Since their wild and crazy date on Christmas Eve, Paul and Lumen had settled into something of a routine. Lumen was comfortably staked out on his couch with the kitchen table often time covered by her laptop and various paper work from her investigations. Paul spent most evenings relaxing with her in the living room, talking or just watching TV, but at times when she seemed extremely focused on something or just extra tired he would move into his bedroom to read or relax on his own while giving her the privacy she might need. They still hadn't known each other very long but over the past week their friendship had grown and so he had gone for broke and asked her for another chance at a date. By some miracle or perhaps momentary insanity, she had said yes!

***

Cursing under his breath, Jake Aston punched in at work and headed for the locker room to don his uniform and the normal assorted gear. He didn't know what he had done to tick off the shift supervisor but it must have been something. What else explain his suddenly transfer from the morning or afternoon shifts to the evening and night shift. It was his first day starting the shift and already he was feeling tired since his internal clock had not had an opportunity to adjust. It was six o'clock and normally that meant he had just finished dinner and was relaxing on his recliner watching TV. In another couple of hours he'd drift off to sleep before waking up at his normal five a.m. alarm.

Once dressed he made his way through the narrow halls that lead to the control room. Entering the room he found himself looking at a wall filled with monitor showing faces of the famous or dead. There was Muhammad Ali, Babe Ruth, Elvis, Gandhi, and others to numerous to name. Oh the joys of working at a wax museum.

"Everything's been quiet. Business has been slow this evening and unless you get a sudden rush you should be able to lock things up at eleven like normal. With the party going on down at Time Square, I doubt you'll see many more visitors." His fellow guard reported as he stood up from the chair and quickly made his way to the exit, leaving Jake to handle things on his own. Sure the ticket agent would be in her booth until ten but for the most part he was alone. This type of display was set up to basically run itself without outside intervention which meant that there were very few staff members required.

"Great..." Jake muttered to himself as he took a seat in the chair that was feeling far to comfortable this evening, "Just how I wanted to spend my New Years Eve."

***

Paul had been wanting to do something different for this date. He and Lumen both had enough seriousness in their lives already so what they both needed was something a little bit lighter and more fun. He had briefly considered the idea of going to Times Square but the idea of fighting through the mobs of people had made that a very brief idea. Instead he had settled on a simple dinner at home with his 'World Famous' taco buffet followed by a trip out to one of the lesser known New York City attractions. Wax museums weren't for everything but they could still be lots of fun if you were there with the right people.

"So here we are." Paul said as he climbed out of the taxi and then held the door open for Lumen to exit before closing it behind her, "The world's best, brightest, and most famous people all preserved in wax for our viewing pleasure. I hope you brought your camera."

Lumen was falling into a comfortable rhythm with Paul. Paul was clean. Paul was polite. Above all Paul was quiet. Something Lumen revered in a man. Especially when it came down to the wire on wrapping up cases. She'd been continuing the investigation into Jude's missing mother as much as she could. She'd also been reading up on end of the world theories. Specifically modern day ones. But, she needed to save money (she couldnt live with Paul forever) so she was taking on a regular case load too.

She had to admit, the sexual tension was getting to her. She didn't trust herself not to be impulsive so she buried herself in her work. Lumen hit the gym frequently as well. She wasn't sure if it was helping by burning off the energy, or hurting with all that extra testosterone. When Paul suggested a date she'd been contemplating making a move. A bolder move than he did by asking her, so she was all too happy to say yes.

In traditional Paul/Lumen fashion they took a cab to their destination. Paul had thought the local wax museum would be a fun place to start New Years. She'd taken his advice and brought a camera. She feinted interest in it while they drove, secretly wondering what was appropriate for a second date. Considering he died the first time. She felt intimate, and yet still like a business partner. Should she hold his hand? Sit closer in the car? Since when did she care this much about the etiquette of a date?

