A Night Full of Promises ((Adam and Rae))

[Dixie Holden-Greene]

((Changed it from New Years to Christmas. Can't remember why.))

The surprise was clearly there when Dixie entered the rather large house. It was as if she had just stepped into an alternate reality. In all her life, Christmas hadn't been celebrated to any extent. Now there was this winter wonderland all around her. Not only was the inside of the house decorated, but the outside was as well. Although it hadn't snowed, there was newly fallen snow on the ground. Light displays were put up around the courtyard and the fountain flowed sparkling water. The house itself was trimmed with lights and garland. The inside was just as gorgeous. Upon entering the house, a grand staircase stood directly in front of the large double doors. The staircase was carpeted but it also had magic snow lingering about. The banister was wrapped with silver garland and white lights. The chandelier was wrapped with garland as well and had lit icicles hanging from it. It certainly wasn't anything Dixie had seen before.

She had walked through the house, looking at all the garland and mistletoe. When she entered the grand living room her breath escaped her. There in the corner was the most magnificent tree. It stood well over ten feet tall and had only the best decorations on it. The star was made of glass and inside was a small ball of light. The ornaments were large and beautiful. The garland around the tree was the gold colour and it wrapped around the tree loosely. The day she had arrived for Christmas holiday, Dixie hadn't been expecting much. Living with Derreck proved to be as festive as the most unfestive thing. Living with Hank proved each day to be a celebration. Dixie didn't know which she liked more. She liked not making a big deal about things, but maybe she woud like celebrating Christmas.

Her arrival was two days ago, so now she was quite used to the decorations. Every now and then, though, she'll stop what she's doing and look around in slight awe. Not today, though. Today her stomach was in knots. Adam would be coming voer today and he would be receiving her gift. After dinner with her family, which was the part she's most nervous about, they would head off to the Christmas Eve party. Something in her gut told her not to go, but she couldn't pass it up. Dixie sighed as she descended the stairs to the foyer. To her left was the grand living room and she caught a glimpse of the tree. A shudder ran down her spine and she made a swift turn to her right where the kitchen and dining room were. She had a light lunch and then made her way to the tree where Adam's gift sat in it's tiny box wrapped in shiny blue wrapping paper. Dixie sat beside the gifts and pulled Adam's gift to her. She hoped he liked it.

Dixie set the fift down and made her way to her bedroom where she opened her closet and pulled out her evening dress that she had designed and had made. It was a deep red with a satin material. It had a halter top with a low black. The shoes she was going to wear were strappy stiletto heels. She had jewelry set out and she knew what she was going to do with her hair. This party was being thrown by a long time friend of Hank's and they all had to attend. Dixie had invited Adam for many reasons. THe major one being she wanted to spend a holiday with him. Another would be beacause these parties were usually a big bore. Dixie smiled and placed the dress on the back of her closet door. She stared at it a moment and didn't even realize Mack had entered the room until she spoke; "Adam your date tonight?"

Dixie looked up and smirked. "No. He's just accompanying me.." Mack wouldn't let it drop. She kept trying to get Dixie to admit she liked Adam more than just a friend. Dixie did, but she wouldn't admit it. Not to Mack. Not until she knew maybe Adam felt the same. Mack sat down on Dixie's bed and eyed her older sister to show she didn't believe her. "Date." "Aren't you taking Jack?" Mack shook her head, "I haven't spoken to him in awhile, besides we'd just be bored out of our skulls." Dixie smiled softly. "Adam and I ar-" "Are just friends. Yeah, you keep saying that. But if I know anything, when you talk about him, you wish you were more." Dixie didn't say anything. She just looked down at her hands. "I wish I knew how he felt." There was a heavy silence betwen them. SDixie was opening up to Mack for the first time. Maybe it wasn't about anything magnificent, but it was nearly as important, if not just as. "Don't worry about it, Dix. If something happens, it happens. Just let life take you." Dixie looked up with frightened eyes, "You didn't, and you got Jack." Mack stiffened. Dixie could tell she probably shouldn't have used them as a counterexample. Mack looked down, "Yeah, well, look at us now. We hardly speak." Dixie watched as her younger sister's eyes filled up with tears. She felt so helpless. Mack stood and left the room without a goodbye.

Dixie sighed and reached for her dress. It was nearly four, and it would take her awhile to get ready. Dinner was served at six and the party started at eight. Dixie placed her dress on her bed and then closed and locked her door. She peeled off her clothing and flung them into the dirty laundry basket. She took a quick shower in her adjoining bathroom and then startd to prepare herself. She slid the satin dress on over her body. It fit perfectly. She didn't allow herself to look into the full lenth mirror until she was completly finished. Styling her hair with her wand, Dixie curled her hair and then made it fall in heavy locks down her bare back. Antoher flick of her wand and there were tiny glittering stars in her hair and along her shoulders and back. She did her make up lightly. THen she put on her shoes. Sighing, Dixie looked at herself in the mirror and grinned. She liked how she looked. She grabbed her purse and black corderoy jacket before heading down the stairs. She had told Adam to arrive at a quarter till six. It was now five till. She reached the staircase and was pleasantly surprised to see Adam down there already with Jerry, their butler.

Smiling, Dixie descended and gave Jerry her purse and jacket. The butler rushed off and Dixie turned to Adam, "Hey, have you been here long? I tried to speed things along so I must look like a mess." She fiddled with her dangling tear drop earrings, her eyes casted down to her shoes. SHe heard the familiar dinner bell and sighed, "C'mon. They'll be waiting." She grabbed Adam's hand and led him to the dining room. Already sitting there were Hank, Pam, and Mack. They were all dressed for the party. Mack in a stunning black Marilyn Monroe type dress, Pam in a white evenign gown, and Hank in a tux. "Nice of you to join us," Hank said dryly. "Oh, do be quiet dear. She's only a second late." Hank humphed and Dixie smiled softly at Adam. "You can sit by me," she told him as she sat in her seat. THere was silence and Dixie introduced everyone. The first thing to be asked, "Can she trust you?" Hank never beat around the bush.

Dixie felt her stomach tighten and she reached for the wine that had been placed in front of her. She sipped it lightly. Her gaze settled on Adam before she leaned over and whispered, "Just be glad you don't have to meet Derreck." She smiled comfortingly and then set her drink back on the table.

((Sorry sooo long...))

[Professor Adam Greene]

Adam waved his wand over his tux, eliminating the wrinkles that had set in from it being hung in his closet for so long. He was worried it might not even fit anymore, but it still looked good on him, so he was glad to be able to wear it since it was his favorite. Seeing the many outfits that lined his closet made him think if the days when he and Sierra were forced to go to ridiculous parties all over Europe, visiting friends of his parents. That phase was over, thank goodness.

Making sure the rest of his appearance was in order, Adam tugged at the knot of his tie once more before deciding that he was ready to go. His stomach was finally starting to calm down now that the time was upon him. Just five minutes until he was supposed to be at Dixie's house. Lucky for him, he had been apparating almost everywhere he could since he passed his license test. It really was convenient.

