AN: A Happy Valentines Day!

FRIDAY NIGHT

Chris Halliwell sat in his downtown office staring at his computer screen. He had been in the middle of composing an email to the WHO, concerning his charity's most up-to-date findings on the bizarre epidemic sweeping through Romania. All thought of finishing the email were abandoned after his mother's phone call. A wraith had attacked his brother, his wife, and son. After almost ten demon-free years, the Underworld chose to throw a wraith at them. A wraith, the most powerful enemy they had ever faced. A wraith had taken the life of his father. A wraith had killed Jonathan, the other Twice Blessed. If wraiths became as common as they were when Glyndwr ruled the Underworld it was going to be a massacre.

His mother also informed him of the unexpected visit from his grandmother, and her message of a possible demonic uprising. He would call a wraith attack as an actual demon uprising. Someone was playing around with dangerous powers and consolidating authority over the Underworld. They were not ready to face yet another Source. After Anakin, there had been a hope that destiny would leave their family alone. He should have listened to Prue and left the city. Maybe if they had left this would not be happening.

Chris sighed and tried to focus on the email, but memories kept floating back to the surface. The image of his dad lying in a blood of his own blood on the kitchen floor nearly made him throw up. The last few seconds of Anakin's life on Earth played repeatedly in his mind. They had lost so many during the last war, and he had memories from the other timeline when they had lost even more. His mother died in his arms as he cried out to his dad and Wyatt to come save her. He shook his head and stood up quickly. He chucked a random collection of items from his desk into his briefcase and walked out of his office.

"I'm heading home, Amy."

His red-haired receptionist looked up from her computer. "Good on you, Mr. Halliwell."

He forced a smile and made his way to the elevator. He reached his car in the underground parking lot before his legs gave way. They were supposed to be done with all things magical. Sure he knew intellectually that eventually his son, nephews, and the rest of the next generation of his extended family would have to take up arms against the Underworld. He just never imagined they would still be teenagers when the battles would start. They deserved a childhood.

His phone rang and he answered. "Hello?"

Serena was on the other end of the call. "I'm making steak and mushroom pie for dinner. When will you be home from the office?"

The ordinariness of the question threw him. "Huh?"

"I'm wondering when you'll be home."

Chris blinked a few times. "I'm leaving the office now."

"Perfect timing. We'll see you then. Oh, by the way, Matt invited a friend of his over."

"Right, I'll see you soon."

There was a pause. "Everything alright, sweetie?"

Chris sighed. "No, but we can talk when I get home."

"Ok, bye."

"Bye."

Chris hung up the phone and started the car. The mundane action of driving settled his racing mind, and he felt marginally better by the time he pulled into the driveway of his home, a small pale blue Victorian mansion. He opened the door and was greeted by the sight of a tall, thin, and pale boy with thick-rimmed glassed. The boy awkwardly raised a hand and half-heartedly waved.

Matt burst into the entranceway carrying a large backpack, which Chris knew contained all of his son's various camera lenses.

"Found it!" Matt cried. He noticed his dad standing in the doorway. "Oh. Hi, dad! This is Kenny. Kenny, this is my dad, Chris Halliwell."

Kenny, the spindly boy, extended the hand he had waved with. "A pleasure to meet you, sir."

Chris shook Kenny's hand. "It's nice to meet you too, Kenny, was it?"

Kenny nodded.

Matt grabbed Kenny's other hand. "Love to stay and chat, Dad, but we've got stuff to do."

Chris grinned as Matt dragged Kenny back up the stairs he hand just bounded down. He put his briefcase down next to the cabinet meant to serve as a place to put their shoes in and headed down the passageway toward the kitchen. He entered the kitchen and took a deep breath. The whole place smelled of stew and freshly baked pastry.

"Hey, sweetie."

Serena stood up from where she was peering into the oven. "Oh! You're home early."

Chris checked his watch; he had made very good time on the drive back. "No traffic, I guess."

Serena closed the gap between them and pecked him on the cheek. "How was work?"

"Busy, the Nigerian government is trying to renegotiate our contract, again."

Serena led him to a chair and sat down next to him. "I take it that's not what is bothering though."

