ginny weasley is cuter than a guinea pig (born_a_lion) wrote in wished, @ 2010-06-19 01:13:00 |
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Entry tags: | !backdated, !complete, ginny weasley, sam capper |
WHO: Ginny Weasley & Sam Capper
WHAT: What Ginny & Sam have been up to these past five years
WHERE: Various places throughout the UK
WHEN: Summer 1998 to Autumn 2002
WARNINGS/RATING/STATUS: Awesomely adorable legendary-ness contained within!/PG/Finished!
summer 1998. Sam sat down, cross-legged, in front of her trunk and started transferring the stack of books and clothes beside her into the empty luggage. She'd originally baulked at the idea of going back to school, now that she had her freedom, but it didn't take much for Ginny to convince her to return. Even if she had a list of hesitations long as her arm there was the point that going back meant spending the school year with Ginny and staying home meant spending it alone. It was hard to argue with logic like that. Sam placed another sweater in her trunk before leaning back with a sigh. It had been the longest summer she'd ever known. June had been the battle and St. Mungo's and funerals, and then July had been Ginny's turn to let her emotions overwhelm her. And they'd both started feeling a little better when Sam had finally lost her distractions and had tried to pack away her mother's things only to feel herself lose it again. If she wasn't so nervous about stepping foot in the castle again she'd be grateful for the change of scenery. Glancing around at the items she still had to pack, Sam ran a hand through her hair. The sound of footsteps echoed down the hall, causing her to smile. She wasn't sure how Ginny did it but she always managed to know just when she needed her. "Hey," Sam called, not turning around, and resumed her packing, tossing a book into the trunk without looking. Trailing her fingers along Sam's shoulders, Ginny stooped and pressed a quick kiss to her girlfriend's lips before tossing herself onto the other girl's bed. "Merlin, I never thought I'd be so excited about going back to school." She opened her mouth to continue the thought, a whinge about how overprotective her mum had been over the summer, but had the foresight to stop while she was ahead. Instead, she levered herself up on her elbow and grinned wickedly at the other girl. "Then I get to go back to spending every night with you." Sam picked up up another book, looked over it's cover and flipped through a few pages before she tossed it into the trunk as well and looked back at Ginny, matching her smile. "You've already spent just about every night with me," she pointed out, placing her hands behind her to support her weight as she leaned back. "You didn't forget already?" She teased, cocking her head to the side. Settling back onto the bed, Ginny folded her arms underneath her head and waited out the heart clench that still occurred every time she caught sight of the eye patch across Sam's face. No matter how long she lived, she knew she'd never forgive herself for that. "Just about is not enough," Ginny responded to the ceiling, her voice slightly husky. Raising her eyebrow, Sam's sly grin grew and she moved up onto her knees. "I promise," she responded, scooping up a whole pile of sweaters and dropped it into her trunk unceremoniously, "I'm well worth the wait." Sam stood up and moved to fall beside her girlfriend on the bed. "I don't know..." she trailed off and folded her arms over Ginny's chest, resting her chin. The expression on her face shifted into one of unease as she considered all the confusing, conflicting feelings she had about the new school year starting up. Instinctively moving her arms to circle Sam, Ginny pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Don't know what, baby?" She hugged the other girl gently. "It better not be anything about sleeping with me that you don't know," her fingers ghosted up Sam's spine to tangle absently in her hair, stroking the soft strands. "Because I greatly enjoy that." "No, no, not that, never that," Sam assured her, smiling happily as she closed her eye and dwelled on how comfortable the closeness felt. "I greatly enjoy it too." Eventually, she managed to pull back a little and shake her head. "I'm just not sure I'm as ready to go...for summer to be over." Ginny nodded, pulling Sam closer. "I know," lying back, Ginny studied the ceiling with more attention than it deserved. She wasn't really good at these conversations, at any conversations really. She was more than ready for summer to be over, she wanted a fresh start. As much as she loved living with Sam, she was starting to go a little stir crazy. To be honest, she wasn't sure if going back to Hogwarts, will all of it's memories, would be what she needed, but she needed some kind of change. "I'll be there though." "Yeah," Sam watched Ginny's face, noting her intent gaze. For a moment she felt a pang for bringing up the conversation in the first place but she knew Ginny was going to be the only person to talk her out of her nerves. "We could always run away. I hear Paris is nice in the fall?" Humming lightly, Ginny absently twirled