Meeting the Parents (Sav, Janet)

[Cameron Wilder]

If Cameron was nervous or apprehensive about this weekend, he didn't show it. He knew that Savannah could be intimidated by his mother, but at the same time, he thought it would be good for her. And he wasn't going to apologize for her, either. Both Cameron and his mother were who they were, and they didn't make excuses or apologize for it.

He just hoped it went well because he was worried about Savannah.

He was waiting for her at the old statue of the witch's hump (hey, he did his fair share of exploring) figuring it would be quicker to get into Hogsmeade and apparate than any other way. Now he just had to wait for Savannah- hopefully she wouldn't back out.

[Savannah Lyons]

Savannah was really not prepared for this, and she was strongly considering backing out. There were so many elements of this that were completely outside of her comfort zone. First off, she was leaving the school with Cameron, without a chaperone... which made it feel a lot like a date. Even if his mother was going to be there, effectively acting as a chaperone, the fact remained that Cameron was taking her somewhere, and she was very confused as to why. What were his intentions? Was he just intending to show her off to his mother, so she wouldn't know that he was keeping the company of loose women like that Brenda girl? Or was he showing his mother off to Savannah?

Then there was the fact that she and Elliot hadn't spoken for the better part of a week. That argument--if you could call it that--still hung over her head, and her behavior had been slowly changing throughout the week as she tried very hard to break out of that mold. Still, that mold had been forming for most of her life, and she couldn't just break through right away. It was a gradual process.

Then, of course, there was the fact that she usually spent her weekends checking in on her uncle and Tyler. Both drank so heavily that she still feared she would show up one day to find they had drunk themselves to death. Somehow they both kept living, and so Savannah would quietly go over to the house every weekend and clean up the place and make them enough nutritious meals to last them all week. So it felt strange and wrong not to go there today, just to make sure they were OK.

Finally, there was Cameron's mother. Savannah had no idea what to expect of the woman. Cameron spoke very highly of her, and she could tell that for all of his tough act, he was really just a mama's boy. But what would his mother be like? She had a very clear image of what she thought a mother should be, and that was her own mother. But something told her that Mrs. Wilder was not exactly going to be a traditional mother.

All of these fears and worries weighed heavily on her, but she got herself ready in a pale blue muggle dress with a high collar and a simple skirt that hung just past her knees, as was proper. Her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, and she wore just a touch of makeup. She looked pretty and demure, and she really hoped Cameron's mother liked her.

Her stomach churning and her knees knocking, she went down to meet with Cameron. As she turned the corner of the hallway, she saw him already waiting for her, and she smiled shyly.

[Cameron Wilder]

When Cameron saw her turn the corner, he smiled, pulling his hands from his pockets and pushing himself off of the wall where he was waiting for her.

"Hey... I was starting to wonder if you changed your mind." He glanced at the clock and shook his head. "But I'm insane... you're still early." He added this for her benefit, so that she wouldn't be worried if she were late or not.

"I'm glad you're coming. Are you ready?" If she asked him why he wanted her to meet his mother, he wouldn't have been able to answer. He didn't know why, but some part of him was just hoping that maybe Savannah could be welcomed into some family... even if it was his own, less than traditional one.

[Savannah Lyons]

What was surprising was that he was early. Cameron was the guy who was frequently late for class, or even dinner. But here he was, already here and waiting for her. It occurred to her in that moment that, for some reason, this was important to him. She didn't know why, and she wasn't even sure he knew why, but it wasn't just a casual thing to him. Of course, he acted as if it was not a big deal... but somehow it was.

So she smiled and came to stand beside him, her hands straight at her sides. "I haven't changed my mind," she replied. "Do I look all right? I wasn't sure... you know I usually just wear the school uniform, but you said to wear muggle clothes. Is the skirt too short? I could probably find a longer one..."

[Cameron Wilder]

"Whoa," Cameron said, coming up to her. "Slow down. You look great, the skirt's fine. You don't even have to wear a skirt... you should just be comfortable."

He wondered, briefly, if she even owned a pair of pants. He didn't think he'd ever seen her in one. To him, as she was right now, she reminded him of one of those girls from the 50's in the poodle skirts. He kind of liked this mental image of her, and his smile grew a little crooked.

"I promise, you look perfect." He held out his hand to her, silently asking if she was ready.

[Savannah Lyons]

Savannah almost asked him what she was supposed to wear if she didn't wear a skirt. He was quite right.... she did not own a pair of pants. Her father had disapproved of women dressing like boys, and so of course, she was always expected to wear dresses and skirts. Sometimes, however, she found herself wishing she could just try on a pair of jeans. Her roommate, Kellie, wore them all the time and she looked so comfortable. Skirts were not comfortable.

"I am comfortable," she lied. "I just... I want to make a good impression."

She paused and stared a minute at his outstretched hand. She felt that funny feeling in her stomach again, and she figured it was just nerves. It was strange, though, how it made her feel like she wanted something.

Taking a deep breath, she finally placed her hand in his. "I'm ready."

