Bet My Heart • •

[Lexi Piper Ryanne]

Lexi had spent most of the day around her family, especially her mom and sisters. In the Ryanne household, gala day was a chance to bond and catch up and all the girls usually spent their time getting pampered and preened for the night ahead. This time though, Lexi had opted out of the normal routine and chose to do some of the things herself. She was nervous and she wanted to be herself around Denver and not feel as though she had to conform to the falsities like the rest of the girls there would be doing with the spray tans, the extensions, the false eyelashes and whatever else was deemed necessary in the world of socialite beauty. The petite brunette didn’t want to wear a metaphorical mask tonight; she wanted to enjoy herself with her date. Once her hair was done she applied less make up than the professionals were piling onto the faces of her older sisters. Lexi didn’t want to look like them tonight; she wanted to stand out as herself. She was already nervous about tonight and her family had been asking her questions all day about the date any of them had yet to meet. Even Chelsea was sulking about how she lived with Lexi and had never seen the doctor who had stolen her heart. The more they asked the more Lexi worried about tonight and if it would be too much too soon; meeting the family, some of the people she grew up with and a fancy ball didn’t seem like an average date and she was terrified that Denny would be scared off.

Once the rest of her family were ready, they were able to change into their respective outfits for the masquerade ball. Lexi was more than pleased with her own; a royal blue floor length dress that was simple in design, yet the slit up the side provided her with more of a flirty style than the usual modest dresses she had worn in the past. Then again, in the past she had never had a gorgeous doctor accompanying her to these things and never really felt the need to dress up for someone. She really wanted to impress him tonight and everything had been chosen with her partner in mind, right down to the silver stilettos that would push her just a bit closer to his height.

Her family usually went to the gala events together in the same large town car, but tonight Lexi had one of her own parked out front to take her to meet Denny first. She wanted a bit of time with him before the vultures she called family swooped in to try and scare him away. It had taken a bit of convincing with her overprotective father, but he had eventually relented after Lexi hinted that meeting her boyfriend there was not exactly “the norm” at these events and that there would be little room in the one car after Chelsea’s rather large dress was in. She left a little earlier than the rest of them after kissing her father goodbye and promising to come straight to him once they had arrived at the venue, ignoring the serious look in his eyes every time she mentioned Denver’s name.

On the ride to Denny’s apartment, the butterflies that resided in Lexi’s stomach whirled to life and her fingers toyed with the ruched material of her dress to try and quell the nerves that were bubbling away. She wanted tonight to be fun for them both, but she wished her family weren’t hell bent on questioning Denny as soon as they arrived. She wasn’t used to having someone with her as her date and she didn’t want to mess it up or make him regret accepting her invitation. Her nerves were worsening and it took her a few moments to realise that the driver had parked up in the lot of Denny’s building. Taking a deep breath, she stepped from the car, leaving her mask behind and gathering up her dress so as not to ruin the bottom of it before walking to the door she was growing more and more familiar with, pressing a manicured nail down on the button and waiting. Lexi didn’t think she had ever felt more nervous and excited in all of her life.

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• • •

TAGGED! Denny!
WORDS! 758!
OUTFIT! Masquerade!
LYRICS! Look At Me - - - Carrie Underwood
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Denver Gage Sawyer]

Like all good days in his life, Denny had to work for the first half of it, despite his superiors know he was attending the ball. To give him the time, though, they switched his shift with another pediatrics doctor so he had the morning shift and plenty of time to get back to his place and get ready for when Lexi stopped by. Normally, he knew it would be him picking her up in a nice black limo with a bottle of champagne on ice waiting but he’d never been to one of these things before, he didn’t know where it was and since it was Lexi’s family putting it all together, it was just simpler for Lexi to pick him up. There was a lot of mocking for that, too but as he pointed out, he had a pretty date and they were going solo. Still, he finished off his shift, checking over his patients once more before signing out and leaving. He’d taken the next day off just as a precaution, he didn’t know what to expect.

Shift over, he moved through the building quickly so he wouldn’t get caught by someone and have another check before he really was free to go. The streets were congested a little more than usual, but he had plenty of time to get home and pulled into his parking spot quickly before racing up to his apartment. He was starving, having skipped lunch to talk to one of the older patients he had. The young man had come in with appendicitis. It was starting to seem like all the patients he was getting were terminally ill or something nearly as bad. This could have been bad, but it wasn’t and it was like a walk in the park compared to some of the other patients the young doctor had. He knew why he was getting the more sicker of the patients, he understood, but he still felt like his superiors would be better, they had more experience; which was exactly why their files were placed of Denny’s desk.

Inside the apartment, Denny dropped his things on the side table, leaving his back propped up against the leg and toed his shoes off before padding into the kitchen to make a quick bowl of rice. He didn’t know what to expect tonight so he chose something small and light. After eating that and catching a show on the television, he grabbed a shower. Once out, he checked his phone and swore under his breath. He had less time than he’d thought but that was alright, he worked better under the pressure of a clock anyway. Wrapped in a towel, Denny dried his hair and checking his chin in the mirror. He could do with a shave, but he didn’t think it was worth going through the trouble for a little scruff. Plus, it added to the mystery. He’d leave it and if her parent’s had something to say well, he’d claim he’d worked late at hospital and just couldn’t possibly add the time in to get a clean-shaven face. He was in his room, when the buzzer sounded and Duke’s head lifted from his paws. But he didn’t get up. Sighing, Denny shoved on his pants, doing them up as he went to the buzzer at the wall by the door. He knew who it was at this hour, so he just said “Come on up, Lex, it is unlocked.” and hit the button to unlock the main door. He checked the door, before going back to his room to finish getting ready.

