Robin's Egg Blue

Beta'd by (and dedicated to) my fellow pirates, Melody and Safari

"If you don't hold still," Katie said as she pinched Angelina's chin between her fingers, "you're going to wind up with mascara in your eye."

"Sorry. I'm sorry!" Angelina wrung her hands and then dug her nails into the side of her chair. "Merlin. What is wrong with me?"

Katie laughed. "You're excited. It's understandable." She swiped thick black paint over her friend's eyelashes. "It's supposed to happen to girls who are about to be married."

"I'm getting married," Angelina said dreamily. They were sitting in Ginny's old room at the Burrow, which she had graciously allowed them to use as a dressing room for the bridesmaids. Makeup was strewn across the antique vanity, and Angelina's white dress was spread out across Ginny's bed. "I'm - I'm going to be married." For the fifth time that day, her eyes began to fill with tears.

"Don't," Katie warned, capping the mascara. "Don't you dare cry all your makeup off again, because I swear, Angelina Johnson, I will not reapply it this time."

"I'm fine." Angelina blinked rapidly. "I'm fine, I'm fine, I swear I'm - Merlin, I'm getting married."

Katie smirked and pressed the pad of her index finger against one of the curlers tangled up in Angelina's thick black hair. "The rollers are done," she said, gently unwinding one of the foam cylinders. It left behind a long ringlet, which bounced against Angelina's face. "It's the end of an era," Katie said as she took out the next curler.

"What, my maidenhood?" Angelina grinned as if she'd said a dirty word. "My . . . virginity?"

"Not that." Katie flicked Angelina's ear gently. "Everyone knows you lost your virginity years ago."

Angelina tilted her head to give Katie better access to the curlers. "Not true!"

"It is true, Angie. We could all hear you and Fred in the broom cupboard after the Yule Ball."

Angelina's face fell, and Katie realized her mistake immediately.

"Shit. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." The bride shrugged and reached up to help Katie unwind curlers from her hair. "Someone was going to mention him at some point today. It was only a matter of time. Might as well get used to it."

There was a knock, and, without waiting for anyone to give her permission to open the door, Alicia Spinnet poked her head in. "George won't stop pacing," she said. "He wants to see you."

"He can't see the bride before the wedding," Angelina said adamently. "Even if I'm not in my dress yet."

"Not you." Alicia pointed. "Katie."

"Me?" Katie dropped her handful of rollers onto the vanity and ran her hands through Angelina's curls. "Why's he want me?"

"Because he's sick of me telling him to shut up, probably." Alicia came all the way into Ginny's room and closed the door behind her. "Oh, Angelina, you look beautiful."

"Thanks." Angelina frowned at herself in the mirror and fluffed her hair. "D'you think I should wear it up or down?"

"Alicia?" George's voice was muffled by the door. "Katie?"

"I'm coming," Katie called.

"Wait!" Angelina leaned over to grab Katie's arm.

"What?"

"You didn't tell me why it's the end of an era!"

"Oh." Katie twisted one of Angelina's curls around her finger. "Your hair."

The bride looked confused. "What about it?"

"If you have a baby with George, it'll have dark hair, like yours. No more ginger."

Alicia laughed. "Generation after generation of red-headed Weasleys, and it comes to an end with you, Angie."

"Alicia! Katie!"

"I'm coming, George!" Then, to Alicia: "Don't let her cry again."

Katie slipped out into the hallway. George was standing with his back to the door, hands gripping the railing of the stairwell that led down to the ground floor of the Burrow. "Can I look?" he asked.

Katie closed the door. "Fire away."

He turned around and seized her by the arms. "Katie."

She laughed and shrugged out of his grasp. "What's the matter?" she said with a grin. "Can't stay away from her long enough to let her get dressed?"

He didn't return her smile. "There's been a change of plans."

"What kind of change?"

"Lee Jordan's ill."

Her heart nearly stopped. "He's ill?"

"He's been vomiting all morning," George said gravely. "It'd be quite funny if it weren't so serious."

Katie moved around George to the staircase and leaned over the banister, where she could see wedding guests milling around the kitchen below. "Who's going to take over as Best Man?"

George hesitated. "I need you to remain calm."

Katie turned around to face him and narrowed her eyes. "Who's the new Best Man, George?"

"Just - keep in mind that if you, as the Maid of Honor, freak out, it's going to make Angelina freak out too, and nobody wants that."

"George."

"It's Oliver Wood."

"Oh." Katie shrugged. "Is that all?"

"Is that all?" George repeated. "Who are you and what have you done with Katie Bell?"

She shrugged again. "I'm over it."

"Really," George said slowly as he leaned against Ginny's door. "Because the last time you and I spoke about Oliver Wood, you told me you hated him."

"I know. But I'm over it."

He rubbed his jaw. "You told me he led you on. He acted like he wanted you, and then as soon as the Puddlemere acceptance letter came in, he left you and never looked back. You'll have to forgive me if those weren't your exact words," he added. "It was a wee bit difficult understanding you while you sobbed into my shoulder."

Katie pursed her lips. "It was six years ago, and I'm over him. I'm fine now."

"Are you sure?"

She smirked. "I think I'm capable of walking down the aisle next to my ex-boyfriend, thank you very much. Now if you'll excuse me, your bride-to-be needs help with her hair."

"Okay." George obediently stepped away from Ginny's door. "How is she doing?" he asked as he turned his back on the dressing room.

Katie opened the door. "She's excited to marry you."

"Good." He was grinning, she could hear it in his voice. "It's mutual."

Katie closed the door behind her immediately crossed over to the vanity. "Oh, Angelina," she said. "What happened?"

Angelina was bawling into her arms.