Chris shook his head. "I wish it was. Wyatt was attacked today."

"WHAT!"

"Not so loudly."

Serena glanced up. "Oh, he's got his music blasting."

Chris still kept his voice relatively soft. "Yeah, he and Zach were meeting Sarah at that new sushi place downtown. They were attacked in the parking lot."

"Jesus! Are they all ok?" asked Serena gripping his hands between her own.

"Zach's a bit shaken up, but they're all fine."

Serena leaned back in her chair. "What—what are we going to do?"

Chris shrugged. "I don't know. They want to talk tomorrow when the kids are at school."

"Ok, I'll clear my schedule. Has anyone told Prue and Kyle?"

Chris nodded. "My mom was going to call them."

Serena chewed on her bottom lip. "This isn't good."

Chris kept silent, but he agreed wholeheartedly. This was not good at all. The oven's timer going off interrupted further discussion. They ate dinner together. The presence of Kenny allowed Chris to easily keep his mind off tomorrow's conversation. When he crawled into bed later that night with Serena he said a silent prayer to keep his family safe before falling into a restless sleep.

A woman in her early forties with curly golden hair sat on a massive elegantly engraved throne. The engravings depicted giant serpentine monsters crawling out of the ocean and destroying a nearby town. Curled around her right forearm slept a massive black adder. She impatiently tapped her perfectly manicured nails against the armrest of her throne. Before her knelt a grotesque humanoid, clutching a long barbed staff with its remaining clawed hand.

A man in a sport's jacket and wearing a colorful tie sat beside her in a simple iron chair. He was playing with a silver ring shaped as a dragon eating its own tail. His light brown eyes flashed dangerously as they listened to the pathetic wraith beg for its life.

Rahab closed her pale eyes and held up her hand for silence. The wraith chocked on its failing words.

"You were instructed to capture the eldest of the Charmed children, but you have returned empty handed."

The wraith started blathering again.

Her brother, Tiamat, stood up. "SILENCE! My sister is talking."

The wraith shut up and threw itself on the floor.

Rahab gently petted her sleeping adder. "You have failed my brother and myself after everything we did for you. After we gave you back physical form and great expense to ourselves you have the audacity to return to us to beg for your life."

The wraith shivered, but did not try to speak.

"Not only did you fail to capture young Zachary, but you revealed yourself to his parents."

"I had no…"

Tiamat snapped his fingers, and the wraith started to choke and splutter. She let it suffer a few moments longer before calling her brother off was a simple gesture. The wraith struggled back onto its knees.

"The Halliwells are powerful witches. Many have failed to destroy them because of mistakes like tonight. You have cost us the element of surprise. Why should I let your continued existence to stand?"

The wraith cradled the stump of a limb. "I can try again. They failed to kill me even with the legendary Excalibur. Let me try again."

Rahab turned to her brother. "Shall we give him a second chance?"

Tiamat grinned vindictively. "So that he can be captured and reveal even more to them? No, dear sister, he has had his chance. We must rely on others now."

Rahab turned back to the wraith. "You heard my brother."

The wraith struggled back to his feet, but Tiamat struck first. Transforming into a ferocious crocodilian-like man her brother knocked the wraith to the ground. He ripped and tore at the wraith spluttering her throne room with acidic black blood. The wraith's shrieks died into gurgles and finally silence. Tiamat stood up on two feet covered in blood and guts. He changed back into a twenty-something good-looking man.

"Go get cleaned up, brother. We have work to do."

He left the room through a side door. Rahab sat back down on her throne and absentmindedly petted her adder. There was a lot of work to be done.

Zach stood in front of the full-length mirror in his parent's bedroom. He knew he was going to be late, but he was not happy with the teen staring out the mirror at him. His hair would not stay put despite the copious amount of gel he had poured on it. His shirt sat off center so that a bit of his white undershirt poked out on the one side. The one leg of his dark blue jeans was creased even though his mother had ironed it. The whole night was going to be a disaster. Rebecca would take one look at him and change her mind; he just knew it. What had made him think he was cool enough to go on a date with the Rebecca Starling?

