Author/pseudonym: MonaCK and Cathy Roberts
Email address: monaCK2@yahoo.com and huntersglenn@yahoo.com
Rating: NC-17
Status: Finished. Well, mostly finished. Just the ending to write.
Pairing: John Carter/Dave Malucci
Date: March 15, 2004
Archive: Please ask first
Series: 44/?
Category: "E.R."
Disclaimer: "ER" and all its characters belong to Warner Bros. No infringement of their copyright is intended. This story was written for the enjoyment of "ER" fans everywhere, and may be downloaded for your own pleasure. The title of the story was inspired by the Jimmy Buffett song of the same name, and no infringement is intended. The story can be found on the following web sites: http://www.heresmona.com/fanfic.html
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Boutique/7087/, and
http://www.errealmofslash.com
Summary: It's a slashy A/U story about how Season 8 might have been and contains no spoilers for the current season.
"Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes, Part 44"
By MonaCK and Cathy Roberts
Dave turned back towards the refrigerator, and took out the sausage that he had seen in there. He then began to prepare it -- slicing and dicing it so it was ready to sauté. Soon, the sausage was ready, and he was able to add it to the pasta and sauce. "Dinner's just about ready," he said, as he turned back towards the group. "Do we wanna just eat in here?"
"Sounds good to me," Abby replied. She had just finished tossing the salad. "I think we need to move to the table though, since there are only three stools. Why is that, John?" she asked him as she carried the salad bowl to the table. "Family too poor to buy more stools"?
John grinned. "We had them, but we were too poor to pay the gas bill and we had to chop them up for fire wood last winter." He gingerly got off of the stool, wincing slightly as his feet, which had been quite happy with no weight on them, hit the floor.
Dave had just finished bringing the bowl of pasta to the table when he turned back in time to see John's expression as his feet touched the ground. In an instant he was at John's side, and held out his hand so that John could take it if he wanted to. Because one thing that Dave had learned was not to push John when he wanted to do something by himself. "C'mon. I wanna hold your hand while we go over to the table," he said, his eyes worriedly eyeing John. Dave didn't like the fact at all that John's feet didn't seem to be getting any better.
John reached out, intending to just use Dave for a bit of support. It was as much of a shock to him as it was to Dave when John found himself gripping that hand tightly, but he refused to cry out. "It's just that they're more sensitive at first, when I've been off of them. They'll be okay by the morning. They have to be."
Luka, meanwhile, brought his prized dish, the Broccoli Rabe, over to the table. "I hope you like it," he said, turning towards Abby. "I added some garlic to it. Dave told me how much to use, but I didn't think it was enough so I added a little bit more..."
Abby laughed. "Oh, my. I guess we'll find out soon if it was enough, won't we? Now, we just need plates and something to eat the food with." She began to open cabinets, doing her best to ignore Dave and John as they reached the table. She knew how much that kind of attention would bother John, so she made sure to keep her voice even and her eyes averted. Dumb men and their stupid pride, she thought as she found the plates.
Dave's eyes swept over John. "Yeah...but if they're not, ya need to promise me that you're gonna stay off your feet as much as possible...try to do chart reviews and stuff as opposed to doin' stuff where you have to stand. Otherwise, they're never gonna get better, in fact, I'd be happiest if ya stayed home another day. You...you know it's just cause I'm concerned about you, right...?" Dave didn't want John to feel that he was trying to boss him around, but he was *really* worried about how much pain John seemed to be in. The fact that John was unwilling and mostly unable to take anything for that pain made it that much worse.
"I'll be fine," John said as he lowered himself into a chair. "I learned my lesson last time about forcing my body to do things it wasn't capable of doing. Besides, I've got Mutt and Jeff over there to watch over me," he replied with a chuckle.
Abby stuck her tongue out at him as she put the plates on the table. "Smartass."
"At the very least," was John's quick retort.