"My fault," Alicia said, stroking her friend's curls.

Angelina lifted her face briefly. "She - she said - "

"All I said was, 'You know, I don't really think this gown and nail polish go together,' and suddenly - waterworks." Alicia shook her head. "I didn't realize how irrational she was."

"Angelina," Katie said soothingly as she pulled out her wand, "we can fix the nail polish. It's easy. It'll take two seconds."

"It's my something blue," she sniffled. "I thought - I thought it looked nice."

"It's a lovely shade," Katie said, and she meant it. Angelina's nails were painted robin's egg blue, which contrasted nicely with her dark skin and wouldn't clash with George's hair and perfectly matched the eyes of the new Best Man -

"Most brides do French tips," Alicia said. "That's all I was saying. Not that the colors clash - nothing clashes with white. And it looks good on you, Angie. You look so good."

"Even though you bloody cried again." Katie pulled out her wand and began to touch up the tiny rivers of mascara dripping down Angelina's cheeks. "What are we going to do with you, Mrs. Weasley?"

Something like a strangled laugh escaped Angelina's lips just as someone knocked on the door. "George again," Katie said, moving to the door. "You can't see her yet," she called through the keyhole as she opened the door a crack and slipped out into the hallway -

and collided with the chest of one Oliver Wood.

"Oh - hi," he said.

The door closed behind her, bumping into Katie's back and scooting her toward him.

(There was barely an inch of space between them.)

"I just, er. I came up here to see how you were doing."

Katie's eyes went wide.

"Not - not just you," he added. "All three of you. Angelina and Alicia, too."

(He hadn't backed away.)

"Fine," Katie said, and it came out sounding hoarse, and she hated that she was nervous around him. "We're fine."

"Good." He licked his lips. "Good."

"Yeah."

(His eyes were blue, they were blue, they were so blue, and once upon a time she'd tried to erase those eyes from her memory but now there was no hope of ever forgetting them again.)

"It's good to see you, Katie," he said finally.

"Good to see you, too." She forced a smile. "How've you been?"

"Good. Puddlemere's going well."

"Good."

"Yeah."

Silence. She felt obligated to fill it - with words, with a touch, with a slap, with a kiss, with something. There had been a time when she wasn't afraid to ask what he was thinking about, but that was gone, that was six years in the past - and this silence was now - say something, Katie, say something.

"I should go. Angelina needs - you know. Primping. All that." Since when are you incapable of forming sentences, Bell?

"Right." Oliver gave her a curt nod. "I'll see you downstairs, I suppose."

"See you."

When she was back inside Ginny's room, she leaned against the door and tried to breathe through the rapid thumping of her heart.

(She was most definitely not over Oliver Wood.)

"Do you want to dance?" he asked her after the wedding ceremony.

It had gone well, Katie thought. Angelina had made it nearly all the way through without crying, and yes, little Teddy Lupin had dropped the ring on his way down the aisle, but Victoire Weasley was the prettiest little flower girl in the world. (And nobody had noticed, probably, when the Maid of Honor had refused to hold the Best Man's arm.)

"I'm fine," Katie said, and what she meant was I'm fine without you but what she really meant was I'm in love with you all over again.

"You're angry."

They were sitting outside in the garden, watching the newlyweds spin in slow circles on the distant dance floor while the seasoned couples swayed around them. Harry and Ginny; Arthur and Molly; Bill and Fleur; Charlie and Victoire (who had been pouting that nobody would dance with her); Alicia and Lee Jordan (who had miraculously recovered from his vomiting).

"Of course I'm angry," Katie said.

"I don't understand why."

She laughed once. She wouldn't look at him. "Because you left."

She was shivering. He shrugged out of his suit jacket and put it around her bare shoulders. "I'm here now."

"You didn't even offer to - I don't know, try long distance."

Oliver looked out at the dance floor. "You would never have said yes to long distance."

"How would you know? You didn't ask me."

"Because long distance wouldn't have been fair."

She finally looked at him. "Why not?"

"I loved you, Katie. I wanted all of you. Not your letters. Not visits once a month." He took her hands. She let him. "Just you. And I couldn't have both, so I picked Puddlemere. I thought I could put you out of my mind. I thought I could get over you."

"Why couldn't you?" she whispered.

"I thought I had," he admitted. "Up until yesterday, when I came into town for the wedding and caught a glimpse of you." He smiled faintly. "And it was love at first sight all over again."

She rolled her eyes. "That's a rubbish line."

"Don't tell me you don't feel it, too."

She allowed herself a smirk. "Lucky Lee got sick," she said, lacing her fingers through his.

"Not so lucky, actually." He grinned sheepishly. "I slipped him a Puking Pastille earlier so I could take his place in the wedding."

Katie let out a laugh. "You didn't."

"I did." He raised their clasped hands to his mouth and kissed each one of her fingers. "I quit Puddlemere".

She blinked. "You did?"

"I did." He stood up. She followed suit. He pulled her into his chest and swayed her so gently that it could hardly be called dancing. "Sent in my letter of resignation this morning."

She leaned her head against him and listened to the thrum of his heart. "Why?"

"Because for the second time in my life," he said, "I need to make a choice between you and Quidditch." He touched her chin and tilted her head back. "And I am not going to make the wrong decision this time."

His kiss made her weak at the knees; she melted into him, and when Katie closed her eyes, everything in her world went utterly and completely robin's egg blue.

Quidditch League, Finals Round 1

Position: Keeper

Prompt: "You know, I don't really think this gown and nail polish go together."

Word Count: 2,111

[Pirate Ship Battles: Love At First Sight, Katie Bell/Oliver Wood. Position: First Mate]

[Disney Character Competition: Blue Fairy - write about one character helping another]