She had been in conclave with her brothers for three hours when Charlie finally saw Ripley emerge, no worse for wear. "One hour," she said as her brothers went their separate ways. She got acknowledging answers. She nodded to Charlie and went to the fridge in the kitchen, hunted for a Gatorade-her favored muggle drink- and twisted the cap off, back on. "We're leaving in the morning." She said softly. Charlie arched his brows as she reopened the bottle and took a swing. "If we can get to the next location before Thom does it'll change the game."
"Have you talked to your father again?"
"Mal's gonna handle that one—" Ripley began with a shrug, Charlie swore quietly. She raised both brows in a motherly look of disapproval. "Now really Charlie, this is my job."
"He's your brother, Ripley!"
She shoved off from the counter she had been leaning on. "Look, I understand that in the world of Weasley you guys all love each other, but in my world, we're Aurors, and when one of us turns Death Eater that's treason."
"Listen to yourself for a second Rip," Charlie all but begged her. "Treason? This is the 20th century, not the 1800's. You have a job, sure—but your brother? How many other people do you know that would just up and decide to kill their brother?"
She scowled at him, torn between what was right, and what was easy. "Charlie, I can't talk to you about this right now, we're getting ready to leave, and I have to make sure my team has everything they need."
"We need you!" He bellowed, she flung her chin up, dared him to push her past the point of no return. "I need you Rip, where are you when I need you?"
"Saving your ass from Voldemort," she threw back venomously.
"I get it Rip," Charlie moved toward her, menacingly. "No one can stop Ripley Todd, big damn hero, right? Always gotta be on top, always gotta do what you think is right, or am I wrong?" At her silence he continued. "How long are you going to be in Thom's shadow, eh love? Isn't that what you wonder? When will daddy finally love you enough to praise you? When will you be daddy's little girl?"
"Enough," the voice that came from the doorway froze both of them. Molly, shoulders squared entered. "Don't you dare speak to her that way Charles Weasley." He glowered at his mother, but backed away. "How dare you put her down like that, she protects you. She protects us all." She cuffed him smartly upside the head. "And you," she whirled on Ripley who's shock registered with a mere lift of a brow. "How dare you not defend yourself? You let him walk all over you!" Ripley opened her mouth to argue, flushed with anger. "No! Don't even try to defend yourself to me, my girl. Honestly, settle your differences and grow up! This is enough!" She stormed from the room toward the garden to get the makings for dinner.
The silence in the kitchen was only broken by the ticking of the clock. Ripley pushed off the counter. "I'm leaving."
"I can't make you love me, can I?" Charlie's words halted her in the doorway. Her shoulders slumped forward. "It doesn't matter what I do, what I have done, does it?" He moved nearer, didn't give her the time to answer. "Just give me some time and I'll give up this fight Rip-"
"Charlie…" She spoke his name aggrieved as she turned to face him.
"You can't make your heart feel something it won't…I get it Ripley." He loomed over her, his words sure. "It was all a farce…I bet you just love a good farce." He stopped as her clenched fist connected with his face her cheeks rosy with anger. "Well."
The Irish accent she bore thickened with vehemence. "Don't ye ever say for one moment I never loved ye Charlie. You made me feel like a clown in school, tis high time for you to feel it. I wanted you. I've always wanted you. I was so sure of myself, but no one was there for it, were they? I thought that you'd want what I want….and for that my dear, I'm sorry." She took a step away from him; she needed to run, to breathe. "I'll be back in five or six days."
"You'll be back in five or six pieces if they get a hold of you."
She gave him a bitter smile. "Well, let's hope I haven't lost my timing this late in my career." With those final words she walked away from him.
0-0-0
Five days turned to six and six into ten. Charlie tried to focus on his work, on the mating rituals of Hornbacks, but this was too much to take. He paced to and fro in the kitchen while his mother sat knitting in the corner. "Shouldn't we look for them?" He asked irritably.
"Nonsense." Molly replied with a flick of her hand. "They know what they're doing."
"But you don't stand behind it, do you?" Charlie sat on a bench behind the table, his mother remained silent. "Mum?"
"I understand that she needs to do it, and all we can do is stand beside her." Molly answered after a moment's thought. "It isn't our place. We are not Aurors', we are members of the Order of the Phoenix, nothing more, nothing less." Charlie grunted in response, his mother watched him through steel blue eyes. "How long have you loved her?"
Charlie scoffed as he braced an arm on the doorframe and looked outside at the sun shining on the yard. "Seems like forever," He admitted. "I knew for sure when she came back for Bill's wedding." He shook his head with a wry grin. "When you're right, you're right mum." Molly smiled softly. "I just don't know what to do about it." A glimmer in the distance caught his eye, the glimmer formed into a group of people. A frown formed on his lips. "Mum, look at this."
"Oh sweet Merlin," Molly's mouth opened as the Todd's approached with a body levitated behind them, bloodied and beaten. "Not here Ripley," Molly snapped.
