Chapter 41 Restraint

A/N: Jasmine's birthday is on December 24 so it looks like a two-in-one celebration (in case you're all wondering (^_^)v).

Maybe her new dress wasn't as fancy as Caroline, but it was the prettiest Jasmine had ever owned. The blue and stripe dress had cost her a plenty, and the hours spent in looking for a perfect jewelry that goes with had left her tried, but the image staring at Jasmine from the mirror made it all worthwhile. She didn't tie her hair and left it loose quip with soft curls, she donned her make up as natural as possible, the little the better, her looks pleased her. She smiled and took a calming breath, readying herself to leave her room to attend her party. Her party. She'd never had one of those before and just the thought of it made her giddy.

Jasmine's dress

"Jassy?" Alan called to her from outside her door.

She hurried to answer it, and her breath caught in her throat. He always looked handsome and sexy, but tonight he had outdone himself. He looks hot and sexy in tight jeans and the way he fashions it with suit is so clever of him, Jasmine never knew he owns a pair of jeans, it fits him like a glove, accentuating his strong physique, and the dark fabric of his jacket made his eyes almost glow. A whiff of bay rum tickled her senses and a smile curved the corner of his mouth. Suddenly she had images of his mouth on her body. Merciful heavens.

Alan in jeans <3

She swallowed. "Good evening."

Alan fought to remember why he had come to Jasmine's room. The vision standing before him knocked all thoughts from his head and half the wind from his body. Damn, she was beautiful. Where did she get that dress? The blue and black stripes brought out her eyes and petite figure, it was comfortable and elegant at the same time.

"Did you want something?" she asked.

Of course, he did, but what? Then he remembered his gift. "Yes, I wanted to give you your birthday gift before the other guests arrived."

"Oh." She smiled, her eyes sparkling even more. And he felt it throughout his entire body. Then she raised her brow, and he realized he'd been staring at her like a nitwit.

"Here." He thrust his package at her, wondering how a man with his education and experience could be fuddled by a mere brow.

She accepted his gift and walked to her bed to sit and open it. Hesitating for a moment, he followed her into the room, but took the chair across from her. His body was at a borderline mutiny, and he didn't trust himself to sit beside her that yet.

A tiny gasp brought his mind back from its lecherous thoughts to the beautiful woman who'd caused them. "Do you like it?" he asked.

Jasmine pulled a single stem rose and a melon orange off-shoulder top from the gift box and looked up at Alan with tears in her eyes. "I can't accept these."

"Why? Are they the wrong size?"

Alan's gift (the melon orange top), I mean Julia's gift hehehe

She shook her head. "I'm receiving too many things from you."

But I wanted to give you one. A present. I know one gift doesn't suffice the years I didn't get to celebrate your birthday was what he wanted to say but he opted, "That wasn't expensive at all. Besides, they're from Julia." Lie, but he knew she wouldn't refuse a gift from Julia and he couldn't think of any other excuse.

The look on Jasmine's eyes told him she didn't fall for his story, but she was grateful for it just the same. She could keep them if they were from Julia. "I'll be sure to thank her."

"Do you need help putting your necklace on?"

She blushed, and he realized what a ridiculous question he'd asked. It wasn't his fault, though. All his blood had left is brain.

"I think I can manage."

He smiled. "You probably can."

The she returned his smile, and he wished the rest of the world would go away. "I'll see you downstairs, then" he said, backing toward the hallway in an attempt to look debonair. It would have been more effective, however, if he hadn't bumped into the door on his way out.

Jasmine's soft laughter followed him into the hallway, but the warm feeling it gave stopped abruptly when Meredith intercepted him at the top of the stairs.

"How lovely of you to escort me down to the party."

Was that what he'd done? "My pleasure," he said, adding to his list of recent lies. Though he probably wasn't being fair to Meredith. She was guilty of nothing more than not being Jasmine and that wasn't her fault, just her misfortune.

"Do you like my dress?"

Meredith's dress

Oops, Alan glanced at her obviously expensive camel coat and beige knit mini dress and smiled, "It's lovely." And he supposed it was.

By the time they reached the foot of the steps, the voices of several guests mingled in the air. Benedict Cumberbatch had been the first to arrive and had volunteered to greet the guests so Alan could take Jasmine her gift. In his brief absence, many had come, all chatting and laughing as they ambled to the parlor.

Alan's family was there, all taking turns of holding Julia's reins. The nuns from the Griffiths Orphanage, Tommy, friends from the Church, Emma Thompson, Taylor, Lindt, to name a few, were already examining the foods on the buffet table fixed by the cooks Alan had hired from Tart London.

The laughter and friendliness of the guests brought a smile on Alan's lips but Meredith's grip on his arm tightened.

"Have you ever seen a bigger collection in unruly guests in your life?" she whispered, looking up at him as though they shared a common bond. She tipped her head toward Abigail Scott. "Look at that dress. I wouldn't be caught dead in it."

Alan glanced at Abigail and thought she looked remarkably well for a woman who'd just given birth to their fourth child a few weeks before. Her dress was plain but clean, and her face glowed with excitement. Actually, in many ways she was more attractive than Meredith.

But he couldn't tell her that so he said, "These people have no need for fancy dresses."

"Mr. Rickman!" One of the men who helped raised food stands in the Orphanage smacked Alan on the shoulder before Meredith had a chance to respond to his comment. "This is a real nice thing you've done for Jassy."

