I stared at him in surprise. Although I was about ninety-nine percent sure I knew what he meant by that, I couldn't help that last one percent of insecurity that refused to be silenced.

"Why? You don't like it?" I asked, my voice slightly disappointed.

"I love it. I don't think I've ever loved a piece of clothing more than I do that dress. Now, take it off," he repeated.

He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me closer. With his free hand, he started lifting the skirt of my dress.

"Victor, wait!"

"Don't worry, I told Philip to take the night off just now. He's long gone," he reassured me.

"That's not the point," I insisted, trying to squirm out of his grasp.

"What? I told you you wouldn't have that dress on long." He paused a moment. A mischievous smile filled his face. "Or is that the problem? You want to keep it on."

I could feel my cheeks burning as he said that. "What do you mean?"

"Come on, I saw the way you were enjoying yourself earlier," he teased. "Did I finally discover that secret kink you keep insisting you don't have?"

"Shut up!"

I tried to shove him away, but his arm tightened around my waist. He chuckled softly.

He reached out and played with a loose strand of my hair. "Hey, I never said it was a bad thing. I mean, I love seeing your body, but I'm willing to make a couple sacrifices if it means you enjoy yourself more."

"Th-that's not what I meant!" I insisted.

I'm sure my face was bright red by this point. It wasn't a complete lie, that wasn't what I meant. Originally. However, I couldn't deny the fact that when I thought about him taking my clothes off, I felt a little... disappointed.

I felt annoyed at this realization. For a couple reasons. First was the obvious problem of it gave him yet another thing to tease me about. That was the least of my worries though. What bothered me more was the way I felt ashamed of it.

I mean, fucking with your clothes on wasn't really that kinky. I'm sure it had to be somewhere more towards the vanilla end of the spectrum. So why did I feel so embarrassed by it?

Did I think that it, in and of itself, was something to be ashamed of? No. Was I really worried it was something Victor was going to hold over me? Not really. So why did I care so much? Why was I so worried about if he knew or not? He was right, if anything it would let me enjoy myself more during sex. So what was the problem?

Honestly, I think the biggest problem was the simple fact that he knew. That he knew there was this little trick he could do at any time to have me completely melt in his arms. And that thought scared me.

My mind was an empty mess earlier. I was completely at his mercy. I would have done anything for him at that moment, just to have him touch me more.

I mean, I loved Victor, and I knew he wasn't the kind of guy who would abuse that power in anyway that would hurt me, but it still scared me. Someone having complete control over me like that? Not knowing if I'd have the willpower to set boundaries or reject him? Even if I needed to? It was a Pandora's box I wasn't sure I was willing to open.

However, I wasn't sure if I'd have a choice. Victor looked less than convinced by my weak protests. He gave me an amused smile.

"Alright, I'll bite," he said playfully. "Then what did you mean?"

Good question, and god, I needed an answer. A million thoughts raced through my mind, but none stopped long enough for me to actually catch them. I settled for the first thing my mouth could blurt out.

"I-I meant we should do something else first."

"Something else, huh?" He said, still unconvinced.

"Well, to start, I haven't even eaten yet."

A weak excuse, but it seemed to work. Victor looked surprised. Like he realized for the first time that I had, in fact, not eaten since breakfast.

While I normally cursed my stomach's terrible timing, it actually helped me out this time. My stomach growled loudly. Victor's previous teasing attitude vanished completely. He looked away and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Right, sorry. Umm, why don't you eat first," he mumbled. "We'll figure things out from there."

I smiled. "That sounds nice."

He gestured for me to lead the way back to the table. Though Victor always put up a tough act, times like this made me realize how much he really cared about me. Yet again, it looked like he had prepared a plate for me while he was waiting. I sat down and started eating.

It wasn't just a really good excuse, I actually was hungry. I had half my food gone in no time. I could feel Victor watching me, but he didn't comment. Which was a little strange, honestly. Usually he'd make some crack about me shovelling down food.

I glanced up. Sure enough, he was looking at me. He gave me a weak smile.

"Sorry. I guess I've been neglecting your needs a little."

"It's fine. It's just one meal. Besides, I'm only so hungry because we... 'exercised' earlier," I reassured him.

"Still, you're a person, not a sex toy. I should take better care of you. At the very least, I should make sure you're fed and well-hydrated."

"Maybe I misheard, did you say I'm a person or a pet?"

He chuckled softly. "Depends. When you eat like that, I'd definitely say you're more animal than human."

