Two Lifetimes PV Simon Kincaid Finished

I Need Your Promises @Simon Kincaid

She continued to stare into the fire as he spoke. She could hear the underlying hesitation in his voice, but that was only because he was talking to her, his little Miss Debbie Downer when it came to all things Adrian Hawthorne. What was most evident in his voice was excitement and anticipation, and she could even detect a bit of guilt and defiance as well. She was at a crossroads here and she did not know where to turn.

Deep sigh.

That was not true. She had given him her solemn promise that day in Hogsmeade to have his back, even if she disagreed with the soundness of his desire to pursue this particular relationship. She silently reminded herself in a vain attempt to self-sooth herself that no one could have won that particular battle with Simon, but if anyone could have, it would have been her. Still, like it or not, she would abide by her promise and no longer try and stop him or talk him out of it. But there were now some things she needed in return.

She pressed her head into his shoulder and squeezed his arm tightly as he finished with, "I'm not looking to be a part of their nest or their coven, or whatever they call their grouping. I just want to see." She made no move and continued to silently stare into the fire, desperately trying to silence the series of alarm bells going off in her heart and in her mind. There was one thought in particular that she just could not shake. It was funny, but not in a Ha! Ha! kind of way, that this one particular bit of information could send her into a fear spiral but Simon seemed to find some kind of odd comfort in it. He had told her that Adrian had claimed never to have "turned" anyone and that he did not hunt humans for blood because it "would not be safe for his kind and risk exposure". What did all of that mean, exactly? Had no one been "turned" because they had just simply been killed? Or had no one been '"turned" because the Ministry of Magic was aware of his father and his "family"? Did they provide them with the same daily rations of blood as they did with Simon? Was their village magically enchanted with invisibility by the Ministry to keep both vampires and humans separate from one another and therefore safe?

Her thoughts were still formulating and she had yet to speak. Why did she have to be so pessimistic on this subject? No wonder he was always so tense when speaking to her about it. Still, she could not shake the feeling that the answers to her questions leaned more to the sinister side of the spectrum than they did towards the innocent. When she was certain her voice would not break and she would not give way to tears, she finally turned to him, automatically locking her left ankle around his right one, and began rubbing it slowly. She reached over and gently directed his chin towards her so that she could look into his eyes. Her gaze was steady and penetrating and unwavering. So was her voice.

"I know you do, Simon. I cannot and do not pretend to like it, but I know I cannot stop you, nor will I even try to dissuade you from making this visit. Your telling me I asked too much when I begged you to just drop all of this still rings in my ears. I have honored your wishes throughout this whole ordeal, and you have no idea how hard that has been for me. So I ask you to please remember that everything you do since we became a “we” does not affect just you. That is why it is absolutely not good enough to have you tell me, "Aunt Maggie will know," with no specificity from you as to when that will be." She leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips, keeping her eyes open as she did so… searching and pleading in the depths of his. Not surprisingly, Simon did the same, but there was no stiffness or awkwardness between them in that moment – only the usual heartbreak and confusion, but also the desire for understanding and unity. She felt closer to him right then than she usually did in moments of discussing one Adrian Hawthorne.

When their lips parted, their gaze remained fixed. “I need you to promise me that you will tell her about all of this now, or at least before venturing off to meet him on his home turf. It is time, Simon. I stated my objections early on to this whole venture and suggested at the start you tell Aunt Maggie. You gave your reasons for why not so I then offered up my father to you in her stead. You declined that offer as well. It is enough now. You accomplished, alone, what you set out to do. You tracked him down and made contact with him, and that is a remarkable thing, love. It is. You blow me away with the things you are able to do when you set your mind to them. But now it is time to consider the family you have always had, who has always loved you, and not keep them in the dark any longer.” She swallowed and then added, “And I need another promise from you as well, and this one will be the harder of the two for you, I think.”

Her voice was even and strong, but not cutting or threatening or accusatory. For his part, Simon inhaled deeply, but he maintained their eye contact. “I need you to promise me that when you do tell her, you will accept whatever she says on the matter, even if she tells you ‘No’.” And on this point he blinked and stiffened. She tightened her grip on his arm and tugged it lightly. “I know you see your relationship with Aunt Maggie more like that of an older sister at times, but she is your guardian, Simon, and that comes with a good deal of governing authority and responsibility over your life, even if she has not levied it upon you much, if at all, in the past. Please do not be cagey with her… or with me… and attempt an end run around both of us. I am working with you as much as I can on all of this, love, but if you plan to go off, without her knowledge, to this freaking invisible Babblestowe¹, by yourself, … a place that by your own admission you cannot even find on any map… to meet your vampiric father and his “family”, well, that will be you asking too much of me this time.”

There were a few moments of silence, and she thought she was done, but added, softening her voice, “You and I both know enough about prayer that when we sometimes hear ‘No’, it quite often means ‘No’ only for that time or season. If Aunt Maggie should say ‘No’, then that opens up a world of discussions between the two of you. A ‘No’ now could become ‘Yes’ later. You have done all that you can… correction, all that you should… do alone. As a young man of great faith, please put that faith and trust in your Aunt Maggie and in the Lord for what is to come next. Please, love. Please.”

