InsaneJournal

Characters: Titus Scabior, Gretchen Watkins and Verity Weller
Setting: Early evening Wednesday at Trevor's place in Hogsmeade
Summary: Verity finally takes the first steps to sharing her big news with the family and ends up having an unexpected run in with her cousin's special lady friend as well.
Rating/Warning: PG13 even with the fade-to-black ending.

Verity hadn't seen her cousin in about four months. Normally, this wouldn't be an odd occurrence, even given the fact that he was living in the same town as her, but many things had changed in those four months.

Well.

Basically one thing. One really big thing.

She knew Trev didn't approve of Fred, and she found she didn't much care, but she hadn't told any of her family about the pregnancy. Telling Trev would definitely be the hardest of the admissions, so why not get it over with first?

She was visibly pregnant now, thanks to her small frame, her stomach curving in an unmistakable way and she supposed it would be better to tell him face to face than to have him find out later on, by just seeing her. Striding up the walk, Verity centered herself and rapped on Trev's door, a part of her noting that her presence hadn't seemed to set off any wards.

The power of a snuggly puppy was an impressive one and Gretch didn't know who could turn down one, it certainly wasn't her, because when Keg had struggled to hop onto the couch beside her, she'd reached down, scooped him up and was all of a sudden, waking up several hours later. Keg had scrambled out of her arms and was trying to climb up the back of the couch, barking and wagging his little tail.

"Keg," Gretch grumbled, pushing herself into a sitting position. "What the hell, dog?"

Her question was answered as the second knock sounded on the door. Gretchen hesitated, momentarily, wondering if she should bother answering the door. Whoever was there knocked again and Gretch pushed off the couch, Keg hopped excitedly around her feet as she made her way to the door and tugged it open.

On the stoop was a pregnant blonde woman and Gretchen tilted her head to the side slightly, examining her. She looked familiar and although Gretch was good with faces, she couldn't quite place her. "Can I help you?" she asked, eventually, using her foot to keep Keg from bounding out of the house.

When the door opened, Verity blinked in surprise, her words dying in her throat. She'd expected to see Trev, not a tiny little redhead who, judging by the fact that she was dressed only in a pair of men's boxers and a shirt, was very comfortable here. "I... I think I might have the wrong house?" She stared at the other woman for a moment, stepping back and glancing up at the façade of the building, certain it wasn't the wrong house but confused all the same. "Is ... Trevor home?"

Bending down, Gretchen scooped Keg up and continued her perusal of the blonde. "Who're you?" she asked, deliberately not answering the question.

"Verity." She answered, promptly, resisting the urge to reach out and pet the dog. "Weller?" There was a slight flicker on the other woman's face, but she wasn't sure if it was annoyance or recognition. "I'm Trev's cousin. I just... wanted to say hi?" She paused and narrowed her eyes slightly, studying the shorter woman, something pinging in her memory. "Hey, are you Gretchen? I didn't realise you two were living together."

Gretch couldn't help reacting to that one, but managed to only widen her eyes slightly. "Maybe," she responded, wondering what Trev had said about her. "And we're not living together," she added, a little defensively, absently petting Keg as he butted his head against her chin. "Are you the one dating that Weasley?"

"Maybe," Verity countered, not wanting to know what Trev had said about Fred. "Look, is he home? I've got to talk to him."

Arching an eyebrow, Gretchen shrugged. "I'm not his keeper." she responded, even though, strung on a long chain and hung around her neck, was a way of finding out where Trevor was instantly. She wasn't going to let Verity know that, however.

Verity let out a short sigh and scrubbed her hand through her hair. "Do you at least know when he'll be back?" She was ready to turn back and forget this whole thing but she knew she had to tell her family. It wasn't as though this was going to go away. And she may as well get Trev over with.

