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“Magic is really very simple, all you’ve got to do is want something and then let yourself have it.”
-Halloweentown-
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Eddard Stark the Third walked back home with the hands inside his pockets and his gaze following the movements of his feet, a rebel auburn curl fell over his eyes and he nearly scratched himself with the fake nails of his werewolf costume when he tried to move it away.
Around him houses sparkled with terrifying decorations, tomorrow wraps of candies were bound to lay scattered all over the floor, and the chaos of trick or treating children will surely overwhelm the place, right now the sound of his feet on crunching leaves and the occasional bout of laughter from a house nearby were his only companion.
He knew his longtime girlfriend, whom he had left at the door of her house only minutes earlier, was probably in her bathroom scrubbing away the paint of her poison ivy costume, her frantic hands moving over her skin with effective strokes to leave her skin squeaky clean. “I love a good dose of makeup, but the secret is to go to sleep with a clear skin” She always told him on the nights she stayed at his place.
The thought of the dark-haired girl brought a smile to his face and managed to lift his somehow frustrated mood, Amanda was unable to stay at his place tonight because her parents were in town and growing up in a formal catholic house meant they weren’t keen on allowing their unwed daughter spend the night at her boyfriend’s house.
And it wasn’t as if he wanted her to remain unwed, no, Eddard had been keeping the engagement ring that had been passed down in his family for generations in his pocket for weeks now and he still was unable to find the time to pop the question, which was the reason why he was frustrated in the first place. He knew Amanda was the right woman for him when he first met her in her second year of college and now six years later he was sure there was no other person he wanted to spend his whole life with but some part of him was still waiting for her to wake up and realize she was wasting her time on him.
If he was honest with himself he couldn’t quite understand what she saw in him, he wasn’t particularly handsome or fit even though she liked to think otherwise, he read perhaps a bit too much and liked to go to Comic Book Conventions more than what it was normal, contrary to him, Amanda was a stunning long-legged brunette with a major in finances who spoke four languages and had the brightest smile in the whole world.
He guessed his insecurities were holding him back from popping the question and he didn’t want them to rule his life anymore, he wanted to be the guy who organized the perfect place and a grand gesture for the woman he loved; he only wished he wasn’t that afraid to ask it.
Without realizing it he had reached his home, Eddard went inside and greeted his loyal companion Ghost, before going to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water. He stood in his kitchen, hand clasped tightly around the thin glass while he mused over his night and wondered if Amanda would have managed to get rid of all her makeup already, he was about to pull out his phone and dial her number when the sound of murmurs made him stop in his tracks.
The young man felt a chill running down his spine as every single hair in his body stood up, the temperature of the room had dropped a couple of degrees and an alien sense of weariness seemed to move in the air around him.
“Is someone there?” The man shouted into the darkness of the corridor when the sound of murmurs grew louder. He placed the glass of water back on the counter and going against every single thing he ever learned in horror movies moved further in the corridor from where the voices seemed to come from.
The shuffling of feet reached his ears “I think you got the wrong house” The distinctive voice of a woman whispered and Eddard stopped dead in his tracks when spotted two intruders standing right inside his living room.
The man had dark curly hair and the shadow of a mustache on his face, he was a few inches shorter than the woman next to him but what he lacked in height it was well compensated in built and confidence, he wore white pants and a striped wine-colored jacked that looked expensive. He was the one who spotted him first, something in his glance seeming familiar to the young man "No my dear, we didn't" He said before leaning towards the woman next to him and whispering in her ear “He looks like you, don’t you think he looks like you?”
The woman was a stunning redhead wearing a black beaded flapper dress, she had strings of pearls around her neck, a pair of black gloves, and her hair was perfectly styled in old Hollywood waves, she was easily one of the most stunning women the young man had ever laid his eyes on and was currently looking at him with curiosity.
Her lips twitched in merriment for a single second before she turned towards the man next to her “No, I would say he looks like Robb”
A look of recognition crossed the man’s eyes before they moved back towards Eddard “Oh yes, maybe. Mixed with a bit of our Rhaegar” He answered with an affectionate smile as he raked his eyes over the young man “And the Tully hair of course”
The woman snorted “And Stark brood”
Eddard who up to this point had watched the exchange between the young couple as if in a trance finally snapped out of it, he stepped further into the living room as he raked his eyes around the room trying to find something that would help him defend himself from the pair of lunatics in case things got violent. “Who are you people?”
