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Post by Max Kameren on Jul 19, 2011 0:18:06 GMT -5
"Peter!" A short blonde woman with a round sweet face scavenged the living room of the Beauregard's London loft. A pout formed on her soft pink lips as she felt around in the cushions of the couch. The woman was done-up for a semi-casual occasion, in a shift dress and lipstick, though she was barefoot on the hardwood floor. A slight bump pulled the midsection of her dress; she was three months pregnant, and they had just found out it was a boy. That was the reason for the fancy occasion; They hadn't announced the new baby to most of the family yet, and tonight was the night. "Peter, have you seen my ring? I took it off before with Max and now I can't--" "Got it, love, it's right here." Peter swung around the corner out of the hallway, ring in hand. Amelia Beauregard smiled at her husband, thanking him with a peck on the lips as she glided the ring back on her finger. "Thanks, love. Speaking of, where is Max? I haven't seen him since he was trying to do the crosswords before..." Her husband shrugged. Amelia frowned, entering the hallway and stopping at her son's room. She knocked lightly before she opened it. "Max? Honey, people will be coming any minute, and you're still in your pajamas." Amelia pushed the door further open, picking up clothes and toys off the floor as she went and tucking them back into their proper places. "Come on now, love. You need to get dressed." Max turned to his mum and smiled patiently at her, but didn't reply. Her cell phone was at his ear, but she couldn't hear a voice from the other end. Amelia arched a brow. "Who are you talking to?" "It's dad. He had to put the phone down, though, so he could cut the root for his potion." Of course it was Kris. Even when Max spent the week with his mum, he was only waiting to get back to his dad. Amelia missed the old days sometimes, when Max was such a mummy's boy. She loved that Kris cared so much about their son, but sometimes it made Amelia feel like an empty-nester prematurely. "Alright, well while he's cutting roots, you put some clothes on. Wear that shirt I got you the other day, please, we want to look nice for tonight. And tell dad you have to go soon. People are coming any minute." She leaned down and kissed Max on the head as he nodded. She turned and closed the door, silently praying that the rambunctious child would listen for once. Amelia hurried to the kitchen, where the food was marinating to prepare to be grilled. They were grilling out tonight, Amelia preparing it while Peter cooked it out on the balcony. Mrs. Beauregard started with the asparagus side, skewering stalks together in groups of five to be grilled together when the buzzer for the door rang. "Got it, Pete!" Amelia called, hurrying around the counter to open the door. She instinctively smiled as she opened the door and greeted their first guest. It was Anna, Amelia already knew; Peter had invited her earlier than the others, to help set up and so they could talk to her again. Things ended a little awkwardly the night Peter punched Kris in the face, to say the least. "Anna, glad you could make it. Pete's lighting the grill and Max is in his room. Care to help me in the kitchen before the rest come?"
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Post by Arianna Blackthorn on Jul 19, 2011 0:41:35 GMT -5
A strange twinge of nerves swept over Arianna "Anna" Blackthorn. Tonight would be the first time since her cousin and his wife had walked in on her and Curse entangled in a passionate embrace that she would be physically in their presence. If that wasn't odd enough Max who was also Amelia and Curse's son would be there. Ari was having difficultly in messing her muggle and magical life together after they had so explosively collide. The once large world had suddenly become quite small with her life intersecting with Curse's. Fate must have had a sense of humor because it was quite the coincidence that her ex-fiancée had a child with her cousin's new wife. Now, with Amelia with child the whole situation seemed like a ticking bomb waiting to unleash itself. She would not be a willing victim and had come armed with peace offerings. The young "historian" as her muggle family thought she was, came armed with several gift bags. For Amelia she brought sparkling cider, for Peter whiskey and for Max a mirror. Yes, it was an odd gift for a ten year old boy but it had magical connotations that he'd understand.
Dressed for a muggle celebration in a mint green wrap dress, Ari pressed the buzzer. her brown eyes were churning with apprehension as she waited for someone to open the door. She knew she had been invited early but wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Amelia's voice rang out through the door, calling that she would get it. Ari took a deep breath and prepared herself. The ever emotional Amelia flung open the door, standing a side to allow her into the house.
