Entry tags:

!complete, char: adelaide de blacas, char: benjamin vipond, char: genevieve vipond, location: other, time: 2009 05

RP: Bruised Egos and Bruised Hearts
Who: Coop and Gen (with appearances by Addi and the girls' parents)
When: Friday, May 26 [back-dated]
Where: Provence France
What: Coop runs into Gen and her mum at a farmer's market in the morning and then meets them at the festival that evening.
Warnings: A bit of emotional angst, heartbreak, probably some language here and there

It was proving to be a rather interesting holiday, and not necessarily in good ways. When Oliver had messaged her earlier in the week, Genevieve had been excited, certain that he'd have broken up with Romilda and that they would be able to start exploring what could be between them. And then everything had turned sideways, and even though she'd kissed him and told him she wasn't done with him, she couldn't help the doubt stirring in her now. Texting Terence had only mitigated that doubt a little bit, and then messaging with ZJ had helped her remember that ridiculous, giddy, fluttery feeling she'd had around Oliver.

It certainly didn't help matters that Le Bourdonnement had ended up with pictures of her and Oliver arguing and then kissing in the water on Tuesday and posted about it in their Birdie-style gossip column. No way was that not getting back to their people in the UK, and wouldn't that be oh so fun to deal with? But he had messaged her two days ago, had promised her to deal with things, had invited her to join him in Australia.

And she'd agreed!

Oh, it still felt insane. And she did still have reservations about where things could go with him, but her gut was telling her there could be something really great here. So, she was going to pursue it and see what happens.

The strangeness of this new thing with Oliver was only part of the odd turn her life was taking. How was it the girl she and Addi met and befriended on Easter just happened to be dating the best friend of the man who had proposed to her? And Coop was texting her far more often that she thought she was comfortable with, and she still wasn't sure what to do with that can of worms. But Coop was her past, and even if their lives were getting entangled again, it didn't have to be any more complicated than mutual friends dating.

But why then had she suggested getting together to see if they could do so in a friendly way before being around each other in their group of mutual friends? Why did her heart race and her palms sweat when he'd admitted he was in the area? It was so bloody stupid! He was her past, and that's where he needed to stay.

Of course, she'd known he wouldn't stay there. As soon as he'd told her he was in the area, she'd known he'd chosen Provence in order to run into her. She wasn't stupid. Even though she did believe that he had a meeting with another team and didn't want to have it close to hope to lower to risk of early exposure, his ulterior motives were rather obvious to her. And so, as she walked through one of the local farmer's markets with her Mum, she wasn't nearly as surprised as she should have been to see him holding a head of endives in his hand, talking animatedly with the farmer running that booth.

"Is that...?" her mum began, trailing off as they got close enough to get a good look at the man. "Cooper! Well, you're just a sight for sore eyes, love!" she said animatedly, holding her arms out to embrace the man who'd held her eldest daughter's heart for long enough for her to begin viewing him as a son-in-law. She still hadn't accepted that Genevieve had turned down his proposal.

"Mum," Gen groaned softly, warning in her tone, but it went largely ignored.

Cooper had planned an entire ‘accidental’ run in with Gen. It had included wearing one of his ridiculous swim trunks and heading down to the beach to show off the hard work he had been putting in lately. He had even had ideas about casually walking past, hoping she might call out to him. Never in his dreams did he think he’d run into her with her mother. He had known when he’d left for the farmer’s market that morning that there was a small chance he would run into her, he had hoped however she would be at the beach.

He had not exactly dressed for this run in. He had worn a pair of simple muggle jeans, trainers, and just a cotton red shirt that hugged his body a bit too tightly, it had been bought likely when he’d been a size or so smaller. The evidence of its age was a little a hole that was just above his left bicep, where you could see the ink from his mom tattoo under the fabric peeking through. He looked as though he had had just rolled out of bed to come there, with his hair sticking up every which way from where he’d slept on it. Tossing and turning had become a nightly habit and he dreaded it.

He had arrived at the market in search of endive so that he could make sauteed endive with balsamic butter. He had only been missing the endives. It just so happened that the man selling them had recognized him, asked him about what he was doing down, and just trading a few jokes. Coop was just in the middle of explaining that he was needing to head off, when he heard that familiar voice. He turned to face his mother, his smile that big goofy one that he seemed to always have anytime he was around Gen. It lit up his whole face, though it didn’t quite seem to reach his eyes today. He was excited to see her but he knew she could still kill him, still hurt him and ask him to leave. It was a bit suspicious.

Though, that wasn’t why he didn’t walk away. He didn’t walk away because for the first time since his mother had passed away, he had felt like he had a family with Gen. If Hyperion could chase his dream, why couldn’t he? He just had to play the long game.

Cooper didn’t even hesitate and hugged her mother back, giving her a gentle but firm squeeze. He was always usually aware of his size and didn’t want to squish anyone. He laughed as he pulled away from the hug, “Hey! I didn’t think I’d see you here,” His hazel eyes moved to glance at Gen then, trying to gauge her reaction. He was nervous, but he needed to know if he had finally crossed one of those lines. He had the urge to explain he was staying just up the street but he knew that was suspicious. She knew him too well, if she didn’t already know then he knew he’d blow his cover more by over explaining just why he was in town. Gen had known, Gen should have told her if she wanted her mother to know. It was a load of shit but he was going to try to comfort himself with it. “What brings you two out?”

