Everything was blurry.
Percy yawned as he groped about on the bedside table for his glasses, the pale blue light of predawn doing little to illuminate his bedroom. His fingers finally curled around the wire rims and he shoved the glasses onto his face, stretched, and nearly fell out of the bed in surprise and astonishment when the woman next to him stirred and mumbled something incoherent.
Oh hell. He really had, hadn't he?
Twenty Hours Previous
"Mr Weasley?" Percy turned and put on his best meeting-equals smile. It was more genuine than the meeting-subordinates smile, and less ingratiatingly sycophantic than the meeting-betters smile. Percy had a large collection of polite smiles to call upon, depending on the occasion and the recipient.
This morning, the recipient was a tall, dark-haired young woman, her back straight and her brown-eyed gaze confident. "I'm Audrey Phillips, the liaison for Senator Goodwin. It's good to finally meet you in person."
Percy reached out to grasp the proffered hand. "Likewise. I trust you had no difficulties with transportation?" She had a firm handshake that came straight down from the frame of her shoulders. So many people thought a good handshake simply meant a firm grip.
"None at all, it was very satisfactory."
"And the hotel?"
"Very nice. Thank you for going to all the trouble to make us feel welcome."
"Of course." Percy bobbed his head in something like a bow. "I hate to sound brisk, Ms Phillips, but I have a meeting with the Serbian Minister's assistant in two hours, so if we could go over the Senator's itinerary -"
"Certainly. We're all on a tight schedule this week, you more than most, I imagine."
Percy shrugged, his expression a practiced effort to not relay his smugness. "It's all about proper organization. This is the third year I've been in charge of this conference." He gestured for her to walk beside him, and they headed for the lifts.
It was a Saturday. Percy normally didn't get out of bed until at least half six on Saturdays, and the clock on the wall said it was a little past five. His eyes were drawn back to the woman in his bed - on his side of the bed, and he recalled the flirty argument they'd had about that when she'd settled herself into the pillow a few hours before.
He wondered if that was why he'd woken up. There was something incredibly disconcerting about sleeping on the wrong side of the bed, with all that empty space on his right.
And then, of course, there was the matter of the woman. It was far too early for him to cope with this.
Sixteen Hours Previous
"In closing, I thank you all for travelling so far to join us again this year. Should anyone require anything at all, I am of course your humble servant. Please enjoy lunch, and I will see you all at the gala tonight." There was a smattering of applause as Percy stepped from the lectern and looked around for his seat. It should have been at table four, but table four was full. Why was table four full? If table four was full that meant that one of the other tables was lacking a person, which should have been close to impossible because all the people present had brought liaisons and assistants and clerks and -
"Mr Weasley?" Percy spun and nearly collided with Ms Phillips, who smoothly stepped back with an amused expression. "I meant to catch you before you went up to give your speech, but I didn't see you. Senator Goodwin opted to utterly disregard the seating assignments and is sitting with Justicar Mortland. As I recall, that's where you were slated to sit, right?" Percy nodded. "Well, I've got a seat next to me at my table now, if you'd care to join me."
Percy blinked. "I - Yes. That would be lovely."
The tomato bisque was too hot to sip straight away, and so as Percy unfolded his napkin he cast about in his mind for appropriate conversation topics. He'd decided upon discussing climate differences between their two countries when Phillips leaned toward him.
"Whoever did the centrepieces is superb," she said, indicating the assortment of live varicoloured tillandsia arranged in a glass globe in the middle of the table. "Usually it's cut flowers, and those get so boring after the first few hundred."
"I'll be sure to pass on your compliments," Percy said politely, making a note in his head. "I'm fairly sure he does this sort of thing as a hobby. He'll be glad to hear that someone noticed and appreciated his work." He cocked his head to one side as he mentally went down the guest list. "In fact, you may be able to tell him yourself tonight. I believe he's coming to the gala."
"Oh, I don't know if I'm going," Phillips said dismissively, spooning up some soup and blowing on it to cool it. "It's a lot of hassle to get dressed up just to spend the evening against the wall with a glass of champagne."
