The Weather Outside is Frightful... (Ed/Open)

[Cassie Vimes]

... But Ed is so delightful.

Christmas Eve brought the usual bustle of regulars to the Hog’s Head, people who wanted to get a few last rounds in before they’d be forced home to families and Britain would appear to shut down for the festive period. On top of that there were a few groups in the pub a constant murmur of noise coming from their tables as they chatted away merrily, occasionally swelling into raucous laughter as one among them told a particularly amusing anecdote.

Normally Cassie would have enjoyed being somewhere so busy, leaving Ed to do the real work tending bar while she flitted from table to table making small talk. It was only four days since she had been rescued, however, and in a fit of melodrama that didn’t really suit her she felt rather like she could never be happy again. Dacian was dead and not only that his body had vanished, most likely destroyed by the sun before she could give him a proper burial and get any sense of closure.

Closure was a lie anyway, like she was going to suddenly accept that he was gone when she kept expecting him to walk in at any moment. Cassie was moping near the end of the bar, the half-pint glass in front of her was more for show than anything else and it sat untouched, butterbeer inside it probably lukewarm by now. Apart from the dark circles from a couple of sleepless nights there were no physical signs that she’d been locked in a basement for two days less than a week ago. The healers at St. Mungos had done their job and done it well, even fixing up Ed’s nose nice and straight despite be being an older injury.

Cassie let out a small sigh, gathering up her blonde hair and tying it back carelessly. ”Ed,” She called when she spotted he had a free moment. Over the past few days she’d been reluctant to leave his company and this evening was no different, so despite the fact that she’d rather be upstairs away from everyone being so annoyingly cheerful she was sitting at the bar instead. It was a challenge not to call him away from work too often, she didn’t want to be the needy girlfriend.

”I love you,” She said as soon as he was close enough. Cassie leaned across the bar, reaching out to squeeze his hand with a flicker of a smile on her lips. ”Thank you.” So far she’d avoided talking about it, this was probably the first time she’d really thanked him properly. He deserved to be thanked and the fact that it had taken her four days to muster up the courage to do so was pathetic. It was a wonder he put up with her at all.

[/font]

[Edward Johns]

With Christmas came more and more hustle and bustle. Tourists, holiday celebrators and holiday escapers all flittered through the Hog’s Head’s doors and Christmas Eve was no exception. The pub was absolutely full of people and Edward Johns was working his ass off. The enormous number of patrons hadn’t really allowed the man to slow down and reflect on what had happened only four days ago. He had saved Cassie and killed a vampire all with a strong chance that he himself could have been killed. Really, he should be a nervous wreck like the bartender at Scores but at the present time Ed was still sane thanks to work.

The same could not be said for Cassie, Dacian’s death Ed could see was hitting her pretty hard. Part of him hated that fact and didn’t want to be anywhere near the girl but the majority of him just wanted to hug her and tell her it would all be ok. Then there was that tiny part of him that wanted to throw a party at Dacian’s parting but that would probably be inappropriate at this point in time. The man glanced up from pouring drinks to where the girl was seated at one end of the bar. How he wished she would smile again, he missed it, missed her.

Since he himself couldn’t get down to her just yet, Ed picked up the black bundle of fur chewing one of his old shoes and placed the puppy on the bar, nudging the dog towards Cassie. Rowdy was only too happy to oblige and bounded down the wooden surface, tongue lolling out to one side. Heartily the Labrador puppy licked at the girl’s face, puzzled as to why she was so mopey. Mopey was not what he liked to see. He’d cheered up Vivian when she was down so why would Cassie be any different? Tail wagging unbelievably fast, Rowdy forced his nose under one of Cassie’s hands and lifted his head so it was like she was patting him.

From the other end of the bar Ed eyed the puppy and chuckled at Rowdy. The dog always cheered him up when he was down unlike stupid tourists who kept asking the same questions. With a growl he told the ones bothering him where to find the stupid tunnel of the Battle of Hogwarts. The group scurried quickly off where pointed to go with much thanks as Ed sighed, damn tourists. As soon as they left he heard a familiar voice call his name, at the sound of it his heart skipped a beat. Automatically he moved to Cassie, though he was unsure of what would greet him. The two of them hadn’t exactly been entirely honest about their feelings over what had happened four nights ago.

