Overture

Slipping her hands into the back pockets of her denim shorts, hooking thumbs in the belt loop, Juliet watched the people that passed her as she slipped through the growing crowd, the air buzzing with a language that she did not understand. Her green eyes clouded with curiosity and concern as a man's voice increased angrily just as he passed her. Flinching away from him slightly she only calmed down completely once his booming voice was out of ear shot. She knew that he probably hadn't been directing it at herself, but the fact that she couldn't understand what he was saying did not help her nerves.

She was getting really tired of nerves.

Hogwarts had been getting unbearably stifling. Every corner she turned she either couldn't stop herself from looking over her shoulder or screaming in frustration. It finally got to the point that she simply could not stay. She had to get out, and her feet had followed her hearts desire. Before she had even really thought about it she had found herself in France.

Only now she was stuck, in a foreign country, completely trapped by her inability to understand spending every few moments glancing at the palace like building that she had no hope of sneaking into. She had gotten away from one school, she hardly believed she could find a way into another one.

Besides... she probably wasn't wanted anyway.

Her constant glancing around, both towards the school, and to check the people around her, must have made her seem lost to some kindly gentleman, for he took one look at her and approached, the concern look on his face completely lost from the girl's perception simply because she could not understand the words he was saying.

"Vous êtes perdu? S'il vous plaît, laissez-moi vous aider."

Taking a step back from the man, she flinched at finding her way blocked by more people moving passed her, and not a single one of them thought it strange for an older man to be talking to a young girl. Didn't the damn French have child abductors warnings or what not. Didn't anyone see what was wrong with this picture.

Swallowing hard she attempted to stutter out something that would make him go away with the minuscule French she knew, but only stutters would come out, "Je-je ne, Je ne p-pa-"

Spoiler:

"Juliet?" His hands came to rest on her arms, a shadow falling over his face as dark brown eyes rested on the old man. Muscles rippling under tattooed flesh, his hold on her tightened, lips parted to reveal teeth. The old man took a quick step backward, shock and - was that fear? - evident on his face. Furrowing his brows slightly, Zander tilted his head, allowing his hair to shift and the sunlight to illuminate his expression, his kind smile wavering slightly.

"Merci pour avoir tenté deaider, monsieur." He said politely, nodding to the elder. "Je vais prendre la suite."

His hands stopped rubbing her arms the moment he realized he was doing it, instead turning her about and holding her at an arms-length. His eyes searched her face, expression unreadable, before his lips split into a wide grin and he was holding her, spinning about with her in his arms.

"Julie!" He cried happily. "What are you doing here? I thought I'd have to wait until summer to see you again!" He slowed to a stop, still holding her up and off the ground, tight to him. "I am so happy to see you again."

Spoiler:

His voice reached her ears before his hands found their way onto her arms; it was the only thing that kept her from jumping out of her skin at the suddenness of the action. Swallowing and leaning a back against the boy, her muscles relax completely and she allowed herself to see she was being slightly silly. The man hadn't looked anything but kind until this moment. A blush crept into her face as she slowly began to realize her over reaction.

"So-désolé," she gave a weak grin to the man before she was turned around, and Zander completely wiped whatever thought she had from her mind. Giggling slightly, she wrapped her arms around him to keep from feeling as if she were going to slip as she was spun around. It was after a moment of curling into his hold that she even remembered that he was speaking.

"I was-" lonely, "Bored with Hogwarts. I thought I'd go see-" you, "you know... somewhere knew. I've only been to France once you know." Giving a half grin her expression turned almost shy, "And you know... summer seemed so far away. I thought maybe..." she gave a tiny shrug of her shoulders, shaking her head.

"I missed you, okay?"

