SSRP: Teddy Bear and Strawberry Shortcake

[RandomRaven]

credit: Team Avatar


Teddy and Ava Burton are twin siblings and the youngest of four. Both of them are now going to Hogwarts and being separated in different house. While the quiet, timid, and bookworm Teddy belongs to the Eagle side, free-spirit, prankster and cheerful Ava belongs to the Lion. Despite of being in a different house, the twins try to manage their siblinghood and not forget about each other.

Character list:

Ava Burton: RandomRaven
Teddy Burton: Jessiqua

Scene one:

Teddy was very mad at Ava because of her stupidity and lack of verbal control by mentioning he had a crush on Lux. After having a talk with her sister Zhenya, Ava finally noticed what she did wrong and ready to talk with him and apologize.

[Jessiqua]

Teddy was on the couch when he heard the door open. He didn't even look up. He was busy pretending to read the Goosebumps book he had picked up randomly from his cardboard Goosebumps shelf. He was really trying to read it but he couldn't take it in. Even though Lux had cheered him up at the cafe, he still felt a bit hurt with Ava for blurting out that Teddy liked her. Why did she have to embarrass him in front of her?

[RandomRaven]

It's glad to have some nice chat with her sister. Ava had spilled everything that bothers her mind about her and Teddy. And according to Zhenya, she needed to talk to him. But the question is, would he listen to her? Clearly this wasn't as easy as she thought. She brought his favorite chocolate frog cake and also strawberry cheesecake for herself from a nice cake shop in Diagon Alley. Well, hopefully by bribing him with this cake, it would make the talk getting easier and then he would forgive her. Hopefully.

Entering the house, Ava noticed that her twin brother was already home, reading (or maybe pretend to read? She didn't know. His face would always look serious when it comes to reading) a book and didn't pay attention at her. That's okay, he always forgot everything exist when there was a book on his hand. Then she went back to the kitchen, put the sliced chocolate cake to the plate and offer him. Come on, Theodore! I know you couldn't resist the temptation of this mouth-watering chocolate frog cake.

[Jessiqua]

Teddy looked up from his book when Ava offered him some chocolate frog cake. He reached out for the plate and put it next to him. He wasn't really in the mood to eat, but he didn't like the unsettling feeling of tension. "Thanks," he muttered. He closed his book and put it on his other side.

"What did you do the rest of the day?" he asked, feeling uncomfortable in the silence.

[RandomRaven]

She tried not to look disappointed when Teddy just put his chocolate cake aside and didn't eat it. Well, at least he didn't refuse her treat. Then she just sat next to him and ate her own cheesecake. She didn't say any word though actually there were like a thousand things that she wanted to say to him but it seemed like he didn't want to listen to her.

So yes, Ava was just gonna eat her cheesecake until she found a right time to start talking.

But before she said any words, Teddy asked about what had she done for the rest of the day. For a moment, she felt relieved. Glad that he didn't really ignore her. "Just had a lunch with Zhenny." The young lioness said, and then she's back to her cake. Nom nom nom... Maybe if her twin brother didn't want the cake, could she get it back? Wait... No, she wouldn't take it back. If he's not gonna eat it, it was his problem.

And speaking of his problem, finally Ava spoke up. "Look, I'm sorry about what'd happened earlier. I don't have any idea if you really have a thing for that girl, Theodore." Yes, by mentioning his full first name meant that she was being serious in this conversation. "In fact, I clearly have no idea about your life now since we're in Hogwarts. We rarely talked, I could count how many times we sat together for having meals together and mostly we talked about the classes..." Maybe it was her fault for spending more time with her friends... Well, she's not gonna say sorry about that. But there were some time when she needed her twin brother but he's not there.

[Jessiqua]

Teddy tried not to look at her as she ate. He didn't like watching people eat. She said that she got to spend the afternoon with Zhenya. Teddy nodded, "That sounds good. Where did you go?" he asked.

He nodded as she apologised. He wasn't going to tell Ava that he did like Lux. "It's okay," he said quietly. He didn't really want to talk about Lux to Ava though. He didn't really want to talk to anyone besides Zhenya about Lux, and that was because Zhenya would tell him stories about the two of them which he liked. He just wanted to talk to Lux.

