Sometimes Wearing The Mask Is Easier

by Serenity's Ghost

Sequel to 'Sometimes Heroines Need Heroes'. Sometimes loving a hero is a double edged knife. Was I strong enough to still be his friend or would I crumble without some facade to keep me together? Robin and Original Character, Cin. Season 1

10. Chapter 10

Hi, darlings! I present thee with a chapter. The last one was pretty short so this one is a little longer. Enjoy!

On another note, this makes chapter 10! Double digits! I wasn't sure if this story would have so many chapters. I want to aim for about 18 but not too sure how that will work out. But, I guess we can do this together, right? :D

And then it was Friday. Just as my alarm went off, I finished inspecting my handiwork and cleaning off any excess threads and ensuring that there were no unsightly imperfections. The strap top and skirt came together gracefully and I had every confidence that Tanya would look absolutely beautiful in the outfit. As a last resort, I grabbed one of the dresses that I had not made and shoved it in my bag to offer it to her as an option if she was not satisfied with my work. However, I knew in my mind that if she decided not to wear the suit that she would never wear the dress or make it to her show because I would kill her.

When I looked in the mirror before I left the house, I realised that there were the usual tell-tale signs that I was sleep deprived in my eyes. Typically, there was nothing overly noticeable when I was sleep deprived except for the lacklustre look in my eyes which were slightly closed which accentuated just a little bit more my partly Chinese heritage. I considered wearing shades like Robin to hide the disconcerting look in my eyes but shrugged and started to leave. I met Jason in the hall again.

"Oh, wow, you look like hell on a stick," he remarked.

"Thanks."

"Oh, God, you were supposed to stay awake last night and finish your outfit and I was supposed to keep you company. I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened; I just fell asleep."

I waved it away. "Don't worry. You need your sleep. I guess it means that you're just getting comfortable here again which is a good thing. It might help point you in the right direction."

"Well, alright. Come home straight from school, young lady, and get some rest. You need it. Bad."

"No can do, Jase. I've got unavoidable plans this afternoon."

"Well, your unavoidable plans are going to see that you need sleep. Your eyes look like—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, hell on a stick. I heard you the first time. It's nothing a little eye drops, foundation and eyeliner can't fix."

"Gasp. You would resort to wearing makeup to hide those extremely disturbing eyes? That's not like you at all."

"I know but, you know. Us girls gotta do some drastic things sometimes."

"Honey," mom called as she approached. "Oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry but something came up at the hospital and I can't go to Tanya's show with you tonight. Maybe you can take Jason."

"A ballet performance? No, thanks. I've got plans anyway," he said.

I raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing. What on Earth could he possibly have to do in Happy Harbour? It wasn't even his home anymore. I started to be suspicious then started to scold myself for being so suspicious after I had decided that he deserved a second chance and that his trying was an indicator that he was genuinely a good guy.

"Well, I already paid for the tickets," I responded.

Dad came out of January's room and I wondered why I hadn't thought of him in the first place. "Why is everyone congregated in the hall?"

"Sheridan, sweety, what are you doing this afternoon?" mom asked him.

"Nothing. I think."

"Would you like to go to Tanya's recital with Hy this evening? It's at seven."

"Oh, that sounds lovely. I've only been to one of her recitals and she's really good. And I'd love the opportunity to bond with my eldest child who is barely home anymore."

"I'm sorry?" I offered sceptically.

He chuckled. "It's fine. You've got a purpose. Well, see you later. It's a date."

I half-smiled. The word 'date' reminded me of her last show which was really a date. I wondered if I had asked Robin to go with me in the first place if he would have agreed. I convinced myself that wondering about it wasn't worth the thought.

Mom kissed dad, then Jason, then me. "Bye, honey. Bye, Jason. Stay out of trouble. Food's in the fridge. Bye, Hyacinth; your eyes look awful."

"Gee, thanks, mom."

"Haven't you been sleeping?"

I scoffed. "No."

"How come?"

"Tanya's an evil slave driver."

"She came to you last minute and asked for an outfit made."

"Bingo." I shook my head. "It's like you read minds and see the future. Fess up; you're really an alien, aren't you?"

"Nah. I'm just a ninja nurse. Goodbye." She squeezed my shoulder and then headed out the door.

"Bye, guys. School calls. The faster I get there is the more time I have to make sure Tanya's clothes are fitting properly. And scream at her. See you this afternoon." They both offered me a goodbye and I headed for the kitchen, grabbed breakfast and lunch which my mother had so kindly and wonderfully set out for me and started for the door.

I knew the only way I would possibly find it in me to stay awake was if I walked to school. I was exhausted, my bruises and sores had come back with a vengeance—although they hadn't really left in the first place—and I knew that if I took a cab or the bus to school, I would surely fall asleep and not wake up till Sunday afternoon. The only way to keep me awake was to keep active. School would present a challenge to this because sitting in a classroom and trying to pay attention was surely the opposite of staying active.