"I'd be more than happy to introduce you to the various people attending," Percy offered. "It's never a bad thing for a Prime Minister or a Grand Justicar to see your face and hear your name."
"Oh, I've met most of these people," Phillips said, gesturing at the room full of governmental officials. "I'm just socially awkward when I'm not in my official capacity, and there's very little official capacity to be had when you're in dress robes and shoes that pinch." She paused. "Thank you for the offer, though."
"You did bring dress robes, yes?" Percy pressed.
"Well, yes -"
"Then come. We can both be socially awkward with our champagne." He'd be damned if someone skipped his gala for such a silly reason. The gala wasn't for socializing; it was for cementing professional and political contacts. One couldn't help but be present in an official capacity at something like that.
The look she was giving him was oddly appraising. He went over the words he had just said and felt the colour drain from his face. It sounded far too much as though he had just asked her to accompany him to the gala, not show up and weather through it like he was planning on doing.
A tiny voice at the back of his mind asked if that would truly be a bad thing.
"Mmm," the woman said, opening one eye. "What are you doing awake? Get down here." She reached up and tugged at Percy's shoulder, pulling him down among the blankets that were deliciously warm with shared body heat.
He didn't fight very hard.
Ten Hours Previous
Percy tugged at the collar of his dress robes. No matter how many times he had them tailored, the collar always managed to dig in to his throat.
Despite all that, he was pleased. The grand entry hall of the Ministry had been transformed into a ballroom of truly epic proportions. Tables groaned with food, the fountain's waters had been replaced with champagne for the evening, the tiles gleamed like mirrors, and there were no fewer than six collections of musical entertainment interspersed throughout the hall. Small tables dotted the borders of the room, for those who did not wish to stand for the night's festivities. The flags of all the countries hanging from the walls were, he thought, an excellent addition. Everything had finally fallen into place, as it always did - when he was in charge, anyway.
People began to filter in, and though each person had a kind word of greeting for him, he was not oblivious to the fact that no one wanted to talk with him for long. He told himself that such was to be expected, even as it ate at him. He would have thought that by now his years of unwavering service to Shacklebolt would have nullified the mistakes he'd made under the previous Ministers. He was not even sure that they had all been mistakes; poor judgment, certainly, but they weren't all mistakes.
Just most of them.
"I - look, I'm sorry, but this - this was a terrible mistake," Percy sputtered as she kissed him.
"Was it now?" He could feel her lips against his stretching into a smile. "I like your mistakes. You should make them more often." She slowly removed his glasses, looking deep into the eyes she revealed.
Percy suppressed a shiver. Nearsighted as he was, he couldn't make out much beyond her face, and her eyes - in the dark like this, they were the deepest saturated grey, and he found himself lost in them. Unmistakable warmth radiated out from his middle and he closed his eyes for a moment to revel in it.
"I think I'm about to make another," he said, threading his fingers through her hair and rolling atop her.
Nine Hours Previous
Percy's eyes widened and he tried to hide it with a long sip of champagne.
There were dress robes, and then there were dress robes. Ms Phillips was currently wearing the latter. Black so dark it looked soft, but reflecting in a deep inky blue whenever the light caught a fold or wrinkle, expertly cut to showcase the curves that the no-nonsense pinstriped business robes had hidden earlier. The sensible shoes had been exchanged for something with a much higher heel, and the way they made her hips sway when she walked made something lurking in Percy's brain stem sit up and take definite notice.
No. She was a colleague, and she deserved respect and decorum. He went down the long list of rules against dating colleagues - most of them self-imposed - and had nearly composed himself by the time she had finally approached him.
"Ms Phillips," he said in a steady voice, giving her his meeting-equals-outside-of-work smile. "You look stunning."
"And you're very dapper," Phillips responded. "And please, you can call me Audrey."
Percy shook his head. "That would be improper, Ms Phillips."
"And why's that?" She seemed amused.
Percy stared. "I hardly know you," he pointed out.
"Then let's remedy that." Quite uninvited, she took his arm and began walking. If he didn't want his arm off, he'd have to walk with her. "You let me know when we've crossed the threshold of Ms Phillips and Mr Weasley."
"Mmmmh. Godric and Merlin, Audrey."
