Room 217, After Classes

[walks_two_paths]

After wandering to her old Monday schedule of classes from long ago, Savannah's curiosity got the best of her and she returned to the dorms. She had made the mistake of listening to the radio last night and boy had some of that brought back memories that had been best left buried.

Now, though, she turned the knob to room 217 and stepped inside.

It looked like nothing had changed since -- well, since the last time she had been here. The two beds were still pushed together in the center of the room to form one big bed and the things she had put on the walls were still there. The desks were still there with books and machines -- and the closet doors were still open. Out of remembered habit, she went and closed the closets, and then turned to look at more of the room.

"You cannot possibly tell me that no one has been in this room since we left."




"You should go to the reunion, Savannah," she muttered. "It'll be fun, Savannah. You'll get to see all of your friends from back then, Savannah." She shook her head. "Savannah would have been happy if you had all kept your mouth shut, thank you very much."

She rolled over and looked up at the ceiling.

Granted, she really had wanted to see some of her friends... Annette, Summer, the Halliwells, Anders... and, alright, yes, maybe some small -- very small -- part of her had wanted to see Johnny Storm again. You couldn't blame a girl for being curious. After all, both Paige and Eve had told her a long time ago that a girl never got over her first love.

Except most first loves didn't go away with no idea you later kept a really big secret from them.

A secret that she had let slip in front of him when she had seen him yesterday.

She wondered if she could slip away from the reunion before he tracked her down and she had to muddle her way through explanantions? She could tell Eve there was an emergency back at the gallery. She could catch up with Chris and Wyatt later.

It wasn't like she was running away, after all. Her, Savannah Levine, running away from a guy? No, not all. Never. Perish the thought. She just had... other things that required her attention.




That's what she would do. She would head back to New York as soon as she could. She'd call the Cortez jet to meet her. This was a plan. Not her best plan, but a good plan.



[[OOC: For the ex mainly... but open for anyone who would like to talk to or WTF at the 20 years older Savannah]]

Comments

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

Johnny had obviously been in the room before Savannah because his bag was sitting over in the corner. He had done the whole WTF thing over their room before he went to see Meg.

And why did he have this feeling, walking in now, that he was cheating. He shivered, shook it off, and noticed Savannah. Savannah who had a daughter... and that daughter...

No. He couldn't think right now. "Hey," he said low, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

Savannah swallowed, looking to where he was sitting near her, close enough to reach out and touch if she wanted to. "Hey," she said softly. So much for the quick and sneaky escape. "You... you look really good, Johnny. The superhero business seems to really agree with you."

What? She could be pleasant and honest without being snarky right away.

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

He kept his eyes on hers, though he did allow his lashes to lower as he glanced at her mouth. "Thanks, Savannah. And you look great, beautiful. Being an artist and mother really agrees with you."

God but this was awkward.

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

"It must being all of the time I spend running to and fro for the gallery and the Cabal," she quipped. "Although when Storm was a toddler she definitely kept me running to keep her from getting herself -- and me and Eve -- into trouble." She didn't notice her slip with her daughter's name.

She couldn't fault him for looking at her mouth as she was checking him out as they talk.

She let out a breath. "Look, if this is going to be too hard for you, I'm sure I can stay with Eve until I head out." One of us should enjoy the reunion, at least.

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

Whoa, hold the phone... "Storm? I thought you said her name was Amber?" Johnny's eyes hardened and his voice lowered, "How old is she, Savannah?"

He didn't seem to hear her last statement.

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

Damn it damn it damn it. Why is it that with him after all of these years she still had slip-ups?

Savannah looked away for a long moment to compose herself and then sat up from where she had been laying on the bed.

"Her name is Storm Amber Levine," she said slowly, then looked into his face. "She's eightteen."

She had to get out of here before she let lose with anything else about her life or anything like that.

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

This situation might be going down a little different if Johnny was incredibly hot and stupid. But nope. Johnny was incredibly hot and very perceptive.

