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Stubborn Love- A Modern/AU Walking Dead Story	By : ImagineLayla131 Category: S through Z > The Walking Dead Views: 2907 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NOR HAVE ANY AFFILIATIONS WITH TWD FRANCHISE NO MONEY/PROFIT IS BEING MADE!

Chapter List
- 32
- 33
- 34
Hi everybody! My grandma only had to get one stitch, but the day after she got it taken out she suffered from a delayed concussion, so she has been in bed for the past nine days with vertigo, she's finally moving about though. Sorry for the delay, I've had crazy writer's block!
Bruce, Joshua, Rachel and Susie are all from the comics, Francine, Molly, Becca and A.J. are from the TV show, Clint is from the novel, and Katjaa, Duck, Kenny, Fivel and Boyd are from the TellTale game, I forgot to mention that for Annette I picture Amy Carlson from Blue Bloods. I also want to give a special shout out to the Weaver Family in Rhonert Park, CA, whose house was the inspiration for this chapter and they actually won The Great Christmas Light Fight. I'll post pic on Instagram soon!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NOR HAVE ANY AFFILIATIONS WITH WANTED (DEAD OR ALIVE). ALL PROPERTIES OWNED BY BON JOVI, RESPECTIVELY. I ONLY OWN MY OWN ORIGINAL IDEAS AND CHARACTERS.
Chapter Thirty Three: Lights and Lights
Monday, December 1st, 6:00 am
RICK
"Sometimes you tell the day
By the bottle that you drink
And times when you're all alone all you do is think
I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride
I'm wanted (wanted) dead or alive
Wanted (wanted) dead or alive."
I reached over and unhooked my phone from the iHome stereo, turning off my morning alarm of "Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi in order not to wake Lori up, but it was too late, she was already stirring awake.
"Baby? What time is it?" She asked, eyes still closed.
"It's six in the morning. Go back to sleep, sweetheart." I ran my fingers through her locks, looking down on her beautiful face.
Lori nodded, smiling in her sleep. "Ok."
"Lor-ick! Lor-ick! Lor-ick! Wakey wakey!" Melody came skipping into our room and leaped onto the bed, giggling like crazy.
"Melody, what is it? Do you have any idea what time it is?" Lori sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"Yes, I do, but we gotta get up and start preparing! The film crew is coming in a few hours, we're unveiling the house in three days and it has to be nothing less than perfection!"
Every year, we go all out with decorating the house up for Christmas, just like with Halloween. Melody had entered us to be on The Great Christmas Light Fight, which was a reality game show where extravagantly decorated houses compete against each other every episode and the winner received a check for fifty thousand dollars. Surprisingly enough, we were selected. This is the first time the house would be televised, so natural it was a bit nerve wracking.
"Can't it wait until a normal waking hour, like noon?"
Melody shook her head. "Nope, not even. I'm already getting everything down from the attic, Bruce and Clint from the office will be here in a while to set up, so rise and shine! This week will be a week of winning. First the show, then the dance competition! Rick, you better hook up a hose to a hydrant, because we are gonna be on fi-yah! Woo-Hoo!" She jumped off the bed, twirling out of the room.
I glanced over at Lori, both of us trying not to laugh. "It's official, she's back to her old self."
"Yes, and then some, but I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Neither would I." After the darkness she had endured, Melody more than deserved to be in the light once more. It was where she belonged.
TWO DAYS LATER, WEDNESDAY, 8:00pm
GARETH
"Guys, hurry up! It's about to start!" Melody shouted from the family room.
"Alright, alright. I still don't get what the point is of having ice cream by the fire." Rick said as he handed Lori her bowl of ice cream, with me following behind him. After an exhausting day at work, followed by even more work decorating the house, we were finally relaxing around the fireplace to watch the SNL Christmas special. Tomorrow was the big reveal and everything had to be on point. While it took a lot of time and effort, I say that they got there, I just hope it's extravagant enough to win.
"It's because it's peppermint ice cream, I'm getting into the holiday spirit. Don't forget it's served over holiday cookie pound cake." Lori said.
