A Girl's Night Out (Curse/Open)

[Curse Kameren]

Curse sat by Arianna at the small round table, keeping a protective eye on her. She seemed distressed, which in turn had him the same way. He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb absent-mindedly, watching her in case she got sick.

"I...I had a bit too much to drink..."

"A bit." He teased, chuckling slightly. She was always a lightweight, he remembered; this wouldn't be the first time Curse had carried her out of a pub. He wasn't very well off himself, but he handled himself well; even drunk Curse was still brilliant. He sighed as she closed her eyes, her tiredness making him feel tired as well.

"need to lie down..."

Curse hesitated, but nodded. He couldn't leave the area, Max was still asleep in their home. He couldn't go out to the city and leave Max out of reach. Then again, he also couldn't let Arianna try to go home by herself in this condition. Now that he thought about it, he didn't even know where Arianna live anymore. He sighed as his only true option came to him.

He stood, taking Arianna's other hand and gently pulling her to her feet. "Come along, Arianna, you can sleep at my place for the night." She swayed dangerously on her feet; Curse put an arm around her to keep her steady. He quickly settled the tab and got Arianna's things for her. Eventually, they made it out into the Hogsmeade streets.

"Love that fresh air," He said simply, smiling down at Arianna. They shuffled towards the gate to Hogwarts; Curse opened it with his password, but realized quickly the steep path towards the doors could pose a problem for his lady friend. "Okay, here we go," With one quick motion, Curse swept Arianna up off her feet and into his arms. She was so much smaller than he was that it was easy to carry her; he held her gently, one arm supporting her back with the other looped under her legs. Her head rested on his chest. He managed to shoulder the Hogwarts doors open, and navigate his way down to the dungeons without running into any students. Thank Merlin he didn't run into any students.

"Here we are," he said, setting her down gently to free himself up to turn off his protective spells. The spells came down and the door opened, Curse leading his drunken love through the door. "You can sleep here for the night, but we might want to get you home before Max gets up. This will only encourage him." He chuckled, taking Arianna's hand and leading her through the dark flat into his bedroom. She could sleep in his bed for the night. Better to keep her hidden away in case Max got up for something.

[Arianna Blackthorn]

Strong arms supported her and Arianna couldn't help but smile at Curse. Merlin, he was too good for her. She'd left him, caused him a world of hurt and yet he was here dancing with her and then taking care of her when she became too inebriated to walk properly. It was one of the reasons she loved him. He was always there when someone needed his help. Yet, she hadn't been there for him. It hurt but she was too confused to sort out those feelings. Thinking was painful. It was like a thick London fog had taken up residence in her brain and she could barely see her way around.

"Come along, Arianna, you can sleep at my place for the night."

His place? That was a bad idea but she couldn't bring herself to object. She allowed him to lead her outside, she was practically supported by his lanky frame. Slowly, they made there way out side. She felt better, less nauseated and more giddy.

She whooped and then giggled when he had scooped her up. She immediately nestled into his chest, taking a deep breath of his manly scent. There was something calming about being in his arms. She felt safe, warm and at home.

"smell nice..." she mumbled into his chest, as they continued their journey. Her eyes were closed and she was partially asleep when he gently set her down inside of his apartment. She vaguely remembered being there before when he had needed her help.

"You can sleep here for the night, but we might want to get you home before Max gets up. This will only encourage him."

A involuntary shiver danced down her spine at the thought of spending the night. She nodded mutely when he mentioned her leaving in the morning. He was right of course. If she had been in max's place she would already have planed the wedding. Especially, if someone who had been romantically involved with her father had stayed the night.

She followed him through the door of his bedroom, aware of where they were. She tried not to stare at the bed and found the carpet suddenly fascinating.

"Where will you umm sleep...Max will question if you sleep on the couch...I can take the floor."

[Curse Kameren]

It didn't bother Curse at all that he was taking care of his ex-fiancee. It was just what he did; from being a father to being an auror, even to taking care of his mother when he was a child. He always took care of people and made sure they were safe. If he cared about someone, he would take care of them. That was just how he was written. He smiled when he saw Arianna snuggled up in his arms, nearly asleep. It pained him to put her down, and he found himself longing to be holding her again. He pushed the feeling aside as he went through his apartment, leading her toward his room.

