Things had been going so much better since that night in the bar, that night that Matt had pointed out seeing the engagement ring on her left hand and Tarin had realized she moved it. The night that they both had realized they were engaged again.

Since that night, their relationship had advanced by leaps and bounds, so much more than it had till that point since she had come back from Toronto. They weren't completely back to normal, weren't completely back to where they had been before the camp, but they were damn close.

Their date nights were at least back to normal, making out during movies (trying but not always succeeding in keeping from making too much of a scene, but at least it was dark when they did), holding hands when they walked to the restaurant. They were even discussing wedding plans over dinner and late at night in front of the television.

In fact, Tarin and Lee were even doing more date nights than they had. Not normally anything special, most times just simply eating at a restaurant rather than getting take-out, but it was still nice to get out. That night was a little different, though. That night, they had actually gone to a nice restaurant, much fancier than their favourite little Chinese place.

"Any thoughts for the rest of the night?" Lee asked, glancing over at Tarin as they left the restaurant.

It was a good night, a beautiful night, and Tarin and Lee were out eating food at a restaurant that would have been far too expensive a few weeks ago. The fact of the matter was, though, that Tarin had gotten over his worries about the million dollar check and had taken it to the bank.

There had been a few awkward moments, Tarin hadn't been in a bank for several years, let alone opened an account with a million dollars in his hand. The bank had been suspicious as well, but when the teller had called over a managed, they'd apparently recognized the name. There had been a curiosity there as well, before he'd been some dude of the street, they'd been unimpressed. Once they'd figured out the name on the check, however, they'd treated him like he was some high class hoity-toity. It was horrible, not being able to ask what the name they'd recognized was, but Tarin was afraid to draw attention to the fact that he had a million dollar check and no idea who'd given it to him.

Somehow he'd figure out who that man was, who had given him that check. It didn't matter now though. He and Lee had made the decision that life style wasn't really going to change all that much. They weren't going to just spend the money. If they lived simply they could invest most of the money and hopefully make themselves comfortable for a long time.

That had meant financial help and all kinds of other things and by the time it was all said and done, Tarin had felt like he'd ran a marathon. They needed to celebrate. So here they were.

The patrons of the restaurant weren't even surprised at his hair, Tarin thought with slight disbelief. It sort of made sense though, people usually didn't question other people with money. Apparently with everything else, money bought privacy.

He'd been staring off into space thinking about all these things when Lee spoke. Tarin's eyes moved back to hers and he smiled brightly. "I don't know. Seems kind of anti-climatic to just go home?"

Things had been going so well there, too, they were actually planning a wedding again. Not a wedding with a specific date, but a wedding none the less. Tarin was also becoming an expert in self-control because he had a feeling if Lee knew what all the making out and cuddling was doing to him she might try to put a lid on some of it for his sake. Tarin didn't want that to happen though, Tarin liked what was going on during movie nights. Truth be told, Tarin did want to go home, but he wasn't going to say that. Hell no.

"Hmmmmmm. What do ya think? I'm a little at a loss for ideas. I think we should definitely go get some dessert though."

Tarin was at a loss for what to do. Well, they hadn't actually planned anything for that night other than the actual going out to dinner part, so it did kind of make sense; Lee didn't exactly have much of an idea of what to do now either, which had been the whole reason for her question. He was right, though. The thought of going home right then did seem rather anti-climatic, felt like they'd be missing out on half of the night.

"I know what you mean," Lee said softly, leaning her head against Tarin's shoulder for a couple of steps as they walked. "It'd almost seem a waste getting dressed up if we went home now."

Dessert. That certainly sounded like a good idea, and Lee grinned sideways over at Tarin. "Sounds like a plan to me," Lee replied. "I think we should splurge a bit, though. I'd love to have some cheesecake."

Ideas, ideas, Tarin was mulling over idea after idea in his head as they made their way down the street. Lee leaned her head on his shoulder and Tarin snaked an arm around her waist to pull her close while they walked.

It was a beautiful night and it was almost hard for Tarin to believe that soon the giant Christmas tree would be up and string lights would adorn balcony after balcony in the city.

