antivanruffles

It keeps going and going and going........

“You know, I would just like to point out that I was right when I said today would be a good one.”

“Yes, I know, you’re amazing.” Kam kept his face bland, ignoring Zander for the most part as he watched the ProAm round before they started the Standard trials.

Zander got up on his tiptoes, placing his chin on Kam‘s shoulder in order to get his brother’s point of view. “Scouting talent?”

“Always.” Kam shrugged, knocking Zander away. “Some of the amateurs might want to graduate to the professional circuit, they’ll be in need of a coach then.”

As the couples finished their dance, they filed off to wait for placements. Kam caught sight of a familiar face and grinned. He pushed through the crowd of people and caught the woman’s arm.

“Still slumming in the ProAm circuit, Hayley?”

The woman frowned at him and slapped his hand away, going to adjust her bowtie. Dressed in a respectable tuxedo, her blonde hair cropped short and slicked back, she gave the illusion of being a male dancer.

“Shut up, Kameron,” she said haughtily, her Australian accent thick. “This is not ‘slumming’, you pommy bastard. And ‘round here it’s ‘Harvey’.”

“That is an atrocious name.”

“No one asked you!”

“You know, you could be on top of the professional circuit, if only you’d stop playing teacher and danced with another pro.” He laughed, teasing her in good fun.

She glanced around to see if anyone was paying attention, but it appeared everyone was too focused on themselves, and leaned in close. “Oh, but see you ruined me for partners all those years ago. Even though it was Junior trials, I never got over it!” Hayley batted her eyes. “In all honesty, I like this better, I get to teach and compete. Besides with ProAm I get to wear the pants!”

“Mmhmm,” Kam grunted. “Speaking of wearing the pants, where’s that lovely wife of yours?”

“Helping my partner with a torn hemline.”

“Ah, is she new or returning?”

“New-ish partner, bang up girl named Sandy. Oh! There they are!” She waved to a woman with long, dark hair in a sharp business suit, and another woman with short red-brown hair and a huge smile -- her soft blue dress glittering under ballroom lights, sequins running up and down the arms and across the bodice.

“Hello, Kameron.” The dark haired woman greeted him.

“Hey ya, Malena.” He bent and hugged her. “How’ve you been?”

“Good! I heard you have three couples in the competition this weekend? And I saw that Jaden is doing well?” She snickered.

“Yeah, ‘bout time, right?”

“I should say so!” She grinned at him then shook her head. “Oh! Where are my manners, Sandy this our old friend Kameron Ryan. Kam, this is Sandy.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” Kam said.

“You too.” She smiled happily, shaking his hand.

“Have you been trying to woo Hayley to the pros again, Kam?” Malena turned to Sandy. “He tries this every time, deep down I think he wishes he could dance with her again.”

“Pfftt and give up my pretty partner? You’re bonkers, mate!” Hayley threw an arm around Sandy’s shoulders, squeezing.

“Oh, well, I’m hoping to convince her not to take a student after me.” Sandy grinned.

“We’ll see!” Hayley returned the grin. “End up going pro all the way and drag the WDSF into the twenty-first century kicking and screaming!”

“Oh! They’re already calling the Pros for the first round!” Malena pointed to the floor. “Kam you better go.”

“Great, let’s see how badly Anton is going to screw up,” he muttered to himself.

“You’re coaching Anton? As in Cromwell?” Hayley blinked at Kam then started laughing, so much so she lowered her head onto Sandy’s shoulder for support. “Oh god, that’s rich.”

“Shut up, it’s actually better than you might think.”

“This I have to see for myself!” Hayley grabbed Malena and Sandy’s hands, pulling them toward the edge of the floor with Kam in tow. They found Zander where Kam had left him, now joined by Adelaide, Edmond, and Sylvia.

“This is the first group of dancers for qualifiers, then group two will dance. After that they call numbers for who moves onto semi-finals.” Zander was explaining to the girls. “Dmitri and Maggie are in group two.”

Zander paused when Kam returned with the others. He made a face and pointed at Hayley. “Eww, it’s you.”

“You love me, you little bugger!” She stepped around Kam to plant a big, wet smacking kiss on Zander’s cheek. “How’re the nappies? Finally potty trained yet?”

Zander deliberately wiped his face, giving her a mocking glare.

“Kids, please,” Malena cut in. “They’re calling names.”

Everyone quieted down as dancers starting taking the floor, their names and numbers getting called out by the announcer. In the middle of the group were Anton and Mina, striking in their dance costumes.

As couples kept arriving on the floor there was a sudden stirring among them, like cattle in a pen. One dancer fled the floor, hand covering their mouth, and then another and another. A few were not lucky enough to make it off the floor before losing the contents of their stomach.

“What the hell is happening?” Kam breathed.

“Everyone is getting sick?” Edmond stared in shock.

“Someone go find Maggie and Dmitri, make sure they’re okay. Something is very wrong here!” Kam looked out over the dance floor, nearly every couple running to the bathrooms or looking extremely green. He finally found Mina among the chaos, looking on in abject horror, and then to Anton who seemed only mildly perturbed.

What the hell was going on?

THE END! .... just kidding!