Mabel stood up on her toes to return the hug, brushing a motherly kiss against his cheek before pulling back. "You didn't think you'd see us at a farmer's market on a Friday morning?" she asked dryly, clearly disbelieving. She was an astute woman, and she'd wondered how Cooper had been in the time since her daughter had made the decision to turn down his proposal. Hoping he would be able to move on and find happiness warred with the hope that Genevieve would come to her senses and realize the treasure that she had...

"We're picking up supplies for the weekend, of course," Mabel answered, as if it were the most obvious thing.

Gen still hadn't found her voice. Her stomach was a churning, fluttery mess, and she couldn't seem to look away from him. God, he was handsome, and that smile killed her just the same as it had that first day they'd met three years ago. But there was a reason they'd broken up, and she needed to remember that. "Hello, Coop," she finally greeted him softly. And she had to fold her arms around her to keep from reaching out to him which, even after six months apart, was her instinct now.

As he bent a bit to hug her mother, it hit him. He had missed them both so much. He knew that, he wasn't that dense, but it hadn't hurt like this since she had first left. It was when she was leaving with all her things that had sealed it. He squeezed her, muttering a soft "Missed you, mum." Because he knew it wasn't allowed. It was so wildly not allowed that he was certain if Gen heard, she might brain him right then and there.

Coop gave her a sheepish a look then as he pulled away, "It isn't like I live around the block. I'm in town meeting a few people for business." They were in a crowded street, he had been in the public eye long enough. He also didn't want to admit he had hoped they had either finished their shopping or that perhaps they were going to come by later. That would sound rude and that was the absolute last thing he wanted them to think. "Any big plans for the weekend?"

She said hello and he felt a flutter of hope, she didn't sound mad. Then he noticed she was looking at him and that smile finally reached his eyes. While she may have closed herself off, Coop didn't know how to restrain himself. He reached out and grabbed her elbow gently, trying to hug her into a hug. " Friends hug." He was hoping she might not be too mad about this run in. It was risky to go for the hug but the urge had been far too great. He was experiencing impulse control issues it seemed. He would need to ask Hype for advice on how to curb the issue.

His words squeezed her heart as much as his arms squeezed her body, and Mabel had to closer her eyes to fight back the emotion. "Missed you, too," she murmured back, not caring one bit if her daughter heard. Genevieve knew how she felt about her decision, but she also knew that Cooper had lost his mother years ago and she'd been happy to step into that role while he'd been dating her daughter. It wasn't something that just disappeared, not to her way of thinking. Not unless the person did something truly deserving of losing that connection.

"In Provence?" Oh, Mabel was definitely still skeptical. Who could he possibly be meeting here that he couldn't have met somewhere her family wasn't? Not that she minded, as she was quite pleased to see him. "Oh, this and that. Quin and her beau and the kids should be arriving tomorrow morning," she looked to Gen for confirmation, who nodded in response. "But tonight there's a street festival going on. You should come!" And she was not going to acknowledge the look her daughter sent her at that.

The moment his fingers touched her skin, she felt the electricity course from her elbow to the pit of her stomach, her eyes widening slightly. Friends. Right. It would be better, smarter to step back and just ignore whatever ridiculous residual feelings she might have for him (none. She had none.) and think about the fact that she would be in Australia with Oliver in ten days. And yet, there she was, taking a step closer to him, wrapping her arms around his middle and tucking her head against the crook of his neck in a motion so familiar it hurt. God, his scent was even the same in an oddly comforting way, she thought as she breathed him in.

Cooper felt his heart swell hearing her say it back. He knew it wasn’t fair and that it was fighting dirty a bit but he really had missed her. When she invited him to the festival, he couldn’t hide the quick look of surprise that crossed his expression. “Oh, uh.” He laughed nervously, reaching a hand up to rub at the back of his neck. If she wasn’t going to poke much more at his meeting then he wasn’t going to turn down the invite. “Yeah, I’d love to. Is there anything I can bring?” He didn’t want to show up empty handed, even if she said nothing he’d pick up flowers for all the women. He always tried to use his manners, no matter the situation.

When Gen just folded into his arms, he was certain that his heart stopped. He may have squeezed her just a little too tightly. His head though dipped to rest on top hers, though he didn’t go for the kiss. He wanted to because she was so close. It was then that he felt his heart start racing, he was certain she could hear how suddenly nervous he got, holding her close like this. He had to pull away from her then, his chest was tight and he could feel that choking feeling that came with the tears. It killed him to be so close and yet know that there was so much space. It had felt so familiar, he didn’t want to let go.

"Just money to help support the local vendors," Mabel answered with a bit of laughter in her voice. "And your dancing shoes. You'll have to save one for me," she added with a decisive nod. It would be a fun, lively event, with food and music and games and dancing, with booths set up for vendors to sell their wares. It was the first of the season, and the town was definitely buzzing with excitement for it.

Something was shifting - what it was or what it was shifting to was unclear to her, but she could sense a shift. There was a part of her that longed to stay right where she was, enveloped by his big, strong arms. It was easy in that moment to remember all of the good times they'd had. But then he was pulling away, and she was shocked and embarrassed by the fact that he was the one to do so first.

Her cheeks actually tinged with a light blush, a rare occasion indeed, and she wrapped one arm around her middle again, her other hand coming up to rub the back of her neck. "So... how long are you in town?" she asked him, not quite sure where to go from here. There were a million reasons not to acknowledge those feelings coursing through her, and so for now, she wasn't going to.

