A/N. Have a Halloween chapter. Have a June chapter. Have a Halloween in June chapter. Either way, perfect timing... enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Four

The Inconvenient Birthday

When Ambrose got to the office on Halloween, he couldn't help but be amused to find a pumpkin cream puff on his desk with a candle in it.

"What's up with that?" Adam Hinge wondered, going through the schedule.

"Inside joke, Beth sent it," he said. "The three of us usually get together for breakfast on Halloween, but we moved it to dinner this year so that TJ could have the morning off."

"It's a rotten time to have a birthday, on one of the most important Wizard holidays of the year," Adam said sympathetically.

"Yeah, it's always kinda sucked. Parties are absolutely impossible since everyone's busy in the afternoon and at night, which is why it became a morning thing for me. When I was little, I used to go over to my sister's house for a birthday breakfast. At Hogwarts, I woke up to presents from my relatives on my desk... but once that was done, it was all about Halloween, and whatever calamity that came with it," Ambrose explained with a smile. "It's alright... it'll be a really unique experience for me having a birthday dinner. I was actually more worried about Thomas being put out about it since they have that children's party to contend with, but he just shrugged it off and said he'd find extra help from other family members."

"Must be nice to have so many family members to choose from. I need to get Cain married off and tell him to have a Snape-sized family," Adam said.

"Sure, but since it's only the two of you, you'll end up babysitting them," Ambrose grinned.

"Hm, good point. He's better off staying single," Adam decided, walking out of the room with the schedule. Chuckling softly, Ambrose took the candle out of his pastry.

By the time he walked out of his office, the rest of the staff were already working on their holiday events. Ronnie was setting up a craft table for the kids, and pumpkin fairy cakes lined the shelves in the cafe. Pop-up displays were scattered about with information of how different cultures celebrated the holiday or similar holidays, and in the Magical Beasts wing, Halbert was busy distributing pumpkins into each animal cage. Some of the pumpkins were being ignored while others quickly turned into lunch.

"'Alo, Ambrose! Going to the Spectral Ball tonight?" Halbert asked.

"Not tonight, no, I made other plans," Ambrose admitted with a smile. "I take it you're going?"

"Holly got invited to the Craw party this year, so we're going after we drop her off," Halbert confirmed.

"Better this year than last year," Ambrose grinned.

"Oh, the Tangerine Spots thing? She ended up getting it at school right after," Halbert chuckled. "Right before they shut it down."

"I remember that now," Ambrose said. "Should be safe enough then."

"Think Minister Craw will keep things clean at that party?" Halbert asked.

"Oh, you mean his language? Don't worry, Fleur will be quick to call him out on it," Ambrose said.

"Yes, but will it be in time to keep him from corrupting Holly? Oh, you know me, I don't mind the colorful word now and again, but if Nevera ends up hearing it... well... so will I, if you understand me."

"Good luck," Ambrose said with a grin.

"Yep, I might need it," Halbert agreed. Ambrose wandered on to check one how the other sections were doing.

It was a fairly slow day, with the only visitors being those families who came every week regardless or the ones who came to the museum for every special event. Many of them enjoyed the funny costumes that TJ and Pyther had put over the glass protecting some of the more tolerant paintings to make them look as if they were dressed up. Ambrose had paused to look at them and then glanced at the time, wondering if TJ had gotten back yet. A simple query soon led him to check the break room, becoming immediately concerned over her demeanor. She was sitting at the table slumped over her tea with a miserable expression, stiff and still as if she had been sitting there or some time.

"Hey..." Ambrose said coming in, getting no reaction from her as he came in and sat down beside her. "What's wrong, what happened?"

TJ shook her head, apparently not wanting to talk about it. But as she sat up a bit, she pushed back her hair, and Ambrose noticed that the engagement ring was gone from her left hand. Wincing at that, Ambrose reached and felt her teacup, noticing it was cold.

"Hey, let's get some paper cups of tea and go find a quiet spot in the garden to talk. It's sunny out there today, and I'm afraid if we stay in here we're going to get walked in on since it's about time for lunch breaks. Is that okay with you?" Ambrose asked.

"You needn't go to any trouble..."

