A year ago, she'd been a single mother- not struggling, really, but definitely not as happy as she could have been. The war had seemed endless, and Suzie- if she hadn't had Daniel- might have lost hope. But then Robbie had come back, and- though not the way she might have expected- everything had turned out perfectly. The war had ended, and in another month she would give birth to hers and Robbie's second child. After that, they'd go back to the mainland, and from there... who knew? The possibilities were endless, really, and- glancing out the window to see Robbie and Daniel returning from the store- Suzie couldn't have been happier to think of every single different one of them.
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February 14, 1955
The tittering of her dorm mates woke her up earlier than normal- they were gathered around a bed at the far end of the room, comparing letters that they'd be giving to their boyfriends at breakfast that morning. Lizzie groaned and rolled over, pulling the pillow tightly around her head in hopes of blocking out the noise. It did little use.
She rolled onto her back, looking up at the canopy of her bed. Valentine's Day didn't usually bother her, honestly, but with all the affectionate couples around it only made her miss Atticus even more. It would be another two weeks before she'd see him again at Hogsmeade, and- oh, she'd give him the snog of his life, that was for sure.
"Lizzie!" Her dorm mate's sing-song voice was jarring, but Lizzie knew she couldn't ignore it.
"Aye?" she called, then brought a hand up to cover her eyes when said dorm mate flung back the curtain on Lizzie's bed. She blinked in the sudden brightness, but as the other girl came into focus it was obvious that she was holding a letter up. A sealed letter. With, Lizzie noticed, very familiar handwriting... Lizzie shrieked, and made a lunge for the letter, taking the other girl completely by surprise. Envelope in hand, Lizzie pulled the curtain closed and tore it open, unfolding the paper inside with shaking, giddy hands.
Dear Lizzie...
---
February 14, 1975
It wasn't as if Jamie was ever an especially unromantic person- quite the opposite, really. Merlin knew he'd come home more than a few times with flowers or whatever random gift he'd seen in London, claiming he'd just "had to get it!". And Kayley couldn't deny that she loved it- she loved the look of expectation on his face, the worry that maybe she might not like it (not that there was ever a chance), the relief when she did like it, and the surprise when she kissed him in return. Oh, she loved him.
But given that their whole year was like this- random gifts for no reason- Kayley had to admit that Valentine's day always confused her just a bit. They already knew that they loved one another, right? Well, maybe the day was just an excuse, then, to go over the top. At least, as she shifted her grip on the several gift bags in her hands so she could hand over the money for quidditch box seats to the clerk at the Puddlemere office, Kayley rather hoped it was.
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February 14, 2003
He didn't really need an excuse to spoil her, did he? Miles had never thought so. Still, Valentine's Day was special, and if nothing else he wanted to be sure that Kathryn could walk into work on the fifteenth and proudly show off her new gifts- and make the other girls in the office jealous. From the stories she'd told him, he wondered if other girls' boyfriends even tried at all- it certainly didn't seem like it. This year, however, her gift was perhaps a touch simpler than usual- a solitary pearl necklace.
But later, as he fastened the necklace around her neck and carefully guided Kathryn to lie down in their bed- wearing nothing but said necklace- he knew he'd made the right decision. The small pearl settled just in the hollow of her neck, leaving her skin just begging to be kissed. It seemed a perfect place to start.
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February 14, 2004
This is her favorite part of Valentine's Day, really. Not that the shagging isn't incredible- it is- but afterward, when Wayne has ambled off (naked) to the kitchen, and she's left sprawled (also naked) in the middle of their mussed bed, alone with her memories and the smell of him on her pillow. Hannah just hoped it wouldn't be long before he returned. Her memories would only suffice for so long.
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February 14, 2005
Sophia was nearly to her third trimester, and Malachi still couldn't believe it sometimes. Oh, it was obvious enough when he saw her, of course, and they still shared a bed so he noticed then, but the idea of it- of twins- was still something he hadn't yet wrapped his mind around. He'd taken to fatherhood better than he expected, though Malachi honestly gave much of the credit for this to Amery- he couldn't have asked for a more incredible son.
He'd made Sophia breakfast in bed that morning, and Amery had come into their bedroom not long after that, happily giving his mummy a card he'd made himself. But now they were both napping, and Malachi was rummaging around the kitchen- he knew he'd taken a photo the other day, and he wanted to give it to Sophia properly. He had always been fond of taking pictures of her, especially when she was pregnant- he still had eyes only for her, and he very much liked reminding her of that. Ah, there it was! Malachi grinned, and quickly flipped the photo over to write a dedication: To my three favorite girls... All my love, on Valentine's Day, and every day.
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February 14, 2007
Valentine's Day had always been for Lena. Sean had decided this very early on- it only made sense, with his birthday coming the day after Valentine's, that they dedicate the fourteenth to Lena alone. And she deserved the day, of course- she'd given him four incredible children, the youngest, Logan, barely a month old now. All the children would be going to various grandparents' or aunts' or uncles' house later on that day, but for Valentine's morning, at least, Sean kept them at the house. Logan was still sleeping in the crib in his and Lena's room, but five year old Ried, three year old Ellon, and one year old ("One-an-a-quarter, da!") Alyth were all more than happy to help him make breakfast for their mum. The resulting meal wasn't really anything worthy of a five-star restaurant, but it would bring a smile to Lena's face, Sean knew that much. And, in the end, that was all that mattered.
---
February 14, 2009
They'd just passed their five year anniversary- five years since Braden's wedding, and turning down a path that, perhaps, neither one of them expected but, definitely, neither one of them regretted. There had been bumps and detours and various unexpected turns along the way- but that, Addy knew, was normal. In the end, she and Rossalyn loved one another, and that was what mattered.
The question of a family of their own had come up a few times- there were different options, of course, and she and Rossalyn had discussed all of them. Addy didn't care so long as they were able to be parents, someday- she loved her nieces and nephews all dearly, but part of her still just wanted a baby that would be hers and Rossalyn's alone. Maybe that was selfish of her, she didn't know.
Rossalyn had sent a letter off last month, officially petitioning for help in the "baby department", as they'd jokingly been calling it. It would likely be a long wait- there were various screening processes to go through before anyone would agree to help you- it was maddening, really, because all either of them were trying to do was to love a child, to offer a child a place in a very loving family. But Addy tried not to let it get her down- eventually, it would happen.
The owl came at noon, when Addy was inside, preparing lunch. She heard Rossalyn behind her, and turned- surprised to see that she was holding a pink rose in her hand. ("Me and Leslie always used to get pink roses for our mum, when we were little. I'll get you pink roses, too, when you're a mum.") "Ross...?" Addy couldn't even begin to ask the question- but she didn't have to. Ross nodded, and Addy stepped forward into a lingering kiss- their lunch, the rose, and the letter all forgotten for now. They were going to be parents.