Alluring Secrets [Bella]

[Bella Walsh]

"O-On the floor?" Her face did not show it, but she sank a little inside. He was so proper and well-mannered that sometimes she almost forgot that he was her own age. Really, he was light years ahead of the rest of the boys his age and as such, it did make him a brilliant wizard.

Then, why did she feel like a blundering cluster of sheer hormones around him? That was the most shameful thing. Here he had not done anything to suggest those feelings and she had gotten carried away again. Ach! No more!

"Of course, seraph." She breathed softly, taking up one of the lanterns and setting it aglow with a flick of her wand. "If you want to take those to your father's portrait, I will look in the next room for candles or something of the sort to make sure we can see. I doubt a simple Lumos spell would help much in a building of this size."

Quickly, she grabbed the lantern and hurried off toward the door, fighting back a deeply embarrassed blush. "If I find anything important, I will let you know." Oh, time to make herself useful.

The messenger bag was still draped over her shoulder and she held it tightly as she breezed past the portrait where his dad waited, "He's coming. He did find something he will need your help with." She said, softly. Quietly, she ventured down the hall and peered into the next room. She saw lines of books on the shelves and looked near the door at the little Artemas that had reappeared. "Library?" He shook his head. "Does this room belong to your daddy?" Another no. "To your mommy?" Yes. "Thank you, love." She placed a kiss to her fingertip and touched the small boy's cheek. A fit of giggles and delighted laughter filled the hallway as he turned red behind the glass. "You are just precious! I could just kiss you up!"

She entered the room and the little one followed from portrait to portrait, keeping a watchful eye while his older self was away. The twin returned, smiling sweetly as she rejoined him within the frame. "Hello again, love. Did your mommy keep candles in here?" Little Luna pointed at the desk.

She pulled out her wand, "Lumos." This room was full of pictures! All of the twins, the father, and a very pretty woman, who smiled as warmly as Artemis, but had eyes like Luna. Their mother? She smiled at the picture softly. "I'm so sorry to barge in...but we need candles to see..."

[Deleted]

"Yes, of course. You are my guest after all, even though it's not much anymore you should still be treated with the upmost respect!"That mixed with the fact that she was his girlfriend, and a beautiful young woman as well all added up to the fact that he would make sure that she was absolutely comfortable throughout this whole thing. While it was a bit nerve wracking to be sharing a room with her,- he was beginning to feel strange again just by thinking about it, Merlin it was like the tea shop all over again!- he would make sure that he was on his absolute best behavior. Besides, his father's portrait was right outside the door, he didn't even want to think about facing him if something similar to the tea shop incident happened again.

As he gathered up the papers that he had found, he watched as Bella took one of the lanterns and nodded."Alright, please be careful kardiá mou. Call me if anything happens, and I will go to you right away." It was then that the two of them parted ways, him to go ask for help from his father, while she went to go and explore the very next room.

The woman seemed to study Bella for a moment, before giving her a warm smile that had been very similar to the ones that Artemis gave her on a daily basis."There is no need to apologize sweetheart. The candles are inside my desk, a simple unlocking charm will do the trick for you."[/i] The woman's voice was soft, and sweet and seemed to have a very nurturing, motherly quality to it."If those are not enough to sustain your needs, then there are more candles that are located in the maid's quarters, and the kitchen. Please be weary as you travel, for the real Roderich, and Daphne have placed some very powerful protective charms on some of the rooms in this castle. It is very easy to get hurt if you are not careful."[/i] The portrait seemed to fall quiet for a moment before continuing on, giving Bella another sweet smile."I feel the need to inform you, there is something in this house that you two are meant to find. There are records, there are books, and letters and lastly there is a will that my husband and I had made that is hidden somewhere in this castle. It is important that you and Artemis find these things and do so before you leave here, as there are some people who wish to get rid of any information that is left here, I fear if it is left here too long that it shall be destroyed. Please, take your time and make sure that you search carefully, for as long as you are in this castle you are safe."[/i]
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[Bella Walsh]

"Thank you. We will be as through as possible when we look through here. We have a few days off from school so we are not rushed." Daphne had mentioned something about powerful protection magic and she nodded, "I had anticipated such. With what destruction was in the town, something had to happen that would warrant that."

She went over to the desk and saw a great deal of candles and pulled out a few to place within candelabras about the room, fixated upon the walls. These were surely enchanted because the light they gave out was...incredible. It was nearly bright as day!