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OOC: [1] - AngelFyre would have only heard Simon say the name, not seen it spelled out, so "Babblestowe" is how she incorrectly envisions the spelling of Babilstow in her mind currently. She will press him at a later point in time for Adrian's address as she does her own search for this invisible town.

Simon sat and watched the flames of the fire rise and fall and listened to her words over the crackling of the embers. There was something mesmerizing about fire. He wondered if everyone was drawn to it like he was and attributed his infatuation with it because it reminded him of the sun with its light and warmth. But unlike the sun, it didn't come with any adverse effects to his dhampir self.

He drew in a slow breath and let it out in a steady sigh. She had said a lot and he knew that she was right. Actually, she didn't even have to say any of it because they were the same thoughts that had been circling his mind day after day for the past months. Still, he didn't know what response to give her exactly. He knew what one SHOULD do but there was a hesitation there.

Why did this have to be so damned difficult?

"I know you're always looking out for my best interest," he said as he kissed her shoulder before allowing his head to fall on it. "And I love you for it."

Silence fell over them for a bit, not in an uncomfortable way, but just allowing the two to be at their thoughts for a moment. It wasn't a bad thing. In fact, constant talking was probably not best for a couple that liked to spend nearly every waking moment together and if Simon could have his way, the little sleep that the two did partake in would be spent near her as well - but that wasn't the case at this point in their lives. No need to rush it. It would come.

He hated that she was so fearful of anything to do with his father but he knew that she couldn't help it. If she had seen visions, or gotten some sort of premonition - which she had - then it was only right for her to feel this way. He knew that her being a seer wasn't some falsehood and that she truly could get recollections from the future and bring it to current light. So that brought him to another hate: why did his father have to cause her to feel fear?

Maybe it was just the unknown, at least, maybe he could hope it was just that. Maybe it was because there was little to go on. There was no history there between them. There was no details that his mother had left. There was no knowledge from Aunt Maggie. There was little on vampires themselves in the textbooks within the library at Hogwarts. There was nothing on the town of Babilstow. "When we get back to Hogwarts, lets research it a little more." A town didn't just not exist, especially one that had letters come to and from a delivery office in such a town.

"I mean, there's lots of places not on all maps. It's probably just some little town, maybe some old town...." but as he said those words he let them fall into the silence because it made him think about how she mentioned in her one vision of him screaming in some odd medieval sort of town.

Simon sighed again and this time reached out onto the sofa to pull his guitar down to him. There was no use pressing a depressing topic. He hoped that she wouldn't be too upset at him for bringing the subject up in the first place or for changing the topic. "How were your first days of Christmas?"

Airing Things Out Before the Fun Begins @Simon Kincaid

She could dig her heels in and spoil what should be a wonderful night spent together, or she could move on, as he was hoping to do. She did note that no promises had been forthcoming and that sorely bruised her heart. AngelFyre was comforted, however, by his head resting on her shoulder. Normally it was the other way around and she liked this little change. It felt like some kind of acknowledgement of a vulnerability he did not often express. He had his own thoughts and turmoils to wade through, of that she had no doubt.

As she rested her cheek against his head, it was pillowed softly by his thick, luxurious mane. She swallowed the bile that always came up when they discussed his father and decided to let it go for now. Simon was going to do what Simon was going to do in this quest of his and she could only hope, with no further pestering from her about her requests, he would think about it and maybe come to her later with his promises. If he did not, she had not a clue what she would do.

What could she do?

The answer was simple: pray for him and love him. Those were her tried and true first... and best... lines of defenses on his behalf. She turned her head just the slightest bit so she could breathe him in and slowly burrowed her face in his hair. She had just finished delivering a series of light, bubble kisses to his scalp when he suggested they could research the town more once they returned to Hogwarts. Yes, they certainly could do that. She had already decided minutes earlier that that would be on her agenda for sure. It would, of course, be better to have his company while doing it. Her heart dropped to her stomach when he referred to it as "...probably just some little town, maybe some old town." Memories of his frantic calls out to her chilled her and she felt herself involuntarily convulse. She just knew they were both thinking about the very same thing in that instant and all she wanted to do was scream.

But she did not.

What she did was to agree instead, in as chipper a voice as she could manage, that researching anything with her favorite fellow in the Library would be a most welcome diversion. She then added, just to lighten the mood a bit, "There is a price to be paid for my assistance, however, though I doubt it is one you will balk at. When we go looking for this invisible town, I would hope that there will be a hot and heavy snogging session in the makeout corner afterwards," and she chuckled. "I will even cut you a New Year's deal -- no love coupon will be necessary. Her voice was not as vibrant as usual, but she hoped she had made enough of an effort that he knew all was well with them.

When Simon reached for his guitar and began to strum, she relayed what her few days had been like back home. They did this often -- he would play while they talked. It always amazed her that he could do both, but when it came to music, Simon was a prodigy.

