A/N: I see you through the smoke.

Enjoy.

The invitation is opulent; purple velvet and gold leaf. Piper runs her fingertips over the lettering.

Mr. Magic's Secret Emporium.

Yet another event that Polly had brow beaten her into attending, but Piper finds her initial reluctance has now given way to something else: a simmering curiosity (although she's loathed to admit it). It could be because of the clandestine nature of it all, or the exquisite feel of the card in her hands, but either way, she's no longer dreading it as much as she was this morning.

And as she steps out of the cab and onto the sidewalk, taking a large lungful of the icy air, she can't help but feel there's something different about tonight, although she can't quite pin down what. Only that the moon appears clearer, the stars brighter and almost anything seems possible.

Anything at all.

…

The line is longer than Piper anticipated and she's beginning to wish she had dressed more appropriately for the weather, as she pulls her coat tightly around herself. But Polly made a point of emphasizing that exclusive Valentine's, speed dating events, are not for women that wear thermal under garments or jeans. But now that she can no longer feel her toes, she's regretting paying any heed to her whatsoever.

'Will you stop bouncing up and down like that, you're making me nervous' Polly hisses.

'Well maybe if I didn't have frostbite, then I wouldn't have to!' Piper replies.

Polly rolls her eyes. 'You might want to tone down the attitude once we get in there'

'If I survive this fucking line'

'Look we're nearly at the front now, so at least try and enjoy it ok? Who knows, you might even meet Mr. Right?' Polly says grinning, 'I mean, that dark haired guy in the grey coat looks kinda cute right?'

Piper doesn't even bother to reply, her sole focus is on being someplace warm…and maybe some booze, booze is always helpful.

After what seems like an age, they're finally stood at the entrance and Polly is practically jostling with excitement as the pair cast their eyes over the ornate gold plaque that greets them:

Abracadabra and hubble bubble

Who knows what lays in wait

For behind this door, you could well find

That elusive and special, soul-mate

Piper's eyes wander over the intricately carved cherub in one corner of the plaque and the tiny hearts in the other, before she's abruptly hurried along by one of the hosts. 'Take a picture, it will last longer' she says, her voice brash. Piper looks around to protest and is greeted with a woman whose stature doesn't match her voice, however her slightly untamed hair gives her a strange sort of charisma and the jauntily placed top hat that she is wearing, makes Piper smile warmly.

'You're not here to flirt with me, blondie' the woman grins, causing Piper to blush a little. 'I'm Nichols, one of your hosts for the evening, you and your friend here need to follow the signs down to the end of the corridor and make your way down two sets of stairs. When you get to bottom, you'll see a door and you'll be asked for a password, it's cupid'. She catches Polly's not so discreet, eye roll.

'I know I know, imaginative huh? But what you gonna do?' she laughs. 'Once you're through the door, you need to sign up with the other host at the desk. Got it?'

The women nod in unison.

'Great, so let me take those invites from you and remember, just cos he buys you a drink, doesn't mean you have to sleep with him….unless he's got a really big dick' she chuckles. 'I'm kidding' she quickly adds, spotting the horrified look on Polly's face. 'Just follow the arrows down there' she says pointing to the dimly lit hallway. Polly opens her mouth to say something, but Nichols is already attending to the other guests behind them.

The pair hurry along to the bottom of the corridor and clank their way down two wrought iron stair cases, clammy hands clinging to the railings in the relative gloom. As promised, they reach a large wooden door. Piper raps on it hesitantly. A small grate is slid open, through which only a pair of eyes are visible. A man's tuneful voice greets them:

'Welcome to Mr Magic's

We hope you enjoy the soirée

So advise us of the password please

And then you can be on your way'

'Cupid' Polly says, slipping into a sigh and on cue, the heavy wooden door is swung inwards, but the man is nowhere to be seen. The pair flash each other a confused look, but continue on all the same.

They stroll down another corridor, guided only by the murky light of a handful of lanterns, the walls glinting in the shadows, the smell of damp filling their nostrils and whilst neither of them wants to say it out loud, the goose bumps prickling their skin are making them wonder if Mr Magic's interpretation of exclusive is the same as theirs.

'This place is like the fucking tardis' Polly whispers 'and what is this on the walls'. Her fingertips reach out to trace one of the stone slabs. 'Ew!' she says jumping back and treading on Piper's foot, 'it's limestone, just how far underground are we going?'

'I don't know Poll, but if you tread on my foot again, I'm gonna leave you down here' Piper hisses.

Finally they reach the end of the corridor and a much more brightly lit reception area, where a large mahogany desk is situated, behind which a luxurious leather chair lies vacant. A discarded top hat lies under the desk and a half eaten sandwich on top.

'Someone should tell Mr. Magic that baloney doesn't quite set the mood' Polly chuckles, pointing at the remnants of food.

