Theodore Apparated at the end of Whittom Park's drive and walked slowly up the path, running the list of excuses for his lateness over in his head. Applegate had insisted on keeping Theodore past seven to work on important research on getting rid of a curse with a Cheering Charm rather than an antidote. It had been brainless work, but he knew in the end it was important to continue it when the theory was fresh in both their heads.

Clearing his throat, he raised his hand and knocked on the front door. It slowly opened to reveal one of the Davis' house-elves. "Is Tracey still home?" The house-elf barely responded as he turned on his heel and led Theodore toward the kitchen.

Tracey was covered in flour sitting on the floor with her head in her hands.

She'd been ready at ten to seven, looking gorgeous and fully pleased with herself. After spending all afternoon charming the utensils and dishes to do as she wished, dinner was looking grand. She loved to cook, though she'd never made anything as extravagant as coq au vin for a guest before, everything had gone off without a hitch and for that she was grateful. While she hadn't had the house-elves help with dinner, she had asked them to make the Park as pleasant as possible for Theodore, so they had spent the day scrubbing and cleaning, happy that their mistress was cheerful for once, it had been a long time. She'd worn her new green sling-backs that Pansy had insisted she buy from Vanderwell's and her dress was short and silk. She looked positively radiant, or so her mirror told her, yet her stomach was tied in knots and she was very nearly passing out with nerves.

It wasn't that she was trying to impress him. He'd grown up with the same wealth and circumstances that she did, so it wasn't that. She just wanted him to like her again. Normally she didn't give a damn whether people liked her. She moved in circles where people feared and respected others with wealth and power. She had both, especially now that she had legally inherited the family estate and moved among some of the most powerful people in the wizarding world. No, what Tracey wanted was someone to like... no, someone to love her. Until now, that had been a vague idea she'd thrown around in her head. They'd only been on one date. A disastrous date where he'd cut out early. But there was just something that made Tracey want to explore this whatever she could have with Theodore Nott - be it friendship or more. The feelings in the pit of her stomach led her to believe she had not told Blaise the truth when she'd said that Theodore meant nothing to her. He meant something, she just wasn't sure what yet.

Once seven had come around Tracey was near pacing. She was a pacer by nature, and while she knew that not everyone held punctuality to the same degree of importance that she did, she still got nervous when things she was hoping for hadn't happened yet, and her only real experience with Theodore showed him to be punctual at the very least. By ten after, Tracey was sure something had gone wrong. With Theodore. With dinner. With everything. So, she'd gone back into the kitchen to make sure everything was as it should be on her end. She knew she should have left everything alone, but she couldn't help herself. She checked on the salad and turned too quickly, running straight into the house-elf carrying the ingredients for the Chocolate Eclairs. The flour went up and before she could point her wand it was upside down on her head. By twenty after, Tracey was sure Theo wasn't coming and gave in to the urge to sit down and cry right there in front of the help.

Theodore immediately felt guilty when he saw Tracey on the floor. She had obviously worked hard and here he was late. "Tracey? Tracey, I'm sorry for being late. Work kept me, I know I said it wouldn't." She turned toward him, tears in her eyes. "Damn it," he muttered. He walked over to her, and gently pulled her to her feet. Wrapping his arms around her, he whispered, "I'm so sorry," into her ear.

She tried to pull away from him, to wipe her tears away. He wasn't supposed to see her like that. No one but the bloody house-elves were allowed to see her like that. Theo held her tighter and Tracey found it easier to just put her arms up and hold him back, all the while inhaling the spice in his cologne. It was a familiar smell to her, after seven years in school with him, and it was strangely comforting. Once she'd calmed down Theo released her, and Tracey dabbed at her eyes quickly, her cleverly built facade easily sliding back into place. With a quick flick of her wand, her dress was dark green again, with no residual signs that it had ever been powdery white.

Theo looked at her, moving slightly every so often to try to catch her eye. "I was held up at work. I'm sorry. I should have sent you an owl telling you I'd be late when I realized it. It was impolite of me." When she refused to look at him and turned to start working with the food, he sighed. "Don't be angry. I know I was an ass, but I said I'm sorry."

She turned to him and gave him a hopeful smile. "I'm not angry, Theo. I'm sorry you had to see me in such a state. It was wrong of me to overreact like I did." Her smile was small, but genuine, and she hoped that he wouldn't assume she was some flighty girl who cried at the drop of a hat. "I don't generally cry over spilt flour, it's just been a long day. Hungry?"

"Starving," he answered her, watching her carefully. Her mask was almost perfect, but he could see the relief in her eyes. The tears weren't over the flour, he was certain of that. It was over him and his behaviour. If there was one thing in the world he hated it was a woman's tears especially if he was the cause of it. Seeing his mother cry over his father too many times had caused him to loathe a woman's tears, especially if they were over a man. Men should protect and love women, not hurt them. That's why he never stepped into a relationship too fast, he was afraid he'd hurt the woman he was supposed to love. Of course, that opinion greatly hindered his sex life, but it was important to him. "What can I do to help you?" he asked as he moved next to her.

