Chapter 14

Date Night

That week Lucien discovered that getting a suite tailored to have slots for wings was more challenging than he thought it would be. The tailor he had gone to in the past catered to faunus very well, but sadly he had never done a suite like the one Lucien requested. The suite almost didn't arrive in time, but luckily it was finished the morning of the date and Lucien had even gotten a chance to try it on and get the fit adjusted to be perfect. Now he stood in the middle of Beacon's main courtyard, the sound of the fountains his only companion as he waited for Glynda to arrive.

When Glynda finally arrived Lucien had to remind himself to breath. In his eyes she looked like an angel wrapped in blue. His eyes roamed over her, taking in every curve and crease. She wore a slim blue dress the colour of rough cut sapphires, with a slit running up the left side side to expose the soft white skin of her thigh. The only jewelry she wore was the pendant Lucien had given her years ago. As she walked towards Lucien the only noise he could register was the click of her heels and his own breathing.

"Why don't you look spiffy." She greeted him with a warm smile.

"You look… I don't think stunning is a strong enough word." He stuttered.

"Thank you." She replied cooly, glad to not be the speechless one. "Where are we going for dinner?"

"The Epicure. I've been missing the food of Atlas a bit lately and thought it would be fitting." He informed. "That is I thought it was fitting considering the date today."

"The date…" Glynda wondered aloud. "Oh my… Lucien that's very sweet of you."

"Yeah I just noticed that it was coming up and figured… " He explained before he trailed off into a bashful silence.

"Well then let's get going." She said as she placed her hand in his arm and pulled him towards the airfield.

When they got to the airfield they found a pilot and payed to be dropped off in downtown Vale. Making the short walk to the center of the busy city they quickly fell into their new routine of chatting pleasantly about nothing of consequence. However, throughout the conversation there was always unspoken subtext. Glynda was dying to know what else Lucien had planned for the date, while Lucien was determined to keep it all a surprise. Soon enough they were standing in the entry to The Epicure, one of Vale's finest dining establishments.

"Good evening." A hostess greeted warmly. "What is the name on the reservation?"

"La Fiere and company." Lucien answered cooly.

"We have your table waiting. Right this way." The hostess said as she led them towards a secluded corner of the warmly lit restaurant.

"How did you get a reservation here on such short notice?" Glynda whispered to Lucien as they walked to their table.

"I called in a favor with the owner. He was a former student of mine. Didn't like the hunter lifestyle and decided to settle down and open this place up." Lucien explained.

"I thought all your students had… you know…" She asked, somewhat ashamed by her assumptions.

"No not all of them." He said somberly. "Actually most of them are still alive. I've only lost two kids."

"Oh. I'm sorry." She apologised. "I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No that's ok." He assured her. "Tonight I have an honesty policy. If there is any question you want to ask you can and I will try not to blow up."

"Thank you. That's very open of you."

"I haven't even answered any questions yet. Don't start thanking me now." Lucien said as he pulled her seat out for her before taking his own.

"Your server will be with you momentarily." The hostess said before she departed.

A silence fell over the table as the couple glanced over the menu. When their server arrived to take their drink orders Lucien placed an order for an exorbitantly overpriced appetizer and a bottle of white wine. After the server left the table settled back into an uncomfortable silence. Glynda followed the precedent she had set over the past months and broke it first.

"You said you lost two kids." She began hesitantly. "Were you close with them?"

"Yeah I practically raised them." He murmured. "Gabell and Sienna Brunswick."

"Siblings?"

"Yeah, Brunswick was their birthname. If you look them up in a Vacuo database they come up as Gabell and Sienna La Fiere."

"They had your last name?"

"I adopted them when Gabell was seven and Sienna was five. That was when I was still trying to do good in the world. Morningstar didn't even exist then."

"How long was that after you left?"

"Only about three years. I had taken a job to eliminate a drug ring in Vacuo. The leader of this drug empire had a few small farming villages under his thumb, using them for cheap labor. I went in and cleared one out of his goons. There were a lot of orphans there, most of them found homes with family members. But those two didn't have any family to go to. So I adopted them."

"And the government in Vacuo didn't have a problem with this?"