her fingers through Sam's curls. "Anywhere would be nice with you, baby." She responded, taking another moment to stare at the ceiling before pulling her gaze and attention back to Sam. "We can go to Paris next year. When I'm an international Quidditch star and you're..." Ginny paused, slightly, unsure what Sam wanted to do, then forged on, grinning rakishly. "You're an international Quidditch star's really hot girlfriend." "Maybe I won't want to go next year," Sam cocked an eyebrow and tried in vain to not match the other girl's infectious smile. "You'll lose your chance, Quidditch Star." Squeezing Sam gently, Ginny pulled a disbelieving face. "You'd pass up the chance to go to Paris with me?" she asked, furrowing her brows in mock worry and pressing the back of her hand to Sam's forehead. "Are you ill?" "Yeah," she squirmed against Ginny, moving up the bed until she could bury her head in the crook of her girlfriend's neck. "Very ill, I think. Might have to stay home." "Well, you'll have to stay alone," Ginny pointed out, wrapping her arms solidly around Sam. "My mum would kill me if I didn't go back to school." Sam sighed but said nothing for a moment. That was her conflict in a nutshell, follow Ginny or avoid the castle and be alone. Even if she wanted to think of Hogwarts still as a battle field the thought of being alone was even more overwhelming. "I don't want to be alone..." She mumbled, voice slightly muffled by Ginny's neck. Ignoring the clench of her heart, Ginny attempted to further wind herself around Sam, in an effort to comfort the other girl. Although she wanted to assure her girlfriend she'd never leave her alone, she knew that wouldn't bring any good into the conversation. "Then, there's only one solution." "Yeah," though she was still unsure she nodded anyway, not ready to lift her head from her comfortable hiding place. She opened her mouth, ready to ask Ginny what if it was too much, too soon, what if they weren't ready yet to be back there but couldn't get the words out. She settled, instead, for repeating herself. "Yeah." "You can do it, baby." Ginny said, after a moment, her voice soft. "You can do anything." She firmly believed this, wasn't just saying it to help make Sam feel better. She thought the other girl could do anything she wanted. She'd become an Animagus in just a few months, after all! "And I'll be there." Sam squeezed Ginny tightly, immensely grateful to have the other girl in her life. "Alright," she sniffed softly, waiting til she felt more in control of herself before raising her head. "But if anything exciting at all happens I'm blaming you," she tried to joke her away nerves. spring 1999. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, Ginny spun in place, apparating out of the alley. It was hard to believe that she'd been out of school for a year, living with Sam, playing for the Harpies (alright, so she was on the reserves at the moment, but still!) for a whole year. The sun was low, stars peeking out in the deep blue the sky was turning and Ginny took the opportunity to walk through the downtown area of Keswick. Sam was home, she knew, but the day was so beautiful that as much as she itched to run home and pounce her, she couldn't help a wander through the town. Crossing the street, Ginny stopped in front of a florist stall. Drawn by the bright and cheery flowers, she decided to buy a bouquet and set about picking Sam's favourites. It wasn't long before she had a nice sized bunch, paying for them and heading back the way that she'd came, climbing the small hill towards their house. Kicking open the back door lightly, Sam let Augie burst out into the back garden first before following. She'd only had to make the mistake of trying to exit first only to be tripped up and topple awkwardly into the wooden porch once to learn that lesson. She settled into the swing at one end of the porch and put her legs up on the rest of the seat, stretching out along it's length. She knew Ginny would be home soon and was content to enjoy her cup of coffee while she waited. It was at least something to keep her distracted from popping open the oven door and taking a peek inside every few minutes. She'd stopped at the market early to pick up a few groceries and at some point between looking over the apples and making a last dash back to get the almost forgotten milk, she'd gotten it into her head that she wanted to surprise her girlfriend with a proper Sunday roast, even if it wasn't the day for it. She'd gotten all the ingredients, beef, potatoes, veg, even eggs so she could make the yorkshire pudding from scratch. She wanted it to be an impressive spread and was determined to do it up right. She'd already had to pop over to her Aunt and Uncle's twice to ask questions about the proper procedure and was pleased that everything that needed to be in the oven was now safely in the oven and she wasn't going to need to go for a third trip. Out in the garden she saw Augie lift his head and look back and forth once before he barked and bolted back on to the porch. He sat down firmly right in front of the door and stared at it expectantly, Sam followed suit, and