Naomi hated herself for what happened with Massri. How she was in charge of the school for one year and they wanted to shut things down. Her students were forced back into secrecy and she couldn't stand and watch it. She couldn’t stand there and know that she had let her students down and couldn’t be the one to tell them that they couldn’t be part of the rest of the world. So she put in her notice and left. The shame had been so much, she practically lived in her pajamas for a week. She couldn’t answer any of Niels’ calls, or his owls. She was too ashamed.

She knew that he had been so proud of her when she took over the school, he must have found out that Massri was going to go back into darkness. That the students would be property of the school from the time they were thirteen on, and there was nothing she could do to help them. She knew that Niels would be ashamed of her for letting it happen, for not staying there to fight for her school and her position as Headmistress.

Naomi finally got off her couch and met with the Headmaster of Beauxbatons for a position as a Charms professor. Youngblood seemed to be thrilled to have her at the school, and she hoped that her French would be good enough to help her students. She spoke it mostly with her step-mother, who had been born and raised in Paris. Rupert seemed thrilled to have her closer, and spent a good amount of the weekend studying with her.

She walked through Paris, working on how to conjugate French words in her head when she spotted that blue eyed Viking that drove her wild with desire and love. She worried about what Niels would think about her, but she knew that he would try to be supportive. They knew so much about each other that it was impossible that they spent as long as they did denying how they felt.

He decided to spend some time in the city, hoping it would help his mood. In his baseball T and jeans he felt like he was overdressed for the heat. Still it was a nice change of pace. The streat started to get more congested and music floated in the air. It seemed that he stumbled into a festival as people paired off to dance and groups chattered and laughed. Maybe walking around Paris alone wasn’t his best idea.

Naomi swallowed her pride and crossed the crowded street and smiled at him, running her fingers through her hair.
“Hey Niels.” She knew that he would be cross with her for keeping away from him,
“Sorry I’ve been missing in action.” She bit her lower lip and hoped that he would see that she was sorry and that she would make it up to him.

Naomi knew that she had so much explaining to do to Niels. The fact that he was making so much of an effort with her recently was so amazing. They became less of two people who argued and bickered, but still fell into bed together. They became more of a couple who worried about each other and cared for what was going on with the other. She hated keeping away from him, but she had to figure out what she was going to do. Had to lick her wounds for a little bit before she had to face the man who practically saved Durmstrang from going down in history as the worst magical school ever. He was suitable for leading students, she wasn't.

When he was sitting there looking as sour as the yellow drink he was sipping on, she knew that he was feeling a little bit of what it had been like for years for her. When he would disappear from her bed in the morning and the next time she would hear from him would be weeks or months later when he would come back with some lame apology and that charming smirk. There could have been other men in her life, there could have been times when she would have been with someone else, but there never was. She would get offers, but she only wanted to be with Niels, even if it hurt sometimes.

She only wanted to be with him, and she never wanted to ask if there were other women in his life when they were apart. She had a feeling that he was as loyal to her as she was to him, but even considering that there was someone else who knew him the way she did was too much to bear. Especially given how fertile he proved to be. She knew that he didn't want any more children after he lost his son, and she understood that. She just worried that if he did enjoy someone else while they were apart, that he could end up in the same position as with Leif's mother.

"Don't be mad at me, Niels." She sat down next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. She just wanted the comfort of being next to the man who she loved. The one who she could very well spend the rest of her life with.

"I've been in hiding." She took in a deep breath and glanced at the blue eyed Viking who completely owned her love for almost ten years.
"They stole Massri from me." She admitted, hating how she lost control over something that she loved,
"The Ministry and school board took control and they closed the school. I tried to keep it open, I did everything that I could and there was nothing left. All of my students have scattered." When he asked what she was doing in Paris, she knew that he would be even more sour at her,

"A job interview at Beauxbatons."

For nearly ten years they had been together. They had been meeting for a weekend, or for a night and they would have to part ways. They were both stubborn, they were hot headed, they were idiots by all means. She loved him, she cared for him more than anything in the world and even thinking about facing him when she was so depressed made her sick. She had barely gotten off her couch, she binged on muggle television dramas and listened to Red Lights on vinyl over and over again. She knew that she should have been stronger, that she should have been better about handling the news and she embarrassed herself for how she reacted to losing her job. She had just wanted everything for her students and it broke her heart that she lost it for them.

