Second Christmas? ( Keela / Vincent )

[shava]

He laughed "Mom said once he used to be kind of stuck up, but she fixed him. He's the worst practical joker in the house though. He'd never let his students see that he was trouble, Keela, think about what that might cause..." Her thinking on the blue hair amused him though; he didn't care what color she chose, he liked her long before she ever thought of changing. "Probably so, we can ask mom at lunch if it hasn't already by then." Hearing she wasn't too serious about the baby business he breathed out again and poked her playfully for having teased him.

"She fooled me, Zah! Can you believe her? Eat her hair..." mostly said because that was what Zah had already tried to do. As they entered the first set of rooms thought she seemed oddly familiar with the style. "Saved to remember the old days and maybe inspire for the future. Most of what we have is old records, just papers, but here we have, well, a piece of time?" He motioned at the boys as he said it, one of them noticing them, but too wrapped up in their game to stop. "Abraham, the boys, and the cook are all from earlier times. I guess you could say they are family, in a way, two servants and cousins I guess."

Come to think of it, he'd never tried to find out when they had lived...

Frowning at that thought because he was curious, he answered her other question almost on automatic. "Some ghosts because of their lives only focus on certain kinds of people or situations, like the sound of a piano being played, a party in progress, a crying child. Some don't even show up until a certain thing happens like Cook who only shows up when food is being prepared. The boys play with kids because they are kids. Since I don't hide behind dressers and chase the ball now I'm not as interesting I guess. Sati is their main playmate now." And maybe it took a kind of innocence in a way about death to be able to play those kind of games.

"Zahara has a living nanny too, but I suppose she will be here tomorrow while mom's gone. Oh yes, big enough. The outside wall has a couple of guest houses in it and above them is our main rainy day space, but the attics here are pretty big, just not long." She had several good questions, most of them all at once and he grinned as he ticked them off his fingers. "Almost all of them are not, we have more family in paintings then in ghosts, though there is one more I have not mentioned. We'd only see him in the dungeons and he's a bit loud. The cats are probably avoiding all the noise and asleep in various rooms, we'll probably see them at lunch if not in mine. Shortcuts are asking our dear Abraham to open a door somewhere though only the adults get to skip stairs, dad likes being faster then the kids."

He made a face; his father had a special knack with words and Vincent thought it was much more about teenagers getting exercise then anything else. "And there are two maids, one alive and one not. Miss Hutchins is alive and works three days a week, the other wouldn't stop cleaning if you demanded it. She seems to be a neat freak and has enough practice to be able to move things, especially dust." About then they came across a door and he opened it and pointed inside. "Guest Room. My aunt usually takes this one so it's all set for tomorrow." As he shut the door again after she had looked he added "Most of second floor is guest, upstairs," which they had just left "is mostly family, but I wanted to show you one of my favorite of the old rooms."

Opening the next door they passed, Vin motioned her ahead of him into a decent sized room with echoey tile floors and two huge window nooks. Walking to the window nook with two chairs, he pulled one out for her about the time Char came in looking for them.

[kyla]

Keela did, and then she grinned. Most of the female population at Hogwarts had varrying degrees of crushes on Professor Silver, including Keela herself. She could only imagine what they'd say if he turned out to be a practical joke expert. "I can only imagine", she answered, a smile pulling at her lips. She could imagine, and the image was..chaotic at best. She rubbed the ends of her hair between her fingers, strange that it felt no different. "Sounds good, I have something to give her then too.", Rosalie had helped Keela pick it out, though the two of them had had considerably trouble figuring something out that might appeal to his parents. Now that she'd seen Lunch, maybe that was why Zahara was starting to fuss. She was probably hungry by now. Vin seemed relieved by her response, and it left her feeling oddly discomfitted. Obviously kids were a huge deal to him because of his mum, but she was still bouncing the idea of a big family around in her head like a spell gone awry, torn between living the sort of life she'd grown up in, and wanting to follow her dreams. Still, he'd said they didn't have to settle right away, and he wanted to explore just as badly as she did. She was probably thinking too much.

Keela laughed, but pried Zahara's fingers away. "Might not be a good idea love, whatever Seth unleashed may have left residue." She handed Zahara her necklace instead. Keela had made it herself. It was brightly colored enough to at least catch the girl's interest, whether it kept it would be another story. It surprised her that he was able to so clearly echo her thoughts. "I was thinking the same thing actually", she admitted. "Its almost like looking directly into the past", she seemed almost to be speaking to herself now. "Or maybe into someone's memories", she added a bit louder. She glanced around, wondering how many lives had been lived out here, how much history had played out in these halls, it was all terribly fascinating. "I see what you mean now I think", she informed him, "about so much history in one place." She smiled, "it was hard thinking of home as 'modern' until I saw this", she grinned at him. "Now I'm kind of jealous." This was the house he'd inherit, the one he'd lived in all his life. When she married him, this was where she'd live. It was a daunting thought, thinking about walking the same halls as all of these other people, she almost couldn't fathom it.

Keela glanced at the boys again, inexplicably sad. It seemed a terrible fate to be frozen this way, to never move past one phase in your life. In the past she'd always been fascinated by ghosts, now though, it almost seemed like a punishment. She thought of ghosts like Sir Nicholas and the fat fryar from Hogwarts, how much happier they had seemed, and wondered what the difference might have been. "If it helps", she turned and pressed her lips to his, careful not to put Zahara between them, "you're still plenty interesting to me." She remembered his mentioning the living nanny, and now it seemed a wise idea given what she had learned. She contemplated having that much space, decided a large family was almost a requirement. It would have been an awful waste otherwise. He answered each of her questions in turn, and she laughed. "Well, that was easy." It seemed like an awfully good way to keep in shape too, she couldn't help thinking, though she was still curious about the cats. She doubted a house that wouldn't appear but to a select few would allow apparition.

She followed him room to room, watching and listening intently, bouncing Zahara to keep the little girl entertained. The last room, however, caught her attention. Floor to ceiling windows drew her eyes first, and she stared for a moment at the wood work along the walls. "Drawing room?" was her first guess because of the writing desk tucked off to the side. Had it not been for Zahara, she'd have spun in a circle, just to take it all in. Once they'd left that room Zahara began to cry, and Keela suggested they take her back downstairs to his mum. "I think she's hungry, love. Is it time for her to eat?" Keela sat in the chair by the window, and bounced the baby on her knee. "I know, I know", she cooed in a soft, apologetic voice. It was on the tip of her tongue to suggest they go back downstairs, when Char came bustling in. "Sounds like someone's ready for lunch." She opened her arms, and Keela willingly passed Zahara to her. "I'll take her down stairs." Keela thought that would be the end of it until his sister paused at the door. "You too..have fun." The tone left no doubt what she meant, and Keela flushed. Was everyone in the business of trying to get her into bed with him?

