Chapter 40 - Sometimes life is a little romance.
December 29, 2005

Nights fell so early in these Yorkshire winters, even earlier than in New York. Interesting how the twelve or so degrees of difference in latitude affected things. Darkness had descended before anyone had even started making any kind of supper. Joshua paused in his trek from the smaller stone barn to gaze up at the clear, starry sky. He'd just finished settling in Matilda, the milk cow, for the night. The chickens were locked up in the hen house, having taken themselves off to bed as the sun set. The sheep alone were content to bide the winter night out in the fields, their thick woolly coats insulating them from the cold. Catherine usually dealt with Matilda, but she was working later hours at the village clinic tonight, and Xavier was wrangling his two boys into baths and pajamas.

Dry grass crunched under his feet as he shifted, leaning against one of the drywall fences. They hadn't had too much snow so far this year. Not as pretty, but easier to work in. Hawthorne had reinforced the defensive spells on the western boundary line earlier today. Isabel and George had done the south, Artemis and Remus the north and east. Now they were all cleaning up from dinner, apart from him and Keiran, who was patrolling the perimeter. All of them slipping back into routines they'd had during the war.

He was grateful Lina was spearheading this campaign to take down Valentina once and for all. That woman was nothing if not persistent. And maybe that wasn't even a strong enough word…tenacious, indefatigable, relentless. There was no way Valentina would go undiscovered and unpunished for long. Joshua ran a hand over the stubble on his chin. He hadn't shaved in a couple days, couldn't decide if he would tomorrow or not. Daisy hadn't commented one way or the other yet, he ought to ask her. Maybe it was time to try out a beard. Papá had grown a beard that last year. He'd been trying to cover the scars on his face, but it suited him. Joshua remembered him sitting in the kitchen, holding Ana when she was a baby. She'd tugged at the facial hair, cooing and smiling. Maybe his own baby would do the same. Stupid thing to worry about right now, of course, but focusing on the future, even small things, helping him handle the present.

The phone in his pocket buzzed. He never turned the ringer on, it was just one more noise in a world that already felt too noisy. Pulling the phone out and staring at the screen, he felt intensely grateful he could see his brother's name and feel peace instead of anger. "What's up?" he said lightly, glancing at his watch. Five hours difference, so early afternoon there.

"I need some advice," Gareth said hesitantly. "I need to propose to Deirdre, and I sort of already did, but it was terrible, so I need to do it the right way."

It was mean to laugh, of course it was, when Gareth sounded so nervous, but Joshua couldn't help it. A snort of laughter escaped anyway. "You want my advice? I seem to remember you saying I was being too picky and overthinking things when I was planning my proposal."

Gareth groaned. "We all know I can be an ass and I'm sure I will have to apologize for ten thousand more things before I die. I'm sorry. You were absolutely right. This is terrifying."

"You two can't keep away from each other. If you already proposed and she said yes, what are you worried about?"

There was a moment of silence. "She didn't exactly say yes. I mean, she went on with the discussion like she agreed, but didn't really come out and say the word yes."

Huh. "What do you mean by discussion?"

Gareth let out a long sigh. "We were at the office discussing how to handle Valentina, and part of my plan is publically announcing our engagement. I was babbling and stumbling all over myself trying to say it all the right way, which was a complete disaster, and she sort of laughed at the end of it and then asked Lina if that timeline would work—"

"Wait, Lina was there when you proposed?"

"Yeah, I said it was terrible. Lina, Sirius, Snape, Professor Price and Maria were all there."

He really wanted to laugh again, but Gareth sounded so miserable he bit his tongue. "Maybe start with an apology," he suggested. "And, you know, take her somewhere nice, tell her what you love about her and ask her again…when the two of you are somewhere alone," he added quickly. "I mean, Remus did the whole spectacle in front of everyone thing, but that was for Artemis. Not quite up Deirdre's alley."

"Yeah, good, okay," he said, sounding relieved. "We're alone now. We came back to the house to eat and hang out on the beach."

"Beach sounds like a good place. Have you got a ring?"

"Yeah. I…well, it's the one I chose before, when I first came to Lima and was going to go back and ask her to wait… Crap, is that…like a bad omen or something? Should I get a new one? I really like this one and I thought it was kind of more romantic, that I still feel the same way, but—"

Joshua let him ramble for a minute equally amused and empathetic. "Hey, I think it's fine to use the original ring. You chose it for her. She'll appreciate that. Just go slow and tell her you love her and you want to spend the rest of your life with her."

"Is that…I mean, it's okay to just say that? That's enough?"

He huffed another laugh. "Gareth, if Deirdre were like Isabel, then no. You'd need a hot air balloon and a flock of something. But I think it's a safe bet to assume less is more with Dee, right?"

"Okay, yeah. You're right. I'm overthinking it. I can do this." Gareth's voice was calmer and slightly more confident. "Thank you."