Like his time at home, hers had been filled as well. Primarily, she had glued herself to Grandma Ruth. AngelFyre had expected to see a wasted away shell of a woman upon returning home, but that was not the case. Grandma Ruth was definitely slower and rested much more than AngelFyre had ever known her to do, but she looked pretty much as she always had. Her eyes still had that impish twinkle and her smile... well that smile had a enough wattage to light up all of London itself if she had been of a mind to do such a thing.

"Like you, we made cookies. LOTS of cookies. We delivered them on Christmas morning to everyone in the village and to those we know in Dunbar. Family tradition has had a round robin Christmas Eve dinner hosted by us, Ainsley's folks, or by Kendric's." She shifted uncomfortably for a second to gauge his response at the mention of Kendric's name, but he seemed to have maintained his cool, at least externally. "After the dinner we then head to the kirk for the Christmas Eve services. The dinner was held this year at Ainsley's house. It was wonderful to see her again. Summer feels so long ago. And since your playing has slowed," and she smiled softly at him, "I assume it is because you are waiting to hear about Kendric," at which point he quickly thumped the body of the guitar near the sound boards but then picked up the pace once again on the tune. She bit her lip but smiled a bit.

"I further assume you are most interested in knowing whether there was any further kissing between the two of us," and he continued strumming while looking directly into her eyes, even arching one of his own brows at her, playfully she was pretty sure, as she so often did at him. She knew she really should be ashamed of herself, but knowing he could be even the tiniest bit jealous did make her feel good. She simply adored Simon and would never do anything to make him jealous because, for one thing, she was so consumed by him that there was just no room and zero interest in the possibility of allowing anyone else to get in the way, obstructing her view of him. More importantly, however, she knew too well how badly it felt to be jealous and she would never wish that on him, even if her own pride was momentarily buoyed by it. "The answer is no. There was no kissing and no further declarations of affection on his part. In fact, the boy snubbed me the whole time. He snubbed me so thoroughly and so obviously as to receive a reprimand from his mother for thanking me with little more than a curt nod when I gave him his Christmas gift." She then broke eye contact with Simon and sat back.

"I know you do not like him, but losing him, for me, is akin to your having lost Haley. He was never my boyfriend, but he was my best friend and by my side for 5 1/2 years. The three musketeers are no more and it is just awkward for everyone, especially for Ainsley." AngelFyre sighed and then added, "None of our folks apparently knew about the incident over the summer, so the cold shoulder and awkwardness between he and I filtered out to everyone. Maybe that was just to be naturally expected since I keep half of my life a lie to them anyway. The caring and the love remains, but the bonds seem to be fraying more than a bit. Ainsley and Kendric are with each other daily and that bond is still strong. I am the odd man out and that hurts. I guess the one bright spot is that they still come and pick Hillary up every weekend for their adventures and then have dinner with my folks."

Refusing to cry any further on the subject, as she had cried a good amount the last couple of days, she bit her lip and and ended with, "So, things could be worse, I suppose. I guess Hillary is now the third Musketeer, " and she smiled wanly, then turned to face the fire so he would not see her tear-filled eyes.

Part of her might have thought he wanted that but it wasn't the case. Simon just wanted Kendric to move on, find someone else that he was captivated by so that there would be nothing but friendship between he and his girlfriend. He wanted her to remain close to her muggle friends - like he had with Gabe Evans or Oliver Harris or Mia Anderson.

Simon moved the guitar from him and over, pushing it aside so that he could bring his one arm around her and the other could be free to take her hand which he interlaced their fingers together. "I hope you can mend that friendship," he said to her in a soft voice. It was only soft because he felt some part in it and guilty, but not because he didn't mean it. He meant it more than he could say.

In being with her, he only wanted to bring something better into her life - not be the cause in which something was taken away. "I'm sorry that I've complicated things," he confessed. He wondered if there was anything at all that he could do to make this better. Would he writing to Kendric help solve anything? Perhaps it would only make things worse. Maybe it was better left alone on his end.

If only he had a solution for her - some fix to this in an instant and she no longer would have to worry about such. Sadly, magic didn't have those kinds of fixes, nor did he. What he could offer was his understanding and his support and hopefully with some time and space, her friend would come around.

He could hope.

"By the way," he paused, hating that it took him this long to say it. Hating that she was upset about his father and all that came with it and upset about her friends and upset about Kendric, and just upset in general. "I promise," he whispered, bringing his head up to gently kiss the top of her head. He had known from the past that she wanted that declaration said out loud o sort of seal the contract and he didn't need her worrying about anything else because she already had far too much on that brilliant mind of hers.

It was important to let her know that she was heard. He knew that she knew he needed time to take things in and collect his thoughts, but that didn't mean he just remain quiet and not acknowledge what she had said. The two were continuously working on those details, to strengthen their understanding of one another, and to build themselves stronger as a couple. He took her hand into his and kissed the back of it before squeezing it the three times.

The fire crackled to fill the silence in the short lull.

They had been on these somewhat depressing topics too long though, and really - all they could do was hope and wait. So it was time to move onto other things. Simon reached for the bag of marshmallows and pulled one out. "You know what's better than toasting marshmallows and certainly better than eating marshmallows?" He took another from the bag, and then another. "A MARSHMALLOW SNOWBALL FIGHT!" he said in as loud of a voice that could be deemed 'loud' with still staying quiet for those sleeping in close quarters that evening.

