WHO: Lavender Brown, James Shaughnessy [NPC] WHEN: January 6th, 2002 WHERE: Sydney, Australia WHAT: Lavender finds out she's going to be bringing home more than souvenirs. RATING: PG-13 WARNING: None STATUS: Private / Complete
Lavender looked up from where she had been admiring her new shoes, the ones Parvati had given her for Christmas. They were gorgeous and made her legs look fantastic and, yes, they did look damn sexy when they were the only thing that she was wearing.
She didn't really want to go home, but she was determined to make the best of her last couple of days here. The food, the weather, the company. She smiled softly to herself, though she knew there would be all sorts of questions from her friends when she got back. Perhaps she'd have to put a little something in her journal later to pre-empt any awkwardness.
"Hey, gorgeous." Lavender tipped her head up as James rejoined her at the table. "Missed you." Tonight, they were just having a quiet dinner in his garden and it was starting to get a little chilly as the sun started to go down.
He brushed a kiss over her lips. "I was gone five minutes."
"Still too long." It really did feel like that, some kind of intense ache. Now that she had him back, even if she didn't know for how long, she loathed to let him out of her sight. It had happened as quickly this time as it had the first time - falling for him completely in just a few days. She was a few years older now, a few years wiser, perhaps. But maybe it had always been him.
He smirked, sitting down and topping up their wine glasses, finishing the bottle. "So tell me a bit more about this house of yours. Good kitchen?"
Lavender smiled, picking up her glass. "Beautiful. Lots of sunlight, plenty of work surfaces. Lots of room for me to cook."
"And the bedroom?"
She bit her lip. "Cosy. Very me." She let her foot brush against his under the table. "Lots of rich colours, soft fabrics. Luxurious," she said, letting the word purr from her mouth.
"Plenty of wardrobe space, I bet." His foot shifted against hers.
"It's me." Lavender grinned. "Of course there's plenty of space."
"Enough room for me?"
"In my wardrobe?"
"In your life, really."
Lavender set down her glass, surprised. "Sorry?"
He set a few pieces of parchment down on the table in front of her. "Got offered a new sponsorship deal. They want me to compete in more European competitions. Want me based out of the UK." James shook his head. "This is a lot more money. I'll get the chance to do some judging, too, and commentating. Really raise my profile."
She licked her lips, a tight sort of feeling in her chest. Lavender's fingers trembled slightly as she picked up the contract. It was easy enough to recognise what it was - she'd been offered a couple of chances to duel professionally in the past, but never taken them up. She skimmed over it, but she felt like she wanted to cry when she reached the last page and saw his signature there in a familiar sort of blue ink.
"You're really doing this?" she asked carefully, not daring to fully believe it just yet. "You're moving over?" He couldn't when they'd been together before, concentrating on his career. Now it seemed as though his career was making the decision for him.
"Yeah," James flashed her a crooked grin, something a little indecipherable in his grey eyes. "Just need to find somewhere to stay. I'm not asking or anything. I get that it would be too soon."
She stared at him in awe; it really was real. "No," she said, surprising herself. "No, let's do it. Maybe it's not too soon. Maybe it's just a couple of years overdue."
Emotional, she still wanted to cry and found herself straddling his lap a few moments later and holding him close. "This is really happening, right?"
He kissed her throat. "Yeah. Do you realise how much stuff I have to pack?"
"Warm jumpers," she said, sniffing a bit. "It's winter right now." Her fingers stroked through his hair as she kissed him properly. "And a good coat." Lavender licked her lips. "I really hope I've got enough room in my wardrobe."
"We'll make room," he assured her, hands slipping up her sides. "I won't burn your kitchen down, either. Promise." James let his lips ghost along the curve of her jaw. "Want to celebrate?" he asked, fingers tugging lightly at the bow that held her halterneck around her neck.