The ride was over in a minute and before she knew it she was following quickly behind Paul. They got inside the lobby, shivering a little, only to see cameras weren't allowed. Lumen groaned. One of her biggest pet peeves were places like this not posting their camera rules on their website. It wasnt like she had a little point and shoot she could pop in her pocket. She begrudgingly handed it over to an unhappy looking man who promised her she could retrieve it when she left.

They entered the first hall of figures- female super heroes. "Wow, now that is life like." exclaimed Lumen walking over to a catwoman. The figure stood perched with a whip in one hand and a fake diamond in the other. Michelle Phieffer style. There was a dusty velvet rope in front of her. Lumen wondered if each sculpt was made of the same general body mold then detailed. "Looks like we're the only ones here." she commented taking off her jacket and slinging it over her arm.

She was wearing tight skinny jeans and a loose blondie t-shirt. The jacket was thick, and with her light energy she knew she'd stay warm when they went to the ball drop later. Large hoop earrings dangled by her cheek and her hair was smoothed into a side pony tail. She looked like a child of the 80s.

Paul hadn't been completely sure what to wear for this date but eventually he had settled on clothing that had earned him compliments in the past. Black shoes, black jeans, a black sateen dress shirt, and black sport coat. For warmth against the chill he was wearing a black trench coat which he promptly took off and carried over his arm once they were inside. The all black ensemble might have been a bit much for some people, but Paul had received compliments over the years about how black clothing accented his nicely silvered hair, so he thought he could pull it off.

Female super heroes... athletic feminine forms garbed in skin tight garments that left little to the imagination. Why did it immediately make Paul think that this first hall probably attracted a lot of teenager interest. "Seems pretty empty." He agreed as he turned away from the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman and wandered over to where Lumen was standing. With her tight skinny jeans and cute hair she was more attractive than any of the figures in the room. She was also more attractive because she wasn't a fantasy... she was real.

"Did you have a favorite super hero growing up?" He asked as he turned to glance at the figure standing next to cat woman. The velvet rope here seemed a little less dust covered which made him suspect that this was a more recent addition. The woman was garbed in black and gray with a brown gun belt that went around her thighs, waist, and over her shoulders. On her back were two machete type weapons while in her outstretched hands were two revolvers that she seemed to be aiming off into the distance. Glancing at the plaque, Paul didn't recognize the name. "Resident Evil... I must have missed that film."

***

Jake's sour mood was continuing and right now that was the only thing keeping him from falling asleep right at the control panel. "I always work day shift... didn't the boss ever think I might have had a date? It is a holiday for crying out loud! I might have wanted to go out with my girl!" The argument was weak and even Jake knew it though he refused to admit it. He hadn't had a date in a month or longer and it wasn't going to change just because it was New Years Eve. If he hadn't been working he would have been at home watching the ball drop on TV.

Looking over at the monitor made him sigh in exasperation. The building had been almost empty but now two people had come in. A man and a woman that seemed pretty chummy as he watched them talk and laugh. Apparently even an old gray haired dude could score a hotty... why couldn't he? "Probably has money." Jade muttered nastily before leaning back in his chair to get more comfortable. Picking up a newspaper that the previous shift had obviously left behind, Jake began to thumb through it as the minutes passed by. He didn't realize that with ever word he read he was getting closer and closer to sleep.

***

"I read quite a few 'Nestor Burma' while I was in France but I didn't get into the whole super hero world to much." Paul observed as he glanced over to where the Invisible Woman and several others stood, looking over the room with all the vigilance associated with super heroes. "After I came to the states I got into it a bit more. It probably looks pretty strange for a few years there... a forty year old man reading comic books."

"I gotta admit, Im a superwoman gal." explained Lumen standing next to the figurine of Kara. They looked similar with their platinum hair, but in the comics and cartoons Kara was always younger than Clark (despite actually being older) and never seemed to age. Lumen certainly looked more mature. "It would be fun to have a flying mutation." she observed. Well, no mutation was really fun. It had to at least be better than turning on lights.

As they lingered in the super hero room a man sitting in front of security cameras fell asleep. He was a disgruntled employee with an interesting mutation. Lumen and Paul were about to find out just how interesting it was.

