A Proper Thank You

Who: Jericho and Jocelyn
Where: Jericho's House
When: Thursday, August 30, 2007, 9:00pm

It hadn't taken very long for Jocelyn to find out where Jericho resided. She initially had tried the old-fashioned means by looking through the phone book, but he wasn't listed. Given he was a vampire - and a psychiatrist, she made a few inquiries within Babylon, and to those she knew in town, before finally tracking down his address. She probably could have just called, but it was a rare occasion - or really never - that a guy sent her roses, so she wanted to thank him in person for the kind gesture.

She was well aware of the hours most vampires kept - and even if he was awake during daytime for his patients, she didn't want to interrupt his work so she waited until long after sunset to dress appropriately and head out. With the piece of paper in her hand scrawled with his address, she walked for awhile until she reached Northrup Street. Pausing outside of his house, she gave it a once over, deciding she quite liked it, before she took a breath and headed for the stairs. She could almost hear Val mocking her in her ear, which promptly annoyed her that she was thinking of him at all. Shaking her head, Jocelyn brushed a hand through her hair, took another deep breath and reached out to buzz the intercom.

***

Jericho had finally, finally fallen asleep after Manhattan's phone call, and he'd actually managed to sleep for an entire thirty minutes, his longest stretch of uninterrupted slumber in nearly two days. He shifted, and the swish of the bedclothes awakened him. If sleep aids would work, he'd take them by the handful at this point.

He'd checked his watch, and when he saw that sunset would have already occurred he'd dragged himself up the two flights of stairs to the bathroom, and had taken a long, hot shower. Jericho was actually amazed at how much better he'd felt afterward, refreshed, muscles relaxed, smelling of something other than blood and sex for the first time in almost a full day. Hair wet and combed back, he'd slipped into a pair of burgundy silk sleep pants and a white, sleeveless cotton tee. Not exactly his usual, fashionable look, but he wasn't planning on going anywhere tonight, no matter how hungry he got. Barefoot, he'd padded downstairs, made a quick trip to the kitchen and poured himself a blackberry brandy to sniff.

Jericho stoked a small fire in the hearth, settled back into a comfortable chair. He took a long, deep huff of the brandy: sweet, tart, clean smelling. Sighing, he leaned his head back and for the first time in days, the vampire felt truly relaxed.

***

Jocelyn waited for a few moments, glancing over her shoulder every couple of seconds. It was dark, and like Val said, he wasn't the worst thing wandering the streets. One never could be too careful, even if she was confident that she could take care of herself. Looking back at the door, she wondered if perhaps he wasn't home. Or maybe he was still sleeping? She nearly turned to leave when she paused and decided to try again. If he didn't answer this time, she would just write a quick note and leave it at the door. Nibbling on her bottom lip briefly, she reached out to ring the intercom once more.

Startled, Jericho nearly upended his snifter. He'd drifted off; looking up at the mantle clock he saw that nearly ten minutes had gone by that he couldn't rightly account for. Who was calling on him unannounced at this time of night on a weekday? Momentarily concerned that the werefox boy, Fallon, might have become upset and returned, he set his brandy down on an end table, then rushed to the door. Flinging it open, he was shocked and surprised. Most pleasantly so.

"Jocelyn?" the vampire smiled as he opened the screen door for her. "Please, come in."

She smiled as he opened the door, and stepped inside when he offered. As she did so, she took in his casual state of dress. Immediately she wondered if she had woken him, or possibly interrupted something else, so she didn't go any further than just inside the front door. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting something. I just wanted to stop by and thank you for the flowers. They were completely unnecessary but very much appreciated," Jocelyn told him.

"No, you're not interrupting at all!" he assured her quickly. "I had a long day, and had just settled in to relax. Please, have a seat and make yourself at home." The vampire gestured toward a loveseat that sat perpendicular to the fireplace. "Can I offer you a drink?"

"Water, if you don't mind," Jocelyn replied, taking a seat on the loveseat he'd motioned to. She knew he was probably offering her liquor, but being the lightweight she was, she figured it wasn't a good idea. She set her purse beside her and let her eyes wander around the interior of his home. It was wonderfully decorated. The fire was nice, even though it was August. The rains over the last few days had put such a damper on everything outside.

