"Come on, Nine," Beckett called in the general direction of Reese's closet. "Or we'll miss his actual lunch hour and Fifi will bitch at me for making her rearrange his schedule. Nevermind that that's her job and all, and he never leaves the damn office to begin with." He frowned at himself for a second, then shrugged. There went hoping that her nonstop chatter wasn't rubbing off on him.

It was surprisingly... normal... to make sure that he and Reese were in the same place when it was time to sleep, whether it was his flat or hers, and he pondered the implications of the thought as he wandered to the door to collect his shoes from where Livvy tended to put them. The house elf he could definitely get used to. She was actually a fairly clever little thing, and watching Reese argue with her brought him no end of amusement.

Padding into the archway of her closet, Reese was distracted by the ruffle of her hem and her fingers shifted through the fabric as she looked up at Beckett. "Her name is Honeychurch though," she pointed out, nose wrinkling at his mention of 'Fifi.' "She has one of the best names ever and it should be always be used. Honeychurch," Reese repeated softly, letting the name roll off her tongue.

"Yes, well, she likes you, because you're cute and friendly. I get 'harpy with PMT', so Fifi it is," Beckett countered.

He held his hand out to Reese, smiling as she played with the ruffle on her dress. "You look very pretty, Nine," he complimented, watching the fluttery hem play about her thighs for a moment. "Shoes?"

"Somewhere?" Reese ventured, bringing her eyes up to his.

"Here be shoes for the Missy," Livvy chimed, scurrying up to them with a pair of flip flops in hand.

"Good choice, my Livvy," Reese nodded, slipping on the offered shoes. "Katie Kat's rosie pink goes with everything," she added, bending down to lightly kiss the elf on the top of her head.

Tugging on her ear, Livvy shifted from foot to foot a moment before quickly wrapping around Reese's middle and then darting back into the closet.

Smiling happily after the small elf, Reese dropped her gaze to admire the pink flip flops a moment before looking up at Beckett. "My shoes are prettier, I think."

Beckett observed the exchange silently, lips curled into a smirk. "Those are nice, too," he agreed. "All ready, then? Do you have your bag to keep Al in?"

Much as it worried him, not to mention that it was just a strange habit, Beckett had accepted that Reese was going to take the blue jar everywhere with her. Having it made her calmer, and for the time being, she needed the help.

Eyes scanning the open room that was her loft, Reese spotted the turquoise slouchy shoulder bag in a heap on the floor and flitted over to collect it, and then to the windowsill where Al's cobalt blue jar rested. Having collected everything she could recall that might be necessary, Reese came back to Beckett and slipped her hand into his. "Floo things?"

"Floo things," Beckett confirmed, Apparating them both to the receiving point in Miles' office. He arched an eyebrow at his friend's secretary, and the poor bird looked torn between wanting to hex him and wanting to beam at Reese.

"He's in his office," she said flatly.

Beckett smiled with lots of teeth. "See, that wasn't so hard. Thanks, Fifi." He stepped across the lobby to Miles' door and let himself in, leaning against the frame to let Reese make nice without him in the way, without actually letting her out of his sight.

"Hallo, Ms. Honeychurch," Reese beamed, completely tickled, still, by the woman's name and the happy thoughts it brought to mind - sunny days and buzzing bees in the spring.

Smiling kindly at the little wisp of a witch, Fiona returned, "Good afternoon, Miss Ashley. It's lovely to see you again."

"Afternoon, Tosser," Beckett greeted, nodding to Miles.

"Prat," Miles replied with a smirk, inclining his head in salutation.

Poking her head into the office around Beckett after her greetings, Reese smiled when she saw Miles. "Hallo Miles!" she greeted, the rest of her small frame appearing as she came through the doorway. "Are you busy 'n things?" she asked a moment later, head tilting.

Miles rose from his desk, making his way over to welcome Reese properly. "Never too busy for you, love," he said, wrapping Reese in a hug and pressing a kiss on the top of her head. "A visit from you is always a nice surprise."

