Thanks again you guys for your reviews! The storyline we have in mind for H/Hr isn't coming into effect for quite some time yet but we promise to make it worth your while ;)
This chapter ends on a bit of a cliffie, so be forewarned ;)
With only a month left until their wedding, Ethan and Maddie were quite busy but they both found an evening free to have dinner with Ron and Luna.
Luna was currently telling them about her plans to foster orphaned children. "And in this house, we can have up to eight," she explained.
"How lovely," Maddie said. "I think it's wonderful that you both want to do this."
"And Frankie agreed to help me with the decorations," Luna explained. "I know she's extremely busy..."
"Especially since RJ joined the team," Ethan joked.
"Who?" Luna asked. "Are you referring to my baby? My youngest son? Who I've barely seen since he graduated..."
"None of us have seen him Mum," Maddie pointed out.
"His career is taking off," Ron said in his youngest son's defence.
"He hasn't even played a game yet," Luna said.
"But he's notorious," Ethan grinned. "For wearing dresses..."
"That was part of his initiation!" Ron exclaimed.
"I remember when he was little and used to say he was a fairy," Maddie said dreamily. "He was so cute!"
Luna and Ethan laughed. "I bet he'd like to hear about that now." he said.
"I told you we never should have let him play dress up with Maddie, Drew and Darla," Ron told his wife.
"Oh come on Ron," Luna said mildly. "It's done no long term harm."
Maddie grinned. "And you seemed to survive that unfortunate dress robes incident from that Yule Ball you went to."
"He looked very handsome," Luna said dreamily. "I couldn't take my eyes off of him..."
"I never knew you were there," Ron looked at his wife. "Who'd you wind up going with?"
"Justin," Luna replied.
"Finch Fletchley?" Ron snorted.
"Yes," Luna said looking at him. "Why? What's wrong with Justin?"
"I always thought he was gay," Ron replied.
"He was not," Luna said swatting him on the arm. "He was a perfect gentleman all evening long."
Ron grinned. "Because he was checking out other guys."
"At least he danced," Luna retorted. "You sat on your arse all evening."
Ethan and Maddie exchanged amused glances as Ron and Luna bickered.
"Yeah well I had to sit with Harry," Ron replied.
"Padma said you were the worst date in the history of the world," Luna said.
"And you believed her?" Ron sat back before helping himself to another serving of roast beef.
"You did just sit there," Luna pointed out. "You barely spoke three words to her and you were very rude and didn't offer to get her a drink or food."
"He must have gotten better at it right Mum?" Maddie asked with a grin.
"After a lot of training," Luna said thoughtfully. "Yes..."
"Hey!" Ron squawked.
"On our first real date, you did almost blind me," Luna reminded him. "But you were such a bumbling idiot, it was so endearing!"
"Gee thanks," Ron replied.
"You were," Luna said putting an arm around him.
"How about we eat now?" Ron asked. "Please?"
"We have been eating," Ethan laughed at him.
"Okay then," Ron said leaning back in his chair. "Can I have some more then?"
Maddie giggled. "It's a good thing we're having a huge buffet at the wedding."
"He does know that as he's part of the receiving line, we'll all probably be the last to eat, right?" Ethan asked his fiancée.
"What?" Ron looked at his wife and daughter. "No one told me that!"
"We were trying to think of the best way to break the news to you, Daddy," Maddie said grinning at him.
"How could you do this to me?" Ron asked dramatically.
"Daddy, there is still going to be loads of food left," Maddie reassured him. "We just have to receive the guests and thank them for coming to the wedding..."
"H-how many guests are there going to be exactly?" Ron asked.
"How many was it at last count Mads?" Ethan asked. "Four hundred?"
"I beg your pardon?" Ron asked incredulously. "I don't even know 400 people!"
"Mum does," Ethan replied.
Ron rolled his eyes. "She knows too many people."
"Daddy she's the Minister," Maddie said with a grin. "It's all about the appearances."
"For Merlin's sake, Ronald," Luna said. "How about we let you have a couple of appetizers before we go in?"
"I think I can deal with that," Ron nodded. "Good idea."
"Problem solved," Ethan said chuckling.
