Chapter 26

Gretchen looked at Charlie without speaking, trying to absorb what he'd just told her. He was just as afraid and uncertain as she was. In the normal world there was hope where there was love; but this wasn't the normal world. Charlie Weasley was an international celebrity. He couldn't go anywhere in the wizard world without reporters fighting to take his picture. Every drink he took or woman he dated was scrutinized. He was used to the attention, but Gretchen wasn't and she was very uncomfortable. Thanks to a vicious reporter, Gretchen was thrown into the limelight in a very bad way.

"Charlie," Gretchen said, finally.

He looked at her and smiled. She put her head on his shoulder. "Now what?" she asked.

Charlie turned and kissed the top of her head. "We don't have to decide anything right now," he said.

Charlie and Gretchen spent the rest of the evening with Molly and Arthur. They avoided all talk about their earlier conversation, but he couldn't get it off his mind. He was afraid that she regretted falling in love with him and he was terrified that whatever they had together was in jeopardy. It was easier to imagine that she wasn't in love with him, so he couldn't hurt her.

She fell asleep leaning against his chest and he felt more content than he'd felt in a long time. Molly was right about one thing, he wasn't getting any younger. He'd had this conversation over and over in his head many times about whether or not to walk away from the limelight and settle down as a dragon wrangler. He had considered moving to the desert and working full time at the North American Dragon Preserve, but that was a 24/7 responsibility that would leave him little time for a committed relationship. His friend, Mike Hendershot, was the only one he knew who was married and worked at the preserve. But, then, Mike and his wife Lindsey had their share of problems, but Charlie doubted it was from work and more because Lindsey was a muggle trying to raise two high spirited wizard children.

Then there was Quidditch. He loved the game. He'd be happy playing pickup Quidditch with neighbors as long as he was playing. The gold he made playing funded his charity and foundation work, and to be honest, he enjoyed having enough gold to buy whatever he needed or wanted without worrying about it.

There was no real time the rest of the week to dwell on much of anything. Practice was going longer and longer each night. Hawai'i was the only team that was undefeated this season and the Reds had already lost two games. Naturally the Magic were favored to win, which made Coach Popov work them even harder.

Of course the press got wind of the rivalry between Kekoa and Charlie and they played that up. According to the papers, the two teams were bitter rivals and there was bad blood between the Magic's keeper and Charlie.

Joanna and Jordan had announced her pregnancy and the fact that this would be her last game before joining the coaching staff with the reserve team. The Reds hadn't announced her replacement and there was speculation about that as well.

Charlie figured there would be more reporters in the stands than fans on Saturday night. It was an important match, and he was also looking forward to have his parents watch him play.

His parents were having a wonderful time; it was like a second honeymoon. They got along great with Gretchen and were looking forward to meeting her family when they returned to Texas. Molly easily fell in love with Minnie and Hercules the minute she saw them. She couldn't understand how Charlie could possibly call that adorable creature a demon dog. Hercules seemed to like her and especially Arthur. Whenever the dog wasn't in Minnie's carrier, he jumped into Arthur's lap. The napped together on the lanai and both snored loudly, which Molly found charming.

This was one of the few times Molly really could relax; she didn't have to cook or clean or do anything she didn't want to. She confided to Gretchen that she could get used to a life of leisure. Gretchen thought after all had been through, she deserved to be pampered.

Of course, next week Molly and Arthur were going to dedicate the majority of their time to their granddaughter. Jessica was going to let Ingrid spend the whole week with Charlie and Gretchen decided she would stay away and let them have their time together. While she was looking forward to meeting Ingrid, she didn't want to interject herself. Charlie had not asked her to go with him when he picked her up and she was not anxious at all about meeting Ingrid's mother.

Saturday's game was scheduled for seven that evening so the people on the mainland could watch it on WWN (America) at a reasonable hour. Charlie spent the whole day at the stadium getting ready for the game while Gretchen and the others, including a very excited house elf, would arrive later. Minnie had never been to a Quidditch match before and she decked out in a child's size uniform with Charlie's number on it. She also made the same outfit for Hercules. Gretchen wasn't sure Charlie would appreciate Minnie's homage to Charlie on the dog from hell, but when he saw her and the dog, he roared with laughter.

