Hayden didn’t think Ander would take her out for dinner, she was surprised to learn that he did in fact have money and by the look he got when he found out she thought that he was a penny less free loader was a victory in the little game they played and she knew it. “Did you rob a bank or something when you came here?” She asked when they were seated at one of only two restaurants in the town, and lucky for him it was the fancy one, “No, but when there is a reason to do something then there is a will to accomplish it” Hayden gave him an amused look at how well he had phrased that one, “So you had money here before hand?” she said and saw him smile at her.

Ander couldn’t take his eyes off of the woman before him, she wore a blue dress that fit her perfectly and made sure that all the attention was on her and no one else, and while he didn’t think it Hayden would always revert her gaze back towards him. “You clean up nice, there might be hope for you yet” Ander smiled at her comment, “Thanks, I figured one of us had to” he got a little kick under the table that was playful instead of hurtful as his reward for his remark.

The two didn’t know what to expect from each other, somehow Hayden’s joke had now brought them here to this point and now they both felt this tugging inside and they couldn’t help but follow it until their eyes met. “You look hermosa…” Ander decided to take the dive off of the cliff the tugging brought them to and it was worth it, Hayden blushed at his words and she gave him a playful look that made him realise what the tugging feeling has been, somehow after only knowing this woman for a few days he had begun to fall in love with her, and somehow he just knew that she feels the same.

The moment didn’t last long however when their waiter came and Ander recognised her as one of the three sisters, the young woman stopped in her tracks when she noticed Ander and then who he was with, “You, and you… what are you…” she didn’t get to finish before Hayden stopped her and put a hand on Ander’s which was on the table, “We’re enjoying a night out, this town is neutral ground and should you do anything here there will be Hunters coming to dispose of you… also just in case you thought that you could sneak into the forest without me noticing, you’ll die if you try” both Ander and Lou could see the horror she now showed in her eyes, she would kill this woman if she did anything and she would never forgive or trust Ander if he did anything.

“Fine, neutral… can I take your orders than?” Ander let his jaw drop at how quickly the witch which had nearly killed him accepted that she would lose, but then when he saw how fast the horror he had seen changed to playfulness again he knew that this woman who was slowly winning his heart was more deadly than any witch he has ever met. They ordered quickly, trying not to keep the tension around them because this was supposed to be their peaceful night out; Lou looked relieved when they ignored her after their orders were placed. “Like you they just need a chance to improve, so give them that” Hayden said when she turned back to look at Ander after the other young witch left, though his eyes were looking at the table and as she looked down at the table she saw her hand on his, and she couldn’t stop herself from pulling back quickly and blushing even more.

To turn the attention away from herself she thought of something to ask, “Has the other world changed much?” was all she could come up with. Ander didn’t know what to think when he saw her hand on his, the touch was soft and gentle but it was too short when she suddenly pulled back, he had missed it too much too soon.

“It depends on how long it’s been since you’ve been there, but mostly it hasn’t changed much from what the history books recorded before. War among the races and classes, everyone trying to come here while the witches stand in their way and try to flee here like so many times before” he couldn’t help but feel just a little sad that he had to tell someone that their home was still the same hell hole they remembered. The look Ander saw on Hayden however wasn’t a sad one, “You weren’t born there were you” he stated more then asked and he knew he was right before she even nodded to him.

“I was born here, raised here and then went there with the master to fight alongside him” Hayden answered a little more of the mystery that was her life and Ander listened without getting distracted by an enemy bringing their food, Hayden however did look up at Lou to say, “If this is poisoned in any way then you’ll feel the effects, not us” Lou looked like she wanted to run but she took back the food and threw a sorry over her shoulder as she fled, afraid for her life.

“I’ve been the caretaker here for so long, and would you believe that I have not once come here to eat, not in the eighty years that it has been open” Hayden thought aloud as she admired the place, Ander almost choked on the glass of water that he was drinking, “So you’re immortal?” he asked when he regained himself, Hayden though just smiled at him. “Witches aren’t immortal… powerful yes, and with that power we can cast spells to change how we look, or freeze our bodies at a certain age but I didn’t freeze my age. The master was the one who granted me eternal vida, he had said that it would be too troublesome to keep training a new bruja or dos every lifetime” Ander couldn’t believe that he was falling for someone who probably had a few hundred years on him but he didn’t really care he noticed.

