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National Ice Cream Month: Banana (word/emotion) slippery
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Link Maker: Same Ship Type (romantic) 1,795 words
Warning for attempted suicide, and Titanic!AU. Also might be a bit out of character too. Word count is 1,795 words. I hope you all enjoy Saving Pansy!
The splashing water down below Pansy looked far too cold for anyone's liking. But that would deter her now. She wanted to take control of her life and this was the only way that she could think of to do that. The stars twinkling down from the night sky would be the only thing besides the endless hull of the Titanic to witness her final grasp at freedom.
Sniffling and wiping her nose on a handkerchief she delicately stepped up onto the railing of the ship. She could feel the metal slip beneath her feet a bit which gave her pause for a second. She couldn't afford to second think this now. She'd made a decision during lunch with her mother earlier and nothing was going to make her go back on that promise now.
She could hear a the sound of fabric scuffing against something behind her but paid no mind to it. No one was going to stop her. She climbed to the next rung on the railing and was able to get her leg over to the other side. Soon she found herself looking back at the ship. Back in the direction of where she'd come from.
No one even bothered to follow me and make sure that I was alright, Pansy thought miserably as she turned slowly from the ship. Slowly from safety and sureness. She could now feel the cold air blowing off the even colder water down below.
Then there was the sound of footsteps coming closer to where she was. She hadn't been aware of anyone being on deck or for that matter coming on deck.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the voice said. It belonged to a man that much was obvious. The rough sound of it gave her the impression that this person was from steerage. But why would someone from steerage care enough about her and her well being to come and try and stop her from doing what she planned to do?
"Why not?" she asked, for a fleeting moment feeling thankful that someone had come along. Even if it was someone from steerage. "Why do you care what I do or don't do?"
"Well," the man said evenly, sounding rather self-assured of himself, "that water down there looks mighty cold." The sounds of something heavy hitting the decking behind her made Pansy want to turn and look. To see what this unknown man was doing. It was quickly followed by the distinct thunk of two more objects hitting the wooden decking.
"Why should it matter to you?" Pansy asked, holding onto the top rung of the railing for all she was worth. She could see the waves lapping at the hull of the ship. The waves that she was soon to commit herself to. Unless this stranger could make her a better offer.
"See if you were to let go of that railing and jump, I would feel obliged to follow suit and try to save you," the man's voice said, sounding entirely truthful. She'd never experienced such truth before in her life. "But water as cold as that, it takes the breath out of you. Even if you do survive the fall there's no guarantee that you'll survive the water."
Did this man not understand that had originally been Pansy's plan? She stood still watching the water below her. The gentle lapping of the waves almost made for a peaceful scene. Then it hit. She hadn't wanted to end her life, she'd just wanted someone to care about what was happening to her. This stranger had given her that without even truly knowing her at all.
"Why don't you just turn around and come back over here where it's safe?" the man asked, holding a hand out to her. The light-colored skin of the hand looked like it'd seen some pretty rough work during its time. It was blistered and but still looked like the owner took pride in his appearance and took great care of how he looked.
"What if I don't want to?" Pansy asked, trying to force herself not to turn right around to do as she was told by this strange man.
"Well, I don't think either of us wants me to jump in there after you," the man said, sounding like he meant what he was saying. "But if you jump, I jump. So, please don't jump."
The warmth of the man's voice and chuckle made Pansy slowly turn around to face him finally. Behind her on the deck was a redhaired man with hazel eyes. He had a slight frame and wiry build to him. A pair of glasses were in the pocket of his shirt. An expression of complete concern was on his face. He held out a hand to her smiling as he did so.
"I'm Percy Weasley," he said in way of introduction.
"Pansy Parkinson," Pansy said, taking Percy's hand and shaking it.
"Let's get you back over on this side," Percy said, removing his glasses from his pocket and putting them on top of a well worn jacket that looked like it had seen many years.
Pansy nodded in agreement, moving to step up onto the first rung. But the dress that her mother had picked out for her that morning. The red velvet trim had gotten under foot making her slip with a shriek of panic and fear.
