December 31st, 1892 - Sugarplum Gala
Melody Crouch

Beckett's conversation with Sabine early in the night still weighed on him, the little tease. He did love to see how far he could push her and it had been a while, but it, as always, left him a little flustered. He wondered what that pretty ballerina was doing after the night was over. Certainly watching her perform had put some very specific ideas in his head. He shouldn't feel this way after a simple conversation, but history always tended to repeat itself and realistically he should know better, but he just couldn't help himself. Sabine was a lot of fun to aggravate. Pushing her buttons was one of his favorite hobbies. It was a miracle Cass hadn't killed him yet.

Midnight was rapidly approaching however, and he felt bad about leaving early, so he was determined to stick it out. He was sure he could find some company for later if he was patient enough. Perhaps he really would introduce himself to Miss Ballerina to see if she was amenable to a private lesson later. For now he supposed he could continue to enjoy the party and have another drink.

Unfortunately he couldn't find the scotch he wanted and he still didn't think champagne was going to cut it. Maybe it was time to try one of the drinks based on the evening. Becks thought it would be far too sweet, but he was willing to give it a try. A little buzz would do him some good. Fortunately a waiter happened by at that very moment and Beckett flagged him down. Reaching for one of the glasses, Becks realized he wasn't the only one. "Apologies, please," He gestured for the pretty face on the other side of the tray to pick first before he took one. She looked vaguely familiar, and it took Becks a minute to realize he had bumped into the former Miss Finch, now Mrs. Crouch. "Any idea what I'm looking at?" He questioned of what was no doubt some fruity concoction that bastardized the booze hidden within.

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The following 1 user Likes Beckett Longbottom's post:1 user Likes Beckett Longbottom's post
   Sabine Valenduris

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RIP Bee for she has died by Stef!set

At long last, the end of the Season had arrived and with it a silent sigh of relief. Melody had made a concentrated effort this year to attend more events with Ben. After all, he worked hard for Jewell and, if they were making an effort then showing him more support was the next logical step. (That she usually had little idea which events were Jewell ones and which were ones they simply ones they received an invitation to was another matter entirely.)

She had lost Ben somewhere admist the jolly crowd, having last saw him conversing with a friend only twenty minutes ago. Normally, losing track of him wouldn't have bothered her much (they always found one another again eventually) but midnight was fast approaching and with it her first genuine opportunity for a New Year's kiss. This was to be their first full year of happiness, with trips, love, and possibly new additions to their family. A kiss was absolutely necessary tonight.

Had the crowd not also joined in on the rising excitement for midnight's approach, Melody might have stood a chance at finding him. As it was, she was too short to see over the heads of everyone else and the ballroom had grown too thick with partygoers to easily maneuver through.

Sighing, she reached for the first drink off a passing waiter's tray — a fruity concoction she'd yet to try — and was surprised to see another hand reaching for the same glass. "No apologies necessary, Mr. Longbottom. I'm amazed the staff can pass through such a crowd." She laughed and took the smallest of sips of her drink. "It tastes like a candied apple, I think. Have you tried it at all tonight yet?"

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beautiful set by mj

Beckett nodded as she commented on the staff. "I should wonder if they aren't flattened by the end of the evening." He was pretty agile, but not while carrying a tray full of liquids. It wasn't often he thought of the skill household staff possessed, but certainly they were not lacking.

Mrs. Crouch gave him a hint at the drink and Becks had to resist pulling a fact. He did not need his drinks to taste like candy, in fact he enjoyed the burn of the alcohol as it went down. "I have not," Becks chuckled as he peered into the glass uncertainly. "I prefer my liquor straight, but alas, this will do for the moment." He had a bottle of the good stuff waiting for him at home, he just needed to find some company to enjoy it with. "Cheers, to you Mrs. Crouch," Beckett raised his glass and took a sip, nearly overwhelmed by the sweetness of it. This time he did pull a face that turned pouty.

"That is certainly something," When the pucker had dissipated, he turned a better smile upon Mrs. Crouch, noticing that she looked lovely indeed this evening. "Have you misplaced Mr. Crouch?" He couldn't see the other man in his quick scan, but wasn't sure he actually remembered what the bloke looked like either. Becks had always been better with ladies faces than gents.

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RIP Bee for she has died by Stef!set

"Do you suppose they use charms to make space around them?" She proposed, not entirely expecting an answer in return. The staff seemed to be able to glide through the crowd without any issues. There had to be some magic involved in that, right? Otherwise tray upon tray would be knocked over onto unsuspecting guests.

The intense burning of firewhiskey had taken neatly three years of marriage to grow accustomed to, and even still Melody far preferred dry wines to the hard liquor. "It isn't too terrible if you think of it more like a juice as opposed to alcohol. A change of perspectives is all." She commented before taking a second, much larger sip of her overwhelmingly sweet drink.