"Back then I was making headlines but the governments didn't really have a problem with me so long as I was only causing trouble for criminal enterprises."

"I figured as much. Politicians will gladly let someone else clean up the mess for them."

"Yeah and they saw that I was good at cleaning it up, so they just let me go on about my business. So no one really cared if I opened up a bank account or tried to rent an apartment, and apparently adopt some homeless kids."

"That must have been a trying experience. Raising two kids on your own while still taking jobs."

"It wasn't too bad. I took jobs near home and spent plenty of time with them when they were young. When Gabell was old enough to look after his sister I started taking jobs a bit farther away from home. I had eleven happy years with them." Lucien said, barely holding back tears.

"What happened?" Glynda whispered. "Nevermind, you don't have to tell me that."

"No it's ok, I got my closure a long time ago." Lucien reassured as he steadied himself. "I had made some enemies in my time. I had been training Gabell for a few years. He wanted to be a hero. He always said he wanted to be like me. I wanted none of that. But one day those enemies came and took them from me."

"That's horrible… I hope you killed every last one of them." Glynda said bitterly.

"No, I did something much worse. I found the man who ordered the hit and I took every last person he loved and wiped them off the face of Remnant." Lucien stated vengefully.

"Good." She said angrily, a small tear falling down her cheek.

"That was when I really took a turn for the worse." He said regretfully. "When I came to Beacon it was the sixth anniversary of their death."

"I'm so sorry. No parent should ever have to lose their children."

"No, a parent should never have to go through that." He stated fervently. "But I got my chance to be happy with a family and I would adopt those kids again in a heartbeat."

"Who says you only get one chance?"

"While I don't have many enemies now, those I do still have are dangerous and they have already proven that they are willing to take people from me."

A moment of silence passed before their waitress came to take their orders and refresh their drinks. After she had left they sat in silence till their food came. When their food arrived they tucked in, falling back to polite conversation about trivial things. Soon enough Lucien grew tired of the meaningless conversation and brought up a topic that had been on both of their minds.

"So do you remember what today is?" He asked.

"Yes. I think it was very sweet of you to do this on our anniversary." She said sweetly.

"I thought it was appropriate." Lucien responded gently. "I wanted to give you something."

"You didn't need to get me a gift."

"Well it's nothing special, just something I've had laying about for a few years." He alluded as he reached into the pocket of his suit jacket, pulling out a small blue velvet box. Opening the box he placed it on the table and turned it to her so that she could see the contents. Inside the box was a golden ring with a setting of sapphires and diamonds surrounded by deep purple amethyst.

"Lucien, you are not allowed to propose to me on the first date." She barely managed to choke out.

"I'm not. I'm giving you something that belongs to you. I should have given it to you many years ago." He stated calmly.

"This is beautiful Lucien. But I can't accept this." She said attempting to deny the gift. "Save it for when it actually has meaning."

"Well, that's the thing." He began to explain. "I'm leaving after the end of the year. I don't know where I'm going but I think it's time I leave Beacon and find some honest work."

"You are leaving. At the end of the school year?" She choked out. "That's in a month."

"Yeah. I'm not leaving for good. At least I don't plan too. I just think it's time I move on to a new line of work. I might try and find a place that will let me teach."

"But that's so soon. Are you sure you couldn't stay for the summer?"

"Glynda… I'm not leaving your life. I'm not disappearing again. I'm going job hunting."

"Last time you left for a job you didn't come home for twenty years." She spat back, suddenly enraged by the mixed signal he was sending.

"Glynda, please calm down. I'm not leaving you again." He whispered as he reached across the table to grasp her hand gently.

"Ok, I'm sorry I snapped… It's just…" Say it. "I just… I…" Say it damn it. "I love you." She finally whispered.

"I love you too." Lucien said resolutely.

"You ass. I get all worked up and you can just say it."

"You had twenty years to hate me. I had twenty years to miss you."

"I didn't hate you for twenty years. I missed you for at least ten of them." She joked back in a whisper.

"I'm sure you did. And I'm sorry I put you through that."

"At least you came back."

"I'm always going to come back. Now let's finish this meal, I would hate to spoil my former pupil's food."