He heard the door to the apartment open and before anyone could say a word, Duke was on his feet, alert and running out the door to greet Lexi properly. Denny finished doing up the buttons and shoved his feet into the socks he’d taken from the drawer. Done with that, he took the coat jacket from the back of the door, throwing it over his forearm, snatched up the back dress shoes he usually kept in the very back of his closet and the mask that had been taking up space on his dresser for nearly two weeks, nearly since Lexi had invited him. With everything he needed, Denny left his room, leaving the door open in case Duke wanted to crawl back into his actual bed and not the mat under the coffee table. “Lexi, you look stunning,” he said, stopping and just looking at Lexi from where he stood at the beginning of the hallway. After a second he dropped his shoes on the floor and put his jacket on the back of the couch to go to Lexi. “Absolutely beautiful, hello,” he said smirking, pressing his lips to hers in a quick kiss before pulling away. “Clearly, I’m all dressed and ready to go, looking shabby by comparison,” he said, turning back to his shoes. Quickly, he slipped his feet into them and shoved his arms through the sleeves of his black suit jacket before taking the mask back up off the couch.

Tag || Lexi!
Words || 849
Clothes || Picture Perfect
Music || Every Time I Look at You by Luke Bryan
Notes || <3

[Lexi Piper Ryanne]

Really, there was no way to ‘prepare’ Denny for tonight. Lexi had grown up with balls and galas so for her it was just one of those things that happen every couple of months and were rarely any different from the last, aside from the possible theme. Plus, since no one had ever accompanied her before, it wasn’t like she knew how people there would react. Obviously, it wasn’t some massive deal, but for the friends of the family, she would raise a few eyebrows. Still, she wanted Denver to have fun tonight and enjoy the masquerade ball, even if he did have to meet her father first to put the older man’s mind at ease about who his baby girl was running around with.

She had to laugh as she made her way up to his apartment; it wasn’t like evening wear was a common sight in any apartment building and she would stand out if anyone happened to pass her by right now, but no one did and she made it to his door without any problem, fixing her hair once more before stepping inside and smiling at the large dog who came up to greet her. She gathered her skirt to the side out of the way before stooping only slightly to rub his ears like she always did whenever she saw Duke. As usual, the second Denver complimented her, a smile crossed her lips and a light blush rose to her cheeks. “You look pretty good yourself, Doc.”

[/color] She teased affectionately before the quick kiss. Laughing quietly, she reached up and wiped the small trace of gloss from his lips. “I’m not sure it was quite your shade.”[/color] She joked, waiting patiently as he slipped his shoes on. They still had time to get there and it was pretty impossible to be late to these things since people arrived seemingly at random for at least the first two hours. “Nonsense! You look prefect, seriously. I’ll probably have a hard time keeping the girls away from you.”[/color] She said, honestly just a tiny bit worried about some of the predatory girls she knew would be there tonight and who would love to snap up a handsome young doctor like Denver for their own. Not that she imagined he’d go off with one, but there were still those tiny doubts that she wasn’t good enough for the Canadian. “Shall we go then?”[/color] She asked with a smile, giving Duke one more moment of attention before they left.

Back at the car, she pulled the door open and slid inside, grabbing her mask and moving the ornate piece out of the way before either of them accidentally sat on it. It took her a second to get settled again, crossing her legs and adjusting the bottom of her dress so that it wouldn’t crease. Once that was sorted and Denver was seated next to her, she leaned closer to him, glad they had this short time alone before the formal night began. “Thank you for coming tonight.”[/color] She said quietly, resting her head on his shoulder for a moment before offering him a drink from the champagne bottle that always came in the cars they hired for these events. “Trust me, you’ll probably need more than this to deal with the show you’re about to see.”[/color] She joked, hoping to lighten any nerves he might have about everything.

The drive wasn’t as long as Lexi thought it would be, but she had finished her glass of bubbly and had enjoyed the usual chit-chat with her boyfriend and that had been enough to quell her own worries about tonight. Even when she came alone to these events, there was always something playing on her mind, but now she was in high spirits and not caring about anything else tonight might throw at them. Climbing out of the car, mask in one hand and Denver’s hand in the other, Lexi waved goodbye to the driver she knew well before raising her skirt enough to climb the steps to the large building. The entrance hall was relatively empty, with just the staff there to greet them and answer anyone’s questions. The petite brunette spied her family inside the large ballroom at one of the tables and took a slight step back out of their sights. She tugged slightly on Denny’s hand to hold him back and then turned, pushing herself upwards to meet his lips, kissing him sweetly for a second longer than was perhaps publically appropriate before dropping back on her heels and smiling up at him. “My dad’s just inside.”[/color] She said by way of an explanation. She stayed close to his side as they entered the room, her mom’s matching brown eyes spying them first as Lexi led Denver over, squeezing his hand before smiling at her family. “Dad, mom, this is Denver. Denny, these are my parents, Heath and Catherine Ryanne.”[/color] She said, breezing through the introductions, glad that her sisters were occupied on the other side of the room for now with their own friends. At least they hadn’t walked into a full Ryanne assault.
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• • •

TAGGED! Denny!
WORDS! 899!
OUTFIT! Masquerade!
LYRICS! Look At Me - - - Carrie Underwood
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Denver Gage Sawyer]

Try as he might, Den just couldn’t get into the frame of mind he thought he would need to get through an evening with no escape from Lexi’s parents and the scrutiny of his bosses. He was nervous about meeting Lexi’s parents and all throughout the day; he’d look down to realize his palms were sweating and knew he’d been thinking about that night unconsciously. He wasn’t nervous about being with Lexi; in fact he couldn’t wait to see his beautiful girlfriend all dolled up and looking the perfect princess. It was the king and queen of that particular court that was setting him on edge. He didn’t want to do anything wrong and have her father hate him for something as little as a miscommunication. Chuckling, Denny ran his thumb over his lips once more after Lexi to make sure she hadn’t missed anything. “I don’t think it suited, either,” he said joking.

Denny shook his head. “There’s only going to be one girl there that I’m interested in,” he said, grinning. He stepped up to Lexi’s side, patting Duke’s flank before grabbing his phone and keys from the dish on the side table. “And when I find her, you’ll be the first to know,” he teased, wrapping his arm around her in a hug as he pressed his lips to the top of her head, careful not to ruin the pretty style. Denny wasn’t interested in any other girls. They could be pretty, smart, funny but they just weren’t Lexi. Quickly, Den locked the doors after saying an equally quick “Behave, Duke” to his four-legged roommate. The last time the young doctor was in the back of a limo, he’d been going to his senior prom. That night had boasted fun, but had ended on rather boring terms. He was hoping this turn around, the night would end much happier than the last.