Luka looked at both John and Abby, confused. "What is this...Mutt and Jeff? Isn't a mutt a kind of dog?" Luka was happy to keep an eye on John, but not if he was going to be insulted.
Dave sat down at the table, and reached for the pasta. "No, no, Luka...don't worry. John isn't calling ya a dog," he quipped, as he spooned some of the food onto his plate. "Mutt and Jeff were a couple of comic strip characters from the early days...and uh, just uh...trust me that it's not a bad thing.." Sometimes trying to explain American phrases to someone not rooted in American culture was challenging to say the least. So, Dave just shrugged, and offered Luka a grin before turning towards John. "Does that sound about right?"
John grinned. "Sounds about right. It means I'm in good hands, basically."
Abby, having distributed the utensils, which she swore was real silver, sat down. "It had better be what you meant, " she threatened as she reached for the bowl of Broccoli Rabe.
Still grinning, John nodded. "Oh, I do, believe me, I do. Can someone pass me the salad?" As the aromas from the food reached him, John found that his appetite was returning. He was hoping to be able to convince someone to heat up a pie for dessert, since his mother had bailed out on them.
Dave passed John the salad bowl, then spooned some of the Broccoli onto his own plate, and took a bite. "Whoa...Luka...how much garlic *did* you put in here??"
Luka looked up towards Dave and shrugged. "I added a whole clove..."
Dave looked around the room, and his gaze settled on John. "You'd better have some of this...self defense..."
John reached over and scooped up a bit onto his fork from Dave's plate, then looked thoughtful as he chewed. His eyebrows rose as he swallowed and he looked over to Luka. "I don't know what he's complaining about. It tastes fine to me," he said. "Pass the bowl this way."
Abby shook her head as she took a taste. "I've got to agree with Dave, this is way too much." She smiled at Luka, hoping to ease his hurt feelings. "It's not bad tasting, just very...garlicky."
John chuckled. "You're saying that as if it's a bad thing. There's no such thing as too much garlic, Abby, remember that." John was dishing out large spoonfuls of it onto his plate.
"I didn't say it was bad," Dave said, picking at his vegetables. "Just...intense. Really, really intense, so...uh...you like garlic, huh?" Dave brought his eyes up to meet John's. "I'll have ta remember that for the next time I cook for ya."
"I thought I told you before that I liked spicy things?" John asked, sending a sly grin in Dave's direction. "The more spice, the better I like it."
"Okay guys, that's enough of the sexual innuendoes," Abby teasingly chided. "You've got a cottage just across the way from here, but Luka and I have a long drive ahead of us before we can make out."
"You could just go upstairs to Luka's room, you know," John said, his eyes daring Abby to take him up on that particular offer. "There's so many people in the house right now that I doubt if your presence would be noticed. Unless you started screaming his name or something."
A smile spread over Luka's lips. "We could, you know," he said, as he leaned over to brush a stray hair off of Abby's cheek. "In fact...I think I've had about enough dinner for now. I don't think you've seen my room here, and I'd love to take you on a bit of a tour," he said, the smile on his lips growing broader.
Dave had his full attention on John, but he heard Luka's words, and took the opportunity to hit on John once more. "Yeah, I think I've had my fill of *this* garlic dish as well. I mean...when I've got so *many* other things I could be eatin'...why do I wanna eat Broccoli Rabe...?"
"Good question, especially when the pasta is so good. Here," John scooped up a bit of it and held his fork out toward Dave. It was all well and good for Luka and Abby to be hungrier for each other than for dinner, but his stomach was quite empty, and John intended to get his fill before leaving the house.
Abby got to her feet and began to put a lot of food on her plate. "I hope your grandmother doesn't mind if we eat upstairs, but I'm starving for more than just Luka," she playfully remarked.
"What? I'm not enough to satisfy you?" A teasing grin crossed Luka's lips as he watched her pile on the food.
"Not in every way, no," Abby replied. "Get some salad and bread on your plate." Abby didn't want there to be any reason at all for them to have to leave Luka's room once there.
