Standstill.

That was the only way I could describe it. Sure, only a month had passed since Halloween, but you would have thought something might change during that time. I was fairly certain that we were together now, not as friends but as a couple, yet nothing seemed any different to how it was before. Weren't there supposed to be dates and special plans and kissing? There was none of that.

Don't get me wrong, I loved even just hanging out with Salvius, and how he never seemed to improve at gaming at all, and our joint failures of cooking that we would always eat anyway no matter how disgusting they were. But it didn't feel like anything I had expected a relationship to feel like.

"Quit daydreaming about your boyfriend and help a lady out here!"

I was interrupted from my so-called 'daydreaming' by a whack on the back of my head from Jenna, who didn't really seem to be having any difficulties at all. In fact, we were in a quiet lull at Starbucks with very few people coming in. Must've been the stupidly heavy rain outside.

"What do you need help with? You're completely fine!"

"I'm tired and I'm pregnant, don't mess with me son."

"You're only one month pregnant, it can't be that bad."

Jenna raised an eyebrow. "You wanna test that theory?"

I paused, then shook my head. I didn't want to get on the wrong side of Jenna, pregnancy or not. A quiet chuckling brought my attention to the end of the counter and the man sitting there.

"So were you daydreaming about me Belimicus?" he asked, smirking. I would like to point out that, no matter what anyone says, I did not flush bright red at this point.

"No, I wasn't," I replied calmly, but of course Salvius kept laughing. He turned back to his notebook as a new customer came in, wet from the rain and clearly in need of a good coffee. One thing I had learnt about Salvius in the days since Halloween was that he actually had several notebooks that all looked the same, and only one was for his own record keeping (he's adamant that it is not a diary, but I knew the truth). The rest were for work, whatever that was.

I suppose that was another strange thing about our relationship: I still had no idea what Salvius did for a living. I knew that he did have a job, as he sometimes excused himself with work as his reason, but other than that he made no mention of it. I would have to ask, I supposed.

It was pitch black outside, though that didn't really bother us, seeing as the lights were on and so was the heating. My house was better than Salvius', in my opinion, because if you turned off the heat over there then the house would freeze within half an hour, there was so little insulation in the building. He may not have minded living with his home below 0 Celsius but it certainly bothered me. And that was why we spent more evenings together at my place than his.

No nights though.

"Remind me again why we're watching Strictly?" Salvius asked as he walked into the living room, two mugs of tea in hand.

"Because I like it," I answered, taking one off of him and resting it on my knee.

"And here I thought you liked watching sports." He sat down and crossed his legs, gazing blankly at the opening of the show.

"Hey, you're the one who got me into this and Bakeoff, so technically this is what you chose to watch," I replied. "Besides: my house, my rules."

He tried his best to hide it but I could see the edges of his mouth twitching as they instinctively made to smile at the old joke we shared. And even though he had been complaining only a few seconds before, his eyes were fixated on the TV screen and the dancers in pink.

"I'm not looking at the dancers, I'm looking at the hall around them," he said, demonstrating his ability to accurately read my mind without so much as a glance in my direction. "The Blackpool Tower ballroom is quite interesting."

"Liar," I snorted.

"Are they just showing off with how many people they can get in that hall?" he asked as there was a panning shot over the heads of all the dancers, children and all.

"Yeah I think they might be."

"Amazing hall though."

"Yeah."

We sat in silence through the rest of the dance, until Tess and Bruce began their introduction.

"What it she wearing?" Salvius coughed. "It looks like someone tried to do that snowflake cutting thing with her dress!" Of course, I laughed at this too, because he was absolutely right.

The show progressed, with our intermittent comments being a more amusing source of entertainment than Bruce's jokes (to us anyway). After Ashley and Ola's dance Salvius got up to make us some more tea, and called out to me from the kitchen.

"Say Belimicus, what are you doing over the holidays?"

"I'm going down to my parent's house on the 8th and staying with them over Christmas." I hesitated before continuing. "Did you want to come with me? They'd love to meet you…"

Salvius re-emerged from the kitchen with tea and a thoughtful look on his face. "You know, I'd like that. I have to visit my own parents first," he visibly shuddered at the idea, "but if you go ahead I'll follow you a few days after."

