Disclaimer: Yeah, we definitely don't own any of it. Not even the words because I didn't make them up. It's a sad existences ladies and gents.
Author's Note: Well, there really is no excuse for why this chapter took so long to put up. It's really just a combination of school ending, me being lazy, me being even more lazy, and then finally getting my ass in gear. So, here it is. More of a filler really, but it had to be done. Hope you all enjoy it and get a chuckle at parts and say 'aw' at others. Love you all and please, for a faster chapter next time, send us some inspirational words, favorite quotes from the chapter, or just things you liked in general. Or if you just want to drop by and say hi! Thanks! And here's chapter 37 for your viewing pleasure.
Take What You Want…Because It Doesn't Belong to Me
Alexa's Point of View
"What were you both thinking? Don't you know the repercussions of something like this?" I swallowed back tears as my mother paced angrily in front ofthe dining room table where I was seated next to Sirius. "After what happened to her weren't you even the least bit cautious as to what happens when you have," She cut herself off, putting a hand up to her neck where she touched a very heavy pearl necklace like a lifeline.
Straightening up in his seat a little, Sirius opened his mouth to defend us while trying to still be respectful. I continued to sit quietly in my seat, preferring to remain silent and hopefully invisible for the rest of the two-hour conversation that we had been having. "Not to be disrespectful, Mr. and Mrs. Parker," He said while addressing my father who sat stoically and disapprovingly at the table across from me. As his intense disappointment met my eyes, I lowered them to my lap. "But Alexa and I have been extremely careful and while I understand that you are upset, we're not the ones that are having the baby."
I closed my eyes and wanted to smack him silly for bringing it up. Had he not heard how my mother had been calling Remus and Lyla (her own daughter, for Merlin's sake) him and her for the past three days that they had been gone? Did he think bringing that up was going to make our situation any better? As my mother's face morphed into that of extreme anger, disappointment, and despair, I grabbed Sirius's hand in my own for comfort and then stood from my seat.
"I know that you always wanted me to wait and that you probably didn't want me to even date until I was thirty, but what has happened has happened. Sirius is right though, Mama. I'm not pregnant. And we haven't even had sex," My father cringed at the word while I tried to persevere with the conversation, "In a long time. What we need to focus on is getting Lyla back. She's having your grandbaby and she needs us right now. All you've done is push her away."
"Don't you dare speak to your father and I that way, young lady. To your room, now." I bit my tongue to keep from saying anything as I saw the darkness leave my mother's face long enough to show her vulnerability and I tugged on Sirius's hand while trying to exit the room as swiftly as possible. We had just exited the doorway when my father's voice called out.
"Sirius, I'd like a word; in private." My head quickly snapped to meet Sirius's gaze and I gripped his hand tighter as he tried to pull away. Looking at me questioningly, I dropped his hand quickly and muttered a 'good luck' while hastening up the stairs to the loft. Turning back at the top of the stairs, I saw the door swing shut for the last time and heard the slow murmurs of my father's voice. Praying to the gods that Sirius would survive, I opened the latch to the loft and climbed the stairs.
Once I was in, Little Sirius attacked me at the ankles and his incessant meows begged that I pick him up. As I gathered him in my arms, Blair and James turned their attention towards me with questioning eyes. "Well? Care to tell us what your parents did, now? You're about as white as a ghost." James said with a slightly irritated voice. It had been Lyla's idea as she left that night to not tell Blair and James exactly what had happened when Remus had burst into the room and began to pack their things haphazardly. I, begrudgingly, had complied, but now it was time for the truth.
"Lyla and Remus didn't just go to tell his parents did they, Alex?" Blair asked knowingly while fidgeting on her bed and pulling her ponytail holder out to re-fix her hair. James, who was sitting next to the nervous brunette, put his arm around her and peered at me questioningly. Holding Little Sirius in my arms, I shook my head silently without looking at my friends. This was hard enough on me as it were with my family members starting to ask questions as to why there were secret meetings going on at night between my parents, and then with Sirius and I.
Sighing, I put the little black and white fluff ball on my bed before climbing up myself. "Lyla and Remus left to stay with Remus's parents for the rest of break. They had a huge fight with my mother and she's not speaking to them." Feeling tears well in my eyes, I took a deep breath and focused on not letting my emotions get the better of me as I had been trying to do for the past three days. "She basically told Lyla she wasn't her daughter anymore and that she didn't know who she was. Then she proceeded to say the baby was going to be a bastard child."
Blair gasped as I expected she would while James looked simply confused. "I don't understand; I mean I know your mom is upset and all, but I had always pegged her as the one that would be there for you all no matter what. Why is she being so unreasonable?" He asked while hinting at how my mother had been referring to Lyla and Remus without actually addressing them or mentioning their names. She had also taken to visibly flinching whenever they were mentioned in conversation.
"That's the real question though, isn't it?" A voice asked from the doorway and we turned our attention to Sirius as he shut the door softly behind him. Little Sirius bounded out of my arms and began his incessant meowing again as he ran circles around Sirius's legs before he picked up his namesake and cuddled him adorably. I mean, well, whatever.
"By the look of your features you haven't been mauled. What did my father have to say to you?" I asked him as he took a seat on one of the many mattresses that had been placed in our room for the holidays. The tension was thick as he hesitated between sitting next to me and the floor before he sat, however, and I once again averted my eyes to one of the many pictures Claire had drawn for us in the few days we'd been on break.
Clearing his throat and falling on his back, Sirius held my cat in one hand while lifting him in the air and slightly bouncing him. Little Sirius looked pleased by this and meowed contentedly while the three of us did a simultaneous eye roll. "Yeah, it was awkward to say the least, but other than emotional pain and suffering, I'm fine. We actually talked about Lyla and Remus." At my disbelieving look, he rolled his slate gray eyes and a hint of a smirk pulled at his lips. I could feel my resolve weakening. "Okay, well he only threatened me once or twice; that's not too bad though, right?"
"Pads, you deflowered Gary Parker's little princess. I think that as long as you're standing there and your balls aren't being made into mid-afternoon snacks you're doing quite well!" James said with a laugh and despite his terminology, I couldn't help but agree. Dad must have realized that while I may have been growing up despite how much he wished I wouldn't, I hadn't actually done anything wrong.