"Anna, glad you could make it. Pete's lighting the grill and Max is in his room. Care to help me in the kitchen before the rest come?"
Did she actually have a choice? She thought not. Ari stepped inside with a slight smile, how convenient for the males to be sequestered safely elsewhere.
"Sure, These are for you and Peter," she said handing over the two thin bags that contained the drinks. Max's gift was in her purse. she'd give it to him later. Amelia didn't like anything magical.
Ari walked into the kitchen as if she were still walking on egg shells. An awkwardness flowed through the room. The women now had more in common than just Peter...the fact that they both made love to the same man still made Ari a bit uncomfortable.
"So...how are you feeling?" She asked glancing at her belly.
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Post by Max Kameren on Jul 19, 2011 7:46:47 GMT -5
Amelia was determined to be friendly with Arianna tonight, she had promised Peter. She reminded herself this as she invited her inside and got the distinct feeling that Anna didn't want to be there. Anna and Peter had been close as siblings as children, it was a shame Amelia and Kris's dirty laundry had to come between them. Amelia knew Peter missed his cousin; he still regretted his fight with Kris, he hadn't realized how serious the two had been and part of him forgot that Anna was a grown woman now. Part of Amelia thanked God that they were having a boy; no knocked-out prom dates in their futures, then.
"Sure, These are for you and Peter," she said handing over the two thin bags that contained the drinks.
"Oh, thankyou love," Amelia smiled, looking in the bags as she wandered back around the counter. "Ah, sparkling cider! Thankyou, Anna, very thoughtful. I regret to say I've been missing my Moscato lately," She laughed, unwrapping the two bottles and placing them in the fridge with the ones she and Peter had chilled for the evening.
Amelia resumed her asparagus-skewering, willfully trying to ignore the awkwardness that swept through them. They used to get on well, didn't they? Then Kris got in the way; somehow without even trying, bloody Kris Kameren managed to get in the way of a lot of things. This was Amelia's family, though, her second chance at doing it right. She appreciated his responsibility with Max, but she still wasn't quite able to forgive him for buggering up her family life with Peter. Now everyone knew: Amelia and Anna shagged the same bloke. In this family, rumors like that spread like wildfire.
"So...how are you feeling?"
"Quite good, actually," Amelia's face lit up at the mention, her hand grazing her growing belly at the mention. "It's going well, better than last time. With Max I couldn't keep anything down," she shook her head, doing the cooking as she spoke. She handed some skewers to Arianna to help. "I've hardly been sick this time round, just with red meats. Peter got me a salmon steak tonight, to go along with everyone else's." She smiled happily at her husband's thoughtfulness. Try as she might, no amount of chatter was relieving the awkwardness between the two women.
Amelia put the asparagus down, turning to the other woman. "Anna, look. We can't dance around this all night, I want us to have a good time. I'm sorry about the other night, I'm sure we all said some things we didn't mean. Things have just been rather touchy with Peter and Kris, and I'm sorry you had to end up in the middle of it. I-- Max, what are you doing?"
The young face of Max Kameren peeked up over the counter, setting his mum's phone on the counter once she noticed him. "Dad says hi. Hi Aunt Ari," Max scurried around the counter and hugged his Aunt hello before turning to his mum once again. "What did dad and Peter do?"
The boy's mum arched an amused brow at the young boy. "That, mister eavesdropper, is none of your business. What's this shirt? You're not wearing this one, this is the one from when you & your dad broke the microwave. See? Stains all over it." She turned the boy around, nudging him in the direction of his room. "Back to your room, put the shirt I got you on."
"But that one's itchy..."
"Did you take the tags off of it?" Max's emerald eyes rolled towards the ceiling in thought at his mother's question as he started off towards the hallway again. "And don't rip them off with your teeth! Use a scissors!" She sighed, shaking her head at the young boy as he turned down the hall. Amelia met Anna's eyes again for a moment before she looked back down at the cooking. Talking to and about Max only seemed to reintroduce the fact that they'd both slept with the boy's father. Was there anything they could do to relieve this feeling? Would talking about it help, or make it worse?
