I can't believe how fast this story is going right now. I didn't think I'd be able to get this far, but here I am, chapter 27, the summer before Lavinia's third year. Let me say now that this story isn't going to completely follow cannon. The end will come about a little differently. There may be some adult content as well. If you are not okay with that, I'm sorry, but you might wanna stop here and just assume Lavinia lives happily ever after.


Chapter 27: Beautiful

The first two weeks of Lavinia's vacation were quiet, spent mostly in solitude. Audra had left two days after Lavinia's return for a work thing in another country and wouldn't be back for a few weeks. Lavinia spent much time in the garden and the kitchen. She would eat and enjoy the sunshine while listening to music. As pleasant as it was, Lavinia grew bored. She started dancing in the garden to give herself something to do. The garden was a good place to practice, and her talent for dancing grew stronger. She would sink into the music automatically, letting her body move on instinct. Her hips swayed and her body spun and her hair whipped around in the wind. She found flowy skirts and tight tops were the most comfortable things to wear while dancing. Lissy found enjoyment in joining Lavinia's dances, slithering around her torso as she moved. One sunny afternoon found them dancing to a song by Type O Negative, not realizing they were being watched.

Mischa stood against one of the trees that lined the garden path, watching Lavinia dance with a smile on her face. When the dance ended, she applauded, startling Lavinia out of her trance. "Hey kid," she said, approaching and hugging her friend. Lavinia squeezed her back tightly, grinning.

"I missed you!" she cried. Mischa laughed.

"Come on, I have something planned for you today that you're gonna love!" she exclaimed, dragging Lavinia to the truck. Lavinia jumped in and the girls took off into London together.

They arrived at a theater in the heart of the city. The banner exclaimed that a troupe of dancers was in town. "There are multiple sections, there's ballet, meringue, Irish folk dancing, Middle Eastern dancing… I thought you'd love it," Mischa said.

Lavinia was ecstatic. She couldn't wait for the show to start. They sat close to the stage and settled in. The lights finally went down and the crowd fell silent. The ballet was first. Lavinia watched every dancer as they moved around the stage, graceful and hypnotic. All of the dances were beautiful, but it was the belly dancers that really caught Lavinia's eyes.

"That's what I do," she said, awestruck. Mischa nodded.

"You should make a costume like that, kid," she whispered back. Lavinia watched the hypnotic forms of the dancers as they swung their hips like serpentine creatures, swaying and spinning to the beat. They left the theater an hour later with huge grins on their faces. Some of the belly dancers had been in the lobby after the show, and Mischa had prodded Lavinia into talking to them. They had been more than happy to teach Lavinia a few tricks before they parted, leaving her with a card for a dance studio in London where she could get lessons. Lavinia thought it a fantastic idea and Mischa took her to the address. They had a location in Manchester surprisingly close to Piccadilly's record shop. Lavinia's eyes shone as she walked away with a piece of paper with the information she would need.

They went back to Manchester and visited Mrs. Prewett, who met them in the yard with a plate of sweets in hand. They whiled away their evening in Mischa's backyard, practicing the belly dancing together. Mischa was surprised at how easy it was; she'd half expected to be lousy at it. Mrs. Prewett came out at one point and watched the girls dance, smiling and applauding. As an added bonus, Riley came in that night, and at Mrs. Prewett's urging, the girls put on a dance for him. He'd cheered at the end, telling them how talented they were. They'd ended the night with a cup of hot chocolate and Lavinia was invited to stay the night, an offer she took gladly. She was tired of spending her nights alone at the house. It was a little creepy when she was alone.

They spent the next few days getting Lavinia set up with classes. Lavinia realized that if she took a shortcut, she could walk to the studio from her house. Her classes started the week after Mischa came by. Mischa would have to leave next week, so she accompanied Lavinia to her classes, watching her progress with awe. She was the most graceful in her class and was soon moved to a more advanced section. She kept up with older teens and young adults as they danced, one solid group of hypnotic figures swaying and gliding across the floor with perfect grace and poise. In this time, Lavinia started doing her own makeup and making costumes to dance in. Her creativity knew no boundaries.

A week later, it was time for Mischa to head back to the Forbidden Forest. "Be careful, kid. I'll see you in a couple of weeks," she said as she hugged her dearest friend goodbye.

"You should be the careful one, you're the one running around with werewolves," Lavinia replied with a grin. Mischa took off, leaving Lavinia to head back into her house and practice her dancing some more.

Dance lessons kept Lavinia busy and entertained most days, and she would spend plenty of time in Piccadilly's looking for things to dance to. She found she enjoyed dancing to metal more than other genres. Dee was interested in watching Lavinia dance sometime, so one day on her break, she popped over to the studio and watched. She was impressed; the child was just as hypnotic as the adults around her. The older members of the class fawned over her. Lavinia merely grinned and rolled her eyes.

Mischa decided to throw Lavinia a birthday party with the wolf pack, and July 13th found the entire group watching her from the walls of the studio as she practiced. When practice was over, some of Lavinia's classmates handed her parcels and wished her happy birthday. She'd ended up with three lovely dance costumes and some gorgeous jewelry to dress them up with. She'd thanked them profusely, holding back her tears of joy. The wolves presented her with an enchanted ankle bracelet that would keep her on her feet, no matter what. Mischa and Toren had made her an enchanted costume that smoke would rise from and change colors according to Lavinia's commands. Lavinia had been delighted with her gifts. They went into the clearing that the girls had spent New Years Eve at and feasted on a huge picnic. Cary had baked a delicious brownie cake, and Lavinia ate three pieces by herself.

Towards the end of the evening, Cary started feeling pains in her stomach. Suddenly, a puddle of water formed at her feet. "Marcus," she cried, tugging on his arm, "the baby's coming!"

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The chaos those words created was incredible. The wolves sprang into action, but instead of taking her out of the woods, they prepared to deliver the child themselves.

"No doctor will see a werewolf mother; many of the wee ones die this way," Toren explained. Mischa nodded.

"Do you want to leave? You might not want to watch this," Mischa said, but Lavinia was rapt with awe.

"I want to stay," she said softly, darting forward and taking Cary's hand. Cary smiled at her gratefully.

"I apologize now if I hurt you; this will be painful, dear. Are you sure?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. Lavinia nodded.

"I can heal anything you do," she whispered, giving her a squeeze. Mischa was on the other side, Cary's other hand in hers, smiling at her.

"Here it comes!" Cary cried, face contorted with pain. The contractions hit her fast and hard, but she took them like a beast. It wasn't long before the cries of the child sounded in the field. Cary grinned, taking her child in her arms. "It's a girl," she whispered, her eyes bright as she looked around.

Lavinia was giddy. "Have you thought about what to name her?" she asked excitedly, leaning forward to look at the tiny face. She had a head full of dark hair and rosy cheeks.

"We just assumed we were having a boy, we never thought about a girl. But I have an idea," she said, brightening. "Mischelle. After her aunts, Mischa and L." The girls looked at Cary in shock.

"Really?" Lavinia whispered. Cary nodded, her smile wide. Lavinia threw her arms around the new mother and released a few errant tears. "Thank you," she said, feeling Mischa join in the embrace. They then turned their attention to the cooing child in Cary's arms.

"Hey, kid," Mischa said to the baby. Lavinia smiled.

"Hi, little one," she whispered, allowing the child wrap its minuscule hand around her finger. More tears filled her eyes. "She's beautiful."