A/N: A little cheesy, but fun nonetheless. Definitely not my best, but I never claimed to be talented…

Thanks to all who reviewed – you made my day! mackgirl, xXxSour-LemonxXx, mythicxconvolutions, TahnDawg, Avila Naislin, Aurora, trizia

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Chapter 6: An Unexpected Turn

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After nearly half an hour, George emerged from the trees with a very angry Calli still slung over his shoulder.

"Where have you been? We've been really worried!" Aralyn said as she and Fred ran up to the pair. "George – what happened?"

"Stupid girl's gone and broken her ankle!" George growled, trudging over to the tent where the girls would be sleeping.

"What? Calli?"

"I – I tripped. My foot got caught on a stump, and my ankle snapped," Calli breathed as George gently lowered her to the ground. She was very pale now, and it was no secret that the pain had gotten much worse.

Fred glanced at George, who was brushing off his trousers with a frown on his face.

"Oh, Calli…" Aralyn muttered, shaking her head. "Well, go on, get in there…"

Biting her lip because of the pain, Calli scooted into the tent on her bottom and Aralyn climbed in after her. Fred and George stared at one another, listening.

"Gimme your foot–"

"Oh, Are, you know I don't like it when–"

"Well maybe next time you'll think twice before running through the woods in the dark, now won't you? I know we're not supposed to do magic, but why didn't you just let George try to mend this back there?"

"Ow! He did."

"Well, he did a horrible job of it, didn't he?"

"No, I mean, he tried but I wouldn't let him. Ouch!"

"Hold still, Calli! Why? Please don't tell me you wanted him to carry you…" Aralyn murmured a spell and touched her wand tip to Calli's ankle.

"No, I – Ooh! That stings!"

"Stop being such a baby. It wouldn't hurt as much if you'd have just let George do this when it first happened."

"I wasn't about to let him touch me with that thing! You – you saw the look in his eyes! He practically tried to kill me!"

"What?!" George appeared in the opening of the tent. "Calli, I told you–"

"You chased me into the woods!" Calli snapped.

"You – you – I wasn't actually going to do anything!" George hollered, flustered. "And besides, you had me wandering around in the dark!"

"And I should have left you there, too!"

"Oh, honestly, woman! I should have left you there!"

"That's enough, you two!" Aralyn shouted, making them both flinch. "I've had it with the both of you!" Grabbing her pack she crawled out of the tent, leaving a very bewildered George and Calli inside.

George started to follow. "Aralyn, where are you–" His sentence broke off as Aralyn pointed her wand at him.

"In!" she commanded, her eyes narrowed.

George frowned. "What? No! No way!"

Aralyn took a menacing step toward him. "In!"

Reluctantly, George ducked back inside the tent.

Aralyn kneeled before the opening. "Until you two learn to stop trying to kill each other, I don't want to see either of you!" The tent flap dropped, and with a soft glow, the opening disappeared.

George scrambled over to where Aralyn had just been kneeling and felt around the fabric. Pulling out his wand, he muttered a spell, hissing in pain as he received a shock. "The bloody woman's gone and locked us in!"

"Oh, shut up! It's your fault we're here! Had to go and make her angry, didn't you?" Calli sniffed. She sat up, pulling her knees to her chest.

Slowly, George's head turned in her direction. "My fault? You think this is my fault? If you had only let me fix your stupid ankle we'd both be sitting out there right now!"

"Don't start with me, Weasley!" Calli sneered. "Do you really think I was going to let you use that stick on me?"

George glared at her. "Keep it up, and I'll show you just what this stick can do!"

Calli opened her mouth, but as she sat watching George lightly finger his wand with a smirk, she decided it was best not to test him. With a dramatic sigh, she buried her face in her arms.

George sat silently for a moment, staring at the girl who was making his day one of the most miserable in years. "So, what do we do now?"

Calli shrugged, not bothering to lift her head. "Just shut up and leave me be."

