A.N. Hello again, so here we are with what should have been the first installment to my story of Myles and Danielle. There aren't many things better than first dates so hopefully you enjoy reading about theirs. I would like to quickly thank everyone for their continues support in this serious. If you enjoy this - and even if you don't - feel free to let me know in a quick review. As always, enjoy.
Although she would never admit it, Danielle Westlake enjoyed the bustle of early mornings on Mondays in the nation's capital. There was something comforting about the organized chaos that escorted her to work every day. Surprisingly, however, the coffee shop just down the block from the Hoover Building was not as busy as she would have expected. She went there every morning to get her coffee, in her opinion it was infinitely better than the big name franchise that was a block over in the opposite direction.
"Hey Danielle!" Claire, Danielle's usual barista greeted when Danielle got to the front of the line.
"Good morning!" Danielle responded in kind.
"Let me guess: medium coffee two milks, two sugars?"
Danielle laughed, "You know me so well. Can I grab a blueberry muffin as well? I skipped breakfast."
"Well we can't have that." Claire murmured as she punched everything into the cash register and put everything on the counter for Danielle to take.
"Life saver, thank you. Here, take this extra five and put it towards the person behind me? I'm feeling kind of lucky this morning."
Claire grinned, "Sure no problem. Have a great day!"
Danielle gave one final wave before gathering her coffee and muffin and exiting the shop. It was getting cool, the end of autumn was definitely announcing its arrival and with it the beginning of winter. Danielle didn't mind the change in the weather – she preferred autumn to winter but the season had its benefits and it was a truly unique time of the year.
She put her hand out to grab the handle of the door at the entrance to the Hoover Building when another hand beat her to it, the door opening at the will of another.
Glancing up over her shoulder Danielle found herself inches away from a man with eyes the colour the ocean at night and blonde hair that seemed to reflect the sunlight.
Picking her jaw off the ground Danielle cleared her throat, "Thanks," she said before turning away and trying not to run for the elevators.
Her earlier feeling of being lucky evaporated as the elevator doors closed in front of her and she sighed as she punched the up button to call another one. It wouldn't be that hard for her to walk up the three flights of stairs to her department but it was early and she wasn't in the mood.
"I thought it was you," the voice nearly made her jump out of her skin.
She spun around and found herself again face-to-face the tall blonde haired man who'd held the door for her.
"Excuse me?" She asked.
"You were in front of me in the line at the coffee shop down the street."
"Oh," she nodded, "Guess I was."
"I owe you a thank you…for the coffee." He said and held up the cup to accentuate his point.
Danielle inclined her head, "A fellow G-man huh? My pleasure."
He grinned and offered his hand, "Myles Leland III."
She laughed lightly and shook his outstretched hand, "Danielle Westlake. The first mind you."
"I'll try not to hold it against you," he joked as they stepped onto the elevator and pressed their respective buttons for the floor they were headed to.
"If you don't mind my asking," Myles asked after a moment, "Why did you pay for my coffee? We don't know each other."
Danielle shrugged, "It wasn't your coffee per say, I just try to do something nice every once and a while. You know, kindness makes the world go 'round and all that jazz."
"That's quite the philosophy."
"I work for the F.B.I. I see the bad side of humanity enough to want to make it a little better when I get the chance."
He seemed to think about it for a moment before nodding his head, "Fair enough."
She smiled and tilted her head when the elevator dinged, signalling her stop.
"Well this is me. It was nice to meet you." Danielle said with a wave before stepping off the elevator. His farewell was quick and cut off by the closing of the elevator doors but it made her smile and she didn't stop until she reached her desk and was vaulted into the next case.
Myles Leland sat down at his desk in a strange mood, the coffee Danielle Westlake had bought him was still about half full and placed on the corner of his desk. It was such a strange way to begin a Monday, and certainly not one he'd experienced before.
He'd never see her before – that he knew for sure. There would have been no way that he could have forgotten someone who looked like her. It had taken effort not to drown in the blue of her eyes and he'd had to supress the urge to touch her hair, the sun lit the blonde strands in a way that was almost blinding.
