5th January 1995
Carter Residence, Richmond
Dobby was a happy elf.
He hummed cheerfully to himself as a feather duster floated through the air under the guidance of his magic, carefully sweeping away every speck of dust from the shelves and picture frames of the Carter residence. Beside it, another cloth polished the wooden banister until it gleamed in the afternoon sunlight pouring through the windows.
Cleaning was one of Dobby's greatest joys. And there was no finer place to clean than the home of his great master.
Perched proudly atop his head was the brown cap Master Ben had given him for Christmas. Embroidered across the front in golden letters were the words:
WORLD'S BESTEST ELF.
Every time Dobby caught sight of it in a mirror, his heart swelled with happiness. Master Ben had said the title suited him perfectly. Dobby certainly hoped so.
Still humming, he made his way upstairs and quietly entered Master Ben's bedroom. Immediately, his expression softened.
This room...
This was where his great master had grown up.
With great care, Dobby began dusting every surface. Books were returned neatly to their proper places. Shelves were polished until they shone. Every ornament was cleaned before being set back exactly where it belonged. His eyes wandered across the room.
The bed. The desk. The books. The toys Master Ben had played with as a child. Everything here seemed precious.
Thinking of master Ben inevitably reminded Dobby of the days before their paths had first crossed.
His smile faded. Those had been dark times. Very dark.
Life at Malfoy Manor had been miserable. Mistress Narcissa and young Master Draco had mostly ignored Dobby's existence unless they required something from him. Master Lucius, however...
Dobby shivered.
Lucius Malfoy had delighted in punishing him. Every mistake, no matter how small, was met with harsh words or harsher magic. Nothing Dobby ever did seemed good enough.
Sometimes he had wondered whether he would die there. The previous Malfoy house-elf had, and Dobby had long believed he would meet the same fate.
Then everything had changed.
One evening Dobby had overheard Master Lucius discussing his plans to send one of the Dark Lord's cursed possessions—which Dobby recognised as a horcrux, to Hogwarts.
Though terrified of both Lucius Malfoy and the Dark Lord himself, Dobby had known he had to do something. The Dark Lord's soul fragment would no doubt, wreak havoc at the school and try to exact vengeance on Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived and the saviour of the Wizarding World.
Dobby knew he had to warn Harry Potter. The problem, of course, was finding him.
House-elves had their own places to gather, just as witches and wizards visited pubs and taverns. During one such gathering, Dobby had overheard several Hogwarts house-elves speaking excitedly about Benjamin Carter.
They spoke his name with unmistakable admiration. Curious, Dobby had asked why, and the answer had left him speechless.
Apparently, only weeks earlier, a first-year Hogwarts student named Benjamin Carter had defeated the Dark Lord himself. Dobby had scarcely believed his ears.
The Hogwarts elves had also mentioned that Harry Potter was spending the summer holidays at his friend Benjamin Carter's home.
So Dobby had come here.
For an entire week he had secretly watched the Carter family whenever he could slip away from Malfoy Manor. Invisible and unnoticed, he had observed Harry Potter smiling with the Carters, eating with them, and enjoying a warmth that Dobby had rarely witnessed in magical households.
It had made him strangely happy.
Even if Harry never returned to Hogwarts, Dobby had thought, perhaps he would still have a wonderful life here.
Then Harry Potter's birthday had arrived and the Carters had celebrated with a party. After the guests had gone home and the house had finally grown quiet, Dobby had slipped into Harry's bedroom, intending to speak with him alone.
Instead Master Ben had walked in along with Harry Potter.
Somehow, impossibly, Master Ben had known Dobby was there despite his invisibility. He hadn't attacked or even seemed surprised. Instead, he had smiled warmly and politely asked Dobby to sit down. Then he had given Dobby a slice of birthday cake.
The memory still brought tears to his eyes.
Never before had Dobby met a wizard so kind. So generous. So compassionate.
And then Master Ben had revealed something even more astonishing.
He already knew. Knew about Lucius Malfoy's plan, about the Horcruxes, about the Dark Lord. Dobby had been awestruck.
It was only when he revealed he was a seer that Dobby finally understood the source of Master Ben's knowledge.
A few days later, when Lucius announced he would be visiting Diagon Alley the following day, Dobby had immediately apparated back to the Carter residence to tell Master Ben.
The next day passed.
