A/N: Hi again! I hope you all enjoyed whichever holiday you celebrate. Here's my belated give to you: a long, juicy chapter!

An unexpected visitor in the middle of the night is never a good thing. When you've been receiving threatening letters on and off for months, it's a damn scary prospect.

Alicia shrugged on her dressing gown and snatched her wand up off her nightstand. She'd only been in bed for about half an hour when she'd been woken up by a sharp knock on her front door. It was now after eleven and she certainly wasn't expecting anyone. It couldn't be George because he understood that she still wasn't ready to have him spend the night when Jake was there.

Alicia paused a few steps away from the door and strained her ears. The hallway outside was silent. Perhaps she'd imagined the knock. Maybe it had been part of a dream. Just to be on the safe side, she moved forward to look through the peep hole.

At that moment, someone shouted her name loudly from the other side of the door. She jumped and gave a startled gasp. She recognised the voice immediately. Of course. The only other person who had access to the building.

"Alicia? Are you awake?" he called out, knocking loudly again.

She let out a string of expletives and threw open her front door. "Christopher! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Good. You are awake. Good."

Alicia grabbed his arm and dragged him into the flat. "Keep it down," she hissed as she closed the door and relocked it. "You're going to wake up my neighbours. What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

"I need you."

"Excuse me? You what?"

Alicia looked Chris up and down in the dim light. He was still wearing what he always wore to work: black trousers and a white Oxford shirt. On this occasion he looked decidedly dishevelled though. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and his royal blue tie was loosened. As she stared at him he wobbled slightly on his feet.

Alicia gasped, her eyebrows shooting up. "Oh my God. Are you drunk?"

Chris tilted his head thoughtfully. "Hmm. I think so."

With a disgruntled murmur, Alicia went and ducked her head into Jake's room. Thankfully, she could hear his faint snoring and snuffling. The kid could sleep through anything. She marched back over to Chris.

"You need to leave," she said firmly as she pulled her dressing gown tightly closed over her pyjamas.

"But I just got here," Chris said, looking confused.

"You can't get pissed and show up at my flat in the middle of the night. This is beyond inappropriate."

"Why?"

"What if George had been here?"

"Is he here?"

"No."

"Then what's the problem?"

Alicia sighed and turned her eyes towards the ceiling. Merlin help her. She was not prepared to deal with a drunk Christopher Warrington. He was enough of a bell-end when he was sober. If he became belligerent she would have no choice but to stun him.

"I don't understand these stupid rules," he said, rubbing at his eyes and swaying disconcertingly. "Are we friends or not?"

"Yes, we're friends."

Christopher took a stumbling step towards her and she raised her wand without thinking. "I need help. I need to talk to someone – and you're the only someone I have. Please."

Alicia's frustration evaporated almost immediately. She looked into his eyes and saw something wholly unexpected. Vulnerability. In all the years she'd known him she'd only seen him let his guard down twice. First time was when he'd been disinherited, second time was the moment newborn Jake had been placed in his arms.

Right now Chris looked young and open and raw. Far from his normal uptight, brooding self. Maybe she was just a bleeding heart, but she couldn't throw him out, not in the state he was in.

"Go sit on the sofa and I'll get you some water."

When Alicia ventured over to the sofa with a glass in her hand she was half-hoping to find he had fallen asleep. But he was still awake. He was sitting forward, his head down between his knees and his fingers interlaced at the back of his neck.

"I feel like shit," he muttered as she sat down beside him.

"Drink this."

Chris lifted his head slowly and she pressed the glass into his hand. He drank it fast, downing it all in only a few gulps. He slid the empty glass onto the coffee table then slumped back against the sofa. "Nope. Still feel like shit."

"What have you been drinking?"

"Whisky mostly. Maybe a beer or two. And shots of something that tasted like liquorice."

Alicia winced. "No wonder you feel like shit after mixing drinks like that. You're probably going to feel even worse in the morning though."

"I never even go to those stupid fucking things, you know. There's a stupid thing every week. A wedding or a birthday or a retirement or…some other stupid thing. They always ask me and I always say no."

"But you went this time."

"I went this time," Christopher confirmed. He pitched forward and his head settled between his knees again. His voice was muffled when he continued. "One of the blokes got engaged. I don't even know his name. Andrew, maybe – yeah, Andrew sounds right. So he decides he wants to go out to celebrate after work." He suddenly sat up straight again. "Wait. His name is Nick. Yeah, I think so."

Alicia smiled despite herself. "Okay. Where did you end up going with what's-his-name?

"To a gentlemen's club in Soho."

Alicia's smile dropped. "You mean one of those clubs where men sit around and smoke cigars and discuss EU politics? Or one of those clubs where men sit around and smoke cigarettes and get lap dances?"

Chris turned to look at her, his eyes dark and hooded. He shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"I suppose not. But you have a lipstick smudge on your collar so I think I can make an educated guess as to what sort of place it was anyway."

