Why, hello! [BENSON]

[genevieve lilly walker]

Genevieve threw the covers over her head as the sun hit her square in the eyes. She groaned as she realized that she couldn't go back to sleep now. Rolling over the young tattooed woman looked at the clock on her wall. It wasn't that early but still she had had a long night last night and had stayed late at the sanctuary watching the dragons. She loved dragons and they were her life. They were also a distraction from the haunted memories that plagued her mind daily. She could never truly push Jackson out of her mind and she constantly wondered how he was doing. But she could never bring herself to write to him. But the pain that would never go away was the life of her unborn son that was cut so short. She had had one more moneth until she was going to be a mother. One more short month and she had lost it. That night she had lost everything she loved.

She pushed the thoughts out of her head. She was not going to stay in bed today. She would do that to hersef sometimes. But not today. She got up and jumped in the shower startling her cat, Ludwig, from his slumber at the edge of her bed. once showered she dried her hair and threw on a pair of tight, skinny jeans with some rips in the and a low cut tank top that hugged her body. Her feet were adorned with heels and she was soon on her way out of her apartment and down the streets of Diagon Alley.

She loved living in Diagon Alley. She was lucky enough to acquire an apartment above a flower shop. It always smelled amazing and the shopkeeper was beyond nice. She waved at her as she left and walked some more. Her mind began to wander again and it soon fell on her son again. She absent mindedly ran ehr hand over her flat, tattooed stomach and sighed. Maybe again one day. She looked up and saw a bookstore. She needed a neww book on the new dragons they got at the sanctuary. She walked in and looked around for a bit and finally gave up and went to the counter where a very attractiv man was. She smiled at him.

"Do you have any books on Antipodean Opaleye Dragons?"

[benson thomas walters]

fix my broken heart

[style=border-right:10px solid #895F4D; letter-spacing:0px; border-top:10px solid #895F4D; background-color:#ffffff; padding: 3px; font-family:arial; font-size:10px; text-align:justify; line-height:9px; ]As the sun began to seep into the un-shaded window, it hit Benson's slightly pale face like a baseball bat and the male shook his head as his body turned. "Can't I just leave the shop closed for today? Just one day, I'd like to have to myself." He had murmed, more-so to himself than to anyone or anything else. Yet, in perfect timing I might add, Julya chimed in with her usual noise of an alarm. "You're no fun, Jul. You never let me sleep in." Pushing back the covers, the young male had left his bed in order to place a hand on the owl's cage and moved slowly into the bathroom. It wasn't like him to go out drinking before work - the store was closed on the weekends - yet last night was an un-special occassion. It marked the two year anniversary of his wife and daughter's death. Benson placed his hand ontop of the black sun tattoo etched into his upper-arm and sighed. "The flirting does nothing but fill up time. I won't find another like you, my love."

After starring into the mirror for a good ten minutes, Benson turned on his heels and walked back out into his bedroom. There, the male re-dressed in a white button-up shirt, black vest and a pair of jeans. Replacing his bed socks with a pair of simple running shoes, the male opened the cage to let Julya perch on his arm before donning his hat and walking out of the apartment. It only took one flight of stairs and two doors before he was into the store. His store infact. The bookstore which he had inherited from his wonderful parents after their death five years ago. "There you go, my darling. You're the only woman left in my life." Placing the snowy owl ontop of her branch at the front of the store, Benson began making his way around the shelves and cleaning up the place before un-locking the door.

It hadn't been long before the male had watched the regular old women walk into his store after a new male and a rather attractive young woman. Benson had wanted to be his usual flirty self towards the young woman, however the headache which pounded in the back of his skull didn't allow him to move from the front counter. "Please, no screeching today Julya." Grasping his hands together, the male rested his head on the front counter before he was disturbed by a soft voice. Upon lifting his head, Benson saw the beauty which had walked in before, just inches away from his face.

"We may have something in the back. I can show you, if you'd like." His words were soft like silk, and a small smile lifted the corners of his lips as he spoke them.

TEMPLATE CREDIT TO LASKA AT ATF and CAUTION 2.0

[/style]

[genevieve lilly walker]

Genevieve stood at the counter looking at the man in front of her. Before she had reached him he looked like he wasn't feeling too good. He had his head in his hands. Her eyes fell on a snowy owl next. It was a beautiful creature and Genevieve admired her for a second. She suddenly missed her cat, Ludwig. He was the only man in her life right now and she liked it like that. Yes, she flirted with guys but her heart was still stuck on Jackson but she knew she needed to get over him and fast. She couldn't live in the past but it was hard. It was hard to let it all go like that. Just the thought that today was the birthday of her unborn child. He would have been eight years old today. She would have been planning a party for him and her and Jackson would have been married and happy. But now here she was alone, single, and broken. Genevieve nodded at him and smiled.

