Christmas 1990,
It's Been Lonely

Rhea was glad to be home for Christmas, while she would have enjoyed having visited George, she figured that Fred needed time with his brother. She was going to keep her promise of distancing herself allowing the brothers to find time for themselves.

She made plans to visit her friend Jack, she just needed to wait for her mum and dad to leave the house, she kneeled down at her window. Watching as her parents walked hand in hand along the snowy streets, she grabbed her coat and scarf hurrying out of the house.

She skipped through the street kicking snow, she was excited to see him, she even styles her hair and dressed a little more like Phoebe. She took a deep breath as she knock on their door, she moved a strand of her hair that fell in front of her face.

"Hello Rhea, Jack's upstairs," his mother let her through she wiped her feet on the mat as she took her boots off.

She chuckled when she heard him singing along to MTV she knocked on the door, he turned off the music. Answering the door, with nothing but a pair of shorts, he hugged her tightly, pulling her into his room, he sat on his bed, holding her hand as he pulled her to sit down.

"You never told me you were coming back?"

"You never said you cut your hair," she said, running her finger through his shorter hair, "it looks good,"

"Thanks, I can see you've done your hair for a change, I like it,"

"Well, I am growing up, I need to make some style changes,"

"Maybe people will think you're actually a girl now," she slapped his arm, "I'm joking,"

"You better be,"

"It's been lonely without you," he said, still holding her hand "Shall we play Mario brothers now,"

"Of course, I need to redeem myself," she stated taking the game controller sitting on the edge of his bed.

They played a series of rounds their scores being the same throughout, the last round would determine the winner. She clenched her jaw, shoving him with her elbow, he shoved too hard pushing her off the bed somehow she managed to carry on playing.

"Ha, I win,"

"Merlin's balls, you cheated," he stared at her "what?"

"What did you say?" he questioned "Merlin's balls?" her eyes widened

"We've learned about Merlin and... and King Arthur... yes King Arthur, my friends and I came with it, like god Merlin, bloody hell Merlin, you know poking fun,"

"Okay, it's a little weird but okay,"

"It's silly really,"

"Yeah, it is I mean Merlin's balls? I think your history lesson is flawed, Merlin's a wizard isn't he," she nodded, "well wizards don't exist why you be learning about something that doesn't exist, or ever happen, King Arthur is just a legend, a story,"

"It's for an assignment to see how storytelling has changed throughout history," she said unsure of herself he laughed

"It sounds like a waste of time, can you imagine if wizards were actually real, they're pretty selfish if they are,"

"Why would they be selfish?" she asked

"If they have magic, then they could help people that don't have any, if they're real then where are they,"

"It's a good job they aren't real isn't it," she smiled trying to hide her true expression.

"Yeah it is, you want to have a snowball fight," she nodded heading outside, while he got dressed.

She shuffled her thinking of how he spoke about wizards, he thought they were selfish. If he understood why they stayed hidden maybe he'd think different. 'What am I thinking, I could never tell him, Fred was right,'

A snowball hit her in the shoulder, she turned around to see him laughing, she balled up a snowball hitting him in the chest. They laughed as they chased each other in the snow, he grabbed her waist pulling her down into the snow.

"No stop," she laughed, as he tickled her, she struggled to speak as she pushed him, she punched his stomach he gasped rolling on the floor next to her.

"Did you need to punch me,"

"I told you to stop," she laughed breathlessly

"That didn't mean an uppercut from satan," she laughed with him.

"Jack!" a girl shouted, hurrying over to them, "what'd you do to him?"

"I didn't do anything, Elle," she crossed her arms.

"I don't know why you hang out with her," Elle spoke to Jack as though she wasn't there,

"He obviously enjoys my company,"

"Then we've you been?"

"I go to a boarding school,"

"I would have never guessed the orphanage clearly wants you gone,"

"Orphanage? I'm not an orphan,"

"So your parents are irresponsible then-

"However dare you speak ill of my family, when they love each other so much, and your family is falling apart," Elle looked at Jack believing he said something to her, "oh he didn't tell, the neighbourhood talks, think very carefully before you speak of my family,"

She walked home after losing her temper, she prolonged her journey hoping to clear her mind and calm down before she reached her home. She didn't mean to get so agitated or be rude to Elle, she hadn't heard anything of her parents from neighbours, only remembering Phoebe having a vision of their divorce months before it was confirmed.

"Rhea!" Jack called after her, she turned around waiting for him to catch up to her, "I'm sorry, about Elle she shouldn't have said that to you,"

"It's fine, I probably lost my temper,"

"I would've got mad too if someone insulted my parents," she smiled at him, "I hope you have good Christmas," he leaned in kissing her cheek.

As he walked back home, her cheek heated up, no doubt giving away her feelings, she smiled all the way home. They connected very closely, hopefully, she could convince him of wizards not being as selfish as he believed then maybe one day she could admit who she truly was to him.