RP: Happy birthday, Mac Who: Lavender, Cormac When: July 22, 2009 Where: Their flat, Victory Road What: It's Cormac's birthday tomorrow, so his wifey is taking him away for the weekend. Warnings: None
This dress made Lavender feel like she was wearing a tent, but it was also keeping her cool until she managed to practice some tailoring charms. Unless she happened to grow out of it before then, of course; at her last appointment, Healer Montgomery had told her that the baby was a healthy size and Lavender suspected that 'healthy' was code for 'big' and therefore a rather daunting prospect that she was very much trying not to dwell on.
"I'm kidnapping you," she announced, sneaking up on Cormac as best she could. "You're all mine until Monday morning."
Cormac whipped around to wrap his arms around his wife, he still couldn't keep his hands off her. "Yeah?" he asked, giving her a look, eyebrows cocked, big grin. "Kidnapping me from what exactly?" He nuzzled her neck - couldn't help himself! - as his hands wandered along her backside.
"Yeah," Lavender said firmly, but with a giddy smile that was all for him. "From you trying to work on your birthday weekend... old man." She squirmed happily under his roaming hands. "A certain uncle of yours owns the perfect little cottage for a sneaky getaway."
"Birthday, you say?" Cormac feigned ignorance as he continued nuzzling her, slipping kisses in along her neck and collarbone. "Getaway, you say?" His interest was certainly piqued, but he also knew she was right that he'd end up working his weekend away... His last birthday weekend without a wailing baby, he assumed.
He pulled back and looked at her face - so lovely, so full of love for him, nearly overwhelming - and nodded, "I actually think that sounds like a great idea." His voice was soft, tender and then he snapped back to himself, "Have you asked Tiberius?"
"Mmm." The feel of his lips on her neck nearly made her purr. "I want to celebrate you." Lavender's hands moved to his firm arse, the baby bump sandwiched comfortably between them.
"Um..." Lavender's eyes widened and she pursed her lips. "I didn't ask." She used her most innocent expression. "I sort of... told him and he couldn't really say no."
"Hmm..." Cormac thought for a second, "Is this your version of mama bear coming out?" Not many people had the guts to 'tell' Tiberius McLaggen anything. Honestly? He liked it. "I like." He said, waggling his eyebrows at her and coming in for a quick kiss to her lips.
He pulled back and asked, his energy must improved from the paperwork he'd been working on earlier, "So, what's the plan?" The glint in his eyes sparkled.
Lavender gave her best growl before she started laughing. "I think it helps that I'm carrying the next McLaggen. No one can resist that." Especially not any of her in-laws.
"Mm." Her fingers drew slow circles at his waist. "I've packed what may be the best picnic in the world, and I'm not just saying that because I'll eat anything these days." She grinned. "I was thinking we could go for walks, maybe a little swimming... Anything you want. I just want to get out of the city for a little bit."
Mac joined in on her laugh, "You ARE their only hope for continuing the McLaggen legacy, after all." He knew his family would love and adore Lavender whether they had kids or not, but it certainly helped their obsession with his wife and her happiness.
"Swimming, eh? Does this mean I get to see you in your swim things....?" He asked, putting on an old fashioned accent but leering goofily at her all the same. But then a thought occurred to him, "Oh, but how will we get there?" He couldn't imagine apparating or flooing would feel at all pleasant for her.
"Only if I get to see you in yours!" Lavender retorted, which was really the whole point of going swimming. She wanted to celebrate Cormac and her libido was telling her that it would be a very good idea to do that when he was wet and glistening. "And I have that warming massage stuff..."
She kissed that ridiculous mouth of his. "I can still handle the Floo. I might need to sit down for a couple of minutes, but that's all."
His grin returned, "What are we waiting for then?" The thought of getting Lavender stripped down and wet in the water had him nearly bouncing on the balls of his feet. Not that they didn't have a normally very satisfying - and active - sex life, even all these years into marriage, but good gods the idea of having her in the private lake and maybe even later in the hot tub (if she was feeling up for it, of course, heat could sometimes wipe a preggers lady out, of course) had him ready to leave the work behind already.
"Is the oil already packed?" He was already mentally cataloging what he needed to throw in a duffel.
Lavender smirked, pleased that her suggested plan had gone down well. Even after so long together a positive reaction like this made her heart feel glad.
