Disclaimer: Not JK…

A/n: Written for the Winter wonderland challenge. The characters given were Lucy Weasley and Lorcan Scamander. The prompts were ice skating, warm butterbeer and blizzard.

Twenty two year old Lucy Weasley sat on the small table in the kitchen of their cozy little cottage, watching out the window. Twenty three, she reminded herself. It was her birthday today and she was stuck inside their kitchen, drinking a mug of warm butterbeer when she actually felt like throwing in on the wall of the place she had considered her home for three years now. It had been on one such winter evening that Lorcan had asked her to move in with him. She could remember, even now, the anxious expression on his face and the way he managed to clasp and unclasp his hands repeatedly while he gave out his suggestion to the oak table between them. She had loved him then, she knew she would love him always but now, he was making it pretty darn difficult for her to bring that to mind.

It wasn't like Lorcan had never forgotten anything but, added to that was the distance she had been feeling between them for almost a month now. He passed by the window once again without looking at it. Lucy sighed in resignation. He was ice skating. It had always been his way of dealing with problems and Lucy wondered if, this time, she was the problem. She had always imagined that loving someone made you happy; secure. That you felt with absolute surety that the two of you would stay together and blissful for ever. It hadn't been more than a few years and they were already hiding from each other within the same house.

As she stared at the glass, snow began falling outside. She knew there was a blizzard coming, but did not jump up to call him in as he would have a few months ago. She did not know if he would pay her heed or just ignore her. The latter would hurt her immeasurably and so she stayed put, looking around at the room, wondering how long she had before she'd have to leave. Not much, if Lorcan's behavior was any indication. But her little apartment would appear lifeless and too cut and dried compared to this house. The cottage they were sharing now had originally belonged to the parents of Lorcan's friend who had been leaving the country when they had bought it. It was quite far away from the city but neither she nor Lorcan had minded much because both of them were quite comfortable with Apparating. And so this rundown cottage had become their haven. Though it appeared unbelievable, Lucy believed that this was her home; the place she had lived, and loved. Apparently, to no avail.

As another sigh escaped her, Lorcan crossed the window again, though this time he looked inside. She thought he met her eyes when he passed by. In a few minutes, she heard the front door open.

"Leave the skates and your shoes out, Lorcan." She yelled out of habit. She would be the first person to admit that she liked to have things clean. And he had been the shabbiest person to ever walk on the earth. It had taken some time for her to accept a bit of his ways but somethings, she just couldn't give up.

"Of course, Lu. Wouldn't dream of annoying you" he was grinning her favorite grin and for the first time in weeks, Lucy felt her heart start. God, she had missed his smile.

"Thanks. You want one?" she indicated her own cup but he shook his head.

"I'll get one by myself" he went to the refrigerator at the same time Lucy jumped from the high stool claiming to want to make a start on dinner.

"But, aren't we going to your house for dinner?" he asked, confused and Lucy belatedly realized that she had forgotten to tell him. He hadn't been in the house for her to, anyway.

"Dad's having some kind of conference abroad and Mum went with him. I forgot to tell you" he shrugged lightly, running a hand through his hair that resembled the head of an ice sculpture half done. Flakes of snow stuck to his hair, reflecting in the light, making his golden blond hair even brighter.

"You were eager to meet them?"

"Yeah. I kind of wanted to talk with him about something but now, I'll just have to manage without his approval"

"Oh, alright" she turned back to her work and began chopping the vegetables with more force than was necessary. He must have sensed her unrest for the next thing she knew, he was right behind her, and his hands snaked around her waist as he drew her closer to him.

"You're cold" she stated, trying and failing to move out of his grasp. It didn't help that her own resolve was behaving elusively today.

"And you're delightfully warm" she was flush against his chest now and the proximity wasn't helping her fading fury. The thin jumper she had been wearing was insufficient to insulate her from him.

"I have a knife in hand, Lorcan" she did honestly try to sound threatening but her voice was clogged. Most likely from the sudden cold wind that seemed to circulate in the room.

"Am I supposed to be afraid about it?"