What did greet him made Edward flush a bright red and a huge soft smile spread across his face. She loved him, but did she mean it? To him he had every right to be a little wary but there was no Dacian to run back to now so he supposed he could believe it. ”I love you too, always have, always will,” Ed replied softly, what a sap he was. A few months ago he’d been screwing whoever whenever but now he was totally whipped.

”It was no problem at all, do it all the time. I’m really a hero in disguise, the bar is just for cover and Rowdy is my faithful sidekick, too bad he was sleeping the other night otherwise he probably would have killed that vampire singlehandedly,” Ed joked in reply to Cassie’s thanks and instantly regretted it. Probably not the most appropriate thing to joke about so soon. He grimaced apologetically, ”Sorry that wasn’t funny.” for a moment he stood in silence, slightly embarrassed.

”How are you Cassie?” Ed finally spoke up with the soft question. It could be taken in any way but Ed really wanted to know how she was holding up.

[Cassie Vimes]

It was a sad state of affairs indeed if even a puppy as outrageously adorable as Rowdy couldn’t cheer Cassie up. The flicker of a weak smile ghosted across her lips as the black bundle of fur pushed his head under her palm and she shifted her hand to scratch idly behind his ears. Normally she’d be encouraging him to chew patron’s shoelaces and treat handbags as fetch objects, but all she seemed to be able to manage was a bit of despondent patting.

”Always?” She asked, unable to hide the surprise from her voice. Since their unexpected reunion she’d done nothing but treat him poorly, running off with Dacian and trading insults whenever they met. Cassie didn’t feel she deserved such a declaration and couldn’t quite believe it was true. She wished they could go back to school time, when their biggest concern had been getting caught sneaking into the broom closet. Life could never be that simple.

Even now Dacian was coming between them, his death too raw, too recent for her to be able to put it behind her. As much as she wanted to prove to Ed she could be happy with him, it was kind of hard to act like the events four day before had never happened. For now all she could do was pretend it didn’t hurt and hope it somehow miraculously came true. Cassie forced a smile onto her lips, which flickered and died at the mention of Cain.

”You’re my hero.” She insisted, determined not to think about the two days of torture she’d suffered. Instead she focused on Ed, his voice soft and comforting and his hand warm on hers. ”Oh, you know,” Cassie shrugged, dropping her gaze. There was no way her lip was trembling, she pressed her mouth into a thin line to hide it. ”Just peachy considering.” It wasn’t exactly a lie…

[/font]

[Edward Johns]

Idly Edward fiddled with the rag in his hands though it was clear that Cassie had his full attention. There were no customers; there was no bar, nothing else but her. It took a moment before he decided he was no use standing over her like he was. Leaving his post behind the bar Ed pulled up a stool beside the girl and sat facing her. After what seemed like an eternity they both were here ready to try and start again. There were no vampires to get in the way this time, but there was still the wake they had left. Yes Edward loved Cassie but he did not necessarily trust her fully, time would have to be taken for it to be regained.

At the girl’s whispered question Ed nodded, looking into her eyes earnestly. He had always loved her, just a lot of the time he’d tried to convince himself that he didn’t, which was where all the other women came in. ”Yes, always,” he answered softly, reaching out and taking one of her hands in his. He squeezed it gently and sidled his stool up next to hers, a meek smile on his face. With his free hand he reached up and tucked a blonde curl back behind her ear before reaching around to the nape of her neck to pull her head to his in an awkward hug. The man grinned when Cassie called him her hero, it wasn’t exactly a common term people used to describe him unless they were drunk or desperate for a drink.

”I know you enough to know you’re not ‘peachy’. Talk to me, please. Tell me what’s going on in that thick, stubborn head of yours,” Ed frowned, more out of concern than anything else. The drop of the head and the pursing of the lips told him that she wasn’t anywhere bear being peachy, even considering. ”I’m sick of the half-truths between us. Isn’t that what drove us apart in the first place? I don’t care if you want to talk about Dacian either,” the man spoke up, his voice serious and calm, though at the mention of the vampire’s name it faltered slightly.

[Cassie Vimes]

Cassie felt immediate guilt when Ed left his post behind the bar and came around to sit beside her. He was supposed to be working. He needed this income and she was distracting him, she needed to pull herself together. But it was hard to do that, to go back to pretending everything was okay and that she didn’t need his coddling, when he said things like that. It was just what she needed to hear, a promise that, no matter what, Ed would care about her. He wouldn’t leave her like last time, like Dacian and her mother had done.