It made it possible to better see the portrait she had been talking to. She smiled more gently, it was easy to see where the twins inherited their faces and smiles. She poked her head around the door and called softly, "Artemis, your mother is in here when you have a moment." The little twins that followed her in were giggling, their faces aglow in the light.

"They were beautiful children, and have become fine adults. You would be proud of them. She is very brave, very smart, and she protects everyone who needs it. He is very kind, very smart, a right proper gentleman who protects the people he loves, he's braver than he might admit, and they are as close as ever. I feel lucky to know them, and to get to meet you and your husband though, I wish it were in person." She said softly, moving back through the room and examining the desk for other things before turning her attention back to the books. It was interesting the titles here. Magic, literature, history...it was obvious they had well rounded interests.

Artemas appeared in the small frame on the desk with Luna in tow. "Goodness you're inquisitive, love. Was there something you wanted to show me?" He shook his head softly, just watching her with a bashful expression while the other wore a smirk. "Goodness, but you were an amorous child. Is it silly to adore that?"

[Deleted]

"Yes, Daphne and Roderich started charming the castle the minute they knew that the children had inherited my abilities. Twins who both had that ability are incredibly rare and there were people, wizards who only saw the children as objects that they were meant to study. Measures were taken by both of us to make sure that our children wouldn't be stolen while they slept through the night."[/i]

The portrait paused, listening to Bella as she spoke.

"The town was destroyed? I suppose I am not all that surprised with that bit of information.I was the last picture taken of Daphne, and by that time she knew that something was about to happen. That and the fact that no one lives here any longer, and we've had no visitors other than people who are trying to find our papers kind of had me thinking that something happened..."[/i] She watched as Bella grabbed the candles and placed them in the candelabras around the room almost instantly filling the room with bright artificial light.

Bella recieved a small "I'll be right there love!"[/i]Along with the small shuffling of papers as he made to leave his father's side to go and join Bella in the room that she was currently in.

The portrait of Daphne smiled softly."I am very glad to hear that they turned out to be such wonderful people despite our absence in their lives. It reassures me to hear you speak of them in such a fond and familiar way."[/i] She paused again before smiling sadly."I too wish that we could have met in person, alas it seems as though both time and fate did not want that to happen."[/i] She watched as Bella looked at some of the books that she had stored in that room, and smiled. "There are not many books that I have kept in this room for most of them are in the library, but feel free to take any that catch your interest from either place. I shan't be needing them anymore, and it will be good if someone manages to read them."[/i] As an afterthought, she added in a quiet whisper. "Fear not, for my books, and anything that I have written are both in English. Between you and me, I am not too fond of reading and writing in my husband's native language."[/i]

The very second that she had finished her last statement, Artemis walked into the room with his arms free of papers."They were just letters that were written to us from our relatives. Dad said that they never seemed to care that we were too young to read, and kept sending them to us. Dad used to read them to us whenever we got them back when we were young." He walked into the room, surprised to see it so brightly lit up. "The candles are so st-" He cut himself off as he saw the portrait of the woman who had turned to smile at him. She looked similar to him, with the soft eyes and the gentle smile, but that eye color was one he had only seen on his sister before.

"...Mum?" The portrait's smile seemed to grow, and her eyes seemed to soften even more. "You were right. My son has become a fine young man. I only wish that I could have been here to watch him grow."[/i] Her words were enough to bring tears into his eyes, and he flushed slightly, trying to wipe them away before either his mother or Bella could see them.

"I-It's okay mom. I know that you wanted to be there for me, I always knew that even if I didn't... even if I don't really remember you. I knew that there was a reason why you couldn't, and that's okay. I turned out okay anyway. This girl here that you're talking to, her name is Bella. She's my girlfriend, and I love her very much. She makes me happy, and I'm so glad that you were able to meet her, even if it is just like this. She helped me find you, without her I would've never been able to find anything out. I would've never found this place, I would never even know about you. Mom, she helped me find you. Now, we're here and all I want to do is learn more about you. I want to know what happened to this town, to our castle. I want to learn what happened to us, to you and why Luna and I cannot remember anything about this place." He gave her a small smile, and he finished his sentence. Merlin, he wished that he could just hug her, that was the one thing that he wished he could do more than anything at that moment.

