The LimeLight nightclub was just one of many of Rhy'Din's little secrets. A club devoted to bringing back just a little of the classic music and mood of the Golden Age of Hollywood, it was an intimate setting, a deep circular hall that held a collection of tables and chairs set around a polished wooden dancefloor and a carefully appointed stage, on which live music was played every night in one form or another. For the night that would see 2012 become 2013, the LimeLight had been decorated in purples and blues, white light to catch the flicker and shine from silver and glass in the intimate darkness that surrounded the dancefloor and stage. On the stage, a band played swing and old-school jazz, big band music you could dance to or simply sit and listen to, whichever you chose. Sometimes there was a singer, sometimes not, but the music kept playing, counting down the hours toward midnight.
It wasn't the sort of venue Johnny might have chosen to welcome the New Year, but Liv had pulled out her biggest and best puppy dog eyes to win him over, talking him into dressing up for it as well. And then ....well, she'd mumbled some excuse around an hour before she'd told him they would have to leave to 'make an appearance at Jon's party', and promptly left, assuring him she would be there and waiting, but that she had a few things she had to do and didn't want him to be bored waiting around for her. Truth be told, she'd been on edge all day, but had seemed to be making a real effort to hide it. Something was being planned, that was certain.
Johnny had pouted like a lost puppy when Liv had announced her leaving. There were days when he was jealous of her job, which seemed to take occupy a good part of her time, and tonight was one of them, but he didn't make a fuss about it, knowing it would only upset her. She had seemed off all day, and he wasn't sure why, worrying maybe she was upset with him over something. Maybe she even wanted to break up, but that didn't make sense. She wouldn't have accepted his proposal if she'd been getting ready to break up with him. Still, something was up; he just wasn't sure what it was yet. He'd agreed to meet her, hoping he wasn't going to get stood up.
The club was full of people, mostly couples who seemed more than happy to be together, and he felt a little tug of homesickness, feeling an odd sense of loneliness at being surrounded by a crowd of people he didn't know and who didn't know him. He hoped Liv didn't leave him alone there too long. He'd decided to give her two hours at most before he headed home.
He wasn't entirely on his own in the crowd, however. Jon and Vicki had made it to the club - purely so they could witness firsthand the look on his face when Liv's carefully planned surprise came off - quick to locate the Torch when he made his appearance. Vicki gave Jon a gentle push to remind him that Liv would need to be told Johnny was here, and made full use of her bump to force a way through the mingling crowd and claim Johnny's arm.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in," she declared cheerfully, planting a kiss on Johnny's cheek before beginning to pull him through the milling people to the table Jon had managed to claim for the couple. "Looking dapper tonight, too. Very impressive." The redhead winked at him merrily, relentless in her determination to keep any and all moping at bay.
Too late; he was already doing a good job of moping and looking a lot like a fish out of water. There had been a time when he'd have eaten this sort of place up and would have been hitting on everything in a skirt, but that time had passed. He had certainly turned a few heads and not just because he'd been recognized by a few, but he'd hardly noticed. All he wanted was to ring in the New Year with his Livvie, and though he was fond enough of Vicki and Jon, it wasn't the same.
"How come everyone else gets to party, and Liv's still working?" he asked, assuming she was off running some errand for her boss while he got time off to relax. He allowed Vicki to pull him through the crowd, which opened up for the pregnant redhead. He was fond of Vicki, but he wasn't too sure about her husband yet.
Intelligently sharp blue eyes looked up at Johnny thoughtfully for a moment, and Vicki made a snap decision, ultimately going back on her promise to Liv in the process. But if keeping up the pretense was going to cause friction, it wasn't worth it, in Vicki's opinion. "She's not working tonight," she told Johnny with a smile. "She's been working on a surprise for you for over a month, and she didn't think you'd come out here by yourself if she just asked you to meet her, so we made up a party." She laughed. "I don't know anyone here but you, Jon, and Liv, and we won't be staying long. Don't want to cramp your style, you see." One finger bopped the Torch on the end of his nose. "No giving away that I told you the real reason, or I'll be sulked at."
"What?" he asked, the frown on his face dissolving, replaced by surprise and confusion. "A surprise?" He glanced around for Liv, searching the crowd, but not seeing her. "What surprise?" He turned back to Vicki to find her bopping his nose and he had to cross his eyes to follow the movement of her finger. "She's not working?" he asked, blinking to refocus his eyes. He looked over at the table where Vicki's husband and Liv's boss sat waiting. Jon waved and smiled good-naturedly. He had braved the crowd and gone along with the ruse, though all he really wanted to do was welcome in the New Year alone with Vicki in the privacy of their home. "She arranged all this to surprise me?" Johnny asked again, obviously not expecting that.
"Not all this," Vicki chuckled, catching Jon's eye and failing to hide her cheerful grin as she maneuvered Johnny around to sit down at the table, facing the stage. "The party was going to happen anyway. But she did arrange that." She pointed over his shoulder toward the stage, dropping herself down to sit beside Jon, incredibly excited about what was beginning to happen.
Up on the stage, clearly visible above the swaying couples, a slender, dark-haired figure stood behind the microphone. Encased in deep blue satin, her hair swept back from her face, Liv held to the microphone stand as behind her the band swelled into the right, full sound of a musical introduction. Blushingly nervous, she fixed her eyes on Johnny, and hoped like hell the mic was on as her voice rose with the musicians behind her, shy but clear. "Ring out the old, bring in the new, a midnight wish to share with you ..."
