Of Life and Lemonade

by J.Rhaye

You've heard that saying: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Amelia-centered AU fic follows her ups & downs and dealing with life & new friends. UPDATED! Chapter 38: Dance with the Devil

36. Goodnight and Go

Disclaimer: Slayers, Fruits Basket and its characters are owned by very talented people who make all the money. No harm is intended.

Chapter 36

Goodnight and Go

"I'll be back later tonight, okay Amelia?" Philionel said as he removed his jacket from the coat rack. He appeared so much older than he really was; Amelia could see several grey hairs amidst the jet black, and his face was gaunt and drawn, as if he was not sleeping properly…

"Okay, Daddy. Where are you going?"

"I've got some work to catch up on at the office. Don't worry. I'll be back in time for dinner."

Amelia frowned. "You've been working way too much lately. You need to take it easy, especially now."

He hugged her tightly, and then explained, "Your sister voiced her opinion to me as well. I'll tell you what I told her. Justice cannot sleep, daughter, and neither can I. We all must answer her call when she beckons!"

"But…!" she began, fully ready to pout until she got her way.

"Excuse me, Mister Phil, Amelia. We should go soon, Sir," Beth said, interrupting. She already had her coat on and her car keys in her hand.

"Yes. I'll be right there, Beth." When he nodded at her, she went to wait by the back door. He gazed down at his daughter with loving eyes. "I am a very lucky man to have such caring daughters. But justice awaits. I'll be back for dinner."

Amelia sighed and nodded. "Okay, Daddy. Be safe. I love you!"

"I love you, too."

He departed with Beth, and Amelia couldn't help but feel bad about him working so much. She hoped that there really wasn't anything that he was working on that was the cause of their troubles, but even if there was, surely Zelgadiss would tell her. After all, he told her that he would let her know what was happening from now on, and she was even trying to help him pore through all those airline records. She decided that no matter what the cause, they'd get through it because justice would win out!

She lowered the fist that was raised in her excitement, and looked around at the quiet house. She wondered where Jordan was. She checked his room, but it was empty, and his wallet and keys were gone. Then she remembered that he was off on a date with his girlfriend to watch a movie, and she couldn't help but feel a little jealous that even he was going out with someone.

Amelia realized that she was all alone.

She whistled for her puppy while she turned on the television in the kitchen. Ginger lifted her head and looked up from her bed and yawned, and then lowered her head and remained where she was. Amelia opened the refrigerator and pulled out the lunch meat to make herself a sandwich, not that she was really hungry, but she needed something to do. She had always found that when she was by herself, listening to music or watching television as she ate something seemed to soothe her nerves; after all, Amelia hated being alone.

As she pulled two slices of bread from the package, she realized that her puppy hadn't come to her to beg for food.

Well, that was a good thing… right?

"Ginger?" she called, wondering why her dog hadn't even come to greet her. Amelia approached her, and the golden ball of fur wagged its tail, but otherwise didn't move. "Ginger???"

Panicked, she knelt before her and placed a hand on her side, gently petting her. Again, the tail wagged, but she looked up at her master with such pathetic eyes.

"Come on, girl. Get up!" she coaxed, to no avail. Cold dread flooded her chest, and she picked up the phone. She knew what first aid to do with humans, but had absolutely no idea what to do when it came to animals. She found the card and dialed the number for the vet.

"Hello? Yes, I've got a puppy, a golden retriever. Ginger Seyruun… That's S-e-y-r-u-u-n. Oh. I think she's only… Well, I don't know really… Don't you have it there? I think she's maybe twelve weeks old now. Yes, she's had all her shots… Well, she's just lying down in her bed. She's not doing anything. Usually, she's very active and it's hard to get her to stay in one place. Well, I've called her, but the only thing she does is wag her tail. What do I do?"

She answered the questions that the receptionist asked, worrying more and more as the person sounded increasingly concerned. She listened to the instructions, nodding and scribbling down notes on a pad of paper. Finally, she hung up the phone and picked it up again. After dialing a number, she waited for a few moments before hanging up.

"Shoot. Jordan's probably in the movie theater now… Miss Lina's working, Miss Beth won't be home for another hour or so, and Mister Zelgadiss is out with Mister Xelloss and Mister Gourry… Maybe I can…"

Ginger whimpered, and Amelia immediately dialed his number. It went directly to voicemail, so she hung up. "Dammit!" Wracking her mind for other options, she ruled out using her motorcycle. Not only was it not what she was supposed to do, there was no way she could bring her dog to the vet that way. She took out her cell phone and scrolled through the numbers, and each one, she quickly ruled out. Finally, she came across one that was close enough that if he was available, he could get to her house in fifteen minutes…

"Hello?"

"Chad?"

"Amelia??? What's up?"

"I'm sorry for calling. Are you busy right now?"

"No. I was about to go running, but it can wait."

"Can I ask you for a favor…?"

Twenty minutes later, Amelia was sitting in her ex-boyfriend's car, cradling her ailing puppy as they drove to the veterinarian. She knew that it was asking a lot, but he was kind enough to come to her aid without asking many questions, and within the half hour, she was signing in at the front desk of the vet's office. They were asked to wait in the lobby while the doctor ran some tests and examined the dog. Amelia sat beside Chad, nervously wringing her hands.

"So, no one was able to give you a ride?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Yeah," she answered, wiping her hands on her jeans. "Miss Beth gave Daddy a ride to work and Jordan was on a date. Everyone else was either working or unavailable…"

"And I was the last one you could think of?" he wondered, and Amelia felt awful.

"I'm so sorry, Chad. I guess I shouldn't have…"

He laughed. "Aw, don't worry about it. You know I'd help you out if you ever needed it. After all, I still owed you from when you came over to clean up my apartment. I was just wondering if you were having problems with your family or that guy again."

"Oh, no. Nothing like that at all. I guess it's just way past time I got my own car back from the body shop. They're almost finished with it. I think they just need to get the chrome parts plated… oh… not that you'd be interested in that, I guess."

She realized that she was starting to babble again, and she abruptly stopped. Chad glanced sideways at her, and she avoided eye contact by looking around the waiting room. There were not many people in the waiting room, but the few that were there appeared as anxious as Amelia felt. Sure, she had only had her puppy for a few weeks, but she had already become attached to the animal. If anything was really wrong with her…

"Um… hey, you aren't crying, are you?"

Amelia wiped at her face. "Oh, I guess you think it's stupid for me to be so emotional about an animal, right?"

He shook his head. "No. I had two dogs of my own, remember?"

"That's right," she said, brightening up. "What happened to them?"

"My mom had my aunt take care of them when we moved, but now that my parents have moved to the island, they took them back. The apartment they have over there allows pets, so they decided to bring them along."

"Your parents moved to Wolfpack Island?"

"Yeah. They decided to move after Christmas, so it's just me at the apartment now."

"Isn't that lonely?" she wondered. She didn't know if she'd be able to live by herself, without at least one roommate.

"Naw, it's okay. I make enough money to pay for it myself, so I don't really have to depend on my parents. I just want them to make enough to get back on top of their finances and not worry about me. And besides, I like having the privacy when I'm not alone, you know what I mean?" he finished, leadingly.

Amelia looked at him blankly. "Well, I guess…"

He paused before asking, "You do know what I'm talking about, don't you?"

She thought about it for a moment and then blushed. "Oh. So you have a girlfriend, then?"

He smirked, clearly satisfied with himself. "Well, I'm not sure if I'm that serious about her, but we've gone on a few dates. What about you? Are you seeing that guy now, or did you wise up and dump him?"

"'That guy?' Who are you talking about?"

"Not that green-haired guy or that lawyer bastard. The other one, from the Citadel. You know, I think he broke your heart?"

"Oh. We're just really close friends," she explained, but before she could get very far, he stopped her.

"Well, I just hope you're happy," he said. "You deserve to be happy, Amelia. It seems that when I've seen you recently, it's like you're going through some rough stuff. He'd better treat you right."

She smiled and placed her hand on his. "Thank you. I hope you're happy, too, you know."

He smirked. "Well, I can't complain. Things are going good. And even though those thugs took my wallet, there weren't any unauthorized charges, and my identity hasn't been stolen, so that's good, huh?"

Amelia frowned. "I guess, but… If they wanted your money and your wallet so much, why didn't they even try to use any of that information?"

"You know, I've been wondering about that, too. What if that wasn't what they really…"

"Amelia?" A deep voice addressed her, cutting off what Chad was going to say. She looked up and was extremely surprised to see Zelgadiss standing there before her, looking rather ominous.

"Mister Zelgadiss? What are you doing here?" She pulled her hand back to her lap. His eyes followed her movements, and she had to remember that she wasn't doing anything wrong.

"I saw that I missed your call. Why didn't you leave me a message?"

"Well, I knew that you were with your friends, and I didn't want to bother you. And I needed a ride here quickly. Everyone else was busy."

He looked around, pointedly ignoring Chad. "Is Ginger okay?" he asked.

"The vet hasn't come out yet to let me know," she said, looking up at him.