The sudden silence was almost unnerving, and she turned her body so that she was facing him. "Well, that was fun." She glanced out the window. "What is this room for anyway?"

[shava]

He nodded, grinning at Zahara doing just what he had asked. "It's not anywhere else, but we have records here kept by out family back to the 1200s and oddly enough, they were pirates, imagine that," he rolled his eyes, "but about 700 years of it have been in these walls." It was a window back into the old world and he could understand why his mother had kept it as is. "I've got a feeling it might take years just to go through it all, it seems the Moons were pretty naughty in their own unique way. Imagine that."

She handled Zahara very well, but she had already had younger kids around home to learn from; still it filled him with a kind of satisfaction to see it, even when she kissed him and Zahara laughed. "Close your eyes, Zahara, you shouldn't know about this kind of interest yet," he said before he caught her lips a second time with his. When she said it was easy he squeezed her hand and added "I told you I'd answer your questions, love. If I don't have the answers I'll try to find out." In the breakfast room she looked around and made a guess. He pulled out a chair for her in one of the two window nooks and shook his head. "Even though it's big, it was named for these nooks. It's called the breakfast room because this is where the head of the family always had that meal I guess."

The view went all the way to the ocean of course, across the land past the wall where sheep grazed. It was a great spot for views of course, but he had more then one reason for being here. As Char interrupted long enough to collect the little rascal and gave him a meaningful look; ah, so she had heard about the ring too if not seen it. Char knew very well why he had chosen this room and had probably come up just to free them of the baby distraction. His heart went out in thanks in his eyes and she winked before leaving. "just be glad she's being polite and wearing clothes around you. I've run into her in the halls in only underwear so many times I've gotten used to it. When she does that to you you'll know you're part of the family." She handed him the present and he opened it and exclaimed, seeing the needle on 'Holiday.' "This is great! Ah Keela, I'll be checking this like twenty times a day..." Setting it on the table in front of him he reached up under his shirt and pulled out his locket.

Opening, it, she could see from the side it was filled with family photos, all moving and he took the clock and set the locket on top of it carefully. "I'll get it fastened inside, I never go anywhere without it." He chuckled and changed the subject. "Keela, there's a family thing I do need to tell you about and this is a good spot to do it. See, the Silver family have these rings that each family member is given to mark them as part of the family and they have benefits with them. Any one who attacks a member of the family becomes an enemy of all of the family and anyone who is given the ring becomes an honorary member, protected." Reaching into the Locket, he removed his and held it up so she could see it. Running his finger down it's unusual coils he added "Snakes are in the Silver family crest, so they all have snakes." Shrugging, the last part was something he would not have said in front of just anyone.

"I'm both, Silver and Moon, but in my heart as much as I love my family, I'm a Moon first. I am the last male heir of the Moon name and you could say this is my breakfast nook that we're sitting in." Motioning around the room he continued. "There's a separate storage space to hold the furniture that comes from in here so it can be used for dances and special stuff though we have not had any in the last two generations. My grandfather was an @ss." He had told her enough about that already of course and she knew in vague terms about his mother's curse. Vin couldn't really tell her the details, that was for mom if she wanted to. "I however much I may seem like one sometimes, am not." Reaching out for her hand and catching it easily, he slid his ring on her right ring finger, his eyes not leaving hers. "So. I give you my ring, Keela, because I want the protection of my family to be with you always. While you may be far away from me this next year, I feel a bit better about it knowing you have people you can always turn to who will do their best for you, for my sake as well."

Standing he stepped to her side not having let go of that hand and knelt next to her as if to show her something special about the ring. "Keela, I love you from the depths of my soul to the weird hair on my head. I would do anything I could to protect you and help you soar high in whatever way you choose whether as a photographer, pianist, farmer, or" and with the practiced hand of a conjuring illusionist suddenly the other ring was in his hand from where he had palmed it earlier, held up to see "or wife, because I would like to ask for your hand in marriage. All I have is yours, though it's only this house and about thirty ghosts, but my heart is in the bargain and that is more precious to me then any possession I own." Slipping his hand into her other he held the ring close for her inspection, hoping she would allow him to put it on as well on the left finger. "Would you do me the greatest honor of becoming the first and most important Mrs Silver-Moon of my generation?"

[kyla]

Keela listened to the brief heritage lesson, intrigued and somewhat amused. "Naughty pirates..." she gave him a pointed look. "Imagine that." She smiled, "seems like something that might be fun for a rainy day", she agreed. That is, if they weren't busy practicing quiditch or doing...other rainy day things. The thought made her grin, though she ducked her head, unwilling to talk about such things in front of the baby. Three younger siblings and she still wasn't quite sure how much babies retained, but she wasn't taking any chances. This little one was going to have a hard enough time maintaining any sense of normality without her help. Keela laughed when he spoke to Zahara. "Cern and I used to cover each other's eyes when mum and dad would kiss. Now that we're older, its kind of sweet." It was only when her parents got carried away that they still had the urge to run for cover. Keela tried to picture having breakfast in a room this size, but except for the small table, it seemed an awful waste of space. She thought better of saying so, however, it was still a beautiful room, and with all the other rooms the house could boast, it probably wasn't that uncommon. "I guess that tradition fell by the wayside then?"

Keela got the distinct impression there was something more going on than she was aware of, but wasn't given time to contemplate the thought. Zahara's absence left the two of them alone for the first time since the brief moments when he'd shown her his room. Though she'd enjoyed babysitting, it was nice to share some time just between the two of them. Keela laughed as the image of Char in her underwear came unbidden. That certainly hadn't been something she'd expected to see in this lifetime. To Vin, she commented, "interesting family induction rituals you all have." She hadn't known the extent of it then, but would find out only a few moments later. She was pleased he liked the gift, but distracted a moment later when he pulled his locket out from under his shirt. She'd caught glimpses of it before, but had no idea what was inside it. She assumed it was a picture, or maybe something precious to his family the way mom's locket was. It turned out to be all of the above, and she smiled. Though he had a sentimental side and she saw it more often than most, it was still a thrill for her.

