Disclaimer: All I own is Erica.

A/N: This is the Charlie/Erica chapter I've been promising. It's a short segue. That's my fave word at the moment. Segue. Segue. Segue. Anyways. The whole thing is dedicated to them. I was going to attach it to the beginning of the next chapter but that already looks like it's going to be a looooong one. Anyway, I wasn't really planning to have these two as a main couple. I just thought they'd be nice in the background. People seem to like them so I thought I might as well expand on them a bit. I just have to warn that there's some full-frontal snogging ahead. This special little chapter is also dedicated to Star2717 for her wonderful recommendation. I urge everyone to go read 'Not myself'. It's a great story, well written and it has Alicia. What more could you want?

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Chapter 36

Erica Spinnet was happy living a single life. Happy being by herself. Happy going to sleep alone every night. She didn't mind the fact that she was sitting at home on a Saturday night doing paperwork. Or so she told herself.

Breaking up with Brian had been a relief of sorts. She didn't even really know why she got involved with him in the first place. Part of her knew she was just lonely, but the other part of her knew she had been hoping that having a relationship with Brian would make her stop thinking about Charlie. Of course, it wasn't that simple.

Erica was always thinking about Charlie. Even now as she tried to finish up some paperwork. Finally, she decided she might as well go and start dinner. That would take her mind off Charlie.

Or not.

Charlie was such a great cook. He made the best spaghetti bolognaise in the world. He'd given Erica the recipe but it never seemed to turn out the same. Suddenly, a horrible image of Charlie cooking for a pretty little Romanian woman invaded her mind.

Erica slammed her cupboard shut and yanked another open. She was rummaging around at the back when someone knocked on her front door. She jumped in surprise and cracked her head on the shelf above.

Swearing copiously, she staggered to the door and fumbled it open. She had been expecting her landlord or one of her work mates.

Certainly not Charlie Weasley.

But it couldn't possibly be him. The World Cup was over so he should have gone back to Romania already. She must have hit her head harder than she thought. Erica rubbed her eyes fastidiously, but Charlie still stood there looking more than a little miffed.

"Erica?"

She was dreaming. Had to be. Any minute she'd wake up to find herself lying in the kitchen with a huge bump on her head. Aaaany minute now.

"Are you all right?" dream-Charlie asked urgently.

"I bumped my head and now I'm unconscious on the kitchen floor. How are you?" Erica's vision began to blur and her knees buckled.

Charlie leapt forward to catch her. "Careful. You're awfully pale. Come on, you should sit down."

Erica mumbled something about not needing to sit down but he didn't pay any attention to her. Her head began to throb so she let him lead her over to the sofa.

"Charlie-"

"Relax, I'll get you a drink of water."

Charlie hurried off to do just that and Erica gaped. A moment ago she'd been foraging for food and now Charlie was getting her a glass of water. The Powers That Be were playing a horrible joke on her. How was she supposed to get Charlie out of her head when he was standing in front of her looking all…

She stopped that thought quickly. That would not be productive thinking. No matter how tempting it was, it would get her into all sorts of trouble.

"Here you go." Charlie handed her the glass of water and watched her intently. "Go on, drink it."

"I don't need it."

"Don't be deliberately contrary."

"I'm not being - oh, balls." There was no point in arguing with him. Erica rubbed her head forlornly then gulped down the water. It did absolutely nothing to abate the constant pounding.

"Mind your language," Charlie said as he pulled his wand from his pocket. He pointed it at the evident bump on her head and muttered a simple healing spell.

A refreshing coolness spread from the top of Erica's head to the base of her spine. She shivered as the magic reduced the pain and the bump slowly disappeared. Aside from being a wicked cook, Charlie was also very good with healing spells. They came in handy in his line of work.

"Thank you," Erica said softly.

"No problem." He took the glass from her and went back to the kitchen.

Erica watched him leave with an expression of utter despair. The throbbing in her head had been replaced with a throbbing in her chest. "Charlie, what are you doing here?"

He wandered back to her with his hands in his pockets. He pretended not to have heard her question. "This is a nice place you have here. How much is the rent?"

"Don't ignore me."

"All right," Charlie said with a sigh. He took a seat beside her on the sofa. "I'll skip the small chat."

"Please do," Erica replied, sliding along the sofa to put some distance between them.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking about us," he began slowly. Erica studiously avoided his eye and picked at a thread on her sleeve. "I really don't want to throw our friendship away just because I can't get along with your fiancé."

Erica looked up at him in surprise. "Charlie, I'm not-"

He interrupted her quickly. "No. Don't say anything until I'm finished, otherwise I'll never get through this. I just want you to know that I care about you and if you want to marry Brian I'll try to be happy for you. I won't lie and tell you that I like Brian, you know me too well for that. For your sake I will tolerate him and try my best to be civil. I'm sorry for the way I acted on Christmas Eve. I just don't want to lose you."

