Disclaimer: I own nothing you may or may not recognize. Characters are from RFR; I don't own them.
Rating: PG13, just in case
Pairing: Travis/Lily eventually
A/N: Holy Snot! You mean I made it through this entire thing without a review from The Truth Reeper? I don't know whether to feel relieved or neglected. Just Kidding.
Special thanks to Dangrassi, who innocently helped bust me out of a writer's block and whose stories inspire me to maintain a level of quality and a tone of truth. Well, except for that Nutso Roscoe thing. Thanks, Dahling!
READ ON, PEOPLE! THIS IS IT! AND IT'S LOOONNNG!
Because I Know You
Chapter Twenty-One: Coming Home
Lily had been a little shaken by Just J's alarmingly accurate assessment of her situation. Stubbornly, she plodded along through her courses as if to prove him wrong. With the coming of spring she realized that it was pointless to deny it. A dogwood in the wild, it was a beautiful analogy, no doubt. Lily kept thinking more and more that perhaps Just J was right. Perhaps she could achieve her dreams without having to attend the best school available. Yet, if she wasn't going to learn at Julliard where would she go? Surely, going back home to Roscoe would not bring her any closer to her goals. It seemed like such a step back, but what a comforting and safe step that would be. She decided to check in with Ray just to bounce her thoughts off of him.
She grabbed the phone and made herself comfortable on the couch, dialing his number effortlessly.
"Brennan residence, this is Ray speaking."
"Parents home, Ray?"
"You know it! It's also good practice for that fall-back job of telemarketing."
"How is everything?"
"You know, in all the years I have known you, that question usually means something is up with you."
Lily sighed, long and deep. "Busted. I'm wondering what I'm doing here."
Ray cleared his throat, very Waller-like. "Well, let's tick if off, shall we? Point A, you are chasing your dream of being a star, Point B, you are learning how to chase your dream to be a star, and Three, you are learning from the best how to chase your dream to be a star.
Lily half-heartedly laughed. "I know all that. But I'm wondering if there might be a better way."
Ray was serious in his response, "Better than Julliard?"
"Better for me, Ray." She told Ray of her conversation with J in the library.
Ray was dutifully silent; knowing that Lily needed a confidante and not a comic. When she finished he was skeptical. "You got all these feelings of doubt from one conversation with a dude you don't even know? A dude with a strangely detailed knowledge of trees and you're taking his life changing advice?"
The exasperation was evident in Lily's voice. "The feelings were already there, Ray. O.K., yes the man was a little…odd, but that doesn't mean he was wrong. Sometimes angels tread in the shoes of strangers."
Ray summed it up for her. "So you're not happy there."
It always seemed simple to her when Ray said it. She replied accordingly. "No."
"Well then, Lily, the choice is obvious."
She was leaning forward, eager to hear a solution to her problem. "Yeah, Ray?"
"Make like a tree and leave."
She groaned at the obvious pun, she could just see Ray puffing out his chest and nodding his head at his own humor. Oddly enough, deep in her gut, that's exactly what she wanted to do.
Business at Two-Tone was now, as Robbie had put it, busting the hinges off of the doors. This was an honest increase in regular business and not just overflow from the better-known clubs nearby. Smog was a hit, the people loved the mystery and as predicted there were a few incidents that required security when people would try to investigate. The locks on the access door had to be upgraded. Travis usually started off with some quotation as he had usually done whenever he spoke at RFR. Then he would count it down and blast the speakers with some new song of his. He loved to throw in bits of quotations into the music and often had Barty and Vic do voiceovers for him with the modulator. The little trills of miscellaneous instruments that Lily had collected at Julliard were interesting to work with and became crowd favorites. Two-Tone had officially made its mark.
Travis spoke with Lily as often as he could. Lily was thrilled with the success and laughed at the antics of the clubgoers' attempts at discovering Smog's identity. He was beginning to notice that with each phone call she would divert the conversation more and more to the happenings in London rather than discuss what was going on in her life. Such avoidance usually meant there was a problem. He was determined to discover its source.
He purposely called late one evening to ensure that she would be home.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Lily."
"Travis! Hey, I miss you!"
He flushed a little; it was nice that she always mentioned that first. "I miss you too."
"Nah, you're too busy being Mr. Popular DJ to really miss me. How are things?"
"Well, you are definitely mistaken there, Ms. Randall. I miss you more now than I ever have. Besides I want to talk about you."
