Who: Neville, Ginny, Alice (NPC) When: A few days after the Academy Evacuation Where: A safehouse (I assume Grimmauld Place due to the presence of Weasleys)
Open To: Well, I suppose a LOT of people would be having breakfast at Grimmauld Place, so to make it simple lets make it Longbottoms and Weasleys (absentees to be NPC'd by whoever wants)
The reality of what had happened still hadn't quite settled in. She was still sore and covered in burn salve, but at least her throat no longer felt like fire when she spoke. Whoever had patched her up (she assumed it was Andromeda, but she hadn't been totally conscious during it, so she wasn't sure) had done a good job of it. There was a moment when she wasn't entirely sure she was going to make it out of that fiery room and now she was safe. Finally safe.
They were staying in one of a few safe houses for the moment. Until it was certain that everything was over, but so long as she wasn't in that hell-hole of a castle any longer, Ginny didn't mind terribly sharing the house with so many people. Especially when most of them were her family or close friends. Except that she could really have done without the constant hovering and questions after her general well being. Her parents hadn't let her or Ron out of their sight for the first day and a half they were there, and even then it was only a little while at a time. And while she couldn't have been happier to be with them, she felt herself craving some time away from the huge crowd of people. She needed space.
Not everyone there understood all that they had gone through while they were in the castle. Sure Bill did, seeing as he had gone through it himself...twice. And Mr and Mrs. Longbottom had gotten glimpses of it while they were undercover, but even though she tried to downplay it, the castle had taken its toll on her. It would be a long time before she was really healed.
She knew that Neville was likely beating himself up over what had happened a few days before. In the chaos of being reunited with their families, they hadn't really had a chance to talk about it, but she wanted to. She wanted to make sure that he was alright and that he wasn't making himself out to be the villain in all of this. It was so difficult to find somewhere quiet where they could talk privately, however, that she hadn't been able to really see him.
Telling her Mum that she needed to go take a nap so that Molly wouldn't worry after her or go looking for her, she wandered the massive house looking for Neville. She had casually asked Alice where her son might be and was directed to the upstairs. Finding a bedroom that hadn't been claimed, she gave a gentle knock.
"Nev? Are you in there?" She asked, turning the knob and taking a quick peek to see if she could spot him.
Neville had slept for about a day after their arrival. He hadn't really been injured, much, but for some reason he could barely stay concious, and he'd collapsed in his father's arms before they could even get him to an infirmary. He'd slept for about a day and a half, and when he'd woken up he'd felt as week as the newborn kitten Ginny had nicknamed him.
He knew his parents wanted to stay, but they were busy emptying the breeding and labour camps, or converting them into temporary places where the prisoners could live in relative comfort, or chasing down members of Voldemort's inner circle, or attending talks with foreign ministers about where Great Britain now stood in the scheme of wizarding affairs. This seemed like an awful lot to be doing in just a day or two after everything had changed, but they still found time to poke their heads around the door occasionally, as if to check he was really there. They'd found him a room of his own, though most people had to share due to lack of space, because he was so ill and could barely get out of bed.
His dad seemed to understand what had happened, though Neville hadn't been able to bring himself to tell anyone. Maybe Ginny had, but he had a feeling Frank would have figured it out, anyway. "You used a lot of magic in one go," he had explained during one of these brief visits. "Without a wand to channel it, it started draining your life force." He hadn't said much more, except to hint that a lot more training would be required once things had calmed down, to prevent even worse accidents. Neville didn't have the heart or the strength to point out that it wasn't his fault his teacher had had to break cover and run for his life in the middle of their lessons. He hadn't spoken to either of his parents about the Carrows. He didn't think he could judge them after burning up the school. He had heard that the building still stood, albeit a cooked and smoky shell of its former self.
He looked up at the knock on the door. He'd been half sitting up in bed, considering getting up to find a book or something to take his mind off everything. A ball of mixed emotions welled up in his chest at the sight of Ginny. "Hi," he said timidly.
Ginny was glad to find him. She hadn't really wanted to draw attention to the fact that she'd been looking for him. Not with her nosy brothers in such close proximity. She wasn't sure Neville was up for dealing with the entire Weasley clan breathing down his neck just yet. And she missed him. It was only a few days, she knew, but it was a long few days without him, knowing that he was ill, but not sure what exactly was wrong.They finally had their freedom, what they'd been dreaming about for years and they hadn't even been able to celebrate that together yet. She was fairly certain that was part of the reason none of this felt real yet.