Frustrated, he tugged on the bottom of his shirt to hide his undershirt. He gave his hair another annoyed glance before turning away and walking out the room. There was nothing left to do. He would have to text Rebecca and tell her he was sick. Maybe he could salvage a friendship still. If he went on this doomed date she would never speak to him again. Even if he looked great, after last night, he was not sure he wanted to set foot out of the Manor especially not in the company of a mortal.

"You look handsome," said Piper as she passed him in the passageway.

"Thanks, Grandma," he responded monotonously.

The demon attack had him shaken up. Somehow, his parents had persuaded him into still going on his date. His dad was going to stick close by in case a demon attacked, but everyone he spoke to assured him no demon would attack him. Though his parents always sounded like they were lying when they said it. His grandmother made him feel a bit better by reminding him generations before him had dated mortals, and it had worked out for them.

He stepped into his bedroom and pushed the door almost shut. He should have taken up Andrew up on his offer to help him get ready. In fear of the whole affair turning into a pick-on-Zach session he had turned down his best friend's generous offer. Right now, he felt he could have let Peter stand there and mock him if it meant looking halfway decent.

Shirts, pants, shoes, and other various clothing items covered every surface in his room. The only space void of clothing was his closet. He did not remember getting ready for his first date with Angela being this difficult. He had thrown on a clean pair of khakis and a semi-formal shirt; he had not even bothered to redo his hair from a day at school. He started shifting through the debris in search of his phone. Someone knocked on his door.

"Come in," he called out, bent down to look under his bed.

"What the hell happened here?" inquired Matt.

Zach stood up straight. "I've got my date tonight."

Matt nodded still surveying the room. "And you decided to set off a stick of dynamite to celebrate?"

"Dude! I've got nothing to wear," complained Zach returning to his phone hunt.

Matt eyed his cousin. "I'm not sure, but I think those pieces of fabric clinging to your body at the moment are called clothes. We, normal people, use such items to wear when we leave our houses."

"Fuck off!"

Matt chuckled. "Come on, Zach, you look great. Besides you and Rebecca have been hanging out all week. You know she's into you."

Zach plopped himself onto his bed. "But what if…"

"No," said Matt firmly. "I'm not letting you talk yourself out of this. You are going to meet her parents and then the two of you are going to hang out at the mall. Maybe you'll find some secluded corner to really get acquainted."

The last part was said with waggling eyebrows. Zach rolled his eyes. "But…"

"But nothing!"

Zach really wanted to say something about the demon attack, but he had promised his parents not to discuss the attack with anyone. He sighed heavily. "Look at my hair," he said pathetically.

"You sound like a girl. Dude, you're hot. She said, 'yes'. Now, get over yourself and go have a good time. And if she offers you a very good time, you don't have to say no."

"I'd prefer not to be grandfather just yet, Matthew," said Wyatt as he entered the room.

Both teens blushed.

"Hi, Uncle Wyatt."

Wyatt smiled. "How are you, Matt?"

Matt grinned back. "Great! I'm going to spend the night at Kenny's house. I persuaded my mom to run past so we could wish Zach luck."

Wyatt acknowledged his son. "All ready?"

Zach tagged at his shirt. "I need to find my phone."

"It's on the kitchen table," informed Wyatt.

His last excuse destroyed, Zach crossed his arms and nodded. "Let's go."

Matt patted him on the back as he walked pass. "No need to sound like we're taking you to the executioner. It's just a date. If you mess it up there are plenty of other girls out there—or boys if you swing that way."

Zach growled. "I'm going to punch you one of these days."

"Love to see you try," retorted Matt playfully.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and were greeted by Sarah and Serena both in deep discussion. They broke off when they spotted the boys.

"Oh my, Zach, you look very handsome," said Serena warmly.

Sarah came over and hugged him. "You look all grown up, sweetie."

"Thank you." Zach swallowed the lump in his throat.

Wyatt placed two firm hands on his shoulders. "We best get going. You don't want to be late meeting the folks."

Zach gulped. "Yeah—err—ok."

His mom hugged him again more tightly than the last time. "Curfew is at eleven. Good luck." She kissed him on the cheek.

