Faye flicked the switch that heated the mansions pool and turned around to survey her couple of hours work:
The mansions outdoor pool reflected the Christmas tree lights she’d found in the attic, as well as strung up around the mansion itself, and hung on the little fence that surrounded the pool area.
Rubbing her thumb over her bottom lip she considered if it was bright enough. She didn’t want to switch the garden lights on as that might attract unwanted attention from the mansion itself and she hadn’t asked permission to do this.

Maybe just switch the underwater lights on in the pool?

Nodding at her conscience’s clever idea (and by extension her clever idea) she reached into the pool control cupboard and flicked the switch that turned the pool lights on.
Stuttering at first the yellow lights came on and bathed the bottom of the pool in a golden light.
“Perfect” Faye whispered to herself as she surveyed her work:

Fairy lights? Check
Table for two and a bottle of Rosé? Check
Towels? Check
Patio heathers turned on? Check, no wait you need to plug them in.

Faye bent down and jammed another couple of plugs into the outdoor sockets

Ok Check

iPod dock and candles for ambiance? sigh, Check

“Raging, all I need to do is send the text to Lance and get changed”
Faye smiled to herself. She done all of this for him, her first non self motivated act in a long time.
It was a surprise, a thankyou for being nice and normal as well as for carrying her out of the Halloween riots after she’d been beaten up.

Grinning she took out her phone and typed out a txt to Lance before sending it.

Big disaster! Need help! Come ALONE to the pool @ midnight!
XOXO
p.s wear a swimming costume

******************************************************************************************

It was nearly midnight as Faye dipped her toe into the pool to test the temperature. Perfect, it was nice and hot despite it being December; the patio heaters had even managed to warm the poolside up to more than freezing as a nice little bonus.

Turning she thought she heard someone coming down the path, quickly she took her robe off revealing her swimsuit and ducked behind a tree.
Faye bit her lip and listened as the footsteps came closer, When they stopped she took a deep breath before stepping out from behind the tree.

“boo” she whispered.

The day had been quite busy in the library. With the prelims just around the corner, the student traffic there had dramatically increased and the increase in the student traffic, also meant that students requiring assistance will be more than usual.

Lance was coming back to his station for the 7th time, or was that the 8th, from helping a student find the book that he needed, and it had only been less than an hour since he had reported for work.

Seating himself back in his desk, Lance resumed the essay assignment he was trying to finish. Sadly, he hadn’t typed-in more than a few words when a feminine voice drew his attention from the monitor.

The pre-teen redhead stood on the other side of the circulation counter and was obviously demanding attention.

Putting on his best smile, Lance made his way to her location to see what she needed. Sadly, he would later regret running across this particular student.

The little redhead turned out to be a little nitpicky over the book she needed for her research... deciding on a title then changing her mind and point to another book just as Lance was handing the first book to her. Lance did not know how long the scenario went on, but in his mind, it seemed like forever. It wouldn’t be all bad if it wasn’t for the fact that Lance was up the foot ladder as the girl kept changing her mind.

By the time she had finally made a decision, Lance had all but lost his reservoir of patience. And it was only his sense of propriety that kept the smile on.

Returning to the circulation area, Lance was dismayed at the books that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and made a pile of themselves atop the “return” table.

Well, there goes the weekend. The teen glumly thought.

Lance had planned on asking Faye out. After the horror of the Halloween fest, he rarely had enough time to actually enjoy an activity with her. He had planned on a nice movie and probably dinner afterwards, but with the mountain of work staring at him, Lance had no choice but to put the idea on hold. Thankfully, he had not invited her yet. He hated cancelling on commitments.

Fishing for his phone from the locked side drawer, Lance was surprised to see “1 message received” flashing on the screen. He hoped that it was not Aunt Phoem informing him of a weekend family activity.

Lance breathed a sigh of relief because it wasn’t Aunt Phoem who sent the message. Rather, it was the very person he was thinking off a while ago... Faye.

Big disaster! Need help! Come ALONE to the pool @ midnight!
XOXO
p.s wear a swimming costume

In his present state of mind, the message made no sense to the teen. If Faye had a disaster and needed help, why must they meet at the pool area at midnight, which was about seven hours away? Why not now if it was an emergency? The last part of the message, “wear a swimming costume”, elicited a certain curiosity from Lance. The underlying meaning of the message was completely lost to the teen. But the mysterious SMS from Faye seemed to have suddenly washed away all the negative thoughts lurking in his mind that was brought about by the level of toxicity in the library.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Quarter to midnight. Ever since Lance had received that mind boggling message from Faye earlier, he found himself moving with an extra boost of energy. True that the redhead in the library nearly pushed him overboard because of her indecisiveness, the SMS from Faye had somehow recharged him and even added a few extra doses of energy for good measure.

