Shall We Dance?

Once she reached the library, where all the members of the house were at, she sat down next to Sebastian and leaned her head against his shoulder. "G'night," she mumbled, closing her eyes. Jessica's eyes popped open, however, when she felt a wad of paper hit her in the arm. She looked around and saw Tonya giving her a grin. "Alright, I'm awake," she said muttered. Sally cleared her throat at Tonya, but a smile was on her face. "Alright, guys...The Sweetheart's Charity Ball is on February 14th and we were given the opportunity to host it this year," Sally began to tell them. "We need to figure out who's going to decorate, who will send out invites, and the whatnot." "And to do this fairly," Poopsie added, "we're going to have everyone draw slips of paper out of a hat. The slips will have different areas that are needed to be done for the ball. And since we only have a week to get everything done, that's what we're going to do right now." She shook the black top hat that had sat on top of the table in front of her. "Who's first?" Poopsied asked, grinning. "I'll go first," Tonya said, reaching her hand into the hat. She pulled out a slip of paper and read what it said, "Invitations." "I'll go next," Zarbon spoke up and reached into the hat. So one by one, they each drew slips of paper. It worked out that Sally would be working with Daniel on keeping the lawn maintained and getting flowers that would be placed all over the mansion on the night of the ball. Decorations were headed up by Poopsie, Dee, and Alec. Sebastian and Techno were in charge of hiring a band to play at the event. Tonya and Zarbon drew to work on the invitations. "Cleaning?" Jessica asked in disbelief, staring at her slip of paper. Sally laughed. "Well, someone's gotta do it, JED," she said. Sighing, Jessica just sat there, not responding to Sally's comment. "Aight, ya'll," Poopsie said. "We need to get started on all this. So, let's get to it!" This is going to be the week from hell, Jessica thought.

A couple days passed. The mansion was filled with the sounds of its occupants organizing the ball. Jessica was dusting off the ballroom floor. Standing up, she arched her back, popping it. Jessica wiped at the hairs that escaped from the bandana holding her hair back. Putting the broom, which had a rag covering it to collect dust, back on the floor, she continued to sweep up the dust that had collected there from non-use. She continued to wipe the floor, getting closer to one of the many windows of the huge room. Once she stood in front of one of the windows, she looked out to see big snowflakes falling gently from the sky. Smiling, Jessica sighed and leaned against the broomstick, watching the snow fall. "You love it when it snows, don't you?" she heard a voice say. Turning around, she smiled. It was Sebastian. Turning back to face the window, she said, "Yeah, I do. It's so peaceful and beautiful." Jessica then felt Sebastian's strong arms wrap around her shoulders. He rested his chin on the top of Jessica's head. "Mm, yeah. It is beautiful. But not near as beautiful as you," he said. Jessica blushed slightly, and turned her head to so she could look at her boyfriend. Looking up at his emerald eyes, she smiled. Sebastian chuckled and leaned down, kissing her. Jessica closed her eyes and kissed him back. Finally, though, she broke from his lips. Taking hold of the broom once again, she said, "Well, get on on out of here. I've gotta finish dusting the floor and then go get wax and the machine I need to wax the floor when I get done." Sebastian nodded, but gave Jessica another quick kiss. He then walked across the large floor and out one of the double doors.

Soon, Jessica had finished dusting the large floor of the ballroom. Once she was done, she rushed to her room for a quick shower and to change so she could run into town to get the stuff she needed to wax the floor in the ballroom. Fifteen minutes after she was done, Jessica was in her room, pulling on her coat when Poopsie knocked on the open door. "Going into town?" Poopsie asked Jessica. "Yeah. I gotta get stuff to wax the floor in the ballroom," Jessica told her, reaching for her purse. "Well, can I ride in with you so I can get some more stuff for the decorations?" "Sure," Jessica said, stepping out into the hallway. Together, they went downstairs. Jessica went and got her car out of the garage while Poopsie grabbed her coat and purse. Jessica pulled up by the porch and Poopsie climbed into the purple Mustang. After Poopsie shut the door, Jessica drove slowly out of the drive and towards the snowy little town.

