WHAT: Carol & Emme's Valentine's breakfast & gift exchange (+ the grand debut of Madam Puddifoot's) WHERE: Madam Puddifoot's WHEN: This morning WARNINGS: Lots and lots of cute STATUS: Complete
This was the first time in years Carol had properly celebrated one of the most commercialized holidays on Earth. The last time she’d had a partner to share this arbitrary love day with had been literal decades ago. Back then it was in secret, like everything else during that time. Out and proud and committed in the Air Force hadn’t been an option.
Everything was different these days, especially so in Vallo. No one gave a shit about her sexuality, what she was doing, where she was going — in a good way. No one so much as blinked when she talked about her girlfriend, no one judged her. She was judged more often on her coffee choices than her orientation. It was so freeing. She’d been out on her own for decades, but even that hadn’t given her the freedom she’d found here. She could be happy here, take a breath, be a person instead of a superhero, getting her hands dirty in intergalactic matters. She got to fall in love and show it off to the whole damn world without worrying about shirking her duties.
So, even though she totally thought Valentine’s Day was an overly commercialized crock of shit, it was her first with Emmeline and she was excited to celebrate with the woman she loved. And to do that, she had decided to pull them both out of their comfortable little bubble of domestic bliss to go on an actual date. She’d even bought an outfit for the occasion and made a reservation that evening for dinner.
But their day started well before dinner. First stop (after a very early wakeup call) was an extra sugary breakfast at this cheesily adorable little shop she’d passed by yesterday. This particular storefront had caught her eye on patrol, and she’d found herself staring. She wouldn’t call herself a Vallo expert — she wasn’t sure anyone around here could make that claim with how often things changed here, even the natives — but this hadn’t seemed familiar. It was wedged between a bookstore and what looked like an old-fashioned barber shop, complete with striped barber’s pole, and it certainly stood out.
It may not be her usual cup of tea (pun intended), but it was cutesy and this bright, obnoxious pink and seemed appropriate for a holiday that was a bright, obnoxious pink, too. She thought Emme would appreciate the excess of cheese right along with her, so that was where she brought her this morning, in jeans and an appropriate hoodie for now; she’d have time to change for their big date later on. She stopped them right in front of one of the shop’s windows, filled to the brim with impossibly balanced stacks of teacups and teapots that you couldn’t even see past to get a look inside. Pretty nifty trick.
“What do you think?” She grinned and nudged Emme’s shoulder gently with her own. Talk about feeling the Valentine’s Day spirit; this place had it in spades.
Emmeline loved Valentine’s Day. Not as much as Christmas, mind you, but it was certainly in her top three favourite holidays. It wasn’t just about celebrating her significant other (on the rare occasion that she actually had one come February), but rather all the people she loved. In her school days she’d wake up early and coax the house elves into helping her decorate their dormitory. She’d surprise her friends with presents and shower them with hugs and kisses throughout the day.
As she’d grown older and experienced more and more loss, some of her enthusiasm dimmed, but it never went away entirely. Now in Vallo it burned brighter than ever, and she was thrilled to be able to spend the day with Carol.
It hadn’t taken much to entice Emmeline out of bed that morning, as the prospect of a surprise perked her right up. She dressed in a red sweater mini and a pair of thigh high boots that she was certain would make her girlfriend go momentarily speechless. Then tucked Carol’s present inside her bag. She wasn’t certain where they would end up, and wanted to have the gift on hand in case the perfect opportunity presented itself.
She was regaling Carol with some of her Hogwarts Valentines antics when they finally came to a stop in front of the shop. Emme stared in disbelief at the building a few feet in front of her. She knew every inch of that frilly, pink exterior. She also knew that once they’d step inside, she’d find it just as familiar. “Madam Puddifoot's!” She let out a laugh and turned to Carol, already beaming. “Carol, do you know what this shop is?”
Carol hadn’t expected the familiarity in Emmeline’s voice in the slightest. She knew all sorts of things could pop into Vallo from other worlds without warning, but she hadn’t suspected this shop — Madam Puddifoot’s, she still couldn’t get over that name — was anything other than another piece of Vallo’s typical weirdness. Maybe it only appeared around Valentine’s Days so citizens could get their overflow of sap. She’d even popped inside to check it out, and there didn’t seem to be any actual staff, but the place was definitely up and operating. She assumed it was just another facet of Vallo’s magic at work. Now she assumed she’d been mistaken.