"Looks like the room of fictional book characters next, Harry Potter and such." she wondered how many would be based on movie adaptations and was pleasantly surprised as they all seemed rather original. She stopped in front of Sherlock Holmes "Well isn't that something," she exclaimed. Her certainly matched the idea she held in her mind of the great detective. "I read all the books as a kid." any good detective would.

There was a clicking sound of heels, or perhaps heeled boots coming from the super hero room. Lumen turned to see they were being joined by a female patron. Something was a bit odd about her when she came into view. Her skin was fairly shiny - even more than Lumens. She was dressed fairly inappropriately for the weather, and she had a very long braid down her back. Lumen felt herself almost gasp as the woman came closer to Paul and put a hand on his shoulder. "You shouldn't be walking any further without checking for traps first."

"Is that... Angelina Jole?" Lumen gaped at the beautiful woman.

"Indeed, though it appears she's circa late 1900's early 2000's tomb raider Lara Croft." came a voice from behind her. Lumen wheeled around to see that Sherlock was not in the position she'd left him in. In fact he was carefully lifting one stiff leg over the velvet rope and stepping down to her level. "Come now, a detective like yourself needs to notice things a little more I should think."

"I never really got the different between all of those characters." Paul admitted with a slight grin, "Superman, superboy, superwoman, supergirl, superdog... couldn't they come up with more original names than those?" It was funny to talk about people with powers from the comics especially since they had their own abilities. Of course, neither of them were as powerful as the god like superman but it was still interesting. "I think all of us dream about flying... its part of the human condition. Being able to soar over the world like a bird allowing us to look down and see everything clearly..."

Walking into the fictional book character room, the two separated to browse. Lumen walked over to look at Sherlock Holmes, commenting about how she had read all of the books, while Paul walked over to look at the figures from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. They had chosen to use the movie actors for their wax figures but they fit the descriptions from the books so well that Paul couldn't really fault them.

The clicking of heels announced the arrival of another guest. Paul didn't turn around to see who that guest might be so he was surprised when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "You shouldn't be walking any further without checking for traps first."

"Huh?" Paul asked in wonder as he turned around to find himself face to face with Lara Croft from tomb raider. Sure her skin had a little bit more shine to it than was natural but it was still her and she was still a very good looking woman... especially in THAT outfit.

Behind him another voice suddenly spoke in response to Lumen's question but Paul was to distracted to notice who that might be. Over Lara's shoulder he could see another of the wax figures, an armor clad King Arthur, rising from its place while carrying a great sword. "Where is that wicked temptress Morgana? She may be my half-sister but she can no longer live after what she has done!"

"Well... this is different." Paul commented while his mind continued to try and process what was going on. These were wax figures! How in the world were they suddenly acting like living, breathing beings?

"You have to be able to adapt to anything." Lara instructed with that little pout for which she was so well known. Turning away she strode over to Arthur, plucking the sword out of his hand and then tossing it over to Paul. "Try to hit me."

Paul looked at the sword which he had caught and now held in his hand and then looked back up at Lara with raised eyebrow, "Really? You want me to attack you with a sword? Lumen... a little help please!"

Lumen watched in awe as many of the other wax figures got up and started to move. Harry Potter started a conversation with Jacob Too Too, Anne Shirley threw off her straw hat and yanked on the hair of who Lumen assumed was a Twilight character. The room was abuzz with talking, moving, wax figures. All completely in character.

"I say. Why is the rum gone?" Lumen turned to see Jack Sparrow had followed Lara in. He draped himself lazily across Lara's shoulder. She faltered for a second then gave him a shove with a smile. "The last time the ol bugger passed out we had rum." he picked at his teeth apparently oblivious to Lara's shove. He stared at Paul in a half lidded sort of way.

"Jack Sparrow, you're nothing but wax. You know any attempt to swallow wine will only leave a mess." replied Sherlock. He was now down by Lumen and he held out his hand. "Holmes, Sherlock Holmes." he introduced himself. "I'm afraid my partner Watson is in the back room for repairs."