Grabbing Dixie's gift that was wrapped in a glossy black paper with a silver ribbon bow, Adam took one last moment to think before departing. The flowers! He almost forgot. Conjuring them from the table with his wand, Adam had everything he needed and disappeared only to reappear in front of a beautiful winter scene. The house looked amazing. Not wanting to wast time gawking, Adam hurried to the door and rung the bell. He was quickly greeted by a man who ushered him in the door. Smiling, Adam greeted with a nod of acknowledgment. Quarter till... just in time.

After about ten mintues of waiting in silence, Adam finally heard the 'cick clack' sound of something tapping against the marble floor. Turning his gaze toward the sound, he saw a figure appear at the top of the stair case. As she descended, Adam's jaw almost dropped to see Dixie in a magnificent crimson dress. "Long? About five... ten... nope." He stuttered slightly, unable to take his eyes off of her. She looked absolutely gorgeous. "If mess is in your Thesaurus under the same list as stunning, beautiful, and stellar, then, of course you're a mess," he smiled widely and held out the bouquet of roses that he had been holding behind his back. "They match your dress," he said cheerfully, leaning in to give Dixie a peck on the cheek.

Without much time, the bell rang and Dixie was quickly leading Adam to the dining room. "I guess the rest of the gifts will have to wait," he said quickly before they reached the room. As they entered, he heard Hank comment on their arrival. Adam gave a nervous smile and followed Dixie to where she said he could sit. All the sudden his stomach was like it had been all day, as Dixie introduced him to Pam and Hank. Then, Hank spoke again, this time directed solely at Adam.

What is it with this family and trust? he thought quickly to himself before answering. "Well, I'm trying to show her that she can," he said with a apprehensive grin. He was serious, but tried to sound somewhat humorous just to lighten the mood. His eyes made contact with Dixie as if saying 'help me out a bit here.' She really hadn't prepared him for what the dinner might be like, and so he was just improvising. At least Hank and Pam seemed nice enough, however he couldn't help but assume that they were making their judgments on him concerning his every move.

[Dixie Holden-Greene]

Dixie felt her eyes darken as she sent Mack a look, and Mack caught it with grace. "Hank, don't you think it's unnecessary to interrogate our guest? Honestly, what manners did your mother raise you with?" "Mackenzie!" Pam gasped in astonishment. Mack shrugged and looked back at Dixie who smiled softly. "R-Right then," Hank stuttered, his face red with anger, "Dixie, you are aware that this is a big party and that there will be colleagues of mine everywhere and I expect nothing but the best behaviour from you. Not like..." Dixie stared at Hank as she knew what he was going to say, "...last time." Mack snickered into her glass of sparkling cider and then immediately apologized as she wiped the beverage off her nose. "You bring that up every time you can, don't you step-daddy dearest?" Dixie growled slightly and looked at her plate and her untouched food. She wrung her hands in her lap and then looked up at Adam. She was about to say something to him, when Mack broke the silence.

"So, Adam, how'd you get talked into going to this 'party.' I'm sure anyone in their right mind would want to stay home instead of go to this thing." Dixie closed her eyes and shook her head before reaching for her gold butter knife and looking at it. Anything to distract her. "Mackenzie Sara." Hank scolded, but he did it with no emotion, as if it were just for show. Dixie knew he didn't really care how much Mack insulted Dixie's insanity. Though, according to Adam, Dixie wasn't crazy. And she was thankful for that. At least one person cares to know at least a sliver of who I really am. Dixie looked over at Adam, sending him an apology with her eyes. She hadn't even had time to thank him for the roses, which she had set on the table by the china hutch. Dixie glanced over at them and nodded her head in approval. The house elf had put them in a vase of water. Pam saw Dixie's gaze and she followed it to the roses. "Oh, those are just lovely. Did you bring them, Adam?" She smiled and turned to Hank, "You never get me roses." Hank smirked and took a sip of his wine, "Well? Why don't you?" Pam pressed, her eyes penetrating him.

"Well, you never get me anything, so why should I get you something?" Oh, good answer step-daddy dearest. Soon they were talking about gifts and were all caught up in their slight annoyances, and Dixie took this opportunity to speak to Adam. "No wonder I went crazy, my family is insane all in itself!" She said with a grin on her lips. "Thanks for the roses. My mum may be whiny, but she is right. They are lovely. I'm sad to say I didn't get you anything near as stunning, and you probably will end up hating my gift. That's all right though..." She smiled again and was cut off when Mack stated flatly, "Don't listen to her. She's been going nutters over that damn gift the whole week. You should have seen her. I don't know how many times she asked me if I thought you would like it." Dixie rolled her eyes and sat back up in her chair, "Only twenty more minutes, love, and we'll be able to break free of them.." she whispered as Hank and Pam's argument came to an end.

[Professor Adam Greene]

Just as Adam feared that his answer was not quite what Hank expected, Mackenzie's voice came suddenly, seeming to rescue him from the awkward silence. He sent a grateful look her way, wondering though why she seemed like she was trying to make this easy on him. Then, the family said a few things, almost as if he weren't there, although he had a feeling that they were things that were only said because he was there. Adam just sat quietly, listening as he picked around his plate with his fork, occasionally taking a small bite of food. It was great food, but he wasn't very hungry. Either that, or his stomach was just so knotted that he didn't feel hungry.

The conversation seemed to find its way back to him all too soon. This time though, it was Mack, who had saved him before, asking the questions. As he was about to answer, Hank interrupted, so Adam said nothing. Instead, he looked at Dixie who seemed to be sympathizing with him just by her looks. He reached under the table and squeezed her hand slightly while offering a teasing glare. It wasn't the most comfortable of situations for him to be in, but it could have been worse. Plus, Dixie was there, and he would get to spend time with just her later; no family to question his every motive.

Just when he'd thought that the questions were done, he noticed Dixie and Pam looking at something across the room. His eyes caught the vase that were holding the bouquet of flowers that he had brought, and his face suddenly turned to a shade that was close to the color of the flowers as Pam spoke. "Yeah... I did," he answered quietly, looking down at his plate as she then made a snippy comment to Hank. The whole topic led to a quick conversation that allowed Dixie to speak with only him hearing.

"I'm glad you liked them," he said with a smile. This was more of what he was looking forward to when he agreed to come tonight. But the dinner would end soon, he knew.

As Dixie went on to say how he would probably not like his gift, he shook his head and wrinkled his forehead. "There's no way," he sad adamantly, just as Mack entered back into the conversation. Adam peered back to Hank and Pam, seeing that they were still engaged in a conversation of their own. "Then I'm sure I will like it," he said with a casual smile. Dixie quickly whispered that it should only be about twenty more minutes until they were done with dinner. That wouldn't be too bad, he thought.

Not wanting to initiate the conversation himself, Adam took another bite of food, followed by a sip of wine as the table became silent again. He still had Dixie's hand in his. He gave it three gentle squeezes, wondering if she had ever heard of that silly little saying before about doing something three times. If not, he'd have to explain it to her later.

