Nico and Michelle- Contemporary
Selina rifled around in her purse for her program and then gave up, looking over Klaus' shoulder instead as he read his. "Who's first?" She whispered.
Lights had flashed in the club and Roxie's voice had come over the speakers, saying that everyone should be sure to be in their seats because the first dance of the competition would start in a few minutes.
Klaus looked it over. "Let me see. Oh, Michelle and Nico," he informed her, his lips curving into a grin as he read their names.
"What are you grinning at?" Selina asked, looking at her ex with suspicion.
"Well, it occurred to me, after a talk Michelle and I had, that she might be developing feelings for Nico," Klaus said in a whisper. "She's developing feelings for a werewolf. She has good taste, don't you think?"
"Ah," Selina nodded. "So that's why you're grinning so much." She rolled her eyes. "It seems that a lot of women are falling for werewolves these days."
"Oh, stop," Klaus told her with a scoff, then lowered his voice to a whisper as he spoke his next words. "I know you well enough to know that your nosiness has led you to figure out about me and, well…you know who. If you had no idea, you wouldn't have run to the other side of the dance floor as fast as you did." He paused. "You didn't need to do that, so…thank you."
Selina smirked. "Well, it's nice to know you're grateful, but I did it for her sake rather than yours."
"Well, even so, that doesn't mean I can't still be grateful." He smiled back at her, a sweet, genuine smile.
"What are you two whispering about over here?" Lucifer asked, unable to mind his own business. "Are you flirting with your brother's wife, Klaus? What a shock!"
"Well, you see, Lucifer," Klaus teased, "in the Mikaelson family, we like to share our women. It's a thing.
Of course Lucifer took this as reason to start even more trouble and turned to Elijah. "You don't have any problem with that do you, Elijah?" He pressed, a wicked glint in his eye.
Elijah gritted his teeth, not wanting to make a scene by doing something he'd later regret, like punching Lucifer in the face. "No," he said, his voice tightly controlled. "In fact, Lucifer, the only person here I'm having trouble with at the moment is you!"
"Well, said, Elijah," Steve agreed.
"What's with him?" Ludovic asked Helene, a frown on his face.
"I don't know," Helene shrugged, her face determined. "But whatever it is, it's really starting to get on my nerves!" She turned around in her chair to face him as he sat a couple of rows behind her, calling out in a loud voice: "Listen here, you jackass! I don't care if you're the devil himself, but my son Nico is about to dance with Michelle like, now, so you close your big fat mouth and let me enjoy it, or I'll close it for you by putting my fist in your face without any hesitation. Am I clear?"
Silence fell on the group. Angelica and Ellie had their eyes on their laps and were trying hard not to laugh. That Helene, she was amazing!
Finally, Lucifer straightened up in his seat and cleared his throat, his face now clear of any mischief. "You've made your point loud and clear," he told Helene dryly. "I hope you enjoyed yourself." Then he turned away to look straight ahead.
Meanwhile, Klaus caught his former daughter-in-law's eye, and raised his glass of rum to her in appreciation. She gave him a nod and a wink and they both turned their attention back to the dance floor in anticipation.
Malachai soon strode up to the microphone and gave everyone watching a grin. "Good evening, colleagues, family, friends…it's wonderful to see the supernatural community out here tonight in support of all our young people who have worked so hard on this competition. I know you're eager to see the results of all that hard work, so without further ado, here is the first number: Michelle Mikaelson and Nico Fale doing a contemporary dance to the song 'Hold Me While you Wait,' by Lewis Capaldi."
He barely had time to leave the stage before Michelle leaped into the room, a swirl of bright fabric on the dance floor, followed by Nico, appearing under a bright spotlight before circling her. She tried to escape him, but he put his arms around her, only to have her turn her head and glance at him. Then he took her in his arms and lifted her up.
The crowd gasped and burst into applause, no one clapping louder than Selina, a broad grin on her face. "Well," she conceded to Klaus with a whisper as she watched. "It appears you were right about Michelle and Nico."
"Of course, I was," he grinned.
