Freya MacDougal

"I know. And as much as I hate when people say it– it's made the both of you and your bond together that much stronger. It was difficult but you both went through like all of the ultimate tests that only confirm your relationship is solid," Vera pointed out. "There is no doubt in the universe that the two of you were made for one another. I think it was going to be you guys in the end no matter what. It's some soulmates level shit," she insisted with a soft laugh but she truly meant it. She found it hard to imagine anyone being more perfect for her best friend than the man she was with now. Damien felt like the accumulation of all the things Freya had either said she wanted in a man or had loved the most about past partners. At least from her perspective and what she'd heard.

Freya felt as though she’d lived through a lifetime of heartbreak in such a short time. Her childhood hadn’t been kind, and maybe that had set the bar too low, making her believe love had to be difficult to be real. That belief had drawn her, at first, to the wrong kind of man. The kind who put her in danger. The kind who’d forced her to lie to her siblings about her sudden disappearance, pretending she was off travelling, when in truth she’d had to go into hiding because of him.

"I also understand that," she sympathized with Freya, able to see where she was coming from with that. "I've got to say, I'm kind of surprised you two aren't the ones making this move before Fred and I," she confessed with a laugh. "I'm sure he won't see it that way though. The two of you are locked in for life, anyone can see that. It's only a matter of time you'd make the move– literally," Vera assured her best friend with a smile.

Freya let out a soft, thoughtful sigh—the kind that carried the weight of her memories and everything she and Damien had already been through. “I think we’ve just had such a whirlwind of unexpected turns,” she murmured, her gaze distant for a moment. “In some ways, I guess that pushed us to move faster than we might have expected.” Did she regret the pace of it all? Not even for a second. No one had ever made her feel as grounded or as certain as Damien did. With him, everything felt anchored and real. She had no doubts about where they were headed. Still, a change like this, something so significant, had a way of stirring up the unknown in people.

"Definitely not to this degree," she considered with a nod. She'd had past relationships that were very serious, Joe being one of them, but Fred was now up there at the top in the hypothetical tier list. "I love that while we get along and enjoy a lot of the same things, we also have different tastes in other areas and that's what makes it interesting," Vera said with a nod. "Please copy me and do a Pinterest board! I'd love to see what you put together," she replied enthusiastically. "That would be so cool. I'm sure if anyone could figure out a way to make that work, it'd be you to be honest."

"I just don't want to get too carried away." Freya admitted because she knew there was a possibility she'd get her hopes up if she started planning all this out and it deserved a conversation with Damien first to see where his head was at with the idea of them moving in together. It was something she needed to think about now because if Vera was moving out she needed to consider if she was going to get a new room mate or live on her own. "I'll have to talk to Damien about you moving out if only because I need to consider my next steps. I just hope he doesn't see it as me trying to force his hand because that's not my aim at all."

"Oh uh, yeah sure," Hazel replied to her request, her stomach dipping in anxiety. This was weird, Hazel had usually always seen her sister composed and nurturing, now there was something different. "Is everything okay?"

When Hazel agreed to her request, Freya led them to a more private setting where the sound of the nights activities were dulled and they were finally alone. Given how much was going on that night, she doubted anyone would have bothered eavesdropping but this was something she wasn't comfortable with just anyone knowing. She wanted to keep some privacy at the very least. "Everything is fine now more or less. Honestly, I'm not sure really how to say it so I suppose it's probably better to simply rip off the band aid as it were." The blonde sighed, not wanting Hazel to be in a state of worry for longer than she had to be. "We were pregnant a few months back. They were not planned but they were very much wanted but we lost the baby." Freya shared, finding that even now her voice trembled a little at the words. She was glad however, that she didn't simply burst into tears the way she had done several times at the beginning.

"It really is. I never quite got it up until now," she admitted. "I know you won't. I mean the same will go for when you're decorating your own place– if you ask for my opinion in return that is," she shrugged. "That sounds so incredibly you. I feel like you'd have the most whimsical back garden," Vera commented with a warm smile. "I don't have a naturally green thumb so I'll just have to come over yours to enjoy all the beautiful greenery."

"Maybe because it isn't something you have thought about with a partner until Fred?" Though perhaps it'd been considered with Joe before given how serious they had been together. "I'd always love your opinion. Look, whilst we like different things, we'd always give advice that works with those preferences. It doesn't have to be my favourite thing to tell you if it looks good or not." Freya spoke in soft amusement. "I'm tempted to copy you and do a pinterest board myself but I might be jumping a little ahead with that." She admitted, given that she and Damien hadn't even discussed moving in together. "I love a green garden so you know I'd always be out there. Maybe I could create a way to go to my creatures out there rather than how I enter currently." She mused, finding herself rather lost in that thought.

"Never thought I'd be so invested in backsplash but here I am now, zooming in on pictures of kitchens and picking them apart in regards to what I want for my future home," Vera confessed with a snort. "Thank you though. I figured you'd like– but I still want to know everything nonetheless," she added. "Thankfully we both agreed on this but I insisted on a lot of outside space. For River, for entertaining– I want a nice garden or something. Fred was one hundred percent on board for it too."

