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Chris sighed as he looked at himself in the full length mirror on his closet door. This was the seventh dress he had tried on and still wasn't happy. Maybe if he did his hair different? Or maybe he should try something less dressy... Like capri pants and a tank top. But what color?

Chris changed again, he was looking for something cute to wear down to the club tonight. The lithe young man had a slender feminine figure and was actually a ballerina by schooling and career. He was content enough with his looks and really was not sold on hormone therapy. Surgery would keep him from performing for far too long. Being only five foot six inches and lithe, he passed easily as a young woman.

Chris had changed his name to Christina and had been cross dressing for a several years. Dancing had always been his passion and though was teased endlessly about it, by men and women, he had persevered. He was as graceful as any woman and depending on who you asked, more attractive. Though some honest male dancers did not want to partner with him.

Tonight was an altogether different matter, tonight he had a ticket to see Tera Lightsong perform down at a local club he frequented. He had hoped to catch the eye of the enigmatic and handsome dragon who played the piano with the band. Unlike other establishments, this club was a bit more upscale which meant a bit more upscale gentleman frequented it. He had met a few of the Velopians at the club and found them interesting and always friendly. Though he was never sure about trying to ask one of the handsome Velopian males out on a date. Since they never stayed on Earth for long periods of time.

Actually as the weatherman called for cooler conditions tonight, Chris completed his cute ensemble with a fun sweater. With a little curl in his shoulder length brown hair and a light perfume, he was ready to hit the town. The brown wolf anthro jumped happily as he looked at himself in the mirror, happy with how cute he looked. He fixed himself a light dinner before heading down to catch the trolley downtown.

Chris was thankful he left early as a line had already started to form. He didn't want to sit at a big table and so he found an empty two top near the bar, but close to the stage. The club warmed up quickly as people filed into it, at least the sweater could be taken off.

"Hey there cutie, what are you drinking tonight, or should I just bring you your usual?" A tall waitress asked.

Chris blushed. "The usual please, Amanda."

"Of course." Amanda said with a smile and headed off to take another order before heading to the bar.

The club filled quickly and Chris was a little sad no one had come ask to sit with him. His Shirley Temple sat mostly ignored. He had never acquired a taste for alcohol, so he stuck with virgin drinks. The lights dimmed and when someone spoke to him, he nearly jumped off the stool. "What was that?"

"Sorry to startle you, but I asked if the empty seat was taken? I figured someone as attractive as you would have a date." A tall lagomorph said with a playful smile.

Chris blushed at the bunny's kind words. Though he thought it odd that the bunny had antlers. "Just me and my drink. No date tonight."

The antlered bunny sat down as the band walked out onto the stage. "My name is Jo."

"Christina, nice to meet you." Chris said. Perhaps tonight would be better than he had hoped. Joe was good looking and seemed polite enough, and if he was here, he had similar taste in music.

Jo watched the stage for a moment. "You look a bit familiar... are you the ballerina of the same name?"

Chris blushed even more. "I am."

Jo's smile grew. "I saw your last performance twice, I didn't recognize you without makeup and a costume."

Chris smiled. "I am glad you liked them."

They both turned as Winston introduced Tera Lightsong. The young Velopian was considerably smaller than Chris had expected after talking with other Velopians. Though her spoken voice was beautiful and carried well. The performance was wonderful and Tera's voice was simply captivating. After the band left the stage, Chris was thrilled Joe asked him to stay a little longer to talk.

"It really was my lucky night." Jo said and took Chris's bill.

"You don't have to pay for my drinks." Chris said as Joe pulled out some cash.

"Nonsense, a lady shouldn't have to pay for her own drinks. Especially one as lovely as yourself. It was nice to meet you in person." Jo said as they got up.

Chris smiled. "I enjoyed meeting you." He grabbed a napkin and wrote his phone number on it. "I hope I'm not being too forward, but here is my number if you want to maybe meet here again sometime, or get dinner."

Jo took the napkin with a smile. "I would like that. I better be going, I have stayed up too late as it is."

Chris walked with Joe out of the club. "Have to be to work early?"

"Yup, I punch the clock at five AM." Jo said.

"Oh good lord that is early, and on a Saturday even." Chris said and shivered in the cool night air.

