Don't Let Go Of Me [Dastan]

[EVANNA NATALIE ARRYN]

She couldn't believe this. She's killed countless of things: vampires, werewolves, witches, things that people would have to look up on the internet to even know what the hell it is. Oh, and she's burned some bodies because of evil spirits. Gotten rid of curse objects, and her favorite, exorcised a demon. Yet, here Evanna Arryn was on the ice, and there was nothing that she could do other than cling the wall barrier as her feet were slowly starting to slide out from under neath her. In fact, she had been clinging to that same part of the wall barrier for the past half an hour forcing people to move around her if the wall was their method of ice skating.

Why did they even have a hockey team in California? It was hot and she was pretty certain that nobody cared about a sport if it didn't have to deal with the Lakers. Yet, here she was in the LA Kings ice rink. In other words, she was going to kill the male members of the Arryn house hold. Her father was trying to teach her younger brother about charity work and how to put together a benefit. Most people, herself and her sister included, always did balls. There was nothing wrong with balls, and even better, they were on stable ground. But no, her brother had to be different, he had to benefit kids and sports and somehow, that involved ice hockey.

Cillian had tried explaining to her, and telling her all the NHL players that were coming, and all the other important people that were coming, but Evanna had hardly listened to her baby brother the moment he said there was skating involved. She actually tried to get out of it, but her father wouldn't allow it and shockingly enough, neither did her mother. It made her want to roll her eyes, at least on her mother's part but she had bit her tongue for once, mostly because she didn't want to blow up in front of her father. But now she was here, suffering. Honestly, Bambi had more grace than her when it came to dealing with ice, it was utterly ridiculous.

People had offered her their help, but in a natural Evanna mood, she told them off and to go away. She didn't trust them, not by a long shot and she was not going to wipe out on the ice in front of all of these Hockey Players. Or maybe she still would if the ice had it's way, slowly pulling away at her as she scrambled and clung to the wall again, "God, I want to kill myself," she whined now or go out and get drunk. Having time off from hunting was not suppose to be stressful, she was suppose to be at the beach. Stupid ice, stupid hockey...at least she had enough sanity to not hate on the charity, she couldn't, it benefited kids.

Some mass of a person just glided on up to her, "Hey, do you need-"

"No," she snarled, glancing over and was suddenly struck by the fact that he looked rather familiar to her. Evanna couldn't place why for two seconds before she realized that she had seen this guy play, with Dastan, at that game. God, that meant that she should probably be semi nice, "I mean...no, I don't. I have this perfectly under control...er, thank you though." But as she slipped against and made a wild cling for the wall yet again. God, she was going to be stuck here. Out of the corner of her eye now, she saw the player who had approached her skate off, but Evanna didn't bother watching to here he went off to.

But maybe she should have because that player went right to Dastan, "Dude, your 'girlfriend' from that New York came is not a happy camper. She told me off with one word." He joked now.

[DASTAN GERARD RILEY]

The transition from walking to running and now skating seemed to have gone far to quickly but she'd taken to the ice like a fish to water. He'd seen kids that young skating before but it was usually not with such confidence, she barely even wobbled anymore though she still took her strides very slowly. Just as he was letting her go again Mike, his team mate skated up and spoke to him about his 'girlfriend' from New York. “My what?” he asked his eyes following the path he'd taken to them before they settled on an all to familiar face. “are you fucking kidding me?” He asked. Not that it was necessarily a bad thing but come on, if he hadn't known any better he might have thought she was stalking him at this stage. What was she doing here?

“don't take it personally mate you're just clearly not her type” he said moving past him. Not that he had any clue what he type was. The thought brought him back to his conversation on the beach with Ronan, the castle destroyer. It was only then had he really began to realise how much he had been thinking about Evanna since their run in while he had been in New York. In fact, she hadn't left his mind.

His eyes fell to Messier as she pushed her little feet against the ice and glided smoothly “Mind her or she'll be taking your spot on the team” he joked to his team mate and jokes aside, he fully trusted his daughter with every person on his team, hell half the time they watched her better than he did, it was like she had 19 over protective Uncles which was nice considering she didn't have any real Uncles. “I'll be back” Messier barely even batted an eye as he slowly skated backward away from her she latched onto Mike's hand quickly and began skating a perimeter around him.

