A/N: Sorry for the wait everyone, I had a whole chapter written before I decided we needed a better transition here from the previous chapter, so it took me a while to think this through. It's shorter in comparison to other chapters, but I hope you enjoy it just the same! I promise the next chapter will be here much much sooner!

Year 8: The Visitor

1992

Their footsteps were muted as they strolled down the cobblestone street, the snow still clung to the ground, stubborn and persistent even as the winter cold lost its bite. It wouldn't be much longer now until the icy layer would finally melt and the ground would thaw with the first signs of spring to follow. Arah would miss it, the quiet sounded different in the stillness of winter- peaceful and serene.

Arah guided Jacob around an unforgiving icy patch- tugging his arm gently as he followed blindly, fully trusting in his sister's ability as she led them down the winding path. Reaching the frozen pond, they sat on a humble bench, her arm looped tightly in his, satisfied to have made it this far. Jacob sighed, the sound content, though an air of sadness clung to his breath.

"I like it here, it's peaceful."

"I do too," Arah smiled, looking out at the icy waters. "It's finally starting to feel like home."

A small family sat at its edge, parents staring lovingly as their two children played. A boy and a girl. The boy looked older as he held his young sister's hand, making sure she wouldn't slip on the slick surface. The little girl squealed with laughter as the boy slipped and fell on his rump.

"Can you describe it?"

A question Jacob often asked since losing his sight. So Arah did, not sparing any detail as she painted a picture of the beautiful setting before them, the way the moon shone on the water's surface like frosted glass, how the two kids played- the boy careful and timid while the girl frolicked recklessly. They reminded her of them when they were young. Jacob's smile grew as Arah commentated- the older brother had now grappled his little sister, tickling her relentlessly for laughing at his blunder. Jacob chuckled at the scene she described.

"Poor bloke, he's going to have his hands full if she's anything like you, Pip."

Pip. A nickname Jacob has called as long as she could remember. It was short for Pipsqueak. Arah had earned it ever since they were young due to her small stature. Since she was little, she'd always been smaller than most around her age. Even now, most of her peers stood a few inches taller than she, but size never stopped her fierce spirit.

Arah flashed him a rude gesture with a particularly naughty finger. It was an easy victory and perhaps a bit cruel, but it was a victory all the same. Her smug look quickly shifted as Jacob turned his glossy unseeing eyes toward her, smacking her hand away.

"How did you - "

"I don't need to see to know my little sister is a conniving prat."

"You arse." Arah grinned, nudging her shoulder against his as he playfully shoved her back. "I should have never rescued you from that portrait."

"Well, I for one, am quite grateful you did." he said warmly. "I couldn't have asked for a better little sis, even if you are a little bugger.

"Alright, you don't have to get soppy on me." Arah mumbled, unable to keep her lips from curling. A fit of giggles echoed in the distance as the boy skated on the ice, his little sister riding on his back, beaming with joy. Oh how careless they were; protected by innocence, still enraptured in child-like wonder, untouched by the trials life could cruelly throw. Arah hoped these two would be spared from such tribulations, unlike her and Jacob. How quickly they had both been forced to grow up under such circumstances they had faced.

"How are you holding up since Ruby?" Jacob asked, breaking their comfortable silence.

Arah slumped, leaning her head against the bench releasing a long sigh- a misty plume floating up into the stars. "I'm okay I guess."

"Liar."

Arah's thoughts filled with a swirl of worries; Ruby's death, the unsolved case, their Father's disappearance, Jacob's curse robbing him of his eyesight, to the kiss her and Barnaby shared the other night. They had barely talked since- only exchanging words in the safety of friends. "I'm fine, you don't have to fuss over me. You have enough on your plate as it is."

"Olivia says you've been pulling late nights at the office." Jacob pushed, ignoring her completely. Her brother was the only person outside of the ROCC (and Mad Eye Moody) who knew of her job as an UnSpeakable. "She's worried about you."

"Yeah, well Olivia seems to be worried about you too." Arah glanced at her brother, his face unreadable. "Are you going to tell me why you're avoiding her?"

"I'm not avoiding her."

"You haven't been home all week. Don't get me wrong, I love that you're staying with me, but something is up with you. What's going on, Jacob?" Arah pressed. "Did she do something to upset you?"

"No, not at all!"

"Then what is it?"

Jacob groaned, dragging his hand down his face. "It's complicated."

"How so?"

"Can we change the subject?" He deflected, a hint of irritation in his voice. "How's your friend Barnaby doing? I heard he lost his Grandmum recently."

Now it was Arah's turn to let out a groan. Flashes of that night flitted across her memory- making her cheeks flush at the intimate moment they had shared. "I don't know. I have hardly talked to him since." She admitted.