Shrugging again, Gretch leaned against the door jam. Normally she wouldn't have cared less about some random woman's problem, but the fact that she resembled Trev so much was clouding her judgement. "Why don't you come in?" she said, after a long moment, turning around and moving into the house. She set Keg on the floor and turned towards the kitchen without looking back to see if Verity would follow.

Follow she did, stepping inside and closing the door behind her and carefully stepping over the exuberant little puppy, she trailed Gretchen into the kitchen. "Is that your dog? Yours and Trev's?" She asked, unable to keep from prying.

"Trev found him somewhere," Gretchen answered, settling herself at the table and staring across the room at Verity. "What do you need to talk to him about?"

Verity shrugged and moved closer, sitting across from Gretch. "Things. Family things." she paused and considered for a moment. "How long have you known Trevor? Did you help him... pick out this house?"

As Keg skittered by, slipping on the slick linoleum floor, Gretch schooled her expression. Trev had mentioned his cousin, ranted for a bit about her dating a blood traitor, but hadn't shared how nosy she was. "A while." She answered, vaguely. "He's a big boy, he didn't need any help."

Gretchen was being cagey, and Verity leaned on the table, interest piqued. She'd asked Fred to look into Trev, but there hadn't been much of a response, things had cropped up. Now she had his... girlfriend, or whatever, right in front of her, and couldn't help asking questions. "Are you two dating?" she asked, folding her hands on the table.

"Dating?" Gretch sputtered laughter for a moment, shaking her head. "No, no, we're not dating." She made a show of wiping her eyes, her expression turning mischievous. "No, we just have lots and lots of really amazing sex."

Verity pulled a face, wrinkling her nose and trying to think of anything but the mental image the redhead had just provided. "He said you worked together," she blurted, after a moment, trying to regain the upper hand in the conversation. "What kind of work do you do that involves lots and lots of sex?"

Leaning back in her chair, Gretchen swung her feet up and propped them on the seat beside her. "I dabble," she answered, swinging down and scooping Keg up as he scampered past. He clambered up her chest and frantically attacked her with kisses before settling down in her lap. "You two chat about me a lot?"

"He's mentioned you a few times. Says you cook for him," Verity conceded. It was difficult to get a fix on the other woman, her face didn't give anything away, and her plan to find out more about what Trev was up to didn't seem to be going anywhere. "You dabble? Like Trev does?" She pulled an innocent face. "Like what sort of stuff? He must've lucked out to be able to get a house like this."

"I cook for him?" Gretch echoed, arching an eyebrow, ignoring Verity's questions. She didn't have any sort of designs about the nature of their relationship. They weren't exactly friends, more than coworkers, but definitely not anything as mundane as boyfriend and girlfriend. She had fun with him and assumed the same held true for him. "That's all he said?" Still. She thought she warranted more than she cooks for me.

Verity was only just able to keep the triumphant smile off her face at the crack (however slight) in Gretchen's façade. "That's what he said," Verity shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Bacon and fry-ups, he said."

Gretch snorted, the initial flare-up of discontent fading as she stroked her fingers along Keg's soft fur. "I've also made him pie, the ungrateful prat." she shook her head and paused for a moment before hoisting herself out of the chair and leaning over to drop Keg in Verity's lap, sick of the other woman's questions. "Lemme see if I can track Trev down," she offered, leaving the room and crossing the hall to the living room.

She tugged the chain up and grabbed the watch Trev had given her. Pressing a button on the side, she waited for a moment before softly speaking into it, watching the door for a sign of Verity. "Trev."

Leaning back in his booth, Trevor started when a quiet voice squawked from his pocket, a tiny version of Gretchen's voice. He downed the last of his pint and tossed a coin down on the table before hurrying out of the Hogshead. Outside he was free of prying ears but ducked around the side of the pub for extra privacy, pulling out his watch as he entered the back alley and leaned back against the wall. "Gretch," he responded, holding the watch up toward his mouth.