George muttered a word that made Calli throw her shoe at him. "Ow! Will you stop behaving like a child?"

Calli's head snapped up. "I'm sorry, did I hurt your wittle head?" she said in a baby voice.

"Grow up!" he hissed.

"What's wrong, Georgie-poo? Don't you like me?" Calli asked mockingly.

George grabbed her shoulders and gave her a small shake. "If you don't shut up…"

Calli stared at him, eyes narrowed, lips pursed.

Realizing what he was doing, George quickly dropped his hands. "I'm sorry…"

The blonde huddled against the back of the tent. "Don't."

"Calli, you're being ridiculous." George sat back on his heels, frowning. "I didn't mean–"

"Get away from me…" she warned.

"Calli…" George pleaded.

"Get away!" Calli picked up her other shoe.

In one swift move, George grabbed her, pinning her hands behind her and making Calli drop her weapon. "Will you calm down?"

"Let go of me, George!" she spat.

"Not until you calm down."

Calli struggled to free herself. "That witch just locked me in a tent with a lunatic!"

George scowled. "I'd never–"

"You're hurting me! Let go!"

Immediately, George released Calli's arms but kept his arm around her waist. "Will you just listen to me, please?"

Calli pushed against his chest. "Let go of me!"

"Not until you listen to me."

"If you don't let me go, I'm gonna scream!" she warned.

"Calli–"

Taking a deep breath, Calli screwed up her face. George did the only thing he could think of – he kissed her. Calli's balled fists, ready to strike, dropped to her sides. She let out a small yelp but stopped struggling against him. Finally coming to his senses George pulled away. For a moment the pair just stared at each other.

"Why – why did you just do that?" Calli gasped. Her hand flew to her lips, pressing against them to stop the tingling.

"I… Sorry." George turned away and moved to the side of the tent. He pressed his lips together, took a deep breath.

Calli watched as the twin felt the tent for the opening that no longer existed. "George?"

"It's getting late," he said quietly. "Aralyn? Aralyn! Come on! Let me out, okay?"

"George…"

"Aralyn! Come on, this isn't funny!"

"George!"

Bracing himself for more screaming and hitting, he turned around. Calli had unrolled a sleeping bag and spread it out next to hers.

"She's not coming until morning. Just…" She gave the sleeping bag a pat. "Here, get some sleep." Turning her back to him, she crawled inside her own sleeping bag and curled into a ball.

Thoroughly bewildered at what had just transpired, George gave a sigh and lay down, huddled against the front of the tent with his arm behind his head.

Calli pulled herself up on her elbow. "The temperature is dropping – you'll get too cold."

George stared up at the top of the tent. "I'll be fine," he muttered.

"You'll be more comfortable, at least," Calli said softly.

George sat up and looked at her.

Calli patted the bag again. "Let's call a truce. No more fighting."

Hesitantly, George grabbed the sleeping bag and pulled it closer to the side of the tent then he slid inside. "No more fighting."

Giving a small nod, Calli settled back down and closed her eyes. "'Night, George."

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x0x0x0x0x

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"What did you just do?" Fred asked, watching Aralyn lower her wand after sealing the opening of the tent.

She tossed her pack against the twins' tent and made her way over to the fire. "I gave them no choice but to reconcile their differences or die trying."

Fred slid his arm around Aralyn's back and pulled her against his side as they sat down on an old log in front of the blazing fire. "I can't believe you just did that!" he said, shaking with laugher.

Aralyn chuckled. "Well, what would you have done?"

"Run in the opposite direction," he answered. "You know, George is going to have your head for this."

"Now you tell me." Aralyn laughed again and rested her head on Fred's shoulder. "Lucky for me, I've got you."

Fred smiled. "That you do."

They sat quietly, staring into the flames. The sound of Calli's and George's muffled arguing drifted from the direction of their tent. After a few moments, Aralyn shifted and turned to look back toward the noise.