Chad interrupted their conversation. "How did you know she was here if she didn't leave a message?" he asked.

Amelia didn't want to explain that Zelgadiss could track her position by her watch, but she didn't have to since Zel glared down at him and answered for her. "It wasn't hard to figure out. Beth said that the dog wasn't there and that the card for the vet was on the counter when she got home."

"Oh. So, you're like a detective or something?" he asked, and Amelia kicked him. He grinned and turned to her. "Did you still want me to wait with you?"

She seemed undecided for a moment, and then Zelgadiss answered for her. "I can take her home."

"Is that okay with you?" Chad asked Amelia, checking to make sure that she was okay with it. After all, Zelgadiss was being a little pushy.

"Yes," she answered, not really wanting either of them to get into a pissing contest. All she wanted was to make sure her dog was okay.

"Alright then," he said, standing up and picking up his jacket. "Give me a call later and let me know how your dog's doing, okay?"

She smiled at him. "Sure. Thanks again, Chad. I really appreciate your help." When Chad left, Zelgadiss settled himself into the empty seat. She turned to him. "And I appreciate your concern, Mister Zelgadiss, but you really didn't need to come. I was able to find a ride by myself, you know."

"You know that I would have driven you…"

"Well, the call went directly to voicemail, so I had to find someone else to bring us here."

"Then you should have left your cell phone on."

She fished her phone out of her purse and noticed that it was dead. "Sorry," she muttered. Not exactly quite sure why she was irritated, she crossed her arms and sighed. She supposed it was because she was worried about her puppy, but there were other things that were rubbing her the wrong way. Why did it seem that everyone was in a real relationship (even one that was probably merely physical, like Chad's) except for her? And why was Zelgadiss acting like a jealous boyfriend when he wasn't any such thing?

Her thoughts were interrupted when the exam room door opened and the veterinarian came out with Ginger in his arms. Amelia immediately stood and went to see them.

"How is she, Doctor A? What's wrong with her? Is she going to be okay?"

"Yes, she'll be fine," the vet said, handing the dog to her owner. "She's got a bad ear infection, so we cleaned out her ears and gave her an antibiotic shot. It looks like she's feeling better already."

Sure enough, Ginger's tail was wagging furiously and she licked Amelia's face happily. Zelgadiss appeared at Amelia's side and pat the dog on the head, and she turned to lick his fingers as he pet her. Then he accepted her from Amelia when she went to the desk to pay.

"You'll need to put three drops of this into each ear twice a day, once in the morning, and once at night," the vet was explaining to her, showing her a thin bottle with a long spout. Then he handed her a bottle of pills. "And she gets one of these twice a day as well, once in the morning, and once at night. Continue both for the next ten days, even if she looks like she's returning to normal, okay?"

Amelia nodded, examining both containers and making mental notes to herself as the doctor continued to give her instructions on cleaning the dog's ears. She paid for the visit and thanked the doctor, the tech and the receptionist, and accepted Ginger back from Zelgadiss. The puppy put her paws up on Amelia's shoulder and rested her head in the crook of her neck, as she supported the dog's body with her arms. Ginger sighed, her tail wagging happily.

As they walked out to his car, Zelgadiss took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Hi, Beth?" he said, and Amelia began to feel guilty again. "Yes, she's fine. We'll be back in a few minutes. Okay. You're welcome."

"Thank you, Mister Zelgadiss. I guess I should have left a note or something." He opened the door for her and she eased herself down into the seat, gently holding her dog. Ginger began sniffing at the center console, and Amelia pulled her back to her lap.

"She's not going to pee in my car, is she?" Zelgadiss asked when he sat down.

"No. She's just checking things out," Amelia laughed.

He smirked. "Good. I'd hate to throw her out the window if she does," he said, and she slapped his arm. "You know I'm kidding. I'm glad that she's okay." He reached over and ruffled the fur on the dog's golden head.

"I'm sorry, baby," Amelia crooned, scratching behind her ears. "I need to make sure your ears are clean from now on, huh?" Ginger licked her cheek.

"You were really worried about her, huh?" he asked.

She looked up at him. "Of course. Wouldn't you be?"

He thought for a moment. "I suppose so."

"Didn't you ever have a dog when you were little?"

"When I was younger, yeah. But after my parents died, I couldn't have one. My gra… I couldn't have one," he repeated and then was silent. Amelia for once didn't try to talk to fill up the silence since he was seemingly lost in his thoughts.

Amelia wondered what he was thinking about. It sounded like he was about to talk about his grandfather, and she didn't even want to bring him up to ask. The man was clearly still a sore subject to Zelgadiss, though it had been years since those events had happened. He was always so sensitive when it came to anything concerning his grandfather or Eris.

Eris…

She wondered what was so great about Eris that she had ruined him for anyone else. But then of course, there was the whole business about him not wanting to hurt anyone he cared about. Was it really that simple, or was there something more? At times, it seemed as if he could care less about the woman, but at others, it seemed as if he were obsessed with hating her. And sure, it could be said that Zelgadiss was consumed with Amelia now (especially with the way in which he had come to her 'rescue' today), but was it really her or was it this job of keeping her safe?

If he was really interested in her, then he'd want to do other stuff with her, instead of just protecting her and making sure she was safe, right? Well, he had asked her to go with him to the musical on Saturday, so maybe he was interested in becoming closer?

"Were you going to go back to see your friends once you drop me off?" she asked when he turned up her street, fully expecting him to say yes.

Curiously, though, he shook his head, and her hopes momentarily lifted.

Momentarily…

"Actually, I've got some errands to run. And since Beth's home, can I drop you off without worrying about you again?"

For some reason, that just irritated her, but she figured it was just because she had been worried about her puppy that she was so on edge. Though she tried not to let it bother her, she found herself saying, "I'm not a child, you know."

"Sorry. I'm doing it again, aren't I?" he said as he pulled into the driveway and parked. She nodded. "I'm sorry. Can I make it up to you?"

"You know you can't keep buying my forgiveness. That's… really… unjust." She poked him in the ribs with each word, and he tried to squirm out of her reach. She finally laughed.

"Who said anything about buying something?" he grinned as he grabbed her wrist, preventing her from poking him again. He pulled her close and said in a low voice, "I was thinking about something else…"

Amelia found herself blushing, but then Ginger barked at them and he let her go, looking a bit red in the face himself. He turned his attention to the dog and placed his hand on her head, patting her gently. "And you, you little brat. Don't be a problem for her, okay?" She licked his hand happily.

"Thanks for giving me a ride, Mister Zelgadiss. Are you sure you didn't want to come inside for a bit?" she asked as she corralled her dog, who was trying her hardest to wander over to Zelgadiss.

"No, that's okay, Amelia. I'd better go. I'll see you tomorrow," he said, and that was that.

She smiled and nodded, and holding Ginger carefully, she got out of his car and said goodbye. He waited until she entered the house before he departed, and Amelia was left feeling confused and a little troubled over their strange encounter. She supposed it didn't matter; her pup's health was more important at the moment.

oOoOoOo

Amelia closed her closet door and looked at herself in the mirror. She frowned at the reflection. Again.

Of the five dresses that her sister had given her to try on, only two were long enough to be considered 'evening gowns'; the other three were well above the knees. And of the two that she could use for the theater and the ball, the more conservative would have to be the one that she would be wearing to the Mayor's mansion; after all, she would be there representing her cousin and her father…

So that left this one.

Apparently, this was Gracia's very own "gravity-defying" design. The shiny pinkish material was thicker than she thought it would be, but still thin enough that it clung to her, not concealing very much. It was a strapless little number with a v-cut neckline that plunged to dangerous levels, and sloped down to an extremely low-cut back. There was a flexible, but strong, boning material sewn into the dress to keep it, as well as Amelia's well-endowed frame, in place. At least, that was the idea. Now that she was wearing the thing and moving around, she wasn't too confident in her sister's ability to defy gravity.

The skirt wasn't as bad as it could have been, but Amelia still wasn't too sure about a long dress that was as short as a mini-skirt in the front. The ruffled form helped to partially hide her legs, but only if she remained standing. The second she would sit, though, she might as well be wearing one of the other dresses. Between the low-cut back and the high hem in the front of the dress, she felt as if she needed to lean forward in order to make sure the dress stayed on her.

Amelia wondered what was worse: worrying that she would fall out of her dress, worrying that her dress would fall off of her, worrying what her father would say if he saw her tonight, or worrying that all of these would happen in front of Zelgadiss.

At least Gracia had had a brief thought about Amelia's feelings. She decided to leave her a cream-colored furry wrap that covered much of her risqué attire. There had been a floor-length cape that had been designed specifically for the dress, but Amelia staunchly refused to wear a cape with epaulets and a floating collar.

If there was something she did like about the dress, though, it was the fabric. Silvery winged serpents were woven into the opalescent pink fabric, and though the construction of the dress gave her pause, the material was strong and surprisingly breathable. It moved with her and didn't hinder her steps, something she dreaded given the length. If she could get through tonight without tripping on her dress, she would be very happy.

Her mother's silver jewelry, minus the broken bracelet, complemented her outfit well, and her strappy silver heels and small clutch purse completed the look.

