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Cross My Heart | Bae - Benji Laurence - 08-14-2025
Wednesday, June 11, 1920
10:00 AM
The Laurence Estate, West Sussex
<3
10:00 AM
The Laurence Estate, West Sussex
<3
"Benji, the car's coming down the drive."
The main drawing room was an extravagant place, as was most of the castle the Laurences had built their dynasty upon. The stone walls were covered with rich mahogany paneling, accentuated with beautiful persian rugs of cream and soft red along the floors. Morning sunlight poured through tall windows that faced the south lawn, dressed in heavy cream-colored drapes, catching on little threads of gold woven through the fabric.
There were fancy chairs and sofas softened by plush upholstery and embroidered cushions that looked far too delicate to be truly comfortable but had somehow been lived in for generations. Porcelain vases, all hand-painted with the image of laurels and roses, stood atop small side tables containing carefully arranged bouquets fresh from the garden. Above the enormous unlit fireplace was a portrait of the entire Laurence family - now including Benji and Kathryn - staring down upon all of it with serious expressions.
To the far left of the portrait was Edith, holding her daughter Adira. Then James and his wife Amelia, holding their daughter Claire. Seated between Edith and James was Julia, Benji and Kathryn standing on either side of her with their hands on her shoulders. To the right was Rosie's mother, father, granny and grandad and Rosie sitting in a chair in front of them. Further right was more extended family - Arthur and his wife and grown boys, Thomas and Matthew.
It was a newer portrait, taken only a few days ago after Kathryn had been brought home with Julia, at James's insistence that the portrait reflect the important members of the family that would lead it into the future.
The boy glanced up from his game of Exploding Snaps with Rosie, nodding quickly to his uncle who had ducked his head in the doorway. "Be right out," he said, and grinned slightly at Rosie. "Third-wheeling it with us then?" His cousin glanced up, bright blue eyes meeting his hazel, and not for the first time Benji thought he saw something distant in them. He knew Rosie was already struggling with being restricted to the estate all summer, but there wasn't much he could do there. Julia insisted the girl had made her own bed and had to lay in it.
She couldn't be trusted, he'd heard various family members say multiple times over the past week.
"No. I'll say hello when she comes in, but you two have fun. I'll probably go wander the gardens or something."
Benji nodded, rising from the chair and following his uncle out through the main foyer and to the front door, just in time to see a dark muggle car pull up. Fidèle, James's house elf, rushed past them and to the car door, quickly opening it for the small girl to step out. The Floo Network or a portkey would have been quicker, but for some reason, the Laurences loved their cars. As soon as his girlfriend stepped out of the car and onto the gravel driveway, the boy broke out in a wide grin.
He wanted to rush forward to her, but James's hand on his shoulder held him firmly in place. The look on Benji's face as he met Rae's gaze was one of 'can you believe this place', but James broke the stalemate first.
"Welcome to the estate, Ruth. I trust your ride was uneventful?" James could be formal when he wanted to be, but overall Benji knew him to be fairly casual about things. "Come on in. Fidèle will take your bag, and Benji can show you around before lunch." The house elf quickly took the girl's bag before she could protest, and with a snap of his fingers, vanished into thin air. James retreated into the house, expecting the teenagers to follow in short order. Benji kept his hands behind his back as his girlfriend moved closer, but the glint in his eye only grew. "That's my uncle. James. He's Julia's brother. Big duke around town." His voice was low and quiet and he nodded towards the front door.
"C'mon pretty. Let me introduce you to aristo life."
RE: Cross My Heart | Bae - Ruth Elliot - 08-14-2025
It was a fancy car. Rae wasn't usually taken by Muggle contraptions, thinking just about everything was better handled with magic--like flooing or getting Ophelia to apparate her over,--but she had to admit being picked up at her front gate by a chauffeur who helped her inside and even took her bags was already giving her the sort of posh treatment she didn't know she needed until the car had already pulled off.
Vehicles weren't strange to her. She'd been riding the Hogwarts Express for years, and some of her previous foster families had owned cars in varying states of...put-togetherness.
It was the luxury of this one that held her, the comfort that swept her across the city, until the concrete jungle began to give way to the open countryside and the sight of the sea. Rae had sat in the back of the car, leaning onto the window to take in the view while the clean salt air whipped through her curls. By the time they arrived, it would likely look a bit of a mess, but she thought it was worth it.
The girl settled back into her seat as they approached the large gates of the castle, getting for the first time, a real idea of where Benji had been spending his time and how...grand it all was.
As her feet hit the gravel, she felt almost transported to another world entirely. Her home was nice, it was spacious, had a big garden in the back, and a lot of little luxuries but this was next level. Rae remained standing by the car a while longer, taking it all in while her bag was fished from the boot of the car. Brown eyes caught hazel, and her incredulity intensified. A castle! A whole castle! It was absolutely wicked in every way, and now she wondered why he had never invited her over before.
"Welcome to the estate, Ruth. I trust your ride was uneventful? Come on in. Fidèle will take your bag, and Benji can show you around before lunch."
Who was taking what now?
Before she could ask any questions, the elf appeared and just like that, her bag was gone, presumably off to the room she'd be staying in. "It was great," Rae said, turning her gaze back to the man who greeted her so politely. Instinctively, she wrapped her arm around Benji's, clutching him close while she stared at the gorgeous man. "You could see the sea at some places!" And there was the cutest village before they'd gotten up to the castle.
"That's my uncle. James. He's Julia's brother. Big duke around town."
Benji had never told her that he had a cute uncle. This seemed like the sort of thing you shared with your girlfriend, if only to prepare her so she didn't end up staring the way she was. The 13-year-old was entirely enchanted by the man with the easy aura, one she assumed existed only in his comfortable spaces. Even at home he was still so well put together. So pretty. So--
"C'mon pretty. Let me introduce you to aristo life."
"Hm?"
Aristo-who? Were they following him? Benji's uncle? His smile was nice, even if a little restrained. Imagine what he'd look like with a full grin!