"The neighbours will hear you." This was said with a tone of great amusement. Percy considered this for a very short moment and was surprised to discover he did not care.
"Let them hear. Just don't stop doing that."
Eight Hours and Forty Five Minutes Previous
"And there he is," Percy said, recognizing someone a few meters away. "Your centrepiece man. Neville!"
Neville Longbottom turned at the sound of his name and almost appeared to deflate a little when he saw who it was. "Percy," he said tersely by way of greeting.
"Ms Phillips, this is Neville Longbottom, lead herbology research assistant and the man whose work you were admiring earlier."
"You're Neville Longbottom?" Phillips asked in a nearly demanding way.
Neville blinked. "That's what they tell me," he said slowly. He squinted. "You seem... familiar."
Phillips thrust her hand forward. "Audrey Phillips. I tried to recruit you for one of my boss's pet agricultural projects in the States. I recall you saying if you were going to travel that far, it would be to a place with better weather than what you have here, not worse."
"Right," Neville said, face melting into an embarrassed smile as he reached out to shake her hand. "I did say something like that, didn't I?"
"We're still looking for someone to lead one of the teams," Phillips said enticingly. Neville looked thoughtful - or maybe he was just unfocusing his eyes to keep them from flicking down to admire the effect of Phillips's dress robes.
Percy felt somewhat at a loss. On the one hand, this was the perfect opportunity to gracefully hand Phillips off and return to the real purpose of the gala.
On the other hand, he didn't want to. In fact, he caught himself eyeing Neville askance as the younger man leaned forward to better hear what Audrey was saying. He accidentally caught Neville's eye and Neville's eyebrows went up slightly in surprise as he glanced between Audrey and Percy, understanding flashing across his face for the barest of moments.
"It was fantastic to put a face to a name, Ms Phillips," Neville said earnestly at the next opportunity. "Have your people send me an owl and I'll reconsider my position on the climate. If you'll excuse me for now, I've just spotted the person I was supposed to meet tonight."
"Of course," Audrey replied smoothly. "Have a wonderful evening."
Neville's reply was lost as he strode purposefully in the direction of the entrance. Percy cleared his throat.
"I had no idea you were already acquainted," he said. Audrey nodded, eyes still on Neville.
"We were pretty aggressive in our recruitment. His name's attached to half of the research papers coming out of this part of the world, which is impressive considering his age." A tiny smile quirked the edge of her lips as she glanced up at Percy. "There's talk that he's nearly as ambitious as one Percival Weasley."
Percy blanched slightly. "You seem to know a great deal of Ministry gossip for being a senator's assistant half a world away," he said suspiciously.
"Mmm, yes, I do," she agreed blithely, with no further explanation. She winked at him, chasing his next words straight from his mind. "You keep going to adjust your collar," she pointed out, further destroying any chance he had of forming a legible thought.
His hand dropped from his neck immediately. "It's tight, is all," he managed.
Audrey shrugged. "So undo it."
Percy blinked, taken aback. "They're dress robes. They're supposed to be buttoned all the way up."
"Isn't this more or less your party?" Audrey asked archly. She took his bemused silence as an affirmative. "Then I think you get to make or break the rules as you see fit." And before he could protest to that, she'd placed her champagne glass on a nearby table, hitched her evening bag to the crook of her elbow, and reached up to undo the top button of his robes.
"Audr - Ms Phillips!" he hissed in a scandalized whisper, stepping back out of her reach, his hand going up to fumble at the button at his throat.
Something very like triumph gleamed in Audrey's eyes as she retrieved her champagne glass. "Oh, good, we've managed to get past the tiresome Weasley and Phillips nonsense."
Percy stared as he tried to pinpoint the exact moment he'd begun thinking of her as Audrey rather than Ms Phillips. He could not. He also couldn't rebutton his collar with only one hand, so he gave up, hand dropping to one side. It could have been his imagination, but it almost seemed as though the sip of champagne Audrey took was just slightly victorious.
A stray lock of dark hair tickled the bottom of Percy's chin as he hummed contentedly, closing his eyes sleepily as he drew Audrey close to his chest.