Lance slipped into the pair of blue swimshorts he had bought before moving into the mansion. The entirety of the message was still baffling him, but knowing Faye’s habit of bending the rules, it wasn’t far off that they will be taking a midnight swim in the school’s swimming pool. Hopefully no one will catch them at it most especially, Mama T.

Putting on the black wife-beater, so no one will wonder why he was walking around the mansion topless, Lance quietly made his way through the empty corridor of the boy’s wing of the mansion. Lance quickly made his way towards the kitchen. The back door from the kitchen was the point of exit nearest the pool area.

Stepping through the backdoor, Lance beheld the mansion grounds in another light. The full moon shone in all its mystical glory amidst a cloudless December sky, bathing the mansion grounds in a soft eerie white light.

Hey, Junior... you still got that appointment to go to, remember? his inner voice echoed in his head. Lance was suddenly aware that his “conscience” had been silent since the Terror-Fest event in Central Park... not that he did inappropriate stuffs in its absence. It’s just that he suddenly realized that he did not get himself into any major trouble in spite of the fact that he did not have the benefit of the obnoxious remarks of his moral compass, who had remained silent in the past month, to counsel him. The teen suddenly felt pleased with himself.

The date...

The snippy mental comment dropped Lance back to reality. A sudden cold breeze made the teen wish he had worn thicker clothing rather than the wife-beater he was wearing now.

Quickening his steps towards the pool area, Lance first caught sight of the multi-colored twinkling bulbs from the Christmas lights strung around the fence marking the perimeter of the pool. The fact the lights were on at this time of night was the first indication that someone was already there.

Lance was suddenly unsure whether to continue towards the pool or double back into the mansion. If it was not Faye who is in the pool area, then he faces the prospect of detention for breaking the curfew.

”boo.”

Lance nearly jumped as Faye stepped out from behind the tree, surprising him.

The impending retort was held at bay as he beheld Faye in her bathing suit.

Swimming in the middle of the evening? No... Swimming in the middle of this chilly December evening... the voice chortled.

”Uh... Isn’t it a little bit too chilly to go for a midnight swim?” Lance asked warily. Though deep inside, he was looking forward to it and all the myriad of possibilities that it offered.

>>>“Uh... Isn’t it a little bit too chilly to go for a midnight swim?”

Faye grinned, “The pools heated…” she said as dragged her foot across the pools surface as she walks along its edge towards him before stopping in front of him and kissing him on his bottom lip “…so why don’t you pick some music and we’ll go for a swim.”

Patting his chest softly with her hand she turned and walked slowly to the table, “Do you want a glass of wine?” she asked; the glasses in her hand made a soft chiming noise as the knocked against each other as she turned back around to face him “Or do you want to dive straight in?
Scrunching up her face and blushing as she realised what she’d said “I meant the pool, other diving may occur later.”

Walking back over and handing him one of the glasses of rosé before taking a sip she was strangely lost for words.
“Ummm… so do you like what I’ve done to the place?”

”The pools heated… so why don’t you pick some music and we’ll go for a swim.”

Faye’s movements, as she approached, reminded Lance of a feline predator entrancing her prey before moving in for the kill... not that he’d mind being the prey to her predator.

As her lips met his, a rush of warmth washed away all the chilliness around him, making Lance start to sweat a little.

”Do you want a glass of wine? Or do you want to dive straight in?”

A midnight swim in the school’s pool, most probably unauthorized, and alcohol... the voice began a monologue. I definitely see double detention in your future, kid.

Shut up! This is definitely worth more than a double detention. Lance mentally retaliated. A playful grin making its way across his lips.

Lance allowed his eyes to wander around the pool area. The present set-up definitely showed that the scenario was planned... Faye planned it for him. The grin grew wider.

”Wine sounds nice.”

”I meant the pool, other diving may occur later?”

Lance chuckled at Faye’s comment. Of course she meant the pool... where else would they dive in?

Lance took a sip of the pinkish alcoholic beverage given to him by Faye, all the while taking in every detail of their little paradise.

”Ummm… so do you like what I’ve done to the place?”

