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[leplusbeau]

It took several more days of persistence to get Molly to admit that Fleur and Bill were married. Fleur liked to think it was her ever present charm, wit, and polite social training that finally proved her point. And her utter genius as a tactician.

It might have actually had something with all the Fleur nakedness and her shouting matches with Molly in the early mornings along the lines of "Iz my husband! I will stay in his bed if I want! And I will do our dishez!"

When they finally left, Molly was teary eyed and gave them both tight hugs. And encourages for them both to come and visit again soon. Arthur just smiled and gave them both a squeeze before the two disappeared off to London.



And now they were in Paris. Walking hand in hand up the hilltop to Montmartre.



"Thiz iz where I grew up. Maman keepz a small tea and herb shop 'ere. The Parisians try to keep down the residential growth 'ere, so we lived over the shop. Everything alwayz smelled like flowerz. And so much sunshine. And daisies. Iz Maman'z favorite tea."

Fleur looks up shyly at Bill. "...what do you think?"

Comments

[thecoolone]

Bill tucks a finger beneath her chin, grinning quietly. "I think you've got to be the loveliest flower of all."

After stealing a kiss -- the intent is for a quick one, but the reality is that once their lips meet he has to linger -- he looks round again. "I think it's lovely, and I think it suits you, and I'm excited to see Gabrielle again and to meet your mum. And I think you promised to stay right by my side the whole time we were here, and I think I'll take you up on it, and I think now that we've got past the challenge of my mum, this will be somehow easier."

He traces the shape of her lips with a fingertip, then lets his hand settle over hers. "I think I'm ready whenever you are, love. And one more thing: I think you're beautiful."

[leplusbeau]

A shy sort of smile as she settles herself against Bill's side and pulls his arm up over her shoulders.

"Iz a bit more of a walk. Iz nice to walk, you know. Last time I walked about just to walk with a man waz my father. Humor your wife. And! I have nevah strolled about with my husband before. Iz new! Must be tested. Up thiz way."

She leads him about a few vendors and hard working chalk artists.

[thecoolone]

"And I've never strolled about with my wife before. So I'll humour you if you'll humour me."

She so rarely mentions family that Bill almost asks about her father, but... not now. He'll do it later on, when it's just the two of them, when things are quiet. He knows her father's gone, died long ago, but he doesn't know the circumstances.

Later. There's always time to find out about that later. In the meantime he simply takes it all in: the vendors, the flowers, the scents, the sights, the way the sun shines in at an angle, and the fabulous but temporary pieces of art being created at their feet in chalk.

And he's happy. There's no one else he'd rather be with. And really, when he thinks about it, there's no one else he can see himself having married.

He follows Fleur, hand-in-hand, feeling both very British and very lucky.

[leplusbeau]

They work their way through the village, Fleur even taking him up to the Sacré Cœur to look out over Paris.

"I would come up 'ere as a child and sit on the stepz to watch the touristz. Some of the painterz would stop me and ask me to sit for them." She looks up at the white pastry arches, lost in thought. "Notre Dame iz beautiful. But terrifying. They used to burn witchez at her stepz. But 'ere...she iz alwayz beautiful."

She leads Bill make down through the place du Tertre, smiling at familiar street artists and chatting with the local cafe owner. By the time they start on their way again, Bill is carrying along a bag full of fresh pastries and Fleur is nibbling on a chocolate crepe.

"Did not think a place like thiz would exist in Paris, non? A little village. Almost there. Most touristz do not come thiz far down, but we are made for mostly magical visitorz anyway." She beams up at Bill and bumps his side with her hip in an affectionate little nudge.

They are a few streets away from the main square. Things are quiet. The last shop on the row has a walled in courtyard and a great deal of hanging ivy. The shop itself is closed because August is always a slow business month, but little bobbles and a collection of finely made teapots and china can be seen in the front window.

Fleur pauses at the iron gate next to the shop entrance. And bits her lip.

[thecoolone]

He's never seen Paris this way before. Not through the eyes of a newlywed enamoured with his wife, and he likes it so very much. The image of a young Fleur sitting for portraits makes him smile, and he wraps his arm round her waist and daydreams until they move along.

Reading about witch-burnings is one thing, but being here where it happened coupled with the quiet awe in Fleur's voice makes it a different experience entirely.