Lily laughed nervously, "What's to talk about? I eat, study, sleep, study, eat, and study. Not too exciting, I'm sure it's nothing like London."
"Oh no you don't, Lily, don't shift the topic back to me."
She was silent for a moment and then sighed. "Don't worry about me, Travis. I'm fine."
"Not by the sound of that sigh you aren't. Lily, trust me, I know when something is wrong with you. I need to know that you are O.K. It's important to me, you are important to me."
Lily finally broke. She gave an even longer shuddering sigh as if the pressure from withholding the information had been particularly stressful.
"Well, it will be good to talk with you about it." And she told him everything she had been feeling, of her conversation with the mysterious J, and of her phone call with Ray. "Really, Travis, I should just leave. I just don't know where to go. Ray says I should just come home."
For some reason, that statement made Travis nervous. "Ray wants you to come home?"
"Yeah, he says everybody loves me there, and he's right."
Travis' nervousness increased. "Do you want to go home?"
"I don't know, yeah, I feel safe there, but will that get me where I'm supposed to be?"
"There is no security on this earth, there is only opportunity."
"You're quoting famous military men now?" She sounded amused and he was grateful.
"Well, it seemed to fit your situation. I stick by what I said in the park that night, remember?"
Lily's voice became soft and husky. "I'll never forget it. I'll do what is best for me and I'll be fine."
Her intimate tone caused his throat to constrict and he responded in just as husky a whisper. "Exactly."
He paused; he wanted to tell her how much he wanted to see her but did not want to add to her confusion. Then he remembered how his reticence with his emotions had put this much distance between them and spoke clearly. "I miss you, Lily. If you do decide to go home, I would love it if you took the long way, by route of London, it's a beautiful diversion."
Her voice had moved beyond flirtation and dipped into the realm of seduction. "Hmmm, a beautiful diversion…yes, I'm sure you are."
After his conversation with Lily, Travis slowly began to realize what she had been feeling for he began to feel it himself. It was a strange feeling to be suddenly so restless. He had never really been in one place long enough to suffer through it. But now, combined with his desire to be with Lily, it was almost overwhelming. Her mention of Ray asking her to come home had certainly unnerved him. Several attempts to email Ray had been unsuccessful; Ray had probably forgotten his password and username again. He decided that they were mature enough to have a man-to-man discussion, as Ray liked to say, and just called him.
"Yo, Swami, to what do I owe this pleasure?"
Ray was obviously enjoying an afternoon snack, a crunchy afternoon snack. Travis grimaced in disgust and held the receiver slightly farther away from his ear. "Probably your lagging memory capacity. I've been trying to email you for days."
"Um, yeah, haven't gotten around to searching for that password. So what's up?"
"I need to talk to you about Lily."
"Ah, yes, our beautiful New York Lady. What about her?"
"She seems restless and unhappy, and mentioned leaving Julliard." Travis could hear Ray resume munching on his chips. "She said you wanted her to come home."
The crunching stopped as if Ray suddenly realized where this conversation was headed. "Whoa, hey, correction…I said she would be welcome to come home where everyone loved her."
"Including you?" Travis winced at the sound of his voice, he had not intended to sound so petty.
Ray's anger flared and it was obvious in his tone. "I'm always going to love her, she's my best friend." He sighed. "Travis, I know we've had tension before regarding Lily. I do love her, always will, but it's just a different sort of love. She has earned my devotion and I will always try to protect her and make her feel at home."
Travis hung his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry, Ray. I just want to help her too. I'm just so far away, I'm not used to feeling so helpless."
Ray paused only briefly, "It's O.K., man. I'm quite surprised really."
"By what?"
"The two of you. She's in New York, you're in London, and still the both of you haven't figured it out."
"Figured what out?"
"Travis, I'm going to speak to you in terms you can understand."
Travis laughed and went along with the charade. "What? Small words?"
"Nope!" Ray continued jovially, popping a chip into his mouth and speaking around it. "Baseball my friend. I thought for sure by now you'd be sliding for home."
A few more weeks had passed and Lily had made up her mind, she was leaving Julliard. She had told her parents. They were disappointed but supportive. Lily was amused at her father's obvious relief. He had tried to hide it from her. When prompted, he admitted it would have been quite a stretch financially if she had continued for the next few years. It took a little more convincing for them to let her travel alone to her desired destination. London.