"No problem. Send me text and let me know how it goes."

They said goodbye and hung up. Joshua finally letting himself laugh out loud at the absurdity of his suave, high-powered, global-market-shaking brother a bundle of nerves over this. The back door opened, a stream of light from the kitchen lamps bathing the back step in a warm glow. Joshua smiled, watching his wife step outside and close the door behind her. His smiled faded as she let out a soft and weary sigh, slowly sinking down to sit on the bench beside the back door.

He crossed the yard, noting as Daisy looked up at the sound of his steps, that her face was startled and pale. She fogot I was still out here, he thought, equally surprised and worried. That was very unlike her. Probably due to, as Joshua called it, her spiritual radar, Daisy almost always knew where everyone was at any given time. He assumed she'd come out to wait for him. She'd not brought a coat, so her cast a warming charm around them both. Dropping down to sit beside her, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, mumbling an apology for the dirty work coat he still wore.

She didn't hear him though. She was already crying softly into his chest, one hand gripping the front of his shirt. "Shhh," he murmured, holding her close. "What's happened?"

"I'm so frightened," she wept, through shuddering breaths. "I don't…don't want to lose…this baby."

Early in their marriage a scene like this would have had him close to panic. He wasn't like Hawthorne or even Sirius, where words came quickly and easily. But the years had taught him that was okay. He knew how to wait, to let silence and presence soothe as words sometimes couldn't. It worked with the farm animals, it worked with the kids, and it worked with his wife. So he just sat there and held her until the sobs subsided. After she quieted, he tipped her chin up to face him. "Do you want to talk about it?" She shook her head, trying to bury her face back into his shoulder. "You know, during the war," he said quietly, "the worst part for me was when I knew you were trying to just wrestle with all the things you saw on your own. I wanted to help, to just listen and share the burden of knowing, but you wouldn't let me. Please don't do that again."

"I didn't even realize you weren't in the room when she called," Daisy said, pulling away slightly and shaking her head. Her dark curls were twisted back into some frizzy, floppy knot on the top of her head, wisps falling down and sticking to her tear-dampened face. "How could I not have even noticed you weren't there?"

He pushed some of the hair back gently. "Who called?"

"Lina. Gareth has come up with some scheme to divide up the company between him, Maria, and Fernán. He's planning to sell the mines to the government to show his support for this politician he thinks can change the No-Maj laws in Peru. And he's announcing all that plus his and Deirdre's engagment at a press conference tomorrow. It's supposed to make Valentina angry enough to come out of hiding and stage an attack."

He grunted softly. Here was the context for Gareth's odd board room marriage proposal. Gareth was like that, not exactly scheming, not like Lina, but strategic. "Well, I guess I could see how that would work. Breaking up and selling off part of the kingdom would make it harder for her to try and take it all over again. But that doesn't explain what upset you so much."

Daisy wrapped her arms protectively over her swollen belly. "She's already in London," she whispered, closing her eyes and slumping back against the bench. "She got a flat near Deirdre's and Remus says it's heavily protected, that she's probably waiting for Dee to come back."

Joshua let out a slow breath. "Good that Dee's still out of the country. Bad that Valentina was able to get in. But if we know where she is, we could—"

"Lina said no. She said she's put her people on surveillance, but we weren't to go after her because of the kids."

Sard. This was how Remus and Artemis had felt during the war. He thought he'd understood at the time, the tug of wanting to help versus wanting the person you loved to stay safe. He'd been naive. Wanting to help and protect Daisy during the war was nothing, absolutely nothing, compared to how he felt now. He'd already lost one son to this witch, she wasn't getting anywhere near his wife and child now. "I won't let her hurt you or the baby," he said in a low, steady voice.

"And I love you for saying it, but you can't promise something like that," Daisy whispered, shaking her head.

A torrent of anger and grief was churning in him, slowly gaining speed. "It makes me feel better to say it," he muttered. "And I can do lots of things to keep you away from her. You can stay with Fleur's family in France. We could rent a house in Switzerland. Hell, we could buy a villa in Itally. She's not getting anywhere near you."

"She might," Daisy sighed, shifting to press herself against him again. "I can't see it yet because she doesn't know what she's going to do. Now that Gareth's decided on a plan, things are going to start happening."

The surging rage inside him whirled and tumbled. But Joshua wasn't like Gareth. His wand wouldn't jump and spark with an outburst of magical energy. He wouldn't shout at people or knock trees down to hack at them with a maniacal fervor. The anger would just roar and rage inside for a while, and then be released as he walked his fields and tended his flock. Only sometimes did it linger, like it had with Gareth. But that was exhausting, and Joshua didn't do well under that constant turmoil. It was better to acknowlege the feelings, pinpoint their cause, do something about it, or let it go. Most of the time he just let it go. His own sense of inner peace was more valuable to him than being right or having the last word.