"Fred, you don't think he'd really…"

"Of course not," Fred reassured her. "George wouldn't do a thing to her."

"Maybe I should let them out?"

"Going soft already?" Fred teased. "No, best let them be. You said so yourself – they need to reconcile their differences or die trying."

"It's the second part I'm worried about," Aralyn said grimly.

Fred laughed heartily and pulled her into a hug. "They'll be fine, I promise. George fancies Calli – he's not about to hurt her. She just irritates the hell out of him, that's all."

Aralyn stared up at Fred in surprise. "He fancies her? But I thought…"

"Why else would he have come?" Fred said pointedly.

Aralyn shrugged. "I hope you're right." She shivered slightly from the cold.

Fred began to gently rub her arms. "It's getting a bit cold, isn't it?"

Aralyn nodded, shifting closer to the fire. "It always does at night."

"Come on then." Fred stood up, taking hold of Aralyn's hand. "We'll be warmer in the tent."

Grabbing Aralyn's pack, Fred held open the tent flap and watched as Aralyn hesitated when she heard Calli threaten to scream. Waiting a beat, then two, she turned to crawl into the tent.

"Something wrong?" Fred asked her, biting back a chuckle. He knew full well that Aralyn was ready to come to Calli's rescue in a moment's notice.

"No, nothing," she replied. Noting his amusement she added, "They're fine."

Fred nodded. "Of course they are. I'm not about to let Calli kill George. Though it might be fun to watch her try…"

"Fred!" Aralyn laughed, swatting his leg. She lit a small lantern and placed it in the corner of the tent. Seeing the confused look on Fred's face she reminded him, "No magic, remember?"

Fred nodded, smiling sadly. "Yeah. No magic," he repeated, staring at the lantern.

"What's wrong?" Aralyn asked, concerned. She scooted closer to him and laid a hand on his arm. "Fred?"

He lifted the lantern gingerly, staring at the light inside. When he spoke, his voice was just above a whisper. "My dad would have loved this…"

Aralyn rested her cheek on his shoulder. "He collected things. You're mother told me," she said softly.

"He did," Fred told her, turning the lantern around, examining it carefully. "All kinds of Muggle contraptions. He had a car once. Fixed it up, made it fly… And Harry gave him a telephone for his birthday. He kept all sorts of things, but he loved plugs best…" With a sigh, Fred set the lantern on the ground.

"You can have it, if you'd like," Aralyn offered, stroking his arm comfortingly.

Fred gave a smile and draped his arm around her, hugged her. "I've got my own collection of things. But thanks." He stared at the opening of the tent. "It's quiet now."

Aralyn pulled back to listen. "It is. Think they've gone to sleep?" She tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn.

Fred grinned. "Well, if they haven't they will soon. And so should we."

Crawling inside the spare sleeping bag, Aralyn gave a small laugh. "Well, this is a bit different." Fred cocked an eyebrow. "For once I won't have to put up with Calli's snoring," she said with a smirk.

Fred chuckled. "She and George will get along well then. Took me forever to get used to having my own room once we moved to our own flat. Far too quiet for me." He settled into his sleeping bag and turned to face Aralyn. "I seriously considered charming my wardrobe to imitate him."

Aralyn shook with laughter. "You two are very close, aren't you?"

Fred nodded. "Can't get much closer than a twin. Our whole family's close though."

"So I've noticed," said Aralyn softly. "I think it's wonderful."

"It can be," Fred replied, shrugging. "There are times, though, when I think they're a bit too intrusive."

"They're just looking out for you."

"Is that what Ginny was doing? Looking out for me?" Fred shifted up onto one arm.

Aralyn blushed. "Well… we started talking about Harry. Somehow, she managed to turn the conversation around."

"And what did my darling baby sister have to say about me?"

"She erm… She asked if we were serious," Aralyn answered softly. She shifted uncomfortably in her sleeping bag.

Fred leaned forward in interest. "And?"