His eyes were still drinking her in, sweeping over her features, praying that he wasn't dreaming her up again. She felt real, that was for sure, but didn't all dreams before you awoke? His hold on her tightened slightly, even as he gazed up at her, brown eyes sparkling warmly. Her words washed over him like the sweetest of chocolate, the sort he had never been able to afford. Something bubbled in the back of his throat, something he didn't quite want to be the first to admit, but it just-

"I missed you." The words spilled out of his mouth the same time hers did, and a slight red color rising to his cheeks as he recognized what he'd said. The truth rung in the air about them, and for some reason he couldn't wipe the grin off his face.

"You missed me?" He asked softly, nuzzling his nose against hers. "I missed you too, so so much. But I did not find you when I went to Hogsmeade."

She seemed almost... relieved to hear he missed her too. Juliet did not wish anyone else to feel the pain of missing someone, however she still could not stop the little wave of excitement, of happiness that came through her knowing that she was missed. Being missed...

Had to mean that they cared, at least a little, right?

"Of course I missed you silly," she said softly, grinning widely and nuzzling back, "You're - you're-" she paused for a moment, blushing deeply as she caught herself, biting her lip she decided to continue anyway, "Special. Far too special not to miss."

The thought that he had been so close to her, but she had not seen him, caused her to frown a moment, "I don't- I don't go to Hogsmeade much any more. There's -" too many people was what she was going to say, but instead she shook it off, and put a grin back on her face, forcing away the thoughts that were anything less than perfect. "Come. I hear France is supposed to have such great shopping. Might as well see if it lives up to the reputation while I'm here, yes?"

"Special?" He teased lightly, ignoring the way his own blush darkened with pleasure. No one had ever told him that before. "Suppose that makes you special too, if I can't help but wonder where you are when I should be-" He faltered slightly, distracted by the way her lips were captured between her teeth. "-should be- thinking of..." His pupils dilated slightly, and he swallowed. "-other things."

She felt so alive and there in his arms, it was inevitable that the thought of putting her down caused his arms to tighten. His eyes searched her face, eyebrow furrowing as she seemed to... "Are you alright?" He asked, his voice lowered in concern. He pulled her closer, gazing up at her as he realized that he had lifted her above him, making her taller for the time being. His gaze stayed steadfastly on her eyes, reminding himself, once again, that staring at her lips was not going to help him help her.

"Shopping?" He asked blinking again. Oh. He supposed that meant he had to put her down. But what if she disappeared? What if she ran off the second he did. The hesitation was a moment long, and coming back to himself only brought the realization that his subconscious had him staring at her lips again. His lips parted slightly, but he made no move to close the distance, glancing back up at her eyes. "Wh-what do you need to shop for?"

"Does that mean you think about me a lot?" Her lip still beneath her teeth, she grinned slightly, her tone teasing, her eyes light, but there was a serious undertone to it. She couldn't help the flutter that came to her stomach when he said it, and had to make him repeat it, just once, confirm what she thought the words implied just once.

She didn't want the flutters to go away.

Gaze softening slightly, she looked down at him, torn between gratitude at his concern and embarrassed that there was any cause for it. Leaning her head against his, she grinned slightly, forcing herself not to think about how much closer his lips were to hers, she gave a tiny nod, "Yeah, I'm fine. Really. I mean, I get nervous, sometimes, but- its silly anyway. I'm fine."

"Things; I think I out grew most of my summer clothes," a slight blush came to her face as she thought about which part of her actually outgrew them. "You can come and tell me how wonderful I look in everything."

He tilted his head back slightly, his blush darkening slightly as his gaze refused to move from her lips. "Yeah." He breathed. "I think of you all the time. Too much, probably, you're a distracting concept, you know." His tongue moistened his lips, eyes darkening slightly as his focus was taken more and more by the simple gesture.

"You are not nervous around me, are you?" He asked softly, grinning slightly as his thumbs stroked her skin through her shirt. "I will keep you safe."

"You'd look good in anything, and nothing." He paused, eyes widening at his own words before a blush flashed across his face. "I-I mean uh-"

"What's so distracting about little old me?" her voice was low, and she was confused about the odd little catch in it. Her voice appeared to know something, have thought about something that her brain had yet to.

