disclaimer: I only own Swink, not that I'm enjoying admitting it.)
as the cookie crumbles -- 07
by virtualfaerie
------------------------------
"Three months!" Ginny exclaimed, rushing around her apartment. "Can you believe it, Colin?"
Colin raised a sleepy eyebrow from his spot on the couch while letting out a huge yawn. "Oh yeah, can't believe it," he murmured, lifting a hand and running it through his already mussed hair.
Ginny sighed happily, clutching a cookie pan to her chest. "Tonight is Valentine's Day. And you know what guys do on Valentine's day, right?" she asked.
"Oh, yeah....of course," Colin mumbled. "They buy overly expensive chocolates and flowers for their girlfriends. And if the girl is lucky they get some overpriced piece of jewelry."
Ginny frowned at him, and walked into the living room, just to whack him on the head with her cookie pan.
"Ow!" he said, clutching his head protectively. "Watch where you swing that, missy."
"I'm really loving that positive attitude of yours, Creevey," she said sarcastically. She sighed again. "But what I meant, was that guys propose on Valentine's day. I think that Seamus is going to propose to me tonight. He has too! He's been telling me that he loves me for the past month. Just last week we were walking through Diagon Alley and we stopped in front of a baby shop and looked at the cradles through the window. I said that I couldn't wait to have kids of my own, and he said that we'd make beautiful babies together," Ginny finished with a dopey smile on her face.
Colin rolled his eyes. "That was probably just some lame excuse to get you in his bed."
Ginny sucked in a sharp breath and whacked him again with her cookie pan.
"Agh! You sadistic--"
"Hm?" Hermione had just walked through the door with a small paper sack. She raised her eyebrow at the scene in front of her. Ginny was holding the cookie pan behind her back with a devilish smile on her face; and Colin was shooting daggers at her, mouth still open from his previous purpose to start spouting expletives at Ginny (but that was before Hermione came in, she hated cursing), and his hands were cupped around the back of his head warily.
Hermione let out a sigh. "Oh gods, don't even tell me what you two have been up to."
"Okay," they both said cheerily at the same time. Colin glared at Ginny and she shot him a sickeningly sweet smile.
"I picked up that sugar you said you needed," Hermione said, waving around her paper sack.
"Thanks," said Ginny, coming to take it from her.
"Oh gods, please no," Colin moaned. "Don't give her sugar! You know when she's cooking she eats some of that stuff directly? It goes straight to her head I'm telling you. Straight to the head!" Colin shook his head as he got off of the couch. "All I can say is that I'm not going to be around when she starts eating it. Oh no…" he shook his head again and took off towards the door.
"Hold on a minute!" Ginny called. "I'm not done with you yet, Creevey," she said.
Colin winced and turned around, giving her his best puppy dog eyes.
"Sorry, kiddo," she said. "Those don't work on me."
"Damn."
"Hey!" said Hermione. "Watch that!"
"Huh?" Colin said confusedly. "Oh, right, sorry Hermione." He turned to Ginny. "Do I have to?" he asked, trying once again with the puppy dog eyes.
"Yes," said Ginny firmly.
"What's he going on about?" asked Hermione.
"Oh," said Ginny, waving a hand. "It's nothing really. I've just set him up for a blind date tonight." Hermione gave her a look. "Come on! It's not like he's already had plans with someone else."
"Actually," said Colin. "I was quite happy to stay home and watch movies with Rosie Palm and her five sisters." He gave her a impish grin.
"Eugh, shut up!" Ginny said, wrinkling her nose at him. "Believe me, a night out with this girl will be much better than Rosie Palm."
"How do you know?" Colin asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
Ginny reached over and popped him on the back of the head. "You perverted little boy," she said, giggling slightly. "I think you need to go home and get ready."
Colin frowned. "Already? I still have three hours. All I have to do is change my shirt…."
"What?! Nooooo, Creevey. You're going to take a shower and make sure you change those pants." She raised an eyebrow. "How long have you been wearing those anyways."
Colin cocked his head to the side. "Two days…I think…. Yeah, two days."
Hermione eyed the jeans. "Did you spell them clean?"
Colin snorted. "Oh no, I don't have time for that. What with work and helping Ginny in the shop."
"You don't have time to do a simple cleaning spell?" Hermione asked incredulously. She was holding her wand and her fingers were loosing and tightening around it, just itching to spell his jeans clean.
"Yes," said Ginny. "Definitely going to have to change those pants. I'm afraid I'll have to chain you to my oven before I let you go out in those again."
"They don't look or smell dirty," Colin protested.
