Alastor "Agent 04041953GU" Gumboil (loose_cannon) wrote in blurred_lines, @ 2008-07-07 23:51:00 |
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Entry tags: | ! [1979-07] july, alastor gumboil, elle abercrombie |
Who: Alastor Gumboil and Elle Abercrombie
When: 7 July, 1979; after Evan/Elle
Where: Elle's flat.
What: Al floos over after seeing Evan and Elle.
Rating/Warnings: Pretty PG//Warning for some extreme fluff.
Status: Completed Log
Alastor was in a mood. But he had a very good reason for being in said mood. His morning patrol had landed him in Hampstead Heath, and instead of having the same old sandwich at the same old shop in London, he'd decided to try something local. He hadn't been expecting to run into Elle while he was wandering toward a good looking place for fish and chips. And he most certainly hadn't expected to run into her walking around with another bloke. And then snogging him before they disappeared together. No, that hadn't been on the agenda for today. So perhaps it was understandable that he wasn't thinking all that clearly when he asked someone else to cover the rest of his shift (making up some excuse about his nephew - he'd eat that one later, probably) and made his way purposefully to the fireplaces. He'd made this floo trip a few times now, but never seething the way he was now. That was really the only emotion he could readily identify as he spun through the green flames. Just anger. There was something else, but it simply felt all confused and muddled. Elle was a bit skittered now that the deed was done. She'd journal Rufus about it later, once she'd had her report written up and once she'd calmed her nerves enough to coherently explain to him the set trap. Things had gone further than she had originally intended, but she had played the cards as they had come to her. Snogging Evan wasn't exactly protocol, but it gave her more than enough reason to 'spill' the information to him. Of course, all she could think of was Al and how it was a horrible betrayal... but this was her career, and he would have to understand that. If she even told him. She was still toying with the idea of not even telling him. She was still in the pretty green sundress she had worn out with Evan and yet she sat on the floor with paper sprawled around her as she scratched out her notes. Target was... Target? How did she explain that Evan accepted her information because it was a sort of 'pillow talk?' She scratched it out and began to set her quill to the page again when there was the whoosh of her fireplace. Neither of her siblings ever visited, Kate and Al were at work. No one else should be flooing into her apartment. Lightning fast, her fingers were around her wand and she was casting Incarcerous as she made her way to her feet. She barely had time to even register who was entering her apartment - just that they were supposedly unwelcome. Al's wand was out and he was casting his shield charm in the blink and a half of an eye. He didn't even hear the spell, only seeing a flash of sparks. Who the hell else was there that they'd be trying to hex him before he got out of the bloody fireplace? His already pounding heart seemed to double its tempo as he adjusted his grip on his wand and stepped into the open room. There was no one, of course. Just Elle. And her wand. It occurred to him then, that perhaps he should have used the door, or owled her to tell her that he was coming. But none of those ideas had come to him before, not when the only thing he could properly think about was her snogging some random bloke. And that was enough to reignite his anger. Same sundress, even. There was no mistaking it now. Up until that moment, he'd been vaguely hanging onto the hope that it'd been someone else who looked remarkably like her. Al's expression turned into more of a scowl, brows furrowed and eyes hard. His voice was quiet, but there was an intense bitterness dripping from the words. "Going to snog some other bloke and fucking hex me? I had no fucking idea you hated me so much." She dodged the spell as it reflected back at her and ignored as the rope wrapped itself around one of her lamps. It took her a moment to register who was straightening up in her fireplace, but once she realized it was Al, she released the breath she had been holding in relief. She couldn't be happier to see him. She needed his calm smile and gentle touch to ease her wor... ...What!? She stared at him completely blankly for probably too long, before it dawned on her. He saw her with Evan. This... this wasn't good. This wasn't good on so many levels. "Oh, shit," she said and ran a hand through her hair, "Alastor, Merlin, it's..." She trailed off, "I'm sorry for trying to hex you. I'm a little on edge. I don't hate you. Don't accuse me of that. Don't make accusations when you don't know everything." Her voice remained somewhat calm as she lowered her wand from him. She didn't approach him, but remained a good distance apart. He was angry, and she'd never seen him truly angry before. She didn't fear him... but she wasn't quite certain what to expect. Her silence only fuelled his anger, and when she finally went on (not denying it, by any means), his expression darkened further (if it was at all possible). Al could only glare as she talked. "Oh, I don't fucking know everything, do I?" His voice started to rise, and his wand, still out, shot a spray of sparks into the ground. "Well what the fuck else is there to know, Elle? I fucking saw you." And there it was, the hurt that had thus far been masked by simple anger. He kept it at bay for the most part, but he couldn't quite stop it from leaking into his voice. Alastor fell silent for a moment, before repeating, quite a bit softer, as if to himself. "I saw you..." "Yes, you saw me, Al. And for that, I'm sorry. Because this makes everything a hell of a lot more complicated. And not in the way you think," her voice raised ever so slightly, only because she didn't know if she could tell him anything that could ease his mind and he was making things very complicated. It didn't help that she had this heavy guilt that weighed on her heart. She didn't have to take the course of action she did... but she did what she thought was best. "You saw me," she repeated after her, her tone controlled again, but still on the verge of breaking, "You saw me with a man. And I can't tell you anything more, except the same thing I told you when I was dismissed. Things are not what they appear." He couldn't very well find much to say to that. What the hell was so complicated? There was nothing complicated about this. It was betrayal, pure and simple and of both him and country. He'd trusted her the first time. But now... Al clenched his jaw for a moment, dropping his eyes. He didn't want to look at her. He didn't want to see that fucking dress or imagine what she'd been thinking or what the fuck was so