Visiting Home

[Wallace Montgomery III]

Wallace had recieved a rather snide phone call from Spenser, of all people, pertaining to his need to come back home, "for Mother is ill, you see, and although you turned out rather disappointing to her, you do quite need to see her, you realise...". Christobelle had briefly appeared and then gone straight home, but Wallace figured he wouldn't waste a trip to London. After all, he could visit his old stomping grounds of Diagon Alley and the surrounding areas. Come to think of it, Wallace actually missed the carefree days of school. Sure, he had his freedom now, but he'd really loved his time at Hogwarts. Oh well, that was all in the past and he had to move on. Just like Christa needed to move on and get out there...but she wouldn't listen to him.

Sitting outside the ice cream parlour, Wallace had a cheerful smile on his face as he finished off his chocolate icecream sundae. Even though it was winter. In Wallace's mind, you could have icecream at any time of the year. It was no surprise that people often assumed that Wallace was an overgrown child, or an overexcited teenager. Nobody ever guessed that he or his twin sister were actually twenty-four. Smiling to himself, Wallace sat back and relaxed, happy to be away from work for a change and hoping he'd get to meet someone new today. If there was one thing Wallace loved, it was meeting new people. Sure, he may have come across as overenthusiastic to some (whereas his sister simply looked like a stunned mullet when faced with a new situation), but that was just how Wallace was. Overly friendly.

 

[Deirdre Yearling]

With Gregory gone from the household and not a whisper of his whereabouts from either her mother or her father (both of whom knew exactly where he was), Deirdre was beginning to become quite frantic. How long had it been? Six months, more? First they had taken away her darling brother and sisters, then they refused to tell her where the only sibling left in her life had disappeared to. Deirdre was a patient person but it was beginning to tear at her. Living practically alone and listening to your father crying in his room every night wasn't her idea of the best living circumstances. Now as she read over her mother's sharp and condescending letter, Deirdre felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes. 'He is the last thing you should be worrying about now, when you have a job and a husband to find. Gregory is better off living where he is and I'll say no more on the subject. Simon has been doing well in Charms...' she read silently, wincing at her mother's tactless observation at her living circumstances. What on earth did she need a husband for? Really, her mother was becoming quite insufferable.

Deirdre removed her handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes discreetly in vain hope that she would not cry after all. Taking her untouched coffee she pulled herself from her seat outside the store and hurried towards the street, almost bumping into several people. She was almost clear before her hip bumped the seat of a sitting person. The cup flew out of her hands and directly onto the man, drenching him from chest to legs in cold coffee. "Oh," said Deirdre, stumbling to a halt. It stripped away the last ounce of control she had and she gasped softly as tears began to creep down her face. "Oh please excuse me, I'm so sorry. Scourgify," she said as she pulled out her wand. The man she had covered in coffee was now perfectly dry without a speck and the discomfort had only lasted seconds, but Deirdre was mortified. "I ... oh, I ..." With the softest of sobs, she covered her face with her hands and fled, walking quite fast down the street with her tiny feet pattering on the stones. Not even the thought of home could comfort her now.

 

[Wallace Montgomery III]

Wallace was lost in his own thoughts, thinking about the good old days and his current work, when he was suddenly doused in a cold liquid. Coffee. While many people would have been offended, Wallace was generally fairly even tempered (except when it came to his family), so he simply smiled and turned around to face the offended, stunned to see a very beautiful, but very sad looking woman. Tears formed in her eyes, and although Wallace didn't even know her, he felt his heart sink to see such a lovely woman looking so depressed. "It's no problem at all, really," he said cheerfully, but before he knew it, the woman was running away, moving as fast as she could down the street.

Well, Wallace was quite a compassionate person, and there was no way he was letting such a miserable woman get away from him without doing his best to cheer the poor woman up. "Hey!" he called, bounding down the street as fast as he could (which was pretty fast, he'd worked out a bit playing Quidditch), and soon caught up to the small woman. "Wait up!" he cried, falling in to step with the young woman. "I can't let such a beautiful young woman look so sad, now, can I? That would be failing my duty as a gentleman," he started, giving her his best smile - although given the circumstances, he couldn't smile as much as he would have liked to. "My name's Wallace," he offered. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" he asked, hoping he wouldn't scare the woman away with his enthusiasm. He knew not everyone appreciated it. But he really did just want to help the woman out.

