Mother Dearest (Rhianne)

[Samuel Tanner]

Samuel had finished cleaning the dirty marble on his mother's stone, letting the dust swirl in the wind. His hands were dirty, and he cleaned them off with a quick charm. Finally, he set a pile of roses in front of the calligraphy, engraved with the words 'Julia Tanner' with the dates underneath. This was one of two things that made Samuel feel like he should turn around, but he had chosen this path.

The good side was not for him. He had learned that long ago.

And he was glad that the other turning point understood that as well. She didn't try and change him, she appreciated him for him, and Samuel would do anything for her.

He waited for her, letting his eyes drop to the date of the death of his mother. The anniversery was near, and it was customary for all of the Tanner children to gather around, no matter how much he despised Jacob. Jacob, the do gooder. Jacob, with perfect grades. Jacob with all the girls. Jacob, with the correct life, in Gryiffindor.

It was very different from him, Samuel, the protecter. Always looking out for family affairs, being the oldest. In Slytherin, with average grades, ohkay looks, and an affinity for dark arts.

Samuel knew that this next death anniversery would not be as pleasant as the others, due to a new decision he had made. His apathy had led him further into the praise for the Dark Lord. And he was willing to give almost everything up to follow the ways, and live his life like he knew he should.

Now all he had to do was talk to the one person holding him back. Rhianne would be here any second, with her perfection as well.

[Rhianne Tanner]

Rhianne too had brought flowers. She often felt that her mother had been the only thing holding their family together. Certainly, it was easier for Sam and Jake to at least pretend to get along when she was near, but since her death... which she barely remembered... she had tried to fill her mother's shoes and knew she was failing terribly.

She came up next to her brother, giving him a soft smile before she knelt and placed the flowers at her mother's stone. Her fingers traced the lettering of her name for a moment, some silent message she was giving her mother.

When she stood up, she turned and hugged her oldest brother. "It's so good to see you, Sam. I've missed you so much."

[Samuel Tanner]

Samuel enveloped his little sister, his arms around her in a tight hug, "Rhianne, it's been a while."

She had grown since he last saw her, now only about a half a foot shorter then he was. He smiled slightly, and held her at an arm's length. "How are you, Rhi? I might have to be killing some guys here if I hear anything from you. Any boy has to pass my test to be able to even look at you. And you're way too pretty to be walking around alone." He gave a small chuckle."

Samuel hated being the protective older brother, but it came instinctively. He only ever did something alphaic when it had to do with the girl he had be the shoulders and was examining. He noticed that she looked healthy, and looked like she was in an good mental state. But he never knew.

[Rhianne Tanner]

She refrained from rolling her eyes, but still managed to tease him. "Isn't it a little sacreligious to be talking about murdering at a cemetary? I'm doing well. And no, there are no boys."

That had been one of Jake's first questions, too, but she wisely chose not to point this out. "You look good, too, Sammy," she said, wondering when he was going to make her stop calling him Sammy. As far as she could remember, only she had ever been allowed to call him that, except maybe their mother.

She broke into a wider smile and moved forward, hugging him again to show him just how much she really had missed him.

[Samuel Tanner]

He hugged her again, "The boys'll be lining up soon, kiddo. It doesn't help that you have a big brother that secretly threatens the entire school. No one wants to mess with me," he gave a small smile. "Mum would be proud."

Then he frowned, and said in a low voice, "I have something to tell you."

[Rhianne Tanner]

Rhianne frowned to match her brother's. She didn't like that look, or those words. Coupled together, nothing good ever came from them.

"Well, Sammy, I'm listening. What do you have to tell me?" That was Rhianne. Ever ready for news, good or bad, and ever supportive. If he did have bad news to share with her, they would address it and then figure out how to deal with it, no questions asked.

[Samuel Tanner]

"I won't be around much this year," he gave a dark smile. "I have been recruited by Lord Voldemort, and will be around. It's not like I have much left to leave."

He gave a small laugh, that sounding like knells at midnight. He was certainly excited, and couldn't wait for Rhianne to finish school to join him. "I'll be back to check up on you, of course. Make you stay exactly how you are."

Samuel hoped that Jacob wuoldn't have too much of an impact on her while he was gone. He wouldn't like having to come back if he had to face fighting with Jacob face to face again. The problem was that they never got to really fight, due to Rhianne.

But he could never blame her. She was looking out for the both of them. Although Samuel knew she'd come to his side in the end.