“I’m guessing it’s from your world?” That had to be the case. Strange coincidence but a happy one judging by the big smile on her girlfriend’s face. She found herself beaming right back, giving the hand in hers a good squeeze. “I totally knew that,” she declared. It was obvious she hadn’t, actually, but hell if she wouldn’t take the credit for making Emme that happy.
Emme laughed again as her girlfriend played along. She leaned in and kissed Carol quickly before pulling them toward the door. “I spent so many Hogsmeade afternoons in here with the girls. This is absolutely perfect.”
As she stepped through the doorway and heard the familiar tinkling of bells, Emme was transported back home, just for a moment. There were a few pieces of home here in Vallo - the Leaky, Hogwarts - but they were both different enough that it wasn't quite the same. This place, though, was exactly as she remembered it. Right down to the smells and sounds. She breathed in deeply. Madam Puddifoot herself didn’t appear as she would have in Hogsmeade, but the shop was clearly being run by someone…or something. “Madam Puddifoot?” Emme called out curiously. When no answer came and no one else appeared she turned back to Carol. “That’s odd.”
No sooner were the words out of her mouth than a golden cherub appeared above their heads and tossed red, pink, and white confetti hearts over both of them.
Carol happily accepted that kiss and allowed herself to be pulled into the shop without any complaint. She’d already been enjoying hearing Emme’s reminiscences of Valentines past at Hogwarts, but she had a feeling she would be hearing plenty more today if this place was from Hogsmeade. And she was good with that. She liked hearing stories of Emme’s Wizarding World. It was something she couldn’t imagine existing in her world — just like she suspected Emme probably would never imagine aliens existing in her world.
For some reason, despite the name above the door, the last thing she’d expected was for the proprietor to actually be called Madam Puddifoot. It sounded like a name she’d have heard on another planet and filed away to laugh about at a later time. She hadn’t run across anyone that seemed to run the place during her pitstop the other day, but if this Madam Puddifoot knew Emme, maybe she’d materialize. It was always worth a try.
And then they were showered with confetti out of nowhere and she sputtered in surprise.
“What the—” She shook her head, swatting at the shower of tiny hearts with a laugh. “Well, that’s festive. And a little creepy.” The golden cherub made a face at her for that particular descriptor, and she stuck her tongue out at him.
Emme reached up to pick a piece of confetti out of Carol’s hair. “Valentines was one of the most popular days of the year in this place. Madam P would go all out.” She gestured to the cherub who was scattering his paper hearts across the rest of the room. “Normally these tables would be so crammed together you could hardly walk past them without bumping into something.” She looked around once more for good measure to make sure there wasn’t anyone else in there.
“If we can have the place to ourselves, that’s quite the achievement. I’m just going to pop in the back to double check, and maybe make us some tea.”
“Okay, baby,” Carol agreed, watching as Emme vanished into the back of the shop. She took the free moment to head back to the door, flipping the little teapot-shaped Open sign over to the Sorry, Closed side and drawing the shade down to the bottom edge of the window. If Emme wanted this place to be just for them, it would be just for them, she would make it so.
She had to admit, now that she had more than a minute to look around, this place was cute. A little too pink and frilly and overall girly for her usual tastes, definitely cramped, but it fit today’s theme. She didn’t even flinch when she lingered at a table too long and that damn cherub doused her with more confetti. She hoped he’d take a break when he realized no one else was coming in, but he seemed to take his duties very seriously.
“Em, you think these pastries are any good?” she called out, plucking open one of the small display cases to pull a little red-frosted cupcake free. It felt and smelled pretty fresh, but she’d let Emmeline give the final go-ahead.
Normally Emmeline was exceedingly wary of new and unexpected happenings. One didn’t fight in multiple wars without developing a healthy sense of paranoia. With that being said, however, she had a good feeling about this place. Perhaps it was part of whatever Vallo-magic had brought it here in the first place, but Emme wasn’t concerned about any of the items in the shop. She picked up a cake that was cooling on the counter in the back and tested it for any spells. Nothing, it seemed, other than butter, sugar, and flour. “They’re fine!” She called back to Carol as she swiped a fingertip through the cake’s frosting and licked it away.