Erica's eyes widened. Her heart was thumping against her chest so hard that she thought it would burst out of her ribcage. Nobody had ever said anything so sweet and sincere to her. She had been so horrible ever since that day at Platform 9 and 3/4…

They had just graduated and Charlie was about to leave for Romania. Erica was obviously saddened but she knew they would still keep in touch. They had been saying their good-byes when Charlie dropped his bombshell. He had said that he loved her. Erica still remembered it perfectly. The tone of his voice, the brightness of his eyes, even the way he stood with his hands in his pockets.

Charlie had asked her to go to Romania with him. Erica had simply thought he was crazy. He was too young to know anything about love! It was ludicrous at best. That was why they had such a huge fight.

"Erica?" Charlie asked tentatively, snapping her out of her trip down memory lane. "Please say something."

"Do you still love me?"

Charlie turned bright red in that familiar Weasley way. "I - you can't ask me that! It's not fair!"

"You do. You did then and you still do now."

He jumped out of his seat and ran his hand through his hair anxiously. "I think I should leave. Yes. I should leave. Now."

"Why? Are you ashamed of loving me?" Erica asked calmly.

"No! I have to leave because this conversation is going in a very bad direction. Do you understand? A very bad direction."

Erica took a deep breath. "Charlie, I broke up with Brian."

He froze and his mouth hung open comically. "What?"

"The engagement is off," she reiterated. He still looked sceptical so she held up her hand. "See? No ring."

"But-"

"It was stupid, all right? I never should have got involved with him. Not long after Christmas Eve I told him I couldn't marry him."

"Why?"

"Because of you."

"Me?" Charlie squeaked, his voice an octave higher than normal

"I just knew I couldn't marry Brian after what he did to you. I could never marry someone who didn't get along with one of my best friends. So if it hadn't been for you I'd be planning my wedding right now."

Charlie looked as if he'd seen a ghost. "What I just said…I must have sounded like a huge prat. Oh, God."

Erica noticed his ears begin to colour so she stood up quickly to reassure him. "You didn't sound like a prat at all, Charlie. Far from it. It was the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me."

He took a step closer to her and stared deeply into her brown eyes. "I'd say those things everyday if I could."

"I know," Erica whispered, suddenly feeling as if there wasn't enough oxygen in the room. He just smelt so warm and earthy like the Burrow.

She was just gathering up the courage to kiss him when he suddenly stepped back. "I just want to let you know that I'm going back to Romania as soon as Hogwarts starts on Monday. I have to get somethings sorted out before I have to come back in November."

Erica bit her lip and didn't say anything.

Charlie nodded in a business like way and took a few steps towards the door. "I guess I better get back home. Mum will have dinner ready soon."

"You don't have to leave," Erica offered.

"Oh, I'd never want to outstay my welcome," he replied coyly.

Erica almost bit right through her lip. His hand was on the doorknob. He only had to turn it and he'd be gone. Probably forever.

"Well, goodbye, Erica."

Damn you, Charlie Weasley.

Erica just groaned. "You're going to make me say it, aren't you?"

"You bet."

She shrugged. Fair enough. "Please don't leave, Charlie, I want you to stay."

He grinned and walked back to her. "There. That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"You'd be surprised." She smiled back.

"I thought you were going to let me leave for a second there."

"I almost did," she admitted. "I'm terrified, Charlie."

"We don't have to do anything that you don't feel up to."

"Oh, I want this, but I know you're just going to have to go back to Romania and it's going to drive me crazy."

"If you ask me to come back to England I will," he said earnestly. "All you have to do is ask."

Erica shook her head and said, "I could never do that. I know how much you love your job. It wouldn't be fair on either of us if you moved back."

"Perhaps we shouldn't do anything we'll regret then," Charlie suggested slowly.

"I don't know about you, but I don't plan on regretting anything."

She pounced like a kitten on a ball of wool. Her lips found his so easily that anyone would have thought they'd done it a hundred times before. It was so natural and simple.

Erica ran her fingers through the bright red hair that she loved so much. His large hands found her waist quickly and pulled her against him roughly. She groaned at the sudden contact and tugged his shirt that was so blatantly stopping her from touching him.

Charlie suddenly pulled back, his lips red and wet. "Are you sure about this?"

"You ask too many questions," she scolded as she pulled his shirt over his head and threw it aside. "We'll have to work on that."

"Sorry," he mumbled and attached his lips to her neck. She slid her hands over his shoulders and down to his biceps. His own hands suddenly lifted her up easily and she automatically wrapped her legs around his waist.

Erica tilted her head to allow him better access to her neck and said, "I love you, Charlie."

He left a trail of small kisses to her ear and whispered in reply. "Love you, too."

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The next morning Erica woke up early, as was her normal routine. It wasn't, however, normal for her to find her bed occupied by another warm body. She rolled over to find Charlie lying on his stomach, fast asleep still. Grinning to herself, she began to place kisses all over his neck, back, and shoulders till he finally began to stir.