they waited for Ginny to join them. Coming around the side of the house, Ginny heard Augie bark and smiled, letting herself through the gate. Her little family was sitting up on the back porch and Augie gave an excited bark, bounding down the steps and over towards her, bouncing through the grass. "Hey baby," she called over to Sam as she bent to give Augie hello kisses, awkwardly hiding the flowers behind her back. "Got you something." "A pony," Sam called back, deadpan, grinning when she caught the flash of colour Ginny failed to hide. She shifted and swung her legs off the seat, making room beside her for her girlfriend and sipped her coffee. "If it's a pony you do know that means you have to build a stable next. And last I saw your list was already long." Settling down beside Sam, Ginny draped her arm over the other girl and tugged her close, pressing a loud kiss to her lips. "A pony!" Ginny shook her head sadly and pulled the flowers out from behind her back, pulling a dejected face. "It's not a pony, I'm sorry." "It's alright," Sam smiled warmly and took the brightly coloured bundle of tulips and laid it down on the table beside her. "Ponies seem overrated to me anyway." She wrapped her arms around Ginny's neck and promptly moved into her lap. "And it's not big enough for a stable back here. Though...there is always Mallory's old room..." Tilting her head in thought, Sam pretended to mull the idea over. Settling back, Ginny wrapped her arms around Sam's waist and kissed her soundly. "I don't know if Augie would like a pony," Ginny pointed out, tickling her fingers along the other girl's side. "Plus, how would we get it upstairs?" Hugging Sam, Ginny danced her fingers down her girlfriend's body, slowly tugging her skirt up. "Carefully?" Sam responded after taking a moment to think about it. Augie had been sitting anxiously at their feet, hoping for more attention, but had eventually wandered away following some trail of a squirrel down into a bush across the yard. It took Sam a moment to spot him rooting around out of sight until his head popped out for a moment. "Yeah, he probably wouldn't," she agreed, shifting toward Ginny's hand. "I'd like to see him take one on though." Ducking her head, Ginny kissed idly along Sam's neck. "I thought you liked Augie," Ginny responded, pulling back slightly and arching an eyebrow. "I'd rather not see him get beat up by a pony." "Look at him!" Sam waved her hand toward the dog, now hopping around at the base of a tree, finally catching up with the squirrel he'd chased. "He could take any damn pony." Ginny followed Sam's gesture, watching Augie barking up at the leafy tree. "Do you know what ponies are, baby?" She asked, making her voice deliberately slow and even as if she were talking to a particularly stupid child, but was unable to keep the mischievous glint from her eyes. "Yeah," she flashed her girlfriend a look like she was the craziest thing. "Little fluffy things. Twitchy noses. Big ears. Lotsa whiskers. Hops around with a puffy tail." At Sam's unexpected answer, Ginny actually laughed out loud, tugging Sam close and kissing her soundly. "Baby, I love you so much," she grinned, opening her mouth to say something else then, stopped and tilted her head to the side slightly. Furrowing her brows, she sniffed the air slightly. "Do you smell that?" Just as she was getting comfortable, snuggling closer to Ginny, Sam had to pull back slightly at the question. "Smell what," she sniffed the air for a moment before freezing up, her eye going wide. "Fuck!" The harsh smell of burnt food was drifting out through the cracked windows and Sam practically flung herself off the swing to get inside, leaving a confused Ginny in her wake. She was already digging her wand out of her pocket as she sprinted into the kitchen, cringing at the smoke creating a haze in the whole room. It got worse when she ripped open the oven door and a whole cloud billowed out at her, starting her coughing. "Fuck," she cursed again, waving her wand at the food in the oven to stop it burning. Muttering under her breath as she opened a window and waved her wand again, creating a breeze to chase the smoke out with. She took one glance in the oven and knew all she needed to know about her ambitious dinner. Instinctively shoving herself off the seat, Ginny spun around the corner into the kitchen after Sam, coming to a confused halt in the smoke filled room. "S...am..." she coughed, waving her wand and increasing the wind the other woman had conjured. "What the hell happened?" "Um," Sam shut the door quickly, not wanting to let Ginny get a better look at her failure, and smiled sheepishly. "Sunday roast?" Ginny gaped at Sam for a moment, rubbing her eyes as they teared up from the smoke. "It's not Sunday!" was all she was able to manage. "No..." Trying to avoid Ginny's stare, Sam started putting away some of the dishes she'd no longer need and rifled through a drawer for a take out menu. "I just...thought I'd make you something special." She glanced at the oven again and snorted with amusement. "At least it's special?" summer 2000. Even magically cooled, the attic was hot and stuffy