Disclaimer: I own none of it, it's all ITV.

Author Notes: A sequel to my fic 'Level Heads.' All you need to know is that Ruby and Galvin agreed to a date. Thanks to gnimaerd for her great encouragement and proof reading, you make me feel good about my writing. Thank you.

DATING DANGER

Ruby was wearing butterflies in her hair when Galvin came to pick her up. Little glittering butterflies that matched the sparkles on her shoes. She'd only worn the shoes a couple of times before. They were kind of uncomfortable. She stuffed her hands deep in her jacket's pockets and stamped her feet against the cold as Galvin wound his window down.

"My Mum warned me about men like you," she smirked down at him.

"Hmm, I doubt it. Get in."

Ruby rolled her eyes, but did as she was told. Trust him to treat a date like a mission. He wasn't going to spoil this, no way.

He did have manners it turned out, though. He opened the restaurant door so she could go in first. But he didn't bother trying to order for her. Ruby knew what she liked and didn't want anyone else trying to correct her on it, even in a posh place like this. The restaurant was dark, with a lot of candles everywhere, and was out of the way. Intimate.

Ruby ordered a meat spaghetti thing, it had been ages since she'd had pasta that looked that nice. Galvin wanted steak and wanted it bloody. Like that was a surprise. He asked for whiskey, another given, and Ruby faltered over the drinks menu. There was absolutely nothing there she recognised. Everyone else had wine, which Ruby didn't really like. She risked a glance up at Galvin who was watching her unblinkingly. The waiter was looming over her now not very patiently at all. Great, no pressure then.

She stabbed a fingernail at a wine name that reminded her of the blonde girl Luke had drooled over in that show he insisted she watch with him and shoved the menu at the waiter, thanking him with very little conviction. Galvin was absolutely smirking now. Ruby glared, feeling colour flood her cheeks.

"What?" she snapped defensively.

"Old enough to smite, old enough to drink," was all he said.

Now that had to be more a Galvin thing than some sort of smiting rule. Luke hadn't been drinking more than usual since he started smiting. He liked beer and laughed a lot when he drank too much. Once he even started singing. Ruby had been giggly and unsteady herself on something orange and sweet at the time, but she'd taken some surprisingly steady photos on her phone of the incident. They'd been great blackmail material ever since.

There was music playing, something instrumental with lots of guitars, and an empty dance floor of gleaming wood. The whole place smelled like really expensive flowers. Galvin was still looking at her. Ruby looked right back.

He raised his whiskey glass, as soon as it arrived, like a salute or a toast. Ruby half-raised her glass back to him.

"Aren't you supposed to say something?" she asked, eyebrows moving in confusion when he stayed silent. "When you make a toast, I mean?"

"Not always," Galvin had drained half of his glass already. "And not always out loud."

"You really like this 'secret identity' thing," Ruby commented, her fingers tightening on the wine glass stem. "You can't keep everything a secret."

"I make the best omelettes this side for France."

"Yeah, Luke told me. Can't you cook anything else?"

"I'm sensing you're not impressed."

Ruby snorted and took a sip of the wine and then tried really hard not to pull a face. Urgh, okay, water it was then. She wanted details. Omelettes she knew about, and Maggie. But not much in between. It was a really weird scale of information. Everything and nothing, all at the same time.

"Never underestimate the power of a good omelette," Galvin told her.

Ruby laughed. Mind you, Luke had said the omelettes were good. Maybe next time, Galvin could cook for her. That could be nice. That was when the food arrived, smelling really good. The pasta was gorgeous.

"This is so good," Ruby commented messily.

"Luke never bring you here before?"

"Yeah, right. He can't afford anything more pricey than Pizza Hut! He wouldn't like a place like this anyway."

"Smiter's salaries aren't what they used to be."

"How do you make money anyway? Afford places like this, and your hotel?"

"Prudent investment and a banking system that leads all the way back to Mina."

Ruby dropped her cutlery, the metal clanging loudly against the plate. "Mina pays your salary?!"

Before Galvin could reply, there was a screech from outside. Everyone in the restaurant turned to look, and a woman in a dark cloak dropped a sickly-pale body by the door and flew, literally flew, out of sight.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding!" Ruby exclaimed.

Galvin was on his feet already, swinging his coat on with a hand on the pulse gun hidden inside it. He gave more than enough money to the waiter on his way out.

"Great food, thank you. A very entertaining night."

He could hear Ruby muttering something under her breath, but she was right behind him. That was what he liked about Ruby; she rolled with the punches and got with the programme real quick. She was right by his side as he reached the street. The guy wasn't moving. Ruby crouched down beside him, fingers trying to find a pulse.

The witch was disappearing around a corner. Galvin took off after her. It usually took more than one smiter and a lot of careful planning to subdue a witch. But a lot of civilians got hurt during even just a single evening of a witch's hunt. Whole villages had been wiped out and he and Jay once spent three nights tracking one crone before they even got sight of her skirts. By then, she'd feasted on almost five families.