Aralyn rolled onto her back, avoiding his gaze. "And I told her that we haven't really given it much thought."

Fred was silent for a minute as he contemplated what to say next. All he could come up with was "Oh."

"We never really talked about it or anything, you and me," Aralyn continued.

"Alright, let's talk about it."

"Alright."

"We have been seeing each other for a while now. For more than a month, really," Fred said thoughtfully.

"Yes," Aralyn agreed. "But even so… A serious relationship is more than just dating. It's more… more…"

"Serious?" Fred offered playfully.

Aralyn snorted. "I was going to say more involved. For one thing, it's exclusive."

Fred looked taken aback. "I'm not seeing anyone else."

"Neither am I," Aralyn said hurriedly. "Oh, Fred, I didn't mean to imply…"

"I know." He reached out to twirl a lock of her hair around his finger. "It's okay."

Sitting up, Aralyn rubbed her arms, not sure if she was really cold or just nervous. "It's more than that though. Much more. Being involved in a serious relationship requires a whole new level of… of commitment."

"Are you saying you think I'm not able to do that?" Fred asked, frowning.

Aralyn squirmed. "Fred… I just think… well…" She sighed and closed her eyes. "I don't want you to think I'm expecting anything."

Fred gave her a puzzled look. "Expecting anything?" he repeated.

Aralyn spoke slowly. "George told me about Angelina."

"George told you about Angelina."

Aralyn grimaced. "Yes."

The tent filled with silence.

"I know what you went through – sort of. I had Jeff," she continued.

"Jeff?" Fred said, frowning. "You mean–"

"Calli's brother, yeah." Aralyn nodded.

"And the two of you were serious?"

Aralyn nodded again. "Very. I'd say we were as serious as you and Angelina… only without the ring."

Fred and Angelina had been together since their sixth year at Hogwarts. Things between them progressed quickly, and shortly after she had finished school, Fred came to Angelina's flat – engagement ring in his pocket – only to find her with Oliver Wood. They were doing a fair bit more than just snogging on the sofa.

Fred's face darkened at the memory.

"I'm not Angelina," Aralyn told him.

"I know you're not," Fred replied, watching her.

Aralyn took a deep breath, rolled her lip between her teeth. "Why did you ask me out?" she asked uncertainly.

Fred moved beside her and put his hand on her back. Feeling the need to lighten the mood he answered, "What man could resist a beautiful, intelligent, mysterious woman?"

"Fred… I'm serious." She sighed, shaking her head. Slowly, her frown faded, turning into a weak smile.

Hesitating only for a moment, Fred pulled Aralyn to him and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "I hadn't really intended to ask you out straight away," he admitted.

Aralyn cocked an eyebrow. "Really? Then what happened between 'hi' and 'dinner?'"

Fred shrugged. "Couldn't help myself. Any woman who can hold my interest with only one-word sentences is definitely someone I wish to get to know better."

"Oh, really now?" Aralyn smiled. "And just how many women have you managed to entice with your witty pick-up lines?" she asked teasingly.

"Only needed to try it once," Fred replied, grinning.

Aralyn let out groan and rolled her eyes, making Fred chuckle. "You know," she began. "I've never before agreed to go out with a guy without becoming friends first. You're the only one."

Fred's grin widened. "Really? What happened between 'hi' and 'dinner?'"

"I suppose I couldn't resist a good-looking, intelligent, mysterious guy with a rather intriguing sense of humor." Fred groaned and rolled his eyes, then laughed as Aralyn let out a giggle.

A few minutes later they were huddled into their respective sleeping bags. "I've been thinking," Fred said softly. He reached for her hand, lacing his fingers with hers.

"About what?"

"Maybe… Maybe we should just take things slowly. See what develops."

Aralyn smiled and nodded, giving his hand a squeeze. "No need to rush, Fred. Slow is good."

"Yeah," he brought her hand to his lips. "Slow is very good."