Lee agreed with him, about the fact that it would almost seem like a waste if they went home now, and Tarin's look became thoughtful. "Well, we could always go dancing, though I think we're a little tricked out for our usual spot. Know of anywhere else that's any nicer? Or we could go up to the top of the Empire State Building....I promise no morbid spirits tonight. It's really pretty up there at night. "

Lee suggested they splurge for cheesecake and Tarin laughed out loud. "I think we can spring for cheesecake."

Tarin had a place in mind as they walked down the street and Tarin led Lee in the direction he was thinking. It didn't take long to get to the little bakery he had in mind. Tarin had to think to figure out if he'd ever brought Lee here and he couldn't remember a time when he had.

"I found this place just a couple of weeks after I first moved here." he said as he opened the door for her. "I was wandering around the city, trying to learn the streets and I stumbled in here. Best mistake I ever made. I don't know why I haven't been back much since."

Best mistake for sure, Tarin thought as he followed Lee into the shop. It smelled like chocolate heaven in the shop and there had to be 100 different types of goodies here and there. Pastries, pies, cookies, brownies, truffles, and then the cheesecake....

One whole wall of the shop was devoted to a large freezer case with different types of cheesecake on display. Towards it Tarin drifted like a fly to a bug light, "Oh god...they have pumpkin..." he breathed as he drew up to the glass.

Dancing, again with the dancing. Sure, that first time they had danced at the bar after Tarin had discovered she'd moved her engagement ring back to where it should be hadn't been so bad, and sure they had gone dancing a couple other times since then, but really, dancing? Lee wasn't that good, or comfortable dancing that it would be a good end of the night. Going for dessert sounded like a much better idea to Lee.

But then Tarin was talking about this shop, explaining about how he had found it. It really wasn't all that far from the apartment, and they had already reached it, Tarin holding the door open for her as she entered, when he stated that it was the best mistake he had ever made.

Looking over her shoulder at him, Lee simply blinked in shock. "This was the best mistake that you ever made?" She asked, a touch of shock and even slight twinge of pain colouring her voice. As she was speaking, Tarin was walking past her, moving toward the wall displaying all the cheesecakes.

"Cause, I mean, I know you've made more than your share of mistakes," Lee continued as she came up beside Tarin, looking at the many different varieties of cheesecake herself. "But I would have thought that the best mistake you ever made would have happened at the pond..."

Taking a bit of a breath, Lee let her eyes wander over the freezer case, and then they widened slightly as they crossed a chocolate swirl with cherry topping cake. "Oh, that looks good," she whispered.

"Well navigationally anyway..." Tarin said with a dismissive wave of his hand when Lee commented with apparently shock and dismay that this was his best mistake?

Apparently he should have been thinking bigger when he made that comment, Tarin realized as Lee went on to talk about the fact that the best mistake he'd ever made should have been the day at the lake. Tarin couldn't help but grin at her almost seeming jealousy at the fact that cheesecake could take the place that she should have as the best mistake he'd ever made.

"I'd have to disagree with you on that Lee..." he said, face straight as he scanned the shelves of the fridge and watched Lee's reaction to a specific chocolate swirled number with cherries on top. Wow, that looked awesome too, but from experience Tarin worried that the pumpkin cheesecake was only a seasonal thing and that it would be gone before they came back again. Chocolate cherry was always around.

"Mmmm that does look good too...." Tarin said, then moved closer to Lee and wrapped his arm around her waist again, pulling her close so he could talk into her ear. "That day in the park was the best idea I'd ever had...and if I had a chance to do it again, I'd do it again, over and over and over." Tarin paused, trying to figure out how to phrase his next words so he didn't sound like a pervert.

"While it was immature...somehow I don't think simply walking up to you and saying hello would have allowed me to make the same kind of impression...and you did come back to the shop. I think it's the latent exhibitionist in you. Central park...movie theaters...I'm seeing a pattern here I'd never noticed. Maybe we should eschew any other ideas for the night and find somewhere public to show off."

That said, Tarin moved away and grinned, humor and happiness evident on his face, "So, are we going to actually eat some cheesecake or just stand here and stare at it all night."

