“Come on Stefan, dance with me!” Dierna begged as she rushed over to twirl around him, her fingers lightly landing on his arms and torso. “Please…” she batted her eyelashes.”
“Perhaps you would like to go for a walk with me out in the courtyard,” he suggested calmly.
“This is a party, we’re supposed to have fun!”
[I]I would have a lot more fun if you didn’t insist on getting yourself thoroughly trashed the moment you are out from under your father’s rightly watchful eye[/I] he thought. He chose instead to voice his main concern out loud, “I’m afraid you’re going to hurt yourself.”
“I’m fine.”
“Alright, how about this then. I’m afraid to take you home when you’re like this.”
Dierna rolled her eyes, an act which sent her off balance and if it hadn’t been for Stefan’s steadying arm she would have fallen over, “I’m of age!” she insisted, “its not like it matters.”
Stefan glanced around at the rest of the party. It was nothing less than what he expected of Kamen and William, however it was not the sort of party he wanted his girlfriend at. “We’re going home.”
“What?!” Dierna glared at him indignantly and sloshed part of her latest drink onto herself.
“Now,” Stefan insisted as he grabbed her rather forcibly by the arm and weeded his way through the crowd. Near the door he used his other hand to get a hold of Serena and led both of them downstairs and outside.
“Leaving already?” Anastasia asked from her perch.
Stefan didn’t answer her, he merely marched the two girls out into the street and towards his apartment.
“Where are we going?” Serena asked as she tried rather unsuccessfully not to trip over her own feet.
“My place,” Stefan said simply, “I’m going to sober you two up before I take you home.” When they reached his apartment he dropped his hold on Dierna long enough to open the door before dragging both girls in and pushing them down on the couch. He left them there while he made his way into the kitchen to start brewing some coffee. He leaned his hands on the counter and hung his head, “Merlin help me I love her, but I’m not sure how much more of this destructive behavior I can take,” he spoke to himself. He knew he had no intention of leaving Dierna, but he was afraid that with the growing threats it might only get worse.
Stefan didn’t realize how long he had stood there, but when he finally looked up to check on the coffee it had already turned cold. He poured it down the sink and started a second pot when he realized that Dierna was standing in the doorway. “I don’t know what to say to you,” he confessed, “maybe… maybe it would be best if we went out separate ways for awhile.”
Dierna turned so pale Stefan actually looked down at the floor expecting to see a puddle of blood at her feet, “no,” she whispered desperately.
Stefan looked at her sadly, “I can’t help but feel that if you really cared you would listen when I express my concerns about your destructive behavior. But you keep on doing the same things and you can’t seem to get out of this pattern of…”
“I love you!”
“I know you did, but I’m not so sure about now…”
“Please Stefan, please don’t do this. I love you more than…” Dierna sank to the floor sobs shaking her body.
Stefan crossed the floor and knelt down next to her. He didn’t hesitate before gathering her into his arms, holding on tightly. He gently stroked her hair and her back until the tears stopped, “you’re too thin,” he finally commented.
Dierna sniffed loudly.
As he rocked her gently from their position on the floor he realized that he never wanted to let her go, even if she fought him every step of the way. “You’re going to have to gain a few pounds before I ask you to marry me, otherwise that ring I have for you is going to slip right off your finger.” When he got no response he decided to press on, “that was supposed to make you smile you know.”
“After you said you thought we were through?” Dierna looked up at him with an unreadable expression.
Stefan sighed, “I don’t think I really meant it. I just get very frustrated at times… I hate watching you do things that you know are not good for you, you know will only get you into trouble.”
“I know… I just… don’t think about it at the time.”
“This has to stop. If you are serious about making a real go of this all this destructive behavior will have to stop, because I’m not going to sit ideally by and watch it anymore.”
“So… we’re not through? You’re willing to give me another chance?” Dierna looked up at him with pleading eyes. Silently begging him to not turn away from her. She didn’t think she could handle a blow like that.
“I would be a fool to even think about leaving you. I’ve always liked challenges and pushing myself, guess that’s why I was in Ravenclaw, and I know that you will always provide me with new challenges.”
“I do love you.”
Stefan held her more closely, “I know you do. And I love you very much.” They sat there for a long time before a thought occurred to him, “where is your sister?”
“Asleep on your couch.”
Stefan considered that for a minute, “good, because I think we’re going to discuss a few things before I take you home.”
~~~~~~~~~~ “How long have you been up?” Kamen asked groggily when he finally made his way out to the kitchen sometime in the afternoon.
William glanced at the clock on the wall, “eh… not too long, a couple of hours or so.”
“And where are you off to?” Kamen asked as he pointedly eyed the bag at William’s feet.
“Oh so sorry if I forgot to fill you in on my plans Mum,” William threw back with an ill concealed smile.
“Hey, I was just trying to show a little concern,” Kamen said feigning seriousness, “how do I know you’re not off to elope with some bit of skirt you met last night, and then the next thing I know your Mum is over here demanding to know where you went, and then I get blamed…”
William rolled his eyes, “for your information I’m going on a trip with Sirius.”
“I think that’s the worst excuse I’ve ever heard.”