"Where are you?" She asked, still amazed at the watches he'd happened upon. They were ridiculously useful, even if Trev did tend to abuse them for completely selfish purposes. "There's some bird here looking for you. Says she's your cousin?" She heard a murmur from the other room and glanced up, but it was just Verity talking to Keg and she relaxed.

"At the pub," he whined at the watch, running a hand through his hair. "Verity's there? Why?" His face crumpled up in confusion, trying to recall if he'd asked her for anything or any other reason she would stop by. "I'm 'eading back now," he said, stumbling away from the wall he realised Disapparating wouldn't be the most prudent of ideas and added, "I'll be there soon."

"I can get rid of her if you want," Gretch offered, leaning against the wall and peering across the hall into the kitchen. She recognised the drunken drawl in Trev's voice and rolled her eyes good naturedly. "She's pretty fucking..." Gretch hesitated momentarily, unsure how close he and Verity were and how well he'd tolerate her being called names. He was sometimes unpredictable when he was drunk. "Nosy. I wouldn't mind it at all."

"No, it's alright," Trev sighed, already trudging up the hill towards home. Though he wasn't exactly looking forward to whatever it was Verity was going to go on about his curiosity was too piqued. Even if he was sure it wasn't going to be anything very interesting he couldn't help but wonder.

Shrugging, Gretch opened her mouth to respond then caught herself. "Just a heads up," she informed him, laughter in her voice. "She seems under the impression that we're dating. Seemed pretty adamant about it, too." She laughed, unable to stop herself, her voice sing-songy. "Do you want to be my booooyfriend, Trev?"

Trev stopped in the middle of the street and stared at the watch, giving it the same quizzical expression he would have given Gretchen were she actually in front of him. "Are you drunk?" He asked accusingly, casting about for the first logical explanation.

"I wish," Gretchen responded, mournfully. She glanced again across the hall, towards the kitchen but Verity still seemed to be sitting at the table. "But what other explaination is there? If you're always talkin' to your cousin about me, I mean."

"I've talked to 'er once. Twice, maybe." Trevor didn't pay attention to what he talked about with Verity, apart from keeping his trap shut about his business. "I'm not always talkin' about you," he insisted, snapping the watch shut and shoving it into his pocket as he walked up to his house. His wand was already out when he hesitated and tried the handle to find it still unlocked. With a sigh, he let himself in and redid the wards on the door itself.

He saw Gretchen first, tossing his arms out to the side and bowing slightly, as he continued right on past. The snarky gesture was belied by a grin though and he winked before heading on into the kitchen, assuming she would follow. "Alright, Ver?" he asked as soon as he saw her, walking around her and the table to fetch another beer. Family was always easier to deal with when he had one more pint in him.

Closing the watch, Gretchen dropped it down her shirt again and made her way into the hall, Keg galloping excitedly out to meet Trevor. They both followed Trev into the kitchen, Gretchen settling back at the table and holding her hand out towards him for a beer.

Verity shrugged in response as Trev came in. The other woman had disappeared for a few moments, apparently summoning her cousin from wherever he'd been hiding. "I'm... yeah," she answered, turning towards the table, although she wasn't sure if Trev was observant enough to notice her stomach. "How're you?"

"Alright," he answered while surveying the fridge. He plucked two bottles from inside it and kicked the door shut as he turned around, passing off Gretchen's beer and opening his own before turning back toward his cousin and leaning against the counter to chat. Once he started to settle and actually gave her his attention, however, he noticed the change in her appearance and choked on the beer as he swigged it. "Fuck," he spluttered, coughing to clear his throat.

Widening her eyes slightly, Verity made an instinctive move towards Trevor, but managed to stay in her seat. "You okay?" She asked, weakly, knitting her fingers together nervously and looking away from the two other people in the kitchen. Why, if Gretchen wasn't his girlfriend, did she have to be here, Verity wondered, then chastised herself. It wasn't as though this was something she could hide, it had to come out eventually, what did she care if some woman she'd never met before knew?