"Relax, he won't be here." Ripley limped by them and got her keys from the hook by the door. "Load him up." She ordered her brothers.
"Ripley…" Charlie began; she silenced him with a look. His eyes took in her team in various states of injury and finally to the man who hung between them. It was his first real glimpse of Thomas Todd since Hogwarts, and he saw with a sick twist in his belly the Dark Mark on the man's forearm. The jeep Ripley drove backed toward the group and her teammates Danny and Owen lifted Thom into the back.
"Cover our tracks," Ripley ordered Mal, he nodded once, and stepped back. The jeep full of Aurors departed across the dirt driveway at a rapid speed. Charlie watched as Mal removed any tracers that the Death Eater's may have had and when that was all done he entered the house, weary. Molly handed him a bottle of ale and patted his shoulder gently. "It's done," Mal said with a sigh. "It's finally done."
"Where is she taking him?" Charlie asked as he took a seat across the scarred table. Malcolm lifted dead eyes. "Execution?"
The Auror's tight mouth quirked in response. "Hardly. Interrogation." He took a long drink of beer. "Of course if there's one thing Rip's good at its interrogating. No one's ever died, but they've begged for the dementors."
Charlie felt his stomach churn at the notion that the woman he loved was barbaric. "Will she do it to Thom?"
"She already has, didn't you see him?" Mal kicked back in his chair, his words bitter and dull. "That was an hours' worth of interrogating, he passed out so we moved him."
"Merlin's beard," breathed Charlie.
0-0-0
Behind charms and potions deep in the country of England in a rickety barn that smelled of stale hale and animals Thomas Todd faced his sister and his brothers. Thom breathed in the scent of his sister, the warm autumn scent she always seemed to have, even after the battles fought. He lifted pale blue eyes to burning brown. "War hasn't been good to you, has it?" He asked with mock sympathy, his eyes roamed over her drawn face. "How will you ever fetch a husband?"
The deadness she had felt earlier faded, this was the brother who had turned his back on all of them, who had chosen to kill innocents. He had not changed. She sighed; she had almost prayed that he would. "Thom, what the hell are you doin' here?"
"Protecting what Voldemort began. "This is our right as purebloods."
"That's bullshit and you know it."
"You turned your back on your people!" Thom shot back.. He began to rise from his chair, but she shoved him down with one swift thrust. "Stronger, are you?" He hissed with a sneer. "You could've had glory with Lord Voldemort."
"You chose the wrong side."
"You're a disgrace to your race, to your people—"
She drew back disgusted. "I don't murder children!"
"I do." Thom said simply. "You chose your path, I chose mine." Ripley scowled, hatred burning in her eyes, he was their prisoner, and she would not have any remorse for him, not now. Not after that statement. "How good are you now?" He asked abruptly.
"What—" Her question was broken off as his fist connected with her mouth. Blinded with rage she lunged and brought him to the ground. They wrestled as they had when they were children, but it was different now, oh so different. There was rage, an underlying hatred that had been developing in youth and now was a beast set free. Hans cursed his actions, cursed himself for getting caught by his own family, and took it out on her.
They crashed into a sack of grain that spilled over them; they scrambled through the spilled pellets and on an uplifting thrust broke through a table. Splinters dug into flesh, but went unfelt; scrapes tore at their bare skin, but weren't noticed. He had forgotten that she had been a tomboy, forgotten that she could throw a mean right hook. Said right hook caught him in the eye and her head bounced into his mouth as retaliation for a fist to her nose before iron like hands hauled him off and pinned him to the wall. He gazed into the face of man beyond wrath. Eyes of blue burned steadily into the Death Eaters. "Got yourself a hero Rippy darling?" was the last taunt he could throw at his sister.
"Get him out of here," Wick ordered Cal and Bennett as Ripley lunged one last time, he pushed the man toward her team and caught Ripley swiftly, pushed her gently to the side. The two members locked Thom's arms behind his back.
"Nice job, Rip." Bennett said over his shoulder after he noted the damage she had done on her brother with admiration. She merely waved bleakly from her arms on knees position on the floor where she had landed and, leaned on the wall still panting from the brawl. Blood dripped sluggishly from where a splinter had embedded itself into her forearm. Wick gathered his composure with one careful breath and knelt in front of her. She gave him a weak smile through her split lip. "Nice job." He murmured as he dug out a handkerchief, dabbed at her lip. He glanced behind him at the splintered pieces of a horse stall, and shook his head. "Are you all right?" She nodded and rose, unconsciously raising her barriers. She walked toward the door. "Rip…" His voice stern, yet gentle, halted her. She lifted a hand and set it on the doorframe, waited. "I don't know what will happen to him."
Her hand tightened, she watched the trail of crimson run down her arm from her wound, and made her up her mind. "He chose his path, Dan." She turned, head held high as she swiped at the blood running from her nose, the coldness in her eyes surprised him, and frightened him a little.
"So I heard," he murmured. She was on her way and he winced as she yanked the splinter from her arm and dropped the four-inch chunk of timber to the ground.