Part Six

A loud, obnoxious bell sounded in the small apartment. Ailene bolted upright at once, the noise still always startling her.

At first, she was a little delirious, as she wasn't used to waking up on her couch. She rubbed her eyes, her shoulders and neck slightly stiff. She looked down and saw Marden lying on his back, still sound asleep. She must have fallen asleep on his chest.

She got up and went to her room, clicking off her alarm clock.

6:45 a.m. Her usual wake up time. She couldn't afford to miss another day of work, though she wanted nothing more to do than go back to Marden and fall asleep in his arms.

She came back out into the living room and shook Marden awake slowly.

He grunted, not budging for a little while before he opened his eyes.

"Hi...it's almost seven." She whispered softly.

Then, his eyes widened and he sat up quickly. "Seven!? I'm going to be late!" He said, bolting up and stumbling over a small blanket they had covered up with. "I'm sorry, but I've got to go, I didn't even realize what time it was..." He scrambled to get his cloak on before he turned to her.

"I'll be at the shop tonight for coffee, will I see you there?" He asked her quickly.

"Uh, yeah, sure. But if I'm not there, just...stop by here. You seem to know how your way by now." She smiled.

Without another word he left and was gone.

This was the most frustrating thing about Marden. He was here one moment, gone the next. He was just as mysterious as he was when Ailene first met him. He never gave her too much, but just enough to keep her hanging on. But she wanted him to become a more permanent aspect of her life, which is why she begged him to stay.

The rest of Ailene's day was muddled with thoughts of Marden. Concentrating certainly wasn't easy. She could remember the sound of his heartbeat, the smell of his clothes and the warmth of his body. It sent chills up her spine just to think about him. There were times when she had to pull herself back down to earth in order to focus on her work and the children.

Marden had just made it on time to the Auror's office, rushing to his cubicle. Marden was one of the few that came in so early in the morning, so luckily he was able to slip into the office without being noticed by too many people.

Marden, though still a rookie, was quickly proving himself as an effective Auror. He was full of passion for his job, wanting to be an Auror since his third year of Hogwarts. Talent was something he possessed naturally, and many were quick to see it.

His neck was stiff as he sat in his cubicle. One wall was filled with pictures of Dark wizards and witches. Things were relatively quiet since the Second World War ended, many dark wizards took advantage of the hysteria of war to attack Muggles. It still seemed that old ways never died.

He was absolutely exhausted, barely concentrating on his work. As usual, his mind would drift to think about Ailene. He was baffled with himself that he actually stayed the night, but of course he'd do it again.

For the rest of the day he kept in his cubicle, writing up his reports. Marden tried to keep his head down because of how tired he was, and the fact that he was in the same robes as yesterday.

Fortunately for him, Marden found himself being woken up by one of his fellow colleagues at his desk, and suggested that he take the night off to rest. He got out at six instead of seven, bolting out of the Ministry, his feet walking fast as he zipped through London. He walked by the coffee shop and there she was, sitting in her normal booth all the way at the end. His heart in his chest fluttered at the sight of her blond hair loosely tied back, it elegantly outlined her face. He walked up and tapped on the window next to her, and she looked up with a slight jump. As soon as Ailene saw him, her face bloomed into a smile. He felt his smile grow wider. Once inside, he sat in her booth.

"Hello there." He said, his smile not fading.

"Hi." She said back.

"How was your day?" Marden asked.

"It was alright, a normal day, really." She replied. "How was yours?"

"Much better...now." He smiled at her, which made her smile and look down at her work.

At closing time, the two walked back to her apartment, she set her things down and he hung his robe up.

"I can't stay too long tonight; I have to be home. I work early everyday." He told her and she nodded understandingly.

"I um...I just wanted you here with me last night...I don't know why, I just did..."

"Oh, please don't think that I cared, I didn't at all. In fact, I was glad to stay."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I like spending time with you." He walked closer to her, his fingers extending to touch the back of her hand gently.

Ailene stayed silent, simply looking at him, not expecting him to say something like that. She was used to the shy Marden she met a few weeks ago.

He tucked some flyaways behind her ear, leaning in and slowly capturing her lips with his. The two entangled each other once again in their arms, forever in a deep, blissful kiss.

Ailene and Marden continued to see each other for a while like this. They would meet up for coffee, return to her apartment to continue their deep kisses and conversations.

Despite his earlier request, Marden would stay until two or three in the morning, and at that point Ailene would have to playfully push Marden out of her flat. Marden hated leaving her, always wanting to be by her side.

Obviously, Ailene hated kicking him out. There were a few nights when they'd crash on her sofa, but it wasn't often. Marden really couldn't afford to be tired at work, especially when there was an investigation or field work.

But one thing, above all, was clear.

Marden was falling hard for Ailene. And fast. He'd have numerous dreams about her throughout the week, the types of dreams he'd be embarrassed about in telling her. He'd find that he had written her name on some of his reports when his mind would drift to her, and he had to force himself to rewrite them.

