Chapter 9
*********
Leon Kennedy smiled at the redhead as she approached, like a bit of the dying day that was lost on her way to tomorrow.
"Boo," he whispered, drawing close to her.
She turned, mildly surprised, a vision in a russet dress, then smiled. "I don't think I've ever seen you in a dinner jacket."
"I don't think I've ever seen you in heels." He chuckled. "We've got some catching up to do."
"Okay, but no running in these shoes." She smiled, eyes twinkling. "Now, officer, I believe I have an outstanding traffic ticket to take care of," she said, crossing one leg behind the other.
"I think," Leon responded, his eyes going drowning blue, "that I'm going to like this assignment."
Dorothy arched a brow at him, then said, "Tyger!/ Tyger!/ Burning bright/ in the forests of the night./ What immortal hand or eye/ doth frame thy fearful symmetry?" She speared him with a glance and added, "Did He who made the lamb make thee?"
Leon smiled warmly. "Usually I couldn't get you to recite poetry until after we'd eaten."
She couldn't help but laugh.
~~~~~
Dorothy couldn't understand why the suicide rates in the city were so high. Who could hate a world that had salmon in it?
"What are you smiling at?" she asked, pointing at Leon with a fork.
"You. You look so content."
She mistrusted that remark, and decided to see if he still thought she looked content with bulging hamster cheeks. She attacked the salmon. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen you eat with utensils, either," she pointed out.
"You make it sound like we never did anything fun," he accused with a laugh.
She couldn't help but smile. "No, we had fun."
He sighed. "So, tell me about you. Tell me what you've been doing." He raised an eyebrow at her, smirking.
"Tease me and you're getting a lemon twist in your eye," Dorothy threatened, then shrugged. "I go to class. I work. I run red lights." She smiled.
He chuckled. "Tell me about the guy you're 'involved' with."
Dorothy frowned. She didn't want to talk about Roger. She shrugged. "It's me, and Roger, and Sno--Kirei."
"Kirei?" Leon remembered the other woman at the police station. He looked at Dorothy very intently for a second.
"What? What is it?" she asked nervously. He was about to judge her, she could tell.
But he didn't. He just smiled and shook his head. "He must be quite a strong man, this Roger."
"What do you mean?" she asked. "He is."
"He must be," Leon repeated, and suddenly there was a heat in his eyes that reminded her of the tiger in her dream. "I would never, ever share you."
She shivered under the intense gaze, trying to look stern, but her face softened against her will. "Leon..." She reached across the table, to him, without knowing what she planned to do.
But he smiled, and suddenly the change came over his entire being, like a shapeshifter--he was the same old Leon again, sweet and teasing. He caught her reaching hand and brushed his lips across the knuckles, eyes twinkling. "I bet I know what can make you smile."
"What's that?" she asked, not taking back her hand, desperate for the promised smile.
"They have cherry cheesecake."
She giggled.
~~~~~
"You'd better let me off here," she said.
"No way. A gentleman always escorts a lady to her door."
She hit his shoulder, laughing. "Since when are you a gentleman?"
He thought about it. "You're right. Since when are you a lady?"
She snorted, not helping her case. "But seriously. I'd better get out here. I kind of lied about what I was doing tonight."
Leon frowned at her in mock disapproval. "First running red lights and now lying. Hop off the outlaw train, Red, before you land in jail."
She shook her head, smiling. "Roger won't like it if he knows I was out with you. He'll think you were trying to steal me away."
Leon grinned, to use the appropriate term, a skinning of lips back from teeth.
"I'd say he shouldn't worry, but..."
The silence finished the sentence.
"Leon," Dorothy said warningly, but probably more warning to herself than to him.
"Don't worry." The officer shook his head, more at himself than at her. "I wouldn't try to ruin what you've got, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about it."
Dorothy had no answer for it, mostly because she was afraid she was thinking along the same lines herself. She had to get out of the car, now. "Well, I had a wonderful time tonight," she said sincerely.
He liked that and smiled. "I want to see you again."
"Oh, I don't know," she began.
"Not as anything," he amended quickly. "You don't have to wear that gorgeous dress and the heels." He smiled, looking her over. "You can wear your black jeans and your leather jacket, and I'll wear sneakers, and we'll go through the drive-thru."
Dorothy returned his grin, and realized what a mistake this was going to be, even as she recited her cell-phone number. That bill was hers; she'd insisted on paying it herself and Roger never opened it.
"Well, then, let me sneak back inside." She started to get out of the car but he caught her wrist, eyes twinkling, smile positively wicked.
"Hey, if you're going to kiss me off, I want my kiss."
She frowned, but it was getting increasingly hard to frown around him. "This isn't really cheating. THAT would be cheating."
"Then you owe me fifty dollars for running the red light," he said immediately, drawing her back into the car.
"One day honest citizens are going to stand up to you crooked cops," she snickered, kissing his cheek. "And that's all you're getting, so I'm getting out of the car and you're driving away."
Leon smirked and recited, "I would not come in. I would not even if asked, and I hadn't been."
Dorothy laughed. "Insult to injury, you recite Frost."
"Hey, you're lucky," Leon said. "You usually couldn't get me to recite poetry till after--"
"DRIVE," she laughed, stepping out of the car.
"--Till after dessert!" he finished, chuckling and pulling away from the curb.
She shook her head, still laughing.
~~~~~
Leon Kennedy squinted; the glare of the red light seemed especially harsh.It might have been a mistake to take her out, a mistake to take her number, but he hadn't been able to resist. He'd been honest with her, and she'd still given the number to him.
It was selfish of him, perhaps, but he couldn't stay away. He wondered if it were possible for anyone to hold onto the redhead, or if she were always like the light of the dying day, slipping into someone else's tomorrow.
