A/N: This chapter is pure George/Alicia and I loved writing it. A little taste of what's to come soon. I decided not to spend too much of the story dealing with how they get together, but I also couldn't help dragging it out a teeeensy bit more. So expect a few more hurdles (and chapters) before the smut. In the meantime, enjoy!
Hogsmeade was virtually deserted at this early hour on a Sunday. Alicia's footsteps echoed through the streets as she headed towards George's shop wearing a borrowed skirt and blouse. For whatever reason, she wasn't feeling nervous anymore. She knew this was what she had to do to get some control of her life. She'd just been going with the flow for too long. Her head was clear now; her objective set in stone. If George wasn't receptive then there wasn't much she could do about it, but at least she wasn't going to die wondering.
Life was too short to play hard to get and there was no way she was going to risk losing someone as special as George by being demure and passive. It was the twenty-first century now, for Merlin's sake! Surely women could pursue men all they wanted without being thought of as promiscuous.
Alicia's hand jerked forward and knocked on the door of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. She squinted through the glass and could just make out movement at the back of the shop. She knocked again, then heard George shout back, "We're closed! Come back in forty-five minutes!"
Alicia knocked again, even louder this time. Eventually George stalked over to answer the door. His expression changed from one of frustration to confusion upon seeing her through the glass. Alicia gave him what she hoped was an alluring, confident smile.
He frowned at her briefly then opened the door. "Well, aren't you full of surprises lately?"
"Morning, George," she said cheerfully as she briskly slid past him into the shop.
"Morning."
"Since I was already in Scotland I just thought I'd drop by and see how you're doing."
"You saw me all of twelve hours ago," George pointed out.
"Well, truth be told, I have come here to get a few things off my chest."
George raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Is that so? Do you mind if I finish my breakfast while you do that?"
"Not at all."
Alicia followed him through to the back of the shop and into a small storeroom. The walls were lined with shelves of neatly stacked boxes and there was a desk against the far wall. A few hooks by the shelves held bright magenta robes. George went over to the desk and shoved a pile of parchments aside so he could sit down on top of it. He extended a plate of food towards Alicia.
"Cinnamon toast?"
"No thanks. Katie made us pancakes this morning."
"Suit yourself." George took a large bite and eyed her expectantly.
"I think you're brilliant," Alicia said abruptly, then winced inwardly at her lack of nuance. For all her confidence, she still wasn't much of an orator. George had paused mid-chew and was staring at her.
"I mean, you're really brilliant at everything you do. And you're brave and kind and funny."
George swallowed, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion. "That's what you had to get off your chest so desperately?"
Alicia nodded. She could feel her confidence returning now. "I should have told you back at school," she explained. "I should have told you before I went away. Hell, I should have told you the other night. You're really special to me and I wanted you to know that."
"Uh, thanks. I guess," George said hesitantly. "Oh, you're brilliant too."
"No, no. I'm not fishing for compliments here. This is about you. I regret a lot of our past and I want to apologise. I shouldn't have kept quiet about my crush for so long and I shouldn't have lied about not being a virgin that night."
"It's all right, I know we-"
Alicia held up her hand. "Not done yet. I should have visited you in St Mungo's after the Battle. Most of all I shouldn't have disappeared on you like I did. I wish I had come to you and told you how I felt. Even if you had rejected me, I should have just come clean."
"But you're here now."
"Exactly. I've said my piece and I need to know now where we stand. I've waited days for you to make up your mind. I can't live in limbo anymore, George. Tell me what you want to do or I'm going to walk away."
Alicia's heart was racing. Now that she'd said it out loud, she did sound like a demanding banshee. Did she really have any right to force his hand?
George stood up and folded his arms across his chest. "Wait, wait. You're giving me an ultimatum? That's why you're really here?"
"I wouldn't call it an ultimatum exactly," Alicia said quickly. "This is my attempt at taking control of my life. I feel like I'm at a crossroad right now and I need some clarity."
George advanced on her and she found herself stepping back against the wall. "So if I tell you I'm still not sure yet you're just going to turn around and walk right back out of here?"
Alicia grasped hold of her last ounce of resolve and replied, "Yeah, if you don't make up your mind right now I'm done here. I can't wait around forever."