and Ginny flopped back onto the dusty floor, swiping her hand across her forehead, leaving a smear of dirt across her skin. "Sammy," she whined, idly scratching beneath the hem of her raggedly cut off shorts and not letting on how carefully she was watching the other woman for signs of upset. "I'm hot." Pushing herself back up into a sitting position, Ginny tugged her ponytail down and readjusted it, wrapping her long hair into a sloppy bun at the crown of her head. She hadn't wanted to push Sam to do this before she was ready, to go through her mum's things, but two years was a long time. She had no real room to speak, thankfully her own mum was still alive and well, but the attic had been near untouched since they'd boxed things up and moved into the master bedroom years back and she just felt it was Time. "Stop whinging," Sam retorted, glancing over her shoulder at the other woman, rolling her eye at her. She had to admit, however, that her girlfriend had a point and waved her wand, casting a cooling charm on the attic. It wasn't the strongest spell but it did the job, a pleasant coolness immediately settling in around them. "Acting like you've never been in an attic before." When Ginny had raised the topic of moving onto the attic for the renovations she hadn't found any decent reason to argue with. Not wanting to shift through the years of boxes and memories paled against the extra space for a training room or studio. And so she was up in the dusty attic, digging through a box of Quincy's childhood toys and wondering if any of them were worth passing on to Verity or Fleur. She was also aware she was stubbornly staying in the back half of the attic where the oldest boxes were kept, keeping clear of the less dusty stacks near the front. Her mum's things. "I'm just saying," Ginny turned her face towards the breeze Sam had created, waggling her eyebrows at the other girl. "It's fucking hot. And there are much more fun ways to get this hot." Despite her whinging, she turned and tugged another box down, opening it up to find a set of encyclopaedias, wrinkling her nose and hefting one of the volumes out. "Rubbish?" she asked, hopefully. "It was your idea!" Sam yelped, glancing down into her own box for an appropriate projectile. A stuffed dragon was squished to one side and roared feebly when she grabbed him and flung him across the room at the other woman. The throw fell short, her little dragon bouncing to a halt at Ginny's feet and she sighed. "I'm not going to use them," she summoned the dragon back toward her and tossed it back into the box. Even if his charm was just about dead it was a cute toy, worth keeping. "Rubbish." Ginny eyed the dragon as it soared towards her, arching her eyebrow at the poor throw, before tapping her wand against the box of books and shrinking them. She glanced around, bored with the boxes around her. Pushing herself to her feet, she wandered towards the front of the attic. "What about this stuff?" She asked, innocently, even though she knew exactly what was in these boxes, she'd helped move them up here after all. "Hm?" Resealing the box of toys, Sam waved her wand and flicked it, levitating the box and sending it off to a Keep pile she had going. She glanced up at Ginny's question only to immediately look back down, claiming the first box she found with enthusiasm, old clothes. "Yeah," She focused all of her attention on the old shirts as she dug through them, aware of Ginny's gaze on the back of her head. Weighing her options, Ginny took a moment before crossing back to her girlfriend and settling down behind her, wrapping her arms around Sam. This was difficult ground to tread and Ginny didn't want to push too hard. Pulling Sam back against her, Ginny rested her chin against the other woman's shoulder. "Baby," she said softly, letting the word die off without continuing, knowing Sam would know what she was saying. Allowing herself to be tugged back, Sam leaned into Ginny gratefully, closing her eye tightly. "Yeah," she repeated, softly, aware of what Ginny was thinking and just as aware that she was right. But packing the boxes in the first place had been hard enough, let alone sorting through them. At the time she'd thought putting it all off til she was more capable of dealing with it made sense. But on this end of the situation she didn't feel at all like that more capable version of herself she'd imagined. "We can wait," Ginny said, after a long moment of just holding Sam. "If you want." She moved slightly, pressing a gentle kiss to Sam's cheek. "We can shrink the boxes and put them away, if you like." She was offering an easy out to Sam, even though in her opinion, it was long past time to go through them, it wasn't really her decision to make. Not ready to voice any trepidations just yet, Sam simply shook her head. She knew it was something that had to be done, should have been done ages ago, but that didn't make it any easier. "No." That, however, didn't stop her from curling around and snuggling closer to her girlfriend, wrapping her arms around her neck. Tightening her hold on Sam, Ginny stroked her gently. "It's up to you, baby." she said