A Day To Ourselves (Vela)

Oliver was in his element here. This store would forever be his favorite, because he was maniacal about Quidditch. He always had been and for the remainder of his life, he would continue to be. But today, he had nothing but time on his hands.

He was currently looking at the new Firebolt broomstick. He knew that his former Gryffindor teammate, Harry had one, but he read the tag saying 'price available upon request', and wondered exactly how much had been involved for that purchase. Then he thought of what he had in his account at Gringott's and shook his head. His Nimbus 2001 was a perfectly good broom, he didn't need another. He'd only just bought his current broom when he'd signed with Puddlemere United.

He turned to what he'd come into the shop for while he waited for the person he'd arranged to meet here to arrive. Wrist guards. He flexed his own wrist gently. It still ached from the bludger hit he'd received the weekend before, and he knew that it was because of the fact that his guards were old and nearly worn out. He found ones that fit him and made his way to the counter, joining the small queue that had formed while he'd been in the shop. His eyes were drawn to the shin guards not long after he had gotten in the line and he was still considering them when a pair of hands covered his eyes from behind.

"Let me guess," he said softly with a small chuckle. "You would have to be Vela Barron."

Vela had had a wonderful day. She had gotten a ton of tips for her performance at the Leaky Cauldron, and the manager had been so impressed with her that he requested her to come back the next night and play an evening set! Vela could not remember the last time she had felt so light, the only thing that could have made this day better was if she were to see Oli. She was sure that she could convince him to celebrate, and having a drink with Oliver always made her feel like her life was absolutely flawless.

So, still holding her guitar case, she walked happily down the shops. It was only that she reached the Quidditch shop did she see a familiar face. Grinning brightly she practically dropped her guitar down and raced towards him. Gently placing her hands over his eyes she grinned and kissed his cheek.

"Yes," she whispered in his ear, answering his question. "And I believe I am going to have to capture you now...any objections?"

Gently as she could she pressed her lips to his cheek and wrapped her arms around his waist. He was so tall compared to her, and Vela was such a tiny and lean little thing. Oli always said that it was something he adored about her. She was his little fire cracker.

Oliver grinned as he looked down at his girlfriend. She was the love of his life, and the only thing that made him happier than Quidditch. It was wonderful to be able to have time to himself, time that he planned to spend with this wonderful woman.

He took hold of her hand as the line moved forward and he was the next customer. While he waited for his purchase to be rang up, he turned and kissed Vela. Now that she was with him, all sorts of plans for their day started running through his head. Most of them he could do right here in Diagon Alley, but there were a few that required the privacy of their bedroom.

He was handed his wrist guards again and thanked the person behind the counter. Turning around, he put his arm around Vela and led her out of the shop, stopping to pick up her guitar on the way. He knew that she was as passionate about her music as he was Quidditch, and he would never let anything happen to the instrument.

"So, my little firecracker, where would you like to go? I have nothing but time for you today, and I feel like spoiling you. Anything you want, it's yours if I can get it."

He kissed her deeply as he handed her guitar case over to her.

Vela paused in thought and tried to think. She wasn't really sure what she wanted, just having Oli near was enough for her. They could always apparate back to the cottage and just lay around outside. It was a beautiful day and both of them could now admire it together. Holding his hand she continued pulling him down the road, letting him hold her guitar. Vela knew that had to be a compliment to Oliver. When they had first started dating she wouldn't even let him touch it, now she trusted him almost enough to teach him how to play...almost.

"Umm..." she said, pausing in thought. "I'm not sure, we could get a burger or something...I'm a bit hungry."

A bit? Ha! Vela was starved, she had been playing all day and that had meant little to no breaks in between. So she had gone all day without a single bite of food. Her stomach growled loudly and Vela felt her cheeks turn a light shade of pink.

"Okay...so maybe I am VERY hungry," she grinned. "How about I treat you to some lunch and a cold drink?"

Oliver laughed when he heard Vela's stomach growl. His own did the same in response and his blush matched hers.

"All right, you're on. But I was wanting to buy you lunch. How about I buy you dinner instead? You can tell me all about your day, and your obvious good luck at your show for the Cauldron." He squeezed her hand gently, not wanting to risk damage to her talented fingers.

