Not Just Any Given Day ((Dixie))

[Clay Daniels]

The dawn is breaking. A light shining through. You’re barely waking… Music filtered from the speakers of Clay’s alarm clock as the digital reading turned to 9:00 am. He preferred waking to music much more than the annoying beeping sound that was normal for alarms. His brother had sent him this particular alarm clock as a gift which allowed him to set it to play music when he woke. Rolling over in his bed, he turned it off and then let out a large sigh before starring out the window into the bright sun. As soon as he remembered that it was his day off, a smile of relief made it way to his lips as he stood and pulled on a t-shirt. Walking out into the kitchen, Clay turned on the coffee machine that had been prepared the night before to begin brewing. A quick scurrying sound indicated that Dapper was ready for his morning stroll around the yard (not that there was much yard to explore). He let Dap out and picked up the newspapers that lay on his porch. Underneath the muggle one, his copy of Paris’s magical paper was hidden. On his way to the kitchen, Clay stopped at Dixie’s bedroom door and knocked. “We’re leaving in an hour. Dress comfortable, and you have no choice,” he teased.

Just last night, Clay had seen how depressed Dixie seemed after her first full day in Paris. Apparently, the fashion company that she submitted her portfolio to did not see to open to the idea of Dixie working for them, not to mention she informed him that she got lost a few times and then received an owl from her sister which made her miss home. Feeling bad for her, Clay promised that he would show her the good things of Paris since it would be his day off. He wasn’t sure if Dixie was very keen about the idea, but he knew that if he could just convince her to join him, she might at least have a better day that what she had.

Turning the radio on in the kitchen, Clay poured himself a cup of coffee before sitting down to read the daily news. He’d have made breakfast for them, but figured that it would be better to hit the town with an empty stomach. That way, they could stop by a few of Paris’s finer dining locations and fill up with some delicious food. As he finished up his coffee, Clay stood from his chair and put his mug in the sink. Then, he went back to the door and let Dap in, who ran strait to the kitchen and began to inhale the food in his food-dish. On his way back to his room to get ready himself, Clay stopped when he saw Dixie’s door open. He noticed that she was holding a change of clothes and a towel. “You can use the bathroom first if you promise that you’ll join me today,” he said with a grin, hoping that Dixie was awake and in the mood for his light spirit. Even so, it would take a lot more than a grumpy attitude to ruin Clay’s day off.

[Dixie Holden-Greene]

The dream she was having had made her confused. Dixie didn’t know if she wanted to laugh or to cry. With how horrible her day had been yesterday, Dixie had felt torn in two like she always did when her sanity was breaking. She rolled over onto her side and looked at the CD player that was mounted on the wall as it played a song softly. The CD player entranced her, and she could watch it for hours. She had been watching it for nearly an hour when there was a knock on her bedroom door and then Clay told her they were leaving in an hour and that she had no choice. She continued to stare at the CD player for a few more minutes. Yesterday had been a total disaster, and Dixie had slipped back into the mindset of ‘life is horrible and nothing matters.’ It was the same mindset she had when she had gone completely silent for sixth months. Now as she lay in bed, her eyes watching the disc in the CD player go around and around, Dixie pushed herself to get up and do as Clay had told her to. She couldn’t slip into that alternate reality again. Not again. Dixie pulled open her drawer and picked out a pair of jeans and a shirt that she had designed herself. It was one of the shirts that she had used as an example for the job placement she had been after. The job placement that she hadn’t gotten for lack of experience or something. Dixie hadn’t really listened past the words “We can’t take you.” Dixie looked at the black top and sighed as she placed it on top of her jeans and pulled out a towel from the cabinet near her dresser where all her bathroom stuff was. She picked up the rest of the things she needed and then unlocked her door, leaving the room.

She had made it half way to the bathroom when Clay appeared in the middle of her way. Dixie raised an eyebrow when he told her he would let her use the bathroom first as long as she promised to join him. With a quick roll of her eyes and a small smile tugging on her lips, she cocked her head to the left, “I thought I didn’t have a choice? That’s what you told me, isn’t it? It’s the whole reason I actually got up.” Dixie finally smiled and shoved past Clay toward the bathroom, when she got to the door, Dixie turned and grinned at him; “If this day ends up as horrible as yesterday, it’s solely your fault. You’re the one who said it would be a good day.” She closed the door and locked it before jumping into the shower. After ten minutes, Dixie was getting dressed and doing her hair and make up. Her brown hair was dried and curled, not to mention styled, within seconds and her make up was done in a few more seconds. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and nodded her head with satisfaction. She unlocked the bathroom door and stepped out into the hallway, casting a look into the kitchen. She smiled at Clay and then headed back into her bedroom where she pulled on a pair of socks and shoved her feet into her black converses.

Dixie clicked off the CD player, grabbed her hand bag, and then left her room again. She walked into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee, yesterday had been her first cup of coffee in years, so now she had grown accustomed to it again. As she added a little bit of cream, Dixie leaned against the counter and looked down at Dapper who was tugging playfully at the hem of her jeans. She knelt down, the cup of coffee held tightly in her hand, and patted Dapper’s head before standing and walking over to the couch in the living room and sitting down on it while waiting for Clay. He finally appeared and she finished her coffee, floated it to the sink with her wand, and then stood from the couch. “OK, mister tour guide, where to?”