Two weeks after Blackpool, Kam sat in his office staring at his desk, oddly reminiscent of a day nearly four months before when it had been piled high with bills, and the future had seemed bleak.

The future was just as bleak as before, however he was not staring at bills. In his hand was a letter from the World DanceSport Federation. The claims had been set and sorted, and the outcome exactly what he had expected.

While he could take a little solace in the fact things were not as bad as they could’ve been, everything still stung.

He let out a heavy sigh, setting down the paper and rubbing his eyes. There were arrangements to be made, things to be signed and filed, but he had no motivation to do anything besides sitting in his office, staring at the walls.

However, he was interrupted from his plans when the door to his office banged open and Mina came storming in, hair flying and eyes flashing. She stopped in front of his desk and glared down at him, arms crossed.

“Jaden just called me with the news,” she said in an accusing tone.

“Would you have preferred I called?”

“I would prefer if you would kindly explain to me what the hell it is you think you’re doing!?” She slammed her hands down on his desk. “You are being a fucking idiot, Kam!”

He sighed again, wearily. “Someone has to take the blame,” he said slowly, having said those words a hundred times in the last fourteen days.

“Then why not the person responsible!? You and I both know Anton spiked all the drinks and food. You and I both know he is solely responsible for all those dancers getting sick. You and I both--”

“You and I both know it would’ve ended up being his word against mine; and considering how many powerful people he knows, things would have been ugly. This way everything is settled quietly and--”

“And you’ll never be able to coach again! You’re blacklisted and a laughingstock!”

“It’s better this way.”

“Why not pin it on me? Like Anton intended? I’m the wild child from America with no care for the rules!” Mina waved her hands. “I have a history, it’s been established. Why not just let me take the fall? I could go back to the states and teach in a studio, I still could’ve built something… isn’t that better? Better than you losing everything you’ve worked for?”

Kam shook his head, eyes drifting toward the windows that overlooked the Elysian. “That’s not better. That’s you losing your dream, I couldn’t let that happen. You’re young, you’re just starting out, I’ve had my time. I’ll still have this place, just not in name; Jaden and Zander are buying me out, so it’s not completely lost.” Assuming they could keep it afloat, but that was something he’d been worrying over for so long it hardly seemed worth mentioning.

“So instead you’re just going to martyr yourself!?” Mina exploded. She stepped around the edge of his desk and positioned herself in front of him, forcing him to look at her. “You’re a moron! You should fight! You can’t just roll over and play dead, letting Anton have his way!”

“I’m not doing that!” Kam had finally lost his patience; he’d been arguing with his brothers and Neven and Dmitri and Edmond. He had been fighting with the WDSF for weeks, the last thing he needed at that moment was Mina telling him where he had gone wrong.

He surged to his feet, his chair rolling away with the motion and crashing against the wall. “There is no doubt in my mind if I didn’t go the easy way it would get ugly! The Studio’s name would be tarnished, Anton would take down Jaden and Zander, probably Edmond, Dmitri, and Neven too. Not to mention what he would do to you!”

Kam met Mina’s gaze, eyes hard and mouth set. “I’m not martyring myself, I’m not ‘playing dead’; I’m protecting you!”

“Well, I don’t want you protecting me at the cost of your damned career! I’ll tell them I did it, like I should’ve done before! I’ll tell them you were only covering for me!” She whirled around, intending to march out just as she had came in, but Kam grabbed her wrist, forcing her to look at him.

“You will do no such thing! It’s over and done, you’re being childish if you think that would do any good now.”

“That’s all it is, isn’t it? You see me as some little girl who can’t make decisions for herself. Well I’m not, Kam, and you have absolutely no right laying your neck on the chopping block on my behalf, not without even consulting me! I am a grown woman and I will decide what’s best for myself!” she yelled.

“It’s not because I think you’re a child, Mina, it’s because I CARE ABOUT YOU!” Kam roared back.

“You do?” Mina blinked at him, all her ire whooshing out with a single breath. However, Kam was still too worked up to take notice.

“Yes, I do! Rather a lot!” he continued ranting. “Against the part of me that says I’m too old for you, the part of me that says I’m your coach, against the part that says we’re completely wrong for each other.“ Kam stopped and ran a hand through his hair, his other fisted on his hip. “But that’s the thing, isn’t it? We’re not really; we work together, we fit in a strange way.”

“Not so strange.” Mina shook her head, her eyes never leaving his face.

“I know it was stupid to do what I did, and I know it seems like I’ve lost my mind… maybe I have?” He shrugged, eyes focused on a point above her head. “But I wasn’t about to let you lose everything when I could stop it.”

He finally looked down, meeting her eyes, shoulders sagging. “You’re beautiful, Mina, and when you dance you can see how much you love it, how much it means to you. How could I let them take that from you? Or from anyone else?”

“You’re still an idiot.” She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

“It can’t be undone now,” he muttered.

They stood in silence until Mina let out a frustrated sigh, tossing her hands up. “Now you’re an even bigger idiot.”

“I didn’t do anything!?”

“Exactly!” she huffed. “After all that, the reasoning, the confession, everything! That was the perfect opportunity to kiss me but you were too damned stupid to get on the boat!” Mina shook her head at him in a pitying sort of way, stepped a bit closer, and snaked her arms around his neck, yanking his face down to hers.