"Let go, Lorcan. Let go" her voice broke right at the end and since he was near enough, he heard.

"Lu, are you crying?" his voice sounded incredulous, drawing her out of her misery.

"No matter. You can't just avoid me all of a sudden and expect everything to go back to normal just as suddenly. This is not a card house, to put together and pull apart as you please, Lorcan" she could almost feel him stiffen. So he had done it intentionally. Somehow, that hurt worse.

"I didn't…I don't…"

"It's fine, Lorcan. I think I can move out in a week, if that's okay with you?"

"Move out? No way. No damn way! You …you aren't really thinking of doing it, are you? You said you loved this house"

"I did, as long as you liked me too. But now,…"

"I don't get it, Lu. What do you mean? Of course I like you, I l…I love you" he muttered the last part as if he did not want her to hear.

"But it's making you unhappy. How could that be right?"

"I'm not sad, Lu. I just have a lot on my mind. I mean, what with my untimely promotion hanging over my head and…"

"You got promoted!" She should have been angry that he hadn't told her. But in no part of her heart could she find anything except pure joy for him. She turned to hug him so fastly that he was almost toppled over by her sudden reaction.

"Slow down, Luce. I'm not that strong, you know?" he asked laughingly and a genuine smile lit up her face this time. Whatever their own troubles it paled out in comparison.

"Why didn't you tell me before? We could have celebrated it"

"Would you do one thing, Luce?"

"What?"

"Just put that knife down. I'm afraid you'll hurt either one of us with your enthusiasm"

"Oh, sorry. Tell me now"

"I'm thinking of not accepting it" he blurted out and Lucy couldn't believe she was hearing him right. He was refusing the position he had worked for for so long?

"Your aunt Hermione is retiring this year and had nominated my name for the position of Head of the Department of Rights of Magical Creatures. I should thank her for thinking me eligible"

"And you're going to say no? That would be stupid"

"Listen to me, Luce. If I do accept the position, I'll have to be gone most of the time. I'll most probably be out of town most of the time, much less here. I don't want to do that to you. And this place is lonely enough as it is."

"You don't have to be so worried. I'll manage. You need to stop fretting over me like this." Lucy felt foolish now, she had been accusing him of moving away from her when he had actually been worrying about the very same thing. She hugged him closer, resting her head on his chest and drew a deep breath.

"But…"

"But nothing, Lorcan. I'm not going to disappear anywhere just because you won't be here for a bit. Is that what you wanted to meet Dad about? He'll be delighted"

"Ah, yeah. But there was something else" one of his hands left her waist to rest at the back of his neck in his signature embarrassed gesture.

"What about?"

"We've been together for so long, I thought it would be the most natural thing to do. I mean, it's not like I'm dong this for anyone but myself…but, the thing is…" this was something new to her. Lorcan never stuttered. Sure, he would mess up with the words, he'd fidget like crazy but this…

"I mean, I never intended for it to be like this, but…"she placed a hand on his mouth to silence him. It seemed to bring him to his senses for he stopped ranting and just looked into her eyes. They seemed to be laughing at his discomfiture but at the same time, giving him the needed encouragement and strength to go on.

"Lucy, I know I've never told you this, but it doesn't make it any less true. I love you, have for the better part of my life. I know I haven't been acting that way recently but I never realized that my anxiety might seem like evasion to you. I'm sorry I hurt you that way."

"You don't have to apologise. It's alright" her eyes were so deep with the affection for him that Lorcan was momentarily speechless. What had he ever done to deserve such love?

"Lucy, will you marry me?"

"Wha…Of course!" she was suffocating him with her fierce hug, they were both shivering from the cold, but he couldn't be bothered; she had accepted and that was all that he could comprehend.

"Happy birthday, Lu"

"You remembered!"

"I didn't get you any gifts though" he was sheepish but she couldn't have been more delighted.

"You already gave me he best I could have asked for, Lorcan"

The sound of their laughter resonated through the neighbourhood. There was noone there to hear it, but that did not make the sound any less sweet or the happiness behind it any less pure.

A/n: Please review!