Peter and Wendy ((Ariel))

[Jake Rainyar]

Jake pulled the yellow dress shirt down over his exposed torso. The bright yellow set off his eyes. He smoothed out the shirt and adjusted his black pants. His Hufflepuff pride was showing a bit today, but that's not what he was excited about. In little less then 15 minutes he would be meeting Ariel outside the doors of Hogwarts. In little less than 15 minutes he would be with the one girl that drove him completely insane with happiness. He smiled as he thought back to the first time they had met. He had crossed many boundaries that day with her and he thought he had pushed her far past her limits. Now, he stood fixing his hair waiting for the time to meet her. He shook his head and laughed. Who would have thought? He turned from the mirror as he finished tying his black tie. A small meow came from below and he bent to pick up Sniggle. "What do you think Snig? Am I crazy go be feeling like this? I'm nervous, I'm never nervous. Now I can't get my heart rate back to normal," he said as he shook out his shoulders and dropped his cat on his bed. "Relax Jake. It's just Ariel. Just act cool," Jake counseled himself. However, the sound of her name brought her image to mind and he felt his lips break out in a smile. I am nuts! He smiled at the thought. Ariel had occupied is mind rather often lately. He couldn't understand why she made him feel this way. It was like he was walking on clouds. Nothing could bring him down...nothing.

Jake took a fleeting glance at himself to make sure he looked his best before heading out of the dormitory. He wanted nothing more than to impress Ariel. He wanted her to feel like she made the right choice and not the wrong one. He wanted to be her Peter Pan. She was his Wendy already, but he wanted to be her Peter. The thought made Jake realize he had forgotten an important aspect of the 'date'. He ran back to his room and grabbed the item from its respected position. He smiled at it and carefully left the room behind and headed down for the entrance hall. He stopped occasionally along the way to talk with friends. He had failed to tell them earlier that he was attending Beltane with someone. All wanted to know who and Jake would only respond with the name Wendy Moira Angela Darling. He just smiled at them with his response and then continue on his way.

Jake reached the doors and glanced around quickly to see if Ariel was around. As she was not present yet, Jake stepped out the doors and stood with his arms behind his back waiting just outside the doors. He held the item behind his back. He hoped she would enjoy it, but he did not know enough about her taste to know if she would like it. Jake took a deep breath as he tried to calm his racing heart. It was close now. She would be here any second, his Wendy. He closed his eyes and smiled. The image of the Beltane celebration was burned into his eye lids from the sun that shown so brilliantly in the sky. He opened his eyes again and smiled at the students who were dancing around the maypole and laughing. Everyone seemed to be having fun and Jake could hardly wait to see Ariel laugh. At that the doors slowly opened in front of him. He took one last deep breath as he waited to see if it would be Ariel who would come into view.

[ariel]

Ariel cast a glance in the mirror for what must have been the hundredth time. Her shocking red hair was done up in curls while her dress wasn't the most colorful of things (black) it made her hair and eyes stand out more. It looked good on her too. What with the halter top and it reaching mid thigh, she felt like she had been thrust into a fairy tale world where she actually fit in. It didn't feel real as she applied the make-up (lavender eye-shadow and some mascara) and put on the jewelry (a few black necklaces with a peal in the middle, pearl earing's and "gold" bracelets). Ariel simply didn't feel like the same Ariel Dahl she had been before she put all this on. Even if looks didn't matter, she felt evolved. Twirling around, she looked herself over once more before deciding she did look well enough to present.

The corridors were buzzing with gossip and that almost always meant lots of people. Girls who had covered themselves in make-up held their boyfriend by the hand while there was every once in a while that clueless guy or girl, wondering around. Ariel passed them by swiftly, not without shooting a disgusted glance at them. She still hadn't changed her opinion on the girl's who did too much for something so simple; yet here she was being a hypocrite because of her obvious vigor to make herself look beyond good but excellent. She believed she had achieved her goal but Jake would have to agree to make it reality. Smiling softly to herself, Ariel continued to push through the throng by the Entrance Hall doors. It surely was busy. She had been wondering how this would go about and it appeared that everyone and anyone was coming. Ariel found herself glad to be here instead of being stuck in her dorm, studying or reading Peter Pan, again.

Pushing open the heavy oak doors, Ariel was met with a wave of noise. Laughter and screams of joy came from the Grounds. She could distantly make out the pole which people were dancing around while other tents were set up as well. She then felt someone's eyes on her back and turned to see Jake, who looked rather nice himself. Ariel felt herself relax as soon as she saw that it was him. "Hey!" she greeted, walking closer to him. He appeared to look how she felt. It was strange but all the sudden Ariel found herself grinning. "You look great!" She said, giving him her brightest smile. "Thanks for talking me into going. This already is much more fun then watching it from a window."

[Jake Rainyar]

Jake watched as the doors slowly opened and out stepped a familiar face. His mouth dropped subconsciously as she turned to him. "I didn't think you could get more beautiful, but I was wrong," Jake said as he bowed to her and took her hand. He bestowed a soft kiss onto the back of her hand and smiled. He hoped his normal charming self would be enough to let Ariel know that she looked magnificent. "I have something for you, but I'm not really sure if you'll like it much," Jake said as he brought the small red box out from around his back. He handed the box to her and sat back on his heels waiting for her reaction. He hoped she would like what was inside. It had taken him a lot of time and energy to find it. Somehow it was the only thing he could think of when he was around Ariel and he hoped she would love it.

