Magic?

Penelope stood in complete awe of this beautiful stranger, Arthur, and she had never felt like it before, not at the first meeting anyway. She was embarassed that she couldn't hide her feelings from him, even her smile. She was usually very good at hiding, well, any sort of emotion. Penelope didn't want to ever be hurt, when her family passed, she vowed she would never let anyone claim or see her feelings, but she was afraid that it was too late. Arthur had pierced her heart, but she thought she was going mad again, and had a fight there and then with her head and heart. 'He's a stranger for christ sake, Penelope get a grip' she thought.

Arthur smiled at Penelope as she went into another trance, 'Oh I think she likes me' he thought to himself. He had, as Penelope was in dreamland, placed her hands together, like a crocodile's jaw, he then placed his left hand on top of hers and placed his right hand underneath, holding them gently in place. He felt the warmth of her hands. 'Warm, too warm', he stared up, confused into her bright blue eyes, then back down to her hands. Arthur softly tapped the tips of his fingers on her hands out of curiosity, tiny pulses suddenly shock his hands as her soul passes like lightning through him, Penelope momentarily felt a strange feeling she could not explain nor understand. He suddenly pulls his hands away in disbelief.

"That can't be" Arthur suddenly saids out loud, stepping back slightly from Penelope. She snaps out of her trance, staring at Arthur who has just backed away from her. In her physical and mental disappointment, Penelope's face drops to a sad frown.

"What's the matter?", a sad whimper escapes her lips.

Arthur's heart is still racing, he fixes Penelopes eyes to his own, he can't comprehend what just happened, so he continues.

"Sorry, I.... Sorry I'll continue", faultering as he speaks.

Penelope stands motionless as her hands are in the same position that Arthur put them in. He took a smooth step back to her, and places his hands like before. Not wanting her soul to distract him again, he keeps his hands completely still. But he takes a deep breath in and closes his eyes in silence.

Penelope let him do this random act, she doesn't know why she did that, she never let strangers touch her, but she let Arthur. They stood still for a good five seconds before a sudden, gentle heat, got transferred into Penelope's weak hands. Arthur took another breath in, the warmth almost wrapped her hands up. Penelope suddenly scowls in confusion at her hands, she trys to move them away from his grasp, but he squeezes her hands slightly.

"Don't move" Arthur mumbles without opening his eyes.

Penelope's eyes widen as this continues for about twelve more seconds before Arthur raises his head and opens his vibrant green eyes to look at her. His eyes still fixed upon her face, he removes her hands from his grasp, his feet now glued to the spot. 'Maybe she will just think I'm an oddball and not realise' Arthur secretly hoped for. He already got off to a bad start with her, and Penelope started to relax in his presence, so he didn't want to jeopardize that so early on. After all, her soul could travel through him, that's never happened to him before, but deep down he knew why it did...

Penelope looked at him in confusion, staring into his eyes before peeling her own eyes away to rest upon his hands, then to her own. She seperated her hands and looked at her bloody bandages. Wait... She could have sworn the bandages were covered in blood. Her heart began to race, and Arthur could now feel it.

"Now Penelope please, please don't freak out" he said in a slightly erractic tone.

Penelope's eyes quickly flicked up to Arthur's in concern, then straight back down to her hands. She suddenly unwrapped all the bandages hastily from her hands and dropped them to the floor, to reveal that... Her hands are now completley healed! Penelope's breathing became faster and faster, unable to control it, before letting out the biggest scream she had ever done, and a few explicit words...

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Arthur, worry taking over by her terrified reaction, tried to calm her down.

"Look it's healed, surely it's a good thing, you are not in pain anym....." Before he could finish his sentence, Penelope had bolted down the hill away from him, screaming as she did so.

Forgetting her excavation team was still there, she ran past them in terror, breathing short and scared breaths, while trying not to lose her footing and topple down the hill.

"PENELOPE" Fiona shouted down the hill to her in genuine concern, 'what the hell just happened' she thought.

Fiona's eyes searchingly looked at the spot Penelope ran from, to find nothing there...

Penelope, forgetting all her Palaeontological equipment behind, managed to get down the hill without falling over, again. She sprinted to her car, fumbling for her key as she did so. Dropping it annoyingly as she ran, she slid over to pick it back up (surprisingly not managing to succumb to anymore injuries). Penelope, panic overwhelming her, jumped into her car and skidded away back to the safe haven she called home...