It's Midnight, Cinderella(Open to 1 Guy, PM to join)

It was Halloween, and the cool autumn wind danced outside the windows, rustling the yellow and russet leaves that still clung to the branches of the tree just outside Jaqueline's window.

There was to be a rather large costume party/dance at the local dance hall, sponsored by the city. Why she was even going was beyond her, but when she'd bought her ticket, it had seemed like a better idea than sitting alone watching would-be scary movies and handing out candy to trick or treaters all night.

If the scheduled time she'd made with her ex to split custody had been different, she'd be in taking care of Dylan, her son. But instead, he was two states away with his father. She missed him, but knew that despite the fact that she didn't think Jake was a man suited to be a parent, there was little she could do, the courts had ordered it. Of course, it was a bit of a comfort to know that Jake's parents would have Dylan most of the time. They were good people, no matter how messed up their son was.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she gave her honeyed blond hair a pat, admiring the way she'd managed to put it up in a graceful twist and pinned in the headband with little trouble. Her dress ruffled around her as she shifted from one foot to the other, finishing her makeup.

It was a few more moments before she finally moved into the bedroom and slid on the finishing touch to her costume, a pair of clear heels fashioned to look like glass. The entire outfit had taken her months to sew and fit to her curvy body, but she was pleased with the way it turned out. The light blue silk shimmered some in the light cast by her ceiling lamp, and she smoothed her now gloved hands over the skirt. The gloves themselves came up nearly to mid-bicep, and hugged to her slender, graceful arms in a flattering way.

True, she was a bit more busty than the Disney version she'd decided to dress up as, but all in all, she thought she struck a striking resemblance. Glancing at the clock, she smiled when she saw it was nearly 7, when the dance would start. Grabbing a shimmering blue handbag, she walked out of the bedroom and down through her house, turning off lights as she went, one hand securing the blue silk choker around her neck. Grabbing her keys, she left the house in time to see the first of the trick or treaters leave their homes.

The small New England town was a lovely place, and she'd moved here as soon as she figured out that she was going to have a child to raise. This was the best place for her and Dylan.

Gathering her skirts up around her, she climbed into the car and shut she door, careful not to catch her skirt in it as she slammed it shut. This was, she hoped, going to be a fun night. After all, she didn't know anyone... hopefully this would give her the opportunity to really meet people.

*~*~*~*

Name: Jaqueline Grant
Age: 25
Hair: Blonde, waist length, thick and silky
Eyes: Crystal Blue
Skintone: Fair, creamy
Build: Petite and curvy
Background:
Parents died when she was 19, Jaqueline got involved with a guy named Jake Richards, fell in love with him, and ended up pregnant. Jake turned to drugs, and soon when things began to lean toward him being abusive, Jaqueline got out fast. The state decided on split custody, giving Jaqueline the greater share of the custody and Jake got some holidays and such. Moving to a small New England town in Mass., Jaqueline brought her son with her in an effort to give him the life she thinks he deserves.

Thanks for all those that responded, but the position has been filled

Name: Lawrence Linford (Larry to his friends)

Age: 22

Hair: Dark brown, almost black and extremely thick and messy. It curls in the nape of his neck while the fringe nearly covers his eyes, occasionally forcing him to peer out from under it.

Eyes: A piercing dark blue

Skintone: Lightly tanned

Build: Athletic and fairly muscled.

Background: Pretty unremarkable, Larry's just your average young adult who's fresh out of university after obtaining his degree in computer programming. Coming from a caring upper-middle class family, Larry has never experienced any hardship or mistreatment, but in no way has this turned him into your stereotypical upper-crust snob. A fun-loving young man, Larry's taking a year off from education and the real world to just relax a bit and enjoy life.

"Oh, so wait, I'm the bastard in this relationship?" Arguing with his girlfriend was most definitely not how he wanted to spend his Halloween evening, but yet here he was. Forcing himself to loosen his grip on his phone a little bit before he went and shattered it, Larry carried on. "Last I checked, it was my right to get angry when I walk in on my girlfriend dry-humping her Spanish tutor. Oh, really? Well, tell Julio that he can put you up for the night because I've changed the locks. Oh, your stuff? Well, you remember when we watched 'The Mexican'?

