(Untitled)

[wolf_caleb]

Date: Friday, 22 February
Time: 4:00
Location: Caleb and Stella's flat
Characters involved: Caleb Moore, Stella Sinistra
Rating: PG-13

Comments

[prof_stargazer]

"In here," Stella called out from the bedroom. She was currently in the process of changing from her more formal 'professor' clothes into denims and a jumper, looking forward to an evening of relaxing at home with Caleb. They'd settled into a bit of a routine, and Fridays were usually reserved for staying in and unwinding from the week.

This week, Stella definitely needed it- she'd gotten quite a bit done for the wedding, but it had put her a bit behind as far as school things went. She'd just gotten home a few minutes before, having stayed in her office for several hours after her last class, marking papers and working on plans.

"I'll be there in a minute, love," Stella called out, unbuttoning her blouse and tossing it onto the bed. "Just changing clothes."

[wolf_caleb]

Hearing Stella call out, Caleb walked toward the bedroom. He leaned against the door frame and watched Stella changing her clothes. "Don't get dressed on my account," he said, a teasing glint in his eye. He knew that he was merely torturing himself, since Stella had asked for celibacy until they were married, but he couldn't just walk away when Stella was standing there topless.

"You look frazzled. Long day?" he asked, pushing away from the door. Once Stella had pulled on her jumper, he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her neck and inhaling deeply.

Home.

[prof_stargazer]

"Long day," Stella echoed in response, leaning into Caleb's arms. It was amazing, but her tiredness and stress seemed to dissipate quite a bit, just by being near him.

"Long week, actually. I got a lot finished, but..." Stella trailed off, shrugging a little. "I'm just glad to be home." She turned her head and kissed him, smiling. "How about you, love? How was your day?"

[wolf_caleb]

"Interesting," he said, pulling back from Stella and flopping back on the bed. He held out his hand and waited until Stella was cuddled up against him. "Charlotte asked how I would feel about taking over the shop, managing it so she can spend more time with the baby. I didn't say yes, figured we should talk about it first. What do you think?"

[prof_stargazer]

Stella's eyes opened wide when Caleb spoke, though she stayed silent for the moment. It definitely surprised her, as Charlotte had always been so committed to the shop and its success. Still, though, having a baby changed a lot of things, and Stella could not fault her friend for wanting to take time off to be a good mother.

"Well, it more depends on what you think, love," Stella finally said, glancing up at Caleb. "If it makes you happy, I am completely behind the idea. And, I think you would do a wonderful job-" Caleb had pretty much been running the place these past few months, anyhow, when Charlotte had been on bed rest and the first few weeks after the baby was born.

[wolf_caleb]

"I don't know what I think," he admitted. "The timing could be a bit better, all things considered. I mean, with the wedding and everything else going on in the next month, it's probably not the best time for me to be working more instead of less. On the other hand, it means a bit more money every month, which would be nice. Between the wedding and remodeling the house, a little bit of extra income would help. It's not like she's just going to dump it on me and walk away, she'll still be around until I get the hang of all the little details she normally handles."

He stopped talking, taking a breath. "So yeah."

[prof_stargazer]

Stella lay quietly as Caleb spoke, her own thoughts turning over in her head. She couldn't deny what he was saying- they were both very busy right now as it was, and the added responsibility would only take away from what little time they had together. However it was true, too, that the added income would certainly be helpful as they started building their life together.

"It's up to you, love. I think it would be wonderful- I mean, you do so much there already, and actually having the title and the extra income would be great. But if you think it would be too stressful, you should say no. But, Charlotte knows you and trusts you enough to ask-" Stella shrugged again, a bit at a loss for words.

"Perhaps you can take it on as sort of a trial position for now, at least until after the wedding?"

[wolf_caleb]

The truth of the matter was, he didn't want to lose any of what little time he had with Stella. Then again, when Stella was home and grading papers, he could do whatever paperwork and orders that needed doing. She might actually get something done without him staring at her and asking if she was done yet.

"She won't go until after the wedding, the next few weeks would be training more than anything else." Caleb raised up on an elbow, looking at Stella. "After everything she's done for me, I don't think I could tell her no. She seemed so excited about spending time with her family. I don't want to stand in the way of that, you know?"

[prof_stargazer]

"Of course not," Stella agreed, looking at Caleb kindly. "Really, love, I think you should do it. I mean, yes, you'll be busier, but after the wedding, we'll have so much more time together. I can come home for dinner every night, and you'll be more in charge of your own schedule, once you get used to things." She grinned, thinking of all that Caleb had accomplished in the past months.