He chuckled and turned around now skating over to the side wall. “You know if you're gonna continue following me around the country like this you better at least learn to skate” he joked stopping in front of her with a grin. “It's a little embarrassing if my two year old can skate circles around you...if you're gonna keep popping up I'm gonna have to teach you some skills” he said still joking but he could always teach her. It wasn't really that hard, she was over thinking it he could tell and too afraid to just find her balance. It amazed him how little fear children seemed to have, which was why it was typically easier to teach them things, they didn't understand the fear of falling and breaking a bone, they just understood the joy and fun of something new.

His eyes fell to her grip on the boards and he offered his hands instead. “you gotta fall a few times before you'll be comfortable” he told her. It was like being a server, if you didn't break a few dishes you'd always be terrified of doing it.

[EVANNA NATALIE ARRYN]

Honestly, she didn't really think that she could hate her life any more than how much she hated it right now. After all, she was stuck on ice, in a cold arena, clinging to the wall for her life when she could be out at Laguna Beach right now partying it up, or even just partying it up in LA, right outside the very doors to this arena. But in just two seconds, she stood corrected as she heard an all too familiar voice. Evanna glanced over now only to see Dastan Riley standing there and she found herself believing that God really did have a horrible sense of humor.

She just glowered at him, "You know, I really don't have time to deal with you right now," Evanna snapped. Actually, she probably had all the time in the world seeing as she couldn't move anywhere. In fact, she was pretty certain that she had been hanging around this same piece of the wall for the past half an hour, "And, need I remind you that I'm the one from California? This is my territory, not yours. Furthermore, I am not stalking you because that would actually require you to be on my mind!" Evanna might have actually gone on if it weren't for a near slip but successfully, she still managed to stay on her own two feet.

However, her heart rate was starting to go up now, recovering from the shock. Having an Olympic ranked hockey player standing there though, actually watching her, did not help her out much either. Nor the fact that she was pretty certain out of the corner of her eyes, that she saw her siblings in a giggling fit. No doubt laughing at the awkward situation that she found herself in with the ice skates...after all, Evanna was pretty certain that she had never mentioned Dastan to them, famous or her suspicions of being a werewolf otherwise. Although, to be honest, after New York she had found herself doubting that idea, but maybe it was because his personality just might be winning her over.

Not at this very moment though, "Shut up Dastan, she has you for a father," she managed now. Of course his daughter was going to skate circles around her, "And I don't know if you realize this, but a lot of people can do that around me." She'd like to see them try some other stuff around her though, Evanna would be sure to knock them out cold. Movement caught her attention as Dastan held out his hand to her. Her gaze stared at it for a moment before she glanced up, ready to say something, she felt herself slip again, only this time, her hunter skills semi took hold of her as she shoved herself away from the wall and managed to grasp hold of Dastan's one hand, but missing hte other, her hand just latched onto his jacket now.

Her grip was strong, and Evanna realized in that moment that she probably looked like koala, but she found herself past the point of caring, at least for now. He also felt, oddly warm to her touch, but maybe that might also be the fact that this was also the closet she's ever been to him physically, in his personal bubble and everything, "Don't you dare let go of me," she managed now, glancing up at him. Then again, she was pretty certain that she was not letting go of him for the rest of her time in the rink, "Unless you're putting me back on the wall then by all means, please do."

[DASTAN GERARD RILEY]

“Really you don't look like you're really very busy right now” he said observing the obvious. She hadn't moved from her spot since he'd spotted her. “That's true but...this is a professional hockey arena so... I would say we're a lot more on my territory than yours” he offered. He would never have even bet money he would see her again and certainly not here. “What are you doing here?” he asked curiously. His eyes fell to some people watching her and giggling and he offered a nod in their direction hoping the acknowledgement would get rid of them.

“It's true not everyone can be so lucky” about having him for a father. It was the only thing that he knew how to do well so of course he was going to teach her as soon as he could. “But to be fair, it's the only thing I can teach her so I did try to get a head start” he added. He had taught her without a hockey stick because he knew that kids ofter used them as a crutch to keep their balance and that wasn't the proper way to learn. He glanced around and nodded as he observed most of the people there were skating circles around her. “Though in your defence a lot of us are professionals” he pointed out.

