Ringing in the New Year...

[x-marrow.livejournal.com]

At Silver for the New Year's Party, Sarah and Angelo run into each other. They make plans for the night.



Sarah hadn't been planning on coming to the New Years party. It was a benefit for something that she wasn't a part of, and the mix of mansion-folks plus herself didn't always make for good situations. But maybe things were different now. At least, that's what she was telling herself now that she was here.

Fingers wrapped tightly around her glass, Sarah leaned back against the bar, watching people move around the room, careful not to draw attention to herself.

Maybe not from most people. But at least one person had noticed her, and leaned casually against the bar next to her when he arrived. "Havin' fun?"

"Depends on your definition of fun." Sarah finished the rest of her drink in a few gulps, the condensation on the glass just beginning to drip onto her fingers. Putting the glass down onto the bar behind her, she shrugged. "I'm sober, and I'm people-watching. Neither of which actually enter into my definition of fun." She grinned, and pushed herself up onto one of the barstools. "However, this guy over here keeps staring at my legs before suddenly remembering that I have bone horns twisting out of my forehead. It's fun to watch him freak out."

Angelo chuckled and hopped up onto the next stool over. "Well, that's better than nothin', I guess. Might have to see if I can't fix one or both of those other things, though."

"Oh?" She turned her legs in toward him, elbow resting on the bar. "I think I like the sound of that."

"Thought you might", he said with a wicked grin. "Now, let's see... what would be fun we can do this early in the night?"

Sarah glanced back out at the dance floor, and then returned her attention to Angelo. It was still early in the night for dancing, there were a few of the younger crowd already on the floor, and several groups of people watching the door while waiting for friends to arrive. "I'm thinking that we need to take care of the 'sober' part first."

"That we can do", Angelo said cheerfully. "What're you drinkin'? You might have to get them in, though, but I'll pay you back."

Sarah twisted herself around the rest of the way, flagging down one of the bartenders and ordering another rum and coke. "You're next."

Angelo chuckled. "Well now. I'll have a beer. Real beer, if you've got it." This to the bartender. Some of Amanda's opinions were infectious.

She raised an eyebrow at him, finally laughing. "I didn't remember you being picky."

"We're lookin' to get drunk, aren't we?" he returned, just as amused. "American beer's not gonna do it, or not as fast."

Sarah grinned, eyeing her own drink when the bartender brought them back. "I'll stick with the mixed stuff to give you time to catch up." She leaned forward, adding in his ear, "Wouldn't want to drink you under the table too quick."

He chuckled, low, and turned to speak straight into her ear in turn. "Yeah, we can't have that. You've got that healin' factor, too. Cheat."

"I am. What're you going to do about it?"

He pretended to think about this, then shrugged. "Buy you more drinks?"

Sarah laughed, clinking her glass against his and tossing back half of it at once. "I like this plan."


Later that night there is dancing, more talk of trouble, and a fade to black.


Somewhere along with the drinking and the flirting, there was dancing. They were at a club afterall, and once the music starts playing, and there's enough people for Sarah to not feel like she's being stared at, she wants to go out and dance. She'd long since switched to straight... whatever she was drinking now, she couldn't remember what, just that it was straight -something-. Rum? Vodka? She took another drink. Ah. Bourbon. Moving rhythmically to the beat of the music, Sarah had her free hand hooked around Angelo's neck, smiling brightly. "This beats watching the fucking ball on TV."

His own hand was somewhere at her waist, the other holding a glass of... something strong. Probably also whiskey, he'd forgotten since they got out on the floor. He grinned at her. "Sure does. The fireworks are pretty good, but... I can do without them."

"Good. I wasn't going to go freeze my ass off outside so you could see fireworks." Sarah took another drink, adding, "I'm definitely not that nice."

"That", Angelo declared, "is what TVs were made for. But bein' here's better."

"This is a little more deviant, don't you think?" Someone bumped into them from behind, and it only threw Sarah off for a moment before she just moved closer to dance. She didn't even glare at them. "Less 'bright-eyed and hopeful for the new year', and more 'let's get into trouble one last time this year.'"

Angelo was only too happy to accept the moving closer, hand curving further around her waist. "Yeah, I'll drink to that. Everybody should get a chance to get in trouble once in awhile." And drink to it he did.

Sarah laughed, finishing her own drink in a final gulp. "Some of us don't have that problem. It just comes naturally."

"Well, there is that", he allowed. "Lots of different kinds of trouble out there, anyway."

"There are. I haven't picked a favorite yet."

"So what makes the shortlist?"

"Drinking too much. Fighting. Sex in public places." Sarah grinned, and added "Well.. sex in general really."

"But sex in general only gets you in trouble if you pick your circumstances wrong. Or right", he pointed out with a wicked grin, leaning down to speak in her ear again. "An' if we're markin' the New Year properly, we've done the drinkin' too much, an' I don't think Mark'd be too happy if there was any fightin' here..."

"Of course not. We don't want to get Mark into trouble..." Gripping her glass with only three fingers now, the other two pushed against his chest as if to prove her point. Behind them, the countdown to the new year began, people taking great (and sometimes drunken) pride in being as loud as possible.

He laughed and, as soon as the countdown was done just to be in keeping with tradition, leaned down to kiss her. When they broke apart, the only question was, "So what does that leave?"

"Ringing in the new year." Sarah grinned, grabbing his hand and tugging it. "Come on, let's go get into trouble."