On the street, Denny slipped into the back of the long black car after Lexi, settling himself much quicker with the lack of layers and skirts he had to bother with. He tilted his head to rest it against Lexi’s for the short time her head took up space on his shoulder. He slid an arm around Lexi, holding her closer to him. “No need to thank me, love, I’m happy to tag along,” he said, squeezing her side lightly, reassuringly. He knew he should still be a nervous wreck, but with Lexi by his side, he felt like he could take on the world. The ride from his apartment to the venue didn’t seem long enough; though they had both finished their flutes and chatted through the whole trip. He was ready to face the world, but was he ready to face her parents? He would have to be. With a deep breath, Denver opened the door and slipped out onto the sidewalk, holding his hand out for Lexi, to help her from the car.

He didn’t know where he was supposed to be going, or what if anything, he was supposed to be doing. He followed Lexi when she tugged at his hand and kissed her back when her lips met his. He nodded, smirking. “Had to get one more kiss out of me before it wouldn’t be appropriate, huh?” he teased, understand she was just as nervous about this meeting. “Shall we?” he asked, before they started into the grand ballroom, his mask still in his hand. He wanted to make at least a halfway decent first impression and a mask covering half his face just didn’t seem proper. “Mr. and Mrs. Ryanne, pleasure to finally meet you,” he said politely, shaking first her father’s hand, then her mother’s. He didn’t know proper etiquette so hoped this formal shake would be enough. And now that they were standing right in front of him, he was more nervous now than ever before. What if he screwed up and he didn’t receive the Heath Ryanne stamp of approval?

Tag || Lexi!
Words || 664
Clothes || Picture Perfect
Music || Every Time I Look at You by Luke Bryan
Notes || <3

[Lexi Piper Ryanne]

The last time Lexi had brought a guy to meet her parents had been high school. It had also been the last time she’d had a boyfriend who had lasted more than two or three dates. Chris had been the quarterback and probably Lexi’s first love, but he was also a cheating scumbag who had broken her heart just when she finally felt confident in herself. Since then, her father had been a little extra protective of his youngest daughter and the day he found out that Lexi had been seeing someone he had called her into his office like she was some teenage girl about to be told off. Lexi had laughed, telling her dad that Denver was a good guy and nothing like Chris in any way. He still seemed unsure, but the petite brunette was used to seeing him with her sister’s boyfriends and knew that he was just being the caring father who didn’t want to see his daughters hurting.

She dropped her jaw, but smiled at Denny’s little joke and then narrowed her eyes, folding her arms across her chest. “Using me to try to hook up with some gorgeous socialite?! Tsk, tsk.”

[/color] She shook her head, pretending to be disappointed in him. Lexi scratched Duke’s ears once more before she left and smiled the whole way down to the limo. The cars were usually reserved for special occasions, but Lexi had been in one often enough that it had lost its thrill a long time ago for her and held very few memories worth reminiscing about. Still, she enjoyed the ride over with Denny at her side. It might not have been anything exciting, but it was something new to go somewhere without an army of friends or family filling the rest of the seats. “See if you still think that at the end of the night.”[/color] She joked, kissing him lightly once more. She hoped tonight would go well, but she had this gut fear that Denny wouldn’t enjoy himself or that he would hate this part of her lifestyle. Lexi might not have been a fan of it herself, but it was the world she was from.

Once the night was in full swing, they would probably find themselves relaxing more. Lexi’s nerves were bubbling now, but after the initial mingling, she hoped that she would be left alone to enjoy an evening with Denny; drinking, dancing and just having a good time in fancy clothes and masks. She kept her own in her hand for now, but smiled up at Denny before biting her lip. “Something like that.”[/color] She whispered flirtatiously before they crossed the threshold to the ballroom. Her brown eyes flicked between the three other adults, reading the expressions of her parents and smiling up at Denny. Her parents shook his hand, but both had different reactions. “Please, call me Cathy. Lexi has told us so little about you, Denver.”[/color] The older woman was smiling, and seemingly out to embarrass her daughter. Lexi protested under her breath, squeezing Denny’s hand and sliding just a step closer to him. “I’m allowed no secrets in this family.”[/color] She mumbled, more to him though she knew her parents could hear. Her dad, on the other hand, was still playing the role of protective father. Lexi did spy a hint of acceptance in his eyes, but he still had to put Denver through the ‘test’. “You too, Denver. Lexi tells us you’re a medical intern? Paediatrics? I’ve a lot of respect for them; they’ve done amazing things for our family. How did you get into that?” She shot her father a warning look, knowing he was deliberately treading close to that line just to gauge how Denny would react. Still, her father seemed interested in Denver and that was always a good sign; it was only worrying if he disregarded them straight off the mark.
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• • •

TAGGED! Denny!
WORDS! 692!
OUTFIT! Masquerade!
LYRICS! Look At Me - - - Carrie Underwood
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Denver Gage Sawyer]

The black dress shoes were the final touch to Denver’s attire and as he slipped his arms through the sleeves of his jacket, he had the sudden urge to be at the ball, twirling the stunner in front of him around the dance floor. He didn’t want to wait until then and as quickly as the thought had entered his mind, he had Lexi wrapped in his arms and was twirling her around what space he could in his living room. “I really like this dress you’ve got on. It’s perfectly you,” he said, chuckling as he held her carefully and dipped her slightly. Setting her right again, Denver gave in to impulses and kissed her again, smiling against those glossed lips. He would rather have some music that didn’t include a dog barking happily, thinking his owner was playing some sort of game. He sighed, knowing Lexi’s parents were at the ball waiting and it wouldn’t be wise to keep them waiting and checking watches and clocks every five minutes until their baby girl arrived with her new man. Chuckling he took her hand after locking up and held it until Lexi slipped into the car ahead of him.

The outside of the building was nice and Denver took a minute to check out it out as Lexi scooted across the seat. He helped her out, grinning down at his beautiful date. “I’m going to be the envy of every man in there tonight,” he said, quickly wrapping his arm around her waist as they took to the steps. Inside, he grinned being swept away when he would normally face the music right away. Grinning wickedly at Lexi, Denver wiggled his eyes brows before calming his appearance before meeting her parents. First impressions were important and if they were this involved in fundraising for the hospital, the Ryanne family probably had a good hand in the staff as well. It really wasn’t just his relationship with their beautiful, smart and completely charming daughter; it was the possibility of him having a proper job after his internship on the line as well. Although that bit of it hardly mattered to Denver. There were other hospitals in the city and the surrounding boroughs. He could find another after his internship was through.