fucking important that she had to keep it from him of all people. He took an unnecessarily long time putting his wand back up his sleeve and securing it in it's holster, stalling as he tried to make himself think. "No. No, apparently not," he answered finally, crossing his arms over his chest. She tucked her own wand away and clenched her jaw as she watched him. He was closing himself off from her, and she didn't like it. She didn't like it one bit. "Alastor, you are a Hit-Wizard, and...involved with me," she wasn't sure whether or not to call this a 'relationship;' they'd not discussed it before. She'd considered it, and she cared about him deeply, but... that was not the issue at hand. "You are a smart man and you know my character. Now tell me, honestly, do you really think that I'm the leak they're worried about in the Auror Office?" She looked at him, her gaze locked on him as she challenged him to say 'yes.' Alastor's temper flared again, and before she got too far, he was talking over her, blue eyes ablaze. "Don't fucking talk to me like I'm some bloody child. Of course I don't fucking think you're the leak, but then I didn't think you'd go off and snog some bloke either. I don't want it to be you, but you aren't fucking giving me anything here, Elle. You're telling me what things aren't, but not what they are and I can't fucking work with that." As he went on, his anger ebbed away, and by the time he was done talking, he was very nearly pleading with her. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, dropping his gaze again. "Do you want me killed, Al?! Because if I say something, and someone captures you and things get out, then I'm dead. I can't tell you because it's my job and I would like to stay alive. This isn't easy," she was getting frustrated and her voice broke as she attempted to keep herself under control, "You're the one person I want to tell everything to, but I can't. And that eats me inside." She watched him as he looked down again and for the first time since she took this assignment, she felt completely defeated, "Al, it's work. I don't know what I can do to assure you that you're the one that I lo-" she caught her breath. Well that... that was not gonna happen, "look forward to seeing and the one I want to be with. I wish I could do more." Again, he was quiet, clearly brooding as he found a spot near the fireplace to stare at. Her little slip-up hadn't gotten past him, and that was what was winning him over. Because whether they'd talked about it or not, Al had made himself very exclusive to her and very much wanted more. But he wasn't going to push. He hadn't pushed. It had simply been enough for him to spend time with her, to hold her and talk to her. The problem was that he was once again struck silent. How do you respond to someone about to tell you that they love you, and then stopping themselves? It wouldn't have been so hard if he didn't love her back. But he did. Finally, Al dropped his arms to his sides, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "...I should go back to work..." But he didn't move. It wasn't right. It wasn't right that they were fighting a war and had to keep secrets. He was the first man who she actually trusted - because he had always been so open and honest with her. And now she was paying him back with clouded hints and lies. What kind of woman was she? Dedicated and loyal - to both him and her career. "Alastor." She crossed the distance between them and reached out to touch his face, "Tell me you believe me. I need to know you believe me." She wasn't going to let him leave otherwise... because she felt as though if he left now, he would never come back. And the thought of that made her chest constrict far too painfully. Ten minutes ago Alastor would have flinched away from her hand. In fact, ten minutes ago, he would have been furious with her for even trying to touch him in the first place. But the anger seemed to have ran out of him, and all that was left was a certain type of defeat and fear. So, he didn't get angry or move away from her touch. Al only looked into her eyes for a few seconds, before almost reluctantly nodding. "Of course I believe you. I meant it... when I said I trusted you." He sighed and dropped his gaze, looking and feeling a bit lost in terms of what to do. He did believe her, of course. He wouldn't lie to her, not about anything. But he didn't like this, whatever it was. He hated secrets between friends and family. If either of his brothers knew what he was doing here, that he was simply taking her word for it, they'd call him a fool (and a few other choice words). And maybe he was, just accepting her words and reasons and putting his faith and trust to her. But at the end of the day, even after what he'd seen, he had to believe that she was telling the truth. And maybe she really did love him. "When this is all over," she dragged her thumb over his cheek and gave him a sad smile, "when this is all over, I will tell you what I can. Hopefully it's everything, but it depends on security and the outcome of all of this. It should be soon," she let her hand drop from his cheek, "Have faith, okay? I know I've been asking a lot of you in terms of that..." She sighed and looked away from him, "I wish there was something more I could do. Sincerely." Al only nodded, squashing the biting remarks about how he didn't care about fucking security when it came to this and that it didn't really matter that she wished there was more she could do when she very plainly couldn't. Or wouldn't. After a moment, he took her hand and pulled her into his arms, resting his head in the crook of her neck. It was just for comfort, just to know that she was there. It occurred to him then, that she had very suddenly become an enormous part of his life. "Promise me I won't lose you, then. At least give me that." The guilt didn't quite wash away when he pulled her into his arms, but Elle had to admit she felt more than a bit relieved. She let herself be enveloped by him, and part of her wanted to beg him to never go, that they never leave the apartment until the war was over and they could have a real life and a real relationship. "Alastor," she said softly, her sound muffled into him, "if I have anything to say about it, you're going to have to beg to be rid of me." She nuzzled into him, and wished that she could promise him that she would never leave. But this was a war, and she was fighting it. Nothing in life was guaranteed anymore, and so they had to steal moments of happiness whenever they could. Well, they could at least steal the day. He'd be working a double shift tomorrow for trading today... but there was still plenty of day left. His move to leave earlier had merely been an excuse to escape the discomfort. But now, he didn't want to think about leaving. As he pressed a few feather light kisses to her neck, Al was very much