Tipping her face back to look up at him, Reese smiled. "I like surprises," she replied, setting her chin to his chest as she added, "It's a little exciting to actually be a good one."

Rolling his eyes and mouthing 'Hufflepuff' at Miles over the top of Reese's head, Beckett moved into the office and dropped into one of the 'client' chairs, stretching his legs out in front of him. Any greeting with Reese was likely to take a while, and he grabbed one of the glass paperweights off Miles' desk to amuse himself with, rolling it idly between his hands.

Miles raised a brow at his friend, knowing very well that Beckett had a long history of indulging the Gryffindor fluff in his arms. "There's brandy on the credenza, Prat, should you need to drink away the knowledge of your hypocrisy."

Turning his attention back to Reese, he grinned. "You are a good one at that. Is there a reason for your visit today, or did you just decide I needed sunshine?"

"I see you've been reading your big boy books and it's a Big Words Day," Beckett muttered. "Come to rescue you from the harpy that guards your office and get abuse for my trouble," he continued, setting the paperweight back in place and going to pour himself a drink.

"Fiona's a doll. It's only you that brings out the harpy in her, and I'm sure you work at it on purpose."

Glancing over at Beckett as he moved across the room, Reese returned her gaze to Miles a beat later. "I need a floo because Katie Kat can't Apparate anymore and I don't have one," Reese replied earnestly. "I tried to do it myself, but when I got to the Ministry, I couldn't move and it was black and frightening."

A little shiver went down her spine as she remembered what it felt like to be surrounded by so much creeping darkness, but she was far from that now, with Beckett and Miles for company, besides. "I thought you could help me?"

He didn't quite understand what she meant by 'black and frightening', but it was obvious enough that the trip to the Ministry had not been pleasant for Reese. Smoothing a hand down her back, Miles nodded. As her solicitor, he could make the request on her behalf. He'd made sure when she'd agreed to hire him that he had the proper documentation to do these sorts of things since Reese wasn't especially good at handling her affairs, or even remembering what needed to be done for that matter.

"Of course, love. I'll take care of everything," he assured her.

"Splendid," Beckett interjected with false brightness, leaning one hip against the small cabinet that housed Miles' office-booze. "In return, you can now consider yourself a hostage. We're taking you to eat lunch somewhere away from your damned desk."

A giggle slipped Reese's lips at Beckett's uncharacteristic vibrancy and she turned shining green eyes from him to Miles. "I brought sunshine things too," she said around her giggle, adding, "you'll come, right?"

Miles looked back at his desk with mock horror. "Leave the desk? It's my security desk, though." Lips twitching at the disappointed expression on Reese's face, he gave her a squeeze and directed them towards the door. "Of course I'll come. I haven't had lunch with a pretty girl since our picnic." Eyes going to Beckett, he teased, "I guess you can come along, too."

"And yet somehow, no one is surprised." Setting his glass aside, Beckett followed Miles and Reese out of the office. "If you didn't work eighty hours a week, you might get laid more often, mate," he said conversationally, flashing a brilliant grin at Fifi as they passed.

"Wouldn't hurt my love life either," Fiona grumbled.

Eyebrows raising nearly to his hairline, Miles asked in shock, "Did you just gang up on me with Beckett Dunstan?"

Scowling, the secretary snatched a file off her desk and stalked out of the room. "Bugger off, I have work to do."

"We really ought to mark the date, Beckett. I don't believe that's ever happened before," Miles said, still looking after Fiona in disbelief.

Beckett snorted. "Knew I liked that bird. Sort of a shame she's one, stuck with your boring arse all day, and two, inclined to think I'm good for target practice," he ticked off. Shrugging, he arched an eyebrow at his friend. "Where to, for lunch?"

Reese just watched the interaction, blinking a little at Ms. Honeychurch's mutinous expression before the other woman disappeared. She looked between Miles and Beckett, a thoughtful expression on her face before she said, "You made her bumblebees quiet," more to herself than anything. Her brow furrowed then, unhappy with this development. "I liked her happy buzz."