Thinking of school, I remembered something that made me that much more irritable. My Civics teacher had hinted that she was going to surprise us (teacher talk for "I'm going to kill all of you by test") and I knew that there was no way in hell I was ready for it. Like a martyr, I continued on my journey.

I texted Tanya when I got there to tell her to meet me in the gym and I paced for all of the ten minutes that I had to wait for her. She burst in, cheery as the sun and it irritated me.

"Good morning!"

"Let me make this clear. If you don't like it, I'm going to hang you from the ceiling."

She frowned. "Well, someone's in a fantastic mood."

"As I should be. If you need an outfit made, tell me two weeks in advance, not two days before."

"When was the last time you slept?"

"Two days ago."

"Oh, wow. Ouch. I understand why you're in a bad mood today."

"No, Tanya. You couldn't possibly understand because you slept last night and you're in a good mood."

"'Morning!" Stephen said, smiling as he came through the door.

"Damn right it's not good," I responded to him. I turned back to Tanya. "You're lucky your boyfriend's here to save you. You were about to get the worst cussing of your life."

"Stephen, save me. The mean dragon is threatening me with foul language," she said mockingly. Then her hands ended up on her hips, challengingly. "Uh-huh, as if. Try it. Say something to me. See if I don't say something back."

I shook my head and smiled. "You're lucky I like you too much to actually use foul language on you."

"Not true. You called me a bitch twice, even if you were just kidding. You're just not mad at me enough to use all the foul words you're thinking right now."

I chuckled. "You're right. Damn, girl, where was all this fight and opposition when all those bastards were messing with you?"

She shrugged. "I wasn't always like this. I've just been hanging around you too much. It developed over time."

"Alright, pretty girl. Stephen, you need to get out. She's about to get almost naked and I'm not condoning voyeurism."

He chuckled. "Well, since you asked so nicely..." He kissed Tanya quickly on the lips and then headed out the way he came in and stayed at the door to make sure no one came in. With a half-smile on my lips, I wished him more luck in love than I had had.

I looked back at her. "Okay, now strip."

"Will you give me a dollar?"

"No, you've drained enough of my time and resources already."

She laughed and then pulled the dress she was wearing over her head.

Much to my absolute pleasure, the outfit suited her body perfectly and looked about ten times better than I had anticipated. I nodded, very pleased with my work. I took a picture of how she looked, since there was no mirror in the gym and handed her my phone. She started screaming and jumping up and down. I sighed and fought the urge to cover my ears.

"Oh, my God, I look freaking amazing." She practically threw herself at me, put her arms around my neck and tried to affectionately murder me by strangulation. "I love you. So much. More than I've ever loved anything or anyone that wasn't my mother."

I half smirked. "Lies. All lies. There're definitely at least two people you love more than me."

A slow smile spread onto her lips and she turned to the door for a few seconds before turning back to me. "Yeah. Maybe it is. I just hope he..." She smiled wider. "Never mind."

"No, what? Spill."

She shook her head. "Nah, it's nothing. No rushing. It's been, what, less than three months? I'm not going to rush things."

I scoffed. I wish I had convinced myself of that. Maybe if I had waited longer than about two weeks I wouldn't have been in such a bad place now where he and I were concerned. Somehow, my mind told me that that wasn't true. He knew I loved him and still thought all we had between us that was worthwhile was friendship.

Pushing the thoughts aside in a manner that was more akin to throwing them out a window, I shrugged. "Carpe diem, girl. Opportunity's there and it's up to you to grab at it while it's still there."

"And if he doesn't love me back?"

I scoffed. "I'm not even going to answer that one. It's not even a valid question. Anyway, walk around for me. I want to see if it's fine even when you move around in it."

She produced the pretty strappy heels she intended to wear with it, put them on and started walking. "Hey, Hy. I want to tell you something."

"Yeah?"

"My dad and I have been talking a lot lately. He's been calling me almost every night for the last three weeks. We're getting pretty close again. When I was little, we were pretty close and then there was the divorce..." She looked at the ground for a moment then held her head up and kept walking. "Well, I told him about my show and he asked me to send him a ticket. He's going to be there, Hy, he's going to be there." The emotion on her face was vivid and I could tell that she wanted to cry. She stopped walking and I took her into my arms and rubbed her back soothingly. She had a hand over her eyes and her other arm was around my back, delighting in and accepting the comfort her best friend was offering.

When we heard the gym door open, we turned to see Stephen sticking his head in, looking extremely concerned. "Hey, is everything okay in here?"

I let go of her and she stepped back from my embrace. "Yeah, babe. Everything's okay. You can't see me in my outfit though. It's a surprise."

He offered her a gentle smile and then sent a kiss in her direction. "Alright. Can't wait."

