Felix Felicis? //Adriana Bell

[Regulus Black]

Regulus walked into the muggle cafe across the street from the apartment building that he and Adriana lived in, looking around. Sun streamed through the glass windows, illuminating the lace-draped little round tables that littered the restaurant. Couples were scattered here and there, talking quietly over the demure little white candles melting onto silver little trays.

A young waitress with long brown hair tied loosely away from her face approached he and Adriana, two menus tucked against her white blouse. Turning, her black heels clicked the wooden floor hollowly as she lead them to a table.

They'd left Katie with Sirius for the evening. Even though they weren't going very far away...still, it was nice to go out and not have to worry about keeping the salt shaker away from her reach or wiping tomato soup off her face before it dripped onto her shirt. When was the last time they'd actually had dinner without one of them wordlessly lifting Katie out of her chair and taking her to the bathroom to scrub half the meal off her hands and face?

He glanced at the menu, not really looking at what was being offered. Italian dishes, he knew that much just from the scent of the food on the other tables.

It wasn't a particularly special day, so far as their relationship went. Regulus had just suggested that they go out to dinner, and Adriana had agreed. But in the future, it'd be a day to be remembered. He looked across the table at his beautiful girlfriend, the mother of his child, and smiled.

"I love you," he said quietly, even though she was looking at her menu.

[Adriana Bell-Black]

Adriana walked happily across the street to the little café, her hand laced securely in his, almost as if they were afraid the other would suddenly disappear. The quaint little café was a perfect get away for the couple who was more than relieved to have a few hours away from their little witch, not to fancy and upscale but not to casual, it was perfect.

Enjoying the unusual amount of peace and quiet, Adriana followed Regulus and the waitress to their table adorned with a freshly lit candle, and sat as the chair was pulled out for her by the server. Looking at the menu, she happily noted most were Italian dishes, most of which she had at once tasted in her life time.

Deciding on going with the Manicotti, She looked at the drinks and dessert section of the menu. Hearing him talk to her as she looked at the menu, she lowered it smiling brightly at him "I love you too." she replied just as quietly, “Have you seen anything you might like?” she asked still grinning.

[Regulus Black]

"You," Regulus blurted, then grinned. "And probably..." he glanced at the menu. "Some Lasagna."

He leaned back in his chair, taking a deep breath and trying to calm down. This was Adriana. Not like he was going to try and recruit her to the Dark Lord or anything. Regulus shifted in his seat, the solid weight of a small wooden box within his pocket. He couldn't imagine sitting like this for the rest of dinner, unpleasantly nervous about the reason for the evening. Thoughts were running through his head so quickly he couldn't really pay attention to any of them. Should he make smalltalk until their waitress came for their orders?

Regulus set down his menu then picked it up again. "Do you want some wine?" he asked, seeing some on another table. Adriana loved wine...he remembered the row they'd had the first time he'd drank it...though thinking of the row only made his fears increase. What if...what if she remembered the row too, and she decided that she was going to use this as an excuse to finally beak it off? To move on with her own life, and find someone that never acted like a sod and always let her cook and clean however much she wanted to.

[Adriana Bell-Black]

Adriana blushed lightly at his forwardness considering their current public setting. "Sounds lovely, I’ll probably steal some off your plate too." She said with a mischievous smile.

Setting the menu to the side, Adriana folded her hands neatly on the table. Smiling bemused at Regulus, she noticed he seemed a bit uneasy, much like he did when he told her about being a death eater she noted. Her insides twisted painfully at the thought of him harboring something like that, she thought they shared everything. As naïve as that was, it was the most she could hope for.

Her throat was unnaturally dry, and when wine was mentioned, she jumped at the offer. Nodding softly she accepted, "Wine sounds good, a Cabernet Sauvignon would do well with the type of pasta we are getting". Her mind wandered to possible explanations to his odd behavior, was he intending to break things off? Did he have enough of her nuttiness or was he having a torrid love affair with the skanky neighbor who looked like a man eater? Glancing at Regulus she wondered if her facial expressions gave away her thoughts.

[Regulus Black]

"You want me on a plate now?" Regulus joked, teasing her intentionally to see if her blush would spread. It had been so long since he'd gotten her to blush in public...usually Adriana was the one making him blush. What had happened to his bold Gryffindor girlfriend?

