Wow, guys, thank you for all your reviews! I'm so sorry I couldn't update sooner but I've been struck again by that horrible thing called Writer's Block. This is probably my sixth attempt at writing this chapter, but I feel somewhat confident that it's in the right direction. Again, you guys are like my guides so if you notice anything's weird of if you have any guesses as to where this is all going, let me know because your guess is as good as mine!
Guest (5/3/13) : I'm glad you loved this chapter. Here's some more Cassius+family for you! As for the Blood Magic thing, you're right, it does need more explaining... I myself don't really understand it. I know, that's ridiculous, considering I'm the author... but all this just sort of spills out of nowhere. But I will be expanding on it at some point so when we get there and if it's still confusing, let me know. You're also right that the past is sort of repeating itself, as it tends to do... The Alicia and Montague thing - well, Montague's really about threats and sometimes they're empty threats. He knows he can't out them without damaging Cassius' reputation. As for Alan, well... I'm intrigued. Why do you think he's more than meets the eye? What do you think he is if not just a simple muggle?
guest (5/2/13): I put some links up on my profile so that you can see what some of the characters look like... though you should take it all with a grain of salt - I don't really have a clear image in my head either, since I don't really keep up with celebrities and whatnot... I basically just looked up some people I thought might sort of suit the characters, but they aren't really faithful representations. If you'd prefer to keep your own image of them characters in your head, I suggest you NOT look at the links lol
Stromsten: I think I should have clarified the curse a bit more... the curse was simply more diluted in Skylar's case, since she wasn't the direct recipient of it, though Evan did cast it with potential children in mind (don't forget Skylar wasn't born until after Evan died). So basically, Florrie can't be with anybody else because the curse would target whoever 'covets' her, regardless of whether or not their intentions are good or bad (i.e. Jealous Evan says nobody touches my property!) while Skylar can do whatever she pleases. That's why Florrie can hug Alan, who doesn't harbour any feelings of lust towards her, but she can't actually hook up with anybody. In Skylar's case, the curse only targets people who look to harm her. If you have any more questions let me know! But you're right, she does still love him...
Kerbella: You're English is great! How's my French? Thanks for reviewing, I'm glad you find Cassius so interesting. He's a lot easier to write than Alicia.
Chkale: Yeah, Alicia is stupid and naive sometimes. I'm trying really hard not to make her annoying, but... well, she's just a typical teenager in love with this complicated mess of a guy and I think she's only starting to see a tiny bit of what kind of mess she's getting into... although you'll see here that she's still really blind to it. Or at least refuses to openly acknowledge it.
Supergirl818: There's no Florrie and Evan here, but we'll see more of them soon enough. But here's a little bit of Cassius and Alicia for you. There isn't much, but there will be more soon. Don't forget there's also New Years! And everybody knows that's when the real parties happen :P
Etoile Black: I'm glad you liked Evan and Florrie! They were my favourite little muses long before Cassius and Alicia came along. War's coming but at least we know this one ends. You'll get a bittersweet ending, I promise. I've ever gotten this far with a story before, but I actually have some idea of how this is going to end, even if I don't how it's going to get there.
Jadely31: Thanks for the review! I hope you find this one just as good. Writer's block is a bitch, but it's always amazing when I finally get something out that sounds about right.
XOXOXOXOX
It was astonishing, really, how things could unravel so quickly, Alicia thought mournfully as she steeled herself for the Big Moment. She glanced anxiously about her, taking in the chatter of the girls around her as she waited for the large candle near the doors to flash green and for the house elf to squeak out her name. Angelina was long gone, blessed with a last name that fell pretty much dead centre in the alphabet, and Alicia had been alone with the vultures for what felt like a lifetime.
The girls around her were Money. Some of them may not have been born with it, but every last one of them was presently attached to a large fortune or estate. They wouldn't have been here otherwise. It was a sham, a marriage market in disguise, her mother had hissed scornfully. Her grandmother hadn't even bothered to put so much tact into her description. The word husband had been uttered far too many times over the past forty-eight hours.
DeWitt, DeWitt, DeWitt.
This name is your saviour, child, granny had said sternly.