[Dixie Holden-Greene]

Dixie felt a breath escape her as Adam grabbed her hand underneath the table. She hadn’t realized she had been holding her breath. It was reassuring to know that Adam was there, especially since dinners were like this quite often. She smiled softly in apology to his glare, even though it was teasing. It could be much worse, and Dixie was glad that Hank wasn’t firing questions at Adam like a gun. Though Dixie knew he would be if Mack hadn’t said something about it. She just kept thinking that it would be better later on in the night, it would be better. It had to be better. It would be just her and Adam and there wouldn’t be any interruptions with pesky younger sisters or interrogating parents. The party would be horrible, of course, but Dixie would do what she had always done and that would be find an empty room and do something in there.

Glancing at Adam as she brought a small tomato to her mouth, she couldn’t help but smile at the colour of his face. She squeezed his hand before placing the tomato in her mouth, it tasted like acid. She didn’t even know why she was attempting to eat; nothing would taste good to her taste buds. Her stomach was too much in knots or whatnot to make any food feel good in it and her mouth felt pasty and dry. Dixie took a drink and watched her parents. It was like dinner and a movie. Dixie smiled, they were gorgeous. How could she not like the roses? Perhaps she was a sucker for pretty flowers, or maybe she just liked getting gifts, but those flowers were amazing and she wasn’t surprised her mother had felt jealous. Hank never got her anything.

Adam squeezed her hand three times after they returned to the quiet dinner. She felt it had a significance to it but she couldn’t place it, so she didn’t say anything about it. They ate in silence and then Hank stood from his seat, “We should get going. Come along, Pam.” Pam stood as well, sending a sweet smile to Adam. “You too, Mackenzie.” Mack glared and rose from her seat following them from the dining room. There were two pops and Dixie let out a breath of relief. She looked at Adam and smiled, “We should follow, but first.” Dixie stood from her chair and dropped his hand before rushing into the room where the tree was. She plucked the gift from underneath the tree and hurried back into the dining room.

Dixie returned to her seat and then placed the box on the table in front of them where there was space between their plates. She pushed her plate forward and out of her way as her eyes remained on Adam. “Happy Christmas, and I’m sorry if you hate it. I just thought it was neat and well… just open it.” She watched with sparkling eyes, hoping he liked it yet knowing it was a rather foolish gift to give him.

[Professor Adam Greene]

The next ten minutes or so passed in silence. Adam occasionally locked eyes with Dixie, a few times he smiled and almost wanted to bust out laughing. She was the only thing keeping him calm and sane though. But he knew it would soon be over. Just as he though, Hank announced that it was time to leave. Once they were gone, Adam let out a large sigh that he had been holding in most of the evening. Everyone was gone but him and Dixie. She quickly got up and left though as well, soon returning with a gift in her hand and looking very excited.

Before he listened to her orders to open the gift, Adam bent down to his side and pulled the Dixie's gift from under his chair. It was the only place he had time to stash it after being hurried to the dinner table. "Happy Christmas to you too," he said with a smile. "You have to open yours at the same time... no cheating." Once he was convinced that Dixie would open her gift as well, Adam began to tear the paper from his. He was somewhat nervous, but excited to see what Dixie had bought him. Before opening the box, he glanced over at her, only to see her still unwrapping. Slowly, he looked back at his gift and opened it.

Noticing that it was glass, he was careful in taking it out and setting it on the table. When he touched it though, he felt the glass shifting, as if it were changing shape. Quickly, he put it down on the table and got a better look. Instantly, he recognized that the two people shaped from glass were he and Dixie. He was amazed at the intricate detail of the sculpture. Curious, Adam touched the top of the tree that the two figures were standing beside, and the whole thing began to move again. He watched as the two glass people interacted. It was almost scary, as the way they moved seemed eerily similar to the very same meeting he and Dixie once had on the castle grounds at Hogwarts. "This is amazing," he said, stunned. He looked up to see if Dixie had opened her gift yet. "How did you make such a thing? It's beautiful." He looked back down at the glass which had frozen again when he lifted his finger. The glass version of him was in the middle of sitting down beside the small rendition of Dixie. In the back of his mind, he could still hear the two of them talking about trust... which reminded him of Dixie still opening her gift.

[Dixie Holden-Greene]

Her smile was calm but highly amused when Adam told her she had to open her gift at the same time he did and that she couldn't cheat. She peeld off the paper as he unwrapped his. Dixie hardly heard him comment on it because the box that was in front of her held her attention. "Adam..." she breathed as she lifted her hand to tough the beautiful gift. "This is... captivating. Where did you find it?" She moved her fingers over the words on the top of the box. "Trust me..." she whispered. It was a gorgeous jewelry box, but not only that. Dixie loved it more because of the meaning behind it. "Thank you." Dixie smiled brightly as she lifted her gaze to Adam. In such a short time, Adam knew her better than anyone else did. Granted that wasn't hard to do because not many did care about her at all, but the thing that made it ten times better was the fact that Adam at least tired to care. No one had tried to care about her before. Dixie realized she was staring and looked back to her gift. There was silence a moment and Dixie realized that Adam had asked about the figurine. "I didn't make it," she finally rpeplied with a grin on her face, "I found a shop with a whole bunch of figurines in it. The woman who owned the shop must've tapped into that memory... it was the strongest one in my mind at that moment..." she trailed off, wondering what else the woman had seen. It was kind of eerie to think about. So, she chose not to. "I'm glad you like it, though." She was very glad, actually. Dixie didn't know what she would do if Adam hadn't like it at all. That didn't matter, though, because he did like the gift. He seemed to like it a lot.

Dixie looked back at the box and sighed. "I should put this in my room, you can leave your gift with Jerry. He'll make sure you have it before you go home." She smiled and stood from her chair, "I'll be back in a flash, meet me in the foyer?" she grabbed the jewelry box from the table and leaned toward Adam, dropping a light kiss on his cheek. "Thank you," she whispered before she started out of the dining room and up the staircase to her room. She opened her door to reveal her dimly lit room, all thanks to the light she had on top of her nightstand that spun casting images across her wall. She hardly ever turned it off when she was home. It was nice to fall asleep to dancing images. Dixie shook herself from her thoughts and placed the gift on her dresser in the center, it would go with her to Hogwarts when she returned. One more look at it, and Dixie left her room making sure to close the door behind her. She returned to the foyer and smiled at Adam as she hurried down. Taking her coat from Jerry who held the figurine, Dixie turned to Adam. "We'll have to floo, unless you can apparate us there." she tilted her head in thought, "Actually, I'd rather floo. Our chimney is clean as is the Gray's I'm sure. Let's floo." Dixie didn't like apparating, it left her feeling sick. Maybe that was why she never went out for her license.

