Props to you all on guessing that Cho can Dance. But No one got the kind of dancing right. I will tell you it is a little out there. Hope you enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I own my bizarre little mind, but not much else.
MAY –Dancing with the Cops, Chapter 2
When they came out in t-shirts and shorts, Corinna shuddered inwardly at what people wore for dancing. However, making these people comfortable was the first step. They all had the nice muscle tone she had observed in their street clothing. All very different body types. This was going to be the easiest group, she thought.
"Now, before we begin, we will stretch and warm up all your muscles. You will find that ballroom dancing is harder on muscles you don't normally use. Let me begin first by asking who here has ever taken any dance?"
Grace raised her hand. There was always at least one woman.
"I had some ballet training in Iowa where I grew up"
Corinna smiled and kept the thought that ballet training in Iowa was an oxymoron to herself.
"Has anyone taken, yoga, martial arts, boxing, played sports?"
Grace again raised her hand. "I take yoga now, and ran track in high school and college"
Cho announced he had boxed "a little".
Wayne shared that he had played a little basketball.
Teresa was silent. Her life had not afforded those choices. Jane filled in the silence by announcing he had never really played anything organized. He smiled as he said it, but Corinna sensed a sadness there as well.
"Good!"
She wasn't too worried about the small brunette and the blond having no background. She had watched them as they walked into and out of the locker rooms. After 30 plus years of teaching dance, she could tell who would be able to move or not. Patrick was very light on his feet. Teresa was athletic in her movements. They also seemed to have an unspoken connection. This would work.
After a bit of stretching as she explained how each muscle group would be used, she began to pair them up again. This time, she moved the pairings around. Cho had come out quickly and spoken to her again. She told him for today, he would participate and they would talk after everyone had left.
Although aesthetically speaking Grace should really dance with Wayne, Cho and Patrick partnered her very well. Corinna was impressed. Most men were not comfortable dancing with a woman the same height or taller. Each man had his own style, but moved confidently. The tall one, however, looked horrified and a little ridiculous dancing with Teresa. For all his good looks, he was clearly very embarrassed by the whole thing. He also kept watching Grace with longing. Grace was sneaking peaks back when she thought no one would see. Well, that was decided then. Corona would use that chemistry.
She had them go through the waltz, taught then the basic box step and a little fox trot. They all learned quickly. This group would do her proud and she would save them for the end.
"Thank you all. You have been quite co-operative and danced well. We have much work to do, however. You will not need to come back in the big group again. I will have you practice at least 3 times a week in your assigned pairs. Kimball will be working with someone else so neither of the ladies is forced to learn two dances."
Cho nodded at Corinna. It would have been awkward to explain to the others why he was not doing the same thing.
"Next time, ladies, please bring a skirt to wear. It should be full and easy to move in. Also, a pair of heels, they don't have to be high, but no flats and no sneakers. It will make your dancing easier. The men need to learn to maneuver around a skirt. Gentlemen, I will discuss footwear with you individually"
Each pair met with Corinna and left, a little bemused and much more tired and sore than they would have imagined.
"OK, Agent Cho. The studio is empty. Do you have music? Let me see what you have."
Twenty minutes later saw a very impressed Corinna closing up her studio. When she had agreed to this project, she had no idea how much work this would be. She also had no idea how much she would find herself looking forward to that evening. Karen Demarco was no fool. She knew her accent and clothes were a little ridiculous, but she also knew it was expected that a dance teacher be exotic. So Corinna Del La Mer was born. Everyone in California reinvents themselves a little.
The weeks of practice flew past faster than any of them could have imagined. They wouldn't have believed how sore and tired they would be from dancing either. Even though they were all in great shape, this was hard work. But they were beginning to think they might just be able to do this. They had agreed not to discuss what they were doing with anyone. Of course, the dancing was earning them some serious ribbing throughout the building. Everyone knew Mother Teresa's brood had pulled the dreaded blue chip. Bets were being made about what kind of costume Rigsby would wear. Thankfully, most of the agents couldn't afford this fundraiser. The price of admission was high and in order to get priority seating close to the Governor, you had to "sponsor" a cop. The winning cop would get a trophy, a picture with the Governor and his sponsor would be on the hook for double the donation. The Sacramento Children's Hospital was going to get big money from this event.
