The ground was really dusty. It hadn`t rained in about two weeks, and everything was dry. Everything was fine back in Hogsmead, but everywhere around it needed some rain. Good thing there was a huge storm coming. The sky was dark with clouds and the air was heavy, but it hadn`t rained yet. Once it did everything would soon be soaked.
Jason was wandering around a Muggle area. He had been traveling through the area for a while now-- mostly since Sky left. He was at an outdoor sale thing. There were vendors under tents near a church. Fundraiser or something. Jason liked moving around, traveling. Being home reminded him of Sky too much, and that was hard. At least when he was going to different places he could pretend that he was trying to find her, not just avoiding the place that meant the most to them as a couple.
"Sir, can I interest you in some--"
"No." Jason cut off the old man who had spoken to him. It was rude, yes, but he couldn`t help himself. He had changed since she had gone. Become more rugged. He didn`t really like the change-- he didn`t mean to be rude-- but he couldn`t help it.
Great. Just what I need, a lovely storm. Sky groaned. She had on a heavy black cloak, the hood pulled over her head. She couldn't walk around here without it on. Someone might see her. She was a wanted person now. It was strange being back in Hogsmead. She had been around London and other muggle towns, searching for the other Death Eaters. So far, she had only encountered one, and he had escaped. She returned here to get some supplies and maybe just get a feel of home. If she were to be arrested, she might never set foot here again. So she wanted to get what could be a final glimpse of this place.
She walked past a stand that was offering potion's for discount prices. They were probably ineffective or made from old ingredients. She passed an adoption stand for some animals and wanted to stop, but knew it wasn't a good idea. She came to a stop at a stand selling strange magical objects. There she saw the dagger, something that might be of use.
"Excuse me," she said carefully, "how much for this dagger?" The man who was running the stand looked at her suspiciously. After all, why would a girl who was hidden beneath a cloak need a dagger?
"15 Galleons." He said. "Firm."
Sky smiled and pulled out a handfull of galleons, counting them and laying out all but two onto the table. She put the other two in her pocket and picked up the dagger, putting that in with her wand.
"Pleasure doing business with you." She said, walking away. Sky was so distracted by the other stands, that she ran into someone and fell down, her hood falling down.
((For some reason I thought he was in Hogsmead, so just pretend she's where he is and theres not...magical yum yum's there.))
"Oh, I`m sorry. Excuse me, ma`am." Jason said, instantly reaching down to help the woman up. For a moment he didn`t see who it was, but when he did he froze. He had seen the papers, he knew that Sky was wanted. He had been worried sick about her, but here she was, his love.
"So sorry. I wasn`t paying attention to where I was going," he continued slowly, really helping her up now. He didn`t know what to say or how to act. This was Sky. Jason took her hand and squeezed it, staring right into her eyes. -Come with me. I know a place where we`ll be safe. I promise.- He squeezed her hand again. He wanted to hug her, to kiss her, the small contact of just their hands wasn`t enough. He had been searching for her, thinking that he would never see her again, and here she was.
-Oh, Sky. Where have you been?- He pushed the thought towards he carefully so it only went to her mind alone. At the same time he hooked his arm around her waist and started pulling her to the church.
Sky felt like the wind had been knocked out of her for a moment. As Jason's hand touched hers, she was breathless. She inhaled deeply and graciously took his hand. She heard the thought as he reached around her waist. She honestly didn't know what to feel.
"I've been around." She whispered.
Jason nodded slowly, continuing to walk towards the church. He didn`t want to say anything until they got there, but he didn`t know why. He had been in the church earlier in the day and it had felt... safe. A minute or so later he pushed the heavy doors open and led Sky inside.
"Around? Sky, I saw your picture in the paper; do you know how worried I was for you? You should have come home after that. I`ve been talking with your friend Stacey. She put up protections around the house, you`d be safe there. Jake`s back home, and he keeps looking for you whenever I come home. He misses you. I miss you."
He walked to the side as he spoke and led her into a smaller room that was panneled in wood. There was a large television mounted on one wall and two couches and a chair centered around a small table. With his last sentence her turned to face Sky. Squeezing her fingers, he lifted his free hand and brushed the back of her cheek. "I miss you" was an understatement. When she had gone he felt like something vital had been ripped out from inside of him.
Sky didn't say a word until they reached the room. She had stared at the old green carpet of the church as Jason squeezed her fingers. She had closed her eyes, feeling unbelievably worthless. When she opened them, Jason's hand had touched her cheek, and she put her hand on top of his.
