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Post by Mathieu Ferrera on Dec 27, 2008 0:25:10 GMT -5
After his talk with Judah, Mathieu found himself unable to get thoughts of his sister out of his mind. It had been so long since he had seen Emelia; she always seemed to have an excuse why she couldn't visit. The last time he'd seen her had been before Amandine was born. Even her letters had become few and far between.
Mathieu finally decided that, if she would not come to him, he would have to go to her. During the day, when Blake would be at work, was the best time. After he had finished his patrol at the school, Mathieu slipped away and headed over to Emelia's house. It had been so long since he'd been there, he almost forgot how to get there, but he was able to find his way.
He hesitated for a long moment before knocking on the door. Would she be happy to see him? Or had her husband managed to harden her heart? He bit down on his lower lip, then knocked on the door.
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Post by Emelia Malfoy on Dec 27, 2008 0:38:39 GMT -5
It was a house elf that answered the door. Naturally, Malfoys couldn't be lowered to such menial tasks as opening doors to solicitors.
The little elf, who seemed scared and skittish, showed Mathiue into the parlour, and then disappeared to get the head of the house. Since Blake was at work, and Noah and Axel at school, that meant it was Emelia.
It was nearly ten minutes before Emelia came into the parlour, and by the surprised look on her face, it was obvious she had not been told who was waiting there. He looked so different, but... still so comfortingly familiar. Something lost that always wanted to be found....
She had aged, far beyond her years even though she was still beautiful.
"Mathieu?"
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Post by Mathieu Ferrera on Dec 27, 2008 0:44:10 GMT -5
Mathieu was struck by the sight of her. She was as beautiful as ever, but she seemed like a shadow of her former self; fragile and wasted. He knew instantly that he should not have stayed away so long. He should have tried harder to see her, to keep in contact with her.
"Emmy?" he said, the same questioning tone in his voice. "Yes, it's me, Mathieu. I hope you don't mind me paying you a little visit... I've been missing you terribly."
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Post by Emelia Malfoy on Dec 27, 2008 0:52:37 GMT -5
Emelia faltered, unsure of what to say to him. She was happy... she was beyond happy to see him, but Blake would be furious if he knew. He liked a lot of notice, time to prepare, mentally, she assumed.
In her younger days, she would have run to him, thrown her arms around him and chastised him for being away so long. Now, she wasn't even smiling, and she would barely meet his eyes. When she did, they dropped to the floor almost instantly.
"You should have owled first. We're terribly busy..."
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Post by Mathieu Ferrera on Dec 27, 2008 1:03:18 GMT -5
It hurt to look at her. She was practically a ghost; solid but transparent. "I was in the neighborhood," he said softly, though it was a lie. "I won't stay long, if it's a problem. But it's been so long since I've seen you. Won't you come give your big brother a hug?"
He held out his arms hopefully, a sad smile on his face. What had happened to her? This wasn't the Emelia he had known.
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Post by Emelia Malfoy on Dec 27, 2008 1:07:48 GMT -5
Emelia hesitated, her eyes lifting to look at him, but even still they really only met his chest. It was engrained in her sixteen years ago that she didn't say no, unless it went directly against something she knew Blake would want. She couldn't really say no to hugging him, and she crossed the room with a grace that never left her. The confidence, however, had.
She was close to him now, but still far away, emotionally. She was there, but he would have to initiate the hug. It was like she wasn't quite sure what to do without Blake's guidance.
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Post by Mathieu Ferrera on Dec 27, 2008 1:20:55 GMT -5
Mathieu had never been an incredibly emotional man, and he couldn't recall the last time he had cried. But seeing her like this had him dangerously close to tears. When she couldn't even seem to figure out how to hug him, he had no choice but to bridge the gap. He reached out and put his arms around her, gathering her close to him.
"Emmy, you look beautiful," he said softly. "I'd almost forgotten how beautiful you are. Please, tell me, how have you been? How are the boys?"
