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Post by LYDIA G. VAN HELSING on Aug 19, 2015 23:45:27 GMT
They were going on three weeks of being watched over by the aurors. Of course, that was also two weeks of Stryder finally getting to know his father. It was… odd to say the least. Once Aiden and Lydia had finally gotten their frustrations out, for the most part, they were able to try to figure things out rationally. Try was the key word there, of course. Things were still a little rocky between them, but that was expected. It wasn’t because they were outwardly hostile to each other either.
In all honesty, Lydia could tell that Aiden was trying to get close to her again, just from the subtle things that he did for her or said to her. She was trying… she really was. She wished that things could go back to the way they were so easily, but twelve years is a long time. She probably shouldn’t have let slip that she’d never actually stopped loving him. Things were so complicated and she was confused, torn between her heart and her head.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to get close to Aiden, but every time she started to feel herself being pulled in, she panicked. This definitely wasn’t Aiden’s fault; she was just broken. Getting close to someone wasn’t exactly easy for her after what had happened with Marc. There were times that she found herself getting a little too close, either physically or emotionally, and Lydia would just pull away.
She was surprisingly grateful that Aiden was the one watching over them. Sure, there were two other aurors who switched off with him, but he was there the most and he was the one she was most comfortable with. This was true even if she did often get a little distant, though she probably came off as hot and cold. There were moments that she felt like a sixteen-year-old girl again… or as if nothing had ever changed between her and Aiden. His attempts to win her over did sometimes make it difficult for her to push him away. She often found herself staring at him when he wasn’t looking.
Of course, her relationship with Aiden wasn’t the only one she was concerned about. She was certainly happy for Stryder and Aiden getting to know one another, but the closer Stryder got to Aiden, the more Stryder pushed her away. It was heart breaking, really. She refused to get in the way of their relationship, but she did wish that Stryder’s relationship with Aiden didn’t have to come at the expense of his relationship with his mother. His distance was painful for her, but she remained silent about it.
Stryder always hated it when Aiden left, even though Lydia tried to explain that Aiden had other responsibilities. In response, she’d received a dirty look from her son as he told her that it was her fault that he didn’t get to see his father as much as he wanted to. What was she supposed to say to that? It wasn’t like she could really deny it. So… she’d just tried her best to brush it off as best as she could. That didn’t work though. It had been a few days since he’d said this to her, but it was still eating away at her. Lydia knew that the blame was all hers anyway, but that didn’t make it any less painful.
Stryder was trying to soak up as much time with his father as he possibly could as they waited for the next auror to pick up his watch. As much as Lydia hated having aurors constantly hanging around, she had to admit that she felt a little safer and more at ease, knowing that Stryder was safe as well. Still… it was Aiden who made her feel the safest and it took a bit of energy to prevent her from asking Aiden to stay even a little longer.
”When will you be back?” Stryder asked. He was all ready for bed, sitting on top of his covers in a pretzel style. It was a little past his bed time already, but Lydia didn’t mind allowing him just a little while longer to say goodnight and goodbye to Aiden.
Outside, the sun had long since faded and the shops were all closed. There was next to no one left wandering Diagon Alley… except for perhaps the figure that stood across the street most nights, keeping an eye on Lydia. She still hadn’t told Aiden or anyone else about Marc stalking her, even though she knew that she should.
Standing in the doorway of Stryder’s room, Lydia leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed. No matter how much Stryder was starting to hate her, she just wished that he understood how much she loved him. Stryder was always asking Aiden when he would be back, as if he was worried that his father wouldn’t return. His insecurity only made her feel even more wretched.
A buzzing noise sounded in the apartment and in the shop, meaning that someone was at the front door of the shop, waiting to be let in. Thanks to the protective enchantments on the apartment and shop, nobody was able to apparate of disapparate on the premises. Stryder’s face visibly fell, knowing what the sound of the doorbell meant.
