It was three days before there was signs of either woman waking in Alexandrias bed. Natasha felt like her whole body had been run over by a mack truck as she tried to move but found that there was something keeping her in place. Or rather someone she noted once her eyes opened and focused. Alex was pressed flush against her, their legs intertwined and the girls hands were clenching her ruined blood stained hoody.. Her mind flashed back violently in a moment. The Hydra strike team had somehow tracked her down again. The gun fire inciting a stampede of people fearing for their lives. Her trying to get Alexandria to run to safety. The impact of bullets piercing her back and coughing up blood as her body slumped against the building thinking that if the two of them had to die this way at least Alex would not die in agony, that she had at least succeeded on that front in protecting her younger wife.
"If you ever worry me like that again I won't ever forgive." Alexandrias eyes opened looking up at Natasha. She'd been awake for a few minutes before she felt the signs of the redheads body beginning to stir. They both probably looked a right mess but she couldn't care less. Natasha was alive and safe, that was all that mattered to her. "You scared me back there Nat... I thought I was going to lose you... You were losing a lot of blood as I tried to get you stay with me and not die.." she said quietly nuzzling into the hollow flesh of the redheads throat.
"Sorry. Thinking of your safety was more important my own Raven" Natasha said wincing slightly as it hurt to move but circled her arms around Alexandria to squeeze her gently. Her actions had the unintended consequence of not only worrying Alex but making her fear for her life. What kind of wife did that make her to cause this sweet young thing to stress? A pretty crappy one in her personal silent opinion. "Its not the first time I've been shot at or actually shot though."
"Doesn't make it any better!" Alexandria punched Natashas shoulder, it was weak given she refused to leave the redheads side and they hadn't eaten in three days, to make her point. "To make this marriage work I need you here and alive. With me" she said, her voice near a whisper as her eyes began tearing up. Morgana above why was she on the verge of a total emotional melt down? Yes nearly losing her was a traumatizing thought in and of itself but it felt like there was more behind it coming through.
Natasha kicked herself mentally as her grip tightened on Alexandria. She really fucked up scaring Alex that bad. The fear of almost losing her, not even caring that they'd die together but losing her so violently shook her younger wife to core and there lied her fault. She was so used to looking out for number one, herself naturally, that even with the last few weeks she was still in the mindset of looking out for number one while keeping the potential victims from harms way when idiots like Hydra showed up to cause trouble. Even though it hurt like hell she moved her head so that their eyes met and she lifted a hand to wipe the undshed tears away. "You're right Alex, I'm sorry" she said cupping the raven haired girls cheek.
Alexandria shivered and rested her cheek against Natasha hand searching the redheads eyes. Within them she found what she was looking for. She wasn't just saying it but there was slivers of sincere regret and hurt for making her stress, worry and fear for the others life. "Just...Just don't do it again ok? I can't lose you to the violent grip of death... Not like how I lost my parents.." She leaned forward and kissed the redhead softly, her eyes closing as she poured every ounce of relief and thanks into it that the other made it through ok.
Natashas eyes widened a little hearing that as she returned the kiss. Alexandrias parents had been murdered? Was that one of the girls biggest fears that she would be cut down too, that she would have her ripped violently and permanently from her life? Breaking the kiss she freed one hand and tapped the girls closed eyes. "Alex I promise you on my life you will not lose me to a violent end. We will live a LONG happy life together and when the time comes for us both to move on from this mortal coil do you what I'm going to be able to say?" she asked looking the other girl dead in the eyes.
Alexandria shook her head a little and gulped silently under Natashas intense gaze.
"I'm going to be able say with no reservation of mind, body or soul that I love you with every part of my being. I'm going to be able to say with no reservation of mind, body or soul that our getting married when we did was a sign and a blessing in disguise. That if there is a higher power out there then they finally gave us a break by giving us each other Alex in a time where when we look back on these days we'll say we knew that we needed someone who could well and truly understand us" Natasha said with a tiny heart warmingly sincere smile tugging at her lips. "And when that day comes, when we're old and grey, I'll take you in my arms like we are right now and we'll face death together. As a team come Hell or high water."
Alexandria felt the silent tears fall even as her eyes glowed bright enough to flood a room at Natashas words. The sincerity of the promise was not in question but the picture that the redhead painted made her heart ache for that the day to be now, to have a lifetime of happy memories and small gestures of love made to her at her beck and call. 'The day will come and they will be at our beck call but you must make them starting now. Today is the first one. The first one in a lifetime of happiness' a part of her mind supplied with gentle reassurances. "You're promising me old and grey, I'm going to hold you to that" she said quietly as she nuzzled into the others cheek.
"I'd expect no less from my little intelligent Raven" Natasha said laughing quietly as she squeezed Alexandria with the arm still wrapped around her. "Not only will we be old and grey but there will be girls around that look like us too. Beautiful girls with your bright emerald eyes, my hair, our strength of heart and conviction to stand up to do whats right. The future is bright for us my Raven, never believe for a second it isn't."
