Sorting Things Out

Daisy was quiet as she threw things into bags and boxes, shrinking things so that she, her brothers and Wills could get it all in one load. She had stopped when she first stepped into the bedroom, feeling the tears start to spring up again as she looked around. Every single bit of the room reminded her of John and happier times.

But just as she felt the tears start, she quickly swallowed them and set about to gathering all her clothes, books and other items. She only spoke to give orders to the four men currently helping her pack, everyone watching her with a concerned eye.

For a moment, she allowed herself to look into Wills' mind, curious as to what he was thinking.

"What if I got her drunk? That usually cheers her up… no, she'll probably end up more depressed and then angry with me that she's hungover tomorrow… I don't know if I can stand to see her cry again. There must be something I can do to cheer her up… Merlin, I wish I could just… take the pain away. Why isn't there a spell or potion for that? I'd gladly take it on if it made her smile again…"

Her cheeks turned slightly pink as she turned it off and set back to work. She could feel his concern for her. Every second she spent near him, the connection just got clearer and stronger.

Part of her was happy that she finally found it. But more than that, she was confused and guilty. Not but a few hours ago she had told John that he was the only man she loved and now… she had some sort of magical, cosmic bond with Wills. She knew in all fairness, it probably had been there all along, she just didn't see it or ignored it. But she couldn't help but feel it was unfair to John.

She pushed the many thoughts crowding her head aside and focused on the task at hand, so into her work that she never caught Jamie's many looks her way. She would go over everything when she snuck out to Dominique and Molly's later. She had already sent Ruff off with a message while she changed out of her uniform before they left.

"Well I think that's the last of it," Alan said as he placed a framed photo of the four Wood siblings on Daisy's nightstand. She looked around the room and nodded. She had to admit, while she was still overwhelmed by everything that had transpired that day, she felt like she was back home after a long trip. And she was glad to be there. More than that, she was grateful for the four men currently standing in her room – even if she still hadn't sorted out her feelings for Wills.

"Thanks," she said, looking around at them.

"Shall we have a drink? To celebrate the return of Pixie!" Wills shouted joyously. The Wood triplets glared at him. "What? Someone has to lighten the mood."

"Actually… If it's alright, I'm a bit tired," Daisy said. Her brothers nodded, though Jamie raised an eyebrow.

"Say nothing, Jamie Wood," Daisy sent him. He nodded.

"Well then, we'll leave you to it," Jamie said, motioning for the rest of them to leave the room.

"But… you know if you want to talk, Pix, we're here for you," Wills said.

"I know. And I will want to talk. Just… not right now," Daisy said. Wills nodded and Daisy watched as they all walked out. She shut the door behind them and stepped back, then closed her eyes.

When Daisy opened her eyes, she was standing in the middle of Dominique and Molly's living room. The two women in question were seated on the sofa with Lucy in an armchair and Victoire situated on the floor next to the coffee table. All had half-emptied glasses of wine in their hands.

"Get started without me, did ya?" Daisy asked as she stepped over and collapsed on the sofa in between Molly and Dominique. Dominique looked over at Lucy and motioned for her to get Daisy a drink.

"Well… we thought you'd be here a bit sooner," Molly said.

"And honestly after a day like today, we all needed a drink," Victoire said wearily. Daisy looked over at her, her face pinched with worry.

"How was he after I left?" Daisy asked. Victoire sighed.

"Well… he spoke to the team a bit and then Coach Nilsson on his own. He didn't seem very chatty when I made my last round. Sulking and such, though I don't blame him. Losing your career and girlfriend all in the same day… tough break," she said.

"Hold on, that's what happened? Jamie wouldn't say anything after you left just that you broke up with him," Lucy said as she stopped behind the sofa. She held the glass out over Daisy's head. The redhead grabbed it and took a long drink. "What exactly happened, Daisy?"

"Did he… did he know about the connection?" Dominique asked as Lucy walked around and sat down. Daisy swallowed.

"Well… at first he was angry. He thought I saw what was going to happen and ignored it. Then I let slip that I would have done anything to save him. He guessed it from there and got angry again," she said, feeling the tears start up again.

"Did you… did you see his thoughts?" Dominique asked softly.

"It slipped once. But I blocked him out. I didn't think I could handle it," she replied. "He was… so angry. And I couldn't blame him. It was my fault. But then he stopped yelling… and he was just… He apologized and told me that he couldn't play anymore. The damage was too bad. He looked so... broken."

