#TELL ME WHY I WAS ACTUALLY BLUSHING AND GIGGLY LOOKING AT THE CAST ANNOUNCEMENT AND MY FRIEND NOTICED

[kashmirichaiwithmehr]

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[artificialqueens]

Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor (14/14) (Branjie) (and background everyone) - Ortega

a/n: WAAH the end is here!! thank u to everyone who’s ever liked, reblogged or commented on this, it means the world!! hope u enjoy the final chapter! it’s finale time babeyyy

fic summary: Strictly Come Dancing enters its 18th series and its producers, after being goaded by a rival dance show on its inclusivity, commission it to be an all-female cast. Unlike Akeria who’s just here to bone her potential dance partner, dancer Vanessa is ready to act like a professional.

And then TV presenter Brooke Lynn walks into the rehearsal room.

*****

12th December, 2020

The glitterball is casting a thousand mirrors onto the dancefloor and the bodies of the girls around her as Vanessa moves gracefully across the ballroom, twirl, twirl, twirl, STOP, kick-and-kick, kick-and-kick. She feels like a little clockwork doll as she completes each move perfectly in sync with Crystal and Courtney beside her, and with all the lights beaming down on her and the knowledge she’s got her girlfriend out there watching her it’s as if she’s made of a million diamonds.

“All these bad times I’m goin’ through, just dance…got canned heat in my heels tonight baby…”

On the last beat she freezes back to back against Phi Phi on her other side, and as the pros all hold their positions the celebrities in the audience cheer and screech and clap loudly for them. Vanessa supposes it’s weird to still be calling them the celebrities; they’re part of the huge big Strictly family now, and it’s so sad that in a matter of hours the whole experience will be over for another year and they’ll have to say goodbye to each other. Well. In theory they will, but for the endless amount of them who seem to have struck up relationships over the course of the show not much will probably change.

Melting out of their poses, the dancers all laugh, hug and hi-five each other, glad they managed to do so well in the dress rehearsal. As they all walk back over to the seats in the audience Vanessa sees Brooke’s bright smile and twinkling eyes as she puts her hands together in a series of tiny little claps just for her.

“You were so good out there! Well done,” she gasps encouragingly, holding her arms out to her for a hug which Vanessa gladly accepts.

It’s crazy how Brooke’s arms have become such a familiar and comforting place for Vanessa, and the feeling of her girlfriend all warm and soft around her makes her feel like her stomach’s full of butterflies. As the hug breaks, Vanessa tilts her chin up to kiss Brooke once, twice, three times, the pair of them smiling at each other all goofy and dumb and happy. They never really announced their relationship to the other pros (apart from to Monique and Akeria, of course, who received a number of loud voicenotes from Vanessa in the Uber back from Brooke’s the morning after she’d stayed over). To their credit, the other girls have barely batted an eye to the occasional coupled-up displays on show; apart from Crystal squealing and gushing about how cute they are and Jan giving Vanessa a sneaky wink and mouthing a told you so.

Vanessa doesn’t mind, though. Being with Brooke feels like being on a boat in a harbour; calm, anchored, safe. They’ve only really been girlfriends for a week but in Vanessa’s eyes it feels like a lot longer. If she’s been worried about not seeing Brooke after they were kicked out of the competition then Brooke has done everything she can to assuage those fears. On Tuesday they went for late-night drinks at a quiet bar in the middle of buttfuck nowhere to make extra sure there would be no press lingering about. On Wednesday Vanessa had picked Brooke up from filming and Brooke had introduced her to her co-presenter Nina, who’d gasped and hugged her and said she’d heard so much about her (which in turn made Brooke blush, to Vanessa’s delight). And on Friday Vanessa had stayed at Brooke’s again ahead of their busy day today, and they’d made cookies together and taken them in for everyone to snack on during the dress run. It all feels like paradise, the best kind of dream that Vanessa wants to stay in forever.

“I don’t think I’ll ever stop bragging about how my girlfriend is the best pro dancer on the whole show,” Brooke says proudly, Vanessa going all giggly and flattered in her arms. Just then, Jackie leans forward from the row of seats behind them.

“Aw, don’t tell me you and Jan have been having an affair?!” she teases lazily, and Brooke makes a childish face at her as she sits down on her own seat, dragging Vanessa with her onto her lap.

“I said best pro dancer, not best crier,” Brooke deadpans, then flinches and gives a cry as she’s hit on the back of the head with an empty plastic water bottle. As Vanessa howls with laughter, she turns around to see who the culprit is- an incredibly unamused Jan.

“Hey, you two cried when you left too!”

“Only cried because I thought I’d never get to grind against Brooke again,” Vanessa jokes, getting a laugh from the two girls behind her and a long-suffering glare from Brooke. As if to punctuate her point Vanessa wiggles a little in her lap, and the glare turns challenging with a minute raise of Brooke’s eyebrows. If Vanessa has anything to do with it she’ll be paying for that later. She can’t wait.

“Are we talking about grinding against our girls?” Crystal asks inquisitively from a few seats along. “Gigi’s impossible. Her hipbones are like razor blades.”

“Hey, I’m not that skinny!” Gigi objects from beside her, Crystal placating her by taking her hand and kissing it as the other girls laugh. Vanessa’s not sure when those two actually got their shit together, but she’s glad they did. She knows how much Crystal had been crushing on Gigi, and she’s happy that another set of girls get to be happy too.

“You done with your fitting then, Crys?” Vanessa asks. She knows all the finalists got called to wardrobe straight after their rehearsal, and it still looks as if Akeria and Monique aren’t done yet.

“Yeah. The skirt is so long, though, God knows how I’m gonna dance in it.”

“How’re you feeling, Gigi?” Jan asks politely, the finalist going vaguely green beside her partner.

“Like I drank a bucket of cold sick.”

“How poetic,” Crystal rolls her eyes. “You’ll be fine! Better than fine. You’ll be amazing. You’ve got me!”

“That’s the part I’m worried about,” Gigi deadpans, and as the girls roar with laughter Vanessa catches Gigi reassuring Crystal that she was only kidding, kissing her cheek for good measure.

Vanessa cranes her neck, searching the studio. When her eyes don’t fall on the people she’s looking for, she turns to Gigi and Crystal again. “Hey, you know if Kiki and Monique are done yet?”

“Nah. Still there,” Gigi says, sipping from her water bottle on one hand with her other still curled round Crystal’s.

“Right. I’m gonna go wish ‘em good luck in case I don’t see them before the show,” Vanessa says decisively, making to stand up. Brooke pulls her back into her lap, fixing her with a pout and a kissy face.

“Needy,” Vanessa teases, before pressing three little kisses to her lips that the other girls either simper, fake-vomit or wolf-whistle at.

It’s not hard to find Akeria and Monique; they’re both still in wardrobe with their partners, although Monique looks as if she is done and Akeria is dressed in her showdance dress, a riot of silver and gold sequined fringing. Asia’s is matching, and they both look like identical twins as they’re prodded with pins and needles and measured with lengths of tape.

“Wow, you two look stunnin’,” Vanessa says by way of a greeting, to which Akeria’s face lights up in delight.

“Hey boo!” she beams, holding her arms out for a hug and then forgetting she’s practically rendered immobile for the time being.

Monique greets her too, but she’s muted and quiet as she sits on the small sofa beside Monet. She looks nervous. It’s rare that Monique gets nervous. In all the time Vanessa’s known her and all the contests they’ve competed in together, she has hardly ever seen Monique look anything other than 100% sure of herself.

“How you all feelin’?” Vanessa asks, laughing as Asia sticks her tongue between her teeth and makes a noise like a big wet fart.

“Nervous as hell. I’m just gonna go out there and have a good time, though. If we win, we win, and if we don’t, well…the public have no taste.”

Akeria points at her in approval and agreement, and Vanessa’s gaze turns to Monet.

