Chapter 1
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Take a bow, the night is over This masquerade is getting older Light are low, the curtains down There�s no one here� The show is over, say good-bye. All the world is a stage And everyone has their part But how was I to know which way the story�d go How was I to know you�d break You�d break my heart� The show is over, say good-bye. The air was thick with tension; their eyes meeting across the crowed room. Amazing how easy it was to be surrounded by hundreds of people, and still feel completely alone. Her eyes filled with the silent tears she refused to acknowledge, and she broke the fragile contact, scared at the overwhelming sense of loss. It hadn�t always been that way, she mussed, a tiny smile pulling at her lips as she thought back over the past twelve years� ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ She eyed him with obvious disbelief. �You�ve got to be kidding me.� �Nope.� He grinned, and she found her self sighting to keep from smiling right along with him, even as her heart thudded in nervousness. �Nick. C�mon.� She shook her head. �That angle is insane - and seriously, have you thought about how low that is?� Her expression clearly indicated her feelings for his mental state. �It�s called hydroblading, Allison.� He smiled again, clearly amused by her disbelief. �And we can do it, c�mon, this is the girl who was a pairs skater when we first started together? I didn�t think �can�t� was in your vocabulary.� She glared, squaring her shoulders. �Of course it�s not.� �Then let�s do this.� He continued to grin, taking her hand and moving towards centre ice, half pulling her. She bit her lip. �I should have my head examined for this.� He whooped, twirling her in a circle. �Come on, Allison, we�ll knock �em dead!� ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The worst part, she thought, was that he had been right. She HAD liked it� she had liked it a lot. The feeling was exhilarating, and the chance to start something new and different had been a challenge she couldn�t have ignored. He had been right, but he hadn�t been arrogant about it. He wasn�t right about this. It has been several months, but the day was still imprinted in her mind. She didn�t want to remember it - she wanted to think about the good times. Yet that day stood out in her mind, as thought a road block, and she knew that until she worked through it, she would not be able to get both around it and beyond it. If only the memory would stop playing over and over, she thought almost desperately� he couldn�t be right about that� he just couldn�t� ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ She slipped in her chair, smiling cheerfully at him. She noticed his almost black mood, taking in the grim set of his lips, the way his fingers gripped the arms of the chair; his knuckles were white. She bit her lip, trying to keep the smile on her face. This was, after all, supposed to be a good meeting. A simple meal, a simple conversation - a simple decision. �Have you ordered yet?� She asked, trying for a lighter tone.� �No.� �Oh good, I�m glad you waited� everything here is so good, isn�t it? They make a mean club sandwich - and their steak is to die for - not that I really need it!� She chattered, growing more nervous at his silence. �Have you decided what you want?� �Yes.� No more was offered. �Oh� well, good�. It won�t take me long to decide then.� She quickly scanned the menu, the silence frightening her. She didn�t know why. �Ally.� His voice filtered through the stillness, permeating through her subconscious. She looked up, the blood freezing in her veins. For as long as she could remember, he had never called her that, always preferring to use her full name. The sudden change scared her. �Nick? What�s wrong?� She whispered. �You look like you�re about to hand out a death sentence, when all we�re doing is deciding which tour we want to sign with.� �Ally� it�s over.� He looked directly into her eyes, and she could only stare back in shocked silence. He couldn�t mean that, she had to have misinterpreted him. �Wha� what are you talking about?� She stammered. �This� us� Ally, I can�t do this anymore.� She could see the struggle in his eyes. Almost as though he didn�t want to say it. But he had. He was. �Ally� I�m sorry.� �Sorry? You�re sorry?� She choked back the hysterical laugh, fighting tears. No, she couldn�t cry� so she turned to anger. �Sorry? What the hell do you mean by that? You�re sorry for letting me believe you were going to keep going? Sorry for breaking up one of the best teams in Canada? Sorry for dropping me like a hot potato as soon as you got where you wanted?� Her voice dropped a level. �Sorry for making me think I could count on you� trust you? Damn it, Dominic, sorry isn�t good enough this time.� �Ally, please� I don�t know what else I can say. There isn�t anything else I CAN say� I�m just� so sorry.� He whispered. �Why?� Her voice was hoarse. �Damn it, just tell me why.� �I need to move on� I need to find some sense of direction for my life. I can�t keep skating forever� I need to know that I�ll always have something else when I need it.� His face seemed like it had aged years. �Ally, the people just aren�t there anymore for skating. The thrill is gone, the challenge.� �I�ll never understand this�� She finally choked out, unable to stop the tears from filling her eyes. �You�ll excuse me if I�ve suddenly lost my appetite.� She stood, gathering her purse and turning to leave. �Ally� please. We need to talk about this.� She could hear the sadness in his voice, and it was almost her undoing. She couldn�t deal with his pain at the moment - she had her own to worry about. �Later, Dominic. Much later.� Funny, after all he had said, and of all things, the shortening of her name still bothered her. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ She closed her eyes. She couldn�t stay in that room. It was over. Never again would they dance� would they even see each other ever again? She didn�t know. But it was over. She couldn�t stay. She bit back the panic seizing her throat, responding dully to Andrei�s persistent questions� what had she ever seen in him anyway? �I need some air - back in a minute.� She whispered, hurrying towards the exit. She could feel the eyes boring into her back and she moved faster. Out� I need to get out, she thought. At last she emerged onto a side street, the chill of the night air spreading goose bumps across her bare skin. He found her there almost an hour later, her hands ice to the touch, her body shivering. She didn�t seem to care. �Ally?� He murmured her name, barely audible, yet she jumped as though he had shouted. �Come inside� it�s freezing out here. People are wondering where you went.� His hand rested carefully on her arm. �Go away.� She replied, turning her face to the darkness so that he did not see the evidence of her tears. But he had seen. �Oh Ally� I�m so sorry.� Then he pulled her into his arms, rocking her back and forth like a small child. She could feel his tears landing lightly in her hair. They stood that way for a long time. At last she pulled away. �I�m sorry too.� She whispered, her fingers gently brushing away his tears. He caught hold of her hand, pressing it against his cheek, his eyes closing. �I�m going to miss you.� He kissed her forehead. �I�m going to miss you too, Ally� I wish�� He trailed off. �You wish what?� He sighed, his smile heartbreakingly sad. �Nothing. I guess it�s just not meant to be.� The show is over, say good-bye...
