Slow Dance (Ingrid/Savannah/openish)

[Elliot Lyons]

He was able to catch his breath for a quick moment. Elliot moved quickly behind the statue. He could hear Ingrid's quick footsteps, but then he couldn't hear them anymore. For a moment, he didn't peek out around from his hiding place.

When he heard her footsteps, he peeked his head out and laughed when Ingrid rushed toward him. Elliot held out his arms and caught her. "Well, that was fun," he said with a laugh. Easily Elliot picked Ingrid up and planted a kiss on her forehead before walking out from behind the statue and spinning around in a circle while letting out another laugh.

[Ingrid Regan]

Ingrid felt lighter than air, and it was as if the rest of the world and all its sorrows didn't exist. She let out an audible laugh as Elliot picked her up and swung her around. It was probably the first time she had laughed like that since her father's death, and the clear, breathy sound, like the tinkling of tiny bells, sounded strange and alien to her own ears.

She threw her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer to him, smiling happily. Somehow, in the narrow, gray hallway of the castle, she felt like she was surrounded in color and light. How was it possible to feel like this?

[Elliot Lyons]

Hearing Ingrid's laugh was like music to Elliot's ears. He smiled at her and set her down on her feet again. "You have a beautiful laugh," he said honestly. Her laugh wasn't extremely loud, nor high pitched, or anything like that. It was hard to describe how it sounded other than beautiful.

Elliot's arms went around Ingrid's waist as hers went around his neck. Right now they were in their own world. He knew that tomorrow was going to be another day, but it wasn't going to be just like any other day. A lot of things had changed today, and he had a feeling that more things were going to change as well.

[Ingrid Regan]

Ingrid's cheeks were warm as she clung to him. It was so strange how he made her feel, just being so close to him. She had never felt anything like it, but she could easily get used to it. It just felt like they belonged together.

Her fingers tangled in the hair on the back of his head, and her eyes met his boldly. Her breath seemed to catch in her throat, almost as if she was drowning in his eyes.

Not able to tell him how she felt, she did the only other thing she could think of, and pressed a kiss to his lips.

[Elliot Lyons]

Never had Elliot thought that he would end up with a girlfriend, in school at least. After all, he always thought that he kept to himself and only really opened up around Cameron. He always thought that he was going to be the one that was in the background and just going on his own. Now, Ingrid appeared in the picture and things changed. Elliot wasn't complaining.

His arms were still around her waist and he was looking down at her, as if he was reading her face. Right now, he wouldn't have cared if they were standing out in the middle of Great Hall while everyone else was in there.

He recognized the bold look. He saw it earlier today. If it hadn't been for Ingrid's boldness, he wasn't sure if they would be where they were at the moment.

Once Ingrid kissed him, Elliot took the opportunity to move one of his hands to the back of Ingrid's neck. He couldn't help but deepen the kiss just slightly. He didn't deepen it too much, just enough so she would know what he was feeling.

[Ingrid Regan]

It was so strange how Elliot made her feel. When she was with him, she felt almost like she was the same little girl that she had been before her father’s death. She had often believed that wild, outspoken girl who loved to laugh and joke around had died the same day as her father, leaving behind an empty shell. But now she realized that the girl had not died, she had just retreated into herself for protection. And slowly but surely, Elliot was starting to bring her out again.

When he deepened the kiss a little bit, she found herself pressing a little closer to him. She felt like she was falling, like she was dropping down a hill in the roller coaster ride her father had once taken her on not long before he died. And Elliot was all she had to hold on to. It was an exhilarating feeling, and she never wanted it to stop.

Finally, she pulled away and looked up at him, her eyes shining with all the thoughts she couldn’t say. She hoped he understood them anyway.

[Elliot Lyons]

Once Ingrid pulled away, Elliot found himself attempting to catch his breath. A smile etched its way across his face and he moved the hand that had been on her neck to her cheek. He did understand, or at least thought he did, what Ingrid was communicating to him.

Everything in his life was changing. He wasn't completely sure if it was going to be for the best or not but Elliot was willing to take that ride. The ride really started whenever he met Ingrid. She continued to bring out the side that was somewhat hidden.