"Well, get out already. The groom can't see the bride in her dress," I threw in.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes with a smile. "Good thing it's not a dress then."

"Why is your head still in here?"

He threw his hands up in surrender and then went back out.

"Hey. Be nicer to my boyfriend," Tanya half scolded me.

"You know I'm only mean to him because he's my pal. You look beautiful, Tanya. You're a wonder. And it's obvious how he feels about you, so don't worry."

She smiled at me and gave me another hug. "Well, time to get out of this and let Ste back in."

I smiled at her smiling while she changed and I knew she was thinking of Stephen, just outside the door and caring about her as much as she did for him. After her dress was back on, she went to let him in. He took her hand as soon as he was back in the gym and they started walking towards me on the bleachers.

"Hey, Stephen, what were you doing looking in here anyway, huh? Peeking maybe?" I accosted him while they were still a distance away.

"Geez, someone's in an awful mood."

"And you still don't have an alibi."

"I was just looking at a chip in the paint on the door when I noticed you hugging her and her looking like she was going to cry. First thing I thought was that you said something mean to her."

"I'm the good guy here, Stephen. I stayed awake two nights straight trying to make her pretty."

"Liar. She's already pretty. She's gorgeous. You're just making sure other people only see the appropriate parts of her prettiness."

I raised an eyebrow at him and smirked. "And, therefore, what implication does that make about you and the full extent of her prettiness? Do we have to step aside, Stephen, where I'll have to ask about what you've been doing with my best friend?"

"Why are you such a gangster? Tanya, protect me from this—this thug."

"Alright, babe. I'll protect you. Hyacinth, please stop terrorising my boyfriend," she said.

"I'll think about it." We smiled at each other. This friendship was perfect because it worked out for all three of us. The only thing spoiling it was that I had to look at what they had and try my hardest not to become sad wishing that their relationship succeeded where mine had failed.

When Tanya left at lunch, Stephen immediately found me. He looked nervous. Very, very nervous.

"Hey, you shot a cop or something?" I asked, chuckling.

"I just want everything to go perfectly."

"And it will. Calm down. You planned this out perfectly and I remember everything. All you need to do is give me the appropriate signals. Also, don't worry about her dad. I'll talk to him. As much as he wants to hang out with her, I think he'll understand how important this is to both of you."

"Wait, her dad?"

"She didn't tell you?"

"She told me her parents were divorced and they're not exactly friendly with each other but not much apart from that."

"I don't think she likes talking about it much. Actually, before I found out about her whole home situation, he told me what was going on."

"You know him?"

I smiled. "Rather well. You should meet him. He's a great guy and he's really trying his best to be a great father. Aunt Louann seems to really have a grudge against Uncle Dallas and that makes it that much harder for him to be there for her—"

"Hold up there, Hy. I think I'd rather she tell me when she's ready for me to know what's going on in her family."

"Oh, yeah, sorry. Anyway, long story short, I'll talk to him and let him know what the sitch is like for tonight."

"Wait, if her dad's coming to see her and this is, like, the first time in a really long time that she's getting to see him, maybe I shouldn't take that away from her."

I shrugged. "It's up to you, Ste. You've planned this out meticulously and what you're going to do will mean a lot to both of you."

"What do you think I should do?"

"I think she's just glad that her dad's going to be there. I think he would be happy to know that she's in such good hands that care about her like you do. I think you should go ahead with the plan. I heard they've been bonding a lot over the phone recently. Maybe they can reschedule."

"Are you sure that's okay?"

"Yeah, I guess. You've been working hard on this. I'm sure he'll support you."

He seemed to let my words sink in for a moment before he nodded once. "Alright. I guess you're right. I'll leave it to you then, I guess."

"Cool. Now stop panicking and calm the foot down."

"Foot?"

"I'm trying not to curse these days."

He laughed. "Well, alright. I guess that's a great thing."

"Wish me luck with that. People keep driving me insane. Anyway…"

"Hey, Hy."

"Yeah?"

"You still never got around to explaining to me about your boyfriend."

The bell rang in what I could only call an act of God. Really, I could contract the whole story enough to make it a one liner but I didn't want to tell him if I hadn't told Tanya yet. If they found out the same time, it would be ideal. And I wasn't sure if I was ready to tell Tanya yet. Even if it was about a month ago. She would hate me even more when I told her that I had waited more than a whole month to tell her. She would surely give me the silent treatment for days after and the next time she saw him, she would probably declare a vendetta against him. Somehow, I really didn't want that to happen.

I laughed. "Later, okay? If I'm late for class, I'll get in trouble."

"But—"

I walked off, throwing a wave behind me for him. Was it strange that he was so interested in my relationship status or was it just the usual friend nosiness?