"So, you're finally becoming an expert on love in your old age?" She asked him with a wink.
He lowered his eyes, a slight blush coloring his cheeks as he slowly and subtly lifted his gaze to look at Angelica across the aisle. "No, not in my own life," he told her. "Maybe for other people, though." He shrugged.
"Well, I guess it'll be up to you to keep them on the right path then," Selina concluded.
"Me?" Klaus asked, dumbfounded. "Why not ask Adrian? He's her father!"
Selina snorted in a very unladylike fashion that would have made her mother give her the evil eye. "Well, Michelle likes you very much, right?" She asked. "And are you serious about Adrian? He couldn't even stand to watch you and I kiss when we were together. I don't think the fact that it's his daughter this time will make him anymore willing." Her eyes widened at the thought.
"Good point," Klaus conceded. "He somehow ended up very old-fashioned about things like that."
"You know perfectly well how young love can be, Klaus," she reminded him. "Michelle is a loose cannon. She's my granddaughter and I love her dearly, but let's face it, she can be a lot of fire and anger, and…Nico will transform one day. And when that happens, I think it's best for you to take charge." Her tone was very matter of fact.
"What?" Klaus protested. "Like I don't have enough on my hands already!"
"Well, for once do something good with them!" Selina told him while he rolled his eyes.
Michelle grinned widely, her bare feet slapping as she ran into the small room that had served as her dressing room to prepare for the dance. She raised her head, hands clasped and eyes sparkling as the roar of applause met her ears. She'd never felt more alive than during that dance. Hearing the door open again, she turned to face Nico, who had just come inside, a matching smile on his own full lips, his curly hair in wild tangles…the sight of him made her lick her lips. He was so damn sexy!
"Do you hear them cheering for us?" an awestruck Michelle asked Nico, biting her bottom lip.
"I hear them cheering," he agreed. "But…" he shook his head. "They were cheering for you, Michelle. You were…" he lost his voice as he approached her and ran his fingers through her hair. "You were magnificent out there."
"Oh, thanks," she blushed and gave him a shy smile. "But I couldn't have done it alone. You were great too."
He blushed. "I didn't do much. I just carried you around."
Michelle shrugged, then swallowed nervously and rubbed her hands together, her eyes drawn to the sweat running down his bulging chest. "Carrying someone is something!"
"Michelle, I…" Nico couldn't miss the hungry look in her eyes, and it was driving him mad!
"Shush!" She placed a finger over his parted lips. "Don't say a word!" She shook her head just slightly, getting close to him and standing up on her tiptoes to give him a soft, gentle kiss, that, even as gentle as it was, made everything around her feel like it was exploding.
"Thanks for being my dance partner," she whispered over his parted lips as she ran her finger tips over his arms, making him shiver. Then he sucked in a breath as she looked into his eyes.
"Michelle…" He murmured her name once again, his hands sliding down to her hips to pull her closer. Then he kissed her soundly, feeling her body shake as her arms came up around his neck.
She moaned softly, her right hand going to his face as his tong slid between her lips to taste her deeper. She let out a surprised cry and gently pushed him away so she could go look at herself in the mirror and wipe off her mouth.
"What did I do now?" He asked. "Did I misunderstand where you were going there?" He was dumbfounded and confused as he ran his hands through his tangled hair.
"No, no, that…that was just to thank you," she explained flatly. "Don't read too much into it."
"Oh, all right, fine," Nico conceded, raising an eyebrow. "But are we ever gonna talk about what happened to us at school?"
"And what possibly happened at school?" Michelle asked dryly. "I have no idea what you're talking about. It was an attempt to hide her feelings.
"Well, the fact that we had sex at school!" Nico reminded her. "Remember that?" He questioned, feeling very uneasy.
"And?" She turned around quickly to face him. "What about it? It happened one time. It's no big deal."
"Really?" He put his hands on his hips. "Okay, then what about the kiss we just had?"
"Like I said," she repeated with a light blush. "It was to thank you, nothing more."