He wouldn't have thought that she'd allow him to carry her beloved guitar. He'd not been permitted to even breathe on it when they'd begun dating. She had learned to trust him more, but he wasn't expecting her to ever let him play for her. She probably thought that he had no musical talent whatsoever, but Oliver had, in fact, learned to play violin when he was a child. He didn't get the chance to do it much anymore, but had lost interest when he'd discovered Quidditch. But now that he had a girlfriend that played a guitar, maybe it was time for him to ask his mother and father if they still had his violin. He was sure that they would love to hear that the lovely lady in his life had rekindled his interest in the instrument.

"And maybe I can tell you a little bit of information about me that you didn't know?" He said with a small grin.

Vela swung Oli's hand lightly as they continued through the Alley. She was just so happy, nothing would be able to hinder her mood. Absolutely nothing! She was so happy that Oli and her would have this day to themselves, they didn't get to bond often. Her work kept her plenty busy, and there were times when Oli would just go to practice and come home to go straight to bed. She knew that he was tired, but sometimes Vela got awfully irritated when he did those things. She had only been living with Oli for a year, but she felt that in that short amount of time both of them had learn so much from one another!

"Well," she hummed. "I look forward to it."

Gently she leaned over and kissed his warm lips. Today was just a good day in the land of Vela Barron. She hoped that nothing would happen to ruin it. And sometimes that were the case. Sometimes their day would go absolutely perfect, but one misplaced word...one little negative happening would cause them both to fight and argue like cats and dogs.

"Oh," she grinned. "I umm...there was something else I wanted to talk to you about...but it can wait."

She wanted to discuss the possibility of their future. Were they going to get married, was Oli in this relationship for the long haul, would...would Oli be worried if she told him that her period started skipping again?

Oliver smiled. He wanted to take her to dinner for a very special reason. He'd never been so happy in his life and he wanted to let her know that it was because of her that he'd reached this level of joy. He'd aleady made reservations at her favorite restaurant and had planned to take the next morning off from practice as well. The afternoon, too, if he could manage it. He wasn't really needed around the pitch for the time being, since the league wasn't in full force as of yet. But when he did practice, he came home exhausted and just wanted to pass out. Which kind of sucked for Vela, he was sure. They'd only been together for a year, but he wanted to be with her for a lot longer. The rest of their lives if she would have him.

"I say that we go to the Cauldron for right now, and just talk for a while. Maybe discuss about what we want to do tonight after dinner? I have a few ideas." He gave her a cheeky grin that said exactly what he had in mind. He didn't want to give away the surprise that he had for the evening, where they were going, and what was going to happen that night, but he almost couldn't contain himself. He'd come to Diagon Alley today for more than one reason, and only the first had been because of his wrist guards. The other would be part of dinner that evening, or sooner if he didn't get a hold of his impatience.

"Vela, I wanted to ask you a question, and it may seem random now, but I was wondering. What do you think about us ever having children?"

Vela blushed a bit, she was always so shocked when Oli brought up children. But she supposed she had no right to be. She wanted to have children and she had been just thinking about it herself. Of course, she wasn't sure she was ready to hear Oli's thoughts on children. Did him bring it up mean that he WANTED to have kids, or was it the exact opposite? Was he bringing it up because he DIDN'T want to have children? Well Vela supposed that if that was the case then they needed to get it out of the way right then and there.

"I like kids," she continued. "And I like the idea of having them...I'm just not sure if I could be a good mother."

Vela was an only child, and her father could not stand her...neither could her mother. So she supposed that she was scared she would be horrible to her children in return. But she knew that she could not live her life in fear of mistreating her loved ones. Vela liked to think that because she had been forced to endure such treatment she was able to spot it far better.

"But...I do want them," she nodded. "I'm just scared..."

Oliver was thrilled. Vela wanted children with him, and that was exactly what he'd wanted to hear. He would still want to be with her if she hadn't, but he was beyond overjoyed that she did want to have children with him, whether it be now, or sometime in the future. He understood that she was scared about the idea of children, he was as well. That was more than normal. He didn't know anyone that wasn't scared to become a parent for the first time. If they said they weren't, they had to be lying.