Freya laughed softly at that. "There is something about creating all that with a person you love. It's pretty special." She admitted with a little nod of her head at the thought. "And as a witch, there is so much open to you." They weren't exactly limited by size, only cost. "You know I'll give you my opinion on things but I'll not be upset if you don't take them given we do have different tastes." Freya hummed at the thought of the back garden. "I will never forget reading A secret garden and I've always imagined having something like that if I could."

"That's true. And even before then we've been close for years. It was only a matter of time," she nodded. "Yeah, I know right? It seems I just couldn't help myself," Vera laughed, pulling out her phone to hand it over to Freya. "Have a look. I'm sure you'll have your own opinions which honestly I would love to hear." She shifted to grab her glass and sip from it. "Please! It's so much more fun to share it with someone and while I know I need to run everything through Fred I want an outside opinion too. And there's nobody's I trust more than yours."

They were so used to sharing things at this point, she didn't even bat an eyelid when the phone was passed over to her. Flicking through the different things that Vera had in her mind, Freya couldn't help but smile. These are nice. I like the decor ideas." They both had put their stamp on this apartment so it was no surprise that she liked what Vera was thinking of here. "Are there any non-negotiables you have been thinking about?"

"And fair enough. It's within your best friend duties to look out for things like that after all," she acknowledged with a laugh. "Whenever we talked about it it felt like one of those 'down the line' sort of things. Like it didn't feel so... close? If that makes any sense," Vera shrugged. "So when Fred brought it back up again one day it wasn't completely out of the blue but it still felt a little unexpected. I guess I forgot time hasn't been frozen– sometimes I feel like we're still those young girls fresh out of Hogwarts. But I'm so excited, I really am. And I know you would be for me too," Vera reached to squeeze Freya's hand. "Absolutely! I've got a Pinterest board already started of interiors and furniture and things like that– but we're making a shortlist of places we'd like to see. I'd love to share everything with you."

"It makes sense though, you two have been seeing each other for a while now." But equally, Vera was right that time had felt a little like it had stopped still. They were both ready for next steps but still happy to keep living as they were too, like they didn't quite want to give up this part of their lives. It'd been such a big part and they had come through so much, it was no surprise that they'd been holding on so hard. "A pinterest board already? You really are excited." Freya said with a soft laugh. "I'd love to see and help you bounce ideas around. It's exciting to do all this kind of stuff."

"Thanks! Yeah I'm– I'm excited," she admitted, hugging Freya back tightly. "I'm going to miss this so much though. Like... we still have to have girls nights all the time, yeah?" Vera added hopefully, giving Freya's forearms a squeeze. "It's still pretty fresh. I promise I haven't been harboring this secret for months or something," she felt the need to clarify when Freya asked her how long they'd been talking about it. "While I've been stalling, it's not that bad, I swear," Vera laughed. "We're currently in the stage of listing off things we want from the property and trying to find ones that fit. We haven't done any viewings yet."

"As you should be. If you weren't I would be concerned about you making that move with him." Freya told the girl with brushing her hand softly against Vera's arm. She did have to laugh when Vera assured her that it hadn't been something they had been debating for months without telling her. "I mean, that would be your prerogative if you had, I couldn't be upset with you for that but what I actually meant was, have you been thinking about it for a while because it seems like something you would both have talked about for a while before finally jumping in. But, I'd love to see what the pair of you are looking at. I know it's not my decision to pick of course but I can get second hand excitement too."

Freya really had to wonder what was coming when Vera began her speech because it sounded a little daunting. Thankfully, the reveal wasn't anywhere near as bad as what she'd been anticipating though and Freya leaned over to pull Vera into a big hug. "That's amazing V. Congratulations on taking that step in your relationship together." Because despite the slight underlying sadness she felt at the thought of not coming home to Vera and having moments like this any more, she supported her and wanted her to be happy. Fred made Vera happy and as long as that continued, she would always be in her corner cheering them on. "How long have you been discussing that for?" Freya asked after a moment.

"And you've been doing plenty of that I hope? I know you sometimes have a temptation to kind of... shut yourself away. It's nice to see you getting out and about." Especially after everything.

"Oh my sweet boy, I know." Freya spoke on a whisper at the fact Damien had pointed out that they were going through this together, and that he wouldn't have left her to deal with it on her own. She didn't doubt any of that for a moment. Seeing the tears pouring down his cheeks too, killed her all over again and she found herself drawing him tightly to her. "I know you wouldn't say that but I assure you that in my eyes, you are." And really, that was all that matters. "Come lie with me?" Freya requested softly after a moment, just wanting to curl up in her bed with Damien and absorb all the comfort they could get from one another. She felt like they both needed that right now. It wasn't about whether one was hurting more than the other, but that they'd both been through such a terrible experience. One only the two of them in that moment could understand. "I love you so much, and I'm so sorry for all of this pain."