"Hi," he whispered hoarsely and rolled onto his back.

"Hi yourself."

"What time is it?"

"Seven."

"Seven?!" he growled and rubbed at his eyes. "Who in their right mind gets up at seven on a Sunday morning?"

"I'll have you know I wake up at precisely seven every morning."

"You're a nutty little thing sometimes."

"I am not," she said tartly and went to find something to wear. "Besides, I have some shopping to do today and I want to get an early start."

Charlie had closed his eyes and was already beginning to fall asleep again. "Shopping? Sounds great."

"Yes. I have to pick up my robes from the dry cleaners, buy some more plain parchment, get some owl treats for Tiffany and I think I'm running low on milk." She pulled on a black skirt and a blue turtleneck then began to brush her hair. "Oh, I also have to stop at Flourish and Blotts and pick up a Romanian dictionary."

It took Charlie's sleep fuddled brain almost a minute to process that. "What do you need a Romanian dictionary for?"

"Since I'm going to be living in Romania I thought I might as well learn the language. Want to come into Diagon Alley with me?"

It didn't take as long for Charlie to process that statement. He sat up and grabbed at her arm. "Hang on. What did you say about Romania?"

"You really should listen more carefully. I said I'm going to live there. Now, would you like some breakfast?"

"Live in Romania?" he echoed. "Since when?"

"Since last night. I knew that there was no way I was going to be able to live without you," Erica answered simply. "I don't like having to leave my friends and family but I don't see that I have a choice. I want to be with you more than anything in the world."

Charlie sat back, completely stunned and confused. "But what about your job?"

"It sucks. Most of my work mates are halfwits and my boss is a misogynistic prick. I don't mind quitting."

"You can't. I'd feel terrible about making you leave your whole life behind to come and live with me."

She bent down and kissed the top of his head. "I don't think it's such a bad trade."

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A/N: Whew. Hope you enjoyed it. They're a fun couple to write. The offers still open for anyone else to give them a try. I probably won't get around to writing them again till the sequel. Maybe someone wants to write the Platform 9 and 3/4 scene. Whatever you want.

I will return you to your regularly scheduled program next chapter. It's going to be another long one so it might take a while. Go to my bio to keep up to date. Also, if you're one of those people that has added me to their MSN list and is annoyed because I never go on…you'll be happy to know I'm back in the habit now. Come and chat to me!

My favourite part! Reviewers!

Star2717: Hi! There you go. I've updated so now it's your turn! I'm glad their break up made sense. I was worried no one would understand what I meant. Alicia liked the saucy little a secret more than she thought. We'll have to see how she deals with its end in the next chapter. I'm looking forward to your Buffy type fic!

Vereniel Greenleaf: A hurricane? Bloody hell. I'm so glad I live in Sydney. About all we get is the odd hailstorm. I will try to update as soon as I can!

Phredtheflyingmonkey: Your name still makes me laugh. Thanks for the review! :)

Ashlee: Thanks for all the reviews. I'm glad you found it sad and funny. That's what I was aiming for! I'm also very glad that you like pissed!George because we definitely haven't seen the last of him! Don't worry, all reviews are good!

Tessa1: Lol. I think George was pleased that she went to him first as well. I don't really know how many more chapters there will be yet. I might aim for an even 50 or less. Not more though.

Revilo_Brandywine: I won't be able to write more on them unfortunately. But you can feel free to give them a go! Let me know if you ever post anything and I'll definitely read it.

Oliverwoodschic: Alicia is really going to test George's patience in the next chapter. Thanks for the review.

Rachel: Thanks for the compliments. I loved writing the snotty Quidditch people, they were fun!

Bluepharaoh: I'm looking forward to the Yule Ball too. I still haven't decided what will happen but I know Roger Davies will play a part in it. I still plan to have him as my bad guy. I can also promise that our fave characters will have fun with the foreigners.

Heck E. Nah: Hello, my 400th reviewer. That shall call you that forever.

Shenaux: Thanks for the Scoobie snacks. There was no way I could have done a bad break up. Plus, I still need them to be friends for the top-secret sequel. ;)

Violante: I'm pleased to see you back as well. I hope the Charlie/Erica chapter was too your liking. I will probably mention Jasmine's father a couple more time before the end. I just want to make sure you don't all forget about him. There won't be anymore clues though. They're all there if you look close enough.

Just Kidding Rowling: Hehe. Cool name. Thanks. I agree, there aren't enough Fred and George stories out there. Especially G/A stories. Come on, people!

CoolBreeze: Thanks. The ladies were fun. Fitting my plot into J.K's is the easiest part!

Stephanie: Hello! That's all right. Take as long as you want, as long as you review. No, I really didn't want to make it an 'it's not you, it's me' thing. I just think they realised they were better off as friends. Thanks. I hope you liked this one as well.

Mystical: Hehe. I don't know when she's going to realise either. I keep changing my mind.

Remember, keep checking in at my bio. I will try to update it once a week.