"You are such a damn liar!" Nico growled in frustration.
"Well, hello, there!" Klaus interrupted, making them both jump. They turned and saw him leaning his body against the doorframe of the open door. "I didn't mean to interrupt, but I wanted to take the time to congratulate my granddaughter for her awesome performance before the next dance started which will probably feature another one of my granddaughters." He grinned.
"Grandpa!" Michelle smiled and ran over to hug him. "Did you see me dance?"
Klaus chuckled and ruffled her hair. "I sure did! It would have been very hard to miss you!" He looked over her shoulder and gave Nico a wink. "And you were brilliant out there, sweetheart."
"Thank you, grandpa," she replied with a smile. "Do you think we'll win?"
"Well, it's possible," Klaus nodded. "It depends on what the other contestants do, but I think you have a good chance!"
Just then, Nico joined them and cleared his throat. "Mr. Mikaelson, how are you, sir?"
"Very well, thank you," Klaus told him. "Your name is Nico, isn't it?" Klaus asked as he took the young man's offered hand and shook it.
"Right," Nico nodded, suddenly uncomfortable.
"Thank you for being my granddaughter's dance partner," Klaus said after taking his hand away and crossing his arms over his chest.
"Well, you don't have to thank me," Nico told him through clenched teeth as she rolled her eyes. "It's not like I had much choice in the matter. Or any choice at all."
They all stood in awkward silence for a little bit before Michelle gave a little leap and headed for the door. "All right, I'm bored. I'm gonna go watch the other dances." She gave Klaus a kiss on the cheek and left, leaving Nico and Klaus alone in the dressing room.
"Dd you see that?" Nico complained, gesturing at the open door. "She just completely ignored me!"
"Well, I wonder why she would do that?" Klaus drawled, a grin on his face. "I would say it's an absolute mystery! You know, Nico, I think you and I need to have a talk sometime." He gently grabbed the young man by the shoulders to get Nico to look at him.
"We should?" Nico asked suspiciously. "Why?"
"I'll tell you when we do it, but…for the time being, let's just go watch the rest of the dance numbers, shall we?" Klaus asked with a wink and gestured for the younger werewolf to go ahead of him so he could shut the door behind them.
Natalie and Milo- Rock 'n' Roll
"Okay, that's enough of a break," Natalie said to Milo as she nervously rubbed her hands together. "Let's practice the number one more time!"
"Are you kidding me?" Milo asked, wide-eyed, not wanting to get up from his comfortable lounge chair. "I'm beat! We practiced for more than an hour straight! I wouldn't be surprised if my feet were bleeding! I'm not moving from this chair until it's time for our dance and that's final!" He paused. "Plus, we know the choreography by heart. I don't know why you're so worried."
"I know," she nodded, pacing the length of the small room and biting her nails. "But I mean, did you see how good Nico and Michelle were?"
"Yeah, my man did a pretty decent job," Milo agreed with a nod. "He was working hard. "All his hard muscles were covered in sweat."
Natalie made a face. "You know, I really don't understand you and Nico. One minute you hate him, the next you act like you want to sleep with him."
"Well, it's called having a dad who's bisexual, realizing I am too, and then thinking at times that Nico can be quite virile," he teased with a grin.
"Oh, please," Natalie gagged. "Please don't put those images in my head."
Milo leaned forward. "You know how I feel about you, Natalie Mikaelson. The mere fact that you want me to admit that I like girls is because you want me for yourself."
"Oh, please," Natalie shook her head. "I don't mind if you and Nico get together. I'll even come to your wedding," she promised with a grin.
"I don't think I have a chance," Milo shook his head. "He and Michelle are fucking already! You'd have to be blind not to see it!" He stood up and grabbed his leather jacket.
"Wow. So…do you really think they're having sex?" Natalie asked Milo as she bit her bottom lip.
"How could they not be?" Milo questioned. "Did you not notice the longing? The shortness of breath? The way their bodies were glued to each other?"
"That doesn't mean anything?" Natalie said. "It's just the choreography, you idiot!"
