t i m s h e l

[Lucy Murphy]

you are not alone in this

She had been floating in and out of consciousness for days. Her dreams were actually quite peaceful, if she managed to remember them - generally they involved the people she loved, and big fields, and laughter. She had woken up once... twice, three times even, since her stay at the hospital wing, never for very long, but she remembered them. She remembered seeing faces. Will and Wendy. And Madame Pomfrey. Her mother. Her baby siblings, too, they all came. She remembered Wendy telling her everything was going to be alright, and that the baby was okay. She could remember Conor asking her to please not die. She laughed at that - she remembered it hurt, too, to laugh. She remembered, at one point, Madame Pomfrey trying to shoo everyone out, and asking her to please let them stay. She couldn't remember if it worked, though. She might've fallen back asleep... but she felt very, very awake right now. Which was strange, because all she saw was darkness - nighttime in the castle always sorta gave her the heebie jeebies. Especially when she was alone. ...Wait. She looked down after noticing a slight pressure near her thigh. Will. He was laying there, draped over the side of her bed, fast asleep. Aw.

She contemplated, for a moment, waking him up. Maybe she would. Maybe. She knew he'd probably want to see her, talk to her, but at the same time, who knew how sleep deprived the boy was? She didn't want to interrupt his dreams. But until then, she twisted around and looked at the variety of potions and ointments on her bedside table. There was an empty bottle sitting in the corner, she wondered what that was, and there were a few other bottles - one of them was definitely dittany, she could smell it, and judging by the wounds she had... well, it would only be wise. Merlin, what even happened? She couldn't remember how she had found Alecto, or how Alecto found her, but she remembered getting the ass kicked out of her. The torture, both from Alecto's knife and wand - she'd take the knife over the Cruciatus curse any day, that was for sure. She remembered Alecto's spell right as Will was carrying her away, while she was duelling with Sirius, and how it sliced into her ankle. And she remember seeing Wendy, She felt up on her head for any scabs or bumps - there was the latter, but both bumps on her head were certainly a lot smaller than they had been when she'd hit her head initially. She took the glass of water and took a sip, before setting it down quietly and looking back down at Will. A small smile spread across her lips. He was sweet.

She put an arm out and gently placed it on Will's head, feeling his hair. "Will, darling," she spoke softly, waiting for him to wake up. Slowly, his head rose, and her hand followed it down, finding a place on his neck. "Come up," she said, scooting over on her bed to make room for him. It was nice to be with him again, as strange as it sounded. She had somehow started to miss him in her generally unconscious state. She reached down for his hand, and held it, before cuddling into his chest. She settled, took a few deep breaths, closed her eyes - she hadn't forgotten the way he smelled, but she would always appreciate it, no matter what. And just... Merlin, just the way his body felt around her. It sounded strange, really, but being held by someone you love, and someone who loves you, it's a feeling you never want to get rid of. It's the sort of thing that makes you smile for no particular reason. And she was. "Thank you for saving me," she said, pulling herself closer to him, as if that were even possible. She felt a little tear run down her cheek. Pregnancy hormones! Evil buggers. "I don't know what I'd do without you," she added, her voice a bit strained, before tilting her neck back and kissing him on his jawline. It was the closest part of him, and she didn't want to reach up. She kissed him again on his neck before returning to the position she had been in before. She never wanted to let go.

will

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[William Dempsey]

cold is the water

It is a cold, dark thing, thinking you could lose someone, someone you love. Human lives are irreplaceable, you come to find out. Irreplaceable and so, so fragile. To believe that at any moment could be the very last moment you ever see someone alive can tear a soul to pieces. Everything you believe in, everything you know, at that moment, doesn't matter anymore. You just do what your heart tells you to do, to make sure that those you love can be with you for another day, another hour. But to witness death, have it surround you and creep close enough to take you or someone else away is another thing. Another thing entirely.

