For Kelly - This is my first time writing this pairing, and I hope I haven't made a complete mess of things here. I hope you like it, really.

Death is male, grim and unspeaking. It's a fact of life, something that everyone knows.

At least, that's what she thinks until she sees the young woman standing in front of her bed, a sympathetic smile on her face.

"I'm sorry," is all she says. "I don't like it either – not when I'm called to do both my duties at the same time."

Katie's never seen her before, but somehow, she knows that the girl in the black is Death.

"My-" she asks weakly.

Before she can finish her sentence, the girl replies, "Your daughter is safe." In a blink of an eye, they're outside the room, waatching a Healer hand a small bundle wrapped in pink to Charlie. At the same time, the man shakes his head sadly, and the room full of redheads and brunets seems to sink into despair.

It's flattering, in a way, seeing how much her death can affect her adopted family.

"You aren't asking for more time," the girl by her side notes. Somehow, Katie knows that it isn't a question.

She's right, either way. She's not asking for more time alive. Maybe it's odd, but Katie's been a part of a war. The time she's had – time enough to see Voldemort defeated, time to have given birth to a child – that's so much more than she could ever have imagined the last time she was in St Mungo's.

The only thing she regrets is leaving them behind.

Charlie looks devastated as Molly takes their daughter from his hands, and she wants nothing more than to wrap her arms around him. He should be happy, not mourning her loss, and she hates that she's done this to him. To their daughter, who will grow up with a birthday that is also the anniversary of her mother's death.

"We need to leave." The girl – Death's – voice breaks into her thoughts. "Unless – unless you wish to remain here?"

But that's something she's unwilling to subject them to. If it was her in Charlie's place, she would hate seeing him every day and knowing she couldn't touch him – touch her daughter.

"Can I look out for them – there?" she asks her hesitantly.

Death looks at her, a million emotions warring for space on her face. "I don't know," she says regretfully. "But – there may be a way."

And that is how Katie finds herself an inhabitant of Death's castle.

She is eleven when she meets Charlie Weasley for the first time in her life. He's seventeen, the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, and an almost mythic figure.

She bumps into him. He helps her gather her things.

She doesn't talk to him again for the next seven years.

At eighteen, she meets him during his brother's funeral.

Fred Weasley's death is perhaps the one that shocks and hurts the most people, and the only funeral that she's seen with a larger turnout had been Professor Dumbledore's. The Weasleys, Harry, Hermione and Lee are at the front, of course, but George insists that their old quidditch team be there too.

After all is said and done, and they've said goodbye to a spark of laughter forever, Katie stays back and watches everyone leave. He's the last one still standing in front of Fred's grave, still there even after George leaves.

For some reason, she finds that she can't walk away from him.

The two of them stand there in silence, waiting for the other to talk. In the end, it is Charlie who speaks first.

"I should have been here when it happened," he says. "Not after- I should have been at Hogwarts, not waiting in Hogsmeade until I was needed." The grief in his voice is palpable.

There's a part of her that wonders why he's telling her this, when the feelings are so personal to him. But she supposes that it's easier to talk to a stranger instead of his family, especially when they're grieving just as much as he is.

She doesn't reply to his words. They aren't needed – he's speaking to her to let his feeling out, not to hear her say the things she's sure he's heard a million times. And she's happy to be there for him. She doesn't know him, but she does know his grief. She could do nothing to help George, but she does know how to help him.

He talks for hours, and Katie listens.

She doesn't think much of the meeting when she finally returns home – not until an owl drops a letter to him that ends with Thanks. From Charlie Weasley.

After that, she finds she can't stay away.

Nothing really happens in Death's castle. She hears whispers that the creatures who live in the realms of Death's siblings are there to help them, or as servants, or in the case of Dream, are dreams and nightmares and prototypes.

She knows there are some like that here too, but not many. No, most of the inhabitants are like her, people that Death's taken pity on, people who have stayed back so they can watch.

And that's exactly what she does. She watches. She watches her parents and her friends, the Weasleys – but more than anything, she watches Charlie and her daughter.

He names her Claire, after Katie's favourite piece of music, and it makes her want to cry.

Claire is beautiful, and she wants nothing more than to be able to hold her, just once. But just as much as that, she wants to be there for Charlie. Watching him cry in the darkness of the room they had shared feels like the worst torture possible.

"Mum says I should speak to you. She says it made her feel better after Fred- But then, I suppose you know all about it from Fred, if any sort of afterlife exists.

Merlin, Katie, I miss you so much. I'm constantly turning to talk to you, and when I remember just why you aren't there- It hurts to even breathe, knowing you're not here with me any longer.

And then there's Claire. You'd love her, Katie. You'd love her so much. She's gorgeous – looks just like her mother, and has somehow managed to inherit your hair instead of the Weasley red. She's the only thing that's keeping me going at the moment, Katie.

I wish she could know you. I hate the thought of her having to grow up without knowing you, without knowing the person you are- were beyond stories. I can tell her about how courageous you were during the war, sure, but how do I explain to her your sense of humour or the ways your eyes lit up when you were happy?