They wait for a few minutes, staring at the set of doors behind the desk. A murmuring of voices, escapes the slight crack and indicates some guests have already arrived, but there's no sign of the second host and it's not long before Polly begins muttering about sub standard customer service and refunds, although if she's being really honest, Piper is just glad she's regained the sensation in her extremities.

'Let's just go straight through, it's not our fault if the check in person couldn't be bothered to turn up' Piper suggests, finally tiring of her friend's complaints and in desperate need of something to take the edge of the evening, to make it fuzzy and warm.

'I dunno Pipes, if they don't sign us up, we won't get assigned a number and that's kinda the whole point of speed dating.

Piper sighs. 'Fine, well I'll go and find this host then' she says, brushing past her friend and behind the desk. She flings the doors open and crashes straight into the warmth of another body. It takes a couple of seconds for her to regain her bearings and then she's staring straight into a pair of vivid green eyes and a smile that's kind of resplendent.

'Tryna sneak in huh? Want first dibs on all the best goods?' the brunette says grinning, as she re-adjusts the black silk blouse she's wearing, tugging on the collar a little.

'Um….sorry….no' Piper replies, all assertiveness suddenly vanished, her face flushing involuntarily.

'Maybe if you were doing your job and were actually at the desk, then she wouldn't have had to go looking for you in the first place' Polly interrupts.

'Well now you got me' the brunette replies, eyes failing to leave Piper's.

'Are we gonna get any service?!' Polly snaps.

'Oooh, maybe you wanna save some of that sweet talking for the fellas in there' the woman replies, hooking a thumb over her shoulder. Piper's eyes glance over the host's name badge.

Alex.

'Whatever, can we just get on with this?' Polly continues.

'Sure, but a little tip' Alex says, dropping her voice almost conspiratorially, 'you might wanna tone down the super keenness, guys don't generally go in for that…find your inner Zen or whatever.'

'Fuck you' Polly replies.

'A little bite too, huh?' Alex smirks.

'Can you just sign us up please?' Piper says, her tone soft, as the inconvenient realisation dawns on her that she's rather intrigued by this woman. It could be her arrogance, it could be her smile, it could even be the fact that she's finding her eyes lingering over the curve of Alex's hips in those figure hugging black pants, or the plumpness of her lips, but whatever it is, it's causing a warmth to flutter within the pit of her stomach, although she's choosing to ignore that for now.

'Ok then' Alex says strolling over to the desk and snatching up a sheet of paper and a pen. Another half or dozen or so women have joined Polly and there's a gentle hum of voices drifting around them. 'Names?'

'I'm Piper and that's Polly' the blonde says pointing to her friend.

'Piper and Polly?' Alex says, looking up from the paper, 'you've got to be shitting me, that sounds like a c -grade comedy duo. What's your party piece?' she says nodding towards Polly, 'how to spot a Wall Street boy at less than fifty paces?'

Piper knows she shouldn't, but she can't help a small chuckle from escaping and she's immediately greeted with a scowl from her friend.

'There is a line forming, in case you haven't noticed' Polly says through gritted teeth. Alex flashes her a grin.

'Ok, so Piper, here's your number sticker' she says handing it to the blonde, fingertips gently brushing as she does so and there's an odd sort of sensation that's palpable to both women, a strange current of energy or something. They both look away quickly, choosing not to dwell on the moment. 'And here's yours Molly' Alex continues.

'It's Polly actually' she interjects, not bothering to hide her disquiet.

'Right, ok Polly, let's hope the guys in there have better memories' Alex laughs, before handing them each a sheet of paper and a small silver button in the shape of a magic wand.

'So in one column make a note of the guy's number, in the other, score him out of ten. If he scores five or above, we consider that a reasonable match, providing he's done the same. The button is for your 'perfect' match. So, if within a couple of minutes you both decide this is it, you've hit the jackpot, you can exchange Mr. Magic's special button and immediately remove yourselves from the rest of the event. Got it?'

'Well it's hardly rocket science' Polly mutters.

'Very true…so you both go on through and enjoy yourselves…oh and Polly'

'Yes'

'You've got your number sticker on the wrong way round' Alex smirks.

'Thanks' Polly mumbles, hurriedly re-adjusting it, avoiding eye contact with the brunette.

'Best of luck' she throws after them.

'Super cunt' Polly hisses under her breath.

The last thing Piper sees before the doors close behind her, is the slight shimmer of emerald eyes and she's not sure why, but the image floods her brain in the most troublesome way, so much so, she's pretty sure she's not going to be able to focus on anything else for the rest of the evening.

…

The large hall has two long rows of tables set parallel to one another. The décor is extravagant, almost ridiculously so. 'It's like the mad hatter's fucking tea party, on acid' Polly says, mouth slightly agape at the numerous taxidermy animals, suspended from the ceiling in glass boxes, each with a design from a pack of playing cards imprinted on their fur.

