A/N: So sorry it's taken so long to update! I'm so far behind on my other work I haven't had the brain power. Next chapter should come a lot quicker. Thank you all for your support!

It took several days before Percy managed to fully relax. He barely went outside, and if he did, it was no farther than the porch, and no longer than ten minutes. But it got better. When days passed and the tell-tale crack of apparition remained absent, he finally began to calm. Audrey was always there. A balm on his fractured heart and mind. When he'd told her everything, he'd been scared to death that she'd tell him to talk to his family. That he should give them another chance. That she'd told him to do what was right for him and only him, meant more than he could ever put into words. A weight he hadn't even known he was carrying had been lifted.

He wanted to do more to help. A normal job was out of the question as he had no identity in muggle London. And cleaning the house was too easy. He had pondered for a while. Then he'd found a cook book at the bottom of a kitchen drawer. There was a recipe for a type of casserole that looked kind of simple. Memories of his own mother's cooking flickered, and he remembered how after a hard day, something like good food would make him feel better.

So Percy found himself doing the unthinkable; leaving the safety of their small home ("this is your home too, you know," Audrey had said firmly. "You're not a guest anymore."). There was a bit of cash in a cookie tin on the counter. He stuffed a few bills in his pocket, pulled the hood of his jacket over his head, and slipped out one evening while Audrey was at work.

It was hard. One of the hardest things he'd done in a long time. The road to the trailer park was quiet with only the occasional car going by. That part wasn't too bad. But then he got closer to town, and his heart started to pound. He took several deep breathes, kept his head down, and made it to the store, list of ingredients clutched in a sweaty palm. He moved quickly with his basket, hurrying down the aisles.

Food was really expensive. He had never really realized it. In the wizarding world, food was easy. Even his family, with all of their problems, were never left wanting. There was always three meals a day and more. Percy realized, stomach dropping, that Audrey must have been working her arse off to provide for him. It had been months, and he'd been nothing but a dead weight.

While paying for his haul, a rack caught his eye. He looked closer and saw row after row of seeds. Vegetable seeds. And they looked cheap. He still had a little bit of money left after. There was no one in line behind him. He grabbed as many seed packets as he could afford, trying to cover the basics, and ignored the grumbling cashier. His heart quickened with excitement. Maybe he couldn't help Audrey with rent, but he could help with this.

By the time he got home, there was still a bit of time left before Audrey would return. Percy set the water on to boil for the pasta, before working on his next project. He went outside and scouted their small yard, looking for the perfect spot. He pulled out his want, and with a wave, four large squares of earth were suddenly tilled, the soil dark and rich. He pulled the seeds out of his pocket, and carefully regarded the patches. He tried to remember how his mum managed her garden. He'd helped her as a child, but it had been a long time. Slowly the memories returned to him.

She's divided the garden into several plots. Every spring when they were replanted, she would rotate the crops to keep the soil rich. While magic could easily do the work, she said that magic could only take it so far. And as far as he knew, she had always had the biggest vegetables that he'd ever seen. He sorted the seeds into their categories, and with several flicks of his wand and less than five minutes, the four plots were lined in neat rows.

A little extra magic, and those seeds would grow within a week. He smiled, allowing his chin to raise higher than usual. Audrey would almost never have to pay for vegetables again. If they had a bit more room, he could plant fruit trees as well...he wondered how much trouble he'd be in if he expanded their property. Just slightly. Hell, if Audrey would let him, he could insure that they'd never have to pay rent again. But she was too honest. She didn't like the idea of stealing like that and had scolded him for even thinking about it.

Dinner turned out better than he thought it would. By the time Audrey came home, he had the plates set and the casserole out of the oven. Audrey had looked tired, but her face had brightened when she saw what he had done. "My God, that smells amazing."

Percy tried not to look too pleased with himself. It wasn't becoming. He ate his meal in silence as Audrey talked about her day. She'd covered as a bartender, and a couple regulars couldn't get it around their heads that she was off duty. But if she flirted back, they tipped well. Two men had gotten into a fist fight had were banned. And one of the dancers was fired for smacking a patron. She was a bitch anyway so no one really cared.

"So what's going on in the yard?" She asked.

"I planted a vegetable garden," Percy replied.

"Cool," Audrey said. "It's a bit late in the season though, isn't it? They won't even have enough time to bloom before it gets cold."

Percy pulled out his wand and levitated a can of beer over to the table. Audrey grinned. "Of course."

"I wanted to help," he said honestly. "I can't get a job or anything. The least I can do is provide a bit of food." He paused. "You know, if we had a bit more room in the yard, I could get some chickens. Maybe a few fruit trees..."

Audrey sighed, but a smile tugged at her lips. "And no one will notice?"

"No."

"We won't get in trouble?"

"I got it covered." He knew he had her convinced.

"Fine."

Score. He grinned. It faded only slightly at the soft smile on Audrey's face. "What?"

She put her hand over his. "You haven't smiled like this in a while. I missed it."

Pink bloomed on his cheeks, but he smiled back.

Just like Percy had planned, within two weeks the garden was nearly overflowing with tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, beans, among others. He quietly planted a couple fruit trees just off their property, with a couple notice-me-not charms. The only people that would notice were him and Audrey. He put together a small coop in the corner, on their property this time. When he brought home several chicks, he was momentarily deafened by Audrey's squeals of delight. The next morning, he woke up to a grumpy looking cat sitting on his bed, and her sitting on the couch with the yellow fuzzballs nestled in her lap.

With a bit more complicated spell work, he created a pretty solid basement for storage. He hadn't quite realized how much food the garden would produce and noticed quickly that they had more than they knew what to do with. A static charm would keep them from going bad.

He made all the meals now. He was happy to find that he had a natural talent in the kitchen. After the casserole, he tried a roast chicken. That didn't turn out quite as well, but the scalloped potatoes turned out nicely. Audrey bought several more cookbooks for him to try out and he noticed with some amusement, that she had bookmarked several pages. He tried an apple pie that night. It wasn't quite like his mother's pies, but it tasted pretty good.

Of all the members of his family, he missed her the most. He was still hurt and bitter, but he was closer to her than anyone else. She was the only one who stood up for him, who showed him any real affection. Memories of his own father holding back laughter as the twins made some jab flashed through his mind.

Maybe he'd write to her. Eventually.

The first frost had just hit. After making sure the now grown hens were warm in their coop (that had been one of the best decisions he'd ever made. Nothing at the market compared to fresh eggs), he and Audrey settled on the couch. He was getting good at the video game Super Mario. It was Audrey's day off and they spent the morning taking turns.

The loud crack outside made Audrey jump. "The hell was that?" She looked to Percy, concern flooding her expression at his pinched and pale face. There was a knock at the door. Percy made no move to answer it. His limbs felt stiff and heavy, and he couldn't seem to get enough air into his lungs.

He could tell the exact moment when Audrey realized what was happening. Her eyes narrowed and her lips pulled up into a snarl. "I'll handle it," she said. There was another knock.

Percy briefly wondered who his brothers would find scarier. Audrey or their mum. He supposed he should just be happy that he was left in peace for this long.

With a deep sigh, he pulled himself up off the couch.