"She'll get over it, Nine, no worries," Beckett promised, reaching out to sift his hand through Reese's hair. "She's like real bees. Totally hacked for a bit and then back to work."

Frown clearing from her features, Reese's lids blinked shut for a moment as Beckett pet her. "Mmkay. As long as she gets her sunshine back."

"It's still there, just hidden behind a cloud right now," Miles commented, smirking at Beckett's almost instinctive reassurance of his pet. Ushering them into the area set aside for Apparation, he suggested, "The Happy Hearth? There's plenty of sunshine for Reese there, and the food's excellent."

Sighing internally, Beckett caught Reese's hand so he could take her with them. "And now actual Hufflepuffs. Fantastic." He shrugged and acquiesced. "Sure. At least I can get a decent reuben, for once."

"Could I have a croissant?" Reese asked, pressing her cheek to Beckett's arm just before they Apparated.

"I'm pretty sure than can be arranged, considering it's a bakery," Beckett confirmed as they reappeared. "You could even put other actual food on it, like a sandwich," he hinted, though he doubted the likelihood of such even before he made the comment.

"Actual food? Now there's a novel idea." Miles chuckled as he fell into step beside the pair, holding the door for Reese as they entered the building.

They took a seat in the corner and Miles watched with amusement as Reese took in the brightly colored walls and pleasant bustle of people. "They've wonderful sweets, too. You ought to try the cheesecake, Reese," Miles suggested, thinking it would be good for Reese to eat something a bit rich. He wasn't sure how she survived on as little as she ate. He wondered if Livvy knew some sort of sleep feeding spell.

Distracted by the happy whirl of people around the bakery, Reese just nodded absently, commenting, "I'll have some if you do."

Well aware of how that system worked, Beckett ordered his sandwich when the cheerful little waitress stopped by, along with croissants, cheese, and fruit for Reese. He was learning to be remarkably adept at sneaking food into her hands, though it was generally easiest to just get extra of whatever he was eating, as she seemed most interested in that.

"We'll see, Nine," he said vaguely. He wasn't particularly fond of cheesecake, but it might be worth eating some if he could get Reese to follow suit.

After giving his own order to the cheery girl, Miles turned his attention to Beckett. He hadn't seen his friend in quite some time, which was fairly typical for them, and Reese was still absorbed in the people around them. "How're things in the land of the living, then, mate?"

"Tolerable," Beckett answered, mentally finding the point at which he'd last updated Miles on his life. "My new project is being... indecisive, so I'm not on contract at the moment, just consulting for that finance firm. Otherwise just naffing about London as I see fit." He laid his hand across Reese's shoulders as she squirmed about in her seat, following the movements of the bakery's other patrons.

Miles smiled as Reese settled and scooted a bit closer to Beckett in response to his touch. Idly, he wondered if Beckett felt the need to run out and kick puppies after spending time with Reese. She certainly had a way of bringing a man's protective instincts to the fore.

"We'll have to go stir up trouble soon. Maybe I can coattail and take home one of your cast offs, eh?"

Waving the idea off dismissively, knowing full well he would never hear the end of it, Beckett shook his head. "You're welcome to the field at the moment, actually. Best of luck and all, considering that most birds don't give a damn about either your job or your politics, but there you go." He'd not been out carousing apurpose since before the night Romy had shown up at his flat.

"Damn," Miles joked. "I was hoping to use you as bait. You always generate more interest than I do. Women must like surly bastards."

The waitress returned with their food, and Miles tucked in, making a happy noise as he bit into his sandwich. He'd been eating the same take away too long. He really did need to get out of the office more often.

Having caught the last of what was said as the food was put before them, Reese picked at her croissant, but before she brought the flaky piece to her mouth she paused and tilted her head. "Women just like shiny ones," Reese commented as she looked between the two men before popping the piece of croissant into her mouth.