Denver smiled, shaking his head. “I’m sorry to hear that but there’s not much interesting about me, truthfully,” he said, easily enough. He didn’t think there was anything special about him. He was just another transplant in the city, just another boy trying to make something of himself to make his little sister proud of him. Denver had always wanted to be a doctor. There were other occupations throughout his young life, but the young Canadian doctor always seemed to go back to the white lab coats. When Sarah had been admitted for her appendix, he had gotten a glimpse at someone saving a life so to speak. Sarah hadn’t been in any real danger but it was about then that he realized he wanted to go into a medical field. His mother thought he would go into neuroscience or something along the same lines. But because of how close to home it was, he just couldn’t do it. Denny smiled easily, nodding. “I have a sister, Sarah. She had an appendix scare when she was still small. It was my first real glimpse into the world and from then, I just couldn’t get enough, I guess.” It was close enough to the truth. He couldn’t quite talk openly about his father and how that all came to pass, but Lexi knew of Sarah, though they had yet to meet. He knew he wouldn’t be able to hide that part of his past, if she accepted his surprise; a trip to Corner Brook. The man at home was his step-father, his father’s best friend, in fact. And as much as Denver loved that man and said he was his father, it would all come out with the pictures of his real dad still taking up a couple spaces on the walls. Plus, Denver had always been very good at the sciences during school, and figured after that scare, why not? What harm could it do?

Tag || Lexi!
Words || 706
Clothes || Picture Perfect
Music || Every Time I Look at You by Luke Bryan
Notes || <3

[Lexi Piper Ryanne]

Lexi let out a short scream of surprise as Denny pulled her into his arms, beginning a dance around his apartment. She laughed warmly, wrapping her arms around him as he dipped her, the giggles still slipping from her lips. She had never really danced before with someone who made her laugh. Usually, it was the awkward guys or parents who coerced her into it and it never felt right; the steps may have been correct, but if she didn’t enjoy the company then it was nothing more than going through the motions. She knew tonight wouldn’t be like that and she was unusually excited for the grand event, purely because Denny would be there to keep the smile on her lips. “Thanks, I fell for it the second my eyes landed on it. It truly was love at first sight.”

[/color] She said dramatically, her eyes dipping to look at the dress she wore. It really had been an instantaneous realisation that this dress was the one for tonight. Her sisters were more inclined to look around a bit more, but Lexi knew right away when she saw this dress. With his kiss she suddenly wanted to stay there, wrapped his arms and far away from the prying eyes of her parents and everyone else she had grown up with.

The blush heated her face and she pushed herself closer to Denny’s chest to hide the glow of her cheeks. Just his presence here was making her feel a lot more relaxed than she usually would be, even if he did still have to meet her parents. She was feeling a little on the rebellious side, which was never extreme for the quiet Ryanne, but it still put her in a bit of a mischievous mood, especially with the last stolen kiss before the grand unveiling of the man who had quite easily stolen her heart. It was a mood that would probably only grow as the night went on, but for now she quashed it with years of perfected manners. This was the kind of lifestyle she had been born into and she couldn’t remember a time when there wasn’t some grand event like this to raise money for the hospital or the police department. Her family loved putting on shows like this one where the characters wore fancy outfits and feigned interest in every other person in the room.

Playfully, she nudged her shoulder against his arm and smirked up at him. “Liar, there’s plenty of interesting things.”[/color] She really could give him a list of things, but she did remember that her parents were standing before them and so held her tongue. This was the time in which her parents spoke to him, not listen to her gush every few seconds. Still, Lexi thought that Denny was incredible and as close to perfection as the real world got; she just hoped her dad would see a tiny glimmer of that too. Her mom already seemed swayed, but Catherine Ryanne was much more relaxed than her husband and so long as her daughters were happy and not dating some criminal, she would sit back and let them live their lives, Lexi included, now that the youngest had proven that she could take care of herself. She listened as Denny spoke to her dad, the small smile still twitching on her lips as she leaned closer to her boyfriend. She loved how close he was to his sister and it just showed exactly how caring the man could be. Heath looked over at his daughter, meeting her eyes in silent conversation. She knew that he was thinking about her own stint in the hospital, back when she was still young enough to have been admitted to paediatrics. It was the one thing that still haunted her father, but the happy smile on Lexi’s face was enough to chase away the unnecessary guilt. “Well, I’m glad it was nothing too serious with your sister and I wish you the best of luck with everything. I’ll catch up properly with you later, but right now I have to play host.” More people had arrived not far behind Lexi and Denny, so Heath had a role of his own to play tonight, but as he walked away he caught the eye of his daughter once more and gave a slight nod. There were probably a million more questions he wanted to ask the man Lexi couldn’t seem to let go of, but for now, Denny had passed the preliminary meeting.

She waved over to her sisters, but didn’t drag Denny to meet them; that would happen over the course of the night. She stole another quick kiss and then moved to the table to drop her small clutch bag, slipping her mask on. “Oh, I bet this gets annoying. I haven’t worn it yet.”[/color] She said, taking a second to adjust to it. “But you can relax a bit now; Dad seemed to like you.”[/color] She said grinning, shifting her weight and feeling the fabric of her dress slide around her leg. She moved to fix it again; her dad might have liked Denny but he wouldn’t like the fact that his little girl had gone out and had two more secret pieces of ink added to her collection.
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• • •

TAGGED! Denny!
WORDS! 891!
OUTFIT! Masquerade!
LYRICS! Look At Me - - - Carrie Underwood
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Denver Gage Sawyer]

He wished they could stay in the apartment alone, dancing and drinking then, but her parents were waiting and Lexi looked too good to keep to himself, so they left. And now, standing in the building, the only thing that was making Denny nervous was meeting Lexi’s parents. He knew the drill with that. There would be the interrogation, polite conversation and hopefully it would end there. But Den knew what he was like when Sarah even spoke about a boy she was crushing on. Her father wasn’t around much, with work, so it fell to Denny to be the protective one; the one to interrogate until he was satisfied with the answers he received. This night was only the first test, Denver knew that, but he was okay with that; as long as he passed it anyway. He loved having Lexi in his life and didn’t want her to disappear because he screwed up talking to her father.

