A/N: So, this is yet another chapter. I want to thank you all of you for reviewing, following and favouriting. You've given me a lot of confidence with this fic, now anyways, before I babble endlessly, here is chapter number 25. Please read and review! (P.S: Only four chapters left!)
Chapter 25: Guilt and Truth
It was night time still, and Scarlett sighed as she shifted for what seemed like the fifteenth time. Chris was holding her tight around her waist as he snored softly against her shoulder. She studied him, as the moon cast shadows across the room. His smooth defined features and his curved nose. His slight stubble on his chin indicated that he hadn't shaved properly, not that she really minded. She always did prefer the slight graze on her cheeks when he kissed her, as to the smooth sliding of their faces.
She sighed again, and this time slipped out of his hold and slid from the warm confines of the bed covers. They had stayed at the manor this night, Wyatt had unexpectedly orbed in after sensing the families distress, and he had decided to stay. His final exams were done so he was only staying at college for his friends but now that his family needed him, he sent them a quick text message letting them know he was leaving early. He had orbed his things back to his old room and helped Paige and Chris heal the others.
Since Wyatt had stayed Piper had insisted that Chris and her stay too, wanting to feel the manor full again. So she and Chris stayed, despite living across the street.
But the only problem being that no matter what she did, she just couldn't sleep.
No matter how much she snuggled into Chris's chest. Or how many times she flipped the pillow so it was on the cold side rather than the body warmed one. Nothing she did could make her eyes feel heavy or droop down so she could sleep.
She sighed again and slipped from the bed covers and onto the cold hardwood floor, until she managed to meet with the slightly warmer carpet of Chris's old room. She moved away from the bed and towards the window. She pulled back the curtain and peered outside.
The moon was full and shining brightly amongst the small dark clouds across the night sky. She turned and looked back at the clock on her bed side table and the red blinking number made it known that it was 1:23 Am. She sighed again and let her eyes drift over the man she had slipped from. Chris was sleeping steadily, in the way he always did. Studying him she felt a surge of guilt well up inside of her.
She wasn't being truthful, at least not fully. She could hide behind her blasé attitude all she wanted but she knew that in her heart she was crumbling. Things were becoming too much, too fast. Losing Sirius, turning bad, Having that part of her take over her mind and not being able to stop it, almost getting married to an abusive bastard and on top of all that still having that part of her that took over, still having that trapped in her mind.
She sighed and turned back to the moon, and her mind wandered to moony, who she knew would be at his cottage in wales waiting out the moonlight. She wished he was here, not as a werewolf but as a companion, the thing about Remus was that despite everything going completely wrong, he could still be the voice of reason, she took in solace from him, knowing that he would help.
She knew theoretically that she had nothing to fear from Chris knowing her fears, but in her mind it was less theoretically based.
She still remembered when they had separated, though it had been here choice and how much it affected her. If they split again, especially now after all the faced together, she knew she wouldn't make it again. The crushing sadness the first time almost consumed her, but she had thought she was doing the right thing.
"Beautiful isn't" A voice rasped next to her; she didn't need to turn to know what it was
"You're not here" She said "You're just some pathetic projection"
"You are indeed correct, I am not here, though I am currently with my army" The source said
"You don't scare me you know, so if that's what you're trying to do then it's pretty much pointless" She said thought she felt much different
"Then why aren't you sleeping, in your husbands arms?" He asked
"Fish!" Chris said and she turned to him "I'm drowning with gills" He said before he woke up, siting up quickly as he panted "Weird dream" He coughed
She turned back to where the source was, and found him gone. She wasn't too surprised; he had done what he needed to do. He had managed to make her second guess herself, once again.
"Hey, what are you doing up" He asked rubbing his hands on her biceps, only then did she notice that was cold from the night time air.
"I'm scared Chris" She admitted softly not looking at him, gently he led her to their bed and sat them both down, he took her hand into his and asked quietly "About what"
"I've…I've not been honest with you" She said softer still.
Chris watched as his wife and mother cooked breakfast, laughing and talking about recipes that had gone completely wrong.
Chris reflected on his life briefly, wondering how much it had changed. Before Scarlett came to the US, he was lonely. Wyatt was the older and far cooler brother; his parents were often wrapped up in their own lives as well as his aunts. He didn't begrudge them because of this fact; he was just a little jealous of them.
