((Closed until such time that Xaver gets on and posts for me.))
She knew it could very well be the hormones.
But she didn't care.
Ginny picked up the small glass paperweight sitting on her desk and threw it hard, at the wall.
She took a grim satisfaction in watching it smash.
On the desk lay a letter, which she now turned to and ripped up. Crumpled it in her hand and watched as it burst into flame. Then she threw the ashes as well.
The silent house seemed to mock her silent outburst.
So she screamed.
All the frustrations of the past year let out.
Raising a small child who was actually smarter than she was. Her job. The Ministry. Conan. Mahn. No sleep on account of being pregnant. Everything.
She stamped a foot, storming from the living room into her room, walking past a mirror. She caught a glimpse of herself. She looked crazy. Her red hair was frizzy, staticky. Her eyes were surrounded by dark circles from lack of sleep. She wore thick sweatpants, probably an old pair of Xaver's and a huge thick white sweater. She was freezing.
Once in her and Xaver's room, she took pleasure in pushing things off her dresser top. Watching them smash to the floor. The small crash didn't satisfy her. She wanted noise!
Cody wasn't home. He was with her brother Bill and his family.
To the zoo or something.
She had no clue where Xaver was.
The house was too quiet. She felt alone.
She screamed again, remembering the stupid letter.
She went back into the living room, swiping all her papers from her desk.
"I hate that stupid-" She couldn't figure out what to call the person of whom she spoke. She paused, standing in the middle of her destruction. Her fists were clenched and she seemed to be thinking.
She couldn't seem to come up with a name bad enough.
"I hope you don't mean me, dearest."
Xaver stood at the entrance of the hallway, where he'd remained when she'd stormed past, not even seeing him in her flurry, though that wasn't hard.
His form of still and silent was far more pronounced than someone's of human nature would be. Xaver wasn't human - far from it. Despite the majority of his anatomy being strikingly identical to that of a mere man. Though, even then, he would have stood out among mere men, his handsome features only ever shadowing woes that centuries had tolled on him. On his soul.
His dark, obsidian black hair had grown out a few inches from the short buzz cut he'd had recently, and his raven locks were slicked back over his head now. Clad in dark shoes, faded jeans, and a large black button-down coat, he was dressed more warmly than his usual for the wintertime. Naturally acclimated to colder conditions, extreme heat actually made him sick..
Xaver set the minute red box of dark chocolates he'd been holding on the nearest lamptable, and began stripping off a pair of brown leather gloves, tugging at the finger ends while his gaze never left her, his dark blues watchful and calculating.
Ginny froze, turning her fiery eyes onto Xaver. She stared at him, not knowing how to respond.
She didn't want to be pulled from her tantrum just yet.
Finally, she found her voice.
"No, I don't mean you!"
She spoke as if he were incapable of giving her this much anger.
"I mean that stupid, ignorant-" Again she couldn't come up with a good enough word.
She clasped her hands together,squeezing them tightly. Her nails dug into the tops as she continued to squeeze.
"Conan."
She spat the name. It wasn't rare.
He'd been after her for months to announce Cody as the official heir to the throne in Romaina.
He'd hit her years ago, and even though she had taken her revenge in tenfold a few days after the fact it still galled her.
She tried to suppress another scream of anger. It didn't work very well.
She was probably over reacting.
It was probably hormones.
But Ginny really wanted to wring someone's neck at the moment.
Xaver blinked when her burning gazed moved over him, his heart strumming an irregular pattern into the underside of his chest. His adreniline kicked up a notch, and it took a breath to subdue the immediate reation of his own. He could feel her emotions, as easily as he could see them written plainly over her pretty face. Even if empathy didn't dominate any of his skills, it was still a sense he harbored - and her fierce emotions were as powerful as a strong blow to the mind, or nose.
He brought up his shields a notch, just to block the waves of her anger.
