Chapter 1: WHAT THE HELL!?!?!
:D
Disclaimer: I own only what Rowling doesn't. :P I hope Return surprises ya'll as much as it surprised me!
Songs:
Apologize by Timbaland-?
December 22, 1998, Muggle Hospital, London
The caseworker watched the plump middle-aged, red haired woman with laugh lines around her eyes, though she wasn't laughing now. The woman was speaking softly to her daughter, a red-haired teenager who was clinging to the pink wrapped newborn, her large brown eyes wide and filled with tears.
"Ma'am, it is important to make the separation as clean as possible," the caseworker said gently. The older woman looked up and nodded solemnly.
"Yes, I know. Sweetheart, its time."
The young woman's tears fell faster as she hugged her baby and kissed the child on its soft cheek.
"Goodbye, baby," she whispered before handing her babe to the caseworker. "Wait!" she called as the woman turned away. The caseworker paused and looked at her. "I…I want an open adoption. Even…I'll be eighteen next year and…well, I want to be able to send letters and get them back and…if I get a chance, see her someday." The caseworker smiled and nodded.
"Very well. I am sure an understanding will be reached with the adoptive parents."
The teenage mother watched as her baby was taken away, watched with unblinking eyes until the caseworker and the baby disappeared. Then she buried her face in her mother's neck and cried bitterly.
***
November 20, 2011, Phoenix's apartment
Ian grinned as he parked in front of Phoenix's apartment. He had stopped at the grocery store after shift and picked up ingredients to make dinner. He was anticipating a pleasant evening with his fiancée, a little music, a little food and wine and laughter. She would probably insist on wedding plans, but that was okay. He was willing to put up with that for her.
After her capture and torture, the department had given her paid leave, for medical reasons, until a doctor cleared her for active duty. Ian had his own ideas about when she was going back to work. If he had his way, and he usually did, she wasn't going back to street work until after the baby was born.
Grabbing the bags of groceries and wine he had picked up, Ian strode up the walk, whistling and old Weird Sisters song. Without bothering to knock, he opened the front door, but stopped short not two feet inside.
A couple in their early forties was sitting uneasily on the couch. The woman wore a low-cut, white blouse showing off an amble bosom, which Ian would have bet big bucks on being fake, and tight black pants, her dyed blonde hair flowing down her back in artfully arranged curls and an ostentatious gold and diamond necklace around her neck. Her companion wore a suit, in charcoal gray. His blonde hair was slicked back and an arrogant smile rested on his face. Ian scanned the room and raised an eyebrow when Phoenix caught his eye. In contrast to the couple, Phoenix was looked under dressed, in her bright purple camisole and ripped and paint-splattered jean. She was still thin from her captivity, but she was not nearly as unhealthy looking as she had. Ian had been making sure she followed the doctor's nourishment recommendations to the letter. Her auburn curls hung around her face in an untidy cascade, but once again shinning a healthy auburn and her tattoo glinted in the afternoon sun let in by the window behind her.
"Rich, Lisa, this is my partner, Sergeant Ian Malfoy," Phoenix said after a moment of strained silence. "Ian, Richard and Lisa Caldwell. They're...um..."
"We're Fey's parents," Richard broke in, standing and offering a hand. Ian set the bags down and shook his hand.
"Pleasure," he glanced at Phoenix, who was staring into the kitchen, studiously avoiding his gaze. "Um, who's Fey?"
"I'm Fey. Who are you?"
Ian whirled to stare at the gangly pre-teenage girl who had just entered room. Her hair was fire-red, like Phoenix's had been in Hogwarts and cropped close to her head in an unruly mop. Her emerald eyes studied him with the curiosity of a kitten presented with a new toy. He cocked his head, trying to remember where he had seen those eyes before.
"I'm Ian," he said slowly. "What are you all doing here?"
"Um, Ian?" Phoenix bit her lip nervously. "Fey is my biological daughter."
He stared at her for several minutes, unable to say anything. Daughter...daughter... the word echoed through his brain like the tolling of a church bell. For once, there was no soft chatter in the back of his mind as Draco or Chase argued, everyone was to stunned to say anything. He stared at Phoenix in shock, before turning back to Fey and studying her again closely.