But before he knows it, they're at this village and it's beautiful and so very French in its architecture and its smell and its look, and flowers and vines are everywhere, and it's perfect and so very storybook. Even the ceramics in the window speak of a different time and place, and Bill gets a sudden and inexplicable feeling of time standing absolutely still.

But then Fleur stops, nibbling on her lip as she always does when she's nervous, and so he laces his fingers into hers. "Two things to remember here, Fleur: the first is that I'll follow your lead, and the second is that I love you very, very much."

Bill gives her hand a small squeeze, shaking the hair back from his head. "I'm ready whenever you are."

[http://users.livejournal.com/_petitchou/]

Being ready has nothing to do with it.

Why?

Because there is an nine year old sprawled across Bill's chest.

"HI! Bill!" She beams and steals the bag of sweets. He gets two kisses for his troubles. "Salut, sister! You brought stuff! Missed you!" A quick hug to her sister's leg before she is bounding up the back stairs to the flat above the shop, shouting in rapid french. "Mom! Fleur is back! And she brought snacks! And Bill! Can I have my danish with cake?"

[leplusbeau]

"Come back here and help Bill! Horrible girl!"

Fleur grumbles to herself as she helps her husband back up.

"Well. Much less subtle then I wanted. But, what can you do? Ca va?"

[thecoolone]

"Ca va."

His accent is horrible, but he's smiling, although a bit stiltedly. "Tell me, love, when I brought you to the Burrow the other day, did you have a feeling of... oh, I don't know... dread in the pit of your stomach?" He coughs; his throat is suddenly dry.

But he brushes himself off, shoulders their travel bags, and squeezes his wife's hand.

"Shall we?"

[leplusbeau]

"Oh! Iz vomit!" Fleur's middle name should be 'helpful' not 'Delacour'. Serene, "Now you know how I felt."

And a shadow falls over them both.

[temptingflower.livejournal.com]

"Fleur! Where have you--"

She takes in Bill. And Fleur. And hand holding.



And the very large ring on her baby girl's finger.



"Bonsoir, monsieur. I hope you are the Beel my daughter writes home about." Her english is much harder and has more of a German feel to it rather than French. "Please, do come in."

Lurline worms her way between the two of them, an arm through each of theirs. "Beel, I am Lurline. Her mother. Very nice to finally meet. What do you do, exactly? How much do you make a year? Where are you living? What do you think of my darling, Fleur?" Fleur gets a pinch on her arm when she opens her mouth to deter her mother.

[thecoolone]

Bill swallows hard: the interview's begun already. He can handle it, though.

Because I am a romantic at heart, I know that my love for Fleur will...

Lurline is a very compelling woman.

He shakes his head.

"I hope I'm the Bill your daughter writes home about too. It's a pleasure to meet you, finally." He's not certain what to call her: mum, Madame, Lurline, or Mrs Delacour, so he opts for no title at all.

That's always safe. Buck up, Bill: she's half-Veela.

"I'm a curse-breaker for Gringott's; when I'm not in London I'm doing field work in Egypt. My salary rises and falls with the number of assignments I take." He ignores the where are you living question for the moment, and gets on to the last (and probably most important) question of all. "And I love your daughter with all my heart."

His throat has never felt more dry, and the last time he remembers his heart pounding this way was the time he had to face a set of three Sphinxes guarding an ancient tomb single-handedly.

Face it, Beel: magical creatures are a challenge. Keep in mind that none have bested you yet.

He looks round Lurline to his bride.

I love you, Fleur. I hope you can hear my thoughts: I love you. Tell me I'm doing all right.

[leplusbeau]

Fleur gives him a shaky smile over her mother's shoulder, trying to tell him that he is doing well and just hold still for a moment against a wall because veela are like birds.

And then they are inside in the very open apartment with skylights and large bay windows that open out over Paris. Lurline shoves the two of them into chairs at the dining table. Gabrielle is already hard at work on the pastries with a danish in one hand and a large bit of cake in the other.

Fleur pulls one of Bill's hands into her lap under the table and strokes her fingers over his knuckles, up his wrist, and across his palm. Over and over.

[temptingflower.livejournal.com]

Lurline seats herself gracefully at the head of the table.

"So. Tell me everything."

