I've Got You and Love ((Vanessa))

[Jeremiah Baer]

Jeremiah had been in a cheerful mood all morning and afternoon. After Transfiguration class, he had slipped Vanessa a note in the halls, asking her to meet him outside of her common room at 6:00 pm and that they wouldn't be going to dinner in the Great Hall, but to dress up a little more than just casual clothes. Pulling his black jacket over a black t-shirt, Jeremiah looked in the mirror as he ruffled his fingers through his damp hair that was still drying after getting a shower. He was wearing tan colored pants and had on a black belt and black shoes. Overall, he looked somewhat formal, but not too overdressed.

Earlier that day, he had made arrangements in the kitchens with the house-elves. They had agreed to host he and Vanessa for the evening. Jeremiah provided them with a menu, and had collected some candles that the elves would use to light up the area by the table that would be set for their date. Vanessa didn't know what to expect, or at least Jeremiah didn't think she did. He had asked Jasmine for help with ideas, so unless she told, then it would all be a surprise for Vanessa.

Grabbing the bouquet of red and white roses from his bed, Jeremiah took one last glance in the mirror before walking excitedly out of the Gryffindor common room and toward the Hufflepuff common room entrance. Vanessa wasn't there yet, however he was a bit early. When he looked at his watch, he realized that a bit early turned out to be a whole fifteen minutes early. In his excitement, Jeremiah had lost track of time and he had rushed in his anxiousness to be able to see Vanessa and enjoy the evening with her.

A few younger girls exited the common room, giving him stares that were followed by fits of giggles once they were farther down the hall. Jeremiah didn't care though. He just wanted to see Vanessa. Then, the door opened again, and it was finally her. "For you, beautiful," he said with a large smile as he handed the bouquet of flowers to Vanessa and gave her a kiss. Taking her other hand in his, he started to lead her to the kitchens. "I hope you are hungry. If Jasmine knows you well enough, then I'm sure you'll enjoy tonight's dinner." Jeremiah thought about what he had just said, and wondered if it was terrible that he hadn't even known Vanessa's favorite meal. There were a lot of things he probably didn't know about her. Had they rushed into this all too quickly? Jeremiah stopped himself from thinking. He wasn't going to allow anything ruin this night. He knew he had Vanessa and her love, and he knew how much he loved her in return. That was all that really mattered to him.

[Vanessa Baer]

“Jazz… I, as your best friend of the whole entire universe, command you to stop and tell me what it is that Jeremiah has up his sleeve. You know, I know you know.” Vanessa pointed an accusing finger at her best friend as Brantley stood leaning against a wall and held in laughter at Vanessa’s antics. “I always know when you know something I don’t, because you have that sneaky little smile on your face whenever you look at me.” She glared at the sixth year with such energy, that it took every inch of her to keep herself from breaking out into laughter as Brantley was doing at that precise moment. Jasmine merely shrugged before grabbing Brantley’s arm and pulling him in the opposite direction of Vanessa. “Hey! You can’t just walk away from me!” She called as the couple made their way into the Great Hall. Oh, this was nuts. Why couldn’t Jasmine just tell her? She stomped her foot, quite agitated, and then turned to make her way to the Hufflepuff common room and do as she was told in the note Jeremiah had slipped her. Dress casually but still dressy. Well, Vanessa could do that easily, but that didn’t mean she was going to do it without throwing a slight fit over not knowing the reason why she was doing it. Not to mention, wondering why they weren’t going to be in the Great Hall. If Jasmine wasn’t going to tell her, then, she would have to find out by actually just… going for it. As much as Vanessa liked surprises (especially ones that came from Jeremiah), she couldn’t help but still feel a little anxious about it all. She chewed on her bottom lip before mumbling the password and slipping into the common room, which was deserted except for Jordan Cortes who was lounging about on the couch and reading the Quibbler upside down. Jordan looked up at Vanessa, nodded once, and then returned to the magazine in her hands.