The woman gave a mischievous grin towards the man and laced her arms in his “We are Jon and Sansa Stark of course. Your great grand-parents”
Eddard threw his head back and released a boisterous laugh “Okay, is this a joke? It was Lyarra right?” He was aware his little sister believed herself the trickster on the family but this time she had outdone herself “That little witch likes to play jokes too much”
Sansa gave him a sympathetic smile “It is no joke my dear” She said as she released her hold on her partner and moved closer to Eddard “It is officially October 31 and we had been granted the chance to come and visit you”
Jon snorted as gave his wife an appreciative smile “I wouldn’t say granted but my sweet girl here happens to be very persuasive”
“I just couldn’t stand by and watch this mess anymore”
He shook his head at the same time he narrowed his eyes “I know you couldn’t. What would another eighty years without meddling into people's lives be?"
The woman pursed her lips as she turned to face her husband completely “Don’t be rude Jon” She admonished him.
Eddard observed the exchange with genuine interest and a bit of fear crawling into him, he wondered for how long Lyarra expected to maintain this charade and then wondered if perhaps his little sister was not the guilty one and he had drunk too many vodka sodas at the party because now that he thought about it the people in his living room did resemble the couple in the pictures that hanged in his grandfather’s house "Okay, I think I have officially gone mental," He said as he palmed the gray couch in front of him with deft fingers “I might need to sit down”
Sansa’s clear blue eyes went to him immediately “Of course, of course” She said “I would sit down myself but there’s isn’t much point” She made a show of sitting herself in the blue ottoman across the room but the furniture seemed to trespass her, much to Eddard’s shock.
The boy’s eyes widened almost comically “Whoaa! How did you do that?” His head was spinning trying to find a logical explanation to what his eyes were seeing while at the same time trying to convince himself the alcohol was the one to blame.
“Did what, deary?”
"This is a dream," The boy said as he took his hands to his hair, the fake nails of his costume tangling in his auburn curls “This is a dream, you’re in your bed, dreaming” He chanted to himself “Nothing is real”
Sansa clicked her tongue as she walked towards him "On the contrary, I think this is very real" Her hand rose in the air and went to touch a lamp nearby only to move through it as she had done with the ottoman "It will feel more real as the day progresses, but this is as real as I can make it now"
Eddard’s face went white pale, his hands were freezing cold and he was sure he was about to pass out “Okay, then” He said as he turned his back on the couple and sprinted towards the stairs, away from the mayhem in his living room.
Jon gave his wife a reproachful look “You really shouldn’t be so pushy”
* * * *
The couple found the young man in a fetal position on top of his bed, the image was quite funny considering he was still wearing his werewolf costume and Sansa had to suppress the small laugh that wanted to escape from her lips since she knew her husband wouldn’t appreciate it.
Jon, being the sensible one, was the one who walked further into the room and took a seat by the foot of the bed "Please forgive my wife, she sometimes doesn't know when to stop" His voice used the calming tone in which he used to cuddle their children but his eyes were narrowed at her in an exaggerated annoyance gesture.
Eddard’s body froze when he realized a ghost was now sitting on his bed, Sansa muttered a curse under her breath wondering why it was always Jon the first one to be fully corporeal again. The young boy gulped visibly and seemed to shrink in his bed “Okay, let’s just…for a second pretend this is real” He said while his eyes remained tightly shut “Why the ghost of my long lost relatives would visit me?"
Sansa released an exasperated sound, unable to hold her tongue anymore “To finally give you the push you need to propose to that poor girl!” She shrieked as she walked further into the room, Jon’s stern gaze doing nothing to stop her “It’s been wretched to watch you carry that forsaken ring for a month without taking the courage to do it” The boy’s eyes finally shot open towards her so she took the opportunity to raise her left hand in the air and showed him the precious diamond adorning her ring finger “It is my ring by the way”
Eddard’s mouth started sputtering unrecognizable sounds as he abandoned the fetal position and cowered into the headboard "This is a dream" He muttered to himself as he shut down his eyes once more.