I narrowed my eyes at him, but I was actually kind of glad he had made that joke. While I complained about the perverted, sarcastic Victor, that was the Victor I was used to. I felt better having him act like himself, even if it was at my expense.

"Moving on," he said, changing the subject, "what do you want to do after lunch?"

"I'm not sure," I answered honestly.

"I have some ideas," he said with a wink.

I rolled my eyes. "Look, I'm not saying 'no,' I'm just saying 'not now.'

We don't exactly have 'dates,' so to speak. I don't mind usually, but sometimes I miss that kind of thing. It would be nice to do something date-ish together every now and then. Even if it's only at home."

He looked down at the table awkwardly. I knew this kind of thing was out of Victor's realm of expertise. Sex? No problem. Relationships? Uncharted territory he had no clue how to navigate. He nodded his head slowly.

"Okay, I get that," he mumbled. "So, umm... What exactly do you do on a date? I mean, we've already eaten. Is there anything people usually do after that?"

"Again, I didn't have anything specific in mind," I insisted. "I just think it would be nice to spend some time together. With clothes."

He smiled weakly. "Sounds crazy, but I'll give it a shot. Umm, well how about that movie we never watched? Dinner and a movie's a pretty common date, right? Although, I guess this is technically lunch and a movie."

"We have to eat dinner eventually," I teased.

"Now I kind of wish I didn't send Philip home," he muttered.

I reached across the table and put my hand over his. "No, it's good you did. After all, 'not now' implies we'll still be trying those 'ideas' of yours later, right?"

He seemed to perk up at this idea. His normal, mischievous smile returned to his face.

"Sounds like a plan. So... movie?"

"Yup, I'm ready," I said, pushing my plate away. "Although, I'm pretty sure the popcorn's cold by now."

"We'll live," he chuckled.

He grabbed my hand and led me out of the dining room. Victor's way of holding hands always felt awkward. Like a teenager on his first real date. It was stiff, uncomfortable, and obvious that he had no clue what he was doing. I wouldn't have changed it for anything in the world.

Victor was always so cocky and aggressive, it was nice to see a softer side of him. More than that, I knew he was really trying his best in those moments. As uncomfortable as this couple-y, relationship-y stuff made him, he still did it. I really loved that about him.

As we walked into the bedroom, Victor let go of my hand and put his arm around my waist instead.

"So, since this is a 'date,' it shouldn't be a big deal if you sit in my lap, right?" He said suggestively.

I rolled my eyes. Okay, date or not, Victor was still Victor. I suppose I had to throw him a bone somewhere.

"Fine, but your hands stay above my skirt," I warned him.

"Prude."

I smiled and nudged him gently. He sat down and pulled me into his lap. He started searching through the movies.

"Date or not, I'll gouge my eyes out before I watch some sappy chick-flick. But aside from that, anything special you want to watch?" He asked.

I couldn't help the snicker that escaped my lips. "Nothing horror, but anything else is fine."

"What?!" He said with mock surprise. "No blood and guts on date night? Boring. Besides, if you get scared, you can always cuddle up to me for protection."

"Please. You're ten times scarier than anything in those movies could ever hope to be."

"Hey!"

I laughed as he pouted at this. He wrapped his arms around my waist and squeezed me gently. It didn't take long for his smile to return.

"Seriously though, no preferences?" He asked again.

"Not really."

"How about a comedy then?" He suggested. "Light, fun, and within the appropriate realm of a 'date' movie."

"My, my. How sensible of you," I teased.

He rolled his eyes and put on a movie. "Shocking, I know. Like you said though, it's not like we can go out and do things too often. If we're stuck at home, the least I can do is make sure you're having a good time while we're here. Even if it's with clothes."

I didn't say anything. I just rested my head against his chest and watched the movie. Despite the jokes, I could tell how serious he was about what he said. He really was trying to give me a nice date right now.

That was Victor through and through. He complained, he pouted, he made stupid jokes, but in the end, he always did what he could to make me happy. Even if it was uncomfortable for him. And I knew this was.

It wasn't the first time we'd done something like this together, but I think the context of this being a "date" made him feel slightly more uncomfortable than if we were just hanging out. He was sitting stiffly in his seat. Even though we were watching a comedy, he barely cracked a smile, let alone laughed. Again, I couldn't help but compare him to some inexperienced teenager.

Part of that concerned me actually. According to Thomas' book, Victor used to be quite the playboy. Was it an exaggeration based on Victor's flaky personality, or was there something more to it?