Time to put her plan into action. She'd waited until she knew Travis would be in the DJ booth as Smog. Then she dialed his number hoping to reach his uncle.
"Lo?"
"May I speak to Barty Strong, please?"
"Who's callin and what's your business?"
"Lily Randall." Obviously, she had gotten hold of Vic. "I'm calling from New York. May I speak to him please?"
"Well, well, if it isn't the infamous Lily Randall. I must hand it to you, this club is what it is cause of you."
"Thanks, I think."
"You've got ole Travis in quite a tizzy too."
"Excuse me?"
"Goes 'bout, flipped upside down, supposedly meditatin'. Ends up flopped over staring at your picture. If ya ask me, all's he's doin' is keepin' the baseboards dust-free."
"Oh." Lily felt a flush rise in her cheeks, suddenly embarrassed that this strange man knew about her and Travis.
"Here's Barty for ya. You get any more brilliant ideas, you let ole' Vic know, eh?"
Lily heard some muffled conversation before a booming voice came on the line.
"Strong, here."
"Uh, hello, Mr. Strong. This is Lily Randall."
"THE Lily Randall?! Blimey, I owe you one. Well, you and Travis. I don't think we'd be where we are if it weren't for you two kids. I think Vic got the wrong guy, I'll fetch Travis for you."
"Wait! Uh, I needed to talk you, sir."
"Oh my, lass, don't call me sir, people will think I'm old. Well, they already think that, but let's not give in to it. What can I do for you?"
"I want to come to London…and I want it to be a surprise for Travis' birthday."
"I hate to burst your bubble but Travis doesn't like surprises, especially birthday surprises."
Lily laughed, "Well, he'll like mine, the last party I planned for him was the best he'd ever been to, he told me so."
Lily told him of her plan and Barty agreed whole-heartedly. His infectious personality buoyed her spirit and she was finally looking forward to the future with enthusiasm.
Travis needed to get outside for a while. The close quarters of the DJ booth now exacerbated his restlessness. He found a CD of some pre-recorded mixes, set the booth for auto-pilot as Vic called it, and snuck out of the club. He leaned against the sidewall of the building and just watched the people go by. A misshapen lump at the corner caught his attention. As he approached he saw the lump was actually a man, a bum, or homeless person.
He felt no fear and noticed the man was watching him intently. "Can I help you?" Travis asked politely.
"The question is: Can I help you?" The man looked up at Travis with kaleidoscope eyes.
Travis cocked an eyebrow at him, "What makes you think I need help?"
"Possibly the slumped shoulders and the dejected sigh when all about you the young and beautiful are having the times of their lives?"
Travis gave the man a weak grin. "Oh, that."
The man laughed, "Must be a woman." He shifted on the sidewalk and scratched at his dirty brown hair.
Travis' amusement rose. "Well, yes. She's in New York and I am here. She's unhappy and wants to travel back to home, that's Roscoe Canada by the way, and I'll still be…. here."
The man narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, "My home is not a place, it is people."
"Yes." Travis replied.
"One word frees us of all the weight and pain in life: That word is love."
"That's Sophocles. You know Sophocles?"
"Yes." The man grinned mysteriously.
"But what is love?" Travis asked, intrigued now by this conversation.
"What else is love but understanding and rejoicing in the fact that another person lives, acts, and experiences otherwise than we do?" He paused to let Travis ponder this statement.
Travis recognized the quote again. Nietzsche. He threw out another question. "And how does one know if they are in love?"
"Perhaps the feeling that we experience when we are in love represent a normal state. Being in love shows a person who he should be." At Travis' questioning glance, the man provided the source. "Anton Chekov."
Travis again digested this information, nodding his head. "Well, yes, but how will I know what to do now?"
The mysterious stranger challenged him, "And what does our good friend Sophocles say about knowledge?"
Travis frowned for just a moment and then his eyes widened with an epiphany. "Knowledge must come through action; you can have no test which is not fanciful, save by trial."
The man grinned triumphantly, "Good for you!"
Travis had turned to go but stopped short. "Thank you."
The man dismissed him with a wave. "You knew all that. I'm just a figment of your subconscious here to pluck it out into the open." As Travis narrowed his eyes in a questionable gaze the man offered, "Or I'm just a bum who spends a lot of time in public libraries. Whatever works for you." He got off the ground, rearranged his bulky layers of dilapidated clothing, and then shuffled around the corner.
Travis knew then what he needed to do.