Ailene had fallen way before, she just wasn't sure about their relationship and where it was going. It certainly wasn't the most conventional of relationships, partly because of the fact that Marden was so secretive, so aloof.

November melted into December, and with that, an increasing amount of Christmas seemed to decorate every home, storefront and café. December 20th rolled around, and with that Ailene was officially on her Christmas holiday. Ailene stopped by Rosa's for the end of year treat of coffee, only this time she had been drinking. The teachers all invited her out for drinks as a celebration to the end of the year and Christmas.

Ailene walked by Marden who sat in his usual booth, ruffling his curls before collapsing in the seat across from her. He instantly noticed a difference in her.

"And where were you off to?" He asked in a lighthearted tone. "I stopped by your place but you were not there."

She dusted some snowflakes off of the shoulder of her coat. "Well, I am officially on Christmas Holiday!" She exclaimed, kicking off her heels and resting her feet up on the cushion of the booth. Her hair was in neat curls, her makeup still well in tact and her lips a cherry red.

"Are you drunk?"

"Pleasantly pissed."

Marden let out a laugh before shaking his head. He pushed his mug of half empty black coffee. "You might want some of this then."

Ailene then sat up, resting her hands on her palms, looking into his eyes. "I wish you could be there. At the Christmas party at the pub."

"Why?"

Ailene looked at him for a while, her brow furrowed in thought. "I don't really know. I just like it when I'm with you. Everything seems better when I'm with you."

Marden looked at her, and had the most insatiable urge to grab her face and kiss her. But something stopped him, she was clearly drunk, her breath smelled sourly sweet of whiskey. Instead, he took her hand, holding it as gently as he could.

"You don't know." He then said to her with a half smile. She took his mug and took a large swig of his coffee only to have her face twist with bitterness. She slowly lifted the mug back to her lips and spit the black coffee out.

"Thanks." Marden laughed at her. He downed the rest of it before leaving his payment on the table, taking her hand, and leading her out the door.

They walked in silence, Ailene stumbling left and right. Marden laced an arm around her waist to support her. He led her all the way up to the third floor of her apartment building, taking the keys out of her hand that she fumbled with and let them both inside. Ailene tripped over her own feet before she angrily kicked off her heels, before walking hard-footed to the kitchen.

"Want s'more coffee?" She asked.

"No, darling. I think it's best if you went to bed." He commented, and Ailene turned around, a glazed look came over her as she leaned against the counter, a smile coursing over her lips. She gestured with one finger to come to her, and he obeyed.

Ailene lifted herself onto the counter, her legs lacing around his waist and pulling him in until their bodies met.

"Will you come to bed with me?" She whispered into his ear, shivers dancing up Marden's spine. He indulged himself by placing his hands on her thighs, running them up toward her buttocks, pushing the skirt of her dress up as his hands squeezed her rear-end. His fingernails dragged against the stitching of her hosiery. She let out a gasp, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing him hard against her body.

She could take him, and he could take her. Easily. Effortlessly. All that was between them was some fabric. They didn't even have to remove all of their articles of clothing, just the essentials. How easy it could be, Marden thought to himself.

Marden felt a familiar sensation below his belt, and so did she. He began to bite the delicate skin of her neck, leaving marks.

"Take me, Marden. All of me, I'm yours." That was enough to push him over the edge, but the stench of whiskey bounced him back to reality.

Marden instantly pulled away, his hands retracing themselves back down her thighs until they were completely apart. Ailene looked confused at him. Marden leaned back against one of the chairs of her small dining room table. His chest rose and fell with heat and exasperation.

"I'm sorry. I can't."

Ailene then looked angry, her jaw clenched and her eyes began to redden and water. She hopped down off of her counter and strode over to him. Her hands grasped the front of his cloak. "Why? What's the excuse this time?" She barked at him.

"You're drunk. Too drunk. It's not right." Marden said with a shake of his head. "I can't. You can't."

"Oh, I can. I can. If I could take off your clothes, I would right now." She hissed, jerking him slightly by his collar.

Marden took her hands and pulled her fists off of his clothes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have touched you that way, I shouldn't have made you think I wanted to."

The skin on her neck where his his teeth grazed her reddened. He wanted nothing more than to taste her again.

"You're too important to me to just shag outright." He said to her, placing her hands on his heart. Ailene rested her head on his chest.

"Marden?"

"Yes?"

"Do you love me?" She asked, picking her head back up. It now seemed that the alcohol in her system had reached its highest levels.

"Absolutely. Undeniably." He answered, hoping she'd remember this in the morning.

Ailene and pushed herself up looking at him. "Good." She said before walking to her bedroom. She changed into a nightgown before emerging once more.

"Are you going to leave me alone tonight?" She asked, leaning against the door frame of her bedroom. Marden, who now sat down in the chair he was leaning against, sighed.