It was nights like these, nights in the Common Room, and nights where they had long conversations via their soup can line in their dormitories that Simon loved having another insomniac at his side. They truly could get two lifetimes together in their sacrifice of sleep.

I Never Liked Marshmallows So Much As I Do
Now @Simon Kincaid

When Simon told her he hoped she could mend her friendship with Kendric, she knew he really meant it. She was not an unfriendly girl by any stroke, but she did not thrive on the constant drumbeat of interactions with the human race like Simon did. People wore her battery down, and they did so quickly, so while she had only a few acquaintances, she had even fewer true friends. Kendric was.... had been... a true friend, so his absence from her life left an amazingly large hole.

Simon knew this about her and also knew, as he had suffered a similar loss with Haley, how devastating it felt. There was no doubt in her mind whatsoever that he would not want that pain inflicted upon her life because he might be a little irked with Kendric's past behavior. Sure, there could be flashpoints of jealousy or ire, but if anyone understood the power of friendship, and the need of it, it was Simon.

What caught her utterly off guard was when he softly, almost guiltily, apologized for "complicating things". That had her turn her gaze from the fire and back to him. He had long since put his guitar aside and had put his arm around her before he first spoke, but when she turned to him, he looked sad, but sad in a way that people had when they had broken something they knew could not be fixed... a resignation of sorts.

She tightened her grip on their interlaced fingers and instinctively shook her head as she heard his last words. She reached over with her free hand and slowly swept it through his hair as her eyes met his. "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for here, love. Your presence in my life has been the best thing to ever happen to me. I love Kendric, I do. I always will. Maybe we will be able to mend things between us and I truly pray that we can, but even if we do not, I know I can move on without him. But you? You are the very air I breathe. I can lose everything and everyone else... and I do mean everyone... but not you. Never you. She smiled a little smile now as she leaned her head on his shoulder this time. "Everything is better in my life now since you. I am a better me since you. Please do not ever doubt that," and she breathed in deeply and suddenly felt serene and secure.

All was quiet as they stared into the fire and then he bowled her over again with 5 little words, but the weight they lifted from her was incalculable. "By the way, I promise." She knew she had a sudden intake of breath, but all she could do in the moment was close her eyes and say a silent prayer of thanks. This was a huge breakthrough for them... they both knew it. She would not belabor it any further. As he kissed the back of her hand and then squeezed it three times, she simply whispered, "I love you too, Simon. And thank you."

Her brain was clipping at a decent speed trying to think of something to lighten the mood, but her brilliant boyfriend was way ahead of her. She squealed in delight at the introduction of a marshmallow snowball fight. When she lifted her head to look at him, he was all smiles and so dang good looking in the firelight she just could not believe how blessed they were to have found each other.

"Game on, love," and she giggled with excitement as she reached for the bag in his hand to gather her own ammo. "I say we up the ante to something more than a winner's bragging rights. I propose the loser has to run outside and make a snow angel and then run back in for some soul balming encouragement and some well deserved TLC. What do you say, hot stuff?" and she tossed a jumbo marshmallow up and down while pretending to wait for his answer. By the time it landed in her palm the 3rd time she was up and already positioning herself for a battle stations ready stance when she decided to lob her signature, wicked-fire fast(marshmallow)ball his way.

Her "fast" ball likely looked a slow motion pitch coming his way given his dhampir reflexes, but she was in a fantastic mood and honestly, she really wanted him to be the angel in the snow, not because she was afraid of the cold snow, but because she wanted the pleasure of seeing his imprint for the next few days. Oh! And delivering the TLC to him afterwards would surely light up the pleasure centers of her brain.

Her aim was excellent, but as expected, this was going to be a match between a cheetah and sloth. Simon easily dodged and taunted her, telling her, "Cheaters never win and..." "...and winners never play against dhampirs 5x faster than a hummingbird," and she stood up and lobbed another his way, this one landing in his gorgeous brown mane. As soon as she saw it stick in his hair, her eyes widened, but she ducked down behind the sofa, laughing in sputters, trying not to awaken the rest of the family.

"You ready to forfeit, marshmallow man? Score is AngelFyre 1 - Simon 0. It is not looking good for the London Town Legend, I must say."

And as she spoke, she readied more of her ammunition, certain she had him right where she wanted him.... almost.

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How to win a marshmallow fight, 101:

Fight? No, wait. That wasn't right. This was war!

If one wants to win a marshmallow war, the first step is gathering needed and available materials. The most important item at the moment was artillery, or in this case, the marshmallows. To better one's chances at success, the soldier needed to gather as many marshmallows as they could in the shortest amount of time. This would mean that they not only had a higher chance at hitting their intended target, but gave less artillery to the enemy.

Simon brought one marshmallow in his hand and looked around the room. There was a bag full and he quickly snatched the bag first, only to shake it out on the blanket, sending the white puffs scattering. Granted, if he was truly out for a war - he would have just taken the entire bag, but no, he had another idea in mind.