Alexandrias lips were pulled into an almost cheshire grin of pure happiness at the thought. Even if the talk of daughters was just talk to make the future enticing it still made her heart sing. For once she didn't hear the niggling voice in the back of her tell that her world was going to crumble around her. For once she didn't hear it say she was going to die alone and unloved by anyone. That voice was gone and Natashas voice replaced it with soft gentle repeated promises that flooded her with unrepentant hope. "If this is all a dream you better not wake me up" she said having to will the muscles making her smile to relax.
"If you're dreaming than I have to be as well and I'll shoot whoever wakes me up. I never had the highest hopes of being truly and utterly content with someone but you proved me wrong. Your heart, your laughter, your everything Alex... I don't imagine, no I can't and won't imagine a day from now on without you. You are my dream come true Alexandria. It doesn't matter you're younger than me and I'm old enough to...".
"Old enough to what Nat?" Alexandria asked curiously seeing the redhead freeze after realizing she let her mouth run a little too much much.
Natasha cursed silently knowing Alexandria would ask until either she got answer or she herself told tbe girl to drop. "Old enough to be your mother ok" she said with a pout.
Alexandrias face screwed up in a thoughtful expression before shrugging in the redheads arm. "And I would be offended by that because why exactly? There are girls as young as eight in the magical British community that their fathers sign bridal promisary contracts to men who are in their fifties and sixties if they think that they can make money off selling their daughters future. So what if you're at leat ten years older than me? You could pass as no older than your mid to late twenties on your looks alone. Thats not even counting what the introduction of my magic to your body has done to it" she said nonchalantly.
Natasha jaw was on the floor, metaphorically speaking, as Alexandria not only took in stride how much older that she was then the girl but explained the barbaric practice of selling your childrens married future for money was still socially acceptable in magical England. "So you're not bothered by the fact I'm thirty three? Old enough to be your mom" she asked.
"Not in the slightest. Like I said its common place for witches to marry to older people. At least I can say I partly chose mine, the alcohol may have gone to our heads leading to the decision to marry in a drunken stupor but it was a choice that I made for myself. Plus like I said, you could pass on looks as twenty something and its still undetermined how my my magic introduced to your body. I have ideas but without a qualified Healer, almost the same things a mundane doctor but much more efficent at healing injury and disease, its all guesses" Alexandria said. She opened her mouth to say more but the rumbling of their stomachs, perfectly in-synch, filled rhe air making her blush. "We uh... We should shower, dress and go downstairs to find something to eat. I don't know what day it is but I highly doubt its the same day as when this happened" she said reluctantly pulling herself free and pointed to the blood stained hoodie. "You shower first, I have to find my dad and..."
The door to the bedroom opened and Sirius stood there with an irate scowl on his lips as an official looking pair of Ministry stooges and men in suits flanked him. "They've been unconscious three days and you morons want to.. I stand corrected, they're finally awake. Let them get presentable and questions may be asked down in the drawing room over a cupa" he said turning on heel to stare down the foursome
"Cupa?" the pair in suits asked
"What Lord Black is saying that we may ask our questions while he sets out drinks for us once the young ladies have made themselves suitable for official company like ourselves. Honestly, how you Americans claim to speak english but barely understand The Queens english we taught your forebears before you decided to rebel is beyond me" one of the Ministry stooges, a rather stocky witch, said with a haughty sniff of disapproval.
Natashas eyes narrowed in annoyance as she threw her hand out in annoyance at the door. She was barely fully awake and over setting Alexandria at ease for gods sake! She wasn't in a mood to answer question to a government stooge. The door slamming shut surprised her forcing her eyes over to look at Alex. "Did you do that?" she asked slowly. She had seen her wife do some small things with a motion of her hand around the house and her father-in-law, the thought was weird to her still, do much more but that had never happened before in the last few weeks. Not when she tried anyway.
Alexandria shook her head at the question and raised her hands up in a 'I didn't do it' gesure. "That was all you. Or it was the wind" she said though the gears in her mind began to turn as she spotted the window in the room only slightly cracked like she left it the afternoon she meant to take Natasha out to lunch.
"Yeah, must be the wind." Natasha wasn't convinced but decided to leave it for now. "I'll hop in the shower if you can pull me out some clothes from the dresser and leave them on the vanity" she said climbing out of bed and using the wall to steady herself against the shock of pain that raced down the middle of her back.
Alexandria moved to help but a gesture of Natashas hands stopped her. "Alright, I'll grab you some clothes" she said slowly as she climbed out of bed and crossed to the other side of the room.