All the women blinked back their own tears. It was as though Daisy's heart was breaking right in front of them.

"He said he wanted to go back to the U.S. Mostly just to recover, but… he said he'd stay if I, if I wanted him to," she said. She stopped, unable to speak.

"Oh, Daisy," Dominique murmured, reaching out and placing her hand on her arm. Daisy opened her mouth, but couldn't speak. It took her a few moments, but she finally found the words.

"I knew that if I told him the truth that I wanted him to stay, he would. And I knew if I told him the whole truth - about what was coming - he would stay as well. If he stayed… he wouldn't be safe. If he were in the U.S. – away from me, from us – then at least he would have a chance. So… I told him that I thought he should go and stay there," Daisy said, tears coursing down her cheeks. "He was crushed…"

Dominique reached over and pulled Daisy into a hug.

"It's alright… it gets a bit easier," she murmured, as she rubbed her back.

"Does it?" Daisy asked. Dominique took a deep breath and nodded.

"Eventually," she said.

"I didn't want to hurt him," Daisy whispered.

"We know you didn't. And we know you only wanted to keep him safe," Lucy said. "You did what you thought was best."

"Why do I feel so horrible?" Daisy asked.

"Alright, Daisy, what's going on with Wills?" Jamie demanded as he suddenly appeared in the apartment. All the women turned to look at him, varying looks of surprise on their faces. Daisy pushed out of Dominique's arms, wiping her cheeks.

"Christ, Jamie! Did you really have to follow me?" she shouted as she glared at her older brother. Jamie looked around, suddenly feeling like he was intruding a bit.

"Wait… what's this about Wills?" Lucy asked, from her chair. Daisy continued glaring at Jamie.

"Oh… you hadn't said anything yet," he said.

"No, I hadn't. I was gonna get to it, but first we were talking about my recent break-up," she said. Lucy's eyes widened as she realized what was going on.

"You felt Wills," she stated, staring at Daisy. The tiny seeker's cheeks started turning red as purple streaked through her hair. Jamie took a step back as he was momentarily overwhelmed by the conflicting emotions wafting off his sister. She was miserable, embarrassed, hurt, angry and just about every negative emotion he could think of.

"Is this why you wouldn't talk to us?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

"I couldn't very well talk about it with Wills still there," Daisy said.

"But you're going to have to tell him eventually," Jamie countered.

"Okay, everyone just hold on a minute," Victoire shouted. Everyone looked at her. "Some of us are still playing catch-up here." She looked at Daisy. "What the hell happened after you left St. Mungo's?"

Daisy took a deep breath and motioned for Jamie to sit. He plopped down on the floor, watching her.

"I went home and cried – a lot – then Wills came over, bringing whisky. We sat and talked for a bit and he tried to comfort me," she stopped a moment, seeming as though she was becoming lost in the memory. "And then… I just… I was thinking about when we first met, and just, all the memories. All the times he's been there for me and… it was just… there. I could feel him."

"The connection?" Molly asked. Daisy nodded.

"On the one hand… I guess it makes sense, but… I just… I'm so confused. I never thought I was in love with Wills," she said.

"Conflicted," Jamie said. Daisy looked up at him. "Getting a lot of conflicted from you right now."

"How would you feel?" Daisy nearly shouted. "I have to break up with the man I love, that I've lived with and have been with for nearly two years. And then… I find that I have this connection with a man I've known half my life and always thought of as family and… Merlin, it's not like I can just go falling into Wills' arms and forget John just like that… How am I supposed to feel about this?" she asked before taking a very large drink of wine.

"I'm sure Wills would be thrilled if you fell into his arms," Lucy muttered.

"Not helping," Daisy said, shooting a scowl at her. Jamie sighed.

"To be honest… I'm not completely surprised it was Wills," he said, rubbing his forehead. "You did declare that you were going to marry him at 9." Daisy rolled her eyes.

"I was a kid," she shot back.

"Let's not forget the crushes you had on him in Hogwarts," Lucy added. Jamie looked surprised. He hadn't been privy to this information.

"They were just silly school girl crushes," Daisy countered.

"He has always been there for you," Victoire said. "Went to most of your Little League matches and all the ones at Hogwarts he could make."

"He's at every Arrows game when we're not playing," Jamie added.

