These past few days, Fauna's biggest worry was the mixer. Its success (or lack of it), her behavior (storming off in front of everyone), and of course, Devlin. She'd sent off three letters on Saturday, and was still waiting to hear back from her boyfriend, the one she needed to hear from the most. Like a typical lovestruck teenager, she kept checking her mail and staring out the window, waiting for his owl.

So when she arrived home for lunch on Monday to find not one, but four letters waiting for her, she tore through them all, looking for Devlin's handwriting. No Devlin- he hadn't owled her yet. But they were all about him.

Somehow, the news of Devlin's arrest last night had gone through the Hogwarts grapevine, and was just now reaching her. Fauna got a few concerned and questioning letters from friends, but the majority were from McFloozy and her gaggle of airheads. Or so Fauna suspected, upon reading tripe like this:

haha fawna ur boyfriends going 2 azkabannnn!

She had two choices: send a second letter to Devlin and wait for him to get back to her. Or, head to the Ministry and see him in person.

It took her half an hour to convince her mother to take more time off of work only a few days before Christmas. Another half an hour to reach the Ministry. Then a heart stopping moment when she found out Devlin was, indeed, in a holding cell on the tenth level.

In the elevator, she fidgeted nervously with her visitor's badge and half-wished she could see a familiar face like Akiva's or Tamis'. Though a few of the Ministry witches and wizards gave her funny looks and muttered about 'young people these days' (probably because she was still in her clerk uniform), she entered the tenth floor without interruption. There, she filled out at least two feet of parchment, gave over her wand, and stored her things (including her jewelry) in a locker. Then she waited. And waited.

Finally, at 1:00, the guard led her down a long hallway, repeating some of the information she'd read on the forms since it was her first time here. She had fifteen minutes with Devlin. Their conversation might be recorded, their interactions watched. Fauna rubbed at her arms, even though she wasn't cold, wondering what the hell had happened Sunday night and why the guard kept giving her these sympathetic looks.

She saw Devlin long before he saw her.

He sat in what was called the Visitor's room, which reminded her of something out of a sci-fi movie. The walls looked like they were made out of glass from the outside, and Fauna paused and stared at him, waiting for him to look up. To see her. The guard explained that he wouldn't be able to, and before she could ask about it, he let her into the room and shut the door. As soon as it closed, the walls transformed into stone before her eyes- or the illusion of stone. She couldn't see out, but they could see in.

Fauna stood still, looking at him for a moment. Then she moved forward and wrapped her arms around him, holding him as if she'd never see him again.

She felt the same little thrill she usually did whenever she caught sight of him. But then the questions and worry rushed in.

"What happened?" she murmured in his ear, her whisper echoing strangely in the room. A type of Sonorus charm was probably cast on the place, but she didn't think of it long. Fauna finally pulled back and looked into his eyes. "Are you alright?"

Arms crossed and head down, Devlin stared at a spot on the floor. Just stared. There was nothing particularly interesting about it. It didn't even have a 'spot' on it, just smooth, unreadable slate that matched his pallid face. Though his face had little to say, his mind simply wouldn't shut up. Chiding him, mocking him, torturing him. Reminding him how much of a colossal failure he was for screwing up such a simple task. You're losing your touch, Matthews... his inner self laughed, ... Maybe it is because you were stupid enough to let yourself fall in love... Clouded your judgment, as unreliable as that normally is.

It was devastatingly true. He had realized, after having nothing to do for 24 hours but think about his life, that he was indeed in love with Fauna Blake. He had no idea when it happened or how, but after that debacle at the dance, he had found it hard to think about anything but her. Her face, her hair, her smell... especially her eyes... invaded his thoughts and took them over. Worse part was, he had screwed it all up before he discovered what she had become to him. He was sure that she would never look twice at him again after the fight at the dance and then this little number.

He was aware of the door opening and a person stepping in, but he didn't look up, assuming that it was Knox. After all, he had used his only owl to mail him and hoped that his 'father' could at least post his bail. Waiting for Knox to take the initiative and talk, Devlin continued to mull over the disastrous night, wondering if Fauna was with that worthless little git, Chance. The bastard was probably holding her tight, telling her what a bad person Dev was and how this whole crime debacle proved it. And Fauna... Fauna was probably...