Dave leaned forward, taking the bit of pasta off of John's fork. His own hand mimicked John's actions, and he brought another bit of pasta to John's lips. "You're right. The pasta's pretty damned good. And uh...I guess we should keep our strength up," Dave commented playfully. It was so nice to be like this...to be in the same room with Luka without wanting to kill him...and for John and Dave to be getting along as well as they were.
His mouth full, John nodded, thinking they could take a pie with them to the cottage and Dave could heat it in the kitchen. He hastily swallowed, then wiped his mouth with his napkin. "There's no reason we can't take our dinner with us, too. Although I'd really like to take some personal things over with me tonight. Would you mind packing for me while I fill our plates?"
"I can do that," Dave said, as he stood from the table. "Is there anything specific that you wanted...?"
"My shaving kit, clean clothes for tomorrow, that's about it. Oh, and all my stuff for work, my bag and badge. Is there any particular dish you want a lot of?" John asked as he began to spoon nearly all of the rest of the pasta onto his plate.
Dave shook his head. "Naa, just a nice mix. Okay, I'll run up and get that stuff for ya. We have drinks and stuff at the cottage so you don't haveta worry about that."
He leaned over and kissed John lightly on the lips, and with a smile towards Luka and Abby, he headed out of the room, intent on getting what John needed quickly so they could get over to the cottage.
Meanwhile, Luka had filled his plate with salad and bread, and turned towards Abby with a devilish grin on his lips. "Are you ready to go upstairs? I don't think that I can fit any more on this plate..."
Abby nodded, then shook her head. "We'll need something to drink."
John looked up at her. "There's sodas and juices in the fridge, help yourself." He then slowly smiled. "And...have fun."
Abby laughed. "I intend to do just that, believe me." She walked to the fridge and grabbed two bottles of soda, then nodded in Luka's direction. "Lead the way. If this room is as good as it sounds so far, I just might move in here."
The grin on Luka's lips grew wider, as he picked up the plates of food. "Let's go. I think that you'll find the bed is quite comfortable. What time is your shift tomorrow? Do you maybe want to stay here tonight?"
He led Abby out of the kitchen, and offered her another smile before speaking once more. "Thank you for staying, Abby, and...I...I think that things are going to work out better for us this time..."
John was still smiling as he heard his friends heading up the back stairs. With the unfortunate exception of his encounter with Jenny, and the knowledge that his mother might have a problem with him being with Dave, John felt the day had gone rather well. He finished filling both plates, then sat back to wait for Dave to reappear.
Hearing footsteps approaching, John looked up, but instead of seeing Dave in the doorway, John saw his father.
"I guess dinner's over?" Jack asked as he sat down at the table with John.
"Not really. We're just taking it elsewhere, but we can talk now if you want." And get whatever it is over with, John thought.
"Is Dave at the cottage already?" Jack asked. He preferred to have Dave present since the man did seem to have the knack for keeping John calm.
"No, he went upstairs to pack a bag for me," John shifted position in his seat. "Mom doesn't like him, does she?"
"I really don't know how she feels about Dave personally. Eleanor doesn't care for the idea of her 'little boy' being with another man. She'll get over it," Jack said, sending a reassuring smile John's way. Truthfully, he wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea, either, but if they loved each other, and Dave made John happy, then that was good for him.
"That's what Dave said," John replied. "So, what did you want to talk about?"
"I'd rather wait for Dave to get back if you don't mind," Jack said. "How about if I wrap those plates for you and put them in the picnic basket? It'll be easier to get it all over to the cottage that way."
John smiled and nodded. "That would be great. And if you wouldn't mind, an apple pie and some extra sharp cheddar cheese would be nice."
Jack laughed as he got to his feet. "You haven't outgrown that love, have you?"
"Nope," John quickly replied. He and his father continued to make small talk while John watched Jack wrap the plates and then fill the picnic basket with dinner, dessert and some sodas, even though John assured him that Dave had drinks in the cottage.
