Through The Years

Summer would be the first to admit that she was a mess when her husband died, being a vampire meant that one day all of her human friends would be gone while she remained the same and she was doing her best to prepare herself for that eventuality but her husband had become a vampire because he had wanted to have forever with her and it had been taken away from them anyway. She knew that being a vampire didn’t mean that they couldn’t be killed but it was meant to mean that they should have longer together than they had done. She was born a vampire so it was all she had ever known and there was a part of her that had known that finding love would be a challenge especially if what her mum had been through was anything to go by but she had honestly thought that she had found something that would last with Finn. Instead she had found herself a widow with two young daughters before she was even in her mid-twenties and it was a lot to say the least. Fortunately her friends and family had rallied around her to support her and the girls and she was grateful to them for that. They hadn’t even been able to keep Finn’s surname as their own in case it put them in danger so she had changed all of their surnames to her maiden name of Taylor instead and since then she had been doing her best to get on with her life. It wasn’t easy but she knew that Finn would have wanted her to move on and she had the girls to think about so she couldn’t afford to be sad forever.

As it was her work was going well and one thing that had come about since Finn had died was the relationship that had built between her and Micheal. She had thought that he might perhaps check in on her and the girls once or twice after Finn died but he had done much more than that. He had cast protective spells around her home after her husband died and he had been there for her ever since. She hadn’t expected to feel as connected to him as she did now, he was a vampire too and he had been alive for much longer than she had but he knew what it was like to love someone and lose them and he also knew what it was like to remain the same while everyone else around him changed. Summer hadn’t thought that she would want to open her heart to anyone again after losing Finn so tragically but she also knew that she didn’t want to be alone forever. If things worked out then she would have an incredibly long life ahead of her and she wanted to be able to share that with someone someday.

Whether or not that person would end up being Micheal she had no idea. She wasn’t even sure that he was interested in her in that way but he had helped her see that she could find it in her to move on and she was always going to be grateful to him for that. He had his own daughter to think about in Grace and he knew that she would always be his priority but even after becoming Minister for Magic he still insisted on spending time with her and the truth was that Summer was glad about that. She knew that she would have understood if he had decided to keep his distance because he was busy with work but she enjoyed his company so she was glad that she got to see him again. Summer had ended up getting there early but soon enough her gaze came to rest on a familiar figure making his way over to her and she felt a smile touch her lips. “Hi,” she said, her heart skipping a beat as he said she looked beautiful and kissed her cheek. Out of the corner of her eye she could see a couple of people sat by the bar sending them curious looks since they seemed to recognise Micheal but she knew she just had to ignore them. “Thank you, you look handsome yourself as always,” she admitted as she lifted her glass to her lips and took a sip. “There’s no need to apologise, I know how busy you are. To be honest I’m glad you were able to make it, I hope you got everything sorted out okay,” she added. “We’re all good thank you. If you have time one day you should stop by the house, I know the girls would love to see you,” she said, a smile touching her lips as she looked over at him. She knew just how much the girls liked him so she hoped that he would have time at some point. “How are you and Grace? I imagine everything that’s going on is keeping you pretty busy. I really wouldn’t have blamed you if you’d had to cancel.”

MICHEAL ALEXANDER HERONDALE

There were days even now when Summer was reminded of just how young she was compared to some of those around her. Most of her friends were the same age as her but there were people she worked with at Hogwarts who were older than she was and then there was Micheal. He was over a hundred years older than she was and even though he had been there for her through the most difficult time of her life, the truth was that she had thought that after a while the contact between them would stop. She knew that he had started being there for her because he was Finn’s boss and they had known each other a little before that but nothing like they knew each other now. Aside from her family and her old friends from Hogwarts, he was the person that she ended up seeing the most. It had been one thing when he was the Head of his department but now he was the Minister for Magic and she had honestly thought that would mean that he wouldn’t have time to see her any longer. Summer had told him that on numerous occasions over the last two years, not wanting him to keep up with their meetings if he was only doing it because he felt obligated to do so, but he had insisted. He wanted to spend time with her for some reason that she couldn’t quite get her head around and truth be told she wanted to spend time with him as well. To start with he had just been a friend, a shoulder to cry on when being without Finn became too much and someone to talk to about raising vampire daughters that wasn’t her own mum but somewhere along the line it had turned into something more than that, at least for her. Summer knew that there was no way he would be interested in her in that way, he had loved and lost before as well and she was certain that when he did open his heart again he would probably want to do that for someone who was the complete opposite for her. Summer’s relationships never seemed to work out the way she wanted them to and she was trying to make her peace with that but it still didn’t stop her from wanting to try again when she could. One thing that she was certain of was that the way she felt about Micheal wasn’t a rebound, she hadn’t even thought about opening herself up again for the longest time but now she knew that she was ready and even if nothing else came of their time together then she was grateful that he had showed her that she could feel that way about someone again even if he didn’t necessarily know it.