"Hey Myles, that doesn't look like your normal morning espresso from that fancy place on the corner."
Myles looked up from his computer and shrugged, "I was running late, the line at the place down the block was shorter."
"We have a coffee machine you know," Tara pointed out.
Myles laughed in a hard bark, "I sooner die than drink anymore of that boiled swamp water. This coffee may not be the best but it's still infinitely better than whatever we put through the filter here."
"That's the government for you," Dimitrius added dryly.
The next morning Myles went out of his way to stop at the coffee shop for his morning coffee. He wasn't entirely sure if he was going to see Danielle again but he figured that if he had any chance, it would be at the café. The barista seemed to know her pretty well, so it only seemed logical that Danielle most likely frequented the place often.
"Come here often?" A voice behind him asked.
Glancing over his shoulder, Myles chuckled and allowed Danielle into the line in front of him.
"Actually no, although I'm inclined to believe it may become a new habit. It's cheaper than across the street and tastes infinitely better than the slop they brew at work."
Danielle laughed, "Amen to that. Mind you if you put enough milk in the stuff they make at work it kind of tastes like mud."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Myles waited until Danielle had gotten to the front of the line, she ordered the same as she had the morning before: medium coffee, two milks and two sugars. Just as she was about pay Myles reached forward and grabbed the money from her hand, substituting it with his own in one swift movement.
"What-"
"Repaying the favour," Myles said before she could get a word in edgewise and nodded at the barista when she looked at him for confirmation.
Myles could feel the daggers in the back of his skull as he ordered and paid for his own coffee, it would have been amusing had he not been the recipient.
"You didn't have to do that you know," she murmured as she walked through the door back onto the street.
"I'm a firm advocate for reciprocity."
"That's quite the line there Leland."
Myles arched an eyebrow, "I beg your pardon. I'll have you know that that was one hundred percent genuine, just the same as my invitation to dinner is."
Danielle laughed, "Smooth. So very smooth."
"Well?" He persisted.
Danielle exhaled in a hard breath, "Alright. Dinner it is."
"How's Thursday sound?" He asked.
She shrugged, "Fine with me. Priority cases notwithstanding."
"Of course," He agreed. "Can I pick you up at eight?"
"I own a car. Theoretically I could meet you there."
"I'm aiming for gentleman here, throw me a bone."
She smirked, "Okay. Pick me up at eight then."
By the time they had to part at the elevator Myles had swapped numbers with Danielle and had obtained her the address of her apartment building as well as her buzzer and apartment number.
His day had never gone by so quickly.
Danielle was just finishing with her hair straightener when the phone rang. Picking up the phone she opened the door for Myles up without answering it, there weren't many other people who would come around at that time of the night so it was a safe bet that it really was Myles on the other end of the line.
Unlocking the door she left it slightly ajar in the hope that he would take the hint and enter so she could finish her makeup and put everything away before they left. He hadn't been willing to divulge the location of where they were going so she hadn't been entirely certain of how to dress. In the end she'd opted for a cocktail dress; something that she hoped wasn't overly or not formal enough for what he had in mind.
"Danielle?" Myles' voice called from down the hall.
"I'm in the bathroom!" She called back. "Five minutes?"
"A woman not ready for a date?" He questioned, and the amusement was clear in his voice. "How unusual."
Rolling her eyes Danielle let him have the last word as she cleaned up. As soon as her makeup case and hair straightener were back in their appropriate drawers she grabbed her purse and met Myles in the living room. She knew she'd made the right decision on what to wear when she saw him; given the fact that she'd only ever seen him in his suit and over coat the dark jeans, white collared shirt and navy blue sweater he wore made him look edible.
"Ready to go?" He asked.
She cleared her throat, "Yeah. Let me just turn off the lights and I'll meet you in the hall."
Forcing herself to regain some control she quickly turned off all the lights and locked the door to her apartment. Back out in the hallway she called the elevator and put her jacket on while she waited for it to arrive.
"So there's no way I could possibly change your mind about telling me where we're going?" She asked.
"It's unlikely, but don't worry you'll find out soon enough."