Lydia knew they couldn’t keep Maxwell waiting for long, but she also didn’t want to interrupt Aiden and Stryder’s goodnight. She would have gone to answer the door herself, but her new watchdogs wouldn’t allow such a thing. She and Stryder weren’t supposed to answer the door themselves on the off chance that the person on the other side wanted to murder them. Such a lovely thought. Waiting for Aiden to walk down to the front door of the shop with her, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret as she watched the interaction between father and son. What would their life have been like if she had told him? Seeing Aiden with Stryder… that was how a father was supposed to love their child. Loving your child shouldn’t involve trying to murder them because the fell in love with an auror…
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Post by Aiden L. Blackwell on Aug 20, 2015 22:21:45 GMT
It was time for Aiden to leave again, someone else would be coming to relieve him soon and he was having to say goodbye to his son once again. Every time got harder and harder even though he knew that Lena needed him too, he hated being pulled in so many different directions. He was up for a promotion at work, and though he hadn’t yet gotten it he was still having to work diligently in the meantime to be prepared for when he actually did get it. He felt guilty for having to send Lena to her grandmother’s house so much lately, though he didn’t think she minded much, and he hated having to leave Stryder when there were still so many things to learn about his son.
”I’ll only be gone two days at most, but I promise to bring you a surprise this next time. You just have to promise me in return that you’ll help look out for your mom.” Aiden said even as he reached inside his traveling cloak and pulled out a coin shaped bit of metal. It was a rather interesting object, one that Aiden had created himself back in Hogwarts and still used between his friends to this day. He handed it to Stryder and said ”If you ever think that there is something wrong, no matter how small it might be, just turn this twice in your hand and it will make this one” Aiden showed Stryder his own coin ”heat up and it will tell me exactly where you are.” Of course he didn’t add that it would also do the exact same thing with Cailan and Eric’s coins as well.
Feeling better now that he had given his son a way to contact him if he ever needed him, Aiden hugged Stryder, messed up his hair, and helped tuck him in bed as the doorbell rang. Well, there was no more delaying the inevitable and it wasn’t right to keep Maxwell waiting outside. Saying goodnight one last time to Stryder he lead Lydia downstairs to say goodnight and make sure that it was Maxwell on the other side of the door and not someone wanting to kill her. He unlocked the door and, with his wand out, opened it up to a familiar face, though he hadn’t talked to the man in a while he still knew all of the Aurors he worked with. ”Hey, you’re a little late everything go okay?” He asked stepping aside so the man could walk inside. It wasn’t that Aiden was upset that he was late, but it was polite to ask him that kind of question.
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Post by LYDIA G. VAN HELSING on Aug 20, 2015 23:50:59 GMT
"I will," Stryder agreed, his eyes flashing to Lydia before taking the coin from his father. Stryder's eyes were wide with wonder as he observed the object in his hands. "Wow!" he said, glancing at the other coin the Aiden showed him. Lydia couldn't help but smile the slightest bit. "That's so cool! Thanks, Dad!" Hugging him back and allowing him to tuck him into bed, Stryder may have been sad to see his father go, but he knew he would see him again soon. Though he closed his eyes while his parents were leaving, one eye shot open when he heard the door close all the way. Almost immediately, he grabbed the coin off of the night stand, where he'd set it as his parents were leaving, and started to observe it further.
Walking down to the front door with Aiden, Lydia arched a brow at him. "I can't believe you still have those things," she said to him, smiling slightly as they made it to the front door. Maxwell stepped inside, shrugging his shoulders as Aiden asked him if everything was okay. "Yeah, thanks mate. The wife was up my ass about her mother coming to visit before I left. Wouldn't stop yacking," he said, shaking his head. "You're all set to go though, I've got it from here." Looking over at Lydia, Maxwell smiled. Maxwell wasn't such a bad character. She found him rather entertaining actually, but there was something about the way he looked at her that made Lydia want to ask Aiden to stay a while longer. She was just being stupid though... right?