"Of course not." He smiled at her. "I won't leave until you tell me to."

"Well, that's too bad for you. Because I don't want you to ever leave." She said. Marden smiled, the excitement now fading as he calmed down. Ailene raised her hand and held it out for him, beckoning him to come along with her. Once there, Aliene lied down with Marden next to her. He wrapped his arms tight around her, and the pair fell asleep almost instantly.

At quarter to four in the morning, Ailene woke to the sight of Marden sleeping soundly. At first she was confused, she didn't remember much from their evening. She remembered meeting him up at the café, but everything else turned into a blur. His pointed nose made high-pitched whistles, and it made her smile. She then nuzzled deeper into his neck, take a deep breath of his scent before falling back to sleep within a few minutes' time.

About an hour later, Ailene woke again, cold and with an excruciating headache and severely dry mouth. She sat and realized she was completely alone. She placed a hand where Marden had slept, and it was cold. He must have left for work. She forced herself with all of her might to get up and shuffle to the kitchen.

On the table was a bright, colorful, slender and long box on the table. A bow placed neatly on the side.

To: Ailene

From: Marden

Happy Christmas.

Ailene tore the festive wrapping paper off of the box and opened it. Inside lay a beautiful string of pink pearls. There lay a note underneath the pearls.

To the most beautiful woman in the world.

Happy Christmas.

Love, Marden

Ailene set the string of pearls down before bursting into tears, she never felt such pain and torment before. To have him not here, not next to her made her insides twist painfully.

Christmas Day, 1948. Ailene sat on her sofa, drinking coffee and listening to the Christmas music that played on the radio. She had put up a rather small tree with decorations from her parents.

Ailene had rationalized the fact that what she did last night, being drunk and inviting a still relatively new man into her apartment was a reckless thing to do. But the fact that Marden had kept his composure, and not taken advantage of her like other men might've done in his given situation, made clear to Ailene that he truly cared about her. And the fact that he was thoughtful enough to give her a set of real, genuine pearls for Christmas.

Ailene found herself snuggling deeper into her sofa, watching the snowflakes fall gently out of her large window, a cup of hot chocolate in her hands. It was another quiet Christmas.

That is, until there was a knock at her door. She instantly bolted up and opened her door. Marden stood there, in rather causal pants and a sweater with a dark, forest green cloak that draped his shoulders. A crimson and gold scarf wrapped around his neck.

"Hi."

"Hi." Ailene answered, a smile dancing on her lips. She stepped aside and let him in, taking his cloak and hanging it on her coat rack. "So, did you give all the girls a string of pearls for Christmas?" She asked, teasing as she returned to her spot on the sofa.

"No, not this year, unfortunately." He couldn't help but tease back every so slightly.

She smirked at him and wrapped her blanket around him, pulling him close and resting her head on his chest.

"Are you feeling okay?" He asked her. It had been almost a week since he saw her last.

"Better now." She answered. "Look, I'm sorry about the other night, I didn't mean to meet up while I was already three sheets to the wind." She said.

Marden had never heard of that analogy, but he assumed it was referring to her drunkenness. "Well, I don't think you need to apologize, you were enjoying yourself. Besides, you work so hard and it's Christmas, you deserved it."

She sat up and looked at him, searching his eyes. "Yes, but I don't think you deserved to put up with it."

He smiled and stroked the back of her head. "If you haven't noticed yet, I like putting up with you."

Ailene shook her head, resting her cheek against his chest once more. She could hear his heart beat, slow and steady. "I don't remember much from that night."

Marden figured this, and he figured she'd forgotten how he practically admitted his love for her.

"Did I come onto you?" She then asked him. After all, they did sleep in the same bed together, so what else did she do?

"Yeah, sort of. But I didn't mind though."

Aliene sat up again and looked at him. "Don't act like that. Don't act like you'll hurt my feelings. I know what I did and I know it made you uncomfortable. Of course you minded."

"Well, up until a point. I will be honest with you; I did give in a little. What man wouldn't? Of course I liked it. But I knew it was wrong. I knew that it wouldn't be right to make love while you were drunk. I had to also be a man and draw the line. I had to stop myself and be firm in my choice." He said, taking her chin in his hand.

"If I wasn't drunk, do you think you would have?"

Marden then looked at her, unsure of his own answer. In the past, Marden had a few flings with one or two girls, but it wasn't something in his nature to do. It wasn't something that satisfied him in the long run. He figured that he was more of the long-term type.

"I don't know. Maybe. Maybe." His voice lowered slightly, not sure how she would take this. He wasn't exactly sure where this sort of questioning came from.

Marden knew exactly the reason why. He was a wizard, and she was someone who, for his entire life, was told to stay away from. Was told to never mingle with. Maybe that's what the thrill of Ailene was, the thrill of being in love with someone he shouldn't be in love with? No matter, he was in love and he really didn't see himself falling out of love anytime soon.