Crashing the Rose Castle Abandoned

Challening @Alina Rosier's special guests

It took Clifton about three separate YouTube videos to remember how he'd been instructed to button this or tie that. Fashion designer's son or not, he had never been this formal. He was amazed at how soft the fabric was and how perfectly everything fit, but he should've expected nothing less from the Rosiers.

By the time he finally got it sorted out, he was--again--surprised by the time. Clifton rolled his eyes at himself then hurried out of the guestroom and into the hallway.

"Believe it or not, I don't try to be..."

Clifton stopped short when he saw her. Alina always looked pretty, but all done up like she was? It was almost unreal.

"...late."

She smiled at him and he sort of smile backed, but all he could really do was swallow as he approached her. Because suddenly it felt like those few moments before their Secret Secret Blossom Ball. When he had been nothing but a wad of nicer clothes and nerves.

Clifton mentally told himself to snap out of it and stopped staring as he gently took her hands. And, suddenly feeling the formal part, he lifted one of them his lips and kissed her fingers.

"You look beautiful, Alina. Well. I mean, you always do, but..." he laughed a little. "Guess I shouldn't wait for big charity galas to say it." Or maybe he should do like her and read more books so he'd know how to say it.

She took his arm and, just like they'd practiced, he escorted her into the ballroom. Where, before Clifton even had a chance to take in the spectacular surroundings, two younger boys bounded up to them.

"Hi Alina!" the older one grinned.

Alina laughed. "Hello Zachary and Elijah."

The younger one looked up at Clifton a little distrustfully. "Who's he?"

She glanced at him like he should know who they were, but Clifton couldn't place it. He was generally better at keeping tabs on celebrity's work than their personal lives so all he knew right now was the basic boy-to-boy stuff. He had stepped on important territory and these two were sizing him up, trying to decide if they needed to run him off.

He smiled, noting a smudge of chocolate on Elijah's face. These boys were definitely younger than him, but the last thing he wanted to do was come across as one of those annoying older boys he'd always resented at school.

Clifton spotted an elaborate dessert fountain nearby, likely the culprit of the chocolate smudge, and his smile widened as he got an idea.
"My name's Clifton. I'm a friend from Alina's school. Nice to meet you both." Then his expression changed to slightly mischievous. "I can fit three whole strawberries in my mouth, think you can beat that?"

Definitely not charity gala conversation--or trying to impress your girlfriend conversation for that matter--but it got just the reaction he'd wanted from the younger boys. They seemed a little surprised at first, but then a slow grin spread across both their faces. Zachary glanced back over his shoulder at the dessert table before looking back at Clifton.

"You're on."

Clifton gave Alina an apologetic smile as they hurried off. "Don't worry. I'll make sure they don't go past four."

She shook her head at him and smiled as she watched him go off with the younger guests. This was a good thing because otherwise those boys would be interrogating Clifton all evening to ensure that he lived up to their standards if he was going to hang around 'their Alina.' It looked like he already won them over. She watched from a distance and laughed as they began to stuff strawberries in their mouths. It was a nice change from the elegance and stuffiness of the rest of the evening. Sure, she liked the galas, but sometimes the formality of them could be a bit much.

Alina looked around the Ballroom, seeing that Bella had found Lucas. James was socializing with someone. Her father was talking to a business partner and smiled back to her, catching her gaze. He then looked over to Clifton and back to Alina and just smiled wider, appreciating the levity of the situation Clifton brought to the night.

Lots of talking and snacking on appetizers as the musicians played a soft sort of melody, one that was uplifting but not lively enough to tempt one to dance. Dancing would be later. After the meal. Eventually before they were all instructed to their seats, Alina, Clifton, Zachary, Elijah, Bella, and Lucas all got in a game of hide and seek which was pretty fun, even when restricted to the Ballroom.

After awhile they were all called to their seats. Alina was sat with her father and James and Bella and Lucas and Clifton, of course. There were two other seats at their table but they rested unoccupied. One had probably been for her grandmother, someone not missed at this gathering and Alina really didn't figure there was a reason for any other seat. Most likely it was so people could mingle, switching tables to share stories.

Margie had help this time, an entire catering company had come but still followed her direction and her recipes because after-all, food at the Rosier residence was HER business. She was the maitre d' of Updown Court. It was a brilliant meal which harbored not one complaint and as the catering staff began to take the empty plates away, the musicians began to play a more lively tune.