"Vela, I love you so much. I know that you will be a wonderful mother, and any children that we would have would be a blessing beyond words." He kissed her softly. He didn't think that he would be able to wait until dinner for the surprise that he'd planned. He found himself wanting to give it to her now, and it was starting to become overwhelming. To distract himself, he took her hand again and led her through the Alley a little way. He looked in the windows of some of the shops, imagining her reaction to what he wanted to give her.

It was becoming too much for him to handle. He wanted to do it now, before he overthought how to do it, and possibly ruined it for her and himself. He looked around to make sure that they weren't going to be in the way of the other shoppers and turned to her with a smile.

"Vela Barron, you have put up with me for the last year, and I will be forever grateful for that. I will be forever grateful for your love, friendship and heart. You are my best friend, and the love of my life." He did something that made a few of Diagon Alley's other patrons gasp and stop to stare. He sank to one knee and held up her surprise.

"Vela, will you marry me?"

Surprise

Vela's eyes widened and she looked down at the ring. She didn't know what to say. She knew that she wanted to marry him...but right now? Were they ready? They didn't even know if she was pregnant or not...well he didn't...and since she hadn't taken a test yet she didn't know either. But that was besides the point. Did they really think they were prepared for this? Were they certain that they could financially afford it? Vela wasn't sure they were prepared, and she wasn't sure she could say yes just right then and there. But she did love him. Vela loved Oliver with every fiber in her being. Did that mean that he could be a bit patient with her?

Tears welled in her eyes and she looked away. She had to say no...not because she didn't love him...but because they needed to think before they jumped into this. She wanted their marriage to be long, happy, and wonderful. Wanted them to have the family she never could have. She wanted Oliver to be sure that he knew her before they got married. And she wanted to be sure that she was able to be in a committed relationship.

"Oli..." she whimpered. "I...I love you with all my heart...I do...but...but I think we should wait a little bit longer...."

Tears rolled down her face and she waited in fear of what he would say. Waited to see if he would leave her right then and there.

"I love you baby," she continued. "I just...I...I think we need to talk more about this before I give you an answer...it...it isn't no...but it isn't a yes either..."

Oliver nodded as he stood. He'd had the feeling that he'd been moving too fast. They had only been together for a short time, and he'd already asked her to marry him. Quite pushy of him, he thought. She was right. It was something that needed time. Time to think about where their relationship was going, time to think about whether they would be together long enough to have a future together. He put the ring into her hand, closing her fingers around it.

"I understand, Love," he said, bringing the hand up to his lips and kissing them softly. "I'm moving too damn fast again, aren't I?" He grinned sheepishly and kissed her fingers again before letting go of her hand. He leaned toward her and kissed her lips as well. "I want you to keep the ring for when you're ready. If that day never comes, then you still hold onto it. As a symbol of how much I love you."

He wrapped his arm around her, hugging her tightly as he turned them toward the Leaky Cauldron for lunch. He didn't want to keep her from being able to eat because he had been in too much of a hurry to spend his life with her. He found himself with the same sheepish smile on his face when he remembered that he was spending his life with her. He loved her, and that was all he needed for now. If that was all that she felt that she was willing to give him in their life, if her final answer was ever 'no', then he would be just as happy to have her with him anyway.

"I'm not mad, V. Honestly, I'm not. I can wait for when you are ready."

Vela smiled, rather shocked that Oliver was taking this so well. She loved that about him, he wasn't nearly as judgmental of her as all the other guys she had been with had been. Taking his hand she gently swung it back and forth. She loved him more than anything, why couldn't she just say yes already? She supposed she had this illusion of the perfect proposal. She pictured them having a romantic picnic by their home...close to the little river that flowed by...and she dreamed of fireflies and a star filled night. Vela wanted it to be romantic, wanted it to be perfect, wanted it to be so wonderful that she could write the perfect song about it and name it after her beloved Oliver Wood.

"I love you too baby," she smiled. "And I'm starving, so lets go and eat."

Giggling a bit she began tugging him towards the Leaky Cauldron so they could have lunch, then they could stop at the ice cream parlor for dessert. Even though Vela never really ate more than a few bites from his sundae or cone. Still it would be a nice moment for them to share...and then she could talk to him a little more about her suspicions of her being pregnant.

"C'mon honey," she grinned. "You need to feed your woman before she fades away to nothing!"