Then the morning after, Albus Dumbledore's phoenix delivered a letter that almost had Lucius Malfoy frothing from the mouth.
Dobby had been absolutely terrified when he had to accompany Lucius to Hogwarts, for he had been unable to polish Lucius' shoes in time. As he entered the Headmaster's office, Dobby noticed Albus Dumbledore and Master Ben already sitting there.
The conversation that followed had completely bewildered Dobby. Lucius had arrived furious, prepared to bluster his way into innocence.
Yet by the time the meeting ended, he had not only paid ten thousand galleons in compensation but also had to free Dobby from his service.
Master Ben had outmaneuvered Lucius so completely that the arrogant wizard never even realized what had happened. Even now, Dobby still considered it one of the cleverest things he had ever witnessed.
House-elves needed magical bonds. Without one, their magic slowly weakened. For generations, elves had depended upon wizarding families or magical locations to survive. The Malfoys had been so cruel that Dobby had been willing to risk death rather than remain with them.
Yet when he got the chance to work for master Ben, Dobby had leapt at it. Master Ben had even asked Dobby if that was what he truly wanted. And then he had insisted on paying him a monthly salary. And giving him one whole day off every week!
The last two and a half years had been the happiest of Dobby's life. Master Andrew and Mistress Miranda always treated him with kindness and respect. Young Mistress Rachel was equally wonderful, and whenever she returned home from school, Dobby delighted in preparing all of her favourite meals and desserts.
Master Ben, unfortunately, was rarely home. There was always Hogwarts. Always another adventure. Always another mystery requiring his attention.
Yet somehow he still found time for the people he loved. Just a few evenings earlier, Master Ben and the Weasley twins had performed at the Yule Ball. And of all the people in the world, Master Ben had chosen Dobby to be the drummer.
Dobby's ears twitched happily at the memory.
Of course, none of the people at the Ball had realized that the cheerful young drummer was actually a house-elf.
Dobby still didn't fully understand what had happened. One ordinary day, while going about his household chores, an overwhelming wave of magical power had suddenly flowed through the bond connecting him to Master Ben. The sensation had been so intense that Dobby had briefly lost consciousness.
When he awoke, everything had changed. Gone was the small, frail creature with enormous eyes and oversized bat-like ears. Instead, he looked almost like a human child. Only his long pointed ears betrayed his true nature, resembling the elegant elves from the films Master Ben so enjoyed showing his family.
But that wasn't the biggest difference. Not even close. The greatest change was one Dobby had told no one. Not even Master Ben.
House-elves could not normally generate their own magic. Everyone knew that. It was why they required magical bonds in the first place.
Yet after his transformation, something felt different.
On one of his weekly days off, Dobby had secretly travelled to a quiet forest and deliberately exhausted himself casting spell after spell. He had expected the familiar weakness. The emptiness.
Instead, his magic remained as strong as ever. Power still flowed through him. Whether it originated within himself or somehow came through his bond with Master Ben, Dobby couldn't say. All he knew was that something fundamental within him had changed.
Dobby would remain forever grateful to Master Ben, not just for whatever he had done, but also for giving him a place here. The Carter family was Dobby's home, and he would happily serve them until the end of his days.
Still humming, Dobby stepped out of Master Ben's room after finishing the last of his cleaning. He had only just reached the bottom of the staircase and turned toward the kitchen when the front doorbell rang.
He didn't even need to look. The magical bond between himself and his master thrummed warmly inside his chest. Outside the front door stood a magical presence so vast and familiar that there could be no mistake.
A radiant smile spread across Dobby's face.
Master Ben was home.
---
(Ben's First-Person POV)
"This is your home?"
Pietro's voice carried a mixture of curiosity and disbelief as he slowly turned in a circle, taking in the large house standing before us. Wanda was doing much the same, her eyes roaming over the neatly maintained grounds as we walked up the stone pathway that cut through the front lawn.
"It is," I replied with a smile. "What do you think?"
"It's beautiful," Wanda said softly.
Her attention drifted away from the house toward the gardens that surrounded it. Beds of flowering plants bordered the walkway, while rows of carefully tended herbs grew in orderly plots beneath the windows.
"Who planted all these?" she asked.
"That's Mum's handiwork," I answered. "She's a certified Healer—the magical equivalent of a doctor. She's also highly proficient in Herbology and Potions."
