Chapter 54: Preparations

Alex sighed as she finished editing the advertisement the night before and was now sitting in Claude's privet jet. She had spent the last few days committing ever fiber of her being to creating two commercials and a series of advertisements. The entire project had exhausted her, she had pulled ever contact she knew from the director, to the musicians, and even the dancers, which she had hired had made an enormous difference in comparison to simply guessing how they moved. It was hard to believe that she had been put in charge of creating an advertisement for one of the most reputable and recognizable names in the champagne industry. It was even larger than the contract for Intrigue. If this champagne went well she would be launched onto the international stage, a whole new competition where only the best survive, which meant greater pay and an even greater amount of stress. "Still awake?" asked a familiar lush voice behind her. Alex leaned back and looked up to find a pair of bright red eyes looking down at her, they were vibrant as ever and she noticed his thick and rather long black lashes. "I'm just lost in thought." Sebastian smiled a little and glanced over at Claude who was sleeping, "We'll be landing in Zurich soon," he said softly. Alex nodded and froze as Sebastian gently brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She paused and looked at him, she had forgotten all about the launch of the new campaign. His eyes gazed down at the screen of her Mac book and she stared at her. He had yet to see the finished project and Alex knew he was defiantly curious. Sebastian leaned over and was about to hit play when Alex gently grabbed his hand, "You're going to need these, there are two advertisements, one with the sugarplum fairy and the other, well something a little more energetic," she said as she held up her headphones. Sebastian looked at her slightly confused, they had only asked for one commercial.

"Why are there two the contract stipulated one," he responded curtly. Alex ran her fingers through her hair and replied, "Simple they wanted an advertisement which they could use all year round, you can only tolerate oh so much of the sugarplum fairy. So I called up a friend of mine to assist me, and he was more than happy to record the other track." Sebastian's red eyes narrowed, it was clear he was looking for the right word to say but he couldn't seem to find it. Alex squeezed Sebastian's hand and said, "If you're ever going to trust me, now is the time. I have a feeling this will be just right." Sebastian was slightly taken aback and nodded after a moment. He slowly took the headphones from her only for Claude to look up, "I'd like to see it too," he said after a moment. Alex stared at Claude and slowly nodded, however the screen was rather small. "Don't worry about the screen said Sebastian as he lifted the computer off her lap and connected it to the flat screen in the cabin, she was still unaccustomed to the fact that the pair had a privet jet on top of owning an airline. The interior of the jet was sleek and she stared at the plush seats which were empty and the mahogany detailing. Sebastian held the silver laptop in his hands as he connected the cables to the flat screen.

Alex could remember the hours they spend in studios to get the material just for the commercial, let alone the posters and full page advertisements. Sebastian took an afternoon off to play the Glass Harp which had been required for the holiday advertisement, and she spent three days working in the editing room on the commercial. Marcus was only present for the first day, and had stormed out when he realized that they had done thirty takes of the bottle falling to the floor. Alex sighed, she could remember the event as clear as day, "I'm not paying you for thirty takes of a bottle falling to the floor, I'm paying you for a fresh and new advertisement," he raved. His hazel eyes were filled with fury and he looked as though he was about to drop the campaign. Alex's eyes flickered open and she sighed, this was perhaps the most daring move she had made in her career yet. Sebastian finished attaching the cables and looked at her, "The first is the sugarplum fairy," said Alex softly. Claude took a seat, his golden eyes were locked on the screen as Sebastian pressed play. He took a seat and watched the actresses as the party unfolded and a woman knocked into the bottle, she looked slightly shocked as it tumbled through the black screen. Sebastian's eyes widened as he watched ballerinas fall from the bottle, each of them was made of the golden liquid and he stared as the bottle continued to fall, snow flakes with beautiful crustal in designs made of the champagne and its bubbles fell, only for the bottle to be caught at the end by a woman grinning with delight, as she poured what was left of the bottle into a glass and placed the bottle on the table with the other three labels. Happy Holidays sprawled across the bottom of the screen in elegant red letters. "Very nice," commented Claude, he smiled it was clear he seemed to enjoy the whimsy, and Sebastian was beaming. "Very sweet," he commented. Alex nodded and walked over to the laptop, "This is the second one, I'm not sure which you will like better, but I was thinking this was more appropriate for the rest of the year," she said as she hit the video.

