November 9th, 1888 - Fletcher's flat
Fletcher Langley

This is perfect
Come kiss me one more time, I couldn't dream this up
Even if I tried, You and me in this moment
Feels like magic only, I'm right where I wanna be

Heaven - Kane Brown

If she were being honest, ever since the crocodile incident, Eva had pretty much forgone any kinds of dressy attire in favor of more comfortable and up-and-coming bloomer suits. Eva had never been so happy to ditch corsets in their entirety in her whole life. Truthfully though, they really aggravated her scar and she was not about that life. Tonight however, she'd sucked it up and put on a dress at least though she highly doubted Fletcher would care if she was "properly" dressed. It was a pretty shade of dark purple, just a soft cotton and simple, but it was also comfortable and that was what really mattered to her. Her hair was in a simple plait over her shoulder and that was about as good as it was getting, despite Mrs. Sweeney's insistence otherwise.

It had been a while since they'd gotten to spend some quality time alone, something Eva felt a little guilty about, but once things had settled back into their usual routine, their work kept them separated. Her twenty-fifth birthday had come and gone without any ado, which was frankly how Eva preferred it. She'd actually forgotten it until her father had mentioned it. After going so long without really celebrating it, she wasn't exactly in the mood to start now. It wasn't a big deal!

That was not the point of tonight either. Honestly Eva just wanted to go have a relaxing evening in with no expectations or time limits, nobody lingering in the background and with a smile she'd stepped into the fireplace in her own kitchen and announced her destination as Fletcher's flat. One unnecessarily spinny ride through the floo later, Eva was spilling out of the fireplace, momentarily dizzy and disoriented. She would have been nervous that she'd gotten the wrong address, but the sight that greeted her clearly said she was in the right place. Not to mention Tink greeted her enthusiastically as soon as Eva stepped out of the hearth and into the candlelit living room, space cleared for a romantic indoor picnic. Swooping down to pick Tink up and snuggle her, Eva felt an overwhelming surge of affection for Fletcher, though he was not immediately visible. "Fletch?" She called softly, wondering where he could be, smitten smile clear on her features.  

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Eavan's birthday had come and gone, almost a month past. And, as it was, Fletcher was an absolutely horrible beau or significant other or whatever it was he was. She'd never told him but that didn't really give him an excuse. At least, not in his opinion or in her part time housekeeper's, Mrs. Sweeney. The sweet old woman was a joy now that she seemed to be okay with his presence when he was around and she'd happened to mention that he'd missed Eavan's birthday. He'd been rightfully abashed but the woman hadn't seemed phased and quickly helped him to put together a plan. A plan that, unfortunately, had taken some time to get underway thanks to hectic and busy work schedules. But when that Friday had come around and he'd blessedly had the day off, he'd put things into motion.

He'd written to Eavan earlier in the week, asking if she'd like to come for dinner that night. It had luckily worked out to plan easily enough. He hoped that she'd been longing to spend some good time with him as much as he had been longing to do so with her. And then the hard work had began. Well, it wasn't that hard thanks to the use of magic but he'd still done quite a bit. When Mrs. Sweeney had come by later in the afternoon, she'd been rather impressed by the sparse living room already coming together. While she'd busied herself in the kitchen, Fletch had finished in the living room. He could cook to an extent, but he'd felt leaving it in the capable hands of Mrs. Sweeney was his best bet. He'd been a bit surprised when he'd seen her glassy eyes as she went to depart. He'd clearly one her over with the cleared out living room with a soft and cozy blanket set up and candles floating about perfectly to cast the right amount of light for them to enjoy a candlelit picnic. He'd even gotten some purple hyacinth again, having noticed how much Eavan had liked them when he'd come to apologize.

He'd been in the kitchen getting the last bits of the meal put together on plates when he hears the fire in his fireplace roar to life in a much stronger manner than usual indicating someone was coming through. And, sure enough, a few moments later he heard Eavan's sweet voice call out his name. He grinned as he levitated the plates up with his wand to have them follow him into the sitting room.

He was greeted by quite the sight. He hadn't been able to see Eavan much as of late thanks to work but when he had, she'd been sporting the different bloomer style of attire so it was a bit of a shock to his system to see her in a dress again. It wasn't an unwelcome sight at all though, that was for sure, and the broad grin on his face at the sight of her only affirmed that. "Hello, love," he said happily as he came further into the room. He carefully motioned for the plates and whatnot to settle on small tables set up around the blanket before stepping to her and brushing a hand against her cheek and giving her a soft kiss. It was a bit abrupt, but he just couldn't help himself.

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BEE-utiful Set!