But then he looked up frowning. "I sometimes look for you too, and I can never find you anywhere. Or you're surrounded by a group of people. Older kids, too. I.. you know I don't like crowds. I can never catch you by yourself. And... well, that's fine. I'm glad to see you making friends. Brave friends. I'm... I'm always around. Mostly in the library. You can always come and find me in there," he said.

[RandomRaven]

"Leaky cauldron." The young lioness answered. "And before we went home, we're stopping to get the cakes." Aren't you gonna eat that cake, Theodore? You know that it's not nice to refuse eating a nice treat from somebody. Especially from your own twin sister. "How about you? Where were you running away to?" Bet that he ran to the Flourish and Blotts.

Why Ava felt like her twin brother didn't mean it when he said it was okay? But maybe it was just her feeling. "So you really like this girl, Teddy??" She leaned her head to his shoulder and pinched his cheek, being playful. "It's okay, it's not embarrassing though. That means you've grown up." Hehehe.... Maybe she should stop calling him Teddy bear and change it into... Teddy man? Yeah, it sounded better than Teddy bear.

Hmmmm.... Of course she knew that she could find Teddy in the library. But based on her experience, he didn't like being bothered when he was there, either reading or studying or... basically everything. And she didn't want to say sorry that she's mostly around with friends or people. "Okay then. I just want to introduce you to them that you are my brother, my twin brother. Not many people know that we're related and it's... sad." Ava didn't understand why he avoided to see her when she was around people. Did he feel embarrassed or afraid that they're gonna attack him? They were in Hogwarts now, not in the muggle school anymore.

[Jessiqua]

Teddy nodded in response to her reply. He didn't really want cake just yet. It was almost dinner, and he decided he would wait until after dinner. He would look forward to eating the cake. "Thanks for getting it for me," he said.

Teddy hated it when people pinched his cheeks, so he brushed her arm aside. "She's a good friend. She understands me, and she helps me through my problems," he said, explaining Lux. She meant a great deal to him. He didn't really feel comfortable talking to his sister about this, though. He wouldn't even speak to Zhenya about her like this. He was happy to hear stories about her, but not talk about how he felt about her.

"Okay..." he said, thinking of a way they could overcome that. "Well... well you can introduce me to them. That would be okay. You just... you can signal me when we're at dinner or breakfast or you can bring them into the library or something." That's what he suggested. It's the only thing he could think of to say.

[RandomRaven]

He didn't need to thank her. That's what siblings always did to each other. Or maybe at least to her. But Ava just smiled at him and said "Anytime." and continued eating her cake. Though it's almost dinner but it didn't mean she could have a sweet treat, right? Right. She still had some room on her stomach for the dinner.

Hehehe... She knew her brother very much that he didn't like being pinched on his cheek. "A good friend?" Ava tilted her head slightly. "Well... that's good. I don't remember I've ever saw her around school... Oh, she's on the same age as Zhenny, isn't she?" Maybe that's why she'd never seen her around Hogwarts. "She's pretty though. No wonder that you like her. How did you meet her, by the way?" Spill the details, Theodore! Your sister was so curious! It's quiet hard to have a brother like him because he didn't like to tell his personal life to her.. Like he'd never trusted her for that.

Bringing them to meet him? Pfffft.... This would make people assume that he's a very arrogant boy. Like... Why on earth he wanted them to come and meet him like a very important person? "Let's see if that works." Maybe he needed a guidebook for socializing, seriously. Let's see if she could find one.

[Jessiqua]

"She didn't go to Hogwarts last year. Remember Zhenya telling us about the acromantula attack? Well... Lux was taken by the acromantulas, and she said she couldn't go back. She was homeschooled for her seventh year," he explained. "She's a year younger than Zhenya." And... quite a bit older than himself. He tried to think back to when he had met Lux, "I think it was last summer. Zhenya and Lux caught up, and I was with Zhenya." It seemed like forever ago that he had met her.

Teddy just shrugged. He would meet people if that's what Ava wanted, but he didn't necessarily feel the need to. He was happy with the small bunch of friends that he did have.

[RandomRaven]

Oh, the acromantula attack. Yes, Ava still remembered when her sister mentioned about that. So that's why she'd never seen that girl around the school. She was traumatized. "That's so... sad." Because 1. That girl was traumatized 2. She was taken by acromantula and 3. She had to be homeschooled. Come on, homeschooled was no fun.

