It's More Than A Fairy Tale

Within eight months or so, Candy will turn twenty-one years old. What will the months leading to her coming-of-age bring for her?


Disclaimer: I don't own Candy Candy manga and all the characters in it, but the talented Kyoko Mizuki does. This fic is a product of my own twisted imagination and inspired by Mizuki's masterpiece. If any of the plots or specific scenes or dialogues appear to be similar to another fic or stories, it is purely unintentional and coincidental. The characterization in the fic is based on the Manga and not the Anime, and some bits and pieces I learned from the CCFS novel.

Acknowledgement: Without the constant support and help from the group of lovely ladies who continue to encourage, motivate, and guide me, this fic will not exist. Thank you ladies.

And special thanks go to a couple of my beta readers. You guys are the best!


Impulse

By forever

She was standing there in a trance completely enraptured, a serene smile persistently being displayed on her face. Every few seconds or so, she would nod her head in affirmation. Her eyes never meandered away from the pair of sapphire orbs in front of her. To any bystanders she appeared to be totally engrossed listening to her companion. In reality, however, she had only managed to catch a phrase or two.

"Right, Candy?"

She just moved her head slightly in a nod at her companion once again in response, smiling even wider than before, if that was even possible.

She should be ashamed of herself. How could she claim to be his best friend, if she didn't even know what he was talking about? Some best friend I am.

She had missed him a lot. Six months was a long time, significantly long, terribly, painfully, awfully long. Sure, there were the letters that they had exchanged. But those were nothing compared to having him right in front of her where she could stare into his beautiful, blue eyes that were oozing with tenderness that could strike a chord in her heart. And she would willingly trade in the letters anytime for more precious times to spend with him, so she could enjoy that smile more - the sweet and gentle smile of his that had accompanied her to her sleep almost every night now.

"I'm beginning to think that you don't have a clue as to what I'm talking about just now." The abrupt change in his tone alerted her. He gave her a critical look, but the smile was still there on his face. "Am I right?" he added to emphasize, slightly bending forward, his eyes searching hers.

Busted! Instead of playing the best friend's role to perfection by listening attentively, she had been too distracted by her own thoughts.

Looking away from him, she let out an awkward chuckle. "Whatever made you think that?" She slowly turned to face him putting an innocent smile on her face.

He straightened his back and shrugged. "I don't know. Perhaps, you're bored?" he suggested sarcastically causing her smile to disappear completely. "I'm disappointed with you, Miss Candice, after not seeing you for half a year - is this how you treat your guardian?" He looked accusingly at her, shaking his head in exaggerated disbelief. "You can just tell me honestly if you rather spend your time mingling with people of your age than wasting it with an old and boring businessman like me."

"What?" She spontaneously exclaimed in horror, "No!" She paused surveying her surroundings fast to make sure that no one had heard her before lowering her voice to a normal level. "Of course not. I'm sorry Albert. I'm just... After so long without seeing you, I..." She faltered to form a coherent sentence at his penetrating gaze, her eyes looking guiltily at him. "You know that is not true. You're not that old and-" After watching him raising his eyebrow, she stopped right away. She then realized that she might have used the wrong words and caused him to misunderstand. "No. That's not what I meant!" She took a deep breath and forced herself to continue, "I mean-"

Candy appeared frantic, scrambling to come up with better words in her head, when Albert suddenly erupted in laughter, the sound attracting some of the guests milling about the parlor to throw curious glances at them.

She looked at a loss. "What's so funny?" she asked searching his eyes looking for answer.

His laughing stopped, and he didn't say anything, his eyes scanning the perimeter around him. Grabbing her arm, he led her out of the room and whispered, "I'll explain later." He tugged at her by the elbow gently. "Come on." He never did like to be the center of attention and certainly not now when he wanted nothing more than to spend a quiet time with her, especially after the business trip that had taken way too long.

Holding Candy's hand tightly, Albert expertly maneuvered their way through the crowds, offering a cordial smile and nodding his head in acknowledgment every time they passed an acquaintance. Candy was too preoccupied with her efforts to keep up with his fast pace and to maintain her balance on her high heels that she had forgotten to ask him where they were going.

As the golden double doors came into her line of vision, her ears caught the thumping sound of the base from the orchestra playing inside. It finally dawned on her that he was taking her to the Grand Ballroom. Are we going to dance? She tried to quell the sudden excitement growing in the pit of her stomach as they were getting closer to the main entrance of the ballroom.

The doors were opened for them by the two impeccably dressed attendants standing by each side of the doors, the melody being played by the full orchestra welcoming them. "Good evening, Sir William. Miss Andrew," the two men nodded to them simultaneously in a formal greeting.

"Good evening," he nodded back in a quick response, and she stood to his side just smiling politely to greet the two helpers back. Without loosening his hold on her hand, he stepped inside the majestic, opulently decorated Grand Ballroom, towing her behind him. He ignored the curious eyes staring at them and pulled her to the dance floor to join the many couples already there twirling and swaying to the music.

Before she even knew it, she felt his right palm pressed gently against her left shoulder blade while his other hand grasp tightly on to her hand, the mild scent of male fragrance tickling her senses. Even though she had already known that this was going to happen, she had not realized it until she was really there with him holding her on the crowded dance floor, with the full orchestra playing a classical waltz piece behind them. We're really going to dance. Suddenly, she felt very nervous.

Candy looked up at Albert's smiling face, and his gentle gaze assured her instant calmness. As her nervousness gave way to contentment, her mouth slowly curved into a smile. She placed her other hand on his upper arm. After adjusting and finding the right postures, he signaled with his head. "Relax, Candy. Just follow my lead." She just nodded her head slightly in response.

He stepped forward and side-to-side continuously repeating the pattern, leading them to move across the dance floor. Once he determined that she was comfortable enough with the routine, he gradually increased the pace of their movements until it matched to the beat from the music. Before long, swaying with the beautiful melody lulling her, she let her eyes droop to a close.