Denny glanced down at the pretty girl on his arm, smirking. She might think there was plenty interesting about him but aside from his love of helping children, like the doctors helped Sarah a million years ago. Denny thought there was far more interesting things about Lexi than there ever would be about him. Denver nodded said his goodbyes, shaking the man’s hand once more before shaking his wife’s hand and moving away with Lexi. He’d stayed relatively calm through the whole thing, but that was only on the outside. Inside, Den was freaking out a little bit. He wanted to make a good impression and after stepping away and being able to breathe normally again, he felt he’d done that.

Denver followed Lexi’s wave, but when she made no move to go visit the three women, he figured it was her sisters and she didn’t want to go through the sister version of the interrogation. “Chelsea, Stacey and Melina?” he asked, nodding in the general direction of the other three Ryanne girls. If Sarah’s questions were anything to go by, he was more than willing to wait before meeting Lexi’s sisters. And his sisters were only directed at him! He could only imagine what the young girl would ask when they finally met! Finally, Denver donned his black mask, slipping the elastic band into place comfortably. “You look stunning. And if it does get annoying, we can slip away somewhere so you can take it off for a bit,” he said, running his hand lightly down her forearm. He knew her father’s eyes would still be on them every once in a while, checking to see if Denver was being a perfect gentleman. Although his thoughts were far from that, he was trying to maintain the appearance of one; taking a page from his friend in the haematology department, Chase. Denver let out an overdramatic breath, grinning. “Can’t wait for the second round,” he said dryly, rolling his eyes.

Tag || Lexi!
Words || 489
Clothes || Picture Perfect
Music || Every Time I Look at You by Luke Bryan
Notes || <3

[Lexi Piper Ryanne]

Lexi knew just how bad her dad could be, but she had proven over the last few years that she was now perfectly capable of taking care of herself and making her own judgements about people. She knew that he’d never stop being overprotective of his youngest daughter though, even when she was raising children of her own, if that ever happened. At least now Denny had spoken to them and it was looking good so far. In fact, this was the shortest time Heath had spoken to a boyfriend of his daughter’s and given the nod of approval. Maybe it was because the young brunette was dating outside of the socialite world and had found herself falling for a genuinely good guy who made her smile just by being with her. Lexi had a sneaky suspicion that was why her dad already liked him; Denver made her happier than she had been in a while. Plus, what she didn’t say to anyone, but what she felt, was that her father’s opinion would make no difference to how she felt about Denver. If he didn’t like him then he’d have to learn to, because Lexi wasn’t about to let him go for anyone.

She wasn’t going to get into it now, but Lexi found all kinds of things interesting about her handsome boyfriend. Honestly, she could sit for hours and just listen to the stories he had to tell about his youth or some of the characters in his life. It always seemed far more exciting than hers and she had spent most of her own teenage years hiding and trying to be a girl that she simply wasn’t meant to be. It didn’t make for exciting talk when they were cuddled up on the couch watching a movie and eating the take out Lexi was convinced would one day come back to haunt her.

Her dark eyes looked up at him and then across to the small group of elegant women. “Mmhm. Chelsea looks like a meringue, Stacey’s in the red and Melina is the one who looks like she should be on a catwalk.”

[/color] Lexi said, indicating each of them in a way that was simplest to remember for a first meeting tonight. She had a feeling they’d corner her before she got to them, but she was in no rush for either right now. Smiling up at Denver, his touch sending shivers down her spine, she suddenly realised one benefit of the mask. “Ha! It helps hide my blushing! I think I’m going to make this a permanent accessory.”[/color] She joked, feeling the heat flood her cheeks at his simple compliment, but now feeling able to joke about it. It happened most of the time they were together, so she was getting used to it by now, even though she wished it would go away at times. “And I know the perfect place to sneak off to when that time comes, and it will.”[/color] She said quietly, with a soft flirtatious tone to her voice. It would be another little secret she could share with Denny and no one else. Chuckling, she slipped her arms around his neck and smiled up at him. “You’ve got my dad on side, which isn’t an easy feat. That’s the hard part over; the rest will probably just be him asking questions I’ve probably already asked you at some point.”[/color] She said reassuringly, hoping that his nerves weren’t too bad now the initial meeting was out of the way.
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• • •

TAGGED! Denny!
WORDS! 592!
OUTFIT! Masquerade!
LYRICS! Look At Me - - - Carrie Underwood
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Denver Gage Sawyer]

Denver wasn’t a father, but he had a closer relationship to his sister than her father. So it fell to him to be the one asking the questions, the one being a nervous wreck if she went out on a date with some boy. And to make matters worse for the good ol’ boy, his darling baby sister wanted to spend her entire summer in New York with a friend. Admittedly, he loved having her around; he missed her through the year especially around the holidays that he couldn’t get home. He was lucky to get his thanksgiving off from work, since it wasn’t near any American holidays and he wouldn’t really be missed, and of course Christmas. He was surprisingly lucky, having only had to cover a handful of holidays or be on call for them since he’d started his residency. What bothered him a little was this friend she wanted to bring along. She never before brought anyone along with her, but she’d also hadn’t ever stayed for two months before. She knew he was going to say yes. He knew he was going to say yes but he still said he would think about it.

It was another small part of the reason why he wanted to invite Lexi to see Corner Brook. If they went at the beginning of the summer, just after school let out for her, she could see where he grew up, meet everyone and he could see how his sister’s friend acted. He trusted Sarah, but he didn’t know all her friends and he didn’t know which she was inviting. He wanted to talk to Lexi about it, he cared about her opinion even though he knew she’d just smack his arm playfully and tell him to let her have space to be a teenager in the city. Of course, tonight it was all in the back of his mind, though he did eventually want to talk it through with Lexi. Denver spared a glance for each of the girls as Lexi ran through the three. “None as stunning as you,” he whispered into Lexi’s ear after leaning down. He straightened soon after though; because her parents were around and Denny knew Mr. Ryanne was keeping tabs on them; or rather, him to make sure he wasn’t anything less than a gentleman to his precious daughter. Denny had to adjust his mask barely a minute after putting it on. He didn’t know what the hell he was doing, but he’d done something wrong and had to remedy that.