She was also grateful for the lengths that he was going to in order to keep her and the girls safe. He had renewed the protection charms around her house and a few days ago Will had added a few spells of his own creation as well, not wanting to take any chances after what had happened to Finn. Summer wasn’t really worried for her own safety but there wasn’t anything that she wouldn’t do to protect her daughters so she had accepted their help without any arguments, grateful that they had thought of her. As far as she was concerned she really wasn’t anything special but there were times when those around her made her feel that way and it was flattering to say the least. Micheal was definitely one of those people and as he said that he paled in comparison to her, Summer felt a smile touch her lips as she shook her head. “I think the women in here would beg to differ, so would some of the ones I work with. I often get asked if you’re seeing someone, I’m pretty sure you’re one of the world’s most eligible bachelors,” she teased although her words were true. Each time someone asked if he was seeing someone she felt a pang of jealousy that she knew she had no right to feel and she always had to try her best to bury it down as deep as she could. “I’m glad. Your assistant does so well given everything that’s going on and so do you, you don’t need people like that telling you how to do your job as well,” she said gently as she took a sip of her drink. “That’s ok, you’re here and that’s all that matters,” she assured him as she reached over and squeezed his hand gently.

“Fortunately my two are quite happy sleeping through the night now, I don’t miss those nights either,” she admitted with a smile. “That sounds great but you’re always taking care of me and the girls so I think it’s time for me to return the favour. When was the last time you had a homecooked meal?” Summer asked, knowing that she wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t tend to bother too much while Grace was at Hogwarts. He had so much on his plate all the time and Summer knew that it would be so easy for Micheal to forget to take care of himself at times so she knew that she wanted to make that right if she could. “I’m not surprised, she’s a great girl and she worries about you so she won’t want to add to that,” she said gently. It had just been Micheal and Grace for such a long time and she was so glad that they had that bond. As Micheal spoke again, Summer’s smile returned. “I’m always happy to be your excuse to finish work early,” she assured him. “How about next time we meet for lunch? That way you’ll be able to have a bit of a break at least while the sun is still out,” she suggested as she finished her drink and set it down in front of her. “Would you like another?” she asked as she gestured towards his glass which had already been refilled once.

MICHEAL ALEXANDER HERONDALE

Summer often found herself wondering why Micheal still found the time to see her these days, it had been one thing when he was Finn's Head of Department and was checking in on her and the girls after he died but she had always wondered if perhaps he was doing that out of a sense of duty. As time went on they had started to get to know each other better and he had come to mean a lot to her, much more than she was willing to admit right now, but things had changed. He wasn't the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement any longer, he was the Minister for Magic and that meant he had much more on his plate than ever before. Summer wouldn't have blamed him if he had cut off contact with her but he hadn't done, he was here now having a drink with her and she hoped that he wouldn't have to rush off so they could have dinner together as well. Summer had had her heart broken more times than she cared to admit and after Finn died she had found herself not just a widow but a single mum as well. Neither of those things had been a part of the future she had thought she would have but she had managed to get through it all with the help of Micheal, Angel and her friends and she knew that she would have been lost without them. She hadn't really given too much thought to moving on, being a vampire meant that she would have a really long life ahead of her if she was lucky and that was something that she knew she wanted but she said she would be lying if she said she wasn't worried about spending the rest of her life alone. She was born a vampire and there weren't many people who could accept being with someone who had never been human but being around Micheal had made her realise that she could develop feelings for someone again, she just didn't want to make things awkward with Micheal so she knew that she needed to keep it to herself. "I know you're just saying that to be nice but thank you anyway," Summer said, her cheeks flushing red even though she knew that what Micheal said couldn't be true. "Oh yes, these days everyone wants to know who others are in a relationship with. Get caught spending too much time with me in public and I'm sure rumours will start to circulate," Summer laughed. "I would love to claim you for my own but I'm sure there are a lot of women vying for your attention who are much more worthy of it than I am," she added. Summer never saw herself as anything special, as far as she was concerned she was just a vampire, a widow, a single mother and a nurse. She knew that she wasn't exactly a catch as far as most men were concerned and she was certain that there would be plenty of women out there who were much more suitable for Micheal even if just the idea of him being with someone else was enough to make her heart ache.