Hermione shook her head. "Men…"
------------------------------
Ginny gave her hair one last fluff up in the mirror before she turned to grab her purse, ready to apparate to Seamus'. She was going to surprise him by getting to his apartment earlier before their big date that night. She was wearing a dark green dress, it was so dark that it almost looked black. She had splurged on the dress at a Muggle shop that she had let Hermione talk her into going in.
Ginny apparated to Seamus' entrance hall, setting her purse down on the small table that was already littered with keys.
"Seamus!" she called out.
There was no answer.
"Seamus…" she called again, a bit more hesitantly.
There was still no answer.
Maybe…he just wasn't home yet.
She walked into the living room and saw a rumpled dress and pair of pants lying on the floor. She frowned. Why would Seamus have a dress and pair of pants on the floor? Especially a dress….
She walked down the hall slowly, and heard and faint moaning. Her ears perked up, and her eyebrows shot up. She froze in her tracks, craning her head to listen. Yes, those were moans alright.
She tiptoed her way down the rest of the hallway and stopped in front of Seamus' bedroom door, which seemed to be the only barrier between Ginny and the moans. She could feel her heart breaking as she heard them grew louder. She only hoped, for Seamus' sake, that he was watching porno. Gods, he better be watching porno….
She placed her hand on the knob, and turned it slowly, pushing the door in.
She stopped.
She screamed.
She ran into the room.
---------------------------
(bwaahahhaha…should I leave it there…? It would be most entertaining…okay, I'll continue.)
---------------------------
"Oh, Colin. I'm sorry I ruined your date," Ginny groaned. They were sitting back in her apartment, Colin holding an ice-pack to her chin.
"It's not a problem," said Colin. "You just have to tell me exactly what happened."
"Oh gods," she wailed. "You didn't like your date did you? I'm a failure! I'm a failure at all things dealing with love! Everything!"
Colin looked panicked. "No, of course not, I like Elise just fine…she was a really nice girl…"
"Don't you lie to me, Creevey!" she snapped, causing Colin to jump.
"Oookay," he said slowly. "I think someone needs to calm down and tell Colin what's wrong…."
"He was sleeping with another woman!" she sobbed. "I walked in…and her dress was lying on his living room floor. I could hear them back in his bedroom! He was sleeping with her right before our big date. I can't believe that bastard!" She fisted her hand.
"Then what happened?" asked Colin, intrigued.
"Well," said Ginny, frowning. "I went in there, and guess who it was."
"I can't, tell me."
"It was Swink. That whore. She's on his quidditch team," she said. "And I thought she was dating Malfoy. Anyways, I went in there and jerked that little bint off of Seamus, and started punching. I landed a few good ones, then she went and gave me an uppercut. I gave Seamus one good one in the groin and left." Ginny sighed. "That's about it."
Colin shook his head. "I can't believe that. And he said he loved you?" Ginny nodded. "What a bastard. You're better off without him them."
Ginny stared at the floor. "I bet he hasn't used our reservation at the Candelabra. Since I ruined your date, maybe we can go?" she suggested.
Colin smiled and pulled her off of the couch. "Sounds good to me, doll. Let's go. There's still time for fun to be had."
They were waiting at the front of the Candelabra when the maitre de came up to them, and eyed Ginny's state with disapproval. "Name?" he asked.
"Finnegan," said Ginny.
"You're Seamus?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm his date," she said.
"Oh? Are you?" he asked disdainfully.
"Excuse me," said Colin reproachfully. "I would appreciate it if you'd stop talking to my date like that."
The maitre de looked to Colin. "You are not Seamus Finnegan either," he said.
Ginny and Colin shared a look.
"Look, Mister, Finnegan cancelled his date with her, now you better let us in," Colin said angrily. "I'm hungry and I've got money to spend."
The maitre de rolled his eyes. "I guess we have a table to spare…." He walked off into the restaurant, motioning for them to follow.
Ginny gave Colin a grateful smile. "Thanks."
Colin shrugged. "No problem. That guy was being a jerk."
They were seated in at a small table in a corner. "Your server will be with you shortly," said the maitre de before taking off.
Ginny and Colin shared a grin and picked up their menus. Ginny glanced over Colin's shoulder and saw a shock of blond hair. She squinted, was that who she thought it was? Yes, it was Draco Malfoy. She craned her neck trying to see if Swink was sitting there with him. She was! That little whore had the audacity to show her face in public. Ginny grinned slightly as she noticed that Swink couldn't quite conceal her black eye.
"What happened to you?" she heard Draco asking.
"What?" Swink asked. "Oh, this," she said, motioning flippantly towards her eye. "Got hit by a stray Bludger at practice."
Draco raised an eyebrow. "You didn't have that this morning. And if I'm not mistaken, you haven't had a practice today."
Alex Swink blinked. "Wha--? Oh, that was some other black eye I had," she waved it off. "My head has been a bit screwed. I was actually trying to help this girl with a crazy owl, and it up and hit me in the eye with it's stupid beak. It disoriented me."