"Well buildings do not build themselves. We are on a tight deadline out at the airport." Jo spoke as they walked to a trolley stop.

"You work at the airport?" Chris asked.

"At the moment, I am a welder for a construction company. We are working on expanding the airport so it can handle spaceships." Jo said and glanced at the trolley number.

"That is interesting, this one is mine. Thanks for sitting with me and buying my drinks." Chris said and hopped on the trolley.

He was positively giddy after the young singer's performance, and giving Joe his number like that. At least he found out that Joe was a Jackalope, that was why he had antlers. It was a bit refreshing to meet a blue collar worker who appreciated dance and music. Chris had thought the Jackalope might have been gay, except for the way he kept eyeing him and Amanda. Joe did seem surprised that Chris had given him his number, maybe Joe did not think he really had a chance with Chris.

It was something Chris had ran into a couple of times after gaining a little fame from dance. Men thought they were not good enough or were positive that Chris was already taken. He took a deep breath to slow his imagination down, a chance meeting wasn't enough to tell if Joe was someone he wanted a serious relationship with.

Joe had on a long sleeve shirt and Chris could not really tell how strong the Jackalope might be. His features had either a soft or youthful grace to them. He did not ask Joe how old he was, Amanda had carded him, so he knew Joe was old enough to drink. Chris was only twenty three, so they should be close.

Unfortunately for Chris it was two weeks before Joe had called him. Long enough Chris had thought the Jackalope might have lost interest. "Hello."

"Hey there, its Jo. I don't suppose it's too late to ask if you have plans Friday night?" Jo asked as she dug around in her lunch box.

Chris nearly dropped his phone in his excitement. "No, not at all."

"Great, a friend tipped me off to a new seafood place. Want to go try it?" Jo asked and finally found her bag of chocolate peanut clusters.

"Are you sure, I have heard it's kind of pricy." Chris said trying to remain calm.

Jo took a bite. "Totally fine, Friday is payday and with all the OT I have been getting, money isn't too big of a worry at this point."

"Okay, that sounds nice. What time should I be ready?" Chris asked.

"I'll need a shower after I get off, so lets say seven. What's your address, I'll come pick you up." Jo said and got out a little notebook and pen.

Chris gave Joe his address and apartment number while ignoring the chewing over the phone. Although after looking at the clock it was probably Joe's lunch break. "I look forward to seeing you again."

"Likewise, have a good week and I'll see you at seven." Jo said with a smile.

"You too." Chris said and after hanging up did a little dance. It had been months since his last official date. A couple of the other dancers pestered him about his mysterious new romantic interest. Since it was rare for him to get a phone call during rehearsals.

Chris was kept busy with dance rehearsals and costume fittings for the next performance. It was an old classic, The Nutt Cracker, and he was a bit relieved to not be the lead star for a change. They started getting ready for it early this year because of the number of off world people who had been invited to the performances.

Chris decided causal was a better choice for a first date than something a bit more dressy. He didn't want to scare Joe off by looking to interested or desperate. Plus he didn't know what else was planned so a comfortable and flattering pair of slacks with a modest blouse, and comfy sneakers for walking

He would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous and was a bit surprised when the doorbell rang at five till seven. A date that was on time was a pleasant change. He hated when someone made him wait. Five minutes early was on time in his book, but that was how he was raised. Chris opened the door with a smile, a bit relieved to see Joe looked a bit nervous himself. Joe was wearing a partly tucked button work shirt and dark grey jeans. Chris thought Joe stood six foot tall not counting ears or antlers. "Hey there."

"Hi. Ready to go?" Jo said with a nervous smile. Christiana was extra cute tonight.

"Let me grab my purse." Chris said and snagged his purse and keys to his apartment.

Jo lead Chris down to the street and over to a small pickup truck. "Don't mind the mess in the back, didn't get time to clean it out this week."

"You really work a lot of hours." Chris said as he got in. The back seat had a hard hat and welding helmet, ear muffs, gloves and other hand tools on the seat or floor board. A couple of tubes with blue prints in them, also rolled around.

Jo spoke as she got in. "Yeah, forty hours of overtime this check."

Chris was a bit surprised the radio was tuned to a classical station. "You worked two weeks in one?"

Jo laughed. "No, three weeks in two. Sixty hours a week. Not a fan of classical?"

