Wow, got the last chapter done… ya'll ready for this one?

Well too bad because I'm updating anyway.

It's a short chapter, and for futer referenses, yes,Idid mean to say 'fat lard'

----------------------------------------

The icy almost January night air pierced my skin like a thousand tiny knives. The occasional snowflake that drifted lazily down from the sky landed in my hair and grazed against my bare cheeks, my mask now hidden from the elements in the folds of my skirt.

I knew I was ruining my new dress that I had set such a store by but I didn't care; much.

I was too confused by what I was feeling. I knew that I loved Raoul, and that only his touch could make me feel the way I did, and yet… and yet there was that perfect stranger. I didn't even know if he was in the Corps de Ballet. Madame Giry had brought in boys from some of the other schools around and we didn't have time to learn their names, and I certainly never went out of my way to remember what they looked like.

A part of me wanted to find out who this man was… the one who had held me and made me feel… all tingly all over. The same finger-in-a-light-socket sensation I had when Raoul touched me. But how? The same question replayed over and over again like a bad highlight reel, every time from my skin down to my very bones tingled again with the memory of his touch… the texture of the blouse I had unknowingly pressed my face against…

I slapped my cheek, turning it a rosy red color. 'Snap out of it! You're starting to talk like a fixated old maid… or worse yet like those idiot girls back at school who always chased after boys…' I thought, trying to get his memory out of my mind. I sighed and leaned my chin against the palm of my hand. Why on earth was I suddenly so obsessed about so stranger I don't know? I thought sullenly, staring down at the rosebushes as if I stared at them long enough they would give me answers.

I had been watching the clump of out-of-season roses so intently that I didn't hear the soft crunch of boots on snow behind me.

"And why are you out here catching your death by pneumonia instead of being safe inside with your new beau."

I whipped my head around to face the man I loathed most.

"What do you want." I said as coldly as I could to Erik.

"Ah, I see that the air cannot touch you, not with your soul so cold. Now why are you so cold hearted when there's a perfectly happy party going on inside, not giving a second thought to my, dare I be so brazen, my amazing magician act?"

I glared at him and he apparently took that as a sign to sit next to me.

"What do you want." I asked, scooting over as far as I could to get away from him.

"I would like to know why you choose to associate with the riffraff Madame Giry picked up just so you rats could do that dance."

I looked up from the ground and looked to his face. It was completely unreadable in the shroud of moonless night.

"What do you mean?" I asked, straightening.

"I mean, that you should be more careful with whom you chose to dance with." He said, and stood up.

He left me sitting on the bench to try and understand what he meant…

After a few more minutes of shivering in the cold I too stood up somewhat stiffly. For the first time I had actually realized it was well below freezing and my collar bone and arms were bare and exposed to the snow. I shook out my dress out, brushed all the snow off of me, carefully put my mask back on and walked back into the grand foyer where music was swelling with gay party enthusiasm.

I had entered quietly and even after I snuck in I stayed to the back of the crowds, just trying to get warm. My flesh seemed to crawl as the feeling of numbness slowly left, and the snug heat of the room was slowly raising my blood temperature to pleasantness, and soon I was ready to dance.

My dress was only slightly damp in the back, and you couldn't even tell, really, and I was already bored with hanging around in the back of the crowd just people watching. I scanned the mass of people for anyone I knew and only briefly caught a glimpse of Richard before he disappeared to where the drinks were.

I slipped nimbly though the mingling people who were just standing around talking and made my way to where the dance floor began, hoping someone would take my hand for a dance.

It had been ten minutes and nothing. Nil, nada, caput. I tapped my foot impatiently. How come my date never freaking showed up? I even went over to the vase and waited, but did this Andres Bertrand character ever show up? No, the little nerd stood me up. And Raoul was most likely with Christine in the dormitories.

I was going to wind up standing around with absolutely nothing to do except watch the other couples dance. For an idiotic moment I wondered if Erik knew how to dance but I wanted to laugh uproariously at that. Ha! The idea of me dancing in the arms of Erik? It was as logical as an elephant becoming Prima Ballerina.

I heaved a great sigh, straining against my corset which, against my suspicions from back home, wasn't really so bad. And it made my waist appear the fashionably small size of sixteen inches when it was in fact laced up as eighteen inches and getting smaller…

I walked around the edge of the room; trying to keep myself from dancing all by myself and looked around for anyone I knew who wasn't busy entertaining a date, but this turned up quite fruitless.

