Forever Changing [Ian]

[Shelby Crescent]

Time.
It's always changing, never standing still. Continuous and Stationary. Time changes our perceptions, and our perceptions of time change continously. Time is infinite, Change is essential to time and that what was happening now at this very moment, one of life's many changes.

Shelby dreaded this day always had since he told her the first time he was thinking of leaving. She sighs lightly glancing out over the lake on this cool July morning. The wind wasn't too cold, just enough to the point where you did need a light jacket though. The same scene all morning when she woke up was playing repeatedly in her mind but it would never be a broken record, it never could.

Ian. Hunt. You're asking me to dance?
Sure why not, is it that much of a surprise that someone asked you to dance?
Well, yes, actually. Er...what's your name?
My name is Shelby Crescent but all my friends call me Shell. So are we dancing or not?
Er... Okay, then, sure.

She smiles at the memory, trying not to cry already as she was standing still looking at lake. That moment probably was one of the most awkward moments they ever had in their lives. It still baffled Shell on how they even became friends after that night. She wasn't sure what to do or say when he came to see her this last time. What could you possibly say to your closest friend when you won't ever see him again?

Once again she sighs, rocking back and forth on her blue high heels on the ground close to the edge of the lake. Shell pulls her jacket around her a little more and closes her eyes, tucking her chin under the collar when the wind starts to intertwine with her curls and blue ribbon. As the thoughts kept pouring into her mind, Shell smiles lightly again, but at the same time she still had to fight back the tears.

No, no, I think I'll pass thanks.
Please?
Ah, fine.
Alright time to dance around the island!
My momma is crazy isn't she...
Yeah, completely stark raving mad.

Shell laughs at the memory, remembering how they both danced around the counter as Jessie was in his arms dancing in the process. He changed so much since then and it made her smile even more. Time just worked that way. Getting people to meet each other and then time decides how to work their friendship or rivarly, love or hate. No one could ever change it's mind and Shell was glad that time let her meet such a distant boy and watch him over time mature into the warmhearted man she still secretly loved.

The crunching of the grass broke her train of thought and let her blue dress swirl around her as the wind danced along the bottom ruffles when she turns around slightly to see him walking towards her. It was the same blue dress from the dance and when he broke her heart when Maddie came back. Funny thing time, she always modified it so she could keep that dress some for him but also for the memories as well.

She didn't say anything when she seen him in front of her. Not a 'hello', not even a 'hey'. Just a bright smile and hugged him tight still not managing to cry as she leaned her head against his chest as the wind continued to twirl into her hair and dress.

[Ian Hunt]

This has all happened so very fast. It started off with an idle half-formed thought of 'I wish we could just get out of here' and now it's real. It's real and it's happening and I'm on my way to say goodbye to my best friend.
I shove my hands into my pockets as I make my way across the grounds, hunching my shoulders slightly because it suddenly feels cold even though it's summer.
I don't like these grounds. It's been a while since I've been here without counting the times Poppy's gotten in serious trouble, it's been a while since I've really been here. Over ten years since my brief stint as a student in this place, since I lost myself in the forest or hung around in the shade by the castle. Over there, by Hagrid's Hut was where I first kissed Maddie, and just up there in the castle was where we had our first argument, I think it was probably that same day.

This is precisely why I have to leave. I'm sick and tired of everywhere I go being a place where I automatically think that this is where whatever happened, because some of those memories aren't as good.
I've lived in this place for a long time now, and a lot of things have come and passed and left their mark. I've fallen in love...a few times and with a few people, but only once completely, of course there's Poppy and Alex and Abby that have happened to be here, I found my family here - or they found me. But then again I've lost friends, family, lovers, been put in all sorts of painful situations, had my heart broken, broken other peoples, I've fought in needless stupid fights, ruined my own life on several occasions, and of course other peoples...It's getting a little much.
It's time to go on to somewhere else and leave this place behind.

This used to be my life. For a few years, those first crucial few years when I'd just started to really live, that was my life. Drifting about, always on to somewhere new, never the same faces, the same places. That was how I envisioned the rest of my life but it didn't turn out that way.
Beneath all the paranoia, neurosis, and anal-retentive worry and planning of how to make things just so, I miss the restless wandering that dictated what I was before.
It'll be different now though. I think that we do have a plan, and this time I have a whole family to be with. I don't really know what's going to happen, but that's the good part of it.
Poppy will love it, I'm sure - she's got that sort of nature where she will. Abby will go along with it, as if she really understands what's going on. Alex - well, who knows? His need for stability is pretty well established if he hates me for leaving and throwing our world off balance, but I'm sure he won't mind leaving eventually. And I think Maddie probably needs this as well after the whole Azkaban thing. We all need a fresh start, and this is going to be it.
Everything's going to be alright after we leave.

