Meet My Mirror ((Gabe))

[Emmy Parker G6]

“Ugh, why did I ever ask you to come shopping with me? You’re so… surly.” Emma rolled her eyes as she held up a pink blouse to Emmy, eying it and shaking her head, “That wouldn’t look right. Look, Em, please? Try to be at least a smidge happy?” Emmy raised her eyebrows, her arms crossed over her chest. Be a “smidge” happy? Oh, whatever. She was still livid with Emma about the party, there was no way that spending an afternoon with her was going to make Emmy happy. The only reason she had even agreed to hang out with Emma today was because she pulled the “we just had a mondo huge fight and we should bond” card that she always pulled whenever she wanted a shopping buddy. Well, the “we should bond” card, that is. They normally never fought like they had a couple of days ago. That fight was sparked by Emma’s completely idiocy. “Oh! Look at this blue! It’s gorgeous, oh, Emmy it would look amazing on you! Which means it would look amazing on me, too.” Emmy closed her eyes and batted away the blue blouse that Emma was holding up to her now. This was the only reason she was ever brought along, so Emma wouldn’t have to look in a mirror. She could just hold up the clothes to Emmy and have a fairly good idea what exactly it would look like on her. “Emmy, please?” Emma was looking at Emmy now, her blue eyes begging.

“You know I hate shopping, Emmaline.” “I know, but it’s for me… please?” Emma clasped her hands together in a begging gesture and was about to get on her knees but Emmy rolled her eyes and threw her hands up, clearly frustrated; “Fine! I like the light green, can I go and be away from you now?” Emma smiled, perfectly content that Emmy had shed some light on the blouses, and nodded. “OK, meet me at that little tea shop for lunch in ten minutes.” Emmy didn’t wait to hear for Emma’s reply. She left the shop they were standing in before and broke out into the summer afternoon. The breeze blew her blonde hair over her shoulder and she pulled her jean jacket tighter around her. She hated the sun, sometimes. She much preferred night. She hated Hogsmeade, too, but she lived there and there wasn’t anything she could do about it. Emmy crossed her arms over her chest, trying to block out the breeze, as she walked down the streets; dodging people left and right. She hated summer, but she hated school. So she hated something all year round. She was never happy with where she was. But that was nothing new. Emmy scowled as she neared the Shrieking Shack, heading toward the fence and leaning against it. Her eyes watched the Shack, hoping it would do something entertaining. All she wanted to do was go home and write or read or talk to Keith, the summer was always the dullest time for Emmy. Emma had all these tests for her health and her parents were always traveling. She had to stay home. Since last year when Emma had gotten sick and Emmy had been in Manchester – Emmy always had to stay at home.

Sometimes Emmy really hated her sister, but then she felt bad for feeling anything but love for Emma. After all, wasn’t Emma a part of her? Yes, unfortunately. Emmy scowled. So today wasn’t one of those “I love Emma but she gets on my nerves” days, it was an “I hate her, and I am gonna until the days over” days. She bowed her head, closing her eyes a moment, before pushing herself away from the fence and heading back into the village. It was about a five minute walk to and from, so she would be getting there just in time. If Emma were early, though, Emmy wouldn’t be surprised. Shoving her hands in her pockets, Emmy cleared her mind as she neared the village. She didn’t want to think. She thought too much enough as it was. The village came into view and soon Emmy was walking past cottages and heading into the shopping district. She risked a look at her cottage and saw Keith sitting in his room, doing Merlin only knew what, but other than that the cottage seemed empty. So her parents weren’t back from Greece yet. Emmy sighed, nearing the tea shop, planning on telling Emma that they were stuck with Keith’s disgusting cooking for another night. However, her plans her quashed when she saw who Emma was talking with.

Emmy stopped in her tracks, her breath leaving her, and she tucked her hair behind her ear. After a second or two, Emmy started the walk again – approaching the table Emma was sitting at with Gabriel standing beside her, “Em! The funniest thing just happened,” Emma giggled and Emmy winced, sending Gabriel a look, “No, let me guess, eh? Gabe thought you were me? Gee, Emmaline, that’s never ever happened before.” Emma frowned, leaning back in her chair, “Yeah, okay, you’re right. I should be used to it, but it’s so funny, you know? It’s like… we’re completely different people but everyone mixes us up.” Emmy raised an eyebrow, really – Emma could be so dumb sometimes. She turned to Gabe and smirked, “I see you’ve met Emma, my mirror.” At that, Emma stuck her tongue out at Emmy.

[Gabriel Roche S6]

Gabriel hated Hogsmead. He hated it, he hated it, he hated it. Too many people, too loud, and it meant going shopping with his mother. Oh jeeze his mother. He said a silent prayer as he listened to the woman ramble on about the length of his robes.

“You’re too short.” She said, frowning as another woman pinned up the bottom of the fabric.

“It’s not my fault ma. If dad was a bit taller maybe I would be.” He rolled his eyes and stood still, just wanting the fitting to be over.

“You’re right,” she nodded thoughtfully, “I should have married a taller man. But he was so good looking in the face.” Her gaze shifted to a near by window and she officially drifted off into a walk down memory lane. Gabriel sighed with relief.

When the fitting was over and the robes were all bought the two left the store and headed off down the street. Gabriel didn’t even know why his mother had insisted on buying new robes, he couldn’t wear them at home, not with all the muggles around. He should have been buying jeans and a new coat for when he would be on the ships this summer, but that wasn’t happening.

“You dress too much like those muggles, and far too often” His mother started up again.

“We live in a muggle city ma. And I actually leave the house once in a while.” He sighed.

“Eh, well maybe you shouldn’t.” Her nose actually seemed to stick further up into the air these days.

As they walked, Gabriel glanced in the shops, rolling his eyes at giddy kids and over eager parents, then he would look over at his mother and sigh again.

Finally his mother glanced over at him before stopping their pace and turning to face him completely. “Gabriel.” She said in that mother-ish tone that said she was frustrated. “If you don’t want to walk around with me, I suppose you should probably go find your own thing to do.” She frowned and her lips puckered in a disapproving manner.

Gabriel had no plans of telling his mother he wanted to go do something else, he wasn’t a rude child, and he had respect for his mother, if not any other adult in the world, but then he changed his mind. He looked over her shoulder – for even though he was short, he was a few good inches taller then her – and saw someone quite familiar in the little tea shop behind her. “Emmy…” he whispered. Her face hadn’t stopped showing up in his dreams – and day dreams – since that night in the forbidden forest. He grinned for the first time in months and then looked back at his mother.

“What was that Gabriel?” she said, a confused look on her face.

“Um, I said yeah. I’ll see you later ok mum? I’ll meet you back where we came in.” He leaned and kissed her cheek before taking off into the tea shop, ignoring his mother as she yelled for him to be back by night.

He marched right up to the table, trying to keep the grin off his face, but for some reason he couldn’t keep it to a minimum ‘pleased’ smile, it was an outright ‘happy’ grin. “Emmy!” he said when he reached the table. But as soon as he got closer something was definitely wrong about the situation.

She looked different. It wasn’t a significant difference, just little things. Her eyes were different, he noticed that as soon as the girl looked up at him. The smile was different. Her hair was different, though that could be because girls change their hair everyday. No, no, this was definitely not Emmy.

“I…I’m sorry…you just look….outrageously alike to someone I know.” He cocked his head slightly just as the girl looked over at the entrance and spoke ‘Em! The funniest thing just happened’. When Gabe looked over at the door things were immediately clear. When Emmy gave him a look, the grin broke out again. It had momentarily left in his confusion, but at the sight of her it was definitely back again. He just grinned, not taking his eyes off her now as she spoke about the girl sitting down, it was apparently the sister she had spoken about that night in the woods, but that seemed hardly important to Gabe right then. “It’s nice to see you Emmy.”

[Emmy Parker G6]

Emmy smiled at Gabe before reaching past Emma’s shoulder and picking a fry from the small basket in front of her and popping it in her mouth. Emma looked at Emmy and then looked at Gabe, raising her eyebrows higher still; “Ho… how do you two know each other?” Emma asked, giving Emmy a look that said ‘you’ve been hiding things from me.’ Emmy had to bite back a groan. Was she not allowed to have her own life? No, of course she wasn’t. She was only allowed to pretend that she was. “We met at school.” Emmy answered, stealing another fry. “How? I mean, you never left the Gryffindor tower, like… ever. You always locked yourself up in the dorm, reading; or doing something equally dull.” Emmy’s eyes widened at the mention of the Gryffindor tower and then she closed them, “Oh… it was the night you snuck out, wasn’t it? I knew it! I knew you were different when you came back – all happy. So, unlike you.” OK, this was one of the moments when Emmy wished Emma wasn’t alive. Alright, so maybe not to that extent – but not there at that exact moment would do just nicely. “Yeah, it was that night, and I’m perfectly capable of being happy, thanks.” Emma snorted, eating a fry, “Yeah, okay, Emmy, if you say so.” “You don’t kn-…” “Know who you are or what you’re capable of doing?” Emmy frowned, she hated when Emma finished her sentences. She did it often enough. But did she hate it because she was always right, or because it was creepy and annoying? Could it be both? Yes, it very well could.

