Greta Prewett is the Throwing Stones Psychologist (mmmcupcakes) wrote in throwingstones, @ 2009-12-24 19:24:00 |
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Welcome to the most quickly put together wedding in Wizarding History. Upon arriving to Gideon and Greta's house, you would find that the door is unlocked, and the place is just a bit of a mad house. Surprisingly, thanks to Lily and Greta's charm talents, the house is very clean, but people are running around everywhere, trying to get everything done, and desperately keeping the bride and groom from seeing each other. If your presence was noticed, someone likely hollered at you that the wedding was going to take place in the garden out in the back, and told you not to worry, there were warming charms all over the place, before running up the stairs, or into the kitchen, or wherever it was they were going before they spotted you. While you made your way to the garden, wondering just how all of this was going to be pulled off, the bridal party were on separate ends of the house, finally getting ready for the ceremony. Lily had been keeping the girls on a very tight schedule (one they were already behind on), and had been forced to get Dorcas to quite literally pull Greta from the kitchen so that she could get ready. Greta, who had been cooking since Gideon left the previous night, along with the rest of her party, was running on coffee and maybe four hours of sleep at the most, but she couldn't be happier. She bounced a bit in the room Charity had set up for the girls to get ready, and had issues staying still while Dorcas did her make-up. At some point during all the getting dressed, Gideon knocked on the door and covered his eyes the second it was opened. Despite his covering, Greta hid behind the bed so he couldn't see her. Lily, of course, demanded to know what he was doing, when he produced two dozen sunflowers, Greta's favourite, for her bridal bouquet. Lily thanked him and promptly kicked him out of the room before asking Greta if she had any ribbon. Very quickly, the girls made Greta's bridal bouquet and from the remaining sunflowers flowers, each bridesmaid took one, and made boutonnieres for Gideon, Fabian, Mr Dearborn, and Mr Longbottom. Charity happily delivered the boutonnieres for the boys and Lily checked her watch, pleased to see they weren't too behind schedule. Once everyone was dressed, and Lily had ensured that they boys were as well, she sent them down to the garden to wait with Mr Dearborn and gathered the girls. She was stopped, however, when Mr Longbottom came into the room and asked for a minute alone with Greta. With a look to her watch, Lily told him he had ten minutes and then ushered Dorcas and Charity out so they could check on the food and get ready to walk down the aisle. Frank and Greta Frank stood outside Greta's door, humming quietly as he waited for the girls to clear out. They all looked so pretty and he couldn't help but grin at all of them as they filed past him. He moved carefully through the doorway, trying his hardest to walk as normal as possible, but the cane thumped as it hit the floor and he turned to close the door behind him. The sight of Greta in her wedding dress made his heart stop for a moment and he forced himself to keep his composure. He reminded himself that he could always blame the pain medication if he looked like he might cry. His face appeared over her shoulder in the mirror and he gave her the biggest smile he could, which took absolutely no effort. "You look so beautiful, Greta." It was almost here, Greta thought as the girls filed out of the room. In a matter of minutes she'd be married. All this work since Gideon left the house last night was finally leading up to this, her wedding. Her wedding to the most wonderful boy in the whole wide world, both Muggle and Wizarding. She just wished her parents could be here for it, but as she saw Mr Longbottom hobble into the room with his cane, Greta knew she had the next best thing. "Oh! Mr Longbottom!" Greta's cheeks flushed with blush at his compliment and his expression. "Thank you!" It was just the nicest thing to hear, and he was so nice for coming from the hospital when he was still injured. She felt bad dragging him away. "Thank you so much for coming, you don't know how much it means to me to have you here. Are you sure you're alright? Would you like to sit down? Goodness, you have a cane!" She was rambling because she was exhausted, and nervous, and she knew it was silly, but she just gave a bashful smile to Mr Longbottom; he'd understand. He nodded, trying not to worry her. He wasn't perfect but the drugs helped. A lot. "I'm fine, Greta. The cane helps. And you honestly think that I would let you walk down that aisle without me?" He shook his head as if to emphasise his point. "They wouldn't have let me leave if they thought I couldn't handle myself. Besides, Edgar is here as my healer babysitter." Frank crossed the room slowly, keeping the uncomfortable look from his face, and he stopped behind Greta. It was strange to feel so emotionally connected to a girl that he had no relation to, but he really did love Greta like a family member. She wasn't a part of the Order but Gideon talked about her so much and she was always at gatherings or other events. She was like an unofficial Order member, which he liked because she was less likely to end up like he was at the moment. He smiled at her through the reflection and then his smile widened. "So I have something for you." Oh! It was so wonderful to hear that Mr Bones was here as well, not only so he could look after Mr Longbottom, but so he was here to see her married too. She just adored Mr Bones and all his little children, and it was so nice of him to come. It was so nice of everyone to come, especially on Christmas Eve. She and Gideon really did have the most wonderful friends! She watched poor Mr Longbottom walk through the room and just felt awful, but if he didn't want to sit, she most certainly couldn't make him, so instead, she stood there and played with the ends of her dress out of a nervous childhood habit and watched him. "Oh Mr Longbottom, you didn't have to get me anything at all. It's so nice of you to just be here, and to be my dad for the day, I really couldn't accept anything else from you honest. You've done so much already, presents are just excessive!" Frank continued to smile as Greta protested the gift but he shook his head. "Well, it's