Claude and Sebastian didn't seem amused, the commercial started in a similar way, however there was something very different about the music. It was upbeat and brighter; most of it was synthetic and honestly made them want to move. "In my mind in my head, this is where we all came from, the dreams we have the love we share this is what we're waiting for," the piece chimed. Claude and Sebastian stared as the bottle was knocked from the table and slowly began to tip, in an explosion of sound a number of different events fell from the bottle. People dancing in suites and fedoras, a sports car flying toward the screen, a number of different awards, and suddenly the music got softer for a moment and began to build as the events transformed, she stared at the elegance of roses, rings, wedding bells, it was chaotic, and each event used to define what their legacy was. Effortlessly a young man caught the bottle and grinned as he poured what remained of the bottle into the glass. He tipped it and slowly walked away, the camera panned down to show the three bottles, in all their splendor and the words, "Celebrate the Legacy" across the bottom. The music faded and Alex looked at them nervously, both advertisements were executed beautifully; however the second one she was well aware of the fact that it was far more daring. Claude looked as though he was in shock and Sebastian's mouth hung agape. She had never seen Sebastian look so confused, it frightened her and she prepared for his criticism. "Why?" he asked softly. Alex looked at Sebastian and bit her lower lip nervously. "Why didn't you show this to me sooner?" he asked. Alex wrung her hands and was about to run when his expression changed, "That was amazing, to be honest they're both great but I love the second one, once we land I'll send it to Marcus and tell him we have the advertisement to kick the after party off with."

Her eyes widened as she watched Claude nod with approval, "You two actually enjoyed that?" she asked after a moment. The pair stared at her as though it was obvious, "Look this event is to kick off the new face for the champagne and I think both advertisements do so, however this is defiantly something to party to," said Sebastian. He ran his hand through his black hair and continued; "Besides this spells the legacy out." Claude nodded and crossed his legs before leaning back casually. "Oh believe me, the second one is defiantly going to get you some attention," he said after a moment with a goofy grin on his face. "I love that piece by the way, what is it?" he asked after a moment. "In My Mind, Ivan Gough & Feenixpawl featuring Georgi Kay, it's the Axwell Mix," she replied.

Claude nodded he was grinning with delight and Alex froze, recently Claude had begun smiling more, however this smile was different. He looked ecstatic and just like he had in the photos which had been locked away in the cupboard. His gaze was just as affectionate for her as it had been for Jasper. Her ocean blue eyes turned their attention to Sebastian who was just as happy and she looked at them both, they were happy with her. The question was for how long they would be like this, how long would it be until they told her what was going on. There was a sharp pain in her chest and she sighed, oddly even though it was the holidays she still thought about being alone. She sighed and looked at her hands, they were usually stained with ink and covered in graphite, yet today they were clean. Not a trace remained of what she did for a living. "What's wrong?" asked Claude after a moment, his voice was soft and Alex felt a hand touch her knee. His touch was light and warm as always, he really did treat her like a child. "It's nothing," she whispered, her voice held a note of pain, which caused Sebastian to cease his work. He took a seat next to Alex and said, "Talk to us, you've been in a funk for the past few days." Alex stared at Sebastian and laughed, she had never imagined that Sebastian would use the word funk for something other than music and in disapproval. "Since when do you say funk?" she asked, her hand covered her lips in an attempt to hide the smile which had begun to curl the corners of her lips. "I've said funk before," he replied in protest. Alex giggled and shook her head, her short brown hair floated as she did, "No you only reference it in music," she replied. Sebastian crossed his arms in protest and replied, "No I've used it in other instances."

Alex's eyebrows arched and she asked, "Oh?" Sebastian gave a firm nod and looked to Claude, "Haven't I?" he asked. Claude jumped to attention, it was clear that he hadn't been paying attention to what Sebastian was saying. "Funk, well you've said the word with a c in the place of the n," he paused as he searched his memory for the instance, "but nope you've never said funk." Sebastian glared at Claude who was grinning from ear to ear. "Everyone has said that one," he growled. Claude held up a finger and lifted it to his lips, his golden eyes were glowing and he commented, "Yes, but I'm sure no one has said it as much as you did last night, or for that matter with such passion." Alex stared and noticed a playful smirk on Claude's face and her jaw dropped, she honestly hadn't seen that one coming. Sebastian was bright red and he coughed, it was clear Claude had won this game. "In all seriousness though, what's up, you've been off lately," said Sebastian softly. His red eyes were locked on Alex's ocean blues and she sighed, "It's been a long few weeks, I'm just tired," she breathed. Sebastian relaxed a little and nodded, "Alright get some sleep," he said before placing a chaste kiss on her forehead. Claude had gotten up and walked across the cabin, he returned with a soft navy blue blanket and draped it over her. "We'll wake you when we land," said Claude firmly before picking up his paperwork. Sebastian nodded and gave her a hug, "Sweet dream," he said, his voice was lush and seemed to lull her to sleep.

