Acknowledgements: I'd like to thank Infie, alecsangel, NL and everyone in chat on Dec 8 for all their help. I couldn't have started or finished the story without them. And a thank you to my beta: Infie (again).
December 30, Vancouver
I wonder what we should do today. It was still rather early in the morning, well, 8AM to be precise, and I'd woken up already due to Max's little early escapade. So now, here I was, in the living room flipping through various brochures looking for ideas on what to do. Then an ad caught my eye. I'd bet every dollar that I had that Max had never been to one of those. Hmm, and it's been so long since I've been. I guess I might as well make it an evening to remember.
"So Alec," Max said as she walked out in casual jeans and a sweatshirt. "What are we doing today?"
"Haven't quite figured out the afternoon yet," I replied. "But I have the evening planned. It'll going to be a surprise."
"Surprise? Can't you just tell me?" Max sounded distressed. 'She hates surprises,' I thought. This was going to be so much fun.
"Nope," I replied, giving her my best grin and backing away from her in case she decided to get violent again.
"How am I going to know what to wear?" She asked in what had to be her last ditch effort to get the secret plans out of me. I knew that she didn't really care what she wore. She should have thought of something better than that
"You'll see," I said mischievously.
"Fine. Keep it a secret. See if I care."
But I could tell that she did care. It was going to kill her, not knowing. I bit my lip trying not to laugh as she changed the subject.
"So then what are we going to do for the unplanned part of the day?"
"Hmm, Max, I don't know about you, but I've got a couple of errands to run before tonight. So I guess, you're free to do what you want," I said.
"What?" she exclaimed, outraged. "You're going to ditch me today?"
"Yes," I replied matter-of-factly. "I need to plan for the evening. So, you're on your own."
"Oooh," she growled as she stalked back into the bedroom.
"Maxie, I'm going to head out now," I yelled from the living room. "Be back by 4PM, ok?" Then I walked out of the suite and prepared to do a little shopping. Ugh! I hate shopping. I can't believe I'm doing all this for her. Well, I guess there is a little something for me in it too.
4PM…Max's POV
Ok, I'm back, on time just like he asked. Oh my god! Is there something wrong with me? I've never listened to anyone before and actually liked it. I mean, I can't stand it when Logan orders me to do things. But now, I'm actually positively happy to be complying with Alec's requests. Jeez, I've definitely gone off the deep end this time.
Hmm, I wonder where he is, I thought as I scanned the living room. Not here. Damn! Where is he? He said to be on time, but he's a no show. Idiot!
I stalked into the bedroom angry as hell, needing to calm down. I saw two packages sitting on the bed, with a note. I walked over, grabbed them, sat down on the bed, and opened the note.
Max,
Enclosed, you will find something for you to wear tonight. A car will pick you up at 5:30PM in front of the hotel.
- Alec
I gently opened the smaller package, and inside, I found the most stunning dress. A shimmering, knee-length cream-coloured chiffon dress with spaghetti straps met my startled gaze. Then I opened up the larger package, and inside were matching shoes, and a black cashmere floor length jacket. It was the most beautiful outfit I'd ever seen; even better than the dress I'd picked oh so long ago.
This must be something special Alec is planning. I smiled. I wonder where we're going. I decided to get ready for the evening. Bath first, I thought.
*Knock knock*
The sudden knocking interrupted my plans. I went and opened the door, and I found a gentleman standing there with roses.
"Miss Guevara?" he asked.
"Yes, that's me," I replied, feeling a little lost.
"These are for you ma'am." He handed me a bouquet of red roses. "Have a nice day." He then turned and left.
There wasn't a note attached to the flowers. Wait; there was a short one; but I already knew who'd sent them: Alec. No one had ever done anything like this for me before. It was all a little overwhelming, but very much appreciated.
5:30PM...
'All done,' I thought. I took one last look in the mirror, and was shocked to see the reflection before me. It didn't look like me at all. The person there was beautiful, with her hair piled up, slender looking, and top to bottom, a woman.
I looked up and noticed the time. Shit! I'm going to be late. I quickly ran and grabbed the cashmere jacket from the chair and blurred out the door. Once I was out of the suite, I slowed down a little, so that I looked normal.