Rae nodded, finally prying her eyes away from the man. "Lead the way!"
RE: Cross My Heart | Bae - Benji Laurence - 08-15-2025
Her arm clutched his and he froze for a half-second, before immediately relaxing into the touch. His eyes caught James's, his uncle giving the slightest shrug of permission. His girlfriend chattered excitedly, not a shy bone in her body and Benji felt his smile softening with admiration as his hazel eyes remained on her. "Maybe Julia will take us to the beach this week," he offered. He already had plans for the two of them to explore the village together. The beach wasn't far.
"Hm?"
His brow furrowed a bit following her gaze to James. She'd heard him right? Maybe she was just taken in by the grandeur of the place. He certainly had the first few times he'd come here. He shrugged it off and tugged her along with him, his arm dropping to take her by the hand. They followed James into the large foyer. The grand staircase rose on either side of the room meeting at the landing above. A large crystal chandelier hung above, moving portraits of all the Laurence ancestors lining the stone walls.
"Julia planned lunch an hour from now, so you two go ahead and explore. Make sure you show her how to get to her room. South Wing beneath Rosie's rooms. Back at the dining room in time, Benji."
Benji nodded at his uncle. No one had to tell him - or Rae for that matter - twice not to miss a meal. "Rosie wants to say hi," he said lightly, pulling Rae away from his uncle and back to the main drawing room, where the girl was putting away the card game. "Rae's here!" Benji exclaimed, as though Rosalie couldn't see for herself that her younger friend had arrived.
His cousin smiled brightly at Rae. "Hey little mouse." The blonde tossed the deck back onto the table and wandered closer to them. "Granny will be at dinner tonight," she said, looking at Benji with meaning, "So, best behavior if you don't want to turn to stone." She smiled at Rae and gave her wrist a little squeeze. "You two have fun. Show her the menagerie, Benji."
Benji turned his head slightly watching Rosie wander out of the room. He turned back to Rae, his smile growing again. "I can't believe you're here. So - want to see your room first, or mine?"
RE: Cross My Heart | Bae - Ruth Elliot - 08-15-2025
If she weren't so busy shooting massive heart eyes at Benji's dreamy uncle, Rae may have noticed the way her boyfriend stiffened against her touch. It might have led to important questions about decorum and expectations in a place as lavish as this, but all of that was lost on the girl who rocked lightly back and forth on her heels, biting at her lower lip to prevent her smile from widening any further.
He didn't even have to talk to be gorgeous.
The fluttering in her heart only subsided when Benji spoke next, suggesting that Julia could take them to the beach. That sent her heart into a tizzy for a different reason, delight taking hold of her as she finally looked at the boy she'd attached herself to.
"Do you think she would? I never packed a swimsuit. You never told me you lived so close to the ocean!" Her house was kilometres and kilometres from the ocean, making any trips to the beach a real treat, but oh so rare. She hadn't expected the opportunity to present itself in a large castle of all places.
"Julia planned lunch an hour from now, so you two go ahead and explore. Make sure you show her how to get to her room. South Wing beneath Rosie's rooms. Back at the dining room in time, Benji."
Wait, he was leaving? Already? But...but...she'd just begun planning their future...
"Rosie wants to say hi."
But.
Rae cast a final, longing look over her shoulder as Benji pulled her away, needing a moment to quiet the heartbreak occurring in real time inside her chest. Gone too soon. Never to be forgotte--Oh, Rosie! Rae waved at her friend and made to ask why she'd never told her she had a hot uncle--they were meant to be friends--but the mention of dinner, grandmothers, and stone derailed her.
Did no one want her talking about James Laurence?
"Wait, aren't you coming with us?" she asked as the girl walked by them.
Apparently not. With a gentle squeeze of her wrist, Rosie was gone. Off to...uh...whatever there was to be done in a place this big. "You guys have a menagerie?"
Extra fancy.
"I can't believe you're here. So - want to see your room first, or mine?"
"Yours," she said with a decisive nod. "Then I can retrace my steps later to find yours." Wandering was inevitable. She may as well have a destination.
RE: Cross My Heart | Bae - Benji Laurence - 08-15-2025
Rosie was not coming with them. "She's...down, you know? Her parents haven't let up on the punishments since she and Cass ran." There wasn't much more to say about it. Everyone knew what the two had done, so that was that. He didn't blame them, not really, other than they'd worried the families, but he also understood that he didn't have the full picture and maybe never would.
His family was tight-lipped like that, even amongst their own sometimes. Rosalie and Cassian had been the same.
He took Rae's hand again, leading her through the drawing room to the opposite door that led down a long but narrower corridor. The hallway was lined with enormous windows framed in ancient stone, looking out over the gardens, cushioned bench seats beneath each of them. "Don't worry about the swimsuit. Rosie's got like six of them. I'm sure she'd let you borrow one." Rae was smaller than Rosie, but it was nothing Julia couldn't manage with a quick transfiguration spell.
"The menagerie's past the gardens and down that far hill towards the outer walls. It's not as impressive as Hogwarts's but it's pretty neat. Julia's dad was really into creatures and used to spend all his free time out there." Or so he'd been told. These days, Rosie's uncle was the primary caretaker. "They have a few horses out there too. We could go riding if you want." Benji didn't care much for it himself, but he'd go if she wanted to.
At the end of the corridor, Benji pushed open yet another door that opened up into a large library, filled floor to ceiling with bookshelves and sliding ladders to reach all of them. The entire room smelt faintly of sage, parchment and writing ink. "Julia's rooms are just there beyond that far door," he pointed down one of the long aisles of bookshelves. A shuffling from behind one of the cases sounded, and Benji tilted his head a little.
"Kate?" he called, knowing it was likely his sister. Julia was out in the village, and Rosie was on the other side of the castle by now. James and the other adults were likely all upstairs conversing in one of the more casual drawing rooms. He gave Rae a small smile as he tightened his hand in hers. "You've never gotten to meet my sister."
