-The Time-

[potter_fan122]

Stacey lay in her bed at her Muggle mother`s home. Her eyes were closed and she was laying perfectly still. Her breathing was deep and heavy. But she was awake. She could feel eyes on her. Eyes that hadn`t been there last night. Stacey could feel the sunlight from her window coming in, bright against her closed eyelids.

The eyes moved, came closer. Stacey tightened her grip on her blanket, not knowing what was coming. But she should be safe here; this house was protected by hundreds of spells, nothing should be able to get her, right? Wrong.

Carrie pounced on her daughter, smiling brilliantly. Stacey`s eyes popped open as her mother attacked her. She was pinned to her bed, her mom holding down her arms.

"Mom," She complained, "Stop it!"

Carrie stood up a fit of giggles. "Well, come on then. Today is your seventeenth birthday, you have to get up."

Stacey sat up and crossed her arms difiantly. "If it`s my birthday, than I should get whatever I want." She pointed out.

Carrie crossed her arms. "Too bad. You are getting married in three months and you are getting up." She raised an eyebrow as if challenging her daughter.

Stacey sighed and plopped back on her pillow. "Mabey I don`t want to get up." She said softly.

Carrie rolled her eyes the dramatization. "Oh well, get up." She left quickly, closing the door loudly.

Stacey waited a few seconds until the footsteps died away, then rolled to her side, curling up into a ball. She couldn`t believe it; it had been two years since a ring had been planted on her left hand. Two years since she had pledged her heart to one person for the rest of her life.

Suddenly, she sat up. The wedding was in three months. Three. It was Febuary first, Stacey turned seventeen today. That normally wouldn`t mean much, but to Stacey it meant everything. It meant she was that much closer to being with ther person she loved, even if he was two years older, even if she had just become of age.

She was of age.

Stacey tensed again; the house was protected from Ministry. Her father`s family had all been in the Order. Some of the spells that protected the house meant that she could use simple spells away from her mother`s vision. A large smile found its way to her face.

She jumped out of her large bed and took out her wand. She flicked it and a clean set of clothes shot out towards her. She caught the shirt, but the jeans fell against the messy bed. She rolled her eyes and flicked her wand again. A small box spirraled towards her. Surprised, she dropped her wand to catch the box. This wasn`t what she had tried to levitate, she had been trying to levitate a book at the bottom of her closet.

The box was black and velvet-covered. Even more surprised, she opened it slowly. A gasp escaped her lips and she sat on the bed shakily. Inside the box was a diamond necklace. The diamond in the middle was the biggest and the rest slowly got smaller until they reached the smallest dismond that would be at the back of her neck.

A tag fell from the box and she picked it up.

Happy Birthday from you Father with a little help from your fiance.

((There`s more, just please tell me what you think so far.))

[Alexis]

I really like it.  Can't wait for more.

[potter_fan122]

YaY! One of my two loyal fans read my latest work! I`ll write more in a day or so.

[potter_fan122]

Stacey sat up, hand on her chest, breathing heavily. She looked around the room frantically, looking for what had just been in her hands, but something was off.

The door was open; hadn`t her mother closed it? She turned her head towards the window. The light that came in was grey, not bright. Could it be? She looked at her clock. 4:49 It was. It was a dream. Could it have been so real?

Stacey leaned forward and placed her hands over her face. She was still tired, but she knew there was no chance at going back to sleep. She tried to think about other things, but she couldn`t. She was having trouble just trying to remember what day it was. She knew it wasn`t Febuary, it was still January. It took her a moment to remember that she was still fifteen, not seventeen.

She ran her fingers through her hair, looking around the dimly-lit room. Her gaze trailed to her closet, the sight of the diamond necklace still fresh in her mind. She couldn`t help it; she shakily stood and and walked to the open closet, her hand trailing along the edge of the dresser. She kneeled against the light bamboo floor and dug around.

The necklace had to of been here somewhere, in her dream she had been trying to get a book that had been at the bottom of her closet, so the necklace must be there. She reached the bottom, and found a leather-bound book. She stared at the title. It was one of her old school books from her first year at Hogwarts. She sighed heavily; she couldn`t help but be slightly disappointed. The necklace had been beautiful, she had to fell some resentment in not finding it there for her.

She stood again and sank back into her bed silenty, staring at the white ceiling. Out of the corners of her eyes, she could see the bold red of her walls, interupted by the white of her dresser and the two doors that led out from her room.

She closed her now dark grey eyes, letting herself escape from the scene of her slightly messy room. She waited until she could feel sunlight on her cheek before she opened them again. She hadn`t fallen asleep in the couple hours that had passed.