With that, he cut off any more of the noise pollution and replaced the phone on the table, sighing a bit. Anger was nature's cure-all, numbing any and all pain but now it was wearing away. Unfortunately, now it was wearing away, as was evidenced by the fact that he realised now that a 5-month relationship was pretty much down the toilet. He believed in giving people second chances, except when cheating was involved. Collapsing on his bed, he glanced over at the costume hanging on his closet door. He was going to go with Alice, but now he wasn't even sure if he wanted to set foot outside his house tonight. Despite looking like your stereotypical jock, Larry was one of those (some may say "stupidly sheltered") deeply romantic souls who honestly just wanted someone to love out of life, so stuff like this always hit him hard.

Well, there goes another failed relationship on your notch, Linford...What next? I reckon you should just grab an early night, switch off all the lights so the kids don't bother you and just sleep.

That sounded...Like the dumbest idea he'd ever had. Why the hell should he have to crawl away and hide because someone else messed-up? Besides, he wasn't exactly going to meet the right girl by staying indoors, unless she came selling time-share...And why would he want to date a time-share saleswoman anyway? Walking over to the costume, he shucked his shirt and shorts before throwing on the blood-red trench-coat with no shirt underneath, and donning a pair of black jeans. Glancing at the props that had come with it, he wondered for a second whether he was going to geek out enough to use them. That second passed, he grabbed the pair of pistols and slung them into the holsters at the back of his coat before taking a life-size replica of a sword and sliding it into the scabbard also on the back. One silver wig later and he'd transformed himself into Dante from the Devil May Cry video games.

"Well, let's get this party started..."

***

Twenty minutes later, Larry pulled into the parking lot of the hall, already hearing music coming from inside. Shifting the parts of his costume so they were comfortable, he walked inside and was almost immediately assailed by several of his dad's business associates. He managed to quickly disentangle himself and make his way over to the punch bowl, glancing around the party and being a little dismayed to find no-one he actually knew.

This felt like it was going to be a long night...

Parking outside the large dance hall, Jaqueline took a moment to check her makeup in the rear view mirror. Applying a bit more pink lipgloss to her full lips, she smiled and gave her hair another assuring pat, to be sure it was firmly in place. Taking in a deep breath, she climbed from the little Chevrolet Aveo and made her way up the sidewalk to the front doors of the building.

They were closed, likely to keep out the New England chill. Pulling one open, she took a deep breath and stepped into the foyer, making her way toward the two large double doors that opened out onto the hall. Directly in from the doors, there was a balcony of sorts that wrapped almost all the way around the place, about ten feet wide and littered with tables and the like, all decorated in the spirit of the season.

There were a few long buffet tables with little goodies and drinks for the party goers, but for now she just bypassed such things. She'd had something to eat before getting ready, not wanting to be too hungry when she got here. Stepping out onto the balcony, she looked down the staircase that lead out into the main part of the hall, looking at the crowds of people that had already arrived.

Another deep, steadying breath and she lifted her skirts, making her way down the staircase and feeling a little like the real Cinderella, arriving alone and just a bit later than everyone else. She could only hope she didn't garner as much attention... She wouldn't know what to do with herself.

Very thankful for the fact that he had long ago mastered the skill of looking interested in a conversation while letting his mind wander elsewhere, Larry looked at the face of the businessman talking to him but not really hearing what he said. Instead his mind was about 4 leagues away, trying to work out how long he still needed to finish coding the preliminaries of the program he'd been hired to write.

"...And then the golf cart went into the lake! Bwahahahaha!"

"Hahahaha, good one!"

His body had even programmed itself to where it would have to laugh at really lame stories and such, so he was barely even aware of it while he desperately scanned the corwd out the corner of his eyes for someone he knew. Eventually, the old man excused himself and walked off, leaving him to lean against the railing of the stairs, mentally exhausted with having to keep up the facade.

A flash of blue in the soft interior light caught his eye and he gave a casual lgance up to the stairs before looking away, then snapped his head back with an audible click when his brain processed what he had seen. A blonde woman, probably a year or so older than him was walking down the stairs, her curvaceous body clad in a breathtaking blue dress. Simply put, she was beautiful in almost every way of the word.

She passed him and gave him a look that nearly made him say something, but instead he just kind of tucked his head in and turned back towards the food table, fumbling for the punch ladel.

What the hell am I thinking? A girl dressed like that doesn't want some geek dressed up like a goddamn video game character. Besides...There's no way someone like her is coming alone to this party like your loser ass...