Milo scoffed. "Choreography my ass."
Natalie sucked in her breath. "Nico and Michelle having sex. That's so weird!"
"Why is it bothering you so much?" he asked, narrowing his eyes on her as a bit of some emotion he didn't want to think about pooled in his stomach. "Don't tell me it's because you wanted him for yourself!"
Natalie snorted and burst out laughing, but it was an awkward laugh. "What? Me and Nico? No, he's my friend! Practically like my brother!" She shook her head furiously. "I'm just…I wonder if them having that passion will make their dance better and they'll win." She blushed just a little.
Milo smirked and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Don't worry, I'm sure the poorly hidden fact that you're just longing to be intimate with me will be apparent in our dance."
She turned around just in time to see him wink playfully at her before she hit him with her closed fists. "You are such an asshole!" But she froze when a new, deep voice sounded from the doorway.
"Good job keeping my son in line, Natalie. Physical torture is something you're good at, isn't it? Or am I wrong?"
Eyes wide, she spun to face Lucifer with an awkward laugh. "Mr. Morningstar! Hello!" She knew she was blushing deep red as she brought a hand up to her chest. "We didn't hear you come in!"
"Of course not, since you were practicing your routine…or whatever else it is you do with Milo behind closed doors," Lucifer replied mockingly.
"Dad, what are you doing here?" Milo asked, his voice full of surprise.
"Well, is it wrong for your old man to come wish you luck before your dance?" Lucifer asked slyly before burying his hands in the pockets of his trousers.
"Not wrong, but definitely unexpected," Milo said. "I always thought I was too far down the line of all your children to be worthy of your physical presence and actual attention. I thought you would just give me another car and then go back to someone else."
Natalie was feeling very uneasy. "I think…I don't think this is something I need to be in the middle of. I'll go check the list to see how long it is until we dance. It was nice seeing you, Mr. Morningstar. Excuse me, please."
"Same to you, Natalie," he gave her a grin before she headed out. Her unease with him was very amusing.
Natalie gave him one last small smile and left the room, but then, feeling a pang of worry for Milo, she turned on her heel and strode back to put her ear to the nearby wall and listen into the conversation. His father's presence at the club was making Milo act in a way that was just not normal.
"She's quite a young woman," Lucifer remarked.
"We are just…" Milo trailed off, waving his hands dismissively.
"Friends?" Lucifer finished with a knowing grin.
"Yeah," Milo shrugged and blushed.
"You wouldn't be a son of mine if you didn't see an attractive woman and want to go to bed with her," Lucifer remarked with a smile."
"Am I really your son?" Milo asked with a shrug. "I mean, I know that I'm biologically your son, but it's not like you've really been there for me. Like I said when you showed up, I'm shocked I was even worth the time for you to come here tonight."
"I deserve that," Lucifer told him with a sigh. "Although I had planned to be, I know I've never been a true father to you."
"Who needs one anyway?" Milo shrugged, trying to sniffle away tears that were starting to form so his father wouldn't see him cry. "I have Mom, Noah…lots of friends."
"I'm here tonight," Lucifer tried to make amends. "Can't we start there?"
"Well, thanks for the offer, but…it's a bit late to start playing 'Dad' now," Milo told him.
"Your mom and I aren't together anymore," Lucifer said.
"Yeah, I mean she's sitting on the other side of the floor and not making sexy eyes at you," Milo rolled his eyes. "I'm not a baby. I can put two and two together." He crossed his arms.
Meanwhile, out in the hallway, Natalie lowered her head, saddened by the admission. She turned away from the wall, taking a few steps and startling at the sight of Eleanor, Milo's mother, who had apparently heard the same things she had.
Their eyes met for a moment and Ellie put a finger to her lips before giving the young woman a gentle push. "Go! There's no need for this to ruin your dance." Then, once Natalie was gone, headed to the door of the dressing room and strode through the door.
"Mom!" Milo cried in surprise. "How long have you been there?"