Okay, so he had a marshmallow, and while the others were sprinkled over the blankets, he didn't immediately dash for them. No, he would move to another material needed for war and that was shielding. He would snatch a pillow from the ground and use that for cover. Artillery and defense. He was set.

Now he had already been pelted with one marshmallow and she was winning. He took the one in his hand and launched it to the left - far left. There was no way that it was going to hit her. He then held up the pillow to block himself, and leaned down to retrieve more of the marshmallows; one after another.

He then proceeded to toss those, but again, far left, far right, too far, not far enough. It was quite obvious what he was attempting to do here but he wasn't going to admit to it. He then dropped the pillow. "Oh no," he said in a monotone voice. "I now rest defenseless....whatever shall happen to me?"

Simon then dropped himself down to the floor on top of the pillow and blankets and sprawled out his arm as if he had already met his end. He turned his head to the side and then closed his eyes eyes before opening the one up to look up at her. "So absolutely and completely defenseless...."

And there he would remain while she would sprinkle the marshmallows over him and they would gently ricochet off his face one by one and he would try his best not to smile - and mostly succeed, although the glow of the fireplace would give the tug at the corner of his mouth away. Still, he tried his best to attempt to remain as motionless as possible for the next few moments.

This was it. He had lost the war. He was going to have to venture out into that frigid Austrian cold and make his snow angel. "Alright, well, there's snow way I'm staying inside after all this," yes, pun intended.

So he sat up quite quickly and smiled at her. "I did something like this once at Oliver's house but at least this time I get to keep my clothes on," he said and then he stood up, gave her a kiss, and darted out the door before she could make a reply on that. Was it the truth? Yes. Boys, what could one say? They could be boys.

He crept quickly, but quietly, to the front door of their Austrian retreat and opened it, a gush of wind rushing in to remind him just how frigid it was out there. That didn't stop him though, and out he went, shoe-less and all, off the porch and down the path and into the lawn. The snow was quite high and it was enjoyable, as snow like this wasn't too prevalent in London most Winters. When he reached a spot that seemed like a good snow-angel-making-spot, he laid down and began to move his arms and legs up and down, back and forth. The coldness was setting in and he could feel the new-fallen snowflakes falling onto his face.

When he was certain his imprint would be there, he got up, moving away from this creation and back the same way he had come from so he could at least try to retrace his steps and not have to get into the snow as much. Simon did bend down to bring some of the snow into his hands, but his back was to the home and it wasn't quite apparent what he was doing.

"Well, that was a bit frosty," he said to her as he came back to the doorway where she was there to greet him because she was watching him. He smiled and could tell she thought this was quite amusing. He then presented her with his gift. "I love you snow much, AngelFyre."

So many puns, so little time.

Simon then kissed her quickly again, but this time her lips and not her cheek and then hurried back to in front of the fireplace where he went to bury himself into the blankets. He then waited for her to return, ready for his reward for winning the war "punishment" for "losing" the war.

When Losing Looked A Lot Like Winning @Simon Kincaid

She heard him fumbling around with the marshmallow bag, and her first thought was that she definitely should have grabbed more marshmallows. She looked down to find only 5 in her immediate vicinity. Uh oh. And then it was a barrage of marshmallow craziness as they were being tossed way off to the left and then to the right. One even ricocheted high, and she meant high, off the wall in front of her and rolled over to her foot. Cool. Now she had six, but it did not matter as she soon found out.

AngelFyre got on all fours and crawled stealthily around the far side of the sofa to sneak a peek at just where Simon's position was so she could take careful aim at him. She had to stifle her laughter at the absurdity before her. He was surrounded by marshmallows on the blanket before him and was holding a pillow up as a shield, but there honestly seemed to be no rhyme or reason to his marshmallow tossing other than to toss them as far away as possible from what he knew her last position to be. Most surprisingly, she saw that he still had her marshmallow clinging to his hair when he reached from behind his pillow shield for more of his ammo, which was now getting farther and farther out of his easy reach. She at first thought he had some grand strategy for an attack and all of this was simply a series of decoys to trick and confuse her, but nope. It was simply a non-effort effort at winning, but also one heck of a grand performance at pretending to put in the effort to do so.

She smiled widely, relaxed, and set her sticky marshmallows down before they began to melt in her hands, never taking her eyes off of him. Her laughter rang out and she stood up when he prostrated himself on top of their comfy nest, still surrounded by marshmallows, and declared in an almost robotic fashion how defenseless he now was.

She quickly stepped forward, a kernel of a thought that this could be a cleverly designed trap he had set for her, but even if so, she did not care. She reached down for the bag which still had quite a few marshmallows in it and she turned it over, tsk, tsk, tsking him as the billowy clouds of sugar lumps plinked off his movie star face. The best part was how he tried to keep a straight face throughout.

Still trying to stifle her own giggles... and mostly succeeding... AngelFyre quickly surveyed the battlefield and reached over Simon's prone form and grabbed a poinsettia wreath off the fireplace mantelpiece and placed it at a haphazard angle on her head. She then grabbed a warm throw off the back of a nearby chair and draped it around her shoulders, making a stab at the pretense of a (short) cape. Her final touch to complete her regal ensemble was to grab a fire poker from its stand. As she stoically held it with both hands in front of her as one might with a sword, sword tip pointing to the heavens, she cleared her throat and placed a booted foot.... okay, a crocheted-slippered foot... gently, but firmly... just between his shoulder blades. She looked down briefly to see him open one eye before quickly closing it again, and she chuckled, but quickly cleared her throat and began to speak in a most deliberate, sobering tone.