"And it's pink." Melody added, taking her bowl from me as I sat down on the couch. She looked around the room with a smile on her face. "I really love it when it's the four of us, everything is so light and peaceful. You two are definitely in my top couples to double date with."
I wrapped my arm around her. "I second that, it's pretty great." We had gone on double dates with our own friends, but it was nice to be with Rick and Lori. They were very sophisticated and mature, except no matter who we were with, we always had a great time.
"Awww, well, you're our favorites, too." Lori squeezed Melody's hand with a smile before they simultaneously glanced at the TV and squealed "YES!" before high fiving. We looked to see Aidy Bryant on a street corner trying to collect money for a senior center when Justin Timberlake walked forward dressed as a giant roll of red wrapping paper, with Jimmy Fallon appearing moments later as a giant shimmering green gift bag.
"We are OBSESSED with all the "Ville" sketches that Justin Timberlake does on SNL, so is Mom. The gloves and sneakers are friggin hilarious! Jimmy Fallon is in this one, we love him, too!"
Melody nodded. "Yeah, we know this one by heart. Lori is the Jimmy Fallon to my J Timber!"
"Uh, excuse me, little sister, when did you become Justin Timberlake?" Lori asked, ruffling her hair.
"I was always the Justin Timberlake, because I'm the cuter one!" Melody stuck her tongue out.
"Melo, I had no idea you were a Justin Timberlake fan."
"Yeah! He was my favorite N*SYNCer, Lori and I have seen him in concert twice, we even flew to New York when Jimmy first took over The Tonight Show!"
It was cute how they started rapping along with their respective comedic counterparts, throwing their hands up like actual rappers. I glanced over at Rick.
"Do they do this often?"
"More than you think."
"Bring it on down to Wrappinville! Live from New York, it's Saturday night!" The girls burst into a fit of laughter, falling all over us once the skit was finished. I'll admit, it was definitely a side of Lori I hadn't seen before, but I enjoyed it, silly yet entertaining.
AN HOUR LATER
"Oh, my god! Schweddy Balls! I love this one!"
"It's gonna have to wait, love. I need some coffee."
"Gareth, you drink waaaayyy too much coffee." Melody said as I stood up.
"He has to, we have a pretty crazy, stressing job that requires our alert attention." Rick said.
Lori stood up, collecting the empty ice cream bowls. "That's true, but don't be so obedient, let loose a little."
"I second the motion!" Melody held her hand out. "I'm telling you, Rick works his ass off and is in dire need of a vacation."
"One of these days, Melody, one of these days." Lori said over her shoulder, following me into the kitchen.
"This Keurig is something else, huh? Although, nothing beats a great French press on a Sunday." I opened the cabinet, pulling out a large coffee cup. After dating for three months, I had finally stopped feeling like a stranger in the Grimes' house and started feeling like family, getting into a nice comfort zone and not having to ask what I could and could not do. It had pretty much become my second home.
She nodded, washing out the bowls and putting them in the dishwasher. "Trust me, that Keurig is probably one of the best investments I ever made. If only they made one on the go."
"That would be something else. You pick out the best flavors, same for creamers, too. Who would think that the combination of Almond Joy and chocolate donuts would be so good?"
"Or the Bailey's creamer. Hey, Gareth?"
I was just walking out of the kitchen but turned around when Lori called my name.
"Yes, Lori?"
She closed the dishwasher and walked up to me, her fingers laced together. "There's something that I've been wanting to tell you for a while, but never found the right time or moment, except for I think it's now."
"Ok, sure. Say what's on your mind." Even though we had gotten to know each other, Lori and I never were alone like this before, so I couldn't help but wonder what she was about to tell me. I hoped to God she wasn't coming on to me… Ha, just kidding. Not a chance in hell, she only has eyes for Rick.
LORI
"When I first suggested to Rick that he approach you about taking Melody out, I really didn't know what was going to happen, all I knew is that she needed a change and I just hoped it wouldn't be a total disaster that would blow up in our faces. Honestly, that girl is so damn stubborn sometimes that she doesn't always realize what's right in front of her. With you, she did. It may have taken a while, but she did, and now I can't imagine what her life would be like without you in it."
Gareth nodded, seemingly relaxed as I poured my heart out to him. "I feel the exact same way, my life wouldn't be the same without your sister in it."