"Oh, don't act frightened," Ellie grinned. "I just came to wish you good luck." She then pointedly ignored Lucifer, striding past him to Milo to help him straighten his leather jacket. "Natalie just told me that you're dancing after the next couple, so you should go." She gave him a gentle push toward the door. "I would say 'break a leg' but you'll be busy rocking and rolling with Natalie!"
Milo smiled. "Thanks, Mom!" He gave his father a slight nod and left.
"Well," Lucifer grinned. "We sure managed to cheer him up, didn't we?"
Ellie lost her cheer and spun on her heel to face her husband, hands balled into fists on either side of her tense body. "You," she hissed at him, "are a selfish, egotistical jerk!"
"Let me make one thing very clear to you, Eleanor," he hissed through clenched teeth. "My relationship with my son is my business and not yours."
"Your relationship with your son? What relationship?" She burst out laughing. "Your lack of relationship with him is more accurate. I mean, you made a little effort at the beginning, I admit. But then you forgot, like you did for everyone else except Angelica! And that's only because she was the one who did all the work!"
"I had other priorities for a while," Lucifer shrugged and even blushed a little.
"No, you had one priority, and that's yourself! You always need to put yourself first! The fact that today, of all days, was the one you chose to tell Milo about our difficulties. This is about his accomplishments, but you're so sad and selfish and miserable that you have to drag all of the rest of us along with you!"
Lucifer shrugged and gave her a smirk. "Are you quite finished? It doesn't matter what you think of me, Eleanor. You chose to leave me, right? That should not concern you in the least, and you certainly don't have a say anymore in the affairs of me or my children."
Ellie scoffed and shook her head. "Think again, buddy!" She stepped toward him, her chin raised. "What happens with my children will always concern me!"
"We'll see what our children will think of you when they discover your decision to abandon them," he replied with a grin. "Say what you will about me, dearest one, but I never will. I doubt many will be on your side still."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, those are pretty words, but the only reason why you won't 'abandon' any of them is cause you need them to puff up your ego like some power mad dictator! There's a difference between abandoning your children and giving them space to exist on their own that you haven't grasped yet! And even if some of them do need time to come to peace with my decision, or some don't forgive me, it's not a competition, you asshole!" She tried to stay strong and not cry in front of him, but she could feel the hot tears falling from her eyes anyway.
"Unlike you and your attempts to turn our children against me, I still want them to have the chance to have good, healthy, loving relationships with you if they choose. Even though I don't think you're capable of that yet and all you're going to do is hurt them."
Lucifer's eyes narrowed. "You should go back to your side of the club, Eleanor. And put your pretty ass on your little chair as you become a vague memory of the strong woman you used to be with when you were associated with the most powerful man on Earth. He chuckled perniciously. People will remember you one day as the girl who needed to be taken by a man to become a woman!"
That was it. The slap hit his cheek hard enough that his head snapped to the side as tears streamed down Ellie's cheeks. "You're dead to me!" She reminded him, shoving him aside as he rubbed his bruised face so she could leave the room and not look at him again.
After one last twirl, the notes of Jailhouse Rock faded, and Milo brought Natalie down to the floor so they could revel in the cheers of the crowd.
"Woo woo woo!" Angelica stood and pumped her fist in the air. "You rocked it, Milo and Natalie!
"Your mommy is proud of you!" Ellie yelled, making Milo's eyes widened as he gestured for her to shush.
"Damn, our grandson did amazing!" Sean cheered as Sarah agreed and applauded wildly by his side.
"Wow..wow…wow!" Malachai spoke into his microphone. "One last round of applause, I think, for this amazing rock 'n' roll dance number by Milo Morningstar and Natalie Mikaelson!"
"Wooooo! Go Milo! You did amazing!" Avery and Azrael yelled, applauding just as wildly as everyone else.
"Can we agree on one thing, Mikaelson?" Lucifer whispered to his arch enemy.
"And what can that be?" Klaus asked skeptically.
"Your daughter and my son were amazing out there, weren't they?" Lucifer said.
"Oh, yes," Klaus grinned. "Probably the only thing we'll ever agree on!"
