Draco's Apartment

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

An Alternate Universe of an Alternate Universe, a world where Pansy goes back to Earth from Pigfarts to find Draco. Doing this mostly because it keeps getting asked about and suggested whenever Pigfarts comes up in conversation, and we're bored and want to write it because it sounds potentially interesting. Fully AU from Pigfarts, as Sansy is still quite happy and lovely on Mars.

Images of Draco's Paris Apartment:

Spoiler:

It was strange being back on Earth. The gravity was different here. She hadn't realized it, but it was. It was strange being back on a planet covered in greens and blues with clouds overhead and lakes and streams and forests and fields. Until she got back, she didn't know just how much she had missed it while she was gone. But she was back, and completely unsure where to go.

She couldn't go home. Her parents had disowned her after what had happened with she and Draco falling apart, her running off with his cousin to Pigfarts, ending in her getting knocked up. She couldn't go to Malfoy Manor. His parents definitely wouldn't want to see her, and she'd bet almost anything Draco wasn't staying there anymore. He'd probably found himself a different wife, one that would stay with him like she was supposed to.

Pansy didn't want it to be her fault, no matter how it was. She just didn't do well being left alone. As fiercely independent as she was, if she was left alone, she strayed. She got wanderlust, and without someone to pull her back and remind her what she already had, she would screw things up and look elsewhere to fill the hole being created by being left alone. Things had been going well on Mars for the longest time. She and Scorpius had gotten close. Pansy figured they'd eventually get married after the baby things were all figured out and taken care of, and he was around all the time, reading books about babies, finding things that would be useful later, even talking about where to live and work and all that. But as time passed on, she saw less and less of him. She waited and worked and tried, but weeks passed and nothing improved. And then she saw him. With Candice. That was the night she left.

It was still dark, the early morning making its way across the land. Pansy wasn't sure how to find Draco apart from contacting his parents or friends, and since the Malfoys were probably not the fondest of her at the moment, it seemed that their school friends would be the best bet. She wrote up a note to Blaise, apparating to Hogsmeade to swing by the owl post to send it. It didn't occur to her to apparate to Blaise's house. Him seeing her like this wouldn't end well, and she couldn't be sure how he would feel about what she'd done anyway. She spent some time around the town that day, poking around the shops she used to visit only last year. Eventually that early afternoon, the owl found her, carrying a note in his beak. She took it, opening it and reading Blaise's familiar scrawling handwriting. Gathering her courage, she tucked it into her pocket and apparated away.

Pansy groaned, finding herself in Paris once again. Bittersweet memories of times when she was far more innocent, far more happy. It was summer then, early May, but now it was October, and the trees had changed their colors, the air was far more crisp and had a slight bite to it that pushed through her sweater. She had forgotten about seasons during her time at Pigfarts. It wasn't like she was there long, but it was amazing how much about Earth you simply took for granted once being stuck inside a building on Mars for a while. She blinked back some wetness in her eyes as she moved down the streets as invisibly as she could manage, glancing down at the address on the paper she tugged free from her pocket again. It wasn't too crowded, a normal Tuesday afternoon, but the streets were still busy with people shopping, running errands, going to and from work. Normal things. Normal things she could have had once upon a time. Finally, sometime in the late afternoon, she found it, a little apartment down a side street, it seemed very much like something he would pick out.

She stood there for a moment, feeling pathetic in her old jeans, a slightly visible pudge just below her belly button hidden as much as she could manage with an oversized sweater. She couldn't believe she was standing on the doorstep of her ex-husband's apartment, pregnant with his cousin's child, coming to him with nothing to say, nothing to ask, just... just coming. She had no idea why. She just raised her hand, curled her fingers slowly into a fist, and knocked.

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco had had a rough time after Pansy left. He was the one charged with explaining to people what had happened between them but fortunately, or unfortunately, the web of pureblood gossip ran so fast that within two days no one asked anymore, they just gave him pitying and judging looks. He was the one who hadn't been able to keep hold of her and he had failed his family. Fortunately his parents didn't see it that way, choosing to blame Pansy and Scorpius over him, however that hadn't made life in England any easier for him. After a few long weeks he had relocated himself to Paris. Even if it still held far too many memories of Pansy, it had always been his favourite city and in a few short days it felt more like home than London had for a long time. Within three weeks of living there he had cut ties with everyone from his past life aside from Blaise and his parents and he was finally his own person. All the expectations were gone and he was free.

He quickly settled himself into a small apartment with a view of the Eiffel Tower. It was a tiny place, a bed raised up over the living room however the kitchen was comparably large and the great area more than made up for the lack of space. He made friends with all the local merchants and after a week he ended up making a deal with an old frenchman and buying his café. Draco had never done anything this rash in his life and it felt amazing. Within days he had the café on its feet and had hired two local students to help him out. It was small place so he only needed one of them at once and he manned the coffee machine and the pastry counter. After five weeks or so he already had a regular crowd, his café becoming a local success. He wasn't sure what had prompted him, but naming the little place was the easiest part of it: Deja Vu.

It was a late Tuesday afternoon and Marcel was working in the shop so Draco darted out and told him that he needed to run some errands, pick up some papers from home and the extra coffee he had bought the day before. As he turned the corner of his street he saw someone knocking on his door. A woman. He was surprised and when she turned her head he outright gasped. Pansy. What was she doing here, last he had heard she was off on Mars with his cousin. He quickly walked down the street as she turned away, pulling his keys out as he went, "Pansy? When did you get back?" He stopped a few feet from her, looking her up and down. She looked different somehow, her hair was longer and it wasn't like her to wear such baggy clothes.