"That's a nice sound," Audrey said, her own voice drowsy. "Have I finally worn you down?"
"Give me five minutes and I'll start panicking again," Percy reassured her.
"Sooner, if I remind you that you left your dress robes in a heap on the floor."
Percy's eyes popped wide open. He hadn't. He wouldn't do that, no matter how much of a hurry he was in. He sat up just to make sure, ignoring the laughter from Audrey, and gasped as he spotted the puddle of black fabric strewn carelessly on his bedroom floor.
Audrey began walking her fingers up his spine and shivers spread across his skin. He could go pick up the robes and hang them properly, but that would mean getting out of bed. With a defeated laugh, he turned away from the horror on the floor to gather her up in his arms again. "Good lord, woman, what have you done to me?"
Eight Hours and Thirty Minutes Previous
"So," Percy said, toying with his empty champagne glass, "What else have you heard about this Weasley fellow?" Stars have mercy, was he flirting? With a colleague?
Judging by her amused smile, yes, he was. "That he only sleeps every other night. That he's got such a superiority complex that he has an inferiority complex over it." The smile twisted ever so slightly to become a smirk. "That one of his flustered American interns used 'gotten' instead of 'got' in a memo and his left eye twitched for a week."
"It's not even a word," Percy protested before he could catch himself.
The smirk became a delighted laugh for a moment before she continued. "That he has absolutely no sense of humour, despite everyone's best efforts to discover one."
"That much at least is true," he conceded. She made a face at him.
"That he's memorized every rulebook the Ministry has ever published, and can cite passages on demand." Her smile faltered slightly. "That he's served directly under all four Ministers of the last decade, even during a time when such loyalty was considered highly... irregular."
Percy froze, then looked away. "I'm used to those rumours," he said in what he hoped was a dismissive tone. "The people who matter know the truth."
Audrey nodded thoughtfully, then continued. "That he doesn't have a girlfriend, doesn't want a girlfriend, and wouldn't know what to do with one if he had the chance." Her eyes twinkled slightly as she delivered this in a casual tone.
He raised an eyebrow. "And who says that?"
Her eyes twinkled and she took a step closer, leaning forward so her mouth was next to his ear when she raised herself up on her toes. "Everyone who is watching us very closely right now."
He knew better than to look around. He did it anyway. Everyone was very studiously not looking at them, which of course meant they weren't missing a single detail.
"That's a lot of people," he said, becoming increasingly distracted by the heat radiating from her.
She made a sound of agreement, then stepped back, placing her empty glass on the table. "For what it's worth, I don't think any of the rumours are actually true."
"The intern bit was true," Percy pointed out, slightly frazzled. "I still have the memo. I throw darts at it when I'm bored."
Audrey laughed. "All right, I'll believe that's true. But only because it's funny. I don't believe any of the rest of it."
Percy swallowed. "Not even the girlfriend one?"
She shot him a smouldering look that made his pulse quicken. "For the sake of propriety, I'll believe that you don't have one."
"Yes," Percy said, "Propriety. Because we're showcasing that in spades right now."
The smoulder took on a sly edge. "If we're being so improper, why haven't you left already?"
A thousand answers flew through Percy's mind, ranging from "because that would be rude" to "because when I'm honest with myself, I rather think I'd like to see you naked." Every single one of them eluded his ability to force them into speech, especially when he discovered how true the latter was. The best he was able to force out was a somewhat strangled, "Because." By the smug tilt to her eyebrow as she raised it, he may as well have voiced the entire inner monologue.
"This is your third year organizing this, you said?" she asked.
Percy blinked at the sudden change of subject. "Yes. The conference, anyway. I've done this gala for five. It almost falls together naturally now; I hardly have to do a thing." He was decently proud of that.
"So would it be safe to say that were you to leave, you wouldn't be missing very much?"
Percy stared. "Wh - why would I be leaving?"
"Oh," Audrey said, looking into her evening bag with disinterest, "I thought maybe you'd be interested in starting some rumours that are true."
Percy's tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth and he dearly wished he'd not finished off his champagne. "And what kind of rumours did you have in mind?"