"I'll see you in a few days then," Lydia said to Aiden, glancing across the way to see if Marc was out there. He wasn't anywhere in sight at the moment, but she was sure she would look out her window and see him in the shadows at some point that night. Taking the opportunity to get back in, Calypso stopped to observe Maxwell who backed away from her a little. Hissing at him, she didn't seem all that pleased to see him even though she didn't usually have an issue with people. Maxwell usually didn't mind Calypso... Actually, he loved cats and often spent his time with Lydia playing with Calypso. Lydia didn't really pay any of this any mind though. Perhaps Calypso was just pissy after getting into a fight outside or something. "Goodnight, Aiden," Lydia said, closing the door behind him and making sure it was locked.
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Post by Aiden L. Blackwell on Aug 21, 2015 17:37:05 GMT
Aiden accepted Maxwell’s excuse and stepped out of the shop door, watched as Calypso ran inside, rubbing along his leg as she did so. He had always liked the cat, but even more so since she was one of the only ones that still approached him after he was attacked by the werewolf…Katerina’s cat ran off to hide if she got even a whiff of him. ”Goodnight, lock the doors.” He said to Lydia, though he doubted she needed reminding. Something just seemed off to him at that moment, so he hung around after the door shut listening for the clicks of the locks and the scanning the street for anyone who might be hanging around. Nothing. He saw nothing. Maybe his gut was just overreacting since he didn’t really want to leave.
Shrugging the feeling off the best he could he took one more glance around before disapperating to Sophia’s house. The sensation of being torn apart and being put back together again never got any better no matter how many times Aiden disapperated. He always had to shake himself off before moving again. He looked at his watch…it had only been five minutes since he had left Lydia’s place but the feeling that something wasn’t right just kept nagging at him. He walked inside the house finally, another minute had already passed.
He made a beeline towards the kitchen, hearing water running and the pungent scent of cleaner coming from that part of the house. Sure enough, Sophia was busy cleaning the counter and he walked over and pecked her on the cheek. ”It’s looking pretty spotless already mom, what are you trying to do, clean it so much it dissolves away?” He said as he went over to the fridge and opened it. Aiden began pulling out various left over meals, trying to find one from a couple of nights ago when the realization finally hit him. He dropped the container he was holding even as the coin hanging from his neck began to heat up. ”Mother fucker!” He said not even bothering to pick up the container he dropped.
”Mom I need you to watch Lena a little while longer, possibly until tomorrow, I have an emergency. Gotta go.” He said, giving her a brief hug and then dashing back out of the kitchen and out the front door. The door was barely shut behind him before he disapperated again, this time going back to Lydia’s. Damn him for not realizing it earlier. The man he had left with Lydia was NOT Maxwell….it had taken Aiden realizing that Maxwell had divorced his wife a couple months ago, and that the woman’s mother had died two years earlier for him to understand why he had been feeling uneasy since he left. He appeared on the steps in front of her shop and looked at his watch…twenty minutes had gone by that they were alone with this stranger, Stryder had even activated his coin. Goddamnit but he couldn’t get inside…
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Post by LYDIA G. VAN HELSING on Aug 22, 2015 2:10:26 GMT
Lydia stared at the door for a moment after she'd locked it. "We should probably get upstairs," Maxwell insisted, taking her by the arm and pulling her away from the door. She pulled her arm out of his grasp, however, the contact making her feel uncomfortable. "Right," she said, glancing back at the door as they walked to the back of the shop and thinking about Aiden. Something didn't quite feel right, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
Once upstairs, Lydia locked the door behind them and turned to see Maxwell watching her. When he saw that she had noticed this, he only smiled. "There's some leftovers in the fridge if you want anything to eat," she said to him, her brows knitting together. "Sounds good, thanks," he said, going over and sitting on her couch. Switching on the TV, he propped his legs up on her coffee table and crossed his arms, prompting her to arch a brow. He was acting a little strange. She'd never seen Maxwell just put his feet on her coffee table like that. Maybe he was just getting a little too comfortable there. Rather than ask him to get his feet down, she decided to shrug off the issue.
Leaving him there, Lydia went to the kitchen and gathered up her bottle of wine, a wine glass, and the cork screw, taking it all into the bathroom with her. She didn't notice Maxwell's gaze following her as she walked down the hallway. Once inside the bathroom, she set her wine essentials on the edge of the tub and turned the water on. As the tub filled, she opened up her bottle and poured herself a glass before getting undressed.