[Melanie McCann]

An Alternate Universe of an Alternate Universe, a world where Pansy goes back to Earth from Pigfarts to find Draco. Doing this mostly because it keeps getting asked about and suggested whenever Pigfarts comes up in conversation, and we're bored and want to write it because it sounds potentially interesting. Fully AU from Pigfarts, as Sansy is still quite happy and lovely on Mars.

I thought we were friends......

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

Nev, I love you. But we are bored.

[Draco Malfoy]

Massively bored. I think if I made Pansy watch me make a potion one more time she might upend it on me...

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

Yes. So be careful what you brew from now on.
And now I am going to reply to this.

[Melanie McCann]

Things had been going well on Mars for the longest time. She and Scorpius had gotten close. Pansy figured they'd eventually get married after the baby things were all figured out and taken care of, and he was around all the time, reading books about babies, finding things that would be useful later, even talking about where to live and work and all that. But as time passed on, she saw less and less of him. She waited and worked and tried, but weeks passed and nothing improved. And then she saw him. With Candice. That was the night she left.

My heart is officially in two pieces. Broken. Destroyed.

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

I'M SORRY, IT HURT ME TO WRITE THAT TOO.
*CLINGS PIGFARTS FOREVER*

[Melanie McCann]

*huffs and walks away*

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

*would send you more Sansy to make it better, but has none*

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

Draco had had a rough time after Pansy left. He was the one charged with explaining to people what had happened between them but fortunately, or unfortunately, the web of pureblood gossip ran so fast that within two days no one asked anymore, they just gave him pitying and judging looks. He was the one who hadn't been able to keep hold of her and he had failed his family. Fortunately his parents didn't see it that way, choosing to blame Pansy and Scorpius over him, however that hadn't made life in England any easier for him. After a few long weeks he had relocated himself to Paris. Even if it still held far too many memories of Pansy, it had always been his favourite city and in a few short days it felt more like home than London had for a long time. Within three weeks of living there he had cut ties with everyone from his past life aside from Blaise and his parents and he was finally his own person. All the expectations were gone and he was free.

He quickly settled himself into a small apartment with a view of the Eiffel Tower. It was a tiny place, a bed raised up over the living room however the kitchen was comparably large and the great area more than made up for the lack of space. He made friends with all the local merchants and after a week he ended up making a deal with an old frenchman and buying his café. Draco had never done anything this rash in his life and it felt amazing. Within days he had the café on its feet and had hired two local students to help him out. It was small place so he only needed one of them at once and he manned the coffee machine and the pastry counter. After five weeks or so he already had a regular crowd, his café becoming a local success. He wasn't sure what had prompted him, but naming the little place was the easiest part of it: Deja Vu.

It was a late Tuesday afternoon and Marcel was working in the shop so Draco darted out and told him that he needed to run some errands, pick up some papers from home and the extra coffee he had bought the day before. As he turned the corner of his street he saw someone knocking on his door. A woman. He was surprised and when she turned her head he outright gasped. Pansy. What was she doing here, last he had heard she was off on Mars with his cousin. He quickly walked down the street as she turned away, pulling his keys out as he went, "Pansy? When did you get back?" He stopped a few feet from her, looking her up and down. She looked different somehow, her hair was longer and it wasn't like her to wear such baggy clothes.

Pansy chewed on her lip nervously, waiting for him to come to the door. It was silent inside. Maybe he saw that it was her and was waiting for her to just go away. She hoped that wasn't the case, but as she didn't hear anyone inside, she sighed softly, not sure what to do now. Footsteps echoed down the street in a moment though, and she turned to look out of curiosity.

There he was. Draco. He looked great, his hair as perfect as ever, face clear and even cheerful - though it crushed her heart to see that he actually looked happy while she was standing on his doorstep broken to a thousand pieces - and his clothing as well-fitting and perfect as ever. He was coming toward her, and she saw the change in the way he was walking as soon as he recognized her. Her face stayed the same mildly sad but mostly emotionless expression it had been before as he neared her, though she attempted a half smile to not seem so sour. Pouting would do her no good. She had a hard time meeting his eyes as he talked to her and looked her over. Finally she spoke up and answered him, stepping away from his door so that he could get to it if he wanted.

"Yesterday. Apparently I can't manage to stay with anyone for too long." She immediately bit her lip to stop herself from saying anything more. What a cheerful beginning to a conversation. She figured, why bother with a facade around Draco? He had seen her at her best and her worst, and now was even worse than her previous low points. There was no reason for formalities between them. They knew each other too well for that nonsense. She glanced at him awkwardly, reaching up and running a hand nervously through her hair, pushing it back from her face. She stared at the ground, at his shoes, at a loose pebble by his toes, only turning her eyes to stare into his after she fell silent again.

"I can understand if you don't exactly want to see me, but I didn't know where else to go. I've got nothing left."

It was true. She had no family anymore. Her mother despised her for what had happened, her father disowned her because it was the 'right' thing to do for a respectable pureblood man. Her inheritance was thus never granted to her, leaving her without a single galleon to her name. She had no friends anymore. Those she had at school she had lost once she ignored everyone to be with Draco, and those she had talked to on occasion she lost connection with once she left for Pigfarts. Her friends from there were thousands of miles away now, utterly useless to her. Draco had been the only one left to turn to, but it wouldn't surprise her if he sent her away as well. She had done the unspeakable to him after all, she knew she deserved whatever animosity he held against her.

