Cheek pillowed against Fred's shoulder, Katie tipped her face up to him, eyes scanning over him in the dim light of her bedroom. She could hear the gentle roar of the waves from the beach outside the cracked open window and the rustle of the dogs settling at the end of the bed.

Birthdays now weren't like when they'd been in school; George had been there. She hadn't been sure what to expect as she'd only sent owls in past years, but Fred had come to see her despite that it was a little bit of a bittersweet day.

"I love you," she said softly after a long while, turning just enough to lay a kiss against the skin of his shoulder. "And happy birthday things, too."

Pressing a kiss to the top of Katie's head, his eyes tightly closed for a minute as his mind once again turned over the fact that this had been the fifth birthday without his twin, Fred squeezed her gently. "It was happy, thank you," he murmured after a while, hands sweeping idly along her back. "And I love you, too." Both statements were true, though he'd not have imagined uttering either of them even a year ago.

Life was never going to be quite like it had been; he'd known that immediately once he'd surfaced from the complete numbness and shock of George's death, but he'd come to see Katie and face the day, and that was something. It wasn't so difficult to imagine weathering further birthdays in a similar manner, and that was what was truly surprising. He wasn't one to make plans, not like that, but these had apparently taken shape without him noticing, and crept quietly into a part of his consciousness that was fine with the idea of his Kit as a part of the future.

Eyes fluttering closed as Fred's hands smoothed over the bare skin of her back, Katie sighed and relaxed completely against his side. Between the touches and the lull of the waves, she was very close to sleep and, forcing her eyes open, she looked up at him again. "Thank you for spending it with me, my shiny. It was happy for me, too."

A squeaky yawn slipped out then, and she blushed, though it would be impossible to see in the near-dark. "night things?"

"Night things, Kit," Fred agreed, tugging the blankets up around Katie's shoulders and settling himself against the pillows. "Sweet dreams, princess," he wished softly, nuzzling his face into her hair, inhaling the scent of her shampoo. "I'll keep watch this night." And many others.


SUMMARY: Fred and Katie say goodnight on Fred's birthday.