Glimpses: Aurora's Journal (FF, CC, Teen) *Check in!*

[Elizabeth Evans]

(It's so great to still be part of this fabulous RPG...everyone's posts have been amazing! )

*Isabel*

I smile wistfully as Max and Liz go out onto the dance floor. Grace is already out there, too, with Aurora and Ashley. The all look like they're having such a great time. If only Jesse were here! We've only been apart for a few days, but already my heart aches from missing him so badly. Deciding to stop feeling sorry for myself, I give Maria a smile and ask, "Let's go show these people some moves, shall we?" I pull her out with me onto the dance floor, where we both have an awesome time showing off our best dance moves for the crowd. "I *so* needed this, Maria. Thank you! I can't tell you how long it's been since Ijust let loose and danced and had fun like this. Jesse's been working overtime on this huge case lately, so we haven't had the time."

"You seriously need a gal pal to go out with," Maria suggested sagely, giving great advice as usual.

"Yeah, I know," I sighed. "But it wouldn't be the same. I miss you and Liz terribly!" I kept active in the PTA and charity organizations, as well as many social clubs, but it was very much as before. I kept busy socially on a superficial level to keep up appearances, and occasionally would entertain friends, but never let anyone close. Aside from Jesse and my children, I was very much alone and isolated even in a crowd. Just as my life had always been. It was familiar and comfortable...not to mention necessary. Still, I missed my family terribly. I was very happy....more than I'd ever dreamed possible...with Jesse and our children. Sometimes, though, I just wished that we could move closer to Maxand Liz and Maria and Michael. It would make my already great life perfect. But really, it was Jesse's salary that kept us in Boston. He did make a terrific income. Maybe one day we 'd succeed in convincing the others to move to the city and live near us.


I smile over at Grace and catch her eye. She smiles back, and it's obvious that she's thoroughly enjoying the party. Some guys have even come over to dance with her group. How cute....but scary, of course, for a parent of a young adolescent girl. Very soon, she'd be wanting to go out on dates and bringing boys home to meet us....probably sooner than Jesse and I would be ready to deal with this phase of our Grace's life. How did Max and Liz do it? I'll definitely have to ask them about that one...

[FallenMagic]

Great post Elizabeth Evans! Glad you could continue to post here, even if for a different character lol

Okay, I'm sorry if this sucks but I had to post this up realy fast Let me know if you guys want me to change anything.

~* Liz *~

I sigh contently as Max and I dance. At first we really got into it, with Max leading me into spins and twirls. When he attempted a dip, I ended up laughing, spoiling the effect.

I noticed Maria and Isabel tearing up the dance floor as well and I couldn't help grinning at that. I nodded my head towards Maria and asked, "What are the odds that Michael will make his way onto the dance floor?"

"Close to none." Max chuckled. "Why?"

Grinning I pointed to the guys watching Isabel and Maria raptly. "Because otherwise he's got competion." I laugh.

"Michael can handle it." Max replies. Just then the music changes and a slow song comes on. Max smiles down at me and pulls me closer, wrapping his arms around my waist as I wrap mine around his neck. "Now, this was what I was waiting for."

Smiling I lean up to kiss him lightly. "Slow dances can be very romantic..." I say suggestively.

Instead of answering Max pulls me closer and I put my head on his shoulder as we sway to the music. I loose myself in the feel of Max's arm around me. As we dance I turn my head slightly towards the dance floor and see Aurora dancing with her boyfriend.

"They look cute together." I comment.

"He's holding her too close." Max mutters.

Chuckling I pull back a little to look at him. "Max, they're only slow dancing."

"Is that what they're calling it nowadays?" Max asks looking at Stephan distrustfully.

"Max," I chide lightly. "Don't you trust Rory?"

"I do, but - "

"And weren't you taking this rather well a while ago?" I teased.

"They weren't slow dancing then." Max shot back.

Still laughing I pulled Max back close to me. "Oh, Max. Rory's growing up..." I sigh wistfully. "She's almost an adult now."

"Yeah...she's still my baby girl though." Max said.

"I know what you mean." I reply. I look around and my attention is sudenly caught by Kevin whose standing just outside the dance floor...staring at Aurora in a way that seems almost...well jealous.

My eyes wide in surprise and delight, I hurriedly look at Max ans say, "I think things are going to get very interesting soon."

"Why do you say that?" He asks with a puzzled frown.

