HI!

OMG I have missed you guys so much!!!! Sorry I haven't been updating, but my stupid teachers keep giving me more homework and they expect me to do it and all... In fact the only reason I'm updating now is because I'm sick today, and my parents let me stay home.

Alright, this is kinda a filler chapter, but this stuff is pertinent to the story, so it's not completely worthless.

But seriously, this time I'm not updating until I get 15 reviews. And I don't care if I have to wait till Christmas, I'm getting those damned reviews.

Lol. Aren't I precious?

Happy reading.

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Chapter 9:

Dating Part I: Kill Me Now

Teddy plopped down on his bed, fatigue weighing down every inch of him. He had never been more tired in all his life. Sex with Cass was an athletic experience, and thanks to the fact that they'd made a marathon out of it—the two having more sex than Ted knew was possible in the span of an hour—he'd nearly fallen asleep on five separate occasions during dinner.

A knock came at the door.

"Come in," he called, no part of his body moving except his mouth. He heard the door squeak open.

"Someone's tired."

"Yeah," he responded, his eyes still closed. He yawned. "Long day."

"I bet," Ginny said. He felt her sit at the foot of his bed. "So." She paused for a moment. "Exactly how many times did you two have sex?"

Teddy sat up with the speed of someone who'd just been poked with a white-hot cattle prod.

"Excuse me?" he asked in a daze, half from sitting up at the speed of light and half from the actual question.

"Oh c'mon, Ted," she sighed. She didn't seem at all mad or upset with him, just like she wanted to know what had happened. "Just admit it."

"Nothing happened," he lied, trying to cover himself by rubbing his eyes as he said it. Ginny sighed again.

"Harry, bring it in," she said to Teddy's open door.

Harry emerged from the hallway and entered Teddy's room, wielding a handheld chalkboard.

"You wouldn't dare," Teddy said, his voice reduced to a grave whisper.

"Talk," Ginny commanded, a solemn look on her face.

"Don't be a hero, Ted," Harry commented with a serious look on his face. "It's not worth it."

"I swear," he said, forcing every muscle in his body to act innocent, his eyes nervously fixed on the chalkboard. "Nothing happened."

Ginny sighed dramatically.

"Do it."

Harry brought his hand up to the chalkboard and drew his nails downward, producing the most heinous, god-forsaken noise Teddy had ever heard. He fell back on his bed, his hands clamped on his ears for dear life, but not hard enough to block out the sound in its entirety, leaving him to writhe and squirm on the bed.

"ALRIGHT!" Teddy shouted. Harry immediately stopped. "We had sex, are you happy?"

"Thank you, dear," Ginny said to Harry as he took a seat at Teddy's desk seat before turning her attention back to Teddy. "Now was that so difficult?"

"No offense, Ginny," he said, recovering from his torture, "but you're kinda the last person I want to share my sexcapades with. 'Cept for Gram of course, since she'd probably drop dead from the shock."

"I realize that, but it was so blatantly obvious!" she exclaimed, laughing a bit. "I mean you came in with your jacket inside out, and you practically fell asleep face-first into your pudding. And Cass, my god, she couldn't have looked more uncomfortable if she'd come in completely starkers. Not to mention the massive hickey you left on her neck."

"Kill me now," Teddy groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"Gin…" Harry warned, looking at her sternly.

"What?"

"You're embarrassing him! Ever stop to think that's why he doesn't want to share about his sex life?"

"At least I get him to talk about it somewhat! If it was up to you, he'd just bottle everything up till he explodes! Is that what you want? For Ted to explode?"

"Jesus, Gin, he's not gonna explode if he doesn't share every time he has a fuck!"

"Watch your mouth, your fucking children are up!"

"Harry! Ginny! Shut up, won't you!"

The two of them looked at him.

"My god, people would think you're fifty years older than you are, the way you two bicker," Teddy sighed. "It's fine, I was gonna tell you guys sooner or later anyway."

"Really?" they both said simultaneously. Ginny sounded excited and pleased, while Harry sounded incredulous.

"Why?" Ginny asked, trying to tone down her excitement.

"Because…" he said, bracing himself to say it aloud to someone other than Cass, "because I have a date with Cass. Tomorrow night."

Ginny pounced on Teddy, crushing him in a hug to rival her normal ones on the premise of bone-crushingness.

"Oh, Teddy!" she exclaimed, her embrace still preventing him from normal respiration. "I'm so glad you finally got it through your head!"

"Gin…" Teddy gasped. "Oxygen…"

"Oh right," she said, relinquishing him.

"I finally got what through my head?" he asked her after regaining a lungful of air.

"That you and Cass are supposed to be together!" she declared, looking as cheerful as could be.

"We're going on a date," Teddy said, trying to level out Ginny's extreme excitement. "It's not like we're ready to run away together."

"Oh Ted, what's with the negativity?" she asked, looking at him disapprovingly. "I know the two of you aren't ready to ride off into the sunset together, I'm just excited that the two of you have finally realized that what was good for you was right beside all along."

"Right, Ginny," Teddy said, turning about ten shades of crimson.

"Fine," she sighed, though that mischievous grin had not left her face.

---

The following night…

A slew of curse words left Cass's lips as she fell face down onto her bedspread. Damn whatever stupid little tart had invented high heels.

Granted, she had probably been built for them. The girls that were built for heels were remarkably easy to spot: small, slender, curvy, and graceful. Not like Cass, who was angular and beanpole-like and built like a preteen boy—chestless and curveless—and clumsier than a giraffe on rollerblades.

