Big City; Big Dreams

[LeAnn Adams]

It felt like Graduation was only yesterday but this recent graduate had spent the last few days packing away what was essentially her whole life, albeit a few of the essentials that she needed out as she had yet to find anywhere to put all of her things, aka somewhere to live. For now, LeAnn still lived with her mother and Andrew and her siblings but she had been offered a promotion with KPL Event Management Global group, the place she had been an apprentice as during her holidays from school. Not long before her Graduation they had wrote to her, confirming that she would indeed be returning to them after Graduation but also that they wanted to offer her a full time job in their New York based office as an official Events Co-Ordinator for the company and not just somebodies apprentice. There was no way LeAnn could turn down the offer so of course she accepted but kept it to herself until after Graduation, as her job was only a conditional offer until she Graduated. Once she returned home and had a big meal with her family as a Graduation celebration she broke the news to her parents. There were tears and some hesitation to let her go off to New York on her own at such a young age, and that was just from her mother. Although after a long conversation the idea began to sink in and they finally came to terms that LeAnn would in fact be moving out. She wasn’t the young child she used to be and had actually grown into a mature adult and she knew herself that she could take on this challenge in her life and excel.

Today LeAnn and her parents would be visiting New York City to apartment hunt. She had already found a few listings and chosen a few of her favourite, and of course her mother and Andrew had chosen some that they had liked also. So it was going to be a busy day with loads of apartments to go and see. Even though she was going to be living there soon, she was also going to be working so she wanted to go shopping and whatnot if time allowed it while they were there. Once LeAnn was ready she made her way down to the kitchen calling for her mother and Andrew making sure they were ready too, it was going to be a long day and LeAnn was excited to get started. Once everyone was ready they apparated to their designated meeting point, a few blocks away from the first apartment they were going to look at. "Let's get this show on the road!" Exclaimed LeAnn, excited to get started, leading the way.

 

[Evette Belo]

Of course Evette was a little taken back when her eldest child and first daughter informed her and her husband that she would be moving to New York in a matter of days, hardly weeks, but days. As a mother Evette was allowed a free card to over react as she liked but she knew she couldn't talk in the sense that she was once LeAnn's age and knew what it was like to finish school and get away from her parents' house and become independent and whatnot. Evette had wanted it all too much for herself and looking back on it she never regretted a minute of it. Although LeAnn had an advantage where Evette didn't in the sense that she had a proper job all laid out for her to go into and not have to worry about finding work and money. She could afford to move into a nice apartment and get herself set up comfortably and at 18, there wasn't much else a lot of people could ask for, heck not even people at Evette's age could say they were so lucky. Then again, LeAnn wasn't Evette and she had grown up so much over the past few years, without LeAnn, Evette wouldn't have Andrew in her life right now, she had been a wonder with the children, who adored their big sister and she had just Graduated, not top of her class but she had done well for herself and having a job already just went to show how grown up she actually was.

The day that Evette and Andrew were taking LeAnn apartment hunting had arrived and while she was upset to think that her first child would be moving out she was excited as she and Andrew had a surprise for LeAnn. They had been taking a few trips to New York themselves and had already bought LeAnn an apartment that they knew she would like. They had set it up that the first few apartments that they were going to see wouldn't exactly be to LeAnn's liking and would then surprise her with the apartment they had already picked out. Once the children had been washed, fed and dressed Evette went to get ready before making sure the house elf was fine for everything as they didn't know just how long they would be gone. Once the three were ready, they apparated and before barely having time to catch their breath LeAnn was off like a shot. Evette let out a small laugh as she took her husband's hand and followed LeAnn to the first apartment.