"There were days it seemed like she was touch and go. Even though I was preoccupied with the PTA and school ending, I was pretty on top of Melody, but I hated to leave her alone. She's always been a strong girl, but all that changed when she met you." I smiled, my eyes filled with tears. "Sorry, it's these damn pregnancy hormones."
"Oh, it's fine. I know what it's like. Yes, Melody is strong, but I don't know what I have to do with it."
I couldn't hold back anymore, laughing as my tears fell. "You saved her life, Gareth. You showed Melody what true love is and taught her how to believe again, and for that I am so grateful to you." I wrapped my arms around him in a tight hug, my tears of happiness still falling. During that dark time, I was really worried that Melody would truly slip away, but I always shrugged off those feelings because I knew she wouldn't let life get away from her like that.
Gareth stiffened at first, but then hugged me back. "She did the same for me also, Lori. I was a broken man when we met, I just did a pretty good job at hiding it from the rest of the world, and Melody resurrected me from the dead. I guess it's true what they say, love heals. Not only did I get her, I also gained a whole second family in all of you, too."
"Absolutely." Even though these were my pregnancy hormones, regardless of the rapidly approaching holiday and dance competition stress, I really was happy. Things right now were as close to perfect as it could get.
Thursday, December 4th, 6:50 pm
"Places, everybody!" Boyd the producer shouted as the camera crew finished setting up. Everybody was standing around the front of the house, waiting for our unveiling ceremony to commence. Me, Rick, Carl, Melody, Gareth, Autumn Montana, his moms and siblings, Mom, Grams, Merle, Daryl, Aunt Rachelle and the boys, our friends and most of the associates from Woodbury, not to mention about 200 or so of our neighbors. With this level of excitement, we would definitely be giving Superbowl Sunday a run for its money.
"Are you excited, Autumn Montana?" I asked the little girl as I fixed her hat from where she was in Melody's arms. It was exceptionally chilly tonight, so we were all bundled up in our winter hats, mittens, scarves and coats.
"Sure am, Auntie Lori! I can't wait to see Santa Claus and tell him what I want for Hannukahmas!" She really was such a darling child who took a liking to me right away, it was kind of like Melody and I had a practice daughter aside from Serena.
Gareth stifled a snicker. "It's Christmakkuah, lemonpop."
Everything looked perfect. In three days, the 7500 square foot mansion had been transformed into a 58 foot replica of Sleeping Beauty's castle adorned with over 470,000 vibrantly colorful lights, life-size cut outs of every Disney and popular cartoon character imaginable were meticulously hand drawn and positioned in every corner, from Oswald to South Park and Elsa and Anna. The front porch was serving as Santa's Village, decorated with real snow on the ground, giant candy canes everywhere crisscrossed over a plush red and gold throne, dripping icicle lights hung above along with ornaments in traditional Christmas colors. Hershel would be playing the role of Santa Claus, just like every year, with Annette as Mrs. Claus and the photographer, Maggie, Beth and two midgets were hired as Santa's helpers.
As we all stood in front of the house while the host Michael Moloney did the introductions, I could feel myself starting to fret. What if we didn't win, especially after going all out, more so than any other year?
"Lori." Rick grabbed my hand, looking into my eyes. "Relax."
"How did you-"
He raised an eyebrow at me, along with an "are you serious?" look. "We've been together for how long? I know you almost better than I know myself."
I smiled, feeling my heart melt. For a while, it seemed like Rick and I were growing apart, but things had really changed for us in the past few months. Perhaps my sister's new love was an inspiration to revive old love. "You're right, and I feel the same about you."
"Grimes, it's all on you, go!" Boyd shouted, pointing at Rick and me. Rick cleared his throat, stepping forward.
"First off, I want to thank everybody for coming out, all our family, friends, and neighbors. People that have never missed a lighting ceremony of ours, but this year's really is the most important. Even if we don't win The Great Christmas Light Fight, we still had a lot of fun putting this all together."
