A/N: First off, folks, I am VERY please (Can you tell I'm pleased?) to announce, that Family Life, the first fanfiction I ever wrote, is, at last look, less than 500 hits away from 100,000. I am so very pleased!!!!!!! I never thought to see any story of mine get that many hits. And you have no idea how long it took for me to keep logging in to my own........I mean, I'm very grateful to all helped me reach this mark. The way this thing logs in hits, it may well have pushed past 100,000 by today. I'm tickled silly, really.
Wow. 100,000. In just over two years on the board. I'm thrilled.
Next, I'm sorry, people. I didn't mean to confuse anyone with this. Let me try again.
This is still Enemies. That happy, wandering little story you've been reading since.........well, for a while, at least.
What has happened is, you've completed a story arc. (There is much rejoicing.) All that means is that a significant part of the story is done.
Is this a good 'jumping on place' for new readers? Good heavens, no! Go read the beginning chapters.
So where are we now?
For the next few chapters (I think it's four, but don't hold me to that.) you will be looking at the story based on how Orion is dealing with Katlin leaving him. (Boy has issues.)
It also gives you a very good look at why Orion is an Unspeakable and why most people genuinely fear the man. Again, he didn't get voted into the position, folks.
Beware weird chapter numbering.
For those of you who are interested, my Uncle Bob is doing better.
Also, I would like to point out that the caps key on my keyboard is not working well.
And as always.........,
Enjoy.
Disclaimer: Wow. A 100,000. Who'dve thought?
Oh! Sorry. Ummmmmm, not mine. No money. Don't sue.
Wow. 100,000.
Wow.
Chapter Thirty-Two: Control - Part One
Charly Misser watched his partner from the corner of his eye. Orion had laid the whole story of Katlin leaving him out for Charly over six bottles of Scotch and more shoulder crying than Charly ever thought the man had in him.
But Charly had fully expected it. Orion had had bad relationships before which eventually ran their course.
But they were usually a matter of a week or so.
Not months.
But since that night, Charly had spent a great deal of time keeping a close watch on Orion. He had to admit that while Orion was with the Elite Deatheater, he had missed his friend. He had missed the times they had gone out for an evening on the town, either escorting two women, or going out alone for a night of serious drinking.
Those were the nights Charly had missed the most. No one could hold their liquor quite like Orion Black. For the man to go through two large bottles of anything in an evening and walk out of the bar apparently completely sober was not at all unusual. But when Orion had hooked up with the Deatheater, Charly had noticed not only did Orion cut back significantly on his time with his partner in their commonly enjoyed past-times, but on his other past-times as well.
Mainly his drinking.
In the time Orion was with Katlin, or at least the time Charly surmised the whole affair started, he rarely saw Orion drink anything at all. While on missions the man was nothing short of a tea-toddler, and usually nursing a cup of that all night. But now that the Deatheater was out of his life, apparently so were some of her influences on him. Among them his drinking habits. But that one didn't bother Charly so much. At least not half as much as the other.
The other change Charly had noticed in his partner while he was with Katlin was that his temper had improved significantly. Things that use to set him off as a matter of course he had taken to shrugging off. But with Katlin gone, not only was Orion temper back, but, like his drinking, it seemed worse than ever. Charly had watched the man on mission after mission steadily escalating in how he dealt with the Deatheaters they were fighting. Whereas Orion, like many of the Unspeakables, did his job with clear efficiency, he now was almost seemed to take things personally. Charly was almost starting to feel sorry for whatever poor Deatheater Orion got his hands on in a fight. He wasn't overly eager to ever end things cleanly. The longer he could drag out the fight, the better.
Charly had brought the change in Orion's behavior to Orin Bale's attention several times. But the best he had ever gotten was a half muttered promise to have a talk with Black. Usually he was told that as long as the Auror was doing his job, that was what the Department cared about.
And so, with little else he felt he could do, Charly took his concerns to the source, hoping Orion would listen to him.
