The stolen wand sat in the middle of her table, mocking her. She gave the table a large berth as she crept past it to get a drink. For the fifth time she debated going down to the joke shop but she didn't know how the employees would react to her. She really didn't want to face Fred. Or George when he found out she attacked his brother. She should have tried to play nice to Fred. Tried harder to win him over. Instead she had to have dashed her last chance at winning George. Maybe she'd have to send the wand back via owl. Then she wouldn't have to face either of them. That was her favorite option so far. Either way she needed to do something fast before he came sniffing around her place.

A knock on the door made her almost jump out of her skin. Her heart skipped into her throat. Was it Fred? Did George tell him where she lived already? She froze, gaze glued to the door as another knock came from the other side.

"Lucy?"

She let out a breath. Oliver. She whipped the door open and threw herself against his chest. He let out an "oof" on impact.

"Wasn't expecting you to be this excited to see me."

"I need your help." The words tumbled out in a rush. "I stole Fred's wand. Not on purpose but I saw him yesterday and got scared and—"

Oliver held up a hand to stop her. "I know. Already got the full story from Fred, which is why I'm here. He sent me for his wand."

"Oh." She stepped away, letting him have his personal space back again.

"Sit down, Luce. You look about ready to faint on me." He steered her to the loveseat and sat beside her.

"Is he mad?" She stared at her hands.

"No. I explained things to him, about your attack in America." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry about telling but I wanted him to understand. If it makes you feel any better I think he feels like a right arse."

"He hates me."

"He doesn't. Are you okay after what happened?"

"Yeah, I just panicked. I thought I was over it but when he grabbed my arm I kind of lost it." She fidgeted.

His forehead creased in worry. "Is there anything I can do?"

She shook her head. "Does George know about what happened?"

"Dunno. Fred's at my place waiting. He came over this morning to beg me to get it back for him. I figured it would be better to let him wait there instead of bringing him along. Didn't think you'd want him to come waltzing in here."

"Yes, thank you." She bounced her right leg. Nervous energy zipped through her. "Do you think George will be mad when he finds out?"

"With how embarrassed Fred seemed by letting you run off with his wand, I don't think he's eager to tell George. I made him promise to buy me a drink for playing fetch for him and he agreed right away. Never even tried to negotiate like he usually does when asking for a favor. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, I promise." She picked at a loose thread on her sleeve. "Wand's on the table. I haven't done anything to it. I wasn't sure how to give it back to him but I was going to, I swear it."

Oliver fetched the wand. "I'm glad he didn't try fighting back," he called from the kitchen. "He's a great fighter. Loved to duel in school. He said he could tell you were terrified and didn't want to make things worse." He reappeared and sat back down with Fred's wand tucked into his jacket. "Why were you with him anyway? I didn't get that part of the story."

"I was at the tea shop you showed me when he barged in to demand my intentions toward George."

"Ah, right. He's a bit protective of George. I think Fred is skittish about dating again too. He was such a ladies man in school, but these days he seems to struggle with relationships ever since Angelina. George too."

Hearing the name made her frown. "George and I ran into her at Hogsmeade. She seemed bitter and bitchy."

"Sounds like her. Last I heard she was dating some doctor who's already been divorced once. If she plays her card right she might get to be his lucky second divorce."

The jab almost made her smile. Almost. "I'm glad you came by. I wasn't sure how to give the wand back." Forget all the stories about princes saving princesses. What those princesses really needed were muscular cousins with a Quidditch obsession.

"No problem. You know where I am if you ever need something. And I thought you might want to know George was looking for you after the Quidditch game."

She perked up at that. "He was?"

"Yeah." He climbed to his feet and stretched. "Wanna come home with me to force Fred to apologize? Unfortunately I don't have time to stick around here and visit."

She imagined putting Fred on the spot and smiled. How would he feel if she turned the tables on him? With Oliver at her side she could hold his wand hostage until she got what she wanted. "I'd love to. Give me the wand back."

The whole way to Oliver's she rehearsed what she would say to Fred. She imagined marching in and tossing her demands at him until he gave in, but just thinking about facing him made her confidence waver. As much as she hated to admit it, he still intimidated her.

