OOC note: collaborative piece written with Mary's author.
The minute the teachers were told that they were free to leave for the midterm break, Tabitha had pulled out her trusty hiking rucksack and started to pack. She had been attempting to contain her excitement for days and she could wait no longer. She had been looking forward to this moment for weeks, ever since she’d come up with the idea and now it was finally upon her - she was going to spend Christmas in Greece. With her girlfriend. With Mary Brooding. She couldn’t wait.
She’d been to Greece many times before, her most recent visit being a few years previous and she always enjoyed it immensely. The hot weather, the legends, the history and, of course, the creatures - she remembered fondly the Griffin that she’d managed to befriend during one of her times there. Now, though, several aspects had changed. The first was that she was going to experience the country in the winter where it would be much colder than in the height of summer. The second was that instead of staying in a tent, she’d organised accommodation, having reached out to the people that she knew there and arranged it through them.
They were to travel via portkey to the island of Peloponnese, where they would be greeted by her friends. Then, it was simply a case of doing whatever they wanted. Tabitha didn’t mind exactly what they did, as long as she was with Mary.
***
Mary wasn’t sure what to pack, not knowing where she would be sleeping over the next few weeks. She thought, based on the state of their relationship upon departure for Greece, that it was safe to assume she and Tabitha might well share a bed at least on occasion during their trip, or would at the very least share each other’s company whilst in pyjamas. For that reason, Mary thought she would do well to bring some items more conservative than she might otherwise prefer. At the same time, it was an equally good reason to bring some much less conservative as well. The sorts of decisions that went into preparing for this vacation made Mary blush, and she felt significantly more inexperienced than she was as she folded a satin nightgown, a lace chemise, and a pair of cotton pants and a shirt into her bag. If nothing else, she would be prepared for whatever happened.
***
Tabitha stumbled slightly as she and Mary landed in Greece, quite literally. She hated travelling by portkey as it made her feel very funny around her middle. She much preferred apparition but since transcontinental apparition came with a high risk of splinching and death, she’d never attempted it, preferring to keep all her limbs exactly where they were - attached to her body. They’d landed just on the outskirts of the Peloponnese’s capital, Patras, and Tabitha had arranged to meet up with one of her friends in the town square.
Despite the cool, winter weather, the sun was high in the sky and Tabitha pulled a pair of sunglasses from the pocket of her black, knee-length coat to slip them onto her face. She took a hold of Mary’s hand with an excited grin and started to lead her into the town.
The town square was large and surrounded with restaurants, small shops as well as many market stalls, the vendors selling a variety of goods, most of them seeming to be homemade - from jewellery to wooden carvings and paintings. There was a whole long stall dedicated to the sale of fresh fruit and vegetables which all had a delightfully rich colour and seemed good enough to just pick up and eat straight away. In the centre of the square, stood a large fountain with a circular base. In the middle stood a tall, square plinth which had four gryphon statues on each side at the bottom and a statue of Poseidon, God of the Seas, stood proudly on top. The pair stood admiring it all for a moment when a shout of ‘hey, Tabitha, over here!’ reached their ears and they turned to see a man jogging towards them.
He was somewhat older than them and tall and clearly muscular, no matter how his clothes tried to hide it. His long blond hair was tied back into a ponytail and his green eyes seemed to shine with happiness upon catching sight of his friend. His square jaw was covered with a hint of stubble and his wide lips were turned upwards in a grin.
“Darius,” Tabitha greeted with a smile of her own before she was engulfed in a swift hug. “You haven’t changed a bit!”
“You, on the other hand, have. The short hair suits you,” his voice was low but friendly, and with a hint of a Greek accent. Then, his eyes turned to Mary and he sent her a grin equal to the one he’d given Tabitha. “Who’s your friend?”
“This is Mary. She’s my girlfriend.” Tabitha said this proudly, taking hold of Mary’s hand again and squeezing it gently. They hadn’t yet told anybody at Sonora about their relationship, having to think about their professional appearance in front of both students and staff. However, here in Greece, they weren’t teachers. She was just Tabitha and Mary was just Mary and they were together. Despite the simplicity of it all, it felt wonderful to say it out loud. It made everything feel far more real.