Jake smiled at the letter he had sent to his parents asking them about where to find old original jewelry sets. What he had wanted for Ariel was so specific that it had caused him to have to go through an old collective antique store. However he had managed to come across exactly what he wanted completely intact and to it's original silver with all pieces attached. Inside the small square box hidden beneath a layer of fine black silk was one of the original Peter Pan charm bracelets that had come out years upon years ago. It held five different charms, a flying Peter Pan, Wendy, the Jolly Roger, Tinker Bell, and of course the infamous Captain James Hook. When it had first arrived Jake had taken great precautions with it and had hidden it deep within his trunk to make sure it stayed safe and unharmed over the next few days before Beltane. Now here he was presenting the gift to Ariel, hoping that she would love it as he hoped she would.

Jake waited and watched in silence for Ariel's reaction. Hoping that he had not pegged her wrong and that she would love the bracelet. He knew that just because she loved Peter Pan did not mean that she loved jewelry.

((Sorry it took so long to respond. I've been busy.))

[ariel]

((It's perfectly all right. I'm just glad you replied, late or not. And it's understandable to be busy - I have to take quite a few breaks myself. ))

She felt a heat crawl up her neck and blush her cheeks as Jake's jaw dropped and he commented on her. She smiled and subconsciously reached up and played with the necklaces she had put on. "Well... you look just dashing too," Ariel said, not hesitating. She had decided long ago that, no matter what, she would enjoy herself. Whether that meant acting like a totally different girl, that was fine. She felt different and in this case - different was good. Ariel just felt so much more alive and she wanted to show Jake the other side of her that he had yet to see. The part that was much softer and not so restless. She gave him another smile. "I'm so glad you talked me into going," she said. She wanted to tell him all about how she had chosen the dress and jewelry and everything else but realized how ridiculous she would have sounded and quickly clamped her mouth shut. She didn't want to sound too desperate or... or something she wasn't. She wouldn't change herself for anybody; not even Jake. She did feel much better though, evolved.

"Oh no, you didn't have to get me anything," she said, surprised when he produced a box from behind his back. She hadn't even noticed him hiding something; oh dear, she was beginning to go senile. Ariel shook her head. "This is too much!" she whispered but none-the-less took the box from him. Mort had taught her that a lady should always accept a gift, no matter what. She weighed the box in her hand for a little, trying to guess what it was. When nothing came to mind as she had no idea what to expect - after all, this was probably the first real "date" present she had ever gotten - she slowly opened it. Ariel wanted to savor this moment - save it forever. Once the lid was off, she put her hand in the box and pulled out something she instantly loved. It seemed to catch the light as she brought it out in the palm of her hand. Ariel felt her breath catch in her chest as she registered what it was. A charm bracelet with Peter, Wendy, the Jolly Roger, Tinker Bell and Captain Hook. Ariel let the Tinker Bell figurine slide across her finger tips.

"I love it!" Ariel cried and on an impulse reached over and gave him a quick hug. "Thank you so much!" she whispered, letting go of him and, without giving herself a chance to dwell on the hug, put the bracelet on her wrist. It looked so perfect and after Jake making the statement about them being Wendy and Peter, she felt it was some sort of destiny charm. It would be just like her necklace of the little mermaid - she would cherish it forever. She glanced at Jake, wondering if he realized how much this meant to her. She felt so great right now, so special. She had never felt this way before and it was such a relief to know she could be "human" just like everyone else. With a smile Ariel nodded toward the festivities. "Should we get going now? It looks fun..." she looked at Jake uncertainly for assurance that it was a good idea to go down there. Since it was nearly her first time actually being with a guy and going to a public activity, she had to be guided through some of the rough spots and walking to the Beltane Party was one of them. She gave him one last smile and then looked back down at her bracelet, playing with the little charms.

[Jake Rainyar]

Jake smiled at the dashing remark Ariel made. He had tried his hardest to make sure that he looked good enough for her. "I'm glad I could convince you to come. You deserve to be treated to something like this, besides I wanted to spend more time with you," he said with a smile. He had been so happy when she had said yes. He remembered it with a small smile. That day had been quite interesting. He had thought she didn't like him at all when she told him no in the first place. It was only after a few minutes of him ranting that she had finally agreed and it had made his day ten times better. She made his day ten times better. She was the perfect companion to his days and he was glad that she was around during Beltane to give him something to look forward to.

"I know I didn't need to get you anything, but I wanted to get you something. I wanted you to know how much it means to me that you agreed to go with me to Beltane. You've left quite an impression on me, Ariel and it gives me pleasure to see you happy," he said with a smile in a soft voice. It was such a change for Jake to be like this. He was never quite so reserved in his feelings and who he was, but Ariel made him feel so different, not in a bad way, but in a great way. He wanted to please her and to make her happy. It had become a pursuit of his lately and he hoped that she would enjoy the gift. He watched as she opened the small box and he glanced at her face in earnest searching and seeking for a reaction. That's when he saw her face light up and he smiled. She loved it. He smiled when she gave him a quick hug.

Jake couldn't help but feel ten miles high when she immediately put the bracelet on. It meant that he hadn't done all of that searching for nothing. He just wanted to jump around in the air and laugh out loud that he had finally done something great and wonderful for Ariel and she had liked it! He smiled at her comment. "Yep, let's go on down and check it out," he said as he offered his arm to her. He then escorted her down to the festivities.