Here it is! I was so excited to get this done. Again, thank you for the kind review and although I never did figure out what a hipster tuxedo was, Q does end up wearing a tux.
Anyway, lots of things happen in this chapter and I'm really quite excited to hear from you all. Hope you like it!
A mighty pain to love it is,
And 'tis a pain that pain to miss;
But of all pains, the greatest pain
It is to love, but love in vain.
-Abraham Cowley
(December 24, 2012- 6:03 PM)
Christmas Eve.
It was the one holiday where you could smell love in the air, mixed in with the smell of a roasting ham or a delicious full turkey. The sound of carols and the unmistakeable noise of bells flooded the streets, along with the parents who rushed around the shops in an attempt to buy last-minute presents. Likewise, Christmas Eve was always terribly busy, and this one was no exception.
Alexa currently rushed around her house, attempting to get ready for the party. After taking a rather lengthy shower, she had finally heated up her curling iron and swore loudly when she nearly burnt her hand while attempting to curl her hair. After thirty minutes, she finally managed to arrange her dark brown hair into large, flowing curls that she brushed over her shoulder. She felt quite pleased with how her hair turned out and went back to her bedroom to slip her dress on.
Alexa put her dress on and looked at herself in the mirror, marveling at how the dress showed off her figure. She knew this wasn't a date but she at least hoped that Q would look twice when he saw her. Alexa went back to her vanity and applied a bit of makeup and applied a thin coat of lip gloss. She grabbed a bracelet out of her jewelry box and slipped it on. It had dozens of little diamonds stuck together on a narrow chain and she felt that it completed her look. By the time she was finished, it was nearly seven and she looked gorgeous. Alexa grabbed her coat and headed downstairs, upon hearing the bell ring.
"I'm coming," she called. Alexa put on her shoes and took one last look in the foyer mirror before opening the door.
"Hi," she said, giving him a smile. Q stared at her appearance with a mixture of awe and surprise. He thought she looked lovely before, but it wasn't until now that he realized how beautiful she really was. For once, he managed to stumble on his words and his brain scrambled for something to say.
"What are you wearing?" he finally blurted out. A look of worry crossed her face and she bit her bottom lip.
"Oh, is that a bad thing?" Alexa fretted.
"No, don't think that! What I meant was that..." Q began, his voice trailing off.
"Was what?" she said as she put her coat on. Alexa stopped to look at him and for a moment, their eyes locked before Q finally found what he wanted to say.
"...You look beautiful," he said softly, a small smile appearing on his face.
"Really? Because if I look terrible and you're just kidding, I swear I'll never forgive you," she said, folding her arms across her chest.
"Terrible? No, you look lovely," he scoffed. "Besides, you know that I would never joke about this sort of thing."
"Really?" she said, looking taken aback.
"I mean it. You really do look nice," he promised.
And with this, Alexa turned about ten different shades of pink. "Oh. Well, thank you," she said as she gave him that shy smile of hers that never failed to make his heart beat erratically. She turned off the lights in her house and followed Q to his car, where the two went off to go to the Dorcaster Hotel.
"I still haven't seen what you look like yet," Alexa said as they drove along the streets of London.
"You will eventually," he said reassuringly. "By the way, you'll probably meet my mother sometime tonight. She'll be there are well."
"Do you think she'll like me?" she said hesitantly.
"I'm sure she will, Alexa," he said, smiling slightly at her hesitance. "Don't worry about it."
Q parked his car and walked into the hotel with Alexa. They presented their invitations to the man in front of the ballroom doors and left their coats in the coat room. It was only then that Alexa had been able to fully appreciate Q's tuxedo and she quite liked it.
"You look...fantastic!" Alexa said with a smile.
"Thank you," he said, returning her grin. "Shall we?"
"Hang on, your tie is crooked," she said as she reached up to fix his bowtie.
"Is there any particular reason you decided to wear a red bowtie?" Alexa asked as she straightened the red fabric.
"Well, bowties are cool. Besides, if I wore a regular tie, it'd be too businesslike," he stated. Alexa merely chucked and after she was done, he led her by the arm and the two entered the Dorcaster Ballroom.
The room was elegantly decorated in an array of red and gold, with one area reserved for seating and the other for dancing. As the two of them entered the room, they undoubtedly caught the attention of Q's brothers.
"Well, would you look at that? He actually did it," Mycroft said with a smirk as he saw them approaching. The three of them turned around and Violet waved at her youngest son.
"There's my mum and my brothers," Q said to Alexa. "Would you like to meet them?"