Even though Candy was not one who favored any types of high society gatherings, she had her fair share of attending formal events, such as the one tonight. Being a member of one of the most coveted families in Chicago, there were a few events that she just could not avoid to attend, and Aunt Elroy would make sure of that. She had attended events accompanying both Aunt Elroy and Albert, but in each of those occasions she had never danced with him due to reasons that she couldn't even remember anymore now. She had danced with few men before but never with him, never with Albert.

More than two years had passed since that time in Pony Hill, where she had finally found out that it was him all along behind the true identity of her beloved 'Prince of the Hill', her handsome prince. It just occurred to her then - that this would not only be her first time dancing with Albert but also her first time dancing with the 'Prince'. It's my first dance! With my prince!

Candy didn't expect that the impact of that realization would hit her hard, causing her to lose her footing. She missed her step and would have stumbled ungracefully on the floor, if not for the strong arms that were securely holding her.

"Are you okay?" Albert's worried voice brought her back from her momentary lapse. She quickly nodded her head and gave him a reassuring smile to appease him. He didn't look entirely convinced but decided to leave it at that for now as he guided her back to move to the musical piece in silence. This time he maintained a slower tempo than before, and he used smaller steps to keep them from moving too far across the dance floor.

It was obvious that between the two of them he was the better dancer. He had been drilled with various trainings to prepare him for his current position practically since he was a toddler, and dancing was just one of his basic trainings.

Albert watched Candy and concluded that he didn't like it too much when she was too quiet. "You know I was just teasing you earlier, right?" he started telling her, "I didn't mean to make you feel bad or anything like that, but if I had somehow made you feel bad, I apologize." He offered a sincere smile to her.

At first, she wasn't even sure she knew what he was talking about when her thoughts were still a bit scattered since a part of her was still recovering from her near fall while the other part was concentrating on her effort to coordinate her feet movement perfectly with his. Just then he made a note on how she was too preoccupied with synchronizing their steps, and he decided to decrease the pace of their steps to a simple swaying movement to help her. He wanted her to have fun, not just dancing mutely like they were strangers.

She began to notice the change in their dancing pattern right away. She lifted her inquiring eyes to meet his and found that he didn't seem to care that they didn't follow the waltzing beat. Seeing that Candy's attention was back on him, Albert continued where he had left off, "I just couldn't help myself. I wasn't laughing at you, though," he explained, "It's just that I haven't seen you for a while - I've missed you." He threw her a melancholic smile while his gaze softened. "I know I should have not teased you like that, but I just couldn't stop myself. You looked like you were too busy with your thoughts, and I felt like I was being neglected."

She finally realized that he was referring to what had happened earlier in the parlor, but she didn't know that he had felt that way - that he was upset. "Albert, I'm sorry. I didn't know-"

He cut in, "Don't worry about it." He grinned as his mood had drastically brightened. "At least I can have a little bit of fun at your expense." He chuckled quietly as she looked at him in mock anger. He noted the change in her face expression right away and was satisfied that he had succeeded to make her relax a bit.

Then, he made them turn in a full circle on the dance floor before going back to their basic routine.

"Believe it or not, I haven't had fun in a long while. With the business and all, I just didn't have the time. But tonight, it certainly looks like that it's going to be different. I can laugh so easily already-" He flashed her a big smile. "And I owe it all to you, dear." He squeezed her hand slightly for emphasis.

Candy gave him a skeptical smile. "Just what are you implying there, mister? Are you saying that I'm good at making you laugh?" She paused briefly to pass him an irritated look. "Hey! You're not saying that I'm a clown or a comedian, are you?"

"I didn't mean it that way," he contested, "I didn't say that you're a clown. I'm just saying that I think I feel happier now with you nearby."

The big smile was back on her face. She peered at him, the whimsical gleam in her eyes apparent. "So, are you saying that I'm your source of happiness, then?" she asked him again, arching her eyebrows in a playful gesture.

Albert opened his mouth to answer but nothing came out. He didn't expect her to say that so easily. He knew she was probably just joking around when she had said that, but he couldn't help himself and felt that he had to tell her the truth. He cleared his throat and spoke in a pensive voice without looking directly at her, "You know that is the truth."

Candy looked at him in disbelief, unable to form a plausible reply. She was surprised by the words uttered by him in such a way. She had expected him to respond back to her in jest just as she had done previously without any considerations, but instead he had said something that could have several meanings that she wasn't sure she wanted to dig deeper into right now.

An awkward silence suddenly fell between them as they continued moving across the dance floor, oblivious to the many pairs of eyes observing them with what could only be described as a mixture of speculative, admiring, and knowing looks. As her movements and coordination had steadily improved, he gradually sped up their paces to harmonize them to the beat from the waltz.

Albert wanted to hit himself for not being able to control his emotion. Why did he have to say that? He certainly didn't want to ruin this rare moment where he could spend time with her with his stupid words. It had been a while since he had seen her last, a long while. It's true what he had told her. He had missed her. But what he didn't tell her was how much. After all, half a year was not short. This last business trip had definitely taken a toll on him. And the last thing he wished to do after he got back from his trip was to jump right back into his dull lifestyle and social obligation, and that was exactly what he was not going to do. Spending time with Candy was just what he needed now as anything else could wait. But what he didn't realize was how desperately he wanted to be with her that he had completely abandoned his so-called responsibility and commitment. He did note that there was something different about her tonight, though, as she appeared more reserved, more? He wasn't even sure what was different. Was it the way she had dressed tonight?

