"Aw, well don't worry Rose. I probably would've eaten anything that you made." Ronan said with a small smile. He never wanted to hurt her feelings intentionally. And it wasn't like she was a bad cook, apparently Pandora just had difficulty with making pastry items. If the time ever arose again, Ronan was sure that he could figure out how to make something for the pair of them.

"Well I don't have a problem with you staying." Ronan said as he looked from Brett to Pandora and back. It really wasn't his place to say whether he could stay or go; he was Pandora's guest after all.

Ronan listened as Pandora explained to Brett where he lived. "Yeah, I haven't been there long. Less than a year actually, but it sure is home." Ronan said with a fond smile.

Pandora squeezed Brett's arm. "Don't be silly, you're more than welcome to stay. Tea or coffee? I promise to protect you if the ceiling starts to cave in." She noticed that her hand had lingered on his arm longer than was strictly necessary. Her cheeks were impeceptibly pinker for a moment before she turned to Ronan.

Rolling her eyes she said, "Oh give over, you could have hammered nails in with them. They were more like rock cakes than chocolate cakes." She gave him a stern look and asked "Did you remember to eat today?" Turning back to Brett. "He works so hard, he forgets to eat. I don't understand that myself."

"I'll just be a two ticks," She told them, disappearing off to the kitchen to make the drinks without waiting for Brett's answer. She would be making coffee and tea anyway, so he could choose which ever suited him. She set about boiling the water and loading the tea tray with cups and a saucer full of shop bought biscuits, wondering if either man would be brave enough to try one.

Brett nodded once before remarking. "Doesn't take long to become fond of some places; I know it didn't very long for me to thoroughly enjoy being in the bookshop. It's my home away from home now...or really like my first home if you think about it. I spend way too much time there."

Brett glanced over at Pandora as she spoke, her words bringing a small smirk to his lips. "I have no doubt about that." He answered in reference to her protecting him. "And I tend to forget to eat sometimes myself, especially if it's busy in the shop."

Amused at the thought, he watched as she disappeared towards the kitchen before glancing back at Ronan. He then realized that he hadn't answered her previous question about coffee or tea. He didn't much care so it wasn't much of a big deal. "So..vacation, huh? How long are you going for?"

Ronan saw how Pandora touched Brett's arm and his hands curled to fists but he stayed silent.

He gave a look of embarrassment at the statement, 'Did you remember to eat today.' in all truth he hadn't and his hand immediately went to the back of his neck as he lied through his teeth, "Oh yeah, I popped down the Cafeteria, had a bit of a sandwich and soup. Rather excellent."

"Alright then Rose." Ronan said with a small smile before turning back to Brett. 'How long had the pair known each other?' he wondered as he continued to smile at the man.



"Well perhaps I'll have to pay a visit to the store. I haven't been in there since my time at Hogwarts." Ronan admitted.

'So..vacation, huh? How long are you going for?'

"Bout a week." he replied shoving his hands into his pockets. "We're going to Venice, Italy. Never really liked Italy much in my travels, the food bothers me, but I think it'll be enjoyable all the same." Ronan knew that that was simply because Pandora was going to be with him.

Pandora made some sandwiches, not believing for a moment that Ronan had eaten that day. She carried the now groaning tray back along the damaged hall way and into the parlour. It seemed smaller than ever, containing the two tall men who were sitting making small talk. Pandora looked between them, trying to detect any uneasiness. Ronan's jealousy could be quite smothering and she had been attracted to Brett from the first moment that she had seen him. It was a potential problem but she hoped that Ronan could see past his jealousy and see what a great person Brett was. It could not always be the two of them against the world.

Putting the tray down on the table she said, "There we go. Ronan doesn't drink coffee, so sometimes I end up making both." She looked at Ronan. "There's chicken on that one, without any salad. I really don't understand how the two of you can abuse your bodies by not eating all day. Or maybe it's just me who finds it too easy to leave the office?" Her face acquired an oddly set expression. She poured out the a drink for her self and Ronan and then looked at Brett. "What would you like?"

