Becky was in a coffee shop when she saw him. Dave's hands were shoved in his pockets and he walked ahead with a determined stride. At first she thought that he was heading somewhere until she saw the aimless look in his eyes. Wheels clicked into place in her head; something was wrong.

So she quietly excused herself from her group and wandered after him. She balked when she saw the building he was going up, but she got into the elevator anyway. If she was feeling awful then she'd hope that someone would come after her. A little height was a reasonable risk for strengthening a relationship and helping someone she cared about.

When she finally caught up on him he was leaning up against the rail and looking out over the city. Taking a deep breath she said;

"Hey."

He jerked his head around and blinked at her. His expression softened from its pensive edge.

"Oh, um, hey," Dave said.

She walked a little closer to him, trying not to look over the edge.

"Everything okay?" she asked, "You looked a little upset in the street."

"Why wouldn't I be okay?" Dave replied bitterly, "I've got the coolest job ever, don't I?"

Becky cocked her head.

"So you're coming up here to think about whatever it is," she said, "And the height doesn't bother you at all?"

"Does it bother you?" he asked.

She wagered a peek over the side.

"Kinda."

Smiling he held out his hand. She took it and he led her towards the railing. Her breath caught, but his hand gripped tighter around hers. Becky's other hand held onto the railing for dear life.

"Scared?" he asked.

"A little," she said, "But you won't let me fall, right?"

"Nope," said Dave.

He laughed and she smiled. They lapsed into silence as they looked over the New York skyline. After a while Dave said;

"I found out that Balthazar's been lying to me for…ever since he met me actually," he said.

Becky looked away from the skyline, startled.

"What about?" she asked.

Dave hesitated.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," she added quickly.

The pressure around her hand increased as Dave gripped her hand tighter.

"Thanks," he said.

Silence came again. This time she thought it would stay, but Dave took a deep breath.

"Well…it was a big lie," said Dave, "Or a really glaring omission. It means that he lied about why he took me in, how he was raising me, why he was raising me…"

His voice trailed off miserably.

"He's like your father, isn't he?" asked Becky.

Next to her Dave started. His eyes widened and then he gave a short laugh.

"I thought so anyway," Dave said, "I know my real father was named Matthew Stutler. He was a coach for the college football team. He wasn't Balthazar. But…my dad died when I was little and…"

He laughed again.

"Some second date this is," he said, "I just info dump on you all my problems."

"Hey, that's not what this is," Becky insisted, "I asked you to tell me what was wrong. It's a little intense, yeah, but it's good that you're communicating with me, you know? And…"

She smiled.

"...we're not exactly a normal couple. So you can tell me."

Dave nodded.

"It's just…with Balthazar, I trusted him and…"

Again he trailed off. Becky turned so she was looking at him straight in the eye.

"Dave, I don't have a relationship with my father. Not anymore. He freaked when I told him I didn't want to go to the college he'd picked for me and we haven't really talked since. That's unless you count the occasional Christmas and birthday cards."

Surprise blossomed on Dave's face. His mouth opened and then closed.

"You remember my dad, don't you?" asked Becky, "He had a terrible temper and was pretty controlling. It got worse after my mom left him."

It was her turn to hesitate. However, Dave had told her so much about his personal life that she felt that she owed it to him to open up.

"He wasn't physically abusive," she said, "He never hit me, never laid a finger on me. But he shouted a lot and told me that I was stupid and useless."

She gave him a gentle smile. It was a stark contrast to his horrified expression.

"I knew I wasn't. I'd already been showed by you and my friends and teachers," she said, "But Dave, my father is a bad father. I still love him but I recognize what he is. He didn't lie or hold things back to protect me. He made my insecurities worse."

"Becky, I'm not sure what you're getting at," he said.

"I'm saying, did Balthazar every do any of those things?" Becky asked, "Was there a reason that he kept this back? Was it to protect you, or was it because it was hard for him? Did he do a good job raising you?"

Dave stared at her again.

"Can I…?"

"What?"

He gave a nervous smile and licked his lips.

"Can I kiss you again?" Dave asked.

Instead of saying anything she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Dave put his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her closer. Briefly she saw his eyes roll back in his head before closing. She loved the way that he lost himself in her. For the first time since she went to the railing she took her hand off the rail so that her arms could wrap around his neck. Hopefully he could tell that she was losing herself too.