The big night finally arrived. Rigsby was so nervous he hadn't eaten all day. No cases had been assigned to them at all. Rigsby and Lisbon were both hoping that would save them. Lisbon smiled to herself. There was never a good double homicide when you really needed it.
The Sacramento Junior College was happy to host this event. Any time people with that kind of money to donate came to the college, the administration was smart enough to play along.
Their performing arts center had just been renovated. It had not been named yet. That detail was going to be mentioned several times tonight. The Dean knew the people attending were the types who liked having buildings named for them.
The cops mingled backstage, wearing costumes of varying degrees of flash and sequins. Between performance nerves and the discomfort level on the costumes, it was a mercy that weapons had been banned backstage.
Jane was calm through the insanity, but he had been performing his whole life. Confidence was key. If you believed in what you were doing, and how well, you could sell any act. He knew that he and Lisbon looked good dancing together. Once she got over not being able to lead, they moved in tandem. Patrick tried not to think too much about how well they fit or how good she felt in his arms. That was a dangerous path. Lisbon also ignored those flutters and flashes of heat as they danced together. Corinna kept telling her to let go and trust Jane. The problem was that trusting Jane had never really worked out well. But she had to confess the man could dance.
They watched from a closed circuit TV backstage as each pair danced before them. Most of them did really well. The Sherriff and his 7 year old daughter tap dancing was a surprise. Not because they were incredibly cute, but because they were very good. Foxtrots and cha-chas were all performed well. The group from the CBI was nervous waiting. They were to be the last pairs. Halfway through the program, Rigsby voiced what they all wondered.
"Boss, where the heck is Cho?" Did he get out of this? Has anyone seen him?"
Jane's usual enigmatic smile grew a little wider. "I have. He will be going on last."
Finally it was time for Lisbon and Jane. Corinna had taken advantage of how smoothly Jane moved. They were doing a waltz. Lisbon's green flowing gown swirled beautifully as they moved across the floor as one. The romance of this good looking pair was not lost on any of the women. Teresa had always seemed in charge and bigger than her size. Tonight, she seemed petite and soft. It worked on her. Jane tried not to notice. But when they ended in a flourish that sent her sinking into a full courtesy at his feet, she glanced up smiling and glowing from the dance. They held that pose for longer than was planned, lost in the romance of the moment and each other. Sighs could be heard among the applause.
He pulled her up and tucked her hand into his arm, smiling down at her. For a man who had shoved romance aside in favor of vengeance, it was a rare moment of pure happiness. A warmth he had forgotten about curled in his chest. Finally, the moment passed and Lisbon became aware of their surroundings. They took their bows and headed off stage, still arm in arm. Patrick lightly punched Rigsby on the arm.
"Wayne, just go have fun.'
Rigsby managed a small smile. Fun? Yeah right. He took a deep breath and swore to himself that he would not let Grace down, literally. Corinna had looked at the muscles on Rigsby and decided the two young agents would do a Lindy. The fast athletic style would play right into his strengths. Grace had enough training to be able to keep up.
The music started and Wayne was standing upstage pretending to lean against a juke box. He was dressed in a black t-shirt, jeans and Cons. He looked a little like a thug. Grace came out wearing a full long skirt and her hair was pulled into 50's style ponytail. The reference point was established. As she walked past, Wayne grabbed her hand and swung her into his arms to dance. They were off. They moved well together. This was the only team that was being allowed to do lifts like this. The audience gasped and clapped each time he lifted her easily and swung her into the air. At the very end, he had to lift her straight up and throw her in a twisting motion and catch her. This was after 2 minutes of very vigorous dancing. They were both tired. It had gone well in rehearsal, but Wayne was terrified of dropping her. If it killed him, she would not get hurt. Corinna knew that and it worked. They ended with Grace held tight in Wayne's arms, smiling up at him. She knew she could trust him. They were both breathing heavily and their mouths were inches away. It took the wild clapping of the crowd and the MC to break another spell among the CBI dancers.