Instead of replying, I nod towards Kevin and then Aurora and Stephen. "That's why..." I say with a smile.

[Sugarplum7]

This isn't the greatest, but . . . ::shrugs:: Here it is anyway. And thanks for guest-writing Liz_Parker! I hope you're having fun! And I am so glad that you are joining us again, Elizabeth!


<center>~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ Aurora ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~</center>

Dancing was so much fun. It was great when it was just the girls. And then, later, when Kevin, David, and Stephen took a break from eating to dance with us was even more fun. It didn’t matter if we could dance well, or if we danced bad, it was just fun being with each other. I smiled over at Grace to make sure that she was still having fun when the guys showed up. Judging by the way she laughed after David said something to her, she was having a great time. Or at least she looked like she did.

The music switched and the fast paced song segued into a slower song that you could do little else to except slow-dance. Stephen took my hand and smiled at me softly. It was as though he was silently asking if I wanted to sit down and take a break or keep on dancing before he spoke.

“Do you want to sit down?” He whispered as he leaned in closer to me. His breath tickled my skin as he spoke, and it made me smile.

“No. Let’s keep dancing. We can sit after this.”

He grinned as he slowly pulled me a little closer and began to move with the music. I could not stop the smile that claimed my lips as he held me while we danced.

“Are you enjoying your party?”

“Yeah. I’m having so much fun. Thanks for coming.”

“If you thought I’d miss your party, you really don’t know me as well as you think.”

“Oh, really? I think I know you pretty well,” I said jokingly as I pulled back a little to look in his eyes, smiling as he chose not to answer. We continued to move to the soft notes of the song, and then I wondered if Auntie Maria was going to sing at my party or not. Having her sing at my party would be something I knew I would never forget.

I looked over Stephen’s shoulder, expecting to see Ash dancing with Kevin, but they weren’t there. I looked around a little for them, trying not to look like I was looking for anyone. I didn’t see them anywhere on the dance floor. And I was unsuccessful in my attempt to look like I wasn’t looking for someone.

“Who are you looking for?” Stephen asked.

“Ash and Kev. I don’t see them.”

“I think they went to get some punch.”

I smiled lightly as I returned to paying attention to being happy that I was at my party and I was dancing with Stephen. How much better could this be? I have my friends and family around me, and Stephen’s dancing with me. But I couldn’t stop myself from wondering about Kevin. Was he having a good time?

<center>~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ End Aurora ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~</center>

[isabelle]

*KEVIN*

Aurora's party is a lot of fun. It's nothing like my sixteenth birthday party last month. It's so much more formal. I wasn't sure I was going to fit in, but I'm actually enjoying myself.

Ashley and I go and get some punch, and we watch the dancing as we talk. Aurora looks wonderful in that pale blue dress. Like a fairy-tale princess. Ashley looks great, too, but it is Aurora's party and I do find myself watching her. She's really great. I've liked her and Ashley both from the day I first met them, although I know I was pretty much of a pest. How else was I going to get their attention?

In a few minutes, my punch is gone. Why do they serve in such small cups, anyway? I'm about to get another, when one of her favorite songs comes on and Ashley says she wants to dance some more. I give her a grin and offer her my elbow like they taught us in dance class in 6th grade, and we glide out onto the floor.

Ashley and I dance up next to Aurora and Stephen. I hear her laughing and I have to grin. It's like music, the way she laughs. I wish she would do it more often. As the song is ending, I lean in and whisper to Ashley, "Maybe I should dance with the guest-of-honor."

"That'd be nice," she says. "But what about me?"

"Well," I suggest. "You can go get more punch, or talk with Grace." Aurora's cousin is at the side of the dance-floor talking to one of her other cousins. Matthew, I think.

Ashley shakes her head, giggling, but I release her, anyway as the next song starts. "Be right back," I promise. I move over behind Stephen and tap him on the shoulder. "May I cut in?"

"Sure," Stephen says, and steps aside. I move next to Aurora and bow my head to her. She smiles and opens her arms. I step in close, take her hand, and start to dance.

"I think Stephen will thank you," Aurora grins.

"Why is that?" I ask.

"I think he was hoping to stop for a little while," Aurora tells me, although she obviously isn't ready to sit down again yet.

"Well, I don't think he got his wish. Look." I turn her around so she can see. Ashley has captured him in another dance. "I think he's in for the duration."

.