Danielle huffed. "At least do me the courtesy of telling me if I'm dressed appropriately."
She watched as he appraised her outfit – although mostly covered by her jacket she could tell that he was working off of his memory as well.
"You are," he acknowledged.
"I'm not entirely happy about this situation," Danielle stated as the elevator doors opened to the lobby.
Myles smirked, "Well if I've done my job correctly that should change by the end of the night."
"I'm going to make you eat those words Leland."
He laughed as he held the front door open, "We'll see about that Westlake. My car is the one on the end."
Before she could open the door he was there to open it for her, and despite what she would have thought there was nothing on his face to indicate that what he had done was for show – he seemed to act out of habit rather than to impress her.
"New England-bred habits?" She asked as he started the ignition.
"Hmm?"
"The door opening, the picking me up, the gentleman-ness…I don't even think that's a word but we'll go with it."
"Ahh," Myles acknowledge, refocusing on the road. "Yes I suppose so. There's something to be said for refinement though."
"So chivalry is not completely dead," she mused.
"Not tonight."
The conversation between the two was easy and Danielle was surprised at how casual the flow of conversation was. She hadn't know much about him when they'd met so she'd asked around the office – the responses she'd gotten had made her both laugh and cry. Despite all the negative commentary she'd received she had yet to encounter anything off-putting about Myles.
She hadn't figured out where they were headed until she could see the restaurant.
"You did not." She half whispered in exclamation.
He shot her a quick inquisitive glance, "I did not what?"
"Myles that restaurant is so above my pay grade."
He chuckled, "Not to worry. This is a date after all."
"You told me I was dressed appropriately for tonight," she half whined.
"You are. Danielle it's a Thursday night, people are going to be more casual than they would tomorrow night or during the weekend. It's why I chose this night."
Danielle felt the rest of her arguments die in her throat as she tried to settle down again before they actually reached the restaurant. She looked back over at him when she felt his hand on her knee.
"Relax Danielle," he said as he removed his hand. "It's not as bad as you think. It's just a restaurant."
"Knowing me I'm going to trip walking through the door and take out a waiter."
"Well then it's a good thing I'll be there to catch you."
"So?" Myles asked. "What do you think?"
They'd just ordered their meals when he asked the question and Danielle had been busy admiring the interior of the restaurant. It was like an establishment out of the movies, everyone was dressed well (though Myles has been correct about the lax dress code given the day) and the interior design looked like it had been done professionally. There were beautiful and expensive painting on the walls and the Danielle could pronounce none of the food on the menu.
She nodded, "I like it. I mean, I wouldn't come here every night but it's definitely a nice place."
"It is," he agreed. "I've been here a few times before, the food is excellent and the wine is vintage. The people for the most part are tolerable."
She smirked, "Tolerable?"
He inclined his head, "Yes. You'd understand if you came here more often."
Danielle had been about to respond when their waiter reappeared with the wine. The waiter was a young man who reminded her a lot of Myles; he was dressed imperceptibly and he spoke with a slight accent as he addressed them politely.
"Did you ever work as a waiter?" She asked Myles after the waiter had gone.
He quirked an eyebrow, "Never. Why?"
She shook her head, "Just asking. Seems like something you could have done to put yourself through college."
"As you can imagine," he began as he handed her a wine glass. "I wasn't particularly in need of money. I think my brother worked in a place like this one summer in his freshman year. I used to come by and make ridiculous requests of him but to his credit he was able to do all that I asked and keep a level head."
She laughed, "Sounds amusing. Your poor brother, I can't even imagine what you put him through."
"I wasn't his worst patron. There are some people who are just never satisfied – as I'm sure you know."
Danielle rolled her eyes, "Don't ever get me started. I love my job I just don't always love the public."
"Some people are just so…ignorant."
She shrugged, "I guess. I don't really think about it that way. It's our job to know the things we do, but that's not true for other people. I mean, I don't know the first thing about being a jockey but I'm good at my job."
She watched as he seemed to consider what she'd proposed, his brows furrowed ever so slightly and his head tilted almost imperceptibly.