"Great," I replied, grinning. "I'll jot down the address for you."

"Not staying for long today, I have a work appointment," Salvius announced as he sat in his usual spot at the end of the counter. I brought over his coffee that I had made with perfect timing.

"What do you actually do for work?" I asked, finally having the courage to admit that I hadn't been able to figure it out from what hints he may have dropped when we talked.

"Did I never say? Well, uh, I'm a freelance editor and proofreader and… uh…" his face flushed lightly, and I took a mental snapshot of one of the cutest things I had ever seen Salvius do, "...um, I'm a fiction author too…" he muttered eventually. My eyes widened. I didn't know what I was expecting, but that certainly wasn't it.

"Would I know any of your books?" I wondered aloud. Maybe I'd read one before we'd met, and before I would come to recognise his name.

"You probably have, but I use a pen name." When he saw the look on my face Salvius could clearly tell what I was about to ask. "No I'm not going to tell you what it is! You know what?" He grinned and leaned forward slightly. "You can work it out yourself."

"Thanks for giving me a lift," I said to Salvius as we got out of his car and walked toward the front entrance. "I hate getting the bus to the train station."

"No problem," he replied. "Anything for you Belimicus." We went inside the building and I glanced up to the departures board to see if there were any delays on my route. None.

Salvius handed me my bag. "Well, I'll see you in a week or so," I said.

"Sorry I can't come with you right now; I do have to visit my family. Are you sure it's alright for me to stay with you and your parents over Christmas though? I don't want to impose."

"It's fine," I replied casually to placate any fears he might be having. "I'm sure my parents will love you, honestly."

"I hope so." He smiled at me. We stood there awkwardly for a while longer, waiting for one of us to make a move. "Well go on," Salvius said eventually, nodding his head in the direction of the platforms, "or you'll miss your train."

"Yeah." I turned away, managing to keep a smile on my face until my back was turned to him and there was no way he could see the disappointment in my expression.

My parent's home was bigger than my own, though that really wasn't hard considering the size of my house. The thing about Maria and David Kingston though, was that that they could easily afford a far grander building to live in than what they had already, they just didn't want to. In short, my parents were the humble rich type of people. You wouldn't be able to tell how wealthy they were unless you specifically asked.

"Hey mum," I said as I stepped through the front door, and she pulled me down into a hug. My father entered behind me, attempting to carry all my bags from his car and failing quite spectacularly, but he had refused my help when I offered. "So? How have you two been?"

"Very well thank you. But enough about us," my mother quickly hurried on, "where's your boy toy?"

"Mum," I huffed. "First off, I already told you he'll be here after he's seen his family. Secondly, he's not my 'boy toy'!"

"Whatever you say dear," she replied waving away my words with her hand. Then she suddenly remembered something. "Oh yes, your friends told me to tell you that they're meeting on Friday evening, at Roadie's. They're trying to get as many people going as they can, so it'll be like a reunion."

"Oh okay. I guess I'll go then."

"That's my boy," she smiled, patting me on the chest for no apparent reason.

"It's great to see you Belimicus!" shouted one of my old school friends, Colin, as I neared the restaurant. He waved at me from the doorway, having been about to go in before he caught sight of me and decided to wait. "Everyone else is already inside! I guess it's been a while since you came here though; it looks pretty different doesn't it!"

It wasn't so much of a question as a statement but I nodded anyway. Last I had seen of it, Roadie's was a tiny eat-in run by Roadie McArthur himself. In my absence it had flourished, absorbing several of the neighbouring knickknack shops and increasing in popularity rapidly. Now it was a fully fledged diner that simply resonated with the sound of 'America'. I could still see McArthur behind the counter though, so I guess not as much had changed as it could have.

"Sit here Belimicus," Colin said, gesturing to a long booth that was mostly filled already. Familiar faces grinned at me with a chorus of 'hey Belimicus's and 'dude, what's up's as I took my place amongst them, Colin sitting next to me and sealing me into the rowdy atmosphere. Like me, there were people there that had come home to see their parents and had somehow been roped into this gathering, probably the same way I had, or by Benjamin, who had always viewed it as his personal duty to organise everyone in our year at school.