She turned to him fully as he inquired about Ben and noticed for the first time how much taller he was than her husband. "It seems so, unfortunately," Melody answered with a bit of a helpless shrug. Truthfully, conversing with Mr. Longbottom had already taken the sting out of missing out on her New Year's kiss. "I thought I left him somewhere nearby, but perhaps he wandered off. I'll find him eventually." Before she left, certainly, but not before getting to gaze upon Mr. Longbottom some more.

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beautiful set by mj

Becks pondered Mrs. Crouch's thought with a bemused smile. "That would certainly do it, a magical little bubble to keep them from being jostled." Better than his thought of them being actual poltergeists and then were just picking and choosing when to be corporeal.

"Juice it is then," Beckett chuckled as he took another tentative sip. Each one had it growing on him a little bit. It certainly wouldn't replace whiskey or scotch in his day-to-day, but as long as it wasn't actual juice and therefore giving him a little bit of a buzz to survive the evening, he supposed he couldn't complain too much.

The desired warm fuzzy feeling was settling into the pit of his stomach nicely. "I doubt he'll be gone too long," He assured Mrs. Crouch with an easy smile. Becks had been about to make a comment about men being like dogs and not straying too far from where their loyalties lie, but he thought better of it at the last minute. Only Miss Edevane found those jokes funny. "Especially with a wife as pretty as you." He was sure Mr. Crouch wouldn't leave his wife unattended for too long, not when Beckett apparently found it appropriate to give such compliments freely. He was flirtatious by nature, but never tended to get mixed up with married ladies. Still, if her husband was off wandering, Beckett would feel bad leaving her all by her onesies until Mr. Crouch returned.

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RIP Bee for she has died by Stef!set

The juice was already making her head fuzzy in ways her drinks all evening hadn't. She was only three — no, four — sips in, surely it shouldn't have effected her so heavily already? It usually took at least two full drinks to make her feel as this, but perhaps the champagne served earlier in the evening had held a stronger effect than previousy believed? Melody wasn't sure.

She had half a mind to discard her drink altogether when Mr. Longbottom complimented her in such a brazen manner. There was a time once upon a time (long before a future with Ben was in her cards) where she hoped Mr. Longbottom might look favorably upon her, and now he was. Melody quickly took another sip to hide her smile. "I didn't realize you had taken such note of me," she then replied with a hint of a laugh. It was truly one of the nicest compliments she'd had in years, however obviously stated. But, a bit of obvious affection was rather nice, wasn't it?

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Beckett had always been one to toe the line of what was appropriate to say, but the fact that Mrs. Crouch seemed receptive to his flattery emboldened him a bit more. "Hard not to," She was a beauty too, exotic in features, from the delicate curl of her hair, the deep brown eyes and long lashes, Beckett could see how Mr. Crouch had been easily ensnared. What he couldn't fathom was how he spent any portion of the night away from such a lovely creature.

"My apologies however, if that comes across as too forward," Beckett didn't usually care about that, but suddenly he worried he had offended her, which would be the worst thing he could possibly do. Becks took a deep sip of his drink to give himself a moment to figure out how to recover. "But I have always been of the mind that beautiful women should be told as such as often as possible." That was even more forward, where had his filter gone?

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RIP Bee for she has died by Stef!set

After years of being starved of both affection and love, Melody was completely stunned by Mr. Longbottom's compliments. While her marriage had improved within the past six months, it hadn't yet evolved into outright adoration. Ben had most certainly never made her feel as beautiful as Mr. Longbottom presently was. Not that Ben could even compare to Mr. Longbottom, with his warm brown eyes and strong physique. And that grin! It was as though the sun shone through the night clouds when he smiled.

"No, please. I've never felt so beautiful before. It isn't too forward at all." Melody replied, reaching out to lightly touch his wrist. Around them, the crowd began to cheer with the final two minutes to midnight. (Distantly, Melody was able to recognize the confusion over how her task of finding Ben was so easily forgotten, but it disappeared with the final sip of her drink.)

"It's a shame neither of us will have a kiss for midnight." She commented, silently praying he would recognize her request for what it so plainly was.

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beautiful set by mj

Grinning at her obvious delight over his compliments, Beckett dared to take half a step closer so as not to miss a single word that she said. He was both pleased and relieved by her admission, but also frustrated, how dare anybody not tell her each and every day just how stunning she was? Certainly he had to rectify that! His indignation mixed with the haze of the moment and he knew they needed to find a more private space.

Beckett drained his glass in a sip as he was quite capable of reading between the lines and could very plainly understand what it was Melody was requesting of him. The problem was, how to succeed in this endeavor? Midnight was approaching rapidly and while he wanted nothing more than to give her the kiss she wanted, here was certainly not the place. "Perhaps we should... step out?" Where he wasn't exactly sure, but Becks could be resourceful when required.