"I see. It is a pleasure to meet you then Bella. It is nice to see that my son has chosen a fine young woman to be his companion. Please take good care of my son in my absence."[/i] Her gaze then turned to Artemis. "I have already shared this information with Bella, but take your time here. This castle is protected, and you two are safer here then you are anywhere else. Be weary, for the magic that keeps this castle safe can also be very dangerous if you are not careful. The answers that you seek lay in this castle, but are very easy overlooked."[/i]

Artemis nodded quietly, absorbing all of his mother's words as he listened before going to join Bella. "Shall we keep looking here, or should we move to another room?"
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[Bella Walsh]

Bella smiled warmly up at the portrait as she was introduced before her gaze turned fond and she gazed up at Artemis as he spoke. There was some emotion akin to sheer adoration on her face, and it was obvious that she held him in very high regard. The fact that he gave her such praise was something that she was not used to, but found herself enjoying it very much.

When he asked her what she wished to do, she thought for a moment. "We can come back here as we wish, as we have set up camp, so to speak, in the next room. For some compelling reason, I am feeling that we need to go to the library and look around." Her face scrunched up a little, "I would instantly go that direction, wouldn't I?"

She flushed, slightly embarrassed. "You know, most people keep important things in offices or behind portraits. That is my initial thought. Also, that any place with anything drastically important would be well protected." Again, too wise for her age. "So, I believe that we should seek out places where things might be hidden. The will would be my top priority, so that we know it is safe. Then I would find family records, heirlooms, stuff of the like. But, that is just me. It is your house, love, what would you like to do?"

[Deleted]

Artemis listened to Bella as she gave out suggestions on what they could do, she had a very valid point. They could come and return to this room whenever they wished, it was just a few steps away from where they had chosen to sleep. As she mentioned them going to the library, he couldn't help but laugh softly both at the fact that she had mentioned the library in the first place, and secondly because of the reaction that she had to her own suggestion. He couldn't help but be amused, she was just far too funny sometimes.

"No love, that was a brilliant suggestion. I would imagine that any information we might need would be in the library, that would probably be the place that we would find any information about my family or the town."

And various other things that he couldn't exactly think of at the moment. He listened as Bella went on, and found himself agreeing with every word that she said. It made sense that his parents would have either hidden the most important things, or at least they would have made sure that they were well protected.

"You're absolutely right. With the way that everything had happened, along with the insight that my parents seemed to have, it would make sense that they had the most important things hidden away, although I am a bit nervous on just where they are located. If they are in the office, or a study of some sort I'm scared to think about what we might be up against. I know next to nothing about my family nor do I know what they are capable of. I think our absolute safest bet would be to head to the library and do a bit of research just so we'll have an idea on what to expect when we go searching for the important things.I do agree with you on the will thing though, that shall be our number one priority."

[Bella Walsh]

"You know, I didn't even think of researching the protection charms. You're a step ahead of me, love." She chuckled, slipping her free hand into his hand and looking up at him with a warm smile. Hand in hand they moved through the castle slowly, looking for the glint of things on the floor via the light from the lantern that she carried. "Your parents seem so lovely, I wish I could have really met them so I could thank them for bring you to the world."

They were being followed by two curious toddlers, keeping up between paintings and other photographs on the walls. She looked back at them and smiled warmly as there was a sudden shift in the air around them, "I hope, if I ever am lucky enough to have children, that they are as loving as you and Luna used to be. Even if they retain that same curious nature. It's endearing."

Was...was there another meaning behind that? Wait...where did that come from?!

"That was odd. I didn't mean to say that. I meant to say that, if I am lucky enough to have children, I hope they look like you." This time she jumped slightly. Had she gone mental? "I think there's a veritas serum being diffused into the air in this area. I'm going to shut up before my mouth runs away and says that I would rather share a sleeping area with you because I enjoy the closeness...MERLIN'S BREATH!" This time she bit her lip roughly and squeezed her eyes shut. This must have been a protective barrier.

Veritas serum, how clever.

A portrait of a distant relative sat beside the Library doors, as they approached, it awoke from its nap and peered at them. "What is it you seek in the Library, and why do you seek it?"

Terribly clever.

[Deleted]

He sighed slightly in relief as Bella agreed with his plan, even telling him that he was a full step ahead of her! With their hands linked, they made their way through the castle keeping their gazes both on the ground and on the things around them as they went on, just in case they accidentally stumbled across something of importance. When she mentioned his parents,Artemis couldn't help but smile.

"I wish that you could have met them in person as well, they really are nice people. My dad was telling me a little bit about how they met, it was actually very sweet. My dad was a bit of a bookworm back when he was younger and in school, and my mom was the beautiful foreign girl that everyone liked. One day during their second year, my dad was being bullied and my mom happened to come across him, and she did something that no one else did. She stood up for him, and chased off all of the bullies. They became friends after that, and somewhere in it all they all fell in love."