She was a bit thrown by the sudden change in his tone, but she sensed the importance of what he was about to say, and nodded. "What is it, love?" As he spoke, she understood his sudden gravity. She knew that certain families had heirlooms that were set up a lot like what he described. It took only a moment for him to realize what he was saying, and she wondered if this was his way of proposing. It was certainly meaningful, being in this room while he revealed what must have been a family secret. While snakes were not necessarily her favorite animal, the meaning behind this one made it precious, not to mention the delight on her aunts' faces when she came home with it in a few days. The last male heir, and it hit her that technically speaking, he was the head of house. His father may have been head of his family, but he was the head of the entire Moon line, no wonder he'd felt such a weight on his shoulders. Fully expecting him to propose, already fighting tears, she found herself surprised when he slid the ring onto her right hand. Knowing that he was doing all in his power to protect her despite the distance broke the tenuous hold she had on her emotions, and the tears came, sliding down her cheeks one at a time. She brushed at her face, feeling the knot in her throat as she struggled to speak and was rendered silent.

When he knelt beside her, her first thought was that he was going to tell her something else about the ring she now wore. She'd long since given up on speaking, there was no hope of a coherant sentence anymore. The word wife caught her attention, and her eyes widened. The ring he held up for her approval was beautiful. It had the look of something from another time, and she wondered if it had belonged to someone in his family before her. She swallowed hard, scrubbed at her face, tried heard to regain control of her voice as she considered his words. It was official, and she felt the full weight of what he was asking, of how much it meant that he was asking her. The enormous weight of his family's future lay on his shoulders, and he wanted her to be a part of it, to be a part of him. Finally having regained some control over her emotions, she gave him a watery smile. "Yes, Vincent Silver-Moon. I can't think of anything I'd rather do than spend the rest of my life with you in this house, ghosts and all."

[shava]

Here was something they hadn't discussed, delving back into family history, but she seemed keen enough at doing it some time. Vin knew enough to know his family history was pretty dark and for the most part unknown by those outside the family itself. If he had died without issue, the records might have ended up public record one day, something which he would be glad to avoid. A few too many secrets which needed to be kept under wraps probably. "A lot of rainy days. Like, many months worth," he chuckled. He smirked at her laugh about the eyes, not his normal expression.

"Yeah I can see that actually, we just fled the house usually. I think they secretly like making us uncomfortable too." She was getting a bit close, but that was fine; she probably knew it was coming sometime soon enough anyway! "My grandfather simply left the house sealed up and from all mom could tell never came here. So since my great grandmother, nothing has been that special an event. Mom got married at a more open place because there was only her and her sister, but there were dozens of Silvers. Too much work had to be done to get it cleaned up again." Even if she didn't consent to having a wedding here, surely he could manage at least an announcement here or an engagement party.

Did they still do those?

Chuckling at her choice of comment, he shook his head. "Not something I think was planned, she just hates restrictive clothing and takes her own head about it at home. See, I'm just interested in motorcycles, much less embarrassing." Everyone had their own quirks, his family just had more visible ones then most people did. She must have sensed it because she tuned in to his talk and when he slid the ring on her finger she began to silently cry. He'd always heard of 'joyful tears' but had never seen them. And women as he knew were emotional beings; they reacted to big moments a lot more then guys, though guys reacted just more quietly. And he hadn't even shown her the other!

While she didn't jerk at his words, there was something in her which sharpened as he said the words, showed her the ring. As she tried to gain control again, tears on her face as he also handed her a kerchief from his pocket, he felt like the shining sun waiting for the edge of cloud to clear so it could be set free again. When she did speak he felt the lightening of his heart and before she could change her mind, he center the ring on her finger and slid it home, finding it a touch too big. Slipping his fingers between hers however he held her hand face up, hers on top, so the ring was clearly visible. It was a large star sapphire with twelve diamonds around it and high quality silver setting, definitely not the modern style of ring.

"This was actually my great-grandmother's engagement ring and the story is that he went to India to get it. On the first full moon night after it was finished there he stood in front of the Taj Mahal at midnight holding it up so it was bathed in the light of the moon. Supposedly he swore an oath on it that he would cherish my great-grandmother as much as the Emperor had cherished his wife." He gave her a lopsided grin, a touch of mischievousness in his eyes. The story he had run across in one of the old sets of letters and had read up on it, then gone and found the ring which had taken awhile in the old house. It had been well hidden too up in the same suite that he had shown her earlier. "She folded immediately when he told her the story, of course, so it's got a good history of success attached to it."

[kyla]

Keela took his hand and gave him a meaningful smile. "Well, we'll have plenty of time...won't we?" As she listened, she thought it might be considered odd that she felt empathy for his situation with his parents. She'd often wondered if her own got a bit of a kick out of the reactions she and her siblings had to their more intimate moments. Desite the light moment, Keela sensed the tension in his muscles and his posture. She tried to shrug it off, he was probably still thinking about Seth and Ash. "That's a shame", she commented. "A room like this should definitely be put to good use." It seemed an awful waste to lock such beauty away. But then, from what she understood of his grandfather, something like that hadn't much mattered to the man. He seemed to be contemplating something, and it was on the tip of her tongue to ask him what it was, but then she was distracted by something in the room.

Keela shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant about his sister's semi-nudist tendencies. "To each their own", she decided. "So, your sister's a semi-nudist and you have a death wish", she teased, "I'm beginning to see where all those rumors come from." She winked at him playfully. The mood changed subtly, and then it came, the moment Keela had been contemplating for the better part of a month. He was asking for her hand, for her future, for the rest of her life, and she wanted him to have it all, she realized with a sudden sharp clarity that obliterated all uncertainty. She offered him her hand, having regained some sense of self. He slid the ring on, and she was momentarily awed. It was a perfect representation. Unquestionably unique, she stared at it momentarily before returning her eyes to his. "Its...incredible", she breathed. The weight of it felt odd since she rarely ever wore rings, but right somehow too. The explanation confirmed her suspicions about it being an antique. It also explained the vague magical signature. Whether the story was true or not, the ring undoubtedly contained some sort of old magic. Keela smiled, touched. It spoke volumes that he'd given her this ring. She'd been raised with familial sentimentality. Her mum's wedding ring had been similarly special to her dad's family traditions. She laughed when he added the last part. "Of course she did, kind of hard to say no after something like that I wager."