 

[Andrew Belo]

Andrew had been shocked, to say the least, when LeAnn had dropped the news to the family that she would be moving to New York. She had been heading there during her vacation to intern with an Event Coordinator, something she was very good at. It had taken her repeating that she had been hired and would be moving there permanently before it sunk in that she was moving away. The man had sat silently, his face drawn as his wife had cried and reacted as any mother might to having her child move so very far away. He knew that LeAnn was an adult now. Her graduation from school had made that fact front and center in all of their eyes, but this was something different. Andrew and his wife were still coming to accept their daughter’s decision. It was easy enough to understand LeAnn wanting to follow her dreams. Both he and Evette had been there and done that with their own career choices, him with quidditch and her with modeling. And, it was that and the knowledge that LeAnn was smart and responsible that made Andrew feel a little more comfortable with the idea. Grateful when she asked for their assistance in searching for a suitable apartment, he and Evette had put all of their efforts into finding a place for their daughter. They had spent many a day sneaking off to New York to search apartments. LeAnn had no idea exactly what they had planned for the day, though judging by her excitement you’d never know that.

Dressed casually for a day of walking and enjoying the city, Andrew headed for the foyer to wait for Evette. LeAnn was already there of course, excitement coursing through her. Checking to be sure his wallet was in his pocket, Andrew waved goodbye to the quads and headed out the door to apparate away. Sucking in a deep lungful of New York City air, Andrew grinned as LeAnn shot off towards the first apartment. He chuckled along with his wife as he began to follow the young woman. “Is everything set up with…” the man trailed off, eyeing LeAnn who was several long strides ahead. He was nervously anticipating the moment when LeAnn would see the apartment. Money had not been an object when he and Evette had gone on their search, at least once they’d gone to Gringotts to transfer their galleons into muggle money. Andrew knew the apartment was just perfect for her, but he was still nervous that she might see some flaw in it. “LeAnn…slow down. The apartment’s not going anywhere” the man called out, a laugh in his voice. In truth, LeAnn was moving more to the speed of the other pedestrians who looked as if they were all late to some event. Andrew knew that this part of the city was a bit busier and more traveled by tourists than some of the other apartments they would be visiting today.

Out of Character:

I'll link his outfit later.
Sorry for the lameness. I haven't RPed him in a while, but I promise my posts will get better.

 

[LeAnn Adams]

LeAnn could hear Andrew behind her telling her to slow down but she decided to ignore him and focused on finding the first apartment that she wanted to look at. She had had a number of listings from local papers copied into her journal so she could have them wrote out and in front of her so she could quickly refer to something for the address, contact name and number of the person she had to talk to when at the building. The best thing about having them all wrote out in front of her was great as she had them in order of which one would come first so there would be no need to go back and forth from one neighborhood to the next and then back to where they had been before, if one thing her job had made her an organisation freak. The only thing that had LeAnn worried was that none of the papers came with pictures of the apartments so she had to go based solely off what she had in front of her in black and white and she definitely knew that a lot of people lied in advertisements to get people to go to their place only to discover that it was nothing like it had been described originally. With her blonde hair falling in front of her face and back behind her shoulders she started to refer to her journal for the address of the first apartment and the street signs to make sure she was on the right track.

As they got closer to the first address she began to get excited. She knew that the chances of her falling in love with the first apartment was almost impossible but she still secretly hoped it was be the case so she could move in as soon as possible. Falling back she waited for her mother and Andrew to catch up. “It’s just on the next block!” she exclaimed with an excited smile. As she crossed the road she started to count down the numbers on the buildings getting more and more worried. This was not how she had imagined the street with her first apartment on it. There were no nicely trimmed trees, or people in suits with a starbucks in their hand, heck there wasn't even a starbucks nearby, something LeAnn had become addicted too. As they got to the front door of the apartment building LeAnn looked up with a grimace on her face. The building looked run down and there were sounds of babies crying and people shouting. Taking out her red marker she put a cross through the address and walked on, that would not be her first apartment. "There wasn't even a doorman." she said to her parents as she shook her head and made her way to the next apartment.