Lumen shook the hand- it felt like a candle. She exchanged glances with a puzzled Paul. "Uh, hello." She said "I'm Lu-"

"Lumen. We know already, love." Jack had now sauntered away from Laura- still holding her sword- to wrap an arm around Paul. "And you'd be Paul. Where'd you find this one mate?" he asked with a grin.

"Wha-?" Lumen turned back to look at Sherlock who was shaking his head looking embarrassed.

"What Jack means to say, is you've picked an excellent time to visit us. We wax figures are lucky to come to life once a year. If there are any people in the vicinity we awake as if we'd known them our whole life. Nobody really know why but-

Jack cut him off. "But the fat man in the smart suit sleeps and here we come!"

"So... this has happened before?" asked Lumen feeling a little more relaxed. Well, as relaxed as a person could be in a room full of talking wax people.

"Yes, It seems the security guard has a rather strange mutation. Come now Lumen, if you wish to find your brother your skills of deduction need a bit of work." he adjusted his hat as he spoke and motioned for Paul, Lumen, and the other wax figures to follow. "We may as well see which others of our kin are awake. Not everyone awakes you know. Come now! he clapped his hands in a 'chop chop' sort of way. "Onward to the hall of film and music stars from the 1950's and 60's" he led the way with a walking stick.

Lumen fell into step with Paul and slung an arm through his. "Can't seem to have a normal date can we?" she teased. "This could still prove quite interesting." she looked behind to see that Lara had just given Jack another shove which had sent him flying. The two of them soon followed suit after Lumen and Paul.

The whole situation was starting to get a little out of hand. At first it had been only one or two but now it seemed as though every wax figure in the museum was beginning to come to life.

"Your wax figures that know your wax figures and also somehow know our names." Paul commented slowly as his mind raced to try and accept this new reality that now lay before him.

"Of course mate... though are we telling the truth about what we know? Me? I’m dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It’s the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they’re going to do something incredibly… stupid." Suddenly striding away from Paul the pirate walked directly over to Lara Croft and planted one on her, leaping away before the Tomb Raider could response. "You see... THAT was stupid." Turning he ran in his arm flailing sort of way while Lara chased after him into the other room.

"OK... this is romantic." Paul commented dryly to himself before falling into step behind Lumen and Sherlock. As he approached the doorway he heard the unmistakable voice of an American rock star that the whole world knew.

"Elvis... of course." Apparently the man had decided to put on an impromptu concert in front of the other wax figures and his two human fans.

'A little less conversation, a little more action please
All this aggravation ain't satisfactioning me
A little more bite and a little less bark
A little less fight and a little more spark
Close your mouth and open up your heart and baby satisfy me
Satisfy me baby'

As several of the other musicians applauded with the dull thudding sound that probably had something to do with their wax appendages, the King took a bow and then hopped down to swagger over toward Lumen and Paul. "Hey little lady... no fainting please." The lip curl was there as was the iconic voice but for some strange reason he continued on past Lumen to approach Paul. "I could have used you in the day Pauly... but I was 'Gonna Get Back Home Somehow'." I guess when it's your time it's your time. It's [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCqAt6-sptk[/url]'Funny How Time Slips Away'[/url]."

Having never been a huge fan of Elvis Presley, Paul simply looked at the man with raised eyebrow. "You know you don't have to sing ever song title and lyric you know... you could just talk through the whole sentence." He commented dryly.

"What can I say, sonny... some of you have all the luck but 'I've had my share, hard knocks'."

Jack Sparrow had gone off into a corner but was now returning though he was acting strange. He was still in the pirate garb but his walk was different and when he caught sight of himself in a mirror he paused and spent several moments studying what he saw. Finally when he spoke, his voice was completely different. "'Well that's just... unexpected... and weird.'"

"Weird doesn't even begin to cover it." Paul muttered quietly before turning around to see where Lumen had gotten off to. Scanning the growing crowd of wax people he finally spotted Lumen, still accompanied by Sherlock but with yet another blond headed figure moving her direction. "I wonder who that might be..."