[Sugarplum7]

Hi all! So . . . still not done with finals. I just felt bad about not posting. So I whipped something up in a few minutes. It’s not good or great or anything. I just had to post something somewhere because I felt bad about being absent.

And yes, I have a love for Troy even if it is not like The Iliad. And I do love Achilles (even though, from what I am told, he is not like the Achilles of The Iliad). Subtlety is not my thing apparently.

<i><center>~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ Aurora ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~</center>

“I think he’s in it for the duration,” he remarks as Ashley pulls Stephen back onto the dance floor for another dance.

“I think you might be right.”

He smiles down at me as he speaks, “Of course I am.”

I turn away before I catch his eye. I don’t know if I’d blush or get lost in his expression. I might have tried to not react the way I do to him, but sometimes . . . sometimes I have little choice in the matter. There was just something about his eyes that always held me hostage. And we may be close friends, but I couldn’t be like that with him. Not anymore. Not when I have someone as great as Stephen caring about me. It’s not fair to him. And it’s definitely not fair to me, to be a captive to something—someone—who had no intention of reciprocating.

“I don’t know if your confidence is charming or infuriating,” I say.

“Go with charming. That’s a good one.”

I laugh as pushes me away to spin me back into his arms. And there I stay, quiet for a while, letting the song surround me, allowing the moment to live. I moved closer to him, letting my head rest against his chest. I let the warmth he exuded cover me, a blanket surrounding me even in the coolness of night. In his arms I felt safe.

“Aura?”

Hearing his soft murmur, feeling the whisper of his breath across my forehead, suppressing a shiver as his hand moved across my back, I curled closer to him unconsciously.

“Yes?” came my quiet reply as I opened my eyes to gaze up into his, knowing that that was exactly what I was fighting to not do.

Try as I might . . . Some things I just could not fight.

<center>When you love someone
Nothing’s black or white
When the riptide runs
There’s no wrong or right


~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ End Aurora ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~</center>

Note: lyrics used are from “If I Didn’t Love You” and the song is part of the part, and not part of the scene. Make sense? The song isn’t the song playing in the scene. I just thought the lyrics fit. Make sense now?</i>

[isabelle]

Hi all. Sorry I've been so late. I had in mind to do a Max post, but I can't seem to remember what I was going to say. *shrug* Here's a short Kevin spot, then.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

*KEVIN*

Aurora is such a great friend and she’s so much fun to dance with. Of course, Ashley’s nice, too. I look across the dance floor and see that she’s dancing with Aurora’s cousin Grace now. I guess Stephen was able to escape the dance floor after all. The two girls move near as the song nears its end. I smile into Aurora’s pretty eyes. “You ready to quit?” I ask. “I think they’re about ready with your cake.”

Aurora smiles and nods. “Okay,” she says.

As we turn to move off the dance floor, Ashley and Grace walk along with us. “Hey Aurora,” Grace says. “What happened to your watch?”

I look down at Aurora’s wrist but I don’t see anything wrong with it. It’s a Disney watch with a black band that I gave her two years ago on her birthday. It’s not broken or anything, so I don’t know what Grace meant until Ashley speaks up. “Where’s that nice one your dad gave you today? The one with gold band and the fake diamonds? That’s a real princess watch.”

Aurora frowns, touching the face of her watch. “I like this one,” she says. “It’s my favorite.”

It is? For a moment, I forget to walk and I have to take two quick steps to catch up. I’m not much of a guy for caring about fashion, but I’m guessing that a watch like that isn’t the kind that’s supposed to go with a beautiful dress like the one Aurora’s wearing.

The next song comes on and I catch Aurora’s hand. “One more?” I ask.

She looks up at me with a surprised smile. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

Grinning, I lead Aura back into the middle of the floor. It’s a slower dance and Aurora leans against me as we start to move. I look at her hand in mine and the watch she’s wearing. My gift, not her dad’s. And suddenly, I find myself wondering….

[FallenMagic]

This is long overdue. Great posts though Isabelle!
Hmm...not too pleased with this

~* Liz *~

There's a funny feeling at theback of my throat that feels suspiciously like tears as I watch Aurora and Kevin dance. To anyone else it would seem like two friends dancing but I see so much more when I see them.

I can almost see and feel what they could have together. I can see things changing right before my eyes. And though I know that change is good, it makes me sad to see Aurora growing up so fast.

"Are those tears I see in your eyes, Mrs. Evans?" Max teases as he slides up next to me.