"Don't be silly, of course I do," Ambrose said and got up. He quickly made them both some cups before standing beside her, offering it to her at a height where she had to stand up herself to accept it. "There we are... let's take the Doorlift," he suggested and made a move to the door, encouraged when she followed numbly behind.

The sun shined brighter than TJ thought it had any right to on such a day, persistent and glaring. Ambrose didn't seem to mind when TJ took a path leading closer to one of the larger trees on the property, so she could sit on a bench where the light was diffused into tiny sparkling patches that moved with the leaves, still persistently clinging to the branches and not wanting to let go.

"Are you ready to talk about it yet? About breaking up with your fiance?" Ambrose asked as he sat down. TJ sighed. "What happened?" Ambrose coaxed.

"To put it in one sentence, his mother went to the Ministry and looked up my birth certificate," TJ said, and Ambrose winced in sympathy. "I told her from the start that my name was legally TJ now, but she had it in her head that the announcements simply wouldn't look good unless she could use my 'real' name," she explained with air quotes. "And of course you know that she told Leonard about it, and things went even further downhill from there."

"You hadn't told him?" Ambrose asked.

"I didn't think it mattered anymore. I thought I was done with that part of my life!" TJ snapped, pulling out a handkerchief. "I'm one hundred percent witch and I have been for years, so why should anyone even care? I really don't understand..." her voice faltered and she began to sob. Ambrose sighed, putting an arm around her and letting her sob for a few minutes.

"I hope this doesn't sound heartless, but in a way, you should be relieved this came out now," Ambrose said quietly. "I mean... you might have gotten stuck with him, when he obviously didn't love you unconditionally."

"Yes, thank you very much," TJ said acidly.

"The longer that relationship went on, the worse it would have been when the truth came out, TJ. And I think deep down you probably already knew that. I think the real reason you didn't tell him was because part of you knew it wouldn't go well and that he'd reject you. I went through something similar myself with Charity, trying to keep what I considered the unsavory parts of my life off her radar. I was selling myself short when I did that, and I'm sorry to say that you've been doing it too. You deserve to be with someone who accepts all of you for who you are, not just on the surface you, but all of you; the good, the bad, and the good but controversial," Ambrose said firmly. "You deserve better that that. Don't sell yourself short trying to conform when you weren't born to conform in the first place. What was that phrase that your father taught you to say?"

"I'm the exception to the rules because I am exceptional," TJ sniffed, dobbing her face. "That was much easier to live by when I was a child. I had a bit more freedom to do what I liked without having to worry about societal norms."

"Well, Selwyn or no Selwyn, I'd stop worrying about them as an adult too, if I were you," Ambrose said.

"And shame my family in the process?" TJ said dubiously.

"That's not going to happen. Your family will stand up for your decisions, that's obvious by just how supportive your father has been just by his teaching you that mantra. He's not going to abandon you for being who you really are any more than your little brother would, and I don't think either of them would care about what some societal snobs think. From what I know of your father, he'd put them in their place, just as he taught you to do. Wouldn't he?" Ambrose challenged her, and she nodded slightly at that. "Does he know about this breakup yet?"

"Oh, no, I'm not ready for that conversation," TJ protested.

"But you know who's side he'll take when you talk to him, right?" Ambrose asked.

"Mine, of course," TJ replied. Ambrose nodded.

"You weren't the one who made a mistake, TJ," Ambrose assured her.

"Except for getting involved with that judgmental self-righteous buffoon in the first place," TJ muttered.

"That's a girl," Ambrose smiled. "Hey, if you're not ready to talk to your father about this, how about coming to dinner with Beth, Maurice, and I tonight? We're going over to the Enchanted Spoon."

"Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude..."

"No, it's fine, they won't blink at it. Besides, it's my birthday dinner, so I can invite who I like," Ambrose declared.

"It's your birthday? I didn't know that," she admitted.

"Well, I usually don't talk about it much, because it's a bit inconvenient," Ambrose explained.

"Still, if I'd known, I would have gotten you something," TJ protested.

"Make it up to me for coming to dinner with us tonight," Ambrose suggested, and TJ sighed.

"Yes, alright, thank you for the invitation," TJ replied.

"No need to be that formal," Ambrose protested with a chuckle, getting up and offering her a hand.