There was much chatting as we ate, everyone from all over the table trying to catch up on the news of everyone else. There was one communal conversation that we all chipped into at various moments, taking turns talking so that we all managed to actually consume food at some point. When desert came around a new topic began to blossom at the far end of the table, quickly making its way to the rest of us. Though I was wary of entering this potential minefield Colin turned to me and practically dragged me in by the ears.

"So what about you Belimicus? You find yourself a lady yet?"

I looked down into my pudding. "Yeah, well, not exactly…"

"What do you mean 'not exactly'?" Colin pushed, nudging me with his elbow. "Speak up."

"Well…" I glanced at him to see his intent expression that I knew meant I wouldn't be able to escape his questioning now. "I'm going out with this guy…."

Silence fell around the table, alerting me to the fact that everyone had been listening to what my answer would be. I began to get nervous. Why were they all so quiet? Maybe they weren't comfortable with two guys being together? Should I have kept my stupid mouth shut?

"What's his name?" asked someone from the opposite side of the booth (I think it was Harry).

"Salvius," I replied quietly. Suddenly the chatting and laughing started up again and I relaxed at their sign of acceptance.

"He better be worthy of you Belimicus!" someone else shouted.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" I joked back, and the flow of conversation fell right back into place.

"Speaking of guy love," Colin began to say to Jess beside him, "I heard that Ceph and Stryth were getting it on too."

"See, now that's strange," she replied. "Because I heard that Cephalus was dating that girl from the year below; what was her name? Ace? Aker?"

"Acceronia," I supplied.

"Yeah, that's the one," she nodded.

"Weird!" shouted Emily from the very far end of the table. "Because I heard, and from a very reliable source may I add, that Acceronia and Strythio were dating!"

Colin's eyes widened as they met Jess'. "You don't think… no way!" There was a giant round of laughter and the conversation moved on again.

I was no longer very invested in the talking. Since I had answered Jess I had had a peculiar feeling, as though I was being watched. I glanced over to who was sat opposite from me, bar one other person that I didn't know so well, to find a pair of eyes staring back. Cogidubnus. I didn't look directly at him after that, but I was continually aware that he was watching my every move. Colin must have noticed how uncomfortable I was, because he piped up out of the blue and jokingly said, "Jealous of Belimicus' new boyfriend Cogi?"

"No," was the curt reply, and my watcher finally turned away to rejoin the conversing.

"Thanks," I muttered to Colin.

"No prob."

When I was walking home late that evening I felt the sense of being watched once more, and this time I knew exactly who was following me. My pace sped up minutely, and so did my heart, for though I had known him at school it didn't change the fact that it was weird to just follow someone in the dark. I could probably take him down if he tried anything, given my height and build compared to his, which was a small comfort.

I turned a corner and suddenly he sped up, catching my arm and twisting it behind my back to stop me from running. I swore mentally. I had forgotten that he'd taken martial arts classes, and now I was stuck.

"Salvius, huh?" Cogidubnus said quietly, though he didn't need to be loud for me to hear him. "That bloody bastard's at it again isn't he? What did he promise you this time? Wealth? Or did he finally offer the kingdom to you?"

"What are you on about?" I asked, trying to pull myself away but failing. I looked over my shoulder and I could see his eyes widen.

"You don't understand do you? Oh this is too good. Of all people, it's you… I suppose I'll just have to remind you about Salvius." Before he could continue there was the sound of footsteps and another person rounded the corner. Cogidubnus let go and quickly stepped away. "This isn't over," he said, retreating into the darkness.

I stared after him, then turned to see my saviour. His uniform gave away his position as a member of the police and it became clear why Cogidubnus had decided to leave so abruptly. The man peered past me to the almost invisible figure of my former classmate before looking at me. I wasn't ridiculously tall, but it was quite unusual meeting someone I didn't have to look down on even slightly.

"You okay Belimicus?" he asked. "He wasn't bothering you about that grudge of his again was he?"

"Um, I'm fine," I replied hesitantly. "I'm sorry, but what do you mean? And have we met?"