He had recognized the voice, cold and cruel, but couldn't place it. No, he was focused entirely on getting to Lucy. The hall seemed so much longer now, tunneled and dark. He was getting closer to the voice, now close enough to recognize the word it was repeating. Lucy. His eyes widened as he started running. Swinging around a corner to where he had left Lucy, he shouted out her name, almost helplessly but loud enough to stop anyone or anything in its tracks. Instead, a masked, hooded figure stood, wand in one hand, a bloody knife in another. Around it, walls of the opposite side of the hall were blown out, rubble scattered about the hall. Stopping mid sentence, the owner of the cold voice turned its head to see William standing in the middle of the hall, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. "No," was all he was able to utter before he was keeled over, back arching in the most severe pain he had ever felt. A groan ripped through his chest as he tried to hold back an ear splitting scream. Tears filled his eyes as his lungs felt like they would shred if he didn’t scream out. Vaguely, he heard a door crash open. Then, the voice he was searching for, terrified and desperate, rang in his ears. Before he even recognized what was happening, he was on the floor, the pain in his body gone and transferred into Lucy’s scream. He was numb for a moment, collecting the facts that had been jumbled in his head. Masked figures, they were Death Eaters. That much he figured, after the budding stories he had heard of them. He had just been under the Cruciatus curse but was no longer so. He had heard Lucy come out of the room, heard her speak. He had heard the curse again, which could only mean—Almost instantly, he had found his muscles again and was on his feet. Then, he saw her. Bent oddly on the floor, screaming out, blood staining her skin and clothes and floor. He felt as though there was nothing left in the world to hold onto and the floor had fallen from under him. He looked back to the figure, the bloody knife. Registering where the blood came from, he felt his own blood begin to boil, anger welling up inside of him. The rest was just instinct. “Expelliarmus!” he shouted, disarming the Death Eater and catching her off guard. In no time at all, he had breached the gap between them, his foot swinging with such force, and kicking the knife from her hand, sending it soaring into the rubble. Without even giving it a second thought, he found himself on his knees at Lucy’s side, his hands pressed against her face, looking into her eyes. Squaring himself, more bravery pumping through him than he ever thought he had, he leaned into her and whispered, “Stay with me, don’t leave me.”

Her eyes slammed shut and her back arched in pain as the Death Eater shouted the curse once again. “NO!” he screamed, reaching for his wand. Standing, he spun around and, with ferocity in his eyes, decided he would do absolutely anything to protect Lucy. He would kill to protect Lucy. Preparing with as little as a fast, deep breath, he shouted the disarming charm, his voice unexpectedly synced with another voice, just as angry, fierce and brave as his own. A protective voice, like his own. But it wasn’t his. He could see the outstretched wand next to him but he was too focused to look. The Death Eater had been knocked off of her feet by the double charm a few yards away, buying him time. Glancing to his right, Sirius stood, his hair ruffled as it always was, hanging in his face. His eyes looked dark, his expression controlled yet angry. Sirius looked back at Will, fully formed sentences in his eyes yet he never had to speak them because they were playing in William’s eyes as well. They stood, only for a moment, in complete synchronization and agreement, forming a bond they weren’t even aware of. As soon as the moment was created, it was broken again and William was scooping Lucy into his arms. Resting her head carefully onto his shoulder, he stood straight and began to turn away from the ensuing battle. A curse, one he didn’t recognize from any book or class, shot past his right side, grazing his shoulder and upper arm, slicing open his skin and making him flinch, almost dropping Lucy in the process. He gasped, catching Lucy’s legs and breaking into a sprint, Sirius’ voice dropping defensive spells behind him like the world would end without them. His arm was bleeding and throbbing but all he could register was that he needed to get Lucy out and stop the bleeding—so much blood. Her ankle, unscathed before, was also bleeding heavily. She had to have been hit by the strange curse as well. It was as if he couldn’t see anything, couldn’t think and no longer could feel. He was numb to everything but the cause he was running for. Rescue Lucy from this hell. Wendy was the next thing he registered. He wasn’t sure if either of them said anything because by now, nothing actually mattered but the girl in his arms. Wendy followed though worry all over her face. People were moving and swirling and apparating everywhere. Then, the biggest, friendliest, safest thing he could see. Hagrid.


