Disclaimer: Not mine, of course!
A/N: For the Calendar Challenge, so there will be twelve chapters. Audrey is a muggle, as are all her friends at this point. Percy is 30 and Audrey is 28. If anything is unclear, it should be explained in later chapters. Reviews are encouraging and helpful, so if you can, please do!


January


My story started as all do, on some level. With my Mother.

No, not at my birth. I don't want to take you back quite that far - it really isn't very interesting, or different. No, I'm starting with the day my Mother came to my flat, in her usual swirl of lavender cashmere and pearls and hairspray.

'Darling!' Her 'a' sound dragged on longer than it should have done, but I decided against mentioning it. 'Darling, I really think you should tidy up in here, or at least let me give it a quick tidy!'

I sighed, shaking my head slightly. I handed her a cup of tea, lots of milk, no sugar. My Mother never had sugar, said it went straight to the hips. She hadn't let me have tea with sugar either and I hadn't liked it until I left home and made it properly. With two sugars.

'No thank you, Mother. It isn't that messy, and I can assure you that it's quite clean. Besides, I like it as it is.' I smiled. Don't get me wrong, I love her, but sometimes she was a little overbearing.

She smiled at me and nodded. She looked around. 'It's the books, I suppose, which make it look messier. Honestly, Audrey love, the amount you have you could open a bookshop!' She said, innocently enough.

I don't think she'd realised how seriously I'd take her, but as soon as her comment had sunk in, I looked up at her. She must have seen some look of realisation in my eyes, the cogs in my mind whirring away already. She shook her head, her own eyes wide. 'No, Audrey, that it's what I meant! It was metaphorical!'

It was far too late, of course. As a child, I'd always wanted to own a bookshop. It would always have been the most perfect job in the world for me. My parents didn't like the idea of it, because it wasn't secure, and it wasn't really what they wanted their darling, only child to be doing. Working behind a till didn't really seem worthwhile to them. Besides, it wasn't their money that helped me to afford the place, it was mine, thanks to my previous job and savings. But they didn't appreciate reading at all, so I didn't really listen to them. The change did me more good than I could possibly have imagined. I should have realised earlier that staying in my old flat, and in my old job, all on my own was never going to be a good idea.

My bookshop wasn't big, nor was the flat above it, but I loved it. I had sold my apartment and rented the bookshop. I owned the flat above it, mortgage free because it was smaller and quite a lot cheaper than my old place. I had stocked up and, quicker than I could believe, it was open. Godiva Bookshop, was what it said on the little wooden sign hanging outside.

My sisters were round the first day, and almost everyday afterwards. I say that they were my sisters, but they weren't. They were two of my best friends, the two I had known since we were three years old. Cassie and Ray (Rachel, but we were shot if we called her that) knew me better than anyone and that scared me, but I wouldn't have had it any other way.

'Princess Audrey?'

'What, Ray?' I called up the stairs. She was in my flat upstairs making drinks or rummaging through my draws, I didn't know which one. I was downstairs in the shop, reading a book. It was a fantasy one which I was meant to be putting out on the shelves, but I had distracted myself by reading it.

'Where's your milk?'

'In the fridge?' I called back, shaking my head, but smiling. 'Why aren't you at work?'

'I'm feeling ill!' She grinned, coming down the stairs and leaning on the wall behind me.

'You liar! At least this is your first sick day this year, I suppose. Cassie would kill you, though, if she knew.' I took my tea from her. Cassie was far more straight laced than Ray or I. Ray was on the other end of the spectrum completely. I was somewhere in the middle, and comfortable. Though I couldn't take days off, nor would I have wanted to.

'I know, but don't tell her. I'm going out with Mark later, that's why I took the day off.' She shrugged as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Before I could reply, she spoke again. 'What about you?'

She was going to start with the man thing again, just for a change. Cassie was married, Ray was happily committed, and I was solo. I didn't mind it, being on my own was fine by me, though neither of them seemed to believe me. I really, really was. I did miss what I used to have, though it had been so long. Relationships had never been my forte anyway, and that had only worsened in the last five years. Anyway, I was used to being lonely, though I'd never have admitted that I was.

'Still single, Ray. You knew that already.'

She sighed sadly, 'indeed.'

The bell rung on the door. Someone was coming in, a fact which I was surprised by. I didn't usually get many customers on a Tuesday afternoon. I peered over the top of the desk and looked towards the door. I turned around. 'Ray, back upstairs please, I have a customer and I don't want you scaring him away.' I whispered.

'Him?' She grinned mischievously, and darted up the stairs before I could reprimand her.

I looked around for my customer. He was standing in the classics section. The classics section was the largest, because classics were my favourites. His tall, slight frame was hunched over a book. He was pushing his grey rimmed glasses up his straight nose and he took another book from the shelf. He had blazing, dark red hair, slightly wavy. He wasn't conventionally handsome, Ray probably wouldn't think so, Cassie wouldn't care, but I thought he was .

I recognized him. At this point, he had been in a few times. He always brought a Shakespeare, with a fancy, hard back cover, and another, usually a Dickens and sometimes an Austen too. He must've had quite a collection at home.

I watched him for a few minutes longer before I felt something hit me on the back of the neck. It was a sock, Ray had probably thrown it at me. I scowled up, but a voice pulled me back.

'Excuse me?'

It wasn't an unpleasant voice. A little nasally, deep, but smooth. I turned back round, smiling apologetically. 'Sorry, how can I help you?'