 

[Deirdre Yearling]

Soon she was forced to come to a halt as she was intercepted by the same man whose poor shirt she had almost ruined. Deirdre had not been looking at his face and her face crumpled slightly as she moved to take out her wand again. If he was after revenge then he'd get much more than he bargained for. She lifted her tear-glittering eyes and was shocked to find him incredibly handsome. "Oh my," said Deirdre involuntarily. Her wand went back into her pocket. Her handkerchief was still in her hand and she must have looked a sight with tears still running down her cheeks, and she made a valiant effort to compose herself as she dabbed at her eyes once more.

"I'm so dreadfully sorry," said Deirdre again, managing not to blush when she was called beautiful. Well, you don't hear that one every day. she thought, giving him the tiniest of smiles. "Please, 'ye needn't worry. I've just received some unpleasant news, that's all." she explained vaguely. Suddenly she lifted her hand to her mouth and gasped. "Oh, flummox me. I've left the letter at the shop!". Deidre looked at Wallace cautiously, not entirely sure as to what he'd say to that. After all, she'd just spilled coffee all over his shirt. If he found a stain later on that day that she might have missed, perhaps he might not be as appreciative of her looks and might think that she has just been trying to skip out on him to retrieve a 'letter'. Trying not to look as miserable as she was, she held out her small hand and introduced herself. "I'm Deirdre. Do tell me if 'ye have any cleaning bills."

 

[Wallace Montgomery III]

Although he didn't even know the woman at all, just the look of abject misery on her face was enough to make Wallace's tender heart break in two. Unpleasant news was never a good thing, and the poor woman looked as though the news she recieved was the absolute worst. A gentle smile on his face, Wallace took the woman - Deirdre's - hand, and gave it a gentle shake. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Deirdre, even if it isn't in the most pleasant of circumstances," he joked, in a friendly manner. "Please, don't trouble yourself about the shirt. It'll be fine. I'm more worried about you, really," he admitted. Even though he really had just met her, Wallace really did want to see Deirdre smile, and hopefully cheer her up a little.

"You left a letter at a shop, you say? Well, if you desire to go back there, the least I can do is provide an escort," he offered, holding out his arm. It was an anachronistic gesture, he knew, but Wallace liked being the knight in shining armour, the kind and friendly gentleman. All he hoped was that Deirdre wouldn't slap him or curse him or something. He'd had that happen before and it wasn't exactly something he wanted to happen again. Besides, Wallace was a good judge of character, and Deirdre seemed absolutely lovely. Not to mention the fact that she was extremely beautiful. He definately didn't want to let her get away from him.

 

[Deirdre Yearling]

"Why, worried about me?" said Deirdre, her eyes lighting up slightly in wake of Wallace's infallible gentleman-like quality. "I can't possibly see why. Imagine if I'd had hot coffee!" Best not to imagine, she realised, going quite pink. He may have even been hurt if that had been the case. She thought back to the moment where coffee spilled onto poor Wallace; she then realised that his shirt had been quite wet, and she scolded herself for giggling internally. Deidre was quite taken already, but she'd be damned if she would let it show. She tried to smile again and had quite a bit more success than before, her head tilting to one side and a dimple forming on one cheek.

"'Ye really are too kind after what I did," she said, swallowing the next involuntary smile. Even so, her eyes crinkled up at the corners and she looked a far sight happier than she had been before. "But if 'ye would, that would be lovely. I've not had company for some time." Indeed, although she was pretty, she was as pale as a moonbeam. In fact, Deirdre had not been out of the house in some time as she cared for her almost useless father who had fallen into depression. She looked almost sickly herself and would have been pitiable if not for the fact that she exuded good temper even when tearful. Lifting her arm hesitantly, she touched hers upon his and allowed him to escort her back, sneaking amused glances at him all the while.

 

[Wallace Montgomery III]

Wallace chuckled, in a good-natured manner, to himself, at her comment. He was lucky it had been cold coffee, but he was sure hot coffee wouldn't have been all bad. After all, either way, he still got to meet Deirdre. It had to be his lucky day, of course it had to be. Even if he'd had to spend time with his insufferable brother, and his stuck-up, overly proud father. He'd had icecream, time to reminisce, and met a lovely lady. Now, if only he could cheer Deirdre up, that would be all the better.