Blair laughed as well, but was looking at Sirius with a devilish smile. "Oh, I don't think it's Gary that Sirius has to worry about. Just wait until all her uncles catch wind of what happened. They'll be on Sirius faster than you can say 'stupefy' and I doubt they'll be so understanding."
"Especially since Sirius will be the only one here to interrogate!" I added in with a laugh, climbing down to the end of my bed and lying on my stomach with my elbows propped and my chin in my hand. "Since Remus won't be here to lessen the blow, they'll be playing you like a witch in the Spanish Inquisition."
Sighing, Sirius put the cat down to scamper off to play under the beds and placed his hands over his face. "Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. Now do you want to know what we talked about or are you going to continue to take the Mickey out of me?" He asked with a slightly irritated voice and I wanted nothing more to go and console him in that moment. However, I stayed where I was and let my fingers instead twirl a piece of my own blonde hair that had fallen out of place as I rolled around in my bed to get comfortable.
"Of course, Sirius, go ahead and continue." Blair uttered with a yawn while sinking back into James, who immediately pulled her closer to him.
"Alright, well, first I went back into the kitchen where Evon was storming around making stuff for dinner tonight. Your dad pulled me out back where I thought I was done for. Did you know that he could be a very forceful man? I thought my arm was going to be ripped from its socket," Sirius directed his question towards me where I tried my best to convey my thoughts about how he was an idiot without actually saying it. Rubbing his shoulder slightly he continued with his tale. "Anyways, and then he was like, 'I don't really appreciate the fact that you and my daughter are having sex but as long as you are careful we have no issue here.' I tried to be polite and agree with him, but it was totally awkward."
"Did you go on to tell him that we are no longer having sex and will not be doing so in the foreseeable future?" I asked Sirius as he grimaced while reliving the conversation with my father. Turning their attention towards me, I felt Blair's questioning eyes and tried to focus my expression into one of utter relaxation. I wasn't sure if it was working or not and I'm positive it failed when Sirius turned his gaze towards me.
The way his shirt was riding up from where he had been laying down, the fact that his recent haircut had made his eyes stand out more, and the fact that he was standing up for our no longer existing relationship was making it hard though. "Well, no, I mean I figured telling your dad that we had sex and we broke up all in one day would have been enough for him to really kill me without question or thought to how you would feel. Literally, I think he's sparing me because he doesn't want to hurt your feelings."
"Alright, this could all very well be true, but I don't see what it has to do with Remus and Lyla," James cut in while Sirius and I stared at each other for quite a few moments. Snapping out of it, Sirius fell back down into his spread eagle position and put a forearm over his eyes dramatically.
"Of course, Prongs, I'm getting there!" He muttered with despair. With that lightening of the mood, the moment was broken and we all sat in silence and contemplation as Sirius continued. "So then he asks me about if I've heard from Lyla and I said no because they've only been gone a few days and I'm sure they've been busy. Then, very secretively, he pulls out this and tells me to take it over later tonight." Pulling out a piece of cloth tied with a delicate baby-blue string, Sirius held up what I recognized to be a handkerchief full of coins.
"Dad's giving them money?" I asked out loud, endless possibilities of why he would be giving them a pretty grand sum of coins. Sirius nodded his head and then tossed the bag up onto the bed to me. "Said that while he knew Poppy was an excellent nurse, they needed to see a real doctor at St. Mungo's to make sure everything was coming along in the proper way."
"So he's not really mad then? I mean, if he's giving them money then they can't be too far down on his bad list." James asked out loud as we all contemplated on what this would really mean. I was about to answer him, to tell him that there was something wrong here and that if my father was doing this behind my mother's back then things must not have been okay, but at that moment, Claire and Eleanor came running into the room while Eleanor continued to pull at a shrieking Claire's pigtails.
As Little Sirius came out of his hiding place to explore what was going on, Claire broke away from Eleanor's teasing to bother the cat and being the astute girl that she was, Eleanor took immediate notice of our intense conversation. "What's going on here? Are Remus and Lyla back yet? Why are you on my bed, Sirius? James and Blair, did you know that if you are active in a relationship that the other is less likely to cheat? Once again, what is going on here?"
Trying not to roll my eyes, I ignored my cousin and flopped onto my back while glaring and sighing at the ceiling. James let out a startled 'eep' while Sirius shuffled around on the floor to get off of Eleanor's 'bed,' and went to join Claire on the floor trying to lure Little Sirius out of his hide-out under Lyla's bed. Suddenly, however, my vision was blocked by Blair's face.
"You want to talk?" She asked simply and I agreed quickly. After she left my line of vision, I got up from my bed and tried to smooth down the wreck that my hair had become. Taking a look around the room, I saw James lying facedown in Blair's pillows, his glasses hanging from his hand limply as he dozed off. Eleanor was sitting on her bed, holding a book so close to her nose that her glasses were rolling towards the page. Blair was standing in the mirror, pulling at her eyes as if she was trying to measure how big she could make them. Claire was calling for Little Sirius with her little girl voice.
That left Sirius; who I found sitting cross-legged on the floor next to Cee, but his attention was focused on me. Feeling startled for a moment, I made eye contact, before jumping up off my seat and making my way towards Blair. Taking her by the arm, I pulled her towards the door and together we made our way quietly down the stairs and out into the hallway where the guest rooms were located.
"Where's the fire, Alex?" She laughed as we found an empty room, what looked to be my cousin Xavier's room that he was sharing with the twins, and closed the door soundly. Taking a look around to make sure no one was in here and to make sure nothing was going to jump out at us, I sighed while taking a seat on the bed. "Something's up, Blair, and I really want to get to the bottom of it. Lyla and Remus haven't come back; my parents aren't agreeing on things; and I know that this can't just be over Lyla getting pregnant. I mean, stuff like that happens all the time, but this seems so different."
"I can understand the fact that you're worried about this, Alex, but really what do you expect that you can do right now? It's not like you're going to be able to get Lyla back into your parent's good graces." Blair said while making herself comfortable next to me.
I sighed and lay back against the fluffy pillows. "Maybe; maybe not; but I have to try. I can't just leave Lyla and Remus to go through this on their own. They have us but we're just kids. How are we supposed to help them if we can't even take care of ourselves yet?" I asked while trying not to freak out even more than I already was. Blair fell back against the bed with me as well and grabbed my hand comfortingly. It was only then that I realized how scared we both were for Lyla and Remus.