Jaqueline's crystal blue eyes flicked back and forth over the crowd as she descended the stairs. She caught a couple looks shot her way, but nothing that seemed overly lingering and there weren't too many stares in general. Most people were too busy being wrapped up in their conversations and dancing and the like to notice her.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she finally stepped onto the floor, a sparkle of silvery white catching her eye. She turned her head just in time to spot a man dressed in a long red trenchcoat turning his back to her, just barely able to see the white hair on his head over the sword strapped to her back. She tilted her head to the side some, idly wondering who he was supposed to be, before shrugging and turning back to the crowds around her.

Making her way through the crowds, she finally reached the table where the stranger in the red jacket was, and got herself a glass of punch, suddenly dry mouthed and unsure why she'd even bothered coming to this place.

She didn't know anyone, after all, and felt horribly out of place in a crowd full of people who all seemed to know each other.

Larry had to get himself to calm down when the woman stopped next to him, his heart threatening to clear go jumping out his throat. They stood silently next to each other, not speaking or looking at each other as they sipped their punch and looked out into the crowd. Trying to find something to say, he finally came up with this gem.

"If I were you, I'd avoid the crab-puffs. Fifteen people came down with food poisoning last year and they still went and hired the same caterer," Glancing out from under the wig, Larry held his hand out to her, hoping he'd just broken the ice and not scared her off. "I'm Larry...Sorry for just talking out of the blue, but you look like an actual interesting person, as opposed to the rest of the oxygen thieves in here."

Caught slightly off guard, Jaqueline jumped a bit when he started talking, turning to look at him as he spoke about crab puffs and food poisoning. Unsure what to make of his announcement at first, she could only force a small, unsure smile to her lips as she tried to formulate a response.

And then he introduced himself. Grateful for the sudden shift that gave her a way to respond, she slid her silk gloved hand into his own. "Jaqueline Grant. Its nice to meet you, Larry." The touch of her hand on his, even though it was brief and there was a layer of silk between them, sent sparks through her, and she found herself blinking as she pulled her hand back.

Returning it to where the other was holding her drink, she tried to clear her mind. That had been the oddest reaction she'd ever felt before... And her eyes had kept flickering over the sight of his bare chest beneath his jacket, only to tear themselves away as a slight blush colored her cheeks.

What on earth was wrong with her? He was a total stranger and she couldn't keep her eyes off him. Had it really been that long since she'd had time alone with a man? Shaking her head some at herself, she looked out over the crowd. She didn't know anyone in this town anyway. Why on earth had she come here? She'd never felt so uncomfortable in her life.

"The pleasure's all mine, Jaqueline," He said as they turned back, missing her glancing over his costume (or more accurately, what was beneath it) and went on with drinking his punch. "It always is when meeting a beautiful lady."

When she looked away, Larry glanced over at her, his eyes immediately seeing the blush in her cheeks, giving her smooth creamy skin a healthy glow. His eyes trailed down her beautiful face and sleek neck to her generous breasts, straining slightly against the silk of the dress. A flat stomach and pleasantly curving hips added to her attractiveness, and even though the skirts were down to her feet, he could tell she had a beautiful pair of legs under them.

Putting down his punch glass, he cleared his throat slightly before speaking. "I hope you don't think I'm being too weird or forward, but...Would you like to dance?"

Jaqueline smiled, pleasantly surprised when he asked her for a dance. Her face seemed to light up with the simple curving of her lips, and her eyes held an extra twinkle in them. Nodding, she set her glass aside. "I'd love that, thank you," she answered, and slid her hand into the one he offered, silk clad fingers resting in his palm.

Walking out onto the dance floor, she allowed him to guide her through the crowds until they found an empty spot. Ever aware that she was dressed like Cinderella, she allowed her hand to stay in his while at the same time she swept him a graceful curtsie, a small and somewhat bashful smile on her lips. When she stood straight again, she allowed herself to step in close enough for him to pull her into a dance.

Getting a chuckle out of her curtsie, Larry returned with with a low deep bow that sent his wig spilling to the floor and revealing his crow's nest of mussed-up dark brown hair. Cursing softly, he bent down and retrieved it, sticking it back on his head. Smiling sheepishly, he gently took her one gloved hand, feeling the soft warmth of her skin beneath it.

"Sorry about that," He said, placing his other hand on her hip. "So, you're Cinderella I take it? I hope you're not going to run out at midnight."

Jaqueline laughed when the wig fell off, and for a brief moment she got a look at what he looked like really, without white hair. He was handsome, she realized, and couldn't help but let her mind return to the sight of his well muscled torso beneath his jacket.

A slight shiver passed through her at the thought, and she inwardly cursed herself. Had it really been so long? That a complete stranger was making her think like that? A soft sigh left her. Ahh well.. such was the life of a single mother these days.

