SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR WARNINGS AND NECESSARY DISCLAIMERS.

Context : Still in Emerald Hollow and featuring a bit of a lull between the episode with the common war council and Theo's "fix".

GREED, VI

"I've got to do something," Harry wails, sitting before the Christmas tree, tugging at his messy hair. He turns his panicked gaze on Charlie.

Theo has retreated for the time being, to the privacy of his study and a sudden air-wave long-distance call. There's something happening over on Mt. Valeraine and he needs to tend to it.

Harry's not surprised to find his Bonded scattering almost at once, at Theo's departure. He knows the call means that they'll most likely be required to start moving—soon.

He worries for his twins and Charlie, but that worry is somewhat overridden by the singular detail of what Theo has only just mentioned.

"Charlie—help!" He pleads.

"For?" Charlie prompts, cautiously approaching.

"I didn't know it was that much!" and Harry knows he's dangerously close to whining, but he's temporarily at a loss here. Honestly, he hadn't thought it would come up to that much, but he hadn't really been paying attention either.

"We're always on a budget," Charlie counters, because they are. It's a good habit to live within their means and save for the expansion of their Circle in terms of future offspring or career changes. "And you usually do track this, Harry."

Harry pouts, because he was kind of hoping no one else had noticed that detail. Never mind that Charlie is right and that he does usually keep track of this. He'd just been—excited. "I didn't think about presents," he says, annoyed with himself. "I was thinking of—the replacements."

"You weren't paying attention," Charlie says, lightly. He knows his guess is correct when Harry begins to blush. "And you were a bit carried away, weren't you?"

"Erm—I tried?" Harry falters when he sees the semi-stern look on his Beta's face. "Charlie, that's not fair! I was going to replace things. I wasn't counting on wrapping paper and ribbons and—and gifts!"

"Replacement or not, you have to watch out for these sorts of things." Charlie sighs. He ruffles his hair, tugging at the ends, as if he can't make up his mind what he wants to say. "Besides, I thought you were the one that came up with this. You told Theo it was a good idea to have a separate holiday fund." Charlie scratches his head, as an awful realization dawns. He's been kind of hoping, thinking that perhaps, somehow, it was an exaggeration, because really—it's not like—and the knut drops.

"Harry—you didn't—really—all of it?"

Harry gulps.

Charlie winces. There's only a couple of options then. "You can return some of those, can't you?"

Harry whines.

The next morning, the entire living room is stripped down.

The tree is decorated with a little bit more than the bare minimum, but it's no longer overloaded and glaring with shiny reflections on every inch of the wall.

Charlie inches into the room, surprised that Harry is not there. Theo is, sipping on his customary cup of coffee and looking perfectly normal.

Too normal.

Easing down onto the larger settee, Charlie cautiously studies him. This feels like the calmness before the storm and he's not sure yet, that it isn't.

Theo smiles and turns his face for the expected kiss. "You're up early."

"Twins," Charlie mutters, because really, they are restless sleepers. He ought to have kicked them out of the room by now. George could cuddle with Quinn and Fred would be fine with Hadrian—since Wikhn was currently furious with both of them anyway.

Theo chuckles, reaching out and rubbing a hand through Charlie's tri-colored hair.

Charlie can't help leaning into the caress. He purrs when Theo kisses the corner of his mouth, before handing over his precious coffee cup.

They have a moment to themselves, there in the early morning, with no interruptions. It leaves them both somewhat breathless and smirking at each other with promises for more—later.

Privately, when they won't be interrupted and possibly as a reward to managing to survive another busy, crazy day. The good kind, that they're all slowly getting used to.

"Did you know…?" Charlie gestures to the room.

Theo snorts. "It's his instincts. He can't help it. I just made him think about something else. He still likes shiny things."

"Snitch?" Charlie says, half to himself. Perhaps that was why Harry had always been a good Seeker.

Theo chokes back a laugh. "No. Maybe. It's Harry. I'm just glad that he was able to enjoy himself for a little bit—and Fred did need to be out of the house. George was getting annoyed by his lack of actual work."

Charlie settles in, his expression softening. "They've always been like that," he admits. "George does things different and Fred tries to mimic it sometimes, but they are two different people. They make it work, because they are twins, but every once in awhile, they did need a break. Mum would set them to de-gnoming the garden."

"How is she, your mother?" Theo asks. "Did you want to see her for Christmas Eve?"

Charlie hesitates. "Maybe. I'm not sure yet."

"Let me know if you do—and if you want company," Theo offers.

It's a kind offer, so Charlie smiles. He might take him up on that. "Breakfast? Or are you surviving on coffee alone again? Quinn doesn't like it when you do that. It makes him cranky."

"He's adorable when he does that," Theo returns, innocently.

Charlie smothers a laugh. Adorable is not what he'd call a frustrated and mildly ticked off Healer, but Quinn and Theo have their own thing in their own way. "I'll make some toast or something." His hand lingers on Theo's shoulder, before he withdraws and retreats to the kitchen.

Again, this is NOT TBDH-canon. Random answer time! Y'all have good questions.

Hiram's specialty is Rehabilitation for overworked/stressed/medicated/otherwise incapacitated pure elementals. He also works with placing creature children into dragel foster care. aka-helping Incubus children learn more about the Fire element-based Circle that will foster them. Or a dryad teenager learning to be nice to an earth-elemental Circle, etc. He likes to work with families and Circles overall, compared to Patrick and Surajini, who prefer to work with the individuals one-on-one.

Blood purity has to do with pure dragel blood, with no mixed creature roots-aka, other creatures, other elements or nameless is fine, pure element all the way through ups it a bit and Merrow blood strengthens all lines, because of how unique it is. Half-blood is strong and okay, but cuts healing by fifty percent. Quarter-blood, by seventy-percent. Fae-blood is a fifty-fifty chance, depending on the dragel and better for Nameless types. Elven blood - nope. Vamps - hyped up on dragel blood, but natural vamps usually have to swear a blood pact before they can share, if they are Bonded into a Circle. Merrow blood is extremely potent, hence the nod that Fred doesn't want to remember when Harry had a few sips from their resident Merrow, because that was an adventure...in spite of the difference of blood purity though, it's largely the Healer class that is worried about it, because of its healing properties. Healers keep from mixed blood drinking/sharing and grafting (attempting to meld an element into a Nameless), so that the strength of it is doubly reflected in their healing magic.

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ~Scion