"I can't promise you that everything will be okay, Alex, but I can tell you that together, we'll all figure it out. And it may not have to be just us. We may have Remus's parents on our side. We don't know yet what's going on. What we really need to do is talk to Lyla and Remus." Blair said and we sat in silence for a few moments before there was a knock on the door. Slowly, as the knob twisted and James's mop of a head peered through, I tried to wipe my tears away inconspicuously.
The gleam in his eyes was enough for me to know that something big was about to happen. And knowing James, it was going to be good. "Get up, Mopeys, we've got to go down to dinner. And then afterwards," He smiled at me directly, "We're sneaking out to see Lyla and Remus."
Bounding off the bed, I shimmied past James and made my way towards the stairs where Sirius waited patiently for all of us. His black t-shirt was slightly rumpled from rolling around on the ground with Cee and I smiled at him before he motioned me ahead of him. Peering at him inquisitively, he shrugged while shoving his free hand into his pocket. I tried not to focus on the way the light reflected behind him, his dark hair wavy and tousled.
"I figured it'd be good to have a buffer between your mother and me." He smiled, his teeth making an appearance for a few seconds and I nodded quickly before going on ahead of him. The sounds of my family from the other room were light and cheery, the occasional shout as everyone settled in being heard through the swinging door. Xavier and Matt ran past, pushing me slightly off-balance as my friends came up behind me. Together we looked through the door, as it swung open slightly to reveal glimpses of the family.
I was taken off guard while looking in when Uncle Scott came up behind us. Putting a hand on Blair's shoulder, he laughed when we all jumped. "You four look like you're keeping a secret." He said with a laugh before we all stuttered something out and then he hustled us into the kitchen for some food. The mood slowly dissipated as my mother saw us enter and immediately slammed a pot onto the table. As we took our seats, the family all feathered off into awkward silences with bursts of random conversation as my father took his seat. Sensing the tension, James smiled charmingly.
"So, anybody want to know the name of Dumbledore's first pet?"
Page Break
"I will never apparate again," Blair said as we came out of the playground that was located across from Remus's neighborhood. Taking the surrounding muggle school and shops, we smiled at a few passerby's as we tried to all act casual. James laughed while putting his arm around Blair's shoulders and led her ahead. Sirius hung back with me as I tried to get my footing back after soaring through space with my body compressed into tiny pieces.
"You okay? It was my first time apparating more than one person." Sirius seemed to question me as we continued behind at a more leisurely pace. I tried a nod and then realized how stupid I looked because he wasn't even watching me.
Sighing, I patted his arm slightly as I walked. "I'm fine, Sirius. Besides, I'm sure you've been apparating long before you turned seventeen." He laughed slightly and looked at me through lowered lashes and I looked away quickly, stopping slightly to look inside a shop on the side street. As it was slightly past ten o'clock at night, the shop was closed, but the lights in the back lit up the inside enough to show me that it was an art store.
Remus seemed to live in a pretty fancy muggle neighborhood; housing a school, playground, market, and many other shops for things you could ever need, plus a diner for afterschool treats, the neighborhood looked like a small town within London itself. I tried not to focus too much on the way that Sirius was standing close to me to either make sure I didn't get lost or to make sure I was safe from any night crawlers, I wasn't sure nor was I strong enough to ask.
Seeing Blair and James enter a fence up ahead, I looked at the cottage-like house that was standing before us. It looked like something out of a movie with its white picket fence, shuttered windows, and big front door and I wrapped my jacket a little snugger around myself in the early April chill. It was a happy home that had known more heartache and grief than it should have; first with Remus's condition and now with an unexpected, unplanned teen pregnancy.
I sighed while Blair raised her hand and knocked soundly on the door. We stood on the porch, the swing making a somewhat eerie sound in the night as it swung by itself from the wind. There were footsteps, a laugh, and then the door was pulled back wide to show a woman that looked to be in her forties. She smiled wide and immediately opened her arms for Sirius and James.
"Well, if it isn't the other two lost boys!" She called with a smile and I exchanged a look with Blair at the Peter Pan reference and the way she left out the idea of Peter being part of the troop. Stepping out of her embrace, James and Sirius walked indoors, where Remus and Lyla could be heard. "And you must be Blair and Alexa." She stated simply while gathering us into a crushing hug as well. Immediately I felt at home in this woman's arms.
Remus's mother was striking with her light and bouncy sandy blonde hair and deep azure eyes. I could tell that Remus was his mother's child and the quick and calculating way that she appraised us reaffirmed that suspicious for me. After ushering us inside, I smiled at seeing the pictures lining the wall of Remus as a child. Leading us towards the sitting room, Blair and I were immediately crushed as a small blurry brunette flung herself into our arms.
"It's so good to see you all! Three days has been entirely too long," Lyla said when we all broke for air. I nodded through my tears as I held onto my sister's hand. She looked happier than I had seen her in a long time and I took that as a good sign. Leading Blair and I to one of the loveseats, I accepted the cup of tea that Remus held out to me. Sitting between his father and James, he smiled at me quickly before making sure that Lyla was comfortable.
I smiled to myself when I saw them together. Knowing that she wasn't showing yet but that the baby was still going through one of the most important times of its development (yeah, I knew how to read every once in a while) struck me in that moment and I remembered why we were here. Looking towards Sirius who was sitting with his cup of tea on the floor next to the couch, I nodded towards him slightly trying to question him silently about the money that my father had given us. While it was nice to see my sister and her fiancé, I smiled when thinking that, we were really here to give them money.
Clearing my throat, I brought the family's attention to me. "Mr. Lupin, Mrs. Lupin, I just wanted to let you know that we're all very thankful for you taking Remus and Lyla in after everything that happened with our parents," I said while motioning between Lyla and I. Remus's parents smiled at me, obviously knowing that I had more to say. "And I understand that while my mother may be against everything that is happening here, my father actually has something for you all. He wants to help."
Lyla scoffed at this while Remus frowned. "If they care so much then why aren't they here? Why did they send you all instead of coming themselves?" Lyla asked while sitting up straighter and putting her hand on her lower stomach. Swallowing before I replied to what my sister had said, trying to think of something to say to her argument, when Sirius pulled the money out of his jacket pocket.
"He wants to come here, Lyla. Your mother wants to help her little girl through all of this, but it's complicated. It's too much for them right now." Handing the coins to Lyla, Sirius looked up at her unflinchingly while she looked between the money, Remus, and himself. "They want you to see a doctor. Gary said that he understands that Poppy is a good nurse as any but that he wants you to go to St. Mungo's just for a second look. They want you safe, Lyla. They want you and Remus to be happy and they want to be there for you."
