She woke the next morning with a smile on her face, and thoughts of Charlie in her head.

They’d been up half the night, curled together on her couch, talking, just talking, about anything and everything. Middle names, first loves, the most embarrassing moments (so far) of their lives.

It had been so comfortable, so easy. She’d never met someone that made her feel as...wanted...as Charlie. No other boy she’d dated, not even her closest friends. It was almost scary, but in a very pleasant, butterflies-in-her-stomach sort of way.

She rolled over, grinning into her pillow, very glad nobody could see the thoughts running through her mind.

She hummed her way through her morning routine, sang louder than ever during her shower. Not even the thought of an entire day spent in the presence of Fred and George could dim her spirits today.

She Apparated to the joke shop later, arriving ten minutes early, as always. She was halfway through the door before she realized that the lights that were normally on by this time were still off, and the shop was oddly quiet.

A shiver ran down her spine, and she instantly grabbed for her wand. She slipped the door silently shut behind her, breathing as quietly as possible as she took a step forward. Her heartbeat thudded loudly in her ears.

She stepped carefully past the displays that crowded the front of the store, past the shelves and racks of candy that littered the center of the shop. She was almost to the front counter when two shapes materialized on either side of her. She jumped, her wand clattering to the ground.

“Honestly, Venice, you’d think we were a pair of burglars, the way you jump.”

George’s voice sent instant relief rushing through her, replaced almost as quickly by anger.

“George! Gods! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

She bent to pick up her wand as the lights flared to life, revealing the twins lurking near the counter as they stared down at her, their faces wearing looks she didn’t understand.

“No. We are going to have ourselves a nice little chat, though.”

George tucked her arm in his as she got to her feet, all but dragging her to the office, Fred following close behind.

The twins pushed her into the desk chair, both of them taking seats on the desk in front of her. Their arms were folded over their chests and their faces were suddenly deadly serious.

“So. Venice. What do you have in mind for our brother?”

George’s face revealed none of the laughter that normally lurked beneath the surface. Venice felt her jaw drop.

“Excuse me?” she stuttered, a burst of nervous laughter slipping from her lips. “How is that any of your business?”

“Oh come on, Moon. As Charlie’s brothers, we have a right to make sure you’re not going to hurt him, or mess with him, in any way.”

Venice leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, and fixed her bosses with the harshest stare she could manage.

“As much as I love the both of you, our relationship is absolutely none of your business, but even so, I have absolutely no intention of hurting your brother. I’m rather fond of Charlie, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

Without another word, she rose and stalked from the office, waiting until she was out of hearing range before letting out the rest of the laughter that bubbled in her chest. Tears were dripping down her cheeks before she could finally breathe normally again.

“Moon! We can hear you!”

Fred’s voice came roaring out of the office, setting her off again. She giggled through her morning duties, rearranging displays and refilling candy bins.

When the bell above the door jingled, announcing the arrival of the first customer of the day, it took her a moment to arrange her features into a semi-serious expression. She heard the footsteps approaching the counter; when she turned to offer a greeting, the words died in her throat.

It was Charlie.

He was holding the biggest bouquet of flowers she’d ever seen in her life; lilies, tulips, and quite a few she didn’t recognize, including some that were waving around even though the air in the shop was quite still.

Charlie’s grin widened impossibly larger when her jaw dropped open.

“I hate to have to bring you flowers twice in a row, but I saw these today, and I just...I couldn’t resist. They were calling your name, so I just had to.”

Numbly, she reached out for them, inhaling the gorgeous fragrance.

“Charlie,” she finally stuttered, “they’re absolutely beautiful!”

She looked up at him, swallowing slowly when she saw how close he’d gotten. Gently, he took her chin in his hand and bent to press a kiss to her forehead.

“Not as beautiful as you.”

He pressed another kiss to her lips as her cheeks flushed a deep crimson. She turned away, setting the bouquet on the counter just as Fred came sauntering out of the back room. His eyebrows disappeared into his hairline as he saw the color of her face.

“I’m not even going to ask what’s been going on out here, but I will ask you two to stop; you’re scaring away the customers!”

Charlie aimed a punch at his brother when Fred slinked past, throwing Venice a wink as he disappeared down an aisle.

“And not that I’m not happy to see you, Charlie, but what are you doing here?”

Charlie wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug.

“I just wanted to see you, and to ask you if you’d go to lunch with me. I, erm, I have a few things to take care of this morning, and I wasn’t sure I’d get another chance to talk to you.”

She nodded, staring up at him as she rested her chin on his chest.