"Yeah, there were strippers there. I don't want a lecture about it, all right."

"I don't care what you choose to do in your spare time," Alicia said. "I'm just flabbergasted that this colleague of yours thought it was a good idea to celebrate his engagement at a strip club of all places. You work with a bunch of proper fuckwits, Christopher."

"I know. I didn't go along for the company though. I didn't even go along for the tits and arse. I just thought a few drinks might shut my brain off for a while."

Alicia shook her head and twisted around so she could lean back against the armrest and face him. "But you told me that's the exact reason you never have more than one drink."

It was true. She'd never seen him drink more than one glass of wine at a time. Well, actually, he'd had three or four Firewhiskys the night he was kicked out by his mother but he'd fallen asleep before he actually became drunk. Chris always maintained he never drank to excess because he didn't like the idea of having his brain chemistry altered. Alicia now knew this was his pompous way of saying he didn't like the idea of not being in complete control of his faculties.

"Well, it didn't fucking work anyway. My brain is…more annoying." He paused and scratched at his head. "Annoyinger? Is that a word?"

"No."

"Shit. I can't even talk properly. This is the worst."

Chris swivelled around so that they were facing each other, sitting at opposite ends of the three seater sofa. The only light in the room came from a small lamp that Alicia kept on at night so Jake could find the bathroom. It cast Chris's face in slight shadow but she could see enough to recognise he was going through some sort of inner turmoil.

"I'm lost, Alicia. I don't know what to do with myself," Chris eventually said, his voice thick and raspy. "The last time I felt this way you were the one who helped me. That's why I came here. I feel like I'm going to fall apart again."

Alicia's heart ached a little. It felt like a lifetime ago now, but it had only been a handful of years. She didn't want to remember that night, yet the déjà vu was unavoidable. She didn't want to see him this way again. No matter what they were to each other now, she couldn't let him spiral again. At the very least, Jake needed him to keep it together.

"Tell me what's going on," she prompted gently.

"Lucius Malfoy contacted me."

Alicia had suspected as much. She nodded encouragingly. "And what does he want from you?"

"He wants to know how I made my money in the Muggle world."

"So he can do it as well," Alicia deduced. "Tell him to work it out himself. You're not obliged to help him, you know."

"I know," he said. He sighed and leaned his head against the back of the sofa. "But I've plateaued at work. If I can get the Malfoys and some other families to give me their gold to invest I can take another step or two up the ladder."

"Then do it!" Alicia snapped, surprising even herself with her sudden fervour. She sat forward a little and said, "Take their money and use them to get yourself ahead. Except you're so good at what you do that you'll make them a fortune, which sucks. But take a huge commission or something. They won't know any better."

"It's not that simple. There's more to it."

"What else?"

"Malfoy says he will talk to my mother and get me re-instated as head of Warrington Manufacturing. He said he'll even try to convince her to sign complete control of the company over to me this time."

Alicia's eye widened. Now she understood the conflict. Chris's dad had died when he was only a teenager, so he hadn't been in a position to take over as director of the company back then. His mother had assumed complete control and had been in charge ever since – even though she knew nothing about running a business. Chris had done all the work and put in all the long hours only to have his mother veto his ideas more often than not.

Alicia had seen firsthand how hard he had worked to keep his family business going. The temptation to return now and to truly be in charge would be huge.

"Please. Tell me what I should do," Chris said.

"I can't," Alicia said quickly. "This is your decision. Just…just be careful. I don't trust any of the Malfoys. They're trying to manipulate you. First by sending Narcissa as some sort of envoy to butter you up. She fussed over you and praised you like a mother would – like your own mother never did. It was all calculated and planned out."

Chris gave her a drowsy smile. "It's easy to sometimes forget how smart you actually are."

"Kind of a backhanded compliment really, but considering it's coming from you, I'll take it. We both know you're still smarter than me though. I'm sure you've already weighed up every course of action here. You know the best thing to do already."

"I know the smart thing to do is to ignore Malfoy and keep doing what I'm doing. I can get by without his money if I have to. But it's not that easy. I still don't feel like I belong with Muggles. I'm stuck between these two worlds, like some sort of…stuck thing."

"Stuck thing?" she repeated dubiously. He really had lost his grip on the English language. "Look, you don't belong with the Malfoys either. I've always told you you're better than everyone you were in Slytherin with."

"What if I'm not though? What if deep down I'm just the son of a Death Eater," Chris said bitterly. He leaned forward and Alicia saw his eyes were suddenly wide and manic. "What if I'm no better than my father? I might end up becoming some sort of protégé of Lucius Malfoy. There could be a darkness in me that comes out once I'm back in that world."

"You're talking rubbish."

"I'm not!" He began to tug frantically at his tie. "I feel hot. I feel like I'm choking."

"Calm down. It's just the alcohol making you feel warm. Take a breath."