A pair of arms snaked around him, pulling him into a hug and cutting his treacherous thoughts short. He didn't have to hear her voice or see her face to know it was her. The warm, soft curves of her body and that sweet smell of gentle cinnamon that he always could smell on her overwhelmed him. She was there. With him. Words could not explain the welling of emotions that filled him when it dawned on him that she still loved him, maybe as much as he had come to love her.

"What happened? Are you alright?"

Without a word, Devlin rolled to his feet and slid his arms around her. Pulling her tightly to him, as though he was afraid to let her go, he buried his face into her neck and breathed in deeply. "I am now..." He murmured against her neck before trailing firm kisses along the soft skin, over her jaw and to her lips, which he kissed with equal desperation. "Merlin... I am so glad to see you..." He whispered, his lips brushing hers with each word. "I screwed up so bad Fauna... I screwed up everything... And worst of all..." His weary hazel eyes, rimmed in red from the sleepless night, finally met hers. Cupping her cheeks in his hands, he rested his forehead against hers, murmuring, "...I hurt you..."

The slump to Devlin's shoulders and the way he'd stared at the floor had made her feel like she was looking at an entirely different person. Holding him had woken him up, driven him to respond. He held her back and she let out a little sigh of relief. He was still in there. This was the Devlin she knew. He kissed her with tenderness and a hint of desperation. As if he were stranded in the desert and she was the tall glass of water.

He told her he was glad to see her, that he'd screwed up badly. Fauna searched his eyes, noticing the dark shadows underneath and the pallor to his face. She had never seen him like this. Merlin, what had happened? Fauna wanted to bring back the light in his eyes somehow. To tell him everything would be alright, even though she had no idea what was going on or why he was here.

Cupping her cheeks in his hands, he rested his forehead against hers, murmuring, "...I hurt you..."

Fauna's concerned expression turned puzzled for a moment. "What? What... the mixer?" She shook her head firmly, reaching up to gently touch his cheek. "Don't worry about that," her face flushed. She could still be embarrassed about the mess, but she wasn't angry. "I... I sent you a letter. Explaining. But... it doesn't matter now. I mean, 'cause I'm sorry too. I just..."

She leaned forward and kissed him to express what she couldn't put into words. Then said, "I just want to know that you're... okay."

He wasn't, that much was obvious. She looked at him questioningly, hoping he'd just tell her so she could shove away the horrible possibilities her imagination was conjuring. They only had fifteen minutes. But she waited. Waited until he was ready.

"What? What... the mixer? Don't worry about that, I... I sent you a letter. Explaining. But... it doesn't matter now. I mean, 'cause I'm sorry too. I just..."

His eyes fell closed and he smiled, letting out a long held sigh as relief washed over him. Merlin, she had no idea how good it was to hear her say that. The last couple nights had been hell, and not just because the beds in the waiting cells were as hard as stone. All he could think about was the way her eyes looked at him that evening and how he had marred the most beautiful gaze in the world with a shroud of hatred. It had filled him with an unfamiliar and unwelcome feeling of shame and disgust, mostly at himself. He never wanted her to look at him with eyes like that again.

"I just want to know that you're... okay."

Leaning into the kiss, Devlin's brow furrowed as she pulled away. His eyes wouldn't meet hers in fear of seeing how shameful he looked reflected within them. How did he tell her what he did without making her hate him? Pondering this, he rested his forehead against hers and stared down at her clavicle, which was woefully absent of his Christmas gift. His fingers brushed against her collar, almost wistfully.

He knew she would soon hear the story he fed the police, about how he was not Spade but had been hired by him to deliver a 'Surprise Christmas Gift" to Ms. Randall. It was a plausible enough story, especially with no real evidence to the contrary, but Devlin knew that Fauna was too pure-hearted to simply look past the fact that he had been part of the plot to systematically tear down a person's life. He didn't want her to blame herself, but perhaps if she thought it was partially on her behalf that he did it, she would forgive him. It was a longshot, but what did he have to lose? He already had digested one shoe that week, what was another?

