A/N: I DO NOT own any part of the Law & Order franchise, or the rights to the song Mine Again by Mariah Carey.
Mine Again
Jodi woke up, simply staring at the ceiling for quite some time before John shifted beside her.
"Morning. Big day." he grinned, rolling over and putting an arm around her.
She ignored him, continuing to stare at the ceiling.
Her stomach was knotted so fiercely that it felt as if she could not even breath. Beneath the sheets, her hands shook tremendously and it was not until now that Jodi had really wondered what she had gotten into.
She still had not even perfected her solo in the opening scene. Every time, she missed one of the steps. It was unnoticeable, but enough to drive her instructor to screeching at her at the top of his lungs.
Jodi pushed herself out of the bed and made her way to the bathroom, sprinting to the toilet before tossing the seat up and hurling violently into the toilet.
"Jodi!" John exclaimed, rushing into the bathroom behind her.
"Get out." Jodi rasped, coughing and flushing the toilet.
John put his hands on her neck, and Jodi pushed him away before wiping her mouth and flushing the toilet.
Standing up on shaky legs, she walked to the sink before looking in the mirror.
"WHAT THE FUCK?" she screamed, upon seeing her reflection.
Her face was entirely covered in red scaly bumps, that she had not seen since she was a teenager. She had never been medically diagnosed with Rosacea, but it was with only thing that made sense.
Anytime she was out in the sun for prolonged periods of time, the scaly red bumps would break out on her cheeks and T-zone, or if she was stressed. Neither had played significantly in her life since her young days, and she had really thought it had just gone away.
"It's...not that bad." John lied horribly.
Jodi glared at him, before yanking her toothbrush from the brass cup on the sink and furiously brushing her teeth. She hoped it was something makeup could cover, and hated the thought of showing up at the school with makeup already caked on.
"Damn it this cannot be happening." Jodi whispered, leaning forward and examining her face.
She sighed, before pulling off her clothes.
"Will you check on the kids?" she asked, shoving back the shower curtain.
"Sure." John replied, his tone wavering before leaving the room hesitantly. Jodi put her face in her hands before stepping into the shower and turning on the water.
The freezing water trickled onto Jodi's face, soothing her burning skin. She tilted back her head, letting it run down her skin and closed her eyes.
Tonight was her first and only chance. Opening night. The night that would mark the beginning of her career in dance forever.
Would she fail? Or would she emerge triumphant?
Jodi tossed her head back, taking a deep breath and sighing.
She could only hope for the best.
"Hello Elizabeth."
Elizabeth looked up from her hospital bed as Dr. Saunders walked in.
She was a tall woman, Egyptian roots by the look of it. In her early forties, and married to a rich man by the sizable ring on her finger. Her dark hair was up in a strict bun on top of her head, and her red lips were pursed seriously.
"How did all the tests go?" Trevor asked.
Despite her arguments not to, as soon as Elizabeth came to Trevor rushed her right to the hospital. She personally had quite a few spells over the past few years, but she did not see it as a big deal. Her diet was erratic, there were times she would not eat an entire day then the next binge. Her blood sugar was probably everywhere, but the doctors wanted to do more tests.
"Well, we noticed something. Elizabeth, how long have you been smoking?"
"Since I was a freshman in high school, why?" she asked, slightly taken-aback.
Dr. Saunders sighed, before stepping to the side of her bed and looking at Trevor.
"We found something, in your lungs. A rapid cell growth on the left side of your right lung."
"...Wait, cell growth? What does that mean?" Elizabeth asked, feeling a cold lump in her stomach.
"You have Stage I lung cancer."
"How are you feeling? You look nervous."
"No shit." Jodi snapped at Christopher as the two of them sat on the floor stretching.
Her face felt heavy from the foundation she had caked on, and she hadn't even bothered to cover up the cuts on her arms.
"Okay, sorry." he murmered, sighing.
Jodi looked up as she heard footsteps in the studio. Alexander was coming in, already in his tights.
"16 years and I still can't get used to this." he said, slamming down his bag and sitting on the ground.
"Well, you're definitely straight." Jodi allowed herself to chuckle, before cracking his toes beneath his shoes.
"You want to practice the first scene?" he asked.
Jodi nodded and swallowed, unable to even imagine bombing the first scene.
She got up, leaving Christopher behind and walking to the center of the room with Alexander.
"You ready?" he asked.
She nodded, before retreating to one corner of the room.
Inside her head, the music began to play, and she watched as Alexander danced across the room, under the disguise of a handsome young man. Jodi rushed forward, losing herself in the moment and jumping into the arms, truly feeling as if she were a princess, finding this beautiful man in the forest.
He lifted her gently, and she grasped onto his arms, pushing herself towards the ceiling.
Once she fell back to the ground, the two spun around wildly, dancing around the room until it was time for their transformations.
They both backed into a corner, and Jodi stopped.
"Stop, stop, stop." she breathed, waving her hands.
"What's wrong?" Alexander asked.
She did not reply, only sank to the ground and put her hands in her face before biting her lip.
"Jodi, what's wrong?" he asked again, crouching down beside her.
Jodi shook her head, bringing her knees to her chest. She couldn't do this. She could do this.
"How does this look?"
Olivia walked out of the dressing room, spinning around in front of Anthony.
She wore a black Carmen Marc Valvo ruched-flower applique gown. It fit her body like a glove, hugging her body and flaring out at the bottom beautifully.
"Nice." Anthony mused, smiling.
Olivia had the day off, and needed to get a dress for the premiere of Jodi's show that night. The only guy she knew that could really dress were Munch and Anthony, and she by far preferred the company of the latter.
