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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 29, 2009 21:14:42 GMT -5
He'd honestly forgotten that tonight was New Year's Eve. Of all the nights for a confrontation with his uncle, he would have to choose this night. There was an electricity in the air, a negative charge that sent chills down his spine.
The office had closed early for the holiday, and Roland now sat alone in the virtually deserted office, waiting for the time he would go off to meet his uncle and the other two death eaters. The only other person present was, of course, Riley, who was going with him. He looked at the clock, then shot her a nervous look as he picked at his mother's leftovers, which he'd decided to heat up for dinner.
It wouldn't be long...
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 29, 2009 21:38:40 GMT -5
Riley was just as nervous, if not moreso. She had been in battles before, so she shouldn't have been so worried, but this was a big risk. They were going to be outnumbered. They were both risking their lives. She wouldn't voice this concern to him, though.
She was too nervous to eat, but to her credit, she wasn't fidgeting. In fact, she was sitting stone still in front of her desk, just waiting, watching the clock.
She was supposed to be with Fabian tonight, celebrating the new year. That's where she wanted to be, but told him yesterday she was going to have to bail. Something came up, afterall. And even if Roland chose tomorrow to do this, how was she supposed to be any less worried tonight? No, the sooner they did this, the better.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 29, 2009 21:52:37 GMT -5
Roland ate even less than usual. It didn't seem worth it. He was too tense, too nervous, to bother with eating. Finally, he gave up and threw away the rest of his uneaten food, then did one last sweep of his desk. He didn't want there to be anything left behind that he wouldn't want anyone to see afterwards.
After he was sure that everything was cleaned up, he stood up and walked over to Riley's desk. "Are you ready to do this?" he asked, his voice sounding as heavy as lead.
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 29, 2009 22:00:44 GMT -5
"No," Riley answered honestly, her voice even and emotionless. "But I don't think I'm ever going to be." She shot a glance at the clock. The inside of her lip was practically raw, since she had been biting on it for most of the day. She wanted to tell Roland again that they should take back up. Lots of back up. But it was three against two... both of them had seen worse odds before.
She stood up, locking her desk, and looked around the empty office for one last excuse to tell him they shouldn't face his uncle alone.
Finally, she nodded. "Let's go."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 29, 2009 22:12:01 GMT -5
He wished there was something he could say to her to assure her that it was all going to be all right. But all he could do was make promises that they both knew he might not be able to keep. The good mood he had been in earlier had long since evaporated, dissolved into nervous energy. He couldn't even summon the energy to make a lame joke that would annoy her. So he just pulled her into his arms and held her for a long moment.
"We really do make a good team," he said softly. "It's going to be OK. It has to be. We're the good guys, right?"
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 29, 2009 22:21:14 GMT -5
Riley let out a breath, putting her arms around him.
After a moment, she nodded.
"We're the good guys. We've faced worse odds before. This will be a walk in the park for us." She was convincing herself as much as him. Sometimes... sometimes things didn't go the way you planned. They wanted to eliminate the threat of Blake and the other two Death Eaters. She had faith, one way or another, that they would. She just hoped they both came out of this relatively unscathed.
She swallowed and pulled back from him. "Come on, let's get this over with. I want to ring in the New Year with a bottle of champagne when this is all done."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 29, 2009 22:36:14 GMT -5
When he was holding her, he felt as if he could do anything. And yet, he also felt like he had to protect her and keep her safe. He just wanted to stay there and hold her... but reality started to creep in all too soon. They weren't a couple. She barely even liked him. And he had death eaters to fight.
"That sounds great," he said with an ironic twist of his lips. "So let's get this over with."
He heaved a reluctant sigh and turned to leave the room, on the way to the apparation area.
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 29, 2009 22:43:23 GMT -5
Riley took one last look around, as if the answer were staring her in the face. Maybe someone would stop them and ask where they were going. Merlin knew she wished they were taking a few more Aurors with them. But she also saw Roland's side of things. He was worried about his family, and she couldn't blame him.
She felt too young for this sometimes... a fear that she never let control her, but sparked occassionally. She hated it.
She took a couple of quick steps to catch up to him, and then slipped her hand into his. They were going into this together, afterall.
"Please remember... if you need me... I'm there, too. Okay?"
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 29, 2009 22:51:26 GMT -5
He felt a smile tug at his lips when she slipped her hand in his. As convinced as he'd been that she hated him, he now knew that it wasn't true. He wasn't sure when it had changed, but the mere fact that she'd agreed to do this with him told him that she had to care just a little bit.
"I know," he said simply. "But you need to be careful, too. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
It was odd; they really had only known each other a few months and they'd already been through so much together. This was just one more thing, right?
He took a deep breath and, still holding her hand, apparated to the warehouse where they were to meet Blake and the others.
