A long moment passed as he waited for her to answer the door. He closed his eyes and listened to the sound of her moving about in the apartment and before long, her steps began to approach the door. He swallowed and pulled at his shirt which caused him to drop the makeshift corsage accidentally. He tried to catch it a few times on the way down, but it jumped off the tips of his fingers, just out of reach. The door clicked open just as it landed on the floor.

He gently wrapped his fingers around the flower and looked up. He felt his jaw go slack as he took in the short, bright coral orange dress that flared out from her waist, hanging full around her bare legs. Her dark hair fell down her shoulders in tousled waves over the short sleeves and simple scooped collar.

He swallowed as he slowly drew himself up to his full height. She seemed taller, and his eyes raked over her all the way down to her shoes. She was wearing heels, the kind the girls liked to wear out on the town in the forties.

Jane raised her eyebrows at his thorough inspection of her and felt her cheeks grow hot as his eyes hungrily drank her in.

"Hi," She smiled shyly.

"Uh.. Hi." Steve snapped out of it, and his eyes shot to hers. He remembered the flower he just picked up and stepped forward.

"May I?" He asked with that grin she loved.

She nodded, 'yes' and held out her arm. He opened the metal bracelet and slipped it gently over her delicate looking wrist before he clipped it shut. It was a bit big for her, and the flower rolled around to face the floor. Steve put his one hand around her wrist and gently turned the bracelet back with the other, so the flower was on top and pushed the bracelet slowly up her forearm until it sat snugly.

The gentle deliberateness of his movements had her heart fluttering wildly in her chest. She watched him carefully, unable to help the grin spreading on her face until his eyes once again met hers.

He was just about to get lost in the deep blue when she cleared her throat.

He blinked, "Shall we?" and turned, so he was standing next to her and offered her his arm. She gently accepted his offer, and he led her out into the hallway and pulled the door closed behind them before walking her to the elevator.

"Where are we going?" She asked as the elevator doors closed. Steve grinned nervously at his shoes.

"It's a surprise."

She bit her cheek as she gazed up at him expectantly. His jacket brushed her arm and the folds of her dress his fingertips. He never thought an elevator could be so heavy with longing. The air felt fluid with a tension that tightened a coil somewhere deep in his belly. It felt like an overstretched piano string that was just about to snap when the bell of the elevator let in a rush of cool air. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the tie.

"May I?" He asked, holding it up.

"What are you doing?" She asked both confused and excited as he stepped behind her and placed it gently over her eyes. His breath tickled her ear as he checked that there were no peek holes. He tied a knot, careful not to pull her hair.

She was smiling as he took her hand and placed it on his arm. She touched the tie over her eyes as he led her out of the elevator, it was a strange feeling.

"No peeking." He commanded playfully.

"I'm not." She replied cheekily.

He came to a standstill, and before she knew it, he'd scooped her up into his arms, and she shrieked with laughter at the unexpected movement. He chuckled and began walking up the flight of stairs. She smelled amazing.

At the top, he took a few more steps and put her down gently, the tie shifting a bit in the process. He quickly pulled it back into place and smiled as she kept her exposed eye closed.

"Not peeking." She chuckled.

"Good." He replied.

Keeping hold of her wrist, he pulled open the heavy door, and she felt cool night air swirl around her. He guided her out, and she heard the door shut behind her. She frowned as her shoes struggled with the thick, uneven surface under them.

Coming up behind her, he gently put a hand on each of her elbows and guided her into place a few steps forward and to the right. She could almost hear him concentrating behind her.

He let go a deep breath. "You ready?" He asked, his voice tight with nerves.

"Yes," she smiled, excited.

He gently pulled off the tie, and her eyes blinked open, blurry for a second from being shut against the fabric of the tie.

A small frown sprouted between her brows before her jaw dropped, she didn't know where to look.

"Steve..." she mouthed as she took a step forward, her hands coming up to her mouth. She turned slowly, taking in everything around her.

They were on the roof. Wakanda's green architecture had thick green grass under her shoes, various colours of Sweet Peas grew in thick bushels from the corners of the roof ledge. A Bougainvillea had claimed the square stairwell wrapping the structure in thick layers of bright pink and purple flowers. She could smell the sweet fragrance of Jasmine and let the petals of a Tube Rose brush through her fingers as she took in the large gazebo in front of her, the Bougainvillea had claimed it too, making a thick flower jacket around the one side and over the roof.

On the inside, warm lights had been woven into the branches, making it look like it was strewn with stars. In the centre, was a small table, simply set with a white tablecloth. A single candle flickered inside the lampshade as the breeze played over the opening on the top.

There were several large three footed steel bowls strewn around the gazebo, all holding crackling fires. It took the chill out of the breeze and cast a warm glow around the whole scene.

She turned, at a loss for words.

"Steve... it's beautiful." She said, feeling a little emotional.

"So you like it?" He asked with a sheepish grin on his face.

"I love it." She said, closing the distance between them. "Did you do all of this?" She gestured at the lights and the fires.

"I had some help." He answered, and she smiled.

"You hungry?" He asked, motioning to the table.

"She nodded 'yes', and without breaking eye contact, he led her to the table and pulled out the chair for her, and she sat down. He quickly disappeared, and she could hear him rummaging in something behind the gazebo. She bit her cheek.

He appeared, blushing, holding two takeout boxes stacked on top of each other. Utensils stuffed in one hand.

