate for her to devour whenever she wishes, a leg and a thigh going to Dax's plate as he takes his seat and takes up the wine bottle and corkscrew. "Besides…" Deftly, Dax removes the foil surrounding the cork, twisting the corkscrew down and pulling it out with a squeak and a *pop* that echoes in the apartment. "There is something quite appealing about having a beautiful woman in your apartment on Thanksgiving. Something more to give thanks about, yes?" He gives a charming smile, pouring the wine…

It's Elle's turn to blush this time, leaning back in her seat with a faint smile on her features. "Well, I must say that it's also quite nice to be in the apartment of a handsome man who knows very well how to treat a lady." She giggles softly, rubbing at her cheeks as they tint themselves pink. Once the wine is poured, Elle reaches out and takes the glass by the stem, swirling it once, before she lifts it to her lips to sip at it with a soft, contented sigh.

Then, she's starting to pick at her tray, still smiling at Dax. "Let's see…I'm thankful for the gorgeous man I'm sharing this holiday with…I'm thankful that I'm with Redbird, and that I have Richard Cardinal, a man who has saved my life more than a few times. I'm thankful that I'm starting to make friends." She doesn't mention her father. She'll be thankful when she knows more about him.

Then, she grins over at Dax. "What are you thankful for?" She pops a carrot into her mouth, leaning back in her seat.

After her glass is filled, Dax fills his own, taking some of the casserole that Elle brought and taking a sip of wine, swirling it in his mouth before swallowing, setting the glass down with a small sigh of delight before getting the rest - potatoes and vegetables from around the bird. "Well…hrm…I really never thought of that. I mean, I'm thankful for meeting you, I'm thankful that the riots didn't get more out of hand, I'm thankful that I’ve got a warm bed and plenty of food when other people don't….the usual stuff, I guess."

He sits back, his plate in front of him, his wineglass to the left.

Elle tilts her head to the side, smiling thoughtfully at Dax. Then, after a moment, she raises her glass, smiling. "May we always have something to be thankful for, then." She giggles softly; once the toast is complete, she takes a small sip of her wine and closes her eyes for a moment, smiling. Another moment of silence passes, before blue eyes open to peer at Dax.

"So, I have to ask. You're single, right? I don't want to feel bad for shamelessly flirting with you." She pops a piece of chicken into her mouth, sitting back and chewing thoughtfully as she watches him.

"Cheers." Dax raises his wineglass to sip, and nearly chokes when she says the next part of that. Still, he plays it off rather well. "Single? Oh, honey, couldn't you tell? I'm as gay as a handbag full of rainbows." There's a pause and then a playful wink. "Only kidding. Yes, I'm single, Elle, and flirt away. I enjoy every bit of it, even if I'm out of practice.

A frown forms on Elle's face as he states that he's gay, though it quickly dissolves into a grin as he states that he was kidding. She doesn't have the best sense of humor, no matter how hard she tries.

"Good, I'm glad you enjoy it. I enjoy it too." She giggles a bit, blushing. "I can't help it…I always had a huge crush on you, ever since you came to the Company."

That's a little odd to hear, her telling him of how much of a crush she's had on him, ever since the time that they knew each other before his accident - a time that he has absolutely no memory of. He could either accept the praise at face value or worry that she's being a little stalkerish, but let's be frank - Dax is a pretty good judge of character and, from the first time he had met Elle in the mall, he somehow trusted her. Call it a gut feeling. It's not something he can really explain well, just that a part of him, somewhere in that mangled memory, remembers being around this blonde.

And it's comforting.

"I wish I could say I remember, but…ah well." He lifts his glass. "To new beginnings."

"Well…I can try to help you with remembering, at the very least. To continuations, and new beginnings." She smiles, lifting her glass to clink against his, before taking a long sip of her wine, closing her eyes with a content look on her face. She then sets the wine glass down with a warm smile, taking another bite of her thanksgiving meal.

