Trouble for a Pretty Girl

[Lina Harper]

Mara was crying, and Lina was the only one home. It was getting late in the evening, and Lina had dinner prepared for Cyrus when he came home from Auror training for the day.

The thing that surprised Lina sometimes was that she didn't miss it. She had done three months of the training program with Cyrus before she found out that she would much rather be at home, with Mara.

"Shhh, it's okay," Lina said, picking the girl up from her crib. She was generally such a quiet baby, and when she did cry, she settled for Lina quickly.

Tonight was different. Mara didn't want to be quiet, no matter how hard Lina tried.

[cyrus]

Cyrus stared at the ground beneath his feet as the slowly began taking him out of the Ministry. He had just finished another hard day at Auror training and was headed home for the day to his beautiful girlfriend and they're even more beautiful daughter. Yet recently their arguments over the one thing that Cyrus was afraid to do at the moment and that was marriage, were increasing. Casually standing in front of the giant floo network inside the Ministry's lobby, he took one last glance around before throwing the floo powder into the fireplace as he followed behind and disappeared into the green flames.

Stepping into the living room of his apartment, his ears were filled with crying and the smell of a lovely dinner. Locating his Lina and Mary he smiled at his two favorite women. "How are my two loves this evening? Sounds like the little one is being temperamental?" Kissing Lina on the cheek lightly, he whispered, "I love you." In her ear before gently taking Lina from her arms, rocking the baby girl gently as he smiled down at the crying infant.

[Lina Harper]

Lina smiled, saying, "Love you too," to return the sentiment, and she willingly handed Mara ovr. She wasn't completely finished with dinner, and Mara was keeping her from it.

"Yeah, she's been-"

Her sentence, and her smile, faded as the baby stopped crying, her wails turning into a couple of hiccoughs and then gurgles as she smiled adoringly up at her father. She was a true daddy's girl in the making.

She had been fussy all day though, and it was slightly irritating that she'd been trying to calm the girl down all day, and all Cyrus had to do was to show up, and she was a happy, content baby again. Lina was slightly jealous, but it was a silly notion and she recognized that.

"How was it today?" She asked, changing the subject instead of dwelling on Mara's behavior.

[Mara Ferrera]

Mara blinked hesitantly, and watched the man she knew well looked at the woman who cared for her with genuine interest. She liked spending her time with these people, and enjoyed what they did for her. She had been bored with the constant jiggles of the woman, who had tried to keep her calm, and was now firm in the arms of the man.

She continued, waiting for more clues of what right now held for her.

[cyrus]

Holding Mara to his chest, he looked up towards Lina as she asked how work had gone today. Moving Mara to the side slightly, he opened his robes a little revealing a patch of scorched skin on his side. "Interesting, to say the least." He chuckled as he moved past Lina into the kitchen, sniffing the air as he walked. "Something smells wonderful Lina. Dare I say dinner is nearly done?" Entering into the kitchen, he grabbed one of Mara's bottles and offered the nourishment to his beautiful little girl.

[Lina Harper]

Lina followed him into the kitchen, her smile coming back to see that Cyrus was pleased.

"It's almost finished, yes. Maybe another ten minutes. Are you all right?" She asked, going to him and opening his robes to inspect closer how badly injured he was. "What happened?" She knew he might not be allowed to tell her. The Aurors were an elite bunch... she knew, she had been there for a couple of months.

[cyrus]

Cyrus smiled at Lina as she went into worried girlfriend mode and began inspecting his injury. This was one of the things that Cyrus loved about the beautiful Lina Harper, no matter what was going on she could always make him feel like the most important person in the world at that moment. "Don't worry Lina, it's fine. I was give the chance to duel the great Alastor Moody! It was awesome babe, thankfully the Department keeps staff from St. Mungo's on hand for.."

He let the words trail off as he nodded towards the mark on his side, "Anyways, i'm more interested in how your day was.."

[Lina Harper]

"It'd be gone if they had healed you," Lina pointed out, glancing up at him with a raised eyebrow, but she was teasing him. She wasn't angry, just worried, despite what he said. "But Alastor Moody... that's fantastic. You won, of course." She smiled.

Stepping away from him and walking to the oven, she pulled a half magical, half muggle made meal out and set it on top of the stove. "Honestly, my day was dull. But Mara and I did spend time writing out holiday cards. Although, I think Mara ate one in the process."

[Mara Ferrera]

Mara sucked continuously on the bottle that had been offered to her and stared at the eyes known staring into hers. She liked this treatment. She heard a few words that sounded familiar to her and tried to spell them out in her head, and decided to place that information for another day. She had a long time that she just sat there, and she had grown an affinity for observing the proceedings around her.

She took the bottle away from her mouth and open and closed it, trying to make noises. Instead, se gave a small hiccup and put the bottle back in the mouth.

[cyrus]

Cyrus chuckled at the image of his daughter eating a holiday card, well guess she took after her father in more than a few ways. Looking up at Lina, he could not help but smile as he looked at the delicious meal she had made for them to eat. "Your the best Lina, I don't even have time to sit down and dinner is already done." Walking into the dining room, he placed Mara in her high chair with a light kiss on her head, moving back over to Lina, he walked up behind her wrapping his arms around her waist.