Sighing again, Amelia wrapped the fur around her and steeled herself to go downstairs to await Zelgadiss' arrival. When she stepped into the living room, Beth took one look at her, and Amelia held up her hand.

"I know. I know… If Gracia hadn't asked me to wear one of her dresses, I wouldn't have. She's always so… so…"

Beth smiled and said, "Risqué? That's okay, dear. If it's any consolation, you look better than one of her models. I know I'm biased, but just you see how Mister Zelgadiss thinks you look," she finished with a wink.

Amelia blushed, despite herself. "He should be here any minute," she said, more to herself than to Beth. Jordan came wandering out of his room, took one look at her, and went to sit down on the couch, shaking his head.

"What's that for?" Amelia asked, but she already had a feeling she knew the answer.

"You're sister's nuts," he explained. Then he grinned. "But I've got to see what happens when Zel gets here."

"Oh, you stop!" she protested, getting even redder. She couldn't help being embarrassed; after all, she didn't realize her feelings for Zelgadiss had been so transparent to everyone else. "What time did Daddy say he was going to be home?" she asked, to take the attention from herself.

"Your Uncle will be dropping him off at six thirty, so you'll just miss him."

"I just don't understand why he's been working so much lately," she muttered, though she was grateful that he wouldn't be there to see her off. He had been working late almost every night and recently even on weekends. Even her sister had tried to get him to cut back on his hours. She wanted to ask him about what he was doing, but he always seemed so tired that she didn't want to bother him.

Amelia was distracted from her thoughts when the doorbell rang. Before she could step towards the door, however, Beth had already opened it and allowed their guest inside.

"Hello, Mister Zelgadiss. You look very dashing," Amelia commented as he stepped past the housekeeper. He was dressed in a black tuxedo that was cut to fit him perfectly. His jacket appeared to shimmer in the light, but Amelia couldn't make out the design. She made a mental note to take a closer look later.

Zelgadis seemed to glide as he entered the house, but he stopped short upon seeing his date.

"…"

To say that he was speechless was being kind: he was absolutely floored. Amelia was beautiful, of course. He had seen her dressed up for her prom and again for her birthday, and she was breathtaking even then. Tonight, though, he found her absolutely stunning. It wasn't even that she was wearing something that was obviously White Serpent in design; she was glowing as she smiled at him.

"You… you look great," was all he could say once he found his voice.

"Thank you. Shall we leave then?" she asked, almost too hurriedly.

"Wait," Beth said, stopping them and giving Amelia a chiding look. "Let me take your picture first. Your father would want to see how beautiful you look."

Before either of them could protest, she had lined them up in the curve of the stairs and beckoned Jordan to fetch the camera. Zelgadiss stood nervously beside Amelia, who clutched her wrap close to her small frame, but when Jordan raised the camera to take their picture, Beth impatiently motioned for them to get closer. Zelgadiss moved just an inch, but when they bumped into each other, his hand instinctively went around her waist.

Click.

"Tell Daddy not to wait up. We're off!" Amelia said, and ushered Zelgadiss out the door before Beth could talk them into more pictures. "I'm sorry about that," she explained as they walked down the steps to his Mustang. "I didn't think it would be such a production."

"That's okay. I should have thought of it myself." He actually had wanted a picture of them together… as friends, of course…

He opened the door for her and for a moment, she hesitated before stepping inside and sitting down gingerly. "Are you alright?" he asked when he sat down and started the car.

"Hmm? Of course. I'm really excited to be going."

"Okay." He was looking at her oddly, and then as if he had just decided on something, he reached into the back seat. "Here, I got you something."

He handed her a rectangular velvet box, and she glanced up at him curiously. "What's this?"

He grinned. "Just open it."

Opening the box, she gasped, hardly believing what she was seeing. It was a delicate gold tiara, with thin arches, increasing in height towards the center. Pearls topped the middle three arches, and within the center one, was set a large brilliant sapphire. What in the world…?

"I figured a princess needs a crown, right? This was my mother's. I figured she wouldn't have minded if I let a real princess borrow it."

"Mister Zelgadiss… I…"

"Just wear it. It will look great on you."

Unable to argue with him when he had spent so much time thinking about it, Amelia carefully removed it from its velvet case and placed it cautiously on her head. She checked her reflection in the visor mirror. It felt strange wearing a tiara, but angling it like a hair band, it didn't appear so imperious.

"How's that?" she asked.

He reached over and adjusted it a bit, and then declared it, "Perfect." Before she even had time to blush, his demeanor changed, and he said abruptly, "Well, let's go now."

The restaurant where they ate dinner was interesting, to say the least. They were met by two overly effusive waiters, but whether they were fawning over them because that was their job or if it was because of Amelia's flirty attire, Zelgadiss had no idea. The incident with Chad fresh in his mind, he put a possessive hand on her elbow as they were shown to their table and shot the men several warning glares before they pulled their eyes back into their heads. Several other patrons were watching them a bit more surreptitiously, but it didn't seem to bother him as much as it usually would. In fact, he was more than proud that he had such an attractive date…

Date…

The food was very good, but the servings left Amelia wanting more, even after having a spinach, mushroom and artichoke crepe, splitting a ham and cheese crepe with Zelgadiss, and single-handedly eating one of the strawberries and cream dessert crepes. In addition to the ham and cheese that he split with Amelia, Zelgadiss also had a red onion, feta cheese and steak crepe. He accepted a bite of her dessert, and then contented himself with a very good cup of French roast coffee.

As they left, he couldn't help but be amazed at her ability to eat so much and not look as if she had eaten a thing. She seemed to be a bit more comfortable in her dress than she had been when he picked her up. She even abandoned trying to cover herself with the fur wrap and allowed it to drape from her elbows.

He swallowed hard.

This was going to be a long night.

oOoOoOo

"The Phantom of the Opera" was popular whenever it came to town, so it was hardly surprising that there was a long line to valet park their car on opening night. In fact, there was even a red carpet and paparazzi line.

"Can we just park and walk in?" Amelia asked, and Zelgadiss was never more grateful for her thoughtfulness. He pulled around the line and continued on until he saw the sign for self-park. He turned in to the parking garage and wove his way through the maze of cars.

"Sorry. I didn't want us to have to go very far, but…"

"Oh, that's okay. I don't mind walking if you don't."

Once they found a parking spot and walked up to the theater, it was apparent that they would still have to travel through the herd of people crowding the front of the building. As they strode down the walkway, Zelgadiss began to feel a little self-conscious, but Amelia took his arm and fell into step beside him. By the time they arrived at the line of people waiting to get inside, his discomfort was forgotten as he turned his attention to issuing warning glances to the various people ogling his companion.

"It's okay, Mister Zelgadiss. They're just looking at my sister's dress. She does have a great habit of creating the newest fashion trends."

"Actually, they're looking at the girl in the dress," he muttered to himself, though he did hear several people whispering, "…White Serpent…"

Well, maybe he was being a little jealous. He couldn't help it, though. When he had found her the other day at the vet, and she was holding her ex-boyfriend's hand, well… it just made him realize that she was still very available, and that he didn't have any kind of a claim to her. Of course, they already spent a lot of time together, but that wasn't really a reassuring thought, especially when people still stared at her even when he was with her.

Once they got through the line and arrived at the front doors, they handed their tickets to the attendant with the scanner.

"To the right, one flight up. You'll see the door to the box seats on your left," he instructed.

"Thank you!" Amelia gave him a smile, and set off into the theater, taking Zelgadiss' hand as she went.

She led him through the crowd of people milling around the lobby, schmoozing and hobnobbing. They were all wearing the latest fashions, even a few of the fall White Serpent dresses. Those women eyed Amelia with envy as she passed them by, but she didn't stop long enough for them to admire the dress or denounce the wearer.

Amelia paused at a kiosk and requested a program, which Zelgadiss paid for, and then continued on up to the stairs. She released his hand, and very carefully walked up the steps, taking care to hold onto the handrail.

"Are you feeling okay?" Zelgadiss asked once they reached the top step. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" she said, once again taking his arm and looking around for the door they needed to find.

"Well, you've been very tentative about getting in and out of the car and again going up these steps. Are you alright?"

"Oh…" How was she supposed to tell him that she was afraid she was going to trip or fall or do something that would expose herself? "Oh… well, I guess I'm not really comfortable wearing this dress. I don't want to fall, you know?"

Zelgadiss smirked. "Well, I think you wear it well," he said, sort of hoping to see her blush. Sure enough, she rewarded him by flushing a pretty shade of pink. "Here we are."

They arrived at a door that led to the private box seats, and they showed the usher their tickets. He let them inside, and showed them up a short flight of steps to their box. Behind the door was a dark alcove, and Amelia stopped short, her eyes not able to adjust quickly enough to the darkness. Zelgadiss bumped into her, sending her forward towards the heavy curtain, but he caught her around her waist before she fell.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, pulling her back upright. "You okay?"

Amelia passed her hands over her dress, making doubly sure that it was still in place. As she did so, she realized that his arm was still around her middle, holding tight, and her knees suddenly became very weak.

