Family Man
She
had a sulky smile
She took a standard pose as she presented
herself
She had sultry eyes she made it perfectly clear that
She
was his for a price
But he said leave me alone I'm a family
man
And my bark is much worse than my bite
He said leave me
alone I'm a family man
If you push me too hard I just might
Family man- Oldfield Mike
The girl sat down heavily on the bed. Her hands were splayed over her stomach and her eyes stared ahead lifelessly. She was sure that if anyone were to be watching her, they would see nothing but an empty shell. When she had met the boy who had caused all this she had been just six. He had been the only one who understood, her only friend. Now even he had deserted her. Taking a deep breath, Helen stood from the bed. 'Well, look on the bright side. At least orphans have no parents to break the news to,' she sighed, 'only social workers'. Pregnant at 16 was not the way Helen Blundell had imagined leaving the orphanage. In her daydreams Remus had always been there to sweep her away. But now when she needed him most he wasn't there.
Her social worker had not been best pleased when he was told and so she packed her bag and left. Helen shook the snow out of her hair and began to walk. She knew where she was going but what she would do when she got there was another thing entirely. There had been a joke between them when they were young that Remus was a werewolf and if she ever needed him she should just howl and he would be there because they were soul mates and belonged together. She was older now, wiser. She knew it would never work no matter how much she wanted it to. But somehow deep down she had always hope that maybe, just maybe it might work.
She wandered aimlessly through the snow. She had known where she was going, to their place, the spot under the beech tree where they would meet and make love until the sun came up, but now thinking of all the things that had happened in the past two months, questions began to arise. He hadn't met with her in two months, would he ever come? And even if he did would he stand by her and her child?
7 months later
Helen cuddled her squealing daughter close to her chest, Her heart pounding as she lifted the brass knocker on the front door.
'Please be home,' she begged, 'please'. The snow had long since melted and now the blossoms were on the trees. In these long months as she grew bigger and rounder, he had not returned. She was well and truly alone. The door flew open and a shaft of light illuminated mother and child.
'Please mrs Granger, you have to help me' Her face was bloody and the dress she had worn for the past seven months was torn and dirty at the hem. The shock on the older woman's face was evident as she took in Helen's dishevelled appearance and the baby girl in her arms.
'You had better come in' the woman stepped aside and led the couple in. The living room was small and warm and Helen had never known such comfort.
'So are you going to explain or do I have to guess?'
'Remus left me and when they found out about the baby they kicked me out. I have been living on the street since then. Is that all?' Her tone was rude, she knew but at that moment all she cared about was getting her daughter safe.
'And the child?'
'She's Remus'' Jean Granger smiled at the young woman. She was 36 and still no baby had appeared and here was this girl, 16 and homeless, with a baby in no time. She should have felt bitter and jealous but all she could feel was pity and longing. Pity that this girl little more than a child herself could be faced with so heavy a burden and longing for a child of her own.
'…. So what do you think?' Helen's voice broke her out of her reverie.
'What?' she said quietly.
'I want you to take my baby.' Jean gasped and nodded.
An hour later
Helen turned to leave and smiled over her shoulder at the child in Jean's arms.
'Wait!' she turned, 'What's her name?'
Helen planted a soft kiss on the apple cheek of her daughter, 'Hermione'.
11 years later
Her red heels clicked loudly on the pavement, her red gold hair swinging. Memories were blurred now. Golden eyes saw sharper visions but distorted those of the past. As Helen walked the streets of London her scarlet lips smiling, she tried to recall the London she had known 11 years ago. Her beauty dazzled streetwalkers as she went but that was not her concern. Not today. Today she would find her daughter and they would be reunited. Cold hands touched cold face imagining a flush of pleasure that she knew was impossible. To flush she needed blood and those days were behind her now.
'Helen! Helen, is that you?' Kimberley kept her head forward. She had not been Helen for a long time and he could not recognise her. Whoever he was he needed to leave. Everyone thought her either dead or in America it needed to stay that way. How would she explain her never changing face or the fact that when the sun came out, she stayed in. No, he must go.
'Helen!' The mystery man shouted loudly and began to run quickly along the street behind her. The stench of what she knew to be a werewolf filled her nostrils. Suddenly a warm hand was placed on her shoulder. She turned to face him in horror. A touch was dangerous for humans. If a hand lingered too long it could prove fatal. Then, if her heart was beating it would have stopped, she noticed his face.
'Remus' the word came out as little more than a breath. He was older, more scarred but just as beautiful as her human memories allowed her to remember. His eyes sparkled with that blue grey colour she loved so much and his blonde hair though now streaked with grey that she knew was fake from the smell of magic surrounding him, still flopped adorably into his eyes. As she assessed him, he did the same to her. Her eyes had changed from the chocolate that he loved to a liquid gold that was equally attractive and her red gold hair that had previously been mousy brown swung ferociously whenever she moved. But her face was the same. Her mannerisms were the same. It was definitely she.
'What happened to you? What happened to my lovely Helen?' His hands touched her face and she felt the surge that always came when her power was in action. Her own face appeared in her head and she gasped. She was his soul mate. But no, now was not the time. He had betrayed her. There would be time for love later on.
'Don't touch me! Helen is dead! Only Kimberley remains and she does not belong to you' the anger in her eyes shocked him and he stepped back as if burned.
'I'm sorry maybe there has been some mistake.'
'No please wait I didn't mean it to come out like that. I was Helen once. But no longer.'
'What happened to you?' Her eyes closed as if a great pain had overcome her.
'Let's take a walk' she grabbed his hand in her ice cold one. She knew just the place.
Two hours later
'So I went to America. Forks actually, in Washington. Another coven took me in, the Cullens. Nice bunch. They taught me their 'vegetarian' lifestyle. When I came back I searched for you but I could find you nowhere'
His mouth gaped. 'So we have a daughter? And you are a vampire?' She laughed, her scarlet lips turning upwards.
'I bet you think I'm crazy! Sometimes I think I am crazy! I can understand why you don't believe me but believe this. Our daughter is amazing! She's so beautiful and smart. She reminds me of you. You'd be proud of her.' Tears gathered in her eys and her voice grew thick with emotion. Without thinking he stood and wrapped his arms around the sobbing vampire. She pushed him away gently.
'I'm not going to deny it and say I don't still love you and we made something great together but you left me and I'm still not ready to forgive you yet.' He nodded silently.
'Maybe its time I told you were I went. I am a wizard, not only that but a werewolf. I bet your nose already told you that though right? In my world there was a war. And well, I was on a mission for the order who I work for. I thought you'd be there when I got back. But I returned and the nuns told me you had gone. Looked at me like I had the plague those nuns did. I guess I know why now. I even went to the Grangers. Jean had a baby do you believe?' he laughed, 'that was she wasn't it? Our little girl?' she nodded, tears running wildly down her cheeks.
'I'll never leave you again, I promise. I love you so much'
'Oh God! Remus I love you too and we will find her again. Our Hermione'
Twenty Years later
'So you're my parents?'
'Yes, we thought it best you stayed with the Grangers. You had a loving home with them, I couldn't take that away from you no matter what I wanted.' Hermione smiled tearfully and ran to embrace them.
'It's a good job we told you now because your werewolf gene will stop you from ageing any further' Hermione laughed at her mother.
'Nice way to bring it down babe.' Remus laughed. Soon the whole family joined in. Hermione cried. She finally belonged. But for how long?
If you didn't work it out. Kimberley has the power to see people's soul mates by just touching them. How could she use that to help her daughter do you think?