Lance looked directly into Faye’s eyes, pausing for a few moments before answering her question. ”Like it?” the teen started. ”I don’t like it... I love it.” Lance continued, allowing his eyes to scan their surrounding for emphasis, before once again meeting hers. His tone was subdued... just loud enough for the two of them to hear. Anything louder would have ruined the moment.

”This is the best thing anyone has ever done for me...” Lance paused to let the meaning of what he had just said sink in. He then leaned-in, giving Faye a serious kiss on the lips. The contact lasted for about ten seconds before Lance pulled away whispering, ”Thank you.” as he did so.

Lance moved away, heading towards one of the lounge chairs scattered around the pool, setting the glass of wine on top of the table as he passed-by. The teen had already stripped off the wife-beaters by the time he reached the chair, dumping it there.

A playful glance towards Faye and Lance propelled himself into the pool’s waters. The apprehensiveness that was bugging him en route to this place had, by now, been largely forgotten. Faye had done all of this for him and the least that Lance could do was to enjoy every single moment of it.

This was truly worth more than a double detention.

>>>“I don’t like it... I love it, this is the best thing anyone has ever done for me.”

She smiled coyly at the compliment, right then all the work that tonight had taken became worth it. This right now was the highlight of her year.
Lance leaned in to for a long kiss and Faye surrendered entirely to the sensation of it, her grip on her glass loosening causing wine to splash only the tiles.

Alright, she thought as Lance pulled away, That was the best moment of the year and watching him pull off his top and walk away was pushing a close second.
Biting her lip and scrunching up her toes as Lance gave her a playful glance before dropping into the pool causing water to splash her, a loud excited shriek slipped past her lips before she clamped her hand over her mouth; the noise turning into a stifled giggle as glanced back up towards the mansion.

“Sorry” she grinned at him “but you got me all wet” she added, her hand gesturing across her body as she held his glance “and that won’t do at all” .

Bouncing from one foot to another she covered the distance to the pool edge and dived into the steaming waters with barely a ripple. Surfacing next to him she brushed her soaked hair back behind her ears “Swim team” she offered as an explanation to her dive “swimming is big back home cause of all the lakes. It’s that or football and we’ll…I’m not a boy.

She quickly kissed him on the lips before pulling away and splashing water in his face. Grinning from ear to ear she cried “Catch me if you can” before ducking underwater and swimming away.

”Catch me if you can.”

So the predator had willingly become the prey and the prey, the predator.

With a playful grin to match the thoughts running through his mind, Lance dove beneath the waters and gave chase to Faye. She, however, was proving her worth as a former member of a swim team, agile and swift in the water.

Faye was akin to a dolphin in the way she avoided Lance’s attempts to catch her. Lance, for his part, was like a shark, unrelenting in his attempts to capture his prey.

Minutes passed as the two teenagers kept on their underwater game of cat and mouse. Faye proved to be a very elusive prey, but Lance was not one to give up easily.

After several failed attempts of catching his prey, it finally dawned on Lance that Faye was not going to give him an easy time in catching her. A plan of attack was in order.

Stopping the pursuit for several seconds, Lance studied Faye’s movements as she swam just out of his reach.

Several more seconds passed before Lance spotted the opening he was waiting for. Taking a quick intake of air, the teen propelled himself to intercept his quarry’s path in the water.

Lance extended his left arm as he neared Faye.

Ducking back under the surface of the water Faye pushed herself off the edge of the pool as Lance made another attempt to catch her.
Slipping underneath him as he surged into the space in which she had just occupied Faye resisted the urge to reach out and pull down his shorts. That would be very immature.
A couple of quick kicks powered her down to the other end of the pool.

With a grin she slowly raised her head up out of the water untill she could just see over the top of it, spoting Lance on the surface just as he ducked his head back underwater to look for her. Waving at him underwater she raised her head fully above the water level and stuck her tongue out at him as he resurfaced.

The meaning was blunt and obvious to anyone that had ever been seven; “Nyah nyah na na naaa You can’t catch me!”

That was a good point, he couldn’t catch her. She grown up swimming in the great lakes and swam for her school. To be honest she’d forgot how much she enjoyed the feeling of gliding through the water.
Still, good feelings and reminiscing weren’t the issue right now. Getting caught was. At the same time she wanted to be and not be caught, her ego demanded that she beat Lance just as she sure his ego, among other things, demanded that he caught her.