“You not going to eat tonight, Jordan?” She asked as she pulled her shoulder bag over her head and placed it on the table in the corner by the portrait hole. Jordan shrugged and looked up at Vanessa, “Oh, you’re waiting for Braeden. Well, tell him hullo for me. I’ve got other plans tonight. Plans that are apparently a secret.” Jordan grinned and returned to her magazine as Vanessa made her way into the seventh year girls dormitory and pushed open the door to the closet her and the rest of the seventh year girls shared. Skirts, dresses, and nice shirts hung off hangers and shoes were lined up on the bottom. There was no need to ask which clothes were Vanessa’s. Most of her nice things were turquoise. Jordan’s collection was a bit different than Vanessa’s, because most of her nice things looked Spanish. Which was completely understandable, considering Jordan’s heritage. Vanessa chewed on her lip some more as she pulled down a nice turquoise top of hers and looked over it. It was lace with a flower pattern embroidered on it. She hadn’t worn it in awhile, and it used to be her favourite top. She then reached down and picked up a pair of pointed, low heeled, and tan coloured heels. She was finished with the closet attire, now she needed pants. There wasn’t any way that Vanessa was going to wear a skirt with that top. She pulled open the drawer of her dresser and rifled through it until she pulled out her nice pair of jeans. The jeans that had cost about thirty galleons (which was quite a bit in muggle money) and that Vanessa had never worn. She shook her head at how ridiculously expensive they had been before putting them and all other things on her bed.

After a quick shower, a drying charm on her hair, and a few seconds to get dressed; Vanessa was nearly ready. She didn’t bother with make up, not wanting to take the time on something that would just come off before she went to bed anyway. She did, however, put on some jewelry and made sure her hair looked perfectly fine before checking the time. Five until six. With one last look in the mirror, Vanessa grabbed her purse and left the dormitory. There was a group of younger students talking as she passed Jordan (who was still reading the Quibbler) to head to the portrait hole. Before she could leave, though, Jordan called her back and the girls rushed past her to leave. Vanessa returned to Jordan’s side and leaned over the couch as Jordan rambled off something about Crackled Horn Snorklacks or something like that. Finally, Vanessa said she had to rush and retreated to the portrait hole again. As she stepped out, she spotted Jeremiah instantly, a smile brightened her face at the sight of him. He handed her a bouquet of roses and kissed her before leading her away from the common room. She smiled, “Thanks, they’re amazing.” She allowed herself to be lead her toward the kitchens (Vanessa had gone there numerous times) as he spoke about Jasmine. Vanessa frowned, “Don’t mention that traitor, she wouldn’t tell me what you had planned.” She sent him a look, before grinning again. “She’s pretty good at keeping secrets.”

((Permission to use Jordan Cortes, Jasmine Anderson, and Brantley Chapman in this post were given.))

[Jeremiah Baer]

"Good then," he said with an upbeat tone, "I'm glad I can trust her to help me in the future then," he added with a smile as he looked at Vanessa again while they walked. "You look lovely, by the way." They passed a few students who gave them awkward looks as they walked hand in hand down the halls, both looking somewhat out of place in their nicer clothes while walking through the castle halls. As they reached the familiar portrait, Jeremiah reached up to the pear and tickled it with his finger. He always thought it was such an odd way to get through and he much preferred the use of passwords, but in that moment, nothing was too silly for him to get to spend the time with Vanessa. He had been so excited for this night to come.

When they entered the kitchens, they were quickly greeted by a host of elves, offering to take their jackets and anything else they wanted. Then, they were escorted to a table that was decorated just as Jeremiah had planned. Lined with fancy plates, and silverware, the table and the surrounding area was illuminated only by the flickering flames of many candles. Also, there were rose petals sprinkled on the table and around on the floor. Jeremiah pulled out Vanessa's chair as she took a seat. He could barely contain his happiness and his smile showed it. "I hope you like it."