I reached the front door within thirty seconds. Outside, there was a black limo waiting. I thought he said it was a car. I sighed. This can't be my ride, can it?
"Miss Guevara?" asked the driver as he stepped around from the driver's side.
"Yes?" I asked, once again lost. Damn, this man is making me crazy. I never know what to expect from him.
The driver opened the door. "Ma'am, your ride."
"Thank you." Ok, so this is my ride, I thought as I stepped in. Wow! Where does he get the money? I mean, I had no means like this when I first got out. How does he? I kept silent the entire ride. I thought about asking the driver where we were going. But I decided against it. Alec did say he wanted it to be a surprise, why ruin it?
"We're here ma'am," the driver said as he pulled up to a different hotel.
"Thank you," I replied as he opened the door for me to step out.
"Just walk into the lobby ma'am. You'll find what you're looking for there. Good night."
"Ok, thanks," I said uncertainly.
I followed his instructions and walked into the lobby. I scanned the room and I finally understood what the driver had meant.
Alec was standing in the middle of the lobby holding a blood red rose. I was momentarily stunned by how good he looked standing there in a black Armani suit.
I smiled as I walked up to him.
"Hi," I said.
"Hi," he said as he handed me the last rose to complement the eleven I got earlier. "You look beautiful."
"Thanks," I blushed. "You don't look so bad yourself." I fiddled with the rose, not knowing what to do with it. It was kind of awkward, just holding it.
"Here, let me." He took the rose and gently twisted it into my hair.
"Thanks." I blushed again at the feel of his hands.
"If you'll come with me," he inquired with his arm bent, gesturing for me to take it.
"Of course." We strode over to the elevator and rode it up all the way to the top floor, number forty.
When we stepped out of the elevator, it felt like I'd stepped into a whole other world. It was the most magnificent restaurant I'd ever seen. "Cloud Nine" it read. And it described it perfectly. The ceiling was designed just like a perfect night sky with glittering stars. There were floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the bay, and the whole restaurant moved, revolved. It was amazing.
"McDowell Party for two," Alec said to the host.
"If you'll follow me," he smiled and led us into the restaurant.
We sat us at a table right next to the window. We had the perfect view of the city and the bay. Vancouver's night lights were spectacular. Regardless of the pulse, Vancouver maintained its beauty and grace.
"Alec, this is amazing," I gushed as I shrugged off my jacket and sat down as Alec held out my chair. "How?"
"Maxie, it wasn't hard. It's just dinner," he replied smartly.
"That's not what I meant," I replied a little sternly. "It's all so expensive."
"Ah… those are my little secrets."
"Hmm."
"Let's just enjoy the evening. I'm sure we'll have tons of time to discuss such issues."
Dinner went by rather quickly today compared to most. The food was amazing – steak and prime ribs. Well, I had the prime ribs and Alec had the stake, but we shared, just a little. Maybe it was the food, or the view, or maybe it was because we were having such a good time. We didn't talk as much as we normally did. The entire setting was so romantic. And I'm sure in the eyes of everyone else we were just a normal couple enjoying a night together. I wish… I wish… oh. Max, don't think about that. You'll only end up getting hurt. Soon, it was time to leave.
"So Alec, where to next?" I asked during the elevator ride down.
"You'll see," he replied mysteriously.
Alec escorted me out of the Landmark hotel, and into another waiting limo. Without a word, we were off. It seemed the driver knew where we were going, even though Alec hadn't said a word.
"We're here, sir," said the driver as our door opened.
In front of us was the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
"Why are we here, Alec? I asked.
"For a show," he replied. "More precisely, the Nutcracker Ballet."
"We're seeing a ballet?" I asked, shocked. I'd never thought Alec would want to go see something like this.
"Yup," he replied instantly. "It's been a while since I've attended one. And since Seattle lacks much in the way of performing arts, I thought we'd use this opportunity to enjoy it while in Vancouver."
"Uh… sure," I said. Granted, ballets weren't my thing… mainly because I'd never been exposed to it. It wouldn't hurt to see one.