not exactly like a gift. When you asked me about being in the wedding I wanted to get you something, but I didn't know what." Frank lifted his right arm slowly to pluck a folded page from the inside of his jacket. "It's from when I was in school. I was studying for some big exam that I'd neglected before a Quidditch match, using one of Al's books, and someone hollered into the locker room that we needed to be ready to go out in two minutes. It jumped me and I tore the page out of Al's Charms book and I didn't want him to yell so I folded it up and shoved it in my pocket. I had the best game ever, at least up to that one point, and we won by a landslide. I kept it in my pocket for every match as a good luck charm." He extended the page to Greta and shook it a little. "I think you should borrow it. So you'll have all the luck you could want walking down that aisle, not that you really need it." Greta listened very carefully to Mr Longbottom, never even thinking about interrupting him because that would be terribly rude, but she truly didn't think she deserved any present at all. Slowly though, she began to realise what he was saying, and what he was giving her, and her eyes grew quite large. "Oh Mr Longbottom!" She exclaimed as she looked at the page, taking it from him almost delicately with the hand that was not covering her mouth in surprise. "It'll be my something borrowed. It was the only other one I needed. How did you know? Thank you so so so so so so so much. Oh! I would just hug you so tightly right now if you weren't hurt." She began to feel tears well up from the pure kindness of Mr Longbottom's gesture and Greta fanned her hand in front of her face in an effort to keep them from falling. "I'm sorry." She laughed at her silliness. "This just...means so much to me, you have no idea." He grinned. "I thought it would be a nice touch so I told Dorcas not to worry about finding you something. I'm glad you like it." It made him happy to see her so happy. That was his job for the day, or at least until he gave her to Gideon. Right now Frank was a pretend father and he loved it. Someday he would be doing this for his own children, talking them through wedding stress or making sure that they looked perfect. "You can hug me, Greta. I'm not going to crumble at your feet. Just go for the waist and avoid my chest." The second Greta got the okay to hug him, she wrapped her arms around his waist tightly and avoided his chest at all costs. It was a sort of awkward hug, but it was meaningful all the same. Mr Longbottom really was her father for the day. After her dad had died, Greta had always secretly worried she wouldn't have this moment, but this was better than anything she could have possibly imagined and so try as she might, she couldn't stop a few tears from falling. She pulled away from the hug and laughed as she wiped her eye. "Oh goodness, Dorcas will murder me if I messed up her make-up job." She wiped a bit and then looked at dear Mr Longbottom. "Do I still look alright?" He reached out and wiped away the last sign of moisture from her cheek and then he leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of her head. The hug had hurt a little but he barely noticed. She was so happy and that was all that mattered to him. She had honoured him by asking this favour and a wedding was the perfect way to spend a Christmas Eve. "You look perfect." He ran his thumb over her cheek one last time and sighed quietly. One glance to the clock on the wall told him that they were dangerously low to putting everyone behind schedule. Frank extended his elbow and gave her a wide smile."So what do you say, hmm? Let's go get you married." |
The ceremony was held in Gideon and Greta's garden. The garden was indeed charmed with warming spells so that no one froze, and Gideon even made it snow with snow that disappears the second it hit the ground. White wooden seats were arranged in lines and an aisle was created in between them for the bridal party to walk down. At the end of the aisle stood Gideon, Fabian, and Caradoc, who officiated the ceremony. Then, down the aisle, came the bridesmaids in their attempted matching dresses: Charity first, then Lily, then Dorcas, each holding a single sunflower for their bouquet. Before handing Greta off to Gideon, though, Mr Longbottom, lifted Greta's veil, admired her briefly, and finally gave her a small kiss on the forehead before handing her to a waiting Gideon with a smile and a pat on the shoulder. Mr Longbottom then took a seat next to his wife. Gideon took Greta's hand and they turned to face Caradoc so that the ceremony could begin. Although the ceremony itself was simple and traditional in pure Caradoc fashion, Gideon and Greta wrote their own vows and recited them before exchanging rings. Greta's Vows "Gideon-Gideon Vows "Greta, you are the most amazing person I have ever met in my entire life. You're thoughtful and selfless and you would probably give the shirt off your back for anyone who needed it. You're patient with me no matter what, always there to offer the perfect word or a hug, right when I need it. Once the vows were said and the rings exchanged, Caradoc waved his wand over the head of the two and declared them bonded for life as stars fell from the wand. Gideon lifted Greta's veil, brushed off some remaining flour from her forehead, and he and Greta shared their first kiss as a married couple and then the two made their way down the aisle, followed by the rest of the bridal party, and the guests, back into the house, so things can get ready for dinner. Everyone gathered in the house for about ten minutes while Lily, Charity, and Dorcas set up the outside for dinner and dancing. |
The porch had been cleared before guests arrived, but now it was readied for dancing, and the garden, that only a few minutes before held chairs for the wedding, now was filled with tables and chairs set for dinner. Since Greta didn't have enough of one type of china for everyone, she just threw all the china she had at the girls, so everyone sat at varied seasonal place settings. |
Once everything was arranged, Lily announced that the guests could come back out, and everyone was invited to sit wherever they liked. Once everyone was seated, however, dinner was served. |
Once everyone finished their meal, the wedding cakes were brought out. Yes, cakes. Much to Gideon's surprise, Greta not only made a wedding cake, but a cupcake cake, because she knew cupcakes were his favourite. |