Taking a seat of his own, Jeremiah reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out the paper that he had been so anxious to be able to give to Vanessa. "Before we eat," he began, "I have something I want to show you." He unfolded the paper and let Vanessa read what was written. "It's... it's a song. Well, kind of. I mean, it's lyrics to a song that I wrote. I was hoping you could provide the music part." He gave an awkward smile, hoping Vanessa didn't think it was odd that he wrote a song for her, but expected her to actually turn it into a song. "It's just that you were the inspiration for me to write it, and so I thought it would be appropriate if you added to it."

((This is what was written on the paper...

Something's in the air tonight
The sky's alive with a burning light
You can mark my words, nowhere else I'd rather be

And I found myself in a bitter fight
While I've held your hand through the darkest night
Don't know where the future leads, but I know I've got you

Come on and we'll sing, like we were free
Push the pedal down watch the world around fly by us
Come on and we'll try, one last time
I'm off the floor one more time to find you
And here we go there's nothing left to choose
And here we go there's nothing left to lose

I think about my life before
Not knowing what was in store
You can mark my words, nowhere else I'd rather be

Love's burning in right through my core
It's something that I know I'll fight no more
Don't know where the future leads, but I know I've got you))

((The majority of those lyrics were taken from Mat Kearney's song Nothing Left to Lose and modified by me. I do not claim that I wrote any of the original phrases that were taken from his lyrics. )

[Vanessa Baer]

“No, not good,” Vanessa replied teasingly, “as much as I love these surprises, Jer, I’m pretty sure the suspense kills me a little.” She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear as they passed a group of students who gave them odd looks. She didn’t care, nor did she notice. Vanessa’s mind was on Jeremiah’s compliment; “Thanks, you don’t look too bad yourself.” She squeezed his hand with a smile as they neared the portrait. Jeremiah reached up and tickled the pear and Vanessa shook her head. That thing was so odd. Who had thought up the idea of tickling a piece of fruit on a painting to gain access to a room? The only thing that could really be associated with the kitchens would be the fact that it was a pear the person had to tickle to gain access, but other than that… it was rather random. The portrait opened and revealed the kitchens that Vanessa had been in once or twice. Only, it was never like this. She let her jaw drop as they walked in, instantly being swarmed by house elves offering to do this and that. She didn’t say or do anything to them, her eyes were on the beautiful setting before her. “This… is…” Vanessa couldn’t even find the words good enough to explain how magnificent it was. Her silence overcame her as she took her seat with Jeremiah pulling out her chair for her. He hoped she liked it. He hoped she liked it? Vanessa lifted her dark eyes to look at his bright smile, “I… Jeremiah this is… it’s… the only term I can think of is… bellissimo” The Italian had slipped out. She didn’t speak it, at all really, but bellissimo was a term she had used in her music quite often; considering the common language for music is Italian. “But even beautiful in Italian doesn’t cover it.”

Vanessa ran her fingers through her hair as Jeremiah pulled something out of his pocket. She watched, with curiosity, as he unfolded a piece of paper and handed it to her. She took it in her fingers and looked down. Lyrics. Her eyes read over them, quickly at first and then once more, slowly to digest the meaning behind them. Add music to it? Vanessa’s mind was already whirling. Notes, tempos, dynamics, all of it. Her head was thinking in counts, beats, rests. Where it would be good to crescendo, where it would be good to decrescendo, where it would be to accent. And then there was the actual music. The difficulty she could put into the piano. For a song as great as this only deserved a difficult piano piece. She looked up with a smile on her face, “I, Vanessa, was the inspiration for this? I was inspiration for something?” Vanessa had never been inspiration for anything. She was the songwriter, the pianist, the musician. She was the one who drew inspiration from others. Never was she the inspiration for something. She looked down at the lyrics again, “Jeremiah, this is really good. How could I not write to it?” she looked up quickly, “you’ll have to help me, though. It is your song, after all.” The music was already spinning in her head, but she shoved it down; locked it away so she could focus on the moment. The moment that was proving to be nothing less than spectacular.

