AN: FINAL CHAPTER! Let's do this!
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Kalos' office was very modern with the white decor and the glass pieces of art about the place. If Sora sneezed too hard she would probably break something. Leon put his hand on her knee, giving it a light squeeze.
"There's no need to fidget."
She stilled her wiggling leg. "I can't help it."
The side door opened, revealing Kalos in his customary shades and a casual office attire. "Thank you for meeting me." He sat down on his nice plush swivel chair as Sora murmured a 'no problem' reply back. The agent opened his e-mail, deciding which to go over first. He lightly shrugged to himself. He was always one for bad news first. "Dariya's out."
"What?!"
"The court hearing still won't be a while but she was able to pay the bail. She is restricted from traveling a certain amount of miles until her court date."
Leon tilted his head. "How much was bail?"
"Half a million."
"Dollars?!" Sora's eyes bugged out. "Who the heck can drop that much money?!"
"She has her resources," Leon reminded.
"As do we," Kalos interrupted, bringing the conversation back, "The lawyers say we have a couple of options to get her a heavier sentence. The more testimonies we can gather, the better."
"Can we put a restraining order on her?" Sora asked hopefully.
"We would need concrete evidence of your lives being threatened by her. And no," Kalos added before Sora could continue, "the contract we signed does not sound suspicious enough, nor can we link the blackmail e-mail back to her."
"She threatened my marriage with suggestive photos."
"That still doesn't count."
Sora tsked, crossing her arms grumpily. "Of course not."
"Besides," Kalos amusedly said, "I believe she has one against you, Mrs. Oswald."
Sora pursed her lips. And choking her comes back to bite me. Though, she still would have done it if given the chance to redo that moment. Her eyes slid over to Leon. The witch's insults against her husband could not go without responding. She grabbed Leon's hand and held on to it. He looked down at their hands and then back up at Kalos.
"I will contact people we used to work with," Leon murmured. "Hopefully someone has something concrete, but I highly doubt it."
"Whatever you can manage." Kalos switched e-mails, pulling up different offers. He turned his head towards Sora. "Congratulations on winning the nationals."
Sora blinked at that. "Oh, thanks." She didn't even know he knew about her pole competition. Then again, he was dating Sarah.
"Are you planning to tryout for internationals?"
"Most likely...Why?"
"I have been contacted by several companies regarding you."
"People want to sponsor me?"
"As well as use you and Leon in commercials."
"Whoa..."
Leon half smiled. "I'm sure being runner up for the photo challenge has helped with your popularity." He sat back, relaxed. "It can take a while for agents to sift through all the new models."
"But I'm not really a model."
Upon seeing Sora's pensive face, Leon turned to his agent. "Kalos, can you give us a moment?"
The agent stood up with his coffee mug. When the door closed, Leon turned her chair to face him.
"You can refuse. I won't take it personally."
"I think...I'm ready."
"Are you certain?"
"Yeah. Before, I wasn't so sure of myself and how modeling would affect our relationship. But now," She smiled up at him. "I think I can take it, as long as I can choose."
"You are in a position to choose, fortunately."
"And it'll be with you."
He nudged her nose with his. "For some of them."
"I also have some ideas that I should probably run by Kalos."
"That would be wise," he teased.
She leaned her forehead against his. "Sorry it took me so long."
He smiled. "I just want you to be happy." Pause. "But it does please me that you want to work with me."
She laughed, having guessed the second part of his answer.
HF
Eight months later...
"We are live at the Cape Mary Cultural Center where models and dancers alike have joined to showcase the newest fashion company, 'Kaleido Scope,' with their debut line of theatrical wear. Members of this company, including fashion celebrities Layla Hamilton and Leon Oswald - along with his wife and upcoming star Sora Oswald - as well as many others, have been quite hush-hush about what exactly we will be seeing."
The host leaned forward to the camera.
"But we have been given the title, 'Electric,' to tease our appetites."
The lights on the circular stage blacked out, causing the audience to murmur.
"Oh it looks like we're starting!"
Music thudded the speakers and the crowd cheered, recognizing the intro to E.T. by Katy Perry. The lights flickered, making spots of the stage look milky grey and dark blue. Over head lights of varying levels pulsed, mimicking stars. Two silver poles could be seen on the left and right as dancers turned around them slowly, their white attire showing in the black light above their stations.
In the center, a long dark red silk suddenly dropped under the white light but the lump did not descend all the way down just yet. The figure distorted in the silk, one arm coming out and then another, her legs slowly following.
'You're so hypnotizing
could you be the devil
could you be an angel?'