Many looked toward the musicians, others began to get up to dance. James however looked to the Entrance and leaned closer to Alina's father. "Charles...might I announce our most recent guest? Miss Juliette Vaillancourt of Montfort-l'Amaury, France." Alina heard the name and her attention was quickly drawn away from the musicians and she quickly looked to where James was watching with a smile and her father was looking, rather stunned. There in the entrance to the Ballroom was Juliette. THEIR Juliette! She was as speachless as her father who was now composing himself and making his way to greet the guest. She wanted so much to run up and throw her arms around her but knew her father needed this moment. She watched as he got to her, gave a small bow and took her hand, kissing it the way that Clifton had hers, and then began to talk with her. Their gaze had locked and didn't cease to break as he led her just inside the door where the two started talking. "That's her," Alina whispered to fill in Clifton. Where was Bella right now?!! She and Lucas got up to go get some dessert at the dessert table that had many different options to choose from. "That's Juliette."

It was agonizing, just waiting. She watched as they continued to talk. She could tell it was a little awkward for the two of them but then her father smiled and Juliette smiled and they both laughed. Soon there were more smiles and her father watched Juliette with his full attention. Then her father's arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her in, his lips joining hers and Alina glanced away. No need to pry any longer and look like some peeping tom.

"Oookay," she said and looked to Clifton, flashing him a mischievous smile. "Time to show me how well those dance lessons have paid off, Mr. Troublefield." It was usually customary for the gentleman to ask the lady to dance, but oh well. Then she looked over to him and wondered if he wanted that formality and she shouldn't take that away from him. "That is, if you know...there'd be a girl here that you fancied a dance with..."

First real waltz with @Alina Rosier

“That’s her,” Alina whispered excitedly. “That’s Juliette.”

A broad grin spread across Clifton’s face as Mr. Rosier got up to greet the beautiful woman in the entrance way. He wanted to applaud or cheer or give James a high-five. He also wanted to delve into the sort of detective work it must’ve taken to find her, but he did none of those things. He just watched them. Then watched Alina and his smile softened. Her family deserved this. She deserved this. She’d been so strong for so long.

“Oookay,” she suddenly turned to him and he hoped she hadn't caught him staring. “Time to show me how well those dance lessons have paid off, Mr. Troublefield.”

Then she stopped, as if suddenly self-conscious. “That is, if you know...there’d be a girl here that you fancied a dance with…”

He wondered at the sudden shift, more used to the energy and spontaneity in the first invitation. But it reminded him a little of when she’d first curtsied to him, like she wanted to be polite or proper. Maybe she was giving him a chance to be the one to ask, even if they both knew she was the quicker draw.

“Well...” he pretended to think, then smiled and took her hand. “There was this pretty cute French one I got to hang out with today. She really likes lemons. She’s talented, creative.” He stood and pulled her to her feet, then away from the table. “And she cares about people. She’s fun and crazy. Probably one of the bravest people I’ve met.”

He continued stepping back, leading her further onto the ballroom and around the already swaying adults.

“And a dang good kisser, if I say so myself,” he added with a mischievous sort of smile. Once they’d reached an empty space, he lifted her hand to his lips again. Because if she was going for proper...

“May I have the pleasure of dancing with you, Miss Rosier?”

They stepped into the rhythm of the music and Clifton felt more confident when he saw that he knew the steps about as well as the other dancers. Thanks to her of course.

“You might consider becoming an instructor on the side,” he smiled. “What is this, like the fourth new skill you’ve taught me?”

They didn’t say a whole lot after that. Clifton simply enjoyed holding her close as they stepped and spun around the magnificent room. It honestly felt like he’d walked into one of Clover’s fairy tale books what with the glimmering surfaces and important people and elegant music. Only this was better because this was real.

Near the end of the song, Alina gave up the proper waltz formation to rest her head on his chest. Clifton slowed their pace and held her closer, planting a soft kiss in her hair.

That feeling came over him again. The one he’d had last night when she’d stayed up listening to him. It was like how he’d felt at their first dance or when they’d gone stargazing, but...different somehow. Deeper. Not just admiration or excitement. It was the kind of thing that probably only came from a whole summer of sharing the same secrets, enemies, and fears.

Whatever it was, it scared him a little. So, as had become his habit with such things, he eventually told her.

“...I love you, Alina,” he muttered. And probably not the way you were supposed to mutter it, like how they did in the movies. All breathless and determined. It probably came out sort of unsteady, like he wasn’t sure how the words were supposed to feel on his tongue.

Which is why he hurriedly followed it with: “I know we’re just kids. I probably don’t even know what that means all the way. But this...this is different than even when we were at school. And that’s the only word I’ve got for it.”

His voice seemed unsteady but she knew it wasn't because of any doubt in what he said, he just didn't always have the confidence to say important things to her - and this was super important. She lifted her head up so her bright eyes connected with his warm brown ones.