After school, Ste and I went to Thomas' shop to check on his equipment and make sure he hadn't forgotten to bring down anything before we parted ways. I was more than overjoyed when I saw that Batman wasn't there, which meant that we didn't have a mission, and I immediately started to pray that he would not come in for the entire afternoon or night. Somehow, I felt that on a night such as this, I could not afford to miss the proceedings. My loyalties to both of my friends meant that I had to be there for both of them that night.

After I geared up, Black Canary set us in pairs and had us duelling simultaneously. Certainly, the floor was large enough to accommodate all of us. The trick was really to manage our own fights without getting thrown into the middle of someone else's. It was an exercise in controlling how and where a fight went.

She paired me with Megan and I wanted to frown and 'aw'. How was I supposed to hit Megan?

"Um, can I get one of the guys to be my partner please?" I asked.

"Why? What's wrong with fighting with Megan?"

"Because, well, she's Megan. We're friends and she's a girl and I love her and I can't hit her! It'll be a lot easier for me to go up against one of the guys because they're the guys. I hit them and they hurt for like two seconds and throw a punch into my solar plexus."

"You're saying you don't want to hurt me?" Megan asked.

"Um, basically, yeah. Not that I'm discounting you as a fighter or anything. Rather, I'm complementing you as a fighter, because I know I'll have to take you seriously and actually throw some hits at you and I really don't want to hit you." She smiled and it looked kind of smug.

Canary focused her attention on me. "That's nice of you, Hy, but I think that's more of a reason to fight against her. It might be a possibility that someone may mind control or blackmail one of you and you may have to fight against each other. It's better that you get used to it now when it's more or less inconsequential rather than when you two must actually fight and you find that it's too hard to do and the situation gets very bad."

"I don't know if I should be hurt or feel like a noob that I'm the only one who's objecting to this fight. Seems like you've got a secret hankering to punch me, Meg."

She chuckled. "Nothing like that. I just think you shouldn't worry about it. It is a learning experience."

I waved it away with a hand. "Yeah, sure, alright. Just don't, like, do some crazy Martian trick that will make me go bonkers for, like, a week. I've got plans tonight that I absolutely can't miss."

"I don't think I have any tricks like that, Hy."

"Nice to know."

"Alright," Canary said. "Since that is settled, take you places everyone and you can begin."

And Megan meant business. She threw the first kick and I almost wasn't ready for it.

After training ended, I sat with my Chaucer on the couch with a glass of water to catch my breath. I left my mask on the coffee table and intended to just read a few verses till my heart rate steadied. But that was the interesting thing about Chaucer's work. A few verses turned into a few pages.

When Robin took my hand, I had to fight the urge to smooth the skirt of the strapless dress that I was wearing. His attention was focused completely on me and his eyes locked with mine in a way that seemed like he would never let them go and leave his.

"You're so important to me. I'm so glad you're here for me. You know some of my secrets and it's safer to keep you with me. You're easy to fall for. I'm here for you. You'll never understand how important you are, but I don't want you to ever doubt your importance. I'll be your anything or even your everything if you need it. Rely on me and keep on falling," he said.

I wanted to smile at him but something was wrong. My lips wouldn't let me smile at him. They wouldn't move. I couldn't even respond. He kissed my cheek and I realised that something was very, very wrong.

His lips were very warm but I was very cold. Colder than I should have been for that night. In fact, that night on my rooftop after our first official formal date, I hadn't been cold.

"I wish you would say something back, Hyacinth," he responded. He seemed to wait a long, long time before he exhaled audibly and his head bowed a fraction. "Alright, I guess you can't. I should go. Goodbye, Hyacinth."

He took a few steps back and then I realised what was wrong from the reflection in his shades.

I was a statue. I couldn't move because I wasn't alive anymore. I was just a hollow, cold thing made of marble which made me paler than my skin ever was and an inanimate representation of what I used to be.

He offered me a few more seconds of his eyes before he turned away. Zatanna was on the opposite side of the roof and wearing a very familiar black dress with sheer sleeves which were covered by a long black coat. I looked back at Robin. He was going to her. When I looked back at her, she was wearing a suit jacket. His. I knew it was his.

She put her hand in the crook of his arm, offered me a pitying look and then they started to walk away. Their steps were strong and steady and it took them straight off the roof. I couldn't scream to ask what they were doing or to try to alert anyone else that something was going down. Because I was a statue, meant to stand there and look pretty and watch as things went on around me.

But somehow, I heard my name being called by his voice, although they were probably dead in the alley behind the apartment building. It echoed and echoed, though somehow getting louder and clearer each time while the scene started to become more and more out of focus.

"Hyacinth."

My eyes flew open and I was extremely disoriented for a minute. But even when the scene processed I was still a bit confused. Robin was standing over me still in full costume, a hand on my shoulder to wake me and I was…on the couch in The Cave…lying down. Slowly, my lucidity started coming back. I shot into a sitting position and a wave of vertigo threatened to make my vision black out.

"I…I fell asleep?"

