"Girlyswot Asked For It." A challenge to my flist.
I happen to be of the opinion that as much as girlyswot denies liking flangst, and as much as she states she loves fluff, she actually is a closet flangst lover. I mean why else would she write her own scenarios in our on-line parties where she puts her foot in her mouth as Molly Weasley comes up behind her, leading to a heart to heart with Charlie? Or have the beginning chapters of her Regency romance contain a wounded soldier, a newly widowed young woman and a miscarriage? And most egregiously, why would she blatantly flirt with Sirius Black and Voldemort at the Quill's Great Hall, when she knows full well that the ever lovely and useful tdu would be on hand to report her antics to me? Of course, I immediately sent Charlie a letter by owl post informing him of it. Let's see what happened.
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Girlyswot placed the last of the essays to be graded into her leather satchel and straightened the papers on her desk. Nettlesome students. She’d been unable to finish her grading due to the steady stream of them asking for guidance and clarification for the mid term paper. On points she’d already reviewed when first issuing their assignment. Now she’d have to finish her grading at home tonight. It was getting late-cold air had begun to seep into the office from the old, drafty window. Just a few miles away from campus awaited a fireplace and a perfectly squishy chair. And supper. Well, after she prepared it, that is.
Thoughts of her own coursework filled the drive home, a dangerous distraction as she’d still not become used to driving on the right side of the street. Papers, exams…all of it had been pushed aside as of late for her other ‘priorities’. Mini quilt gifts, lavish on-line birthday parties, Halloween at the Quill, and her own fiction (it’s Regency romance - go read it here! roswrites ) had been getting the brunt of her time and energy. Of course all of that busyness was simply a ploy to get her mind off what had really been distracting her lately-Charlie. Almost two weeks and still no word. He’d been on an expedition tracking a gravid Ridgeback deep into the forests of Romania. Injured and needing medical attention, the dragon had fled the reserve, bleeding. Girlyswot hadn’t heard from Charlie since he told her he was heading in to find the poor creature. She shivered and it wasn’t from the cold. The forest wilderness held so much danger, not the least of which was a hurt and frightened dragon
She drove up the gently curve, tree-lined street, passing quaint house after quaint house until the large one in which she rented a room loomed to the right. A quick hello to the landlady and she was up the stairs, eager to throw off her formal “teaching clothes” and pull on something soft and cozy. Slippers and sweats ought to do it.
She pushed open her bedroom door and gasped. Charlie stood several feet in, holding a finger over his mouth and gesturing for her to shut the door.
As the door clicked behind her, Charlie stood quietly. Something tense hovered in the distance between them. Perhaps it was the fact that he hadn’t yet smiled, or the stiff way he held his shoulders. He looked a little leaner, the sinew in his arm visible as he dropped his hand back to his side. Two weeks in the forest tracking a dragon would do that to you, Girlyswot supposed. She waited for him to say something. He didn’t, though.
“Charlie.” It came out almost like a question.
“Hi.”
“You’re back from the expedition. When did you finish? How…how’s the dragon?”
“I got back a few hours ago. That’s the middle of the night in Romania, Girlyswot thought. “The dragon’s all right.”
Girlyswot braved a smile. “And you…came right over?”
“Almost. Took care of a couple of things first.” He stretched his right shoulder and shifted his weight from his right leg. Girlyswot thought she saw him grimace. “I had to wash two weeks of forest off me.”
“Oh, come on - you have those scrubbing charms, right? You couldn’t have been that dirty!”
Charlie finally gave a little smile. “Well, yes, we do have those. But it’s just not the same. Sort of like the difference between sponge bathing and a real bath.”
“Mmm. I can understand that. I have a wonderful tub here.” Girlyswot’s eyes traced the breadth of his shoulders and chest as an image of him stretching back in her bubble-filled tub brought a smile to her lips. “Too bad you’re already clean.”
This time he gave a real smile, and something about him seemed to relax. He took a step towards her as a familiar glint returned to his blue eyes. “There are more reasons to take a bath than simply getting clean.”