Fred looked up from a Quidditch magazine when they entered Oliver's flat. The place was at least twice the size of Lucy's and she couldn't help but to feel a pang of envy every time she visited. Oliver's decorating style leaned toward Quidditch like everything else. Signed photographs from players hung on his walls along with a picture of himself blocking a goal. His curtains were the same colors as his team. She'd once seen him washing his duvet and hadn't been at all surprised to find golden snitches, brooms, bludgers, beater bats, and quaffles printed across it. She was pretty sure the design was meant for kids. Knowing Oliver he probably got it as a kid and never replaced it.

"Do you want your wand back?" She pulled it from her purse and waved it in the air. Fred's eyes followed the wand's movements and he reached across the coffee table grab it. She yanked the wand away. "Not so fast. Sit back down and listen."

With a frown Fred looked to Oliver who shrugged. "Best do what she wants, mate, unless you want a new wand."

His nostrils flared as he thumped back onto the chair.

"I'll give you your wand back under two conditions."

He crossed his arms over his chest. His cheeks and ears reddened. "What are they?"

"You can't question my intentions anymore and no trying to make me look bad in front of George. Agree, and you can have this back." She dangled the wand from two fingers.

"Are you going to go ahead and ask for a kidney too while you're at it? I had no idea you'd take off with my wand if I grabbed your arm." He pouted.

"You were being a bit of a jerk before that happened don't forget." She shook the wand. "It's an easy decision. Either you take the wand or you don't. I'm sure Ollivander can find you a new one in a jiffy."

Oliver chuckled. "I think it's a fair deal. Besides, if you keep giving her a hard time I might have to hit a bludger or two at your head."

His cheeks puffed up. "Fine, but if there is going to be conditions I want to add one. Neither of you are allowed to tell George about this or how she got my wand. Do we have a deal?"

Lucy chewed on her bottom lip. As nice as it would be to have something to hold over Fred, she didn't want George knowing either. Too embarrassing. "Deal." She tossed the wand to him. He caught it and gave it a once over before pocketing it.

Oliver rubbed his arm. "If you don't want George to know you should leave. We made plans after our Quidditch game for today. He should be here any minute." He cast a quick peek at Lucy that made her suspicious.

"Shit." Fred headed for the door. As soon as his hand landed on the knob a knock came from the other side and he let out another curse. Fred turned for the kitchen instead.

"Where are you going?" Lucy asked.

"Out the back."

"There is no back door."

"No, but there is a window." He flicked his wand and the window at the side of the kitchen flew open.

"You've gotta be kidding me." She shook her head in disbelief as Fred slung one leg over the window sill. Too many years spent around the twin's antics meant Oliver didn't so much as blink at Fred's decision.

Fred gave them a salute. "Don't forget your end of the deal." And then he was gone and the window fell shut.

She turned her suspicions on Oliver. "You invited me here on purpose, didn't you? Because George was coming."

"Maybe." He gave her a boyish grin before reaching for the door to yank it open. As he greeted George Lucy darted around the corner and into the kitchen to hide out of sight. For a moment she considered following in Fred's footsteps. No, she wouldn't be a coward like him. In the front room Oliver and George whispered together. The longer she stayed in the kitchen in silence the more nervous she'd get. Time to face George before time turned her into a nervous wreck and it began to look like she was hiding away in the kitchen to eavesdrop.

She sucked in a breath and marched into the living room. "Time for me to go. Don't want to interfere with boy's day or whatever it is you two have planned." The words came out even and far more calm than she felt.

George gave her a wave and his warm smile. "Hey."

"Hi." She stopped in her tracks, looking between George and the door. He stood directly in front of it, blocking her way out.

"I'll go put on the kettle," Oliver said.

"I'll see Lucy out," George offered. As Oliver disappeared into the kitchen George opened the door and leaned against it. "Have any dinner plans for today?"

"No," she squeaked out. Her right hand played with the hemline of her shirt. She wondered if he'd be mad when he found out what happened with Fred. Would he take his brother's side?

"Great. This if for you then." He dug into his pocket and handed her a folded piece of paper. "Directions to my place from yours. I was going to borrow Oliver's owl since mine miscalculated our half-open window last night and wound up knocked out on the counter. I'm making homemade pizza at six, but if you like pineapple on yours you'll have to bring it yourself."