Gideon and Greta cut the cake together and after she put a little bit of icing on his nose with a giggle. Once the cake was cut and plates of it were handed out, Fabian stood up from his seat at the bridal table and gave his best man speech. Afterward, he let Dorcas speak as the Maid of Honour. "So I think all of you know me well enough to know that I'm not really a relationship person. I've just never been good at them. Or really cared enough to try that hard I guess. Anyway, the point's that I'm probably the wrong person to stand up here and give a speech about relationships. And is this the part where I should mention that I'm still on all sorts of fun potions? After the speeches, Dorcas flicked her wand, the porch lit up, and music began to play. It was time for dancing! Gideon and Greta shared the first dance together to Come Rain or Come Shine but then anyone who wanted to could join on the dance floor. After her dance with Gideon, Greta danced with Mr Longbottom, and then Fabian (who was a bit disgruntled about it), and Gideon danced with Molly and Dorcas. After that, though, they danced with everyone and anyone, although towards the end, you could see the coffee wearing off and Greta started to fall asleep in Gideon's arms. Song List of the Important Dances
James and Lily When Lily went to her sister's wedding she'd worn this same blue dress. She hadn't been in the bridal party (thankfully, as the colour was this pastel pink that made her feel washed out just looking at it) and she'd sat in the front row with her mother and picked at the hemline throughout the ceremony. The dress still had the tiny frays from that afternoon. She'd spent that entire wedding reception sitting at her table, sipping lemonade and occasionally speaking to Vernon's repulsive sister about her dogs. It was miserable. She'd shoved that blue dress to the back of her closet, and then the bottom of her trunk, and then to the back of another closet and yet a third one. When Greta had told her about the rush wedding she'd found it in it's garment bag, still fraying, in the back of the closet in Frank and Alice's guest room. But this time when she wore the dress it was different. It didn't matter that she couldn't walk more than a few steps before she was out of breath, or that every time she yelled at people for deviating from the schedule she had to sit down and waste even more precious seconds as her too-newly-healed lung struggled to keep her breathing. The Healer's at Mungo's had been horrified when she'd demanded to leave, even though they'd seen it coming the day before when Lily had nearly caused them to stun her after working through a schedule of the wedding day for Greta so hard that she'd begun coughing again. Her lung had only just been repaired, even the slightest pressure to it could cause another rupture, and stress was the last thing her body needed. But Lily had appealed, using everything she could throw at them and Eddie, and in the end it was the solemn oath that after the wedding she would spend an entire week not moving from her bed at all unless to use the loo or wash and doing everything Eddie said without objection or question. It was worth that promise. Sure Lily was sitting at a table in that same blue dress again, but this time she'd stood at the front and watched Greta and Gideon say 'I Do' and the hem of her dress was the furthest thing from her mind. She'd laughed and beamed and smiled throughout the toasts and first dances and the cutting of the cake. And as she sat there, watching the dance floor with a greedy expression she couldn't hide, she turned to her boyfriend beside her. "Just one dance, James. I promise I'll barely sway and I'll tell you if I'm in pain or feel out of breath at all. One little dance?" After all. She hadn't danced at Petunia's wedding, and this dress needed at least one spin around the floor before it was forgotten again. James had never been to a wedding before, and the thought of having to get all dressed up wasn't the most appealing to the teen who spent most of his life in trainers and jeans. But this was Greta and Gideon's wedding after all; their very sudden wedding, but it was still a special day for them no less. One problem that came along with being the bloke that constantly wore trainers and jeans was that when sudden weddings came up, there was often a mad dash to find something suitable to wear. So of course, he had turned to his mother. Lily was in no shape to make him go out and buy something, and was probably taxing herself too much simply by all of the planning that she had taken upon herself for this day. Sirius may have had some sort of understanding of this entire "being proper" thing, but it didn't feel right asking him about this. Thankfully James' father had had a similar build when younger, and so it was a set of his dress robes that was donned for the occasion. It made him feel stuffy, or something like that, being so fancied up. And he couldn't shake off the nearly teary "Oh, James" his mother had spoken when he first tried on this get-up. It felt like there was something lying underneath that Elaine had wanted to say, but simply held back. The ceremony and reception had an odd air about it, at least in James' mind. Less than a week ago had been the giant brouhaha at the Ministry, and slowly but surely things were returning back to normal. Ish. His shoulder was no longer giving him problems, and short of running a marathon or rolling around on the ground laughing, neither were his ribs. It was Lily that he was still concerned with, though after watching the fight she had put up to be released from Mungo's knew with a certainty that she would soon be fine. Sitting at that table staring off over the heads of the people dancing, he stuck his index finger under his tie and loosened it slightly. Being no stranger to wearing ties from his days at school, he still swore it was strangling him. Or maybe it was some odd side effect of having actually done something with his hair today. Instead of sticking up in every direction, it was smoothed down. Or at least as much as James Potter's often messy hair would allow. It was when Lily spoke to him that a possibly pained look crossed over his face at her request. "Uhm, are you sure that'd be the best thing, Lils? I mean, you've only gotten released and they said to..." His voice trailed off at the look she gave him, and was replaced by a sigh. "Fine. One