A Dance With Death

Chapter Five

When the three of them got back to the flat, they all went off in separate directions. Sherlock went to his chair and started playing the violin (“It’ll help me think.”), not that Livia minded. He played beautifully. John went to his room to retrieve his laptop, and Livia sat on the couch under a shot-up smiley face on the wall. She pulled off her cloak and reached into the pocket for a cigarette. She lit up and closed her eyes, taking in everything that had happened. Her sister had been kidnapped, her dreams were being controlled, and it all had to do with the circumstances of Richard’s death. And she thought her life couldn't get any worse when her rent went up.

John came back down the stairs and set up his laptop on the desk facing Livia. He sat down and began to type quickly, becoming engrossed in his work. She watched them for a while, finishing off the last of her cig before feeling truly restless. Sherlock had his violin, John had his work, and Livia had her dancing, but she hadn’t done it in so long. She had her shoes in her bag just in case, but she wondered if it would bother either of them, especially Sherlock.

She cleared her throat. “Erm, what do we do now?”

Sherlock stopped for a moment in his playing. “We wait. Sooner or later, either Lestrade or your stalker will get into contact with information or a threat.”

“Oh. Well, do you mind if I practise a bit?” she asked, going to the chair across from Sherlock and searching for her shoes and looser clothing.

“Practise? Ah, yes, ballet. No, go right ahead. If it helps you.” Sherlock replied, going back to playing a sad tune from Bach. She smiled and went to Sherlock’s room to change. She came out again, dressed comfortably, and sat on the couch to slip on her shoes and tie them up. As she stood, she stretched, rotating her ankles to loosen them and bending down to touch her toes. Finally, she stood on her toes and did a few steps to Sherlock’s music. She made sure she didn’t step on anything or bump into furniture, and did small steps and moves. She went into fifth position, with her right foot forward, and dipped slightly into a demi-plié. Her right foot glided forward into a croisé and did a demi-rond de jambe en dehors to the side, while her left foot stayed in a plié. She did a small jump onto her right foot in demi-plié, then her left foot glided throughout first position into croisé forward. Her weight then transferred to her left foot and she made a slight jump to bring her feet together to where her left one had been placed. She finished in the fifth croisé.

Sherlock stopped playing then. “What was that move called?”

Livia blushed and said, “A pas de Basque. Usually I would repeat those steps a couple times, or go right into another set of steps.”

He locked eyes with her. “It was...beautiful.” John stopped what he was doing and looked to him. Livia looked surprised.

“Oh, erm, thank you.” Her mouth turned up at the corners, giving Sherlock a small, sweet smile.

“Would you like me to keep playing? It seemed it was helping you,” he offered.

She nodded and laughed. “Yes, if you don’t mind. Surprise me.” His eyes twinkled with curiosity for this girl, and he felt a twinge deep within him. It scared him, at least for a second, but he ignored it and started playing “Spring” by Antonio Vivaldi.

She smiled and started dancing, fluid and graceful. John and Sherlock watched her, spellbound. Sherlock was smiling and encouraging her as she danced, happier at that moment than he had been in a long time. John glanced at him and wondered for a second... Was Livia awakening something in him?

She began to do what was known as “The Fred Step”, a signature move of the late choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton. It was comprised of a first arabesque, followed by a développé, a pas de bourrée, and then finished with a pas de chat. She danced for what seemed like hours, but Sherlock knew it had only been ten minutes. As she finished and the song ended, John burst into applause. Sherlock put down his violin and joined him, causing a blush to bloom into Livia’s pale cheeks.