Title: Proud of Her
Rating: T
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Bill/Fleur
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em - not making any money off 'em. Dern it.
Word Count: 614
Summary: Bill almost loses Fleur.

Notes:

Endless Possibilities Challenge: Bill/Fleur, Emotion: Proud, Dialogue: "I need you to come with me.", Action: lighting a candle

Build Your Cube Challenge: Green: "I'm scared that I'll wake up and this will all have been a dream."

Mortal Kombat Characters Category Competition: Kung Lao - Write about someone who is usually calm but is fierce when provoked.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: History of Magic - Task 3 - Write about someone going against their family to be with the one they love.

The Most in a Month Competition Part II

Bill walked into the small flat and was surprised to see it pitch black. "Fleur?" he called out into the all-consuming darkness.

Suddenly, a candle flared to life, illuminating Fleur's beautiful face. "Hello, Bill." Her eyes wouldn't meet his.

Bill laughed nervously. "Wow. Were you going for dramatic? If you were, you certainly succeeded."

Fleur didn't join in with his uneasy laughter. "I was just thinking."

He immediately sobered. "In the dark? Because that's not right. You belong in the light."

Fleur finally looked at him, and the way the light shone on her made her look even more ethereal. "I like thinking in the dark. If I can't see anything, I don't get distracted from my thoughts."

Bill shuffled his feet as he tried to get a grasp of what was happening. "Sometimes a little distraction is a good thing."

Fleur wouldn't let Bill deter her from whatever she was planning to do. "I've decided we shouldn't get married," she said without any hesitation or emotion in her voice.

Bill's breath caught in his throat. "What?"

Fleur's gaze slanted to the side once again. "It's for the best."

He wasn't sure if she was trying to make him believe that or herself. "For the best?" he asked, his heart breaking at the thought of losing the love of his life.

"For the best," she echoed.

He asked the only other thing he could think of to ask. "Did I do something wrong?"

She looked at him and stood up, her eyes wide. "No, no, of course not, Bill. It would have been so much easier if you had done something. Then I could hate you and move on with my life. Instead, I feel like I'm drowning at the thought of being without you."

"Then why?" he asked, close to begging.

"You're family," she explained simply.

And that was really all that she had to say for Bill to understand. His family hadn't made their loathing of his fiancée a secret. They were judgmental and rude, and for the first time, he was ashamed to be a Weasley. "You're holding me responsible for my family's bad manners?"

She shook her head. "No, but I don't want you to have to be in the middle, forced to choose between me and them. They may never come to accept me, and I know how much they mean to you."

Bill, normally the calm Weasley offspring—he took after his father in that way—felt his cheeks flare up as anger coursed through his body. "Fleur, I don't care if they get violently ill every time they see you. I'm proud to be with you. You're not only beautiful and intelligent, but you're also a skilled duelist, resourceful, independent, and loyal. I love you. I'm scared that I'll wake up and this will all have been a dream, that I would have never met you and gotten engaged to you. I can't imagine my life without you."

Fleur took his hand in hers. "I need you to come with me." They walked hand-in-hand to the bedroom, leaving the light the candle provided.

When they entered the small room, Fleur turned around and pushed Bill against the nearby wall. She stood on her toes and kissed him with all of her passion.

Bill returned the fiery kiss. His blood was on fire as desire rushed though him. He backed her up to the bed and they laid down together. Their limbs became intertwined as their passion for each other grew.

Both of them stopped thinking about Weasleys who didn't realize what a treasure Fleur actually was. They had each other, and that was all that they needed.