Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.
Thanks to Jas and Sam for Beta'ing.
Written for the love of my life
Finding Their Own Path
"Good morning, my dear Milly."
Amelia narrowed her eyes at the Auror. "Don't annoy me. I haven't had any caffeine this morning and I'm liable to kill you."
John laughed, clearly unbothered by the threat of a temperamental Amelia Bones hexing him to within an inch of his life. Her hand twitched towards her wand. How dare he be so cheerful this early in the goddamn morning?
"Dawlish… I will put you on paperwork for the rest of the month if you don't find me a cup of coffee immediately."
Within seconds, a steaming cup of coffee was being placed in front of her.
Breathing in the scent, Amelia felt the tension draining from her shoulders. "Thank you."
"Of course, my lady," John replied cheekily.
Before she could tell him off, a shout and a curse sounded from the doorway before the system alarm for emergencies sounded around the room.
"All hands on deck in Diagon Alley," Shacklebolt shouted on his way out of the door.
Downing her coffee quickly, Amelia followed those in red cloaks from the room, her wand already sliding into her hand from her arm holster.
"Where are you going?" John asked, his brow furrowing as she fell into step with him.
Amelia smiled. "You heard Shack. All hands on deck."
The cuffs were decidedly muggle in appearance, she decided, examining them closely, although she was sure they'd been fortified by magic. Rolling her eyes at the predicament she'd found herself in, Amelia looked around the dungeon she'd been unceremoniously slung into.
"Milly?"
"John? Oh bloody hell, what are you - Stupid question. Are you hurt?" she asked, moving awkwardly across the floor as fast as she was able with her hands cuffed and her feet tied.
"No, just… you know. Burnt pride," he admitted with a huff. "You?"
"I'm smashing aside from being tied up like an animal," she muttered, managing to push herself up so she was sitting beside him.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, before John reached out with both hands to pat Amelia awkwardly on the shoulder.
"It's okay to be scared, you know? You don't have to… hide it, or pretend… or…"
"Anyone with a brain would be scared in a situation like this," she snapped, before glancing his way slightly apologetically. She knew he was only trying to help her feel better, but the break from the tension her coffee had brought her felt like it was days ago.
"You can always hold my hand," he offered, a slightly teasing lilt to his tone.
"I'm not that scared," she replied, a small smile on her face.
John nodded, his brow furrowing a little. "Um… can I hold your hand?"
Pausing, Amelia took in the look in his eyes and after a moment, she shifted so that their hands could entwine around each others. They sat like that for a little while, and surprisingly, Amelia could feel her tension easing out once more.
"I love you, you know. I have for… a really long time. I just… You should know. Just in case, I thought you should probably hear it."
She blinked at him, confused by the sudden confession. She'd known for a while that he liked her, just as she liked him though she knew she was better at hiding it. It was still… disconcerting to hear it put so plainly.
She knew he was waiting for a reply, but she didn't really know what to say. Besides, it wasn't exactly the time for it. Eventually, she broke the awkward silence.
"Any idea of who thought it was a good idea to try and cage the Head of the DMLE?" she asked, sniffing.
John shook his head, his lips quirking up slightly at the avoidance, even if he was slightly disappointed by it. "Not really. It's not Death Eaters, but… aside from that. We're just going to have to sit pretty and wait for the others to come and find us."
Unclasping their hands, Amelia snorted. "Well, while you sit there doing the pretty thing, I'm getting out of here."
"Amelia? He took your wand; he took all of the wands. How do you expect to escape?"
She grinned, twisting herself awkwardly so that she could reach into the back of her boot. "You don't actually believe that I only carry one wand, do you?"
He watched her with disbelief as slowly but surely, she inched the wand from the back of her boot.
"Why have we been sitting here for half an hour if you have a second wand?" he asked quietly, glancing at the other prisoners.
"You looked like you needed the comfort," she replied with a shrug, "and I wanted to make sure he wasn't coming back immediately."
"You're unbelievably hot right now, do you know that?" he asked, as in once last movement, she had the wand in her hands and her cuffs were lying harmlessly beside her. She spelled the rope from her ankles and then looked at John.
"Are you sticking with the sitting pretty plan, or do you want to come play with the bad guys with me?"
"Just get rid of the damn cuffs, Milly," he replied, rolling his eyes.
She freed him with a small chuckle, before turning to the other prisoners, who were watching the two of them with undisguised hope.
"We'll come back for you," Amelia promised. "As soon as we have back up, we'll come and free all of you. Just try and remain calm."
Casting a complicated unlocking charm on the door, she smiled triumphantly when the lock clicked.
"Come along then, Dawlish. Let's go and see what's taking my Auror's so long to find us."
The fight that followed was somewhat anticlimactic in John's opinion. Amelia managed to get a patronus to the Auror's with their coordinates, and they arrived just in time for the group who'd captured them to arrive where Amelia and John had been awaiting their compatriots.
Amelia, with a couple of spells, had disarmed the idiot closest to them and handed John the wand. Though it didn't work brilliantly for him, it was more than enough to hold his own.
"You were brilliant," he murmured admiringly, gently stroking over a healing cut on her cheek. Medics clucked around her, distracting her, and John realised that he should probably leave her to be further checked out. He'd only taken a few steps when he heard her shout out to him.
"Hey, John?"
"Yeah?" he asked, turned back and raising his eyebrow in question.
"I love you too."
The laugh that left her and the light in her eyes made him smile, and he nodded. He'd take her out for dinner later, and, if he was lucky, steal a kiss from her at the end of the night.
They might be doing the steps somewhat out of order, but as long as the steps were actually done, he figured they'd find their path in the end.
Written for;
Last Ship Standing, Round 5 - Temperamental / "You can always hold my hand."/"I'm not that scared." / Cup of Coffee.
Friends Competition/Challenge - S2 Ep18 - A strong female character.
100 Ways to Say 'I Love You' - 19. "Can I hold your hand?"
The Hunt Is On - Pairing - JohnAmelia
Are You Crazy - 101. Amelia Bones
Hogwarts - Love In Motion - AmeliaJohn