After quietly chewing for a moment, she smiles up to him, leaning forward against the table. "I know I've probably said this way too many times, but…I'm really glad that I found you."

It's really not much of a thanksgiving meal - whatever Dax could grab in a mad rush around Manhattan grocery stores, finding things that were hidden, locating good produce in picked-over bins, and even finding good yeast and a pound of flour was a chore, but he did it. The chicken was his prize, though. Calling in a favor at a farm he worked on a few years back and a quick jaunt to the outskirts of the city, a fresh chicken was handed over, feathers still clinging to the still-warm carcass. Gory, yes, but delicious to boot.

"It's nice to hear, really. That someone's glad to see you. My job is one where people aren't really glad to see you because when they call you, they need you and know you're going to cost them a decent chunk of change for the work you're going to do. But this? This is nice." he takes a bite of his potatoes, luxuriating in the good tastes of cream, butter, and white pepper. Healthy, this meal ain't But good? You bet.

"I guess there aren't many people left who were in the company?"

Elle leans against the table, offering a warm smile to Dax. The chicken tastes fresh, too— a pleasant change from pre-frozen chicken that's been shipped in to supermarkets. After chewing on a piece of the potatoes and closing her eyes, smiling. Then, she smiles to Dax, leaning against the table. "I can imagine! Computer repair…easy money, I'm sure, but it must be a bit stressful. I know the last time I had to get something fixed, I spent most of my time scowling at the repair guy." Elle giggles softly.

"Not— not really. I was there when it fell, to the Institute…I even worked for them for a while." She frowns. "I haven't really heard much about Company folks. I know that…well, my Dad, he's in their custody. I don't know if he's dead or alive, or what. And for all I know, he's convinced that I'm dead…I did kind of die right in front of him." She closes her eyes for a moment, before offering a faint, halfhearted smile. "Sorry, that's a long, depressing story, and not really much for Thanksgiving conversation, right?" She partially makes this statement because it's still difficult for her to talk about.

"You tend to ignore the eyes on the back of your head most of the time, and concentrate on the screen in front of you. It's good to block out all distractions and focus on what really matters - fixing the problem." Dax leans back in his chair slightly, taking a bite of potato before continuing. "And trying to act like you didn't see the collection of horribly scarring porn they have saved on the desktop. I've run across that one too many times."

Dax waves a hand and motions the conversation on. "Don't go on until you're comfortable, because the last thing we need is non-thanksgiving conversation. Getting people depressed isn't a great thing to start with when you're trying to rebuild a friendship."

Elle laughs softly. "Oh god, I bet you've come across some pretty messed up porn in your time." She covers her mouth, giggling. She almost pursues a more raunchy line of conversation, but chooses against it. She'll go with that at a later time, probably after she actually kisses him. Which she is totally planning on doing, if the evening continues to go as it is.

"That sounds good…I'll wait to talk about that one, if you don't mind." She reaches across the table to place her hand on his, smiling warmly up at him.

Good thing it's a small table, a rectangular one that's about three feet on the short side and five on the long with the food on either end, leaving a decent places for hands to wind in between glasses and plates on top of the linen tablecloth, so her hands can easily find his among the obstacles. When she touches, there's a little bump of his power to amplify hers, more than likely causing a light to flicker, since he's keeping it on a leash with Elle around, but the physical contact makes it a little more….interesting.

"God, have I. Some stuff you wouldn't believe, other things you wouldn't want to see, and one guy I had to call the police on because…well…just because. Still."

His hand turns, palm up, her fingers against the smooth skin of his hand. He obviously moisturizes and takes care of his hands. There are a few little scars, too. Probably from cats or something…at least that's what he's told himself. After Elle's revelation, every bit of his life from before has come into question.

The lights do indeed flicker a bit as Elle takes a breath, a little bit of electricity traveling down her arm. The current doesn't reach Dax's hand, however, the woman putting a stop to it before it can harm him. She does rather like how the amplification feels, though. It's a pleasant buzz, and it feels easier to control. Then again, it's only a tiny bump. It would likely get worse if he did any more than what he's doing now.

