Author's Note: (It's a long one.) Hey guys. I'm so sorry for putting such a long gap in between this story and the last one. Life's really gotten away from me, if you've ever known the feeling then you'll get that. So much in my life has changed since the last story. All of you kids still in school will get that with a new school year starts a new life. I've met some of the coolest people I'll probably ever know, fallen in love, and still managed to have time for fifty billion things outside of school. Try mocktrial, guys. And showchoir. Never forget about the instrument you started in fifth grade, it's something you can always get better at. (As I'm writing this, I'm wearing flute earrings.) *laughs* Time is priceless and you really won't understand that until you've wasted it. (Thank goodness that revelation happened earlier for me.) Now, about my writing. This is the last Luke/Emma story I will probably ever write. I no longer watch Jessie, so the chance for inspiration is very small. If you're a Harry Potter fan, please stay with me. I will be writing more, definitely when I'll have more time. I wish I could set a goal to have a story by next month, but that's unrealistic right now. When I do write again, it will be in the summer. Don't give up on me, guys. It still makes my day when I'll be scrolling through my email and see those emails from FanFiction. "_ favourited your story." "_ reviewed."
However, this is where my voice of Harmony begins. When I will be back, I will be back with a Harmony piece. Harry/Hermione from Harry Potter.
I love you guys so much, and it really made my day when I recieved a PM from Look for the Silver Lining. Dear, you're probably the only reason this story is up. It was written in August and I never got around to publishing it. Well, I hope you love it, and Look for the Silver Lining, this one is dedicated to you. :)
(Sorry for the length of that. *nervous laugh*)
~The Voice of Harmony
And so, the story begins...
"Luke," Emma stretched out the vowels in his name."I don't want to go ice-skating."
She had been forced to take Luke to Rockefeller Plaza. This morning, he had begged Jessie to go skating, but she was going out with the younger children. Therefore, the responsibly had fallen onto Emma's shoulders.
Luke cocked his head to the side, looking at her with an irritated expression.
"Yeah? Well Jessie said that you have to take me to skating. She's busy with Zuri and Ravi." he looked at Emma, visibly annoyed with her whining.
It was true, their nanny had offered to take them to the Lion King with the other two. But both had politely declined, having seen it before. Luke, set on spending his day at the ice-skating rink. Emma, planning on making a cake with Bertram. They had seen a new episode of their favorite cooking show, and had wanted attempt the recipe themselves.
Ultimately Emma, as the oldest, was forced to take Luke to the Plaza, half an hour's walk away. Bertram had promised her the first slice of cake, though. He had been in a really good mood when they left, probably having to do with having the house to himself. Luke's not being there, an added bonus.
That's how the two of them ended up walking through the snow-covered Central Park. Emma, wearing her favorite scarlet pea coat and tall black leather boots. Her hair Luke, in a brown jacket.
Emma, still clearly upset, muttered, "But Luke," she stretched his name out again. "making a cake with Bertram would've been so much more fun!"
He rolled his eyes.
"You couldn't pay me to spend time with him."
Looking at Emma with puppy-eyes, he kept talking, "Please try to have fun. I don't want you to dampen the mood."
She glared at him.
"Don't you think, my mood is already slightly dampened?" she said angrily.
Luke, switching tactics, quickly started to use his charm. Emma had stopped walking, looking sadly back over her shoulder, penthouse still in view.
"Please, Emma? Pretty please?" He looked at her with wide pleading eyes.
Emma, sighing, finally stopped resisting.
"Fine. I'll try to have fun. But you know I can't ice-skate, right?"
Luke, eyes starting to fill with disbelief, whispered, "Seriously? That's why you didn't want to go? Thank god, I thought you actually wanted to hang out with Bertram."
Seeing the anger in her eyes, his eyes widened further. "So you actually wanted to hang out with Bertram? Wow." pausing for a second, he added, "Emma, look at the snow, it's so sparkly. You like sparkles."
Emma interrupted, "It's so cold."
Luke looked at her incredulously, "Well yeah! It's snow!"
Looking at Emma, he simply shook his head.
Both of the Ross children slowly made their way through the white, -and in Luke's words- "sparkling" Central Park. They greeted passerby's with a polite smiles and walked past the pond, a thin sheet of ice glazed over. Several trees had icicles hanging down from the branches. Others were lightly dusted with snow. Not many people were in the park today, most New-Yorkers opting to stay inside in the warmth.