[Cameron Wilder]

Cameron always tried not to feel let down when she hesitated like that, or looked at his hand like she might get ill if she touched it.

Sometimes, his own patience amazed him. He didn't usually have any, but for her, he always tried to keep himself in a state where nothing would bother him or frustrate him. Especially because he knew she was putting a lot of effort into this, too. He acted like this was no big deal, but he knew that leaving the school with him without permission to venture into Muggle London was a HUGE thing to her.

There was also the fact that she had been acting so differently lately, and he wanted to make sure she was okay.

When she finally took his hand, Cameron grinned and turned, touching the witch's hump and leading her towards Hogsmeade.

"I'm glad you're coming," he told again, though he'd thought it at least a thousand times.

[Savannah Lyons]

Did he know that a chill ran through her when their hands touched? It wasn't an unpleasant feeling; far from it. But she was too inexperienced to know what it meant.

As the doorway to the secret passage opened, her eyes widened. All this time at the school and she never knew this was here? Of course she had always heard that there were supposedly many of these secret passageways around the school, but she never knew where any of them were. It was not proper to go looking for such things.

"Is it safe?" she asked, hesitating. "Where does it go?"

[Cameron Wilder]

Cameron pulled up short, his head falling back as he let out a much louder sigh. Eyes closed, he muttered, "Savannah... you're killing me."

He thought she knew about this- afterall, she didn't ask why he wanted to meet her at some random statue. But again, he guessed he shouldn't have been surprised. When would she ever take a secret passage way?

He tilted his head back to the forward position and opened his eyes. "Savannah... I get it. I know how you see me, okay? But just once, just for today, trust that I am in no way going to get you killed, injured, kidnapped, in trouble, detention, or any other bad thing you could possibly think of, okay? Just for today, trust me."

[Savannah Lyons]

She felt a little pang of guilt when he looked at her like that. Didn't he know that she trusted him? Of course she did... she wouldn't have come today if she didn't. It was just the strange hole in the wall leading to Merlin only knew where, that she didn't entirely trust.

But she bit her lip and clasped his hand a little more tightly. "I trust you, Cameron," she said. She even managed a small, nervous smile. "Let's go."

[Cameron Wilder]

"Good," Cameron said, giving her a soft smile. "In that case, I can tell you it leads to Hogsmeade. We'll either walk to muggle London and take a taxi from there, or apparate, if you feel comfortable with that. I hadn't really gotten that far in my planning yet."

He flashed her a grin and turned to take the passageway. "Just watch your head, Savannah. It gets kind of low here about halfway through."

Navigating the passageway without killing Savannah (as promised), they emerged, after Cameron checked for an all clear, in Honeydukes, and he climbed out of the floor first to turn around and help her.

[Savannah Lyons]

Savannah wouldn't have admitted it, but she was actually rather enjoying herself already. Yes, the secret passageway was dirty and dark and narrow, and she had caught some cobwebs in her hair, but it felt rather like an adventure. She was not the kind of girl who had adventures. And although going to meet Cameron's mother wasn't exactly an exciting adventure, it was still stepping outside of her comfort zone... and she was somewhat surprised to see that she rather liked that. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard to break out of her shell after all...

"We could take the Knight Bus to Diagon Alley," she suggested. "Or we could apparate, if you're good at it. I've only just started my lessons and I'm not very good at it yet, so I'd have to side-apparate with you."

Which meant holding his hand again. She felt another little shiver run through her at the thought.

When they reached the end of the passageway, Savannah waited fro him to climb up and concentrated on picking the cobwebs out of her hair and brushing off her skirt.

Then he was holding his hand out to her again to help her up the old staircase. This time she didn't even hesitate before placing her hand in his.

"Oh, we're in Honeydukes!" she said, recognizing the smell of chocolate.

[Janet Wilder]

Janet had received the letter from Cameron just the day before. She still wasn't used to getting letters delivered by owl, and when this one flew in through her fireplace, she had grabbed the Louisville Slugger bat she had brought from home to remind her of her favorite American baseball team, the Philadelphia Phillies. After swinging at the bird for several minutes and breaking a vase, two glasses, and knocking over a lamp, she finally realized that the bird was an owl with a message for her.

Couldn't they have their mail delivered by butterflies? Janet was really not a fan of birds. And the new peck-marks she had received from the owl yesterday when trying to intercept the letter didn't exactly do much to change her mind.

Today, that incident behind her, Janet was trying to tidy up the tiny apartment. Cameron never brought girls home, and he had warned her that this girl would probably prefer if things were neat. Which meant to Janet that he wanted to impress her.

He'd also asked her to be on her "best behavor," which was even more interesting. Who was this girl, and why was Cameron bringing her here? Janet couldn't wait to find out.

[Nina Wilder]

Ah, London. It had been a while- maybe a year? Whenever the last time Nina dropped in on her sister was- well, the was the last time she'd been in the dreary, rain drenched city. Honestly, the chill of the fog seeped into her very bones and it was a feeling that always took her a few days to shake. How Janet managed not to go insane in this city was a mystery to Nina, but whatever. Older and wiser, she supposed (and it was a known fact that, in Nina's world, 'old' was defined by Nina's age plus one).