softly, after a moment, winding herself around Sam protectively. "Whatever you want to do, I'll do." Though she thought this was the right thing to do, there was a clench of guilt in her stomach at hurting Sam like this. Sam clung to Ginny for a few more quiet minutes, steeling herself for what she knew she had to do. "Baby," she said hesitantly, "Can you...could you just...get me some water?" Her gaze darted over to the boxes again and she knew she wasn't going to have an easy start. Ginny's strength and reassurance was going to be essential but she felt like she needed a moment alone, just to get started. That wasn't what Ginny had expected at all, but she nodded, wiping the confused look from her face. "Anything, Sammy." Ginny held her girlfriend for a few moments more before kissing her gently and pushing herself to her feet and offering up what she hoped was an encouraging smile before disappearing downstairs. Waiting for Ginny to disappear from sight and the echo of her steps on the attic stairs to fade, Sam took in a slow breath before standing. She honestly wasn't sure how she was going to handle sorting through her mother's things. Putting it off for so long had only built up the task into something even huger than it innately was. Sam figured she could either handle it better than she expected, handle it with a few upset moments or, she feared, lose it all together. She brushed away the dust from the top of a box and felt that tight, stinging sensation as the tears prepared to roll out. She wanted Ginny's strength for this but she wasn't ready to lose it in front of her over something she should have dealt with already. Tackling the final hurdle, Sam ripped the tape off the box and opened it, pulling out a shirt first. Her fingers ran over the soft fabric for a moment before she lifted it to her face and breathed in deeply. Grabbing two bottles of water, Ginny took a moment to splash water on her face, giving Sam a few moments to herself. She almost regretted starting this, forcing Sam to deal with something that she possibly wasn't ready to. She snagged the bottles and made her way back upstairs, pausing at the bottom of the attic steps and listening, not wanting to intrude on her girlfriend. "Water, coming right up!" she called, after a long moment, striding up the steps. "I was thinking of just ordering out for dinner tonight?" She continued, allowing Sam the opportunity to start a normal conversation instead of delving into the emotions likely whirling through her head. "I was hoping it'd smell like her," Sam said, almost wistfully, ignoring Ginny's question and hugged the shirt to her chest. "Just smells like attic." She turned and looked quickly at Ginny before looking back in the box. "Dusty attic." Gently, she folded the shirt and laid it down next to the box, reaching in for something else when a tear drop fell on her hand; she hadn't even realise when she'd started crying. Sorting for a moment, Sam found a colourful scarf, a bit worn from years and years of use and storage and used a tip to wipe away her tears. She looked at it for a moment, taking in the colourful design and eventually removed her eyepatch, tying the scarf around her head instead, angling it enough to cover the spell damage. "Can it be Chinese?" She sniffed pathetically, turning back around, hand out for the water. christmas 2001. Walking quietly up the stairs, Sam did her best to avoid squeaking too loudly as she went to join Ginny in her room. "I got an extra for you," she said, shutting the bedroom door gently and showing her girlfriend the napkin of Christmas biscuits she'd smuggled upstairs. "I like the little candy canes best." Grinning, Ginny pulled her legs under her and scooted up on the bed to make room for Sam. "I like you the best," she responded, holding out her hand for a biscuit. Although now that she was out on her own, she knew she couldn't ever handle living with her parents again, her mother's cooking made her seriously consider it. Passing over the treat, Sam dropped with a bounce onto the bed and promptly scooted up against her girlfriend. "As good as that?" She chomped the last little bit of her biscuit happily and crumpled up the napkin, tossing it at the bedside. Winding herself around Sam, Ginny finished her biscuit and leaned back against the headboard. "You're better," she said thoughtfully, settling her chin on Sam's shoulder and wrapping her arms around the other woman. She was glad Sam had sneaked downstairs for another biscuit because she wasn't sure she could handle being cornered by her mother again. Taking a moment, Ginny drew idle patterns across Sam's stomach, watching the snowfall out her window. "That's proper praise," she acknowledged, squirming happily against the other woman. Lifting one arm, Sam wrapped it around Ginny's leg and pulled it against her, loving the closeness. Christmastime always put her in a good mood and the undeniable cheer in the Burrow had been no exception. Maybe if she was lucky it'd be enough to distract Ginny into falling for her many questions about her present. Kissing Sam's neck, Ginny gave her a quick squeeze. "You deserve it," she