little, itty, bitty dance. That's all," he tried to sound stern, but it didn't work. Admittedly, he was worried that dancing might fall under the category of overexertion in his girlfriend's case, but that wasn't the only reason he was averse to dancing. Some people might not want to dance because they couldn't. In his case, it was the complete opposite. When he was younger his mother had taken it upon herself to teach her easily distracted and overly enthusiastic son to ballroom dance. It had started off simple enough with the waltz, before moving onto the foxtrot and quickstep, followed by the basics of the Viennese waltz across the large front room of the Potter residence. He had managed to talk his way out of learning to tango. This was possibly a trait looked favourably upon by certain people, but to James it was not something he liked to acknowledge. Ballroom dancing wasn't very manly, after all. He swore his palms had started to sweat at the prospect of what he had agreed on, and considered for a moment pretending like he didn't know how to dance, finally deciding to throw caution to the wind. Standing up right as a slower song began to play, he extended a hand to Lily with a crooked grin. "May I have this dance, Mizz Evans?" Helping her up, he let out another small sigh before leading her to the dance floor and staring dumbly down at her for a few seconds. "Alright. Just... follow my lead." Placing one hand on her upper back, and the other on her waist, simply because raising her arm as one was supposed to do might hurt her, he gave her a small nod. The dance might not have matched perfectly to the music, and been a little dated in this setting, but it didn't require that much movement, and so in his eyes it was much better than possibly going with something that could injure her again. Yes, making a fool out of oneself was preferable to that. Giving no explanation as to how he suddenly knew how to dance, James started off with a simple box step, though totally disregarding the rise and fall of the steps because he could. When James had started to protest Lily had immediately put on her biggest, widest, most pleading eyes. If anyone could overestimate their abilities, it was Lily Evans. She knew it was probably a bad idea, and she knew she wouldn't manage much more than a couple of turns, but the idea of dancing at this wedding with James was just too good to pass up. So when James finally conceded, standing up and offering her his hand, Lily had to physically restrain herself from jumping out of her chair and bouncing. Since that was bound to lead to shortness of breath and another coughing fit. Taking very slow and deliberate movements, Lily put her hand in James' and let him pull her up and walk her out to the floor, being careful to use him for most of the momentum so she could save her energy for the exertion she was sure to face while dancing. Even if it was only swaying. But it wasn't. While Lily couldn't see the expression of shocked surprise that was sure to be broadcast on her face, she had no doubt it was there and probably comical. James could dance. Gazing up at him with that same dumbfounded expression, Lily let him lead. Her steps fell easily behind his as she tried to remember the grace and poise eight years of ballet had taught her before she'd gone to Hogwarts. "You never told me you had twinkletoes," she finally managed to say, once she got past her surprise enough to actually say anything at all. It felt so nice to be dancing, to be moving and celebrating. Despite the simple moves and the obvious care both of them were putting in to make sure Lily didn't injure her still fragile ribs or even more fragile lung, she couldn't help but feel that this moment was the most carefree and happy she'd felt in a long, long time. It was even easy to ignore the slight twinge she was feeling deep in her chest. It didn't actually hurt, and she wasn't short of breath, and she really didn't want the moment to end. So she pushed it aside and focused on her feet following James and the music around them and the laugh she couldn't help at just how perfect this whole day was. James' most definitely caught that look of shocked surprise on Lily's face and opened his mouth to say something before rethinking it. When she finally spoke he let out a small pained chuckle and shook his head ever so softly. "I'm not entirely sure what that phrase means... My mum taught me when I was a kid. She said it'd make me well-rounded." The cat was already out of the bag, so there was no reason to not go along with her possibly emasculating words, right? Still leading, he took eased them from that "stationary" position as his patented infuriatingly smug grin came about. "Besides you never asked," he beamed at down at her. Okay, fine, it was just dancing. There were worse things he could be spied doing than that, and it didn't take him long to completely forget that there may be people watching them. James chose to focus on Lily instead; she really did look gorgeous. He had seen her in various stages of dressed up before, but today she looked absolutely stunning. How he had managed to pick his jaw up off of the floor when he first saw her all dolled up was beyond him. The corner of his lip had been quirking up further into a smile when he saw that look of concern pass over her face, followed soon after by the not quite believable replacement for her smile. He himself frowned as their movements stopped. "Okay," James said softly, bringing his hand that had been on her shoulder blade to rest lightly below her right breast. "I think that's enough dancing for now, love," he directed as he took a half-step back from Lily, a knowing look sent to tell her she wasn't going to talk her way out of this. "Let's go sit back down." Dammit. How had he gotten to read her so well? She wanted to brush his concern aside, and claim that she'd just been thinking about something else, but she knew that look, and even though Lily could talk James into almost anything she wanted she was unfortunately sure that even she would be beyond talking him into continuing the dance. Reluctantly she dropped her arms back to her side in resignation. "It didn't actually hurt," she muttered petulantly as she let him walk her gently back to their table, her hand unconsciously going to the spot his had been just a moment before. The twinge was still faint, but slightly stronger. Alright, maybe sitting down wasn't the worst idea. Sitting