By the time Jack sat back down at the table, they could hear someone approaching the kitchen and both men were hoping it was Dave.
Dave had gotten what he needed to get pretty quickly. After grabbing the toiletries from the bathroom, he found what he thought would be an outfit that John would like -- a pair of slacks, a button down shirt and a matching tie for him to wear to work the next day. Dave didn't quite understand why John bothered to get dressed up for work -- a scrub top and a pair of jeans had always done fine by him while in the ER -- it wasn't like he wasn't going to mess it up anyway.
As he made his way towards the stairs, Dave once again thought about what it would be like to try to get a job at County again. After all, if Jing-Mei had been able to do it, why wouldn't he be able to as well?
Dave pushed those thoughts from his mind, and instead, decided to think about what the events for the rest of the evening would be. Maybe they should try some fun with whipped cream again? It certainly wouldn't be a bad thing. The combination of John with the whipped cream made a delicious dessert for Dave, and this thought was on his mind when he pushed his way back into the kitchen.
"So...what do ya say we grab some whipped cream, and some..." Dave lifted his eyes up, and stopped in his tracks as he noticed that Mr. Carter had rejoined him. And feeling himself flush slightly, he forced a smile to his lips. "Ah...sorry, Mr. C. I didn't realize you were here..."
Jack grinned broadly up at Dave. "Obviously. I don't think I've ever tried whipped cream on apple pie before, but to each his own." Jack got to his feet, went to the refrigerator and returned with a can of whipped topping. "Corrine usually makes her own, but we always keep some of this on hand." The can went into the picnic basket and Jack sat back down. It was difficult to decide who looked the most embarrassed, John or Dave. It was a close call.
"Dad wants to talk now, but he didn't want to say anything until you were here," John said, his cheeks still burning.
"Actually, I was thinking it would be best if we went next door to talk. That way I can help you carry things over there," Jack said. He once more got to his feet and picked up the picnic basket, then held out his hand for the two small bags that Dave was carrying. With his hands free, Dave would then be able to help John get across the lawn to the cottage.
Dave offered John's father a smile, and handed the clothing and items over towards him, so that he could help John out of the chair. "I appreciate it," he said, as he looked back towards John. "So, are ya ready to make the trek over? You think you're gonna be okay, or should we get a car or somethin' to bring you over there...?" Dave was still worried that John was pushing it too much with the amount of walking he was doing. And very curious as to exactly what Mr. Carter wanted to talk about -- it must have be something serious if the man wanted to talk about it outside of the main house.
"It's not that long of a walk, Dave." It took all of John's self-control to not betray the stabbing pains that were lancing through his feet as he stood.
"It might not be a bad idea to stick to the grass and avoid the pathway. That gravel has to hurt," Jack commented.
"Yeah, it does," John said, remembering walking over it that morning when he went to the house. "Would it be okay to stop outside of the cottage for a bit? I'd really like a cigarette break."
"You don't smoke," Jack commented as the trio made their way outside.
"Yes, I do, you just didn't know it," John said.
"Whatever you need, John," Dave said, as he carefully put his arm around John's waist to help him walk. Now was not the time for Dave to bug John about his smoking -- there was time for Dave to do that once John was in better emotional health.
They walked slowly, but carefully. Dave knew that all of this walking had to be hurting John, but he wasn't going to talk to the man about it anymore -- John was a grown man and Dave was beginning to learn which buttons to press and not press.
It pained Jack to see his son forcing himself to walk while in pain. He had learned a long time ago how to read the expressions on John's face, and he knew that John was struggling to keep from giving voice to his pain. "Is the cottage open? I can go on ahead and get the food unpacked for you," Jack offered, hoping that John would give in and ask Dave for more assistance if he wasn't there. No son wanted to appear weak before his father, Jack knew that from his own experience.