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco logically knew the reason why she was obviously standing on his doorstep but that didn't make it any easier to hear the pain in her voice. Even after all the pain she had caused him he wouldn't wish that on her. He wouldn't wish heartbreak on anyone. He stayed silent after her first comment, waiting to see if she had anything else to say and when she spoke again he sighed sadly and gave her a small smile, "Don't leave. Come on inside and drop your bag, you can stay here for a few days." He unlocked the door and lead her up the small staircase. "I need to go drop some things off now and get back to work so you can either stay here and get settled or come with me and we can talk and you can tell me what happened." He opened the door to his little apartment and held it open for her. "Your choice."

He knew that she was a persona non grata within their social circles at home and if his parents knew he was doing this they would be furious but he had stopped caring what the thought around the time he had re-opened Deja Vu. After all those year he was finally his own person and they couldn't stop him from talking to Pansy and helping her if he wanted to. He had no idea what had happened to her and wouldn't be surprised if she didn't tell him right off but he could see she was hurting and it would be a lie to say that seeing her again hadn't brought back pain of his own but he had his new life now and the past didn't matter.

They entered into his little kitchen and he flicked the lights on, "Welcome back to Paris Pansy." He stepped past her through the kitchen into the little living room, no lights needed in there thanks to the huge windows with a view of the park shining their light in. He left her standing in the little living room and went back into the kitchen to grab the coffee he came for. Setting the sack down by the door he walked back into the living room and over to the little desk in the corner to find the paperwork he needed, locating it and slipping it into his messenger bag. Turning around he looked at her, "So are you coming or staying?"

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

Pansy braced herself for him to tell her to leave, to find somewhere else to stay because she'd lost her chance of even talking with him like this, how dare she show up on his doorstep and expect anything from him, but he didn't. He even sort of smiled at her, but she wasn't sure if that was actually better or worse. And then when he offered for her to stay there for a few days? 'She didn't know what to do' was an understatement. Pansy followed him up the stairs into his apartment, taking a quick look around. It was lovely, picturesque, perfect. It was so fully something she could have once imagined them living in together, happily, but those days she'd managed to singlehandedly destroy. She contemplated the options he offered her for today, trying to decide what was best. He seemed a bit talkative, and for that she was thankful. It meant she could say less and get away with it as he almost rambled happily. The exact opposite reaction to her arrival that she had expected. She had been banking on ducking flying objects, not being offered a place to stay and a good talk with him at his work.

Upon being welcomed back to Paris, she had to fight with all she could to make the tears pricking up in her eyes go away. Paris. Where they had run away together, where they had gotten married and honeymooned together. Where they probably would have moved to live together permanently had things not fallen apart. She hated herself for everything she'd gotten into, everything she'd done to screw up her life and the lives of those she had loved. She truly had loved them, both of them, and she still did if she were to be honest with herself. She was still silent, taking cautious but admiring glances around the apartment as she followed him into the kitchen and through to the living room. She crossed to the window, admiring the view, as he dug through some things on the desk. Her mind drifted off to the last time she'd had such a nice view of the tower, back when he had proposed on that rooftop café.

She turned around when he asked her if she was coming or staying. She thought it over for a moment, not sure which would be the best option at the time. Only one thing mattered to her right now though. She didn't want to be alone. If he left her in his apartment alone, who knew what would happen, and she refused to be alone again so soon after just finding another human who would readily speak to her. "I'll come if you don't mind. I'd rather not be alone." He had mentioned they could talk at work and she could tell him what happened, but she wasn't sure if she could do that. At least not yet. She couldn't talk about it, least of all to Draco, the very one she'd left to get on a rocketship to take her to Mars with the man who eventually knocked her up, putting her in the current predicament. They could talk maybe, but she wasn't telling him everything yet. She had to find a place to live, as soon as possible, and staying with Draco for a few days while she did that would be incredibly helpful. Manipulative maybe, but if she told him about the baby, he might not let her stay. For now, it would have to remain a secret, at least until she found somewhere else to go, a job to get some money, and a few other things she needed to figure out as soon as she could.

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco nodded, "No problem. Come on then." He grabbed his bag and picked up the large bag of coffee beans. "It's just around the corner." He opened the door again and let her out of the little apartment, locking it after her. He let her down the stairs first and then took the lead down the little Parisian side street. It was odd having her next to him again and he wasn't sure what to make of her sudden arrival. She looked tired and worried about something but if he still knew her then he knew that there was no point in pushing her, she wouldn't tell him anything until she was good and ready. As they strolled down the street he waved to people as they passed, exchanging pleasantries. After only six weeks here he was already well known in the area, the local people were a mix. There were both students and the elderly living around here and he was friends with them all. There was Mme. Berrier who lived above him and who he helped out from time to time, running errands for her and helping her get around the city. Then there was Jerome below him, his technical landlord who was really nothing more than a college kid who had inherited the building from his father. Even though it was predominantly muggle area he was adjusting well. It helped him separate it all further from his old life. He was now the owner of a cell phone and he even had an email address. He knew no one from his old life would believe it and he wondered how Pansy was going to react to it all. Draco felt incredibly lucky to have found such a great place to live, one where he fit in so well. He checked on Pansy but she wasn't looking at him. He shrugged and turned the corner onto the boulevard and then stopped outside his cafe.

