The next morning after Gilderoy and I had finished our breakfast and I'd tidied the kitchen to my neat standards, I went to dress for today's adventure: shopping.

*Deep breath, Stephie. You can do it. Just breathe in and out.*

I then opened my closet and began to sift through it for something appropriate to wear. After several minutes I sighed and just pulled at random. The result: blueish crinkled mesh skirt and a blue Roxy t-shirt.

*Pheh. It'll do. When have I ever had fashion sense anyway?*

I changed into the clothes and grabbed my jean jacket, grey flannel scarf, and my purse. I was ready to go. Of course however, when I stepped out into the living room where Gilderoy sat patiently waiting for me, I realized that he was not. I took one look at his wizard finery and mentally thwapped myself with a herring.

*He'll definitely attract a whole lot of attention going out in that. Of course he'll be used to it, but I certainly won't and this will not do. No, it won't.*

"Gilderoy, we need to do something about your wear." I finally said, my eyes taking in the periwinkle blue robes over matching colored blazer and trousers. I supposed the rest of the outfit was fine, but the robe had to go. "Would you mind terribly if I asked you to ditch the robe?" I asked, tugging at the material lightly.

"Ditch?" He gave me a confused glance.

*Stephie you baka! Of course he wouldn't know "muggle" slang!*

"I meant would you mind not wearing that on this outing? It's ... not the kind of thing muggles are used to seeing, that's all." I explained.

"B-but ... it completes the ensemble! I won't look as dashing without it." He burst, looking almost scandalized.

*Stephie, count to ten. One ... two ... three ... wait- brilliant idea! I'll use reverse psychology or some such thing on him!*

"I cannot believe I am even going to say this, but you would actually look more," I said laying a delicate stress on the word, "dashing without it."

He looked at me, honestly thinking it out. "Really? Well, if you put it that way," He slipped it off him and draped it over the seat he'd been sitting in, "I'll do as you suggest."

"Lovely, now let's move it. We've a bus to catch." I directed, pulling him by the arm towards to door, closing it and locking it behind me.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

We made it to the bus stop over twenty minutes later because Gilderoy just had to stop and look at everything we passed on the street. I immediately sat down on the bench, thanking the powers that be that is was a hazy chill morning, else I'd be sitting there squinting in the annoying California sun. I glanced up to tell Gilderoy to sit down when I saw him take his wand from the folds of his blazer and stick his arm out.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, hoping no one was watching us.

"Well, to summon the Knight Bus you stick out your wand arm, right?" He returned, glancing up and down the busy street curiously, waiting for the violently purple double decker bus to magically appear.

"Gilderoy, how many times do I have to tell you, MAGIC DOES NOT EXIST HERE! Besides, we're in America and not England, and since we're in the world of reality, we do it the muggle way. We ride public buses." I explained, standing up to take the wand from his hand and tuck it back in his blazer, all the while thinking I should have asked him to leave it at home.

"Well how do you summon it then?" He asked, giving me a skeptical look.

"You don't, that's the point. You sit here on this bench," I tugged him down to sit beside me, "and wait for it to come at the appointed time. You see, these buses run on a schedule, every fifteen or so minutes one comes along to pick up passengers. As such, we must sit here and wait, hopefully not for too much longer." I finished explaining patiently, tugging my scarf closer around my neck.

"Oh, right." He responded, still looking up and down the street obviously amazed at the noise and all the cars and such.

*And this is the suburb. Imagine how much crazier it would be if we were in the heart of L.A.*

Before I could say anything a tall blonde passed by wearing a flimsy halter top, that actually was more of a bra than anything else, and tight hip hugging jeans almost in defiant protest to the crisp weather. A glance at Gilderoy and I saw him goggling at the girl as she swished by.

He then turned to me with wide eyes. "This is what muggle girls wear?"

"Sadly, yes." I grumbled, thankful for my odd fashion sense that left me fully covered.

"Leaves nothing to the imagination ..." He murmured, wondering why he suddenly had more appreciation for the choice of attire of the young lady beside him.

Even if I had chosent to comment to that I could not as the bus we'd been waiting for roled to a stop before us. I leapt up and grabbed the wizard's arm, dragging him with me inside where I payed for both our fares and quickly pulled him with me to the back of the bus.

"Wow, this IS different from the Knight Bus. It's not as roomy and comfortable." He commented looking around.

"What it lacks in comfortability it makes up for in time and efficiency. You'll come to find it's much safer to ride in one of these than the Knight Bus, as you manage to actually STAY," I emphasized the word, "in your seat during the ride." I smirked as the bus rolled away from the stop.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"I have to admit, you were right. It is much safer to ride in one of these." Gilderoy remarked as he and I got off the bus at the entrance to the mall, where there were already loads of people bustling about.

"Told you." I grinned and took his arm and lead him inside, dodging many of the christmas shoppers as I did.

*It's quite insane how early people start shopping for christmas.*

I gritted my teeth and walked purposefully forward, pulling the wizard with me.

"What's the rush? What's wrong with a leisurely stroll through here?" Gilderoy asked me, loooking about at everything and clearly not enjoying being dragged.

"Gilderoy, leisure is a luxury I do not have. Furthermore, you don't stroll in a mall, you speed walk. Malls are tools of the dark side. You don't want to spend anymore time in here than you have to." I told him, yet slowing my speed walking down just a little and lessing my hold on his arm.