"Yeah. You've been asleep for probably an hour now. I woke you up 'cause I remembered that you had mentioned you had some plans."

And that little piece of information hit me like a bus.

"Fuc—Fruitcake!" I stood and started shoving my book and mask into my bag.

"What's wrong?"

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit." I ran to the bathroom with my bag, continuing to chant that one word while trying to figure out how I could let myself fall asleep. I rushed through my bath, scrubbing at my skin with a fierce rage and urgency that probably shouldn't have been good and threw on my clothes, barely taking any time at all to make sure I didn't look like one of those people rushing home the morning after. My hair was tied in a sloppy, untidy ponytail and my costume had just been thrown into my bag.

By the time I was rushing out the door, it was six fifteen. The show started at seven and I had to make sure I got there early enough to talk to her dad. Since I had started showering, I hadn't stopped cursing, only, somewhere while I was putting my hair up, it became more of a mental recital of the train of curses rather than a verbatim recital.

Robin and Aqualad had disappeared somewhere while Megan seemed to be helping Conner get some bandages wrapped around himself. Wally had pulled on a werewolf mask. Artemis was nowhere in sight. They seemed to be talking and didn't much notice me running out the door. It was really like I was a statue. Somehow, I knew that when I finally lay in my bed that night, I would begin to think about what the stupid dream meant. Piece of it was already obvious. The things Robin had said to me when the dream began, they were all things that he had said to me when we were dating and half of them, in the end, appeared to be meaningless. And the setting, it was from our date the night he was to come over for dinner. It was the night I had told him that I was falling in love with him. With a dull throb in my heart, I realised that we had both told some untruths that night.

I ran across the field, my eyes feeling like they were stinging, and I wasn't sure if the reason they felt that way was because of the awful dream and all the implications it could have had and the thoughts that erupted from it or if it was because I desperately needed to sleep. My body ached from my fight with Megan and the bruise that the wall had given me last night and from rugby practice and the dull throb in my heart wasn't helping either. I was in pain all over, all kinds of pain and I had the greatest urge to just go home, crawl into my bed and tell myself that I would be okay until I was pushed into sleep.

But the friend and daughter, Hyacinth, had promises to keep, promises that were more important than her own minor problems. My heart should have healed by now because I had agreed to let go and move on. My body pains were always bearable once nothing was broken. Together they shouldn't have been a problem either. I was supposed to be stronger than that, even if it was a lie I told myself so that I could move forward. The way I felt now made me feel weaker than I was supposed to be and pushed me even more to shove them aside and focus on what I had to do.

I paid the cab driver extra to get me there fast and I almost jumped out of the car before it came to a halt when it was in front of my building. I ran up the stairs in fierce fury. Dad was sitting on the couch, dressed. I had to fight the urge to curse again. Feeling a bit clammy from all my rushing and all the pain, I ran to the bathroom for a quick rinse again.

When I got out, I grabbed the first things that hit my eyes that went together and dressed with a superhuman pace. I sprayed some cologne, and when I was caught in front of my dressing table mirror, I realised that my eyes look fifty times worse than they had before I went to sleep. I quickly applied some powder, eyeliner and lip-gloss and used a drop of eyedrops for tired eyes in each eye. When I realised that I wasn't sure if I could tell the difference, I put the bottle in my pocket. I shoved my phone, lip-gloss, some money and the tickets into various pockets and then ran out of my room.

"Okay, let's go," I said to dad.

He raised his eyebrows at me. "Without shoes?"

"Dammit." I ran back into my room and stuck my feet in some socks and then some black high-heeled booties. I did a pat check around myself to make sure I had everything I needed and then I headed out of my room once more. "Alright. I'm ready now. We've really got to go. I can't be late."

He smiled at me. "Well, alright, let's go." He stood and opened the door for me and he picked up on my urgency, so together we flew down the stairs and hailed a cab.

By some wonderful miracle, I got there with ten minutes to spare. After thanking the Almighty while jumping out of the car, we made our way to the auditorium's right side entrance and I began to scan the crowd for Dallas Devereaux and Stephen. I found Dallas first then Stephen. I pointed to Stephen and looked at my dad.

"Go sit next to Stephen and I'll be right back. I've got some business to take care of."

Just as I was about to walk off, my dad grabbed me gently by the arm. He smiled. "Slow down, Hy. You can't enjoy life at all if you're in such a hurry all the time."

"I'm not always in a hurry but right now I've got to do something urgently."

"Slow down. In those shoes, if you slip, you won't get a sprain. You'll break something and then you'll have to take your time."

I took a breath, he rubbed my arm and I exhaled. "You're right, dad. Thanks for looking out for me. Now please go sit."

"Alright."

When he started towards Stephen, I went to Dallas who had started heading to the back of the auditorium. I intercepted him just as he was about to pass the last row.

"Remember me?" I asked.