"Sure," Alexa said. She felt nervous, for some inexplicable reason and when they approached, she felt like running away.
"Mum, this is Alexandra Abbott. Alexa, this is my mother, Violet Holmes," he said as he introduced her. Violet looked momentarily surprised, seeing that she hadn't expected Q's date to be that pretty. Alexa could feel the woman studying her carefully as they shook hands and she felt nervous, seeing that this woman had the looks and stature of a dowager queen.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Holmes," Alexa said politely.
"Please, call me Violet. It's lovely to meet you as well," Violet said, evidently looking delighted.
"This is my eldest brother, Mycroft, and I'm sure you recognize Sherlock," he said.
"I've heard a lot about you, Miss Abbott," Mycroft said as she shook hands.
"Nothing too incriminating, I hope," Alexa said.
"Well, I wouldn't say that. But it still is quite interesting," he said with a benevolent smile that made her slightly uneasy. Alexa and Q both took a seat at the table and they both began dinner. While they ate, she engaged in friendly conversation with his mother and it was there that his mother bombarded Alexa with questions.
"So, how old are you, Alexandra?" Violet said.
"I'm twenty-seven," Alexa said.
"You don't look a day over twenty-two, my dear!" she said with a laugh that eased some of the uncertainty in Alexa's heart. "You're still young and pretty. Speaking of which, you seem familiar. Have we seen each other before?"
"Oh, well...Q and I went to the same university. I think I might have graduated second to him," Alexa said as she pondered the thought momentarily. She couldn't remember if this was right, but she recalled Q mention it to her previously at one of their lunches.
"Yeah, you're right," Q agreed.
"Hmm. You must be good at what you do, Miss Abbott," Sherlock said from across the table.
"I wouldn't be the judge of that," Alexa said with a light laugh.
"I disagree. She's quite beneficial to the Q-Branch," Q remarked. With this, Violet beamed with pride because she rarely saw Q speak so well of someone, unless they were good friends.
"I'm assuming you keep him in line if he does anything irrational," Violet said.
"Him, irrational? Oh, please. That's like saying that I'm incredibly responsible," Sherlock said with a roll of his eyes.
"He's had his moments. Need I remind you of the Silva incident? What about Kate?" Mycroft retorted.
"Don't bring that up, Mycroft. Not now," Q said sharply. Violet let out a sigh and shook her head.
"Boys, please. Now is not the time for petty arguments," she said firmly. Immediately, the three men shut up and Alexa stared at Violet, looking both awed and somewhat intimidated. If she could make the three Holmes brothers shut up like that, then she was definitely someone to be intimidated of.
"Well, I guess that Sherlock's right. Q never does anything irrational. Theoretically, if he were to do something a bit out of line, then I'd be sure to inform him," Alexa said as she took a sip of her drink.
"That's lovely to hear. Honestly, they're quite hard to handle and it's tough to find anyone who's willing to put up with them," Violet said.
"We're still here, mum," Q said, rolling his eyes.
"I understand that. You were all supposed to hear it anyway," Violet replied. She peered curiously at Alexa for a moment and leaned forward slightly.
"What about you? Do you have siblings to keep in line as well?" she asked. Q had to fight the urge from kicking his mother under the table, knowing that the subject of Alexa's origins were rather hazy and quite touchy. Alexa answered nonetheless, looking quite unaffected while she did so.
"I don't have siblings," she said simply.
"No siblings? That must be quite lonely," Violet said.
"Mum-" Q began. He attempted to keep her from delving any further and creating an awkward situation, but his warning didn't seem to have any effect on her whatsoever.
"Tell me, what were your parents like as you grew up? I've always wondered how parenting style of an only child differs with that of multiple child families," Violet said.
"I don't really have parents. I'm an orphan," Alexa said with a laugh, attempting to embarrass Violet as little as possible.
"Oh! I apologize for prying," Violet said as she turned a faint shade of pink.
"It's perfectly alright," she replied lightheartedly.
"Are you quite done interrogating her, mum?" Q said with a roll of his eyes.
"I wouldn't call it an interrogation. But yes, I am finished," she said, looking pleased.
"Well, would you care to dance, Alexa?" Q said as he stood up.
"Only if you can keep up with me," Alexa said with a smirk.
"Consider your challenge accepted," he said as he led her off towards the ballroom floor. The orchestra (comprised of fifteen talented string players, a woodwind section, and percussion) had already begun their next song, which was the famed Invitation To The Dance by Carl Maria von Weber. The song started out slow and soft but began to build as they stepped onto the floor.
