"So who's moving out of the big house?" Lily asked, as Anna walked
back into the bedroom, bowl of popcorn in hand.
"Mum, probably. Since we both want to live with dad."
"Why do you both want to live with your dad?" Moira asked.
"So they can join Caro and me in the growing amount of screwed up children living with a screwed up male parent."
"Damn straight!" Caro said, raising her hand to Lily for a high five.
"I feel so left out." Moira said. "Why did my father re-marry, I too wish I could have been raised only by a single, loserlike male figure."
"You just hush. Do you know who's incredibly hot?"
"Uh-oh, Anna's got her mind set on something."
"No really, do you know who is really hot?"
"Uh, Chase O'Reilly?" Caro guessed.
"Anders Peyna?" Moira said dreamily.
"Collective shudder." Lily said to Caro.
"No, Derrick Freeman."
"Anna! Derrick has a girlfriend. And you have a boyfriend." Lily said patronizingly.
"But still, he is so hot! Besides," Anna said carelessly, "Matthew is just a tide over."
"Nanni, you can't get everything you want." Moira said.
"That's because I have high standards. You, however, can have whatever you want, since you only aspire as high as Anders Peyna."
"Anders is very nice." Moira mumbled.
"And he's very handsome." Lily said, sticking up for Moira. "And besides, aren't you the girl who thought Seamus Finnigan was attractive?"
"He is." Anna said.
"He's almost two decades older than you!"
"He's my dad!"
"Okay, okay you guys, we're all good friends, so you tell me, out of all the mini-adults, which one you find most attractive."
"Anna! No way!"
"Come on you guys, seriously. Let's go, fess up."
Caroline sighed and twisted her face up. She looked at Lily as she spoke. "Harry."
"Ewwww."
"You know Lily, you're the only one saying eww. And if I were you I wouldn't be saying that, especially because you're his spitting image."
Lily rolled her eyes. "Okay Moira, oracle of truth, which one is your pick?"
"Moira smiled mischeviously and looked down at her lap. "Harry."
"Two votes Harry, one vote Seamus. Come on Lils, take your pick."
Lily sighed and rolled her eyes. "Draco."
"Ooooooohhhhhh. Lily! My gosh, we never saw THAT side of you before."
"Well honestly, did you think I'd pick my dad?"
"Familiarity breeds incest? Never thought about that one."
"Actually, do you know what? Your Uncle George is fairly dashing too."
"Oh I know. And Fred is so much less handsome."
"Oh absolutely!" The girls collapsed giggling, and then caught their breath, sitting up and gasping.
"So do you think your mum is going to bother coming for Christmas?"
"Nope, we're going over to your place for gifts and so on."
"What about you Mo?"
"Going to the cemetary. And then to my mother's parents. Unless Cadian is still ill. Then we'll just go to the cemetary and come back home."
They all nodded silently. Lily didn't know when she fell asleep, but she was woken not long after by the sound of the door.
"Hey Moira." She heard a voice say.
"Oh Derrick! What are you doing here?"
"Your dad told me you would be here." Derrick Freeman.
"But why-"
"I can't do it Moira. I can't go back there. It's so hard, I just can't do it."
"Okay, alright. Why not?"
"Because I looked at them, and I just, I just couldn't do it Moira. God, I'm such a git, I can't believe I couldn't do it. They were counting on me so much, but I couldn't-" He broke down.
Moira rubbed his back silently, and caught sight of Lily. She raised one finger to her lips and gestured for her to come over. She sat down and Derrick looked up at Moira, not seeing Lily. He brushed his tears away roughly.
"Boys don't cry." He said.
"But true men do." Moira said softly.
"Mum, probably. Since we both want to live with dad."
"Why do you both want to live with your dad?" Moira asked.
"So they can join Caro and me in the growing amount of screwed up children living with a screwed up male parent."
"Damn straight!" Caro said, raising her hand to Lily for a high five.
"I feel so left out." Moira said. "Why did my father re-marry, I too wish I could have been raised only by a single, loserlike male figure."
"You just hush. Do you know who's incredibly hot?"
"Uh-oh, Anna's got her mind set on something."
"No really, do you know who is really hot?"
"Uh, Chase O'Reilly?" Caro guessed.
"Anders Peyna?" Moira said dreamily.
"Collective shudder." Lily said to Caro.
"No, Derrick Freeman."
"Anna! Derrick has a girlfriend. And you have a boyfriend." Lily said patronizingly.
"But still, he is so hot! Besides," Anna said carelessly, "Matthew is just a tide over."
"Nanni, you can't get everything you want." Moira said.
"That's because I have high standards. You, however, can have whatever you want, since you only aspire as high as Anders Peyna."
"Anders is very nice." Moira mumbled.
"And he's very handsome." Lily said, sticking up for Moira. "And besides, aren't you the girl who thought Seamus Finnigan was attractive?"
"He is." Anna said.
"He's almost two decades older than you!"
"He's my dad!"
"Okay, okay you guys, we're all good friends, so you tell me, out of all the mini-adults, which one you find most attractive."
"Anna! No way!"
"Come on you guys, seriously. Let's go, fess up."
Caroline sighed and twisted her face up. She looked at Lily as she spoke. "Harry."
"Ewwww."
"You know Lily, you're the only one saying eww. And if I were you I wouldn't be saying that, especially because you're his spitting image."
Lily rolled her eyes. "Okay Moira, oracle of truth, which one is your pick?"
"Moira smiled mischeviously and looked down at her lap. "Harry."
"Two votes Harry, one vote Seamus. Come on Lils, take your pick."
Lily sighed and rolled her eyes. "Draco."
"Ooooooohhhhhh. Lily! My gosh, we never saw THAT side of you before."
"Well honestly, did you think I'd pick my dad?"
"Familiarity breeds incest? Never thought about that one."
"Actually, do you know what? Your Uncle George is fairly dashing too."
"Oh I know. And Fred is so much less handsome."
"Oh absolutely!" The girls collapsed giggling, and then caught their breath, sitting up and gasping.
"So do you think your mum is going to bother coming for Christmas?"
"Nope, we're going over to your place for gifts and so on."
"What about you Mo?"
"Going to the cemetary. And then to my mother's parents. Unless Cadian is still ill. Then we'll just go to the cemetary and come back home."
They all nodded silently. Lily didn't know when she fell asleep, but she was woken not long after by the sound of the door.
"Hey Moira." She heard a voice say.
"Oh Derrick! What are you doing here?"
"Your dad told me you would be here." Derrick Freeman.
"But why-"
"I can't do it Moira. I can't go back there. It's so hard, I just can't do it."
"Okay, alright. Why not?"
"Because I looked at them, and I just, I just couldn't do it Moira. God, I'm such a git, I can't believe I couldn't do it. They were counting on me so much, but I couldn't-" He broke down.
Moira rubbed his back silently, and caught sight of Lily. She raised one finger to her lips and gestured for her to come over. She sat down and Derrick looked up at Moira, not seeing Lily. He brushed his tears away roughly.
"Boys don't cry." He said.
"But true men do." Moira said softly.