"Alright, we're all settled in, correct?" Lemony said, setting his suitcase on the ground. Their room on the train was quite small, little more than the size of two office cubicles together. And two couches parallel to each other, which, although cozy, were in a horrible shade of green.
"Yes." Beatrice quickly, sitting down on one of the horribly colored couches. "Now, tell me about the dance."
"Ah, yes, the dance." Lemony said, taking a seat next to his niece. "Well, here's how that number went…"
Lemony Snicket was currently in an odd sort of depression.
First off, he had lost the rock-paper-scissors match, and therefore was the one to be left at the rafters in the VFD gym to release the balloons. He was to stay there until the end of the dance when the king and queen of it were to be announced.
For one thing, he was quite depressed that he was locked up there while everyone else was having fun.
For another, he was angry that he lost the Rock-paper-scissor match and was stuck up here while everyone else was having fun on the ground.
For yet another thing, he was even more depressed that he never even got the chance to ask Beatrice to dance, even if he had to cancel it due to balloon-releasing.
And on top of it all, he was hungry.
So, here Lemony Snicket was, in black dress paints, a white dress shirt, a tie, (The shoes and blazer were thrown aside on the count of being both too hot and tight) gazing down from the guard rails at various students, dancing and smiling and laughing.
Such was the story of his life, but we're getting ahead of ourselves.
Notable things he saw that night included:
Kit and Olaf arm wrestling. Kit was winning from what he could see.
Ernest spiking the punch bowl with… Something, he couldn't tell what. Frank then hit his fellow triplet on the head, grabbed the punch bowl, and headed outside to dump the contents out.
Fernald sitting on the bleachers, looking oddly lonesome. Funny, he was always following someone around…
Beatrice entering the gym, in a beautiful green-blue dress that gleamed from head to toe, curly hair falling to her shoulders, and giving the most gorgeous smile in the world. Truly, tonight was a horrible night to be Lemony Snicket.
She had no companion. Just her looks, her charm, and her smile.
First she was talking to Fernald, who was still looking rather dejected. Then, she grabbed his hand and took him out to the dance floor and paired him up with one of the girls who was merely wandering around there. She then proceeded to grab whatever Ernest was about to pour in the punch bowl yet again and threw it out the door. Ernest ran after it, tripped, got up and ran out the door, searching for it. She then tugged the back of Kit's dress while she was still arm wrestling with Olaf to get her attention and asked her something. Kit motioned towards the ceiling, Beatrice nodded, and started towards the ladder to the rafte----
Oh god no.
She was coming up there, to meet him, he looked like a mess, he just knew it, and he was so screwed and
"So bye bye Miss American Pie, drove my chevie to the levy but the levy was dry…"
Yes, that was, unmistakably, Beatrice's lovely voice.
"Hi there Lemony. How'd you end up here?" Beatrice said, sitting down next to him.
"I am awful at rock-paper-scissors. And I will never understand why you like that song so much." Lemony murmured.
"It's a song about having a good time, something you really don't under stand, Mister Doom and Gloom." Beatrice replied, smiling.
"Really now? And why do you say that?" Lemony said, turning to Beatrice.
"Lemony, think it through, you are in the gymnasium rafters, balloons are everywhere, and you are with who I assume is your best friend. There are a million interesting things you can do!" Beatrice said, snatching a red balloon and letting it float down to the dance floor.
"Examples, please."
"Wellll…" Beatrice was thinking, and grabbed a green balloon. "You could undo the knots on these ver-ry care-full-lee…" she said, slowing tugging the knot apart. "And then, you could…" The knot was off the balloon and she was currently aiming it down at door. Just as Ernest began to walk through, bottle of whatever in his hands, she released the balloon, and with a PBBBLLTH sound, the balloon hit him square in the face, knocking him over out of shock. Frank shot a glare up at the rafters, and, despite himself, began laughing. "Yeah. You could do that."
Lemony cracked a bit of a smile. "Okay, you're convincing me. What else?"
"Hurm, well..." Beatrice grabbed another balloon and a marker left up there from earlier. "You just need to add something here… Annnnnd, bam!" She held up a balloon with a smile crudely drawn on it. "Balloon puppets."