Sensing the fact that we needed to sort this out, Remus's parents stood from their spots in the living room and nodded to all of us. "You kids take your time but you need your rest, Lyla." Sending her a look at this Lyla nodded and smiled while reaching up to hug Remus's mom. "Good night you all. Don't be strangers next time."
We said our good nights and as they left the room Blair opened up her mouth to speak. "Lyls, I know that it's not going to matter what we say. You're upset right now and I understand that. Please, though, think of the consequences of what this is doing to everyone. Alexa has to lie. The family is starting to ask questions. Your parents are fighting. Your grandma is coming over, and what is going to happen then?"
"Blair," James warned as Lyla tensed up and Remus moved to put a hand on her arm. Sirius and I watched as the scene unfolded in front of us. "No, James, I'm not going to sit back any more. This is crap. Lyla, I understand that this sucks. Truth is, however, you're being selfish. Remus is being turned against your parents. You're being turned against your parents."
"I'm trying, Blair, alright!" Lyla burst out, standing from her position on the couch. "I understand that the position I put you all in wasn't fair. What else am I supposed to do though? Am I supposed to let my parents walk all over me? To tell me that the way I'm living my life is completely wrong? That I'm fucking this kid up so bad that they're going to have no chance in the end?"
"Lyla, she's upset. We're all just riding nerves from the past few days." James said trying to placate the situation. The tears in Lyla's eyes were threatening to fall free when I stood up from my spot.
Putting my hand on Lyla's shoulder, I squeezed just slightly. "Maybe we should just go," I stated while trailing off. Sirius made to stand but was stilled by a look from Remus. "Or we could just talk about something else," I offered as well trying to placate Lyla who was looking like she was about to run to her room and sob for a few minutes. She let out a small heave and I sighed mentally. Or maybe a few hours.
As we all took our seats, an awkward silence fell over the living room. Lyla's breathing finally evened back out as we sat and I saw from the corner of my eye where James and Blair were holding hands tightly as we all watched different spots in the room. When it became silent enough for the clock to tick louder than our breathing Sirius cleared his throat unnecessarily. "So, how's everyone doing?" He asked stupidly. I tried and failed to not roll my eyes at his dumb ass comment.
After the stupidity that left my ex-boyfriend's mouth, we all decided that it was probably time to head out. As we took our dishes back to the kitchen, I pulled Lyla aside to talk to her. "Lyls, I'm really sorry about all of this. Take all the time you need but promise me that you'll try to make it to Easter. Gran isn't stupid; she'll ask more questions than the rest of the family ever would."
"I'll try, Alexa, but I can't make you any promises." Lyla said as we hugged goodbye. As I shrugged back into my jacket, we all made our way back to the backyard. Grabbing Sirius's hand, I nodded my head to Remus and Lyla as Blair grabbed my other hand and James hers. Right before we left, Remus raised a hand to us. "We'll be at Easter. Tell your father thank you for the money. We'll send an owl tomorrow after we get back from St. Mungos."
Nodding in understanding and waving goodbye slightly, I felt my body convulse as we went flying through space and back to my house. The chill that went through me after we landed had nothing to do with the midnight air or the fact that it was dark and somewhat scary on my street. Standing in front of us on the front porch looking like she was about to split someone open was my mother. Exchanging glances with Blair who was on my right. There was no way we could tell the truth and tell her that we had been to see Remus and Lyla. She would start to ask questions, figure out that Dad had given them money, and then shit would hit an industrial-sized fan at the Parker house.
Taking one for the team, I stepped up and walked to the front of our house where my mother was waiting. I opened my mouth to talk but was cut off before I had the chance. It seemed at is everyone was doing a lot of that lately. "Alexa Noel Parker, where in the world have you been?" Then acting like an escapee from the loony bin, she stepped right in front of me to lean in and smell me. Circling around me and towards Blair, James, and Sirius, she repeated the action before walking back to the front of the house. "You don't smell as if you've been drinking, however, this is no explanation. I'll ask the questions again; where have you been?"
"Well, it's like this," I started while thinking quickly and trying not to get my ass ripped in the process. So far on break I had shown up with new hair (that my mom hated), been outed for losing my virginity (which also pissed my mom off), and snuck out to see my sister who was basically kicked out. My track record just seemed to be getting better. "Blair and I wanted some Chinese food, so we got up to see if there was anything in the kitchen."
"Since there wasn't any I begged Alexa to take me down the street to the restaurant so we could grab some and come back," Blair added in.
"And Sirius and I woke up to find that they were gone so we went to investigate. They were leaving as we got downstairs," James started in as my mother narrowed her eyes and listened to all of us shrewdly.
"But I didn't want Alexa and Blair walking by themselves at night so I told James that we would escort them." Sirius said bringing up the tale to a conclusion. We stood in silence as the wind blew slightly and ruffled my hair around my face.
My mother cocked an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips. "Am I to believe that nothing else happened and that you went straight to get food, ate, and then came back here? There was no gallivanting around town or causing trouble or anything of the sort?" She was looking directly at me, knowing that I couldn't lie to her face. So, doing what I did best, I addressed the second question while being completely vague about all the other answers.
"Well, we did eat and no gallivanting or trouble took place, so I think it's safe to say that you are correct." I said while going over in my mind what she asked. We had eaten earlier that night, and we did go out and then came straight back, and no one was gallivanting around town at the time so omitting the fact that we took money to Lyla we had done exactly what she said. Looking back up to my mother, I noticed the held breaths of my friend as she scrutinized us and tried to tell if we were lying or not.
Finally after a few minutes of intense staring, she sighed and stood aside to let us in. "Straight to your rooms and I want no talking or anything to wake up the others. You are to go right to bed and will not be sneaking out again. Do I make myself clear?" She asked with a straight face and narrowed stare. We all nodded and then made our way quickly up the stairs. It was only once we got to the confines of my room that Sirius and James collapsed to the floor and let out heavy breaths.
"Damn, Alexa," Blair said while grabbing her pajamas and heading towards the bathroom. "That was freaking intense."
Page Break
"There is literally nothing to do around here," James complained two days later as the final preparations began for the dreaded Easter Dinner that was probably going to end up in total and complete shambles. Looking around the crowded kitchen at my aunts who were helping my mother, who was frantically running around and muttering under her breath about the disaster this was going to be, I rolled my eyes at him.