Charly had started things out by stopping by Orion's on the way home under the pretense of discussing an ambush the Department had planned for the following evening. Orion was perfectly ready to talk all night about the planned attack, mostly in terms that lingered a little too long on discussing how many Deatheaters he felt he could take out in the time frame allowed.
Charly stood by the fireplace with a glass of scotch in his hand, letting his partner talk himself out before broaching the subject with him.
"Orion," Charly finally said as Orion was getting ready to launch into another long solo discussion about his own outlook for the attack, "do you honestly even listen to yourself anymore?"
Orion stopped abruptly as he looked up at his partner. "Meaning?" The word came out a little slower than usual. But the man was also on his eighth Scotch.
"Do you listen to yourself?"
Orion gave him a small smile. "Not usually. I find myself somewhat boring to listen to."
"I'll go with you there, mate." Charly stated, walking over to where Orion was sitting on the sofa. "But Orion, I'm talking about how you talk about missions lately."
"What are you on about, Charly?"
"Orion, when you talk about a mission, all you talk about is who you're going to kill, how many you're going to kill, or how you're going to kill them."
Orion gave him a wide grin. "What's your point?"
"Orion, mate, you always enjoyed your work. I'll give you that. But lately, you've been enjoyyyyyying your work, you know?" Charly stated, putting a great deal of emphasis on the one word.
"It's a job, Charly."
"No, it's not. Not to you. Not anymore. Orion, you've been making it something personal as of late. Every Deatheater you kill I almost feel sorry for these days."
"Don't!" Orion snapped at him suddenly. "Don't ever feel sorry for them, Charly. They're getting what they deserve."
"What they deserve?"
But Orion had turned his attention now to the fire and was watching it very intently. Like he was trying to memorize something in the flames.
"Orion," Charly prodded carefully, "what did you mean, 'what they deserve'?"
"Just that." Orion replied softly, still watching the flames. "They're getting what they deserve." Orion turned slowly to look at his partner. "They took her away from me, Charly. The took the only good thing in my life. And she'll never come back because of them."
A look of shock came over Charly's face. "Orion, that's plain crazy. Katlin left you. Her choice. Where she went has nothing to do with the Deatheaters. She went back to where she belonged. I mean, slap me for saying it, mate, but you can't blame the Deatheaters for what Katlin did."
But Orion didn't bother to answer him. Instead he had simply turned once again to the fire. Another habit of his he had adopted that Charly hated. If Orion didn't want to hear what you had to say, the man could shut you out like you weren't even there anymore.
"Orion, you need to stop this." Charly told him softly. "You need to get a handle on things, or something much worse could come of this. You aren't concentrating out there anymore. You go into a fight just looking for a black robe to get a hold of. Last month I had to deflect a spell away from you that you didn't even see coming."
"I believe that's what you're there for, Charly." Orion answered flatly.
"Yes, I am." Charly grabbed the man by the shoulder and turned him roughly to him. "But it works both ways, partner. And lately I haven't felt my back being very well protected."
"If you feel that way, Charly," Orion stated, giving the man a cold stare, "then maybe you should ask for reassignment."
"I don't want a new partner, Orion." Charly stated sharply. "I want my old one back."
Orion sighed as he turned back to the fire. "If you came looking for a fight, Charly, then you're at the right place. If not, I suggest whole-heartedly that you leave. Because I'm just in the right mood tonight."
"I'm not looking for a fight with you, Orion. All I am is concerned. You're losing control. Like I've never seen before. You need to get a grip, mate."
"I have a perfectly good grip, Charly. Now either leave or I'll demonstrate."
Charly sighed to himself. "Fine. I'll go. But I'm gonna leave you with one thought, mate. And I want you to think about it hard. You're so concerned about your little piece of fluff? Think about this then. You go into these fights like a tornado. You don't look, you don't slow down, you practically throw caution to the wind. All you're thinking about, by your own admission, is how many Deatheaters you can kill. Now, what if one of these days, in your mad dash to reach one more than the time before, you reach out and grab her?"
Orion took a drink off his scotch, then turned to Charly with a knowing smile. "Won't happen." He replied confidently.