It had been the surprise of his life that Sunday - that he'd just so happened to be home and getting ready to head back to Hogwarts for the last week of school - when Julia had arrived back at home with Kathryn in tow. The look in his little sister's eyes told him everything he'd needed to know, and he'd never been more grateful for anything in his life than Julia not letting her go back to that horrible place.
His sister had been through enough. "Do you want to come meet Rae?" he called to her, as blue eyes carefully peeked from around the corner.
RE: Cross My Heart | Bae - Ruth Elliot - 08-15-2025
"...Oh."
Rae watched the girl slip into the corridor and vanish. She'd heard about the runaway. When the pair of them had stopped going to classes, there had been a ton of rumours about what had happened. Personally, Rae had believed they'd simply sequestered themselves off somewhere and were having too good a time to be bothered with a standard wizarding education. It had all honestly seemed so romantic to her and the few chats she and Rosie had had left her certain her friend had been off having a good time.
Reality was much darker, more grim, and while Rae didn't have the full story on that either...it was...also pretty fucking romantic. While the girl didn't know what could've scared them enough to put them on the run, they'd decided they were it for each other and had run off together.
Rae dreamed about that kind of love, and the memory of Benji trying to run with her just the summer before had her thinking that maybe...in some ways, she'd already found it.
"Don't worry about the swimsuit. Rosie's got like six of them. I'm sure she'd let you borrow one."
"I'll ask her later. You think she'll let me stay the night with her?" She did sometimes while they were at school, becoming one in a revolving door of beds Rae hopped in and out of. In the event that there were some fancy gimmicks hidden in these ancient stones that prevented her from entering Benji's room, she needed a backup plan. "We can have a girls night, actually. She might like that if her punishment's been as bad as you say."
Rae linked her arm with his again as they headed off for the tour, listening as he regaled her with the details of the menagerie. It really all was one grand, new world, wasn't it? Very fitting for the boy from Hackney who would one day inherit it all.
"I've never ridden a horse," she admitted, casting her gaze briefly on him. "I'd like to, if you'll teach me." Because how majestic would that be?
The further they walked, the more Rae began to feel like she'd been transported into one of those fairytales she used to be into. The large castle, the ornate fixtures, portraits that spoke of importance, and the air of something so much bigger than her that she didn't think she could ever wrap her mind around it. She was attentive while he pointed out places, but there was a part of her that started to feel...a little ...overwhelmed.
This was a castle like Hogwarts, but it was night and day. Every crevice, every window, chandelier, and vase carried something she didn't think she understood or belonged around. One housed hooligans, the other, history. The arm that had snaked loosely around his began to tighten with each step they took.
"You've never gotten to meet my sister."
His sister?
She'd heard the shuffling when they entered the library, but hadn't given it much thought until those words. Kate. The girl Benji had lost over and over before Julia brought her home for hopefully good. Rae knew what it was like being passed around over and over and wouldn't wish that insecurity on anyone.
"I don't min--"
She was gone. With little more than a flash of blonde hair, the little girl disappeared behind the bookshelf, the faint sound of her footsteps growing faint as she made her escape. "Umm...I guess...not?" Rae looked back at Benji. Was it something she'd said?
RE: Cross My Heart | Bae - Benji Laurence - 08-15-2025
"I'm sure she would. You know Rosie adores you." It hadn't started out the way, he remembered with amusement. That first summer when Rosie had been saddled as camp counselor had seen her and Ruth Elliot butting heads in a fierce way. His now-cousin was no-nonsense on the Quidditch pitch, taking the game more seriously than almost anyone, save maybe Anna Kirkland. Rae, from all he'd heard hadn't appreciated being scolded, and the two girls had carried a healthy dislike for one another for the first month of school or so.
He was glad, that whatever had transpired between them had been for good and that his girlfriend and cousin were friends. It made it easier for him and Cass as well. If their girlfriends hated each other, he could only imagine the headaches that would cause them.
Of course she'd never ridden a horse, and he'd only a few times now. He wasn't exactly in a position to be teaching anyone. "We'll ride together. I'll let Fidèle know to tell the groom. He'll get a horse all ready for us. Maybe tomorrow." He had absolutely no interest, but he had offered, and since she wanted to, he'd smile and force enjoyment for her sake. Never let anyone say he wasn't a conscientious boyfriend.
"I don't min--"
Quick as a flash blue eyes disappeared once more behind the bookshelf, accompanied by fast hurried feet. Benji couldn't help but smile, a sheepish laugh leaving his lips. "It's not personal. She's a little weirdo. In a good way." It was no matter. Kate would come around with time. All of this was big and new to her, right after being dumped off from those strange people that manipulated her portraits. "You'll see her at dinner." He tugged on Rae's hand again, maneuvering through the library, casting a withering glance at a bauble that hovered lightly above them.
Another doorway moved into a second corridor that led further to the southern wing. "Kate's room is there next to Julia's," he said, "and mine is a little ways down here and to the right." With little flourish, the boy flung open the door inviting her in. It wasn't a large room, all things considered. Rather it was one of the smaller ones that Julia had said had operated as a sort of larder back in the medieval times.
The space was pure Benji. He'd left the stone walls as is, though they'd offered to renovate it any way he liked, preferring the rustic feel of it all. All along the walls were his drawings. Faces of his friends in different environments - Matilda on her tree swing, Ren with glowing orange eyes. Cassian hunched over his notebook, Max posing in his superhero cape. Rocio and Angel side-by-side in the library. His sister, laying in a bed of flowers. And Rae, brown eyes in thought, staring up at that enormous willow.
His bed was fairly non-descript. A simple frame of oak - one he'd chosen himself, his blankets various shades of black and blue. A large oak dresser displayed all of his quidditch trophies over the past three terms, and a few photographs he'd managed to save of him and Kate when they were younger. A pile of clothes were tossed haphazardly near his clothes hamper, but not in it. His beater's bat was thrown lazily in the middle of the floor, and his broom sat idly in a corner. He had a desk, which was obviously not used for any kind of studying. Instead, it was filled with various pranks and games along with a healthy stash of candy.
