A St. Valentine's Day on some undisclosed date; the first when they had the freedom to be and to celebrate.

It was four o'clock in the evening and Rory was returning to the lodgings he shared with Ling, following some shopping and some business dealings at the university.

He opened the door, looking forward to seeing Ling again. She was so sexy and she always seemed to make an effort to dress to entice when he had been out: she knew how much he liked it.

He turned his key in the lock and heard feet running down the hall towards him. Opening the door he saw Ling dressed only in a shortie-nighty launching her diminutive self towards him from some twelve to fifteen feet away. Bracing himself he caught her as she attached herself to his neck and body with her arms and legs and proceeded to kiss him and lick his nose, because she knew it made him laugh.

"Welcome home Rory, I have missed you," She breathed between licks kisses and giggles.

"No you didn't and it's just as well or you would have gone sailing into the road," Rory commented with a wry grin that was somewhat hidden under his lovely Ni'ng Wu's kisses.

"I still think I should have gone with you, anything might have happened." She commented changing the subject but remaining attached like a nearly-human limpid.

Rory dropped his bags and swung the door shut, making no attempt to support Ling with his hands — the way she was attached he didn't need to. Once he had got the door closed he did support her under her bottom, not because she needed it, but because she had a really grope-able bum, which at the moment was quite naked below her bunched nightie.

He walked-cum-waddled with her towards the sitting room.

"Well, my little Ni'ng Wu, you do seem pleased to see me, but you have to accept that I can go out alone occasionally without being in mortal danger. This is England, hand guns are illegal and not even most of the police carry arms."

"But I'm your bodyguard, its my duty to protect you."

"Well quite frankly it's the body that seems to have attached itself to me that I am most interested in; I want that one looked after."

"I do look after it," Ling answered indignantly, "I know how much you like it."

Rory sat heavily on the sofa his little Ni'ng Wu still firmly attached."

Ling pulled her head back and looked at Rory earnestly. "Why did you send me an unsigned card today?"

"To wish you a happy valentines day, of course; but you are not supposed to know it was from me."

"But that's silly you touched it and licked the envelope, how could I not know it was from you?"

"Well most people don't have the problem of sending valentines to Ni'ng Wu, so their girls can pretend that they don't know." Rory said with an air of resignation. "I notice you haven't complained about the chocolates, though."

"But they're useful and you can give me chocolates anytime — you don't have to wait for valentine's day," Ling responded hopefully.

"You've tasted them, then?" Rory asked smiling.

"Yes, they were very nice thank you."

"All gone, then?"

"Chocolate's good for me, so there's no point in leaving it in the box," Ling answered with an air of practicality, so much at variance with the occasion that it completely cracked Rory up.

"What would I do without you? He asked chuckling.

"Your own cooking, washing and cleaning as well as having to deal with your own sexual satisfaction." Ling answered with simple honesty and no censure.

"Sorry Ling that was a rhetorical question — it didn't need an answer, it just meant that I valued you a lot." Rory replied, still chuckling.

"I am glad, there aren't so many like me and we are rare and valuable."

Rory had got stuck in these conversational ruts with Ling on enough occasions now, that he took it as part of the package, though he did suspect that someone with her awesome IQ was not quite so naively literal as she made out, no matter how differently her brain was wired. He could never actually catch her at it, but he knew she was not incapable of being quite scheming when she thought it advisable, so he often wondered if she was playing the ingénue, maybe just a bit.

"Ling you are rare an valuable; I do actually love you and I kind of like treating you like an independent person. It gives me pleasure to show my love for you on St. Valentine's day and this is the traditional way to do it. Please accept that unsigned cards defy explanation, but that I sent you one, shows that I love you."

"I will do as you say and thank you for loving me." Ling responded but with that fleeting half smile, which was still Rory's only clue that Ling was really pleased about something.

Ling did not say that she loved Rory as well and Rory did not expect it. She would sometimes tell him that she loved him, but it was always at a deeper and more conceptual level, she would never do so in a romantic way: romantic love did not have much meaning for a Ni'ng Wu, Rory supposed.

He kissed her again and moving his hands up to her tiny waist gave her a tickle. She squirmed, giggled and kissed back avidly and happily.

"Rory," Ling asked, "Did you send me flowers and an invitation to meet clandestinely at Chez Jaque's?"

"Someone sent you flowers?" Rory asked.

"Yes, twelve red roses and there was a note from the florist that suggested I have a secret admirer who wishes me to meet with him or her at Chez Jaque's at eight o'clock this evening. It was also suggested that I wear my little black dress."

"A secret admirer hmm! So why do you think it's me?" Rory asked, straight-faced.

"Well I didn't really, especially as you are not a secret to me and anyway you had already sent me an anonymous card, so why would you do it twice?"

"That makes sense," Rory answered, thinking that maybe to a Ni'ng Wu it did.

"So what should I do?" Ling asked.

"Well what do you want to do?"

"I want to know if it is you."

"That's not really any of your business," Rory answered suppressing a smile, with difficulty.

"Okay, then I have no interest in going or not going, both are the same to me."

Rory was surprised and trying not to show it. "How come?" He asked neutrally.

"Well if it is none of my business, how could it matter to me finding out who this person is?" Ling asked straightforwardly.

Rory realised now she had taken him literally when he had said it was none of her business and had simply accepted this without question. He was used to these unexpected volte-faces where Ling was concerned and knew that she would always do as he said without resentment or rancour. He had also established that they were best dealt with, he could not accept that she should so suppress her own inquisitiveness, simply as a result of a casual statement, she took as an order.