His eyes widened in surprise. "Hyacinth! Long time no see. I'm glad you and Tanya are still such good friends," Dallas replied.

"It wasn't hard. Besides, she needed an awful lot of protecting over the years." We laughed together at that for a moment. "Hey, listen, I'm really glad you could be here for her. She almost cried when she was telling me you'd be here. This means an awful lot to her."

He produced a tight smile. "Yeah, it's been pretty hard to get to her since her mom doesn't want me too near her. But I still try. She's the most important thing in my life and I have to be there for her when she needs me."

I put a hand on his arm. "You're doing a pretty good job. Um, were you planning on doing anything with her afterwards?"

"Well, I kind of wanted to take her to get something to eat but I know her mom's here and that she probably wouldn't be too pleased with that."

"You don't get the courts involved? I mean, you're supposed to have as much a right to her time as her mom does."

He shook his head. "Tanya's gone through enough in her life. We don't need to add more trouble to her plate. It's enough for me if I get to talk to her and see her on her birthday and Christmas. She wants to ask her mom to let me come over more or to come over to my apartment but she's going to try to ease into that. The courts would only make things more painful and make Louann hate me more."

I smiled. "See? You are a noble dad. You're doing pretty good."

"How come you asked about what we're doing later?"

"I wanted to ask you to steal her away for the evening."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Sounds like you've got something planned."

I looked behind me and pointed to the seat next to my dad's. "See that guy over there wearing the black jacket?"

"Yeah?"

"That's her boyfriend."

"I see. Is he any good?"

"He loves her. Tonight he wanted to surprise her and I'm supposed to be helping him with the surprise."

"What kind of kid is he? I know she's gotten involved with some pretty deadbeat guys in the past."

"Nah, he's not like that. I set them up. I can personally vouch for him. He's a good guy who takes her very seriously and is very devoted to her. And she feels the same way about him. Tonight could be the most special night in the world for her if it all goes well."

"What's his name?"

"Stephen Romano."

"I'd have liked to meet him but since you've got this whole elaborate thing going, I suppose we won't have the time. Besides, I think I'd like to wait till she introduces him to me herself."

"You and Stephen think alike. He said the same thing about you."

He smiled. "I like the kid already. Since you can vouch for him, I think I won't be worried. Good luck with your scheming."

"Thanks a lot. It's great to see you again. I can't thank you enough for all the fight training help you gave me."

"Now why do you say that? Have you been putting it to serious use?" he asked, laughing as if it wasn't a serious question.

I gave him a mall smirk. "Something like that. Anyway, let me not keep you. I bet you're heading to the bathroom and she's part of the first performance."

"Yeah, I am. Mind telling me where it is? I've never been here before."

"When you go out this back exit, go left. The male bathroom is close to the exit."

"Thanks, kid. See you around."

I started back for the seat and offered the two guys a smile. Dad was sitting next to Stephen and they looked so odd because their hair was in the same jaw-length style. I wondered if Jason wore his hair the exact same way because of my dad.

"Hey, dad, can you go down one?"

"But you told me to sit here," he replied.

"Stephen and I have some business to talk about before the show."

He shrugged and moved down a seat. "Business?"

I sat. "Tanya business."

"Oh, that's her boyfriend?" I nodded. "Seems like a nice kid. His hair is fantastic."

I laughed. "Because it looks like yours?"

He smirked. "Oh, does it?" he asked, feigning ignorance. I put my hand in his before I turned to Stephen.

"So," I began, "everything okay?"

"No. I have more butterflies in my stomach than there are in the entire Amazon Rainforest."

I chuckled. "Would you just chillax? Everything will be great. Just remember who it's for and think about how you want her to react. Just take a breath and trust that everything will go in the best way that it can."

"That doesn't negate the fact that it could end badly."

I gave him a dry look. "Stephen."

"Right. Sorry. Positive thoughts."

"Good boy. Don't worry. She's crazy about you. Trust me. I'm sure when she's dancing, her eyes will be trained on you at least half the time. She'll be dancing for you because you're that important to her."

Just then the curtains opened and the dancers stepped out. Tanya's eyes immediately found Stephen near the front and when their eyes locked, I saw the nervous anxiety in Stephen's eyes just vanish. He was entranced by the very sight of her in costume and about to do what she truly loved. It was like he was falling more in love with her the more he looked at her.

Tonight would be a complete exchange of feeling and passions. I knew she would be dancing for him, using what she loved to show her love for her. And he would sing for her a song from his heart, using his beloved music as a vehicle for his message of love to her. It was so beautiful that I almost felt as if it was destiny for them to be together forever.

Tanya was part of three main performances as their principle dancer and for all of them, her eyes would fall upon him once she was positioned in that direction. Even during her duet with a male dancer, Stephen continued to be too captivated by the grace and majesty of the way she moved to be upset or jealous that the guy was touching her about the hips and face and lifting her. It showed how much he was truly in love with her and how much he trusted her. Something as trivial as a dance partnered with a male was not enough to disconcert him.

