AN: So, here I go again, starting another story when I have too many stories on the go as it is. But this one will not leave me alone, and it became either give in and write it, or be stuck fighting against it while trying to write my other stories.
… obeying the muse won.
The character of the Ten of Clubs intrigued me from the first time I watched Alice. He shows up in quite a few of my tales, but I have never quite had a back story for him.
So here it is. Enjoy. (And I am working on new chapters for my other three as well... they will be up soon).
…
She was pretty, but that was hardly unusual. The casino was populated by young and pretty Diamonds. It was a part of the whole Happy Hearts Casino experience, although the oysters weren't awake enough to properly appreciate it. And she was dressed identically to all the other croupiers – short white Diamond-motif dress, red boots, heavy makeup, and the typical black-banged wig and red-sequined cap, intended to make them all blend into each other. Undistinguished but pretty masses. She was a Four, well below his station, even below the station of many of the Diamonds working the casino floor.
But there was something different about her, and he noticed her right away.
When he walked into a room, the reaction was predictable. Conversations halted, mid-sentence, and were replaced by the irritating buzz of whispers. Heads went down, eyes looked anywhere but at him. And he would release a sigh of frustration, but otherwise pretend that reactions to his presence didn't bother him.
It was a lonely existence, a downside to his high rank and close proximity to the Queen. In the courts, he was treated well enough. He had the trust and the respect of the king. And the queen, although she frequently berated him or threatened to behead him, always ensured that his needs were taken care of. It was a "privileged" life. But outside of the courts, he was virtually a pariah. People avoided him whenever possible. He was the Ten of Clubs, one of the most feared Cards in the casino.
At least, feared by most.
What drew him to the Four of Diamonds, what caused him to notice her that day, was her eyes. Not because they were a clear, jewel-toned green, though he found that rather entrancing, but rather because they made contact with his. She was looking at him, straight at him. And instead of fear, he saw warmth, and something akin to mild curiosity.
The contact didn't last long. Another croupier, a Six, shot an anxious glance in his direction, before firmly grabbing hold of her arm and pulling her away, whispering fiercely, undoubtedly chastising her for her boldness.
She glanced back at him for a second, and he thought he saw a hint of a smile on her lips, but he shook his head, certain that he had been imagining it. Nobody smiled at him.
Even so, he found himself thinking about that pretty Four of Diamonds for the rest of the day.
…
He asked his cousin, the Nine of Clubs, who had given him a strange look before agreeing to find out for him. Nine had sent a Five of Clubs to ask the Ace of Spades who oversaw the casino floor. He, in turn had asked an Ace of Diamonds. Who the Ace of Diamonds asked was unknown. It was a network, each asking another until it could not be easily found out who had begun the inquiry. But he had gotten his answer.
Her name was Kate. She was one of the newest Diamond recruits to the casino.
And she had smiled at him.
The last piece of information had not trickled back through the network. It had merely happened again. And had ultimately been the catalyst to him asking Nine in the first place.
It had been a week since his first encounter, and he had all but forgotten about the pretty Four of Diamonds. The Queen had been in a foul mood all week, and it had taken everything that the King, the courtiers and Ten could conjure up to keep her from ordering off everyone's head. He was tired, he was anxious, and he was on another of the Queen's endless errands.
He had nearly crashed into her before he had seen her, walking from her latest shift on the game floor, carrying a tray of casino chips. That, again, was a triviality that the Queen insisted on, to make the Happy Hearts Casino feel more genuine. Or genuine in her estimation.
She hadn't been watching where she was going either, but had noticed him just in time to jump to the side swiftly, nearly upsetting her tray. He barely turned, barely acknowledged her as he rushed by, but something caused him to glance back.
She was pressed up against the wall, looking startled, even a tad apprehensive. But when her clear green eyes willingly met his, and softened, he recognized her. It was the same Four of Diamonds.
He stared at her, for a long moment unable or unwilling to break the gaze. He was vaguely aware of his heart pounding, as he realized just how easy it would be to lose himself in those eyes.
She, eventually, was the one to break the gaze. Her eyes flitted downward, and her cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink, visible even under the heavy makeup she had to wear. Then her eyes met his, one more time, and her lips curled upwards in a sweet smile.
An undeniable smile. There was no attributing it to imagination this time.
He was too shocked to even return the smile, or to say anything. And after a brief moment, she straightened her tray and slipped around him, continuing up the hallway and not looking back. If she had, she would have seen the Ten of Clubs staring after her, a look of awe on his face, until she rounded the corner and was out of sight.
Ten exhaled slowly, surprised to find that he had been holding his breath. For a long moment he stood there in the hall, feeling bemused and muddled, before he remembered that he was on an errand for the queen, and she did not like to be kept waiting.
He couldn't comprehend what it was about that Diamond that caused him to react this way, but he knew he had to see her again.
…
He caught sight of her nearly every day now. He knew it was, in part, because he was running more "errands" where he might catch sight of her, but a part of him wanted to believe that she was perhaps seeking him out a little as well. Whether it was passing in a hallway at the end of her shift on the game floor, or across a crowded common room, somehow their eyes always met. If there was no one about, he was usually rewarded with one of her sweet smiles. In a crowd she was, of necessity, far more discreet. She would still meet his eyes, but instead of a smile, she would ever so subtly quirk the corner of her mouth before she looked away.
And the effect on him was always the same. He would stand there, stunned, his heart pounding, completely mesmerized by those beautiful green eyes until she looked away or was gone. And he would look forward to the next time he saw her.
...
She wasn't watching where she was going. Carrying her tray of chips, she was looking down and seemed distracted. At first Ten was unsure if it was the right Diamond. He could see that she was a Four, but without a clear look at her face, without seeing her eyes, she still looked like any other croupier.
He strode down the hallway toward her, placing himself in a collision course with the Diamond, and at the last minute she looked up with a gasp and skidded to a halt.
It was definitely her. Her bright green eyes met his dark ones, as they always did, but this time her gaze wavered, and she looked uncertain.
Ten's heart lurched in his chest. He wasn't sure why her guard was up, what had caused the change, but he feared losing the connection to the only person who would look him in the eye, the Four of Diamonds that he was starting to...
He couldn't say it, couldn't let himself believe it. He had never even talked to her, had never heard her voice. All they had shared was the eye contact. The eye contact and her beautiful smiles. But the emotion that was growing in his chest was undeniable.
She must have seen something in his eyes, fear of loss or even pain, because her eyes softened, became less guarded, and she managed a small smile for him.
Ten released the breath he once again didn't realize he had been holding.
And he smiled back.
Her reaction only made his smile broader. She ducked her head and her cheeks went pink, and the small smile grew as she looked back at him, her green eyes sparkling. And he realized, for all the times she had given him her smile, he had never given one in return.
He might have worked up the courage to say something to her, if at that moment a group of Spades hadn't rounded the corner, heading in their direction.
His Diamond immediately ducked her head again, and slipped past him, but as he watched her go, she glanced back over her shoulder, and quirked the corner of her mouth.
…
AN: What do you think? Please review!