Will’s hair was ruffled gently, familiar fingers touching his scalp. He swallowed sleepily, figuring only a couple hours had passed since he had drifted off. His head was resting against Lucy’s covered thigh, his fingers folded into the blankets like he had been gripping them. Her voice was soft now as he tried to wake his head up enough to take in his surroundings. She was awake. Really awake. He looked up sleepily at her scratched up face, her beautiful, angelic face. Blinking, he did what she asked without a single thought or argument. Slipping under the covers with her, he carefully pulled her close, the form of her body fitting perfectly to his like it had always belonged there and his muscles relaxed as if they couldn’t until she was in his arms. The feeling of her fingers slipping between his, her head on his chest, it was like home. He pushed his nose into her hair, taking her in. It was like they say, you don’t really appreciate something until it’s gone. He had almost lost her, he could have. Easily. But he hadn’t. He would never be able to take her for granted again. Not after watching her suffer, watching her cry out in pain. No, it would be impossible now. Somehow, he always knew that he wanted her with him. Since, well, since he met her. She was home now. No matter where he was, if she was with him, he would be home. He held her close as she spoke, her words sinking in and burning the edges of the nightmare he had just relived in his sleep. He had saved her life, plain and simple. She may have survived without him; Sirius had come and would have come. But he was there and had saved her life. He had saved their life. Their life together. He smiled vaguely, and she spoke again, holding him tighter. He looked down at her face as she kissed his jawline in time to see a small tear run down her cheek. Breathing in deeply, he pulled her close, trying to be gentle and avoid the sore spots. He scootched her up and kissed her temple, breathing on her hair. Closing his eyes, he whispered, “Well, you will never have to worry about that, mon chanteur de coeur. Truly.” There was nothing false in what he told her. Nothing at all. “Because I can’t see anything that would make me leave you. Nothing.”

Not even nightmares could scare him away from her now.

[Lucy Murphy]

you are not alone in this

She beamed, a bit of color rushing up to her cheeks. The thought of a real future with Will always got her giddy. Of course it did - what could you expect? Granted, they hadn't been dating that long, but even before they were dating, he... he had always been the face on the man at the end of the aisle. She was a girl, she couldn't help it! Meaningless daydreams were her expertise, but it seemed so much more tangible lately. It was nice. Just... being with him. Their love wasn't necessarily wild, or passionate, or desperate. But it felt normal. She couldn't imagine him not being there. He... he was Will. He was Will, he was her best friend, he was the boy she could talk to about anything and everything until the earliest hours of the morning for weeks in a row. She could be herself entirely with him, and not be worried he was judging her or thinking about how strange she was - in fact, she was fairly certain the silly little things she always did only made him love her more. That was something she felt just in the way he looked at her - all those times she'd dance around in her pajamas in India, she'd catch him out of the corner of his eye, a little smile on his face. And his little quirks? Merlin. Everything about him, she loved. Everything down to the way he clipped his nails and how he placed vinyls on the record player. All of it. Even his flaws - which she didn't even consider flaws. It was just him. And she knew what they were, and she knew when to expect them to show, and she knew how to handle them. She'd thought of building a home with him, cooking for him, having his babies. She'd thought of it. Call her ridiculous, or pathetic, but she was in love. And that's what people in love did.