Charlie was right about there being a lot of reporters at the game; more than usually covered the matches; when he swooped in to say hello to his parents and Gretchen light bulbs exploded everywhere. He flew into the stands, and hopped off his broom and wrapped his arms around her and kissed her long and passionately. She struggled for a second then relaxed, returning the kiss with the same fervor. Cameras were going off like crazy, and when he finally released her, he turned and gave the reporters a smug look. Gretchen, of course, turned bright red and tried to hide her face, but she was smiling.

"Wish me luck," he said winking back at her.

"You don't need luck," she said.

The minute Charlie flew down to the Quidditch pitch for the game reporters began to descend on Gretchen. They rudely jostled the people around Gretchen and the Weasley's trying to get a picture. Her first urge was to run away, but she couldn't find a way out.

"Please don't," she begged, but the handful of reporters ignored her.

Molly grabbed hold of Gretchen as one of the reporters tried to pull her away, and Arthur withdrew his wand and threw a powerful stupefying hex causing the people to fall away comically. The fans in the stands cheered. Apparently the Americans didn't use spells as readily as the British. No one bothered them after that.

Once Charlie got out on the pitch for the game, it was going to take more than luck to help him out; the Magic were merciless, and every bludger and beater bat was aimed at him. He was pummeled from all sides. Apparently, the Magic were very loyal players and they took the altercation with Kekoa seriously. He was assaulted and knocked around hard. It took all his skill to remain on his broom.

The game was brutal and exciting. It was the most physical match ever played. It was literally a knock down drag out, with neither side able to score. Lee and Jason made sure that seeker Garret Machado got no closer to the Golden Snitch than Charlie. The game continued for four hours until finally after a grueling battle, Charlie grabbed the Golden Snitch and won the game 150-0.

Both the Reds and the Magic celebrated the end of the match and all rivalry was forgiven. Kekoa hugged Charlie and congratulated him on the game.

Charlie didn't get back to the cottage until way after midnight. Molly and Arthur had already gone to bed but Gretchen was waiting up for him. He was still on a natural high.

"You were wonderful," she said, kissing him.

"It was a hard game; I didn't think we would pull it off. Did you see how I got hit with everything they had? Man, it was brutal," he said pulling his shirt off and tossing it on the floor. "Come here, baby," he said pulling her to him.

She hesitated for a second, but then fell into his arms. "Charlie, I was so worried that you were going to get hurt," she said.

"Seriously, me too, but Lee and Jason were great."

"What time are we leaving tomorrow?" she asked after a pause.

"Right after breakfast, I guess." He looked into her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I, uh, was just wondering," she said.

Charlie looked at her pointedly. "What?"

"You're going to pick up Ingrid on your way back?"

He nodded. "I'm going to stay overnight one night, but I'll be back Monday."

"Oh, okay."

"Did you want to come with me? I didn't think you'd want to that's why I didn't ask. I thought it might be uncomfortable for you," he explained.

"I wasn't sure if you wanted me to come," she said. "I completely understand."

"Good. I don't want things to get awkward. Lindsey's had a pole up her ass lately and I didn't think you'd want to witness our inevitable fight. I don't want my parents to see it either, so I was counting on you seeing them home safely."

It was almost two before they got to bed; Charlie fell asleep almost immediately when his head hit the pillow and they slept in each other's arms.

The next morning, while Gretchen slept, Charlie got up and met his parents on the lanai for breakfast. They talked about the game and how exciting it was.

"We had a bit of excitement, too," Arthur said. "A bunch of reporters were harassing Gretchen. They were quite rude. Is that the kind of thing you have to put up with?"

"What happened?" he asked.

"They wouldn't leave her alone, Charlie," Molly said. "You dad finally had to hex them."

"Shit," he said. "Why can't they leave her alone?"