“What was my father like?” He asked when once again their food arrived, a different waiter bringing it this time, “We apologize, your waiter wasn’t feeling well so she was sent home” Ander smiled as he thought of the poor girl looking sick when in fact she was just scared. They enjoyed their meal with some small talk for a while before Hayden came back to his question, “Your father was the type of man to kill your familia in front of you, drench you in their blood and then demand your loyalty” Ander once again choked, and couldn’t even look at the pasta in front of him anymore.

Everything Ander had learned about his father from Hayden had him wishing never to meet him, but something deep inside of him knew that he would always want to meet the man. He just hoped that if he ever met the man that he would survive it, but more than that he hoped that Eric never had to hear the truth about their father like he has and that he never meets the man.

After her answer Ander tried to steer the conversation in a different direction just so that he wouldn’t ruin the dessert he was planning on getting for them, “You asked” Hayden said when she saw his half eaten plate of pasta go back and Ander gave her an uneasy smile, point for Hayden he thought before the waiter came back. Dessert was simple, they both seemed to like it that way, just ice cream with some chocolate sauce and a cherry in between the three scoops, “The simple things are often the sweetest and most sought after” Hayden said after her first spoon of ice cream and Ander just fell further and faster.

“You don’t have to ask you know, there are books on your padre in my study if you wanted to learn more about him… and it’s not all malo either” Hayden said after another spoon of ice cream disappeared between her lips.

“I never really cared about knowing my father; I just thought that if I understood him a little, then maybe I could learn something that could help Eric” Ander half lied as he watch the woman eat, he remembered to take a spoonful himself when his words drew the attention of her eyes which saw right through him.

“You’re a good hermano Ander, even after only knowing your hermanito for a few days you only think about how you can protect him” She smiled at him, that smile that made his whole world crash down until only she remained.

It was Ander’s turn to blush now, the compliment carried the weight of the world with it, he had come here to take his brother back but now all he seemed to care about was his trust and respect, and he shockingly found that he cared slightly more about what Hayden thought of him, if she trusted him or not, the thought was new, it was exciting, it was scary.

The rest of their night went smoothly; there were no more grim topics or questions. Instead they just got to know each other, and they found that as much as time separated them they had the world and more in common and it made it seem like fate had brought them together under the moon and stars on this night.

The two walked back to the orphanage under the moon light, Ander offering his arm for Hayden and Hayden taking it and smiling at the gesture, “Someone was raised right” she joked and enjoyed the blush she brought back to his cheeks, if anyone ever asked her why she did what she did next she would tell them she poisoned their tea, she leaned closer and pressed her soft lips to his slightly rough cheek for only a second or two but the result couldn’t be helped.

When she pulled away Ander turned to look at her and couldn’t help himself, “Hermosa” he whispered before leaning in this time and capturing her slightly parted lips in a kiss that made both of them see more stars then they saw winking in the night sky. The kiss seemed to last forever but it ended far too soon for that feeling to have been accurate, “Wow” Ander breathed and it made Hayden laugh lightly, “Flatter a mujer why don’t you” she joked but she saw the challenge in his eyes and before she knew what was happening he tipped her in the moonlight and reclaimed her lips, this time not seeming to let them go until the world around them withered and died.

If the two had not been caught up in the moment or each other than they would have noticed the two people watching them from the shadows of the closest building, their gazes fixed on them, but as it was they had forgotten about everything and everyone but themselves.

“So there really is another witch” one of the people said, a man in his early twenties, the other, a man in his late fifties with graying hair didn’t reply but instead just walked back the way they had come towards their car.

That night Ander couldn’t sleep, he kept bringing his fingers back to his lips to feel the warmth that still lingered; little did he know that Hayden lay in her own bed doing the same thing. The two didn’t even notice when they each fell asleep because even in their pleasant dreams nothing compared to the night that they had shared.

Eric had been awake when he saw his brother and Hayden get back, he himself couldn’t sleep but sat and watched the stars from his window, his own thoughts similar to theirs that night but his went to a different place because he didn’t want to lose a friend just because he wanted to have something more. The risk of his friendship over what the friendship could became plagued him until he couldn’t think of anything else, making up his mind to talk to Hayden in the morning sleep came to him, even if it was only to be a few hours of sleep.