Alec escorted us into the theatre and to our seats. They were good seats, within the first ten rows and dead center. I couldn't believe it. As I scanned the room, I noticed that it was a full house. How on earth did Alec acquire tickets, and on such short notice? During my ritual observations, I noticed there seemed to be people trying to get Alec's attention. I wonder…
Before I had a chance to ask Alec, the lights dimmed, signaling the start of the ballet.
By the end of the ballet I had to be honest with myself. It was nice, boring at times, but a very nice theatrical performance. At first, I thought that the male dancers, would well, not look manly; but I was proven wrong. They were very athletic, with awesomely controlled grace; and cute too, sort of like Alec, but not quite as good looking. Damn it, I'm doing it again; comparing people to Alec. I bet Alec had a good time watching the female dancers in their skimpy outfits. They were so beautiful and graceful. I sighed wistfully. On some level, I wish I could be like them. Despite my overall feelings toward the performance, I had to applaud them for their agile abilities.
"Max, you ready to go?" Alec asked as he got up out of his seat.
"Yeah," I replied as I got up and grabbed my jacket.
"Here, let me help you with that." Alec gently took my jacket and helped me shrug it on.
"Thanks."
"So how did you enjoy the ballet?" Alec asked with some enthusiasm. I could tell that he really enjoyed himself. Throughout the entire ballet, he was so focused on it. It was like he'd placed himself into the story as one of the characters.
"It was nice Alec," I said.
"Never been to one huh?"
"Nope, and it was something different, but good different."
"Well, that's good to know."
The limo was once again waiting for us outside the theatre. "Sir, ma'am," gestured the driver as he held the door for us.
"Thank you," I said.
We sat in silence during the ride. It was rather late, and I was kind of tired so I started nodding off. Alec, noticing this, settled closer to me so I could lay my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around me, holding me. It made me feel so good, so protected. For once, I could let my guard down.
"Max," Alec said as he shook me awake. "One last stop, then we can go back to the suite and sleep."
"One last stop?" I whined.
"Yup," he said cheerfully. "Nothing bad, just a nice mini-train ride."
"Ok," I said grudgingly.
We got out of the limo and walked up to the miniature train station waiting to board. 'Christmas Train Ride around Stanley Park' it read. 'Featuring colourfully decorated Christmas Trees'.
Cool, I thought. Giant Christmas Trees, that's definitely something that we don't have in Seattle.
Together, we got seats near the end of the train so that we could have a little privacy. It was a cool night, but it totally didn't feel like it. The jacket Alec bought for me was perfect, and the fact that Alec had his arm around me made it even warmer.
"So Alec," I asked. "Where'd you learn about ballets? Or better question is when?"
"Um… well, at Manticore, we had a course on high class culture," he said hesitantly. "They thought it'd be a good idea so that we could infiltrate high society."
"Ok. But then why the performance now?" I questioned.
"I don't know. For some reason, I actually liked it while back in Manticore. So I guess the opportunity to watch without being on a mission was appealing. I could just enjoy it."
"Ah…" I replied understandingly.
As the ride progressed, I leaned further into Alec's embrace. The ride was nice and quiet and very beautiful. The trees were all dressed up in various styles and fashions with different colours and different ornaments. It was a spectacular sight. I really didn't want the ride to end.
I guess I must've fallen asleep near the end of the ride, because by the time I was awake, Alec was carrying me back into the hotel room.
"Hmmm…" I sounded as I slowly awoke.
"Hey," Alec said softly as he gently placed me on the bed.
"Thanks for a great evening," I said as I sat up and shrugged off my jacket.
"No problem. I had fun too." He smiled.
I looked into Alec's eyes and noticed for the first time all the different emotions lying beneath the surface. This was a side of Alec I'd never seen.
Then Alec leaned down, and slowly moved closer to me. He placed a gentle kiss first on my cheek, then on my lips. Just as I was about to deepen the kiss, he pulled away.
"Good night Maxie," he said. "We've got an early start tomorrow."
"Good night," I replied lightly as I placed my fingers upon my lips.
I couldn't believe how gentle he was with me, not just during the kiss, but the entire night. I'd never once imagine that Alec could be or would be like this. I realized that I truly didn't know the real Alec, especially before this trip. But now, I'm starting to learn. I think, maybe things will be different from now on.
To be Continued...