[Clay Daniels]

"Eh, I suppose I'll give you a choice. However, I don't see how you could have more fun staying here with Dap than you would with me. Plus, it will be your fault if you come and don't enjoy it," he said with a taunting glare. As Dixie disappeared into the bathroom, Clay went to his room and got dressed. It was nice to wear casual clothes, unlike the normal work day where he had to dress up. A pair of faded and worn in jeans and a light t-shirt would do. He threw his leather jacket on over top and then went back into the kitchen where he waited for Dixie to emerge from the bathroom so that he could finish getting ready. When he saw her head back to the room, he entered the steamy bathroom and wiped off the mirror with the hand-towel.

Brushing his teeth and then using his wand to wet and then dry his hair, Clay was done in less than five minutes. He went to the living room where Dixie was waiting, all ready to go. "Ha! This tour guide doesn't really have a schedule. You just follow me pretty lady and that's where we'll go." He gave a grin before opening the door and then locking it once he and Dixie were outside.

It was a perfect day to walk around the inner city. They could catch a bus if there would be any longer trips between stops. But for the most part, the key places Clay wanted to go were well within walking distance once they did hitch a ride into town. Sure, they had Dixie's car they could take, but finding parking would be a pain. Plus, he wanted her to be able to experience the busing in Paris, it was something unique of the city. Well, it was like the busing in most busy cities- an experience all on its own. "This way," he said, having Dixie follow him. "We are going to take the bus." Clay walked with Dixie by his side, and they shortly reached the bench that sat on the curb by the place where the bus would pick them up. Supposedly, a bus came every eight minutes. If they were lucky, it would be soon. "So, any requests for le tour de France?" he asked, using his best attempt at a French accent.

[Dixie Holden-Greene]

Dixie arched an eyebrow; “I don’t know if I trust you enough to just… follow you. But I’ll do it, just because I’m tempted to see the finer points of Paris and not just that of angry fashion consultants and designers.” Even as she said this, her mood was lightening enough for the smirk to melt into a highly amused smile that barely showed any of her teeth. She didn’t even notice how she had used the word trust. It would have normally thrown her off if she had done that, but she hadn’t been thinking about it. Dixie was adjusting without even realizing it, but was that a good thing? It wouldn’t become evident until later. She left the apartment and waited for Clay to close and lock the door. They walked in silence and Dixie pondered where they would actually go. She hadn’t really thought of places she would like to visit, simply because she had thought she would be too busy to do any sight seeing. It was, of course, almost mandatory that she get to know the city where she would inevitably be staying for the upcoming months.

She was on Earth enough to hear Clay direct her in a certain direction and then say they were taking the bus. Dixie stopped in her tracks then, her mouth hanging open. He was well ahead of her by the time she ran to catch up with him, her hand bag banging underneath her arm. “Th-the bus?” Dixie stuttered out as she sank onto the bench beside Clay. She was staring at him with disbelief. Dixie Holden had never taken the bus in her life. Not even the wizarding Knight Bus that picked up stranded witches or wizards. No, Dixie hadn’t ever dreamt of going on a bus. This was what cars were for, and she had that. Sure, it was a rental, but she would be getting her own car soon. She was sure of it. When Clay asked a question in a French accent that was obviously not native, Dixie continued to stare at him. “The bus?” She repeated, although this time without a stutter. She shook her head, before turning to look away from him and out toward the street.

“I’m gonna die,” she said miserably. A look of terror (although she wasn’t sure if it was real or not) coming over her face. The bus. The bus! It was… unbelievable. “You!” She snapped at him as she whirled to face him, her finger pointing at him accusingly. She poked him in the chest and glared, “You want me to die! Just admit it! Go on!” Dixie was joking, of course, but she really didn’t know why they had to take the bus. She dropped her hand and crossed her arms over her chest, a whimper escaping her lips. “I should have known it was too good to be true, you letting me move in with you. You just like to kill people for the pleasure. Admit it.” She cast him a look out of the corner of her eye, deciding to take her imagination even further. “This whole Ministry official thing is just a cover up, isn’t it? Ohhh, I’m onto you, don’t think you can hide it anymore Mr. Secret Agent Murder Man.”

As she said this, the bus pulled up in front of them. Dixie cast a nervous look at it and then she stood, pulling Clay to his feet as well. “Well, I’m not going to let you kill me.” She told him sternly as she dragged him onto the bus.

[Clay Daniels]

It was quickly obvious that Dixie was not very keen on Clay's whole bus idea. He had to hold back the laughter when she started pouting like a small girl. It really was somewhat humorous. Her over-dramatic reaction was not quite what he had expected, but half of it seemed to be in a joking manner. The part that put him over the top, however, was when she said she would die and that it had been Clay's plan all along. "Secret Agent Murder Man? I can't say I've heard that one before. I'd better get more clever with my plot though, seeing that you are on to me." He gave Dixie a teasing grin as the bus finally appeared.

"It seems your time... I mean, the time has come then," he said with a wink as Dixie pulled him to his feet and loaded the bus surprisingly in a willing manner, even after the dramatics she gave only minutes ago. Clay followed right behind her, whispering in her ear just as she was about to take a seat. "If you know my plan then, why are you about to sit beside the scary guy that I paid to take you hostage?" When she looked at him, he simply raised his brows and did his best not to crack a smile. Then, he found two empty seats that were side by side. "Trust me, you're a lot safer here; right beside Mr. Secret Murder... whatever the heck it was you called me."

As Dixie sat down, the bus was quickly off, swerving all over the cobblestone streets and onto the main roads. They only had to stay on for two stops though, as Clay had first planned to make a stop at the Louvre. He figured Dixie would appreciate it. As they turned in and out of traffic, Clay and most of the other passengers were swaying from side to side. "Now, it's not that bad is it," Clay asked, just as he glanced over across the aisle. An older, strange looking man was staring at Dixie in a creepy way. "I mean, it could be worse, right?" He looked the other way and out the window as the bus made its first stop. A few strangers loaded, and another few exited, one thankfully being the creepy man across from them. "Next stop is ours," he informed her.