content to stay here, holding her, for as long as she would let him. Elle swallowed the memories of Evan and smiles as she turned and pressed a kiss to his cheek. She couldn't imagine how she had gone all these years without ever exploring more with him. Friends, always, but to think that she could have had this before... She couldn't allow herself to think about it, and she released him so she could cup his face in her hands. "Why don't you stay for the rest of the day? I can cook and we can play Wizard's Chess and just relax?" She didn't know if he actually had to return to work or not, but she was going to make the offer. Besides, it would help her nerves if someone else, namely him, was actually in the apartment. She tugged his head down and placed a kiss on his forehead, "Only if you want to." She wasn't going to push. She wanted to kiss him, but was afraid if she did he'd only be reminded of what he had seen. Elle was already asking enough of him, she was going to let him determine where they stood. He didn't want to be angry any longer. It still hurt if he thought about it, but he didn't like being angry with her. It was a bad way to spend time together and as long as he had a certain amount of faith that she wasn't lying to him, that was all he wanted to do. So for the first time since he'd stepped into the room, he let a small smile touch his lips. "I want to," he replied after a moment. Al paused again before pressing a kiss to her lips, desperately squashing the memory of her snogging someone else in favour of simply savouring this. Because he really did believe her, even if he hated both the idea and act of keeping a secret. If the decision of where they stood was with him, then Alastor would most definitely decide that they were okay. Elle savoured his kiss and realized she was incredibly lucky to have this man in her life. He had been more than amazing to her, and she had not been lying when she had said that he was going to have to beg to be rid of her. She was falling for him, and hard, despite the fact that she never thought she could fall for anyone. Trust just was always an issue with her, and with the war outside, trust came in small supplies. Or perhaps the war outside was the reason. Because she needed these moments, she needed to feel alive and whole. She needed to have something to fight for when the world was so dark. She ran her fingers through his hair and smiled at him softly, her voice barely a whisper, "Alastor... it's only you. It's been only you since the day of scotch and giggles on the couch; today with Evan was work and only work. I know we've kept what's going on a secret from everyone, but you should know that despite the fact that we can't really be public because of our work, I am... honoured that I'm yours." She blushed slightly, feeling absolutely and utterly vulnerable. Alastor's trust was also hard to come by these days. But they'd been friends for years, and honestly, he had always wanted... something more. But he simply wasn't the type to push, or even say anything if he didn't think she was interested. It was slightly selfish self-preservation and one of the things he didn't like about himself. He'd always felt like such a coward, having never even asked her for a date before. But he could kick himself for waiting later, because she was talking, and her words lifted his heart pleasantly. He ran a hand through her hair and then cupped her cheek, looking very serious. He hadn't planned on saying this yet, and nervous butterflies bumped around in his stomach. It seemed that it was moving far too fast to let the words pass his lips, but the truth was that he felt it. He only hoped that he wasn't about to scare her off. Alastor pressed a single kiss to her lips, holding her close as he held her eyes with his. "I'm as much yours as you are mine, Elle." He paused, pushing away the urge to fidget. "I love you... and I will love you... through anything." He only could hold her gaze for a second longer before he dropped his eyes, absently playing with her hair as his words hung in the space between them. Oh... oh Merlin did he just say that? He said it. He said it. Her breath caught and she wasn't sure how to respond. Did she love him? She had nearly announced it a second ago, but she had stopped herself because she wasn't sure. Or was it because she was scared? She didn't know, but the moments stretched on between them and she had to figure out what to say. Why was it that when it came to her job she would take a risk without thought. Rufus had brought her the assignment and she hadn't thought twice. But now she stood here with something less dangerous and she was uncertain. She didn't know which was to turn. Risk, in this world, was everything. And Elle was not going to live afraid. She couldn't. Not when the one person she felt strongest about had just laid his heart on the line. "And I love you, truly." She knew she had probably taken longer than was acceptable to respond, but this was the first time she'd told anyone or felt the way that she did. It was a big moment. "I do. It's not rational, but I do love you." The silence seemed to stretch forever in Al's mind, time slowing down to a crawl. He was about to open his mouth and tell her that she didn't have to say it back. She wasn't obligated to say it just because he had and he didn't want her to if she didn't mean it. He'd said it because he'd felt it and that was all. It had been an incredibly short amount of time. It was the type of thing he criticized Lee for, rushing into things. But she beat him to it, and Alastor couldn't quite help the way his chest swelled or how his stomach flipped pleasantly. He met hers eyes again and his smile widened. Another kiss, slightly longer this time, and then he scrunched his nose in amusement. "So, chess, huh?" The change of subject was completely intentional, but it was because he didn't want to allow himself to think too much. He even want there to be a chance to spark his temper again and ruin what they'd just rebuilt. "You're on. If you're in a hurry to lose, anyway." He grinned, completely bluffing. He was horrible at chess. Elle returned his kiss deeply and couldn't help but grin at him when the kiss broke. It was almost juvenile and for a moment, just a moment, she felt slightly awkward for the first time in his presence. But then he had to go... and be himself, and she went with it. "Oh you think so?" she scoffed and swatted at him playfully, "We'll just have to see about that." She cast a quick evanesco to her paperwork and turned back to him. "What would you like for supper, sir? Or should I order takeaway?" She ran her hands up his arms and around his neck, "whatever you'd like, you'll have tonight." Despite their confessions, she still felt like she had a lot of making up to do, and she was planning on doing it well. Al laughed and then put on a fake pout, feigning