"You're a very special girl Ingrid Regan," he said with a smile.

[Ingrid Regan]

Ingrid felt her cheeks burn with the compliment. He had a way of looking at her that made her feel like she was beautiful, and she found that she liked that feeling. She had never felt that way before, and she hoped it never ended.

Nodding her head at him, she began to run her fingers through his hair and was surprised at how soft it felt. Could they just stay here, hidden in this little forgotten corridor forever?

Unfortunately, though, they heard a sound and soon a shadow began to creep closer to the entranceway of the little corridor. Ingrid bit her lip and took Elliot by the hand, leading him in the opposite direction. Maybe they would get lost, but at least it would be another adventure.

[Elliot Lyons]

Chill bumps were raised on Elliot's arms and the back of his neck as Ingrid played with his hair. He liked the feeling it caused and he knew that he could probably go to sleep if Ingrid continued to play with his hair.

His mind wasn't where they were traveling, it was everywhere but there. He followed Ingrid in the opposite direction of the entranceway. Part of him thought he had been that way before but he was unsure. It didn't matter if they were out passed curfew, although they had a bit before it was curfew.

He wanted to just continue to hide away for awhile. Whatever problems that were happening outside of their little 'bubble' were not bothering him.

[Ingrid Regan]

Ingrid glanced over her shoulder to see a figure that looked suspiciously like the caretaker, Argus Filch, standing at the entranceway to the corridor. He had found them, and would probably be chasing after them very soon. Ingrid let out a squeak and squeezed Elliot's hand before she began to run. Hopefully he would be able to keep up with her.

She found herself wondering if this was how her father had felt when he met her mother. He had risked everything to be with her when he knew he shouldn't. He had loved her with wild abandon, they had taken on the world together... But unfortunately, they lost. Mother had been turned out on the streets and become ill, and her father had never really recovered from losing her. He loved his daughter and concentrated on his work... but never again did he love another. But maybe love could have saved him, if he'd been open to it. The way Ingrid felt now, she felt like she could do anything.

[Elliot Lyons]

It felt sort of like an adrenal rush when Elliot saw Filch's shadow. He wasn't even out past curfew but he felt a whole new experience.

For someone that didn't play sports, Elliot kept himself in decent shape. He did go off and do his own thing from time to time, so running to keep up with Ingrid wasn't a problem. Elliot also felt that he wouldn't care if he was caught by Flich. He was spending time with Ingrid which was really the only thing that counted at the moment.

Elliot kept running, following Ingrid, then seeing a hallway, he reached out and held on to her arm to quickly turn down the hallway and then led her toward a door. Tonight was going to be an adventure, one that he didn't want to return from.

[Ingrid Regan]

Ingrid didn’t even know if Filch was chasing them at all, but she was having fun running from him. She felt like she was just letting loose all of her cares and worries and running away from the world.

A rush of excitement ran through her as he grabbed her arm, and she followed him to the door. Stopping for a second, she looked up at him and then back at the door. There was no telling what was behind that door, but Ingrid was willing to find out. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped inside the dark room. She took out her wand and concentrated for a moment, using a non-verbal spell to light up the end of her wand so that they could look around.

[Elliot Lyons]

Once they were on the other side of the door, Elliot closed it behind them before Flich or his cat could see them if they had followed them. After he was sure the door was shut fairly quietly so it wouldn't cause an echo in the empty hallway, he turned to Ingrid and took a hold of her hand.

Elliot didn't think that he had ever been in this area before. "Let's explore, shall we," he asked leading her toward the middle of the room.

[Ingrid Regan]

Ingrid was still holding his hand as she walked to the middle of the room. It seemed to be some sort of storage room, judging by the number of object scattered around. There were several suits of armor and several old tapestries that were in desperate need of repair. There were shelves of old books, some rusty cauldrons in one corner, and one large mirror against the wall. Something about it intrigued Ingrid and she let go of Elliot's hand, walking over to it.

As she came to a stop in front of the mirror, she saw her reflection change. Instead of her just standing there alone, she saw her father standing beside her with his arm around her shoulders. Next to her on the other side was Elliot, and he was holding her hand. They were all smiling and just seemed so happy to be together.