Lee bit the inside of her cheek and swallowed when she heard Tarin speaking. She didn't even know why she was feeling this way over what Tarin was saying, but the fact that he apparently no longer felt that trying to get a look up her skirt that first day they had seen each other in Central Park was his best mistake hurt. It didn't matter that they were together now, didn't matter that they were engaged, that they had been discussing wedding plans over dinner such a short time ago, that incident had been the thing to get them to meet, to get them to talk to each other. With out that, they wouldn't have been together now.

She was still staring at the cakes in front of her when Lee felt Tarin's arm wrapping around her waist, felt his breath tickling her neck as he whispered in her ear. Now, the question was whether Tarin was doing this to make her feel better, because he had seen how she had gotten upset, or if he was just whispering in her ear because of what he was saying.

"No, I don't imagine simply walking up would have had the same impression," Lee said, leaning her head back against him slightly. "I mean, what with you shooting spirits through me and all.

But then Tarin continued, and any remaining upsetness wiped from her face to be replaced by a bright blush. Her, an exhibitionist? What the hell was he going on about? "All I did was walk past," Lee pointed out, though the blush was still clearly evident on her face. "You're the one who perved on me, you know."

Hearing Tarin's last question, Lee stepped away and moved toward the counter where a woman was standing. "Oh, we're definitely eating the cheesecake," she said over her shoulder.

Lee wanted to play dirty, did she? Tarin grinned and though there was space between them now he gave her a look, "Now now, that was every bit as much your fault as it was mine." He stepped closer again, not wanting to air their business for the entire world, even if it did look like the shop owner was amused by their lack of commitment to a quick dessert.

"Yeah you walked past." Tarin said, coming up behind Lee again and wrapping his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder. "In that skirt...and those boots...in public..." Tarin sighed in bliss at the memory, "Honestly, I'm amazed you didn't have a battalion of suitors trailing in your wake. I'm just the lucky bastard who got caught. And there never would have been any spirits flying through you if you hadn't gotten so angry at me for simply doing what my raging hormones were begging me to do."

It was true, at that point it had been a whole...several days since he'd had any contact with a woman, and back when he'd first met Lee...that was an eternity.

They were taking their time in the shop, though, and Tarin reluctantly pulled away from Lee and turned to the shop owner. "I'll have a piece of the Pumpkin cheesecake please...Lee?"

Tarin waited for her to order, then paid for the cheesecake, then excited the shop, fork and take-out container held between his hands as they walked.

"So. Where to now?" he said.

Lee rolled her eyes when Tarin tried telling her that that day in the park was every bit as much her fault as it had been his. "And what was I supposed to do, stay inside all day every day?" Lee asked quietly over her shoulder. He knew that she couldn't have possibly done that, not back then. Now, she was only able to stay inside as much as she did because of the fact that Tarin was there.

As he continued, with the comment about the suitors, Lee couldn't help the small smile that crossed her face. "You really think I'd have put up with that, even if there had been guys wanting to follow me around like that?" She asked Tarin over her shoulder.

But then Tarin continued, claiming that the issue with the spirits that day had been entirely her fault. Ok, sure, after seeing how his powers worked, and how their powers interacted much more since that day, Lee could understand how it had been her fault, especially since he hadn't exactly been expecting the energy drain. But Tarin was still laying all of it on her, which was so not fair, and not accurate.

"Ever stop to think that I had a reason to get angry?" Lee asked. Even now, more than a year later, Lee still felt she was perfectly justified in her anger that day. Tarin had been trying to perv on her when she had simply been walking past in the park, after all.

Then Tarin was pulling away from her, something he didn't exactly do all that often, and closing the rest of the distance between where they had been standing and the counter. "And a piece of that chocolate cherry swirl, please," Lee ordered, then stood beside Tarin while they waited for their cakes.

As soon as her piece was handed over, Lee opened up the container and took a small bite, her eyes closing and a soft moan escaping her lips as she savoured the cheese cake. "Mmm, this is so good. Ok, you're now in trouble," Lee told Tarin as they left the little shop. "You should have brought me here ages ago!"

As they walked, Lee very slowly ate her piece of cake. She was trying to make it last as long as she could, but Lee knew it would still be gone far too soon. If that place served coffee....Ooohhh, if that place served coffee in the morning too, Lee had just found her new favourite place to go.

