10/10 Instance: An Unexpected Course

[Starfish]

Timelined for January 12th.


<Jessica> Jess smiled at Sebastian as she rejoined him at the table, followed by waiters with the food. "So, how are you enjoying your birthday so far?"

<Shaw> Sebastian smiled up at her over the rim of his scotch glass. "I confess I would have preferred you on the stage instead of in the kitchen, but I suppose that can come later, yes?"

<Shaw> He rose from his seat and pulled out her chair, taking a moment to graze his nose over her shoulder as she moved in close. Breathing deeply, he turned his face toward hers and kissed her cheek as she sat.

<Jessica> She laughed softly, turning her head to brush her lips lightly over his, "Only if you're my partner - can't have you getting jealous."

<Shaw> "True." He smiled and gave her a quick kiss as the meal was served. Returning to his seat, Sebastian reached over the table and took her hand. "Thank you, love."

<Jessica> She squeezed his hand gently, "You're welcome... I hope you like your dinner..."

<Shaw> "I'm certain I will." He sat back, eyes on hers as the waiters worked.

<Jessica> "So, have you had a good day so far?" She cocked her head on one side, watching him with a half smile.

<Shaw> "Well, it wasn't a day at the office," he responded, setting aside his scotch and watching with a half-irritated smirk as it was snatched up by a server. "As I didn't have to go to the office." Mimicking her head tilt, he smirked. "I suppose the move to Boston has its advantages."

<Jessica> "It does! I see you much more... and there's snow!" She paused, "We should build a snowman! I can do that now!"

<Shaw> Ah, the reminder of Sarkissian's touch upon her. "There is snow," he said, taking a slow sip of wine to replace his scotch. He studied the glass, swirling the burgundy liquid. Recalling that she couldn't tolerate cold for so long, Sebastian looked up at her with a smile. "I suppose we could, if you'd like. It would brighten up the place."

<Jessica> "It'll be fun!" she grinned, "Well I hope it will, it always looked fun." She picked up her own glass and took a sip, "But we can do that some other day, today is all about you so what do you want to do after dinner?"

<Shaw> He considered the ceiling, his glass still moving in lazy circles. "I haven't thought about it overmuch." Eyes moving to catch hers, he smirked. "I would suggest we don't return to the new campus for a while. If for no other reason, to avoid the croaking."

<Jessica> She giggled, "Yeah, sorry about that... again... They're cute though, you have to admit that."

<Shaw> Sebastian's eyebrow quirked up at that. "Hmm, yes."

<Jessica> She grinned, picking up her chopsticks, "So where would you prefer to go instead?"

<Shaw> "I'm not entirely sure. We could look at real estate - window shop, so to speak." He dropped his napkin in his lap and picked up his own chopsticks.

<Jessica> "So you're not planning on going to bed at all?" She smirked before taking a bite of food.

<Shaw> "Since when do we require a bed?" He returned the smirk, taking a slow bite. Quickly, he was distracted and smiled at her. "This is wonderful, koibito."

<Jessica> "Thank you," she smiled, still giggling from his question, "Well I'd assume you'd like to sleep at some point but maybe I'm wrong..."

<Shaw> "We'll see where the night takes us," he responded.

<Jessica> "Will you write me a note if I have to skip class in the morning to sleep in?" she grinned around the rim of her glass as she took another sip of wine.

<Shaw> "While I believe it's likely a conflict of interest, I assume the administration would let such a transgression slide." Chuckling, he turned his attention to the food.

<Jessica> "Well they better or one of us is going to make someone cry."

<Shaw> Sebastian grinned up at her. "Indeed."

<Jessica> "If we end up doing that... I'll race you."

<Shaw> "I do enjoy a challenge."

<Jessica> "It'd be a fun project, that's for sure..." she paused, "Is it bad that I wonder how much it would take to make the agents around the place run screaming for their mothers? It is bad, isn't it?"

<Shaw> "I would say the vampire boy would agree with you." Sebastian smirked, tilting his head as he took a bite and chewed. "I still can't recall his name. The squatter."

