So Close

Later in Lost in Time, Mimi and Oliver make it to the Seventh Circle of Hell. They enter a nightclub and find Kingsley, who doesn't seem to want to be rescued. Mimi's upset about this, but she's too prideful to let Kingsley know that.

The scene plays out much like it did in the book. I took a few liberties, of course. ;)

A lot of people wondered why she hated nightclubs.

She hadn't hated them, persay. They weren't something she liked, but it wasn't like she was against them.

She didn't used to be, at least.

She'd been in Block 122 once, shortly after Aggie Carondolet's death. Lucy had needed a distraction. They'd only stayed half an hour, but it felt like days; Eloise didn't drink, and she most certainly didn't dance. She sat frozen on one of the upholstered chairs, ignored for the most part.

There was a guy. She didn't remember much about him; only that he'd been drunk. Very, very drunk.

He hadn't even said anything to her. Just grabbed her wrist and started pulling her toward the bathroom. She'd tried to pull away, but he'd yanked her further.

Lucy had miraculously used a Suggestion; Lord knows how the Glom worked on drunk humans, but it couldn't be that different from when they were sober. They'd gone home after that. There'd been an ugly red mark on her wrist all night.

Now she could safely say that yes, she hated nightclubs, and yes, she was against them.

She shrunk back from the noise coming from the dance floor, wishing she could melt into the booth they were sitting at. She knew nothing would happen to her, especially because she was with Mimi. But she still couldn't shake that awful heart-plummeting feeling she got whenever she remembered that man and his hold on her…

"Ellie, you gotta drink something," Oliver said, pushing a glass toward her. "I don't want you to pass out."

"I'll be fine," she said, taking a deep breath. The Glom was giving her a worse headache than usual, but there was no way she was consuming anything these creatures gave her. She wasn't an idiot, and she wasn't about to let the inhabitants of Hell think that she was.

"There's nothing in it," Mimi said flatly. "You're not gonna die."

Eloise didn't pick it up. "I don't drink," she said, her voice wavering slightly. Her head felt rather heavy all of a sudden…

"It's water, alright?" Mimi snapped. "Just drink it."

Eloise obliged, sipping slowly. It tasted too clear - much like everything down here was always slightly off - but she didn't say a word. Mimi was in a bad mood, and it wouldn't do anyone any good if she made her angrier.

Eloise wanted to at least give Mimi a hug. Kinsgley was being a jerk to her, and even though she wasn't always pleasant herself, she didn't deserve it. Eloise recalled when Oliver was still Schuyler's familiar, and how their friendship had quickly deteriorated due to her broken heart. It was one of the worst feelings in the world to know that the one you loved didn't love you in return.

"Do you wanna dance?" Oliver asked suddenly.

Eloise raised her eyebrows, about to tell him no. Then she saw where he was looking.

"You can't be serious," Mimi muttered, although there was a smile fighting its way onto her face.

"Come on, it'll be fun," Oliver insisted, getting up. "You need to let loose for a little bit."

Mimi blew the air out of her mouth. "I think you'd better ask someone else if it's okay," she said, looking over at Eloise.

"Go ahead," she answered. "I'll be fine."

"You sure, Ellie?" Oliver looked at her, clearly concerned. "I don't want you to be by yourself…maybe I should-"

"I can be over here in less than a second if someone tries anything with her," Mimi assured him. "And trust me, they won't. And hey, this was your idea." She winked.

Oliver stood, his eyes still on Eloise. She smiled up at him. "Go on, Oliver. It's okay."

He nodded, walking to the dance floor with Mimi. Eloise was about to go back to her drink when he returned suddenly. She looked up, but had no time to protest; his lips were pressed against hers in an instant. She didn't question it, just closed her eyes and leaned closer to him.

"I love you," he whispered as he pulled away. "Don't forget that."

"I love you," she replied. "Go on now."

He smiled, kissing her again. Eloise was fairly certain he would have continued to do so if Mimi hadn't grabbed his collar and physically dragged him away.

It was rather funny to see the two of them dancing so close. She herself had never been very fond of the grinding that was now considered acceptable. At least no one here was clad in only caution tape; she'd been unfortunate to see that one time.

"And how's this lovely lady fairing?"

Eloise tensed. Whomever had spoken was just to her left, and could easily catch her if she tried to run. And Mimi wasn't even paying attention. What was she supposed to do?

She chanced a look at the man, and sighed in relief, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.

"Did you really have to scare me like that, Kingsley?" she asked.

The Venator shrugged. "Decided to come cheer you up a bit." He slid into the booth, getting a bit too close for her liking. "I mean, what's an innocent girl like you doing all by herself in such a large, scary nightclub?"

"Waiting for my boyfriend to get done making Mimi feel better," Eloise said, quickly regretting it. No matter how much pain Mimi was feeling, she was stubborn enough to keep it hidden; she probably didn't want anyone, especially Kingsley to know how she really felt.