"I thought we might start with you leaving the gala early with one of the American liaisons on your arm," she said mischievously with a sly grin. "Where it goes from there is really up to you."
Percy swallowed, and his mind finally settled on a reaction to the last several minutes. "You're - no. You're a colleague, and that demands a certain amount of propriety." He shook his head curtly. "It wouldn't be right."
"Ah." If she was disappointed, she hid it well. "In that case, then, I think I need to refresh my champagne."
"I'll do it," Percy offered, reaching out to take the glass from her. "I'll be right back."
The glow out the window was brighter now; proper dawn had approached. Audrey was dozing against Percy's side, and Percy was giving some serious thought to giving in to his inclination to do the same. Who would really notice if he "forgot" about the minutiae he had to arrange for today's conference activities?
He'd notice, he realized. Even if no one else did, he'd know that they hadn't been taken care of. And he knew very well the type of guilt he could impose on himself if something wasn't done to the fullest of his ability.
He sat up regretfully, reached over Audrey to grab his glasses, and bent down to kiss her forehead. "I'll be right back," he promised. She shifted, but didn't answer.
He left a note on the kitchen table. With any luck, she'd still be asleep by the time he got back.
Seven Hours Previous
Percy was bewildered.
Even he had enough social grace to recognize that he hadn't been exactly gentle in the way he'd shot down her offer, but it didn't seem to have fazed her one bit. She was not cold to him, and did not turn her attentions to anyone else. In fact, she didn't change her behaviour at all.
Bewildered, indeed.
They were sitting at one of the tables, Audrey having begged for a few minutes off her feet. Apparently, even the most expert of cushioning charms did little to assuage the pain of dress shoes. Those few minutes had stretched to well over an hour of sitting and talking animatedly about whatever topic happened along: school, early careers, favourite foods, family. Every few moments a portion of Percy's mind would remind him that he was supposed to be circulating through the gala and ensuring that everything was progressing smoothly. In rebuttal, the rest of him would point out that nothing was on fire, no one was screaming, and if something happened that required his attention, everyone knew exactly where he was: chatting up the most beautiful and intelligent woman in the room. He wasn't sure when his opinion of her had expanded to include those two lofty qualifiers, but at this point he was hard-pressed to do anything about it.
After a long sip from her water glass, Audrey sighed in something that sounded very close to regret. "I'm afraid it's getting to the point where I have to take my leave," she said apologetically. "The time difference, and the travelling - and of course the Senator is a speaker for one of the Small Group sessions tomorrow, and she'll need me bright-eyed and bushy-tailed."
"Oh." Percy felt suddenly cut adrift. "Well, then, I - I suppose I shouldn't keep you any longer."
She peered at him. "You really mean that, don't you?" Percy stared blankly. "You were going to let me walk out of here, weren't you?" She sounded amused.
Percy nodded slowly. "Well - I mean if you're tired -"
She laughed and leaned over the table. Percy swallowed and forced his eyes to stay on her face. "We've spent the last hour getting to know one another in a social context. I'm going to go out on a limb and say we're no longer strictly colleagues."
"O...kay?" Percy was certain he was missing something.
"You were right. It would have been improper for you to leave the gala two hours early with a colleague on your arm." She smiled wickedly. "But now it's only an hour early, and I'm no longer just a colleague."
"Oh." Percy's ears began to burn. "You... don't really give up, do you?" he asked in a weak voice.
"When I've had my eye on you since the last conference? Never." She winked as she sat back in her seat, looking at him expectantly.
Percy found that his mouth was hanging open and he snapped it shut. Since the last conference? That had been a year ago. He knew he wasn't that likeable. And last year was when he'd had the bad haircut and the ill-advised gold wire glasses, and he'd had a terrible cold the entire time.
He heard something just under the music then, and it sounded remarkably like the tapping of a foot enclosed in a patent leather dress shoe. Given the staccato of the tapping, it almost sounded as though the person doing it was incredibly nervous. He took inventory of his own feet and confirmed that it wasn't him.
He looked carefully at Audrey's face. She looked absolutely calm, even a little calculating, but if the rate at which she was tapping her foot was any indication, she was every bit as anxious as he was.