"Here we are, welcome to Deja Vu" He grinned at her and stepped behind the counter, opening up the coffee bag. A young man in an apron walked up to the counter with a tray, "Et alors? Tu a vraiment pris tes temps. Qui est la femme?" (So? You really took your time. Who's the lady?) Draco snorted and poured some of the beans into the grinder, "Eh bien Marcel? Tu as une probleme? Qui est le patron? Et la femme est une ancienne amie." (So Marcel? You have a problem? Who's the boss? And the woman is an old friend.) Draco turned to Pansy, "Pans, this is Marcel. Marcel, elle s'appelle Pansy. Tu peut pratiquer ton anglais avec elle. Ou est Alix?" (Marcel, she's called Pansy. You can practice your english with her. Where's Alex?) He set the grinder running as Marcel told him that his second employee was running late, again. Turning to Pansy he asked, "You want a coffee? Tea?"

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

Deja Vu:



Pansy followed him a little awkwardly back through the kitchen, her arms crossed nervously across her stomach. She stepped through the door and went down the stairs, waiting for him once she got back on the street. She put her arms down, trying to relax, but it was hard. It felt strange walking through Paris with him again, though it was vastly different this time. Last time, he'd have had his arm around her, her hand in his, his lips scarcely away from her cheek. This time she felt out of place, felt like her belly was so painfully obvious though her sweater hid it, felt like she'd been simply dropped into a life that wasn't her own. Which, it was true, she'd just fallen into Draco's life, if only for a few days, and she had no real part of it. She was worn out, not only physically tired, but emotionally worn down. There was honestly only so much a person could take, and what with the baby that was inevitably coming, she had to figure things out as soon as possible. She stayed silent, following him around the corner, looking around at the people passing by, the buildings, the general area. Muggles, everything seemed very Muggle. And Draco seemed to know them all, greeting them as they passed. Strange. She glanced at him, but looked away again before he caught her gaze, turning her attention back toward the buildings they passed, following him around the corner where he stopped.

She blinked and looked at the place, smiling slightly. It was really a great looking place, chairs outside, big glass windows to let you see in, quite a few people either talking with each other or sipping drinks alone with a book. Pansy followed him inside, looking around again and following him silently toward the counter, stopping on the outside of it. The slight smile was still present on her face as she glanced around, this complete change of scenery to a place in which she felt unfamiliar, it was surprisingly good. It was nice getting away from anyone who knew her. Well, besides Draco. No one here knew who she was, what she had done to him, that she'd run away or gotten knocked up or left her second school to come back here to the only person from her life who would even speak to her. Reflexively, she wrapped her arms casually around her stomach again, leaning against the counter across from Draco. She turned to look at the young man who walked out, impressed with Draco's fluent conversation with him. He had been taught French as a kid by his parents for their trips here, but she hadn't realized he knew it so well. As always, Pansy didn't understand a word of it. He had always translated for her.

She smiled politely when she was introduced to Marcel, saying it was a pleasure to meet him, slipping back into the old ways of formalities and meetings and how she used to go to events with Draco sometimes and meet important people. Despite her fatigue and distress, she felt as though she pulled off the facade rather well. She looked back at Draco as he spoke to her, and she smiled slightly. "Tea. Please." She didn't bother telling him which kind or how. He knew how she liked it, or at least she hoped he remembered. She hoped he hadn't wiped pieces of her from his memory, hadn't forgotten about her, but she didn't deserve much better. She knew this, and once again she beat herself down, told herself it was stupid to expect anything from him, any kindness or hospitality or sympathy. She crushed her spirits as well as she could, simply being grateful for him even speaking to her, saying she could stay for a few days, bringing her along to the cafe with him, and offering her some tea. She moved along the counter toward the back of the cafe where there were a few barstools positioned close to the counter, slipping up onto one and resting her arms on the counter surface. She glanced over at Draco's back. He was busy somewhat fighting with something judging by the way his shoulders were moving, but she figured she might as well attempt conversation. She knew she couldn't stay silent forever, and eventually he would want to know what was going on. Not yet, not the whole story yet, but they could talk. "How long have you been in Paris?"

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco did remember exactly how Pansy liked her tea. He would never forget that because it was something so unique about her. As Marcel watched curiously Draco pulled the box of exotic teas down from the top of the shelves. Searching for a moment he found the one he was looking for and put it out to one side. As she spoke he glanced back at her, "Almost seven weeks now. I bought this place after less than five days here. I guess I was making drastic changes." The little bell over the door tinkled and an elderly couple walked in. They exchanged pleasantries with Draco before Marcel helped them to a table. He clicked off the coffee grinder and poured just a little milk in her tea before taking the teabag out and setting two little sugar cubes on the side. He walked over to her and set the saucer down, "One apple cinnamon tea, a drop of milk and, because it's your first day here and I get the feeling you need cheering up, two sugar cubes." He smiled at her and turned to Marcel who was giving him coffee orders. He put the cappucinos on a tray and pulled two croissants off of the little glass pastry tower before giving Marcel the tray. Draco walked back over to Pansy, "So do you know how long you'll be in town for?"