Mary didn't remember being told they were spending Christmas in paradise but certainly felt like it as she blushed, smiled, and embraced this public acknowledgement.
***
The sound of rain on the window woke Mary in time to see a watery sun rise behind layers of grey clouds. Beside her, curled into their soft white bedding, Tabitha was still sleeping. Mary smiled and untangled herself from their bed together in order to watch the morning sky lighten from the kitchen window downstairs. With all the busy goings-on of a holiday abroad, she’d nearly forgotten to enjoy the quiet moments. This morning, she was determined.
She wrapped a soft blue robe around herself and stuffed her feet into matching slippers before making her way out the bedroom door and downstairs. The sound of rain followed her, rapping against window panes and wooden walls, promising a beautiful day. The rain was Mary’s favourite weather. Or snow was. Or maybe the sun was. She couldn’t decide.
By the time she was interrupted, Mary was part way through her mug of hot cider, having made and consumed most of it before Tabitha was even awake. She turned to see the woman approaching, her hair tousled and her face bearing the signature squishy look of someone who’s just woken up. The tired brunette wandered unsteadily over to Mary and pressed a kiss to her cheek, something that had become a habit since being in Greece. When they returned to Sonora, she knew that professional etiquette would dictate that she shouldn’t do that anymore so she was making the most of it.
“Good morning, my love,” Mary smiled, pointing at a steaming kettle nearby. “You strike me as a black coffee sort of person, but you seem far too British to prefer that over tea, so I figured I’d let you decide what you wanted. There’s more cider, too,” she added, holding her own cup aloft. She smirked at Tabitha, hoping the joke on her nationality would be taken kindly and suspecting it would be. Besides, Tabitha had travelled far too much to be dictated in her morning beverage habits by whatever was expected of a more traditional Englishwoman. Still under the influence of sleep, Tabitha simply muttered something about ‘tea’ before stifling a yawn.
Mary waited for Tabitha to arrange herself and her beverage before saying anything else.
“It’s a lovely day,” she breathed, leaning her head on Tabitha’s shoulder as the woman approached. “Can we go puddle jumping today?”
***
“Come on, Darius. It’s a small favour!” Tabitha’s voice had taken on a pleading tone and the Grecian man stared at her with a raised eyebrow. A twitch at the corner of his lips indicated that he was actually amused by the brunette’s display. He’d decided a few minutes ago that he’d do the favour that Tabitha was asking for but he was enjoying the begging that she’d resorted to.
“Let me get this straight…” he began with a mock sigh and a roll of his eyes. “You want me to help you find a kneazle. And not just any kneazle… but a tabby kneazle?”
Tabitha smiled and nodded eagerly. “If you’d be so kind. It has to be a tabby. It has to be perfect - it’s a Christmas gift for Mary.”
“You couldn’t have given her jewellery or something?”
Tabitha punched Darius in the arm.
***
Christmas Eve was to be spent amongst their friends, Darius and his lovely wife Evangeline who was dainty and petite with long locks of auburn hair. The lovely couple had invited Mary and Tabitha into their home for a night of classic wizard games, coupled with many alcoholic beverages and many plates of delicious food.
Something about Christmas made Mary forget about loss. For just a few days, she could put aside her fears and just enjoy the beautiful season, dotted with all her favourite things. Of course, Christmas in Greece meant forgoing some of the traditional Christmas elements she’d known in America, but that was well worth it if it meant spending the time with Tabitha and their newfound friends, Darius and Evangeline. Tabitha had known them for a while and Mary fell in easily, finding her position stronger than she’d expected. It seemed that Tabitha was well-liked and Mary was a welcome change from any previous people Tabitha had been with. Even her own family couldn’t compete with the happiness Mary brought the adventurous woman and Mary couldn’t help feeling special.