She made a face. "I don't trust anyone who likes pineapple on pizza."

"Good philosophy to have." His face scrunched up in thought. "Although I did get Oliver drunk once and get him to eat a whole pizza with extra pineapple on it. Don't think he's touched pineapple since."

"Didn't realize how shady you could be." The joking calmed her. Humor always did. Sometimes she used it as a crutch when she got nervous or uncomfortable, like now. Then people's snickers distracted them from seeing how she was crumbling to pieces inside as she freaked out. Crowded situations did that to her sometimes, but George seemed to exude his own calming aura. Probably came from the way he always looked so at ease. And his smiles were warm, whereas Fred's felt wicked.

"So I'll see you tonight?" Hope lit up his face and made her knees tremor.

"Yeah. I'll be there." She attempted a smile and prayed it didn't look more like a grimace from her nerves.

"Great. See you then." She left. Once the door closed behind her and she stepped out of sight she couldn't help but to let out a silent fist pump. And then the realization that going to George's place also meant Fred's sent her spiraling back to earth. Why'd George have to go and have an evil twin? It was a small comfort to realize she already knew his faults: womanizing and an evil twin. She could only hope no more surprises would be sprung on her or their relationship would be so dead it'd be moving into zombie territory.

"We never ordered pizza in when I was a kid. My mum always made it homemade," George explained as he spread sauce across both pizza crusts. He'd given Lucy and himself each their own personal pizza to make. "I like to make it now and again because it reminds me of how excited we all got on pizza night. I always had to share one with Fred, but there was just something about pizza night that made us all excited for it."

He lit up when he talked about his family and she couldn't help but to feel some envy. She'd never gotten to enjoy a big family. Her grandmother had always been eager to spoil her with baked goods, but once she died her mother became more of a recluse with a dark cloud following wherever she went. Her mom also stuck to magic and frozen muggle meals for meals.

"My mom never made homemade pizza. We always ordered in. Pizza night was lazy night." Or it was when her mother locked herself in her room because their British family snubbed her again. Those little meltdowns were why Lucy learned to cook for herself so she wouldn't get stuck living off pizza. When her mother's lows hit, her mother spent most of her time locked away. Lucy picked up the giant bag of mozzarella and sprinkled it liberally over her crust until she couldn't see any sauce.

"The crust is just there to hold your cheese I see."

She bobbed her head. "It's the best part. Everything else is just there to complement the cheese. Can I assume this crust is your mom's recipe?'

"Of course. To me it's not the same without the crust I grew up eating." He arranged pepperoni on his crust to make a smile with sausage freckles.

She threw pepperoni and black olives on her pizza with abandon. An olive landed on the counter and she cringed. His kitchen was clean in the overly clean way a place got after a good cleaning with magic and here she was dirtying it. The little cottage as a whole wasn't what she expected right down to the squeaky clean kitchen. The place looked modern, more so than her flat. The centerpiece of the kitchen was a big painting of the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes logo. But all the muggle appliances comforted her. She'd grown up using them and her ex had abhorred them. She'd even given them up for two years because of him.

"What's wrong? You don't like the painting?" George asked as he gestured toward the wooden painting on the wall.

She hadn't realized she was staring at it. "It's fine, this all just wasn't what I expected." She held out her arms to emphasize the room.

"What did you expect?" He added seasoning to his pizza. "I'm dying to find out what you think of me." His curious gaze landed on her.

She peered around the room and rubbed her chin in thought. "I'm not really sure. I guess I expected you to have shelves full of books and plush leather armchairs."

"Like a professor's house?"

"It's hard to picture anything specific when it comes to you. You're like one big enigma that happens to look really good in a suit."

He cracked a smile. "I do have some bookshelves in the living room if you didn't notice."

She looked toward the living room, catching sight of one. From her position she couldn't read the book spines. There were armchairs in the room, but they didn't look like the plush leather armchairs of her imagination. "I need to remember to snoop later so I can judge your tastes. See if I need to be disappointed in them."