She eyed the ring with new interest, it definitely looked like it glimmered with a light of its own, though that might have been a characteristic of the stone itself. A moment later, she eased out of the chair, and onto her knees so that she was more or less on even ground with him. She took his hand, and raised her chin to press her lips to his. "Its perfect Vin, really. I can't believe..." she let the sentence trail, seemingly at a loss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, tilting her head so her forehead met his with a mischievous smile. "Should we tell your mum now or later?"

[shava]

Vincent was quick to nod as well as hopeful that she would be with him a very long time. It would be a rough start being separated, but he had high hopes this would be their last large separation. "Oh I'm sure we will. At six months at a time..." he laughed and ducked his head as if anticipating a swipe from her. As to the room, it was clear what she was saying and he had agreed, one of several reasons he had chosen it for this. "I plan on using it a lot in the future, but I have some time for that still."

Her death wish got him a bit though he chuckled at both comments. "Oh no, I've been adding a lot of charms and extra spells in those bikes. They are no death traps, I plan on living a long and active life!" Her reaction to the ring was all he could have hoped for and more. "Of course back then diamonds were boring. The muggles have made them the in thing now a days. I think I prefer the other gemstones anyway, so much more personality to them." He put up a hand as if to say 'well what else could she do' as she laughed about the story.

"I found the story in a letter in some old files. The ring was hidden away in the house as a lot of things are. My ancestors were big on stashing dangerous magic and anything valuable like books where people couldn't come across them by accident. It will be years I suspect before I find everything stashed in this place..." It also made him suspect there were a number of rooms which Abraham alone knew of sealed away from detection everywhere, but they had hidden stuff in the walls all over as well. He kissed her back of course as he had been about to get up and enjoyed the very personal moment with his wife-to-be there on the floor.

A glimmer for a moment in his eyes before he took her hand and stood, helping her up. "Oh I think we wait at least an hour. Give us more time alone in my room to celebrate before we're the center of attention and can't escape till later. You do realize this means I'm going to have to change rooms at some point to make room for all of our combined stuff?" There were larger rooms so he figured one of the guest rooms would become his eventually, but that was for another time. "Best to make as many memories we won't forget in the old one first, of course, especially while the three troublemakers are gone for awhile. Least moving my shop will be easy..."

Leading her to the door, it opened just as they reached it and Lucas walked in. "Greetings, Lucas! Here I have someone for you to meet." Dropping to his knees, Vincent held out his hand for inspection and Keela's as well with his other hand as the small cat sniffed carefully both of them. "Lucas was the one dad gave me, but they are very independent cats. He considers my room his, but not necessarily himself mine." He chuckled but gave the cat a scratch behind the ears which was accepted regally. There was a certain air of independence above what even a normal housecat had, a certain intensified personality about Lucas. "Dad has much bigger ones himself, but those don't roam the house with us, just these. Sand cats are the only cats in the world which live in deserts and these guys patrol all over Africa. Lucas has more red in him then most so easy to spot."

A motion towards his hair was fairly sarcastic as if to say "imagine that."

Lucas accepted a scratch from Keela as well and then walked on past them to the window nook they had left behind, hopping to the seat cushion to the window for a look out. As Vincent left the room and closed the door behind him he said softer with real seriousness "They know how to open all the doors in the house. Even the ghosts will call them by name like they are real people. If Lucas approves of you, you may find him on the bed in the morning." A chuckle as he headed for and reached for his doorknob adding "But probably not for long once I get active." There was little doubt what kind of activity he was thinking of at that moment...

[kyla]

She grinned, swatting playfully at the air near his head. She eyed the room thoughtfully, trying to picture it as it must have been in his great-grandmother's time. She nodded in response to his statement about the future. Maybe she'd get some use out of her society training after all. "What would you use it for?" she asked curiously. "You don't seem much like the ball throwing type, love." His admission about safety charms made her feel a little better. She'd been considering askign him for a ride since it was unlikely they'd get caught on the island. "Do you think maybe we could go for a ride before I leave?" She widened her eyes at him, pleading. "You said you had some that worked." Keela had seen the band that had served as her mother's engagement ring, she wore it on a chain around her neck from time to time still. The knots that encircled it had meant more to her parents than any diamond ever could, and now Keela understood why. Diamonds were pretty, they sparkled, but in the end were only glass. She found she much preferred this ring, its history, its story, than any traditional engagement ring she'd ever seen. She smiled into his eyes, "It'll definitely catch my parents attention...my parents!"

Suddenly Keela's eyes were wide, "Vin did you by any chance speak to dad while we were in Ireland?" If he hadn't, it wasn't the End of the world, but it wouldn't win him any popularity contests with her family. She needed to tell them, but it would have to wait. She couldn't very well owl home about something like this, could she? He distracted her momentarily, and she bit her lip. "Define dangerous magic", she answered softly. Ghosts at all hours was one thing. Cursed objects in the walls were another. "Once the house becomes yours, will you have full access to everything?" She wondered if there were parts of the house only Abraham knew about. The thought made her slightly uneasy. "What about your parents? Have they not gone looking for everything?" With their busy schedules, Keela thought it seemed unlikely they'd had time, but it also seemed like a logical thing to do.

Keela didn't mind waiting, not one bit. She was enjoying the alone time with him after the morning's chaos. "You think the reaction will be that...intense?" she asked after a moment. His mention of cominbing their things got her thinking about the concept. "I don't have much in the way of big things", she assured him. "Well, except the piano, that might take up some space." Betwen her musical and photography equipment and his work space for the bikes, she thought it might be worth considering dedicating a room to hobbies. Picturing all his spare parts in the same room with her musical instruments made her grin. "It's going to be...interesting, making everything fit." He mentioned memories, catching her attention instantly. "What sort of memories did you have in mind?" Personally, it had been several weeks since the two of them had had any real alone time, and Keela thought it might not be such a bad thing to christen the floor. Still, it might make a bad impression if someone were to walk in on them, and there were a lot of someones in this house.