"I still can't believe my baby girl's going to be married in a month," Ron smiled at Maddie.
"Less than a month, Daddy," Maddie corrected. "And no matter what, I'm still going to be your baby girl."
"And I promise to take very good care of her," Ethan interjected.
Luna smiled. "You two are going to be so happy."
"We already are," Maddie said.
"And if he treats her bad---" Ron started to say.
"I'm right here," Ethan laughed at him. "And it's not likely I could ever treat my Maddie wrongly."
"Yes, well, if you do---" Ron said sternly.
"Ronald," Luna chastised.
"I'm just telling him what's what," Ron said defensively. "Maddie's the first of my girls to get married..."
"You mean Brian's got to go through this?" Ethan asked. "I'll have to warn him if he decides to propose."
"Hans too," Ron said. "But to tell you the truth, I don't quite know what to make of him..."
"He seems to like Darla well enough," Maddie volunteered. "But she told me lately they've not been getting along as well."
Ron took a drink of his wine. "What does that boy do for a living again?"
"He models," Ethan said with a slight smirk.
Ron guffawed. "Models? Think we might have another Justin Finch-Fletchley on our hands, Luna..."
"Justin was not gay!" Luna exclaimed throwing a roll at her husband.
Ron chortled as did Ethan. "Where did she meet him anyway?"
"Some bridal magazine shoot," Ethan replied. "He was modelling dress robes."
"He seems like a perfectly nice young man and he cares about Darla," Luna said. "That's good enough for me."
"Just a shame he doesn't have a more manly profession," Ron cracked.
Luna gaped at him. "A more manly profession?"
"Like Quidditch," Ron nodded. "Or an Auror like Ethan."
"He seems pretty manly to me," Maddie said. "I saw this layout he did for Witch Weekly. Swimwear....looks all man to me..."
"Maddie!" Ethan exclaimed.
"What?" Maddie grinned at him.
"I'm right here you know," he said.
"I know," she gave him her most innocent look.
"Can we refrain from talking about Hans and his..."
"Layout?" Maddie asked winking at him.
"Madeline Molly!" Ron exclaimed.
Luna laughed. "Maybe we shouldn't be talking about Darla's boyfriend like this."
"I agree," Ethan said. "Really, really agree."
"They asked Ethan to pose once," Maddie told her parents. "He turned them down."
Ethan turned red. "Not my thing."
"He's not going to be one of London's 10 Hottest Bachelor Wizards anymore," Maddie said beaming at him.
"Now that I don't mind in the least," Ethan replied with a goofy grin.
"I never made that list," Ron said glumly.
"You should have Daddy," Maddie said loyally.
Ron grinned at her. "Thanks, Maddie Molly. Ethan's dad was always making those lists."
"And he never lets anyone forget it," Luna giggled.
"Mister Hottest Bachelor of the Year," Ron said dramatically. "Mister Cutest Arse. Mister Green Eyes. Wizard McDreamy..."
"I didn't know you kept track of all that," Ethan said. "I'll have to tell him so."
Ron shook his head. "No, no..."
"I'm sure he'd like to know he's still got a big fan in his best friend," Luna replied with a grin.
"The last thing he needs is something to enlarge his already healthy ego," Ron said.
"I'll tell him you said that too," Ethan joked.
"Anyways," Luna said. "I can't tell you what a treat it was for the kids at the orphanage to meet your parents, Ethan. They were in awe."
"That's really cool," Ethan commented. "It's nice for these kids to have some joy in their lives."
"Didn't you say Uncle Harry donated some Quidditch gear?" Maddie asked.
"Some old stuff he had stored away," Ethan nodded. "And Mum said Frankie was going to get the team to donate some goods as well."
"Do you know how many girls and how many boys you'll get?" Maddie asked.
"Four girls and four boys to start," Luna replied. "Two of them babies."
"Babies!" Maddie exclaimed.
Luna nodded. "I fell in love with them the moment I saw them. And there's a sweet little girl named Hannah. She's four."
"Bit of a quiet little girl," Ron commented. "She didn't say much when we met with her the other day."
"I bet you can bring her out of her shell," Maddie replied as she helped Luna clear the table.