He raised his hand, the lights in his room coming on with the motion. He went around, absent-mindedly straightening up around the room. His brow furrowed as Lucy, his emerald boa constrictor, poked her head out of the closet. Sssssssomeone's home late... Her yellow eyes glanced around, her pupils turning to slits as they fell on his red-headed friend. Issss that...? Krissss, you bad, bad--

Go back in the clossssset. Now. He hissed in quiet parseltongue at the snake, closing the closet on her and magically sealing it shut. She had other ways of getting out, he knew, but at least those passages didn't lead into his bedroom. He glanced up at Arianna, smiling lightly at her. He arched a brow at her when he noticed she was examining the carpet. "You can come in, you know..."

"Where will you umm sleep...Max will question if you sleep on the couch...I can take the floor."

He looked at her, rolling his eyes as he looked at the bed. "It's a big bed, Arianna. I'm fairly sure we can sleep in it without touching each other." He moved closer, smiling as he purposefully tried to make her uncomfortable. He took her hand, his face centimeters from hers. "If you don't think you can control yourself, however, You can take the floor." He laughed to himself as he went over to the bed and opened it.

[Arianna Blackthorn]

Green horn, idiot. She was acting like an innocent young virgin from the Victorian era. Suddenly, she was unsure that this was such a good idea. They were both not themselves and that could spell disaster. It felt so well, nice to be so close to him. It was comforting and, despite feeling a little sick, it felt heady to be in his presence.

"You can come in, you know..."

Arianna's head jerked in acknowledgement, but she barely took a few tentative steps inside. The urge to rapidly close the distance between them was increasing. She could barely contain the need to wrap her arms around him and give in to her dreams. That, though could never happen. She wasn't that drunk to fall into that trap...yet. She was close, barely hanging onto her sanity. That thin, silken thread could snap.

"It's a big bed, Arianna. I'm fairly sure we can sleep in it without touching each other."

Her eyes darted to the bed. It was indeed very large. Was it the same bed she and Curse had...no probably not. But it was still a bed and they would be sharing it. It could be a thousand miles long and they probably would still find each, drawn by the other's warmth. Still, if he could resist her then she could resist him. It was just for one lousy night and she was not looking forward to a stiff neck she would receive if she slept on the floor.

"Of course I can control myself. Just thinking if Max found us..." She mumbled as she stepped close to the bed and away from him for a bit. Still a bit dizzy, she lowered herself gently onto her side of the bed. She kicked off her shoes before curling onto her side watching Curse.

"Thank you." She said softly.

[Curse Kameren]

"Of course I can control myself. Just thinking if Max found us..."

"Easy solution," He replied, pointing a finger at the door. Click. Locked. He started to unbutton his shirt, taking it off and replacing it with a t-shirt. He usually slept shirtless, but tonight he figured the more clothes, the better. Frankly, if he had a parka, he would be wearing it at the moment. As much as he teased Arianna to keep control of herself, he was a little scared he wouldn’t be able to sleep aside Arianna for a night. He might end up on the couch after all.

He crossed back over to the bed, keeping to the edge as he lay down. He looked over at her, smiling softly. He let out a breath, succumbing to his own tiredness now that she was taken care of. It looked like she was nearly asleep already. He met her dark eyes; this felt like years ago, when they were together. As soon as the thought hit him, he pushed it away. Those were dangerous thoughts. Things weren’t like that anymore. He had to remind himself.

"Thank you." She said softly.

He sighed, looking over at her again. He took her hand for a moment, squeezing it lightly. “Anytime.” He closed his eyes, rolling onto his back and letting go of her hand.

[Arianna Blackthorn]

She ignored the loss of warmth that left her empty when he had disengaged her hand. It was for the best. While, she was extremely tired and still held in the clutches of copious amounts of drink, it was hard for her to truly fall asleep. All she could think about was the man beside her and how right this all felt. Determined to appear unaffected by his proximately she kept her eyes closed and tried to keep her breathing soft and slow. Eventually, she drifted off to a deep sleep.