"I can imagine. With the amount of meetings you have at the moment it must be difficult to keep track of them otherwise. I really appreciate you making the time to come and see me," Summer said sincerely. She really did feel lucky to have Micheal in her life and she knew better than to take that for granted. She knew that it would no doubt change when he started seeing someone and the truth was she didn't even want to think about that because just the idea of it was enough to make her feel jealous and she knew that she had absolutely no right to feel that way. Micheal wasn't hers no matter how much she might want him to be and she knew that she wanted him to be happy after everything he had been through so she really did hope he would find happiness one day. She could see the way the women in the room were eyeing Micheal even now and she could see the looks of disdain that they were giving her for being the one he was spending time with but the truth was that she really didn't care right now, she was just enjoying being around him.

How much longer he would be able to carry on sparing time to see her for especially when he had Grace to think about as well really did remain to be seen but Summer knew that she would take what she could get for as long as she could. Summer loved spending time with him and the girls did too. They often asked when they were going to get to see him again and that was something that Summer hadn't expected at all. She knew that she had to be careful about who she introduced to the girls but Micheal had been a constant in their lives ever since they were babies and that really did mean the world to her. "You're right about that. It sounds like for you it was bad enough with just Grace, imagine double the trouble. I would just get one of the girls settled and then the other would start, they definitely kept me on my toes," Summer grinned. She loved her girls with all her heart but she couldn't deny that she had felt relieved when they had started sleeping through the night. As Micheal dodged the question about when he had last had a homecooked meal, Summer shook her head. "Cooked at Hogwarts definitely doesn't count, the house elves are good but cooking is their job. That's settled, let me know when you're free and I'll cook dinner for us, " Summer said, knowing that she wanted to make sure that Micheal was looking after himself while Grace was at Hogwarts. He always seemed to look after everyone else and Summer knew that she wanted to look after him for a change. As Micheal spoke again, Summer felt her cheeks flush red slightly. "Great, I'm looking forward to it," she nodded, knowing that she would definitely make the most of seeing him while she could. As he asked if she was trying to get him drunk, Summer couldn't help but laugh. "Would I do a thing like that?" she teased. "Honestly though, I know you don't get to have time off too often so I just want to make sure you enjoy tonight," she added gently. As he asked what they should do about something to eat, Summer's expression turned thoughtful for a moment. "I'm actually in the mood for Chinese food unless you want something else so shall we go and find somewhere else to eat?" she suggested, knowing that if Micheal would prefer to eat at the Three Broomsticks then that would be fine with her as well as long as she got to spend more time with him.

MICHEAL ALEXANDER HERONDALE

Summer knew that there were some women who were confident in their appearance and liked to use that to their advantage but that had never been her. There was probably always going to be a part of her that would feel self conscious about the way she looked after the comments that had been made about her during her first few years at Hogwarts but that was just a part of who she was now. While she might not necessarily see herself the way that Micheal claimed to, she was confident in other ways and she wasn't ashamed of that. Summer was only twenty four years old but she had already loved and lost and become a single parent to two young girls the day her husband died. It wasn't the way that she had thought that her life would turn out and while it was true that she still loved Finn, being around Micheal had made her realise that it was possible for her to open up her heart to another. She really did like him and even though she had felt certain that he would never want more than friendship with her, with the way he was talking right now she wasn't so sure whether that was still the case. "Well in that case, thank you," she said, a smile touching her lips as Micheal said that he never said things he didn't mean. She knew that deep down but she still wasn't used to hearing things like that from him so she had thought that perhaps this time he was just saying it to be nice. "I can imagine. It can't be easy having everyone want to know your business. How are you and Grace finding it?" she asked gently. It was the same for her two best friends, Chantal and Ana both played quidditch professionally so they were both in the public eye all the time. Summer could see what that was like at times when she went out with one or both of them and she knew it had to be that much worse for Micheal given his status. Summer had never caught people's attention like that herself and she was pretty glad about that but it was never going to be enough to make her stop spending time with the people she cared about. As Micheal told her that no one was more worthy of his attention than her and again said that she should claim him for herself, Summer felt her heart flutter in her chest. She hadn't expected that reaction from him but now she was starting to wonder more than ever whether perhaps what she felt for him wasn't one sided after all. "What would it look like to you if I were to claim you for my own, theoretically speaking?" she asked at last. Summer wasn't sure whether he wanted more than just friendship with her or whether he just wanted people to leave him alone so it was a question that she knew she needed to know the answer to.