After a brief exploration of the back, Emme determined that the two of them were well and truly alone in the shop. Wanting to make the best of this Valentine’s Day gift, she set about making them some tea. A few moments later she reappeared up front with a silver tray in her hands. It was laden with teacups, saucers, sugar, milk, and some slices of cake. “Table for two?”
Carol wasted no time popping the cupcake she’d chosen into her mouth but put the cover back on the case when she’d finished. She would be patient and wait for Emme to make her reappearance and did so by leaning against the counter, watching the golden cherub progress around the shop. He had to have circled the empty shop three times by now, but he just kept going, eventually returning to dump more confetti on her. She was sure it was embedded into her hair by now, but she’d decided to consider it more festive that way.
When Emme emerged from the back with a tray of tea and cake made up for them, she grinned and plucked it out of her hands, leaning in to kiss her softly. “That sounds perfect. Think we can make it a little cozier?” The chairs were nice here, the comfy sort that were cushioned and not just wood and hard backed. But she was thinking something a little more cuddly - a loveseat? It was Valentine’s Day, after all; she wanted her girlfriend draped over her as much as possible.
A grin spread over Emme’s face as she tugged her wand free (it had been safely tucked away inside her boot). “Your wish, my command.” With a flick of her wrist, she transfigured two of the chairs into a cozy loveseat for them. Another swish and one of the tables became lower and longer. The perfect height to set their treats on while cuddling on the couch.
“And for my final trick!” She waved her arm and both the loveseat and the table floated up into the air. She directed them with her wand and set them down gently in front of the fireplace. She stashed her wand away again and turned back toward Carol. “Better?”
“Much,” Carol agreed with a nod of approval. “What a show, your sorcery is unparalleled, babe.” She carried the tray over to sit on the low table, then settled down on the loveseat herself, leaning right over to get to concocting their preferred teas. This wasn’t her first rodeo - not even close, after so many months together - and she knew exactly how Emme preferred to take hers.
“I’m glad this whole surprise thing worked out so well,” she said, presenting Emme with her cup and saucer. “So, tell me what kind of havoc you wreaked here, troublemaker. Did you and the girls get poor Madam Puddifoot’s blood pressure up on the regular?”
With another grin at the situation, Emmeline followed behind and joined Carol on the loveseat. She couldn’t have planned things better if she’d tried. She’d known today would be memorable for her regardless, as it was her first time celebrating with Carol. Now, however, it was very firmly cemented in her memory, and she knew it always would be. As she leaned in to accept the tea, Emme stole a brief kiss.
“Who me?” Emme batted her eyelashes innocently over the rim of her cup. “I was excellently behaved and never did anything wrong.”
Carol had just finished preparing her own cup of tea, stirring in just enough honey to take the bitter edge off. She had just started to take a sip of her concoction when she heard Emme’s reply; she snorted out loud and turned to look at her with utter disbelief etched across her face. It was a very clear ‘yeah, right’ expression.
Emme was so good and kind and without a doubt one of the best people Carol had ever known. No question. But she could be a shit when she wanted to be, and they both knew it. Sassy without being the least bit mean-spirited. It was just another aspect of her that Carol absolutely adored - in part because she was the exact same way.
“Don’t forget how well I know you, Emmeline Rose Vance,” she intoned, a teasing smirk curling her lips. She lowered her tea back onto the table in front of them before curling in closer, hand sliding up her girlfriend’s thigh, just slipping beneath the edge of that red thing she had to know would drive Carol crazy. “I’ve seen you with Sirius and Fred and George. You have prankster tendencies and you can’t suddenly convince me otherwise, so ‘fess up.”
“The full name, even.” Emme tossed her hair and leaned in closer. The movement inched Carol’s hand further up her thigh and she grinned impishly. “I suppose I might have a story or two.”
Unable to resist herself, she set her cup down and used her free hand to pull Carol in for a kiss. Talking could be so overrated.
Carol nearly started in on Emme for very obviously trying to distract her, but instead, she fell right into it. Her hand slid even further up Emme’s thigh, squeezing the firm flesh in her grip, and she let their lips slide together, effortless and natural. Kissing Emme always made her feel overwhelmingly happy.
