Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Slayers or Escaflowne. Please don't sue.

Chapter 4

Unexpected Situations

Amelia was very warm, but she was also very relaxed as she walked arm in arm with her date up to the Observatory Dome. The stars were much brighter up here in the hills, but for some reason, they seemed blurry. Xelloss was very personable, and his jokes were very funny, and she was still very warm. As they waited to take their pictures, a few of her friends found her and pulled her away from her date.

"Ame, who is he? He looks a lot older than us!" That was Eva, a beautiful girl with exotic features and gorgeous long sable hair. She and Amelia had been good friends since kindergarten.

"Oh, that's Xelloss. He was an intern with my father, and now he's at a firm downtown."

"He's a lawyer?"

"Yes, and a good one at that. Daddy said that he's never seen anyone turn someone's argument back against themselves as well as Xelloss does."

"Wow, he's that good?"

"Yes."

"You're soooooo lucky!"

"Amelia? We're up pretty soon." Xelloss came over and took her elbow gently. "I hope I'll get introduced to all your friends later?" he asked her audibly with a smile.

She could only smile and nod back. They took their portrait (a nice little picture with Amelia leaning cozily against Xelloss with his arms wrapped gently around her waist), milled around the massive entryway (all the while holding hands and looking at the displays with interest), then found Amelia's friends before going into the auditorium where the dinner and dancing was held. The huge room was decorated in dark blues and purples and silver, and it seemed as if Amelia and Xelloss dressed perfectly for the occasion. The ceiling and walls were covered in a very good reproduction of the night sky, complete with twinkling stars and a bright crescent moon hovering in the corner. The lights remained relatively low so that the candle centerpieces provided the main lighting at the table. It was such a romantic and inviting setting.

Xelloss noted with satisfaction that his date was turning heads on her own, and not just because of him. He found that he was enjoying himself, watching through smiling eyes the struggle that the boys and the girls went through when they saw her in her stunning dress walking so familiarly with an older man. His date would be the belle of the ball.

It wasn't long before they found their table and sat down for dinner, the band playing softly in the background. Xelloss gladly sat back and let her enjoy herself with her friends, gossiping about who was going to be prom king and queen. Amelia herself was in fact one of the nominees for prom queen, but she kept insisting that it was some kind of mistake. Sure, she knew a lot of people, but she really didn't believe she had done anything worth mentioning. Xelloss hardly believed that.

Their meal consisted of a choice of filet mignon, herb-cheese stuffed chicken breast or pan-seared tuna steak, along with a mixed green salad, rice pilaf and steamed vegetables. Amelia, of course, ordered the chicken while Xelloss, of course, opted for the filet mignon. He had to admit, the prom dinner had gotten better over the years…

"So, what, did Amelia's daddy pay you to go out with her tonight?"

Xelloss leaned back in his chair to regard the offending voice, idly picking his teeth with a toothpick. Luckily, Amelia had joined the herd of girls to the restroom and was not present to witness anything he might do. The boys remaining at the table threw their napkins on their plates, ready for action, but this was Xelloss' problem. He smirked. Why fight when there are better ways of handling the situation.

"I'm sorry, I don't think we've been introduced." He stood, pushing his chair back in the meantime. Behind him stood a trio of boys, a couple of dark-haired youths and a blond, who was obviously the instigator. The blond boy was just an inch taller than him, but Xelloss didn't bother looking up at him. He stuck out his hand. "I'm Xelloss Metallium, esq. And you are?"

It was a very simple question, but the way he said it instantly had a way of belittling the boy. He took his hand almost hesitantly. Xelloss shook his hand firmly at first, then with increasing pressure, the smile on his face never wavering.

"It's Chad," the boy squeaked, easily succumbing to the pressure on his fingers. His buddies backed up a step, unsure.

"Well, Chad, it's nice meeting you." Xelloss continued to shake his hand. "And what exactly do your parent's do?"

"My… my dad's a… he's a plumber."

 "Company name?"

"Denton Plumbing."

"Denton… Can I assume your last name is Denton? Yes? Oh, how nice. A little family business. And your mother? What does she do?"

"Stays at home."

