Author's Notes:
Special Thanks to ale_nena for contributing ideas and for the beautiful art work that can be found on Twitter at ale_nena.
Setting: Misthaven non-magical modern AU. The society and political system will be based on a combination of modern countries, with a probable bias toward the American system as I am an American. However, all characters are fictional and resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidence.
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She still remembered the feeling of deep, passionate kisses. Soft lips contrasted only by the roughness of stubble under her hands as she chased his tongue with her own. She couldn't help the moans that escaped her throat as he lifted her up, pulling her more firmly against his body. Wrapping her arms around his back, she explored his body with her hands, indulging in the feeling of firm muscle, under warm skin. As he shifted against her, she felt the evidence of his desire pressing against her sex, causing her to gasp in excitement-
A loud rap on her door abruptly caught her attention. Jumping in her chair, she turned to the door to find Lily standing there.
The dark-haired woman raised her eyebrows, "You okay?"
"Yeah," Regina said, sitting up straight, "I'm fine. Did you need something?"
"Yeah," Lily stepped into her office, shutting the door behind her, "You have a visitor."
She looked at her in surprise, trying to recall if she'd forgotten an appointment, "Who?"
"Rum Gold."
Regina blinked, "Excuse me?"
The other woman nodded, "He came by and asked you see you."
"Rum Gold is here right now?" she asked.
"Yes,"
"And he wants to see me?"
Lily nodded the affirmative again.
Regina sat silently, contemplating what on Earth could have brought one of the wealthiest men in Misthaven; one of the most infamous critics of the People's party, and her family members in particular, to show up unexpectedly at her office asking to see her.
"What should I tell him?" Lily finally asked, looking at a loss.
Regina thought it over. She didn't know what to make of this at all. After a moment's contemplation, she decided, "Send him in."
Lily blinked in surprise, "Really?"
She shrugged, "Might as well at least find out why he's here."
"Okay," the other woman answered, sounding doubtful but otherwise not commenting. She disappeared through the door, giving Regina a few moments to compose herself and prepare for this.
She felt mostly ready by the time her assistant returned, leading Rum Gold through her door. Regina knew he was a slight man, but he looked even smaller in person, barely taller than herself, and quite slim in his stylish suit.
Glancing around her office with an easy, almost serpentine, manner, he met her eyes and said in a honeyed voice, "Miss Mills, a pleasure to finally meet you in person. I must say you're as lovely as your mother."
"Mr. Gold," she acknowledged, "I wasn't expecting you today."
"No, I imagine not," he answered, leaning his cane up against her desk and taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of it.
Feeling as if she'd already lost the upper hand without even realizing she was in competition for it, Regina sat down as well, "What can I do for you today?"
"Straight to the point?" he asked with feigned surprise, "Very well then. I'm here because I have a business proposition for you."
"A business proposition?" she asked. That made absolutely no sense. The Gold brothers were competitors of their family both in political and business ventures, so him coming to her with a business proposition was beyond unlikely. However, he didn't bat an eye at the question, "You are aware that the Mills Foundation only handles fundraising and charitable activities? If you have a business proposition you should speak to our investments manager-"
"I'm aware of what your foundation does," Gold interrupted, "And that is, in fact, the sort of business proposition I speak of."
Regina remained quiet, waiting for him to continue but he waited her out, forcing her to ask, "What exactly do you mean?"
"The new family support center at the children's hospital," he answered, "I understand the Mills Foundation is spearheading the effort?"
"We're trying to," Regina answered, "But that effort fell through. The funding isn't going to come together by the end the fiscal year and this was the deadline the hospitals' deadline for whether or not they would move forward and begin construction."
"Such a shame," Gold commented, "Though the sort of thing this center offers, I understand it's considered alternative treatments to government guidelines?"
"Complimentary treatments," Regina answered.
"Such as?"
"Family counselling, nutrition, meditation, art and music therapy-"
"Ah," he answered, "Soft science."
"Scientific studies have shown that complementary therapies can significantly help children with chronic and terminal illnesses, as well as their families," Regina corrected, trying not to get annoyed by his attitude.
"But not definitively," Gold smirked, "Not enough to convince the public that spending their tax dollars on art classes for other people's children is a necessarily medical expense."
She sighed, "Why did you come here, Gold?"
"I told you why," he answered.
"You said you had a business proposition...I've yet to hear one!"