"It's how I was raised," TJ explained, taking his offer and standing up.

"You were also raised to be exceptional," Ambrose reminded her. "Let's head back in. I still need to grab some lunch."

"I should probably grab another cup of tea before I start. I'm afraid it's gone cold again," TJ admitted.

"I'm sure the next one won't," Ambrose said.

"You're right. I'm feeling much more ready for work now," TJ agreed, and the two of them cut over to the cafe patio and went inside.

Sitting at one of the tables was Lucky, checking over the end of the month paperwork.

"About time you got in here," Lucky said, handing him a pumpkin fairy cake.

"Thanks, but I think i'll eat lunch first," Ambrose said with a grin.

"It's not my real present, by the way, I just thought it'd be funny. My real one is volunteering to help at the kids' Halloween party tonight so that Beth and Maurice can take off," Lucky said.

"Thanks, Lucky," Ambrose replied gratefully, grabbing a hot sandwich.

"How's things with you, TJ?" Lucky asked when TJ tried to slip past her to get to the hot water.

"I'm fine. A bit more single than I was twenty-four hours ago, but alright," TJ said.

"What happened?" Lucky asked with a frown.

TJ heard Ambrose murmuring 'birth certificate' to Lucky.

"That jerk!" she declared loudly. "You're too good for him."

"She certainly is," Ambrose agreed.

TJ forced a smile on her face, painfully aware that it wouldn't take long for the rest of the employees to hear about it now. In fact, it spread so quickly that everyone was finding an excuse to walk through the art gallery to talk to her, each one expressing their support along with an impolite comment about what they thought of her ex-fiance. It was after the fourth interruption when TJ discovered that she felt decidedly better. That's when she realized that Ambrose's overly loud murmur had been intentional, knowing that TJ's friends would quickly rally around her.

Even so, TJ was quite glad when it was time to close up, securing her area so that the cleaning and security crews could take over. As she stepped into the lower basement, Ambrose was already waiting for her near the tunnel.

"Shouldn't I change first?" she asked.

"It's alright, we'll be in a private booth. I'm not changing either," Ambrose said. "Goodnight, Adam!"

"Goodnight Ambrose, TJ," Adam returned, locking up behind them after they stepped into the tunnel to Coventry Suites.

But despite the fact that Ambrose had assured TJ that Maurice and Beth wouldn't blink when Ambrose showed up with a guest, the two of them did blink... twice.

"Hi, guys! I hope you don't mind, but I invited TJ to come to dinner tonight," Ambrose said.

"The more the merrier," Beth said cordially, but TJ noticed that Maurice had given Ambrose a dirty look.

"I really hope I'm not intruding. Ambrose did rather insist," TJ said uncomfortably.

"Don't worry about it, TJ. I'm happy that you came. Which side do you want to sit on? Inside or outside?" Ambrose asked.

"Oh, the outside," TJ decided, just in case she needed to make a break for it.

"Do you mind if I tell them why I invited you?" Ambrose asked her.

"Actually, I think you'd better," TJ agreed.

"TJ broke up with her fiance today. I asked her to come so we could give her moral support," Ambrose explained. Maurice's gaze softened.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Beth said sincerely. "We'll do our best to cheer you up. Have you ever eaten here before?"

"Yes, Leonard brought me here several times," TJ admitted. Ambrose groaned.

"Why didn't you tell me that? We could have found somewhere else," Ambrose told her.

"It's not too late to change plans if we need to," Beth offered.

"On Halloween?" Maurice inquired, reminding Beth how infeasible that would be.

"We have other hotels," Beth replied defensively.

"Thank you, it's quite alright. I love this restaurant, and I'm in better company now," TJ reassured her.

"If these two are going to try to out-polite each other, I should move to the inside so they can sit across from each other," Maurice commented. Beth decided to take him seriously, nudging him so that he would get up and they could change places before the waiter got back with their spoons.

"We want full course meals tonight, Mr. Gondly, but start with desserts," Beth told the waiter.

"Start with desserts?" Maurice asked questioningly.

"Yes, but leave the birthday cake until the end," Beth insisted, using her spoon.

"So you want desserts twice," Maurice clarified.

