Give me a sign
Take my hand, we'll be fine
Promise I won't let you down
Just know that you don't
Have to do this alone
Promise I'll never let you down

Evening, August 31st, 1890 — Fallon's Room, St. Mungo's Hospital

It was determined after another long day of healing and questions that the incident was indeed an attempt on her life. Fallon hadn't known what to make of the news, or even which case might've been the clue for her assassin's identity. The train insanity was her most recent case, but having caught one of the crooks in the ring she didn't see them as the assassin. Which instead left a large stack of older cases to work through, each more complicated than the last. What was worse still was she couldn't offer any assistance. The auror insisted she remain in the hospital to heal and then recover at home.

But, was home even safe? The key was on her vanity when she left for the game, as was her badge that first night in the pub with Lachlan. Someone had access to her flat, placing Malou and her safety at risk. The aurors had placed wards on the flat, but who knew how well those would hold up if a determined dark wizard was to break in? More than anything, Fallon wanted Malou out of the flat. Not that that had happened.

She waited somewhat anxiously for JP's arrival. With all the thoughts of a murderer coming directly for her, some lighthearted banter would help her refocus some. Hopefully Gabe hadn't divulged that detail to him, either. Fallon would hate for him to feel anxious leaving her alone in the hospital as though she was his responsibility. Besides, what could be safer than a hospital ward?

Years had passed since she last had the time to read for pleasure, not that she was paying much mind to her book. It sat on the same page it had for the past hour as she sat on the bed with her hair loose around her shoulders. Clearly, her thoughts were anywhere but the adventure book she randomly selected from the cart. It was fitting, then, that JP chose that exact moment to arrive, causing Fallon to abandon her book next to the vase filled with yesterday's flowers. "Hey, you made it," she greeted.

  

Jess hadn't been able to sneak in another letter since his one right after lunch. Busy day. August seemed to always be busy, as if the upcoming school year pushed children into their magical abilities, regardless of whether or not they were headed to school on September first. He'd barely had time to sit, let alone file paperwork but as soon as it was quitting time, Jess scooted right out the door before anyone could say anything.

He was exhausted, the lack of sleep catching up with him, though admittedly he'd slept alright last night for the first time in a few days. He felt a little guilty about it though, oddly enough. He'd run home, changed and made some hot cocoa to bring to the hospital. Then he picked up another small bouquet of flowers on the way, something purple this time, though he didn't know the name and crept down the hallway to Fallon's room at the hospital. He had to wonder where her Mr. MacFusty was resting, but couldn't spare the other man too much thought, or why it made him just the tiniest bit jealous.

He knocked quietly, but didn't wait for the full invitation this time. With a magicked jug in hand that was charmed to stay warm, he added the flowers to the vase before sinking down on the edge of her bed. "Cocoa?" He questioned, though was already uncorking the jug.

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The purple flowers were a lovely contrast to the yellow daffodils and daisies. He had such an effortless charm it practically oozed from his pores, which was the exact distraction she was hoping for tonight. (If thinking of JP's made her think of one of the more intimate conversations with Lachlan in the cave, well, she wasn't going to address it now.)

Fallon inched her legs over to allow him more room to sit. At least they weren't going to have to work their way to closeness again tonight. Thankfully, she'd thought ahead to move the ring to her left hand before his arrival. Should a nurse interrupt them they could easily explain it as a case of lovers reuniting after a great stress. "Yes, please," she nodded and greedily accepted the cup he offered. "Did Malou tell you how much I love cocoa?"

  

Jess passed over a mug of cocoa with a laugh. "She did not, lucky guess. I assumed since you were still cold, a warm drink would do the trick." He supposed it could have been tea or even coffee, considering they both lived on it. But there was something about cocoa that made you feel better more than the other two.

"Feeling better today?" He noticed she wasn't quite as wrapped up, but he had sent her a scarf and socks, which was absurd for August, but understandable, given her circumstances. Holding a cup for himself, he put the jug on the side table, and eased back onto the bed beside her. He felt a little odd drinking cocoa at the moment, but he didn't mind.

