The Dance

*4*

Emma ran across to Prince's bedroom, her teal blue nightgown fluttering around her calves, and opened the door. Illuminated by moonlight shining through sheer draperies, she could see Prince curled up in a ball on the bed in black silk pajamas, clutching one bent knee.

He opened his eyes, realized she was standing there, and through gritted teeth growled in his lowest, most frightening tone of voice, 'Get. Out. Now.' Emma realized his eyes were black with pain, his face pale as a ghost.

'No way,' she replied, as she sprinted into his bathroom, soaked a washcloth with the hottest water she could stand, wrung it almost dry, and returned to the bedroom. 'Put this around your knee while I run a bath for you. Heat is the best thing for a wracked out joint. I can see why you'd be hurting-you were moving all over the stage tonight!"

'Just shut up,' he said, sitting up. Emma didn't respond, but returned to the bathroom to fill the tub with water that wouldn't scald, but was hotter than normal. She walked back in the bedroom while the tub filled. As the warmth soaked into his painful joint, Emma noticed he wasn't gritting his teeth anymore, and his eyes and face were back to their normal color.

'Look, you reached out to me when I was in obvious pain tonight. I'm just returning the favor. I've been there, I know what that kind of pain is like. It's the least I can do, so you're just going to have to put up with me.' Emma stepped into the bathroom and turned off the taps. She quickly walked back into the bedroom.

'The tub is ready now. Can you put any weight on your leg?'

'Of course I can,' he said in a clipped tone, slowly making his way to the bathtub. 'Do me a favor and don't follow me in here, okay?'

'Done,' she replied, going back to her room for the robe she had forgotten in all the commotion. 'Yeah, that went well', she thought. 'I just killed any possibility of a relationship between us.'

Prince was mortified that his secret was out, that someone outside of his inner circle had evidence that there was anything wrong with him, that he wasn't in perfect shape. He had been concerned and embarrassed four years ago, when gossip columns had outed him for needing a cane while limping backstage at an awards show, and had hoped all the damage control he had done had paid off. 'Once again, Nelson, you didn't think your actions through, you've been too spontaneous. This could cause lots of trouble later on if I've misread her, or she was being less than honest with me. I can usually tell when I'm being played, though.'

After waiting a few minutes, Emma went back to his bathroom, a mirror image of her own. She used the dimmer switch to lower the bright lights, creating some visual calm, and making it easier to see the night sky out the window.

Prince was almost fully submerged in the tub, head tilted back, eyes closed. Emma stayed in the doorway and said, 'I'm back. I have what I'm guessing are similar joint problems, and hope what works for me helped you. Is it okay for me to come in, or should I just leave you to it?' She stood in the doorway after she asked her question, unsure of her welcome after his unpleasant outburst before. She figured most of that was due to pain, but felt she probably pricked his pride as well. No man liked being caught in a vulnerable state.

'You can come in,' he replied, opening his eyes. He sounded exhausted, almost defeated. Emma walked into the room carefully, and sat on the floor next to the tub so she could focus only on his face. She didn't want him to think she had come back to try to sneak a peek at what lay under the water, tempting as it was.

'Listen, I want to apologize for imposing like that. I went into Mama Bear mode. It's a hard habit to break. I'm really embarrassed.'

'I get it,' he said. 'But it wasn't very cool.' He tried to twinkle his eyes, but his heart didn't seem to be in it. 'You could maybe make it up to me by getting in the tub with me...' it seemed to Emma that he was saying something he thought he was expected to say, rather than something he really meant.