More Than Friends

[Jaquelyn Frazier]

Jackie just nodded, taking another bite of his sandwhich.

"I think I might take up baking, you know," she said. "I was thinking about making baskets of cookies and breads and things for people for Christmas. Do you want to be my guinea pig and try all of my recipes?"

[Dean Fisher]

"Cookies? Of course I'll be more than happy to be your guinea pig and try all your recipes," said Dean with a bit of excitement. He would be more than happy to try her baking skills. "You don't really have to ever ask, you know that I'll always do whatever you ask of me." Dean wouldn't ask Jackie any questions about why she wanted him to do something, unless he thought what she was asking was completely crazy.

[Jaquelyn Frazier]

"I always feel like I should ask though. I don't want to force you to do anything. You know that," Jackie told him. She would never force Dean into anything. She'd beg and give him the saddest face she could. But she'd never force him.

"I have some really good recipes, though. I hope they turn out already."

[Dean Fisher]

"I'm sure that your recipes will turn out great," he said. "You'll be a great cook." Dean was always faithful in whatever Jackie did, even if it was something completely crazy. "I can make you my mum's spagetti one day. Maybe whenever you come over to my house I can make it. Although I'm ready to taste your cooking."

[Jaquelyn Frazier]

"Don't say that," Jackie said, laughing. "I've never cooked a thing in my life. I could be absolutely terrible. You don't know."

She took another bite of the sandwich. "Maybe I'll try the potator soup. Your mum has a recipe for that, doesn't she?" She asked. She knew Dean liked it, so she wanted to make it.

[Dean Fisher]

"Well, one of us has to have faith in your cooking! Plus, I think your cooking will not be horrible. I think it will be pretty decent." Dean grinned.

"I'm sure that my mum will be more than happy to send her recipe. I'll owl her tomorrow and ask her for it." He winked at her. "I want to help you, if I can. Sometimes my mum lets me help, and then there are times when she just kicks me out of the kitchen."

[Jaquelyn Frazier]

"I'd like it if you helped me," She said. She thought of her parents who often cooked together, and she always thought it was adorable. She wondered if she and Dean would be that adorable... and she smiled that these were not awkward thoughts to her.

"And don't worry about it. I'll ask your Mum for the recipe when I write to her."

[Dean Fisher]

"Great! It feels good knowing that I'm not going to be kicked out of the kitchen. Sometimes I think that my mum does it just because." Dean gave a shrug before finishing off his half of the sandwich and moving on the the potato soup.

"Oh she'll be wondering what am I having you do," he said with a laugh. "But I'm sure she'd be more than happy to give it to you. And what are you going to write to my mum about? How we finally ended up together?" Dean grinned. "While you write to my mum, I'll write to yours. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear something."

[Jaquelyn Frazier]

"Well, if you start causing problems, make no mistake, I'll definitely kick you out. I won't have you messing up my recipes."

She shrugged at his question, unsure what she was really going to say to his mum. "She just told me to keep in touch during the year, and I haven't really sat down to write a letter. I haven't really written to my own mum." It was part of that sitting still thing, which was why she had a sneaking suspiscion that she would be no good at cooking.

[Dean Fisher]

"I won't cause any problems. I'll keep my hands to myself. Promise." Dean gave her a boyish grin.

"That's cause you can't sit still long enough to write any letters," he said teasingly. "But I'll help you sit still if I have to so you can write both our mums. I wouldn't want them coming after you asking why you haven't written."

[Jaquelyn Frazier]

Jackie grinned devishly. "You don't have to keep your hands to yourself, necessarily. Just away from the food." She laughed airily, and smiled at him, setting half of her half of the sandwhich back on his plate.

"You're going to have to just force me to sit down one night and write. I'll never do it on my own."

[Dean Fisher]

Dean looked down at the fourth of the sandwich then back at Jackie. "Oh, really? I just have to keep my hands away from the food?" He gave a devishly look of his own, but of course he was just teasing.

"Oh, I'm sure that I can force you to sit down. I could always sit on you while you write, or I could just hold you down while you sit in my lap and write. Either way, I know that you get it done. Or, I could always force you into writing it by bargining with you."

[Jaquelyn Frazier]

Jackie was about to say something, but stopped, her mouth halfway open before she stopped and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? What exactly would you bargain with?" She asked, curious.

[Dean Fisher]

"Well, there's always the I'm not going to kiss you until you finish writing you letter," began Dean. "And there's the I'm not going to touch you, or do anything with you until you finish." He thought for another moment. "And there's the ban on doing anything crazy, or me keeping you warm."

Finishing off his soup, he raised an eyebrow. "Of course I'm sure that I could possibly think of something else."

[Jaquelyn Frazier]

Jackie was still eating her soup, though she was almost finished, and she tilted her head, regarding him. "Yeah... that would probably do it. Goodness knows I hate being cold."

She laughed inwardly at her teasing him, wondering what his reaction would be.

Seeing that he was finished, she quickly ate the rest of her soup, and pushed the bowl away from her. "Okay, Dean-o. Shopping?"

[Dean Fisher]

Dean kept his eyebrow raised and shook his head. Jackie was something else. Naturally, he would think of something else to make her write her letter. Whatever he thought of would have to be good.

Bringing himself out of his thoughts and nodded. "Yes ma'am." The waitress returned and Dean paid her for their meal and stood up from the booth while he waited on Jackie to do the same.

[Jaquelyn Frazier]

Jackie thanked him for paying, getting to her feet and taking his hand. He was a sweetheart... of course, he always had been, whether or not they were dating.

"All right," she said, already nestling herself against his body, preparing for the cold outside. "Where to first? Let's shop for our mums."

[Dean Fisher]

He thanked the waitress again and squeezed Jackie's hand before leading them outside into the cold. "Shopping for our mums it is. I'm thinking about getting my mum this bracelet that caught my eye in the jewelers. I think she would love it. I'm not quite sure what to get your mum this year. I know I got her that big set of cookbooks last year that you said she wanted." Dean thought about it for a moment, before looking down at her. "Although, it doesn't matter which shop we go to first."

[Jaquelyn Frazier]

"No, I guess it doesn't," Jackie agreed. "I'm not sure even sure what to get my mum this year. She's gotten really difficult to shop for. I was thinking about just putting together a basket for her of ingredients and things... like a basket for a whole evening in with my dad, maybe. That would take care of both of them, too."

[Dean Fisher]

"Hm. That could be a nice gift," Dean said. "I saw a quidditch book that your brothers may like. I might get something similar for my brother. Now both of our fathers are the ones that I'll have to think on. Your mum too. Something might catch my eye while we're shopping. Plus, I've just got to pick up yours, although I'm not going to tell you where I'm getting it." He gave her a wink.