Several months later, Deborah managed to land a gig at the Golden Sun Saloon. She'd received other small jobs here and there, but this felt like the most significant one just because it was the Golden Sun Saloon.

"Talk about a throwback," Ambrose joked.

"Oh, it'll be so exciting, won't it?" Angela looked like a kid on Christmas. "Will you be performing any new songs, Deborah?"

"Well, I admit, I've been focusing more on my modeling than my music this month, so I'll have to pull from an older setlist," Deborah replied. As her recovery continued, she began to work on her body. She didn't want to give up modeling any more than she wanted to give up music, it just took a bit longer to get back into modeling since that career was more dependent on her physical fitness.

"Well, regardless, I think it's safe to assume we're all still in for a wonderful night," Ambrose said confidently, and Deborah nodded in agreement. It wasn't just confidence on her part, though. As she'd told Angela, she would be pulling from an old setlist, but one song in particular would be the most meaningful of all, although they would have to wait until the evening to hear it…

ooo

The day passed by in a blur, but when night fell, Deborah suddenly found some of her confidence waning as well.

"Oh, what's wrong with me?" she sighed in frustration.

"Are you all right, Deborah?" Ambrose was the first to notice her worry, since Angela was off trying to find them a table near the stage.

"Hmm?!" Deborah jumped, embarrassed. "I'm fine!" she was quick to say, but only a second later, she wilted. "No, I'm not."

Normally, she wasn't one to give up the ghost so easily, but she knew how pathetic her lie must've sounded. That, and she was trying to get better at talking through her feelings when she was upset, although it was still far from fun or easy.

"Oh, Deborah," Ambrose wrapped his arms around the singer, holding her close, rocking her gently as he ran a hand through her hair. "We're both so proud of you, you know?" he asked. "Angela and I have seen how far you've come in just these last few months alone! And we're both so glad to see you doing so well. You look happier and healthier than you have in a long time, and we think that's wonderful!"

Deborah buried her face in his shoulder, partly because she wanted to breathe in his scent, and partly because she didn't want him to see her cry. One the one hand, hearing him praise her was music to her ears. On the other, she was mortified to think that her desperate need for external validation was that obvious. She used to be a master of the poker face, now she felt like an open book anyone could read. She felt so exposed!

And that makes me feel… ashamed. Ashamed of being and feeling that way, and then ashamed of feeling ashamed at all.

I should tell him this, shouldn't I? That's part of being more open and honest about my feelings, right? Telling him, even when it feels awkward.

God, why did it have to be so hard?! She was the great and powerful Deborah Lavish! Maybe she wasn't as high up the social ladder as she used to be, but there had been a time when she was at the very peak! Now, she was in the pits. But she could handle scandal after scandal, and she even survived a car crash and made a full recovery! So why couldn't she do this?

Because it's scary, and new. I don't like talking about my feelings. Not like this, anyway.

But… that's exactly why I should tell him, shouldn't I?

"Well, how about if we start with how you're feeling?" Ambrose asked, as if he'd read her mind. Deborah felt silly, like she was answering the archetypal therapist's question, but she took a deep breath and forced herself to answer honestly.

"Delicate. I'm feeling delicate."

"Well, that's good!" Ambrose encouraged, rubbing her back.

"But it's so… embarrassing!" And now she felt embarrassed for admitting that. And I'm so furious at whatever's making me feel this way.

"Well, why do you feel embarrassed?" Ambrose asked patiently.

"I… I… I don't know!" Yes, yes I do. I'm the Dangerous Debutante! Or, well, at least, I used to be… But even if I'm not her anymore, it's not like I haven't done this before, so why…?

It took her a while, but she eventually managed to convey all of this to Ambrose, whose smile was warmer and brighter than the sun.

"Actually, Deborah, I think this is a new situation for you," he said slowly. "Of course, this is not your first rodeo, but back then, it was just a job. Do not misunderstand me, I know you had an incredibly difficult one, and you truly loved it! But now, you're performing for a certain someone, aren't you? And that makes all the difference!"

