Well for better or worse I'm back after a long absense. I really am sorry for those of you who were waiting for an update. I havn't been at the top of my game lately and some personal issues arose around the holidays that pushed The Gift off my to do list. Now thanks to a unexpected surge of fav/follows in my email I have dusted off my notebook and intend to delve deep in Alex and Fleur's story and bring you all the best that I have to offer.

This chapter will be a little short and origionally I had never planned on writing it but what would a story based around the relationship of two individuals be without a Valentines Day chapter?

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its affiliated characters or lore. Please dont sue me, I'm already broke enough as it is.

Song Disclaimer: The song used in this chapter is "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith. so it stand to reason that it most definitely doesn't belong to me.

Chapter 14

"Ave any of you seen Alex?" Fleur questioned her friends, the Gryffindor chasers. " 'E as been disappearing around zis time for ze last few nights."

The three girls shared a look, "We haven't seen him other than in classes."

The look the girls had shared raised suspicions in Fleur's mind. "Do you know somzing?"

The denials came too fast for Fleur to believe their sincerity. "You know somzing." Fleur's eyes narrowed, scrutinizing her friends for any hints.

"We don't know anything!" Alicia said just a bit too quickly.

"Cause anybody would believe that," Angelina sighed. "Look Fleur we don't know where Alex is but we do know what he is doing and before you ask, we promised not to tell you."

Fleur simply targeted her gaze on Alicia. The girl looked like she desperately wanted to tell her what Alex was up to.

"Stop it Fleur, I can't tell you." Alicia looked away from Fleur. "You will find out soon enough anyway."

Fleur raised an eyebrow. "Oh? 'Ow soon?"

"No! No." Katie jumped between the two while Angelina began to lead Alicia away. "Sorry Fleur, we promised." She turned to follow after the other two retreating Gryffindors.

"Guess I will 'ave to try and see if ze boys know anyzing." Fleur sighed. Now if she could just find them. Despite the time she had spent at Hogwarts she still got turned around when she walked the halls alone.

"Hey! I saw that!" Alex pointed at one house elf in particular who had strayed suspiciously close to the stove he was borrowing. "I know you guys are just trying to help but I really want to do this part myself."

"I say let the little guys help Alex." George pushed his mostly cleared plate away.

"Yea, you said it yourself you have never made it until this week." Fred was still picking at the leftovers on his plate. "I mean none of us even know what it's supposed to taste like."

"I know roughly what it's supposed to taste like." Alex defended. "What did you think of it Harry?"

"I liked it." Harry pushed his cleaned plate away.

"But did it taste like it was supposed to?" Fred asked.

Harry frowned, "I wouldn't know."

Fred leaned back in his chair, smug smile on his face. "See, thats why you should let the elves help you. You would still technically be the one who made it if you copied how they did it."

"Oh, then maybe you should copy Zonko's products and just put your name on it." Alex returned.

"That's different." Fred waved off."

"No it's not," George pointed out. "If you think about it as Alex is looking at Fleur to be his goal for the future then it's the same in a way."

Alex cleared his throat. "Right well if you are up to it I'll try it one more time."

"Sorry Alex but I'm stuffed. You still have another day before Valentines so why don't you give it a rest for the night?" George got up from the small table the elves had laid out for them.

"Seriously Alex take a break." Fred said getting up as well. "You keep up like this you are going to mess it all up when the time comes."

Alex gave a sigh. "I suppose I should take a break if only to spend time with Fleur, she already suspects something as it. Just let me clean up the stove and I'll be along."

Alex turned to find the stove and all of the borrowed kitchenware cleaned and tucked away. Courtesy of the elves no doubt. "Never mind then, let's go."

"I am still upset wiz you Alex." Fleur huffed as he lead her down yet another corridor. "Not only did you disappear for ze last few nights, but again just zis morning!"

Alex opened his mouth to defend himself but fleur cut him off.

"Were you even aware zat today is Valentines Day?" She poked his chest. "What do you 'ave to say for yourself?"

Alex stopped dead in the hall and Fleur had half a mind to continue on without him.

"I had something important to do." Alex finally answered.

Fleur rounded on him, ire growing. "And what could be more important zan your girlfriend on Valentines?"

To Fleur's surprise and annoyance Alex actually cracked a grin.

