I Love New York! [Rp for stillacrime for <lj site="livejournal.co

[whattingawhat]

Buffy was in New York. She'd been there for a couple of days. There was a thing with some vampires and a cult and it was a whole blood thing that had resulted in some dead girls. Maybe a dead boy. Buffy was unclear on the details. However, she was clear on the whole vampires go poof thing. She'd cleared out the nest/cult/temple whatever they wanted to call it and sent the rest of the cultists home...cultist...was that even a word? Maybe they were minons or worshippers...huh. Anyway, she was now having a drink in a bar. One of those fruity, pretty, umbrella-y drinks. The kind that hit with a punch and kept on hitting. She was celebrating the whole ash thing along with the whole hey no baby slayers running around. She thought they were celebration worthy things. She'd called in and let them know she was taking a vacation. A shopping vacation or maybe just a drinking and sleeping vacation. She wasn't quite clear yet. Thus far, it had sorta been both. She'd gone shopping earlier and snagged a totally cute, totally bar worthy little pink silky tank along with a pair dark 'skinny' jeans and some heels that would break the first time she tried to slay a vampire in them. She had her hair all bouncy and wavy around her shoulders.


Right now she sat at the bar, her back to the bartender, elbows on the bar as she watched the dance floor with a slight smile. Tomorrow she had an appointment at the spa. So far, her working vacation in New York City was turning out to be a lot of fun.

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[stillacrime.livejournal.com]

Danny walked into the bar late in the evening after shift. He had showered and changed into a pair of baggy, torn jeans, a tight olive tee-shirt, brown boots and a leather jacket. He was really in the mood for a beer.

He stepped up to the corner of the bar and waited for the tender to notice him before asking for a Coors Light and starting a tab. A short glance around the bar quickly landed on the blonde at the other end of the bar. She was cute, but after that initial reaction he realized that he felt like he had seen her before somewhere.

He couldn't place it. But he stared in the dimly lit, smoke filled room trying to do so.

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Buffy noticed the guy staring. He was cute though so it's not like she was going to complain. Besides, this was a vacation and she was being social! Social was good, encouraged even. She smiled at him and then pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.

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At that smile, Danny dipped his head around a crooked, half-grin. He'd been caught staring. And damn, that was a pretty smile.

"And the blonde over there in the cute top. Get her a refill on my tab." The tender nodded and slid his beer to him. He looked up again lifting his beer in a silent toast to see if she would do the same in return while he tried to tell himself to just go say hi and see who she was.

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The bartender gave Buffy another drink and indicated to her the guy on the other end of the bar. He lifted his beer to her and she smiled wider, the tip of her tongue coming between her teeth. She ducked her head and took a sip of her drink before looking up to him. After a moment's hesitation she picked up her drink and wandered over to where he sat.

"I'll warn you, if you're trying to get me drunk, it takes quite a bit," she teased him.

[stillacrime.livejournal.com]

Sipping at his own beer, his gaze followed her as she moved around the bar to where he was. "Can promise you it never crossed my mind." He answered around a grin.

An eyebrow arched as he pointed to where she had been sitting to where she stood now. "However, gettin' you from there to here or me from here to there... that might've been a plan. Name's Danny Messer." He held a hand out to her as he spoke with his trademark thick and unbridled New York accent. There was still the familiarity that remained unexplained so far, but he hoped her name might make a connection somehow.

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She laughed at his comment about the plan and took his hand. It was warm and a lot bigger than hers. Her brow furrowed and she tilted her head slightly. He seemed familiar somehow but she had no idea why. After a moment she realized she'd probably been holding onto his hand for a bit too long. She let go of it, turning slightly pink.

"Buffy Summers." His thick New York accent made her more aware of her California girl one. "Personally, I think I'm gonna call you Rocky." She glanced at the bar stool next to him. "Do you mind if I sit?"

Maybe if she talked to him a little bit she'd figure out how she knew him. She wasn't sure how she'd forgotten that accent but then most of her junior, senior and freshman in college years were a blur so really, it was all up for grabs.

[stillacrime.livejournal.com]

Buffy Summers. Not at all a memory stirrer for him. And who would forget an original name like Buffy? "I would not complain of you sat next to me."

He waited for her to sit down, taking in details like the line of her neck, the sweep of her hair, a spark in her eye. "Rocky?" He asked, not quite getting the connection yet. "As in Sylvester Stalone, Rocky?"

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"Yeah, you know, 'Yo Adrienne,'" Buffy said doing a very bad New York accent. The teasing was good natured and it was obvious she wasn't being mean. She took a sip of her drink. "But if it bothers you, you can totally rag on me about the ditzy blonde California girl thing. Or you know I might pick another name but I'll warn you, it could be worse."

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"Nah, I'll take Rocky." Danny sipped at his beer again, still studying Buffy. When he gestured to her it was with the neck of his beer bottle. "Gonna take it with that accent you're from the West coast. Workin' here in the City or vacationing?"

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Danny listened, taking in every word and committing it to memory, partly because that was something he did and partly because he didn't want to look like an ass at any point in this conversation. Eyebrows arched high over his brow as she steered the topic of conversation in his direction. "Detective investigator for the New York Crime Lab. I work crime scenes."