Tumbling over in the water as she narrowly dodged another of his grabs and clawed back up to the surface before taking another deep breath and dropping back under the surface her legs kicking out to propel her across and away from him.

Suddenly she felt fingers close around her arm and bring her to a halt, looking round she caught sight of Lance’s grinning face.
Breaking the surface of the pool together Faye caught her breath back while they treaded water.

“I guess you win then” she whispered as she floated close to him “But what does the winner want as a prize?

”I guess you win then. But what does the winner want as a prize?”

Faye’s question sent a plethora of responses suddenly jamming into Lance’s mind. But the teen ignored them all.

So, the winner gets a prize…

Lance grinned.

Gliding through the water, Lance positioned himself immediately behind Faye. Then, without warning, he enveloped her with his arms, lightly resting his chin on her right shoulder.

Lance tilted his head closer to Faye’s, ”All the prize I want is right here...” he whispered in all seriousness, tightening his embrace.

The drawback of their present position, with Lance hugging Faye from behind, was that the teen did not know how Faye reacted to his admission. But the fact that she did not immediately break-off the embrace must mean something... and hopefully, something good.

Grinning at her question she watched Lance swim behind her, wrapping his arms around her and resting his head on her shoulder before whispering “All the prize I want is right here...”

Well that wasn’t what she expected, it was nice to hear but she’d assumed he would ask for something…more

Spinning around in his embrace and resting her legs on top of his hips she leaned in and kissed him before drawing back and asking him “Are you sure there is nothing you want hmmm?” raising an eyebrow and making a confused face before she leant in and kissed him again this time on his neck.

“Don’t you want a real prize?” she whispered.

Faye spun around in his embrace and kissed him.

That was a good sign...

Her next question, however, caused Lance to pause. There was something in this scenario that he was missing.

Nope. As I said, I’ve got what I want here, wrapped in my arms...

If the teen did not get the message by the innocuous-seeming question, the kiss certainly left no more doubts in his mind. The well-placed kiss sent off an electrical chain-reaction throughout his body. Quite suddenly, Lance found his breath caught in his throat.

”Don’t you want a real prize?”

By now, the teen had a pretty good idea on what Faye wanted to happen between the two of them that night.

Lance did not know how to answer the question. His upbringing was against the idea, while his desires wanted him to experience what is only part of being human.

”It depends on the nature of the prize...” the teen finally answered after a few moments of awkward silence. ”You are real enough...” he whispered, kissing Faye on her left collarbone.

Faye’s brow creased as Lance kissed her on her collar, had she overstepped the mark? The awkward silence that had preceded his last kiss suggested so.

Sighing she kissed him on the forehead and whispered his name, flicking his earlobe after a couple of seconds and saying his name a little louder to make sure she had his attention.

I can’t believe I’m about to say this. It’s weird coming this way. “Lance, umm listen. If you don’t want to…" she paused squeezing her legs around him “…Y’know. If you don’t we can wait or take it slow or just cuddle" that last part came out in a jumbled, hurried mess.

Cuddle? Really?

“What I mean is…well, we can slow it down. If you want? We don’t have to. Y’know? No pressure. "
She gave him a little smile and kissed him on his cheek before taking her legs away from around his waist and going back to treading water.

Faye looked into his eyes and told him “See? I can be patient, take it slow” while running her finger tips across his chest.

Yeah I can do slow, nice and easy she lied to herself.

”Lance, umm listen. If you don’t want to… Y’know. If you don’t we can wait or take it slow or just cuddle. What I mean is…well, we can slow it down. If you want? We don’t have to. Y’know? No pressure.”

Faye’s sudden change of tone baffled Lance. For a while he thought that he had finally figured out what she wanted to happen. And then she suddenly turns 180 degrees and wants to slow down because of him.

ARGH! Why must she be so mysterious?

The frustration became physically evident as the grin vanished from the teen’s lips.

All women are mysterious... the inner voice opined. It’s part of their charm... Your girl here’s probably just as frustrated as you... slowpoke. The last word was delivered with evident mockery.

”See? I can be patient, take it slow.”

As Faye ran her fingertips across his chest, Lance wondered if she was toying with him... saying one thing but physically doing the opposite.

Piece of advice, kid... the inner voice once again sounded in his head. Life is too short for indecisions, you cannot second-guess the future... it is simply not within your capability. If you want to do something, do it... and do it like a man.

The last part of the litany was the one that stung the most. Lance realized, however, that the voice was right. Faye had found a special place in his heart and his indecisiveness might drive her away. He cannot allow that to happen... He had to make a decision and face whatever the consequences might be... like a man.