"Nothing could be more important than you." Alex stepped off to one side of the corridor and opened a door revealing a soft glow of light from within. "I spent all those days coming up with a surprise for you. I just didn't think you would be so upset by it."

"I-" Fleur's words caught in her throat as she peered through the door to see a table with two chairs next to a large window looked out over the Hogwarts grounds, now covered in snow.

Alex took her hand and guided her inside. "It took a while to find the right place for the set up and then there was the whole cooking thing." Alex lead her to a chair and pulled out a chair for her.

"Zis is what you were doing all zis week?" Fleur asked looking around the room.

"Mostly." Alex gave a teasing grin. "It was difficult to get everything together without you finding out about it. Not to mention all the important info I had to get out of you over the last month without you suspecting something."

"Information?" Fleur questioned.

"Your favorite foods, the area you grew up in, what kind of music you like, and all kinds of things. Even your favorite flower." Alex discretely tapped his wand on the underside of the table, just below where a small empty vase sat. The two stones he had placed inside twisted and grew into two intertwined belladonna lilies. Fleur's gasp and sparkle in her eyes showed that all his hard work had paid off.

Fleur sniffed and carefully wiped a tear from her eye. "I 'ad no idea you went to so much trouble for me. I 'ad zought you were getting bored of me so you were sneaking off somewhere else."

Alex laughed. "I don't know that you could ever be boring." Alex reached across the table and took one of Fleur's hands in his. "I love you Fleur. If there is one thing in this world you can be absolutely sure of its that." He gave her hand a squeeze before letting go.

"The surprise isn't over," Alex swept his hands across the table and the dinner he had prepared appeared before both of them.

Fleur stared at Alex in astonishment. "You are able to cast magic wandlessly?"

"Pffft no. I asked the house elves to help me out." Alex laughed. "I did make the food though, so today marks the first time I have ever cooked for you."

Fleur looked over the plate in front of her and marveled how well Alex had done to prepare her favorite dish from her home country.

"Go on, try it." Alex encouraged. He himself had eaten the very same dish every night for the last week. He was perfectly content to study Fleur's reaction to his cooking. And maybe he was a little too nervous to take a bite until his girlfriend assuaged his fears of having messed up something.

Fleur cut off a delicate bite and placed it in her mouth. Her widened eyes and her slight gasp caused Alex blood to freeze in his veins in fear.

"Zis is amazing!" Fleur proclaimed, taking another bite. "It tastes ze same as a popular restaurant in Marseille. 'Ow do you know 'ow to cook like zis?"

Alex felt his cheeks heat up, "Well my Dad taught me all kinds of cooking methods and I got the recipe from your Headmistress so I practiced it all week until I thought it was good enough to serve you."

"If all of your cooking is zis good, anyzing you make would be wonderful." Fleur praised.

Finally, Alex tucked into his own meal and a comfortable silence fell over the two broken only by the sounds of dinnerware until their plates were cleared.

"You didn't 'ave to go zrough all zis trouble for me." Fleur's smile said just how much she appreciated it.

"It's all worth it if it's for you Fleur," Alex stood up and held out a hand for Fleur to join him "One last surprise." Alex flicked his wand at a record player in the corner, the sound of strings filled the room. "I know how much you enjoyed dancing during the Ball."

Fleur's face lit up in a smile and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he placed his hands on her waist.

I could stay awake just to hear you breathing

Watch you smile while you are sleeping

While you're far away dreaming

Alex pulled Fleur closer and they swayed gently at their own pace.

I could spend my life in this sweet surrender

I could stay lost in this moment forever

Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure

Fleur pressed closer to Alex and pulled his head down to place a kiss on his lips.

Don't want to close my eyes

I don't want to fall asleep

'Cause I'd miss you baby

And I don't want to miss a thing

Fleur deepened the kiss, no longer dancing she melded her form against his. The heat of her body increasing.

'Cause even when I dream of you

The sweetest dream will never do

I'd still miss you baby

And I don't want to miss a thing

Fleur's hands roamed over Alex's torso until the found a way under his shirt stopping over his heart.

Lying close to you feeling your heart beating

And I'm wondering what you're dreaming

Wondering if it's me you're seeing

"Fleur." Alex intended it as a warning but to her it sounded more like encouragement. She certainly took it as such as she pulled his shirt up over his head.