[Dixie Holden-Greene]

Dixie jumped slightly when Clay whispered in her ear about taking a seat beside the scary guy he had paid to take her hostage. She looked at Clay from the side and backed up slightly as if she were about to turn and run. Honestly, she was joking back at the stop but… now she was rather frightened out of her mind. She took the seat beside Clay and tried not to show her fright too much. “Secret Agent Murder Man, honestly, Clay; you’d think you would know your own title.” Dixie smiled a small smile as the nerves left her stomach. This wasn’t terribly bad and she was sure she would be fine as long as Clay really wasn’t a murderer who was plotting her death. That was until she caught sight of the creepy man across the aisle staring at her. Dixie whimpered and turned away as Clay mentioned it not being too bad. “No, no it’s… fine, it really is.” Dixie squeezed her eyes shut as the bus swayed back and forth and then came to a stop. He was right, it could be much worse.

She opened her eyes as the bus continued its route. Casting a look across the aisle, Dixie was quite relieved to see the man was gone, and even more relieved when Clay told her that the next stop was theirs. Honestly, a bus? Dixie wouldn’t ever be the same after this traumatic experience, that was for certain. “Right, next stop. Where exactly is the next stop?” he didn’t say anything, though, and Dixie sighed as she sank further into the seat, trying to calm her nerves. Finally, the bus came to their stop and Dixie was standing and off the bus within moments. She turned as Clay descended the stairs and stood in front of her. “Alright, I realize we have to get on that thing again to get back home, but I’m never, ever going on it ever again after that time. Did you see that man? I did not feel terribly safe in there.” Dixie shuddered as she straightened her jacket. OK, so the hard part was over. Or at least that’s what she hoped.

With the words on the tip of her tongue, Dixie turned to say something to Clay when she caught sight of a pyramid. She tilted her head to the side, thinking Paris was an odd place for a pyramid to be, and then it hit her like a freight train. “The Louvre? We’re going to the Louvre?” She asked in disbelief.

[Clay Daniels]

When Clay told Dixie that they would be getting off at the next stop, she asked what stop it was. He didn't answer though, and instead just ignored the question, wanting it to be a surprise. Luckily, she didn't persist, which he was happy about, as he wasn't too big with the whole pestering girl thing that he knew to be common among women. Dixie didn't seem to be the though, and apparently she wasn't.

Their stop came quickly, and after they exited, Dixie eluded to the fact that their bus ride home would be her last ever. He smiled just as she seemed to have caught a glimpse of the glass panes that formed one of the most famous pieces of architecture. "That would be correct," he said, beginning to walk toward the magnificent pyramid. "I mean, that is unless you object. You never know what I may have planned once we find ourselves all alone in one of the many rooms of artifacts." Again, he gave a teasing smile, still having fun joking about Dixie original murder accusations.

They quickly found themselves at the entrance of the pyramid, and Clay took out his billfold, finding the ID that the ministry had given him. It was a special ID card that was given to all ministry officials, allowing them to gain free entrance into some of the many tourist attractions such as the Louvre. Ideally, it was disguised such that muggles would not realize that it was indeed a magical department that Clay worked for. Along with the ID, he pulled out cash to pay for Dixie's entrance. He handed the card and money to the attendant and smiled as they entered the main hall of the pyramid. "Would you believe I have never used my ID to get in here until now?" he asked, taking a moment to take in the stunning surroundings. It had been years since he had been inside the Louvre. His parents had taken he and his siblings there when they were young. Now that he lived in Paris, he never really had the time to visit it again. He passed in on many occasions, but only was able to look from the outside. "From here, I'll let you be the leader," he said. They did have tours set up with professional tour-guides, but Clay much preferred to explore on his own. He wasn't the type to do well with structure and lack of freedom. "Where shall we go first?" he asked as they stood before the large map that showed where each of the rooms were, and it highlighted some of the more popular pieces of art and artifacts that the Louvre hosted.

[Dixie Holden-Greene]

Dixie looked at the pyramid in front of her. Many people considered it to be the scar on the great architectural face of Paris, but Dixie couldn’t help and be impressed with it. After she stared at the glass pyramid that stood in front of the grand museum, she turned her attention to the magnificent building. There was one thing that Dixie was always able to appreciate. That one thing was architecture, specifically this beautiful piece of architecture. Dixie didn’t say anything as Clay headed toward the pyramid, she just followed in awe. Quickly she caught up with him as he paid her entry and they entered the pyramid first. She looked up through the glass panes and let out a small gasp; “How could you not have visited the Louvre before now? It’s probably the most amazing museum in the world.” She stopped looking up through the glass to look at Clay in disbelief. He had lived in Paris longer than she had and now he was just visiting the museum? Now? Dixie couldn’t believe it. As he said he would let her lead the way, Dixie didn’t even wait to hear his next question. She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the center of the pyramid through the courtyard and into the actual museum. As she pulled him toward the museum, she rattled off the facts she knew about the Louvre; “The wing that is directly to the left of the Pyramid is the Richelieu wing, which wasn’t originally a wing of the museum at all. In fact,” Dixie stressed as they entered the wing, “it was only a couple of years ago that the Richelieu wing was remodeled into an expansion of the museum. Actually, the Louvre was once a royal palace and the Richelieu wing was used for government offices.”