Pietro frowned thoughtfully.
"What are those?"
"They're branches of magic," I explained. "Herbology deals with magical plants, while Potions is the art of combining their properties to produce medicines, antidotes, and all sorts of magical concoctions. It's usually better to grow your own ingredients than rely on whatever happens to be available in the marketplace."
I gestured toward the flourishing plants.
"So Mum keeps her own garden. Although these days, Dobby is the one who mostly takes care of it," I said, ringing the doorbell.
"Who's Dobby?" Wanda asked curiously.
Before I could answer, the front door swung open. Standing on the other side was a figure that caused both twins to stop in their tracks.
Dobby looked every bit the professional butler. He wore a perfectly tailored black three-piece suit over a crisp white shirt and black necktie. White gloves covered his hands, while polished black shoes completed the immaculate uniform. Were it not for his youthful appearance, long pointed ears, and the brown cap perched proudly upon his head with the words WORLD'S BESTEST ELF embroidered across the front, he could easily have passed for an English gentleman's valet.
The moment he saw me, his face lit up.
"Master Ben!" he exclaimed joyfully. "Welcome home!"
I couldn't help smiling. "Thanks, Dobby."
As I stepped inside, Dobby beamed up at me as though Christmas had come twice in one year.
"How are you?" I asked.
"Dobby is wonderful, sir!" he replied cheerfully. "Dobby was just about to begin preparing dinner when Dobby heard the bell ring."
Only then did he notice the two children standing behind me. His large brown eyes blinked curiously.
"Dobby, these are Wanda and Pietro Maximoff," I introduced. "They'll be living here with us from now on."
Dobby's eyes widened with delight before I continued.
"Wanda, Pietro, this is Dobby. He's a dear friend of mine, as well as the steward of our household."
Dobby positively puffed up with pride at the introduction.
Pietro leaned slightly toward Wanda before whispering just loudly enough for everyone to hear.
"He looks younger than we do."
I chuckled. "It might seem that way," I said, "but Dobby is actually much older than either of you."
Both twins looked surprised.
"You see, Dobby is an elf. And elves age differently from humans," I explained. "Their physical appearance doesn't necessarily reflect how old they really are."
A mischievous smile crossed my face.
"They're also magical beings of considerable power. So it's generally a good idea not to get on their bad side."
Dobby looked thoroughly scandalized. "Dobby would never hurt Master's friends!"
"I know, Dobby," I laughed. "I was only teasing. Where are Mum and Dad?"
"They are both still at work, Master Ben," Dobby answered. "Mistress Carter sent word that they should be home before evening."
"Right." I turned toward the twins. "Make yourselves comfortable, you two. You can watch the telly if you'd like," I said, pointing toward the living room, where a large sofa faced the television. "I'll get your room ready."
Turning back to Dobby, I smiled. "Could you bring them something to eat and drink?"
Dobby gave a small but formal bow. "Of course, Master Ben."
"Thanks."
Leaving the three of them behind, I climbed the staircase to the first floor.
The guest room stood exactly as I remembered it. Harry had spent the summer following our first year at Hogwarts sleeping here. He had returned again during the Christmas holidays, but after Sirius had been cleared of all charges, things had changed.
These days Harry usually spent his school breaks travelling with Sirius and Remus. I didn't blame him. After everything he had endured growing up, he deserved adults who simply wanted him to be happy.
Looking around the room, I took stock of its furnishings.
One bed. One wardrobe. One desk. One chair. That obviously wouldn't do. I raised a hand and swept it gently through the air.
The walls brightened into warmer colours. The room itself expanded almost imperceptibly as the interior dimensions stretched to accommodate its new occupants. The single bed divided neatly into two identical ones positioned against opposite walls. A second wardrobe materialized beside the first, followed by another desk and chair.
The room transformed itself in a matter of seconds. I examined the result critically before giving an approving nod.
"Much better."
Reaching into my pocket, I took out my Wiphone and initiated a conference call with my parents.
A few hours later, the front door opened once more when mum and dad arrived. The introductions went far more smoothly than I had expected.
Dad welcomed Wanda and Pietro with the same easy warmth he showed almost everyone, while Mum's motherly instincts seemed to awaken the moment she learned what the twins had been through. Any lingering anxiety the children had carried with them gradually melted away as the conversation continued.