I wish you were here Katie. I miss you so much, and I will always love you. I don't care what the self-help books Percy's been pushing onto me say, I'm never going to move on from you. Never.

I love you."

"Can't I speak to him?" she begs. "Just for a moment. Just a few words. You can see just how much he's spiralling – he's not supposed to look like that!"

Death looks at her and sighs. "Destiny warned me," she murmurs to herself. "Don't allow yourself to have favourites, he said. But then, I suppose he already knew what was going to happen.

Not now," she says to Katie. "He's not open to you at the moment. He won't listen. He needs to start to work through his grief on his own. Until that happens, there's nothing anyone can do to help – not even me."

"But when he does?" she asks hopefully.

"When- If he does, and if you still want to speak to him then, I'll try and arrange a way," Death allows. "Destiny was right," she mutters, "Favourites aren't really something that death is supposed to have."

The day he asks her out, she thinks she might die of happiness. It's something she's hoped for, but definitely not something that she's expected.

She's just Katie Bell, after all. She remembers just how many girls used to be after him in school, even though she was eleven at the time. She's seen that with Oliver too – star Quidditch players tended to be the most popular and sought after. (Harry has always been a bit too oblivious to notice it.)

He's not changed much since then – still just as handsome, and with his work as a dragon handler, she's sure he's just as popular. So the thought that he's asking her out – it's enough to send her into palpitations.

It's a simple date – just a wander around Diagon Alley – but it's still the best one she's ever been on. At the time, she's sure that it's because of the company. Now, she knows she was right.

He doesn't kiss her at the end, but it's still perfect.

(It's perfect when he finally kisses her too, a month after that first date – because the two of them are so much more than just another cliché, and the kiss is so much more meaningful because it happens after the first time they exchange confessions of love.)

She watches Claire grow, and even though she came to terms with her death almost immediately after the incident, the fact that she isn't there to be a part of her daughter's life is still enough to drive her to tears. It's made all the more worse by the sight of Charlie – Claire turns a year old, and Death tells her that he's still not ready to listen.

Katie wonders if he ever will be.

He still talks to her, almost every day, and visits her grave at least once a week. She's buried not too far from their home, in a meadow of flowers that she has always loved.

(There's a certain amount of grim humour to it, watching him talk to her grave, but she doesn't really think about it too much.)

She wonders if it was a wise decision. There's no other place she wants her body to lay eternally, but she's certain that being so close isn't helping Charlie at all. But there's nothing she can do about it, so she does the only thing she can – listen.

She hopes that even though she isn't standing next to him, he still feels that she's there somehow. That she helps him the way she did after Fred's funeral.

She misses Charlie, but she's starting to grow frustrated. There're few things she wants more than to be able to reply to his words, but he's making sure that she can't.

She swears that he'll hear about it all when he joins her. She's hoping it's not for a long time – Claire and the rest of his family need him – but as far as she's concerned, it's never too early to start planning.

Besides, early planning means more to hold over him, and Katie's a Gryffindor who was friends with the twins. She's knows when an opportunity's too good to pass by.

The day they get married is the happiest day of her life. It's just the two of them and Bill and Fleur – there's a reception planned for their family and friends, but for the actual wedding, they've decided to keep it as private as possible. The only reason Bill and Fleur are there at all is because they need witnesses.

It's not the wedding she dreamed of as a child, when she kisses Charlie for the first time as his wife – well, it's flawless all the same.

They are flawless, and she's knows she'll never love anyone like she does Charlie.

It takes him a year and a half to stop falling asleep with tears-tracks running down his face. He still cries, sometimes, but it's not daily anymore, and for that she is grateful.

He never stops speaking to her, though, and she never stops listening.

Claire has grown leaps and bounds since the first time Katie saw her, in those moments before Death whisked her away, and she knows that her daughter is the most beautiful child in the world. She's outgoing and cheerful, and everything Katie could ever have wanted for her child.

She never stops wishing she was there by their side, though. And even though Death sounded doubtful that she'd want to talk to Charlie after he started to cope, still needs to see him again in person.

Part of it is for her – she hates being parted from him, and even though there's still a long time (she hopes) to go before they can truly be together again, she's give anything for even a few moments.

But more than that, she knows him. Losing Fred hurt him deeply, and then losing her so soon after – he may have started to recover, but she knows he'll never be able to complete the process without closure.

If there is anything she can do to help him, she will. And what Death offered her so long is just too perfect for her to pass up.

She knows why Death was reluctant. Knows very well how much it will hurt her to see him and then let him go – but at the same time, she knows she will do it without hesitation. The only one she loves more than Charlie is Claire – she'll do anything to help him, no matter the cost to herself.

"I still don't think this is a good idea," Death says as she creates the portal.

"I know," Katie replies simply. "But- it's Charlie." And really, that's all she needs to say.

"Free will was a stupid idea," the woman mutters as the portal flares to life. Before she walks through, Death grabs Katie's arm. "I like you, Katie Weasley," she says. "More than most people. Know that whatever you experience in my brother's realm, Death's goodwill goes with you."