With a shake of her head, Emmy turned to Gabe, attempting a small smile. If he had been following closely, he would have caught onto two things. Both of which Emmy was worried about his reaction to. One of them more than the other. Emma watched Emmy look at Gabe and shook her head, standing from her seat; “Eh, here, you two finish my fries. I’m going home, I need to take my medicine, anyway.” Emmy didn’t look away from Gabe until Emma tugged on her arm, “No, mum and dad aren’t home yet, but bother Keith. He’s allowed to start your dialysis.” Emma groaned and nodded, “Fine. You two should head to the house, hang out there for a bit. I mean, obviously not in the same room as me, but… at least you’ll have someplace to go.” Emmy looked over at her sister, her eyes darkening. She hated when Emma had to do dialysis, she made sure she wasn’t in the same room when she was doing it. Emma gave Emmy a comforting smile and squeezed her arm before turning to Gabe, “It was a pleasure to meet you, even though my sister seemed to believe you were too good to be introduced earlier. I’ll see you at home, Em.” Emmy muttered a goodbye and watched Emma walk away before slowly turning back to Gabe. She bit her lip and sat down, crossing her arms over her chest.

Silence settled between them for a moment, Emmy continuing to bite her lip, her eyes trying to lock on something other than Gabe. After a second, she sighed, “So you know. I’m a Gryffindor, and I don’t blame if you never want to talk to me… ever again. I… guess that’s why I didn’t tell you that night in the Forbidden Forest. I was having a good time, just talking with you – and I didn’t want you to find out I was a Gryff and then decide I wasn’t…” Emmy trailed off, fidgeting slightly in her seat, her eyes downcast. She needed a distraction. The moon wasn’t out. She couldn’t stare at the sun. The fries would have to do. Emmy sat up and leaned her elbows on the table, picking at a fry, twirling the basket in a circle, still biting her lip nervously. Finally, she lifted her gaze and looked at Gabe. She really didn’t want him to stop talking to her over her house. And she didn’t know why.

[Gabriel Roche S6]

Gabriel tried to follow. When he finally convinced himself it might be important to at least listen to Emmy’s sister he still didn’t take his eyes off Emmy. He couldn’t, it felt good to see her face to face again. He had been wrong that night in the forest, he hadn’t seen her again at school. He had looked, oh lord he had looked all up and down that school, but nothing. For a bit he thought she was avoiding him, but now, standing in front of her, her smiling only causing him to grin more, he told himself that couldn’t have been true. A few moments later Emmy’s sister answered the question of why he had never seen her.

Gryffindor. It hit him like a block of cold ice. Wait, wasn’t all ice cold? Oh no matter, it hit him and for a second he froze. Ice will do that to you I suppose. A million thoughts rushed into his head, the biggest one being how Emmy could be in Gryffindor. She didn’t seem like a Gryffindor. Maybe that had just been Gabe liking her too much to even think about what house she might have been. As Gabriel sorted through what he was going to do about this issue – house loyalties, or a girl he liked – Emma spoke again.

Gabe’s grin came back as soon as Emmy admitted to being happy after that night in the forest. Emmy made Gabriel happy. She made him feel like he had before, before he’d gotten so angry, before he’d shut out everyone. He had an overpowering desire to open up to her, to let her in and at first…it scared him to death. When she didn’t stop showing up in his thoughts however, he gave in. And now here he was, listening to her and her sister discuss how happy she had been after they had met. Gabriel liked to believe it was because of him that she was so happy, though it could have been a number of other things. He liked the idea that he made her as happy as she made him however, so he went with it.

He grinned at her as she smiled at him, and hardly noticed when Emma said goodbye to him. It wasn’t until Emmy sat down and started talking that his brain seemed to come back. He didn’t care. He made a decision right then and there that was definitely going to change his reputation, but he made it anyways. He liked her, and he wasn’t going to stop talking to her over something like houses. It was stupid, and as she told him she understood if he never wanted to talk to her again, he realized he had stopped breathing. The thought of not talking to her actually sent his breath from his lungs. When he finally recovered, he sat down at the table and leaned forward on the table, his voice softer then usual. “I don’t care that you’re a Gryff, Emmy…and I’m not going to stop talking to you.”

[Emmy Parker G6]

Emmy looked at the tabletop, her finger drawing circles on it. She wasn’t going to look at him, she wasn’t going to look at him, she wasn’t going to look at him. Emmy lifted her eyes. Oh, damn, she looked at him. Right, focus, Emmy. Fo. Cus. Focus. Ahhh, I can’t focus… he’s just… right… right there… no. Focus. And not on him. Focus on the table, or the clouds, or even the waiter who just spilled tea all over himself. Focus on anything but Gabe. Her thoughts were giving her a headache and she found it really odd that she was thinking at herself, which made no sense if thought about. Ugh. She just… needed to stop thinking. Right, like that could happen. Emmy was about to just… leave, she was good at that, but Gabe spoke. She looked at him suddenly, probably going to get whiplash from how sudden actually, and let her mouth open in a small ‘o.’ Then she smiled a small smile and looked down at the table again, nodding slightly, “Oh, that’s… that’s great. I… didn’t want you to.” The words that were coming from her mouth weren’t the words that she wanted to say, but she couldn’t say those. She ran her fingers through her hair, looking back up at Gabe. This time she didn’t try to think herself out of looking at him.

“I hate it, you know.” Emmy said after a moment, “Being a Gryffindor. It’s not my place. I shouldn’t even be in the bloody house. I’d be much better off in Ravenclaw or Slytherin with how I am, but… I was dumb…” she picked up a fry and tore it apart with her fingers, looking down at it, “I asked to be sorted into Gryff, for Emma. You know, ‘cos she was called first and I just… I couldn’t be parted from her. Insane, right? I mean, you met her for what… no more than five minutes? Even five minutes with Emma Parker and you want to shoot yourself…” Emmy scowled slightly and looked back up at him with a shrug. “I’m not… I guess, I’m not really a Gryff, I just… had to be so Emma wouldn’t die. I’d… I’d hate myself if something happened to her while we were at Hogwarts and… I had the opportunity to do something.” She breathed in deeply and let out before putting the fry in her mouth and chewing in thought. She needed to stop talking about Emma. There was more to her life than her sister. There were more people in her life, more people who were just as important – or… Emmy looked up at Gabe… slowly becoming just as, if not more so, important.

Emmy smiled lightly, leaning back in her seat, her hands on the table still, “Why wouldn’t you stop talking to me? I mean, not that I want you to, it’s just... you don’t come off as the type of guy who’d socialize with a Gryff.” She tucked her hair behind her ear, wondering if she’d like his answer at all. Her breathing slowed a moment, “No, you know what? Don’t answer that, I’d rather not know. Let’s… talk about something better, like, what you’re doing in Hogsmeade.”

[Gabriel Roche S6]

Gabriel waited in silence until she told him she told him she didn’t want him to stop talking to her. A part of him was worried that she secretly hadn’t wanted to talk to him; that that night in the woods had been a fluke, a momentary lapse in judgment. It wasn’t just Slytherins that didn’t talk to Gryffindor, it worked the other way around too. It was a mutual dislike-dislike relationship, bordering hate-hate. But she didn’t want him to stop talking to her, that was good. Sometimes, more often then not, people are just polite. You may hate a person to the bone, but because you’re polite you don’t tell them flat out you don’t like them, you just tolerate them – and drop subtle hints that you really don’t want them around. He worried maybe Emmy had been doing that, but Gabriel convinced himself that that was not the case. He really liked her, really, really did. Which was odd. Girls were no good, all they did was cause trouble and hurt you…but he was making an exception for Emmy. In the back of his mind he worried it was a mistake, but for one reason or another, he ignored that part of his mind. He was happy, that was something new, he was never happy; he liked it.

Gabe smiled as she talked about being a gryff…he actually smiled about it. Part of him was pleased to know that she wasn’t meant to really be in Gryffindor, but then again, part of him knew that she was. Simply asking to be put in Gryffindor, made her meant for it. Whether she was more like a Ravenclaw, or more like a Slytherin didn’t matter, she had asked, and that was what made her a Gryffindor. At the same time he pondered these thoughts, he realized how little they mattered. Emmy was just, a different sort of person, a different sort of girl. She was…well she was like him it seemed. He got along with her, and he had absolutely no desire to punch her in the face. That was a very, very, VERY good thing. Her being the first girl that hadn’t made him mad, broke his heart, or been flat out annoying, he liked her. He liked her company. She was smart, he could tell that from just their short conversations and that was important to him. She seemed to like him, and she didn’t seem to be afraid of him, that was also very important to him. He wondered what she really thought of him though, not just what she seemed to think.

‘…you don’t come off as the type of guy who’d socialize with a Gryff.’ That’s what she thought of him. He didn’t blame her, he wasn’t that type of guy, or at least, he didn’t used to be. The fact that she was the only reason he was changing, would be hard to explain. But he wanted to explain it to her, he wanted to tell her, then she changed the subject. Gabriel looked down at the fries, and then turned his head to watch a couple of waiters clean up some spilled tea. “My mum wanted to shop. She just likes to buy things, thought I could use new robes. It makes no sense really, I cant wear them till next year…but…I guess I’m not gonna grow much between now and then.” He laughed lightly and looked back at Emmy. “I’m not that kind of guy you know…” He had decided that he would answer her question anyways, and hope she wouldn’t hat him too much for telling her what she really didn’t want to know, but he needed to say it. Sometimes you just think about things to the point where, maybe if you say it aloud, it’ll become clearer. “I haven’t talked to anyone that wasn’t in my house for almost two years I guess. Anytime anyone else has tried to talk to me they….well I don’t talk back.” The truth was they he would probably pick a fight with them, but he didn’t want to start off his explanation like that. “You’re different you know, Emmy. I don’t know why, but I like talking to you. You’re not like other people. I get along with you and…well I just really like talking to you. So…screw houses I suppose. I don’t care anymore.” He nodded matter of factly and smiled at her. This was definitely the most he’d smiled in a long, long time.