"I would appreciate that. I need to do some research on them. We just got them in at the sanctuary. I'm Genevieve Walker."

She didn't know why she had given him her name or why she needed the book. He probably didn't care. She had a habit of doing that. She would ramble on about things sometimes and she was trying to stop but she just couldn't. Jackson would always make fun of her for it and it almost made her smile remembering one night when she had gotten so mad at him. He had only laughed at how flustered she had gotten which made her even more mad at him. The next day everything changed. She lost everything that day.

She waited for him to lead her to the back for the book she needed. Her fingers aimlessly traced a tattoo on her arm. It was a small dragon curled up in a ball sleeping, obviously a baby. There was a banner underneath of it in flames that had the initials, BWC. It was the name that she was going to name her son, Benjamin Walker Cruz. Now the tattoo was a constant reminder of what she could have had. No one understood the pain she was going through.

[benson thomas walters]

Benson had looked deep into the young woman's eyes as she spoke about why she needed the book. Then there it was. He finally had a name to go with the face. Genevieve Walker.

"I'm guessing you get called Genny, alot?"

After waiting for a brief moment of silence, Benson removed himself from behind the counter and tucked an old, silver key in his vest pocket.

"This way, miss Walker."

It only took another few moments before Benson had walked to the back room and positioned himself next to a rather dusty, old shelf. Not very many people came in to ask about Dragons. And if they did, they were few and far between. Thus the shelf was moved to the back room to gain dust and to allow more room in the front room. In it's place, currently stood a mahogany shelf with the words For her etched into the wood. The books presented there were those that a husband, boyfriend, or significant other would purchase for the woman - or man - of their affections. The books were filled with love and romantic things. That's probably one of the reasons why it was the only shelf not visible from the front counter. Benson refused to look at it. He didn't want to see anything romantic that would remind him of her.

"Not very many people come back here. But there are a few in the glass case, if you're interested in those. I have the key with me."

Raising his arm, Benson presented the key and placed it into the rusted lock. With a little bit of effort and a steady hand to make sure the cabinet didn't move or tip over, the door swung open and Benson removed one of the books. Dragons and you. Placing the book back down, the male removed another. Why aren't Dragons extinct yet? After placing that down, the male picked up a few others until he found the one he was after. The Antipodean Opaleye Dragon. What is it and why?

"I believe this may be of use."

Pushing the book in Genny's direction, Benson locked up the glass cabinet and turned on his heels. A small smile had appeared on his lips before his gaze moved to the tatto which the female had been touching. Sorrow began to fill her eyes and Benson tilted his head to the side. Had she lost someone? Or had someone lost her? The questions that began to run through his mind were too personal for the male to speak, thus he simply smiled and pointed towards the front counter.

"If you find anything else, or need any help... You know where I am."

[genevieve lilly walker]

She couldn't take her eyes off of his as he looked at her. They were....intoxicating. She found herself getting slightly nervous. She didn't get this way around guys and it was weird. But she could not help to admire how gorgeous he was. She nodded as he picked up on her nickname. Her father had been the one to start calling her that and it just stuck.

"Yes, a lot of people call me that. Can I ask your name?"

She walked with him to the back. She could tell that these books hadn't been touched in awhile but she didn't mind that. She liked books and this seemed like the perfect place for her. Back here she probably wouldn't be bothered and she loved that idea. She admired his form as he walked in front of her and she liked it. She looked around and her eyes fell on a wooden shelf that said "For Her" in the wood. She took a step closer out of curiosity and read some of the titles. Once she saw they were all romantic books she took a step back and averted her eyes. She didn't want to see those right now. Not today.

Genevieve watched him as they neared a glass case. He produced a key from his vest pocket and unlocked it. He started looking through the books and she looked at him. He was very attractive and she appreciated attractive things. He finally came up with a book. She read the title and smiled. This book would be perfect! She took it with a smile.

"Thank you. This should help a lot. Do you mind if I stay here and read it a bit? I just....I don't want to be home right now. I know this is an unusual request..."

[benson thomas walters]

"Walters. Benson Walters."

The young male called over his shoulder and offered Genevieve a small smile. As he near the counter once more, Benson heard her request and another smile came to his lips. This one, however, was different. It was the sort of smile that an enthusiest would produce when they found someone else who enjoyed the same things they did. Turning on his heels, Benson moved back into the back room and leaned against the shelf.

"You're not like other customers, are you Miss Genevieve?"