"Promise?" She asked, looking up to him, a smile playing across the corners of her lips. His words, although comforting, struck a chord. Lucy Murphy had been keeping a secret, a rather big secret, and she knew in the long run, that was only hurting their relationship. She let out a sigh. What had kept her from telling him so long in the first place? She was scared. But why? She didn't even know why. She had no reason to be, she realized as she was laying in the hospital bed, pulled up against him, their fingers intertwined. He loved her. She knew that. And she loved him back - although she obviously wasn't doing a very good job at it, by keeping this from him. William Dempsey, although occasionally easily frazzled, a bit too stubborn, and timid at all the wrong times, was a good man. He was wicked smart, he was hilarious, he was thoughtful, he was adventurous. He knew what he wanted - granted, sometimes he didn't exactly know how exactly to get there, but he figured it out along the way. And he loved her. Yeah, this baby thing certainly threw a wrench into the whole normal-teenage-relationship thing, but it was something they had to get through, together. He was somebody's father, and that was a pretty huge deal, and she'd gone on for two months without even a little peep to him. That? That was fucked up. And she knew it was. She wasn't even going to try to justify her actions. She was just a coward. A big, pregnant coward. But it was time to make it right.

"Will," she began slowly, rolling over to face him. "I have something important to tell you." She took a deep breath, exhaled, and then looked him in the eye. "I'm pregnant." ...Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Shit. She'd just done it. She took another breath, let it sink in; she'd just told him. It wasn't nearly as bad as she'd thought it would be, now was it? It was sort of like some big weight had just been taken off her shoulders. She looked at him to gauge a reaction but he was still processing the information; she could see it in his eyes. ...Probably wasn't helping that he'd just woken up. She continued talking, though, answering the questions he was probably thinking. "I'm seventeen weeks, right now - I think? Yeah, that's right. The baby was fine after the attack, by the way - turns out they don't have pain receptors until they're a bit older, so she - he - whatever - didn't feel any of the curse. I don't know what he is yet. She. Um." She looked into his eyes, feeling tears welling in her own. "I should have told you earlier. I've known for a while, but I - I - I.... I was just scared," she finally blurted, and the tears started falling down her face, tickling her cheeks. "I was just so scared, I didn't want you to leave me, or - or - or g-get mad, or something like that, I just - I just tried, I tried to tell you so many times, I've felt so guilty, I'm awful, I know, you can be angry at me if you want to, I understand, I was just scared, Will, I was so scared," And then she cuddled up to him closer, breathed in, her face buried against his shirt. "I love you," she sputtered out.

That she did.

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[William Dempsey]

you are the mother

Her breath was warm on his collar bone, almost stale, like she hadn't really been breathing until now and all that pent up air was slowly escaping onto his chest. Not in a bad smelling way, though. It was actually kind of relieving. He had been watching her in the hospital bed, sleeping and breathing shallow and worrying him to death and now, she seemed to be Lucy again. A weaker version of the usual Lucy but still Lucy, awake and alive and healing marvelously. He flexed his fingers on her side, just to feel her beneath them. He was glad he didn't have to be terrified anymore. Promise? Of course he promised. She knew that, she always had. So had he. They just needed a little help. Smiling slightly, more to himself than anything, he whispered, "Promise." He wanted to promise her so much. Actually, promises are what he had been thinking about since mid October. He wanted to promise Lucy that she would never have to worry about anything ever again. He wanted to promise her happiness, promise her laughter. He wanted to promise her safety and health. He wanted to promise her the rain and the sun and stars, the oceans and the forests. He wanted to promise her the whole world and then promise her silence, if that was what she wished. He wanted to promise her anything she could dream of, anything she could ask for, anything she wouldn't have to ask for. He wanted to promise her children and elephants and warm summers and their fingers forever intertwined. There was so much he wanted to promise her, so much he wanted to give her. Although he knew that the stars would always be a little out of his reach, he wanted to try and give them to her anyway. Promises, the ones he could keep, had a way of finding their way into Will's head for almost three months now. He had thought on them, thought hard and then rethought and then went back and thought again, which was normal for Will, one could suppose. But one thought, one particular promise he knew he could keep, presented itself every single day. The moment he woke up, the moment before he fell asleep and every Lucy filled moment in between. It was always there. And now, with Lucy safely in his arms and his soft spoken promise still lingering in the air, his greatest, most important promise presented itself again. He bit his lip. He felt like he could just fall asleep for real this time, with Lucy tucked close next to him. He started to close his eyes, awaiting that very thing. Uncompromising sleep.

