A/N This is a jkr fanfiction and everything in the story, except Maissie Pottinger, belongs to her and her brilliant is a draft so all thoughts are reviews are appreciated!

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I buried myself in work for the rest of the week. Work, Sleep, Work, Sleep. It was easier. I'd tried writing to Maisse, but just didn't know what to say. Plus I knew she was in the middle of finals and was afraid to be a distraction. I'd gotten the feeling that she wasn't doing as well at training right now. I kept going back to my conversation with Jenny. There was something I was missing; some piece to the puzzle that I hadn't figured out. I needed to find that piece and then I knew I could make everything right. Work, and maybe flying, was the best ways to handle that.

On the upside, work was going very well. Alex had taken me to a few pubs in Los Angeles and made some introduction to me. I went back alone, often. I went under the pretense that I worked for someone that was interested in purchasing some very rare, very hard to find dragon parts. My employer didn't need a lot, just very specific things that had to come from young, healthy dragons. Of course, no one would take me to see their dragons - if they had them - until I could produce my buyer, or even better, gold. I did have two wizards tell me about a black market that moved constantly. Thought I might want to look there first. I was given very little details on how to actually find the markets, but filed it away for when my partner from the UK arrived. He was supposed to be a tracker and could probably make better use of the information than I could.

That night, as I lay thinking of Maisse, like I did every night, something dawned on me. Suddenly, I had the missing piece! Suddenly, I could see what Maisse wanted, what she need to hear! It was so simply, I sat straight up in bed, shocked I hadn't seen it sooner. She knew I loved her, but she didn't know how much. So many times I wanted to tell her that I'd fallen in love with her the first moment I laid eyes on her at the Burrow, when I kissed her in Romania - the feeling - It was, overwhelming the emotion I felt. When we first made love, it was…I smiled … like nothing I'd ever experienced before. She'd given herself to me, fully, completely. I was the first man she'd even been with. A gift not many men receive these days. The thought was overwhelming. And what had I done in return? Said I loved her and then introduced nothing but chaos into her life? I'd told her once that I loved her from the first moment I'd seen her, but I'm not sure she believed me. I had the answer all along! She needed to know how I felt - and I would tell her. I would show her.

I couldn't sleep. I knew what I needed to do and Jenny was going to help me. I went downstairs taking the steps two at a time, I was so elated. I practically skipped in the kitchen. I guess I startled Jenny, she dropped her coffee cup. I pointed my wand and caught it before it hit the floor.

"G-Good Morning?" She stared at me, her mouth hanging open.

"What?" I stared rummaging through her cupboards, "Where's your bloody tea?"

"Do you know what time it is? Why are you awake?" She asked.

"No" I laughed, "I assumed it's morning," I looked at her and gestured to cupboards again.

Jenny cocked her head, her face full of disbelief, "Upper left cupboard," she picked up her wand and got the tea for me, "Yes, morning … and you are awake."

I sat down at the small table across from her and watched her levitate my tea from the counter to me, "I am awake. So," I leaned back in my chair and smelled the vapors form the tea, "what time are you done today?"

"Why are you awake?" she pressed, "Did you sleep?"

I pointed to my head, "a lot going on and no, not really, I don't think I slept." I don't think she bought it, but it was the truth. She wasn't tutoring today; she told me she'd be home about 3:30pm.

"Great, then, we're going out - shopping - and then going out, late."

"WE are?" she clarified.

"Yes, WE are?" and with a knowing look, I smiled at her.

"Why?" She asked casually.

"I believe I figured out a piece to the puzzle," I tried to answer just as casually, but couldn't. I was grinning from ear to ear, like a Cheshire cat.

"Oh no," she shook her head quickly; "I know that look … the last time you got that look I ended up in Thailand at four in the morning."

I pushed back in my chair and laughed louder than I had in a long time, "And wasn't that a bloody brilliant night!" I stood up, "I'd forgotten all about that night."

"It doesn't surprise me you forgot," she rolled her eyes, "but you said, you figured it out?"

"Yes," I cleared my throat, I wasn't sure I wanted to tell her just yet, she might think I was nuts, "well, anyway, I need your help with my plan. I'm going to go shower now … maybe sleep … maybe not." I left the kitchen and called, "Have a good day, Jenny!"

"CHARLIE!" She yelled. "DON'T you DARE leave me hanging" boy, she was annoyed, I laughed. "GET your read-headed ass back here"

"See you at 3:30p sharp" and I apparated upstairs to the bathroom and a warm shower.

Before I got in, I heard Jenny, downstairs, still yelling at me, "CHARLIE WEASLEY! You … You … DAMN YOU!"

I was waiting for Jenny when she arrived home. I hadn't gotten anything done for work. I was too… anxious, I did met with Alex though for lunch, and while it wasn't much of a distraction, it did help. He gave me the names of some nice Inns in Vermont. I was planning on taking Maisse away, just the two of us, before we got the results from Rory's test and after her finals.

"Alright, cuz," Jenny was frowning, "I'm here, what's this all about?" she didn't even put down her bag; she stood in the door, staring, eyebrows raised.

"Great," I was ignoring the question, "Do you need to change or anything?" She was wearing her wizard robes, I hoped she did…

"I don't know," she looked down at her clothes, "do I?"

"Well, we are going out?" I gestured to my jeans and t-shirts, "if you want to go out like that -- you can."

Jenny waived her wand and changed into jeans and lovely green bohemian type blouse, one I think I might have gotten her.

"How's this," she snickered.

"Perfect," I smiled.