I nodded, speaking up next after everybody clapped. "That's right, and as each year passes, I can't help but go bigger and bigger. The person I really have to thank the most besides my wonderful husband and son is the lovely young lady standing besides me." I grabbed Melody's hand, looking at her with a smile. "Melody, my baby sister, I don't know if I'd even have the moxie to actually enter this if it hadn't been for you. It hasn't been an easy year, but I felt like our bond has grown stronger."
She smiled, gripping my hand. "I feel the exact same way, big sissy."
"After a lot of discussion, Rick and I decided that we dedicate this to you and Gareth, because we love you both so much and I hope you enjoy the little surprise we have in store. Ok, time to countdown and plug it in!"
While Melody had been a big part of the planning process, I had a few tricks up my sleeve. Rick handed me the plug and the outlet to Melody, both of us giggling as everybody started counting down. By the end, Melody and I could not contain the laughter.
"5! 4! 3! 2! 1!"
The moment the outlet and plug were joined was when everything went off. Explosions of color splashed all over the house, snow falling from the snow machines, and the theme from Star Wars played simultaneously with a compilation of scenes from the movies was shown on a mist screen. Gareth and Melody laughed amongst the sea of "Ooos", "Aahs", and "Wows!".
"No way! This is awesome!"
We watched as the music and clips went into the scene where Obi Wan and Anakin Skywalker have their epic battle from Revenge of the Sith before the lights changed to blue and Elsa appeared on the screen, singing the first chorus of "Let It Go". Melody and Autumn Montana both squealed, along with a bunch of other kids cheering "Elsa! Elsa!". My sister turned to me with a smile as it got to the climax of the song with Elsa transforming into The Snow Queen.
"Lori, this is truly incredible! I couldn't ask for a better big sister."
We embraced tightly, there was so much love surrounding us, even more so with the holiday spirit. "And I couldn't ask for a better little sister, either."
MELODY
"Did you like the display, Autumn Montana?" I asked as we waited in line to see Santa. The hard work that Lori and I put in really paid off, because we ended up winning the $50,000. The money was nice, it was more the title than anything, but we had fun doing, not to mention the Star Wars and Frozen bits were a total surprise.
"Yes, I did! It was so bright and pretty! I wanna come back every night!"
"You're up next, guys." Maggie said with a smile as the previous child walked off after getting their picture taken with Santa and a candy cane from Beth. The sisters looked so cute in their red and green modernized elf outfits alongside the actual dwarves.
"Yay! Thanks, Auntie Maggie!" Autumn Montana jumped out of my arms and took Violet's leash from Gareth before marching over to Hershel, hopping up on his lap.
"Ho! Ho! Ho! Well, hello there, little girl, and what might your name be?" I couldn't help getting a kick out of Hershel being Santa Claus, even though he perfectly fit the profile with the white hair, beard, and jolly demeanor.
"Hiya, Santa! I'm Autumn Montana and this is Violet!" The little piglet tried her best to hop up but couldn't, I think the sparkle winter sweater and rhinestoned beanie were hindering, Beth finally had to walk over and put her in Autumn Montana's lap.
"Have you been a good girl this year, Autumn Montana?"
She nodded with a big smile. "Yep, I sure have. I make my bed and clean my room without Mommy and Daddy asking me, I help Bubbe and Nana, too, and I always clean up after Violet."
"That most certainly is a very good girl, and what do you want for Christmas this year?"
"Presents!" Autumn Montana raised her arms up, this time giggling, which made us all smile.
"Ha ha, I'm sure you'll be getting lots of those. Have a Merry Christmas, Autumn Montana. Keep being a good girl now."
"Thanks, Santa!"
"Melody, Gareth, get in the picture." Annette, dressed as Mrs. Claus, nodded her head over at me. Once we were situated on either side of Santa's throne, she took the picture. "It's a cute one!"
"I bet." Gareth elbowed Hershel. "You're totally killing this, Hershel. Thanks a lot."
"Hey, I've been told I was born to play St. Nick, so I consider myself honored. Plus, I get all the cookies I want."
"Not too many now, Daddy. I want you slimmed out to walk me down the aisle." Maggie said with a smile.
"There's always time for diets after the holidays."
"Here you go, chickadee." Beth walked up, bending down to give Autumn Montana a candy cane as we got our picture.
"Thank you, Auntie Beth!" Autumn Montana ran off with Violet towards Carl and Sophia.