"I've packed everything except your clothes and toiletries." Her peacock of a husband would want to do that himself, she was sure, even if it was going to be just the two of them. "So I'm all ready to go if you are." She grinned. "I've even put my phone on silent."
At this he made a large, exaggerated reaction face. "Your phone on silent?! Am I dying or something?!" He tried to keep a straight face and failed, dissolving into giggles as he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before running to the front of the store to close down and put up a sign saying they'd be closed through the weekend. Then he went upstairs to put together his things, including a nice change of clothes in case they decided to go out at all. With a quick call to Zach at the Hogsmeade store, he was finished and ready to go.
"How did you plan all of this without my noticing?" Had he really been that absorbed in work recently? He needed to fix that.
Lavender pouted exaggeratedly. "Crazy, isn't it? Almost as if I like you and don't want to be disturbed," she teased.
While Cormac packed, she gathered her own weekend bag and the small picnic hamper that was thankfully much bigger on the inside; she had amassed quite a selection of treats, including a birthday cake and some pastries from Sweet Nothings that would be perfect for breakfast.
She put her sunglasses atop her head. "It was my very own covert operation," she joked. "And I don't think you've been busy with work. I mostly did it while you've been working on the nursery."
"Ohmigod, you like me? Like, 'like like' or just 'like'?" he asked, feigning nerves and a blush. He even batted his eyelashes.
Mac appreciated her trying to ease his mind like this, and the nursery had been a helluva job so far, but he still felt a pang of guilt. This was supposed to be one of the times in their lives they were absolutely the closest ever, and he'd been distracted. Two stores, a burgeoning Network-based clientele, and the opportunity to be one of the sponsors for the next World Cup next year... But that didn't matter. The why. The work. It didn't matter. They didn't even need the money, he knew. But he'd been so focused on building his own empire instead of resting on his family's... Cormac gave her a tender look, the thoughts on his mind fairly obvious - he was never good at hiding what he was feeling, not from her.
"It might be 'like like' if you play your cards right, mister."
Lavender looked up at Cormac curiously, frowning as she took in his expression. "What's the matter, Mac?" she asked quietly. "If you don't want to close the shop today, I get it. We can always go later."
"Oh, you mean like make you the happiest witch in England?" he asked, hoping she felt that he had, of course!
Mac shook his head, "No! No, not at all, I just... I feel like I've been distracted and taking this time for granted and I really don't want that to be the case, I don't want to ever take you, or you," he said, smoothing his hands over her belly, "for granted." He gave her a hard look, hoping to telegraph his sincerity.
"I think you've done a pretty good job of that so far."
Lavender's eyes widened as he spoke. "Oh, Mac," she sighed, putting her hands over his; Lavender was sure that was the baby's foot pressing right beneath them. "I don't think you're taking us for granted. You've been so good to me, even when I was really ill." She fixed him with a hard look of her own. "Someone who's taking things for granted doesn't do things like send an owl with chips to their pregnant wife's office."
Cormac tried but he couldn't help but chuckle at her answer, "You're incredible, did you know that? Both of you are." He shook his head, shaking away the maudlin thoughts, and added, "And we have a holiday to get to," he gave her another blinding smile. "Because my wife is outstanding and is the only witch in all of Wizard-dom who has the guts to tell my Uncle Tiberius what to do."
Lavender laughed, bringing Cormac's hand down to where the Minimac was kicking more enthusiastically. "You're kind of incredible too. Wouldn't have made this baby if you weren't," she teased. Just a year ago the Hogsmeade store was still just an idea and now he was negotiating sponsorship for the next World Cup; if their child was Sorted into Slytherin one day it would be because they had instilled the little brat with so much ambition and self-confidence.
"Yes, get your bag!" she urged, pushing him gently away. "I'm meant to be kidnapping you."
He allowed her to push him back and went to grab his duffel. Coming back to her he kissed her playfully on the neck and asked, "All set then?" Looking for her bags and this picnic she'd mentioned.
"Mm, ready to go," Lavender assured him. While Cormac had packed, she had retrieved the bag that she'd packed and a picnic basket and put them beside the fireplace. Wand out, she levitated them both.
True to her word, she needed to sit down after they'd Floo'd to the cottage in the Highlands; there was nothing graceful about the way she sat on the squashy couch. "I know I've said it a million times, but this kid definitely takes after you - always wants my attention." But for this weekend, her attention was all on Cormac.