Maxie and Spinelli pulled into the parking lot of the bowling alley but she was surprised to find that the lot was empty. It didn't even look like the owners were there. She was about to open the door when Spinelli took her other hand and simply shook his head. He opened his door, jumped out of the vehicle and ran around to her side of the car. "The Jackal will be getting all your doors tonight Maximista. This is a date, not just another night out for us. Please allow me to treat you like the lady you are." She looked at him and saw the sincerity filling his eyes. She never imagined she could hurt him by simply trying to open the door for herself but she guessed she did keep forgetting that they weren't just buddies out on the town tonight. They were on a date, their first date, and she needed to let him act like the man. She offered him her hand and he helped her out of the vehicle. She couldn't help but notice that he kept his hand on the small of her back as he guided her to the door. She stepped back and allowed him to open the door for her. When she stepped inside she was astonished by what she saw. The lights were off but twinkle lights were hung floor to ceiling on every wall, run throughtout every plant, and on the lanes. The whole room was lit up with a golden glow. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. She thought back to her reaction when he told her they were going bowling on their date and felt a tinge of remorse. This was Spinelli. Of course he would have made an everyday date activity into an event. He stepped behind the counter and flipped the radio on. The music was light and every song was sweet and romantic. There was no doubt in her mind that he had made the cd just for their evening together. She would never have imagined that he would be able to make going bowling into a romantic activity but she had to admit that this was the most romantic thing someone had done for her. Jesse had gotten her a birthday cake and served it to her in a shut down Kelly's one year but she suspected it was because he had forgotten her birthday and was scrambling to cover it. Not because he had put a lot of time and thought into it. This she knew Spinelli had put a lot of time and energy into making it special. "Spinelli, this is beautiful. Who besides you would see a bowling alley and know just how to make it the most romantic date of a girls life?" She smiled at him and held out her hand. "Dance?" He took the hand she offered him and stepped close to her. He put his other arm around her waist and pulled her close while she lay her head on his shoulder. The music floated over them. Incompatible, it don't matter though 'cos someone's bound to hear my cry. Speak out if you do.you're not easy to find. Is it possible Mr. Loveable is already in my life? Right in front of me or maybe you're in disguise. Maxie pulled herself closer to him and they swayed in time together. She truly felt like she had finally find the one, and he was right here in front of her. She was so thankful that she had opened her eyes and seen what a gift she'd been given. It would have been so easy to hold back her feelings out of fear that she would inevitably screw things up. Who doesn't long for someone to hold. Who knows how to love you without being told. Somebody tell me why I'm on my own if there's a soulmate for everyone. She had never believed in soulmates until Damian Spinelli, and now she knew that they truly existed. He truly was her soulmate. She supposed she could have lived without meeting him but she was so thankful that she didn't have to. Here we are again, circles never end. How do I find the perfect fit there's enough for everyone but I'm still waiting in line. Spinelli closed his eyes as his Maximista leaned into him. It felt so good to have her here in his arms. Who doesn't long for someone to hold? Who knows how to love you without being told. Somebody tell me why I'm on my own if there's a soulmate for everyone. He had dreamt of what it would be like to have her in his arms before but he had been so sure that she would never see him as anything more than her friend Spinelli. If he was honest with himself he knew that a girl like him would never want a guy like him. And then she had turned his world upside down by not only wanting him, but being the one to make the first move. He had never expected it but he was so thankful that it had happened. Most relationships seem so transitory. They're all good but not the permanent one. They'd both cared for others before. She'd had loves that had left and he'd had loves that had gone unrequited, either on their part or his. Somehow neither had truly felt that another person could love them for who they really were and were now realizing that people loving them was possible. It was a fact of their life now that they had someone there that cared for them and it was astounding. The song ended and they stepped apart. "Ready for some bowling? I've only got us set up for one game because we have other plans tonight as well."

"I'm ready. I'm not the best at bowling but I'll give it the old college try. Let me guess though. The Jackal is a pro."