"She's such a little cutie pie, you know that?"
Gareth nodded, grabbing my hand as we walked around the front yard, admiring the decorations. "Yes, I do. I like to think she gets it from me. Since I'm so irresistible."
"Ha, ok, goof. You know, she asked when we were going to have a baby."
He suddenly stopped, raising his eyebrow with a smirk. "What? She did? When?"
"When we were frosting your birthday cake."
"And what did you tell her?"
"I told her that I love you both, but I don't know when it will be happening."
"Kids at that age are so curious. I'm not going to lie, I've given it some thought." He turned me around and wrapped his arms around my stomach, pulling me in close and nuzzling my neck. "You would look so beautiful with a baby bump."
I couldn't help but snicker over that comment. "Hey, I just lost the weight from those stupid anti-depressants, I'm really not in a hurry to put it back on anytime soon."
"Point taken, but are you saying this is something you definitely want?"
I could see the hope in his eyes when I turned around to face him, which made me blush. "Of course I do, I just don't know when. I do know that our baby will be a total sweet pea. Autumn Montana said a little brother would be fun since you're surrounded by too many girls."
"Well, hopefully we can give her one. I'd like a son."
"He'll have your eyes and my hair, maybe be a hockey player with a dance background?" I smiled, feeling the butterflies flapping over this conversation.
"He'd drive us crazy playing the drums and want to be a race-car driver, I can see him being a wild child." Gareth took both my hands in his. "Melody, I can wait as long as you want to, but it's also something I want with you, there's nothing that would make me happier. You'd be such a terrific mom for Sweet Pea."
"I appreciate it. Hey, look. We're under the mistletoe." We both glanced up to see the famous Christmas garland hanging from the house columns.
"Yes, we are." Gareth scratched the back of his head, looking all around, which was when I noticed his face was red.
"Why are you so embarrassed? We've kissed in public lots of times, not to mention I've had you naked in both our beds, so what's with the red cheeks?"
"Well," He cleared his throat nervously. "I don't have the best experience when it comes to mistletoe. Freshman winter formal, I took my crush Dee Clarke underneath the mistletoe and she punched me in the face. I had a black eye for a week."
"Awww, really? Well, I think it's been long enough that you wipe the slate clean and make some new memories." Without another word, I grabbed Gareth by the jacket and smashed our lips together, giving him a very zealous kiss that certainly knocked him off his socks. Yes, there were lots of children around, but it was the furthest thing from my mind. For the first time in my life, I was in love. It truly is the greatest feeling in the world, and sometimes you can't help but show off by kissing your man for them all to see.
Saturday, December 6th, The Marriott Hotel, Petaluma, 9:45 am
"Where's the pink eye shadow?!"
"Lori, I need extra hairspray!"
"Damn it! These curls will not curl how I want them to!"
"Do you think that's too red of lipstick, Melody?" Carol asked, looking over my shoulder as I did Sophia's makeup. The whole Hilltop Colony dance team and dance moms were crowded in one of the conference-turned-dressing rooms, frantically running around to get ready for the Hollywood Vibe competition, which was featuring at least twelve hundred numbers, including our four numbers. The junior team consisted of Carl, Enid, twins Rachel and Susie, Katjaa's son Kenny Jr. aka "Duck", Abraham's daughter Becca, Molly, and now Sophia, while the other team consisted of Joshua, Fivel, and Abraham's son A.J., who joined the senior company last year in retaliation against his parent's divorce, but he turned out to be just as talented of a dancer as his sister.
"No, not at all. That and the smokiness of her eyes, it'll pop onstage, contrasting perfectly with her outfit." Sophia's costume consisted of a one long sleeved/one strap sleeved leotard adorned in black sequins and red fringe beads, complete with a matching headpiece. It was a little out of her comfort zone, but I knew she could pull it off, we had been working on this routine for a straight month.
"She never wore this much makeup in gymnastics. What do you think Sophia?"
"Mom, I think you need to relax! I've got this, I'm gonna rock it out on the stage and I plan on giving that Maddie Ziegler a run for her money."