"I'm merely trying to make sure we're on the same page about the children's hospital situation," he said innocently, "However, if you're truly that impatient, I'll get right to the point. I would like donate the remainder of the money needed for the construction of the center."
"Excuse me?" Regina asked, "You said you want to donate the rest of the money needed?"
He nodded, "Indeed I did."
"The funding effort is projected to fall short by 1 million gold coins," she pointed out.
"Yes," Gold answered, "I've been informed as much."
Regina couldn't stop her lips from dropping open slightly, "You want to donate 1 million gold coins to our foundation?"
"That will specifically go to the children's hospital, yes," he answered.
She sat back in her chair, trying to figure out what to make of what the man in front of her was saying. Rum Gold was not known for being a particularly charitable nor soft-hearted man. Quite the opposite, in fact. So why was he suddenly coming to her with this offer?
Thinking it over for a second, she decided to ask him just that, "Why?"
He barely blinked at the question, "Do I need a reason?"
She didn't answer, so he chuckled slightly, twirling his cane in his hand for a long few moments before finally answering, "Well, I will, of course, write of any donation I make on my taxes."
Regina nodded.
"And I have a few other requests," he continued.
"I see," she answered, "What requests?"
"Well, for starters, if I am to make such a sizable donation to an organization run by the spouse of such an infamous political figure, I think it only fair that I get the opportunity to discuss the terms of such with the head of the Mills Foundation in person."
"You're saying you want to discuss this with my father?" she asked.
"Yes," Gold nodded, "Perhaps over dinner?"
Thinking it over, Regina pushed herself back from her desk and answered, "Sounds like a reasonable request."
"Excellent," Gold smiled easily, pushing himself up heavily on his cane, "So I'll see you at eight o'clock tonight?"
She stopped in her tracks leading him toward the door, "What?"
Without missing a beat, he answered, "Oh, I'm sorry. Does your family eat earlier? Well I can re-arrange my schedule to be at your estate by 7."
"Um…" she started, but he'd already turned away from her and was walking through her office door.
"Excellent talk, Miss Mills," he said, "I look forward to seeing you this evening."
With that he limped out of your office, nodding cordially to Lily before making his way to the elevator. She waited until he was out of an earshot before rushing into Regina's office and plopping down in the chair Gold had just vacated, "What the hell was that?!"
Regina shook her head, "I haven't the faintest idea."
"So you're having Rum Gold over for dinner at the estate?" she asked incredulously, "Tonight?"
"Shit," Regina swore, "I guess we are."
Lily's eyebrows shot up, "How are you going to break that to your mother?"
She pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head, "I don't know...I don't know."
"Well, good luck!" Lily said, pushing herself up from the desk and quickly making her way out of the office.
"Thanks!" Regina called after her sarcastically, "That's helpful!"
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She spent the rest of the day distracted, and the drive home felt like it took even longer than normal. There was traffic on the highway out of town, and Kronk was her assigned security that day, and, as usual, he would not shut up!
By the time he pulled up to the gate, she was ready to start banging her head against the window.
He continued to chatter all the way up the drive before finally dropping her off at the front door.
Inside, she dropped her briefcase under the entryway table and stretched her back. She was so tired, but the day wasn't over yet. She still needed to inform her parents about Gold's impromptu visit, and then get through dinner with him!
Taking a deep breath, she took her phone out of her pocket and sent a text to her mother asking where she was. After receiving message back that she was in her office, she put her phone away and made her way around to her father's study. As predicted he was in there, staring at something on his computer.
He smiled when he saw her, taking his headphones off, "Hello, sweetheart. Did you have a good day?"
"It was...interesting," she answered, "That's actually why I'm here. There's something I need to talk to you and Mother about. I was just about to go up to her office. Can you come with me or are you busy?"
"Oh no," he answered, standing from his chair, "I was just watching some news reports. Is everything alright?"
"Well," she answered as they walked toward the elevator together, "Yes. It's actually good news."
"Oh?" he asked.
"I'm just not sure how Mother will react," she clarified as they rode the elevator up together.
"Well if it's good news, I'm sure she'll be happy," Henry responded.
She nodded, hoping he was right as the elevator doors opened.
Walking side-by-side, Regina and Henry went around to Cora's private office. As they entered, her expression conveyed surprise and mild annoyance.
"Henry, Regina," she said, standing from her chair, "What's going on?"
"Regina has something to tell us," Henry answers.