She led the way into the grand living room where the Christmas tree was and made straight for the bag of floo powder on top of the mantle. She opened it and turned to Adam, holding out the bag to him. Once he had taken the powder, Dixie took some of her own and then put the bag back in place. "I'll go first, that way you can get the address. And so you won't feel completely awkward for the minute or so I'm not there." With a devious grin, Dixie stepped into the fireplace and said distinctly, "Gray residence, Elizabeth Close in Plymouth." She threw the powder down and before she was whisked off, she waved to Adam. Soon she was passing houses and finally she stepped out into the grand drawing room at the Gray's. One she had seen plenty of times. Dixie brushed off the little bit of soot there was on her jacket and turned to watch the chimney. Shortly after, Adam appeared. Dixie laughed lightly and reached up to rub some of the soot off his nose, "Perhaps their chimney wasn't as clean as I thought it was." She smiled and dropped her hand. With her other hand she grabbed onto Adam's and started to leave the room. When a familar head of blonde hair popped into the room. Dixie paused in her tracks. Raelee Gray laughed as she sipped from her wine glass, she said something to someone behind her and then closed the door. "Only ten minutes into the party and you're already ditching, Gray?" Dixie questioned with a hint of amusement in her voice. Rae looked up and nearly fell over in shock.

[Raelee Gray]

Rae hooked the clasp of her diamond necklace into the loop on the other strand. She lifted her gaze from the mahogany vanity table and looked at herself in the mirror in front of her. Another night of smiling and looking pretty and another night of wearing ridiculous dresses. At least she didn't look half bad. Her hair was straightened and pulled back into elegant twists. She wore dangling diamond earrings that matched her necklace and bracelet. Rae stood from the vanity table and tugged at the evening gown she had to wear. It was a cherry red with glitter and it was spaghetti strapped. Her parents had horrible weather and fashion sense. How was she supposed to stay warm in this? It didn't matter because she would say her hellos and she would leave. She always did that. There was a knock on her door and Rae turned just as it opened to reveal her father. He looked her over and then nodded his approval, "Our first guests have arrived. The Lauries and Mackenzie." Rae breathed in, "Okay, I'll be down in a moment." Sedgewick Gray watched her a moment as if pondering whether or not to believe her and then left. Rae rolled her eyes, honestly, she was decent enough to greet guests before taking off.

Though, these particular guests weren't so much the greeting kind. Especially Hank Laurie. Rae bit her lip and left her room, wondering how this greeting would go. The person she was worried about, though, wasn't even down there and this struck Rae as odd. It probably shouldn't have, considering Dixie had disappeared from the wealthy pureblooded scene when she had been institutionalized. Sadly that meant Rae was bored during parties, there was nothing she could do about it and Rae lived with that. She didn't know why she had been expecting the girl at this party. Rae descended the rest of the stairs and smiled at Hank, "Mr. Laurie, thank you for coming, thank you all. Please do enjoy yourself." Rae resisted the urge to ask about Dixie, knowing it might hit a sore spot with them. Instead she smiled and turned to the next family that had just arrived. For the next fifteen minutes or so Rae was greeting people. Finally the inflow seemed to stop and she was able to slip away. Only, she wasn't able to do it unnoticed.

After a quick stop to get a glass of wine, Rae made her way back toward her room. She only got to the den, though, when the familiar voice of Justin Ires stopped her. Rae turned to face him and tolerated his chatter. Justin was annoying, someone Rae had been forced to date by her parents. The Ires were a very wealthy pureblooded family and they could date their ancestry way back. Too bad she couldn't stand him. Rae took a long sip of her wine and then pointed to the door, "I just need to slip in here for a moment," she told him before opening the door and backing into the room all the while trying to persuade him to just wait out there. Finally he agreed to wait, and Rae shut the door. She turned around and nearly spilt the wine everywhere. There in front of her was Dixie Holden with a guy Rae recognized as a Slytherin in her year. She looked quickly at their hands and then looked back up to Dixie who was looking very pretty in her dress. Rae smiled, "You know me, Holden. I'm always on the run." She finished her wine and set it on the table before reaching up behind the bookcase to her right and pulling out a key. She hurried to the opposite wall and slid away the hidden compartment door. There she slipped the key in and pushed on the door.

She now had access to the garage beneath the house. Turning to Dixie she grinned as she took out her wand and changed her clothes to jeans and a leather jacket with comfortable shoes. She pulled at the pins in her hair and the once straight hair became curly. "You going to help me break free or do you really want to spend the night at this place?" Rae quickly made her way back to the bookcase and placed the key back in it's hiding spot. She turned to them again and then realized she forgot to introduce herself. "Sorry, I'm Rae." she said to the boy. Wondering if they would join her in her escape.

[Professor Adam Greene]

"Captivating..." he repeated with a twinkle in his eyes. "I'd have settled for nice." Adam traced the glass figure with his finger, taking time to observe every detail as Dixie seemed happy with her gift as well. Then she explained how exactly she had come about getting the figurine. He didn't quite understand, but didn't care much. It was amazing, and that was all that mattered. It held so much memory in it for the two of them and almost symbolized the beginning of something Adam couldn't even begin to describe in words. "Sounds good," he said, looking back up at Dixie who seemed to be indicating that they should soon head to the party. She stopped to kiss him on the cheek and he pulled her in and hugged her, resting his chin on her head. "Do we have to go already?" he questioned, knowing full well that they really did. He was just getting to enjoy some of the alone time with Dixie though. As nice as it was, he knew it must come to an end. Sighing, he let go after kissing Dixie on the forehead. "Hurry back though. I will get lonely," he teased as she went off to her room. Adam handed the gift to the butler as he walked into the foyer and waited for Dixie's return.

It wasn't long before she appeared and recommended that they floo instead of having him apparate for the two of them. "Sounds like a plan," he replied as they approached the fireplace. Dixie went first and then Adam followed saying exactly what she had said after tossing the powder. He emerged, a bit dizzy, from a fancy fireplace and quickly found Dixie. He looked at her nervously as she laughed, but then smiled when she reached up and wiped her fingers across his nose. He saw the black smudge that she had cleared from his face for him. "Hmmm," he said with a grin, "I guess now I have to tell you about the spot right there that I was just going to ignore," he teased, pointing to her cheek. "All better," he added, kissing the spot.

Just as he turned to follow Dixie to where the main party must have been, he heard her speak, but not to him. Instead, she was addressing a girl that had just entered the room, looking very surprised to see the two of them. After Dixie called the girl 'Gray', Adam recognized her as Raelee Gray, another seventh year student from Hogwarts who was in Ravenclaw. The two spoke a few sentences almost as if he weren't there. He wouldn't have thought Dixie knew the girl that well, but then again, he realized he was only getting to know Dixie himself. Finally, Raelee introduced herself even though he had figured out by logic who she was. "Adam," he replied nonetheless, glancing over at Dixie to see what her response would be. It sounded somewhat intriguing, ditching the party, but he would just follow Dixie's lead. After all, this was her familiarity, not his. The only parties Adam ever attended were boring though, so he wasn't sure if that was normal or what.

