Chapter 10:

After their song was over, the band dispersed and went about their business. The other remaining bands played and the judges made their choice of four bands to go onto round two. They were going to have a short music break between the rounds to give the band time to relax before they had to kick it up a notch.

Nix was sitting at a table, awkward and all alone. Music flowed out of the speakers and failed to affect Nix at all. She wasn't a dancing sort of person. Marty saw her sitting all alone at a table and decided to see what was up.

He walked over and sat down next to her. "Hey," he greeted, "What's up?"

"What? Oh, nothing."

"Bullshit. Why are you sitting all alone over here?" he asked, scooting his chair closer to hers.

She sighed, "Well, some people can either sing really well, or dance really well, and then they can't do the other one. I can sing, which means," she looked to the floor and didn't make eye contact with him out of embarrassment, "I can't dance… at all."

"I thought it was a law that all girls can dance like, amazingly."

"Nope. I can't dance, at all. My feet don't move the way I would like them too."

The song had ended and a new song had begun. Marty picked up her head and made her look in his eyes. She would always smile when he did that. He smiled to her and that automatically made her feel much better inside. What sounded like a door being creaked open and footsteps being heard started off the song. Marty smiled. Michael Jackson's "Thriller" had just begun to play. He looked at the dance floor and back to Nix. He stood and held out his hand.

"Well, that's about to change," he smiled, "Let's go."

She gave him a weird look before grabbing his hand. Soon she found herself on the dance floor. The beginning keyboard riff and the Halloween sound effects began. Nix knew that Marty couldn't sing too well, so he lip synced with the song. Soon she found herself and Marty in a small circle, surrounded by Marty's friends and the band mates.

"It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heart"

Marty did exactly what the lyrics were saying. He walked around her, trying to make her feel like she was being lurked. Then put his hand over her heart while he stood behind her. Nix bit her lip with a smile.

"You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes
You're paralyzed"

Marty put his hand over her mouth, just like the lyric said. He came around to face her and held her shoulders like she would be frozen in place, and looked her dead in the eyes. She couldn't help but laugh.

"'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
And no one's gonna save you from the beast about strike
You know it's thriller, thriller night
You're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight"

This time, the whole circle decided to join in on the chorus. Nix was trying her hardest not to laugh her ass off and fall on the floor. They seemed to be watching the music video constantly as they attempted to do the dance in a circle formation.

"You hear the door slam-"

All the guys stomped one foot hard on the dance floor, trying to replicate the door slamming sound effect.

"-and realize there's nowhere left to run
You feel the cold hand and wonder if you'll ever see the sun"

Marty put his hands on her shoulder from behind once again. He was too good at trying to be a creep. It wasn't scaring Nix at all, it almost made her want to just simply dance now. That meant it was working. Marty covered her eyes with his hand from behind her.

"You close your eyes and hope that this is just imagination, girl!
But all the while you hear the creature creeping up behind
You're out of time"

The chorus came around again and the guys did the same thing as from the first time. All the guys around Nix began to dance around like zombies, closing in close to Marty and Nix.

"They're out to get you

There's zombies in on every side

They will possess you

Unless you change that number on your dial"

The guys surrounding them began to close in tighter, forcing Nix to cuddle closer to Marty. Just how the song was saying.

"Now is the time

For you and I to cuddle close together, yeah

All through the night

I'll save you from the terror on the screen
I'll make you see"

Nix grabbed Marty's hand and he spun her in a circle quickly. She smiled and the song continued. The guys in the circle surrounding Nix and Marty walked out of their personal space bubble and danced to the chorus yet again. The rest of the song was just simply the spooky talking parts done by none other than Vincent Price.

Nix had gave in and danced with Marty. He smiled to her.

"See, you're not that bad at dancing."

She shrugged and danced along with him, "It could be worse. Besides, whatever the hell you were doing, it was awesome."

He smiled, "I knew I could get you to dance somehow."

"Well, Marty, it worked."

Before they knew it, the song had ended and the two were still holding hands from the dance. An older hit began to play. Marty recognized it as "Earth Angel" from when he traveled back to 1955. He had to play it to save himself and make his parents kiss so everything would end up ok in the end.

"May I have this dance?" he asked.

"You may," she played along.

He placed his hands on her waist and Nix put her hands on his shoulders. It was like a high school dance all over again. They swayed to the slow beat of the song. Nix smiled, and bit her lip. Marty smiled.

"That's one cute habit you have," he smiled.

"What habit?"

"When you bite your lip. It's really cute."

Nix blushed bright red and came into Marty's body more. He interlocked his hands behind her lower back and Nix wrapped her arms around neck. They still swayed to the beat of the song. She put her head on his chest and hugged him close. Marty had to tell her that they couldn't be together, but couldn't bear to break her heart. Not during that song.

The song had just gotten to the point that Marty remembered where his parents kissed and he wasn't vanishing into thin air. Nix picked her head up from his chest and looked into his eyes. They were so, so blue. Like the sky that they loved watching so much. Normally the guy gets lost in the girls eyes, but this time it was different. Nix just stared into them.

It felt like they were the only two on the dance floor when they were dancing. By some odd force of fate, or God's cruel sense of humor, the two began to lean into each other. Closer and closer their lips got. Just before they were about to kiss, Rob came over and patted Marty on the back.

"Come on, we're on when this songs over."

Nix pulled away from Marty and he turned to Rob.

"Alright, we'll be right up."

Rob nodded and left the two alone again. Marty looked into Nix's hazel eyes.

"I'm so sorry, but I can't kiss you. I want to, but I can't. It could jeopardize everything," Marty said apologetically, "I really want to kiss you, but I can't. I'm not allowed to have any strong feelings for you, but they can't be helped. I'm so, so, so sorry."

She nodded, "I understand, Marty. I really do. I want to kiss you too, but- but that's not the point of why I traveled back. You, you're just an added bonus that I couldn't live without."

He smiled sadly, "Come on, let's finish this contest and have you dad win this."

She nodded again and gave him a hug, "you're the best, Marty."

He hugged her back and said, "so are you, Nicole."

A/N: ok here it is, another five chapters down.

Well, so how do you guys like the story? Personally, I think this is one of the cutest ones I've ever written. I think I added a bit of everything in here. At least, I think I did. I dunno…

Well, I don't own Michael Jackson's "Thriller". I don't know who owns it now, but it sure as hell ain't mine. Neither is the Temptations "Earth Angel"