With a light kiss on the back of her head, he rested his head on her shoulder. "You know, I don't think it's possible for a guy to have a better girlfriend than you babe."

[Lina Harper]

She smiled, leaning back into his arms for a moment. His words were kind, and would make any girl melt. She felt like she should have melted at his praise. But if she was such a good girlfriend to him, why couldn't he see her as a wonderful wife? Or did he just want a gilfriend?

Let it go, she told herself.

"I just wanted you to be happy when you came home." She pulled away from him to get plates so that she could serve their meal. "It's a new recipe I tried... but I really think you'll like it."

[cyrus]

Cyrus felt Lina tense slightly but forgot all about it as she pulled away from him and he began to frown. "Lina you are a beautiful, caring woman and any man with a lick of sense would be happy to come home to you." He smiled as he blew a kiss to his girlfriend and turned back to their child who was sitting comfortably at the table waiting for her parents. "I almost ran into my father today, it's getting harder and harder to avoid those two while i'm at work." Sighing he went over to his cupboard and pulled out a small bottle of butterbeer. "I just don't know what i'm going to do..."

[Lina Harper]

Lina sighed, licking her lips as she brought him a plate and set it on the table. She should have been thrilled at his words.

"You could talk to them," she suggested softly, then held up her hand, repeating his argument before he got the chance to. "I know. They won't speak to you, when they do it's only a fight... I know."

She sighed. "We could get married." She closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable excuses.

[Mara Ferrera]

Mare Eed. That word again. Mara had heard the woman discuss it many times under her breathe, and it didn't sound good. Mara wished that the woman wasn't so upset, and closed her fist around her spoon and slammed it against the small table top in front of her.

Mare Eed was something Mara hoped she would never come to, if it made the woman so depressed and tense. Mara liked the woman happy, it made her happy too.

[Lina Harper]

"Oh, I know, baby," Lina said, her voice going soft as she stepped in front of her daughter, taking the spoon from her small hand to clean the small mess created before she started to feed Mara herself.

"Forget I said anything, Cyrus. I don't want to argue about it tonight, and especially not in front of Mara."

[cyrus]

Cyrus stared at the plate of delicious food sitting before him at the table, Lina was definitely better than average in the kitchen and tonight was no exception. Grabbing his silverware, Lina said the only thing that could of ruined his appetite at the moment. Marriage, the one subject that continuously caused arguments between Cyrus and Lina. He had explained to her before that he could not marry her without his parents there, ya they had their disagreements but they were still his parents.

Standing up he looked at Lina, his eyes held both sadness and anger in response to Lina's comments. "How can I forget it Lina? You bring it up almost every day and I have already explained....explained why I can not marry you, my love..."

[Lina Harper]

"No," Lina said. She was angry, but she was trying to be calm. She hated fighting with Cyrus in front of the baby. "You can, you just won't. Maybe you've forgotten, but my parents are speaking to me either. But I love you, and I would give them up for you. I hate coming second in your life, Cy."

She wouldn't look at him. She just continued to feed Mara, smiling and the perfect baby they had made. Maybe she was the only thing they were supposed to make. Merlin knew if they fought this much about marriage, how much would they fight if they were ever actually married?

[cyrus]

Cyrus sighed inwardly, how could Lina think she was anything less than the most important person in his life, between her and Mara there wasn't even a close second. Yeah Cy still cared and loved his parents, they were the ones who had raised him after all, and had given him the skills he needed to be who he is today. "Lina Harper, how dare you think your second to anyone..." Moving around towards Lina, he looked down as she coddled and played with Mara, seemingly trying to forget that Cy was somehow upsetting her.

"Lina, you and Mara are the only number ones in my life, but...." He paused for a moment staring at the ground, not wanting to meet the heated gaze of Lina if she should turn it upon him. "Lina, my parents are the reason I am who I am...They are the reason I am the man who you decided to fall in love with...if I were to be married without their permission it would be like throwing it in their face..."

[Lina Harper]

"How dare I?" She repeated, her voice heated. "What am I supposed to think, Cyrus? Your parents obviously come before me, and that's a little disconcerting."

How was she supposed to know how important she was to him when he kept putting her on the back burner?

"And if you want them there because they shaped you, why not worry everyone you've ever known? Every person you have ever met has helpd shape you into who you are. I helped shape you since we met. That's a stupid excuse, Cyrus. And if you're going to wait for your parents, they will never accept me again."

She paused, this realization hitting her hard. She whispered, "You're never going to want to marry me."

She set Mara's spoon aside and stood up slowly. "You should eat before it gets cold. Mara and I are going to go to my brother's."

[cyrus]

Cyrus stood in a silent rage, angry at both Lina for bringing up the marriage and himself for not having the courage to actually just go through with it. He had many valid reasons for not wanting to marry Lina just yet but at the same time there was a small part inside of him that questioned those reasons. "Lina, if my parents came first I wouldn't be here right now...or have you forgotten?" Slivers of anger began to seep into his every word as he began to respond to Lina's outburst.

"Yes you did, but you know I didn't mean it exactly like that. Yet they are my parents and Mara's grandparent's even, they should be at our wedding." Hearing the quietly whispered words slip out of Lina's mouth, his heart fell. Any anger he once had was long forgotten as she quickly followed her initial strike with another deadly blow. "Your brothers?! Lina...your leaving me?"