He went back in the club and skillfully dodged his way through the crowd. He re-entered the booth through its rear door, careful once again not to attract attention. He took control of the panel and did what he was supposed to do. Become Smog. This night, however, seemed interminably long as he waited for closing time to arrive.
At long last the club was quiet and Travis hurriedly organized the booth for the next night before bolting upstairs to the flat.
He burst through the door, "Barty!"
"Where's the fire, mate? I'm right here." Barty poked his head from the entrance to the galley kitchen.
Travis wasted no time. "I want to go to New York!"
This threw Barty for a moment, he hesitated as he struggled to find a way to keep Travis settled until Lily's surprise arrival.
"Now? It's not exactly a good time, Travis."
"I wasn't talking about tonight, I want to go as soon as possible."
Uh Oh, thought Barty. "What on earth is your hurry, son?"
"I need to see Lily. Now." His expression was that of a fierce warrior about to go into war for his deepest beliefs.
Barty hoped to pass the buck to Lily, "Well, why don't you call her, I'm sure that will calm your nerves some. She should still be aw…"
Travis cut him off with such a threatening tone that even Barty took a faltering step back. "You don't GET it. I didn't either until tonight. This is not something that I can do over the phone."
Realization kicked in for Barty. Young Travis has figured out he's utterly and completely in love. This was going to be harder than he thought.
Travis took Barty's hesitation as a sign of weakness and pulled out his ace. "You owe me."
"No."
"Pardon?" Travis couldn't believe he'd heard right.
"I said No."
"Come on, Uncle. I need this."
"And I need you, Travis. I know it's a lot to ask of you but Two-Tone is really just hitting its stride. You can't leave now."
Travis narrowed his eyes, "I can record mixes and intros and have you set. I could leave in three days."
"You and I both know that would be substandard and probably not plausible. What if a fight broke or some accident occurred and the booth would be happily playing on as if nothing were amiss?" He hoped Travis would see reason. He felt such guilt; if it hadn't been for Lily's request to surprise Travis, Barty would have drove him to the airport tonight. He hated to deceive him in such a way.
Travis could feel his blood pressure rising. He whirled around with a yell, "Son of a B…"
"Barty!" Yelled Vic as he burst through the door and came face to face with an enraged Travis.
"What's up yours, mate?" Vic asked amiably, only slightly concerned.
Travis shoved him aside and slammed the door on his way out.
Vic turned toward Barty with his lips pursed and eyebrows raised, "You know, they say guys can be pre-menstrual too. I'd never really believed it till now."
Barty released his tension with a slow chuckle. "C'mon Vic, we've got a surprise party to plan."
Everything had worked out wonderfully. Lily had spent the next couple of weeks hammering out the details of her plan via email with Barty and Vic. Her academics tutor, bless her, had said she could finish her last couple of credits via correspondence. Her parents were to join her in London after a month for a much-needed vacation, per Barty's generosity. Lily was about to spontaneously combust with excitement. And like magic it seemed, her plane had just arrived in Heathrow, on Travis' birthday. Barty had said he'd send someone for her and that he'd be holding a sign.
She endured many shoves and jostles and was nearly knocked over flat when she'd stopped suddenly upon seeing her escort. He was an average sized man, thin and wiry with ghoulish spiked hair of purple and orange. She couldn't decide whether he had more piercings or tattoos. The astounding thing was that he hadn't been arrested. There he was looking all the world like a common hoodlum holding a sign that read:
Lily Randall
Heroin wanted
For
Da Club.
He'd probably meant heroine. Now she understood why Travis was so amused by this man. She strode forward and held out her hand. "I guess I qualify for that position."
Vic looked at her strangely, "I'm sorry, lass, you're a little young. I'm just here to escort someone."
"Vic, it's me. Lily Randall."
"Oh. OH! So sorry, my minds not in the proper place, it's an early morning after such a late night in the club." He casually lifted her carryon from her shoulders. "Follow directly behind me, lass, these travelers can be viscious. Let's go!"
Lily now realized how Ray must feel always getting punched in the arm. It was a relief to leave the swarm of people for the safety of a cab.
Vic began chatting amiably. "Well, you'll be staying in my room at the flat, I believe it's safe, a decontamination unit was called in."
Lily smiled hesitantly at his weird humor.
Vic continued, "Travis won't leave for the booth until later tonight. So, Ms. Randall, I was told to keep you entertained until the coast was clear. What would you like to do? Eat? No, wait, I know! Girls like to shop."