"I'll concede to that," he agreed after a moment. He looked as if he was going to say something else when the food came and Danielle watched as a delighted look came over his face as the food was placed on the table.
"The food here is amazing. If you don't like it I'm going to seriously question your taste buds."
She laughed, "No pressure then huh?"
She toasted his glass when he offered it before she twirled a modest amount of the angel hair pasta onto her fork, the aroma of the dish was making her mouth water and Danielle could only imagine what the food would actually taste like.
She had to supress a moan when she took her first bite and she knew from the way that Myles chuckled that her pleasure was written across her face.
"I told you," he stated matter of factly as he began on his own meal.
"Yes you did but this food is…ridiculous. This is at least tenfold better than anything I've ever eaten before. Remind me to send my compliments to the chef."
Myles smiled, "I'm glad you're enjoying the food. I had hoped you would."
"Rest assured I am. What about you? Good meal?"
He nodded, "Very much so. Looks like we'll both have good reviews for the chef."
"Good wine too," she acknowledge as she reached for her glass. "Somehow it doesn't surprise me that you know your wine."
"You can't have a meal as good as this without a good wine to complement it." Myles responded as he went for his own glass.
Danielle hadn't even registered that the glass had been knocked over until she felt the liquids seeping through her dress and onto he thighs. Reflexively, she pushed away from the table and couldn't help the sharp exclamation that jumped from her lips.
She looked up to see that Myles had lurched across the table in a feeble attempt to prevent the glass from falling, the look on his face would have been comical under different circumstances. The two of them remained frozen long enough for Danielle to realize that they were the focal attention of the entire restaurant and she could feel the blood rush to her cheeks.
As she tried to regain some sense of dignity the young waiter appeared, and Danielle could tell by the pink at the tips of his ears that he was also embarrassed.
"Miss? Is everything alright?"
"We're going. Please get out coats and the bill." Myles' voice cut in.
She shook her head, "Myles that's not necessary-"
"Yes it is," he voice was assertive and insistent. "That's going to stain, it's best if we don't stay."
Relenting, Danielle let Myles take charge of the situation as their coats were returned to them. She briefly tried to negotiate into paying for some of the bill but as she'd expected Myles would have none of it and they were back in his car in the blink of an eye.
"You know Myles it's really not that bad. I'm sure it'll come out," Danielle said once they pulled onto the main road. She'd tried to figure out what Myles was thinking but he'd been very stoic since the accident and she almost got the feeling that he was feeling the brunt of the embarrassment.
"I know," he replied. "It's just better to deal with it right now then to let it dry."
She nodded, "I'm sorry. I was enjoying myself though – truly."
"Don't apologize. It was my fault-"
"It was an accident. It was no one's fault."
"I could have been a little more careful."
She shrugged, "Sure but you spilled a glass of wine. It's not the end of the world."
"I'll reimburse you for the dress."
"Myles."
He sighed and she could hear the exasperation, "It's the least I can do."
"No. The least you can do is nothing. Now we'll just go back to my place and I can get changed and we can have some coffee. I'm sure I've got something edible in my apartment. We'll make do."
She could tell that he wasn't happy about the agreement but he wisely decided not to say anything about it. The remainder of the drive was silent and Danielle occupied herself by looking out the window; she noticed that Myles' emotions seemed to project into his driving. He wasn't reckless by any means but his turns were sharper and his foot was pressed down onto the gas pedal just a little more than it had on the drive to the restaurant.
"Thanks," she murmured as he opened her door and offered his hand.
"My pleasure," he responded as he led her towards the building.
"You know, as first dates go this actually isn't the worst one I've been on."
Myles laughed, "I'm glad."
"Seriously! The food was fantastic, the company was favourable, and it was a great night. The spill is like a footnote."
He arched an eyebrow, "A footnote?"
Danielle nodded, "A footnote. Y'know that thing at the bottom of the page in books and other related items that gives you extra information and stuff."
"Funny," he deadpanned.
She grinned and unlocked the door to her apartment after they'd gotten off the elevator. "What I mean is that it's an addition to our night. Whether you include it or not doesn't really affect the outcome."
He nodded slowly, a mildly surprised expression on his face, "I'll agree that there is sense in that."