"Yes, Mom."

Serena stepped forward and also hugged him. "Rebecca is a very lucky girl."

Matt gave him a high five and waggled his eyebrows.

"Ok, we're going. BYE MOM!" stated Wyatt.

Piper appeared on the stairs. "Have fun tonight, Zach."

"Thanks, Grandma, bye."

"Bye, sweetheart."

Zach followed his dad out of the Manor and down the steps. He reached the car door when his heart started to beat fast, and he breathing quickened. Tonight would be his official first date with Rebecca Starling. Their neighbor Ruth Ianos was on her porch and waved. He returned her wave. Ruth had been his babysitter for years She had a massive collection of artifacts from Egypt and the Middle East, which had always fascinated him. She also had a collection of asps and adders, which he tended to avoid. He took a deep breath and slipped into the car.

"Are you nervous about meeting her parents?" asked Wyatt as he started the engine.

"No, well, maybe—maybe a little bit. It more of what if she sees me tonight and realizes what a big mistake she's made. I mean, Dad, I'm not the best looking guy at school or the most popular. I'm one of the drama geeks you and your friends picked on."

"I thought she was in your drama class."

Zach sighed. "Yeah, but she's not like them—us. She's the hottest girl in school!"

Wyatt knew better than to chuckle out loud. "Zach, you are an amazing kid. Any girl would be lucky to have you as their date. And she would not have said, 'yes' if she wasn't interested. Clearly she's not into the super sporty jocks. Didn't you tell me she'd turned down a few of them?"

Zach nodded slowly. They had reached the freeway. "I don't know. She's completely out of my league."

"She doesn't think so. Don't sell yourself short; there is nothing less attractive or at least your mother tells me."

This gained a half-hearted laugh.

"How'd your first date go with mom?"

Wyatt merged onto the off-ramp. "I was a bundle of nerves. We went to this little restaurant down by the Bay Mirror for dinner, and then I took her to the ice-cream shop I worked at during high school. Despite everything, she still wanted to go on a second date."

Zach scratched the back of his head. "Were you nervous because you knew she was the one?"

"I knew you mother was completely different from every other girl I had dated, but I only knew she was the one after our first kiss."

"Do you think you can meet—never mind." Zach looked out the window falling silent.

Wyatt wisely chose not to press the matter. As a parent he knew the correct answer to his son's incomplete question. He was far too young to be thinking that far ahead in his life. On the other hand he had personal experience defeating that argument. Anakin and Lucien had been much younger when they had first started dating, and if they were still alive there was no doubt in Wyatt's mind they would still be together. They were soul mates in every sense of the word.

They pulled up to a modest sized house in a nice neighborhood. Rebecca was already waiting for them on her front lawn. Zach's heart skipped a beat when he saw her. Dressed in a simple floral knee-length dress Rebecca looked exactly like the leading-lady, girl-next-door from every other teenager romantic movie. Zach stepped out of the car the second his dad put it in park.

"Hi," he said breathlessly.

Rebecca grinned. "Hi."

Zach walked up the driveway until he was level with her. "You look amazing."

Rebecca blushed fidgeted. "You don't look half bad yourself, handsome."

Zach's cheeks heated up.

"You must be Rebecca."

Zach jumped. "Sorry. Rebecca, this is my dad, Wyatt Halliwell. Dad, Rebecca Starling."

Rebecca took Wyatt's offered hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Halliwell."

"It's wonderful to meet you too."

"Come in. My mom and dad are in the living room."

Rebecca led them in to the house and down a short passageway into a very homely room. On one side sat a large wooden dinning room table and chairs set and the other a long white couch. On the couch sat a man in his mid-fifties, greying hair and a growing beer belly. Mrs. Starling stood behind her husband; she also had grey hair, which she kept in a perm.

"Mom, Dad, this is Zach and his dad, Wyatt Halliwell."

Mr. Starling turned off the TV, which had been on the basketball game. He stood up and offered his hand to Wyatt. "A pleasure to meet you, Wyatt. I'm Finley Starling and that there is my wife Margery Starling."

Wyatt shook Finley's hand and stepped over to shake Margery's hand as well.