"Um…"

"Amelia?" he breathed in her ear. Goosebumps raced up her arms.

"I… I'm fine," she whispered, half-expecting his lips to brush her cheek. She didn't make a motion to pull away from him, but his arm relaxed, and she had no choice but to take a step forward. "I couldn't see anything in here," she laughed nervously, pasting a smile on her face, though she wasn't sure if Zelgadiss could see her.

"That's okay. Just step carefully. There's a curtain up ahead that's blocking the light," he explained, and he took her elbow and led her forward. "I don't understand why it's closed right now. I thought it was supposed to stay open until the show starts…"

He had just pulled back the curtain when they were assaulted by light, sound, and…

Naga.

"Oh, here they are!" Naga exclaimed when she spotted them, and she immediately stood to greet them. Dressed in a rather conservative (for her) deep purple, skin-tight, sparkly strapless dress and long black gloves, she tossed her black fur wrap carelessly onto her chair. Her companion, dressed in a deep red Chinese-style overcoat trimmed in white fur, had also stood upon their arrival. He had long silvery hair and grey eyes, and something about him seemed vaguely familiar. He seemed as if he was bursting to talk with them, but Naga beat him to it.

"Oh, so I suppose you ended up using the fur instead of the cape, then, did you?" She eyed Amelia critically. "Well, not that it matters, because my accessories match almost everything in my line. It looks good. Now, the dress is a little loose around the waist here," she said, playing with the ruffles, "but overall a good fit. Now, what's with the tiara? It's not one of mine. And it doesn't even match Mom's silver jewelry…"

"Mister Zelgadiss let me borrow it today," Amelia said before her sister could insult her date. "It was his mother's."

"Hmm…" Naga eyed it critically, then looked her sister up and down, and then shrugged her shoulders. "Well, like I said before, White Serpent goes with most anything. And speaking of Mom's jewelry, where's your bracelet?"

Amelia hesitated for the briefest of moments before answering dutifully, "At home. The hinge and the clasp broke."

Naga frowned at her and shook her head. "Get it fixed."

"I know. I know…" Amelia began, but her sister turned her attention to her friend.

"And you." Zelgadiss looked as if he wanted to disappear behind the curtain. Naga prevented it by putting her hands on his shoulders, and critically tugging and smoothing out his tuxedo. Before she could let her hands wander below his waist, he gently grabbed her wrists, stopping her.

"I'm not one of your models, Naga."

She huffed as he released her. "Well, you look good, of course. But the cut isn't perfect. I still think you should have let us measure you."

"Hey, I'm wearing it, aren't I?" he grumbled.

"Yes, but there's a difference between wearing a White Serpent and wearing a White Serpent."

Amelia finally chimed in. "Gracia, you're making men's clothes now?"

"I believe that's my cue," Naga's companion buzzed. He advanced on Amelia so quickly that she backed into Zelgadiss, who gently guided her behind him. The gentleman seemed unfazed. "Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Ayame Sohma, owner and designer of White Snake fashions."

"Wh… White Snake?" Amelia wondered.

"Yes. Located at the corner of Main and 12th for seven years now, we specialize in making dreams come true!" His eyes were closed, and a look of pure joy shone on his face. One hand was pressed delicately over his heart while the other was extended out towards them, as if beckoning them to join him in his ecstasy.

"Dreams?" she asked.

Zelgadiss shuffled Amelia behind him just a bit more, well out of the man's reach. He knew the street corner that he was referring to. It was a seemingly innocent business that sold costumes (as well as other paraphernalia) for adult fantasy…

"Interesting that you didn't sue Naga when she came out with White Serpent fashions," he said, trying to change the subject and keep him from having to explain to Amelia what his business was really all about.

Ayame opened his eyes and smiled, nonplussed at Zelgadiss' critical glare.

"Well, the thought had crossed my mind, of course, but she was based out of Atlas City, while Saillune was my humble city of choice, and never the twain shall meet. Or, so I thought. After a couple of years having to deflect customers who wandered into my store to purchase Miss Naga's designs, I decided that action must be taken. Of course, the businesspeople that we are, we saw the infinite possibilities of joining forces to take the fashion world by storm."

This time, he extended his arm straight up and pointed his forefinger at the ceiling.

"I saw the opportunity to expand my reach into the world of high fashion, and your sister saw the opportunity to expand into the delicate world of lingerie. And, we both saw the fabulous opportunity to delve into the world of men's fashion." He lowered his finger to point at Zelgadiss. "You, young man, are the very first to wear a White Serpent tuxedo. And, might I say, you actually wear it quite well."

Zelgadiss could feel his face beginning to get red, and he reacted the first way he knew how.

"You!" he hissed, rounding on Naga. "I had a perfectly good tuxedo at home, but you told me that you didn't want me embarrassing your sister. How is this any different? How did we get roped into being your own private fashion show?"

"That stupid tuxedo that you've been wearing for years is old and pathetic, Zel," Naga said, clearly bored. "With the looks Tes was going to be getting, I couldn't afford to have you in anything so threadbare. This was the perfect occasion in which to spotlight our new men's line. Besides, I didn't try to get you to wear anything from White Snake, did I?"

But then Amelia took his arm and guided Zelgadiss away from her sister and her guest.

"I got the tickets from my sister, Mister Zelgadiss. I didn't know that this was what she had in mind when she gave them to me, and if I had, I wouldn't have asked for them. But we're here now. Can we please try to have a good time, regardless of what they wanted us for?"

"Do you know what his shop is?" he asked, eyeing the other two carefully.

"Yes. I just remembered which one it is. But that doesn't mean that we're connected directly to it. He's a business partner of my sister, and we're wearing decent clothing created by their business. It's not like we're using any of his other stuff, right?" she asked calmly.

He sighed. "You're right. But can I still sit on the end? I don't want to interact with him any more than I have to."

She smiled. "Don't worry. I'll deflect for you."

"Thank you," he said gratefully, and he settled into the seat beside the wall.

Naga rolled her eyes at him and relaxed into her seat closest to the audience, where she could be in full view of the theater. That left Amelia and Ayame to sit beside each other, something Zelgadiss was not at all happy with, especially when Amelia's dress bared her legs when she sat down.

"So, my dear Amelia," he began, much to Zel's displeasure. "I hear from my brother that you are one of little Tohru's friends from school."

"Your brother?"

"Of course. Yuki Sohma is my precious little brother. I would love to have seen him in one of our tuxedos beside you tonight, but alas, he staunchly refused, and your sister had said that you already had a date."

"Oh, I didn't know that. I don't know Mister Yuki very well, though."

"I can assure you that if you did, he would instantly become one of your close friends…"

Before he could go on, though, something finally clicked in Zelgadiss' head.

"Sohma?" he asked, to no one in particular.

"Why, yes," Ayame said, glad to have another person he could talk at.

"Are you related to Doctor Hatori Soh…"

Before he could finish the sentence, Ayame stood up, reached across Amelia, and grabbed Zelgadiss' arm.

"You know my dearest friend??? Haa…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Zelgadiss had prized his hand from his arm and shoved it away. He glared daggers at the other man until he lowered himself into his seat, yet Ayame still did not seem bothered by his rudeness.

Placing a calming hand on her date's clenched fist, Amelia leaned forward between them with a strained smile and blurted out, "Oh, look. They're going to start soon."

Thankfully, she was correct. The orchestra had been tuning up while they had been talking, and the lights began to dim. A hush fell over the crowd, and then before long, the curtain rose and the production began with the Auction...

Zelgadiss slackened his grip and opened his hand. Amelia slipped her hand into his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. It was dark, and everyone's attention was on the stage, so he leaned over to her and whispered into her strawberry-scented hair.

"Thank you, Amelia."

She turned to him with a smile, and then returned her attention to the play. Well, even with the third and fourth wheels in the box with them, Zelgadiss was still enjoying himself – of course, he usually enjoyed whatever he happened to be doing if Amelia was around…

For all the times they had both seen the musical, it was still a magical experience for each one. Amelia loved the story, adored the romance and the heartache, and soaked in the lyrics. But now that she was older, she could see how much work and planning went into each show. Each venue was different, and the different aspects of the musical had to be carefully planned out. In fact, the chandelier in the last production she had seen hadn't even fallen to the stage. She was more than pleasantly surprised to find that in this production, the chandelier, in all its glory, would make its harrowing journey to the stage in grand fashion. So, she was paying close attention to the costumes and the effects, the sound and the choreography, and she found that she liked it even more.

Zelgadiss typically enjoyed the spectacle of the performance, appreciated the talent of the actors and actresses, and immersed himself in both the harmony and planned cacophony of the music. His current mood, however, turned his attention to the tale being told. In fact, the basic story was one in which he had always enjoyed. 'Cupid and Psyche' had been one of the more interesting myths that he had read in high school. When he had been whole and unscarred, it was just a story, the closest thing to romance that he would admit taking a liking to. After all, he appreciated the classics, and he had always decided that he merely liked the story because it was a classic. However, after his accident, he found that some of his old favorites took on a new meaning: 'Cupid and Psyche'; 'Beauty and the Beast'; 'Cyrano de Bergerac'; 'Phantom of the Opera'…

Now that the beast had found his beauty, which story would 'Zelgadiss and Amelia' become?