He had found it to be really funny when his father had told him that story, it had been so similar to how he and Bella had met.

As they went on their way, he felt two pairs of eyes on him, and glancing back he was surprised to see that the portrait of himself and his sister were following after them. He couldn't help but chuckle, and thoroughly distracted he was unable to notice the shift in the air around them. When Bella spoke, he couldn't help but chuckle. "I think curiosity would be a great thing to have in children, if they're curious that means that they're willing to learn. If they are willing to learn, than that means that they'll be open minded about things, and I think that's a very good thing. Even if my children end up being purebloods, I don't want them being cruel to others. I want them to be kind and loving, kind of like my mother and you."

Wait, What?!

"I-I mean If we have any kids then I think it would be better if they looked like you!"He felt his face turning a very dark shade of red, Merlin what the hell was he saying?! When Bella mentioned something about the air being laced with veritas serum, he swallowed nervously, and tried to keep himself from saying anything that might embarrass him further.

"M-My parents are very clever. They certainly protected the library well by doing something like this. If the air is laced with the serum they can get the best of liars and get them to admit things that they wouldn't normally admit. Like how I normally wouldn't admit that I would like to share the bed with you but I'm scared that I might do something to make you get mad at me, and I love being close with you but then I start getting these weird feelings that scare me since I don't know what to do with them."

Okay, he needed to shut up, and now!

Biting down on his lip, he kept quiet until they came across the portrait that was guarding the library, and was asked a question.

"I wish to learn more about my family, along with learning more about the protective charms that they have cast. As for why, I am the son of Daphne, and Roderich and I am looking for answers to the questions I have about them."

[Bella Walsh]

Hearing him stumbling over the serum's affects made her turn redder than normal and what he said made her fingers hook under her collar and pull it away from her neck slightly. What was with the heat suddenly? "I'm never mad at you." Her mouth closed quickly to prevent a ramble. Good, good...couldn't blurt if her mouth wasn't open. "And you could not do anything to me that would make me mad at you, love. You needn't ask my permission for everything." Mouth closed tightly. Okay, two for two. It was all about control. "It took me a while to figure out what those feelings meant for me too, but now that I know, after asking a housemate, I seem to be getting very curious about being alone with you....BLAST!!! I was doing so good!!" She sighed. Alright, alright...silence. Just shut up. Do not open your mouth Bella Emily.

She breathed out as Artemis answered the portrait and as the painted eyes shifted to her, she found herself saying, "I share his curiosity of his family and wish to expand my knowledge of the protective barriers to prevent another bout of embarrassment as faced with this one and to better protect him from injury." The portrait actually laughed. "Bloody hateful stuff this serum, isn't it? The effects may last a little while, but you are welcome into the library." The door clicked open and she practically ran into the new room and took a deep breath, as if she'd been holding it forever.

"Merlin's BLOODY BALLS! I hate veritas serum!!" Her hands were fanning her crimson face rapidly and she all but ran in a circle to try to push the stuff through her system faster. "Any longer in that hallway and I would have admitted an insatiable need to kiss your skin just you feel you shiver...BOLLOCKS!! Not gone yet! Okay! I'm going to shut up now before I get into trouble!" She found the furthest corner of the library and started combing through the shelves.

Moments passed in dead silence, the mortification still fresh, but she found a book that she couldn't reach that captured her interest. Papers were poking out of the pages and she reached on tip toes and could not even come close to the shelf above. "I need a boost! Can't reach this book. Can you pick me up?" Her brain felt fuzzy still, and her mouth shut promptly before she could blurt anymore. She didn't even look back toward him, keeping her eyes on the book she saw so she wouldn't lose it among the others.

[Deleted]

He felt so much better after hearing from Bella that she was never mad at him, and that there was nothing that he could do that would make her mad at him, that he didn't need to ask her permission for everything that he wanted to do, something that both relieved and confused him. He had previously believed that most girls had the same kind of boundaries that his sister had, he had believed that they did not like to be touched from anyone outside of their family and that was one the main reasons why he had kept his distance in the past.

"I'm sorry, it's just that the only girl our age that I know is my sister. I thought that most girls were similar to her, and didn't like to be touched by anyone outside of family, so I tried not to touch you more than I thought was appropriate." He felt his cheeks color again, and he looked down at the ground for a moment before glancing at her in curiosity. She had felt the same feelings that he had? He listened to her small explanation, becoming even more confused after she trailed off.