Tamja appeared from under the sofa, where he had retreated to when all the noise started. He looked up at Ronan and recognised him. He sauntered over to him and jumped up onto his lap. Hmmm, you smell of another cat. He nuzzled at Ronan's hand. I hope you don't think you're going to bring him here.

Pandora looked at the kneazle and shook her head. "Do you want me to shut him in the kitchen?"

She glanced at Brett, "I made a sandwich for you too," She told him with a small smile. "I just hope you're not as picky as himself over there." She nodded in Ronan's direction.

She sat down in the remaining armchair, and took a sip of her coffee, watching the two of them.

"Thank you Rose, this looks great." Ronan said appreciatively looking at the sandwich and the tea that she had provided.

Looking down at her kneazle Tamja who seemed to smell his Muggle cat Lancelot, he reached out to show the animal that he was not out to hurt him at all.

"No, I'm fine with him being right there. It reminds me of home with Lance." Ronan said looking up at Rose with a bright grin.

"Definitely make a stop." Brett said with encouragement. "We can never have too many customers on what I call the off-season..which is pretty much the time after the school term starts."

"Italy? Really? Sounds nice. I've never been, but it seems like it would be a great place to visit." He ran a hand through his long hair before turning towards Pandora, who had entered with a tray of food.

Brett smiled gratefully as Pandora set the tray down. "Thank you. I appreciate it, and no, I pretty much eat anything. I'm not overly picky, unless it comes to books or transportation." He grinned briefly as he thought of his motorcycle that was currently parked at this residence.

He selected a cup of tea and bit into the sandwich. Mm. Good. "Your cooking skills need more credit than you give them." He commented, his expression and tone of voice conveying his amusement in reference to the comments made earlier about her cooking.

Ronan gave Brett an appreciative grin, refreshed by the young man's passion for the store he worked in. That was the problem with the young generations; they complained so much about working. Why not choose something they love?

"Do you offer books that of the Muggle variety?" Ronan asked with an arch of his brow. "It might be interesting to know how Muggles perceive their heroes with no source of magic amongst them."

Pandora smiled warmly when Brett complimented her. She decided to allow him to think she had made everything on the tray herself. "Thanks. I suppose that the two of you were lucky... this time." She gave him a small wink.

She took a sandwich and tasted it. It wasn't actually that bad. She looked at Ronan, grateful that he was apparently making an effort to get to know Brett. The longer that she looked at him, the more tired he seemed. A small frown settled on her face momentarily. She would be glad when they could get away from the Ministry.


That was an odd question. Taking a sip of her coffee, she suppressed the little laugh that was building up inside her. Ronan really was trying his best. "Brett, is that your bike that's parked in the lane?" she asked, vowing to lend Ronan books. Many, many books.

"Why, yes..yes we do. Wizarding and Muggle books alike; books like fairy tales...Muggle medicine..topics such as those." Brett explained, relaxing more now as he talked about his work. "If you'll tell me some topics that you're interested in, I can set a few books off aside for you."

Brett chuckled. "I suppose, but I think that you could could keep up the good work." He ate a few more bites and sipped at his tea for a few moments.

Setting down his plate and cup carefully, Brett nodded once, glancing towards the front door. "It is; my favorite mode of transportation. Wouldn't know what to do without the bike."

"Brilliant. I was thinking of getting some books about Venice." Ronan replied with an excited smile. "Might as well try and get a feeling for the culture and whatnot." he added looking from Brett to Pandora and back to the young man.

Ronan arched a brow at Pandora's question and then looked to the front door as well and got excited once more. "Brett! You've got to tell me where to get one of those. I've wanted one for quite some time." Ronan exclaimed with a bright grin.

Pandora was pleased to see Brett relaxing. She gave him a wry smile when he told her to keep up the good work. "I'll try."

When he confirm that it was his bike she said, "Have you put some charms on it? Last week some of the lads in the village stole the... oh what's it called?" She struggled to remember the word, and rubbed her forehead "Quad bike, from one of the local farmers. They ditched the damn thing in the beck and I had to sort it out before Alan, the farmer, came storming up here."