He was sore and she could tell. She knew that she deserved his snapping comments because she did cut him out of her life for about two weeks. He was trying to act like it didn't bother him that she had been away, but a part of her wondered if it was just because he was stressed out with the Triwizard. If it had been a typical summer if he would have been fine for fourteen days without her at his beckon call. When he got serious, she picked her head off his shoulder,
"I was humiliated. One year with me at the helm and it was shut down." She looked down at her tattooed hands and knew that she sounded like a brat. She kept away from someone who she loved right when they were finally at a good place together and suddenly she dropped off the face of the planet.

"I literally laid on my couch for two weeks watching TV dramas and eating junk food." She wished that it wasn't true, but it was. If he had turned up at her apartment in Cairo there was a good chance that they would not currently be together because she was a mess.
"There was nothing that either of us could have done. They wanted to close up and I fought them like hell and it didn't work." What did he think would have happened if she went running to her boyfriend for protection? They would have seen her as a weak woman who needed a man to save the day. She already had barely any respect from them as a woman in a headmaster position. If she had Niels try to fight her battle she never would have been able to show her face in Egypt again.

"He was, he said that I would be a wonderful addition to the staff, but I told him that I wanted to talk to the other schools before I gave him my answer." She looked at the Viking and was almost amused with how upset he seemed to be with her. He was downright pouting and it was a side of him that she had never seen before. She was used to the cocky Niels, to the man who made her chase him for nearly a decade.
"Salem is stupid and I'm not trying to move to America, but I hear that the Durmstrang Headmaster is a grumpy old man." She teased with a little bite.

"If I went straight to you it would have just been me running to my boyfriend to bail me out. I wanted to earn my spot somewhere because of my skills, not because you want to take care of me."

Being so close to him was something that she always wanted. All of the times when she swore that she was able to be away from him without much care, she knew that she was wrong. Niels was something strong and alluring. He snared her attentions when he played quidditch, but damn was he skilled at keeping it no matter what. even when he did something as tamed as combing his hair, she still found herself jumping into his arms and kissing him for all that he was worth. She loved him, that was all that there was to it. No matter how unconventional their courtship had been, it was theirs. They loved each other and they were finally at a spot together where they were stable and together.

"I'm sorry Niels. Ill never do that to you again." She spoke with sincerity and hoped that he knew that she would do anything for her viking.

"I just had to lick my wounds a little bit." She slid onto his lap, her favored position of power and wrapped her arms around his neck, "but I missed you dreadfully the whole time." She thought about calling him up to help her forget the whole thing, like she would have in the past when they were just two people who were fantastic at sex. She just didn't want to use him like that. Not anymore. Niels burrowed behind her defenses and made her proud to be by his side through everything life could throw at them. It just took her longer than it should have to realize that this was one of the times when she should have leaned on him more.

"Are you so sure you would be able to handle having me in your castle anyway?" She teased, hoping that he was less sore with her.

"I doubt either of us would get very much done." She leaned over and gently kissed his neck, trailing her lips up towards his strong jaw.

"Though your school has the appeal of the dungeons, which I have to say is quite sexy to think about."

Figuring out her life was always that she worried about first, then Niels would always seem to be there. When she lost Massri, she knew that it would take a while for her to get back on her feet, but she should have talked to him. She should have made sure that he at least knew that she was safe. She knew how protective her Niels was over the people who he loved, and she was a fool for ever thinking that she was excluded from that group.

His hands on her waist, keeping her in place was the most comfortable thing that she had ever experienced in her life. Just having her head against his shoulder with the loud festival around them, she loved all of it.
"I promise." She sighed a little when he brought it up again and nipped his earlobe a little. He would be sour, but she knew that he would get over it. They were both proud people, both too stubborn for their own good, but it was something that brought them together and kept them there.

They were too stubborn to let each other go even when things got difficult. They would be able to see if they could even work together with the Triwizard Tournament coming up. She knew that if she went straight to Durmstrang and then figured out that they wouldn't be able to make things work between them as coworkers, then she would have to find another place to work. This way, she would be able to work for Youngblood, but still spend all of her time with Niels to make sure that they would be alright.

"There might be a method to my madness. Need to make sure you can put up with me all the time." She teased, wrapping her arms around his back to keep herself in place. She was completely in love with him, having him hold her close and show the world that they were together, she loved all of it.