To Amelia's great delight, the chandelier 'crashed' to the stage to end the first act. The lights came up, and she turned a brilliant smile to her companion, who still held her hand gently in his.

"That was so cool," she gushed. "I loved the actress who played Christine. She was able to hit the high notes so well, especially on 'The Phantom of the Opera'. And the actor who played the Phantom was very good. He really showed how sensual 'Music of the Night' was. Oh, but did you see how the boat kind of got stuck near the gate? The actor had to really push with that staff to get it moving again!"

Zelgadiss smiled. "How many times had you seen this before?"

She thought for a moment before saying, "Four."

"Well, I've got you beat. I saw it five times."

"What do you think of this production?"

"So far, it's very good. But I was able to see the original actor who played the Phantom, so I'm probably a little spoiled."

"You did too? I saw him when it was playing here six years ago. Of course, I don't think I appreciated the fact that it was him, but he really was the best…"

Someone behind them cleared her throat, and Amelia jumped in surprise, pulling her hand away quickly as she turned around. Naga was staring down at them, her eyebrow raised.

"Excuse me, Zel. Tes and I need to use the powder room. Come on."

"Sorry, Mister Zelgadiss," Amelia whispered as she stood, leaving her wrap behind on her seat.

He watched her follow her sister behind the drawn curtain, and couldn't help but watch her. Damn, she wore that dress well… Of course, without the wrap, he saw just how low the back of her dress went, and he fought the urge to call her back and make her take the fur.

"She's a beautiful young lady," Ayame said, watching them leave as well.

"They both are," Zelgadiss commented, not wanting to give him any more information than was necessary.

"Well, of course. I was merely making a point that you make a lovely couple."

"We're not a couple, and I'm not interested in any of your products," Zel grumbled, hoping to stem any possible conversation the man might bring up.

Ayame merely laughed. "Oh, well, that's too bad. I wasn't trying to sell anything, though. I was just making an unbiased observation." With a smile, he turned his attention to his program.

Okay, so maybe he was jumping the gun and allowing his initial impression of this guy get to him. Knowing how Amelia would want him to act, he swallowed his pride, turned in his seat and stuck out his hand.

"I guess I never properly introduced myself. Zelgadiss Greywords."

Ayame took his hand and shook it heartily. "Pleasure to meet you Mister Greywords. So, tell me how you know my cousin…"

oOoOoOo

The private boxes had a separate set of bathrooms, and Amelia and Naga had just a short walk to go. As they stood in line, the elder sister was whispering to the younger, and the other people were whispering amongst themselves about the two beautiful young women.

"So, are you two a thing now?"

"I think that's Naga herself."

"What are you talking about?"

"The tall one. You know, White Serpent?"

"Holding hands?"

"Oh. So who's the other one?"

"We're close friends."

"A friend? I don't think so."

"Give me a break. I thought you kissed."

"Girlfriend?"

"Close friends can kiss without it meaning anything."

"I don't think so."

"Did it mean anything to you?"

"Well…"

Amelia supposed that was the real problem. It did mean something to her, even if it didn't to Zelgadiss. She wanted more out of their relationship, but he never even brought up the possibility of being closer than friends. Sure he wanted to get to know her, and sure he wanted to be near her, but did he want more, too?

There were times when he would look at her a certain way, or act a certain way, in which she would believe that he was thinking about being with her the way she wanted to be with him. But, inevitably, his mood would shift, and he would dissociate himself, not being outright cold, but… distant. She couldn't figure out what was going on in his head, and it was difficult not to get bothered by this fact.

She felt as if she were on a Ferris wheel, constantly moving, but never getting anywhere, just going around and around in one big circle… It was almost as bad as standing still; Amelia hated standing still.

Her sister didn't wait for her after using the bathroom, and Amelia decided that she needed to walk around a bit to clear her head. She headed out to the concourse and decided to look around at the souvenirs. There was a large crowd around the booth, and she shuffled around trying to get a look at the t-shirts and CDs. Again, she heard the whispers around her as she tried to mind her own business. Used to the attention, she concentrated on catching the vendor's attention so she could find out the price of a gold-trimmed commemorative mug.

She was so engrossed in her task that she was more than a little surprised when she felt a hand on her back. Her elbow moved before she could think, and she caught the man square in the gut as she turned around. Luckily for Zelgadiss, he was used to her reactions, and had prepared himself for just such a response.

"Oh, Mister Zelgadiss, I'm sorry," she whispered, though the people around them had noticed what had happened and were already chuckling. She placed a comforting hand on his chest, but he just laughed it off, drawing her close as the press of people closed in on them.

"My fault," he coughed, surreptitiously glowering around at the people. "Were you going to get anything?"

She glanced back, and a small opening had formed at the counter. Before she could ask, he stepped forward and caught the vendor's attention.

"What did you want, Amelia?" he asked, pulling her forward.

"How much is the mug?" she asked and was told that it was twenty dollars. She made a face. "Okay. How about the women's t-shirt?"

He informed her that it was twenty five, and Zelgadiss grumbled something incoherent about the exorbitant prices. Sighing, she decided on just the mug and dug into her small purse. She handed the vendor a twenty dollar bill, and then accepted the bag with a grimace before walking away, slightly irritated, and inadvertently leaving Zelgadiss behind.

"Hey, didn't you want the shirt, too?" he asked when he finally caught up with her away from the throng of people. She had walked quickly and determinedly across the concourse, and he had to put his hand on her arm to stop her.

They stood near the railing overlooking the lobby below, and he slowly positioned himself between her and the banister. There was no way he would let anyone get so much as a glance up her skirt if he could help it.

"Oh, that's okay. The mug is enough. All that stuff was just way too expensive to have to wade through that mob." She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. When she opened her eyes, she was finally smiling. "So, was it too crowded in the box?"

He smirked, quite interested to see how quickly she released her stress. "Yeah. That guy is a lot to handle," he said.

"I'm so sorry about that," she began. "I knew my sister was going to have a box for opening night, so that's why I asked her if I could have two of the tickets. And when she gave them to me, I had no idea that this was what she had in mind. If I had, I wouldn't have asked her for them."

"No. It's alright. I just wish I knew this was what your sister had in mind when she sent me this tux."

"Well, it does look good on you, by the way," she said slyly, winking at him.

Despite himself, he reddened as he muttered, "Thanks." Deciding that turnabout was fair play, he smirked. "And how about you?" he asked, looking her up and down for really the first time that night. He had always tried to avert his eyes, tried not to stare, but this time, he allowed himself to drink her in. The ruffles of the skirt were causing havoc for him, because they were designed to play peek-a-boo as she walked, and fully reveal her legs when she sat. The skin-tight bodice of the dress was actually an amazing design to be able to provide support with such thin material and virtually no back support. And there was no question that Amelia could fill it out.

His eyes returned to her face, and he was pleasantly surprised to see her cheeks the same shade as her dress. "You really do look great," he said, lightly touching her arm.

"Excuse me," someone said, tapping Zelgadiss on the shoulder. He sighed and looked up at the ceiling, hoping that it was really just his imagination…

Tap tap.

"Yes?" he said, exasperatedly as he turned around. Just when things were going so well…

"Detective?"

He was surprised to see the records clerk who had always helped him at work. She was standing there in a very pretty green dress, and her hair was down in long curls. Her date was standing beside her in a nondescript black suit eying them both.

"Miss Gordon?"

"Oh. I thought that was you. I didn't know you had tickets for tonight."

"Yeah. My friend Amelia," he brought her forward, "had two tickets."

"Hello," Amelia said, sticking out her hand and shaking the other woman's.

"Hi. I'm Elaine. This is my fiancé, Rudy. I work in the Records office at the police station."

"Nice to meet you. Amelia Seyruun."

"…Oh… Miss Seyruun… Are you…?"

Zelgadiss stepped in and interrupted, "Yes, she is."

Understanding dawned on the young woman's face and she asked, "Is that why you're…?"

He nodded matter-of-factly, and then looked over their shoulders. "Hey, I'm sorry. We've got to get back to our party now. I'll see you on Monday, okay? Oh, and Miss Gordon, don't forget that it's a sealed case," he added in a whisper as he stepped past her. She looked appalled and nodded furiously, but Zelgadiss told her not to worry about it. After quick goodbyes, he ushered Amelia back across the concourse to their box seat entrance.

"We still had time to talk, Mister Zelgadiss."

"I know. I just don't want… well, I'm not that sociable." He opened the door for her, and they stepped into their curtained box.

She laughed. "Well, how are you going to get any better if you don't try it?"

He gave her a strained smile before finding his seat and settling in. Amelia saw that her sister and her companion were chatting with a couple in the next box, so she perused her program as they waited for the second act to start. It was interesting to see how Zelgadiss acted around other people, but she found it odd that he didn't let Elaine finish her sentences. Maybe she had been trying to ask about Amelia and her family's case, and he didn't want her to let anyone know that something was going on with her family. He seemed always to be looking out for her.