Pandora looked at Ronan in surprise. "You never said you wanted a motorbike." Pandora didn't have a very high opinion of muggle transport. It was slow, quite dirty and smelly as far as she was concerned but she knew that she was in a minority at the moment.

"Sure thing. I'll gather a few that you might be interested in and place them off to the side. Unless you want them to be delivered?" He offered. He delivered books sometimes, particularly when custom diaries were ordered.

Surprise flickered across his face at Ronan's exclamation. "Really? Well, I've been having it for a while; got it in Egypt while I was doing some work out there." He answered vaguely. "Great piece of machinery though."

Brett smirked at the thought of charms being placed on his bike. "Oh no, no charms on that bike. I've never had any problems with people attempting to steal it. I think they know better. But if it ever was stolen, I'm sure that I could get it back with little trouble."

He shifted on the couch and shook his head. "No respect for others' property. Were they caught?"

Pandora smiled gently. "I'll come and pick those books up, Brett. I've taken a few extra days off to sort everything out."

Ohh, Pandora thought, don't encourage him. The last thing she needed was Ronan expecting her to ride on the back of one those smelly, dangerous things.

A crafty smirk spread over her face. "Oh, it was the strangest thing. They climbed out of the beck and up the hill but they could not seem to stay on their feet. They kept on rolling down the hill, back into the water." She chuckled. "By the time Alan had followed the muddy tire tracks through the village he found them in a soggy heap, next to the bike. They've been mucking out his pigs ever since."

As she told this story, her eyes flicked back to Ronan. He looked awful, utterly shattered. She felt guilty for having had him at wand point. She had little doubt now about why he was there now; he had wanted to see her and fall asleep.

Ronan smiled at Brett for offering to deliver the books. "That'd be spectacular." he said quietly with a sudden yawn. Apparently, he was more tired than he had actually realized.

"Well I'm not sure if I'll ever actually get one. But they certainly do look nice." Ronan said fondly, as his eyes glanced to the bike in the front and then back to Pandora and her guest.

He yawned again, stomach full of a sandwich and tea and Ronan looked to Pandora. "Is there anywhere I can go lie down for a bit Rose, I'm a bit tuckered out from work." He knew it may have been rude to ask in front of Brett, but it might give the pair a longer chance to catch up.

Pandora wasn't surprised at all when Ronan asked this.

"Excuse us for a moment Brett." She stood up and walked over to the stairs door, opening it and lighting the scones with a flick of her wand. Motioning for Ronan to follow her she walked up the stairs, through the study and into the hallway. Opening the bedroom door, she paused and considered asking him to remove his shoes. She didn't and simply led him into the bedroom. It was like stepping into another house. Pandora's inner perfectionist had really gone to town in this room. She lit the oil lamp by the bed and turned to Ronan, blushing slightly as she told him "None of the other bedrooms are in a fit state to be seen, let alone slept in, and you're far too tall to be comfortable on the chaise lounge in the study."

She gave him a chaste peck on the cheek. "I'll see you in a little while." She slipped out of the room and back down the stairs.

Once she was back in the parlour, she gave Brett a small smile. "I'm sorry about all that. I really wasn't expecting him and he usually sends me some sort of warning. He gave me a bit of a shock... but then again so did you!" Her smile widened.

Ronan gave a small nod and a wave goodbye to the other man before following his girlfriend out of the parlor, up the stairs and into what appeared to be her bedroom.

Looking around and then to the blushing Pandora, he smiled gently and replied, "Oh I don't mind in the least bit, Rose."

His smile continued as she kissed his cheek, but Ronan was a bit disappointed that she didn't give him a proper snog. He sighed, hoping he wasn't letting his jealous feelings get the better of him as he took off his shoes and slid into her bed.

Ronan stretched his arms to the rest at the back of his head, looking up at the ceiling and realizing that a wave of exhaustion would soon overcome him, as his eyes closed and he drifted off into dreamland.

Brett nodded once as Pandora spoke up about coming by to pick up the books. "Sounds fine to me. Just come by anytime and they'll be ready."

Raising his brows as he listened to Pandora recount the sight of the boys rolling down the hill, he smiled slightly. "You wouldn't have had anything to do with the fact that they couldn't keep their balance, would you?"