"Oh, stays at home to take care of you and your little friends there, huh? Or do they have their own babysitters? No, no. Don't answer that question, boys, just like I won't answer your earlier one. In fact, I think I'll just forget that question was even asked, because I'll remember that your father is the sole bread-winner of your family and that he owns his own little plumbing business…"

Chad's eyes went wide with terror, and Xelloss released his hand. He quickly clapped his arm around his shoulders and led him away from the table, speaking a little louder, "Nice meeting you Chad. I'll let Amelia know that you inquired after her father. Goodbye."

He returned to his seat, and a couple of Amelia's stunned friends began to pepper him with questions.

"Why didn't you take him down?"

"What was that all about, being nice to him like that?"

"Couldn't you act like a man?"

Purple eyes opened, and they instantly stopped talking.

"Would it have been manly to go punching a boy like that out in front of all these people, and especially in front of Amelia, just because of something as stupid as what dripped out of his mouth? Not only would it have shown that I have no character for reacting to insults like that by assaulting a minor, but it would have also shown insensitivity towards my date who only wants to have a good time tonight. I got my point across to him in such a way that anyone within hearing would have only heard me being polite to him. I think you needed to be closer to actually hear the crack in his hand."

He picked up his cup of coffee and sipped slowly, waiting for his words to sink in. Realization soon dawned on their faces along with knowing smiles, and Xelloss decided to entertain them with stories of when he attended North High.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In the bathroom, the girls freshened up their make up and pulled up their stockings as they gossiped about… no, discussed their respective dates.

"I don't know. Brian's really nice, but I really don't see him dancing. Just doesn't seem the type. This will be just as bad as going to a dance and not being asked to dance…. Damn, I hate wearing pantyhose. They keep creeping down on me!"

"I know what you're talking about… about the pantyhose, I mean. I spent twenty dollars on these things, and you'd think they'd at least stay where they're supposed to… But I don't think you have to worry about Brian. I've seen him dance before and he's pretty good. It's Mike I've got to worry about. He's got two left feet…"

"Speaking of feet, look at what kind of shoes Hitomi's wearing under her gown!"

They giggled as the girl in question, the school's track star, and Amelia's good friend since junior high, hiked up her dress enough for everyone to see. Sure enough, she was wearing a beautiful and stylish pair of… white sneakers.

"I didn't want to be uncomfortable, and besides…" she stated, hooking a lock of her short brown hair behind her ear, then she lowered her voice a little, "…I didn't want to be taller than Van."

Amelia fixed her makeup and smiled to herself. She was having a lot of fun and her friends were, too. If the rest of the night turned out to be quiet and uneventful, she would remain just as happy.

"So, how long have you known Xelloss, Ame?" Hitomi asked her, sitting on the stool next to her.

"Oh, I think I first met him seven or eight years ago. He had a project for some class with my sister. A few years later, I met him again when he began to intern for Daddy. He graduated law school a couple of years ago, I believe."

"Wow," the girl sighed, fanning herself with her hand. "That's amazing, that you met all those years ago and had no idea that you'd find each other again. It must be the power of love!"

About ten other girls sighed over the romantic sentiment along with her. Amelia could only stare in confusion. Love? It couldn't possibly be that… could it?

"Alright, ladies, move out," a voice called into the salon. As a collective, the girls turned to see Mrs. Ul Copt, Filia's mom and a teacher at North High, poke her head into the bathroom. "It's almost 9:30. Time to unveil the King and Queen!"

Again, as a collective, the group got up to rejoin their dates at the table and find out the results of the vote. Amelia hung behind for just a moment, a little confused, but determined to continue to have a good time.

** Sorry this chapter is so short, but I had to cut the prom in half & this seemed as good a place as any. Special thanks again to Parron (oh, and the fun has just begun ~_^) eedoe (hmm… glad you caught my 'mystery driver' - stay tuned,) Aisha C (yay! A new review – I hope you enjoy! ^_^), tamatama (hohohoho! – no need for words _), and hysteria82 (yup, Xelloss will end up doing what he does best – but subtly.) If you guys are good (review) and my beta isn't busy (hint, hint) then I might (review) just be tempted to post (review) the rest of the prom sooner… (review) No pressure, though. (review) No, really.  ^_^

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