However, in her sleep she managed to scoot herself to the center of the bed. Turned on her side facing a way from Curse, she nestled into his warmth. No dreams haunted her that night.

[Max Kameren]

Max's round green eyes seemed to burst open, the young boy jerking up in bed. It was never a transition for the boy: he was either awake or asleep. Especially on Saturdays. They were his favorite days; the one day of the week he had his father's undivided attention for the whole day. Merlin knew he loved anyone's undivided attention, but his father's attention was the best. He pushed himself out of bed, scooping up Tabby off of his bed with one arm as he went.

He pushed his door open, looking up at the ceiling of their living room as he crossed through the hallway; it was enchanted much like the Great Hall's, showing the sky outside. The trouble with his father being the Potions Master was his quarters being in the dungeons; they both missed windows, but the ceiling helped soothe that need. He plopped Tabby down with an unceremonious mrow!, crossing into the kitchen.

"Dad?" Nothing. Max looked over his shoulder, arching a brow. It was a rare occasion that Max woke up before Curse did. He shrugged, grabbing the cereal from the cupboard and placing it on the counter. He stopped when he realized the opportunity he had: he could surprise Curse! He reached down two bowls; breakfast in bed would be an excellent start to their day. Maybe his dad could bring up muggle telly on the bedroom mirror again. He knew all the funniest magic tricks. He sloppily poured two bowls of cereal, splashing milk inside them and laying them on a cookie pan; it was the closest they had to an actual tray. He carried the bowls carefully toward his father's room, Tabby following behind him to lick up his milk spills.

"Dad!" Max called outside the door, holding the tray with one arm as he reached for the doorknob. He frowned. It was locked. Why was it locked? He had never experienced a locked door in his father's house before, besides his potion ingredients. The young boy bit his lip, his eyes rolling upwards as he tried to remember: what was that spell the students used? Aloe Vera? No, Alomorra? Not exactly.

"Alohomora!" He exclaimed. The lock picked up on his excitement and the incantation he'd shouted. Clk. The door came open. He stepped through, pushing the door with the cookie sheet. "Dad! Good morning, I--" He stopped, his excitement turning to utter confusion at the scene in front of him. There were two people in his father's bed. Again. And his dad was sleeping there with the woman this time. His emerald eyes looked only more confused when he recognized the red-headed woman in his father's arms. "Aunt Ari?" His eyes darted between the two, still holding the cereal on his cookie sheet. "Dad... what's going on?"

[Arianna Blackthorn]

Trouble with doors, they could be opened. Especially in a magical world. You would think that two of the smartest minds of their generation would know how easy it was to pick a lock, even for a child without a wand. But no, they had not thought of the strange abilities of a wandless child. It was of course the fault of their drink addled brains and not any over site of their part.

Arianna had been enjoying herself, lost in a dream of what life could have been like. It was a simple dream and it felt almost real. The dream Arianna had married Curse Kameren and he had not gone mad and Max was their child and he looked not at all like Amelia. Not even a bit. For a moment the dreamed so real that she could actually feel a warm body pressed against her. The comforting weight of a leg thrown over her hip pinned her down. A child's voice called out, startled at the sight of his parents tangled in the sheets. Except that it was too real. The voice was not in her head but outside and the weight trapping her was too substantial to be a dream.

Startled, Arianna's eyes flew open. Groggily she blinked away to find herself in a strange room and barely barely able to move. A large, heavy man leg was covering her and a thick arm clutched at her waist. Curse held her nestled in his arms and his son was staring at them. Arianna struggled to sit up her groggy brain rebelling against her waking. A steady drumming tapped against her eyes and she wished she were still asleep. No, she wished she was anywhere but here staring down a ten year old. Guilt colored her face pink as she saw the shock on her nephew's face.

"Curse wake up." She said pushing against his shoulder. He still held her in his grasp and it was difficult to move, she barely could sit up, having to lean back on her elbows to see Max.

"Ummm, Hi Max. It's ummm not what it looks like...CURSE, git off me!" she said again trying to shove the man awake. She would not handle this situation while he slept off his stupor.

[Curse Kameren]

"Curse wake up."