Looking down at the tag, Olivia blanched. What else could she expect in Bergdof-Goodman's though? Hopefully she would be able to find something on sale for maybe two hundred at the most.
"Not going to happen at this price." she chuckled, unzipping it and walking back to the dressing room.
"How much is it?" Anthony asked.
"$940."
"Okay. My treat, to you."
Olivia turned around, raising an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Let me buy that gown for you."
"Anthony, it's almost a thousand dollars. And I'll only be wearing it once. I'll find a cheaper one."
"Everyone should have something nice for themselves every once and awhile. Let me buy it for you Liv."
"Andrew I can't do that." Olivia laughed.
"Why not?"
"Why not? I mean..you just...you can't."
"You can't even find a good reason. Friends by things for each other sometimes."
"Not one thousand dollar things."
"Eh. C'mon, you deserve it."
"Forget it. How am I even supposed to pay you back?"
"You don't have to."
"Be serious Anthony. One thousand dollars?"
"You want that gown, I know you do. You've never had anything so expansive in your life. I've got this."
Olivia paused for a moment, really considering it. No one had ever done something so nice for her, and even when they did, it turned out to be a sham.
"I really appreciate it Anthony, but I just can't."
"Okay, okay. Find another dress then." Anthony shrugged, sitting back in the chair and crossing his hands behind his head.
Olivia stood where she was, thinking about it. She would never find a dress this beautiful. It was beyond inappropriate for someone in her line of work to receive such an expensive gift, but she felt for once that she trusted Anthony.
"Okay...I'll take it."
"Where the fuck did the time go?" Jodi muttered, looking at her phone.
"Lift up your head please."
She lifted her neck, tilting her head towards the ceiling as one of the art-students applied her makeup.
She turned her head as the girl brushed her cheeks lightly with a cherry blush, giving a subtle pop to the completely white makeup covering the rest of her face.
They had less than an hour until the curtains went up, and now Jodi felt as though her stomach had completely twisted in a knot.
She had not eaten all day, for fear she would vomit again and had drank nothing but water and Gatorade. She could not tell if she was shaking from nerves, or low blood sugar. Neither really mattered, because she truly felt as though she was about to go out there and make a complete fool of herself.
"Relax your mouth."
Unaware of her pout, Jodi opened her mouth the slightest bit, feeling the brush move across her bottom lip.
Her face was covered in beautiful shimmering white foundation, with a diamond base. Around her eyes were a set of diamonds they had decided to add for the show, and her hair was done up in an intricate bun with piece loose. There was just enough room for you crown on top, and enough hairspray to take out the ozone within a matter of seconds.
Jodi's skin felt more than heavy, with the other foundation already caked on top but for some reason it gave her the slightest bit of confidence.
Beneath the counter, Jodi wrapped her legs around the chair she sat in, stretching her feet so that they ached. Her bruises throbbed and the raw skin on the tips of her toes stung wickedly.
"Close your eyes."
Jodi did as told, and felt her artist press thick lashes onto her own lashline.
The glue immediately caused her an itching sensation, and she fought the urge to blink. Sitting back with her eyes closed, she felt herself in the comfort of her makeup artist.
She opened her eyes, batting her new large lashes and looked around.
The swans were all in the same dressing room, all of the girls chattering animatedly amongst one another.
"Take those off. They're distracting." her artist said, pointing to her wedding band and engagement ring.
Jodi felt her heart pound as she pulled the rings off. Sure enough, there was a fat tan line where the both of them had been. She had not taken them off since the wedding.
Flexing her fingers, Jodi felt her hand was substantially lighter. Leaning back again, she looked at herself in the mirror. Almost unrecognizable. She looked so frail, innocent. The white makeup had given her usually feline-like eyes and very widened look. As though she were a startled fawn.
"You're done. You can go to costume now."
Jodi looked up only to find the girl walking away, wiping her hands with a rag. Jodi looked at herself in the mirror again before standing up.
Showtime.
"God, it's ridiculous the amount of money they pour into these things. Taxpayers money I might add. We could just as well be having this at a community hall somewhere for more than half the price."
"Munch will you shut up? This is your wife we're talking about."
Elliot chuckled and John rolled his eyes, crossing his arms as he sank down into his chair. Beside him here Olivia and Anthony, and on their other side were the two empty seats he had reserved for Trevor and Elizabeth. They had both conformed they were coming the previous night, but here the show was to start in five minutes and neither was there.
"John, I never got to thank you for these tickets." Kathy said, leaning over Elliot.
"Don't mention it Kathy." John grinned, before sitting back in his seat again.
The orchestra was tuning up, and the curtain was still down onstange. John had managed to score seats in the second row for all of them, so he would be able to see literally everything.
"Does anyone know what this is actually about?" he asked, leaning over to Olivia.
She replied by smacking his arm, crossing her legs beneath the long dress she wore.
"Your kidding right? Even I know." Elliot said.
"Oh, get to the ballet much?" John retorted.
Elliot snorted and Olivia chuckled.
"It's about a girl who gets turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer. She falls in love with a prince, and at his ball he falls in love with who he thinks is her, but is actually the evil sorcerer's daughter in disguise. After the swan princess finds out she kills herself. The endings vary." Olivia explained.
"What the fuck?" John said loudly so the couple in front of them turned around and glared.
"Sorry." he whispered, and sat back in his seat.
Suddenly, the lights dimmed and the audience began to dim as the opening notes of the Introduction began to play.
John leaned forward, grinning slightly. His wife, the beautiful ballerina.
Take that Stabler he thought.