'I just want to pay…' He smiled, somewhat nervously. I smiled back, taking the books.

'So,' I started, scanning the books. 'Do you have a name, or just a lot of books?'

'No.' He was rummaging around a pile of coins, only some I recognised. He must have been travelled. He looked up, sensing his mistake. 'Oh.' His cheeks and neck radiated scarlet heat. 'Yes, I'm Percy. I'm amazed you remember me.'

'You do come in quite often, and the hair is rather noticeable, 'I'm afraid.' I handed him the bag. He gave me the money, smiled appreciatively and muttered goodbye, tips of his ears still red.

I had turned again to look up the stairs. I could hear Ray laughing at the short conversation. She bounded down stairs, barrelling into me with a laugh. She sat on the bottom step.

'So, for those of us who couldn't see, what does -'

The door opened again, the bell ringing. It was Percy, looking a little more windswept than before. 'I'm ever so sorry,' he said, pushing his glasses back up his nose, 'but I didn't catch your name?'

I was gob smacked that he had run this way back simply to ask my name. I stood gazing at him. Ray kicked me and I blushed, closing my mouth. 'It's Audrey.'

He looked at me for another moment, opened his mouth and closed it again. He looked like he was going to say something, but he simply turned around and rushed back out of the door. Neither Ray nor I said anything. We had moved a little so that we could see out of the window. Percy was still standing outside, looking between the shop and the street leading away. I bit back a smile and shushed Ray.

I walked over to the door, opened it and leaned out. 'Percy? Is everything okay?'

He turned to look at me again. 'I - I - Erm, yes. Audrey, do you want to go to dinner?'

He looked amazed at what he had said, and I wondered if that was what he had been working up the courage to ask before, as well as my name. I smiled and nodded. Ray and Cassie would be delighted, and I was quite excited myself. This Percy was quite cute.

---

'Audrey, tell me it's true and Ray isn't winding me up again?' Cassie demanded as I let her into my apartment. I grinned and let her in. Ray wasn't there yet, but after twenty-three years of compulsive lateness, neither of us were surprised.

'What's she been saying this time?'

Her face dropped. 'So she was winding me up. You haven't been on a date with some guy you think is cute but Ray doesn't?'

'Oh no.' I stated matter-of-factly, handing her a glass of wine. 'That's true.'

Cassie beamed, set her glass on the table and hugged me. 'I'm so glad! It's been so long, and you deserve someone lovely after Ja-' she cleared her throat and changed what she had been going to say. 'After everything. You really do, Audrey, I hope he knows how lucky he is!'

I hugged her back and laughed lightly, glad she hadn't brought up Jasper. Our story was long and melancholy, and I wasn't in the mood for it. That had been my last relationship. It had been about three years ago that I'd lost him, and I was very much at peace with it now. Still, I didn't want to talk about it. I answered with a smile. 'Don't get ahead of yourself, Cass, it's only been one date.'

'But you're going out with him again?'

I blushed a shrugged my shoulders. In a way totally unlike herself, Cassie squealed. A second later, the doorbell rang. Ray let herself in, not bothering to wait for us to open the door.

'Why on earth did you ring the doorbell, Ray?'

She grinned. 'I thought I'd inform you of my coming.'

'What I really want to know,' I asked, hands on hips. 'Is how you got in?'

I was really hoping that Cassie would have gone with my subject change, but I should have known better than that. 'I don't think so, Audrey. Ray's brought a Chinese takeaway, and you're going to tell us everything.'

I was pushed down onto a chair by Cassie while Ray fiddled about knifes and forks and plates. She set the containers of food on the table and sat down opposite me, by Cassie. I threw my hands up in mock surrender.

'What is this, interrogation?'

'Actually, yes.' Ray grinned, scooping some noodles onto her plate. I moved the tray of Sweet and Sour chicken onto my plate, eating straight from the packaging. I knew they wouldn't mind. Ray seemed to be the only one bothering with the niceties. We sat in silence for a few minutes, eating and contemplating.

'So,' I swallowed. 'How's Mark?'

'Don't try and distract me. I'm coming up with questions I want to ask you.'

We ate some more. I looked at Cassie. 'How's Dorian?'

'Dorian is great, which you knew already because I told you earlier.' She flicked some wine at me.

Cassie sat in silence, eating her food (something a great deal more spicy than anything Ray or I went for) and smirked quietly to herself. I knew she was doing it to annoy Ray, who was bouncing in her seat in anticipation.

'Cass, I'm sorry, but I can't wait anymore. Audrey, tell me all about your date with Percy!'

I smiled quietly, and proceeded to tell them all about it. When they were convinced that he had been a perfect gentleman (opened doors for me and awkwardly complemented my dress), that he had taken me somewhere suitably fancy (an Italian restaurant in Leister Square, where I had insisted on own paying for half) and that we had an evening of truly fabulous conversation (which we did, we seemed to discuss so much in so little time), we came to the first of the two most important questions:

'Did you kiss?'

To which my answer was - and I was surprised at my own disappointment - not this time. He didn't seem like the sort to kiss on the first date, and I was still a little timid and out of practice. This lead to the second of the important questions.

'Are you going to see him again?'

To which my answer was, 'yes, we're going out for coffee tomorrow afternoon.'

I smiled at their excitement, finally allowing myself to get excited over a new man again. It had been far too long, I decided instantly, since I had had the pleasure of meeting someone new. I didn't want to think about the past anymore. A new start, I quite liked that idea.