Dinner Date With A Princess

The rest of the day went by pretty quietly. Nick stayed to himself in his room in order to write and compose a few songs. But when it was 2 hours before dinner time, Nick put away his stuff and started getting dressed.

'Can't be late tonight. Also can't dress casually. Those two were looking amazing today while I was wearing some old jeans and a t-shirt with a hole in it,' Nick was going through the few clothes he brought, wishing he had brought his best stuff

Nick's best shirt was a tight, black button-up shirt with a matching pair of chinos. As for shoes, he only brought some boots and sneakers. Having to choose between them, he went with the sneakers.

Nick walked over to the mirror and looked himself over. The black outfit looked good on him. It looked classic yet modern. He didn't look sloppy but wasn't too dressed up. He had also cut his hair down to the scalp before it regrew back to the same size, but fully black.

"Perfect. You're looking great, Nick," Nick complimented himself. He couldn't afford to look shabby in front of those two.

"How much time do I have left?" Nick pulled up his phone and saw that he still had an hour and 45 minutes before dinner would start.

"I got time."

Nick opened the window to his room before flying out and heading to the nearby mall. Since it was only around 5, he had plenty of time to shop for everything that he wanted. Nick went to several shops, swiping his card as soon as he saw something he liked, not caring about how much it cost.

*ring ring*

'Damn!'

Nick cursed when he heard the alarm from his phone. He paid for the latest item that caught his interest before grabbing all his bags and flying back to the institute. He was able to get back to his room without being spotted where Nick threw the 10 bags he had on the bed. Out of some of the bags fell several products for women and a few toys.

'We didn't just get stuff for Lorna and Stella. These are for Emma, Mom, and Alexis too. Oh! And Gwen. I'm just showing my appreciation for all the women in my life,' Nick thought to himself while trying to see which items would go best together and which suited who the most.

But even as he was organizing most of the items, two bags were left completely untouched since he had already organized what he was going to give to Lorna and Stella when he was at the mall.

In the end, he picked out a diamond necklace for Emma, a ruby set for his mother, a pair of sapphire earrings for his sister, and a set of jade jewelry for Gwen.

He put them all in a bag to the side before organizing the rest of the items he bought. These were mainly products for little girls as well as a few more mature products for women. Nick wanted to have a big selection of stuff that Stella could play with in his room.

*ring ring*

Nick looked at his phone and saw that the alarm showed it was already 6.

'Shit. Need to hurry.'

Nick wrote a note before throwing it in the two bags he set aside earlier on his bed. He then grabbed them and rushed out of his room. He had already sensed Stella and Lorna's psionic signals so he had no issue finding their room.

Nick dropped the bags by the door before knocking and running away. By the time Lorna opened the door, no one was there.

"What's this?" she asked as she bent over to pick up the bags. She saw that there was a note in one of them so she grabbed the note and read it over.

[Clothes fit for royalty. Nick <3]

'So these are from him,' Lorna closed the door before pulling the clothes out of the bags. Out of the bags were two beautiful dresses along with accessories that went well with them. Lorna was stunned by the dresses so she didn't see the little gremlin sneaking up on her.

"Is this for me, Mommy?" Stella asked in shock. The dress was too pretty and sparkly. But more importantly, it matched her mom's.

"Mhm," Lorna answered absentmindedly. "Your daddy got them for us."

"Really?!?! Daddy got me a present?" Stella asked, surprised that her father gave her a gift

"Yep. I told you that your daddy loves you."

Lorna had been telling Stella that for years but because of Nick's lack of contact, it was harder and harder to tell her baby that. The sudden attention and care that he was showing toward both of them both confused and comforted Lorna.

"Are we wearing them for dinner, Mommy?"

Lorna giggled when she saw how excited her daughter was to wear a dress her father got her. She knelt down and rubbed her daughter's head until he became messy.

"Mommy! My hair!"

"Haha, sorry baby. I'll fix your hair before I get you dressed. Then we can go have dinner with your daddy," Lorna was excited to see what the future would hold with Nick around

The pair spent the next hour getting ready for dinner. By the time they were done, they both looked like they were going to a fancy party instead of a normal dinner.

The duo had just walked out of the room when they saw Nick was waiting for them both. He was wearing the same outfit that he was earlier with the addition of an emerald ring that matched both of the ladies' eyes.