[Emmy Parker G6]

Emmy raked her fingers through her hair, taking a few deep breaths to return to how she was normally. Being frazzled was something that Emmy didn’t do. She was always usually calm and collected; she had to be for her sister. She had learnt at a young age that if something happened to Emma while she was around, she had to remain calm so she could help her sister – and at that age, there was nothing more that Emmy wanted than to help her sister. Didn’t she still want nothing more than to help Emma? No. There was something that Emmy wanted more, or… was it just something she wanted equally? Or were they in two completely different categories of desire? Yes. That would be it. That’s the logical thought. Emmy had always thought logically, about everything. She had to with how her life was. She hated it, too, sometimes. Because sometimes the logical thoughts weren’t always the fun ones. Then again, since when had Emmy really ever wanted to have fun? She had grown accustomed to her life being dim and lifeless with nothing good in it. She had grown accustomed to pretending to be happy for her family’s sake. She never really had fun, therefore, she wasn’t sure if she liked it. When it came to a life with Emma… it was difficult to believe in having fun when you realize it might be the last time you’ll ever have fun again.

Perhaps this was why Emmy had always isolated herself. She wouldn’t allow herself to be truly happy because she would feel guilty when one thing could happen and Emma would be gone forever, unable to be happy ever again. Perhaps it wasn’t, but whatever the reason – Emmy had become amazing at cutting everyone else off from her world. She had never had the desire to let anyone in. She had never wanted anyone to know what her life was like. Now, here she was willing to let Gabe into her life, heck… she wanted him to be a part of her life. Even a small part. Even just the part that showed that she wasn’t completely anti-social. Emmy wanted Gabe to know her, the real her, not the her she let other people see because it was what they expected her to be. She was kind of really sick and tired of being what everyone else expected her to be. She was supposed to be her sister’s keeper, but also the perfect daughter and student. Frankly, Emmy wasn’t sure how she could be all those things at once when it took more energy than she had to watch over Emma and clean up after her stupid mistakes. Emmy just wanted to be able to enjoy her life without worrying about the mess Emma was making of hers.

She tuned back into the conversation when Gabe answered her ‘what he was doing in Hogsmeade’ question, nodding thoughtfully. That was the main reason why most people visited Hogsmeade. The shopping, or the food. Emmy forgot often, because she lived there. Hogsmeade was just her home. Sure, there was the actual shopping district which was where they were at that precise moment and there was the housing district which was technically where Emmy lived. However, Emmy had always considered all of Hogsmeade her home. So it wasn’t too surprising when she forgot that people visited Hogsmeade for other reasons than because they lived there. Emmy was about to say something when Gabe spoke again. She closed her mouth and listened to him, her heart pounding. She had been right, he wasn’t that type of guy. He didn’t go around socializing with Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs on a regular basis. She looked down at her hands. Emmy tried not to read too much into it. He had said he wasn’t going to stop talking to her and that was that. That was all she needed. Wasn’t it?

When he said that there was something different about her, Emmy looked up slowly. There was something different about her? She tried to control the smile that was slowly spreading across her face, but she realized it was no use. She looked down again, tucking her hair behind her ear, as Gabe finished what he was saying. Screw houses. He didn’t care anymore. Was she reading too much into it, or was he basically telling her that he was changing that little bit about him because of her? Would Emmy even allow herself that small little pleasure? She smiled as she looked back up at him, “You didn’t have to answer, you know. I was just attempting to… I don’t know. It doesn’t matter, anyway.” Emmy shrugged and kicked the ground with the toe of her shoe, trying to think of something to say. Finally, after a moment, she smiled lightly; “I can’t believe you mistook me for my sister. I mean, I thought you knew me a little bit better than to think I was Emma.” She was just giving him a hard time, and her smirk should tip him off about that. Besides, it wasn’t like he knew her completely – they still had a lot to learn about each other, she just liked the idea that she could tease him about it; whereas normally she’d be livid.

[Gabriel Roche S6]

Sometimes people get so caught up in something that they forget where they started, they forget who they are. Gabriel was having that problem. He wasn’t sure if it was a problem though, or more of a…life changing event. Was it good that Emmy was changing him? Or making him want to change at least? Emmy. A girl. Gabriel was at a loss for how this could be happening. He had been a social wreck for the last year at least. Why? Because of a girl. He’d been left broken hearted and angry. And now what was happening? Was he falling for Emmy? Or was it just nice to feel a certain…similarity with someone? To feel like you got along with someone? Was that it?

Gabriel was a dreamer. He wasn’t a romantic, or a completely unrealistic or illogical person, he had the capability of being logical, but he enjoyed dreaming. He enjoyed what ifs, and if onlys. Was this one of those? Yes, it was. All Gabriel could do was wonder why her. Why Emmy. Maybe…maybe it was something more then just a like for who she was. Was it that she was pretty? Sure, she was pretty but that wasn’t reason enough for Gabe to be so taken with her. Was it her personality? It had to be right? Was it just…her? Was she just….perfect for him? Maybe this was one of those, meant to be things. Like fate.

That was boarder-line illogical, Gabriel. He had done this before, he had fallen. And what had happened; he’d been left heart broken. He’d done the love thing before…but was it real? Was it meant to be? Was…this?... So many thoughts were swarming his head. He liked her. That was just…something that was not able to be argued. It was fact. Plain old fact. He liked Emmy. But he hadn’t decided if he should yet. Sure, she made him so happy, and he felt like he was meant to be around her…but what happens when things fall apart? Would they fall apart? Too many questions Gabriel.

He looked up at her, every second of silence seemed like a millennium because of his thoughts. He loved her smile. She was smiling about what he had said, and that was really, really nice. “I wanted to answer it.” He said simply as he fidgeted with his hands on the table, leaning forward slightly on his elbows. He would really have liked a coffee, but there seemed to be no free waiters wandering around. When he heard her talk about how he mistook Emma for her he looked up at her and let his jaw drop, a shocked smile on his face. He saw her smirk, and hoped it was only a joke, but he still felt the need to apologize. “Hey, hey, now. What your sister didn’t tell you is that as soon as I got close I realized I had made a mistake.” He smirked back at her. “I only thought she was you from a distance, but I could tell it wasn’t you when I got close. Your face has been flying around my dreams for long enough now I could tell the differe…” He stopped, shocked, and swallowed. “…ence.” He looked at her for a moment longer and then cleared his throat and looked around the room nervously. Had he honestly just said that aloud. Sure, he had been thinking it, but he had actually told her that? Great, now she’d think he was a freak. He bit his lip and laughed anxiously. “Jeeze, can a guy get a waiter?” He looked over at her again and then down at his hands quickly. Nice one.

[Emmy Parker G6]

Emmy raised her eyebrows, the smirk still on her face, when Gabriel said that Emma didn’t tell her about how he knew it wasn’t her the second he got close enough. She, once again, was going to say something; but he had said something that caught her attention. Not that her attention wasn’t already on him, completely, but his words made her shut her mouth. He seemed to catch what he was saying and he stopped in the middle of a word, only to finish it a second later. Emmy watched him, her heart pounding so hard she was certain he could hear it. How… how was she supposed to reply to that? Gabe looked around, saying something about a waiter, but Emmy hardly heard him. Her hands were shaking in her lap, her eyes remained on him. Your face has been flying around my dreams for long enough now I could tell the difference. Had he really said that? Or did she imagine it? No, she couldn’t have imagined it because he was most definitely looking for a distraction and he had changed the subject. He had to have said it. Didn’t he? Emmy continued to watch him, her mind trying to catch up with her heart and her emotions. She had to work around the fact that he had just told her he dreamt about her. She had to think of a logical response, one that didn’t show how amazingly happy that made her, one that made her seem… well, she wasn’t sure what she wanted her response to make her seem like… that was her issue.

Finally, her mind seemed to catch up with her emotions, and she opened her mouth to say something. Except the only thing that could come out of her mouth were sounds. Vowel sounds. “I…. you… eh… it…” After awhile Emmy gave up in trying to form a sentence. She closed her eyes and shook her head before opening her eyes and looking at him again, “You’ve… you’ve dreamt about me?” There. That question was a reasonable one. I mean, if someone mentions dreaming about someone else it’s only natural for the second someone to be curious as to whether or not the dreams were good or bad and whether or not they had actually said that because it had happened or because they thought it fit the occasion. However, Gabe had caught himself near the end of the sentence, so there was no way he could have said it because he thought it fit the occasion. Or well, no technically he could, but Emmy was really hoping that wasn’t the situation. “I… I mean, you didn’t just say that for the sake of saying it did you? Because I’m not sure if I could handle that.” The last bit was said more toward herself, as her eyes looked down at her hands in her lap which were wringing themselves over and over again.