Denny took Lexi’s hand, brought it up to his lips and pressed a quick kiss to the back. “Can’t do that, maid, I like seeing that blush; makes your eyes sparkle more,” he said lowering their twined hands. He liked saying things that made her blush. The soft pink was a pretty shade on the brunette. “Ah, Miss Ryanne, you have an escape plan. How clever,” he remarked, grinning wickedly. Leave it to Lexi to have an exit plan in case there was a need for it. And Denny, like Lexi, was pretty sure they’d need it at some point. Denny wasn’t used to fancy parties like this. Den knew her father was lurking somewhere but he hoped the older man was occupied with the next flood of guests. He set his hands on her waist, wanting to pull her into a dance but also didn’t want to be the first on the dance floor. The party was only just starting so as far as he could tell, these were the moments to connect and mingle. “Get me a trophy,” Denny said teasing. He was pleased though, that he’d passed test one. “Why do I feel like I won’t be able to sidetrack him like I can you?” he asked teasing. There was little Den held back from Lexi, though he still kept the story of his father to himself. He didn’t remember the man, but he also wasn’t ready to have that conversation. There were still tears for the man he would never met, for the man he would never get to know and for the man who would never see his son make something of himself. He didn’t know how he would avoid that if they somehow managed to come to that conversation while talking to Mr. Ryanne.

Tag || Lexi!
Words || 726
Clothes || Picture Perfect
Music || Every Time I Look at You by Luke Bryan
Notes || <3

[Lexi Piper Ryanne]

As the youngest daughter, and with the troubles of her past, Lexi did get it a bit tougher than her sisters when it came to dating and their father worrying more. She spent more time these days reassuring him that he was fine, especially since Chelsea no longer shared the apartment with her. She knew he only ever meant well though and laughed it off whenever his worries were unnecessary. Lexi hoped that tonight would calm him down a bit and make him see that she was capable of taking care of herself a bit more than he seemed to think. He would never not worry about her, she knew that, but she didn’t want him to panic every time she left the city on a trip or kept a call or visit to the family home short because she had a date with the charming doctor. At least now Heath had a face to put to the name and she hoped that would help him let his daughter live her life now.

Lexi found it adorable though and much preferred a man to be overprotective of his kids than totally uninterested. It was why she almost found herself laughing constantly whenever Denny spoke about Sarah; she fell a little bit harder each time he told her about some silly little concern of his that he thought was a lot more serious than it really was. The petite brunette may not have met his sibling yet, but she felt as though she knew her a bit from all the tales Denny told. Plus, she liked helping him calm down if he was on the edge about a date or a party she was going to at the weekend when he could do nothing about it.
Smiling softly, she took a moment to herself before turning and looking up at Denver with a loving smile. “You’re such a charmer, have I told you that?”

[/color] She said lightly teasing him. No one had ever complimented her above her sisters before; Lexi had settled with that a long time ago, so hearing it now brought more of a blush to her cheeks and a bigger smile to her lips. She wanted to hug and kiss him right then, but she didn’t want her dad to come over and cause a scene or make some sarcastic comment later when he came back to the couple.

She had a feeling that in the next moment her mask theory might have failed, as she felt her cheeks grow hot again, dipping her head to try and hide what had to be a scarlet hue by now. “Oh, I hate you sometimes.”[/color] She mumbled, joking of course as indicated by the huge grin she wore. Chuckling softly, Lexi glanced around the room and then back at her boyfriend with a wicked twinkle in her dark eyes. “Shh, you’ll give it away.”[/color] She said in a whisper. “I always have an escape plan for these parties, but first I need to make sure you don’t mind a little rule breaking?”[/color] Her lips twitched upwards into a mischievous smirk and she bit her lip softly. Her escape plan was the same one she had had since the age of twelve, but its success had been down to a tiny bit of misbehaving. Still, she had spotted the silver haired man on the way in who had always covered for her when she executed this plan, so it was looking good for whenever they found themselves with the need to escape from the formal event. Usually for Lexi it was when too many false conversations had happened or she felt suffocated by the people around her asking the same old questions. Glancing around, she noticed her father deep in conversation with one of his old college buddies and smiled to herself, thankful that the man’s eyes weren’t fixed on Denny permanently so far. “Well, you could try, but you might just startle him a bit.”[/color] She joked, laughing quietly before moving her hands down his arms lightly. Lexi wanted to be close to him, but didn’t want her dad thinking the wrong thing. Luckily, she saw Melina and one of her old school friends leading their partners to the ballroom floor as the music changed for the next piece. Smiling up at Denny she nodded her head towards the open space. “You never got a chance to show me all of your moves earlier.”[/color]
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• • •

TAGGED! Denny!
WORDS! 749!
OUTFIT! Masquerade!
LYRICS! Look At Me - - - Carrie Underwood
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Denver Gage Sawyer]

Denny wasn’t sure what kind of guys Lexi had dated in the past but he was sure they had hardly treated her right. She should have been treated like a queen, spoiled on compliments to the point she was sick of them. There should have been sweet kisses, blushing comments and laughs. But the young doctor had a feeling she hadn’t gotten those things. If she had, he probably wouldn’t have had the chance he did with her. And for that, he could only be thankful, and seriously lucky. He loved spoiling her, saying sweet little whispered truths and watching that pale pink cover her cheeks like a blanket. It should have been a permanent colour and he was working on making that so. He was falling quite hard for the pretty brunette who didn’t think herself anything special. She was everything. The woman before him was so intelligent and so beautiful. She was what he used to hope Sarah would grow up to be like; confident, self-assured, intelligent and stunning. Of course, at this point, he was pretty damn biased on both women’s accounts. Lexi helped him keep his cool when he was freaking out about stupid little things Sarah would tell him. He had no say in the matter, he’d done all those things when he was in high school, too. But that didn’t stop him from pacing and hyperventilating.