Well, if her brother just wanted to be in his own world then fine. She just wanted to help him to break the bubble and show him and the social life wasn't that scary. "Okay then." Ava gave him a faint smile. After she's finished with the cake, the young lioness took her plate and left Teddy alone. No, she wasn't disappointed with him. At least he wanted to tell her something... It's a progress, right?

.....................................

Scene two:

Hogwarts, October 2088

Ava just sat at Gryffindor table while enjoying her big breakfast. This was her favorite thing to do in Sunday morning since she didn't need to be rushed to be in a class. Aaaaah, what a nice day. Pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage... here she comes!

She noticed that there was an owl flying toward her and dropped a letter along with a nice package right on her lap. Oooooh, from whom was this? Ava unwrapped the package and saw there were some chocolate frogs for her. Yay! Eagerly she opened the enveloped and read the letter from the sender. She couldn't help but smile dreamily when she knew who was the person who sent all of these. Reading the letter, she started blushing and giggling like an idiot.. Nobody would notice, right?

[Jessiqua]

Teddy was going to eat some food quickly, and then go back to the Library. He had only three chapters left of his book, and had unintentionally fallen asleep reading it through the night. He had wanted to stay awake and finish it then. Alas, his brain was too tired.

Down to the Great Hall he went. He went right to the Ravenclaw table, but saw Ava sitting there. Changing his direction, he slowly walked over there, looking at people, and coming up with scenarios in his head. What if they told him not to sit there? He was a Ravenclaw, not a Gryffindor. What if Ava's friends came and sat with her? He just kept breathing, and eventually he found himself sitting next to her, and putting some food onto a plate.

"What are you smiling about?" he asked, a little smile playing on his own mouth. He saw her like this when she was oogling photos of her favourite Sports stars, mostly people who Teddy had never heard of before. Was there some signed photo from someone she loved?

[RandomRaven]

This letter just made up her day! Oh noes, now Ava wished that she had some parchment, ink and quill so she could write the reply immediately. Okay, maybe she should go upstairs to her common room and replied his letter. Buuuuuuut... Maybe later, she needed to have big breakfast first. Reading the letter once more, she sighed dreamily and felt her cheeks warm. Even he wasn't here anymore, but Zander Adair had successfully made her blushing like a steamed crab from his letter.

And then the twin brother came. Oh, helloooooooooo!!! "Teddy!!! Glad to see you here!" The young lioness chirped happily. She's just sooooo happy right now, not sure because finally Teddy decided to join her here (because it seemed like he always avoided to join her at Gryffindor table) or because of Zander.... Maybe both, but maybe she's happier because of the second reason, Oops.... "Zander just replied my letter..." She said and blushed. Gosh, even mentioning his name made her blushing. "And he sent me chocolate frogs too! Here, you can have one."

[Jessiqua]

Teddy grinned back at Ava, nice and big. He was glad she seemed glad to see him. He wasn't cramping her style, he didn't want to do that. He knew she had a lot of friends, he didn't want to be getting in the way. And then he did something he didn't usually do. He reached to the side and gave her a quick hug. He hadn't realised how nice it was to eat with her. It had only been over a month since they last ate together at the same table, at home. It was nice.

He heard Zander's name and nodded, knowing that he had realised it must have been Zander. Unless she had found another crush. "Chocolate frogs!" he gasped, and reached for one she was offering him. "Are you sure?" he asked, not wanting to take her gift from her. "Thanks."

"So... how is Zander going? Is he at University?" he asked. He was most interested in people's post-Hogwarts plans. He had already set up a mind map of how he could achieve his ultimate goal.

[RandomRaven]

Are you sure? Why suddenly her twin brother asked about that? Of course she was 200% SURE that she gave one of those chocolate frogs to him. Ava liked sharing her happiness to other people, especially Teddy. Why not? "Yeah, of course." She assured him that she didn't really mind to give it.

"He is not going to university." The young lioness said. "He is doing some work with a broomstick manufacturer in Bulgaria." That's what the former head boy said on his letter. He didn't mention about studying at the university so.. Maybe he didn't. Ah, Zander Adair. Why are you so nice and dreamy? She missed seeing him around the school, working on an assignment together, chatting with him.... She didn't realize that her cheeks started flaming red again. Was she in love with him? She wasn't sure... Zander had THE Sophie Brown as his girlfriend, she was also nice and Ava also adored her. They both were really a dynamic duo.