Beckett snickered as he cut his sandwich in two, leaving half on his plate so that Reese could take what she wanted of it. "I'm just prettier than you are," he directed at Miles. "Possibly also 'shinier', but I'm not sure what the qualifications on that would be." He glanced at Reese, wondering if she was planning to elaborate.

"Shiny people are ..." Reese's brow knit in concentration as she tried to figure out how to explain something that, like her paintings, didn't always have words. "... they glow a lot brighter than most everyone else. They make you pay attention to them without trying and when they touch you, it makes shivers 'n things."

Tilting her head in consideration, Reese popped another piece of croissant in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully before continuing. "If they're really shiny, then when they want your attention, you can't see anything else but them and it's..." Her gaze went a bit distant then, gooseflesh running down her arms and chest. "... shiny."

"Well, there you go, then," Beckett commented, arching an eyebrow at Miles. He hid his smile by taking a bite of his reuben, which was impressively tasty. Apparently Hufflepuffs can cook. Go figure.

Miles chuckled lightly. He didn't know about the glowing thing, but generally speaking he had a pretty good idea what Reese was describing. It explained the attraction to Beckett's company, as his friend had more than his share of presence and personality.

Eying Reese, he raised an eyebrow. "So I'm not particularly shiny then, eh? That's why women scurry out of my path?"

Brow pulling into a small frown, Reese shook her head. "You're very shiny. You just work a whole lot and sometimes it makes your colors dull, even. You've a bit of shadow chasing you too." Face clearing, she pulled another piece from her croissant and nibbled.

Miles just smiled and looked at Beckett, waiting for the inevitable 'dull' joke.

His smirk fading instantly at Reese's mention of shadows, Beckett reached out to tuck a strawberry into her free hand out of habit. "He does?" he asked, keeping most of the suspicion from his voice as he flicked his eyes toward Miles. "Like part of the big black, or something else?" Way to sound crazy, Dunstan...

Eyeing the strawberry Beckett had pushed into her hand, Reese answered. "Black shadows chase him. It's not in his colors, but it's a little sticky and holds on enough to follow him. The black is hungry for everyone." She took a small bite of the strawberry then before setting it down and going back to her croissant.

Beckett scowled at the news, though it wasn't overly surprising given what he knew of Miles' politics, and chose a piece of cheese to replace the strawberry Reese had set aside. Mealtime was practically a game lately, though Reese never seemed unhappy about it, so he persisted.

Miles watched the interaction between Beckett and Reese, growing steadily more confused. His mate looked seriously unhappy about Reese's description of him, and Miles wasn't clear enough on what 'shadow' she was referring to to understand the problem. "Do you suppose I just need a shower?" he asked, trying to play off the suddenly heavy air at the table.

"Hmm?" Reese hummed, looking up from the cheese in her hand to Miles. Blinking a moment, the words he said finally reached her and she shook her head. "No, you smell very nice all the time. Clean and you things. The black shadows are trying to eat your colors and they follow you. I don't know why it likes you though," she said, tilting her head to the side. "You do go to the Ministry a lot, though, and it's worst there. It could be trying to keep you and it is very sticky." She shivered. "It's like sludge there, not just shadows. Lots of bad things."

"Sludgy and black at the Ministry?" Miles considered her words, feeling a little comprehension settle over him. Reese had always seen things differently, and while he didn't fully understand her take on the world, it seemed clear that Reese could see the corruption in the government. Eyes casually sliding to the silver ring on his finger, his mind went to the stories of work camps run by the Liberi. He'd never been a true believer in their cause, but more and more he wondered if the time had come to severe ties completely. He didn't want to get mixed up in the sorts of things rumors hinted at. "I suppose it is a dirty sort of place."

"Mmhmm. 'S why I didn't want to go back and try to get a floo," Reese pointed out before nibbling on her cheese. "I can't breathe with all that around." Her eyes lit at the cheddar's sharpness and her gaze drifted to the piece in her hand, and she proceeded to break it into smaller pieces for eating.