I turned to go back to the dormitories, seeing as I had nothing better to do, and just ring in the New Year with just Christine, Raoul, Meg and Madame Giry but I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and my stomach muscles clenched together tightly.

"May I have this dance?" I heard a silky voice from behind the mask ask.

I glared. Erik had only come just to tease me. I stiffly allowed him to take my waist (trust me, if I could have avoided it, I would have… stupid slow song…) and danced lightly around the room with him.

"You've come just to taunt me haven't you?" I said bitterly, keeping my voice down so no one would hear.

"You seemed alone, so I thought I would save you from having to turn in early."

I only glared at him. Although I had to admit, he was a good dancer.

"Who says that I was alone?" I asked, trying not to betray the fact I was fighting a lost battle.

He laughed so loud that a few people looked around at us. "My dear, I have been observing this party for the last half hour; you have seen no one you know who wasn't with their lover."

I pursed my lips. He had me on that one…

The song ended and I immediately slipped out of Erik's grasp.

"What, am I that bad a dancer?" He asked sarcastically.

"Yes, terrible." I said, and went to go get a drink of punch. That song had put me a little out of breath and I wanted something to cool me down.

I sipped a little and made it back to the floor as the orchestra started to play the music La valse à trois temps.

I looked around for Erik, seeing as I didn't have anyone else to dance with, but discovered that he had gone. 'What the heck, can't you take a stupid joke?' I thought irritably. I had only gotten to dance twice, and Erik had interrupted the first one… The stupid fat lard… Now I didn't get to have any fun…

For the second time that night I was tapped on the shoulder. I turned around, expecting to see Erik, but saw instead my masked partner from before.

I felt my chest contact with a weird tingly feeling in my lungs as he asked, "May I have this dance?"

I only nodded, and he took my waist.

As we spun gracefully around the room (He was just slightly better dancer than Erik was) and we chatted a little.

"I never got your name Mademoiselle." He said as we passed a couple who were dancing slowly in each others arms.

"Fleur Delacour." I said, somehow managing to find my voice. "And yours Monsieur?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

He smiled. "Francois De Lamar."

Something about that name sounded vaguely familiar… I had heard that surname before…

Then it hit me and I nearly laughed aloud. Lamar was the first president of the Republic of Texas. Mirabeau B. Lamar. What a weird coincidence…

I only smiled and said "You dance divinely Monsieur de Lamar."

"Please, call me Francois, Mademoiselle Delacour." He said, smiling down at me. He was about the same height and build of Erik, but I noticed he held himself a little more… what was it… proper? Dignified? Who knows…? Who cared?

"Fleur, if you please…" I said shyly.

And so it went for the rest of the night, we talked about just about everything, and I found out that he was from the College just a block away and had been recommended for the ballet by his headmaster after their last dance. That headmaster was right for recommending Francois; he was a truly great dancer.

It was the moment everyone had been waiting for… the count down to the New Year. It started at twenty, and everyone chanted along. For a moment I wondered if the tradition was still the same, you know, your first kiss was supposed to be to your lover or family, and it was also noted to be good luck if the man you kissed was tall and dark haired like Erik or Francois (I found this out on from Christmas break homework about New Years traditions in fifth grade.)

"Ten seconds! Nine…eight…seven… six… five… four… three… two…ONE! HAPP NEW YEAR!" We all screamed at the same time. Confetti fell and I saw couples kiss all around Francois and me, and I had a complete overflow of emotions; jealousy, sadness, happiness, and some that I couldn't even put into words.

I looked to the ground sadly, but immediately looked up at Francois as I felt his arms go around my waist. My emotions must have shown clearly on my face for he pulled me into a tight embrace and he kissed me.

My arms had been slack at my sides, but almost involuntarily they rose to go around his neck to pull him closer. It was my first real kiss, ever, in any world, and it was more than I could have ever imagined it would be. I lost all awareness of the world outside of his arms, and I could feel nothing except his soft touch. It was deep and passionate, and the feel of his mouth over mine made me tremble. The kiss could have lasted for a second, or a million sun-lit days; the moment seemed timeless, and I couldn't imagine where else I would rather be than in his embrace.