waited a moment, then grinned and pressed a smooch to her cheek. "Now it's your turn," she prompted the other woman, loving the feel of her in her arms. "My turn?" Twisting around, Sam fixed Ginny with a questioning look. Ginny rolled her eyes and pulled a face indicating that Sam ought to know the answer. "To tell me how amazing I am," she grinned, pursing her lips for a kiss. A grin broke across Sam's face and she turned the rest of the way, popping up onto her knees and taking Ginny's face in her hands. "You are fucking brilliant," she said softly, firmly, before closing the gap and kissing her. Wrapping her arms around Sam's waist she kissed back, pulling the other woman close and scooting down onto the bed. "Hey," she said, after they broke for air, snuggled together on the narrow bed. "You wanna know something?" "You love me," Sam replied quickly, confidently, scooting down to lay beside her. "Wait," Her face lit up as she rolled on her side to face the redhead, tangling their legs together. "You love me a lot? You want to tell me my present!" Shaking her head, Ginny mimed locking her lips and throwing away the key, then ruined the effect by pulling Sam close and kissing her. "I love you," she responded, sagely, trying to hide her giggles. "And that is present enough." "You say that now," Sam said through the kiss, speaking against Ginny's lips, "But come tomorrow if that's what happens it will be a lot less cute." Snuggling close to Sam, Ginny stroked her fingers through the other woman's locks for a few moments before reaching behind her to grab her wand. Flicking her wrist, she switched the lights off and pulled Sam close, lying there in the darkness. "Mum cornered me in the kitchen today," she said after a long, but comfortable silence. The lights went off and Sam had given Ginny a soft, good-night kiss. She had expected to drift off to sleep all snuggled together and wasn't expecting Ginny's comment. "Hmm?" She raised her head on the pillow and looked at the dim outline of her girlfriend. "Cornered?" This was a hard conversation to start, to have, but her mum had gotten her thinking. "She wanted to talk about you," Ginny said after a moment, twisting slightly so she could see the window, and the snow, the soft, oddly bright light of the sky illuminating the other woman just a bit. "Me?" A hint of nervousness managed to slip into her reply. Sam had no doubt that Molly liked her, a lot she thought, but it was hard to hear something like that and not get at least slightly nervous. "What'd I do?" She joked playfully, drawing lightly on the Ginny's back. "Well," Ginny tried to hide her smile, but needn't have bothered; it was too dark to see her face anyway and it was very much evident in her voice. "I think it's more of who did you do." Sam blinked a few times, looking at Ginny's statement from a few angles, not coming up with anything that could actually be what the other woman was getting at. "What?" "Me!" Ginny responded in surprise, gently butting her head against Sam's. "You do me!" "Well I got that much, you muppet! Why was she talking to you about that? We've been together for four years, Gin! She had to know already we have sex...and why was she talking to you about that!?" She didn't consider herself closed off in any way but she still didn't think her sex life was something that needed to be discussed with Molly Weasley. Ginny laughed, loudly at first, then almost instantly quieting herself down. "I think she knows that, Sammy," she giggled, kissing Sam's nose gently and hurrying her answer out before she could second guess herself. "She wanted to talk about us. Future us." "Future us?" Sam said, smiling warmly at the soft kiss and snuggling closer. Ginny hesitated, unsure how to put into words what she was thinking. "Yeah. Like if we have plans." Feeling like she was getting a better grasp on the conversation, Sam smiled confidently and nodded. "Oh. Yeah. Well I don't plan on going anywhere ever. I think it's a brilliant plan." Shaking her head, Ginny snuggled closer, resting her head against Sam's chest and listening to the slow, steady beat of her heart. "Well, this bed is kind of uncomfortable to spend the rest of our lives in," she joked, taking Sam's left hand in hers and idly running her finger along the thin silver band she'd gotten her for Valentine's Day their first year together. "Well, I didn't mean literally not going anywhere." Sam rolled her eye and spread her fingers to link their hands together. "Just that I'm staying with you forever." Ginny grinned madly, glad of the darkness shrouding her expression, and it was a long moment before she could swallow her smile enough to speak. "Oh," she said wittily. "Good." She raised her head and kissed Sam, pulling her close and snuggling deep under the thick comforters covering the narrow bed. "Wouldn't have it any other way." Sam hummed happily and scooted under the sheets, getting comfortable again. Her mind replayed the brief conversation, taking a few minutes to contemplate what Ginny had said. Before her girlfriend could fall asleep she scooted across the little space left, pressing a firm kiss to her