"It's noisy and crowded downstairs." She said, still not all the way in the room, though she did push the door open a little wider. She wasn't sure if he wanted her there or not, but she was hoping he did. Because she wanted nothing more than to be there with him. "You mind if I come in?" She asked a little hesitantly.
"Course not," he said, smiling. Part of him was glad that she hadn't seen him when he'd been really weak, but he couldn't help wondering if maybe she had been avoiding him. He wouldn't blame her. "Um... how are you?"
"Brill." Ginny smiled and closed the door behind her, walking over to the bed and taking a seat on the edge. "I'm fine. Great, really." She said with a small shrug. She'd been able to take a nice hot bath and the shirt she was wearing was new and soft and didn't smell wonky. Still, she didn't quite look brand new. There were a few bandages on her arm where she'd been burned and a few more on her legs, but those were hidden by a new pair of pants and a few cuts on her arms and face were healing. She didn't pay any of that much mind though. "How are you? Feeling better?"
"Mm," he replied, noncommittally as he looked her up and down. He'd heard them talking, saying that she'd been burnt, but it had been too much to take in at the time. He reached out tentatively and touched the edge of a bandage where it poked out from under her shirt. "You're hurt," he said, low.
Ginny flinched, but only slightly when he touched the bandage. "It's fine." She said with a shake of her head. "It's just keeping the burn salve from getting all over everything." She took his hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm a little bit more worried about you." She said quietly. "Gave me quite the scare there for a minute, y'know?"
"But... it hurt you," he said helplessly. As he looked closer he could see the marks on her face and arms, and dark spots in her hair where it had been singed. "I hurt you." His throat felt very tight and he thought he might cry. "How bad was it?" he asked, unable to meet her eyes. "Tell me."
"Neville, stop." She said, shifting closer to him. "I'm fine. Really. We're safe. We're out of there and they're making sure that we never have to go back." She brushed his cheek with her free hand and gave him a half smile. "You've seen me way worse for wear." If a few scrapes and burns were the price she had to pay for freedom, she'd do it all over again. She could live with that sort of temporary pain so long as it meant she wasn't going to have to endure a lifetime of servitude. "I'm fine." She repeated.
"Yeah, but it was never my fault, before," Neville said shakily. He was incredibly grateful that she didn't seem to blame him, but he couldn't help thinking that she ought to. "You could at least be a bit angry at me."
Ginny gave a small laugh at that. "You realize how touched in the head you sound asking for my anger?" She asked him with a raised eyebrow. Giving his hand another gentle squeeze she smiled softly. "This," She gestured vaguely to her bandages, "Wasn't your fault. You saved my life, Nev. If you hadn't...If he'd taken me..." She didn't finish that sentence because she couldn't. She couldn't bear to think of what might've happened if Neville hadn't stopped Rosier. "I'm here cause of you."
He shook his head, but smiled at her weakly. "Why are you always so reasonable?" he asked her. "Dad's right, though. I need control. Next time I might not be able to stop it killing... someone..." he swallowed. "I'm not sorry," he added quickly, scowling at the look on her face. "I'm not. He hit you."
"I'm hardly always reasonable." She said with a small smile. "Though, I'll blame my brothers' bad influence for my unreasonable side." She gave a decisive nod. However when he mentioned his magic killing Rosier her smile faded. "I think of all the things that monster did, hitting me was the least of them all." She said quietly. "He got what he bloody deserved. After all he did to you." They never talked much about that, but Ginny knew that it had affected Neville more than he let on to her. And simply knowing that things were worse than the things he'd told her...well it didn't earn Rosier any sympathy for the way he left this world.
Neville bit his lip. He knew she was right. Still, he knew that when he wasn't so tired, he was going to have nightmares of Rosier screaming as the flames consumed him. He shivered. Looking at Ginny, he suddenly felt so grateful for her presence that tears welled up in his eyes again. In an attempt to hide this, he pushed back the corner of the duvet. "S'warmer in here," he told her shyly.
Ginny smiled, her cheeks flushing a deep pink as she shifted herself so that she was under the covers and she snuggled up against him. He had been right, it was definitely warmer there. She let her leg brush against his as she found her way into the nook between his shoulder and chest, letting one of her arms drape across him. "Thanks for saving me." She said softly before she leaned up to press a soft kiss to his cheek.