“You do look like my boy” Sansa commented as she tried to sit next to her husband only to realize not enough time had passed for her to be corporal “He happens to be very disappointed in you at the moment, he was a charmer you know, managed to snag his sweet Lucy with all that swagger”
Jon clicked his tongue and grabbed his wife by the waist, pulling her into his body “Let’s not make the boy feel bad, please dearie”
"Fine, fine," She said with a roll of her eyes as she allowed her fingers to get lost in the rich curls of her husband, she might not be able to sit on furniture yet but what did she care as long she could get her hands on him "But as I was saying Ed, can I call you Ed right? I happen to be a genius for grand gestures, romance is my thing and I am here to help you give that girl the proposal of her dreams"
“I thought we were a team” Jon murmured under his breath
Sansa ignored her husband’s words and focused her gaze on the young cowering man who had happened to open his now and was watching her entranced "Just follow my advice and you will be all over that, what do they call it? Media Social? Whatever, you will be in everyone’s mouth because of how romantic you are”
Jon snorted “Definitely something to strive to”
Sansa released a huff and took her attention to the man still holding her by the waist “Oh shut it you cheeky bastard” The corners of her mouth were twisted in a smirk as she playfully slapped his cheek.
Jon chased her hand until he was able to press a soft kiss into the palm of it “You love my cheekiness” He said with a smile as he nuzzled into her hand.
Sansa’s eyes sparkled with delight as she looked down at her husband “I do love it, my love” She leaned down and latched her lips into his, his response was immediate and urgent as he abandoned his place in the bed and rose to pull her fully into his arms, their mouths crashing against each other in a hungry frenzy.
The man on the bed coughed uncomfortably "Ehem, I’m still here” He nearly shouted as he watched Jon’s hand roaming all over his wife’s backside.
The couple pulled away from each other only to stare at the blushing man who was still sitting on the bed, embarrassment seemed to have replaced the fear in his features and Sansa nearly shrieked with delight.
“As I was saying, leave everything to me and I will make magic happen”
“I thought you were meant to only give him some pointers”
She rolled her eyes at her husband before directing herself to her great-grandson "Go to sleep now" She gave him an encouraging smile as she grabbed Jon's hand and led him outside of the bedroom, she wanted to finish what they had started moments ago "You'll want to look better than this when you pop the question”
“I don’t think that is possible” Jon muttered under his breath as he followed her into the hallway.
“Oh I think it will”
* * * *
Morning definitely wasn’t what Eddard had been expecting. When he opened his eyes on the morning of October 31 he was convinced the strange talk he had with his long-dead relatives was the product of the too many vodka sodas he drank next to Amanda in the party the night before, so he laughed under his breath at the incredible imagination that conjured such crazy dreams, went to the bathroom and headed downstairs to have his first cup of coffee of the day.
Of course, when he arrived at the kitchen he found the two people of his dreams sitting at his breakfast table looking as dazzling as they had done the night before, he almost ran towards his bedroom once again when he spotted them but a swift movement of Jon stopped him from doing so.
After a lot of pacing and sputtered words, two cups of coffee, and a lot of whispered words to himself Eddard Stark the Third finally accepted that what was happening was real, as the skeptic one in the family he found it funny that he was the one these two had chosen to appear to.
Sansa’s eyes widened with delight when the young boy agreed to let them help no matter how uncomfortable he felt with the situation, she sensed that a part of him still expected everything to be a dream. They set out camp in his breakfast table and rehashed every single cheesy idea that came to their heads as a marriage proposal.
“Can you tell me again why you think my idea is absurd?” Eddard asked with exasperation, dusk was arriving and in a few minutes, he would need to go pick up Amanda to take her little sister trick or treating.
Sansa threw her hands in the air “I didn’t say absurd”
“She didn't" Jon seconded his wife.
“I just said that Amanda isn’t that kind of girl”
“The kind to love grand gestures?” Sansa asked with an outraged expression “Every girl is that kind of girl”
Eddard shook his head “She doesn’t love flashy things” A smile drew itself on his lips as he talked about his girlfriend "She is quiet and hates to be in the spotlight, and she is smart and beautiful and so out of my league"
“Whoa whoa," Jon interrupted with a hand in the air and a frown on his face “This again?”
During the last couple of hours where Eddard and Amanda’s relationship had been under the scrutiny of the ghost lovers the young man’s insecurities had come to front seat in more than one occasion and no matter how much Sansa tried to make him see how much of a great catch he was he just didn’t seem to get it.
Eddard released a defeated sigh and slumped back in his chair, one stubborn auburn curl covered his forehead giving him a very boyish look “The problem isn’t the way to propose her but the fact that I fear she says no” The words tumbled out of his mouth in a fearful whisper.
Sansa gave him a sympathetic smile as she reached for his hand not missing the way he stiffened at the contact of her cold skin “Why would she do that?”