"Don't let that be your focus, Soph." Gareth said, looking up from his spot on the floor with Autumn Montana sleeping soundly in his lap. "It's all about nailing your routine and having fun doing it."
Lori nodded, rifling through one of the makeup cases. "That's right, and that goes for all of you. If you see anybody from Abby or Cathy's group, I want you to be polite, ok? I know we won't have a problem, this group is pretty well behaved."
"Lori! Lori!" Duck burst through the door of the dressing room, still in his Marvel pajamas. "I overheard that Maddie is dancing to "Everybody Loves Me"!" He said with a Valley Boy lisp.
Katjaa scoffed before handing him his costume. "That has Abby written all over it. I can only imagine what else they have in store." Katjaa had been a failed dancer back in the day before deciding that those who can't really do teach. Now, having no daughters, she had become a subtle stage mom to Duck, pouring everything into his dance career, which was upsetting to his hunter-loving father Kenny, preferring sparkles to camo. Even though he's only four years younger than Carl, they were almost always head to head when it came to competition. I was actually convinced that Duck was gay and didn't know it, I can tell by the way he acts and composes himself.
"Papa! You're doing it all wrong! My head hurts!" Becca whined in pain, trying to fix the braids that Abraham was attempting to make. The kids were tired, having been up since seven thirty this morning and the competition would be running until about five at night. It was going to be a long wait in between numbers, except I knew they would be able to handle it.
"I'm doing the best I can, Becca." Abraham was our first dance dad, which impressed the other moms. While he was completely clueless, he put forth such effort, which I thought was awesome.
"You're doing it all wrong."
"I can fix it for you, honey. I'm usually all thumbs, but braids I can do." Francine said as she set more cans of hairspray down before walking over, giving Abraham a curious look. "I'm sorry, I don't think we've met before. You're Becca and A.J.'s dad?"
"Yep, sure am."
I glanced over from doing Sophia's hair. "Francine, this is Abraham Ford, he's one of my body guards and newly appointed Hilltop dance dad. Abraham, this is Francine Nacon, she's Enid's mom."
Abraham smiled, extending his hand forward. "Nice to meet you, Francine. I can see that your daughter gets her beauty from you."
Francine tried to play it cool, but I could tell she was flattered. "Why thank you, and I see A.J. gets his handsomeness from you." Francine was tall and muscular with brown hair in a pixie cut and brown eyes. A former fitness model and wrestler, she was running her late husband's construction company after he passed away a year ago at an on-site accident. I figured there was definitely a spark between the two and who knows what could happen?
"Melody, love, how are you doing?" Gareth asked, having handed Autumn Montana off to Mary and was now standing behind me.
"Honestly? I'm more concerned about the kids than my number."
"Understandable. It's also understandable if you're nervous."
"I mean, maybe a little because it's been so long, but once my foot hits the stage, it all goes away. It's always been like that for me."
Gareth smiled. "I know you'll pull it off, beautiful. You're a star."
To be honest, I was a tad paranoid that I'd screw something up, but it wasn't possible. Not only had I been working on the routine prior to Tammy's injury, we rehearsed until almost midnight the night before. Either way, having Gareth's unconditional love and support set me at ease. I was more than capable and fully ready to perform my heart out, just like old times.
Marriott Hotel Ballroom, 2:50 pm
GARETH
"Thank you, Number 237, Millennial Dance. Please welcome to the stage, "I'll Come Back To Haunt You", Number 238, Hilltop Colony Dance Company!"
We all started cheering as Melody walked out on the stage first, wearing a gorgeous all white spaghetti strap dress, the sparkles dancing in the spotlights. So far, the competition had been a breeze.
With the exception of the emcee announcing "Shake It Off", which was the wrong title and later corrected himself at the end, Sophia's acro/jazz solo to "Shake It Out" by Florence and The Machine went off without a hitch. Melody was right, the makeup contrasted perfectly with the costume. It had been so long since my sister competed, I was very impressed and proud of how she had developed as a dancer, my moms were both in tears. The anticipated Maddie Ziegler's jazz routine to "Everybody Loves Me" by One Republic was also very good and her multicolored paint splattered leotard stood out, but I'm Team Sophia all the way.