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Fallon had never known a man to be so thoughtful. Her colleagues rarely discussed their home lives with her, and her parents weren't exactly a great relationship to model after. She settled against him comfortably, content to have a friend and a warm drink.

She held up her still bandaged right hand for his inspection. "My fingers haven't fully grown back yet, but I'm warmer for sure." The scarf around her neck had helped with that. "They said another few days and I should be able to go home." Fallon took a sip of her cocoa. Merlin, what a difference the warm drink would've made in the cave.

  

Magic really was an amazing thing. Growing fingers back. What a novelty. The Ravenclaw in him wanted to see how it was going, but it was all nicely bandaged and he needed be a pest. "Warmer is good," He nudged her with his shoulder gently.

"Going home is even better. How is your friend doing?" Jess wasn't so sure he really wanted to know, but her letters had been quite distraught and so he would feel guilty not asking.

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Fallon sighed. Lachlan was in such a state that she couldn't help but feel guilty for how easy she got off. A few missing toes was nothing compared to being forced into a coma to heal. "Not great," she finally said, her anxiety obvious in her tone. "Still not awake. They won't let me see him."

She wasn't sure if it was because of the ongoing investigation or they thought her fragile, but the staff were all still treating her with kid gloves. Once she was back at work things would be a bit easier there. Very few refused to take an auror seriously. "It was hell keeping him alive out there, and now I can't even check on him. So ridiculous."

  

Taking a tentative, pensive sip of his cocoa, Jess frowned into the mug. Not good news at all. He could see she felt responsible. It was going to take much longer to settle her emotions from the ordeal than her body. 

"To be fair, I'm not sure how I keep sneaking in myself. They're pretty tight with visitors." Jess had the bonus of a Ministry badge and the excuse to see his fiance, but a little light flirting and he could get right in. "I'm sure Miss Skovgaard could give you some inside information?" Certainly her healer roommate would be able to get the right information.

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She hadn't realized he was facing difficulties visiting her. It made sense that he would given the circumstances, but Fallon was too caught up in the few details she knew and her own thoughts to really consider it. "I'm glad you manage it, nevertheless," she admitted. A non-healer friend to keep her company went a long way.

"Malou is a healer before all else. I'm pretty sure there's a note in my file with instructions against giving me information." She explained, a huff escaping her as she did. All she wanted to know was whether or not he was alright, but that was apparently too confidential. "Anyway, enough about that. It'll work out in the end. Were there any fun accidents at work today?"

  

"The ministry badge and the fiance card go a lot father than one would think." Hopefully it didn't get them in any trouble. He was wondering if it would, eventually get out, or back to somebody who could make a big deal out of it eventually. He had to wonder if Miss Skovgaard knew or what her thoughts on the matter were.

Shrugging, Jess really didn't know what to say on the matter. "I'm sure she's just looking out for you. Upset doesn't help the healing process." He didn't know that for sure, but he was sure that being able to rest appropriately without worrying was the way to go. He wanted to ask if she'd had any news on the case itself, but then she asked about his day and he figured a little distraction would do her some good.

"Nothing too wacky today," He pulled a face trying to think of a recent story that was somewhat amusing. "I did have a young lad trap his nanny in a curtain. I thought for a moment it was a leathifold, and would need the beast division, but fortunately he just had her wrapped up so well, we had to remove him from the home for a little while to get the magic to relax." That wasn't the funny part. "It's funny though, because the tantrum was caused by the fact that it was bath time- not for him, but for the dog and he refused to let it happen." Strong bond there.

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The fiance card. Merlin, was their joke to become a reality, then? Fallon hadn't realized he was informing people of their relationship, that the staff would be whispering about the couple. How long until the news broke of that? Did she even want to be engaged? And what of Lachlan?