Question was in his dark blues at her retort, a raven eyebrow arching as she ranted - but when she spoke that single word, that name, his eyebrow settled and his features molded into a face of living stone.
Biting back his own few choice words of the man his wife was almost definately rightfully pissed at, Xaver made a mute nod, taking a breath to calm himself.
To settle nerves that were already far too worn and brittle.
To supress emotions that had already ravaged him through the day, and would do no good entering this situation.
Mouth pressed into a firm line, he finished peeling off his gloves, setting them on the table beside the chocolates, then brought his pale, wide hands to the buttons of his coat.
Slowly, calmly sliding them open.
"What did he do?"
That was the only way about it really.
Ginny wanted as much to do with the man as Xaver did.
And Xaver wanted to watch him burn in the deepest pit of hell..
Conan had done something.
But... What?
"He's SUING me!"
Ginny was a small being, and to hear the anger come from her seemed unnatural. She stamped a foot, looking like a two year old who had their toy taken away.
"Suing me for not announcing Cody! Suing ME because I don't do anything for the kingdom!" She jerked her desk drawer open, ripping it out and dumping the contents on the floor. Out fell thousands of papers. All had her signature on them somewhere.
Her legal papers for the kingdom she ruled over.
"See this?" She spread her hands over the pile of papers, "This is me doing nothing!"
She kicked at the pile, only managing to slip on the papers.
She fell on her butt, hard.
It would have been funny.
Except she seemed to accept the fall and crossed her legs. That and in her current physical state, falling down could result in bad things.
Luckily, not this time.
Systematically, she began to pick up papers and shred them.
"He wants me to do something? FINE! I renounce my position! See how the sack of-" She jumped words, unable to keep on one sentence in her anger. "Hope he rots in-"
Ginny was obviously not thinking rationally. Shredding those papers could have her tried in court for destroying possible evidence were something to happen. It could be bad.
Not only that, stressing as much as she was at the moment was bad for the baby she carried.
There was a loud pop and a purple envelop appeared in Ginny's lap. For the second time in the past five minutes, she froze. She simply starred at the envelope, her face changing. First from anger, then to surprise. Then back to anger.
It was a Ministry envelope.
She picked it up examining the outside as if that would explain why it was there. It was addressed to 'Mr. & Mrs. Xian'.
The Ministry obviously recognized their marriage..but was that good?
She glanced up at Xaver, mute now as she tore the envelope open, quickly scanning the letter that she pulled out.
Where she had been angry before, she was now irate.
"Those BASTARDS!"
Suing?
Xaver blinked.
Ginny continued to storm over the desk, and wreak havoc on its contents, and still Xaver made little in the way of actual movement, his gaze being the only thing reflective of the quick, and deadly instincts he possessed.
He had been in Ginny's world for years now, time and time again growing accustomed to her lifestyle, the human way of living... However, there were still many things that evaded him. Many things that he had not picked up in the process, and were somehow lost in translation between his world, and the one he now called home.
Suing, was one of those itty bitty things he'd never picked up on.
Centuries behind him, you think he'd have studied a little harder.
Ginny slipped then, and Xaver jerked into motion, worry setting heavily into the devastatingly handsome lines and planes of his features - features drastically sharpened by his short haircut, to enhance the more predatory angles. Ginny was carrying the newest addition to the most tender spot in Xaver's heart, in her belly, and, as the paranoid bird that he was, any fall evoked a panic in his heart, whether he showed it or not.
"Gin-"
He was interrupted by a loud pop, and it took more than a moment to soothe the immediate tensing out of his muscles, and defensive rush of adrenaline through his system. By that time, Ginny had torn open the letter.
Xaver rolled the wide breadth of his shoulders, shrugging out of his jacket, then he draped it over the table, over the chocolates, and moved to Ginny. Slowly. Movements gentle, and almost absorbing. Knowing her temper, feeling her anger, and lacking the knowledge of what to do, about what was going on. He knelt, behind her, and despite her anger, and the vigor of the fury of which she literally shook from, he wrapped his arms around her, under her arms. One arm gently circling her ribs, and the other hand brushing over the growing swell of her belly.