A peculiar expression crossed his face for a brief moment before he quickly covered it up with a fake looking smile. "Oh, it's nothing. And I know your parents, I should have said. I know it isn't far, but would you like me to accompany you home, just in case he comes back?" He indicated in the direction of the 'he' just to make sure I understood what he meant. Usually I would have declined, but I was unsettled by Cogidubnus' strange behaviour and decided that it would be for the best.

"Yes, thank you."

"So this is him? Salvius?" mum asked as he entered the house.

"Yes, and he can hear you," I replied. Salvius smiled.

"I don't mind it Belimicus. Hello Mrs Kingston, I'm the one your son must have been trying to avoid mentioning." He reached out to shake her hand.

"On the contrary, he hasn't stopped talking about you. You've really taken our Bels' interest."

"Mum," I hissed, glancing at Salvius and seeing exactly what I feared, that he had found new material to tease me with.

"Haven't stopped talking about me, huh Bels?"

"Shut up," I mumbled. He laughed and grinned.

Christmas, and Salvius had been mocking me all day about how childish I was. I then felt it necessary to teach him just why I loved Christmas, which he resisted. My mother had apparently found it hilarious (no idea why) and decided to film our so-called 'frolicking' and wouldn't let me delete the video. Then we had all helped to make dinner, though Salvius was quickly demoted from chef to assistant when it was discovered that he was worse than me at handling food. Obviously, after this decision, all the food turned out great.

"You're an author, Bels tells us," my mother said and Salvius nodded. "Anything I might have read?"

"Maybe," was his short reply. Clearly he was trying to avoid the same situation he found himself in with me, where I frequently pestered him to tell me his pen name. Mum raised her eyebrows at me, requesting elaboration, but I just shrugged.

"And how are your parents Salvius?"

"Awful," he groaned instinctively, realising only afterward that he was answering my family, and not me. "I mean," he added, "they're doing well. They didn't want to let me leave until I told them it was to see Belimicus." He glanced in my direction to see if this was an acceptable fact with me. I just shrugged.

"Don't mind him," mum said, probably mistaking Salvius' action as one of worry about me. "He just prefers his food than talking."

"Yes, I know."

There was a while of silence after that, which even the most socially incapable person would be able to recognise as awkward. It was probably because I was expected to say something at that point, but I couldn't really be bothered. I just shrugged.

"So," dad began, simultaneously reaching for the gravy. Salvius, who was sat opposite to him, passed it over. "Bels, what were you doing with Dumnorix the other night? You never said."

"Oh, the police officer? I met him on the way home. He was a nice guy," I replied, curiously looking sideways at Salvius. At the mention of the policeman he had stiffened, sitting even more upright than he already was. Across the table my mother quickly drank what was in her glass and held it out to me.

"Belimicus dear, would you go and get me some more wine from the kitchen please?" She said it with a smile that I knew meant that she wanted me out of the way for some reason, but I couldn't think what for. "Take your time dear," she said as I stood up and took the glass.

When I got to the kitchen I filled the glass quickly, somewhat nervous over what embarrassing things my mother might be discussing with Salvius. What I heard when I reached the door made me pause.

"Don't deny it, you know Dumnorix don't you?" mum was saying quite forcefully.

"If you mean I know him in passing, then yes I suppo–"

"No," she cut him off. "You know him, from back then."

I edged the door open slightly, allowing me to see the back of my father and Salvius' face. He appeared to have frozen midsentence and was unsure how to proceed from that point.

"You're confused aren't you?" mum continued. "Mr Fifth from across the road warned us when Belimicus was born. Oh yes, we know exactly who you are, Gaius Salvius Liberalis, and what you did to our son in the past, even if he wasn't our son then."

Dad chipped in at this point. "You must've noticed how Belimicus doesn't remember. We won't say anything to him, but if you dare hurt our son again then you are in for a lifetime of hell." He pointed at Salvius with his fork which usually would have looked funny, but now had a menacing atmosphere to it.

I missed Salvius' answer as I remembered something I had pushed to the deepest recesses of my mind. On Halloween, Salvius had also mentioned something I couldn't remember. And possibly, could that have been what Cogidubnus had been on about? And his 'grudge' that Dumnorix had mentioned?