back in her chair, Lily took a long drink of her water. Due to the various pain potions and the potions that helped strengthen her lung, she'd been advised to avoid alcohol until she was off of them. Just another thing to add to the list of grievances against the Death Eaters. Putting the glass down, she turned and folded her arms over the back of her chair, resting her cheek against them as she cast a longing look back towards the dance floor. So many colours and smiles twirling and moving to the music. "When we get married you're going to dance all night," she said wistfully, and almost more to herself than to the boy next to her, "you can't get out of it now." Her words earned her nothing more but that Look intensified for a moment, before it softened as he led her back to the table they had been sitting at with a hand on her lower back. After helping her sit back down, he took his seat next to her and also looked back out onto the dance floor, his hand coming up to mess with his tie again. James froze in place when he heard her words, then canting his head to the side a bit as he directed his gaze at her peering off at the other wedding guests. "Yeah?" The thought of marriage in regards to the girl in his line of sight had come to mind before - a few times - but he had never actually mentioned it to her, not knowing exactly how it would be taken. He knew Lily loved him, but that was something that you didn't take lightly. On the flip side, she had never once spoken a single word about this subject as it could possibly apply to them. For a moment he considered asking her what exactly she had meant by that, but decided to take it for what it was worth and go with it. By the time words left his mouth again, a smile was shining from ear to ear. "Nothing against Greta and Gid, but I think our wedding should have music that's not so... waltzy." Tilting her head so she could properly glare at James, Lily didn't manage the look for long before she smiled at him. "It isn't waltzy. It's lovely. And you can't complain since you know how to waltz. You're going to have to give me lessons beforehand, you realise. You can't outshine the bride on her wedding." Some part of Lily's brain was flashing warning bells at her, screaming that she was only eighteen. That they hadn't even been dating a full year yet. Well, they'd technically been snogging for over a year but she hadn't actually admitted to anything until February, so it really didn't count. Right? Not right. Lily pushed that thought aside. They were at a beautiful wedding for two of their friends. She had been in the wedding, helped organise the wedding, so it was only natural for a girl in a relationship to think about her own wedding. They could be hypothetical, especially in this moment. It was allowed. Lily's smile widened, she couldn't help it, not when James' was so wide. "And I want daisies. Lots of daisies. And sunshine too, though I suppose I can't control that part." Lily wasn't the only one to be smacked with the severity of exactly what they were talking about. It was about the time she referred to herself as a potential bride that his mind started reeling. They were both only eighteen, still barely out of school and struggling to find their place in the world. Yet none of this stopped him from continuing on, "It is waltzy, but I think lessons can be arranged. Though I don't really think you have any reason to worry about being outshone. It's not possible." Was this really happening? Was he seriously sitting here discussing the details of weddings - even if in jest - with Lily Evans? The same girl he had managed to rub wrong the very first time they met, before hopelessly and endlessly trying to catch her attention for the next six years? This was surreal, to say the least. Caught up in the giddiness that came along with this all, he moved to the edge of his seat so that he could lean forward and drape an arm around her waist loosely. "We'll get daises, Gerber daisies. As many as you'd like. Stick 'em everywhere, I don't care." Chortling again, he brushed his lips against hers and pulled back with that stupid grin having grown more, if that was possible. "And I'm sure we know someone that can charm up some sunshine, if we need. You can even make a chart to see who would be the most qualified," he teased. Leaning her face up to meet his, Lily kissed him back before resting her head on his shoulder instead of back against her hands. She didn't know when she'd thought about her own wedding to know she wanted daisies and sunshine, but somehow, at some point, she must have. Because she just kept going, like some filterless ten year old girl with a bridal magazine and a barbie doll. "I want white Gerber daisies. My bridesmaids can have the multicoloured ones. Each a different colour, but it can't be the colour of their dress. The colours have to alternate. But their flower colour has to match the flower in their groomsman's boutenir. Which means you're flower would be white, like mine. We can make Sirius' pink. He'll love it, I'm sure." Closing her eyes, Lily began to feel the adrenalin of the day seeping out of her as her chest rose and fell in even, if slightly too shallow, breaths. She was still recovering, and the day would have been exhausting for a healthy girl, but for one still recovering from a massive lung collapse... well she was beginning to feel it even if she didn't want to be. She didn't want to leave James or this wedding and go back to her guest bedroom and lay bored for a week. She wanted the night to continue. To lay in bed with James and continue to discuss stupid things like flowers. Or cake! She hadn't even gotten to the cake yet. And why not? She didn't have to go on bed rest till tomorrow. She still had tonight. "James," she started, after that tentative silence following her babbling about flowers, "can I go home with you tonight?" He was almost positive his eyes glazed over at some point during that well thought out? little spiel Lily had gone on, and it was with raised brows that he looked down at her resting on his shoulder. "Looks like you're going to be making tonnes of charts," he muttered in a still amused tone, "But I think we might have to go with pink for Remus. Sirius and I are still trying to convince him that it's his favourite colour. I think he'd look good in lavender, though." Where had all of that come from on her part? James wasn't sure he wanted to know the thought process that went