[Dixie Holden-Greene]

Dixie arched her eyebrows and looked at Adam as Rae started her usual routine. Change the clothes, unlock the garage, and then think about being polite. Rae was never good at being a hostess. Dixie fidgeted slightly, her hand still holding Adam’s, right now it was the only thing keeping her steady and not completely dizzy. This evening could spiral into disaster. Rae knew Dixie better than most did, considering they spent a lot of time together at parties. But she knew the old Dixie, not the new Dixie. When Rae asked if they were going with her, Dixie eyed Adam a moment. They could go into the party and deal with adults and probably not get a real moment alone, or they could go with Raelee and do something that would probably result in Rae’s trouble and Dixie’s disappointments from her parents. Neither of them seemed very appealing at the moment. She looked back at Rae, noticing that impatient tap of her foot. That had always been a bad habit of the blonde. “We just got here, Rae.” Dixie said weakly, she knew that excuse wouldn’t fly with Rae. Dixie was known to floo in and then drive out the moment she entered. Without even looking up at Rae, Dix could feel her green eyes boring into her. She didn’t want to drag Adam anywhere he didn’t want to go, but she had a hunch that he would much rather go someplace where they could talk instead of entertaining a new adult every five minutes.

“You can stop staring at me like that, Raelee, I’m thinking!” Dixie snapped as she glared daggers at the girl. If they left now, Hank would be suspicious and send Mack after them. Or would he? After all he wouldn’t want to cause a scene and that’s just what he would do if he sent Mack, the belle of the ball, home to find Adam and Dixie. With a sigh, Dixie squeezed Adam’s hand. “Alright, we’ll go, but on one condition.” She stated sharply as she raised her hand and pointed her finger. Rae raised her eyebrows in impatience. “No Diablo’s. Really. If you start driving in that direction, Gray, I won’t hesitate to curse you.” Rae smirked and crossed her heart in the stupid girly way they used to do when they were younger. She then turned on her heel and made her way into the garage. Before they followed, Dixie sighed again and looked up at Adam. “If you want to stay, I can tell her. We don’t have to go out. It’s just, in there it’ll be interrogation after interrogation. Besides, this way we’re able to actually talk and not be interrupted by someone every five to ten minutes.” She smiled a small smile, wondering if she had made the wrong decision in saying they would go with Rae. Before he could answer, Rae called from the garage and Dixie rolled her eyes. “Okay, if you really don’t want to go and you go for me, I’ll give you a cookie.” She had resorted to bribing, but she knew Adam would go anywhere she went… she would do the same thing.

After a brief moment, Dixie kissed him on the cheek again and led him into the garage. There were a lot of cars in the garage and a lot of them Dixie didn’t even know the names of. Rae was sitting in her black convertible, the one she used all the time when she was leaving the parties she didn’t like to attend. Rae made a motion with her hands as if to say they were slower than molasses. Dixie got into the back, feeling more comfortable with sitting in the back with Adam than she would up front with Rae, besides at least back there they could pretend not to hear her over the music she was sure to have blaring. When they were all inside the car, Rae pulled out of the garage and drove them out of the Mansion’s courtyard and out onto the road. Dixie leaned against Adam and closed her eyes, “Thanks for coming, by the way. For coming to dinner and everything…”

[Raelee Gray]

Rae knew she was growing impatient, and she knew that she shouldn’t have been getting so impatient but she couldn’t help it. Another second in this place and Rae would keel over dead. She merely nodded with raised eyebrows when Dixie’s date introduced himself. Her green eyes then refocused on Dixie and waited for a response. Already Rae could see the gears working in the Holden girl’s head, those gears were so similar to Rae’s, it was scary. Rae crossed her arms, the keys in her hands, as she waited for Dixie’s reply. When she did reply, it was so weak that Rae had to restrain herself from laughing. “That didn’t stop you last Christmas. The moment you were in you were out.” She watched Dixie a moment and then turned to look at Adam. Her eyes darted to their hands again and Rae found herself wondering how in the world Dixie had been able to find someone she trusted enough to let into her world. It wasn’t important, and if it was Rae would be aware of how soon enough. Rae turned her gaze back on Dixie, her eyes never wavering.

She flinched when Dixie snapped at her. Dixie wasn’t one to snap at Rae, not even when Rae was at her worse. Sure, Dixie had sarcastic comments to be made, but there wasn’t much more from Dixie’s lips that made Rae jump. Then again she had changed quite a lot and Rae figured her new found insanity probably add to her fright appeal. Dixie finally consented to going but on one condition. At this, Rae arched her eyebrows in waiting for the explanation. Dixie said they would go as long as they didn’t go to Diablo’s. Diablo’s was the night club they usually ran off to during parties, many fond memories and many not so fond memories were at the club. She understood why Dixie didn’t want to go, especially with Adam there. With a roll of her eyes, Rae crossed her heart and hoped to die which would be what happened if she stayed there a moment longer. She turned on her heel and made her way into the garage, well aware that the two weren’t following her. Oh well, she would start the car and wait a few minutes before leaving without them.

Rae opened the door and got in, put the key in the ignition and started the car. She rifled through her CDs and pulled out one of her favourites. Rae placed it in the CD player and pushed play as she waited for the two to come into the garage. After about three minutes they entered and got into the back. Rae rolled her eyes and opened the garage door, pulling out into the night. “So, Miss Princess of Pain,” Rae said with slight amusement as she turned onto the highway, “where to? No Diablo’s, so I haven’t the foggiest idea where to spend my evening.” She caught Dixie’s gaze in the rearview mirror and then smirked. “Better yet, how about you choose, Adam? What do you feel like doing?”

[Professor Adam Greene]

Adam sensed the slight indication that Dixie was not completely at ease with the idea of ditching the party so soon. Either that, or she wasn't too fond of Raelee, he decided. He sensed a bit of tension as they spoke, Rae finally leaving and heading to the garage. Dixie then turned to him and he could tell she really wasn't sure what to do. Apparently though going with Rae must have been the better choice, and he trusted that Dixie was right in making that choice since he really didn't know what to expect either way. "No cookies needed," he smiled, following Dixie to the garage where they loaded into the back seat of Rae's car. It was very nice, which fit with what he had seen of the house so far. Rae obviously came from a wealthy family, no questions there.

As Rae pulled the car out of the garage, Dixie leaned against Adam and he put his arm around her back, allowing her to rest her head on his chest. She whispered a thanks as she closed her eyes. "No need for a thanks either," he replied back, smiling even though she couldn't see him. "It should be me thanking you for inviting me. Going the entire break without seeing you would have been torture." His attention was interrupted when Rae spoke from the front seat. At first, she addressed Dixie, but then she steered her question toward him. "Well, if not Diablo's," he said, thinking quickly of another place they could go, "we could try Rizzo's." Knowing that Diablo's was a lot more upbeat and crazier than Rizzo's, he suggested something more laid back. He had only been to Rizzo's on a few occasions, but it was a great place just to hang out. They had music in the background that wasn't too overbearing, and the food and drinks there were great. Plus, it wasn't ever very crowded, something that Diablo's was notorious for- large and annoying crowds. Turning his head toward Dixie, Adam didn't say anything, but tried to get a reaction from her before Rae said anything. He figured that Dix wouldn't mind though.