"You're right, James, because it's not like we're trying to get stuff done for the Easter dinner that could quite possibly ruin all of our lives and show my Grandmother and the Parker side that not only are we delinquent children, but the Golden Children of our group have gone and completely fucked up." I said while grabbing a carrot off of a flying vegetable platter that was on its way to the fridge. Taking her strict 'no magic' policy away for the past few days, our house had become a mess of flying food, tables and chairs, and a various amount of other objects. All in all, if I didn't get out of here soon someone was going to die.
Standing up from his seat at the counter folding napkins, James ruffled his hair while stretching his arms towards the ceiling. "That's not what I meant. I mean there's nothing fun to do around here. Don't get me wrong," He lowered his voice and Blair and I leaned in to hear him better while my mother waved a knife in frustration behind us. "I love folding fine linens as much as the next reasonably straight man, but after a while it gets a little treacherous to one's manhood."
Nodding appreciatively, I threw my folded napkin onto the pile while Blair looked around. "Speaking of manhood, where the hell is Sirius? He left to put that ladder away half an hour ago." She looked accusingly at the back door where he had disappeared out of a while ago with strict instructions that the ladder my mother had been using to touch up the paint on the ceiling (no one questioned her directly, but the looks were enough) and hadn't come back. I opened my mouth to tell her he had probably skipped out on us when through the swinging kitchen door he appeared briefly before grabbing James's arm and pulling him away.
The boy was out of sight with nothing more than a startled cry and Blair and I exchanged a look before abandoning our posts folding napkins and went through the doors after them. Passing my father and one of my numerous uncles in the living room, I ignored the lack of bustle and enthusiasm while trying to keep track of the mop of black hair in front of me. Swinging around the corner, I almost ran into the back of Tristan who was standing against the wall. Looking around at the gathering of children in the hall, I tried my best Lyla eyebrow raise, failed miserably, and settled on crossing my arms.
Seeing my look, Sirius smirked. "It's a rebellion. We can't stand in that kitchen doing manual labor anymore, Alex. The time has arisen to take our forces outside and wreak havoc on the quiet little neighborhood before your Gran gets here." James's face lit up and I looked out of the corner or my eye as Tristan rolled his eyes at the Marauder, but I couldn't mistake the look of adventure taking over my cousin's face.
"Whatever; what did you have in mind?" I shrugged and smiled when the younger cousins cheered lowly as to not alert anyone of our doings. "I'm not the good sister, you know! You don't have to act like so surprised that I said yes." I laughed.
Crossing his arms, Xavier looked at me skeptically. "Maybe so, but ever since Lyla and Remus went to stay at his house you've kind of assumed the role of Little Miss Perfect." Acting offended, I reached over and ruffled his perfectly mussed hair. He swatted at me in annoyance to which I promptly did it again. Stepping between us, Sirius put his arms out so we were forced to stop our tussle.
"Anyways, regardless of who did what or is acting like what, we need to execute this and get out of the house in a strategic way." He said conspiratorially. Rolling my eyes as they began to plan their escape, I nodded to Blair who had spent the whole conversation rolling her eyes over on the stairs.
Opening her mouth and cupping her hands over her mouth, she started her acting. "Gary! Evon! Xavier and Matthew are throwing dishes again!" As the twins' mouths dropped open, Blair smirked in their direction, payback for the skirt incident at Christmas, and smiled slightly as my mother came barreling out of the kitchen as my father came up behind me from the living room.
I jumped slightly as my mother brandished her wand and the screen door flew open. "OUT! All of you! Out!" My mother said while shooting sparks at the floor as my father ushered us out the doors quickly. "And do not come back in here until at least dinner time." She yelled as the door shut behind us.
"Aunt Evon is freaking terrifying when she gets stressed out," Lidia said as she ran a hand through her impeccable side ponytail and examined the split ends. Watching as she sidled up to Sirius, I took pride when he gave her a polite smile but put distance between them. Just because we broke up didn't mean I wanted my cousin getting all chummy with him.
"Anyways, what's the deal, Sirius?" James asked while pushing his glasses up his nose and looking around the neighborhood. It was a reasonably sunny day and most people were either on their porches or had their windows open. Nodding to my slightly batty older neighbor across the street, I turned back to Sirius who was explaining his grand master plan.
"I thought that because there are eleven of us," He looked at all of us quickly making sure he was doing the math right, "That we would split into teams of two and play a sort of hide and go seek with one person that isn't on a team being 'it.' And instead of it being the backyard, it should be the whole neighborhood. And, hell, we can have others join in if they want too."
"Don't say hell in front of Claire," I muttered to him as I put my hands on Claire's shoulders and squeezed as she giggled. "And that's all great, but how are we going to set up the teams fairly? And if the other neighborhood kids join how are we going to know?"
Blair crossed her arms while looking around at all of us. "What the shell is going to be base too?" Raising her eyebrow, she nudged James and Sirius who looked as if this was the greatest idea in the world. "And what are the limits to the neighborhood? It's not huge, sure, but it'll be hard to find everyone."
"Which is the point, Ms. Winchester." James said and then pulled what looked to be an official looking document from his seemingly never ending pockets. "Sirius, Remus, and I thought of this while we were here for Christmas. If it hadn't snowed we had to have something to get into. Of course, the teams will have to be modified because Brock is here and Lyla and Remus are not but," He bit his lip for a moment before pulling out a pen and making a few corrections. "There we are."
From between Xavier and Matt, who were looking between Sirius and James like they had just seen celebrities mingle with the commoners, Tristan looked slightly skeptical. "Look, I know that you boys are good at school with the pranks and what not, but are you sure you can pull off a neighborhood wide hide and go seek? No offense or anything, but this is the big leagues."
Exchanging a look between each other and then laughing, Sirius and James sobered up instantly and scarily at the same time. "Do not doubt a marauder." They said together. Then, brightening up, Sirius joined James to give out team members and explain the rules.
"Okay, basically it's a free for all, Tristan will be 'it' since he's the oldest." Once there was no objection James took over from where Sirius left off and they began to work in tandem. "The Parker yard is base but you are only allowed back to base after you have been off for an hour."
"Meaning that the game will be over after an hour and if you haven't been caught then you win."
"And no going inside houses."
