WHO'S AMAZING?! WHO GOT ANOTHER CHAPTER UP A DAY AFTER ANOTHER ONE?!

Yup. That's right.

Alright, you can all thank me later. Here's the chappy, and btw, I actually got to the action in this chapter.

Happy reading.

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Chapter 13:

Promises, Promises

"I don't get what the problem is, Teddy!" Victoire shouted at him, her porcelain cheeks flushed with crimson.

"Clearly you don't or we wouldn't be having this conversation!" Teddy shot back, more than tired of having this conversation with her.

"Andrew is my friend! Yes, I'm around him a lot but there's nothing there!"

"I'm sure there isn't…"

"Could you be any more condescending?! What have I done to deserve that?!"

"Have you even been listening?! I just told you that I don't want you hanging out with him!"

"Who the hell do you think you are?! You are never around and you just expect me to not hang out with anyone?!"

"I do expect you not to lead some bloke on and stop playing games with me!"

"I'm NOT playing fucking games with you, you stupid bastard! You're blowing this completely out of proportion!"

"Oh I am, am I?"

Teddy and Victoire were locked in yet another one of their epic fights, with Elle and Cyrus planted on the stairs, listening and enjoying Bertie Bott's. It had taken nearly an hour and a half—and nearly all of their wits—to get Joaquin to go down, and by the time they were about to apparate out of there, they heard the shouting and couldn't resist themselves.

"This is the best one yet," Cyrus whispered, picking a light pink bean—hoping it was watermelon. "You think this'll be it?"

"Hmm," Elle said uncertainly, chewing on a roast beef flavored bean. "I think they'll be back together in a week."

"Wanna put money on it?" Cyrus asked. She eyed him for a few moments, as if contemplating if this would be a smart bet.

"You're on," she said, shaking his hand. "Five galleons says they'll be back together in a week or two."

"How wrong you are, younger sister," he said confidently. "How wrong you are."

Teddy and Victoire had an interesting relationship, for lack of a more accurate term. Yes, they were crazy for one another, but they still seemed to 'break up' every month or so. It was never over anything remotely enough to keep them apart for more than a week or two, but the two never seemed to be able to keep the fights from breaking out.

At that moment, a soft pop sound came from behind where Cyrus and Elena were seated on the stairs.

"I heard them out in the hall and I decided it would be safer just to apparate in instead," Cass chuckled, grabbing a handful of beans for herself without missing a beat. "What did I miss?"

"About three 'who-the-hell-do-you-think-you-are's, two 'oh-I-am-am-I's, and one 'stupid bastard'," Cyrus filled her in.

"I just don't get how the two of them can be so mad about each other, and still find a reason to break up every other month," Elle pondered aloud, examining a greenish one in the low light, hoping it was a green apple bean. "It would drive me nuts."

"You both will probably drop dead of shock, but I think it's cute," Cass whispered, a smile on her face as she chewed a purple bean, uncertain what its flavor was.

"You?" Cyrus asked incredulously, a skeptical eyebrow raised. "You are the biggest, most jaded un-romantic ever. Entertaining, yes, but you're telling me you find this cute?"

"Yeah." Cass shrugged, a little smile on her face. "I dunno. I just think it's kinda sweet. My mum and dad did that a lot when they were dating."

"They're dead though," Cyrus said, with all the tact of a four-year-old on caffeine. "Clearly they weren't doing something right."

"Cyrus!" both Elle and Cass whisper-shouted at him—Elle's exclamation more out of indignation, and Cass's coming from a 'I-can't-believe-he-just-said-that-but-taking-it-in-good-humor' frame of mind—as both preceded to slap one side of his head.

"MMMMCH!" came Cyrus's muffled cry, as Elle and Cass had realized that he wasn't going to be quiet with his whining and both had covered his mouth.

"Cyrus, so help me god, SHUT UP!" Elena whisper-screamed at him. He nodded his head, as he couldn't respond verbally.

"Fine, I'll shut up," he said when he regained his mouth, glancing at the both of them. Looking at Cass, he noticed she was wearing heels and a silk top. "How was your date?"

"Later," Cass insisted, waving her hand dismissively. "Shhh."

"We never get to see each other, and yet all you do when we're together is bitch about something stupid!"

"Excuse me, but maybe if someone was a little less friendly with Andrew I wouldn't have to bitch all the damn time!"

"There is NOTHING going on with Andrew!"

"I never get to see you during the school year, how am I supposed to know that!"

"You're supposed to believe your girlfriend when she tells you what happened! And you can come visit me during school, you know! I, however, can't leave the grounds to come visit you!"

"I'm sure you'll be fine with Andrew…"

"WHY DON'T YOU SHUT THE BLOODY HELL UP, YOU POMPOUS BASTARD! I'M CRAZY ABOUT YOU, YOU ENORMOUS PRAT, AND ALL YOU CAN EVER DO IS MAKE ME FEEL GUILTY WHEN I'VE DONE NOTHING WRONG!"