"I can't really talk about what happened, I'm sorry..." He murmured, his fingers tracing her collarbone. "My lawyer cautioned against it lest I say anything stupid..." He paused and chuckled ruefully "... Which you have to admit has been happening a lot recently..." His smile died as he added almost inaudibly, "... I just... I just got caught up in trying to make the people I love happy... I didn't think about what I was doing to afford it."

His relief at her reassurances that she had forgiven the drama at the mixer was more than apparent, and Fauna realized with some surprise that he had probably been fretting about it just as much as she had this weekend. Perhaps he hadn't received her letter then. That was both good and bad. Fauna had written out all her feelings, but was slightly embarrassed by them.

When she asked again if he was really alright, there was a long pause, and he began lightly tracing her collarbone. She shivered a little. His simple gesture only made her want to kiss him again, but she ignored the urge, listening carefully and with a small sense of disappointment as he explained that he couldn't tell her.

Fauna returned his smile, but it faded fast as she caught the last of his words: "... I just... I just got caught up in trying to make the people I love happy... I didn't think about what I was doing to afford it."

Her face went pale, almost as pale as Devlin's. She turned away for a second and sat down in one of the chairs in the room. The chair was hard and cold. It was clearly not meant to give any comfort, but she leaned against it and ran a hand through her hair.

Fauna had wondered how Devlin had been able to afford the beautiful necklace he'd given her. When she'd happily shown it off to her mum, her mum had bluntly asked if he was rich, and when Fauna had said no, she'd gotten this suspicious look on her face and told her she wanted to meet him soon. Fauna had brushed it off as her mum being mistrustful, because her mother had been hurt in the past and was quite paranoid about boys who expressed interest in her daughters. Fauna didn't even want to think about what Catherine would say now that Devlin had been arrested. Now that she knew it had something to do with her.

"Dev, I hope you didn't... you didn't have to do that for me," she whispered, glancing up at him with a pained expression. Fauna reached up to fiddle with the necklace that she'd been wearing daily, but let her hand drop when she remembered it was in the Ministry locker with the rest of her things.

Confusion and worry settled into her features. Where had he gotten the idea that she expected that level of expense, especially at the risk of his well being? Fauna was quick to blame his friends, many of whom came from wealthier families. Or previous girlfriends like Maeve, who wanted the world on a platter. More than a few girls had told her that she had to act a certain way and be a certain way to keep a boyfriend. Was this some twisted mistake in reverse?

"I can't afford much either. Even with working this winter, I mean, it only does so much. I'm not one of those people who, well... I don't come from a lot, and I don't expect a lot of... material things as a token of love."

She paused. Love? The word had just slipped out.

"I just... I want to be with you. That's the most important thing to me. Just being around you, spending time with you. Being your," she gave him a small, sincere smile, "Girlfriend."

Fauna studied his face. He'd told her he couldn't say anything. But she couldn't help but ask, "Did your... friends... get you wrapped up in something?"

She could see someone like the Snarks, or Xavier or Callum, pulling him into something stupid. Though she was well aware now that not everyone shared her point of view, Fauna saw Devlin as the innocent one in his group of friends. She assumed that because she was loyal, that loyalty motivated Devlin. Loyalty to the wrong sort, in her opinion, but she could understand that more than she could understand him acting completely alone. Even if he'd done it for her.

"Dev, I hope you didn't... you didn't have to do that for me,"

The hurt and confused expression on her face proved deadly for Devlin and he immediately regretted trying to make her feel guilty. What was he thinking? He should have known that she would blame this all on herself! He could spend the rest of the day telling her that not all the money went to her gift, much of it went to his family and perhaps even a few choice things for himself, but it wouldn't matter, she would still be angry with herself. He signed inwardly and let her continue. The best he could hope for now is that she didn't dwell much on it.