He talked to the cat as if it were a person, and remembering what he'd said about his family and feline familiars, she took his lead when he offered the cat her hand. "Hello Lucas, come to enjoy the sun while it lasts have you?" She felt a bit silly talking to someone else's cat, and it made her miss Beethoven's warm furry presence. She laughed softly when Vin spoke. "I know what you mean", she acknowledged. "Beethoven is second generation. Mum rescued his dad from Hogwarts when Concerto was only a kitten. He was her familiar." She suspected Beethoven had become her familiar as well, but didn't know enough about it to be sure. She resolved to do more research in the library when they returned to Hogwarts. "Normally I'd say we have that in common." She motioned to her hair, "but in this case I'll just have to admire his red hair."

He motioned to his own, and she laughed. "I think you've got us all beat in that department, cario mio." She reached out to scratch behind his ear as Vin had done, carefully so as not to startle him. She felt a disconnected sense of accomplishment when he accepted her attention, and smiled. The reminder that they'd be sleeping together made her flush, and the cat was forgotten for a moment. "Really now? and here I was thinking I might try making everyone breakfast", she teased.

[shava]

Vincent looked at her, curious suddenly. "Well if I did have a party it would be my first choice, but not so much dances, like small parties. But mostly I plan on eating breakfast here, like my ancestors used it. I went to a friend's once and they had one room they reserved that no guests were brought into with the old comfortable furniture and stuff scattered everywhere and they called it a family room. Like where the kids could come and play and be out of the way. I like the idea..." Course, that meant a lot of kids to, but they had talked already about that a bit. Her begging for a ride sparked his eyes with both amusement and excitement. "I can ask mom to drop us off near your place I guess and ride in the rest of the way. We have no roads here, of course."

The idea was rather thrilling actually! He was going to bet she would love the things...

Her eyes suddenly got wide and she asked him about her parents and he smiled back. "Yes I did, your dad already knew though. Said something about the clouds or so? He also got me to promise next time I was there I'd help him with equipment. Is he really serious about that do you think?" The idea of being put to work on stuff didn't bother him so much as the free labor part his new father-in-law would be getting out of him in exchange for permission. Not that that was a big deal or anything, it just...irked him a tiny amount. "Well that's just it, Keela, they lived back before the Ministry. How do you define it that far back? Could be anything, but if they thought it might be useful to them, they stashed it for when it was needed."

While his family could be quite dark and kind of crazy, they weren't the bloody freaking DE thank Merlin! "Don't get me wrong, they could be very nasty and there were quite a few dark ones in here, but they weren't trying to take over the world or anything. They were trying to ensure the family stayed solid, profitable, ahead of others. Selfish types of magic mostly I think." He pursed his lips for a moment, wondering how to phrase that one. "Yes and no. It will be mine, like a full adult kind of access, but mom still legally owns it till she passes it on. There may be more I can do as the male head that dad can't as he married in, we really don't know for sure. Mom has no idea what all could still be hidden away, but she didn't carry the name the same way either. For all I know only someone with the Moon surname might get it all."

And that might be the trickiest part really.

He looked at her in surprise. "Keela, it means one step closer to kids and mom's life. The others have no idea, but you think about how she will react to that. She will want grandkids started like this weekend practically." He snorted. Mom would never be old, it just wasn't her way really, not that he could mentally imagine it, and dad was an overgrown teenager. Thinking of them as grandparents was hard to even conceive of really. "Well unless you want half of my workroom, it won't be hard," he laughed, but then grew more serious. "Listen Mova, two people inhabiting the space made for one always spreads out. We have to play that by ear I'm almost positive. Besides, it's not like we don't have the rooms to spare."

His hand fell to below her waist on her backside, making his intentions very clear. "Well I do have two beds to chose from and since the main one will be getting the most use tonight I was thinking the other could use a certain something so I think about you whenever I'm working in there..." And it wasn't big enough for long sessions anyway so perfect for a delightful quicky he could imagine. The cat she reacted to well enough and he grinned, appreciating having her adapt so well to his home. "See, and here I told your dad I wanted to be sure you could deal with all our weirdness first and here you are reacting like it's common place."

He smiled and pulled her close as he led them down the hall back to his room whispering softly in her ear "As long as breakfast is after two in the afternoon, Mova, you won't have any complaints from me... I plan on being very distracting in the morning when I wake up to such a beauty within my arms..."

[kyla]

Keela glanced around the room with new interest, trying to picture it lit up and filled with people. She smiled a small sort of half-smile. "Lady of the manor..." She straightened, mockingly assuming her best proper posture and posed. The effect wasn't half bad thanks to her great grandmother's training but then she lost it a moment later when she started laughing. "Not sure how I'll handle that one, maybe I should have paid better attention to those lessons." She was comforted by the fact his mother didn't seem particularly prim and proper either. Besides, if she really did have something come up, she could go to her mum and grandmum, both of whom had been raised under Gran's watchful eye, and knew most all there was to know about pureblood propriety. The idea of a room just for family appealed greatly. "That's a clever idea." Her home was separated by floors, but for the most part everyone just sort of came and went as they pleased. It was normally utter chaos, and she loved it. "My house?" she pictured Cern's reaction to that and grinned mischievously. "Let's do it."

When he admitted to talking to her father, she felt immediately relieved. The revelation about him knowing about the announcement ahead of time made her shake her head bemusedly. "Should have known. We could never get away with anything when we were young." She laughed at his expression, and laid a hand on his arm. "Yes, he's serious, but I'd take it as a compliment. Its a family thing." It actualy spoke volumes more than Vincent probably realized. "Humor him love, I promise he means well." He was probably also wondering how capable her future husband was, not that she'd mention that to Vin. He was likely smart enough to figure that part out on his own anyway. She grinned at him then, eyes sparkling with barely concealed mischief. "Is your whole life a treasure hunt?" she teased lightly. "The island, the house, you really are a pirate aren't you?" She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled, leaning close enough that her nose brushed his. "It'll be quite an adventure, being your wife." Wife it was the first time she'd said the word out loud, and warm feeling uncurled in her stomach.

