Title: May I Have This Dance?
WARNING(S): Femslash!
Rating: PG-13
Summary: At Homecoming, before the start of her daring plan, Carter asks Rosie to dance.
Word Count: 1,367 words
Pairing(s): Carter/Rosie
Disclaimer: Rosie and Carter belong to Princess Protection Program which is the property of Annie DeYoung and Disney Channel.
Genre(s): Friendship/Romance
Note(s): This story takes place during the Homecoming Dance not long before General Kane's arrival.
May I Have This Dance?
Carter had never been a social butterfly in school. She had always been quiet, very introverted. School events – such as a dance like this – had never been her forte. Though she had attended one mixer during her freshman year of high school (due mostly in part to her mother's encouragement), she had felt awkward and out-of-place and had vowed not to attend any school-sanctioned dance ever again.
When Rosie arrived in her life, Carter hadn't liked her on principle. Princesses, she assumed, were all stuck-up snobs who couldn't do anything for themselves and didn't care for anyone but themselves. She had, in part, been correct. At first, Rosie had been unsure of how to handle herself in such an unfamiliar place, and Carter had taken her confusion as arrogance. Getting to know the young Princess, however, had changed her opinion completely. And so, here she was: at a school-sanctioned dance.
As Carter danced beside the other girl, laughing and smiling at the corny jokes their freshmen dance partners were cracking, she saw that Rosie looked happy. It was difficult to believe that the girl beside her, seemingly having the time of her life, was the same girl who was so willing to give herself over to a dictator for the sake of a whole (though small) country.
When the fast song they'd been dancing to ended, a slow one immediately began to play. With barely a second thought, the freshmen boys approached Carter and Rosie, ready to take them separately as partners.
"No," Carter said suddenly, and the boys froze in their tracks. Carter smiled at the boys, so they wouldn't be offended by her abruptness. She pointed behind them, at a row of seats off the dance floor where a few girls still sat. "There." The boys turned and spotted the two shy, freshmen girls Carter was pointing out. "Ask them to dance?" she suggested. The boys soon sported twin smiles and departed from Rosie and Carter with quick waves.
"So…" Carter said slowly. She turned and met Rosie's confused brown eyes with a wide, toothy grin. "May I have this dance?" she asked formally, extending her hand.
Rosie smiled. "Of course," she said, taking Carter's hand. Carter pulled both of Rosie's arms around her neck, and then slipped her arms around Rosie's waist. The song was soft and sweet, a song Carter recognized as one of her mother's old favorites as she led Rosie in the soft swaying motion, pulling the other girl gently closer to her.
Briefly, Carter wondered how many people were watching the closeness the two girls were sharing. Over the past month or so, since the girls had grown closer, the school had surely seen the hand-holding they had gotten into the habit of. They had become best friends and perhaps more. But to the entire school, they were cousins. Cousins were not meant to be so intimate with each other.
However, her thoughts swiftly changed to that night's plans. She was risking her life tonight, and yet, she needed to play off that she was going to allow Rosie to leave the very next day. In truth, what she was about to say was what had been lurking in the back of her mind since Rosie had announced that day a week ago that she would be leaving.
"Carter," Rosie began, "is something wrong? You look…" – she bit down on her bottom lip, considering her word choice – "bothered," she finished simply.
Carter was relieved that Rosie had taken the first step from her. She was not sure how she would have started this conversation, but she knew how she could answer Rosie's question.
"Don't go," Carter whispered. "I don't want you to go…" Carter's eyes welled up with completely genuine tears, and Rosie's gentle smile fell down at the corners.
"I must," Rosie said softly, looking into Carter's dark eyes. "You know this. We have discussed this many times."
'True,' Carter thought. 'But…'
"It doesn't make it easier," Carter shook her head sadly. "You could get hurt."
"I know. But it is a risk I must take," Rosie said. "You know how much my country means to me, Carter. And my mother needs me."
Carter sighed, considering this. She knew, very well, how much Costa Luna meant to Rosie, and she knew how much the Princess loved her mother. It was unfair of Carter to selfishly ask her to stay. She had done that once already in the past week while she'd formed her plan and she felt guilty for doing so already.
"If something happens to you, I…" Carter swallowed hard, trying to keep the tears away. "I can't lose you! I just found you…"
Tears were now sliding down Carter's cheeks like raindrops. Though she was sure her plan would work and Rosie would not be put in danger (not tonight), the very thought of losing this girl was ripping her up inside. Rosie was her best friend, her everything. It physically pained Carter to imagine something bad happening to the Princess.
"I love you," Carter breathed, voice so soft only Rosie heard her. "I love you so much…"
Rosie stared up at Carter in shock. During her years of social preparation, Rosie had been taught many ways to respond to a suitor's declaration of love. Most of these responses were taught to her assuming the suitor was speaking a line and she would be just as disinterested as he would be. Those lessons had never interested her, frankly, because she had never been able to imagine herself with any of the princes her tutors always spoke of.
Carter's words caused a great deal of confusion in Rosie's mind. Not only was Carter not a prince, but she was very clearly not a man. And Rosie was far from disinterested in Carter; she was the exact opposite of disinterested, really. She had never been more interested or enamored with someone in her life.
Another slow song had started to play, Rosie realized, as she touched her forehead to Carter's. The other girl was holding Rosie tightly in her arms, as if holding onto her life. Carter's eyes, though tear-filled, were also filled with an emotion Rosie could only describe as love, the feeling Carter had expressed so passionately to the Princess just moments ago.
It was then that Rosie realized her heart was racing. Feeling Carter against her, seeing her in that Caribbean Blue dress, hearing those heart-filled words… Rosie knew exactly what to do next.
When Rosie's lips found hers, Carter's mind didn't even register that Rosie was supposed to be posing as her cousin. A slight gasp of astonishment escaped her lips before she relaxed and fell into a natural rhythm of lips against lips with the just-as-inexperienced Princess. Her hands flew from Rosie's hips to her flushed pink cheeks as their kisses deepened.
"I love you, too, Carter Mason," Rosie said fiercely, the moment Carter's lips left hers. She didn't care that most of the school's population could be looking at the two of them with disgusted expressions (though in truth, they were too involved in their own nights to pay much attention to the two "cousins" kissing), she only cared that Carter know exactly how she felt.
Carter smiled, pecking Rosie's lips again. "Good," she murmured, pulling away from Rosie as another fast song started to play.
Carter though she wore a bright smile, felt incredibly guilty as she twined her fingers with Rosie's and danced. She had just confessed her love to Rosie and begged her not to leave when Carter herself was going to put herself in the hands of General Kane in mere minutes. But she did not allow the guilt to overpower her. She was doing what she thought was right, saving the one she loved, and that was all that mattered.
When Margaret came over to talk to them and quickly professed her love for the new song, asking both girls to dance, Carter sent Rosie off with her with a quick smile. She walked to the edge of the dance floor and took her place, slipping her mask over her face, praying that all would go well…
End.