"Okay, so he supports my quidditch career," Daisy said. "That doesn't mean much. A lot of people support my quidditch career."

"He's been a good friend to you," Dominique added. "And he genuinely cares about you. I don't need to read minds to see that." At the mention of reading minds, Daisy whipped her head over to look at her brother.

"Daisy…" Jamie said in warning.

"You've seen something, haven't you," she said. "I looked into his a head a bit earlier, but I didn't look long. But you… you've seen more." Jamie sighed.

"He's… well, since this summer, he's been… struggling a bit with exactly how he feels about you. Trying to convince himself that it's nothing more than what it has been. But it's obvious that it's more," Jamie admitted. Part of him felt like he was betraying the chaser, but at the same time, he knew it would hopefully resolve this whole mess quickly rather than drawing it out.

"I knew it! I knew he was in love with her!" Lucy shouted in glee. Everyone in the room scowled at her. "Oh, come on! You were all thinking it too!"

"She's right, you were all thinking it," Daisy said dully. She looked back at Jamie. "Okay… so he fancies me," she said calmly. "And it would seem that I… may… well, obviously not may if I'm connected to him…"

"Remember what the professor said. It's not just being in love with someone, but… someone you can't live without – someone you have a deep bond with," Dominique said, thinking out loud. "Daisy, it makes sense in a way. You and Wills have always had this sort of… special connection. Maybe the feelings of romantic love or whatever haven't completely caught up to it on your part, but… now that I think about it, Wills is probably the only person you could connect with, besides John anyway."

"You always were closest to him out of anyone on Puddlemere," Jamie said. "Anyone in the League besides us, to be honest. And he's still the only one outside us who can calm you down."

"He did always seem to get you," Molly added. Daisy sighed.

"But a lot of what you're saying could also be said for Toby," Daisy said, her brow furrowed. "And I'm not connected to him."

"Are you sure that you never… that you never saw Wills as more than just a good friend? Besides your so-called crushes?" Dominique asked. Daisy looked at her and shrugged.

"I mean… maybe? Earlier, when I felt it again, I couldn't help but think that I had always been drawn to him… and in that moment it made sense," she said.

"Maybe all this time when he said he wasn't settling down because he was waiting for you… he actually was waiting for you. He just didn't realize it until recently," Molly offered.

"But we're all forgetting John," Daisy said. "What was that, then? A cosmic detour?"

No one said anything, unsure of how he fit into the equation. Daisy looked around the room, noticing Molly and Dominique had looks of contemplation on their faces while Victoire and Lucy wore looks of concern. Jamie was indecipherable.

"Maybe all this means is that Wills is your soulmate," Lucy finally said, looking over at Daisy, who just frowned at her. "Don't look at me like that, it would make sense. At least I think so." Daisy looked back at Jamie, whose face she still couldn't read.

"What are you thinking?" Daisy thought. A flicker of a smile came across his face.

"Wondering what Dad'll do when he finds out," Jamie thought. Daisy rolled her eyes.

"I hadn't even begun to think about that," she said out loud. Upon noticing the curious glances from her cousins, she sighed. "What Dad'll do when he finds out about Wills."

Lucy couldn't help herself and started giggling.

"I didn't think about that… but now… I'm looking forward to that a bit," she said. "Oh Merlin… the look on his face. Please let me be there when you tell him."

"I still have to tell Wills first," Daisy said. She met Jamie's eyes again. "I think I should wait until we get back. At least then, I'll know more about it." He nodded slowly.

"I suppose that makes sense," he said. "And well, the less he knows now, the less likely anything will pop up in the press before we get back thanks to his big mouth." Daisy's eyes widened as she dropped her head into her free hand.

"Fuck. I didn't think about that. They're going to eat me alive," she groaned. "As if it wasn't bad enough, though I suppose at this point I deserve it..."

"You don't know that," Dominique said comfortingly.

"Yes, I do. By the day after tomorrow word is going to spread and every publication will know about the break-up and John leaving. I'll be the Evil Pixie that broke up with her boyfriend just because he can't play quidditch anymore," she said, her eyes tearing up again.

"Daisy, we'll be gone – out of the country – for two months. Everyone who knows won't talk to the press. Whatever rumors spring up, they'll die out before we get back," Jamie said. "I'm sure there'll be some other scandal before then."

Daisy looked up at him, a wild look coming into her eyes.

