Evangeline looked around at the sights and sounds of the city. As silly as it was, she felt her heart beating a little in excitement. As night fell, the lights of the city were bright and beautiful.
Just as she was beginning to recognize her whereabouts, the driver turned in his seat. "Ma'am," he said. "If you will look under your seat, you will find the package that I was instructed for you to have at this time."
Evangeline reached under her seat and quickly found the box.. She opened it and a smile spread across her face. A smaller box lay in the center, with a layer of tissue paper covering what lay beneath. She laughed aloud in delight as she opened it. Layla and Starr had done good. It was exquisite, a gold and emerald pin in the figure of an ice skater, the figure in gold posed with one foot elevated and her scarf a trail of sparkling emeralds.
She looked up just in time to recognize where she was going. The great lights of Rockefeller Plaza came up before her. Evangeline was as excited as a little kid on Christmas Day. Layla hadn't forgotten how much Evangeline had loved skating when she was a teenager. She fastened her beautiful pin to her jacket and eagerly waited for the carriage to come to a halt.
A short time later, she was finally on the ice. It was like riding a bicycle, once she got her feet under her, it all came back to her. This had been a childhood dream of hers, to skate beneath the brilliant lights of Rockefeller Center, swirling, gliding past the gigantic golden statue of Prometheus. And now it was hers.
Evangeline swooped and swirled among the other skaters, feeling the freedom of movement beneath her feet, and the joy of the dance in her soul. Just for the sheer joy of it, she flung herself into a single axel and then a camel spin, one leg extended effortlessly behind her, her arms extended before her. When she pulled up out of it, she was more than a little surprised to hear a smatter of applause from a group of people nearby. She sketched a little bow in their direction and waved, smiling.
"Merry Christmases" filled the air as the people scattered away. But one figure stood there as the others moved. He was still clapping softly, his eyes never leaving her face.
Evangeline suddenly felt wobbly, and it had nothing at all to do with the ice beneath her feet. "John…." She breathed slowly. "What are you doing here?"
Before he could answer, Evangeline caught herself and began to turn away. Before she could take a step, he was behind her. John took one hand in hers, while the other slid around her waist. Before she could protest, they were moving along the ice,
For a moment, she couldn't speak, didn't want to. As much as she hated to admit it, her body remembered his touch, rejoiced in it. They made a half circuit of the rink before she dared even look at him.
"What are you doing here?" she asked again, this time her voice no more than a half-whisper.
John circled in front of her and laid one finger across her lips. "Shhh…" he said quietly. "Just for a few moments, can't we just - be? " His hand moved to caress her cheek.
Evangeline almost let herself close her eyes and sink into the achingly familiar warmth of his touch. But then she remembered all of her hurts. In spite of her new-found resolve, her eyes welled up in tears.
"Evangeline- oh honey no – don't cry." John raised fingers that shook a little as he touched her face and caught the glistening teardrops that hovered on the tips of her lashes. "I didn't come here to make you cry…"
"Why did you come?" Evangeline asked him, her heart suddenly pounding. She looked up at him, remembering that she had never thought she would see him this way again and all of her pride and hurt fled from her because her heart was hoping, praying…
"For a lot of reasons." John said. "But mostly for this…" He lowered his lips to hers and all of Evangeline's Christmas wishes came true.
"Well, this is impressive." Nora couldn't help but murmur aloud as she walked into the opulent space of the Rainbow Room. Her box had contained a single golden ticket and hadn't been presented to her until just before the carriage had pulled up before She was definitely dressed for it, she thought to herself with a chuckle.
She was escorted to a seat at the bar and just as she settled herself, a perfect apple martini was sat before her. "Perfect." She said, after a single sip. The bartender nodded and smiled in response. Nora sat back in her high set, low backed stool and taking her time, looked around in pleasure. The space was soft lit by cool recessed lighting, subtly toned by the soft golden walls. Several couples were already on the dance floor, the renowned circular dance floor. And above it, a huge chandelier caught the light and radiated it back outwards, sending spirals and flashes of light spinning down upon the dancers below like falling stars. They rivaled the night sky in their brilliance.
The big band orchestra finished the current number and everyone applauded. They swung into another tune almost immediately and several jazz tunes followed. Nora found herself tapping her foot to the beat. As long as she was here, she reasoned, she might as well enjoy herself.
Nora turned to the bartender and ordered a second martini. "Heavy on the cherries." She told him. And he delivered, right down to three cherries on the skewer.
"Living dangerously?" he asked as he sat the drink before her.
Nora laughed. "I guess I am. I mean, here I am, by myself and enjoying it."
"A beautiful woman like yourself, here alone?"
"Pretty much, but it's okay. I do hope I manage to get a dance in before I leave, though."
"Ma'am, I doubt if that will be a problem."
"Oh yes, I see the lines forming to the rear."
"I hope not. Of course, then I might just have to pull rank and disperse them."
At the sound of the all-too familiar voice, Nora froze in her chair. She forced herself to turn around. "You're out of your jurisdiction." She told Bo.
"It's okay, I left my badge at home anyway."
Nora looked at him. In a full tux, where would he had put it anyway? Her eyes traveled the length of him and came back to his face. Bo's expression was hopeful – and a little bit scared. He hid it, but not well enough from her. The fact that she could still read him pleased her – and scared her, all at once.
"Just so you know, I had no prior knowledge of this night's events. Especially the part about your being here."
Behind them, the band swung into another song. "Understood, Councilor. " Bo told her. "But at the same time, it would be a shame to waste that dress." He held out his hand. "Shall we?"
"Shall we what?" Her eyes told Bo that she understood that he was asking for a heckuva lot more than just a dance.
"I don't know. Why don't we start with the one dance and see where it leads?"
Nora looked at Bo for a long moment. "Looking for a dance partner?"
"A lot more than that." He said.
Nora let a slow smile cross her face. "Let's start with the one dance and see where it leads."
"Sounds like a plan." Bo said. He grinned like a little boy as Nora took his hand. His fingers curled around hers and she allowed it, she even gave him a little squeeze as they walked onto the dance floor and then into each others arms beneath a cascade of stars.