DeWitt. One of the original Twelve Fae of Avalon, of the old Avalon, the great isle before it had become the holiday-in-the-sun destination for the rich and the famous of the wizarding world and don't you forget it. Alicia had the blood of a powerful sorceress running through her veins. Alright. She was a bastard. Worse, she was a half-blood bastard. But it could be worked with... she just had to find herself a good husband with a good name... maybe somebody suffering from financial issues - it was outstanding what people were willing to overlook when money was a problem...such a shame those Blacks had to go the way they did... if there'd been a boy your age... but they would never have looked twice at you anyway, not with your father being who he is, money or no money.
Alicia gritted her teeth as the girls next to her burst into laughter, their bright eyes shining maliciously as they gossiped away in a foreign tongue. Russian maybe?
Bitches. She didn't have to understand them to know what they were.
The green light. The oversized candle at the front of the room had turned bright green. Green for go.
"Spinnet! Alicia Spinnet!"
Oh shit.
The room fell silent as the few remaining girls watched her scramble to the front of the room. The house elf was waving its arms maniacally as the door swung open. Hurry miss!
Alicia fought to keep her heart in her chest as she met Carson's eyes from across the hallway. He gave her an encouraging smile and she wanted to throw up. Left foot, right foot, heel-toe, heel-toe.
She could fly a million feet above the ground with no hands on a broom but she couldn't walk in a straight line wearing one-inch heels.
"Just look at me," he mouthed as they approached each other towards the middle of the corridor. Her gloves had to be soaked with sweat. She sucked in a deep breath as they came face to face with each other, so close she could smell him. He took her arm, his bare fingers ghosting over her skin, and she shivered inwardly as they turned to face the crowded room below.
The debutantes and their escorts were standing in two straight parallel lines in the middle of the ballroom. Around them on both sides were round tables covered in white tablecloths with little champagne flutes, where friends and family and other Very Important People sat about to watch on. Alicia noted with some alarm that a quiet, barely perceptible murmur rose in the air as her name was announced. It's okay, Carson murmured softly as they carefully made their way down the centre of the stairs.
It wasn't oaky. She could see Him, and his eyes were on her like everybody else in the room, and for a split-second she thought she would tumble down the rest of the stairs had Carson not been gripping her so tightly, whispering words of encouragement into her ear.
He stared at her blankly, his expression giving away nothing as usual, his eyes hard and empty. Her gaze flickered to the girl standing next to him, and she felt bile rise to the back of her throat as she and Carson stepped onto the ballroom floor. She looks like me, Alicia thought wildly as Carson guided her towards the end of the shorter of two lines. The sonofabitch. She fucking looks like me.
"We only get two dances besides this one," said Carson with a mock sad face as they stepped away from the dancing area and melted into the crowd.
"You're lucky it's only two, otherwise your feet would be black and blue," Alicia muttered as she spotted her grandmother and great-grandmother out of the corner of her eye. Her grandfather had hightailed it to the so-called gentlemen's room as soon as the first dance had ended.
"Oh come on, you underestimate yourself," Carson argued jokingly. "They're only black!"
"Hardee-har-har."
"There you two are!" said Angelina suddenly, coming up from behind Carson. She and Carson kissed cheeks before Angelina grabbed Alicia by the hand. "Sorry, Bishop, but I'm going to have to borrow your girl for a few minutes - poor Katie's being carted off to the children's room now that the first dance is over."
Carson made a face and Alicia looked quizzically between them.
"The children's room?"
"The children's room, Hell - whatever you want to call it," said Carson sympathetically.
"It's for all the... er, undebuted, if that's even a word," said Angelina as she dragged Alicia away.
"The what?"
"You know," said Angelina impatiently as they discreetly forced their way through the crowd. "Like, younger siblings or relatives or children of friends or whatever. Katie's here for her cousin because her father's her godfather and yadda yadda yadda. But since she hasn't come out yet, she can't stay in the ballroom. There's always a children's room at these things if there are ever... er, children invited."
"But Katie's not a child! That's ridiculous -
"And so is this entire charade but that's how it is. Anyway, they aren't supposed to leave the room but we can pay a visit and I promised Katie we'd come by to keep her company for a little while."
"Well that's bloody bollocks," Alicia muttered.
Angelina ignored her until they managed to push their way towards the stairs. Had it really been only an hour ago that she'd made her way down those very same steps? And that was it? Go down some stairs and all of a sudden she was debuted?