She rests her chin on her steepled hands and waits with a calm smile.

[thecoolone]

He knows if he just focuses on Fleur and on the feel of her hand, her fingers, her scent, he'll be fine. He can feel Lurline's Veela charm, but he's stronger than that.

Much stronger.

"Thank you, Gabrielle." The cake looks lovely, but Fleur looks lovelier and he's not certain if she wants him to break the news or if she wants to do it herself. He can feel his hand like a magnet on her thigh and he has no intention of moving it. That contact... is a lifesaver. It keeps him sane, keeps him happy, keeps him focused.

He turns to Lurline.

"Fleur and I have something to tell you. Together."

[leplusbeau]

"We got married!"

She puts as much happiness and joy in that single sentence that is humanly possible.

And hangs on to Bill's hand for dear life.

She offers her ring hand out to her mother to inspect, still smiling.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_petitchou/]

Gabrielle blinks and drops her cake on the table.

[thecoolone]

Blunt, but effective.

He can feel a blush rising over his cheeks; he's keenly aware of Gabrielle dropping her plate onto the table in surprise and of Lurline's gaze at the pair of them before it drops to her daughter's hand.

Bill wonders if he needs to let her inspect his ring as well.

"And we wanted to tell you, and..."

And what, Bill? Get her blessings? No, just tell her.

He was wrong.

Waiting for Lurline's reaction is worse than facing those three Sphinxes alone.

[temptingflower.livejournal.com]

Lurline look at the ring. Makes a small approving noise.

She looks at Bill. Makes a small approving noise.

Then gets up and walks out of the room. A door can be heard slamming on the other side of the apartment.

[leplusbeau]

Brightly, "She took that better then I thought."

She reaches up and runs her fingers through Bill's loose hair and down across his cheek.

"She iz juste dramatic. She would have yelled if she hated you. She liked your ring."

She looks over at Gabrielle who is still staring at her sister with wide eyes.

"Come 'ere, petit chou."

[http://users.livejournal.com/_petitchou/]

Gabrielle climbs into Fleur's lap even though she is a bit too big for that. She curls up against her sister's collar bone and lets out a big huff of air.

"I wanted to throw flowers."

[leplusbeau]

"Oh, petite!" She hugs her little sister.

"I wanted you to be there. It was very sudden. My little one, my little one. We were afraid. With everything as it is. We did not want that much attention of a big wedding. And think, now you don't have to see Grandmother. Isn't that nice?"

She cards her fingers through her little sister's hair again. Continuing is soft french, "Bill has pictures. Do you want to see?"

[thecoolone]

First things first: Lurline didn't yell.

That's a good thing. He recognises enough French so that he reaches into his pocket and draws out the horrid wedding album, handing it over to Fleur and Gabrielle. "Your sister's right," he says softly. "In this time, with all the fighting and trouble, it's best not to call attention to things. But perhaps we could do something for just the three of us, and flowers would be involved."

Help me here, Fleur. His eyes dart to the door across the room. His new mother-in-law is there somewhere. He hopes it's not his job to go find her.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_petitchou/]

Gabrielle is looking at the pictures. Tracing the lines of Fleur's dress and Bill's tuxedo.

"S'kay. Grandma wasn't there."

She looks up very innocently at Fleur. "Can we do it again? You can wear the pillow case like we used to!"

[leplusbeau]

Sotto. "Bill iz not wearing the dress."




"...maaaaaaaybe. Now, go wash up for bed. I will tuck you in soon."

She puts the little girl back on the ground and swats her bottom.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_petitchou/]

"You just want to make kissy faces!" Gabrielle makes a fish face with puckering sounds even as she scampers out of her sister's reach and down the hall, out of sight.

[thecoolone]

As Gabrielle disappears, Bill lets out a deep breath.

"Okay."

Reaching for her hand, he gives it what he hopes is a reassuring squeeze. "Now what?"

[leplusbeau]

"Thiz." She pulls Bill's head down into a long, slow kiss. When Fleur lets him up for air, she keeps his face close so she can trace her fingers over his lips.

"It went very well. She likez you well enough. She juste nevah approved of marriage. She and Papa nevah married, and they were together for a decade at least. And she likez being dramatic. Iz okay. I promise." She noses his cheek.