Of course she was NOT falling in love with him. Also, she's still twelve years old.

"Do you have any fresh parchment? And also a quill with the ink? I need to reply this letter now, I don't want him waiting too long for my reply." She asked her brother.

[Jessiqua]

Teddy smiled at Ava. "Okay then," he said, and started to open it. He saw that his card was another Harry Potter one. He had about 17 of the cards, but he was proud of his growing collections, multiples and all.

Teddy listened to what Ava was explaining. Broom manufacturing in Bulgaria? He was impressed, and gave an impressed nod. "That sounds interesting. Bulgaria, too." He'd heard a lot about Bulgaria from their mother. He picked up some food and started eating it. Yum! Hogwarts breakfast was always so good.

He looked over at Ava. "No, I don't. It's all upstairs in my bag," he said. Why would be bring parchment and a quill to breakfast? He knew she was desperate to get back to Zander, though, but... he couldn't help her.

[Jessiqua]

Scene Three: July 5 2089
The twins turn 13, and Zhenya turns 20! The Burton family, and their friends come together for a night of celebration at Burton Cottage

Teddy was so excited! It was his birthday! And not only was it his birthday, and he was now swimming with Chocolate Frogs, he was now a teenager, and he was also seeing his friends and family for a big Burton Birthday celebration. He was going to see his Uncle again, who gave good advice. And his big sister Zhenya, who had reconciled with their parents. And his friends were going to be there! Lux had been able to come, and so was Azura! The others he had sent invitations to but wasn't sure if they would be there or not. Time would tell! He went down the stairs to the loungeroom, where they had set up the dining table with plenty of places. There were drinks and snacks out, and he took a small handful of chocolate pieces.


Lisabel made sure her hair was groomed, her makeup was fresh, and her clothes were wrinkle free. Where had time gone? Her babies were thirteen! And her eldest daughter was twenty, no longer a teenager. Each and every day she thanked the universe for putting her husband and Zhenya at Diagon alley at that moment, so that they could meet again. She had seen Zhenya once, briefly, at a cafe. She had cried, though she hadn't meant to. But there she was, her beautiful daughter. She was back with her family, where she belonged. She saw Teddy come down the stairs. "Theodore, please, help set up with the drinks! Get your hand out of the chocolate bowl," she playfully swatted his hand away, but he had already managed to get some. "Well don't eat too much! You'll spoil your appetite!" She knew he wouldn't, but she still had to say those words. "Where is Ava?" she asked looking around. She must still be getting ready with Zhenya.

Zhenya had promised Ava to help her choose a dress for the party. She had come over earlier in the day, helped her mother cook some of the food, and had spent the rest of the day in Ava's bedroom getting ready with her. She had done her makeup like Bianca had taught her, had managed to curl her hair and get dressed, but Ava was choosing between some of the dresses she had brought over. "Did you want me to put some makup on?" she asked, as she ran a hand through her little sister's lovely long hair. She was so proud of her younger siblings. Although she couldn't quite believe they were thirteen!

Archer had been told to dress up for the party. So he had. He didn't want to wear a suit jacket, though, so it was a nice woolen jumper instead. And a hat. Teddy and Ava loved hats, so he had worn one. He and Gabby arrived outside of the cottage, and he gave her a little squeeze of her hand. "Are you ready to meet them?" he asked with a grin. His family would love her, he knew they would. She was beautiful, smart, well travelled, and amusing. Plus, he loved her. His family were going to love the woman that had made him so happy. He had three gift bags in the other hand, for the three birthday Burtons.

[RandomRaven]

Guess who's turning thirteen years old today???!!!! THIS GIRL RIGHT HERE!!

.......and her twin brother of course.

When her parents said that they're gonna throw a birthday party for three of them. Yes, it's gonna be Zhenya's birthday too!! Ava was very glad that finally she could finally spend the birthdays with all of her family and some of her friends! Her sister was already here and.... DRESS? SHE HAD TO WEAR A DRESS? And make up? She invited Henric and if he came, pretty sure that the Hufflepuff prefect would tease her out loud.

"Do I really need to wear a dress?" The thirteen year-old asked Zhenya. Also, did the sister notice that there's something different on her ear? She hadn't told anyone yet that she got piercings... Even Teddy didn't know that.