I'd never asked Victor much about his past before. Maybe it was partly because I really didn't want to think about how many girls he may or may not have been with before me. I couldn't help wondering about it now though. Besides, I'm sure Victor wouldn't mind telling me. It's not like his playboy status was a secret and, if anything, talking about something like this might actually help him to relax a little.

"Hey, Victor?"

"Hmm?"

"How many girls have you dated before me?"

He started a bit at the question. I couldn't tell if it was panic or if I caught him off guard with the question. Maybe both.

"Why would you ask that?" His voice had a tremor of worry in it.

"It's nothing specific, if that's what you're afraid of," I reassured him. "I was just sitting here, thinking, and I realized we've never really talked much about your past."

He shrugged vaguely. "What do you mean? We've talked about it plenty."

"I mean outside of you being sick." I could feel his muscles tense as I said this. "We've talked about your rough relationship with Thomas, and we've talked about when you discovered the truth, but we've never really talked about you.

You've said it yourself, you're your own person. I just feel like I haven't gotten the chance to know that person much. I want to know about your past, your life, you."

He stayed silent. He didn't seem to know what to say. I'm sure part of the reason was fear. As much as Victor hated being seen as a "personality," sometimes I felt like he relied on that label.

"Disorders" don't have to mature and grow as people. "Illnesses" don't have to be vulnerable and open themselves up to others. "Delusions" don't have to live up to anyone's expectations. After all, how can you expect anything from someone who doesn't exist?

But he did exist. Victor was Victor, Jack was Jack, Arthur was Arthur. Same body or not, everyone was entirely their own person. Victor had his own past, his own memories, his own life completely independent of the others. And I think he was scared to admit that.

His eyes were glued to the floor. It was almost as if he was refusing to look up. Like he hoped that if he waited long enough, I'd give up and drop the whole subject.

However, he knew me better than that. After a while he sighed and shook his head slowly. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Alright, alright. That's... fair," he admitted. "And I guess I'm happy that you care enough to even ask. So... ask me what you want and I'll do my best to answer."

"Well, back to my original question, how many girls did you date before me?"

"Pass."

"Victor!"

He let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine. If you're asking about me personally, then none."

I crossed my arms and glared at him. He rolled his eyes.

"I swear," he insisted. "Look, you know me. Well, you knew me anyway. I wasn't exactly the 'settling down' type when we first met. I was pretty much the same when it came to the women before you. Hell, worse even."

I guess, thinking back, he was right. Crude, arrogant, flaky. The man I met that day didn't really strike me as the 'serious relationship' type. I suppose it was possible he never "dated," so to speak.

"Go on," I said tentatively.

"Not much to go on about. That was pretty much it. Tommy was good about keeping women on lock and key in this house, especially when I was around. So I had to get creative with where to find them.

Honestly, that was the hard part. Finding them. Convincing them to sleep with me was a breeze."

"Gee, poor baby," I grumbled.

"It's not like that anymore," he said quickly. He ran his fingers through my hair gently. "Those girls were flings. That's all. Passing gold-diggers hoping to get a wad of cash in exchange for a wild night, the occasional curious cleaning lady looking for an afternoon thrill, and one less-than-professional therapist."

"You had sex with your therapist?" I groaned.

Somehow, that fact didn't surprise me a bit. I wasn't particularly upset that he slept with her, honestly. Instead, I was more annoyed by how stupidly on-point something like that was for his character. He smiled sheepishly.

"Let's just say, she worked one head a lot better than the other."

I made a disgusted sound and stood up. He pulled me back into his lap immediately and held me tightly. I felt his lips against the back of my neck.

"Okay, okay. Sorry, stupid joke," he apologized. "The only reason I make it is because that's how little that hookup meant to me. It was a joke. A fling. It didn't matter. None of them did.

Like I said, I never 'dated' anyone. I never cared enough about any of them to even consider it. I used them to kill time and get off. That was it. I don't even think I learned their names half the time. They might as well have been walking glory-holes."

"Victor!"

"I know, I know!" He snapped. "Look, that was the old me. My old way of thinking. It's not like that anymore. I'm not like that anymore. I swear.

Yes, when we first met I kind of had similar thoughts. But that went out the window as soon as I realized what a prude you were." I opened my mouth to yell at him again, but he held up his hand to silence me. "However, looking back, I think the fact that you were such an ice queen was what made me fall for you in the first place."

"Excuse me?"

"I've told you before, I had a vague idea that you and Jack had something going on. So the fact that you rejected me really pissed me off," he explained. "I started wondering what he had that I didn't. Why, yet again, he was the golden-boy and I was shit.