Neville pulled the covers up over them. "You're welcome," he sighed. "I bet your family won't be so quick to thank me when they find out I almost got you killed."
Ginny gave a roll of her eyes at that. "First of all, you didn't almost get me killed. Second of all, we won't tell them that part of the story. They don't need to hear it." She said matter-of-factly. Anyone who wanted to go ahead and blame Neville for anything was going to have to deal with her on the matter. He was a victim of that school and a hero in his own right. It was a miracle they both survived as long as they had in that castle and he'd been part of the reason she made it out alive. She was more than prepared to defend his actions. Especially to him.
"Right, we'll just explain that a candle freakishly exploded and set the whole room alight," Neville said, rolling his eyes. Her words made him feel better though, as if she could see a future without everyone treating him like something both fragile and volatile. "What's it like being back with your family, anyway?"
"A bit weird, actually." She said truthfully. "I mean, it's brilliant to have them back. To be safe and with them and all, but they've been treating me like I'm going to break or disappear or I dunno." She pursed her lips. "It's a little overwhelming. Plus, I don't think I've ever been guilted into eating before, but somehow Mum manages it." The hand on his chest began lightly tracing abstract patterns, unconsciously. "How're your parents? I've only seen bits of them."
"All right, I think," he said. "They're busy. I think... they don't really know how to talk to me. They don't know if I'm still angry at them. But I don't even know about that myself, now." He sighed. "Mum should at least apologise to you."
Ginny had had plenty of time to think about what Alice and Frank had done and what it had meant for them during their time impersonating the Carrows. And maybe Ginny should've been angry still. And maybe she should've gotten an apology from Alice for what had happened. But Ginny hardly cared at this point. The more she thought about it, the more she knew that it had been part of a mission and they were trying not to get caught. True, Alice had hurt her, but Ginny hadn't left her much choice, unless Alice was ready to break her character. And now that they were free, Ginny wanted to put the Academy and all that had happened there behind her. That being said, she was still wary around Alice and was still mildly convinced that the older woman hated her for corrupting her son or something, but the redhead wasn't holding a grudge. "It's fine." She waved it off with a small shrug. "Though, I think they still owe you an apology. You're their son, after all. They shouldn't have lied to you like that."
"Yeah well." Neville sighed again. "I understand it, I guess. And Dad did try to help, with letting us into his classes, and teaching me, and things. Knowing my dad and me, we'll probably have a big fight about it sooner or later, but I'd rather it be later."
Ginny didn't really like the idea of Neville fighting with his father, but she supposed it was something she just wasn't going to be able to help. "I'm excited for you to meet everyone. When you're feeling better and all." She wouldn't try and spring the whole Weasley family on him before he was up for it, but she did want him to at least meet her Mum soon. No doubt Molly would over-feed him and go on about how he'd saved her little girl and all that. "I think the twins are mostly over the fact that we're together...I think."
Neville grimaced. He was genuinely worried about the twins from all that Ginny and Ron had told him. At least Bill seemed to more-or-less like him, and Ron... well, they weren't exactly best friends, but at least they got on most of the time. The twins were a bit of an unknown quantity, as was Ginny's father, who loomed in Neville's mind's eye like an unscalable obstacle. But he found he didn't really mind having to meet them, as long as he got to stay with Ginny. He wondered what would happen when the house started emptying, when people found their own homes or went back to their old ones. Frank had mentioned to Alice the possibility of finding Frank's mother and living with her for a while, when they'd both thought Neville was asleep. He wanted to go with them, but he didn't want to leave Ginny behind. "You'll protect me though, right?" he asked, as jovially as he could with these dark thoughts floating at the back of his mind.
Ginny knew her family was overwhelming to someone who wasn't used to them. It was overwhelming for her when she was used to them. And she knew the twins could be a little...intense. But Ginny was relatively sure that Neville didn't have much to fear from them. Her father was about as intimidating as a puppy unless you got on his bad side, and that was pretty hard to do and Charlie was all bark and no bite. Well, for the most part anyhow. Fred and George were the only real concern as far as threats went because they got twisted enjoyment out of watching people squirm a little. And Neville already knew Bill and Ron and Ron was definitely the hardest to win over, in Ginny's mind, so most of the battle was already won.