He glanced down slightly and fleetingly observed her from the corner of his eye. She looked lovely tonight, beautiful, with her long, curly blond hair swinging at her back, the silky strands brushing against his hand. Her figure in her royal blue, silk gown had captured his eyes since the first time he had seen her earlier at his mansion. She had transformed into a beautiful lady before his eyes. Gone was the freckled girl with ponytails and gawky, teenage figure. What he had in front of him now instead was a picture of pure loveliness, a beautiful woman in all her own splendor. And he wanted nothing more than to be able to hold this exquisite woman in his arms, just like right now. A smile slowly appeared on his face before it was gone completely as he realized where his thought had just taken him. Feeling incredibly disturbed, he pushed the inappropriate images out of his mind right away, and he tried to shift his attention to his dancing until he noticed that Candy was so focused on looking at his face, as if she was appraising him. Now, that's a thought. He smiled with satisfaction.

Now that they were not engaged in any conversations, Candy was again reminded of the fact that she was dancing with her 'prince', but this time she calmly allowed herself to carry her thoughts further than before. She chuckled quietly recalling how he hated it whenever she had referred to him as the prince.

She averted her attention toward her dancing partner and scrutinized his face closely, trying not to miss any details. He's handsome, all right, and is certainly fit to be a prince. Shiny, light blond hair crowned his head with a few stubborn, curly wisps of hair spilling over onto his forehead. A pair of shapely eyebrows adorned a pair of captivating deep blue eyes that glittered, reflecting the lights coming from the crystal chandeliers above. A finely sculpted nose and thin lips along with high cheekbones and strong, chiseled jaws completed his masculine feature. Candy sucked in her breath in wonderment. By Golly! If that's not a picture of a handsome perfection, I don't know what is.

She had known the man practically her whole life, and she had noticed just now that he was a handsome man? No. That couldn't be right. A picture of him with his bearded face and dark tinted sunglasses floated in her mind. If anything, she would blame the man for hiding behind his ridiculous disguise to mislead her to arrive at a wrong conclusion about his outward appearance. She pulled out all the different looks he had sported from her memory and set them side-by-side. She shook her head in amazement at a collage of images that was produced in her head. The man didn't seem to age, if that was even a possibility. Instead of getting older he had appeared younger and younger throughout the different times she had met him. Suddenly, another thought surfaced from the deep recess of her mind. Really! Despite all the times she had spent with him, how could she have missed seeing his close resemblance to Anthony at that time? Without warning, a strong, familiar emotion took a hold of her as her mind made another sharp turn and brought her to the past, a past that included someone that used to own her heart.

Anthony...

"Is there something wrong with my face?" Albert's low voice stopped her stupor, and Candy narrowly missed stepping on his foot as she realized that he had slowed down their routine considerably to a mere side-to-side swinging. "I realized that my good looks were one of my valuable assets, but-" He leaned down to whisper into her ear, "I would have never thought that you might not be so immune to my charm." He moved back, chuckling, and threw her a teasing glance.

Noticing that she was caught examining him so openly, she blushed in embarrassment but refused to let him know that. She tried to mask her discomfort and defiantly answered, "Is there a problem with that? I'm merely admiring God's divine creation."

He certainly didn't expect that from her as he clearly looked amused but was not certain if he should make another smart comeback.

When the musical piece that they had been dancing to ended, they halted their movements but stayed in their current position. There were a few moments of respite with the orchestra as the musicians prepared for the next piece that they would perform.

"I'm still mad at you. Do you even know that?" Candy said quickly changing the subject before he had the chance to say anything. Behind them, the conductor moved his hand down, and the orchestra began playing again, softly at first.

Albert frowned in confusion, "Could you please elaborate? I'm afraid I'm at a loss here. I thought I did apologize for teasing you already." He switched his attention away from her briefly to concentrate on his feet movement as he led them back to dancing to the waltz tune while maintaining a leisure tempo.

She passed him a disparaging look. "I ought to be angry with you, Sir William. I'm utterly disappointed with your behavior tonight. I thought you were a gentleman." Still looking muddled, he opened his mouth to protest, but she didn't allow him and continued in a reprimanding tone, "Is this the proper way for you to treat a lady? Great Aunt would be very upset to learn of your behavior tonight."

Before he could utter a single word, she intercepted him again. "Did you realize that you practically dragged me from the parlor to here without giving me a single clue as to what you were intending to do? And the next thing I knew we were already here in the middle of the dance floor. Is that the proper way to ask a lady to dance, Sir William?" She inspected his face with a critical look.

As he began to understand what the issue was, he attempted to make an apology. "I didn't know - Candy, I'm sorry." He stopped momentarily and took a deep breath. "I should have been more sensitive," he conceded, "I don't know what to say. But I thought you were fine, and I didn't think that you would care about-"

This time the sound of Candy's soft chuckle stopped him from finishing his sentence. Albert sighed in irritation and examined her face more closely. Pursing her lips tightly, she was attempting her best to contain her laughter. It finally became apparent to him that she was only pretending that she was upset with him. "Very funny," he muttered dryly as small chuckles escaped her mouth.

"You deserved it, you know, for teasing me earlier," she said in between her giggles that she finally let out.

He gave her a disbelieving look, "I didn't know that you're the type that would hold grudges against someone."

"Well, I'm not."

He lifted an eyebrow and threw her a dubious smile. "Really?"

Before Candy could answer him back, Albert had let go of her completely, showing his enigmatic smile. He stepped a couple of steps backward, generating a noticeable distance between them. She looked at him with questioning eyes. She had no idea what he was doing. Was he that upset with her that he was going to ditch her now in the middle of the dance floor? At the very least, he should give her the courtesy and wait until the current piece finished playing. She threw him a worried look, and he just ignored her, smiling conceitedly.

She was taken aback when, out of the blue, he bent forward to make a gallant bow in a grand gesture worthy to be performed in the royal palace.

"What are you doing?" she asked him in alarm before looking around and noticed several inquisitive glances and low whispers were directed toward them.

Disregarding her, Albert raised his head slightly and offered his hand to her in an elegant movement. "Miss Candice White Andrew, would you give me the honor of accompanying you on the dance floor tonight?"