Turning to him with a watery smile, I slip my arm around his waist. "They'll pass. I can afford to be weepy now and then." I say.

"What the occasion this time?" Max asks with a smile.

I simply turn to look to Aurora. "Our daughter..." I say softly. I give Max a smile. "She's falling...they both are..."

Max frowns and automatically looks up at Kevin and Aurora who are now making their way on the dance floor once more. "She's too young to be falling love." Max says quickly.

"She's the same age I was." I point out with a laugh.

"Yeah, well...how can you be sure anyway?" Max argues. "You can't tell about these things. They're just friends."

This time I laugh and place a sound kiss on Max's lips. "Honey, a mother can always tell." Then, taking Max's hand in mine, I tugged at him. "Come on handsome. One more dance."

[Sugarplum7]

So this is like not good. I really have this huge block going on. I basically have no idea what to do. So this is a little on the filler side. ::shrugs::

<center>~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Ashley ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~</center>

“Where did Kevin go?” I ask Grace as we walk over to the table. He and Rory were right behind us when we left the dance floor. I know it. I talked to them. We were talking about the watch she chose to wear. That Disney watch and not the new one her Dad gave her. I thought it was specifically for this party, but I guess I was wrong if she’s not wearing it.

“They went to have one more dance, I think.”

I try to get a good look at the dance floor from where we are, but I can’t. There are too many people around. And they are all crowded for what I think is the anticipation of the cake cutting ceremony thing.

“They are dancing together a lot,” Grace notices.

They have been dancing together, but has it been a lot? She’s been dancing with him as much as anyone. They are friends. The two of them are as much friends as Kevin and me. Why wouldn’t they dance together? And they did look like they were really having a good time when they were dancing. The way he was with her . . . the way he looked at her . . .

I don’t know if he has ever looked at her like before. As much fun as Kevin is, and as much as I like having so much of his attention, I think something might be changing among the three of us, something shifting. That is, if I am right about the way he looked at her.

“Ash?” Grace waves her hand in front of my face.

“Yeah?”

“You were somewhere else. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” I just need to talk to Rory and find out what’s going on. I might not be hurt if Kevin’s affections have changed. But it’s not just the three of us. There’s Stephen to consider.

<center>~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ End Ashley ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~</center>

[Liz_Parker]

~*Grace*~


I smile softly at Ashley and look at the dance floor again. Aura looks really happy. They're supposedly just friends, but if you look....there's more to it.


Ash seems to have spaced off about it so I wave my hand in front of her face.


"Yeah?", she says snapping back to reality.


“You were somewhere else. Are you okay?”, I ask and frown at her.


"I'm fine", she says putting on a smile. I nod at her and sit down. Aura looks really pretty and she seems like a princess dancing....even if the watch she's wearing doesn't quite fit the dress she's wearing...

[Sugarplum7]

Awesome! We still have a Grace! It's always nice to see you post, Liz_Parker. ::grins::

Random bout of inspiration. Hopefully it’s okay. ^_^


<center>~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ Aurora ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~</center>

“Hey,” I say quietly as I tug on Kev’s hand a little, just enough to get his attention, “is everything okay? You seem . . .”

“What,” he asks, a small smile on his face. “I seem what?”

“I don’t know.”

“Different?” he suggests.

“No, not different,” I say automatically, but then I think about it. “Maybe. But that wasn’t what I was going to say. You seem far away, I guess.”

“Far away?”

“Yeah. And a little preoccupied. What are you thinking about that’s taken you so far away.” I smile up at him to try and set him at ease just because he seems a little tense. I don’t know what’s wrong. He was fine until we started talking about the watch. It’s the one that he gave me. Is that it? Did I do something wrong? I wasn’t lying. It is my favorite.

“Far away, huh? Like another planet or something,” he says teasingly. He moves his hand across my back, and I shiver in his arms. I couldn’t help it. Whenever he holds me, whenever he’s near me, my skin tingles, and I feel so warm. “Are you getting cold?” he asks, noticing my shiver and diverting us from the topic we were on.

I shake my head before saying, “No, I’m fine. And don’t think that you’re changing the subject. What's wrong?” I lightly rub his shoulder, reassuring him, trying to set him at ease once more.

<center>~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ End Aurora ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~</center>

EDIT: The last thing Rory says was really bugging me. Even when I posted it. I edited it because I couldn't take it anymore. It seemed almost forced and slightly fake. Note to self: no more impulse posting.