"As the very amused victor of the Great Mellow-Mallow battle, nay WAR!... on this war torn terrain in Austria... in the year of our Lord, 2022... I hereby dub thee, posthumously, Simon Ezra Kincaid, a most decidedly brave and worthy foe... my Knight of the Stay-Puft Countenance!"

AngelFyre then laughed aloud and swiveled her foot a couple of times between his shoulder blades and tapped him once, signaling him to rise. He was all smiles, of course, and while her mind had turned to leaning down to get a victor's kiss, Simon was hurriedly standing, speaking a string of words that would long leave their imprint on her overly active imagination, much as his chiseled body was about to leave one in the snow, albeit for a much shorter span of time. He quickly kissed her and was headed to the door, leaving his girlfriend momentarily, and uncharacteristically, stunned into silence.

She snapped out of her little reverie when the gust of the Austrian winter chill hit her. She ran to the door and out onto the stoop just in time to see Simon turn and gracefully fall into the soft blanket of snow. It was not a wet, slushy snow, so he had that going for him. He made a lovely snow angel and quite diligently retraced his footsteps in the deep snow back to the house and to her. Her lovely, silly boy presented her with another of his groan worthy puns followed by a perfect snow heart. He kissed her again... a real kiss this time... and ran inside to warm himself no doubt.

AngelFyre started to follow him, but looked down at the perfect heart in her hand and was saddened at the idea it would so quickly melt inside. She knew he was likely really cold now, so she closed the door without entering. Instead, she turned and followed his footsteps over to his snow angel. She smiled as it glistened and glimmered in the moonlight. It was beautiful. She carefully leaned over at the base and made an imprint with her hand in the chest area and gently set the heart in her palm imprint.

She stood up and smiled and blinked back hard a tear or two. She looked at the scene and wished she had her camera, but maybe some memories were best imprinted in the mind, becoming the most beloved version of the permanence of memories. As she walked back to the house, she knew she would drag him out here at sunrise so he could enjoy it, too, before it melted away.

When she finally made it to his side, he was burrowed deep under the blankets and comforters. She laughed as she noticed his damp tee was spread out on the hearth, but his bottoms were not. She also noticed the marshmallow was still in his hair. She reached over and carefully removed it. A few hairs came along with it, but he did not squawk. She set it aside, far from the fire, and then burrowed beneath the pile to stretch out next to him. He was a little damp, but their body heat would remedy that soon enough. She kissed his forehead and could not stop herself from teasing him.

"You know, they say the best way to prevent hypothermia if clothes are wet is lots of skin on skin contact. I guess it is too bad for you, right now, my name is AngelFyre instead of Oliver, yeah?" and she laughed as she squeezed him to her tightly.

He had heard that, after all, he was in the British Boy Scouts, but certainly such a suggestion would get them both murdered there in the Austrian mountains by her father and he was a smart enough man to somehow spin it otherwise so that no one back at Hogwarts would ever know the tragedy of what happened the Christmas of 2022. Nope, it was better to not go that route and just let the fireplace, the blankets, and her warmth as is to warm him up. "Now how would you know what goes on with Oliver Harris?" he asked with a smile, not going to tell if she was on the correct pathway or not.

Back together in one another's arms he found the comfort that he thrived so much on. Still, he knew they couldn't get too comfortable. If that late night conversation and cuddle session brought him into enough of a lull that he found sleep and she found sleep, then they risked the potential of the three others in the Austrian retreat to find them come morning, and while it would be innocent enough, he didn't really want to try an explain to Iain McCubbin that he was just shirtlessly sleeping with his daughter in his arms.

Simon took a moment to cherish this and gently ran his hand through her hair a few times as they remained close. "We should say goodnight," he whispered to her softly before kissing the top of her head. He didn't want to go, nor did he want to go, but he knew they had to. "Let's get this place picked up." There was still after-effects of their battle - the pillows and blankets, the marshmallows, his shirt.

Slowly and regretfully he got up from her side and went to pick up the bag in which had originally held the marshmallows. He began to pick up the fallen ones and place them into the bag while AngelFyre got some of the bedding and began to carry it back to her room. He was quite glad when he saw she was going to need to make another trip and made sure to finish the marshmallow cleanup before she came back.

He was tossing the bag into the rubbish bin under the kitchen sink when she slowly tiptoed back down the hall, careful not to wake her parents or Grandma Ruth. She was being overly cautious, almost like a cartoon character looked when they were creeping up upon another cartoon character inconspicuously, the high steps and all.

Waiting until she knelt down to get more of the bedding, he reached down and got the remaining items and piled them on top of hers, seeming as if he was taking all the work out of it for himself but no, that wasn't his intent. He needed his hands free. Slowly he brought his index finger to his lips to indicate she needed to remain quiet and then he scooped her up into his arms, her holding the items and all.