Denny tilted his head to the side as if he were going through his memories. “Not tonight you haven’t,” he said, grinning. He wanted to add a soft kiss to that, but he had no clue where her father was or if he was watching. And, though he’d never been to an event like this, he was fairly sure it wasn’t exactly kosher to do. Her sisters were pretty, he would admit, but like he said, none of the other three were as stunning as the one standing next to him. “Sometimes isn’t always, so I’ll take a little hate,” he said playfully, watching that blush get a tiny bit darker than before and grinning. Denny held up his free hand in a sort of surrender. “Oh, sorry,” he said, grinning; playing along. That smile turned wicked as he raised a brow in question at Lexi. “Since when have I been against rule breaking? Bring it on,” he said, squeezing her hand in his. Leave it to Lexi to have an escape plan mapped out when she needed to get away from these things. Den didn’t know how Lexi spent her time talking to these people. For the most part, they seemed, at a glance, to just be the richest of the rich, standing around, eating finger foods, drinking ridiculously expensive flutes of champagne, dancing and talking themselves up while talking other down and out.

It was funny. Denver knew the world Lexi came from. It had never deterred him from falling for her, or made him stop for a minute to think their different statuses meant anything. Lexi wasn’t her money, her status or her sisters, whom from the quick glance he’d spared them, looked to be enjoying the stares and cheap gossip. Lexi was more than the gossip, champagne and false flattery. As much as he knew she came from this world, he’d never been able to picture her in it. And knowing now that she had an escape route planned and ready to be executed whenever she needed told him he was right. As much as she was a part of this world, she wasn’t and seemed to him, to be there only to fulfil an obligation to her parents, her family. “Tell me, if you had the choice, would you be here or on my couch, curled up with me, Duke at your feet and some movie on the TV?” he asked, but he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

Denny made a face before he laughed at the mere thought of trying some of his playful moves on the father of his girlfriend. It would definitely not end well. “I think I’ll save those for you,” he said, chuckling. Denver looked out over the dance floor. He hadn’t had formal dance lessons of the ballroom variety. The coach of his hockey team made all the guys take ballet lessons to help with their balance on the ice and it helped with the numerous other sports Denver found himself playing. One of the moms of the team ran a school so she offered up lessons for free to anyone on the team. It was a nice gesture and naturally, if any of them wanted to play in the coming game, they were in that house turned studio in t-shirts and sweat pants ready to work. Still, they were there at the ball to have fun, and he could dance well enough. “Be ready to get stepped on,” he teased, though he spun her into his arms and twirled her around the dance floor. He hoped with everything as he did so that he wouldn’t step on her feet and possibly ruin their night together.

Tag || Lexi!
Words || 852
Clothes || Picture Perfect
Music || Every Time I Look at You by Luke Bryan
Notes || <3

[Lexi Piper Ryanne]

Lexi had never found herself dating someone quite like Denver before. The guys in her past were hardly worth remembering now that she had the handsome doctor in her life. Before, they had dated the name and not the girl, acting as though she was more of an accessory than an actual person. That was why Lexi had kept away from serious dating for a few months before the incident with the football that had turned a terrible day into one that was not so bad. She had never seen herself as anything amazing or someone who stood out from a crowd so she never really minded when guys hadn’t treated her like Denver did now. The only problem was that now she had a taste of an amazing relationship, she didn’t want to lose it but she still felt as though she wasn’t enough at times to keep someone so great in her life. She loved the little compliments, even if she hated the blush that came with them and Denver never failed to put a smile on her lips, not even after a bad day left her ready to curl up in bed. You didn’t need to look at her for too long to realise that she had fallen hard for the man in front of her this evening and everything that came with him. She just hoped that she was enough for him.

Biting her lip to hide the smile as she shook her head, Lexi playfully jabbed her finger into his chest. “Mark my words, one day I will find whatever makes you blush and then, boy, are you in for it.”

[/color] She threatened lightly, though she doubted that day would come soon. She actually had a feeling that if she managed to make Denny blush that she’d probably have to make up a song and dance about it first just to mark the occasion. Grinning again, Lexi met his eyes with a twinkle in her own. “If I always hated you then I really doubt that I’d have asked you here tonight…unless I was planning something horrific to embarrass you in front of your peers.”[/color] She glanced across as where Chase was with his date and chuckled. Lexi could never do something like that, but she could name a few here tonight who would probably contemplate it. “Just let me know when you’re ready to break those rules.”[/color] Her lips twitched into a mischievous little smile. She had never been the rebellious type, but when it came to these events, she had found a small streak inside of her that emerged. She didn’t want Denny to feel uncomfortable tonight, so if he needed to get away before she did then she wouldn’t mind. Any break was a welcome one when it came to most of the people in this room.

Lexi might have been a very different person had it not been for the differences in the childhood of her sisters and of her. If she hadn’t grown up feeling self-conscious and experiences the brutality of spoilt little rich kids and their standards of appearance, she might have been at the bar with her sisters, gossiping and getting ready to work the room with talk of expensive purchases. She was glad she hadn’t turned out like that though and had a feeling Denny might not have spent so much time with her if she did. She had worried enough about tonight chasing him away, but now she didn’t feel fake or pressured to be something she wasn’t; she could just be the girl Denver knew well and relax. “You know me too well, but you missed out the mention of pizza.”[/color] She sighed wistfully, crinkling her nose at the platter the server walked by with full of expensive finger foods that tasted awful. Turning her attention back to Denny she shook her head and smiled. “Is it that obvious?”[/color] Giving him a small shrug, she adjusted her mask so that she could see better and spoke again. “I made a deal with my dad a few years ago; I’d attend the annual galas and the fundraising events, but I can skip out on the rest.”[/color] It wasn’t a life she wanted, so after the stint in the hospital, she had talked her dad into letting her out of most of the gatherings, save for the prominent ones on the calendar.