"Climbing trees is acceptable."
"But somewhat frowned upon for the smaller ones."
"The teams will be Xavier and Lidia."
"Matthew and Eleanor."
"Brock and Blair."
"Alexa and Sirius."
"And James and Claire. Any questions?" Sirius asked as we all separated to get into our groups. Rolling my eyes and knowing that the groups were made before anything happened, I sucked in some air before going over to stand with Sirius. "Alright then, Tristan give us ten minutes to hide. No one leave the neighborhood limits. And on the count of three."
"One, two," James started and then without warning he picked up Claire who squealed excitedly. "THREE!"
Feeling my arm being ripped from my socket, I took off after Sirius trying to keep up with his long legs. Laughing despite myself as we all dispersed in random places and at seeing Eleanor almost face-plant into Matt, I forgot all my troubles as I followed Sirius blindly through the neighborhood I knew like the back of my hand. Thinking about it, it was probably fair that Lyla and I weren't both playing. It was never good to have two winners.
Swinging around a house that I recognized to be in the middle of the street about three rows over from my own house, Sirius and I stopped to catch our breath. "Do you have any idea where a good place to hide would be?" He asked straightening up slightly as two figures ran past our temporary hiding spot. We held our shaky breath as the footsteps died down. Racking my brain, I suddenly remembered the small hill that ran around the back of the neighborhood and would provide a slight covering.
"There's a hill, in the back of all the houses, that runs around the stretch of the neighborhood. The bottom has a creek that we used to play in, but not many people will remember it and I doubt Tristan will even look there." I said while Sirius nodded his head and peeked around the side of the house. Right as he went to step out, I grabbed his arm to prevent him. "We're going to have to navigate through some yards because the path is practically in the middle of the open areas."
"How badly do you want to win?" Sirius asked with the most dedicated and intense look I'd ever seen him done. He wasn't even this severe about Quidditch.
"Pretty bad, I mean it'd be great to beat James and outsmart Tristan." I said with a shrug. As his face darkened, I remembered something about what Lyla had said about being on his team for the snowball fight. "Really though, Sirius, it's just a game."
The outraged look on his face told me I should have thought twice before saying that to him. "Winning a challenge such as this is more than 'just a game.' You're working with a marauder, Alexa meaning we cannot lose. That would be such a blow to the name that it wouldn't even be real. It would blaspheme all the things that our forefathers have worked for. Losing as a marauder is pretty much the equivalent of spitting in the Queen's face."
"That's kind of extreme, don't you think?" I asked as I stared at him like he was a crazy person, which admittedly he probably was.
"Extreme would be losing! James was sneaky putting me with another Parker sister and taking Claire for himself. She can't question everything he does." At my indignant huff, he rolled his eyes. "But it's unimportant! We're losing precious seconds here. Tristan could be on our trail right now. Let's go. We'll sort out your dedication issues later." Holding out his arm like he was back in the Golden Ages, he smiled tightly at me. "Lead the way."
Rolling my eyes, I started walking as stealthily as I could through the back yards of several of my neighbors, not only to appease Sirius but to make sure they couldn't alert Tristan to our presence by calling us out. After a few close calls with Matt and Eleanor, and then an almost run in with a barbecue in the back yard of a semi-young couple that was decent enough not to out us, Sirius and I finally reached the outskirts of the neighborhood. "And you're sure that we won't get busted for cheating or something of the sort because it seems like we're breaking the rule of not leaving the neighborhood." He asked while climbing the wall next to me.
Looking over my shoulder to make sure no one had seen us, I covertly pushed Sirius with my free arm. "For someone who wants to win and is such an 'expert' at it, you really are failing in the stealth department." I muttered as we heaved ourselves over the wall and dropped down to the ground below. While the wall was about 8 feet tall, the ground on the other side, the clear outskirts of the neighborhood and the beginning of the next one, had a much lower incline that held it a small creek that was actually kind of pretty.
The shade from the trees added a slight coolness to the area and it suddenly struck me with just how romantic this little hideaway could be. Frowning slightly, I walked myself over to the creek bed and sat on an overturned rock. Hearing Sirius sigh from behind me, it wasn't too surprising when he took a seat next to me. Pushing the sleeves up on his long-sleeved shirt, he checked the watch on his left wrist and shook his long and shaggy hair out of his eyes.
"We have about thirty minutes until it's time to head back to base and finish the game." He said while staring at the slowly running water in front of us. The tadpoles that had just started to migrate from their little eggs swam rapidly in the creek and we sat in a slightly odd silence while we pretended to ignore each other. I couldn't, however, ignore the way that every time he moved even a muscle I knew what he was doing. Sighing and running a hand through my blonde bob, I blew air into my bangs making them flutter before turning towards him.
"Sirius, I'm so tired of us running circles around each other and watching what we say." I finally whispered as he turned his gaze towards me. Waiting in anticipation, I tried not to be disappointed as he looked back to the creek. Dipping his hand in, he spoke to the water but the words were for me.
"We fucked up, Alexa. There's really nothing that we can say after that. I mean, what I did was wrong and you know that I'm sorry for it. But honestly there's nothing we can do right now that would fix it." Turning to face me, he gave me a sad smile. "I think it's time that we both come to terms with the fact that no matter how we may fight it, we're just not meant to be together."
What he said made sense; it had been running through my mind for as long as I could even fathom the thought of Sirius and I together, but there was just something about the way he said, like he was dethatched from the situation and no longer cared, that hurt something inside my chest. Feeling like I was about to throw-up, I turned back towards the creek to avoid his stare.
"So, what are we supposed to do now? Go back to acting like things were before we got together? Because, Sirius, I'm not sure if I can be just friends with you. It hurts too much," I said the last part in a whisper but with his Animagus hearing I knew that he would understand me. "With us, it's pretty much friends, lovers, or nothing."
Sighing, he ran a hand over his face before digging his free hand into his jet-black locks. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes instead of looking where I desperately needed him to look: at me. "Then I guess it's nothing." Feeling my throat close up, I turned almost completely towards him, not believing what I was hearing.
"Do you really mean that, Sirius? I mean really, really mean that because if you do then we end it all and leave it all here, end of story." I was begging him and I knew that. I also knew that we needed to end it all in this moment because it was so hard to be with him. But I also knew that if he said anything but the words that he still loved me, my heart was going to break into a million tiny pieces and I wasn't going to be able to deal.