But this…he couldn't just let this go. If Gareth's plan would start the ball rolling, and Valentina was going to try and attack at some point, well, he would have to make his own plans.

The tea kettle was whistling shrilly. Deirdre grabbed it and poured the water over the warmed pot, then assembled the cups and cream pitcher. She paused, leaning a hip against the counter, and surveyed the kitchen. What would it be like to consider this her home? Their home? Even now, Gareth was sitting on their blanket outside, idly playing songs on his guitar, and she'd come in to make tea, puttering around the kitchen in bare feet, the back door open to let in the fresh air and the relaxing sound of the waves and guitar.

And it scared her a little how much she wanted it, wanted to belong to him and his house and his life. Part of her still didn't believe it was possible, that a handsome, millionaire — Billionaire? She didn't even know. — wanted her. And wanted her to be all the things she'd only read about or seen in movies. He wanted her dressed up at fancy parties and also wearing his old jumper in front of the fire. He'd thought about how stressful it might be for her to navigate this world and learn a new language. He was willing to leave Peru and work out of London. He wanted to marry her. "I already have a ring." His embarassed statement had made her feel petrified and deliriously happy all at once. The happy was obvious. Petrified took her a moment to analyze. She guessed it was because a ring, an offical engagement meant they were well and truly on this runaway train.

When had he even gotten a ring? It could have been just in the couple days they'd been back in Peru. He manufactured jewelry for pity's sake, he could put his hand on any number of rings any time he wanted. Oh, she supposed it didn't really matter. There was a plan and she was going to go through with her part. And maybe when this was all over they could breathe and start their relationship properly.

Deirdre carried the tea tray back outside and set it down on the blanket, sitting beside it with her legs stretched out on the sand. She poured herself a cup and took a cautious sip, watching Gareth's strong hands dance over the strings. He glanced at her and smiled, strummed a final chord and set the guitar off to the side to pour his own cup of tea. "Lina texted," he said, blowing gently on the cup before taking a sip. "We're to meet Valiénte this evening after dinner. I said we'd meet them downtown at six."

They'd spend the last few hours completely alone, talking almost nonstop about everything and nothing, eating lunch, walking along the beach, transforming and racing through the shallow surf. It was delightful, a few peaceful hours stolen from the choas that would inevitably come with tomorrow's avalanche of announcements.

Gareth set his cup back on the tray and reached for the guitar case. "I, uh, wanted to show you something," he said, running his hand over the lining in the neck of the case. He pulled away an edge of the dark red cloth, taking out a photograph and something small and shiny.

She leaned closer as he held out the picture, the girl in the photograph smiling and then turning away. "Oh, that's me," she laughed, and then paused, wondering if he always…

"I've kept it there since I had it developed," he said, voice soft and maybe a little embarassed. "I…I know it might be hard to believe, becasuse of how I acted, how much I messed things up, but I did love you, do love you," he added quickly. He pushed his hair back, ducking his head to look at her.

"I believe you," she said, staring into his beautiful eyes. It might take her a little time, she realized, reconciling this Gareth with that one. The boy she'd known was stubborn and kind and fiercely protective, but so open. He wasn't worried about hiding his thoughts and feelings. The other one, the man he'd had to become to thrive in a world of global industry and politics and money, well, she'd have to get to know that Gareth better. He'd learned to hide more of himself, to present an image that, while wasn't fake, also wasn't complete.

She reached out to run her fingers through the ends of his hair and then cupped his face in her hand, leaned in and kissed him. He pulled her close, hands running over her bare shoulders as he wrapped his arms around her. The way his lips and tongue moved over hers was familiar, but still intoxicating. There was tenderness there. He didn't demand the way other men had demanded, but offered…coaxed…made her feel both desired and safe. He pulled away after a few minutes and she made a soft sound of protest.

"Wait," he laughed, clearly trying to catch his breath. "I wanted to give you this and you're distracting me."

She straighted up, tucking an unruly strand of hair back behind her ear. "You don't need to give me the picture," she said, wrinkling her nose in confusion. "You should keep it. I think it's sweet that you had it tucked away in there."

"No, not the picture," he huffed, "what I had hidden in there with the picture." He shifted so he was kneeling in front of her and gave her a sheepish smile. "I can do it on one knee if you want to stand up, but I wanted to ask you the right way, when we were alone. Will you marry me?"

He held out a gold band with a small diamond in the center. Dierdre could only stare at it, then at him, and back at the ring. The next time she looked at Gareth his eyes were clearly worried and he was breathing strangely. What was wrong? Oh! You haven't answered him, you fool! And for a moment she could only nod. She couldn't speak, had forgotten to breathe. "Ye-yes," her voice came faintly.