If there was one thing that Summer was glad about, it was that she didn't have a life that was anywhere near as busy as Micheal's was. Most days she went to work, returned home to the girls and spent time with them before having the rest of the evening to herself once they were in bed. It wasn't the most exciting life and she always made sure to make the most of it when she was able to spend time with her brother, her friends and Micheal but otherwise she had grown used to being on her own. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it must be like for Micheal to have to deal with meetings all the time and not really have much time for himself so she was more than happy to give him an excuse to take a break when she could. "I know what you mean. Texting is good but outside of work most days I just have the girls for company and even though I love them, it is nice to have some time with you and everyone else when you're free," she admitted. She knew that they all had their own lives to lead so she didn't expect them to be around all the time but she always appreciated it when they were. "It really does mean a lot to me that you're still making time to see me," she added gently. He could have easily said that he was too busy and she would have understood but he hadn't done that and that really did mean a lot to her.

With everything that was going on at the moment Summer always felt a little guilty whenever she left the girls to go to work but she knew that she had to in order to support them. Finn had left them some money so they were comfortable but it wouldn't last forever and Summer had always been the kind of person who liked to stand on her own two feet. She often had to rely on the kindness of family or friends to look after the girls when she wasn't able to get them a babysitter or take them to nursery but thankfully they didn't seem to mind helping her out when she needed it. She could only imagine what it was like for Micheal and all the other parents when they sent their kids off to Hogwarts and didn't get to see them until the holidays, she had always been fortunate in that her mum worked at the school and she lived close by so while Summer was at school she'd had the option to return home when she had wanted to but she had opted to stay in the dorms some of the time as well to make sure that she had the full experience, no matter how difficult that had been at times after the news that she was a vampire had ended up getting out. "I don't know about that. I never knew it was possible to love anyone as much as I do them but the moment I first held them I knew I would do anything for them, even if that meant enduring endless sleepless nights," Summer admitted. When Finn was alive he had helped with the girls a lot and she had always appreciated that but after he died she had found herself left to try and figure it all out on her own and it had been more difficult than she ever could have imagined but they were in a good place now and she knew that she wanted it to stay that way. "Meals at Hogwarts are better than diner food but they still don't compare to proper home cooking," she assured him. As he said that it was a date, Summer felt a smile touch her lips. She wasn't sure whether he meant that in the way she wanted him to and he had said it earlier as well so she couldn't help but wonder whether that was just a phrase he used. Either way it was enough to make her heart flutter in her chest and she nodded. "You won't hear any arguments from me, that sounds perfect," she said gently. She knew that she would have to make sure that the house was tidy when he did come over, there were days when the girls wore her out so much that she didn't always have the energy to tidy up until the following morning but the last thing she wanted was for Micheal to think badly of them. "I think we'll have to agree to disagree on that one," she grinned as Micheal said that she wasn't looking forward to it as much as he was. As he said that he thought she would try and get him drunk, Summer couldn't help but laugh. "And here I was thinking you knew me better than that," she teased. Truth be told she wasn't trying to get him drunk but she did want to make sure that he had the chance to unwind properly for the evening. Nodding as he said that Chinese was perfect, Summer's expression softened when he paid for their drinks. "Thank you," she said sincerely, not having expected him to do that. Slipping on her jacket, Summer took his arm when he offered it and together they headed outside, Summer doing her best to ignore the way so many of the other patrons were looking at them as they left. "No, that sounds perfect," she assured him. "Shall we apparate to your car?" she asked, not sure whether that was what he had in mind or whether he had a portkey set up for when he returned later.