"Then my lady, I shall make it my duty to accompany you," Wallace stated simply, with a gentle smile. "Not had company for some time?" he repeated. "That's a real shame. I know we only just met, but if you want to talk, I'd happily listen," he stated, a little shyly, hoping he wouldn't overstep the line and come across as plain creepy. Still, she was looking a little happier now, which pleased Wallace. "So, um, do you live around here?" he asked, curiously.

 

[Deirdre Yearling]

Deirdre breathed out a light sigh at his words. "I doubt there's much I have to say that ye'd want to listen to, I'm afraid." she said sadly, her eyebrows pressing together as though there was a great weight on her head. In her eyes, the troubles of her family were minimal compared to that of others. They were all fed and clothed. What right had she or any of them to complain of broken hearts? True, she would never rest peacefully till they were all together again, but such suffering was born easily under the knowledge that there were far worse things. If, per say, one of them were killed, what would the siblings do then? No, Deirdre did not think herself so hard done. If so, perhaps it was alright to share it with Wallace after all. He seemed to be a genuine sort of person and it was impolite for her not to offer some sort of explanation for her actions.

She looked up into his eyes for just a moment, trying not to smile at his moment of shyness. She was suddenly very aware of her heartbeat which was doing a very inappropriate jig in her chest at the sight of his face and she turned her head away a moment later. "I do live around here," she answered to distract herself. "Most of my family is in New Zealand at the moment, but my father and I remain here." She wished to add 'for the time being', but there was no point. If she left, her father would have no-one.

 

[Wallace Montgomery III]

Wallace wasn't going to push Deirdre to talk, after all, it was probably quite a private manner, and if she didn't want to tell him, it was none of his business anyway. He had no right to interfere in her private matters. That's the sort of thing Christa would say, he thought, slightly amused by this. Usually he and his twin seemed to be on completely different planets. Maybe it was age that was making them more alike. That, however, was not the matter at hand. He found himself meeting her eyes, and his breath caught for a moment. She really was extremely beautiful, possibly the prettiest girl Wallace had ever seen. That thought simply made him smile all the brighter...until she turned away, that is.

"That is rather a shame," he started. It certainly seemed as though it wasn't pleasant for Deirdre, like she'd much rather be living in New Zealand with the rest of her family. "Perhaps one day you could relocate, too," he suggested, though she'd probably thought of it herself. "It's the opposite for me, really. I live in New Zealand but most of my family is here. It's only my twin sister and my older cousin who live there with me. I'm...I'm kinda glad it's only them, though," Wallace admitted, lowering his voice. He didn't tell many people about his family. Wallace wasn't a secretive person, but the memories were just too painful sometimes. He still vividly remembered the - often violent - ways they'd attempted to get rid of their magic, the neglect, but worst of all, the abject loathing in his own mother's eyes, the day before he first went to Hogwarts. And mostly, he was sad for Christa, not for himself. Wallace took everything in his stride. He locked up his bad memories and visited them occaisionally, but usually kept them out of his thoughts. Christa didn't have such a well-trained coping mechanism. Still, Wallace felt he had no right to complain. After all, he had Christa, and he had Isolde, and that was his family. Deirdre, on the other hand, she only had her father, and by the sounds of it, she wanted the rest of her family by her side.

 

[Deirdre Yearling]

Deirdre did manage to smile again at the thought of her sweet sisters and brothers. She smiled at Wallace too, for suggesting that they relocate. In the end she knew nothing like that would happen. "I would very much like to, but my father's work keeps him here. I must stay to care for him when he's not working. Truthfully, we are not welcome in New Zealand anyway. There is nothing for it but to stay and hope for a visit." she explained. Then again, that wasn't necessarily true. How often had her mother written to coax her to live with them? 'It isn't right for a woman your age to be sitting at home and caring for a washed up, dead-beat doctor.' her mother would write. Deirdre would always ghost over the topic in a reply. It was true that she needed to get out more, but it was obvious that Beatrice Blackmoore cared nothing for family obligations.

