Written for Hogwarts Online II Prompt of the day October 1st 2012.
Prompt: "I wasn't looking for love until I found you."
George/OC, written after the war, and before George meets Angelina. (Who said George couldn't have more than one relationship?)
Please hold off on criticism in a review. If I've made a mistake, please send a pm if you must. Also, keep in mind, this is George/OC a character named Aubrey not Audrey (Percy's wife) I made up Aubrey completely.
Disclaimer: I Don't oAuthor's note: I don't own anything you recognize.
He was tired. Dead on his feet tired and wanting to lie down. All he needed was his warm bed above his shop, but George couldn't sleep knowing it was the start of another day. He put his hand on the handle of the shop.
"Excuse me." She came from the shadows, causing George to draw his wand. He should have been use to being approached especially since the war, but he was still cautious.
George slowly turned around.
"You can put it away. I'm here for the sign on your shop window. I've passed by this place every day hoping it would be open, but it hasn't. Now that I passed by again I found you here." Her voice was soft, but firm, with a hint of something he couldn't figure out.
"Why didn't you leave a note?" he asked frowning as he fiddled for wand, and unlocked the door with a simple spell he made.
"I didn't think of that, honestly," she said.
At least she's hones, he thought. He found his keys, and opened the shop. As soon as he came in the shop's lights turned on instantly. They were magic nicked to turn on whenever someone came in.
George turned around and finally saw whom he was speaking to. She was tiny. He moved around the shop, fixing this and that.
"Look, I'm going to be honest with you, but I don't like people late. If I hire you, you have to be on time. One day late and that's it. I may take a vacation here and there, but if I do, don't ask about where I go, that's my business."
"I wouldn't ask where you go. We all have needs and wants, we all need escapes somewhere," she said flatly.
"I like your attitude. What's your name?"
"Aubrey Wilson." Her dark brown hair moved as she turned slightly to shake his hand that was already out.
"Then you're hired Miss. Aubrey."
"Ms. I was married, but not anymore. Like you said, that's my business."
"I wasn't going to ask. This is strictly business. Nothing else, nothing more, nothing less. Understand?" George stated. Aubrey nodded.
"Good. Then pick up those forms and help me out." George instructed.
Aubrey and George worked side by side over the next few months without any trouble at all. She was the silent type, which he preferred for he didn't feel like talking much anyways. But he was curious as to why she didn't talk about her past or where she came from. All he knew was she was married before.
Halloween came and went and the days led to November. She approached him one evening after the last customer left. He blinked twice thinking she had been crying. He was right; her makeup ran across her face as she tried wiping it away with her sleeve.
"George?" she asked. He came closer to her.
"Yes?" He wondered what bothered her, for she hardly showed sadness.
"I need a break from the shop this weekend."
"Is it urgent or an emergency?"
"No."
"Then no, I really need you. We're getting new orders in, and I have to take a break myself."
She stared at him.
"So you won't let me go, but you can go? That's not right. We each have needs," Aubrey said angrily.
"I have previous obligations. You know the ropes now. You can handle it," George said as he turned away. He remembered his mum telling him women would use emotions to trick men.
"George, I don't like talking about my past, you know that. This is important to me."
He turned around to watch her cry. He felt pain in her eyes and in her heart. He ached in his heart seeing her cry. He knew she wasn't lying to him. He too needed to go away, to see his brother's grave. It had been a few months since George had been back, but he knew it was time. Tears no longer flowed, as she tried to show she was strong.
"Aubrey."
He walked over to her. He knew he was crossing all boundaries with her. She was to be there for business, and business only, but seeing a woman cry just made his heart melt, even if he was in pain himself.
"George, please. I need to go." Aubrey said one more time.
George wrapped his arms around her once he was close enough. He cupped her face with his hands and kissed her long and hard. When she didn't pull away - when she pulled him close and wrapped her arms around him - he deepened the kiss.
Breaking apart momentarily, he took her by the hand and led her to his apartment above the store. In the dark, co-workers became lovers. In the dark, they whispered to each other as they found each other. In the dark, he led her to his bed, knowing this would change everything they worked for, but knew they needed each other.