hurt as he rubbed where she swatted him. "This is a clearly abusive relationship," he said with a snort, unable to keep himself from smiling. For half a second, he let his eyes fall on her paperwork, but then quickly turned his attention back to her. He wasn't going to think about that, whatever it was. She'd tell him later. He hoped. He pulled her closer, clasping his hands around the small of her back as hers ran up to his neck. "Uhm..." he paused, tilting his head slightly as he thought about food. "I like pasta. And fish. And... cheesecake. But, you know, not fish in the fucking cheesecake, because that'd be a bit off." He paused, pondering just exactly how that would taste, and then scrunched his nose before going on. "So maybe Italian? I'm not all that picky actually." "Clearly," she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she grinned at him. She leaned up and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. She rather liked that they were similar in height - it led to her not having to crane her neck, which was much welcomed. Her nose wrinkled in distaste at the idea of fish cheesecake, "Well, if you haven't ruined my appetite completely with that thought, I suppose Italian will do. I can handle Italian so I guess I'm cooking." She grinned and kissed him soundly, "And I might, just might have frozen cheesecake in the icebox. If not, there's definitely iced cream or something of the sort. Sound good?" Al only grinned wider and happily returned her kiss. No, fish cheesecake did not sound all that appetizing. Or even edible. But cheesecake, or even ice cream.... "Sounds brilliant." He paused for a moment. "...I suppose that means I have to let you go then, yeah?" He raised an eyebrow and looked a bit put off at the prospect of letting her free of his embrace. "Yes, yes you have to let me go," she grinned wider (if that was even possible) and gave him a squeeze, "but I'm not going far. And you're coming with me. I'm gonna put you to work!" She laughed lightly and leaned into him to give him a good, long kiss; she couldn't get enough of him at the current moment. "Come on." She reached around her back to grab his hands, and then led him to the modest kitchen. "See the tomatoes on the counter?" she reluctantly released his hands, "You get to dice them. That's at least the first thing you have to do." If there was one thing that wasn't her career or her intellectual pursuits that Elle loved... it was cooking and all it's forms. "Oh, but Elle..." he started protesting immediately. Al was absolute rubbish in the kitchen. There was no use denying it. But he was promptly cut off by her lips, and all arguments dissolved as he kissed her again. It seemed she broke away far too soon and as she led him into the kitchen, he couldn't quite remember what he was supposed to be avoiding. But oh yes, the tomatoes. "Uh, Elle, you should know that I am can't cook to save my life, and I'll probably cut my fingers off if you let me anywhere near a knife. And, you know, I don't know about you, but I'm sort of attached to them." He held his hands up and wiggled his fingers in the air. "Had them my whole life, you know?" She rolled her eyes at him playfully, "Honestly, you'd think that you've never picked up a wand before." She took out her wand and set her knives to work on the tomatoes, "and I'm not asking you to cook, just prep. There's a difference." She swept around the kitchen like a professional and took out a pan with a lid and a pot for the water. "Yes, I've noticed you're attached to them. It would be rather strange if your fingers just sort of floated around with you," she teased lightly and rounded to him, "you could always charm them to do that if you cut them off though." She winked, "but, if you can't handle a knife, can you at least get the water started for the pasta?" "A wand? What's that?" Al put on a blank look and then grinned. "Well, regardless of the cook or the prep, the only dice I know are used in board games." He watched the knives for a second, leaning against the door jamb. It seemed very dangerous, just having them floating about like that. But at the idea of floating fingers, Al giggled and moved into the room (staying well clear of the charmed knives - they looked sharp). "That's be a bit weird. There would be, like, you know a time delay or something when you tried to grab things." He grinned and pulled his wand out to fill the pot with water. "I think I could probably do that. I think." "Not to mention that your fingers would probably start to rot and smell. And you definitely don't want to be cooking with those," she said with feigned seriousness as she put the pan on the stove and began to heat olive oil for the beginning of her sauce. She threw a glance at him over her shoulder, "You think? Merlin what have I gotten myself into?" She shook her head and looked back to her pan. She took out her wand and the knife gently went to the cutting board's surface and the cutting board came over and dumped the diced tomatoes into the pan. She then took both out of the air and put them in the sink. "Maybe I'll just make you clean up. That's always my least favourite part," she stirred the tomatoes as they began to bubble, "Do you want to check what I've got in the icebox for dessert? And there might be a bottle of wine somewhere as well." The way they fell into this pleasant sort of domesticity was a little unnerving, but Elle decided to just go with it for the moment. She'd worry about it later, when he wasn't here being charming and telling her things like he loved her. "Yeah, that'd be a bit unpleasant as well. Although I bet you there's some anti-rotting charm as well," he answered offhandedly, poking his wand under the pot to get the heat going. "But you know, if they fell into the food or whatever, you should just claim that they're a sort of new sausage or something," he giggled, finally getting the water to start boiling. "I told you, I'm rubbish at cooking. Mum always makes me do the clean up as well." Al snickered and then started for the icebox. On his way though, he slid a hand around her waist and pressed a kiss to her neck before slipping away and digging in the freezer as if nothing had happened. "Oh! We're in luck. Cheesecake! And not fish flavoured!" He grinned and held it up in mock triumph before putting it back to look around for the wine. "Elle, where would the wine be, if it existed?" "Are you trying to ruin my appetite?" She giggled and began to add spices while stirring the quickly developing sauce. She made a small noise of pleasure when he kissed her neck and her cheeks blazed pink; she hadn't meant to make any noise. She flicked her wand to procure garlic from the cabinet, and just went on like she hadn't done anything. "I knew I had some," Elle smiled and then gestured with her head toward the pantry, "there should be a bottle of red back there