"What 'appened?" He squawked, gesturing at her with his bottle.

Verity opened her mouth, then closed it again, unable to say the words.

"She's pregnant, you berk." Gretchen pointed out, helpfully, pushing away from the table to rifle through the fridge in search of something to eat.

"Well...yeah," Trev shot back, scowling at Gretchen as she passed. "Obviously." Pouting, he folded his arms and leaned back against the counter again, taking another swig of beer and allowed himself to swallow this time before speaking.

Acting as though she was ignoring the conversation, Gretchen tugged bacon out of the fridge and got on with the task of making sandwiches, shoving Trev out of the way with her hip as she moved towards the stove.

Verity watched them for a long moment before speaking. "Yeah. She's right." she took a deep breath and continued, wincing in anticipation of his reaction. "I'm pregnant. It's Fred's. I just... thought you should know? And not have to find it out some other way? No one else knows. Yet."

"Weasley's?" He whined, skipping over the fact he was the first to learn the news. "Salazar," with a sigh, Trevor ran his hand over his face and shook his head. "You can do better, Ver," he insisted, saying the first response that popped into his head.

"Oh, not that again!" Verity rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah, Titus, I'll just go and grab a time turner and go back four months so Fred doesn't knock me up." This wasn't how she wanted things to go down, but she shouldn't really have expected anything different. She knew how Trev felt about Fred.

"You're still with 'im," Trevor pointed out, sneering at her attempt to rile him. "Don't need a time turner to change that."

Trevor didn't need to know their relationship history, most likely didn't even want to know, but Verity couldn't stop herself. "He hasn't been around much since he found out," she responded, pushing back into the chair and looking away from him. Part of that had been her, she knew, but it wasn't as though Fred had tried very hard to see her. "And what, I'm supposed to just raise a kid on my own?"

Taking in the information, Trevor merely snorted derisively, not surprised to hear someone as undesirable as a Weasley would act like that. "If 'e's not around 'ow is that different?"

Verity frowned, her brows furrowing deeply. "Well, maybe he'll be around," she shot back, thinking of their conversation a few weeks back. He'd promised, said he'd be around, said he loved her, and yet? Yeah, she knew there were things going on that were important than their relationship, but that didn't mean that he shouldn't at least try. "Anyway, what would you do if you knocked her up?" She asked, jerking her thumb towards Gretchen, who choked on her beer at the question.

"I wouldn't," he said simply, shrugging at the suggestion.

It took Gretch a moment to be able to catch her breath and when she did, she turned towards Verity. "Honestly. That's a ridiculous question. We're not idiots." She butted in, shaking her head at Verity's assumption. Behind her, the bacon popped loudly in the pan and she turned back to it, assembling the first of several bacon sandwiches, handing it off to Trev.

"It's not as though this was planned," Verity sputtered. "It was an accident. Accidents can happen to anyone!"

"Not if you're careful," Trevor said, taking the sandwich gratefully. "And," he added around a mouthful of bacon, "I'm not an idiot."

"Neither is Fred," Verity responded, surprised when Gretchen held up a plate for her. She stood and murmured her thanks as she took the proffered sandwich. "And neither am I! It was a mistake! You know all about mistakes, don't you Trev?"

Pausing in mid-bite, Trevor's brow crumpled as he stared at Verity. He washed down the bacon sandwich with more beer before he spoke, slightly confused. "No?"

Taking a bite of her sandwich, Verity rolled her eyes. "Yeah, Trevor. You've never made a mistake in your life, have you? Utterly perfect, you."

"Good enough," he said smugly, not about to give into any of Verity's baiting. He munched happily on his bacon sandwich for a moment, grinning at her. "I don't regret nothing."

Finishing her own sandwich, Gretch left a plate piled with bacon beside the stove and turned around, hopping up onto the counter beside Trev. She took a bite of her sandwich, feeling absently that she probably ought to leave the two of them alone, but too entertained to give into the vague notion.