John nodded. "I left it unlocked when I went to the house this morning, so it should still be unlocked." The cottage wasn't that much further, and the lawn chairs in front of it were even closer. Thank God for small favors, John thought.
Jack looked over at Dave. "Did you leave the door unlocked this afternoon?" he asked.
Dave nodded. "Yeah, the cottage should still be unlocked," he said, as he tried to remember. "I didn't see a reason to lock it since I knew I'd be back soon, and I don't exactly have much to steal yet," he said with a slight grin. Living in the cottage on the Carter estate was a lot different then living in a tenement apartment in Brooklyn, NY.
Jack chuckled. "I don't think you have to worry about that here, Dave. I'll see you two in the cottage then." He quickened his pace and was soon at the door and inside.
John sighed as he watched his father disappear inside. His feet were hurting even more and trying to walk without limping was becoming more difficult by the moment. "Dave?" he asked, his voice slightly quivering from the effort of not crying out. "I need a bit more help, I think." God, it hurt his pride to have to say that, but his feet hurt more.
"Okay, let me see what I can do to help ya," Dave said, as he moved closer to John. "I hate to see ya in pain like this..." They weren't' that far from the house, and Dave was trying to figure out how to get John to it without him having to walk. Finally, he realized that the *only* way to do it was to carry him. "Okay...I'm gonna lift you up into my arms," he said, as he began to move into position. "Good thing I bench press stuff that weighs more than you do..."
"Yeah, yeah, you bragged about that this morning, too, remember?" John said as he found himself lifted into the air. He placed his arms around Dave's neck and suddenly found himself with the urge to kiss that neck, most especially, right below the earlobe, at a place that John knew was very sensitive for Dave. "And I rewarded you then for your efforts, didn't I?"
"Ya sure did," Dave commented, as he slowly made his way across the rest of the expansive lawn to the front of the cottage. Dave had to admit -- he felt very, very lucky to have John trust him has much as he obviously did. It was like John knew enough not to play games with Dave, and to *tell* him when things were too difficult for him to handle, like walking on his feet was right about then.
Dave carefully deposited John into one of the chairs on the front porch of the cottage, and then sat next to him, glad that it was a nice evening out. "When we get back inside, I wanna change the dressings on your feet, okay?" Not that doing that seemed to help John much...
John nodded. "If it'll make you happy," he wasn't going to argue with Dave about it. "I'm sure it's just a circulation thing, that's all. And they're bruised. I shouldn't have walked over the gravel today, but I wasn't thinking too clearly when I headed to the house." He leaned back in the chair, trying to remember what he had done with his pack of cigarettes from the night before, but not coming up with a location. He'd gotten the pack out of the carton, which was still in Dave's car. "The cigarettes are still in your car. Would you mind getting me one? Or would I be asking too much of you?" John was pretty sure that Dave would get them as asked, but he still felt it was only right to give Dave an 'out' if he was that upset about John wanting a smoke.
Dave nodded. "Of course I'll get 'em for you," he said, as he stood once more. "Anything you want, John. I'm not gonna bug you about your smokin'...ya don't need to hear that from me today." He leaned over, and planted a brief kiss on John's lips, and then headed off towards his car. After he reached it, he unlocked it and found the cigarettes, which were in a bag on the floor of the passenger's seat. Grabbing them, he then locked his car and headed back over towards the cottage. He handed John the bag, and then sat back down next to him. "Anything else I can get for ya?"
"Would a new past be doable?" John asked with a half smile. "These will do for now." As John lit up, the door to the cottage opened and Jack came out.
"The food is on the table, but you might want reheat the pasta in the microwave," he told Dave as he sat down in the chair on the other side of John. "We might as well talk out here as inside." Jack looked up at the sky, loving the ability to see the stars. It was definitely one of the better perks of living in a more isolated part of town.
"Okay." John inhaled deeply as he waited to hear what his father had to say.