Gareth closed his eyes, letting out a shaky breath, and slid the band over her finger. "I…uh, I've loved you for so long," he mumured. "And there were so many times I thought I'd never get another chance to tell you." He raked a hand through his hair and let out a short, nervous sounding laugh, his eyes searching hers. "Okay, great. You're…you're sure?"

"I'm sure," she whispered, gazing down at the small stone on her hand as it caught the sunlight. "This isn't the sort of ring I'd thought you'd choose," she said, thankful it wasn't some massive, gaudy piece that had belonged to Oscar's great grandmother or something. It was simple, and with everything else being so chaotic and complicated, she was grateful for simple.

"If…if you don't like it you can pick something else," he stammered.

She looked at him, and suddenly realized how that sounded. "No, that's not what I meant!" she said quickly. "I love it. It's perfect. I'm glad you didn't pick some enormous family heirloom, that's all."

He smiled, shoulders slumping in obvious relief. "I actually bought that before I moved here. I thought…well, I kept it because it reminded me of when it was just us, before Peru, before the company…" He shrugged. "Just two kids who'd survived a war."

Deirdre let herself be folded into his arms, as he lay back on the blanket with a contented sigh. She could hear the reassuring thud of his heartbeat a she pillowed her head on his chest, the sun warm on her skin. She thought hard, trying to see the words on the page, to hear them as he'd whispered them in her ear. "Te amo," she said hesitantly.

"Te amaré para siempre," he echoed, his voice low and soft. His fingertips brushed against her cheek, and then he was showering her with kisses. Kisses and words, murmuring a soft river of Spanish between each touch of his lips.

As Daisy opened the door to the small study she could hear the fire in the hearth crackling softly. Her husband was ensconced in an old arm chair, writing on a pad of paper, the lamp near his chair the only other light in the room. It was barely a room, more of a small deep-storage pantry off the kitchen that Joshua had enlarged and made his own. It was where he did the business end of the farm — accounting, keeping up on orders, vet bills, and notes on his own system of crop rotation. It was also where he came to escape the noisy, cheerful chaos of a home he shared with two other families and a constant stream of visiting pack members.

She slipped into the room, closed the door behind her and went straight to his chair, pushing the notepad out of the way and settling into his lap. He tilted his head up to smile at her and she kissed him, taking a good long time with it. "It's late," she whispered, planting a final kiss on his tip of his nose.

He reached for one of her curls, wrapping it around his finger. "Yeah, I was about to come to bed, I just wanted to think through some stuff," he sighed, untwisting the curl and letting it bounce down to her shoulder. "Are you feeling better?"

She made a face. "The feelings aren't so overwhelming at the moment. What kind of stuff?" she asked, reaching for the notepad that had fallen to the table beside him. "Oh." She looked over the list — Fleur's parents in France, the Roberts' farm in Lancashire, a dozen other places, some crossed out, some with scribbled notes beside them. "You really are trying to send me away. Why did you cross out the villa in Italy?"

He huffed, shifting slightly to situate her more comfortably. "The logistics of making an international purchase and there not being a record of it that Valentina could find will take more time than I think we have. Even travelling internationally will leave a record she could track."

"What about Matthew Roberts?" she asked, pointing to the name on the list. The No-Maj family had helped them out during the war after she and Joshua and some other pack members had saved them from a Death Eater attack.

"Here's the thing," Joshua said quietly. "I think Gareth tried hard to be on his guard with Valentina. But it would have been different while she was Ramón. Gareth considered him a friend and would have talked to him about way more stuff, especially this last year when he was feeling more homesick and soppy about Deirdre. She could know about their farm. I was actually thinking I'd go over there tomorrow, add whatever spells I can, and see if they wanted to go somewhere on vacation for a week or so before their kids go back to school, just to be on the safe side."

Daisy buried her face in his shoulder. "Ugh, you're right. We should check on them. And this isn't just about our baby. We need a safe place for all the kids."

"I know. We can talk with the others in the morning and see what they think."

His phone buzzed on the desk, and Joshua gently slid her off his lap, making sure she was steady before he crossed the small space and picked up the phone. He looked at the screen, a slow smile spreading across his face before he laughed softly. "It's a text from Gareth. He proposed," he said, handing her the phone.

The words glowed on the screen. She said yes! We were almost late for dinner. ;) Daisy sighed happily. "I'm so glad. I want everyone to be as happy as we are." She set the phone down and wrapped her arms around her tall, dark and handsome husband. It was considerably more awkward than it used to be with twenty extra pounds in the shape of a bowling ball between them, but Joshua didn't seem to mind. He kissed her, slowly and deeply, the way he always did, his hands holding her tightly to him, as if he was a little afraid she'd slip away. "Come to bed now," she whispered, in between kisses. A swish of a wand extinguished the fire in the fireplace and Daisy flicked off the lamp, leaving all her worries to wait for the next day.