"I can't afford much either. Even with working this winter, I mean, it only does so much. I'm not one of those people who, well... I don't come from a lot, and I don't expect a lot of... material things as a token of love. I just... I want to be with you. That's the most important thing to me. Just being around you, spending time with you. Being your...girlfriend."

As she sat there, stumbling over her words and toying with a nonexistent necklace, Devlin was struck once more of how much she reminded him of his mother. Not in a creepy Oedipal way, but the endearing qualities his precious mother shared with the girl before him. The honesty and the purity that shone on her face. The forgiving and nurturing nature she offered to others. Even though it was obvious to anyone watching that Fauna was usually the better person, she had a way of making you feel that you were a better person just for knowing her. At least, she made him feel that way.

The fact of the matter was that she was too good for him and he was painfully aware of it. In fact, the mere thought of how much she was like his mother also made him wonder how much he was like his 'father'. Not Knox, but the man who actually raised him, if you could call it that. Devlin had seen this man destroy the innocence in his mother, tearing it apart every time he got hauled into jail or left her struggling to make ends meet. He had destroyed her purity by chasing her into the arms of another. A heavy weight came down on Devlin's shoulders when he thought about this. How long would it be before he made the innocence in Fauna's eyes disappear?

"Did your... friends... get you wrapped up in something?"

"uh..." Dev said suddenly, his trance broken by her question. Chewing on his lip, he considered the idea for a moment. It could be so easy to pin it on the Snark boys. With Madame Snark a pariah already and considering her past relationship with the man Randall was marrying, it would not only be plausible, it would be sensational. Not only would Fauna believe it, but so would most other people. Was it worth it though? Was selling out his best mates worth the repercussions? Sighing inwardly, he knew the answer: he couldn't do it. As much of a rat as Devlin was, he didn't sell out his friends. Shaking his head, he said softly "Naw, they didn't get me into this... I got myself into this mess."

The thought of him becoming his father was still weighing heavily on his mind. He couldn't let that happen. Rolling to his feet, he offered her a hand and, when she took it, pulled her up into a hug. "And... I will get out of it. Don't you worry..." He murmured in her ear before pulling back so he could smile at her " But, right now, Fauna, I have only one thing in mind... and that is the dance you owe me."

The pause after Devlin's "Uh..." lasted far too long for Fauna's liking. A crease appeared between her brows as she looked at him, willing him to tell her. But he didn't. He shook his head and said he'd done it all on his own.

Bollocks! Fauna sighed. She just didn't want to believe that the blame could be placed all on his shoulders. And Devlin claiming that he acted alone only made sense to her if he was saying it to protect a friend. She could relate to that, understand the reasoning.

When he held out a hand to her, she took it, her expression softening. She'd leave it be, for now. They didn't have much time left.

Fauna hugged him back, nodding when he said he would get out of this. Whatever it was couldn't be that bad.

His usual confidence and charm had returned, she noticed with relief, as he smiled down at her and asked her for the dance they'd missed out on at the Mixer. Fauna raised her eyebrows, let out a giggle. She glanced around as if they had an audience (and with the way the room was set up, they very well could).

"Here?" She questioned, self-consciously fiddling with a strand of her hair. She had no music! No atmosphere!

But as cheesy as it sounded, she had him. And that was more than enough.

"Well, if you insist," she teased, wrapping her arms around his neck and sidling up close. Fauna looked up at him, swaying lightly with the 'music'. Holding and being held by him made her feel like they were in their own little bubble, unaffected by the world. Here, they could just be themselves. The affection in his eyes always surprised her, warmed her to her toes, and now was no exception, causing a blush to rise in her cheeks and her eyes to glance away for a moment.

Fauna looked back at him and gave him a grateful, trusting smile. It was like he pushed past the walls she put up, noticed the things she did and didn't say, and saw the best in her, somehow. Devlin encouraged her with art, with SAWS. He told her she was smart and beautiful. Fauna wondered if she was supporting him enough and helping him in the same way. Then she realized that more than ever, this was the time to show it. He needed her, didn't he? She didn't trust his friends. He rarely talked about his family. So she could be strong. Dependable. He could lean on her for once.