No one knew she was in town, but that's how she traveled, in and out, too quickly to ever really even consider putting down roots. That's why she danced, she reasoned- maybe it was a little new-agey, but she believed that there were certain people who were not meant to be on this plane of living. Her mother always called her a 'child of the crossing places.' She had been conceived where water and earth met, and she was always pulled in different directions. It sounded ridiculous and she knew it, and she refused to let other people thing she was one of those people- but could she be blamed if she thought she was just a little special?

When a taxi dropped her off outside Janet's house, she didn't even knock on the door, just waltzed right in. Luckily, Janet was in the living room, straightening some things on the coffee table. Nina put a hand on her hip. "A little birdy told me that Cam was coming to visit this weekend. No... literally. He sent one of those owls- which is, by far, the coolest way to send mail. You look incredible, by the way." The whole time she said this, she was moving towards Janet until she just engufled her sister in a hug.

When she pulled back, she was grinning. "Surprised to see me?"

(A little impatient, so I just posted. LOL. Please don't reject her now, haha).

[Janet Wilder]

Nina's visits always reminded Janet of a miniature tornado. She just seemed to appear out of nowhere and swept everyone up, and then would be gone again before you could blink. Janet didn't mind it, but her half-sister was so very different from her. Janet was the type who liked to put down roots and was trying desperately to find some stability in an unstable world.

"Nina!" was all she was able to say before she was swept into a hug. "Cameron wrote to you, too? Don't remind me about the owls... I should probably go to the doctor and make sure I don't have rabies." She rubbed her hand pointedly. "Did he tell you he was bringing a girl? He said she's a friend, but he's never brought a girl home before..."

[Nina Wilder]

Nina laughed. "That's right... you always hated the owls. I think they're awesome." She took her sister's hand in her own and looked it over before silently deciding that she would be fine and dropping her hand before she put her hands on her hips and looked around the living room. Janet was cleaning. Nervous, much?

"He may have mentioned a girl. And he told me to be nice. I'm always nice." She made a face here, and let her eyes drift back to her older sister. Older half sister. Whatever. "And guys and girls can't just be friends, Janet. Especially Cameron and girls. No offense or anything."

[Cameron Wilder]

Cameron shrugged, smiling to himself. "The original plan was to apparate, but you don't know the way there, and I don't know how good I am at side-alongs. Elliot would skin me alive if I spliced you." What he didn't add to this comment was that he would never forgive himself if anything happened to her. Especially now that she was acting different, he had sort of taken it upon himself to protect her. Or some stupid knight in shining armor concept.

As he helped her out of the passageway, he smiled and nodded. "Yes, Honeydukes. One of the mutiple reasons I love this store." On a second thought, he added, "Hey... do you want anything?"

[Janet Wilder]

Janet knew her son well. Cameron had always been interested in girls, and he'd always been a flirt. She was not fooled by Cameron's claim that the girl was just a friend. He was bringing her here, and he'd even invited Nina, and he wanted them to be "nice" to the girl. She meant something to him.

"Oh, believe me, I know," she told her sister. "He's my son, after all. And it may have been a while since my last date, but I do still know how it works. Cam's bringing her here for a reason. But he also mentioned that she's the sister of his friend Elliot, who I've also met.... so this could be a delicate situation."

[Nina Wilder]

Nina raised her eyebrows. "Cam neglected to mention that bit to me. This girl is his friend's sister? That's always a recipe for disaster. Brothers can be protective. Or so I've heard. And it'd been maybe three days since my last date and I still don't know how it goes."

Her whirlwind of an entrance seemed to die down and she took a breath, as if she had forgotten to breathe since she came in. "You know, I feel like Cam asking me to come was more for you and I to reconnect than it was for me and him." Maybe she was wrong. She and Cameron were much closer in age than she and Janet were, and most the time she felt her relationship with him was much oriented towards 'friends' than it was 'aunt/nephew.'

And then her energy was back, and her eyes widened. "I wonder what she's like. What kind of girl does Cameron want to bring home to Mom? I bet she's tall and blonde. He seems like he'd like blondes."

[Janet Wilder]

Janet finished straightening up and sat down next to Nina for a few minutes. She was considering making something for lunch, for when Cameron arrived with the girl, but she hadn't decided what would be appropriate. After all, Janet's cooking skills were spotty at best, and she didn't want to scare the girl off.

"Whatever the reason he invited you here, I'm glad he did," she said. "It's good to see you, and you look fabulous, as always. Although, you do look like you could use a good meal. Too bad we both know I can't promise you one."

She paused to rub her shoulder, a chronic ache which she referred to as "cellist's shoulder", then glanced over at Nina thoughtfully. "If she looks anything like her brother, she's probably a brunette. Probably a real fireball. Elliot is quiet, so his sister must be the wild one."