"Hold on," Percy cried, gripping her hand tightly. It was evident he could see the fear and indecision on her face. "It's going to be alright."
It's going to be alright, she thought, her heart hammering in her ears as she tried not die. Now that she didn't want to die it seemed that she was about. It's easy for him to say that. He isn't the one hanging off the backend of the ship.
Slowly, way to slowly for Pansy liking, but surely Pecy hauled her over the railing. The pair of them falling in a way that could be misconstrued as something that it wasn't.
"There!" a voice cred out in relief from across the deck.
The fast approaching sound of footsteps made Pansy realize what could have happened to her. She knew who was among the many men that had come to rescue of a woman in peril. The reason she'd put herself in peril to begin with. The fiancee that had been forced upon her by her kniving mother.
"What's going on here?" Blaise said, grapping her hand yanking her from underneath Percy. "Did he hurt you?"
"No," Pansy was quick to reassure Blaise. "In fact, he saved my life."
"Did he?" Blaise's best friend Theo asked, eyeing Pansy and Percy suspiciously. It was obvious that he didn't trust what Pansy had said at all. It was also quiet obvious at least to Pansy that his dislike of her came from...well the same reason that Pansy had been out on the backend of the ship.
Percy nodded but it was obvious that none of the first class passenger men were going to believe the words of a steerage class passenger. Not even if those words happened to be the most truthful words ever spoke or not spoken.
"He did," Pansy said, trying to defend the person who'd saved her life. The rather attractive man that had saved her life. "I was trying to see the…" She couldn't think of a logical thing to say that would have drawn her over the railing.
"Propellers?" Blaise questioned, looking at her as she made a circling motion with her hand.
"Yes," Pansy said, seizing upon the answer that had been given. "I was leaning over the rail to see the propellers."
"Then she slipped," Percy interjected, taking up the story from where he supposedly came in. A knowing light coming into his warm hazel eyes. Eyes that expressed more than Blaise's ever could to her.
"I would have fallen to my death and drown in the freezing waters below, if weren't for Percy here," Pansy finished the story, indicating Percy with a smile.
"It's rather odd that the kind sir was able to take his shoes, jacket and glasses off before rescuing the young lady," Theo said, looking down his nose at Percy. "Wouldn't you say so, Blaise?"
Blaise was about to agree when he saw the look that Pansy had been shooting at him. "I believe that thank are in order than," he said, looking towards Percy disdainfully. "I think a twenty will do it," he this part to Theo.
"Is that that going rate for saving the woman you love?" Pansy said, trying to sound angry but knowing that Blaise thought far much less of her than that.
"What do you think that he deserves then, Pansy?" Blaise asked, sounding like he was trying to hold his anger in check.
"If you don't know then why should I tell you," Pansy said, allowing a blanket to be put over her shoulders by one the crewmen.
"Perhaps our hero here can regale us with the tale of his rescue tomorrow night at dinner?" Blaise suggested.
Pansy smiled. This could very well be her chance to break away from what her family wanted for her. This could very well be her chance to find out whether the spark she felt between her and Percy was something or just in her mind.
"I would love that," Percy said, looking straight into Pansy's dark eyes. It seemed like she was the only thing he could see. Which didn't bother her any.
"Then its settled," Blaise said, putting his arm possesively around Pansy's shoulder and leading her off.
Percy watched as Pansy was led off by the group of men that had wanted to have him arrested by the crew. He'd only helped to save her life. He couldn't help but wonder if the possessive man that had taken her away was one of the reasons she'd been out on the ledge like she had been.
Ron's not going to believe this one, he thought as he gathered up his belongs to head back below deck to his room in third class. The one that he shared with his younger brother Ron and two other men.
He couldn't help but hope that at some point tomorrow he'd get to see Pansy again. He could definitely feel that something was brewing between the two of them. He wanted to see how far that spark he'd felt when she'd fallen into his arms earlier could take them. Perhaps he'd even end up taking her from that conceited rich man that was supposedly her fiancee. But for right now he had to get some sleep. Tomorrow evening was sure to be an interesting affair.
I hope you all enjoyed Saving Pansy as much as I enjoyed writing it.