With that said, Emmy let something dawn on her. Something that she hadn’t let dawn on her until just now. Emmy liked Gabriel. It was simple once thought about, maybe even expected of herself, but… still it was something that Emmy wasn’t used to. She had never liked anyone. Her life was centered around her sister and the medical procedures she had to undergo for her sister. She had never thought about liking anyone because that meant having to get to know someone and doing that was something so unthinkable for Emmy that she just… didn’t even think of having any form of relationship. Besides, she had seen what heartbreak could do to a person and she honestly had no desire to have that done to her. Therefore the easiest thing for Emmy to do considering the circumstances of her life was to just… not think about it. But now, as she sat opposite Gabe and her heart pounded from what he had just said to her… she realized that there was no stopping her liking him. And while Emmy was normally pretty positive that on regularity she would have forced herself to forget about him… she had no intention whatsoever to do that now. Just the thought of forgetting about him made her hurt.

At that moment, a waiter finally arrived asking them if they wanted anything else. Emmy looked confused a moment and then realized the fries were still there. She ordered water with a lemon and lime twist, more lime than lemon, and then sunk lower in her seat. After a second she looked up at Gabe again, “I just… you know, to say that you saying that didn’t make me really happy would be a lie.”

[Gabriel Roche S6]

Gabriel did his best to not walk away. He thought about it, he thought about just getting up and walking away. Surely she’d be happier, I mean look at her… He had done his best to avoid her eye contact as well. She was clearly shocked. Maybe she’s happy… He cleared his throat again as he finally looked up from his hands and to her. She was just sitting there, looking at him, shocked. Shocked. Great, you just had to open your big, fat, stupid mouth and say that huh? Now she really does think you’re a freak. Nice one. Niiiiice one.

It was true. He had dreamt about her. But to actually tell her that…was absurd. Why had he done that? It had been a slip of the tongue…or had it? Maybe he had just wanted to say it. Gabriel had never, ever, ever been one to censor himself. He said whatever he felt like saying. That was what had happened, his nerves had calmed down, and he had gotten comfortable with her, and he’d done it. He’d said what he was thinking. He’d said the logical explanation – or at least…the logical one in his mind – for why he hadn’t really thought Emma was Emmy. That was why after all, he had dreamt about her. He had, he had, he had. The range of what he’d dreamt about her was varied of course. Sometimes the dreams were all about her, sometimes they only had her in them for a moment, (like a particularly odd dream he had had involving a killer goose) and sometimes they were…it would be really, really, really bad if you started thinking about that now Gabe…right.

She had opened her mouth again, only to stumble over words. What would she say when she’d finally said it? Would she be mad? Would she tell him he was a freak? Of course she would, that was the only way to go. Gabe nervously watched her as she closed her eyes and shook her head. She was beautiful. That was all he could think in the moment, she was really, really beautiful. Then the bad thoughts caught up again. She wouldn’t talk to him any more after this. She would get up and walk out of the room and never speak to him again. He couldn’t take that, he just couldn’t. Finally he leaned forward on the table, ready to explain himself, and then she spoke. ‘You’ve dreamt about me?’ The fatal question, suddenly his mouth was dry again. He couldn’t get his thoughts out of his head. But she continued speaking. Of course he hadn’t said it just for the sake of saying it, why would he have done that? She looked down at her hands and he caught just the last, quite bit of her sentence. She wouldn’t be able to handle it if he hadn’t meant it.

What did that mean? Did that mean she was handling it? Did that mean…she wasn’t mad? Or upset? Or think he was a freak? Maybe she didn’t. He nodded, watching her look down at her hands. The hands he had dreamt of holding…at least once…ok maybe twice. The thought occurred to him to leap across the table and kiss her, but he held back the urge. Maybe later I will…..yeah if she doesn’t hate you…oh yeah. He was all ready to explain, even had his mouth open, when the waiter he had been urgent for a few minutes before arrived. Oh, great timing. He sat back just slightly and waited till Emmy had ordered, unable to keep from smiling at her, then ordered a coffee. Finally, when they were alone again, and Emmy had successfully shrunk farther away from him, she spoke again. Gabriel could have sworn he flew through the roof. It made her happy? She was happy….She was happy! He grinned and grabbed the bottom of his chair, scooting it around the table and closer to hers, unable to be so far apart from her. He wanted to speak soft, he wanted them to be able to have a private conversation, but from the other side of the table it seemed so open. Now, as he sat close beside her and turned slightly to face her, he smiled. “I have. Dreamt about you that is. I didn’t just say it for the sake of saying it…” He laughed lightly and looked down at her hands. “To be honest I thought you were going to be mad at me for saying it…think I was weird or something.” He was in a confident state of mind. His mood had completely switched from nervous terror, to self-assuredness. Moving his hand, he pushed her hair behind her ear so he could see her face better. “I have dreamt about you Emmy.” His confidence kept growing, for some reason he couldn’t stop himself now, he just…said what he was thinking. “I like you Emmy. A lot.”

[Emmy Parker G6]

Emmy’s eyes remained on Gabe, even as he moved over to her side of the table. Now that he was sitting beside her, she grew even more nervous. Her stomach flipped and she continued to wring her hands in her lap. He spoke. He spoke beautiful words. Words that… that sent her mind reeling. She looked into his eyes, breathing slowly, listening to every word he said. When he pushed her hair behind her ear, she closed her eyes and leaned towards his touch ever so slightly. Then, he said it. He had to have said it. Emmy opened her eyes. He liked her. No, he didn’t just like her. He liked her a lot. She didn’t realize it until just then, but she had been wanting to hear him say that. She had needed to hear him say that. She couldn’t breathe. Words were floating around in her head, but nothing came out. Their drinks had appeared but Emmy hadn’t noticed, she wasn’t looking at anything but Gabe. He… she had to give him a reply. He had just said he liked her and she was sitting there like someone who was deaf and dumb. If she had just done what he did… she wouldn’t be feeling too great if he was taking forever to reply. But nothing would come out. Of all the things that Emmy wanted to say to him. Nothing would come out. She couldn’t move when she wanted to just kiss him, portray her feelings through her lips another way if she couldn’t the first way. She was frozen completely. Her hands weren’t even wringing themselves like crazy anymore. She was just frozen.

Then the logical Emmy kicked in. That annoying high pitched voice which was more like Emma’s than Emmy’s whispered in her ear. What are you doing? You can’t like someone, Emmy. It’s selfish. It’s selfish and you know it. What would Emma say? What would Mother and Daddy say? What would Keith say? You’re only thinking about yourself. You’re shoving aside the rest of the people in your life, the people that mean the most over what… over some guy? Oh, please, Emmy, he’ll be gone within a week and you know it. You. Know. It. Stop being so damned selfish and get up. Just get up and walk away. Walk away and never speak to him again. He’s nothing but bad news, Emmy. He’ll ruin everything. He’ll ruin your life at home. He’ll make you and Emma fight. He’ll make Mother disappointed and Daddy won’t like him. Keith… well, who cares what Keith thinks? Emmy, Gabriel Roche is no good for you. Leave. Him. NOW. Involuntarily, Emmy gripped the arm rests and started to shove her chair back to walk away. But then… then another voice came in. A voice she hadn’t ever heard before. A voice that wasn’t like the other. It was her voice and Emmy listened to it.

Emmy, for years you’ve been doing what they want you to do. Not only do you do it, but you do it without question. You’ve never complained about the blood transfusions, you’ve never thrown the fact that you had to give up a kidney for Emma in anyone’s face, and you’ve always been ready and able to give anything up for her. For years you’ve denied yourself anything you thought might be good for you because you didn’t think you had the right to be happy while Emma is so obviously ill. For years you’ve pretended to be this hard stone because it was all you thought you could ever be. For years you’ve allowed yourself to be treated like a back-up daughter incase the first fails. For once, Emmy, do something for you. Do something that will make you happy. Do something that you want. Not something that everyone else wants. Not something that will only benefit you in a way that allows you to remain feeling like you are a great person. Do something for you. Stay. Talk to him. Tell him how you feel. Reach for his hand… Without really realizing she was doing it, Emmy reached over and took Gabe’s hand. Look him in his eyes… she looked up and over at him, completely complacent now. And tell him you “like you, too…”

The words were so simple. Why hadn’t she been able to tell him that moments before? She knew it was because she was feeling guilty. She was feeling guilty that she was thinking about allowing herself to be happy over something other than her family. But now that she said it… she couldn’t stop, “I really like you. See… after that night in the Forbidden Forest, I tried to tell myself that I didn’t and I succeeded. I let myself believe that I didn’t like you. Emma could see the change in me, but I wouldn’t let myself. But… I like you. It’s as simple as that.”

[Gabriel Roche S6]

Time stopped. Or at least, it felt like it did. Where Gabriel had heard sounds; there were no sounds. No chatting couples, no scraping chairs, no clinking glasses, no bustling waiters, no sounds. Where Gabriel had seen movement out of the corners of his eyes, there was none now. The people had stopped moving, the mouths had stopped flapping, the hands had stopped waving, even a biscuit falling off a table near by had stopped, inches above the floor; there was no movement. Where Gabriel had felt his breath now though, there was no breath. A new feeling had replaced his heart beat, his breath. The room spun. It was just them, just Emmy and Gabriel. Sitting there. He was waiting. Waiting for her to say what he knew she was going to say. She had to say it, she had to like him too. She just had to, if she didn’t want had Gabriel done? He had made a fool of himself. No, she had to. Round and round they went as his eyes locked into hers. He sank, he sank into her. Lost in her eyes. And the room kept spinning.