She looked down at the lyrics once more before folding the paper up and slipping it into her purse. She knew she would go straight into writing up the music once she returned to her dorm. With a small, but bright smile, Vanessa picked up a rose petal from the table and looked it over. “I love roses, they have so many meanings. Yellow means friendship, white means innocence, pink means crush, and red means passion. People think it means love, but that’s a common misconception. Passion is what red means, and I think I like that more than I do the idea that it’s love. Passion burns forever, it’s always there… love can change. If you have passion and love, you’ll forever be happy.” Vanessa smiled again before dropping the petal, and watching it spin to the table top. She looked up at Jeremiah and shrugged, “I’ve had a lot of time on my hands to think about these things. I’m full of useless thoughts,” She rested her hands on the table, her right on top her left. “So, what’s on the menu tonight, Mr. Baer?”

[Jeremiah Baer]

As it always did, Vanessa's smile evoked a smile from Jeremiah. He was glad that she liked it and didn't think he was odd or crazy. "Don't be so surprised," he said teasingly. "The lyrics came quite easily actually. Maybe I have a future as a song-writer," he said with a laugh. "And, of course I'll help you, however I'm not sure how much help I'll be. Beyond writing lyrics, I'm afraid my music skills are either non-existent, or just really really bad." He gave her another smile as she slipped the paper into her purse and changed the conversation topic.

Vanessa sure did know a lot about rose colors and their meanings. Jeremiah had heard something of the sort before, but he never really paid much attention to it though. After she had finished explaining, Jeremiah gave a thoughtful look at the rose petals that he had selected. These particular ones were white, which he picked because he simply thought that they were the most elegant and romantic. However, given the information that Vanessa had just shared, he took his wand from his pocket and waved it over the table as he cast a simple color-changing charm that they had learned years ago. Instantly, the petals turned from their pure, white color to a deep crimson red color. "As much as innocence sounds nice, I'll go with the passion that lasts forever." He looked into Vanessa's eyes for a second and thought about the idea of forever. It was an impossible concept to grasp, but it was amazing to try. Finding a bottle of sparkling cider on the table, Jeremiah popped the cork and poured two glasses. "To us, and to being together and happy forever," he said as he raised his glass and gave Vanessa the other. Then, he took a sip of the fizzy liquid.

"Ahh, the menu," he said after Vanessa asked about it. With his fork, Jeremiah tapped the side of his glass. Almost instantly, a troop of elves appeared in a line, each holding a platter of food. "It might be a bit much, but I had a hard time narrowing it down," he said with a guilty smile. "Go ahead," he said kindly to the elf who seemed to be in charge. In one swift motion, each of the other elves whisked away the covers of the platters, revealing a variety of food. It was even better than Jeremiah had expected. "Well, what looks good?" he asked Vanessa, taking the time to survey the food for himself. Could a free meal with the love of his life get any better? he thought with a grin as he waited for Vanessa to decide.

((I gave you the freedom to come up with the food since you neglected to send me the PM with a list of food Vanessa likes. Have fun, and hopefully your stomach doesn't growl too much as you brainstorm a list of yummy dinner entrees. ))

[Vanessa Baer]

“Maybe,” Vanessa voice with a bright smile on her face, “only you would really know about being a songwriter. There are people, like me, who write lyrics for the sake of their music, and there are people who do the opposite.” She shrugged at the thought, because it was how she had always pictured it. There were artists out there who would write lyrics to music so their lyrics were heard and understood, and there were people who wrote music to lyrics to emphasise the music more than the lyrics. Vanessa did the latter more than the former because her music had always been first before her poetry turned into lyrics. “You’ll be loads of help,” she told him with a confident nod, “because you wrote it, therefore you know how you felt when you wrote it… and no one can portray that feeling better than you who captured it into lyrics, if that makes sense.” She looked down a moment as she realized she was rambling, a small blush rising to her cheeks. It was what happened when she dove into the universe of music, even if it wasn’t her music.