"If we have to say goodnight, the least I can do is tuck you in properly," he said to her, already beginning to come into her room. The bedding that she had previously carried in rested on the floor and he set her down nearby it so she could toss the others with it. He then found her sheet and brought it over to the bed so the two could place it back on together because making a bed was always easier when someone helped you - at least he had always thought.

They got it back on, and tucked in just right, then placed the blanket over top of it and made sure it was straightened out. The last remaining items were the pillows and he tossed her one before taking the other and lightly smacking her shoulder with it. "Round two?" he asked, knowing there was probably a glint in his eyes because the marshmallow war was fun. Perhaps a pillow fight could be round two, after all, a war was usually fought with more than one battle.

The two would find it was quite difficult to have a quiet pillow fight, but as he began to get his taps in when he could and she the same, the two discovered it was quite hilarious to try and keep quiet. They did a pretty good job, but on one blow that she delivered, he toppled onto the bed as if he was knocked out. There it was again - had she won this round as well?

Simon laid there, motionless once more as he had just earlier in the other room and this time, when she'd plop over him with her long golden hair cascading down on his face, he'd bring his arms around her waist and pull her down onto the bed beside him and attack - only this time with kisses!

"Properly tucking you in also means kissing you goodnight," he whispered breathlessly between.

And eventually he would have to say his goodnight and bid her farewell until the sun slipped to the horizon and night turned into day.

**********

When Simon came out of his room early that morning, he found Grandma Ruth in the main area, sitting near the window and sipping on some tea that she had already made, her eyes cast to the Austrian sunrise out the window. "Good morning, Grandma Ruth," Simon greeted her, so not to startle her, and then leaned in so he could engulf her into a hug. The two had gotten closer since his visit to rural Scotland, and while they since had heard the tragedy of Grandma Ruth's illness, he was determined to treat her no differently. He had learned that most elders when in such a situation wanted normalcy and honestly, who knew how much time anyone had on this Earth?

"Have you ever tried melting a lemon drop in tea? It's delectable," he said and got up, going over to where his bag was parked from the night before and found his bag before bringing it over to her and placing it down in case she would want to give it a try.

Simon smiled to her. Grandma Ruth always seemed to know more than she let on about a multitude of things but that never put him at unease either. "I was hoping to get the chance to speak with you privately on this trip," and he went over to the kitchen area that was attached, not leaving her presence really since their Austrian retreat was an open-concept sort of dwelling. He poured some hot water into a cup, but instead of placing a tea bag inside, he brought it back and took a sip of the plain water before getting one of the lemon drops to drop into it and then he sat down beside her. "I can't see the future," he said to her, stating the obvious, "but I'm going to tell you something that I don't think Mr. McCubbin would want to hear right now."

He paused to glance to the door of the room where AngelFyre's mother and father were staying. They were morning people too and he knew if they were awake, they'd be out there in the kitchen making breakfast so he had the clear. "I love AngelFyre endlessly and I'm going to marry her," his eyes watched Grandma Ruth and he knew his held both happiness and certainty. "I was sort of hoping there might be something that I could give her from you on our wedding day - whether it's a physical token or words of advice." It didn't have to be at that moment. She could think about it and even send it to him if she chose.

Sage advice, worth more than what you will pay for it, @Simon Kincaid

Ruth Mae Godshall had always been an early riser. It was her quiet time as most everyone in their household was an early riser, but with chores and animal feedings to do, her early mornings would usually be abuzz with frenetic activity and then it would smooth out again to a serene space of silence. She was alone in that pre-frenetic stage when Simon was the first to appear.

"Good morning to you, too, Sir - wait, don't tell me," and she raised a hand with an index finger sticking straight up, trying to recall the name. "It's a play on the song from 'The Man of La Mancha', and Grandma Ruth chuckled. "Ah, yes! Have it. I believe you were dubbed her Knight of the Stay-Puft Countenance," and then she really chuckled as she patted with both her hands Simon's strong forearms as he hugged her.

Her eyes followed him as he made his way into the kitchen to get his own warm drink. "I could not help myself and listened in a bit on the two of you as you had your marshmallow fight. That girl's laughter is one of my favorite things in the world and I wanted to drink in as much of it as I could, so I left my door cracked open probably more than I should have. Fret not, however. I saw and heard nothing that would make me blush or cause Iain concern," and she took a sip of her tea before turning her head once again and casting her gaze back to the sunrise. It was just beginning to peek over the very snowy ridge lines, giving them the most subtle, yet bright, halo effect.

"Funny thing. I've put peppermint candies in my tea, but never lemon drops. Sounds delicious," and she reached for the offered bag and removed a single lemon drop which she placed on her spoon and gently slid into her tea cup. She swirled it around and within a few seconds, she closed her eyes as the hint of lemon and mint began to fuse together, wafting enticingly around her. "Grand idea there, Simon. I shall have to remember it."

She then sat quietly and listened to the young man, now all of 13 years old, telling her that he loved her granddaughter endlessly and was going to marry her one day. She nodded her head and clasped her hands together with great enthusiasm in response to his proclamation. AngelFyre had been making that very same proclamation for almost a year now, much to her father's chagrin, but any fool with eyes could see there was really something special between the two, and it was not foiled in the least by their ages.