The girls entered the store a few minutes later. "I'm going to go look for what I need," Poopsie said. Jessica just nodded a response as she watched her friend begin to meander down one of the aisles. A cold gust of air blew her hair around as someone walked through the door of the store. Jessica looked to see a man in his early 50's walk through the door. He was about five-feet, five-inches tall. He wore a thick jean jacket, jeans, a red flannel shirt, and a pair of heavy Army boots. His hair was black, except around the temples where it was graying. When he looked up from stomping his boots free of snow, he looked straight at Jessica. With a shiver, Jessica turned away from him. The look she had seen in his steely gray eyes had sent a chill down her spine. They gave her nothing but a cold, bone-chilling look. Walking away, Jessica tightened her coat around her more and went in search of Poopsie.

Jessica found her friend in the aisle that held all the latex balloons. "Finding what you need?" Jessica asked her. "Umm," Poopsie began, "I think so. Yeah, I am." Poopsie reached up and grabbed a bag of silver colored balloons. As Poopsie continued to look around, Jessica's mind began to wonder. Eventually, her eyes began to wonder too and they kept looking towards the door. I wonder where that cold-looking dude went, she thought. Just then, Jessica felt like she was being watched from behind. A shiver went down her spine again. Glancing behind her, she noticed nothing. But she still couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her. Looking back ahead, she noticed the Poopsie had taken the cart to the register and was getting ready to leave. Walking briskly, she hurried to get beside Poopsie and away from whatever was causing that feeling.

Later that day, Jessica was cleaning the foray, dusting all the woodwork along the doors and the floorboards. She reached for the bottle of wood oil, only to find that it was empty. "Ah, damn," she quietly muttered. Standing up, she went upstairs to her room, where she had been storing extra bottles of cleaning products she needed to clean the entire mansion. Grabbing a new bottle of wood oil, she ran back downstairs to the foray. When she got there, the bottle that she was holding dropped to the floor. "What in the HELL?" she exclaimed out loud. The front door of the mansion stood open, a cold wind blowing in. However, it wasn't the front door that caused her to cry out. What Jessica looked upon was horrific. Five rats, who had been opened straight down their bellies, were strewn on the floor of the foray. They lay in a circle, each head facing inward. In the open circle that were between the rats was a piece of paper. Jessica went over and picked it up. She opened up the wrinkled sheet and read what it said. "I smell a rat and am not afraid to expose it." In disbelief at what she read, Jessica walked over to the door and closed it. Suddenly, she felt a chill go straight down her spine. Spinning around, she found no one there. Jessica shivered. Whoever had left this was for sure one cruel person. Now it was just a matter of who it was.

Everyone, minus Daniel who was in class, sat around the table down in The Cave. Techno read what was on the piece of paper out loud. "I don't like this," he said, throwing the piece of paper to the center of the table. "Well, no SHIT!" Dee said. "Neither do we!" Jessica felt Sebastian's hand tighten around hers. "I don't think it's safe anymore for you girls to be out by yourselfs. If you go anywhere anymore, at least go in pairs," he said, a frown crossing his face. "We can handle ourselves, Sebastian," Jessica spoke up, looking all around at her friends. "Still, JED," Tonya said, a solemn look on her face. "I think that Sebastian's right. Obviously, this guy means business. I mean, he got past the security system even!" Alec nodded. "She's right, girls. Go in pairs now wherever you go, even on rounds at night. NEVER go alone anywhere. I doubt that this creep knows who you are, but you must be careful in everything you do now."