Lily pondered for a moment. "Yes and no."
Vic rolled his eyes, "Not you too." All he needed was another wavering premenstrual teen in close proximity to him.
Lily smirked, "I would like to shop but not like most girls. Where could I find some decent music equipment? You know, guitar strings, picks, amps…et cetera, et cetera?"
Vic's expression seemed glazed and blank, a stark contrast to his next statement. "Marry me."
Lily laughed merrily and Vic was tickled to have amused her as he leaned forward and gave the cabbie new directions.
She watched as the sights of the city rolled by, amazed at her emotions. Even though she had never been to London before, the sights and sounds gave her a warm comforting feeling, as if returning home from a long road trip and finally seeing the familiar signs that you were nearing home.
It was ironic to Travis that he was now angry at being asked to stay somewhere as opposed to being uprooted. Travis birthday arrived and his mood had not improved. He had avoided Barty and Vic carefully the last couple of weeks and simply did as he was told. He was beginning to feel like some caged freak circus animal. Get your tickets! See The Mysterious Smog! Well, not see exactly…but that's how it felt. He was disappointed that his uncle seemed more concerned with profits than his own nephew's happiness.
Halfway through the night, Travis had put the booth on auto-pilot with a pre-recorded set of intros and mixes. He was curious to see if his uncle could tell the difference. Maybe if he proved his point, Barty would let him go to New York. Just then the sound system cut out, there was dead silence. Travis was stunned momentarily but the murmur of the crowd caused him to search the control panel frantically for the problem. Barty would have his hide if he caused this with his prerecorded CD. His search was halted by the wail of a lone guitar.
What the hell did Barty think he was doing? All that talk about staying for the sake of Two-Tone and here he was pulling the plug on the booth so someone could play a little guitar. He sat back on his little-used stool with a scowl. Fine, he could sit here all night. He'd meditate if it weren't for the boisterous guitar playing. Admittedly, whoever that was had some talent. The riffs slowed and a simple set of rhythmic chords filled the club.
Travis listened intently for a few moments, he couldn't quite place that melody. It felt as if it was pulling a memory out of him. Well, if Barty was gonna pull his plug, he didn't have to hide in the booth. He grabbed his apron, his busboy disguise, and cracked the back door of the booth peeking out only to find Vic right there with an I-know-something-you-don't-grin plastered across his face.
Travis grilled him, "What is going on? Force me to stay and then usurp the DJ?"
Vic's expression was changed to one of unconcern as he shrugged. "You never know with Barty, he's always scoutin out the talent, mate."
"Well, who is it?"
"If you're so bloody curious, go on then and see for yourself."
As Travis poked his head out of the access door Vic grinned, snatched the apron from him, and gave him a shove. He glared at Vic who sneered in return and disappeared back into the access hallway. Travis was more interested in the scene before him. The customers were obviously enjoying the impromptu show and were strangely standing around an empty spotlight but looking around as if awaiting something. He glared back at the booth, that spotlight hadn't been there before; Vic was in the booth. He was up to something. Travis wondered if he was simply so exhausted that he couldn't see what should be there. He was still concentrating on that simple melody. He knew he should remember it.
Then he heard her.
Clear and strong she broke into the chorus of a song he should have never forgotten, not even for a moment.
This song will find you.
It will sneak up behind you.
Just to remind you, how special you are.
He saw motion towards the front of the club and people started parting making room for her. His breath left him as she stepped into the light starting again from the beginning of the simple song. He was drawn to the edge of the spotlight waiting for her. She was beautiful, not just in the physical sense but something more. She was the one vision that every fiber of his being had been longing to see.
She strummed the final chord and was standing in the spotlight waiting. The crowd gave polite applause as if sensing there was more to the show. They were not disappointed.
He finally found his voice and playfully narrowed his eyes and raised his chin in mock defiance, "So, I haven't seen you in two years and you show up on my birthday to sing me some has-been song?"
"Travis!!" She was smiling though. She reached over and punched him on the arm. The crowd was shifting their feet nervously at this unusual display. She unplugged the amp cord and slung her guitar around to her back like some veteran rock star.
Travis looked down at his "wounded" arm and slowly lifted his gaze to her. "Feel better?"
She lifted her chin as well, smiling slyly. "Yes, thanks for asking."
