A/N: No copyright infringement intended.
"I know yur not a little kid any more Sherry, but to me you will always be my little sister, no matter who old we are, yur my family, that will never change. I'll always be watching your back. I don't want to see anything bad happen to you" he whispered to her.
"I know, Vin, we will always be family, no matter what and I don't want to see anything bad happen to you either"
It was early evening on Saturday the day of the Gala Dinner. Sherry was dressed to the hilt in dark red satin and chiffon strapless dress, the color of a Bordeaux wine. It had a flattering neck line that gave off a hint of cleavage and a low cut back. The dress hugged her curves to her waist then fell loosely to the floor in an A-line. The bust of the dress was covered in shimmering Swarovski crystals which extended down the waistline ending at the floor length hemline. Her brunette hair was swept up in an elegant updo, a few touches of make up to accentuate her natural features, striking smoky eye shadow accented her blue eyes, the only jewelry she wore was chandelier earrings leaving her neck bare.
Sherry's door bell rang promptly at 5:30pm. Sherry opened the door and greeted her date for the evening. She took Ezra's breathe away as his eyes beheld her appearance. She looked stunning and sexy.
"May I say, you look magnificent tonight" he said mesmerized by her. It wasn't just her outward appearance that captivated him. It was her inner vitality for life that was shinning, illuminating her, making her beautiful to him.
"Please turn for me, so I can see" Ezra asked. Sherry reached down to pick up the side of her long gown and did a small twirl to show off her dress. He smiled, "you are captivating and alluring Cherie" he kissed the back of her hand, making Sherry blush.
"Thank you Ezra, you also look dashing. You will have a devastating effect on the female population. They shall be swooning at your feet" she said in a silly attempt at a southern accent. Ezra's lips curled into a smile that had his dimples showing. Oh, god, those dimples made her knees weak, Sherry thought. He was dressed in a classic black Giorgio Armani two button tux with a crisp white shirt, black vest, and gold cuff links at his wrists. Ezra had opted for a straight black tie instead of a traditional bow tie. Ezra had placed a white kerchief in his breast pocket. He oozed sex appeal and reminded Sherry of a debonair and dashing James Bond. He assisted her in draping a matching shawl around her shoulders. As she moved under the light, the gown looked iridescent and the red transformed into nearly black. He offered her his arm as he escorted her out of her home.
"My dear, our chariot awaits" Sherry had expected Ezra to pick her up in his Jag, but when she stepped outside her house she saw a black limo with a chauffeur waiting patiently at the curb. Sherry was stunned. She looked at him in amazement, he merely smiled at her. Secretly he was pleased at her awe, he would forever remember the look of astonishment on her face and her happiness as she gazed at him. He knew he could have shown up in any ordinary vehicle and Sherry would have been happy to go out with him. That was one of the things he loved about her, was her lack of avariciousness. But why opt for mundane, when he could do extraordinary? Plus he much rather preferred riding in opulence to commonplace. Ezra escorted Sherry to the curb and waiting limo. The chauffeur opened the passenger door and Ezra assisted her inside the vehicle. It was spacious inside, black leather interior, drink bar, and even the glass divider to separate the driver from the passengers. Sherry made herself comfortable in the seat as Ezra settled himself beside her.
The Limo quietly and smoothly pulled away from the curb. Sherry let her mind drift back over to the last two days. It was hard to believe that it had only been two days since her BBQ dinner with everyone. During that time, she had helped outfit Vin for the Gala, with Ezra's assistance. Vin was resisting her suggestions to get a new tux for the event. She enlisted the big guns to get him around to seeing her way. She called in Ezra. Between the two of them, they tag teamed Vin into the menswear store and got him to try on a new tux. He didn't see what all the fuss was about, his tux from last year was still in good working order.
"Didn't your jacket get a hole in it during that one raid when you were undercover with me?" Ezra asked
"WHAT!" Sherry exclaimed, realizing the full implications of that statement. Vin shot Ezra an irate glare at letting that tid bit of information slip to Sherry.
"Now Sherry, I was fine, I was wearing a Kevlar vest underneath my tux. The bullet only winged me. No lasting damage." Vin was back peddling fast, trying to placate her.
"That is it, end of discussion, you are not wearing anything that has had a bullet pass through it" she announced as she crossed her arms defiantly and in a I-will-not-budge-on-this-issue stance. "With your luck, this tux would act as a magnet for more bullets to come at you"
"Damn-it Ez, why'd you have to go and say that fer? I liked that Tux"
"I thought it was important information impacting the final selection of a new tux" he said nonchalantly, "plus I wanted to give Ms. Sherry added leverage over you" he grinned
"You turncoat, I'll remember this" Vin hissed, as Sherry marched up to him with several tuxs over her arms. "Try these on" she ordered. Vin knew that he's seen the last of his old Tux.
They made Vin try on a few different styles of tuxedos as they dialed in his style comfort.
In the end, Ezra selected a classic three button notched lapel Kenneth Cole tuxedo with white shirt and white tie with vest. Sherry topped off the look with a red kerchief tucked into his breast pocket. Ezra nodded his stamp of approval on the outfit. "It is a stylish yet timeless look that will wear exquisitely at this bureaucratic event" Sherry shook herself out of her reverie.
She looked forward to seeing Vin all decked out. She was curious as to what Ezra had done to him convince him to arrive separately to the dinner. She suspected it must have taken the combined efforts of several of the agents and pressure from Chris. Oh well, so far she was immensely enjoying her evening alone with Ezra, Sherry stole a glance at him from beneath her eyelashes. He appeared to be enjoying himself as well, if his body language was any indicator. Where ever Vin was, Sherry knew that his team mates were watching over him, so she wasn't worried. Vin so rarely dressed up, but when he did, he looked impressively striking. Sherry guessed that all the members of Team 7 were going to look like a million bucks tonight. The men looked impressive on an average day, she didn't want to think about what the seven of them in tuxedos were going to do to the collective female population in attendance tonight. They may have to have paramedics on hand to resuscitate those that faint. She grinned at the mental image.
"What has you grinning Cherie?" Ezra asked
"Oh, I was just envisioning the swarms of women who were going to be fainting tonight when all seven of you stand together. The temperature of the room is sure to skyrocket up by about 100 degrees"
Ezra also grinned at the image she portrayed. He glanced out the window at the passing scenery then back at Sherry's profile, as she was also looking out her side window. He noticed she was clutching her hand bag and her knuckles were white. She obviously was more nervous than she was letting on. Reassuringly, Ezra reached over and placed his hand on top of hers. Sherry jolted momentarily at the contact and more so at the jolt of electricity that shot up her arm at his contact. She smiled at his offered support and turned her hand over to grasp his palm. They rode the remainder of the journey with their hands intertwined.
They quickly arrived into downtown Denver from Sherry's house. The limo pulled up to the curb in front of the Ellie Caulkins Opera House where the Sentinel Gala was held. The chauffeur opened the rear door and Ezra exited the vehicle, he held out his hand to assist Sherry in her long gown.
Ezra angled his body in a protective manner, as they began their walk up the blue carpet that guided the way into the Ballroom for the Sentinel Gala. Sherry placed her hand on his arm and used her other hand to lift her long gown out of her way as they climbed the stairs.
"You ready to make your appearance?" he asked with a grin
"With you beside me, I am ready to take on the masses" she replied with bravado
"Well then, let us descent into the belly of the beast!" he quipped as they entered the Sentinel Gala.