"Very nice. If you ever want a closer look, let me know. You could maybe take a spin on it." He offered with a grin. It was great to hear that Ronan was interested in the cycles. It wasn't often he came across someone who shared his interest.

Nodding a quick goodbye to Ronan as he left the room to sleep, Brett ate the rest of his sandwich and then heated up his cooling tea with a quick heating charm.

When Pandora returned, Brett glanced up. "Oh, it's no problem at all. Are you okay with me staying right now? I could go if you want to spend some time with Ronan."

Pandora gave Brett a sly glance. "Perhaps. Although they may just have a problem with balancing. It's a steep slope down to the beck, after all." She schooled her expression into one of mock innocence. This lasted for about two seconds before she started to laugh. "I know I shouldn't have, but it was just so funny and they really did deserve it."

Pandora gave a tight smile. It looked like she would have to get used to a motorbike.

Pandora bit her lip. "I know this is awful, but would you mind? I know I'm a terrible hostess for asking, but I really am worried about him."

She squeezed Brett's arm and allowed her hand to rest on his bicep. "I've barely seen him this week, because I've been off and we're not having lunch together. I'll call in and see you in the shop, would that be okay. It was really lovely to see you, I'm so sorry things went a bit mad. Although in this house 'a bit mad' often doubles as the status quo." She smiled at her own pathetic joke, rubbing at her cheek where the flour had been.

Brett smirked as Pandora admitted to having been responsible for the boys being unable to escape after stealing the bike. "I agree with you. They did deserve it and they were no worse for the wear, I imagine, for the most part. Hopefully they learn their lesson."

As Pandora regretfully agreed to his suggestion, Brett simply nodded and patted her hand which lay upon his arm. "It's not a problem. I completely understand. I'll gather a stack of books and have them ready for when you come to call." He stood then, adding. "Thanks for the sandwich and tea. I'll have to repay the favor later." With a chuckle, he began to walk towards the door.

Pandora gave Brett a genuine smile as he patted her hand, trying to ignore the fact that her skin was tingling where it had made contact with his. "Thanks for being so understanding. I'll come and see you to collect the rest of the books."

She walked with him to the door, again trying to hide the spot where a huge part of the plaster was missing with the skirts of her robes. "Oh you're more than welcome, it was great to see you and not just because you brought me a huge pile of books." She winked at him as she held open the door.

After he had gone, she made short work of tidying up the kitchen and climbed the stairs. She slipped into her bedroom. Ronan seemed to be asleep. She spotted that her short nightdress had slipped from between the pillows. Blushing sightly, she leaned over him to grab it.

Ronan seemed to feel a hand pass over his body, and reached out as if already knowing that it was Pandora. He sleepily grabbed her arm and pulled it around him, letting his hand rest protectively on top of hers before falling back into a deeper slumber.

Pandora gasped when Ronan pulled her into the bed, realising that he had woken. She rolled her eyes when he trapped her with one foot still on the floor, decidedly uncomfortable.

"Hey, sleeping beauty," she gave him a sharp dig in the ribs with her free hand, "This isn't exactly what a girl has in mind when she thinks about being swept off her feet!"

She made an effort to wriggle free of him, but it was no good; he was too strong.

"Oof!" Ronan said opening one eye and looking around at his surroundings. He felt warm skin resting against his stomach and realized that it was Pandora's arm. Moving his hand off of hers, and looking over at the young woman, he looked questioningly at her strange position.

"Is that how you were going to sleep Rose?" Ronan asked with a light chuckle, his eyes lighting up with amusement.

Pandora swatted him with the silky nightdress that was scrunched up in her free hand.

"Only if you don't let go of my arm Cavanaugh." There was a thread of iciness to her voice now, she was getting annoyed with him. She had practically kicked out an interesting, intelligent visitor in favour of spending time with Ronan and now he was being his usual oblivious self. She wriggled again, finally freeing her arm. She looked at him and the ice melted, yet again.

"Thank you." She said, flushing slightly, righting herself. "I was going to ask if you wanted to watch the sun go down. Would you like to or are you too tired?"