That was the Charlie she knew. Girlyswot let out a breath. “I’ve missed you.”
He nodded. “Me too.” But then he hesitated, and ran a hand through his hair.
Girlyswot watched him for a moment. Something was still…off. “Charlie, what’s going on? Why did you come all the way over here, without even letting me know you were coming? At first I thought you wanted to surprise me, but it doesn’t feel that way at all. You’re so…tense.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t plan on…” He stopped again. She waited as the silence lengthened. She could hear her bedside alarm clock's faint ticking in the background. Finally, he asked, "So what have you been up to since I left after the dragon?"
Girlyswot raised a brow. Blatant change of subject. Well, she'd give him a pass on that for a minute. “Didn't you get the letters? Things have been busy around here.”
His eyebrows shot up at that question. “Yeah. As a matter of fact, I did. It was waiting for me when I got back.”
“Only one? I’d sent you three. The last one should have arrived two days-.”
“This one was from Moonette,” Charlie interrupted. He never interrupted. Well, unless he had some dragon news to share and couldn’t hold back his excitement. But this was different. “I didn’t see any from you.”
“Moonette? Why would she write to you?” Girlyswot’s jaw tightened as she thought of those parties where Moonette’s eyes lingered on Charlie’s arms. That woman couldn’t resist the combination of muscles, freckles and scars, though she constantly denied it. “Oh.” Girlyswot’s face fell. The Quill. And Moonette’s innate penchant for tattling, if the end result would be flangst. Girlyswot gestured to her sofa, trying to remain calm. “Would you like to sit and tell me about the letter? I could have a pot of tea ready in a few minutes.”
Charlie’s bright blue eyes flicked to the sofa and straight back at Girlyswot. The shake of his head was barely perceptible. “No. I’d rather stand, thank you.”
“Charlie, you know that woman likes to stir up trouble! Look at how she tortures poor Will!”
“I know. And if you’d seen my eyes roll when I first read the letter, you’d know I felt the same way.” His brow furrowed.
Girlyswot’s mind raced. Charlie had no access to computers in wizard Romania, nor the first bit of knowledge needed to use one. He couldn’t have actually seen her antics on the Quill. She filled the tea pot with water and turned back to him. “So what fuss is she kicking up now?”
Charlie gave a sharp nod of his head towards Girlyswot’s laptop. Good Lord, the computer? As her heart began to pound, she walked over and touched the mouse, which stopped the screensaver of the colorful drawing of Charlie riding a dragon. Up popped the Sugar Quill. Girlyswot’s eyes fell on the open letter lying next to the computer. Moonette’s handwriting. And step by step instructions on how to log onto the Quill, complete with a link to the Great Hall.
Girlyswot grabbed the letter, crinkled it into a ball and threw it onto the floor. “It’s just because she’s having Will troubles right now.” And then Girlyswot murmured almost to herself, “She’s not going to need a flangsty Will icon when I’ve finished with her.”
Charlie sighed. “When you’ve finished with her, give her to me, will you? Girlyswot, it’s not the Sugar Quill. I know you take your responsibilities there seriously. I know you wanted to entertain the other…erm…Quillers. It’s not that. I’d planned on coming here anyway, after I returned. As a matter of fact, I tried to surprise you at work.”
“At work?”
“Yes. I went to the campus to find you. And I sat in your lecture hall in the back row and watched you teach.”
Girlyswot’s mouth dropped open. “You were there?”
“Back row. Grey hoodie.”
“I thought that was-”
“That redheaded bloke that looks like me? Yeah, Moonette told me about him as well. Striking resemblance, actually. And a great stroke of luck that he left your class at the break. All I had to do was transfigure my tee shirt.”
Girlyswot shook her head. “I don’t understand, Charlie. Why didn’t you let me know you were there? I finished that lecture three hours ago! You’ve been waiting here since then?”