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Post by Arianna Blackthorn on Jul 19, 2011 10:36:39 GMT -5
Amelia accepted the gifts with an exclamation. Anna smiled at her pleasure. This was the Amelia she liked, the very enthusiastic young woman who made Peter not so dull and dour. Really, she was good for him, Ari knew that. Then the awkwardness was back as they tried avoiding each other. Ari was having a hard time not thinking about Curse and Amelia getting it on. It had been a long time though. They had been kids when they conceived Max. She knew that, but it didn't stop her from thinking about it either. Curse knew about Max for a while now...did he and Amelia ever kiss after they reconnected? Dangerous thoughts. Curse would have told her if so right? They didn't even like each other...but that didn't mean much. Their hostility could stem from guilt.
Anna was relieved when talk turned to the baby. She was very happy for Amelia and Peter.
"Quite good, actually," Amelia's face lit up at the mention, her hand grazing her growing belly at the mention. "It's going well, better than last time. With Max I couldn't keep anything down," she shook her head, doing the cooking as she spoke. She handed some skewers to Arianna to help. "I've hardly been sick this time round, just with red meats. Peter got me a salmon steak tonight, to go along with everyone else's."
Ari hadn't been sick either, not really. She'd just broke it off with Curse and realized she was actually pregant too late.
"Anna, look. We can't dance around this all night, I want us to have a good time. I'm sorry about the other night, I'm sure we all said some things we didn't mean. Things have just been rather touchy with Peter and Kris, and I'm sorry you had to end up in the middle of it. I-- Max, what are you doing?"
Anna was right. They did need to talk she thought just before Max came in. Merlin, how would he react if he learned that his parents walked in on his dad and aunt kissing.
"Dad says hi. Hi Aunt Ari,"
"Hi Max," She said warmly as she hugged the boy back.
"What did dad and Peter do?"
Ari bit back a grin, turning to see what Amelia would tell her son. This wasn't her place to explain to Max that his to father figures had acted like school children.
"That, mister eavesdropper, is none of your business. What's this shirt? You're not wearing this one, this is the one from when you & your dad broke the microwave. See? Stains all over it." She turned the boy around, nudging him in the direction of his room. "Back to your room, put the shirt I got you on."
"But that one's itchy..."
Arianna watched the exchange unable to help a little wistfulness. This was the life she was longing for, a family. But she had one of sorts didn't she? Amelia, Peter, Max and yes Curse were her family.
Max left and they both returned to cooking. Arianna had spied some vegetables in the sink. Grabbing the peeler, she began to scrape the skin off the carrots. Still, there was no escape.
"Look, I didn't mean to kick you out of my apartment so roughly the other day..." She said as a peace offering. She had been a bit rude to them and frustrated or not it was no excuse.
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Post by Max Kameren on Jul 19, 2011 16:40:27 GMT -5
"Look, I didn't mean to kick you out of my apartment so roughly the other day..."
"It's fine," Amelia replied before Anna could finish her sentence. To be honest, she would have been just as peeved in the same situation as she'd put her cousin-in-law in. She wanted to blame the night on hormones alone, but some of it still hurt. She was mostly unhappy with Kris, however, not Arianna. She was sick of Kris being so involved in her life, him being with Anna made everything even messier. Didn't she have to deal with her ex enough, dealing with Max? She'd gotten along with Anna, and now they couldn't look at each other without thinking about Kris.
Placing the last set of asparagus stalks on a plate, Amelia frowned. Ignoring the problem wasn't doing either of them any good, maybe talking about it would make it better. Once they got through the awkwardness, they could go back to being family. Amelia couldn't help but wonder about Anna and Kris sometimes. What was he like, now that he was older? He was different, that was plain on his face. He'd been through a lot since being the arrogant teenage genius Amelia knew. He hadn't had any scars when she knew him.
"So, how's Kristopher lately? Felt like a hostage exchange when he dropped Max off the other day." Amelia chuckled, taking the carrots as Anna skinned them. On some days when Kris dropped Max off, Amelia would make tea and they'd sit and talk for a while, like parents should. They'd mostly talk about Max, or other parental things. They hadn't had one of those days since he and Anna got back together, and Amelia was loathe to say she missed it.