“I’d love to go to lunch with you. I normally take my break around two-thirty or so, if that’s okay.”

“That’s perfect.”

Another kiss on her forehead, and he pulled away.

“I’ll see you then. Don’t let the twins pester you too much, love,” he added with a wink.

“I never do.”

They smiled at each other once more as he slipped out the door. Venice turned back to straightening the counter-top displays, humming under her breath.

The rest of the morning flew past. The shop was constantly busy now, and with the hundreds of people firing questions at her, and small children messing up the displays that were her responsibility to straighten, she didn’t stop moving once. It was a relief when she finally spotted Charlie in the crowd, extracted herself carefully from the group of children swarming around the Nosebleed Nougats, and pushed her way over to him.

“Hi!”

Charlie touched the tip of her nose with a finger, his eyes smiling warmly at her.

“Busy day?”

She nodded, blowing a stray strand of hair from her face.

“Are you ready for a break, then?”

She nodded again, already turning her head from side to side, trying to spot either of the twins in the throng. She finally caught a glimpse of Fred’s flaming hair disappear into the back room. She turned back to Charlie.

“I’ll be right back; I have to let them know I’m leaving. Meet you outside?”

Charlie nodded and slipped back out the door.

Fred and George were huddled together over the desk when she made it to the office. She was almost afraid to ask what they were designing now. They didn’t look up until she cleared her throat rather loudly.

“I’m taking my lunch,” she announced when they were finally paying attention. Both of them immediately broke into grins.

“Right-o,” said George, turning his head away and pretending to cough into his sleeve.

“Have fun,” said Fred, hastily clearing his own throat.

She could swear she heard them both sniggering as she stepped back into the hall, her brows knitting together as she puzzled over their behavior. Halfway between the office and door, she resolved to just forget it.

Fred and George weren’t exactly known for being serious, after all.

Charlie was waiting for her just outside the door, his hands in his pockets, whistling nonchalantly.

His grin looked almost like Fred’s as she fought to pin her unruly hair back in place, finally giving it up as a bad job and letting it swirl down around her shoulders. She had to smile when she caught Charlie staring at it.

“Something I can do for you, Mr. Weasley?” She stuffed her hairpins into the pocket of her magenta robes as she spoke. Charlie shook his head.

“Nope, nothing.” He tucked her arm in his and started walking. “Let’s go to lunch.”

They ended up at the Leaky Cauldron again, seating themselves at the same table. Charlie pulled her chair out for her, seating her so her back was to the crowd, and the only thing she could see was him as he sat down across from her. Not doubting he had a specific motive, she watched him silently for a moment, resting her chin in her palm. After a long, silent moment, broken only by Tom the barkeep taking their order, Charlie started to fidget. She watched him a moment longer and then decided to have pity on him.

“Something bothering you, Charlie?” she asked innocently, smoothing her napkin onto her lap.

He shook his head, smiling gratefully as Tom took that moment to interrupt once again, placing their drinks on the table between them.

“No. I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

He didn’t meet her eyes as he spoke, and hers narrowed, her suspicions raised once more.

“You just seemed a little...uncomfortable. But if you’re sure you’re fine...”

She let the rest of the sentence hang but he didn’t take the bait.

They ate quietly when Tom brought their plates. Venice would have enjoyed the silence and peace more if she hadn’t wanted so desperately to know what Charlie was thinking. She kept shooting him furtive glances over the top of her turkey sandwich, waiting for the opportune chance to pounce.

Unfortunately, Charlie’s silence carried clear into dessert.

Finally, when both of them were stuffed and their dessert plates were near licked clean, he cleared his throat, shifted in his chair again, and locked his gaze with hers.

“Venice, you already know that I had a few errands to run this morning.”

She nodded when he paused, letting him know she was listening.

“Well, the most important thing I did this morning was quit my job.”

He paused again. For half a second she didn’t understand, and then the words sunk in. She gasped, her eyes widening.

“You quit your job! Charlie! Why?”

He grinned.

“I quit my job in Romania so I could take a job with Gringott’s, here, in London.”

She stared at him, not quite willing to believe her ears.

“Here? In-in London?” she finally stammered, her heart thudding painfully in her chest. If Charlie said what she was suddenly thinking...

“In London, yeah. I’ve been dreading going back to Romania anyway, and the thought of having to go back and being away from you...well...I decided it was just too hard. So I’m taking a room here at the Leaky Cauldron, and I’m going to be moving in at the end of the week. I’m staying in London, Venice. Staying.”

She could feel her mouth hanging open, her jaw somewhere in her lap, but she couldn’t speak, could barely even make sense of his words.