When they arrived at Darius and Evangeline’s house for game night on Christmas Eve, Mary was instantly at ease. Evangeline greeted them at the door first although her husband was just a few steps behind her, and they both seemed happier than Mary had seen anyone for a long time. They were the living definition of hospitable and Mary blushed as Evangeline cooed over her red cloak with white fur. She wore a matching ruby gown underneath, in her usual Victorian style.
“It’s sort of supposed to be Santa-themed,” Mary admitted, laughing. “It seemed appropriate for Christmas.”
Darius laughed heartily. “Santa comes to Greece on January first,” he explained, smiling and leading the party to the kitchen.
“I think she looks wonderful,” Tabitha smiled, closing the front door behind her. She herself had dressed in a jumpsuit - this one far more conservative than the one she’d worn on her and Mary’s first date. It was dark green in colour, with a straight, off-the-shoulder neckline and with short sleeves. She’d fastened a slim black belt with silver buckles around her waist and, of course, added heels to her outfit which were silver and glittered in the light.
Mary looked up at her date, towering several inches over herself, and smiled. “You’re biased,” she laughed.
“Doesn’t mean I’m not telling the truth,” Tabitha bent to press a kiss to Mary’s cheek before following Darius and Evangeline through to their dining room.
Mary gasped when she saw the spread of delicacies. A number of treats were foreign to her, clearly part of Darius’ Greek traditions or Evangeline’s French ones. Some items were familiar to Mary only from hearing Tabitha mention them. Others were clearly American and she smiled at their hosts for thinking of such things. A carton of Darigold eggnog, its familiar yellow cardboard promising a nostalgic drink inside, made Mary laugh.
“You didn’t have to do all this!” Mary said, looking gratefully at their hosts.
“It was fun,” Evangeline admitted, her eyes shining with a look Mary knew well; to her core, Evangeline loved to throw parties. It was the same look Mary’s mother had gotten when holidays and birthdays came around, and Mary smiled at the memory as they made their way into the living room.
“Fun or not, food is a priority,” Darius added, laughing. His eyes were already full of mischief and smiled as he made his way past them and back into the dining room, goosing Evangeline and pulling her with him on his way. Both women heard Evangeline’s yelp of surprise and then a noise that sounded suspiciously like Darius being hit with a tea towel.
Mary eyed Tabitha, smirking.
“You look lovely, by the way,” she said in a low voice, quietly enough that their happy hosts couldn’t hear them. “I might be tempted to do the same thing,” she added, nodding towards Darius and Evangeline, “so it might be best if we take our seats now before things get out of hand.”
Tabitha raised an eyebrow, amused. To emphasize her words, Mary sat first, eyeing Tabitha appreciatively as she too took a seat on the couch beside Mary. Before their conversation could get any further, Darius and Evangeline reentered the room. The former still wore a smirk, although now it was partially altered by what appeared to be a mouthful of pumpkin pie and the latter was carrying a tray of snacks and drinks.
“I thought I’d bring a little of everything,” Evangeline said, setting the tray down on a coffee table in the middle of the room. “I wanted to keep us fed while we get started. What shall we play first?”
“Astéri mou, my star!” Darius smiled after he swallowed his bite of food, his Greek and English mingling as he addressed his wife. “I do believe we have a rivalry to satisfy.” He turned his gaze and Mary followed it to Tabitha. “Charades? Let’s see if you’ve figured out how to properly act out a grindylow this time. Unless you’re ready to admit that you looked more like a dugbog?”
Tabitha scowled at him, eyes narrowing. The first time she’d come to Greece, the couple had arranged a similar night of games for her and JJ - though he had been a far poorer sport than Mary. Their game of charades had ended over a disagreement between Darius and Tabitha over whether she was acting out a grindylow or, indeed, a dugbog. There had been a rivalry between the pair ever since.
Tabitha nearly refused. Charades wasn’t her favourite game, especially when centred around creatures - there were so many varieties and some people weren’t as knowledgeable as she was. However, Darius’ challenging smirk was getting to her and she was never one to back down from a challenge.