"Not really. I've studied a bit a couple of summers ago but I never really got all that into it. I was doing it simply to impress a girl. Turns out it was a lesson in futility."

"No, I don't think so. You can use what you learned then to impress this girl. Even though I'm already impressed by you." They each grabbed a pair of shoes and moved down to the floor. Spinelli took his shot first and proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that you could not gain skill from reading from a book. Each time he knocked down a pin Maxie threw her arms around him and gave him a big hug. Just keeping the ball out of the gutter was a big feat for both of them. Once the game was over Maxie looked at him and smiled. His face was flush and his eyes were dancing. He looked incredibly happy and she knew if she were to look her face would mirror his. It had been years since she'd had such a good time and not thought about anything besides having fun. He made her feel like a woman, a cherished woman, but a little kid again at the same time. She never knew that anyone could make her feel like that. She was sure she was too jaded and here some Spinelli, someone she would never have thought of being with in a million years, and he stripped away all the layers of cynicism. He made her feel like this was the first time she'd had the butterflies in her stomach or the fear of saying the wrong thing in case he wouldn't like her anymore. And then she'd remember that this was Spinelli and she could never do anything bad enough to make him leave. "So are you ready for the next part of our date?"

"Yeah."

"Go into the bathroom. There's a dress hanging in there for you. Change into that." She gave him a funny look and said, "What? You don't like my outfit?"

"I love what you're wearing but it might be a little too casual for the next part of our evening."

"Ohhh. Alright." She walked off to the bathroom and found a black dress bag hanging on the door. Even though she wanted to trust his judgement she was a little concerned about what he decided would be a good outfit for her. She cautiously lowered the zipper and drew a deep breath. When she looked at the dress she was stunned at what she saw. It was the most beautiful dress she'd ever seen. She thought maybe he'd had help and then she wondered why she was surprised. This was Spinelli. He knew her better than anyone else in the world so why woudn't he know her taste in clothes. She unbuttoned her jeans and slipped out of them and pulled her top over her head. Now that she saw the dress she was glad she had decided to wear her strapless bra. The others would not have worked with this dress. She pulled it out of the dress bag and admired it on the hanger before taking it off. She lifted it over her head and lowered it over her body. The chiffon skirt floated over her body and from the way it looked like it was going to fit like a glove. She looked in the mirror as she zipped the dress up and was stunned. The dress fit her like it was made for her. It had a pleated charmeuse bodice above a bead-encrusted mesh inset and a flirty chiffon skirt in a beautiful ruby red color. The color reminded her of a dress by Nila Lorente that she had seen on the cover of Couture magazine a few months back. If she had been able to choose a dress for herself this would have been the dress she chose. She added a splash of red lipstick and tucked her blonde hair behind one ear. She was greatful she hadn't done something drastically casual with her hair since she hadn't known about this part of the plan. On the floor was a pair of a pair of red heels. She slid them on, checked herself in the mirror one more time, and walked out of the bathroom door. Leaning against the counter was Spinelli, wearing the suit that he wore when they went to Manhattan, looking down at the floor. He looked just as good tonight as he did that night. Like before she felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight of him. That was happening more and more now. Unlike before though she realized that she thought he looked just as good in his street clothes, because they were a part of who he was. "Spinelli?" He looked up at her and smiled. "Maximista, you look gorgeous. I knew that dress would look wonderful. Then again you look great in everything that you wear." She did a little spin for him and he offered his hand to her. She took and looked at him questioningly. "So what's next?"

"I'm going to give you the world." They walked out the door and climbed back into the hummer. They drove and drove until they came to the end of a road. He stopped the car and reached over to the glovebox. He pulled out a satin sleepmask and handed it to her. "I don't want to frighten you but I don't want you to see your surprise before I give it to you. Would you mind putting it on?"

"A little kinky don't you think?"

