Love with the Proper Stranger

With mock defensiveness Gwen shot back, "You were the one who wanted to discuss Student Council politics, that is boring enough when it's your own school, I can't imagine how dull it is when it is someone else's. That's where we lost him."

"Touche," Cassie acknowledged the point.

"Anyway," Gwen began, rolling her eyes at her friend, "We were discussing copyright. Mickey Mouse, at least the Steamboat Willie version, became public domain this year. Cassie thinks the status quo is good. I think it's a bit excessive. What about you?"

Parker hedged a bit, "I guess I'm not that familiar with it, you guys doing a school project or something?"

"You know, people can be interested in things outside of school," Cassie said.

"Fair enough, so what is the status quo?", Parker asked.

"Author's life time plus 70, or 95 years for work for hire, more or less," Cassie explained.

"Wow, that's a long time."

"Exactly," Gwen jumped in, "the purpose of a copyright was to make sure the author could make a living, not for 70 years after her death. You invent a product that saves lives, 20-year patent. Write a book about it and it might last over 100 years. That doesn't make any sense."

Parker thought for a moment, "I guess if I was king for a day, I'd consider the Author's lifetime plus 5 years, or 25 years, whichever is later. Gives you time to wind down things down after an author passes, and if they die young or right after producing it, the family is left with something substantial."

Gwen smiled triumphantly, "See, I'm right!"

Cassie stuck out her tongue at her friend, "Whatever, you two are just wrong together."

Cassie's eyes locked on Parker, "So, Smart Guy, since you are all about school projects, anything interesting you are working on?"

"Yeah, I guess, not sure how interesting it is, but I'm writing a paper on the Siege of Vienna."

"Ohh, that is interesting," Gwen offered up, "Which one?"

Parker looked at her quizzically and she continued, "The first one, when they fell to the Hungarians, or the two where they held off the Ottomans?"

"The last one, 1683 with the Ottomans."

"Good choice," Gwen turned excitedly to her friends, "So the Ottoman Turks were pushing through Eastern Europe, they got to Vienna and laid siege to the city for like 2 months. If Vienna fell, Christianity in Europe was toast. The defenders were sucking when a relief force under the King of Poland showed up. It was the biggest calvary charge in history. Like 18,000 horses, the King of Poland led 3000 Winged Hussars himself."

"Winged Hussars?" Robert asked.

"Yeah, the Polish heavy cavalry, they had these wings on their saddles to make them look scarier when they charged. They were the best heavy cavalry in the world. They'd start out in a loose formation, trotting along, and as they got close to their enemy they'd get going faster and faster, tightening up the formation till the horses were practically shoulder to shoulder and going at a full gallop and ride right over their enemy. That had to be scary as hell."

Paker listened in rapt admiration as she continued, explaining the aftermath of the battle, wondering if he should ask her to proofread his paper.

The history discussion ended with the arrival of their food. Cassie had been right, it was excellent. They finished dinner and the girls excused themselves to go to the lady's room.

The boys watched them walk off and Robert turned to Parker as soon as they were out of earshot.

"That girl is deep, Curt sure fucked up cheating on her, that clown is never going to do any better."

"Yeah, she sure is," Parker agreed, wondering what else he'd been missing all these years.

"Try not to screw it up."

"I'm sure trying not to."

"Good, you're a lot more fun than that asshole ever was."

The girls returned, they settled the check and the waiting limo whisked them off to the dance.

Dozens of teens were already filling the hotel ballroom when they arrived. The girls located a few of their fellow cheerleaders who were holding seats for them. Gwen introduced Parker to the others at the table and as they took their seats.

They socialized for a few minutes, then the DJ played Mr. Brightside by the Killers. The cheerleaders squealed in unison, shot to their feet, grabbed their dates' hands and headed for the dance floor.

"It's kind of our team song," Gwen explained as the crew found space to dance.

They danced to several more songs and most of the group was heading back to the table when a slow song came on. Gwen pulled Parker back to the dance floor, he quickly realized with her dress there was no way to put his arms around her without touching bare skin. It was awkward at first, but soon they were moving to the music together. A second slow song followed and they continued to dance. The DJ decided to speed things back up and they separated, and Parker realized Gwen was giving him a strange smile.