"This is it," he said proudly, not caring at all about the mess. "Not super impressive, but I like it. And!" He walked over to a narrow opening in the wall. "It's not a window," he said, "It's an arrow slit. Back in medieval times I guess, archers would shoot arrows from these to any invaders trying to take the castle." He grinned at the thought. "It's why I picked this room. Cool shit happened here, you know?"
RE: Cross My Heart | Bae - Ruth Elliot - 08-15-2025
"But we're going to the beach tomorrow."
Rae was excited for her first horse riding experience along the rural roads and into the forests, the wind whipping at her hair and the faintest traces of salt in the air, having blown in from the ocean--but not at the cost of an actual trip to the beach. The chances of her getting to sit out on the sand, taking in the breeze, then splashing around with Benji in the water were far and few between. She wasn't about to cut it short for a horse.
They would just have to do it today, later today. Maybe after lunch or before dinner. The castle was only so big. How many hours would he really need to show her around?
Unless there were other, soon-to-be-a-fancy-duke things he needed to get done that she didn't know about. Merlin, she hoped not.
"It's not personal. She's a little weirdo. In a good way."
...Oh. Um. Okay. Not really sure what else to say about the little girl that was apparently weird, but in a good way, Rae cast her from her mind and let Benji continue on with his tour. Julia's bedroom there. Little weirdo's bedroom... there.
"And mine is a little ways down here and to the right."
Rae looked in the direction he'd gestured before turning to look the way they'd come. She'd been very serious about committing the route to memory in the event she was able to sneak into his room when everyone went to bed. The issue became less pressing now that she had tentative plans to sleep over in Rosie's room, but the second night would make for a good time to find him. Cuddles from both her friends were exactly how she imagined herself going to bed.
There weren't many better ways.
Was she surprised to find a mess when she walked into his bedroom? Not in the slightest. Benji was a real boy's boy. He was so quintessentially male that she'd have been more surprised to come in and find everything neatly in its place. While the boy began introducing her to the wonders of his room, Rae casually walked over to his pile of clothes and dumped them into the hamper.
She was listening. He could go on.
On the way over to his desk, she picked up the beater's bat sitting on the floor but paused when she realised she didn't know where it went. While Benji talked about arrows, Rae held up the bat to him in silent question of 'where?'.
"Like a defense tower! Were there any arrows lying around when they let you take this room?" Impatient, she moved toward him and his window that wasn't a window. Rae deposited the bat in his hand before moving back to the table to help herself to some of his candy. Grabbing a pair of sugar quills, she flopped onto his bed. "I like it. It's very...you," the girl mused aloud before nibbling on the end of the first sugar quill.
RE: Cross My Heart | Bae - Benji Laurence - 08-15-2025
"But we're going to the beach tomorrow."
They were? That'd probably be news to Julia, but Benji could probably convince her. As long as she didn't have any meetings at the museum in London, he was sure his mum would take them. It'd be good for Kate too. She'd never been to a beach before - as far as he knew anyway. "Yeah alright," he said easily, "We'll talk to her when she gets back and see if she'll take all of us."
If it got him out of having to ride a horse, it was fine with him.
He watched as she looked briefly over his room, not actually noticing when she threw his dirty clothes into the hamper. They didn't bother him with their place on his floor and it was a neat pile, close enough. He yammered on as she handed him his bat, and not knowing why she had, he tossed it back into the middle of the floor, letting it clang.
"Like a defense tower! Were there any arrows lying around when they let you take this room?"
"Nah," he said, notable disappointment in his voice, "It wasn't like they never used this room for anything since then." He didn't know what his family used it for, only what it's very old use had been. He snagged a jelly slug from his desk as she plopped down on his bed. "Thanks," he said, settling himself down beside her. "It's weird you know? Everything's changed so much." He grew a little quiet and shrugged his shoulders.
"Never thought this would be it for me." He bit off one end of the jelly slug and sighed, looking at her. "Ready to see your room? It'll probably be time to eat after." He leaned down to drop a kiss on the top of her head, and held out his hand.
Pulling her from the bed, he led her back out of the room and down the way they'd come. Passing through a large wooden double-door, the two found their way outside and into a courtyard with a large fountain and several topiaries designed with pieces of the Laurence emblem. "Are you looking forward to volunteering?" He asked, grinning as she chewed on her sugar quill. "Ready to boss everyone around?"
RE: Cross My Heart | Bae - Ruth Elliot - 08-15-2025
The problem with side-eyeing Benji Cuddrun over his boyish ways was that the Hufflepuff had grown immune somewhere along the lines. Case in point, the way he went on talking after tossing his beater's bat, as if she hadn't just removed it because it didn't belong on the ground, left her gobsmacked. With her mouth falling agape and her expression perplexed, all she could do was watch him move on to talk about things changing.
Clearly not that much! Not if he was still leaving messes!
She'd snuck into his cabin with Matilda last summer and had seen what his corner of the room looked like. Inheriting a whole castle--eventually, James wasn't having any more sons. No more babies for him. They were running off and getting married together--was meant to have some impact, but evidently it didn't.
Another time, when he wasn't being soft and didn't have that far-away look in his eyes, Rae would chastise him for the way he chose to have his room and for making it worse when she'd tried to make it better.
For now, she accepted the kiss atop her head and let him soak in the moment. "I'm glad it's it for you." She smiled her encouragement. "No one I know deserves it more."
In fact, some of the people she knew deserved far less than what they currently had.
"Ready to see your room? It'll probably be time to eat after."
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were hurrying me out of here before my resolve breaks and I start fussing at you," she said, a cheeky grin slipping into place. Rae leaned over to take a proper kiss before letting him pull her back to her feet.
"Yep, lead the way."