If there was one thing Coop could do, it was dance. It was something Wishes had taught the twins and Cooper actually enjoyed it. Sure, when he was out at clubs and things he would dance ridiculously. Things like this? Well, he had used it more than once to dance Mabel around a room. It was one of his more charming qualities and he knew it, he’d use it to his advantage if he was able to tonight. He hoped that Gen might save him a dance but he wasn’t about to ask, not when she could turn him down still. He’d ask while there, when the music and atmosphere would be festive and she would be more inclined to say yes. “You know I wouldn’t miss it, you’re always number one on my dance card.” While it was definitely cheesy, though there was honesty in his voice.

Coop noticed, of course he noticed that she was blushing. It made his heart swell just a bit, maybe he did still have a shot. He knew he’d been talking a big game with everyone but he still had doubts. He was all talk when it came to certainties with Gen. He knew nothing was certain though he liked to believe it might be. He wanted to win her back and he was hoping his plan was working and not wildly backfiring on him. He knew he was walking on thin ice as it was, any misstep would be a disaster.

“Just until tomorrow morning, I came in late last night.” He had gone directly to the meeting too, it had been risky but he had only had a certain amount of time. He had had meetings with the Bats before he’d left. He couldn’t jeopardize his job for one that he was hoping to get, so he had to juggle both schedules. He was watching Gen though, how she rubbed at her neck now, the way she had one arm around her middle… He wanted to hold her just then, he had the urge to wrap her in his arms and just hold her. He was taking it as his sign that he might need to go, he motioned his head towards his hotel. “I should go though, it seems I now have to find some dancin’ shoes for tonight. I’ll see you both tonight.” He could feel the nerves coiling in his stomach, he really hoped he didn’t blow tonight up.

Mabel watched the ex-couple hug, and her heart broke for them. There'd been many times over the years that she'd cursed her eldest's stubbornness, but she knew all of her children had inherited it to some degree from both her and Aldrich. It was how any of them existed - because their father had taken a shine to her all those years ago and not given up, overcoming the physical distance and making her fall completely in love with him.

She just hoped Genevieve's stubbornness wouldn't overrule her heart and keep her from the kind of love she still shared with her husband.

"Oh, all right, then," Gen responded quietly, relief showing in the way her shoulders relaxed. At least he wasn't planning to stick around and integrate himself into her holiday in a way that would have been far too familiar. Though tonight was sure to be interesting. Everyone knew how much she loved to dance, and she had little doubt she would end up dancing with him, not matter how much her mind screamed that it wasn't a good idea.

---

When Genevieve left the chateau that evening, she was dressed in a colorful dress that showed off her sternum tattoo and a pair of gold, kitten heeled sandals. She'd resolutely ignored Addi's teasing that she was wearing a dress and was it because a certain Beater's coach would be there. And when she picked out her jewelry, the necklace was an easy choice because it settled in the V of her dress perfectly, but she'd hesitated when trying to choose earrings. Addi picked out a pair that were perfect for her look tonight, but she hesitated.

Because Coop had bought those for her.

It had been early in the playoffs their first year together, and she hadn't surprised him yet with having signed on to the Magpies, and he had a game, and she had a mandatory event with the Quafflepunchers and couldn't make it. She even remembered the little note he'd sent along with them: I'll win tonight for you ♥ Think of me while you wear these! And when you don't. Just think of me always, yeah? Love you!

She'd been very careful since they'd broken up not to wear any jewelry that he had bought her, and she knew that wearing them tonight was a bad idea. There was this new thing starting with Oliver, who she did really like despite the fumbling manner in which he'd dealt with everything this week. It was a rocky start, but she was still excited to see where it could go. And Australia, of course, she'd be there with him in a week and a half. The last thing she wanted to do was lead Coop on.

But the earrings were perfect, and she did love them. And so, against her better judgment, Gen wore the earrings. Her hair was charmed up in a braided bun updo that was cute but not fussy, and she put a bit of gold shadow on her eyes and was ready to go.

Her mum found Coop first, and Gen stood off to the side with the crowd, watching as he danced with her mother, feeling that tightness in the center of her chest. An ache of missing what they'd had, the grief of losing what could have been.

"Vous l'aimez toujours," her papa's voice sounded next to her, and she turned to look at him with a sad sort of smile, taking the drink he offered her.

"Pas comme il le veut," she answered, though it didn't feel entirely true. She couldn't bring herself to admit that, not even to herself, but it was there, lurking in her subconscious.

By the time Cooper had gotten back from his meeting with the Mapgies he only had enough time to freshen up. He left most of his outfit from the meeting, shedding the black slacks for a pair of his jeans and he was off. He had only had enough time to pick up one flower, he’d chosen a lavender rose for Mabel.

It seemed that luck was on his side tonight as well because as he arrived at the festival, Mabel was the first person he saw. “Mum!” He called out, waving at her as he made his way through the crowd to her. “This is for you,” He said as he held the rose up for her. “May I have this dance?” He wasn’t in a rush to get to Gen, he was nervous to see her again. He felt his heart tighten at the thought of seeing her again, holding her in his arms and dancing with her. He was hoping that Mabel might have some motherly advice to share because he was so flying by the seat of his pants. He was intending to roll with whatever happened.