Laughing, Lexi nodded in agreement. “Probably for the best.”[/color] She said between her soft bouts of giggling. Her father would probably wonder what the pair found so funny if he looked their way right now. Lexi had been dancing at these events since her early teens; usually with the heavy footed guys her mother pushed her with for the evening. She was no professional in a ballroom, but she could keep pace and knew how it was all supposed to go. “I’m pretty nimble. It wouldn’t be my first dancing related trip to the hospital though.”[/color] She teased. One guy had practically jumped on her tiny feet a few years back and she had been certain it was broken, but turned out to be one hell of a bad bruise instead. It still put her on crutches for a number of weeks though.
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• • •

TAGGED! Denny!
WORDS! 886!
OUTFIT! Masquerade!
LYRICS! Look At Me - - - Carrie Underwood
NOTES! <3 <3 <3

[Denver Gage Sawyer]

Denver wouldn’t say he hadn’t dated in the past. He had, even tried dating one of his guy friends. But that had ultimately been a mistake. He didn’t keep his past a secret, just his father. Everything else about his life was an open book; one just had to ask the questions. Through all the years, Denny hadn’t thought he’d find someone special, someone he could treat like they should be treated and not just because it was expected of him. Lexi never expected anything from him, which made his surprises all that more special, that made him want to do more for her. It was easy to see why the promising young pediatrician was falling for the beautiful historian. She always brought a smile to Denny’s face with a simple text message, a random phone call or just showing up at work during a rough time like she’d sensed he needed her calm. “I look forward to that day,” he said, leaning in to press a quick kiss to her cheek, just in case anyone had wandering eyes. He was falling, and hard, but he didn’t need everyone in the room to know it yet.

“You have a Carrie situation all set up and ready for me, don’t you?” he teased, playfully, inconspicuously grabbing at her side. His eyes followed in the direction hers did, seeing Chase with his pretty date and grinned again. There were plenty of his colleagues filling space in the ballroom. If she had wanted to do something to him, here would be the place to do it. But he knew she didn’t have it in her to be so cruel. He made a face as he lightly tapped his hand against his forehead. “Of course! The pizza! How could I forget the pizza! I must be losing it,” he said, shaking his head at the foolish mistake. “Let’s give this some time,” he said, smirking. They had just gotten to the ball. They’d barely spent any time doing anything more than him getting drilled casually by her father; even if that was probably enough of an excuse to slip away for a bit, it hardly qualified to him. “You have something to keep you occupied through those now,” he said easily, smiling down at her. He was hardly comfortable in the suit he was wearing, but he would wear it again and again, for Lexi. If she needed him, he would be there to help her.

Denny laughed, shaking his head. It wouldn’t be a wise choice to use some of the same moves on anyone else other than Lexi. She took them the way they were supposed to be taken, as some fun and good-natured teasing. He wasn’t so sure her father, or well, anyone else would find the humour in it as easily as she did. Denny was a little worried about the dancing portion of the evening. He didn’t have lead feet, but twinkle toes he certainly wasn’t either. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that; especially considering we’re in a ballroom surrounded by doctors and heads of staff. Surely someone in here is qualified to access any injuries you might obtain while in my company on the dance floor,” he said, slipping easily into what he joked was his education showing.

Tag || Lexi!
Words || 551
Clothes || Picture Perfect
Music || Every Time I Look at You by Luke Bryan
Notes || <3

[Lexi Piper Ryanne]

Lexi knew that Denny had dated in the past, but she didn’t care about that; everyone had baggage in this day and age. If there ever came a reason to talk about either of their past experiences romance wise, then she could address all of that then. She wasn’t the kind of girl to use anything like that against him or compare to what they had now. Still, Denver was one in a million and hardly the kind of guy she was used to bumping into on the streets of The Big Apple. She kept telling him that he didn’t need to go out of his way for anything and yet he still did, no matter how many times she rolled her eyes and swatted his arm. She tried to surprise him too, even if it was just bringing his favourite coffee to the hospital, or calling him out to lunch when he had a chance to slip away for an hour. It was easier for her to do it now too, since school was over once and for all and she had more time on her hands to dedicate to the little things she could do to make her boyfriend smile. “Oh, not as much as I do, Mister.”

[/color] The day she managed to get one up on Denver would forever be a date marked on her calendar.

She squirmed away from his grab, up-righting herself and smoothing out her dress before playfully glaring up at the doctor. Someone probably saw her reaction to his subtle ‘attack’ and if they found their way over to Lexi they would probably ask if she went over on her heels or something of the sort. “Luckily for you, even if I did, it would still be me getting laughed at, not you.”[/color] She commenting, giving a small hint about her childhood and the people they were in the room with. Some secrets would stay buried for as long as she could manage them, but tonight Denver might get a glimpse into some of the bitchiness Lexi had suffered with for most of her life; she couldn’t avoid everything or keep it all from him. “Definitely losing it. I’m afraid you might do it on our next movie night now.”[/color] She teased, shaking her head and pretending to look disappointed. He was right, it was much too early to sneak off just yet, but she’d let him wait until the first person summoned her over to enquire about her date and every other aspect of her life. Lexi had managed to perfect the fake smile long ago, and it was the one thing she swore by to get through those moments at these fancy events. She looked up at him with a sweet smile and then kissed his jaw, which was the only place she could reach without pushing herself right up onto her toes and threatening her balance. “Thank you, but I wouldn’t make you suffer through all of them.”[/color] She knew Denver probably wasn’t totally at ease with this whole thing, especially not with the family meeting thrown in there too. She wouldn’t force him into accompanying her each and every time she had to make an appearance; it just wasn’t fair on him.

She let out a soft laugh, shaking her head before looking up at him. “Show off.”[/color] She whispered. Normally, it was her who got to ramble on about what she knew best, often picking out the buildings in the city that they passed by. Denver rarely got to put his knowledge to use around her, unless she was feeling a bit ill or had fallen face first onto concrete, like the day they had met. “I’ve danced with far worse, Doctor Sawyer. You’re not so bad.”[/color] She told him playfully, sighing when she heard someone call her full name, ruining their peaceful moment together. “Here we go.”[/color] She mumbled, squeezing Denver’s hand before putting her smile back in place and turning to approach the older woman who had summoned her.
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• • •

TAGGED! Denny!
WORDS! 714!
OUTFIT! Masquerade!
LYRICS! Look At Me - - - Carrie Underwood
NOTES! <3 <3 <3