“Whoa” he said holding her hand tightly as she took it and resting his other hand on her waist to steady her as she fell forward, she caught herself against him. He grinned slightly as he realised how closely they were standing her gripping tightly to him for what seemed like dear life. “ I would never” he assured her, let her go, unless she was ready to skate on her own.

He laughed when she suggested he put her back on the wall and he shook his head. “Oh I don't think so Evanna you and that wall are far too well acquainted with that wall already, you're not going back there if I can help it” he pushed against the ice skating backward with ease pulling her with him. “But you do need to relax” he warned. “Other wise you'll drag us both down” though he was certain he was strong enough to carry her around the entire rink if he really wanted to, but he did want her to learn for herself. “I'm not going to let you go” he promised.

[EVANNA NATALIE ARRYN]

How she wished looks could kill right at that very moment when he decided to just blatantly point out of the obvious to everything she had said, "Do-Do you mind? I don't need your smart ass comments right now." Honestly, Evanna still couldn't even believe that they had run into each other yet again. This was seriously starting to get old for her, really old. There was logically no way that you could run into somebody so many different times, in three different states. Clearly, California wasn't even a safe option any more. Stupid LA, stupid Hockey, "What am I doing here?" she asked now, repeating his question.

It was in that moment that she wasn't even sure if she had ever told him her last name. As he glanced at her siblings, they managed to cease their laughter and skate off, but there was no doubt in her mind that'd she get a mouthful later on. That is, if she didn't kill them first, "Uh...my family is running this event, or well, my brother is and it is my sisterly duty to attend. They failed to tell me though that it was in an ice arena until after I already committed. So...yeah." Like she really had a choice though. Although, if she had known that Dastan was going to be here, she probably would have tried really hard to get out of a situation like this.

His comment about how not everybody could be so lucky caused her to roll her eyes, as each minute past, her mood was growing worse. Evanna couldn't even decide if it was him or it was the fact that she was on ice. Either way, it was throwing her off her game something awful, "Really? I would have never have guessed that by the way you guys skate." Or the fact that they all seemed to know each other even though they weren't the same team, in fact, she was pretty certain that it was loads of different people. In the end though, Evanna just didn't care no matter how much her little brother tried to make it appealing.

Although, right now it was a little shocking that she wasn't shaking yet as she clung to Dastan, her grip tightening up by the second. The wall had given her comfort cause it was stable and not moving, now she wasn't even sure what to think of her situation. Not to mention, was his hand on her waist really that necessary? Yet between that and his words, dare Evanna say that she almost felt comfort. Until he killed her dreams of getting back to the wall, "But-But I-" she couldn't even finish her statement though as he pushed against the ice now, gliding them away. Evanna scowled though, "Relax? Relax?! I'm on ice, and I have no grip, I can't relax."

The motion made her seize up a little more, but it's not like she could resist. In the situation, Dastan had full control and never had she felt so vulnerable in her life. Evanna really wasn't sure how she felt about this, or how she felt about him witnessing this side of her when she was usually such a bitch to him and not...weak. God, he was probably enjoying this the more she thought about it. She glanced up again when he reassured her that he wasn't going to let her go, in fact, it sounded like a promise. Evanna just stared at him for a moment, "Okay...I trust you to your word. Better not be lying."

[DASTAN GERARD RILEY]

He grinned and shrugged gently when she said she didn't need his smart ass comments. “I'm hardly a smartass” he argued “I'm just observant” which was the truth. She had been busy keeping herself standing but now that was his job to make sure she didn't fall and he was going to try his best.

“Oh” he said the surprise was obvious in his voice as she confessed that her family was hosting the event. For some reason that amused him especially since she seemed to hate it, and she hardly seemed like a people person, from their encounters and her lack of friendliness toward him. In fact, this was probably the longest she had been civil to him and still there was a hint of sarcasm in everything she seemed to say to him.