"Shh.."
It was neither a demand, nor even a suggestion - simply a murmur of comfort.
Reassurance.
His chin met the curve of her neck, and he tilted his head, and planted a kiss to her temple, his eyes watching her hands, and skimming the paper between them.
Ginny crumpled up the letter before he could get more than the first two lines in and threw it. Completely upset, she burst into angry tears, covering her face and leaning against Xaver.
"The Ministry wants to take Cody away from us!"
Still angry beyond belief, she sobbed into her hands, not having any clue where to start first. Conan was suing her, and the Ministry was now intending to investigate them for child abuse. It was too much to process, and she had no idea what to do.
"What am I going to do, Xaver? He's suing me for so much money! And they want to take my son from me!"
She couldn't stop sobbing, it was a bit hard to breath. She was still shaking from anger, still ready to lash out at the next thing that sparked her temper.
But, for the moment, all she could do was cry.
"What am I going to do?"
She began to cry, and Xaver wrapped his arms more completely about her, drawing her into the circle of his embrace and holding her close.
Breathing in deeply her scent, and pain.
"What are we going to do, you mean."
An arm still around her, he ran a hand through the long, silky locks of her radiant red hair, pressing a kiss to the crush of her ear.
His voice, became little more than a fierce whisper.
"We. No matter what happens, you are not alone in this."
It just wasn't right. Conan, the bastard.. And now the Ministry again?
What had they ever done so wrong, he and Ginny, but fall in love, and start a family?
Why did the world hate them so much?
Xaver closed his eyes, and pressed his face into the warm slope of her neck, fighting back the anguish that clenched his throat, and stung at his eyes.
He had money. Power. Strength. Knowledge. A heart full of newfound feeling.
But he had not the ability, to make the hopelessness go away. To kiss away the pain of that which he couldn't fix.
What was going to happen?
And more, what could he do?...
After a few minutes, Ginny's sobs subsided, and she leaned back against him. She wiped at her cheeks, the hot tears leaving tracks on her flushed cheeks.
"I know, love." She said, her voice slightly raspy. She cleared her throat and sagged against him, tired now.
Exhausted from her tantrum, she stared out over all of the papers she'd shredded. She placed her hands over his, frowning.
"What can we do?"
Her crying subdued, she leaned more fully into him, and Xaver shifted, sliding an arm under her thighs and the other around her lower back, bringing her flush against the wall of his chest and easily rising. He lifted her without so much as a breath of protest, careful of her middle, and he cradled her slender form against him as he moved with quick and light feet to the couch. He sat down with that same careful precision, then, her still on his lap, held her close. His arms encircled her, his fingers laced and folded over her stomach, and his chin rested atop her sweet-smelling head. He wasn't able to see her face, but just as well, she wasn't able to see his, and the utter turmoil that was written deeply into his features.
Obsidian eyebrows drawn into a frown at his forehead, he sighed, a slow and fatigued sound that spoke the weight of worlds.
"..I am not sure, dearest.."
His tones were very low, and quiet, tinged with the taste of the thoughts working furiously in his head.
"If worse comes to wear, I have money.."
Xaver clenched his jaw.
"It should not be about the money."
An unchecked, and completely inhuman growl sounded in the depths of his throat, and he shook his head, though mindful he was resting it on hers.
"It is outlandish. Dispicable. To exploit a child for means to expire a need."
His tones became shades rougher, thickly lilted with his foreign accent, and all the more emotional. Emotion that, until very recently, had been in a dormant state. Emotion that, since its release, had made Xaver as a leader, and a King, a father, and as a man, much stronger.
"Our child."
He bowed his head, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, and mustering a heavy, controlling sigh, reeling in the ends of a barely managed fury. Ginny's scent, the feel of her, the sound of her even heartbeat, soothing back the instinct to rant, rave.. punish. Those bastards..