Lucy turned her face up to look at him and he had to take a moment to pull himself out of his thought pool to understand what she was saying. Important. His stomach pulled a little. She looked anxious, nervous almost. When she exhaled, he took the moment to take a deep breath, preparing himself. Important to Lucy could be that she wished she was short enough to know how 'little people' felt, the decision to try to strawberry jelly on pancakes or that she had decided that she planned to cheat on him. Lucy Murphy was known for her variety. He didn't know what to expect. So, he braced himself. A moment went by, almost too long for Lucy and much too long for Will's nerves. What she said when she finally did speak didn't quite register right away. He watched her face, replayed her words and the look in her eyes in his head, slowly, then again. I'm pregnant. Pregnant. As in with child. Child. Who's child? His child? Lucy is pregnant. Yes, his thoughts wandered to who's baby it could possibly be besides his own but the search came up dry and then he rethought the words again. I'm pregnant. We're pregnant. We are having a child. He-- Well, he didn't really know what he was feeling quite yet. He was still half awake and becoming more awake every moment. So much for sleeping again. More thoughts began to dance around now that he had wrapped his mind around the phrase 'I'm pregnant.' How far along was she? Oh, answered. Seventeen weeks? But that meant... As Lucy started talking faster, he stopped asking himself questions and started letting her answer them for him. She didn't know the gender yet, alright. The baby didn't get hurt by the attack, fantastic. Then, she started getting a little frantic. He was still a bit shocked, trying so hard to absorb everything she was saying that when she started to cry, he was completely taken a back. She kept it from him because she was afraid he would leave. Why would she-- but of course, he knew the answer to that. They were young, for one. A child is a huge responsibility. But, he had messed things up before, planting doubt in her head. And now, she thought she had to keep their baby a secret because he might be a terrible coward and leave her. He blinked back his own tears that were forming on and threatening to tip over the brim. She had just buried her face in his chest, blurting out I love you desperately, a last ditch effort in hopes that he wouldn't leave her. A moment passed and then he gasped, trying to evade crying. He hated to cry. Pulling her face away from his chest, he held it in his palms, looking at her wet face and seeing his now equally wet face reflected back in her eyes. He just looked, no words coming to mind. Not a single one. Not in English or any other language for that matter. That was a first. So, he just did the only thing he could. He kissed her. He kissed her so passionately that even Venus and Adonis would have been jealous and Cupid would have laughed at them until they forfeited their immortality in shame. He kissed her and refused to stop until she knew how happy he was, how in love with her he was and how he wasn't angry in the least. He kissed her until she took her apology back. He kissed her until the baby inside of her, their baby, felt it too. When he finally found it in him to pull his lips from hers, he smiled, looking into her beautiful eyes. "Come with me," he said quietly, a little choked, "I have a surprise for you."

---------------------------- his latter to the stars ----------------------------