Who her family was didn't really matter to him, though it was obvious that they were well off, names, money it really didn't make a difference to him, it was a means to live and that was all. He had enough to do what he wanted and to keep a roof over his head whether or not someone else had money was irrelevent, if they were a good person. “Well you didn't have to actually get on the ice so...props for that” He admitted she could have just shown up and stood outside the boards and observed really, if she wanted to, but she was actually out there, somewhat trying to participate and considering the fact that she clearly could not skate, that took a lot of guts. “Here I just thought that you had a new found appreciation for Hockey players since New York” he joked, he didn't mean himself. Just in general since she'd been at the game.

“I've got you!” he assured her when she said she couldn't relax. “You're on ice...what's the worst that could happen? It's a rink not a river or a pond you're not gonna fall through the ice, you might slip but the likeliness of actually hurting yourself more than a few bruises is slim nothing I'm sure you can't handle...if you stay relaxed, if you tense up you'll like break something” he warned her. He'd seen it a thousand times. “Didn't you ever rollar blade as a kid?” he asked, wasn't that like a stereotypical californian thing, roller blading. Even he'd done it, in the summers they played street hockey on blades.

“Besides I've got a lot of experience taking a hit on the ice” if she started to fall he could catch her and even if he went down he had years of training to ensure that he didn't hurt himself and prevent her from hurting herself. When she said she trusted his word he smiled. “I try not to make a habit of breaking promises” he assured her. His word could be trusted, unless it came to his secret, it was the one and only thing he had to lie about, constantly and it wasn't something he prided himself on.


He turned his eyes for a moment to watch Messier still skating circles around Mike and he nodded in that direction “you wanna say hi?” he asked curiously. “she asks about you” he admitted which seemed strange but it was part of the reason he hadn't just been able to let her leave his mind. She could hardly say her name right but she tried 'Vana' was the best that came out but it seemed pretty obvious to him what she was saying. “guess she's got a steel trap of a memory, though her phonetics still need some work” he added guiding her across the ice carefully.

[EVANNA NATALIE ARRYN]

When he stated that he had merely been observant, she shot a look in his direction, holding her tongue for once. She could however, register the surprise in his voice when she stated plainly that her family had been running this event. Guess she really hadn't hinted away at much during their last encounter other than the fact that she had been staying at the Hilton also. Of course, why would tell anybody that you came from a well off background? It's not like she bragged about that stuff, plus well, she still never thought that she was going to see him again. Funny how that ends up working.

"Yeah, well, don't remind me of that stupid mistake," she commented now after he gave her props for going on the ice. Honestly, Evanna wasn't even sure if she'd call it 'willingly' more like being bullied onto it by her siblings. Whatever, she'd get her revenge sooner or later. His joke caused her to roll her eyes, sighing a little, "You can keep on telling yourself that," she replied now. Sure, she could see why guys liked it but girls? No idea, after all, it's not like one could really see the players faces when they played due to all that protective gear. During New York, Evanna honestly had to have one of his former teammates explain to her what was even going on.

Dastan kept on assuring her that he had her, even when she said that she couldn't relax. It was still annoying that she couldn't keep it together on a frozen slab of ice considering everything that she's seen in her life. Life had a funny way of throwing curve balls like that, but hey, she liked the stability of her feet on the ground. Her gaze fell to the ice for a moment, "Yeah, but I probably won't be able to pick myself back up when I fall! I'll be stuck there forever," hell, she wouldn't mind breaking a bone, she'd get rushed off. Evanna brought her attention back to him now, glancing at him like he was crazy, "No," she replied. The question seemed so trivial to her, of course, that would have also required to her have a normal childhood.

A snort of laughter actually escaped her, "I still can't believe people take shots at you," she commented. Of course, she saw it with her own eyes but half the time, people just looked like they were bouncing right off of him. Dastan was a tree after all. Then she noticed his smile, god, why was he doing that? Then again, the whole trust thing had sounded a little cheesy. Still, Evanna couldn't help but to stare at him for a little while longer, "Okay then...glad to hear that." Did those words really just leave her mouth? Before she could even fume over it though, her crutch seemed to distract her with his daughter, "Hm? Oh, sure...I can't believe she remembers me." Or anything good about her, "Evanna's a hard name, I don't blame her..." She did nothing more than allow him to guide her, giving Dastan complete control.