"Good, then it's my turn now." He stepped forward quickly reaching out to cup the nape of her neck and pull her to him for a kiss he had been waiting forever for. She squeaked in surprise and then melted into his arms as the crowd erupted in applause and whistles. Her soft lips parted slightly in shy invitation. He brought both his hands to her face to gently hold her there as he slanted his head to kiss her deeply. He could taste her tears; he could taste her.
Even after all they'd been through Lily had been having doubts about how deep her feelings were for Travis. They fled the moment he kissed her. All that negativity, unfulfillment and indecisiveness disappeared. She was caught in a whirlwind of sensations and memories that were odd to be associated with this passionate kiss. She saw herself being hugged by her parents, and hugging Ray at his first homerun game, and being the DJs for the RFR warehouse party and more vividly sitting with Travis in the softly-lit RFR studio as she told him of her love for guitar. She knew now that home was not a place it was people. People you loved. Travis pulled away from her, stroking her hair back from her tearstained face. He placed his forehead gently against hers.
"Welcome home, Lily."
She couldn't tell if she'd laughed or sobbed. He had always known exactly what she was feeling.
She whispered back, "Happy Birthday, Travis."
"Yes, yes it is."
He grabbed her hand and tugged her towards the back of the club amidst the applause of the crowd. The music started once again. Just as they reached the access door it was flung open by Vic and they barrelled through. Vic's grin was lopsided but sincere. "Happy Birthday, mate, not that you deserve it."
Travis gently took Lily's guitar from her and thrust it at Vic. "Take care of that, would ya, MATE."
Again he dragged Lily through the narrow halls and up the stairs to the platform for the entrance to the flat. He dug into his pocket to pull out his keys, struggling to find the right one in his haste. Finally he just threw them to the floor in frustration and pulled Lily to him again. His hands tunneled in her hair and her arms tightened about his waist as they fought for dominance in the kiss.
He spun her around till her back was supported by the door. Her hand fisted in his hair and she pulled his head back so she could speak. "Were you surprised?"
He managed to distract her with a kiss before answering as briefly as possible. "Immensely." He dove back for more. She obliged willingly, this time she initiated the deeper kisses. He tasted of green tea and ginger. Her knees were weakening and on instinct she parted her stance. Travis' instincts responded in kind as he insinuated a strong thigh between hers, she couldn't hold back her moan.
Travis slid his hands down her arms and manuevered them upward above her head as he slid his fingers along the tender flesh of her forearms linking his fingers with hers at their journey's end. He thrust forward with his hips; his weight pinning her against the door. She rolled her head to the side at the feeling. He whispered in her ear, "Love is ever the beginning of knowledge as fire is of light."
She reached down to pull on his hair again so she could look into his eyes. "So all those times you said you knew me?"
Travis eyes were intense and soft and vulnerable all at once as he confirmed her wildest wish. "I love you."
She felt the tears fall again and he kissed them away repeating the simple phrase with each kiss. His kisses journeyed down her neck as she finally found her voice. "I love you, too."
At that precise moment, the door opened inward and sent them into a sprawling heap through the entrance of the flat. They both looked up in surprise to see Barty with his hand on the doorknob smiling widely. "Happy Birthday, Travis! Were you surprised?" He gallantly helped Lily off the floor but left Travis to fend for himself.
"Immensely." He grinned at Lily.
Travis sobered somewhat as he looked at his uncle. "So this is the real reason for making me stay? Not the success of the club?"
Barty just smiled softly and offered his hand, "Yeah, sorry for the deception."
Travis grabbed the offered hand and pulled his uncle in for a hug. "Thanks."
They pulled away and assumed the proper manly distance, "You're welcome. Bit of advice though. The next time you press your love against the door, makes sure it's one that won't open away from you." He left the flat with a wink.
The silence engulfed them for a moment. Travis spoke first. "It seems we've got a bit of catching up to do."
Lily nodded her head, "Yeah, we haven't really talked as much lately."
Travis swooped down and grabbed her around the knees and tossed her onto his shoulder. She laughed and pounded his back as he walked. "Put me down!"
"As you wish." He bent over and flopped her onto the couch and pounced. She screamed happily as he situated himself over her. "I wasn't planning on talking."
Travis woke early the next morning despite being awake for most of the night. After Barty and Vic had returned to the flat they had discussed the future. It seemed Barty was going to pull out all the stops to ensure that Lily's future was as bright as Two-Tone's. Travis was infinitely pleased that she would be staying quite a while.
