And it'll be love, love, love all over her face

As anticipated, Dakota was waiting for the two of them right at the docks. She had a gleeful smile on her face as she greeted Nick and Ella, and her eyes fluttered pleasantly as she sauntered over to them, gesturing towards her boat.

“I hope you two had a nice, fun date today?” She purred. “It wasn’t quite Dream Alley, but it might as well have been, no?”

Nick felt her eyes flicker over to him for a second as her smile deepened.

“After all,” she continued, “you two got to spend the whole day together uninterrupted by the other girls in the master’s harem.”

Nick’s heart sank. He knew what Dakota was up to; she was reminding him of what he’d talked about with Kim, about how he needed to hold back on going on Dream Alley dates and spending so much time with only one girl a day, to help make things fairer for the other women in his life. But now really wasn’t the time.

“Dakota, I think I owed it to Ella, and Cinder, to spend today with them,” he replied, standing his ground. “After all, I’ve been neglecting them a little these last few days. This… it was for the best I think. And we had a good time together.” He looked over at Ella. “Right?”

Ella nodded enthusiastically. “It was so much fun!” She said, pumping her fists up and down with excitement. “I got to pet the lions, and a real unicorn! It was the best!”

Dakota giggled. “Yes, I can see you had quite a shopping spree, bought a lot of precious memories, did you?” She mused, glancing down at the bulging shopping bag Ella had filled to the brim with stuffed animals.

Ella remained unfazed by Dakota’s snarky dig. “I did!” She chirped innocently. “Actually…”

She began digging through her bag and then pulled out her hand a second later, holding a stuffed felt dragon with little black sequin scales sewed on. One of several cute little stuffies that she’d picked out with more care and consideration than Nick would have imagined from someone with her impulse control.

Then to everyone’s surprise, she held it up to Dakota like an offering.

Dakota stared at the girl in front of her with a look of flat confusion on her face. She tilted her head to the side. “…What is this?” She asked, raising a quizzical eyebrow.

“It’s a dragon!” Ella was eager to answer the obvious question, while completely missing the more subtle implied one.

Dakota kept staring at her. “…Yes, I can see that, but why-”

“It’s a gift for you,” Ella explained, pushing the stuffed animal closer to Dakota. “You were so sweet, letting me come here for my date, giving me that boat, I wanted… I wanted to give you something as a thank you!”

Dakota’s mouth fell open. The calculating smile slid from her face as she stared blankly at Ella, trying to process what she was saying.

“…Excuse me?”

“It’s a gift!” Ella said again, more insistently this time. She bit her lip and looked hesitantly up at the other woman. “Do you… not like it?”

“…It’s a stuffed animal,” Dakota said bluntly, confusing Ella even more.

“Y-yeah…” she mumbled, nodding slowly. “I thought you’d… …You don’t like it?”

Dakota blinked several times, scrunching up her face in a scrutinizing expression like she was trying to figure out what Ella’s angle was with this.

It was an expression Nick remembered all too well from their childhood. Or, more accurately, the false childhood that had been implanted into his mind by Dakota’s transformation. He didn’t dwell often on those implanted memories, but this one was vivid, because it had been an extension of something he’d recognized in Dakota even before her tragic accident.

When they were kids, Dakota had always regarded his life with covetous envy. Nick had parents that loved him. And even after his birth mother died, Amelia had come in to take that spot in his life a few years later. In that brief period of time, his father had tried to fix the pain of losing his mother by showering Nick with gifts, and he in turn would share them with Dakota, who had so little.

She accepted everything he gave her with glee. But when it came to other people?

At camp once, Gina had given her a cool rock that she’d found by their cabin, because she thought Dakota would like it. At just 9 years old Dakota spent two whole days wondering what she was after and questioning what Gina’s “angle” was in giving it to her, before Gina bluntly told her they were friends and she wanted her to have it.

As the years passed, that side of Dakota never changed. Every present, every gift, was regarded with doubt and suspicion. “Why are you giving this to me?” “What do you want in return?” These questions kept her from being truly happy to receive… anything.