"Give me your wand so I can cut this thing off," he said, holding his hand out to her.

Alicia hadn't even realised she was still holding onto her wand. "And slice your throat open in the process?" she asked, tossing her wand aside onto the table so it was out of reach. "Relax and let me do it."

She shuffled over and pulled his hands away. She concentrated on loosening the knot then pulling the short end of the tie through it. He didn't say anything. Every laboured breath he took blew warm, boozy air in her face. He smelled awful. Like cigarettes and Ouzo. She left the tie hanging open around his neck and retreated to the far end of the sofa.

Alicia was fully aware of what she had just done. So was Chris, judging by the conflicted look on his face. "Do you ever think about that first night?" he asked.

Alicia shrugged and averted her gaze, pulling at a loose thread on her dressing gown. "Not in the last couple of months. Smelling roses used to make me remember."

"I wish I could have been a better person back then. You tried so hard to change me but it never really took, did it?"

"It wasn't about changing you," she said softly. "I knew you had it within you to be a better person. You just held on tightly to the arrogance, the conceit and the spite for too long. I couldn't do it anymore."

Neither of them said anything for a while. Chris was evidently lost in his own private thoughts as well. Alicia had never had such an open, honest discussion with him. The alcohol was really doing a number on his inhibitions. Might as well take advantage of the moment.

"Were you in love with me back then?" she asked. The question had always haunted her because she had never been sure either way. He'd always been so aloof and cagey when she even attempted to talk about feelings.

"Yeah. In my own useless, pitiful way I probably was."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Chris shrugged, his eyelids drooping as his body relaxed again. "What good would it have done? You were still in love with Weasley."

Alicia shook her head. "All there was back then was a schoolgirl crush that had come to nothing."

"But you love him now?"

Alicia hesitated. Since her realisation after the Quidditch match she felt like she'd been walking around with this tiny ember in the pit of her stomach. It made her feel warm and happy and it put a goofy smile on her face, often at inappropriate times. So far she'd kept her feelings to herself though. Not even Katie and Angelina knew.

"I do love George now," she said, voicing her feelings for the first time. The ember in her belly flared to life, becoming a steady flame as an unbidden smile broke out on her face.

"He doesn't deserve you," Chris said bluntly.

"You don't know him that well. If you actually spent time with him…" Alicia trailed off as she realised what a terrible, horrible idea that actually was. Chris was too antagonistic and George was too hot-headed; they needed to be kept as far apart as possible.

"I'd rather have you throw a Quaffle at my balls again than spend a minute of my life alone with your boyfriend."

"I'm sure he'd say something similar," Alicia said, right before a huge yawn overtook her whole body.

"You're tired. I'm going to leave then," Chris said, lurching to his feet and almost tripping over the coffee table. "I'll just Apparate home."

"Don't be stupid. You'll splinch yourself." Alicia reached out and gave his arm a light tug. He dropped back down onto the sofa, languid and boneless. "You can stay here tonight. Just promise me you won't try to Apparate."

"Splinch is a funny word. Sp-lin-ch," he repeated slowly, enunciating each syllable.

"Christopher."

"Yeah. Okay, yeah."

"Lie down and I'll get you a pillow and a blanket."

Alicia went to fetch her spare pillow off her bed. She held it to her nose briefly, lamenting the fact that it was about to end up smelling like a strip club, rather than George's familiar, sandalwood scent. She pulled the throw blanket from the end of the bed as well and returned to the living room.

Chris was in the process of unbuttoning his shirt. Trying to unbutton his shirt. Alicia shook her head furiously. "Nope. No way am I helping you with that. That's where I draw the line."

"Don't need your help."

He gave up after the third button and just pulled the shirt over his head. Alicia quickly dropped her gaze to the floor. She mightn't have any sexual or romantic feelings for him anymore but she still found him attractive. It wasn't like she could just flick a switch and turn that off.

"You need to be out of here first thing in the morning," she said briskly, blindly tossing the blanket and pillow towards the sofa. "I don't want Jake seeing you here."

"Right. Do you still do that annoying thing where you wake up at the crack of dawn?"

"Yes, and it isn't annoying."

"Like fuck it isn't," he countered sagely, as she heard him begin to unbuckle his trousers. "Just wake me up same time as you."

"Fine. You also better be prepared to use some cleaning charms in the morning because you're about to sweat out all your alcohol onto my poor sofa."

"I'd rather just buy you a new one."

"Course you would," Alicia said with a weary sigh. "Goodnight, Chris."

"Goodnight, Leesh."

Alicia almost looked up at him. He'd never called her that before. He hated nicknames and pet names with a passion. She allowed herself a little smile as she retreated to her bedroom and closed the door firmly. Her night had definitely taken an unexpected turn. She still wasn't even sure she had done the right thing by letting him stay.