Somehow, this made things exponentially easier.
Percy took a deep breath and rose from the table, offering his arm to Audrey as she stood.
"Ms Phillips," he said, and his voice only shook a little, "Would you like to join me for a cup of coffee?"
She smiled. "I don't drink coffee," she said challengingly.
"Neither do I." It felt as though someone had decided Percy only needed half a lung. His heart pounded in his ears as he led the way to the entrance hall of the Ministry and the Apparition point.
"And where might we be going?" Audrey asked, and Percy could detect a hint of breathlessness in the inquiry.
Percy swallowed, trying to work some moisture into his mouth. "I've got a place not far from here," he said, and it felt as though someone else was saying the words. "I... think you may find it to your liking."
Her answering smile did not require any translation at all.
Percy would never run full-tilt down the corridors of the Ministry. It was unseemly and disorderly, and did not get one anywhere any faster than simply walking would. He was, however, striding so quickly that his calves ached by the time he reached the lifts, and he was significantly short of breath by the time he pulled open the door to his office.
His office was not the largest, but it was large enough for both his desk and his assistant's without feeling crowded. Percy blinked as his assistant's head jerked up when Percy opened the door.
"What are you doing here?" his assistant, a younger man by the name of Daniel Martin, demanded. He pushed his glasses up as he gawked.
"I'm usually here Saturdays," Percy said haltingly as he pulled out his chair. "There are a few things I need to finish up."
"I've taken care of them," Martin assured him.
"Even the -"
"Everything, Mr Weasley." He held up a hand and ticked off his fingers as he enumerated. "I've smoothed over the fiasco with the overbooked conference room. I've ensured there will be no fish present at the luncheon Minister Halley will be attending. The parchment provided to the Nepalese Ambassador's aides now has the country's flag facing the correct way in the letterhead. Justicar Mortland will be given quarter-hourly memos on the status of his Quidditch team, the misspelling of President Bhaarimini's name has been corrected in all the literature, and an emergency Portkey has been arranged for the High Healer should his patient require his immediate attention."
Percy ran down the list in his mind. "What about the Small Group session on Monday?"
"Longbottom sent a memo this morning saying he'd be thrilled to speak. He also said that based on -" Martin cleared his throat, spots of colour rising on his cheeks, "Let me just quote it directly. 'Based on the main notes in her perfume, her favourite flowers are gardenias.'" Percy blanched and ripped the memo from Martin's hand. "He added that this is often a good piece of information to have filed away."
Percy's ears began to burn as he scanned the memo. "Oh god. I'm the talk of the Ministry now, aren't I?" he asked in misery as he lowered himself into his chair.
"A bit," Martin admitted.
Percy buried his face in his hands. "I knew it was a mistake. How could I have been so stupid?"
"Stupid, sir?" Martin set down his quill. "Do you have any idea what they're saying?"
Percy shook his head.
"Well, they're saying a lot of things. But the most overheard last night was 'It's about time.'" Percy's hands dropped from his face as he gaped openly at his assistant. Martin pushed his glasses up. "The general sentiment is celebration. I'm inclined to agree. And... may I speak frankly?" Percy nodded numbly. "The only stupid thing you've done was to come in to work this morning."
"But - I had things -" Percy stuttered.
"And I took care of them. So that you wouldn't have to come in." Martin looked at him pointedly. "I don't presume to know your business outside of work, sir, but if I were you, I'd get home before she decides you're not coming back."
"I left a note," Percy protested.
Martin purposefully let his glasses slide down his nose, presumably so he could look at Percy over the top of them. "Mr Weasley. Leave. I have everything under control."
"I -" The insistent look Martin was shooting at him turned into a glare. "Okay. I'm going. But I'll be back around ten. There is an international conference going on here, you know, and I'm technically in charge of it."
Martin pointed at the door. Percy gave up, rose from his chair, and left.
The flat felt empty.
Percy ducked his head into every room to make sure, but his stomach dropped until it felt as though it should be puddled around his feet. Her clothes were gone, her shoes were no longer where she'd kicked them off by the door, and the only thing that hinted she had ever been there was the lingering scent of her perfume on his sheets.
