2013.12.31 - Love Awkwardly

It was Christmas evening and Vic arrives at Helena's place with gifts. Upon being let in Vic gives Helena a bouquet of flowers feature purple hyacinths, tulips and violets, and white roses.

Helena puts the flowers in a water and goes about putting the finishing touches on her cleaning and decorating while some delicious smelling lasagna cooks in the oven.

Vic hangs up his hat and coat puts his gifts for Helena under her Christmas plant, and when She finally sits down with him they exchange awkward small talk before Vic suggest exchanging gifts.

Huntress sits on the sofa for a moment after Vic's suggestion to start exchanging gifts, then grins and moves to stand and cross over to the hanging pothos ivy that's festooned in tinsel and glass ornaments. She reaches the 'tree' and pulls up a large cylindrical box, the sort that used to be known as a hatbox.

Vic also moves to stand reaches for the think gift bag he brought. It looks like the kind of bag one normally uses to give a bottle of liquor. Vic looks at Helena for a moment wondering if he should start or let her go first. Though soon Vic's nerves and excitement and make him jump the gun.

"I hope you like this I thought it would remind you of home" Vic says with a smile before he offers the bag to her. I contains a famous Sicilian fortified wine Malvasia delle Lipari, it's deep amber red wine stronger and sweeter than normal wine something between a dessert wine and a port or brandy.

Huntress takes the bag and offers Q the hatbox. "I got this for you mostly as a joke. I won't be offended if you think it's stupid." She digs out the wine and blinks at the label. "Wow. Oh, this is SO going with dinner." She grins at Vic then waits for him to open his gift.

Vic smiles and opens the box to reveal a comical mask of former president Richard Nixon's face. Similar to the on seen in such movies as point break. Vic looks a bit confused and then puts it on "I am not a crooks arroooo! how a hug for ol' tricky Dick sweet cheeks" Vic does a rather impressive version of futurama's president Nixon. He is taking the odd gift in stride valuing really anything Helena takes the time to give him.

"Gah! Oh hell no!" Helena recoils from the Nixon mask even as she starts laughing at the silliness of the whole thing. "Not with that creepy thing on."

Vic laughs a bit before taking it off enough to reveal his own face again, "Oh how about now" He says leaning in again for the hug.

"Thank you Helena merry Christmas" Huntress leans in to hug Vic this time. "Merry Christmas, Vic." And then, of course, the oven timer beeps. "Oh, that'll be the lasagna. Let me go get that and open this wine."

Vic smiles blushes a lot. He does freak out as much this time but he will be happy to get some wine in him to calm his nerves. Perhaps it's the fact that he has nothing left to really hide since she already knows how he feels.

But enough of all that Vic grabs the small rectangular gift he brought for Helena and takes it with him as he takes a seat at her dinner table. "Wow I know you complemented my cooking before but I've never made anything that even smells half this good H"

Huntress pulls the lasagna from the oven and sets it on the table to cool a bit. The bread goes into the oven to warm a bit and she starts opening the wine with the ease of practice. "The only thing better than the smell of lasagna on Christmas is that mixed with the smell of fresh cookies. I kinda ran out of time, though."

"That perfectly fine, plus cookies are easy if you see fit to not kick me out after dinner maybe we can bake some together?" Vic says, while he stares at the wondrous smelling lasagna. Vic's mouth is starting to water.

"Nah, no point in that." Helena puts the wine bottle on the table then follows it with a bowl of salad and then the bread out of the oven. "All right. Dinner's ready."

Vic carefully serves himself a good helping of everything Helena has laid out, a good piece of Lasagna a few pieces of bread and a good amount of salad. Vic then pours himself some wine and gulps it down before pouring another glass for himself then one for Helena.

Vic Takes a breath and reaches his hand for Helena's "would you like to say grace or should eye?"

Huntress hehs. "I've not been much for saying grace since I left Sicily, but, eh, what the hell. You say it." She takes Vic's hand, not at all minding that her own plate is still empty.

Vic looks and notices that Helena still has an empty plate and assumes that she mean for him to serve her. He takes his hand from her and serves some lasagna, salad and bread to her plate.

With an embarrassed smile and blush, Vic sits back down and takes Her hand once more. With a deep breath Vic closes his eyes and begins to say grace "Lord we thank you on this Christmas dinner for all you give us on a daily basis. We thank you that we all made it through the year alive, for this wonderful food that Helena so graciously made, I personally want to thank you for bringing this wonderful person into my life she is the best friend I have had in as many years as I can remember. Thank you for sending your only begotten son to absolve us of our sins. So that we may avoid the fiery pits of hell. For our friends and family out there where every they may be thank you for them and protect them for us. Amen"

After grace Vic opens his says and glances over at Helena and forgets to let go of her hand till she goes to pull it away. Vic sheepishly looks away from her and starts to dig into his food with his fork before softly saying "I was surprised you invited me over, you know because you've been rather quiet since our retreat ended. " Vic is dancing around the issue, just enough the Helena could ignore if she wanted to. Frankly Vic would let her, he doesn't want to let go of this nice moment. But his curiosity is such that an attempt to broach the issue must be made.

Huntress opens her mouth to protest as Vic fills her plate, but then lets him. She guesses that he has some reason for it. After he finishes saying grace, she starts poking at her salad until he says something, then looks over at him. "I've... I dunno. I've been keeping busy. And thinking."