or a bottle of white we can put on ice. Red would probably go better with dinner though." She reached above her to snatch a can of olives and a jar of capers. The kitchen was beginning to fill with the smell of her cooking and she found herself quite comfortable. "Hm. Should we have garlic bread as well?" She left the sauce to simmer and followed him toward the pantry and leaned on the counter as she watched him. Ridiculous. They were absolutely ridiculous. Alastor could only grin as he opened the pantry. He was sort of inexplicably happy. He shouldn't be, after what he'd seen earlier. But he was. And the smell of food was making his stomach grumble. Rather loudly. "Garlic bread sounds brilliant," he answered, pulling out a bottle of red wine. He didn't know much about making food, but Al knew his alcohol, and he read the label before feeling her eyes on him. He looked up at her, blinking with confusion. "...What?" Her lips slowly curled into a smile. He looked quite endearing with that slightly confused and agape look on his face. She shrugged nonchalantly and pushed herself up off the counter, "Nothing." Which, obviously, meant something - especially when accompanied with a wink. She snagged the pasta and put her wand to the water to speed up the boiling. "If you get the bread out of the pantry as well, maybe I'll tell you." Having him here was a wonderful idea. It helped relieve her tension and her fear that any moment death eaters were going to barge in her home because they found out the trap. It didn't make any sense, but she feared it nonetheless. Another smile graced his lips as she winked and Alastor put the bottle down on the table before turning and reaching for the bread. With the loaf in his hand, he closed the distance between them. Al offered it to her and then quickly pulled it away, holding it behind his back. There was still a mischievous sort of smile on his face. "Tell me?" "Give me the bread first," she said with a smirk and attempted to reach behind him for it. She laughed and tried again and then let her hands drop as she pouted - which didn't last long. "Once I get the bread, I'll tell you. If not, then you'll never know - and you'll have to make the garlic bread on your own." Oh, she was so threatening with that. She crossed her arms as if to add to the seriousness of the situation and cocked an eyebrow, "Well?" Al kept it out of her reach (if only barely) and grinned. Even as she threatened to make him cook, he only shrugged. "If I make the bread, we'll have garlic flavoured black bricks," he informed her, raising his eyebrows. "I'll give it to you when you tell me. And if you don't tell me, well.. I'm not a picky eater, I'll order take-out." He looked at her matter-of-factly, looking quite stubborn. His Gryffindor was showing. "And you'd make me start dinner only not to eat it?" she feigned insult and reached for the bread one last time. "Fine," she said, her lips curling into a smile even though her words sounded more than exasperated with him, "we'll play it your way." She reached up and slid her fingers into his hair, "I'm a lucky lass. I've not had anyone tell me they love me before, at least not in seriousness." She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his lips, "That and your arse is very nice." She laughed and went to swat him on the behind. Ridiculous - but she loved it. "I'd never make you do anything," he answered, injecting a bit of serious into his voice, but playfully pulled the bread out of her reach. But as she pressed her lips against his, he put it on the counter in favour of having his hands free to wrap around her waist."Well, I'll tell you every day, to make up for it," Alastor smiled and kissed her again, but jumped when she swatted his arse. He grinned, raising his eyebrows a bit. "Absolutely abusive, you are," he chided playfully and kissed her once more before pulling away to put the wine on ice. He left the bread on the counter. She grinned at that and let him go to take care of the wine. She checked on the pasta and began to make the preparations for the garlic bread. She almost danced as she moved from place to place, her movements graceful and languid. She was at peace and it was a wonderful feeling. "So how did you manage to get out of work so early?" She hadn't even thought of that - it really was early to be out of the DMLE. Most of them stayed absurd hours these days. Between the safehouses and the random attacks and everything else (not to mention paperwork) the idea of "home" was sometimes a laughable idea. And despite all that...she missed it. She turned on the oven and started cracking open garlic. She could use her wand, of course, but when it came to cooking, she really did prefer to use her hands most of the time, "I hope you like garlic. I use a lot of it." Al conjured a bucket full of ice, set the wine in it, and then pushed it back on the table in an attempt to keep it out of the way. Out of the corner of his eye, he couldn't quite help but watch her, a smile pulling at his lips. And she thought she was the lucky one. At her question, he sighed, leaning against the door jamb again (to keep out of her way). "I traded a shift," he replied simply. There wasn't much need to elaborate. He'd be working double tomorrow, which probably meant that he wouldn't see anything resembling home until the day after. They all worked long hours even on normal shifts, and now that he was thinking about exactly how tomorrow would play out, he wasn't all that thrilled about being at work for what would probably be a full twenty hours or so. But as he watched her work, Alastor decided that it was worth it. "I don't mind it. So long as you can handle my bad breath afterwards." She winced. That was the thing about both working in the DMLE - they could feel the other's pain when it came to hours and double shifts. Of course, she hadn't been to work in a week, but she'd had her fair share here at home. "If you want to go back after supper so you don't spend all day there tomorrow," she offered, not wanting him to feel obligated to stay with her. No one really wanted a ridiculously full day's work. She finished with the garlic bread and washed her hands before throwing it in the oven. "Well, considering I'll have the same breath, I think I can handle it," Elle pulled out a piece of linguini and threw it at the wall. It stuck and she smiled, "almost done!" She used her wand to transport the pot from the stovetop to the sink - there was no reason to risk burning herself over it. The water strained and she went to check on the sauce, giving Al a smile over her shoulder as she did so, "plates are in the cupboard right behind you, if you would be so kind." Al shook his head immediately. "No, I want to stay," he assured her. "It's more than worth it, getting to relax for the night with you." He fell silent, watching her cook. Throwing pasta at the