It didn't take her long to finally figure out what his intention was. She might as well humor him and continue with this impromptu scene. Suppressing the urge to giggle, she stepped closer to him and placed her hand as gracefully as possible on top of his gloved hand before saying in a fake haughty tone, "I would be delighted and honored to have you as my dance partner, Sir William."

He displayed his bright and charming smile to her. "Thank you, my kind lady." He held her hand by the fingers in a refined manner and brought it toward his face to drop a gentle kiss, his blue eyes never leaving hers. She grinned pleasantly at him. He then straightened up to his full height before drawing her closer to him, one of his hands rested lightly on her upper back. Smiling at each other, they moved their feet in concert, mirroring each other, and it didn't take them long before they smoothly glided across the floor.

"So?" he began, searching her face. "Have I proven my lady of my virtue to be worthy enough to escort her on the dance floor tonight?" he asked in an even dignified tone, putting on a straight-faced look.

She just smiled at him, restraining the urge to roll her eyes. She had to admit that he could be really funny when he wanted to. "You don't have to do that, you know?" she told him.

He, purposefully ignoring her, continued with his act. "Have I not convinced you enough, my lady?"

"Albert!" she called out in a warning tone as she began to get exasperated. And he, certainly, can be an annoying idiot too.

Unfazed, he replied back calmly, "Yes, my lady-" He gave her a sympathetic look. "Perhaps, I had somehow upset you?"

Yup. A stubborn, annoying idiot. "If you don't stop talking like that - I'm going to walk away right now!" she threatened, her green eyes flashing.

"But I thought you wanted me to act like a proper gentleman," he contended in a normal voice, staring at her innocently.

She gave him a pointed look. "A proper gentleman, Sir William," she stressed, "not an aristocratic retard."

At her last comment, Albert burst out laughing. He was laughing so hard that Candy could feel them move wobbly across the dance floor. She slapped his upper arm hard to make him stop laughing. The unexpected impact did make him stop. He looked at her with questioning eyes, and she returned it with a stern look. But before long, he could no longer stifle his laughter and began to chuckle again. She glared at him at first before finally joining him in laughter.

As their laughter had gradually dissipated, they eased back into some semblance of normalcy and continued their dancing without saying anything.

She shook her head in amusement recalling the crazy antic he had just performed earlier. Smiling to herself, she let out a long contented sigh and without realizing it, she inadvertently voiced out her thought, "...You're really my prince..."

Candy almost collided against Albert's body head on, and she realized immediately that they had stopped moving while the melodious waltz was still playing in the background. She looked at her companion and noticed the mixture of expressions flashing on his face. Instantly, she became aware of the mistake she had just committed. She had wanted to say something more as she remembered how he had despised that nickname. But she stopped herself when she saw a broad smile slowly form on his face. She could only stare at him unintelligently, being unsure of what to do. Suddenly, Albert pulled her closer to him as her sense of smell was invaded by a fresh masculine scent, and before she knew what was happening, he had leaned toward her and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, his lips a soft caress on her skin. "And you are my princess," he whispered in a deep voice filled with emotions before quickly moving away. After that, he just led them resume their dance in silence without saying a single word.

What just happened? She tried to register what he just did in her mind, and whether it had really happened at all. Albert didn't just kiss her, did he? But she knew he did. She could still feel the warm imprint of his lips on her cool forehead, the heat on her cheeks, the butterflies in her stomach, and...

Candy recognized the rush of different types of feelings his chaste kiss had induced in her, and they were not the same type of feelings she had experienced before in the past whenever he had kissed her whether on her cheek or her forehead. She didn't know what to make of his kiss just now, and she refused to think about it more.

Shortly, the orchestra completed performing the current piece they had been dancing to. They stopped their dance movements as they hit another pause with the music. While waiting for the orchestra to start again, he released her hands.

"Do you know that this is the first time that we dance together?" Candy's voice broke through the quietness between them.

Albert focused on her, looking quite interested, "Is that right? I haven't thought about that," he said in a contemplative tone.

"That is the fact," she merely asserted. As the orchestra began playing the third musical composition, he took her hand back into his and she followed him by assuming her previous position. They resumed their waltz routine by moving sideways unhurriedly.

"Are you ready?" after some time, Albert suddenly asked while arching an eyebrow at her when he distinguished the clear progression into an allegro in the music.

Candy just gave him a blank stare, being unsure as to what he was insinuating. Without saying anything, he just smiled back at her, and he guided them to move continuously in a more fluid pattern, pivoting them in a circle.

"Hold on tight. Now, this is the good part," he simply instructed as the music built in intensity into a dramatic passage in the composition.

Holding her tight, he increased the speed of their steps until they glided smoothly across the dance floor, and he continued to turn them together in a circle until they appeared to be whirling. She felt dizzy from the twirling, and when he accelerated the speed of their spins even more, she let out an excited squeal. She felt like she was floating in the air with her loose blond hair flying everywhere. She laughed out loud, and he joined her in laughter.

Their laughing diminished as he slowed down their pace, leading them to move toward the other side of the dance floor where it was less crowded. As they attempted to bring their rapid breathing rate to normal, they moved quietly swinging back and forth at a leisure pace.

In between her breathings, she said, "That was fun."

"I'm glad you liked that." He smiled with satisfaction.

His smile was quickly replaced by a confounded look when he discerned a pout that suddenly appeared on her face.

Candy leaned forward slightly toward him and tilted her head upward, and Albert bent down to move his ear closer to her. "Now I know for sure that I'm a terrible dancer," she whispered in an embarrassed tone.

He studied her face intently before throwing his head back and broke out into small chortle as she glowered at him in response.

"Candy. My dear, Candy-" He paused to take a breath. "In case you haven't noticed, we have been dancing for quite some time now-" He let another chuckle out. "And frankly you seem perfectly fine to me."

"Yes that is true. But, Albert-" she griped, "It was you who were doing most of the dancing. I was just following your lead."