Turning to her, Cora asked, "What is it, Regina?"
"Well," she said, "Today I met with someone who wants to donate the rest of the money for the children's hospital project."
"What?" Henry asked in surprise, "How much?"
"The entire million," she told him.
He looked surprised but a smile quickly crossed his lips, "Well that's wonderful news!"
"Yes," Cora agreed, "It is indeed. However, I'm not sure why you needed to come up to my office at this very moment to say it."
"Well," she explained, "I came to talk to both of you together because the investor requested that we have dinner together tonight."
Both her parents' surprise showed on their faces.
"Tonight?" Cora asked, "That's very short notice."
"Yes," she agreed.
"It is short notice," Henry said, " but I'm sure if we speak to Mrs. Fa and Mrs. Lucas, they can arrange for one more place at dinner tonight. Who is this investor, Regina?"
"Well," she answered, "In fact, it's Rum Gold."
Her parents both stood in stony silence for what felt like forever before her father finally spoke, "Listen carefully, Regina. You're to call...Mr. Gold, and tell him that dinner is cancelled tonight and we don't want a single penny of his money!"
Regina's jaw dropped at her father's uncompromising words, as well as the dark tone of his voice.
"Daddy, he said he'll donate the entire million!"
"I don't care! We're not taking that man's money!" Henry argued.
"Why not?" she asked.
"Yes," Cora chimed in. Initially, she'd looked just as shocked as Regina felt at how Henry was speaking, but gradually the shock melted into suspicion and she asked him the question with crossed arms and a hard expression, "Why not?"
He looked at her briefly before clenching his jaw and answering to Regina, "He isn't the sort of person we want to associate with!"
She pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache rapidly brewing behind it, "I don't understand this at all! Since when are we this picky about our donors? Unless there's some reason to suspect the money they donate was tied to something illegal!"
"I wouldn't be surprised!" Henry spat.
"You're serious?" she asked, she knew that the Gold brothers had a reputation for being ruthless, but they always seems to skirt the line of unethical without going over into criminal. Using their money to influence politicians into changing the law to favor them was more of their style that flat out breaking it.
Cora seemed to agree, still staring at her husband with a very suspicious look, "You're exaggerating a bit, Henry. What is this really about?"
That was a question Regina was very curious about as well.
Her father seemed to take it even worse than he'd taken the news that Gold was coming for dinner. He almost look as if he'd been stabbed. After a few moments, he turned to Cora and said angrily, "So you want that man in our house, do you?"
"I never said that!" her mother snapped defensively, actually looking a little flustered, "I'm just curious about why you're so adamantly against it?"
"Are you really?" he asked sadly.
Cora didn't answer, simply stared back at him, fighting to keep a neutral expression on her face. Regina meanwhile had watched the exchange in bewilderment until her phone buzzed in the pocket of her slacks, startling her.
Pulling it out, she checked her text messages. Lowering the phone, she looked at both her parents and said, "Alright, this is ridiculous. Gold says that he is willing to donate all of the money needed to start construction on the new center at the childrens' hospital, it can't hurt to hear him out!"
"I will not have that man in my house!" Henry repeated.
"Well it's too late for that!" Regina shot back, "He's downstairs right now so you two can either hide from him or join me in the dining room."
With that she turned on her heel and stormed back to the elevator. As she rode it down, she took a few deep breaths and tried to calm herself. She was rattled by that extraordinarily strange confrontation, her head was throbbing, and now she had to face Rum Gold again!
Forcing herself to get ready by the time the doors opened on the ground floor. Making her way through the foyer, she found Mrs. Lucas standing by the door next to Gold.
"Ah," he commented, "Here we are. Miss Mills, a pleasure to see you again."
"Mr. Gold," Regina nodded.
"Mr. Gold says he'll be joining us for dinner?" Mrs. Lucas commented.
She cleared her throat, "Yes, I'm sorry for the late notice."
The older woman shook her head calmly, "Not a problem. I'll just go ahead and inform Mrs. Fa."
"Thank you," Regina answered, looking at her gratefully.
As the housekeeper walked toward the kitchen, Mr. Gold glanced at her, "I do hope I haven't caused you too much trouble?"
"Not at all," Regina answered stiffly, "Perhaps you'd like to join me in the dining room for a drink before dinner?"
"How very domestic," Gold commented, motioning with his cane, "After you."