Finley looked Zach up and down. "And this is the young man who has my little girl all in a flutter."

"DAD!" exclaimed Rebecca.

Zach stretched out his hand. "Nice to meet you again, sir."

Finley gripped Zach's hand tight. "You treat her, right, and you and I will get along just fine. She's my baby girl. You break her heart, and I'll break your neck."

"DAD! COME ON."

"Finley, that's quite enough, dear," whispered Margery.

Zach kept his eyes fixed on Rebecca's father. "I've no intention of hurting your daughter, sir."

"Good."

Rebecca stepped up so that she was right next to Zach. "Ok? Can we go now?"

Mr. Starling nodded. "Have fun, sweetie. Thank you for taking them, Wyatt."

"Not a problem," said Wyatt

Margery came over and hugged her daughter and then Zach who awkwardly returned the hug. "We want her back by ten," she whispered.

"That won't be a problem."

Zach interlaced his fingers with Rebecca's. "Bye."

"Bye."

Wyatt waved his goodbye and led the way back out the house. Once the door closed Rebecca stopped Zach and stood on her toes to kiss him on the cheek.

"Thank you."

Zach shrugged his shoulders, but a smile betrayed his nonchalant stance. "You're welcome."

They reached the car and Zach opened the door for Rebecca and closed it once she was in. Before running around to the other side and tapped his dad on the shoulder. "Thank you."

Wyatt just bobbed his head.

Zach rushed to the other side and climbed into the backseat with Rebecca. Maybe the night was not going to be a complete disaster.

When they reached the mall they headed straight for the food court. Rebecca declared she was craving Mongolian BBQ and pulled Zach along who only half-heartedly resisted. While they were standing in line for their food to be cooked Wyatt pulled Zach aside.

"I'm going to go sit in the café. I have my phone on me and I'm just an orb away if you get into any trouble."

Zach nodded. "Ok, dad, we'll be fine."

"If I don't hear from you we'll meet back at the car at nine thirty."

"Yes, dad, fine."

Wyatt patted him on the back. "I'm so proud of you, son."

Zach grinned. "Thanks."

They rejoined Rebecca.

"I'll see you back at the car. Have a nice night, Rebecca."

Rebecca smiled. "Thanks, Mr. Halliwell."

When Wyatt disappeared around the corner Rebecca visibly relaxed and leaned against Zach. "Your dad's nice."

Zach agreed silently finding it difficult to speak with Rebecca so close to him. "Uh-huh."

They collected their plates of food and found an empty table towards the least busy corner of the food court. Zach pulled out Rebecca's chair and waited until she was situated before sitting down himself across from her. He picked up his plastic fork and glanced up at Rebecca. He froze, caught in the amazement that they were on a date.

"You going to eat?"

Zach blinked. "Uh—what?"

Rebecca giggled. "Are you going to eat?"

"Oh, right, yeah. Sorry."

Again she giggled. "You don't have to be sorry."

Zach placed his fork down. "I know, but—sorry."

"My stomach is doing backflips if that helps," said Rebecca softly.

"What?"

She reached over and placed her hand over his. "Why don't we talk?"

Zach nodded. "Ok, what—the weather's nice." The words barely left his lips before he was kicking himself.

"I suppose it is. I'm from LA so sunny weather is normal for me still." Rebecca let her hand slid back across the table. Zach immediately missed the physical contact.

"I've got some family in Orange County," he said lamely.

Rebecca grinned eagerly. "Do you get to see them often?"

Zach shook his head. "No, maybe every other year or so at Christmas. My family's so big its difficult to see everyone often. What about you? How big is your family?"

Shrugging Rebecca started to play with her straw. "I've just got my mom and dad."

"Oh, well, that's nice."

"Yeah, we're really close, but I always wanted a big family."

Zach wanted to reach over and take her hand in his, but he could not work up the nerve. "There are days I don't like having such a big family. You can feel a bit lost in the chaos, but that's just on the days I'm feeling sorry for myself."

"So every Monday."

Zach choked and laughed. "Something like that." He smiled.

Rebecca picked up her drink and took a sip. "I've met Matt. Who's you cousin?"