“The minute you finished you had seven students lined up at your desk to talk to you! No. I haven’t been waiting here ever since. That would be sort of…pathetic. Actually, I took a walk around the grounds. You’ve got a nice campus here, by the way. It’s not Hogwarts, but it’s nice.”
“You’re not trying to change the subject again, are you?” Girlyswot put her hands on her hips, but Charlie returned that with a hard stare.
“No, I’m not.” Then his expression softened. “I also did a bit of thinking.”
Girlyswot took a deep breath. Whatever he was thinking about couldn’t be as painful as this silly game they were playing. “All right, spill it.”
Charlie watched her for a moment before he spoke. “You’re really good at what you do. I mean…watching you teach…bloody hell, Girlyswot. I saw the passion you have for the Old Testament. You make it really come alive for them…because it’s alive in you.”
He shifted his weight again, and did that stretching movement with his shoulder. And this time Girlyswot was sure he grimaced. For the first time this evening she noticed the smudge of circles under his eyes and the faint crease between his brows. He must be exhausted. “Charlie, why don’t we sit down and finish this? You must be tired.”
Once again he glanced over to the sofa and shook his head. “No thanks.” And he shifted his weight off of his leg again, clenching his jaw as he did so. “Girlyswot, you can’t have this life on a dragon reserve. You can’t even stay connected to it by your innernet, or whatever you Muggles call it. Your computer wouldn’t work there.” The crease between his brows deepened as he paused. “And it’s dangerous. The dragons are wild and unpredictable. And I’m gone for stretches at a time. Who would be there to keep you safe?”
A sudden realization hit Girlyswot. There would be time to knock some sense into Charlie later. Right now something more urgent beckoned. “Charlie, you’re hurt, aren’t you!” So that's what prompted all of this.
He reddened. He never liked anyone to fuss over him. “Nah, I’m all right.”
“No, you’re not. That’s why you won’t sit down.” She strode up to try to take a closer look, but he took a step back. She pointed to his right side. “It’s this shoulder, and your leg. Let me look at it.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oh, it's not finished, you say? Herein lies the challenge. I invite any of you to finish this scene. First prize will be awarded to the overall favorite, as voted on by secret ballot (the details of which will be worked out later.) Second prize will be given to the version that is most like how girlyswot would have wanted it to play out. Since I am unfortunately not very crafty, the prize will be a gift certificate to either Williams-Sonoma or Starbucks. Anyone game?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Girlyswot placed the last of the essays to be graded into her leather satchel and straightened the papers on her desk. Nettlesome students. She’d been unable to finish her grading due to the steady stream of them asking for guidance and clarification for the mid term paper. On points she’d already reviewed when first issuing their assignment. Now she’d have to finish her grading at home tonight. It was getting late-cold air had begun to seep into the office from the old, drafty window. Just a few miles away from campus awaited a fireplace and a perfectly squishy chair. And supper. Well, after she prepared it, that is.
Thoughts of her own coursework filled the drive home, a dangerous distraction as she’d still not become used to driving on the right side of the street. Papers, exams…all of it had been pushed aside as of late for her other ‘priorities’. Mini quilt gifts, lavish on-line birthday parties, Halloween at the Quill, and her own fiction (it’s Regency romance - go read it here! roswrites ) had been getting the brunt of her time and energy. Of course all of that busyness was simply a ploy to get her mind off what had really been distracting her lately-Charlie. Almost two weeks and still no word. He’d been on an expedition tracking a gravid Ridgeback deep into the forests of Romania. Injured and needing medical attention, the dragon had fled the reserve, bleeding. Girlyswot hadn’t heard from Charlie since he told her he was heading in to find the poor creature. She shivered and it wasn’t from the cold. The forest wilderness held so much danger, not the least of which was a hurt and frightened dragon
She drove up the gently curve, tree-lined street, passing quaint house after quaint house until the large one in which she rented a room loomed to the right. A quick hello to the landlady and she was up the stairs, eager to throw off her formal “teaching clothes” and pull on something soft and cozy. Slippers and sweats ought to do it.