"Now, we tuck my sister in. Go to bed. I will be very nice to you because, really, such a hard day. And my mother will order in breakfast tomorrow and try to convince you she cooked it juste for you."

"And soon, we go back to London to get that flat we keep talking about." A bit on his earlobe. "Our own bed. Our own table. Our own counterz. Think of all the furniture to break in..."

[thecoolone]

Now that's better. He blushes again, but for an entirely different reason this time; his hands reach for her hair, fingers tangling in long silver-blonde rivulets.

"And you get to pick out the furniture. You know I've got no sense of taste for that type of thing." Bill grins at her, then offers her his hand as they stand. He's got experience tucking in little girls: he did it with Ginny enough times.

And then just the two of them, and he's fairly sure that Lurline won't insist on the same sense of... whatever it was that made his mum want them to stay in separate rooms. Decorum? Propriety? Refusal to acknowledge their wedding? Apparently, marriage isn't the primary motivating factor in this household.

Love is.

He rather likes that. They head off together to Gabrielle's room: Bill's very good at bedtime stories.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_petitchou/]

Gabbie is jumping on her bed in her pink bunny pajamas when they come in.

"Tell me the one with the princess! And the pirate! And the giant!"

[leplusbeau]

"Oui, oui! Sit! You are not a rabbit."

She sets her little sister in the center of her bed and goes to pluck out the right book. And plops down on Bill because husbands make good chairs.

"Once upon a time, there was a young girl that lived on a farm..."

Bill discovered story time involved a full length play, and got to be a ship, a mountain, a deadly ROUS, and a machine that sucks the life out of your navel.

By the time Fleur ends with a flourish of her sword-wand, Gabrielle is almost asleep on Bill's chest. And Bill is flat on his back, his ponytail holder given to appease the mighty sea monster of the treacherous cliffs of...oh, something.

Fleur giggles.

[thecoolone]

"Shhh." With the greatest caution, Bill extracts himself from Gabrielle's sleeping grip; they tuck the blankets round her and turn out the light quietly, quietly.

He lets Fleur lead the way: it's her home, her protocol. Whatever she wants is what he'll do.

So long as they're together.

And he thinks: not so horrible after all. Of course, they haven't seen Lurline again since she disappeared with a pointed slam of the door, but what's done can't be undone and he has no desire to do anything just to appease anyone but Fleur.

Well... maybe Gabrielle; she's very sweet.

---

The day brings the sweet smell of flowers mingled with chocolate and fresh-baked bread. In another part of the house, someone's singing softly.

Bill kisses Fleur awake.

[leplusbeau]

Fleur curls even tighter around Bill.

"...Five more minutez..."

[thecoolone]

At least.

No matter where they are, it feels like home when they wake up this way. Still, he's starting to yearn for something familiar.

But he can think about all of that in five more minutes.

Or five more after that.

[leplusbeau]

She refuses to open her eyes.

"I am tired of sharing you. I want you to myself. I have had you for too long. Iz selfish, but I want it."

Fleur hides her face in the curve of his stomach. "And I do not want to put clothez on."

[thecoolone]

"Then there's nothing to do but stay right here all day. Do you think your mother and sister would mind?"

With a soft smile, he strokes her shoulder. "Do you want to go back to the bar for a few days, hide out in our room? Clothing is entirely optional there. We can always go back to London later and find the right flat; nothing says we need to do it right away."

Really, the more time together, the happier he'll be.

[leplusbeau]

"I like that." She beams up at Bill!

Then pouts.

"Maman will come in soon with bacon. She will not care about the naked." She gives Bill a squeeze under the sheet. "Mine."


"...I wonder where my skirt went..."

[thecoolone]

"Hmm."

Maman might not care about the naked, but there are a few things Bill still holds private.

Or would like to; he pulls the sheets up just a little bit higher, then turns to Fleur with a grin. "I'll just have to cover you up myself."

At least until either Lurline arrives, Gabrielle bursts in, or they decide to be polite guests and dress.

[leplusbeau]

Innocent, "Shouldn't I cover you? Maman haz seen my naked ass many timez."

Really, very innocent. Even when she straddles his hips.

At least when Fleur's mother puts a plate of muffins on her back an hour later, she only gets a look a Fleur.

Advise on position mid-orgasm isn't that embarrassing. Really.