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Post by Emelia Malfoy on Dec 27, 2008 1:25:46 GMT -5
Emelia's eyes fell closed in his arms. She couldn't even remember the last time she had been touched in a kind way. Of course Blake never hurt her, but he was never loving. Even when they made love, he was never particularly gentle or concerned with her needs. It was for him, and she knew that and accepted it. Her boys loved her, but they were teenagers and it was uncool for them to dote on their mother.
She let out a slow, shakey breath, not realize that she had the slightest tremble when she did so. "I've been wonderful," she whispered. "Noah and Axel are doing fine. They're good boys," she said, and only when she mentioned her children did she smile.
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Post by Mathieu Ferrera on Dec 27, 2008 1:45:05 GMT -5
Mathieu realized with a start that he had never even seen Axel. Her youngest son had been born after Amandine, and she had never seen Ama. Yet the children probably saw each other every day at school.
But seeing her smile, even if for only a moment, filled his heart with hope. He had missed her smile. "They must be getting so big now," he remarked. "Do you have a picture of them?"
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Post by Emelia Malfoy on Dec 27, 2008 1:56:17 GMT -5
Emelia nodded. The smile didn't last long, but at least talking about her children made her happy. Pleasing her husband made her happy too, she just wished she was capable of doing it more often.
She moved away from him and went to an antique chest of drawers and pulled out a photo album. She brought it back to him and pulled out the very last photo, handing it to him. "That was on Noah's last birthday," she told him. The photo was of her two boys and her husband. She was nowhere in the photo.
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Post by Mathieu Ferrera on Dec 27, 2008 2:09:28 GMT -5
Mathieu stared at the photo. It had not escaped his notice that Emelia was not present in the photo. He also noticed that Blake's smile seemed forced, like someone trying to keep up appearances of being a happy, loving father. The boys seemed normal enough, though Axel seemed afraid of his own shadow, and Noah seemed somewhat arrogant.
Still, he smiled. "You have a beautiful family, Emmy," he said softly. "Noah's quite a handsome young man. I think I have a picture of my family in my wallet..."
He reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a slim wallet that expanded with a touch. After a moment, he produced a photo of the entire family that had been taken shortly before the incident with Cyrus had taken place. "I don't think you've seen Amandine yet, have you? She's already 14."
Had it been that long? He was beginning to feel ashamed that both he and Judah had stayed away for so long. Even though she had always turned down her invitations, they should have tried harder to see her.
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Post by Emelia Malfoy on Dec 27, 2008 2:17:13 GMT -5
"Has it been that long already?" She asked softly, her eyes on the photo, her fingers itching to trace over it.
She remembered Roland... he had been quite young when she saw him. Jamie had just been a baby, and Cyrus quite young too. She could place them because she knew what ages they should be now, but Roland was really the only one she could recognize. She wished she had been there to see them grow, like a good aunt should have been. Her place was here, though, raising her children and serving Blake. She barely remembered the last time she had been out of the house.
She handed the photo back, her eyes remaining on it so that she didn't have to meet his eyes. "They're all perfect, Mathieu."
Her serving habits kicked in suddenly, and she looked almost worried that she had been so rude. "Can I get you something to drink? Are you hungry? I can have the house elves make something up really quick. They're already working on dinner for Blake."
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Post by Mathieu Ferrera on Dec 27, 2008 2:34:32 GMT -5
Mathieu smiled sadly. "Time sure flies, doesn't it? Roland is 22 already... although I swear, he seems twice that old sometimes." He laughed slightly, but it was a nervous laugh. She seemed so odd... so different from what she had been. It unsettled him; he didn't quite know how to react. He was talking to a total stranger.
He was about to turn down her offer, but the idea of having something to hold on to, to concentrate on, was very appealing. "I don't want to be any trouble," he said. "Maybe some tea would be nice..."
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Post by Emelia Malfoy on Dec 27, 2008 2:43:25 GMT -5
"Twenty two..." She repeated. So he had been 7 or 8 the last she saw him, which made Cyrus 4 or 5, didn't it? There was a whole part of her family that she just didn't know anymore, not to mention her other brother and his children.