How dare they?!
"They will not take him."
Jaw clenched, Xaver straightened, holding her tight as he shook his head.
"Of course they will not."
Ginny was just as defiant as he was. Her tired voice cracked as she made the angry remark.
Oh, they could just try to take away her son.
They wouldn't get one foot through the door.
She took a deep breath to calm herself, and settled back against him. She was tired from all her running around and yelling. Being angry is exhausting work. For the moment, just being held by Xaver seemed to help make the problems more manageable.
"Conan wants us to announce Cody...all we have to do is prove that it's in Cody's and the kingdoms best interest to not announce him...."
She sighed, bitting her lip, "And the Ministry really has no proof of abuse...they can't take him away. Not legally."
She reached up, rubbing her forehead, "And not illegally. They won't take him."
A statement.
A fact.
Ginny was worried, stressed. Tired. Upset.
And she was supposed to go get Cody soon.
"Abuse?!"
The word was short, and bitter, and just as he'd taken it - as the most personal of insults.
Xaver had, since the day he'd arrived for schooling at Hogwarts, tried to remain as calm, and understanding as he could be. He even hid the true identity of what he was, for the longest while, for fear of sheer and utter rejection before he'd even managed to find a place for himself. It was true, he'd never really belonged.
Not until Ginny, anyway - and she had been his truest, and dearest friend in the new world, first.
He knew that people didn't understand who he was, and less, what he was - but his hopes, or dreams, that such feelings would abide over time, had come to the end of a slow, and somber turture, and execution. The trajectory of civility had come, finally, to a point where Xaver knew he was not going to be able to stand it, any longer.
Abuse. Abuse of his own child?
It was the worst sort of insult, of claim - and expecially to Xaver.
Especially...
"I swore the day I left my homeland for here, that if I would start a new life, I would do it better. If I had a family, I would treat them better than I'd been treated. I'd love them more. Be with them. Give to them.."
Handsome features pinching as his heart turned over anger, to despair, Xaver clenched his jaw.
"To think.. that.. abuse.. to Cody, or you?.."
He bit his tongue and looked to the side.
"Not physical."
Ginny shook her head, "Mental and emotional abuse."
She gritted her teeth, "Apparently, encouraging a young mind to learn is against the law."
Since the day Ginny had discovered her son's intelligence, she had taught him everything she could think of. She wasn't like many parents, keeping things from him and telling his silly stories to tide his curiosity. She had told him the truth, or at least enough to satisfy him.
That included magic and martial arts as well.
She'd taught him everything, and what she couldn't teach him, she'd made sure someone else could.
"They say he isn't at the right level socially."
A sudden realization made Ginny sick, "If they can, they'll take both our children."
Her hand went to her stomach, as though she could protect the unborn. If there was anything that both angered and terrified her, it was the thought of losing her children.
Especially to the Ministry.
"If we can prove that his social skills are not lacking..."
"Abuse is abuse. It doesn't matter what form."
Xaver shook his head, the oceans of his eyes dark, and hard.
"Don't they understand he is not human? He is only half from your world. Half of him is me - and I never have, and never will be socially adept to this world. We aren't human."
He wasn't questioning Ginny, particularly.
...Maybe just the world.
"Why is that we are expected to perform at human standards, when we are not human?"
Ginny touched her belly, and Xaver's stomach began an awful, malcontent churning.
"They wouldn't d-..."
Dare?
His subconscience reared its ugly head at the back of his mind.
Of course they would dare.
What wouldn't they do, to tear him down? What wouldn't they do, to tear his family apart?
A sick, hating, and eternally wounded part of him answered, with the most wrathful of answers.
Nothing.
"They wouldn't be able to."
Without a doubt, Ginny would stop the Ministry. Or die trying.
But the chances of the last happening were slim to none.
Ginny stared off, across the room, becoming lost in her own thoughts.
How far would the Ministry go?
How far would Conan go?