 

[Evette Belo]

Evette was so proud of her daughter as she powered through the streets of New York as if she was a native to the city. She stayed a few steps behind LeAnn with her husband as she figured the 18 year old probably wouldn't be want to caught out with her parents. She squeezed Andrew’s hand in excitement as he began to mention if everything was set up, she assumed it was about LeAnn's apartment that they had bought already for her. Of course there was a small part of her that was worried about LeAnn not liking the apartment, she had a good head on her shoulders but she knew what she liked and more often than not, she got it. Although Evette and Andrew wouldn't tell LeAnn it was her apartment until they were sure she liked it. As they neared the first apartment they were going to see Evette wondered what the apartment would be like. The rest of the surrounding didn't look like much to be desired and wondered why LeAnn would have chosen such a place as a possible place to live. She remembered that most muggle papers wouldn't usually show pictures of apartments and could be easily misleading.

When LeAnn said they were nearing the apartment, faking a smile, she really didn't want her daughter living here, it didn't seem save at all. She gave a worrying glance to Andrew before stopping and looking up at the apartment. No sooner had they been standing there they were walking off again. She let out a small laugh as she shook her head as her daughter mentioned there was no doorman, like that was the worst thing about that building. Breathing a sigh of relieve she continued to follow her daughter to the next apartment, smiling as the neighborhoods were beginning to look nicer.

Out of Character:

Feel free to advance to the next apartment and you can have creative freedom on what it's like.

 

[Andrew Belo]

Looking around as they continued on, a frown began to tug on Andrew’s lips. He could tell that they were heading into a less desirable area, but he held out hope that LeAnn had managed to find the one good building in the area. Andrew nodded his head as LeAnn called back to them to inform them that they were only a block away. The area still had not changed, but seemed to be growing even more shady with each step they took. He knew that LeAnn had spent a good amount of time researching apartments, but he was fairly certain that she must not have seen a picture of their destination. If she had, it surely wouldn’t have made the list. With the careers that both he and Evette had, the children, LeAnn included, had been kept very sheltered away from places like this. They had grown up in a large home, attended excellent schools and been given the very best that life could offer them. Andrew had just leaned over to ask Evette if LeAnn had shown her a picture of the place when LeAnn stopped for a moment and continued on. Her comment to them was enough to put a smile of amusement on Andrew’s face.

He continued on, pleased when they finally made a right to head away from that block. It definitely wasn’t a place he wanted his daughter to frequent let alone live. Andrew shared a sigh of relief with his wife as they continued on, watching the neighborhoods transform before his eyes. As the blare of someone’s car radio died, the group of three turned down another street and then another. LeAnn was still a couple of feet ahead of them, but he knew that she would know where she was heading. She had been to the city far more than he had. Looking up as they continued, Andrew was pleased to see some trees on this block. He nodded politely to an older man who was walking a dog down the street. The buildings on this street were all high and, more than once, Andrew found himself looking up to see just how high the buildings were. Glancing into one, he smiled as he saw a doorman standing at the ready. Andrew nudged his wife and gave a smile. LeAnn was sure to be happy that this apartment had a doorman, but he hoped that they wouldn’t like it too much. They did after all still have the apartment they’d chosen to show her. “56, right?” Andrew called out as he pointed to the building right on the corner. It was the smallest building on the block and the door was ajar as they neared it. Already, Andrew could see that this building looked ten times better than the one they hadn’t even bothered to enter. But, it did seem in need of repair. He could see inside and see that there was a sign indicating that the elevator was out of service. It really was too bad they had to resort to muggle means to get around today. Otherwise, they could easily just apparate to the front door. “What floor did you say again?” he asked, hoping it wasn’t something ridiculously high.

 

[LeAnn Adams]

LeAnn was less than amused about the first choice of apartments, she now realised how important it would have been to have done a spot check on the apartments before going to see them with her parents – to at least see if the neighbourhood was somewhere that she would of wanted to live. Not letting it sit on her mind she powered on forward in the direction of her next possible apartment choosing to ignore the laughs from her mother after her last comment. It wasn’t like LeAnn expected a doorman at her apartment, but it was just a fantasy that she had about these big New York City Apartment buildings, that had the covering over the entrance to the door with a small red carpet and a friendly old doorman who knew everyone by name She had never actually had a doorman before but it wasn’t like money was really an issue, it never had been with her family, she had a good job and so did both her parents so she probably had a bit more of a standard for her first apartment when a lot of people just out of school can barely afford to move out from their parents’ house let alone to somewhere lavish like what she wanted.

