Sleep Well

Gideon and Marlene talk, late one night, in bed.

.

"How much have you had to drink?"

"Just enough to say what's been on my mind for awhile now."

"And?"

"I want you."

"Straight to the point tonight, eh McKinnon?"

"You know with me there's no dancing around the matter."

"Should I feel as if I'm taking advantage?"

"As if you could take advantage of me."

"That one time, my 7th year, when we'd finally won the Quidditch cup, and we all smoked that stuff Black passed around the broomshed – "

"That was me taking advantage of you, Gideon."

"Oh. I see."

"Don't make that face. You seemed to like it well enough."

"Perhaps."

"We'll see about perhaps."

"Eh? …Oh. Oh."

"Thought so."

.

"Oi, McKinnon."

"If this is your idea of pillow talk – "

"What's your middle name?"

"Huh. There's no way I'm telling you that if you don't already know."

"Why would I ask you if I already knew?"

"To embarrass me by making me say it."

"I was not under the impression that you were so easily embarrassed."

"Well."

"…C'mon, Marlene. Don't make me force it out of you."

"Force it?"

"I have my ways. I can be very persuasive."

"Huh."

"I'm taking that as a challenge…"

"…Alright, alright! I surrender, it's Morgan."

"That's not bad at all, that's quite pretty, Marlene Morgan Mc…hang on, wasn't Morgan…"

"My grandfather's name, yes."

"Your parents named you after – "

"Yes."

"Oh, oh I see."

"I don't suppose you could be persuaded to forget you know that?"

"I don't know…"

"I can be very persuasive."

"Well, let's see then…Oh. Ah…"

.

"Gideon?"

"Mmm."

"We're in the middle of a war, you know."

"I hope you mean Voldemort, and not my elbow there."

"I don't know how anyone could manage to conduct a proper romance…or relationship…in the middle of a war like this."

"Some people do. Potter and Evans, for example."

"Potter and Mrs Potter, actually, now."

"Yes, and they certainly do know how to throw one hell of a party."

"Excellent wine, tonight."

"And lots of it. Whole reason I'm here."

"Really, is that all?"

"Well, maybe not just that."

"Thought so. But really, sometimes I think this is hardly the time…"

"I know. I know what you mean."

"Do you?"

"But…what did you say – a 'proper romance' – it isn't quite what we're after, is it?"

"Just so we're clear."

"But that doesn't mean – "

"Oh, no. Not at all."

"Because it was good, wasn't it."

"It was good."

"We're good, eh?"

"We're very good."

"Just so we're clear."

.

"What would your brother do to me if he knew you were here?"

"Which brother?"

.

"Are you busy this weekend?"

"Why?"

"Family thing. Molly and her brood are having Fab and I over to dinner, thought it might be more enjoyable if you'd come along."

"Which night?"

"Saturday."

"Oh. I'm meant to go to a concert that night. And…I don't really think your sister likes me very much."

"I think she just doesn't know what to do with you."

"How so?"

"Well, she had a husband and a baby by the time she was your age."

"I'm not in the market for either."

"Exactly. She's just chosen a very different lifestyle is all, doesn't know how to relate to you. Doesn't mean she dislikes you."

"Maybe."

"Maybe – the grudging relent of a McKinnon. So what's the concert?"

"Ziggy and the Black Nights."

"Aren't they the ones who light themselves on fire and throw themselves into the crowd?"

"I think that only happened the once. Don't be so judgemental, I can see it in your eye."

"You're not going alone, I should hope."

"I can take care of myself, Prewett."

"Ow. Yes, yes of course. I was only saying –"

"Sirius got the tickets, I said I'd go with him."

"Oh. It's Sirius. Well, that explains some of it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That, well, it's Sirius. He's like that."

"And what do you know about Sirius?"

"I know you danced with him for a long time tonight."

"Yeah, but who took me home, Prewett?"

"Most excellent point, which reminds me. C'mere."

.

"So. What's with your brother?"

"Is this really the most appropriate time to bring him up?"

"You brought up mine."

"Yours have more to do with this."

"I should hope not. You're more use to me in one piece, thanks very much."

"I'm glad you think so. But really, are you thinking of Fabian, now? Godric, or has it been longer?"

"No. Don't be silly. Just came to me, looking at you. There is some resemblance, come to think of it. Something around the eyes."

"So I'm told."

"So what is it that's made him like that?"

"What d'you mean?"

"He's very…solitary, wouldn't you say?"

"I wouldn't say so, but then, I may be the only person he's not – like that – around."

"Exactly... You know, he took me to Hogsmeade once, when we were at school together."

"I know. I dared him to do it."

"I know. He told me you did."

"He did, did he."

"Said I was a bright girl, deserved the whole story."

"Brave of him."

"He said you dared him because you didn't think he'd ever do it."

"Might've been true. Did he try to pull The Prewett Fail-Safe Bird-Catching Ploy?"

"Does that involve a dark corner and a wandering hand, Mr Prewett?"

"Ah, Miss McKinnon is familiar with The Ploy."

"Does it only work when performed by Prewetts, or might it work on one?"

"Why don't we find out?"

.

"Do you remember Slughorn's Christmas party, my very last year of school, what, winter of '71 it would have been."

"That was my fourth year…yes, I remember. You and your brother enchanted the ice sculpture to follow Lucius Malfoy around and try to eat his hair."

"Ah, the good old days. Do you remember I walked you back to the common room after the party?"

"I remember. We took the long way to avoid the others walking back."

"I wanted to kiss you, standing there in the corridor outside the portrait hole, when you started teasing me about having freckles even in December."

"Why didn't you?"

"Not really sure. You were so young, I suppose, and half of me was afraid Michael would sense it and go all big-brotherly on me despite our vows of never-ending friendship. Plus there was Martin the year below me, and Maura's not exactly gentle as they come, either."

"Still feel threatened by my family then, do you?"

"Nah, now I know to just hide behind you if any of them comes looking for me."

"You know, I wanted to kiss you last November, when we were on that stake-out of the Carrows' manor for what seemed like forever and it just kept raining and you gave me your scarf."

"I thought you were going to, when I handed it to you, but then you didn't."

"I still have the scarf."

"I've noticed you wear it."

"I'm not sure I ever said thanks properly."

"You could make up for that now."

"Were you thinking, something along the lines of this…"

.

"Marlene?"

"Hmm."

"Nothing. Sleep well."

.

End.

.

Author's Note:

This is such a happy fic – it's very different for me.

The beginning of this dialogue settled in my head out of the blue, and I just dashed it off as it came to me. I really like these two together, but enjoy putting Marlene with Sirius so much as well it was hard for me to decide on a pairing at first. The more I wrote, though, the more obvious it became to me that this just had to be Marlene and Gideon. I hope you agree.

Please, please tell me what you thing, aka review!

Also, like the Gideon/Marlene? Check out "Keepsake" by "Lua under water"and you won't be disappointed, I swear, she's awesome. It's under my favs.

Cheers.