And so, with remarkably little ceremony, the Maximoff twins began the next chapter of their lives beneath the roof of Carter Residence.
---
5th January 1995
Hogwarts
A glowing circle of smoky blue light blossomed silently in the middle of my dormitory. Stepping through the portal, I found myself back inside Ravenclaw Tower.
The portal faded behind me, leaving only the familiar warmth of the enchanted torches lining the stone walls. I crossed the room and stopped beside the window.
Outside, a crescent moon hung above the Scottish Highlands. Snow drifted lazily through the night, covering the castle grounds in a fresh blanket of white. Even after all these years, there was something indescribably beautiful about Hogwarts in winter.
Only a few minutes ago I had been standing in my parents' home in Richmond, saying goodbye to Wanda and Pietro. Neither of them had been particularly happy about my leaving so soon, but I had promised that I would visit regularly.
My eyes drifted to the wall clock. It was almost ten o'clock. My friends would already have returned to their dormitories after dinner. There would be plenty of time to see them tomorrow and let them know I was back.
There was, however, one thing I wasn't willing to postpone. Pulling on my jacket, I left my room and descended into the castle.
The corridors were quiet. Very few students had any desire to wander the castle on a cold January night. The air carried a pleasant chill that seeped through the ancient stone walls, but it didn't bother me in the slightest. If anything, I rather enjoyed it.
Several minutes later I reached the Arcane Club. The heavy door swung open soundlessly beneath my touch.
The enormous chamber lay illuminated by rows of magical light bulbs suspended from the high ceiling, bathing the room in a warm white glow. As expected, the club was almost completely deserted at this hour.
I started towards my lab, intent on taking a closer look at the Extremis serum I had recently procured. Then I stopped as I realised someone was still there in the reading area.
It was Hermione. She sat at the large circular table with the fifth-year Transfiguration textbook open before her. She was busy jotting down points in a notebook and hadn't noticed me approach.
I smiled. Then an idea occurred to me.
Suppressing a grin, I quietly tiptoed behind her. Drawing myself up, I did my best Professor McGonagall impression.
"Miss Granger," I said in the sternest Scottish tone I could manage, "what on earth are you doing here at this hour?"
Hermione nearly launched herself out of her chair. Her pen flew from her fingers and landed somewhere on the carpet. Turning around in a panic, she blurted, "I'm sorry, Professor. I was just about to—"
She stopped, her wide eyes landing on me.
I failed miserably at suppressing my grin.
The panic disappeared from her face, replaced almost instantly by an exasperated glare.
"You prat!" She marched over and gave my shoulder a half-hearted smack. "You gave me such a fright! I thought it was Professor McGonagall."
"Sorry, sweetheart," I said, still smiling.
Before she could remain annoyed for very long, I slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her gently into my embrace.
She melted against me almost immediately.
I leaned down and kissed her.
When we finally drew apart, I rested my forehead against hers.
"But in all fairness," I said, "it's still the holidays. You're supposed to be taking it easy, not poring over books for your O.W.L.s next year."
"You're one to talk," she replied, shaking her head with an amused smile. "When did you get back?"
"This afternoon."
We sat down beside one another at the table.
"I went by the house and spent a couple of hours with Mum and Dad before coming here."
Hermione rested her chin on her hand.
"How was your trip?"
I smiled ruefully.
"Good..."
Then I sighed.
"And bad."
She immediately became more attentive.
"I made some new friends, helped out a few people, collected some very nice souvenirs."
"But I also arrived just after a building had been bombed."
Concern immediately appeared in her eyes. I shook my head before she could ask.
"I managed to save two children—a brother and sister—from a second exploding mortar shell. Unfortunately, their parents had already been killed by the first strike before I even got there."
Hermione's hands rose to cover her mouth.
"Oh, Ben..."
She reached across the table and gently took my hand.
"Are you okay?"
I squeezed her fingers reassuringly.
"I am fine. Trust me."
She searched my face for several moments before finally nodding.
"What happened then?"
I leaned back in my chair.
"I took the kids from their bombed apartment and checked into a hotel. Then, the leader of that world's biggest magical order, who was alerted by my arrival, paid me a visit."
Hermione blinked.
"The Sorcerer Supreme—kind of like our Supreme Mugwump," I explained, "—and I talked for quite a while. The next morning, after the kids awoke, I took them with me to that organisation's headquarters—a monastery in Nepal called Kamar-Taj. We stayed there for a few days."
