Beautiful Oblivion

I would choke on the rines

But the lack thereof

Would leave me empty inside

I would swallow my doubt

Turn it inside out

Find nothin' but faith in nothing

"Oh that dress…" Romulus cooed with a grin. Bringing Gale towards him, he ran kisses along her neck. "You're so beautiful."

"Oh, don't be such a silver tongued devil," she said, playfully pushing him away. "We have work to do."

"Yeah, I know," he replied, swiping a mix of umber and golden locks from his eyes. "But I'd rather not."

She stiffened. "Romulus," she whispered, bowing her head. "This is what we've been waiting for. Our chance." She looked back at him. "Don't you care anymore?"

He sighed, turning his eyes away. "Grab your cloak," he said coldly. "We have a party to wreck."

A smile broke through. "Now that's the man I fell in love with."

~+~+~+~

A snort and Charlie hit the beetle with dead on accuracy. "Galloping gargoyles," he complained, tossing his head back. "Some bloody posh folk and a candlelit dinner. Where's the excitement in this place?"

Bob looked up timidly. "Perhaps, it hasn't arrive yet?"

"Smart ass," he breathed, bringing his head forward to peer at the manor. He swung his head around. "Where's Romy and that lady of his?"

"Solitaire?" He automatically rubbed his hands together. "Got me," he checked his watch. "They shouldn't be far off."

"That's a pretty lady."

Bob glanced at Charlie, who motioned towards a tall woman with thick, golden curls falling around her shoulders and wearing a black dress. Oh, but the dress… She didn't so much wear the dress as the dress wore her. She waltzed to the front door, a prominent beat in her step and a swing in her hips.

"That's her," Bob announced, rubbing the flesh off his palms. "Gale Solitaire."

"A bit of a tramp," Charlie commented, spitting soon after.

"Now, now… That's not at all polite. Why, you've only just met her," a voice rang from behind them. Slowly, they turned their heads skyward and met the copper eyes of Romulus Lupin. "Evening, gentlemen." He crouched down between them. "Enjoying the view?"

"Er… yes?" Bob tried.

"Good, good… But unfortunately," he cracked his knuckles. "I'll have to handicap your evening. I do hope you can forgive me… it is not at all for my pleasure, just simply for your… protection." And he smiled, the light striking his face in a certain way.

He reached for his wand, and the world exploded for the Ford Brothers.

~+~+~+~

"My dear," a man said, touching Vala's elbow. "Would you mind in passing the cheese, hmm?"

She stared, the wineglass halfway to her mouth. "Er… no." She set down her glass, lifted the platter, and handed it to him.

He began scraping the slices unto his plate. "You know," he chuckled, "One of my favorite quotes is about cheese."

"Is that so…"

"Yes, it's quite clever really."

"Really," she said dryly, attempting to sound interested. She had to admit, the man had some life in him. Which was more than she could say for the rest of the guests.

"It's," he sat back, his eyes glazing as he stared at the chandelier. "Quite interesting, really… An old mate of mine was nicking some bottles from his father's wine cooler… They were entire basements in those days, mind you. And I asked him, I said, 'Why are you doin' that?' and you know what he said?" He looked expectantly at Vala, a smirk crossing his face.

"No, I can't say that I do," she replied, raising the glass to her lips.

"He said, he said," and his eyes traveled back to the chandelier. "He said to me, and I'll swear I've never seen a more devious smile, he said, 'If the moon was made of cheese, wouldn't you like a slice?'" The old man let loose a ripple of laughter. A ripple, hell, it was the whole bloody river.

Vala's eyes shot around. He was causing quite a scene. "Yes… er… that's very amusing, but if you'll be so kind--I forgot something in my dress chamber." Pushing her chair back, she excused herself from the table.

Hurrying up the stairs, she missed Gale's grand entrance.

~+~+~+~

CRACK

Grant looked disgruntled. "Fae, I've been waiting around for hours and--are you smoking?"

Purely by luck, Fae had been facing the opposite direction been Grant turned up. With a grimace, she'd swallowed the last half of the stale cigarette before he could see her face. "Uh… no," she croaked. "Remus was making tea."

He looked from Fae's innocent façade to Remus standing by the teakettle. "What are you two up to?"