“Go on,” Mary encouraged, throwing a playful look at Evangeline. “We can judge and you two can settle this debate.”
Tabitha blinked and eyed Mary. Well, if Mary wanted her to…
“Fine,” Tabitha sighed, getting to her feet. “If only to show this dunce,” she jerked a thumb at Darius. “That he doesn’t know his grindylows from his dugbogs.”
Evangeline took the seat recently vacated by Tabitha and she and Mary settled in to watch what was practically guaranteed to be a good show. By the time Tabitha and Darius had each completed their turns, Mary and Evangeline were practically in tears from laughing so hard and as the contest degraded into a debate, the room was full of all the sounds of a happy Christmas game night. Glasses and plates clattered as drinks and snacks were consumed, couches squeaked as those seated got up for their turns and others took their spots, and laughter and talking kept the air warm.
Mary and Evangeline had each only gone once and were satisfied not to go again when Tabitha and Darius began debating whether it was possible to act out ‘a dragon’ when there were so many variations to consider.
“You are clearly performing a Hungarian Horntail’s mating dance, which doesn’t match the Chinese Fireball’s fighting stance you had just a second ago!” Darius insisted, sniggering and pointing an accusatory finger at Tabitha.
“Are you blind as well as deaf?” Tabitha groaned, reaching for her glass of wine that she had helped herself to. “I’d like to see you do it!”
Darius obliged with a bow, acting out his own impression that, to Mary and Evangeline, was exactly the same as Tabitha’s had been.
“That’s wrong,” Tabitha said, pretty much instantly after he’d finished. “You’re mixing up the aggressive roar of the Hebridean Black with the mothering call of the Peruvian Vipertooth!”
***
After the delightful dinner that Evangeline had prepared for them all, Tabitha was to be found outside and looking up at the sky, cradling a glass of wine. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she jumped when her own coat was placed gently on her shoulders by Darius, who had momentarily left Mary and Evangeline in each other’s company, the pair seeming to get along very well.
“What’s the matter, agapité fíle?” he asked her quietly, his eyes shining with concern as he looked at her. “Are you not having a nice night? If you are still upset about how you can’t tell your dragons apart, it doesn’t matter. You’re still welcome here.”
Tabitha laughed and nudged him in his side with an elbow. No matter how intense their rivalry seemed, they were still friends outside of the game of charades. “I’m having a wonderful night, Darius. The best in a long time. It’s just…”
She trailed off but Darius seemed to know where her head had gone. If he was honest, he had been thinking along similar lines. “It’s just that you can’t help thinking about the last time you were here, with JJ.”
Tabitha’s eyes turned back to the sky as if somehow the answer to all her worries would somehow be written in the stars. Darius scratched lightly at his stubble before sighing heavily. “He wasn’t good enough for you,” he told her, making her eyes widen in surprise and look back at him.
“What do you mean?”
Darius looked down at his feet. He wasn’t one to tell people what he truly thought, with the exception of his wife. When Tabitha had come to Greece all those times over the years, with JJ in tow, he’d kept his mouth shut. He liked to keep the peace, keep people happy and didn’t like to meddle in people’s relationships. Life on the island of Peloponnese was quiet and calm and it was perfect for him and Evangeline and he very much liked to keep it that way where possible. However, JJ was gone and Tabitha had asked the question and he wasn’t one to lie, either. He let out a sigh.
“Exactly as I said, mikrí gáta. JJ wasn’t good enough for you. He didn’t share your enthusiasm for life. He didn’t want to live. Not in the way you do. He had no joy for life, no passion. You were ill-matched.”
Tabitha was silent, considering his words and finding that she wasn’t entirely sure what to say in return. Ever since JJ had left, Tabitha had felt that it had been her fault. Maybe she hadn’t been considerate enough of his feelings, his needs, his wants. Maybe her pursuit of dangerous beasts had taken over far too much of her life and she’d pushed him out and away, resulting in him leaving. To hear somebody say that they were simply not suited to one another was strange but also, rather relieving. Perhaps there wasn’t as much wrong with her as she thought.