After rambling, again, about roses and their colours; Vanessa watched as Jeremiah took out his wand and changed the colour of the petals. She watched the blissful white turn to a deep crimson, and the smile that had dimmed to a small one returned to its brightness. “Me, too.” She responded when he said he’d go with the passion that lasts forever. When he held her gaze, she didn’t look away, though the flutter in her stomach returned at full blast just as she had started to feel… moderately comfortable and not nervous to the core. She couldn’t help thinking that even with their engagement, this was all new to her. The smiles that mean more than normal, the quick but meaningful looks, everything that came with being with someone was new to Vanessa. The flutter in her stomach, although now slightly familiar because she felt it every time she saw Jeremiah, was one she hadn’t felt time and time before. She had been too wrapped up in her music, in her issues, in herself to even think of a romantic interest… of someone who could make her stomach flutter like that. And here she was, sitting at a table with crimson rose petals sprinkled over it with the man she planned on marrying and she felt no doubts about it. Even as these thoughts spun through her head at record speed, Vanessa took the glass of sparkling cider from Jeremiah and nodded her head, as she raised her own glass. To us, she thought as she took a sip. Forever. What a long time that was. Who knew forever? It was a dizzying topic that Vanessa knew she would pour herself over in later weeks. Right now, forever seemed rather nice; actually then, more than nice. It seemed absolutely fantastic.

With a tilt of her head as Jeremiah tapped his glass with his fork, Vanessa wondered what he could possibly be doing. Then, house elves filed in; each holding a platter. She laughed as she peered at the food on each platter and then turned to look at Jeremiah, “Did you narrow it down to this? Because if you did, then I am proud of you and it’s quite alright that you couldn’t narrow it down any further. However,” she chewed on the inside of her cheek as she peered at the food before them, “this is going to be a difficult choice considering nearly all of my favourite foods are here.” She put her fingertips to her lips as she looked through the items. There was the usual Italian pasta that she hadn’t ever turned down when it was placed before her, but right next to that held up by a peaky looking blue house elf was the Turkish dish she couldn’t resist either. She surveyed the line of dishes and nodded her head before making her decision, “The pasta.” While it was something she always chose, it was because of that she chose it. The familiarity of the dish made the unfamiliarity of the flutter in her stomach dim a little. The pasta, as weird as it sounded, had been something she could hold onto just for the moment, because soon she would slip into her normal skin and be able to enjoy the evening to its full potential. “They all look amazing, though. The pasta is just something I can’t resist.” Vanessa smiled brightly as the pasta was placed in front of her.

[Jeremiah Baer]

When Vanessa told him that he had done well in narrowing down the food choices, Jeremiah smiled and then commented. "Like I said, you can thank Jasmine for helping me out." He watched as Vanessa finally made a decision. She picked the pasta, one of the more normal dishes. When Jasmine did give him the list of things Vanessa liked, Jeremiah was quite surprised at the variety. Growing up with his father, he had become accustomed to eating the same foods over and over again. For years, he grew up on TV-dinners and soda. He was excited himself to be able to try some of the more adventurous foods that were Vanessa's favorites. After she had the pasta placed in front of her, Jeremiah made his selection. "I'll go with that," he said with a smile as he pointed to the Turkish dish, somewhat unsure of what it even was. "I couldn't tell you what it's called," he said as he laughed, "but it looks quite tasty." The elf holding the dish slid it onto the table in front of Jeremiah.

After the rest of the elves and dinner entrees disappeared, Jeremiah looked slightly toward the ceiling as if he were expecting something. Just then, soft piano music started to filter through the kitchen. Grinning, he looked back at Vanessa with a guilty look in his eyes. "Yeah, I had Jasmine snatch one of your CD's." The music was smooth and somewhat romantic. Taking his napkin and placing it on his lap, Jeremiah picked up his silverware and began cutting into the food that was on his plate. After a small bite, he nodded in approval. After he finished chewing, Jeremiah looked up and with his fork, pointed it slightly toward Vanessa. "First impressions," he said, swallowing. "What were your first impressions of me. And you have to be one-hundred percent honest," he added with a knowing look.