He caught her bemused expression and the corner of his mouth quirked, some of his fears leaking away. He and Adriana had been through so much...why would she turn him down now? Regulus saw something else, though. Her expression wavered for a second, and he saw...apprehension? Something icy turned in his heart, filling him immediately with fear. Did Adriana have plans of her own for the evening?

"Whatever you'd like, go ahead and order, love," he said easily. Debating for a moment if he should just wait for her to say it on her own, Regulus decided ultimately that he couldn't sit through all of dinner waiting to see what was on her mind. "Something bothering you?" he asked, trying not to sound too worried.

[Adriana Bell-Black]

"No….well I do want you, just not…ugh" She trailed off feeling her blush intensify, as he intentionally teased her. She remembered those days when she was bold and flirtatious but ever since Katie came along she had to watch her words and actions because it was like a constant carbon copy of her actions. She had long since heard Regulus speak so boldly, his voice laced with a longing that was much needed on both accounts. Hell, her usually cheekiness was dwindling.

They both seemed to be staring at each other uncertainly, much like a pair of teenagers on their first date, slowly dancing in pointless circles around each other. As the waitress made a b-line for their table she placed her wine order along with the food order, no point in wasting time, especially if things continued this awkward between the pair.

When Regulus spoke up about her expression, she bit her bottom lip in contemplation. Debating on whether she wanted an honest answer or to remain blissfully ignorant she looked up at him with doleful eyes. “Are you sleeping with that skank from down the hall? Because I mean, if you are going to be having torrid affairs and such… well I’m not to sure what but your not right? Is it my nuttiness? I mean I can be normal if you’d like, I can dress skanky too.” She rambled on, desperately hoping she wasn’t sounding too desperate, although she didn’t want to have to know what the heart break would feel like if he really did want to call it quits.

[Regulus Black]

He laughed, highly amused by her increased blush. "What happened to the girl I fell in love with?" he asked, grinning. "A year or two ago and you would have come back with something that made me blush for you, love. Katie hasn't changed you that much, has she?" Regulus smiled fondly. If there was one thing he did not regret at all about their accidental pregnancy, it was the changes Katie had brought into their lives. For one, if he hadn't known about her, he would be sitting in a cell in Azkaban with the other Death Eaters right now, or perhaps even dead. Regulus couldn't be more happy with his two girls.

Now just to make them permanent. Official. Regulus listened to Adriana place their order with the waitress, not looking at the woman. He watched the love of his life instead...trying to figure out what she was thinking about.

When she answered his hesitant question, Regulus was completely surprised. Adriana's expression melted into doleful curiosity, so heartrendingly worried that he could hardly bare to think he'd made her worry. But he was also a little annoyed. Regulus hardly spent two hours in the day apart from Adriana. When did she think he'd carry on this 'torrid affair'? "Of course I'm not sleeping with the skank down the hall. I don't think I've ever spoken to her without you at my side. Merlin's testicles, woman, why would you even think that?" He leaned across the table a little bit. "And I never want you to change the way that you are. I love you just like you came...why would you think that I wanted you to change?"

[Adriana Bell-Black]

Adriana narrowed her eyes playfully at his question, "I do believe she got pregnant had a little girl which taught her that she must censor her words and actions, like a vacuum cleaner that one is." she replied grinning. "Well darling if you really want me on a plate, I do believe we’ll let Sirius keep Katie a bit longer. Our table has yet to be blessed." She said remembering their rather quick explorations of each other in between Katie’s nap time, it lead to shagging in unconventional places.

Looking down at the table sheepishly she felt more than a little daft for honestly having asked that question. However with his odd behavior, she didn’t know what to expect; at least she asked rather than jumping to conclusions she thought. "I dunno, you’ve been really odd lately. Are you hiding something? You acting almost exactly like you did when you told me that you were an activist for the other side." She said quietly. "You just always seem to curse my nuttiness; I thought maybe you got tired of it or something."

[Regulus Black]

He nodded, agreeing completely. "And not just for words," Regulus added, thinking ruefully of some spells Katie had picked up accidentally...spells, and a few choice curses. "She eats like a vacuum too. Not the same situation with her toys, though. If only we could get her to clean her room like she cleans her plate," he laughed easily. At Adriana's words, Regulus's smile turned into a mischievous grin. "There she is, the witch I love. Yes, the table does have yet to be blessed...how fast do you think you can eat your pasta?" he joked. "Perhaps we can get to more than that before my brother comes to make sure we're still alive."