She was gone.
She hadn't even left a note.
"Well, fine, then," Percy said bitterly to the empty flat. "You've made things a good deal less complicated." He continued to grumble to his vanished suitor as he made himself a cup of tea. She had, however reluctantly he admitted it, solved a number of problems by simply leaving, not least of which being his ignorance of how to behave after what was apparently a one night stand. Of course, had he known it was going to be a one night stand to begin with, he probably never would have done it.
The sudden CRACK of Apparition in his sitting room was so unexpected that he jumped, sloshing hot tea all down his front, which elicited a further yelp of pain from him following his initial yelp of surprise. He blinked, dripping, at the sudden manifestation of Audrey in one of his undershirts and little else, clutching an overnight bag and looking for all the world as though she'd been caught doing something illicit.
"You're back," she said uselessly.
"So are you," Percy pointed out. The tea had cooled very quickly once it had soaked the front of his robes. The cold fabric stuck to his skin and he tried to ignore it. He wasn't sure why, but the appearance of dignity was resoundingly important to him at the moment.
"Your note said you wouldn't be gone long, so I thought I had enough time to go grab some stuff from my room... I didn't really want to wear last night's dress robes around today, and I'm sure wearing your things around would have occasioned even more comment." She cocked her head and peered at him. "You didn't think I'd actually left without a word, did you?"
"Well," Percy said lamely, "that is what it looked like."
"Oh." She chuckled, shaking her head. "Oh, no, no, Percy. I'm not that kind of girl." She dropped her bag and stepped closer to him, and he became very urgently aware of how good she looked in his undershirt. "I'm afraid you're stuck with me until at least the end of the conference."
Percy decided then and there that a woman he didn't know what to do with was a problem he very much wanted to have.
"Okay," he said, nodding briskly. "But if you're staying here, you'll want to check out of your hotel room. It's probably wreaking havoc on your expense account." He stopped short. "Did I really just say that?"
"Yes," Audrey said, laughing, "You did. But it's all right - I was thinking the same thing."
The smile that crossed Percy's face felt oddly out of place. It was not one he kept neatly catalogued away to call upon when he needed it. This one felt -
"Now there's a real smile," Audrey said, a matching one stretching across her face. "None of your practiced fake crap." She reached forward and undid the front clasp of Percy's robe in an almost businesslike manner. "We should get you out of these wet clothes," she said musingly.
The words "I can just use a drying charm" died on Percy's lips as he leaned down to kiss her in wordless agreement to her suggestion.
Nearly a week later, Percy sat awake in the dark, watching Audrey slumber in the bed next to him. Her chest rose and fell in an even, steady rhythm, her mouth slightly open and her eyelids fluttering as she dreamed.
It went against all logic. Love was supposed to take time. Percy had been in love once before, and it had been nothing like this whirlwind of emotion that threatened to topple him as he watched her sleep. It had been a quiet thing, orderly, and completely expected.
And boring. Just like everything else in Percy's life. Everything, of course, except Audrey.
She would be leaving tomorrow. Today, in fact, as the clock had ticked over to midnight just moments ago. It was amazing how little time it took to get used to a thing like having a person in one's bed, a person he hadn't known existed until a week ago and was just starting to realize he didn't want to live without - which was absurd. He had only just met her, and he knew practically nothing about her. Their relationship had been purely physical, when they weren't meeting for lunch or dinner or snuggled up reading on his sofa after a long day of speeches and one logistical nightmare after another.
And yet, there was that massive gaping maw that yawned within his chest whenever he thought of saying goodbye. They'd expertly avoided the topic all week, never making any mention of the future or what the end of the conference would mean for them.
He heaved a tremulous sigh and reached out a hand to brush her cheek in a light touch. Apparently it was not light enough, because her eyes opened and she looked blearily up at him.
"What's wrong?" she asked in a voice thick with sleep. She reached out and tugged at his shoulder to get him to lie down.
"I'm just mental," Percy replied as he slid under the covers. "Go back to sleep."
It took a long time for him to take his own advice; so long, in fact, that he had just begun dropping off when the shrill bell of his alarm clock startled him awake again. He groaned, fumbled on the bedside table for his wand, and jabbed it in the general direction of the clock to silence it. He was not ready for today to happen.
