36 Questions: A Joanne Fanfiction

Question Twenty-Two

Alternate sharing something that you consider a positive characteristic of your partner. Share a total of five items.

It was finally Blackpool, and the atmosphere was amazing. Joe, from the minute they had arrived, was in awe of the building and everything it stood for, his eyes wide with a childish curiosity for the place. Dianne smiled at him and awed internally. She too, was still captivated by the beautiful building, despite the fact that she'd had the privilege of being in this space before. She was still quite overwhelmed with everything that had happened over the previous few weeks, but so, so grateful to be here. It was her younger self's dream to compete here, and now, finally she could.

The day passed quickly, as the pair were swept up in the franticness of the show and the excitement that could only come with being at the home of the ballroom. Finally, it was their time to dance. Rehearsals had been... worrying to say the least. But Joe was ready. Now, he was determined to go out there, to show his family, the UK, the judges and Dianne exactly what he could do. He knew that this moment meant more than he could ever comprehend to his friend, and that competing at Blackpool was something that she'd only ever dreamt of until now. He wanted to make her feel worthy of competing, despite knowing that he was still a non-dancer and nothing like a professional that would compete there. He wanted to make her proud of him, she'd done nothing but support him, and after the last few stressful weeks he wanted nothing more than to do well for her.

All of these thoughts were racing through his mind, just before he was about to dance. He took a deep breath, as Dianne squeezed his hand comfortingly, her barely contained excitement to perform radiating out of her every move. Before long, the two were ushered out of the wings and on to the stage.

The atmosphere was absolutely electric, the lights, the staging, the beautiful piano only added to the timeless energy created by the dancers. The pair moved in absolute synchronicity to the other professionals, their movements precise and deliberate, and Dianne's grin huge. It was going so much better than it did during rehearsals. Joe found himself enjoying every second, soaking up the moment, wishing it would last forever. But after what felt like mere moments, it was over. They'd done it. Suddenly he was engulfed in a hug from his partner, her grip tight and her laughter loud, the glee in her entire being not only evident to Joe, but the entire room. He smiled, a large genuine smile on his face as he hugged her. Despite still being slightly disorientated, he hugged the other professionals quickly, before making his way over to the judges.

In all honesty, their comments went completely over his head, but he smiled at them anyway, nodding breathlessly at what he hoped were the right moments. Beside him Dianne was still completely buzzing, he could see her red hair bouncing enthusiastically at various intervals through his peripheral vision. Finally, they moved over to Claudia and the others to await their scores. Joe was now only just becoming aware of his surroundings again when the scores were announced.

Dianne, meanwhile was alive, so alive. Her eyes sparkled with joy, and had been doing so since the dance began. She was so proud, not only of Joe, but of herself. Competing in Blackpool was really a dream come true, and she hadn't expected it to ever happen. But for them to go out there, and get those comments was more than she could have ever dreamt of, and for it to happen with Joe meant so much to her. Now was the hard part, the scores. When the eight was first read out, she couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. Joe deserved more than that. But then a ten. A ten. An actual ten.

She couldn't help but scream, shock and excitement ran through her all at once. She latched onto Joe tightly, hugging his side. As the tens continued, her smile grew larger and larger. She couldn't believe it, she was over the moon. Before joining strictly, she had not realised the enormity of the importance of receiving a ten. But now, she understood why all the professionals and celebrities were in tears at those scores. A ten meant so much more than a simple ten out of ten, it showed that their hard work had paid off, that her teaching had turned Joe into someone who managed to create a performance worthy of praise from some of the best dance critics in the industry. She was so, so proud.