"Emma, why can't you skate?"
Luke, as a dancer, was still slightly bothered by the fact that his older sister couldn't skate. He himself had begged Morgan to come out to the Plaza many times, quickly developing the skill. As he thought about it, he couldn't ever remember Emma wanting to go with them. She would always be cooking with Bertram or hanging out with Rosie.
Emma shrugged, "It's never really appealed to me."
"It's not that hard!"
"Luke, give it a rest. I agreed to go with you. Stop annoying me."
A couple walking in the opposite direction looked at them oddly. They had been arguing pretty loudly. Luke didn't want that. Arguments with Emma never ended well. She would refuse to continue the conversation, and he would be forced to walk in silence. Luke was a sweet kid. As much as he loved pranking people and making dumb jokes, Emma was his sister, and he loved her. She was really getting his nerves though, and he couldn't help but add a tiny bit of edge to his voice.
"Fine. I'll shut up."
She winced, sighing. Emma stopped.
"Okay. Luke, I'm sorry-" He interrupted her, "Forget it."
Emma tried again, "I'm really sor-" Luke interrupted again, "I said, forget it."
He walked ahead of her, warm eyes hardening. She didn't like arguing with him. Emma ran forward, grabbing him by both shoulders.
"Emma," he whispered coldly, "Let go. You can leave me alone until we get there."
She looked at him apologetically.
"Listen, Luke. I'm really sorry. Ice-skating's just not a comfortable subject for me. I'm sorry. Okay?"
He hadn't know that. Looking at her, iciness melting from his eyes, he slowly asked, "Why?"
Emma took a breath, and slowly let it out. She knew that if she didn't tell him, he would continue to act withdrawn. Tension would still be in the air.
"I went skating with a friend when I was like, nine. She was the daughter of an Olympic skater, so she was really, really good. I hadn't really taken lessons, so I fell a lot. She laughed at me each time. By the time I had come home, I had frozen tears on my cheeks and bruises on my knees. Mom asked what happened and I just told her I fell a lot."
Luke looked at her, "I won't laugh at you. I promise. What would make you think I would laugh at you?"
He seemed sad.
Emma rolled her eyes, "I don't know. Because you're Luke."
For a minute, they stayed silent. Emma's black leather boots clicking on the sidewalk. He suddenly grabbed her arm, stopping her. Sticking out his pinky, he grinned lopsidedly.
"I pinky-promise not to laugh at you if you fall. I'll help you!" the dimples in his freckled cheeks were showing from his smile.
Emma grinned, "Luke, we're not five."
Sticking his tongue out, he quickly explained, "Well you've kept your pinky-promise, and that was made forever ago," she smiled wider, "and I've always wanted do one of these."
They linked pinkies, both grinning at the childishness of the act.
"There. Now I can't laugh at you. Come on though, it's going to take forever if we keep stopping."
Luke's eyes twinkled. He took his older sister's hand, pulling her into a run.
She laughed, "Stop it. It's embarrassing."
"Nope. As of now, we're going to be friends, no fighting. Therefore, we're allowed to run through Central Park like a couple of kids." He grinned at her.
They ran on the path, later veering through the snow-covered grass and under the tall trees. After a while, they reached the gates that lead out of the park, and they stopped sprinting.
"See Em? That was fun." said Luke cheekily, slightly out of breath.
Emma, not as used to running for long periods of time was at a loss of breath.
"Never again."
He laughed, and led her out onto 6th Avenue. Watching out for cars, they briskly walked across the street. Luke, still laughing. Emma, breathing hard, blonde hair tangled from the wind.
"So, Luke." She muttered. "How do you plan to teach me to ice-skate?"
He looked at her, dumfounded. "I wasn't planning to teach you." he confessed, "My plan was to be there and catch you if you fall."
Emma shook her head. "Thanks for those reassuring words." she muttered sarcastically.
"Do you want me to teach you?" he asked.
She thought for a moment, "Honestly? Not really."
He smiled. "See?"
They walked several blocks on 6th Avenue, still talking. After half a mile, they turned onto 50th Street.