"Where to go?" Lee repeated Tarin's question. Then she shrugged and glanced over at him. "Let's just walk for a bit. We can eat, and maybe figure something else to do. Plus, we haven't really just walked together for a long time."

Tarin grinned at the opening Lee had given him, "No...not stay inside...just not..." he paused for a moment, groping for the correct words, "Put out a sign that says 'free buffet' then lock the doors." Tarin grinned proudly at his analogy and finished it off, "Though I definitely enjoyed the peek I got through the windows."

"Most likely not," he continued in response to her question about whether or not she'd have allowed a flock of suitors to follow her around the park, "Like I said, I was just the one lucky enough to piss you off so you came and talked to me. It was all part of my master plan."

Tarin thought about that and grinned even more, in the beginning their relationship had grown by leaps and bounds whenever Lee ended up angry. That day at the zoo, after she'd stood him up at the bar and he'd taken home a ditzy blonde. They'd set their first official date that night...and their first official kiss had happened that very night.

They were walking, and Lee took that first bite of her cheesecake and Tarin almost choked on his bite when a small moan escaped her lips at the taste. He hadn't heard that sound since...Tarin shook his head and re focused his eyes which had suddenly gone blank. Swallowing was a difficult endeavor, but he managed that too without stumbling a single time. "Uh yeah..." he said, "We'll have to go back there a few times a week if that's going to be your reaction."

They'd been walking the whole while they were talking and Tarin nodded his head at Lee's observation that it had been a long time since they'd simply walked. They were always going somewhere with a purpose, Tarin took another bite of the cheesecake,"You're right..." he said around it.

They were walking down familiar streets and down a familiar path. Tarin noticed where they were heading, but didn't say anything. He couldn't avoid the park forever...what did it matter that the last time he was there he'd ran into one of the women he'd tried to kill when John Erik had taken over his mind and body? Tarin resolved himself, despite the slight feeling of unease that crept into his chest, he was with Lee, and they were going to have a nice walk in the park. Forking another bite of cheesecake, he tossed it into his mouth and chewed, "Mmmmm."

Lee's previous blush was nothing compared to what covered her face as Tarin continued speaking, talking about what she should have done rather than staying inside all day or walking through the park wearing what she had been that day. How could Tarin actually say that, never mind out in public like they were?

But should she really be so shocked? Well, of course she should have been shocked, Lee didn't think there was any way that she could have avoided blushing in any way. But she should have expected something like that from him; but had he gotten that good at censoring himself that this comment was that shocking?

"Oh, all part of your master plan?" Lee asked, an eyebrow raised as she glanced over at Tarin. "Just like that first night we went to the bar, with the jagerbombs, was all part of your plan too?"

At least Tarin had claimed enough things along those lines had been all part of his master plan in charming her over the previous year. Lee wasn't sure any more whether he had actually said that night was at the time, but it didn't really matter any more, she could still bug him about it.

Lee's eyes were still closed after that first bite of cheesecake when she heard Tarin start stammering. Glancing over at him, she saw a strange expression on his face; well, not really strange, she'd seen it on many occasions before that night, but she always had problems figuring out exactly what was behind that expression.

"A few times a week?" Lee questioned, a blush crossing her cheeks again, though not nearly as dark as the last couple had been. As they walked, at least Tarin seemed to be enjoying his cheese cake like she was.

Unfortunately, she had been right about how it wouldn't last nearly long enough, and by the time they reached the park, her container was empty, the cheese cake gone. Tossing the now empty container into a garbage can as they passed, Lee smiled over at Tarin. "We need to do this more often," she said softly. "I mean, I'm here almost every day, but it's different somehow with you here too."

Lee was blushing dark now and Tarin grinned, chuckling lowly as they walked. He was getting through to her in the best way possible and the knowledge made him happy as a clam. Lee asked about the jaegerbombs the first night they'd gone out, the night of the first kiss and Tarin laughed out loud.

"Lee, pretty much everything that happened by chance was actually my doing...all part of my master plan."

They were still walking and were actually within the bounds of the park now and Tarin couldn't help but admit to himself how beautiful it was at night. There were lots of people out at this time too. It had to be safe, that's why women jogged there, that's why people walked there with their lovers. That's why people met in the dark places to carry out illicit deeds where nobody would suspect them.