"Is there a problem with that? You didn't like dancing with me, Candy?" He was sure that Candy was fine dancing with him, but he wasn't sure why she complained about her lack of skill now.

She shook her head vehemently. "No. No. Of course not. I really enjoy dancing with you. It's just that I feel inadequate. You are a master on the dance floor. I almost couldn't keep up with you. I didn't realize that dancing could be this difficult."

Candy sighed dramatically. "Oh well. I guess this will most likely be the last time I would dance with you then-" She feigned a look of total dejection. "That's just too bad. I actually enjoy dancing with you - you know?" She continued, "But, we certainly don't want to tarnish the reputation of the magnificent Sir William Albert Andrew by dancing with an unrefined dancer such as myself-" She produced a look of mock disgust. "Oh. Heavens. No. The gossip mongers would have a field day," she told him, mimicking a certain aunt that they both knew by heart.

Albert was relieved to find out that she was mostly jesting, and he laughed freely at her exaggeration. "What a pity. We should fix that right away then, don't you think?" he suggested while maintaining the carefree tone of their conversation.

Looking thoughtful, he quickly added, "And I have just the perfect solution for your problem." He paused briefly and looked directly into her eyes. "Since you enjoy my company on the dance floor so much, Miss Andrew, I would be willing to make a deal with you." He beamed, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

"A deal?" she repeated, looking doubtful, and couldn't help but wonder what other crazy idea he had in store for her tonight.

"Yes a deal," he confirmed. "See - it's very simple. You need a dance coach. I need a date that can entertain and keep me company in boring, formal events, such as this one."

She couldn't help but let out a cynical smile. Ignoring her skeptical look, he just raised her right hand high to signal her to do the underarm turn, and she followed his instruction and performed the turn.

Once he held her back in position, he continued, "I can teach you more than a move or two in my spare time, and you can flaunt your new acquired skills with me as your partner in all the parties we will attend." He paused briefly to gauge her interest. "And since we mutually agreed that we enjoy each other company so much, this wouldn't be a bad deal."

"What do you think?" he promptly asked.

Candy answered hesitantly, "hmmm... I don't know..." She seemed to be weighing his suggestion. "But I'm sure you do remember how much I like to go to that kind of events, right?" she told him, the sarcasm dripping from her voice. He shrugged innocently, but before he could say anything she asked, "Does this mean that I have to attend all the parties and events that you'll attend?"

"Pretty much," he told her easily. He lifted her right hand above her head and made her do another underneath-the-arm turn.

"How many?" she asked while turning in a circle under his arm.

"I beg your pardon?" His blue eyes reflected the confusion in them.

She put her hand back on his upper arm, as she repeated her question to clarify. "How many parties that you usually attend in?" She stopped momentarily, looking thoughtful. "Let's say in a month or so,"

"That's hard to say. I'd say depending on the season it can run anywhere from only a couple to close to twenty, perhaps. I'm not sure," Albert told her honestly.

"Twenty!" she shrieked, her round emerald eyes bulging. She had never thought or even considered that there could be that many events that he had to attend. "And in all those, I have to dance with you?" she asked still feeling a bit overwhelmed.

"Yes. That's our deal, right?" he reminded her.

"But then, how about others?" she inquired, referring to a group of women that would die to get an opportunity to dance with him.

"What about others?" he asked, looking puzzled.

Candy was about to say 'those adoring fans of yours', but she regressed and instead said, "Those women that would want to dance with you," she continued, "you know what I'm talking about - high society women of marriageable age." She glanced to her right and to her left as if to prove her point. "There are plenty."

Albert stared at her for a second, looking mildly amused, before asking, "You want me to dance with them?"

She shrugged looking clueless. "I don't know. Should I let you?" She tilted her head up as if she was talking to herself, "but then, whom am I going to dance with?" She moved her head back down, her green eyes wandering away for a short period of time, before focusing back on him.

He let out a gentle laugh. "Candy - this isn't going anywhere." He decided at once. "You know what?"

She looked at him expectantly, and he continued, "Why don't we become a..." He paused to gather his thought before he absentmindedly said, "...Permanent dance partners..." Meeting her eyes, he smiled broadly. "...Permanent dance partners. That's it. That way we don't need to worry about others, ever."

"...Permanent dance partners..." she echoed his words slowly to herself. She couldn't help but scoff in her head. Another ridiculous idea of his. Then, out of nowhere, a rather silly, rather inappropriate thought flew to her mind. When she realized the possible connotation that the term 'permanent partners' could produce, she felt heat rise to her cheeks and she slowly said, "...But permanent is a strong word..." She didn't know whether she wanted to proceed or not. She looked at him expecting him to say something, but he kept his mouth shut, the expression on his face urging her to continue.

"...To be a permanent partner seems to me like..." She stopped mid-sentence to exhale loudly, feeling very reluctant to keep on going sharing her thought with him, and she didn't want him to misunderstand her. Nonetheless, at the end, in a low voice, she hesitantly uttered, "...Like being bound in a marriage covenant..." Immediately, she looked away from him to avoid direct eye contact.

To say that he was surprised was an understatement. Her comment had rendered him speechless as he could only stare at her dumbly, unblinking. She was the only one that could incite such a strong reaction from him. Then suddenly, as if he couldn't hold it anymore, he threw his head back and laughed out loud, even louder than before. Thankfully the sound of his laughter blended nicely with the background noise in the ballroom. Forgetting the feeling of uneasiness earlier, she glared at him in aggravation being absolutely sure that he was laughing at her again.

He hadn't laughed this much in a long time. Heck! He had probably laughed more tonight than the last six months combined. He said in between laughs, "Candy -that's it! You are coming with me the next time I go on my trips."

She pretended that she didn't hear him, dismissing his words as another one of his jokes.

Being motivated by his desire to remove the scowl from her face and by just plain curiosity, he asked, "I detected the hesitation in your voice when you mentioned marriage. Why is that? Do you have something against marriage?" He seemed to have succeeded in drawing her attention back as he saw her looking thoughtful.