Luke lit up, "Look! There it is." he said pointing to the tall pine tree of Rockefeller Plaza, having been decorated in golden lights. Emma chuckled at his reaction. He started pulling her to the entrance of the ice-skating rink, edges also lined in glowing garlands. It was late afternoon, and the sun was already starting to go down. The darker it got, the brighter the lights seemed to glow.
"Come on, Em! I want to go skate!"
Rolling her eyes, Emma giggled.
"Kay, I'm going to go pay for admission."
She left Luke to put his skates on, and went up to pay for tickets.
She said quite loudly, "Hi! I'd like to buy two tickets, please."
The man in the booth smiled, "Sure. That'll be fifteen dollars, please."
Emma handed him the money, and he exchanged it for two blue wrist bands.
"Thank you!" she said to the man, and walked back to Luke.
While she had been paying, Luke had quickly tied on his black figure skates. Emma handed him his wristband, and he slipped it on.
Sitting down on a bench, she asked him, "Luke, could you tie my skates on? I don't know how to do it." Emma glanced away, slightly embarrassed.
Luke agreed, kneeling down to her feet. He gently tied her white skates, tightening them so they were not loose, but didn't pinch her toes. When he finished, he stood up.
"Ready?" he asked.
Emma tried to stand up, wobbling on the blades. She almost fell, and quickly sat back down.
"Honestly, no." She replied.
Luke held out his hand and Emma took it, shakily getting to her feet. He walked her slowly and carefully to the entrance of the skating rink. He stepped onto the ice first, slowly helping Emma on. She shook, and started to fall.
Catching her, he smiled, "Gotcha." he called.
"Thanks." Emma muttered.
After steadying her, he let go.
"Wait, Luke, you promised!" She looked at him, scared.
After turning around, he took both of her hands.
"I never planned on breaking it." Luke confessed.
He slowly glided backwards, pulling Emma along with him. They kept going, almost like an awkward dance. Emma stumbling, Luke catching her. He expertly glided on the ice, his years of practice easy to see. Both of their hands without gloves, yet still warm.
After several minutes, Emma started getting accustomed to the ice.
"Is it okay if I let go of one of your hands?" Luke asked kindly.
Emma nodded, and they stopped for a moment. Luke let go, and skated around to her side. Taking her hand again, they kept skating. Luke, although wanting to skate fast, went slowly. He reassured her if she would start to get off balance. When he had wanted to go skating this morning, this is not what he expected to happen. Oddly enough, this was fine with him.
Emma, still shaking, was slowly starting to get the hang of not falling over. Naturally, she was just gliding on the ice as Luke skated for the both of them, but it wasn't as bad as she expected. After a while, both of them had started to laugh, the evening sun slowly slipping away. Grinning, they skated hand in hand.
"Luke, is it okay if I try it myself?" Emma asked.
He looked at her, concerned, "Are you sure?" She nodded. "Well, I'll skate right next to you, just in case."
Luke let go of her hand and she wobbled slightly. Taking a deep breath, Emma pushed off of the ice, gliding forward. With each tentative step, she started to become a little bit less nervous about falling.
She didn't notice the tall teenage boys racing each other. She didn't noticed until after she was about to hit the ice, knocked off her path by an ice-skate. Bracing for impact, she threw her hands forward.
She never hit the ice.
"Emma! Are you okay?" Luke had caught her, arms wide open. Promise kept.
He gently steadied her, holding her by the waist.
"Luke, is it okay if I sit down for a couple of minutes?" She asked in a defeated tone.
He took her by the hand again, slowly skating to the exit.
"Em, those guys are jerks. I'm sorry." She shook her head. "It's not your fault."
Emma cautiously stepped off of the ice, wobbling to the bench. She sat down without a word, looking sadly at the rink. Skaters skated past her, some faster than others. Most having happy expressions on their faces.
"Luke, you can go skate. I'll watch." She didn't want to make him unhappy.
He looked at her, then at the rink. "I'd rather stay with you. It's no fun by myself anyways."
Emma was touched. Luke wasn't usually too friendly with her. They argued a lot. She leaned into him, "Thanks, Luke." She threw her arms around his neck.
"Anytime."
They shared a smile.
The two children sat there for a while, the evening slowly turning into night. Neither of them noticing. After a while, Emma got up.
"I think I'm ready to try again."
Luke looked over her, worried. "You sure?"
"Yeah. I think I am," Emma said, "thank you for helping me."