[Jessiqua]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandomRaven

Guess who's turning thirteen years old today???!!!! THIS GIRL RIGHT HERE!!

.......and her twin brother of course.

When her parents said that they're gonna throw a birthday party for three of them. Yes, it's gonna be Zhenya's birthday too!! Ava was very glad that finally she could finally spend the birthdays with all of her family and some of her friends! Her sister was already here and.... DRESS? SHE HAD TO WEAR A DRESS? And make up? She invited Henric and if he came, pretty sure that the Hufflepuff prefect would tease her out loud.

"Do I really need to wear a dress?" The thirteen year-old asked Zhenya. Also, did the sister notice that there's something different on her ear? She hadn't told anyone yet that she got piercings... Even Teddy didn't know that.

Zhenya just smiled at Ava. And then laughed. "Well you don't HAVE to wear one, but you'd look nice in a dress. Mama's wearing a skirt, I'm in a dress..." she shrugged. "It's up to you. What do you think?" Zhenya came up behind her and held the dresses in front of Ava, one by one, seeing what they might look like. "Do you like any of these?" She asked, scooping Ava's hair into some sort of style, deciding whether she should try to suggest styling it...

shiny.

"What did you do to your ear?" she asked looking at them. There were a few shiny things on there. "Does mama know?" Zhenya was willing to bet her fortnightly pay on the fact that she did not know.

[RandomRaven]

When was the last time she wore a dress? Ava didn't really remember if there was a time on her life wearing dress, EVER! Maybe when she was still little though, you know that some common sane mothers liked to dress up their ickles like a living doll. "I don't think I want to wear a dress." The young lioness spoke up. NO. WEARING. DRESS. Thank you very much. It's not like she was out for a date with a guy... Wasn't that girls usually put on dress for that occasion?

Did she notice the shiny things on her ear? She giggled. "I got some piercings! What do you think?" Ava tucked her hair on her ear and showed Zhenya the piercings. "And this too." Yes, the piercing wasn't just the new thing on her. Ava showed the sister her left wrist and... SURPRISE! Don't worry, those are just temporary ones. But she's not gonna tell and just let everybody though that it's real.

[Jessiqua]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandomRaven

When was the last time she wore a dress? Ava didn't really remember if there was a time on her life wearing dress, EVER! Maybe when she was still little though, you know that some common sane mothers liked to dress up their ickles like a living doll. "I don't think I want to wear a dress." The young lioness spoke up. NO. WEARING. DRESS. Thank you very much. It's not like she was out for a date with a guy... Wasn't that girls usually put on dress for that occasion?

Did she notice the shiny things on her ear? She giggled. "I got some piercings! What do you think?" Ava tucked her hair on her ear and showed Zhenya the piercings. "And this too." Yes, the piercing wasn't just the new thing on her. Ava showed the sister her left wrist and... SURPRISE! Don't worry, those are just temporary ones. But she's not gonna tell and just let everybody though that it's real.

"Well then don't wear a dress," Zhenya said. Merlin! She placed the dressed that she had carried all the way over onto the bed neatly. She'd have to take them back to Sophia. She had borrowed them from her shop, and was allowed to give Ava one of them. But apparently Ava didn't want one. So be it. "What are you going to wear then? Show me!" After seeing all of Lux's photos of her shoots, she had started enjoying seeing people's outfits.

"SOME piercings? SOME! That's more than SOME," Zhenya said with a grin, shaking her head. Zhenya's grin fell, though. She grabbed Ava's wrist and brought it close to her face. She had left her glasses at home. They ruined her outfit. "What is this Ava? Mama is going to kill you!" She was worried, too. Had Ava seen the Russian lady very mad before? The memories still frightened Zhenya.

[WhittyBitty]

Ugh.

Honestly Gabby did not want to come to this party. She was excited for the chance to meet Archer's family, but she hadn't been feeling well the last little while. She kept feeling nauseated especially after smelling certain things. Maybe she had gotten a bug or something. If she didn't get better soon she would tell Archer but as it was she didn't want to ruin this party for him.

She smiled up at him and squeezed his hand gently. "I think so. I'm sure they will all love me." Smirk. She was wonderful after all.

Today was an exciting day!

