Chapter 35

Simon

"How did you find out about them?" I ask Agatha. We're on our way to the café where I work. I haven't actually started back at work yet, but I've sorted out a start date now with Alex. I'm feeling a lot better so Dr Wellbelove said I could try a few short shifts next week to get back into it.

I've been stuck inside for the last week so it feels good to finally be outside. Baz and Penny are at uni today– I didn't even realise they still had classes, but I was sleeping so I didn't notice when they were gone. I think they skived off quite a few when we came back.

Agatha has been coming over every day since they went back to uni so I wouldn't be left alone. Dr Wellbelove said I shouldn't be left alone yet, and I think Baz and Penny wouldn't have let me anyway. She came with me to get a haircut one day and the rest of the time we're either at the flat or going for short walks. We talk while we walk and she tells me all about San Diego where she lives.

"When we were at Penny's mother's house." She says. "They kept talking about you leaving Hampshire and going here and there. I assumed you were driving – I thought you had your licence by now. Anyway, it wasn't until we arrived at the cottage and I saw you fly down . . ." she trails off.

"Oh."

"Yes." She says. "It was quite a sight."

"I bet." I can't imagine what was going through her head when she saw me flying.

"And you've had them all this time?" she probes. She doesn't sound fussed about them, she actually sounds curious.

"Yeah, I gave them to myself when I still had my magic Agatha. Then I couldn't get rid of them." I shrug.

"Well you hide them very well, I can't see them at all now." she says, looking around where my wings should be. She frowns a little, like she's straining to see them.

"Penny and Baz do it." I say.

It's been good talking with Agatha. I like hearing about her new life in America, her almost Normal life. She doesn't seem to miss the world of magic at all. She's really curious about my wings, and especially the tail. She finds the wing and touches the soft leathery skin, rubbing it between her fingers. She doesn't know what to think about the tail. It's kind of funny.

We get to the café and after I talk with Alex for a bit, I order some coffees and cake. I introduce Agatha to Alex. I pick a table near the window and once we're seated, Agatha stares silently at me for a bit, then she cocks her head to the side curiously. "What's it like to fly Simon?" she asks.

I wasn't expecting her to ask that. But I grin. "It's really cool actually. It's like, I dunno, flying."

She looks at me and laughs at that. "Yeah, that makes sense I suppose." She says, shaking her head. "Silly question."

We drink our coffees and I eat both our cakes.

"And how are things, with Baz?" she asks when she finishes her coffee. She's playing with some grains of sugar on the table next to her cup . I suspect she was getting to this subject all along but that's okay, I've been thinking about it as well. That's all I do think about– that, and how I've fallen behind at uni, and how I need to get back to work to pay the rent. And my mother.

I look down at my empty plate, pushing the crumbs around with my fork. "I don't know Agatha." I admit reluctantly. "He hardly talks to me anymore. Christ, he hardly looks at me. I think he might hate me. I don't know what to do . . ."

She puts her hand on my arm and gives it a squeeze. "Penny said he was very upset when you were gone. More than that, she said he was frantic."

"Did she?" That's news to me. Penny hasn't said anything to me about when I was gone, and neither has Baz.

She nods vigorously at me. "And when I spoke with Penny, she was very upset too, quite distraught." she goes on.

Shit. I didn't know that. "I didn't know that." I tell her. I didn't mean to put them through all that. I wasn't thinking straight.

"Of course she was, they both were." she says. "Anyway, they're probably both trying to protect you by not telling you. And I don't want you to go blaming yourself Simon, that's not why I'm telling you this."

"I know." I nod, dropping my head to stare at the table. I still feel guilty though. I'm only now starting to realise how my leaving had affected them.

"But I think you should know Simon, Baz doesn't hate you." Agatha says, breaking into my thoughts.

I look up at her. "How do you know?"

"It's obvious." she says dismissively. "I saw him when he found you. Anyway, I think this is just his way of protecting himself."

"From what?" I ask.

"From you Simon." She says. "From being hurt again."

Shit. I stare at her, raking my hands through my hair. "I didn't mean to hurt him Agatha." I try to explain. "I wasn't thinking straight."

"I know that." she says, and she's nodding at me again. "And I'm sure he knows that too, but he was so hurt."

"Christ." I mutter, shaking my head. "No wonder he doesn't want anything to do with me."

"Of course he does." She says, a little forcefully. "He hasn't left your side since we found you. And Penny said the first few days, before you woke up, he didn't leave your side at all, not to hunt, not to eat, anything. He was quite fixated on you."

"Then what should I do Agatha?" I huff. I've got no fucking clue how to fix this.

She sighs then. "Just give him some time I suppose."