MICHEAL ALEXANDER HERONDALE

Summer had dated a few guys during her time at Hogwarts but Finn was the only guy she had seen after that. She had honestly thought that she had found the guy that she was going to spend the rest of her life with in him and that was why she had not only agreed to turn him but she had married him and they had started a family of their own. Becoming a single mum had never even crossed her mind, she had always known that Finn’s job carried with it an element of risk but he had promised her that he would always do everything in his power to return home to her each day and she believed him. He had kept that promise for a long time until he couldn’t keep it any longer and then it had been Micheal who had showed up at the door to tell her that her husband had died. Everything had changed that day, she’d had to move out of the home that she and Finn had shared in case those who killed him found out that he had a family, she’d had to change not just her surname but that of the girls back to her maiden name as well and she’d had to do all of that while mourning the loss of her husband. For a long time she had thought that she would never feel ready to move on from him but it really was true that time was a great healer and now she felt ready to start the next chapter of her life. She knew that Finn would want her to be happy and even though he might not necessarily have expected her to find that happiness with his boss, the same boss who was now the Minister for Magic, the truth was that she hadn’t expected that either. It had caught her completely by surprise but she really did have feelings for Micheal and she knew that she would regret it if she didn’t at least try and be open to them if he felt the same.

“She’s lucky to have a dad like you who cares so much,” Summer said gently. She didn’t remember her own father, she was so young when he left and even though he had reached out to her since then she knew that he must have some kind of an ulterior motive so she had decided to ignore his attempts at reconciliation, if that was even what they could be called. Micheal was more like her mum in that he was the parent who stayed and the one who would do anything in their power to protect their children and she really was proud of him for that. “I remember those struggles all too well. It was the same for me when I started at Hogwarts but over time the students started to accept me and eventually I learned to tune out those who didn’t. I’m sure Grace will do the same,” she added. Grace was a strong girl from what she had seen and she had some friends around her who didn’t care that she wasn’t born human. Summer had been fortunate in that she’d always had Angel looking out for her but Grace seemed more than capable of looking out for herself when she had to so Summer knew that she had to believe that the girl would be fine. “You’re in the public eye now so they’re always going to want to learn everything they can about you but sooner or later someone else will come along to divert the attention away from you,” she said, a smile touching her lips as she looked over at him. It was always the same, the media would shift their attention to someone new when something happened but Micheal would always be in the limelight now and that was something that she couldn’t ignore. Her question about what it would look like for him if she were to claim him for her own was a serious one, it was something that she had thought about so much and she knew that she wanted to make sure that they were on the same page. As he answered her question she could already see that they were and she felt a smile touch her lips, the compliment making her breath catch in her throat for a moment. “I’m not so keen on the idea of the press taking an interest in me but it would be worth it to be with you,” Summer assured him. Ana and Chantal both managed it and even though it would be different for her, Summer knew that she wasn’t going to let that stop her from being with someone that she had genuine feelings for. As Micheal reached for her hand, Summer made no move to stop him and as he took her hand she covered his hand gently with her own. His next words were enough to make it clear what he wanted and Summer’s expression softened. “At first I did worry that perhaps it was too soon but the truth is I can’t stop thinking about you,” she said gently. “I don’t want you to think that this is a rebound or anything like that. I genuinely do have feelings for you if losing Finn has taught me one thing it’s that life can be short even for people like us so now I know that you feel the same I really want to see where this thing between us could go.” She knew that it was messy, after all Micheal had Grace and she had the twins, but Summer knew that she would regret it if she didn’t give this a shot. “I want to be with you.”

As Micheal said that she and Grace were the people he was most focused on seeing, Summer felt her cheeks flush red and her heart leapt. “You’re one of the people I’m most focused on seeing too,” she said gently. She always tried to make sure that they got to spend as much time together as they could and that was something that she only did for family and her closest friends. Micheal meant so much more to her than she had ever let herself admit and she knew that she was never going to want to lose his presence from her life. His next words were enough to surprise Summer and she slowly shook her head. “I won’t lie and say that I don’t sometimes think back to that day but you did what you thought was right. You didn’t have to come and tell me yourself but you did and you stayed with me. I couldn’t have got through any of this without you,” she assured him. She had leaned on Micheal so much since that day and the truth was that she knew she really would have been lost without him.