He held his hand out, and when Mabel put her hand in his to dance, he didn’t hesitate to sweep her out onto the dance floor. It was then that his eyes found Gen in the crowd and it was likely written across his features as he saw her. She looked gorgeous as she stood there, the dress... Sweet Salazar, she was something else. No one compared to her and he knew it, she was it for him. He couldn’t move on because of this feeling right here. Sure, it felt a bit like a punch to the gut right now, she wasn’t his. He was changing that, he was working on that. His attention was brought back to Mabel a moment later, a sheepish smile gracing his features. “I’m sorry.”

"Cooper!" Mabel returned the greeting, smiling widely at the flower he'd brought her. He'd always been such a sweet young man, and though she would always stand by her daughter, she did have hope that they would find their way back together. She tucked the flower in her hair and then nodded. "Of course you may!" She was dressed down in a pair of jeans, a pink v-neck t-shirt, and a cute pair of wedge sandals, but she thought he looked perfectly dashing in the shirt and vest paired with the jeans.

She enjoyed dancing with him, but she was paying attention, and she noticed when he got distracted. Her eyes followed his line of sight, and she smiled in understanding when he looked back to her. That look he'd just given her daughter? Well, she rather thought that's what every parent hoped for, that their child would mean that much to someone. "Don't be," she assured him. She was just a little surprised that Cooper could still look at Genevieve that way, after everything that had happened last December. "You still love her," she observed gently, no trace of disapproval in her tone.

"You say that, but do you believe it?" Gen's papa asked her in French with a raised brow. "You wear that dress, those earrings - I am an old man, but I remember." He lifted his free hand and tapped the side of his nose, as if they were sharing secrets. It was the same thing he did when she was little and he'd lift her up high so she could sneak a cookie out of the jar her Mum kept on the top shelf. He would lower her back down, sneak a cookie for himself, and then tap the side of his nose.

"Papa!" Gen retorted in an exasperated tone, though there was a strong undercurrent of affection there, as well. "I've never loved anyone the way I love... loved him. But what's done is done." Her eyes caught Coop's for the briefest moment before he looked back at her Mum, and it was like another weight settled on her heart, pulling her down to something she wasn't sure she could come back from.

“I’m hoping to win her back, eventually.” He didn’t know why he had felt compelled to tell her that. It was ridiculous but he was hoping. The way she was watching him… It made him have hope that there might be a chance. That this whole end game might be a real thing. “I don’t know what I’m doing tonight though, I just knew I had to see her again.” He was so honest it was disgusting, he couldn’t lie to Mabel though. This was too important, Gen was too important to him.

He continued to move them around the dance floor, though his eyes did their best to not glance at Gen out of the corner of his eyes. He knew just where she was though because he was actively fighting the urge. “Think she’ll say yes if I ask her to dance?” he asked Mabel then, his eyes met hers and he smiled more. He’d missed Mabel, the entire family really. How many times had he pulled his phone out wanting to send Addi a text, see how she was doing? He’d always stopped himself though, it wasn’t his family and he wasn’t allowed to impose on them. “I’m being rude aren’t I? I haven’t seen you in months and all I can talk about is her. Have you been? How is everyone doing?”

Mabel's smile twitched as she fought to keep it from widening at his admission. "That won't be easy. She's as stubborn as a mule," she pointed out, though she did hope Coop was strong-willed enough to persevere through the obstacles that would be before him if he really were serious about this. "My girls, they don't always tell me everything, at least right when it's happening, but Genevieve and Adelaide sure have been putting their heads together an awful lot lately. Was today the first time you've seen each other since she moved out?" she prompted gently.

The question teased a laugh from her, and she nodded. "I do think she will." Because she'd seen the way her daughter had hugged Coop this morning and, like her husband and Adelaide, could read into Genevieve's clothes and jewelry choices tonight. She shook her head when he insisted he was being rude and asked after everyone. "Don't worry about it, Cooper. It's understandable. I've been well, we all have been. Eloise is still happily married and working at the hospital, they're trying for a baby," she told him, clearly excited at the prospect. It was no secret she wanted grandchildren and was getting antsy for it to happen. "Dianna just graduated Uni and went off on a trip to Hawaii with her friends. She'll be back on Wednesday, though. Geoffrey is growing like a weed! He's fifteen going on forty, I swear it." She could talk about her children all day, though. "And Adelaide, that child. She's getting the itch for a change, I can feel it. She's going to end up even further away from me," she sighed, not liking her children living so far away, but knowing she couldn't do anything about that. And now she understood how her parents had felt when she'd left England to marry the nobleman in the south of France!

"What's done does not have to stay done," Aldrich pointed out to his daughter. "But you will follow your heart. Try not to let your head get too much in the way, yes?" Oh, he knew there was more going on, probably things he didn't want to know about his daughter, but he had hope that she'd inherited enough of his soft heart to keep her stubborn head from ruining a good thing.

"Of course, Papa," Gen replied before taking a sip of the drink in her hand. "If only my heart knew what it wanted," she murmured, not really to share with anyone, but because she had to release some of the tumultuous feelings within her or they would drive her insane. Her heart was quickly feeling pulled in two directions, and she didn't know how to navigate that.

“That’s what I love about her,” Coop admitted with a chuckle, though he did nod his head at her next question. “It was, we’ve only just started being able to talk again. I reached out the morning after the game, I wanted to see how she was doing.” He would be honest, at least about that. He might not tell Mabel his entire end game, how he wanted to be Gen’s friend first and hopefully from there... Well, he hoped that from there she might start seeing him as more. He was hoping that he might be able to get a kiss goodnight, if he could play his cards right. He needed to romance her tonight, remind her of the magic that he knew was between them. Why she had fallen in love with his goofy ass anyway.