“I love you, you dork,” she whispered against her girlfriend’s lips. “And you look really hot in this dress.”
“I know,” she said, pulling back ever so slightly and smirking. “And I love you too.” She brushed some of Carol’s hair out of her eyes. “I know Valentine’s isn’t really your type of thing, but I’m thrilled to be able to spend it with you.” She kissed her again. “Here’s to many m-”
Her sentence trailed off as something unexpected caught her attention. Over Carol’s shoulder and outside the shop’s windows stacked high with teacups. “...Is it snowing?”
Carol turned to look at what Emme was looking at, and yep, sure enough, even in the small amount of space you could see around the stacks of teacups, it was easy to tell it was snowing. And it was coming down — blizzard levels. The weather had been calm the past few days, so it was a bit of a shock to see.
“Guess so. Weird, I didn’t see snow in the forecast today.” Because, yes, she was that old person who turned on the news and weather in the morning while she was getting ready for the day.
“One second. I just want to get a better look.” She stood up and moved away from the warmth of the cheerful fire. “Merlin’s sparkly pants.” As she drew closer to the windows, she eyed the weather outside wearily. There hadn’t been a cloud in the sky when they’d arrived not that long ago. Emme gave the door a tug and it swung open. She immediately regretted every choice she’d made in her life that led up to this moment. Snow and frigid air immediately blasted her. It actually took her breath away for a moment.
Once she regained her senses, Emme slammed the door firmly closed again. She brushed the snow off her hair and dress. “That feels magical to me. I’m fairly certain a normal snowstorm couldn’t come on that quickly.”
The snowstorm was obviously strange. There hadn’t been any indication for it, and now snow was coming down in buckets, so thick that it was hard to see past the layers of white. But it hadn’t even been a thought in Carol’s mind it could be magical until Emme said so. She stood up to keep an eye on her from their little makeshift spot but didn’t crowd her at the door.
And it turned out that was the second best decision she’d made today.
She pressed her lips together to stifle her amusement when Emme turned around covered in snow. “Well,” she grinned, “you know better than me. Maybe someone decided to go for a White Valentine’s Day instead of a White Christmas.” She stepped up to help Emme brush off some of the snow, letting a low amount of heat run through her hands.
Once the pair of them had accomplished the task of clearing the snow off of her, Emme turned to look out the window again, sighed, then looked back at Carol. “Does it make me utterly terrible if I suggest we let everyone else deal with whatever this is and stay hidden out in here for the rest of the afternoon?” It wasn’t like monsters were attacking. Surely they didn’t need to rush out to save people from the snow?
Carol wrapped her arms around Emme’s waist from behind, pulling her back flush against her front while she peered over her shoulder and out the window. It wasn’t like it was Snowmageddon levels out there. Sure, it had come on fast and furious, but in the end it was just snow. Not sleet, not hail, not some kind of accursed downpour of creepy fuckers or the creatures Strange Supreme had summoned.
Just snow. And if it was magical in origin, Carol had no doubt in her mind her Sorcerer buddy would find a way to control it before it got to those levels.
“Nope, we’re staying here. It’s decided,” Carol declared. “C’mon, back to snuggling.” For now, she held on to a scrap of hope she’d be able to take Emme out for dinner as planned, but if they missed it, oh well. Getting to curl up and spend some time alone in this little shop from Emme’s home world was enough.
Once they’d settled again, she wrapped her arm around Emme’s shoulders and casually asked, “So, do you want your gift now or later?”
Emmeline’s eyes immediately lit up at the mention of a gift. Not solely because she wanted a present (which of course she did), but because it also meant that she got to reciprocate. She’d been looking forward to giving Carol her gift as well.
“Present, please!” She grinned and held out her hands in front of her.
Carol chuckled as she complied, shifting to pull the box out of her left-side front pocket. It was a flat wooden box and the top could be flipped open like a lighter, as opposed to a typical bulky ring box. And inside was indeed a ring — a silver Claddagh ring, with both of their birthstones (peridot for her, sapphire for Emme) embedded side by side in the heart.
She flicked her thumb across the lid to open it and gently tipped the contents into Emme’s waiting hands. She refrained from attempting to say something pretty and poetic; she knew, in this case, the ring would say more than anything. But she wasn’t going to last long in silence.