"I'm sure you would. Hehehe"

As the couple went back to eating Glynda kept eyeing the ring sitting in front of her. She contemplated the meaning it once held. How many times had he thought of giving it to her, she wondered. Eventually the main course came to an end and their waitress brought out the dessert menus. They ordered dessert and sat in content silence, when their dessert arrived they returned to chatting, staying far away from either's past escapades.

When the dinner came to an end Lucien payed for the meal and left a generous tip before he scooped up the ring and pulled out Glynda's chair for her, helping her up from her seat. As they stepped out of the restaurant into the cool evening air Lucien led them to a town car that was waiting for them around the corner. Opening the rear door for her before he went around and got into the back seat with her. He tapped on the glass that divided the passengers from the driver. When the glass rolled down Glynda could just barely make out the shape of a chauffeur's cap with dog ears sticking out of it. Lucien handed the faunus man a slip of paper and then rolled the divider up again.

"Where are we going?" Glynda inquired.

"Somewhere. I had it prepared especially for tonight." Lucien answered cryptically.

"You aren't going to tell me are you?"

"Not a chance." He replied with a smile.

The rode in silence for a few minutes till the view outside the window dimmed as they left the bright lights of downtown Vale. After another minute of driving the streets became so dark outside the tinted windows that Glynda couldn't make out what part of town they were in. After another few minutes the car rolled to a slow stop an Lucien knocked on the divider again and handed the driver a sizable amount of lien for his services.

Exiting the car Lucien made his way to the passenger side and opened the door for Glynda, assisting her as she got out of the comfortable vehicle. When she stepped out into the night she saw that they were in front of a familiar location.

"You brought me to the fucking Spigot?" She asked incredulously.

"Yeah, but just wait till we get inside." He said excitedly. "See this place used to be one of the best piano bars in Vale, live music and dancing all night, the best drinks, welcomed everyone, it was great. Then the gangs rolled into this part of town and no one wanted to come here anymore. But tonight, we are going to relive the past."

As he lead an annoyed Glynda into the greasy bar he was almost skipping with excitement to see the renovations he had payed for. When they entered he was not disappointed, hearing Glynda gasp at the transformation that had taken place. The Spigot wasn't The Spigot anymore, it was Red's Place again. The lights were dim, not dingy, the air was fresh, so was the cream paint on all but one wall, the wall behind the bar being a deep red with the words Red's Place painted in cream above the racks of expensive liquors. Even the owner looked like he had been remodeled. Jonah sat behind a grand piano in the corner of the room playing a deeply moving waltz. The greasy old bartender that Glynda had met so many months ago was clean shaven with a fresh hair cut, and he was wearing a dark blue jeans, a blue button down shirt and a sports coat that made him look like a professional jazz player.

"Welcome to Red's Place" Jonah called out over his shoulder. "I'm Red, owner and musician here. Behind the bar is my daughter Carmine, former pupil of the renowned hunter Lucien La Fiere. And you must be our guest of honour."

"Jonah, this place looks amazing." Lucien said as he walked over and patted Jonah on the shoulder. "And Carmine, it's been forever. Hope you haven't been following in my footsteps."

"Not a chance geezer." Called the slim young woman with fiery hair. "It's nice to meet you ma'am. I'm Carmine."

"Nice to meet you too. Call me Glynda." Glynda said as she walked over to the bar and shook the girl's hand.

"Take a seat you two. The rest of the guests should be arriving soon." Jonah, or Red as he was tonight, said as he continued to play the piano.

"The rest of the guests?" Glynda asked as she eyed Lucien suspiciously.

"I invited some old friends." Lucien explained.

"Oh… That'll be nice to meet some of your old friends."

"I thought it would be nice to have some company."

The two sat and chatted for a bit before the first of the guests arrived. The first to show up were the members of Lucien's old team. The members of team ALBR had aged well all things considered. The team's leader, Alice, a small woman with dark hair and tan skin greeted Glynda with a hug and Lucien with a glare.

"Twenty years. You go off and become a hired blade and don't talk to anyone for twenty years then call us all up." The petite woman scorned. "I ought to beat some sense into you bird boy."

"It's good to see you too Alice." He greeted warmly, brushing off her threat.

