Chapter 21: Dirty Dancing with Elladan

Dinner had transitioned to the dance part of the elven banquet. Ten elves had begun playing their instruments that were comprised of brass, wind, and percussion. The music was fairly upbeat and the type of dancing reminded me of the 18th century line dances I had seen in movies like Pride and Prejudice. Not quite my style.

I turned to Elladan, who had spent the entire dinner being silent and rather sullen. "Ready to see if you can take me on?"

His grey eyes bore into my own. "I've been ready, Sofia." I gazed into his eyes for a moment, searching them. All at once he made me feel excited, nervous, and slightly fearful. I hated that.

He led past the lit lanterns and into the woods so we could practice without anyone seeing us. A faint glow from the party and the moon lit our surroundings, but shadows effectively covered much of the area. I looked at Elladan; really looked at him tonight. His lips were curved into a curt smile and his eyes looked like the sky before a storm. A tunic the same color as my dress, night-sky blue, clung to the muscles in his arms and outlined the ones on his chest. A thin braid crowned his dark head of hair and the rest of it hung freely. I realized this was the first time I had spent time with him alone since I was captured. How odd that it was thoughts of him that kept me calm then, while right now being near him was sending my heart into overdrive.

"Right then, lets get this over quickly. How does the dance go?"

I bristled at his cold tone. How dare he act like this to me! "You know Elladan, if it is really that much of a problem for you to touch me, to dance with me, then we can bloody well go right now. I can find another partner if Arwen wants to see salsa."

The storm in his eyes flared to life and his voice rolled like quiet thunder. "My apologies, Sofia. I just thought you may want to get back to your escort. But you're right, we can go now. I am sure you would rather teach Haldir how to dance."

Oh no he did not! Without thinking my hand was on my hip and my eyes narrowed. "Perdoname? And what the hell makes you say that?" I knew why he said it, but I wanted him to say it out loud.

Elladan shook his head and scoffed at me. "Hmm, I wonder why I would say that. Perhaps because Haldir was in your bed this morning?"

"You're like a child jumping to conclusions!"

"Oh, so you deny you spent the night with Haldir?"

"You know? That is none of your bloody business in the first place! Who the hell do you think you are?" Adrenaline was coursing through my veins. Thoughts of my earlier mission was gone. Now all I could think about was my mounting anger.

Elladan's jaw clenched. "You're right, Vampire Slayer. What you do is none of my business."

"Then why the hell are you making snide remarks?" By now, both hands were on my hips and I was becoming jittery from the anger and adrenaline.

"Maybe, maybe because I was foolish enough to think I would be the one embracing you that morning. How unfortunate I do not have my father's foresight so I could have not spent the previous days worrying over your safety." Elladan turned on his heel and started walking away.

On impulse I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. Unfortunately, Slayer strength should come with a warning label like medication. 'Do not operate under extreme levels of anger when dealing with a non-evil creature'. My strength had knocked him flat on his back and he looked at me in shock.

"Wonderful. First I find you this morning with Haldir and now you humiliate me again by knocking me on the ground."

I knelt down next to him. "Madre de Dios! I'm sorry, Elladan, I only meant to stop you." He started to get up but I pressed my hand on his chest to force him back down. Incredulous, he glared at me. "I'm sorry I knocked you down, but you are not leaving until I've had my say."

"I believe your non-verbals have been saying enough for you."

"You are such an idiot!" I cried out in exasperation.

"Oh yes, your verbals are quite good too," he state sarcastically.

"Callate! You are being an idiot! I did not do anything with Haldir last night! I was having an evil sorcerer hack into my dreams and Haldir just stayed to make me feel safe! And if you hadn't run off like a high school drama queen you could have been the one embracing me this morning!" I hit him on the chest, lightly, for good measure.

His stormy eyes began to clear as he took in what I said. We were both breathing heavily from our fight and I was feeling wired. "So," he began quietly, "nothing occurred?"

I rolled my eyes, still angry. "No, idioto. Maybe if you had asked me earlier, you could have found out."

