Fact or Fiction

After the embarrassing encounter with Angelique at Cafe Estelle, Julian parted with Maria in a very depressed mood. His favorite girl had now broken up with him, seeing him with Maria at the cafe and thinking he was cheating on her. Of course he was cheating on her, but not with Maria; Merlin, she was his best friend!

Upon reaching Nice through Portkey (he didn't trust his Apparition at that time and wouldn't risk getting splinched), Julian walked the rest of the way back home, passing by his favorite restaurant without getting anything for dinner. He reached the apartment building and began climbing the stairs, slowly making his way up the floor where he lived.

His door detected his presence and immediately unlocked itself, opening up and waiting for Julian to pass through. The young man paused by the doorposts though, as if debating within his mind whether he should enter or not. In the end, he declined the offer of his humble abode, glumly turning his back on the now closing door, which locked itself back up.

Julian turned to his neighbor's door, the one right next to his. He knocked three times and waited, hoping the inhabitant was inside and was in the mood for company.

Elise sniffled, sending the crumpled tissue flying towards the wastebasket in the corner of her bedroom. It opened its lid and swallowed the waste with glee, giving a loud belch of satisfaction.

The 19-year old witch pulled another scented tissue paper from the box on her lap and blew her nose, sniffling delicately while wiping the tears on the edge of her eyes with her fingers. She pulled another tissue to properly wipe the tears away, and again threw the trash towards the wastebasket after she was done with them.

Her hammock swayed precariously as she went back to her reclining position. Elise was trying to keep her balance when she heard someone knock. Who could it be?

"Enter!" she called out in a weak voice, and with the effort it took, Elise lost her balance and fell on her bedroom floor.

"Enter!" An unfamiliar voice called out. Julian wondered vaguely if that was Elise or her company. He opened the door and stepped inside the flat, noticing the lack of activity in the living area. He heard a thud from the direction of Elise' bedroom and peeked inside, his good eyes squinting in the dark. He noticed movement just in time to recognize the young woman struggling to get up from the floor.

"Faye!" he called out in alarm, rushing by her side to help her up. "What happened?"

The fall sent her head throbbing in pain, and Elise was momentarily paralyzed before she was able to move. Her flu was killing her, and it was just perfect that no one could be there to help her get better.

She felt a strong arm give support to her flailing limbs, helping her get on her feet. Once propped up on her weakened legs, she clung to the masculine presence to prevent herself from falling over again, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I just lost my balance, that's all," Elise explained in a nasal voice, letting go once her vision returned to normal. "My head's not working properly."

She looked up at the man in front of her and squinted in the dark. "Oh, Gabriel, it's you. What are you doing here?" she asked, unpleasant surprise lacing her words.

"Oh, Gabriel, it's you. What are you doing here?"

Julian failed to catch the unpleasant tone of her voice, ignoring her question because he had one that himself needed to ask her.

"Faye, are you sick?" Julian asked her dumbly, despite recognizing the way her voice sounded as one afflicted with colds. He gently led her back to the hammock, even if he was assuming that that was where she fell from in the first place. She loved that hammock.

"Faye, are you sick?"

Elise managed to roll her eyes. Obviously she was sick; can Gabriel ask even more doltish questions? But sensing genuine concern in his voice, Elise let go of her irritation and merely nodded, getting back on her hammock and lying down, with her back facing Julian. She knew he wouldn't budge from his position unless she plays her part as host and ask why he came, so she tried another question.

"So what brings you here?"

"So what brings you here?"

"I-" Julian began, now realizing their situation. Elise was still angry with him, and he couldn't blame her, after his getting into a fight with her boyfriend. The affair sent the boyfriend packing his bags back to Rome and Elise telling Julian to quit meddling with her love life. They hadn't spoken since then, and it had been a month ago already.

"You're still mad at me?" was all he could ask in a pained voice. Moreover, he was embarrassed that he had forgotten all about it, and how a single depressing occurrence sent him running to Elise for comfort when he wasn't even permitted to show his face to her door.

"You're still mad at me?"

Elise sniffled again, but she took her wand and waved it around, the room flooding with light from the activated lamps. She shifted her position on the hammock to face him, and her heart skipped a beat upon seeing him again in full light. Merlin, he's such a handsome rogue and now Elise knew why she didn't want to see him in order to remain angry with him. She sighed.

"No," she admitted and all resolve to keep a stony facade was gone in an instant. Why in the world did she have to have a soft spot for Julian? She sat up, reaching for his arm, and pulled him in an awkward embrace.

"I missed you, in fact."

The room was filled with light and Julian could see Elise had faced him. She was sick, her face showed that, but to him she looked prettier than anyone else he had seen did. Julian began lamenting the fact that he had incurred this little fairy's wrath when he could've gone on watching her from a distance while she threw a smile in his direction once in a while.

Much to his surprise, she had replied in the negative, her small "No" sounding more musical to his ears than any "Do", "Re" or "Mi". He could only stare agape as she pulled him in an embrace, which was something he had never received from her for quite a long time. But he was able to recover from shock, and let his weight down on her hammock so he could embrace her properly.