behind how women decided all of these things. It did make him wonder if these plans had been laid out in a generalised manner, or something a little more personally invested to he himself. Asking didn't seem like the proper thing to do right now, as that could take them from lightheartedly throwing ideas back and forth into a serious discussion. "Mm?" he responded as he kissed her temple. There was a pause as he weighed his answer carefully, he knew that things weren't considered safe for her - the entire reason she had been living in the Longbottom's guest room - but would be lying if he said he didn't want a night with her in his own bed. "Of course. Well, I mean as long as it's alright with Frank and Alice. You know you don't have to ask me, Lils." Lily was quiet as she considered his affirmative response. There were issues, like her lung and her ribs, as well as the obvious one of Death Eaters probably watching his place for her. But it was also Christmas Eve. Death Eaters had families too, right? Chances were they weren't going to want to wait around in the cold watching the house of a teenage boy who for all they knew wasn't even going to be home because he had family and friends to celebrate with. If any night was a good night for her to go to his place then it was now. Opening her eyes she looked up at him for a moment before sitting up and pushing herself to her feet. "I'll go talk Alice into it," she stated, bending and giving him another kiss. "And I don't know, how does Sirius feel about orange?" she finished cheekily as she turned and made her way carefully through the crowd, holding onto chair backs and tables when she could as she headed towards Alice. She'd have to agree. Lily had been so good with this being in hiding thing, and then the injury, and now the bed rest that was coming... what was wrong with one night of enjoyment before it all happened? Her coming over to stay the night in the midst of all of this may not have been the most amazing plan these two had ever cooked up, but James found he couldn't say no to her request. She was supposed to be on bed rest, and taking it easy, so what did it matter just what bed she was in? It wasn't as if he had an ulterior motive for wanting his girlfriend over, after all. There were no delusions as to the fact that they probably would only lay there in his bed talking for as long as they could keep their eyes open, and that in itself sounded brilliant to him. Any Death Eaters after her were going to have to bugger off; there wasn't enough room for that many people in his bed. His hand stayed on her waist for support as she stood, sitting up straight to meet her for that quick kiss. "Alright. I'll be here, seeing if I can find him to convince him that his new favourite colour is orange." Eying her walk away, yet again he messed with that royal blue tie, going as far as to actually undo the knot this go around. James didn't look for Sirius, though, choosing instead to watch Lily as she approached Alice, that stupid grin not wanting to leave his face. Rationally one could say that all of that had proven nothing other than they both had a good sense of humor, but it did make a few things he had tried to push away in the past come to float through his thoughts. Yes! Alice had said yes. And with very minimal begging on Lily's part too. How or why it was so easy were very good questions indeed, but Lily found that for the moment she really didn't care about the rationale behind them. It was only her injury that kept Lily from jumping and hugging the other woman, which was probably for the best, all things considered, and instead she just beamed at her as she promised to be back on the Twenty-Fifth and reiterated the promise to stay in bed all week before turning back to James and giving him a thumbs up from across the room before making her way back to him. It was a tedious journey, especially with how exhausted her body was feeling at the moment. But the sheer enjoyment she'd felt all day - from watching Greta put on her veil and grab her bouquet, to the sight of Frank hobbling down the aisle with a cane to give her away, to the vows and the toasts and the way Greta just seemed to glow - had only magnified after the world's shortest dance with her surprisingly graceful boyfriend and that silly conversation about flowers. And now this. She could really stay at James' tonight. It was practically a miracle day. Her mind flowed back though, to the flowers. It was silly, wasn't it? The conversation? Really, they had such a long time to think about planning weddings. It was nothing more than whimsy to be laughing about it now. Lily was just about to push the thought out of her head when she paused to cough, tilting her head to the side and covering her mouth with the crook of her elbow. Coughing wasn't good, and it made the twinge she felt earlier hurt even more with the vibrations. That's when it hit her. She could have died. He could have died. And those years she'd been counting on to mature and find their place and end the war before rushing into anything... they could have all been for naught. Having paused for that cough, Lily looked back at James, now only a few tables away, her eyes big with this sudden epiphany she'd never realised before. Within the past month they'd faced Death Eaters together on two separate occasions and barely escaped, and both times with bad injuries. What if next time-- Lily shook her head, resuming her walk back to James. She was not going to think about that tonight. Tonight was a good night, it was filled with joy and happiness and love and all those things that came in a greeting card. Death Eaters and time running out had no place in her thoughts on a night like tonight. Instead she remembered the effortless way James had led her across the floor, the smile on his face when they discussed sunshine on their wedding, and the way he'd matched his tie to her dress for today. Those were good thoughts. So when Lily finally, gratefully, sank back into her seat it was with a renewed and genuine smile she greeted James with. "Let's sneak out, before Eddie psychically realises that I'm not going to Alice and Frank's and reminds us all how dangerous it is," she suggested, her eyes sparkling with this forbidden mischief she seldom took part in. Today had been a good day, and she was determined that tonight would be just as happy. James continued to keep his line of sight on her, sitting up a bit straighter