"Maximista, that's not what the Jackal meant. I would never want to put your honor in jeopardy." She chuckled a little when he mentioned her honor but then realized that he really did see her virtue as intact. He had given her a clean slate and didn't hold any of her previous mistakes against her. It was such a rare thing to find in a man. She slipped themask over her eyes and he put the car in drive again. After driving about five minutes they pulled up to a field. He again put the car in park and got out to open the door for her. He took her hand and guided her out of the vehicle. Once her feet were firmly on the ground he guided her across the field. They stopped after walking for about five minutes and he took the blindfold off her eyes. When she saw what was in front of her she gasped. The first thing she saw was a hot air balloon and then she saw a romantic table set for two. The candles were flickering on the table and she heard violins playing, presumably from a cd player hidden out of sight. "Spinelli, oh my gosh. This is beyond my wildest dreams. When you saidyou were going to give me the world I didn't realize that you could actually do it."

"I'm glad Maximista is happy."

"I'm not happy Spinelli. I am over the moon. No man has ever made me feel more cherished than you've made me feel tonight. Just the bowling would have been good enough for me because I was with you. This is just...I don't even have the words." He walked to the table and pulled out her chair for her. She sat and realized there were no plates on the table. He sat down across from her and pulled out his cell phone. He made a quick call and suddenly people appeared out of nowhere. They were in the middle of an abandoned field but somehow he had managed to hide an entire wait staff, including violinists. The music was live, not from a cd player like she had previously assumed. Waiters came out carrying plates on their trays. She noticed one very handsome waiter eyeing her but she didn't give him a second look. She had no reason to look for something new. She had what she wanted sit right across from her. The waiters took the covers off their food and she saw her favorite meal from Kelly's. On Spinelli's plate was a grilled cheese sandwich and barbeque potatoe chips. She couldn't resist reaching across the table and snaking one of his chips from his plate. When they'd first started hanging out she didn't like them but like Spinelli they'd grown on her. They ate their meal in comfortable silence, neither fearing that the other wasn't speaking. Most of their connection was something that didn't really require words. It was just there. It was like the air, all around them. The music from the violins floated over them and soon their meal was over. The wait staff cleared the dishes from the tables and as quickly as they'd appeared they disappeared. It was almost like magic. "How did you do all this Spinelli?"

"I don't wish to ruin the mystique by telling Fair Maximista."

"You couldn't. There's nothing that could be done to ruin this."

"The Valkyrie lent me some of her wait staff and I placed an order at Kelly's and had the delivery address set to here. It's an old army base that they close a long time ago. But it has open fields so I thought it would be the perfect place for our date."

"It is."

"Are you ready for the ride in the hot air balloon?"

"Absolutely." He pulled out his phone again and this time when he hung up he said that it would be a few minutes before the person who would be guiding the balloon arrived. In the meantime they sat back down at the table and began to talk. "Have you heard anything more about the text message killer?"

"Unfortunately no. The Jackal seems to be at a dead end. It seems unfair that I can find information on just about anything but nothing about the person that has been killing our friends and your family."

"I know you're doing everything you can Spinelli. I don't doubt that for a second. At some point this person's gonna slip up and you're gonna be there. You're going to find them." He smiled at her confidence and took her hand. The sadness that he so often saw had returned to her eyes during the conversation and he was hoping that the touch of his hand would help to guide it away. He didn't want their date marred by anything, least of all the lunatic that was terrorizing Port Charles. She squeezed his hand and saw the car that the hot air balloon driver was in approach. She got out and walked over to the young couple. "Damian Spinelli I assume."

"Yes. You can just call me Spinelli. And this is my date Maxie Jones." The young woman extended her hand to Maxie but never took her eyes off Spinelli. Although his attention was fully on Maxie he did feel the young woman's eyes on him. Once Maxie had taken possession of her hand back she slid her arm around Spinelli's waist, staking her claim. She was no stranger to women and she knew what the look the girl was giving him meant. "So are you going up in the balloon with us?"