"Yip. He's my dad's brother's son."

"Do you have any siblings?"

Zach's heart stopped for a second. "I—yeah—I had a younger sister."

Rebecca caught the change in his tone and sat up straight. "Oh, sorry, I didn't…"

Zach smiled. "Don't worry. You didn't know, and it's not like we lost her yesterday."

Hesitantly Rebecca asked, "How did it happen?"

Inhaling deeply Zach looked down. "We were driving down to see my uncle and his family in Orange County for Christmas. It was—wow—it was ten years ago. Well, almost ten years ago. This car coming in the other direction swerved into our lane and my dad tried to miss him. The car flipped and—and…"

"I'm so sorry, Zach!"

Zach shook his head and wiped away the tears building up. He tried to laugh it off. "Some great date I'm turning out to be."

Rebecca did what he could not and reached across the table to hold hands. "Don't be silly. It's my fault for bring it up."

Exhaling sharply Zach squeezed her hand. "Her name was Pax, and she was the best little sister ever even if she could be annoying as hell."

"You really loved her."

"Yeah, I still do." Zach bit his lip. "This food smells amazing. We should eat."

Rebecca still held his hand. "Are you ok?"

Zach bobbed his head. "Yes, I'm fine. Really, let's just eat."

"Ok," said Rebecca gently.

As they ate Zach clamed down and silently cursed himself for being such a baby. Sure losing a sister was terrible, but he had been living with that loss for ten years. There was no reason for him to break down on a first date over it. First dates were supposed to be fun and exciting, not a sob fest. He finished up his plate of food and searched his brain for another topic to discuss.

"How are you liking Baker High?" he asked.

Rebecca licked her lips. "I've liked it a lot more than I thought I would. I put up such a fuss when my dad said we were moving at the beginning of the summer. But everyone has been so nice."

"Everyone?" inquired Zach.

Rebecca frowned. "Ok, so not everyone has been inviting, but Baker High isn't nearly as cliquey as my last school. God, there if you were not part of the in crowd your life was horrendous."

Zach chuckled. "Sounds lovely and you wanted to stay there?"

Rebecca gave him a look. "Haha, real cute. It wasn't the school that made me want to stay. I had—have these two really good friends, Natalie and Nathaniel."

"Natalie and Nathaniel, I like them already."

Rebecca cocked an eyebrow. "And how do you know that?"

"They're friends with you, aren't they?"

Rebecca pretended to gag. "Too sappy, Zach. Let's leave that for the third or fourth date."

Zach perked up. "There's going to be a fourth date?"

Rebecca blushed and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Let's see how the night goes."

"So this Natalie and Nathaniel…"

Rebecca grinned. "I've been best friends with Nat since kindergarten and Nate since fourth grade. They're twins, but boys were icky back in kindergarten. In fourth grade though, anyone who was anyone had a boyfriend, and Nate was mine."

Zach smirked. "Oh, really."

"Yeah, he was the most popular boy at school and super smart. Who wouldn't want to date someone like that?"

"I guess I have a lot to live up to. Why didn't it last with Nate?"

Rebecca hesitated before answering. "We kissed at the fifth grade 'dance' and there wasn't any spark. He called it off after that saying it was weird dating his sister's best friend."

Zach chuckled. "But you guys stayed friends?"

"Of course, he's a great guy. You guys would get along," spewed Rebecca. "Who are your friends? I've met Sophia and Andrew."

"And Matt. That's about it. Kenny, the new kid in Health class, he seems nice enough. He and Matt have really hit it off. And I guess I'll have to get used to hanging out with Danny Beck."

"Danny Beck? As in the star of the swim team Danny Beck?"

Zach agreed with a head nod.

Rebecca swooned. "He's so hot!"

"Hey!" exclaimed Zach.

Rebecca squeezed his hand. "But not as hot as you."

Zach rolled his eyes. "That's so believable."

"Come on, Zach, you've got to admit he's easy on the eyes."

"I'm a dude, I've got to admit nothing."

Rebecca leaned back in her chair. "Then take it from me. He's hot."