"I tried everything I could to get her to laugh," Ron said. "She didn't even crack a smile."
"What happened to her?" Ethan asked.
"Her mother died a year ago and her father couldn't raise her on his own," Luna explained. "He's been in and out of prison since his wife's death."
"How awful," Ethan said. "Poor kid."
"I'm really hoping we can help her and provide a stable environment for her," Luna said. "The director of the orphanage said that she'd been passed around to three different homes already."
Maddie's heart went out to the little girl. "I'll do whatever I can to help you with her," she promised.
Luna smiled at her daughter. "Thank you, Madeline. Your father and I are going to need all the help we can get."
"I'd be happy to help out too," Ethan offered. "Just let me know."
"You can help me change dirty nappies," Ron said. "The part I'm least looking forward to."
Ethan laughed. "I suppose that'd be all right."
Maddie laughed. "Practise."
After dessert Maddie and Ethan took their leave- they both had an early morning at the Ministry the next day.
"We should do that more often," Maddie said as Ethan opened the door for her.
"Definitely," he said, going through the owl post on the table while Maddie went to go let Blue out of his cage.
"Mummy brought you some biscuits," Maddie said reaching into her bag. "Do you want one, Blue?"
Ethan grinned as Blue nodded happily while zooming around his and Maddie's heads.
"Here you go," Maddie said holding one out to him.
"He's a cute little bugger when he's happy," Ethan said.
"I could say the same for you," Maddie teased.
"These days I'm always happy," Ethan's grin grew wider.
"Me too," Maddie said grinning back at him. Blue whizzed by and grabbed the bag of biscuits out of her hand.
"Blue!" she exclaimed with a laugh.
"Thanks mate," Ethan said relieved that Maddie's hands were now free. He took her hand and pulled her in for a kiss.
"Mmm..." she closed her eyes. "I was waiting for that..."
"In less than a month, we won't have to wait anymore," Ethan whispered.
Maddie smiled as he kissed her again. "I really, really can't wait for that. It means so much to me that you agreed to wait Ethan. Our wedding night is going to be the best night of our lives."
"It's definitely been a test," Ethan said taking her hand and leading her back over to the sofa. "But it's going to be worth it."
"I agree," Maddie laughed as he pulled her down next to him.
Ethan chuckled as Blue flew over to sit on Maddie's shoulder, happily crunching away on a biscuit. "Did we decide who gets to keep him while we're on honeymoon?"
"Frankie said she and Will would keep him for us," Maddie replied, rubbing the top of her pixie's head.
"Frankie will probably dye him pink," Ethan joked.
"She wouldn't do that to my baby," Maddie crooned.
Blue's eyes got big and he seemed to smile at Maddie. Ethan watched as the pixie dropped the remains of his biscuit and then pecked Maddie on the cheek.
"I can't believe he understands you," Ethan shook his head.
"Dolly was the same way," Maddie said fondly.
"You just have a way with pixies," Ethan reached over and Blue hopped onto his hand. "At least he finally likes me too."
"That's because he knows how much you mean to me and he thinks of you as his dad now," Maddie said dreamily. "I just wish Dolly could have lived to see this."
"Her spirit lives on," Ethan said dramatically, making Blue cackle.
"I was thinking," Maddie said pulling an innocent face. "That Blue could be 'my something blue' in the wedding. You know...something old, something new..."
"Very funny," Ethan poked her side.
"I'm completely serious," Maddie said pouting at him.
Ethan snorted as Blue took on the same expression.
"He so wants to be a part of the wedding," Maddie said giggling. "Look at him!"
"Madeline Molly..." Ethan began.
"Ethan James," Maddie countered.
"Don't you give me that look," Ethan said as Blue grabbed his biscuits and flew back into his cage.
"It never fails," Maddie said smugly. "Come on..."
"Maddie he's not trained to be in social settings," Ethan replied. "You know that as well as I do."
"He's very behaved," Maddie said. "If you're still referring to what he did at Josh's party..."
"That's exactly what I'm talking about," Ethan said.
"He felt really bad about that," Maddie said defensively. "He thought that punch bowl was like his little bathtub..."
"Mads," Ethan said. "Not to the wedding all right?"
