Realization hurts(Darcy,cont.)

[darcyneumann]

"You got it."
As soon as the door was closed, Casey turned back to Lisa. "Pizza? Let's see how many toppings we can fit on one base?"

It was times like these when Darcy realised that she really hadn't been out in a while. In fact, the last time she had actually been seeing someone was, what, two years ago? Yikes.

She'd never been to this part of town before, it was definitely for those more experienced with the city and the area in general. It wasn't anything to look at, the once she was inside the club, she couldn't help but look around in awe.
"Wow."
She looked at him and grinned, he looked so handsome in this lighting. "A glass of red wine," she said, "please."
Once they had their drinks, Darcy made her way over to a couple of seats with a small table between them. Seating herself down, she tugged her jacket off, then took her glass in her hand and held it up to Hugo.
"To our daughters."

[hugodouglass]

"I can do that." He walked over to one of the stations and got a glass of red wine for Darcy and a Molotov Cocktail for himself(vodka, cranberry juice, lemon juice. Explosive.). Hugo chuckled, lightly clinking his glass with hers, saying:
"Here here." He took a drink from his glass and realized WHY this thing was called a Molotov. It felt like his throat was on fire. It did have a nice aftertaste though.
"You feeling ok? I know this wasn't exactly the best way to spend time with your daughter. Being held hostage by a mad student and all."

[darcyneumann]

Darcy chuckled a little, although she wasn't sure why. Maybe she was getting used to the chaos that was becoming her life or something.
"I'm as okay as anyone can be after that I guess," she said, "although, considering I was almost blown up the other day, I guess this didn't really compare."
Taking a sip of her wine, she smiled - it was good, a good few years old and oaked, like a wine should be.
"Casey and I started our relationship by going through a hard time," she said, "with her parent's deaths and both of us adjusting to a new lifestyle. We stick together and we get through it, that's how we cope. I'm sure we'll be fine after this as well."
Looking at him, she said, "she really seems to have taken to Lisa, treating her like the little sister she never had."

[hugodouglass]

Hugo laughed, taking another sip of his explosive before responding:
"Yeah, she really has. Lisa has always wanted someone she could goof around with that wasn't thirty years older than her. I can be goofy if I need to be, but an eight year old's mind works very differently than mine. I'm glad Casey was even willing to put us up. We were complete strangers to her only a few days ago. And I can't see your face." Hugo wanted to see her face, the way she reacted to things. Not just because she thought she had a nice face, but also because that was one way he read people.
"Come on, lets go upstairs."

Upstairs was more of the same, except there were three medium sized balcony areas where one could view a lot of Old Downtown, plus a lot more of the city. It was a clear night, plus there were lights on outside. He led her to one of the balconies, noting a few tables and chairs set out. He used one of the tables to set his drink down, saying as he did so:
"See? More light, more privacy. Great area." Hugo walked over to the edge of the balcony, looking over the cityscape of San Francisco with a twinge of nostalgia. He had been here several times(on this same balcony in fact) with Lisa, when the two of them were still dating and made trips up here. Hugo then looked over at Darcy, noting the differences she and Lisa possessed. Lisa was more brash, more arrogant than Darcy. She also didn't have a great rear end like Darcy.

But that was besides the point.
"It's ok to come closer. I don't bite."

[darcyneumann]

"Casey would probably put anyone up," Darcy admitted, "she's so trusting with everyone she meets. Until they break that trust of course, then you see her scary side."
Her cheeks flushed a soft shade of pink, which wasn't easy to see in this light, when he moved them specifically so that he could see her face.

Just when she thought she couldn't have any more admiration for this club, they stepped out onto the balcony, the lights of the city twinkling back at her from the distance. Leaving her drink next to his, she said, "I have to agree."

Leaning against the railing, a cool but gentle breeze tickled her face, blowing her hair around a little. It took her a moment to realise what he'd said, the mesmerising view distracting her.
Side-stepping closer, she rested her shoulder against his, playing with her bracelet absentmindedly.
"It's been a long time since I've done anything like this," she said quietly, "Casey, work, something is always going on."

[hugodouglass]

Hugo chuckled, knowing that it was the same way for him. It didn't matter if he was tired and his bones were aching, there was always some poor kid who turns in a missing persons report on her mother, who later gets found at the bottom of a river due to public intoxication or some husband submitting suspicious claims about a foiled robbery. Not to mention Lisa. She took up the rest of his time.
"You know what I said to the officer when I was in the lobby, waiting for you guys?" He looked over at her with a small smile before continuing:
"I said I was waiting for my family. It sure felt like a family in my head. Today I mean." Hugo knew this probably sounded really odd, but he had never had a stable home life, never had a chance to have family outings that were normal. And Darcy had given him that chance, that opportunity. He let a few moments of silence pass before he leaned in and did something he had wanted to do since he saw her face.

Kiss her.

It was gentle, almost apprehensive, Hugo not knowing what reaction she would have(if any), but he didn't care at this point: he had gotten caught up in his own emotions, his own desires, and allowed it to show. The damage was done.

[darcyneumann]

Darcy looked across at him, her eyes widening slightly as he admitted what he'd said earlier, but her lips pulled upwards into a smile.
If she was honest, then the four of them spending time together had felt like the family she'd never really had - her family had always been disjointed, just her and her Dad, then just her and Casey. It was never really whole, complete.

His lips pressed against hers and her heart skipped a beat.
Wow.
There was a moment where her brain stalled, starved of oxygen and a little surprised, but then her instincts took over - her heart puttering back into life she kissed him back, laying a hand on his arm as she did so.
Not wanting to go too far - sure he'd made the first move, but she didn't know where he was at with his feelings about past experiences, Lisa - she parted there lips, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them wide and looking at him.
Were there any lines that weren't cheesy after a kiss like that?

