Hi, and welcome! This is actually going to be a series of songfics, mainly inspired by the soundtrack to the movie "Delovely", the biopic of songwriter Cole Porter. This little fic is really just the prologue, there's seven other little fics that go after this one...be warned, they're gonna be pretty dark. Basically I'm just wasting time, trying to finish posting "La Ville de Lumieres" and working on my next long fic. So enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the song "Anything Goes", it's by Cole Porter and has been performed by many others. I write this out of pure love for the song, and all the songs that will follow in fics after this one. Neither am I associated with any of the celebrities mentioned in the fics, especially since they're all kinda gonna be portrayed in a bad light. Me no own, You no sue! :)

ANYTHING GOES

New York City, 1925

Times have changed,
And we've often rewound the clock,
Since the Puritans got a shock,
When they landed on Plymouth Rock.


This was a world unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. There was no glamour back where he came from, not in real life…it lived exclusively on the big silver screen that adorned the wall of the only movie theatre in the dusty town. This was the only place where the women would doll up in the fanciest of dresses, where the men smoked cigars rather than pipes, and their Sunday suits were worn every day of the week. He’d never experienced the tinkling laughter that resounded through the room, was more used to the coarse guffaws of the farmers and the occasional girlish giggle from the schoolgirls. Never had a room been so full of sweet-smelling cigarette smoke, never before had the scent of expensive perfume mingled with it to make the most delectable of inhaled love potions. Never before had he seen skin so soft and uncovered, never before had silk rustled the way it did here. Never before had he been drunk entirely on atmosphere.

If today,
Any shock they should try to stem,
'Stead of landing on Plymouth Rock,
Plymouth Rock would land on them.

He was from the smallest of towns, and by the greatest of luck had managed to land here, in this glittering nightclub in New York City, that was the height of fashion and barely imaginable to the folks back home. This couldn’t be reality, he thought as he gazed, wide-eyed, around himself. This was just too good to be true. Not all that glitters is gold.

In olden days a glimpse of stocking
Was looked on as something shocking,
But now, God knows,
Anything Goes.

His host for the evening was a newfound acquaintance of his, a man by the clownish name of Billy Boyd, a Scotsman who’d made a name for himself playing clowns in vaudeville acts. The man could dance well, sing very little, and his speciality was a form of slapstick comedy that was both physically demanding and very amusing to the gentry that were his target audience. Off the stage he was just as amiable as he was on, the person that could capture the attention of everyone around him as he entertained with crude, lewd, and often untrue tales of old. But he had the right ‘connections’, knew just the people to introduce him to, and had insisted that his new friend accompany him to this club, of which he didn’t even know the name, tonight. Everyone who was anyone would be there, Billy had promised, and it seemed that they were indeed.

“The best of the best, my dear boy,” Billy announced as they entered down the grand staircase, indicating the brass band on the stage, with the tiny, elegant figure in the front. “That little lady’s gonna be a star very soon, a big one. Just as soon as…well, that’s another story.”

Good authors too who once knew better words,
Now only use four letter words
Writing prose, anything goes.

Johnny Depp looked in the direction he’d indicated, his eyes narrowing on the tiny redheaded figure. She was singing an upbeat number, one he vaguely recognised from Broadway, her face animated as she moved rhythmically along with the beat. Dark green-grey eyes met his for a split second, but the second was all it took. He was captivated.

She had an elegance and an air of mystery that he’d never encountered before, and doubted he ever would again. For although the number she was singing had an up tempo and an air of decadence, there was still something sweet and endearing, an innocence, that even the farm girls back home had never had. Out there in the sticks they’d all seen to much life and death, too much of nature’s way, but this girl was untainted. Pure.

The world has gone mad today
And good's bad today,
And black's white today,
And day's night today,
When most guys today
That women prize today
Are just silly gigolos
And though I'm not a great romancer
I know that I'm bound to answer
When you propose,
Anything goes

“Come on, let me introduce you around,” Billy said, tugging at his elbow. “For tonight, my dear fellow, you shall meet the crème de la crème, the top of the list.” He grinned. “They’re an…interesting bunch.”

He led the way to table by the dance floor, crowded with people, and two extra chairs were quickly brought. “The first I’d like to introduce you to,” Billy said, “Is Mr Orlando Bloom, businessman extraordinaire, shameless entrepreneur, and entirely unrespectable man-about-town.”