It had taken all his focus and willpower to remain a gentleman and leave Lily at her temporary room with a soft kiss. He was surprised to find her sitting in the soft morning light at the corner of the sofa. She was wearing a huge white robe and her feet were tucked under her as she wrote sporadically into a notebook. Her hair would fall into her line of vision and she would push it back only to have it fall again. Beautiful seemed such an incompetent adjective to describe what he saw.
"Good morning."
She jumped slightly at the sound of his voice. "Oh, hi. I couldn't really sleep. I thought I'd write a song to try and relax myself."
He smiled. "Are you hungry?"
She looked upward as if the answer was written on the ceiling. "You got any fruit?"
"Sure."
He went into the kitchen and selected a couple of apples from the basket on the counter. "Heads up." He tossed her the apple. She caught it deftly with one hand and smoothly bit into it with a small, satisfied hum.
He leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen entrance and smiled to himself as he watched her. She interrupted his thoughts.
"What?"
He moved into the room and sat in the lounge chair, maintaining a safe distance from temptation. "You know…in Ancient Greece when a young man wanted to propose he would toss a fair maiden an apple. If she was accepting, she would catch it."
She paused with the apple halfway to her mouth for another bite. Her mouth open in momentary shock. She recovered smoothly, "Well, that's convenient considering it's a physiological reflex to catch an object hurtling at one's head."
Travis lowered his gaze to his own apple and began to twist its stem. "Well, they could just duck."
She resumed eating the apple, after savoring the next bite she said. "Now, that would be a waste of a very good apple."
Travis chuckled, keeping his eyes focused on the fruit in his hands. He was amazed at himself for bringing up such a subject. Again her voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Wanna toss me another apple in about another year or so?"
He looked at her through his lashes for a moment before mustering the courage to look at her fully. "Absolutely, but why would my fair maiden request such a thing?"
Her eyes held no doubt or fear as she responded boldly, "Because I know you."
A/N: Here's the last one folks: Again they aren't mine.
Hermione settled herself at her usual table in Potions class. She reached into her book bag for the necessary supplies for today's lesson. As she rummaged around she realized something was missing…her parchment…her review for that blasted story. She'd just had it. She searched frantically in her panic.
Harry and Ron noticed this flurry and flustered activity, unusual for Hermione.
"What is it, Hermione?" Harry whispered.
"I can't find it!" She hissed.
"Find what?" whispered Ron.
Just then, Snape entered the classroom and was striding around his desk when he heard the soft crinkle of parchment beneath his foot. He stepped back, waved his wand, and levitated it for a moment as if inspecting it for pranks.
Hermione recognized it immediately and sank lower in her chair. Snape looked up from reading the parchment and spoke smoothly and calmly.
"Ms. Granger, see me after today's lesson."
Harry and Ron both gave her horrified looks, wondering what on earth she had done.
For once Hermione wished Potions would never end. As with all things superstitious and frivolous, this proved false. She couldn't return the questioning glances and looks of pity that Ron and Harry threw her way as they filed out with the rest of the students.
Snape waited until all had left and sat quietly, letting her simmer in her embarrassment for a while longer. She couldn't bear to look at him. She winced as she heard slow and measured footsteps near her desk. He spoke in that creepy and halting cadence as always.
"I trust that…" he paused to look down at the parchment to be sure of the proper name. "luvsgreeneyes," he sneered, "will not be writing reviews for stories in my class in the future?"
"No, sir."
"I should think not."
She dared to peek up at his scowling face, "H-How did you know it was me, Professor?"
He towered over her, raised an eyebrow, and slowly cocked his head to the side as he spoke, clearly enunciating each word.
"Because…I…know…you…Ms. Granger."
He spun on his heel with a billow of robes trailing him and she heard his sinister little chuckle as he entered his office chambers and spelled the doors shut.
Her eyes widened impossibly as she remembered that not once, in any review, had she written the title of that story…It couldn't be…Could it?
She shivered at the thought and fled the classroom as quickly as possible eager to join her friends.
A/N: So you see, I really AM an evil and twisted person with a strange and warped mind. Write me anyway. Tell me your favorite part or something you may not have liked or your overall impression from this long saga. I hope all who have reviewed in the past and those who haven't will drop me a line.
I'll post a longer note at the close of this story in a day or two. Please read that as well as I wish to express my thoughts more thoroughly regarding this Trily tale.