George placed a hand on the wall beside her head and leaned in so that their noses were almost touching. His breath smelled like cinnamon. "Hold on, why do you get to be the impatient one all of a sudden? I had to wait six long years before you stumbled accidentally back into my life. Then you hit me with all of these insane revelations. Do you seriously think you're in any position to be giving me an ultimatum?"
Bollocks. He sounded pissed off now. Abort mission. Everyone had clearly given her the wrong advice as some sort of sabotage. Abort fucking mission!
She opened her mouth, intent on taking back everything she'd just said, but he silenced her by placing a finger to her lips. "You've really got some nerve, Spinnet."
Then she spotted it in the crinkle of his eyes and the tilt of his mouth – he was actually amused, not pissed off. She'd dodged a hex this time around. She slapped her hand squarely in the middle of his chest and pushed back till she was able to slide out from between his body and the wall. She retreated to the other side of the room and perched herself on the edge of the desk. She crossed her legs primly and leaned back on her hands.
George actually grinned at her and shook his head. "Why do I have this sneaking suspicion you're going to break my heart?"
"I already told you I'd never do that," she said firmly. "Not intentionally, anyway. But you could very well break my heart and I'm willing to take the risk."
"Why though?"
"Because I think you're worth it. And I need you in my life right now. I need stability and you're rock solid, George. I came to Hogsmeade that night trying to find some reassurance, some sort of sign that I was back where I belonged."
"And did you find it?"
"Not till I was in your arms. I feel safe and comfortable when I'm with you and I figure that must mean something."
"Are you actually serious about getting an answer out of me right now?"
Alicia shrugged because she simply wasn't sure anymore. An ultimatum seemed too harsh but the uncertainty was still exhausting. "Well, let's just say I'm not getting any younger over here. You're only getting better looking with age – which is infuriating, by the way – but I might only have a few good years left in me."
"You're only twenty-six. I hardly think you're about to wither away before my eyes," George replied mildly. "Besides, everything looks fine from where I'm standing."
Alicia tilted her head and smiled. "Perhaps you ought to take a closer look. You know, just to be sure."
George shook his head, grinning in return. "You've got heartbreaker written all over you," he said, but he walked over anyway and stopped right in front of her. "There's a few things you need to know before anything is decided."
"Go on."
"I don't half-arse anything in my life, all right. This has to be all or nothing." George put his hand on her knee and gently uncrossed her legs. He nudged her knees apart and stepped in between them. "By that I mean you can't see any other blokes. I don't want to end up in a situation like Lee and Oliver are with Katie."
Alicia nodded quickly, her voice having deserted her. She had George Weasley between her thighs. Her younger self would have fainted. Hell, her current self might very well do the same.
"And no more secrets," he said firmly. "No matter what it is, you tell me from now on. Even if I'm not going to like it."
Hmm. She ought to tell him about the letters then. He could help. Or he could make things worse. Or he could end up in danger. Alicia thrust the letters to the back of her mind. It was sorted now anyway. Pretty much. She just needed to get a Masking Charm put on her place then it would be sorted.
"No more secrets," she agreed, leaning forward and looping her arms around his neck. "That it?"
"We need to communicate better this time around."
"I'll definitely agree to that one."
"With that in mind, I have one more request," George said. "I know you think it's ridiculous, but I only want to hear it once more then it won't be an issue. Tell me you're done with Warrington."
Alicia swallowed her frustration when she recognised the vulnerability in his eyes. She couldn't discount his feelings any longer; if it bothered him, it bothered him. Who was she to tell him he was being ridiculous. "I'm beyond done with him. I spoke to him on Wednesday afternoon and told him that I was no longer going to have any face-to-face contact with him."
"Is that even possible?"
"He has a personal driver who is going to drop off and pick up Jake from now on. If I need to tell Christopher something regarding Jake it'll be via owl. He completely overstepped the line when he showed up at the shop that day. I never want to see him again."
"You don't have any lingering romantic feelings for him?"
Alicia shook her head. "Not even an inkling. Our relationship was over long before I came back to England. It's dead and buried, George. I can promise you that wholeheartedly."
George exhaled and she felt a bit of tension in his shoulders release. "Right. Then I have one more request."
"Anything."
"You've gotta kiss me this time."
"Does that mean you want to be with me? We're going to do this?"
George shook his head defiantly. "Kiss first before I decide anything."