Lumen couldn't help it. When Elvis shimmied down off his makeshift stage and sauntered on down to Paul only to speak in songs, she belly laughed. Tears may have even threatened to spill out of her eyes. She even glowed a little. "Oh Paul, have you no love for the king?" she chimed in.

Oh Darling, you simply must tell me how you achieve such radiance. Lumen turned to come face to face with Marilyn Munroe. Her eyes went wide. Wow, this was one lifelike sculpture.

"Radiance?"

Your skin, darling. Munroe extended a waxy arm and paired it next to Lumen's own. Oh, yeah, Lumen WAS glowing a bit. She shrugged it off though. Paul already knew she glowed sometimes, and it's not like the wax figures here could do anything about it. I think I need a bit of that. Your pastel colours brighten it too. Lumen looked down at her clothes, they seemed pretty plain next to Marilyn iconic white dress.

It was interesting for Lumen to see her so up close. Marilyn was a bit curvier and heavier than Lumen. It was refreshing to see that the artist has stayed true to her real form instead of an idolized one. Lumen always thought Marilyn was a natural beauty, though a little nuts. "Ah well thanks." said Lumen blushing a little.

"What's with him?" asked Marilyn pointing past Paul to Jack Sparrow, who, though he was still mostly dressed like Sparrow, was acting a little weird. He'd removed his hat while staring in the mirror, smoothed out his hair, and was now tucking his shirt in.

"Chewing gum is really gross, chewing gum I hate the most." he recanted over and over.

"Uh, I have no idea." grinned Lumen. She really was having a great time. Despite it all, nobody was dying, no one was hurt or in danger, and she was getting to sort of meet celebrities. This was a pretty cool date after all.

Marilyn stopped to mingle with Sherlock who had for the moment subdued Laura into quiet conversation. The three of them were laughing and chatting like life long friends. Lumen took this moment to steal away toward Paul again. "Excuse me Elvis." she said side stepping the king who shot her a grinned lip curl. "Hey there." she said slinging an arm through Pauls. "Quite the adventure we're having tonight." she shined a little more.

"Love for the King?" Paul thought with an amused expression on his face. Music had never really been his thing though he had heard a few Bob Dylan song that were decent. Oh well... he might as well try conversing with some of these stars since he had the opportunity.

"So tell me Elvis... what's your own favorite song?" Paul asked as he turned his attention back to the wax figure in front of him. It really was impressive how realistic these figures had been made. He looked like he was in the prime of his career, still fit and energetic with the smile and shimmie that drove the women wild.

"Well that's a good question Sonny... I started out loving 'Trying To Get To You' but I think now I would have to say I'm 'Hurt'." The star answered without a moments hesitation.

"Interesting..." Paul said with a nod before noticing Lumen's approach. Breathing a sigh of relief he gave a nod to the man and then graciously accepted the blond's arm looped through his own. "This was not how I expected to be spending my New Years Eve, that's for sure. Shall we move on to see what's in the next room?"

"Come on Johnny! Let's go with them." Elvis said with a sneer as he threw an arm around Willie Wonka/Jack Sparrow, "The fair is moving on!"

The pirate/chocolateer turned to look at the singer with raised eyebrow and then waved a finger in his face. "Uh, you really shouldn't mumble because I can't understand a word you're saying."

"Lumen... there is one thing I need to say." Paul said with a smile that had a touch of teasing and a touch of something else in it as they moved toward the doorway to the next room, "Even with an iconic beauty like Marilyn Monroe here you are definitely the most beautiful woman around." Having finished his statement, Paul leaned down as though he was going to kiss her when suddenly a voice rang out from the room they were approaching.

"How can you say that Pauly?! My woman Angelina Jolie is one of the most beautiful women of all time!" The yelled out statement was enough for Paul to lift his head back up and look over at the man that was standing with large sunglasses covering his eyes and armed crossed over his chest.

"Excuse me?" He asked incredulously.

"She's right there with Sherlock, my man! Your girl don't even compare to some of the fine women in here!"