“Why are you giving this to me?” Dakota asked suspiciously, her hand remaining at her side rather than accepting the present. “What do you want in return?”

Ella just looked flustered and confused.

“Th-that, um… …Huh?” She lowered her hand and fidgeted with the rubber-band on her wrist nervously. “I just thought… it was cool… and you’d like it… was… was that bad?”

Dakota blinked again. “…You’re giving that to me?”

Nick groaned loudly, interrupting the tension. This was going nowhere, and it wasn’t even going nowhere fast. “Hasn’t that already been established?” He grumbled, snatching the dragon out of Ella’s hand before she could respond, and shoving it into Dakota’s chest. “People do nice things for each other, Dakota. There doesn’t have to be some nefarious reason for it.”

“Ah, uh…” Dakota’s arms shot up to catch the stuffed animal before it fell, looking down at it with a stunned expression on her face. Nick rarely got to see Dakota caught by surprise, but it seemed Ella had managed to do it.

“Do you not like it?” Ella asked, biting her lip.

“No, it…” Dakota wrapped one arm around the stuffed toy as the other scratched at the side of her head. “…It’s fine. It’s not a big deal. Thank you.”

Ella’s face brightened and she smiled from ear to ear. “You’re welcome!”

“See, that wasn’t so bad, right?” Nick tried to defuse the situation with a smile. If he’d been prepared he might have been able to help Ella understand the way Dakota’s mind worked, but at least it seemed like everything was going smoothly now. “So let’s get going, then.”

Nick remembered how his last date with Ella had gone around this time; it had involved a bunch of the girls changing into maid costumes to help make her job easier. Seeing that had warmed his heart; with how hard Ella had it, the fact that the women in his life had sought out to help her so sweetly and directly had come as a massive relief, and assured him that, given enough time, Ella could find her place with the others and make real, lasting connections with everybody.

He wasn’t sure if that would happen again tonight, but he had a feeling that Rose would probably be all set for it. And while he wasn’t in any hurry to see the disaster that might ensue, he wanted to be there for Ella if he could.

Ella herself seemed excited to get back to the island as well. She kept shooting furtive glances in Nick’s direction, and her eyes kept sparkling.

They couldn’t set off soon enough.

“Are you sure you want to go to the Master’s Suite already?” Nick was a little surprised Ella would propose that. They still had a bit of time left they could spend doing other stuff before their date was officially concluded and they needed to retire for the evening.

But Ella seemed certain. She flashed him a look and nodded diligently. “I don’t really have anything else I’d want to do,” she admitted. “And also… I thought… maybe… um… …N-never mind!” Whatever she’d been about to say, she seemed to have changed her mind. Her face morphed into an expression of grim determination. “It’s… a surprise!”

Well, that was certainly an intriguing prospect. Nick wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so he just nodded.

“Alright then,” he agreed. Ella had already prepared him a surprise or two before now; whatever this next one was, he hoped that it would be a good one.

A few minutes later the elevator stopped at the entryway to the Master’s Suite and Ella stepped off with her shopping bag full of stuffed animals clutched to her chest. Nick was following after her, admiring the purpose in her step.

Whatever she was after, he could see she’d put a lot of thought into it.

When they entered the Master’s Suite, Nick found his suspicions were quickly confirmed.

“Bonjour, maître,” Rose greeted him at the door with a curtsy and a heated wink. She raised her head and then curtsied to Ella. “…Mademoiselle.”

Nick didn’t miss that Rose had referred to him as “master” but not to Ella as “mistress” in spite of greeting them both. Not a surprise- Rose was going to do Rose things, after all, he could always expected that.

It seemed to fly over Ella’s head, though, which was good. She just smiled, and nodded to Rose, confirming that she was in on this from the lack of shock on her face.

“Is this the surprise?” Nick asked playfully as Ella set down her shopping bag and greeted her roommate with a soft smile.