He scared her a little bit, though she'd never admit it. He'd outsmarted her before, what would stop him now? In Ginny's unprofessional opinion, Conan was slightly off. Of course, she blamed herself for that. He had been normal until he'd met her. A normal, muggle boy.
And she'd dragged him into her world because she'd been afraid of living in it alone.
Ironically, she had never felt more alone than those years that she had been married to Conan Sulai.
She shook her head, trying to clear the cluttered thoughts. But they stuck like glue.
Ginny seemed to have a habit of leaving men slightly crazy. Conan had been the first. He had seen her kill people. It had drove him mad. There was Mahn, though Ginny got the impression that he was insane, not just crazy.
And Sirius...she hadn't made him crazy. As far as she knew.
But she had almost gotten him killed.
She bit her lip, rubbing her belly subconsciously. What would cause her to hurt Xaver?
She didn't want to hurt Xaver.
She loved him.
But she had hurt him.
And she had allowed others to hurt him...
Ginny shivered.
At Ginny's words, Xaver fell silent, holding her close as his gaze moved over her - ever watchful, thoughtful..
He'd never been able to read her thoughts. Slight outlinings of them, perhaps, when her emotions were raw - but they were vague at best. He could sense her emotions - he could sense her presence, easier than anyone he'd ever encountered. And he could feel and understand them, as well as his own sometimes.
Her thoughts, however, were as guarded as his own and shielded from him, though he'd never tried to invade them. They could only truly read each other, if one or the other was in grave peril, or if they both consented and they linked thoughts.
Ginny's thoughts then, however, were as distant and unknown to him, as ever.
"I love you, Gin. Truly."
He tilted his head slightly, so he could see her, running a hand through her hair, and catching her hands within the other, squeezing gently.
"I will fight, with every last fiber of my being.."
Xaver shook his head, and the solemn blue oceans of his gaze softened, considerably.
"For you. For our family."
Ginny blinked at him, a moment passing before she smiled. A slow, shy smile.
"Oh, I know. I love you too, Xaver."
She shifted, turning around to face him fully, finding comfort not only in his words but in his touch. Xaver had an effect on her that no one else had. Physically, his simple presence was capable of giving her goosebumps. Her heart would speed up, and everything seemed lighter.
That wasn't pulling in the emotional edge, either.
"You're the best."
Ginny leaned forward, brushing a kiss across Xaver's cheek, a tingling feeling spreading across their skin from the point of contact.
"Those jerks are going to wish they'd died when they were young."
She forced a bigger smile on her face, to mask the worry she felt, and glanced around the room. At the papers she had thrown around the room. She cringed. Her living room was a disaster area, and it had been she who made it that way.
"Suppose I should clean up that mess, eh?"
She wasn't embarrassed that Xaver had seen her childlike tantrum, like most people would be. Xaver knew she had moments of anger. Xaver knew that when he married her.
Xaver knew her well.
Ginny sighed, "Love, why can't we just live simple lives?"
"I try."
His smile was lopsided, and mellow, until her lips grazed the contour of his cheek and his lips spread into a warm, toothy smile.
He'd needed the reassurance.
He'd needed her.
The only that could keep him going, when the chips were down, and the world was against him.
She was worth it.
"I suppose we should clean it up.."
He pressed a kiss to the hollow of her throat, however, and only held her closer, snuggling back, deeper into the couch.
"But why do what we should, all the time?"
Xaver did know Ginny well.
And he understood his wife - as much, he mused, as she probably understood him.
More than any other ever would, anyway. Or could.
He also knew the circumstances, and his own desire to simply crush everything in his wake - all the problems.. the bastards...
So tempting.
"I guess we only got so lucky."
He turned, dragging his legs up and stretching them over the couch, cradling her against him as he leaned back into the plush armrest.
Thankful for small mercies and glad she'd furnished the house, for darkness knew what uncomfortable disaster he might have chosen. He wasn't particularly inclined, in that department.