She wanted to be alone with him? Why? What could they do alone together that they couldn't do in public? He had been about to ask Bella, but upon seeing her face turn darker, and hearing her exclamation he decided against it.

Upon hearing his ancestor's exclamation, he couldn't help but agree with both them, and Bella. He hated this stuff! Now Artemis was an honest young man, and everything but there were just somethings that just shouldn't be said out loud! He sighed in relief when his ancestor said that the affects would wear off in a short while, before allowing him and Bella into the library, the two of them both hurrying in and shutting the doors behind them so the cursed air could not get in any further.

"I can't say that I am fond of that stuff either. Nor am I fond of the person who thought that having something like that in the world was a good idea."He was positive that had the creator been subjected to the effects of his own creation they would have thought twice before sharing that bloody thing with the world!

When he heard Bella mention something about kissing his skin, the words came out before he could stop them. "You can kiss me all you like Bella, I do not mind." His face colored again.

Damn it!

Moments passed in silence as the two of them began to search through the library while not so patiently waiting for the effects of the serum to wear off, when Bella called for him. Quietly he made his way over to where she stood, and after listening to her request he nodded, gently grasping her around the waist as he lifted her up with seemingly little effort. "Can you reach it now love?"

[Bella Walsh]

He lifted her so easily, like she barely weighed anything at all, and her fingers stretched to grip the edge of the book and carefully pulled it toward her. "Almost...got...it..." She stretched forward again and pulled quickly to grasp the book. However, the shiny thing on top of the book, she'd not seen until it caught the light and her arm moved with almost frightening reflexes to snatch it mid air. Thank you Quidditch training.

"Goodness, you're strong." She said softly with admiration as he lowered her down to the ground. "I always feel like I'm weightless when you pick me up. I don't know why...but I like that. Like at St. Mungo's...the way you held me was nice." She felt delicate, and for someone who stood up to a lot of people for a long time, that was something. The effects must have been lessening. The truths being spewed were not completely mortifying. As her feet settled back on the ground, she stood on tip-toes and kissed his lips softly. "Thank you, Seraphim." A hand stroked lovingly through his hair, and she finally looked down at the object she caught. "It's a key. I wonder what it goes to! Ohh, no portraits in here. Merlin...hang on."

She handed him the book with papers in the pages and left the room, shutting the door quickly behind her. She could be heard talking with the image of Daphne that had come along with the toddling twins. "Does this look familiar to you? It fell off of a book that we pulled off of one of the higher shelves in here. Or out of it, I'm not sure which, I was a touch distracted." Blast...the serum was still active. "This stuff never goes away from this stretch of hall, does it?" The portrait of the distant ancestor cackled in laughter again. "No, no, it never does!"

Splendid. So they would have to walk through it...again...to get out of the library. Lovely.

After she got the explanation she needed, she came back into the library and shut the door. "So you know, that serum never leaves this corridor, so when he want to leave the room...it's another trip right through it." Wasn't that good news? It was getting darker and things were getting hard to see, and it may have been the excitement, but she was getting tired. Cue the serum, "Is it me, or are you tired too? Not that I'm making excuses to go to bed with you."

ARGH!

Her fingers rose to her forehead. "I think I may get ready to go to sleep so this stuff can run its course and stop embarrassing me, you know where I'll be, love. I'll light some candles in there so, if you find other things worth looking at, why don't you bring them back with you? Besides, you look so handsome in candle light." Another mortified look as her mind seemed to skip on down the less traveled path this time and started imagining. Merlin's breath! She hated veritas serum!

She finally managed to leave the room without mortifying herself too much, though a comment of slipping into something more comfortable did leave her mouth before she finally shut it and shrugged. She went back through the hall and put out all of the candles in his mother's reading room before taking some and lighting up their base room.

With an exasperated sigh, she got completely changed for bed. For a fleeting moment, she looked at her shorts and considered changing to something less tight and less short, but good ol' veritas serum kicked in and she suddenly didn't mind if he looked. There was nothing wrong with that, right? She flipped the hood down over her hair that she finally freed from its ponytail.