Mr Bloom was quite possibly the most beautiful human being Johnny had ever encountered in his life, with his dark, stylishly unruly curls, and doe eyes. His skin was untainted by the sun and as perfect as marble, and more than a few of the ladies in the room were casting unrelenting admiring glances his way. “It’s a pleasure,” Bloom said in a heavily British-accented voice that must have caused women-folk to swoon. His handshake was firm as well – he may have looked like a Roman statue, but there was clearly nothing lacking in masculinity.

Billy was going clockwise around the table. “Mr Elijah Wood, owner of that angelic voice you’ve no doubt heard on the radio, and his fiancée, Miss Samantha Evans.”

He had indeed heard that ‘angelic voice’ – Elijah Wood was a leading recording tenor, and Johnny’s mother and sisters had tuned in to the local radio station every evening in hopes that they would play one of his songs. They’d rarely been disappointed.

The ‘angelic voice’ also had an angelic face, it seemed, with its milky white skin and the biggest blue eyes he’d ever seen. The young man spoke softly, quietly; in stark contrast to Orlando Bloom on his right, he was what Johnny’s father would have dubbed a ‘nancy-boy’ artist. But the young woman on his left, Miss Samantha, with her bright red hair and sparkling green eyes, was wallowing in the affectionate attention he paid her, and though Johnny had heard rumours of this supposed ‘homosexual activity’ in this decadent part of the world, he saw no indication of it here.

“Mr Rupert Grint, a fine dancer in his own right, who travels in my very own Vaudeville troupe,” Billy announced. Rupert was yet another red-head, could have been related to Miss Samantha (in fact they were cousins), with an impish face and a cheeky grin. No wonder Billy had chosen him for his troupe – he suited the elder man’s genre of comedy perfectly.

When grandmama whose age is eighty
In night clubs is getting matey with gigolos,
Anything Goes.

“Madam Amber Doucet,” he introduced the next in line, and Johnny gave an involuntary gasp. This was a face he’d seen before dozens of times, in that dusty little hall his town called a movie theatre. She was a bona fide star, a maiden of the movies; although out here in the cold light of the nightclub she seemed to have aged ten years. She was still as beautiful as ever, with dark auburn hair swept stylishly off her face with a deep red flapper-band and even darker eyes peering out from behind heavily made-up lashes, but there were lines on her immortalised face that had never been there before, a looseness of the skin around her jaw that was unnoticeable on the screen. She was older than she portrayed in her silent films, and her voice husky with cigarette smoke as she said a brief “How do you do?”

Beside Madam Doucet was a perky blonde, done up in all the fashion of the day, being fed a strawberry by a very important looking man beside her. “Mr Karl Urban, the owner of this fine establishment, and his…protégé, Miss Mia West.”

When mothers pack and leave poor father
Because they decide they'd rather be tennis pros,
Anything Goes.

Mr Urban shook the younger man’s hand welcomingly, standing to reveal his intimidating height, which set of his intimidatingly trimmed beard, beneath what could potentially be a very intimidating glare. “Welcome, Mr Depp,” he said jovially. “And welcome to New York. I hear great things about you – they say you’ll be the next Broadway star.”

“So will I, if Karl here has anything to do with it,” Mia spoke up, batting baby-blue eyes at him from beneath false eyelashes. “He’s promised to make me a star, haven’t you, baby?”

Mr Urban allowed her to plant a light kiss on his mouth. “Anything you say, sweetheart.”

If driving fast cars you like,
If low bars you like,
If old hymns you like,
If bare limbs you like,
If Mae West you like
Or me undressed you like,
Why, nobody will oppose!
When every night,
The set that's smart
Is intruding in nudist parties in studios,
Anything Goes.

The woman on Mr Urban’s left – the only remaining stranger at the table – rolled her grey eyes at the display. “Disgusting, isn’t it?” she said in flawless English that was tainted by a strong Italian accent, extending a hand to Johnny. “Anna Valentino-Mortensen, lady of the New York society set. If you read the gossip magazines, I’m sure you’ll know all about my recent divorce.”

“I don’t read the gossip magazines,” he admitted.

“Well, then we’ll get along just fine.”

“So that’s everyone!” Billy declared with a flourish. “Everyone you need to know, now that you’re on your way to being a big Broadway star. And we officially welcome you into our little club here.”

If saying your prayers you like,
If green pears you like
If old chairs you like,
If back stairs you like,
If love affairs you like
With young bears you like,
Why nobody will oppose!