“I’m just excited! I’m not ready for the whole thing to be over. Think I’m just gonna go out an’ have fun, like Asia. But I’ve not been able to get a word out of this one all day,” she gently nudges Monique with her knee, threads her arm around her waist. “And y’know, usually I’d be overjoyed about getting a bit of peace, but it’s unnerving. I think she’s more nervous than I am.”

Monique looks up at Monet with a small smile, but her brow’s still furrowed in worry.

“I just don’t wanna let you down. You work so hard every damn day an’ you deserve the win so much. I mean what if I do fuck somethin’ up? Forget a step or do somethin’ wrong?”

“Monique,” Vanessa interjects, her lip curling in disbelief. “You are a literal dance champion. You have three trophy cabinets at your family home- don’t deny it, I’ve seen ‘em. You’re a professional dancer, for Christ’s sake! Why are you so nervous about this in particular?”

“Because she wants to win it for her boo,” Akiera raises her eyebrows at the pair of them on the sofa, and Vanessa doesn’t miss the way Monique grows all bashful and Monet develops a slightly smug smile.

“That ain’t it at all! It’s just…it’s my first final, and yeah I’m nervous, and not gonna lie, I wanna win. And…” Monique trails off as she looks at Monet. “…okay, I kind of am putting myself under more pressure because it’s you.”

Vanessa and Akeria cast each other a knowing glance, one that lets Akeria communicate to her just how correct she was.

“Babe,” Monet chuckles, pulling Monique closer. “I got six Brit awards, two MOBOs, two number ones an’ a top five album. Winning tonight would be nice, but…there’s more important things to me, like the pair of us havin’ fun together. Besides. I already won when I got partnered with you, so.”

Monet tails off, a little embarrassed at how soppy she’s got in front of the others, but Vanessa thinks it’s worth it when she sees how Monique lights up at her words.

“Go on, kiss her. It’ll make Akeria sick, an’ that’s funny,” Vanessa teases, and as Akeria rolls her eyes at her Monique peppers Monet’s face with grateful kisses.

“Now listen,” Vanessa speaks again, her tone sincere as she steps forwards and takes her friend’s hands. “If I don’t see you both before the final…go get that glitterball, okay? Do it for all three of us, we said one of us would take it. Have fun, do your best. But whatever happens, I’m so proud of you both.”

“Shut up. You’re gonna make me cry,” Akeria says stoically, but Vanessa knows there’s love behind it.

“Love you, V,” Monique smiles tearfully, untangling herself from Monet’s arms and moving to hug her.

“Fuck it,” Akeria shrugs, gingerly putting her arms around the pair of her friends.

Vanessa hopes she’s conveying with her hug just how much she loves her sisters, how desperately proud of them she is and how much luck she’s wishing them both. It’s so crazy for her to think about the three of them, in their late teens with their hair scraped back into tight buns and too much makeup on their face, meeting for the first time at the tower ballroom all those years ago. Now Akeria and Monique are in the final, and Vanessa gets to watch them.

She can’t quite believe this is her life.

In the green room all the other girls are chatting excitedly, happy they’re not under any pressures tonight other than to do the group dances well, have fun, and cheer loudly for their friends. Some of the girls are doing some last-minute touch-ups at the mirrors and some have spilled out onto the floor, surrounded by boxes of pizza that remind Vanessa of how hungry she is and make her stomach rumble. Her eyes eventually land on Brooke, tucked up in a corner eating a slice of pepperoni and busy scrolling her phone which is plugged into the wall. She’s wearing one of the dressing gowns that production provides them with, clearly too cold in her opening dance outfit. The sight makes Vanessa’s heart melt a little bit and she crosses the room to meet her.

“Hey! Woah, watch!” Brooke laughs, as Vanessa wraps her whole body around her- arms around Brooke’s head, thighs around her waist- and clings to her like a koala. “You’ll get pizza grease on your dress and then costume will shout at you.”

“You looked cold,” Vanessa mutters against her hair, by way of explanation.

It’s too late when she notices Brooke editing the photo for her Instagram story- Vanessa’s head resting on top of hers and Brooke pulling a silly face for the selfie.

Sleepy baby ahead of the finale, Brooke types, and Vanessa’s heart grows all warm.

“That’s gonna raise some suspicion, y’know,” Vanessa smirks, tapping her nail against the word baby as she releases her girlfriend from the full-body hug and settles herself down beside her.

“What? You are a sleepy baby. It’s just a fact,” Brooke shrugs, making Vanessa laugh. Brooke’s reaction makes her consider something.

“Hey, d’you think we should wait til we’re asked about us to say that we’re together? Y’know, in like, an interview? Or should we make like…an announcement?” she asks her, Brooke snorting at her last sentence.

“An announcement! We’re not the royal family, baby, let’s chill,” she taps her on the nose, and Vanessa huffs beside her.

“Well! Our fans might still want to know. I don’t know if you’ve looked at either of our comment sections lately, but they’re both full of kids wanting to know if there’s anything going on between us.”

“I think wait to be asked,” Brooke shrugs, to which Vanessa raises her eyebrows at her.

“We already got asked! And we denied there was anything at all going on!” she laughs, thinking back to their It Takes Two elimination interview where Cheryl had grilled them on their relationship status, and they’d had to smile and laugh and say they were just friends.

(Although the way Brooke had pushed her up against the wall backstage to kiss her afterwards, unable to keep her hands off her, begged to differ.)

“Well, they’ll ask again! I’ll be mad if they don’t,” Brooke huffs, making Vanessa giggle all the more.

There’s a lull in the conversation where Brooke leans over to her side, hands Vanessa a pizza box with three slices of pepperoni inside it. “Saved you some. I knew these vultures would be ruthless. I think Willam’s had five slices already, fuck knows how she’s going to dance.”

Vanessa laughs out a thank you, taking a slice that’s gone from hot to warm but biting into it regardless. As Brooke nibbles on her crust and the pair of them chew contentedly, Vanessa nudges Brooke’s calf with her foot.

“What’re you doin’ this week? I wanna see you.”

Brooke tilts her head in thought. “I’ve got Wednesday off filming. Other than that I’m free most afternoons and…Friday night.”

Vanessa pouts. “So I can’t stay over Tuesday?”

“I’ll get back from filming at, like, nine. But you can stay over, of course you can! You might need to make dinner, though. Ooh, or we could get Chinese?”

It makes Vanessa feel all excited and tingly, the fact that she and Brooke get to do this. Plan their week together and what they want to do; endless little futures, dreams becoming real. Each time Vanessa spends time with her girlfriend she swears she’s one step closer to telling her exactly how she feels about her, words she’s not said properly in quite a while. It’s a scary feeling, but an exciting one, like being on a rollercoaster or doing a bungee jump.

Brooke sees the dopey smile on her face and laughs. “What?”

“I’m just happy we get to do this. Just be together an’ do coupley shit. Never thought I’d be able to do all this again with someone,” she smiles shyly, and her words make Brooke lean in and kiss her forehead. Vanessa suddenly remembers something and flinches. “Pizza grease lips!”

“Oh, relax. They’ll stick some foundation on it and you’ll be fine,” Brooke pouts, cuddling her closer. “Hey, when do you fly back home for Christmas?”

“20th. You?”

“21st,” Brooke says, then sighs and takes Vanessa’s hand. “Will it give you the ick if I say I’m going to miss you? Like, a lot?”

“Shut up, not at all!” Vanessa tips her head back to laugh, incredulous. She brings Brooke’s hand up and kisses it three times in quick succession. “I’m gonna miss you too. But hey, when we get back we’ll have rehearsals an’ then the tour. It’ll be almost like we’re back doin’ the show!”

Brooke perks up beside her, and Vanessa uses the small pause in conversation to take another bite of her pizza, being ever-so-careful not to have it touch her lipstick.

“Where’re you most excited for?”

Vanessa looks back at Brooke and blinks, her train of thought lost. “What?”

“On the tour. Where are you looking forward to the most?” Brooke asks again patiently. Vanessa thinks, then raises her eyebrows as she decides.