Teddy felt the proverbial slap hit his face.

There was always this moment in the fight, where the one who'd started it realized that this all was stupid. After that, the one who hadn't started it would either break up with the one who had started it, or they would make up on the spot. But this was different; actually, not so much different as amplified. Usually the only casualties of their fights were their egos. But now, looking in Vic's eyes that were bluer than the sky and the sea, he knew that he'd bruised more than just her ego.

"Clearly you don't trust me at all," she said very softly, her voice indicating that she was on the verge of tears. "And if we don't trust each other, then we really don't have much of a relationship, do we?"

"Vic—"

"Just shut up, Teddy," she said, sounding very tired as she grabbed her coat and her bag. "Just shut up. Every time you open your mouth tonight, I get just a little bit closer to tears." She walked to the door, and looked back at him as she opened the door. "Leave me alone. And this time, for good."

She pulled on her coat and walked out, slamming the door behind her.

Teddy didn't know what to do. He looked around the room, realizing how alone he was.

Without warning, he picked up the vase of flowers on the coffee table and hurled it across the room, and watched it shatter against the wall. He fell to the sofa, the reality sinking in faster than he could keep it away.

All three of them on the stairs shared glances of utter disbelief.

"I was RIGHT!" Cyrus whisper-yelled in excitement. "Pay up!"

Elle, still wearing that look of incredulity, opened up her money sack and doled out five galleons.

Cass said nothing, standing up from her step.

"I'll take care of him tonight," she said quietly. "You and Elle took the last turn."

"Alright," Elle said, giving her a quick hug. "Good luck."

After Cyrus and Elle had apparated back to their apartment, Cass descended the stairs and went to Teddy in the living room.

"Ted," she whispered, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

He looked up, knowing who it was before he did so. Just as he could look in Victoire's eyes and just know what she was feeling, he just knew Cass's touch.

She sat down on the couch beside him, and wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace.

"I'm sorry, Ted," she whispered, pulling away to look at him, making sure he was okay. "But it'll be okay. I promise it will."

"How was your date," he managed to say. Something inside him didn't want to talk about what had just happened. She nodded, understanding immediately.

"It was okay," she shrugged, leaning back into the cushy couch. "He was a nice guy, but for me he didn't really have much else going on."

"Translation: he was ugly," Teddy joked, chuckling a little bit.

"Hey, why do you always think that's my problem with guys?!" she shot back, smiling. "I'm not that shallow!"

"Alright, then what didn't this guy have going for him?" Teddy asked. "Was he boring?"

"No…" Cass said thoughtfully, staring at the ceiling.

"Was he a sexual deviant?"

"God, I wish."

"Did he have kids?"

"Not with him."

"Oh, I bet he said you looked fat."

"Ted!"

"Ouch!" Teddy yelped, rubbing the spot on the back of his head where Cass had slapped him. "Fine, then what was wrong with him?"

Cass looked at Teddy with one of her 'looks', where they just knew what the other meant.

"I knew it!" Teddy said triumphantly, grinning fiendishly. "He was ugly!"

"I know, I'm a shallow tart!" she said sheepishly, covering her face with her hands. "Is it so horrible to ask for someone with everything going for them AND good looks?"

"No, it's not," Teddy assured her, still chuckling a bit. "That's what I've got with—"

They both knew what he was about to say.

Something hurt so badly. Something deep inside his chest hurt. No, it wasn't the worst pain he'd ever endured, but it hurt so intently. Actually— he realized—it wasn't a pain. It was nothing. There was simply a void.

And there was Cass, so close… he could smell her sweet-scented hair and count her freckles… her lips were so full and he wanted so badly to feel them against his…

"Ted…" she said warningly, her eyes cold and hard. "Don't do it if you'll hate yourself for it."

"I feel nothing," he whispered desperately, and her eyes visibly softened. "I feel nothing, and it's killing me. And what I need is to feel something other than the nothing I feel."

She looked at him for a moment, as if she was trying to decide if he'd regret it.

"Okay," she said, nodding.

It had been months since he'd tasted her lips, yet the moment his lips touched hers it was as if it had been no time at all. Everything was as it had been the first time they kissed—quick and deep and desperately hot—and every subsequent time.

He reached for the buttons on her silky blouse, fumbling as he fought to undo them… he could feel more and more of her beautiful, soft skin, under his hands…. it all was coming at him so quickly and he didn't want it to slow down…

He felt a pang of something in his stomach, and he knew immediately it was not of sadness or emptiness.

Guilt.

His mind ran to Victoire, and what she was going to say if and when she found out.

He pushed it away. He could not let his mind travel to her, the girl with the hair as bright as the sun and the eyes that were bluer than anything on earth.

Because if he did, he wouldn't know what to do.

OOOOO... oh what a tangled web we weave...

Now review. And some substantial reviews, people, not just "Cute! Update!".

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