wall, that made his eyebrows shoot up a bit, and he couldn't quite help but think that it was a waste of pasta. But that was purely because his stomach was rumbling almost continuously. The curse of a fast metabolism - he was always hungry. He returned her smile (thoughtlessly, completely unable to help it) and turned to pull the plates out of the cupboard. Al set them on the table and then glanced around the immediate area. "Silverware?" She tossed him a look, "If you're certain." She couldn't help but be flattered that he wanted to spend his evening with her and was willing to work a double shift the next day for it. She would just have to add it to the list of things she needed to make up to him. It'd be right after 'snogging a suspected death eater.' She slid the pasta back into the pot and checked on the sauce. She took the lid off and poured it into the pasta, smiling as the aroma overwhelmed her for a moment. "The drawer right there," she gestured toward it and then continued to stir the pasta. "Wine glasses are in the cabinet next to where the plates were." She opened the oven to check on the garlic bread and then went back over to the icebox. Salad was going to be necessary, at least she thought so. Luckily that was something she could put together in a quick moment. "I don't think there's anything else we need, is there?" Al turned and pulled out the wine glasses before opening the drawer and pulling out the appropriate silverware. The smells in the kitchen invaded his olfactory, and his stomach gave a particularly loud rumble. Al snickered. "I hope not - I'm about to start drooling on myself and that's a bit, you know. Gross." He bounced on the balls of his feet, once again stepping back to the door frame. It was his usual fallback in the kitchen to simply keep out of the way. It was where he was most useful, actually. He'd learned that from a few encounters with hot pans and sharp knives when he'd been a child. Elle came over to him in the door frame and placed her hands on his chest, "Well, supper is ready, so you don't have to worry about the drool just yet." She smiled and turned away from him and used her wand to serve everything and have it settle lightly on the table. It would be nice to talk with someone while eating a meal, normally she was eating on the fly, or just alone while doing paperwork. Company was always a welcomed thing. "Bon appetit!" Well, so long as said company was friendly. Al smiled and pressed a soft kiss to her lips before taking a seat. Seated meals were slightly less of a novelty with his family, as his mum more or less demanded them at least once every couple of weeks. Something about staying together. Al could see where she was coming from, and it was nice to have an actual meal every once and again. Especially when his idea of a meal on a general day was snacking on whatever he could get his hands on. It was mostly junk food, and one of the drawers to his desk was nearly full of wrappers that accumulated over the course of a week. So with a proper meal in front of him, Al couldn't help but feel vaguely excited. He pulled the straps of his suspenders off of his shoulders (they'd been starting to cut into him) and took the first forkful of the pasta, sighing happily as he chewed. Elle couldn't help but grin when she saw him tuck in properly to the meal. Truthfully, in her youth she had enjoyed the sit down dinners that her family had. Of course, that was before her father had left. After that, it really was Elle on her own, which was how she had learned how to cook. Her mother had left her to fend for herself. She had long resented her mother, but had realized (after her death) that if it weren't for that, Elle probably never would have become an Auror. She never would do any of the things that she did now. And so with that smile on her face she started her own meal. It wasn't her best, but it definitely wasn't her worst. "Well?" she said after she'd swallowed her first bite, "How is it?" Al held up a finger a he finished chewing. Good for him, remembering his manners. "Brilliant, amazing, delicious, and lots of other adjectives that I'm not willing to say because it would involve me having to stop stuffing my face." He grinned and tore into his garlic bread. You'd think he hadn't eaten in days by the way he was tucking in. It might have had something to do with being the youngest and always having his food nicked by Desmond. She laughed and shook her head, "Now you're just flattering. Enjoy it the same." She continued into her plate, snatching some garlic bread of her own. He might actually have to fight her for that - it was one of her favorite things. It was quiet for a bit while they ate, obviously both hungry and grateful for real food, not bits and pieces here and there. She opened the bottle of wine and poured some for both of them. After taking a sip of the pleasantly cool liquid, she sighed rather contentedly, "so how are Lee and the baby? Do you see him often?" "Cheers," he said offhandedly, raising his glass a bit before putting it to his lips. "Doing fine, I think, at least according my mum. I haven't been down there since he was born. I don't really think he'd appreciate being crowded. I imagine just having two grandmums hanging about is getting on his nerves." He scoffed, perhaps a little bitterly, and idly scraped the last bits of sauce off his plate with a piece of garlic bread. "Desmond sees a bit more of him," he went on after a minute. "Says he's doing fine. Whines like his dad." "Grandmums aren't uncles though. Besides, how are you going to poke him if you're not around him?" She teased gently; she could sense some underlying animosity and she didn't want to push it. She was lucky that even though she and Neil may have grown apart, she and his children got along wonderfully, "It's a wonderful thing, being an aunt. Or an uncle, in your case. It's all the fun of having children without the responsibility. And they're always excited to see you." She watched him with the garlic bread and smiled, "there's more pasta if you want it." "I suppose," he answered after a beat. "It isn't just..." he trailed off for a moment, wondering if he wanted to go down this road. It seemed like a bad idea, complaining about bumps in his family life when hers were so much worse. He probably should have been grateful that he still had both his brothers, was close with his parents, and now had a nephew. "Never mind," he said finally, and then shoved the last of his garlic bread in his mouth so that he wouldn't have to talk. Things between Lee and himself had been tense for the past couple months now. But there was no need to unload that tension and worry onto her. There were more pressing things to think about. If she knew his line of thought, she would have reached across the table and smacked him (lightly!). She wasn't one to be pitied, she had long accepted her lot