“Well, I’ve got a feeling I know just where she’ll be heading. I’ll keep an eye on her when I can.” He worried about Addi, she was very much his little sister. He worried about her and he knew he’d want to keep an eye on her, make sure she wasn’t finding trouble with the wrong sorts. He knew it was ridiculous, she was an adult, but it was a protective older brother thing. Much the same feelings he had towards Em sometimes, wanting to be sure she was safe. He never hovered too much though, always knowing to give them their space. He missed her, “Did she come tonight?” Maybe he could see her for a few minutes before he left, see if maybe it wouldn’t be too weird if he reached out now and again.

The mention of the game cause Mabel's smile to drop into a frown. Oh, she understood her daughter's passion for the sport, but for far too long Mabel had been terrified that it would be the death of her eldest. And Cooper was, to her way of thinking, proof of how dangerous it was, and she fretted over him more than she should admit to over the past two years. "I heard all about that," she said, disapproval ringing in her tone. Honestly, a stunt like that! It was a good thing she and Aldrich weren't there, as one of them probably would have had a heart attack, literally! "The game, that is. She's absolutely fearless." Which made her both exasperated and proud.

"Thank you, dear." She would feel better knowing Cooper was looking out for her middle child as well. She worried tremendously that Adelaide would get swept up in a magical situation she was ill-prepared to handle. But, she couldn't protect her children all the time, she'd learned when Genevieve was eleven years old that she was going to have to let them learn to fly and fall and get back up again. "Oh yes, she's just a bit behind. Genevieve picked her up right at five, so she had to shower and change. I'm sure you'll see her around shortly." And she had no doubt Adelaide would want to see him, too.

Gen felt an arm move around her shoulders, and she leaned against her papa, taking the comfort he was offering, and smiling softly at the press of his lips against the top of her head. "You must quiet your mind so you can hear your heart. But sometimes that is not easy. You will know, though, when the time is right." He gave her another squeeze, rubbing her bare upper arm lightly.

Her papa was such a romantic, and she knew her parents hoped for some big, romantic story for each of her and her siblings, but it didn't always work out like that in the real world. But maybe her chance wasn't gone yet. Even if she still had feelings for Coop, which she didn't, she did know she was developing feelings for Oliver, and why couldn't he be the one to sweep her off into the kind of happily ever after her parents had? She did feel she deserved a Prince Charming of her own, after all.

Cooper knew the look too well, the trick had been ridiculous and risky but she had been so sure of herself and had executed it flawlessly, his little bird. That urge to check that she was in fact alright had been so overwhelming that night before he’d messaged her. “She is, she’s damn good though.” Which was a dangerous combination, it meant that he worried about her pushing too far and being unable to fulfill the task, like if what if she had not been able to get back on the seeker’s broom?

With the talk of Addi, he nodded his head and smiled. Good, he’d see her at some point tonight. He wished he could see the other’s as well, but he knew he was closer to Addi. It tended to happen when she was closest to Gen. As their song came to an end, he had found their way over to where her husband and daughter were, he’d kept an eye on them as he had moved around the floor so that when the song would end, he would time it perfectly. Another silent thank you to Wishes, he couldn’t wait to see the man again come Saturday.

After handing her mother off to her father, he held his hand out for Gen. He even did a bow, his other hand moving to his hip and he dipped at the waist, other hand extended for her’s. “May I have this dance, my lady?” He flashed her that goofy smile of his, eyes sparkling as he waited her answer. Sure, he should have tried small talk first but tonight was about showing her that they could still have fun together.

Although Mabel knew that was true, she just couldn't handle going to Genevieve's games. She'd tried so hard those first few years that Gen was with the Quafflepunchers, but it was just too much for her. Thankfully, her eldest understood and didn't hold it against her. But she had faith in Genevieve's abilities and the magic that would protect her if need be or the magic that would heal her should something go wrong, and she did have Adelaide representing their family in the stands often, she knew. She would always worry, but she'd never tried to stop her daughter from following this passion.

When they reached Aldrich and Genevieve, Mabel folded against her husband's side easily, smiling at the way Cooper addressed her daughter. She knew some of the issues her daughter had with the young man, but she also knew there was a lot of good there, so she was hopeful.

Gen was sure her heart stopped beating for a moment, and she stared at his hand for a beat longer before finally, hesitantly, extending her own hand to rest in his. He had her so off-kilter! This anxious and unsure person wasn't her - she was fun and silly and passionate, and she could remember so many of those moments with him. It had moisture filling her eyes, though she blinked it back stubbornly. She took another drink and then handed the glass off to her mum before letting him pull her away into a dance, her movements definitely not as relaxed or fluid as they normally would have been.

The hesitation had been there, Cooper had noticed it and he had blatantly ignored it. Her hand was in his, and as soon as her drink had left, he was spinning her out onto the dance floor. They had done this enough over the past two years that he could tell something was off with her. She wasn’t moving the way she usually did and so while he could correct so they didn’t fumble or get into anyone’s way, he didn’t. Instead he used the hand in hers to shake her arm a bit, as if loosening her up. “Come on, loosen up. Am I that terrible to be around?” He was attempting a joke, he gave her a hopeful smile as he continued to move them around the dancefloor, not minding one bit as they got in the way of anyone else dancing.