Her head popped out, her red hair wild with golden extensions braided and woven into her hair. Dark lines and shimmer made her eyes look exotic and vibrant from even afar.
They say be afraid
You're not like the others
Futuristic lover
She looked curiously down at the covered figure laying on a slab of glowing light, one painted hand pulling the cover tentatively. Bold symbols were along the side of his face, his pale silver hair nearly draping off the slab. She completely pulled the sheet off, twisting around to lower herself even more.
Different DNA
they don't understand you
you're from a whole other world
Her hand grazed his chest, symbols painted there as well.
A different dimension
You open my eyes
And I'm ready to go
lead me into the li-ight...
The moment her lips touched his, the lights went out and came back on under black lights. The lines along her eyes glowed a bright green, matching the lines along her bodysuit, curving her figure. The extensions in her hair glimmered white and her irises were an unearthly amber.
Kiss me - k-k-kiss me
The figure on the slab came alive, his markings glowing blue.
Infect me with your lovin'
Fill me with your poison
His hands went to her face and then along her back, gripping the silk. The silks were raised and they floated in the air, lips still locked. His pant legs fluttered as they spun around, his mid-back length hair swirling along with the now glowing red silk.
Take me
T-T-Take me
Wanna be a victim
ready for abduction
The silks lowered to the ground. She completely unraveled at his feet, going into a smooth split as he wrapped the silks along his forearms. He looked directly at the audience, showing his violet glowing irises before being pulled into the air.
Boy...Boy you're an alien
He unwrapped some of the silk, lightly touching the stage before smoothly jumping up again to spin sideways. He went down low to the stage again, facing her as she backflipped to face him. He touched her cheek and then offered his forearm for her to take.
Your touch so foreign
it's supernatural
ex-te-te-restrial
They suspended in the air together, their foreheads touching each others.
The talk show host looked at the paused screen and then faced the couple on the couch across from her.
"Wow. Just - wow!"
The audience of the talk show cheered.
"So. You can now do silks, Mr. Leon. Ever consider doing that for a living?"
Sora laughed along with the audience, sporting a nice black and white striped dress. Leon had nice slacks and a dark blue dress shirt. He shook his head.
"I think I'll leave that to my wife."
"Hah! Fair enough! So Ms. Sora I'm dying to know. Mr. Leon's silk moves and then later on Ms. Layla Hamilton's performance -" she paused as a photo of Layla drumming on glowing paint appeared, causing some fan shrieks "did you choreograph those sequences?"
"Ha, well, me and my friend Sarah Dupont -"
"Mostly Sora," Leon injected.
Sora lightly nudged him in the ribs. He half grinned.
"She doesn't take credit where it's due," Leon informed the host.
"That's not completely true!" Sora protested.
Light laughter filled the room. Sora flushed a little.
"I think I speak for all of us when I say, 'Phenomenal job,' " the host smiled. "You've been in several music videos lately, even abroad, after winning the international pole competition in France."
On screen, some Indian music sounded, showing a Bollywood singer up front and then switching over to Sora leading a crew of dancers with gold jewelry and a dark red crop top and embroidered skirt. Then it paused and the host turned back to Sora.
"It was an honor to be featured there and the instructors were very patient with me," Sora fondly recalled out loud. "There was so much energy on that stage; you'd be hard pressed to not absorb it."
"Are you two doing well now? I know nearly a year ago there was trouble with some photos and an old ex."
The duo looked at each other and Sora turned back to the host with a smile.
"We're doing great."
PW
It was dark outside once they exited the talk show studio. Sora eyed the gated studio lot where some reporters were waiting on the other side. Some cameras flashed as they got closer to the gate. If there was another way to get to the parking lot, they would have taken it.
"Mr. Oswald! How do you feel about working with your wife?"
"Ms. Sora, can we get a statement about the light time Dariya served? Do you feel that justice has been fully dealt?"
Sora turned to Leon with a shake of her head. "At least they're mixing it up this time," she quietly murmured so only her husband would hear.
Leon lightly grinned. "Did the question about our sex life not amuse you?"
Sora rolled her eyes. "They didn't even try to phrase it subtly." She heard her text alert go off and she pulled it out. Her jaw dropped a little. "What?"
"What is it?"
"Ken asked May out." Sora then smiled and laughed. "Good for them."
A murmuring went through the crowd of reporters as a hooded figure made its way to the front, pushing without caring. Sora paused in putting her phone away and then frowned at the strangeness. The figure pulled out something metal from their pocket, making her eyes widen.
"Gun!" someone yelled.
Sora didn't even think. She threw herself to cover Leon.