It's just the leaving that's the hard thing.
My sister, of course, instantly knew what I was going to say and instantly understood. My nephew too, although he refused to be so understanding. Unfortunately Kris didn't take it so well, but Mez knew me back when I couldn't stay in one place, and she got him to calm down about it. So, everything family wise is taken care of - even the animosity between me and my not so beloved step brother, who managed to grit his teeth and shake my hand goodbye when he was ordered too.
Now, it's just the matter of the hardest part, of the saying goodbye to the people who've been my friend regardless - family is different as they've had to put up with me, but my friends have done it by choice and it's only now I realise just how much they all mean to me, just when I have to say goodbye, which makes it even harder.

Today's challenge is one of the most challenging...of course Shell.
There's a part of me that still loves Shell, buried deep beneath loyalties to other people and promises to myself, and this is why it's even worse, because I don't know what to say to her because I'm never going to see her again and it physically hurts.
I'm so wrapped up in this, I'm almost surprised that I've already reached where's she standing, so it takes me a split second to hug her back, but when I do it brings the same comfort as always. I hug her tightly back, murmuring the sort of lame greeting of, "Hey."

[Shelby Crescent]

Shell smiles faintly and leans back a bit to look at him. "I still hate that you're still so much taller than me Ian." she says shaking her head a bit. She sighs and lets her arms fall from his waist and backs up a bit. If she kept hugging or kept her arms around him she would probably start crying right there, but she told herself that she wasn't going to. At least not in front of him. Shell knew that he never was comfortable with her or anyone crying and didn't want that.

"So, umm. Is everything settled one where you guys are going and where you're staying?" she asks softly, trying to find something to talk about. She knew that she wasn't going to ask where it was. He wanted to start a new life with his family, just as she did when Shell moved away from her childhood home and when she was with Logan.

Shell glances up at him and looks to the bag on the ground. "That's a bunch of stuff that Vi and I put together. She didn't want to come. I tried to convince her but she just locked herself in her room." she sighs with a frown. Violet didn't understand that when she said that she wasn't going to see Ian again, she thought that Shell wasn't going to let her see him. Shell sighs again just shaking her head. She would explain it to her later.

"But I'm glad she got to know her father though. It's more than I ever got the chance to have and she's luckier than she knows to have that." she whispers feeling her feet pull her towards him again and feels her arms wrapping around him again. "Do you have anything to say or that you wanna do?" Shell asks still looking up at him with a faint smile.

[Ian Hunt]

"Maybe you should consider growing a little," I suggest offhandedly, trying my very hardest to grin a little as if this is a completely ordinary encounter.
If I pretend hard enough that this is just one of those times when I run into Shell, or I come round the house to see Vi, or we meet up somewhere because we haven't seen each other in a while...then it will become one of those times. It won't be the time, as in the very very last time I will ever see her again.
There's no denying that leaving is exactly what I want, and exactly what my family needs, but that doesn't make it easy.

"Everything is completely settled," I nod.
I'm pretty sure at least...well, I bloody hope so. I think we might be going to see Maddie's father briefly, but I'm hoping to God that it will be a very brief visit, before we go settle elsewhere. I'm not even sure what the plan is.
I know, of course I do, I just...can't think clearly enough right now to recall it.

"Thank you," I murmur, glancing down at the bag.
Vi is another...really fucked up thing about leaving. I'd love to be able to see her occasionally, or hell, I'd even love to bring her along but it doesn't work that way. She's still my daughter, although I think we're going to have to just drop that line now.
"Do you want me to come by and talk to her? Set things straight?"
I'm not sure I could, and I'm pretty sure I couldn't take it on top of all the other goodbyes, but I'm not sure it feels right to just leave and ever see her again.

"No..." I mutter, hesitantly moving my arms back round her again, "No...I can't think of anything to say."
It's true, there is nothing to say at all and there really won't be anything to say until I'm long gone and I think of everything that I really should have said right now when I had the chance.
"Do you?"

[Shelby Crescent]

"Trust me, I've tried every trick in the book Ian. The best I can do is to wear these bloody high heel shoes. Even with their wonderful powers, I'm still shorter than everyone." she says with a smile, trying to get their conversation not to be so sad and upsetting. Shell felt that he was trying to force that smile and she couldn't help but look to the ground for a moment feeling a couple tears wanting to break through her fake strong shell right now.

"That's good then." she nods, bending down slightly and unravels the small cloth, letting the corners fall to the sides. "Just a couple pictures. One of me and Vi from now and the only picture of Sam and Vi together." Shell adds softly, untying the blue ribbon from her hair letting her curls fall over her shoulders and a few into her face. "And I want you to have this as well. Ribbon from the dance I believe." she says forcing a smile as she places everything into his hands.

Shell glances up at him and shrugs. "It's up to you really. If you think it's necesary then you can stop by. It would be nice, but I'll probably not be home. Can't do this again." she says letting her voice fall soft and instantly quiet now, still biting her lower lip.

Shell nods, feeling a tear fall finally from her right eye. "Well, I do but I'm debating about saying it. Don't think it's that important." she says with a weak smile before tucking a couple curls behind her ear but they simply fall back in front of her face some. "But I know something we can do. One last slow dance?" she asks feeling the weak smile grow a little bit.