Feeling his eyes on her back, Regina lead him around to the dining room and over to the tumblers on the side board, "What can I get you?"
"Highland whiskey, please," he asked looking around the room appraisingly, "Nothing in it."
Taking out two glasses, she poured a whiskey for Gold and a sizable one for herself. He accepted it with a toast and look that seemed almost smug before taking a sip and continuing his assessment of their dining room.
They fell into an uncomfortable silence that was, luckily, interrupted by the arrival of her parents.
"And here are our hosts," Gold said cheerfully, limping over to her mother, "Governor, you're looking lovely as ever."
With that he took her hand and raised it to his lips. Sending him a look that could melt steel, Cora pulled her hand away.
"Your visit is very unexpected," Henry chimed in, sounding as angry as her mother looked.
Gold didn't look phased, though, as he spoke, "Well as I explained to Miss Mills during our meeting earlier, I believe we could, perhaps, form a mutually beneficial partnership."
"I doubt that," Cora answered.
"And why is that?"
"I can't think of any time in the past decade when we've been on the same side of any issue."
"Not even that of sick children?" Gold asked, "Come now, Governor, surely we can set aside partisan politics when it comes to an issue that any decent person could agree on?"
Before either of her parents could answer, Mrs. Lucas and her granddaughter arrived to begin serving dinner.
Cora, frowned, but simply wordlessly turned away to take a seat at the table, Henry following suit barely even looking at Gold.
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Dinner was a tense affair with the four of them nibbling at Mrs. Fa's beef stew amid glares between her parents and varying degrees of smug looks from Mr. Gold.
Finally, Regina realized she'd have to take it upon herself to get the conversation going. Setting down her spoon, she said, "So, Mr. Gold, I believe, wanted to discuss a possible donation to the children's hospital?"
Gold followed suit, dabbing neatly at his lips with a napkin, "Yes indeed. Thank you, Regina."
Setting down his spoon stiffly Henry answered,"I think such a conversation would be futile."
Swallowing the urge to groan in frustration at her father's uncharacteristically hostile behavior, she repeated, "Mr. Gold has offered to donate 1 million gold coins to complete the project. However, he had some conditions he wanted to discuss."
"Naturally," Cora said flatly, taking a sip of her wine, "Why don't we just get down to it, Gold? What's your game here?"
"Game?"
"I think," Regina jumped in, "What mother means is-"
"Since when are you interested in a children's hospital?" her father interrupted.
Gold was quiet for a good few moments before answering in a soft, and surprisingly sincere voice, "I don't believe any child should suffer."
The answer, however, seemed to make her father even more angry. His face darkened but before he could speak her mother said skeptically, "So you're just doing this out of the good of your heart?"
Gold shrugged, his aloof manner back, "I've been very prosperous in life. I thought, perhaps, it was time I give something back."
"And what exactly will you expect in return?" Henry demanded.
"What makes you think I expect anything in return?"
No one answered.
Settling back in his chair Gold continued, "All I ask is that my donation be used for the children's hospital and nothing else. I think that's a reasonable request."
"What assurance do we have that will be your only request?" Henry asked.
"I'll have my lawyers draw up terms, which you are free to review and modify to your liking. Once the money is transferred, the only obligation you will have to me will be to build the children's hospital," Gold said as her father stared at him in silence, "I know our families have had their differences, but surely you won't allow suspicion to affect innocent children?"
Henry's face flashed with anger again.
"That suspicion comes from the fact that everyone knows you calculate every move you make!" Cora snapped, "Not to mention you're a greedy bastard who never cared about charity in his life!"
"Mother!" Regina hissed.
"Not to worry, your mother is simply concerned for your father," Gold said, staring intently at her mother with a smile and pausing for a long moment before glancing away, "Wouldn't want an institution like the Mills foundation to be caught up in a scandal after all, right?"
Cora's face puckered as if she'd sucked a lemon, "Well, Gold, all I can say is I'll believe that when I see it."
Gold simply laughed good naturedly, "I suppose I'll simply have to prove myself to you then."
"Well," Regina jumped in, "That sounds like a good idea. I'm sure if our legal teams work together we can come to an agreement that is...acceptable to everyone."
"I'd like to believe so," Gold answered, picking up his whiskey and taking a long sip.
After that the conversation faded after that as the group ate a few more bites of stew, and drank more than a few drinks, before finally Gold, easy as ever, thanked them for their hospitality.