She was painfully aware that she sounded like a tour guide, but she couldn’t help it. As she dragged Clay through into the wing, she didn’t care how excited she seemed to be. Dixie slowed her pace as they entered Room A. She wasn’t very impressed by the Islamic art that lined the walls and attracted the attention of the other museum goers, but then again the thing she was most looking forward to seeing would have to be La Joconde or the Mona Lisa. That wasn’t until the first floor, though, and although Dixie knew going through the whole museum in a matter of hours was a highly unlikely idea; she had to see that painting. They were on the lower ground floor, though. How was it that she knew all of this and it was her first trip to the Louvre? Dixie recalled reading quite a bit while she was in Bethlem and she knew she had a room mate who was born and raised in France. Yes, but that was it. Lucille must have told her all about the Louvre while they were in quarantine. Still holding onto Clay’s hand she pulled him over to a painting that was said to be from Iran. As she looked at it, she thought about how she would have thought it was utterly impossible to enjoy a day in Paris. There was silence between them as they watched the painting, but Dixie had torn her gaze away from the painting to look at Clay; “Thanks,” she said after a moment, “For insisting I come.” She looked away again and then turned to a ceramic vase after she had let go of Clay’s hand. “I didn’t think it was possible to be excited about anything anymore.”

Even though they shared an apartment, Dixie had strayed away from telling Clay anything personal about her life. She wanted to forget it all, hoping that doing that would get rid of all the guilt she held in the pit of her stomach. Writing to Mack was a bad idea when it came to wanting to forget everything in England or at Hogwarts, though. This proved to be very true. She couldn’t help it. She wanted to know if Adam was okay. She wanted to know if he had been getting along fine without her. Not because she cared about his happiness, at least not only because of that, but also because she wanted to know how much she had meant to him. But that wasn’t very selfless. She looked back at Clay and smiled, trying to push the memories from her mind; “So, any specific piece of art you want to see?”

[Clay Daniels]

Clay was impressed at Dixie's knowledge of the place. No sooner had they entered, and she was already calling out names of halls and giving random facts about the museum. Clay simply smiled and then followed as she grabbed his hand and led him farther into the museum. They passed a few paintings and some other pieces of art. Clay took some careless glances at the all. Art wasn't something he knew a lot about. He knew it was neat to look at, but beyond that, it never seemed to hold his interest very long. Dixie, on the other hand, seemed a bit more intrigued. That was one of the main reasons Clay had decided that the Louvre would be a good place for them to go. He hoped it would help her get her mind off of everything that seemed to be bothering her.

As they were admiring one of the paintings that Clay had guessed was an abstract piece, Dixie blurted out a quick thanks as she dropped his hand. He had almost forgot that she had been holding it, but he looked back at her with a somber smile. "Any time," he replied as he scanned her face with his eyes, trying to get an emotional read from her. "I'm just glad you came. You're a lot of fun to be with, Dixie, when you are yourself and free from the worries. I mean, not that you weren't fun to be with at other times... but... I'm just going to shut up now." Clay blushed and tried to hide behind his wide smile. Open mouth. Insert foot, he thought to himself.

"Anyways," he said, glad that Dixie had changed the subject. "To be honest, the only piece of art in this museum that I can think of at the moment would be the Mona Lisa. But, of course, that's a given on the list of every tourist," he said with a shrug. "I'm depending on you to show me the rest of the good stuff," he added with another smile. Eventually, the redness of his cheeks began to fade away. Clay wondered what Dixie would say if he told her how glad he was that she came. But, instead of saying anything more, Clay was quiet like he always was and just waited for Dixie to lead them to the next piece of art.

[Dixie Holden-Greene]

“Fun? Me? Right,” Dixie rolled her eyes as she moved around a display holding some pottery. She peered down into the glass before looking back up at Clay with a bright smile, “It’s funny, you know, that I’m able to be fun when I haven’t been for years. Life pretty much sucked back in England, so that made me significantly less fun.” She chewed on her lower lip and shrugged before hopping around the glass display case in front of Clay. A bright smile crossed her face as she saw the red on his. He answered her question, saying the only piece of art he could think of was the Mona Lisa. “Au contraire, you aren’t a tourist, m’dear. You live in Paris, therefore, you aren’t a tourist. I am the tourist,” she linked her arm through his before steering him toward the lobby and the elevators. Dixie pressed the up button before turning to look at Clay again, “So, there’s the Mona Lisa, and Madonna of the Rocks (we’ve got to see that), and…” *ding ding* “Goooing up!” Dixie stepped into the elevator and then pressed the first floor button.

She was quiet a moment before she let out a gasp and squeezed Clay’s arm, “We have to see Madonna and Child. It’s supposed to be really very pretty.” Dixie smiled as the elevator dinged and the doors slid open. “Let’s go… let’s see,” she plucked a map out of a plastic contained hooked to the wall as they exited the elevator. “La Joconde is in room…erm….13. Madonna of the Rocks is… in room…” Dixie flipped through the guide, “ah ha! 26. And Madonna and Child is in room…3. So what d’ya saaaay,” Dixie snapped the guide shut and hit Clay lightly on the side of the head, “we hit the rooms in this order? Madonna and child, Mona Lisa, and then Madonna of the Rocks.” She giggled and then steered him toward room 3. There were people all around, talking low whispers about the paintings. Dixie merely smiled and leaned against Clay as they entered the first room. There was something about just spending the day away from the worrisome life that had become hers. She felt really comfortable around Clay and it was something she hadn’t felt since… “Oh, here!” she exclaimed as they neared Madonna and child. Dixie looked up at it, capturing the beauty of it in her mind before she spoke again; “Its frame is decorated with twenty six painted medallions depicting Christ and four angels with prophets and saints.” She told Clay off handedly. She looked up at him and grinned, “It isn’t a Da Vinci work, this one’s by Cimabue.” She stood on her tip toes to whisper, “I prefer Da Vinci.”