He wanted to promise her that he wasn’t about to do anything stupid. He couldn’t promise that though, he already knew that he wanted to try to kiss her goodnight. She might consider it stupid and then he would have broken his promise. Instead though, he was going to try for polite conversation in hopes of sparking her interest and distracting her from whatever made her thinks he couldn’t dance with him just then. “I get to see my nanny tomorrow, Em set up an entire meeting at my flat. I feel like I should make a list of everything I want to tell him and want to know about him. I want to hear about his travels and where he has been, what’s kept him from us. I can’t wait to tell him all about…” You, he wanted to say you. He instantly had worried though that she might think he wanted to relay the bad bits, but that wasn’t it. He wanted to tell Wishes all about how he’d met the woman he knew he wanted to marry. His other half. His stumble in conversation was likely noticeable, the word hanging between them until he quickly recovered with, “Everything.”

That he shook her arm a bit actually got a soft chuckle out of her, and Gen rolled her eyes at him, shaking her head. "No, quite the opposite," she answered, though as soon as the words left her mouth, she wanted to put them back. This was wrong and would only lead him to believe there was a possibility for things again, but there wasn't. There couldn't be. She couldn't go back, even if that smile took her right back to the good times. But she did relax a bit into the dance, though she was careful not to get too close to him. That hug from this morning was still fresh in her mind, and as comfortable as his arms felt around her, she just couldn't go there.

There was only one nanny Gen could ever remember Coop talking so enthusiastically about, and she couldn't help but smile in excitement for him. "Wait, Wishes is back? That's great, Coop!" Yes, the hesitation was obvious, but with the way he'd been with her since contacting her nearly two weeks ago, Gen didn't actually think he wanted to tell Wishes the bad bits about them. "You'll tell me how it goes?" Not that she had any right to know, but this was a big deal for him, and she couldn't help but fall into old rhythms of wanting to be involved in it in some way.

Cooper did his best to pretend he had not heart her answer and that it had not given him some hope. She knew him too well though and would notice that flicker of hope that had flashed across his features for just a quick second. Then they were moving again and he was purposely twirling her so that she might not notice that he had gotten just a bit of hope from those words. It wasn’t going to cause him to lose his head though, he was going to work very hard on not letting it to go to his head. He needed to keep to his long game, that was how he’d win her back. He had to show her that he could control himself and his jealousy and he couldn’t do that in the first day he saw her since the breakup. There was just no way, he had to bide his time and do this right. He was going to do this right.

A deep chuckle left him, she had asked to be filled in. He was at least making some headway there, she wanted him to contact her. That had to be a good thing, right? He nodded his head. “I’ll do that. Em found him somewhere.” He gave a useless shrug that didn’t throw off the next step that he threw them into. “She gave me his number almost a month ago but I couldn’t bring myself to just send a hello, she swears it’s that easy. You can’t just start with hello after all those years though.” He also needed physical proof, while he knew Em wouldn’t lie to him about something like this, he still needed to see Wishes in order to believe it fully. “It’ll be good to have a piece of the family back.” He had not said that out loud to anyone yet, he didn’t think. He hadn’t been able to really touch the thought until recently, though he wasn’t sure if he’d told Hyperion about it or not.

“What have you been up to?” he asked then, casual and innocent, because he had no idea about the article that had been published just before his visit about Gen being with Oliver. “I mean, obviously the usual holiday things. Do you and Addi have any big plans for it? Mum seems to think Addi might be leaving soon.” He didn’t realize he’d done it, called her mother mum. It was so easy and normal to him, he hadn’t even had to think about it.

That spark of hope was easy for Gen to notice, but she was going to ignore it and the guilt that came with it. And as he twirled her around more, she relaxed further into the dance, the skirt of her dress flaring out in a fiery swirl of colors, which was the only reason she'd admit to in choosing it.

She could understand his apprehension in just sending Wishes a message, that desire to see for himself that he was really back first, to really have him back. And at that admission, she couldn't help pausing the dance to wrap her arms around him in a too-tight hug. He had so little family left - she didn't need an explanation for why he felt the way he did. Embarrassed, she stepped back a moment later so they could keep dancing, knowing that she really shouldn't have done that.

Gen had just been about to give him a casual, brush-off sort of answer to what she'd been up to when he kept talking, and the title, that he called her mother 'Mum' as if nothing had changed, it took her breath away, and not in an entirely good way. It suddenly felt unbearably overwhelming to be so close to him, and her eyes were wide. "Cooper," she whispered in a pained sort of voice, her hands squeezing him where they touched. "What are we doing here?" Why was he insisting on torturing them both?

Watching her dress flare around her caused him to think she had worn it just for him. He always loved twirling his dates about, watching their dresses as they danced around them. Gen had been no different, except for the fact that she wore dresses that would flare out around her. It gave him a bit more hope, especially when his eyes had caught sight of what earrings she had worn with it all. Maybe he really did still have a shot, maybe his hope wasn’t as ridiculous as Em thought it was.

When she stopped them to hug him, it took him completely by surprise. He let his own arms envelop her but when she pulled away, he moved easily with her. He wouldn’t question it and he wouldn’t turn the moment awkward, he just easily moved right back into the dance.

Though then... He heard the way she said his name and he physically winced. “We’re figuring out how to be around each other and be normal, before we end up ruining a new relationship for my closest friend and your new friend.” If he happened to worm his way back into her heart, well he supposed that was just a happy side effect. He let his eyes fall to hers, giving a bit of a shrug. “Sure, dancing may not have been the best choice but it’s fun and you’re thinking too much.” He just hoped she might stop doing that and just go with her feelings, though he had a feeling that since it was him… Well, she might not be able to do that.