"Jenny went home. Your mother called the police and they came out, but they couldn't arrest her. Even though it's a clear-cut case of child abuse, it's too old for us, your mother and I, that is, to press charges. But she can be brought to justice, John. You've got to be the one to go to the police to file charges against her. Same thing with Alex Barton. I can call the family attorney and he'll go along with us. The sooner the charges are filed, the better it will be since any delay will only give them time to flee the state and possibly the country. I called the school and the records they keep on alumnae for reunions and fund raisers show that Barton is living in Springfield."
John remained silent as his father spoke, but when the man finished, he shook his head. "No. Just let it be, Dad, okay?"
Jack moved to the edge of his seat. He had been expecting John to be reluctant about pressing charges, especially after the way he had been protective toward Jenny earlier, and he had given a lot of thought to the arguments he might need to use to get John to be reasonable and do the right thing. "John, if Jenny did that to you, then that means she might have done it to other children. She might even be doing it to her own children. I'm not going to sit here and argue with you about this, but I do want you to think about all the ramifications if that woman remains free. Barton, too. He was old enough to have known better than to have taken advantage of you." Jack got to his feet. "I'm headed back to the house, but I'm sure I'll see you boys tomorrow. Think about it, John." And then Jack walked off toward the house.
Dave bid Mr. Carter farewell, and then focused his full attention back on John. He thought that John looked pensive...worried...but he couldn't read his mind like he usually could. John's face was stoic, which was quite unusual for him. But John's father's words rang in Dave's ears. Jenny could have done this to others. And that guy Alex could have to. And that...that made Dave's stomach turn.
"I...I think you should think about what your Dad said," Dave finally said after a few moments. "I know you don't wanna think about it, and you don't have to make the decision today, but I think you should think about it..."
John took a deep drag on the cigarette, then leaned his head back on the chair so he could look up at the stars and not at Dave. "I don't want to talk about it, okay?"
Dave nodded. "Yeah...yeah that's okay..." It had been such a long day, and John didn't need another stressful thing on his mind. "Why don't ya finish that ciggy butt, and then we can go inside and relax for a while, okay? Do ya want me to give ya a nice massage?"
"That all depends," John replied as he blew a smoke circle into the night air. "Are you talking about an external massage or an internal one? Maybe one that starts out with us finally finding out if that bed of yours is as good for tying someone down as it looks?" He grinned at Dave through the gathering gloom.
"Heh...maybe a little of both," Dave said, a grin forming on his lips. "And as for the tyin' down...why don't we wait and see what happens? I mean, you've been through a lot...and your feet are already hurtin'. I don't wanna put you into any more pain..." Dave hoped that he wasn't going to upset John, but after everything that happened, he didn't want to take a chance on any further setbacks.
"It never hurts me, Dave," John quickly replied. "And you would never physically hurt me. Besides, if I'm tied down flat on my back, then I definitely won't be on my feet, will I?" John took one last drag, and then extinguished the cigarette.
Dave had *very* mixed feelings right then. On one hand, he knew this was something that John really enjoyed. On the other hand, he was afraid of something happening that would cause John further damage -- both mentally and physically. "I...John...ya want me to be honest with ya, right? So, if I say what I'm thinkin', ya have to promise not to be upset with me..."
John sat up, but kept his legs extended to keep any weight off his feet. "I'll try, but I'm not guaranteeing anything."
Dave sat on the edge of his chair, and rested his elbows on his knee, and then his chin on his hands as he looked over towards John. "I...I'm scared to death of hurtin' ya," he finally said, as he exhaled. "I mean, I don't wanna hurt ya, but...in light of everythin' that's happened...I don't wanna do somethin'...somethin' that's gonna set ya back or anything, you know what I mean? I...I wanna spend my life takin' care of ya, bein' there for ya like no one has been there before, and...and I wanna make ya happy. But...I'm just..."
Dave finally leaned back, and cast his eyes downward, unable to look at John as he finished speaking. "I don't wanna hurt ya..."