Ginny couldn't help it, she giggled lightly.
"I think we are lucky!" She told him, poking his chest lightly and snuggling against him. She smiled as she laid next to him on the couch, propping her head on her arm so she could see his face.
"Where it's important, we are the luckiest in the world." It sounded corny, but it was true. They had each other and Cody. Not to mention the child on the way.
She lay her head down on his shoulder, closing her eyes.
Resting, even as she spoke.
After a moment of silence, "In addition to cleaning this room, we need to get around to fixing up the baby's room."
"I think we are lucky!"
Xaver smiled.
In the end, where it counted, and where everything would come down to, they were complete. There was no doubt in his heart that it was all right.. even if the wold kept telling them that it was all so wrong.
To hell with the world.
Where it counted, Ginny was right - they were lucky..
He linked his hands, completing the circle around her, and sighed, thankful for the change of subject, even if just for the moment.
"I think we should go ...pink."
Just a feeling.
Just an inclination from nowhere.
...That he knew to be true.
"Pink?"
Ginny breathed in the scent of Xaver, loving how warm and safe she felt at the moment. She smiled to herself.
Pink...
That meant he thought it would be a girl.
"Pink is good. We still have to set up Cody's old crib...buy new clothes..."
A small chuckle, "There is a lot to prepare for."
She sighed in contentment. Last time, she'd done this all on her own. Every step of the way, she had wished Xaver was there with her. And this time he was.
"Any ideas for names?"
"There is a lot to prepare for..."
Xaver tilted his head foreword and rested his chin atop her head, giving her a gentle squeeze.
"And there's no need to set up Cody's old crib. It's strange what a man can find while out looking for slippers for his wife.."
His chuckle was a low, mellow rumble, deep within the confines of his chest, sounding through smiling lips as he allowed his eyes to mometarily close.
Absorbing the moment, and he warmth.
He was thoughtful for a moment, and silent longer.
"What about our mothers' names?"
"Molly?"
Ginny wrinkled her nose. She loved her mother, but not so much her name.
"What about your mum? Melodiey, wasn't it? I like that..."
She thought about it, contemplating the name and spelling. She loved the way it sounded. And how it brought the though of music to the mind.
"Wait, you bought me slippers?"
She nudged him, keeping her eyes closed.
"What else did you buy me?" She teased him lightly, making a joke of it.
"My mother's name...?"
Xaver tossed the thought around.
It wasn't a particularly bad start.
His mother had a beautiful name. And she'd been a radiant woman..
"Perhaps a twist off the old name..?"
He shrugged.
Then smiled down at her playful inquisitiveness.
"Slippers, a new crib, and some fancy chocolate with green apple spices that better have cost what they were worth and are hiding under my coat, there. I wanted to see if you liked them."
He peered down at the top of her head, through one slightly opened eye.
"Yum?"
He gave a cashere grin, to play off any stray thoughts she might have had.
Xaver and heavy coats were rarely one in a pair - and less, a coat, and gloves, and the works.
He loved the cold. Bundling up was an oddity for him.
However, he made little note of it.
"Mmm...chocolate...."
Ginny's brow furrowed, though.
"Is it that cold out?"
If Xaver was wearing a coat, it had to be far colder that she had originally thought. She frowned,once again snuggling closer. Just the thought of cold made her shiver. She and Xaver were opposite as far as that went. He excelled in the cold, she in the heat.
Pleased at her murmur of content at his purchases, Xaver's eyes closed again and he settled more contently into the couch.
His brow furrowed slightly at her comment, and almost laughed, though the sound never met his lips as exasperation subdued him. It had been stupid for him to think that she, of all people, wouldn't have noticed the small change. The little details.
It had always been a trait he'd found endearing about Ginny, from their very beginning. She'd always cared about the details.
Always cared about his details.
"No more cold than usual.."
He said it lightly.
"Then why the coat?"
Ginny knew she was nitpicking.