when he saw cough and then pause, poised to jump up and go over to her as Lily looked back at him with wide eyes. Starting to push himself up when she shook her head and continued towards him, there were a million questions wanting to leave his lips, most of them amounting to "Are you alright?", though there undoubtedly were a few pertaining to their previous conversation. For what it was worth, as he studied her coming closer, she didn't look to be in any pain. Just tired, but that could be expected after today even without having been released from the hospital not too long ago. Not wanting to be overbearing in making sure she was feeling alright enough. His look of concern split into a grin again as she suggested they make a run for it. Chuckling, he took her hand in his and leaned over to peck her on the lips before finally standing. "Damn, I knew I should have brought my invisibility cloak." "You don't need a cloak when you have skills," Lily pointed out, letting him help her up and slip an arm around her waist to support her as they slipped from the distracted crowd and up to the house. "If anyone asks, you're just taking me back since I'm tired. No lies. We don't have to specify where I'm going back to." So with a shared smile and one last kiss, Lily let James apparate her away from the wedding and back to his flat. She'd deal with the consequences tomorrow when things weren't so c'est la vie. Fabian and Dorcas PLACEHELD FOR DORCAS AND FABIAN ABOUT TO HAVE 'I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE ENTERING PURIST SOCIETY' SEX Frank and Alice The wedding had been the best way Alice could have imagined spending Christmas Eve. It really beat Chinese takeout and talking with Frank by the tree that Lily decorated. And even though she was never one for sentiment and romance, some of the things said that evening had been really touching. It was a last minute, but wonderful way to spend the holiday, with everyone she loved, no one arguing, everyone putting aside their differences for just one night. For Gideon and Greta. They were that couple that made you believe in all that shite that Alice hated to admit she believed in. And Frank. Just watching him walk Greta down the aisle brought up all those feelings of the child that she'd pushed down and let work take over. He was such a father, and as he hobbled down the aisle with Greta on his arm, part of Alice saw their future where one day he would do that for their daughter. She'd watched him dance with the bride, despite his limp, despite his cane, and despite all the pain he had to be in because he'd been destroyed in that battle, and yet he just had a smile on his face through it all. Part of it was pain potions, she was sure, but part of her knew Frank was pushing through everything because he wanted to. It was what was going to make him an amazing father. It was getting late though, guests were trickling out, but she didn't want to make him leave yet. He looked like he was having such a nice time, and they didn't have to work tomorrow; they'd just spend the day in bed. She was so focused on him that she didn't even notice the song that came on until she saw a familiar hand in front of her face. The Way You Look Tonight. Alice smiled at Frank and took his hand, letting him lead her onto the makeshift dance floor where Gideon and Greta were wrapped sleepily in each other's arms. "Hey." She said softly and pressed against him, her cheek against his chin. "Good song." Earlier that afternoon Frank had been absolutely begging to be let out of the hospital. He wasn't nearly as fidgety as Al was, but being in a hospital for nearly a week was being to take it's toll on his sanity. Above and beyond being bored there was something very important he had to do and he was not about to let Greta down because he had a broken leg or stitches or skin that had been regrown. So they let him leave and he'd walked Greta down the aisle, if only because Edgar was there and could provide healer supervision. The Lestranges had gone free and a lot of men and women had died, but Frank needed to focus on something good. Greta and Gideon were that something and he was so happy to be part of their special night. It had been so simple and random, but it was so Greta and Gideon, and seeing them as happy as they were made his heart glow. When the final song of the evening started to pour from the record player Frank couldn't hide the smile that crept onto his face. Frank was no expert on Muggle anything, but he'd heard this song before he and Alice's wedding and he knew that it was perfect. She'd agreed, clearly, and it had been their first dance as a married couple. He had been talking to Caradoc and Edgar when it had started playing and he excused himself. He limped across the dance floor until he was standing in front of his wife and she took his hand without question. "It's not bad, I'll give it that." He smiled warmly and he wrapped his left arm around her waist. His right arm was still badly damaged but it was strong enough to hold his cane as long as he didn't put pressure on it, so the dancing wasn't fancy, but it was dancing. "Thank you for everything, Alice. I wouldn't have made it through this week without you." "You'd have made it through just fine," Alice reassured Frank softly, "you just would have drowned in your paperwork when you got back to the office." She smirked up at him, an amused glint in her eye. It was easier to make jokes than to be serious right now. She knew Frank very well could have died with all those injuries, and she just wasn't comfortable thinking that she was the reason he'd pulled through. It was Edgar and those healers, she hadn't done much but do his paperwork at the Hospital and manage not to kill Dorcas. "I'm really glad you don't have to go back tonight." She confessed quietly. It was silly and romantic and all those things she hated, but it was true. The thought of spending Christmas Eve in the hospital had made her a little sick, even if she knew it would have been the safest thing. They swayed carefully, clinging to each other as the song played. Frank was unaware that anyone else existed at that moment as he stared at his wife. He'd had all the same thoughts that she had. There were quite a few times during the battle and the hours that followed where he'd been sure his life was coming to an end. He knew that he owed Andrew, Emmeline, Edgar, and Alice his life. They'd saved him. When she made