“Belfast is nice. Good places to eat, good nights out. An’ the river is so gorge when it’s night and all the buildings around it are lit up.”

Brooke waggles her eyebrows. “You’re going to be taking me on some romantic midnight walks, then?”

Vanessa laughs, winks at her. “If you’re lucky. What about you, boo, where you excited for?”

Brooke tilts her head in thought. “Aberdeen interests me.”

Vanessa can’t help the laugh she splutters out. “Oh, baby. Aberdeen is dead, there’s fuckin’…nothin’ there. If we’re talkin’ Scotland then Glasgow is the best. They know how to party in Glasgow. I remember the first year we did the tour me an’ a few of the other girls had a night out there. Well Lord Jesus if it wasn’t the most chaotic night out we ever had. It was like a renaissance paintin’ or some shit. Kiki an’ Monique were just standin’ there open-mouthed at everything but me an’ Crystal were lovin’ it. Reminded us of nights out back home but on steroids.”

Brooke laughs, hums as something occurs to her mid-pizza slice. “Newcastle, though. That’s a good night out.”

“Y’know what we need to prioritise? Cute date venues. That’s what we can do while we’re both away! Make a list of all the cities on the tour an’ look up good places to eat an’ things to do,” Vanessa says enthusiastically, watches Brooke’s face light up in response. It makes Vanessa’s heart happy to know that Brooke’s as invested in the pair of them as she is, the concept of them being them.

The pair of them spend the time leading up to the finale chatting excitedly with the other girls, singing loudly along to the songs playing through the speakers with the other, and finishing off the pizza. Vanessa thinks it’s interesting seeing how all the different new couples behave. Vixen and Blair are low-key and subtle; a squeeze of each others’ hand here, a shared look of affection there. In contrast, Jan and Jackie can’t help but kiss each other on the cheek every few minutes or so, vocal and proud of each other and wanting all the other girls to know it. Willam and Courtney’s budding relationship seems to be built on Willam gently bullying Courtney, and Yvie and Scarlet’s built on Yvie laughing at things Scarlet does, even if she doesn’t mean to be funny. Gigi and Crystal are shy and still a little nervous and Jackie thinks it’s funny to call them out on it every so often and make them blush furiously. Monique is bashful and secretive and Monet is loud and public, clearly wanting everyone to know how loved-up she is.

It’s funny the way that a simple dancing competition has brought so many different girls from so many different walks of life together, who might not ever have met otherwise but now have the chance to build a future with each other. It’s nice, Vanessa thinks, as she puts her arm around her own future that’s sitting beside her, howling at a joke Yvie’s made.

Soon enough, the girls are all called through to assemble on the ballroom floor. Vanessa slips her hand into Brooke’s as they make their way through the corridors that are hidden from view with huge black drapes, her heart pounding in anticipation. It’s a bittersweet feeling; the last time she and Brooke are going to be dancing together on the ballroom floor, the last time she’s going to be dancing with the other pros for a while at least. But she wants to make it count, and she wants to be the best she can be, so she tips the scales in her mind to the more positive side, squeezes Brooke’s hand and kisses her on the cheek as they wait to be told to assemble.

“So proud of you,” Brooke murmurs against her hair, having not quite pulled away yet.

“So proud of us,” Vanessa corrects her, squeezing her waist. She wants to say it, she wants to just say I love you like it’s the most simple thing in the world.

Not yet.

When they all dance together for the last time and the audience claps and cheers, Vanessa’s heart feels full and lit up. She’s happy, and she’s no longer carrying the burden of what-happened-last-year around with her. She feels as if she’s walking on air as she makes her way up to the Divinatorium with Brooke’s arm around her shoulders, ready to watch her friends all dance their hearts out for a chance at the glitterball.

The finalists had to prepare three dances: their favourite of the ones they’d performed all season, the judges’ pick, and a showdance. The couples’ pick is up first, and Vanessa watches with interest at each of their choices. She smirks up at Brooke as Monet and Monique perform their Waltz to I Have Nothing again, explaining to her that their first kiss had been when they’d rehearsed for it. It’s still beautiful and mesmerising though, just as it had been the first time around, and when they get a perfect score of 40 Vanessa swears she’s the loudest member of the audience there is.

Akeria and Asia are next, and they’ve picked their Argentine Tango from Musicals week. Their reasoning is clever, Vanessa thinks; it was a semi-recent performance so it’s still fresh in their minds, and it was the one they performed in the dance-off so they have the opportunity to redeem themselves for the judges. When they’re scored 38, Vanessa’s heart bursts with pride.

The last couple to perform their first dance are Gigi and Crystal, who’ve chosen their movie week dance to Licence to Kill. Vanessa smiles as she watches the pair of them, remembering how Crystal had told her how gorgeous she’d thought Gigi looked in her Rhumba dress. Watching the pair of them dance now it’s filled with so much more passion and heat, and Vanessa will eat her own hands if they don’t score 40. They end up receiving 39 thanks to Bianca and her stubborn scoring, but Vanessa’s proud of them anyway.

“What would we have chosen if we’d made it this far?” Brooke asks Vanessa, as there’s a break to allow some guest performer to showcase their new single. Vanessa doesn’t even have to think twice.

“Argentine for sure. Wait no- maybe the Salsa.”

“You just want an excuse to do sexy dances with me again, then?” Brooke pokes her tongue out, murmuring quietly. Vanessa gives her girlfriend’s butt a squeeze in response and has to clap a hand over her mouth to stop herself laughing as Brooke lets out a squeak right in the middle of the performance.

“I’d do our Commercial. I never got to do it with you the first time around,” Brooke says, after she’s calmed down. Vanessa raises her eyebrows and nods in approval, liking the idea. Maybe they could do one of each on tour.

The evening soon progresses to the judges’ choice dances. For Crystal and Gigi, they’ve chosen their week one Samba- a choice that, Vanessa is sure, the girls will be cursing them for as it’ll have required a lot of re-learning. However they still perform it well, and they earn a 38. Monique and Monet perform their Jive, and as Vanessa watches it she becomes all excited for her friend, because it’s shaping up to be one of the most iconic dances in the show’s history. They receive 39, another amazing score. Akeria and Asia perform last- their Commercial, which Vanessa is pleased about. Commercial is easy and almost guarantees a good score. Sure enough, the judges give them 40, and Vanessa practically leaps on her friend when she’s finished with her interview.

After a pro dance, the final dances of the evening- the last attempt to win some votes- are the showdances, designed and choreographed to be a showcase of all the celebrities have learned over the course of the competition. Vanessa’s excited- she hasn’t seen any of the girls’ rehearsals and she’s deliberately not looked at the songs they’ve chosen, and so she’s going into the dances blind.

She clasps Brooke’s hand excitedly as she watches Akeria and Asia go first, the fringing to their dresses Vanessa had seen them be fitted for earlier making her realise it’ll have elements of a Charleston. The opening chords of I Got Rhythm blast out into the studio, and the girls immediately throw themselves into their dance. Vanessa watches it all with delight, so relieved and happy at how well the two girls are doing. When it gets another score of 39, Vanessa screeches so loudly that Aja gives her a glare, deafened from her position on the other side of her.

Gigi and Crystal are next, and their matching pink dresses are perfect for their dance to Sparkling Diamonds. They hit every beat effortlessly, and it’s clear that they’ve both put everything into rehearsals as the dance is executed perfectly. They are scored 39 too, and Vanessa bounces on her toes impatiently, a little irked. The judges are handing out the perfect scores sparingly tonight, and Vanessa badly wants Monet and Monique to get another.

When the last couple take to the dancefloor underneath a giant halo of fairy lights, Vanessa gasps. Monet’s hair is loose and curled down her back and Monique’s is matching, a little sparkling silver butterfly clip pinning some of it back from her face. They’re in long white dresses of taffeta and lace, dotted with sparkling silver diamantes and sequins, and they’re barefoot, indicating a contemporary theme. Vanessa’s heartened by how stunning they look.

And, as the piano begins playing, Vanessa hears Brooke let out a little gasp beside her.