"Thanks. When it comes to bullet wounds and the aftermath of damage I've learned the best thing to do, like with most of my injuries, is walk it off. However the hell you got those bullets out of me without killing us both from me bleeding out, bravo." Gradually the pain lessened as Natasha turned back to Alexandria who had the most quizzical expression on her face. "You did remove the bullets, didn't you?" she asked.
"No I didn't. The sum total of my medical knowledge extends to emergency mundane first-aid and a bruise healing charm from my last three years of playing quidiitch & having a bludger get me good one too many times."
Natasha frowned slightly and closed her eyes in thought. She couldn't feel the presence of bullets in her body, she knew that feeling all too well, and if Alexandria hadn't removed them then who did? "We can ask your dad later then. After tweedles G-man and Mary stick up her Poppins & her man servant leave" she said grasping the door to the en-suite. "You bringing those clothes over or not? I know you're not confident enough to join me in the shower yet and neither of us wants to make that step yet either without being completely comfortable with it but enjoying your company is one of my favorite things right now ya know. That and it'll take a few minutes for the water to get warm enough."
Down in the drawing room Sirius set down two mugs of tea for the Ministry witch and her partner while the suited men declined his offer of a drink. "You four never said why you 'wished' to speak to my daughter. Quite frankly, your poorly veiled government speak needs a lot of work since no one uses 'wish to speak' when you mean its a necessity and theres nothing that will stand in your way" the elder Black wizard said taking a seat and lifted a tumbler of scotch from the tray.
"We are members of the Magical Congress here within the United States, our version of your Wizengamot in Bitain if you will, and the House Speaker dispatched us to find out the cause of the magical spike three days ago. Naturally some of our finest Unspeakables managed to pin a trace of magic down at the scene of the incident. An expedited inquiry and testing put us in contact with these two... delightful countrymen of yours" the lead suited man said crossing one leg over the other at the knee.
Sirius raised an eyebrow for them to continue and the second man picked up where his partner left off.
"Since your ancient govenment structure as old as Camelot itself" the man didn't bother to apologize as the British ministry stooges made indignant comments "forcefully files away samples of every witch and wizards magical trace it was easy to determine the identity of your daughter Mr. Black as the source behind the incident and the dead men. Once we had her identity from them" he pointed to the other pair who were glaring daggers at him "we searched our records for Black family properties here in the US. This is the only one on the western seaboard."
"You want her version of events of what happened in laymans terms and to know why those people she killed are dead."
"In a nutshell, yes Mr. Black" the lead suited man said.
"And what do you stooges want? My daughter and I came to America here on vacation to get away from you people who call her liar. You people who slander her family name calling her a fear monger to incite a riot to undermine your precious minister sir fudges-all-the-details-so-I-look-good-all-the-time Cornelius Fudge" Sirius said darkly glaring at the other pair.
"Arrest her for murdering muggles and the use of underage magic in the middle of a high muggle population ar-"
"Finish that sentence and I guarantee you won't leave this house alive. Or in one piece."
Sirius, the MACUSA reprsentatives and the British ministry stooges heads turned as one finding both Alexandria & Natasha looking at the robed pair with unholy fury as the raven hair girl had one arm around the redheads waist to help her keep steady if she started to wobble. While not nearly as dressed up as being forced to talk to governmental representatives, the jeans and blouses they were wearing would have to do.
"I don't remember killing anybody but if I truly did kill those bastards then they desevered it. Do you know what they did to my wife? They nearly killed her! I was more concerned and focused about keeping her alive than anything else. Did my unbalanced emotions fuel accidental magic that killed the people responsible? Maybe, I truly don't know. I remember taking Natasha out for lunch, we didn't make it if that accounts for you wankers or not, and then there was hole bunch of guys with guns that had this symbol of a octopus on body armor started firing into the air inciting a stampede of screaming people. Natasha tried to get us out and usher me to safety before bullets ripped into her." Alexandria helped the redhead into a chair and kissed her cheek softly. "While I cradled my wife who losing blood quickly and I was begging & pleading with her not to die on me the last thing on my mind was controlling my magic. I don't regret killing those men if it was indeed my doing. They were no better than Voldemorts Death Eaters or you assholes trying to take something from me" she said with a violent sneer when her head half turned to glare at the stocky witch. "Then there was a shell of magic that formed around me and Natasha before I blacked out. The two of us were unconscious til a few minutes so that should tell you whatever that magic was, it was kntense."
The two MACUSA representative held a short silent conversation of gestures while the British ministry duo looked ready to foam at the mouth. "Just how recent is your marriage Mrs. Black?" the lead suited man asked.
"Nearly three weeks. Whats that matter?" Natasha asked pulling Alexandria to sit on her lap and wrapped her arms around the girls waist before propping her chin on one shoulder.