[hugodouglass]

All Hugo could do was laugh, saying:
"I wasn't expecting that. With all of my training, you would think I could control my emotions, all the feelings..."As he was talking, he had slipped his arms around her waist, the two now facing each other. The lights were making Darcy's iris' shine. Picture perfect. He couldn't help but kiss her again, this time more longingly, more convincingly, as if he was trying to verify that what he had in his arms was real, solid person, not just vaporous dream. After a few moments, Hugo released, saying quietly:
"Tell me something: am I crazy for wanting to love you?"

[darcyneumann]

Darcy breathed into the second kiss, enjoying it just as much, if not more than the first. Her hands crept up to his face, smoothing the skin around his jaw line as their lips tangled with one anothers'.
She wasn't sure how to answer his question, steadying her breathing gave her the couple of moments she needed to process what he had said.
"Would it be wrong or egotistical of me to say, no?"

[hugodouglass]

He gave her "the" smile, bringing her close to him as he told her:
"Not at all...not. At. All." For a few small moments, Hugo could feel some of the angst, some of the drawn out anxiety that Lisa's death had caused within him to disappear, replaced by emotions that he had not felt in years. Love, peace, serenity, all those feelings floated around his body and seemed to electrify him right down to his core. Hugo brushed a strand of hair from Darcy's face, a moment of realization coming to him as he looked at his new lover's(possibly) face. He didn't want to see her end up like Lisa, he didn't want her to get involved in something she might not want to be in. Hugo, acting on that emotional whim, said:
"You don't have to be with me, you know. You see what I do every day, you see what I have to face."

[darcyneumann]

A wide smile blossoming across her own face, she took the time to just breath him in, all of him. She'd never expected to fall for a guy like him, someone who wasn't necessarily secure - his job was dangerous, that came with a whole host of repurcussions. But when a person saw him like this, saw him with his daughter, it was hard to believe any woman would be able to resist.
"Now you're crazy," she said, her smile still present. "Yes, I see what you do every day, I'm very acutely aware of it. But I want to be there, I want to be the one that you look forward to coming home to at the end of the day, the one that loves you so much that nothing can touch you." Now who was getting nonsensical and emotional?

[hugodouglass]

Hugo kissed Darcy once more before bringing her closer, allowing her the liberty to put her head on his chest. He looked over the San Francisco scene (the lights, the outrageous projections for companies trying to get noticed, the occasional scream of a ship engine from across the bay) and knew in his heart that he couldn't be happier, that he wouldn't want to be anywhere else at the moment.
"You think Casey is going to approve of our romance?" He asked jokingly.

Hugo's communicator was buzzing back at Casey's apartment, the ID of the caller not displayed on the screen.

[darcyneumann]

"Are you kidding?" Darcy smirked as she did what was hinted, and rested her head against his chest - his heart was beating steady and strong - "If she doesn't hit the ceiling with excitement I'll eat my favourite pair of shoes."
What concerned her more was how a certain little one was going to react. "What about Lisa?"

Pizza mountain, that's what Casey and Lisa had decided to call their masterpiece. It was a two girl job getting it in the oven and then the top layer of toppings burned to a crisp - but once they were tossed in the bin and they got to the ones underneath, it was delicious.
"Well, fellow master of pizza making, what do you want to do now?"
She was distracted by the communicator for a moment, wandering over to see why it was buzzing. She didn't answer it, of course. One, it was rude to answer without permission, and the fact that the caller ID didn't show made her a little anxious - who knew who was on the other end of that line?

[hugodouglass]

"I'll explain that to her when I see there's a proper moment. She still misses her mother." There have been times when Lisa would climb into Hugo's bed, snuggle up next to him and then hit him with:
"I miss mom." She would cry, Hugo would comfort her, put her back to bed, cycle complete. He would have to break it to her soon, though. If Lisa inadvertently caught the two of them in an embrace or a kiss, he wouldn't know HOW she would react(she has a talent for finding Hugo in bad moments). He squeezed Darcy tight for a moment before releasing her, going over to where they had left their drinks. Hugo returned, handing Darcy her wine glass as he raised his own glass, saying:
"Not only to our daughters then, but to us."

Lisa was lying on the living room floor, the effort of eating all that food draining her energy.
"That was a LOT of pizza." She burped loudly, giggling after the discharge of air. It was obvious she had a LOT of fun. The girl sat up, asking:
"Casey, is Darceeee your mom?"

[darcyneumann]

"Yeah, that's understandable," Darcy agreed, wrapping her arms around him, holding him for a moment before he pulled away. She'd make sure they were careful in front of Lisa, she didn't want to unsettle her in any way, or impose. She would never be Lisa's mother, but she could still be her friend.
Taking her glass, she smiled at him, "to us," she nodded, raising her glass as well before polishing off her wine. It had such a beautiful flavour, she could have had several more. Glancing at her watch, it was amazing how time had flown. "Maybe we should be getting back?" she suggested.

Casey went over and lay on the floor beside Lisa, her stomach complaining about being horizontal now as apposed to vertical.
She paused for a moment before answering the girl's question, "yes, yes she is," she said with a nod, her hair getting messed up as it rubbed against the floor, "not my mother," she corrected herself, "biologically speaking, but she's definitely my Mom. She's one of the most loving people I've even known, and I don't know what I'd do without her."
She smiled across at Casey. "Your Dad is pretty cool," she said, "I bet you look up to him, don't you?"