"I missed you, in fact."

"So did I," he replied quietly, savoring the moment that was showing promise of a better situation for the two of them.

Elise made space for Julian, allowing him to rest his weight beside her. She also allowed him to hold her closer, and if she had her sense of smell, she would've breathed in his cologne, which was one of the reasons why she liked hugging him.

She was amazed as to how she was able to survive a month away from Julian. Not that their physical distance was increased (they were still neighbors after all), but being emotionally away from him was quite the unfamiliar route she had never taken before. He had always been there for her, ever since they were young, and as a child she had looked up to him as her own older brother. And she had shunned the man who was her refuge, her wall during times of need and the very person who was there for her when she lost her grandmother. Elise felt a twinge of guilt at the way she had treated him after what he had done for her out of concern a month ago.

Finally letting go Elise faced him again momentarily distracted on how fetching Julian looked that night. Since when did he become so charming all of a sudden? She immediately dismissed the thought; it was just the flu talking.

"Gabriel," she began, sniffling before locating the box of tissue behind Julian. She daintily blew her nose and crumpling the tissue in her hand, she continued.

"I'm really sorry for the way things went. I'm hoping we could go back to how we were before," was her proposition, not really sure if what she was asking was still possible.

Julian had started playing with Elise' hair when she finally pulled away. He was glad to let go, fearing he wouldn't be able to do so if she held on much longer. It was hard enough to keep his romantic feelings for someone whom he was used to treating like his own little sister, much more when she's holding on to him as if her life depended on it.

"I'm really sorry for the way things went. I'm hoping we could go back to how we were before."

Back to how they were before. Julian assumed "before" pertains to the time when he wasn't too fed up with Elise' boyfriend yet, and when he had not yet realized that he had fallen for the young woman. How unfortunate that she had to ask for that. During the past month, he had tried to repress his feelings for Elise but in vain, and now that they were reconciled, Julian gloomily calculated his chances of success in attempting to go back to his "Gabriel, the big brother" persona. It was nil.

For the sake of making her happy, Julian vaguely nodded his agreement. It wasn't the time for him to confess his true feelings, and he wondered if that time would even come.

"I'll go and make you something to eat," he muttered as he stood up, heading for the kitchen.

She watched as Julian nodded briefly, before standing up to do one of the things he was good at, which was cooking.

"Thank you," she called out faintly, both for what he had agreed to and what he had offered to do. She sensed a little glumness from him though, and wondering what it was, she gathered what little strength she had and followed him from the kitchen.

"Gabriel, are you all right?" she asked curiously, Julian's less than cheerful actions starting to worry her.

Reaching the countertop, Julian counted to three before shaking off his depression from Elise' request. Just as he finished, he heard her come up behind him and asked if he was alright.

Julian turned to face her, now a sunny smile etched on his face. "What? Of course I'm alright. I'm really glad we've patched things up," he lied, keeping himself from wincing in front of her by turning his attention to her Muggle freezer. He pretended to survey the contents carefully, almost burying his face inside the cold compartment just to hide his agitation.

Taking out the things he needed for a mild broth, Julian shooed Elise from the kitchen with a mild push.

"Go sit down on the table and be a good patient, will you?" he asked lightly.

"Me too," Elise replied sweetly, matching Julian's sunny smile with her own dazzling one, being fooled into thinking that Julian was sincerely alright. She allowed herself to be banished from her own kitchen, only too glad that things were starting to go back to normal.

She sat down on her dining chair, resting her elbows on the tabletop, and watched as Julian fussed over her dinner. She sensed a mild feeling creeping up her face, and before she knew it, Elise Faye was blushing at the sight of Julian Gabriel.

Instantly, Elise looked away, distracting herself. What in the world? Until now she could stare at Julian without feeling anything more than the usual; what kind of disease had she contracted? To prove that she was just having the flu, the raven-haired young woman fancied another look at him, and thought she had just seen red roses blooming in the background.

"Oh Merlin," she breathed out loud.

"Faye?" Julian was asking, on one mitted hand was a bowl of broth which he had placed in front of Elise. He had worn her rosy apron, having no time to don his plain black one, which was back in his own kitchen. He was watching her with a slightly curious look, owing it to the fact that she had exclaimed something and was so red in the face. Julian wondered if she was having a rising temperature.

He sat on the chair next to Elise, summoning a spoon with which he scooped out a small sample of thin soup for her to taste.

"Try this," he suggested, waiting for her to open her mouth.

Apron! she thought with relief. She had seen her apron on Julian and with her hazy vision, she mistook it for something else that she could have seen, if she was really developing a fuzzy feeling for him. She was able to smile as she shook her head at Julian, who had heard her little outburst and was now looking at her with curiosity.

She tried not to feel so stifled with Julian sitting so near, which shouldn't really make her feel uncomfortable on a normal day. Weren't they locked in an embrace just earlier? The thought almost literally made Elise' ears smoke up, and she distracted herself by tasting the broth sample that Julian was holding out for her.