She couldn't help but reach out to place a hand gently on his arm when he spoke of his own family. It seemed that they weren't too different. There situations was quite different, but the fact remained that their families were broken in some way, and she knew quite what he meant. Deirdre had five brothers and sisters that she loved and adored, but how different would it be if she was a twin? If she had been estranged from a twin (which thankfully Wallace had not been) imagine her anguish then? She then realised that her hand had been resting on his arm far too long. Her cheeks lifted very slightly in an impish manner and she left her hand there. What had she to lose? He could shrug her off if he wanted to, but she was so deprived of human contact. Why not enjoy it while it lasted? Deidre grinned. "Well. At least I don't have in-laws," she chuckled. "And 'ye? Are 'ye married, single? In a relationship?". She prayed that she wasn't prying too much.

 

[Wallace Montgomery III]

Wallace tried not to show his disappointment when Deirdre said that she would not be able to come to New Zealand. It was rather a shame, for someone to be kept away from the people they loved. And selfishly, Wallace would have liked her to live in New Zealand, if only because it gave him the opportunity to see her more. Though he suspected she might be a little weirded out by that. He kept on smiling, however, because that was what Wallace did best. "Well...I do hope you'll have family visit you...or maybe get the opportunity to visit them," he added. He wasn't usually welcome at home, except for special occaisons. Like today. Considering his mother was on her deathbed. Which he supposed wasn't what you'd usually call a 'special occaision', but it didn't really matter.

Wallace didn't flinch from the contact - in fact, he welcomed it. It was so nice to have human contact, especially from a pretty woman like Deirdre. Christa wasn't a touchy-feely person, and Isolde was often out enjoying herself...so Wallace was usually without company. It was a shame, Wallace loved company. It was probably part of the reason he'd followed Deirdre - apart from compassion, that is. "Hah! Oh, no, I'm single," Wallace admitted, chuckling a little. "I guess the ladies just don't know what they're missing," he joked, with a wink. "I figured you'd have guys lining up to your door," he added, quietly, with an earnest smile. "Guess the boys don't know what they're missing out on, either."

 

[Deirdre Yearling]

Deirdre smiled sadly at that. "I wish they would, too, but I don't think so. Perhaps I just need to get out and about more to keep my mind off of things," she said to Wallace, trying not to grin at him. The barest hint of attraction slipped through and changed the meaning of her involuntary smile entirely. One look said it all; 'I'd like to be out and about with someone special Someone like you.' But that was all the hint she was willing to offer; they were strangers, no? Wallace may just be a sweet talker for all she knew. Even so, Deidre was no fool and new quite what the butterflies in her stomach meant. She was determined to keep a level head until he made signs of acceptance. Only then would she allow herself to be free and uncaring with another person. Deidre winced slightly. Did she really have the freedom to do so? She had to be with her father and give regular news to her family. There was no time for personal matters. Deirdre was miserable all over again. "It isn't fair," she said unconsciously, the picture of loneliness.

Oooh, single! she thought instantaneously, then berated herself. Deirdre steeled her face, allowed the tiniest smile of glee loose and continued gracefully. They were back at the small ice cream store by now and they stopped together at the partition into the outdoor section. "Oh, there's my letter," sighed Deidre in relief. Her arm, which had been resting on on Wallace' was now tucked discreetly around his instead. She deigned not to comment on his declaration of bachelorhood, lest she ask him out right there on the spot. "That's kind of 'ye to say, but I don't get out enough to have them lining up," she laughed, nudging his arm. "Nice that 'ye think so," she added innocently.

 

[Wallace Montgomery III]

There was still an inherant sadness evident in Deirdre's countenance, something that Wallace wanted to do his best to change. "Maybe you do, sweetheart," Wallace said, with a grin. "And, well, I'm here for the next couple of days, so I would be more than happy to take you out anywhere you want to go," he offered, almost shyly slipping an arm around her shoulders. It may have been a bit forward, but it was more a comforting gesture than anything else. Still, he quite liked the feeling of having her in his arm. He hoped it was something he'd get to experience again. "That is, if you'd like to. I'll be visiting pretty frequently over the next couple of months, so you're going to have to try very hard to get rid of me," Wallace said, with a wink. Okay, he was most definately coming on a little too strong, but that's how Wallace was. Besides, the butterflies in his stomach were hindering his ability to think straight. Not that Wallace was complaining.