<Jessica> Jess frowned, thinking about it for a long moment, "I don't know either... it was something weird..."

<Shaw> "Something from your side of the Atlantic." He dismissed it with a shrug, gesturing to a waiter to refill their glasses.

<Jessica> "But not my side of the Irish Sea." She countered with a playful grin, "Maybe Professor O'Keeffe can translate for us so we don't have to be embarrassed for forgetting."

<Shaw> Sebastian gave her a look that clearly said he wasn't embarrassed for anything, extracting another bite with his chopsticks.

<Jessica> "Okay well you can get it wrong and have everyone laugh at you and I won't save you but I'm not going to do that to myself." She poked her tongue out at him.

<Shaw> He blinked slowly, mouth quirked in a crooked grin.

<Jessica> "What? You think I can't keep a secret?"

<Shaw> "From me? I hope not."

<Jessica> "Even if it's for your own betterment?" She gave him another cheeky grin before sipping her drink.

<Shaw> "Oh, well that's the worst reason," he scoffed with a laugh.

<Jessica> "I can think of a better reason but I'm sure I'm not supposed to talk about those things at the dinner table."

<Shaw> This made him tilt his head at her in question.

<Jessica> She grinned, If I know something you don't know... you could always try to make me talk...

<Shaw> You're right, he responded with a smile. Quite impolite for the dinner table. Unless we used the dinner table, of course.

<Jessica> She giggled, quietly, Mmhmm, and what would the poor staff do if we did that?

<Shaw> Stare into the middle distance politely. His eyes not leaving her face, he took another bite, the humor still in his expression.

<Jessica> Luckily for them, I'm not much of an exhibitionist... She had another bite of her food, watching him watching her.

<Shaw> Sebastian gave her a mental caress, as if he'd trailed his fingertips down her spine. Along with this was a wash of emotions and his pleasure at sharing her company.

<Jessica> Jess sat up a little straighter at the sensation, her eyebrows going up as she shot Sebastian a look. I know it's your birthday but not in public!

<Shaw> He smiled, flashing her predatory teeth, and took a sip of his wine, watching her over the rim of his glass. It's difficult to resist. This time, he kept the feelings to simple affection.

<Jessica> Her smile back was full of her own feelings of affection towards him. She was happy just sitting opposite him for dinner every evening, it certainly was never boring.

<Shaw> The sensation of her in the back of his mind made his smile soften to something more real. As challenging as the situation may be, in regards to the school, I'm glad I came here, with you.

<Jessica> Good, I'm glad you don't regret it... I was worried you'd hate it... and not just because of surprise frogs.

<Shaw> Setting his glass down, he reached across the table and took her hand, tangling their fingers together. I do not.

<Jessica> Her eyes were drawn to their hands and she gave another soft smile, I'd miss you if you hadn't come...

<Shaw> As I would miss you. He squeezed her hand, his own gaze traveling from her face to their hands. I'm afraid my abilities aren't quite up to task to maintain this connection between New York and Boston.

<Jessica> It is a long way... She returned the squeeze, I'm glad we don't have to worry about that.

<Shaw> Well, I will need to go to New York from time to time, but you're correct. He met her eyes again.

<Jessica> As long as it's not for too long... She cocked her head on one side, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. I'll miss you when you're away.... and it would be weird to be in the 'teacher house' without him there.

<Shaw> I will do my best. He brought her hand to his lips, turning it to kiss her fingers, then her wrist.

<Jessica> I know you will... Her fingers curled a little with the attention to her wrist.

<Shaw> Sebastian met her eyes, lips still pressed to her skin, feeling her pulse. Marry me.

<Jessica> Jess blinked at him, completely taken by surprise. Sure, they'd talked about it but she hadn't expected it to happen, least of all this soon. She wondered if she was taking too long to answer.

<Shaw> As he could sense her surprise, but not abject terror or revulsion, he wasn't alarmed by her silence. It needn't be soon, but I've thought about this.