[Vanessa Baer]

“Yeah, I’ll thank her, I’ll thank her with a nice pretty pinch in the arm.” Vanessa mumbled slightly, keeping up the appearance that she was still agitated with Jasmine’s secrecy. In truth, she now completely understood her best friend’s reasons and hadn’t actually ever been angry with her. Perhaps slightly agitated, but most of it was playful. It was fun to annoy Jasmine throughout the day with questions peppering their conversation like ‘What’s he got planned?’ or ‘Why can’t you just tell me?’ Jasmine had remained constant in not telling Vanessa, and over all that was something that Vanessa admired. She didn’t know too many girls who would have been able to keep a secret from their best friend for so long. She knew she probably wouldn’t have been able to last nearly as long as Jasmine had. Vanessa just hoped that Brantley never came to her for help with anything, Vanessa would spill the beans before he even told her what he was going to plan. Tearing her mind from her thoughts as Jeremiah chose his dish, she smiled. “It’s good, one of my favourites. Well, actually, all of those dishes were ‘one of my favourites’ so I can’t exactly say it’s good because of that specific reason. You’ll just have to trust me, I suppose.” With that said, Vanessa took another sip from her sparkling cider as music started to play around them. She looked up surprised and then grinned when Jeremiah admitted to having Jasmine steal one of her CDs. “Partners in crime, you two are.”

With that grin still on her face, Vanessa started on her pasta, twirling the noodles around on her fork without really any intention of putting them in her mouth any time soon. She looked up when Jeremiah’s voice reached her ears, “First impressions? Oh…” Vanessa paused in her pasta twirling and looked to the left a little. What were her first impressions of Jeremiah? It seemed so long ago. She chewed on her lower lip a moment before smiling; “Do you mean before or after I saw you scream out all of your worries?” The memory flooded into her mind as she thought about it. She hadn’t been back at the edge of the Forbidden Forest since that day, because the days that followed didn’t give her any reason to be stressed out or whatnot enough to scream into the open air. Vanessa started to twirl the pasta again and then she chopped the noodles in half before twirling some more and placing the delicious food into her mouth. After she swallowed she looked at Jeremiah, “Well, I was comfortable enough with you to show you my music, and to take you to my screaming spot; so I guess I saw something in you that was trustworthy.” Her mind continued to dive into the memory, trying to recall what she was thinking at the time they had met. “I think,” Vanessa scrunched up her face in thought, “just immediately after I met you… that feeling of being carefree settled in.” She shrugged and continued to twirl the pasta, “If you’re looking for some bad impression, you’ll come up empty handed. All my impressions of you were good.” She let that sink in a moment as she continued to eat her pasta.

After a minute or so, Vanessa look up at Jeremiah; “Alright, your turn. What did you think of me? And be honest, because… well… I know what I thought of myself at that moment and it wasn’t too great.”

[Jeremiah Baer]

Jeremiah smiled as Vanessa's answer brought back many memories for him. He had almost forgot about the screaming event that she had shared with him. Even if it seemed like an eternity ago, Jeremiah knew it was only months ago. Where had time vanished to? He hoped the rest of his life with Vanessa didn't go by so quickly. There was so much he wanted to share with her. The thought of raising a family together, spending time traveling together, it all made Jeremiah feel so euphoric. It was a happiness that he couldn't begin to explain. As Vanessa finished telling about her first impressions, Jeremiah's cheeks reddened a bit. Sure, he didn't expect bad things, but he also didn't expect her to be completely flatter him. "Well, I guess I shouldn't have expected anything bad," he said with a fake, disappointed look, knowing he wouldn't have anything bad to say about her either.