The courtyard was as lovely as the rest of the structure she'd seen. The fountain was better than the old, moss-riddled one at the castle, and the topiary was transformative.
It really was all one big fairytale, wasn't it?
"I'm already packed," Rae said, by way of confirming her excitement. "Can't believe they're actually letting us be in charge. I'll be able to walk the grounds without creeps threatening to stick me to my bed after curfew, or wasting hours washing dishes as punishment. We'll have our own rooms for once." She paused before the fountain, running her fingers along the edge."It'll never do. You'll have to make room in yours."
It was setting in for her just how many of her bed buddies would no longer be there--two major ones in fact--and Rae was already feeling the ache of their absence, though she masked it with offhanded comments and aan airy tone.
RE: Cross My Heart | Bae - Benji Laurence - 08-15-2025
He felt his neck and cheeks flush with her encouragement and he dropped his eyes from hers, the smallest hint of a smile at the corner of his lips. He didn't know that he deserved all this, or any of it, really. He hadn't done anything to earn it or otherwise. Rather, it was a series of strange events that had put him in Julia's path. When the divorce had happened, she'd made no bones about it that he'd be hers and that was that. It wasn't anything he took for granted and felt fortunate, considering where he'd come from and what he'd experienced. Especially because it led to his sister being placed in the woman's path as well.
But deserved? It was nice that she thought so, even if he didn't.
His smile grew when she pulled him in for a real kiss, feeling some of his uneasiness melt away at her touch. "Knock it off," he muttered with a playful eyeroll.
As they wandered through the courtyard, Benji found himself in agreement at her incredulities. It was wild that of all the students, they'd picked him and Rae to be volunteers - Benji Cuddrun with a record-holding seventy-six detentions with Professor Proud alone, and Ruth Elliot who would sooner help an opposing Quidditch team than be placed in a position she didn't want.
"People will catch on," he said, giving her a knowing side-eye. "Not that I care, but Julia finds out a girl's been sleeping in my bed and I'll be locked in Rosie's ivory tower with her. Or worse...the torture chambers." He leaned in, his eyes darkening in faux intensity and nudged her with his shoulder.
Another set of double-doors, and they were back inside, this corridor looking fairly similar to the last one. It had taken Benji a good two weeks when he'd first moved in to find his way around properly and had found himself stuck in a few places that he couldn't find his way out of. Old 'intrigue closets', Leo, Rosie's father had told them they were called. He didn't know what those were, but they seemed to lose doorknobs once you walked in.
"Up this way," he said lightly, pulling her to a door that opened easily. It was one of the nicer guest rooms - usually reserved for high profile visitors - whoever they were. Benji tugged her into the room, letting her take it all in. Her bag was already placed on the bed and the house elf was busy unpacking it and placing her clothes in the empty dresser.
The room was painted a soft cream, the large sleigh bed carrying on the theme of cream and white fabrics. A large rug in the middle of the floor accentuated it all with a powdery blue and a few of Julia's homegrown plants stood in the corners. There was an empty vanity, save for a few toiletries and large windows that looked over the village below. "Is it okay?" Benji asked, studying her face. "Rosie's is just above yours. The staircase just outside the door will lead you to her room."
RE: Cross My Heart | Bae - Ruth Elliot - 08-15-2025
"Knock it off."
"I will not."
So long as her words brought that softening to his features and made him realise how much she thought of him, Rae would never stop. Let his ears and cheeks pinken, let him get that shy look in his eyes as if he were actively trying to reconcile her image of him against the one he held for himself. Some day, he'd come over to her side, see what she saw. Until then, she would remain steadfast in her efforts.
"People will catch on."
"So?"
"Not that I care, but Julia finds out a girl's been sleeping in my bed and I'll be locked in Rosie's ivory tower with her. Or worse...the torture chambers."
Rae eased away from his leaning in, not at all swayed by the way he tried to make it all sound more ominous than it ever could be. If they didn't still have arrows lying around the place, she found herself strongly in doubt that they still had a functioning 'torture chamber' with all the odds and ends still intact. Decorative, maybe. There to remind them of what used to be, surely. But, this was the boy who thought Slytherins were kept in a torture chamber in the dungeons at Hogwarts.
He would have to forgive her scepticism.
"Julia won't find out I'm in your room all the way at the facility," the room she'd been talking about in the first place. "Who's gonna report us? Ourselves?" she cooed. Her time at the facility had taught her a few valuable lessons.
"Even without being a volunteer, I was already bunking with you some nights." He'd been one in a revolving door of participants in her nighttime ritual of falling asleep. Reluctant at first, he'd eventually gotten used to it and didn't even complain when she sometimes hogged the covers.
"Up this way."
"I'm starting to feel like I'm back at Hogwarts with all this walking." Merlin's beard. They'd gone through so many corridors and seen so many portraits that Rae was beginning to wonder if she'd ever be able to find his room again. It was a wonder anyone found anything.
There was unmistakable relief when they got to her room. That relief turned to awe when the door opened and she found herself standing in an elegantly designed bedroom. For her. For the time she spent here. "...Whoa."
She let Benji pull her further into the room, her eyes already darting in all directions.
When she'd had an eyeful, Rae turned to look back at her boyfriend. "Don't be obnoxious," she snorted lightly. "Who in their right mind would look at a room like this and say it was anything less than okay?" Was he kidding? For kids like them who'd spent so long on the street? Who'd been happy with clean blankets. Was THIS okay?
He really was silly.
RE: Cross My Heart | Bae - Benji Laurence - 08-15-2025
"Julia won't find out I'm in your room all the way at camp. Who's gonna report us? Ourselves?"
Benji smirked at her out of the corner of his eye and shook his head. "And they say I'm the troublemaker," he muttered in amusement. He was, probably. But Ruth Elliot was far worse.
The castle did have old dungeons that he assumed were used for torture chambers at one point or another. He hadn't ventured down there to find out yet; Rosie insisted the damn place was haunted. Really, she insisted the entire castle was haunted, and Benji wasn't exactly ready to find out if she was pulling his leg. Not alone, anyway.