She bit the inside of her lip and nodded. "Tea, of course. Please have a seat, I will be right back." And in a graceful flurry, she was gone. She needed something to keep her busy, something to give her worth right night. This was the first time she had seen Mathieu in 14 years... she was a low priority to him. She could accept that easily.
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Post by Mathieu Ferrera on Dec 27, 2008 2:54:35 GMT -5
Mathieu watched her go, a frown creasing his face. How had he managed to let so much time pass before seeing her? It wasn't like she lived so far away. She had turned down all invitations for years, but had he, or Judah, ever made an effort to visit her? He couldn't explain why he had been thinking about her so much lately, or why he had decided to visit her now, after all this time, out of the blue. But he was glad he had. He only regretted that it had taken so long to do so.
Emelia had changed dramatically, and it worried him greatly. Perhaps some of the fears he'd had about Malfoy were really true. He always thought there was something off about the man. What had he done to Emelia?
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Post by Emelia Malfoy on Dec 27, 2008 3:02:18 GMT -5
Emelia came back, looking more at home now that she was able to serve someone, to please someone. It was just a roll that fit easier now, more than any other. That, and being a mother.
"I can't remember how you like your tea... I seem to remember lots of sugar, but that might be Judah, so I brought sugar and lemon and cream, whatever you might fancy."
As she said this, she said the tray in front of him, unknowingly looking for approval in his eyes.
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Post by Mathieu Ferrera on Dec 27, 2008 3:15:46 GMT -5
Mathieu smiled at her. "You could have had the house elves do that," he said softly. "But yes... I do like lots of sugar, just a touch of cream. Do you remember... I always did have a sweet tooth. I would dump half a cup of sugar in my oatmeal... drove Mum crazy."
Again he laughed nervously. "Cyrus is the same way, actually... he likes everything sweet." He frowned, wondering if he should mention the current situation with Cyrus and Lina and the baby. Since they were not acknowledging Mara as Cyrus's child yet, and Cyrus and Lina weren't married, it seemed strange to bring it up. It was not a situation to be proud of.
"Anyway, please, sit down and have a cup. You don't have to serve me."
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Post by Emelia Malfoy on Dec 27, 2008 5:44:50 GMT -5
"Yes, I remember." She also remembered a time when their mother tried to put the sugar away, and she and Judah went on a rescue mission before Mathieu came down to breakfast. They succeeded... in part. There was sugar, but it was all over the floor.
While it was a fond memory, she couldn't help but quash it and remember that such behavior was juvenile and would have never been tolerated in this house.
"No, I want to serve you. You're a guest here. And really, I'm fine." It was just habit to take her tea when everyone else was finished.
Her eyes unvolunteerily darted towards the clock.
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Post by Mathieu Ferrera on Dec 27, 2008 19:11:21 GMT -5
Mathieu could remember a time when Emelia had been about 9 or 10 and had laughingly refused to get him a drink of water because, as she had put it, "I'm not your servant." And now she wanted to serve him? It was like she had nothing else to do, no concept of what else she might be good at.
He hesitated for a moment, not sure how to react. His first instinct was to remind her that she was not obligated to act as a servant and that he could fix his own tea. But something told him that would hurt her. So he managed a slight smile and said "Well, if you don't mind, then, I'll take two spoons of sugar and just a drizzle of cream. But then I insist that you get a cup for yourself and come sit next to me so we can catch up for a while."
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Post by Emelia Malfoy on Dec 28, 2008 0:11:33 GMT -5
His response pleased Emelia immensely. She had nothing to do if she couldn't help in some way. She added the sugar and cream to his tea, and handed him the cup. Then, because he had insisted, she made a cup for herself, adding just a very small about of sugar to it so as not to indulge.
She sat next to him, but in a silence she wasn't entirely sure how to fill, so she asked awkwardly, "How's Cara?"
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