Epilogue
Amanda clung to her father, who was actually crying as he held her. Claire, similarly, was wrapped in her father's arms, still sniffling over seeing him get hurt by that creep, Auror Anderson. The Muggle Auror was twitching every so often, a remnant of the Unforgivable he'd been hit with. For that alone, Anderson would have been on his way to McKean Magical Prison, but added to the kidnapping and attempted murder charges, it meant that Anderson would never see the light of day again. Now Amanda had a front-row seat to her father doing something she'd never dreamed he'd do; arguing that he should be the new liaison for Team One.
"We can't let something like this happen again," Nathanial Simmons argued. "And Auror Wordsworth nearly died protecting my daughter, Madame Locksley; to ignore that would be churlish of me."
"Nathan, I understand where you're coming from, but the last thing Team One needs is a liaison who's only in the position out of a sense of obligation," Madame Locksley replied, her voice tired, but sharp. "You've never approved of Team One and once the shock of this wears off, I fully expect you to go right back to not approving of them."
"That's not necessarily a bad thing," Auror Sergeant Parker put in, his expression grave, "But it would get in your way as our liaison, Auror Simmons. I agree with Madame Locksley; we need a liaison who's behind us all the way." Parker sighed, his eyes flitting down to Amanda, tucked under her father's chin.
"After the past several weeks, I find myself understanding your position, Auror Simmons. I'm glad my team has been able to work magic-side and help you stop a number of criminals, but if your division gets too dependent on my team, that's not a good thing. As it is, this may just be the straw that breaks Holleran's back; he's been demanding an explanation for some time now."
"Leave that to me, Auror Sergeant Parker," Madame Locksley remarked, her eyes intense. "My division has been dropping the ball, so this is my mess to clean up. I'll see about assigning a new liaison as soon as may be."
"About that, actually," Auror Sergeant Parker remarked, rocking back on his heels, "When we were going through Auror Anderson's study, we found a file Auror Wilkins put together before he died…with his recommendation for his replacement." Amanda's eyes went wide as the Muggle offered a folder to Madame Locksley; had Auror Brian really picked his replacement for them?
Madame Locksley inspected the folder for a long minute, examining the contents and parchment within. She sighed softly. "He always was very good at anticipating things." She looked back up at Auror Sergeant Parker. "What do you think?"
He shrugged at the question, but cocked his head to the side. "I don't know him well enough to really comment, but I trust Brian's judgment. If Brian thought he'd be a good fit with my team, that's enough for me to give him a chance. But it's his choice."
"Quite," Madame Locksley agreed, walking to the door and calling for an Auror to come in.
He came in, eyes darting around the room, wide with curiosity. "Yes, Madame Locksley?"
"You've met Auror Sergeant Parker before?" Madame Locksley inquired, gesturing to the stocky man with a Muggle ball cap on.
"Yes, ma'am," the Auror confirmed.
"We've finally located Auror Wilkins' recommendation as to who should be the next liaison for Team One."
The Auror's eyes went wide. "Me?"
"If you're willing," Auror Sergeant Parker put in, expression gentle, even if his eyes were intense.
There was a silence in the room as the Auror looked around, clearly expecting protest or disagreement from Amanda's father; he remained silent. The Auror considered, his gaze darted between the two Muggle Aurors, Claire, and Madame Locksley. Finally, the brunet Auror stepped forward, offering his hand to Auror Sergeant Parker. "Don't know how good I'll do, but I'm willing to try, Auror Sergeant Parker."
The Muggle's smile lit the room, Claire's father smiling as well. Auror Sergeant Parker shook his new liaison's hand, looking pleased. "Welcome aboard, Auror Onasi."
~ Fin
Author note: And cut! Hope ya'll enjoyed the wild, twisty ride and had a great Thanksgiving. While I very much appreciate the higher than normal number of reviews for this story, I'm always eager for more. If ya'll are willing to comment on last chapter's fight scene, all the better! I can always improve and feedback helps a great deal.
The next story, "Explaining Magic", will kick off Tuesday, November 28th, 2017, right here in the main Flashpoint archive.