"I'd love nothing more than to be there when you do, Simon, most sincerely I would, and she leaned over once again only this time she squeezed his forearm tightly, "but I believe I'll know, and lemme tell you, there will be smiles and rejoicing and blessings a plenty raining down upon the both of you from above. Believe that," and she squeezed his forearm again before sitting back in her chair. "It's curious you bring this up as I wanted to speak to you on a subject tangential to this one. I shall certainly think upon your request and I promise when I've settled on something, I'll get it to you without our girl knowing," and she winked at him.

"I do want to give you something now, however, and it is this very good piece of advice. Do not lose sight of each other. It's easy, well, easier, to be the couple you are now because there are no bills to pay or children to rear, bosses to appease or hurts and sleights to nurse that will come at you, both of you, from the real world, whether that world is magical or otherwise. Just try to be mindful that the single most important person in your whole life, should you marry her, should always be that darling girl upstairs."

Grandma Ruth silenced herself for a few moments and watched him, giving him time to let what she was saying sink in with him. "Do not underestimate how the world, and the devil who orchestrates its movements, can tear asunder even the strongest of loves. You put AngelFyre above everyone, even your children, Simon. And you gently, but firmly, remind her of the same if she loses sight of you in the taffy pull that is motherhood. That may sound harsh, but it is the way it is supposed to be. It is what you take an oath before God to do when you marry. If you can do this, you will Honor the Father, your wife, and your children. Your children will need more time than you both might like at certain points, but make the time for each other. Too many people give all of their time to their kids and also give too much of their hearts. Your children will be entitled to all of the love your heart can give them, but your heart should be hers, and hers should be yours. You two, and you two alone, should be the center of the world you build together. Be protective of it and guard it diligently."

"My mother told me this and I told Annene. I am both sad and happy to report that Annene and Iain have done a better job at following the advice than I did, and there was a heavy price to pay. I loved my Ezra and he loved me, and we managed to claw our way back from some hard things - unnecessary things - but it was just never quite the same. So I say to you again, do not lose sight of one another. Do not allow yourself to be complacent and believe that you are both so special that nothing could tear you apart. You are special, the two of you, but you are also both human. Keep your eyes on the real prize," and she lifted her hand, palm up, as if to the heavens and finished with, "and He will help course correct if you are both willing to follow. I know she is and I have more than a good feeling that you are as well. It sounds simple, but it's not at all easy. Remember that and you should both be fine."

Grandma Ruth stood and walked to Simon's side, resting her hand on his shoulder. "I liked you from the moment I met you, Simon. My granddaughter has chosen very well for herself. I expect you will both live incredibly meaningful and happy lives together, the Good Lord willing." She wobbled just a bit but caught herself fairly quickly. "Don't be too overly concerned about Iain. He is coming around to the fact that AngelFyre is growing up. Believe it or not, he is actually quite fond of you. He is a good, loving, protective man. You could do a lot worse than to follow his example. After all, his daughter is much more like him than she is her mother, so that should tell you much of what you need to know about him, loving her as you say you do."

Now walking towards her room, she called back over her shoulder, "If you will excuse me, I need to go do a few things before we all head out this morning. And fear not, I shall not forget what you asked of me, Simon."

"Thank you, Grandma Ruth," he said sincerely and gave a smile to her before she turned back to go into her room. He was grateful for the advice and felt there was a great resource in those more experienced than him in life endeavors. They had learned from their success as well as their failures and maybe if the younger generations listened a little more closely, they could put that advice to good use and avoid some of the trial-and-error that could sometimes be.

When her door clicked shut, he stood there a moment in the stillness and quiet of the main room of the Austrian retreat. Outside a light snow was falling and he listened for noise within the home but didn't hear anything. Perhaps everyone else was still asleep.

Knowing that chocolate was one of AngelFyre's favorite things in the world, perhaps only second to him, he decided to go into the kitchen and prepare her some hot chocolate. It was the powered kind from a packet and wouldn't be probably the most delicious that she ever tasted, but hopefully it would be good enough. He didn't drink hot chocolate so he really didn't know - but it seemed this type was popular enough.

He placed it into a thermos and then put it on a serving tray and brought it to her room. Opening the door slowly, he headed inside. Her head was still down on the pillow so he figured her sleeping. She probably was, as they had a late night the evening before and she would have most likely heard the click of the door when he opened it.

He placed the tray on top of the dresser nearby and walked both slowly and quietly over to the bed. His intention here was not to scare her, startle her, or even surprise her. No, he just wanted to take a look at her while she slept and hoped that didn't seem to be a creepy thought. He thought it was a rather sweet one, himself. Also, he hoped that neither Iain or Annene McCubbin would find it inappropriate that he was there if they should wake soon.

"I come bearing you good morning, warmth, chocolate, and all things that are good,"he whispered gently, trying to gauge whether or not she was awake. "I've brought you some hot chocolate, but if you wait too long to enjoy it, it'll turn into cold chocolate. Maybe mild chocolate."