“Now, that woman, in there…” Darius began again. He scratched at his beard again, wondering if just this once he should break his rule on keeping quiet. In the end, he seemed to decide that he should and continued, “She is a good match for you. She will not hold you back from anything that you wish to do and instead, support you. She loves you very much. She looks at you the same way that I look at Evangeline.”
Tabitha’s concerns melted away at Darius’ words and she smiled. “And I love her.”
They shared a brief hug before Darius grumbled. “Let’s go inside before we freeze to death. Next time you decide to be all moody and contemplative, do it inside where it’s warm or wait until summer.”
***
Christmas morning found Mary and Tabitha sleeping in. It seemed in the nature of gift-giving to stay woven together, limbs binding them in a sleepy embrace, until nearly noon. When they finally did climb out of bed and make their way downstairs, Mary could hardly contain herself. Instead of leaving her parcel, her gift for Tabitha wrapped in simple brown paper and decorated with white lace, under the tree, Mary had stashed it someplace Tabitha wouldn’t think to look until she was ready to have her open it. The shape of the item wouldn’t have been a give away as she had put it carefully into a box before wrapping it, but it was fragile and Mary was hesitant to ever leave something fragile on the floor under a tree.
When the moment seemed right, Mary retrieved the item and offered it to Tabitha with a grin. Her neat printed handwriting addressed the package:
To my love.
May this be the first Christmas of many more to come.
Mary watched with an eager expression, practically bouncing on her feet as Tabitha unwrapped the only gift Mary had ever put so much thought - or work - into.
Stashed in a Cushioning Charm within a plain white box was a glass orb on a silver base. It might have been a snowglobe if not for the swirling silver and grey particles in place of the fake snow that would normally be scattered throughout the liquid inside the glass orb. The liquid itself had a faint blue sheen to it, an effect that had been almost entirely aesthetic as Mary was quite capable of producing a clear concoction to do the job.
“It’s charmed,” Mary admitted, feeling a little bad that she hadn’t been able to do something purely based on her potions skills. “But it’s based on the potion for a Pensieve and the drawings in your journals. Any of the creatures you’ve come across and remember, just get the image in your head, hold the globe in both hands, and say the name of the creature twice out loud. The bits inside will form the image of whatever creature it is.”
She wasn’t quite ready to confess to having spent hours in her office and in the library, finding books with pictures and names of creatures so she could effectively charm the globe into recognizing the names of most creatures. While Tabitha’s own memory would produce the images, the charm required a verbal summons to focus on the creature rather than anything else in the memory itself. She was pretty proud of the fact that the silver bits actually managed a fairly lifelike formation.
“Merry Christmas, my love,” Mary added, smiling.
Tabitha was enchanted by the globe, a smile on her face and a rosy glow to her cheeks. It was an absolutely perfect present, something that was interesting and fun and she would take delight in placing it on her desk in the Defence classroom. She looked up at Mary with an adoring look and stood up to give the woman a gentle kiss.
“It’s perfect. I love it. I love you.”
***
Tabitha’s gift to Mary was late. Or rather, the gift itself wasn’t late but the bringer of it was and the Defence professor was busy coming up with a variety of ways to hex Darius when there was a knock on their front door. The woman practically leapt to her feet, grumbling under her breath about how she was going to give that man ‘what for’ and opened the door, scowling at the blond man on the other side. He looked sheepish and held out the beautifully wrapped gift box to her, scratching sounds coming from within.
“Tabitha!” he smiled awkwardly. “I’m sorry it’s late but my wife had to… well… give me my Christmas present.”
She took the gift from him, supporting it gently with both arms. “I hope it was worth it. I will not be forgiving you.”
Darius gave her a wide grin, a cheeky glimmer in his eyes. “Oh, it was.”
Tabitha rolled her eyes and kicked the door shut behind her before making her way back to the living room where she’d left Mary. She gave the woman a warm but apologetic smile.