One thing Micheal never seemed to talk about was what had happened between him and Grace’s mum. Summer had always been curious about that but she had never wanted to bring it up and make him feel like she was prying into his personal life. Instead she had kept any questions she had to herself so she was surprised when he started talking about what had happened of his own accord but she was beyond glad that he was trusting her with the truth. “I’m so sorry, I had no idea. I can’t imagine how difficult that must have been for you,” she said gently once he had finished explaining how he came to raise Grace alone. She hadn’t realised that Grace’s mum had chosen to throw away both her relationship with Micheal and her daughter and Summer had no idea how the woman could have ever chosen to do that. “You both deserved so much better than that but for what it’s worth you’re an incredible father and Grace is very lucky to have you,” she added, not a doubt in her mind that her words were true. “You haven’t heard anything from Grace’s mum since she left?” she asked as her eyes met his. It didn’t sound like there was any chance for reconciliation between the two of them and Summer could understand why he was so careful with who he let get close to him now. “Good answer,” she grinned when Micheal agreed to letting her cook for him. “Let me know when you’re free and we’ll make it happen.” Summer’s schedule was much more flexible than Micheal’s was so she was more than happy to fit it around him. Summer hadn’t expected Micheal to call it a date but she found herself looking forward to it that much more. She wasn’t sure what she was going to end up cooking for them yet, there was a part of her that was tempted to try and find out what his favourite meal was but at the same time she wanted it to be a surprise so she knew that she would probably just have to try and think back to what he ate most often when they went out together instead. Either way she wanted to make it a special night and she hoped that he would think that it was. As he spoke again, she couldn’t help but laugh. “I thought about it but there has to be some element of mystery to stop you getting bored,” she teased. The truth was that she hadn’t been with anyone since Finn so the thought made her a little nervous but this was Micheal so she was also excited at the same time. She knew that she wasn’t the kind of person to just rush into bed with someone, though, so she wanted to make sure that this was right for both of them first. It was easy for Summer to forget about everyone around them as they left and she nodded as Micheal told her to brace herself. Even now she still didn’t really like apparating too often if she could help it but sometimes it had to be done and now was one of those times. Following him in the direction of his car, Summer felt a smile touch her lips as he held the door open for her. “Why thank you, kind sir,” she grinned as she climbed into the passenger’s side. Turning to look at Micheal as he joined her in the car, Summer’s breath caught in her throat as he said she was beautiful and brushed her hair away from her face. Micheal himself was incredibly handsome and it was no wonder why he had so many people swooning whenever they looked at him but Summer had never seen herself in the way he seemed to see her and she wasn’t sure that she ever would. With the way he was looking at her right now, though, she did feel beautiful and in that moment she brought her hand up and let it rest against his cheek before leaning in slowly, giving him the chance to pull back if kissing her wasn’t what he wanted.

MICHEAL ALEXANDER HERONDALE

Summer knew that there were plenty of people who ended up finding themselves as single parents but it seemed to be happening quite a lot at the moment. Her mum had had to raise her and Angel on her own after their dad left and now Summer was having to raise the girls on her own after Finn died. It was the same for Micheal, he had raised Grace on his own and he had done an amazing job with her so that alone was enough to give her hope that she would be able to do the same with her own girls. Summer would be lying if she said that she wasn’t nervous about it, after al the last thing she wanted to do was to end up screwing up and failing her daughters but she had her brother and so many other people around her so she knew that she just had to hope that they would help keep her on the right track. Seeing that two people she really cared about had made it through doing what she was doing now was enough to make her see that it was possible at the very least. This shouldn’t be her life, she should have Finn there beside her every step of the way but he was gone and he wasn’t coming back so she’d had to find a way to make her peace with that and move on with her life. She knew that he wouldn’t want her to be alone forever and the truth was that that wasn’t what she wanted either. She knew that she had a long life ahead of her and even though she knew that she would have been just fine if it was just her, the girls and her family the truth was that she wanted more than that. She wanted to fall in love again and have that someone love her back in return and she wanted her girls to have someone in their life that they could go to when they needed someone to talk to other than her. They were always going to have Angel in their life but she wanted them to have a second chance at having a dad who loved them sooner or later and there was a part of her that hoped that she might have found that person already. “I wonder if sometimes people take their children for granted but to those who are like us if we’re lucky then we get to have our children in our lives forever and that’s an incredible feeling. You’ve done so well with her, she’s an amazing girl.” Grace might not have her mum in her life but she had a dad who clearly loved her and she seemed to be doing really well.