"And if I had asked you we would have, according to you, embraced?"

My heart accelerated. I am not very good with this type of confrontation. Fighting and killing, fo' sho'. Confessing feelings, totally not. Mentally, I began pulling down some of the bricks that provided me my barrier. I reminded myself I had a mission; to figure out what is there.

My hand still lay on his chest and I clenched the soft fabric between my fingers. "I do not understand what I feel for you, but I know this: When I was held captive and wanted to die, it was your face I saw. When I needed to calm myself in order to break free, it was the feel of you I imagined. When I pressed myself to continue crawling through to woods to freedom, it was you I thought of."

I had looked away from him during my confession. Elladan sat up and took my face gently to face him. I blinked back treacherous tears and as his eyes searched mine I saw he was blinking back his own. His voice had been turned husky by emotion. "Meleth… You cannot understand what those words mean to me." The tip of his finger laid a trail down my jaw line. "I confess I do not understand my feelings for you either. But when we discovered your capture, I…I felt a darkness cover my heart that I did not expect. The idea that you were lost to me, before I even had you, nearly drove me mad."

I tensed in his hold. I had achieved my mission, but at what price? With my heart broken already a year ago, what can come of this achievement?

Elladan proceeded to answer my silent question. Slowly, he lowered his head until I could feel his warm breath against my lips. "Perhaps," he whispered seductively, "we may embrace now, Sofia?" A tingle ran through me at his words. Lightly, his lips brushed over mine as if they awaited permission for access.

"Yes," I breathlessly answered. His lips pressed tenderly against mine and I almost gasped from the electric current that seemed to run between us. One hand ran through his soft, thick hair while the other caressed the soft skin of his cheeks. I shivered from the feel of his hands clutching my back as if he would never let go. We pulled back to catch our breath and both of us looked shaken. Intently I traced his lips with my finger so I could memorize this moment. "Wow," I gasped.

"Wow, indeed." Elladan pulled me to him again and this time the kiss was deeper, more passionate; fueled by the adrenaline of our earlier argument. We fell to the forest floor and each aspect of my body felt like it was on fire. Each touch, each exploration of hands and tongues; it was like nothing I had ever experienced before. It made me think of other things; like horizontal dancing.

Dancing. I almost forgot. I drew back from him gently. "Elladan, we should probably work on dancing or else everyone will wonder where we are."

He grinned wickedly and gave me a smoldering gaze. "Let them wonder." He kissed me again and I wasn't sure if I had the willpower to resist. It had been a year since I had been kissed like this. Actually, I wasn't quite sure if I had ever been kissed like this. After gently nibbling on his lip, I put every ounce of willpower into standing up.

Elladan looked at me disappointingly, like an adorable puppy who wanted to continue playing. I laughed at his expression. "Trust me, salsa will be lots of fun."

For the next thirty minutes I taught him the basics of salsa, the steps and twirls. He seemed to enjoy how much our bodies touched in the process and quickly agreed that salsa is a lot of fun. After he got the hang of it we fixed our hair and clothes, and went back to the banquet. I felt like there was a big sign hanging over me saying 'Look at me! I just made out with an elf!' but no one seemed to notice our prolonged absence. Although, Galadriel did give me this knowing smile when she saw me… But I'm sure it was nothing.

For the next fifteen minutes, during the band's break, I taught them how to play salsa. If Arwen wanted us to perform for everyone then I needed some dancealicious music to lead the way. I had trouble thinking of a song beat but ended up teaching them La India's 'Ese Hombre'. Sadly, I am not very musically inclined, but these elves were exceptional. After some humming and explaining the beat they caught on very quickly. I suppose hundreds or thousands of years of musicianship would do the trick.

Arwen's clear voice rang out to announce my moment. "Ellyn and Ellith! If I could have your attention." All eyes were drawn to her. "Our dear friend Sofia is very, very far from home. The other night she agreed to show us a dance from her homeland and my brother Elladan agreed to learn the steps. We want to welcome Sofia and look forward to learning this new dance."