"Nothing," she lied, turning away and desperately searching the table. She pulled a flimsy book up from under a newspaper. "Here, why don't you do some crosswords in the living room?"

His eyes rolled to her suspiciously. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, nothing… Here, take this and go in there..." She stood up and began ushering him out and into the living room.

"I don't wanna," he pouted like a five-year-old.

"Tell ya what," she negotiated. "If you stay out of the way like a good lad and I'll bring you some chocolate milk."

He gave her puppy dog eyes.

"Oh all right, with a sippy top."

A simple grin cracked his face and he bounced into the living room.

She rolled her eyes and turned to Remus. "Got milk?"

~+~+~+~

Where is it, oh Merlin where is it?

Vala was opening desk drawers and pushing clutter aside in a frenzy. She stood erect, her eyes searching the desktop and then sweeping to the bed. Okay, I had it on me last Tuesday. I--that's it!

She grabbed a green cloak and thrust her hand into a concealed inner pocket. She retrieved a corked bottle; it was old and chipped. Small as it was, it was important. Bundling the gown up to her thigh, she slid the bottle into a black laced garter with sky blue trimming.

Letting the gown drop back into place, she left the room and rushed down the staircase. Dinner was over, and guests were socializing in hushed whispers. Her brow furrowed. "Where's Saxon?"

A few guests looked up, but more fell extraordinarily interested in their wineglasses. They knew the Malfoy woman had her issues. She was a silent rose, as beautiful too, but say the wrong thing at the wrong time and that woman bit. Just like a snake. Just like the other Malfoys.

"Left with a woman," the old man said. "That Gale woman, I believe. Yes," he pointed to the front door. "Right out there."

She swung her head to the door, and narrowed her eyes. "Is that so…" And fuming, she strode for the door, pushing the door servant back a few feet on her way out.

~+~+~+~

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Remus asked quietly.

"No," Fae said definitely. "If we knew when or where, maybe, but we don't."

"But you're a Seer. Is the Inner Eye malfunctioning?"

She regarded him coldly. "The Inner Eye, as you so kindly put it, can see the future. But what is the future? The future can change." She leaned forward, clipping every syllable with precision. "I see films of the past and present, but the future is only a snippet; A picture in my mind that can be torn with the simplest detail. I cannot predict the future because the future is ever changing. This ambush, as I've chosen to call it, could be launched at five… but if something goes wrong, even the smallest hitch, it could change to five fifteen."

"But that's only fifteen minutes," he tried to reason.

She moved back. "Every minute counts, love, every second makes a difference."

"Oh, hell yes! '50 percent' and four letters--that's 'half' my dear! Which means 'above the ____ plain' begins with an F and is seven letters long…"

Remus and Fae exchanged glances then turned to stare at the doorway leading to the living room. "That would be 'fruited,' my love," Fae shouted. "'Above the fruited plain' not--"

"Blasted!" They heard Grant kicking the floor with irritation then the feathery toss of a book. "I hate crosswords!" he declared loudly. Then as an afterthought, "More milk chocolate please!"

~+~+~+~

"Saxon?" Vala called hotly. "Where are you?" She stepped down from the platform, glaring into the darkness. She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Saxon! Get over here right this instant!" Her heels clicked on the stones. She folded her arms and stared icily around the yard.

And a figure escaped from the darkness. "Vala, Vala! Come quickly!"

Vala took a step back. "Remus?" her hands reached her collarbone. "What are you doing here?"

"It's Fae!" he exclaimed, grabbing her wrist and tugging her forward. "They've got Fae! We need to hurry!"

"Wait, who has her?" She pulled back on her wrist. "Who has Fae, Remus?"

He looked at her pleadingly. "Please, I'll explain on the way. We haven't got much time, Vala, we must hurry."

She hesitated for a moment, and stole a glance at the manor. "I… Oh alright, let's go."

~+~+~+~

"Fine," Fae broke. "I'll see what I can…" She bowed her head and concentrated.

Minutes turned into years, and Remus wrapped a nervous finger around a frayed end of his robes.

Finally looking up, horror was spelt across her face. "They've got her," she managed. "The ambush has been launched."

(A/N: Sorry this update wasn't as quick as the last few--I spent the Fourth of July holiday at a friend's house. Heh. My first year in five that I've seen fireworks; it really is an amazing experience, I must admit.)