"It isn't fair that you should have to be cooped up away from the world," Wallace stated, more seriously, as he pulled his arm back rather reluctantly. "Tell you what, would you like to grab an ice cream, or a drink, or something? I mean, you really don't have to if you don't want to, you can tell me I'm being creepy and run off if you like, but it's not often I get to meet someone new, and, well, you seem absolutely lovely, and I'd really like to spend time with you and get to know you better. We just met and all, but...well, yeah," he trailed off in to incoherence, a faint pink tinge appearing in his cheeks. Wallace rarely, if ever, blushed. It was definately Deirdre's doing. Don't run away, please, he silently urged her.

 

[Deirdre Yearling]

Wallace slipped his arm around her shoulders and Deirdre found herself leaning into him. Her cheek was pressed to his soft sweater and she hadn't felt so comfortable in her entire life - even with her arms wrapped around her darling Artemis. It was a different sort of comfort, and she wanted to bury her head into his chest and weep. But she did not. Bashfully, she lifted her eyes to his and smiled, once more heartened by the kindness in his voice. "I would like that very much. Rest assured I have no intention of trying to get rid of 'ye." Deidre looked at the ground and chuckled. "I daresay ye've stolen my breath to run, anyway." Wallace was being quite daring but she was not at all offended. In fact, if he had kissed her then and there in front of the whole street she would not have minded a bit.

He took his arm back though and the comforting warmth left. Deirdre swallowed silently. She'd not scared him off, had she? Apparently not, for if she didn't know better then it would seem her was actually asking her out. "Do 'ye mean to say ye'd like a date?" she said without thinking. Only the tiniest intake of breath signaled her shock at her bold words. "Oh excuse me, that's not what I meant. Ah ... I would very much like it if we saw each other again." she covered, taking his hand shyly in a gesture of acceptance. Goodness, he's blushing! she squeaked internally, leaning up to kiss his pink cheek. Wait, what? She was indeed kissing his cheek and was even standing on tiptoe to do so, but she had no idea how she had gotten from A to B so quickly. "Oh, I'm dreadfully sorry," she gasped, rocking back on her heels and covering her mouth.

 

[Wallace Montgomery III]

Wallace beamed when Deirdre said she didn't want to get rid of him. This was all going very well, very well indeed. "Heh, well, it's what I do best," Wallace joked, smirking slightly. "It's a good thing too, you've left me in a rather similar state, so I'm not quite sure how I'd be able to chase you down." Wallace said a lot of silly things. But he always meant them. Wallace never lied. Sure, he embellished and was dramatic sometimes, but he never, ever lied. It was a consequence of not thinking before he spoke. At least he spoke mostly in kindness. However, he and his brother had had many a shouting match when they were little, with Wallace telling Spenser exactly what he thought of him. Relations between the two of them had always been strained.

He was caught a little off guard by Deirdre's response - of course he'd like it to be a date, but he wasn't sure if that was a little too forward. But if she wanted it, then by all means, they'd go on a date. He beamed at her response - she said yes! In a roundabout way, but she said yes! He took her hand, and was about to say something, when he realised that she was kissing his cheek. She was kissing his cheek! This had to be the best day ever. Wallace was tempted to pinch himself to check he wasn't dreaming, check that he hadn't fallen asleep over his icecream. Oh, but that kiss was very real. And as far as he knew, he was very much alive, he hadn't died and gone to heaven or anything. "Please don't be sorry!" Wallace said quietly, hurriedly, with a rather silly smile on his face. And suddenly, he was bending down, and gently pulling her hand away from her mouth, and kissing her on the mouth, and oh, it was possibly too soon but he didn't think she was exactly resisting...and Wallace didn't care, he was kissing her and enjoying himself. Finally, he broke away, smiling in an embarassed but extremely happy manner. "I...I hope you didn't mind," he started, a little awkwardly. "I found myself quite unable to resist..."

 

[Deirdre Yearling]

Well, at least he wasn't angry at her for ... suddenly, Wallace was kissing her lips. Deidre's knees buckled and she fell against him lightly, leaning up and obliging him one of the best kisses she had ever received before. It had it all; the shooting stars, the romance, and one incredibly good kisser who was apparently quite into her already. Deidre opened her eyes to find herself pressed against his chest. "Mhm hm," she giggled dreamily. "Ye're welcome," she said vaguely with no relevance to anything said previously. In other words, 'I rather think I'll faint in a moment.' She blinked then, and looked up at his face which was looking quite embarrassed. Beaming all the wider, she only laughed. "Then scold me too, for not saying no. I rather think neither of us minded at all." If the look in her star-struck eyes were any indication.