He dared a quick kiss on the back of her hand and smiled at her, his eyes dark with emotion and triumph. Her blush told him that although they were not together, she still felt it. They took their bows and got off the stage, still holding hands and smiling at each other.
The MC took the stage and quieted the crowd. "Ladies and Gentlemen, while we are waiting for the scores to be tabulated, we have one last treat for you. Agent Cho of the CBI is not dancing for points, or with another cop. Instead, he is dancing with other members of his Reserve Unit. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you members of the United States Army Reserve, 125th Infantry Unit, Bravo Company."
He exited the stage after the applause. The lights went black and then a drum was heard. It was loud; the lights came up, slowly going purple and dark green. A loud tapping noise was heard.
Out onto the stage, marched 12 men and women, all dressed in black t-shirts, and desert fatigues. On their feet were not army boots but dance shoes. They walked out in a straight line across the stage. Silence reigned. A tapping noise was heard as the two dancers in the middle began to dance moving backward together as their feet flew, but their upper bodies remained still. The two dancers on either side of them followed suit until the whole group was dancing to no music in a Vee on the stage. They stopped. The fiddles and drums came up. The whole group began to Irish Dance in perfect unison. On the end, toward the front was an unlikely looking step dancer with Oriental features. It was Cho. But the audience started to realize these dancers were doing traditional Irish dancing, but they were more reflective of a cross section of California than Ireland. There were Black, Hispanic and another Oriental dancer. Their feet flew and the audience began to keep time clapping. The music was contagious. Each pair of dancers met in the middle, danced toward the front and over to the end of the line. They all moved up to a straight line in that manner. The music grew faster and so did their feet. When they finally stopped, the well to do audience found themselves on their feet clapping and cheering. Cho held up his hand and silence fell again. In a line, they tapped and it went down the line and back again. They did this twice, each time the step became more intricate. At the last time, they again began a treble reel and the music came up. Finally, they all ended in perfect sync and bowed as one. They bowed again and on a signal, turned and marched off the stage.
The crowd demanded and received an encore. When they were finally allowed to leave the stage, a winded and tired Cho was grabbed by Rigsby and pulled over to the CBI group.
"What the hell! When did you learn that? I thought you had to be Irish to do that stuff?"
Cho flashed a rare smile and was prevented from answering by the stage manager forcing each couple to come out and take a bow. When the army group re-appeared, it was clear they were a favorite. They were not getting the mirror ball trophy as they did not compete. That went to a very stunned Rigsby and Van Pelt.
Afterwards, they finally cornered Cho again. He knew this secret was out and he would share the story with his unit.
"When I got to basic, there was this guy, Ryan Gallagher and this girl Kathy Hogan. She had danced her whole life. The only way she could pay for college was the army. Ryan had danced till he was like 16. They started fooling around, showing it to us one night when we had nothing to do. Ryan could even do it in his army boots. We got really bored and they began to teach us. When we got deployed, it was something to fill the time when we weren't on patrol. The bosses thought it was a novel way to stay in shape and drill. There was actually a lot more of us who danced. The ones here were the only ones I could get on short notice to do this and had time to practice. I kept it up when I got home. I go once a week or so to a real school. It keeps me in shape. A couple of the girls dancing with us weren't in our unit, but are from that school. They decided to help us out."
The rest of the groups were divided by their shock at the length of the speech from Cho and what he said. Cho had always kept his private life just that. No one had a clue on this one. Even Jane was surprised by Cho's secret. And for Kimball Cho, that was the best part of the night.
Ok, before you all think I have completely lost it here, let me explain. My oldest did Irish dance for years. There was a video out there somewhere of a young man who was an Irish dancer dancing for his barrack-mates in army boots. I always loved that. I had also just gone to see a touring company of "LORD OF THE DANCE" . Taking all that and combining it with how much I love to play with Cho…well, there it is.
I was going to have Lisbon and Jane do a tango or something sexier, but don't really know enough about that type of dance. Besides, I can just see Jane in a tux. I think the formalness of a waltz would suit him.
We likeee or no?