Time. Brilliant. That's all I'm supposed to do is give him time? I feel so helpless, so – ,I don't know so stupid. Baz and I were together for a year and a half and now I don't know where I stand with him and it's all my fault. And I'm just supposed to wait it out now. I sigh and let it go. I don't want to talk about it anymore so I change the subject. We talk about my mother and the photograph that she took and she tells me that Lucy was her inspiration for moving to California.

"Really?"

"Yes, and it turns out she never even left England." She shrugs. "I wanted to get away from magic after everything that happened, and well, I kind of liked the idea that she got away too. So I thought anyway."

"Yeah." I say. So everyone thought.

We head back to the flat. "Tell me more about your life Agatha." I say as we walk. "What else do you do in California?"

And her face lights up as she finally tells me about her boyfriend while we walk back to the flat.

"A mage." I say, elbowing her. "And an Englishman, your mother will be pleased."

"Yes." she says, rolling her eyes. "I can't wait for that meeting."

"Bring him over for Events season, so she can drag him through all those galas and regattas. Just tell him he'd better have a few nice suits."

"Oh Morgana!" she laughs. "I don't know how he'll ever cope."

Penny

Tonight Simon and I are having dinner alone. Baz has gone to Oxford to hunt and visit his family. He didn't invite Simon and I know Simon is hurt by it, but he's trying not to show it. I pick his favourite curry that mum made and he picks a movie and we're going to eat in front of the telly for a change.

We went into uni on my last day so he could re-enrol for next term. It all got sorted quite easily, which was a relief for both of us. Simon was able to pick up most of the subjects he deferred last semester so it will be like he never left. I think it was a load off his mind to get that all sorted. And he's gone back to work now as well. Alex was so pleased to have him back that she didn't even mind when he had to sit down a few times at the start. And since then he's managed to make it through a full shift.

I also want to talk to Simon about Christmas tonight. I don't even think he realises how close it is. I remember last year, how I was worried about talking to Simon about his Christmas plans. This year I don't worry so much.

I hand him his dinner and sit next to him on the couch. "Simon." I say while we wait for the movie to start "Christmas is coming."

"Is it?" he sounds surprised. "I didn't realise."

"Well it is, you need to work out what you're doing." I tell him.

"I don't know Penny. I haven't thought about it at all."

"You and Baz need to talk about it." I say. And then I sigh, I didn't want to talk about their relationship but it's been weeks and nothing has improved. "You and Baz need to talk, period."

He looks at me and he looks so lost and sad that I wish I didn't bring it up. I don't want him to feel like this anymore. Damn Baz for being so stubborn, I don't know what his problem is.

"I know Penny, I will. But I don't want you to worry about me anymore, I'm not your problem." He says determinedly. "Let's talk about Micah instead, when's he coming?"

"Nice try, he's coming next week, end of discussion. Talk to Baz all right?"

He huffs and shoves a forkful of curry into his mouth. "All right Penny I will." he grumbles around a mouthful of food. "Can we watch the movie now?"

And we do, and while Simon eats and watches the movie, I send a quick text to Fiona. I don't want to interfere but Baz is being completely pathetic and needs a bit of a push.

I'm on it. Fiona texts back. I watch the rest of the movie with Simon, feeling hopeful.

Baz

I've had to endure two hours of my family berating me for not bringing Simon to dinner and for not bringing him to Oxford at all over the last few weeks. Mordelia rounded on me as well and Fiona even made an appearance at dinner and gave her opinion on the matter (which for the record she sided with my family, not me) so it became quite an unbearable evening.

"Christ Basil, I thought you'd be over the moon that your boyfriend's back, what the hell are you doing?" she had to curb her language at the table, my siblings were present.

"This is none of your business Fiona."

"You're forgetting that I had the pleasure of seeing you at your finest while your Chosen One was MIA. I'm more than happy to fill him in on the details." She threatened.

I glared at her across the table. "You will not." I said, even though I know Fiona will do exactly as she pleases.

"That's entirely up to you Basil." She said, raising her eyebrow. "I think it will make an entertaining story, don't you?"

Eventually I made an excuse of early classes and left. They don't know that my classes have finished for the year.

So far I've managed to avoid talking with Simon about us, but since my classes have actually finished I don't have any other excuses to keep me away. I know we're going to have to talk soon. I know that he's been patiently waiting for me to be ready, and I've been waiting for him to get better. And he is much better now, he's almost back to his normal self. I know I can't put this off any longer.

I know I'm being ridiculous. I've hardly spoken with him even though I'm always at his flat. I don't know what he's making of all this, I don't know what to make of it, I'm behaving like an idiot.