lips. "Ginny, I love you. And I'm going to be with you forever, I know that. And that's good enough for me. If I want cake I can nick it from the bakery for free." "Cake?" Ginny blinked at Sam's non sequitur and stared through the dim light at her girlfriend. "I can't have cake, too?" Sam smirked, brushing Ginny's hair behind her ear. "Any kind you want, of course." With another kiss, Sam settled back onto her half of the tiny bed and started to drift off. Sam settled down and Ginny furrowed her brow, still confused. "Baby," she started, tickling her fingers along Sam's side to keep her awake. "What are you talking about?" "Hm?" Sam hummed sleepily. "I don't need a wedding, I meant. I have you and I know you love me and the rest just seems...unnecessary." Reaching down to her hip she caught Ginny's hand and pulled it behind her, wrapping it around herself. "I would accept more of that though." Ginny contemplated for a moment, moving with Sam's tug and curling around her. She'd never really been a particularly feminine girl, growing up with a houseful of Weasley boys could do that to a girl. She'd never dreamed about her wedding, not really at any rate (there had been the week she'd spent when she was ten coming up with a detailed plot for her and Harry's wedding, which had included her brothers standing in as bridesmaids in gold robes, a cake which had been drawn roughly half the size of her house and unicorns for them to ride off on afterwards), and she found she didn't mind the idea of not marrying Sam. Her mother, however, was another story. "I love you," Ginny said again, kissing Sam gently and cuddling close. "But you'll have to tell my mum we're not getting married." Silence fell between them as Sam contemplated that last claim. "So....I'm free on Saturday, when is good for you?" autumn 2002. "Mm!" Sam choked down a mouthful of cider, trying not to laugh, and gestured randomly at the woman sitting across from her. "Yeah, but what about that time we swapped Chester's wine for babbling beverage? I thought he was going to strangle you!" Unable to take a drink for laughing, Ginny set her glass down and pointed across the table. "It was your idea, too! I'm always taking the blame for you!" She shook her head and took a long sip of her drink. "You're lucky you're cute." Sam smiled broadly, fluttering her eyelashes at her girlfriend. "I just suggested it," she said in what she hoped was an innocent tone. "You went ahead with it..." "Oh, it was more than a suggestion, my darling Sam." Ginny responded, idly stretching her foot across the table and pressing it against Sam's. "You used your feminine wiles! I was powerless to resist!" "Feminine wiles," rolling her eye, Sam waved off the accusation. "I have no idea what you could be talking about." Raising her glass to Ginny, she knocked back the rest of her cider and leaned back in her seat, letting out a contented sigh. "I can't help it if I have brilliant ideas, alright?" Shaking her head, Ginny arched an eyebrow. "Brilliant?" she echoed, finishing her own cider and looking questioningly at Sam, silently asking if she wanted another or wanted to head out. "I'm not sure if that's the word you're looking for." "It's exactly the word I'm looking for," she said, looking back at her glass, trying to decide whether or not she wanted another. "There couldn't be a better word for what I'm talking about!" Sam shook her head, pushing the glass away a little more, making it clear she'd had her fill. "If they're so brilliant," Ginny asked, digging in her pocket for money. She dropped enough to cover their drinks and tip on the table and reached across the table for Sam's hands. "Then why am I always the one carrying them out?" "Because you're so much more talented in the execution department?" Sam offered hopefully, taking Ginny's hands with a smile. "I mean, really, I could come up with plans all day but I could never pull them off with the skill and grace you do." Standing up, Sam waited a moment for Ginny to collect herself and follow suit, letting her lead her out of the pub. She'd always liked Diagon Alley, with the Bakery it'd practically been a second home until Hogwarts, but the place had never had much in the way of night life. Of course, there was the Leaky Cauldron and the street had been home to a few little cafes but it had always been predominately shops. When business hours ended so had the fun, she'd always felt. She had to admit she was fond of the refreshed Diagon Alley and the new Memorial Alley. Sure more shops but more of a Wizarding community, even after retail was done for the day. "Want to see if Mallory is still at the shop?" She asked, swinging Ginny's arm lightly as they walked down the street. "She's open til midnight and she hasn't found any extra help yet for the night shift. We can watch her get cranky and try not to chuck a ukulele at a customer's head!" "Sure," Ginny grinned and bumped her hip against Sam's. "Can we help irritate her?" She had nothing against Sam's sister, the other woman was open and kind, generally very nice... but watching her crack a nut was always hilarious. Tugging her hand out of Sam's, she wrapped