She started to reach for a dish and he purposely reached over and placed his hand on hers. A shock went through him. Her hand was soft and warm -- feminine in every way. And it had been a long time since he had truly been even this close to a woman before.

Tracey looked down at his hand on hers. It seemed like it belonged there... but she wasn't going to think thoughts like that anymore. "I'm fine, Theodore. Dinner is ready, anyway. Would you like to go up to the dining room? It's not cheating to have the house-elves serve it, even though I made it myself, right?." Her smile broadened. This was dinner with a former house mate, a former friend. She could do this. She'd always been just the friend. It was something she was good at. No one had to know what it cost her to shove those other thoughts deep into her mind.

Theo nodded slowly. "It's not cheating at all." He followed her into the dinning room where he pulled out the chair for her. She sat down gracefully, whispering a thank you as he took his seat across from her. It wasn't an extravagant room, but it was elegant and definitely showcased the Davis family fortune. He remembered when his mother's dining room had looked like this; a room full of priceless china and an unique wooden table set. "It's quite nice in here," he remarked as he looked around. He looked back at the witch and saw she was playing with her napkin. Probably an unconscious nervous reaction, he thought to himself, smiling slightly.

"Thank you. It's one of my favourites. Especially when Blaise is drunk under the table." She took a deep breath and tried to smile. Keep conversation to topics he'll be able to appreciate, she thought. "As much as he likes to think he can hold his liquor-" Tracey was interrupted by Baxter and two other house-elves bringing dinner toward them. "Thank you, Baxter, I'll have some white wine as well. Theodore?" She turned to him as she unconsciously directed where the elves should place the food around Theodore. Looking down she realized she had reacted the same way her mother did when sitting at a table with her current flavour of the month. Pink coloured only the very tinges of her cheeks as she looked from his face back down to the steaming dishes of food in front of them.

"This looks delicious," he told the beautiful witch. "I'll have white wine as well," he told the waiting house-elf curtly. He smiled at the pink tint to Tracey's cheeks, unsure why it was there to begin with. The house-elf hurried back to the table with an unopened bottle of expensive white wine and handed it to Theo. He was unsure why the house-elf did that but when Tracey didn't reach for it, he assumed it was just habit. Glancing at the name on the bottle he winced, because Albariño was an expensive wine. Guiltily, he opened the bottle and poured to glasses, handing one to Tracey. "A toast?"

A flicker of incomprehension crossed her face. Why did he look at the bottle like that. She wanted to ask him if the wine was all right, it was sent over from the representatives who were trying (unsuccessfully) to get her to buy stock in their vineyard, and she was relatively unfamiliar with it. Sensing it wasn't something he would want to explain, instead she asked, "A toast? A toast to what?"

"To old friends catching up over a delicious dinner made by a sexy woman," he told her smoothly, smiling at her genuinely.

There was that word again. Tracey managed to hear the beginning of his words and completely blocked out the compliment at the end. Pasting on a grateful smile, she raised her glass, "To old friends," and took a sip.

"To the gorgeous woman in front of me," Theo said the other half as he raised his glass to hers. Taking a small drink of the wine, he felt guilty. Obviously something was wrong with Tracey, yet she acted strong and in control. "How was your day?" He wanted to kick himself once the mundane question fell out of his mouth.

That elicited an actual smirk, that lasted nearly all the way through dinner. Their conversation turned easy and both found themselves easily amused. Theodore had been so quiet at school, especially the last few years that Tracey could hardly remember a time when she felt so at ease in his presence, there was more to that too, but she wasn't thinking about that right now.

It was quite late and the two were both drinking their second cups of coffee in the lounge, when Baxter finally brought out the chocolate eclairs from the debacle earlier that night. Immediately, the happiness Tracey had been feeling drained from her. She tried, with difficulty, not to think of the scene she'd made earlier, hoping that he wouldn't be reminded of her tears.

"These are delicious," he remarked as he took a second bite of his eclair. "Are you sure you made them yourself?" At her plastic smile he sighed. I'm not getting anywhere with flattery, he thought. I need to do something to show her I'm actually interested in her despite my rudeness. "So, how is your mum doing these days?"

Tracey actually laughed out loud. "Mum is still the horror that she always was. Thankfully, she lives on the Continent most of the year." He looked at her funny and she continued, "She only comes home when she needs more money. It's all mine, you see. She has to ask for it now. She hates that. It's the one good thing about her coming home. How about your mum?" she asked delicately. Tracey knew Theo's father had been sent to Azkaban in 5th year and didn't want to remind him of something unpleasant. "I remember her always being wonderful to all of us when she picked you up at King's Cross."

Theo frowned. "My mother is fine. She's living contently in London and working at St. Mungo's as a receptionist. She says it's nice to work for a living for a change, but I doubt that. I think she's just doing what she always does: putting on a brave face." The moment the statement was out of his mouth he regretted it. The parallel between Tracey's mask and his mother's was clear as day when he said it aloud. He squashed the urge to walk over to her and try to pull her in his arms. It was such a silly desire to comfort her, he sighed. She's not your mother, he reminded himself, getting slightly disturbed at his thoughts.