Q placed his hand at the bottom of her back and Alexa put her hand on his back, near his neck. The position for a waltz was rather intimate and for once, she found that there was no way that she could not look away from his eyes. There was nowhere else to look and it was rather scary, to say the least. She felt her heart pounding loudly in her chest, to the point where she swore she could hear it. Their fingers intertwined and the two began to whirl gracefully across the floor in time to the waltz. Their steps went in time with each other's, not missing a single beat. Their dance was dizzying at some moments and he could not take his gaze away from the smile on her face. She, however, would look at him for a moment before looking over his shoulder, with a pink tint appearing on her cheeks.
As they danced, she locked eyes with a blonde-haired gentleman from across the room. The visual encounter was rather brief but it struck her to the bone with raw and pure fear. He looked like one of the soldiers from Operation Chetiri. She tried to look away from him quickly but alas, it was too late. He had spotted her and merely smiled at her rather unassumingly as they whirled by, like he had been a complete stranger. She tried to calm herself and reassured herself by saying that she had just been seeing things. He wasn't re-
"-re you alright? You look worried," Q said.
"Huh?" Alexa said as she glanced up.
"Are you ok?" Q asked.
"Oh, I'm okay," she lied. However, she could not hide how much the encounter had shaken her; her hands trembled slightly and her steps were not as lively as before. Q merely raised an eyebrow at her strange behaviour and continued on with their waltz.
"By the way, do you usually talk while dancing?" he finally asked.
"Most people prefer to be unsociable and taciturn while dancing but I think otherwise," she said. "That takes the fun out of it, doesn't it?"
"Point taken. By the way, you are an excellent dancer," he said, with a smile on his face. "Have you taken ballet before?"
"Yes, when I was young. How did you know?" she said curiously.
"It's the way you walk. You walk with your feet slightly outward, which is one of the characteristics of a dancer," he pointed out.
"Even I never noticed that! How very observant of you," Alexa exclaimed.
"Well, that's another interest of yours that you haven't mentioned to me," he chuckled.
"You know, you're an exceptional dancer too. There are very few men that can dance like this. How can you dance so well?" she said with a twinkle in her eyes.
"My mother made all of us learn when we were young. To be honest, I don't think any of us wanted to learn. However, she claimed that it trained coordination and was a proper, if not dying art," Q replied.
"Well, I'm impressed, to say the least. At least both of us can dance," Alexa said as she glanced briefly at another man and woman near them who were attempting to waltz but failing to some degree. Despite her panic from earlier, it had quickly faded and she found herself laughing with him once more as they continued to waltz happily across the ballroom.
"Honestly, I half-expected you to have two left feet, in terms of dancing," he said.
"Consider your assumptions wrong, then," she grinned. Q returned her smile and she whirled around once, her skirt flowing gracefully behind her. The song was coming to an end and he dipped her down for their finale. Their noses were barely touching now and by this point, she felt herself blushing crimson.
"Alexa, be completely honest. Are you attracted to me?" Q said abruptly, the words so soft that only she could have heard it.
A feeling of shock struck her and internally, she felt paralyzed and was unsure of how to answer such a question. It was literally asked from out of the blue and she wasn't sure of what to say. Alexa had never been adept with such matters anyway and she could tell that it was seriously meant, so she could not pass this off as a simple joke. She wondered how long it had taken him to gather the courage to ask this and racked her brain for a proper response.
"I...what? Q, what makes you say that?" she said hesitantly as they righted their position, their bodies still quite close to each other's.
"There's that way you look at me sometimes, and that way you don't look at me. For instance, you kept doing it while we were dancing. You and I also tend to spend quite a bit of time together. There are times where I grab your hand and you turn a very distinct shade of pink," he said. They locked eyes for a while and she finally gave up, knowing that her affections had been discovered. Instead of putting her feelings into words, she impulsively decided that this was not what she wanted. Without warning, she pressed her lips against his to kiss him for only a moment.
The kiss was rather quick and everyone else barely noticed it but nonetheless, it was pure and utterly sincere. Alexa pulled away and felt a sensation in her body that could not compare to anything else she had felt before. It left her breathless and rather lightheaded, but it was not an uninvited feeling.
"I hope that explains how I feel about you," Alexa said softly, attempting to sound casual to hide how nervous she was. His face fell and he nodded slowly.
"I see," he said.
"Why, is that a bad thing?" Alexa said, feeling panic rising up in her throat. She had never once admitted feelings for anyone and she was afraid to hear what he would say.