After a few blocks it was like the sun started to shine and everything just seemed brighter and better as the family entered the new neighbourhood, smiling brightly she kept a look out for the number that her next choice was at. Now this was more like it, LeAnn could probably see herself living in this area, it seemed nice enough albeit a bit out of the city but she could live with that or else she wouldn’t of chosen this apartment to look at. Nodding her head as Andrew confirmed the building number she led her parents into the next choice. She was a little upset about the obvious areas in need of repair but it was simple enough to fix she assumed so she didn’t let it deter her, after all she wouldn’t be living in the foyer. She laughed and shook her head at Andrew asking what floor, a man of his ability it seemed like her was afraid of a bit of a walk up a few stairs. “It’s only the third floor.” she reassured him. Making her way up the stairs she counted the apartments number until they got to 315. Entering the apartment she took no time to inspect every room, it was actually quite small and the floor boards were creaky. Walking over to the main rooms’ window she sighed as she was simply facing the red bricks of the building next to her and the view from the bedroom wasn’t that great either. “I’m ready to go if you guys are.” she stated, turning to face her parents, to be honest she wasn’t completely sold so there was no point staying there.

 

[Evette Belo]

Evette had definitely raised a girl to know what she liked but that was something she found admirable about LeAnn, she was young but she knew what she wanted and she was going to go for it. Not even a few months out of school and she already had found herself a great job doing something she loved and was good at and was already to move out of her home, something Evette wasn’t really happy about but she knew it would come sooner or later, although she knew she had Andrew and the quads still in the house to keep her sane with her eldest moving out. While the next neighbourhood did look a lot more appealing than the previous one Evette did begin to wonder why LeAnn hadn’t scoped a few of the places out before hand or requested pictures of the places as it may of saved half the journey as she was sure by just looking at some of the places LeAnn would rule them out right away. Evette remembered the first time she had gone to look for an apartment herself, like LeAnn she had grown up well off and her parents spared no money when it came to finding their daughter her perfect apartment and like LeAnn, Evette knew what she wanted and wanted the best. She didn’t know what she would of done if her parents had chosen her apartment for her without her knowing and she was anxious this whole trip on the off chance LeAnn wasn’t as enthusiastic as she and Andrew were, although Evette knew that she raised her daughter with manners and was more grounded than she was at that age which eased her slightly.

Feeling more at ease in the quaint neighbourhood Evette admired the place with her husband, although she was slightly more familiar with New York than Andrew she only really knew the club scene in the city from her younger modelling days but they were far behind her now that she was with Andrew. Entering the next apartment building Evette frowned slightly at the minor issues but she knew that the more that was wrong with the place the more chance LeAnn had of not liking it which worked in their favour for her liking the apartment she and Andrew had already purchased for LeAnn. After the short walk up the stairs Evette entered the apartment, it really was surprising that places were actually allowed to be sold in this state. While Evette was glad of the short walk up the stairs it did mean a disadvantage of the view, unlike the place already bought for LeAnn which had a lovely view, something she knew her daughter would love. “The boss has spoken.” she said quiet enough that could be meant as just a whisper for only Andrew to hear but loud enough where LeAnn could hear. Smiling mischievously at her comment she exited the building with LeAnn informing them they had a bit further to go for the next apartment and seeing as the place was busy they wouldn’t be able to apparate so she went on ahead to call them a cab – it had been a while since Evette had been in one of those.

 

[Andrew Belo]

The walk up to the third floor was a quick one, and the family was let into an apartment that looked similar to ones he had hung out in when he was about LeAnn’s age. Andrew had been drafted onto a quidditch team straight from school and he’d been born into a large amount of money from his father’s own quidditch success, so he had never actually lived in an apartment like this. Many of his friends, however, hadn’t been so fortunate and had settled into places that were in obvious need of some TLC. It wasn’t a bad thing at all, but as he glanced at LeAnn’s face as she looked around, Andrew knew that she wasn’t going to like this apartment either. She had grown up, much like him, living life to a different standard from other people. Floors didn’t creak in LeAnn’s world, nor should they for as much as their home had cost. When she announced that she was ready to go, Andrew smiled and held his arm out towards the door, indicating that she should lead the way.