Zach almost said, "he's gay" but refrained. He knew Rebecca was teasing him, or at least he hope he was teasing him. He had officially met Danny at lunch earlier in the day and liked him enough. Unfortunately the presence of the star swimmer at his lunch table had attracted the attention of Peter, the swim captain. A fight was averted by the appearance of Coach Fischer, the golf team's coach.

"Want to walk around?" asked Rebecca, returning to twirling her straw in her now empty cup.

Zach nodded vigorously and quickly collected their trash onto one tray. He got up and threw away the trash wile Rebecca gathered up her phone and bag. She met him by the trashcan and linked her arm in his as they walked into the main thoroughfare of the mall. Zach spotted the Starbucks logo down to his left and steered Rebecca in the opposite direction. They stopped in front of one of the clothing shops.

"So I was thinking of wearing a dress like this one," commented Rebecca, pointing at a simple but beautiful long black dress.

Zach could picture her in the dress. "It's pretty."

Rebecca tittered. "Would you prefer I wear something like that?"

This time she pointed at another shorter dress with a more revealing neckline. Zach gulped suddenly seeing her in the new dress. "Err—no?"

"Good answer. It's only going to be like our second, maybe third, date."

Zach bit his lip to get rid of the images floating through his mind. "Is your dress going to be black?"

Rebecca shook her head. "No, it's a dark blue. That way you can wear a blue tie and really offset your eyes." She said the last part in a whisper.

"You like my eyes?" asked Zach, blushing.

Her cheeks deepened in color. "You weren't supposed to hear that."

"I like your eyes, too."

"Thank you. Are you going to wear a suit?"

Zach nodded, hiding a cringe. He hated wearing suits; they reminded him of funerals. "Uh-huh, my mom is taking me to get one on Monday."

"I think you'll look really nice in a suit. You'll have to send me a picture of you trying it on." She said not quite meeting his eyes.

They walked on stopping here and there to look at the window display, but Zach was lost in their conversation to pay much attention to his surroundings. They just passed a frozen yogurt stand when Rebecca pulled them to a stop.

"Isn't that Dr. Ianos?"

Zach frowned, looking around. "Where?"

Rebecca pointed as unobtrusively as possible. "There, wearing one of his neon ties."

Dr. Timothy Ianos was their newly appointed principle. He had replaced old Mr. Beckmann who had died suddenly over the summer. He had short brown hair and the starting of a beard. He always wore a sport's jacket and some colorful tie, and he gave Zach a weird feeling every time he caught the man's eyes. The guy seemed very friendly and likable, but there was something behind his large brown eyes that set Zach's teeth on edge.

Zach saw the man Rebecca was pointing at and squinted. "Yeah, it is."

"He's a weird guy," said Rebecca.

Zach shrugged. "I guess. Who has so many brightly colored ties?"

Rebecca laughed. "And the way he talks. Never using a contraction ever; it's just weird."

They both broke into a fit of giggles and ducked into the nearest store. Mr. Ianos was heading in their direction. The store happened to be a toy store. Rebecca pulled him into the back. She picked up a sock monkey.

"I always wanted one of these, but my dad thinks stuffed animals are a waste of money and a health hazard."

Zach took the sock monkey from her and quickly checked the price. "If your dad says you can't have stuffed toys then…"

Rebecca grabbed the monkey back and hugged it. "But it's so soft. Feel how soft it is."

She stroked it against his cheek. "Where would you keep it?"

"I don't know. My locker at school, I guess."

Zach pursed his lips. "A sock monkey?"

"Yeah, all my friends had them when I was little, and I'd get so jealous." Rebecca put the monkey back on the shelf. "Think he's passed by yet?"

Zach nodded. "Yeah, but we can't leave this fine establishment without showing our gratitude for keeping us hidden from the mean principle."

Rebecca smiled. "You're silly."

Zach picked up the monkey. "Come on."

Rebecca spluttered. "Zach, no. I was just telling you a story."

"Yeah, I know, but I owe Andrew one stuffed bear."

"Really, you're buying that for Andrew?"

They reached the counter, and Zach placed the monkey on it for the clerk to scan it. "Who else would I be buying it for?"