His eyebrows rose instantly when she mentioned the night he'd told her he was working for Voldemort. How odd, that she was thinking of that. Regulus had prepared to let go of her forever that night...and now he was asking her never to leave his side again. The irony of it tugged at the corners of his mouth, but he wouldn't smile at Adriana's obvious worry. "Well, I am hiding something, but it's nothing to be concerned about," he smiled then, reassuringly. "It's actually the reason I asked Sirius to take Katie for the evening. I could never get tired of your nuttiness, Adriana. I love you more than anything in the world. That's like the cherry on top of my Adriana cake...I only curse it because, well, it's crazy sometimes. Seeing you flirt with death just...makes me panic sometimes." Regulus leaned towards her, reaching over the menus and touching the edge of her face. "I care about you, wench. I don't like thinking that you'll get hurt."

[Adriana Bell-Black]

She grinned amused at the fond memories of her daughter’s behavior. "Nope, I caught her the other day trying to put on one of my bras; she wanted to do it because I do." Adriana added, not mentioning that Katie had also raided her makeup and shoes along with her clothes. "She definitely has my appetite. Its selective vacuuming, I don’t think she’ll clean her room till you threaten to take away her broom." Laughing at his comment she shook her head. "Well there is always the restaurant restroom if you don’t want to make it that far" she teased. "Or you can just owl your brother asking him to take his time." She proposed logically.

Adriana’s eyebrows furrowed together in confusion, she opened her mouth several times much like a fish, as she wasn’t exactly sure how to reply to him. "Oh, well I, I wanna know too," she said with a pout. Giggling at his logic she smiled brightly at him, "Addiecakes, reminds me of your nick name love.” She said smiling mischievously. “I love you more than anything in the world too. I don’t flirt with anything but you, but I promise to behave a bit more. I don’t want Katie jumping off brooms just yet." She said innocently, leaning her face into his hand. "I care about you, too Ninny. I don’t intentionally try to get hurt."

[Regulus Black]

He snorted. "Great," he said. "I should watch my clothes too, huh? Wouldn't want our little darling to get into the old Quidditch uniforms...or unearth anything else." Regulus, of course, was thinking distantly of a mask he'd once been forced to wear. It was currently locked in the bottom of a trunk that had been spelled bottomless, hopefully out of reach of both their daughter and the ministry. Getting rid of a mask like that when he'd switched sides would have sent a red flag to his former comrades...and now, it'd just send red flags out for people who would try to imprison him. Best to keep it, where he knew it wasn't going to come back to him cursed or anything. "Ah, I could never do that," Regulus said, smiling softly. "You know how she gets those eyes...it's easier just to pick it up than try to make her do it." He looked speculatively at his watch, then glanced over to see where their waitress was, doing so dramatically so that Adriana knew what he was doing. "It'll take a while for the pasta to bake. We could go now," he joked. They could owl Sirius later if they decided to. Right now, Regulus was just enjoying Adriana's undivided attention. They'd get to other things after dinner.

"Of course you do," he said patronizingly, unable to keep a straight face in lieu of her pout. "Let's eat first though...I'm starving, I had half a piece of bread for lunch because Katie's nap was so short." Regulus sighed. Sometimes he considered the moral implications of slipping some sleeping potion into his daughter's pre-nap bottle. He grinned identically back at her, saying instantly, "Recipe for my Addiecakes--just not the same without nuts. No, I like you just the way you are, love. I don't want you to change at all." Anything but your name, he thought, fighting to hide a smile. Some of the panic came back too...once again, Regulus wondered what he would do if she turned him down. Listening to Adriana's promise quelled some of his worry. "Good. Much as I do love rescuing you, Gryffindor nutter that you are, at least I won't have to rescue Katie any time soon."

[Adriana Bell-Black]

Adriana shook her head at him. "No, she doesn’t seem to show interest in being like a boy too much, she did get in my Quidditch stuff though love, I do think we have a future Gryffindor." She said teasingly. She looked at him with a skeptical glance. "You say that now, but if the girl is like me, I had daddy wrapped around my finger" She said grinning fondly. "She’ll do what ever she wants, a cleaning her room wont be one of em, I suppose I have to be the mean parent then." Laughing at his actions, she grinned mischievously at him. "I suppose, you never truly needed more than a few minutes," she joked.