in life. She hadn't really dealt with it, but she had long accepted it as just fact. Maybe one day the dams would come tumbling down and she'd have to deal with it but for now, she was fine. "Hey," she said as she got up from the table, "You can talk to me, y'know? You haven't exactly kept it a secret that things aren't great." She gave him a knowing smile and took her plate to the sink. She went to the icebox and retrieved the cheesecake. She set it on the counter and then started scrounging through the cabinets. She had topping somewhere. To which, he would have, once again, cried abuse! He hadn't meant for it to come off as pity. He didn't pity her. But at the very least, he thought it was a bit rude, considering everything. His smile was almost reflexive, and it fell from his face rather quickly. "It isn't just the difference between grandmums and uncles though," he said finally, resting his head on hand. "It's just the past couple months have been, you know, a bit rougher than usual between us." Al paused and sipped on his wine. "It's my fault, of course," he went on. "I always get angry and start saying a lot of things that I don't mean. Just trying to dig at his fears at that point. But it isn't effective and we just sort of end up... here." Alastor sighed and finished the wine in his glass. "Fuck it, doesn't matter," he said quickly, and pulled out his wand. With a careless flick, he sliced the cheesecake before refilling his glass. "Mmm," she said non-commitedly. She and Neil... well, ever since their mother died, they'd not been well. She knew all to well losing her temper and digging into her sibling's weaknesses. They both blamed the other for their mother's death, when it probably wasn't either of their faults. She found the chocolate topping she had been searching for and turned around triumphantly. She smiled when she saw the cut cheesecake, and started to serve them pieces on clean plates. "It does matter," she said as she placed the slices and drizzled chocolate on them, "Otherwise it wouldn't bother you. I'm not the best to give advice, but I will say that it only gets worse if you let it fester." She snagged clean forks and brought the plates over to the table, "If you've said things you shouldn't, apologize. And make an effort. Actions always mean more than just saying it." She leaned over and gave him a soft kiss before sitting down to her own cheesecake. Al nodded and sighed. This was a stupid thing to think about when he was supposed to be spending the evening with his... well, his girlfriend. Who he loved. So he took another sip of his wine and then hung onto her kiss perhaps a tad bit longer than was necessary before picking up his fork. But cheesecake, that was always the thing to put him in a good mood. Or at least to lift it a bit. He might not even have tasted it by the way he nearly inhaled his first slice, and he was half-way through his second before he finally started to slow down, slouching in his chair a bit as his stomach started to protest such rapid filling. Elle watched him, amused, as he practically inhaled the cheesecake. How he managed to eat like that and still be as thin as a rail was beyond her. She only ate her one piece, and ate it slowly as she savoured the flavour. In a stupid, silly little sign of affection, she reached across the table and snagged his free hand. She quirked a smile, "Thank you for coming over, Al." And she meant it. Even if it had started out horribly, it was wonderful now. If it wasn't so important that Evan not find out about Alastor, she would absolutely suggest that they took a walk in the nice weather to work off their meal. There would be a time and a place for that, she was certain, but not yet. "Any agenda for the rest of our evening? Or just a quiet night at home?" He was taking his third slice (really, if he had to choose one dish to eat for the rest of his life, it would have been cheesecake) when she grabbed his hand. With a small smile on his face, Al nodded and laced his fingers through hers. No, the circumstances of his flooing over hadn't been anywhere near ideal... but he wasn't about to complain now. Things were okay. And as long as they were okay, he wasn't going to spend too much time idly thinking about what he'd seen earlier. Slowly, he finished slice number three of the cheesecake, and then sighed, slouching nearly all the way down in his chair. The back of his head rested on the top of the back of the chair and he simply sat like that for a few minutes, a hand on his stomach. "I don't know," he said softly. "Ask me later, when I can move." "I think you just ate your weight in cheesecake," she laughed lightly and squeezed his hand. "You digest. I'll clean up." She slowly extracted her fingers from his and stood from the table slowly. She was pretty full herself. She gathered plates and other cooking accoutrements and set them into the sink. She took out her wand and set them to washing themselves while she began to wipe down the counters by hand. She again gracefully moved from one place to the next in her kitchen before she finished with the counters and tossed the sponge into the sink, "You will have to move, eventually, you know that?" Al simply sat, about to protest that he would get to the cleaning up, eventually, but then deciding against it, as the idea of moving from his seat seemed like a bad one just now. And he wasn't really much of a tidy person to begin with. As he watched her wipe the counters down, he knew he would have been quite a bit slower. So he stayed where he was, feeling incredibly lazy and full. "Eventually? Or d'you want me to move now?" He raised a brow at her. "Well," she said as she leaned against the counter, "I don't plan on spending my entire evening in the kitchen. So I will be heading to the living room. If you want to spend the rest of the evening in my kitchen, that's your prerogative." She gave him a wry smile and turned around to head to her living room. She didn't even turn to see if he would follow, though there might have been an extra swing of her hips as she walked away. Once in the living room she flopped rather gracelessly onto her couch and took a deep breath. A nice, relaxing evening at home with the man who loved her. Who she loved. What could be better? She looked at the door and watched and waited. He'd better follow. Though... he had eaten three pieces of cheesecake. He smiled as she walked off, not quite able to keep his eyes off of her hips. As she disappeared from his view, he sighed and finished the wine that was in his glass. His stomach was settling a bit finally... and he didn't particularly like the idea of sitting in here by himself. Nor was it all that comfortable. So with a groan and a few choice words, he got to his feet. As an afterthought, Alastor picked up the bottle of wine and shuffled into the living room, untucking his shirt and using it to