They were young, but then again she was now twelve and just half a year from her 13th Birthday. Juliet was apparently 13 when she met Romeo and honestly, Alina thought her and Clifton had more gravity and importance as a couple than a Capulet-Montague feud.

His words made her heart race and at first she didn't have any sort of verbal response because she was afraid she'd mess it up. She was afraid she'd say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing, mess up this moment because it didn't matter if this was young love or her first relationship, she knew such words were a big milestone to reach.

That gaze remained connected and his eyes told her that she didn't need to be nervous. They told her that he wanted her to know this but he wasn't expecting anything in return here. Still, she owed him a response because she felt a response. An easy response.

Still very close, she wrapped her arms around him as she pulled her short self closer to him, as close as two could be. "I love you, Clifton," her voice whispered, addressing him by his full first name for maybe the first time ever. She then brought her lips to his and this wasn't the short small pecks. It wasn't the long meaningful yet innocent ones. Her hands moved through his hair in that manner he liked with one hand while the other came to his shoulder and pulled him even closer while she delivered a powerful kiss, one that showed that love and also a hint of lust with it too.

Needless to say, most of the rest of the gala was a bit of a blur for Clifton. An excited, colorful sort of blur. His mind just kept coming back to the reality that, clumsy and goofy as he knew he could be, a girl like Alina loved him. She trusted him.

And no amount of guests' curious gazes in his direction or playful jabs from Elijah and Zachary could wipe the stupid grin off his face.

Finally, after one of the last dances, he found Alina’s hand.

“We should find Bella. You guys haven’t been able to talk to Juliette yet.”

He knew she must be dying to see her, especially now that the woman and her father had reentered the ballroom. So far, Alina had been the perfect girlfriend, spending the whole evening with him. But something--maybe his newfound feelings for her or his desire to one day reunite with his own parents--drove him to start searching the crowd.

He spotted Mr. Rosier escorting Juliette off the dance floor clear on the other side of the ballroom and he gave her hand a squeeze.

“Come on, I see them. We can grab Bella along the way.”

They began weaving through the perfumed and cologned maze of wealthy adults until toward Bella and her date. Originally, he thought he’d just hang back with Lucas as the two sisters reunited with their childminder, but he doubted Alina would let that last for very long.

The idea of meeting the woman who was the closest thing to her mom made him a little nervous, not that needed to be. Not if she was everything Alina had described and not if Mr. Rosier liked her enough to put himself through what had to be the world’s worst game of “Where’s Waldo”.

Besides, Clifton already felt a slight kinship knowing he wasn’t the only one to get cornered by a hateful grandmother for falling for a Rosier. In many ways, he was excited to meet her too.

"Belle, come on!" Alina said as she snatched her sister's hand and without any explanation began to lead her off. She looked over to Clifton so he'd follow and he did so. They moved between some of the adults, squeezing their way here and there until Bella finally realized where they were heading - or more - who they were heading towards. "That's...that's her," she whispered. "That's Juliette," and she said it once again in the very same way Alina had earlier that evening upon first seeing their former governess.

She stopped walking, causing Alina to do the same and Clifton and it was probably not long before Alina did the same. What were they supposed to say after so long apart? Both girls were pretty sure it hadn't been Juliette's decision to leave but it still left hurt in their minds. What if over time she wasn't as fond of the two girls as she once had been?

Charles said something to her that made her laugh and she glanced down before raising her head to look back at him, only to be distracted by seeing the twins behind him, over his shoulder. It was now her that paused and soon her face lit into a smile. "There you two are," she said and came up to them. Without even having one of them speak or waiting on any kind of mannerism to help her tell them apart, she took Alina's hand, "Oh, Alina!" then Bella's "Oh, Bella! I've missed you girls!" and she pulled them into a secure embrace.

Charles looked over to Clifton and gave him a sheepish smile because having Juliette back in his life was a new sort of feeling for him, but a great one. "Are you back? Are you going to stay?" Alina had to ask, not waiting around for the details. Juliette laughed because Alina always was such an outgoing girl. "One day at a time, love. But that may just be a possibility." The woman glanced back to Charles and smiled while some color came to her face.

She stepped back from the girls to give them a good look over, thinking about how much they've grown in the time she was gone. "I'm so sorry, girls," she whispered but Alina shook her head. "You're already forgiven," she replied and then looked over to Clifton and smiled widely. She linked her arm with his and pulled him closer. "We have a lot to catch up on but I want to introduce someone very special in my life to someone very special in my life. Juliette, this is Clifton Troublefield, my boyfriend, and Clive, this is Juliette Vaillancourt, my governess."