Truly, being captivated was too easy when watching her dance. But, for some reason, the fluidity of some of her movements, especially when her partner picked her up and carried her through the air, reminded me of the grace of another who was nicknamed after a small bird. It made me sad but then I tried my hardest to become as immersed in the dance as Stephen was.

The last performance started at eight thirty. It was a performance by some of the younger ballet dancers and Tanya was not in it. Stephen touched my hand and I looked over at him.

"I've got to go get my stuff ready now," he said, "Cover for me?"

"Sure. Godspeed."

"Thanks. See you in a few." He got up as discreetly as he could and headed quickly for the exit.

Dad looked over at me questioningly. "He's preparing a surprise for her tonight and he has to go set up."

"Oh, wow. Sounds special."

"He's going to let her know that he loves her."

Dad's expression softened. "That's beautiful."

"Isn't it? It's beyond precious. That's why I'm facilitating."

"Alright. I'll see what I can do. Here." He handed me our compact camera.

"Thanks."

"The people in here said no flash photography so I don't have much use for it."

"Dad, that's always the rule for performances like these."

"How was I supposed to know? I just kind of picked it up on impulse anyway. You'll have good use for it, at least."

"You could just take the flash off, you know?"

He shrugged and looked back up to the stage.

After the last performance, all the dancers came out and bowed and there was a standing ovation where people began throwing flowers in stage. When the last person left the stage, the lights were all turned on in the auditorium as the not-so-subtle way of indicating to people to get out.

The crowd was already building by the time we got out into the atrium and we had to do a bit of searching before we found Tanya with her mother. I ran up to her and gave her a hug before I stepped back and started examining how she looked in the outfit. She still looked stunning.

"Hi, Tanya. You were wonderful tonight. I absolutely enjoyed your performances. This is the outfit Hy made for you?" dad said.

"Yes, Uncle Sheridan. Isn't she amazing?"

"Yes, she is." She examined me a little more closely, opened my already unbuttoned blazer a little wider then dropped it. "Hold up, why are you wearing a gold sequined tube top?"

I looked down. Black trousers, black blazer…tube top with small gold sequins. "Crap. Maybe because all I could think about these past three days is gold sequins. Seriously, when I got home I just grabbed the first clothes that seemed to match and I ended up in this."

"You look fantastic though. Not as fantastic as I do but, hey, that's to be expected. All the girls in the dressing room were asking me where I got my outfit and I gave a few of them your name and number."

I did an excited 'yes'. "I should start charging you from now on. You get cuts from your shows, after all."

"Let's make a deal. Whenever you're making me an outfit for after a show, I'll pay for your ticket."

"Tickets," I corrected, emphasising the S.

"Alright, tickets."

"Deal." We shook on it and I gave her another hug. She seemed to look behind me and start searching the crowd.

"Where's Stephen?"

"Something urgent came up and he had to leave. He told me to tell you that he was extremely sorry and that he'll make it up to you. He saw all of your performances though."

"Oh, alright. Just as long as he saw them. Do you know where he went?"

"Um, where his equipment is?"

"Oh, it was a band thing."

"A musical thing, yeah."

Aunt Louann touched Tanya's shoulder to get her attention. "I'm going to get something to drink, dear. Do you want anything?"

"No, thanks, mom," she replied. Just as she walked off, Uncle Dallas approached. Tanya's expression became excited and she threw herself at him to give him a hearty hug. "Daddy!"

"Hey, pretty prima. How are you?" he asked.

"Good. Daddy, this is my friend that I've been talking about, Hyacinth and her dad, Sheridan. Hyacinth, this is my dad, Dallas."

We shook hands and exchanged pleased-to-meet-yous as if we'd never met before. Tanya hadn't been aware that her dad had asked me to look out for her. If there was anything I could do about it, I would make sure she didn't find out for a good long while because, like with the Robin thing, she would probably overreact.

His attention reverted to Tanya. "Oh, baby, I'm sorry I couldn't have been closer. I would have sat at the front if I didn't have to try to hide from your mom."

"Oh, it's okay, daddy. I'm just glad you could be here. But I did wonder where you were."

"Well, young lady, it seemed to me that your attention was diverted elsewhere. In one specific spot actually."

He smiled sheepishly and I could see her cheeks colouring slightly. "My boyfriend was there, dad. You've got to meet him."

"Is he here?"

"Nah, he had to go take care of something that came up. But soon, definitely, you two should meet."

Dallas' eyes flicked to behind her for a moment then came back. "Your mom's coming back so I guess I should get out of here. Wouldn't want her making a scene, would we?"

Her expression fell a little. "Forget her. Let's just go have dinner or something, please, dad?"