*********
Leon Kennedy smiled at the redhead as she approached, like a bit of the dying day that was lost on her way to tomorrow.
"Boo," he whispered, drawing close to her.
She turned, mildly surprised, a vision in a russet dress, then smiled. "I don't think I've ever seen you in a dinner jacket."
"I don't think I've ever seen you in heels." He chuckled. "We've got some catching up to do."
"Okay, but no running in these shoes." She smiled, eyes twinkling. "Now, officer, I believe I have an outstanding traffic ticket to take care of," she said, crossing one leg behind the other.
"I think," Leon responded, his eyes going drowning blue, "that I'm going to like this assignment."
Dorothy arched a brow at him, then said, "Tyger!/ Tyger!/ Burning bright/ in the forests of the night./ What immortal hand or eye/ doth frame thy fearful symmetry?" She speared him with a glance and added, "Did He who made the lamb make thee?"
Leon smiled warmly. "Usually I couldn't get you to recite poetry until after we'd eaten."
She couldn't help but laugh.
~~~~~
Dorothy couldn't understand why the suicide rates in the city were so high. Who could hate a world that had salmon in it?
"What are you smiling at?" she asked, pointing at Leon with a fork.
"You. You look so content."
She mistrusted that remark, and decided to see if he still thought she looked content with bulging hamster cheeks. She attacked the salmon. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen you eat with utensils, either," she pointed out.
"You make it sound like we never did anything fun," he accused with a laugh.
She couldn't help but smile. "No, we had fun."
He sighed. "So, tell me about you. Tell me what you've been doing." He raised an eyebrow at her, smirking.
"Tease me and you're getting a lemon twist in your eye," Dorothy threatened, then shrugged. "I go to class. I work. I run red lights." She smiled.
He chuckled. "Tell me about the guy you're 'involved' with."
Dorothy frowned. She didn't want to talk about Roger. She shrugged. "It's me, and Roger, and Sno--Kirei."
"Kirei?" Leon remembered the other woman at the police station. He looked at Dorothy very intently for a second.
"What? What is it?" she asked nervously. He was about to judge her, she could tell.
But he didn't. He just smiled and shook his head. "He must be quite a strong man, this Roger."
"What do you mean?" she asked. "He is."
"He must be," Leon repeated, and suddenly there was a heat in his eyes that reminded her of the tiger in her dream. "I would never, ever share you."
She shivered under the intense gaze, trying to look stern, but her face softened against her will. "Leon..." She reached across the table, to him, without knowing what she planned to do.
But he smiled, and suddenly the change came over his entire being, like a shapeshifter--he was the same old Leon again, sweet and teasing. He caught her reaching hand and brushed his lips across the knuckles, eyes twinkling. "I bet I know what can make you smile."
"What's that?" she asked, not taking back her hand, desperate for the promised smile.
"They have cherry cheesecake."
She giggled.
~~~~~
"You'd better let me off here," she said.
"No way. A gentleman always escorts a lady to her door."
She hit his shoulder, laughing. "Since when are you a gentleman?"
He thought about it. "You're right. Since when are you a lady?"
She snorted, not helping her case. "But seriously. I'd better get out here. I kind of lied about what I was doing tonight."
Leon frowned at her in mock disapproval. "First running red lights and now lying. Hop off the outlaw train, Red, before you land in jail."
She shook her head, smiling. "Roger won't like it if he knows I was out with you. He'll think you were trying to steal me away."
Leon grinned, to use the appropriate term, a skinning of lips back from teeth.
"I'd say he shouldn't worry, but..."
The silence finished the sentence.
"Leon," Dorothy said warningly, but probably more warning to herself than to him.
"Don't worry." The officer shook his head, more at himself than at her. "I wouldn't try to ruin what you've got, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about it."
Dorothy had no answer for it, mostly because she was afraid she was thinking along the same lines herself. She had to get out of the car, now. "Well, I had a wonderful time tonight," she said sincerely.
He liked that and smiled. "I want to see you again."
"Oh, I don't know," she began.
"Not as anything," he amended quickly. "You don't have to wear that gorgeous dress and the heels." He smiled, looking her over. "You can wear your black jeans and your leather jacket, and I'll wear sneakers, and we'll go through the drive-thru."
Dorothy returned his grin, and realized what a mistake this was going to be, even as she recited her cell-phone number. That bill was hers; she'd insisted on paying it herself and Roger never opened it.
"Well, then, let me sneak back inside." She started to get out of the car but he caught her wrist, eyes twinkling, smile positively wicked.
"Hey, if you're going to kiss me off, I want my kiss."
She frowned, but it was getting increasingly hard to frown around him. "This isn't really cheating. THAT would be cheating."
"Then you owe me fifty dollars for running the red light," he said immediately, drawing her back into the car.
"One day honest citizens are going to stand up to you crooked cops," she snickered, kissing his cheek. "And that's all you're getting, so I'm getting out of the car and you're driving away."
Leon smirked and recited, "I would not come in. I would not even if asked, and I hadn't been."
Dorothy laughed. "Insult to injury, you recite Frost."
"Hey, you're lucky," Leon said. "You usually couldn't get me to recite poetry till after--"
"DRIVE," she laughed, stepping out of the car.
"--Till after dessert!" he finished, chuckling and pulling away from the curb.
She shook her head, still laughing.
~~~~~
Leon Kennedy squinted; the glare of the red light seemed especially harsh.It might have been a mistake to take her out, a mistake to take her number, but he hadn't been able to resist. He'd been honest with her, and she'd still given the number to him.
It was selfish of him, perhaps, but he couldn't stay away. He wondered if it were possible for anyone to hold onto the redhead, or if she were always like the light of the dying day, slipping into someone else's tomorrow.