A couple of days past, with everyone in the mansion on alert. Rounds had gone fine for the girls with nothing suspicious to report. Finally, though, it was time for Jessica to wax the floor. Opening the door to the ballroom, she looked in. "Oh no..." she said, her eyes growing wide. "Oh my God," she whispered. Shutting the door carefully, she leaned her back against it and closed her eyes. Not again, she thought. Running down the long hallway, she began shouting, "HELP!!!!" Just as she ran past Sebastian's room, she felt an arm reach out and take hold of her arm. This caused Jessica to scream and ball up a fist, aiming it at whatever had touched her. "Whoa!" she heard a voice say. The hand on her arm spun her around. Sebastian took a firm grip on her shoulders. "Jess, it's me!" Looking up, Jessica sighed with relief. He pulled her in his arms for a quick and tight hug. However, he released her and asked, "What's wrong?" "The ballroom," was all that Jessica could reply. Looking into her eyes, Sebastian tried to find out what was wrong. Seeing what he saw, he sighed, "Oh no...Again?" Jessica just nodded. With that, Sebastian took Jessica by the hand and led her quickly downstairs. Almost everyone was sitting in the den and library, making decorations and going over the RSVPs that had been sent back. Leaving Jessica standing at the door of the den, Sebastian ran back down the hallway and to The Cave. "What's wrong, JED?" Tonya asked her. Jessica just walked over and sat in a chair. "The ballroom," was all she could still say. Tonya gave her a weird look, as did Zarbon. In a moment, Techno came walking into the room. Sebastian was still speaking to him in a quiet voice. "What's going on?" Dee said, looking up from the balloon that she had just filled with helium. "Something is wrong in the ballroom," Sebastian told her, going over to where Jessica was sitting. "Jess, c'mon...It'll be ok. T and I will be with you," he said. He helped Jessica stand up and led her upstairs and to the doors of the ballroom. Techno was on the other side of Jessica. He kept looking at her, a look of concern on his face. It wasn't long before the rest of the group had followed them. Opening the door to the ballroom, Techno looked in. A look of horror filled his face and he quickly shut the door. "Umm, Daniel...Why don't you, Zarbon, and Alec go back downstairs? This is something that the girls and I need to deal with alone. And I'm only keeping Sebastian up here for Jessica's sake," he told them quietly. A frown crossed the faces of the three men, but they quickly went down the hall and down the stairs. "What's wrong?" Dee asked, a look of concern beginning to cross her face. Techno just sighed and opened up the two doors so all the girls could see what lay in the ballroom.

What they saw caused everyone to gasp. Except for Jessica, who looked away with tears in her eyes. Set up in the middle of the ballroom were five caskets, all of them open at the head. All five were in a circle, just like the rats had been. However, what they could see in the open casket that was visible to them was horrifying. In it was a likeness of Lucy Diamond. The eyes were closed, the hands folded on top of each other. It looked exactly like Lucy Diamond, even down to the curly hair and the bell-sleeved shirt that the figure adorned. "Holy shit!" they all heard Dee exlaim quietly. Moving into the room, they went around, looking at all the caskets. Each one contained a likeness of Abra, Shani, Ty, and Patti. The whole time, Sebastian kept an arm around Jessica, keeping her from collapsing. Suddenly, Tonya sniffed the air. "What is that smell?" she asked. It continued to get strong so each of them could smell it. When Sebastian got whiff of it, his eyes grew wide. "Fermaldahyde," he whispered loudly. Techno frowned. "Guys, let's get out of here," Poopsie said, her perriwinkle eyes full of horror. Everyone agreed by quickly leaving the room.

Once in Jessica's room, Sebastian shut the door. Jessica climbed up onto her bed and grabbed a pillow, holding it close to her. Tears began to brim in her eyes. Looking up at Sebastian, who was sitting on the edge of her desk, she whispered, "Why would someone be doing this to us all?" With that, Sebastian moved over and sat next to Jessica on her bed. He took hold of one of her hands, squeezing it tightly. As he did that, Jessica broke down. Sobs began to shake her body. Gently, Sebastian took her in his arms, holding her close. "Shh, it's ok..." he told her quietly, kissing the top of her head. He just contined to hold her, letting her get all of the tears out. In a few minutes, Jessica wiped the tears from her eyes, her sobs having stopped. "I'm so tired now," she said, sniffling. "Then sleep," Sebastian told her. He pulled out her two favorite pillows. Jessica laid her head on them, curling up into a ball. Taking a throw from her rocker, Sebastian covered her with it. He kissed her on the cheek and whispered, "Get some sleep." He walked out the door. Just as he was about to shut it, he heard Jessica call out in a quiet voice, "Sebastian?" Walking back into her room, he went over to her, a faint smile on his face. "Hmm?" he asked her. "Will you hold me till I fall asleep?" Jessica whispered. To answer her, Sebastian kicked off his shoes and climbed onto the bed with her. Pulling her into his arms, he put the throw so it covered them both. Jessica snuggled against his chest and closed her eyes. In a few moments, both her and Sebastian were fast asleep.