<Jessica> She nodded, very gently withdrawing her hand so that she could fold them both in her lap. She needed to think about this... or something... maybe think less about it. "I'll... be right back..." she pushed her chair out a little and got to her feet to retreat to the restroom.

<Shaw> His eyes fell to his plate, then his lap as he flattened his hand on the table as if smoothing the tablecloth. Not wanting her to feel his reaction, he quietly raised his shielding.

<Jessica> She spent several minutes just staring at her reflection in the mirror, attempting to work out how she felt. Once she thought she'd figured it out, she washed and dried her hands and smoothed down her dress before heading back out into the restaurant and back to their table.

<Jessica> Instead of going back to her seat, she went to Sebastian, sliding a hand across the back of his shoulders and bending to brush her lips lightly over his ear before whispering into it, "Okay."

<Shaw> Looking back up from his thoughts when she reappeared, he watched the sway of her hips as she approached. Sebastian closed his eyes at the touch, head bowing. He smiled slightly, reaching up to take her hand on his shoulder. "I realize I startled you." He paused to swallow. "You needn't feel beholden."

<Jessica> "I don't..." she assured him, "I needed to be sure... that's why I had to take a few minutes to clear my head... sorry if I worried you..." she cupped his cheek with her free hand. "You know I love you."

<Shaw> "Yes, but we both know love doesn't always end well." He looked up at her finally, giving her a smile.

<Jessica> "Yes, we do... but I don't want this to end..." she brushed her thumb over his cheek gently, "I want to be with you."

<Shaw> Sebastian's eyes fluttered closed for a moment at the caress, chest tight from her words. He squeezed her hand, rising from his chair and turning to face her, sliding his arms around her.

<Jessica> She smiled, sliding her own arms around him and resting her cheek on his shoulder, "In case you want clarification... I will marry you..."

<Shaw> "Excellent." He held her, nuzzling her hair and breathing in her scent. The nervousness was quickly fading now. Though Jessica and Madelyne were two very different people, and more than a decade had passed since his last experience, he'd been afraid.

<Jessica> Jess closed her eyes, enjoying being close to him for a long moment before lifting her head and turning her face towards his to catch his lips in a kiss.

<Shaw> He returned the kiss, raising a hand to slide it into her hair and brush his thumb across her cheek.

<Jessica> Deepening the kiss, she pressed herself close to him, ignoring the sounds of other people around them. Her focus was entirely on Sebastian.

<Shaw> If they had been alone, things would have quickly progressed. He did, however, open his mind to her.

<Jessica> The strength of feeling suddenly opened up to her nearly overtook her own but she managed to get ahold of herself however much she didn't want to at the moment. Breaking off the kiss, she pressed her forehead to his and smiled happily.

<Shaw> Thoughts and emotions passed freely between them and he was nearly overwhelmed as much as she. His smile mirrored hers, completely happy and at peace as he threaded his fingers through her hair and peppered small kisses on her cheeks and nose and eyelids.

<Jessica> She laughed, turning her head to hide her face against his neck. "How long do you think you can wait until you want to tell people?"

<Shaw> "As soon as possible, I would think, simply to watch their reactions," he said with a chuckle, squeezing her tight against him.

<Jessica> She giggled, nuzzling his neck, "That will be interesting, that's for sure." Though she slightly dreaded Bobby's reaction as he'd never particularly taken to the idea of her and Sebastian. "If anyone tries to ruin it for either of us, I will smack them."

<Shaw> Monet came to mind, but mostly made him chuckle. "Only if it's someone who wouldn't enjoy that," he laughed.

<Jessica> "Oh, of course, it wouldn't be much of a lesson otherwise... I'd have to get creative if they liked that sort of thing." She grinned, "That could be just as fun as telling people."

<Shaw> Now that the mood had lifted, he stepped back from her and reached into his breast pocket. He withdrew a small, velvet pouch, engulfing it in his palm and closing his fingers over it. "Jessica, love," he started, surveying the weight of the little object in his hand.