Then you told me why. You chewed me out good that day. I know I acted like I blew it off, but it really got to me. I wasn't sure what pissed me off more, the idea that this woman I barely knew somehow felt like she had the right to sit there and judge me, or the fact that I actually agreed with you."

"Wait, you did?"

"To some degree," he admitted. "I could easily blow off the stuff about me being perverted or sexist. After all, why should your opinion matter? You were just another woman. I didn't even care so much when you said I had a bad attitude and no boundaries. Hell, Tommy would tell me that at least once a day when I saw him."

"I'm not exactly seeing the big life-changing impact I seemed to have on you."

He smiled weakly. He brushed his fingers over my hand. The look in his eyes was a mixture of happiness and sadness. It was like he was lost in his memories.

"You said I never gave you a reason to smile," he murmured.

"Huh?"

He chuckled softly and nodded. "You'd been such a grouch all day that I was surprised the first time I actually saw you smile. It felt... nice to see you smile. When I asked why you never smiled around me, you said I never gave you a reason.

That... stuck with me. I think that was the moment I realized what the difference was between me and him."

"Which was?"

"You smiled for him because he treated you like you were special. And I never did anything like that for you.

You were right about me. I did treat you like a plaything," he admitted. "I treated every woman like a plaything. None of them ever mattered to me, but you?

The memories I had of you, his memories of you, they were... happy. It felt cruel. To have so many happy memories and know none of them were actually mine. I guess it made me realize that if I wanted any of that happiness for myself, then I had to make some changes about the way I was treating you. I had to be the kind of man who could make you smile."

My heart raced a little hearing him say that. Had saying something so small really changed him that much? I guess so, because now, he absolutely was the kind of man who could make me smile.

I leaned my head back against his shoulder and turned to kiss his neck.

"What about now?" I asked. "Got enough happy memories of your own?"

He chuckled softly. "So many I want to throw up."

Hardly "romantic," but absolutely Victor. I understood what he meant though. Every time I thought about the time we spent together I still got butterflies in my stomach. Enough to make me sick.

"Look, I'm kind of at my limit for 'sharing' today," he muttered. "Can we-"

"I know it's a little early, but do you want a drink?"

He started at this. His eyes went wide with shock.

"Wait, you're letting me drink early?!" He said, stunned.

I shrugged. "Well, you've been pretty good lately, and I know how hard 'sharing' is on you. Besides, this is a date, right? A little alcohol won't hurt anything."

"Damn, if I knew it was that easy I would've started skipping sex for 'dates' a long time ago."

I rolled my eyes. "No you wouldn't."

He smiled at me. "Alright, I probably wouldn't, but it's nice to have the option."

I stood up and smoothed out my clothes. Even though my back was to him I could feel him watching me.

"Why don't you pick another movie?" I suggested. "I'll be back in a little bit. Red, right?"

He snickered at this. "You know it."

I headed downstairs to the cellar. I still knew nothing about wine, however, it seemed like Victor was always happy with my choices regardless of that fact.

I guess that wasn't too surprising. After all, this was his wine cellar. It only made sense he'd fill it with things he liked. I was probably safe as long as I avoided whites and any of Henry's "experiments."

I grabbed a couple of moderately sized bottles. "Date" or not, I didn't need him getting wasted. Especially not this early. Although, the more I thought about it, I wasn't actually worried he would drink too much.

I wasn't lying when I told him he'd been good lately. Victor was doing much better about limiting how much he drank. Or at least, spacing it out enough that he never really got drunk. Either way, I was happy he was controlling himself better. Maybe the time really would come where I could trust him to drink early. Maybe.

I couldn't help letting out a small chuckle as I thought of this. I carried the bottles back upstairs. Victor had a movie paused and waiting by the time I got back. He turned towards me as he heard the door close.

"Got the wine?" He asked. I held up the bottles. "Good. Now, come sit down so we can watch this."

I was surprised to see some wine glasses on the table already. He smirked as he noticed my confusion.

"I know Jack keeps a stash of booze up here. I just don't know where," he explained. "However, he doesn't really hide the glasses. Convenient for times like this."

I smiled and set the bottles on the table. I crawled back into his lap without him even asking. He chuckled softly and opened one of the bottles. I had a full glass in my hand not ten seconds later.

"What do you think? Make tonight a movie and wine night?" He asked.

"Sounds good to me," I said, snuggling in and taking a sip. "Let's get started."

Knowing Victor, I was sure it wouldn't be long before "movie night" turned into something else. However, to my great surprise, it never did.