A few hours later, Jessica was woken up to the sound of someone knocking on her door. Rolling over, she saw Sebastian still asleep beside her. Half-smiling, she got off the bed and went to answer her door. She opened up the door to see Techno standing in front of her. He looked worn out. "Is Sebastian in there with you?" he asked her. "Yeah, he is, but he's asleep. Why do you ask?" Techno nodded. "Good," he said. "The police just left. They were real bodies in those caskets, Jess. So, I don't want you or the girls to sleep alone at all until this is all taken care of and the person who did this is caught." Jessica sighed and nodded. "Did I just hear you say that those were real bodies, T?" Sebastian's voice said from behind Jessica. She felt his arm go around her waist. Techno nodded. "They were stolen from the town mortuary. Were claimed stolen two days ago. Anyway...We're having a meeting in the den tonight, since Daniel will be here for a while to help us keep an eye out on things. So, make sure you guys are down there in an hour." With that, Techno walked back down the hall and down the stairs. Jessica shut the door of her room, and turned around to look at Sebastian. Walking up to him, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you for staying with me while I napped," she said, slightly smiling. Sebastian's emerald gaze held a loving fire in them. Leaning down, he kissed her gently. Sweetly. And heart-stopping. Jessica drew Sebastian closer to her, deepening the kiss.

That morning, Jessica woke up to Sebastian sitting on her couch in front of her bed. Stretching, she grinned at him. "Morning, love," he said, getting up and walking over to her. Sebastian sat on the edge of the bed, one of his hands behind his back. Jessica put on her glasses and looked at him funny. "What do you have?" she asked him, trying to peer around his back. "Ah, now wait!" he said, laughing and moving so she couldn't see what he held. "First off," he said. He then moved in and kissed her softly. "I love you." Jessica smiled, her eyes sparking in love. "I love you too, Sebastian." "Now," he said softly, "close your eyes." Jessica shut them. Taking her hand, Sebastian placed a thin and long black velvet box in it. "Ok, now open your eyes," he said, sitting back, grinning. Jessica opened her eyes and looked at the box. Smiling, she looked up at Sebastian. "Go ahead, open it," he told her, his smile getting bigger. Jessica carefully opened it up. Gasping, she said, "Oh, Sebastian!" Jessica removed a diamond braclet from the box. The many diamonds sparkled in the white gold that they were set in. "Happy Valentine's Day, Jessica," Sebastian said. Leaning over, Jessica put her arms around Sebastian, hugging him tightly. "Thank you," she whispered into his ear. Letting go of him, she looked into his emerald green eyes. "I'm going to wear this tonight at the ball," she said. Sebastian laughed. "I hope you were going to say that!" he exclaimed, pulling Jessica back into his arms.

The man sat down in front of the mansion's security control panel down in The Cave. He hooked up some wires and punched some keys on a keyboard. Soon, up on five monitors, he had each of the girls' rooms. He sat there, watching them change into their gowns for the ball. Leaning back in the chair, he gave an evil chuckle. "Don't move a muscle, unless you don't want to see daylight again," the man heard a voice say. Alec moved around him, keeping the gun aimed at the man's head. Sebastian came up from behind and grabbed the man by his collar, lifting him to his feet. With Alec still holding the man at gunpoint, Sebastian pulled out a pair of handcuffs and placed them on the man. Techno then walked up and shoved the man into the chair again. Then picking up his cellphone, he dialed each of the girls. "You better come down here," he said into the phone. "You're going to want to see this." With that, Sebastian picked up the man and shoved him towards the table. "You're under arrest, you son-of-a-bitch."