She leaned over to him and whispered, "If I forget to tell you, thank you for a wonderful night, even though it was supposed to be my gift to you. And thank you for watching out for me and my sister."

He smiled and patted her hand, but then Naga noticed that they had returned and accosted him, forcing him out of his chair and back into the curtained area.

"Yes, Naga?" he asked, sighing. "I'm not going to go strutting out to show off this thing, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I wasn't really expecting that from you anyway. I'm just glad that you wore it. You really would have looked ridiculous next to her otherwise. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. What's going on with my case?" she whispered fiercely.

"I think there are other more important things going on right now with your family."

"Yes, I know, but that didn't change the fact that you took my case after you were already working on Daddy's. And I've paid you three times already!"

"And you would already know that I haven't cashed any of your checks. I told you that you don't have to pay me until after I solve the case."

"Well, whatever. You still missed a great opportunity the other day to talk to Christopher and ask him questions about it."

"To be honest, I don't really think he had anything to do with your mother's death."

"What???" she almost shrieked, and they both looked nervously at their companions, but Amelia was looking out over the balcony and Ayame was still chatting with the people in the next box. Zelgadiss fought the urge to go over to her and make her sit back down in her seat. Not that he really thought that she would fall over, but… Amelia did have a tendency to take the oddest tumbles at the most inopportune times.

"What would he have to gain by it?" he asked, regaining the thread of their conversation. "If it wasn't a murder-suicide by your other uncle, then what would Christopher have to gain? They had no connection other than relation: no investments, no businesses, and no romances. After her death, he had no monetary, business or personal advantages. If I was him, and I wanted something from your family, I'd probably go after your father. He's the elder brother in a long line of a very influential family. After all, it's not unheard of in your history."

"You think it was about that?"

He shook his head. "No, not at all. I'm saying it was probably not your uncle. You said that you were all surrounded by people your family trusts, good friends, family, and business associates at the resort, right? Then, if it wasn't either of your uncles, then it was probably someone else, someone she knew and trusted. The problem is, there were about a hundred people there, and many of them are people your family still has regular contact with. You know that, or you wouldn't have given me information about all those other people who were there. So, I think it's a little more difficult a case than you had originally thought. They're still out there, and they're still close."

She frowned for a moment and then glanced at her sister anxiously. A sudden sinking feeling formed in his gut and he grabbed Naga's arm.

"What does she have to do with this?" he whispered intensely.

"Nothing! Nothing at all," she answered all too quickly, and the knot of fear began to grow.

"Be straight with me, Naga."

She shook her head. "No one, and I mean no one, knows anything about her and that night, Zel. So you don't need to, either. Don't ask again, and don't even think about asking her," she added seriously. He had never seen her so resolute before.

"Okay," he allowed, "but if she's in any danger because if this…"

"She won't be as long as no one knows…"

Zelgadiss frowned, but let it go. Every family had its secrets, and he supposed this was one of those times when it was best to leave it be. He wouldn't forget it, though, and decided that he would follow up on it once his main case was over. Of course, he still worried that the two were tied together, but it was merely a hunch, and he had yet to find any concrete evidence that supported his thoughts.

"Fine," he conceded. "What about you? You're taking care to be safe while you're here?" he asked. "There are an awful lot of people out there."

She smiled, and was obviously glad to be changing the subject. "Yes. Bradley is waiting for me out in the lobby. And besides, since I've taken our safety very seriously, I'm experimenting with some interesting fabrics that are tougher than they look. Military grade, actually."

"Really? This dress?" he asked interestedly.

"Yes, it is, and my sister's, too, though she's not wearing the cape that's supposed to protect her back. It may feel and look thin, but the cloth is a mix of natural and synthetic fibers – some high tech stuff my research lab was working on - woven in such a way that it can withstand a twenty-two caliber bullet from ten feet. I'm working on getting it to be more effective from a closer range, but that would mean a thicker fabric."

"Wow. That's amazing, Naga."

"Yes, well, of course I'm amazing! Oh ho ho ho ho ho!" she laughed, walking back to her seat.

"I said, 'that's amazing,' not 'you're amazing' you know," he grumbled, returning to his seat beside Amelia.

"What's amazing?" she asked him.

He smirked. "Your dress."

She blushed again, and he sat back, satisfied.

"So, did my sister ask you about my uncle?" she asked, sounding annoyed.

"Yes."

"Do you think he had something to do with…?"

"No," he answered quickly. "I need to do more research, but right now I've got more important things to worry about." He leaned in close to her. "Yeah, that means you."

She beamed, but then quite suddenly, he composed himself and returned his attention to the stage as the orchestra began playing again. Sighing again, she turned her focus to the show. The second act was full of flash and flair, music and melancholy, love and loss. Amelia sat forward for the entire act, cheering loudly after 'Masquerade' and sniffling by the end of the show. Though Zelgadiss enjoyed all the previous times he had seen the musical, he had never enjoyed it as much as he did tonight. He already knew why that was, but even now, he tried not to acknowledge it.

"Well, we're off," Naga declared, standing up and gathering her things when the lights came up. Ayame was already pulling back the curtain for her. Zelgadiss and Amelia stood to see them off.

"It was nice meeting you Mister Ayame. Good luck on your business."

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Amelia. You too, Mister Greywords. I hope to see you both in more of our designs soon," he declared with a flourish of his arm.

Zelgadiss grumbled under his breath, but he merely nodded at the designer. As usual, Naga was talking to Amelia as if she were giving instructions to a subordinate.

"Tes, don't forget your wrap. Tell Daddy I'm fine and that I'll call him tomorrow. And you'd better get Mommy's bracelet fixed, too."

"Yes, Gracia. Stay safe," Amelia said softly, hugging her sister tightly. "Thank you for the dress."

Naga smirked. "Thanks for showing it off so well for me. Zel, don't keep her out too late, okay?" she said, 'kissing' his cheek.

He was glad that she didn't actually make contact with him. Normally, he would have blushed and felt embarrassed by her actions, but he merely patted her shoulder and said, "Take care."

The White Serpent/White Snake duo gave them a wave and left, and outside the door, several people were already leering and gawking at them, but among them was the familiar face of Naga's assistant and bodyguard, Bradley. He nodded at Zelgadiss before his boss garnered his attention and the door to the box shut behind them.

Amelia made to pick up her things and follow them after they left, but Zelgadiss stopped her.

"It's a zoo out there," he explained. "Would you mind if we waited until it dies down?"

"No, not at all." She walked over to the balcony and stretched her arms above her head – damn, why did she have to do that??? She turned around and leaned back against the banister. "This was a really interesting night, Mister Zelgadiss. Did you have a good time?"

He joined her there and furtively placed his arm behind her, not wanting her to fall back. "Yes, I had a great time." They sat enjoying the peace and quiet and each other's company for several minutes before he said, "Thanks a lot for the tickets, especially after the way I treated you before. I can't say sorry enough, you know."

"Oh, you don't have to say it anymore. Just forget about it." She patted his thigh, feeling quite bold, and leaned into him.

He looked down at her, and she had that playful look on her face. He lowered his forehead to hers and said in a low voice, "Okay." They remained that way for several quiet moments, their breathing slow and steady, and their faces mere inches away from each other. All he had to do was lean forward, just a bit…

Abruptly, he pulled away instead, causing her to sway. He caught her and then stood, glancing around at the empty theater. It appeared that they were the last ones there.

"Well, it looks like it'll be clear now. Shall we go?"

His unexpected change in demeanor surprised her, but at the same time, it didn't. This was getting kind of old…

She blinked a few times before she sighed and gathered her things, following him out the door. Sure enough, the crowds had thinned, and only a few stragglers remained. They made it down to the lobby without being accosted, but the second they got to the front doors they saw several photographers still waiting for pictures. Zelgadiss steered Amelia to the side and approached the nearby usher.

"Is there another exit from here? I don't want to deal with all of that," he asked, pointing at the front doors.

"Yes. The side doors exit directly to the street, but some of the photographers go there, too."

"We'll try it out. Thank you."

The exit was not at all crowded, and the lone photographer didn't even raise his camera to take their picture. Apparently, he decided that they weren't anyone interesting, and he was glad that the man had no idea who Amelia was.

They found themselves out on the side street, which was nowhere near as busy as the main street. The orange streetlights lit the mostly empty road, and the one or two straggling couples out and about were taking their time strolling down the sidewalk. They followed slowly as well, but when they rounded the corner to continue down the block to get to the parking garage entrance, the breeze began to pick up. Amelia pulled her fur closer to her, but Zelgadiss stopped and took off his jacket.

"Here. Put this on. I'm not letting you get cold again. It's only been a few weeks since you fainted, you know."

She nodded and gratefully accepted his coat, allowing him to put it around her shoulders.

"Thank you, Mister Zelgadiss," she said, putting her arms through and shrugging it on. She held her unused wrap lightly in her hands.