"Yeah but it's a little different when I have a whole room to myself, Rae. You don't think other campers will raise their eyebrows?" His smile widened as he shook his head slightly. "But you know I won't stop you. Maybe bring your own blanket though. You hog mine."
He refrained from laughing. Arundel Castle was enormous - slightly smaller than Hogwarts, but a huge labyrinth of corridors, passages, rooms and portraits all the same. He pulled her into the room, relief falling over him as he saw her eyes widen, and a part of him felt weirdly proud, though he had no reason to. "I'm glad you like it," he said, and promptly pulled her right back out. They were stalling, and it was nearly time for lunch in the tea room.
Later That Evening At Dinner
The dining table stretched across the room, able to seat easily forty people. Lunch was casual today, with only James and his wife, Julia, Rosie and her parents and granny. Apparently the elderly woman had decided to show up for dinner after all. Lucky them.
Benji didn't like her, and was well-aware she didn't like him. Rosie had assured him several times that Granny didn't actually like anybody in the family, and so, of course, in Benji fashion, he took it as personal as possible.
"So tomorrow," Benji said brightly, as he shoved a forkful of potato into his mouth. "Benji..." Julia said, reminding him of his manners. He swallowed hard, and grinned, ignoring the disgusted look on Rosie's granny's face. "Do you think you could take us to the beach?" He shot his best puppy eyes at Julia, and nodded down at Kate who was sat on the other side of him. "All of us? Rosie too?"
"Rosalie will not be going." Silence fell over the table for a moment as Leo - Rosie's father - spoke up before the boy could barely finish his sentence. Hazel eyes drifted to his cousin, who only looked at him in defeat. He could tell she appreciated the attempt, but was resigned to what it was. "Okay," he said quietly with a little shrug, "Us then?"
Julia nodded her agreement, and James indicated back and forth between them. "You should take Adira with you. She loves the sand. Maybe Kate will have some fun with her?" He smiled a bit at his new niece whom was mute as a sinner in church. He turned his attention to Ruth as the house elf hurried amongst them all, refilling goblets and offering seconds of various dishes.
"How do you like your room, Ruth? Far enough away from Benji?" The man's tone was tutted immediately by Granny along with a scoff, and Benji couldn't help the laugh that burst out of him. "James, don't embarrass her," Amelia scolded him lightly, though a slight smile played on her lips as well.
"You all should feel embarrassed," Granny tutted as she righted herself in her chair. "A girl staying overnight to visit with a boy." She shook her head and the table fell silent again. "Alright," Julia said sternly, her eyes sharpening on her aunt. "She's a guest and she requires manners out of you."
The woman immediately rose from the table, not one to be scolded for being right. Propriety was propriety after all. They'd let Rosalie go and spend a weekend with that halfblood, and now look at the mess they were in. Without another word, the woman excused herself and left.
Benji felt his grin returning, but it immediately fell again when he locked eyes with Leo. He leaned towards Rae, as conversation picked back up, "Sorry. It's really not you. I have it on good authority she loathes me, and I'm eating every morsel of it up."
RE: Cross My Heart | Bae - Ruth Elliot - 08-15-2025
Benji was saying a lot of things that had nothing to do with either of them. To her credit, Rae nodded along, pretending--if for only the briefest moment--that his concerns were reaching into the deepest parts of her and giving her pause. Her brows even creased with the act, playing along to perfection before one of them rose questioningly.
"Since when did you start caring what others thought?"
She pulled out of his hand and threw herself onto the bed. "Volunteers get their own room. You won't have any Nosy Parkers asking questions." Now that they'd gotten the gig, a lot of their problems were behind them. It wasn't something she thought often, but here, Benji Laurence was worrying too much over nothing. All he had to do was roll over and share his blankets when she crawled into his bed at the conservatorium.
She wasn't asking for much.
"I'm glad you like it,"
Wait, wait, where were they going?
Rae huffed lightly as he pulled her back to her feet and back out the door to...Merlin knew where else.
Circe, had he always been this energetic?
"Sorry. It's really not you. I have it on good authority she loathes me, and I'm eating every morsel of it up."
Hm?
What? Who was loathing eating the morsels?
Rae startled a little when Benji leaned in, her eyes blinking rapidly as she tried to figure out what on earth he was apologising for and whether she was meant to be apologising, too. Had something happened? Had they done something? It was hard to say. Glancing around the table, there was a hardness to Rosie's father's face as he tucked into his salad. Not far away, his grandmother's sharp eyes remained on her, some final mutterings of propriety muttered beneath her breath.
There had been some conversation or the other. In hindsight, the girl could even swear she'd heard some talk about a beach.
But James.
Even the way he ate was the most handsome display of all that was good in the world. Perfect genes. Perfect smile. Perfect muscles working at his jaw and neck. Most of her meal was still untouched. Sitting this close, smelling his cologne; the girl was practically a puddle of herself. If she leaned in any further, their sleeves would be touching, but even she knew that might be a step too far.
Rae straightened in her chair, finally reaching for the bread roll and taking a small bite.
"What're we eating up?" she whispered to her boyfriend, taking a second scan of the table. "And what's got everyone looking so...solemn?" Rae pointed to his plate. "Are you going to eat that?"
Or was he going to spend the entirety of lunch merely talking about eating?
But seriously, why was Granny staring at them?
RE: Cross My Heart | Bae - Benji Laurence - 08-16-2025
Rae wasn't listening, and it didn't take a Ravenclaw to deduct why. Benji glowered, noticing the starry-eyed way she stared at his uncle. "He's like sixty, Rae." he whispered. James wasn't anywhere near sixty, but close enough. His smirk returned as he handed her the piece of roast chicken she asked about.
"Don't worry about it," he said quietly as normal conversation resumed at the table, his eyes moving back to Rosie's granny who shot one last glare at them as she moved out of the room. "Not anyone that can bother us." There were perks to being the heir, and it meant he didn't have to worry about what Rosie's part of the family thought.