"I don't know. Maybe I still don't want to think about it now." She shrugged.

He observed her face carefully. "But seriously. Candy, you do want to get married eventually and start your own family, right?" he suggested, "well, not now, but sometime in the future, perhaps?"

She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Honestly. Albert, are you mocking me?" She passed him a displeased look, and he shook his head at once.

"I am not mocking you," he simply told her in an even tone.

Knowing that Albert was not going to let the topic come to rest, Candy heaved a sigh of defeat. "You know me. I have no admirable qualities that would make me fit to become someone's wife," she admitted while a frown was slowly materializing on his face. "I would be a horrible wife, and with my awful cooking skill my husband could die of starvation before our first anniversary, that's if we were lucky enough to make it to our first anniversary," she added in a self-mocking tone.

He wasn't laughing with her.

Without thinking twice, he expressed his disagreement firmly, "No. Candy, that is not true." He held her eyes in an affectionate gaze, a wistful smile slowly forming on his lips. "I can assure you that you would be an excellent wife, a loving and caring wife for your husband - you would be adored by your children," he finished in a soft voice.

She was taken aback by his candid praises, and her cheeks turned pink. "Um - thank you, I guess," she told him, not knowing what else to say.

They were staring at each other in silence before simultaneously looking away. He accelerated the tempo of their steps to follow the waltz rhythm, and before long they were back to gliding fluidly across the floor in a steady rise and fall movement hitting each cadence from the music perfectly.

Candy couldn't help herself; she felt touched. Albert's last words left a deep impression in her heart. Could she become the perfect kind of wife he was describing? She tried to imagine herself in the future. In her mind, she pictured herself happily married surrounded by her loving family. She could see the figure of her-future-self gradually come into focus in her mind. She saw the back of a woman with long blond, curly hair to the waist, her-future-self, standing by the kitchen counter preparing dinner with a little blond girl at her side chatting enthusiastically, her daughter. Then she saw herself glance to her right, smiling brightly at the tall figure of a man approaching her, her husband. He stopped next to her, and his arm casually lay over her shoulder in a half embrace. He leaned down and deposited a quick kiss on her cheek in a greeting. She turned fully to face him and noted, despite the tiredness in his countenance, his eyes glowed in pure joy and sincere love. He called out to her, and his sweet voice was a gentle caress to her ears.

"Candy..."

Hearing the waltz music playing in the background, she looked up to a familiar face watching her uncertainly. The dreamy smile gradually disappeared from her face replaced by a frown. She had entertained this kind of thought before, and she perfectly remembered that at that time it had been Terry by her side. Clearly, Terry had not been her husband in the little scene that had played in her mind. Terry was now nothing but a distant memory for her.

"Candy!"

She stopped her movement altogether as she began to comprehend what her mind was telling her. While behind her, the music was slowly progressing up both in tempo and volume, beginning its crescendo through the final passage to reach a coda.

No!

The man that she had seen as her future husband was definitely not Terry, but he was... Candy let her thought hang, her eyes widening in awareness. She stared at her companion in bewilderment as her heart thumped wildly, racing against the down beat from the music playing rambunctiously behind her.

She had gone too far with her fantasy this time. This has to stop now! The last thing she wanted to do was to ruin everything. And the first thing she had to do was to get away from him. She mumbled an apology, saying something that she wasn't even sure she understood, and moved away from him, failing to see the mixture of confusion, worry with a tad of hurt etched on Albert's face.

And just right at that moment the orchestra had stopped playing, and the crowds roared in thunderous applause.

Candy didn't count how many people she had bumped and how many doors she had pushed through until she felt the warm air from the early fall, Indian summer weather envelope her body as she stepped into the outdoor patio. The moon shone brightly above with no hints of clouds as far as her eyes could see. From where she stood, she could see a perfectly manicured garden, a considerably large garden that ran all the way to the small lake in the horizon, bordered by trees of different breeds and sizes. Her first instinct was to run and climb up one of the big trees and hide there to sulk. But the fact that she was wearing a long gown - and the idea that she would hear non-stop reproaches from Aunt Elroy for a very long time - discouraged her to even consider it as an option.

She stepped down the stairs that led into the garden with the intention of taking refuge on one of the many unoccupied marble benches that were hidden by the flower bushes scattered around. She was glad that except for a couple, frolicking a little farther down by the fountain and seemingly in their own world, she was pretty much alone. Looking wistfully at the young couple, she sat down and let out a long sigh as she could finally rest her throbbing feet from all the dancing she had done earlier.

Albert had played several different roles throughout the different stages of her life. He was the prince charming in her childhood dream, and that was what he had been at that time, her unattainable childhood dream. Little had she known that had been just the beginning. Life had thrown so many curved balls at her during her youth, that the next time they met again - though at that time she was not aware that he and her childhood prince were in fact the same person - he had become her savior, saving her from a premature death. When a tragedy struck, he had approached her and had offered his friendship, consoling her from the loss she had experienced after the freak accident that took the life of her beloved Anthony. Their friendship didn't stop there but had continued to grow when they had reunited in London. Then, by another twist of fate, she, as a nurse, had been given the chance to care for him as her patient. Not long after that, when they had lived together, their relationship had evolved to be more than good friends. They had become best friends, at least that was what she had thought. Till this day, she still thought that the time they had lived as roommates in the Magnolia apartment had been one of the high notes in her life. One particular scene came to her mind, and she shivered remembering how big the lion had been and how it could attack at any given moment. The man could be so reckless sometimes, and she would make sure that nothing like that would ever happen again, not if she could help it.

Candy shifted in her seat and tilted her head up to see million glimmering stars above, the warm breeze touching her face.