The world was a crazy place.
She followed Angelina up the stairs and down the corridor, past the room in which they'd been staying in earlier as they'd waited to debut. Raucous laughter echoed from within.
"Men," Angelina muttered, rolling her eyes as somebody shouted "Eat shit, Vespucci, read 'em and weep!"
"You've been here before," Alicia commented in surprise as she followed Angelina to the left. She remembered the incident with Montague as they passed a familiar looking portrait of a fat woman with a wobbling chin, and frowned in irritation.
"My sister came out with one of Flint's sisters," Angelina replied. "They stuck me in the children's room that day too. People generally use the same room for these sort of - Flint!"
Alicia whipped out her wand at the same time as Angelina and they both sprinted over towards the end of the corridor, where Marcus Flint was towering over Katie (a difficult feat, considering Katie's statuesque height nearly rivalled Angelina's). He dropped her wrist and put his hands up in the air, sneering mockingly, green-grey eyes glinting in amusement.
"Katie, are you alright?" Angelina asked as Alicia stormed up to Flint and demanded what he was doing with their friend.
"Don't get yourself worked up over nothing, Spinnet," Flint replied, leaning easily against the wall, his hands crossed behind his head. Alicia jabbed his wand under his chin. "What remarkable manners you have," he said loftily. "Did anybody ever tell you that you make for a terrible house guest? Going around giving blow jobs in corridors, and now this - threatening your host -
"Fuck you, Flint," Alicia hissed.
"What's he talking about?" Angelina demanded.
"Nothing."
Flint laughed.
"Put away your wand, Spinnet - we both know you're not going to attack me in my own house." He flicked at her wand and approached Angelina and Katie.
"Get away from her," said Alicia threateningly.
Marcus threw her an irritated glance.
"I wasn't hurting her," he said scornfully.
"I - it's true," said Katie, looking at the ground. Angelina and Alicia exchanged glances.
"Then why did he grab you by the wrist?"
"He didn't," Katie replied. "I mean he did, but it's not what you think. I cut my wand hand on the sword on that suit of armour because I wanted to get a better look at the inscription. Stupid thing tried to attack me. Mar - Flint was just trying to help."
Alicia and Angelina both stared at Flint in disbelief. He scowled at them.
"I'm not bloody evil," he snapped. He turned to glare at Katie, who turned bright red under his angry scrutiny. "And next time, don't go around touching things that don't belong to you."
They stared in stunned silence as he stormed away.
"What the hell was that all about?" said Alicia, wondering why he'd gone from mocking and confident to surly and irritated within the span of three seconds.
"Bloody weirdo," Angelina muttered. "It's all that inbreeding. And what the fuck was that he said about you? Blow jobs?"
"It's nothing," said Alicia irritably. When both Katie and Angelina stared at her in disbelief, she crossed her arms and glared at them. "I'm serious! Merlin's balls. If you must know, I ran into Montague when we were here for that stupid luncheon and we got into a little shoving match and he bloody hid my wand behind his feet against the wall. Obviously he wouldn't just give it back to me so I had to get it myself and Flint just happened to come by and obviously he thought I was... well. Yeah."
"What!" Angelina shrieked. "What a bloody douchebag! I fucking hate Montague. We have to beat them at Quidditch this year or else I'll never live it down."
"You're telling me," Alicia muttered.
"Katie! Katie, where have you been? Mum and I've been looking all over for you!"
The girls turned around.
"Bea!"
"Hello girls," said Beatrice as she approached them.
"Wow, you two look ridiculously identical," said Alicia, glancing between Katie and her older sister. Beatrice winked and Katie squealed as her older sister snapped at what Alicia could only assume was her invisible bra strap.
"Ever since the breasts came in! About time I say!"
"Bea, you bitch!"
Beatrice laughed and ducked as Katie tried to swot her head. Angelina and Alicia snorted.
"Sorry girls, I'm going to have to take Katie away. Mum's gone mad trying to look for her. You were supposed to be in the children's room -
"I was looking for the loo!"
"You've been here before. Haven't I taught you to lie better than that?"
"I was!" Katie whined. "It's bloody boring in there, all those stupid spoiled brats. I'm seventeen for circe's sake. Just because I was born in goddamn December." She glared at Alicia, who shrugged innocently.