She grinned and bit her lip, shaking her head knowingly.

"I-I hope this is okay." He began shyly. "It's Italian, from that place Nat told us about."

"It's perfect," she replied.

He put one of the boxes down in front of her and put the other in front of him as he sat down. She could see something occur to him and he sprang up again.

"Would you like a plate?"

She chuckled. "No, thank you. This is perfect."

"There is wine if you like, but after what happened last time..." he trailed off.

"I think I'll have some." She said, surprising him.

He disappeared and came back with two glasses and a bottle of red wine. He tipped the bottle to pour her a glass but paused, "you sure?" he asked.

She nodded 'yes'. "I'm not afraid anymore."

They enjoyed their dinner together and laughed about all the things that had happened since she woke up. He found talking with her easy. It was like she spoke the same language as him. They spoke about his life, and he found himself sharing things with her that he hadn't talked about in a very long time.

Dinner boxes long empty and wine nearly all gone, something else occurred to Steve, and he took a small rectangular remote control out of his breast pocket. With the push of a button, the sound of Billy Holiday's 'Time on my hands' filled the air.

"You like this song?" She asked.

"I do," he said. He felt hot in his jacket, be it because of the fires or the electricity firing between him and Jane. He stood up and shrugged it off, rolling up his sleeves.

She got to her feet and felt a little unsteady on the grass in the heels, so she pulled them off.

She watched as he ran his hand through his hair and walked around the table towards her.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, holding out his hand. She bit her cheek and placed her hand in his, and he led her a few steps away from the gazebo so that the fires formed a half circle around them. He put his one hand lightly on her lower back and held her hand gently in his other. They swayed, each rapt in the others' gaze.

As the notes of Billy Holiday began to fade, Etta James began to sing 'A Sunday kind of love' and Steve pulled her a little closer.

"So this is a date." She smiled up at him.

He grinned that lopsided grin.

"Best one I've ever had." He said softly.

His words melted her heart and she moved closer until she was right up against him and he relished the feeling. He held her tighter, wrapping both arms around her waist, and placed his cheek against her temple and closed his eyes. The smell of her hair and the feel of her body against his drew him deeper into the moment. Unable to help himself, he gently pushed her hair back over her left shoulder, bending down to breathe her in, his nose just below her ear. He followed the line of her neck as it sloped into her shoulder, barely above her skin.

She tilted her head back a little, trying to make his road longer. She was right by his neck and pushed his collar aside gently with her fingers. She wanted to kiss him, to taste him, but she was relishing the delicious agony of waiting. She came just close enough to brush his skin with her lips. His reaction nearly broke her resolve as his fingers dug into the fabric of her dress, suddenly breathless.

They danced until the fires turned to embers and Doris Day's 'Again' began to fade.

Jane was warm, nestled against Steve and when he pulled away, the cold night air sent a shiver down her spine.

"Come, it's getting late." He said softly as he wrapped her in his jacket. The wine had made her feel a little tired, but all she wanted was more of Steve.

They walked back to the elevator, his arm around her shoulders and as the doors closed, she looked up at him. All the tension that had built up in her brought her to an edge, and all she had to do was step off it. She turned to face him taking his collar in her hands and pushed him into the wall. They stood for a second, reluctant to let go of each others' eyes before she closed the distance between them. Her whole body caught fire as he took her mouth hungrily, a low rumble vibrating in his chest. His jacket fell from her shoulders as he assumed command. He flipped them over so that she was the one against the wall and lifted her up onto his hips. He pulled away for a second to look at her before he began leaving a trail of kisses down the line of her jaw and into her neck. Her hands were tangled his hair as his hand wandered up her dress.

The elevator came to a standstill, and the ping of their arrival ripped them from the spell. A door shut somewhere down the hall. Suddenly aware of himself, he blushed and put her down gently. He cleared his throat as his jaw clenched before picking up his jacket. As he stood up, placing the jacket over his arm, he found her looking at him, still slightly out of breath, her cheeks flushed. There was an intensity in her dark blue eyes that nearly had him driving her back into the wall. She slid her fingers down the inside of his arm, gently pushing his hand open and intertwined her fingers with his. He instinctively squeezed, and she reciprocated, the simple gesture nearly sending him over the edge again. She led the way out of the elevator.

In front of her door, they turned to face each other.

"Will you come in?" she asked tentatively.

Steve wrestled with himself. He wanted to go in. It was all he wanted, but he didn't want to take it too far, not yet. He'd already lost his composure with her tonight, but he didn't want to see the disappointment in her eyes if he said no either. So he resolved to go in, sit on the couch and keep his hands to himself.

"Okay," he answered.

The smile she gave him was electric, and she opened the door to a sleepy Dog happy to see them. Steve walked straight to the couch and sat down, switching on the TV. She frowned slightly at the beeline he made but loved the idea of ending the night watching a movie with him. She tucked Dog back into his bed and brought a thick blanket form the bedroom.

She sat down next to him, spreading the blanket over them. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he opened his arm for her, and she snuggled into his side, her head on his chest. He smiled at the feeling of her pulling into him and pulled the blanket further up around her.

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers danced on the screen as Steve wrapped his arm around Jane. He smiled at the memory of what had just transpired, the date, the dancing, the elevator...

He looked down at her and gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She lay on his chest, two fingertips unknowingly pushed through the gap between two of his shirt buttons, fast asleep.