Needing a Chance to Escape

Blaire was busy wiping the bar counter after closing time. There was a few people lingering around still dancing, but he allowed that for dancers. Tomorrow was movie night so they'd be up rather late tomorrow. He finished wiping the counter and the remaining dancers stopped dancing and left with a bright smile. All waving goodbye to him and wishing him a good night. He'd be around a bit later, besides he lived upstairs over the restaurant. He tossed the rag in the dirty pile for the night and leaned on the counter.

He was a little lonely, he missed seeing Khaat. He didn't get to see her much lately. She was busy with something or other. Word was that she was tending to her fellow Order members in the hospital a while ago. He picked up the stereo remote and turned it on. His piano mix was in the disk jack, one of his more personal favourites. He'd lock up soon, right now he needed a drink is all.

Khaat was stressed. The Order was gone. Well, so far as she knew. The Order had held wonderful family memories for her, and now most of who she loved was either working at St. Mungos or hospitalized there. She had had enough. She had patched everyone as best she could. She needed some fresh air. She had left her office and had gone for a walk in the late night air.

She had been surprised to find herself at Blaire's place. She paused, not sure about going in so close to closing time. And she wasn't sure what she was looking for. But she missed Blaire. She hadn't seen him but a couple of times since she had had to take Abbey and go into hiding. The only place she had really been seen was at St. Mungos. She looked at her work clothes and decided that would not do. She transfigured the clothes into a slinky little teal blue cocktail dress and some tall black stilletto heels. She hardly knew how to go someplace without the tall heels anymore.

Taking a deep breath, she went in. She wasn't surprised to see the place closing up, but she was pleasantly surprised to see Blaire there behind the bar. He looked as handsome as ever. She walked up to the bar and said gently, "Am I too late for a nightcap?"

Blaire was a little surprised to see Khaat walk into the restaurant. But he was even more shocked to see what she was wearing. She looked simply amazing in her outfit. He shook his head and blink a few times. She came up to the bar and he was beaming. "Uh no..you're not too late for one. I was just about to have one myself." he said smiling. He turned around and grabbed to glasses. He pulled out a bottle of scotch, "Scotch alright? Or Firewhisky?" he asked her pouring himself a glass of Scotch. "I might have some rum in the cellar if you like." he told her.

Khaat seemed to be glowing under the bar lights. He blinked a few times again. He hadn't taken a drink or anything yet. He'd get her her own drink before he'd drink some of his. Khaat certainly looked stressed. The twinkle in her eyes was dimmer than before. "Everything alright?" he asked her. "You seem a little stressed....but of course you don't have to tell me anything. It's really none of my business anyway." he said.

"Just was a busy night, that's all," she said. "Scotch is fine. I like it as well as I do firewhiskey. That sounds good. I think I'm about full to the gills with French Roast. Something a bit more sophisticated sounds wonderful.

"It's really good to see you--I've missed you. Somehow I haven't run into you lately. Although I have been in here. The last time I was here, I turned some rude little twerp into a pocketwatch, and believe it or not, somehow he's still rude even as a pocketwatch. " She laughed. "He had it coming to him. Well, besides that, I sort of enjoy using transfiguration as a defensive spell. Maybe a bit too much. I can give him back if you want him, but he needs to learn some manners.

"So tell me, where have you been keeping yourself lately? I've been waiting to make myself a bit too forward and ask you to dinner. A girl does need a night off every so often, you know, and I think my father can run the place without me for a night. "

"Only a busy night? Word on the street is you've bit off more than you can chew? You need a vacation in my opinion." he said chuckling. He poured her a glass of scotch and passed it to her. "But then again, I shouldn't tell you what to do." he said drinking his own glass. He rarely drank, he just recently started having a few here and there again. But he was moderating it so he didn't go back to before. It was a terrible state he was in back then.

He smiled at Khaat, she missed him. That made him feel really good, rarely anyone missed him ever. He buried himself in his restaurant work, it being the only thing that kept him truly happy, besides Khaat. He chuckled at her words, "Oh, my assistant manager was telling me about that. Oh no, you keep him." he said chuckling. "I'd rather not have anyone like that in my restaurant. I try to cater to everyone except annoying pricks."