"Will you at least think about it?" Maddie asked. "Please?"
"Mads..." Ethan said exasperatedly. "We've got to think of the other people there too."
"Please?" Maddie said pouting at him.
Ethan shook his head. "You know I love the little guy, but not at our wedding. We're going to be too busy to pay attention to him and I don't want to just pawn him off on anyone else."
"How about a compromise?" Maddie asked. "What if I told you that one of my cousins volunteered to stand in the back with his cage...out of sight of everyone else, of course. Just so he can watch..."
Ethan raised his eyebrows. "You've really thought this out haven't you?" he asked with a grin.
Maddie beamed at him. "A girl always prepares..."
He laughed. "All right you win... again."
Maddie clapped her hands. "Yay! Thank you! Thank you!"
"You're good," Ethan pulled her over on top of him.
"Am I?" Maddie purred.
"Very... very... good..." Ethan said between kisses.
"You're not so bad yourself," Maddie said as he planted kisses on her neck.
"I'm going to marry you..." he said, unwinding her plait.
"Yes you are," Maddie said softly.
"I can't wait until you're my wife," he stroked her cheek.
Maddie smiled at him. "I wish I could go back in time and let my five-year old self hear you say that."
Ethan laughed. "I want to go tell my eight year old self to be nicer to you."
"Your eight-year old self was crushing on Kiki," Maddie reminded him.
"Oh man," Ethan shook his head. "I got butterflies whenever she was around. I never really knew what it was."
"That's the way crushes usually are," Maddie said resting her head on Ethan's shoulder. "And Chiaki was always nice to you about it."
"Too bad I didn't reciprocate that," he stroked her hair. "I was a little daft."
"You finally wised up," Maddie said closing her eyes.
"Mmmhmm..." Ethan replied. "I could stay like this all night..."
"Me too," Maddie said sleepily. "Let's sleep out here tonight."
"All right," he agreed. With his wand, he summoned a blanket and the alarm clock from their bedroom.
"Can you dim the lights too?" Maddie asked already snuggling against him.
"Sure," he shifted so they were lying more comfortably. "Will Blue be all right with his cage door open or should I shut it?"
"You might want to lock it," Maddie said sleepily.
Ethan waved his wand again and the door to Blue's cage shut. "Night Mads," he wrapped his arms around her. "I love you."
"I love you too," she said happily.
*** *** ***
Mrs. O'Leary's idea to give away free coffee with every pastry served turned out to be very good for business. Unfortunately, the bakery was packed and Alexa's mother was in the back baking away. Because Ben had flaked out, Alexa was the only one working the counter and she was trying very hard not to appear too flustered.
She hoped that wherever Ben was, he was having a great time with his girlfriend. He'd called in "sick", but Alexa had seen right through him. If she hadn't known him for as long as she had, she would have told her mother the truth. Ben promised to make it up to her somehow, but Alexa wasn't about to hold her breath waiting for that one.
She had rung Saffron to see if she could come in and help but she supposed her friend was already out somewhere with Andrew as she hadn't answered either.
"Miss," an elderly man was gesturing impatiently.
Alexa hurried back over to the counter and plastered a smile on her face. "Yes, sir? How can I help you?"
"I've been waiting to order for the past five minutes," he frowned.
"I'm sorry," Alexa apologised. "We're a little shorthanded. What can I get for you?"
As the man placed his order, Alexa silently cursed Ben. There was no possible way he could make this up to her.
"Hey," Gabriel had arrived. "How's it going Lex?"
Alexa groaned. "You don't even want to know."
"Excuse me, miss!" the man interjected angrily. "I asked for decaf!"
"I'm sorry!" Alexa grabbed the coffee cup.
"It's free," Gabriel looked at the man. "Why are you complaining?"
"Because I don't want caffeinated, young man," the man said crossly.
"Its okay, Gabe," Alexa said hurrying to finish the man's order. "Really...."
"You just don't have to be rude about it," Gabriel said bluntly. "She's human and she made a mistake... and you didn't have to pay for it to begin with."
"And you didn't even tell her what kind of coffee you wanted," the man's friend pointed out. "Quit giving the girl a hard time, Ernie."