Dixie looked over her shoulder as a tour guide led a rather large group toward the exact painting her and Clay were looking at. She tugged on his arm before nodding toward the group and pulling him away. “So, I’ve realized something,” she said as they walked through the gallery, “we’re sharing an apartment and I know hardly anything about you. So, tell me anything you feel like sharing and I’ll do the same.” Dixie looked over at him, being reminded of the night in the common room with Adam when they agreed to ask each other questions. She wouldn’t do that this time, but she would tell Clay what she thought he needed to know if he was allowing her to live in his apartment. Yes, that was all.

((So, I made up where the Madonna of the Rocks is. ))

[Clay Daniels]

Clay rolled his eyes at Dixie's comment about himself being the native of Paris while she was the tourist. "I might as well be the tourist," he said with a shrug. "Because it's obvious which one of us is the expert here. As Dixie linked arms with him and led her to the elevator, his mind wandered as she began talking more about the paintings. He wasn't ignoring what she was saying on purpose, but merely because the paintings and the museum were not the reason Clay had come today. He had come for Dixie, and just seeing that she seemed excited by it all was enough for him. He pretended to be listening though, and smiled. The smile wasn't pretend though, yet just not a smile because of what Dixie was saying as much as it was just because she was there with him.

The elevator opened back up and she took him to see another painting. He glanced up at it and then smiled when she whispered in his ear. He wasn't even sure who Cimabue was, but he smiled anyways. Then, he heard another voice talking about some of the paintings, and so he followed Dixie's lead away from the tourist group that approached behind them. As they walked, Dixie spoke again. She had been doing most of the talking, which Clay didn't mind. This time though, he was glad that she wasn't talking about paintings or the museum, but about just general things.

Her change of topic caught him off guard a bit, and he had to think for a moment before replying. "Weeelll," he began as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and tilted his head to the side as he thought. "I have a sister," he said quickly, "... which I guess you know about. Uhh, and a brother," he added, thinking if Dixie knew about that or not. "He and I share the same birthday." Clay tried thinking of other things to tell Dixie. He had to wonder if she really cared about some of the more minuscule details of his life or if she was wanting him to tell her things that were more profound. When he tried thinking of personal things that he'd be comfortable sharing, the only thing that came to his mind was his love-life, which pretty much was non-existent recently. But that made him think of when he first moved to Paris. "I've only been in love once," he said rather casually, not taking much more time to think that he needed. "When I first came to Paris. I met a girl and we started dating. I fell pretty hard for her, and then one day she just left. No note. Nothing. I haven't heard from her since." He stopped, realizing he was going on and on, but figured that Dixie had asked and so she wouldn't mind listening. Clay waited to see if Dixie would respond to his comment or just share some of her own about herself. They kept walking, and Clay would occasionally glance from one painting to the next- not because he was interested, but because he often felt embarrassed looking someone in the eye when he was sharing personal information. It was just a shy habit of his that he never quite got over.

[Dixie Holden-Greene]

“Ahh, yes, Devon. She’s kind of… forward. Honestly, who offers their brother’s place in Paris without consulting him first?” Dixie looked over at Clay with a teasing grin, knowing that she wouldn’t have had it any other way. Now that she knew that staying in Paris without Clay would have been hell, she couldn’t see herself staying in it without him at all. In a sense he had been her saviour. She listened as she looked at some of the paintings they passed and he talked. As he talked about his brother and him sharing a birthday, Dixie couldn’t help but think how much that would have bothered her. She would probably have done something to have her birthday celebrated on a different day. Would that have been because she didn’t want to be selfish or because she was selfish? The thought made her head pound, so she shoved it from her mind and tuned back in when Clay started to talk about the last time he was in love. She winced noticeably when he came to the part of the girl leaving without a note or anything. After a silent moment, Dixie let out a breath. “At least I left a note,” she said softly before thinking about continuing. It wasn’t that she wanted to hide it from him, she had no reason to hide it from him, it was just… well… what would he think of her after she told him? “Well, it was more of a letter really, but they would have said the same thing regardless of the length.” She smiled as if she were trying to make light of the situation before realizing it wasn’t going to work.

She chewed on her lip as they entered a new room. She tried to think which way it would be better for her to say this… past or present? For some reason it came out… “I’ve been in love… once, too. But you know, something dreadful had to happen and he couldn’t remember anything. I mean, anything, at all. At least, not past fifth year. It was…” Dixie paused here as she searched for a word, “depressing. Here was Adam, someone who helped me out of this great black hole that had become my life, and… every memory we’ve made, every single thing that meant something to us… was ripped away because of one single accident.” As she spoke about it, the wounds that she had been working so hard to heal were being reopened. What if this was the only way to get over it, to get over him? What if talking about it was the only way she will ever be able to live without him in her life? It was something that half of her wanted to do and the other half didn’t. Without Adam, who was she? She was Dixie Holden, Paranoid Schizophrenic in Ward D all over again, that’s who. “I left.” She said after a quick pause as they neared their next destination. When they reached the painting, Dixie turned to look at Clay, “I wrote him a letter, said I couldn’t deal with it, and I left. I haven’t spoken to him since, or seen him, or anything.

“It wasn’t solely my decision, though. In all fairness to me, he did tell me to go. He did say that he was holding me back. I didn’t believe him, but I’d rather leave than cause him torment because the sight of me reminds him of those memories he can’t remember.” Dixie watched Clay a moment and then tucked her hair behind her ear and looked down at her hands, which were clutching the map and her handbag. “I just realized I gave you a novel and you gave me a couple of sentences. Well, I always tend to do that. Ramble on about something that could be summed in a considerably less amount of words.” She smiled softly and looked up at him, “Sorry.”