Deborah was certain she was blushing hard. Damn him for being able to see right through her! And yet, bless him too…

"Besides, the way I see it, there is nothing more dangerous than delicate. You aren't out of line at all for feeling this way at all."

"Nothing more dangerous than delicate?" Deborah interrupted with a scoff. She'd never felt so fragile, the total opposite of dangerous!

"Not necessarily," Ambrose's smile almost looked mischievous now. "You used to hide your emotions behind armor, behind safety, correct? So, to me, the truly dangerous and daring thing is to wear your heart on your sleeve, no more walls up. Besides, I'm sure you've heard it said that it takes a lot more courage to tell the truth and be honest about the things that scare you rather than trying to lie, hide, deny, or ignore."

Deborah's eyes widened in understanding. Ah, yes, she had heard that before. Although she never put too much stock in it because it always sounded too idealistic, but when Ambrose said it…

"There is nothing more dangerous than delicate, Deborah," Ambrose repeated slowly. "Nothing requires more bravery, or puts you at greater risk, than being vulnerable and open. It's also dangerous for everyone else, because it requires them to sometimes challenge their preconceived notions about you, and that can be scary and hard, too." But then again, nothing safe was ever worth the drive. Live dangerously.

The more that he said, the more Deborah felt like she knew. This lesson that she used to hold in such contempt was finally starting to make sense. Somewhere in the back of her musically-inclined mind, she couldn't help but imagine glass. Despite its reputation for being delicate, glass could be dangerous, especially when it was broken and split wide open. When the world was challenged, when the glass was broken, blood could be drawn. Being delicate and dangerous were not mutually exclusive.

ooo

Five minutes later, Ambrose was forced to take his seat. The show was about to begin, but this time, Deborah was ready for it. She sang a handful of pieces, but once her time slot started winding down, she paused in her performance to address the audience.

"This is a song I'm sure many of you have heard before, and you may even be sick of it by now, but I still implore you to listen to it like it was the very first night. Listen with new ears and I'm sure you'll still find the same beauty and comfort in it that I do, even all these years later."

She addressed the entire dive bar as she said this, but right before the music began, she looked dead at Angela.

I think you see where this is going to go, don't you, Jekyll?

Angela's eyes were widening. Yes, she was starting to catch on… And then, the music began.

"This ain't for the best. My reputation's never been worse, so, you must like me for me. We can't make any promises now, can we, babe? But you can make me a drink…"

Somewhere in the back, another patron also recognized the tune and cried out in excitement. "One! Two! Three! LET'S GO BIIITCH!"

Then the beat dropped. Everyone looked surprised, and there was a bit of nervous laughter, but Deborah shook her head with a smile of genuine amusement. Maybe in another world, that intrusion would've infuriated her, but now, it actually made her chuckle. It felt like an interesting, but still decent-ish, way to introduce the first verse…

"Dive bar on the East Side, where you at? Phone lights up my nightstand in the black. Come here, you can meet me in the back." She gestured with a finger to Ambrose and Angela. He beamed and she blushed as Deborah stepped closer.

The song was only a few minutes long, but it felt like an eternity, a beautiful and wonderful eternity. If Heaven was eternal paradise, this was it. As Deborah continued to sing, Angela felt tears prick her eyes. It was just like Deborah had said, the song was not new, but the heart of it held such universal truth that it never went out of style. Even now, even though Deborah's reputation was actually on the way up (at least compared to last year), performing at local dive bars was still a huge step down from shiny galas and giant stadiums. But as Angela had noted about Deborah ages ago, Deborah fancied the people she loved, not just fancy stuff.

Deborah still loved the applause at the end of every song, but it was no longer her main focus. Now she just hoped she was able to convey the spirit of the song well enough that every person in the room would understand, truly understand. After all, being delicate was what drew Angela, Ambrose, and Deborah together at all.