“Oh my God, this is going to be beautiful,” she whispers, and Vanessa nods excitedly in agreement.

As the singer begins, Monique and Monet start to move; slowly, gracefully, gently, like two little figures in a music box.

“I close my eyes and I can see, the world that’s waiting up for me…that I call my own…”

Vanessa is close to letting out a gasp herself as the two girls move across the ballroom floor with skill and agility, tumbling and twirling through the air. It’s not just how perfectly they’re executing the dance though. It’s the way Monique’s looking at Monet with adoration, it’s the way Monet smiles back at her, just happy to be dancing with the girl she cares about. It’s the way the dance is illustrative of what’s blooming between them- fragile, delicate and beautiful- and Vanessa wonders if Monique intentionally choreographed it that way.

“Every night I lie in bed, the brightest colours fill my head, a million dreams are keeping me awake…”

As the song reaches its climax and the pair of them run over to a huge circular platform, Vanessa lets go of Brooke’s hand and cups her face with both of her own, awed and stunned. Because carpeting the platform are shimmering circles of white and silver confetti, and as Monet and Monique conclude their dance, kick up and scatter it, it surrounds them like stars. Vanessa doesn’t know if it’s the music, or the choreography, or simply the connection between the two girls, but she finds her eyes beginning to fill with tears, so much so that Brooke notices and pulls her in close for a hug. They watch the dance finish with their arms around each other, and that’s how the girls end too; Monet’s arms anchoring Monique tightly and Monique’s wrapped around Monet’s waist.

The judges are crying, and, to Vanessa’s unbridled delight, the girls are given full marks for their showdance.

As Vanessa gives her friend a quick hug before they have to go back on stage for the winner to be announced, she whispers to Monique.

“That dance just won you the competition, baby. Well done.”

Monique pulls away and makes a face. “C’mon, Vanj, we don’t know that for sure.”

But Vanessa does. So after the VT is shown of the recap of the full season and Michelle announces that the votes are closed, Vanessa holds her breath. From her position at the bannister she can see Crystal and Gigi, Monet and Monique, and Akeria and Asia, all of them standing within about two metres of the glitterball trophy and within touching distance of being announced the winners. Vanessa would love it to be any of the girls, but she’s sure of who is going to take the trophy. The lights go down, the audience holds their breath, and Brooke clings tightly to Vanessa from behind.

“Crystal and Gigi…” Michelle begins, her voice full of suspense and anticipation. “…Akeria and Asia…Monet and Monique. The votes have been counted and independently verified, and I can now reveal that the Strictly Come Dancing champions of 2020 are…”

Drum beat. Drum beat. Drum beat. Vanessa is holding her breath so much she feels as though she could be sick. She can feel Brooke’s heart beat through her chest against her back, and Vanessa feels as if her whole body is shaking as she looks down at the girls. Crystal has her arm around Gigi as the other girl looks to the ceiling, taking deep breaths. Akeria’s holding Asia’s hand, both of them looking to the floor nervously. And Monique is tucked in to Monet’s side, their arms wrapped around each other and both of their eyes squeezed tightly shut.

Drum beat. Drum beat. Drum beat.

“MONET AND MONIQUE!”

Vanessa immediately flinches against Brooke, almost knocking her out as she launches herself roughly ten feet in the air and screams so loud she feels as if her vocal cords will snap. When she begins crying it’s as if a massive bank has burst, the relief and the pride and the love she feels for her friend so overwhelming and euphoric.

Monique is doubled over in shock, sobbing as she launches herself away from Monet, and Monet, for her part, is simply screaming “WHAT?” over and over again. The two other pairs are laughing and beaming as they cheer for the winners and Akeria is jumping up and down, clapping so hard Vanessa’s worried about the skin on her palms.

Michelle ushers the winning girls over, and Vanessa melts against Brooke with bliss as her girlfriend presses a kiss to her temple. The win is as much for the three friends as well as Monique and Monet themselves, and Vanessa wants nothing more than to throw herself off the balcony and run to Monique and Akeria, to crush them both in a hug and never let go. But Monet is being interviewed, her arm tight around Monique’s waist as she’s asked how it feels to win.

“I still don’t believe it!!” she cries, her face a picture of disbelief as she looks at Monique with incredulity. “It feels absolutely crazy, crazy and surreal, I mean the fact that we won in amongst all this talent…I never expected it, not one bit. But you know…I should’ve expected it, I should, because I have the best teacher, the absolute best teacher and friend and straight-up best person I could’ve asked for to share this experience with, and she deserves this win so much, I just…I mean, you know how I feel about you, babe, so I’m just gonna shut up.”

The audience cheers as Monet pulls Monique in for a hug, and Vanessa can see Monique’s frame shaking as she sobs against Monet’s chest. Vanessa knows how unlucky Monique’s been with her previous partners, she knows how much she’s wanted this for so long. Michelle is smiling as she gestures to Monique.

“Monique, what would you like to say to Monet, to the girl that got you the glitterball?”

Monique pulls out of the hug, takes a few deep breaths to compose herself and breaks out into a coy smile as she looks at Monet, a little twinkle in both their eyes.

“What would I like to say to Monet…many, many things, so many things…I mean, first up, thank you, Lord, thank you for bein’ the best student, for giving your everything every single damn week, for…” Monique gestures to the trophy. “…for this…but also for bein’ the best person to share this whole crazy journey with, and it has been crazy, it’s been crazier than I ever imagined, but I’m so grateful for it all.”

Vanessa can feel the tears stream down her face as she watches Michelle rest a hand on the glitterball trophy. “Well, Monique and Monet, it gives me great pleasure to present you with this trophy, and to officially announce you…Strictly Come Dancing champions!”

The audience cheers in anticipation of the two girls lifting the trophy, but there’s a little pause as Vanessa watches Monet turn to Monique, whisper something into her ear with a little questioning look to her gaze. Monique looks to the floor bashfully, then bites back a smile as she gives a little nod. It’s when that happens that Monet turns to Michelle again, her hand on the trophy.

“Actually, Michelle, can I say somethin’ else before we lift this up?” Monet asks, and Michelle smiles indulgently.

“Make it quick, girl, we’ve got two minutes of screen time left.”

“Okay. I also just quickly wanted to say thank you so much to everyone involved who commissioned this series…it has been an absolute triumph, to see and to work alongside twenty three other women who’ve all proved their talents and who’ve all proved that same-sex pairings can work, and that the world doesn’t implode if you let two girls dance with each other…and I hope future series are going to reflect this too. And finally…” Monet smirks, curling her fingers around the trophy as Monique’s hand rests on top of hers and joins it. “…it wouldn’t be my career without me doing or saying something controversial, so why change the habit of a lifetime? THIS ONE’S FOR THE LESBIANS!”

With that, Monet and Monique lift the trophy in the air, the pyrotechnics go off in the background, and the two girls crash their lips together in a kiss that’s instantly broadcast to roughly nine million people. The audience is almost cheering the roof off the studio, Brooke is punching the air, and Vanessa screeches so loud and for so long that she’s momentarily worried for her lungs. Michelle smiles wryly as she concludes the show and the competition for another year, and the girls in the Divinatorium are given the green light to flood the ballroom floor, descending on the winners and the runners-up and showering them in hugs, kisses, and congratulations. And, just as she’d wanted, Vanessa sweeps Akeria and Monique into a tight hug, the three of them teary and euphoric, happy they’d done what they set out to do from the start.

Vanessa supposes she doesn’t need any alcohol at the afterparty given how completely drunk off Monique’s success she feels already, but she ends up being three glasses of celebratory champagne in anyway. It would be rude not to, and she’s never one to turn down free alcohol, but judging by the way the other girls are swaying around the hotel function room, she’s not holding up too badly in comparison. Blair has already been dispatched back to her flat in an Uber, Vixen’s coat thrown over her head to prevent any of the paparazzi getting any less than desirable photos. The Strictly afterparties are always riotous, and adding Willam into the mix doesn’t help matters either. So when Brooke taks Vanessa’s hand and tugs her in the direction of the fire exit to grab some fresh air, Vanessa is happy to follow and get a small break, some peace and quiet.