Jenny took me to a place in Seattle, the Diagon Alley of the west coast I guessed. We walked the streets while I tried to find what I was looking for. She only asked once what we were shopping for and waited patiently for me to find the shop. Finally, I saw the window full of jewelry and stopped.

"Here it is," I smiled confidently.

"I KNEW IT!" She screamed just staring at the display in the window.

"Suddenly, Jenny, I just knew what that missing piece was," I looked down at my cousin, relieved to be telling someone this. She was now dancing in the streets, people were stating to look at us.

"I knew it! I knew it!"

"Enough!" I looked around the street at all the wizards gawking at us; of course she pouted when I said this, but went graciously in the store with me. I'd fully intended to find the perfect ring for Maisse, until I walked in that shop and saw all the glitz, and baubles. Suddenly, I had no idea where to begin and was very …nervous; definitely out of my element.

I tried not to show my discomfort, "I've only told Maisse I love her, Jenny. I've never told her how much, or not that I knew when I first saw her at the Burrow, but how I knew. How she makes me feel … or when I first kissed her that I just knew I can't live without her. I've never bluntly told her I can't live without her. I think that's what she's looking for, do you?"

Jenny looked at me, her eyes welled with tears, "I do cuz, I really do."

Suddenly, all the jewels were very overwhelming, "Um…where do we start?" Just as I asked, a clerk came over to help us. Jenny took over which was just fine with me, I had no clue what I was doing. She went through a number of rings, all apparently wrong until finally she saw something in the display case, and pointed.

"There it is! That one!" She squeaked, she actually squeaked. I followed her finger to a simply, large, square sapphire ring that had a diamond on each side. Very classy, very elegant, "Wow, Jenny that looks like…" I smiled at the thought of Maisse wearing my ring…"just like Maisse."

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Where are we going now?" Jenny asked, tossing her heavy braid over her shoulder."

You live here," I smiled, "You tell me! Let's get a pint or two and something to eat. I'm in the mood for a late night." I suddenly felt light, like all was right in my world. I was ready for a fun, long night out.

She grinned wickedly, "I pick?"

"Yeah... should I be scared?" I looked amused. There wasn't much Jenny did that could scare me.

Jenny took us to a place around the corner, some muggle place. It was still very odd how freely witches and Wizards intermingled in the states; the freedom was beginning to grow on me. I looked up at the big neon sign Sirena's Karaoke Bar. A karaoke bar? She had to be joking, I'd heard of these, but never been to one.

From the look on her face, she wasn't joking, "I guess you had no choice with Thailand... Wait, is this payback?" My eyes were wide.

"Ah, dear brother of my heart," she grinned widely, "payback is a bitch, isn't it?"

"YOU HAD FUN!" I bellowed, I knew she was referring to Thailand, "I think." I followed her in.

"Oh, I did, until you disappeared with that-that," Jenny sputtered, "lady of ill repute and left me alone!"

"Uh huh, yeah, well..." I looked at her plainly embarrassed now. That was so long ago.

She smirked, then mockingly, "Yeah, well, uh huh."

"You were fine... I made sure of that," I defended myself, trying to come up with a way to change the subject. Suddenly, my colorful past didn't seem so amusing.

She rolled her eyes, "Get ready to sing, Charlie Weasley, like you've never sung before!"

Flashes of my past were flying through my head, all things I definitely didn't think I wanted Maisse to know about and then realization dawned, "Wait! What?! Sing?!"

She pulled on my arm, "Let's GO. It's FUN." She walked up to the bar and ordered two beers.

I dug in his heels, "I. Don't. Sing."

"Yes. You. Do." She replied, "Or I'll tell Maisse."

"That's blackmail!" I feigned a gasped, "You wouldn't." From the look on her face, I knew she wouldn't, but I couldn't be sure. Sometimes my cousin was a bit…sneaky.

"You better get me good and pissed." I chugged my beer and she handed me hers.

Jenny signed us up to sign and I got us good and drunk. I would never admit it to anyone, though I couldn't sing, I did have a good time. But I knew she was enjoying herself. It had been a long time since either of us had let loose, had fun and didn't dwell on Harry or Maisse.

Somehow or another, we ended up in Thailand. Thinking back, the night at that point was a bit of a blur. We weren't looking for my lady friend, but went to get tattoos. A typical ending to one of my nights out, but I'm sure not a typical ending for her. Jenny was a good sport, or too drunk to protest, but she drank all her shots, got her Ravenclaw crest tattooed on her hip and waited patiently for my Common Green Welsh dragon to be finished. I put this one on my left arm. It was my fourth dragon tattoo and each had significant meaning. The Common Welsh? Well, that was the Dragon that was captured on the coast, the one where Maisse wrote me, concerned over my safety.

When I apparated us home, I was a bit off the mark so we had to walk down the lane to get home. As we were trying to get into her cottage something caught my eye on the sill outside her window, a bird. A very blue bird, "Jenny - is that a bird …on your sill?"

Jenny looked up, "a blue bird? What?"

We ran into the house, rather loudly, stomping up the stairs, giggling now, "Who could it be from?"

"I've no idea, Charlie! Who do we know with a blue bird," we reached the sill in her room, I flopped on her bed and waited, "It's a macaw Charlie, with a letter"

"Well, who's it from?" I really thought I would pass out on her bed but wanted to know who the letter was from.

"Jenny?" I looked up and watched as she collapsed onto her hands and kneed, dropping the letter in front of her.

"Jenny! " I yelled, I moved like a flash to her side, sat on the floor next to her, moved her braid so I could see face, she was as white as a ghost.

"Jenny?" I whispered

"Harry" she whispered, not taking her eyes from the letter.