The lyrical trio-which was Sophia with Carl and Enid- was also executed flawlessly with "A Heart Full of Love" from the motion picture soundtrack of Les Miserables. Carl's chemistry with the flower maiden Sophia as Cosette and the ragamuffin Enid as Eponine was undeniable, it really set the believability of the dance. Meanwhile, Candy Apples had a duet to "You've Got Time", the theme song from Orange is the New Black, complete with orange and khaki prison jumpsuits. Melody and I couldn't help but crack up over this, since it was completely ridiculous and kind of a hot mess.
Unfortunately, Abby Lee's group ended up going before Hilltop, performing a contemporary number to the Breaking Bad theme score, dressed in hazmat jumpsuits and used large boxes with the periodic elements on them as props, which Melody informed me was a rip-off of the same routine Dancing With The Stars alum Derek Hough had choreographed for the 2014 Primetime Emmys. Meanwhile, the kids' modern/hip-hop routine to "Top of the World" by Greek Fire, with the intro from Fallout Boy's "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light 'Em Up)", was a blast to watch. They were all dressed in brightly colored costumes, just like in the comic and movie, with a big cutout of Baymax on stage, finishing the routine in a human "6". The snide comments and glares from the other dance teams were properly ignored, it was all about the kids. I was pretty sure that Hilltop would be shoo-ins to win, but the one I had anticipated the most was Melody's.
She looked stunning, confidence fully evident in her strut before posing, tucking on leg behind her, one arm up in the arm and one arm down, staring up at her hand. I couldn't tell if she was nervous as the hypnotic drones and drumbeats of "Haunt" by Bastille began to play, Melody spinning as the lyrics started going into the rest of the contemporary/lyrical routine. Right before the chorus began, A.J., Fivel, and Joshua all entered, wearing white pants and their capezios. I'll admit that at first I was a little jealous that these three teenage boys with their strong young bodies would be touching my girlfriend in such an intimate matter, they probably were drooling over her. Except I remembered what Billy said about Delilah and chemistry, which definitely put me at ease.
They certainly told a story with the fluidity of their movements, the boys being Melody's former lovers, haunting her with memories of the past, what is currently present, and what the future may bring, sort of like A Christmas Carol. Every single turn, spin, and jump was nailed, perfectly in sync with the music and not missing a beat. Neat the end of the song, Melody was downstage as she slowly rolled her head back, just like in The Little Mermaid when Ursula took Ariel's voice, before A.J. picked her up on his shoulder, with Joshua and Fivel grabbed either one of her hands as the song ended.
The audience, although spellbound, erupted into thunderous applause. I stood up along with the rest of the group, Lori and I cheering the loudest, both of us had happy tears in our eyes.
"Thank you Number 238, Hilltop Colony Dance Company!"
Once the next number walked out, I made my way backstage, carrying the flowers I had bought earlier. Melody was already undoing her hair while the boys toweled off. When she looked up and saw my reflection in the mirror, she smiled warmly at me.
"How'd I do?"
My first response was to wrap her up and spin her around, making her laugh before I set her down. "Babe! That was incredible, wow! I was in awe, everybody was. You were amazing."
"Yeah, nobody noticed I missed an a la' turn. Did Lori say anything?"
"Nope, you left us captivated. Melody, I'm so proud of you and you should be, too. You were the heart and soul of that dance. Come on, I know you think it didn't suck."
She smirked. "Ok, fine, I'll admit it: That was awesome! I felt like a true professional, I hope we win!"
"I think you will. Here, these are for you." I handed her the flowers, astromerias and daffodils, which were Melody's favorites, along with a Minnie Mouse stuffed animal.
"These are so sweet, thank you." Without any warning, Melody jumped into my arms and kissed me roughly. This time, there wasn't a wall to support me, so I ended up falling on the ground, causing the other people to whisper and stare.
"Whoa there, crazy girl. Somebody is excited, huh?"
She nodded. "Sorry, I couldn't help it, you're just freaking adorable and make me so happy. Come on, let's go join the others." Melody stood up and helped me to my feet. It was obvious to pretty much everybody how deep our love was, but what would her father think? I'd be finding out in five days time.
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Stubborn Love- A Modern/AU Walking Dead Story