It didn't take long for Fletcher to materialize, expertly managing some food (better than she had in the past!) to set it down for the picnic. Clearly he was much better at this than she was. One of them had to be able to manage, she supposed. Truthfully, the clear amount of effort he'd put into this had her feeling a little giddy.

His greeting left her with that dizzy breathless feeling, and though it was brief, left her reeling just a little bit. Would she ever get used to that? Careful of Tink, she practically melted into him, her free hand coming to rest on his chest as her lashes fluttered open, a dreamy smile on her lips. "You've been busy, I see." She chuckled quietly as she motioned to the room behind him, she even noticed the flowers and she felt herself fall even more in love with him.

That realization wasn't new, she'd figured it out a little while ago, but had selfishly kept it to herself for the time being, despite knowing he felt the same. There was still that small part of her that worried, once she told him about the fact that she would unlikely be able to have children, that thing wouldn't last. Eva knew she was probably being overly cautious on that front, but still, she didn't know how he felt about it and they needed to discuss it and go from there.

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Fletcher grinned at her a bit cheekily, a single hand coming to wrap around her waist and hold her close to himself while the other continued to rest at the side of her face. This wasn't exactly proper, he was well aware, but he liked it that way. It was private and romantic and on their own terms. He'd still be ever the gentleman. He did strive to maintain some sort of balance in their outings. Kisses and the like were one thing, but he sincerely had no intention of ruining her in any other way. He just couldn't do that to her, even if he had no intention of letting her get away. He wanted her to be his wife one day but until she was ready for such a thing, he wasn't about to push her.

"Well I did have help," he said with a light chuckle at her comment, "I may have stolen Mrs. Sweeney away for a bit today. Though, it was partly her idea." Somewhat, anyways. And he'd been grateful for the help. "She took care of the majority of the food," he added, certainly not wanting to take all of the credit, "I did the hard work out here."

He kissed her again, this one lasting a little bit longer but still without pushing the boundaries too far, before taking a step back and bringing his hand from her cheek to take her hand. "Come, sit," he said as he slowly helped her to the soft blanket and sat beside her before asking, "Champagne?"

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BEE-utiful Set!

Eva's mouth fell open in a little expression of surprise though she really wasn't surprised at all. "I was wondering where she'd gotten off to today. So sneaky." Eva was impressed, to say the least. She sighed softly as he kissed her again, feeling that newly-familiar rush of adrenaline sweep through her. It left her biting her lip and following him along until she found words again.

"It's absolutely perfect, thank you." Eva would always be somewhat astounded by the amount of care and consideration he put into everything, but she adored him for it. She had always thought herself to be that independent girl who didn't need to find somebody to be happy, but this was an entirely new level of happy she hadn't even realized existed.

Following him toward the blanket, she sank down beside him in a pile of skirts, releasing Tink to the floor once more now that the pup had her fair share of snuggles. "Oh, fancy." She chuckled. "Yes, please." Champagne was likely dangerous territory, she could already feel a little flush to her cheeks that the bubbly would only enhance, but she didn't altogether mind. Settling herself close to him, she accepted the offered glass easily and took a little sip. "It feels like so long since we've had time for this. How are things going?" Eva was hesitant to ask, after everything that had happened recently with his sister, but she did want to make sure he was alright.

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Fletcher continued to grin at her surprise. They'd managed to pull something over on her, at least a little bit. He doubted that Eavan was truly surprised though. Fletcher was pretty good at fending for himself but there was no way he'd have ever managed such a scale of delicious foods for them to eat all on his own. And, luckily, most everything could be eaten by hand so the extra plates he'd brought for them weren't really all that needed. He was just pleased that she was and that she'd even called it perfect. He had wanted it to be that way so he was glad he'd succeeded.

"Well, we haven't had much time together lately," he said as he poured them both a glass of champagne and then handed one off to her, "And I was made aware that I missed your birthday so I had to make up for it a little bit." He grinned a bit mischievously then, with a slightly raised brow so she could easily assume who it was that had told him. Mrs. Sweeney had been rather excited to help him, after all.

Raising his glass, he tipped it to hers for a small toast type of deal before he took a small sip. "And things are going well," he said with a bit of a shrug, "Work is busy as usual. So much paperwork. I almost wish I hadn't taken over the department. I feel like I do more paperwork than I actually handle patients." And, as was obvious, Fletcher was a bit of a people person that quite enjoyed helping people. It was, after all, a big factor as to his going into healing. "My mother has started doing some more work now that Abi is out of the house," he added, "I think she's enjoying getting her hands dirty and being busy again. And from the letters I've received, Abi is actually quite enjoying herself."

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BEE-utiful Set!