"Muuuum!" Max came running down the hallway, drawing out his yell the whole length. He reappeared in the kitchen, his shirt half-buttoned with something small in his fist. "Mum! I lost a tooth!"
Amelia sighed impatiently. "You bit the tags off, didn't you?" She got a clean rag, wetting it with cold water. "Open," Max obeyed, and she held the wet cloth to the gap in his teeth. "There, hold that there until it stops bleeding. We can put the tooth under your pillow tonight, alright?" Her son nodded eagerly as she finished buttoning his shirt for him, straightening it out. He grinned, his emerald eyes lingering on his aunt for a moment before he turned back to his room.
"Boys," Amelia chuckled, her hand resting on her belly for a moment as she smiled. "You never know what they're going to do next. You leave that one alone for five minutes he'll somehow manage to find a toad in the middle of downtown London..."
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Post by Arianna Blackthorn on Jul 19, 2011 21:51:48 GMT -5
"It's fine,"
Was it really? Would they ever be able to look at each other and not imagine the other person making out with Curse Kameren? Anna resented the fact that her once separate worlds collide in such a strange way. Before, the muggle and the wizarding portions of her life rarely if ever intersected. Now they seemed to blend in to one another. It was odd. She also resented the fact that her muggle family didn't trust her in making her own decisions. Curse Kameren was good enough to be in Max's life but apparently not in Arianna's.
"So, how's Kristopher lately? Felt like a hostage exchange when he dropped Max off the other day."
Was this some kind of trick question? Anna glanced at Amelia and found that the woman was genuinely interested. Once again, Ari was reminded that Amelia had been with Curse when he'd been a teenager. She knew the boy not the man.
"It's been a rough few weeks but he's doing fine. Actually, he's helping me with a case at work. It's a bit taxing." When Amelia and Peter found out about the wizarding world, they also learned that Anna was also a witch and what that entailed. In a way it had actually made her life easier, as she didn't have to always keep secrets anymore.
"Muuuum!"
Ari glanced over her shoulder to see max flying into the room, excitment on his face.
"Mum! I lost a tooth!"
"Congratulations," Ari quipped as an exasperated Amelia questioned him about biting off the tags. As quick as he came he was gone, running back to his room. Ari was struck at how child like Max was here. It was nice to see the childish excitment brought on by losing a tooth.
"You never know what they're going to do next. You leave that one alone for five minutes he'll somehow manage to find a toad in the middle of downtown London..."
"Curse is the same way. I think it's genetic."
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Post by Max Kameren on Jul 21, 2011 1:03:46 GMT -5
"It's been a rough few weeks but he's doing fine. Actually, he's helping me with a case at work. It's a bit taxing."
"Max said he was in hospital again recently..." Amelia frowned slightly. She was a little put off by Kris's various illnesses and how it affected Max. He was a different boy since meeting his father. Since first meeting Kris, Amelia was nervous about him. There was something wrong with him, something dangerous. She didn't like putting her child in the line of fire, but Kris was the boy's father and had a right to see him. At first she had limited their interaction but now it seemed Max preferred living with his father to living with his mum. They'd talked about Kris's illnesses, though, and were preparing for the day he couldn't take care of Max any longer. Where did Anna fit into all this? If she and Kris got engaged again, would Amelia end up sharing her son with his aunt like she did with his father?
"Muuuum! Mum! I lost a tooth!"
Amelia sighed impatiently. "You bit the tags off, didn't you?" She got a clean rag, wetting it with cold water. "Open," Max obeyed, and she held the wet cloth to the gap in his teeth. "There, hold that there until it stops bleeding. We can put the tooth under your pillow tonight, alright?"
"Boys," Amelia chuckled, her hand resting on her belly for a moment as she smiled. "You never know what they're going to do next. You leave that one alone for five minutes he'll somehow manage to find a toad in the middle of downtown London..."
"Curse is the same way. I think it's genetic."
She frowned slightly as she got out a cutting board from the cupboard, glancing at Arianna. She had heard it a few times, and she wondered about why people did it. "Why do you call him that?" She asked, curious. It wasn't a nice name in any way, not something one would call a lover. Lover, gross. She suppressed a cringe as a mental image of the two shagging assaulted her mind. Don't think too hard on that, Amelia.