The skin beside his eyes crinkled. "The glint in your eye while you say that is a bit terrifying. I don't think I've ever felt so worried about someone seeing my bookshelves before." He rinsed the cheese sticking to his hands off in the shiny steel sink.

"So is this modern look your thing? It kind of fits in with some of your suits, but your shop is the exact opposite."

He dried his hands off on a plain black towel that looked good next to the steel finishings of the kitchen. "This place was the right price and I thought I'd try something new. I couldn't resist the lure of living in a place so different from where I grew up. Some people go travel Europe to find themselves. I surrounded myself with too many shiny appliances and surfaces." He tapped the steel muggle refrigerator. "I kind of like the contrast between here and the shop but I want to move within the next few years. I'm thinking another cottage but one with more historical charm. One with some nice stonework and maybe some bookshelves and plush leather armchairs." He smirked.

She nudged him with her arm. "That sounds very British." She wanted to ask if he'd keep living with Fred but held her tongue. The evening had been so peaceful without him. No need to ruin it.

He grabbed the pizzas and shoved them into the oven. "Fifteen minutes before we have heaven in our mouths."

"That's fifteen minutes you need to keep me entertained for." She couldn't help herself, she leaned into him like he was a magnet and he may as well be one. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so giddy around a guy. Her body wouldn't be able to keep up with her building libido at this rate. He was just too cute and charming to resist. The whole evil twin thing really was a shame.

"How about this?" He bent down to connect their lips and she eagerly grabbed at his shirt. His hands trailed up her sides and goose bumps erupted across her arms. She tried to imagine more nights spent cooking with him or drinking tea while they discussed books or curled up together to read. The ideas sent a pang of longing through her.

When they broke apart a long minute later she sucked in a deep breath. "I don't understand how you can be so cute."

He chuckled. "I hope you still think so after you see my bookshelves."

"No promises." She leaned against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. She let out a sigh of contentment.

"Can I call you Luce or is that a special privilege only Oliver gets?" He curled a strand of her hair around his finger.

"I'll allow it if you promise to make me pizza again."

"Are you sure you don't want to wait to ask for that after you've tried it? Imagine getting stuck eating a pizza you hate every week."

She let out a breath of amusement. "At least I'd have good company to endure the torture with."

"I had a few important negotiations and deals going on at work but they are over now so I'm back to regular hours. More time to feed you terrible pizza if you want." He gave her a shy smile.

"I'd be delighted, but I'm starting to get worried pizza is the only thing you know how to cook."

"I can assure you I also know how to cook french toast."

"Of course. How could I have forgotten your french toast love?" She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'll have to find some gourmet french toast recipes."

"I would be more than happy to be your taste tester." He leaned down to kiss her again.

The front door opened with a squeak and then closed. She let go of George just as Fred came into view. When he reached the doorway to the kitchen he froze. His gaze darted between her and George with a suppressed look of panic.

"I invited Lucy over for dinner," George explained. "I left you a crust. I know you hate it when I try making your pizza for you." He gestured toward the fridge where he'd stowed away the crust.

Fred gave him a jerky nod before his gaze darted back to Lucy. "Hi," he finally mumbled before quick steps carried him into his bedroom. His door shut, sealing him away from them.

George ran a hand through his hair. "He's usually a little more talkative. Guess all the hiking wore him out today." A frown tugged at his mouth as his forehead wrinkled in concern.

"It's fine. I came here to see you and that's all I want. It's been fun." She rubbed his arm, wanting his attention back on her.

He hooked an arm around her middle and pulled her against him. "I'm very glad you came. My only regret is I have to get up early in the morning for work or I'd attempt to show you those suits you mentioned earlier. I keep them all in my bedroom." He gave her a devilish grin.

"There's always next weekend."

"Don't forget Thursday. Will you be at the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Yes."

The oven beeped and they both jumped.

"It's time!" George sang out as he slid on an oven mitt. "The crowning jewels of the night." He pulled the pizzas out and set them down on the stovetop with a dramatic flair. The cheese bubbled and her mouth watered at the sight. The smell of garlic clung to the air. Coming over was definitely worth it.

Her gaze flickered back to the hallway. If Fred was going to play the avoidance game, she could too. But how long could they avoid each other? Eventually they'd need to face each other and when they did, she wouldn't let him best her.