At the Burrow

[thecoolone]

They walk down the lane leading to the house; it's always amused Bill so very highly that Muggles don't know the place is there. After all, it's a four-storey building with a very loud ghoul in the attic. Fleur's hand held tightly in his, he pushes open the front door.

A virtual marketplace of smells hits him, and he knows Mum's been cooking. They step in, into the kitchen with its overflowing shelves. A knife is busy dicing potatoes in one corner and a brush scrubs a pot in another. The oven is hot; some sort of roast is cooking there and it smells simply divine: spicy and succulent and Bill realises that no matter how excellent the food at the bar, the emotional component of the phrase eating at home is one he always underestimates. He gives Fleur's hand a squeeze, smiling.

"Mum, Dad, surprise..."

He feels Fleur move behind him just a little bit as the door opens and Molly bustles in, a cooking rag in her hands and an apron over her clothing. "Bill! I saw the clock hands change... it's been so long!" She hugs him fiercely before standing back and taking in the situation.

"...and Fleur. How lovely to see you."

Air kisses all around.

As mums worldwide are wont to do, she brushes the hair back from her son's face and Bill knows she's doing a mental calculation on how much of his hair she can cut, or ask him to cut, before she treads into dangerous territory. "Why didn't you tell us you were coming! Arthur's out in the shed disassembling a Muggle alarm clock... oh, dear, it's good to see you!"

Bill just grins and takes Fleur's hand into his again. He knows he only wants to make the announcement once. "Shall I go let Dad know we're here?"

Comments

[thecoolone]

With a laugh, Bill rests his arm around Fleur's shoulder. "So, Mum. Dad. Want to hear about the rest of our trip there?" He's very sketchy on some details, like where they've been living and staying before the lure of Nevada, although he's relatively sure that Dumbledore sent word to his parents that he was safe. But since Molly doesn't object and he knows his dad is enchanted to pieces by all things Muggle, so he launches into rather a lot of detail about the casinos in general and the slot machines in particular.

"You'd like them, Dad. Very fascinating."

There are pictures of their suite at Caesar's Palace, too, and he does show all that off.

There's a method to this madness: the more he tells the story, the more everybody in the room relaxes. After all, it's hard to be suspicious of a son and new daughter-in-law when there's an engaging story going on.

Then again, he doesn't talk about the lap dances or Fleur's pole dance, or the orange thigh-high boots or deciding to frame the underpants. There are some things that parents don't need to know.

When he's done regaling them, he leans over and kisses Fleur on the cheek.

"So. Here we are, and we're married, and we wanted to tell you, and..."

And that's that. The lemonade glasses are all empty.

"...and I'm going to take my very lovely bride for a little walk round outside, if that's all right with you."

It's not a bad idea: it will give his parents a chance to talk.

And it will give Fleur a chance to smoke. Without waiting, he stands and takes her hand in his, leading her towards the door. "We'll be back in a few minutes."

The last thing he sees is his mother giving a look of something -- excitement? despair? disgust? -- to his dad, but they'll work it out.

[leplusbeau]

*Fleur is already out the door and taking frantic drags on her first smoke. Down to the filter. Her hands are only shaking a little.*

*She looks up at Bill and grins. Very small grin, but a grin none the less.*

...that waz fun. We should do it more often.

[thecoolone]

He kisses both sides of her grin. "It was loads of fun, Fleur." Bill really does try to imagine how his mum has to be feeling, but that pales in comparison to the way Fleur was shaking beneath his hands when they first made their way outside. "Still, my love, I wouldn't have done this any other way. I love you, I'm thrilled we're married, and I don't give a dragon's fang what anybody else thinks, my parents included."

He means it, too.

Steal you away with me in the middle of the night. Take you somewhere without judgment, without worries, without stress.

They wander to the base of an old oak tree; Bill sits beneath and and motions for Fleur to join him. "I always feel like a child when I come back home, Fleur. We used to use this tree as a base playing tag, and growing up here was wonderful." He lets out a small sigh. "But we need a place to call our own. While we're here, we should start to look. After we tell your mum, of course."

[leplusbeau]

*helpful*

We can start tomorrow! We can go out and look! ...and spend time with your family. *That is most mumbled against her fingers as she takes her cigarette and puts it out in the grass.*

*And buries her face in his chest.* Love you.

...that would be nice. A little place with a big bed.

[thecoolone]

"Perfect."

He wraps his arms around her and looks up at the stars in the sky. It's peaceful here, and it smells like home and it feels like home, but it doesn't feel like their home. And they need their own place and he knows that as pleasant as it is at the bar, they need a place out here. They can't hide at the end of the universe forever.

"Tomorrow."

For tonight he's content to be here, to have got this announcement over with, to hold her in his arms. He knows they'll go back in eventually and be steered to separate rooms; it's his mum's way. He also knows his dad will give him an apologetic glance and shrug of his shoulders; that's his dad's way. And it's fine.

It's fine.

News like this takes a little while to sink in, and they don't need to stay here for as long as that takes. They can go to London, start looking for flats, go to Paris, tell Fleur's mum, go back to Milliways, gather up their things, and... see where life takes them.

It can't help but happen.