"Daddy!" Stella shouted when she saw Nick in front of them. Her eyes went up and down his body. She noticed that they were all wearing matching black outfits, even if he looked a little more casual.

Nick saw the dresses on them and felt they looked even better than in the pictures of the models at the mall. He held out both of his hands for the two ladies.

"Are you guys ready to go eat?" Nick flashed them both a smile

"Yes, Daddy!" Stella took one of his hands, eager to go eat with her father

Lorna stared at Nick's hands for a moment before reaching out and taking it.

As soon as Nick felt her warm hand on top of his, he closed his hand tight before opening the window behind him with his powers and carrying them all with his telekinesis. They were soon flying off the grounds and toward the city.

"Where are we going?" Lorna asked while holding onto his hand tightly. She had flown plenty of times but that was usually under her own control. She wasn't used to someone else being in control.

"Dinner. I wanted you two to myself though," Nick looked back and told her honestly. "Does that bother you?" he asked worried he was pushing too much.

Lorna thought of Alex and the word 'yes' came to the tip of her tongue but she was unable to say it. So she just shook her head and accepted the dinner date.

'No, not a date. We are just having dinner with our daughter,' Lorna refused to admit that she was looking forward to it.

It only took them twenty minutes to arrive at the hotel roof. Nick landed them and began guiding them to the elevator. He pressed a button near the top and the elevator took them down a few floors before the door opened and revealed a restaurant.

The hostess seemed to be expecting Nick because as soon as she saw him, she did not ask about a reservation or for his name but just guided their group to a private room.

Stella kept looking around as they walked to their private room. This was her first time at this type of place.

"Daddy, I like this place a lot," Stella couldn't help but say

Nick smiled at the girl holding his hand.

"That's good. I'll be sure to bring you here more often," Nick promised her without a thought

The trio was soon seated in the private room where a waiter took their orders. Stella got some fruit juice while Lorna and Nick ordered a bottle of white wine. Each of them got steak.

When the food arrived, Lorna was going to reach over to cut Stella's food but Nick beat her to it. He not only cut it perfectly for Stella but he also started cutting Lorna's once he was done. It was only after he prepared both of their meals that he started getting his own food ready.

That night, Nick and Lorna did not talk with each other much since it was mostly Stella who carried the conversations but it wasn't awkward at all. There was nothing but a relaxed atmosphere the entire time.

By the time they finished dinner, Stella was exhausted and sleeping. Lorna was prepared to carry her when Nick held out his hand in front of her.

"Do... do you mind if I carry her?" he asked cautiously

Lorna could see the caution and fear in his eyes. And seeing that, she started giggling.

'After all these years, I thought that we had changed too much. But it seems like we are the same way we were 5 years ago,' Lorna wiped her eyes and tried to control herself

"Fine. But you need to carry her like a princess when we fly and I get to lay on your back," Lorna acted like she was making Nick do something very difficult

Hearing her condition, Nick smiled at Lorna. He had been worried about how he would get along with her but it seemed like he was overthinking.

'She was one of the people that saw the real me. I should have known better,' Nick regretted not sticking with Lorna. He also knew that she was currently dating Alex so he thought he had no chance. But there was a small part in his heart that hoped they could go back to the way they were before.

'No. Even better than before,' Nick thought when he saw the little girl sleeping in the chair next to them.

"Deal."

Nick carried Stella to the elevator while Lorna leaned on his shoulder. When they got back to the roof, Nick bent his knees and lowered himself so Lorna could get on his back.

'He's gotten bigger,' Lorna thought as she rested her cheek on his back

The flight back to the institute took twice as long as it took to get to the hotel but Lorna didn't mind. She was too comfortable.

By the time that they arrived, Lorna was exhausted. She took Stella from Nick's arms and was about to carry her back to their room when she suddenly stopped.

Lorna turned around and gave Nick a quick peck on the cheek before rushing back into her room, not even giving Nick a chance to respond.

Nick was so shocked that he stood outside the room for nearly 30 seconds before he recovered.

'Yes!' Nick was excited. At first, he thought Lorna was just putting up with him for Stella. But that quick kiss told him that it was more than that.

'She still has feelings for me.'

Nick returned to his room, his mood higher than it had been in years.

'It was a good decision to come back here. I can see my family, I can be with my daughter, and I might even get back with Lorna. Maybe having to be a part of three teams isn't too bad.'