"Alice dear, you know how well trying to punch Lucien goes." Reminded the large man that stood behind her.

"Hey there Robin. It's good to see that the two of you finally tied the knot." Lucien greeted the large man.

"Yes it's good to see you too." The patient man replied warmly.

"Hey now what about me?" Called out the former team's trickster, Brandies.

"Well Brandy, I figured I'd do my best to ignore you and hope you don't spike my drink with something childish like an aphrodisiac." Lucien jested, pointing out one of the man's favorite pranks during their school days.

"Hey that was always funny watching you squawk at every woman in site." The joker shot back.

"I forgot how much I didn't' miss the bird jokes." Lucien sighed. The group of old friends sat down and caught up as the rest of the guests filled in. Most of the guests were the regulars at the bar, but tonight everyone had pulled out the stops and dressing in their finest, some of them even shaved and brought their wives.

"Ok now that we are all here!" Called Jonah over the low din of conversation. "I would like to raise a toast. To the man who spent WAY too much money on fixing this place up. To the man we all know and hate, Lucien. To you my bird brained buddy."

As everyone raised their glass and laughed at the joke Lucien downed his drink and walked over to bar to get another one. After downing his second drink he made his way back to where he had left Glynda with his former team. As soon as Jonah began playing again Lucien turned to his date.

"Would you dance with me?" He asked cordially with a bow.

"Of course." She replied, letting him lead her to the center of the room where a small dance floor had been prepared. As Jonah started up the waltz that had been playing when they entered Lucien led Glynda in the first steps of the dance. The pair glided about the dance floor alone for a minute before they were joined by the other couples that were gathered in the small bar. As the song wound down the couples broke for a moment and chatted while Jonah prepared for the next piece.

The next song was a surprise to even Lucien. Jonah picked up a guitar that had been resting next to the piano and turned to face the room. As he started up on the first chords of a somber song that talked about love and loss and finding you place in life, Lucien pulled Glynda in tight and sang the song quietly in her ear.

Candle aren't lit yet, and we just became friends, friends again.

I drove off my dreams, make 'em real again.

I hung my flag high, I won't ever forget eating my pride.

I taste gold on my tongue, see white from my eyes.

And when I'm askin' for your hand, but you're coming home instead.

I'll ask for so much more, never to leave me again.

If I leave this town for them, I'll see mountains again.

But if I can't see you, I've lost it all my friend.

As the song wound down Lucien felt a damp spot on his shoulder. Slowly the pair spun through to the end of the song. As the final chords rang out in the silent room Glynda raised her head up to meet Lucien's eyes. The look of love she saw painted across his face brought such joy her that she couldn't help but lean in and place the gentlest of kisses upon his lips.

"Thank you for tonight. It was wonderful." She breathed.

"Thank you for giving me a second chance." He whispered back.

After another dance the small party wound down and slowly disbanded. Lucien and Glynda were the last ones to leave, saying their thanks to Jonah and his daughter for putting on such a wonderful party for them. As the walked out into the now cold night air Glynda realised that there wasn't a car waiting for them.

"How are we going to get back to the school?" She asked worriedly.

"I have a plan for that don't worry." He said as he rolled his shoulders and let his wings unfurl. "I may have gotten some work done on this suit to fit me a little bit better."

"I was afraid you would say that." She laughed.

"It won't take long. Just hold on tight." He reassured her.

"I won't let go." She agreed. "But one thing before we take off."

"What is it?" He asked worriedly.

"Yes." Was all she said as she leaned in to kiss him again, snaking her hand into his jacket pocket and retrieving the box that had taunted her since dinner. As she broke the kiss she opened the box and pulled out the ring. Taking his hand she guided his fingers to slip it onto the third figure on her left had.

"I never asked you." He stammered out.

"That's why you got it though." She stated. "And my answer is yes."

"Hold on angel." He said as he scooped her up into a tight embrace and launched them into the night sky. Though he was just skimming the top of the Vale skyline he felt as if he was flying above the clouds.

I am so very lucky to have my own personal angel. They thought together as they soared through the night sky towards the towering spires of Beacon.

AN: For those wondering the song that Jonah plays is "Fake Arms" by Foreign Fields. Beautiful song, I highly recommend you listen to it.