Jericho smiled. "Water it is, then. If you'll excuse me for a moment, I'll also get out of my PJs." He paused for a second, chuckling lightly. "That didn't come out right." If the vampire had been capable of blushing he probably would have right then. "I meant, I'll go change into something more appropriate."

She laughed a bit, more at his reaction than what he actually said. "Ah. I figured that's what you meant," Jocelyn replied with a bright smile. "Don't worry, I'll just wait right here."

He headed quickly upstairs , but not too quickly, and went straight to the closet room. In the interest of time, he simply grabbed a pair of jeans and a light blue polo shirt and slipped into them, not bothering with shoes. Not much more than a minute later he came trotting back down the steps, made his way to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the 'fridge. After the events of the past twenty-four hours, the thing's he'd done, Jericho had a momentary sense of strangeness at feeling suddenly like a high school kid on his first date. He wasn't sure what to make of it, so he pushed the fleeting thought aside.

"Here you go...you're not driving, are you?" Jericho said with mock concern, untwisting the bottle cap before handing Jocelyn the water.

She laughed and took the bottle of water. "Thank you. And no, I had a feeling I might be having a drink or two, so I walked." She did note the glass of brandy, and had imagined him sitting there just smelling it. It almost made her feel bad for being able to drink something herself, even if it was just water. "You have a really beautiful home. I've passed by it a few times on my self tours of Marquette."

Jericho retrieved his brandy and settled back into his easy chair. "I got really lucky with this place," he commented. "It didn't need a lot of work, inside or out. It had been owned by a CPA; the basement had already been remodeled as his office, and wired for phone and internet. And I've always been fond of Victorians. Older homes always seem...I don't know... 'homier' than the cookie-cutter pre-fabs they build these days. There's something to be said for antiquities." The vampire smiled gently and raised his glass, first toward Jocelyn then briefly under his nose.

"I've always preferred older homes myself," Jocelyn told him, eyes wandering up and over the room again. "I've always wanted to buy an older home, one I plan on living in for awhile, and fix it up. That won't be for quite some time, of course, but it's on my list of things to do before I'm thirty...though it may be forty at this point," she said with a smile in his direction.

One of those awkward silences ensued, the kind when the persons involved in the conversation either aren't sure where to take it next, or they do know what they want to say or ask but aren't certain they should. The sort of sudden pause in discussion where your eyes roam the room as if you're looking for something to talk about, or for an answer to an unasked question. That uncomfortable silence that always seemed much longer than it actually was.

"I'm glad you liked the flowers," Jericho finally said, smiling gently at the young woman, "and I hope you didn't think it too forward of me. I usually don't send ladies flowers after only having met them once." The vampire's face scrunched up slightly, and he considered the ceiling for a moment. "As a matter of fact, I've never been much of a flower-sender at all," he chuckled.

Jocelyn returned his smile, glancing down briefly at the water bottle in her hand. It was still hard to believe she was having this conversation with a vampire. He was distinctively different from Val in a lot of ways. But as she'd promised herself earlier, she wasn't going to compare the two. "It was an incredibly nice gesture. To be honest I've never been much of a flower receiver myself, so I think it seemed to work out perfectly for the both of us."

There were a hundred questions he wanted to ask her. Do you actually live inside the walls of Babylon, and if so, why? What sort of 'customer service' work do you do? Though adding those two things together had given him a vague suspicion, but not one important enough for to him to ask her about, at least not just yet. There were more important things, in his mind, that he'd like to find out about Jocelyn. What's your favorite color? Do you like to travel? Do you like French food? Do you like peanut butter?

Do you like me?

"Would you consider going out with me sometime, Jocelyn?" Jericho blurted out, head tilted slightly, suddenly looking and sounding quite boyish and not so self-confident as usual. "Like, on a date?"