She melted into the hug, not caring that she had to twist awkwardly on her barstool to get closer to him. ”You too.” Cassie whispered, voice small. Why should he believe her? When so many of her actions recently had hurt him, sometimes deliberately. ”I’m so sorry.” No matter how many times she apologised it didn’t feel like enough. She knew it would take time for him to trust her word again, but she’d never been very good at being patient and she wished she could be certain she wasn’t just hurting him more by being so clingy.

One of the reasons Cassie had clammed up over the past few days, was that talking to Ed about what had happened meant she had to think about it. She didn’t want to, every time her mind strayed to the shack, to Cain and those two nights when she hadn’t been sure if she was going to survive or not, she got shaky. Every single emotion she’d felt at the time seemed to come flooding back, the fear most of all and Cassie had to resist the urge to check over one shoulder to see if Cain was there. Even though she knew she was safe here, at the Hog’s Head. Even though she knew he was dead, had even seen his head severed from his body.

She gave a wavering smile as he correctly deduced that she wasn’t really fine. She should have known he wouldn’t let her wallow in silent misery for long. ”I’m sorry,” Cassie apologised again, feeling tears welling in her eyes and pulling her hand from his to wipe them away before they could trickle down her cheeks. ”I just don’t want to be frightened any more.” Her voice was quiet, uncertain and at Ed’s mention of Dacian she had to fight off a fresh well of tears. ”And I miss him.” Cassie admitted reluctantly. Ed was being so supportive, but she didn’t think he’d be able to understand that, there was no love lost between him and Dacian.

[/font]

[Edward Johns]

Happy to have the girl in his arms, Ed sat and waited patiently for whatever it was Cassie would say next. Finally having her in his arms was a bittersweet victory. One the one hand he and Cassie were together for the moment like Ed had wanted since they’d been reunited but on the other hand all the time they were together she was mourning about Dacian. Personally the man did not miss having the vampire around at all but it seemed ever from the grave he was getting in the way but if the blonde in his arms needed time to get over the thing’s death then time would be what Ed gave her.

”You don’t need to keep apologising to me,” the man sighed softly, pulling Cassie as close as the awkward hug would allow. He rubbed one of her arms affectionately before he kissed her lightly on her head. A part of Ed wondered where else he could kiss but the more sensible part of him told him that the girl still needed space. This received an inward groan, how long till space needn’t be given anymore? For a moment he toyed with the idea of a proper kiss but still the sensible voice told him no. In the end it received a little help.

The mention of how she missed Dacian made Ed stiffen and almost let go of the girl immediately. Yes he’d said they could talk about the vampire but the clench in his stomach at the mention of his name from Cassie obviously meant he wasn’t ready to. ”There’s no need to be frightened any more. You’re here where it’s safe and all the monsters are gone.
Dacian –his muscles clenched- wouldn’t want you to be hung up on his death. I’m not saying forget him and move on, just try and remember all the good things about him and that he’s gone to a better place,” yeah, Hell. The man tried to sound sympathetic and comforting but there was bitterness obvious in his voice, not to mention how sappy all the clichés sounded.

”Why don’t you go up to bed, you’ll feel better after some sleep. I’ll be up soon, okay?” finally he let Cassie go and moved away from her. There was still work to be done and although Ed wanted Cassie to talk to him he wasn’t all that sure he wanted to hear it.

[Cassie Vimes]

Already Cassie felt a little better, just having Ed’s arms wrapped around her made her feel more reassured. She tilted her head and let it rest on his shoulder, deciding she could quite easily stay here forever, safe and warm, comforted by the familiar feeling of being next to him and the carefully chosen soothing words he said to her. ”But I do.” She mumbled into his neck, getting more from the gentle brush of his hand over her arm and the kiss to the top of her head than his words could ever give her. Ed always had been a terrible liar and not because he couldn’t sound convincing, but because his body language always gave him away. When he held her like that she could almost believe she had his forgiveness.

She didn’t know what she’d done to deserve it. To deserve him. Telling her she didn’t need to apologise any more when she owed him so many, trying to be understanding about Dacian when she of all people knew how much the two men had hated each other. It would be stupid of her to think Dacian’s death could wipe the slate clean. The moment might have been perfect, perhaps even the first time she truly relaxed since the whole incident, if only he hadn’t asked her to talk about it. Forcing those memories to the surface when all she wanted to do was forget.