Chris blushed. "More like surprised, I guess I expected something a bit heavier."

"The guys at work usually pick the music, plus with the drone of power tools constantly... I prefer something less industrial on my off time." Jo said as she drove across town to the restaurant.

Chris giggled. "I suppose that does make sense."

"I suppose it was a bit presumptuous to assume a ballerina only listened to classical." Jo said with a smile and pushed a button and changed the station to jazz.

"I like pretty much any kind of music, ballet is not the only type of dance I know." Chris said as they drove.

"So what got you interested in ballet?" Jo asked as she made the turn to head down to the restaurant.

"Actually, ballet found me. I wasn't interested in it until mom put me in a class." Chris said. A bit of a lie, but it was a little too soon to explain that she was actually a he. He had to ask to be put in the class.

"Moms tend to do that every so often. Oh how I hated summer camp." Jo said.

Chris laughed. "It wasn't my favorite thing either."

It wasn't that far of a drive from Chris's apartment to the restaurant. He was a little surprised that Joe opened the truck door for him and held the door open to the restaurant. Joe spoke politely to the host and waiter after they were seated. "I wonder if part of the expense is the location?"

Jo glanced through the menu, she didn't think the prices unreasonable. The wine list got rather pricey rather quickly. "Right on the pier with a good view of the harbor, it might."

"So what are you thinking of having?" Chris asked mainly to gauge how much Joe was going to spend than what his likes were.

"I'm torn between crab legs and the lobster tail and shrimp combo. You?" Jo asked.

"Have to say that I am leaning towards the bacon wrapped scallops with the peach and bourbon barbeque sauce." Chris said and closed the menu. It wasn't extravagant and probably a lighter choice than some of the other things he would have liked.

"That sounds good too." Jo said and flipped back to a different page. She was starving considering how long ago lunch was. Though figured she shouldn't eat so much and look like a pig. So a single order of crab legs with roasted potatoes was probably the wiser choice.

Chris chuckled as Joe flipped back and forth between a couple of things. Only actually deciding on something when it was his turn to order dinner. They talked lightly while waiting for dinner, Chris learned that Joe had been to nearly every state and a couple overseas countries. Besides being a welder, he had a bachelors in structural engineering. Joe was also up to date on nearly all pop culture and news.

Chris talked about himself candidly for the most part. Joe was pretty easy to talk to, and he found himself dropping his guard a little sooner than usual. Dinner arrived and it looked and smelled divine. It tasted even better than it looked. The service was quiet exceptional as well, as their drinks never ran empty. Chris also noted that Joe always looked up to the waiter when talking and was nice even if they made a mistake.

"So did you save room for dessert?" Jo asked.

"I might have a little room for dessert." Chris said with a smile.

"Since we are so close, there is a bakery down the pier a little ways. All I have ever had is donuts, but based on how good they are. I am sure their other sweets are just as good." Jo said.

"If it's Kim's Bakery, than yes they make all kinds of delicious things." Chris said as the waiter brought the check.

Jo looked at the check before reaching for her wallet. "That is the place I was thinking of."

Chris didn't see how much the bill was, but Joe put two twenties and a ten in the check holder. "Dinner was outstanding, I'll have to let some of my friends know they need to come."

"It was pretty good, though I think the company was better." Jo said with a sly smile and helped Chris stand up.

They walked down the pier to Kim's. Chris was glad he had brought a coat as it had cooled off. He was learning far more about engineering that he had ever wanted and that Joe had met and worked with some of the Velopians. He was a little envious since the Velopians were easy to get along with and their culture seemed interesting.

Kim's was open late for just such occasions as couples wanting a late treat or for those out enjoying the shopping on the pier. Chris already knew if they still had some, he would get a large blueberry muffin. As they looked in the cases, he was delighted to find they still had two left. "I couldn't suggest any one thing, everything is good here."

"Pie sounds good, maybe a slice of raspberry for me. What are you having?" Jo asked.

"One of the last blueberry muffins please." Chris said and waited while Joe paid for dessert.

"This is really good." Jo said after trying a bite of her pie.

Like dinner, they each tried a bite of the other's. After a quick walk back to Joe's truck they headed back to Chris's apartment. Where he was surprised that Joe walked him up to his apartment. "Thanks for dinner and dessert, I had a great time."