There was no time to call for backup; right now the streets were full of people, like an all-you-can-eat buffet. There wasn't a choice.

"Mr Galvin, so predictable, always interfering."

She'd lost her cloak now and was wearing something pink. A dress with a sash and a dagger in her hand. She looked hungry. Galvin aimed his pulse gun right at her throat.

"I stick to what I do best," he replied. "Now don't move or I shall surely smite thee!"

"Don't you grow tired of this life?" her voice was melodic and soothing, her head cocked like an animal examining its prey. "Don't you grow weary and hungry for rest? For time to sleep and forget the burdens you bear?"

Galvin's gun wavered. His focus blurred. His eyes were feeling heavy all of a sudden. Damn, he had to get his aim back. This was why witch hunts were never a one man job. If only he could reach the ear plugs in his pocket.....

"The hour is late, Mr Galvin. Surely you need your rest, for all that exciting smiting you do......."

Galvin's arms were dropping, his head following, thoughts increasingly muzzy. He could hear the witch getting closer, her dress rustling. He never could work out why this sect dressed for prom when they went killing. He needed to raise his arms.

There were hurried footsteps and then a liquid noise, coupled with a hellish scream. Galvin could feel his thoughts clearing, shaking his head helped. He reached out for the wall. God, that felt better. Rookie mistake, that Luke was never going to hear about.

The witch was crumpled on the ground, clawing at her face which looked like it was burning, and Ruby was stood over her, breathless with determination on her face, wide eyes, and a can of mace in her hands aimed down at the half-life. Very nice.

"What the hell just happened?" Ruby wanted to know.

"She started talking and I listened," Galvin found he could walk in a straight line and did so over to Ruby's side. "God damn Whisperers."

"I thought she was a witch?"

"She is. Whisperers specialise in numbing their victims, always men, with their voices and then going in for the kill," he kicked the dagger of reach. "We're just full of the nutrients they need to survive."

Galvin motioned for Ruby to step back and fired his pulse gun. The witch dissolved into pink gloop, that figured. It'd give the street sweepers something to talk about tomorrow.

"Aren't you forgetting something? The bit where you thank me for saving your life, again?" Ruby asked pointedly.

Galvin paused and swept his gaze over her. It raised colour in her skin.

"Great timing, thank you."

"I know," Ruby was very smug as she packed her mace away into her bag. "I carry a lot more of this stuff since I met you. I've even got some brass knuckles somewhere. Found them in the market antique bit on Saturday last month."

Ruby with brass knuckles was an image Galvin liked, especially if she was wearing that skirt. She'd made an effort, her shoes didn't usually sparkle like that. And she'd showed a lot of initiative. She thought good on her feet.

"I cannot believe you brought a gun on a date!" she was laughing at him, mocking. "And please, don't say anything about 'safe sex'. It'd be too James Bond and he's a creep."

That got a laugh from Galvin. He had better moves than that. He shoved the pulse gun back into the folds of his coat and in a swift movement, pulled Ruby around a corner and into the recesses of a quiet dark alley. Guaranteed privacy. She was pressed up against the wall and he had a knee between her legs. She was startled, but not scared. Excited, like her night had finally started. Definitely a good look on her.

"Now that was kind of impressive," Ruby had some of her bravado back. "Didn't think you could move that fast at your age."

He could feel her pulse racing, the opposite of her almost-calm façade. He could also hear ambulance sirens.

"I called them," Ruby explained without being asked, not moving from her vulnerable position.

"Too late for that."

"I know, but I don't have the number for the morgue or the undertakers."

"I have them on speed dial."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Of course you do. God, this is a really......"

He cut her off before she could continue, swallowing her words and pressing her insistently against the wall as he did. He could feel the gasp on her lips and it went straight to below his waist. She tasted of pasta and wine and she wasn't resisting at all. She was downright eager, he could feel it in every part of her body. She bit his lower lip slightly before they separated.

It took several tries before Ruby could speak again. Galvin stayed close, with a very self-satisfied smirk.

"You owe me dessert," Ruby managed at last. "And I said no smiting, right? So you owe me another date as well."

"Hmm, and you think you can handle that?"

The sirens were really loud now, there was a crowd gathering. The police would definitely be looking for them. Ruby looked at him, daring him to break the gaze first, and slid her hands under his coat in a very distracting manner.

"Well, keeping me out of a police cell would really help........"

He pulled her tighter against him, because he liked putting her off-kilter, getting another gasp from her, and it brought her lips closer. He flicked the hair out of her eyes.

There were blue lights flashing at the edges of his vision. Time to make into the shadows. Galvin fixed one of her butterfly clips, it'd looked like it was about to fly away. His hand lingered on her face.

They were getting close to where he'd parked before Ruby properly spoke again.

"Hey, Galvin? When was the last time you snogged someone in the backseat of your car?"

-the end