Her eyes flickered over to him and she shrugged. “It’s… a surprise, I guess,” she said. “Rose and I planned it out… I didn’t want to spend my date working for an hour as a maid, after such a nice date… so Rose agreed to handle that job for me.”

“Just an easy use of my Method Acting transformation,” Rose chirped, saluting them both. “If there’s anything you’d like cleaned, just let me know!” She swiveled her hips towards Nick and gave him a wink. “Or if there are any other services I could help you with…”

Nick was mildly amused by Rose’s antics. But only mildly. “How about you start with scrubbing your brain clean?” He suggested.

“Very funny, maître,” Rose said in her most exaggerated french accent, sticking out her tongue at him in response.

Nick was just glad it hadn’t turned into a circus. Rose was more than enough; Vivian coming up again probably would have tipped things over the edge.

“Oh, you guys are back,” Mary said, coming out of the kitchen. She turned her eyes towards Ella immediately. “Did you have fun?”

Ella bit her lip, baulking a little. Nick could see that she was slightly intimidated by Mary’s presence, and he couldn’t blame her.

“It… it was nice,” she stammered out, trying to maintain a confident expression on her face. “I got to see a lot of animals. They were all so cute!”

Mary swooned a little. “Oh, isn’t that just the sweetest thing?” She hummed. “When we get back home, Ella, you really must come visit my family’s farm! We have all sorts of animals, we have pigs, chickens, horses…”

“Cows,” Rose interjected with a pointed look at Mary’s chest, earning her a scalding look from the redhead.

“…Anyway, it’s really quite lovely.” Mary turned back to Ella and pressed her fingers together, giving the younger woman a sweet smile. “If you’re interested.”

“It… it sounds like fun,” Ella said with a shy nod. Her mouth felt very dry. “Um… Mary, I… I was wondering…”

“Hmm?”

“I’d… like to cook dinner tonight,” Ella said hopefully. “If that’s okay with you, I mean?”

Mary blinked, surprised by the offer. “…Why, sure!” She gushed, nodding. “That would be just lovely, Ella! Of course you can!”

“N-not right now, though!” Ella quickly clarified, shooting a look over to the clock. “It’s still really early, and, uh, I don’t want to rush anything. Plus, um, Rose is still working, so maybe we can eat after she leaves?”

Rose frowned. “What, I help you out and I don’t even get a free meal out of it? What’s fair about that?” She pouted.

“Rose, every meal here is free,” Nick pointed out. Though he agreed it was a little rude to just toss her out while they ate.

“I sure don’t mind, Ella, but is there a reason you don’t want Rose here?” Mary asked, furrowing her brow in concern.

Ella bit her lip and glanced over at Rose for a quick second before looking back at Nick. He was confused himself; from how Ella’s The Heart Remembers transformation worked, she should have been getting closer to Rose, since it seemed Rose and Cinder were developing a strange sort of friendship. But she seemed adamant about not wanting her here.

Is she afraid that Rose would judge her for her cooking? Nick wondered, figuring that would probably be the case. And knowing the past Ella had with overbearing people... Or wait… no… this is about what she said before, isn’t it? As Cinder.

The relationship between Cinder and Ella was a complicated one, since they were two sides of the same person rather than two disparate individuals. While it wouldn’t be fair to think of Cinder as expressing the feelings Ella herself was too kind to speak aloud, Nick couldn’t help but fear that the rant she’d given about being alone and not wanting to get close to anyone was a reflection of Ella’s own doubts and insecurities.

If that was the case…

“It’s just…” Ella hated being put on the spot like this, especially when three different sets of expectant eyes were looking at her. The truth was, cooking for Nick hadn’t even been part of the plan; it was something she’d decided on this morning, after he’d helped her keep from getting sick to her stomach at breakfast.

If she controlled what they cooked and how many portions she made, maybe that could help her keep from getting sick again. But she really should have clarified things with Rose…

“…Dawn mentioned something,” Ella said, scratching her head. “About, um… that one time Rose was here for dinner, so I…”

Rose blinked. Realization “dawned” in her eyes. “…Ah.”