wipe off the water left on the bottle by the ice. He set the bottle on the table next to the couch and slowly slid next to her. Automatically, he wrapped an arm around her waist. Three pieces of cheesecake or not, Al wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to be close to her. She curled into him when he drew her closer and made another contented sound, much like she had done before in the kitchen. She let her fingertips dance across his chest for a bit while they sat in silence and then she leaned up and pressed her lips to his cheek, "So, unless you horribly object... I may tell Kate about us. She is practically my best mate, after all. I'll need someone to talk to you about you." It had been hard enough keeping all her secrets from Kate, let alone the good ones. Al pressed a kiss to her forehead and then sort of buried his face in her hair. A smile touched his lips at her question, and he mumbled softly, "I trust your judgement. If you trust her to keep it under wraps, then it's probably fine." He paused, absently rubbing her back. "I told my mum. About a week ago." "She's not irresponsible. She'll know to keep this underwraps," she said with a smile. Truthfully, she was desperate to tell her friend, and felt better knowing that he wouldn't mind. Her smile froze though, just for a moment, when he spoke again. He'd told his mother?! Did that mean she had to make the obligatory meeting? And had he planned on telling her that he loved her before this event and... ...okay, really. It wasn't that big of a deal. Well, it was, but at the same time... "Wow." Her smile fell into a gentler one, but true, "You really do love me. To mention me to the mother." She smiled and kissed his cheek, "What'd she have to say?" Al snorted laughter. "She wants to meet you. I told her should could bloody well wait until I was sure. And that you were ready." He sighed and rested his head on her shoulder. "Invitation is there, though. Probably dinner if I know my mum at all. Not that I want to think much about food at the moment, after that meal." He smiled and pressed a kiss to her neck before settling down again. "But don't feel rushed, you know? She isn't going to be offended if you don't want to go right away. And it isn't as if we're... not both busy." Elle gave a nervous sort of laugh and nestled into him, "Well... let's wait until I'm fully reinstated, at the very least. Nothing like meeting your mother for the first time only to tell her that I've been suspended. I'm sure that won't go over very well." She poked his side gently and settled back into him. "I suppose I could meet her in a couple weeks. When things somewhat settle." She squelched the nervous knot that formed in her throat, "Does this mean I get to meet the mysterious nephew?" Based on the way he talked about his family... she had a feeling where one of them went, others were sure to follow. And if Alastor was bringing home a lass... well then she might as well expect to meet them all. He was quiet for a moment before he spoke up again. "They know," he said finally. "They all read the Prophet. But they also know to take what the media says with a grain or thirty-seven of salt. Anyway, mum and dad think that if I trust you then that's good enough." He wasn't so sure about his brothers. Lee, he was almost sure, could care less if it weren't for his son. Desmond though, he was a bit protective every once and again, and Alastor wasn't sure he was going to be persuaded so easily. That was the thing with being the youngest; he was constantly having to prove that he had good judgement. "But, uh, yeah, probably, you'll meet baby Chris. And anyway, it'll be a while since mum's still helping with him. She'll want to resettle the house and stuff, since I'm sure Dad hasn't ever been all that great about cleaning up after himself." She was right about his family, at least for dinners. And considering how well his mum cooked, it wasn't that much of a surprise. The meal alone was always worth it. "They know that it was..." she groaned and covered her face. What an impression to make, "I mean, I know it was in the Prophet, but," she sighed and let her hands fall from her face. "I can't meet your family when they think I'm a disgrace to my post and a leak in my department! It's... that's a horrible way to meet them." She could feel her face burning. She had known when taking the assignment that it would affect her personal life; she just hadn't understood the depths of it. "I... well, let me know," she felt bad for being out of sorts, but honestly his mother's first impression of her was horrible and they hadn't even met, "whatever is best for her. I'll accommodate." Alastor sat up enough to pull her closer and into his arms, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "They don't think you're a disgrace," he attempted to reassure her. "Besides you aren't the leak, and you aren't a bloody disgrace either, so if for some completely mad fucking reason one of them thinks I'm wrong, I'll be sure to hex them into the next fucking century." He was only half joking. Perhaps he was a bit protective. Maybe. "And like I said, it'd be later anyway. You'll already be reinstated and things will be.... well. As close to normal as they get around here these days." He didn't quite let her out of his arms, only shifting for something a bit more comfortable. "I know that I'm not the leak, and you know that I'm not the leak, but that doesn't change the fact that everyone else doesn't know that. And no one can know the truth, other than those people we absolutely trust in the DMLE. I really like breathing." She gave him a half-hearted smile and shifted with him, reminded of the first night they were together at her place. When he'd first kissed her and it had all began. "And please don't hex anyone on my account. We'll figure all this out. I'm just..." She nuzzled her cheek into his chest, "I want to make a good impression." "It wouldn't be on your account, it'd be on mine, because that means that don't really trust me either," Al stated matter-of-factly, absently running a hand through her hair. "But yeah, I suppose breathing is good. As are good impressions. Don't worry about it, though. You're right, we'll work it out." He lifted her chin enough to press a kiss to her lips. Yes, this was all very reminiscent of that night with the scotch. He wasn't really sure how they'd gotten so close so fast, but he was far from complaining. Al was beginning to wonder just how he'd gotten this far in life without her around like this. Merlin only knew... "I love you," he said again finally, resting his head against hers. It felt good to say it, especially like this, when everything around him just felt calm and right. He knew of course, that just outside the door, that things were very much not all right. But he could pretend, just for a little while, while she was in his arms. |