"You know I'll be there for you, right?" She said quietly, gently brushing a piece of his hair away from his eyes. "We'll get through it together."

"Here? Well, if you insist,"

"I do..." He said with a nod, sliding his hands around her slender waist and pulling her close. What they did wasn't as much a dance as it was them staring into each others eyes and shuffling their feet, but as she gazed up at him and her cheeks flushed, Devlin couldn't help but feel they were sharing their own little world. They were dancing in an elegant ballroom to a full orchestra, wearing fine silks that billowed around them as they twirled effortlessly to the music. He didn't even realize that they were, instead, swaying off tempo to nothingness in a dingy Ministry cell until she brushed a lock of hair off his forehead.

"You know I'll be there for you, right? We'll get through it together."

That line... he had heard it before. It had to be years ago when he would stay up late and peek through keyholes to watch his mother consoling his father, who had probably lost a job or, at the very least, most of his paycheck gambling. As frail as she was physically, she had always been the rock that the family leaned on and trusted. Fauna was just like her, trusting and supportive of her screw up of a boyfriend. He wondered, though, if he was becoming Douglas, how long was it before she cheated on him with a younger Knox? The idea filled him with disgust, despite the fact that he would not have been conceived if she hadn't. He didn't know what was worse, his pure and perfect mother doing something so dishonorable with a man like Greyfriar... or the fact that his very life was owed to the man and that disgusting mistake.

He became very still and quiet at her words, his brow furrowing a little as he thought about what had and could happen. The fact that Douglas wasn't his real father, and therefore he hadn't inherited his bad luck and bad genes, was not enough to make Devlin feel better. He had to stop this circle of failure now, before he chased Fauna into the arms of someone like Chance. Licking his lips, he decided that the moment he could escape his father's hairy clutches, he would search out Theo and cut it off. All of it. He would get straight if it killed him, because if she was going to support him, he was going to make her proud.

Bending down, he kissed her softly but deeply, his eyes heavy with troubled thoughts as he smiled weakly at her "I promise that this will never happen again, Fauna... I won't let you see me in this place ever again..."

Devlin looked so serious and paused for such a long moment that Fauna searched his face, suddenly worried. Did he... want her to be there for him? He wanted to be with her, right?

She pulled back ever so slightly. "Devlin?"

But then he kissed her, and some of her worries floated away, and she found herself wishing they could just stay like this, without the big Unspoken St. Mungo's crime hanging over their heads, without the mixer or the other people in their lives interfering. The bubble only lasted for so long, and reality had to intrude at some point. As he pulled back, ending the kiss, she blinked and looked around. They were in a cell. They weren't really alone. And there was this Big Mysterious Deal that Devlin had to figure out and get through, and she had to get through it with him, because she cared about him and didn't want him to have no one.

He tried to reassure her again that whatever had put him in this cell wouldn't happen for a second time, and he seemed more concerned about her seeing him here than about what had happened to get him here. Fauna bit her lip, hating that she was going into this blind, and that she didn't even know what it was they were supposed to overcome.

Fauna shook her head and squeezed his hand reassuringly, "Don't worry about me, okay? Worry about you. I already know that this won't happen again, because... because it was just a mistake."

She smiled at him a little, believing he had nothing serious to worry about. This was a one-time lapse in judgment. Of course he wouldn't get into this kind of trouble again; why would he? It wasn't as if Devlin committed crime on a regular basis or spent years leading a double life. This gentle side to him was the only one she saw.

Fauna leaned in to kiss him, but right before her lips touched his, she heard the door opening and the guard bashfully clearing his throat. A look of annoyed wistfulness crossed her features, and she glanced back at the guard, hugged Devlin quickly, and then slowly headed towards the door.

Fauna hesitated before leaving and looked over her shoulder. "Everything will be alright," she reassured him softly. She'd do what she could for him and talk to Greyfriar, maybe even Raynor. They'd know it was just a one-time mistake, because it had to be. The other possibilities as to the why and how of it didn't fit into her perception of him, and consequently were pushed out of her head.