Title: Exodus
Author: snarkysweetness
Characters/Pairings: Emmeline Vance/Benjy Fenwick with appearances by Alastor Moody, Alice Longbottom, and a secret someone.
Rating: R
Warnings: Angst, character death.
When: June 1980
Summary: The days before and after Benjy Fenwick's death. Everyone lost someone, but Emmeline's loss was almost too much for one person to bear.
Disclaimer: Jo I owned, things would have turned out differently for these two.
Author's Note: Reviews are love. Leahtragic, love, this is for you.

1978 was the year that Emmeline Vance had met the love of her life. Well, they'd known one another, in passing, but it wasn't until Benjy Fenwick had joined the Order of the Phoenix that the two had become good friends. Over months, they had grown close, going to concerts, drinking, supporting one another, through the war, the murder of his father, everything, and eventually Emmeline came to love Benjy.

Everything should have been good then, but unlike the fairy tales, Emmeline didn't get her happy ending.

When Emmeline decided to tell Benjy of her feelings, he had already gone back to his ex, Maria, and he'd broken her heart. Things had been awkward for the two and Emmeline had developed a drinking problem, not ever wanting to see Benjy again for fear that her heart would break all over again. But she couldn't stay away for long, when he faced prison for killing his father in self defense, Emmeline worked her arse off to get him cleared and the two became friends again.

While it was painful to see him with Maria, Emmeline dealt with it. A few months later, Maria was murdered and Emmeline became Benjy's rock. He wouldn't eat, leave his flat, or do anything for months. It broke her heart to see his pain and love for Maria, but being a masochist for him she got him through it, eventually making him leave his flat and move on with his life.

Then, just before Christmas of 1979, Benjy came to his senses and realized that it was always Emmeline and surprised her by showing up in a box for her. A first kiss and a first shag later, they were finally together. And for revenge, Emmeline had teasingly refused to tell him that she loved him for weeks. It wasn't until Emmeline forced him to move out of his shithole flat and in with her that she finally told him.

They were happy, she was happy, for the first time in a long time. She'd always been lonely and with him, she had someone to share her life with. A small part of her feared that his love was artificial, the he was settling for her because the woman he really loved had died, but she kept it to herself. It was bad enough that she wasn't capable of giving him a child; she didn't need to give them more problems by showing her fears, so she kept them to herself. He suspected it, she knew, but she never voiced these fears.

A war was going on, the least thing that she needed to do was ruin things when they could die at any day. Caradoc Dearborn had just disappeared, the Prewett twins were dead, and she knew that they could be next.

She was an Auror, the fact that she'd survived this long had been a miracle. She knew it was a matter of time before she joined her parents in death. Until then, she was determined to live her life and be happy.

Walking into the flat she and Benjy shared, she was surprised to find candles lit, dinner on the table, Chinese, of course, and Benjy dressed up, for once. She smiled. "What's all this?"

Benjy took her hand and led her towards the table before getting down on one knee.

Emmeline took in a breath, she knew what he was about to do, but she couldn't believe it.

"Benjy-"

"Shh, let me. Emmie, you are the best person I know, you're completely unselfish, you take care of everyone, you're tough, you're a bit of a lunatic sometimes when it comes to me, but I love you for it. And I know we've been through a lot, but I love you and I don't want to keep going on without you as my wife and not just because we're at war, but because I want us both to survive this and have a family and do everything that we've earned."

Great, she was crying. She was such a softie.

Benjy slipped a moderately sized ring on her finger, something cheap but still more than they could afford, which made her love him even more. "Emmeline Marie Vance, will you marry me?"

Emmeline bit her lip, she was going to kick herself for this, but she wasn't herself unless she ruined something.

"Benjy, you know we can't have children, the hea-"

"I don't care, we'll adopt. There are so many kids who have lost their parents, like you did; we'll take one of them in. I don't need my own kids, Emmie. All I need is you."

He was stupid, but he was perfect to her. Nodding, Emmeline sniffled. "Of course I will."

That should have been the start of a happy, long life for the two of them, but again, this wasn't a fairy tale.

A few days later, Emmeline received an owl with a box. All that was inside was a finger and a location. As an Auror, she was used to this, the Death Eaters were sadistic, but this would be the most important call of her life.

Blue hair, soaking in blood; that was the first thing she saw when she arrived in Diagon Alley. Then more blood, skin, and finally that stupid pair of jeans he loved more than any other article of clothing.

"Get her a healer, now!"

She vaguely made out Moody's voice, but she was too far gone to care. Falling into a pile of Benjy's blood, Emmeline began sobbing, unable to hold it together. This was her life and it was gone.

The Death Eaters had taken her father, hadn't that been enough? But now…

And to leave her nothing to bury. Bastards!

The next few days were a blur. Alice did most of the planning for Emmeline and when she fainted at the funeral, it was Alice who had stayed with her and called for a healer.

"You need to start eating; the baby's going to need it?"

Emmeline knew that this was a sick joke, she couldn't have children of her own; they'd told her that a year ago.

"That's impossible. You told me I couldn't have a child, that it would take a miracle, that my parts didn't work correctly, too many hits with spells on the job. Why are you lying to me now!"

"I'm sorry, but you're pregnant. Call it a miracle, if you'd like, but you're having a baby come Christmas."

Life was cruel, she was getting what she'd wanted for herself and Benjy, but he wasn't here to share it with her. She could do this without him, but she didn't want to. Her poor child would grow up without his father, like so many others.

Wiping away a tear, Emmeline did what she did best, she moved on with her life, because no matter what Voldemort had taken from her, she would not let him take that away from her too.