One of her best friends was now 13 and one of her other ones would be 20 the next day! It was wonderful and she hoped that they had an amazing party. Lux was already thinking of what she could do for Teddy next year; obviously it was a Sherlock Holmes party because that would make him really happy. She really loved her best friends so much.

Making her way to the door she spotted a pretty woman with a man who was quite attractive even if he looked to be about 40 or so. He must be the Uncle Archer that Teddy and Zhenya had told her about. "Hello, I'm Lux," she said as she smiled at them both.

[RandomRaven]

What was she gonna wear?

Honestly she didn't know what she's gonna wear for this party. Most of the clothes on her closet are mostly flannel shirts, jeans, t-shirts, some hoodies and football jerseys. Her mother wouldn't let her wear any of those or she's gonna disown her. Ugh, fine! She's gonna wear the dress that her sister had brought. "What do you think about this?" At least the denim outerwear doesn't make her look too girly.

"Yeah, but those look good on my ear." It was a little bit painful at first but worth the pain. "I know, that's why I didn't ask her permission to get them." Both the tattoos and piercings... Well, Ava didn't really need a permission for the tattoo because it was fake, a temporary one and it would be faded in a few days. Hehehe. "Shall we go down now?"

A dinner party for his younger siblings? Dimitri was prepared for this. Isn't it nice to spend this special day with his entire family? Hearing that finally Zhenya had back to them, he was very glad and relieved to hear that. With his little kiddos and his beautiful wife, the 31 year-old man apparated to his parents home. Ah, it's always good to be back home. "Come on, sweetie." He spoke to his wife and the kids.

Dimitri entered the house and greeted everybody there. "Hello, Mom! Dad!" He hugged both of his parents. "Hey, birthday boy!" He said to Teddy. And Archer was here too! "Archie! It's really good to see you here!" He patted his uncle's shoulder. "So this is the girlfriend, huh?"

It's very nice to throw an event like this. All of his family members are gathered here and most importantly his eldest daughter was back and joined them together. This party was for her too since she's gonna be 20 years old tomorrow. Alexander just couldn't believe it, all of his children had grown up and made him proud with their own ways. Speaking of his children, the eldest one had just arrived with the wife and his grandchildren. "Dima, and hello there Alana. You both look great."

And there's his brother and the girlfriend. "Good to see you here, Archer." He smiled to his brother. "You must be Gabby, right? It's nice to meet you." He also spotted a young girl who might be a friend of his eldest daughter and pretty sure that Teddy had mentioned her name... "Lux, isn't it?"

[Symphora]

Ava had invited him to her house to celebrate her and Teddy's birthday. He was excited to see them and give them all of their birthday presents. How many presents should he bring? So many birthdays in one! Anyway, it wasn't a problem because he brought a lot. Good thing he could fit it all in his charmed bagpack. He rang the doorbell and knocked the door to the Burton's residence.

[FearlessLeader19]

Adi was practically bouncing, man. He was going to get to see the twins and Zhenya again! How can someone not be excited about that? He clutched their presents in his hand- An enormous stack of Chocolate Frogs and cards for Teddy, an equally big pile of an assortment of prank products and for Zhenya, a bracelet with a badger on it. She was an honourary Hufflepuff, after all. He now stood before the door and rang the bell, running a hand through his hair to mess it up a bit. He looked presentable in his jeans, sneakers and 'Alesana' T- shirt, anyway.

Rachel waved to her daddy as he drove away before turning to the the Burtons' door. She knew it was Ava's and Teddy's birthday as well as their big sister. Rachel didn't know Zhenya but she knew the twins well. Especially Teddy, the little gentleman. She rang the door bell and smoothed out her dress. Today, her hair was left out of the usual plaits but her mommy had accessorised it with a series of pink hair clips. She had Teddy's present with her- a book with a collection of funny stories and Ava's- a tiny figure of Loki the God of Mischief. He reminded Rachel of Ava because they were almost alike. For Zhenya, she had unfortunately gotten nothing as she didn't know what to get her.

Alana followed her husband husband into the house. She was prettily dressed in a stylish dark green dress that hugged her figure. "Hi, everyone!'' she called to her mother and father in law, Archer and all the others there. There were a few she did not recgonise which had to be the birthday trio's friends. But there was someone she had been wanting to meet for a while- Archer's girlfriend. That would have to happen later. "Happy birthday, Teddy.'' She smiled and hugged the boy.