Alicia lay awake for well over an hour and her mind raced as she tried to justify her actions. Everything eventually combined into one epic maelstrom in her mind. She felt guilty about letting Chris stay while George wasn't there. At the same time, she also felt guilty that she hadn't done more to help Chris before he got to this point. She wondered if she should mention the letters to him in the morning. A little quid pro quo since she had now helped him.

It took her so long to drift off that inevitably she overslept and didn't wake up till eight o'clock the following morning. It took her a moment to get her bearings then she sprang out of bed. If Jake wasn't already awake, he would be soon. She needed to get Chris out of there.

She hastily threw on some jeans and a top and slipped out of her room. There was no sign of Jake yet, thankfully. She peered over the back of the sofa and found Chris still sleeping peacefully.

"Christopher," she hissed as she poked him in the shoulder. He grunted, pulled the blanket up to his chin and rolled over. "No, no," she whispered frantically and shook him. "You need to wake up now. It's time to go home."

This time he told her to fuck off, then pulled the blanket all the way up over his head. Alicia gritted her teeth and weighed up her options. She could throw some water on him maybe. Or she could simply push him onto the floor. Both of those were promising ideas.

Before she could decide on a course of action, there was a knock on the door. She spun around and glared. What could this possibly be now? Then it hit her like a fucking freight train.

George.

Eight o'clock. Saturday morning. Breakfast.

George was coming over to cook breakfast for her and Jake. He normally worked every Saturday but he'd managed to get the day off and he wanted to spend it with the two of them. They'd arranged it last weekend and she had completely forgotten. How could she have forgotten?

"Oh no," Alicia groaned, clutching at her suddenly pounding head. She gave Chris's arm a vengeful thump with her fist then turned back to stare impotently at her front door.

She swallowed her panic and took a deep breath. The more frantic she appeared, the worse this was going to be. In the midst of her tossing and turning last night, she'd made the decision to tell George anyway, so this conversation was going to have to happen sometime. It would have been nice to run through her explanation in her head first though.

Alicia went over and opened her front door before George had to knock again. She stared at him blankly as he stooped down to pick up a tray of takeaway coffee cups he'd placed by his feet. In his other hand he was holding three or four plastic bags full of groceries.

"Morning, lovely," he said brightly and placed a light kiss on her forehead. "You look startled. I knew you'd forget I was coming over."

"Just hold on one second," Alicia said, putting her hand on his chest as he tried to step around her and enter the flat. "I need to explain something before you go in there."

"What's going on?"

"Christopher is in there."

George's eyebrows drew together and Alicia's heart thumped in response. "What's he doing here so early?" he asked.

"He showed up late last night and he was drunk and upset about something so I let him sleep it off on my sofa," Alicia said quickly, her words running together as she rushed to clarify the situation. "He's still in there but the second he's awake I'll kick him out."

George didn't say anything and his face remained fairly impassive. She could usually pick up on his emotions because he wore his heart on his sleeve more often than not. She supposed he was taking a moment to process all the information she'd thrown at him.

"George?" she said tentatively after a few more seconds of silence. "Please say something."

"I think I'm losing circulation in my fingers," was all he said.

"Oh. Sorry." Alicia reached out to take a couple of bags off him. "Are you okay with this then?"

"Are you asking if I'm okay with your drunken ex showing up at your place in the middle of the night?"

God. When he put it like that. "I'm so sorry. Chris was in a bad way and he wanted my help and I couldn't bear to turn him away."

"It's not your fault that he showed up here and, ultimately, this is your flat – meaning it's up to you to decide who comes and goes."

So he wasn't angry with her. Relief flooded Alicia's body and her tense shoulders sagged. Obviously he wasn't exactly happy about the situation, but she could handle him being slightly miffed. She had expected a lot worse and it was evidently about time that she started giving George the benefit of the doubt. He'd clearly grown up and mellowed out over the years.

"Now can I come in or what?"

Alicia smiled and led George through into the flat. Jake hadn't appeared yet and Chris was still on the sofa, though he was evidently awake now because she could hear his pained groaning.

"He's not used to drinking and he drank a lot last night," Alicia explained to George. "This'll be the first hangover he's ever had and it's going to be a cracker."

"Wish I could say I feel bad for him." George threw a smirk back over his shoulder as he dumped his grocery bags onto the kitchen benchtop. "I wasn't sure what you'd feel like for breakfast so I bought a bunch of different stuff. You feel like a full English or pancakes or something else?"

Alicia plastered herself to his back and wrapped her arms around his torso. "Full English would be wonderful. With scrambled eggs if that's all right. Jake still won't stop talking about the eggs you made him the other week."

"No problem." George twisted around in her arms and handed her one of the takeaway coffee cups. "Here. I actually remembered the way you like it this time. Extra shot and all."

"You beautiful, beautiful man," Alicia whispered reverently. She reached up to kiss him firmly on the mouth.

"George!" shouted a small voice, followed by a pitter-patter of feet.