She pushed open her bedroom door and gasped. Charlie stood several feet in, holding a finger over his mouth and gesturing for her to shut the door.
As the door clicked behind her, Charlie stood quietly. Something tense hovered in the distance between them. Perhaps it was the fact that he hadn’t yet smiled, or the stiff way he held his shoulders. He looked a little leaner, the sinew in his arm visible as he dropped his hand back to his side. Two weeks in the forest tracking a dragon would do that to you, Girlyswot supposed. She waited for him to say something. He didn’t, though.
“Charlie.” It came out almost like a question.
“Hi.”
“You’re back from the expedition. When did you finish? How…how’s the dragon?”
“I got back a few hours ago. That’s the middle of the night in Romania, Girlyswot thought. “The dragon’s all right.”
Girlyswot braved a smile. “And you…came right over?”
“Almost. Took care of a couple of things first.” He stretched his right shoulder and shifted his weight from his right leg. Girlyswot thought she saw him grimace. “I had to wash two weeks of forest off me.”
“Oh, come on - you have those scrubbing charms, right? You couldn’t have been that dirty!”
Charlie finally gave a little smile. “Well, yes, we do have those. But it’s just not the same. Sort of like the difference between sponge bathing and a real bath.”
“Mmm. I can understand that. I have a wonderful tub here.” Girlyswot’s eyes traced the breadth of his shoulders and chest as an image of him stretching back in her bubble-filled tub brought a smile to her lips. “Too bad you’re already clean.”
This time he gave a real smile, and something about him seemed to relax. He took a step towards her as a familiar glint returned to his blue eyes. “There are more reasons to take a bath than simply getting clean.”
That was the Charlie she knew. Girlyswot let out a breath. “I’ve missed you.”
He nodded. “Me too.” But then he hesitated, and ran a hand through his hair.
Girlyswot watched him for a moment. Something was still…off. “Charlie, what’s going on? Why did you come all the way over here, without even letting me know you were coming? At first I thought you wanted to surprise me, but it doesn’t feel that way at all. You’re so…tense.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t plan on…” He stopped again. She waited as the silence lengthened. She could hear her bedside alarm clock's faint ticking in the background. Finally, he asked, "So what have you been up to since I left after the dragon?"
Girlyswot raised a brow. Blatant change of subject. Well, she'd give him a pass on that for a minute. “Didn't you get the letters? Things have been busy around here.”
His eyebrows shot up at that question. “Yeah. As a matter of fact, I did. It was waiting for me when I got back.”
“Only one? I’d sent you three. The last one should have arrived two days-.”
“This one was from Moonette,” Charlie interrupted. He never interrupted. Well, unless he had some dragon news to share and couldn’t hold back his excitement. But this was different. “I didn’t see any from you.”
“Moonette? Why would she write to you?” Girlyswot’s jaw tightened as she thought of those parties where Moonette’s eyes lingered on Charlie’s arms. That woman couldn’t resist the combination of muscles, freckles and scars, though she constantly denied it. “Oh.” Girlyswot’s face fell. The Quill. And Moonette’s innate penchant for tattling, if the end result would be flangst. Girlyswot gestured to her sofa, trying to remain calm. “Would you like to sit and tell me about the letter? I could have a pot of tea ready in a few minutes.”
Charlie’s bright blue eyes flicked to the sofa and straight back at Girlyswot. The shake of his head was barely perceptible. “No. I’d rather stand, thank you.”
“Charlie, you know that woman likes to stir up trouble! Look at how she tortures poor Will!”
“I know. And if you’d seen my eyes roll when I first read the letter, you’d know I felt the same way.” His brow furrowed.
Girlyswot’s mind raced. Charlie had no access to computers in wizard Romania, nor the first bit of knowledge needed to use one. He couldn’t have actually seen her antics on the Quill. She filled the tea pot with water and turned back to him. “So what fuss is she kicking up now?”