"Hey, don't blame me just because I was born earlier than you."
"Look at them all, travelling in bloody packs," Pucey complained as they watched a trio of Italian girls stroll past them, giggling as they waved their fans. "How is anybody supposed to pick one up when they've all got the stupid fat friend interfering? I swear, every time I've been cock-blocked tonight, it's by the ugliest friend of the pack."
Montague snorted under his breath as he simultaneously winked at a girl who was passing by with her mother, a thin, vulture-like woman sporting a precariously vertical hat on top of her voluminous pile of auburn curls. Cassius sighed inwardly as he watched his mother converse with her friends out of the corner of his eye.
She was holding up remarkably well - she hadn't touched a drop in the two days since his father had summoned her back to England, and looking at her now, it was as though she were not in fact a closet alcoholic. She'd been nursing the same glass of rose for the past hour, and was only just now draining the glass. If only she could keep herself straight every other day of the week. But then again, his mother had always been about duty. Duty, bloody Duty.
Her eyes flashed in his direction, almost as though she'd sensed him watching her, and he sighed in irritation as she discreetly nodded him over.
"Duty calls," he muttered, hating the sound of the four letter word as it spilled out of his mouth.
He wandered over towards his mother, who was standing next to Montague's mother and Olga Lestrange.
"What are you boys getting up to over there?" his mother asked lightly. "Shouldn't you be dancing with some young lady?"
His eyes flickered to Lady Lestrange, who was beaming at him. He felt his insides shrivel in disgust. Matchmaking.
"I've already done two sets with Margarita."
This wasn't a lie. He'd wanted it over as soon as possible. He'd ditched his little debutante almost immediately.
"But you haven't danced with my Natasha," said Lady Lestrange.
"You used to play together as children," his mother informed him.
Cassius scowled inwardly as a tall, slim, dark haired girl with sharp features and large eyes approached them. She might have been beautiful were it not for the humourlessness of her cold, false smile.
Introductions were made and Cassius found himself silently dancing with the girl, who similarly made no effort to engage him in conversation. Until they smacked into another couple. Or rather, another couple smacked into them.
"Oh, I'm so sorry -
"You stupid girl - oh. Of course it would be you. You're excused. One can't expect some halfblood love-child to conduct herself in public with decorum," said Natasha condescendingly. "Why, it'd be simply demoralizing if I were to hold such high expectations, don't you agree, Cassius?"
For fuck's sake.
"You're right," said Alicia sweetly as she eyed Natasha up and down, "Just as one can't expect the daughter of a locked-up psychopath to dress herself as anything but a whore when it's clear that she's just chockfull of daddy issues. Tell me Lestrange, how do you like visiting daddy and auntie and uncle Crazy in Azkaban? Do they give you a goodbye kiss when you leave? Or does daddy just get the Dementors to do it for him because he can't stand the sight of your face? I mean, considering the fact that you obviously have no soul and all, it would make sense."
Double fuck.
"Cruci-
Cassius reacted immediately as the unforgivable was spat out of Natasha's mouth, and he shoved her aside with as much force as possible before she could finish the curse, just as Bishop's ham-sized fist swung out, clipping Cassius in the side of the face as he found himself standing where Natasha had been a split second earlier. The crowd around them had scattered, but Cassius was deaf and blind to the chaos around him. He barrelled into Bishop, furious at what could have just happened, furious with himself, with Natasha, with Bishop, with Alicia.
"Ecarto!" somebody shouted, and Cassius braced himself for impact as he felt the spell hit him and send him flying away from Bishop, who was sent in the opposite direction. They landed with two loud thumps on the hard surface of the floor.
Cassius stood up dizzily and found himself being restrained by both Pucey and Montague, who'd shoved their way towards him and were now holding him steady.
The crowd parted like the Red Sea as Cassius stumbled towards Alicia and Natasha, who were also being restrained by their respective friends and family members. Cassius swallowed as he caught sight of his father staring down at him from the top of the stairs, along with the other men who'd made their way out of the game rooms upstairs to see what was going on. That look only meant one thing. He was a marked man.
His mother was crying, cold tears of rage trickling down her cheeks as Lady Montague consoled her with a fresh glass of wine. He could feel his father's gaze burning into him like so many hot pins as his father swiftly descended towards him.
