A/N: Okay, sequel to Birds of a Feather begins. For those who want to skip into this straight away... and have a headache. Here's the facts... spoilers alert.

- Nina and Lily are a couple.

- Swan Lake has become a much bigger show than the movie incarnation. They're famous now!

- Nina is no longer just a dancer... but a choreographer.

- Nina has mostly conquered her skitsophrenia/psychosis, both her and Lily have grown from their respective portrayals in the movie.

Biggest fear of this fic and why I almost didn't want to try it? Because Birds of a Feather healed our two fav Swans, I don't think it will inherently feel like the movie Black Swan for the most part. Because Nina isn't the same trainwreck she was in the movie any longer, its going to be hard to hit that same tone (assuming she stays that way). I don't know how many people care, but I guess a story where Nina is abit more normal and on top of that famous has its charm as well.

Wish me luck... I need it.

Prologue: TV Talk Shows On Mute

It was another late night in a preparing ballerina's world. Calm hands and steady were working away on a black pair of pointed shoes, bending the foot tip in preparation, pushing the edge to soften the hardness. The television glares from behind in a dim glow, brown devious eyes turning curiously back and forth.

**On screen a white adorned ballerina is on stage by herself, going through the opening motions of Swan Lake as the camera pushes in a slow push. Words flash on the screen as the view clears, the familiar music playing in the background. There's darkness in all of us. There's something inside begging to be freed. Are you daring? The camera reaches the stage pulling up as the ballerina pirouettes to the center. Dare to be bold. Dare to be insane. Dare to be sexy. Dare to be wild.**

The ballerina shoes are placed down tightly, sharp pins and scissors pulled out from a sewing kit.

**The camera closes up on the face of Nina Sayers, looking down and in a profile and pose, her entire body and face highlighting the wonderous White Swan that would suffer the worst fate. There's a Black Swan in all of us… For one night… Let it out… Nina turns to the camera, revealing the other half of her face, Lily transposed like a broken image, smiling at the camera with the Black Swan's red eye.**

**It goes black… one word etched in a sea of black feathers fading out… Swans.**

Pins and needles are pressed into the skin of the shoe like it was attacking skin, piercing the spots necessary for the ribbons to be inserted. Sewing the ribbons on was something any professional dancer would be akin to.

Conan: Andy that was a ballet commercial by the way. Can you believe that? It looked like some sort of trailer for an M Night Shamylan film.

Andy: I already got my tickets ordered!

Conan: You're only saying that because those Swans are coming out right now.

Andy: Probably… so Conan.

Conan: Anyway ladies and gentlemen we got two special guests for you tonight. Both star in the touring ballet show Swans that's been lighting a fire in not only the resurgence of ballet but traveling shows in general. The highest grossing first year performance for a US tour since Cirque De Solei! Give it up for its stars Nina Sayers and Lily everybody!

**The band began to play a rocking tune, Lily and Nina walking out in heels and waving to a well receptive crowd. Both were wearing strapless dresses black and white respectively, looking quite primped up for television. Lily is of course the more playful to the crowd, shaking her bod like she meant it while Nina calmly proceeded towards the couch.**

**Lily walked over to Conan with a pure white tutu she pulls out of a bag, putting on his waist as the crowd was quite rowdy for the bit. They are embraced by the host while they slide over and take their seats.**

The ribbons on the ballerina shoes continue to be adjusted to the girl's preference, now delicate feet sliding in each shoe for fitting. Those eyes don't move from the screen as Nina and Lily appear.

Lily: You can keep that tutu Conan. It's on us.

Conan: It fits! I think it looks good on me. Everyone agree?

**Crowd reacts with a loud "YES!"**

Conan: You lying animals… *He tossed the tutu to the side, turning to his guests.* You two look lovely tonight. No tutus. No ballerina shoes. You look so different in the real world but very good.

Lily: It's the same as the show. Make up Conan. Tons and tons of makeup.

Conan: If only it were that easy. I think I have on more than you two combined and it ain't working as well.

Lily: Nah, you look great. Put a tutu on you and you can be the Tall Swan or something…

Conan: Please spare the crowd of such an image. *Everyone laughed.* Okay, First question, since you guys have been on TV like crazy the last month. How do you guys feel being famous now? Do you guys get people running in front of you, doing a plié to impress you?

Lily: I think Nina has gotten a few. I've gotten some weird run-ins. I personally love them. I love random fan pop ups.

Nina: The one run-in today at the mall was actually quite frightening though.

Lily: Oh right! I took Nina to Groman's Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd for shopping and literally some crazy lady dressed up as the Black Swan darts in front of us with freaky eyes. I think Nina sprinted half-way down to San Diego after that.

Nina: … Please I appreciate fans and all. But if you can warn me if you're going to jump out at me in the open with feathers and that make up on. I… I am sensitive to that.

Conan: Hehehe you poor thing. *The crowd laughs but aws all at once.* Now I got to see the show Swans at the Staples Center last night. My wife was the one who actually told me about this and I was like… ugh… two hours of ballet. What am I gonna do? Do they serve beer?

Lily: I think that's like 99.9 percent of the male population. Thank goodness for females.

Conan: My wife is lovely and I was pleasantly surprised! I've never really seen a ballet like this. It was ballet for sure… but different… I don't know how to describe it.

Lily: I like to say it's a mix of ballet, theater… and a freak show right Nina?

Nina: I'd say that is as accurate as you can describe it without seeing.

The shoes fit perfectly now with minor adjustments, hugging those dancer's feet ribbons being pushed and pinned down to tighten. It was a precise job but she was doing it like she was blindfolded. This ballerina was just going through the motions with experience.