Lemony aloud himself a chuckle.
"Alright, anything else?"
Beatrice sighed. "You're killing me here, Lemony." She turned her head back to the balloons, and stared at them for a long while. Suddenly, she got up.
"Well, it has nothing to do with the balloons, but I think you'll appreciate it." Beatrice held her hand out. "Wanna dance?"
Lemony stood up. "With... With you? Really? Seriously?" he managed to stutter out.
"No one else up here, Lemony." Beatrice said, grabbing Lemony's trembling hands. "So, you place one on my shoulder, and the other on my waist…"
"What?"
"Just follow my lead, Lemony, it'll be easy." Beatrice said. "Alright, hands are in the correct position, just follow my lead." Step one two three. Step one two three. Turn, three steps forward, two back, turn.
"My sister taught me a few things about dancing." Step one two three.
"Really now?" Step one two three.
"Uh-huh. Can't remember a thing right now, though." Turn.
"Understandable, Lemony." Three steps forward. "Hey, odd question, but has anyone told you that you're adorable when you're nervous?"
"Really?" Two back.
"Really." Turn.
"And this year's king of the ballroom is…H!" boomed a voice from somewhere below.
"Isn't H your cousin?" Beatrice asked.
"Yeah. Says he wants to get into the aviation section all the time."
"And this year's queen of the ballroom is... B!"
Beatrice showed no signs of moving.
"Uh, Beatrice? You're B." Lemony said, glancing down at the stage.
"… B? Beeeeeeeee…Well, looks like she's not here, so, runner up is… E!"
"I know." Beatrice said. "I'd prefer to stay up here." With that, Lemony kicked a lever, and the balloons were released. E's complaining of static electricity could be heard three blocks over.
"No lie." Beatrice said. "Took his arm clean off."
"I don't think ferris wheels can do that, Beatrice." Lemony said matter-of-factly.
"Really? You wanna try and see?"
"Not really."
"Thought so."
The dance was long over. Balloons were being picked up (Or when it came to Fernald's case, stomped upon), food was being wrapped up, and everyone but those who set up the dance and Beatrice were currently still there, in the afterglow of the whole affair. Beatrice glanced at her watch.
"Oh wow, it's late. I gotta run, Lemony, sorry." She said, running her fingers through her haired nervously.
"It's no problem. I'm just glad you came." Lemony said. And danced with me and stayed with me and even made me genuinely laugh for the first time in a while with all the bad things happening around us, he added as a mental note.
"And I was happy to be here." Beatrice said, turning and starting to walk towards the ladder. "See you tomorrow, Lemony."
"Bye, Beatrice."
"Oh. Before I forget." Beatrice turned back to Lemony and began to walk towards him.
And she kissed him.
It wasn't really a kiss, when he thought about it. More of a quick peck on the lips. But for the three seconds those lips stayed there, he was in heaven. That special kind that's not exactly in the afterlife, but close since your heart skips at least one beat for every second you're there, and you feel… Alive. Yes, that was the best word for it. He didn't even notice Beatrice leave and say "Bye Lemony!" in her sing-songy voice.
Too busy trying to hold onto the feeling of being alive.
"And, I swear to you, the song 'Miss American Pie' did not leave my head until two years after that." Lemony said. His arm was currently around his niece, who was leaning against his side and yawning out of not boredom, but sheer exhaustion. It was pretty dark outside, he noted from a quick glance out the window.
Beatrice smiled. "Wonder what stories I'll be able to tell my family…" she curled a bit closer to her uncle for warmth. No blankets, Lemony received a tip that they were laced with something deadly.
"Wonderful ones, I can promise you that." Lemony said, kissing his niece on the forehead. "It's late now, get some rest."
Of course, Beatrice was already asleep.
He sighed. He supposed there was something freeing in passing stories down. Sometimes he wished he had children of his own to tell these stories to.
But then, he reminded himself, he had Beatrice. And she was the closest he was probably going to get to having a child of his own.
And that was good enough for him.
I like writing fluff, you know. It's… Fluffy and diabetes inducing.
Anyhow, happy holidays. Hope you enjoy your gift.