Bishop too was being dragged back towards ground zero by his stupid friends, Davies and Kapur, both of whom looked to be in shock.
Marcus Flint was consoling his two sisters, which was a sight indeed, while Flint Sr. discussed in low tones with people whom Cassius could only imagine were witnesses to the entire fiasco.
"If you will all follow me," said Flint Sr. coldly once Cassius and Bishop were within earshot.
As if on cue, the music started up again, as did the frenzy of whispers while the brawling party exited the ballroom, silently marching like mourners carrying a casket at a funeral.
They stood in the corridor outside of the ballroom, separated into little groups by family with Flint Sr. in the middle. After a moment of silence, the old wizard's lips uncurled and he opened his mouth to speak.
"I have half the mind to throw you all out for this embarrassment," he said in a frosty voice. "But I won't. Because that would simply give more material for those vultures in there to feed upon."
He held up his hand to silence Lady Lestrange, who'd tried to cut in.
"I don't care who said what or who did what first or how any of this started. The deed is done and it cannot be taken back. Your children - ahem, your progeny," he said, glaring at Alicia's grandparents, "Have all brought shame to your families and unto mine. This incident will never be forgotten. Consider this your last invitation to any event to be held in this household so long as I'm alive. I expect you will all leave as soon as is acceptable and not a second later. Am I making myself clear?"
They all murmured in agreement.
"Oh. And Miss Lestrange."
Everybody froze and looked back at Old Flint.
"The next time you decide to use an unforgivable, refrain from doing it on my property in the presence of Ministry employees. You are extremely fortunate that the only witnesses to the exchange were Greek. They do not have the same curses over there as we do here. Now get out of my sight."
Despite Katie's dislike of the children's room, Alicia found it immensely more calming than standing about in the ballroom. It made her terribly nostalgic for her childhood. How had seven years gone by so fast? She raged inwardly as she and Katie circled the room for the fifth time, talking in low voices as Alicia replayed the incident in her head. She sighed for the umpteenth time, and glanced enviously at a group of children who were playing with Exploding Snap. She stopped to let a couple toddlers run past her as they chased after a chocolate frog.
Katie patted her back reassuringly, though even she'd looked horrified when Alicia had first burst into the children's room and told her tale, her head hung low in shame.
"I still can't believe she tried to use the cruciatus," said Katie in a low voice.
"You and me both," Alicia mumbled.
"And wait, let me go over this part again. Warrington shoved her out of the way?"
He had. She'd watched him do it, almost like in slow motion.
"Don't read too much into it," said Alicia quickly. "I'm sure the only reason he did it was so that she wouldn't get arrested or something."
"That's true. Mr. Johnson would have had her locked up in Azkaban for you in a heartbeat. What's that saying again? Like father like daughter. Those Lestranges are insane. But I can't believe you said that to her!"
"Oh, you should have seen her face. Actually, to be quite honest, it was rather scary. I don't doubt for a second that she would have cursed me right then and there."
"And Carson tried to punch her?"
"Yeah, well I guess so. If Ca - If Warrington hadn't jumped in when he did, he would have knocked the bitch out!" She cringed as a couple kids crossed her line of sight. "Oops. Maybe I shouldn't swear so much. Urgh, I need to use the toilet."
"You going to come back?"
"I dunno," Alicia sighed. "Maybe. I suppose I'll have to go back down at some point."
"Good luck," said Katie solemnly. "I'll still be here... all damn night."
"Finite."
Cassius gasped for air as he crawled onto all fours and before he shakily stood onto his feet.
"Still screaming," said his father coldly, shaking his head in disgust as he bore holes into Cassius' face with his piercing stare.
"Stand up straight when your father speaks to you," his mother snapped sharply as she hysterically waved her wand glass of wine about.
"Let's try this again, shall we?"
Cassius shut his eyes and took a deep breath. It's only mental, it's only mental.
"That's right, Cassius," his father hissed. "It's only mental. Crucio."
No matter how hard he'd tried to brace himself for the pain, he couldn't fight it off. This is what it felt like to die. This is what it felt like to want to die.
"Finite. Get up and wipe your mouth. You're drooling like an invalid."
Blindly, Cassius stood onto his feet and wiped his mouth.
"Aren't you going to greet out gracious host? You ought to thank him for his generosity in allowing us to use one of his private chambers."
