You Owe Me!

"I'm exhausted!" exhaled Artemis, as she gracelessly flopped down onto an ivory velvet settee. Taking her cue, Draco sat down across from her on their brand new camel suede couch. The young couple had spent the last week and a half tirelessly searching all of the antique stores in France for furniture and decorations for their new estate. Unlike most couples who have already had the chance to acquire household goods before they move, Artemis and Draco were both coming straight from their parents home. Needless to say, they didn't have nearly enough stuff to fill up one room of their home, let alone all twenty or more rooms. Draco had wanted to hire an interior decorator so that they didn't have to worry about any of it, but Artemis had been adamant about not doing so. She was actually quite put off by his suggestion. She felt that since it was their home, they should be the ones responsible for its appearance. Having learned that it is best to just agree with his wife, else he suffer yet another throw pillow attack, Draco agreed to help her decorate the lavish mansion.

For the most part, Draco and Artemis had a good time shopping for their new things. The only issue that had arisen was that they had very different tastes in home decor. Draco preferred dark woods and heavy fabrics. His choices having been heavily influenced by his childhood home. Everything that he attempted to buy looked like it had come straight out of Malfoy Manor and that was something that Artemis just couldn't have in her home. Just as Draco had become accustomed to a certain type of setting, she too had become attached to her childhood home's ambiance. Fowlington Manor had been decorated with crisp, airy fabrics and light oak furniture. The brightness of the homes interior made the entire house seem open and welcoming. That was what she wanted people to feel when they entered Malfoy Estates, welcomed. Artemis didn't want Draco to feel like she was being too controlling, so she agreed to let him decorate his private study and his 'guy room' however he pleased. Not one to let a golden opportunity pass him by, Draco was sure to swindle a few sexual favors out of the deal, as well.

So for the last week and a half the couple barreled through antique store after antique store acquiring large amounts of lovely antiquities, all of which fit in with the Romantic French theme that Artemis had decided on. On occasion, Draco would find a piece of furniture or a decoration that would look good in his rooms. His biggest purchase being an ornately carved cherry pool table with dark green lining. When he had seen the billiard table he had nearly squealed with excitement. He felt that it would be the perfect centerpiece for his 'guy room'. What exactly a 'guy room' was, he had yet to explain. All Artemis knew was that he had insisted on having one and that she was already banned from ever setting foot inside. By late afternoon of their last day of shopping, all of their purchases had been delivered and placed in the appropriate room. All the exhausted couple had to do was situate things to their liking. The simple task proved much more difficult than either had thought it would be. They had begun decorating at just past four and it was now nearing six o'clock in the morning.

"That was harder than I thought it would be," said Artemis, as she covered her mouth to hide a yawn.

"I know," mumbled Draco, barely sounding coherent. Artemis couldn't help but laugh at him as he lay sprawled out on the couch, his head tilted awkwardly to the side and his mouth wide open. Quietly, Artemis walked over to him, gently nudging him with her knee, hoping he would open his eyes. Against his will, Draco's eyes fluttered opened, giving his wife his full attention, or at least as much of it as he could at this hour.

"Come to bed," she whispered, extending her hand to him which he slowly reached up and took. As they trudged up the grand staircase, leaving the newly decorated sitting room behind, Draco wrapped his arms around his wife's waist, pulling her against him.

"I like it... the light colors. You were right," he said, gesturing towards their beautifully decorated home.

"I usually am," joked Artemis, leaning back and kissing him on the chin. Draco leaned in even closer, mumbling softly against her ear.

"Draco!" I'm tired," exclaimed Artemis, turning towards him as they approached the large double doors of their bedchamber. She couldn't believe that he was already trying to cash in on their deal from earlier that week.

"But we had a deal!" laughed Draco, as he opened the doors and led her inside. "You owe me."

"Can't I owe you tomorrow?" she questioned, flopping down onto their king side four poster bed. The couples bedroom had been the first room that they had decorated yesterday afternoon. Draco had charmed the walls to be a camel colored Venetian plaster, while Artemis had replaced the dark wooden floors with plush camel carpet that felt like silk between your toes. The massive master suite had an attached sitting area, complete with floor to ceiling bookcases, a large bay window and romantic fireplace. They had situated an antique wooden love seat and two matching chairs, all of which had cream colored velvet upholstered seats and back rests, in front of the fireplace. Just outside of the sitting area was the door that led to Draco's lavatory. Artemis' lavatory was on the other side of the room. Both of the bathrooms had been decorated the same. The floors and glass door showers were tiled with large twelve by twelve camel and cream blended sandstones. Across from the shower was a beautiful claw foot tub. The toilet was situated towards the back of the room and the large counter and sink were across from it. Inside of the lavatory was another door which led to their individual closets. The closets were unusually large, both appeared to be even larger than the bathrooms themselves.