It’s nearing half past midnight and the street outside is becoming coated in a thin sheen of frost, one that makes the pavement sparkle under the yellow halo glow of the streetlamps. The paps have all scuttled back into the sewers from whence they came, already satisfied with the shots they got of Gigi and Crystal leaving hand-in-hand which are sure to get tongues wagging tomorrow. All is still, calm and quiet to the extent where Vanessa feels as if she’s experiencing some form of ambiguous space and time. If it’s cold outside, she doesn’t feel it.

“So? How’re you likin’ your first Strictly aftershow party?” Vanessa asks Brooke, punctuating her question with an ever-so-slightly tipsy wink. Brooke giggles as she leans against the brick wall, hissing a little at the cold.

“I don’t think I’m going to survive til the end,” she laughs. “Although Jackie keeps feeding me pints of water against my will, so it doesn’t even feel like I’ve had any alcohol despite the fact I’m making it my mission to drink the BBC out of house and home.”

“You’re too sensible,” Vanessa pouts, circling her arms around Brooke’s waist and squashing her cheek against her chest. After a moment to think, she chuckles. “Wonder how many Ofcom complaints Monet’s gonna get for that kiss.”

“Thousands. And good for her. Now everyone’s going to be talking about their win for years to come. That was a smart move,” Brooke nods appreciatively. “Guess those two will be girlfriends within the next twenty-four hours then.”

“Oh, for sure. It’s so clear that Monet’s head over heels in love with her,” Vanessa smiles, then her face drops as her heart siezes up.

It could be the night, it could be the champagne, it could be the way everything around them is sparkling, but Vanessa pulls her head up from Brooke’s chest, smiles as she looks her in the eye. There’s just one thing left to make the night as perfect as it could possibly be.

“What?” Brooke giggles a little, her gaze soft as she tucks a lock of hair behind Vanessa’s ear. “Why are you just staring at me? I know I’m pretty, but it’s rude to stare. Unless you want to take me back to yours. Then you can stare at me all you want. Preferably without any clothes on.”

“Brooke Lynn, shut up,” Vanessa laughs gently. Her heart is beating so fast in her throat that she feels as if it might crawl up and choke her, and every second she gets closer to admitting things she feels as if she’s about to pass out. But she takes a deep breath, squeezes Brooke tighter because if she does then Vanessa knows she won’t run away.

“I think I’m falling in love with you.”

Brooke’s jaw goes a little slack, in disbelief for a second before a smile slowly spreads onto her face. Vanessa can’t tell what that means, so she continues to babble on. “I promise it’s not because I’ve had a drink. I mean it. I really love you, and I know that’s a lot and you don’t have to say it back.”

“Vanessa,” Brooke brings a hand up to cup her jaw, which she immediately nuzzles into. “Me too.”

The validation makes Vanessa’s smile hurt her face. Brooke loves her. Brooke is in love with her. It’s an unspoken promise that they’re about to embark on a crazy but amazing journey together, one that Vanessa never wants to end, and she feels her heart ever-so-slightly break with how much and how intensely she loves her girlfriend.

“I love you,” Brooke says, through a nervous, excited giggle.

“I love you too,” Vanessa smiles back at her.

She tilts her head down to kiss her, their lips meeting urgently but their kiss slow, as if to match the kind of purgatory they’ve found themselves existing in. But it’s not, because kissing Brooke is like a heaven that Vanessa’s only ever dreamt of, and it’s real. She leans against her, both their bodies steadied by Brooke’s back against the wall, and when she pulls away she keeps their foreheads pressed together as if she’s not quite ready for their perfect moment to end.

It’s only in that second when Vanessa blinks that a bright flash clouds her vision and the sound of a shutter echoes from across the street. Her head snaps to the other side of the road and she’s met with the figure of a tall man, a brown bag slung over his shoulder which Vanessa instantly recognises as one which holds varying pieces of photographer’s equipment. He struggles under the weight of his long-lens camera before scurrying away out of sight.

When Vanessa turns back to look at Brooke, the pair of them splutter out a resigned laugh at the same time.

“Well. Guess that solves the problem of how we reveal our relationship to the world,” Brooke smirks. Her expression quickly changes into one of concern, and she takes one of Vanessa’s hands in hers. “Hey. You okay?”

Even a thousand camera flashes couldn’t stop how happy Vanessa feels. “I’m amazing.”

Brooke raises an eyebrow at her, as if to check. “Sure? Not bothered by the incriminating photos of us smooching in the street?”

Vanessa laughs, locking her fingers around Brooke’s knuckles. “We can deal with that tomorrow.”

Brooke’s expression relaxes and as it does, Vanessa leans against her and raises a suggestive eyebrow.

“Although maybe the poor guy needs a better shot. Maybe…” she smirks cheekily, tilting her face close to her girlfriend’s. “…we should keep kissing some more.”

And as Vanessa meets Brooke’s lips once again, she finds herself not caring about cameras, paparazzi, the newspapers or the media or the opinions of anyone else.

All she cares about is Brooke Lynn and the future they’ve got together, and all of that is worth a million glitterball trophies to her.

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

Colin O’Donoghue--OUAT Chicago 6/11/17

Colin O’Donoghue Q&A Panel

Note:  I had some issues with my recordings of this particular panel.  I had to record the panel in 4 separate parts, because my voice recorder couldn’t handle any more than 17 minutes at a time.  A couple of the parts went missing.  I was able to fill in most of the missing segments after hunting through YouTube for videos to supplement what I had, but there are, I think, a couple of minutes I’m still missing.

Announcer:  Welcome Captain Hook himself, Mr. Colin O’Donoghue!

Colin:  Awesome!  A bit of Led Zepplin.  You can’t beat it.  Hello everyone!

Fan (from audience):  Hello, gorgeous.

Colin:  (looks around behind him)  Who you talking to?

Fan (from audience): You!

Colin:  Oh, thank you.  It’s a lot…it’s a lot of people.  Hello.  I guess I’m gonna start with the questions.

Fan: Hi, sorry. (giggles and cries)

Colin:  This is a good start.

Fan:  I’ve been waiting for this for a very long time.

Colin:  Hold on.  I’m going to come right over here.  (gives fan a hug)  Okay, you see she got to smell how bad I smell so then she can ask her question.

Fan:  So what was your most awkward scene to film with Jen?

Colin:  I just gave you a hug!  Um….probably the scene…oh, no!  Actually I know this!

Fan (from audience): Pancakes!

Colin:  I was gonna say that scene, but I’m not gonna say that scene now.  There’s a couple of awkward scenes, for definite, but I think the one where I knock myself out was pretty awkward because, well basically my stunt double had to do an awful lot of the stuff and he had to act it out, and then it was sort of like...  It wasn’t awkward for me; it was funny for me, because they had to sort of…cause I had to kiss her, he had to kiss her and it was just kind of a funny, awkward thing. Anyway.  All the scenes are great. But thank you for that question.

Fan:  If Hook hadn’t found Emma, what do you think his happy ending would have been?

Colin:  Oh!  I mean…you do know there’s another season coming up, so?  I don’t know.  I think probably if he hadn’t found Emma and hadn’t figured out a way of redeeming himself, then probably, I think probably killing Rumplestiltskin would have been his Happy Ending.  That’s what…he spent 200 years trying to figure out a way to kill him, so I think that’s probably it, I would think.

Fan:  Hi, what’s up?

Colin:  Not much.  You?

Fan:  I’m very excited right now.

Colin: Good.

Fan:  So, earlier you kind of peeked out of the back room with a ukulele.

Colin:  Yes I did.

Fan:  And I was kind of wondering if you could, like, play for us or sing us something.

Colin:  I don’t have a ukulele here.

Fan:  Would you sing us something?  You had to know this question would be asked, so…

Colin:  What do you want?

