5 Sept '75: No Returns Allowed: Pheddie

[Phoebe Bones]

5 September 1975

She wasn’t quite she how she’d gotten to this point.

Well that wasn’t true, it was the entire bottle of wine she’d drank by herself that had gotten her here. And the shot of whiskey she’d done before Edgar had gotten home with the wine. But that wasn’t the point. The point was, the idea that had just popped into her head was a brilliant one. On unsteady feet she’d laughed to herself as she left the spot she’d been curled up by Edgar, heading down the hall to the stairs. Her parents were watching Grayson for the night, giving her a much needed break. The two month old was such a good little boy, but this week had been rough. It was her first week back at school, her final year of it. But it was also the first time she’d been away from Grayson, and while she trusted her mother - she missed her baby. And then she wasn’t getting enough sleep because well, she had a baby. Edgar was wonderful with their son and helping her out - and she was thankful he’d also arranged for them to have an evening to themselves. She stumbled at the top of the stairs, laughing to herself as she made her way to their room.

Digging around in the closet, she dragged out her box full of paperwork, quickly fishing their marriage license out of it. This was going to be perfect! She kissed the paper before she stood, still giggling to herself as she made her way back downstairs. Once she reached the landing, she darted into the kitchen to dig the matches out of the drawer, still laughing to herself as she went. The first match was successful, and she returned to their living room with the edge of the marriage license on fire. “Good luck trying to return me with-return me without the receipt,” she stated gleefully, looking at Edgar with a smile on her face.

[Edgar Bones]

If you would've told fifth-year Eddie Bones that in seven years' time, he'd be listening to Phoebe Bones giggle herself silly as she puttered around the home that was theirs, on a rare Friday night that was theirs and theirs alone, he would've told you to slag off. Because then, the apple of his eye was his neighborhood crush, and the few dates they'd snuck in before he went off to school had to get them all the way to the Christmas holiday. Because then, thinking she'd one day be his wife, the mother of his child, would earn him shoulders constantly sore due to punches of his best mates trying to get his head out of the clouds. And while he'd known then that theirs was something special, had he been told just how irrevocably his life's path had been altered from those few minutes of dancing in his childhood bedroom, he would've thought he was being led on.

Led on to think that Phoebe Adkins would choose him and their love, every day. That they'd shape each other and intertwine their destinies, that she'd forgive him his faults, that she'd give him a child.

Because who was he to be so lucky?

And yet, here he was - ears primed towards the stairs as he heard his wife's unsteady descent, ready to put the wand in his hand to use if she started to take a tumble. The woman, as of yet still full of giggles, despite all that had eeked out, took to the kitchen, and Ed chuckled to himself as he weaned out of his musings and gave Sadie's ears a good scratch. Whatever had struck Pheebs as so funny was beyond him, but she was happy, so he was too. This last week of her returning to school had hardly been the smoothest, what with Amelia also returning to Hogwarts and their baby still needing tending to, so he'd been relieved when she'd accepted tonight's arrangement. While not having Gray in the house with them was unnerving, and more difficult for him than he'd anticipated, Ed felt they needed...a minute. To be twenty-two, to get sloshed, to let their responsibilities be handled by other capable hands. She'd taken to the concept well, the taste of whiskey already on her breath when he'd gotten home, and she'd had no problem putting her wine away…

The Agent had only just replaced his wand for his mug of wine when Phoebe reentered. With a formal document in hand. On fire. Beaming as if this was to be expected.

Truth be told, Ed couldn't even fully process her words in the moment, for the laugh that burst out of him at the sight damn near well overcame him. "You are daft, woman!" He took up in wand in his off-hand and sent a Freezing Spell to the receipt in order to extinguish the flame. Chortling, Ed stepped around their dog and through the now-frigid air, mug down, wand pocketed, because could a Mending Charm fix something that'd been on fire? He didn't think so, and was already making plans to frame the singed document. Which, as he took in hand, he found to be their...marriage license? This brought a new bout of laughter and he bent to messily kiss her hair, feeling this was a jest brought on by the relief of the night, but...

"I haven't - er - made you think I want to return you, have I?" Ed asked with some worry, despite the hilarity of the scene. He cracked an uncertain smile, brows raised. Sure - they hadn't been as they'd been before Gray, before knowing about Gray, even. But she knew - she knew it all, didn't she? That he thought she was the most beautiful woman in any room, the sharpest and the sweetest, his one and only. Right? "First in line for husband-of-the-year, I am, if that's the case."

[Phoebe Bones]

Things couldn’t be more perfect in her life right now. She was married to the love of her life, the boy she’d wanted to marry since she was 15 years old. Back then, Kyra would have thought she was crazy for saying she was going to marry Eddie Bones, but she’d known since their first dance in his bedroom that this was going to be something special. She’d known then that one day they’d have kids, and Edgar would be the best father to them. With every letter they had exchanged back in forth in school, to every stolen kiss during the holidays they had together - she’d known that one day she’d spend the rest of her life with them. That they’d grow old together, and watch their kids grow up and have kids of their own. It was going to be a wonderful life.

She couldn’t help but laugh more as a shot of cold air came from the end of Edgar’s wand, still just as fascinated by magic as she had been when she first learned of it. It was always interesting, seeing the different ways magic could be used. Apparently, it could be used to quickly put out a fire, as the marriage license in her hands was no longer burning. She let Edgar take it from her, still grinning up at him as he examined it. In the morning, she’d probably question exactly why she’d found this so funny, but right now she was all giggles as he kissed her on the head.

Placing her hands on his cheeks, she smiled up at him, “You are the love of my life Edgar Bones, you could never make me feel like you wanted to return me.” Standing on her tiptoes, she placed a gentle kiss to his lips, gigging once more as she pulled away. She took the marriage license back gently, looking at the charred edges. “I’m going to wonder what happened to this in the morning,” she said, grinning up at her husband before she went to set it down on the coffee table, giving Sadie a scratch as she sank back down into their sofa, humming to herself as she went. “Can you show me more magic? Make rose bushes grow in our house again?”

[Edgar Bones]

If all that happened the rest of the night was Phoebe giggling, Ed would call this experiment a smashing success, even if an ache within him really wanted to hear Grayson's happy little coos along with her. Although, hearing the affirmation from his wife that she hadn't tried to burn their license because she thought he didn't want her - that was just as good for his ears. He was left smiling after her sweet kiss, and chuckled as Pheebs examined the remains of their marriage license. "Oh, believe you me, I'm not letting you live this one down," Edgar teased, making a show of nudging the paper out of her arm's reach.

She was not even close to ceasing to surprise him, though, and Edgar felt his heart warm even more at her darling request. Glad that you remember the roses, out of everything that night. Truth be told, magic had been used more for practical purposes as of late than fun ones. Especially with their newborn, having the house take care of itself was a blessing. Ed was dying to show their son more of the magical world, watch his hazel eyes light up with wonderment, and supposed that was something he should discuss more with her. Just how much magic should be in the house? But that was for sober Phoebe and Edgar to figure out, right?

"You want magic? I'll show you magic," he said playfully, pressing his hands into the cushion on either side of her before leaning in for a kiss. He pushed back, took a draught out of his mug of wine, and used his wand to crank up the muggle radio. Sleeves pushed up, dancing to the disco mainly for his wife's reactions, he got to work on transforming their living room. And while it wasn't his best spellwork, Ed was proper proud of the conjuring he could accomplish while under the influence - and with wine goggles on, it looked mighty fine by the time he pocketed his wand and reached for her hand.