"A family full of powerful, rich, egoists?" She smirked, "I'd know nothing about that." The truth was all of her crazy pureblood ancestors had passed long ago. Gran had been the end of her family's socialite era. While her mum did ocassionally participate in certain charity events in Gran's memory, Keela had grown up being taught a 'live and let live' mentality that would have horrified generations past. "I think everyone has a few dark spots on their family tree", she observed, "pure or not." He explained, and she listened intently. After a moment, a thought struck, and she brought it up hesitantly. "Will...will I have the same access you do?" Old magic common to pureblood families often treated women differently than men. It was a centuries old concept that was hanging by a thread in things such as the marriage contract her parents had long since forgotten. If his house was as old as she was beginning to realize, she wondered what that might mean for her. His concerns about surnames were filed away under 'important information to consider at a later date'. For the moment, she kept her tone lightly flirtatious, insinuating. "So, two Moons, two Silvers, a couple of Silver-Moons and we'll have all our bases covered, yes?" She grinned cheekily at him. "I could go for that."

Six kids did seem a little daunting, but she had grown up with a houseful, and couldn't help thinking it might even be odd not to be surrounded by family after all this time. A house this size would feel empty without a big family to fill it. Keela wasn't sure how she felt about a nanny yet, that discussion would have to come later...much later. She caught herself getting ahead in her thoughts and resisted the urge to laugh. He'd barely gotten the ring on her finger and she was alerady contemplating childrearing methods. The thought made her flush. Keela's eyes widened. While she thought she understood his mum's excitement on some level, she didn't want to feel pressured so soon. "I dunno, I think I might like to practice a bit first, make sure I've got the hang of things." She was a bit surprised that her thoughts seemed to stay so easily, but then, it had been ages since they'd been alone together that way. Hogwarts didn't necessarily afford a lot of free time for two students in their final years, and privacy at the Summerby house was unheard of.

The name warmed her, and she nodded. "We'll take it a day at a time", she agreed. "Its a long way off yet." Too long, she couldn't help thinking, and for the first time, a half-considered concept of eloping sprang up. She almost shook her head. While her family would understand, she couldn't deprive them. No, that fantasy would have to wait a while. The shift in his touch said he'd caught the direction of her thoughts well enough, and she grinned at him, eyes darkening as she raised them to meet his. She widened them at him, feigning playful innocence. "Were you thinking now? or later?" There was, after all, a time for all things. She could play coy with him later, would be more than happy to take her time enjoying the finer aspects of his prowess when their time wasn't so limited. For the moment, however, she pressed herself against him, the gesture not-quite agressive, but no less purposeful. Raising an eyebrow as though to challenge him, she gave him a wicked sort of grin she'd picked up from watching him do it often enough.

She laughed and shrugged when he mentioned his family's weirdness. "You forget, I have gone to school with most of them." All except the youngest had been or were currently classmates of hers. While she didn't know all of them personally, she had gathered enough from heresay over the years. His mood shifted again, drawing her attention back to her own devious thoughts. She stepped closer, lowered her voice to just above a whisper. "We'll make it lunch then. I have a feeling we'll be very very busy tonight."

It was official, he had created a monster.

[shava]

Watching her pretend to be a great lady made Vincent smile; she would be a fine one so long as she didn't want to sleep in a room as big as the fancy one upstairs. Then he'd get worried. "Well I think the house could use a little updating, I'll just have to see what we want to do." And he meant that; it would be expensive because of the distance for work crews, but there was a bunch they could do themselves surely. "I think you will love it, personally! And we'll take the fancy new one. Where the heck I would park it at your place I have no idea..." The roads there on the farm were a mess of dirt.

Knowing that her father would actually be keeping an eye on what he did on the farm was both good and bad. "Okay, I'll try. I don't know what half the stuff he works on does, but I'll find a way." He grinned at her, sliding his hands around her waist as she encircled his neck. "Why of course, my dear Keela, didn't I steal your heart as well? That's one treasure I'm not hiding though, it's too special for anywhere else but with me." He kissed her not hard, but fairly long, enjoying the right to do so and feel her respond as well. Oh yes her heart he had won, but the whole package was just as desirable!

She said wife and he beamed; she really did want to be his and that was the best conquest of all of course! "The best kind, yes, because they left it all behind for the rest of us." As for dark spots, he figured most of his family's past was the other way around with good spots scattered about on the tree. She raised a good question and he glanced at her, wondering why it had come about. "Well they probably have it set most for the male heir, it's an old magic, but you should have most of the same. And I can always take you anywhere you don't have automatic for of course."

He was sure there were some spaces he didn't want her to see or be aware of. It was an old family of dark wizards and he was sure there had to be some torture stuff around somewhere. Possibly with victims still attached. Her comments about six kids he felt a sly feeling slip into his body for; her saying she could go for that brought up a side he'd been hiding in front of his siblings. "Yes and that sounds perfect, Mova, I think a good solid practice for that day should be coming up soon," as he slid his hands down behind her and cupped her pulling up a bit with a look in his eyes she could not mistake. Her own mention of practice got her the reward of another kiss, one with growing intensity now, slowly stirring up the interest in the very near future.

When she stepped closer and spoke about the morning he grinned and bent down suddenly, slipping an arm behind her knees and scooping her up. Stepping up to the door or the wardrobe he added "I accept the invitation, now will be quite nice. Would you get the door please for me? Nautilus", he said and carried her through the door which shut behind them....

- - - - - An Hour Later - - - - -

More then pleased to have finally used his bed for something more then a quick nap, he definitely knew tonight had to be in the larger bed out front. The single wide was perfect for a quick and rather delightful exploration by a couple but for long lay ins it was far too small in width. With her lying in front of him, they remained pressed up against each other which made for a wonderful skin sensation! As he ran a hand from her upper leg up her side to her neck he whispered "How will I ever find time to concentrate on a motor again with such a memory to be distracted by..." Oh he would not be forgetting her smell for the rest of the month, nor where her fingers were. He felt cherished, desired, and more he couldn't think of words for at the moment.

The green velvet cover lay on the floor, the sheets had come undone from the mattress and now lay around them more like a nest. He had never expected the small railing to be so convenient for clothing but theirs had covered it from end to end, layered so it would be entertaining to dress in a bit. Capturing her hand from where she held him he lifted it, kissed it, and placed it flat on his chest, feeling the ring there with a fond smile. "Wow, and people expect me to ever get out of bed again. They don't know what they are asking for, that's for sure..."

[kyla]

She heard the word updating and nodded hesitantly. Updating a house this size seemed like a daunting task, even with magic. A thought struck her suddenly. "Won't that bother the ghosts though? I mean, some of them have been here for...ages." Literally, she couldn't imagine what it would be like to wander in the same place for centuries. The topic shifted to bikes and she grinned. "I trust you." She smiled sheepishly up at him. "Probably in the barn", she admitted hesitantly. She thought about it, "that will keep it out of the weather, but it might still need a good washing when it goes back." Which, knowing him, he would no doubt do by hand. She tried to picture her family's respective reactions. Cern was easy, but her parents, and especially her aunts were a bit hard to guess at. "It should be interesting to say the least."