"I've been so stupid. I thought that I could honestly take on these Death Eaters. It's my destiny. But I'm starting to believe that that prophecy I found was a lie." Of course Jason wouldn't know about the prophecy she took. "I've been so careless. They spotted me, plastered my face all over our world." She wiped the corner of her eye to prevent any tears from falling. "I miss you too. I thought about you all the time. I'm so sorry Jason. I'm sorry for leaving."
She put her hand in her lap and sighed quietly.
"I'm going to turn myself in. Tomorrow."
Jason was about to pull Sky into a hug when she spoke again.
"I`m going to turn myself in. Tomorrow."
Jason froze, his eyes locked on hers. Was she kidding?
"You`re going to... turn yourself in... tomorrow?" He paused, unable to connect his thoughts. "Sky, that`s suicide! You can`t turn yourself in, they`ll lock you in Askaban. Maybe both of us." He pushed away from her and started pacing through the room, running his fingers through his hair or itching his left arm every few steps.
He hadn`t told anyone this, but since Sky had gone on her "adventure" his Mark had been bothering him a lot more. It burned most of the day, and it was darked than before Sky tried to remove it. He was worried that the Death Eaters were getting stronger. And who knew? They probably were. No one was concerned about them.
"They won't take us both." Sky said. "And maybe...maybe I won't be locked away in Azkaban." She hugged him. "Can I come home for the night?" She asked quietly.
Jason stopped pacing and sighed softly. How could he protect her if she turned herself in? He wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close. It felt so good to hold her now. He felt like he could just save her from all of the bad things when she hugged him. He only wished he could.
"Of course you can, Sky. You can come home for forever if that`s what you want." He kissed her forehead then rested his head against hers.
Sky started to cry silently, wiping her tears away quickly. She brushed his cheek and realized just how much she had missed Jason. She didn't think it was possible to miss somebody so much.
"Jason, I want to marry you." She said once he kissed her forehead.
-She wants to marry me.-
Jason leaned back slowly, his grey eyes met hers and slowly a smile broke across his face. He laughed loudly and picked Sky up, twirling her around. Setting her down he dug into his pocket, curling his fingers around the ring he had offered her before she had left.
"You`re sure this is what you want? You`re not just, like agreeing with me or something?" He asked, half joking and half serious. He didn`t want her to feel like she had to marry him or anything, but that`s what he wanted her. He wanted to be able to be there for her, or be whatever she needed.
Sky actually laughed too. All of her fears and stress had been sent away for a little while. She couldn't help but to grin as he twirled her. Even after he set her down, she was still smiling, her cheeks pink.
"I've never been more sure about anything else." She said. Then she put her arms around his neck and kissed him. It wasn't a long kiss. But it was enough to show how much she still cared for him.
Jason grinned widely through the kiss, unable not to. He ran his fingers along her cheek, then through her hair.
"I got you this, you know. I`m glad you`re keeping it this time." He pulled his hand out of his pocket and showed her the ring. It was simple-- silver band with six small diamonds clustered around a larger one-- but it was pretty. Jason kissed Sky softly and smiled again.
"I love you."
"It's beautiful." Sky said, her eyes falling on the ring. She held up her hand. "I've still got the promise ring." She ran her fingers through his hair. "I love you too."
((They ARE in a church. =D ))
Jason smiled and took her left hand.
"Think of this like it`s a promise ring upgrade," he said softly now, "because I promise you that I won`t let anything ever happen to you, that I`ll always be there to protect you, and I will love you no matter what." He pushed the ring onto her finger and leaned over to kiss her hand.
She couldn't believe how unreal this day had become. She had run into Jason by accident, and now...she was his...his fiance. She was going to be his wife. Maybe someday a mother. And a grandmother. They would be together through everything.
"Let's go home." She said. "And celebrate. I need a night to relax."
Jason nodded and hugged Sky again. A smile was plastered onto his face, and he had never been happier. Sky was coming home at last.
"Of course, love. We can do whatever. I`m just glad I found you."
Sky smiled and then pulled away from the hug, squeezing his hand.
"Its been a long time. Can you apparate us?" Sky hadn't been back in a while, and honestly, she couldn't concentrate on apparting there.
Jason nodded once and hooked his arm around her waist again. Without warning he Apparated, and after a second of turning they were standing in the living room of their house.
((Ew. Instant writers block. =P ))
The house was extremely silent. And it hadn't changed a bit. It felt like Sky was in a haunted house. But then she heard the jingle of Jake's tag on his collar as he came trotting into the room and jumped on Sky's leg, and she realized she was home.