Holding my breath, I watched as he finally turned towards me and looked me straight in the eyes. "Alexa," He said and I looked at him trying not to blink or miss a second of it all. "I mean it."
The world didn't stop turning. The sun didn't turn into ash and fall from the sky. The creek water didn't stop churning and the birds didn't stop chirping. My heart didn't stop beating, nor did my body stop craving oxygen as I breathed in and out with a constant, if not somewhat staggered, rhythm.
But as I sat there it felt as if my world had stopped. As if my sun had fallen. Like everything in the world had gone dark in that very moment. And when Sirius turned to stop looking at me and to glance down at his watch, I knew that somehow, this crazy ride had just ended. And instead of being ready for it, my heart was still on the last loop waiting to come down.
Only this time, it was going to be crashing by itself.
The next few minutes passed in a hollow blur. We climbed back over the wall and I assumed my duties as guide back to the house. Stealthily, we reached the yard without any interference and took Tristan by surprise as Sirius slipped back into his charismatic self. I smiled while the others congratulated us and when we went in for dinner; I made an excuse about not feeling well and left for my room to take a shower. Blair was hot on my heels, but upon seeing the look on my face, she gave me a hug, patted me on the back, and told me to owl Lyla.
Not giving her an answer, I turned and walked the rest of the way to my room, grabbing my robe and a towel before sneaking back downstairs to the basement bathroom that housed the walk-in shower and would steam up quickly and without interruption. Flipping on the water, I threw some of the bath supplies I kept stocked in the basement closet into the bathroom before locking the door and quickly pulling off my clothes.
Stepping into the spray, I allowed myself to blink into the incoming barrage of water. This way, if I did eventually cry, I could tell myself it was just the water washing the tracks of my tears away. After I decided that I had had enough and would look like a drowned cat for at least a week, I shut off the water, toweled off quickly, and wrapped my hair in a towel and my body in a robe. Then I made my way up to my room leaving my clothes and shower gear behind while dodging the rest of the family.
Once there, I changed into my pajamas, towel dried my hair, and slipped under the covers to forget the whole day. It was only then that I realized that hell had only thus begun; tomorrow was Easter day.
Page Break
"Hurry, hurry! The door, Alexa. Gary, fix your tie, please." My mother hovered around the entranceway as my Gran and Aunt Suzi made their way up our short driveway. Steeling my breath, I opened our glass door with a painted smile on my made-up face that did almost nothing to hide the dark circles under my eyes. As the door opened, the wind rushed in to ruffle my high-waisted green skirt.
"Darling!" Gran cooed as she shoved her purse and jacket into my father's arms while pulling me in for a crushing hug. "My, my how you've grown into a stunning young lady." Holding me at arms length, she took in my yellow sweater, green skirt, and plaid converse with a smile. Her fingers ghosted over my curly blonde locks before settling back on my upper arms. "Now, where is your sister?"
"Uh, well, she's going to be here in a few minutes. She just went over to her boyfriend's to pick him up for dinner later." I said and my Gran ghosted past me while venturing deeper into the house. "Hey, Suzi," I said with a slight grimace. She nodded back at me with disdain before following my Gran who had successfully already pissed my mother off somehow.
Looking over to my father, who was scowling over the obnoxious red trench and furry purse of my Grandmother's, we exchanged a horrified shudder. "Follow them. Lord knows what she'll do when she sees Sirius and James." Shaking my head in agreement, I followed after my family, meeting them in the kitchen where Blair, who was coifed and done-up for the occasion, was talking to Gran animatedly as James tried unsuccessfully to mat his hair down by the sink. Sirius, who looked like he'd been socked in the stomach, was standing next to James and looking at his eyes in the window's reflection.
Blair excused herself from Gran who smiled happily and followed my astonished looking mother into the living room to meet the rest of the family. "She sure is a character, your Gran." Blair said while taking over for James and raking her fingers through his wet, ebony locks. Styling them into some sort of spiky array, she continued to talk. "The first thing she says when she comes in is that James looks like he's stuck his hand into an electrical socket while showering and that Sirius has eyeliner on. Thanks for the tips on her favorite color being orange, Alex, because she told me I had divine taste in jewelry."
For the first time I smiled without forcing myself to as I noticed Blair's hair barrette and necklace. Matching nicely with the tan she had gotten from playing outside in the hide and go seek game yesterday, her brown hair was straightened to perfection and lay over one shoulder while her blue dress complimented her skin-tone. "Well done on impressing Gran Hennley. It's a tough thing to do and only the best survive."
"I thought I had it under control, but she just walked in and attacked us like it was an unconscious thing. Like insulting us was as easy as breathing for her." James said while rolling the sleeves on his grey button down up. Patting him on the shoulder, Blair led him into the living room leaving Sirius and I standing awkwardly in the kitchen. Giving him a polite nod, he held his arm out for me to go in front of him and I did so without looking him directly in the eyes or speaking.
Letting out my held breath, I laughed as I saw Xavier who had Claire by the collar dig himself into a deeper hole as Gran lectured him on how to treat a lady and Suzi sat primly on the couch being brain assaulted by Eleanor. Sidling up to me, Scott lowered his voice so as not to be heard. "That woman is a piece of work." He muttered and I elbowed my favorite uncle in the ribs slightly.
"She can hear a pen drop in an airport." I whispered, only after realizing that he had no clue what an airport was. I was saved the pain of elaborating for him by the doorbell ringing. "That must be Lyla!" I said while ignoring the looks that my family was giving me and taking off towards the door like I had just been lit on fire. Throwing it open, I looked at my sister happily. "Why the hell did you ring the doorbell to your own house?"
Pulling me into a hug, she laughed while taking her white jacket off to show her flowing cream-colored dress. With a start I realized that she was wearing her engagement ring. "I figured someone would want to get away from Gran and Suzi." She laughed and I rolled my eyes while letting her pass and giving Remus, who was looking very dapper in his dark jeans and coral button down, a brotherly hug.
"Pretty balsy, don't you think, Lyls?" I asked while nodding pointedly towards her ring and smirking. Twirling the diamond around on her finger and allowing Remus to wrap his arm around her waist she shrugged.
"I figured no one will question it until I tell them what it really is and that Mom and Dad already know so why hide it?" Nodding, I led them into the living room to see everyone.
"Fair point. Everyone, Lyla and Remus are here."