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Buffy's eyebrows arched up toward her hairline and she grinned at him. "That's very cool. Once of the girls I work with is addicted to true crime shows. They have an entire channel dedicated to it. I only know because she has it on twenty four seven. I've considered calling the cable company and having it disconnected only then I'd have to hear her whine which would make someone else whine because she was whining and it's a vicious circle. Do you get out there with all your stuff and your chemicals and do blood work? Do you have a CSI coat because strangely I find that a little sexy. That's so completely a job I could never do 'cause...you know when you don't catch the bad guy."

[stillacrime.livejournal.com]

Danny couldn't help the low chuckle that escaped him. "Gut a CSI coat, yeah. And I'm in the field a lot with my kit that's got all kinds of stuff in it. Go through too many latex gloves a day to count. Work too many hours. Carry a weapon when I'm not out after hours."

He nodded and sipped at his beer. "And yeah sometimes the bad guy gets off on a technicality or somethin'. That's hard. But I think it's good for whoever we give closure to, you know? The few who say thank you. It's rewarding sometimes." And a lot better than where he could be right now.

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"Okay, now see I could totally make the latex gloves and teh weapon thingy dirty but since I just met you, I'll show restraint. Don't get used to it," she teased him. The first thought that sprang to her mind was I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours but he was betting he wasn't carrying a stake under his jacket the way she was carrying one in her purse.

"Seriously, what is it with the lack of thank you? It's two words. You'd think people could say them more often."

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"I'll consider this my one out on the restraint thing." Danny quipped.

He shrugged lightly, one palm running over the top of his thigh. "I dunno... think people don't really want us around until they need us, you know?"

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"I know exactly what you mean," Buffy nodded. She took a sip of her martini, her eyes catching on his hand running over his thigh. She realized she was sort of staring so she looked back up at him and smile, taking another big drink of her martini.

"So what's your favorite part of the job?"

[stillacrime.livejournal.com]

"Seriously? My favorite part is provin' I can do it. Lotta people told me I couldn't, you know?" Danny explained. "Family hated that I did it. Was from the wrong side of the tracks so to speak so even my class at the Police Academy thought I wouldn't make it through. I like provin' that I don't gotta be what people expected me to be. Rise above and all that."

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"Oooo, a rebel huh?" she teased, biting her bottom lip and pulling it through her teeth. "No I get that actually. There's this look of surprise people get when they realize they've got you pegged wrong. It's a good look to see on someone's face."

[stillacrime.livejournal.com]

Danny watched, both keeping up with her, matching her movements, and enthralled at the same time. Buffy was a sight to behold, just beautiful. And part of him wondered if when he gave her his number at the end of the night if he would ever hear from her again.

"Yeah, gotta say that there is fun here." He said slowly, fingers gliding over the forearm over his shoulder to find her hand where he laced her fingers with his.

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Buffy recognized that look and it made her flush slightly, cheeks burning as she looked down then back up at him from underneath the fringe of her eyelashes. A soft smile flirted across her lips because it's been a long time since anyone watched her like that. A low giggle escapes her mouth and she reaches up with the other hand and runs her thumb over his bottom lip, following the slight upward curve of his smile.

The song slowed down and she let her hand fall slowly, thumb tracing over his throat, grazing over his adam's apple and coming to rest at his collarbone, her fingertips just resting on his skin, palm against his tee shirt.

"You're not that tall," she said, realizing quickly that it could be construed as an insult. "I like that and this song-I like this song."

Mostly she was talking because she sort of in the way that was a lot wanted to kiss him.

[stillacrime.livejournal.com]

His head dipped just slightly at her thumb over his lower lip. It was no lie that his smile was crooked and uneven. But from the look on her face when his gaze rose to meet hers again, she didn't mind.

He stepped closer, no matter the beat of the next song, moving slow with her. "Yeah, shorter for a guy. Not short but shorter." His grin grew, one shoulder lifting in a half shrug. "Now you... that's another story." He teased.

[whattingawhat.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in," Buffy said with a laugh. She was content to slow dance with him, one hand still resting one his shoulder, fingertips against his skin. Her other hand was still in his, fingers threaded with his. "And I've got three inch heels on. If you ever see me barefoot, you'll really have a lot to laugh it up about."

They were close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body but they weren't quite touching.

[stillacrime.livejournal.com]

Danny smirked, curling their laced fingers against his chest between them. "Can I put that on a list of things to do? Seein' you barefoot?" He asked.

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Buffy grinned and arched an eyebrow at him. "Oh so you're adding to my list huh? I suppose I could allow that."

She was a little caught off guard, a little surprised at how easy this seemed to be. She slipped the hand on his neck up just a little bit so more of her skin was against his.

[stillacrime.livejournal.com]

"Well, I'm kinda startin' the makings of my own list in my head." Danny confessed as they slowly danced. "That okay? Or does that freak you out?"

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Buffy pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and contemplated it a moment. Her stomach was doing butterfly loop de loops and she thought her heart was pounding a little bit faster. After a moment she let out the breath she unconsciously holding.

"Oh hell...I'm on vacation. Make all the lists you want," she said as a grin broke across her face.

Apparently giant slut wasn't applicable when home was halfway across the ocean.