"She deserves it," Alan said, wishing he could remember the man's name. Luckily Meredith had wandered off, and he didn't have to introduce them.

"She does indeed." He answered. "She's one fine woman." Suddenly Benedict looked past Alan's shoulder toward the hall and let out a whistle, "Speak of the devil."

Alan turned to see Jasmine standing in the doorway. And for the second time that evening, she took his breath away. Julia's tugged on his sleeve diverted his attention.

"Daddy? Have you seen Impey?"

"Impey?"

"My kitten," she answered bending over to look under the buffet table.

"I thought we determine the kitten was a girl."

"Today she is, but I want a boy kitten, and I think if I name her Impey, she might have changed her mind."

There was a time he would've corrected her misconception, but he was finding it difficult to remember that time now, so instead he knelt to lift the tablecloth and look for Impey.

Jasmine's heart warmed at the sight of Alan on his knees beside Julia. There was a time he would never have crawled on the floor in front of his guests, but she was finding it difficult to remember at this time, and it was all she could do not to join them in their search for whatever they were searching for.

"Will you save a dance for me, Jassy?"

Benedict's question forced her to tear her eyes away from Alan. "Of course I will," she answered smiling. Meredith had joined Alan at the table, her tinkling laughter carrying across the room.

"Who's the woman with Lord Alan of the Rickman?" Benedict asked.

"That's his sister-in-law, Meredith."

"They look good together. Like they belong."

Jasmine knew what Benedict was doing but it worked just the same. Meredith and Alan did look right together, like the perfect couple enjoying an evening with friends. "Smile my dear, you know you're never fully dressed without one." He ended his message with a kiss on her cheek. She smiled at Benedict's cheekiness.

Every muscle on Alan's body tightened as he forced himself to stay where he was. Crossing the room and yanking Benedict away from Jassy would ruin her party, but that little rascal had just kissed her in front of everyone. Granted, it was on the cheek, but his hand was on her back and from Alan's vantage point, it appeared to be rubbing circles. Where was Sophie at this moment? Her husband is behaving like a bachelor at someone else's party!

"Look, Daddy," Julia said, interrupting his homicidal thoughts as Benedict stepped away from Jasmine to get some punch.

Julia beamed up at him as if it were Christmas morning. "We have friends."

And damn if she wasn't right.

His Harry Potter co-stars arrives, they greeted Alan and thanked him for inviting them, each smile genuine and open. On the course of guests greeting men began teasing Alan about his blisters from the food stand raising and his co-professors from KCL laughed about his ten-thousand-pound chicken, and for the first time in his life, he felt like he was a part of a community. Imagine that.

"Is there any music around here Mr. Rickman?" The Phelps twins asked in unison.

"Absolutely," Alan answered, crossing the room to the gramophone. Several people partnered up in the center of the room, waiting for the music to begin, but when the soft waltz tune filled the air, heads turned toward him in confusion. [The party requires just casual wear since Jasmine didn't want an extravagant one, ball gowns and such].

"It's called a waltz," he said, and they nodded in unison as they looked at him as if he were from another planet. So much for community.

"It's really very simple." He searched the room for the perfect partner. "Jassy?" he said, reaching his hand toward her. "Would you help me show everyone the waltz?"

She blushed prettily/ "I'm really not very good at it."

"Nonsense. You're perfect." He hadn't intended that to come out the way it did, but who could argue with the truth?

She stepped into his arms as the crowd cleared the center of the room. "Just follow my lead," he whispered, stepping into the music and out of reality.

Around the room they twirled, as the music take them away. Her cheeks flushed from the heat and excitement, her tenuous glances to his eyes causing his heart to skip. The soft scent of vanilla drifted from her, and it took all his willpower not to bury his face into her hair and inhale her essence.

Her hand on his shoulder seared through his jacket, and he remembered the feel of her fingers as she'd held his head against her breasts. His body responded for the thousandth time that evening, forcing him to drag his brain back to the present and away from its imaginings.

Then she looked up at him.

Her lips parted as her breathing picked up from the dance or maybe from his nervousness. He could only hope. But as his gaze slid down the column of her throat to the valley rising and falling between her breasts, his step faltered.

She looked away with embarrassment and quit dancing. It was only then that he realized the music had stopped. A lone clap marked the beginning of a weak round of applause and a murmured response or two about the dance, jolting him back to the realization there were others in the room. Many others, and they were as embarrassed as he was. Should he say something?

He stepped back and bowed to Jasmine, trying to think of a way to salvage the situation, when suddenly Benedict Cumberbatch out of nowhere pulled a vinyl from who knows where and started an upbeat 80's song, everyone joyfully entered the dance floor.

"You owe me one." The promising actor whispered to him. Nodding, Alan chose not to attempt to speak.

"Alan," he could never mistake that voice either his tone.

"David," he said, acknowledging the other.

"I believe there's something you need to tell us."

Author's NOTE:

That's a wrap! You knew very well what comes next. Problems after problems I am deciding if I'll end this abruptly or you know make it a little bit longer, motivation and my muse is hard to come by these days but I am hoping you can continue to support me until the end. I thank you for patiently waiting for my updates and I am very sorry it took a long while. I pray that this covid-19 virus will come to its end and I hope all of you are safe...

Stay healthy and don't forget to READ, VOTE, COMMENT {I love reading my readers' comments it gives me happy pill =) } AND SPREAD THIS FANFIC to our fellow RICKMANIACS out there.

See you next update!

A simple gif from Benedict and I ^^,