"Why? Isn't he one of your best mates?"

"It's complicated." Arah mimicked her brother's voice, low and dramatic. Jacob shrugged carelessly, letting the silence hang heavy between them knowing Arah couldn't help but squirm to fill the air with her confession. The wanker. "I- we kinda...kissed?" Arah winced at the admission of her secret as it now hung verbally in the air between them.

His eyebrows shot up, glancing at her questioningly. "Oh?"

"Don't give me that look," Arah moaned, "I don't even know how it happened. He was so emotionally wrecked - I just wanted to be there for him, but then... one thing led to another and then we were..." Arah's voice trailed off, trusting her brother to fill in the gaps, too embarrassed to continue.

Jacob let out a long whistle. "I don't need to give you the talk, do I?"

"EW, Jacob!" She punched him hard in the arm as he let out a snicker, "Gross. Don't even go there."

Jacob threw his arms up defensively, "Hey, I'm just making sure! I wouldn't say we had the most normal upbringing. Our parents weren't exactly present."

"I'm 19 years old, Jacob, I know all of ... that." Arah's cheeks went hot. She couldn't believe she was having this conversation with her brother. "Even so, I don't think you need to worry, he fully regrets it."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well... for one, he practically shoved me off him and couldn't even look at me." Arah sighed, replaying that horrible moment in her head for the hundredth time. "Plus, he didn't mean it. He was such a mess and maybe I was too. I don't even know how I feel." she admitted.

Jacob was silent for a while. "I think I know how you feel."

"You do?"

He let out a deep breath, turning his head to the heavens as if he could see the shower of twinkling stars smattered above them. "Olivia's my best mate, always has been and always will be. Growing up, it was always Olivia, Duncan, and I. Her and Duncan were especially close - I always sensed there was something more between them. But when Duncan died, it was like we both lost a part of ourselves. Then I disappeared, and you rescued me 6 years later, and we've had all this time to catch up and..." he trailed off.

"And?"

"I've forgotten how incredible she is. She's funny, wicked smart, supportive, selfless- things I've always known about her since we were young but... it's all of a sudden different. She's taken such good care of me during this entire curse, that now my feelings are jumbled and I want to tell her how much I miss seeing her smile, or how beautiful she is, but I can't. Because what if it ruins our friendship? How do I know if I'm actually in love with her or if I am some blundering blind sod?"

Jacob finished his ramble, nearly out of breath as Arah processed his words carefully. She couldn't help but think back to her and Ruby's conversation all those months ago in her flat. How right Ruby had been. Arah wished she could go back and tell her, she'd have a riot.

"Wow. No wonder why you've been avoiding her."

Jacob gave her a sheepish look. "I don't know what to do."

"Do you think she feels the same way?"

"Sometimes I get the sense, but... maybe I'm just kidding myself. What if I'm mistaking her acts of kindness as something more? She could just feel sorry for me."

"Hmm." Arah pondered, thinking of all the times Olivia had asked about her brother, or the efforts she spent studying his curse, or the way she swooned about his humor and how much he liked her chicken dinners. "You know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think you should go home. You can't run forever. If she is your best mate like you say- she won't run either."

Jacob pondered this a moment, "You're right."

Arah's face split into a wide grin, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that, could you please repeat that?"

Jacob let out a hearty laugh, "So now you're deaf and I'm blind, what a sorry lot we are. I said your right... I think it's time I go back."

Arah chuckled, resting her head on his shoulder, "For what it's worth, I'll miss our tea time and late-night walks."

"I won't miss your snoring." He teased, running his hand messily through her hair.

Barnaby's fist hovered hesitantly, a twist of nerves, his hand suspended in mid-air, unable to knock on the door. He clutched the bundled cloak tightly, even after a week in that musty old house, it still smelled like her. He had found it crumpled on the floor the morning after Arah had left. Admittedly, he had countless opportunities to return it to her, but he wanted more than a quick muttered exchange in the company of friends - no, there was an opportunity here to make things right and confront her over what had happened between them.

He'd paced his bedroom all evening, chewing the skin around his fingers raw as he rehearsed the conversation with his pet Knarl, Knarl.

Just go over there and apologize. Tell her you want another chance to do things over. Tell her how you feel.

He ran through the words over and over until he had it exactly right. Mustering up the courage, he wracked his knuckles against the wooden entrance, forgetting how to breathe. Footsteps approached.

"Jacob?" A muffled voice sounded from the other side, "Don't tell me you chickened out, I swear- Oh." Arah swung the door open, dumbfounded as she stood before Barnaby, silver hair damp with a toothbrush hanging from her mouth- foam pooling at the corner of her lips. Barnaby swallowed, he never thought she looked more beautiful. "Barnaby? I thought you were... never mind - please, come in." She stepped aside, running to the kitchen sink and spitting away the suds as she quickly wiped her face clean. "Is everything alright?" she asked, concerned eyes scanning him for any sign of trouble.