It took Deirdre quite a long time to realise that she was still in his arms, and even longer to reluctantly extricate herself from his gentle hold. The abandoned letter was waving slightly in the breeze, and she pulled out her wand and pointed it at the parchment. "Accio," she said, catching it deftly as it flew towards her. "Thank goodness I didn't-" she began as she turned back towards Wallace. Pitter. Patter. "Oh," she began again, before a heavy London downpour washed over the street. Gasps and shrieks sounded all around and people furiously swept up their coffees and icecreams and raced inside. Within seconds, Deidre's letter was a sodden mess and the two of them were drenched to the bone. "No! Reparo!" moaned Deidre, little pieces of paper falling apart in her fingers. "Protego! Oh no,". Deidre fell against the side of the shop, watching the pulpy mess fall apart in her fingers. The despair was far beyond tears. It was too much today. With only droplets of water filling her palms, she buried her head into her hands.

 

[Wallace Montgomery III]

This was most definately the best day of his life. He'd just kissed an extremely beautiful woman, who seemed quite happy to be kissed by him. Okay, he couldn't really say it was the best day of his life, what with having to visit his family, but meeting Deirdre definately overshadowed that. Wallace was extremely glad he'd decided to stay in London those couple of extra days. He wouldn't have met her, otherwise, and that would have been a real shame. After all, Wallace would say without hesitation that Deirdre was probably the loveliest girl he'd ever had the good fortune to meet. He simply held her in his arms, hoping the day would never end, and hoping he'd get to spend a lot more time with Deirdre. Wallace had quite a bit of a crush, so to speak.

But before he knew it, it was raining, and they were drenched, and the letter, the letter that was so important to Deirdre...Wallace gasped. It was beyond repair. I kind of wish wizards would use email, Wallace found himself thinking, but now was not the time to muse. Deirdre looked absolutely devestated. Just seeing her like this broke Wallace's heart, and he found himself putting his arms around her and holding her, extremely worried. "It'll be okay, don't worry. I promise you it'll be okay..." he muttered. Words of comfort always seemed useless, but he, and many others, were never able to help saying them. He just tried to stay quiet, holding Deirdre in his arms.

 

[Deirdre Yearling]

Deidre whimpered softly with her face hidden in Wallace' chest but did not cry, too past that point to think in anything but abject misery. Her voice was shaking but she managed to take a deep breath and speak regardless, only turning her head from his shirt ever so slightly to do so. "I suppose I never heard good things from my mother, anyway. I do value letters from home ... but all I ever hear is about how well my siblings are doing without my father and how 'upset' she is that I am staying here to care for him. Worst yet, that I should ..." Tears began to creep out of her eyes. " ... find a husband, get a job and leave the 'old' man alone to die." Her small fingers were shaking as they clutched onto the fabric. "They hurt me deeply, but it is better than no word at all."

She took a shuddering breath and struggled to compose herself. Deidre pulled herself from Wallace' arms as though she did not deserve to be nestled in them. "I'm sorry," she said, glad of the pouring rain that hid her open tears as she stared down the street, unable to look at him. "'Ye need not listen to such things. I ought to go ..." said Deirdre. Her father wouldn't be home yet, but what was the point of staying? She would be cold, wet and alone with or without the Healer's presence. She turned her head back to Wallace and wrapped her arms around her body, shivering. By now her hair was plastered to the sides of her face but still curling as stubbornly as ever. "I could give 'ye my address, if 'ye'd like," she suggested in a tiny voice.

 

[Wallace Montgomery III]

Wallace listened closely to Deirdre's words, holding her closer than he was before. "Aw, sweetie," he muttered, running a hand through her sodden hair. "You poor, poor, thing. You don't deserve this," he mumbled, keeping her close to him. "I think you're doing a wonderful thing, caring for your father. Mothers are never right," he said, with a small bitter smile as he thought of his own mother. Constantly telling them that they were freaks who were upsetting the balance of nature, who didn't deserve to live, who shouldn't be associating with 'normal' people. Yet he and Christa went to visit her in her illness...only out of obligation, really. "Really, Deirdre, you are wonderful."