Then it broke. It was over. The ride ended. She moved. She gripped her chair and pushed it away from the table. Gabriel came crashing to the floor just as the biscuit did. The noises around him came to a roar again, the people moved around as if nothing had happened. Couldn’t they tell? Why hadn’t they stopped? The world was ending at they were still talking about the quality of the French toast. What was going on? Why had this happened? Gabriel had to stop it, he had to do something, but what was he going to do? You should have known better. I know. He had been here before, this all seemed so familiar but it seemed to hurt so much worse. He wasn’t angry this time, not angry at all. He was distraught, he was lost, he was confused, but not angry. How could he be angry at her? No, he wasn’t angry, he just needed this to stop. He needed that feeling again, that spinning feeling. He wanted that, where had it gone? It’s gone Gabe, it’s gone with her. But she wasn’t gone yet, no not yet, he could still stop her, he could still get that feeling back. But again, something happened, something changed, she stopped herself. She took his hand and he linked their fingers, his subconscious forcing his hand to squeeze hers tight. He needed her to stay. She looked at him and their eyes locked again and she made it all better. She made the world stop again. But this time, Gabriel felt his heart pound.

She liked him too. And she kept going, she kept talking. She really liked him. She hadn’t let herself in the beginning but she did. Now she was letting herself. She liked him. It was simple as that. Was it simple as that? Was it just that easy? Yes it was, it was. What was he saying? He liked her too. Of course it was that simple, nothing else mattered. It had been so long. So, so, so, so long since he’d felt this way. But had he ever felt this way? He wasn’t sure; the room had never spun before…that was for sure. He didn’t know what to do next. His hand was in hers, and his eyes were on hers, all he wanted now was…

He did it. He made probably the boldest, most self-assured, boyish, Slytherin-ish, confident move of his lifetime. He leaned and he kissed her. Then a realization hit him. This was Gabriel’s first real kiss. Not counting, cheek kisses, and pecks, this was his first kiss. Well this was definitely a kiss he would remember. The kiss seemed to last forever to him as he moved his free hand up and onto her cheek gently. He didn’t know how she would react. He had seen her reaction just when he’d said he’d liked her. It had been unsure, she had hesitated. But when she finally said she liked him too she had said she really liked him. So would this kiss come as too big of a shock for her? Would she push him away? Would she tell him he had gone too far? He had no idea, this had never happened before. He had never wanted to kiss someone this bad before. He asked too many questions. Oddly enough, Gabriel’s mind was clearer when he was kissing Emmy. He was lost in the kiss but at the same time, so relaxed. So unbelievably relaxed. You ask too many questions Gabe…time to just…go with the flow…take it easy….enjoy… And he did. He enjoyed the kiss all the way up until he pulled back. And then he just looked at her. He just stared into her eyes, losing himself again, he had no words.

[Emmy Parker G6]

He’s kissing me…

He’s kissing me…

Shut up and kiss back…

It might’ve taken her awhile, but she eventually did kiss him back. After she had gotten over the initial shock of him kissing her, she kissed him back. The world seemed to just stop. Sure, there were noises. Emmy could hear the noises. She could hear the angry customer two tables away complaining about their tea being too warm, and she could hear the baby crying down the path because it lost its pacifier. But it was like the noises had nothing connected to them. They were just sounds. Sounds that had no origin, because there was no possible way that something or someone else existed in this world besides her and Gabriel. Emmy had never felt this way, but we’ve already established that. This kiss was the cherry on top of the sundae. Especially since it was her first kiss. Her first kiss ever. No one had gotten close enough to Emmy to kiss her unless it was her family and those were Sunday kisses. She hated physical contact. She hated hugs. She despised everything that meant touching another human being. The only person she’d never cringed at touching was Emma. This was completely different, though. No boy had ever kissed her. Not even her cheek. Not like this. This was her first kiss, period. Frankly, Emmy was surprised at how completely complacent she was.

When he pulled back, she sat there, her eyes still closed. The sounds still had no origin for Emmy and she knew they wouldn’t until she opened her eyes and looked at him. Reluctantly, she did so and the world came back in full colour. They sat in silence for a moment, just staring at each other. That damn baby was still crying, and after a second Emmy grew irritated with it. She didn’t say anything, though, she just looked on into Gabriel’s eyes and then a slow smile crept across her face; “Um…” Emmy stammered a bit, trying to find something to say but finding absolutely nothing. It was great but frustrating at the same time. She hated when she felt like she should say something but had nothing to say. Yet it was a feeling that Emmy embraced. She looked down at their hands a moment and then up at him again, trying again; “You meant to do that right? Because if you didn’t, let me know and I’ll look into getting a time turner and we can redo this whole thing.” Great. The first thing out of her mouth was a sarcastic remark. Well, that was Emmy for you. Sarcastic in situations she doesn’t know how to handle.

It wasn’t that she didn’t know how to handle this and it wasn’t exactly a situation, but she just didn’t know what to say or do. What words could someone say after a kiss like that? A kiss that made every word in their vocabulary just disappear and mean nothing? A kiss that could send a girl soaring so high that she doesn’t ever want to come back? A kiss that could make every sound that’s heard origin-less? What exactly does someone say after that type of kiss? In Emmy’s case, it was something sarcastic about a time turner. She bit her lip and sat back in the chair, still looking at Gabriel, her hand still in his; their fingers still linked. It was something that Emmy had never thought would happen. Her holding hands with anyone, much less Gabriel who had been the only one she wanted to hold hands with in awhile, was something that Emmy had shoved away in her mind a long while ago. She had shoved a lot from her mind for years, thinking that perhaps she was being too selfish thinking those thoughts or wanting those things that she wanted. But now, Emmy was slowly learning that she could have those things without being selfish. Emma had always told her that, but Emmy had never believed it. Until now.

[Gabriel Roche S6]

Finally she kissed him back. Right when he thought that she wouldn’t, she did. Right when he was ready to pull back and apologize, she kissed him back. It really was brilliant. The type of thing you read in a story book. Right when Prince Charming kisses the locked-away-Princess and the world has a happy ending. It was that kind of kiss, a happy ending kiss. Gabriel wanted to do it again, and again, and again. He could spend the rest of the day kissing her. He was sure that feeling would never go away and it was a feeling he loved. Gabriel was tense. All the time tense. I guess you could say it was a result from always locking up his anger and saving it till the breaking point. But it’s a lot easier to just say he was tense. But when he kissed Emmy, he relaxed. It was the most relaxed he ever felt.

Relaxation was not something that came easy to Gabe. Back home, when he was on the boat and they went out of the dock, then he was relaxed in a way; but it was sort of a…‘I’m releasing all of my tension through my efforts of sailing this boat’ sort of relaxation. When Gabriel was alone and took time for prayer, then he was relaxed; but that was a sort of, ‘I’m putting all of my anger into words and giving it to God’ kind of relaxation. Relaxation like this…total ‘forget your worries, the only thing that matters at this moment is this moment’ relaxation? Gabriel was never this relaxed. Ever. Emmy had done it, and something told Gabe only Emmy could do it.

He sat still, just watching her as she sat with her eyes closed. Wondering what she would say to him. He was past the point of worrying about her getting angry with him. At this point he was at the ‘well, better hope this all works out’ stage. He couldn’t make himself worry any more. All his worries had just…disappeared in that kiss. When she opened her eyes she smiled. “I love your smile.” He whispered. He just…really honestly didn’t care any more. He’d told her he liked her and now he was going to just…let it out. What was the point of keeping all these thoughts locked up. He wanted to tell her these things. So he would. No more censorship. No more ‘no no Gabe, that’s bad’. If she liked him too, if she liked Gabriel Roche, then he was going to be Gabriel Roche. This was Gabriel Roche. Blunt. Honest. And unable to get Emmy Parker out of his mind.

A time turner. Gabriel actually laughed. Lightly, but he laughed. How could he not have meant to kiss her? The thought of that…completely threw him for a loop. He’d always heard people talk about how they’d kissed someone but it hadn’t really meant anything. They hadn’t meant to. They’d just got ‘caught up in the moment’. It was absurd to Gabriel. He could never kiss someone and not mean to. Gabriel always meant to do the things he did. Every fight, every insult, and this kiss. He meant. Sometimes the brutally honest bit of Gabe was a lot to handle, but in this case he felt it was a good thing. Gabriel could never kiss someone without the intention to because how could you possibly enjoy it? Kisses were supposed to mean something. They just were. Gabriel found the lack of meaningful kisses these days to be disgusting. It was a sign of humanity just…not caring any more. They just lived and never thought. There was no meaning in anything these days. Well Gabriel was putting the ‘meaningful’ back in ‘kiss’.

Ok so the word ‘meaningful’ isn’t exactly in the word ‘kiss’…but you get what I mean.

“I meant to kiss you Emmy. I’ve been wanting to. So there’s really no need for a time turner. I hear you have to fill out tons of paperwork to get those things.” He smirked slightly. He could do it too. He could joke. But he could be meaningful too. Yes, yes he could. Once again he pushed her hair behind her ear and rested his hand on her cheek again. “You kissed me back….did you mean to?” The thought had occurred to him that maybe she had asked if he meant to, because she hadn’t meant to. Could he handle that? Well I suppose we would find out.