“What do you think?” she asked, her smile apparent in her voice. She had a pretty good feeling how this would go over. “Appropriate?”
Emme gave a soft laugh, though if truth be told, she also had a lump of emotion in her throat as well. The ring had a lovely meaning, and she immediately recognized their birthstones. It was better than any present she could have envisioned. “Yes, I love it. And I love you.”
She slipped the ring onto her finger before she leaned in to kiss Carol thoroughly. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”
She pressed her forehead against Carol’s and closed her eyes. She thought back to fifteen year old Emmeline sitting in this very shop with her girlfriends. Never would that younger girl have imagined this, but Emme wouldn’t trade a thing. She inhaled deeply and stole another kiss before she pulled back again. “Okay. Ready for yours?”
Carol’s chest warmed, heart swelling with pride and more love than she knew what to do with sometimes. That was her girl — appreciative and loving in that understated, even-keeled way of hers. She returned each kiss fervently, tempering the urge to keep kissing Emme senseless, again and again, and get back to where they’d been heading before the snowy revelation, location be damned. She enjoyed the quiet intimacy of their foreheads connected just as much, though, content in how their breathing perfectly synced.
God, she loved this girl so much. Carol had no idea how she’d lucked into finding her, but it was a mystery she would happily leave unsolved. Instead, she mumbled those same loving words back, and passed her thumb over the ring on Emme’s finger. Perfect fit.
She could have stayed like that happily for a long while more, but they were invested in present time now. And she was curious to see what Emme had picked out.
“Yes, please,” she agreed eagerly. She followed Emme’s example, holding her free hand out expectantly.
Not wanting to move from her current position, Emmeline retrieved her wand once more and summoned her purse from where she’d set it down after they’d entered the shop. She caught it with one hand, while putting her wand away with the other. From the bag she produced a red wrapped present with gold and blue ribbons. Emme grinned and presented it to Carol, excited to see her open it.
Inside the box was a silver necklace; a G Clef and a Bass Clef joined together to form a heart. Music had been such an integral part of their relationship, that it seemed the natural symbol to represent it.
Carol freed the arm holding Emme for a moment to properly unwrap her present, sliding the ribbons off first before slicing open the red wrapping paper with her index finger. When she opened the box and saw the necklace waiting inside, she started smiling immediately. She had never been a big jewelry girl really, in part because it wasn’t functional and interfered with her work. But that was slowly changing here in Vallo, now that her job wasn’t her topmost priority.
She pulled the necklace out carefully by the chain, admiring the clefs joined together. It was perfect for the two of them, honestly. Music had been the very first thing they bonded over — their first date had been going out for a karaoke night.
“I love it,” she told Emme softly, brushing her thumb across the curve of the Bass Clef. “Wanna help me put it on?”
“Of course.” Emme took the necklace gently as Carol turned. She draped it around Carol’s neck before making quick work of securing it. She pressed a soft kiss just below where the chain rested against the other woman’s skin.
“It’s more than just a necklace, actually. I have an identical one that I plan to wear and I’ve charmed them both. As long as we’re wearing them, we’ll always be able to find one another - no matter where we end up.” She thought, anyway. It wasn’t like she could test it out with some of Vallo’s antics - like sending people to the past. At least here in Vallo Proper, they’d always know where the other one was.
Magic never ceased to amaze Carol, especially the variety of types here in Vallo. Especially Emme’s. She loved seeing her girlfriend in action, but even the ordinary, everyday sort of magic she did was just cool.
“Even better,” she corrected herself. She grinned as she leaned in to press their foreheads together, hands raising to stroke her cheeks. “I love it so much. Thank you, baby.” She didn’t doubt that if either one of them was sent home (which fuck, that better never happen to Emme; Carol wasn’t sure what she’d do) the charm wouldn’t work. But the sentiment was beautiful nevertheless.
Emme leaned into the touch, closing her eyes for the moment. The fire crackled and bathed them in warmth, while the smell of tea and pastries surrounded them. Even the little Cupid seemed to have buggered off to give them some privacy. She was in love and at peace. A notion she might have scoffed at entirely not two years earlier. It was the best sort of surprise, honestly.
“Happy Valentine’s Day.” Her voice was low and breathy as she leaned in to start kissing Carol once more. Tea and cakes could wait until later. She had other plans for the two of them.