A deafening *bang!* sounded in the night, stilling Leon's blood. He gripped Sora numbly, his subconscious registering what had happened but his conscious mind not really wanting to understand. He faintly saw the reporters take the shooter down to the ground, the hoodie being ripped off to reveal Dariya's twisted face as she laughed into the night.
Warm liquid trickled over his hand, bringing him awake with startling clarity.
"Call an ambulance!"
PW
Sora hadn't realized she had fallen asleep. She couldn't even recall them having gotten into the car or arriving at the apartment.
Her nose twitched and she inhaled long.
She cringed as the action hurt, then her mind decided to remind her about a gun. Did I save him? She hoped she did. She strained to open her eyes, white light filling her vision before she saw his face hovering over her. He looked like a mess. She didn't think she had ever seen him cry. She had heard him when Sophie died, but she hadn't actually seen his face. She lifted a hand up, trying to wipe his cheek. It hurt her to see him like this. He grabbed her hand, fiercely kissing it.
"Sora."
She felt her lids droop and she was out again.
PW
When she fully woke up, she saw him sitting by her bedside in a much calmer manner. His eyes were tired, but it at least looked like he bothered to shower and comb his growing hair.
"Hey...handsome."
He looked at her intensely. "Don't ever do this again."
She lightly frowned. "I..." she cleared her throat, "don't plan to get shot again."
He leaned forward, one hand cupping her cheek. "Don't take an attack meant for me," he quietly clarified.
"And let you take it?" she asked incredulously. "Not in this life -" cough "time."
He withdrew to get her water. She sipped through the straw tentatively, recalling that breathing in too deeply had hurt. Coughing did too, but she needed to finish her sentence. She let go of the straw and he put it back on the side table.
"On the bright side," she half smiled, "we can now get that restraining order."
He slowly blinked, then she saw the corner of his mouth twitch. He chuckled a little, shaking his head at her. Then, it got louder, filling the room with his rich sound. He put his elbows on the bed as he put his hands on his forehead for a double face palm. The laughter quieted and she saw the humor leave his quirked lips.
"We're locking her up for good," he darkly murmured.
"That works too."
He sighed and put his head against her stomach. She ran her fingers through his hair, trying to ease his nerves.
"...Thank you," he finally murmured.
"Anytime."
He lifted his head to look at her face to face. "Never again," he reiterated.
She sighed. "I can't promise that if I think you're in danger."
He stared at her for a while and then he put his head back on her.
"Try to."
"...Alright."
PW
Months later...
A single room in the Oswald's mansion was teeming with music and colored lights.
Leon comfortably sat on a plush sofa with a fake crown on his head reading 'Birthday Boy' in the crown jewel. His eyes avidly watched as his wife spun around the pole and then slowly slid down to the ground. She unbuttoned the short nurse's outfit, flipping around and somehow made it shrug off. Her red lacy boy shorts and bra had his blood running thickly, especially with the matching garter around her left thigh.
She body rolled against the pole sensually, all the while looking at him.
Best. Present. Ever.
A sound Leon had never heard before rang out throughout the entire mansion.
Ding-dong...
He slowly opened his eyes. Is that...the doorbell? He couldn't recall a time he had ever heard it. He kept this place a secret so to have a private sanctuary from the press. The staff that maintained it were paid well for their silence - they even had to sign a contract. He highly doubted the press could top their salaries.
He cursed under his breath.
It was something to investigate, unfortunately. He made to sit up, but something around his right wrist prevented him from moving. Ah. He had forgotten about that. He never did bother to find the key last night, all too willing to let her have her way with him. It proved to be a most pleasurable choice but now he did need that key. "Sora," he rubbed his free hand along her back, his thumb lightly running over the little scar where the bullet had pierced her three months ago. She mumbled something, choosing to snuggle closer to him. Any other morning and he would have welcomed it...
Dingdong-dingdong-dingdong
She lifted her sleepy eyes to him. "I didn't think we had a doorbell..."
The house was full of surprises. "Love, where is the key?"
"Key? What key?"
Leon moved his wrist, making the handcuffs jangle against the bedpost.
"Oh that key." She nuzzled his chest, placing a kiss over his heart. "I tied it to my garter."
"Could you get it for me please?"
"Well," she ran a lazy hand over his stomach, "you did say please..."
She rolled over to her side table, opening a drawer to pull out a nightgown. He watched her slip it on, liking how the blue silk seemed to caress her skin as it slid over. She got out of bed, walking around the room to find the garter.
"In the hallway dear," he smoothly voiced out, "just before the stairs."
"That's right," she nodded her head.