Angela and Ambrose were childhood friends because they were the meekest of all the kids they knew. Ambrose and Deborah were friends because Ambrose was the first one to see a softer side to the Dangerous Debutante. And Angela followed the same path. Maybe she and Deborah had a rocky start, but once they looked past one another's reputations, they found something gorgeous and delicate. All three of them, thanks to one another, realized that, yes, there were people out there who could love them for them. It just took a little time for them to find one another.

For Angela, she used to fear that she was so socially awkward and annoyingly nerdy that only Ambrose would ever be able to tolerate her. For Deborah, she was always fighting to get into the inner circle of friends at the top of the proverbial food chain, so there was never any sense of real comradery, only commodity. And for Ambrose, well, to be surrounded by a scientist and singer… he had his own insecurities. What sort of man was he, compared to women like them? They were talented trailblazers and he, well, he was just the guy standing behind the guy.

But as the two women would promise him, that was one of his most endearing traits. And for both of them, his softness, his delicateness, was exactly what they needed to find their own. Their relationship was delicate by nature, and that was what made it so dangerous, in a good way. Ambrose may have been incredibly passive and quiet, but sometimes, that was exactly what people like Deborah and Angela needed.

"And now I know that when I dream, you're the one I'm going to see. And I know that you'll stay by my side, through good and bad times, for all my life! And I love you…"

Glad it's cool that I said all that. Happy to have you in my head. And I love that it's delicate. It's not too soon to do this yet, cause I want it to be delicate. Tell me, isn't it, isn't it, isn't it? Isn't it… delicate?

Deborah spent the entire last part of the song with eyes only for Angela and Ambrose. It was a clumsy rewrite, and yet, in a way, that made it all the more fitting. To be delicate was to be messy and brutally honest, and Deborah's rather awkward rewording of the song seemed to display the shy, yet still hopeful, atmosphere she was going for. It was like a little kid hoping for someone's approval, and in a way, that was exactly how Deborah felt. It wasn't her hungrily seeking external validation, she just wanted to know…

Is it cool that I said all that? Would you love me even when I'm bad? And don't you know that I'm delicate?

And even as she was still singing, an amusing little thought suddenly flitted into her head. How did Delicate Debutante sound? She didn't actually have any plans to pick up a new stage name, but if she did…? Well, the Debutante part felt silly. Was there anything else she could…?

Sometimes I wonder when you sleep, are you ever dreaming of me?

Because I know that I'm dreaming of you. And I'm dreaming of me, as a better person than I am now. And I'm dreaming of us, together, through good and bad times, for all of our lives. They're such delicate dreams… Delicate dreams for a delicate dreamer.

They were also ambitious, dangerous dreams. It was nothing like how she used to dream of topping every musical chart and being on the cover of every fashion mag, but these dreams were no less impressive and intensive. What she was dreaming of now was a better future, and that was not always easy to create. Sometimes, the road was difficult, even dangerous. And yet still, the delicate dream persisted. Deborah wondered if she could consider it her most daring dream yet, because it was just as Ambrose had told her…

As the song finally winded down to a close, Deborah stepped closer and closer to the table holding the two people she loved most in the world. Did they know how dangerous they were? They held her heart in their hands. She was entrusting her all of delicateness to them. And they were thinking the exact same thing.

Watching her sing with such confidence, yet also such vulnerability, tears glittering in her ocean-blue eyes… it was truly a delicate sight. So much power, so many feelings… And it was infectious! Once again, Angela could feel her own tears threatening to spill over, and she didn't need to ask to know that Ambrose probably felt the same way. Truly, there was nothing more dangerous than delicate. Three souls were united, hanging in the delicate balance of a love so intense that there were no words for the emotion, but there was song…

Isn't it, isn't it, isn't it?

Is it cool that I said all that?

Isn't it?

Is it too soon to do this yet?

Isn't it, isn't it, isn't it?

'Cause I know that it's delicate.

Isn't it?

And there was nothing more dangerous than that.