her arm around the other woman's waist and gave her a squeeze. Autumn had always been her favourite season, the cool crisp air, just enough of a chill in the wind to wear jackets, or light sweaters, which were some of her favourite things to wear. Idly, she twisted her head and pressed a quick kiss to Sam's cheek, leading them towards Mal's shop and wondering if her brothers or Verity were in their store. Sam's smile grew at Ginny's gesture and she leaned into her. "Why else would we go visit?" She asked plainly, acting as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She loved her sister and even though she frequently wanted to visit her just for the sake of visiting, she couldn't deny she never missed an opportunity to drive her up a wall. "You can help me reorganise the stacks, she can't chase after both of us at the same time." Passing by the twin's shop, Ginny paused for a moment and glanced in through the window. Verity was there, behind the counter, and a twin, with his back turned to her so she couldn't tell which one. As she watched, Verity finished helping the customer and the twin turned to her, swooping in for a kiss. It was now obvious that it was Fred, Ginny grinned happily at the look on his face as he watched his wife. Struck with contentment, Ginny did a little swooping of her own, grabbing Sam and tugging her close for a deep kiss. She loved the other woman so much and wrapped her arms around Sam's waist, playfully dipping her as they snogged. "Gin!" Sam laughed and clung to Ginny tightly as she kissed her and swung her around. She felt herself being held over the ground and squirmed happily, kicking one leg around when it left the ground, all of her weight being held by the other woman. Ginny laughed along with Sam, her glee interrupted by a flash of light. Furrowing her brow, she glanced up towards the sky, setting Sam on her feet. They hadn't called for rain, Ginny wondered, and the sky was dark, but clear, stars peeking out, so what... There was another flash and Ginny swivelled her head around, catching sight of a photographer, who took another picture just in time to capture the quizzical look on her face. "What..." Furrowing her brow, Sam didn't realise at first what had distracted her girlfriend. She started staring about after Ginny did, not sure what she was looking for but happy to help. She watched her whip around and glanced behind them, seeing, not far off, some paunchy bloke with a camera aimed their way. "What..." she repeated again, confused, and looked back at the other woman. It took Ginny a long moment for things to click and when they did, she let out a laugh and pulled Sam towards her, more than happy to put on a show for the man. Grabbing her girlfriend, she snogged her deeply, tangling her fingers through Sam's hair. Another question started to come out of Sam's mouth when Ginny cut it off with a forceful kiss. One moment she was puzzling over the presence of a camera and the next there were lips pressing against hers and Ginny's tongue and then there were the fingers tugging on her hair. It was almost enough to distract her. As it was it took a moment for her sense to settle back in and she swatted at Ginny, pulling away with a serious expression on her face. Ignoring their new friend and his camera, Sam grabbed the lapel of Ginny's jacket and dragged her down the alley, ducking into the narrow alcove between two closed shops where she pushed her against the wall to get her attention. "Ginny Weasley," she said, all business, "You kiss me because you want to kiss me. Not for anybody else." It dawned on her she had her girlfriend pressed up against the wall she took a step closer, trying to keep her serious expression from fading into the smirk it wanted to. "Even if I do make fine arm candy." Fighting to keep a straight face, Ginny arched her back slightly, towards the other woman. "You make the best arm candy," Ginny responded, ducking her head and kissing Sam's neck, giddy at what had just transpired. Photographers taking pictures of her! She was famous enough for paparazzi! "And I always want to kiss you!" Her brow furrowed, Sam shot Ginny a glare and pulled away, just enough to get her attention back. "Ah!" She held up a finger, as if to scold her. "I'm serious Ginny, I'm not your photo opportunity!" She watched the redhead for a moment, noting the way she couldn't keep that ridiculous, giddy smile off her face and cracked a smile of her own, rolling her eye. "You're incorrigible. I hope you know that." Grabbing Sam around the waist, Ginny pulled the other girl into an impromptu dance in the cramped alley. "Me, Sammy!" she chortled, happily. "They were taking pictures of me!" She still couldn't believe it, and a part of her knew Sam was trying to talk about something serious, but she found she couldn't quite come down to earth enough to care at this moment. Sam didn't even have time for a resigned sigh when the other woman was pulling her and twirling her around the tiny space. She let herself go along for the ride and dropped her head back, laughing. "Incorrigible!" She yelped, in between laughs, as Ginny led her around the alley. |