A/N: All though this story is a "stand alone", I refer a lot to previous Charlie Weasley stories that I've written. I sincerely hope it's not confusing. Thanks, Rita

Based on characters created by J. K. Rowling

Chapter 2

Charlie woke up before dawn and while Jessica was still asleep he showered quickly then made coffee for himself. He didn't want to leave before saying good-bye to her because he had no idea when he'd see her again, but she looked so peaceful that he didn't want to wake her. He was standing over her, deciding what to do when she opened her eyes and smiled.

"Hey," he whispered. "I have to go."

She yawned and nodded. "I know. Come to Dallas for my show, okay?"

He nodded then leaned over and kissed her gently. "I'll try," he said. "I don't know when I can come back. I leave for training camp soon, and I won't have any free time."

Jessica touched his face. "I know. Be careful, okay? And really, really try to come to Dallas. Promise?" Her voice was low and sexy and pouty. She ran her hands down his chest. "Please."

Charlie laughed. "Okay. I promise. I'll come to Dallas sometime and see your work. I don't want to see 'me' though. The thought embarrasses me."

"But you're so hot. I'll bet it sells the first day."

"Good, then I won't have to look at it." He said.

"The sold pieces aren't taken down until the end of the show, Mr. Smarty."

"How much are you asking for it because maybe I'll buy it and give it to my mum."

Jessica laughed. "Charlie, they're nudes. I don't think that's something your mother would want in her living room."

"Oh, no, I wouldn't give them to Mum; it might give her a heart attack or something. Nudes, huh?" He was actually picturing what his mother's reaction would be. No, it wouldn't be pretty.

"I described them to you, remember?" she asked.

"Well, yeah, but I don't think no clothes was mentioned. You said the photograph had me covered, didn't you?"

"Yes, but artistically covered. You'll see."

Charlie stood up. He had a worried look on his face. She laughed again. "Don't worry. They are beautiful. Just like my model." She pulled him down to her and kissed him. "Go! You're going to be late. It'll be daylight soon. I'll see you in Dallas." She pushed him away playfully. "Oh, and I'm so glad you came." She threw off her covers and hurried into the bathroom.

Charlie took the opportunity to disapparate in her bedroom instead of stepping outside. As much as he disliked disapparating inside a building, it did create less attention. He apparated outside his living quarters that he shared with his friend and co-worker, Jack. It was still early and the only activity seemed to be going on in the dining hall. He decided he'd check in and get his schedule after he had some breakfast and more coffee. The dragon preserve served a pretty good buffet style breakfast. When he walked inside he noticed that there were groups of wizards that were probably tourists sitting around the room. He only saw two wranglers; his friends Pete and Mike who were probably on the day shift. Charlie grabbed a cup of coffee and joined his friends. They greeted him warmly and most of the tourists looked up and recognized him. The room was buzzing by the time he sat down.

"Hey, stranger," Mike said. "Welcome back. I didn't think you were coming back this time. Congratulations on the all-star game. Real smooth move the way you captured the Golden Snitch."

Charlie laughed. "The wind blew it right into my chest and the poor bugger got stuck in my shirt. Damn, the wind was bad." He took a drink of coffee. "So, what's new?" He asked looking around the room. The wizards were still looking at him, but were at least trying not to be so overt. He nodded at a couple of them.

Pete looked disgusted. "The front office hired an "information officer" and now we're crawling with tourists. We don't get to spend much time with the dragons; we're too busy protecting these assholes. I'm hoping a siren'll snatch a couple of 'em and then they'll shut this son of a bitch down." Mike just drank his coffee and nodded in agreement.

"Who are you on with today?" Mike asked.

Charlie shrugged. "I haven't checked in yet. Have you seen Ricardo or Jack?"

Mike shook his head. "I just got here myself."

"How's Lindsey and the kids?" Charlie asked. Mike was married to a muggle woman, who also happened to be Jessica's cousin. Mike and Lindsey had two children, both who'd were already showing signs of magic.

"Lindsey's about to go crazy with Mikey. Trudy was never like this when she was Mikey's age. I think Lindsey's about ready to kill me or leave me." He smiled. "I'm sure Mikey will calm down soon. Hope so anyway. I might have to get some assistance."

"Let me know and I'll send Minnie over to help you. She just doesn't have enough to do around my house since I'm gone so much." Minnie was the free elf who began working for Charlie after he moved into his new home in Austin.

Mike shook his head. "I appreciate the offer. I'll talk to Lindsey about it, but she's kind of down on anything magical these days."

"Minnie loves kids," Charlie said. "She'd be good for you."

Mike promised to talk to Lindsey, but he was doubtful that Lindsey would appreciate what a deal having a house elf meant.

The room was beginning to fill with a smattering of employees and more early-riser tourists. Several witches from the front office saw Charlie and made a bee-line to his table.

"Hello, ladies," Charlie said graciously.

The witches giggled and sat down next to him. He smiled at the four women and made room for them. Several minutes later, a very sleepy looking Jack dragged himself to the table.

"Hi Charlie!" Jack said, perking up. "Great game the other night."

Charlie smiled. "Thanks."

"Weren't you made MVP?" He asked.

Charlie blushed. "Jordan and I." he corrected. "I just got lucky."