[Clay Daniels]

Clay gave a knowing smile when Dixie spoke of Devon. He never really thought about her offering his apartment in that way before, but it was sort of bold of Devon. No surprise there. Plus, knowing that Devon would have been able to guess Clay's response after the initial shock quickly wore off, he figured she'd predicted he get over it all along and not even think twice about it the next day. He smiled at the thought that Devon had pinned his reaction on the nose. It made him miss their days together at Hogwarts, but knowing she still knew him well enough for something like that made it seem OK. "Yeah, 3-D, which is Devon," he interjected after realizing that his reminiscing had led to his use of her nickname, "can be a little forthright. But with good intentions," he added.

Her next comment, which didn't seem to be directly at Clay, caught him by surprise. Was she hinting at a similar experience? Clay listened as Dixie went on, much unexpected, or at least from Clay's perspective. Clay simply listened as Dixie willingly disclosed a secret, or seemingly so, of her own. He waited until she was done before speaking, as his mind was too busy to get out a word as he processed everything that she was saying. "Don't apologize," he said kindly, but then was silent for a few seconds as he pondered how to respond. Was she telling him this out of sympathy? Guilt? Or just merely wanting to get it off of her conscience. As much as logic told him that he shouldn't feel sympathetic for her since she had done the same thing to someone else that had left Clay crushed and forced to sort through the remaining rubble from the earthquake of his own, he could sense the pain in Dixie's words. For that reason, he felt anything but bitterness or anger toward her. Even if she was the one who left, her justification that she offered in defense, along with the realization that she had been crushed just as he had once been were enough to earn Clay's sympathy and concern.

"That has to be tough," Clay said, rather dumbly. It was the only thing that could come out though at first. "I mean, being so recent, I can't even say that I know what you're feeling anymore. I did at one point, but time has had its effect on that. They say time heals everything, which might be true to an extent." Clay stopped again, figuring that he was only rambling. Maybe Dixie didn't need him to say anything to make it better, but he knew that his pointless babble would do no good. He pondered it a bit more, fighting the urge to say something more, as his natural response was to try to ease any regrets or pain that Dixie might have been feeling. Instead of words, Clay took Dixie's hand and pulled her to him with his other arm. In a half-hug, he assured her with one last comment. "Just don't be hard on yourself for it."

[Dixie Holden-Greene]

“Don’t apologize,” he had told her. Dixie shrugged as she continued to stare down at her hands. It had occurred to her that maybe Clay hadn’t wanted to hear about her whole leaving someone behind thing, considering he had been on the receiving end of the leaving. Dixie wondered if he thought maybe she was a bad person because of his own experiences with someone leaving, her stomach churned at the thought. She closed her eyes. It wasn’t like she hadn’t felt horrible after doing it. She had been a wreck for awhile and she was only just coming out of the dismal shell she had placed herself in. She thought she had been doing well, but telling Clay about it all just made her feel worse. Why had she told him about it all? Was it because she thought he should know at least some things about her? Or did she want to make him see that perhaps they had some things in common? Whatever the reason, she couldn’t think of it now, and she felt just as foolish as ever standing there in silence. The silence was taunting her, as it always seemed to do. She could just imagine all the thoughts that were running through Clay’s head, but she didn’t permit herself to think about them. Only, somehow that didn’t work out and she thought about them anyway. Dixie opened her eyes and looked up at Clay, hoping that perhaps she could think of something not-stupid/selfish/Slytherinish to start a conversation that wouldn’t end in her feeling guilty.

Dixie picked at her nails at Clay’s next words, suppressing a shrug. “I’m used to things being tough, and I guess I can’t really complain about it all because… well… it was mostly my decision, you know? I could have just stayed…” The words that always found a way into her mind were tumbling from her lips. She couldn’t get rid of them, the guilt, the pain, no matter how hard she tried. It was times like these that made Dixie want to retreat into Kurr. At least in Kurr she didn’t have issues with pain from anything she did. All the pain was inflicted by the Government. “I hope so,” she whispered, “I hope time heals everything, and I hope it heals everything fast.” Dixie’s eyes welled with tears and she covered them with her hand that wasn’t clutching her purse. She pushed the tears back as she tried to regain the composure of just being there… of smiling and laughing like she had been. After a moment, she dropped her hand and smiled at Clay with no sign of tears ever being in her brown eyes. When he reached over and pulled her into a sort of half hug, Dixie didn’t protest. She hugged him back as best she could with her handbag clutched in her left hand and sighed at his comment. “It’s difficult,” she said softly, “because that’s all I am good at.”

She pulled away from the hug, laced her arm through Clay’s again, and directed him toward their next painting. “Enough of this depressing mumbo jumbo, let’s stay light for the moment.” Dixie smiled and wondered if perhaps she was being too moody. She went from upset to cheerful in under two minutes. But was she really cheerful or was she just putting on that mask again? Well, regardless of whether it was sincere or not, Dixie looked at Clay out of the corner of her eye; “Alright, so, what is your favourite animal and why?”