Moving her head back down, she scoffed as she recalled a certain fiasco involving the infamous Neil Leagan that had occurred during that period of time that would lead her to yet another big discovery about her enigmatic friend Albert who had gone missing at that time. She had been shocked, to say the least, to find his true identity to be no less, no other than William Albert Andrew - or the mysterious, unapproachable Uncle William she was more familiar with at that time. She had mixed feelings after the big revelation. On one hand she was so happy to know that the guardian that had supported and protected her throughout her life turned out to be her very good friend - but at the same time, she wasn't sure after knowing that he was her guardian that she could still treat him as Albert-her-friend. Thankfully, he didn't let her make the decision herself. After he had invited her to spend more time with him in Lakewood, she was assured that he was still her friend Albert, and he had affirmed her that was how he wanted her to see him. Finally, as the excitement had died down a bit, on that fine day on the Pony Hill, the beloved prince charming from her childhood dream she was so fond of had decided to make another appearance in person, reciting the same exact phrase he had said the first time they had met that she would never forget for the rest of her life. In the end, she remembered running into his opened arms and let herself fall into his warm embrace. Albert, her best friend and her guardian, was also the prince she had met in her childhood. It definitely had felt like she had made a complete circle.

Candy inhaled sharply to take in the clean evening air as the aroma from the blooming fall flowers mixed with the scent of fresh greenery filled her nostrils.

Since that fateful day on the Pony Hill, she had somehow started to have dreams of dancing with her childhood prince again. She didn't know since when though, the cute, teenage prince in her dreams had morphed into a handsome, fully grown man. Yes. Without her being completely aware of it, she had started to see him - her best friend, her guardian - as a man.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly to calm her nerves. It had been easier to control her emotions when he was far away on one of his numerous business trips. The letters she had sent to him gave no hints to the actual state of her mind. Furthermore, the times they had spent together when he was not traveling or when he was not constrained by his responsibilities was too few and far between. And whenever they finally had some time, the time was usually short and would not allow them to have a proper long talk before he was whisked away by his trusty assistant, the faithful George Johnson.

A week ago, when she had received his invitation to accompany him and Aunt Elroy to the gala at the Robinsons' mansion, her first initial reaction was to say 'no'. It was a common knowledge to everybody who knew her that she wasn't particularly fond of attending any types of socialite gatherings, such as the Robinsons' gala, and thus had stayed clear from such occasions except when she had been formally summoned by either her guardian or Great Aunt. But after some more deliberations, she had agreed to attend the gala anyway. She had thought that this would be the first time that she would be able to see Albert since he had come back from one of the longest business trips he had ever had. She had also thought that, at the very least, if he would be too absorbed consorting with other guests from high society just as he normally would - she could bask in some female bonding moment with Annie, whom she hadn't seen in weeks.

And now that she was here, things couldn't be more different from the way she had imagined it before. For one thing, much to her disappointment, it was just two days before the party when Archie informed her that he would be with Annie attending a Brighton's family event, so they wouldn't be with her at the Robinsons' mansion. But it had already been too late for her to change her mind then. In the end, she had decided to go still, resorting to the idea that, at the very least, she could satisfy her stomach with plenty of delicious edible offerings, even when she had to endure Aunt Elroy's company for the whole night. Alas, that hadn't happened. Thankfully.

Candy chuckled softly replaying some scenes that had happened earlier inside the mansion.

Her encounter with Albert tonight was not like any other they had had in the past. Tonight, he was definitely more talkative than usual, not to mention being mostly in a playful mood, whereas she was more reticent. In a normal situation, it should have been the other way around. She couldn't pinpoint whether it was because she was overwhelmed by the fact that he had not left her side even for a minute since he had approached her in the parlor, let alone had danced with her for the first time - or was it because she could barely contain her emotions after holding them for so long, especially after the months she had endured without seeing him. If what had happened tonight gave her any indication, it was clear that she was slowly losing control of her feelings.

The sound coming from the flapping wings of a bird made her look alert as she scanned the view before her. She wasn't sure what to expect, but deep down she confessed that she wanted to see him there. To her disappointment, she couldn't see him or anybody else for that matter. It had been a while ago since she had exited the ballroom in a rush. She wondered whether Albert had been looking for her.

Meanwhile inside the mansion, a tall blond man, immaculately dressed in his black tuxedo, hastened his steps toward the veranda.

Albert didn't know what just happened. They had been fine before on the dance floor, and she had seemed to enjoy herself - at least that was what he thought. He had wanted to chase after her immediately after she had made her hasty exit with a vague excuse. But being a courteous gentleman, he couldn't forgo his good manners when Mr. Robinson, the host for tonight's event, had intercepted him and requested to talk to him. Sometimes, he wished he could still be the vagabond Albert that could care less about social protocol. Regrettably, he could not. Before long that one-on-one conversation, much to his dismay, had transformed into a full group discussion. After nearly thirty minutes talking in circles about the nitty-gritty behind certain business deals that at that time were not in his priority, he finally managed to escape when one of the wives of the gentlemen in their group diverted their attention. He excused himself, claiming that he was expected somewhere by someone.

Now he was finally out on the veranda. After adjusting his sight to the low lighting, he started to survey the dark garden in front of him until his eyes caught a familiar lone figure sitting on a bench facing away from him. He walked with determined steps toward his subject. Once closer, he just then realized that it was very possible that she would like to be left alone. He didn't feel right being there, feeling as if he was an intruder. He should just leave now. He was about to turn to leave her alone when another thought interfered with his resolve, a scene from the past in which they were sharing a piece of sandwich invaded his mind. Then, another scene, this one more recent, came playing...

"Albert, will you be my best friend?"

Her question had taken him by surprise. He actually didn't know what to say. But when he saw her broad smile, her clear eyes looking hopeful at him, he could only smile and reply in a silent nod.

She moved from where she was to stand on his left side. "And me? How about me? Do you want me to be your best friend, Albert?"

Now that was something that had never come to his mind. Again, he wasn't sure how to answer her. He glanced to her side, and the lovely vision before him took his breath away instantly. She was smiling innocently at him with her round emerald eyes, her whole body surrounded by a glowing halo.