I stepped forward with Elladan at my side. "From observing your moments on the dance floor, I must warn you that the dance of my people is far different. This type of danc, named salsa, is from my homeland and I am pleased to share it with you all." I gestured to the band and they began playing the opening chords. Elladan grinned at me in anticipation and I smiled back. Being with him made me feel calmer, as if the nightmare of my attack days earlier was nothing more than a dream.

One set of hands clasped and the other on each other's back, we began moving in time with the beat. Our bodies were close together as our feet moved in sync. Forward, back. Forward, back. Then came time for the spins. Elladan clasped my two hands above his as I circled right and then left. My hands came down to encircle his hand and once they reached his neck I unclasped them and trailed them down his arms. Grabbing my hands he spun me half-way around into his chest and then completed the same move to his other side.

I grinned up at him. "Not bad, rookie."

"I assure you, Sofia, I may be a rookie in your style of dancing but I know how to move my body." Elladan smiled smugly at me.

My eyes widened at his flirtation and he threw me outward and pulled me back into his embrace. I was breathing heavy, and I don't think it was from the strenuous moves. Still in his embrace, I whispered, "You may have years of experience, but I have skills you couldn't dream of."

Elladan grabbed both my hands and spun around me, leaving me facing his back and him clutching my hands to his chest. He pulled them down slowly. "Oh, I think I have dreamed about them."

My face flushed scarlet as I spun out of his embrace and began doing the steps in my own in a show of independence. As we had practiced earlier, he grabbed my waist from behind and spun me in a circle. I landed gracefully and extended my arm to him below my batted eyelashes in invitation. He took it and our feet began moving in sync again. I suppose he had a reason to be smug, he was nailing all the moves I taught him. When the music was drawing to a close he spun me out, pulled me in, and dipped me low. I lowered my head towards the ground as Elladan's face lowered to my chest.

The crowd broke out in cheers as we stood up, clasped hands, and bowed. While dirty dancing may not be an elvish norm, they sure seemed to appreciate it. Arwen came up to us he smile radiated her happiness. "Sofia! That was wonderful! The movements, so unlike ours but they were lovely. Please teach Aragorn and I!"

Elladan chuckled and kissed my still-clasped hand. "I will fetch us some beverage since my sister demands you attention." Arwen swatted him before he walked away.

Soon Ariellan and some other female elves were requesting me to teach them. Essentially the latter half of the banquet was a salsa lesson on one side of the dance floor. Clearly, it was not just the ellith who desired to learn; the males seemed to enjoy the dance just as much. Teaching the elves was so much fun and I must say, it was kind of nice to be able to teach people who have been alive for a few millennia!

After an hour of teaching I sat alone rubbing the soles of my feet. "Sofia, you have certainly been the belle of the ball tonight." I looked up at Haldir's smiling face and laughed lightly.

"Too bad no one told me being the belle of the ball meant sore feet."

"Are your feet too sore for another dance?"

I looked up at Haldir and contemplated. The flirting made me kind of uncomfortable and I wasn't sure if that was just him or not. With my recent confession to Elladan, I would hate to give Haldir the wrong idea or inflame Elladan. However, Haldir has shown to be a very good friend to me ever since I got here. It would be rude to ignore his request; especially when I enjoyed spending time with him. "Not at all, Haldir. Lead the way."

By now the band had taken a salsa break and was playing something fairly waltzy. "I'm not quite sure how to do this…" I trailed off.

Haldir raised an eyebrow at me. "You can teach us your dance but not learn our own?"

My lips pursed. "Of course not! I just meant you'll have to lead the way."

He smirked at my outburst. "I know what you meant. You're just amusing to get riled up."

I 'hmmmph'ed and he placed one hand on my waist and clasped my hand with the other. We began moving and I looked down at my feet to make certain they were going the right way. Haldir clucked his tongue and pulled my face up softly. "Do not watch your feet. Just look into my eyes, feel the dance. It's not about steps or form, but about feeling."

