-A Vampire Chronicles Fanfiction
Song lyrics from "Lady" by Little River Band
I raised my glass in silent salute as I heard the words float through the air, eliciting a chuckle from the bartender.
"Rough night?" he asked, wiping the bar in front of me.
"Nah, I always sit in a bar alone on Valentine's Day," I replied, flashing him a smile.
With a grunt, he left, leaving me to nurse the drink at hand. I took another sip, then turned on the stool, noticing that I was the only single here, and watched as couples scattered the floor moving against each other to the music. Many had lost their inhibitions earlier in the night and from the look of it, some never possessed them at all. A change was heard- new song, old band.
Look around you, look up here.
Take time to make time, make time to be there.
Look around, be a part.
Feel for the winter, but don't have a cold heart
"Good song," I thought, nodding to the music. Suddenly, I heard a whisper, the words indecipherable at first. They began to morph, the voice clearer now.
"Look around you. Look up here," the voice whispered again.
Instinctively, my eyes scanned the room, searching the ground level first and then slowly looking above me. On the balcony, I saw a figure in the shadows. From the look of it, he was leaning casually against a column, arms crossed in front of him. I narrowed my eyes in an attempt to see more clearly through the darkness, but found myself staring at nothing but an empty space. I felt a chill run along my spine and turned back to the bar.
"Alright, that is quite enough for you," I muttered, pushing the glass away.
In the background, the song played on. I eyed the glass in front of me and decided another wouldn�t hurt. Draining the glass, I set it down. The bartender glanced my way when he heard the soft clink of glass, but I shook my head.
With a nod, he turned back to his work and I turned back to the crowd. Peering through the growing mass, I saw a figure standing still amid the tangle of pulsing bodies.
"Look around. Come to me. I have no answers, but know where I want to be," the voice whispered again, in time with the words to the music.
I saw his face, the flashing lights making it visible with each round they made. His finger curled as he beckoned me onto the dance floor. Hesitant, I glanced from side to side then back to him. When he nodded, beckoning again, I rose and walked to him. With a silent gesture, he stopped me, holding his hand up. I stopped as told, waiting as he emerged from the shadows. I felt every part of me blaze as I took him in. The dark hair falling in waves about his shoulders, the graceful movements while others became captivated, the frame, perfectly molded, but above all the eyes. Their color was indeterminable in this light, but perhaps with a closer look....
My thoughts ceased as I looked up, finding him staring directly at me. He took my hand in his and rested the other on my waist. We began moving to the music, but so differently from everyone around us. It was ballroom dancing at its finest as he whisked me around the floor. I glanced to the side, barely noticing as the others moved off the floor before he turned my head to look at him once again.
His hands felt cold against my skin as his fingers brushed against my cheek. I shivered involuntarily and saw the same smile break out again. My eyes moved over his face, noticing now the pale skin and faceted eyes, so unlike anything I'd seen. His skin was smooth, as if time could not touch him. His eyes reflected everything around us. When he smiled, I saw the teeth, sharper than most and an ancient legend came to mind.
"Yes," he said with a smile. Though he confirmed this truth, I was not afraid. I danced with him as the song fell toward its final lines.
"You're not like the rest," I said, echoing the words on the air.
You're there when I need you.
You're there when I need�
I'm gonna need you.
"So, lady, let me take a look at you now. You're there on the dance floor, making me want you somehow," he sang as he spun me away from him, his eyes searching. Slowly, he pulled me back to him, preparing me again. Leaning to my ear, he whispered as his arm came to rest around my waist, "Oh, Lady, I think it's only fair I should say to you, 'Don't be thinking' that I don't want you, 'cause maybe I do',".
Twirling me, I turned my head to watch him, captivated by the sight yet again. When our bodies met, his arms came around me, hands on the small of my back.
"Your name," I requested, unable to tear my eyes away.
"Call me anything, but you know what I am."
"What you are makes no difference. Your name," I said again, wanting desperately to be closer to him.
"Jamais," he denied me and as the last note of the song rang out in the room, dipped me back, strong arms around me as he looked in my eyes. "Don't be thinking' that I don't want you; Lady, I do," he whispered as silence fell and the music ceased.
I leaned up, a soft kiss in a silent thank you. Like a dream, I awoke. I was alone in the center of the dance floor. I saw only a shadow cross the doorway and fade out of sight.
The voice came again, a hint of amusement lingering, causing me to smile. "An enchanted Valentine's Day to you," he said as the people began to move onto the floor again and a techno beat pulsed around me.
Don't be thinking that I don't want you, 'cause maybe I do.