"Well, I guess not everyone can be like you." Verity muttered, bitterly, picking at the crust of her sandwich. "With your sketchy house and your stupid not-girlfriend, we can't all be as perfect as you."

"Yeah," Trev grinned happily, finishing his sandwich off and licking crumbs from his fingers. "Right shame for everyone else."

Rolling her eyes, Gretchen jerked her thumb towards the plate on the other side of her. "'s more," she murmured around a mouthful of sandwich, before shaking her finger towards Verity. "Don't encourage him like that, he's going to be insufferable. Trev, your hair's ugly." She told him, in a non effort to tame his ego some.

If Verity had been in a different state of mind, she'd have pried about Gretchen and their relationship, but instead she just shook her head, wordlessly and folded in on herself for a moment, burying her face in her hands and wondering why she'd thought this was a good idea.

Trev shot a face at Gretchen but was distracted by Verity's breakdown and failed to come up with a comeback. He watched her crumple in on herself, feeling uncomfortable and unsure what was expected of him. He gave her a moment before he cleared his throat and said the first thing that came to mind. "Want a pint?"

"A pint?" Verity sputtered, wiping her eyes and staring across the room. "A pint?! I'm pregnant! I can't drink!"

Beside Trev, Gretchen nudged him and nodded towards the other woman. She seemed like the physical, girly type. The kind who'd want some man to come along and hug her and tell her everything was going to be alright instead of going and making everything be alright like Gretchen.

"It's just one pint," he groused, slightly irritated that his attempt to be helpful had resulted in getting yelled at by one woman and nudged by the other. "It won't 'urt, right?" He stared back at Gretchen as she eyed him, furrowing his brow and shaking his head in confusion, silently asking her what she was playing at.

"There's a reason Healers say not to drink, of course it'll hurt!" Shaking her head, Verity ducked, pressing her forehead against the table.

Rolling her eyes, Gretchen finished half her sandwich and wiped her fingers on her napkin before slinging an arm over Trev's shoulders and squeezing him. Hug her, she mouthed, wondering what Trevor would do without her.

Blinking, Trevor looked back and forth from Verity to Gretchen, suddenly feeling like an awkward pawn for the women. He held back a sigh and pulled away from Gretch so he could move to his cousin's side. "Ver," he said softly and stooped next to her, placing one arm over her shoulders and leaving himself open for a hug if she chose to move into him.

To say Verity was surprised would be an understatement. Trevor had never been the sensitive type, the kind to hug or notice that she was upset, he'd been too wrapped up in himself. She turned instinctively, though, ignoring the muffled laughter from the other side of the room, and tucking herself against Trevor. "I don't know what I'm doing," she mumbled wetly, against his shirt.

Trev felt a slight surge of panic shoot through him and glanced back up at Gretchen as Verity tightened her hold on him. He patted her back gently, wondering what he was supposed to do next. Deciding he wasn't nearly up to the task of opening his mouth and saying something, he settled for sticking with the hug and held her.

Leaning back against the cabinets, Gretchen chortled, ridiculously amused by the look on Trevor's face. It was only for a moment though, then she rolled her eyes and pushed off the counter and towards them, sandwich in hand. She didn't see why she had to be the one to comfort Trev's cousin, aside from the fact that Trev was right useless in emotional situations. "Clearly, you're having a sprog." Gretchen pointed out, ruffling her fingers through Trev's hair.

Lifting his head at the touch, Trevor looked up at Gretchen gratefully. He knew enough to know he couldn't move until Verity dislodged herself. Watching the other woman, he continued patting Verity's back and even managed the bold move of squeezing her a little more tightly.

You owe me, Gretch mouthed, finishing her sandwich and taking the chair beside Trev. "I mean, if you were going to do something about it, get rid of it or something, you'd've done so by now." She crossed her legs, draping one over the other at the knee and leaned on the table. "So shooting that thing out is about your only option."