She didn't care.
She was his wife, it was a requirement of the job.
She cracked open one eye, tilting her head upwards so she could see his face.
"Are you sick?"
Ginny reached up without waiting for an answer, touching her hand to his forehead to feel for a fever. Automatically stepping into the role of the worried wife.
Xaver's eyes slowly opened when she brought her hand to his forehead, his skin warm to the touch - but too warm, for him, his flesh usually slightly cool, if anything.
A corner of his mouth tipped upward, in a both tired and knowing smile.
"Sick?"
He eyed her thoughtfully, mulling over the word before he responded.
"Perhaps. I've never really felt like this before.."
The smile faded, and his brow pulled, the oceans of his eyes searching hers.
"I've never really been cold before.. Not in weather like this.. This isn't extreme temperatures, or anything... Just.. Winter.."
Ginny frowned, opening both eyes fully and biting her lip. She ran a hand through Xaver's hair, thinking about what he could possibly be sick with.
"Maybe you should go take a nap, love." She told him, half sitting up. She ran her hand over his cheek, worry showing in her eyes.
"Perhaps it's simple exhaustion?"
"Exhaustion and I are old friends, my love.. I used to be a soldier."
Though, he didn't see the difference in what he was doing now, to the mechanics of what his orders had been, then. Other than that he was in charge.. He was giving the orders, now.
Even if he'd bleed just as willingly for peace.
Ginny sat up slightly, but he didn't unlink his hands, turning his head and pressing into her caress.
"And I'm relaxing right now, babe.."
He nudged her toward him.
"Lay with me here for a little more.. please? Even if it's only a few moments."
Xaver's eyes slid closed again, though a light smile touched his always solemn mouth..
Ginny was a mother and a wife, and although she would have loved nothing more than to lie down again, she couldn't help but worry. She bit her lip, "Are you sure?"
"I don't want you getting any sicker...if you are sick."
She wasn't sure. He did feel warm to her. But, she wasn't an expert on the Fallen and their health.
"Do you hurt anywhere?"
Though she didn't lie down, she didn't attempt to sit up either. She simply stayed in place, his arms still around her. Still trying to pull her closer.
She didn't ease up and Xaver made a low murmur, but didn't fight it, releasing his hold around her and bringing his arms behind his head, folding his hands behind his neck, muscles bunching and pulling as he shifted in the length of his arms, and the expanse of his firm abdomen.
"Just a little, everywhere.."
He shrugged it all off, though touched by her concern.
"I'll be alright. I'll get over it, anyway.. Don't I always?"
"You never get sick."
She pointed out the fact with blatant honesty. Xaver had been wounded before, and sometimes had an allergic reaction to gold. But she couldn't recall him being sick, ever.
She, on the other hand, often got sick.
Ginny noticed the way he ignored what could be a potential problem, and that worried her even more.
"What would I do if something bad happened to you?"
She frowned, "I'd be alone again."
Ginny wasn't wrong.
He wasn't affected by flues, or viruses, or such like she was apt to be. True, he could get very sick if he was around pure gold for too long, or struck by it through some traumatic event - but Xaver was not susceptible to a common cold, or even human diseases..
Which is why he knew Ginny's concern was spot on, and he was trying almost to desperation not to jump to conclusions.
Like it or not, the only times he ever got sick - it meant something. Something was going on, or something was very wrong...
"I'm not going anywhere, dearest."
He brought one hand down, and gently encased hers, squeezing.
"It'll take more than a slight chill to take me away from you.."
"But..."
Ginny wasn't like most women. She didn't simper, she didn't whine, and she certainly wasn't especially sentimental. She had been known to worry, known to cry, even known to show her feelings as true now and again.
And there were times she was irrational.
She decided this must be one of those times, though she was wrong. She pushed the worry and the upset aside, settling down next to her husband and sighing.
"Alright." She said, her voice a mere whisper.
But she couldn't fully believe him.
She just felt like something was wrong.