Both of them walked back to the entrance of the rink, slowly slipping onto the surface of the ice. They skated without any problems, hand in hand. Slowly, Emma's cheeks became pink, tinged from the cold. However, she was no longer cold.
After an hour or so, they decided it was getting late. Walking over to take her skates off, Emma slowly began to unlace them. Pulling her boots on, she realized her feet had been aching. She put the skates into the bag, and Luke held his in his hands. Helping her to her feet, he smiled.
"So, did you have fun tonight?"
Emma grinned. "Yes. I did. Thanks for helping me. You're a great little brother."
"So are you going to come back?"
They had turned onto 50th Street, leaving behind the golden tree. Emma playfully punched his shoulder.
"Only if you skate with me." She answered.
Luke laughed, "Of course I'll skate with you."
They crossed the street onto 6th Avenue, still talking animatedly.
"How do you think Jessie spent the day with Zuri and Ravi?" Luke asked her.
"I'm going to guess that Zuri wanted to buy all of the Lion King stuffed animals afterward." Emma paused to laugh, "And I bet Ravi made tons of references to some Bollywood movie, or worked out how the musical is not accurate compared to real-life."
Luke chuckled, "Yup. That's probably true. Do you think Bertram is going to have his cake finished?"
Emma looked at him, "Nah." She said, shaking her head.
They crossed the street. Walking through the gates of Central Park, they left behind the bright lights of the skyscrapers. Instead, they walked through a dimly lit path of Central Park.
Luke tapped Emma on the shoulder. "Do you want to cut through the trees again?" He asked.
She smiled. "Why not?"
They veered off the path and into the trees. And sticking his tongue out, Luke broke into a sprint.
"Luke!" Emma called after him. "Wait up!"
She tore after after him, running on the snow. He was faster then her, and both of them knew it. Luke teased her, running slightly faster. She chased him, laughing.
"Come on! This is unfair!" Emma called. "You got a head start!"
The snow crunched beneath their feet. Slowly, it started to fall from the sky as well. They arrived at the door of their building covering in snow, out of breath, and laughing. Tony greeted them at the door, grinning at their behavior. Their smiles were contagious.
They called for an elevator, still breathing heavily. There was a stark contrast between Luke's hair and the snowflakes on top of it, already starting to melt. His lips were pink from the cold, as were his freckled cheeks. His dark eyes sparkling, snowflakes melting on his eyelashes.
Emma, even more out of breath than Luke, was tinged pink. Her hazel eyes were crinkling, and for once she really didn't care what she looked like. She just knew she was happy. They rode up to the penthouse silently, the elevator doors opening a minute later.
Jessie was in the living room, and she smiled at the two of them.
"I hope you two had fun." She told both of them
"Thanks, Jessie." Emma told her after Jessie took her coat from her.
After taking Luke's, he grinned at his nanny. "Thanks, babe."
With all of the laughter, Jessie didn't even mind.
"Luke, thank you for making me skating. I had so much more fun than I ever would've imagined." said Emma, turning to Luke.
"No problem, Em." Luke gave her a hug, and walked off.
Jessie and Emma watched him leave.
"You two actually had fun?" Jessie asked, surprised.
Emma smiled, "Yeah. I guess we did."
Jessie shook her head, the world truly was full of miracles.
Author's Note: Thanks for sticking with me, guys. You don't know how much it means to me. I'm not a writer, I never have been and never will be. But please review, those really do give me input. Even the simple, "Awww...so cute! :D" makes me smile. I hope all of you Potter fans will keep with me, and if not, this is my goodbye to all of the Luke/Emma fans. You guys were the best, and just because I'm leaving this part of FanFiction, I will still be here. If you ever have a bad day, even, feel free to PM me. I'll make you smile. :)
To the Luke/Emma fans, this is goodbye. *The author of this story walks around them, giving hugs and saying goodbye.* Feel free to drop me a goodbye. I know I did that when my favourite author stopped writing for my archive.
To you Harmony fans, this is only the beginning. Just look at my pen-name. I will never leave you guys.
To Liv Liv, girl, you know I love you. :) #Ma'am. ;)
To Look for the Silver Lining, this story is dedicated to you. Thank you for being the brave one who asked me to come back.
To everybody: *hugs*!
~The Voice of Harmony.