Then I kiss your eyes

And thank God we're together

I just want to stay with you in this moment forever

Forever and ever

Fleur pulled her wand out and conjured a small sofa before extinguishing half of the candles overhead. Even in the the low light Fleur can see Alex's stunned expression. Before her nerve could falter she pushed him onto it.

I don't want to miss one smile

I don't want to miss one kiss

I just want to be with you

Right here with you, just like this

"F-fleur are you sure?" Alex stammered as Fleur removed her own shirt revealing perfect milky skin.

I just want to hold you close

Feel your heart so close to mine

And just stay here in this moment

For all the rest of time

Fleur straddled his lap and pressed the attack, her lips claiming his.

Alex grabbed Fleur's shoulders and gently eased her away. "Fleur I love you, and this is amazing, but I need to know if this is what you want." Seeing her confused expression he continued. "I need you to tell me this is what you want. That it is because you want to be together. This bond will never let us be apart and I need to know that you want it because you want me and not because you are afraid to lose me."

"I- " Fleur paused unsure of what to say. She loved Alex and she did want this, but why did he stop her? Didn't he want to be hers?

Alex searched her face and seemed to come to a conclusion. He pulled her to him and embraced her lovingly desperately . "Not tonight," he whispered in resignation, "not like this." Slowly he released her and eased her off of his lap.

Getting up he picked up his shirt off the floor and pulled it on. "I think it's best we stop here for the night." Alex headed for the door. "Despite what you must be thinking right now I do love you Fleur and I want nothing more than to call you mine, body and soul, but not yet. I don't want us to be together because of our fears. I want it to be because you love me as much as I love you. I don't want you to regret us even a little. Goodnight Fleur. I really do love you." And with that he disappeared out the door.

Stunned, Fleur flopped down on the couch. What did he mean by 'our fears'? She wasn't afraid. Nervous? Definitely. Did he think she was affected by her own allure again? Or perhaps he was the one who was afraid. Did he fear the bond? Was he afraid of her? Didn't he say he would love her no matter what she looked like, no matter what she was?

Slowly her confusion turned to frustration and from frustration to anger. Why did he turn her away? Clearly he was attracted to her, she could feel that much while she was sitting in his lap. Was it out of some misguided chauvinistic idea that she couldn't decide for herself what she wanted? That he had to think for her? Ugh, the very idea pissed her off. How could he dare do something like this!?

The record player needle skipped on the record with a sharp sound drawing her ire. Out of instinct she raised her hand and incinerated it with a ball of fire from her hand.

Wait, that was new. She looked down at her hand and noticed it had started to be covered in scales. She had begun to change without realizing it. Damn it, of all nights for her maturation this was certainly the worst timing.

She felt the brief pain in her back as her wings emerged followed by an odd sensation as portions of her skin shifted to be covered in scales.

If Alex was too afraid to bond with her before, he certainly would be now.

Slumping down onto the floor, Fleur felt the tears well up and she didn't fight them. Didn't Alex know he was the only one for her? The only chance she had for a normal relationship? Didn't he know that without him she would be alone again?

"Damn it all!" She sobbed, curling up on the floor. Why didn't he understand?

Authors notes: Not quite the romantic scene we thought we were going to leave off with but I believe this clears the way for a greater foundation on which Alex and Fleur can build a serious relationship. I know some of you out there are thinking 'Why can't Alex and Fleur hook up already?'. this is my thought on the matter. Both Alex and Fleur have dealt with some form of veneration and or abuse from their peers and both have only recently found someone they want to trust themselves to for the first time. I takes time to rid yourself of all the ingrained fears of rejection and failure. that road is a perilous and bumpy. The fact that these two are willing to try for each other is a greater testament of their feelings for each other than any explicit scene that I could bumble my way through. All good things in time or so I believe the saying goes.

A really big thank you to all those who have fav/followed The Gift! that goes doubly for those of you who have done so recently. your actions have helped bring me back to something I enjoy but thought I didn't have in me anymore. I hope I can live up to your expectations for future chapters.

Lastly I know it is poor form to pander for reviews but I really do want to know what you as the reader think of The Gift. I want to know what it is you like, what you don't like, and what you think I could do better. I keep the feedback in mind when writing up each new chapter and I can't help but believe that I have grown as a writer thanks to each and every review. So please help me better my skills and I will bring my best to each new chapter.

I look forward to hearing from you,

K. Raiden