When he drew her in close, she smiled and felt the hand resting on her hip. Her free hand moved up to his shoulder, and she felt him begin to move them through the dance, each movement of hers graceful and almost like she were gliding, not dancing, across the floor.

"Cinderella? Yeah... Not sure why I chose her, of all people..."

Larry smiled as he felt her pressing gently against him, the soft material of her dress brushing against his bare chest every now and then as they moved. He gave her hand a soft squeeze and chanced pulling her a little closer so there was less than an inch of seperation between their bodies.

"Well, you are as beautiful as she's supposed to be..." Larry replied, making sure to keep them away from other people, leaving them dancing in their own secluded spots so they could talk. "...Do you have ugly stepsisters mistreating you?"

Jaqueline could feel his body brushing against her own as they danced, and part of her couldn't help but blush. If she didn't excersize perfect control over herself, her nipples were going to harden and then he'd know for sure just what kind of thoughts that costume of his had put into her head.

The blush only deepened at his compliment, and she glanced down, a shy smile on her face. At his questions of evil stepsisters, she gave a soft laugh. "Oh no... Not even an evil stepmother. Its just me and..." there was a slight longing in her eyes as she continued, "my son, when he's not with his father anyway."

Her body brushed against his again, the cool silk of her dress brushing against the bare plane of his chest, and she gave a soft, bashful smile. "Sorry... I guess it's been a while since I did this..." she said, trying to find an excuse for why their bodies kept brushing against each other, even though she knew their dancing had few mistakes in it.

There really was nothing for her to be apologising for, but Larry saw her bashful smile and realised she was being a little shy. Giving her a warm, slightly comforting smile in return, he gently slipped his hand from her hip to cup her in the small of her back. The combination of the soft silk and warm flesh sent a shiver down his spine, the girl in front of him becoming even more beautiful by the second.

"Nothing to apologise for...Besides, you're doing an awesome job with a guy who has two left feet. Scratch that, two amputated left feet," Chuckling, he pulled her a little closer, hoping she wouldn't think he was too forward. "So, a son? Tell me about him, if it's okay."

Jaqueline felt him draw her closer, and a shiver passed through her as she felt her body pressed against his, the silk of her gown flush with the hard plane of his chest. She felt a little chill go through her, his hand on her back, and wondered what it would like to feel him actually touching her skin... Would his rough hands be gentle or a bit on the rougher side, taking control and showing her what it could be like to be claimed...?

Mentally kicking herself, she struggled to get her thoughts together as he asked about her son. That was the perfect way to distract her, she reasoned.

"His name is Dylan... he's 9 months next week, already learning how to walk... can pull himself up on furniture and walk around if he's holding onto something. He's with his father for the next few days though..." It was obvious by the look in her crystal blue eyes as she danced with him and spoke of her child that she missed the little boy desperately... the love of a mother that wants nothing more than to keep her child close.

The look in her eyes was one he recognised. Any mother worth a damn had that look when her child came up, including his own. His own iceberg-blue eyes met hers as he tilted his head forward a bit, their foreheads almost touching. Larry gently caressed the small of her back, smiling at her.

"He sounds like an awesome kid...And you look like a good mother, Jaqueline," Larry looked up as the band started playing a slower song and automatically let go of her hand, moving it to join his other behind her back where they clasped together, pulling Jaquelne almost completely against him. "I...We can stop, if this is uncomfortable for you."

When he pulled her closer, it felt like the most natural thing in the world, and so without missing a beat, she slid her arms around his neck, the gloved fingertips of one hand stroking and caressing at the back of his neck, even sliding up under the edge of his wig to run through the thick locks of his dark hair.

"He's the best son a mother could ask for," she answered softly, and this time did let her forehead rest against his own. There was a soft smile on her lips as he expressed his concern, that they could stop if she wanted to. "Oh no... this is... nice. I haven't danced with anyone in years," she answered, voice soft and barely a whisper.

It was only the beginning of the evening, and already Jaqueline felt like it was a hit. She'd met someone really nice, who was good looking, and didn't seem to mind the fact that she was a single mother.

"Then you must come from a town inhabited by deaf, dumb lobotomised raccoons," Larry said, her soft silken hand brushing against his hairline sending plesant shivers down his spine. Her dainty nose was cutely rubbing against his as their foreheads touched while they swayed in each other's arms. Her body felt so good against him...He didn't know why a girl this pretty and nice wasn't taken, but he wouldn't complain.