John sighed. "Dave...since you're being honest, I'll be honest back, okay? You've already hurt me more than I had ever thought a person could, and I think that I've managed to do the same to you, right? But that's emotional pain and not physical, and you've never done anything to physically hurt me. If you did, then I'd stop you. I don't want this...thing with Jenny to interfere with us. I'm the same person I was before, and you never had any problems with tying me to the bed before, did you? If I remember correctly, you seemed to enjoy it as much as I did. Please don't let her ruin this between us."
"I...I do enjoy it, and...yeah, okay...I'm not gonna let her ruin things between us...I...I just wanted to let you know how I felt, okay? I hope I can do that with you. I hate the fact that I hurt you before, and I made a promise that I'd never hurt you again, and I intend on keepin' that promise."
Dave stood, and took the chair next to John so he could reach for the other man's hand. "I need you to let me know if I *ever* to anything to hurt you again....physically or emotionally..."
John took Dave's hand and slowly got to his feet. "Dr. DiLeo warned me that for a while the littlest things might hurt me emotionally. If I was constantly telling you things like that then you'd be a nervous wreck. And I'm probably going to hurt you, too, sometimes by accident and sometimes on purpose. I won't want to, but he said it *will* happen. Not that it might happen, but that it will happen. Think you can live with that?" John asked, a small smile on his lips. He hoped Dave could live with that because John knew he needed to have Dave nearby. Although perhaps not as mother-hennish as he'd been that day.
Dave nodded. "I already told ya I'm' in it for the long haul. I know that we can work through this...live through this. And as long as I'm with you in the end, then that's all that really matters," Dave said, as he steadied John against him. "C'mon. Let's get inside...and just *be* for a while. Just the two of us.." And it was just them. Dave felt worlds better just knowing that there was no longer a weird triangle going on between him, John and Luka. And somehow, he knew that the two of them were going to be just fine.
"Sounds good to me. Seems I remember Dad saying something about dinner being set out for us? We should finish that, then we can move on upstairs so you can practice your massage skills," John said. Like Dave, he felt that all that mattered was that the two of them ended up together.
Dave grinned over to John, and was about to say something when he opened the front door. Boy. Mr. C had certainly outdone himself for them. There was a soft glow over the room as the lights were dimmed down. Strains of the soundtrack from U-571 were playing softly over the CD player, and there were two candles on the table, lit and casting a soft glow over the food that he'd set out.
Dave turned towards John, the smile on his face growing broader. "Well...who the heck would have taken your father for a romantic...?"
John chuckled. "I guess he's just full of surprises, isn't he?" It meant a lot to him that his dad had taken those few extra steps for him and Dave. If only his mother was as understanding. "Shall we?" John asked, gesturing to the table.
"Absolutely," Dave said, but not before planting another soft kiss on John's lips. As they parted, Dave's eyes were still dancing. "Somehow, I think that the pasta will taste even better here, alone with ya."
He led John over to the table, and after making sure he was settled, Dave took his place sitting across from the man he loved. The halflight in the room and the flicker of the flames cast a certain glow over John's face that made Dave's heart skip a beat. Realizing that he was staring, Dave forced himself to look down at his food. "Uh, yeah...ya want me to heat that up for ya for a few minutes?"
John had been lost in Dave's eyes and it took a moment after Dave had broken their gaze for the question to sink into his brain. "Uh, let me taste it first. It might be warm enough." John took a tentative bite, and then nodded. "I think it's okay. What about yours?"
"It's...it's fine," Dave said as he brought his eyes back up to meet John's. It was as if Dave was powerless to move anywhere. Finally, he stuck a fork in his pasta. Bringing it to his lips, he offered another grin. "Mmm...this is good," he said, although he was hardly tasting the food at all. All he could think about was getting his hands on the man sitting across from him, and making John forget about his troubles...even if only for a few hours.
John slowly nodded as he kept his eyes glued to Dave's. "It's wonderful," he murmured, the forgotten as John felt himself literally basking in the love he saw in those dark eyes.