Oliver laughed as they made their way to the Leaky Cauldron. He was getting pretty hungry himself and he knew that his stomach was only a few minutes away from growling loudly. He held the door open for her and found them a table where they would be able to sit in relative privacy. He knew that he was recognized by a lot of people from either Hogwarts or since joining Puddlemere, but he didn't want to have to move his attention from Vela, when she was the most important person in the world to him.

He asked the bartender to keep anyone away from them unless absolutely neccessary, and was given every assurance that they would not be bothered. He smiled at his little firecracker as he held out her chair for her, taking his seat next to her, and scooting his chair up to the table. He took her hand, running his thumb along the knuckles softly. She had the most beautiful hands. Hands that had the ability to create music. Little did she know that he also had the ability, or that he had asked his mother to send his violin to the cottage.

Maybe she was right about them not getting married now, if for no other reason, then for the fact that there were things that she didn't know about him, and he was sure that there were things that he didn't know about her. But now was the time to start talking about those things.

"Vela, love. There is something that I'd like to share with you. It's not big, but I want to tell you. Remember how I said that I might tell you something about me that you didn't know? Well, one part of that is that I learned to play an instrument when I was little. I can play the violin." He ran his tumb over her hand again like he would a bow over the strings of his violin.

Vela bit her lip as a chuckle threatened to escape her diaphragm. She didn't really like violins all that much, the screeched too often and she had always been more into the pop and rock kind of scene. She knew that there were times the violin was involved...but it was usually tuned out with a guitar or loud thump of a drum. Smirking gently she looked at Oliver and could see that he was very proud of this musical talent...she wasn't sure though if he was just telling her this to impress her or what. Gently taking his hand she smiled.

"That is wonderful my love..." she grinned. "You will have to play for me later."

Taking his hand into her own she sighed. She had almost hoped that Oliver had no musical talent whatsoever. It seemed that he was good at everything and she was only good at one thing....music. When it came to music Vela always thought that she was one step ahead of Oliver, but it was clear that she was wrong. Oliver was just good at everything...and it honestly angered her. But she would never say such a thing to Oli...she did not want to offend him or scare him off.

It was just that when she came into her relationship with Oliver she loved that music wasn't his thing. He said that she brought music into his life...how true could that be if Oliver already knew how to play an instrument himself. She would never make him give it up, but part of her wished that he would have let her go on believing that she was good at something that he wasn't...now it was just another thing that he could do better than her...everything seemed like a rivalry between them.

Oliver blushed when Vela said that he'd have to play for her. He wasn't very good, in fact, he'd been the worst student his teacher had ever had. That and Quidditch were the reason that he didn't play anymore. He had just hoped that he'd have something to have in common with Vela. She was so talented with her music, and he had only ever been able to learn to play scales. And even then, only one range. Pretty pathetic. He didn't even know why he'd requested his mother send him the instrument, she'd been quite surprised that he'd done so, making the comment that he'd be terrifying cats again if he played it.

"Well..... To tell you the truth, I can play, if you don't mind it sounding like fingernails on a chalkboard." He grinned sheepishly. "I just thought that since you have so much talent and you've brought music into my life, I would possibly make a better attempt at playing. Bad idea, right?"

He stroked his fingers across her hand again, now paying more attention to the fact that her fingers were that of a musician's. His own were more of a Quidditch player's, which is what he would have to consider himself as. He had been totally manic about Quidditch since he'd found out what it was, and he didn't see that ending anytime soon. The only thing that he loved more than the game was the woman sitting next to him, and he intended fully to make sure that she knew that.

"So, since we're sitting here, and just talking, is there anything you want to tell me?" He smiled and kissed the hand that he was holding.

Vela smiled holding Oli's hand and tried to think of a way she could form what was going through her head into words. She was a little scared to tell him that she had suspicions of being pregnant, what if he wasn't up for them having a baby yet? Especially since they weren't even married yet? Stroking the top of his hand with her thumb she briefly stared off into space. By now Vela would have left Oli, not because she wasn't in love with him...but mostly because she was scared of the future. Vela was terrified of being hurt by people, especially someone she loved and cared for so dearly...so Vela tried to avoid it and just run from those she loved. But Oli was different; she was still terrified of being hurt by him...but her love outweighed her fear.