Though perhaps her brain knew more than it it was letting on, for at that moment she tilted her head slightly, closing the gap between them and brushing her lips against his, a chaste kiss all she was willing to dare there in public, willing to dare with the uncertainties she hadn't known developed with distances, but it was still enough to send her pulse running, "I know you will."

Blushing deeply, the distraction of his fingers stroking so close to her skin added to his unintentionally suggestive statement caused flashes of images, fantasies even she didn't comprehend. Clearing her throat she eventually found the ability to continue to speak, voice squeaking slightly, raising in pitch as she started.

"Well I think testing your theory on nothing is a little to scandalousness for public," her brain noted that her phrasing didn't exactly turn down the offer, and added subsequent offers that she could never speak aloud which only caused her voice to squeak just a bit more, "If you put me down, we can go see if you're right about everything else." There was a slight pause then her teasing tone was softened with something almost shy, "Of course, if you don't want to put me down, I never say no to piggy-back rides."

"What isn't?" He countered, cocking his head to the side and leaning forward to prolong the contact of their lips. He grinned as she pulled away, eyes blinking open to take her in. The space behind his lips seemed to tingle, and his smile was no longer under his control. Leaning forward to press another kiss against her lips, hasty and overeager, arms tightening around her as he tilted her backward slightly.

"You know..." He teased, eyes sparkling impishly even as his mouth went dry and his blush darkened. His accent thickened slightly, and he offered a half grin. "Your voice gets a bit higher when you mind strays to things you think are indecent."

His eyes, for the first time since her arrival, left her, sweeping the people walking past and meeting the gaze of a girl from school who blushed and disappeared to walk with her friends. Another group of girls giggled as his gaze landed on them, winking at him and hurrying off also. Eyebrows furrowing in confusion, he placed Julie gently back on the ground, focus back on her. "I don't think my school could handle me getting any more scandalous." He said, intertwining their fingers. "Sometimes I fear their heads will explode with all their rumors about me."

He gave a boyish smile, but something was off about it, a slight slant to his lips that made it seem as if his mind had wandered somewhere it shouldn't have. "Would you like a piggy back ride?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "We would probably get... where ever we're going... faster if we both walk." And I don't want to let go of your hand. "I can give you a proper ride later." He said with a nod, completely confused when a girl who was walking past went beet red and let out a startled laugh. Before his gaze could settle on her properly, she was gone, disappearing into the crowd faster than he could keep up. Running his hand through his hair, he sighed. He'd yet to understand the French.

A blush spread across her face, and she swallowed as her tongue sputtered for a response to that comment, "No," she heard the squeak and had to clear her throat and try again, "I don't know what you're talking about."

He was right of course, but she didn't feel the need to admit that out loud. It would only make the whole raising voice thing worse. Now that she knew he knew she could feel it threatening in her throat every time she went to speak.

Grinning like a child on Christmas as she wrapped her fingers in his, she followed his gaze towards the girl that had disappeared. Eyes clouding slightly, before she leaned into him slightly.

"They're just jealous they aren't as wonderful as you." Although she was aware of Zander noticing all the people she had no comprehension of their significance, and found it easier of late to not focus on the crowds around her. If she didn't look at them then she did not have to think about the danger they may pose to her.

Instead of answering his question in words she merely began moving forward, tugging him along behind her as she pulled them out of the crowd and began to skim the stores that were around her attempting to decide which one to go into. Their names having no meaning to her what so ever, she had only the displays in their windows to go by. After much deliberation, which she unintentionally made obvious with the frown of her lips, shakes of her head, and finally small murmur of approval as she dragged him into a small but quaint store, that had a light orange plaid summer dress in the window.