"Really? You're so sure of that?"
"Positive."
"Why?"
"Because it won't. Katlin's an informant. An interrogator. She doesn't go into the general skirmishes. So stop worrying about it. Honestly, you're worse than me Mum."
Charly sighed to himself. He wasn't going to get anywhere with his partner today, that was for sure.
"All right." He said. "But, I'm not going to leave you alone with this, partner. If you need me, Orion, I'm just a call away. You know that."
"Charly, I just want to be left alone right now. All right? I'll see you at the office tomorrow."
"We have that meeting in the morning with Bale. Do you remember that? About that raid we're going to crash next week."
"I'll be there, Charly. Don't worry."
"If you're not, I'm coming over here."
"I'll be there."
"See to it."
Orion watched his partner step into the fire and disappear. He appreciated Charly's concern, but there was simply no need for it. He was over-dramatizing things. What had he expected him to do after Katlin left? Go on like nothing had happened? Dealing with the Deatheaters was how he got it out of his system. It was something to focus on. Something else to think about. Something else to do besides sit around and go crazy. Wondering where she was. Who she might be with. Was she safe? Was she happy? Would he ever see her again.? Would she even remotely remember him?
No. Those were thoughts best not dwelled on.
Work. That was what he needed to keep his mind on now.
And work meant dealing with the Deatheaters.
The meeting in the morning went like most meetings did. Plans were discussed and arrangements made. The ambush was to be a simple procedure. More of a 'hit and run' as Charly called them. Get in and take out as many as you can be reinforcements showed up. It was a successful tactic so far.
The only problem with it was that it was a favorite of the Deatheaters as well.
At the end of the meeting, Charly grabbed Orin Bale and directed him aside, away from the others as the group slowly filed out of the room.
"Bale, I need to talk to you." Charly told him.
Bale turned an impatient stare to his agent. "Be quick about it, Misser. I have another meeting in fifteen minutes."
"Sir, it's about Orion."
"Bewitching your parchment to do origami on your desk again, Misser?" He asked, heading for the door. "Tell him to stop and that's an order."
"Sir," Charly grabbed the man's arm, "it's a bit more serious than that."
Bale stopped and turned to the man. "Well?"
"Sir, it's Orion's whole attitude about these attacks. He's treating these assignments like their hunts instead of missions."
"Are we back to that, Misser?" Bale replied in a bored tone. "Look, if you disapprove of the man's methods, ask for reassignment. Because I'm not going to lose two of my best agents because you two can't decided on the humane treatment of Deatheaters. All right?"
"Sir, this is serious!"
"So am I, Misser! And what's more, I'm late. So here it is. Settle your problems internally or I'll reassign you myself. Is that understood?"
Charly pulled back slightly. He wasn't going to get the help he had hoped for from Bale.
"Yes, Sir." He replied quietly.
The morning of the mission Charly stuck to Orion like glue. If he couldn't get the man to try and be a little less reckless, the least he could do is try and protect him. Watch his back and try and get them both home alive. Hopefully this was just a stage. Some phase he was working his way through and he would come out of it soon.
Orion prepared for the mission like he prepared for most ambush attacks. He sat in the room where they were to meet before apparating to the arranged area, watching the others arrive. He sat anxiously tapping his feet against the ground. He hated the waiting. It was a total lack of activity for him. A lack of concentration. A lack of anything to do with his mind.
But finally everyone had arrived and they apparated out.
If nothing else, Orion had to agree with Charly on one point. He was starting to like these types of missions a bit too much. But, it was, after all, his job. And as the old saying went, 'someone had to do it'.
The Deatheaters arrived almost to the second the Unspeakables expected them. Thank heavens they were punctual, Orion told himself. He hated wasting time.
His goal that night was simple. Take out more than he had the last time. Grab hold, deal the curse, move on. That was how the job was done most efficiently.
Thirty minutes into the fight, Orion was avidly pursuing his fifth Deatheater. The black robed figure had managed to elude his grasp several times and even got off a well aimed blast from their wand that he narrowly managed to sidestep. But finally he felt his finger make contact with the cloth of the Deatheaters hood. He firmly grabbed hold and gave a solid yank.
