"Sit here, okay? I'll get you some hot chocolate. They've gotta have some in a house this big."

She looked up in confusion. Will's words certainly didn't fit the recent images that were racing through her mind. "H-hot chocolate?"

"Unless you want coffee. But you don't look like the type who drinks that stuff. "

"Stuff?"

"Coffee. Not that it's wrong to drink coffee or anything." He quickly added.

"I-um… yeah..."

"Huh." He said, his face registering surprise. "Well, I guess I was wrong then. Coffee it is."

"No!" She yelled, not meaning to yell at all. "I'm sorry. H-hot chocolate is fine. Thanks."

"Sure. No problem. I'll be right back."

She blinked, suddenly aware of what was happening. He hadn't dragged her into the woods at all. And she wasn't going to die. Not at the moment anyway. Will Gardner wasn't a psychopath. He was just a nice man who was trying to make her feel comfortable.

As she took in her surroundings she realized that she was sitting on a bench in front of a fire pit. The warmth of the fire lifted upwards, surrounding her like a blanket. And she could feel the coldness within her melting away.

He was back before she could think another thought.

"Here you are." He said. "Careful, it's hot."

She took the steaming mug from him. The scent of chocolate and something else wafted under her nose and when their eyes met he smiled.

"It's cinnamon. That's okay, isn't it? It's all they had. Can you believe that? In a house that big they only had one kind of hot chocolate?"

She laughed. "Well, it's not really hot chocolate season, right now, is it?"

Her words made him laugh out loud. "Hot chocolate season, huh? That's funny! I'll have to remember that one!"

"You really think that's funny?" she asked, unable to believe that someone found humor in her words.

"Yeah, it was hilarious! You have a great sense of humor, Alicia-Uh-Cavanaugh!"

She blushed even harder, and was grateful not only for the darkness that hid her embarrassment, but for the laughter. It had been a long time since she laughed so much. "It's just Cavanaugh. And thanks." She could feel her cheeks burning from his compliment, but there was no doubt that she was grateful.

"My pleasure." He said, his eyes lingering on her face. "But you never answered me about the hot chocolate. Cinnamon is okay, right?"

"It's fine, thanks. And I'm sorry, Mr. Gardner."

"For what?"

"Misjudging you. I thought-."

Suddenly she wished she'd never even considered bringing up the fact that she had mistaken him for someone who violates and kills women. What kind of a person thinks that about another human being? Even without confessing this to him, she was mortified at her assumptions.

"What?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. Oh God, I'm such an idiot!" She took a sip of her hot chocolate and felt as though she'd gone to heaven. It was the best hot chocolate she'd ever tasted. Or perhaps it was the company she was with. Either way, she was even happier that she'd decided to come to the party.

"I doubt that." He said in response to her statement. "In fact, you look pretty smart to me."

She blushed at the compliment. "Thanks. So… is this your way of making it up to me, by giving me a mug of hot chocolate? It's very good by the way."

"Well, thanks, but actually no. I was thinking more like dinner and the game."

Now she was bewildered. "What kind of game?"

"The playoff game, you know the big game? Actually it's more than big, Alicia. It's huge!"

She smiled in amusement at his boyish excitement, although she had no clue what he was talking about. "So?"

He laughed. "You don't follow sports, do you?"

"Not if I can help it."

"Not even for your own school?"

"I came to Georgetown to become a lawyer, Mr. Gardner. Not to engage in a football game!" she retorted in a tone that let him know that that she meant buisiness. But he was undeterred.

"Actually Georgetown doesn't have a football team. Not one that's worth talking about anyway. And I was thinking more along the lines of basketball. Since it is basketball season."

"As opposed to hot chocolate season?" she quipped, making them both laugh.

"Right…" he said. "It's not hot chocolate season. You made that abundantly clear."

"So what were you thinking, Mr. Gardner?"

"You know you can call me Will, right?"

"I'll keep that in mind, Mr. Gardner."

He chuckled. "Okay, good. Well, I was thinking. I have these tickets…"

"Speeding tickets?"

His eyebrows rose. "What?"

"Nothing, it was another joke. A bad one that time. Sorry. What kind of tickets?"

"I have these tickets to the game on Friday night and I was just wondering…"

"Okay."

Their eyes met and it was seconds before she realized what she'd said. The expression on his face told her that he wasn't expecting her to answer before he'd even finished the question, if in fact that was the intended question. And judging from his reaction it was. In that moment there was nothing she could do except smile back.

"Really? You'll go to the game with me?"

Her heart was beating so rapidly that she was sure he could hear it. And this time she heard her answer loud and clear.

"Yes."