Eva felt a little guilty about the fact that he felt like he needed to make it up to her for missing her birthday. She was pretty sure she'd never even mentioned it to him. "If I'm being honest, I missed my own birthday, so there's that. It wasn't like she'd been holding it against him or anything. She wasn't that kind of person, it really wasn't a big deal. Though she was ecstatic to get to see him, she didn't need some special occasion to do so, nor would he need to go all out like this in the future. It was appreciated though and she readjusted her position so she was mostly facing him in order to listen to his answer to her question.

Eva nodded along, sipping her champagne as he detailed how things had been going since they'd last seen over another. Eva was mildly relieved to hear that everything seemed to have settled for him. She'd been worried after things with his sister seemed to go wonky quickly. Her run in with his sister had been... interesting to say the least and she'd felt a little guilty that she'd aggravated the situation unintentionally. Not to mention, Eva could sympathize with the adjustment to a new position and she had faith he'd be fine. Coming off a family-owned sanctuary to a structured zoo had been an big adjustment, along with every other thing she'd had to go through that year, but she'd made it alright.

With her free hand she reached out to tangle her fingers in his, craving just a little more of that rush she got from feeling his hand in hers.  "I'm glad to hear it," She added with a soft smile.

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Fletcher offered a bit of a shrug and even a chuckle as she admitted to having missed her own birthday. Somehow, that didn't surprise him in the slightest. It was one of her more endearing qualities in his opinion. She wasn't worried about things being a big fuss and was much more lowkey with her day to day that most young women he knew. It was something that had certainly drawn him to her. And the fact that she knew his job was a big deal to him helped. He could never have found himself truly interested, or in love even, with a woman that was high maintenance in any regard. He didn't have the free time to spare on them constantly but Eavan never seemed to mind. And, as it was, it made the times they were able to spend time together all the more special and important.

"How have things been for you?" he asked, knowing she was doing rather well since the whole fog disaster. He knew her s car still bothered her from time to time but that was to be expected. Such a big scar would always add some irritability to her day to day. It was unfortunate but there was little to be done. It was too big of one that had been from quite the serious injury so they couldn't really do away with it entirely.

He gently stroked her hand with his thumb after she tangled their fingers together and offered a smile before sipping on his own champagne and awaited her response.

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BEE-utiful Set!

"Busy," She chuckled after a sip of champagne. "Horatio and his siblings are all grown. Delilah stays at the house now. She's not in the best health." Poor wee baby was too small to really be in with her siblings. "A few stayed with us at the zoo so we can breed them, but the rest were sent to other sanctuaries. Bastien is not pleased, but he'll live." That plucky little bird of hers was one of the most selfish creatures she'd ever met.

"Nothing terribly exciting however, just keeping an eye on the aviary and on Da. Business as usual in my life." Aside from the perpetual ache in her hip, but other than that. Taking care of the animals in her life was just how she liked it. Between that and moments like this, Eva had no real complaints.

Which was why she was loath to bring up the one small bit of fog hanging over her head and so she didn't, not just yet. There was no reason to ruin a perfectly good evening. "What is it that Mrs. Sweeney was up to today then?" Eva looked around at the little spread curiously, sipping idly at her champagne. That housekeeper of hers was certainly meddlesome! Eva would have to remember to thank her later.

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Fletcher sipped on his champagne and listened in silence as she talked about the diricawls. He was a bit saddened to hear about little Delilah though. He was sure she'd take care of her well enough though. And he was sure Eavan didn't mind in the slightest to have another little one about around the house. If he'd learned anything, it was that Eavan very much liked her birds. He'd hve to see to it they had some sort of aviary should they get married. Likely along with a quaint little cottage for the two of them.

It was a rather pleasant thought, one that had him distracted just enough that he hardly caught her question about Mrs. Sweeney. "Oh, not much," he said with a smirk, "She thought I should make sure I did something special for this get together and was more than willing to help. Made up a lot of delicious smelling foods that we can eat with our fingers."

He pulled a tray up of some little quiche like bites with a variety of cheeses and meats. He thought. He really wasn't sure. But they smelt delicious and that was the main thing that mattered. "Care for one?" he asked, as he plucked it up and offered it to her.

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BEE-utiful Set!

Mrs. Sweeney truly was a wonder. That woman and her motherly tendencies. Eva was beyond grateful for her, to have stepped in at a vulnerable time in her life. "Well, I appreciate her and you, for setting it up, thank you." She leaned in to kiss his cheek quickly before taking a better look at the spread around them.

Eva took the offered morsel and popped it into her mouth easily,humming out a satisfied noise of approval. She already knew Mrs. Sweeney was a fantastic cook, so she wasn't surprised by the deliciousness of the food. "I must admit, I'm rather fond of our picnic theme." Could it always be like this? Maybe one day when they did manage to get married, she just might have to suggest forgoing a dining room table for a set up like this, or maybe a permanent outside picnic area.