Johnny smiled, somewhat uncomfortable at being the center of so much unwanted attention. All he’d ever wanted to do was sing, and then out of the blue some big-shot producer was dragging him away from everything he’d known and loved, into this strange, glamorous world that he knew nothing about. Now here he was, surrounded by these very beautiful, extremely important people. His eyes strayed back to the stage, where the beautiful singer was winding up her number.

“What about her?” he asked in a low voice. “Is she in the club too?”

Some at the table shook their heads, while others burst into tittering laughter.

“Heavens no,” replied Mrs. Valentino-Mortensen with a barely-stifled giggle. “She’s a mere…employee of the nightclub. She’s no-one to be concerned with, Mr Depp, I assure you.”

And the conversation resumed around him as these strange people spoke of things he had no knowledge of and people that he couldn’t put faces to. This was the life he was now doomed to lead.

And all the while, the nightclub singer kept crooning.

And though I'm not a great romancer
And though I'm not a great romancer
I know that I'm bound to answer
When you propose,
Anything goes...
Anything goes...

Oh. My. God!

I think I squealed a thousand times! :eek: Ok, mind just this, I woke up and dragged myself to the computer even before having breakfast, so, here you are my first rational thought of the morning:

SPECTACULAR, SPECTACULAR!

You just blew me away with all the great, powerful atmosphere you created here! I think that if I had to associate you with a particular Age, that would be this, although I haven't seen the movie yet.

:faint:
See? I'm right there now!

And then, so many awesome guests for your little star-tobe, and they made me all smile and guggle, because you picked up such great roles for everyone!

The 'clownish' name was a killer!

Utter perfection, the way she (you!) looks to be pure and wise at the same time, experienced and green, and also, gifted with such a captivating talent.
Le sigh.

Mmmm... foreshadowing already? :unsure:

Hands up!!

Weejah, a tenor? Don't ask me, but I find it so funny and cunning! :yes:

Lol, Jess' stories=redheads crowding out everyone else! :yay:

Amazing! Poised, unreachable, classy Amber! Yes, it fits, actually. :love:

Ihihihih, glad to see Karl around foronce. And yes, man, you got to make of Miss Mia a star, if you promised so! :lol:

EEEE!! My divorce! Good Lord, you just made me die of spontaneous combustion! I could not ask for a character with a better attitude, definitely!
Divorced... Jesus...

*scrolls head*

I'm sorry though, to see the little singer seems to be so out-of-league... and I wonder why...

Man, you got me hooked once again.

And of course I love you for this, I had missed your writing just as I missed you. :wub:

Wow Jess, this was so fantastic. I could picture it all, as Mena said such a great atmosphere. And I love the song anything goes. Can't wait for the next one

Squee, thanks ladies, you give me a bedtime happy! lol

Be prepared for the sage to get much, much darker though...muhahahahaha!!!

OHHHH!!! I loved it! I think Mena outlined all the parts I loved so I'll just say that it was awesome!! lol.

You've really made me want to go watch De-Lovely now. lol.

I can't wait for the next installments! *feels like she's waiting for Two Towers after Fellowship all over again* lol.

*BIG hugs*

:heartbeat: Pat

Ditto, hon!
*folds arm under Patricia's to match her step*
You noticed, we're walking strategically in tow of the lads?

Mmm... backsides.

:shutup:

Goodness! :blink: This was freaking amazing, Jess! You created such a detailed atmosphere, and such a perfect introduction of all your complex characters.

Your opening paragraph equaled to die for! It was KILLER 5!!!!!!!!!! The descriptions were just perfect! I loved it so much. :wub:

Aww! I seem sad. :cry:

And, Johnny finds himself intrigued with the singer that the rest look down their noses upon. hmmm! I wonder what shall happen!

I fear I am late and must fly out the door, but this shortie was fantastic! I cannot wait for the ones that will follow.

Short on time, but I just wanted to let you know that I read and I was blown away. Oh my gosh! This is brilliant.

Talk about setting the mood and the scene. Wow! Jess, the descriptions are amazing. I can picture everything so clearly in my mind.

Loved the descriptions and little insights in the the characters. All so mysterious and intriguing.

One thing...Squeeeeeeee! Karl! I love how he is in here. It is so rare, Karl always misses out on the loving.

Excellent. I can't wait to see how this all develops.
Smooches

Wow, that was so great! I'm totally intrigued! And I can't wait for the next part!!!
I wonder what'll happen with the 'mere employee' ehehehe.

*runs to go listen to Anything Goes* Shamefully, I admit I've never heard it before... :blush:

*gasps*

WOW!

This was incredible! Very intriguing.

~Stacy~