His admission about her dad earned him a grin. "Consider it a challenge then, love." She gave him a cheeky sort of smile. "Tap into some of that Slytherin cleverness. You'll be fine." Plus, his being willing to try would go a long way with her dad, and Keela was eager to clear the way for him as best she could. She smirked at him as he slid his arms around her. "Steal?" she shook her head. "Hardly." She tilted her head, grinning playfully. "That particular treasure was a gift." She hesitated, "it just, took a while in the giving." A long while. Looking back, it astounded her somewhat that he'd held out that long. His next statment, however, caused her eyes to soften considerably. She opened her mouth to comment, closed it again in the next second when his lips found hers. Would she ever tire of this? The simple, intense pleasure that was feeling his lips against hers, feelinlg the anticipation build, feeling...oh Merlin just feeling. Kissing him back with equal fervor, she wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled softly against his mouth. "You, my dear fiance, are incourigable", she murmured against his lips between kisses.

The glint in his eyes got her thinking his adventurous spirit might never change, and actually, she was rather glad. She'd fallen for him as he was, and the idea of him changing too much was depressing. "Nice of them", she murmured, smiling, still somewhat dazed. "To leave behind something for you all to do." The legacy, she suspected, was in the finding as much as the possessing. Everything in this house would one day be his, but he'd have to find it all, and that was the challenge. It appealed strongly to the Gryffindor-ish sensibilities she'd inherited from her mother. She shrugged and nodded in response to his words. "I was thinking about our conversation from yesterday", she admitted by way of explanation. "About traditional magic." If his family really had been full of dark wizards a few generations ago, she wondered what things had been like back then for the women. From the sound of it, his grandfather had been a freaking semi-sadist for crying out loud. Though she hadn't mentioned it, and was trying to avoid doing so, it worried her.

He appeared thoughtful, and she searched his eyes. He always had been too observant for his own good. She tilted her head, immediately distracted, and a grin steeped in anticipation spread slowly over her features. "Soon? How soon?" She hadn't, however expected what came next, though after a kiss like that she probably should have. The intensity in his eyes and the way he held her was her only fair warning of what he did next. She found herself being lifted into his arms, and was a bit caught off guard by how easy it seemed for him. "Vin-- what are you...now??" Her eyes widened, darkened several changes in a second.He carried her to the wardrobe and her eyes widened further, but she opened the door obligingly, surprised when it closed on its own behind them.

"Oh Vin..."

Over an hour had passed before she raised her eyes to his and grinned, feeling somewhat sleepy despite the hour. She yawned, "what time is it?" she murmured, her voice soft. "Are we late for lunch do you think?" Being pressed against him this way was somewhat distracting to her greater concentration. His touch was even moreso. She grinned wickedly at him. "Love, we're getting married. I think the memory will be the least of your distraction problems." She wove her fingers into his hair, pressed a soft, tender kiss to his jaw, trailed her lips down his chest before raising her eyes to his again with a cheeky smile. "We probably will be expected to get out of bed ocassionally", she said, sounding vaguely disappointed. A moment later, she sighed. "Speaking of getting out of bed, we should probably go tell her your mother and the rest about recent events."
She stood, made a show of scrounging around for her clothes, intentionally moving slower than was strictly necessary. "Come on, caro mio. Rise and shine."

[shava]

He really wanted to take out the new one! Ah the opportunity was too good and since he was of age he ought to be allowed such a thing. He'd ask mom later though. The idea of parking it in a barn made him hesitate, but as long as he cleaned it good right after he parked it they should be all right. And that he remembered a steel stand rest. Chuckling at her Slytherin tease he poked her lightly in the side. "All right now. I'll manage somehow. Hopefully he'll take it easy on me at first."

Understatement of the year; she had taken a year to start to give in to him. Thank goodness he had sensed her changing and stuck in there! here was a treasure for a few lifetimes, willingly gifted into his hands. And he hadn't even known she would have money, he had already considered her a treasure before that! As she kissed him back and then told him how bad he was he smirked. "I'm male, under the age of twenty, and have a fascinating young woman in my arms. The miracle is that I tempt her so little..." Her appreciation of the treasure hunt had him imagining what it would be like, him digging through some partial wall to a crowd of ghosts while she read descriptions in a book and told him what things were listed and what they did if they were there.

Going by what he thought, it was going to take ages to find everything. If he could. Still, it was a considerable treasure hunt and quite a fun one as well he thought. "Traditional? Well yes, it was the 1200s. I can imagine there were a lot of magics back then we've never even heard of, why? What were you wondering?" it wasn't hard to get her off that topic fairly soon however, though she was surprised when he scooped her up and made for the wardrobe. Later she got started moving first (so unfair that guys gave them all that energy in the efforts of pleasure) and he kept his arm around her middle as she asked questions. "Trust me, Mova, lunch is not a timed affair. We'll be fine." The kisses he liked as well as her comment. "Just not too often I hope." As she began to move he grunted displeasure, but didn't resist her slipping away slightly to reach for clothes.

"Ah, if I must." He rolled over the small space there was and managed to get his feet on the floor before falling off. Walking around he picked up his pants and then hesitated. "I have gotten distracted with the motorcycles before and missed meals. We could play like you were with me learning about them as well." His hopeful look was dashed by her and he dressed, spending more time watching her dress then getting going himself. it was like watching your favorite present in the world repack itself hiding the best parts from view; he wasn't sure whether he liked the way it happened or disliked it was happening. In any case when she was done, he was still to do the extras of jewelry and shoes and socks etc.

"Ah...Next time maybe you should dress slower or get me going first." He put on his ring and locket and watch and pin before reaching for and deciding against shoes and socks. Standing he said "Well, might as well get ourselves to the trough." Giving her his arm, they headed out of the wardrobe, then out of the room and turned towards the downstairs. It wasn't till they were almost near the chatter that he remembered they still smelled like each other. Shaking his head at his own mind, he gave up on concealment and led her into a bright mess in the kitchen. having given up on the rest of the day going smooth, Lin had decided on the Kitchen for lunch and a side board had been cleared. Most of the kids were finished, taking cereal bowls to the sink under the ghost cook's eye and chattering back and forth between them.