Chuckling at what Evette said, Andrew looked to see if LeAnn had heard as he followed them out of the apartment. The man had been hoping that they would be able to apparate to their next destination, but that was not going to be the case. He leaned against the wall, waiting for the cab that his wife had called as they’d stepped out. “Don’t get discouraged, LeAnn. I’m sure the right apartment for you is here somewhere” he stated with a smile on his face. He waited until LeAnn had turned her back to give his wife a little wink. He was sure that the right apartment was out there for her because he and his wife had found it. As a yellow car dashed in front of a truck and stopped alongside the curb, Andrew stared at it ominously for a moment before heading over to it. The wizard didn’t use muggle transportation very often, and he had heard terrible stories about the cabs from this city. “Are you sure we can’t just apparate?” he asked as he held the doors open for the ladies to slip inside. As he slipped inside and shut the door, Andrew and the cab driver waited for LeAnn to give the man the address. The wizard spent his time glancing at the interior. He could barely see the driver through the thick plastic barricade that separated the man from the driver’s seat. As the man began to drive, Andrew was thrust back into his seat by the force. He was about to complain when his attention was diverted by the sudden start of a television show from a square on the back of the driver’s seat. “How marvelous…” he murmured as he began to watch.

Out of Character:

Feel free to godmod Andrew and skip ahead as needed.

 

[LeAnn Adams]

Out of Character:

I'm so sorry, my muse sucks. I'll speed it along a little bit. Also no Evette post this time round.

LeAnn found Andrews reaction towards getting a cab ride rather amusing. It was no big thing to her any more, as she was quite used to getting them in the past with colleagues from the office she worked in, so she forgot what it could be like to other witches and wizards who maybe weren't as accustomed to muggle ways as she was. Laughing softly with her mother, who like LeAnn had experienced life in the muggle world and grew used to some a number of their ways and customs. Rolling her eyes at Andrew as he discovered the screens on the back of the seats she looked out the windows as New York flashed in front of her eyes. She was leaving the somewhat quietier areas and was getting closer to main areas of the city, where the excitement could be sensed in the air, with just the hustle and bustle of people going by their daily routines or just people out shopping or tourists excited seeing this amazing city for the first time. It was such an amazing city and LeAnn had fallen in love with it from the moment she first step foot in it. True that was a bit cliché but LeAnn always knew she was meant for more that quaint town slash countryside in France or even remaining in New Zealand like she knew a number of Graduates did upon leaving Hogwarts New Zealand.

To her New York was where she was meant to be, for now anyway. With this in her mind while looking at apartment after apartment she began to grow more and more worried. She already had the perfect job in the perfect city, she just needed to have the perfect apartment to add to the equation for her life to just be perfect, and being a perfectionist LeAnn would settle for nothing less. The cab dropped them off outside the next apartment, after paying the man the family emerged from the car and entered the building; it wasn't long until they were out again. LeAnn was a woman on a mission now and wasn't going to waste any more time, they had already been in the city for a few hours looking at different apartments and she was having no luck with something that she loved, so for the next number of apartments after that if she didn't fall in love with the place within ten seconds of stepping inside she was just going to leave - to LeAnn, if she didn't like how she felt walking into a place then she certainly didn't want to feel that way coming home after work.

Starting to become clearly irritated her mother piped up and suggested they go to get a bite to eat, maybe recharging the batteries would calm LeAnn down and give her a fresh look on some apartments. A few blocks down they saw a small side walk cafe. Getting their orders the family sat outside, with a lovely view of central park. Feeling herself relaxing as the soothing tea went through her body, LeAnn took no time to start her chicken salad sandwich and chocolate chip cookie. There was little talk while the family ate, LeAnn felt bad for she felt that her parents felt awkward and didn't want to say anything that may set LeAnn off. "I'm sorry guys." she started off, wanting to break the silence. "I guess I just had too high hopes for today and I've just been dragging you from apartment to apartment with no luck whatsoever." She could feel her voice cracking but stopped herself from starting to cry, because that's what she wanted to do. She didn't want to have to settle for an apartment or have to commute. "Oh well, we can go home now, I've no more options. Back to the drawing board I guess." She said with a sigh as she finished off her tea. She really wasn't looking forward to having to go back home with all of her stuff packed with nowhere to go.