“Because she is too good for me”
Sansa huffed “So what? I am too good for my dear Jon but here I love him madly years after we left this world” A wicked smile was directed towards her husband who couldn't stop himself from reaching to her thigh underneath the table
“You really know how to flatter a man” He murmured as he squeezed her playfully.
“Oh you need no flattering” She scolded him as she removed his hand from her leg and forced him to concentrate on the matter at hand.
Jon's face sobered up, for a moment his eyes went to his wife and he drank in every single one of her features, if he closed his eyes he could still see her as the fifteen-year-old girl he fell in love with. With a deep breath and kind eyes, he spoke to young Eddard “Let me tell you something, I understand what it feels to be insecure, I felt less than everyone else my entire life” He paused “I was born a bastard—“
“You were not a bastard—“
Jon gave his a wife a hard look that meant she was to let him speak without interruptions “I was born believing I was a bastard, shunned by everyone, mother didn’t have much money and most of the times I felt useless” Too long had passed since he let himself remember such times, to remember the gripping fear of being rejected by everyone, the fear of being alone forever “Imagine when I happened to set my eyes in golden girl over here…She was—she was what every man wanted and not even for a second I believed she could return my feelings”
Sansa released Eddard’s hand and angled her body so it was now facing fully towards her husband “But I did” Her hands went to cup his cheek, adoring blue eyes looking up at him from underneath her lashes “Because I did not care about any of those things, what was important was the way I felt whenever his eyes were on me, whenever he touched me” She whispered, a secret smile playing on her lips “And we could have lost our future together if Jon had been afraid to tell me how he felt”
A dark shadow crossed over his features at thoughts of the future that could have been “Yes, she was going to marry the most annoying pompous man God ever created”
Sansa released a breathless laugh “Because I truly believed you didn’t love me”
Jon dropped his forehead into hers, nose bumping with each other playfully “But I came clean, showed her my heart and the rest is history”
She pecked his lips before taking her attention back to the other person sitting at the table who was now looking at them with a half-smile on his lips “That’s why we don’t want you making that fatal mistake, don’t assume you know what’s in her heart” She told him “If you truly believe she is the one you want to spend the rest of your life with don’t let her slip away”
Resolve seemed to cloud over Eddard’s eyes, his jaw clenched and his back seemed straighter as he gave Sansa a timid smile “You’re right, you're right. I love her, I love her more than anything and I don’t ever want to lose her”
Eddard realized he had let his fears overpower him, he knew in his heart that Amanda loved him as much as he did her, she wasn’t going to say no, they were meant to be. And perhaps he would never be good enough for her but he would damn sure try every single day to become the man she deserved.
Sansa’s smile widened, her body buzzed with energy as she clapped her hands in front of herself “What are you waiting for then?” She asked before standing up and disappearing from the room for a couple of seconds “I got you a little something” She announced when she walked back in the room carrying in her hands a carved pumpkin.
Both Eddard and Jon threw their heads backs and laughed when they read the inscription.
"That might be a perfect idea," Eddard said with amusement as he stood up to retrieve the pumpkin from her hands.
“I am clever beyond my years”
Eddard placed the pumpkin on top the counter and then turned around to stare at the odd-looking couple sitting in his kitchen “This day has been the weirdest day of my life and I didn’t think I would say this, but I truly hope I see you two next year”
Sansa’s eyes clouded with tears and she couldn’t stop herself from going to him and throwing her arms around his frame “Good luck!” She whispered into his ear before placing a gentle kiss into his cheek which made him blush.
He thanked them one last time before dashing towards the stairs to get himself ready to pick up Amanda, Jon and Sansa watched him go with smiles on their faces.
"I knew I could pull this off," Sansa said with a gleam in her eyes.
Jon chuckled as he moved towards her “You could? This was a team effort” His arms sneaked around her waist and pulled her body towards him, Sansa smiled wickedly at him as she turned her body to press herself fully into his.
“I guess you helped a bit”
His lips widened in a grin “You cheeky minx” Jon leaned down and kissed her languidly, their bodies molding into the other as the chilly autumn air filtered through the windows “I love you” He whispered into her lips.
Sansa sighed contently as she clutched his body into hers “I love you too my dear, now and every Halloween” She nuzzled his nose and tugged at his hands “Come on, let’s take a walk” A smile widened on her lips as they crossed the door towards the buzzing streets where people laughed and played around protected by the magic the night provided them.
THE END