[Dixie Holden-Greene]

Dixie smiled as she felt Adam’s arm around her. It just felt so right… where was this a year ago when she needed it most? “We would have done something even if I hadn’t invited you. Remember, I have plans to kidnap you over the summer, too.” She let her smile slip into a grin and she opened her eyes when she heard Rae asked where they should go. Before she could even reply, Rae turned the question over to Adam. Dixie looked at Adam and wondered what was going through his mind. If neither of them gave Rae an answer, Dixie knew what Rae would do. Drop them off at the park and then speed off to Diablo’s. She had done it to Dix plenty of times for Dixie to know before it actually happened. Adam finally gave an answer and Dixie could feel Rae’s eyes brighten at the idea. Rizzo’s was a better club than Diablo’s, mostly because it was a fairly nicer place just to be. You didn’t have to dodge a flying punch every now and then like you did at Diablo’s. Rizzo’s just also happened to be the club that Rae was well known in, especially since she had ended up doing almost all the artwork on the club’s walls. “Looks like you get to see some of Rae’s better drawings.” Dixie told Adam loud enough for Rae to hear.

The car was silent for awhile as Rae drove them to Rizzo’s. It took a few moments to finding a place to park, and once they were parked, Dixie sighed and moved away from Adam reluctantly. The line looped around the building and Dixie found herself wondering why people weren’t at home with their families on Christmas Eve. She realized it was the same reason she wasn’t. Just the thought of standing in that line made Dixie’s feet hurt, then again she was wearing heels. She looked down at her outfit and shook her head, realizing her and Adam were still in their formal attire. Dixie laughed and looked up at Adam, “We’re going to stick out like a couple of sore thumbs unless we change.” She told him as they followed Rae to the front of the line. Oh, Dixie had forgotten that Rae practically made Rizzo’s look as cool as it did. In moments they were inside the spacious club. Along one wall was a bar with a television above it like every other club had. There was an iron staircase that led up to the lounge area and the lower level served as the dance floor. The mural Rae had designed and painted was on the wall behind the DJ booth. Dixie shook her head at the image, it would have suited much better in Diablo’s which meant devil’s in Spanish. The horned creature on the wall was one that didn’t go with the Rizzo theme.

Dixie turned to look at Rae as she said she would get the drinks if they grabbed a place to sit upstairs. Before either of them could give the girl a reply, she had turned on her heel and was weaving her way through the crowd. Dixie looked at Adam and then pointed up the stairs, “We should go before all the good seats are taken. Besides, I’ve got to change out of this and I can’t do that in public.” She smiled as she grabbed Adam’s hand and started to make her way through the dancing group to the iron staircase. Up a couple of stairs and to the left, they turned. There was a cluster of chairs with a round table at foot level in the far corner and that was Dixie destination. She collapsed into one of the chairs and started to take off her shoes. She had decided to just stay in her dress, it could pass as a party dress as long as she took off all her accessories. Shooting a bright smile in Adam’s direction, “I’m sorry, I’ve been looking forward to this night all week and we’re stuck in a club with a girl I can’t stand.”

[Professor Adam Greene]

"What fun," Adam whispered in a sarcastic tone, grinning at Dixie when she mentioned that they would get to see Rae's art work. He figured she was no more thrilled than he was. Art was something that Adam found to be either totally dull or completely stunning. He really wasn't quite sure what even helped him determine whether he liked it or not either. However, just knowing that this particular art that Dixie mentioned was part of a night club, he knew it was probably going to be one of those works of art that he ended up hating. It didn't help that so far, Rae's personality didn't seem the most amiable either.

As then entered the club, Dixie pointed out that they were still wearing their same clothes from the party. Adam just shrugged. He didn't mind standing out. They looked good together, at least he thought, especially Dixie in her amazing dress. Now that was art that intrigued him. "I think we'll be OK," he said, trying to hint that he'd rather not have to worry about changing. Rae quickly split from them and sent them to find seats while she went to get drinks.

As the scaled the steps to the upper level of the building, Dixie was apparently just going to take off most of her jewelery and shoes, deciding that the dress would be fine. Smiling, Adam removed his jacket and vest so that just his white shirt remained. He loosened the tie and removed it from his neck after rolling his sleeves up to his elbows. "See, now we fit in just fine," he concluded

"Again, no apology needed. She is a bit overbearing, but better her than a dozen uptight adults talking about Ministry matters and other issues of business. As much as I like that kind of stuff, I'd much rather just be able to have some fun with you, even if it means having Rae tag along." He finished speaking of her just as Rae returned with three drinks. Taking one for himself and Dixie, he handed her the glass and raised his in the air. "Happy Christmas," he said with a smile, giving a wink as he glanced Dixie's way. After the three of them toasted, he drank about half of what was in his glass. The liquid was cold going down his throat, and judging by the burn, Rae had managed to find something that had a high percentage of alcohol in it. Still, Adam drank the rest. He needed the extra kick.

After he finished his drink, the upbeat music slowed, and the DJ announced that it would be a break for some more relaxed music. A lot of the people who were on the dance floor moved to the bar to get a drink. Adam had always preferred slow dancing over fast dancing, not that he ever danced really at all- it just seemed easier. Plus, he would have liked to have a dance with Dixie. Working up the courage, he stood and held out his hand, which was rather risky, considering that Dixie might say no. "Would you like to join me for a dance?" he asked, biting his lower lip as he contained a smile when he looked at Dixie, waiting to see her response.

[Dixie Holden-Greene]

Dixie laughed, “I’m pretty sure by the end of the night you’ll think differently. You’ll want to be back at that house with adults who only talk about Ministry business and who has more money than whom these days.” She crossed her arms as her eyes wandered to the dance floor below them. Her eyes bounced from a couple dancing, to a small circle that was forming with a guy in the middle. Dixie didn’t miss this one bit. She brought her attention back to Adam as Rae returned with the drinks. She accepted the cup from him and brought it to her lips but before drinking it she knew what was in it. Rage soared inside of her, and she wasn’t sure why. It was her usual drink and Rae proved she had a good memory by remembering that, but Dixie knew it was wrong for her to drink any alcohol. She watched Adam drink it, and then her eyes flew to Rae who was sipping it slowly and watching Dixie over the edge of the glass. Rae raised an eyebrow as if challenging Dixie.

“What’s wrong, Holden, not good enough?” The blonde finally asked. Dixie continued to stare at Rae, “You know what’s wrong. Tell me, did you have to go through some special training to be this idiotic or are you naturally born this way?” Rae laughed, “Oh, that’s rich coming from you. Why don’t you drink it, Dix? It isn’t going to kill you.” Dixie looked at the drink, knowing that Rae didn’t think she would. With a smirk Dixie raised the glass to her lips and down the whole drink. She hadn’t had a drink of that much alcohol in a year, not since the club with Jamie and she hadn’t planned on drinking again. Now she had just broken that promise she made to herself for what? To prove Rae wrong? What a good idea, Dixie. She looked up at Adam, as he asked her if she would dance, and without hesitation, Dixie took his hand, “Of course.” Even having that one glass of alcohol, Dixie could feel it starting to make her fingertips buzz. It was always an odd sensation and one that had always made Dixie feel abnormal, but once she had stopped drinking at parties and such she had forgotten about it. Normally it took more than one drink.