But then Scarlett came and turned his world around. He hadn't felt this way about anyone before, nobody could reach what he felt for her. Not any of his past relationships could compare to this one. He loved he with everything he had and if it were possible, more. He knew their relationship wasn't perfect. They were both stubborn, so admitting that they were wrong on anything was something that rarely happened; usually they just agreed to let it go. But it was good, they were happy, they laughed together, they cried together (by cry he of course meant manly Snuffles) and enjoyed living life together.
He wasn't angry at Scarlett for keeping half-truths from him. He had come to accept this from her, not in the bad way, but he knew she was reluctant to admit her fears. And after growing up with the Potters, she had limited knowledge of how a normal healthy relationship works, unless you count Sirius, she hadn't become accustomed to trust that many people. He understood that. He, in a weird way, was happy that she had told him her fear of the duo and how it would all pan out to be.
He was happy because, it meant that she was finally realising that he wouldn't just leave her. He didn't when she was evil and he sure as hell wouldn't now. This was it for him, much like his mum. She had only ever truly loved his dad, and even after they broke up found it hard to love someone else. He was the same, he wouldn't move on from her. He didn't think he would survive if they broke up again. Not in a strange unhealthy way though, Scarlett was his soul mate. He wouldn't ever find someone who could compare to her, no matter how hard he looked. He just wouldn't be able to find someone that he could feel this strongly about.
He broke from his thoughts when a plate of pancakes was shoved under his nose and his smiling wife was looking at him oddly. He smiled at her and kissed her passionately; he could feel her blush and reciprocate. He broke away and her hair had turned a bright red, he smiled at her and began to eat his breakfast. She smiled softly at him and relaxed, knowing that the kiss was more than a 'good morning', it was a reassurance that he meant what he had old her, he wouldn't leave her, not until she wanted him to go.
"Hey guys!" Phoebe said smiling as she sat down on the island chair and grabbed a plate of pancakes and passed one to Paige who smiled in greeting.
"What are you guys doing here" Piper asked suspiciously grabbing her own plate.
"We wanted to see if there were anymore leads on the duo" Paige said shrugging
"And it had nothing to with the food I'll undeniably make for you" Piper said raising an eyebrow
"…No…Of course not" Phoebe denied siling widely
"I can see your wisdom teeth honey" Piper said
"Damn" Phoebe said turning her lips inwards and frowning "Okay fine…Coop and the babies are having a park day and you know what I'll eat if I'm left alone" Phoebe said and Piper sighed and relented, choosing instead to eat her food.
They had now gravitated towards the living room with the two books open on random locating spells "Urgh! This is ridiculous; none of them are any use!" Paige said rubbing her eyes
"We'll get it, what about this one" Scarlett said reading one passage "All we need is…Wormwood, vervain leaves and a...Lamb…heart" She swallowed thickly "Never mind"
"Look…Maybe we're looking at this all wrong" Chris said before Wyatt groaned
"How else are we supposed to look at it" he asked "Sideways?"
"No…But maybe from another perspective" He said
No one said anything and Piper stood to make another pot of coffee when she gasped, a man stood in the foyer. A man that hadn't been there before and man that didn't belong in this house; she raised her hand intent on blowing his ass up when he said in a smooth voice "Geez, Chillax. I'm here for peace" He raised his hands palm outwards in the universal gesture of peace
"Yeah sure you are" She said as her family gathered around her
"Ouch. Eh, that'd hurt more if I cared" He said moving past them and sitting on the chair and resting his feet on the coffee table
"Okay…Who the hell are you and why the hell are you here!" Paige demanded pushing his feet off the table
He huffed and leaned forward and addressed them all "Names Sif, and I'm just here to talk"
"Well that's a new one" Piper said sarcastically "Usually it's all murder and destruction"
"Oh no I still want that, just not in the current…Political climate of down there" he said pointing to the floor
"What?" Wyatt asked confused
"The duo that you've declared war on, not exactly fans of myself" He said
"And we should care why exactly" Scarlett asked
"Simple, way I see it, we got a home run on both sides right now" He said
"Explain. Now" Piper demanded
"Tetchy much? In plain terms, I don't like them. I want freedom not subjugation" He said folding his hands together
"So we what, do your dirty work for you" Paige asked
"Pretty much" He said flashing his pearly white teeth
"And where does the you part come into this situation" Phoebe asked
"Easy, I know where they are"