He was about to finish of his scotch when Khaat spoke once more. And this was one of the best sentences he had ever heard. "I've uh, been burying myself in my restaurant actually." he said blushing. "Yeah uh, to be honest after I hadn't heard from you or anyone I kind of sort of...gave up hope." he said blushing again. "But uh, if you like we can have dinner now. I haven't eaten yet today, and you look like you need something to eat. I don't doubt it's hard to find some time to eat. Let alone get out, but you managed today." he said. He looked at her hair, it looked amazing.

"I would like that," she smiled. "And you're right. I do have a heavy workload. It hasn't given me much of a social life. I miss that. I might have to change that, though. Might have to find someone to have some fun with. You wouldn't happen to know another workaholic that needs a bit of a break, do you? " She looked at him, sipping her scotch.

"You're right about my schedule today too. It was impossible to find the time to eat. I haven't eaten today either. I made a break for it and escaped. I stuck my father with it. A lot of emergency room work tonight. But as for dinner, how about surpirising me? I trust you, and I haven't found anything on the menu I haven't liked. Oh, by the way, my sources tell me a little as well. They tell me that my father is now going to be trying to make sense out of some of your cohorts in the auror pool. I think he's looking forward to it. He likes a challenge. "

Blaire smiled, she had accepted his invitation for Dinner. He would cook her his specialty. It wasn't on the menu but it was a family recipe for a special kind of spaghetti sauce. "I can't tell you anything on that part." he chuckled. "I haven't had much of a social life either. Though I chose not to, you have a choice. I make my own schedule...you don't." he said. "Having fun is good, and I might just happen to know someone." he said and he winked and disappeared into the kitchen. "We can eat down here or we could eat upstairs if you like." he called from the kitchen.

He returned with a chef hat on and an apron that said "Kiss me I'm Scottish". "I will make you a Murray family special. Not on the menu, it's a special spaghetti sauce. With homemade stands of spaghetti from my friends farm." he said. "I haven't made it in forever, but I know the recipe by heart!" he then disappeared into the kitchen once again and began to to fry the meat. Then he was boiling the spaghetti. "Oh really?" he called again from the kitchen. "And what cohorts would those be?" he asked her grinning.

"You're making me hungry already," she laughed. "I haven't had spaghetti in forever. " She laughed at his feining innocent about the aurors. "It smells wonderful, Blaire. You choose where we eat. Whatever you're in the mood for.

"I don't know if you've heard, but I've added a full service bakery to Sparks. Its been busy already. Oh, and my adopted daughter had a baby just a couple months after I had Abbey. So my granddaughter is almost the same age as my daughter. That is just so weird. Something just not right in that. But, both babies are beautiful and healthy, so that's all that matters. I"m glad my mother loves to spoil them both. It helps me a lot.

"Do you care if I get a soda? I can't keep drinking scotch. Its not good for me," she said.

He chuckled, and started to stir the spaghetti. "Well this will be a good new beginning." he called to her. "This isn't anything like my grandmothers but it's still damn good!" He then started to stir the meat as well and adding some spices here and there. Then he started on the sauce, it would take a while but it was still good. Adding spices to the meat and the sauce was the secret. He would let it sit for a while, he went back to Khaat.

"No I don't," he told her. "I'll grab it, I have to get myself some water anyway. There's a fridge back here. Anything specific?" he asked her starting on his back to the kitchen again. "Oh really? Well it's good to have plenty of family!" he told her. "I don't have any left, I'm the last in the line of Murrays." he told her. "Oh yes, sometimes you need a break. I know my mom did when handling me." he laughed.

"Any soda is good," she called back. "The last of the Murrays? That's sad. You do realize, right, that a serious lack of family, friends, social life--combined with an excess of work--is really unhealthy? We do have to fix that. So when does Blaire Murray take a day off? We definitely have to infuse some fun in your life. We might have to porkey to someplace fun and get away from anybody that might want to make us work or chase anything evil. That does get so old.

"Hm..I wonder what the French Riviera is like this time of year. A day at the world's best beach would not be a bad thing. Or sailing. I have a friend in Italy that has a wonderful sailing yacht. He'd take us out for the day. Maybe an American theme park? I think we could think of some way to escape England for a bit, don't you?"