Crowd: (makes several suggestions)

Fan:  Your favorite song.

Colin:  Sing what?

Fan:  You’re favorite song.  Go with your favorite song?

Colin:  Revenge!  (He sings the first stanza while the crowd cheers wildly.)  Thank you. Thank you for letting me embarrass myself singing that on the Internet.

Fan:  Did you do musicals when you were in high school? If you did, what musical would you do now if given the chance?

Colin:  I clearly didn’t do musicals in high school, as I’m sure that you could tell.  Um…Les Miserables.

Fan:  Hi Colin.  How are you?

Colin:  I’m good, thanks.  How are you?

Fan:  Good.  So, with Jennifer leaving the show, what do you think the storyline for Hook will look like?

Colin:  Well, it will look a lot like me.

Fan:  Well that’s good, but what do you think you’ll end up as?

Colin:  Well I can’t…I can’t really give away anything, so… Did they tell me?  I might know a few bits and pieces, but I’m not gonna tell ya.  I’ll tell you one thing I would like to see.  I’d like to see what the relationship between Henry and Hook will be, because obviously he’s Henry’s step-father, and also kind of weirdly his step grandfather, as well.  Am I right?  That’s right, isn’t it?  Well that’s just plain weird.  Yeah, so I’m excited to see…to explore some of that I think.

Fan:  Hi Colin.  My question is given how many times Rumples’s fallen off the wagon; do you think Killian will make a point of looking out for Belle and Gideon going forward?

Colin:  Oh, that’s a good one.  I think so.  Hook and Belle have a new, sort of, friendship, which I think is really, really good, so I think he would look after Belle.  Gideon?  He tried to kill my wife!

Fan:  He’s a baby now; he doesn’t remember that.

Colin:  Oh yeah, he’s a baby now; I guess he would look out for him. Yeah, why not?

Fan:  I just ask because the scene at Granny’s in the finale, when Belle comes in with the baby, he’s all excited, yay, the baby’s here with Belle, and then Rumple comes in and his face sort of falls.  He’s still with Belle and the baby, I forgot.  

Colin:  Um, yes.  Look, Hook and Rumple…it’s complicated, you know what I mean?  Even though they’ve sort of…Hook just plain doesn’t like him, and that’s it.  So I think that that’s sort of, where that is, you know?

Fan:  Hi Colin.  First of all thanks for all the time you spent saying hi to everyone and signing everything, so thank you for that.  My question is, of all the things you signed today what was the most interesting, unusual?

Colin:  Oh, I signed the underparts of a dinosaur.  Whose dinosaur was that?  Whose T Rex was that?  Down there? (Girl holds her hand up.) They had me sign a very uh…very uh interesting place.  I don’t know if that’s because they don’t really like me that much.  I don’t know how often they’re gonna look there. Anyway, that was it.  Thank you.

Fan:  I had a photo-op with you earlier, and I was so nervous I couldn’t look at you, but I forgot.  I did mean to tell you I think you’re an amazing actor and I love you. My question, well earlier, at Karen David’s panel, she told us that someone should tell you that you’re a fancy pants, and she shared some stories about you, so I was wondering if you had any funny stories about her.

Colin:  I don’t have anything to say.

Fan [in crowd]  Panty dropper! [Note:  In Karen’s panel, she told us that she kids Colin about some of the hashtags about him on Twitter.  Her favorite to tease him with are Fancy pants and Panty dropper.  She told the crowd we should say those things to him and watch him turn red.]

Colin:  [blushes and gets tongue tied]  I don’t have anything to say about Karen David.  I can tell you that she’s very, very giggly and very easy to make laugh. I…I…I…uh…thank you.

Fan:  Hi, so first, thank you for wearing my pin still.  It means a lot.

Colin:  It’s awesome.  It’s a mini me.

Fan:  My question is if Captain Hook made a Starbucks drink, what would its name be?

Colin:  Um…Pirate’s Booty?  Thanks.  This is great, I feel like I’m a comedian today.

Fan:  Hello again.

Colin:  Hi, how are you?

Fan:  My question is a costume one, and it has to do with your rings. I know that Hook’s costume changes are subtle, but they’re always important, because he doesn’t do it often. I was wanting to know with the rings. I know he had to give up one for the wedding ring when he married Emma, but the other two…I kind of felt like maybe he was doing it because he wanted to move forward, those rings were like a symbol of his past and helped him to remember the man he used to be.  When you changed all the rings I thought maybe it was ‘cause…

Colin:  You mean for the wedding costume?

Fan:  Right.  

Colin:  Yeah, I think a lot of that was sort of, accessorizing.

Fan:  Yeah, but like, in Hook’s mind…

Colin:  In Hook’s mind, I think it was more just to have something in keeping with the sort of sincerity of the moment, and the rings, if you see them are quite...  You’re right; his rings are important to him.  They’re very subtle, even though they’re big pirate rings, they’re subtle for him, and I think that was sort of the thing was to have that.  It was also, for me as an actor, I only have one hand to play with, and I have to keep this [the ring finger] free, but part of Hook is that he has his, sort of pirate regalia on, and that was kind of in keeping with that, if that makes any sense.

Fan:  Hi.  First off, I’d like to say I love you.

Colin:  I love you too.

Fan:  Secondly, do you think your character would be more of a dog person or a cat person?

Colin:  Dog.  I have a dog, and his name is Buckley, and he is named after Jeff Buckley, yes he is, and he is awesome and I love him.  Technically, he kind of is Captain Hook’s.  He comes to set with me, and I know Lana brings Lola and stuff, but. Yeah.  He’s a dog person.

Fan:  Hello.  I was wondering, are there any pranksters on set, or like have you pulled any pranks on your fellow cast mates?

Colin:  Have I pulled any pranks?  No, I’m a consummate professional; I wouldn’t do that.  Josh Dallas…I said this earlier on, but he had a fart machine once in Neverland, so every time you’d walk past a certain plant, of he’d change it every time, you’d just hear [fart noise].  So that was sort of it and…other pranks…I think that’s probably the only prank I can tell you about.  So, yeah. Josh Dallas is a prankster.

Fan:  First I wanted to say you’re my favorite actor and I love you so much and I’m so glad I got to meet you.  So my question is, everyone really loves Hook and his outfit, but what do you like more about the outfit, the guyliner or the leather pants?

Colin:  What do you like more?

Fan:  I like them both equally.

Colin:  I like the eyeliner.  I do like the leather pants too, though.  [Crowd talks.]  Okay, I’m being told that I like the leather pants most, so I like the leather pants most.

Fan:  What was your favorite scene that you shot with Josh?

Colin:  With Josh?  My favorite scene with Josh was the scene… I’m gonna take it that everybody’s caught up with the end of last season.  It’s the scene in the jail where he attacks King George, and I just thought it was a really incredible performance on Josh’s part.  And we got to, sort of, play, it’s rare enough on the show that we have just two person scenes, and you’ve gotta just let go and trust each other, and I think that was one of those scenes where we were able to do that, where we’re not being interrupted by monsters coming into Storybrooke, so I think that was probably my favorite scene.

Fan:  Hi!  Okay, so my question is, how does the hook, like. go over your hand, because obviously you have both hands.  So I’m very confused on how you, like…

Colin: I take this one off [gestures to left hand].  I have…let me see your hook [the girl asking the question was dressed as Hook] It’s probably pretty similar to this.  Yeah, they're pretty much the same.  I just have…are you okay?  Are you nervous? (Gives her a hug)  It’s pretty much the same.  These two fingers (pointer and middle fingers) have a little, there’s like a little T-bar that I hold onto, and that’s kind of what I do, so.

Fan:  Thank you.

Colin:  You’re welcome.  I’m sorry if I really embarrassed you.  I feel bad now.

Fan:  Can you sing your favorite line from A Happy Beginning?

Colin:  (singing) But one thing is for sure, love. With you, I have everything.  (end singing) Thank you.  That’s…gonna be on the Internet as well.

Fan:  I just wanna say I love you so much.  