Attending Hogwarts when you were born a vampire wasn’t easy, that was something that Summer had learned firsthand. It hadn’t been as bad for Angel since he had been happy to stand up for both of them and she knew that he had ended up getting into more than a few fights because of it. In the end most of the students had come to realise that they weren’t so different from them after all and those that hadn’t had at least decided to keep their distance. There had been students at Hogwarts who were turned into vampires when she and Angel were there but those who were born vampires like her were much more rare and it had made them stand out even more. Summer really hoped that things weren’t as bad for Grace and she nodded when Micheal said that it was probably easier for her to turn the other cheek. “I hope so but either way at least she only has a year or so left,” she said gently. Next it would be the turn of Summer’s daughters to go through the scrutiny of being born vampires at Hogwarts and she really hoped that when that time came the students would be that much more accepting than they had been at first while she was there. “Has Grace figured out what she wants to do when she graduates?” she asked, not sure whether Grace had decided to follow in her dad’s footsteps or whether she would rather do something else with her life. Either way she got the feeling that Micheal would support her completely because he was the kind of guy who always seemed to put others before himself. His next words were proof enough of that and Summer felt her heart flutter in her chest. “You’ve thought this through already, haven’t you?” Summer asked, a smile touching her lips as her eyes met his. “I appreciate the thought but I’m not sure it would do any good. My name will be out there anyway and I don’t want to hide what you mean to me. I already had to do that with Finn when he died, I don’t want to live like that again,” she admitted. She had ended up keeping her name and that of the girls as her maiden name when the threat passed because she hadn’t wanted to confuse things even further by changing them back again but having to hide from everyone apart from those closest to her what she was going through was awful and she knew that she didn’t want to find herself in that position again.

Summer knew that Micheal would go at whatever speed she wanted to but the truth was that Summer didn’t want to waste anymore time. She had already lost the man she had thought that she would spend the rest of her life with when her husband died and she knew that she didn’t want to hold off on starting something with Micheal only to have something happen to him too. She knew that they could end up having an eternity together if things worked out the way she wanted them to but at the same time they could just have a few precious weeks or even days. Everything was so uncertain right now and Summer knew that she didn’t want to end up living her life with any regrets and she would definitely regret it if she and Micheal didn’t see what could happen between them. “I couldn’t agree with you more,” she said, a smile touching her lips as Micheal said that they should give it a shot. That really was what she wanted more than anything right now so she was glad that he wanted it too. They really had come a long way from where they had started, she had met Micheal before he’d told her about Finn but it had only ever been in passing or at work functions. She had never thought that he would become such a presence in her life or that she would end up feeling this way about him. He had helped her through the worst time of her life so he had seen her at her worst and he still wanted to be with her so she knew that she really was lucky in that respect. “It could never affect the way I think about you,” Summer assured him gently. “You could have told me and then walked away and I wouldn’t have blamed you if you had done. Finn was gone and I wasn’t your responsibility but you didn’t, you stayed and you helped me more than you’ll ever know,” she explained, her eyes locked on his as she spoke. Given the way her dad had walked out on them when she was little she’d always had a hard time trusting that people would stay but Micheal had definitely proved that to her. “That’s who I see whenever I look at you. I don’t see the man who told me my husband died, I see the man who stuck around and helped me put my life back together. If I hadn’t had you and everyone else around me then I wouldn’t be where I am right now.” She’d had her girls to stay strong for and she had wanted to do that but she had needed to lean on others sometimes and Micheal was one of those people. She could have lost herself to the darkness but they’d kept her in the light and she was beyond grateful to them for that.