The plane began to descend and Alex felt the wheels hit the runway. Her eyes flickered open as she heard the screech of the rubber meeting the tarmac. She looked over to See Sebastian standing in a thick brown bomber's jacket; she stared at the symbols on it and realized it was in Japanese. He work a long white scarf with a black feather embroidered on the end of it. His aviators sat on the end of his nose and she noted the leather boots which he had slipped into. His lips had curled into his signature smirk and she noticed how his hair was more ruffled than usual. "Awake?" he asked Alex was slightly confused when she looked at him, he looked nothing like the man who had been standing in the office not too long ago. "Wow, you look more relaxed," she commented. Sebastian laughed and Claude entered behind him, he was dressed in a beautiful long trench it was black and she noticed the plum scarf around his neck. She stared at him in shock, his shoulders looked even broader and shoulders, his glasses glistened and he held out a sapphire blue pea coat to her, "It's thicker than you realize," he said softly. Alex slowly slipped into it and felt a scarf being draped around her neck. She looked up at Sebastian who adjusted it and she began to wonder how many times he had draped a scarf around Jasper's neck. Claude noticed her discomfort and placed a hand on her shoulder, it was large and warm, "Don't worry you blew us away with it, I'm certain Marcus will be in shock as well," he commented. His words were reassuring, however that wasn't what had started to eat away at her. "Yeah, you're right, so we're in Zurich in December, what are we doing?" she asked.

Claude and Sebastian looked at each other and Sebastian replied, "Well there is this party, then there's the auction," he said as he counted the events on his fingers. "This is Switzerland, and trust me once we get outside you'll realize what else there is to do," said Claude as the door of the jet opened. Alex fallowed Sebastian to the ramp and she stared in shock. The village was encrusted with snow, it was white and soft. She could tell it was fresh since there wasn't any sign of discoloration. It reminded her of a blank canvas, and nestled bellow it were the colors of spring which were yet to bleed through. The slopes were high and she noticed the difference in altitude, "Take it easy there is a major altitude difference," said Claude. Alex looked over her shoulder at him, he was grinning like a child and Sebastian nodded. She slowly descended the ramp and looked at the car which was waiting for them. "Wow," she whispered as she got in the back. Claude took a seat upfront and Sebastian joined her in the back. "I guess that's a word for it," he said with a chuckle, "We're going to head to the lodge and check in. Dinner is at eight, it's informal, Marcus wants to double check the material. After that we will most likely go out for drinks." Alex nodded and gazed out the black tinted window of the SUV, it had no issue with the weather conditions and she noticed the streets as she rolled by. People wrapped in coats and the crunch of snow under the tires told her she was defiantly In winter's playground.

The SUV slowly pulled in front of the lodge and she stared at the valets who were bundled and watched as the chauffer handed the man the keys. "Welcome," said one of them brightly as he held his hand, she nodded and slowly took it. The lounge was dimly lit and very modern, "Usually we stay at my cabin, however the auction will be held here and we were asked to book a room at the lodge," said Claude as he slipped a few Euros to the valet. He smiled and looked at Alex who was in shock, "You own a cabin?" she asked after a moment. Claude pointed to Sebastian and said, "The Cabin is his, and yes we have one." Sebastian shrugged and commented, "I happen to like snow." Sebastian smiled and slipped into the lobby and Claude whispered, "Don't let him fool you, he loves snowboarding and skating too." Alex looked up at him and then to Sebastian. "What about you?" she asked cautiously, Claude looked at her and replied, "I skii and I can skate too, just not as well as he can." Alex was slightly shocked by this, Claude not being better than Sebastian at something and admitting it was unheard of. The triplets fallowed promptly, she still couldn't believe that Claude had brought them with him. Oddly they were all dressed in matching suites and she asked softly, "Why did you bring them?" Sebastian looked over his shoulder and responded, "Security."

She was about to ask another question when Sebastian was standing before the receptionist. She was a rather attractive brunette with large brown eyes and sun kissed skin. She looked up at him and looked as though she were about to melt. "Oh welcome," she stammered and blushed instantly. Alex sighed and shook her head, "Let me guess this is the second reason he loves ski lodges," she commented. Claude laughed and nodded. "Sebastian Michaelis and Claude Faustus," he said softly. He had taken off his aviators, his crimson eyes pierced her. "Yes there are two rooms, both are suites and across from one another," she responded. Sebastian smiled and nodded, "Are we set?" asked Claude. The receptionist looked as though she was about to die of a hot flash as she looked at the pair. Alex smiled and began to snicker; it was obvious that their pheromones were no match for a receptionist. "I believe so we just need the keys," he commented. The woman's hands shook as she handed them to Sebastian, who's hand waited palm up to receive them. She placed them in his hand and her fingers brushed his, she blushed again and pulled back. "Have a pleasant stay," she chimed and Sebastian flashed an elegant smile of mischief which was matched by Claude's playful one. The pair walked away and Alex watched as the poor receptionist collapsed into the chair behind the desk. "You two are a handful," she said as she shook her head and fallowed them to the rooms.