It was certain, Vivienne Thorpe was far more aimable when she wasn’t poking around in sore wounds and was instead cuddling up to her boyfriend like a good woman.  She kicked off her boots and cuddled close, the auror she was wrapped around resting his head back and closing his eyes, enjoying the lack of poking and silently thanking Vivienne for having poked. At least he’d be fit for work in the morning and no one need know that little shit had actually made him groan in pain. The kid had received his comeuppance anyway when he’d been rather forcefully arrested by a then very grumpy, limping auror.

"Food, if you're hungry, and lots of cuddling, maybe?" Vivienne smiled up at the auror and he raised an eyebrow. Cuddling was nice but it wasn’t the way he ever envisioned spending an afternoon off work with his sexy French woman. Nevertheless, the auror leaned his head forward and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, a silent ‘thank you’ for what she’d just done on his leg. If she expected verbal gratitude and an apology for his grumpy attitude she would have been waiting until her beautiful hair turned very grey.

Whatever else he wanted...Eddie’s eyes searched her face for a moment. Well she wasn’t going to give him what she’d been planning on earlier. Plus he wasn’t sure he could really stand it right now. Instead he decided to try for something else, something he’d been considering the past few days.

“Come away wi’me.” The auror muttered, watching his French lady very carefully. “I’ve got to be out of the country on the 19th next month. Come wi’me.”

Her long shift at the hospital earlier on in the day was finally beginning to take its toll on the witch, or so she realized now that she was partially wrapped around the very warm and cuddly auror. It was easy to forget all his grumpiness now that he was healed and a great deal calmer.

She continued to gaze up at Eddie, waiting for a response and more than a little curious of the way he was gazing back at her. "Come away wi' me," said the wizard without so much as glancing away. Viv felt her heart drop suddenly and she almost pulled away; a deep appreciation for shared body heat was all that kept her transfixed. “I’ve got to be out of the country on the 19th next month. Come wi’me.”

Oh.

Mon dieu. She wasn't sure what she expected but the last time someone had suggested 'coming away' with them, there had been some negative implications. This was normal. Couples went away on trips all the time, didn't matter if they were serious or not. Vivienne pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Out of the country... where?" she sat up straighter, head tilted away to give her auror a curious look: "Rome, Athens? Barcelona?" and then, breaking into a smile: "Non, non. Paris?"

A trip! Vivienne suddenly felt excited about this. It had been some months since she left England. And if they could go to France! How she missed it sometimes. The Healer's smile faded and she frowned a little: "Wait. Why do you have to be out of the country?" The MLE generally didn't send their staff abroad for work, or at least not as far as she could tell.

What a question! Eddie Pratt looked rather uncomfortable for a moment as his tired and distracted mind struggled to find a suitable lie that his sexy French lady would believe. Because he had a case to investigate and needed company? Roh was there for that one unfortunately. Because he turned into a pumpkin on the 19th and needed to keep it a carefully guarded secret? Because he was really an escaped convict and on the 19th it would all become clear? Because he had a disease that could only be healed in Europe?

Eddie looked at the witch, her warm body cuddled up close to his aching one and he realised none of his terrible ideas would hold muster, she could hear the truth and then decide if she wanted to kiss him or kick him. Or both.

“Well,” Eddie began, considering how to explain his fear of the actions his best friend would perform on his birthday without sounding crazy. “I did something to a colleague for his birthday...” sounded perfectly innocent, “that he probably still hasn’t forgiven me about.”

“Somethin’ harmless, mind!” Pratt felt it important to quickly point out as he dropped a hand onto Viv’s thigh. “But he didn’t take it so well, see.  Threats of violence and all sorts, love. So as ye can probably guess, I don’t want to be around to deal with his vengeful wrath. Bloke can’t take a joke, Viv.” Okay so perhaps a bit of exaggeration wasn’t a problem.

The auror gave a squeeze of Viv’s thigh before offering a small smirk. “I’m not sure about Paris mind, can’t bloody stand the French.”

Now why didn't it surprise Vivienne to know that her auror lover wanted to run away from... well, other aurors?

She sighed, shaking her head as she stared up at those green eyes with teasing reproach. "Harmless?" she laughed. Her hand moved to rest on the one he'd set on her leg and she looked down for a moment, only to glance back up again at the mention of Paris.

The Healer's lips pulled into a diverted smile: "They're not so terrible, you know." Growing up between the two countries, it was hard to say 'we' with either the French or the English: "Baked snails and all that."

It was too tempting to play on what she assumed to be Ed's typecast views on European cuisine. Viv turned away from the wizard and leaned her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes and regretting it just as quickly. So tired. "We could go to the beach, non?" The image of a sunny, sandy shoreline played tantalizingly at the back of her mind. Someplace where prankster aurors don't exist and Healers had nobody to mend.

"In Italy, maybe, or Spain..." the witch trailed off sleepily, her other hand tightening snugly around Ed's arm.

Paris would have been a bad idea; too many memories. "I hear that Greece is nice at this time of the year. Whatever you want," she repeated her offer from before. Why would it matter where they went, as long as they were together? The thought made her feel both senselessly happy and terrified.