"Yes, I'll be directing it's location."

"I see. You're being paid correct?"

"Of course. It's my job." Maxie nodded and the girl finally got the message that Maxie was subliminally sending her. This is my man. You're getting paid for this so keep to yourself. The three of them climbed on board the hot air balloon and the girl set about preparation for lift off. After about ten minutes she finally fired it up and the ropes were released. The balloon floated upward and Maxie stood near the side so she could see the ground go further and further from her. As they rose she felt Spinelli by her side, drinking in Port Charles and the beauty of the surrounding area. After half an hour or so Spinelli reached into a cooler and pulled out two champagne flutes and a bottle of champage. She was sure that it was the best that he could find, since he had seemingly spared no expense on the evening. Once he'd poured the drinks he handed her flute back to her and lifted his upwards. She followed suit and he said, "To our first date. May tonight be the first of many wonderful nights together." They clinked their glasses together and took a sip of their champagne. Maxie turned back to the side of the balloon and looked down. From the distance she saw her house far below them. "Spinelli, come here. You can see my house." He came to her side and looked down. He actually wasn't sure that was her house but she seemed so excited that he decided not to ruin it by telling her that they were probably far beyond the perimeters of Port Charles at the moment. Instead he just slipped his arm around her waist and looked down at the world below them. "This is incredible Spinelli. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, our town from way up here. You certainly do know how to make a girl feel special."

"Maximista is special. Not just to the Jackal either. You don't see it but you light up every room that you go into. You're radiant and gorgeous. Men can't help but want you and I just feel blessed that you've chosen me tonight."

"Not just tonight Spinelli. This isn't going to be it for us."

"No, I don't believe it will be. I just want you to be aware of the fact that you're incredible. That being with you is something I wanted that I never thought that I would get." He took her hand and laced his fingers with hers, keeping the other arm around her waist. He liked having her close to him, knowing that she wanted to be there. That she wasn't going to jump away and tell him that this was all a mistake. As they floated over Port Charles they were both struck by the wonder of it all. The sun began setting and Maxie was in awe of the sight in front of her. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen and Spinelli had given this to her. He'd said all the right things and the date had been more than she could have ever imagined. She was well aware that the night must be coming to a close but she wasn't ready to see it end yet. She hoped there was more, even though this was more than enough. With any other man she would invite him back to her house to spend the night but with Spinelli she wanted to take it slow. She wanted to be a real lady and let him court her because that's what he wanted to do. She took a step closer to him and leaned back into the arm around her waist. This would be the perfect moment for him to kiss her. She wanted him to but she wasn't sure that he would. "Mr. Spinelli, we're going to be landing soon."

"Thank you." The young woman set about preparing to take the balloon back down to the ground but Spinelli's attention never shifted away from Maxie. She still stared out at the distance, giving him the perfect opportunity to drink her in. Her hair, shining and perfect, her creamy skin with not a blemish in sight, her long legs and the perfect way she filled out the dress. She looked away from the horizon and saw him looking at her. "What's up?"

"Nothing. I just can't get over how beautiful you look." She smiled and turned back to the skyline. Again words weren't really necessary between them. They were completely at ease with each other and neither of them felt that words could enhance what they were saying with their hearts. As the balloon settled on the ground Spinelli began packing up the champagne flutes and put the champagne back into the picnic basket that he'd had waiting for her in the balloon. The young woman who had driven the ride opened the door of the basket and Spinelli stepped out offering Maxie his hand. She was getting used to seeing his hand outstretched in front of her. It was comforting, knowing that he was always one step ahead of her taking everything coming their way first. She had wrongly assumed that she would need to be the person to take charge in her and Spinelli's relationship but he was very good in the dominate position. He had a romantic streak a mile wide and yet he never made her feel like what she wanted wasn't important. She had no doubt there would be plenty of dates where they made the plans together or she made them alone. But for tonight he had wanted to treat her and make her feel like a queen, and he's succeeded. They got in the car and headed back to the commissioners house. Neither wanted the date to end but it was getting late and they knew that they would see each other the next day. She was excited that there was this new element to this relationship and although she was nervous of what people would think she was excited to take their relationship public. "Maximista, I think we should take things very slowly to start. I don't want to do anything to damage our friendship and I fear that moving too quickly would do just that."