She didn't really want to think about when they would leave the safe house they were staying in. She of course wanted to be near her family. She had, after all, just got them back. And she knew that Neville would want to be near his parents as well. But the thought of being away from him, even with the freedom of going to visit one another, was something that Ginny wasn't really ready for. He'd been her family for so long. Before they were involved the way they were now. They had taken care of one another. She didn't want to be without him. Besides, they had a house to find together. White and blue with a red door and a dog named Rufus. She hadn't forgotten about that.
"Of course I will, Kitten." She assured him with a teasing smile. "I won't let them hurt you, don't worry."
He smiled and for once didn't protest the nickname. He pulled her closer, hoping that the twins wouldn't choose this particular moment to decide to visit. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I know you don't want to hear it, but I have to say it."
Ginny welcomed the new closeness and let her arm tighten around him for a brief moment. "You're right. I don't want to hear it." She said with a small sigh. "I love you." She leaned up and kissed him softly. "Stop beating yourself up over this. I'm fine."
"I love you too," he said, wiping his face briefly on his pillow. "I can't believe... it's over."
Ginny remained quiet for a long moment at that. It was over, wasn't it? They didn't have to go back to that awful place. They could go ahead and live normal lives. Whatever that meant. She still wasn't entirely sure. She fleetingly wondered what became of the professors and students who had fought in that last battle. Who had died and who had managed to get away. She wondered who of the servants had been lost in the crossfire. Or where everyone who had gotten out had ended up. Or if she'd ever see them again. What would happen to the Muggleborns who didn't have families to return to, or those whose families who had been lost along the way. Who would take care of them? It was over, but it was really only just beginning. The clean up. The starting over. The new life that awaited all of them.
"Bit weird to think about." She said quietly. "I know I always said...The way we talked about getting out and all...But part of me wondered if we really would. If we'd survive it. If..." She broke off, thinking about Luna and countless others who hadn't made it. Who didn't survive. If only they could've held on just a little bit longer. If only they could have been celebrating too.
"Well we did," he reminded her, gently. "About time, too. I knew they'd do it."
"Yeah. We did." She smiled, though her whole heart wasn't quite in it. "Still getting used to the feeling of being clean." She remarked with a small laugh. "Did you know that the bottoms of my feet aren't actually black?"
"You're kidding," Neville laughed. He was clean too, after his dad had helped him into the bath. He hadn't had time to truly appreciate yet, however. It was nice to be wearing clothes that weren't stained or torn, even if they were old ones of his dad's. "I thought something was different about you. I guess I've never seen you without dirt on your nose."
"Hard to believe, I know. But they're foot colored, which apparently isn't vaguely greyish brown, but more pinkish white." She looked down to examine her clean fingernails too. "Who would've thought." She smiled, looking back up at him. "How's my nose look without dirt on it?" She asked.
"Very pretty," he told her, kissing it. "You clean up good, Lioness."
Ginny smiled when he kissed her nose. "You're not so bad yourself." She said, unable to help the devilish look in her brown eyes. "Even more handsome underneath all that dirt."
Neville chuckled. He hadn't seen himself in a mirror, but he certainly felt like he had dark circles under his eyes at the very least. "Give me a few days," he promised her. "Then I'll do my best to dazzle you with male beauty." He yawned.
He did still look tired, but Ginny didn't mind. She wouldn't have even noticed except that she was a little worried for him still. She thought he looked handsome no matter what, and she'd seen him at some pretty low points, that was for sure. "I'm not sure I'd be able to handle any more male beauty." She teased. "You'll have me swooning all over this house." She reached up to brush his cheek with her hand. "Do you want to go back to sleep?" She asked.
"I'm okay," he told her, fighting back another yawn. "Don't go."
"Are you sure?" She asked, not wanting to keep him up if he was exhausted. He needed rest if he was going to get better. "I'll stay right here while you sleep if you want me to." She said, brushing his hair with her fingertips.
"I've been sleeping for days," he complained. "I'm sick of it, I want to go out and see the world, and eat proper food, and enjoy freedom."
"We've got the rest of our lives to enjoy this freedom, but you won't be enjoying anything if you end up passing out from exhaustion on your way down the stairs." She reasoned with a motherly sort of look. "There's no sense in pushing yourself too far too fast."