If they got married that was.

Eva had really been warming up to the idea, but she knew there was still one critical conversation they needed to have, but she couldn't find the courage to bring it up.. except that now it was completely on her mind, so it was now or never. Biting her lip, Eva set her champagne aside for a moment and straightened up a little, facing him again. "I don't want to ruin our evening, because it's lovely, but there's um, something we have to talk about." She started, biting her lip again because she didn't want to just unload it all on him at once, she wanted him to be ready for this.

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Fletcher hummed happily in thanks to her thanks, especially with a little kiss being accompanied with it. It was strange to think how utterly content he could be with Eavan. She'd certainly been a bit of a blessing to his life. An unexpected one but a blessing nonetheless.

He ate one of the little quiches himself and nodded in response after savouring the tasty morsel. "I do, too," he admitted happily, "It really is quite peaceful and simple." He'd pick a simple picnic over some grand dinner any day.

Fletcher moved to pour himself another glass of champagne as more delicious goodies were had. He raised a brow at her as she set her glass down and proceeded to speak. Terms like the ones she used didn't usually bode well and he certainly struggled to maintain a neutral look on his face. He would be a liar if an awful knot of worry over what she had said hadn't formed in the pit of his stomach. "Go on," he said after taking a big drink of his new glass of champagne.

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BEE-utiful Set!

Eva nearly winced at the change in the air around them. She shouldn't have brought it up and she already regretted it, but now that she'd started she had to keep going; he had a right to know.

"I've been thinking a lot about what happens next, and you've been incredibly patient, which I really appreciate, I really do." She gave their joined hands a squeeze, looking down briefly before turning wide blue eyes back to his. "Part of the reason I didn't want you talking to the healers this summer in Edinburgh was because I was afraid they'd tell you that the damage from the crocodile incident left me highly unlikely to have children." She'd come to terms with it, rather quickly at that, considering she'd never really thought she'd have them anyway, but she highly suspected he might have thought very differently.

"I just thought that you should know, in case it makes a difference. I won't hold it against you if it does. I could never." There it was, out in the open and Eva wasn't sure if she felt better or worse for it.

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The squeeze of Fletcher's hand helped to soothe some of the worries and fears he had been feeling about wherever this conversation was to go. He should have known better than to fear such a thing would be said though. They'd come quite far in their time together.

He listened in silence, brow furrowing slightly. He had respected her wishes and not talked to the healers about her case. Love her he may, he still didn't have rights to all of her pretty business. He sincerely hoped he would eventually though. And it sounded as if it was something that had really worried her.

With a small sigh, he turned toward her and slid closer to her. His free hand went to cup her cheek and he kissed her. A soft and gentle but lingering kiss before he pulled back to look her right in the eye. "Eavan," he started, a loving but serious tone to his voice, "I love you for you and the person you are. I want you in my life note and in the future no matter if there will be children or not. As long as you're there by my side and happy, that's all I need." And, as if feeling it was necessary just to show her how much he loved her, he leaned forward to kiss her again.

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BEE-utiful Set!

Eva watched him closely, breath caught in her throat, though she didn't have to wait long at all for him to answer. Mirroring his movements without thinking about it, she leaned into him, her free hand on his chest as he kissed her. She didn't know quite what to think about that response, or the serious tone to his voice once he said her name.

However a slow, hesitant smile curled her lips upward as he dispelled her fears. She let out a breathless huff of relief. She let it wash over her as he leaned in again, she met him with a little more purpose this time. Her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt as she pressed closer, trying to pour as much as she could behind the kiss. After a moment she leaned back again, breathless, to press her forehead against his.

"I love you, too." She added, just in case that wasn't clear by now.

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It was the first time she'd said it. The first time Fletcher had heard "I love you" from the woman he loved and it was a breathtaking thing. It was just three words but it totally changed his world in that brief moment. He wouldn't lose her. He couldn't. The very idea was something he didn't want to think about. He'd be devastated without her, he knew that. They'd come so far and overcome plenty in the time they'd been together. Even in the time before they'd made anything official. Well, official in their own special way. Now they'd just need to bring her father around to terms with what they were and what Fletcher hoped they'd become.

Smiling down at her, there was little he could say. He really didn't know what to say so he fell back on actions instead of words once again. He leaned down to kiss her again, one hand slipping down to her waist to pull her close against him. He carefully laid his other arm out under her head to bring her down to lie next to him all without breaking the kiss. Or at least, tried not to break the kiss. Their sat up and sort of leaning positions wouldn't work for long periods of time and he didn't want to aggravate her scar or anything. He simply wanted to enjoy the moment and time with her, even if they forgot about the food and champagne around them and simply spent the night kissing away.

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BEE-utiful Set!