Henry wasted no time in calling Mrs. Lucas to show the other man out, and, as soon as he was out of an earshot, poured himself another glass of wine.
"Alright," Regina, "So I think that matter is settled? We're accepting the donation?"
"We haven't settled on any such thing," Henry said.
She sighed, "Daddy, what is going on with you tonight?"
"I don't do business with that type of her person!"
She tossed up her hands helplessly, "So that's it? We have someone willing to donate all the money we need, but we're just going to walk away?"
Neither of her parents answered.
"What is it you're so worried about?"
"There's a lot of rumors about the Gold brothers," Cora answered.
"Precisely!" Henry jumped in, "How do we know this money he's planning to donate wasn't obtained unethically?"
"Well we would, of course, vet that!" she argued.
"I beg your pardon-" the three were surprised to see Mr. Gold appear in the doorway.
"I'm so sorry to interrupt, but it appears my chauffeur had an emergency," he explained, "Might I trouble you for a ride home?"
"What sort of emergency?" Henry asked.
"I'm not certain, my secretary only texted me a few moments ago.
Cora was the first to snap at that, "Gold, I've had quite enough of your games-"
"Alright!" Regina interrupted, not wanting things to deteriorate again, "I'll take care of finding you a ride."
As she quickly made her way out of the room, she heard Gold say to her back, "So kind of you."
Sighing in exasperation, Regina stormed over to the elevator, shoved the button for the basement level, and rode it one floor down.
The hallway was empty but as she walked along she could hear the television blaring from the recreation room. Glancing inside, she was relieved to see Robin among the staff sitting around the television. She hadn't completely decided whether to go to him or Drake, but, upon seeing him, she knew he was probably the best bet.
She stood in the doorway for a moment, but was saved from having to decide whether to storm right in when Robin caught sight over her out of the corner of his eye, doing a double take and meeting her eye.
Looking back, she motioned with her head. He looked confused, but only took a moment before he rose from the sofa and made his way around the other staff members out into the hall.
"Regina," his whispered, "Is everything alright?"
"Yes," she answered, "But I need your help with something."
Nodding, he waited expectantly.
"Have you heard of Rum Gold?"
"Rum Gold?" Robin asked.
"He's well known business magnate who has an empire here in Unity City."
"Yes, I've heard of him on the news. What about him?"
"Well he had dinner with us tonight and he needs a ride home," she explained, "Apparently his driver had some kind of last minute emergency."
Robin was silent for a moment so she continued, "I know it's not exactly your job, but-"
"It's fine," he interrupted, "I'll do it."
"Thank you," she said, letting out a sigh of relief. They walked around to the desk near the garage entrance where all the keys were kept. Thinking it over, she told him, "Take one of the bigger cars."
He nodded, "Let me get changed and I'll bring one around."
Nodding in agreement, Regina left him to head back to the elevator
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Cora watched from the window of her downstairs office as Gold's slight form slid into the back of one of their cars and it drove away from the house.
Pursing her lips, she dropped the curtain and made her way out of the office. She considered, briefly, waiting for Regina to come back inside but decided that she had bigger fish to fry with her husband.
Continuing along to the elevator she rode it up to the third floor and stormed into their suite. Looking around she, found Henry in the bedroom sitting at the end of the bed, his tie open and draped morosely around his neck.
Crossing her arms, she demanded, "What was that about, Henry?"
Looking tiredly up at her, he replied, "What was what about?"
"You know precisely what I'm talking about!" she hissed, "Your animosity toward Gold! Where did that come from?"
Standing from the bed he met her eyes and asked, "Where did yours come from?"
The look he gave her was so pointed it almost made her want to squirm. She didn't however, simply studied him back before finally answering, "I don't trust him."
Henry answered quietly, "We agree on that then."
With that he pulled his tie off his neck and shuffled to the closet, not looking back at her.
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Robin watched the road through the darkness as he drove down the highway toward Rum Gold's mansion. Apparently he, even more than the Mills', liked living out in the country. He had a compound in the hills north of Unity City that took a good two hours to get to with traffic.
Rum Gold spent most of the drive in easy silence, occasionally glancing out the window thoughtfully. Robin studied him in the mirror a few times. On the surface he didn't seem like much, a small, almost effeminate, older man. However, there was something very calculating even in his easy expression.
"So you're the former convict," he suddenly said out of the blue.