"I'm not that sick," Neville muttered, but he did his best to relax back onto the bed. "I might have to avoid doing any magic for a while, though. Speaking of, don't think I've forgotten about that glass you destroyed, back there. I'd better tell Dad so you can join me in what promises to be a string of frustrating and painful tutoring sessions."
"It was just a glass! And he had a knife in front of your face!" Ginny protested. Not that she wouldn't enjoy the extra time she'd get to spend with him if they were being tutored together. But she'd never been particularly good with wandless magic or controlling it. Neville was loads better and he had trouble with it. She was sure she would be a least a zillion times more frustrated with it all than he was. "You're the one who burned down the whole castle, Mister."
Neville winced. "Owch," he said. "Rotten old poxy castle anyway," he muttered. "They can always build another one."
"Right." Ginny said with a teasing grin. "It's only been there for a few hundred years. Bout time they replaced it." She was teasing of course. She hated that castle just as much as she was sure every other servant in there hated it. She was glad it was gone. She certainly had no plans of ever returning there.
"I hope no one's too angry," Neville sighed. "I know it meant to lot to some people... including my parents. It was like a second home, or something. They used to talk about it all the time."
Ginny shook her head. "No. They remember a much different place." She said quietly. "Their second home was destroyed long before we even got there." She took in a deep breath and gave him an affectionate squeeze.
He snuggled down even further under the covers and buried his face in her hair. "This is nice," he murmered.
Ginny couldn't help her smile as she shifted to wrap her arms around him. "Nice doesn't even begin to cover it." She said softly.
Despite his protestations, their conversation had taken a lot out of Neville. After a while he dozed off, comfortable in the knowledge that they were both safe.
Ginny heard his breathing even out and felt him relax against her. She knew he had drifted off to sleep, and mostly she was glad he had. He needed the rest and this way she didn't have to argue with him about it. She couldn't bring herself to leave though. Not only did she not want to wake him up by moving around, but she felt better knowing he was there. Knowing that he wasn't going anywhere any time soon. She pressed a kiss to the top of his head, smoothing his hair with her hand, gently. Before too long, her own eyes gave in to gravity and she was drifting off to sleep as well.
Neville was woken by someone shaking him gently. He groaned softly and blinked up into his mother's face. For a moment he smiled, then the warm, comfortable weight on his right became extremely apparent. "Er...." he mumbled.
"Morning," said Alice, her face an unreadable expression. "Better get up. If you're well enough to have girls in your room, you're well enough to come down to breakfast with the rest of us."
"Yes Mum," Neville croaked weakly.
Ginny stirred at the voices. She'd never been a terribly heavy sleeper. Her eyes opened, squinting in the bright morning light and she had to rub them in order to be able to see clearly. In the moment it took her to realize who had done the waking her cheeks had turned a bright shade of red and she was slinking back down into the covers. Oh Gods. She wasn't really just busted by Mrs. Longbottom was she? Of all the people...wait. No. Even if Mrs. Longbottom hated her, as Ginny suspected, the twins would be worse. Way worse.
"Morning, Mrs. Longbottom." Ginny mumbled, her face half buried beneath the covers. Nearly a year of sneaking around the castle and they'd never been caught. Less than a week in the house...Well, at least they were fully clothed.
"Good morning, Ginny," Alice said, with a joviality that didn't quite ring true. "I suggest you also join us for dinner, before your family sends out a search party for you."
"Right." Ginny responded, part of her wishing she could disappear on the spot and not have to suffer through this sort of humiliation. Her heart had sped up and she was pretty sure her face matched her hair quite nicely. Taking a deep breath she pulled the covers off of herself and crept out of the bed, careful not to look over at Neville's mum. She wasn't quite awake enough for that sort of judgement.
"Mum," Neville said, half-pleading as he looked down at the crumpled clothes he'd now slept in for several days and nights. "I can't go down like this!" Meaning, I can't meet Ginny's family, looking like this. He doubted even Ginny's mum, who Ginny seemed to think would like him no matter what, would be impressed by his current appearance.
"Then change," said Alice simply, handing him a pile of fresh clothes that seemed to have appeared from nowhere. "Your father says you need to be moving about. Ginny and I will wait outside."
Ginny groaned inwardly at that last bit and smoothed her own clothes so they looked at least a little less awful. Considering what she was used to being seen in though, it was still a vast improvement. Trying in vain to straighten her mass of red waves, she gave a lingering look to Neville, pleading him to change quickly.