"Wow," Hermione breathed. "Did you learn any of their magic while you were there?"
I shook my head.
"I didn't have the time. I was only there for a few days, and even then I was busy with other things."
Seeing the disappointment on her face, I smiled.
"We did have a cultural exchange, though. Before I left, the Sorcerer Supreme allowed me to duplicate some of their non-classified texts. And I returned the favour by leaving some of our own books at the library of Kamar-Taj."
Her expression lit up exactly as I had expected.
I chuckled. "Come on, Hermione. You have known me for ages. Did you really think I would let a chance like that pass by?"
"No," she admitted with a smile. "But let's not pretend you never make mistakes. Case in point, the first task."
I sighed. "Fair enough."
She laughed softly before asking, "What did you do with the children?"
"I brought them here with me."
Hermione blinked.
"You brought them here? To our world? Won't there be any cosmic repercussions for that?"
"I don't think so," I replied after a moment's thought. "The Anywhere Door creates a precise spacetime corridor between universes that closes completely once the artefact is deactivated. There shouldn't be any lasting interaction between realities. And there are no alternate versions of Wanda and Pietro in this world. I checked. So there is no risk of paradoxical quantum signatures spiralling into something bigger."
Hermione nodded slowly. "Well... if you say so."
She glanced up at the clock. "So why are you here instead of getting some sleep?"
A grin spread across my face.
"I'm actually rather glad I found you here."
I stood and offered her my hand.
"Come on. I want to show you something."
She looked at me curiously, then slipped her hand into mine, and together we made our way towards the laboratory at the rear of the Arcane Club. Apart from the Anywhere Door resting silently upon its platform in the centre of the chamber, the lab was almost empty. I guided her over to one of the stone worktables and pulled out two stools.
"Let me show you what I brought back from this trip," I smiled.
From my storage ring, I produced a sleek silver laptop and placed it gently on the table.
Hermione looked at it dubiously. "A laptop?"
I laughed. "While this laptop is a bit more advanced than the ones in the Muggle market right now, the real prize lies inside it."
Flipping open the lid, I powered it on. After navigating to a folder on the desktop, I opened a file and turned the screen towards her.
Hermione leaned forward.
"Arc Reactor?" she muttered, reading the title.
Silence settled over the room as she began reading. Minutes passed.
I simply watched her expression change from curiosity to concentration, then from concentration to outright disbelief.
Finally, she looked up.
"Is this real?" she asked. "Does it actually work?"
"One hundred percent," I replied with a smile.
Hermione looked back at the screen, her eyes wide.
"I can't believe it. An actual nuclear fusion reactor!"
"And not just simple fusion," I corrected. "Cold fusion. Which means you don't need massive, complex machines to confine superheated plasma, but can use small-scale, tabletop electrochemical cells."
Hermione looked at the screen in amazement. "This... this is extraordinary. This world you went to, it must be incredibly advanced."
"You would think that, wouldn't you?" I said, shaking my head. "Unfortunately, that's not the case. Their Muggles are on roughly the same technological level as ours—still heavily reliant on petroleum for most of their energy needs."
"What?" Hermione asked, genuinely baffled. "Why?"
I shrugged. "Politics. Bureaucracy. Corporate interests. Laziness. Take your pick."
Hermione sighed. "I suppose every world has its problems."
"Apparently so."
Closing the laptop, I smiled again. "Anyway, that's not the only thing I got there."
I reached into my storage ring once more and produced a silvery metallic cube, setting it in front of her.
"Check this out."
Hermione picked it up carefully. "What is it?"
"It's called Vibranium — one of the strongest and most versatile metals in existence."
She turned it over in her hands. "It feels incredibly light."
"It is," I said. "Approximately one-third the weight of steel, despite having a vastly superior structural integrity.
It has a near-infinite elastic limit. It doesn't warp, bend, or shear under conventional mechanical loads.
Its hardness is comparable to dense titanium-alloy matrix structures in its raw state. When refined, it approaches Diamond-Like Carbon hardness while remaining ductile.
And it possesses absolute zero thermal retention. Meaning it immediately absorbs heat energy and converts it into kinetic structural damping, preventing melt-downs up to cosmic-level temperatures."