His hands lingered on her shoulders as he stood closely behind her, and ever so slowly, allowed them to run down the length of her arms. Shivers followed, and Amelia had to fight to keep from shaking, though she was hardly chilled.

"…"

Again, they were both silent and still; the air between them seemed heavy with unspoken emotion. His hands rested lightly on her wrists, and he seemed frozen, unsure of what to do next. This time, she wasn't going to let him off so easily. Dropping her wrap, she spun her hands around and caught his in hers, gently pulling them around her into a hug. Forced though it was, he didn't resist, and he tightened his hold on her slightly. She smiled, knowing that he couldn't see her face, and enjoyed the small romantic moment that circumstance had afforded them.

Honk honk… "Get a room!!! Ha ha ha!"

Zelgadiss jumped away from her, looking around quickly at their surroundings as if he just realized where they were. The car that had buzzed by them continued down the street and disappeared around a far corner. His attention was wholly engrossed by the actions of those people who were long gone.

It was always like this, and she couldn't figure out why. He showed her tiny tidbits of affection, so she felt as if he cared about her, but she didn't really know how he truly felt since he had never said it out loud. She was beginning to get tired of the uncertainty and the abrupt changes in behavior. She had a feeling that when they got to the car, he wouldn't want to drive somewhere to have coffee or to talk. He would want to merely bring her home, and then say goodnight and go.

This was not the way that she expected this night to go. Extremely frustrated, Amelia sighed yet again, and bent down to pick up her discarded fur wrap.

"Shall we get going, then?" she asked wearily.

"Uh, yeah, of course…"

They continued on in silence, but this time, it was an uncomfortable silence, and the walk back to the car seemed much longer than either had thought. Finally, thankfully, the familiar black convertible was before them, and Amelia had already opened the door and sat down before Zelgadiss could even attempt to open it for her. Shrugging, he shut the door behind her and then walked around the car to the driver's side. He took a quick glance around the parking garage before getting inside and starting up the car.

They had made it to the freeway before Zelgadiss spoke.

"Wow. It's already past eleven o'clock. I think I'd better just bring you home. Okay?"

"Sure," she answered, not bothering to turn to look at him. Her attention was fixed on the passing scenery, and he had a feeling that she was mad at him for some reason. What had he done?

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked.

This time she turned to him, though she didn't look him in the eye.

"Nothing."

"Are you sure?"

She snapped back, "I said it was nothing."

He frowned.

"We were having such a good time tonight, and now you're almost biting my head off. What did I do?" he asked, knowing that it had to be his fault somehow.

"I did not bite your head off," she protested.

"Then what do you call this?"

She huffed in indignation and returned her attention to the passing cars. Now, he was getting irritated.

"You still didn't answer my question."

"What, am I being interrogated now?"

"What??? I just want to know how things went from good to bad for no good reason."

She snorted. "No good reason? Whatever."

"Then tell me what the reason is. How am I supposed to know what happened if you don't tell me?"

"You're the detective. Figure it out." And that was that. She folded her arms in front of her and kept her gaze firmly fixed outside.

They drove along in silence, both stubbornly refusing to back down. Unfortunately for Zelgadiss, he really didn't know what he had done to warrant such hostile behavior, so his mind pored over the night, trying to determine where he went wrong. Ultimately, he figured that he had done nothing wrong. After all, he had been nothing but attentive and engaging, even going out of his way to compliment and pay heed to her, everything a good date should do.

Of course, they weren't supposed to be dating, so he supposed that the times he would back off suddenly when he would regain his senses might have made her mad…

Okay, so they probably did make her mad. He felt so stupid.

It was so obvious to him now, seeing how he had been all night, giving her mixed signals, getting her hopes up by being close to her, by holding her like that, and then slapping her feelings aside by pulling away and acting as if nothing had happened. How would he feel if she had done the same to him? Of course he'd be angry, feeling as if she were playing with his emotions.

So what could he possibly say to her to make her understand? How could he tell her that he did like her, and wanted to act on his feelings, but that he couldn't?

As he pulled up to her house, the answer came quite suddenly and quite clearly to him.

Tell her the truth.

"Thank you, Mister Zelgadiss," Amelia said flatly, picking up her belongings and opening the door before he could turn off the engine. "I'll see you later." She shut the door behind her.

"Hey, Amelia, wait." He turned off his car and hurried after her.

She turned around at the front door. "Yes?" she asked tiredly.

"Er…"

Just say it!!!

"Uh, can I use your bathroom?"

Idiot!!!

She stared blankly at him for a moment before saying, "Sure," and letting him inside. The house was quiet, and only the light in the foyer was on. The alarm began beeping and she tapped a few keys, disarming the system. "It looks like everyone's in bed," she noticed aloud. Then she realized that he was watching her expectantly. "You know where the bathroom is, right?"

"Yeah."

He walked back to the washroom in the back hallway near Phil's study and flipped on the light, closing the door behind him. Not needing to use the bathroom at all, he turned on the tap and ran his hands under the cold water. He stared at his reflection in the mirror and shook his head.

"You coward," he chided himself. "Just tell her. There's nothing to it." He splashed water on his face, trying to psych himself into it. "Come on, Zel…"

After wiping his face, he looked in the mirror again. Under the soft light, his scars were not as noticeable, yet he knew where each mark and blemish was, whether he could see them or not. He didn't understand how she could like him when he looked like this, but she did. She was the best thing to happen to him, and he was an idiot for stringing her along like this, regardless of what he was or wasn't supposed to do.

It took him a moment, but he found her in the dim living room, standing at the mantel piece, looking absently at the pictures. The foyer light didn't reach this far back into the room, and he wondered why she hadn't turned on one of the table lamps. He approached her cautiously, wondering when she would launch into one of her Lina-inspired tirades. After all, she had every right to be upset with him.

When he reached her, she didn't even move. His jacket and the tiara lay across the arm of a nearby armchair, and by her straight back and lifted chin, he could tell that she was still upset with him, probably feeling indignant and misused.

"Amelia?" he asked quietly.

She turned her head slightly, but did not look back at him.

"I'm sorry," he tried.

This time, she really did turn around.

"Do you even know what you're sorry for?" she wondered. Her voice was low and steady, without a trace of anger. He wasn't expecting that at all.

"Of course. I want to explain…"

She sighed. She had been doing quite a bit of that this whole evening, and now he figured he knew why.

"Mister Zelgadiss, I'm tired." Amelia took a step towards the front door, but he placed his hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

"Wait. I need to explain…" He looked at her imploringly, and she turned to face him. She still appeared weary. "Look," he began, "I… I know I must have been confusing you tonight, with the way I've been acting. It's… it's just that…"

He swallowed hard, trying to figure out the right words to say. He didn't realize that his hand was still on her shoulder, and when he reached out to put his other hand on her arm, she appeared startled.

"Look, Mister Zelgadiss, if you don't want to…" she began nervously, but he cut her off, relaxing his grip on her.

"Amelia, I want you to understand that I wasn't trying to play around with your emotions. I… I want you to know that I really do care a great deal about you," he whispered, moving his hand up to caress her face. She blinked several times, and her breathing quickened. There were a dozen emotions playing across her face, but she remained silent.

This time, she didn't pull away.

He leaned forward until his forehead rested on hers again, their bangs intertwining. His hand moved around the back of her neck to wind his fingers in her soft hair. She sighed, but this time, it was a long and slow breath that he could feel on his lips. Longing for that next step, that gargantuan leap in their relationship, yet still holding back, Zelgadiss allowed his head to dip, and he planted a soft but deliberate kiss on her cheek.

Resting his scarred cheek against her unblemished one, he breathed in deeply, relishing in their proximity; he hardly believed he would ever be this close to her. He could feel one of her hands on his waist, and the other was on his chest. He didn't understand why this simple fact would make him so happy, but her touch was beginning to mean a lot to him, a person who always shied away from personal contact.

"Mister Zelgadiss," she whispered, and the goosebumps rose on his neck. Oh, how he wanted to wrap her in his arms and hold onto her tightly…

Sadly, she pried herself away from him, and took a step back. At the apparent rejection of his actions, he began to panic inside. What had he done wrong???

She finally looked up at him, and her eyes were… hurt?

"I know you do," she began. "I just don't understand why you're always doing this to me."

"Doing what? What am I doing?" He was hard pressed to keep the alarm from his voice.

She frowned. "This," she said simply. "Pulling me and then pushing me away. I don't even know if you know how many times this had happened. We're so close right now, but I'm afraid it's just for right now. In five minutes, it'll be like none of this ever happened." She was hugging herself and looking down at the floor.

Feeling extremely guilty, he lifted her chin so she would look at him. He was actually surprised that she didn't jerk away from his touch. Heartened by this small bit of encouragement, he spanned the short distance between them and lightly touched her cheek. Her gaze never left his eyes as she hesitantly leaned into his caress.

There was so much that he wanted to say, but he didn't know what to say first. Hoping that he wouldn't sound like a mixed up fool, he just opened his mouth and said the first thing that came to mind.