"Calm down my dear Kanye." Sherlock chimed in from where he stood with Marilyn and Lara, "Let's try to keep things civil."

"Can't I guy get a break?" Paul asked with obvious distaste as he moved to walk by Kanye, "Why don't you go find someone else to insult? Sorry Lumen... maybe the next room will be calmer."

Lumen couldn't respond- because she was laughing too hard. "Oh my god... they made a Kanye west? Why-"

"Imma let you finish bra, but Kanye West is one of the best hip hop artists of ALL TIME. he interjected.

"Oh my, I guess I forgot." she giggled giving Paul's hand a squeeze.

Elvis was escorting Johny Depp who seemed to be doing that weird acting thing where the actor commits to their characters 100% of the time - though he was cycling through his characters. He was bantering on now about oompa loompas and Sherlock had now joined Elvis on the other side of Johny to lead the way.

Anjolina/Laura Croft had caught up with Marilyn and was pointing in the direction of the next room where yet another figure was walking out. Lumen couldn't help feeling excited. She knew Paul was starting to get rather annoyed with the whole situation. "Cheer up Paul, we've got this room and one more to go through. I think this is silent film stars then we're on to famous authors. I wonder if Stephen King makes an appearance?"

She led Paul, and their little brigade of mix-matched celebrities into the next room. She didn't notice as she walked through the door that someone stepped behind her. He began to mimic her movements as she walked. She stopped for a second, let go of Paul's hand, and turned around. There was no one standing there anymore- and the other wax beings were stifling a laugh. (Well, everyone except Laura Croft who'd just shoved a hand across Kanye's yabbering mouth)

Lumen shrugged and went on ahead of Paul seeing many interesting apparently not alive Wax figures- but none she recognized. The strange person stepped behind her again. Clearly another wax being. He was a tall thin man, with a rounded cap wearing a black suit. Suddenly he turned his face to the lineup behind him and winked. There was an iconic little moustache that he wriggled under his nose- and a pair of very bright eyes lightly underlined. He made no sound as he returned to shadowing Lumen. When she got the sense she was being followed (and not just by the lineup she was expecting to see) she turned around again. The wax figured jumped into a pose a few metres away from her. So Lumen simply stared at the others. "Uh... I guess I dont know many of the actors here."

Her sight was focused on the lineup behing her, and not on the man. He was now quietly mocking her movements and speech. The lineup giggled. Lumen raised an eyebrow and casually looked in the direction of man who was now standing frozen again. She turned and approached him with a sceptical look. She raised an eyebrow. The statue wiggled his nose and raised an eyebrow too. "Charlie Chaplin." she grinned, to which the statue began to move and silent clap- then took a silent bow. The lineup cheered.

What was it about this 'artist' that just made Paul want to punch him in the face? Over the year he had been forced to deal with lots of annoying people but Mr. West was definitely moving higher on the list. If he continued at this pace he might even qualify for 'the most annoying person of ALL TIME' before they left the display.

"I'll cheer up." Paul answered with the best smile he could muster. He fell into step with Lumen but then fell slightly behind her when she released his hand and, as any self respecting guy in his position would, took a moment to appreciate the young ladies fine derriere. "I'll cheer up just as soon as I can kiss you properly." He murmured under his breath.

When he saw the easily recognizable Charlie Chaplin begin to move, Paul slowly down his pace ever so slightly in order to allow Lumen to get just a little bit further ahead. For some reason Mr. Chaplin had chosen Lumen to flatter through imitation. As he moved behind her with expressions that were absolutely dead on, Paul couldn't help but chuckle. He did his best to hold in the laughter whenever Lumen turned around but it was hard. Mr. Chaplin was definitely one of the best comic geniuses. Being able to make people laugh without making a sound was an art form.

Joining in on the clapping once Lumen recognized the man, Paul couldn't help himself. The genius had to be recognized. "Very nice Charlie... I've always loved your pictures. Classics that never get old."