Verity snorted and pulled back from Trevor, giving him one last grateful squeeze. "You've never..." she started, looking at Gretchen.

It took a moment for Gretchen to understand the question and she snorted, shaking her head emphatically. "Lord no," she responded, quickly. "I did say I wasn't stupid, remember?" She leaned forwards, draping herself comfortably over Trevor's shoulder. "The way I see it, you have three choices at this point: suck it up, keep the kid and deal with it yourself; suck it up, keep the kid and make the father help you; or suck it up and give the kid away." She paused for a moment and looked emphatically at Verity, resisting the urge to say fuck it and drag Trev upstairs. "Do you see the common thread in all of these?"

Staring at Gretchen, Verity frowned and settled back in her chair, releasing her hold on Trevor. "It doesn't mean I can't be scared," she shot back, defiantly.

Leaning back on his heels, Trevor watched the exchange between the two women. When Gretchen moved away he stood back up and resettled in a chair across from Verity. "Yeah," he finally spoke up, taking back his bottle of beer and leaning back in his chair. "But that won't do you any good will it? Doesn't change nothing. Be a frightened little bugger and cry all day...you'll still 'ave the same problem." He downed the last of his bottle and pushed it away as he shrugged, tricky emotional issues threw him for the most part but he felt comfortable enough commenting on how useless he felt fear and wallowing were.

It took Verity a long moment to respond. She knew what both of them were saying was true, but was surprised that sense was being slapped into her by Trev of all people. "It's just... so big and..." she shook her head and stopped herself. They were right. "No. You're right, Trevor," she stopped again and snorted. "Never thought I'd say that."

"First time for anything," he retorted, grinning back at his cousin.

Verity returned his smile, although not quite as broad as his. This hadn't turned out at all like she'd expected it to and while part of her wanted to stay and pry more, she had the good sense to realise that this was an excellent leaving point. She could always come back if she left on a good note. Levering herself out of the seat, Verity swung around the table and wrapped Trevor in a tight hug again, pressing a kiss to the side of his forehead. "Thanks."

"Uh, yeah," Trevor was surprised by the sudden hugging but felt he adapted quickly, patting her shoulder as she squeezed him. He frowned at the expression Gretchen had on, making a mental note to remember how much she was enjoying this. "Sure."

Feeling better, Verity straightened her shoulders and nodded to Gretchen. They were right. She needed to suck things up and make whatever she wanted to happen happen. She still was afraid, couldn't stop that, but being pushed to take matters into her own hands made things seem a little more manageable, not quite as huge and overwhelming. Nodding to the both of them again, she left, stepping over Keg as he scampered down the hall.

Watching Verity leave, Gretchen managed to hold her laughter in until the front door closed, then burst into little giggles, shoving Trev's shoulder good naturedly. "Look at you!" she grinned. "Being all helpful!"

"Sod off, Watkins," Trev grumbled, sealing the door after his cousin's exit. He turned and glared down the woman, doing his best to look threatening. "You could 'ave sent 'er on back 'ome," he griped, walking past her to fetch another piece of bacon. "Didn't 'ave to call me back for that."

Leaning back in her chair, Gretchen held her plate up at him beseechingly. "How was I to know what she wanted?" she asked, taking a swig of her beer. "And I did offer to send her home, you were the one who came back."

"Well..." Trevor frowned and felt around for some sort of comeback. "I'm an idiot," he dropped a couple pieces on her plate and leaned against the counter to pick off the platter. "What do you want?"

"You are," Gretch nodded in agreement and pulled her plate back, crunching a bacon slice in half. In an odd way, she was sort of proud of Trev. She wasn't ever the type of person to try and change men. Besides, she liked Trev the way he was, even though she wasn't sure why sometimes. Yet there was something about the way he'd interacted with his cousin that sort of made her want to take him upstairs and reward him.