She gave his hand a squeeze and they rejoined the others back at the table. The next two hours flew by, and even Parker was having fun laughing and joking with the group as they alternated dancing and hanging out.

Parker, Robert, Gwen and Cassie had just finished another round of dancing when the girls excused themselves again. The quartet made plans to meet by the refreshments and the boys went to take care of business of their own.

"Well, here we go," Robert muttered as the boys were waiting patiently by the punchbowl.

Parker followed his gaze and saw two men and a woman making their way through the crowd towards them. The way the man in the lead's eyes were fixed on Parker made it clear they weren't interested in refreshments. The second man split off, and hung back about 10 feet, the woman, girl really Parker realized as they got closer, was standing behind the man.

"That's Curt, Gwen's ex."

He was easily 6 inches taller than Parker, and significantly heavier. Not fat Parker assessed, sizing him up, but it definitely wasn't all muscle either. On the other hand, the girl standing nervously behind him looked like she'd been squeezed into her pink dress, and she was wearing entirely too much makeup.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing?" the new arrival asked in a confrontational tone and Parker could smell the alcohol on his breath.

"Just getting a drink," Parker responded amicably as he worked to stay calm. This was not going to end well he thought. He quickly scanned the area, keeping an eye on the aggressor. His companion had pulled out a cell phone and was obviously filming. That was definitely not a good sign.

Curt moved closer, trying to use his size to intimidate Parker.

"Yeah, funny smart ass, I mean what do you think you are doing at this dance with Gwen."

Parker weighed his options, if this turned violent it was Kobayashi Maru, he beats some high school kid's ass, the video goes viral, he gets arrested and his career is screwed. He takes the beating, hopefully doesn't get arrested, the video goes viral and someone figures out who he is and he's screwed.

Parker put his hands up, "Look, I don't know you, I certainly don't want any trouble, so why don't I just head out?"

"It's too late for that, it was too late for that when you started putting your hands all over my girl out on the dance floor!"

"I'm sorry, your girl? Isn't she your girl?" Parker gestured towards the girl behind him who was looking increasingly uncomfortable.

"Yeah, sort of, but no. Gwen damn it. Gwen is my girl."

"I don't think she sees it that way."

"Yeah, well she's just a little upset right now, but we'll deal with it. Now I'm going to deal with you."

He took hold of Parker's lapel, and Parker's brain clicked.

The training raced through his brain, front take down, full combat speed. His right hand started to move towards Curt's wrist, the left positioned to strike the elbow once he had the arm locked. Some small part of his mind screamed, don't break his arm, don't break his arm. Put him on the ground and get the hell out of here.

"Mr. Connors," a firm authoritative voice broke through the tableau, "just what do you think you are doing?"

Curt released Parker's jacket and turned to face the voice. A large man was pushing his way though the crowd.

"Uh, Coach Ben, I was just talking to this guy, I've never seen him before, wanted to make sure no one had snuck in."

Robert stepped closer to Parker, his presence silently vouching for his new friend. The Coach was standing next to Curt now, and Parker saw Gwen had followed him through the crowd, although she had hung back.

"I'm not really sure that's your problem Curt."

"I just wanted to make sure everyone was safe, Coach."

"Is that alcohol on your breath? Let's go Curt."

Coach Ben nodded to Parker and Robert and then escorted Curt away. The girl who had accompanied Curt stood there, unsure what to do next until Gwen approached and gave her a withering glare. She quickly disappeared into the crowd.

"Everything OK?" Gwen asked, her voice betraying her own nervousness.

"Yeah, I think we're good."

"Yeah, we're good," Robert agreed.

Cassie emerged from the crowd, an older woman in tow. Once they had a clear look at the trio Cassie said something to her, the older woman shook her head with a knowing smile and turned around.

"What were you doing with Mrs. May?" Robert asked Cassie when she joined the group.

"Gwen's plan," she explained, "We came out of the bathroom and saw Curt heading towards you, so we split up figured we'd have a better chance of getting to a chaperone in time that way. I found Mrs. May."

"And I found Mr. Ben," Gwen added.

"Just in time too," Robert observed, "Parker was about to do the man dance to defend your honor."

Robert gave Parker a good-natured slap on the back.

"Really?" Gwen asked, that same strange look in her eyes.

"I guess," Parker answered, "Pretty sure he wasn't going to give me a choice."