It's oddly ominous, but Katie isn't worried. If there's one thing she's learnt about Death in the year and a half she's spent in her realm, it's that the woman has a penchant for the dramatic – there's no chance of anything bad actually happening to her on the other side.

Dream's realm is everything his sister's is not. It's full of colour and impossible shapes – Katie's certain she could spend the rest of time exploring it and still not see it all.

But she isn't here for the scenery.

Dream himself greets her. He's a tall man, thin and pale like his sister. Dressed completely in black, he looks more like Death than Death herself does.

"It has been a long time since my sister asked me for a favour," he murmurs. "I could not deny her. Besides, I have my own debts to pay her."

He says nothing after that, silently leading her to a patch in his realm that she easily identifies as the meadow where she's buried in the earth of the living.

He's there, waiting for her. As soon as she sees that shock of red hair, she loses all semblance of the dignity she promised herself she would have and runs into his arms, tears flowing down her face.

She may have been keeping watch over him, but it's just been so long since she was held by him…

"Hello, Charlie," she finally whispers tearfully.

He looks at her, a confused look on his face. "You're-" he starts, before staring at her, shock and hope warring for prominence. "You're not just a dream, are you?" he asks her, wonder starting to trickle into his words. "If you were – you never greet me like this in my dreams," he murmurs.

She shakes her head, peppering kisses all over his face. "I'm not a dream," she whispers. "Merlin Charlie, I've missed you so much. You and Claire – I wish I could by your side down there instead of just watching the two of you."

Charlie stares at her, stares and stare, before he pulls her into a bone-breaking hug, refusing to let go for the longest time.

They talk for what feels like forever, and Katie feels lighter than she has for a long time.

"You need to move on," she whispers to him, still holding him close. She's just so reluctant to let him go again.

"Never," he replied, tears in his eyes, he sounds just as stubborn as she remembers. "I'll always love you, Katie – no one will ever compare, and it just won't be fair to them to try. You can't move on from the love of your life, after all."

She would have liked to argue, but- he's got that crooked smile on his face and a stubborn expression that tells her she won't win, and besides that, she can understand where he's coming from. If their places were reversed, she wouldn't agree either.

"At least stop mourning me," she whispers instead. "Live for me. Don't let Claire grow up thinking she's not enough to keep you there – I saw what it did to Leanne, and I don't want that for my daughter. I'll always be watching you, I promise – and I'll be waiting for you, too. I won't be upset if you decide to be happy again – besides, I'd like to live vicariously through you, I think."

He lets out a short bark of laughter at that and bend down, burrowing his face into her hair.

"Whatever you say," he whispers, and she can hear the heartbreak in his voice. "I'm never going to stop missing you though, Katie, I hope you know that – but I'll live for you, and for Claire. You're right – she shouldn't ever think she isn't enough, when she's the only reason I'm still alive."

"Thank you," she replies simply.

They spend the rest of the night like that, alone in their meadow. They don't need to say anything else – just being together again is more than enough.

He whispers goodbye in the morning, and her heart feels like it's shattering – but the night has been more than she could ever have asked for, so she lets him go. It's not like she has another choice.

Death looks at her sadly when she returns, and wraps her in a hug. It's odd, to be hugged by Death – but at that moment, she needs it.

"I warned you," she says, stroking her hair as she cries.

"It was worth it," is the only thing Katie says in reply.

She's telling the truth. It was worth it.

It's a month later that Death comes to her again, and whispers a promise.

The day she died, she wouldn't have dared to dream of even a single night. But a night a month is something she hasn't even been able to imagine.

Death simply smiles, and Katie thinks that she likes seeing her happy. After all, she doubts that that's an emotion Death sees often in the people she meets.

She doesn't care why though, not truly. She gets to see Charlie again (and maybe even Claire, her heart whispers), and that's all she wants.

It's odd, to feel happy when she's dead – but in that moment, that's exactly what she is. Happy.

She doesn't know how long it will before she's truly together with Charlie again. She hopes it isn't for some time yet – he's needed on earth.

In the meantime, she'll content herself with being his guardian angel. She knows she'll see Charlie again, and that's enough.

After all, a few decades aren't that much when it comes to the prospect of eternity together, and that's what she plans on having with him.

She and Charlie, they're like a love story written in the stars. And maybe those stories don't end well on earth, but there's always a silver lining and a happy ending, and she's willing to wait for it.

an: the depictions of death and dream are borrowed from neil gaiman's sandman, as is the description of dream's realm.
death and dream are siblings, with death being the elder. they have five other siblings, the family being: destiny, who's the oldest, death, dream, destruction, desire&despair, who are twins, and delirium. together known as the endless, they're older than any other living being in the universe.
the debt that dream owes his elder sister is the fact that she's agreed not to "collect" a mortal friend of his until he requests to die. he's asked if he wants to die every century, and every century he refuses.

i hope you guys liked this! as always, please don't forget to drop a review on your way out :)