Chapter Eleven: The Waltz
The waiter nearly floated past the tables to one nearer to the corner of the restaurant, where the common conversations could not be heard and the light music of the violins and piano. The restaurant was a very fine one, one of the best in London in fact, that gave way to the classic dining experience. The tables were set with deep red tablecloths, live rose centrepieces, candles, and an extensive choice of silverware. By far the most impressive feature of the building was the glass dome ceiling that showed the stars clear and true no matter what the weather. That, and the food and service was to die for, as claimed by most local papers.
"Compliments of a friend, my dear Sir," the waiter said with a flourish, and placed the glass in front of the man.
Adam lifted the drink, inspecting it carefully. "Another?" he spoke with almost a groan. "Do you remember who bought this drink for me, or let me guess--"
"I'm truly sorry, my dear Sir, but I honestly cannot recall," the waiter blinked and said with some difficulty.
"Nevermind," Adam waved him off and passed the glass to a woman sitting behind him. "What do you think, Kate? Six complimentary drinks, and at least six unknown followers of mine in this restaurant." He looked past the five empty glasses on their table and scanned the other diners, all of which had their eyes averted to their own business and seemed to be engaged in their own conversations.
The woman at their back spoke, "Liebfaumilch, champagne, and cinnamon."
He took the glass and held it up to his nose. "Yes, you're right. A One-Balled Dictator. I haven't one of these in decades. At least someone here has good humour. Kate?"
Kate shook her head, although she took her hand up to sip her wine. Instead, she looked and watched Adam as he raised it to no one in particular and downed it quite gratefully.
"You poisoned them, didn't you? They're not from real fans. All six of them are from you, is that right?" he placed the empty glass on the table and eyed her cheerfully. "What a way to kill a man."
She laughed a bit and smiled wider, otherwise ignoring his jovial comments. "I think it's wonderful," she said. "Look, just look at this beautiful restaurant, full of people while we have our people here protecting us," she looked to the three guests in the table behind them, who ate their steak with a watchful eye over the restaurant. "And look, up at the stars. It's such a clear night, don't you think so! Beautiful stars! And you too!" She grasped his hand, "Us. Together. There's so much to be grateful for!"
"Kate, I do believe you've had too much to drink..."
Kate stopped, and grimaced a bit. Her cheeks were cheery from the wine and her eyes sparkled in the candle. "Can we dance?" she asked of him.
He paused and thought for a moment, studying her like a scientist to a test subject. She kept her innocently joyful face. "Why?" He sipped his wine.
"C'mon! We always used to dance. Joseph, don't you remember? We had such fun dancing!"
"It was different back then," he explained sternly and folded his arms. "Back then, I was courting you. I never actually dance for fun."
She didn't take longer than a moment to believe him. "Courting me? Since when we married? We're still courting!"
"Legally--"
"Yes, legally, but not really. Legally, my name is Katherine Watson, but that doesn't make it my real name." She looked bitter, but was playfully bitter and had such fun complaining. "We never stood in a church, nor a courthouse and I've never said 'I do.' Until I do, we'll be courting, and be able to separate at any time without any disastrous effects," she added on sarcastically.
Adam tried again with a serious, "This band is perhaps the worst--"
Kate ignored him. "Admit it, you always enjoyed it. You loved dancing with me. Why not now? What's changed?"
Glancing back at her with a suspicious eye, Adam listened to the active sounds of the diners and band as his own conversation came to silence. He didn't respond to the question, but found his humourless disposition broken once Kate mocking him, crossing her own arms and making brief comments in a baritone voice about how the steak was overcooked and how dancing was for silly women. He shuddered, then laughed aloud, and kissed her hand as he led it to the dance floor.
The dance was the waltz. It was quite apparent that Adam and Kate were of the only ones in the restaurant that truly knew the dance, as if it had been a forgotten art. They stepped and they spun and they flourished, all the while when no one was watching too carefully, but everyone, regardless of if they were dancing, eating, serving, or being on Kenshi duty, looked cheerful. Everytime Kate would laugh, she would nearly trip and her steps would be off, but by the end of the song, it hardly mattered anyway. Adam laughed too, once she laughed, and at some random moments, they would find themselves fumbling around, trying to dance while they giggled over nothing.
They left some time after, when the restaurant was nearly empty and the sound of the band was replaced by the sound of clattering plates as the waiters cleared the tables. Kate and Adam were arm and arm, huddling together for warmth as they hummed the songs of the evening. Snow flurried around them, and the heater beat out the chill air once they found and settled into their car. Kate stopped her complaining of how cold her ankles were and started it up to hover in the air.