She stood again, but walked out of her room, refusing to look back to her closet. Over that past hours, the vision of the necklace had faded, replaced by happier thoughts.

As she walked down the narrow hallway, she ran her fingers over the pale wall. A voice made her jump as she entered the kitchen. "Happy birthday, sweetheart."

[nate]

i like it! keep going!

[potter_fan122]

Stacey jumped nearly two feet into the air. She instinclivly pulled out her wand, only then seeing who had startled her.

"Dad!" She complained. Her eyes were bright green.

James started laughing, leaning against the wall. "I`m sorry, I didn`t know you`d be do jumpy." She said through his booming laugh.

Stacey put her wand away, smiling. "Sorry, I just had a weird dream." She said quietly.

James nodded, having stopped laughing. "What was this dream about?" He asked his daughter, a little worried.

Stacey shrugged, walking past him. "Nothing really." She didn`t want to say anything about the beautiful necklace; picture it or think about it in any other way.

James rolled his eyes at his child`s back, following her. "Well, you`re getting a present, anyway." He said, knowing Stacey hated gifts.,

Stacey sighed dramatically. "Dad, you know I don`t like presents." She sputtered. She got an apple from a bowl and leaned against the granite counter.

James smiled, putting his hands behind his back. "I know." He said smugly. He pulled out a small box wrapped in red paper and had white ribbon and a bow.

Stacey relectantly took the bow and pulled the bow off. She popped the lid off and moved the tissue paper. She suddenly froze and her eyes locked on the only visable piece of the present she saw; dark velvet. She un-froze just as quickly and pulled the tissue paper out all of the way. She had her teeth clenched as she slid the velvet-covered box out of the gift box.

It was exactly the same. Not a stitch different.

She opened it slowly and gasped. Inside was the diamond necklace.

[Alexis]

Woah I like it. Can't wait for more.

[dobby888]

Super great!  I'm getting really freaked out because I have no idea how old she is!

[potter_fan122]

=] I`m getting there, Leah. I`ll write more in a day or two. I hardly know what`s going on.

[dobby888]

Okay I believe you...

By the way... the name's Jessie... silly girl

[nate]

keep on going when you figure out whats coming next

haha at least you dont mistake bucky as dobby for some odd reason. my excuse was because i was tired  ;D

[dobby888]

hehe that's my excuse for everything!

I can't wait for more!

[potter_fan122]

Sorry, Jessie. Yesterday I wrote the next part, but my computer hates the spell check, and closed the internet. So it didn`t post. But I promise, I`ll get it on here soon.

[dobby888]

Yay! I can't wait!!

[potter_fan122]

Stacey stared at the beautiful diamond necklace. The light coming in the big window hit the crystals and made them sparkle. Stacey quickly closed her eyes and closed the bow with a soft thud. "It`s just a dream." She mumbled to herself. "Just another dream." She slowly sank to the floor in a sitting position.

Her father had told her happy birthday, but it could be her birthday, it wasn`t even February yet. Was it? She reluctantly twisted around and opened to eyes, facing the refridgerator. There it was. All of the days were marked off, and today was February seventh.

If today was her birthday, exactly how old was she? She was sixteen, right? There was no way she could be seventeen. There was no way she would be getting married in four months. '

"Dad, how old am I?" She asked, turning now to face her confused father.

James wrinkled his eyebrows, wondering why his daughter was acting the way she was. He knew she hated getting presents, but he didn`t think she`d go as far as to pretend she didn`t know it was her birthday. "Seventeen, sweetie." He replied catiously.

Stacey sighed and closed her eyes. She was seventeen. She would be getting married to Aiden Gray in about four months. Instantly happy memories filled her head.

She saw Aiden and herself running around the large clearing, sending swirls of fire towards each other with smiles on their faces. She saw Aiden kneel in front of her and hold out a ring. She saw him standing inches from her and brush his hand along her jaw.

Stacey didn`t care that she was only seventeen and Aiden would only be ninteen. She didn`t care what other people would think of their young marriage. She knew she loved him more than anything. She was so sure because she had been willing to give up Nate for him. That took a lot for her to do that, and it still killed her to see him the way he was.

But she was still incredibly happy with Aiden. She loved him and he loved her. Most people would look at them and think thay were crazy. They would think Aiden got her pregnant and just decided to marry her. But the turth was, nothing even that close had happened.

James tilted his head towards his only daughter. He could tell her mood had changed, and the small smile on her face said she was happy.

Suddenly, Stacey`s eyes flew open and she was stndind again in a flash. "I`m seventeen." She said happily. Then sparks flew from her hands in celebration.

((There you go, sorry about the spelling errors (if there are any, which I`m sure there are) but my computer hates spell check.))