Hermione examined the metal with fascination.
"But most importantly," I grinned, "Vibranium possesses a unique quantum-mechanical property: it absorbs kinetic energy—impacts, shockwaves, bullets, explosions—directly into its atomic bonds. When hit, the molecules do not fracture; they compress closer together, temporarily hardening the metal further."
Hermione looked at me suspiciously. "How do you always come back from these trips carrying such impossible things?"
I spread my hands innocently. "What can I say? I'm just that lucky."
Hermione raised an eyebrow.
"That, and I usually have a good idea where I'm going," I admitted. "Even across the omniverse, there are only so many worlds worth watching."
She studied me for another moment before placing the cube back on the table.
"Fine," she said. "So, a literal otherworldly metal and schematics for cold fusion." She folded her arms. "Anything else?"
A smile spread slowly across my face. "Why yes, my darling."
I reached into my pocket and carefully withdrew a reinforced glass vial containing a faintly glowing amber liquid.
"I saved the best for last."
Hermione's eyebrow rose. "And this is?"
"Extremis," I said, looking at the vial. "A viral vector that acts as a genetic 'operating system' upgrade for the human body."
Hermione frowned slightly. "When you say upgrade..."
"It can hack the brain's repair center and completely rewrite the subject's DNA, curing any and all diseases, and replace the previous tissues and organs with enhanced, reconstructed body parts based on a modified genetic blueprint, effectively making the host superhuman," I explained.
I looked away from the vial and met Hermione's wide eyes. The excitement I'd felt while showing her everything I had brought back from my journey gradually gave way to something quieter, something far more difficult to put into words.
"About the effects of that ritual..." I said quietly. "There's something I didn't tell you before."
Her expression became serious.
"The ritual didn't just change me superficially. It upgraded me on a cellular level. I ran some tests. It appears that my body's regenerative abilities are now off the charts. I could probably even regrow entire limbs and organs in a couple of hours without any potions or spells. It also means that, bar any unfortunate circumstances, I'm going to be alive for a very long time, most likely for millennia."
Hermione didn't interrupt. She simply listened, her eyes never leaving mine.
I carefully placed the vial on the stone table before taking both her hands in mine. Her fingers instinctively tightened around mine, offering silent reassurance even before I continued.
"When I first learnt this," I said quietly, "I felt elated. I was virtually immortal now. Time and age held no dominion over me anymore. Eons will pass by and I will still be here, still young, still strong.
"And then that joy was swiftly washed away when I realised the cost of this so-called immortality. I would be alone. You won't be there. Rachel won't be there. Mum and dad won't be there. Nor will our friends, or anyone I ever knew or cared about. I would be alone, completely, utterly; doomed to wander across worlds and watch the shifting tides of time wash away our footsteps."
Hermione slowly raised one hand and gently cupped my cheek.
Without thinking, I leaned into her touch. A sad smile found its way onto my face.
"The last few months have been... taxing. I have been searching for a way — spell, potion, enchantment, science — anything to prevent that outcome."
I glanced down at the vial resting on the table before smiling again.
"And now, I have it."
Picking it up once more, I held it against the light. The faint golden liquid shimmered softly inside the reinforced glass, illuminating my fingers with its warm glow.
"It's not ready yet. But soon it will be. And when that happens..."
I lowered the vial and looked into Hermione's eyes.
"We will have all the time in the world."
She simply stared at me.
After several long moments, she gave a small shake of her head and smiled with an expression that was equal parts exasperation, affection, and admiration.
Then she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me, resting her head against my chest.
"You are an impossible man, Benjamin Carter. Every time I think I have finally understood you, you find a way to surprise me."
I smiled and gently wrapped my arms around her in return, holding her close.
After a moment, she leaned back just enough to look up at me.
"I have always known you were destined for greatness. Just promise me something."
"Anything," I said earnestly.
"Whatever world you build, let me be a part of it," she said.
For a heartbeat, I simply looked into those warm brown eyes that had become one of the brightest constants in my life.
There were a thousand things I wanted to say. That I couldn't imagine building any future without her. That every dream I had for tomorrow somehow included her standing beside me. That, in many ways, she had become my home just as much as the Carter Residence ever had.
But words suddenly felt woefully inadequate.
Instead, I slipped one arm around her waist, drew her gently towards me, and leaned forward, capturing her lips with mine.