Mary turned pale. “That, uh… right, yeah. That.” She glared daggers at the blonde, and Rose swiftly looked away, dodging her rival’s accusatory stare.

It took way too long for Nick to figure out what they were talking about, since the nights he’d spent up here started to blend together (especially after finally spending last night somewhere else entirely) but when he did…

“Oh…” Nick’s face turned red. “You mean… back then.”

Back when Rose and Dawn had shared Rose’s night together. And Rose decided that it would be a good time to get some points on her bounty sheet.

Nick could feel the temperature slowly rising in the room. He knew he was seeing things, but he could swear that Mary’s pigtails were starting to float up above her shoulders as she made a sickened expression.

“Hey! I’m not going to feed anyone Nick’s semen!” Rose loudly declared, smashing through the careful wording Ella had provided and making the flustered girl get even more flustered.

“Don’t SAY it!” Mary groaned.

“Come on, I sat in for Dani’s date and it was no problem whatsoever!” Rose reminded them. “I even brought you home dinner in a doggy bag, Ella! …Or, wait, that was Cinder… …Whatever, the point is I can totally get through a dinner without doing anything bad, no problem!”

Ella bit her lip. That was nice to hear, but…

“…Still!” She shook her head, firmly denying Rose’s protests. “I still, um… I want… I…” She looked at Nick for a moment, pleading with her eyes. But she could tell that he didn’t fully understand what she really wanted.

She’d have to bite the bullet and speak her mind.

Ella snapped her rubber-band with a “Thwap!” to give her some courage and stood up straight. “I… I want dinner to be… just the two of us,” she said, looking over at Nick. She turned to Mary next. “Is that okay?”

Mary blinked, realizing what Ella was asking for. “…Oh, of course, I understand,” she said sweetly. “Some private time, with just the two of you.”

Nick nodded slowly. That made sense. Back when this show had first started, Nick had gotten private dates with all the girls, just the two of them. But ever since Holly was eliminated (where was she, now that he thought about it?) and Mary had moved in, things had become a little more crowded and he’d just gotten used to it.

But if Ella wanted it to be just the two of them, he could grant a request like that, right?

“…Sure, Ella,” he agreed. “If that’s what you want, it can be just the two of us.”

“Fine,” Rose said, looking a little miffed but conceding nevertheless. “When you put it like that, I kind of look like the asshole for complaining, don’t I? Okay then…”

She held up her hands in surrender and took a step back. “I guess I’ll go clean, since that’s all I’m good for.”

Nick sighed. Rose could really be a drama queen about this. He was about to tell her to stop making this about herself, but Ella spoke before he could say anything.

“Thanks for the help,” she said to the blonde, giving her a faint smile.

Nick realized that maybe he was getting ahead of himself. I was trying to rescue her again just now. She doesn’t like when I do that. While Rose’s behavior did merit calling out, it seemed Ella wasn’t concerned about that. Maybe Rose knew what she was doing here, and that little back and forth was a sign of friendship between the two of them.

At any rate, both girls were smiling, and that was good enough for him.

“So what would you like me to clean first?” Rose asked. Her eyes shot down to Nick’s trousers and she licked her lips suggestively, to the point of being blatant.

“Rose!” Mary placed her hands on her hips. Nick half-expected her to swat the blonde with a rolled-up newspaper. He couldn’t help but smile at the two of them as Rose lowered her head in mock deference to Mary’s position as the “lady of the house”, a position he knew for a fact that she didn’t hold any respect for.

In the meantime, he turned to Ella, and found that she was looking right at him.

“I had fun today,” Ella said softly. There was a sadness in her voice, like she didn’t want their date to end.

Nick could understand that feeling. “So did I,” he said, nodding to her. “But hey, we still have the rest of the night, right?”

That brought a glimmer of joy to her somber smile. She nodded softly back to him.

“Yeah,” she agreed. “I’d like that.”