Tracey nodded without really hearing the words she was agreeing with. His mum was working? His mum, the wonderful lady who sent owls of cookies for all of them, she was working... for money? Unable to hide her shock, she attempted to cover it by shoving her eclair into her mouth, which, in turn caused a whole lot of coughing.

Theo tried to keep a straight face. Reaching over he handed her a napkin. "Are you okay?" She nodded, her face turning bright red. He eyed her carefully, not sure why she had taken such a large bite of the eclair. It seemed unlike her to not use the strict manners hammered into her by countless nannies and good breeding. He conjured up a glass of water for her and she drank it quickly.

"Thank you for the water, I'm better now." Tracey smiled up at him, his soft brown hair framed his face and she felt that familiar twinge somewhere near her heart. Even more than his good looks, Tracey could see he had a good heart too... of course he would only think of her as a friend. It's what she was- the girl who attracted nice guys as 'friends' and who couldn't elicit a sexual thought in any of them. Sighing more to herself than anything, she quietly added, "Theodore, I'm sorry I haven't been a very good friend these past few years. I had no idea about- well, about anything that was going on in your life. You don't have to feel you have to tell me, but just know that I'm here for you should you ever need me." There, she'd done it. She'd thrown her cap fully into the 'let's be friends' ring... and she hated herself for doing it.

"Ah, Tracey," he said, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "Thank you for your concern. I do appreciate it. I suppose my slip of the tongue startled you." He cleared her throat. "It was a well kept secret that my family lost all of their money when my father died. It was taken by the Ministry, saying it was used for illegal activity and was under suspicion. Now I have no idea how money can be under suspicion, but there was clearly nothing my mum and I could do. We had to sell our mansion in Windsor to cover the costs of the legal proceedings. She lives in a small flat in London, paying for it with her earnings from her job. I live in London also." He cleared his throat again. "We are still trying to keep it quiet actually, so I would appreciate it if you didn't say anything to anyone." He forced a smile.

She hadn't expected him to be so open with her. Almost resisting the urge to reach out and hold him, she found herself leaning across the sofa and putting her arms around him. "Oh, Theo." She didn't know what else to say, so she just held him for a while. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she felt him breathe in and out, but she wouldn't let go, no matter how loudly the voice in her head was screaming at her that she was crossing a line that he had so clearly drawn in the sand. It wasn't until he put his arms around her that she could breathe again herself.

Theo embraced her back, knowing that this might push him over the edge. He was already having a hard time resisting the urge to kiss her and to be so close to her was harder than hell. He felt his body response to her touch and warmth immediately, making him feel embarrassed by his animal-like response. Pulling himself back, he pushed her way and glanced down, ashamed, into her startled green eyes. The way they were clouded over with confusion he wasn't sure whether she'd noticed his response or not. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, "I'm sorry, I can't control my own body," he amended, hoping she didn't think he was apologizing for finding her attractive. It's been 18 months since I've been with a woman! he mentally screamed at her. I'm normally not like this! I normally have control!

Tracey wasn't completely sure she knew what he was apologising for, but she had a pretty good idea, despite never doing anything to make any other man (or boy for that matter) have such a response. As embarrassing as it was to admit, the only real boy she'd ever kissed was Blaise, and that was before he suddenly learnt to be a Casanova and sweep all their girls off their feet. Just as she was about to say something, the grandfather clock in the front room rang midnight.

"It's midnight," Theo observed the obvious out aloud. "I have to go to work in the morning, so I best be going." He forced a smile. "It was a lovely evening Tracey. I hope we can see each other again quite soon." He was relieved for the convenient and easy escape from the uncomfortable situation. He was ashamed of his lack of control, he could barely look at her. It wasn't that she wasn't a beautiful woman; it was the fact he had no control when he was with her. He normally had control. I need to get laid, he thought to himself.

Standing and leading him to the front door, Tracey ran over the last few minutes in her head. "Thank you for coming, Theo. I had a really nice night." She blushed, thinking that he obviously had too. "I'm rubbish with wards, I'm sorry I can't lower them myself to let you Apparate directly."

"It's no problem really. Protecting yourself and your property is important." He nodded toward her before he turned away. Swinging on his heel, he said, "What about next Monday? Would you like to accompany me to the London Philharmonic at seven? I have tickets, and would love for your company." And by then, I'll hopefully get laid by someone else despite my feelings of wanting sex to mean something. It's better to have meaningless sex then to scare a beautiful woman away with my lack of control.

"I'd love to, Theo. Thank you. Now I'm very glad I didn't kill you with my cooking." Tracey smiled as she watched him walk down the drive. She knew in her heart she was wishing for things she couldn't have, that she didn't deserve. The night had started out so dreadfully, and then ended so well, Tracey told herself she needed to be grateful that he still wanted to be around her. Something told her that she would always want to be around him.

(Summary: Tracey and Theo have a 'good' date... that feels a little TOO good for Theo)