When it seemed like they were ready to go Evette pointed out an apartment near the cafe that had signs outside it, it was a new apartment complex and they still had apartments for sale. Reluctantly LeAnn let her mother and Andrew take her to see what it was like. At his point LeAnn was set in her slightly depressed state that she just followed her parents, not even thinking to question how they knew where they were going and why they already had a key into the apartment they went to view without talking to anyone downstairs.

 

[Andrew Belo]

It was clear to everyone that LeAnn was beginning to get more than a bit frustrated by the apartment viewings. He knew that she had come to New York hoping to fall in love with a place, and so far she hadn’t. As he looked at her first, Andrew sent up a silent prayer to Merlin, God, and whoever else might be listening that she would love the apartment that he and Evette had picked out. If she didn’t, he knew that not only would LeAnn be crushed but they would also be crushed. The opportunity to sit back and get some perspective on the situation, combined with a good meal, was definitely what everyone needed, LeAnn most of all. Andrew quickly dug into the tuna sandwich he’d ordered, his appetite never waning, no matter how worried he was. Andrew shook his head and tried to quickly dismiss his stepdaughter as she apologized to them, but she continued on. The man shared a quick glance with his wife and then resumed eating. “It’s ok, LeAnn. I don’t know about your mother, but I’m glad you didn’t like any of those places. I don’t know how I would’ve felt about you living in any of those apartments” he said with a shrug, before popping the last bite of sandwich into his mouth. The man looked at the cookies for a long moment, debating whether to have one. He knew he probably shouldn’t. He was supposed to be getting back into shape for the upcoming season and their coach liked to keep them on a strict sugar-restricted diet.

As he settled the check, Andrew heard Evette telling LeAnn about the apartment complex that they’d already seen. With his back to the two women as he tried to figure out the American money so he could leave a tip, Andrew allowed himself to smile. He hoped that the day would be turned around once she got a look at the apartment’s interior. Slinging his arm over Evette’s shoulder, Andrew walked towards the apartment building, looking around to see if he liked everything as much as he had when he’d come across it for the first time. So far, he did. The streets were clean, the people they passed were friendly, and the doormen that they passed in front of each building greeted them pleasantly. She’s going to love it here, Andrew thought to himself as he strolled through the door, hoping that LeAnn would notice the doorman who was quietly holding the door open for them. With a nod to the man, Andrew headed inside, riding up the elevator in silence as Evette took out the keys they’d been given when they closed on the apartment. As they got off the elevator, Andrew let Evette walk ahead so she could open the door. He slowed to catch up with LeAnn. There wasn’t much to see with the door ajar, just a short hallway but he knew that they’d find out whether the apartment was a keeper as soon as they rounded the corner of that hallway. Once she saw the view, if she wasn’t sold, he didn’t know what they were going to do. It had one of the best views of the city. Now that they owned the place, they'd even be able to add any magical enhancements that LeAnn wanted. Although her closet was big, he was still not sure it'd be big enough without a space increasing charm. “Go on, LeAnn” Andrew told her with a small nudge. As she passed them and entered, Andrew took his wife’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Here it goes. Once she sees that view and how big her bedroom is, she’s going to love it” Andrew whispered, trying to convince himself more than his wife. “You did well finding this place” he continued in a whisper as he pulled his wife in to give her a kiss. “Let’s go see what she thinks” he added as he headed further into the apartment.