Meanwhile, Amy and Kol were cheering for Natalie. "Did you see her?" Amy asked Kol. "Oh, my god, I'm so proud of her!" Then she flushed and looked guiltily at Steve. "Sorry. It's a figure of speech."
"Yes, darling, I saw," Kol smiled back and gave her a kiss.
Steve chuckled. "No need to be sorry, Miss Burke. I agree that both my grandson and your daughter were spectacular." He gave her a wink.
"I agree," Gwen added, snuggling next to Steve the best she could.
Grinning and laughing wildly at their success, Natalie ran down the corridor to her and Milo's dressing room, pulling him behind her, her hand held tightly in his.
Once they were safe inside, and the door was closed and locked, she pushed him against the wall, still giggling as she collapsed against him, a smile on her face. "Did you hear them?" She asked eagerly. "Did you hear the crowd cheer for us as we danced?"
"Yeah," Milo nodded. "We did really well and I guess they liked it. And why not? You danced really well out there, Natalie." He grinned at her and ran his fingers through her hair. "And…you look really beautiful."
"Thank you," she told him with a blush as she lowered her eyes, her fingers making circles on his t-shirt and chest. "You were wonderful yourself. And you looked quite…"
"Quite?" Milo raised an eyebrow.
"Quite…handsome." She bit her lip on a smile and then closed her eyes.
"I'll take it." He chuckled nervously, holding still when she let her jacket fall and then he let his fall on top of it
"Natalie," he whispered, lowering his hands down her back and nibbling her earlobe before running his hands over the bare skin beneath her t-shirt.
"Shush, or you'll ruin it," she commanded, putting a finger over his parted lips. Then she closed her eyes and kissed him.
He moaned softly, deepening the kiss, pulling her arms around his neck, her hands grabbing hunks of his full, thick hair as his tongue invaded the warmth of her mouth.
"Natalie," he repeated her name over and over as he lowered his head to kiss a trail down her neck, before he bit her and she let out a cry. "I'm sorry," he apologized when he realized what he'd done. "I'm so sorry!"
"No, it's okay," she reassured him with a smile as he licked up the blood from the wound. "I liked it." Then she grabbed the hem of his t-shirt to help him pull it over his head.
"Are…are you sure?" He asked, cupping her face in both hands and looking deeply into her eyes.
"Yeah, I'm sure," she promised and kissed his parted lips before slowly kneeling in front of him.
Milo growled, his whole body very aware of what she was about to do as she undid his belt buckle. "Dear Grandpa," he breathed. "Help me!"
Klaus was on his way to Natalie's dressing room to congratulate her when he bumped into his brother, Kol.
"Oh," Kol made a noise and then matched his brother's stride so they were walking together. "Mind if I walk with you? I think we're headed in the same direction."
"You're going to congratulate Natalie too?" Klaus asked.
"Yeah, I was planning on it, but since you're going…I can wait. You're her father, you should go first." He turned on his heel to leave, but Klaus put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
"I beg to differ, Kol. You're just as important to her as I am. Maybe more. She cares for you and loves you very much!"
Kol raised his chin. "Does it eat you up inside?"
"No," Klaus shook his head. "It makes me proud of her. And feel a lot of gratitude toward you because you were there for her when I couldn't be."
Kol stared at his brother in surprise. This was certainly a change of attitude.
"So…shall we go?" Klaus asked with a smile.
"Sure," Kol agreed warmly, and followed his brother to Natalie's dressing room. They pushed the door open and gave each other a quick look, wide grins on their lips. They'd clearly interrupted something.
"Natalie, for Grandpa's sake! Can't you do something? Anything at all!" Milo begged her.
"I've tried!" Natalie told him before trying to get it unstuck for what seemed like the millionth time. "I could try harder but do you really want to risk me hurting you there?"
"Well, no, but…try twisting it!" Milo suggested hopefully. "Maybe that'll work."
Klaus lowered his head to hide a laugh and Kol let a soft cough escape his throat.