The question was both rhetorical and a general wondering. Benson had only known this young woman for - at most - ten minutes, yet she was already beginning to grow on him. Her smile, the tattoos, the way she walked and talked... And not to mention her gaze. The gaze held something that he thought he would never see again. It was a similar gaze to that of Taliah, yet it also held something more. Something stronger. It was almost as if she felt the same pain he did. The same longing for someone whom had passed away.

"Anyway... You are welcome to take your time. I don't close until late today, so you have all day to read if you'd like."

[genevieve lilly walker]

"Genny, please. It's nice to meet you Benson."

She watched him as he walked back to her and leaned against the wall. The way he did that made her stomach jolt in a good way though. He looked so comfortable just leaning there. She was glad for the company actually and she smiled a little as her his question. No she was not like the other customers she guessed. She didn't know what kind of customers he got in here but she doubted they were like her. She had not seen anyone like her since she had come to England. But she had other things that made her different as well. Like the sorrow that still clung to her like an unwanted blanket.

"I'm not really like anyone around here. I'm just a woman who enjoys tattoos and is trying to escape her past."

She fingered the book and it's pages. It seemed old but this was the first book she had been able to find on Antipodean Opaleyes. They were a rare breed of dragon and there was hardly any research done on them because they were so rare. They had been lucky to get them at the sanctuary and they were luckier to get a mated pair.

"Thank you, I appreciate it. It means more to me today than anything else...."

[benson thomas walters]

"Oh, terribly sorry. Genny."

As Genevieve spoke briefly about her past, Benson's eyes lowered slightly to show his sorrow as his gaze moved over the different pieces of ink labelling her pale skin. It reminded him of his own tattoo, the sun, which he had placed specifically on his upper-arm to symbolise his lost wife. She loved astronomy, and was fascinated by the stars, moons, planets, and sun. She wanted to go to space one day - Benson had called her silly at the time, and the pair just laughed it off. But now, it seemed that she had gotten her wish. The young male enjoyed the thought of Taliah floating around on her broomstick in the middle of space, watching as the comets flew passed her.

"I guess you could say, that this store is my life. Past, present and future."

For a brief moment, Benson's eyes hit the floor and a single tear rolled down his cheek. That single tear held sorrow for both his own past and Genny's past - even though he had no idea what that had included.

"Well, I have some things to tidy up. Feel free to look around, or simply read."

Turning on his heels once more, Benson tucked a hand into his jeans before moving back towards the counter to grab Julya and have her perch on his shoulder. Afterwards, the male moved over towards a shelf and began tidying up the rose of books by hand - he didn't enjoy using magic inside the store.

[genevieve lilly walker]

Genevieve smiled as he said her name. It sounded good on his lips she had to admit. But she couldn't help but feel sadness coming off of him. She wondered why that was. Maybe he knew what it was like to lose someone like her. But she didn't dwell on that thought for long. She didn't want to especially not today.

She nodded as he talked about the store. She felt the same way about her tattoos. They were the story of her life pretty much and it was growing with every piece she added to it. She loved her tattoos but some of them hurt too bad to look at sometimes, like the first one she had gotten. It was two wands intertwined with the anniversayr of her first date with Jackson. They had gotten it together. It was on her right shoulder and she could never look at it. She noticed the small tear that ran down his cheek but she didn't mention it. She didn't want to bring anything painful up for him.

"I feel the same way about my tattoos. Thank you for letting me read here. I won't be too much of a bother."

She took the book and walked over to a stuffed armchair and sat down. She opened the book and started reading the title. Her eyes flicked up and watched him move across the store cleaning and moving things. He was very handsome. Someone that handsome shouldn't know the pain of loss.

[benson thomas walters]

Every now and again, Julya would turn her head to look towards Genny and hoot softly. Benson would simply look towards the bird and shake his head. He knew what she was trying to tell him. She was trying to convey the message that Genny and Benson had much in common. She knows the pain of loss, as do I. But that doesn't mean anything. Turning his head once more, Benson continued to dust the books before turning on his heels as another customer walked through the door.

"Good morning ladies, how can I help you today?"

The two elderly ladies had laughed and giggled amongst themselves as Benson made a motion of tipping an invisible hat and motioning towards the romance novels the two regulars usually walked towards.

"We have a glorious selection for you two fine ladies today. But, you know where they are, so have fun."

Watching the smiles that came to the pair of elderly ladies tugged on Benson's heart-strings as he watched them shuffle towards the shelf. One had already picked out the romance novel she had wanted before she arrived at the mahogany shelf, while the other was taking her time. Benson wasn't fussed though. Apart from Genny, they were the only people in the store, and the way they acted brought a light laugh to Benson's lips.