Jon reached for Vicki's hand, wrapping his fingers around hers and leaning close to brush a kiss against her cheek. He was happy finally and it showed. Even though he wanted to be alone with Vicki, this was a moment he wouldn't have missed, especially since he'd helped to arrange it, but hopefully that little detail would go unmentioned.
It wasn't the sort of venue Johnny might have chosen to welcome the New Year, but Liv had pulled out her biggest and best puppy dog eyes to win him over, talking him into dressing up for it as well. And then ....well, she'd mumbled some excuse around an hour before she'd told him they would have to leave to 'make an appearance at Jon's party', and promptly left, assuring him she would be there and waiting, but that she had a few things she had to do and didn't want him to be bored waiting around for her. Truth be told, she'd been on edge all day, but had seemed to be making a real effort to hide it. Something was being planned, that was certain.
Johnny had pouted like a lost puppy when Liv had announced her leaving. There were days when he was jealous of her job, which seemed to take occupy a good part of her time, and tonight was one of them, but he didn't make a fuss about it, knowing it would only upset her. She had seemed off all day, and he wasn't sure why, worrying maybe she was upset with him over something. Maybe she even wanted to break up, but that didn't make sense. She wouldn't have accepted his proposal if she'd been getting ready to break up with him. Still, something was up; he just wasn't sure what it was yet. He'd agreed to meet her, hoping he wasn't going to get stood up.
The club was full of people, mostly couples who seemed more than happy to be together, and he felt a little tug of homesickness, feeling an odd sense of loneliness at being surrounded by a crowd of people he didn't know and who didn't know him. He hoped Liv didn't leave him alone there too long. He'd decided to give her two hours at most before he headed home.
He wasn't entirely on his own in the crowd, however. Jon and Vicki had made it to the club - purely so they could witness firsthand the look on his face when Liv's carefully planned surprise came off - quick to locate the Torch when he made his appearance. Vicki gave Jon a gentle push to remind him that Liv would need to be told Johnny was here, and made full use of her bump to force a way through the mingling crowd and claim Johnny's arm.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in," she declared cheerfully, planting a kiss on Johnny's cheek before beginning to pull him through the milling people to the table Jon had managed to claim for the couple. "Looking dapper tonight, too. Very impressive." The redhead winked at him merrily, relentless in her determination to keep any and all moping at bay.
Too late; he was already doing a good job of moping and looking a lot like a fish out of water. There had been a time when he'd have eaten this sort of place up and would have been hitting on everything in a skirt, but that time had passed. He had certainly turned a few heads and not just because he'd been recognized by a few, but he'd hardly noticed. All he wanted was to ring in the New Year with his Livvie, and though he was fond enough of Vicki and Jon, it wasn't the same.
"How come everyone else gets to party, and Liv's still working?" he asked, assuming she was off running some errand for her boss while he got time off to relax. He allowed Vicki to pull him through the crowd, which opened up for the pregnant redhead. He was fond of Vicki, but he wasn't too sure about her husband yet.
Intelligently sharp blue eyes looked up at Johnny thoughtfully for a moment, and Vicki made a snap decision, ultimately going back on her promise to Liv in the process. But if keeping up the pretense was going to cause friction, it wasn't worth it, in Vicki's opinion. "She's not working tonight," she told Johnny with a smile. "She's been working on a surprise for you for over a month, and she didn't think you'd come out here by yourself if she just asked you to meet her, so we made up a party." She laughed. "I don't know anyone here but you, Jon, and Liv, and we won't be staying long. Don't want to cramp your style, you see." One finger bopped the Torch on the end of his nose. "No giving away that I told you the real reason, or I'll be sulked at."
"What?" he asked, the frown on his face dissolving, replaced by surprise and confusion. "A surprise?" He glanced around for Liv, searching the crowd, but not seeing her. "What surprise?" He turned back to Vicki to find her bopping his nose and he had to cross his eyes to follow the movement of her finger. "She's not working?" he asked, blinking to refocus his eyes. He looked over at the table where Vicki's husband and Liv's boss sat waiting. Jon waved and smiled good-naturedly. He had braved the crowd and gone along with the ruse, though all he really wanted to do was welcome in the New Year alone with Vicki in the privacy of their home. "She arranged all this to surprise me?" Johnny asked again, obviously not expecting that.
"Not all this," Vicki chuckled, catching Jon's eye and failing to hide her cheerful grin as she maneuvered Johnny around to sit down at the table, facing the stage. "The party was going to happen anyway. But she did arrange that." She pointed over his shoulder toward the stage, dropping herself down to sit beside Jon, incredibly excited about what was beginning to happen.
Up on the stage, clearly visible above the swaying couples, a slender, dark-haired figure stood behind the microphone. Encased in deep blue satin, her hair swept back from her face, Liv held to the microphone stand as behind her the band swelled into the right, full sound of a musical introduction. Blushingly nervous, she fixed her eyes on Johnny, and hoped like hell the mic was on as her voice rose with the musicians behind her, shy but clear. "Ring out the old, bring in the new, a midnight wish to share with you ..."
Jon reached for Vicki's hand, wrapping his fingers around hers and leaning close to brush a kiss against her cheek. He was happy finally and it showed. Even though he wanted to be alone with Vicki, this was a moment he wouldn't have missed, especially since he'd helped to arrange it, but hopefully that little detail would go unmentioned.