A/N: So this is for the 1 Hour Challenge on the HPFFC forum from Lady Phoenix Fire Rose. I have never been very good at writing Fleur, so forgive me if she's OOC…. I've kinda avoided writing her like the plague, but a challenge is a challenge! Lol
"I can't do zis anymore! I can't! I juzt can't!" she shouted at him, tears in her eyes.
"What do you mean, Fleur? What's going on?" he had never really seen her cry before, in happiness doesn't really count, he didn't have to comfort her then.
"I 'ave tried zo 'ard to be 'appy with you, and I waz for a while, but I juzt can't do it anymore Bill! Do you know 'ow 'ard it eez on me to try to keep zis family togezer?"
He looked at he helplessly as she cried and screamed at him, not knowing what to do. He thought she had been happy. He thought she had been fine, but it had all been an act. What was he supposed to do? "Fleur, honey, come here…." He reached out to hold her, but she stepped away.
"No Bill, it eez too late. I'm zorry…. I 'ave to live my own life..." She turned, her long hair fanning out behind her, and walked out the door, never to return. Bill watched her leave, not quite believing that she was leaving him. They had been in love. He had tried so hard for her, he couldn't help that his job kept him busy. Fleur had to understand that if he could have, he would have been there with her through everything. There was so much he still wanted to say to her. And in that moment, he realized, in that heart shatteringly painful moment, that Fleur would never come back to him. He had lost her forever. He fell to his knees unwilling to believe, but forced to believe by everything that Fleur had said without saying it. He had failed her where he was needed the most. How long had he missed it for? How long had she been hurting? He would never know.
Fleur walked down the road, shivering without her cloak in the evening air, tears still falling from her eyes. It hurt to leave him, but it hurt more to stay. She couldn't help it. She needed something else. She needed someone else. Someone who could give her the attention she needed. She had loved Bill. She would admit that. She wasn't stupid. She knew that had been love. But it hadn't stayed that way. Something had changed. She wasn't sure what, but something changed in their relationship, and they fell out of love. Just as easily as they had fallen in love, just as slowly, and when the realization hit her, it hurt.
Her tears, cold inside, now burned her cheeks, and stung her eyes. She wiped them away, and suddenly knocked into someone. She nearly fell back, but the man caught her around her waist and steadied her.
"Are you all right?" he asked, his voice deep, but rather young. "Fleur? What are you doing here?"
She looked up at her name and saw it was Ron, and she blinked in surprise. "I could ask the zame of you."
"I was going to come see you and Bill. What's wrong? You were crying. What happened?"
"Nozing you 'ave to worry about. Pardonez moi." She tried to go around him, but he put a hand on her shoulder, not about to let her leave.
"Fleur, you can talk to me. Bill may be my brother, but it doesn't mean he's perfect."
She looked up at him, and saw sincere concern in his eyes, and she cast her gaze back at the ground, ashamed now, but unwilling to go back to Bill. "I couldn't deal wiz it…. It 'urt too much…."
Ron nodded knowingly. "I understand. Hermione… she's just… I dunno…."
And suddenly Fleur burst into tears again, sobbing loudly, and Ron stared at her for a moment, bewildered. "I-I juzt d-don't want to 'urt anymore! 'e waz n-never 'ome, and w-when 'e waz, 'e n-never u-unders-stood!" She buried her face in his chest, sobbing her heart out, and Ron tentatively put his arms around her, afraid this would make it worse, but hoping it would help at least a little.
He rubbed her back as she cried, shushing her and telling her it would be all right, that she was going to be fine, and after a while, she did calm down enough that her sobs quieted, and only the occasional hitch in her breathing gave away her tears. "See? You'll be ok. It's fine."
Fleur looked up at him, and suddenly she felt safe and warm, and like everything was right in the world. Like she would be all right as long as he kept his arms around her. She didn't care that this man was her husband's youngest brother, didn't care that he was at least three years younger than her. She felt safe and warm, and like she never wanted to leave his arms. Standing on tip toe, she pulled his lips to hers, and kissed him softly.
He didn't react for a long moment, but he relaxed and held her tightly against him, and kissed her in return.
In that moment, Ron realized that with all the arguments and fights that he and Hermione had on a daily basis, it could never work between them. It wasn't fair to either of them, and it wasn't fair to everyone around them. As he kissed Fleur, he realized that both of them were hurting and they needed something no one else could give them. He realized that he just might love this woman.
When that fateful kiss finally broke, both just stared into the other's eyes searchingly, looking for any hint regret, shame, or disgust. Neither found any. And neither ever would find any.
Ron brushed a single tear from Fleur's cheek and gently pressed his forehead to hers. "Are you done crying now?"
Fleur nodded, smiling softly at him. "Thank you. For everyzing. I… do not know what I would 'ave done… if you 'ad not been 'ere..."
"Anytime. I'll always be here for you, even when I'm not with you. All you have to do is tell me, and I'll be there. You have to know that."
Fleur kissed him again, wrapping her arms around his neck.