Family seemed to be the cause of so many problems. The thing that got people through, but the cause too. After all, Christa and Isolde were family, and he was truly grateful to have them. His parents and brother, however, he could do without. But they were his family, and he was obliged to care about them. Deirdre made to leave, but Wallace simply shook his head. "Let you go home all alone in the rain like this? Over my dead body!" he exclaimed. "Tell you what, how about you come with me, you can dry off, I'll get us something to eat, we can wait out the rain?" Wallace suggested, an innocent look on his face. All he wanted was to spend more time with Deirdre. He wasn't staying with his family, though they had a sizable home, but had instead taken a rather nice room for the next couple of nights. He just hoped Deirdre would be comfortable with his suggestion and would hopefully agree to it.

 

[Deirdre Yearling]

'Mothers are never right...' That can't be true, thought Deirdre. If so then we should all despair. No, just some mothers. Only some are terribly wrong, and whatever she says or does she is still my mother and I must mind her, she lamented inwardly, biting her bottom lip. Wallace shouldn't have had to listen to all of that. He could relate, she was sure, but no one liked a sob story and he ... was just a stranger in the end. She pictured his soft lips on hers again and shivered, though not from cold. Wallace was much more than a stranger now, and it would be her missed opportunity if she did not accept his kindness. Had he not just offered her a moment's respite from worry? Deirdre was wet enough anyway, but still she dried her cheeks with her thankfully spared handkerchief and smiled at him. "I couldn't say no to 'ye, Wallace." she said with a soft laugh.

"Shall we apparate?" she suggested. She would get to touch him then, and she allowed herself a devious smirk. Not that it wasn't a given in the first place, but she would take any contact with Wallace that she could get. It was a cold enough say as it wasn't without the rain and Deirdre hadn't even realised that she was shaking before she held out her hand to him. The dark clouds cast a pale light over her and made her look quite ill, and Deirdre moved forward in order to be closer to him. She sighed. "If we could go now?" she said timidly. She couldn't afford to get sick if she was to care for her father. It wasn't that Gregory Sr. was an invalid. He just simply did nothing for himself after the divorce. Deirdre cooked (and made sure he ate it), cleaned, payed the bills and did basically everything but go to work for the man. Wallace was her saviour now. It was just the respite she needed.

 

[Wallace Montgomery III]

Maybe he shouldn't have made the comment about mothers, because Deirdre still looked upset. Maybe it was his own mother skewing his view on things. His mother would never win mother of the year, that was for sure. Sure, she'd looked after them fairly well (always favouring Spenser, and then Christa, because she was the girl)...until they'd been accepted to Hogwarts. Then she'd just been cruel and neglectful. But Wallace would try not to dwell on that. Those memories had been locked away, and would hopefully never be revisited. He was just going to move on.

"Apparate we shall," Wallace started, an uneasy smile on his face as he tried to push those memories back in their box. He put his arms around her, and paused for a moment, trying to focus. He probably looked as though he'd spaced out, but he was trying his hardest to concentrate on the location. Finally, however, he got it, and with a cracking noise, they disappeared and reappeared outside Wallace's room. "Well, here we are, it's nothing special but it's home for the next 48 hours or so..." he stated with a grin, opening the door for Deirdre to go in first.

 

[Deirdre Yearling]

Finally she smiled, and only when he put her arms around her once more. Yes, that was where it felt best now, though she couldn't explain why being tucked there comfortably felt so right. If she wasn't quite careful she'd fall in love, and it was a dangerous thing to give of herself so freely after so little time. Deirdre would enjoy these moments while they lasted. No doubt she would not see him again when he left England to rejoin his sister. She pressed her face into his chest. Don't think about it. Worry when the time comes, and no sooner. Deirdre lectured herself. Second after they apparated, she let out a slight cough of discomfort. Apparating was probably one of her least favourite things to do as most wizards complained of. Nevertheless, her arms were still around Wallace's neck and it made her feel that much better. Grinning to herself, she let go of him and entered the room at his invitation.