[Clay Daniels]

It wasn't easy, seeing the pain in Dixie's eyes. Hearing it in her voice. It wasn't easy because it only helped to remind Clay of the period of pain that he had endured. He was alone though. Dixie didn't have to be. He could be there for her. He was being there for her. At least he had provided an opportunity for her to talk about it, right? Clay reasoned with himself as he was determined to assess the situation and figure out what he really was doing. It was easy to get caught up in emotions; he knew that. He also knew that Dixie seemed like there was so much more than she was willing to share. It didn't bother Clay though. He would serve as guide, if she wanted him to. It was the least he could do. After all, he had enjoyed her company. Paris didn't seem so lonely or boring with her there. Deep in his mind, a shred of his common sense held to the fact though that he should be cautious. Having the whole situation with Stephenie freshly uprooted in his mind, Clay would make sure that the same thing wouldn't happen again. Even if he didn't think that he would feel the same way for Dixie as he had for Steph, he couldn't ignore the fact that there had been nobody else that he even let remotely close before Dixie and after having his heart broken. So, he would be careful... cautious... or at least that was his plan.

Clay did finally manage to go with the choice of silence after Dixie finished sharing her thoughts. Then, she pulled away from him and seemed to fade from her sad mood into one that was more upbeat. They walked, arms linked again, down the hallway of the Louvre. Dixie opened the conversation again with another question. A simple one, but one that required a few seconds of thought from Clay. "Any animal?" he questioned, looking to Dixie as she gave a nod. "Hmmm..." he pondered the obvious choice of a dog, seeing that he had Dapper who was probably his 'best friend' in a sense. "Specifically, I've gotta go with Dap, but, assuming you were asking in a general sense, I think I might say a penguin. As for the why, well, I guess it's because they seem like they have a lot of character. I mean, the little guys have quite a rough life, yet they seem to get through somehow." Clay thought about his answer. It was an odd one, maybe, but it was an answer. Instead of giving Dixie the same question, Clay switched it up a bit.

"You have three days to live, and you get to spend each one with the person of your choice. Who do you pick, and why?" Clay looked at her, his expression was enough to almost apologize for slipping back into a topic that might not be so light. "Well, let's say you are not going to die, but just go away for a long long time, all by yourself. What three people do you spend your last three days with before spending the rest of your life alone." While he watched Dixie think, Clay wondered what made him ask such a deep question. Maybe it was the fact that ever since the thought of Stephanie came up, he'd been thinking how bad he just wanted to see her again for the simple opportunity to ask the one question that had been haunting him since she left: why?

[Dixie Holden-Greene]

Dixie nodded with a smile on her face, “Any animal that Noah took onto the ark,” was her positive and upbeat reply. She looked at him out of the corner of her eyes as they passed a statue and a quick row of paintings. A small group of school girls ran in front of the two, causing Dixie to stop abruptly and pull on Clay’s arm so he would too. The group of girls giggled and said something in French before rushing past them to wherever they had been running to before. Dixie’s attention returned to Clay when he answered her question. A smile graced her face, “I do love Dapper, he knows just what to do to make me grin; even if it does include licking my toes in the morning,” at this Dixie feigned an annoyed frown before grinning again. “So, a penguin, yeah? I think I would have chosen them just because they were cute, but at least you gave a valid reason…or at least one that doesn’t involve the word ‘squeezable.’” Dixie shrugged with a small amused smile on her lips as they continued their path to the next painting, that was when she stopped in her tracks. “We didn’t even look at Mona Lisa,” she said in confusion. How could they have not even looked at the masterpiece that she had wanted to see since she was young? They were standing right in front of it, weren’t they? Without another word, she turned around and headed back to the room they were just in. Clay was asking his question, now, and Dixie didn’t even realize that his question might have led back to the whole Adam thing until he gave her an apologetic look. Actually, then… “No, I’d like to answer the first part of your question, and then your rephrased question.” Dixie tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled up at Clay as they neared the small portrait. She knew it was small, but she had expected it to be a bit bigger. Nonetheless, she was in awe of the painting and took a couple of moments to survey it before answering his question with one word, “Mack.”

She tore her gaze away from the painting to look at Clay, “I’d spend my last three days with my sister. Simply because I spent the first 15 years of her life torturing her. I was always jealous of her, and the way I controlled my jealousy – or took care of it rather- was to torment her in every way I could. I cut her hair, dyed it green, locked her in the pantry, if you can name it I’ve done it.” Telling Clay this made Dixie feel uneasy because he had yet to see her horrible side. The side of her that was given the Queen title and the side of her that upheld that title. She had grown up considerably since she was appointed a Queen of Slytherin, but that didn’t mean that Queen wasn’t still inside her… waiting for an opportunity to awaken and pounce on some unsuspecting member of Dixie’s life. “Before I left… she showed up at my departure gate and gave me a CD. I have yet to listen to it, I’m afraid of what it has on it. That day, we hugged for the first time in our lives. If I were going to die, I would want to spend it with the one person I’ve wronged most in this world.” At this Dixie grinned, “And that, love, is my sister. But if I were just given the opportunity to spend three days with friends it would probably be with my sister, Dapper, and…” she smiled brightly up at him, “you, of course. Mack because I want to finally get on the ground where we can talk like sisters, Dapper because he’s the cutest dog in the world, and you… because… you’ve made me feel better about everything even if you didn’t realize that, and I cherish that.” With that said, Dixie reached up and kissed his cheek, “Thanks.”

Her gaze returned to the Mona Lisa as she felt something flutter in her stomach. It was a feeling she didn’t think she could feel again. The feeling of hope, of being happy. Did it really exist anymore? Dixie had thought it hadn’t, but Clay was proving her wrong by simply being there. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye briefly, just to test her theory, and sure enough there was the flutter in her stomach again. Was it possible… to feel something for him and still feel something for Adam? The question drew circles in her brain, but it wasn’t one she felt like asking aloud. Still, it was there. She would deal with it all… later. Later was always good. Wasn’t it? Dixie looked at Clay and smiled again, “Any secrets, you wish to share? Pet peeves? Embarrassing stories? Anything I might be interested in?”