There was a bridge up ahead, a bridge that they'd walked over many times. A bridge that frequented movies that involved central park, they walked over it and Tarin smiled as Lee pointed out that they needed to do this more often, "Darlin'," he said, stopping on the bridge and pulling Lee around to face him, hands wrapping around her upper arms and bending down so his lips were hovering just above hers, "Anything that involves me and you sounds good to me...I'd stare at a garbage can as long as I could do this." he said before dropping his head to kiss her.

Lee looked over at Tarin when he started laughing. "Oh, everything that happened by chance was really you?" Lee asked. "It was all part of your master plan? Even everything that happened on our one month anniversary?"

Yeah, that day hadn't been anything even close to being planned, Lee hadn't even realized she had been ready for that step in their relationship until just before. But there was really no way he could claim that that had been all part of his master plan, not without going back on everything he had ever said to her about not pushing her at all.

As they reached the middle part of a bridge, Tarin stopped, pulling her around gently to face him. And he spoke, his accent slipping through the slightest bit as he called her 'darlin'', and Lee's heart skipped a beat as he leaned down so his lips were just hovering above hers.

Before she was able to say anything though, Tarin had closed that slight distance between them, his lips pressed against hers. Without even thinking about it, Lee's arms rose, one hand entwining in Tarin's hair as she returned the kiss.

"Well..." Tarin said, "Everything but the one month anniversary. That one wasn't me." he finished. That was no joking matter. It was, however, a great memory, even if Central Park did get several degrees warmer simply by virtue of the topic of conversation.

That had been the day Tarin's life had changed. Sure, before then, he'd assured Lee he'd wait forever for her, he'd known he loved her. All those things, but when she completely gave herself over, something had shifted in him that he'd known would never change. That wasn't something to play word games with. "That...was the best moment of my life...so far."

The kiss had been impromptu, and he hadn't even expected it. Lee's reactions to contact were getting increasingly encouraging though. The hands in his hair sent a hard shiver all the way down Tarin's back and he pulled Lee closer, thoroughly forgetting the fact that they were in the middle of a park. That is until the sound of footsteps jolted Tarin out of the Lee induced trance and launched him into something different all together.

He almost pushed Lee back he backpedaled so quickly away from her as the flashback came on as strong as a hallucination or something the was really seeing.

There was someone running down the bike path, a woman, and he was waiting...waiting for her to get close enough to grab. On this very bridge...there was a great little hiding place so close, just down the path and it was so late. Running this late, the woman was asking for it. The knife was in the waistband of his pants and he knew he'd be able to overpower this one.

"Oh my god..." he gasped, horrified at the montage of images that followed. It seemed like it went on for hours, though in reality it was a matter of seconds.

The jogger on the path passed by, picking up their pace at the outburst of the man on the bridge, who was backed up against the wall now, hands on either side of his head. There were some real weirdos out, the jogger thought, and vowed to jog earlier from that point on.

Lee smiled slightly when Tarin went back on what he had been saying about everything that had happened by chance in their relationship having been all part of his master plan. Lee's smile widened as Tarin went on to explain that that day had been the best in his entire life...so far.

That day had been...incredible, amazing, unforgettable, indescribable. Definitely up there as one of the best moments in history, along with the first time they had actually told each other they loved each other. Again, right here in this very park.

And then the kiss...There was just something about kissing Tarin that somehow wiped out everything else, and Lee didn't even notice the approaching footsteps until after she had felt Tarin pushing her away, until after she had opened her eyes to see him practically jumping away from her.

Her eyes widening in worry, concern, and fear, Lee wondered what the hell was going on. Tarin had never pushed her away like that before, especially not while they had been kissing. The only thing she could think of that would make him decide to do such a thing was because it wasn't safe to touch, and Lee grew even more worried.

"Tarin, what's wrong?" Lee asked in a whisper, taking a step toward where he was leaning against the wall of the bridge holding his head. Lifting her hand, Lee let it hover a couple inches above his own, not wanting to risk touching him if for some reason he was going into a merge. "Are you alright, hon?"