Adelaide had not been far behind the rest of the family. Yes, she'd showered, but she'd carefully not wet or messed up her hair, so all she had to do was dress and touch up her make up. And so, she'd arrived while Coop was spinning her Mum about in the crowd dancing in the square, a live band playing on a stage set up off to the side. God, she loved summer! She hadn't quite reached her Papa and sister when Coop switched dance partners, but she joined her parents soon after, pulling out her phone as she did.

"Qu'est ce que tu fais, Chaton?" Papa asked, though he looked amused rather than disappointed.

"Getting proof of the way she looks at him," Addi responded cheekily in French. And, she rather thought she would send the video clip she was taking now to Coop later. She ended the video after that hug, which was probably a good thing, as she noticed things taking a turn not long after, and she couldn't help but want to meddle!

"No, love, let them sort this out," her Mum said, resting a hand on her arm to encourage her to stay with them. Addi sighed, but conceded... for now.

He wasn't wrong, and Gen knew that, but that didn't make it any easier, it did make her heart ache any less. She'd known she wasn't neutral about him, of course, but she'd been utterly unprepared for the reality of physically being in his presence again, for the way he could make her heart race with one of those crooked, goofy smiles. "I am," she agreed about her thinking too much. "I don't like it. You know I'm more a woman of action," she tried a lightly teasing tone that felt as if it went a bit flat.

Cooper smirked at her words, she’d always been a woman of action. Within hours of meeting each other they had ended up naked and covered in chocolate on his couch. She had ruined absolutely every plan he had made that first day to woo her with candy and muggle movies about Gremlins. Hearing her say it thought… It made that fire burn, he wanted her to continue to be a woman of action. He hated that she was over thinking their entire night together. If they had still been dating, he would have easily just kissed her and whispered something about start showing him.

Instead, Cooper did another risky, stupid thing. He spun Gen out, spinning her back in against his chest so that his chest against her back. He was significantly less tempted to try to kiss her if he couldn’t see her face. Then he bent his head in, his lips barely brushing her ear (he would swear it was an accident if asked, he was just leaning in!) as he whispered in his deep voice. “Then start fuckin’ acting like it.” Then he spun her out again so that they might be facing each other as they moved across the floor. His smile was that impossibly big, goofy, crooked smile. His eyes lit up with the challenge, stop over thinking and just do.

That smirk... Oh, there were so many things he could be thinking about, remembering, with that smirk, and she was right there with him. Her heart started racing, and she felt like it was trying to run right out of her chest. You will follow your heart, her Papa had said. Well, her heart was practically screaming now, and she was terrified to listen to it. So much for being fearless!

That move was right out of the playbook, and it earned him a small squeak from her before she was laughing. That laughter was cut off when he held her against his chest, and she leaned back against him instinctively, her eyes slipping closed at the feel of his lips against her ear, his deep voice warming her core in a way he had to have known it would! They'd been together too long for him to have forgotten what he could do to her with even his voice alone. When he spun her out again, she was smiling.

She could do this... It was just a dance, after all. It didn't have to be weird or sexually charged or any of those things. I could just be fun. Even if she did feel a pang of guilt for even dancing with Coop when she had this tentative thing starting up with Oliver. She pushed those thoughts, that guilt away, and just relaxed into the dance. It was important, after all, that they find a way to be comfortable around each other again, considering their friends were dating.

Hearing her laugh and feeling her just give over to the dance had Cooper relaxing as well, he hadn’t even realized he’d been tense waiting to see if she was going to end the dance early and run out on him. She had felt so good in his arms though, pressed back against his chest like that. It was like the last six months had never happened, that the space between them had never been there to start. He knew it was ridiculous because the space was very much there. He’d go home to his empty flat and not find a trace of Gen around, not unless he dug it out of the back of his closet. He assumed it was the same for her, not a trace of Coop would be found in her home when she got home. They were exes, and sweet Salazar how he hated that. He just had to remind himself, he had an end game in mind. He just had to get to that point, remind her why they had even fallen in love to start.

With the two of them relaxed, he danced her around the floor in a mess of colors and laughter. The dress was gorgeous and moved so beautifully with them. While he may not have noticed when the song changed, they didn’t seem to miss a beat. They were still in time to the music as they danced. Cooper was relaxing more, pulling her closer each time, holding her just a little closer. He was even remembering to not stay on serious subjects, he instead would whisper ridiculous jokes he’d heard into her ear. Currently it was one about a Hippogriff and a Badger, though he couldn’t quite remember the ending...

"Adelaide, where are you going?" Mabel asked her middle child with a knowing expression.

"Hush, Mum. I miss him, too, you know," Addi shot back a little more sharply than she'd intended. She winced faintly, but shrugged. "They're on their third song, I want a turn." And she didn't care if she sounded like a petulant child - it was true! Coop was the big brother she'd always wanted, and she was going to do what she could to encourage what she could see was happening. And besides, she rather thought if she cut in now, before Gen could let her thoughts catch up with her again, it would work toward his benefit!

And so, she timed it for the moment that Coop spun Gen out, and she grabbed his free hand and spun herself right up against him, her other arm wrapping around him in a tight, enthusiastic hug. "Coop! You're really here!" she said in delight, leaning up on her toes to kiss his cheek, ignoring her sister's laughter behind her.