Alicia twisted her hands up into his hair and pulled him forward. When their lips met he groaned appreciatively but let her take the lead. She kept it light and sweet and tried to pour all of her emotions into it. Years and years of pent up adoration flowed out and she felt tears welling up behind her closed eyelids. She'd almost ruined her chance, but here they were. Finally.
She tried to pull back, but George put his hands on her thighs and slid them beneath her skirt as he deepened the kiss. Now it was her turn to groan appreciatively when his tongue brushed against hers, leaving a distinct taste of cinnamon in her mouth. The feeling of his fingertips digging into her thighs was sublime. She wanted to feel some skin too so she dropped her hands to his waist then slipped her hands beneath his shirt. Her fingertips ghosted over his hip bones and across his stomach.
Except she forgot about the awful scar and when her fingers met with the puckered flesh she flinched. George abruptly ended the kiss and pulled her hands from beneath his shirt.
Alicia felt her cheeks start to burn. "Shit. I'm sorry, George. I didn't mean to react like that. Honestly, I was just startled because I forgot the scar was even there."
George squeezed her hands between his. "S'all right. I shouldn't have shown it to you like that the other day. I'm sorry."
"Is there really nothing that can be done about it?" she asked. "There are some great Healers in France I could arrange for you to meet."
"I've lost count of the amount of Healers I've seen over the years. They all agreed that the blade the Death Eater used on me was cursed with some powerful magic. But without knowing the exact nature of the magic used they can't treat me. Dark curses like this can be volatile and any treatment could make things infinitely worse for me."
Alicia's mind was a spinning whirlwind of anger and grief. Why did something like this have to happen to George? He was pure and sweet and selfless. It wasn't fair. Where was Draco Malfoy's huge ugly scar? How did an insipid toad like him get through the war unblemished?
"It felt warm to the touch. Is that normal?" Alicia asked
George nodded. "That's the active magic apparently. I promise you though, it doesn't cause me any real pain. It twinges and pulls if I stretch my stomach too much but otherwise I forget it's there."
She reached out and grabbed a handful of his shirt and pulled him back to her. She rested her head on his shoulder and said, "I'm so sorry this happened to you. I really should have realised I couldn't use the argument that not all Slytherins are evil. Not with you anyway. You hate them all for good reason."
"It's not so much that I hate anyone. My parents certainly never encouraged us to hate someone just because they were sorted into Slytherin. Bill and Charlie used to come home at the end of the school year with stories galore though. I guess over time it just became ingrained; Gryffindors don't like Slytherins and vice versa."
"I get it, believe me."
"I shouldn't have yelled at you like I did. I think I got so upset because you said you were feeling homesick before you crossed paths with Warrington. Would you have come back home if it weren't for him?"
"Probably," she said.
Definitely, she thought.
"That's why I got so angry. Because he was the reason you didn't come back years ago."
"I'm here now," she pointed out, nuzzling his neck.
George lifted his arm and glanced at his wristwatch. "And we have twenty minutes before I need to open the shop."
Alicia pulled back and looked up into his deep chestnut eyes. "There's plenty two consenting adults can do in twenty minutes."
"Appealing as that sounds don't you think we should slow down a bit?"
"Why?"
"I don't really know," George admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just thought that was the right thing to say. Don't other people take this sort of thing slowly?"
Alicia slid her hands up his chest and rested her hands on his shoulders. "What do other people know? Other people are fucking stupid."
"Sound argument," George said.
Alicia grinned triumphantly and kissed him again. It was different to kissing Christopher all those years ago. He had always been slow and deliberate and measured, always holding a little something back for the grand finale. George was passionate and energetic right from the get go and he kissed with his whole body. His hands tangled in her hair at first then slid down her back to settle on her hips.
He dragged her to the edge of the desk, bringing her crotch directly in contact with the obvious bulge in his trousers. The jolt it sent through her body made Alicia squeak in surprise. George groaned loudly in response and the sound of it rumbled through her chest as well.
Alicia tore her lips away and sucked in a lungful of air. "George…"
"Sorry. I promise that wasn't deliberate."
"It's fine. It's just…not enough."
"We can't though. Not here," George breathed huskily in her ear. "Fred and I made a pact never to shag or anything in the shops. It's our place of business after all."