Gabriel smiled reassuringly at Alexa as she finished assembling the order and the two men left. "I guess this promotion was really a hit eh?"
"They were queued up around the block when we opened," Alexa said leaning against the counter. "I imagine this is the calm before the storm."
"I thought you'd have more help," Gabriel looked around.
"We were supposed to," Alexa said rolling her eyes. "My friend Ben works here too, but he called in sick."
"How about Saffron or RJ?" Gabriel asked as she slid a cup of hot coffee over to him.
"Saffy's probably out with Andrew and I couldn't get in touch with RJ," Alexa replied. "He's probably too busy to help anyway."
"I could stick around if you want me to," Gabriel offered.
Alexa shook her head. "I couldn't ask you to do that..."
"I don't have anything planned for the afternoon," Gabriel said. "And I never mind helping out a friend in need."
"I'm definitely in need," Alexa said grinning at him. She reached under the counter for a spare apron. "You are a lifesaver, Gabriel Boyd."
"Anytime," he grinned back, thrilled that he would get to spend the afternoon with her now.
She handed him the apron. "Let me just show you the ropes then. It's really easy."
"Sure," Gabriel set his coffee down and followed her.
"You have to wear these plastic gloves when you serve," Alexa said showing him where the box was under the counter. "And none of the specialty coffees are part of the promotion. So if someone wants a latte or a cappuccino, they're out of luck."
"Just regular coffee," Gabriel nodded. "Got it."
Karen O'Leary poked her head out of the kitchen. "Alexa...oh, I didn't know you had company. Hello, Gabriel. Nice to see you again."
"Hi Mrs. O'Leary," Gabriel said. "Alexa's letting me help out- I hope you don't mind."
"Mind?" Karen asked. "Are you kidding me? We need all the help we can get. That was very nice of you to pitch in."
"I promised him free doughnuts," Alexa teased.
"Or fudge," Gabriel joked. "That stuff is addictive."
"Mum says its how she got Dad to marry her, right Mum?" Alexa asked.
"That's what he says," Mrs. O'Leary laughed.
"I think its part of the reason why RJ sticks around," Alexa said.
"Looks like we're about to get another rush," Karen O'Leary nodded towards the crowds approaching. "I'd better get back and start baking some more."
"We'd better get out front too," Alexa said pulling on Gabriel's arm.
"I don't know how to run the register," Gabriel said. "So it's probably best that you ring people through and I'll put orders together."
"Good plan," Alexa said, nodding.
The next several hours passed by quickly for both of them as they developed a system of Alexa taking orders and money, and Gabriel getting the pastries and coffee and bringing them to people.
Since he'd come to London, Gabriel couldn't remember having a better time. He and Alexa made each other laugh as the afternoon went by and they each managed to sneak a few bites of fudge when time allowed.
"Whew," Alexa said at half past six when they finally had ushered the last people out and were able to close. "That was completely mad!"
"Free coffee brings them in anytime, right?" Gabriel asked grabbing a rag and wiping down the counter.
"I think anything free brings them in," Alexa said dryly as she finished counting down the drawer.
"There's a place back home that sells ice cream," Gabriel said. "Every summer, they give out free ice cream cones. Some people camp out..."
Alexa shook her head. "I guess it's good for Mum," she replied. "We got loads of business today."
Gabriel opened his mouth to say something but the phone rang. Alexa rolled her eyes. "Let me just tell this person that we're closed..."
She picked up the phone. "O'Leary Bakery....wait....RJ? I can barely hear you!"
Gabriel frowned and wiped at the tables set up while Alexa was on the phone trying to decipher what RJ was saying.
"You're where?" Alexa practically shouted into the phone. "Athens? How did you end up in Greece?"
"Guys wanted to take me out," Gabriel could hear RJ saying. "We'll be back tomorrow!"
"Oh," Alexa said biting her bottom lip.
RJ laughed. "You should see what Peterson is doing right now, Lex. It's so messed up!"
"I'm sure it is," Alexa said softly. "I really miss you RJ."
"Yeah, I miss you too," RJ said. "Wait, Serena---stop! I'm trying to talk on the phone!"
"Serena?" Alexa asked. "S-she's there too?"