Alicia stepped back just in time for Jake to launch himself at George's waist. "Hi, Jakey. You sleep well?" George asked, tousling the mess of dark curls in front of him.

"Yeah. I had a dream about Quidditch. You were in it."

"Really?"

"You fell off your broom."

"Oh."

"Your head was a bit broken but you didn't die."

"I'm glad to hear it," George said. He gave Alicia a quizzical look over Jake's head and she could only smile and shrug in reply.

"George is going to make us some breakfast. Would you like some scrambled eggs?"

"Yes! Can I help crack the eggs?"

"Sure."

Alicia watched happily as George hoisted Jake up onto the benchtop and continued to unload groceries. She loved these domestic moments where it was just the three of them. George was fitting so seamlessly into their lives that it sometimes felt like it was fate that they had been brought back together.

Christopher was not going to get in the way of that, she decided. She turned and rifled through a high cupboard. Luckily she still had a vial of Hangover Helper left over from her younger days. While Jake was suitably distracted, Alicia went over and knelt down beside the sofa.

"Christopher?"

"I think I'm dying."

She slowly peeled the blanket back off his face. His Spanish heritage meant he usually had a slightly tanned complexion, but at the moment his skin was a sickly grey colour. She winced. "You're not dying. It's just a hangover – a rather nasty one by the look of it – but it'll still pass eventually."

"No. Just Avada me now. Please."

"Stop being such a friggin' baby. This is what happens when you try to use alcohol to forget your problems. You brought this all on yourself."

Chris groaned and tried to roll onto his side. "Oh God. My whole body is aching. Did I get into a fist fight or something?"

"Not that I know of. You might've received an extra exuberant lap dance or two though," Alicia said, giving him a self-indulgent smile.

"Oh God," he repeated and threw his forearm over his eyes. "Remind me to disinfect myself then never touch another drop of alcohol for as long as I live."

"Here, take this potion. It's not a cure but it'll help take the edge off. At the very least it'll stop you from vomiting all over my living room the moment you sit up."

"I can't move," he whined. "Just pour it into my mouth."

Alicia rolled her eyes and uncorked the vial. She tipped the bright green liquid into his open mouth. "There, you useless twat. I'll give you two minutes to let the potion kick in then you have to leave."

"Fine by me. Where's Jake?"

"In the kitchen helping George make breakfast."

Chris made a guttural choking sound and removed his arm so he could glare up at her. "Weasley's here? Are you fucking serious? Why would you let me stay over if you knew he was going to be here first thing in the morning?"

"I forgot he was coming over," Alicia admitted, her cheeks colouring slightly.

"You forgot? Are you sure you're not trying to get me killed?"

"George wouldn't hurt a fly."

"Right. So I suppose he accidentally punched the shit out of Draco in seventh year?"

"Malfoy doesn't count," Alicia replied dismissively. "Everyone with half a brain wants to punch the shit out of him."

"Christ. This must look awful. My bloody clothes are thrown all over the room," Chris said, looking over Alicia's shoulder. He lifted up the blanket and looked beneath it. "Well, at least I'm not naked."

"Maman?" Jake called out.

"I'm down by the sofa," Alicia called out, giving Chris a furious glare.

"I helped crack seven eggs. George said he can use his wand to get all the shell bits out so don't worry," Jake said as he came around the end of the sofa. He paused when he spotted Chris, then his little face broke into a huge smile. "Daddy!"

"No. Wait," Chris said weakly, but it was too late. He groaned heavily as Jake landed on top of him. Alicia smiled wickedly to herself at the sight of Chris's agonised face. "Morning, Jake," he managed through gritted teeth.

"Oh!" Jake exclaimed suddenly, sitting up and bouncing excitedly on his dad's stomach. "George will have to crack more eggs. I'll go tell him!"

Chris screwed his eyes shut and whimpered as Jake clambered off him and vaulted over the back of the sofa. Alicia prodded him in the shoulder and hissed, "You can't stay for breakfast. Fix this!"

Chris swore and sat up slowly. He looked for a moment like he was going to throw up then his face cleared and he got to his feet. He stood there looking ridiculous with the fluffy pink throw blanket clutched up under his armpits. Alicia couldn't even bring herself to stand up; she didn't want to see the look on George's face.

"Look, George! My dad is here!"

"I know. I heard."

"Weasley," Chris said curtly.

"Warrington."

Alicia slapped her hands over her face and moaned. What a fucking disaster.

"Can you make some more eggs so my dad can have some too?"

George didn't reply so Chris said, "Listen, Jake, I can't stay for breakfast this time. I have to go to work right now."

"But you always have to go to work!"

Alicia could picture the pout on Jake's face without looking up. She climbed to her feet reluctantly and surveyed the scene across the flat. George was standing in the middle of the kitchen with his hands on his hips, staring at Chris. He wasn't glaring per se, just looking at him intently. Jake was between them with his arms folded and his lower lip protruding.