Her worries were only confirmed when she felt Ed tense up, his arm around her suddenly feeling more possessive than comforting. ”I know,” Cassie admitted, pressing on as though she couldn’t tell how much Ed was struggling to be supportive. She placed a hand on his chest, pushing out of the hug slightly to look up at him. ”It’s just hard to remember Cain isn’t coming back, I keep jumping at shadows.” She tried a smile to hide the shiver that ran down her spine. It was pretty hard to believe he was dead when she’d seen Dacian survive so much and she couldn’t close her eyes without catching a glimpse of Cain’s snarling face.

Cassie wasn’t entirely convinced by Ed’s attempts to reassure her about Dacian either. It all sounded rather sugar coated, but she was sick of arguing with him so she only nodded, pouting when he pulled away. She didn’t want to leave his side, but the mention of sleep forced her to stifle a huge yawn and it wasn’t fair to keep him from work when it was obvious that neither of them were ready to really talk about what had happened. ”Okay,” She agreed reluctantly and, knowing that she wouldn’t have a hope of getting to sleep until Ed joined her upstairs Cassie added a quiet ”Don’t be long.”

[/font]

[Samuel Jacobs]

Reconnaissance. Not exactly his usual gig, typically someone much younger did this sort of work but with his wife out of the country, he needed some distraction and a change of scenery and pace was just what he needed to stop fretting over her safety. Of course she was fine, but Samuel always worried.

So far, Samuel had learned a lot. When you knew what you were listening for, it was easy to fill in the gaps. He had most of the story already. He knew the main players, he knew the majority of their role in all this, and he had one side of the story from a rather irate and currently restrained vampire. When it seemed he was not going to learn much more tonight by eavesdropping, he recapped what he had so far.

Number one, Dacian hadn’t changed, except perhaps in his choice in woman this time. She smelled like his type, but she was far from brunette and buxom. Something to puzzle over, but not exactly imperative to the mission.

Number two, Dacian was dead. At least to these mortals. He knew otherwise, of course, but knowing that these people were not expecting him back was one detail that was good to know.

Thirdly, and most surprisingly, Edward had killed Cain. That was the last piece of the puzzle to fall into place, and Samuel wondered just how badly Dacian would take that. He was an ego-driven soul, and knowing a mortal had succeeded where he had failed – especially a mortal he considered and emotional threat – would surely not go down well.

As soon as he had entered the establishment, he’d known the murder weapon. How could he not? Still caked in blood and hung in pride of place behind the bar. A little macabre, but it was a hint towards the type of person this Edward was. He was proud, and not afraid to demonstrate a little force. Putting such a bloody prize on display – even if it meant nothing to anybody but himself and Cassandra – was surely and indication that there was something a little dark in this boy. That was not to say that Samuel disapproved of Edward’s motives. He had been defending the woman he loved, that was cause for a little morality waver in his book, but displaying his success so boldly was a little excessive.

It was no wonder Dacian had taken such a dislike to him. Edward Johns was a little too big for his boots, though Samuel hoped that he’d grow into them, he was a fine man otherwise. He sat there consoling his love, albeit bitterly, over a man who had undoubtedly put a wedge between the two and if history repeated itself, wiggled it about until he’d caused a crack. Dacian had his strong points, but his approach to relationships was not one of them. The only thing that saved him was the lack of a ring on that girl’s finger. Dacian was many things, but a temptation to adultery was not one of them for which Samuel was thankful.

The two were obviously infatuated, but there was a tension between them that was strung so finely that Samuel wondered if it was all to do with Dacian. He’d obviously plucked on the strings, but perhaps he had found a scab to pick at, a weakness to exploit to get his way. Samuel huffed and sipped at his wine. No good debating what Dacian had and hadn’t done to rattle the bars around the girl’s heart; he’d got enough information for tonight, it was time to leave before he caused suspicion.

He stood, picking his travelling robes from the table in one hand and his wineglass in the other. He swallowed the last of it with a grimace as if he was unaccustomed to the sour taste, wove his way between the jostling clientele and set the empty glass on the bar. Despite the bustling patrons and having been sat across the room, he’d heard everything the young couple had exchanged even when a person not more than three feet away would not have. For vampires, senses only became more acute with age.