As he spoke and Marcel walked away the door opened again and a flustered looking brunette walked in. Draco held up a finger to Pansy, "One sec." He turned to face the young woman walking in, "Bonjour Alix." She quickly walked behind the counter and gave him an innocent smile, pecking him on the cheek, "Bonjour Draco. Ça va? Pardon, il y'avais une probleme avec le metro et j'avais marcher apres le Champs Elysee." (Hi Draco. How's it going? Sorry, there was a problem with the metro and I had to walk from the Champs Elysee.) Draco eyed her heels with great amusement and patted her on the shoulder, "Pas de probleme. Le prochaine fois téléphonerais moi, d'accord?" (No problem. Call me next time, okay?) When she nodded he turned to Marcel, "Marcel, tu peut partir. Eh bien, Alix," He turned the girl towards Pansy, "Elle est une ancienne amie, Pansy. Pansy, this is Alix. Elle parle seulement anglais. Soyez gentille." (Marcel, you can leave. And Alix, she's an old friend of mine, Pansy. She only speaks english. Be nice.) As Alix walked back from behind the counter, now wearing a small apron he walked back over to Pansy and leant on the counter, "Well now you've met everyone."

Marcel and Alix

Spoiler:

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

"You bought it? So you're the owner?" She gave him a sort of surprised and awed look. "Draco, that's... that's great. This place is really nice." Wow. Apparently he had done pretty well since the last time she'd seen him. He had been just fine without her, a great success even. As happy as she was for him, it hurt a little bit to see how well he had done once she'd left. When he came over with her cup of tea, she smiled, noting that it was that caramel-y color she liked. But when he told her it was apple cinnamon and he'd stuck two sugar cubes on the plate with it, her heart melted and shattered all at once. Not only had he fixed it how she liked, but had given her her favorite tea, and even the extra sugar she always stole to eat. As he walked away to get other orders ready, Pansy had to blink quickly to make sure the tears in the corners of her eyes went away. For some reason she couldn't deal with him making her exact favorite cup of tea. Luckily by the time he turned around again, she was under control, expression somewhat happily neutral once more.

She watched him walk away, exchanging a conversation in fluent french once again with a girl who walked in, apparently another person who worked for him. What caught her off guard though, and would have made her choke on her tea if she'd been taking a sip at the time - was when she kissed him on the cheek. Maybe it was casual and normal, but to Pansy right now, her emotions all over the place and hormones ransacking her thought process and nothing being very rational or understandable, she had no idea what it could be. What if Draco was with her? She wasn't sure why it upset her. That girl was probably good for him. She was probably there for him and they were probably great. She had no claim on him, no say on anything he did, and yet she found herself wincing a little at the sight of someone else kissing his cheek. She shook it off, wishing she could understand what they were saying. She smiled at the girl as she was introduced, giving her a greeting similar to the one she gave Marcel.

She took a sip of her tea, staring into her cup. Her eyes flicked up to meet his, finally having a chance to answer his previous question. "Not sure." She swirled the tea around in its cup. "Just passing through I guess. Though I don't really have an end destination. Wherever I can manage to find a place to stay and a job." She sighed softly, taking another small sip of the tea, which tasted glorious. She hadn't had it since before things had fallen apart with him, and it took her back to when things were so much simpler. "It's a little bit of an adjustment, living without money." She laughed slightly, a little amused that she was now living the life she'd always said she would, a gypsy without a permanent home going wherever she could get a job and a roof over her head. Granted, it was less desirable situation than she'd imagined, but here she was. Just where she'd always said she would be.

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco shook his head at her smiling, "You always did plan on a nomad lifestyle." He turned towards the coffee machines again as Alix came over with an order for two double expressos and an eclair, "I guess you've finally gotten it haven't you." Alix squeezed past him and collected the pastry for herself as he put the coffees on a tray. As she was about to walk past he grabbed her elbow, "Alix, est-ce que tu peut ferme ce soir? Je veux partir un peu tôt." (Alix, can you close up tonight? I want to go a little early,) Alix smiled at him and patted him on the ass on her way back out into the café, 'Pas de problem. Tu as une rendezvous?" (No problem. You got a date?) She winked and carried the coffees off as Draco shook his head and laughed at her.

A few more customers walked in and after a quick glance back to make sure Pansy was okay he turned to chat with them, serving up steaming cappuccinos with little shapes in the foam and some very strong expressos. He still got a solid rotation of new customers every day stopping by, some tourists and some new locals, but mostly it was regular customers who got the same orders every day. It had taken him less time to adjust to the job than he thought it would have but he had taken to it very well. It was exactly what he loved doing, interacting with his customers in a relaxed environment. Inserting himself as part of their day, learning all about them and their families. He had never really enjoyed socializing with pureblood back home but there was something different about it here. Maybe his position but whatever it was it made everything much more enjoyable. Walking back over to Pansy he picked up his own black coffee and took a sip, "So do you want to talk about what happened? About why you're here I mean."

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

She half smiled as he mentioned her getting what she had planned. "Yeah, just wish it were under better conditions, but hey, what can you do but roll with it." She tried to be casual, as if she felt like she could deal with this, as if everything was okay. It was a big fat lie, and she only hoped Draco was distracted enough to not pick up on it. Fortunately, he was soon very distracted, as he and Alix exchanged a few words. Intrigued by the way french just rolled off his tongue as naturally as english, she listened to what he was saying though she couldn't understand it. The words themselves were just pretty. She blinked in shock though as the girl smiled and smacked his butt, and said something about 'rendezvous'. Pansy may not know french, but everyone knows a handful of words whether they realize it or not, and that was one of them. She noticed the wink, and Draco's genuine laugh made her nervous. What if that girl was with Draco? Her heart sank, though she knew realistically she had zero chance of getting him back anyway. It was a miracle enough that he was speaking so civilly with her.