Colin: I’m gonna have to give you a hug too.  I’m probably gonna get in trouble for hugging all these people.  (Hugs girl)  Don’t cry.  Okay, let me just say, I’m giving everybody a hug in my head now, okay.  

Fan:  What was your reaction when you found out you were playing Hook?

Colin:  I was amazed that they cast me, to be honest.  I really didn’t think that I would be playing Captain Hook, because I’d only ever…in my head, I still saw…and I still kind of do…see Captain Hook as the Peter Pan, sort of Disney buffoon that he is. I mean, that’s not to say that I’m not an absolute buffoon, which I am, but I just didn’t think that they’d go for it, and I’m very, very grateful and thankful to have been a part of this show for five seasons now, nearly going into, I think it’s my sixth season on the show now.  I never thought that that would be the case, because I just came on as a guest star. It’s kind of wild to be here in front of all you guys and see the reaction that you guys have to the show, and I said in the panel in the meet and greet earlier on that you kind of forget that the show takes a life of its own after we’re finished acting and stuff like that.  And you kind of forget that there’s a community of people who sort of have friendships and all that kind of stuff based on the show, and that’s pretty spectacular to be a part of.

Fan:  And my friend, Sarah, she couldn’t make it today, but she wanted me to tell you hi for her.

Colin:  Well tell her I said hello back.  And I would like to say before I answer another question.  I would like to say a massive thank you to all of you guys for supporting the show and for being such incredible fans. You know, like, we really wouldn’t have a show without you guys.  And it’s a testament to all of you that we’re still on the air, season 7.  I mean it’s a pretty spectacular thing, so thank you

Fan:  So this season your character goes on this realm jumping adventure with lots of different characters.  What was your favorite part of that storyline?

Colin:  Um…the wedding.  The musical episode, the wedding.  I just think for the two, because of where the characters started, to where they ended up, was such a monumental thing that they actually managed to get married.  You know, because they worked hard at it over the seasons.  Honestly Hook has a pretty awful past.  He’s done some really terrible things, which most of them have, to be honest, and I just that was such a huge thing that they were able to overcome all of those and finally just sort of cement their love for each other, which I thought was a pretty special thing, you know.  So yeah, that’s probably it.  And you know, we got to do a musical, which was fun.

Fan:  What was your favorite day on set?

Colin: It was my first day on the show.  My very first day on set was on an actual pirate ship.  I acted with Robert Carlyle, who’s one of my favorite actors of all time, and then I was wearing eyeliner.  I was dressed in all black leather, and it doesn’t get much better than that.  Yeah, probably that time.

Fan:  So, my question is, what was your reaction to the day you found out Hook killed Charming’s dad?

Colin:  I was a bit shocked, to be honest, but I liked it.  I don’t say that like I’m condoning it.  I’m not condoning it, but I like it for…because what it did was show how much he changed, as a character, you know what I mean? I personally wouldn’t want Captain Hook marrying my daughter, but I thought that was sort of, because just to give people a reminder of what exactly he was like.  So you could see how far he’d come.  I think that was sort of the point of, you know, and he felt bad about it, I think.  Yeah, probably that.

Fan:  Hi!  I’m giving you a hug in my head too.  Who was your favorite Hook to play?  Lieutenant Hook, evil pirate Hook, the old Hook in the Wish Realm, the Dark Hook, father figure to Henry, or Emma’s Hook.

Colin:  Old, fat Hook.  I absolutely loved that.  I was really, really disappointed that I didn’t get to keep playing him for more than just one scene.

Fan [in crowd]:  Season 7!

Colin:  Season 7, maybe!  The whole season.  The whole season, will be old Hook stumbling around. What I liked about Old Hook was that in his head, he thought that he was the man, you know what I mean?  And that was sort of the best thing about him, that he was completely oblivious to the fact he had food stains on his clothes. Anyway, he was my favorite.  Second, well , it’s a difficult thing because, I love pirate Hook, swashbuckling and kind of, I really, really enjoyed doing the Dark One as well when I was Dark Hook.  I think it was fun.  But I’m lucky.  I’ve been lucky with Hook.  I get to play lots of different versions of him and so many different ways to play it.

Fan:  My question is, outside of acting, what do you want to be remembered for?

Colin:  Being a good father and husband, I think.  Yeah, that’s pretty much it, I think.

Fan:  Is there a specific event or person from your childhood that has greatly influenced your acting?

Colin:  My grandmother.  My grandmother went to London and went to the Guildhall school to learn speech and drama at a time when it wasn’t really common for women to go to London if they’re from Ireland, you know what I mean, for education.  And she was a speech and drama teacher.  Her love of theater, love of words, I guess, probably influenced me most.

Fan:  Hi Colin, I have to start out by saying I love you too.  I know you’re fabulously musically talented, you used to be part of a band.  Everyone also knows how fabulous your vocals are here.  What other musical instruments do you play or would want to play?

Colin: I can play the mandolin and the ukulele.  I can kind of fiddle a banjo.  I’ll give a bash to most stringed instruments, and make a bit of a balls of whatever, but I’ll try most.  Yeah. Mandolin, I can play pretty well and ukulele.

Fan: Hi.

Colin:  Hi.  It’s so weird, I turn around, and I don’t see people walking up to the microphones, I just turn and the people are like this.

Fan:  What is one of the funniest thing that has happened to you on set.

Colin:  I got asked this at the meet and greet earlier on and I have to phrase it properly.  I mean you’ve all seen it in the bloopers, but probably when Bobby landed in a very…precious area.  That was pretty funny.  Even I thought it was funny.  It was painful; it was very painful, but it was funny, because he was completely oblivious that he was there for longer than, like, twenty seconds.  Yeah.  Probably that.  I guess that says a lot about me if I think that was funny.  That’s weird.

Fan:  We were wondering how long it took you to learn to speak like a pirate.

Colin:  Speaking like a pirate?  I actually, it is something that I did when I got cast as Hook. Originally I had spoken to Eddy and Adam about him being Irish, so I’d sound like this, which, I don’t know if people would have gone for or not.  I think traditionally Hook was English, so they were like, well we want him to be, sort of, British.  I said how about we don’t tie down his accent, so I started working on what he sounds like, so, I mean, his voice is deeper than mine.  So, when I sound like Hook, I sound like this [uses Hook voice].  So it’s kind of posh, but kind of not at the same time, because sometimes I drift into this and sound totally different, and whatever.   And that’s sort of it, so, I mean people think a pirate accent, they sort of think of an Irish accent, you know what I mean?  So, I guess I speak like a pirate naturally, probably.

Fan:  Who’s your favorite actor or actress to do scenes with?

Colin:  Um…you’re gonna get me in trouble.  Uh…to be honest with you, I’ve been lucky, because I get to work with everybody on the show.  You know, sometimes people are tied in more so to the character than others. Of late, you know, sort of obviously, Jen and I have been, we get a lot together, and so, and we have a great time working together.  I’m very comfortable with Bobby.  I’m very comfortable with Lana.  We’re lucky as a cast that we all sort of bounce off each other, so I wouldn’t be able to, and everybody’s going to go “oh he’s not…he’s doing this just to be diplomatic”, but I’m really not trying to be diplomatic, but I wouldn’t be able to single out one single person, because everybody brings something else. You know I used to love working with Sean, when I had the chance to do it.  We just have such a laugh.  Liam, he played King Arthur, great time on set, and so, you know, I’ve just been lucky to work with everybody.  It’s great.

Fan:   We were wondering what your favorite costume was that you wore on the show.

Colin:  I like my pirate costume.  I like my big pirate leather jacket.  That’s probably my favorite, I think.  I just think it’s such a great pirate costume, it really is we didn’t know if it was going to work or not, because people had such preconceived notions of what Captain Hook should look like.  I remember the first day I went in to do the hair and makeup test, they actually had a mustache that twirled, and I…I just said no.  And they were like, well, we just had it just in case.  It’s just…then it becomes…then I have to play Hook as the Hook that people know and I don’t get to put my own, sort of, stamp on it, you know, but yeah, the old pirate costume.  I stand a different way as well, because the jacket’s so bloody heavy. That’s why, honestly, you’ll see me, every time I’m standing, I’m standing like this [leans to one side].  And that’s because the jacket’s so bloody heavy I can’t stand up for more than like three minutes.