In a half-trance state, he whispered to her, "Candy - you're more than a best friend to me. You're my angel."

A beautiful smile slowly appeared on her face, and at once, he was reminded of the silent vow that he had made in the past, a promise that he would do anything to protect that beautiful smile of hers.

No! He couldn't leave her alone. He should not. At least, not until he knew for sure that she was okay. He had made that vow in the past - that he would do anything to protect her beautiful smile. He didn't realize that the instinct to protect her had been ingrained so deeply within him that it had become second nature. Once he had made up his mind, he continued to walk toward her in slow steps. Apparently, she still had not sensed that he had been standing there facing her only a few feet away from her.

Observing her gloved hand, Candy recalled how her small hand was enclosed completely in a warm hand, a hand belonging to a certain handsome man, whom she had the privilege to dance with. They were truly having fun earlier. She was not ignorant by any long shot and certainly wasn't blind. She - and most of the guests that were on the dance floor - could tell that what they were doing was not just some friendly bantering, but it was blatant flirting. She couldn't deny that she was flattered by the fact that he was flirting with her tonight, and only with her. She couldn't tell what had prompted them to act that way. She wasn't even sure why he had stayed by her side for the whole time other than doing what he usually would do, attending to his social obligation as the patriarch of the Andrew. It could be that the absence of a certain aunt had a lot of things to do with that. Aunt Elroy had left the party early after complaining about a migraine attack. Candy wasn't really sure if that was truly the only reason though. But one thing she was certain was that she was not going to complain about the time she and Albert had spent together.

Tonight had been wonderful, and she would not trade it for anything, especially not when she knew how many women would love to be in her shoes. Oh, she saw the looks that those women had constantly thrown at him all right. Gosh! Even such properly trained, high-bred women could actually let their perfect composure slip and acted like a bunch of adolescent schoolgirls just because of him. She couldn't blame them, though. He clearly was a man that exhibited a long list of attributes that any normal woman would find desirable. And now she found out that she was just like any other normal woman - the only difference was that at least she wasn't drooling. He was so right when he said that I'm not immune to his charm.

Candy touched her hair and pulled a strand with her fingers, twirling it absentmindedly.

She finally acknowledged that something inside her had started to change, but she didn't know whether she should welcome that change or not. Should she continue to tread through this unknown path? Would she dare to cross into a new, uncharted area, opening her heart to a new possibility to - to what? To love? She let out another long sigh. Whether she wanted to admit or not, she naturally had considered him as a prospect. If not - it wouldn't be so easy for her to conjure the image of him as her husband, right? So, now what? She moved her attention to the little pebbles on the ground, contemplating the options she had. Sooner or later she had to do something about it. And the sooner the better as what had happened earlier proved that she didn't have very much time - her feelings were very close to the surface already.

Without being aware of the battles raging in Candy's mind, Albert approached her slowly. He didn't want to scare her with his presence, when there was a high possibility that she did not prefer his companionship right now. He quietly crouched in front of her and gingerly reached out to take her hands in his, "Candy?"

His gentle voice dripping with concern brought her out of her reverie. He squeezed her hands affectionately to convey to her that he would be there for her if she needed him.

Candy raised her head and instantly forgot how to breathe as she was enchanted by a glistening pair of intense azure orbs, drowning her senses completely in blissful tranquility. He is here.

The tenderness reflected from his eyes caused her to shiver in delight. An unknown power suddenly engulfed her to give her more than just an encouragement to arrive to a resolution for her current dilemma - or was that just an attraction she couldn't fight anymore that helped her to come to a decision? She didn't know and couldn't care less now. She only cared that he was with her right now, right in front of her, just where she wanted him to be. That's a positive sign, right? With a quick resolve, tightly shutting her eyes, she moved swiftly to remove the distance between them and pressed her lips not too gently onto his in a quick kiss.

Candy opened her eyes right away and saw Albert's perplexed face, his eyes widening in shock. The reality of what she had just done struck her hard. She staggered to her feet, mortified at her audacity for kissing him like that. What was I thinking? She pressed a hand to her mouth in a desperate gesture.

He slowly stood up to his height still watching her silently, trying to decipher what the different expressions playing on her face were saying.

"Albert, I..." She couldn't finish, not with him looking at her like that. The color drained from her face. She felt terrible, really terrible. She turned away from him abruptly, her heart beating furiously against her ribcage. She needed to get away from him fast.

How could I do that? She couldn't stop asking and berating herself as she made her way leaving the garden in a hurry. Shame on you, Candy, shame, shame, shame... Without being able to repress her tears any longer, she let the drops fall rapidly blurring her vision. She was about to grab the handle of the side door when she felt a warm hand clamp around her wrist, ceasing her movements. The shock nearly paralyzed her. She held in her breath in panic with her heart beating erratically in her chest. She didn't have to guess whose hand that was. Timidly, she turned her head toward him, her voice vibrating, "Albert?"

He didn't let her continue and yanked her to his body, his mouth communicating his response to her in a passionate kiss, a kiss completely different from the one she had given him earlier.

Albert would be damned if he would let what had happened earlier go and pretended nothing had occurred between them. It could've been just an impulse on her part. But that was fine with him. An impulse was a good start. As a matter of fact, he could be just as impulsive as her when he wanted to, just like right now. And right now was when she was finally in his arms just where he wanted her to be. And right now was also when he could finally taste the delicate, luscious, ruby lips that had been tempting him since earlier today, since the moment he had first laid his eyes on her walking down the stairs of his Chicago's mansion. That reality filled him with so much happiness that he couldn't stop a blissful smile from materializing against her lips. When she began to return his advances with her own eagerness, shyly giving in to him to let him teach her the kissing language, he slowly lost his train of thoughts. Oh yes. An impulse can be a really good thing, a really good thing indeed.


I hope you will enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

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