William laughed, “I’m not kidding mate, he’s got to go on this trip to… where ever… he actually didn’t tell me that part and Mum asked me to go along. Something about us bonding or being friends or some other such nonsense.”
“Poor little poppet… am I supposed to pity you?” Kamen turned innocent eyes on his flat mate as he helped himself to the coffee, doctoring it liberally with sugar.
“You are such a jerk.”
“And life would be boring if I weren’t.”
William just shook his head, “I need to be out of here if I want to be on time. I’ll see you in a couple days, I’ll be back in time for our first practice.”
“Get out then, no use hanging around. Just don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, and don’t do some of the things that I would do.”
William shouldered his back and whistled a tune under his breath as he made his way out the door. “See you in a few days Anastasia,” he called as he headed out towards the street.
“Can’t you give a girl a better goodbye than that?” She called back indignantly.
“You come down off that pedestal and I’ll kiss you senseless,” he shot right back, and chuckled to himself at her indignant shriek.
“Took you long enough,” Sirius commented as he joined William just up the street.
“Were you worried about me?” William asked jokingly.
“I was worried I would have to lead a search party into that flat of yours,” Sirius deadpanned, “it would probably have taken months.”
“Hey! It’s not that bad… yet.” William said as he tried to defend himself.
“Was Kamen up when you left?”
“Yep.”
“I was wondering whether you were going to have a chance to let him know where you were going.”
“I didn’t tell him.”
Sirius shot his step-son a curious glance, “why not?”
William sighed, “Because, I brought up the idea of us joining the Order once and he was not happy about it. He has no reason to know that I did join and that I am going on a mission for it with you. I do not need to start creating tension between me and my flat mate when I can easily avoid it.”
“I just thought that since we are going to Greece he might have something to forward to his sister, or make sure that you check up on her.”
William shrugged.
Sirius sighed, but didn’t try again. He did not want to push and end up fighting with William. He waited until they were a little bit further down the road before he spoke again, “you want to apparate from here?”
William gave a curt nod of his head as he tightened his grip on the bag flung over his shoulder.
~~~~~~~~~
“When will they be here?” Sophia asked for what Remus swore was literally the hundredth time.
“Soon,” Remus replied patiently as he glanced down at the two girls who flanked him. He couldn’t help smiling, Nimue seemed to be adjusting well. And he was truly enjoying the time he had Nimue and Sophia for lessons. It was hard to miss Hogwarts when he divided his time between Kalliope, the girls, and training with Cadmus and his men. It didn’t leave time for any regrets.
“Do you wish it was one of your parents or your brother coming?” Remus asked Nimue as gently as possible.
Nimue looked up at him with her large violet eyes, “I don’t know… I somehow feel like its easier being away from them if I know I can’t see them instead of seeing them off and on and knowing they have to go away again. Does that sound bad?”
“Not at all, I understand how that feels.” He grew concerned as he watched Nimue wince slightly. “What is it?”
Nimue shook her head and attempted a smile, “its nothing, I just get headaches sometimes from trying to control my visions. It will go away again soon.”
Whatever Remus had been planning on saying in response to that was cut off by Sophia’s shrill squeal as she pointed out Sirius and William making their way up the steep hill to where they stood. The only thing that kept her from tumbling down the hill in her haste to greet them was Remus firm hand on her shoulder, which kept her in place.
It took all of Sophia’s self control not to pout like a child when William, upon making it to the top of the hill, embraced Nimue first. However she felt somewhat better about it when it was her turn and he picked her up off the ground to spin her around.
Sirius, however, didn’t fair as well. Nimue had backed away a bit shyly, but had still accepted his embrace. He had expected that, although how Snape had ended up with such a timid daughter was beyond him. Sophia had refused to even look at him. He couldn’t help sighing, he may be her father, but apparently she wanted nothing to do with him. It was even more frustrating that even as she turned away from him she clung to Remus.
“Kalliope requested that you come see her as soon as you’re settled in,” Remus said, hoping to break the obvious tension between father and daughter, “she wants to know what sort of help she may expect from the Order when it comes time to make alliances.”
The girls ran ahead with William to show him to the guest quarters while Remus and Sirius followed more slowly.
“William doesn’t want or need me. Sophia doesn’t want or need me… I’m starting to feel rather useless,” Sirius confessed.
“I don’t think it’s all that bad Padfoot.”
“And why is that?”
“William came here with you, didn’t he?”
Sirius managed a lopsided grin, “yes he did. And that is something… Now if only my daughter didn’t hate me… although she has you.”
“Padfoot, I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, and I truly hope you will understand,” Remus took a deep breath before going on, “you are the only father Willow has ever known, she accepts you completely and loves you. Sophia has never known male authority until last year. I know that it hurts you that she has latched onto me, but I like it. I like being the father figure in her life. I like being able to treat her like she is my daughter.”
Sirius kicked at a rock as they neared the temple, “I’m trying my best not to be jealous, but it’s hard.”
“I’m sorry if I’ve hurt you. We’ve both seen enough pain to last us ten lifetimes, let alone one. The last thing I want is to have any part in causing that pain.”
“Moony, I would rather it be you stepping in over any other man.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“I know, but I hope that one day I might mean it.”
~~~~~~~~~
