Malou hadn’t been able to tend to Fallon when they brought her in, she was too closely tied to the patient and there was a code of ethics about that. Instead she had allowed her coworkers the courtesy of taking care of her best friend, of trusting them to do their jobs. She’d waited for scraps of news and an opening to see Fallon on her break.

Fallon’s room had been busy with nurses, healers, and ministry officials and Malou, never being one to push herself into a conversation or situation and draw attention to herself had demonstrated a wonderful display of patience until she could slip into Fallon’s room at long last. She had been able to catch a glimpse of her friend when they brought her in, had read up on the injuries, but had not yet actually seen Fallon.

Stepping into the room Malou tried to be quiet in case Fallon was trying to sleep. She had reasoned that she could simply sit by Fallon’s bed rather than scolding her if she was, but seeing Fallon awake Malou couldn’t help but rush to her. “Fallon!” Her quiet voice exclaimed in relief tears edging into it, as she sagged into a chair beside the bed, her hand grasping Fallon’s own bandaged hand gently. “I’ve been so worried.”

  

---

The shock and confusion of suddenly being back in the Leaky Cauldron was surpassed only by her extreme relief to be alive. Another few seconds on the broomstick and they would've plummeted straight into the frozen lake. Another few seconds, and the portkey would've brought back two dead, frozen bodies as opposed to two barely alive ones.

Three of her toes were permanently missing, the remaining seven were in various states of regrowth, as were several of her fingers. Supposedly, the healers had cast countless charms on the room to heat it for her, but Fallon didn't believe them. Shivers still shook through her, her teeth still chattered slightly whenever someone opened the door to her room. Obviously, even if they had cast charms it wasn't doing much to rewarm her.

Eventually, after hours of questions, she was finally left alone. Though, that peace was quickly interrupted by Malou. "Hey," she answered as reassuringly as she could. "I'm alright. Everything's okay." Perhaps not entirely, as everyone was being dodgey when she asked about Lachlan. "It's alright."

  

“It most certainly is not!” Malou replied tarly, lips pursed tight in objection. “You’ve lost your toes and fingers to frostbite, have hypothermia, need I go on? I did read your files after all.” Fallon should have known better than to treat Malou as if she were in some other kind of profession than that of healing. She folded her arms against her chest, letting go of Fallon’s hand.

Malou opened her mouth to take a breathe and launch into a lecture but she found she couldn’t. After all how did you scold someone for a portkey they didn’t know about. “I’m just glad you made it home.” Malou admitted more quietly, after all she knew most of the physical hurt would heal. “But don’t try to lie to me and tell me it is all alright.” The stern look again crossed her features.

  

---

While she understood why Malou was so upset, it wasn't entirely Fallon's fault. She hadn't gone around looking for an illegal portkey, nor had she expected to be randomly transported to the Arctic circle. Had Fallon any inkling as to what was about to happen to her, she would've packed more supplies. Or, at the very least, gloves.

"Come here," Fallon said as she held her arms out for Malou to climb into the bed with her. Embracing wasn't something they typically did, but Malou needed the comfort. (And, frankly, Fallon had gotten accustomed to the warmth of a feverish man.) "My fingers are all back, or they will be once they grow. I'll be okay." Whether or not Lachlan was was the question. "Have you heard anything about Lachlan?"

  

At the sight of Fallon’s outstretched arms, Malou sighed. She should be comforting Fallon not the other way around, but she wasn’t about to argue with her. Gingerly Malou climbed into the bed, carefully avoiding Fallon’s bandages the best she could. Just for a moment she would let Fallon comfort her, but only a moment. “I know.” Malou exhaled.

There was a note on Fallon’s files about Lachlan MacFusty, it had surprised her, but as any healer should Malou intended to follow it. “No.” She shook her head, glad that she had practice with deception like this. Even if it was her closest friend. Better not to linger and let Fallon notice though.

“I owe you an apology.” Malou said instead. “I was so worried I wrote to JP to see if he had any news of you.” It had never occurred to her that Fallon might have disappeared with a quidditch player instead.

  

---

Fallon wrapped her arms snug around Malou's frame, happy to have the comfort of a friend so closely nearby. She was, however, alarmed that her friend had no news of Lachlan. What sort of condition must he be in for the nurses to be so tightlipped? If not for the bandages keeping her hands in a straight lined position, Fallon would've balled them into frustrated fists.

The familiar nickname tore her from all thoughts of Lachlan. "JP?" She echoed. Her anonymous friend had come into mind numerous times while in the tundra, but Fallon hadn't once considered that he might be involved. "Did he?" A fake husband wouldn't send her to her death, would he?

  

“He did not. But he did look into the investigation for me.” He’d even checked up on Malou to make sure she was alright just this morning. “He’s a very nice gentleman.” Malou added with a small smile. “Very worried about you.” Malou fell silent for a moment, she would have brought him in with her if he hadn’t been called back to work.

“He knows your name now.” Malou admitted, not meeting her friend’s gaze. She hadn’t this breach of her friend’s confidence. “We felt it pertinent given the circumstances. I hope you will forgive me.”

  

---

Malou ... knew JP? Had presumably met and spoken to him whereas Fallon still had no idea who he might be. She turned and looked at her friend with raised brows. There was nothing to apologize for, as she would've done the same thing. However, her curiosity that had been building for the better part of a month needed to be satisfied.

"Well, who is he then? Is he as handsome as he claimed to be?" Ruggish was the word he used, wasn't it?