The Next Day
Littlehampton Beach
Noon
Littlehampton Beach
Noon
The warmth of the salt air billowed through his sandy brown hair as he sat on one of the beach towels, Adira in her little day-bonnet sat in his lap. He smiled, listening to her happy squeals as she bounced and waved her hands at a seagull that had found its way to their little spot in the sand, eager to steal a snack. “Oh, you see him, don’t you? Yeah, that’s a seagull. Don’t be fooled by the feathers, Little. He’s basically a thief with wings.”
He grinned up at Rae, admiring how pretty she looked with the sun shining flecks of gold onto her brown skin. "Can't take this one anywhere, honestly. She wants to make friends with all the urchins." He turned his attention back to the nearly eighteen-month-old and shook his head as she babbled and clapped her hands at the bird that came ever closer to her little box of crackers.
“Exactly. That’s what I’m saying. You and me, we gotta stick together. You’re the brains, and I…” He paused, squinting at the bird. “Well, I guess I’m just the guy carrying the snacks. Very important role, don’t let anyone tell you different.” He shooed the seagull with his foot, grabbing the box of crackers and passing them over to Rae for safekeeping.
He straightened Adira's little bonnet as the seagull squacked and bounded away, likely to go and fetch his friends to conduct an ambush. "Julia should be back in a moment and we can - "
"I'm here."
His mum settled a towel down on the sand for herself and another for Kate before reaching for the baby, taking Adira off Benji's hands. A pile of sand toys was quickly produced from her bag for the girls and she nodded the two teens off.
"Nevermind." He held out his hand to Rae, getting to his feet and pulled her towards the shore. "Race you there?" He didn't wait, dropping her hand and taking off running for the ocean before she could reply. She was faster - he'd need a head start. It was only fair.
RE: Cross My Heart | Bae - Ruth Elliot - 08-16-2025
"He's like sixty, Rae."
"So am I," she whispered back. Benji Laurence THOUGHT he was going to change her mind and her attraction, but was he wrong...was he ever so woefully and tremendously wrong. There was no way James was actually sixty, but on the off chance he was, he was a particularly attractive-looking 60-year-old, and they could spend their golden years together in this old castle with its many paintings and few hidden passages.
If this was the man at 60, life was already treating him well, and she would have him for a while longer. Content with the thought, she happily accepted Benji's roast chicken, paying no mind to any of the stares coming her way from across the table. Her boyfriend already said there was no one who would bother them, and she wasn't inclined to set her mind on things that wouldn't affect her.
Mmm. This really was some good chicken.
It was a positively gorgeous day. Rae had been worried when the clouds had rolled in the day before. With how miserable the weather could be, she thought their plans to go to the beach would've been washed right out by the rain. If not the rain, then overcast skies that gave the place a dull and gloomy aura when all the girl wanted to do was lie on the sand and pretend she was having a real vacation somewhere with sunshine, gentle breezes, and a fruity drink in hand.
Being on babysitting duty (albeit temporarily) did make that a little less possible, but the girl was still thriving. With her skin growing sun-kissed and her curls wiggling with each gust, Rae felt like she was living exactly the sort of life she'd always wanted.
That was in no small part due to her company. The serenity of high noon melted into the quiet comfort that came with sitting shoulder to shoulder with Benji. Somewhere, on the inside, her soul was singing, effortlessly carving out space for itself along this section of shoreline. She was glad it wasn't the sort of beach that drew crowds. It meant an intimate family moment that she was allowed in on.
Rae watched Benji entertain Adira with talk of the seagulls while the little girl babbled and cooed at the winged intruder.
It was all a bit like a dream, and the 13-year-old was enchanted by the sweet girl. More and more, she was finding she rather liked babies. They smelled nice, were so tiny, and, next to her half-kneazle, were probably the cutest things to ever walk the planet. She just wanted to pinch her chubby little cheeks and carry her around all day.
But then Julia returned with Kate, and before she could protest the baby being taken, Benji had her on her feet. Rae was starting to believe there was a concerted effort to keep her away from the members of the family she was most interested in spending time with. Benji shouldn't think for even a second that she didn't realise how hard he'd been working to keep her away from James after lunch the day before.
Always trying to ruin a good thing.
"Oka--Heeeyyy!" He was already gone, like the cheater he was. With a huff, Rae took off down the shore after him, the warm sand sucking her in and making her strides less steady. Thankfully, she hadn't been blindsided for too long before springing into action, allowing her to, with some effort, catch up to him. When she was close enough, she lunged, aiming for his back. Instinctively, her arms and legs wrapped around him, caring little for what it might do to his centre of gravity as the boy reached the water.
RE: Cross My Heart | Bae - Benji Laurence - 08-17-2025
"Oka--Heeeyyy!"
Cheater or not, Benji was winning. He glanced over his shoulder as he ran, his grin splitting wide across his lips. She was already catching up as his legs carried him heavily through the sand, and before he could dodge, he stumbled forward with the sudden weight of her against his back. His arms immediately wrapped around her legs, appreciating the way she felt pressed against his back, even as his forward momentum in combination with her launch sent him in a free-fall into the water.
He took her with him as the two collided into the waves, his body smacking against the shallow ocean floor, a rush of water hitting him directly in the face, stealing his breath. Briny water flooded his nose and mouth, making the boy sputter as he rolled Rae off of him and surfaced again. He choked for a moment, his eyes burning with salt, as his hands reached to pull her up above the water.
When he'd caught his breath he laughed, as another wave crashed into them and he stood quickly, pulling her with him. "You're a menace you know that? Nearly drowned me. No boyfriend for you, I guess." He bent down, slapping his hand into the water, attempting to splash her face in retaliation.
Benji didn't bother waiting for her counterattack. Instead, he scooped, and before Rae could wriggle free, he had both arms hooked behind her knees. He slung her over his shoulder, much to Julia's protesting from the beach, but he pretended not to hear.