A female voice answered with a slight yelp of surprise.
Female! How he hated getting females!
But, he sighed to himself as he pulled the black-robed body back to him, that was all part of it. Male. Female. They were all Deatheaters. And he treated them all the same.
That was the thought he focused on as he grabbed the Deatheater about the throat and pushed the tip of his wand into her neck.
Say the spell, drop the body, move on. Simple.
Orion started to speak the words he had said a hundred times before. Without thought. Without emotion.
But he stopped abruptly. Something inside of him was screaming at him to stop. He tried his best to focus on what it was. But he couldn't latch onto anything clear. It was just...a feeling. An all too familiar feeling.
Orion grabbed the Deatheater by the shoulder and pulled her about to face him.
Looking back at him with a defiant, hate-filled gaze, was Katlin Griss.
'Merlin's Beard!' Orion took a step back in shock. He had almost killed her! He had almost shoved his wand up against her neck, spoken the killing curse, and dropped her dead body to the ground. He would never have even known. Never realized who he had killed that day.
How many times had he come this close before? Others had gotten away from him. One's whose faces he never saw. Had one of them been her?
Orion had never even thought of such a thing. Of the possibility even. Not until Charly had mentioned it to him. That inadvertently, he might have killed the woman he loved so desperately and he would never have even known.
Orion looked about quickly. To his left a group of Deatheaters was preparing to disapparate. Orion grabbed Katlin by the arm and shoved her towards them.
"There!" He shouted at her as he pushed her in their direction. "Run! Don't stop. Just run."
Katlin stood for a moment staring back at him. Her expression was a mixture of confusion and surprise. Both keeping her rooted to the spot where she stood.
"Run!" Orion shouted at her again.
Katlin pulled back a step, then turned and ran as fast as she could towards the others. She managed to side-step a stray spell as a streak of light cut in front of her. Finally she dove into the cover of the group just as the pull of the spell took them all to safety.
Orion watched the group disapparate. Watched his love vanish before his eyes. But at least she was safe.
This time.
The sudden fear of the thought washed over him like a cold fire. She was safe for now. But what about the next time? What if she met with someone else the next time? Someone who would treat her just as he treated the others. Like just another Deatheater.
He had to do something. Come up with some way to protect her.
"Orion!"
The sound of his name snapped him out of his thoughts. Looking up Orion saw his partner running towards him.
"What in the name of Magic did you just do?!" Charly asked breathlessly.
Orion turned a blank expression to his partner. "What?"
"You just let a Deatheater go free! You even helped them escape! What are you doing, mate!?"
Orion tried to focus his stare on the man next to him. "Charly, that was Katlin." He explained in a voice as unfocused as he gaze.
"Mate, I don't care if it was Santa in black robes, passing out presents to all the good little Deatheaters. You just assisted a Deatheater in an escape. In the middle of a battle. Can you even hope no one else saw that?"
Orion sighed quietly. "Well, we'll find out, won't we." He replied mildly.
Q&A
Sailor Sol: You're heart is breaking for him? Why? Granted, generally I love people feeling sympathy for my characters. But let's face it. The man got himself into this all by himself. He just couldn't leave well enough alone.
I'm glad you are enjoying college. Roommates can be a pain though. Can you get reassigned?
The other is a senior at your college and you know 'some of her personalities'? Oh, dear, this does not sound good. I mean, most of us generally have just the one, Dear.
As you saw in the Author's Notes, no, this story is not done. Control is just the start of a new phase of Enemies. But it is still all one story line.
Three hours standing in the cold? Dear, were you acting as the jumper cables or so? Otherwise, I'd have watched from the window.
nessie: Distraught, Distraught, distraught, distraught. The poor woman is distraught. Utterly, totally, thoroughly distraught. Completely distraught. Highly distraught. Unbelievably distraught. Understandably distraught. Fully distraught. (Ha! One more than you. Phfffffft!)