"Can't you eat some scrambled eggs with me first?" Jake asked. "Pleeease."

"Not today," Chris repeated, a little more firmly this time.

"But I never get to eat with you and mummy at the same time," Jake said petulantly and stomped his foot to punctuate his words. "It's not fair!"

Alicia saw it coming. Jake's lower lip began to tremble then his whole face crumbled and he burst into tears. She held out her arms, expecting him to run to her for comfort. Instead, he spun around and ran over to George, who automatically ducked down and scooped him up in his arms. Jake sobbed into his shoulder as he shot Alicia a stunned look. She didn't know what to say or do.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Chris stiffen at the sight in front of him. His son was seeking comfort from another man. Alicia honestly had no idea if Jake had done it on purpose or not. He'd turned so fast to George that it didn't seem likely. But he was a smart kid, and a definite Slytherin if he had in fact just managed to play the two men off against each other so easily.

"It's all right, Jake," George said soothingly. He then gave Alicia an aggrieved look and shrugged his shoulders slightly.

Alicia shook her head adamantly. She was going to have to be the bad guy again, but there was no way Chris was going to eat breakfast with them. "Jake, you need to-"

"I'll stay for breakfast," Chris said quickly, cutting her off expertly.

"Really?" Jake asked, lifting his head and sniffling forlornly.

"Christopher," Alicia snapped.

"Our son wants to eat breakfast with both of his parents for once. You want to deny him that simple thing?"

Alicia sighed and rubbed her hands over her face. Like she could put a pin in it now. Jake would throw an epic tantrum and she was not in the mood for that. It wasn't really up to her though. "George?" she asked.

"Fine with me. There's plenty of food."

"Yes!" Jake cheered and wriggled out of George's arms. He ran over to Christopher and hugged him around the waist. He drew back quickly though and wrinkled his nose. "You smell yucky, papa."

Christopher grimaced and turned to Alicia. "I know. Can I grab a quick shower?"

She threw up her hands in defeat. "Like I have any control over what happens in my own home anymore."

"Thanks," he replied, rolling his eyes at her dramatics.

Christopher began to shuffle around and collect his clothing from the floor. Alicia barely suppressed the urge to punch him in the throat and instead turned the television on so Jake could watch his morning cartoons. Before he could sit down though, she retrieved her wand from the coffee table and performed the strongest cleaning charm she knew on the afflicted sofa.

She then went to check on George, her chest more than a little tight with worry. He was standing in the kitchen whisking the egg mixture rather…briskly.

Alicia stood in front of him and gave him her best apologetic expression – all pouty lips and big eyes. "This is just getting worse by the minute. I'm so sorry."

"Stop saying that. What's done is done."

George turned away and busied himself pulling a frypan out of the cupboard. Alicia leaned against the kitchen bench beside him. "Are you angry at me?"

"Let's just say I'm not ecstatic and leave it at that."

"Nothing happened here last night. You know that, right?"

"I know," he said, dropping some butter into the pan. "That's not the issue. I don't get why he showed up here of all places. Doesn't he have other friends he can bother?"

"Well…not really," Alicia said. "At least not anyone he'd want to appear vulnerable in front of. I've already seen him at his worst so I guess he figured I wasn't going to think less of him for it."

"He's not your responsibility."

Alicia sidled up to George and lifted his arm so that she could snuggle into his side while he cooked. He gripped her shoulder and dropped a kiss onto the crown of her head and she relaxed a little. "I realise that. I was awake all night thinking about it and I know he's not my problem anymore, but I'm the one really pushing this new friendship of ours so I need to do my part. I wouldn't have turned away Fred or Lee or Oliver if one of them had shown up in such a bad state last night. I need to put our history aside and start treating Chris like any of my other male friends, otherwise this'll never work."

"I get that. You're being a good person like always," George said. "Just don't expect me to ever become mates with him. I'd prefer it if your friendship with him didn't involve me whatsoever."

"That would definitely be best for all of us. He's the match to your fuse, so I'd very much like the two of you to stay away from each other as well."

"Glad we're on the same page there. Now go sit down and drink your coffee."

"Do you want me to help with anything?"

George slapped her on the arse and gave her a light shove out of the kitchen. "Get out. If I need something burned beyond recognition I'll give you a shout."

"Cheeky sod," Alicia said, narrowing her eyes playfully at him.

He replied with an enigmatic smile then turned back to his work. She slouched over to the dining table and sat down, clutching her blessed coffee like it was her lifeline. Navigating this new territory with Chris was going to be tricky, but she could see it benefitting both of them. Merlin knew he could use a friend and the last couple of weeks had reminded her that she did genuinely enjoy his company…most of the time.

It would all work out. Another couple of weeks and everything would settle down. She was sure of it.

Christopher emerged from the bathroom, freshly showered but wearing his clothes from the previous day. He must have used a cleaning charm on them because he no longer smelled like a seedy strip club when he took a seat across from her at the table.