'It is kinda weird' Piper replies, ducking her head, at an especially low hanging top hat, before her eyes flick across to the far side of the hall and the half- mannequin hanging out of a coffin like box

'What the fuck is that supposed to be?' Polly says, following her friend's gaze.

'Um, only one of the most famous magic tricks…sawing a woman in half?'

'Ohhh..' Polly replies, the realisation slowly dawning on her, her fingertips trailing the crimson coloured silk that's dressing the walls. 'Guess heart shaped balloons were out of the question?'

'Well you were the one at pains to emphasise how exclusive this event was'

'I know, but I didn't realise exclusive meant….well….whack!'

A chuckle tumbles from Piper's lips, 'it's not so bad, look, the bar's over there, maybe a drink would help?'

Polly nods, spotting a few men already stationed there. 'Fancy an aperitif?' she says nodding towards them. Piper laughs, although her mind is being distracted by what's presently on the other side of the doors. The evening is certainly turning out to be far more interesting than she had bargained for.

…

Two shots and a glass of champagne later, Piper is feeling pleasantly buzzed, so much so, that she's only mildly irritated by Larry, who hasn't left her side since she and Polly reached the bar, her friend is otherwise engaged by his Australian friend, Pete.

Larry's mid-way through his second monologue about how he's a serious writer, when she spots Alex entering the room with Nichols. She throws her head back slightly, laughing and even though the room is now filled with a generous swarm of people, the sound carries across to Piper. It's warm and rasping and infectious and she can't remember the last time she heard something so genuine and it hits her square in the chest, so firmly, it leaves her breathless for a couple of seconds. And then Alex is looking up, eyes locked straight with hers and she smiles, but it's lacking the swagger, the underlying arrogance of earlier, this is something more, although Piper cannot quite place what, only that she wishes she wasn't candidate #17 in some speed dating event.

'You want another' Larry says pointing at her now empty glass. Piper glances over and notices the lengthy line for the bar.

'Sure' she replies smiling, figuring it will buy her some time away from nice but boring Larry Bloom, the oh so serious writer. And when she sees Alex strolling towards her a few seconds later, she's glad of the choice she made.

'Not interrupting anything am I?' Alex says raising an eyebrow.

'Yes' Piper replies 'and thank you'

Alex laughs, 'the sweater vest not your thing huh?'

Piper shakes her head.

'He's probably got one helluva trust fund to look forward to though'

Piper shrugs, 'that's not what I want'

'Oh no?' Alex replies, her eyes still firmly fixed with the blue hues of the blonde's, 'so what do you want?'

She pauses momentarily, mulling it over. 'I want warm' she says finally, her eyes sparkling with mischief, 'but I also want hot. I want fireworks. I want somebody I can have adventures with'.

'That's quite the wish list kid' Alex says softly and before Piper has a chance to reply, the brunette is running the pad of her thumb across the blonde's cheek and the sensation of her creamy skin against Piper's, is so delicious that momentarily, Piper forgets where she is. She jerks back a little, when she snaps back to reality a few seconds later.

'Relax kid, you got an eyelash' Alex smiles. She holds the delicate hair out on her fingertip. 'Close your eyes and make a wish' she says.

'How do you know I didn't already?'

'I dunno, did it come true?'

'Um…let's just say it's a work in progress' Piper replies, blowing the hair gently from Alex's hand.

And the light buzz of the crowd is their soundtrack, the anticipation drifting on the air their cloak and they could be anywhere or nowhere, it doesn't seem to matter, because, they can't see anything beyond each other, the inches between them, closing by the second. And the heady mix of Alex's proximity and the nearness of her breath, is eliciting a different sort of intoxication from Piper, one that's she's sure has nothing to do with fizz of the champagne that's presently sat in her stomach.

And then a bell is being rung and the guests are invited to take their seats so the night's proceedings can commence. And the churning in Piper's gut is telling her that she'd rather not, not when there's so much more to learn about the brunette standing in front of her. And then it hits her, something so obvious she doesn't know why she didn't think of it before. She snatches up her coat from the bar stool behind her and begins fumbling around in the pocket.

Alex knots her brow in confusion, 'everything ok?'

Piper nods, a grin spreading across her face, as long slender fingers land on the smooth, metal object she was coveting. 'Close your eyes and hold your hand out' she whispers.

'What?' Alex replies, still puzzled.

'Just do it' Piper insists.

Alex duly complies, and pressed within her palm, she can feel something small and hard and cool. And then eyes blink open, her heart racing, when she realises what it is; the magic wand button.

'Happy Valentines' Piper whispers.

Alex laughs, 'Come on #17 let's get you some real fun'.

And she turns to leave, the blonde trailing her closely, as they exit the main hall.

Mr. Magic Piper thinks to herself. Maybe he's on to something after all.

...

A/N: Line in the opening author's note is from Amy Winehouse's 'Mr Magic'