The sudden swirling questions had her taking a long sip of her cocoa, noting for the first time with a hint of bitterness that it wasn't spiked. "Are we engaged?" She asked him bluntly, completely ignoring both his comment about the healer and his work story. Fallon liked JP, was very obviously attracted to him, but marriage felt like such a frightening concept. "I mean, I know you asked in the letters..." They hadn't known one another then. Hell, JP had thought her name to be Saoirse.

  

Ah shit.

"I didn't say it like that," He backpedaled, seeing that he'd obviously messed up. "One of the welcome witches had mentioned the ring, I didn't correct her so I could get in without causing tension." Plus it made it easier and less suspect for him to visit without someone else needing to be present.

He hadn't meant to startle her, or cause trouble. In an effort to stay out of trouble, had he accidentally set them up for some? The situation was currently very hard for him to read and it was both unusual and mildly frustrating. The notion of being actually engaged was not something Jesse was fully prepared for, but also wouldn't shy away from it complete.

"I can't tell where your head is at, so it is entirely up to you."

That had to be the right answer, yeah?

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His explanation made sense, but it didn't entirely answer her question. Nor did it do much to relax her rising anxiety. There were steps to be taken before getting engaged, weren't there? Courting and the likes. Fallon couldn't risk her professional reputation being smeared because of a hasty romance. Was it even a romance?

What of Lachlan?

Fallon bit the inside of her lip. Lachlan had been feverish the last few days they'd existed in the cave, so any familiarity exchanged had to be played up to his illness. Their close proximity was an act of survival, nothing else. Or was it? And, if that had meant something, what was she doing here with JP? It was all too overwhelming for her to contemplate less than forty eight hours after being saved from the tundra.

"Is it okay to say I don't know where my head is at?" She asked tentatively. "It's all a bit much ..."

  

For the first time since their letters started, Jess felt like he was doing something wrong. He was feeling just enough hesitation off of her, that he was second guessing himself. He'd been very content to go with the flow, the easy joking and flirting, complaining about work. Had it gone too far? It wasn't like he'd gone out and bought an actual ring, he'd enchanted one from a flower and he'd been mostly joking. Though not a romantic per ce, Jess knew how to be thoughtful in his choices, had he overstepped here?

"Perfectly reasonable," He assured her with a nod. The sincerity in which he spoke, didn't quite translate to his expression. "You've been through a lot, I didn't mean to add to your plate, even hypothetically." Jesse finished off his mug of cocoa and slid off the bed to wrap up what he'd brought. The whole cadence to their relationship- er whatever exactly it was, had slipped away with one legitimate question and Jess now felt like he was intruding and he didn't know what to do about it.

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Her hesitance didn't seem fine, for JP was leaving and rather abruptly at that. Fallon balanced the half full cup of cocoa between her bandaged hand and blanketed knee and reached for his wrist. "You don't have to go," she said quietly. She had looked forward to this visit all day, only for it to implode with a foolish question.

"Stay, please." Was it that she didn't want to be alone, or did she truly want him nearby? Suddenly, Fallon was doubting everything shared between them. She had feelings, for sure, but how deep did they run? "I don't think I ever got to know something about you that no one else knows." A weak attempt to get back to what they were. Merlin, she hoped he didn't see straight through it.

  

You don't have to go.

He almost believed her, but now his guilt senses were tingling and he couldn't quite put a finger on what was propelling him to pack up and go. It seemed like the little idyllic lifestyle they'd come up with in their letters was starting to crack a little and he didn't know what to do about it. To say he wasn't attached to it would be a lie, but it was unreasonable, wasn't it?

Gently, he slipped his wrist from her grasp, but not before squeezing her fingers between his. "I don't want anyone to get in trouble. Especially with all of this going on." He transfigured everything back to it's original state, leaving the jug of cocoa and her mug.

Her request to know something nobody else knows did not go unheard and he leaned in close to press  kiss to her temple and whisper, "I care about you." Nobody knew that. It wasn't proper at all, nor could either of them do much with the information at the moment, but he realized it was true.

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