In quick succession three things happened; my mother zeroed in on Lyla's ring, Claire let out a high-pitched scream as Matt pulled her pigtails, and my Gran dropped in a dead faint.
After the flurry of movement that followed, picking up Gran and taking her to the cleanest guest bedroom to recover, Lyla and I exchanged a short look at what had just happened. "No way she knows, right? I mean I'm not even showing and even if I was Mrs. Lupin said that this dress did wonders at hiding any bumps that may be seen." Lyla worried as we stood outside of Gran's room as Suzi and my mother brought her around.
"No way. She doesn't know. She can't know." Pausing I looked at the closed door and then frowned. "Oh my god, she knows." I whispered frantically. While Lyla and I secretly freaked out, my mother popped her head out the door and looked at us.
"Gran wants to see you two." She said as she and Suzi stepped out of the room. Motioning for Lyla to walk in, she shook her head frantically and pushed me towards the door. "After all I've done for you step up and take one for the team, Alex. Be the older sister for once. I can't do this! I'm stressing out!"
Nodding my head, I waited for Lyla to relax before grabbing her arm and shoving her into the room ahead of me. She went flying forward and I felt some pride before realizing I had just thrown a pregnant woman. Whoops. Following after my sister, I shut the door behind us and sat at the end of my grandmother's bed whilst tucking my legs underneath me. Lyla sat next to me the same way and we both stared at Gran, who was seated up at the front of the headboard. Sneaking a peek at Lyla out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed that she looked like she was sitting in a line-up in an old mobster movie. I hoped I didn't look the same way.
"When are you due?" Gran asked while looking pointedly at Lyla and making clear by the tone of her voice that she knew and was not leaving any room for questioning. Sighing and tightening her hands around the duvet, Lyla blinked her eyes and muttered, "Around November."
Then, without warning, Gran burst into tears and scooped Lyla up into her arms. Looking at the two crying women, one at the end of her long life and the other just beginning, I held my spot until what seemed like forever and the tears stopped. "Oh, Lyla, I knew that something was wrong the moment I walked in the doors and you weren't there. And then when you walked in the living room," She paused for a moment and wiped her eyes before continuing. "You're glowing, dear. Not showing anywhere yet but you look as if you've been in the sun for the past few weeks."
"I didn't think anyone could tell." Lyla said by way of explanation and I sat awkwardly as they shared a special bonding moment.
"The ring also tipped me off. You are smart to get married but I need to tell you something before you all," Here she looked at me and I understood her point. We would all be helping to raise this child, without a doubt. "Take on this responsibility. Your mother and I briefly discussed this and while she doesn't feel as if it's the right time, I think that you need to be aware of this sooner rather than later."
"What are you talking about, Gran? Other than my parents not really supporting Lyla through any of this I'm not sure what they could have to do with her being pregnant." I said as gently as I could while scooting closer.
"There are things about your mother that you don't know the full story about. There's also a reason why your mother and I no longer get along. When she was about seventeen, very close to Lyla's age now, she met a man also known as your father. Gary Parker was charismatic, sweet as sugar, and ambitious. But he was young and naïve and when he came to me to ask to marry your mother, I didn't know what to say. I didn't know if he could support her. Then your mother came to me with news.
"She was three months pregnant and was dropping her last year of finishing school to marry your father and move away. I was devastated. Everything we had done, worked for, was being thrown away because she made a rash decision and no longer was thinking about herself or her own future." Lyla and I sat with wide eyes, my mind racing a mile a minute trying to comprehend what my Grandmother was saying. "I was also furious with her. Not only was she throwing away her future but she was underage, and being so young without a house or money, she was also throwing away her future child's future."
Lyla took a breath before pausing and then speaking. "I didn't know. We never realized but now it all makes sense." Gran patted her hand before continuing.
"We fought, and not a squabble that we so often get into but a full-blown fight. I wanted her to stay home, give her child up for adoption to parents that would be better suited to take care of a child, or to even let me help raise them. But she refused saying she wasn't a child and that she was capable of providing for another human being. Your father came that night to pick her up and by the next day she was gone. I didn't hear from her until around a month or two later when your father called to tell me the news that she had given birth to a premature baby and due to complications the child hadn't made it." Gran's words stuttered before she paused to take a breath.
By now I could feel the tears beginning in my eyes and Lyla and I exchanged a charged look. Our mother had gone through the same thing as Lyla and Remus, except my parent's had lost their first baby. I had a sister or a brother out there that had died before it had gotten to know the world. "What happened, Gran, to my mom and dad after that?" I asked while picking at the bed sheets.
"Your mother blamed me for a long time. We didn't speak and they moved away to Scotland for a while. Then around the time Lyla was born they moved back to England to send her to school. Our relationship was never the same. But I'm telling you all this because I don't want you to make the same mistake as I did, Lyla. You can't just walk away and you can't let your mother influence you." Gran said while holding onto Lyla's arm. "You have to work through it and come out stronger because she's going to need you and you're going to need her. Do you understand?"
Lyla nodded yes, unable to speak through the tears coming down her face. "And Alexa you need to be the middle ground. Do what you can to keep the peace when it becomes too much. Be the older sister when Lyla needs you and a confidant for your mother." I nodded as well and we sat in silence for a moment before Gran collected herself. "Now we need to buck up and go downstairs. We have things to sort out and things to get done."
With that she bustled out the door and left Lyla and I to sit together. We weren't alone long, however, until James, Sirius, Blair, and Remus bounded through the door. "Your Gran said we were needed." Blair said while pulling Lyla into a hug. I let James put his arm around me as we retold what my Grandmother had told us. As I heard it a second time, a new appreciation for my mother and father welled inside of me.
Standing up quickly, Lyla brushed off Blair while grabbing Remus's hand. "We have something to do." Rushing out the door, we all followed quickly as she made her way into the kitchen where my family was just getting ready to sit down to dinner. "Everyone, Remus and I are having a baby." Never one for subtlety, we sat in silence before my Gran smiled and took my mother's hand.
And then, all hell broke loose.
AmuletGirl A/N: Well fabulous people, wasn't that just great? I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Now, we were planning to get more chapters written over our break, but that didn't go as planned for various reasons. Anyways, this chapter is out for you lovely people to enjoy and we will try to get the next chapter out soon. Hope you all had a Happy Christmas and a fabulous New Year! Oh, and don't forget to REVIEW! Love and Peace to you all