Damien didn't need her to ask again, in no time at all the two of them were cooped up in bed and grieving this loss together. As much as this hurt, it also felt like just letting the pain consume them together was a way of coping on the short term. It was just so fresh and nobody in their lives would be able to understand this pain quite as they understood one another's in this moment. "You have nothing to apologize to me for, Freya. None of this was your fault," he insisted softly, pressing kisses to her hair and tracing gentle circles along her skin. He wrapped his arms tighter around her, almost as though he was threatening to never let her go. "I love you too, ma vie. More than anything."

Without even having to think about it, his arms found a way to envelope Freya as she shifted forwards. Damien's hands resting on her upper waist gently as took his face into her own hands. "I can't imagine being anywhere else, Freya. Of course I'm here by your side. There is no world where I'd let you go through this alone," he insisted. "Besides, we're going through this together," he reminded softly, although his pain in regards to this would never match how it had to feel for Freya right now. "You don't need to worry about me going anywhere," Damien promised, tears streaming down his own cheeks at this point. "I would not say I am a miracle, mon coeur. But you can guarantee that I will always fight by your side no matter what."

"Oh my sweet boy, I know." Freya spoke on a whisper at the fact Damien had pointed out that they were going through this together, and that he wouldn't have left her to deal with it on her own. She didn't doubt any of that for a moment. Seeing the tears pouring down his cheeks too, killed her all over again and she found herself drawing him tightly to her. "I know you wouldn't say that but I assure you that in my eyes, you are." And really, that was all that matters. "Come lie with me?" Freya requested softly after a moment, just wanting to curl up in her bed with Damien and absorb all the comfort they could get from one another. She felt like they both needed that right now. It wasn't about whether one was hurting more than the other, but that they'd both been through such a terrible experience. One only the two of them in that moment could understand. "I love you so much, and I'm so sorry for all of this pain."

"I've done some things I'm really not proud of," Damien admitted softly when she'd ask how any of this could be his fault. He hadn't wanted this conversation to take this sort of a shift. While he had every intention of telling Freya about this part of his life sooner rather than later, everything surrounding their baby had taken up time and space and he hadn't wanted to overshadow any of it with this. "And because of that well... I've always been convinced that I don't really deserve happiness. It's why what I have with you consistently feels like a miracle that fell into my lap. I'm often convinced that you are far too good to be true."

Perhaps Freya had needed this little bit of perspective because Damien had been supporting her so much to the point where she'd almost allowed herself to forget that she wasn't the only one hurting. The blonde shuffled forward gently, eyes still damp but she shakily took his face in her hands, holding the man so tenderly. "None of this is your fault." She felt that was the most important thing to get out of the way righ then. Freya didn't want him to think there was any hesitation in those words, or that she believed differently. "You have given me back so much Damien. I... this is not something I ever thought I would be going through but if I have to, I am glad you're the one by my side for it. I don't think I could... if you weren't here..." There was no way she could have made it through without him. "I need you. And you're my miracle. Please believe that." She could feel the tears falling again, this time for him too.

"Put the past behind you?" Hazel asked with eyebrows raised. "I figured you were having a good year. I mean, you and Damien seem to be doing good an everything. You tend to be smarter and handle everything else way better than I do." Hazel paused lightly. "I don't want to make assumptions or offend you but I feel like I should ask, things are good between you and Damien, right? He's treating you right, right?"

There was a pause from Freya at Hazel's questioning. Much as she didn't really like to revisit the past few months; ones in which she perhaps considered even worse than the situation with her ex in its on way, she knew she'd already kept far too much from her siblings. It wasn't something she really wanted to discuss but divulging this at least wasn't something that could harm them. Freya took a breath. "Damien is wonderful. Truly. But that doesn't mean life is always simple. Perhaps we should go somewhere a little more private?" It was a request more than a suggestion despite how she had worded it.

"Just you so much as try and forget about me. I'd never let you hear the end of it," her threats empty and playful as she wagged a finger at Freya. She smiled softly, reaching to take her best friend's hands into hers before giving them a gentle squeeze. "Our relationship will remain strong. I haven't got any doubts about that," Vera assured warmly. She genuinely couldn't imagine a world that she and Freya weren't taking on side-by-side. The woman would always be one of the most important people in her life.

"It is one of the things I hold most valuable to me." Considering she'd done a disappearing act, Freya knew she had been lucky that Vera had welcomed her back with open arms. More so than even her siblings and that had been before she'd given her an explanation. "I think we need to explain to the boys that we're going to have to find adjoining homes or build them ourselves." She stated after a moment with humour to break the seriousness of their discussion.

"Well I'm pretty tipsy right now, so that helps," Hazel said, taking a sweet and opening up the wrapper. "I don't really believe in new year, new me ideology. It always just pisses me off in the end."

"I don't know about new me but a new start is always a nice thought." It'd ended up being a tough year for Freya and whilst there were plenty of highlights, one moment in particular managed to sour how she viewed the entire year. "I want to put the past behind me and just start over again."