Gwendolyn was shaking as she started perusing her wardrobe. So many emotions, all let out at once. She was just happy that it had not ended a nightmare. "Mom? Do we have any cocktail dresses?"

Gwendolyn's mother slipped into Gwendolyn's bedroom. "I suppose the trial went in your favor, then?"

It took only moments for Gwendolyn's arms to find their way around her mother's waist. "Oh, mom. I was so frightened."

Ms. Hawkins rubbed Gwendolyn's back. "Let me tell you a secret, darling. All of the best lawyers are frightened out of their wits when they go into court. It's what keeps us sharp. And this costume, it helped?"

Gwendolyn smacked her mother's arm with a chuckle. "It's not a costume, mother. It's the uniform of a Healer trained in the Old Traditions of the Amazon."

Ms. Hawkins grinned. "You were always my little amazon. You have never needed a uniform to prove that. Now, what was this you were saying about a cocktail dress? I have about an hour to assist in your search before I fly to Paris."

Draco knocked on Gwendolyn's door a good twenty minutes before he said he would, wondering if he would find her in a state of disarray. Gwendolyn surprised him, opening the door fully dressed and lacking only mascara. "I'll be only a moment, Draco." Gwendolyn kissed Draco soundly before running off to the bathroom to perfect her make-up.

Draco took note of the rich furniture and sophisticated atmosphere in the living area he had entered. This girl was undoubtedly raised from old money, just as he had been. Draco was just running his fingers along the small kitchen's marble counter when Gwendolyn emerged, slightly breathless as she adjusted the shrug that covered her shoulders. "So sorry about that. I'm ready now."

Draco held out his arm, ready to properly escort Gwendolyn to their destination. "My darling Gwendolyn, prepare to be amazed." Their eyes met, and the couple exchanged a smile. "Shall we?" Gwendolyn gasped when she saw his restaurant choice. It was so exclusive that her parents had only dined there once, despite their prestigious occupations. Draco leaned close, his hot breath making Gwendolyn's blood rush. "I told you to be prepared, Gwen."

Gwendolyn fought to stave off anxiety as they were seated. She had been to many nice restaurants before, and she had been on dates before. Admittedly, she had never been anywhere this nice with a man that could make her knees go weak with a mere smirk, but this was not so far out of her domain as to warrant feelings of stress. Gwendolyn breathed a sigh of relief as Draco waved away the wine list. At least he understood her reluctance to enter any situation with her senses dulled by alcohol.

It was nearly three hours of small portions later that Gwendolyn chose to accompany Draco to his home rather than return to hers. Gwendolyn gasped as the first drops of the autumn's first rain fell, leaving chill trails in their wake. Draco pulled Gwendolyn close under his arm, rushing a little faster down the path to the door. Once under the cover of the porch, Gwendolyn withdrew a little to allow Draco space to search his pockets for key.

As his fingers curled around the key to his door, Draco's eyes met Gwendolyn's gaze. Draco pulled Gwendolyn flush with his body and into a kiss, the hand with the key searching for the lock. In the course of unlocking the door, Draco chose to press Gwendolyn into it rather than break the kiss. To his surprise, she responded by pulling his hips even closer to hers, a motion that was ruined when the door clicked open. Draco kicked the door closed with his heel, trusting the house elves to get around to locking it. He was much more interested in stealing kisses from Gwendolyn as he led her to his suite.

Gwendolyn's astonishment at his parlor broke the pattern enough for Draco to excuse himself while he grabbed another surprise. After shucking her shoes and shrug, Gwendolyn sank into a very comfortable couch with a good view of the door Draco had slipped behind, absorbing just how safe the room felt. In her many visits to the television room, Gwendolyn had come to associate a cold malevolence with the majority of the manor, but this area was so vibrantly alive that it called out to her.

Gwendolyn's attention was called back to Draco as he reentered the room with a large earthen bowl, a glass bottle, and two champagne flutes. Gwendolyn looked up at Draco in confusion as he set the items down and sat next to her. He smiled a kissed her softly. "You have the most amazing quirks, Gwendolyn. I have noticed your very light ginger perfume that you only wear to visit me, the taste of pecans on your lips. I know how much disdain you hold for drinking, but I hoped that maybe one night of celebration one not be remiss, especially if we go light on the champagne." Draco kissed Gwendolyn again before continuing. "But I could not for the life of me figure out what sweets you like, so I called your mother . . ."

Gwendolyn could not contain her surprised exclamation. "You called my mother?"

Draco laughed. "I did call your mother, and it was a good thing. You dislike chocolate covered fruit, and are extremely picky with your chocolate. So I went the easier route, and got your favorite fruit."

It was only then that Gwendolyn saw that the bowl contained blueberries, and she was torn between popping a few into her mouth or ravishing Draco with a kiss. Both ideas quickly left her, a frown replacing them. "What if we hadn't won?"

Draco coughed. "A moping party, hopefully with a bit of sympathy sex." Draco drew Gwendolyn in for a prolonged kiss, his mouth soon wandering to her ear. "But we won, and we are celebrating, cara." Draco's lips wandered further to nibble on Gwendolyn's shoulder.

Draco's teeth grazed a particularly sensitive area of Gwendolyn's collarbone, causing her toes to curl in delight. Unfortunately, it brought with it a painful reminder. "I would love to laud our victory, but . . ."

Draco stiffened. "But what?"

"I need to get into something more comfortable. This dress has boning."

Draco relaxed, sighing in relief. "You can borrow something from my closet,"

Gwendolyn smiled sweetly, her hand lingering in his before she padded through the far door. The trail of rose petals leading to the bed left her smiling. Draco really had gone all out for this. Well, she had no problem doing the same. After all, there were some interesting things that could be done with the principles of healing magic. Gwendolyn went over a plan in her head as she picked out silk shirt from Draco's closet. When the time came, she would be ready, and Draco would be pleasantly surprised.

A/N: And we're done . . . . or not? Yes, I was silly enough to write and epilogue for you that will be posted tomorrow. I was reading an exceptionally cliche (I mean, I was about to die from the 'and no one minded at all, even though they should have been infuriated by their gunshot wedding full of bunnies and rainbows' overdone lovey-dovey-ness) story, and wondered what you all do when you read something that sickly sweet? I had the urge to sing 'Once Upon a Dream','Red and Black' (Les Miserables), 'Thank Goodness' (Wicked), and 'Sorry Her Lot' (Pirates of Penzance).