Up until that moment Lara had been able to silence a certain hip hop artist but now he could no longer be contained. "You are so wrong Pauly!" He corrected as he tore away from Lara, "Greta Garbo had to be the best of ALL TIME and as for comic, well, does the name Max Linder mean anything to ya? Best silent comic of ALL TIME! Remember that bra!"

Charlie Chaplin put a hand to his heart and stumbled back, pantomiming like a knife had been stuck in his heart while Paul shot the hip hop artist a dirty look. Was there any subject this man didn't have an opinion about?

"How about those authors." Paul was able to start smiling against when he looked back at Lumen. Yes, even with everything going on there was at least one good thing about the evening. "I'm hoping for Tolkien or perhaps C.S. Lewis myself."

"I am not a fan of books. I would never want a book's autograph." Kanye commented once again. At least time it sounded like he couldn't talk about who was the best author. Thank the fates!

Lumen laughed and laughed. She couldn't help it. Paul's reactions to the characters were just as hilarious as the characters themselves. Kanye was getting rather annoying though- so she wasn't the least bit surprised when 'Laura' tackled and hog tied him to a wooden chair.

...best action film of all ti- Laura was so nice, she gagged him too. She shot a wink at Lumen who grinned from ear to ear as the muffled commentary of Kanye was still heard.

Charlie was leading the way to the author room. Sherlock was commenting to Marlyn about meeting the wax version of his creator and the strange experience it has been. Laura- having left behind Kanye was now trying to pull along Johnny Depp. Johnny looked a little odd again. ...these are my friends... see how they glisten...." he sang very softly. Laura rolled her eyes.

" Let's be friends, Johnny" Sang Elvis just a little louder. Johnny shot him a look like he was about to wring his neck, and Elvis quieted down.

Inside the author room a J K Rowling was talking with a Stephen King. There indeed was a Tolkien discussing the fine points of fantasy writing with a Neil Gaiman. Lumen was just following Charlie's lead- who seemed to be tight-rope-walking to the fantasy men when someone suddenly dipped her back like a tango move. She stood there, nearly on the ground, with a waxy hand supporting her back connected to a waxy man in a spiffy suit.

"Hello." he grinned. She had no idea who he was, but he just reeked of playboy to the point she actually wondered if he was Heph himself- though he didn't look like the photos she'd seen.

"Uh... Hi..." said Lumen trying to wriggle out of his grip. "Who exactly are you?" she asked peering up at him wondering what Paul must think of all this.

"Don't tell me you dont recognize double oh seven in the flesh. Er, wax, rather." he waggled his eyebrows. He was British, that was about all she could figure out.

"You don't look like any James Bond I've ever seen." Lumen got herself up and was now standing next to Paul. "Who is this wacko?" she asked him

Finally, Kanye was dealt with and left securely tied behind them as the group moved on. Johnny Depp was obviously changing character once again while singing to something invisible in his hands. Paul couldn't remember having seen any film with this particular character so he made a mental note to research it at a later point. The man was a good enough actor that even his lesser known movies deserved a look.

"Ahhh... intellectual nirvana." He murmured in obvious appreciation as he looked at all the wonderful authors that were walking around the room. Current authors like Rowling, King, and Clancy wandered the room along with more classic authors like Tolkien, London, and Doyle.

As he was looking around the room he noticed movement at the corner of his eye and turned to find a very well dressed wax gentleman had, quite literally, swept Lumen off of her feet. He was obviously quite comfortable with the ladies and from the expression on his face, including the waggling eyebrows, Paul was very thankful the man was made of wax.

As soon as Lumen was free, Paul slipped an arm around her waist and held her just tight enough to make it very clear to the gentleman that this particular blond was already taken... at least for the evening. Whether their relationship had a real future was yet to be seen but for tonight at least she was all his. "Lumen, I do believe we've just met the great Ian Fleming. Ladies man and author of the James Bond franchise as well as his lesser known children's book, 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'." The words sprang forth almost unbidden as the realization struck Paul. He had seen this man's pictures on the dust jackets of his books and though it had been years since he last read a James Bond novel, he could still place the face.