Simon

Our next visitor is the most surprising one yet. Fiona rocks up unannounced, carrying a big box tied with fancy ribbons in one hand and a bottle of gin in the other.

"I thought you might need something a little stronger than all that tea." She says as she hands the gin to me, then she hands the box to Baz. "Compliments of Louis, said your boyfriend here liked the Beef Wellington. Oh and there's a couple of dark choc mint mousse as well, should feed the lot of you tonight."

Then she flops on the couch and puts her boots up on the coffee table, crossing her ankles. We all stare at her, except for Baz who takes the box of food and places it on the kitchen table and then comes back and takes the bottle of gin from me.

"Perhaps we'll hold off on this a little while longer." He says with a small smile. I smile back, I can't help it, that's the most he's said to me for a while.

And I remember back to that night at the restaurant and later at the nightclub and then much later at home. That was our first date. It was a good date and I hope it won't be our last. It probably will be though, our last, the way things are going.

"Hey, Chosen One. Why the long face?" Fiona asks as she picks up a magazine from the coffee table and flicks through it. I wake from my reverie and stare at her but she ignores me and turns to Penny. "What do I have to do to get a cup of tea and a bikkie around here Bunce?"

I look at Penny then and she raises her eyebrows at me and then Baz. I try not to smile as I sit on the couch.

"Fiona!" Baz says, clearly annoyed. "There's no need to order everyone around."

"Calm down Basil." She says waving her hand dismissively. "I just want a cup of tea, unless you feel like cracking the gin?"

"It's a little early for that." Baz says, rolling his eyes.

"Tea's coming right up." Penny says. She magicks up the tea and cup and saucers and a packet of chocolate Digestive biscuits and stands to catch the tray. She places it carefully on the coffee table before sitting down.

Penny pours the tea and we all grab a few biscuits, all except Baz, and we drink quietly for a while.

"Why are you here Fiona?" Baz asks, bored.

"No reason, just wanted to visit my favourite nephew." She says, waving her hand airily. "And make sure the Chosen One here is all right seeing as you didn't bring him round for dinner last night."

Then she turns to me. "Got a right bollocksing from the family for not inviting you, he did." And then she turns to Penny and winks. What the fuck?

"Fiona!" Baz says, clearly irritated. "I hardly think this is the time."

"Of course it's the time!" She says, dunking her biscuit into her tea. "You might think it's all right, dragging this out for everyone to endure, but nobody else does. Get on with making up already will you?"

I cough then and spill a bit of my tea on my jeans. Penny spells them clean with her ring.

"Fiona!" Baz says again, exasperated this time. I think I see a faint tinge of pink on his cheeks, but it's hard to tell. "Don't you have anywhere else you need to be?"

"Nope." she says, grabbing another biscuit and dunking that in her tea.

Penny is smirking now. "Actually I agree with Fiona, Baz." She says. "So can you please get on with sorting this out?"

"Since when do you agree with Fiona, Bunce?" Baz sneers.

"Since she saved your arse." She fires right back. "Want me to refresh your memory?"

"You had a hand in that too Bunce." Fiona says shrugging.

I'm sitting here completely confused by this exchange. It's so weird seeing Penny side with Fiona and Fiona complement Penny. And Baz is sneering at both of them now. I'm obviously missing something they're all in on, but I have no idea what so I don't say anything, it seems safer that way.

"Oh and your father and Daphne want you to confirm Christmas very soon Basil." She adds, licking some chocolate off her fingers.

"Good idea." Penny says, nodding.

This is all so weird.

We finish our tea and the entire packet of biscuits while Fiona talks about some place near Bucharest where she just sorted out a major vampire problem. "It was a bloody mess, I can tell you." She says shaking her head. "Normals disappearing left, right and centre. I had to shut those blood sucking bastards right down, no offence Basil, otherwise Christ know what would have happened. A complete shambles, that's what it was." I glance at Penny and I think she's trying to stifle another giggle. We finish our second cup of tea in awkward silence and then Fiona abruptly gets up and says she needs to be off– something about a suspected vampire infestation over in Dorset that needs her attention.

"That was weird." I say to Penny as Baz sees her out. "You two new BFF's or something?"

"Hah!" Penny says, shaking her head as she clears up the afternoon tea dishes.

We stop talking when Baz comes back in. He stops at the doorway and looks around uncomfortably. "I need to hunt." He mumbles as he turns and heads out the door.

I stare at the empty doorway for a minute. I want to follow but Penny comes up to me and puts her hand on my shoulder. "Let him go Simon." she says.

I turn and head to my room. "I'm going to rest for a bit." I mumble.

I can hear Penny sigh as I shut my bedroom door behind me.