"Yeah she tagged along," RJ replied. "Told me to say hi to you."
She couldn't believe how cavalier he was being about all this. Trust him, she scolded herself. "You told me it was guys only, RJ."
"It was last minute Lexie," RJ replied. "I didn't know she was going to be here until we arrived."
"I have to go," Alexa said with false cheeriness. "You have fun and I guess I'll see you sometime before I go back to school then."
"We'll see each other," RJ said. "You're my date for the wedding remember?"
"Right," Alexa said quietly. "RJ---"
"Serena!" RJ cackled. "You're going to pay for that!" And with that, the line went dead. Alexa stood there for a few moments with the phone in her hand.
"You all right?" Gabriel asked quietly.
"Yeah," Alexa said forcing a smile as she hung up the phone. "Um, you don't have to stick around, Gabe. I can handle the cleanup...."
"Nonsense," Gabriel said. "I promised to stay and help you out."
"You've already gone above and beyond," Alexa said. To her astonishment, Gabriel continued to wipe down the counter. "Thanks, Gabe."
"Anything for a friend in need," he replied mildly.
Alexa smiled at him and grabbed a broom. "Gabe?"
"Yeah?" he turned around.
"Did you know----did you know things were about to end when you were dating your girlfriend?" she asked him. "Were there any clues?"
Gabriel shrugged. "It sort of came out of the blue for me."
Alexa nodded wordlessly and continued to sweep.
"You think things are going that bad with RJ?" he asked.
Alexa hadn't even talked about this with her mother or with Saffron, for that matter. For some reason though, she felt like she could talk to Gabriel about it. "I've fancied him almost from the moment I met him. I was 11 years old and Saffy and I had just gotten sorted into Gryffindor. She knew him already and he came over to tease her about something. I felt so stupid; I couldn't even string two words together."
Gabriel smiled. "But he eventually saw how fantastic you are."
"Eventually....after Juliet, Cori, Veronica, Christina and Saffron," Alexa said with a slight smile.
"Saffron?" Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "Wait the two of them--"
"Snogged once or twice," Alexa explained. "But they're more like brother and sister and knew that if they got together, they'd probably end up killing each other."
"I was going to say," Gabriel laughed. "The two of them are as different as night and day."
"Yeah," Alexa agreed. "And so shortly after that, he and I got together. Everyone used to wonder what he was doing with me. I even asked myself that."
"They shouldn't wonder that," Gabriel finished the tables. "You're pretty and you're nice- a lot of guys could only be so lucky."
"Thanks," Alexa blushed. "I don't know. It's just that ever since RJ graduated and started doing things with the team, it's like we're not on the same page anymore. And it's not like I want him to spend every single second with me. It's just he's so busy now..."
"I should think if he loved you as much as he says he'd still find time to be with you," Gabriel said as he came back behind the counter again.
Alexa set the broom against the wall. "I don't know. I just don't feel important to him anymore. And I look at someone like Serena Starr..."
"What's so great about her?" Gabriel asked. "I haven't seen a picture of her."
"Try blonde hair, blue-eyes, tall, thin and God's gift to mankind," Alexa said.
"Those types are always so fake," Gabriel replied.
"Try telling that to RJ," Alexa said running her hand through her hair. As she did so, she unknowingly, smudged some flour on her forehead.
Gabriel laughed. "You're making another mess," he teased, trying to get her to smile.
"I am?" she asked. "What did I do now?"
"You must have had flour on your hand," he stepped closer.
"Did I?" she asked. "I'm such a bloody klutz sometimes."
"Here," Gabriel said grabbing a napkin. "I'll get it. You'll only make it worse, Lex."
Alexa felt like a little girl as he wiped the flour off her forehead.
"Did you get it all?" she asked suddenly aware of how close he actually was.
"Yeah," he answered softly.
"Thanks," Alexa whispered as she looked up at him.
Against his own volition, Gabriel's hand lingered on her cheek. Her skin was so soft, he thought as he looked down at her. He's promised himself that he wouldn't do this. She wasn't free.
"Um..." Alexa wanted to pull away but found herself unable to.
Hesitantly, Gabriel brushed his lips against hers.