 

[LeAnn Adams]

LeAnn had all but gave up hope on finding an apartment today. She figured that she should go back to New York herself sometime and not have to drag her parents all the way here for nothing but a lot of walking and having to put with LeAnn being picky and hard to put up with. Sure once she had found a few places that she really liked, or even one if she was lucky, she would show her parents before finalising it all but if today was anything to go by, that could be a long way away. She knew that Andrew and her mother were more than supportive and would undergo the torture of another day like this if it was what LeAnn wanted. She really was lucky to have parents like she had, they were so loving and caring for her, wanting the best in life for her; this made her feel even worse for making go through a day like today. She felt a big better when she learned both her parents were happy she didn't like any of the apartments they saw today. They really were awful! She thought to herself with a small laugh as the family finished up their meal.

Walking through the corridor of the new apartment building to the apartment she figured they would be viewing today LeAnn didn't really take much of it in, still in a slight state of depression and sort of didn't really want to be there. After the sort of day she had she very much wanted to go home and have a duvet day in her pyjamas and pig out while reading gossip magazines. Despite that being what she wanted she built up the will to go see one last apartment. If LeAnn had been paying attention she would of seen the lovely dark oak floors with the detail around the edges of the walls, something that was very much her. Before she knew it her parents had stopped and Andrew was telling LeAnn to go on in. Sighing she walked forward, wanting to get it over and done with. Dimly looking around the room as she walked in it took her a few seconds to realise just how amazing this place looked. Looking straight ahead she could see almost floor to ceiling length windows over looking the city, walking forward she took in the city and all it's glory. "Woooow!" was all that could escape her lips as she continued to look around the apartment.

Of course it was a new place so everything was all very clean and modern and was like a blank canvas for her to put her own personal touch on everything, one thing that she was excited for when she started to think about her own place. The main living area was huge, with a step or two leading to different parts like the kitchen and dining area so it wasn't all on one level. Of course this was all well and good but the next important part was her bedroom. She found a few other rooms along the way, two spare rooms, bathroom and a storage closest, finally she found the master bedroom. It didn't take long for her to know that this was where she was going to be waking up for the foreseeable future. Making her way back to the main room where her parents were waiting she couldn't contain her happiness, this was exactly what she was looking for and she had to have it. "I think we found a winner guys!" she beamed, not able to stand still, stopping herself from literally leaping off the floor and jumping for joy.

 

[Evette Belo]

Evette couldn't help but feel sorry for her eldest daughter. This was her first big move out of home and of course she wanted it to be perfect, Evette wanted it to be perfect for her. Having gone through the whole process in her life a number of times Evette knew what it was like and just how hard it was to find the right place especially when you were as particular as LeAnn was. She was grateful of how supportive Andrew was being right now with the whole thing, it was like going shopping with girls except maybe a million times worse. Amused at how her husband interacted with the simplest muggle things like a taxi and the small screen in the back of the chairs. All day it was apartment after apartment and just as Evette had gotten hopeful about one there was something that she knew would put LeAnn off the place, even if it was something small Evette knew her daughter well enough to know that it wasn't good enough.

Grateful of the sit down and food along with some much need caffine Evette began to feel a little less downhearted. All along Andrew and Evette were worried that LeAnn would fall in love with some apartment before she had a chance to view the one that her parents had already bought for her, or that she would see that apartment and not like it. It wasn't like the matter of money was a problem, far from it, but Evette always prided herself in knowing her daughter well enough to know if she would like an apartment or not, especially as she was sure she had followed her daughters wish list to the last letter. With a whole set of new nerves building up as the meal came to an end she was worried that LeAnn was all for giving up but when Evette happened to point out a new apartment complex near the cafe she was glad that LeAnn decided to go look at one more apartment before going home.

Everything was perfect, the neighbourhood, the other buildings, everything, Evette was so excited albeit nervous, she just wished that LeAnn would cheer up a bit and take everything in before viewing the apartment. Evette and Andrew already had the keys to the apartment, having picked them up when putting down the final payment on the place. It was strange that LeAnn didn't seem to ask any questions as they made their way to the apartment, sharing a worried glance with her husband she held her breath as she stood outside the apartment, letting LeAnn go in first to explore a bit. Feeling more relaxed as her husband spoke some encouraging words, ensuring her that LeAnn would indeed love the place, of course she would, Evette picked the place and she knew what LeAnn wanted. "I hope she does." she said with deep breath as she stepped into the apartment. LeAnn was staring out the window and Evette beamed as she heard that less that subtle wow escape her daughters lips. Breathing a sigh of relief she walked around a bit with her husband, reacquainting herself with the place as it had been a few weeks since they were last here. Biting her lip in anticipation as LeAnn came back from exploring Evette couldn't hide her glowing smile. "Do you want to tell her?" Evette asked, looking up at her husband. Seeing the confusion in LeAnn's face she couldn't help but let a small laugh escape her lips, she was so happy LeAnn loved the place.