Yes, he could see it, the shape of the eyes, the cheekbones, the hair, he could easily see Phoenix in the girl. But...
"I...wha...who..."
"We can talk about this later, Ian," Phoenix said softly. He nodded dumbly before picking up the groceries and skirting around Fey to get to the kitchen. From there, he heard snippets of the conversation, something about Halloween, Quidditch and Thanksgiving plans. He remained where he was, calmly making dinner while the others talked. When the Caldwells left, he pretended to be on the phone to avoid talking to them. When Phoenix came into the kitchen, he was slipping a lasagna into the oven.
"Were you ever going to tell me?" he asked softly. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.
"What do you want me to say, Ian? Fey is twelve; she's lived in New York her entire life. I only really got to meet her when I moved here four years ago, okay?
"Having a daughter I got rid of, gave away, is hard enough to deal with at any given time, how do you think I feel right now, pregnant and planning to keep this one, despite anything that happens between us? I could barely bring myself to look her in the eye and I haven't even told her about the baby. What did you want me to do, huh? 'Oh, by the way Ian, the baby I'm carrying, it's not my first; I have a twelve year old daughter who I gave up for adoption as soon as she was born.' Yeah, that would've gone over real well."
"I just wanted the truth, Phoenix!" he snapped. "Is that to much to ask? I love you, I really do, but all these lies, they're piling up and I don't know what to do. You didn't tell me you were pregnant, now this? Is there anything else I should know? Did you sleep with Fudge and have his kid too? Who's her father, Phoenix? Creevey, Finnegan, Corner? Huh?"
"No, it wasn't them," she said softly, avoiding his eyes. "I...Fey's father was Harry Potter."
Whatever Ian had been expecting, Phoenix's words were on the opposite end of the spectrum. Harry Potter...Potter's daughter. He ground his teeth and turned away to hide the anger and hurt he felt.
Potter. It was always Potter. Potter was the bane of his existence, even from the grave, the man ruined everything! Was he never to get away from Scarhead's shadow?
See? Draco hissed, I told you she would betray us! Are we still going to bind ourselves to her?
We should hear her out, Chase countered. After all, Potter's dead, it's not like he's here to ruin anything else.
Does that matter? Draco snapped? She still lied to us, AGAIN!
How did she lie? Chase asked. Did we ever ask her, have you had a kid?
No, but...
STOP IT! Ian roared. You two are giving me a headache!
"Ian?"
Phoenix's voice, laced with worry and uncertainty, broke through his thoughts. She was twisting her ring around her finger, anxiety flashing across her face.
"Will you say something, please?" she whispered. "I would rather have you yelling at me then silence."
Draco and Chase started arguing again, but Ian shushed them.
"What do you want me to say? Hmmm? Really. Please, tell me, I really want to know."
"I...I don't know. I just..." she stopped and shook her head. "I don't know what to tell you, Ian. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I was going to, I promise. But...I didn't mean for you to find out this way. They were here when I got home, I forgot they were coming by tonight. Fey...ever since I moved here, I've been spending a few hours a week with Fey. She just got back from Caradians, in Texas, the American version of Hogwarts and I forgot. Look," she took his hand and turned his head towards her. "I'm sorry. I know you don't trust me very much right now, but please believe that. I want you to be a part of my life, but I have...I have trouble letting one person so close, you know? Can you understand that?"
"I understand, Phoenix," he said softly, leaning down to brush his lips against hers. "I'm sorry for the way I reacted, I just...I wasn't expecting that and I'm a little hurt that you didn't tell me before. I..." he held up a hand so she would let him finish. "I understand that you have a hard time trusting people, and it's justifiable. But, I don't ever want you to feel like you can't trust me. Okay? You can always tell me anything."
She smiled and hugged him, murmuring something against his chest. He laughed and hugged her back.
"What?"
"I said, I love you, Ian. More than you know."
"I love you too, Phoenix. I really do."
They just held each other for a while before she stepped back and asked anxiously,
"Would you mind if Fey joins us for Thanksgiving? Rich and Lisa have to go to this formal business thing and Fey begged me to save her from it."
Ian took a deep breathe and let it out slowly. He smiled at Phoenix and nodded. "Why not? I didn't really meet her earlier and I would love to get to know your daughter."