<Jessica> She watched his hands before turning her attention back to his face, "Yes, Sebastian?"

<Shaw> He uncovered the object in his hand, cradling it in the black velvet and holding it up for her inspection.

<Jessica> Her eyes were drawn to the ring then and she smiled again at him, "It's beautiful..."

<Shaw> "It was my mother's ring. Not her wedding ring, but her favorite, an antique from her family. It's been in the safe in my penthouse for years." Sebastian looked back up to her face with a soft smile. "It's not a proper engagement ring, but we can shop for one to your liking."

<Jessica> "Oh no, we don't have to... I mean... if you want to... but I like this just fine..." she chewed her lip, "I'm going to stop talking now because I don't want to offend you or something..."

<Shaw> Sebastian smiled and leaned in to give her a quick kiss, then stepped back to smoothly go down on one knee. He took her hand.

<Jessica> Jess was well aware that she was now blushing quite a bit, "Sebastian..."

<Shaw> "My beautiful Jessica," he said with a smile and charmed by her blush. "Will you marry me?"

<Jessica> "You know I will... now get up, you're embarrassing me!" She tugged on his hand.

<Shaw> He laughed, sharing his absolute joy with her. "Not until I've done this as tradition requires, love." His hands were trembling a little when he brought up the petite filigreed sapphire ring. Nearly missing her hand at his first effort, he managed to slip it onto her ring finger. "It's nothing ostentatious, but I've always found it beautiful. It would make my mother proud."

<Jessica> She smiled again, deciding not to wait for him to get up and dropping down to kneel in front of him, wrapping her arms around him to pull him close to her for a kiss.

<Shaw> He held her tightly, losing himself in the kiss and in the idea that again, after so many years, the loss of his parents, and every missed opportunity, that he could have a family - could create one.

<Jessica> Jess pressed her forehead to his when the kiss broke off, "Everyone's looking..."

<Shaw> "Of course they are - we just got engaged." He smiled, standing straight and assisting Jess to her feet. Taking her left hand, he kissed the knuckle just above the new ring, then bowed his head to the bystanders.

<Shaw> Luckily, there had been very few other patrons at the restaurant, but they, and the servers, broke into polite applause and offers of congratulations.

<Jessica> Jess smiled, hiding a bit behind Sebastian at all the attention, but feeling very happy all the same.

<Shaw> The attention bothered him not at all, but he shielded her from the others nonetheless. "Perhaps it's time to find dessert elsewhere?"

<Jessica> She nodded, "I'd like that... there'd be less staring..."

<Shaw> "All right then," he chuckled, calling over the waiter to settle their bill.

<Jessica> Jess frowned making sure that she paid for the meal, "It's your birthday... my treat."

<Shaw> "You've already given me an astounding gift, my love," he said, but allowed her to deal with the waiter.

<Jessica> "But I didn't know I was going to give you that one..." she leaned to kiss his cheek, "I'm glad you liked it though... I love you... happy birthday."

<Shaw> He returned the sentiment, resting his hand on her hip until their debt was settled. "This is, so far, my best birthday in memory."

<Jessica> "Well good... but now I have to start planning next year's so I can keep it up..." she gave him a grin.

<Shaw> "You may well have upped the ante on your own birthday next year as well," he teased, retrieving their coats from the staff.

<Jessica> She giggled, taking her coat from him and putting it on, "I'll have to watch out, then."

<Shaw> "I don't suppose you got the Aston out of customs for me as well, did you? That is the only thing lacking to make this the perfect day." Helping her into her coat, he shrugged on his own.

<Jessica> "No, I didn't think dosing them with pheromones would be a good idea... might have taken too long and then I'd have missed dinner." She gave him a cheeky grin.

<Shaw> Shooting her a playfully stern face, he quickly smirked. "I'm certain you can thing of some way to make it up to me this evening." He took her hand and kissed it again, quickly, before interlacing their fingers and moving toward the door. The rental car was nicely roomy, after all.