She came back shortly and went over to his side of the bed. She sat down near him as she fiddled with the lock. Then, though, his other hand made her pause.
"You may dress me," he murmured.
She looked over his face, seeing how lidded his eyes were.
Ding-ding-ding-ding-doooooong...
"Another time, anata."
Leon stood still as he saw the last person he wanted to see in the doorway.
"Are you going to let me in or not?"
Leon's eyes narrowed. "How did you find this place Alen?"
"Don't underestimate my hacking skills, boy." Alen scratched his chin, clean shaven for once. "Not that I did this time. That wife of yours invited me to visit."
Leon stared dumbly at Alen for a moment and then closed the door.
"Hey!"
Alen pounded on the door, but Leon was already scaling the stairs to get to their bedroom. He opened it, regardless of his wife still dressing.
"You invited Alen to come here?"
Sora blinked and then huffed. "He was supposed to come tonight for the dinner!"
"Sora."
She winced a little at his tone. "Ok, yes. I did. But he said he was interested in seeing you too!"
Leon ran a hand over his face. "How did you even get in contact with him?" His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Was it my mother?"
"Leon - "
He sighed, plopping himself on the bed. His mother had been dismayed to hear how fractured his relationship with his father was. When he was younger, they had been close. But the time leading to the divorce and afterwards, when his beloved sister was taken away...He blamed Alen for all the problems that had occurred and no matter how many times his mother said it was a mutual break up, he still blamed his father.
"Leon." He felt Sora's hand rub his shoulder. "We won't have our parents forever..."
He looked up at her. She had lost both when she was younger. While her adopted family still kept in touch with her, he knew that their move to the East coast had been hard on her.
"I'll let him in...Just this once," he murmured. "I cannot promise anything else at the moment."
"That's more than enough." She pecked his lips and then smacked his backside once he stood up. "Now go let your father inside. I'll be down soon."
The clock ticked loudly in the living room.
Father and son sat on opposite ends of the couch, both looking around. Leon idly watched as the cats dozed in the sunlight, looking like limp toys sprawled over that area. They never did find homes for the last two cats, not having the heart to tear Oreo away from her "babies." The two were hardly kittens anymore, but Oreo still liked to lick their ears from time to time. Richie was...Richie. Lying around the place like it was her big pillow. The newer members were fixed, of course. That had been Leon's only request regarding the cats.
"Nice place," Alen grunted.
"It is."
Tick, tick, tick...
"Heard what happened to your wife," Alen murmured. Leon turned to him, eyes warning him that he was treading on thin ice. "A good woman you've got there."
Leon kept his cool look and then eased a little. "She is."
"Marie sends her love." Alen reached into his luggage, pulling out two wrapped boxes. "One's for your wife and the other's for you."
"...Thank Marie for us." Pause. "So you two are still married?"
Alen harrumphed. "Is that so hard to believe?"
Leon gave him a flat look.
"I think...we'll be staying together for a long while."
Leon slowly nodded. "That is...good to hear."
Another pause of silence.
"Sorry for the wait!"
Both men stood up as Sora came in with a tray. "I made coffee and tea since I wasn't sure which one you'd like, Alen." She set the tray down on the coffee table, setting up the mugs and coasters. The snacks she left on the tray. "Which would you prefer?"
"Ah, coffee. No sugar."
Sora nodded, pouring it out. "Cream?"
"Just a little."
She stirred it and then handed it to him with a smile. Then she made Leon a cup of coffee with some milk and then got her mug of green tea. "So!" She settled down in the space between them, filling the gap. "How was your flight over, Alen? Do you mind if I call you by first name? Mister Alen sounds too formal for family."
Alen blinked at her cheeriness and then shook his head. For a moment there, her smile reminded him of Sophie...He sniffed roughly, swallowing some sudden lump in his throat. Sora frowned, putting her mug down. She opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but his chuckle stopped her.
"Alen is just fine." He gave her a crooked grin. "Papa can be for later in the visit."
Leon stared at Alen in disbelief. Sora beamed widely, taking Alen's hand in hers.
"I would be delighted!"
As the visit continued on, all three could not deny the fact that tentative hope bloomed for their future.
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The End.
AN: I've finally finished it! Only took me a year and some months. XD I know I could have explored more avenues but I don't want this to be super long. I said this was going to be the final chapter and it is. As always, thanks for reading and I hope you are satisfied with the ending, which is really a beginning for these characters. :3 Cheesy family goodness...XD
Oh and yes, I skipped some lines of the E.T. song on purpose. I wanted to keep the momentum of motion and lyrics.