"Mmph" he grunted, forcing himself to stay asleep. His pounding head was telling him to stay asleep. Drinking last night was a bad idea. Alcohol did not mix well with his new antidote. He was going to be sick today, he could already tell. His brow furrowed when he realized exactly how he was sleeping; he was tangled up with someone. The voice. His groggy mind tried to pull for memory, figuring out what was going on before he opened his eyes. Oh, damn.

"Aunt Ari?"

Damn damn damn damn damn. Those were two voices that weren't supposed to be in his bedroom at the same time. He tried to force himself awake, letting go of Arianna as she shoved at him. He sprang up, his hair sticking up in even more of a mess than usual as he tried to shake the sleep from his mind. Uggh, too fast. He fell back, pinching the bridge of his nose as he did. He fought back a wave of nausea as it hit him. Ulch, let Arianna deal with it for a moment, anything she said would be better than him vomiting all over the place.

"Ummm, Hi Max. It's ummm not what it looks like...CURSE, git off me!"

He practically fell off the bed as he moved for Arianna again, grabbing the night stand to keep himself from tumbling over. He sat back up, this time more slowly. This was mortifying. He had no idea what to do.

"Dad... what's going on?"

"Ermg," he started off badly, still rubbing his eyes to try to wake up. Wake up, Curse, now. You can't not have an answer for this. His panic-mode finally sunk in, his grogginess falling away when he realized exactly what his son just walked in on. He jumped out of bed, his face just panicky and sick all at the same time. "Aunt Ari just needed a place to sleep for the night," He said simply, still stumbling over his words as he gently took the cookie pan out of his hands, placing it on the bed. He flashed Ari an apologetic look; he hadn't expected this. He felt bad putting Arianna in this situation.

"Wha..." Max looked between them; neither of their explanations had helped him. "now does it mean you're getting married again? You slept together..."

"Max, that's not--" he stopped himself, looking apologetic between the two as he rushed out of the room to go be sick in the bathroom. He hoped Arianna wouldn't be mad at him for leaving her in the room with Max, but hopefully she's understand he wasn't having too good of a time either.

[Arianna Blackthorn]

Finally sleeping Curising beauty decided to wake up. At first, Arianna was a little cranky with him and his attempts to ignore both her and his son. Then she glanced at him our of the corner of his eye. He did not look well, in fact his skin had a strange green tint to it that did not bode well for the bathroom. Then he fell and she winced. She hadn't meant o cause him to tumble out of bed but at least she could get up now.

This was beyond awkward. Amelia was going to kill her. She had been in bed with Curse and Max was in the same apartment...good god. Nothing had happened had it? The night was rather fuzzy. She remembered dancing with some of her friends and then Curse came in . They drank, danced and then she didn't remember a thing. Now, she was here standing in his bed room wearing a very wrinkled dress that was rather short. Panic clawed at her as she waited for Curse to explain the situation to his son. Max probably thought they'd had sex...did he even know how babies were made? She hoped not, he was just a kid. This should have happened...what were they thinking?

Then, MAx asked if they were getting married. Logical question but dead wrong. it only meant that things were much more complicated then before Curse could set things straight he ran to the bathroom. The sounds of his retching echoed through the room.

All Arianna could do was stare at Max. Finally, she spoke.

"Max honey, nothing happened between your Dad and me. We just shared the same bed, like you and Tabby sleep together, except that we're umm both human. We're not getting married...there's more to it..." How did she tell a child that it probably would not happen? His dreams were futile. His hope false.

[Curse Kameren]

"Max honey, nothing happened between your Dad and me. We just shared the same bed, like you and Tabby sleep together, except that we're umm both human. We're not getting married...there's more to it..."

Curse re-entered the room as Arianna tried to explain, sitting on the floor next to his son. This was a disaster. He and Amelia had yet to give Max 'the talk'; he apparently thought adults sleeping in the same bed meant they were like Amelia and Peter. The fact that they slept together was enough for Max, and there was no way in Hell he was having the conversation needed to correct him right now, with Arianna present. God, Amelia was going to kill him. No, actually. Peter was.