Audrey, apparently, was. By the time Percy could force himself to swing his legs over the side of the bed she'd showered and dried her hair, and was arranging it in the mirror as he shuffled to the bathroom door.
She glanced sidelong at him as she pinned a stray bit of hair into place. "You're looking at me like a sad puppy. What's the matter?"
"You're leaving today," Percy answered honestly. "This is the last chance I'll get to see you before you become Ms Phillips the Senator's Liaison again, and after that I won't see you again for another year. That's if you even come back next year."
Audrey looked at his reflection in the mirror as he came up behind her to wrap his arms around her shoulders. "It almost sounds as though you don't want me to leave."
Percy licked his lips. "Of course I don't want you to leave. I... like having you around." He would not say the ridiculous words yet. They'd scare her away. They'd probably scare him away, if he heard himself say them.
The look Audrey was giving him in the mirror was the same oddly appraising look with which she'd studied him when he had accidentally asked her to the gala. "Okay then. I just won't leave." She calmly reached up with another pin for her hair.
Percy shook his head. He couldn't have heard that correctly. "What?"
"Would you hand me the pin I just dropped? I have to go home and pack up, of course, but that won't take long. I don't have much stuff. "
Percy had bent down to fetch the offending pin before his brain had time to process what she was saying. He straightened so quickly it made his head spin. "You're not serious."
"Why would I joke about something like this?" Her perfectly straight face erupted into a smile and she turned around to face him properly. "I wasn't going to tell you until I was absolutely sure you wanted it to be more than just a week. I didn't want you to feel obligated to make this into a long-term thing."
"Tell me what?" Percy demanded.
"The main reason I came to this conference again this year was because I had job interviews at the U.S. Embassy. I've been angling for this position for at least three or four years, and yesterday, they made me an offer." She looked extraordinarily pleased with herself. "Hooking up with the cute British boy I met last year was a side benefit."
Percy could do nothing but stare at her. He was fairly certain his brain had turned to mush between his ears. "So you're staying."
"I'm staying," Audrey confirmed.
"Really staying. Here."
"And you won't have to worry about pesky regulations about dating a co-worker, because my position will be independent of the Ministry," Audrey added. She winked. "I checked."
One of the words she'd said wandered about through his mind before connecting rather forcefully with the fact that she'd be a more or less permanent fixture in his life. "Dating?"
Audrey raised an eyebrow. "Was that not what you had in mind? We can continue on a bit more informally if you'd like, but..."
"No!" Percy roughly hugged her to him, upsetting her towel. "I mean, yes, that is what I had in mind. But it was impossible before. You're really staying?"
"I'm really staying," Audrey said from somewhere in the vicinity of his collarbone. "And you're absolutely delightful when you're excited, but I need to get ready for work."
"Right." He let her go. "I do, too."
"Yes, you do." She kissed him on the tip of his nose. "I'll put the kettle on. Toast?"
"Yes, please," Percy replied absently, and then his dazed mind shifted suddenly into overdrive. "Where are you going to live? How are you going to move everything? Are you going to need a Muggle visa? Do you have an international Gringotts account? How -"
Audrey placed a finger over his lips. "Hush. I'll work out those details as I come to them."
Percy gaped. "You don't have a plan?"
Her answering smile was like the sun coming up. "I've got the job and the boyfriend. Everything else will work itself out." She reached up to take his glasses off. "Now. You. Shower. You'll be late."
She closed the bathroom door behind her as she left, Percy staring after her as though he could see through the wood. She didn't have a plan? She was just going to take things as they happened? That was ludicrous, reckless, completely irrational. An international relocation required a strategy. It was a huge, life-changing undertaking, not to be taken lightly.
So was falling in love.
The stray thought clunked rather heavily into the midst of his fretting. It made him freeze for a moment, and then he felt one of those rare, true smiles tug at the corners of his mouth.
Yes. So was falling in love. And he'd managed that rather handily. Maybe he'd wait and see where that took him.
"Who knows?" he asked the mirror. "Maybe that'll all work out too."