'I can't believe that I'm actually going through with this,' Rex thought as he made his way up the stairs to Torie's apartment, carrying a bouquet of white roses, his mother's favourite. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest as he neared her door. He hadn't felt like this about any woman since . . . since he couldn't recall. After he had left home, the only woman he cared about had been his mother.

As he drew closer to her door, he heard the sounds of a movie emanating from within. He paused for a moment to listen then frowned. The movie did not sound familiar to him but then he barely had time to go to the movies anymore.

'Yet here I am,' he mused. 'Going to ask a woman out to dinner and a movie.' With a trembling hand, Rex knocked on the door and waited. The dogs started barking the instant he did. Within a few moments, the lock slid out of place and he faced the woman he had come to see.

"I can't seem to get away from you, can I?" He thought he saw a glint of amusement in her eyes. Still, there was a great reservation about her. Rex smiled, hoping to put her at ease.

"What can I say? You made an impression on me."

"I see . . ."

Rex held out the flowers.

"For me?"

He nodded. She looked at him for a moment then moved to one side.

"Come on in."

Rex stepped in and looked around, inspecting the apartment a little more closely this time. The landlord had not been kidding when he had called Torie eccentric. Not only did pictures of her family and friends adorn the walls but so did posters for the Bangles, Elijah Wood, Stuart Townsend, The Lord of the Rings, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Transformers, Dale Earnhardt, and various fantasy depictions of princesses, castles, wizards, dragons, gargoyles, vampires, and unicorns. A latch-hook piece hung over the couch, saying "Love me, Love my cat." Wolves, cats, and fantasy figurines lined her shelves along with plates. A katana and a pair of sais hung over her computer desk. Another sword hung over her entertainment system, and, aside from a coffee table, a single end table, a futon, two bookshelves overflowing with books, a few plants, the computer desk, and the entertainment system, the place had been sparsely furnished. It didn't even look like two people had lived there.

"Interesting place you've got here," he commented. Torie shrugged.

"I am who I am."

Rex looked at the TV to see what he had been hearing. On the screen, two people were making their way up the side of an active volcano. Torie smiled when she saw him watching the movie.

"It's a good movie," she said, taking the flowers from him. "Saw it many times in the theater when it came out and that was just over the Christmas holiday."

"Sounds addicting," he chuckled. Torie walked into the kitchen then emerged out a few moments later.

"The Lord of the Rings are very addicting movies," she stated. "I saw Fellowship five times, Towers four . . ."

"There's more than one?"

"Yeah," she chuckled. "Didn't you know?"

"Not really," he said, rather shamefaced. "I'm not up on pop culture."

"They're not really pop culture. Have you read the books?"

"Once. A long time ago," he answered.

"Then you know pretty much how the movies end," Torie explained. "Peter Jackson did an outstanding job on these films. Better than what I could ever dream of doing."

"I see . . ."

"What brings you by, Racer X? It wasn't to ask me about my movie or to bring me flowers, I'm sure. Is your . . . friend doing all right?"

Rex noticed how she hesitated in saying "friend" but decided to ignore it. Torie barely followed Formula-1 racing – she admitted as much when he and Sparky had gone to the bar where she worked – and there wasn't any way she could suspect something so soon.

'She's probably heard from Speed about our first encounter.'

"Speed's doing all right," he answered. "And you're right. I didn't stop by to talk to you about the movie or just to bring you flowers. I was wondering if you'd like to go out to dinner with me tonight and maybe even catch a movie."

Torie stared at him, like she couldn't believe what he had just said. Heck, he still couldn't believe he had shown up at her apartment in the first place. Rex watched her with baited breath, waiting for her response.

"You . . . want to take me out to dinner and possibly a movie?" she repeated.

"Yes," he nodded.

"Tonight?"

"Yes," he nodded again.

"I see . . ."

"Something wrong?"

"No," she answered. "Not really. It's just that . . . every time I see you, you're wearing that mask and it makes me nervous. Extremely nervous. I don't know what to expect from you."

"Oh . . ." Rex's spirits dropped. She did have a point and he didn't blame her for not trusting him entirely. Were he in her position, he'd probably feel the same way. Yet, he didn't dare reveal himself to her. To do that would be to put her and her unborn child in danger, not to mention what it would do to his own family. Still, he wanted to be with her, if only for a night.

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking . . . that I'd still like to take you out to dinner tonight. That is, if you don't have any other plans . . ."

"Not until nine tonight but . . ."

"Okay then. Now, I have a proposition for you, Torie."

"Like what?" Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. He almost laughed.

"Like I take my mask off and tell you who I am," he responded. "However, you mustn't tell anyone. There's a lot at stake here. Can you promise me that?"

"Yeah . . . I promise . . ."

Slowly, Rex Racer removed his mask . . .