Max looked at Curse, his young emerald eyes searching for some answers. Arianna had given him one, but it wasn't the answer he wanted. Curse wasn't going to give him what he wanted either. "Max, Aunt Ari and I aren't getting married. She just needed a place to sleep for the night, so she slept here with me." Max frowned. Curse hugged him, sweeping him down to the floor with him and into his lap. "We're friends, and that's all. Nothing happened. Okay?" Max looked up at Curse and nodded. Curse smiled, kissing his son on the top of the head before helping him up. "We'll talk about it later with your mum. But I have to tell her, okay? You don't speak a word of this to her." he arched a brow at Max.

The boy nodded, grabbing a bowl of cereal before crossing towards the door. He looked at Curse, his emerald eyes meeting him. "Make sure to eat your cereal." He looked between the two again before turning to the door and heading into the kitchen.

Curse looked over to the bowl of cereal; just the sight of it made him feel like he was going to be sick again. He took the bowl in two hands, setting it on his dresser before turning apologetically to Arianna. "I'm so, so sorry," He started, more than a little embarassed. He ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "I don't know what we were thinking." His brow furrowed as he thought about it; actually, he didn't know anything that happened last night. Did nothing happen? He hoped not. He looked up at Ari, unsure what to say to her. It was an awkward question, but one that needed to be said: "Nothing happened, right?"

[Arianna Blackthorn]

Max wasn't buying her rambling explanation. The look on his face spoke volumes. The hope in his eye nearly ran her threw. He wanted them to get married, he could see the hopeful plea in his eyes. Guilty, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Then she stopped herself. She would not allow a hopeful child make her squirm. She was an adult and would not succumb to those big green eyes.

"Max, Aunt Ari and I aren't getting married. She just needed a place to sleep for the night, so she slept here with me."

Oh, thank merlin, Curse came back. Not, that what he said had much affect on the boy. She nearly winced at the implication of having "slept" with Curse. Did Max know about the birds and the bees yet? He was getting close to that age. Aimee and Peter were not going to by that flimsy story that she needed a place to sleep. One of them should have taken the floor, or a couch or she should have just gone home. Where were her friends in all of this?

Arianna stood off to the side as Father and Son had a heart to heart on the rug. She envied Curse at that moment. While, she wouldn't want to be in this situation with her own children, she wanted the hugs and the chance to parent a child like Curse had. Being the Aunt, even a favorite one, was different. There was a boundary she couldn't cross. Something she'd never have.

Arianna hugged herself, arms crossed slightly as she watched them rise off the floor, a tentative understanding between them. Then Max was off cereal in hand. Carefully, Arianna watched Curse. He looked a bit wobbly, as if he were going to be sick again as he handled the bowl with kid gloves.

"I'm so, so sorry," All Arianna could do was shrug a shoulder. She wasn't all that sorry. Embarrassed, yes. Mad at herself for being so weak? Of course. But sorry? Nope, she actually had enjoyed waking up next to Curse. She had missed the warmth and comfort of having someone else beside her as she slept. She hadn't slept that deeply in a long time. But this should never happen again. And it wouldn't. Because she knew better. What had gotten into her? Into them? This shouldn't have happened. But she doubted he was upset as his apology made him out to be. He probably was sorry they got caught. Caught doing what? Her memory was a haze. All she remembered was going out with friends. There had been drinks, dancing, then Curse had come. More drinks...had they danced? Then there she was tangled up in his warmth, legs over her with her nephew staring at them.

"I don't know what we were thinking."

'We weren't' she thought ruefully. It was quite obvious that both of their intellectual minds had all but shut down the night before. Their secret longings had taken hostage of their bodies and fueled by liqueur they ended up in a bed together. Merlin, anything could have happened. She still wanted him and it had been a long time since she'd had any well, loving. Her starved body could have done anything with Curse and it would have felt natural. It had been natural.

"Nothing happened, right?"

Oh, something had happened...but his question seemed to imply that nothing of the sexual nature.

"I don't think we had hot passionate sex, if that's what you mean." She said dryly. Her head was pounding and her stomach churning from guilt and shame. They were both dressed, a bit wrinkled but if they had done something last night she wouldn't be wearing all her under garments would she?