The next few days were long and stressful. With one of their starting chasers out of commission and protocols already heightened for what most people believed were "very vague" reasons, the press demanded a conference. Which Angelina really had no patience for. But then, it looked like the rest of the team didn't either.
Question after question was shouted around the room, thank all sanity for Liam Barselswitch. The head of the NQA was able to field most of the questions and keep at least a little bit of order among the insanity. Which ran for five hours, with only a handful of questions that needed to be answered by the team.
"No," Barselswitch announced as he began drawing the conference to a close. "It is not with in the Association's intentions to find a replacement for Miss Desult at this time. No more questions, please. Our team has a match coming up against Mongolia in eight days and I'm sure our captain is anxious to get everyone back to the field."
"One more!" Someone shouted as the room broke into a clamoring protest. "Miss Johnson! Is it true that Serafina Desult was injured while carrying post marked to you?"
Angelina's stomach twisted. How had they found that out? Only a handful of people knew that piece of information and she'd been certain they'd never tell. She glanced down the table at Wood, he looking at her just as tentatively. Clearing her throat a little, Angelina spoke into her wand with an attempt at a smile as she searched to find the man who'd asked the question.
"She had been carrying my post, yes," Angelina said calmly. "But we don't know if it was actually part of what had been for me. Thank you."
With that, and a quick glance at Gwenog (who nodded in agreement that they were done here), Angelina pushed back from the table. Instantly her teammates followed her example, all of them rising to their feet even as the reporters demanded to know more.
"So if the parcel was in your post," the same voice called over all others again, drawing attention to the head of dreadlocks that stood towards the back of the room and suddenly the voice was all too familiar. "Wouldn't that mean the item in question was meant for you?"
Angelina felt the color drain from her face as the room burst with noise again. More reporters were demanding to know whether this was even a possible scenario? Whether she was going to keep competing if it was putting her teammates in danger? Would the UK step down from the World Cup because of this?
England's finest chance to compete for the cup remained quiet as Barselswitch tried to regain order. Some of the team members looking to each other helplessly. Others were glaring at the over-zealous press. Wood had protectively put a hand on her elbow. But Angelina remained starting at the man who spurred the question, locked on that unpleasantly familiar face and wishing him ill.
Lee Jordan.
oOoOo
"So these friends of your's," Gwenog said, coming to sit with Angelina on the locker room bench later that day as the team prepared themselves to go home after a long and frustrating practice. "You really think they can help Serafina?"
"Yeah," Angelina said, nodding as she pulled at her shin-guards. "I think they can. And the healers said it wasn't as serious as it could have been."
"Well that's good," Iradessa said, sighing with relief, already pulling on her coat. "Will she be able to play against Mongolia?"
Angelina shrugged, growing more and more frustrated as each of her teammates seemed to have her pegged as the all-knowing one when it came to Seraphina's condition. Which made no sense to her. She barely knew anything about what curse was on that necklace. And there was a strange feeling in her gut that Melissa, Jasene, and the twins were hiding something from them. Wood hadn't commented on it, but she could read the thoughtful expression on his face when he didn't know she was watching. It was the same one he used to get during school, when he suspected another team to be up to something. Particularly the Slytherin team.
"You heading to St. Mungo's next?" Marian asked.
Angelina shook her head, only just putting the shin-guards beside her on the bench. "I don't know," she said. "Mike's not thrilled with how the press went."
Gwenog let out a dry laugh. "Who is?" she grumbled in agreement, but clapped Angelina's shoulder with a reassuring squeeze. "No worries, I'll head over. My husband's not getting here for an hour anyway."
"I wish I could go too," Iridessa said, about ready to bolt even with her jacket still open. "But, my sister's already going to murder me for being late. If Sera's been brought round, tell her we miss her."
"Yeah, cuz playing with McLaggin as seeker is like asking a monkey to mix liquid luck," Brad's voice shouted from the men's side even as Iridessa disappeared out the door. The remaining teammates chuckled. It was no secret that Kilroy McLaggin, who was barely a year out of school, wasn't ready for the World Cup level competitions. How he'd gotten onto the reserve team in the first place was a question none of the starting team could fathom.
More jibes flew around the dressing room-some about McLaggin, some about other teams (Wasps and Arrows again), and even some about reporters-as the team slowly dispersed. It wasn't long before Angelina pulled on her coat and strode out to the lift. But her mind was elsewhere. Loud and clear, over and over, she continued to hear Jordan's questions. And one blaring thought.
Had Serafina's situation been her fault?
"Lina? You okay?"
Wood's question broke through the silent corridor like a knife, bringing her abruptly back to the present but not enough to make her jump.
She looked up as he rested a hand on her shoulder. He was in a plain black sweater with brown corduroys that just made him look like he'd easily substitute as a pillow. But that thought didn't last long when she looked into his worried brown eyes.
"Yeah," she sighed, running her fingers through her braids. "Yeah, peachy."
"Very convincing," Wood said, offering a small lopsided smile as the lift doors opened and they stepped inside. "Its not your fault, you know."
"What if it is?" Angelina asked when the doors closed, finally voicing the fear she'd been mulling over since Jordan's accusations at the conference. "What if more of you get hurt? And it's all my fault."
"Lina, look at me," Wood said softly, hooking a finger under her chin to draw her eyes up again. "The NQA has launched an investigation. No one's going to get near any of us. I don't even think Mike's ever letting you get the post again."
The comment made her smile and she elbowed him before she started laughing. Wood chuckled and took her hands in his.
"What you need is a break," Wood announced, linking arms with her as the lift doors opened to the main lobby. "What say you to a night in Paris?"