Pansy turned back to her tea as Draco wandered off to speak to some people as they came in. He was totally in his element, fully at ease and completely in control, well liked and respected here. It was strange. He'd grown up so much since she saw him last. Maybe them splitting had been the best thing to happen for him. He was so figured out, so... so adjusted. And then here she was, fighting the urge to cry into her teacup. She pulled her mind back in to keep it from wandering, because that would do her no good at all to let it have free reign here. When Draco came back over, she didn't know how to answer him. Of course she didn't want to talk about it. She didn't want to tell him that she got what she deserved in the end and she's got nothing left right now and is in desperate need for a home and a job so that she can at least attempt to scrape enough together for when the baby comes so that she can survive a little while before she can get back to work. But as far as Draco knew, she'd left Earth with Scorpius, finished out the year at Pigfarts, and now she was back here, alone. She sighed, rubbing her forehead for a second as she tried to sort out what and how much to tell him now, and what to save for later. Perhaps much later.

"I don't know what to tell you. I got what was coming in the end, and I've got a lot of shit to figure out. A lot of it I can't really talk about yet." She was quiet a second, hoping he would understand. She took another sip of her tea before continuing, lamenting that it was nearly gone. "Ended up brokenhearted again and came back here, looking for somewhere to start over. I don't know why I came to find you. I guess I figured I owed you an apology for everything and could really only do it in person. So, I'm really sorry Draco. I shouldn't..." She stopped talking, unable to continue. She looked down at her cup in her hands again, hoping maybe her eyelashes would hide the tears forming in her eyes from Draco's view, but one of them fell to the countertop, splashing in a tiny puddle beside her hand.

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco listened to her with a concerned look on his face. The Pansy he knew, the one he had married, had always been put together, had always known what she wanted and gone for it. Even her appearance was always designed to intimidate or at least impress. He knew this was the same girl in front of him but it was hard for him to connect the two together. In retrospect as much as her leaving had hurt him it had at least forced him to get himself together in a way he hadn't been before and forced him to grow up and accept responsibility. He still didn't like what had happened but he had accepted it and moved on, something that he had thought she would have had an even easier time with than he had. Unfortunately it looked like she hadn't had the same sort of rebirth that he had. She had run off with Scorpius and he had thought that would be the last he would ever see of the two of them, he had honestly wished them good luck and hoped that they would have success where he and Pansy had failed. It was hard for him to be bitter about it all when he knew that if he hadn't been gone, if he had just stayed home instead of haring off after his father to do things for him then he would have been with Pansy and she would never have ended up in Scorpius's arms. However he had done what he did and there was nothing left for him in England so he had come to France. So far Blaise had visited him with his fiancée Daphne Greengrass, and his parents still wrote every few weeks and had both been there the past weekend, impressed with what Draco had done for himself but still wishing he would have joined the family business, taken up residence in the Manor. His mother at least understood why he couldn't right now but his father kept bringing it up every few letters. Some hints more subtle than others. There was no real love lost between him and his father but he did miss his mother, fortunately she had visited more times than his father, stopping in every couple of weeks to see him. She brought updates from his old life, people what had gotten married, changed, had babies, all the things that he was missing. He knew she wanted him to come back home but at least she accepted at least for now he needed to be away from that society.

As she spoke he wanted to interrupt but he didn't let himself, listening to her and sighing when she said she couldn't talk about it yet. When she fell silent he looked at her and he felt a pang in his chest when her tear fell. His Pansy wasn't one to cry but he had to remind himself this wasn't his Pansy, this was someone who had been through things he didn't know about and couldn't fix, yet. Reaching out he gently put his hand on top of hers, gentle fingers stroking the back of her wrist. He noticed a lack of wedding bands, not even any marks. Obviously she hadn't gone the same route with Scorpius as she had with him. After a moment of silence he spoke softly, "Pansy, don't apologize to me again. We both made mistakes, albeit yours were a little bigger, and maybe we were too young for what we tried to be but I know I'm a different person to the one I was then and," he slid a finger under her chin to lift her eyes to his, "It seems you are too." She had circles under her eyes and her hair looked tired, almost limp just pulled back in a pony tail. Her clothing so baggy and her personality so meek it almost scared him. After a few seconds has passed he felt a tap on his shoulder and saw an apologetic Alix there, "Oui?" (Yes?) She gestured towards the door, "Mme Mason a arrive." (Mrs Mason is here.) Draco sighed and turned back to Pansy, "Sorry I'll be right back." He walked to the other end of the counter and leaned over it to kiss the middle aged woman on the cheek. She was an aristocratic beauty, face full of delicate angles and a pinned back mane of sleek ginger hair. "Bonjour Madame. La meme?" (Hello Madame, the same?) She nodded and slid a box out of her handbag. "Et pour toi j'ai les coquilles saint-jacques et des frites." (And for you I have scallops and fries.) He accepted the box with a smile and slid it under the counter, glad for once that Mme. Mason always supplied him with enough food for two. He carefully prepared her venti cappuccino with the little nutmeg and one sugar stirred through. Sliding the cap on it he pulled two gingerbread men out the pastry display and slid it into a bag, "Pour les petits." (For the little ones) She smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek before leaving again. He quickly filled two orders for Alix before walking back to Pansy, "Well that's our dinner for tonight."