The halls were cold, even colder as they climbed higher in the castle, up one set of stairs and then another. Lucy was wrapped tightly in her hospital blankets, resting comfortably in William's arms. She watched as they cut through corridor after corridor. He didn't think she knew where they were going but he had known full well where he needed to be at this moment with Lucy in his arms. He didn't bother to move quickly or worry if they would be caught fleeing the hospital wing. He just strolled, up and up, destination clear in his mind. As they turned a corner, it was suddenly colder than it had been during their little adventure. He knew he was almost there. His arms were getting tired slowly but he would hold Lucy forever if she had asked him to. He had no intention of complaining or putting her down just yet. Finally, a door, partially ajar, came into view and when he nudged it open with his foot, the stars and moon and cold air flooded his senses, making Lucy shiver. He held her closer, pressing his lips to her temple as she protested about surprises and cold weather. He said nothing, just held her tight and began to climb the slightly icy steps to the owlry. Piccolo flew over his head with a short, melodic hoot, as if to just say hello. Slipping a little at the top of the stairs, he paused, then put Lucy on her feet, slippers and all. Making sure she was steady and stable, he braced her until she felt like she could stand on her own. Drawing his wand, he turned his back to her and whispered "Accio Lucy's Box." Then, he quickly put his wand away as Lucy questioned him. He smiled, already losing himself in the moment. "We are here, Lucy Murphy, because this is where I first met you. Do you remember? It was only the first week of school and I had already sent maybe eighteen letters to Mum. That was when I had Anthony. Remember? The owl who thought he was a kamikaze? You were up here, half in tears." He laughed, the memories flooding into him like a broken dam. "You didn't have an owl and all you wanted to do was send your family a letter. We were so scared of all of this back then. I remember you were literally the only person I had talked to that week, Lu, and were the first friend I had made here. Do you remember the first thing I said to you, Lucy?" He laughed a little bit louder, somewhat embarrassed that she still remembered. "Do you remember the night back in third year when James had convinced you that the Ministry had a way to read your mind and you were afraid you might get your magic taken away for repeatedly thinking about turning Tori MacMillian into some sort of rotten meat? You ran past me, all the way up here, to write the Ministry and Tori apology letters and I had followed you and convinced you otherwise." He laughed even harder this time as she blushed a little bit.


"My absolute favorite memory from this place, though, makes up for the fact that there is owl poop over every surface and cold air making you shiver. You know the memory, don't you, chanteur de mon coeur?" He walked up to her and took her hand in his, the other, he pulled up to rest on his shoulder. Holding her waist, he slowly started to dance, gently humming I'll Be Seeing You as they twirled lightly. He let her pull her hand away and wrap it around his neck, her head finding it's resting place in his shoulder, like it was carved just for her. That had been the night that they had kissed for the first time, the night they were reliving now but in completely different context. They didn't even have to say it aloud. She knew all too well what he had meant. That night had changed their dynamic, revealed their secrets and pulled them together. Now, it was having the same affect. There was a faint whistling sound and he placed his hand behind his back, catching the box he had called up earlier. Hiding it from Lucy, although he was pretty sure she didn't even notice it, he whispered "I love you," into her ear, her hair catching the warmth of his breath and warming his lips in the process. The snow was falling gently, the stars shining in patches and lighting up the night. He stepped back, slipping his hand in one of hers and keeping the other firmly behind his back. This is it, he thought, this is it.

Keeping eye contact with her, he said, "I've been thinking about all the promises I want to make you, thinking that I want to give you everything you have ever wanted. But, then I realized that all I could give you..." He took a breath, slowly sinking to one knee. He pulled the carefully crafted music box from behind his back, letting go of her hand and placing his on top of the cover. As he slowly opened it, I'll Be Seeing You began to tinkle from inside and he finished, "...is Forever." Inside the music box, a small engagement ring sparkled in the subtle starlight. He swallowed, gauging her every expression. There was no turning back now, but the thought had never crossed his mind to begin with. Letting go of every insecurity, every doubt and every obstacle, he asked the question he had been dying to ask her for months.

"Lucille Emma Murphy, love of my life, chanteur de mon coeur, mother of my child,

Will you marry me?"