He stood slowly and walked slowly towards the door, closing it before he turned to look back at Savannah. "She's mine." It was more a statement really, one he was preparing for her to deny.

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

The problem was, Savannah wasn't very good at lying to people she cared about unless it was for their own damn good. And damn it all to hell, she still cared about him, no matter what she had told Eve. When he shut the door and turned to look at her, she realized this wasn't going to be one of those discussions she could duck and avoid by doing something else. Oh, but one of those portal things would be nice right about now.

She's mine! her internal voice cried as she got up from the bed and walked to the window. Squaring her shoulders, she turned to look at him. Just pretend you're facing off with one of the Cabals about business.

"Yeah, Johnny. You're her father."

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

What the hell was she thinking? What had she been thinking to keep this from him? A child. His child. And she was eighteen?

He had too many questions, too many that he knew he would most likely never get an answer to. "Why? Why did you keep this from me? You knew how to get in touch with me. God dammit, Savannah. Why?"

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

Savannah wrapped her arms around herself so he wouldn't see how badly her hands were shaking.

"I found out I was pregnant about a week after we broke up, Johnny. What was I supposed to do, huh? Call you up and say, Yeah, I know that you don't love me anymore but I'm pregnant with your child...? Oh yeah, because that would have gone over well what with you off to play superhero and have your adoring groupies and fans." There wasn't any bitterness in Savannah's voice. She just sounded tired.

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

And Johnny was getting pissed. He began to close the distance between them. "What gives you the right to keep something like that from me? Everything else aside, Savannah, I should have been told. I should have been given a chance to be a part of her life. Fuck!" He dragged both hands down his face and glared at her.

"I want to see her. Does she even know her father exists?"

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

Savannah flinched and took a step back where her back was pressing against the window behind her. Then she stiffened. She was no longer the witchling who would be intimidated by anger and the fear of losing her temper. She had come into her full power and control and she wasn't about to shrink beneath anyone's anger -- no matter how much she deserved it.

She started preparing a knock-back spell, although she was almost certain she wasn't going to need it against Johnny. She had never needed to resort to anything to protect herself from him. She lifted her eyes to meet his.

"She knows who you are." She said quietly. "Of course she knows about you. I'm not that much of a bitch as to hide from my daughter who her father was."

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

"No? But you are that much of a bitch to hide her from me," he said, upset. "How could you do it? My baby, and you kept her from me..." he sat back down hard on the bed, feeling as though a ton of bricks just landed on his shoulders.

"A baby who is now eighteen and doesn't know me, or I her. That is so unfucking fair, Savannah. I want to see her. You will let me see her."

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

Savannah flinched again and then she felt like hell when she realized that he had every reason to think that about her. However he had no fucking clue what was going on at that time.

"You will not make demands from me, Johnny. You have no idea what I was thinking or what I was going through and I will not allow you of all people to pass judgment on me."

She shook her head and pushed away from the window. "This was a bad idea. I never should have let Eve and Sean talk me into coming back here."

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

"To damn bad," he said standing and walking towards her until she had no choice but to back up against that window again. "You told me, though I can now see it wasn't your intention to do so. What? You give my daughter my name and I don't even get the chance to be part of her life? Will she ever know me?! Give me what I am due! I will make demands, Savannah! I loved you!"

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

Savannah brought up a hand and placed it against his chest, her hand shaking. "And I love you, but that wasn't enough to get us through, was it? We still ended up breaking up! When I found out I was pregnant, you were everybody's hero and I was hiding from the Nasts who ended up tracking me down. What was I going to do, huh, Johnny? We were still kids ourselves, for gods sake! And how would you have felt if you had found out I was pregnant, huh?" She blinked back tears, so very determined he wasn't going to see her cry... not after all of this time. "And what if one of your enemies found out about us and decided to strike at you through your daughter?!"