“I’m sorry it’s late,” she told her, passing over the box. It was wrapped in a shiny green wrapping paper, decorated with silver snowflakes that were enchanted to fall down the sides of the box. The was no ribbon to keep the box closed and Tabitha was eager for Mary to lift the lid. She just hoped that her gift for Mary was as perfect as the one that she herself had received.
The box had an odd weight to it and shifted of its own accord. Mary was nervous for a moment, all of the various creatures that Tabitha was capable of storing in a box running through her mind. She smiled nervously at the woman, enjoying the eagerness with which she watched her take the present.
“It’s not… dangerous?” Mary clarified. “I trust you, but I imagine your idea of dangerous is a bit different than most witches’.” She smirked, indicating the joke, although she fully intended it as a serious question.
Regardless, the moment came for her to open it and she did so with both hands, setting the box down on the couch beside her before carefully removing the lid and finding…
A lot of fur.
Soft, caramel-coloured fur with midnight black streaks. It actually looked a bit like Tabitha herself, which Mary found quite amusing since the colours in the box of fur actually resembled both their own hair colours. The pun of a ‘tabby’ wasn’t lost on her though and she laughed, trusting that Tabitha wouldn’t give her anything excessively dangerous and wouldn’t give her a box full of fur, even if it was a small poof of fur.
Then the fur meowed and Mary lifted the tiniest little ball of fur with a face from the box.
“It’s a kneazle!” Mary cooed, her mouth opening and her eyes growing wide as she looked at the squishiest little squishy furball ever. “Tabitha! It’s a kneazle! It’s a kneazle, right?” she added, her high voice changing to a more serious tone as she confirmed it.
Tabitha’s grin practically stretched from ear to ear as she nodded, confirming that it was, in fact, a kneazle. She wished she had a camera to hand to capture Mary’s face as she snuggled the small fluff ball.
Satisfied with Tabitha’s answer, Mary continued adoring the creature.
“It’s so small….” she breathed. She pressed the kneazle to her cheek and cuddled it with her face. “So soft….”
At some point, she remembered that Tabitha was awaiting her response, so she leaned over and hugged her. “Thank you so much, I’m so happy I could cry.”
Lots of things came to mind for Mary. Her office was a lovely place but a lonely one and Tabitha couldn’t be there all the time. Now she’d have a tiny little ball of fur to keep her company and be perfect and soft and wonderful.
“Ailuros,” Mary declared, examining the kneazle’s little face again. “The Greek goddess of cats.”
***
Tabitha and Mary had spent the afternoon together, ogling Ailuros and alternating between playing with their new pet and making out with each other. Mary had never been so ill-disposed to return to Sonora, although she knew that inevitability was just a few days away.
“I’m going to get a drink,” Mary announced as she pushed herself off the bed and pushed her slippers back on. She didn’t bother getting dressed, only donning her robe and throwing a teasing glance at Tabitha as she left the room.
Downstairs, she took a breath. It had been a perfect day and she couldn’t remember ever having been so happy. The box Ailuros had temporarily been in was still sitting on the couch open, immediately forgotten in the face of a perfect little tabby ball of fur. Mary smiled as she approached it, appreciating that Darius and Evangeline must’ve taken the effort to decorate it since Tabitha wouldn’t have had time.
As she drew nearer, she noticed for the first time that a plain brown envelope was inside, her own name written across the front in emerald ink. Mary’s eyebrows came together in surprise and she reached for it after only a moment’s hesitation. Inside was a letter in the same ink and neat handwriting and Mary scanned the page to see that it was from Evangeline only. Curious, she sat to read it.
Chère Mary,
After our time together last night, I wanted to be sure to write you. When Darius said he was bringing this package to Tabitha, I thought I’d just slip my letter into the bottom. I hope you enjoy your present! You should have seen Darius’ expression when he was describing Tabitha’s request for help finding a kneazle for you. Which brings me neatly to why I’m writing to you.