"Yes, I wrote that book for my son Caspar but really there's no need to talk about it." Fleming responded with a very self-assured smile, apparently missing or ignoring Paul's somewhat possessive grip on Lumen's waist, "I'd much rather speak with Lumen. You would be a great addition to the Bond girls. Extremely blond white hair, obvious sexuality with a touch of masculinity, and the never ending hunt for your lost sibling. How about dinner some time? Maybe drinks?"

"How do you do it Lumen?" Paul asked with a touch of annoyance, but more amusement than anything in his voice, "Somehow you can even get a rise out of wax figures."

Lumen felt herself blushing, and with the blushing came the glowing. "I didnt realize wax figures could drink." she offered. Charlie mimed trying to open a bottle of champagne only to have the invisible plastic cork hit him in the face. He offered an invisible glass to the Bond man who looked rather annoyed.

It felt weird to have Paul be a little possessive of her. She wasn't entirely sure of their status. Some days Lumen wanted to put a label on it, but most days she felt better knowing there wasnt one. There was no telling when she might need to pick up and leave. Just thinking that very thought had her mind drifting into a dark place. She shook it loose after she realized the whole group of wax figures minus Kanye were now standing in a semi circle around herself and Paul.

She looked at them each individually for a moment. The hilarious characters, the real life versions of actors and infamous people... what an odd mutation for someone to have. She wondered if the mutant could make other inanimate objects come alive and her thoughts drifted to a news anchor with a certain friendly ball of paperclips... " What'll happen... I mean... when he wakes up?"she asked them.

Sherlock took a step forward and with a smile extended his hand to take Lumens. He could see the concern on her face. "You need not worry" he patted her hand. "We usually get a tingly sensation when he's about to wake. It's about a minute's warning....

Laura Croft/Anjolina finished the sentence for him, " and then we simply return to where we're supposed to be and become stiff again."

Lumen studied her hand in the hands of Sherlock, waxy, and pale. It was sad. They weren't real, just wax. But she felt sad for them. To have these few hours of life only to return to a state like death.
"Oh we still know what's happening, we all here are friends..." said Johny Depp putting a bit of emphasis on the word friends. Charlie swung an arm around him and wiggled his moustache.

"But darlin, we all get another chance at it again. So long as he keeps snoozin." finished Marilyn looking at Lumen with a bright smile over her feathery lashes.

Lumen still felt sad, but the little dark feeling lifted a little and she smiled at her wax companions. She looked up at Paul with a sly grin then turned to her friends. "So what do you all do around here for fun?"

"Oh, sometimes we can surprise you. In some way, wax figures are extremely life like." Fleming responded confidently while pointedly ignoring his other wax counter parts... at least until Charlie decided to offer him an invisible glass of champagne. Shaking his head, the British man briefly lost his cool as an annoyed expression flashed across his face but soon enough he had regained his extremely charming mask.

Paul had to smile slightly but now Lumen was asking a question that he had never even considered. What happened when the mutant woke up? It was an interesting though but not something he thought deserved much consideration. They were wax figures not real flesh and blood, why should they be worrying what might happen to them? He was quite willing to leave this establishment when the time came and never look back.

Releasing his hold on Lumen's waist he watched as Sherlock took her hands and set out to make her feel better, leaving Paul alone to his thoughts. Was he wrong for not worrying about them? Had his many years and his many experiences made him to hard or cold? Would most people be taking the time to worry about these individuals or would most not care?

He was still pondering his own morality when Lumen turned to look at him with a sly grin before turning back to the wax men and women. It was a simple question but from the way their grins widened it was obviously something they were quite happy to talk about.

"You really had to ask?" Sherlock asked with a smile.

"Let's Have A Party Tonight!" Elvis crowed before beginning to dance to the tune that was apparently playing within his own head.

"On that day I shall futterwacken... vigorously." Mr. Depp chimed in.

"A New Years Eve party... sounds great." Paul replied, firmly setting aside the less than enjoyable thoughts that had been crowding his mind. Those were the things to contemplate on nights spent alone... not on nights with Lumen. "Feel up to it Lumen?"