"Oh!" A blushing Natalie noticed them at last and rose to her feet. "Daddy! Uncle Kol! When did you arrive?"
"Yep, we're here!" Klaus grinned, his hands clasped as he bit into his bottom lip to stop himself from laughing.
"What's going on?" Kol asked, his voice full of menace as he narrowed his eyes at Milo.
"Oh, damn," Milo muttered. "I think I'm just gonna die of shame and embarrassment right now!" Then he crossed himself.
"Well," Natalie tried to explain to her uncle, "Milo here wanted to get changed, and his zipper got stuck, and I was trying to help…"
"You think I was born yesterday, Natalie?" Kol asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, no, of course not, Uncle Kol!" Natalie told him as Milo tried to deal with the zipper himself.
Klaus then patted his brother good-naturedly on the shoulder. "Now, Kol, we have to be kind to poor Milo; experiencing a wardrobe malfunction can be very distressing!" Then he took Milo by the shoulders.
"Mr. Mikaelson," the young man asked. "Are you going to kill me?" He was very nervous and sweating buckets.
"Why would I want to kill you?" Klaus asked. You were amazing with my daughter out there. I came here to congratulate you." He actually hugged him a little and then let him go. "Now, go see Roxie. I'm sure she has oil or something that will help you with your zipper." He paused. "You don't want it to be stuck like that forever, do you?"
"No, no, sir," Milo shook his head and sprinted toward the bar, knowing that even the price of Noah knowing what had happened to him and possibly spreading it around would be worth a way to get out of this mess.
Once he was gone, Natalie frowned at both her father and uncle. "You two did that on purpose to get back at him and freak him out!" She accused, angrily stomping her feet.
"Well, well sure. Yeah we kind of did." Klaus admitted and then burst out laughing.
"It was terrible, we know, but it was so fun!" He chuckled himself.
"You two are lucky I love you both even though you're impossible!" Natalie commented before coming over to hug both of them hard.
"You were amazing out there, sweetheart," Klaus told her and gently kissed her forehead.
"Yes," Kol added before giving her a kiss. "You were amazing and we're very proud of you."
Alcazar and Laurelle- Paso Doble
"Oh, my gosh, do you hear them chanting our names?" Laurelle asked excitedly, gesturing at the open door as Alcazar walked into the dressing room, a big grin on his lips.
"Of course, I hear them, sweetheart," he told her. "How could you not? They're ecstatic!" He began to remove his toreador jacket. "They're cheering for you! You were amazing out there!"
"Me?" Laurelle asked, putting a hand on her chest. "I mean, sure the cheers make me feel like a rock star or something, but, you did all the work. I just followed you." She found it hard to speak and began nervously rubbing her hands together instead. "Mom, Grandma Selina, and Grandma Gabrielle were all so proud!"
"Were you expecting anything less than that when it was clear you worked your ass off to make our dance amazing?" he asked her, grinning and crossing his arms over his bulging chest, then coming toward her and closing the space between them.
"I…I know I worked hard, but…" Laurelle sighed. "It was…it was hard for me." Tears began filling her eyes and falling down her cheeks. "It was something very much out of my comfort zone!"
"hey," he whispered, taking her chin gently in his large right hand so that they were looking into each other's eyes. "There's no need to cry; dry your tears and let yourself and enjoy the moment. If you were uncomfortable, I sincerely had no idea until you told me just now." His voice was full of compassion as he took her in his arms and held her for a little bit before letting her go. "You're a beautiful girl with all of eternity ahead of you. You'll have lots of wonderful new experiences and find out things about yourself you never knew before."
Laurelle shook her head, gently pushing his hand and arm away. "I know you mean well, and you're very kind, but…don't bother. I'm not like other girls. I'm not even like my sisters.
"Who's asking you to be?" Alcazar wanted to know. The look on her face made him want to take her hand at the very least, but she clearly wasn't in the mood for that sort of comfort, so he kept them at his sides. "From what I can see, no one is asking that of you but yourself."
Laurelle sighed and looked up at him, her gaze full of shame. "I'm not so sure." She began to pace. "Last week, a guy tried to kiss me in the corridor at school."