"Mmm," she said in a higher pitch than what she intended. "It's a great cook, you're so delicious," she stumbled over her words, which she hastily corrected. "Oh, good Merlin, no, switch them, sorry."

Julian had smiled as she somewhat complimented his broth with an exaggerated "mmm", but his face was now torn between worry and amusement, hearing her switch her words with him ending up as the one being delicious. His green eyes crinkling with laughter, he felt her forehead and tutted.

"Faye, you're burning with fever, I don't think you should talk just yet," he couldn't help but chuckle as he held out another spoonful for Elise.

"Stop laughing," Elise begged, taking the spoon from Julian and starting to eat by herself. What is with her? If this were any other guy, she would've thought instantly that she was falling for him. But this is Gabriel we're talking about, she thought, and he's just like a real brother.

She sipped her soup quietly for a few minutes, mulling over this recent turn of events and wondering, what if, only what if, she had really fallen for Julian? She imagined them going out, enjoying each other's company, making out...

She shook the thoughts away, unable to imagine kissing Julian the way she'd kiss Franco, her ex-boyfriend. Or maybe, she just didn't want to, because she couldn't imagine Julian falling for her.

Is this how it felt like when Maria was feeling something for him? she thought to herself, but still furiously convincing herself that she couldn't be falling in-love with Julian.

Maybe I should ask him what he felt when he asked Maria out before, she thought again, willing to gamble on the "I-have-a-friend-who's-this-and-that" scenario just in case Julian asks why.

"Gabriel," she suddenly asked, though she was staring hard at her soup, being unable to look at Julian in the eye. She fell silent, unable to ask him because even if she did, Elise realized that Julian and Maria's past situation was completely irrelevant to the matter on her mind. Instead she muttered, "Never mind."

"Stop laughing." said Elise, and Julian humbly obliged, satisfied to watch her eat. He didn't want to ogle at her, so he stood up and busied himself for a while as he removed her apron and fetched a glass of water. When he came back, she was still quietly finishing her soup, so Julian took his seat beside her again, idly staring at her apartment ceiling. He was wondering if it was already too late to switch back to his old affections for Elise, just so he could stop deceiving the two of them and obtain peace of mind.

After a while, she had called his attention back, as if she was about to ask him something of importance. But she disappointed him by a small "Never mind," to which Julian replied, "I'll just come back tomorrow morning to check on you. I left enough broth for you in case you want more."

"I'll just come back tomorrow morning to check on you. I left enough broth for you in case you want more."

Don't leave me, she wanted to say, but her head nodded in assent. She wanted to stay beside Julian until she could prove that she wasn't feeling anything for him that is inappropriate for an older brother. But the more she thought about it, the more she became convinced that she wasn't just sick with the flu, and a few minutes more in Julian's presence might render her defenseless from his charms, despite the fact that he wasn't even trying to attract her.

"Thank you, Gabriel," she stood up and followed him to the door. She effortlessly reached up to kiss Julian on the cheek, being just a head shorter than him. She had trouble deciding where to place the kiss, but thankfully she was sick; otherwise she would've known what it was like to press her lips against his for the first time.

"No problem," was Julian's reply, elated that Elise had kissed him on the cheek. After a month of not talking or even seeing each other face to face, it was certainly a refreshing change to be receiving a hug and a kiss from the person most precious to his heart.

"Don't forget to take a dose of Pepper-Up, it's in your kitchen cabinet and don't hesitate to call me on the cell if you need my help," he added, obviously still concerned for her well-being.

He further reciprocated by giving her a kiss on the forehead, a gesture that should be interpreted as his way of showing brotherly affection. He was loathe to do it, because it was a lie, but he had to deny himself the right to show which kind of affection he was really feeling for Elise if he wanted to grant her wish of being 'back to how they were before'.

"Goodnight, cherie," he said, before finally stepping out of her home and closing the door behind him.

He kissed her on the forehead, the way he always does whenever they part ways. The kiss he gives Dianne and Maria, the kiss that meant he loved them the way a brother would a sister. Elise closed her eyes as she received his kiss, more hurt than she ever was before, because it meant only one thing; she had wished for something she didn't really want, and it was coming true. They were going to be back to how they were before. Or at least Julian will be.

"Goodnight," she mumbled almost to herself, unable to reconcile with the fact that her sisterly affection for Julian had drastically changed over the span of just one night. Or did it change over the time they weren't speaking to each other? She couldn't tell.

All she knew was that tonight she had fallen in love with Julian, and she didn't know what she was going to do about it. Didn't she?

One last look at her closed door, as if trying to peek through and see a shadow of Julian's image, Elise told herself, "I suppose I should just sleep this through. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and everything will be back to normal."

Right! She mentally nodded to herself and went straight for the bedroom. She pointedly ignored her half-finished soup to prevent anymore thoughts about her distant-cousin-turning-into-potential-crush Julian.