Once the tub was filled, Lydia eased herself in, the water hot and steaming. With a sigh, she leaned back against the wall of the tub, allowing herself to just relax before taking a few sips of her wine. Setting the glass back on the edge of the tub, she let her eyes close, content for the time being. There was no reason for her to be uneasy, right?
Sophia smiled as Aiden pecked her on the cheek, but continued to clean even as he said this. "I'm hoping that it will stay clean for once, but you know how that goes around here. John drops in at least once a day and leaves crumbs all over the counter. And I'm still trying to figure out who left a trail of strawberry jam leading from the kitchen and into the living room," Sophia said to Aiden, glancing over at him as he raided the fridge. "If you happen to see Jared, he's my prime suspect, so give him a good whooping for me, will you?"
Finally finishing for the night, Sophia set her hands on her hips. "Finally," she said, satisfied with the state of the kitchen once more. Sophia's kitchen was usually clean, so you had to admire her for keeping up with her messy brood so well. Of course, just as she said this, Aiden dropped the container of leftovers onto the floor and cursed loudly. She shot him a look for both cursing and making another mess, but before she could scold him, he was running out the door. "That boy..." she said to herself, shaking her head and sighing.
Lydia didn't hear the sound of the bathroom door opening. She was so relaxed and he was making a great effort to remain silent. Most people wizards would have preferred using their wand to get such a job done, but he was the kind of man who had preferred using his hands for such a task. Softly closing the door and locking it behind him, he even took a moment to admire her there in the tub before he figured it was time.
As he stepped forward though, the floor creaked beneath him and Lydia's eyes shot open. "Wha-" she started to say, but she was too late. He grabbed her before she could do anything to stop him, forcing her head under the water. Panicking, Lydia thrashed about, water splashing out of the tub and onto the floor. She tried to grab her wand on the edge of the tub, but it fell right onto the floor. She couldn't breathe, she needed air. Desperation overcame her and her hand found the corkscrew. Grabbing hold of it, she managed to jam it into the side of his neck.
As he stumbled backward, she resurfaced, gasping for air. As Maxwell, or whoever it was, stumbled backward, he fell into the counter, knocking her bottles of perfume to the floor where they shattered. He roared in pain, wrenching the corkscrew from his neck and throwing it to the side. Blood oozed from his neck and, before she could get herself out of the tub, he went at her again.
This time, she managed to smash him in the side of the head with her wine glass, cutting her own hand in the process. This only angered him more as she managed to slip by him. Running for the door, Lydia only slipped on the soaking wet floor, landing hard on the cold tile. "NO!" she screamed, just praying that Stryder would hear her and make a run for it. Maxwell's imposter pinned her to the floor then, backhanding her across the face. Seeing stars, she had difficulty resisting him as he wrenched her back up and practically threw her back into the tub where he held her down with both hands. There was blood and water all over the bathroom and no amount of thrashing was going to save Lydia. She needed air and she could feel herself on the verge of losing consciousness. So this was how she was going to die...
Stryder couldn't sleep. Laying there on his side, he held the coin in his hand, trying not to let the fact that his father had to leave bother him. Why couldn't he just have a normal family? Most of his friends had parents who were happily married and living together. Why couldn't he have that as well?
It was the sound of something breaking in the bathroom that made Stryder sit up. Listening intently, the boy's blood ran cold. Was something wrong? Getting out of bed, he crept to his door, looking down the hall. The TV was on in the living room, but nobody was in there, watching it. Squeezing the coin tightly, Stryder tiptoed toward the bathroom door. At the sound of his mother screaming though, he ran the rest of the way, trying to open it. Locked. "MOM!" he yelled, banging on the door. The coin! Looking down at it, Stryder did exactly as Aiden told him to, turning it in his hands twice.
All he could hear inside the bathroom was the sound of struggling and fear gripped him as. Turning on his heel, the boy booked it down the hallway. Was the coin even working?! He had to get help! Unlocking the apartment door, Stryder ran down the narrow staircase and into the shop. Bolting for the door, he unlocked and wrenched it open seconds after hearing the loud crack of someone apparating. "Dad-" he started, out of breath and visibly shaken. There was no time to explain though.