"And I'll agree to take that as a compliment. Now you can wait here and make yourself at home while I change, alright?"
She waited for his murmur of agreement before she went off down the hall to her bedroom. Grabbing a pair of jeans and a hooded sweatshirt she felt kind of ridiculous putting the clothes on her body when she still wore the makeup that matched her dress. Filling the onsuite bathroom sink with warm water she threw in some stain remover and added her dress to the mixture hoping the soak would start to remove the stain so it didn't set too much before she had the chance to take it to a dry cleaners.
When her feet carried her back down the hallway she was confused by the smell that met her and she picked up the pace as she neared the end of the hallway.
"Myles?" Danielle asked as she rounded the corner into the kitchen.
Myles looked over his shoulder and smiled lightly, "I hope you don't mind, I started the coffee."
She laughed and shook her head, "Of course I don't mind. It's been a while since I made my own coffee and it's a little bit unfamiliar to tell you the truth."
He inclined his head and leaned against the counter. Danielle watched as he appraised her new outfit and a slow smile lit up his face.
"What?"
"Nothing, it's just a very dramatic change in outfit."
She rolled her eyes, "Mhm, and whose fault is that?"
When the smile dropped from his lips Danielle laughed and patted his bicep, "I'm sorry. One day this will all be a funny story."
"Let's hope so. Do you want something to eat? You didn't get much to eat at the restaurant."
Danielle grinned, "Why don't you let me do that? This is my apartment after all."
He tilted his head, "If it's all the same to you I'd rather not just sit on the couch and wait."
She shrugged, "Do what you like. I don't even know if I have anything to eat."
As it turned out it wasn't all that hard to work alongside Myles in the kitchen, neither of them quite knew what they were doing but together they managed to make a decent meal between the two of them.
"I'll set the table," Myles announced as he pulled the plates and cutlery from the cupboard and drawers.
Danielle shook her head in amusement as she listened to the conviction is his voice, she wasn't sure exactly what it was, but everything he said sounded like a royal decree when there was some determination behind the words.
Slicing the chicken breasts, she put them into the Caesar salad and tossed it briefly before going into the fridge for the dressing. She was undoing the lid when she heard the gasp.
"Myles?" She queried as she looked over at the table.
"These roses…"
She shrugged, "Yeah, my friend gave them to me for my 30th last week. They're kind of dying though."
She'd been about to ask him what the big deal was when he grabbed the vase off the table and bustled past her in the kitchen. She watched him take the roses out of the water, pour out the vase and wash the inside of the vase before refilling it and turning back to her.
"Do you have any floral preservative?" He asked.
She quirked an eyebrow, "Any what?"
He sighed and Danielle thought she could hear a slight annoyance when he spoke, "I guess not then. You'll have to pick some up the next time you're out."
"Excuse me?"
Her question went unanswered as Myles simply turned back to the sink, turned on the faucet and proceeded to trim the stems on the roses before putting them back into the vase and carrying it down the hall. She stood speechless until he reappeared in the kitchen.
"I just put them in the bathroom, it's cooler in there."
"I have no idea what that means."
He looked at her in confusion before his face lit up in realization and he laughed.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I guess I owe you an explanation. I'm a horticulturalist, roses are my speciality."
Danielle looked over her shoulder down the hall before looking back at Myles, "So that's why you tore through my apartment like a human tornado?"
"I was saving your roses, something you didn't seem to be very good at."
She smirked and put the salad on the table and took a seat opposite him, "They're roses, usually they're given to you and they die within two weeks. I water them, but that's about all I know about them."
Myles mock gasped, a hand over his heart. "That simply will not do. After this…lovely meal I'll have to show you how to take care of them properly. Of course they won't last forever in a vase like that but I'm sure you can get a little more life out of them."
She smiled, "I would love that, thank you."
They picked up the meal more or less from where they'd left off in the restaurant, the only difference being that they both seemed to be a little more relaxed.
"Not bad for a quick meal," Myles commented
"Salad is my speciality."
"I can tell."
She arched an eyebrow. "Hm?"