[Deleted]

Artemis felt his cheeks begin to color when he got the compliment from her along with the gentle touch to his hair, and the kiss. Oh Merlin the kiss! He smiled softly down at her, and shyly pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead in return. He would slowly break out of his comfort zone with small signs of affection, and small caresses every now and then to show Bella how he felt now that she had told him that she didn't mind being touched, he felt slightly more confident."I actually wasn't always this strong. I used to be very weak before I met you because of my sickness, When I met you I started getting better, and I became stronger because of it." Indeed, it seemed as though their relationship had done wonders for his health. His skin had turned a healthy normal shade, he rarely felt ill, and his body had gotten stronger.

Bella truly had done wonders for both him and his health.

"You're welcome kardiá mou." His eyes glanced down at the key that she held grasped in her delicate hands for a moment. That had come down from the shelf? He watched as she wandered out of the room for a moment, before turning around to resume his search for the small moment that she was gone. He had managed to find a few small books, one of which appeared to be a diary of some sort. Looking at it with a curious glance, his hand gently ran over the material that had been carved into the leather. He would definitely be taking this book with him to read. Tucking the book underneath his arm, he continued his search only allowing himself to be distracted when Bella had walked back into the room.

"Did they know what the key was for love?" He waited for her answer and listened to her explanation, a silent groan of disapproval leaving his form as he learned that he would have to go through the laced air every time that he came to and from the library.

Well wasn't that going to be fun?

When Bella mentioned something about getting ready to go to bed, Artemis nodded in agreement. It was getting late, and he was getting rather tired despite everything that was going on. His face flushed slightly when he heard the words that left Bella's mouth, his eyes watching as she hurried out, eager to escape the effects of the serum. Artemis continued his search for a small while longer before wandering off and making his way back to his room with two more books in addition to his diary.

When he got to the room, he froze upon seeing Bella's sleeping outfit, and his face turned a bright red and he immediately averted his eyes to the ground in order to avoid staring. He kept his eyes on his bag, shyly digging through it before pulling out a shirt, and a pair of sweatpants. Stepping out of the room for a moment to change, he came back in a moment later fully changed.

[Bella Walsh]

Bella smiled warmly at him as he returned. "You look comfortable, love." Perhaps not in his body language, but as far as being dressed was concerned, he looked comfortable. She stretched up on tip toes again to kiss him softly and hold onto his hands. "I never did answer you. The key belongs to a hope chest as well as something else in the Master bedroom and that door we need to watch out for. It is heavily protected."

She stifled a yawn, and turned down the sheets of the bed before crawling in and getting situated. "I still say I don't mind you being in here with me. I've never had the opportunity to sleep next to someone." She wouldn't try anything, just sleeping would be a feat. "Plus, I feel safer with you near me." She smiled, "I don't bite, well...unless you want me to." She blushed softly.

"Only teasing, seraph. You know I love you."

[Deleted]

"Yes. These are my favorite sleeping clothes so I made sure that I brought them.." He trailed off, his eyes moving from their place on the floor to glance at Bella shyly. When he received that small kiss from her, he couldn't help but smile as he returned the kiss. His hands linked with hers, their fingers intertwining for a moment before the kiss ended. When she finally answered his question, he nodded in understanding.

"So we should probably try and find the master bedroom then. I doubt that it is on this floor, so we're probably going to have to travel up the stairs."He fell quiet for a moment, thinking about what he said. They had no idea what would be waiting for them upstairs, and while he was very nervous, his mother's words rang clear in his mind. She told him that they were safe as long as they were in the castle, and as long as they were very careful.

"Yes, we will be very careful when we find it. I'd hate to think what would happen if we weren't." His parents had already proven themselves to be very clever with the laced air trap. He had no doubt in his mind that the traps would only get more and more complex as they got further and further on into the castle.

When she brought up him sleeping in the same bed as her again, his face turned a bright red. Did she really want him next to her that badly? He looked into her hope filled green eyes, and immediately relented. Slowly, carefully he made his way over to the bed, and crawled into the empty spot next to Bella. "If it will make you happy, and if it will make you feel safe then I will sleep here with you." He gave Bella a soft smile.

[Bella Walsh]

When he settled, she meerely turned onto her side and lay her head lightly on his chest. Once there, she breathed in deeply and let out a content sigh. "Thank you, love. This was what I wanted." Her arm draped gently over him, palm resting upon his stomach. She felt safe in this spot and for a moment she just craned her eyes up to look at him. Before asking softly, "If you are ready to sleep, I will put out the candles, love. If you want to read, I will try not to disturb you." Carefully, she leaned up and kissed him softly again before nestling back to her previous position. "I love you, thank you for bringing me here with you."