After her eyes raise up to the lights, they cast back down to Dax once more, the little blonde offering a warm smile to him. His explanation prompts a wrinkled nose, and Elle giggles. "Oh gosh, that's pretty crazy! I'm sure you've had a lot of laughs over that." She snickers. "Ever come across any foot fetishist's porn collections? That stuff is messed up." She smirks.

Then, she links her fingers with his, lifting his hand gently so she can examine it. She likes this holding hands thing.

It must be a nice thing for Elle to have a dinner that doesn't involve insanity, running scared from mechanical simulacra, or eating out of cans in the middle of a mission. For Dax, it's nice to just have…someone, really, in his apartment. For the longest time, after his memory loss, he spent his evenings sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at a wall, sorting through the remains of his past and trying to catch a glimpse, however fleeting, of what came before. Sometimes, in the darkest part of night snatches can be found. Laughter and camaraderie. The smell of cooking. Fear in the dark. Long enough to slowly warm to recognition before they float away like leaves on the wind.

"A lot of job offers and a few extra hours tacked on to ensure my silence…even though I'd never keep encrypted backups of higher-profile people just in case something went pear shaped." He wouldn't really do that, would he?

He arches a brow slightly as she lifts his hand, letting her turn it over and look at it from all angles. No tan from a ring on his left hand, no tan from a watch, a few small nicks from circuit boards and those aforementioned scars that could be from a cat or could be from shrapnel. He's not really sure anymore. "I occasionally visit a forum of IT Workers…one of the more popular threads is 'Strange Porn You've Found.' It's mostly stories, but all of them I can believe are 100% true."

Elle examines his hand thoughtfully, her fingers tracing over the little scars on his hand. Then, she does something quite thoroughly her, and gently brings Dax's knuckles to her lips, planting a small kiss there. She never was good at observing personal boundaries, especially with someone she's known since her childhood. Someone she's laid in the dark with and talked to.

Then, bright blue eyes raise to Dax, a grin forming on her face. "I bet there's some pretty messed up stories there. You'll have to show me some time. Bet it's good for a laugh, and to remind oneself that they are not nearly as depraved as they might think they are." She grins, her lips still resting against his knuckles.

There was something clever Dax was about to say but his control of his power kind of wavers a little at her kiss on his knuckles, and the topic of odd porn is something not really expected over thanksgiving dinner. His personal boundaries have been well and truly blown away with the initial meeting of Elle and inviting her over for dinner. When his evenings have mostly been spent playing World of Warcraft and working out, bringing someone into the inner sanctum is a bit….liberating and frightening.

He doesn't want to pull his hand away, but he's not sure of the protocol of flirting…he is out of practice after all. So he just keeps his hand there, letting her rest her lips against his knuckles, kind of tongue tied. "Let's talk about something else, yeah? Just…"

Elle smiles faintly, suddenly pushing her chair out, though she doesn't release Dax's hand just yet. She's finished about half of her plate, and about half of her first glass of wine, and she feels like doing something. She manages to get to her feet fairly easily, giving Dax's hand an experimental tug, indicating that she wants him to join her.

"Do you dance? I might have to stand on your feet, or lean against you super hardcore, but…I think we should make this a Thanksgiving to really be thankful for. You know?" She offers a bright, cheerful smile over the table to Dax, squeezing his hand once. "So let's share a first dance, shall we?" It's a good way to keep things from getting too awkward.

"I…" Dax looks at her for a moment from his sitting position before standing, not used to being led in his own home. Good thing the floors are hardwood and the rug in front of the fireplace is easily moved away. "I haven't danced before, as far as I know. Always a first time…" He moves fairly well considering things, like he's sure of where his body is and how it moves, as well as it's limits. He does wonder about the injury - if he can support her enough to dance, but he thinks he can. He's sure he can.