Alicia's head dropped back and she laughed. "Are you serious? Your brother broke that pact within a week of us graduating."
"He what? How do you know that?"
"Angelina told me. She doesn't normally kiss and tell but even she couldn't resist bragging about that one. If I remember correctly it happened on the counter right next to the cash register."
George made a gagging noise. "Not the counter! I used to eat my lunch off there. I'm going to kill that lying bastard."
Alicia giggled and stroked his hair soothingly. "Don't be too harsh with them. They'd been apart for weeks."
"And we've been apart for years. Fucking sod it." George hooked his hands under her knees and she took the cue and wrapped her legs around him. "Tell me when you want to stop, all right."
"All right," she echoed softly as she was lifted off the desk.
George kissed her again and she was entirely sure she never wanted to stop. He walked blindly till her back hit one of the walls and he pressed her against it firmly. This new position gave George the leverage he'd lacked on the desk. He dragged his lips across her cheek and over to her ear. Alicia held on for dear life and tried to wriggle her hips and find some much needed friction. George obliged, thrusting his own hips up to meet hers.
Alicia had no idea where this side of George had come from. She'd watched him for years and could never have guessed this was what lay beneath the surface. Perhaps it was that woman Gwen who had first seen this side of him. Deep down, Alicia hoped this fervour was only for her.
Her head lolled to the side as he kissed his way down the slope of her neck. She leaned a little too far over though and George lost his grip and balance momentarily. Alicia reached out blindly and her hand seized hold of a pair of robes hanging on a hook beside her. George muttered an apology into her hair and readjusted his grip on her thighs.
A sudden noise from the doorway made them both freeze. Someone had cleared their throat loudly. Alicia opened her eyes to find one of George's employees standing outside the door to the storeroom. She swore and tried to pull her skirt down a bit.
"What are you doing here?" George demanded, glaring back over his shoulder.
"I work here, remember?"
"Not for much longer," George muttered darkly.
"I only came to get my uniform then I'll leave you to it." Derek motioned towards the hook beside Alicia. "Would you mind?"
Alicia belatedly realised she still had a set of robes clenched in her fist. "Oh God. Sorry."
Derek flicked his wand and the liberated robes floated over to him. "Not to worry. Nice seeing you again, by the way," he said brightly.
Alicia gave him a wan smile and continued to try covering her bare legs that were still wrapped around George. Derek left and she exhaled loudly. George lowered her back down to the ground and she quickly fixed her skirt back into place.
"Sorry about that."
"Not your fault," Alicia said immediately. "Not Derek's either. We did leave the door wide open."
"The little shit will be unbearable all day now."
Alicia smiled and smoothed George's tousled hair back down. "I've just added snogging to the list of things you're brilliant at."
"My ego's going to get out of control if you keep this up."
"You going to be all right there?" she asked, flicking her hand vaguely towards his groin.
"I will be in a minute. My go-to mental image is Umbridge naked – guaranteed erection-killer." George reached passed her and grabbed a pair of robes off a hook. "Till then I can at least put these on. Can't even tell you how many teenage boys at school were glad to have long, flowing robes to wear."
"Sorry you're uncomfortable," she said sincerely. "If it's any consolation though, I won't be able to ever eat cinnamon again without getting wet knickers."
George exhaled loudly and shrugged into his robes. "Comments like that aren't helping my situation much."
"Sorry."
"No you're not."
"These clash horribly with your hair," Alicia segued smoothly, smiling innocently and reaching out to button the robes for him.
"That's kind of the point," George replied.
Alicia noticed his name embroidered on the front of the robes in gold thread. She idly ran her fingertip over the letters and tentatively said, "So we should go on a date soon, right?"
"Presumptuous, aren't we? I don't remember giving you an answer to your offensive ultimatum."
Alicia's stomach dropped. "But I thought…"
"Good Godric. Relax! I was only joking." George shook his head as relief flooded through her. "I do that a fair bit so you're probably going to want to get used to it."
"I know. I'm just a little tired and overwrought at the moment. This last week has felt like it lasted a year."
"That's completely my fault. We'll go on a date as soon as you're free."
"Maybe try for lunch on Wednesday again?"
"I can make that work. I'll come and pick you up at midday." He reached out and cupped her cheek. "This time I promise I won't shout at you."