[Emmy Parker G6]

Sometimes, most times, when someone mentions something about another person to that person, the person will immediately do or say the thing that was mentioned. So, when Gabriel mentioned that he loved her smile, Emmy immediately smiled more and then lifted her free hand to cover her smile. In truth, Emmy hated her smile – then again there was very little about herself that Emmy loved. Everything she had, Emma had, too. Her eyes, which she would in a normal situation love, were identical to those of Emma’s. The only difference between her and Emma’s eyes were the fact Emma’s held life in them while Emmy’s held hatred most of the time. Emmy and Emma had the same hair, and if they didn’t – Emma had the better hair. Emma had the sweeter smile, Emmy had the colder one. And we’re back to the smile. If Gabriel loved it, Emmy wondered if she could love it. What was so special about her smile? Could it be because it was hers? Were they even on that basis yet? ‘I love it because it’s yours…’ Were they even that far along in their relationship? Was there even a relationship to be far along in? Sure, they were friends, right? But they had kissed. They had just kissed. Friends don’t kiss. And they definitely don’t love something because it was the other person’s. Emmy was confusing herself and she wished she wouldn’t. She wished she could just sit back and enjoy all of this, but she wasn’t like that. Once questions poured into her mind… they stayed there and well, Emmy had to answer them or else she drove herself insane.

Emmy allowed her mind to settle down for a couple of seconds while Gabriel answered her question. So he had meant to, that was good. That meant he wasn’t going to look back at the kiss later on that night and regret it. Emmy knew she wouldn’t be regretting it. If Emmy regretted anything about today it would be the fact that Gabe had met Emma, but that had been out of her control so it wasn’t really something she did that she would be regretting. She smiled lightly when he spoke about paperwork having to be filled out for a time turner, “Good, I hate paper work.” The way she spoke that, it sounded like she was only happy about the fact that she wouldn’t have to file paper work and that was not it in the least. Before she could say something about that, though, Gabriel was talking again, this time he asked her if she meant to kiss him back. Emmy looked at him. It was time to decide. Yes. She had meant to kiss him back, oh Merlin how she had wanted to kiss him back. But this was her ticket out of something she might get stuck in, her ticket out of something that she was new to. Did she really want to be in a relationship? Well, who’s to say we’ll even start a relationship? What if we just agree that we like each other and that’s that...? I’ve never been in this position before, how am I supposed to know? Regardless of where this was going, Emmy knew one thing and that one thing was… “Yes, I meant to kiss you back.”

With those words now out of her mouth, Emmy breathed in a deep breath trying to think of something else to say. There was so much she wanted to say but her mind was a mess. She supposed she could just go through all the questions that were clouding her mind, but she didn’t want to ask so many questions and scare him off. She didn’t want to scare him off in general. What if he really didn’t want anything out of this? What did Emmy really know about Gabriel Roche? Nothing much. She knew he liked photography. That he wasn’t very popular. That he likes you, that he kissed you, that he’s holding your hand, that he’s sitting beside you, touching your cheek, telling you he likes you, saying he meant to kiss you. Isn’t that all you need? Isn’t that all that matters? Emmy would have liked to let herself believe that was all that mattered, but she knew she wanted to know more about him. She knew there was more to him than what she already knew. Emmy continued to look at him, her eyes locked on his. She was vaguely aware that his hand was still on her cheek, and when she fully became aware of it, she leaned toward his touch, her eyes closing again. It was just a natural reaction to lean into his touch, to love the feel of his hand on her skin. It was just right to her. “I…” She bit her lip and opened her eyes, looking at him again, “This is all new to me, Gabriel. All of it. I… I don’t know what I’m doing or what to say. It’s completely new to me and it’s pretty intimidating. You’re pretty intimidating right now. I’m afraid I’m going to say something that’ll send you away, because I don’t know what I am supposed to say.”

Emmy looked down, going over her words in her mind, making sure she didn’t sound ten times dumber than she thought she did. Reaching up, she took Gabe’s hand off her cheek with hers and held that one, too. This was all… so unexpected. Emmy’s life was never unexpected. Which, you think it would be because of Emma with her freak medical emergencies and such, but that was more Emma’s life than Emmy’s. If Emmy had to give up some blood for Emma, so be it; that was actually, sadly, expected. She never had unexpected surprises like this in her life and she was having a hard time believing it was all true. After all, she had wanted this for awhile now, so it was hard to believe that it was actually happening. She had thought about it, imagined it, dreamt it, wrote it down, and still she never thought it would ever happen. And here they were. Sitting. Holding hands. It was insane and amazing and terrifying all rolled into one and Emmy found she really loved it. She really loved the feeling of terror, comfort, and happiness all rolled into one big ball of emotion. It meant she was living again and that was something Emmy had wanted for so terribly long.

[Gabriel Roche S6]

Gabriel held back a chuckle when she covered up her smile, it was a silly thing to do but it was cute at the same time. It was cute? How long had it been since Gabe had thought something was cute…someone to be exact. Now that he thought about it, he had never really thought someone was cute. He had never really thought of anything as cute. Cute was such a girly thing. To say something was cute was so…sentimental. Had Gabe ever been sentimental? Maybe, at one point, but not in the last year at least. Gabriel was rude, and arrogant, and outspoken, and angry. He wasn’t loving, or kind, or sweet, or romantic, or sentimental. But around Emmy…that’s all he could be. He couldn’t be mean or arrogant. He couldn’t think about himself, or about being some puffed up bully. All he could think about was her. About how wonderful she was. Why did she seem so wonderful? Did she just seem wonderful or was she really just that wonderful? To Gabe she was. She was that wonderful he decided. She made him want to be that kid, that loving, romantic, good natured kid that had died away so long ago. Could he still be? Could he still be that Gabriel? It was a seriously debatable question.

A person’s nature isn’t something that just changed over night. It’s a slow change. Before, years before, when Gabriel was still kind, and sweet, and thoughtful (well, as much as a Slytherin can be) it had been the way he was born and raised. He was born to be a good person. Sure, he had a slight temper, and was prone to violence, but that didn’t mean he was like that all the time. That wasn’t his nature. He was a good kid with a few flaws that he worked hard to get past. He was dedicated and tried hard in school. He was clever, and mischievous, but never a bad kid. Things changed. Relationships can do that to you. Some people have said that Gabriel has issues with holding grudges and it’s quite arguable that he lets things get to him worse then a normal person would. Instead of moving on and try, try, trying again, he’s given up. Gabriel gave up on people, on relationships. He gave up on trying to care about someone because it became a truth in his mind that caring only lead to being hurt. His nature changed over time. He didn’t wake up one morning angry. Over time he got angrier and angrier as he let it build up. He held all his pain inside and instead of letting it out and talking to someone or working out his problem, he shoved it into a box in his head and kept it there. And everything that bothered him was added to that box. That box was packed full of things that bothered him. Pet peeves, failed classes, and even that burnt camera. Everything that ever affected him negatively was in that box. It was the only box he had for a while, everything affected him negatively. But now, all of the sudden there was a new box. A box that was filled up with Emmy.

Emmy was making a change in him. It was a slow change, yes, everything was. Gabriel had no doubt that he would go back to school and probably get into at least one more fight with a snobby fourth year, but hey, when he was around Emmy he had no desire to be angry at all. He had no reason to. All he wanted to do was talk with her, smile, and laugh, and hold her hand, maybe kiss her again. He really didn’t care what they did as long as he was with her. She didn’t want to fill out paperwork. He laughed. That was good, though he could say he was more hoping she’d say she was glad he meant to kiss her. You were supposed to be glad about that right? The idea sprang into his mind that maybe this was all a joke. Maybe Emmy was just like all the other girls and only meant to toy with a silly boy to see if she could make him jump. Was she like that? Gabe hoped not, no, he prayed not. He actually said a silent prayer right then that she really did care about him. He prayed she wouldn’t hurt him. He prayed he wouldn’t get so caught up in it that he wouldn’t get hurt. But was that what he wanted? No, he wanted to get caught up in it; he just didn’t want to get hurt. He wanted this to work out so he prayed it would. God answers prayers right? So this would work out right? Maybe. God didn’t always say yes.

Sometimes God said maybe. Emmy said she wanted to kiss him too. That was one worry down. Now all he needed to know was that he wasn’t going to get hurt. But then again, no one could promise him that. At least, not this early in the relationship. Relationship, wow that was a scary word. Being in another relationship was not something Gabriel had ever planned to do. He hadn’t planned to have any friends, or any girlfriends for that matter, for the rest of his life. He had been fine being lonely…lonely. Was he lonely? Didn’t he enjoy being alone? He thought he did but this new feeling that came along with Emmy was making him think otherwise. He liked to be with her. The thought of being away from her again, after he’d spent so much time away, was…different. It was a feeling he didn’t really understand. He thought he’d felt it before but it felt so new. It was…a fear of being alone. Wasn’t it? Gabriel had always feared being alone, but he didn’t think he got lonely…just angry. But the idea of being away from Emmy wasn’t anger, it was pain. She leaned into his touch and continued talking. Gabriel loved the way he felt in that moment. It was that ‘we’re the only people alive’ feeling.