“I absolutely hate her,” she muttered underneath her breath as her and Adam made their way to the dance floor which had become a little less cluttered. Wrapping her arms around Adam’s neck she shook her head, “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea… I mean, we could have left the party without Rae… it’s not like we needed her for anything, all she’s doing is playing taxi cab.” Dixie bit her lip, that feeling in the pit of her stomach back. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly, “I keep going on about Rae, shut me up whenever you want.”

[Professor Adam Greene]

Relieved that Dixie accepted his invitation, Adam led her by the hand to the dance floor. He was glad to get away from Rae, especially after the little conflict that resulted between them when Rae returned with the drinks. He figured though that if they didn't have any more alcohol that it would be OK. There were plenty of other non-alcoholic drinks that they could have. "No, don't worry about her," Adam replied, although he wasn't quite sure what the conflict between the two seemed to center on. He could feel the tension though. It was unspoken for the most part, but highly evident just by the way they acted around each other.

Adam held his arms around Dixie's waste and stepped slowly in circular motion, matching their rhythm with the music. The song was very relaxing, one that Adam was not familiar with though. He could feel the affects of the alcohol mixing with the soft tune of the music. It was somewhat nice though, as he was very relaxed and enjoying the time to be able to hold Dixie and just be alone without her family or Rae there to bug them. In the silence, Adam's eyes fell shut as he let his mind and body drift along with the music. He thought of Dixie and back over the past few months. Everything so far had been so perfect. He couldn't have asked for it to have been any different, and he hadn't even expected any of this to happen. It was scary in a way- just how life seemed to happen, without even realizing it. "So what do you think..." he whispered in her ear, opening his eyes and pausing momentarily. "... about us?" It was a thought that entered his mind often. Ever since their first kiss in the tree at Hogsmeade, Adam couldn't help but wonder what that meant. They never talked about it, and maybe that wasn't a bad thing. Everything was great as far as he knew, but at times, he couldn't help but wonder where this was all going. Were he and Dixie just living in the moment? And, if so, was it such a bad thing for him to not worry about the future for once and just let life take him where it may. It was hard though, thinking that he and Dixie never really talked about their futures much. At least not their futures aside from what each wanted for their own lives. Did they even fit together? Did that even matter? Or should he just not worry and enjoy the moments while they lasted. His one question led to so much thinking of his own that he almost forgot where he was when Dixie finally spoke.

[Dixie Holden-Greene]

She cleared her mind of all things negative. It was a trick she had learnt while at Bethlem. If you can think about only positive things, you had a greater chance of looking sane. Adam was right, she shouldn’t worry about Rae. Raelee Gray was just a pest that only did half the things she did because she knew it got her attention. It didn’t matter. Rae didn’t matter. All that mattered was she was in Adam’s arms and there wasn’t anything tearing them away from one another. No distractions, no interruptions. Just them. The question posed… what were they? Dixie smiled when Adam whispered in her ear, asking what she thought about them. She looked at him and grinned, “So there is an us, then? I don’t want to get our signals crossed. Doing that would result in a mess.” Her eyes held laughter in them as she looked away a moment. It wasn’t complicated. If it had been complicated it would have been easier. Their relationship had just been rather simple. It was your typical teenage chick flick scenario. Boy and girl meet, boy helps girl over come something, girl ends up falling for boy, and boy falls back. All that was missing was a tragic accident and Dixie, and Adam could be a Blockbuster top seller. The analogy was amusing, but it wasn’t answering Adam’s question. That was when Dixie realized the question could mean two things. The first could be what she thought about their relationship as it was and the second could be what she about them as an ‘us’ an actual couple. Dixie wasn’t too sure which it was.

Biting her bottom lip, Dixie looked back to Adam. With a knot in her stomach and a gleam in her eyes, she smiled. “You know these past couple of months I’ve been so happy. I’ve felt like I’m actually sane, like there isn’t anything wrong or strange with me.” She knew Adam didn’t think she was crazy, but she had been hospitalized for months with the diagnosis of being schizophrenic. She had just gotten better at controlling it. “As that doesn’t answer your question, love, let me continue anyway. You might not see me as insane, but you haven’t seen me at my worst. Remember when you challenged me with my fear? There’s a bigger fear there that’s based on experience. The fear is that once you see the bad side of me, the side that retreated into Kurr, you won’t want to be around me anymore, much less be an ‘us.’ That’s what happened between Rae and I, minus the ‘us’ bit, and I know it’s wrong to compare you to her because doesn’t even hold a candle to you, but Rae was a good friend. Almost better than Kori. Once when I went crazy, Rae stopped being that good friend.” Even just thinking about Rae made Dixie see red, but she had to make her fear understandable. She sighed and looked down, almost ashamed of herself, “I don’t want that to happen with you.” The knot in her stomach had gone away as she continued to talk, but now it was back again. “I don’t want that to happen to us. Which brings me back to the question.” And back to the problem by which question he meant by his spoken one. “God help me if I misinterpreted.” She let out a breath of air, “I like us. I think we’re great together in general, but I really do like you, Adam, and after that kiss in the tree… just being a friend ‘us’ would make me, for lack of a better word, crazy.” She wondered how much sense she was making. After all, how much sense could a babbling moron make? Oh well, it was out, no taking it back.

Dixie smiled softly as she thought about her answer, if it didn’t answer his question he might as well tell her. Other than that it was one that made a lot of sense to her. The song started to fade away into a faster one, causing Dixie to realize they were still at the club. She sighed as she let her arms drop from around Adam’s neck. “I think… I shouldn’t have had that whole glass. My head’s starting to spin.” She offered Adam a small smile as she grabbed onto his arm to stabilize herself slightly. She wasn’t drunk, maybe a bit tipsy, but not drunk. She wouldn’t be drunk unless she had another glass. They weaved their way back to the staircase and Dixie was pushed into Adam plenty of times by people rushing back onto the dance floor. As they reached the top, Dixie glanced over at Rae who seemed to be downing her third glass. She shook her head, making a mental note not to let her drive. Before they reached Rae, Dixie stopped and turned to Adam. She smiled brightly, “I want to know something, are all preconceived notions of me, that you had, gone by now? I know you said they were that night in the common room, but I couldn’t help but feel you still expected some side of me that you had never seen before, which granted there is a side you haven’t seen before, and that’s partially why I didn’t want to come here tonight with Rae.” It was a question that had just blurted from her lips, but it wasn’t a random one. She had been wondering it for awhile, had she changed in his eyes from that girl who hadn’t been what he thought she was to someone entirely different?

((OK, maths class is officially the best place to write posts. I get so much writing done lol. Sorry it's so long, she just kinda wouldn't shut up.))