Lindsey (holding the littlest one) had a towel over one shoulder and a small cup in front of her, baby spoon sticking out of it. As she turned to see them she called out cheerfully "Ah! They emerge! Showed you how to polish his motorcycles did he?" She cackled, the baby laughing at her mother's sound (with a bit of food smeared around her mouth) but Lindsey was suddenly eyes down on Keela's hand. She looked up, eyes bright and suddenly excited; most of the kids however were unobservant and the little ones mostly out the door by this time, anxious to get back to whatever mess they had been in before...

[kyla]

The glint in his eye told Keela he liked the idea in spite of the possible clean up. He was already handsome, but the excitement added a warmth that she was used to only seeing when he was being sentimental. He obviously took great pride in those bikes, and she made a note to look into the subject more. If she was going to marry him, it might be a good idea. Unsure what her father's plan was, but no less sure of his wisdom, Keela shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about it right now. You're probably safe for the time being." The expression his face told her he thought she'd understated things, and she blushed. "I know, I know...but at least I got there right?" She grinned sheepishly up at him. She smirked at him playfully, "does that mean you'll start slowing down after the age of twenty?" she widened her eyes at him in mock innocence. Momentarily caught of guard, she paused. "So...little?" Her expression turned incredulous. "You're kidding, right?" She'd thought of little else but him from the time they'd gone their separate ways off the platform, and she was still having trouble focusing on anything else to closely when he was in the room. Her mother had laughingly called it the honeymoon phase, but there were moments when Keela wondered if her mum had ever moved to another one. She still sometimes looked at Keela's father as though he'd hung the moon.

She hesitated, bit her lip. "Just wondering if any of the traditionalist views of men and women might have been translated into the magics in the house." What would her mother call that? A diplomatic answer? Suddenly she was intensely grateful for her grandmother's ettiquette lessons, if only for a moment. Rescued from delving too deeply into that subject by his less than innocent intentions, she laughed softly as he carried her through the door. She just shook her head, "if you say so", she agreed. His next comment earned a grin. "I'll try to contain myself, but no promises." She shrugged and gave him a look that told him he'd made his bed and would now have to sleep in it, both literally and metaphorically. She grinned at his response as she shifted away from him and managed to get her footing on the floor. "Priorities, love. We'll have plenty of time for a repeat performance tonight." At least, she hoped they would.

The hope in his expression was almost her undoing, but she shook her head firmly. "I need to make a good impression here", she prodded, "and your mum will be gone tomorrow." He didn't look particularly mollified, but obliged her by getting out of bed, albeit slowly. She knew he was watching her as she dressed, could feel his gaze, and couldn't help taking advantage of it a tad. So it came as no surprise when she realized after she was fully dressed that he was still in the process. She grinned, "we've got all the time in the world for the other things, caro mio. I want to get to know your family." Surprised by the old-timey chivalrous gesture, she accepted his arm, and let him lead her first out of the room and then downstairs to the kitchen. It caught her attention like a Ravenclaw to a multi-story library. There was so much space, so many pots and pans, she almost missed Lindsay's remark, but not quite. She flushed, sure she was as read as her hair. Wait, her hair! Running it through her fingers, she realized it had changed back to its original color. In her relief, she temporarily forgot her embarrassment. Noticing the way Lindsey's attention had been drawn to her hand, she smiled shyly up at the older woman. "So, I guess its mum now...right?" her tone was hesitant, referring to her comments from before.

[shava]

Vincent tilted his head at her, hearing her rephrase things without getting any clearer. "Don't be shy, Mova, you aren't going to annoy me. What, do you think the house is sexist or just the past six or so centuries?" An amused look. "I said I would show you anything the house didn't give you permission for automatically. If you think it's only going to give you access to the kitchen and the bedroom and the nursery, I would point out mom has run of the whole house as far as I know. But that's the point to, I'm NOT in a spot where I can see more then her yet. So how would I know?" he didn't seem offended nor making fun of her, but was certainly not getting what she was asking if it wasn't that.

Later, being told there would be a second performance, certainly made Vincent a happier guy! Nothing like being promised that to keep a guy happy indeed. it made it easier being told there wouldn't be a repeat right this moment, though he was fairly sure she had enjoyed the first round. A guy liked to be sure about his performance, an ego thing. She seemed amused by his distraction and he grinned back and then as she caught his arm he kissed her forehead. She checked he hair when they entered the kitchen and he glanced at her until he realized her hair had changed back! They had been far too busy to notice, something he didn't really regret either.

He didn't miss his mom's expression and grinned, caught out. "Here, mom, let me have her," he said stepping forward and taking the towel first and then the baby second. Lindsey only gave him a moment before the bottle then jumped up and bounced over to Keela, catching her up in her arms as she said "Yes! Mums it is! Keela! This is" she caught her up under the arms (she was pretty strong for a woman) and spun around with her once, cackling happily! Vincent, settling the baby who was reaching for the cup laughed, his eyes quite amused. As she stopped she suddenly leaned forward, sniffed and then burst into another grin. "Ah! Good for you!" and then a glance around, seeing the kids gone off except for Anne who was doing the dishes and giving them an eye opening glance, she seemed to make a decision.

'All right Anne! you finish up then check on the kids! I've got to have a talk with these two." Taking Keela by the hand she motioned at Vin and pulled Keela along to the doorway they had just come out of muttering "Abraham, Den, privacy," and as they stepped through they were in a room she had never seen before. Waving the two of them to the couch, she caught Vin's arm and changed her mind, pulling the stool out from the desk. "You've heard this, you keep her occupied." Leaning over into the delighted child's face she rubbed noses saying "Sugar bugger!" and then turning to Keela her eyes still alight, but suddenly much more serious.

"Damn ghost, now I'm going to miss tomorrow. Vincent Silver-Moon if you ever cut it close like this again I'll put your knees back on backwards!" Vincent had the sense to look apologetic. "Yes Mom," with a capital M. "Darn tootin'," she said and then turned the smile back on as she sat next to Keela and took her hand to see the ring. "Oh yes, I heard about this one all right. Looks good on you." Then still holding her hand she gave her a reassuring smile and added slyly "So, without looking at my son, tell me what he told you about my curse. All you can remember..."