It was a little strange talking about Grace’s mum but there was a part of Summer that knew that she needed to know what she was letting herself in for in that respect. Micheal already knew about the girls’ father and where he stood with them but he hadn’t talked about Grace’s mum before. Summer had always been curious about the woman but she had never known how to bring it up and honestly she hadn’t wanted to pry so she had held back. Now he seemed ready to tell her, though, and she really was glad about that. “I know how difficult that can be. Working and being a single parent is hard enough without adding being a vampire to the mix as well.” In the end Summer had tried to remember all of the things that her mum had done for her and Angel when they were younger and she was fortunate enough that her mum had still been around to help. “It must have been so difficult doing that without your family’s support,” she added gently, knowing that she would have been lost without her mum and brother being around to help. As he said he hadn’t heard anything from Grace’s mum since she left, Summer nodded. “I’ll never understand how someone can do that to their own child. I could never even think about leaving my girls,” she admitted. “I don’t know how much you know about my father but he left when I was just a baby. He packed his things one day, let my mum divorce papers and his wedding ring and he ran off with the woman he’d been having an affair with. He wasn’t meant to be a father. My mum did what you are doing for Grace, she kept it vague and didn’t give us any details but Angel and I learned the truth when we were clearing out the loft and found the letters he sent my mum after he left. He said some awful things and we realised that we were better off without him,” she explained. “I hope I’m not overstepping but as someone who has been through something similar, I wish my mum had told me the truth sooner than I found out. I always wondered why he wasn’t around and my mum never said a bad word about him but until we found the letters I thought Angel and I were the reason he left. It turns out he had wanted to leave before he found out my mum was pregnant anyway.” She could still remember all the doubts she’d had about herself while she was growing up and all the time she had spent wondering if she was the reason why her dad had left and she didn’t want Grace to go through the same thing. As he said he would try and get an entire evening free soon, Summer nodded. “I hope you can,” she said gently although she knew that with how busy he was then it might not be that easy. She knew what she was letting herself in for with Micheal at least.

“Exactly,” Summer grinned as he said that a little mystery to spice things up is never a bad thing. She really did want to be with Micheal so the last thing she wanted was for him to end up getting bored of her. Soon enough they were disapparating and once they were inside his car Summer couldn’t help but lean in to kiss him when Micheal brushed her hair away from her face and said she was beautiful. She didn’t feel that way a lot of the time but when he said it she believed him and in that moment she wanted nothing more than to kiss him. She wasn’t used to being truly alone with Micheal, normally the girls were around or they were in a public place but this time was different. This time it was just the two of them and the first brush of his lips against hers was enough to make Summer’s breath catch in her throat. Micheal didn’t hesitate in deepening the kiss and Summer shifted in her seat so she could get a little closer to him, her free hand resting against his thigh as they kissed. Suddenly music started playing and Summer felt a smile touch her lips as she realised what had happened and Micheal apologised. “You have nothing to apologise for. I’m the one who kissed you, remember?” she teased. She hadn’t stopped him from deepening the kiss because she hadn’t wanted to and she didn’t regret it one bit. It wasn’t long before Micheal was the one leaning in this time and Summer kissed him back straight away. His words were enough to have her smile returning and she shook her head. “I don’t know about that, I liked the first one,” she grinned. When it came to anything more than that then she knew that she would want to take it slow but she was never going to regret kissing Micheal like that. Kissing him back as he pressed another kiss to her lips, Summer couldn’t help but feel like the floodgates had been opened and she couldn’t help but feel like that was a good thing. She enjoyed kissing Micheal and she knew that she certainly wouldn’t argue about doing that more often. “That’s right, we got a little sidetracked,” she grinned as she fastened her seatbelt and Micheal took her hand once they were on the road. The whole way there her eyes were fixed on him and she only snapped out of that when they reached their destination. Her heart skipped a beat when he lifted their joined hands and pressed a kiss to her hand and before she knew it he was at her door holding it open for her. “Thank you,” she said, the smile on her face completely genuine as she took his hand and climbed out of the car. Once she was out of the car she quickly scanned their surroundings to make sure that they were still alone. Sure that they were, she turned back to Micheal and pressed his back against the car before pressing her lips to his in a passionate kiss. “I’ll never get tired of kissing you,” she admitted as she pulled back to catch her breath, her smile returning as she held a hand out to him. “Are you ready for our first public appearance?” she asked, knowing that now they were together she didn’t want to pretend that they weren’t.

MICHEAL ALEXANDER HERONDALE