"Okay," he replied with a shrug, although a strange feeling that seemed like jealousy was pooling in his stomach…no, not just his stomach. His entire body. He shook his head and breathed a sigh of relief when the feeling went away. "And? Was that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Well, I think the boys are taking bets on who will be able to kiss me first," Laurelle told him. "And this guy…he even tried to touch my boobs, too. Maybe for extra points with his buddies. But I don't know if he got what he wanted. I don't even have boobs!"
Fury flashed in Alcazar's gaze. "Okay, that's just…that's crossing a line! If that man or anyone tries to abuse you in any way, shape, or form, you need to tell me his name so I can teach him a good fucking lesson!"
Laurelle rolled her eyes. "I already told you that I don't need you to defend me, Alcazar. I wasn't scared or anything. I kicked in him the crotch and hurt really bad!" She grinned wickedly and brought her knee up in the clear demonstration of what she'd done to the young miscreant's crotch. "It must've hurt because he was begging for mercy after."
"Well," he chuckled and lowered his head to hide his smile. "Good for you, sweetheart. Good job defending yourself once again."
"I'm proud of that too," Laurelle nodded. "But I guess what hurt the most was him saying that I was nothing like my sisters! That I'm cold and unloving!" She began to cry again. "And it hurts so much because he's right! I don't feel a damn thing when someone touches me. I don't want to be touched, hugged, kissed, or caressed. Or at the very least, I'm not dying to have it like everyone else seems to be."
"Okay, Laurelle, please listen to me, I'm begging you." He grabbed her arm and gently pulled her toward him, cupping her face. "Not being sexually attracted to, or not desiring someone who wants to force themselves on you is not being frigid or unloving, or cold. It's having good common sense. It's being wise and intelligent for not accepting those behaviors in your relationships. And that's something to be proud of. Don't you see?"
She nodded, gripping both his wrists. "I know that what you're saying is true, but…I don't even want relationships with nice people! I don't need them! A girl told me I was beautiful the other day and I…I backed away. That freaked me out too. I thought for the longest time that since I didn't feel things for men, maybe I would for women, but that's not true either! I'm so confused!"
"You…" Alcazar sighed and ran his fingers through her hair. "You're putting way too much pressure on yourself. You don't have to decide to have a relationship today, tomorrow, next year, or in fifty years." He began, caressing her cheeks gently with his thumbs, a kind look in his dark eyes. "So what if you don't know who you like or what your sexuality is? You have all the time in the world to figure out if you want men or women or both in your life, or if you don't want anyone at all!" He paused and took a breath. "There'll always be someone in your life who will love you and who you can love in turn: your sisters, your parents, your grandparents…romantic love is not all there is. Sex is not all there is."
"You…do you really believe what you're telling me?" She asked with a shy smile. "Or are you just trying to make me feel better?"
The smile made her even more beautiful. "Yes, I do," he promised. "I wouldn't just give you a line." He pulled her close and kissed her forehead gently.
As she stood there in his arms, she closed her eyes, a warm and secure feeling filling her all of a sudden.
"And by the way," he murmured, "for the record, you do have boobs. They and their perkiness just like to be a well-kept secret. It's very intriguing!"
This made Laurelle burst out laughing as Alcazar chuckled too. "I can promise you I don't," she said when she finally had breath to speak. "Let me show you." She took his hand and put it over her left breast. "See? Nothing there! Nothing worth anyone's attention, anyway." But then she felt him give it a little squeeze, gentle and careful. Then she could feel her breath pick up as he gently traced the curve of her breast with his fingers as his gaze became hot and met hers.
"Laurelle…" he whispered, panting as heavily as she was.
Eyes widening, she stepped back as if something had burned her, her body and the room suddenly feeling very hot. She cleared her throat and avoided Balthazar's gaze as she wiped her sweaty hands on her costume. "I'm…I think I'll go see who's dancing next," she announced before rushing out of the room, and leaving Alcazar alone, breathless, and conflicted.