"She was asking all these questions," Gretchen let him know, finishing her beer and looking mournfully at the empty bottle. "About you and what sort of things you did, about us, all sorts of things." She arched an eyebrow and pushed out of her chair towards the fridge. "Really obvious questions too, I'm a little insulted that she thought I was stupid enough to fall for them."

"Well, you didn't," he grumped, not feeling the need to dissect his cousin's quirks or nosiness. "Just a nosy bugger sometimes."

Offering a beer to Trev, Gretchen shut the fridge and hoisted herself up onto the counter beside him. "You're not worried?" She asked, reaching across him to grab a slice of bacon. "Isn't she all involved with those Weasleys?" She shook her head. Verity's questions hadn't seemed like normal, nosy person questions. There was the way she'd raised her voice slightly, trying to seem innocent when asking about her and Trev's jobs, the pointed questions she'd asked. Gretch wasn't sure if she knew something and was trying to verify it or if she just suspected her cousin was up to no good.

Trevor took the beer and shook his head. "She's involved, she's not one of them. You 'eard 'er. 'e's not even coming round." He waved off the suggestion before knocking back the bottle, chugging down the cold liquid. His cousin might be nosy but as far as he was concerned she was harmless, he almost doubted she'd even do anything if she did know what he did. At the very least, asking questions was a nuisance, not a real worry.

"I don't like her," Gretchen shrugged. It wasn't Verity herself that she didn't like, but rather the vibe she'd gotten off the other woman. "He's not coming around now, but did you see the look on her face? She's going to do something." She could leave right now, she told herself. The last of the goblins had been booted from Giza, and the humans left there were idiots. She could leave, go back to Egypt and pick up where she'd left off, but something was keeping her here She wasn't sure what, but she definitely didn't want things to be ruined by Trev's cousin.

"Yeah," he settled into a chair and leaned back, kicking his feet up to the edge of the table. "She's going to go play 'appy families and as soon as she gets distracted by 'im or the sprog or anything else she'll stop nosing around." Trevor shook his head and took another sip, not entirely sure why Gretchen was so worked up when she'd even seen Verity, the girl looked less threatening than Keg did! "Doesn't matter, she doesn't know anything anway."

Pushing off the counter, Gretchen set her beer down and frowned. "It's just a feeling," she answered, walking towards one end of the kitchen and turning back. "Subtlety must not run in your family, Trev." On her pass by the counter, she grabbed her beer and took a swig, continuing on her journey. "I couldn't figure out if she knew something and was trying to get me to confirm it, or if she just has some sort of feeling on account of your shiftiness, or what." She passed by the counter again, snagging a strip of bacon this time.

"Gretch," he said flatly, starting to grow bored with Gretchen's paranoia. He knew he had no right to fault anyone for worrying, he had more wards on his place than any sane wizard would have and was always looking for the possibility someone was out to get them. But even he knew Verity was as inncouous as a fluffy bunny and not even worth the stress. "Relax."

Heaving a sigh, Gretch completed her circuit of the kitchen by Trev's chair. "Can't," she said, simply, dropping her beer onto the table and straddling him, but not dropping into his lap. Despite Trev's assurances, she couldn't ignore her inner voice and vowed to do a little poking around of her own.

Trevor schooled his expression as he watched her swing her leg over him and linked his hands behind his head. Grinning, he raised one eyebrow at her, waiting for her next move.

"Maybe you have some ideas as to how I can relax?" She asked, reaching out and winding her fingers through his hair. Moving closer, she tugged his head back by yanking slightly on his hair, before ducking her head and kissing him.

"None," Trevor replied, hooking his hands under her thighs and lifting her up with him as he stood. He briefly considered taking her upstairs or even to the couch but instead took a step foward and dropped her on the table, leaning into her and pressing her back down against the wood as he did. "But I'll keep thinking."