Conan: Now Nina, I think it's safe to say it all started with you. You seemed to inspire and garner a lot of support. I believe everyone here knows your story for the most part. It's really gripping mostly because you've been so open about it to the media. That can't be easy I imagine.

Nina: Well for me it was kind of natural when I got wind of how everyone was reacting. It all started with learning about the support over the internet and the interest in the ballet that our choreographer Thomas envisioned. I went through some… uh… things sure, and I can't believe I'm saying it but it was sort of a blessing in disguise.

Conan: You've even opened a charitable organization supporting psychotherapy correct?

Nina: Yes which some of the proceeds of our show goes to. Some of our proceeds also go to funding ballet programs in struggling schools. I think there's always some kind of stigma to both ballet and therapy. I want to rid the world of both. We go to doctors to get our body's checked out. I don't see why it has to be so strange to go get our minds checked out.

Lily: Isn't she just so awesome? *She looked to the crowd who clapped away. Nina just looking at Lily with a smile yet bashful shake.*

Conan: Very well said. I guess, now more about the show, could you guys imagine anything like this happening? The show becoming so big? It looks like a huge undertaking. It's about as big as any stage or theater show I've seen in the past years. Lily?

Llly: No way. It all happened so fast. We went from performing in front of a crowd of 3,000 to about 15,000 a night in about a month. After we hit big in New York, we had to change the entire Swan Lake show into a fiasco, becoming a US tour took about three months. It's been a lot of hard work but worth it I think.

The shoes were scuffed to a smooth finish against sand, the ballerina standing gracefully as she began to warm up with ease, stretching every muscle, cracking every little bone in her body. She begins to do the moves of the Black Swan, a delicate blend of grace and madness.

Lily: It's been so fun traveling and doing this. I was just happy being able to dance for the Leroy Production. For everything that happened to Nina, getting this opportunity has been too sweet. I think Nina letting her problems out in the open was the best thing that could've happened.

Conan: Now from what I understand, Nina these are your last performances as purely a ballerina correct?

Nina: Yes, I am focusing purely on the backstage and production process after these performances. That's my dream and I will put off my dancing career for now.

Conan: But you've been such a big draw for the crowds. Are you not worried about potential loss of interest?

Nina: I don't think the popularity of ballet should rest on me. It will burn out eventually. I want to take this time to introduce as many talents to the world before we lose any steam. At the moment we've been looking for a new replacement for next season's tour. It's called Search for the Swan Queen, we've sent out invitations and there's a huge tryout coming in the next month. There are many amazing dancers out there and I'll still be a big part of the production.

Lily: Basically everyone? She doesn't like the attention.

Nina: But we all know who does…

**Lily shrugs guiltily with light chuckling as the crowd supports her ego.**

The ballerina moves with even great intensity and with the fluidity needed as well. The technicality tightens as she hears of the tryouts, her body built and sculpted with all lean muscle of a born dancer. She twists and jabs her hands out in a winged posed, slowly and seductively pulling back… dressed in all red and black. Her sensuality was as natural as her technicality. The next question makes the ballerina amusingly turn her head while in mid pose.

Conan: Now speaking of being open, you two I understand are a couple?

Lily: Yes everyone… I sleep with this wonderful woman at night.

Nina: *nod as she lowered her head with red cheeks.*

**The crowd erupts as the stage freezes in awkward yet intrigued staring.**

Lily: Heh, she's so embarrassed during these parts of the interview. Every time…

Nina: …

Lily: Look, to make a long story short? We're open about this because one, we want to support the gay and lesbian community. Two, if I want to kiss my girlfriend? I'll do so when I please. None of this hiding non-sense. Like if I want to make out with her right now on cable TV? I'll do it!

Nina: *put her head in her hand, leaning against the seat with a big sigh.*

Conan: Andy, check our pulses, I believe the entire audience's heart just stopped from bad bad bad mental images. Shame on you people! *He pointed at the crowd mockingly* We only think pure and unadulterated thoughts here on this show see! We're classy see!

**Laughter!**

Conan: Um right… heh… I think this is a perfect time to go to commercial break. We'll be back with more Nina and Lily. They're going to teach Andy some ballet moves and we'll talk much more! Stick around!

The ballerina grins as she lands another pirouette with perfect form. She takes a little break stepping lightly forward, staring at the TV at a closer distance as the camera pans up to the two Swan Queens that had become icons in their rising genre. She gave out a sigh of remising, doing it quite opportunely as it closes in on Lily chatting it up with Conan. Nina and Lily looked like pros doing interviews now… smiling and being so natural.

"You look good Lily." She mutters with a playful smirk. "You look so… happy…" A tight pucker of those lips and a blowing kiss finished her TV watching, the girl shutting it off uncaringly as the image of Lily and Nina disappeared into a commercial. … It'll be nice seeing you again. It's been a long time.

The furious practice continued. Every time the ballerina would spin the image couldn't be any clearer. In the mirror behind her were two dark wings tattooed on her back flashing, spread out like a Swan… or a fallen angel, a devil. The red number she was wearing made it feel more like the later.

… We have so much catching up to do don't we?

A/N: Just a short prologue to set up. So we set up that Nina and Lily are rising stars. Check. We set up that Swan Lake is now called "Swans" and tours around the US ala Cats... :) Check. And of course we set up the antagonist in the story... who is inspired by someone who used to star in the Transformers movies, posing for Armani. She lost a ton of weight and looks like skin and bones now. Like a ballerina. That's who I'd imagine would be in this role opposite of Natlie Portman and Mila Kunis. The total opposite of those two.

She just looks evil and scary now... Thanks for the inspiration Ms. Fox...