"Lucy! You're soaking wet, honey, and that's a nice blouse, too-" the older woman chided in motherly tones. Lucy felt her lower lip begin to pout a bit, so she merely nodded and stepped into the restaurant, letting the water run off of her and onto the carpet.

"Uncle Max in?"

"Upstairs-his back's acting up again-" Hana murmured, eyeing her uncertainly, "Let me get you some tea-"

"Okay-" Giving in to the pampering, Lucy briskly made her way through dining room, not meeting anyone's eye, even though many of theirs were on her. She kept her chin high, well aware of what she must look like. Table by table fell silent for a moment as she passed by.

She reached the stairs at the back of the building before giving in to a sob.

"Lucy sweetheart-" The warmth of an arm around her, the soft smell of Cheval Noir aftershave; she sobbed harder.

"Shhhhhhhh-" came Geoffrey's soft voice, "Come here-" he herded her against his thin shoulder, not seeming to care that she was soaking his suit as they stood at the foot of the stairs, well away from the dining room. He held her for a long time.

"All right, I HAVE to ask-Why are you covered in steak sauce?" he demanded softly.

"I had a little problem on my date-" Lucy blurted, pulling back from his hug to wiped her nose on her sleeve. Geoffrey winced, but patted her back between A1 stains.

"Let me guess-he was a militant vegetarian?"

"Nooooo-we were doing fine until his ex decided to stop by our table and vent her feelings via the condiments on our table."

"Ah-well," Geoffrey gave a crooked smile, "Those little unpleasant moments WILL happen-"

"-And apparently her aggressive assertiveness turned him ON and they decided to make out right there in the middle of my New York strip. AND I got stuck with the tab again!"

"How---" Geoffrey wanted to be supportive, but it was getting more difficult. Lucy was forever ending up in bizarre situations whenever she went on a date, and this was actually somewhat mild for her track record.

"-Unfortunate," he finished lamely.

Lucy shook her head as she looked his face.

"Geoffrey baby, as always, you have a beauteous gift of understatement."

Slowly she headed up the stairs and to the bathroom there. After a quick rinse of her face, she pulled on a University sweatshirt out of her old closet and went into Max's bedroom.

"Here-" Geoffrey handed her the steaming cup of green tea; she sipped it gratefully as Max struggled to sit up, his round face concerned.

"Lucy baby, Geoffrey tells me you missed dinner," he managed tactfully. She flashed a grin at the thin blonde, who gave a crooked smile in return.

"Sort of-" she sighed, and related the events of her latest date. By the time she was done, Max was biting his lip to keep from laughing. Lucy herself was starting to giggle.

"Soooo I can scratch him off the list, I guess. This is getting ridiculous. Am I asking for so much?"

"Depends honey-what are you looking for?" Max rumbled. Lucy sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed, sighing.

"Oh the usual-true love, witty conversation, dynamite sex, my complete and utter soul mate-"

"Wow, all on the first date. You DO aim high, don't you?" Geoffrey teased. Lucy rolled her eyes impatiently, and then stared into the teacup, not answering right away. Max snorted.

"I think I'd settle for you getting through the evening myself."

"Easy for YOU to say-you and Geoffrey found each other-"

The two men exchanged an amused look, and Geoffrey reached over to rub Lucy's shoulder gently.

"Oh we started on a very bumpy note, Luce-didn't Max ever tell you the full circumstances under which we met?"

"Here at the Green Dragon back in the late sixties, right?"

Max bit his lip and reached for Lucy's hand, squeezing it; she looked at his slightly self-conscious expression.

"It was a wedding rehearsal dinner-Geoffrey's, to be precise."

"GEOFFREY'S?"

Stunned Lucy looked at him; Geoffrey nodded, somewhat chagrined, and drew in a deep breath.

"Oh yes. Let's see-the dinner was on a Friday night, and Sharon and I were set to get married on Sunday."

"-But you're, uh . . . "

"You can say it, dear-gay," he pointed out helpfully, "But back in the late sixties, we were just called shy. Men who didn't date women were terminally introverted."

Stunned, Lucy simply stared at him; Geoffrey shrugged, and cast his glance at Max, who picked up the story again.

"Big party-lots of attendants, ushers, future in-laws, bride's maids best men-the works. Your grandfather gave me the table and told me to milk the language thing, but I wouldn't do it-it was damned insulting to play it up. I mean hell I was going to UCLA for crying out loud! I took the orders and ran without going stupid. Seemed to work."

"It did," Geoffrey admitted with a small smile, "Max was gorgeous and quick and funny-even Sharon thought he was terrific. Through the entire meal I watched him, and by the time we paid and left, I made it a point to come back and thank him."

"You didn't thank me-you KISSED me!" Max protested, his dark eyes twinkling in memory. Geoffrey shot him a smirk.

"And you're only protesting NOW?" came the reply, "After nearly thirty years?"

"I'm not protesting, I'm clarifying," Max sniffed, "Lucy deserves the truth."

"Lucy can pass on the juicy details," she protested mildly, rolling her eyes. Geoffrey sat down on the edge of the bed next to her.

"Fine, but the point of the story is that I was teetering on the edge of a commitment that would have had dire consequences, Lucy-I would have made Sharon and myself miserable if I hadn't had Max make me realize it."

"Yeah but it was still true love, out of the blue!" she sighed dramatically, throwing herself down on the bed and against Max's blanket-covered legs. He shifted a little to make room for her.

"Out of the blue, yes, but the true love part we had to work on," came the calm reply. "God as my witness, Luce, every strike was against us-different cultures, different languages, an incredibly hostile environment, Geoffrey's prior commitment-"

"-my allergy to MSG-" came the cheeky addition; Max threw a pillow at his lover, who dodged.

"A LOT of work," Max repeated. "Still a lot of work sometimes."

"But worth it," Geoffrey added. "So don't lose hope sweetheart. For all you know there maybe a gorgeous chinese waiter out there for you-or a fireman, or a pet groomer or a Swat team leader or a Chippendale's dancer-"

"Stop drooling!" Lucy teased him, patting his arm. "Okay, okay I get the message about not trying so damn hard." She slowly climbed off the bed and shifted until she could give her uncle a kiss on the temple. He hugged her as Geoffrey rubbed her shoulder once more.

"Fine-and stop fretting, okay?"

"Okay."

"And Luce?"

"Yeah?"

"It might not hurt to start looking at girls---"

The pillow thumped him hard.

END

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