Ingrid looked next to her on either side, and there was no one there. How was it that her father was in the mirror and not next to her? But then, maybe it didn't matter. She could see his face, for the first time in so long. She had almost forgotten what he looked like, aside, of course, from the bright red hair. But there he was, with his warm brown eyes and charming smile. A tear trickled down her face as she raised the tips of her fingers to touch her father's reflection.

[Elliot Lyons]

Elliot took his time looking around the room. There was so much stuff in there. He wanted to see it all but he would have to come back during the day when there would be more light. When Ingrid let go of his hand, he watched her walk away from him, exploring for herself.

For a moment, Elliot stood there wondering the reasoning behind why things could have worked out great now. Before, things were rocky and then after his parents died, everything seemed like it had to be the same. Sometimes it seemed as if his father was right there with him. Now, Elliot was free from all of that. Ingrid seemed to show up at the right time. The time he needed the courage to move forward. She was his courage.

Seeing that she was paused at a mirror, Elliot walked over to her and stood next to her. The only thing that he saw in the mirror was himself and Ingrid. Her fingers were touching the mirror, over the right. He was puzzled as to what she was touching but he let her have her quiet moment anyway.

[Cameron Wilder]

Dec 28, 2009 0:07:34 GMT -5 Savannah Lyons said:

People didn't usually ask her for her opinion, and she very seldom offered it. If there was a choice to be made, Savannah always let the boy make the decision, while she demurely went along with whatever decision was made.

But there was something about being around Cameron that brought out the rebellious side in her. Around her brother, she was far too likely to slip back into her usual ways, because that was what he expected of her.

"We should probably go back," she said, lowering her eyes. "But I don't want to."

It was far more than he was expecting out of her, and his eyebrows rose slightly.

He didn't know how to take it. Was she feeling better from earlier so that she didn't mind making this decision, or was she feeling worse and wanted to stay hidden away? Whatever the reason, Cameron couldn't deny her, and he nodded.

"All right. Then we're staying." He scratched the back of his neck, unsure where to go from there. What did she want to do?

[Savannah Lyons]

For some odd reason, Savannah didn’t really want to do anything at all. That was another one of those things that she had been raised to believe was improper. She couldn’t just be lazy, do nothing, relax. Her father had insisted that she always make herself useful. Even reading was treated as a chore, and her father had always picked her reading materials for her.

But why couldn’t she just spend some time doing nothing at all? She was tempted to lie down on the sofa, but it seemed improper, so she just sat there, her posture still as always. “Does this room have one of those muggle music boxes… what do they call them? A record player? Maybe instead of us playing music, we could listen to someone else do it.”

[Ingrid Regan]

Ingrid didn’t know how the image of her father had managed to appear in the mirror, but he didn’t disappear as Elliot walked up to her. She glanced up at Elliot and then pointed to her father in the mirror, trying to show him what she saw. She was unaware of the fact that Elliot saw something different when he looked in the mirror.

Just seeing his face again, with the big, broad smile that she now only ever saw in dreams made her ache inside. She wanted to share that with Elliot, but she had no way to communicate with him what she was seeing or how it made her feel.

[Elliot Lyons]

Seeing Ingrid pointing to the mirror, Elliot didn't know what she was pointing to. He couldn't see her father in the mirror. The only thing he saw was them.

His gaze when to Ingrid and he looked at her confusedly. She clearly saw something that he didn't. "What is it," he asked. Elliot wanted to know what she saw. He watched her carefully for any signs that she could give that would give him some kind of clue as to what she saw.

[Ingrid Regan]

It was then that Ingrid realized that Elliot was not seeing the same thing she was seeing in the mirror. This realization caused a curious mix of emotions in her. There was immense sadness, as she realized that this was clearly an illusion, but there was also a curiosity about what he could possibly be seeing.

With great effort, she waved to her father, saying a silent goodbye, before turning away to face Elliot. She pointed back at the mirror, then touched her necklace, hoping he would understand. He knew that her father had given her the necklace, and it was the only thing she had of him at the moment. Then she tilted her head at him, a question in her eyes.