A Bludger, eh? An owl? Ginny so desperately wanted to get up and tell Draco how she really got her black eye.
"Really?" asked Draco, looking faintly amused. "What about those bruises on your arm?"
Alex looked to her arm. There were bruises on the side of it that looked much like finger imprints. "Uhh, the girl was so afraid that she gripped my arm."
By now, Colin had turned around and was watching too. He was trying not to laugh.
"I find it hard to believe that you would take time out of your busy schedule to play good Samaritan to some little girl," said Draco.
Ginny got out of her seat.
"Gin…what are you doing?" asked Colin, nervously.
"Excuse me," said Ginny, putting her hand on Draco's shoulder.
He turned around and lifted an eyebrow. "Yes?" he said. "What can I help you with?"
Swink's eyes widened and darted towards the door. She looked like a jittery rabbit cornered by a fox. "Oh," she said weakly. "It's…you."
Ginny gave her a feral grin. "Yes, me. Care to explain to your dear boyfriend how you really got that black eye? Instead of feeding him that shit that I'm sure he didn't buy."
Draco's lip curled up, amusement flashed in his eyes as he looked from girl to girl.
"Err…." Swink was squirming in her seat.
"Do tell," said Draco. "I'd love to hear the real story."
"I'd rather not," she said.
"Shall I tell?" asked Ginny, pulling out a chair at their table and sitting down. Draco gave her a look. Before Swink could say anything, Ginny started. "Well, I was coming to my boyfriend's house early for our date," she said. Ginny turned to Draco, "Can you see where this is going? But anyways, Swink and Seamus are on the same quidditch team." Ginny faked a gasp. "When I come in the apartment, I see a pair of pants, and a dress on the living room floor," she continued. "That dress in fact," she said, jerking her head to the little red number that Swink was wearing.
Draco's eyes hardened. "Go on," he prompted.
"So I got back to the bedroom, where I hear these moans, and I'm hoping for Seamus' sake that he's watching porn. But no, she is in there, humping my man like some rabbit." Draco snorted. "So I went in there and hauled ass," Ginny finished.
"You gave her that black eye?" asked Draco, appreciatively.
Ginny blew on her fisted hand. "I did. Nice, eh?"
Draco nodded. "Very." He turned to look at Swink. "Now why, Alex, would you tell me that you were helping a little girl with a crazed owl?"
Swink spluttered for a moment, glaring daggers at Ginny. Ginny smiled at her innocently and batted her eyelashes.
"I say that this relationship is past over," said Draco, leaning back in his chair, giving Swink a scrutinized look. "Don't you think?"
"But-but, Draco, I love you," said Swink, desperately.
"Do you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "That would explain why you were sleeping with Weasley's boyfriend, right?"
"I-I…." she didn't say anything else. She tried to shove back in her chair, but the legs got caught in the carpet and she was sent catapulting back, her legs flailing in the air, exposing her knickers to the whole restaurant. She let out a scream and fell back against a plant.
"You!" she yelled at Ginny. "You ruined everything, you little bitch! You'll pay, I swear you will!"
"Ma'am," said the maitre de, grabbing Swink's arm and hauling her up from the floor. "I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you to leave. You're being disruptive."
"Get you hands off of me!" She twisted around in his grasp. "I have never been so embarrassed in my life."
Ginny saw a server coming, with a tray full of crème covered pastries. She smirked at Swink and stuck her foot out. The server tripped over it, and the tray was sent flying in Swink's direction. Swink's eyes widened and she let out a shrill shriek.
"More embarrassed?" Ginny asked.
Swink let out a frustrated scream and wiped the crème off her face. "You'll pay! You'll pay!" The maitre de rolled his eyes and began dragging her out of the restaurant.
Draco was laughing. Full out laughing. "Oh Merlin," he choked out. "That was the funniest thing I've seen in years!"
Ginny looked at him, a bit confused. "You aren't upset?"
"Upset?" he asked. "Not at all. You just provided the excuse I needed to end things with her." He wiped at his eyes. "That was hilarious. She deserved it."
Colin got up and walked over to where Draco and Ginny were sitting, he picked up Swink's abandoned chair and sat in it. He grinned at Ginny. "That was excellent," he said. "Even better than that shiner."
"What can I say?" Ginny said, trying to look innocent. "She messed with a Weasley. You don't mess with a Weasley."
---------------------------------------
A/N: Ta-da! A chapter! Took long enough, huh? Well, aren't you glad that I wrote it? Now wasn't it nice to see Swink humiliated so? I rather enjoyed writing that scene, and the one with Colin in the beginning, those are my favorites. *grins*
Thanks to Komal for betaing.
Please review!