Mme. Mason

Spoiler:

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

Pansy had changed. That girl who knew what she wanted and how to get it no matter what had been left behind. Where, she didn't know, but she was gone. The Pansy that she was now, she hated. She was pathetic, loveless, abandoned, unwanted, and left to fend for herself and her baby. And then there was Draco. She felt like an idiot sitting here, as if she had reverted in maturity and success once they'd split, and he'd taken off completely, flourished in her absence. She figured if that was the case, she should get gone as soon as possible, let him continue to enjoy his success without her around to screw it up. She stared at the little bit of tea in her cup, another tear falling to the countertop after the first. She wanted to pull away as his hand landed on hers, but she stayed put. Honestly, she found herself unable to care enough to do anything about it right now. She parted her lips to speak again, apologize to him again, but his finger was on her chin and she fell silent. Against her wishes, she let him turn her face back up toward his, slowly meeting his eyes as he spoke to her. She shut her eyes for a second, turning away before she opened them again. "But look what change has done to us. You're..."

She didn't get to finish saying that change had made him into this perfectly adjusted human being, and had turned her into this wreck of a mother-to-be, because Alix was back. She didn't bother looking up as she spoke to him again, hardly nodding in response as Draco walked away. She glanced over for a moment while Draco spoke with the elegant woman and got her order together, accepting a box from her in return. Pansy turned away again, glancing over all the items along the counters beside the coffee makers and various machines. And then she froze. Hung on the wall, partly hidden by half-used boxes of tea and a couple bags of coffee beans, there was a photo of the city of Paris, a view that looked incredibly familiar. Maybe it was the postcard view of it she'd seen a million times before, but she wasn't so sure. She stared hard at it, trying to think of why it felt so familiar to her. Finally it hit her. That was the view of Paris they'd had at that little rooftop restaurant they had gone to, the night he proposed to her. Back when things seemed to make sense, back when 'forever' had a meaning she could understand. A tear rolled down her cheek and she tore her gaze away from it, putting her head in her hands for a moment to calm down, not understanding why he would have that hanging in his cafe.

She sniffed and regathered herself as Draco came back over. She looked at him for a moment, confused at what he said to her, but then she realized that he intended to share whatever the woman had given to him with her. She shook her head. "No, no, Draco you don't have to feed me. Hell, you don't even need to let me stay with you, I can find some kind of temporary place until I can either decide where to go and try to settle down, or find some kind of job around here and a place to stay. There's got to be a cheap hotel or something..."

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco rolled his eyes and grabbed a plate. "You won't be running off to some cheap motel, especially not one around here. You can stay with me until you're back on your feet again and Mme Mason always gives me enough for two so it would really be a waste if you didn't join me." He shrugged and smiled, pulling an eclair out and setting it down in front of her. "Now eat the eclair. I'll be back in a bit." He got up and walked out from behind the counter, talking to all the customers and collecting the old plates. As he walked from table to table he kept glancing back to Pansy. He didn't like seeing her this way and even though he had told himself he wouldn't push her he just wanted to slip her veritaserum and find out what was wrong. He couldn't really imagine what had happened to her on Mars and why she wasn't still with Scorpius. She had said she had gotten was coming to her but he found that hard to believe. No matter what she seemed to think she didn't deserve a shitty life. She deserved to find someone who was right for her and apparently that hadn't been him or Scorpius. He had come to terms with the fact that no matter how in love they had been they were too young and their lives just weren't compatible. That was just how it had worked out between them and there wasn't anything he could do to change that.

He took all the plates back behind the counter and started running the water, distracting himself with washing the dishes. As the suds washed around the bowl he quickly ran through the plates moving on to the cups. All sizes from expresso to long skinny cappuccino cups to regular old hot chocolate mugs. He couldn't stop himself from looking back over to Pansy again. With a sigh he turned back to the dishes. Alix walked up behind him, "Draco, si tu vet partir je compris. Je pense que vous avez des choses plus importantes que les vaiselles. Elle set ton ex-femme, n'est pas?" (Draco if you want to leave I understand. I think you have more important things than the dishes. She's your ex wife isn't she?) When Draco nodded she handed him a dishtowel and pushed him to one side, "Allons-y. C'est presque cinq heure." (Go. It's almost five.) Draco gave her a half hearted smile and kissed her on the cheek, "Merci Alix." (Thanks Alix) and walked back over to Pansy, grabbing the box on his way past. "Okay, shall we head back to the apartment?"

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

Pansy sighed as he insisted she was staying with him until she had things figured out, but she was silenced and unable to respond when he said 'enough for two'. It echoed through her mind over and over. Enough for two. Enough for two. She'd been eating for two for a little while now. She glanced down at the eclair he gave her, not arguing the orders to eat it. It looked delicious, and she hadn't eaten yet today, and she was completely freaking starving. She hadn't realized just how badly she wanted food until she'd been presented with it. She tucked the two sugar cubes into the big pocket of her sweater for later, starting in on the eclair instead and leaving her empty teacup ignored. She tried to concentrate as Draco went about working, just eating her eclair and trying to clear her mind of everything, but she knew there were some things she couldn't just try to forget. Her past screw-ups and misadventures, sure, but not some things. There were a few parts of her life that were a bit more permanent than that. Namely a little tag-along in her belly. Not that she would ever want to forget about it. Apologetically, she wrapped an arm around her stomach, taking another bite of the eclair. I'll never forget about you, baby.

