reu n ion [Levi]

[broadway]

Raychel paced outside of the hospital wings doors. After her and Levi's near-death experience and her confrontation with Isabelle Rivera,she had practically forced her boyfriend into hospice. The new potions teacher, Professor Oriole, had been watching his progress for a few days. Apparently his mother had been a nurse a while ago here. Raychel could honestly careless about her teacher's lineage, as long as Levi was safe. The doors slowly opened and she took a step back, allowing herself to face it. She quickly dusted off her red dress and fluffed her curls, hiding a single red rose behind her back. She placed a dazzling smile on her face to greet...

[imadecoy]

Levi himself, almost entirely back to normal, but discharged at least. He felt a bit unsteady on his feet, and he still had some difficulty keeping food down, but other than those relatively minor complaints, Levi felt great. He smiled at Raychel, she looked very pretty. He was confident that he looked like death warmed over, still kind of sickly with paled skin and dark circles under his eyes, but perhaps more sleep-deprived than anything. "Well, I hardly feel appropriately garbed next to this beautiful woman," said Levi, looking down at his girlfriend's dazzling dress in comparison to his ordinary jeans and blue and white striped polo. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

[broadway]

Raychel smiled. She reached forward, revealing the rose. She attatched it to his shirt, the rose keeping itself firmly placed due to a charm she had placed upon it earlier. Pulling Levi into a gentle embrace, she rested her head on his shoulder. "Don't ever do that to me again." she whispered. "Ever." she repeated with an air of finality.

[imadecoy]

Levi sighed, he had a feeling that Raychel was going to touch on that subject. No, it had not been pleasant in the slightest, but he would do it a thousand times for Raychel. "As long as there isn't reason for it I won't." said Levi after a moment, it felt so good to have his girlfriend in his arms, that they were both breathing and alive. He closed his eyes a moment, knowing that he would be questioned by his peers about what had happened, knowing that he would be crowded for today, and then tomorrow everyone would lose interest in him. Levi didn't care. Not just then, the only thing that mattered to him was Raychel.

[broadway]

Raychel smiled gently. "I would expect nothing less my love." she replied. "I would do the same." She released him, taking hold of his hand. With a playful smile, she led him wordlessly to the Room of Requirement. She allowed Levi to take a step forward, to ask to Room for what he wished. "I had a feeling you needed some place to go, aaway from prying eyes." she replied gently.

[imadecoy]

"You felt correctly," said Levi with a small smile as his slightly trembling hand seized the doorknob and opened the door. He held it aloft with his foot so Raychel could go in first. The room was simple, as it always was for him, but handsome in a traditional sense. Bookshelves lined the walls, comfortable furniture was tastefully arranged around a lively fireplace, and a large piano was behind the couch. Levi closed the door behind them. He kissed her lips softly, and then took her hand in his. Raychel knew him well, in spite of their relatively short relationship.

[broadway]

Raychel was surprised by the tenderness of the kiss. She said nothing, only smiled, she she squeezed his hand gently. She looked about the room momentarily. It was indeed a beautiful room, and perfect, in her mind, and apparently Levi's. Simple, yet elegant. She sat down on a plush maroon couch, leaving Levi plenty of space. If there was one thing she did not want to do, was to crowd him. He had been through enough, but he had not seen everything. Raychel wasn't even sure if he had been aware of what had been happening. She hoped he hadn't, even though the part that was key was private, and no one would ever know. If he had known what she had tried to do, he would have been angry with her. A life for a life is no laughing matter in times like what they were living in.

[imadecoy]

Levi was grateful for sitting down on the couch, it had been a difficult walk for him going up two flights of stairs and then to the end of the corridor. Discharged or not, he was still exhausted. He stretched out a bit, allowing his limbs ample room, and then put an arm around Raychel's shoulders gently, gazing into the fire. It felt good to be able to relax, and not be shut up in the hospital wing. Warm air blew in lazily through an open window. Levi sighed peacefully, today truly was a beautiful day.

[broadway]

Raychel stroked his arm gently, laying her head on his shoulder. "I missed you." She replied finally. It was true. Minutes dragged into hours, which dragged into days. If days had turned to weeks, she would have never forgiven herself. "This whole thing was my fault you know." She muttered. Now was the time to absolutely come clean with him.

[imadecoy]

"No, don't say that," said Levi. He wold never pin what had happened on Raychel. It was just a freak series of events that happened all at once instead of over periods of time. She hadn't made all that happen, she was just feeling guilty. "It was beyond your control, it's not anyone's fault." Levi said, a tone of finality to his voice. No doubt Raychel would pursue this further, but he would never believe it was strictly her fault.

[broadway]

Raychel remained silent. She took a deep breath. "There is something... About that day..." She continued. "I... I was foolish, and reckless and wanted you to live..." She rambled. The point was forever lost, but she wasn't meaning to avoid it. It was just too painful, too hard. No doubt she was driving Levi mad.

[imadecoy]

Levi raised his eyebrows. Raychel was obviously distressed. Instead of being annoyed at her choppy sentences that weren't really doing anything for the situation, he pulled her into a gentle embrace, he smoothed her hair. "That's behind us, no need to fret so much on it," said Levi. He would be willing to listen if Raychel insisted on it, but he figured since she really seemed to be stressing over it that they should put it off for a little.

[broadway]

Raychel took a few rattling breaths. "I have to do this." She muttered. She took Leci's hand and squeezed it gently. It gave the intended effect, for it calmed her. She took one more deep, satosfying breath before continuing. "I tried to bargain with Isabelle. I... I attempted to sell my life in return for yours." She replied. The words sounded foreign to her, but she elaborated. "I was going to let her Bite me, if she would help you."

[imadecoy]

If Raychel had thought that this would upset him, it was quite the opposite. Levi was touched that his girlfriend would give her life for his own, it just proved that the love they shared was more than just the simple stuff that kids had, but real, agape level love. "That doesn't matter now, does it?" said Levi. "We're both alive, and obviously she didn't take you up on that, nothing to be upset about. The fact that you would even offer to do that in order to save me, it just proves how close we are, there isn't a thing wrong with what you did."

[broadway]

It was now Raychel's turn to be touched. Surely that would have made him mad, but then again, look what he had done to her. It was incredibly reckless and foolish to transfer whatever she had into him, but it was still brave. And Raychel couldn't thank him enough for saving her. Without a word, she reached up and lightly kissed Levi. Her pulse sky-rocketed. She hadn't been able to truly kiss Levi in a long time, and it felt fantastic. Now that he was better, or at least, out of hospice, she could resume her life. Unfortunately, deep down, she knew that was not the case. Isabelle's last words still loomed in her brain. Before she vanished, those words seemed like nothing. But now, days later, they were starting to come back to haunt her. Raychel was terrified that Isabelle would find her, but she wouldn't let Levi in on that fear.