"Desserts is a very necessary part of getting over a bad breakup," Beth said sagely. "Don't you agree, TJ?"

"Yes, and hopefully there's chocolate involved," TJ confirmed.

"An absolute must. A side of melted chocolate with whatever our desserts are," Beth requested.

"Of course, Mrs. Craw, I'll get right on it," Mr. Gondly replied, taking their spoons away.

"Personally, I think a good steak puts me in a better mood rather than a bunch of sugar," Maurice said.

"I'm with you on that one," Ambrose agreed.

"Don't listen to them, they're just being wizards," Beth told TJ.

"Hey, no stereotyping, especially not between the four of us," Ambrose protested with a laugh. "That's the last thing she needs after this morning."

"Why, what caused the breakup?" Beth asked.

"They freaked out when they saw her birth certificate," Ambrose said.

"Must you keep telling everyone about that?" TJ asked him disapprovingly.

"I'm not telling everyone. I'm telling people who'd care," Ambrose explained.

"It's just as well that it came out if that was what caused it," Maurice said. "You could have ended up with that creep. It reminds me of someone else we know who did that, only in his case, he got married first..."

"Hey," Ambrose protested with a laugh. "We all make mistakes."

"Yes, I suppose we do," TJ agreed. "And you're right, Ambrose. Perhaps there was a small part of me that was afraid of what would happen if he found out. But most of me just wanted to move on, and that's all."

"Moving on is good, but it's important to lay it all on the table before committing to anyone," Maurice said. "I use to agonize over telling loved ones about my own struggles. But when I finally did, I ended up feeling really stupid about trying to keep it from them, because now I know exactly who I can count on no matter what comes up in my life."

"I think I see your point, Maurice," TJ said. "Especially after Ambrose blabbed to all of our co-workers what happened and most of them came up to me to give me their support."

"Oh, Ambrose, really!" Beth scolded him. "At least give her the opportunity to decide for herself if she wants her circumstances spread around or not. You're so impulsive!"

"I was just trying to help," Ambrose protested. "I wanted to show her that her friends would stand by her and that she wasn't alone."

"It did help, but I also agree with Beth. That was quite impulsive... and bad manners," TJ added for good measure.

"Shall I apologize for being helpful?" Ambrose inquired.

"No, because as your friend, I accept your flaws as well as your strengths," TJ said. "But that said, you do owe me for being so open about my personal life. Namely, by letting me ask you a question about your personal life."

"Okay..." Ambrose said, wondering where this was going. TJ pointed at the Dragonheart Diamond rings on his right hand, then at the two across the table.

"Just what is going on between the three of you, exactly?" TJ asked.

"They're my family," Ambrose explained. "Beth is like a very close sister to me, and Maurice is... well..."

"We share him," Beth interrupted mischievously, putting an arm around Maurice.

"Oh!" TJ said, blinking as she let that sink in. She glanced over at Ambrose and back at them again. "Well, that explains everything."

"Not exactly everything," Maurice spoke up. "How is it that you see our rings? What I mean is that not everyone can see them, they're meant to be discreet... as is our relationship," he added pointedly.

"I understand, and I plan to be discreet as well," TJ promised him sincerely. "As for the rings, I've always seen them. Do you suppose my heritage has something to do with it?" she pondered, glancing at Ambrose.

"I have no idea," Ambrose admitted.

"Heritage?" Beth inquired with interest.

"The Selwyns follow Gawain's line," Ambrose explained.

"Although I didn't know that fact myself until my brother ended up with Gawain's Sash and I decided to do a bit of research. I knew Ambrose's father wouldn't give something like that away to just anyone," TJ explained.

"I love all of the tales of Gawain I've read over the years. Did you know that Gawain had both male and female lovers as well?" Ambrose told her.

"That doesn't surprise me," TJ admitted with a chuckle.

"Good to know that Arthur's knights were just as messed up as we are," Maurice said, and Beth smacked his chest.

"You are not messed up! If anyone is messed up at this table, it's me and no one else!" Beth declared.

"You? Why you?" Maurice asked skeptically.

"Because I'm straight, of course," Beth replied.

The other three laughed and began taunting her and each other until their desserts arrived. Then all four of them broke out laughing again when each dessert involved a different kind of chocolate.