"Yes..." she said gently. "I do have something I need to talk to you about."

She supposed she could always place the pieces in front of him and he could put them together. Surely he would be able to figure out she was pregnant without her having to tell him right out. The waiter came over and set a bottle of merlot in front of them. Smiling Vela shook her head and handed the bottle back to him.

"I can't have any of that, sir..." she said gently.

Watching him taking it back she looked up at Oli once more. Maybe that wasn't obvious enough for him, perhaps she would have to just come out and say it directly.

"Do NOT cause a scene," she sighed. "But...my period is late..."

Oliver smiled as Vela's thumb ran over the back of his hand. It felt nice and he liked it. He looked down at their hands as she did this and thought that they looked right together and that they fit together as well. It filled his heart with love to see that they fit so well with each other.

He looked up as a waiter brought a bottle of Merlot to the table, and then watched as Vela sent it away, saying that she wouldn't be able to drink it, that she couldn't have it. Oliver's heart jumped into his throat. Could it be? He didn't know if he should say anything, he might have heard her wrong. Maybe she'd said that she didn't want the wine, not that she couldn't have it. He turned his eyes to hers and waited.

His heart nearly closed his throat when she told him that her period was late and he thought that he would scream with happiness. It was what he'd wanted since he'd gotten together with her. To show the world how much he loved this woman and start a family with her. He'd not said anything because he didn't want to scare her, much the way he had with the ring. He thought that if he asked her what she wanted out of their relationship, where she saw it going within the next few years, he was pressuring her and he didn't want to do that.

He calmed himself with just a bit of difficulty and opened his mouth to tell her that he wasn't goign to make a scene, but that was nothing close to what came out.

"WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A BABY?!" he crowed with a huge grin on his face.

Vela blushed and hid her face behind a menu, she wished that Oliver wouldn't have done that. She didn't think the whole world needed to know about her having a baby...surely he could have had a little more composure than that. But it was clear he didn't. Shrinking down into her seat she felt her face turn crimson red. Her boyfriend could be so very embarrassing. But, she loved him and wouldn't have him any other way. Gently she reached over and pulled him to sit back down.

"Oliver, you are embarrassing me," she chuckled. "Please...calm down."

They didn't even know if she was actually pregnant. For all they knew her period had just skipped and next month she would have another one. Hell, she could skip her next five periods and that still wouldn't mean she was pregnant. She just didn't want to get Oliver's hopes up. He seemed so happy at the thought of her having a baby, and she knew that it would break his heart if she wasn't pregnant. And she also didn't want him to only marry her because she was pregnant.

Taking her water she began to sip from it. What if she really wasn't pregnant? Would Oliver want to try again? Would he be mad if she didn't want to try again? Was she ready to be a mother? Was she good enough? Vela felt so young, how could she be pregnant already? She was scared...she was actually scared...Sighing she leaned back into her chair.

Oliver sat down hard in his chair, turning flame red. He'd not meant to do that, but it was wonderful news for him to learn that he might be a father soon. He'd never had any brothers or sisters when he was growing up, and he'd envied his friends that had. It hadn't been his father's fault that he'd had an accident with a broom not long after Oliver was born that made it impossible for him to ever have any more children. Oliver had had a similar accident with his own broom when he'd begun his Captaincy of the Gryffindor team, but he'd managed to escape the same fate as his father, although it had taken him a long time to heal poperly.

He'd not told Vela about his fears that he might have trouble fathering a child with her, because even though he'd tested fine the last exam he'd had, it hadn't been stellar and there was always the chance that something actually was wrong with him. Then he didn't know what kind of father he would be. His own had been wonderful, but his great grandfather had been very abusive and cruel to his family. He'd died before Oliver was born, but he'd heard the stories when he was little, and hoped beyond anything that he'd not be the same way, because he knew enough of genetics that things other than looks were passed on from generation to generation.

Vela on the other hand, he knew that she'd be wonderful mother. How he knew, he couldn't put into words. He just had a feeling beyond explanation that she would be a fabulous parent. He wished that he had the same feeling about himself. That would have been a BIG help to him.

"I'm sorry, V. I didn't mean to embarrass you. I was just thinking that I might not be able to ever have chil...." He clamped his mouth shut, not wanting to continue, but knew that it was too late for that.