"Look, I want you to know that this isn't some passing fancy, or some knee-jerk reaction to the events of tonight. I've come to like you a lot, Amelia, very much so. I don't want you to think that I don't, just because I'm not acting on it the way I want to. It's hard for me to know how to act around you. I enjoy hanging out with you, doing the stuff we always do, but then there are times when I just want to hold you and… and kiss you…"

This time, when he leaned forward to kiss her, it wasn't because of an awkward bit of holiday cheer, nor was it on a spur of the moment impulse. This time, he wanted to do it because he felt like it and because he could, just this once…

When their lips met, all thoughts of hesitation and misgivings flew from his mind. He would enjoy this small bit of joy and sweetness for as long as it would last. He relished the feel of her warm skin as he pulled her close to his body, and she yielded, pressing herself to him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Feeling her fingers weave their way through his hair gave him chills, and he responded by deepening their kiss, gently demanding more.

She replied eagerly, making his head spin as she returned his kisses, and he moved even closer to her, allowing his hands to rove slowly across her bare skin, from her back to her shoulders and her arms. He almost jumped across the room when one of her own wandering hands tugged on his shirt tail and found its way to his bare back. Instead, he came up for air and began kissing her up her cheek and down her long neck.

A tiny moan escaped her lips, and he was hard pressed not to want to throw her in his car and take her back to his place right then and there…

But, he knew that they couldn't keep this up for long. He had no idea how long they had been there, making out in the darkened living room, but there was still something that she needed to know.

After a moment, he sighed, wrapping his arms tightly around her small frame, and burying his face in the crook of her neck, breathing in deeply, intoxicated by the scent of everything about her. She held him just as tightly, but when she sighed, it hardly sounded contented. In fact, it sounded quite cheerless.

"Tell me that in five minutes you won't ignore this?" she implored, and he could tell that she was afraid that he would do just that. She released him and stepped back, her large blue eyes searching his.

Zelgadiss couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. He needed to tell her the truth. He just hoped that it wouldn't break her heart the way it was twisting his.

"Amelia, you need to understand something very important," he began, and sure enough, she frowned and tried to turn away, but he gently held her in place. "This is how I feel about you. It really is. But… but right now, I'm assigned to your family and this case. I'm not supposed to be fraternizing with the people I'm working for. If anyone found out about us, they'd have me off the case, or even worse, they can have my badge."

"Well, no one needs to find out…" she began, but he shook his head.

"Would you be okay keeping a secret like that from your family and your friends? How just is that? We'd be lying to everyone."

After a moment, she conceded, "No, I suppose you're right. But I thought they originally asked you to do it because you were my sister's friend. Didn't they know we'd become friends, too?"

"Of course. I even brought that up with my Captain at the time, and he brushed it off like it was no big deal."

"Well, then, wouldn't it be okay…?"

He shook his head. "'Friends' is one thing, but anything more than that, I should be able to control myself." He brushed a lock of hair from her face, and then he smirked, hoping to lighten the mood. "Believe me. That's a difficult thing for me to do with you." He placed a quick kiss on her forehead and then searched her face for any sign of hope.

Though she was clearly sad, she wasn't teary-eyed. "I should make it more difficult for you, you know," she pouted, but it quickly evaporated under a sly smirk.

With an inward sigh of relief, Zelgadiss pulled her back into a hug. She held him tightly, resting her head on his chest.

"You'd better not. Please tell me you're wearing something more conservative next week. I don't know if I can handle it if you wear something like this again," he joked as he kissed the top of her head. He released her and was rather disconcerted that she was grinning.

"I will be wearing another one of my sister's designs, you know."

He rolled his eyes. "Should I thank her or strangle her?"

Playfully putting her hands behind her back and rocking back and forth on her heels, she answered, "That's for you to decide."

Thankful that they were still able joke around and act normally with each other, he smiled. "I think I'll thank her… then I'll strangle her."

She laughed lightly and then tentatively placed a hand on his chest. The smile was slowly disappearing from her face.

"So we can't be together, can we?" She lifted her eyes to his face, and he found himself quite helpless under her azure gaze. He fought the urge to kiss her again.

"Not right now. Once this thing is over, then…" But, even as he said it, he knew that it was a hollow promise. "You know that this is hard for me, too, right?"

She nodded. "Of course. But we can still do all the stuff we've done before?" she wondered, hopefully.

"Yes. I don't think we need to change our routine. Hey, after all, we're together all the time, aren't we?"

"Yeah, but it's not the same," she said, and he knew that she was right.

"I know." He turned and picked up his coat and the tiara. It was very late, and the longer he remained, the more he would want to stay. And as much as he wanted to, he needed to be responsible about their relationship. But as he turned back to face her, his resolve wavered.

"Amelia," he whispered, taking her hand. The last few minutes had been so right, and he could barely bring himself to leave her. By the look on her face, she didn't want him to leave either. "I know…" he repeated.

She looked down, so he couldn't see her face, and said quietly, "Well, if we both have to ignore this later…"

"Now, I didn't say…" he began, hoping that she wasn't going to cry, but she had already moved quickly, grabbing his shirt and pulling him down to her. She kissed him passionately, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

Knowing that she had thrown caution to the wind, he did the same and enfolded her in his embrace, returning her fervor with his own. His tongue hesitantly flicked out, wondering if he was being too bold, but she accepted his tentative advances, sliding her own tongue along his. Their kisses quickly became desperate, as both knew that this would be perhaps their last time to demonstrate their feelings for some time.

After what seemed like hours, but were merely minutes, they finally, sadly, broke apart. Zelgadiss opened his eyes slowly, as if waking from the best dream he had had in years, and saw that Amelia was watching him intently. More beautiful, more alive, and more passionate than anyone he knew, all he wanted to do was hold her like this for as long as he could. He never would have believed he would be so totally smitten by one person, but Amelia was a fixation that he had never encountered before.

His whole life had been about being better, stronger, and smarter than everyone around him. He was never a boy scout, but his ideals had been just, and his motivations had been sound. But he had always been a selfish and obsessive person, and that meant that finding someone just as obsessive, but unselfish, was like finding the missing part of him, and not his complete opposite.

"What are you thinking about?" Amelia asked him quietly. Her large blue eyes were watching him with wonder and not worry. He was glad that she trusted that he meant what he had said.

"You," he answered simply, kissing her lightly on the nose, "and how much I adore you."

She smiled brilliantly, and she kissed him again quickly. "I adore you, too, Zelgadiss," she said with a wink.

He stood still, a little shocked that she hadn't said 'Mister' before his name. Despite himself, his face reddened at the familiarity with which she had addressed him. Happy that he had earned her affection and her intimacy, he smiled gently.

She blushed, and then continued, "But you're right. It's late and Miss Lina's coming over tomorrow morning."

He smirked. "Are you kicking me out?"

"Well, I'm trying to be conscientious," she stated firmly, removing his hands from her hips, but she still held them tightly. "I don't want you to get into trouble because of me."

"Thank you. And I'm not going to ignore this. There's no way that I can, really. But I've got to be professional. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, it is as long as we can still be close friends. We can, right?"

He squeezed her hands. "Of course." He released her and bent down to pick up his coat and the tiara, which he had dropped on the carpet.

Amelia stood patiently, watching him, when she asked leadingly, "So, then, this didn't happen?"

When he straightened, he eyed her seriously. "Of course it did… between us. Now, if you need to tell anyone, you can tell Lina. Just make sure she doesn't say anything to anyone; she absolutely can't. And she'd better not tease us about it," he added.

She gave him a hug.

"Thank you, Zelgadiss… I mean Mister Zelgadiss."

He smiled when he released her. "Thank you."

They walked to the front door hand in hand, and he lingered for just a moment before saying a simple, "Goodnight, Amelia."

"Goodnight."

She waved shyly at him before closing the door, and heard the beeping of the alarm being set. As he walked away, he couldn't help but smile, content that for once in his life, things were going his way.

Minutes after Amelia retreated upstairs and went to bed, the door to the study opened…

oOoOoOo

A/N: Surprise!!! I hope you all enjoy this chapter – I had a lot of fun writing it. The next chapter is slowly coming, so it might take a while, but I've been re-inspired. Again, thank you all for continuing to read, and I really do appreciate those who have reviewed. To my new readers, thank you for deciding to take a chance on such a long story. I hope it's worth the time. Hugs to you all!

Yeah, I know that 'Phantom' has been done many times before, but it's the one musical that I've seen several times, and with Phantoms such as Robert Guillaume, Davis Gaines, and the one and only Michael Crawford. And, of course, it's quite appropriate. Also, there is such a thing as bullet-proof fabric, though it's most likely not as thin or pretty as Naga's fabric. It's was developed at Auburn University and more information can be found on auburn dot edu. Goodnight and Go by Imogen Heap was the inspiration for the title of this chapter (a really cool song...).

And finally, with regards to Amelia and her puppy: to anyone who has pets, especially dogs or cats, you know how it feels when you come home and one of your animals isn't acting normally at all. You get worried and immediately are on sick-watch until they get better, and if they don't, then it's a trip to the vet. I have two golden retrievers, and it's like having two more kids, I swear…

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