Alicia turned her head and kissed the palm of his hand gently. "That'd be nice. Just remember to get your access card back off Fred so you can come up to the flat."
"My card?"
"It only gets you in the building. It's not like it's an actual key to my flat," Alicia said quickly. She was moving way too fast. She was going to scare him off already. "Still, if you don't want to keep it I completely understand."
"No, no. I'll keep it. It'll make things a lot easier for us."
"All right," Alicia said casually, as if he hadn't just made her day by agreeing to keep the card.
"So have you had any luck job hunting this week?" George asked as he went over to the desk and retrieved his forgotten breakfast. He grabbed his wand and used it to reheat the toast then resumed eating.
"I haven't really started looking yet," Alicia admitted, feeling herself blush a little. She'd been too preoccupied with George to concentrate on much else. That was all well and good when she was fifteen but these days she had a kid to feed. "But now that Jake is starting at his new nursery school this week, I'll have four days free to go to work. I'll take a look at the Ministry vacancies tomorrow. I figure that's my best bet."
"Is that what you want to do though?"
Alicia shrugged. "I don't really have the luxury of waiting around for my dream job. I have rent and bills to pay and no current income."
"Well, I have a proposition for you that could benefit both of us at the moment."
Alicia raised her eyebrows and walked over to him. "Oh?"
"I'm going to need help when Fred goes abroad soon," George explained. "I'll be busy keeping both shops running while he's gone and I'm gonna need to hire someone else to help out."
"You mean me?"
"Why not? You need money and I need an employee. It'll also give you a bit of time to find a job that you actually want to do. You can do four days a week while Fred is gone and I'll even be able to give you a couple of days a week after that."
Alicia pursed her lips doubtfully. "I don't know, George. I'm really bad at selling stuff to people. No, seriously! My first job after school was at a Muggle clothing store and it was a complete disaster."
"I'm sure you'll manage. Our products sell themselves for the most part anyway. You'll just need to smile and take the money."
"I'm just not sure…"
"We also pay really well, but it's entirely up to you. I just thought it'd be an easy solution for both of us."
Alicia could tell that her reluctance was disappointing George. His offer really would take some of the pressure off. Plus, it was definitely preferable to going back to the Ministry.
"Okay then. Consider me your new employee," she said. She reached out and brushed a toast crumb from his bottom lip. "Will I have to call you boss now?"
She watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed thickly. "No," he answered eventually. "I mean, not unless you want to."
Alicia smiled and shrugged. "We'll have to wait and see, I guess."
George leaned forward and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. He brushed her hair back from her face and said, "I haven't had a good reason to skive off work in a long time, but you're really tempting me right now."
"As much as I'd love to stay, I need to get home. Jake is getting dropped off soon and I'm excited to see him. I'm not used to him being away from me yet so I miss him a lot when he's with Chris."
"That's fair enough. Come on, I'll walk you out the front."
George took her by the hand and led her out of the storeroom. Derek was standing at the counter dropping coins into the cash register. He gave Alicia a farewell wave. "I'll see you around soon, I suspect."
"Shut up and start re-stocking the shelves," George ordered.
"Bye!" Alicia called back over her shoulder. George led her to the front of the shop and held the door open for her. "Don't be too hard on him. He seems like a nice kid."
"He's a pain in the arse is what he is. Too cocky and obnoxious for his own good."
"Really? Sounds like a boy I knew back at school, two boys in fact."
"Fair point," George allowed. Movement in the Gladrags shop window caught both of their attention and George scowled. "Stupid old witch."
"Isn't that Mrs Battersby?" Alicia asked. "She ran the shop back when we were at school. I remember her being lovely."
"Not since we moved into the neighbourhood. She thinks our shop is 'garish and uncouth'. Can you believe it? She's also the one who blabbed to Skeeter about us."
Alicia's polite expression soured quickly. "Oh. She's staring at us right now. What should we do?"
"Put on a show for her I suppose."
George wrapped his arms around her waist then lowered his hands to cup her bottom and pull her flush against him. She squeaked in surprise and opened her mouth to protest but was immediately silenced by a passionate kiss. George dipped her in his arms and she clung to his shoulders for dear life. It felt like a lifetime before he finally set her back on her feet and released her lips.
"Let's see her report that to Skeeter."
A/N: Thanks for reading. Reviews are life!