[Rhianne Tanner]

Rhianne frowned. Lord Voldemort? That was dangerous. And that was a very clear, very distinct choice of path on her brother's part. She didn't like it, simply because hearing those words already made her worry about him more than ever, but this was RHianne... she didn't judge. She just supported.

She moved forward again, and put her arms around him, holding him tight. Whatever he might have suspected her to say, the first words out of her mouth were, "Okay."

She squeezed a little tighter. "But I'm holding you to your promise that you'll come check up on me from time to time."

[Samuel Tanner]

Samuel smiled, knowing Rhianne would have been her usual self.

"I wouldn't just let you go on by yourself with him," Samuel snarled at the word him. "I'll be back repeatedly. Have I ever broken a promise?"

Smauel hadn't. Rhianne was the highest thing on his pedestool, and there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her. But this was also his life, and he needed to live it the way he wanted to.

[Rhianne Tanner]

"Careful."

He would know what she meant. It was Rhianne's one rule where her brothers were concerned... neither one of them were allowed to speak poorly of the other in front of her. She loved them both immensely, and she didn't think she could ever choose a side to be on. She just hoped they didn't force her to.

"No, you've never broken a promise. So can you please promise me that you'll be careful?"

She just assumed that Sammy wouldn't fight Jake, if they ran into each other. They may have hated each other, but they were still family.

[Samuel Tanner]

"I'll be as careful as I'm allowed to be," Samuel avoided the question with a small smirk.

He was just teasing her of course, but there was a looming truth behind his statement. He would be as careful as they let him, but the Dark Lord wasn't know for just leeting his followers be 'careful'. In fact, danger seemed to fitthe Dark Lord then precaution.

But if he was gone, where would Rhianne go?
He didn't like any of the solutions.

"And that I can promise."

[Rhianne Tanner]

Rhianne smiled softly, and gave her brother a look. "I know you will be, but that doesn't really make me feel better."

What would happen, she wondered, when one day Sammy and Jake met, as she knew they inevitably would. Jake would never hurt Sammy, she believed, but she wasn't so sure that would be reiprocated. And then again, if Jake was doing his job...

She frowned. Maybe it would never be an issue. She could always hope for that.

"How long have you been here?" She asked, changing the subject.

[Samuel Tanner]

"Maybe a half an hour, maybe about two hours. I was cleaning the marble, you know how much Mum preferred a clean house," Samuel laughed drily, playing along with Rhianne's subject change.

Her face had flickered with worry for about a nanosecond, and Samuel alwys felt like he had let her down a tad when he saw it. Samuel was supposed to protect her from the harsh realities of adulthood before it had set in, but he knew he had failed in that already.

[Rhianne Tanner]

"Yeah, Mum always did like everything to be spotless." She hugged herself and looked at the headstone. "Sometimes, I think I'm forgetting her, piece by piece. I don't remember what her voice sounded like anymore."

She sighed, letting the silence fall for only a moment before she looked at Sam again. "You swear you're coming back, Sammy? That I will see you again?"

[Samuel Tanner]

Samuel gave a deep frown, and pulled his sister to him, both facing the same direction. He could practically see their faces in the polished stone. "We change, and therefor parts of us get left behind. So I wouldn't be too sad, it happens to everyone.

And I will be back as much as possible to check on you. Don't worry. THere's no way I'd leave you behind."

[Rhianne Tanner]

Rhianne nodded. "You better. I don't know what I'd do if you didn't come back for me."

Rhianne was a strong girl. She loved both of her brothers so deeply, and she wasn't blind to the fact that she would have to choose one of them one day. Maybe if she ignored the fight and just became a waitress or something...

[Samuel Tanner]

Samuel stared at the grave, and the reflection showed him and his sister standing there like a family. Of course, Rhianne looked a lot more distinguished and she was pretty. Samuel looked slightly undernourished, and he needed a haircut. He looked like a criminal, and Rhianne looked like she belounged. Of course, that's how it always would have been. But Samuel would rather have Rhianne a princess, and himself in the dungeons if that's what it took.

"I'll come back. I'll just keep fighting for you. Don't worry about a thing, Rhi."

[Rhianne Tanner]

While her brother was watching the reflection in the headstone, Rhianne was watching him, worry etched in her features.

"You know you scare me when you talk like that," she said softly, reaching out and taking her brother's hand. "We're going to be okay. All three of us. I promise."

He might have been on bad terms with Jacob, but he had to respect that she was not. She loved them both, and it ate at her to hear Samuel talk the way he was.