  

Glad to see her friend’s interest in the topic a teasing light came to Malou’s eyes, Fallon didn’t seem at all upset so Malou would distract her. “I do.” She nodded. “Oh. I think he is.” And the worry he had had for Fallon had really added to his character in Malou’s opinion. “Have you ever made the acquaintance of a Mr. Jesse Hatchitt?”

  

---

Jesse Hatchitt? The handsome man she chatted with prior to Lachlan hitting a bludger into the stands? He was so easy to talk to that day, their conversation flowing as easily as water. It suddenly made sense that he and JP were one and the same. Who else might she have spoken to so easily?

She bit back a laugh and leaned further against the bed frame. "Yes, actually, I have." Would they have outted themselves somehow through that conversation had they known differently? A shared detail in the letters maybe? A world of possibility was lost to them now that she had disappeared as she had. "Very handsome man. Funny, too. I met him in the ministry quidditch box last week. We were chatting for most of the game."

  

“Well it sounds like the mysterious Mr. JP is less than a mystery.” Malou laughed, although she suspected they had met from the way Mr. Hatchitt had spoken. “Handsome, funny, good conversationalist. It almost sounds like you are smitten.” Malou teased, although really she shouldn’t in such a situation. It was just that she could see her own worry in the face of Mr. Hatchitt and thought that perhaps he might have formed some sort of attachment to Fallon as well. She couldn’t blame him if he did. Besides, Fallon seemed much less mad at him then at MacFusty’s letters. It only added to Malou’s confusion about how Fallon had been stranded with MacFusty in the first place. But Fallon would tell her about the whole thing in her own good time, Malou certainly wouldn’t press the issue now.

  

---

"I'm not smitten," she bristled at Malou's teasing. Sure, she enjoyed their letter exchange and they might've been secretly falsely engaged, but Fallon wouldn't classify that as smitten. Hell, Fallon hadn't ever even conversed with Mr. Hatchitt while knowing he was JP.

She reached for the bracelet in her pocket to show Malou. It's magic had somehow survived the hellish week she had endured. "He did give me this, though. It shrinks to a ring when placed on your finger."

*the bracelet is a transfigured flower chain with a white daisy where the stone would be

  

Despite Fallon’s protest Malou was of the opinion that if she were not already smitten with the handsome ‘JP’ then she most certainly should be. But then again Malou didn’t know what had transpired with Mr. MacFusty while Fallon was gone either. The last time they had spoken Malou had been teasing her of Mr. MacFusty’s affections as well. Now was not the time to press into that, though. Fallon needed to work on resting not providing Malou with every detail of the past weeks, as a healer Malou knew the importance of rest and not recounting events. She’d had to remind the ministry to leave a patient alone more than once in her career.

Malou shifted on the bed to sit up right next to Fallon as if they were once again young girls safe in their dormitory sharing secrets. The daisy chain Fallon showed her was something she had glimpsed here and there before Fallon’s disappearance, she hadn’t thought anything of it then. “Why would he give you that?” More importantly why would it be a ring? “Especially if it is a ring?” It might be innocuous but given his concern in Malou’s office and in his letters it didn’t seem the type of gesture of a man who was not smitten. It also made Malou believe there was definitely something Fallon was not telling her.

  

---

"Because we might've been jokingly engaged?" Fallon asked more than stated. The first mention of marriage had come from him, but she hadn't refuted it. It was more of an agreement made through banter, wasn't it? Fallon would never have admitted to being engaged if asked, at least. That was the main reason why she had worn the ring as a bracelet instead.

She pet the petals of the main daisy gently before slipping it onto her finger to demonstrate that it did, in fact, become a ring. "It was all a joke, really. I swear. He mentioned something about his coworkers thinking he was secretly married and it all evolved from there." Why she hadn't told Malou about it, though, Fallon wasn't quite sure. For, while it was nice having a private correspondence with JP, the women had never kept secrets from one another. Not for this long, anyway. "It's not a real thing, just a cute bracelet."

  

“What?” Malou’s eyes widened in surprise. That was not a thing men and women joked about. Malou certainly knew she’d never be bold enough for such a statement. But Fallon was a different matter altogether. “Oh Fallon, nevermind you being smitten. He very clearly is.” Malou’s words were a gentle chiding as she watched Fallon’s fingers run over the flower, the ring nicely fitting her finger.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” There was no hurt in her voice, just quiet curiosity. Fallon had told her about JP’s letter, about Mr. MacFusty’s letters. For as long as Malou could remember they had traded their secrets to the safe keeper of the other. But not about this. Nor about her disappearance, or, Malou was beginning to feel, about Fallon’s real feelings for either man (that, however, could be explained in Malou’s opinion by Fallon’s own confusion on the matter).

  

---

JP was not smitten. He was charming and a very obvious flirt, but he wasn't enamored by her. How could he be? They'd only met in person once before, and that was as strangers. "I'll show you the letters when we get home, well his at least. You'll see that neither one of us is smitten. It's just a joke." Showing Malou the letters would mean having to explain the topic of the marital bedroom, but Fallon would worry about that later.

Having gone through a life altering experience, Fallon could no longer understand her reasonings in hiding it from Malou. Embarrassment, maybe. The secret made no difference now, as it wasn't a secret anymore. "I don't know," she said honestly, giving her friend a slight shrug before pocketing the bracelet once more. "Are you offended?"