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

"To hear you talk one would think your reasoning sound. It takes two people to create a child. I should have been there. I would have been there. This is my flesh and blood we're talking about," he leaned towards her, pressing against her hand. "I would have done what any decent man would have done and that question should have never, ever, come out of your mouth." He paused, glared down at her. "How dare you. Can you not say the same for your enemies? You denied me what was rightfully mine and I demand that I... you know what? Fuck it. She's eighteen, easily trackable. There is no limit to my resources and one day soon, I will meet my daughter and she will know her father."

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

"She's not property! How dare you refer to her as being rightfully yours?!" Savannah's eyes glittered but whether with anger or fear, it wasn't easy to tell. "Don't, Johnny. If you even want the chance to see Storm, don't you dare threaten me. " She pushed against him, trying to get some room to breathe, to think. "Storm is a Levine, Johnny, you got me? A Levine. Do you have any memory of what that means? It means we're used to being hunted on killing fields. That means that if she doesn't want her found, she won't be found. Yes, I made a bad decision way back when by not coming to you. Do you think it was an easy decision for me not to reach out to you -- the guy I was still in love with?! I was in hiding the first two years of her life and when the danger was over for a time, I was afraid! You ever been truly afraid in your life, Johnny? No, of course you haven't because you're the great, brave Johnny Storm." Savannah had tears escaping by now as she hadn't been prepared for any of this.

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

"But she is mine!" He roared and raised his fist to the window frame, shaking it with his blow. "I thought I knew you, thought I knew your heart. I'm a fucking superhero as are my friends and family - she would have been safe with me and well you know it. Stop with your excuses. You didn't want to tell me because you were a coward, still a coward. I find out because of your easy ability to slip away with the tongue. You could have reached out to me but instead denied me the pleasure of knowing what I helped to create. How easy your life must be for you to sleep well at night knowing what you have done." Her tears did not affect him. Deep down they did not affect him. He couldn't allow that. Not now, not after all this time.

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

When he hit the window, Savannah's face went white and she shoved against him, trying to get out from between him and the window. Her movements were slightly frantic. "I have only ever slipped up when it was you and gods how I hate that you can still affect me like that after so much time! I thought it was safe to come back here because I thought I was over you! You think it was east for me to keep everything a secret from you? You think I enjoyed raising her alone and telling her the truth when she was old enough to understand?! You think it was fun for me to tell my six year old daughter that I had been too scared to tell her daddy about us?!"

She shook her head. "And how could I have known I could have reached out to you, huh? How was I supposed to know that, Johnny?! Did you even try to ever contact me after we broke up? Did you even once reach out to me?! No, you didn't! In the entire two years I was in hiding, you never ONCE tried to contact me and you had Sean's information! Contact is a two way street, Johnny!" She had tears pouring down her face as she clenched and unclenched her fists at her sides. "You didn't want to know where I was or what I was up to! You have no idea what we were going through while you've been the gods-damned darling of the media!" She shook her head. "Fine, I'm a coward because I wasn't telepathic enough to know that I could have still reached out to you afterwards! But you don't get to be sanctimonious when you didn't try to contact me, either."

[fantastic-torch.livejournal.com]

"No," he said quietly. "I don't think it has been easy on you." He stepped away from her, allowing her to move from him did she want to. He wasn't there to hurt her nor did he want to frighten her. The paleness of her face told him that he had done just that.

"Savannah, when we broke up that was it. We severed the ties. It wasn't easy but we did it. That all changed the moment you found out you were pregnant. You had a responsibility to me, to let me know, to decide for myself what I wanted and how I wanted to go about the whole thing. You didn't trust me enough with that knowledge." He sighed and walked towards the door.

"I can't help who or what I am," Johnny said, turning to face her, his hand on the door knob. "I save lives, I don't destroy them. Think of Storm... and me... next time you look at her, and tell yourself you didn't deny either one of us." With that he turned and walked out, closing the door softly behind him.

[walks-two-paths.livejournal.com]

When the door clicked shut and he was gone, Savannah slid to the floor at the window and buried her face in her arms, letting the sobs out in earnest. "I'm sorry, Johnny," she whimpered. "I'm so sorry."