"It explains a lot more than you realize. You won't have any trouble from us or our Magical Congress. Magic related to married spouses in mortal danger is protected here in these lands. The magic your younger wife performed was under duress and directly performed under the desire to not just protect you but keep you from dying Mrs. Black, even if it was accidentally performed. You wife put herself in danger without regard for her own safety. For you. That is something we respect and protect over here. Its obviously soumething your home land does not obviously share sentiment with Mr. Black" the second suited man said with a disgusted aimed at the robed pair.
"I could tell you stories upon stories of things they think don't need to change. For example, the most respected school in all of England proper uses books written fout hundred years ago as up to date reliable teaching material. Forget about womens rights because according to the laws set by the British ministry which hasn't had a major change in over five hundred years, according to them we have no rights unless you head a Noble House or higher on the Wizengamot. Even if that is you, the men as a majority don't repect your opinion no matter how right you may be. Its just as well that the stocky bitch over there is a quota witch hire in the ministry" Alexandria said leaning back into Natasha.
The men looked horrified at that. "Seriously? I heard magical Britain was out of touch with the world but that much?" the younger man asked.
"My daughter is giving you the highlight reel. I could sit a spell with you gentlemen for a year by itself on the corrupt politics of the Ministry"Sirius said. "Like when I was tossed in a prison with Dementors for a crime I didn't committ without a trial and the esteemed Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge did nothing to investigate it as he slandered my name & the name of the Ancient and Noble House of Blac-"
"SLANDER! YOU WILL HANG FOR THIS!"
"Try it. I dare you." There was a dangerousness to Alexandrias voice as she pushed herself of Natashas lap and walked slowly over, threateningly slowly over, toward the British magic wielders. "Under British law you just issued a threat to not only the Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Black as well as his heir but also to myself as the Lady Potter and my spouse, the Heads of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter. We could kill you both and every single member of your family down to unborn grandchildren!" She stopped before them as her lips pulled into a sickening maniacal smile. "Then as you all lay dying my father, my wife and I would have every legal right to every asset your family has owned. So try it. Sign your own death warrant for us hecasue I am so sick of Britains shit and using me as a punching bag. I killed Voldemort for you as a baby and lost my parents. I defeated him a second time the first year I entered Hogwarts when he was possessing the DADA professor. I defeated him a second time when he used a memory possessed journal given to Ginerva Weasley to possess her & unleash a basilisk to petrify muggleborn students. If it wasn't for me destroying it with one of the basilisk fangs after I killed it with Godric Gryffindors sword it may have gone on to kill muggleborn students! DID I FORGET TO MENTION IF IT WASN'T FOR HEADMASTER DUMBLEDORES PHEONIX FAWKES I WOULD HAVE DIED FROM THE FANG THA PIERCED ARM AND FILLED MY BLOODSTREAM WITH UNDILUTED VENOMS!"
The air began to get bone chillingly cold at a rapid pace.
"Then this year has to cake. Barty Crouch Jr, someone the ministry said was 'dead' in Azkaban, impersonates an ex-auror hired to be the new DADA teaxher and gets me put into the Tri-Wizard Tournament on.. Say it with me since you are only good at parroting and being yes-men.. VOLDEMORTS ORDERS! I nearly died three separate fucking times! The third time in the graveyard during the final task I had a duel with the ressurrected douche bag after one of the Death Eaters bound me so tightly I couldn't move and stole my blood by force to fuel a ritual to give him a body! I barely escaped with my life!"
Natasha got up and briskly made her way over pulling Alexandria into her arms as shes aw the British ministry stooges shaking in unhidden fear.
"I warned Fudge Voldemort was back when I portkeyed back via the trophy with Cedrics body and do you want to know what I got as a response? I was a liar! I wanted to spread fear! I wanted to shake the foundation of trust of Britains trust in their 'just and fair' government! DON'T MAKE ME FUCKING LAUGH!" Alexandria spit on the witch with a nasty gleam in her eye. "So I'm done taking shit for Britain. If you want to arrest me murdering terrorist muggles who tried to murder my wife, go ahead. Make my day but by threatening me, my father and my wife I will take the sickest pleasure in hunting down your families. I will draw yours and their deaths out to be as long and as painful as possible. I DO NOT CARE ANYMORE!"
Natasha decided wisely at that moment to knock out Alexanxria and a moment later the raven haired girl slumped back unconsciously into her chest. "Leave before she wakes up and she makes good on that threat. I won't stop her and neither will my father-in-law. Go! And carry the warning in full to your puppet in charge. We will know if you don't and then your government will have more issues than it knows how to deal wih" she said with a dangerous smile that would strike fear into he soul of even the most vile and evil person in the world. She barely blinked before they were gone.
Sirius, who had been silent through the whole affair, simply turned to MACUSA representatives. "Think we can get you gents to make us an appointment with your Chief Warlock, I assume thats what your House Speaker is for your Congress, about seeking asylum here in the States? Something tells me we're going to need it" he said before downing his tumbler in one go.