Yes, poor Tets was getting very fond of his new Misses. I find it somewhat odd, actually, that no one thought it even slightly strange that a creature that so totally disliked (feared?) Deatheaters, would take such a liking to Katlin.
Ummmmmm, again I would like to point out, exactly what proof do you have Voldemort did actually do it?
And lets not lay everything at poor Katlin's feet. Orion had his part to play in all of this too. Katlin just reacted to something told to her that she had no control over. And she was nice to Orion about it. I mean, she did try to arrange things so she wouldn't kill him later on. So despite everything, she must have still felt something for him. (Which, by the way, plays a large part in events later on.)
skahducky: Bo might be fun to read about, but in the next few chapters you will see he isn't all fun and games. In the wrong hands, he can be something entirely different.
What's stopping her from falling in love all over again? Nothing. And anything is possible. However, the fact that Katlin and Orion fell in love to begin with was against the odds. How much more so must they be for a second chance?
Unless someone were to tip the odds in their favor.
Glad you enjoyed the chapter, Dear.
Eva Phoenix Potter: Well, doing what your readers don't expect is sort of what keeps the story interesting.
Granted, I took a good tongue lashing from several call-ins (People who are reading this who actually have my phone number. I commonly refer to them as 'friends'.). But I generally do not manipulate my stories based on popular opinion.
Silverfox: Well, glad to hear your grandfather is doing OK. And my Uncle Bob is proving once again he is a tough old bird.
Katlin didn't think it was odd? Well, two points on that. One, Katlin has no idea what Bo is and isn't capable of. Only Orion knows that for sure. And even he isn't really sure of the extent of Bo's abilities. Secondly, she was a bit distraught. (Go see nessie's answer.).
Does that prove he didn't mess with her mind. No.
Does it prove that he did? No.
Ha! Thought you had me, didn't you?
I'm not saying it wasn't an show of his power that Bo could apparate someone through the wards around the house or through those at the school, but let me point out a few things you're missing here.
One: Katlin was wearing her pendent still. (Still is, by the way. Please note, people, that she did not give it back to Orion. Nor did Dumbledore ask her to hand it over. That plays later in the story.) Her pendent allows her to apparate past the wards at the house.
Two: Who set up the wards at the house?
Three: Who set up the wards around the school?
Four: Who do you think taught Orion how to do that?
Five: Who taught Orion how to break the ward on the cellar steps?
Six: Who do you think knows a liiiiiiiiiiittle bit more about wards than he's telling?
'Distance' to Bo is just a little bit further than the other place. You know. It isn't point A, its point B, which just isn't point A. (In other words, distance is sort of irrelevant to him. Places for Bo are just seen as 'not other places'.)
Hence, I would like to point out why Bo is sometimes a little difficult to write about.
But I still love him.
Being in and working with computers and the like all day long, I have learned more acronyms then I ever care to. Computer people have an acronym for just about everything they do. And they tend to use them like normal people use real language.
I assume you meant you 'haven't' asked to see him for an entire story now. And by the way, Dear, your last review blows that record.
Why do you assume Snape isn't working for Dumbledore? Which he is, by the way. Dumbledore may not consider Voldemort a major player right now, but he doesn't see any harm in keeping an eye on him either.
Family Life
ShardWing: I'm very glad you like it, Dear. Please watch for the sequel, Family Relations, due out this year.
The Bonds That Tie
DeathScythe Custom: My, but we had a busy day.
Ah, another favorite authors/story list. Thank you, Dear.
Cookies? I get cookies! Yah!
Actually, The Ties That Bond does have a sequel, Dear. Tried And Convicted is the sequel to that story.
Nope. James and Lily didn't come back to life. And they weren't exactly ghosts either. Spirits, maybe. But not ghosts.
Generally I consider it a honor another author would allow me to work with her characters. Therefore I try not to do anything..........harmful in a permanent way.....to them. I don't so 'incidents'.
A Dog's Day
Penny: I have no idea where this story came from, actually. But a lot of people seem to like it. I just wish it were read more.