"Listen, if you guys will excuse me, I really think I need to get some air," Parker continued.

"Would it be OK if I came with you?" Gwen asked.

"Sure, if you want."

The pair found a side exit to what probably would have been a smoking area for an adult function.

"Are you really, OK?" Gwen asked as the door closed behind them quieting the music.

Parker looked at her for a minute, "I'll be fine, just coming down off the adrenaline I guess, needed to be somewhere a bit quieter, away from the crowd."

They sat down on a small bench, sitting in silence for a few minutes. The breeze picked up and Gwen shivered. Without thinking Parker slipped his jacket off and draped it over her shoulders.

"You must be freezing, we should go back inside," he said.

"I'm fine, just a little chill," she looked at him for a moment, "if he'd tried to hit you, you'd have...I mean, you're trained for that stuff, right?"

"Kind of," he admitted, "we don't really do all that much unarmed combat stuff. I think I'd have been ok; he came in clumsy, telegraphed what he was going to try and do. But he's got 60 pounds and some reach on me, so you never know. I'm glad it didn't come to that."

"Me too," she paused again thinking, "You'd have gotten in a lot of trouble, if things had escalated?"

"Probably, if the police got involved, I would have to notify my Commander. At the least I'd have a lot of explaining to do, lots of questions about why I was here in the first place."

She nodded, "Why are you here?"

He looked at her curiously.

"I mean, why did you agree to this? There isn't really upside for you. I mean, I'm glad you came, I was having a wonderful night up until Curt showed up but..."

Parker thought for a minute, "Really, two reasons. First, because my Dad asked me to. We've kind of had our ups and downs, after he and my Mom got divorced, and especially after he moved. I mean, I always sort of understood why he moved but it was still hard, and it made things awkward between us. I think we're both trying really hard to stay on track, and I didn't want to let him down. You know?"

"Yeah, I can understand that. He is a pretty cool Dad you know; he taught me all about Steve McQueen!"

"That alone is Father of the Year material," Parker responded with a laugh.

"What was the other reason?"

He took a deep breath, "Because I got cheated on too. Someone I was madly in love with, someone I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with, and she was screwing this total douchebag behind my back. That girl in the pink dress, the chunky one, was that her?"

Gwen rolled her eyes and nodded, "Yeah, that was her."

Parker shook his head, "typical, I've never understood why guys always cheat down."

"Cheat down?" Gwen inquired.

"Yeah, cheat with someone who isn't nearly as attractive as the one they are with. You're beautiful, that girl isn't mid on a good day."

"Anyway," he continued, "I was in a pretty dark place for a long time. I was lucky to have some friends who helped me through it, so it was my way of trying to be there for someone else. I didn't really know how you were handling it, and I think that bothered me too, it made me realize I didn't really know you.

We've been part of each other's lives for a decade, and I feel like I've learned more about you tonight than I did in all the time. I'm sorry it took me so long to find out how awesome you are."

She placed a hand gently on his cheek, "You know, I don't think you've complimented me once in the last ten years, and now it's twice in 2 minutes."

He started to respond by she cut him off, "I'm not fishing for compliments, I'm glad we've gotten to know each other better too. And in the spirit of getting to know each other better, what exactly do you do? I mean I know you are in the Army, and your Dad says you've been promoted a bunch of times, but that's about all I know."

"I'm an armor crewman."

"That's not terribly helpful."

He laughed, "OK, I'm sure with all the news and stuff about Ukraine you know what an M1 tank is, right?"

"Yes."

"So, I'm a M1A2 tank commander, I'm responsible for the tank, and the other 3 soldiers in my crew. Right now, I'm the Platoon Sergeant's wingman."

"That sounds pretty cool."

"It's fucking awesome, best job I ever had."

Gwen looked at him, thinking hard, then, "Fury, right?"

Parker nodded, "Good catch."

"Your Dad loves that movie, he cries a little at the end though, now I think I understand why."

Parker stared at her, thinking about the implications of what she'd just said, "I didn't know that."

"No reason you should have I guess, so what comes next?"

"Well, hopefully, in a couple of years, if I don't screw up, I will get promoted again and I will be the Platoon Sergeant, then I'll be responsible for all 4 tanks in the platoon."