Rebecca fell silent. Zach finished paying and took the bag from the clerk. She followed him back out the store and up the escalator. They reached the second floor, and she linked her arm with his again. Zach stopped in front of one of the stores that sold nerdy collectable items and t-shirts with logos from famous movies or TV shows.

"What's your favorite TV show or movie?" he asked.

"Uh—I'm not sure I want you to know."

Zach's brow furrowed. "Why not? It can't be any worse than mine."

Rebecca nibbled on her lip. "Promise to not judge me, ok?"

"Yeah, I promise," said Zach with a smile.

"Ok—ok, now, you need to realize that this is like the only thing geeky about me. Right—so my favorite TV show is—is—is Doctor Who."

Zach burst out laughing. Rebecca playfully smacked him on the arm. "You promised!"

"Sorry, sorry. No, it's cute. My uncle loved Doctor Who, and Matt does too."

Rebecca pouted. "Your uncle and Matt?"

Zach nodded. "Yeah, my uncle Annie. It was actually my great-uncle Henry who started him on the whole Whovian craze. I've tried watching a few episodes; it's good."

"You better think it's good. I don't think I could go out with someone who didn't like Doctor Who."

Zach wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. "Well, rest assured that I may not be a Whovian, but I do like the Doctor."

"So what's your favorite show or movie, then?"

Zach scrunched up his nose. "It's a closely guarded secret, and you don't get to find out about it until our tenth date."

"Oh really?"

Zach nodded. "Yeah, I don't think even my dad knows."

Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right."

"It's Jurassic Park," said Zach sheepishly.

"Jurassic Park? I love Jurassic Park!" said Rebecca jumping up and down.

Zach grinned. "You're amazing."

Rebecca stopped and smiled. "You're not too bad yourself."

Zach felt his ears heat up and dropped his eyes to the floor. He wanted to say something, but his phone interrupted his gathering of courage.

He answered the phone. "Yeah?"

"It's nine thirty, kiddo," said his dad.

Zach checked the clock on his phone. "Oh shit! Sorry, dad."

"No worries, just hurry up." Wyatt hung up.

Zach pocketed his phone. "It's nine thirty already."

Rebecca checked her own phone. "God, time flew by."

"Yeah, there's the elevator."

They ran and made it to the elevator just as a family was getting off. They slipped on and the doors closed, but neither of them pressed the button for the ground floor. Zach turned to face Rebecca and held out the plastic bag with the monkey inside.

"This is for you. Since your dad won't buy you one; I get to."

Rebecca took the bag. "Seriously?"

Zach nodded. "You didn't really think I was buying it for Andrew?"

"No, but…" Rebecca closed the gap and kissed him.

Zach stiffened, surprised at the sudden contact. She started to pull away a bit, but he did not want the kiss to end yet. He kissed back, interlocking his fingers with her fingers. He felt like he was floating, and time had stopped. The kiss was hesitant and soft, lacking any urgency. They had all the time in the world.

The elevator started to move, and they broke apart.

"Wow," breathed Zach.

Rebecca looked at him directly in the eyes. "Thank you for tonight."

"Uh-huh."

Zach could not manage actual words; he still needed to catch his breath. The elevator doors opened, and they got out. Still holding hands they walked back to the car in silence both grinning like idiots. Zach only let go of Rebecca when they reached the car. He opened the door for her, and she climbed in. Before he could step away pulled him closer by hooking a finger in between two of his shirt's buttons and kissed him again. His knees went weak. This time is was Wyatt who interrupted them.

"Time to go."

Zach cleared his throat. "Ok, yes—time to go."

Rebecca giggled. "Thank you for driving us, Mr. Halliwell."

Wyatt looked back at her in the rearview mirror. When the door closed and Zach could not hear him he said, "Treat him, right, Rebecca."

Rebecca nodded. "Always."

Zach jumped into the passenger's seat.

"Did you have fun?" asked Wyatt already knowing the answer from the grin plastered on his son's face.

Zach nodded. "Yes, we had a blast."

As they pulled out and drove out of the parking lot none of them noticed a man with a brightly colored tie follow their every move until they were out of sight. The man rubbed his hands together and slipped away into the darkness.