"A night of firsts." He hits the remote with his free hand, a CD of piano music starting before straightening. "I'll have to follow your lead….my experience with dance is Dance Dance Revolution." He smiles and places his hand on her waist…just like he saw on TV.

Elle is a tiny thing, her 5'1" not holding a candle to Dax's 6'1". There's likely to be no problem supporting the tiny little blonde. Elle smiles as she leads him to a more clear section of the floor. She smiles as his hands move to her hips, and then she's leaning against him, her arms wrapping around his shoulders. She puts a little bit of weight against him, keeping her knee from bothering her too badly. "It's not too difficult. Nice, even. I never danced with you before, so it will definitely be a night of firsts."

Sadly, there will be no ballroom dancing tonight, while Elle is still injured. Dancing for Elle, right now, more consists of her leaning on her dancing partner with her arms around his shoulders while he sways. She starts off the swaying motion, moving in time to the piano movement. As she sways, she leans against Dax just a little more, smiling up at him.

Then, after a moment, she rests her ear against his chest, closing her eyes and just…enjoying the moment.

His heart is beating low and slow, in time, almost, with the piano. Almost like a biological metronome, keeping perfect time in concert with the hollow intake of breath and the occasional swallow. One hand rests on her hip, the other in the small of her back and for a moment he pauses, looking at them in the mirror, highlighted by the flickering of the fireplace and the glow of the coals beneath.

The CD player ticks off the seconds on the piano song he has….a soundtrack from Final Fantasy, it sounds like, and they move in time, swaying to the beat, shuffling steps. Yes, they're dancing very, very white, but for now, why not?

The hand on the small of her back moves slightly up, hesitantly, when she rests her head against his chest, finally moving up to caress the back of her head lightly with a gentle touch, stroking through her hair before moving back down to the small of her back. His eyes are closed, mostly, as the music plays and they dance…

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcFgelgVJ9Q&feature=related)

Elle smiles as his hand rests against the back of her head. She responds by nuzzling against his chest ever so slightly. She steals glances at the mirror, herself, leaning against Dax as they sway in time to the music. She even offers a squeeze to him. For the most part, however, she keeps her eyes closed, enjoying the music, and enjoying the closeness.

Toward the end of the song, blue eyes turn up toward Dax, and Elle's uncasted hand lifts to caress the man's cheek in an affectionate gesture, running down the length of his jaw to his chin. She simply gazes at him quietly, before smiling and resting her forehead against his chest. "Thank you…" She whispers this up to him, offering another squeeze.

"Thanks for making this the best Thanksgiving I've ever had…"

Dax, as far as he knows, has never been in a relationship with anyone. Before 2006 he might have been the ladies' man, or he might have been the guy staying at the base while everyone went out to go see the latest movie and crank one out to internet porn. He doesn't know anymore so…he really never tried to find anyone after he woke up. But having Elle in his arms right now? It feels nice.

Dax is the perfect gentleman, too. Hands don't roam below the belt or to the sides where Elle's brassiere can be felt beneath her shirt, and he doesn't speak at at all, simply letting her listen to the sounds of the apartment, of the city outside, of the piano and the soft sliding of stocking feet on the hardwood floor.

"You're welcome, Elle. Thanks for making this the first one I'll remember."

Her hand lifts to his cheek once more, as her eyes also raise to his face. "Let's make it even more memorable, then." She's rather short, so tiptoes just don't cut it. She attempts to gently lead him down closer to her face, smiling warmly up at him. Assuming he doesn't resist, she cups his cheek with one hand. She almost asks for forgiveness for her boldness…but instead, she just smiles softly at him.

Then, Elle's planting a small kiss upon Dax's lips, simple and brief. Sure, he might think they're moving fast…but Elle has known this guy for years, and it doesn't seem so fast to her. In fact, it seems like this has been a long time in coming, really. She lets the kiss linger for just a moment, before slowly, reluctantly pulling back to look at him.

"Happy Thanksgiving."


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