"But what if it doesn't?" she said, starting to get frantic. "I can't deal with the press on top of everything."

"I've got you covered at Witch Weekly," Lucy said. "I'll keep an eye on the gossip department."

"And I'm sure Lila will set things straight at Quidditch Monthly if anything comes up," Jamie said, hoping to reassure her. "You could leave a short statement with Nilsson or Dad in case." Daisy nodded silently.

"Blimey, why did everything have to happen today?" she murmured. "And then tomorrow… who knows what we'll find."

The room was once again silent as everyone's thoughts turned to the reason why Iris, Daisy and Jamie had to go in the first place.

"I suppose it's silly to worry about press when the end of the world could be coming," Daisy said despondently.

"It's not the end of the world," Dominique said strongly. "Not with us." Daisy looked up at her, wishing she could borrow some of her confidence. "Don't look at me like that. What happened to Daisy Fucking Wood?"

"She's on vacation," Daisy said, looking back down at her glass. Dominique grabbed her arm.

"No she's not. She's still in there," Dominique said. "Look, I know things are really confusing and overwhelming right now, but you're going to an island tomorrow where you will finally learn how to control your magic and more about what you are. What's more, you're learn how to do amazing things that some of us could only dream about. And then, all of us together are going to stop whatever is coming."

"She's right, Pix. We can't give up before we've even started," Jamie said. Daisy looked over at him, noting the hope in his eyes.

"We've been over this before, Daisy. You're not alone. We're all in this together," Victoire said.

"And with everything that happened today… you did the right thing with John," Dominique said softly. Daisy looked at her, wiping at the tears that were starting to pool in her eyes. "He may not understand it now, and not a lot of people will, but… you did the best thing for him. Right now he needs to heal up and get better – not worry about the future or what could be coming." Daisy nodded.

"I still feel horrible about it," she said softly

"Unfortunately that lasts a bit," Dominique said. "But… put it aside for now and just focus on tomorrow and going to Moni."

Daisy looked around the room, sniffling.

"Thanks," she said, smiling slightly. She gulped down her wine and stood. "We should probably get back home. Big day tomorrow and all." Jamie stood and nodded.

"Come on, Pix."

When they appeared in Daisy's room a few moments later, she sighed and walked over to her bed, sitting down.

"Did I really do the right thing?" she asked softly, looking up at Jamie. "By sending him away without telling him?" Jamie sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"You did what you thought was best. And, yea, I do agree with you… if you told him everything, he'd probably stay. Which would have made things much harder for everyone involved," he said. "I mean… what if you hadn't broken up and then you felt Wills?" He walked over and sat next to Daisy. She blanched.

"Merlin, I didn't even think of that… what a disaster," she said. "It's bad enough I'm still sorting out how I feel about it. I can't imagine what it would have been like if…" She stopped and shook her head. "But that's not the case, so best not to dwell on the what-ifs."

She took a deep breath and looked up at him.

"But… I think at some point, I should tell him everything… It's only right once he's gone. I did promise him. And I doubt he'd come back if he knows about Wills," she said.

"To be honest, that decision is best left up to you and I don't envy you in the slightest on that," he said, standing. "It's a mess regardless, but probably a good idea to take your time sorting things out in your head before you do or say anything."

Daisy nodded.

"Think we'll ever get to have a quiet, normal life?" she asked, smiling slightly. Jamie chuckled.

"Someday. At least I hope so," he said. "Night Pix."

"Night Jamie."

So, hopefully this sheds a bit more light into what Daisy's thinking right now - which is quite a lot. She ends up spending a decent amount of the next book sorting through all of this as well. Wouldn't seem fair to John if she was immediately happy and in love with Wills. I don't think Daisy is nearly that heartless.

AleenaBean: It's not the last of John. I thought about it, but just couldn't bring myself to completely write him off and out of the story. And well, it does draw up some interesting scenes later on in the next book. And the thing with the connections is that they aren't always so simple. Even I'm struggling with figuring it out and I came up with the damn thing. It was so much easier with Iris and Oliver, then Jamie and Lila...

twilightlover427: Good! Honestly, I had a lot of emotions as I was writing it. And then re-writing it. There were a couple different versions of that conversation with John and Daisy before I settled on this one. It was tough stuff. Haha, there is certainly lots to come in terms of Daisy and Wills.

One more chapter to go! Thanks everyone for reading, following and reviewing!