[Professor Adam Greene]

As they danced, Adam listened closely to Dixie's reply. It brought occasional grins and slight looks of confusion, but overall, he was happy with what she was saying. Much of it was how he felt as well. He thought about it for a moment, making sense of his thoughts. The alcohol didn't help though. He was starting to get tired, but managed to stay alert, knowing that this conversation between them was something he had been thinking about a lot lately. "I guess I can't exactly blame you for thinking that," he said finally, knowing that Dixie would naturally have that fear if it had happened before as she explained with Rae. "But maybe that Dixie is a thing of the past... you know? I would still never just up and leave you though Dixie. I mean, unless of course you changed in a way that you no longer felt the same about me." Adam's thoughts were interrupted as the slow music died and the majority of the people returned to the floor for the faster music. It had went so fast, but the two had to stop for now. Adam didn't feel like dancing anymore, especially with the conversation at hand.

Adam had more that he wanted to say about what they were talking about, but when the got back to the second level, Dixie turned and asked a question before they reached the table where Rae was watching from, plenty of drinks gathered around her. "Well," he began, wondering how to explain how he felt concerning the situation she brought up. "I guess since you've mentioned that you have another side of you that I have never seen, I can't help but think about it. But the only Dixie I know is a Dixie that I love. I can't imagine that there is any part of you that I couldn't love." He hoped that she understood what he meant. Sure, he wondered about it, but at the same time he knew that he wouldn't all the sudden change his mind about her, even if there was a side of her he had yet to see. It had to be worth something that this side of her had remained dormant ever since he had known her. "But Dixie, I want you to know that I like us too," he said with a serious look, going back to their original conversation. "I mean, I like us in the way that I can't see me without you. Like you said... just friends doesn't seem like enough. But that's obvious, right?" Adam wondered if anything they were saying even made sense or if was all just a bunch of drunk babbling. He knew what he felt, but he didn't know if that was what he was conveying. It was bad enough that the two of them always seemed to get lost in thought-provoking conversation. He had to smile at that thought. Dixie without complication just wouldn't be the same. Complication of thought seemed to be a tie that the two of them shared.

He glanced over to the table where Rae was sitting. "We better get over there before Rae decides to crash the conversation," he said with a sigh. Adam took Dixie's hand and led her over to the chairs. "Looks like someone is drinking in a pool of loneliness," he said, smirking at Rae. "I'll be back. I'm going to go get us some other drinks he said, eying the line of empty glasses in front of Rae. Personally, I'd prefer to remember this Christmas Eve," he said with a smile, winking at Dixie as he leaned down to give her a kiss before going down to the bar to get them another drink.

[Dixie Holden-Greene]

Dixie’s eyes searched as Adam’s as she waited for his answer. She didn’t know why she always asked such thought provoking questions, but it’s just the way it went. Especially with Adam. She was still holding onto his arm, which was good, because focusing on him for that moment was making the background spin behind him. She closed her eyes and then reopened them when Adam began speaking. She listened a moment and then nodded as she chewed on her bottom lip. There was a whole other side to Dixie Anne Holden, and it was a side that she didn’t want Adam to see. What would happen when she couldn’t control her Schizophrenia? She’d rather not think about it. Dixie let go of Adam’s arm and fiddled with her nails, picking some of the nail polish off her thumbnail. “That means a lot,” she said quietly as she lifted her eyes. “It really does, thanks.” With a small smile, she dropped her hands and her eyes again. Again, she found herself asking, where was Adam a year ago? It didn’t matter though, he was there now, with her. That’s what counted, that’s what was important. When he said he couldn’t see himself with her, Dixie lifted her head rather quickly. “Adam… What happens…? No… nevermind.” She shook her head, not wanting to bring up the topic of Paris, not now. She would worry about it later. Dixie nodded when Adam said they should return to Rae. She allowed him to lead her back to Rae who looked up expectantly and took another swig from her glass.

She sent Adam an amused smile when he made a comment to Rae about her drinking. “Watch it pretty boy,” Rae snapped as she set her glass down, “Dixie used to be able to out drink me any night.” Dixie shrugged slightly as Adam said he was going to get them a drink that wasn’t of Rae’s nature. Kissing him back before he left, Dixie tried to keep her mind from blurring. She watched his retreating back as she leaned into the chair and closed her eyes. It was Rae’s voice that brought her back, “You two look cozy.” The blonde said curtly. Dixie groaned, “Don’t start, Gray.” “What? I’m just saying.” “Well, don’t. I don’t need your crap this evening.” She opened her eyes and watched Rae finish off another drink. “Where are you getting those?” Dixie asked in confusion, they just kept appearing out of nowhere. Rae set the glass down, pulled out her wand, waved it, and another glass appeared. Dixie rolled her eyes, “Figures.” “It was a trick you taught me, remember? You know, the Dixie who liked to drink was much more fun.” “That Dixie made mistakes, and that Dixie is gone.” Or at least she hoped so. She didn’t know what she would do if that Dixie ever came alive again. It was so strange to be someone she never dreamt of being and not wanting to return to her old ways.

Rae was about to say something when Adam returned and she brought the glass to her lips again. Dixie took the drink from Adam and took a sip, “Thanks,” she said as she held it with both of her hands hoping it wouldn’t spill from how she was shaking. Alcohol was a bad idea, she knew that before she downed that glass. So why had she done it? Oh, yeah, Rae had a way of pushing her buttons. “So…” Rae said in perfect speech, “Pretty Boy, how much do you know about our Dix here?” Dixie shook her head as if to rid them of Rae and her horrible conversational skills.

[Professor Adam Greene]

Adam returned from the bar with two virgin strawberry daiquiris. It was either those or water. The bar only offered one non-alcoholic drink tonight. It would do though, as Adam just needed something to take the bitter taste from his mouth, left behind by the drink Rae had brought. Dixie seemed glad too when she took the other one from him.

It wasn't long after he returned that Rae began with her sudden outburst. He glared as she used the name 'Pretty Boy' again. He sensed that it was coined with much sarcasm. "I know enough," he said quickly. But Rae seemed eager to say something anyways. "That's nice," he said forcefully as she opened her mouth to talk. He didn't want to hear what she had to say, knowing that it was most likely something that she would only use to make Dixie look bad. Neither Dixie nor himself really needed to deal with that right now.

"We should get going," he said finally, looking at Dixie to see if she agreed. He figured she wouldn't mind, as she didn't seem to eager to be there anyways. He knew it wasn't anything against him either. It was all Rae, and in a way, he started to regret their agreeing to come with her. She wasn't outright terrible, but just bad enough that she got on his nerves. Plus, it made him mad that she seemed so willing to cut Dixie down at every chance she got. "Gimme the keys Rae. There's no way you're driving. You've had enough alcohol to ration for an army." His voice was stern and cutting. He had let the night go too far and it was time to get back to the party and get home. Sadly, he wished he could have enjoyed it more, but he knew that when it was all over he'd at least have the memories of the few short times he and Dix had got to spend together tonight.