I looked into his blue eyes darkened by the dim light. We began to move slowly in circles and to the side. His hand felt warm on my back and I relaxed against him. That was the key to dancing- being relaxed.

"So," I started, "how is your evening going?"

"It started off well and it seems to be ending well." He smiled at me secretly.

Cocking my head to the side, I peered into his blue spheres. "You're kind of a flirt, ya know that?"

Haldir's chest rumbled with laughter. "I have heard that word addressed to me before Vancarmiel. I cannot help it if I am a speaker of truth when near a beautiful creature."

I laughed and shook my head at him. "You are quite the charmer, aren't you?"

"So says the creature who has bewitched me with her own charms." Haldir winked and smiled roguishly at me.

Again, I laughed. I began to feel more comfortable around Haldir, as I originally did. His flirts were nothing, I told myself. It's just how he is.

"Tomorrow, Sofia, you should visit my brothers and I. We're going to be training and I thought you might like to join us. As a warrior, I understand you probably cannot go for long without fighting."

I grinned at the thought of my fight with Elladan earlier. Yeah… Haldir had me pegged. "That sounds great, Haldir! I need to get back in practice."

The music ended. We both bowed and Haldir said, "Brilliant. We shall see you tomorrow then." He stood up and kissed my hand gently once again. "Hannon le for the dance, Vancarmiel"

"You're welcome Haldir." I yawned and quickly covered my mouth.

"Tired already?"

"Us simple human folk actually need to sleep, which by the look of this party, is not going to happen to the rest of the elves."

"Would you like me to escort you home now?"

Ooh. Awkward. "No thank you. I believe Elladan has already offered to walk me home."

Haldir's eyebrows rose slightly. "Indeed? I did not realize…"

Giving an embarrassed grin I said, "Its really no big deal, he's just walking me home."

His eyes brightened faintly. "Really?"

I felt myself trapped. I really did not feel like talking about Elladan so I just told Haldir the truth. "Um, actually, I really don't know what's going on…. But I think Elladan and I may be spending more time together while I'm here."

"Ah. Well, then. Lucky for Elladan." Haldir sighed. "I should probably return to Rumil who has drank a bit too much wine for his own good. Good night, Sofia."

"Good night, Haldir."

Like Haldir tapped out of the ring and played tag-team with Elladan, Elladan was at my arm next. "Ready to go home?"

I smiled. "Yes, please."

* Madre de Dios (Spanish): Mother of God

*Callate (Spanish): Shut up

*Meleth (Sindarin Elvish): Love

*Hannon lee (Sindarin Elvish): Thank you

Special thanks to:

*'Ese Hombre' by La India:

Ese hombre que tu vez ahi
Que parece tan galante
Tan atento y arogante
Lo conozco como ami
Ese hombre que tu vez ahi
Que aparente ser divino
Tan amable y efusivo
Solo sabe hacer sufir
Es un gran necio
Un estupido engreido
Egoista y caprichoso
Un payaso vanidoso
Inconciente y presumido
Falso malo rencoroso
Que no tiene corazon
Lleno de celos sin razones ni motivos
Como el viento impetuoso
Pocas vezes carinoso
Inseguro de si mismo
Insoportable como amigo
Insufirble como amor
Repeat all of the above and with feeling girl
Solo sabe hacer sufrir
Tu no tienes corazon
Me enganaste con traicion tu no tienes corazon
Ese hombre que tu vez ahi
Parece tan amable
Pero no es agradable
Me enganaste con traicion tu no tienes corazon
Pocas vezes carinoso
En un payaso vandioso
Que me llena de dolor
Tu no tienes corazon (repeat )
Tu me enganaste
Y me traicionaste
No te quiero ya
Falso malo rencorozo
Ya no te quiero mas
Tu me enganaste
Tu me enganaste
Y me traicionaste
Y me traicionaste
NO NO NO no...
No quiero vertr mas
NO NO NO ...
Tu me enganaste
Y me traicionaste
Ah ah ya no te quiro mas
Ya no voy a sufrir mas
Ese hombre ya se va!