Cooper had been distracted with Gen and her dress as he spun her out, he hadn’t even noticed Addi until she was there pressed against his chest and he gave a laugh. “I missed you too.” He muttered as his arm slipped around her slender waist and hugged her close. His hand was still in Gen’s, though he knew if he held on too long.. Well, she would start to think too much about it. He let her hand slip from his, as much as he really didn’t want to just then, and enveloped Addi in a hug. He even used his size against her, lifting her off her feet a moment with a hug that was just a little too tight, before he set her back to her feet.

“I’m only here for tonight, like Cinderella or something.” He needed to explain to Addi just how he had been able to come without Gen completely losing her mind on him, though he wondered if Gen had already filled her in. He was certain she at least knew some of it, likely even the bits about Hyperion and the letter girl. He really owed Hyperion and that girl a thank you, they were helping open a path for him to be able to get closer faster than he would have if he was doing this under the guise of just wanting to stay friends.

“I think she’s cutting in.” He said over her shoulder to Gen, “I hope you don’t mind?” To which, well.. He knew even if Gen did mind, Addi likely did not and so he moved so easily with Adelaide across the dance floor and leaving Gen. “What took you so long? I’ve been here since Thursday night and I’m just now seeing you, your all knowing sister senses must be malfunctioning.” While she wasn’t his sister, he thought of her that way. He had wanted to text or call so many times, though he had never found the right way to do it. He knew how Em felt about Gen, while she had liked Gen when they were dating she thought Cooper was foolish to try to win her back. Em was certain that Gen would just humiliate him again and he’d be left picking up the pieces, it was a risk Cooper was willing to take, even if Em didn’t understand that.

This was for the best.... probably... Gen thought as her hand slipped from his. She knew how Addi felt, her sister hadn't been shy on sharing her opinion on Gen's quickly-becoming-over-complicated love life, so she knew that letting Addi cut in with Coop could lead to all sorts of brainstorming that would just complicate her life further. But it was better that she get away from Coop now, because dancing with him, laughing and joking around with him... it was too much, and her heart ached at the thought of having to mourn losing him all over again. It didn't matter that she'd been the one to break up with him, her heart had been broken, too.

"Make sure you leave a shoe behind. I'll make sure Princess Charming uses it to find her one true love," Addi whispered to him, winking. Hopefully Gen hadn't heard that. She would probably be in trouble if she had.

"I don't mind," Gen answered, though she was definitely starting to get more wary about it. Still, she shrunk back, getting out of the way of the dancing crowd and wandering back to her parents. Although, when she looked to where they'd been, they were no longer there. She looked around until she spotted them dancing together, and she smiled again. She'd always wanted what they had...

Addi rolled her eyes at Coop's teasing. "Oh, shut up! I knew you were here, but I thought I'd let Gen see you first. Plus, I had to work." Her nose wrinkled at that, though it wasn't really serious. She did love her job, after all! "Ugh, I've missed you! And now Hype and Zee are dating and did you know I'm thinking about moving to London, and just all the things, Coop!" There was so much to catch him up on, and since Gen was clearly letting him back into her life, though time would tell how far that would go, Addi was going to bounce on the opportunity to re-adopt him as her honorary big brother.

Cooper had caught the words, he may have even snorted a bit with laughter. He did not however comment on it so that Gen might not catch on to their shenanigans.

Then they were on the floor and he didn’t have to worry about Gen overhearing anymore. He chuckled when Addi admitted to just all the things she knew, “Work is for chumps,” he teased her, flashing a wink and twirling her away from him before he brought her back and even gave her a playful dip. “I did know you were thinking about moving, I promised mum that I’d keep an eye out for you. I’m glad you already know about Hype and Zee, it makes it a bit easier. I’ve been capitalizing on it and using it as an excuse why Gen and I need to be around each other, so we can be sure it isn’t awkward around them. We need to be friends.” He flashed that smile, the one that said very clearly he had an end game for all of this. He was going to play the long game but he had an end goal, Gen would be his.

“I do need to know, the Birdie put her outside the club with the meathead Wood after the finals. Should I back off?” Coop didn’t want to know if Wood was Gen’s boyfriend or a threat, he needed to know if he did need to back off for Gen’s happiness. He wouldn’t ask Gen himself because she would say yes, even if it wasn’t what she wanted. He’d ask the person who knew what was best for Gen and clearly up on everything that was going on.

Addi giggled at his teasing, laughing as he twirled her and then dipped her. This was only a small part of why she thought he was perfect for her sister, and she was glad to see that it was still there. Her reaction to Coop referring to her mother as 'Mum' was wildly different than Gen's had been, and she smiled widely at him, thrilled that he still saw them as family. "I think that's a very smart way to get things going again," she agreed with a firm nod at him and Gen being friends again. "And aren't Hype and Z just great?! I get to be the person she gushes all the dirty bits to, since her best friends are Hype's siblings," she confided mischievously, clearly loving being in that part of the loop.

That question actually surprised Addi a bit, and she hesitated, frowning slightly. "I don't think you should," she said at first. Oh, Gen was going to be so mad at her, but she couldn't help but back her team, and as she'd told Zee, she was Team Coop. "She's in the early stages of something with him, but it's been such a mess so far! Honestly, you should have seen her face when she got your first message after the game! It may have been six months since splitsville, but I think she's rushing into this thing with Oliver to try to prove she's over you. But, she's totally obviously not over you." Of course, she hadn't been filled in on if there'd been any progress with Oliver today, but that was the current standing as Addi saw it.