He was staying.

Charlie was staying.

He wasn’t going back to Romania.

They hadn’t talked about it at all, but secretly she’d been dreading the end of his vacation. She had been completely willing to have a long-distance relationship with Charlie, but she’d never have dreamed....

“You’re staying...,” she whispered. Suddenly she felt like crying.

Charlie’s face was anxious now as he watched her reaction. She wondered at it herself.

She felt like jumping up and down, felt like throwing her arms around his neck, but she was frozen to her seat.

“Venice? Are you all right?”

Charlie was kneeling beside her now, his expression beyond anxious and nearer to be downright scared.

“Venice, say something, please.”

Something in his words unlocked her voice, and the words finally came spilling out.

“Here I was, trying to brace myself for when you actually had to go back to Romania, and I hated the thought of you being so far away, but I would have managed, for you, you know, and now you’re telling me you’re staying...Charlie! You’re staying!”

And then she flung her arms around his neck, knocking him off balance and throwing them both to the floor.

His laughter rumbled around the room as he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

“I was afraid you were going to have something awful to say, judging by the look on your face. You had me scared for a minute there, love.”

“I’m sorry, it was just so sudden...I didn’t even know what to think.”

He caught her chin in his hand again as they both got to their feet.

“And you’re really happy about this? You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”

She nodded her head vehemently.

“I’m really, truly happy, Charlie.”

His smile in the instant before he crushed his lips to hers was triumphant.

~~~

Charlie broke the news to his family at dinner that evening. Predictably, Molly cried, pulling Charlie to her, sobbing into his shirt. Charlie let her cry, his eyes amused as he made faces at Venice over the top of Molly’s head.

When her mom had finally calmed down, Ginny piped up.

“Does that mean I have to give Charlie his room back?”

The tiny kitchen exploded with laughter. Between chuckles Charlie shook his head.

“No, Ginny. I’m taking a room at the Leaky Cauldron. It’s closer to Gringott’s anyway, and I wouldn’t want to put my dear, sweet, favorite sister out.”

He wrapped an arm playfully around Ginny’s neck, snorting as she punched him in the ribs and tried in vain to pull free.

“What are you going to be doing at Gringott’s?” Harry asked once things had finally calmed down.

“I’ll be the new Head Dragon Keeper. Seems the bloke in that position now is ready for an early retirement, so they were quite ecstatic when I told them I was in need a job. Hired me on the spot.”

He sat back down at the table beside Venice, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her against him.

“My bosses in Romania weren’t too pleased when I let them know I wouldn’t be coming back, but the pay at Gringott’s is better, the hours are better, and I get to be home every night.”

He winked at Venice and she blushed to the roots of her hair, starting off another round of laughter.

Later that night, back at her flat, Charlie and Venice were curled up on the sofa together when he finally voiced the question she knew had been on his mind all evening.

“You think I’m crazy, don’t you?”

She shifted around so she could see his face, stroking a hand down his cheek so he would meet her eyes.

“Why do you say that?”

He sighed, searching for the right words.

“Because we’ve only been together for what, two days? And now I’m moving back to England so I can be closer to you...it doesn’t sound very sane, does it?”

She giggled and snuggled into his chest, feeling his arms snake around her to hold her close.

“No, it doesn’t really sound sane, but I’m very, very glad you’re going to be around. This would be complicated if you were in Romania,” she pointed out, waving her hand to indicate their current positions.

Charlie laughed with her as she giggled again.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you sometimes, Venice. You light up my whole world.”

For a moment she forgot to breathe. She lifted her head and stared up at Charlie, waiting for him to start laughing, waiting for it to be a joke, but his face was completely serious.

“I...I don’t know what to say to that, Charlie.”

It was hard to speak past the sudden lump in her throat. Charlie was right; it was completely insane to care so much about someone you’d just met, but his words had summed up her own feelings so exactly that she simply had no other way to explain it. It was very easy to picture herself being with Charlie for a very long time...the realization both thrilled and frightened her.

She pulled away from him slowly, sitting up so she could look him full in the face.

His face was calm, his eyes untroubled, as he waited for her to speak.

“I just...I want to tell you that you make me feel the exact same way, Charlie. I’m crazy about you.”

There. She’d said it.

She could feel the heat creeping up her neck and into her cheeks, but she held his gaze.

“Ah, Venice...”

He reached out for her and she allowed him to pull her close once more, closing her eyes and reveling in the feeling. Being with Charlie felt like being home, even if it made her as crazy as Luna Lovegood for saying so.