The inside of the store was as quaint as the exterior had been. Although small in size it had several organized departments with things from clothes in the back to an assortment of wizarding gadgets near the front cash. After taking a quick moment to look around at everything there was, she promptly ignored everything else and went straight for the back, hand sweeping over a rack of coloured t-shirts, about to grab one to look at - most of her shirts from the summer before were getting slightly too tight in the chest region - when her gaze was caught by a sparkle, her head turning towards the distortion of light to see a single white dress. It was obvious that it wasn't the stores speciality but it was there, and it had reminded her of what she had forgotten.

"Oh," her face fell slightly as her free hand began to worry the end of her hair, "I need a dress. My brother's getting married." Butterflies at the thought of going danced in her stomach again, and prompted her voice to sound less than excited, "I Su- Of course I have to go."

"Yes." Zander agreed a bit distractedly, letting her lead him on down the street and trailing behind her. Something was wrong with his heartbeat, it kept speeding at the reminder of her hands in his, his pulse becoming happily irregular. He paused briefly, watching her puzzle over the french words, and making a subconscious decision to teach her some French, or maybe Italian, over the summer. "Would you like me to-" but she was already entering, already quite sure of where she wanted to be. Who was he to stop her?

"A wedding?" He asked, blinking down at her. He frowned slightly, reaching back in his memory for any marriages. He had heard of them, but he'd never been invited. The two people who's marriage it was always came back different, happier, and if it ever changed from that, he'd never seen it. Zander was under the impression that marriage was a magical occurrence, and nothing would dissuade him from thus as long as he would live.

"I've never been to a wedding before." He observed, blinking at the dress. He looked down at Julie, and then to the dress again. "Would you like me to help you look, then? I'm good at picking out dresses. My aunt had me help her in Italy."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Well of course you need to go. If Damian was going to get married, I would want to go as well. Brothers should act as such." He reached over and took her other hand, rubbing his thumb along the back of it. "Why are you so nervous?"

She nodded her head absent-mindedly at his single question, eye still darting on the dress, and then the other, more modest ones behind it. Although she knew she needed one she was still a little reluctant to go get one; every time she thought about doing so, her stomach would clench and she'd feel almost ill.

"Never been?" she tore her gaze away from the wall of finery, and focused instead on the boy with her. She could feel her old nerves die instantly, though there was a curious second set sinking in, that she did not have the words to explain. "They aren't all that interesting; went to a few of my cousins when I was younger. Rather dull to be honest. But I mean, everyone should go to a wedding once I suppose. You could come, if you'd like," the offer was across her lips without even thinking about it, and she was suddenly back tracking, attempting to make it seem like a causal offer without taking it away completely. She didn't want to do that, "I mean you don't have to, but I thought you might like... and people can bring dates to weddings, right? I mean-" her voice squeaked for half syllable before it cut off completely. She had heard what she said, and "date" rung clear in her ears.

So, of course, she immediately changed the subject, "You're offering to find me a dress? Since I'm completely rubbish at such things, I'm going to allow you to give it a shot." She was going after all, wasn't she? It wasn't like she could back out, no matter what she did. Simon was family after all, and Zander was right. Only how-

"Damian?" she frowned slowly confusion crossing her features as the face she associated with that name floated across her mind. He couldn't mean... there were plenty of people with the name Damian she was sure, "I didn't even know you..."

Her statement was cut off by her other hand being picked up, and the distracted little flurry that ran up her arm and seemed land straight on her heart when his fingers brushed over her hand. She opened her mouth to finish that statement but nothing came out, and soon it was forgotten in favour of the next question asked.

"I'm not nervous," she was terrified, "per say. It's just... I haven't spoken to my family - face to face - in a very long time Zander. And the last time I was even the same building as all of them I said..." she frowned at her own memory. "I was going through a lot of things, and was angry and said things. I meant them all too, but... they weren't very nice things. I love them, I do, and I miss them like anything but I just don't belong there sometimes. Even before I left there were problems," she ducked her head slightly, shame befalling her posture, "I'm just not brave enough, to fix it."