He sat like a good boy through the first movie. I was pleasantly surprised when he behaved through the second one as well. By the third one, I was more concerned than relieved though. Going this long without any type of groping or teasing? That wasn't like Victor. As the fourth movie in our "movie night" came to an end, I couldn't take it anymore.

"Victor, are you okay?" I blurted out.

He seemed surprised. "Yes, why?"

"Well, you just seem kind of... reserved tonight. That's really out of character for you, so I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Reserved?" The confusion only lasted a second on his face. A devious sparkle filled his eyes. "Oh! You mean that I'm not acting like a horny animal. I was trying to be good for our date."

"Oh," I sighed, relieved.

His hand rubbed my back slowly. Suddenly, I heard the sound of a zipper and my dress loosened from my body. I gasped and covered myself quickly.

"Victor!"

He shrugged. "Hey, I was planning to be a good boy tonight. But since you seem so worried, I guess I can turn up the foreplay a little."

"Th-that's not what I meant!" I sputtered.

"Come on, it's getting around that time anyway," he teased. "How about I take you to bed and make sure you have a really good night's sleep."

I blushed, but I didn't object. After all, I suppose I did promise him a round two later. Besides, maybe it was the two bottles of wine talking, but going this long without him touching me felt strange. I'm sure he probably felt the same.

As I stood up, I let the dress slip from my body. It crumpled into a pile on the floor. I stepped out of my shoes slowly. As I did, I felt his hands on my waist. As I stood back up he pulled me close and kissed the back of my neck.

"You really are too perfect sometimes," he murmured.

I smiled and leaned back against him. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"It's terrible."

"So, what are you going to do about it?" I asked playfully.

Without a word he picked me up in his arms and carried me to the bed. Sex this time wasn't like sex this afternoon. It wasn't slow and teasing. Instead, it was like he couldn't wait to touch me.

Before I even had time to remove them, he yanked my panties to the side and thrust inside of me. I gasped as he did so.

Rough, needy, wild. That was the Victor I knew. Although, he might have been a little too needy this time.

It felt like we'd barely started when he suddenly tightened his arms around me and let out a low grunt. The familar warmth inside of me clued me in to what had just happened.

I glanced down at him. Shock, shame, annoyance, and a few other emotions filled his face. I'm sure I probably looked just as surprised as he did. His cheeks turned deep red.

"I-I drank too much. That's all," he explained quickly. "Just give me a minute. It'll perk up again."

I couldn't help smiling at his desperate explanation. Who knew Victor could get embarrassed like this? I reached up and stroked his cheek reassuringly.

"Don't worry about it. I think we're both a little tired today."

"I'll be ready to go again in a second," he insisted. "I just-"

"It's fine," I told him. "You don't need to push yourself with me. I'm happy just being with you."

He scowled at the floor as if he were still annoyed at himself. I put my fingers under his chin and lifted his face to meet mine. I leaned in and kissed his lips gently. His face softened a bit as I pulled away. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him close.

"I love you, Victor," I murmured. "I had so much fun today. Thank you for making this such a nice date."

I felt his body tense up. He cleared his throat.

"You don't need to thank me for something like that," he grumbled, a faint blush still on his cheeks. "I know being with me isn't easy. You miss out on a lot of stuff a 'normal' relationship might have. So, if I can do something for you, even if it's as small as this, I'm going to."

He rolled onto his back, pulling me on top of him. I nuzzled my head against his chest, listening to the sound of his heart beat.

"I love you, Victor."

"I love you too."

As always, his tone sounded a little stiff saying this, but the tender way he held me said all the things that he himself could never say.

His fingers traced down my back gently. It was comfortable, soothing. Which is probably why I found myself falling asleep in no time. The world slowly faded into a dark haze. As it did, I heard him sigh.

"So many happy memories, I want to throw up."

The hum of those words echoed in my head until they put me to sleep.

His arms. Warm, protective, gentle. They were a nest of comfort around me. I felt untouchable in them. The dark world of bliss I was in seemed endless.

Until I was thrown out of it. Literally. In my half-asleep state, I wasn't exactly sure what had happened. All I knew was that I'd suddenly been tossed across the bed.

I sat up quickly, shocked and confused. I looked around, but my eyes were still too asleep to focus properly. It didn't matter though. A sudden voice told me exactly what was wrong.

"A-Anna?!" Mr. Weston's voice cried out in surprise. "I-I- wha- what are you doing here?! Wh- why are you-"

As my eyes finally focused, I saw the confusion and panic on his face. It didn't take long for me to figure out why. Dread filled my body as I realized who I was in bed with.

Arthur.