Myles made a noncommittal gesture, "It could just be the sweater, but you seem to be a very…small woman."
Danielle laughed, "Old habits from college I guess. Besides I don't usually eat at home anyways."
Myles inclined his head and leaned forward, clasping his hands on the table, "If you don't mind my asking…how long have you worked for the FBI? You said earlier that you just celebrated your 30th, and you need to be at least twenty-three to apply…"
"Five years." She shrugged, "When I went into law I didn't really expect to come out and decide to go into the FBI, but I wasn't really happy where I was and I think someone must have noticed because I had a few people suggest law enforcement to me. In the end I had a law degree and two years to kill so I went back and learned Spanish."
"Rookie," he joked. "So is Spanish the language you did the test in?"
The look in his eyes told her that he was genuinely interested and she smiled. "Yeah, passed by the skin of my teeth though, two years wasn't as much time as I would have like but I'm pretty fluent now. It's my third language anyways so I've got a backup."
"French?"
"Welsh."
The surprised look on his face made her chuckle and she shook her head, "What about you?"
"I speak French, Russian, and Chinese."
She stared at him, "Woah…that's absolutely crazy. Impressive don't get me wrong. But crazy."
He smiled, "I always enjoyed linguistics."
"So what else?" She asked.
His quizzical look made her roll her eyes, "Come on Myles. How long have you been in the bureau? Where did you go to school? What do you do in your spare time? Just…talk."
He shrugged, "I've been in the bureau for over ten years. I'm Harvard educated but I did my post-grad at Princeton. I'm SWAT trained, I ski in the Winter and sail in the summer, I have a housekeeper…I'm also a car-carrying organ donor."
When he finished she let out a low whistle, "Wow. I don't really know what to say to that."
He smiled lightly and gathered their plates, getting up from the table to put them into the sink, "My family has always been very…motivational. I have two siblings, both of which are also very successful."
"Your parents must be very proud."
"Try telling them that," he murmured and the intonation of his voice made her decide not to press the matter.
Once everything had been put away they stood side-by-side against the counter with almost empty coffee mugs.
"Now I don't know about you, but I think this night turned out alright." Danielle said.
He chuckled lowly, "I'll acquiesce to that. However, our next date will be a vast improvement on this one."
"Sounds delightful."
She'd been staring at her mug but when he did say anything more she looked over at him. She was taken aback by how close he'd gotten but she didn't recede, the look in his eyes was one of amusement and another sentiment that she recognized far too well.
The first kiss was chaste, a small peck at her lips that hinted at potential. When she pulled him down for the second kiss she got more of what she'd been looking for. His lips were soft and he smelled like soap and cotton. He'd trapped her between the counter and his body and although his right hand was on her neck she had to use both her hands to hang onto the counter.
When they pulled away from each other Danielle avoided his gaze, which was an easy task given the height difference. She was light-headed, her lips tingled, and she could hear her heart beat in her ears.
"I've been waiting to do that," he murmured and his voice was close to her ear.
She smiled and finally met his gaze, there was glassy look in his eyes that told her that he'd been affected just the same as she had.
"I'm glad you did," she said quietly.
"I should go," his words held no conviction and he made no move to leave but she knew it was getting late and they both had to work in the morning.
She put a hand on his chest and gently pushed him back a step. "You really should get going," she said with a light smile.
He sighed lightly and nodded to show his acknowledgement and she escorted his to the door which she leaned on as he put his trench coat on and got ready to go.
"Text me when you get home," she said when he was ready.
"I will," he promised before leaning down and kissing her once more, leaving a smile on both their faces.
Danielle had forgotten about the roses until she walked into the bathroom. The vase on the counter made her smile and although she was at a loathe to admit it, they did look livelier. The text from Myles came soon after when she was brushing her teeth. Sending him back a quick reply and the wish for him to have a good night she crawled into bed. When she'd been taking off her makeup in the mirror earlier there had been a stupid grin on her face and as she felt herself drift off to sleep she knew it was still there. She really didn't want the smile to fade and the last thing she remember thinking was that as turbulent as it was, that night seemed like the beginning of an interesting relationship.