When they were finished making love, George held her close with only the sheets in between them. He enclosed her hand with his, and whispered.
"Why did you need to go away?"
"I thought you were not going to ask about my life."
"When I see a beautiful woman crying, it breaks my heart."
"Why were you leaving?" Aubrey asked softly.
"I'd rather not say."
"Me either." George stated as he looked away from her.
Aubrey sat up in his bed with the sheet over her front, and turned on the light, causing him to sit up.
"George, you're not the first man I slept with," she said truthfully.
"I know."
"I had a husband."
This caused George to get out of his bed and start getting dressed.
"George, hear me out." Aubrey pleaded, doing the same.
"Aubrey, I knew something was different about you from the moment I saw you."
"George, listen to me. He died in the second wizard war. November sixth is his birthday. I always go visit him. Even by myself if I have to," Aubrey stated as she pulled on the denim dress she wore that day.
"You're not the only one who lost someone who died in the war." George found himself raising his voice.
"I know that George!" She raised her voice to match his.
"Aubrey, you lost a husband, I lost a twin brother. It took me months before I could come back to this shop."
They stopped moving and stared at each other. Realization came over him. He knew he was in love with her, but he hadn't meant to let that happen.
"George, I miss my husband, yes, but I was drawn to this shop for some reason by some invisible force. That's what I'm trying to tell you. " Aubrey put on her shoes. "It was a mistake coming up here. I crossed the line. Where's my other shoe?" She looked around his bedroom for her shoe. She found it, put it on and turned around in time to see George standing next to her.
"Aubrey, you made me fall in love with you. But when you told me about your husband, I was scared because I was worried I couldn't compare to him. Then when I told you of my brother, I saw the look in your eyes and knew we were ready for a relationship. Don't you see? We could help each other out." George tried embracing her in a hug, but she refused.
"George, I love you, yes, but I need this weekend to see if I'm ready to move on." Her brown eyes pleaded with him.
"Aubrey, we can go together. I need to see my brother, you need to see-"
"No George, you aren't hearing me out. I need to go alone. Please," she begged him.
In the dark George saw her expression change from worry to concern. She needed to go alone, to see if he really was meant for her.
"I can see my brother some other time," George finally said after several long moments of silence. She flung her arms around him and kissed his cheek.
"But..." she said knowing there was something else.
"But I need you to come back and let me know what you decide. I can't sit around forever not knowing your decision Aubrey."
"I understand. I'll come back in a few days."
He watched her leave him alone in the dark.
As the days dragged on, and the nights grew longer, George waited for Aubrey's return. When he thought she wasn't coming back, he turned off the light to his shop one rainy November evening. He wasn't going to cry over Aubrey. If it wasn't meant to be, it wasn't meant to be. George was use to losses by now. He put away the last empty box and heard a faint knock at the door among the pouring rain.
He unlocked the door knowing it was Aubrey.
"Aubrey!" He whispered her name as she came in soaking wet from the rain. Her brown hair curled when it was wet. Once more she looked like she had been crying.
"George, in the dark I found you. In the dark, I made love to you. In the dark I found my husband's grave, but realized he wanted me to move on. In the dark, I found out I loved you. When I came looking for this job, I didn't expect to find love. I wasn't looking for love until I found you."
George walked over to her, and held her close. He soaked in the hug he missed when she was gone, even though she was only gone for four days. The night they made love was the night they both realized two people needed each other.
"Aubrey, this doesn't change anything. Together we can still work the shops, as a team."
"I know it won't. I'll be with you as long as I can," Aubrey said sweetly.
"I hope so Aubrey, because I'm in love with you," George stated honestly.
"George, if something were to happen between us, I'll gladly leave."
He hushed her, not wanting to ruin anything.
"Aubrey, something won't happen. Believe me." He pulled her close to him.
"I hope not," she whispered.
As the rain moved on to the next town, Aubrey and George moved to his room above the shop where they came together in the dark once more.
Special Thanks: Fire The Cannon for beta'ing for me.