It was an extremely pleasant room with whitewashed walls and blue carpet. She smiled impulsively at the amount of light that was filtering in from the tall windows. It was warm, thank goodness, and she was tired enough to sit down but was dripping water onto the welcome mat. "Oh dear," she said, peeling off her jacket and separating it from her practically see-through blouse. Deirdre looked down, went cherry red, covered her front with the jacket again and grinned at Wallace. "Ye, er, wouldn't mind if I took a shower? I don't know if you have a spare pair of trousers and an old t-shirt I might borrow while my clothes dry?" she suggested sheepishly. "Ye can go first, of course." Mmm ... wet sweater, she thought, averting her eyes from his chest.

 

[Wallace Montgomery III]

It was lovely to see Deirdre smiling again, she had such a beautiful smile that it quite warmed Wallace's heart to see it. He was falling for her, hard, and he had to keep reminding himself of the distance between them. Oh, but if she wanted, he would write, and he'd come visit her every weekend, or every other weekend if the frequency became a little too much for her to deal with. But there was no way he'd let Deirdre go easily. He didn't want to miss the chance he had here. He wasn't going to lose her if he could help it.

Wallace flushed a little as Deirdre took off her jacket, and tried very hard to avert his eyes. It took a lot of self-control. All he could do was nod at her suggestion, before heading to the small cupboard to pull out a pair of jeans and a plain black t-shirt. "Um, these might be a bit big, but they should do for the moment," he stated. "But you're the guest, and you're a lady, so you have twice the reason to go first," he said, giving a mock bow and motioning towards the bathroom, allowing Deirdre to take a shower before taking one himself and dressing in more appropriate attire.

 

[Deirdre Yearling]

When Deirdre emerged from the shower and was soon alone once more, then moved to the full length art mirror on the wall and checked herself for imperfections. True, the jeans and shirt were entirely too big for here, being so small, the jeans especially only just managing to stay on her hips. She made a mental note to keep her thumbs hooked in the waistband, just in case. The t-shirt was a success however, being big enough to cover everything. It was wide at the collarbones though and she had to constantly shrug it up to keep a bare shoulder from appearing. Deirdre snuck a side glance towards the shower where Wallace was still getting warm again. She'd be mortified if he walked out and caught her fussing over her appearance. But then again, if he knew it was for him, perhaps he wouldn't. He hair was fine, and her face. She could relax.

Deirdre spread herself out unashamedly on the incredibly comfortable white sofa, her head falling back as she relaxed. She could forget her troubles for now and just focus on getting to know this man more. Deirdre smiled to herself. It was at that moment that Wallace re-entered the room, and she leapt up like an electrocuted fish. The black t-shirt decided to make a break for it and almost fell off entirely, but she caught it just in time. Nevertheless, her embarrassment was total as she pressed the black material over her chest and hitched it up again. "Ah ... as 'ye may have noticed I am not exactly appropriately attired for lunch out," she said, making light of her wardrobe malfunction. Deirdre pulled up the jeans that were making a much sneakier dash to the floor. "Lunch inside, then?" she suggested with an impish grin. She swallowed. He looks wonderful. Deirdre sighed inwardly. His skin was still slightly pink from hot water, and the wet hair was to-die-for.

 

[Wallace Montgomery III]

Wallace found himself impressed by Deirdre, how even when wearing some of his clothes that were entirely too big for her, she was still incredibly gorgeous. Course, he'd thought Deirdre was gorgeous anyway, but this just confirmed how beautiful she was. Oh stop it, you oaf, he told himself. You're getting too silly and sentimental. You only just met her. He bit his lip as she had a minor wardrobe malfunction and nearly lost the outfit. Wallace, out of politeness, attempted to look away, but found it extremely difficult to do so.

He was glad of her making light of the situation, obviously it hadn't been too mortifying for her. "Heh, sorry. Didn't really have anything smaller," he admitted, with a shrug. Wallace wasn't a tall guy, about 5'8", but compared to Deirdre, he was almost a giant. Wallace didn't mind the height difference though. He thought that she was absolutely adorable. "Lunch inside was exactly what I was thinking," he grinned, pushing strands of his hair away from his eyes. "Alright, I'll go out and get something, and I'll be back as soon as I can, alright? Don't go leaving now," he said, giving her a serious look - although the spark of mirth in his eyes gave him away. Within seconds, he apparated away, and about ten minutes later, returned with butterbeer and pizza. "Miss me?" he grinned, setting things down on the small table for the two of them.