Mary smiled, imagining Tabitha and the excitable blond man arguing about whether a tabby kneazle was really a kneazle at all, and how to tell whether it was going to be a proper gift. She read on.
We have known Tabitha for a very long time. In many ways, we’ve seen her grow into the woman she is now. Or she was. Since the last time we saw her, she has changed so dramatically and I believe that can only be credited to you.
Emotions bubbled in Mary’s chest and she took a steadying breath. This was not a lightly written letter to thank them for their company the previous night. There was intensity and love in these words and Mary was surprised by how much that mattered to her.
She has always been one to survey the world with a gleam in her eyes and to tackle each new challenge with her wand at the ready. Now, she is one to survey people with the same easy light. Tabitha isn’t one to find beauty in humanity, but you find the beauty in her and she is changing, little by little.
I can truly say that I’ve never met another soul so full of adventure as Tabitha’s until I met you. Your face is full of brightness and kindness and your intelligence is evident. I don’t doubt that you’ve faced your share of hardships, probably much more than I would guess, but you see the world with childlike appreciation.
Caring as much as we do for Tabitha, I am writing you partially in a selfish desire to thank you for loving her so dearly as it is clear that you do. At the same time, after only a night, we have come to care for you and I wanted to write to congratulate you on finding someone who makes you happy. Neither of you needs completing - you were whole people before you met - but you have each found someone who makes you better than yourselves, and I can’t imagine anything better for either of you.
Whatever happens, wherever you go, remember that you always have family in Greece.
Meilleurs sentiments,
Evangeline.
Mary felt more than a little silly sitting on the couch mostly naked reading a letter from someone she hardly knew and crying softly to herself. She was fairly certain that no one could’ve written a more perfect letter and she wondered halfheartedly if Evangeline was a Legilimens herself. She allowed herself to do what she hadn’t done for a long time: mourn.
She thought first of Parker and then of her parents. She thought of the people she’d gone to school with and lost touch with. Each tear was a silent goodbye and she let each of them go, filling her mind with a peace she hadn’t known since she was sixteen. Finally, when she was done, she was at rest and her thoughts full only of Tabitha. Her love. She knew beyond a doubt that there was nothing she’d rather be than with Tabitha and nowhere she wanted to go alone ever again.
It was a heavy thought and she supposed she had Evangeline to thank for the decision that came to mind next.
Pushing herself to her feet, she took the stairs as quickly as she could and entered the room she’d been sharing with Tabitha with a flourish. Her eyes were wide but soft, and a smile painted her lips. Tabitha looked up to greet her as Mary took a seat at the end of the bed. Ailuros watched them from her spot in the middle.
“I don’t expect you to know right now,” Mary began, her heart pounding. “And you have as much time as you’d like. But I just… I wanted to let you know that someday when you’re ready, if you’re ready, I’d like to marry you.”
Before Tabitha could respond-- or even process this comment-- Mary nodded, almost to herself, and stood up again. She hesitated a moment before turning and leaving the room again, deciding that a glass of water would probably be a good idea after all. Mary was standing over the sink, peering out the window with a soft smile and sipping from her cup when Tabitha approached.
She was carrying Ailuros in her arms, gently tickling her behind her ears. In truth, it was to hide the slight tremble in her fingers and stroking Ailuros gave her hands something to do. Her features wore a look of confusion and, if she was honest, she wasn’t entirely sure what to say. Her first reaction was to wonder what had brought on such a thing, given that only a short time before, they’d both been content with fussing over Ailuros and enjoying each other’s company. Her second thought was the one that was bringing on her nerves and the shaking of her hands in that Mary had just, essentially, proposed to her.
Mary wanted to marry her.
Tabitha swallowed, suddenly feeling like she needed a drink of water herself. She had expected and even prepared for many things for their holiday in Greece but she hadn’t seen this coming. She hadn’t even suspected it which seemed to indicate that it had been a spur of the moment thing for Mary too. Remembering that she had come downstairs to give the woman an answer, Tabitha thought she’d better say something.