"Call who what?" Peter suddenly crossed into the kitchen, putting his arms around both women and kissing each of them on the head. He smelled like gas from lighting the grill. "Good to see you, Anna."
"It was nothing," Amelia replied to his question, smiling sweetly at her husband and pecking him on the cheek. Best not to bring Kris up to Peter tonight; Amelia and Anna could handle it, but she was afraid if Peter got wind of their mutual 'connection' he'd be in a mood for the rest of the night. "Anna brought you whiskey, love."
"Ah, my favorite." He smiled warmly, inspecting the bottle on the counter and thanking his cousin. "So, how's history? Anything new?" Peter quipped, grinning at his cousin; he frequently teased her about her passion; he loved his cousin, but he found her career endlessly boring. Amelia rolled her eyes. Because there was nothing boring about law practice.
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Post by Arianna Blackthorn on Jul 27, 2011 19:49:16 GMT -5
How much did Amelia know about Curse's illness? Ari doubted she knew all of the twisting details or she wouldn't allow Max to see his father without supervision, especially on his more trying days. Curse Kameren was an amazing father, but even great dads had off days.
"Why do you call him that?"
Oops. To Arianna Kris was Curse. She had met him at the three broomsticks in the wizarding world where he had introduced himself as Curse Kameren. Very few people in their world called him by what she thought as his muggle name. To Ari, it was like how most people in the muggle world called her Anna and in the wizarding world it was Arianna or Ari. She was about to tell Amelia that it was just a nickname when Peter walked in and Amelia brushed it off. What was that all about? Wait. Peter hated any talk about Kris and would become boorish if he knew the subject of their conversation.
"So, how's history? Anything new?"
"It's history everything is old," She teased back, hands on her hips. Everyone but her thought her job was boring. In reality it was anything but.
"How's law anything broken?" She quipped back enjoying her time with her family.
"So...decided on any names for the baby yet?"
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Post by Max Kameren on Jul 31, 2011 20:09:36 GMT -5
"Why do you call him that? I mean, you don't call someone you supposedly love that..." It was a bit of a stinging comment, but Amelia didn't notice. She rarely noticed when her words offended others, she didn't think about that affect. If she thought it, she spoke it. No matter who it was.
"Call who what?"
"It was nothing," Except for Peter. She could read her husband and knew what to say and what not to say to him, what bothered him and what he could handle. Discussing Kris around him was a bad idea; Kris leaving his mark on Peter's family left a bad taste in the man's mouth, she knew. It would put a negative subtext on their conversation the rest of the night if he found out. Luckily, Arianna seemed to catch onto their little secret.
"So, how's history? Anything new?"
"It's history everything is old," She teased back, hands on her hips.
"How's law anything broken?"
Peter laughed, leaning on the refrigerator with a grin at his cousin. "Everything, Anna. And I love it."
He crossed over and kissed Amelia on the head, and she smiled sweetly. "Did you get the grill started, love? We can put the asparagus on early if you have." Amelia absent-mindedly rubbed her belly as she fussed over the asparagus, glancing up at Peter as he frowned. She reflected the look. "Whats wrong?"
"Bloody thing's out of gas. I'll have to run down to the store and get a new tank for it."
"Well what are you standing here for then? People are coming soon!" She shooed him around the counter towards the apartment door. He smiled mischievously an pecked her on the cheek before disappearing out the door, meeting Arianna's eyes playfully. Amelia shook her head, smiling happily as she turned from the closing door. "He's as bad as Max is sometimes. I feel more like a babysitter." She chuckled as she tended to the carrots Arianna had been skinning.
"So...decided on any names for the baby yet?"
"No, not really. We've discussed it, but we've only just found out the gender." She shook her head, smiling slightly as she spoke. Arianna always took an interest in kids, Amelia noticed. She should have one of her own one day, she'd be a brilliant mother. But not now, of course. And for God's sake, not with Kris. "He likes Rory for a boy, but I want something a little more, you know, meaningful. Naming him after his grandads or something. Max's name was just one I picked for the sound of it, besides his middle name obviously..."
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