"Hi Jake!" Sky exclaimed as she sat down to pet him and rub his belly. He had gotten so big since the last time she had seen him. He could easily knock her down. He licked her hand and then looked at Jason, panting and his tail wagging from side to side.
Jason laughed softly and knelt down next to Sky, rubbing Jake`s ears.
"Yeah, he can sit and stuff now on comand. Stacey helped me teach him. He was getting pretty mischievious." He smiled a little, then frowned. Sky should have been the one to be with him to teach their dog. They should have laughed at the things he got into and watchd as he grew up. But they didn`t. It made him... well, sad.
Sky frowned. She missed Jake growing up.
"I feel awful." She said. "It's like missing out on a baby saying it's first word, or taking it's first steps." She pet him behind the ears and then looked at Jason. "How is Stacey?" Sky saw her at the Ministry, but it wasn't the kind of meeting she had wanted. She missed her best friend.
Jason shrugged, leaning back against the couch.
"Fine, I guess. I saw her about three weeks ago, and she seems happy. She`s gotten really big. Eighteen weeks along in her pregnancy. She dropped off some pictures for you. Somehow she seemed to know that you wouldn`t be away too long, and that she`d seen you around," he answered, reaching for Sky`s hand. He still didn`t think that she was real, that she was home.
Sky sat back against the couch too and leaned against Jason. It was the most comfortable she had been in a while now.
"She's a smart cookie, that Stacey. I've never met someone so gifted." She put her hand on Jason's chest and felt his heartbeat. "So she left pictures?"
Jason nodded and stood up to get the photos from the mantle. This felt so normal, so every-day-kind-of-thing that it made him smile again.
"Yeah. Pictures of Jake, Aiden and her, and some sonogram pictures. A lot of pictures, actually. She said that you would want to know how things had gone while you were away." He sat down beside Sky again, on the other side of Jake, and handed her the thick stack of pictures. He had already gone through them, but he wanted to see Sky`s reaction to them.
Sky went through the pictures, one by one. She stared at each one for several seconds, looking at every detail. She could see Jake growing with every picture. There was Stacey and her husband Aiden, and then the sonogram pictures, which seemed to attract Sky's attention more than anything else.
"Oh Jason, look at them. They're so small. I just can't believe she's going to be a Mother." She set the pictures down and laid against Jason again and closed her eyes. She tried imagining herself as a Mother, but just couldn't do it. How could she ever be a Mother when she left the person she cared for most and hurt him like she did? She had a habit of running away. What if someday she ran away again when things got too challenging?
Jason wrapped his arms around Sky, resting his cheek against her hair. He didn`t want her to feel bad any more. All that mattered was the fact that she was where she was supposed to be.
"I know. There aren`t any too recent photos of her, but her stomach is huge. You can really tell she`s having twins now," he said softly, stroking her hair.
"At least she's not have sextuplets. Her stomach would be ridiculous." She looked up at him and locked her eyes on his.
"Will you ever forgive me Jason?" She whispered, taking his hand.
"Of course, love. I understand why you did what you did. It was a noble thing, but I`m still glad you`re home," he replied, squeezing her hand.
((... I have nothing else to say....))
She brought her lips close to his and shut her eyes.
"What I did was a stupid thing that I still have to face. I'm so sorry that I left you. I'm so sorry Jason." Tears were leaking from her eyes and she pulled back and laid back against the couch, burying her face in her hands.
Jason leaned forwards as she moved back. Slowly he lifted his hand and pulled hers away from her face, brushing away his tears.
"Hey now, love, don`t cry. There`s nothing to cry for. You`re home, and that`s all that matters, okay? What you wanted to do was extremely brave of you, and I`m proud of you for trying. It`s not something I could have just decided to go do, and you handled it like it was nothing. I love you Sky, and I`ll still love you if you need to leave again." He spoke softly and brushed his fingers along his cheek and through her hair, staring into her eyes.
She matched his gaze as his fingers trailed through her hair. Sky didn't understand how someone could forgive so easily. She didn't understand anything at this point. She was just mentally exhausted from this day. Just a little while ago, she was walking through a muggle market purchasing a dagger for some extra security. Now she was home and she was engaged. Her eyes fell to the ring. She didn't realize how beautiful it was the first time Jason introduced it to her. But it was something extraordinary in her eyes. She looked back at him, not really sure what to say at this point.