"Here's your drink mum!" I announced with a fake gleefulness, re-entering the room in order to stop the dramatic scene playing out. Everyone quickly plastered on happy faces to stop me from noticing the tension in the room, not knowing that it was too late, and that I was beginning to catch on.

Though I was facing away from it I could hear the quiet swish of air as the door to my room was pushed open gently and Salvius walked inside, shutting it behind him.

"Belimicus? Is everything all right? You didn't look too good toward the end of dinner tonight."

I let out a brief laugh at the concern in his voice. "Why don't you tell me?"

"Oh Belimicus," he sighed, moving forward and around the bed, sitting down beside me with a noticeable gap between us. "I've done something wrong again, haven't I? You're crying." He reached up as if to touch me, but halted and returned his hand to his side. I angrily wiped away whatever tears he was talking about.

"I'm not," I snapped. But he was right, though there wasn't much wetness on my face. The salt bit at my tongue as I continued. "You know, I let it slide at Halloween, and now that I think about it there were clues everywhere. But I'm noticing only now? That's how stupid and blind I am."

"Belimicus, you're not–"

"If I'm not then can you explain why it is that you know something that I don't about me? And it's not just you, there's Dumnorix – who I've met once – and Cogidubnus, and even my own parents knew and haven't told me!"

"Wait, you met Cogidubnus? He didn't do anything to…" He stopped. "No. I'm sorry, I shouldn't change the topic. Belimicus, please believe me, none of us–"

"And that's another thing!" I interrupted, and Salvius closed his mouth and patiently waited for me to continue. "There are clearly many people who know about this, and there's one thing that links everything they say. You. About what you've done, what it is you might do. And there you go, telling me you love me and yet nothing that I've seen or heard reflects that!" This time I could feel myself begin to cry again, though I wasn't going to acknowledge it.

Salvius looked down at his lap, clasping his hands together lightly. After a while he looked up again, and for the first time since we'd come here he met my eyes directly. "This isn't really about what you don't know, is it, my dear Belimicus?"

I stood my ground for another few seconds, then gave in, shaking my head and putting my hands over my face. "You don't really love me, do you?"

"Idiot."

I flinched at Salvius' harsh rebuttal.

"Idiot Belimicus," he said in a more gentle tone. "What gave you that idea?"

"Oh, I don't know," I replied, my anger refuelling as I glared at him. "Maybe it's because you always shoot me down when I suggest a date. Maybe it's because you won't touch me at all. Maybe it's because you never want to kiss me!"

Salvius rolled his eyes. "Idiot."

He leant forward and grabbed the front of my shirt, pulling me down into a heated kiss. When he let go my head was reeling from the shock and confusion, and Salvius chuckled.

"Of course I love you idiot, and of course I want to kiss you, but I had to make sure you knew whether this was what you really wanted or not. I thought I should give you time to work it out for yourself, rather than forcing you into something you would later regret. If you had decided against it then I would have let you go." He paused. "Mind you, it would have been hard. I've been searching for you for literally thousands of years."

"Yeah, well I figured out that I wanted this ages ago," I retorted, attempting to keep my anger at him but feeling it slip with ease from my clutches.

"Well that's good to know." He smiled and took my hand in his, reducing the gap between us too. "Now I don't have to tiptoe around you or excuse myself with non-existent work."

"You were doing what?"

"Never mind." He waved my query away with a smile. He got to his feet, keeping hold of my hand and pressing a light kiss to the back of it. "I do love you, and I see that you feel the same. But now it's time to sleep, so goodnight my dear Belimicus."

He let go and made to move away but I grabbed the bottom of his shirt on reflex. "Salvius, would you, uh, would you sleep with me tonight?"

He raised an eyebrow. "With your parents here?"

"NO – I – I mean – wha–" I stammered, flushing bright red as I realised what I had actually said and what he thought I had been implying. "I mean," I began again, taking time to compose myself, "would you stay with me? Please? Not do that, uh, the thing… you know…."

Salvius laughed at my reply, simultaneously increasing my embarrassment and saving me from it. He returned to his place on the bed next to me and pulled me in for another kiss. "Anything for you, my dear Belimicus."