cfourteen

"And for our 2000 Halloween's king and queen...." the principal stated, trying to drag out the moment. Shawn shook his glass in his hand, the ice cubes rattling, as he was suddenly nervous. Belle turned and saw him and gave him a quick pat on the thigh before she turned her attention back to the stage.
"And our dance's king is...Shawn Brady!" Mr Miller said, scanning the crowd.
"Way to go, Brady" Philip said, as the whole table turned to smile at him.
"Whaaaaat?" Shawn said, still planted in his seat.
"Go get your crown!" Belle said, gently pushing him. He sat there, stunned, until she pushed him again and his body went into auto-pilot as he went up on stage. Last year's king handed him the crown and he put the silly piece of plastic on his head as he shook his head in embarrassment. Mr. Miller handed him the crown for his upcoming queen and the crowd quieted in anticipation.
"And the person you've chosen as your queen..." he continued, as Shawn swung the crown on his index finger. "Belle Black!" Shawn's face immediately broke out in a grin as she saw Belle stand up from the table, her hand held over her open mouth. Chloe and Mimi both jumped up to hug her and she made her way through the crowd to the stage. Her gaze stayed focused on Shawn's as she hurried her way over, the grin on her face priceless. She carefully climbed the stairs, holding her long gown so as to not trip herself. Shawn watched as the former queen gave Belle a hug and she straightened up to look up at Shawn. He lifted the crown gingerly to her head and paused, mainly because there already was a crown imbedded in her curls. Cheeks pink, she removed the one she already had there and allowed Shawn to place the new one in its spot. As he pulled away, he let his hand run down her cheek.
"Congratulations, Isabella" he said, his eyes shining down at her. She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by Mr Miller's hand landing roughly on her shoulder.
"And now your king and queen will share a spotlight dance" he said, as Belle looked up, as if startled. The lights dimmed as Shawn turned to her and held out his hand. Soft music began to play as she took his hand and he led her down to the dance floor. The crowd disappeared as the came to the center of the dance floor and he pulled her into his arms.

"When the visions around you bring tears to your eyes
And all that surrounds you are secrets and lies,
I'll be your strength, I'll give you hope,
keeping your faith when it's gone.
The one you should call is standing here all along.
And I will take you in my arms and hold you right where you belong,
till the day my life is through, This I Promise you"

    Belle forgot about all the eyes that stared into the dancing couple as she stared up into Shawn's dark eyes. She slipped on the slick dance floor in her new shoes and Shawn tightened his grip around her to keep her from falling.
"Careful there" he said, gently.
"Sorry, new shoes" she said. "I'm not used to them yet"
"I love your new shoes" he said, with a twinkle in his eye. "Remember the last time you wore them?" Belle smiled up at him, remembering their costume shopping trip and how she had been thrown in his arms by them.
"Yeah" she said. "I remember"
"Those shoes must be lucky" he said, as his one hand slid up her back to rest on the bare part of her back. "They seem to bring us together"

"I've loved you forever in lifetimes before
And I promise you never will you hurt anymore.
I give you my word, I give you my heart
This is a battle we've won.
And with this vow, forever has now begun
Just close your eyes each loving day,
and know this feeling won't go away.
Till the day my life is through, This I Promise You"

"Talk about intense" Philip said, from the sides, as they watched the couple.
"There are definate sparks between them" Chloe agreed, commenting on the fact that their eyes stayed locked on each other.
"Bet ya it will happen tonight" Philip said.
"What will?" Chloe asked, watching the pair.
"That they'll get together...tonight" he said, slipping his arm around her.
"I hope so" Chloe said. "It's taking them so long that even I'm getting annoyed-I can imagine how Belle feels!" She settled her head up against his shoulder and Philip laid a small kiss on top of her long hair.

"Over and over I fall when I hear you call
Without you in my life, baby, I just wouldn't be living at all.
And I will take you in my arms and hold you right where you belong,
Till the day my life is through, This I Promise You.
Just close your eyes each loving day and know this feeling won't go away,
every word I say is true, this I promise you..."

     As Shawn's hand slipped over her bare skin, she couldn't help but shiver slightly at his touch. Goosebumps ran up her arm and Shawn mistook it for cold, prompting him to pull her closer-something she didn't object to. As the song came near its end, Belle found herself dreading the fact that the song was so short. She was caught up in the moment of their crowning, the slow dance they were sharing, Shawn's tight grasp on her waist, the way that she was staring up into his eyes with the same intensity and passion that he was returning the look. His one hand left her waist to come up and gently rubbed her cheek with the back of his fingers. She closed her eyes to his touch as her arm wrapped around his neck tighter, her fingers running lightly up his bare neck and tangling themselves in his hair. She felt his fingers run slowly down past her mouth and to her chin, lifting it up slightly. She licked her lips lightly and tightened her grip on the nape of his neck, signaling her eagerness.

"Every word I say is true, This I Promise You..."

     Shawn leaned down and his nose brushed lightly against her cheek. A sudden applause from the crowd caused him to pause as the spotlight came off of them. The song changed to Christina Aguilera's "Somebody's Somebody" as other couples surrounded them on the dance floor. Shawn let out a shaky breath and rested his forehead up against Belle's. They stayed in the same position, their lips so close to each other but something held them both back. Eyes closed, they swayed back and forth wrapped up in their own thoughts and each other's arms.

**The song is taken from my favorite album, 'N Sync's "No String's Attached" with the song "This I Promise You"