She watched as Juliette shook his hand and gave a slight curtsy the way that Alina always did and she smiled. That's probably where she got it from. "You'll have plenty of time to get reacquainted," her father came over to them, not ready to let Juliette go for the evening. Alina looked to her father and then to Juliette and back, smiling. They were cute together.


"Okay, okay...we're just going to...mosey along then," Alina said. She then moved forward to give Juliette one more large hug before pulling back and took Clifton's hand, leading him to the other side of the dance floor. "Want to see if these clothes are good for swimming?"

Surely they weren't the best but she had enough dancing for the evening and while the formality of a gala event was nice, it could get a little bit stuffy after awhile. Maybe it was just all the perfume and cologne.

His mother would’ve killed him before he could say “dry clean.”

“Are you serious?” he laughed as they ran down the hall and into the room where the nearest indoor swimming pool was.

Alina answered by kicking off her shoes and leaping into the water, skirts and all. Of course, they’d still been holding hands when she’d done it, which meant Clifton had tumbled in after her.

They both surfaced, laughing and spluttering. Clifton immediately initiated a splashing war which lasted until the laughing and spluttering doubled.

He imagined they were quite a sight. Sopping hair. Drenched suit coat and dress. Alina looked like a hairpiece might’ve gone missing Clifton hadn’t even had a chance to kick his own shoes off. With another laugh, he moved through the water toward her, then wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her close.

“Are you sure you’re not a psycho?” he grinned, moving a strand of hair away from those bright eyes. His hand came down, gently brushing the side of her face. A part of him still disbelieved it. Still worried that any sudden movements would make the dream vanish and he’d wake up, only to find out this whole time he’d been knocked into some sports-related comma.

But here she was, real as ever. His expression softened and, cradling her head in his hand, he leaned forward and kissed her wet, smiling lips.

Someone near the edge of the pool politely cleared their throat. Clifton--almost as politely--drew back. It was one of the staff and he felt his face color just a little. Not because he’d been caught kissing Alina; they were likely used to that by now. But because he been caught outside of the once-in-a-lifetime party wearing wildly expensive clothes into the shallow end of the swimming pool. He hoped they wouldn’t think he was unappreciative.

But the woman only gave them a kind smile. “It’s late, Alina. And James tells me Clifton must get an early start tomorrow. I think it’s time for the two of you to say goodnight.”

Clifton felt his heart sink. But, now that she’d mentioned it, he was tired. Two late nights, a tour around Paris, eating too many strawberries, an evening of dancing, and some impromptu night swimming. Even he wouldn’t be able to last much longer without getting even more slap-happy than usual.

The two climbed out of the pool, clothes all dripping wet and sticking. Clifton began squeezing some of the water out of the end of his jacket sleeve.

“I think I give these clothes a five out of ten as far as swimming goes.”

The woman cloaked them both in a towel and, still dripping wet, they made their way back to where they’d met up for the gala.

“Thanks Alina,” Clifton grinned. “This week was the best. It's going to be hard not to brag about it back at school."

He slid his towel off his shoulders and playfully looped it around her so he could draw her close again.

“Love you,” he muttered, more confidently this time, before their usual goodnight kiss. Then he dragged his sore feet back to the guest room to try and figure out how to undo the sort of witchcraft and muttered omens it had taken to get into this suit in the first place so he could collapse into bed.


Goodbyes sucked. He’d always thought so, but ever since he’d met Alina, they were even worse. Still, he did his best to remain cheerful as he thanked Margie and the rest of the staff. He especially made a point to thank James for being the first person to finally give him a straight answer about his parents.

He wished Bella the best at Beauxbatons and even had a chance to say goodbye to Juliette, not that he really knew her. But she spoke to him so kindly, despite being strangers, and he hoped she'd become a permanent part of their family.

Then he got to Mr. Rosier. The man smiled at him and extended a hand. As ‘the boyfriend’, Clifton should’ve done the normal man-to-man thing and just accepted the handshake. But as the lost, muggle-raised, practically-orphan wizard kid who’d finally been able to feel normal for a week, Clifton bypassed the offer. Instead, he stepped forward and gave the French billionaire a hug.

“Thank you, Mr. Rosier.”

He would wait for the train station to say goodbye to Alina of course, always eager to push that as far back as possible. He knew they’d be seeing each other again soon when they went to visit Alexa, but even knowing that wouldn’t make much of a difference today.

He wondered how long it would take her to find the origami badger he’d left on her desk, which was the real reason he’d been late this time. It didn’t say much; Clifton wasn’t a poet. But it was something, anyhow.

Miss you already!
-- Cliff
Your Clifton