Vic nods and takes a bite of his lasagna. "mmmmmmm! so good" Vic says, muffled by his mouthful of lasagna.

After he swallows and take sip of his drink Vic asks "What have you been up to?"

Huntress shrugs lightly, "Pretty much just the usual. Lots of work at the florist lately, but I think that's kind of normal for this time of year." She takes a sip of the wine, then mms. "Good stuff." She can't really say she's ever been much of a wine drinker, so the fruitier stuff is more readily tolerable.

Vic nods "that's is the norm for this time of year btw the way did, did you like the flowers?"

Vic smiles at hearing her compliment the Marsala he gave her. "Well i remember you enjoyed the brandy we had but it was a bit strong for you so I though something like this would be enjoyable"

"So I have been just hanging around doing my normal work. It's been quiet and lonely though. I haven't been in the field since we got back." Vic says to update Helena on what he has been up to.

Huntress nods, looking at the flowers. "Yeah. You picked some really good flowers, and I actually know what I’m talking about for a change." She considers his words, then adds, "I haven't been much either. But I think that's more 'cause of the cold than anything." Well, that and she's been procrastinating on patching her cold-weather costume. The thing's a nuisance to maintain.

"Oh OK yeah it's been really cold out there. I could help you fix up some cold weather gear if you want?" Vic says.

After having a few more quick bites of the yummy food on his plate Vic remembers the gift he brought with him to the table. Vic takes the gift in his hand and looks over at Helena "I got another gift. I hope you like it, merry Christmas" Vic offers Helena the gift. It's nice wrapping paper hiding a an old well worn leather bound book that in faded gold inlay it on it saying "bibla sacra vulgata" it's an old leather and parchment bound old Latin bible. Vic had taken a trip up to Chicago and asked the nuns in the orphanage he grew up in to let him have it.

Huntress hms? and takes the second gift. After unwrapping it, she just stares at the tome for several minutes, turning the pages slowly. "This is amazing Vic. Thank you."

Vic smiles there is a slight tremble in his eyes "Merry Christmas Helena. Thank you for tolerating me" Vic let's out a small sigh as he reach for his wine and take a drink.

Huntress smiles at Vic and allows the rest of the meal to pass by mostly silently if a bit awkwardly. Despite the temptation, she restricts herself to the one glass of wine. Cookies don't happen, but that's mostly because she admitted to having some gelato in the freezer. And yes, that's a big thing. Being willing to share her gelato.

Vic wonders aloud if they can have the gelato back on the couch, as takes the bowl of chocolate gelato and takes a spoonful of it into his mouth. He enjoys the creamy sweet frozen confection.

"I like to go get comfortable so we can chat and catch up" Vic says in a tone almost like a question as he get's up and motions towards the couch.

Huntress agrees readily enough and follows Vic to sit on the couch again. She settles in, her feet tucked up underneath her legs. "Oh, hey, I've been meaning to ask. What happened with the info from that B&E?"

"I'm still sifting through ti and letting bits of it out to the internet as i see fit still trying to find hard connections to the conspiracy though. But there was a lot of stuff and now I have a lot of blackmail material on a lot of powerful people, but if i let too much of it out Ashley could get hurt again. So i have to pick my battles" Vic says as he takes a seat next to her on the couch getting comfortable but not too close.

Vic takes a few more spoonfuls of the gelato, mmm it's really good must get the name of the place she got this from. Vic swallows and asks "So how are things with Dinah and the birds, and the flower shop?"

"Ashley? I thought her name is Amber." Helena focuses on her gelato for a moment, prodding at the melting confection with her spoon. "Oh, um, Dinah is fine, the flower shop's doing well... busy like I said. And... I haven't heard from ...uh, from HAL in a couple of days."

"Amber is her 'call girl name' She is really Ashley D'mato an Italian girl from new Hampshire" Vic responds.

Vic takes a few deep breaths and looks Helena in the eyes "I'm sorry but I'm gonna lose what's left of my sanity. I know you know. I know you read my letter. And I didn't say anything to you before you left, I decided to give you time and space to process and figure out what you wanted to do about it. And frankly I'm scared of what you'll say so part of me is happy to just go on pretending nothing happened forever as long as i get to spend time with you. But you invited me here for Christmas alone, and you haven't sent me away you haven't said anything about where I stand with you so I can only assume that those are good things but I just don't know. Helena do you want me to say it? is that it? fine I love you. I can't explain it but you are the most interesting person I know. I haven't felt this way for many people in my life. Helena I don't mean to spring this on you but please I have to know where I stand with you what you think of this I can't stand you just pretending it's not the 15 ton elephant in the room. Are you even a little interested in me?"

Vic is shaking and out of breath he isn't even sure he knows everything he just said but he feels like a weight has been lifted from him. But only till he realizes this is it after this very moment he will never be able to have the same relationship with Helena he has had with her up till now. It's either over or something miraculous is about to happen.

Huntress looks at Vic for what likely seems like a near-eternity before she very carefully sets her bowl of gelato aside. Then she pulls Vic's bowl out of his hands and sets it aside as well.

Something miraculous is indeed about to happen.

Vic sits there feeling a fear unlike any he has ever known waiting for Helena to respond

Vic whom has just caught his breath is suddenly breathless again as he watches Helena put the bowls aside. Oh god what comes now is she gonna scold me out of her apartment? or maybe it's a Christmas miracle? "Helena?"

"Vic. You talk too much."

-fade to black-