"So, not screw up like getting into a fight at a high school dance?"

"Pretty much exactly like that."

"I'm glad I didn't ruin your career."

"It's ok, I'd have managed."

The couple fell silent again, and Gwen leaned against him.

"Is that why you are going to school? Does that help you get promoted?"

"It's one of the things they look at, more and more guys I'll be competing with have a bachelor's, so I'm working on a Master's now. I got a slot to Master Gunner school in a few months, that will help too."

"What's that?"

"It's an 8-week course, it's really tough, but you learn the ins and outs of the tank like no one else. When you graduate you are THE expert for you battalion on the tank. Everything from the technology of the gun tube, advanced gunnery skills, how the hydraulics work, down to the schematics of all the electronics."

He paused, looking at her for a moment.

"This is probably more boring to you than student council politics."

She pushed against him with her shoulder, "I'm not really sure I understand all that, but it's really cool how passionate you are about it. Lots of people just sort of do their job, you really seem to care, to want to excel."

He nodded slowly, "I guess so, I mean I've got some great guys, but there are definitely people who just show up for a paycheck. If you are going to do it, why wouldn't you want to be the best? And if things ever go south again, if we are in another shooting war, I can't imagine letting my guys get killed or injured because I couldn't be bothered to learn something, to know the best way to do it. I'm responsible for them, I owe them my absolute best."

A cover of Toni Basil's Mickey interrupted their conversation. Parker looked around for a moment.

"It's my phone," Gwen explained, "It's in your pocket, that's Cassie's ringtone, I'd better answer it."

"Forgot I had it," he said sheepishly as he pulled the phone out and handed it to her.

She answered, "Yeah, still outside.... Oh, OK, we'll be right there."

She hung the phone up and looked at the display, "It's almost 11, they are winding down inside, we better get back in there."

They headed back in and located Robert and Cassie.

"Only a couple of songs left, better get your groove on," Cassie advised.

"Give me a minute, I'll meet you out there, OK." Parker said.

"Sure thing," Gwen replied.

The trio headed for the dance floor. Gwen kept an eye on Parker and saw him head for the DJ. He got his attention, and the DJ leaned down to talk to Parker for a moment, then she saw Parker hand him something. The DJ nodded and Parker was hurrying onto the floor. He was back with the others as the song ended and the DJ started talking.

"Two more songs left, so grab your Valentine and get out there on the dance floor, and in the spirt of the holiday we're going to slow things down," he announced.

The opening chords of Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" started playing and Gwen shook her head at Parker.

"Is this your work?" she enquired.

"Seemed appropriate, and it only cost me $20."

"Well, we should dance then."

Gwen moved closer to him, and they began to dance. True to his word another slow song followed, when it ended the lights came up. The pair kept swaying together to the memory of the music for a minute, then they slowly separated.

Gwen took his hands, and they stood looking at each other as the dance floor emptied.

Finally, Gwen spoke, a trace of nervousness in her voice, "Cassie has an...after party planned. I'd really like to go, if you want to?"

"It's your night, whatever you want."

They met Robert and Cassie back at the table. Cassie seemed to be glancing back and forth between Gwen and Parker, an expression on her face Parker couldn't quite pin down.

"Ready for the after party?" Gwen asked.

Cassie nodded and turned to Robert, "What about you?"

"I'm down," he replied.

Cassie grinned, "Let's go then."

Cassie took Robert's hand and led them out of the ballroom, saying a few goodbyes to friends as they passed. Gwen and Parker trailed behind, arm in arm.

Rather than heading outside, Cassie took them into the main hotel lobby, and over to the elevators. They went up to the 30th floor, then down the hall. Cassie produced a key card and opened a door.

They entered to the living area of a suite. In front of them was a couch, flanked by a pair of love seats oriented to provide a view of the city through the windows. A dining area was to the right, and doors on the left and right walls led to a pair of bedrooms.

Cassie turned back to a somewhat confused looking Robert.

"I've got a surprise for you, honey," she announced, gesturing towards the left door, "It's in there."

Still holding his hand, she led him through the door and closed it behind them.

"So...." Parker began.

Without a word Gwen took his hand and led him to the other room. She closed the door behind them, then sat down on the bed. She patted the bed beside her then took off her heels. He sat down in the indicated spot, looking at Gwen.