"Paris?" she repeated, raising an eyebrow at him, but her heart rose a few notches anyway.
"Sure! Why not?" he said, grinning at her. "I know a fantastic bistro along the river-."
"What about Fallon?" she interrupted. "Won't she have something to say about that?"
"And Mike won't?" Wood countered.
"Mike," Angelina groaned, clapping her hand to her forehead. She'd completely forgotten about him. "I can't. He wanted to-."
"He can wait," Wood suggested.
She raised an eyebrow at him. "You know he'd say that Fallon's using you to get me off my game."
Wood smirked, then shrugged and continued to lead her out of the building via a side entrence. "Let them grouse and hate each other all they want. I don't give a damn any more. You-know-who's terrorizing wizards everywhere-hell, the world could end tomorrow! Why not live while we can."
Her face felt like it was starting to burn under the skin as passion covered every syllable. She couldn't remember if he had this "seize the day" attitude in school, mostly she remembered his obsession with Quidditch and his determination to go professional. But she'd be lying if she didn't find it incredibly appealing.
The look on Wood's face assured her that he knew exactly what his words were doing-and that was exactly what he'd been aiming for. "Come with me, Johnson."
She raised an eyebrow at him again as he leaned in closer to her. "Is that an order I hear?" she teased. "Are you expecting me to obey like a little school girl?"
His lips were inches from hers now, smirking as he chuckled. "Well, more like disobey the school."
A smile came to her own face and she could barely keep from giggling as their noses touched, then he pressed his lips to hers-making them tingle with electricity.
"Is that a 'yes'?" he murmured.
Cursing it as a bad idea, but also definitely not caring, Angelina nodded and closed her eyes to the kisses.
"Well then," he breathed. "Allonz-y."
oOoOo
When she opened her eyes again, Angelina's eyes were greeted with the beauty of a late Autumn day that only Paris could provide. The sun was hanging low in the sky, though not quite ready for sunset, and cast luxurious shadows through the thriving city. Even with You-know-who causing chaos and weather shifts, it seemed as though Paris must have had its own protection against the problems of the outside worlds.
All-in-all, it was a perfect response to the day she'd just had. And, yet again, Wood proved to be a surprising resource. She had no idea how many times he'd done this, but she honestly didn't care at this point. He showed her strange little quirky shops and cafes off the beaten path and enclosed gardens that she was sure couldn't be open to the public. She tried to absorb all of it, taking in as much as she could while they wandered among the Parisians in their daily routines.
By the time night started closing in, Angelina and Wood found themselves near the skirts of the city, on the veranda of a restaurant atop a Victorian era building and overlooking the glorious city as the rosy rays of light cast shadows like a spider's web over the ground below.
"Maybe you should move to France," Wood commented, swirling his glass of wine.
Angelina looked back at him from where she'd stepped closer to the rail, taking in the breath taking view even more than she could at their table. Not that their spot was awful anyway you looked at it.
Wood had opted to stay at the table, making no effort to hide the fact that he'd been staring at her the whole time. A thought which made her blush to the roots of her hair, though she made a face at him. He cast her a smile.
She returned the smile as she pushed away from the rail and strolled back over to him. "Oh I should, huh?" she asked, a playful twinkle to her eyes. "Just escape life and pretend I'm a Parisian Heiress or something?"
He made a dramatically thoughtful look and tapped his chin. "It's a thought..."
Angelina chuckled and shook her head. If she was being completely honest-yes, she had thought about doing something like that. More or less. Not so much on the Heiress part because her funds would never account for that, but running away and restarting life as someone else? Yeah, that was definitely a thought that had crossed her mind more than once.
"I couldn't leave everyone," she said, unable to stop the regretful sound from entering her voice.
"Like who?" Wood asked.
It wasn't irritated or spiteful, it wasn't teasing, it was just a question. As though he was the calm voice of reason inside her head who only wanted to help make things clearer. But she didn't know how to answer it.
"My dad," was easily the first person to come to mind, quickly followed by, "My cousin, her family-the twins and Jase at that. My team. Well, teams actually."
Wood smiled at that. "So me?"
"Of course you!" she said, rolling her eyes even as she felt her face grow warm again.
"So let's go together," Wood offered.
"Come again?" Angelina raised an eyebrow at him.
He gave her another smile, but his eyes made her think he was even a little serious when he said, "You and me, we get out of there-I don't care where-we just go and start different lives. We'll only tell the ones we can't leave, it'll give them a place to go on holiday."
Angelina stared at him. Trying to place whether to put weight into what he'd said. Could she do it? Give up everything she's worked for so far and just go for something else? She couldn't do without Quidditch, she already learned that. She'd spent one very difficult year after Hogwarts trying to live in a way her father had considered "normal," and went running back to the sport as soon as she was physically able.
Wood gave a soft chuckle and Angelina looked up to see him looking into the bottom of his wine as he twirled the glass's base across the silken table cloth. "Maybe later in life," he said before he met her gaze with another smile. "We have Mongolia coming up, then Bulgaria. It would be a pity to miss out on beating them."
She snorted a laugh as his expression grew mischievous. "And Gwenog would kill us."
"Yeah," Wood agreed. "And there's no way we'd want that."
And so, with laughter and the arrival of their dinners, the moment passed. But Angelina couldn't let it slide. Had he really meant what he'd said? Did Wood really want to run away? He had been the one who'd suggested they escape to the continent after the press conference. But it was a thought that, even when they returned to England, she couldn't bring herself to ask.
A/N: Well that took a while, didn't it? Sorry about that! Hopefully this chapter's up to par, guess I'll find out lol And, lo, enter Lee Jordan! :D Well this should create some form of mess...
