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Kelly's was eerily silent. Not a single person sat in
the chairs around
the deserted outside tables, and the usual constant chatter
of the birds
did not reach any ears. The diner was its own little
ghost town.
Elizabeth laughed as Lucky grabbed her around the middle,
her shrill cry
piercing the quiet of the diner. Her grin faded as she
looked around the
empty tables. "Lucky," she said, barely conscious that
she was
whispering.
Lucky's smile had not faded. "I asked Ruby for priveleges
tonight." Liz
raised an eyebrow. "We've got the place to ourselves,"
Lucky went on, and
withedrew a small silver key from his jacket pocket.
"Ive got a little
surprise inside for you."
"Ooh, I can't wait!" Liz cried, and rubbed her hands together.
"Just wait outside," Lucky said hastily as he pushed into
the darkened
diner. "I've got a couple things to get ready for you.
I'll come get you
in a minute."
Liz looked around at the tables surrounding her, her eyes
wide. "Oh,
Lucky," she gushed. "I don't know if I can stand to be
away from you that
long!" Lucky watched in silent amusement as she broke
off in another fit
of giggles.
"I'll be back," Lucky said, and disappeared inside Kelly's.
Liz sat down, and was consumed by loneliness in a matter
of minutes. She
was entertaining herself with the hem of the tablecloth
when Lucky
emerged, a wide grin splitting his face.
"Dinner is served," he said grandly, and ushered Liz inside.
When she stepped into the small diner, Liz's breath caught.
A center
table was set with sparkling dishes and a dozen candles
set the room in a
soft, dancing glow. "Oh, Lucky," Liz whispered breathlessly.
"It's so
beautiful," she said, and fought to keep the tears from
starting from her
eyes.
"I wanted to do something special for you," Lucky whispered,
and slipped
his arms around her waist. "I know not many people take
the time to do
that for you."
Liz fell back in his arms, then allowed herself to be
turned gently
around to face Lucky. "Thank you," she said. Lucky smiled,
and
acknowledged her with the slightest nod of his head.
Liz felt her heart
begin to race as Lucky leaned in, slowly, and slightly
tilted his head.
She closed her eyes, and felt his lips bruch lightly
against hers.
Lucky inhaled deeply, and started to pull away, but Liz
tightened her
grip around his neck. "You're not getting away from me
that easily," she
said with a grin, and pulled him into another, fiercer,
kiss. This time
it was Lucky who was left breathless.
"Where'd you learn that?" he asked quietly, resting her
forehead against
hers.
Liz smiled. "Girl scouts," she said simply, and walked
toward the
kitchen, leaving Lucky standing, stunned, in the middle
of the room. "Are
you going to help me get the dinner or what?" she called
playfully over
to him. Lucky shook his head, bewildered, then smiled
and headed into the
kitchen.
***
"So?" Lucky prodded. "How was it?"
Liz wiped her mouth and smiled across the table at Lucky.
"Delicious, of
course," she said.
"Oh, come on, Elizabeth," Lucky said. "You can be honest
with me. How was
it really?"
Liz laughed. "You're just fishing for compliments," she
accused him, then
leaned across and patted his cheek. "Well, I think you're
a *wonderful*
chef, and my only complaint was that there wasn't enough!"
Light shone in Lucky's face. "There's more in the kitchen,"
he said,
jumping to his feet. "Just let me go get you-"
Liz laughed again and hurried over to Lucky. She put a
restraining hand
on his arm, and gently guided his hand, along with the
plate that he held
clenched in it, back on the table. Lucky seemed a little
surprised by the
action, but quickly covered it up. "Would you like to
dance?" he asked
quietly.
"I'd love to," Liz whispered back. "Why don't you go over
to the jukebox
and pick out something romantic?" she asked sweetly.
"Savage Garden?" Lucky asked. "I know they have a couple of slow songs."
"No," Liz disagreed. "How about some Sarah McLachlan?
I just *love* that
song Angel she sings. Is it on there?"
Lucky nodded, and stuck a quarter into the machine. A
smile lit across
his face as the soft music issued from the out-of-sight
speakers above.
"Dance with me," he said softly, and pulled his girlfriend
into his arms.
They danced together for the short time, relishing in
the feel of each
other's body pressed gently against theirs.
When the song came to an end, they found that neither
was ready to let
go, and remained together, Liz's head resting gently
on Lucky's shoulder.
"I don't want this night to ever end," Liz whispered,
and looked up to
search Lucky's face with shining eyes.
"It doesn't have to," Lucky whispered, and Liz felt a
small surge of
panic as she tried to guess what he meant. Lucky pulled
away and smiled
at her, his eyes shining with excitement. "I borrowed
Jaon's car," he
explained. "It's just sitting in the parking lot."
"You mean---here?" Liz asked hesitantly.
"Yeah," Lucky responded. "I left it here when I went to
pick you up. I
thought we might want to drive somewhere afterward."
Liz grinned, and hurried toward the door of the diner.
"Where exactly
were you planning?" she asked gleefully.
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe Paris."
"Lucky! Come on, you can't drive to Paris!"
"No, but I hear there's a great little theater here that
looks just like
it." Liz laughed and followed Lucky out of the diner.
***
The drive over was quiet. Liz had heard of the theater
Lucky was taking
them to, but she had never actually been to it. She did,
know, however,
that it has a reputation for treating its customers especially
well.
"This is great," Liz gushed. "I get to try two new things
in one night!"
Lucky looked over at her curiously. "Two?"
"Yeah, the great Paris look-alike theater and burnt pasta."
"Hey," Lucky said, his expression injured. "What happened
to the grand
chef?"
"Oh, I don't know," Liz replied. "I think we forgot him
at the diner."
She started to laugh, then cut off as something ahead
on the road caught
her eyes. "Lucky, did you see that?" she asked, grabbing
his arm.
Lucky turned his face to look at her, and Liz panicked.
"Lucky, the
road!" she exclaimed, and she and Lucky looked franitically
forward.
Lucky slammed on the brakes, and turned the steering wheel
sharply to
avoid the shadowy figure looming before them. The tires
squealed as the
car swerved into the next lane. Lucky's eyes widened
as his eyes fell on
the upcoming obstruction and slammed once again on the
brakes, just a
second too late. He and Liz screamed in terror and grasped
hands as the
car collided with the railing, then plunged downward
with startlingly
velocity.
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