"Okay."

"Maybe we should keep the fact that we're dating quiet for a little bit. Just until we know whether it's going to be work or not."

"Are you doubting?"

"Not at all. But I don't want to listen to people telling us we're wrong. You know Lulu's going to have an opinion. Possibly Robin. I think you may have settled Mac down but I get the feeling he doesn't think it will work anyways. I just want to wait to see how things are going before we share our relationship with a town that has an opinion on everything."

"I understand. I don't like it but I get it." They pulled up to her house and Spinelli parked in the driveway. He hesitated for a moment like he was unsure of what to do and then he jumped out of the car and ran around to the passenger side to open the door for her. He helped her out of the car but didn't release her hand as they walked to her door. Maxie stopped at the doorway and took a deep breath. The night had been perfect but this was the moment that was going to change everything. This was the moment that was going to take them from friends to something more. Neither of them noticed Mac standing at the living room window watching the scene that was unfolding on his front porch. He'd stopped waiting up for his girls years ago but something felt different with Maxie and Spinelli. He got the feeling that she was more serious about him than she'd been about the other guys she'd been with. For the first time he wished that he could have Cooper or Jesse back for her. He'd never liked the idea of her with a cop because it was too dangerous. But it was far less dangerous than her being involved with a hacker that worked for the local mob boss. He looked at the couple on the porch, still holding hands, and felt like he was invading a very private moment. He let the curtain drop and walked silently up the steps to his bedroom. His daughter was a grown woman now and he was going to have to learn to trust her judgement. Back on the front porch Maxie waited for Spinelli to speak but he didn't. He just reached up and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. She looked in his eyes and saw the feelings for her there. She wondered why she hadn't seen them before the last few days. Had they not been there or had he been a master at hiding his feelings? She didn't know and she really didn't care. They were there now and that's all she cared about. She lifted her head just a little as he lowered his head to meet her. Finally their lips met. There was passion in the kiss but she was more taken aback by the tenderness she felt there as well. She slid her arms around his neck as he put his arms around her waist, their lips never seperating for a moment. This was how a kiss was supposed to be. Not just lips touching, but hearts touching. She felt herself stumble further into whatever it was she felt for him and it made her completely happy. There was no fear of losing him like there had been in the past and there was no fear that he would leave. After a few minutes the kiss ended and he stepped away from her. "It was a lovely night Maximista. The Jackal hopes we can do it again."

"Of course Spinelli. That would be fabulous. But can we still meet for lunch tomorrow?"

"Yeah." He smiled that adorable grin that she had come to love and stepped down off the steps. He walked to the car and before he got in she blew him a kiss. He smiled again, climbed into the car, and drove off. Maxie walked into the house and directly into the kitchen. On the table was the flowers he'd given her in a beautiful vase. Due to Mac's interrogation they were given little fan fair when she received them but she now took the opportunity to look at them. Each flower was perfect, beautiful. She had no doubt that he had made sure of it before he brought them to her. He had taken care of everything down to the very last detail and given her the most magical evening of her life. She ran upstairs and paused outside of Mac's bedroom door. She so badly wanted to be able to tell him every detail about how wonderful it had been but she knew how he felt about Spinelli and didn't feel comfortable telling him how happy he'd made her that night. So she continue on to her room and shut the door behind her. She leaned against the door with a huge smile on her face. She felt as though she'd been in a dream all night and even now she was still walking on air. She changed into her pajamas and crawled into her bed. As she lay there waiting for sleep to take her she played the night over and over in her mind cherishing every memory. She had no doubt that she would have beautiful dreams that night.