At his patronizing comment, she increased her pout and gave him puppy dog eyes. "We’ll the foods been ordered already, It will get even shorter the older she gets, she eventually grows out of them." She explained. Smiling brightly at his unusual way of saying he loved her, "Indeed Nuts are part of the package, how ever I don’t think I’ve changed much other than what Katie did to my body." She thought thinking about the physical changes the pregnancy gave her. Looking at Regulus with a lopsided smile she chuckled to herself. “Do you need to go to the bathroom love? You have a look of severe concentration” she said humor laced in her tone of voice. "At least not much." She said innocently

[Regulus Black]

"Or Slytherin," Regulus added instantly, narrowing his eyes. "Or Hufflepuff for that matter. And what if she doesn't play Quidditch at all?" He smiled easily at Adriana's response. "Ah, yes, you think you've got me around your finger. It's a rather comfortable arrangement for me, so I won't enlighten you on the benefits," he teased. Nodding at her comment, Regulus said, "Yes, you'll be the mean one. Means she'll like me more. And if I ever do ask her to clean her room, she'll probably do it." When she joked, Regulus made a face at her. "Oy, wench, should we talk about the things you need then? I could mention ice cream at two o'clock in the morning and runway telly..." he frowned, still mildly upset with her joke. "I do need more than a few minutes," he whined, sounding like Katie.

He nodded. "Yes, that means that you only have a short while longer to wait. Patience, love." For once in the relationship, Regulus was the one with something to hold over her head. At least it wasn't another pregnancy. He smiled distantly at the thought, amused by the idea of coming to Adriana to talk about forgetting charms...again. "Well, yes, there were those changes. I didn't mind them though. They weren't permanent." He was, of course, referring to the attitude and the belly. "No," he said. "Well, unless you're coming with me. The food might get cold, though." He snorted. "Much. Right. Like whenever she's on a broomstick."

[Adriana Bell-Black]

Adriana rolled her eyes at him when he said that Katie could be sorted into other houses, she knew that of course, it didn’t matter where Katie was sorted, but Adriana enjoyed bugging Regulus. "Honey, She already plays Quidditch, just not necessarily on a team or in an actual pitch unless she’s at the Potters or Sirius’s" Adriana grinned innocently at him. "Well honestly I wasn’t thinking about you, but hey if I’ve got you too then you can enlighten me on the benefits," she said diplomatically. Wrinkling her nose as he agreed with her, "She shows signs of it already when you’re the one who takes a bath when it’s her bath time." She teased. "Oi, I was pregnant under lots of extra hormones. I don’t usually ask for much, if anything at all..." She said with a pout "I know you do, I like it better that way too" she said with a roguish grin

Frowning at him, she shook her head. "But I dun wanna, I’m not patient." She said giving it a turn at sounding like Katie. The more Regulus teased her with a secret the more her curiosity increased, and with Adriana it wasn’t always a good thing. "Thank Merlin for that." She muttered remembering all to well the discomfort, mood swings, and enormous stomach. Grinning innocently as he offered to go if she would too she shook her head. "No honey, I wouldn’t follow you when you are doing your business." She grinned at Regulus now chasing Katie rather than her. "Or playing with the balls inside the flat, and actually when she’s awake period."

[Regulus Black]

Regulus opened his mouth to respond to Adriana, but the waitress put down their food. She stood back and smiled at them while they both looked at their plates. Seeing everything was in order, the waitress retreated. Regulus picked up his fork and smirked at Adriana. "The food has saved you from due punishment for that bathroom comment," he said, amused.

Their plates emptied gradually, as well as a few glasses of wine. Regulus kept up the small talk with the love of his life, but all the while his mind was elsewhere. It was impossible to focus on things like Quidditch and quaffles in the flat when he was about to ask the most important question of his life.

As the waitress came to clear their plates away, Adriana began to get up. Regulus stayed where he was. "Hey, Adriana. Sit down and I'll tell you what I've been hiding," he said.

He'd seen the curiosity building in her all night long. Regulus carefully drew the box out of his pocket and looked at her, completely serious. "Adriana, you're the love of my life. We've been through so much together...and you stayed with me even when I told you not to. You're the mother of my child, the keeper of my heart. We already spend every day together...and I want to keep it that way forever." He took her hand, pressing the box into it. Regulus met her beautiful eyes and said, "Marry me?"