The water rose quickly, up to his thighs, then his waist, waves smacking gently against his chest. He lowered her so she faced him again and he grinned widely, shaking the water from his hair, sending droplets spraying over her. He held her tightly against him, his feet digging into the sand beneath them in anchor. His mum's voice continued to carry across the water, urging him to behave and come back. "Think she'll 'accio' us right out of the sea?" He tilted his head slightly at Rae, admiring the way her wet curls clung to the side of her face.
His eyes dipped to her lips for a brief moment before returning to her pretty dark eyes. "Wanna find out how mad we can make her?"
RE: Cross My Heart | Bae - Ruth Elliot - 08-17-2025
Benji was strong.
Benji was durable.
Benji was tipping over into the water and taking her with him. There was nothing Rae could do but squeal as the water approached. The loud sound of splashing and sputtering surrounded her seconds before the salty water flew up her nostrils and flooded her ears. For a moment, the world was underwater, the sound of the surf sloshing all around her.
When she did resurface, it was to the dramatic choking of her boyfriend.
"You're a menace you know that? Nearly drowned me. No boyfriend for you, I guess."
Rae stuck her nose in the air, feigning a haughtiness she didn't truly feel. "My boyfriend's better than getting drowned in the shallows. Who do you think he is?" The girl quickly crumpled into a more protective stance when, out of nowhere, he splashed her. The sudden assault of water had her squealing again, as her hands rose in weak defense.
"You're the real men--!"
Her protest was cut off by another scream when he scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder. Her feet kicked with futility while she did her best to conceal her utter delight. Rae knew she had no hope of breaking free. Easy as it had been to destabilise him and take him to the ground...er...water, on better footing, with muscles like his, she could only enjoy the ride. And, she did! Despite her many hissy-fits (sometimes in spite of them), she liked the reminder that he was strong.
Except maybe on the more aggravating days.
Back on the shoreline, Rae could hear Julia's protests, but she was a little too caught up in her fun to take any more heed than Benji was. It was probably fine. She knew how to swim now (for the most part)!
It didn't take long for the girl to realise the difficulty she would have in standing at this depth, prompting her to do the most desirable practical thing. She wrapped her legs firmly at his waist, using him to keep herself above the swelling waves. Sometimes--only in very few situations--it paid to have a tall boyfriend.
"Wanna find out how mad we can make her?"
Brown eyes returned to the shore, taking in the woman who continued to insist they were out too far and needed to come back in. She wasn't wrong, at least for Rae. On her own, such depths would be problematic. But, what was the worst that could happen when their chaperone was capable of casting magic? In the end, Julia probably could accio them in by their clothing.
She tightened her arms around him, returning her gaze to those hazel fields she loved staring into. Now, a glint of mischief rose in her dark pair.
"Do it."
Whatever it was.
RE: Cross My Heart | Bae - Benji Laurence - 08-18-2025
Benji knew good and well that Julia's protests had little to do with how far out they were heading, and more to do with public propriety. She didn't appreciate Benji manhandling the girl where others - even though there were none - could see.
Instead of caring about any of it, he was completely enraptured in her shrieks and the way she kicked her feet as though she weren't enjoying every moment of it. Benji knew Rae better. He knew that she thrived under his attention, shameless in her delight every time she got it. He was the same with her, loving the way she looked at him when he felt that joy and love radiating off of her.
It was the sweet moments like these, fun and carefree, when he truly felt like a kid, that Benji loved being with Rae. She brought out the fun side in him, letting him be himself without reprimand or judgement. She liked his cheeky side - the side that others often found annoying. "You're right," he agreed as her arms and legs tightened around him - a sensation he was wholly comfortable with and had no intention of relinquishing. "Seems nothing can kill me, no matter how hard the universe tries." His wide grin remained, fingertips trailing along the skin of her back.
"BENJI HENRY!"
Hazel eyes followed Rae's back to the shore and he gave his mum a little wave, not at all concerned with the trouble he knew he was getting them into.
"Do it."
Even less so now. Rae's encouragement and those deep mahogany eyes of hers were all the motivation he needed to heed every instinct within him not to obey.
"The devil in the flesh," he tsked with a small shake of his head. Truly, she would be the end of him one day.
As another wave crashed over their heads, Benji's lips crashed into hers.
RE: Cross My Heart | Bae - Ruth Elliot - 08-19-2025
"BENJI HENRY!"
It sure sounded like she meant it that time. Never having grown up in a world of propriety and decorum, it never occurred to her that the woman would be yelling at them for any other reason than that the waves were just a bit rough and her stomach was likely falling into her stomach every time one washed over the pair. Not in her wildest dreams could Rae imagine that there was a negative image tied to the way she and Benji interacted, regardless of the setting.
He was her boyfriend, and she intended to enjoy every bit of his attention and affection. If that meant letting him take her so far out that she had to either be on her toes or wrapped around him like a koala, well, Rae didn't see a problem with that at all.
Seeing Julia's calls as little more than caution, the girl too waved at her, reassuring her that they were both doing just fine. The minor misstep of earlier aside, Benji was proving to be a firm anchor against the waves, keeping them in place even against the more troublesome ones.
"The devil in the flesh."
"Still waiting for my exorcism," she quipped, a cheeky grin slipping onto her lips.
He would never. For as much as Rae enjoyed Benji being an aggravating jerk sometimes, she was well aware that her demons only seemed to draw him closer. It was a push and pull as old as time, as old as the tides even, a dance that by now must have transcended the many lives they may have lived.
Or perhaps it was the tide that pulled him in. The boy came with the wave, his lips hitting hers seconds before both were consumed by the liquid avalanche that sought to drag her world underwater again. Rae clung to him, trusting him not to let her go or have her washed away by the billowing surge.
Her lips lingered a moment on his when they resurfaced, the girl indulging despite the peanut gallery back on the sand.
When she did pull away, there was a spark in her eyes. "One of us will have guards posted at our door tonight."