Looking into the mirror again, he answered, "Yeah, that'd be me."
Gold chuckled, "Excuse me. You were quite the human interest story."
"Hm," Robin hummed noncommittally.
The older man didn't seem bothered by it, though, as he answered, "May I ask, has it been worth your while?"
"Excuse me?" Robin asked
"Working for the illustrious Henry and Cora Mills," he responded, "Was it everything you hoped for?"
"Why do you ask?" he replied measuredly.
"Just making conversation," Gold shrugged, "My drive is right up here."
Turning his attention back to the road, Robin spotted the entrance to a private drive. Turning into it he was surprised to find that, unlike the Mills estate, it was not gated. The house itself was just as big, though, and where the Mills home was white and stark this one was dark and gothically ornate.
It had an downright foreboding atmosphere. There were only a few lights on outfront, but Gold didn't seem bothered. As Robin parked the car as close as he could get to the front door, the older man lifted up his cane and pulled open the door before Robin could get out to open it for him.
"Thank you very much for the ride home," he said, almost pleasantly, "It's been interesting."
Robin couldn't see how it would have been, but he didn't bother sticking around to find out, tossing the car into drive as soon as the door closed behind Rum Gold.
Settling in as he turned around back onto the highway, Robin reached up and pulled open the tie he'd put on for the drive. Rush hour having finally died down, the drive south wasn't as bad as the one out, so he actually made it back to the Mills estate in less than an hour.
As he parked the car back among the others in the garage, he realized just how tired he was. However, just as he was pressing the elevator button he felt his phone buzz in his pocket.
Pulling it out, he noticed it was a text from Regina.
'Everything go okay?'
'Yes,' he typed back, 'Dropped Mr. Gold off an hour ago,'
'Great. Are you back at the house?'
'Yes, just got in. Are you okay?'
'Fine. Just checking in.'
Robin studied the message until the elevator dinged open, stepping inside he let the doors slide closed behind him. The text looked innocent enough. As if she'd were simply following up to make sure he'd completed the task she asked of him, however, there was something about it he felt was off.
Looking up from his phone, he pressed the button for the first floor rather than the basement and typed back, 'Where are you?'
'The garden. Why?'
'Hold on. I'll be there in a minute.'
Sliding his phone back into his pocket, he rode the elevator up to the ground floor and made his way through the outer kitchen and to the side door. He found Regina after a few moments walking through the garden.
"Hey," she said, standing from the stone bench she was sitting on when she saw him, "What's wrong? Was there a problem with Gold?"
"No," he answered, "I dropped him off just fine."
"Oh," Robin saw her let out a visible sigh, "So why did you want to meet me here?"
"I just wanted to make sure everything was okay."
She sighed again, sinking back down onto the bench, "Yeah...I guess...weird evening"
Hesitating for only a moment, he sat down next to her, "Do you want to...talk about it?"
"I wouldn't even know where to start," she said with a dry laugh. He didn't answer, waiting for her to speak on her own time, "Gold offered to donate 1 million gold coins to fund a project for the children's hospital that looked like it wasn't going to meet its goal."
"Okay," he nodded,
"And neither of my parents are thrilled with the idea," she went on, "And I have no idea why and I just...I don't even know what to think!"
"Why don't they like the idea?"
She thought that question over before answering, "Well, they both seem to think he has ulterior motives."
He made a noise of agreement, prompting her to look over at him.
"What? You agree too?"
Robin shrugged, "There was something about him that seemed a bit sinister."
She quirked her lips, "Yeah, I understand that feeling. So I suppose this means you also think the foundation should turn down the donation?"
He shifted at the question. This was definitely getting into beyond professional territory. Finally, he answered, "I'd say just be careful."
Looking over at him she studied his face. He looked slightly apprehensive, but obviously very sincere.
"Sounds reasonable," she nodded, "Thank you fkor your help tonight."
He held her gaze as he responded, "It's no trouble."
The two stared at each other quietly for a few moments before, she glanced away, "Well, thanks again."
She stood at that, prompting him to rise from the bench with her.
"I'd better say goodnight."
"Of course," he nodded, "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" she asked,
"I'm your assigned security," he explained.
"Oh," she nodded, "Yes, of course. Well if you're my security, we'll have an early morning tomorrow so…"
He nodded understandingly, "Right."
"Yeah," she nodded along, "...goodnight."
"Goodnight."