She stepped outside the room, followed by Neville's mum who shut the door a little more loudly than necessary, causing Ginny to jump, but just a little.
"Maybe I should erm...Neville can just meet me..." She gestured vaguely to the stairs, looking up at Mrs. Longbottom, but being careful not to make direct eye contact.
Alice gave her a look that was half amused, half disapproving. "I hope you didn't wear him out," she said quietly. She didn't seem angry, but perhaps a little sad. "He's going to be tired for a while yet. I don't think Frank quite realised what he was doing when he started teaching him. There's a reason wizards use wands for powerful magic."
Ginny felt her cheeks burn again. "We weren't...I didn't...We just talked." The redhead stammered quickly. Her hands moved to fiddle with the ends of her hair a bit nervously. Buggering hell, she wasn't at all prepared for this. She hardly knew how to talk with her own parents, let alone Neville's. "I don't think it was entirely intentional." Ginny said with a shrug. Part of her wanted to tell Alice just why Neville had lost his control, though she wasn't sure she needed to give the older woman another reason to dislike her.
"It's all right," Alice sighed a little. "I should have suggested you visit him yesterday, myself. I suppose I just wanted him to myself for a bit longer." She coughed awkwardly. "Ginny, I wanted to say... I hope you know how sorry I am for what I did... what I had to do. I wanted to tell you, I didn't actually hurt you, just modified your memory a bit so that you would think I had." She suddenly looked quite miserable. "I know its not any better, but I just couldn't bring myself to it. I am still sorry."
Ginny shifted uncomfortably as Alice apologized. Well that was...unexpected. "You mean you didn't...I wasn't" She tried to wrap her mind around that. the incident had been months ago and she remembered it not entirely making sense then. Her body wasn't as sore as it usually was after a run-in with a staff member, but she'd just assumed that it was in her mind. But if Alice really hadn't hurt her then..."I...It's alright." Ginny said quietly with a nod. She wasn't sure what else there was to say. After all, Alice had been one of the Outsiders to come to the rescue a few days prior. Ginny, and all of the servants in the castle sort of owed them all their lives. "Thanks...for apologizing. I...It means a lot, actually." She paused though, not quite satisfied just yet. "You really ought to be apologizing to him though." She nodded towards the bedroom door. "He needs it more than I did."
Alice bit her lip, making her look a lot younger than her forty-five years. "I know," she said softly. "It's just..." she looked at Ginny, as though trying to decide whether to trust her. "He found out," she said eventually. "During one of Frank's lessons. Frank had to modify his memory, but he was so angry. He has a right to be, I know. But he's my son, and I only just got him back... I couldn't bear it if he rejected us, now." She ran a hand through her hair. "It's only been four years, but its like we don't even know him anymore. You understand."
Ginny was surprised by how much sympathy she felt for the older woman. While the redhead didn't necessarily agree with what they'd done and how they had kept it secret from Neville. She did understand the necessity for it. She knew that had they been caught while at the castle or even suspected, Neville could've been in danger as well as them. "I do. But he might surprise you." She offered, gently reaching out to lay a soft hand on Alice's shoulder. "He never gave up on you."
Alice smiled gratefully, and looked like she was about to say something else, but Neville interrupted by hurrying out of the bedroom, puffing slightly. "Ready," he said, shooting Ginny an apologetic look. He knew she was uncomfortable around his mum.
Ginny started slightly when Neville burst from the bedroom. "Right." She said a little flustered. She gave a soft look towards Alice before turning to Neville and taking his hand. "I'm sorry in advance for anything the twins say." She said as they moved towards the stairs. "Or do."
Neville grimaced, but he supposed it was fair. After all, Ginny had to deal with the intimidating ex-Auror parents who had tortured her. He could face the twins. Right now the stairs seemed like more of an immediate obstacle.
Ginny held onto him as they descended the stairs, letting him lean against her as he needed. The last thing she wanted was for him to take a stumble down the stairs. She said a silent prayer that maybe the twins would go easy on Neville seeing as he was still pretty drained. Or maybe they'd be too distracted by her being home and there that they wouldn't even notice him. What? A girl could dream, couldn't she?
When they were a few steps away from the kitchen, she paused and gave his hand a squeeze. "You sure you're ready/" She asked with a small smile.
"As I could be," he said, smiling at her. "I'll be fine." Holding tightly onto her hand, he ventured into the busy kitchen.