"I'm so proud of you, love. Last summer you were worried that no one would even hire you, and here you are, going to run a successful bookshop in Diagon Alley." Stella beamed at Caleb, leaning up to kiss him softly. "Just make sure you have someone to cover for you for the honeymoon. We're not missing that, no matter how many promotions you get."

[wolf_caleb]

Caleb blushed, and chuckled. That Stella was proud of him was the best compliment he could ever receive. With all of the trash in the papers, and all the other stigma that comes with being a werewolf, and wearing the blasted collar, Stella was still proud of him. Still proud to be with him.

"I love you," he told her, kissing her softly. "And we already talked about hiring someone else, since Anna is next to useless. And Char can help cover while we're on our honeymoon too. Like I said, she's not going to just disappear, so we don't have to change any plans."

[prof_stargazer]

Amused at Caleb's reaction, Stella just smiled at him. "Love you, too," she murmured back, cuddling a bit closer into his arms.

Talking about the honeymoon stirred a whole bunch of ideas in Stella's head- things she had meant to tell Caleb or discuss with him when they were home. They lay cuddled together in their bed for nearly an hour, talking over ideas and plans for their honeymoon to Greece. They had decided, too, to spend about 3 days in Paris before coming back home. Caleb had never been either place, and Stella was full of ideas of things they could do and see, though of course she was planning plenty of time for them alone in their rooms, too.

The light outside had dimmed considerably, though Stella was perfectly content to remain cuddled together. However, Caleb was not-

Rather, Caleb's stomach was not, as it started growling rather loudly

[wolf_caleb]

Caleb was starving, but it had been so nice to just cuddle and plan their honeymoon that he'd tried to ignore it for as long as possible. He'd thought, perhaps foolishly, that being on the Wolfsbane would help curb his insane appetite around the Full, but no such luck. At least he never had to worry about where his next meal was coming from, he'd always had enough to eat. He'd still give his left foot to be able to put on weight.

"I'm sure it will come as a complete surprise to you that I have three large steaks in the fridge that have been marinating all day," he said, a grin spreading across his face. "Haven't a clue what we're having with them," he admitted, "but there is steak!"

He was aware that Stella wasn't a huge meat eater, but she indulged him around the Full, for which he was grateful.

[prof_stargazer]

"So, half a steak for me and two and a half for you?" Stella asked, a teasing grin on her face. "I think we have things for a salad," she added, her voice a bit kinder. After nearly six months of living together, Stella was well aware of Caleb's cravings around the Full, and tried to keep him as happy as possible in the days leading up to his transformation.

"And I know we have ice cream for later," Stella continued as they walked into the kitchen. "Because I made sure to pick some up before I came home."

[wolf_caleb]

"Even if I wasn't madly in love with you, I'd keep you just because you always make sure I have ice cream," Caleb said, stepping up behind Stella and wrapping his arms around her waist. He nuzzled her neck as they walked in step to the kitchen.

He went about preparing the steaks while Stella threw together a salad. As soon as the steaks were on, he put some fresh vegetables on to steam. As much as Caleb loved cooking for Stella, he loved these moments even more, when Stella was in the kitchen with him, cooking beside him.

When the food was ready, they settled at the table. Caleb demolished one steak before he slowed down enough to actually speak. "How were you classes today? Kids behaving themselves?"

[prof_stargazer]

Though Stella had never counted herself as much of a cook, these past few months of being in the kitchen with Caleb on weekends had increased her confidence a bit. It felt good to be working together, and Stella was always struck with a strong sense of home whenever they spent time like this.

"Classes were fine today," Stella nodded, taking a sip of her wine. "Wednesday and Thursday were a bit rough, though. Three exams scheduled, and reviewing for another one. So I holed myself up in my office this afternoon so I wouldn't have to bring home any papers to mark." She hated having to spend her precious weekend hours with Caleb marking papers, even though she could have done it, as he usually worked on Saturdays.

"Are you working tomorrow, love?" Stella asked, knowing the answer was probably 'yes', especially if he was going to be taking over management of the shop.

[wolf_caleb]

"Afraid so," Caleb said, sighing. "Want to meet me for lunch? Weather hasn't been so bad lately, maybe we can go for a walk in the park. Or if you'd rather, we can pop round to the house and you can see what I've been working on this week. But," he said, holding up a finger, "there are a few things you're not allowed to see yet. They are surprises and will remain so until we're married. But I've got them all in one room, so you just can't go into that one."

He was beaming at Stella, knowing it would drive her a bit mad to know there were things in house she wasn't allowed to see. Caleb figured it balanced out not being able to have sex.