In a few moments, the girls rushed down the steps to The Cave in their bathrobes. Looking at what stood by the table, Jessica gasped. "It's HIM!" she exclaimed, pointing at the man. The man just growled. "What do you mean, Jess?" Sebastian asked her, keeping hold of the man. "That's the guy I saw at Paper Warehouse with Poopsie!" she said, her mouth still open in shock. The man spoke, "You have no proof for anything! I, Lieutenant Commander George C. Carter will tell the TRUTH to the public!" Giving him a shove, Sebastian growled, "SHUT UP!" Dee glared at the man. "If I wasn't in my bathrobe, I'd be cutting off your balls right now," she hissed at the man. Then she kind of laughed when the man grimaced and squirmed. "Alright, ladies. We're taking this perp downtown to get him booked. But we'll be back in time for the ball. Right, Sebastian?" Alec said. Sebastian nodded and grinned. Shoving the man along, Sebastian said, "Get your ass over to that black Mustang there." The guys sat the man in the passanger seat, got in themselves, and drove out of the Cave toward police headquarters.

Dee wore a black velvet gown, the bodice fitting, but the skirt billowing out. It was sleeveless and had a scoop neck. Her dress was simple, but extremely elegant. Her hair was put up in a French twist, with baby's breath stuck in her hair. Her jewelry was beatufiul, with a diamond necklace graced around her neck. She stood there, talking to Jessica, when Techno walked up them. His hair was pulled back as normal and his eyepatch was still in place. However, he was cleaned up, shaved, and looked good in his tuxedo. He cleared his throat. "Jessica, Sebastian's waiting downstairs in the foray, since you and he are greating the guests." He looked at her, but then looked at Dee, who stuck her tongue out at him. Jessica laughed and smiled. "Thanks, Techno." As she walked past him, she placed her hand on his forearm and squeezed it and smiled. He grinned his goofy grin at her as she walked away.

Sebastian stood at the bottom of the stairs in the foray, waiting for Jessica to come down. He had cleaned up in a hurry, but was ready in time for the event. He left his hair down, tangle free. His goatee was trimmed. The tuxedo he wore was a little stiff for him, but he knew that he'd get used to it. Hearing footsteps on the stairs, he turned around and looked up. A huge smile lit up his eyes and his face. Jessica was wearing a strapless, purple gown. It went to the floor and had sequins all along the bodice. Her hair was up with diamond-ended pins holding the curls up. A few whisps of hair had already strayed and were curling around the bottom of her neck and by her ears. She wore the diamond braclett that he had given to her earlier that day. Clear platform shoes finished her look. Reaching the bottom step, Sebastian held a hand to her. She took it and used the other hand to hold up her skirt so she wouldn't trip. He twirled her around once she had landed on the floor. Then, he snaked an arm around her waist and leaned down to give her a quick kiss. Jessica grinned, and stood up, straightening the skirt of her dress. She gave Sebastian one last look before there was a ring of the doorbell--the ball had begun.

It was getting into the later portion of the ball. Still, probably 100 people remained at the event. "We've got a special request for a song," the DJ said over his microphone. "This is 'Unchained Melody'. Jess, this is to you, from Sebastian." With that, the slow chords began and Jessica and Sebastian hit the floor. Jessica looked around and saw her girlfriends dancing with their guys. She even saw Dee pull up Techno and force him to dance with her. Turning back, she felt Sebastian's arm go around her waist and another take her hand. Putting her arm around his shoulder, she looked at him. "This has been one of the craziest weeks in my life, but what a great end to all this planning and chaos," she said to him. "Mmm," Sebastian said, pulling Jessica just a bit closer to him. "Well, that man won't be able to tell your secret or hurt you girls anymore. We found out that he was kicked out of the Navy SEALS program for mental problems," Sebastian said as they swayed to the music. He chuckled. "I worked it out with some contacts and he'll be put in the looney bin along with all those other characters. Anything he says they'll think he's just crazy." Jessica laughed with him. "You know, I'm glad that you and I are here right now, dancing together on the day for those who love each other," she said, resting her head on Sebastian's shoulder. Sebastian let her go a little bit and Jessica lifted her head up. Looking into his eyes, Jessica saw an emerald fire burning from within. He pulled her closer again. "I love you, Jessica," he said, placing his other arm around her waist. Jessica smiled and replied, "I love you too, Sebastian. So very much." And with that, Sebastian lowered his lips to hers, kissing her softly. So, they danced there, in the middle of the ballroom, doing what they did best---and that was love each other.