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RIP Bee for she has died by Stef!set

Suddenly, Melody felt as though it was Valentine's Day all over again. Here she stood in a crowded room desperately attempting to figure out how to escape unscathed. Only this time it was to be with someone who desired her — who thought her beautiful and wanted her. She blinked up at Beckett (surely, if he was asking her to run off with him he wouldn't mind if she used his given name?) and eagerly nodded.

"Yes, of course." Melody agreed. Looking from him was physically painful, but how else was she to find the nearest exit? Perhaps he knew this ballroom better than she! Beckett was so intelligent and wonderful, surely he knew this place like the back of his hand. Even if he didn't, he was so tall! He could see above the partygoers and guide them to a place where they could be together! "Of course. We should go now while everyone is distracted."

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beautiful set by mj

Beckett's brain was working in overdrive to figure out how best to escape without being noticed. They certainly couldn't abscond from the room together, so they would have to split up and reconvene— and fast! Her thought that everyone would be distracted was a good one, with the countdown starting up, this was the opportune moment to steal away, but where could they meet?

He leaned in, as if he was simply taking her empty glass, Beckett suggested, "Meet me by the coat room in a few minutes." Surely nobody would be out there and even the staff would be distracted by the midnight hour. "I'll seen you in a few minutes," Parting from her was hell, but a few minutes to steal more of the night outside of this Merlin forsaken ball would be worth it.

Beckett gave her one last longing look and with a nod, moved off to deposit the empty glasses and then skirted around the edges of the room, taking the long way so that Melody could go for the more direct route.

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RIP Bee for she has died by Stef!set

The very thought of their parting was agonizing. "A few minutes." She echoed. Melody nearly reached for him again, nearly forced her hand into his to escape the room together rather than discreetly as planned. What did it matter if they were seen together? She loved him — oh, how she loved him! — and she couldn't find herself to care about whatever damning consequences society would rain upon her.

However, somehow — somewhat miraculously — Melody was able to think of Nora and her future. The scandal surrounding her marriage was already a difficult enough situation for the toddler to wade through. If she were to add in an openly adulterous mother then poor Nora would never stand a chance. However much Melody loved Beckett, she still loved Nora more.

She followed his plan to the letter, even going as far as to reach for another drink as she passed through the crowd. Surely, people wouldn't suspect her if she was just another discarded wife making the rounds around the room? And what wife would be making the rounds without some fruity drink in hand?

Melody sipped her glass as she finally — finally! — made her way to the closet, by which point she was desperate for Beckett. She needed him, any of him. Even a glimpse of him would be better than their continued parting. He was coming, he had to be for she would simply perish if he failed to follow through on their plans.

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beautiful set by mj

Oh, how the evening had changed! He'd been so sour about his night that he hadn't even realized his best hope was just a few feet away! Beckett tossed back a shot from a passing tray as he tried to nonchalantly stalk around the room, trying to get back to Melody. The room was dizzying without her, Beckett felt incomplete and the realization was startling.

Finally he came around to the predetermined coat closet, fortunately nobody seemed to really be around with the nearing of midnight and he tucked himself around a corner, waiting for Melody to get there. The minutes ticked by in agonizing monotony as he held his breath. Finally he saw her pass by and he reached out to pull her into the coat closet with him.

Careful of the drink in her hand, Beckett closed the door behind her, gently pushing her up against it, one hand stealing the drink to set it down and the other snaking behind her neck. The urgency rushed through his veins, he had to get closer and so he used the hand at the base of her neck to tilt her head up toward him, lips crashing on hers in desperation.

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RIP Bee for she has died by Stef!set

Despite the small shout of surprise she gave at being suddenly grabbed, Melody couldn't stop the smile that spread across her lips. Her body was just as suddenly crushed against his, her hands fisting in the lapels of his jacket as their lips crashed together. Melody poured every ounce of her desperation and love for him into the kiss. And, for a few blissful minutes, Melody finally felt whole.

However, behind the closed door the party was beginning to quiet down and with it came those eager to head home. Melody was still completely lost in the kiss when the heavy wood door was knocked into from the outside. Someone was trying to come in (someone had completely ruined what was otherwise a perfect moment!) and now they were trapped.

Melody stared up at him, her pupils blown wide with desire, as she urgently whispered, "Beckett, we need to go. We need to go now."

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beautiful set by mj

Between the liquor flowing through his veins and his need to show Melody just how much he loved her and wanted her, Beckett got completely lost in finally having her at his fingertips. Was this what love truly felt like? It was overwhelming and he felt like he was going to get swallowed up by the all-consuming desire.

He wanted to take his time, to get to know her and show her how he felt, so at the knock on the door he nearly growled in frustration for the interruption. The urgency in her voice was all he needed as permission and Beckett pulled her close against him as he pulled his wand from his jacket. With the crack of apparating signaling their departure, he could only hope nobody had seen them go in.

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RIP Bee for she has died by Stef!set