Sure enough, Vanessa quickly gave him the same question, however he was already prepared to answer it, having a feeling that she would ask anyways. "Well, my first impression," he began in a voice that indicated he might have something negative to say. But then he stopped and gave a wide smile as he looked into Vanessa's sparkling eyes that mirrored the dancing candle light. "... was that I needed some excuse to approach you. So that's why I asked you for something to write with." He gave her a guilty look, but then smiled again and figured he'd better start being serious before she decided that he'd found the whole topic to be just a joke. Jeremiah couldn't help it though. Vanessa had brought back a side of him that was lost during the ordeal with his father's death. The spunky and fun-loving joker inside of him was reawakened by the energy that Vanessa so magically bestowed upon him. "No, I lie. I really did need a pen that day in the library, and, when I did approach you, my first impression was that you were very caring. You actually asked questions about me that showed you were more than just one of those fake people who say hi and ask how you are doing just because it's what's expected." He gave a soft, more serious smile than his normal one, as he reached his hand across the table and put it on top of Vanessa's. He felt the stone of her ring, and it made his heart speed up a little.

Seeing that Vanessa was mostly done with her meal, and knowing that he would soon be full if he kept eating, Jeremiah stood from his chair and took the napkin that was on his lap and left it on the table. He walked around the corner of the table to where Vanessa was sitting and held out his hand. "Come with me. There's something in the kitchen waiting for us." Jeremiah noticed a bit of hesitation on her face, but after she took his hand, he turned her away from him and wrapped his arms around her, covering her eyes with his hands. "No peeking," he said as he guided her toward the kitchens. The music that had been surrounding them faded to a soft murmur in the background as they left the room where they had been eating. As they entered the kitchens, a small house-elf jumped as their presence startled her. Jeremiah laughed softly when he saw her hands snap instantly to her mouth to muffle the squeal of shock that escaped her. Then, knowing that it was time, she silently led Jeremiah to where the elves had prepared the next part of Jeremiah's request. The only sound at that point was the tiny pitter-patter noise that the elves' feet made on the kitchen floor. Still with his hands covering Vanessa's eyes, Jeremiah scanned the table before him with a large smile. "Perfect," he said to the elves with a nod. They seemed pleased to be complimented as the disappeared to leave the engaged couple alone. Then, Jeremiah took his hands from Vanessa's eyes. "Keep them closed though," he warned in a teasing voice.

Jeremiah approached the table, Vanessa still a few feet away. He scanned the multitude of items in various dishes and containers before sticking his index finger into a mound of white fluff. Then, still smiling, he walked over to Vanessa and stood right in front of her, just so that she wouldn't see the table right away and all that was covering it. "OK, open them!" he said with excitement. As soon as dark brown eyes fluttered open, Jeremiah gently took the whipped-cream and smeared a dab of it across her face, liking the remains from his finger. "Hope you saved room for dessert," he added with a wink.

((I will let you be the creative one to describe all of the ice-cream flavors and toppings. I imagine it being fairly large, so have fun and don't get too hungry doing so. ))

[Vanessa Baer]

Vanessa busied herself by twirling her pasta around her fork, listening completely to what Jeremiah was saying – though trying not to look too interested in what he had to say. Upon his first words, Vanessa stopped twirling the pasta and looked up at her fiancé with a raised eyebrow. She hid a smile at the thought of him needing an excuse to approach her. Even if she knew that was completely false and he didn’t need any excuse, it was fun to think of him having to struggle with an excuse to talk to her. What girl didn’t want someone admiring them from afar? Vanessa continued to twirl her pasta as he said he lied and then went onto explain that his first impression was that she was caring. Still twirling the pasta lightly with her left hand, she let out a small laugh, looking up into Jeremiah’s eyes; “I was interested in you. How else to get to know someone better than to ask questions?” She smiled brightly as she felt his hand on hers and she couldn’t help but feel her heart flutter a little. She took the last bite of her meal and another sip of her cider as Jeremiah rose from his seat.