"Glade you liked them, and thank you for giving me your phone number." Jo said and leaned down a bit and gave Chris a quick kiss on the cheek. "See you later?"

Chris blushed. "Of course."

After the door was closed and Chris thought Joe had gotten far enough down the hall he actually yelled "Yes!". He had landed a pretty nice guy this time it seemed. It was so nice to go out with a guy that could talk about things other than sports and himself. And Joe was an actual gentleman the entire time, such a rarity any more it seemed. He plopped down on the couch to call his best friend and fellow dancer Ronda.

Of course he told Ronda all about Joe and their first date. As she always did, Ronda asked him hard questions about the guy he was dating. Because she cared and did not want him getting in over his head again. Though it would take another date or two to learn more about Joe and be sure.

Chris and Ronda were eating lunch when Joe sent him a text message from work. It was a dizzying pic looking down at the ground from at least a hundred feet in the air. Joe was eating lunch on an I beam and had made the joke that his balance was probably just as good as Chris's.

"So a welder huh?" Ronda said as she glanced at the photo. It did look like a long way down.

"Yeah, he is working out at the airport at the moment." Chris said and tucked his phone away.

"It is nice to see new construction all over. Though I wonder if the Amazons have ballet." Ronda mussed aloud.

"I don't know. I have heard from some Velopians that they have similar dancing." Chris said as two Velopians walked past the window they were sitting near.

"Actually the little lizards..." Ronda paused.

"Salaks?" Chris asked.

"Yes, I spoke to a pair after one of our last performances and they wanted to let me know it reminded them of their home. Apparently they are well known for their arts." Ronda said and sipped at her iced tea.

Chris cut into his lunch. "I have heard the same, it would be awesome if we could go to their world and see for ourselves."

Ronda nodded in agreement. "Thanks to Alice and Tera, I believe that will likely be possible sooner than we think. After you told me about her performance, I am glad I am dating one of the guys in the band. Brian got me a ticket somehow."

"I would wager the band got a few tickets to give to friends or family. I am sure you will enjoy it. How is Brian, I didn't get to talk to any of them that night." Chris said.

"He is doing good, and after Winston finally asked Jennifer to marry him, I am thinking Brian might be thinking about asking me the same." Ronda said a little be wistfully.

"At least now they aren't so worried about money. Its been packed every time I go." Chris said between mouthfuls.

"They have been busy. Plus since you found a new guy, I don't feel so bad about not finding anything out about the piano player." Ronda said.

"I wasn't all that worried about it, since it seems he must have a peculiar job elsewhere considering how inconsistent he is sometimes." Chris said.

"I think Brian said he works with Winston's brother, if that is the case, then maybe it is better that you met Joe." Ronda said and took a bite of her lunch.

Chris paused mid mouthful. "Why's that?"

"Cause it means he kills people. Sherman is a soldier." Ronda said a bit of anger in her voice.

Chris didn't ask for anymore, Ronda was not a big fan of solders or armed police officers for that matter. She thought the world would be better off without them and their weapons. It was a point he noticed that was typically held by those of more artistic based backgrounds. Unless someone personally knew someone in that line of work. Still the dragon was a talented musician no matter his other job or background.

Chris had family that were in law enforcement and would have liked to stand up for them, but he was always outnumbered so he refrained from speaking up. Which was stupid, but sometimes it was better to let people believe what they wanted to, even if it was stupid. Religion and politics were topics he tried to never get dragged into.

They headed back to the studio for afternoon rehearsals and a meeting. It was a pretty standard week by his account. Though the occasional text from Joe did make it a little better. Considering Joe's line of work and hours, a quick text here and there was the easiest way for the Jackalope to communicate. Which suited Chris just fine because he hated talking on the phone just to talk. Making plans or the like, made sense, but just a long phone call annoyed him.

So while they waited for schedules to line up, they did a little texting. Which lead to a startling revelation, Joe played table top role playing games. Chris was dating a nerd... a tall, handsome, blue collar, dice rolling nerd. He wasn't all that sure about it, though perhaps it wasn't all that strange considering his taste in music and watching ballet. Joe also claimed to be a pretty decent cook. Which Chris took that as a hint about a date, so Chris asked about trying Joe's cooking sometime. Unless work plans changed Chris would go to Joe's apartment for dinner in another week.