She wished she knew if it was a boy or a girl. She wondered how soon she could figure out. Scorpius had been gathering all of that information, and she realized just how clueless she really was about all of this. He'd been doing the research and reading to her, and she'd mostly just been sleeping and keeping herself from being too ill. Doing those things was good and well, but without him around to tell her things now, she didn't know much. Maybe there would be a woman around here who she could confide in, someone who had kids before and could help her through it. She made sure to remember to look around for someone like that, sooner the better. Draco had mentioned an older woman living upstairs? Maybe Pansy could meet her and the woman would be kind and sympathetic and help her out, and not look down on her for her situation. Pansy's gaze stayed generally on the surface of the counter, downcast, looking over the various well-worn scratches on the surface. She didn't notice when Draco kept turning to look at her, and she soon had finished her eclair in time to look up and see Alix and Draco talking again. As curious as she was about the two of them, she didn't want to ask. She didn't want to hear that he could be with someone else, as stupid and selfish as that was. She obviously wasn't good for him, why shouldn't he find someone who actually was? He was great without her, just look at him, his own restaurant, brilliant friends even if they were Muggles, a great life far away from home and the world they had grown up in. It was what she'd always wanted but could never have, probably never would. She watched them talking, watched as he kissed Alix on the cheek. Pansy looked down at her plate again, poking her finger in a bit of excess creme left on the surface, looking at anything except the two of them, wishing that little twinge of jealousy would just go away, and feeling rather stupid for it. She looked up again as he spoke to her, and she nodded. "I'm just along for the ride right now. Wherever you need to be." She stacked her dishes up and got off the stool carefully, waiting there to follow Draco out of the cafe and back around the corner to his place, not sure if she should tell him everything yet or not. A little flipping sensation in her stomach caught her off guard, and she found herself nearly smiling at it. It wasn't the baby moving, not yet. It was far too soon to start feeling it, and it was probably just nervousness, but it made her think of the baby anyway. Even if she only had a pathetic amount of money in her own Gringotts vault she'd opened before leaving Earth, filling it with the small amounts of her money she had in her possession at the time, and only had a small bag of clothes and what she had on her back at the moment, she knew she always had someone who would need her, even if that someone was only the size of a sugar packet right now.

[Draco Malfoy]

Alix collected the plates from Pansy and gave her a smile, not sure what was happening between the two but hoping for the best. She had no idea what history they had but she knew that Draco hadn't left the cafe early for the whole time she had been working there. Most nights he stayed late or she dragged him out of there and off to dinner to get him away from the proverbial office. He was good at masking his feelings and always seemed to have a happy and strong front, charming the clients and easily managing the troublesome Marcel but she had noticed something off about him tonight. It wasn't that he didn't seem happy or confident because he did, it was almost that there was a problem and he was stuck thinking about it and he couldn't find a solution, or at least not one that he could settle for. She watched them walk out and turn towards his apartment. There was something going on there and she just hoped that they could figure it out by tomorrow.

Draco nodded when Pansy said she was following him and he waved to Alix and headed out the door, holding it open for her to pass before turning and leading her towards his apartment. It was a short and silent walk back to his apartment where he opened the door and let her past him up the stairs. He couldn't have imagined ever sending her away to a hotel or wherever she would have ended up but he was still worried about what he was getting himself into letting her back into his life. With a small sigh he opened the apartment door and put down the box in the kitchen. "Okay so the bathroom is right over there if you want to wash up while I heat this." He walked over and washed his hands at the sink before popping the lid on the tupperwear and splitting the dinner onto two plates. He put a little more on her plate, not liking how pale and tired she was. A full meal always made everything better. He went into the cupboards and pulled out two glasses and some cutlery, placing them on the table. He cast a warming charm on the food and while it heated he filled a pitcher with water and slipped a couple of lemon slices into it before putting it all on the table.

[Pansy Parkinson-Malfoy]

Pansy followed him into the apartment, feeling a bit strange walking into his home with him. She nodded as he told her where the bathroom was, and headed in there, pushing the door mostly shut behind her. Crossing to the sink, she ran her fingers through her hair a little, fixing the loose ponytail. She splashed her face with some water and stared at the mirror for longer than intended before drying off and heading back out through the kitchen and into the main living area where Draco was putting his, or their, food at the table. "Thanks for sharing, and for letting me stay. I promise I'll be out of your hair soon." She pulled a chair out tentatively and sat down as he made a motion to do the same. She glanced at her plate, and honestly it looked delicious. She'd been starving all day and though the tea was wonderful, it wasn't food. She picked up a fork and dug in, eating considerably more quickly and enthusiastically than she usually had before. The baby kept her more hungry than usual, and she had learned to eat more food more quickly, because there was just something about cold food that completely disgusted her right now, and she didn't want to have to make things complicated with heating again or trying to force down cold food.

"So the cafe looks really nice. Seems like business does well, and your employees seem to like you. I guess that always makes things run more smoothly." Pansy still wondered what, if anything, was between Draco and Alix, but she didn't want to ask for fear of seeming too curious. After all, she was the one who had screwed it all up, she was the one who had left and had just now come back without notice, out of nowhere. Appearing on your ex-husband's doorstep out of thin air wasn't generally acceptable, which made her even more curious about this whole situation. After he'd answered about the cafe, she only half listened to be honest and couldn't be sure if she was ignoring something he might have asked or was getting horribly off topic, but her curiosity couldn't be ignored. "Draco, why are you being so nice to me? Not that I don't appreciate it. I really do, more than you could possibly imagine. It just... it's not logical."

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