“I want to,” she said softly. Her voice sounded unnaturally quiet and she momentarily wondered if she could actually be heard. She cleared her throat. “I want to marry you.”
“I’ve wanted to for a long time,” Mary responded softly, answering the questions she knew Tabitha must be thinking. It didn’t take Legilimens to know that. “I’ve known since you asked me to be part of your Advanced lesson and I realized that I wanted to be part of everything. I wanted to have every day to respect you and to love you and to engage with that brilliant mind of yours.” She turned to look at Tabitha and smiled. “I’ve always known.”
Tabitha, for the first time in a long time, felt overwhelmed. Feeling rather dizzy, she moved over to the sofa and sat down, gently placing Ailuros next to her before putting her head in her hands. A million thoughts were running through her head, none of them really sticking around long enough for her to focus on.
Mary followed and took a seat on the couch a safe distance away, Ailuros in between them. “I really really don’t want you to think I’m expecting anything right now. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything….”
That seemed to get through to Tabitha and she looked up sharply. She noticed that Mary was seated further away than she had been their entire stay in Greece and she found that she didn’t like it. She needed Mary to be close, to be within arm’s reach. She needed to be able to touch her, be with her. She needed to love her. “I want to marry you,” she said again, realising that this was the third time she’d said it and that she needed to say something else instead of going round in circles. “I would like to wait though…” she admitted, finally, meeting Mary’s eyes with a look that was reminiscent of a spooked deer. “Just for a little while.”
Tabitha took a deep breath and tore her eyes away from Mary’s finding it too hard to speak and look at her at the same time. She felt like she was a disappointment and had ruined what was supposed to be a happy thing. “I never pictured myself settling down,” she confessed, needing to say this, needing Mary to hear it. “I have been told that I am a ‘free spirit’ and cannot be tied down. I have never stayed in any one place for any longer than I wanted to. Then, I came to Sonora and that was just for money so that I could move on. However, you came into that staff lounge and you were beautiful and extraordinary and I thought I would be lucky if I simply got to be friends with you.”
Tabitha laughed then and found that tears seemed to be leaking from her eyes and she inhaled sharply and tried to wipe them away. “Now, I’m finding that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
She finally looked back at Mary, who was smiling softly, her eyes sparkling, and gave her a shaky smile in return. “But will you please give me time?”
Mary pretended to think, making a show of her silliness. “I do believe I asked you the same thing not too long ago,” she smirked. “Yes, my love. I would wait for the moon to orbit the sun if that’s what it took. If you want me today and tomorrow then that’s where I will be. I wasn’t just being nice; someday doesn’t mean today, and I don’t expect it to.” She slid closer to Tabitha as she spoke and cautioned some touch, resting her chin on the woman’s shoulder and peering at her. “It seemed rude not to at least tell you, though. Wouldn’t you agree, Ailuros?”
Mary turned her head and scooped up the kneazle, moving the kitten’s front legs like a puppeteer and encouraging a soft dancing motion. “Yes, I agree,” Mary said, changing her voice and speaking for the furball.
“See? It’s settled then. I absolutely had to tell you that you make me the happiest woman in the world,” Mary smiled, speaking playfully in her own voice. “So what would you like for breakfast then?”
Tabitha laughed at Mary’s antics and wiped the remaining tears from her face, relieved and immensely overjoyed that her request to wait hadn’t ruined anything between them. She pressed a gentle kiss to Mary’s lips and gave Ailuros another pet before thinking about Mary’s question. Then, she smirked, Mary’s playfulness infecting her.
“Do you know…” she began, standing up and her voice nonchalant. “There’s really only one thing I’m hungry for…” She gave Mary a pointed look before making her way towards and then up the stairs.
Mary maintained her question in her expression for a moment. Then her jaw fell open and her eyes widened as she understanding came to mind.
“Ailuros, you stay right here, okay? Seriously. Stay there,” she told the kneazle before gathering her robes and running after Tabitha.