Cassius looked around, and sure enough, Old Flint Sr. was standing by the doorway with Marcus by his side. His old Quidditch captain stared back at him, face carefully wiped of any emotion, but his body was tense and Cassius could practically feel Marcus' uneasiness.
"Thank you sir," said Cassius, glancing back at Flint Sr. His voice came out hoarsely. He coughed. "And I apologize for bringing such shame to your family. It was not at all my intention. I only wanted to stop Miss Lestrange from casting the curse. It was wrong of me to attack Carson Bishop. He only hit me by accident." He turned to his parents. "And I apologize to both of you as well for my misconduct. Thank you, father, for teaching me a lesson. I only hope I can repair the family name."
"Thoughtful words from a thoughtful boy," said Old Flint cheerfully, and Cassius wanted to hurl as the old man came towards him to clasp his shoulder. He held back a groan. Flint Sr. still had the grip of a troll despite his age. "If the... lesson is complete, then I suggest the two of you join me back in the ballroom before somebody suspects something is... more amiss than it already is. The boys can join us in a few minutes."
"If it is your wish," said his father solemnly. "We understand perfectly if you would prefer us to leave, of course -
"Nonsense. I can see here that you both care about your son's well-being, otherwise you would not be here teaching him a lesson. Cassius is a good boy. And as they say, boys will be boys. He was only trying to protect the young Lestrange from suffering the same fate as her poor father. It is... admirable. He was simply... overzealous. You are more than welcome to stay, though I cannot say the same for the others. Parents these days... It is refreshing to see that some people still value the old ways of teaching. The young Bishop boy is wandering about as though he hasn't done a thing wrong, and his parents condone it. Come now, I'll have one of the elves refresh your glass, my lady..."
The door slammed shut, and Cassius was left standing in the empty, dimly lit room with only Marcus for company.
"C'mon," said Flint gruffly, opening the door. "I'll grab you a drink."
Cassius splashed cool water onto his face for the tenth time. It seemed no matter how many times he did so, the burn of the cruciatus would not leave him. He knew it was purely psychological, but reasoning his way through it didn't help in relieving the uncomfortable prickle left under his skin by the curse. Flint had offered him a self-refilling glass of Ogden's and had escorted him to the bathroom so that he could wash his face and rearrange his clothes. His sound advice: keep drinking. The burn would go away once his mind let go. Cassius saw that he spoke from experience. He wisely chose not to comment on it.
He pushed open the window and sat on top of the toilet tank so that he could flick his cigarette ashes into the toilet bowl. The cool winter air felt delicious against his hot skin and he savoured each blistering bite of the wind. Just as he drained his second refill and lit himself a third cigarette, the bathroom door burst open. Cassius swore as he dropped the glass into the toilet. Alicia stared back at him, stunned.
"Get out," he snarled as he summoned the glass out of the grey, ashy waters of the toilet bowl. She stared at him like an idiot, mouth open in surprise. "Get out!" he repeated coldly as he walked over the sink to clean out the glass and to wash his hands before muttering a good cleaning charm. He tapped the glass with his wand like Flint had instructed him. It refilled itself with more of the amber goodness. He took a long sip.
The door slammed shut.
"You're still here."
"What happened to you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Cassius replied coldly. He swigged back the rest of the liquor in disgust. "Get the fuck out. I won't tell you again." He picked up his cigarette from the edge of the sink and took a deep drag.
"Your clothes are all ripped," she said, sounding frightened. "And your face - what the hell happened to your face?"
Cassius glanced at himself in the mirror.
So he'd clawed at his own face. Pain could do that to a man.
"Tergeo," he muttered, pointing his wand at his face. The scratches healed themselves and he turned to face her.
"There. Happy? Now Get. Out."
"Cassius, please -
"Shut up, Spinnet. Just shut up. You've done enough. You've done enough to last me a life time. We can't - I can't do this anymore. It's over, do you understand?"
"Just tell me what happened to you -
"Why?" he demanded angrily, slamming his glass down on the counter. "Why the hell do you want to know? Why should I tell you anything? The less you know the better anyway. Do yourself a goddamn favour, Spinnet. Wake the fuck up. Wake the fuck up and get out while you still can. Go find Bishop and give him your fucking attention, I don't need or want it. Just leave. Me. Alone." He paused to tap his glass again before looking up at her. "Please," he added quietly. "Just go. Don't make me fucking beg."