His eyes moved towards the door. "When this song finishes...Would you like to blow this joint? Believe me, the catering isn't worth sitting through the speeches we'll have to endure once the dancing is over," A sheepish smile crossed his face. "I'm sorry, you must think I'm really weird, asking you to walk off with someone you barely know."

Jaqueline was left a bit flustered, unsure how to respond to his question. Would she like to leave? She didn't even know him... And then he pointed out that she must think him weird for asking her such a thing. Smiling some, she looked down, not meeting his eyes. In honesty, she was intrigued enough that part of her wanted to accept, but he was right... He was a total stranger.

Could she trust him? She did have a child to think of... she couldn't bear the thought of something happening to her and leaving Dylan with nothing but his druggie father. "I... I really don't know... You're a nice guy, but... I hardly know you," she answered.

When the song ended, she smiled, and pulled back, leading the way off the dance floor, back to the tables where she refilled her glass with punch.

Mentally kicking himself for being so stupid, Larry stood alone in the middle of the dancefloor with his hands on the hips, staring at the floor. Great, now she probably thought him to be some kind of weird-ass stalker. Shaking his head, he made his way back as well, avoiding her eyes as he searched for something that looked vaguely edible.

"I know I'm wearing guns and a sword, but I'm really only vaguely crazy when I've had too much caffeine and a programming deadline," He said, trying to make light of the situation. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, Jaqueline."

Jaqueline sighed some. "You didn't scare me..." she answered, though her voice was a little quiet, making it obvious that somewhere in the back of her mind, there were quite a few thoughts flying around. Most of those thoughts were centered on him and how much she really had, and still did, want to take him up on his offer.

Turning to him, she tilted her head to the side and spoke softly. "Where would you have wanted to go if we did leave?" She knew it would sound like maybe she was going to give him a chance to take her out, but she couldn't help it. Curiosity was getting the better of her.

It had, afterall, been a few years since she'd had anything resembling a real date.

Maybe he had a small chance after all. Larry didn't want to get his hopes up, but his previous downcast look was replaced as his lips curved up in a thoughtful smile. He tried to look at her without making it too obvious he would really enjoy a chance with her.

"There's a small movie theater near here...I figured it would be nice and quiet since all the kids are out trick or treating. Then maybe we could get dinner afterwards. I know it probably sounds boring and you're used to a lot better, but it's what my mind thought up at short notice."

"It's been years since I've gone out, actually. Haven't really dated anyone since before Dylan was born."

Jaqueline looked around the dance hall with a soft sigh. The party really was a bit of a bust... She'd expected most of the town's adults to be there, as that's how it had always been at events like this elsewhere. Oh well... seemed this was a sleepy little town, even on holidays.

"My car, or yours?" she asked with a small smile.

Inwardly, Larry was busy jumping in the air and going "Woooo!" while luckily on the outside, he just gave Jaqueline a warm smile, and walked outside with her. When she asked whose car, Larry shook his head, instead pointing to a small sign right across the street.

"Town might be small, but it also has the advantage of having everything close together. Unless those skirts make it really hard to walk, we can skip the car ride. Besides," He blushed, chuckling sheepishly. "Walking gives me more time to get to know you."

Jaqueline smiled as he pointed out the sign across the street. "Ohhh... I see." Inwardly, she sighed. She'd been here for a few months now and because she'd had Dylan and didn't know anyone, she'd never really gotten out and explored. The bank, the store, and work were pretty much the only three places she knew. Oh... and the dance hall, but even that she'd had to look up!

Holding up the fronts of her skirts, she walked along with him, eyes mostly on the ground as her clear slippers moved down the side walk. That was, of course, when it happened.

It was like a sudden burst of movement. In the matter of 30 seconds, Jaqueline and Larry would find themselves surrounded by a mass of youngsters, most of them between three and six. Their attention seemed focus on Cinderella.

Wow... my costume must be really convincing... she thought as she knelt to speak to one of the little girls who'd been tugging on her skirt.

"Eh...ehscoose me, miss Findewella..." the little girl asked. She was dressed like a fairy, and Jaqueline couldn't help but smile.

The two went about talking for a few moments, and finally after placing a dainty kiss on the little girl's head and passing out hugs to the others, she waved as the children scampered back to their chaperons. Looking back up at Larry as she stood, a soft blush colored her cheeks. True, she might have indulged a bit more than normal, but the kids had enjoyed it and that motherly side of her couldn't help but make itself known when they had all shown up like that.