"Why the fuck does anyone get drunk?" he asked as he slumped forward and rested his chin on his forearms. "Drinking to excess isn't fun enough to justify dealing with a shitty hangover the next morning. I just threw up for five straight minutes."

"That's good actually; it'll make you feel better to get it out of your system. And not everyone gets hangovers," Alicia explained between sips of coffee. "I'm usually all right the morning after if I drink water in between. Your problem is you mixed your alcohol. Amateur move, Christopher. Next time stick to wine only or beer only or spirits only."

"Helpful tip, but I was serious about never touching another drop of alcohol. I'm officially on the wagon as of today."

"Probably for the best. You're an awfully chatty drunk," Alicia said, wiggling her eyebrows jovially.

"Don't remind me," he muttered darkly. "Is that a macchiato?" he asked, lowering his eyes to her coffee cup.

"Yeah," she replied, drawing it towards her chest protectively.

"Smells good," Chris said lightly, blinking up at her so his long, dark eyelashes fluttered.

Alicia snorted and rolled her own eyes. "Just so we're clear, that look only works on me now when it's coming from Jake." She slid the coffee across the table anyway. "But I suppose you need it more than I do this morning. Just make sure you drink it slowly."

"You're the best," he sighed and accepted the paper cup and held it below his nose so he could take a long sniff.

"And you're a pain in my arse, but here we are."

Chris shot her his customary smirk and sat back and started drinking the coffee. The smell of sizzling bacon began to fill the air and Alicia hummed appreciatively.

"All that and he cooks as well?" Chris asked, his eyes flicking behind her to where George was clattering around.

"Yep. It's really weird, but it turns out that cooking isn't actually all that hard for most people. You and I just really suck at it."

"Speak for yourself, woman. I made myself dinner last week when Marta was off sick."

"Pot Noodle?" Alicia guessed.

Chris shook his head then winced as it obviously caused him pain. "No. Beans on toast, actually."

"You're a true Renaissance man," she said, giving him an affectionate little smile.

"Here you go," George suddenly said from behind her. He placed his cup of coffee on the table in front of her. "It's just a plain old cappuccino I'm afraid, but it should still do the trick. I'm too busy cooking to drink it anyway."

Alicia tipped her head back to look up at him as he leaned over her. "You're seriously too beautiful for this world, George Weasley."

He shook his head affectionately then dropped a quick kiss to her forehead. "Just shut up and drink the coffee already."

George returned to the kitchen and Alicia turned her attention back to her house guest, readying herself for a snide comment. But he was just looking at her thoughtfully over the lid of his coffee cup. "I'm surprised you haven't gone ahead and married him already," Chris said mildly.

"It's only been a few months."

"So what? Hasn't this really been going on for years? Besides, I've never seen you look at anyone the way you look at him. You certainly never looked at me that way. I'm quickly developing a healthy inferiority complex sat over here."

"Inferior to a Weasley, huh? How does that feel?"

"Like someone's twisting a hot knife in my gut." Chris took a long sip of coffee then shrugged. "Guess I'll have to learn to live with it. As long as you're happy, I'll keep my mouth shut and I won't begrudge you doing whatever you want with Weasley."

"Well thanks for your blessing," Alicia said, only managing to sound slightly sarcastic. She genuinely was happy to hear Chris was going to keep his thoughts to himself from now on. The least she could do was try not to rub her happiness in his face too much.

"What about you then? Any romantic prospects on the horizon?"

"Depends. How's Bell doing these days?"

Alicia opened her mouth to call him an unkind name, but was interrupted by George announcing that breakfast was ready.

Eating a meal together with George and Chris still wouldn't her favourite way to spend a Saturday morning, by any means, but it was proving to be a lot better than she had imagined. Both were being fairly subdued. Chris's hangover probably helped a lot with that. And Jake being present helped as well. He kept up a running commentary for the adults at the table, telling everyone how he helped make the eggs and recounting what had just happened in the cartoon he watched. The two men never even had to say a word to each other.

It was one of the weirdest situations she'd ever been in, but it wasn't entirely excruciating in the end. Maybe it was something the four of them could do occasionally. She was contemplating the logistics of that when she heard Jake start speaking French to Chris.

"Hey, we don't speak French in front of George, remember?"

"Sorry, maman."

Chris frowned across the table. "That seems a little ridiculous. He'll lose the language one day if he doesn't keep it up."

"I realise that. He and I have regular conversations in French so that won't happen. I'm just trying to teach him that it's rude to speak French in front of people who don't know the language."

"It honestly doesn't bother me," George commented. "Jake can speak whatever language he wants to in front of me."

"See," Chris said pointedly. "Let Jake do whatever feels right for him."

The fact that the two men were on the same side bothered Alicia for some reason. Probably because they were both united against her. That wasn't how it was supposed to work, dammit.