She was afraid? He was…intimidating? That was not something he wanted to be to her. He wanted her to feel safe with him. And intimidated was definitely not safe…there wasn’t even an ‘s’ in ‘intimidating’… or an ‘f’…or an ‘e’ actually. That’s three out of four. “I don’t want you to be intimidated by me Emmy…you…you wont send me away unless…unless you want to that is.” He had that lost feeling again. Then she took his other hand in hers and he couldn’t stop smiling again. It felt so good to hold her hands. “I’m scared too Emmy…I’ve never really felt like this before…I mean the last time I got involved in a relationship…well…I don’t want to go there. But I…I really like you Emmy and I really…well…” He paused and let go of her hand for a moment to tilt her chin up so he could look her in the eyes. Then grabbed her hand again. “I really want to be with you. I’m not ever as happy as I am when I’m with you. And I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy as I am right now.” He paused and took a deep breath, still looking her straight in the eyes. “I need you to tell me if you feel like this too, because I’m going out of my mind feeling like this and I don’t know what to do…and I don’t think I can walk out of this tea shop…walk out of Hogsmead...and go home feeling like this and not know if you felt the same way.” He paused and took another breath. “If you don’t, I understand…I mean…who could blame you…I’m me…I just…I need to know one way or the other…I need clarity. I need to sort through whether or not I’m falling for you and I’m gonna land softly, or if it’s gonna hurt.” He looked confused for a minute but then couldn’t help but smile at her. “Am I making any sense?”

[Emmy Parker G6]

Emmy listened to him, looking down until he made her look up at him, happy that he took her hand again after he had let go. She listened to him intently. She didn’t want to pay attention to anything but Gabriel at that moment. She didn’t want to pay attention to anything but Gabriel ever again. It was as if all those nights of dreaming he’d run into her in the halls at school, all those nights of dreaming they’d end up being more than just ‘someone they talked to in the Forbidden Forest,’ they were just preparation for this feeling she was getting now. This feeling of complete bliss and happiness. It was one she had never had before. It was one that she knew she could quickly get used to. Emmy realized that after today, there was no way she could go so long without seeing Gabriel. He had become a necessity in her life. He probably didn’t realize it. He probably didn’t want to realize it. But now that they had established that they both had feelings for one another, Emmy knew that he would be someone she needed. That was one reason why all of this was so scary for her. She had never needed someone before. No. She had always needed Emma. She needed Emma because she didn’t know who she was without Emma, but now? Now, Emmy knew who she was without Emma. Emmy without Emma was Emmy Michelle Parker and she was hopelessly falling for Gabriel Roche. But the question that popped out of that was… who was Emmy without Gabe?

She hoped she would never have to find out. No, because she knew who she was before Gabe, and she didn’t like that girl. Without Gabe now? It could only be worse. Emmy looked into Gabe’s eyes as he spoke, clinging to every word. When he finished though, Emmy didn’t say or do anything. She was trying to sort through her thoughts. She had her feelings understood. She knew what she was feeling, she knew what she wanted, but in order to tell him what she wanted and what she was feeling – she had to think straight and that was the thing that Emmy was having difficulties with. The truth of the matter was, Emmy could not see herself without Gabe. She could not see herself spending her summer just sitting up in her and Emma’s room waiting for Emma to pass out or throw up or whatever. She could not see herself returning to the school in the fall without the knowledge that she’d be able to see him every day. She could not see herself without him. Emmy refused to see herself without him. It was impossible. Now that Gabe was such an important person in her life, she couldn’t see herself without him. But could she tell him that aloud? Could she say that she wanted to spend every moment she could with him? Could she tell him that he had become the single most important person in her life so quickly that it made her head spin? Could she tell him that his happiness was her happiness? Or would she sound foolish?

There was only one way to find out, right? Emmy smiled at him, “You made perfect sense.” She took in a deep breath, because it was the only way she could find that she could stall. She needed to tell him. She needed to tell him. “You’re crazy if you think that I don’t want to be with you, Gabriel.” There, that part was out. Now, she had to get the rest of it out. Oh, if only the rest was as easy. Emmy chewed on her lower lip in thought, looking down at their hands again. She closed her eyes. She would just say it how she thought it. “You know, it’s going to sound really insane, but you’ve become really important to me and we talked once.” Emmy smiled a small smile and looked up at him again, “And in that one time of talking with you, you became all I could think about when I wasn’t thinking about my sister’s sickness which occupied my mind completely before you. And I… every day after that night in the Forbidden Forest, I would hope you’d run into me or I into you. It never happened. I think… that’s mainly my fault because I’m really good at avoiding without realizing I’m doing it.” She was rambling. Emmy never rambled. She didn’t ramble. She said one thing, waited for a response, and then responded to the response. Everything was so new to her.

“So, you’re crazy. You’re crazy because there is nothing that I want more than to be with you, but only if you completely want to be with me. I don’t want to get hurt. I mean, I have no experience with relationships or crushes or love or liking boys or liking anyone for that matter. That’s all Emma’s forte. She’s had her heart broken more times than I’ve had to give blood for her heart,” Emmy smirked and looked down at his hand, having the urge to just suddenly play with it. And she did. She played with his hand. Moving her fingers with his. It was a childish thing. Like playing footsie, but it was something that made her smile. Emmy looked back up at him, “I don’t want to go into anything and get hurt. Yeah, I’m admitting, I’m afraid of getting hurt. I’ve seen my sister cry her eyes out for days and crying’s just not my thing, so I’d rather steer clear of it for as long as possible.” Emmy kept her eyes on Gabe’s as she continued to play with his hand and then finally stopped and linked their fingers again. Her heart was pounding so hard she could feel it in her chest and it was another one of those feelings. The ones that she liked and the ones that she didn’t. It was a terribly frightful feeling and Emmy loved every moment of it. She knew that only Gabe could make her feel that way, too.

Emmy looked over at the table and looked startled a moment before reaching over and picking up her water, sipping from the straw. She made a face and set it on the table, shoving it away from her; “I said more lime than lemon, and what do I get? More lemon than lime. I really don’t like this place all that much.”

[Gabriel Roche S6]

He was crazy. She was establishing that. At least three times now she had said it. But Gabriel could only grin. His heart…had stopped. He wasn’t breathing. But none of that mattered. All that mattered were the words coming out of her lips. In this short bit of time the world had begun, ended, and begun again, and boy was it a beautiful world. How was she doing this to him? It seemed only yesterday he’d had his heart broken, and yet…suddenly…that seemed so long ago. Who was it that he had dated last? He couldn’t remember her name. Sure he would in a few minutes but right now he didn’t care. He didn’t want to remember. All that mattered was Emmy. Emmy Parker. Emmy, the most amazing girl in the world, Parker. He listened to her talk about how she had probably avoided their meeting at school. She was rambling. It was cute. Why was she so cute? Why did Gabriel think she was so cute? Why was he even thinking the word cute? Because she was cute. Because she made Gabe want to compliment her in any way possible. His mind was all over the place, his thoughts were all over the place. He couldn’t keep things straight. She was beautiful. He loved the sound of her voice. Her words. She was saying wonderful things.

He was crazy. He was crazy for her. Everything she said, it was as if she could read his mind. This was new to Gabriel. He’d only had one girlfriend before and right at this moment he couldn’t even remember the girl’s name. He had been a kid. He hadn’t felt like this. He hadn’t wanted her like he wanted Emmy. He hadn’t been this happy around that girl as he was around Emmy. What was so special about her? Everything. Everything was special about her. She was special. Only a special girl could do this, only a special girl could make his heart beat fifty times faster then normal and his mind run in circles. Only a special girl could make Gabriel Roche want to be a gentleman. Only a special girl could make him want to be kind, sweet, gentle, romantic. Emmy was so special. She was so special to him. And he meant something to her. He was really important to her. She thought about him. She wanted to be with him. She was afraid, but she wanted to be with him and he didn’t know what to say. His mind was still going like crazy. What to do? What to do? Gabriel had never been in this position. He had never been in a situation where things were going so fast that he couldn’t control them. Then again, he’d never been in a situation where things were going so fast and he didn’t want to slow them down. As cluttered as his mind was he was so happy. He was full of a ton of thoughts, and a ton of emotions, and none of them were anger.

He was crazy. And he was human. She played with his hand as she talked about no wanting to get hurt. That was it. Gabriel remembered her name. Lisa. Lisa the heartbreaking muggle girl. Gabriel was afraid. A sudden rush of fear filled him. He looked at their hands and he didn’t know what to do. This wasn’t going to work. How could this work? Girls broke hearts. Emmy was right what she was saying. Relationships meant heartbreak. Not her…not Emmy…she’s different…she’s perfect… She linked their fingers again and happiness seemed to flow back into Gabe. That was right. She was different. He trusted her. He didn’t know why but he trusted her. She wouldn’t hurt him. How could she hurt him? She was afraid he would hurt her. Oh lord how he prayed he wouldn’t hurt her. Those eyes…that face…that smile…to see her cry, to see that smile go away physically hurt. He could feel his heart throb in his chest at the idea. No, no he wouldn’t hurt her, he couldn’t. And she wouldn’t hurt him. They could do this. They could make it through this. They just had to. Gabriel wouldn’t leave without being able to call her his (and he had a feeling they’d be leaving soon, she wasn’t happy with her drink. That was a detail he had taken in, but he was so caught up in his thoughts he only barely noticed.) He needed her. He kissed her again.