Charlie gave a sharp nod of his head towards Girlyswot’s laptop. Good Lord, the computer? As her heart began to pound, she walked over and touched the mouse, which stopped the screensaver of the colorful drawing of Charlie riding a dragon. Up popped the Sugar Quill. Girlyswot’s eyes fell on the open letter lying next to the computer. Moonette’s handwriting. And step by step instructions on how to log onto the Quill, complete with a link to the Great Hall.
Girlyswot grabbed the letter, crinkled it into a ball and threw it onto the floor. “It’s just because she’s having Will troubles right now.” And then Girlyswot murmured almost to herself, “She’s not going to need a flangsty Will icon when I’ve finished with her.”
Charlie sighed. “When you’ve finished with her, give her to me, will you? Girlyswot, it’s not the Sugar Quill. I know you take your responsibilities there seriously. I know you wanted to entertain the other…erm…Quillers. It’s not that. I’d planned on coming here anyway, after I returned. As a matter of fact, I tried to surprise you at work.”
“At work?”
“Yes. I went to the campus to find you. And I sat in your lecture hall in the back row and watched you teach.”
Girlyswot’s mouth dropped open. “You were there?”
“Back row. Grey hoodie.”
“I thought that was-”
“That redheaded bloke that looks like me? Yeah, Moonette told me about him as well. Striking resemblance, actually. And a great stroke of luck that he left your class at the break. All I had to do was transfigure my tee shirt.”
Girlyswot shook her head. “I don’t understand, Charlie. Why didn’t you let me know you were there? I finished that lecture three hours ago! You’ve been waiting here since then?”
“The minute you finished you had seven students lined up at your desk to talk to you! No. I haven’t been waiting here ever since. That would be sort of…pathetic. Actually, I took a walk around the grounds. You’ve got a nice campus here, by the way. It’s not Hogwarts, but it’s nice.”
“You’re not trying to change the subject again, are you?” Girlyswot put her hands on her hips, but Charlie returned that with a hard stare.
“No, I’m not.” Then his expression softened. “I also did a bit of thinking.”
Girlyswot took a deep breath. Whatever he was thinking about couldn’t be as painful as this silly game they were playing. “All right, spill it.”
Charlie watched her for a moment before he spoke. “You’re really good at what you do. I mean…watching you teach…bloody hell, Girlyswot. I saw the passion you have for the Old Testament. You make it really come alive for them…because it’s alive in you.”
He shifted his weight again, and did that stretching movement with his shoulder. And this time Girlyswot was sure he grimaced. For the first time this evening she noticed the smudge of circles under his eyes and the faint crease between his brows. He must be exhausted. “Charlie, why don’t we sit down and finish this? You must be tired.”
Once again he glanced over to the sofa and shook his head. “No thanks.” And he shifted his weight off of his leg again, clenching his jaw as he did so. “Girlyswot, you can’t have this life on a dragon reserve. You can’t even stay connected to it by your innernet, or whatever you Muggles call it. Your computer wouldn’t work there.” The crease between his brows deepened as he paused. “And it’s dangerous. The dragons are wild and unpredictable. And I’m gone for stretches at a time. Who would be there to keep you safe?”
A sudden realization hit Girlyswot. There would be time to knock some sense into Charlie later. Right now something more urgent beckoned. “Charlie, you’re hurt, aren’t you!” So that's what prompted all of this.
He reddened. He never liked anyone to fuss over him. “Nah, I’m all right.”
“No, you’re not. That’s why you won’t sit down.” She strode up to try to take a closer look, but he took a step back. She pointed to his right side. “It’s this shoulder, and your leg. Let me look at it.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oh, it's not finished, you say? Herein lies the challenge. I invite any of you to finish this scene. First prize will be awarded to the overall favorite, as voted on by secret ballot (the details of which will be worked out later.) Second prize will be given to the version that is most like how girlyswot would have wanted it to play out. Since I am unfortunately not very crafty, the prize will be a gift certificate to either Williams-Sonoma or Starbucks. Anyone game?