George stood up and started clearing away the empty plates. "Besides, my sister-in-law is going to start giving me French lessons, so I'll be able to understand bits and pieces soon."

"You mean Fleur Delacour?"

"Yeah."

Chris got a dreamy look in his eye. "I remember her from the Tri-wizard Tournament. She still look the same?"

"I guess so," George answered uncertainly, obviously not wanting to comment on the attractiveness of his brother's wife.

"She's still absolutely stunning," Alicia said, coming to his rescue. "Probably better looking now actually. She's got curves she didn't have when she was a teenager."

Chris shook his head forlornly. "I've never understood how you Weasleys manage it. First Delacour, then Johnson. Even your swotty brother married a looker. Granger doesn't even look half bad these days." Alicia cleared her throat pointedly. He waved his hand at her. "Yeah, yeah. I was getting to you. I just don't understand how you lot attract all these beautiful witches."

Alicia watched George collect the last of the plates then pause to consider that comment for a moment. She took a tentative sip of her coffee, watching the proceedings anxiously. Chris was clearly poking, trying to get a rise out of George. In the end, he just shrugged and said, "Haven't you heard? Weasley men are famously well-endowed."

Alicia almost spat out her coffee. Chris grimaced, looking as if he had thrown up in his mouth or something. George winked at Alicia then went into the kitchen.

"What does well-endowed mean?"

Alicia and Chris both turned in unison to their inquisitive son. "Um…" Alicia said.

"It means George is a liar," Chris answered succinctly.

"Never mind what daddy said. It's just an adult word you don't need to worry about, all right. Go and get changed out of your pyjamas please." Jake disappeared with a huff of disappointment at being excluded. Alicia turned back to Chris. "For the record, George isn't lying," she said with a vindictive little smile.

"Stop it," he groaned in reply. "You're going to make me vomit right here on the table."

"You started it, idiot. I know you think you're always the smartest person in the room, but George'll always outsmart you in the end."

"I'm hungover; I'm clearly not at the top of my game."

"Whatever you say, Christopher. Go say goodbye to Jake then get out of here already."

"I don't feel well," he mumbled. "I don't think that food is sitting right with me. Talk of Weasley's manhood notwithstanding."

"I told you to eat slowly! Why do you never listen to me? Even when I clearly know better."

"Force of habit?"

"Maman! I'm ready to go play at Sanjeev's house now!"

Alicia stopped glaring at Chris to look over the front door. Jake was standing there fully dressed – he'd even managed to put his sandals on the right feet this time. "Sanjeev's house? What are you talking about, sweetheart?"

Jake sighed dramatically and spoke slowly, as if he was talking to a toddler. "Remember when you picked me up from nursery? You talked to his mummy and she said I could go and play there on Saturday. Wait…is today Saturday?"

"Shit and piss," Alicia muttered to herself.

"Really. First you forget your boyfriend is coming over and you sleep in past six, then you forget you made a playdate for your son? What's going on with you lately?"

"Nothing. Mind your own business," she snapped at Chris.

"Which is it? Nothing or something that's not my business?"

"Just shut up."

"Everything all right?" George asked as he came back over and placed his hand on Alicia's shoulder.

"Yeah. I just forgot I arranged for Jake to go over to his friend's place this morning. No big deal. He only lives in a flat down the road so I'll drop Jake off and be back in fifteen minutes. You and I can still spend the day together."

"Come on!" Jake called from the door. "He got a new train for his birthday and I want to go play with it!"

"Please be patient and stop shouting," Chris said sternly.

"I still don't think you should Apparate so you might as well come downstairs with us," Alicia said.

"Not possible. If I stand up now I'll vomit."

Alicia pressed her hand to her forehead and took a deep breath. She wished she hadn't opened the door last night. Hell, she wished she hadn't gone to the Rose Ball all those years ago.

"It's fine," George said. "Warrington can leave when he's ready. I'll just finish cleaning up over there."

Alicia stood up and turned around to face him. "Oh no. I'm not leaving the two of you alone here."

"We're both adults and one of us is so hungover he can barely move. What do you think is going to happen?"

Alicia didn't know exactly. A dozen different scenarios were currently ricocheting around in her brain. None of them were pleasant. She should just wait around till Chris felt better. Jake would wait if she told him he had to.

But maybe this was all inevitable. Maybe this had to happen and they had to be left alone to…do whatever it was two men in their situation would do. Beat their chests like gorillas? Pee on stuff? If they got it out of their system now things might be better in the long run. They both seemed fine with the idea of being left alone together in the flat, which worried and intrigued her at the same time.

Time to step aside and stop trying to micromanage everything.

George gave her a reassuring nod and kissed her on the cheek.

"All right. Let's go Jake."

A/N: I haven't started the next chapter, but I don't think it'll be a tricky one to write. I've been anticipating the upcoming showdown between George and Chris for a while now. I have most of the scene mapped out in my head already. If you're still reading and enjoying please let me know in a review. See you all soon!