the comment about not going back he smiled and lifted his arm carefully so she could spin underneath it. Once she settled back against him he resumed their gentle sway as he thought about their living room, all decorated and waiting to be enjoyed. Frank never gave much thought to the room, but after being away from home for so long all he really wanted to do was sit on the sofa with Alice and a glass of wine, talking as late as he could stay awake. "I'm glad too. It'll be another quiet Christmas Eve at home and I couldn't think of anything more perfect." Alice was hesitant to spin, only too afraid of hurting Frank, but she did so anyway, as carefully as possible. The dance, if you could even call it that, it was more like a sway, was so delicate, and it seemed apt. Everything had been handled so delicately lately, life was like an eggshell, just waiting to crack. The war, her marriage, it was all too close to breaking, just like this dance. Still, she came back to Frank's arms, just like she had after every time something had broken, so at least she had that. She always had Frank to come back to. "Me neither." Alice smiled softly, envisioning their perfectly quaint Christmas. One day, they wouldn't have quiet Christmases. They'd have Christmases with children screaming and waking them up as soon as the sun rose, but for now, she was incredibly content with just having Frank. "What you did today, for Greta, that was really great of you." She looked up to Frank with a sad sort of smile that came from the feelings of the child she feared they might never have crept up, "You're going to be a great dad one day, Frank." He smiled at the word. Dad. He'd had the thought himself multiple times that day, like the moment he'd seen Greta in front of the mirror. She'd been so nervous but he pretended not to notice and instead he'd just talked to her. He had an issue with becoming too attached to people, like Dorcas, and sometimes he couldn't help but feel a bit paternal toward them, especially when they had no family of their own. "I hope so." He leaned in and kissed her cheek lightly as he held her against him. It was the most physical contact he'd had for a week and he wanted to take advantage of being out of a hospital bed. "Someday we'll be parents, Alice. It'll be terrifying and brilliant, and you'll be a fantastic mother. It'll happen when it happens. As ridiculous as it is, I would be thrilled if it was tomorrow." Gideon's words earlier had stuck with him. You never know how much time you have, so make the most of it and take a leap. "I love you." The kiss to her cheek was the most affection that Alice had received since the night of the vibrator incident really, and although she wasn't one to crave contact, after everything that had happened, it was possibly the most wonderful kiss she'd ever received. It even made his statement that she'd be a fantastic mother unlaughable. Despite this desire for a child, Alice doubted her nurturing capabilities more than any other trait of hers. It was probably more likely that she and Dorcas would become the best of friends before she possessed the necessary traits to be a good mother, but she wouldn't fight Frank. Not now, not tonight. Tonight, she'd believe him, no matter how ridiculously optimistic he seemed. "I love you too." She replied and pressed herself closer to him, so careful not to hurt him, but wanting to be close to him just the same. "Just the way you look tonight." She sang softly, and likely a bit out of tune before leaning up to kiss his lips. He was strong. He could handle a kiss. Frank's small smile grew into a grin as she sang along and he looked at her with an amused and enamoured expression. He closed his eyes briefly as she edged up to kiss him and he kissed her back slowly, not caring that people might be watching. Let them stare. He'd been in the hospital for nearly a week, for Merlin's sake. He was allowed to kiss his wife. He broke the kiss finally and pressed his cheek against hers as they continued to turn awkwardly on the dance floor. He was bound and determined to end this war so that moments like this weren't few and far between. "We should just sneak out. People will forgive us. No one will even notice, I'm sure. It's late and we both should be in bed. We are practically elderly." Alice smirked up at Frank and thought about his plan for a moment. Immediately, she pushed back any of her mother's lectures on politeness and looked around the room instead. He was right, no one would notice. People were talking, or dancing, and Greta and Gideon looked like they were sleep dancing more than anything else. Besides, they wouldn't be the first people leaving, and damnit after a week of sharing her husband with St Mungo's, Edgar, Al, and Dorcas, she deserved a night alone with him. Sorry Gideon and Greta. "You're right." She smirked up at him and looked around for a way out. "Now what's the best way out...?" Frank gave a nod. It sounded like a brilliant plan. There were enough couples on the dance floor and they could probably slip away unnoticed. The wrath of the crowd was worth a Christmas Eve alone with his wife. He'd earned it. He glanced around, making note of the potential 'escape routes'. "Okay, so we can't really make an honest to goodness run for it," at this point he smirked and tapped his leg. "But I think we can make it look as if we're just going inside to grab something to drink. No one will ever suspect that we're up to no good. We'll just send Greta and Gideon a note tomorrow explaining our freak disappearance." Alice nodded her head in agreement. "Right, and there's no need to warn Lily because I told her she could stay at James's tonight." She sent her husband a brief smirk before looking around. Greta looked like she was pretty much asleep in Gideon's arms, and though Alice really couldn't blame her, she knew their window of opportunity was slowly closing. "Drinks are outside, we'll go inside and look at the Christmas tree Greta was telling us about earlier...I bet you it's nicer than ours." Frank grinned. "Bet we won't even have a chance to find out." He pulled her from the dance floor and towards the back door, avoiding everyone as they slipped into the house. Sinatra was singing his last notes and Frank and Alice were gone without a single glance to the Christmas tree. The party lasted until the last person left, but as everyone did leave, they received their Christmas Present as their wedding favour. |