Fighting through my cold skin (Teddy)

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The healer had just come and assessed Victoire, leaving with great news. The disease was leaving her body. The damaged cells were disappearing, she was on the mend. He told her not to jump up and down too soon, but she was already so elated that it was impossible not to start thinking of all the possibilities. Teddy had been beside her, holding her hands when the news was given. The healer had just walked out and Victoire jumped off the couch, wrapping her arms around Teddys shoulders.

She wanted to say something celebratory, but all that came out of her mouth was a sob. She cried, squeezing him tightly as she did so. She wasn't dying. She wasn't going to die.

In all reality Vic wasn't afraid of death, but she was afraid of the affect it would have on her loved ones. Her family. Little Louis and Dom. Her parents. Odette and Royal. Her cousins. Her co-workers. And Teddy. He'd lost her once before and it hadn't been pretty. It wasn't for her either, but she was so focused on herself that she covered it well. But now that they were together again, to lose her so involuntarily... She couldn't do that to him.

"I love you," she finally managed to gasp.

@teddy

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Since Victoire had fallen ill, Teddy had not left her side. He was so thankful that his godfather had been so accommodating in letting them stay at Grimmauld Place and bringing them supplies whenever they needed it so that Victoire and he never really had to leave. Teddy has missed so much time when he and Vic had separated, and now she was sick and he felt like he had to make up for it. Yeah, they had broken up but it had been Teddy who had abandoned even the chance of friendship when he left England four years ago.

Now Teddy sat beside Victoire, his hand in hers as he waited for what the healer had to say. He braced himself, holding in a breath he hadn't realized he had taken and then... she was getting better. The healer said Victoire was going to be getting better. At almost the exact moment Victoire jumped up, so did Teddy with a delighted smile on his face. He wrapped his arms around her as well and rested one on the back of her head as he held her close. Victoire was crying out of happiness, he was sure and honestly Teddy felt tears in his own eyes. He pulled back just enough to look into the blonde's eyes, his hand holding her chin. "I love you," he said softly. "I knew you could beat this."

@victoire

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He pulled back, holding her chin, and she bit down on her lip. Her eyes were stained red with tears but her smile broke wide. "We. We beat this," she clarified. She moved one hand behind his head to latch into his hair. She kissed him, taking in a deep breath through her nose as she did so. She leaned all her weight into him, something she had been used to doing lately since it was hard to stand some days.

When she pulled away she shook her head in disbelief. "What do we even do now, Teddy? I mean... How do I even start." How did she start picking up the pieces of her life now that she had lost her career. It was so important to her for so long that she felt hollow without it... Teddy filled a lot of that space but she still had so much room for other things. But what?

@teddy

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Teddy's smile only widened when Victoire said 'we.' It was still like a breath of fresh air to hear her say that. He felt an overwhelming happiness overcome him as their lips met; it was a sensation that he never tired of and was sure he never really would. As Victorie leaned into him, Teddy placed his hands gently on her arms to hold her up as they held their kiss a moment longer. Whenever they kissed, Teddy could have sworn that time always stopped.

When Victoire pulled away, Teddy kept his hands on her. She asked what they did now, and in terms of getting back on top of things... well, Teddy knew they had to take it one day at a time. He was going back to work sooner than Vic, but knowing Vic she wouldn't be much further behind him. She still needed to rest up so she could get fully recovered. But one thing did come to mind. Or rather two things. He had been thinking about them a lot lately, and as he had he realized that the way in which they clouded his thoughts was different than how they had before. "Royal and Odette," he said finding Victoire's eyes. "There's where we start."

@victoire

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"Royal and Odette," He said. Of course that was where they would start. Isn't that where they always started? At the end of a hard week, didn't they seek their closest friends for some sort of 'new beginning'? That's what this was, really. For Victoire, especially. She had been given a second shot at life, really, and somehow she had a feeling that maybe she would do it differently this time... not that her old life was bad, she would never say that, but maybe she could be something new. Maybe she could transcend to a new plane.

"I should tell Royal... I'll have him over tomorrow. As for Odette..." she sighed, shaking her head. Her eyes still were with Teddy's but she bit her lip nervously for a moment before speaking again, "aren't things bad enough for her now? How can I tell her I've been keeping a secret from her for months..." she shook her head again. Royal, somehow, she knew she could look in the eyes and tell him what had happened but Odette... she felt a more precious connection with Odette, somehow, then with Teddy or Royal. Odette was like a breath of fresh, rainy scented air after a storm. She was the storm, too, in a way but... for Victoire she was the breath afterward.

How could she risk taking Odettes breath away?

@teddy

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Teddy only nodded when Victoire mentioned having Royal over first. That made sense. But then again, he had been through just as much as Odette. They had both lost so much in just a year. "I don't think it's going to be easy for either of them," he started, his hand slowly moving to find Victoire's for strength for the both of them. "But they will understand. It's Roy and Odette." He let the smallest hint of a smile show on his face. "But maybe, you should tell Odette alone," he said slowly. Teddy wanted to talk to Odette, of course. Jake had been one of his best friends, and Odette was too, but Teddy wanted Odette to hear what had happened straight from Victoire herself.

@victoire

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Teddy said that it wouldn't be easy for them, of course. As his hand reached for hers she took his willingly, holding it tightly. She took in a deep breath as he said they'd understand, saying their names again. She smiled a little, too, at that thought. Then he suggested she tell Odette alone and Victoires smile shifted away, and she nodded. "Yeah, I will. I will..." she shook her head, trying to get her wits about her.

Then, she looked up into those eyes, and some how that made every breath possible. "For now, let's just celebrate us," she suggested, stepping forward so she could lean into him and lift onto her toes slightly in order to kiss his lips. She kissed him again and again, not bothering to let up. When she was sick she tried to be careful about over exerting.

Not anymore.

@teddy
(the end! Let's start Odevic!)