"I'm not going anywhere," she said stubbornly. "Not until you tell me what happened."
He stomped towards her and reached out to grab her by the shoulders. He felt a momentary stab of hurt when she flinched and raised her arm as though to shield herself from a blow. He dropped his arms by his sides and stared down at her.
She was beautiful.
She was beautiful, and she had to go. She couldn't stay here. Not with him. Not ever with him.
"Get out," he repeated, his heart beating erratically as she reached up to smooth down his hair. "For fuck's sake, Alicia! Leave! Now!"
She shook her head stubbornly, the tiny little white pearls in her hair sparking magnificently under the soft glow of the bathroom lights. He caught a glimpse of their reflection through the mirror, and he choked in anger. She stood before him, every bit the Gryffindor, her gloved hands perched on her hips, as she stared fiercely but tenderly back at him through the mirror. And there he was, in his torn dress robes slightly streaked with blood from when he'd hit the floor face first in pain the first time his father had cast the curse. Despite her two-second effort at patting down his hair, it stuck out at odd angles, some of it still plastered to his face from sweat and water.
He looked back at her, and her lower lip trembled. He glanced down at her from head to toe, examining the cut of the dress on her. He'd refused to pay attention earlier... hadn't wanted to pay attention earlier.
"Colloportus."
"What are you doing?" Cassius murmured hoarsely, his throat still sore from screaming. He swallowed as he stared at her back, admiring how the lace-up back of the dress exposed her soft skin.
"Silencio."
She turned back to face him, her expression serious.
"If you won't tell me what happened, then at least tell me that you're okay."
Cassius looked away.
"I'm not okay," he said furiously. "Which is why you need to leave. Now."
"You won't hurt me," she said softly.
"Oh no?" he hissed, stalking towards her angrily. He slammed his hand up against the door next to her head, hating himself as she flinched. He smiled grimly. "You're afraid," he said softly. "And you should be. Do you know who I am? Do you have any idea who I am? I told you to leave. I'm telling you to leave, Spinnet. If you had any sense in that head of yours, you would fucking do as I say." She shivered as a gust of cold air filled the bathroom, and he smiled humourlessly as she rubbed the goosebumps on her arms with her beautifully gloved hands. "Look at you," he said angrily, "All fucking delicate. Where's your boyfriend? Go find Bishop. Bishop's the man for you -
"But you love me, not Carson. You," she said sharply, cutting him off, cutting off his air supply as the horrendous accusation entered his ears. Cassius snatched his glass from the counter and hurled it onto the floor behind him in rage. She let out a soft scream of surprise. "Scared Spinnet? You fucking should be -
"Shut up Cassius! You think you scare me? You think throwing a stupid glass is what it takes? You must be drunker than I thought. How many glasses have you had? Three? Four? My father owns a pub, for chrissake. I've dealt with worse than you. Reparo. Do you want to know what scares me?" He flinched when she reached up and touched his face, the cool satin of her white gloves stroking his shaved face, bringing relief to the burn from his father's curse, the burn from the booze, the burn from his rage. "This scares me. Seeing you hurt scares me." She took a deep breath and brought her other hand to his cheek so that she cradled his face gently between her gloved hands. "Loving you scares me."
"You should run," he said tonelessly, pushing her hands away. "You should run straight into Bishop's arms and never look back."
"You don't get it," she said, sounding exhausted all of a sudden as she slipped away from him and leaned against the sink. She stared unhappily at the wall in front of her. "I could run far and wide and I'd still be looking back for you. I'll always be looking back for you. I know it. And I think you know it too."
"Then you should probably know that this isn't going to end well," he said casually, as he lit himself a cigarette.
She snatched it from him with lightning speed and took a deep drag.
"Then we'll go to Timbuktu," she said as she exhaled slowly, a small unhappy smile tugging at her lips as she laughed at some sort of private joke.
Cassius clenched her free hand in his own.
"Alright," he said resignedly. "Timbuktu it is."
Okay, so how do we feel about this? Is Alicia getting annoying? It's hard getting her to be more... er, well, serious I suppose when she has no idea what's going on in Cassius' world!
Anyway, read and review guys!
XOXO