 

[Andrew Belo]

Andrew gave his wife one final squeeze before she slipped out of his grip and followed their daughter into the apartment. When Evette had brought him to New York the first time to talk a look around this apartment, Andrew had been in awe over the length of the windows and just how perfect this apartment would be for LeAnn. Everything that she could want in an apartment was here, plus a few things she probably didn't even know that she would want. And, they hadn't even been able to put any magical touches on the apartment yet. Right now, it was just as the real estate agent had shown it to them. Andrew knew that he and his wife would probably be able to add anything magical that LeAnn might want and couldn't add herself.

As he followed the ladies into the apartment, Andrew kept a close look at LeAnn, and he was able to spot the exact moment when she truly began to pay attention to her surroundings and take note of things. The excitement that grew on her face was enough to make the entire day of seeing bad apartments worth it to Andrew. He knew that the memory of the other apartments that they had seen would be just that, a memory. One that they could hopefully laugh at sooner rather than later.

Giving Evette a very satisfied smile, Andrew looked back to LeAnn. "I don't know. Should we?" he said in a teasing tone. LeAnn had a look of confusion on her face, one that Andrew enjoyed for a few seconds before deciding to explain. "Your mother and I had a feeling you might like this place. A really, really good feeling" he added as he took a step closer to his wife and put an arm around her waist. "So, we decided that we wanted to help you out a bit and give you one less thing to worry about." He paused for dramatic effect and the continued. "It's all yours, Lee" he beamed at the young blonde, wondering what she would have to say.

 

[LeAnn Adams]

As LeAnn walked around the apartment she already started to think about how much this kind of apartment could possibly cost and hoping that she would have enough because the way she was feeling right now she wanted to put her offer or deposit down, whatever way the real estate agent wanted to work it. Although she knew that even if she wasn't able to cover it herself her mother and Andrew would help her out without a second thought but she really hoped it wouldn't come to that as this was the first thing she would be doing as a grown up and it was semi important to her. Next to her thoughts about the cost of the place she was invisioning how she would decorate this place, what type of colour scheme she was going to have in each room and all that other stuff that she was going to have a field day buying. Pulling herself away from mentally decorating each and every room in the apartment LeAnn walked back into the main living area. She eyed her parents up and down after she expressed her excitement about the place. They looked happy for her, which she expected - especially after how much of a horrible day they had of apartment hunting, but they were looking at each other strangly and talking about telling her something and she had no idea what they were going on about. As she was about to blurt out for them to just tell her Andrew began talking and her previous attempts to stop herself from jumping up and down in excitement were thrown out of the window. Her eyes widened and she was speechless for a few moments as she looked back and forth at her parents as they looked at her, clearly waiting for her to say something.

"Are you guys serious!?!?" Was all that came out of her mouth in a semi squeal as she ran towards her parents throwing her arms around both of them, squeezing them tight. "You guys are amazing! I love you so much! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She pulled herself away from her parents as she realised that she was probably hurting slash choking them as she was still jumping up and down in excitement. All thoughts of wanting to buy her own first place were no longer in her head, she always knew that she would have her parents to fall back on and the fact that they did this for her and knew her so well to buy this before her seeing it just proved to her how much they loved her. Her mother handed her the keys mid jump in the air and it sort of hit her even more that this was her apartment. "Can we go now?! She said out of the blue almost. Seeing the confused look on her mother's face she continued, "Seriously, I want get my stuff and start moving in." She explained. She was so excited to start her New York life!