The girl had bid her goodnight and Samuel cleared his throat as he leaned both elbows on the bar with a pointed look towards the boy. “Excuse me, sir, might you direct me toward the Three Broomsticks?” His voice had a not-quite-British accent, something European tainted it, though it was so diluted you wouldn’t be able to guess. The habit of talking tight-lipped was so natural now that it did not impede his speech. Flashing fangs was guaranteed to blow your cover.

Normally, talking to a man you were investigating was not exactly protocol, but Samuel took a more personal approach to his work. It was unlikely Edward would remember him in the future. He was so average that he was just another anonymous face in the crowd, someone to instantly dismiss. His hair was cropped not-too short, and was a light nameless brown. His face had a day or two’s worth of stubble and he had no distinguishing marks to speak of. Even his eyes were a shade of dark blue that tended not to warrant more than a quick glance. His clothes were not too out-of-fashion wizard-wear, neutral and colour and not striking in any way. On the outside, he was incredibly unremarkable; the inside was another matter entirely.

[Edward Johns]

”I’m sure the jumping at shadows will fade,” Edward said reassuringly, trying not to think of Scores’ late night barman. He was a jumpy as they came and the rumour was he’d been a soldier, but, he supposed, that guy had been to Hell and back and was the worst case scenario. Cassie wouldn’t end up like that surely. Cain was gone with no chance of ever coming back, the next student who broke into the Shrieking Shack would see his decapitated body and find out first hand. Though he didn’t say, for the last few nights he’d had nightmares about it and thought maybe letting Cassie know she wasn’t alone there would be a good way to go.

”Hey,” he called as she left, ”If it’s any help at all, you’re not the only one having nightmares.” With one last soft smile he turned away and went to prepare to close. Christmas tomorrow meant the one day of the year the pub was closed. As soon as the clock behind the bar struck tomorrow he would officially be on holiday and the Hog’s doors closed. The regulars spotted the barkeep stacking chairs and, one by one, began to trickle out the front door back to their homes for the holiday. As per usual there was a tourist amongst them who needed some form of directions.

”Three Broomsticks, turn left out the front door, then turn down the fifteenth alley on the right and you should come out straight in front of it, although...” the man checked his watch, quarter to twelve, ”By now it’s probably shut, I have a room upstairs you can have if you’d like until the Three B’s is open again of course.” Ed thought for a moment about which room specifically was free. He had his flat next to Vivian’s room and opposite that was where Lenora slept, so rooms four and six were free.

He smiled politely at the stranger and thought some more. He probably wanted to stay in the Three Broomsticks more than the Hog’s Head as was the way with tourists. ”Actually, if you really want to stay there that bad I can come with you and get you in. I know the guy that runs it, we’re good mates,” actually the owner hated his guts but the man could never resist business especially if he was taking it from the Hog’s Head.

[Samuel Jacobs]

Sam gave a polite nod of his head as the directions and shook his head at the offer of the room. Speaking to the subject and staying in his residence were two entirely different things. Besides, Lenora and Vivian would give him away in a matter of minutes. “Thank you, but I must decline. I don’t wish to drag your evening out any longer.” With a closed lip smile, he tugged his cloack tight around him and made ready to leave.

“I shall make my way there myself, I’m sure I can persuade somebody to open up.” He glanced to Cassie then back to Edward. “Enjoy your evening, sir.” Before Ed could offer more of his help, Samuel left, closing the door carefully behind him. It wasn't that he didn’t appreciate the offer, but he should be keep away from the other vampires in the village.

Dacian’s impression of the boy seemed to be a little skewed. He should have known better to expect Dacian’s version of a person, he wasn’t exactly a people person. Edward was polite, thoughtful, and obviously cared considerably for Cassandra. Knowing Dacian, Edward had probably been provoked. Cassie was a handsome woman, but the mystery remained that she did not fit Dacian’s type.

Samuel shrugged to himself and walked briskly up the door of the Three Broomsticks and gave a sharp rap. The far-off shuffling told him somebody had heard, and he would not have to spend his night in a crypt or some other unsavoury place. He looked around the street before the door opened and a tired old man stood blinking at him. Hogsmeade was a quaint old place, and Sam was glad to be staying somewhere like this. He stepped into the inn and was met with the warmth from the hearth and the faint smells of tobacco and good food. He sighed happily, yes, this would be a nice place to take a rest from coven life.