He didn't say anything as he was too fascinated by the displays, crowds of people, and all the shops. I almost smiled a small smile.

*Yesh, I suppose he's entitled to be fascinated by it. Don't ruin it for him with your jaded attitude Stephie, just this once, play nice.*

I slowed my pace and decided to let him look around as we walked. I answered his questions patiently and pointed different things out as we made our way to the elevator just down the way on the left. We paused in front of the doors and I pushed the up button and tapped my foot a couple times.

"Were you the spawn of a clock or something?" He asked me, eyeing my feet.

I made myself stop tapping. "Ha, very funny. No, I just don't like being in malls that's all and again I remind you, I cannot stand not being productive. I suppose I am driven by schedules, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but I suppose it can get annoying." I replied, sighing in relief as the elevator doors opened to admit us.

I stepped inside and gestured for him to follow, and then I pushed the button for the second floor. Leaning back against the wall, I felt this wasn't so bad, I could do it, but of course that was before it happened ...

Almost halfway to the second floor the elevator suddenly stopped and dropped a foot or two, the lights flickering off and then back on.

*Uh oh ...*

As soon as the lights appeared to stay on, I hastily jabbed the second floor button. Nothing happened. I pushed it again. Still nothing. I then pushed the call button, but nothing happened. I pushed it again, and the elevator shifted and dropped again. I squeaked and grabbed at the railing.

"Aww mittens ..." I squeaked, glancing at Gilderoy.

"Er ... what just happened?" He asked me, looking a little spooked.

I bit my lip, the panic button in my head switching on. "Technical difficulties?" I laughed nervously.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

---- Half an hour later ----

"Stephie, you're starting to scare me. You've pushed all of those ... er ... button things nearly a hundred times." Gilderoy gazed at me just a little worried.

I didn't say anything, I pushed the buttons a few more times and then just growled and took to pacing, bitting my lip and wringing my hands.

"Er, Stephie?" He eyed me tentatively.

"What?" I snapped.

"Pacing isn't going to help either. If anything, it'll drive both of us mad." He said, pleading me with his eyes to sit down. "Fine." I sat myself down and leaned against the opposite wall from him. "Any suggestions as to what we can do?"

"No." Was his reply.

*Merlin help me! I suppose I could just count sheep and hope that the power or whatever it was would sort itself out. Well here goes ... one sheep ... two sheep ... three sheep ... four sheep ..*

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

---- Half an hour later ----

*D'arvit! Stupid ruddy sheep! If I so much as live through this and see a sheep, I will smite it!*

"Stephie?" Gilderoy spoke up, breaking the half hour of silence.

"Yes?" I grumbled.

"I think silence should be added to the list of things that will drive us both mad." He said.

"Well what do you suggest?" I retorted.

"A game?" He pleaded.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

---- An hour later ----

"Uno!" He said with glee.

"You ruddy cheat!" I hissed, slapping down my cards.

"I am not, you're just a sore loser." He grinned.

"Whatever. I demand a rematch. You're going down. Down I tell you!" I shuffled the cards.

"You're on." He smiled rogueishly.

*Lucky I had my pint sized deck of cards.*

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

---- Another hour later ----

"Truth: most embarassing moment?" I stared shrewdly at him, pursing my lips.

*What can I say? Uno got tiring, especially because I kept losing. Now how sad is that? I lost to a wizard who never even knew of the game until an hour ago!*

"Hmm. A failed switching spell. Picture handsome me with a rat's head and tail." He finally said after thinking a few moments. I had to laugh at that. "Truth: what do you most fear?" He then asked me, as it was his turn.

I thought for a few moments and decided to go with one of my more trivial fears. "Insects, any shape or form or type. They all are quite scary to me." I told him and then thought of what I could ask of him. "Truth: what do you most fear?" I know it was a repetition of the question, but I was curious. "Rejection." He answered simply. I looked down at my hands when he'd said that.

*Guess we're not so different after all ...*

"Question: what is it about me that irks you?" He asked, uncharacteristically serious.

I gazed at him, quite taken aback. What brought that up? How was I to answer that? I looked down and wondered if I could even say.

"You just remind me of someone. Someone I was fool enough to have feelings for. He was an egoist and played games with me. I of course lost, being the flaming fool I was." I finally said bluntly.

Gilderoy looked at me long and hard. It was quite unnerving really. I soon felt myself growing self conscious. "If anything, he is the flaming fool." He finally spoke, his voice soft and musical.

Before I could even respond, even if I could have formulated a response being so surprised as I was, the elevator jolted and then rose a few feet and the doors opened to reveal the second floor. I sat there stunned for a moment before the doors started to close at which point I leapt up and grabbed Gilderoy's arm and hurtled out of the ruddy cage on wires before it trapped us again.

"Ha! We're out! We're out! THANK MERLIN!" I said with joy and did a little dance while Gilderoy looked on at me, barely hiding his amused smile.

"Mittens! We need to meet Liz and Vash!" I grabbed his arm once again and took off running to the front of the Disney Store a little ways away where I spotted the two easily. I rushed up to Liz just as she spotted me and rushed over as well.

"You'll never believe what just happened to me!" We said in unison.