Kingsley's eyes shot over to where the two of them were still dancing. "He was willing to leave you here, all by your lonesome?" He arched an eyebrow and turned back to her. "I mean, I don't blame him, ditching you for a vampire, but come on. He's supposed to be faithful if he's with you, isn't he?"

Eloise felt unwanted heat rising to her face. "They're friends, Kingsley," she said, trying to keep her voice even. "And thank you. Exactly what I needed to hear."

"Oh, don't take it like that," Kingsley said. "I'm just saying that he has a track record with the supernatural, is all. I didn't mean to say you weren't pretty or anything. Lighten up, will you?"

Eloise sighed, wincing at the pang that went through her head. What she really needed right now was some aspirin…and a quiet hotel room.

"I'm sorry, alright?" Kingsley sighed. "You want me to make it up to you?"

She didn't even have a chance to answer. In a split second, Oliver was standing over the table, and Kingsley had taken his spot on the dance floor. "Have fun!" he called before turning back to Mimi.

Oliver frowned. "What just…"

"Don't ask," she replied. "Kingsley being Kingsley, as always."

Oliver shrugged, pouring himself another shot.

"So how was dancing?"

"A little uncomfortable, but Mimi seems in better spirits." Oliver smirked. "She's probably thankful Kingsley stepped in like that. I mean, I'm not exactly the best dancer."

Eloise giggled. "You're not that bad. But I think Kingsley's better suited out there than he is terrorizing me."

Oliver slid into the booth, draping his arm over her shoulder. "Well, it's not like I don't benefit from it. I get to sit next to the most gorgeous girl here."

Eloise felt her cheeks turn red, but this time she didn't mind. "Lucky you," she said quietly, unable to meet his eyes.

"I mean it, Ellie." He tilted her face upward. "You're beautiful," he whispered, pressing his lips to her forehead.

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, simply enjoying the closeness of each other. The music slowed down a bit, changing to "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye. Eloise started laughing.

"What?" Oliver looked at her quizzically.

"This song…" She snorted, covering her mouth. "It's just so over-the-top, that's all. They overplay it way too much."

He shrugged. "I guess." A few seconds later, he was laughing. "Now you've got me thinking too much about it. Thanks."

She giggled, giving him a quick peck on his cheek. "It's what I'm here for."

"Well, it's a shame. I was going to ask you if you wanted to dance, but now all I can think about is how ridiculous this song is."

She blinked. "You were?"

He nodded. "Of course, we're going to have to wait until another slow song."

"Of course. Since it has to be perfect, right?"

"Of course."

She slapped him on the arm, giggling uncontrollably. Here they were, in a strange nightclub in the Seventh Circle of Hell, cracking jokes about slow dancing. If she'd repeated that scenario to herself again, she would have passed it off as a strange dream.

The only thing that could make this any stranger is if another slow song - one they could take seriously - came on immediately after this one ended.

The opening chords of "So Close" by John McLaughlin started to play. She didn't know if she should laugh at what a coincidence this was or sit quietly and wonder how the hell these people were able to read minds.

"Well…that's certainly…convenient," Oliver stated, looking a bit bewildered himself. He pulled her to her feet, keeping a firm grip on her hand.

"Um…" He scanned the dance floor. "You don't mind dancing right here, do you? It looks kind of crowded out there."

"This is fine," she said, thankful, for once, that there were way too many people crammed into one place.

He gently pulled her closer, his hands resting on her waist. She placed her own hands on his shoulders, feeling relaxed and yet unable to control the rapid thumping of her heart.

"You alright?" he asked quietly.

She nodded, suddenly nervous to look at him. It was as if they were in the pavilion again, close but at the same time wanting to be closer, too afraid to make the first move.

"You're safe, Ellie," he whispered. "I've got you."

She exhaled, shyly looking into his eyes. The clamor out on the dance floor slowly died away, leaving just the two of them. He wasn't going to leave her again; he was going to keep her safe, do anything he could to make sure they got out of this alive.

They were rocking back and forth, moving slowly (thank goodness; her head still ached a little). She rested her head against his collarbone, closing her eyes and sighing contentedly. She could hear his heartbeat, startled to find that it was beating just as quickly as her own.

"So far…we are…so close…"

Oliver was singing. It wasn't extremely rare for him, but he tried to avoid it. But here he was, singing softly and tenderly pressing his cheek into her hair. Her heart continued to flutter as the rest of her melted, wishing she could prolong this moment and stay here.

Everything was over much too quickly for her liking. He pulled away enough to hold her gaze again, cradling her back in his hands. He leaned in and kissed her softly, the feel of his lips on hers causing the familiar butterflies to flutter around in her stomach.

"I love you," she said, their lips inches apart, her words no more than a whisper.

"I love you, too," he replied, kissing her again.

It could have been because her mind was buzzing and out of sorts, but her headache suddenly felt the tiniest bit more bearable at the moment.