They were built for girls like Elena Parker, who had veela in her blood and was not only utterly gorgeous but petite and girly and could walk in them as if they were nothing more than an extension of her feet. Of course, Elle hadn't listened to that logic when she'd forced her to buy nearly ten pairs, along with about a buzillion different girly articles of clothing.

But all the information that had gone along with them had gone straight out the window. She couldn't remember what denim wash went with which colors, or what pieces mixed well together.

"Watch your mouth young lady."

"Shut up, Gemma," Cass groaned, rubbing her eyes as her younger sister entered her room.

"Someone's in a lovely mood," she mentioned in a offhanded tone. "What's the matter?"

"What's the matter?" she asked incredulously, staring at Gemma as though that was the most asinine question ever asked. "What's the matter? I'm supposed to go on a date with Teddy and I'm a built like some sort of deformed squash!"

Gemma just stared at her, a look of excitement creeping onto her face.

"Did you even hear what I just said?"

"I stopped listening after 'date with Teddy'," Gemma said, smiling.

"Stop smiling!" she snapped at her frantically. "It's so easy for you to find all this funny! You got the hair and the eyes and the boobs and everything! What did I get? I got the ass and the massive hips!"

"Hey, you got the cute nose, so shut the hell up," she shot back.

"Oh please, I look like I ran face-long into a retaining wall," she said miserably.

"Okay this a completely pointless conversation," Gemma sighed, getting impatient. "So… does this sudden date have anything to do with the extremely loud sex the two of you had up on the loft yesterday?"

"Oh god, you heard it…" Cass sighed, so mortified that she wanted the earth to swallow her up.

"Cassie, you're a screamer," she chuckled. "I wouldn't be surprised if Harry and Ginny heard it."

"Kill me now," she whispered against her hands, which were covering her face.

"So you need help getting dressed or what?" Gemma asked sympathetically.

"Yes," Cass breathed desperately, hugging Gemma. "Thank you."

"Right, enough with the love," she said, standing and going up to closet. "Oh my god, Elle really is a miracle worker. Look at all the acceptable articles of clothing!"

"Was it that awful before?" Cass asked.

"You want the truth?" Gemma's voice came from the depths of her closet.

"Pfff, no," Cass scoffed.

"Then no," Gemma responded, emerging with a flow-y, low-cut dress in a deep, salmon pink dress slung over one arm, a pair of strappy gold sandals in the opposite hand.

"What the hell is that?" Cass asked.

"Something you wear on a date," Gemma replied bluntly.

"I've never worn anything like that on a date before," Cass said reluctantly.

"Oh I'm sorry," Gemma corrected herself, laying out the clothes on the bed beside Cass. "It's something girls wear on dates."

"Gem!"

"Cass, you're going to a nice restaurant!" Gemma explained. "You don't show up in combat boots and a skull and crossbones t-shirt!"

"Fine!" Cass conceded. "I'll take your word for it."

"Good girl!" Gemma patted her on the head. "Now, what to do with that hair…"

"Nothing too crazy, Gem," Cass warned her.

"I know, I know..." she said as she went to room for supplies. "Just a nice half updo."

As Gemma gathered up any and every known beauty product she owned and proceeded to bring them into Cass's room in truckloads, Cass retreated into her thoughts.

"Cassie?" Gemma said, wrenching her back into reality. "Look up for me."

"Gemma?" Cass asked, tilting her head back obediently. "Do you think this is stupid?"

"Doing hair is never stupid."

"Not that, dizzy," Cass shot back sarcastically. "Is this date thing stupid?"

"You mean dating Teddy?" Gemma asked, running a brush through Cass's hair. Cass nodded. "Not at all."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Gemma assured her with a comforting smile. "I've always thought there was something more to you two than just friends."

"But there's no butterfly thing."

"Butterfly thing?"

"You know," Cass sighed. "The butterflies in the stomach thing. I don't get that in my stomach when I'm around him. I don't get all giggly and stupid around him."

"I thought you hated that," Gemma commented, looking confused as she tapped the curling iron with her wand to get it hot and proceeded to take piece of Cass's honey blonde hair.

"Yeah, but that's how I always knew I liked someone," Cass explained. "Now there's this awesome physical attraction, but I don't get the butterflies."

"Maybe Teddy's just different."

"Or maybe this is a bloody awful idea."

"Or maybe you're paranoid."

"Be honest, Gemma," Cass implored her. "Is this a bad idea?" Gemma sighed and set down the curling iron.

"Cass, as long as you and Teddy have been friends, I've known that someday you guys weren't gonna be just friends anymore," she said in earnest. "It's as plain as day that you guys always had some sort of attraction. You two are good for each other. Now just take my word for it."

"Alright," Cass said. She shot a sidelong glance at the pink dress. "Gemma, are you sure—"

"Shut up and sit still."

Alright, the beginning of the next chapter is gonna be Teddy's pre-date jitters.

And I know this is gonna be asked sooner or later, so I thought I'd preemptively tell you the order and age of the kids in Cass's family. Cass is (of course) the oldest, at eighteen. Then comes EB, and he's just a year younger at seventeen. Again only a year younger is Gemma (pronounced with a soft g, like Jenna, only with m's in place of the n's) at sixteen. Then there's Thatcher (yes, it was stolen from Grey's Anatomy, but I've always kinda liked that name anyway) who skips a couple years and is nearly fourteen. And as the youngest, there's a set of identical twins--Ava and Lulu, who are seven.

And again, no one noticed that I name-dropped Isabella last chapter! Gotta step it up, people...

Remember, 15 reviews.

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