Throwing caution to the wind, Lance suddenly grabbed Faye’s hand before it left his chest, pulling her closer to him. With his left hand on the small of her back and his right on her nape, he kissed her... putting everything he felt about her into that long kiss.

Momentarily breaking the contact, ”So, your place or mine?” Lance whispered.



[OOC: Scene inspired soundtrack for Lance.]

Faye giggled as Lance snaked his arm around her and pulled her against him before laying one hell of a kiss on her mouth.
Her mouth lingered against the night air as he pulled away and asked her in a whisper “So, Your place or mine?” [/i]

“wah?” she responded, stunned by his kiss “I mean, um. Yeah. Mine? Or yours? Is your roommate out?” she went back in for another kiss, her body rising out of the water as she lent in on him.

“Sorry” she giggled, biting her lip. “I just…mmmph…had too” her urges forcing her to steal another kiss from him mid sentence.
“We should get out the pool” Faye whispered as they bumped up against the side.
“Yeah…. We really need…. to get out of the pool” she added as she layed more kisses on him.
“The pool is… evil, bad pool. Very...bad...pool”

Tearing herself away she clambered up the ladder and out onto the patio, her breath steaming in the cold air as water streamed off her body and hair forming a puddle around her feet.
Grabbing the wine she turned back and grinned down at him “So, mine?”

”wah? I mean, um. Yeah. Mine? Or yours? Is your roommate out?”

”Nathan?” Lance started to reply but was interrupted by Faye’s kiss. ”I guess...” he added as she broke off. ”He doesn’t, uh... keep regular hours.”

”Sorry… I just…mmmph…had too… We should get out the pool. Yeah…. We really need…. to get out of the pool… The pool is… evil, bad pool. Very...bad...pool...”

Lance was really enjoying the moment. A stupid smile had managed to make its way across the teen’s lips without him realizing it.

”So, mine?”

”Yeah. Good idea.” Lance agreed. His roomie, Nathan, kept irregular hours in the mansion. Sometimes he sleeps there, other times he doesn’t show-up until the next day. Lance did not want to risk Nathan walking unexpectedly into their room while Faye was there. Not tonight...

Vaulting up onto the patio, the teen stood-up just as a cold breeze passed by, sending chills throughout his body.

Lance moved to one of the lounge chairs and grabbed the towel slung over the backrest, then quickly dried himself up.

Picking-up the wife-beater from where he had dropped it earlier, Lance proceeded to the nearby table to grab the wine glass.

”Let’s just hope that the night watch is in another part of the mansion...” Lance commented, as he poured himself a glass of the pinkish wine. ”Otherwise, we’re screwed.” he added, shuddering at the idea. The Rosé dampened the cold environment a bit. But not enough to the teen’s liking. Lance poured himself another glass and emptied it in one continuous gulp.

Tilting his head towards Faye, ”Let’s return everything where you found it earlier before we leave.” Lance said, going about picking-up any evidence that might point to him and Faye having been there.

Finally satisfied that any, and all, evidences have been properly dealt with, Lance reached out for Faye’s hand, ”Shall we?” he asked, leading her away from the pool.

Faye unlocked the door to her room and let herself and Lance inside. The room seemed much larger than the others as she had replaced most of the standard twinned furniture with a single set that was dominated by her oak framed double bed.

Flicking on the light she suddenly realised that she hadn’t cleaned in a couple of days, A couple of glasses and dirty clothes languished on the floor while an empty beer bottle on the window sill was housing some flowers she’d taken from the mansions grounds.

“Shit” she exclaimed; covering her face “Sorry about the mess, Oh come in. Make yourself comfortable” she held the door open before locking it and moving around the room and kicking clothes under the bed.
“Yeah so, I’m going to go get a dried off. Back in a min?” reaching out she pushed Lance onto the bed “Stay” .

Grinning she walked slowly into the bathroom before shutting the door behind her.
Quickly snatching up a towel Faye dropped the dressing gown off and dried herself down before making a beeline for the mirror.
Taking out and plugging in her hair straighters she got to work on sorting out her hair before rustling inside her makeup box for a touch up. The finishing touch was applying her lipstick. The same cherry lipstick that she had worn when she had first kissed Lance at Halloween.

After slipping out of her bikini and changing she was ready, and only in ten minutes.

Taking a deep breath she pushed open the door and walked over to Lance.