Joe and Dianne's Strictly Stories

Quickstep: Dancin' Fool

A/N: This chapter was originally written by xxJoanneLovers, so thank you very much for your help! 

Joe sat alone in his office, isolated from the rest of the world, plucking the strings of his old guitar as he tried desperately to come up with some sort of melody. But, even after many hours of trying different chords and combinations, he still had nothing. Joe was stuck in what songwriters would call a 'funk', and not the good kind! 

The deadline for his new album was fast approaching, and all he needed was one final song to complete it; but all he had was incoherent scribbles on a page. Hoping to take inspiration from the room around him, Joe scanned the space, and his eyes fell upon a polaroid picture pinned to the wall. It was the image of himself at the Copacabana nearly 25 years ago, dressed in tails, and sharing a kiss with Dianne, the showgirl. He removed the photograph with a smile and placed it over his heart; even just looking at it transported Joe straight back to his time in that dazzling place.

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10 East 60th Street, New York City.

The Copacabana: it was the place to be. Every night, the loud music spilled out onto the busy streets of New York, and the showgirls danced around; captivating the gaze of everyone inside. The Copacabana was the place where young performers dreamt of one day sharing their craft, and one young lady's dreams were slowly becoming a reality.

Dianne stepped off the bus and wrapped her coat even further around her petite figure, still not used to the cool New York breeze that sent chills down her body. The weather was quite a contrast from the hot Australian sun that she was used to. But New York was the city of dreams, the place that performers dreamt of making it to, and Dianne knew that if she wanted to make it big as a showgirl, the cold winters would be the least of her worries! Dancing was nothing new to her – Dianne had spent practically her whole life doing it back home in Australia – but there were only so many opportunities in the world's most isolated city, and Dianne had well and truly outgrown her hometown. But New York? New York was different because there was no outgrowing the city that never sleeps!

After taking a moment to look around and admire the high-rise building surrounding her, Dianne collected her small suitcase, which somehow managed to contain her whole life, and made her way up to her new apartment. The place was rather quaint, but Dianne didn't mind. It was a single room with a little bed in the corner, a small kitchen, a seating area, a tiny bathroom with a toilet and shower, and a window that displayed the gorgeous skyline of the city. It wasn't quite like home, but it would do.

After unpacking the few belongings that she had been able to bring with her, Dianne made her way out onto the busy streets of New York, just in time for the city to come to life. 

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The sun had now set after yet another busy day in New York City, but the day was far from over. Crowds were beginning to gather around the Copacabana as they waited for the doors to open. Joe and the rest of the staff made sure that everything was in place as the showgirls changed into their outfits. It wasn't long before the Copa was filled with people from all walks of life, who were brought together by one thing: music. Joe took his place on the stage, internally rehearsing the songs that he had sung a million times already, whilst the showgirls positioned themselves around him. Within mere seconds, the party was in full swing as loud music filled the room.

During his performance, something caught Joe's eye. Well, more like someone caught his eye. Standing in the corner all alone was a girl with hair as bright as fire and as red as blood. She was wearing a little black dress and some small heels, and Joe watched in awe as she swayed to the music in a way that was both enthusiastic and completely measured. There was something about her, something that intrigued the young man, and he made it his mission to get to know her at some point.