"Oh! Snow!" After some time, Kate peered through her windshield to see the flakes floating down from the sky, as if on a Christmas card. She lowered and slowed the car down enough to see the snow, and to enjoy it, as at regular speed, they would be flecks whizzing past them in a millisecond. She smiled dreamily, and relaxed her hands from the steering wheel. "I bet the Kenshis won't mind if we took a little longer to get home," said Kate, adjusting her rear view mirror to see their protectors' headlights following them at the back.
"Joseph," she started slowly, with a swallow, "do you ever just watch the snow?"
While her eyes looked brightly at him, Adam blinked. He said after a long pause, "No."
Kate knew he was just being honest.
They watched in silence at the white coming from the wonder of the sky. They both fully knew as frozen precipitation too heavy to be carried in cloud, but at this moment, they tried not to care. They tried to see it as a wonder, as magic that came from the heavens and blanketed the pine tree forest below with a white powder that just made everything silent.
It was broken by the sound of the radio. "I love this song! It's absolutely terrible, but it's fantastic!" exclaimed Adam as he turned the volume up. The upbeat techno music filled the car as Kate rolled her eyes and drove on.
"You're ridiculous!" she growled. "Can't even take five seconds to appreciate nature!"
Adam was saying, "Oh, cheer up, Kate! It's snow! It's frozen precipitation falling to the ground, and it comes every year, doesn't it? Kate? C'mon, Kate!"
He started to bop his head and sing along to the song, even though she didn't know it as it was before her time. It was quite ridiculous too, as the radio singer was a clear woman, and the tune of the song was pathetic. Meanwhile, she tried to stay angry, but couldn't stop the fits of laughter she had from glancing back at him.
"'Cause everytime we touch I get this feeling! And everytime we kiss, I swear I could fly!" he sang, very dramatically with added animation to his hand movements and leaning in toward Kate, as if he wrote the song for her.
She was nearly crying from laughter. "Joseph, you are ridiculous! Absolutely and completely hilarious!"
"Sing with me! C'mon!" he laughed and begged. It was so long, it must have been an extended version.
"No! Youre-- You're so... so embarrassing!" Kate made out.
Adam was still dancing. "Like anyone can see. We're all alone, Kate. Just you and me singing our hearts out!"
"Ca-Can't you feel my heart beat slow?" she leaned back and belted out. "Oh! I can't let you go! Want you in my--"
It was thunderous, perhaps because of the sudden brake system kicking in or some part of the car giving out when it was poked the wrong way. The jolt of the impact stopped them, and they both were flung forward, both slamming themselves into the front and windshield of the car. The power died and the radio stopped. For a moment, all was silent, and Adam looked up to see the trunk of a pine tree through the windshield. Then, the car lurched with the weight, and creaked and roared and fell through the branches, hitting each one with a rustle and shake that removed its snow. It fell for some hundred meters and landed with a final crash with as much impact as the first. It leaned and creaked again, then finally settled.
The snow fell.
"...Mr. Allen?"
Adam opened his eyes briefly, squinting. His vision was cloudy and red, but it was soon clear to reveal Gareth Nehru, one of his knights, as he liked to call him. His head was cloudy as well, and he couldn't think much more above "it's cold" and adjust his shoulder so the bones could heal. He could also see that Gareth had some metal rods in his hand, which must have went through him in the accident and prevented him from healing right away.
He groaned seeing his breath in the cold, and turned his head.
"Kate?"
The forest was dark, but the area had been lumbered enough to let the moonlight from above filter through the trees and land on the ground. Through this blue moonlight, he saw Kate. Her head was turned the other way, and although her hair curled for the occasion was sprawled all over, nearly none of it covered her face. Her skin was blue, like the moonlight, but at her hairline and into her forehead, it was unmistakably crimson.
"Mr. Allen, I think we should--" Gareth placed a hand on him.
Adam whipped back, glaring with furious eyes. "Get off of me!"
He turned back to her. "Kate..."
The wind whipped at them, and blew gently at her hair.
He lifted his hand, and as it was trembling a great deal, tried to shake her shoulder.
"Kate!" he begged. He pleaded. Her body shook, but she did not wake. "K-Kate! ... Kate, please!" He swallowed, and once he breathed out the wind spiked the cold at his tears. "No! No, please! Kate! Wake up!" He shook her harder. "Come back! Please... please don't!"
She was still. She did not wake.
Adam swallowed again. He withdrew his hand. He stared. It was silent. It was especially silent since it was snowing, though flurries again, with the wind picking up now and then.
He stared, silent still. His eyes were wide and he rarely blinked. They were, in a first glance, of terror, fear, and disbelief. In a second and closer glance, they were of regret. Again, once again, like many times before, she was gone.
A/N: Was there any reason for me to put Cascada randomly in this chapter?
....Ummm. I forgot. :\
On the other hand, yes as you see we get these chapters into the double digits, the story is winding down. The end is near! Beware! :[