One of the ladies giggled. "I wouldn't mind being blown into your chest."

Charlie laughed. "That little sucker stung," he said, rubbing the spot where the Golden Snitch had collided with his chest. The girls laughed again.

"That'll probably be the last time they hold a game in Nebraska during tornado season," he said.

As the crowd around Charlie increased—tourists were edging up toward his table, the noise level decreased until only Charlie's table and the other wranglers were engaged in conversation. The tourists were discreetly taking pictures of him and finally one brave soul asked him to pose. Charlie understood that he was probably the most recognizable person in Texas, and probably the whole of America. He was an ambassador for the sport of Quidditch and was as accommodating as he could possibly be. He posed for pictures and signed autographs until ten minutes before the start of his shift, when he politely excused himself to talk to Daniel Schleif, the director of the preserve.

"Good to see you again, Charlie," Daniel said as Charlie sat down.

"It's nice to be back. Unfortunately I'm not going to be here very long. I have to report to training camp shortly."

"Yes," Daniel began. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. You're only going to be here another month and I was wondering if you'd consider just working in the evenings as a tour guide."

"Oh Daniel," Charlie said. "I really don't like the tourist part of the preserve. I'd rather not."

"I'm sorry, Charlie, but that's about the only place we need you. The wrangler shifts are already scheduled through the end of next month. If anyone has an emergency, you can work for them, but I'm afraid I need you elsewhere."

Charlie wasn't happy with the assignment, but he needed to be around his dragons, and he was sure if he agreed to be tour guide this year, he'd have priority next season. Reluctantly Charlie agreed.

"Who'll I be working with?"

"Some new people. We've hired our first female tour guide. She's been here all season. Worked at the dragon preserve in South America for two years. Her name is Kelly Bradford. She also works with interns, Molly Ringling and Winslow Clarke. You'll like them." Daniel looked out the paneled glass that overlooked a good portion of the main compound.

"They're about to pick up a 3 day tour group now. Here's Kelly now." Daniel pointed her out. Kelly looked up and Daniel motioned her to come into his office.

Kelly was exactly what Charlie expected in a tour guide. All show. She was beautiful and she chose to wear the shorter, more modern costume which consisted of a tailored to fit pair of shorts and safari style shirt. Not only was she beautiful, but she had that wholesome quality about her as well.

Daniel introduced the two and Charlie followed her to the lobby where she was to pick up the group of seven tourists. The crowd collectively gasped in surprise when they saw Charlie Weasley, the Quidditch player, following Kelly.

Kelly did all the talking and Charlie stood back looking like he was engrossed in every word. The truth was, his mind was wandering. He thought about the fact that he didn't eat breakfast and was full of caffeine. He thought about how sexy Jessica looked this morning and regretted not making love with her before he left. A couple of the women in the group were really hot. He thought about the upcoming training camp and seeing his friends and team mates again; and how he really, really hated doing the tours at the preserve.

The campers grabbed their gear and headed for the protected camping area. The interns were waiting for them when they arrived. Charlie stood back and let everyone else do the work. He would help when asked. There were a lot of things to do to set up the area and Molly; the intern showed them safety precautions. She was talking about the giant spiders and how to avoid their webs, when a timid hand shot up.

"How big do the spiders get?" the young witch asked nervously.

Automatically Charlie sighed heavily. "If you see anything 24 inches please leave it alone; its mother will be looking for it. They are surprisingly maternal for arachnids."

The campers reacted the same way they always did. They either thought Charlie was kidding or they were horrified. He didn't know what the brochures were telling people these days about the dangers of the magical creatures. What the fuck, he thought. We'll rescue the poor bastards. That's what we do. That's all we do.

At one time, Charlie pledged not to carry on with any of the tourists because of the distraction, but he was so disillusioned with the whole process, he thought he might as well give it a shot; it would be a diversion, a pleasant one. The campers had several hours to set up their tents and prepare for the first walking tour of the day. They were given a disillusioning charm that made them almost invisible to the dragons and other magical creatures in the desert. The spell worked very well, but it wasn't perfect. It lulled many of them in a false sense of security.

Once the campers began the first tour, Charlie positioned himself next to the pretty witches. They were flattered when he paid attention to him. He pointed out some magical plants that the pixies like to eat to enhance their libidos. The pixies, he told them, only came out when it rained and played on the slick asphalt of the highways. They were responsible for many accidents on rainy nights. The women found the idea of pixies as fascinating. One of the girls asked Charlie if the plant worked on humans.

He grinned. "I don't know. You want to try it?" The women giggled. "Sure," one of the women, whose name was April said.

Charlie was flirty with them the rest of the afternoon. He convinced them that the plant wouldn't do them any harm, but they wouldn't have the desired result either.

Kelly wasn't amused at the attention he paid the young ladies. At dinner that evening she took him aside and told him she didn't appreciate him flirting with all the women.

"Jealous?" he asked in a low voice.

Kelly got red-faced and stammered. "No," she said. "Of course not. Your actions are unprofessional."

Charlie leaned in close to her ear. She shuttered slightly when she felt his warm breath on her cheek. Her eyelids fluttered and her pulse raced. "Fuck you," he whispered. "And not in the good way."