He leaned forward, kissed her forehead and gave her a hug. "Anything for you, sweetheart, but I don't think I'm ready for an encounter with your mother as yet. But soon, like you said. For now, I'm glad we could see each other. I'll talk to you tomorrow, alright."

"Okay, bye, dad. See you later."

He turned and walked away and my heart throbbed watching Tanya watch his back as he left.

Her mother was at her side in another three seconds. "Tanya, who—"

"Aunt Louann, do you mind if I take Tanya out for some pizza? This performance deserves a celebration," I cut her off.

"I think that's a great idea, Hy. Right, Louann?" dad added.

Aunt Louann seemed to look like she was caught between a rock and a sandstorm, trapped. I could see her trying to think of some reason to try to discredit the idea but the way that we had phrased things made it seem that some rejection of the idea would be like saying that there was nothing to celebrate about. If she sent us away now, she would proceed to ask Tanya about whom she was talking to and that would completely ruin the evening. Tanya and I both knew that Aunt Louann felt very strongly about her ex-husband. She didn't want him anywhere near her or Tanya. The most she could stand of him was his alimony.

Aunt Louann exhaled. "Yeah, it's a great idea. Just make sure she's home at a decent hour."

"Mom," Tanya said. "I'm going to be with Hyacinth. She's the most responsible person I know. Could you trust us a little?"

Aunt Louann sighed again. "Alright. Do you have your key?"

"Yes, mom."

"Alright. Well, whenever you feel like getting home." She turned to me. "Don't let her go home alone, you hear me?"

"At this hour of the night, I never would. Goodbye, Aunt Louann," I responded. Tanya hugged her mother and kissed her cheek and then together we started for the door, with my dad just behind us. Just as we were about to exit, dad stopped where he was.

"You girls go ahead. I'll make sure Louann gets home," he said.

"Are you sure?" Tanya asked. "You're welcome to join us."

He offered her a wide smile. "Thanks so much, Tan, but you girls need some bonding time and I'm an old dinosaur who could do with some extra sleep. You girls go out and have a good time."

"Alright, dad." I gave him a kiss to the cheek and a hug and then returned to Tanya's side.

"Thanks again for coming, Uncle Sheridan," she said.

"Thanks for allowing me to see your amazing dancing. Now go on, you two, before the places close."

I offered dad a wave before we left.

The night was slightly still and the air was cool and fresh. I was very optimistic about the evening. All I had to do was wait for Stephen's signal. Luckily, our usual pizza dive was a block away and a bit of a distance away from the park next to school.

"Let's start off with some smoothies," Tanya suggested. "I don't know if I really feel for pizza right now. Not that I'm not grateful for you taking me out or anything, it's just that it's been a long day."

I chuckled. "Calm down. I know. You must be really emotional after seeing your dad and all the practice and having just come from a great performance. You're probably both physically and emotionally drained. Just take a breather. Let the fresh air and frozen fruit replenish you."

"Yeah, you're right." She placed a hand over mine. "Thank you so much, Hy."

I chuckled. "You're welcome. It's just a smoothie, Tan."

"Not just for the smoothie, Hy. For everything. For the outfit and your presence and your kind words and for Stephen and all the support. I can't ever thank you enough."

"For Stephen?"

"If you hadn't gotten us together for prom, I don't know if I would have ever noticed him before it was too late. Like, I always knew he was a good guy and that he was smart, but he was always so quiet so I never imagined that he would have been my type. If it wasn't for prom, I would never have realised how much of a great guy he was because I would have been too busy getting caught up with other idiots to give him a chance."

"I hadn't noticed how he felt about you initially either. It was only a couple weeks before prom when you were rushing down the hall and you dropped your binder and he picked it up for you that I noticed the way he looked at you as you walked off."

"That's why you weren't immediately behind me."

"Yeah. During Spanish, when the teacher left class, I started talking to him about you. He admitted his feelings and I agreed to intercede for him by arranging the prom thing. I knew you two were on some relatively good terms and that, once I got you together and gave you two a chance, that would be all I had to do."

"Thank you for that. Really. Thanks a lot."

"Don't thank me. I'm just the messenger."

"Would you please just take my gratitude?"

"Alright, alright. I accept your gratitude. And you're more than welcome. No thanks required for any of it actually. I was just doing what I thought was right. It's perfectly right for me to be your best friend so anything I do for you is just part of the job. The least I expect is some degree of reciprocation."

She opened her mouth to say something but then her expression grew cold as her eyes caught sight of something to the right of me. "Here's your reciprocation right here. Check it out. Your boyfriend's a cheater."

I turned to my right and I saw Robin walking about with Zatanna at his side. They were smiling and talking about something. I wanted to be super cool about it but I had to admit to myself that it hurt to see them together like that. For the very least, I knew that I had been wrong and that she was making him happy. I turned back to Tanya and she started to get up.

Oooh, some crazy chizz 'bout to go down! Or is it? :D