He was crazy. But he kissed her again. He let go of her hands and moved his up, cradling her face gently as he kissed her. It was completely deliberate this time, and all his thoughts and feelings fell into that kiss. All his fear, and all his hope, and all his happiness, was in that kiss. When he finally pulled away his voice was a whisper. “I am crazy. I am crazy but you’re crazy too to think that I don’t completely want to be with you. So let’s do this…let’s…let’s be crazy together. Be my girlfriend Emmy. Just… say yes and we can work through this together. I don’t wanna get hurt either, and I definitely don’t wanna hurt you so let’s just…go. We can’t just sit here and talk about what we want or don’t want…we have to…we have to do something. So let’s just do this. I want it. You want it. We want it. Be my girlfriend, let me hold you…and kiss you…and be with you. Let me say you’re mine, and let me hear you call me yours and let’s work through the rest of this together. We’ll never know if we don’t try. So let’s try. Let’s be crazy.” Finally he took a breath and then rested his forehead on hers. He had a sneaky suspicion his hands were shaking but he wasn’t sure, he was breathing again now but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was what she would say next.

[Emmy Parker G6]

He was kissing her again. This time Emmy was ready for it. She kissed him back the moment his lips touched hers. This kiss made her melt, though, and she wasn’t sure why. She hadn’t ever melted before so she doubted she could ever really explain what it was like, but she knew she had melted. It was just one of those feelings where you knew that it was happening but it had never happened to you before. She moved her hands to his wrists as he cradled her face, not wanting the kiss to end. When they were kissing the world just completely disappeared. The world, before today, had never disappeared for Emmy. She was always painfully aware of its existence. She had to be with her life. She had to be aware of her surroundings, she had to make the world appear and stay there because of her sister. It was nice to have the world disappear for once. For all Emmy cared, it could disappear for the rest of her life. She liked it that much. Gabriel broke the kiss and spoke in a whisper. She listened intently, her eyes closed. She hung onto every single word he spoke. He made her heart pound. He was asking her to be his girlfriend. This was all so surreal. After he was done, he took a deep breath and rested his forehead on hers. He was shaking a bit, so Emmy moved her hands and took his, holding them firmly but not too tightly. She opened her eyes and looked at him, smirking slightly, “And the award for best romance speech Emmy Parker’s ever heard in her life goes to Gabriel Roche.”

She smiled at him. She didn’t know how she was able to say something like that after he just asked her something so… important, but she had. Now, she needed to answer him. This was the fun part. This was the part Emmy’s stomach was in knots over. Because she knew exactly what she was going to say, and she knew how she was going to say it, but she wanted to remember everything about this feeling. “I heard being crazy’s pretty fun,” she smiled more, trying to control her excitement, “Yes, I’ll be your girlfriend.” The words were out. There was no taking them back, not that she wanted to at all. She laughed lightly and looked down, biting her lip slightly. This was really happening, wasn’t it? Emmy Parker had a boyfriend. She never thought she’d have a boyfriend. Emma always had the boyfriends. She was the one who had her first kiss at the age of 11. She was the one who went out on dates every weekend. She was the one who got caught down by the lake past curfew with one boy one day and another the next. Emmy was never like that. She never thought she could be like that. She never thought she deserved to have anything good. And she found herself glad that she never dated. This wouldn’t be nearly as special, she was sure, if she had dated like her sister had. Emmy probably wouldn’t have even gone out into the Forbidden Forest and met Gabe if she had dated like her sister.

Emmy looked back up at him and kissed his cheek, “C’mon, Boyfriend, let’s get out of this place.” She smiled and reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out some money and placing it on the table, the coins disappeared immediately. Emmy smirked and pushed back her chair, standing and fixing her jacket. “There aren’t many places to go that aren’t normally visited, you know. I mean, Three Broomsticks, Honeydukes, Zonko’s, all those… they aren’t all sparkly and new during the summer hols. They’re just as they are during the school term. We can do what Emma said, though, and head to my house. It should be pretty quiet as long as my parents haven’t gotten back from Greece yet. Emma’ll be locked up in our room and Keith’ll be… well… doing Merlin knows what. The food there is better and not to mention, free.” Emmy looked at the water and shook her head before pushing in the chair under the table and turning to Gabriel again. She took his hand and linked their fingers. It would be her first time walking with someone like this. The idea of it all was scary. There were so many new things that Emmy was getting. A boyfriend; that was new. A kiss, no… two kisses; those were new. This feeling; that was most definitely new.

When he was ready, Emmy tugged him gently in the direction of the housing district of Hogsmeade and they started the walk. It wasn’t a long walk, about a three minute walk, and Emmy was silent as they walked. They were just walking. She was enjoying it. The peace of it all. The amazing feeling of just being with him. It was great. The walk was over all too soon and Emmy looked at her cottage as they stopped walking. She looked at it and shook her head before opening the picket fence and stepping inside the walk, squeezing Gabe’s hand as they moved toward the front door. She didn’t know what she was doing. She hadn’t ever taken anyone inside her house. Not even friends. Her life was a secret, or as much of a secret as it could be. Emmy took a deep breath and looked at Gabriel before turning the doorknob and pushing the door open. Immediately the smell of… well… Emmy had always explained it as death. It wasn’t a horrid smell, in fact it was a beautiful smell – like flowers and fruit together. But Emmy said it was death because… it was Emma’s perfume. “Alright… alright… no laughing at baby pictures, no saying ‘aww look at how cute you were!’ none of that, okay? I brought you here, Gabe, I can take you out again.” She smirked at him as she closed the door behind them. It was silent, as always, but music could be heard from downstairs. Keith was always playing his music too loud. “Living room, kitchen’s through there, the stairs lead to my older brother Keith’s room. Down the hall are the bathrooms, Emma’s and my room, and my parents room. Now that you’ve had the grand tour,” Emmy grinned, “thirsty?”

[Gabriel Roche S6]

Gabriel Roche, a romantic? Wow, Emmy sure made his world go all topsy-turvy. Everything was all jumbled up and out of whack. It was absolutely insane. Completely crazy. But so extraordinary at the same time. How Emmy Parker had turned Gabriel Roche into a love-sick romantic was beyond words. The feeling was indescribable. Amazing, and yet scary, but so blissful. How could all these things be rolled up into one? But Emmy had done it. Emmy had done it. Gabriel had just spilled his soul and he was shaking. The last time Gabriel had shaken it had been in anger, not in joy, not in excitement, not in nervousness. She took his hands and he took the time she was telling him crazy was fun to take a deep breath. Breathe. Breathing is important. Why could he not remember that? Oh, there it went again. His breath was taken once more as she told him yes. Yes, she would be his girlfriend. Simple words but it was unbelievable what they did to him. He probably could have just soared right then had she not been holding onto his hands. Who would have thought Gabriel would go into a tea shop single, and come out with a girlfriend he was simply mad about?

When she kissed his cheek the grin broke out again. Boyfriend. Just the sound of that coming out of her mouth, directed at him, was almost too much. He could have died happily right then. When he could finally move and open his eyes and think straight again, he looked up and around. Once again, the entire shop had continued moving at it’s own pace with no regard to Gabriel or Emmy. How was that possible? Gabriel had expected people to be staring, he had expected people to clap, or say something. Though he did spot a small group of girls in a corner watching looking at him and giggling. Well they got a show didn’t they? Gabriel smirked in their direction and then turned back to see Emmy put some money on the table. He looked at her and matched the smirk on her face. “You should’ve let me get that.” His smirk was replaced by a grin as she took his hand and told him she was taking him to her house. To her house? To her house. He smiled and stood with her, leaving the tea shop and heading out side. She pulled him and he followed. She could have led him anywhere and he would have been right there with her. He couldn’t take his eyes off her as they walked, and he kept her close. If she drifted apart from him he either stepped closer to her, or gently pulled her back to him. There was no possible way he was going to let her go. Gabriel smiled to himself, this was no two week relationship. He was sure of that.

Gabriel smiled warmly as they walked up to her house, following her though the fence. He squeezed her hand back when she squeezed his and followed her up to the door. Every time she looked at him his smile grew. She led him inside and he looked around. There was a nice smell to the place, and Gabriel hoped he wouldn’t sneeze. Lucky for him he didn’t. He laughed lightly as Emmy told him not to gawk at baby pictures and he shook his head. “Aw but you’re so cute now, is it possible you were ever cuter?” Wow…had he just said that aloud? That was…that was not something Gabriel Roche would ever have said a few months ago. What was she doing to him? He was shocked, but it felt so good at the same time. He shrugged it off. So this was the new Gabe? And this was only the beginning. He didn’t care, as long as Emmy was there. This was happening faster then he thought it would. A person’s nature didn’t change over night, and it definitely didn’t change over a period of an hour or so. Did it? Maybe it did. Maybe there were exceptions. Maybe in times where there was a supreme need…or maybe when it was just meant to…it did. Maybe Gabriel was meant to be this way with Emmy. Suddenly he wondered if his attitude towards other people would be any different…naaaah. Just Emmy. Emmy was special. Emmy was the one he cared about…the one he wanted to be sweet and romantic for. She was the only one that mattered. The rest of the world could jump in a lake.

Gabriel laughed lightly again as she ‘gave him the tour’ of the house. He wondered if he’d ever take her to his house. Ugh, did he even want her to set foot in that house? With his parents? Not particularly. Maybe he would take her on the boat. He wondered if she liked boats. No matter, he was rather thirsty. “Well I didn’t even take a sip of my coffee at the shop.” He grinned and leaned to kiss her cheek. “A drink would be wonderful, love.” What was happening? What is happening with me…jeeze I’m a sap. He smiled to himself. What did it matter? It didn’t. So he was a romantic goof when he was with Emmy. That was ok. As long as she smiled. As long as she was happy. He’d do anything to make her happy.