Carefully noting the type of cheese that Reese was destroying, for his own future reference in attempting to feed her, Beckett glanced to Miles with a pointed expression. "Mr. Barrister, however, can take care of that, luckily. Which... thanks, really. I can't say I particularly fancy cooling my heels all day in those damn offices."

He smirked as an idea occurred to him, and laid a slice of apple next to the cheese crumbs Reese had created on her plate, then stole a grape for himself. "Just try it," he prompted as she looked up from her task.

A teeny frown knit her brow as she looked at the apple slice. Picking it up, Reese took a tiny bite and then set it on the very edge of her plate, next to the strawberry and away from the cheese.

Chuckling, Beckett reached out to fix his error in communication. "With the cheese, Nine," he explained, breaking off a small chunk of apple and setting one of her bits of cheddar on it, then waiting for her to take it from him.

Interested in this new development, Reese popped the mixture in her mouth. Gaze going back to her plate, she put the apple slice back in the middle, but ignored it again as she nibbled on another piece of cheese.

"That I can," Miles agreed, "and you're welcome." He was still perplexed by his friend's suddenly serious expression whenever he directed his attention to Miles. Beckett was relaxed enough where Reese was concerned, but Miles couldn't help but think something was going on that he'd missed.

"Think Fifi will hurl something heavy at my head if we pop you back to your office, after?" Beckett asked conversationally, changing the subject as Miles eyed him. "It's been a while... I must be losing my touch or something. Maybe I'll send her a spider," he pondered, returning to eating his sandwich.

Cracking a smile, Miles shook his head. "Not while Reese is nearby. I think 'bugger off' is about as harsh as you'll get from her while her favorite client's about." Cocking his head to one side, he asked, "Why does she hate you so much, anyway?"

Lips curling very slowly, Beckett turned his eyes back to Miles. "Come on, now, you can figure that one out yourself, my friend. Why does any woman hate me?" He was somewhat surprised either Miles or Fiona herself hadn't run across the topic in the interim.

There was a loud smacking sound as Miles' hand suddenly covered his face. "You had sex with my secretary? And now you taunt her? You are such an arse." Sighing loudly he added, "What kind of friend are you? Do you know how hard it is to find a Sunday morning, bee-buzzing, competent secretary?"

Having paid attention this time, as Miss Honeychurch captured Reese's interest, she frowned upon hearing the news, food forgotten. "Giving shinies like that and then doing ... that isn't very nice," Reese said, sinking into her chair, very small. "It doesn't feel good at all," she added softly, remembering her own experiences, "and Miss Honeychurch has a nice buzz and you make her go quiet sometimes."

Jaw tight in irritation, Beckett looked pointedly at Miles before turning to Reese. "I'm not nice, Nine. Never have been. Fifi wasn't complaining at the time, and she fights back just fine now." He shrugged. He wasn't going to apologize for himself; it never did any good, for one thing, and he tried not to lie outright to Reese.

Miles was still frowning. He knew Beckett made the rounds and generally it was not something that concerned him one way or another. If Fiona had quit because of his friend, though, Miles would have been seriously put out. He wasn't exaggerating; it was incredibly difficult to find someone willing to work the hours Fiona did, competently and with a good attitude.

"In the future, mate, I'd appreciate any employees I might have being considered out of bounds. My ex-girlfriends, fine. Clients are okay, so long as they don't know you're tied to me, but please don't muck up the operation of my business."

"Done." Beckett sat back in his chair, sipping his drink. Beautiful way to fuck up a decent lunch.

Chest tight with tension that wasn't hers and memories she usually tried not to think of at all, Reese dropped her gaze from the two men she sat with and slipped from the table. "I'm just going to collect sunshine," she announced quietly before stealing outside.

Miles watched her go with a sigh. Reese was so... susceptible to what was happening around her, he felt badly for inadvertently bringing up a topic that made her uncomfortable. "Well damn. That was not my intention."


SUMMARY: Beckett and Reese abduct Miles for lunch. Miles agrees to have a floo installed for Reese, one of Beckett's conquests is revealed and Reese is reminded of some very bad memories.