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[Lucy Murphy]

you are not alone in this

She found herself rather wary of the situation at hand. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy surprises, or that she didn't enjoy being carried in Will's arms up through the hallways of Hogwarts, or that she wasn't up for a middle-of-the-night adventure that went against Madame Pomfrey's stern wishes for Lucy's bedrest, she just didn't understand what Will could possibly have planned. And generally, you know, surprises were pretty easy to figure out, even if they were a 'surprise'. One time her parents attempted to 'surprise' her with tickets to see her favorite wizarding band, but she'd had them found out weeks before. Another time Siobhan tried to surprise her with a birthday party, but she was completely see-through. But all of these things were... well, expected. It wasn't like she could ignore her parent's odd behavior surrounding the date of the concert that she'd marked on her calendar as soon as they announced tour dates, and Siobhan was just terrible at keeping secrets. But on account of the fact that she had been knocked cold the past few days, and her birthday had already passed, and there weren't any exciting concerts happening that she was aware of any time soon, or anything of the sort, she had no idea what Will had up his sleeve. Not that it was a bad thing. She just hoped it wasn't a "congratulations-for-not-dying" party, or a "you're-having-a-baby-party" - oh my GOD, what if it WAS?! What if he knew the whole time!? Oh, mother of pearl. She - augh. That'd explain his generally non-responsive reaction - well, except for the snogging - but... hmm, no, he couldn't have known. Who would have told him?! The only people she'd told were Wendy, and Sirius, her family, and Kieran - she trusted Wendy and Sirius with her life, her little brother Owen was a little questionable but she didn't see that happening, and Kieran... well, what interest did Kieran have in spreading news of his favorite cousin being knocked up? Hmpf. Maybe he'd figured it out himself though. Ha. Haha. Probably because she was getting fat. ...Meh. She was rather surprised at how well he'd done at carrying her - and then she smirked a little bit, because his arms were nice, and clearly efficient. Merlin's beard, did it have to be so cold, though?! "Blargh," she huffed, pulling her blankets closer to her chin. "Damn the winter," grumbling, and then she craned her neck around, eyes greeted by yet another set of stairs. "More stairs? Really? Gosh, boy, this better be good, I don't want your arms and legs to snap off from carrying me this far," she spoke, looking at him teasingly.

The finally got to the top of the stairs, and she looked all around; it was much easier to identify where she was now, what with the moonlight shining. The Owlery. She raised an eyebrow and said slowly, "Now what've you got planned, mister?" He simply smiled as he set her down on her feet. She felt a little sad he had to do that, mostly because she was comfortable, and being in Will's arms felt nice, and it was so cold the extra body heat helped keep her warm. Lucy was unsteady on her feet but he steadied her; she smiled at him appreciatively, only to shoot him another quizzical look when he whispered something, wand out. "What in the world..." she trailed off, not sure what had just happened. "Of course I remember," she said, a little smile forming across her lips. She remembered mostly being completely disgusted by the stench in the room, back then; she'd grown accustomed to it over the years, of course. Now she barely even noticed. And then he mentioned - he remembered that? Christ, she'd completely forgotten. She grimaced and nodded, remembering how upset she'd been with Deirdre and Siobhan, who were both being terrible to her that first year because they were too preoccupied pretending they didn't have a little sister. She laughed hard, contorted her face and her voice and said, "D-Do you n-n-need to borrow a biiiird?" She said, her best impression of the stuttery eleven-year-old boy she'd met that night, whose voice conveniently cracked at the end of his question. He continued and she rolled her eyes and sighed - that was a memory she'd tried to block out for ages now. She had absolutely no reason not to believe James Potter - well, except for the fact that he was James Potter and it was a little absurd that the Ministry might take away a thirteen year old's magic for thinking cruel, but petty thoughts about a classmate who's interest in her little brother was particularly worrisome. But, you know, whatever. She laughed, though, thinking on how far she'd come since then. How far Will had come, too. How far they had come.