Fan:  Hi!  Did you need to take lessons to learn how to sword fight, or did it come naturally to you?

Colin:  Came naturally.  I’m just sort of gifted.  Gifted with a sword.  I trained as an actor in a drama school.  We used to do, we did some sword fighting, as part of our stage combat, and basically what happens is that a sword fight on TV and stuff is basically a dance, it’s a choreographed thing, so you have to learn what to do (he does some flourishes with his hand).

Fan:  Hi Colin.  Since you like your guyliner so much, do you ever wear it outside of the set?

Colin:  I wear it all the time.  Actually, I’m kind of not joking, because I wear so much bloody eyeliner I can’t get it off.  And I have genuinely forgotten…there’ll be times when I have to leave set, let’s say to go get the groceries on the way home, and I have to get to the shop before it closes and I don’t have time to take my makeup off and I forget.  I forget that I’m standing there, in a queue with full eye makeup on.  So I guess yes is the answer.

Fan:  If you weren’t an actor, what job would you like to have?

Colin:  I think I’d like to be a musician or an artist. Maybe some kind of painter, or something, I think.

Fan [from crowd]:  Paint me something!

Colin: Paint you something? Like right now?  Uh…I don’t have a canvas.  Sorry.

Fan:  So Hook’s character has really grown and changed since the beginning of the show.  How difficult has that been to portray, and do you think he’s finally changed into the man he’s meant to be, or will he  revert backwards?

Colin:  Playing Hook, I’ve been lucky, playing Hook has just been a laugh the whole time, you know what I mean?  I’ve just been so lucky to get to play this, I mean, hugely layered character.  When I came onto the show, I never expected that he would be as layered as he is. So, I’ve been blessed to be able to do that, and hopefully I’ll get to continue doing it for a little bit longer, and it’s fun. It’s fun to get to play so many different  versions of one character, because sometimes on TV shows, you can be tied into a specific way the character has to be and sort of exist in the world, whereas Hook…all bets are off.  We’ve seen so many different versions of him.  I’ve been blessed.  Maybe you guys have been tortured having to watch all those different version, but I hope not.

Crowd: No!

Colin:  That was me just trying to get you to say that.

Fan:  Hi.  What things do you have in common with Hook?

Colin:  I look like him, and that’s probably about it, I would think.  He’s a very complicated man.  I guess I probably have more in common with Emma’s Hook, as somebody called him last week, than with pirate Hook.  You know, someone who’s sort of devoted to their relationship and making things work and stuff like that.  Yeah, I don’t really have a huge amount in common with him other than looking like him.

Fan:  What do you think your character will face in season 7?

Colin: [chuckles]  I know what you’re doing.  I know what you’re doing.  Uh….things. Things and stuff.

Fan:  Before I get to my question, my best friend said to give you a hug, because if it hadn’t been for Once and you, we wouldn’t have anything  to talk about when we first met.  

Colin:  Alright, this is the last hug.  Come on.  [Hugs fan]

Fan: And my question is, if you were to talk to your kids when they’re older, or a niece and nephew or someone younger in your life and give them life advice, what life advice would you give them?

Colin:  Oh god.  Be honest, always be honest, because if you’re honest about who you are, I think that even if you make mistakes and stuff, you’ll be true to yourself, and you’ll be a better person for it.  And believe in yourself.  I don’t think enough people believe in themselves no matter what, you know what I mean, I think.  As somebody who was very shy, and that, a lot of times didn’t believe in theirselves, somebody else sort of, tells you to keep going, you know, which was the case with me as an actor even.  I think believe in yourself is sort of a big goal that people should have, because, you know, everybody has something to offer.  You know, it doesn’t matter who you are, how small or how big, everybody has something to offer, contribute to society, so I think that’s the most important thing.  Thank you. Life coaching, with Colin O’Donoghue.

Fan:  If there was a fight between Jack Sparrow and…

Colin:  Don’t ask.  Don’t even ask.  I mean, Captain Hook.  That is a silly question.  That is a silly question, and I know you know the answer.

Fan:  I’d say Hook.

Colin:  You’d say Hook?

Fan:  Yeah

Colin:  You know it’s Hook.

Fan:  Hi Colin!  So I just wanna say that you’re basically my favorite human being on earth.  I mean it’s a high honor.

Colin:  That’s a lot of pressure too.

Fan:  You do a great job at it.

Colin:  Thanks.

Fan:  I just want to ask, Killian’s been on such a great journey from a villain to a hero.  What do you think is the defining moment of that journey?

Colin: The defining moment of that journey was him, I think, him sacrificing himself to save everybody when he got Emma to kill him as the Dark One, even though, look, I know he was about to kill everybody. That’s beside the point.  I know it’s his fault, but I think the fact that he eventually sacrificed himself for that was the ultimate moment, the moment where you saw probably the most selfish man on the planet who’d lived solely to get, you know, sort of revenge on Rumplestiltskin, and was so incredibly selfish in everything he did.  You saw that moment where he let all of that go and decided that he wanted to be a hero, and I think that was a defining moment.  

He changed for her because he loves her, and he didn’t want to lose her, and he wanted to do whatever he can to be a better person so that he can be a good partner and husband for her. And, yeah, so, I mean Emma was instrumental  in it. She was the driving force behind it all, I think.

Fan:  Thanks.  You’re adorable.

Colin:  Thank you.

Fan:  Hi Colin.  I just wanted to say, I’m so happy to meet you, and I have a passion for acting, so I was wondering what inspired you to be an actor, and if you could choose any TV show to be in, what would it be?

Colin:  Once Upon a Time.  If I couldn’t, if it wasn’t Once Upon a Time, is what you’re asking?

Fan:  Yes

Colin:  I would have liked to have been on Hannibal.  Ray Donovan’s really good, as well.  Yeah, probably those.  What inspired me to be an actor is I fell into, I did youth theater when I was a teenager.  I had friends, and I kind of drifted into it.  It gave me an opportunity to realize that I could pretend to be somebody I’m not and sort of come out of my shell a little bit by doing that.  And then I realized that I loved it most of all, and people didn’t mind watching me doing it, so, you know, I sort of wanted to study it then.  After that I realized the craft and what you have to do in, you know, creating a character. I like being able to create a character. I like making people cry.  So thanks very much.  People are crying just listening to my answers here.  I like…I’ll tell you what it is, when I did my first play, I liked the fact that people in the same room as you can be transported to a completely different world and believe that it’s real for the two hours that they’re watching something.  And I always think if you can do that as an actor, I know we’re not writing, unless you’ve written the play or the film or whatever,  you’re not writing or creating the words that come out, but if you can do that with a performance and transport people out of their own lives, and let them forget about things, which is what I think our job is, is to sort of take people out of the real world for whatever length of time and let them just exist in a completely different place.  I think that’s a pretty powerful thing.  It’s the same with music, I think, when you go see a live band.  You get transported by the music.  I think that’s the whole point of going to see things live and stuff like that, is just to be a part of something that’s a one off, special event, where you can just forget about, leave everything at the door, and sort of go off and have a good time.

--A fan asked Colin if he can speak any other languages.  He said he used to be able to kind of speak French.  He said: Je m’appelle Colin O’Donoghue (My name is Colin O’Donoghue).  A fan from the crowd said je t’aime (I love you).  Colin said they’re taught Irish in school, but he never really took to it. His wife is fluent, but he’s only retained bits and pieces.  He said “My name is Colin O’Donoghue” in Irish (which I’m not even going to try to track down!)

Notes:  That’s as far as I got with my recordings.  I think that covers nearly everything, but if anyone has any further videos to cover things I’ve missed, feel free to send them my way.