Jocelyn had been taking a small sip of her water when he asked her for a date and she was incredibly proud of herself that she didn't choke and sputter water all over the place. She swallowed the water, eyes on him. Going out on an actual date with a vampire? Her mother would completely freak out - if she ever found out. Which, she probably wouldn't. Of course, that wouldn't be as bad as her mother finding out she had kissed Valentin so...why was she overthinking this? It wasn't only her family, it was her job. It didn't really leave room, or possibilities, for relationships. But it had been so long since she had been out on an actual date. And Jericho was friendly. And good looking. And he had sent her roses. Conflicted, Jocelyn delayed answering by screwing the bottle cap back onto the water. There were so many reasons for her to say no. But there was one reason why she wanted to say yes. Because she wanted too. Finally, she shot Jericho a bright smile. "I'd love to. I have Saturday evening available, if that would work for you."

Although he didn't need to breathe anyway, Jericho felt like he'd been holding air in for the long moments it had seemed that Jocelyn pondered. Unnecessarily but involuntarily, he let out a sharp, sighing breath and smiled broadly. "Good," he said, the word coated with relief. "Saturday evening is fine. I could pick you up, say,"—Jericho quickly did the math: sunset 8:30 in the evening, shower, dress, fret about wardrobe choice, change clothes, no more than a twenty minute drive to wherever Babylon happened to be that night—"nine-thirty?"

"I think that would be perfect." A bit nerve wracking, yes, but perfect. She hadn't been on a date in ages. But hey, Val did tell her to get out. So that was what she was going to do. Not that she cared what Val thought, but still. Jocelyn stood, knowing it was getting late, though it was probably early for him. Now that plans were settled, she gave him a small smile. "I should probably be getting back home." Unless he wanted her to stay, then she would, but she didn't want to overstay her welcome.

As much as he wanted her to stay, Jericho was on the ragged edge, so much so that he didn't even dare offer her a ride home. Exhausted from sleep deprivation, tense and jittery from last night's events, his nerves were shot. He didn't trust himself behind the wheel of a car, particularly with a mortal life he cared about strapped into it. He hoped she wouldn't take it the wrong way when he brought the evening to a close.

"I'd really love for you to stay," he smiled softly, warmth apparent in his voice, "but I'm afraid I'm not going to be very good company for much longer. I've not slept properly the past few days, work has been incredibly taxing, and I was out far too late last night. I really must get some sleep, and I'd be thoroughly embarrassed if I nodded off with you still here. I'm really sorry." The blond chuckled and grinned, adding, "I feel like such an old man, kicking a beautiful young woman out of my home because I need to take a nap. Please, allow me to at least call you a taxi, Jocelyn? I'd drive you myself, but I'd rather not wrap us around a tree or a telephone pole. You might be inclined to cancel our date."

"I completely understand. It's getting late for me too, but I don't need a taxi. I'm not terribly far from here and I actually prefer to walk. But," Jocelyn added with a slightly flirtatious smile. "I'll allow you walk me to the door."

"If you're certain," Jericho said with some reservation, not wanting to press the issue, but concerned anyway. He knew what was out there. Rising from his seat, he went to where Jocelyn sat and offered a hand to help her up.

She took his hand to stand up, hearing the hesitance in his voice. Her smile was one of assurance as her fingers entwined with his. "I'm sure. I walk everywhere in town. There's no reason to worry, I feel I'm fairly well equipped to take care of myself should something happen."

Jericho smiled, laughing pleasantly as he led her to the door. "Saturday night, then?"

"Saturday night," she confirmed with a nod. God, she was actually going on a date. With a vampire. The choices she'd been making lately have been getting stranger and stranger. Not that she was regretting them at the moment. In fact, she was already anticipating it. At the door, she gave him another smile. "I'll see you then."

"I'll see you then," he said for the second time, and realizing he was still holding her hand. He slowly slid his fingers from hers, all the while fighting off a sudden urge to plant a kiss on her cheek. Jericho opened the inner door, then the storm door, holding the latter open for Jocelyn. "Be careful out there, okay?"

"Not a problem," Jocelyn told him with a wink before she headed out into the night. Yes, she'd gone crazy. Funny thing was, she really didn't mind it so much.