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Post by Aiden L. Blackwell on Aug 22, 2015 3:34:39 GMT
Aiden was more than a little relived to see his son in once piece, but it was the lack of Lydia behind him as he opened the door for him that really brought on the feeling of dread. He stepped inside quickly and knelt to Stryder’s height. ”Go find a place to hide, don’t come out of there for any reason until I say Lemon Drop.” Aiden told his son, more serious now than ever. He stood, turned and shoved the door shut as Stryder ran off to find a hiding place and Aiden went up the stairs, taking them two at a time.
It wasn’t hard to find where they were as Aiden could hear the sloshing of the water onto the floor in the bathroom. The sounds of Lydia struggling just made the adrenaline pump even faster through his veins. Aiden didn’t even bother going for his wand, which was inside his vest, and rammed the door hard with his shoulder. The first time made a satisfying crack, and the second time did the trick. It took him only seconds to take in the scene, Lydia grasping at the tub walls as Maxwell, or whoever he was, held her beneath the surface of the water.
In that moment all Aiden saw was red, and Maxwell. ”Get your filthy hands off her!” He growled as he grabbed him by the throat and threw him to the slippery wet floor. Aiden followed him down, punching him good in the face before picking him up by the front of his shirt and slamming him repeatedly against the floor until his head made a satisfying crunch. Just before the lights went out of his eyes, the man looked utterly terrified.
It was only after he was dead that Aiden turned and dragged Lydia out of the tub and into his lap. From where he knelt he reached over to the counter and grabbed her towel, wrapping her in it the best he could without moving her off of him. ”I’m sorry, I should never have left. The moment I walked out the door I felt something was off. You were supposed to be safe.” He felt so incredibly guilty for not putting it all together sooner and saving her from having to go through such a nightmare, and his son having to go through it as well…
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Post by LYDIA G. VAN HELSING on Aug 22, 2015 4:00:11 GMT
Stryder didn't know what else to do ofher than listen to his father. Running off to do exactly as he was told, Stryder quickly found a spot beneath the counter, ducking under it and sitting there with his knees pulled in toward his chest. He was still gripping the coin tightly, listening to the sounds of something smashing upstairs. Quickly covering his ears, he was trying to console himself. Was his mother alright? Was his father too late to save her? Stryder had been so cruel to her lately, even after everything she had done for him. He let her think thathe hated her... He'd even thought that for himself, briefly. It was only in that moment that Stryder realized just how much he needed his mother. She'd raised him and loved him more than anything in the world. An immense guilt filled him as he tried to hold back tears. Uncle John said it wasn't very manly to cry, but what if his mother was dead? And to think, he'd told her that he wished she was just that. Dead. He couldn't lose his mom. His heart was breaking just at the thought and he knew he would never forgive himself if something bad happened to her.
The moment his hands were off of her, Lydia resurfaced, coughing, spluttering and confused. Aiden. The relief that flooded through her was immense and for a moment, she just stayed there, arms draped over the edge of the tub as she tried to catch her breath, gasping for air. Had Aiden not dragged her out of the tub, she probably would have just stayed there, completely devoid of the energy she needed to move.
She was shivering and trembling in his arms as he pulled her to him and, for once, she didn't object. As a matter of fact, she held onto him tightly, her heart still pounding. She was grateful when he covered her in the towel, too shaken to have even thought of that herself. "Is he dead?" she asked him, her voice hoarse. All she wanted to do was cry, her green eyes wandering to Maxwell's imposter. He looked pretty lifeless to her and just seeing him dead on her bathroom floor made her feel sick. It was him or them though, she reminded herself, unwilling to release her hold on Aiden. If he hadn't shown up when he did... she didn't even want to think of that.
Her mind was spinning so much that she didn't even notice that her hand was bleeding from smashing the man in the head with her wine glass. Such a wast of a good bottle of wine. "Where's Stryder?" she asked Aiden suddenly, pulling back to look at him with wide, terrified eyes. She needed to know that their son was safe.
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