"Alexa, I..." Q said, his voice trailing off. He did like her a fair deal but the problem was that there was still that damnably human doubt that remained and it seemed that he was still afraid to love again. Right now, he could not form an exact definition of what he truly wanted and it troubled him.
"I don't think I..." he said, his voice trailing off. Q fell silent after this, which essentially made her assume one thing.
Her love was unrequited.
"Oh," she said, attempting not to look as though she were pathetically disappointed. She felt her heart sinking in her chest and she pulled away from him.
"Alexa, I will not deny that there have been times where I have felt attracted to you, and..." Q said, his voice trailing off once more. At these words, Alexa let out a soft laugh and merely nodded wistfully.
"Q, it's alright. I understand," she said. Alexa felt shame flooding her body and she turned around and began walking away. She made her way off the floor and avoided people's gazes, her mind set on getting her coat and going home. She felt embarrassed for kissing him like that and knew that it would be best to just leave.
"Alexa, wait! Where are you going?" Q said as he followed after her. She grabbed her coat and put it on as she walked quickly down the hallway. Alexa made her way outside, the frosty winter air blowing through her hair. Snowflakes fell on her lashes and she wrapped her coat around her as she stepped onto the curb of the hotel.
"I think it would be best for me to go," she said as she tried to keep her voice and emotions in control. Alexa had never felt so many emotions at one time and it was really quite a different and scary thing to experience. She didn't think that she would cry but for some reason it felt like that she was ready to burst into tears at any moment. Unrequited love left an unpleasant feeling inside of her and she wanted nothing more than to head home and be alone for a while.
"I...wait, don't go. I'm so-" he began as he grabbed her by the hand. Alexa didn't turn to face him and merely shook her head. She broke free of his grip and made her way into the cab that had arrived.
"Thank you for the lovely evening. I'll see you later," Alexa said as she gave him a smile that lacked warmth and was rather hollow. It was a rather dull statement and she found that it was the only thing she could say. She shut the door behind her and told the man to drive.
Alexa left the hotel and told the driver to take her home. Her body was shaking with an emotion she could not quite place. Was it anger? No. Fury? Definitely not. She felt as if her heart had been torn in half and she felt tears streaming down her cheeks. The fact that he didn't love her back had now sunk in and she had never felt so foolish for admitting her affections, not to mention in a public place. What had gotten into her? It hurt to feel rejected and it was something she decided she would never want to experience again.
Alexa went home and wiped away her tears, locking her front door behind her. She kicked off her heels into the corner and went up to her bedroom to change into her pyjamas. Alexa wanted Q to be out of her thoughts for as long as possible and turned on the television a bit louder than usual in an effort to distract herself. She settled into her bed with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and drank her mug of tea, listening to the television drone on about politics and current affairs. After about an hour of listening to the news, she soon grew tired of everything and she turned off her television, falling into a deep and dreamless sleep.
Meanwhile, a man stood at the front of the Dorcaster hotel, with his phone pressed against his ear. He was a bit of an older gentleman and was lean and muscular for a man of thirty. His light blonde hair contrasted with his sharp blue eyes and he pushed up the collar to his coat. The dial tone rang for several seconds before a male voice rang out on the line.
"Have you killed Bond?" the voice said.
"No. I decided against it," he replied.
"You aren't authorized to disobey orders!" the man snapped. "What the hell were you thinking?"
"Well, I found something even better," he drawled.
"Go on. What is it?" the man said angrily.
"She's here."
The man on the line paused for a moment and held his breath. "Her? As in..."
"Yes. Maxwell's information wasn't wrong after all," he said.
"Are you sure it's her? If you aren't, I swear we wi-" he replied angrily.
"Relax. I recognized her almost immediately. I remember her all too well, so her face isn't one I can easily forget," the blonde haired man said coolly. There was another pause on the line before his companion spoke once more.
"Confirm that it's really her. Then we'll act," he replied. There was a click and all that the man could hear now was the dial tone on the phone. He put his phone back in his pocket and strode down the snowy street with a bit of a spring in his step. The man was almost entirely sure that the woman he had seen tonight was none other than Alexandra Nikolova herself. He smirked at knowing that Alexa was here and almost a decade's worth of following dead leads was coming to a close. The Agency would crush her perfect little world and anyone affiliated with it.
And there wasn't a damn thing that she could do to stop them.
I told you things would happen in this one! But anyway, what did you think about it? Was it good and what do you think will happen next, now that the Agency has come into play?
Again, leave me some feedback if you can!