She closed the gap between them and smiled up at him, nodding her head slowly. He took one hand in his and placed the other one on his shoulder, before putting his other hand on her waist. And then, just as they had months before, they danced, and Will lightly sang their song. She settled into him closer, resting her head against his chest. Before she knew it his humming had trailed off. "I love you too," she whispered, not entirely sure she was ready to let go of him. But he pulled away, holding her hand still. He continued talking and she tilted her head at him, smiling, a bit of color rushing to her cheeks. He was too good. He was just - ugh, he was wond - wait. Was he - her stomach flipped, taking in what was happening. There was a box, and he was on a knee - this was not a surprise! This was not a surprise! This was a massive life choice! Where were the balloons and the cake and the laughter oh my God had he gone entirely insane was he seriously doing this right now, she'd just told him she was pregnant - hold the phone, how long had he been planning this if he already had the box up there in the owlery oh my God the music box was playing their song why was she crying was she seriously crying right now oh of course she was crying how could she not be crying - "Yes," she said, smiling down at him pathetically, her face a little contorted because she was trying rather hard not to start sobbing everywhere. "You're crazy. Yes. Yes, yes, yes." Crazy really didn't seem to cover it, thinking about it, and he slipped the ring onto her finger and golly it was gorgeous. He stood up and she threw her arms around him and went in for the kiss, maybe a little bit too rough because they banged noses, but she adjusted and got him on the mouth and oh my God. She was going to get married. She was going to be married to William Dempsey. She was going to be Lucy Dempsey. Lucy Dempsey. Lucy Dempsey. She could get used to that. It was nuts. It was completely nuts, totally insane, definitely rash, but you know what? They had nothing to lose. Sure, they were young, but they loved each other, really. She knew people would question it just because of that, but fuck what they thought. And if they ever ran into any problems, well, they'd sort them out, just as any couple would. She was getting married. She was getting married to the love of her life, and honestly?

She couldn't be any happier.

[/color]

[William Dempsey]

his ladder to the stars

The rest was a blur and a rush of happiness surging through him. Her 'yes' echoed through the owlry and his nose was a little sore from her face colliding into his. Of course, that didn't matter. It was normal, actually. And he loved it. He loved her. He couldn't even fathom what had just happened. After all his planning, after all this time, they were finally engaged. Severen had gone with him to pick out the ring, trailing Brielle and Arthur along as well. Of course, Brielle was the only one who had actually helped pick out the ring and she was the one who had pointed him in the direction of the custom music boxes. He knew Lucy loved music boxes, it was one of the first things he really learned about her when they were younger. He was already planning on using one but being able to have their song in it was exactly the thing he needed to make the proposal absolutely perfect. The moment that he knew he needed to spend the rest of his life with her was the night it poured in India. That was the breaking point, the point where all of his walls crumbled and he let himself see what he needed his life to look like. Lucy's confession earlier only solidified his own decision and he knew the moment had come. And she hadn't let him down. Her response was more than wonderful, it was more than he had ever hoped for. Now, not only would he be a husband, he'd be a father. In what seemed like few precious moments, his entire life had changed. He held her close, knowing she was still a bit weak and probably a bit cold. He couldn't imagine letting her go or letting this night end. Everything was in place. Any other man would have been terrified of all this commitment, ready to run when he got the chance. William was ready to take it all on in strides. A baby. He was having a baby. With Lucy. He was marrying and having a child with Lucy. He closed his eyes tight, happier than he had been in months. Kissing the top of her head, he waited until he could meet her eyes. When she finally did look into his, he leaned in (slowly this time) and kissed her softly and passionately, letting her know that his feelings for her could never change, never fade. They could only grow and that was something he was greatly looking forward to. "Beautiful, beautiful girl," he said sweetly, "my wife to be." He smiled brightly and brushed the hair out of her face. Taking her hand, he slowly bent down, pulling the blankets from her stomach and pressing his lips to it. His eyes were shut until he pulled back, whispering softly, "Hello baby. This is your Papa. It's nice to meet you. I know you may think it is too soon because it seems as though we have just met but..." he laughed lightly, "I love you, dear child of mine. I want you to know that. I will never let you forget it." He looked up, taking a hold of Lucy's stomach with his hands and her eyes with his gaze. Smiling gently, he kissed her stomach again and pushed himself up to face her with an expression that could never be explained plainly with words. "I will always love you," he paused.

"Both of you."

^{The End, my dears!}[/blockquote]