“Why?” she asked with hesitation in her voice, but knowing it was Jeremiah she let herself take his hand and be led to wherever he was leading her to. She felt his hands cover her eyes and his voice in her ear, and with an anxious smile she covered his hands with hers and allowed him to guide her to the kitchen. Vanessa was vaguely reminded of an acting exercise where two people were instructed to make it through the obstacle course, one person blind folded and the other person having to lead them. If the first person didn’t trust the second, they wouldn’t make it. She didn’t know what that had to do with acting, but then again… Vanessa wasn’t an actor. She breathed in Jeremiah’s scent as they stopped walking and he said something was perfect. Then he took his hands from her eyes, and she let her hands fall away. When she was about to look at her surroundings, he told her to keep her eyes closed; and she listened, crossing her arms over her chest. She was aware of him leaving her side and then he was back in front of her.

When she slowly opened her eyes she was only given a moment to drink in that Jeremiah was standing in front of her before he put whipped-cream on her face. Vanessa laughed when he said he hoped she saved room for dessert and reached up to wipe the whipped-cream from her face with her thumb and then suck it off before looking past Jeremiah at the row of desserts behind him. She let out a groan of pleasure as she linked her arm through his and pulled him over to the table. “We have the classic vanilla, the dubious chocolate, the creamy strawberry, and… is that pistachio?” Vanessa peered at the greenish coloured ice cream before turning her attention further down the table. “Ooo, then it gets more complex. We evolve into vanilla smothered in chocolate sauce, or the ever so famous chocolate covered in caramel sauce. There’s even bananas. I dare say, fiancé of mine, you’ve thought of everything.”

Vanessa surveyed the desserts some more before choosing a mint chocolate chip with whipped-cream and nuts. She took up a spoon and dipped it into the minty green ice cream, watching Jeremiah as he chose his dessert. “You know, this night is amazing. Thank you,” she smiled as she put the spoon in her mouth and cleaned the ice cream off it. The cold froze her tongue and numbed her throat, but before long she craved another bite. She quieted her craving by taking another bite and then setting the spoon in the bowl before bouncing over to Jeremiah and kissing his cheek, “Have I mentioned I love you tonight? I mean, ‘cos you deserve it if I haven’t.”

[Jeremiah Baer]

As Vanessa began to name the various flavors of ice cream, Jeremiah followed her eager eyes as they danced from one bowl to another. "I believe it is pistachio," he said, somewhat unsure himself. While Vanessa began to choose and create her own ice cream dish, Jeremiah grabbed a bowl and held a spoon up to his mouth as he pondered the possible combinations. Then, he grabbed a clean scoop and dug it into a bowl of light pink ice cream. After filling his own bowl, he drizzled chocolate syrup onto the strawberry ice cream, topping the heap of his creation with not one but three cherries.

Jeremiah watched Vanessa dig in to her dessert with a smile on his face. He ate a spoon of his own, enjoying the mix of berry and chocolate tastes. "You," he began, pointing his spoon at her with a loving smile as he swallowed the sweet ice cream that softened in his mouth. "...you are what makes this night amazing. So, thank you." Grinning, Jeremiah put his bowl and spoon down when Vanessa happily kissed him on the cheek, letting him know that she loved him. "Do I get another kiss if it's the first time you told me tonight?" he asked with a guilty grin. Then, taking Vanessa in his arms, Jeremiah kissed her before she could give a response. The ice cream had left a sweet aftertaste in his mouth, but Vanessa's kisses were much sweeter. Knowing that he had her to wake up to for the rest of his life made Jeremiah happy.

"More ice cream?" he asked, pointing to the puddle of green liquid that quickly formed in Vanessa's bowl. "You can try some of mine. You do like strawberries, right? Because, well, I don't know what I'll do if you don't. Strawberries are probably my favorite fruit, next to kiwi's and pineapple of course. What's your favorite fruit?" he asked. "Also, I've never met a girl who didn't like chocolate. Well, actually I did, but she was rather odd. Tell me you like chocolate." Jeremiah gave Vanessa curious glance, taking a bit while he waited for her answer.