The closet was Artemis' favorite part of their master suite, except for their bed. This had been their last purchase of the day. It had also been the one that had proved most difficult to find. The entire time that they had been shopping, neither could agree on which bed would suit their tastes. While they were looking for a chess set for Draco's 'guy room', Artemis had wandered away from her husband in hopes of finding some nice picture frames for their wedding photos. As she toured the store she happened upon the most beautiful bed she had ever seen. The king sized creation was made of light oak wood, the tall posters featured ornate carvings of vines and leaves. Unlike most beds this one stood unusually high off of the ground. She was sure that she would need a stool in order to get on it. The headboard and footboard also had the same carvings as the posters did, however, the centers of both pieces also depicted a man and a woman reaching out for one another while standing in a garden. Artemis was in love with that bed, but she knew she would have to get Draco to agree, so she set off to find him.

When she got back over to the chess sets, her husband was no where to be found, so she took to aimlessly wandering around in hopes of bumping into him. As she neared her starting place, back over by the bed, she caught a glimpse of bright blond hair over the top of a small bookcase. As she hurried over to catch him she noticed that he looked like he was looking for her.

"Draco!" she called out. The young man spun around at the sound of her voice, a bright smile on his face.

"There you are," Draco rushed over to her and grabbed a hold of her hand. "Come here, I've got to show you something." It only took a few seconds for them to reach their destination. "Look at it. It's perfect, isn't it?" When Artemis realized what she was looking at she couldn't believe it. It was the very bed that she had wanted to show him.

"Yes. It's perfect," she said, smiling up at her husband. Draco looked so proud that he had found their bed that she didn't have the heart to tell him that she had found it first.

"So, do you think that this is our bed?" he asked, hopefully.

"Yes. This is definitely our bed," she sighed, as her husband flopped down onto what was soon to be their martial bed, taking her with him.

"... come on!" whined Draco, as he lay on top of his wife, who lay sprawled out on their bed, completely exhausted from their busy day. Truth be told, Draco was pretty spent himself but he wasn't going to miss out on his chance to get laid.

"Draco, aren't you still tired?" she asked, running her fingers through his soft blond hair, hoping to keep it out of his eyes.

"Nope," he lied. "Come on, let's break this bad boy in!" Artemis couldn't help but laugh at his attempt at appearing rejuvenated. She could tell that he was exhausted, his normally bright eyes were glazed over and lidded. Taking her giggles as concession, Draco began struggling with his oxford, the rolled up left sleeve getting caught on his watch as he tried to pull it off. After several moments of fumbling, he finally freed himself of the garment and began unfastening his belt. Realizing that the sooner she gave in the sooner she'd get to sleep, Artemis began undressing.

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SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG : ( BUT MY CLOSEST FRIEND IN THE ENTIRE WORLD JUST BECAME A SINGLE MOM AND I'VE BEEN STAYING WITH HER TRYING TO HELP OUT. IT'S SAD REALLY, SHE'S ONLY TWENTY AND SHE'S GONE A SCREWED THINGS UP FOR HERSELF.

THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I HAD EVER SEEN SOMEONE GIVE BIRTH AND CAN I JUST SAY, OUCH AND EWW! THAT HAS GOT TO BE THE MOST DISGUSTING THING I HAVE EVER SEEN. I'M NOW MORE SURE THAN EVER THAT I WON'T BE HAVING ANY BABIES OF MY OWN. I'LL GET A PUPPY.

AS ALWAYS YOUR REVIEWS AND CRITIQUES, ESPECIALLY THE CORRECTIONS, ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED. MANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN VERY HELPFUL AND ALL OF YOU HAVE BEEN WONDERFULLY ENCOURAGING. THIS IS MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT WRITING AND DUE TO THE POSITIVE RESPONSE AND ENDLESS ENCOURAGEMENT, I HAVE DEVELOPED A LOVE FOR IT. I HAVE SPENT THE LATTER PART OF MY TWENTY YEARS ON THIS EARTH TRYING TO FIND A HOBBY AND NONE OF MY ATTEMPTS HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL. EXCEPT FOR THIS ONE. I DON'T THINK ANY OF YOU REALLY REALIZE JUST HOW MUCH OF AN IMPACT EACH REVIEW YOU'VE SUBMITTED HAS HAD AND I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR IT.

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