[Clay Daniels]

In the middle of Dixie analyzing Clay's answer, her sudden stop alerted him and he instinctively was paranoid that something he had said was terribly wrong. When Dixie mentioned the Mona Lisa though, he let out a breath of relief before following her excited stroll back to the room they had just come from. Then, she answered his one question with a name that he hadn't expected.

"Surprising," Clay said simply, leaving Dixie to interpret it as she may. First, he was somewhat interested to hear that her sister would be her first choice. Clay fully expected Dixie to at least mention Adam as one of the three people, and when she branched out and mentioned Dapper, he questioned the seriousness of her answer. "And a bit shocked you chose me as well," he added with a kind smile. "Honored, but shocked." He didn't say any more, not sure if he should dig into the matter or not. If Dixie wanted to explain or discuss it farther, he'd allow her to on her own terms. He figured she was being honest about her saying nice things about he and Dapper, yet he was curious to know if she was only using them as the easy answer.

"Oh, I know what you want," he said with a sly grin as the topic of conversation was switched to himself. "You are looking for dirt- something you can use against me." He gave her a cautious glare before smiling again and shaking his head. "Nope. You won't find anything even if you look really hard. I'm boring I tell ya! Nothing secretive or interesting here. I'm just a pathetic lonely guy who lives alone and works way too much for my own good." He thought about his own sad and pathetic life. He thought about being happy and wondered if he really was. The more Clay thought about it, the more he realized that he had been living a life of numbness since Stephanie had left him. He had used work as an escape from the pain.

Snapping out of his in depth realization of his own troubles, Clay looked back to Dixie with a sigh. "Sorry," he apologized. "Got caught up in my thoughts for a moment." As Clay and Dixie were walking, he realized that they had somehow managed to make it back to the very place they began their tour. He laughed at the thought that despite having Dixie who was a wealth of knowledge, he had managed to go for the bulk of the tour without really taking much in. It didn't matter though. The time and conversation with Dixie had proved to be more than enjoyable and even quite insightful for his own good.

"Wow, we're back where we started. Did we even manage to put a dent in seeing the entire museum?" he questioned, knowing that there were surely many areas that they had missed during their random route from one place to another. Clay glanced at his watch. "Yikes! I had a dinner reservation for us at La Madeleine's in ten minutes. We'd better hurry to catch the trolley. That is, assuming you are ready to eat," he added, waiting for Dixie's reply.

[Dixie Holden-Greene]

Surprising. Dixie knew what he meant by that. With how much she talked about Adam, with how much she went on about how Adam meant to her, she hadn’t chosen him as one of the three people she would spend her last day on Earth with. The idea of seeing Adam again, even hypothetically, frightened Dixie. She had been a coward in running away, and she knew this, and it was because of this that Dixie feared facing him. She had done him wrong by running away, when she should have faced the issue some more until she was positive she couldn’t anymore. Adam meant that much to her, she could have at least given him a chance. But she had, hadn’t she? Hadn’t she stayed until her heart couldn’t take it anymore? If she had stayed any longer, wouldn’t she have completely deteriorated into nothingness because she was just staying for him; making herself miserable? Not to mention, he was miserable with her being there. If she had stayed she would have only caused more issues with him. Leaving, although cowardly, was for the best. This Dixie was sure.

“Don’t be so shocked, Clay, that I chose you. You’re a breath of fresh air in my life of disaster. I’m completely serious when I say I’d choose you to spend the day with. You’re completely easy to be around, and you know… I like the fact that I can be carefree around you. And Dapper, well, I just love him too much not to spend my day with him. I’m half upset that he couldn’t come with us today, but I don’t think they allow pets in the Louvre.” She smiled softly, looping her arm through Clay’s again as they started to walk again. She listened to him tell her he wasn’t interesting and he had no dirt that she can use against him, not that she would. Dixie pouted, playfully, “Well, then, I guess I’ll just have to figure all that out on my own. Hmm, I could hire a private detective to find out anything and everything there is to know about you, since you won’t willingly tell me.” She sent him a playful, but accusing, glare. “So, if you have any secrets, any at all, you might as well just tell me now – because I will eventually find out.”

They continued to walk in silence, Clay seemingly having got caught up in his thoughts, and Dixie admiring the art as they passed by them briefly. When they had made it back to the elevator, Clay still seemed to be in his daze – too much of a daze to even notice that they were going down. Dixie smiled softly to herself, and lead the way back to the entrance of Le Pyramide. He finally seemed to snap out of it, and Dixie grinned when he apologized. She shrugged at his question, “No. It takes about a week to walk the entire length, love. We saw what we wanted to see, though, or at least what I wanted to see.” Dixie smiled and then jumped slightly at his outburst of ‘yikes!’ With a raised eyebrow, Dixie looked at her own watch. She nodded and nearly dragged him out of the museum.

The trolley ride took only about five minutes, which was great because they almost missed their reservations. The dinner was filled with light hearted conversation and laughter; something that Dixie was quickly growing used to hearing and doing. With another bus ride home (Dixie’s protests quieted a bit), there day came to a close and returned to the apartment where Dapper was waiting with energy. “I’ll take him for a walk,” she told Clay before clipping Dapper’s leash to his collar and leaving the apartment before Clay could protest. She closed the door behind her and let Dapper lead the way, stuffing her hands in her jacket pocket. She smiled down as Dapper chased his tail, “You know, Dap, today was a good day.” Dapper yipped in reply.