Barnaby forced a smile, "I'm fine. Is now a bad time?"

"Not at all." She tugged her cardigan around her tightly, "How are you doing? Can I get you some tea?"

"I'm alright," he said with an airy laugh. Leave it to Arah to fuss over him, she'd cook him a four-course meal if he told her he was hungry. "I just wanted to return this to you." He handed her the folded cloak as she accepted it reluctantly, her forehead creased as her thick eyebrows furrowed. "You forgot it when you came over."

"Oh, thanks." She looked up at him inquisitively, her golden eyes piercing his soul as if she could see right through him. He tugged at his memory, recalling the lines he had practiced repeatedly until her hair shifted slightly, a small faded bruise blossomed on the side of her neck. His throat went dry, recalling the way they had embraced, the feel of her body pressed against him, the way his name sounded from her lips like a song as he kissed the delicate skin on her neck, leaving behind the love bite. His mind went blank- he had gone completely mute.

"... is that all?"

Say something, you blundering idiot. Anything.

"Yeah, I figured you'd need it." He fibbed, cursing himself. He was botching this up entirely.

She surveyed him intensely, her eyes searching for more behind his words. "It's late, Barnaby. Why come here now? You and I both know you could have given this to me before or after the fact."

Shit. Why must she be so bold and insightful? Because she's bloody brilliant, that's why. Barnaby shrugged, "It's cold out, I didn't want you to freeze is all." He lied again, hating himself all the more for it.

Arah put the cloak aside, taking a fearless step toward him, golden eyes desperately searching his, "What do you want, Barnaby?"

The question felt weighted. He swallowed, his thoughts betraying him evilly so as he imagined a dozen ways he could slip off her clothes and take her right here and now. It shamed him to think such vulgar thoughts about his own best friend. He pushed the guilty fantasies aside, flailing for the words he wanted to say.

I want you.
I've wanted you since I was fifteen.
I will only ever want you.

But Arah was the brave one with the lioness heart, not he. He was the snake, coiled in the dark, slinking away from truth. He was a coward.

"What do you want?" he choked out barely above a whisper.

A flash of disappointment flickered across her face. "Honestly? I want things to be normal between us again. I want my friend back."

"I want that too." He confided. And that was entirely the truth- he missed talking to her. He wanted her back in his life, no matter what form that might take. To have her as his friend was better than nothing at all. "I need to apologize for the other night- what I did was entirely uncalled for - it should have never happened like that."

"It's okay, Barns- "

"No- It's not okay, Arah." He interrupted sharply, "I wasn't thinking straight, I... I should never have used you like that to distract myself. That wasn't fair to you. You deserve better than that." he tore his gaze away from her, still ashamed by this.

"It's not all your fault, we both let it happen. If I'm being completely honest with myself, I wasn't in the best place either- not since Ruby died." She frowned, "So I owe you an apology too."

Barnaby smiled weakly, "I'll forgive you if you can forgive me first."

"Deal," Arah smirked, offering her hand to seal their mutual agreement in the most platonic fashion. He took her hand in his- ignoring the way his chest lurched at her touch.

"We're good now?" he asked, lifting a thick brow.

"We're good." She shook his hand enthusiastically, "We're just two friends who were hurting and confused and snogged a little." She tried to say lightly- but he could sense the strain in her voice- the way her lips stretched a little too wide, her smile never reaching her eyes. "It didn't mean anything."

"Totally." He mirrors the lightness in her voice- unsure why he even chose to use the word 'Totally' . He was quite sure he'd never used that word in his life. "It was weird."

Arah's face fell, "Yeah, so weird." She echoed, her enthusiasm fading. "But... it wasn't bad weird, was it?"

Barnaby's heart squeezed painfully. How stupid he must be to have said such a thing. "No... it wasn't."

"Hm." She responded, her thoughts distant as she made that face she always does when she's wrestling with something in her head. "Well, it's getting late."

"Right, yeah- I best get going." He stood awkwardly, shoving his hands in his pocket.

"Thanks for stopping by," She smiled, "And returning my cloak."

"Anytime." He smiled, a silence settling between them as the tensity grew- unable to bring himself to move. Arah watched him eagerly- waiting for him. This was his last chance. "Goodnight, Arah." was the only thing he could manage.

"Goodnight, Barns."

He stepped outside, the door shutting behind him. It couldn't have felt more symbolic- he had closed any chance he might ever have with her. What a weak fool he was.