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 29, 2009 22:58:08 GMT -5
She squeezed his hand, her silent promise that she would be okay and that she would keep an eye on him, too. She probably wouldn't be as worried if Roland wasn't so emotionally involved... or if Blake wasn't so cocky. He had shown at a dinner full of Aurors by himself, appearantly confident that he could handle them all. So what were just two against him and his buddies?
She took a deep breath when they arrived, knowing they would be there before Blake and his henchmen. They didn't have much time, just enough to mentally prepare themselves.
Her eyes were wide open, watching for any sign of them. She was not going to be caught offguard.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 29, 2009 23:15:34 GMT -5
Roland took a quick look around. It was a dark night, but the area around the warehouses was pretty well lit. The muggles liked to light up everything, as if they believed that the light could prevent bad things from happening in the dark.
He took a breath. They were early, of course. And it wasn't like there was anything they could do to pass the time. But sitting in the office, waiting, simply wasn't an option anymore.
"You remember what you have to do, right?" he said, although he knew full well that she hadn't forgotten. It was really more a way to make conversation.
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 29, 2009 23:23:17 GMT -5
Still, she gave him a half dirty look... she couldn't bring herself to be sarastic or angry with him. Not tonight. "Yes, Roland. I remember. Just... you need to remember to be careful and not do anything too rash." She felt obligated to say it to him.
The time ticked by... slowly, but moving all the same, and she swore she was holding her breath.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 29, 2009 23:29:37 GMT -5
He managed a nervous smile. "I'll do my best," he said.
He, too, felt like there was something hanging in the air, as if they were waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was difficult to breathe, and there was not much to really say. Just more promises that he didn't know if he could keep.
Reaching out, he put a hand on her cheek. "I'll be OK. I promise. Don't think you're going to get rid of me that easily."
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 29, 2009 23:35:28 GMT -5
Riley forced a smile, turning slightly so that she pressed her cheek into his hand.
"It's not you I'm worried about," she teased. "It's my own arse I want safe." He would know she was kidding, naturally, because he had to know how worried about both of them she really was.
She heard a noise and jumped a little, though it wasn't the familiar pop! of an apparation. She took a breath and looked away from him. She couldn't be this jumpy if she was going to fight these guys.
There was a lot working on her nerves, though.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 29, 2009 23:44:18 GMT -5
He gave her a lopsided grin. "Yeah, what's the sense in worrying about me, right? It's not like you like me or anything."
The sound made her pull away. He looked over and saw a cat digging through a trash can by one of the nearby warehouses. "Don't worry, it's just a stray cat," he told her.
Taking a deep breath, he leaned in very close to her, his hand still on her cheek. "I still can't believe you're doing this for me."
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 30, 2009 0:03:46 GMT -5
For that comment, Riley gave him a very dirty look. She hated when he said things like that. It was like she was two seconds away from backing out of helping him at all times, and still, he did nothing to calm her fears.
Her eyes caught his again though, and his proximity made her breath catch in her throat. "I can't either," she told him. "I think this is honestly the stupidest thing I have ever done."
She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, then added, "But you need me... so I'm here."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 30, 2009 0:13:55 GMT -5
His chest felt tight as he looked down at her. She was nervous and scared, and she had every right to be. This could all go terribly wrong, and they both knew it.
"I do need you," he said softly. She had no idea just how much. And now was not the time to tell her. It would only scare her or distract her from what they had to do. Both of them needed to have their wits about them before this battle. Sighing, he pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss.
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 30, 2009 0:20:41 GMT -5
Riley didn't even try and fight his kiss this time. His kisses were almost routine now, even though they really hadn't kissed that much. She still felt guilty for letting him, and for responding, and she knew she was going to have to talk to Fabian. But Merlin... she really wanted to see where she and Fabian could go.
And yet, she couldn't deny that Roland's kisses felt like home.
And she almost laughed that that's where her thoughts went at a time like this, but she kissed Roland back, gently, another silent promise that this would be okay. Another promise neither of them had a right to make.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Mar 30, 2009 0:32:26 GMT -5
Why did he have to do this? It wasn't fair. He didn't want to fight his uncle tonight... he wanted to spend his night with Riley... to celebrate the new year and kiss her at the stroke of midnight. Of course, he had no idea that she had planned to spend the evening with Fabian, or that she was thinking about Fabian right now. If he had, he would have been genuinely hurt, and it might have affected what he was about to do.
They were still kissing when they heard the distinctive pop of someone apparating, followed by two more. He pulled away reluctantly, then looked at her with his crooked grin.
"Well, here goes nothing," he said. "I'll see you on the other side."
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Post by Riley Neves on Mar 30, 2009 0:36:24 GMT -5
Riley caught his hand, effectively catching his attention for a few more seconds. If they weren't careful, this could be goodbye.
"Be careful. You promised."
And she let go of his hand, turning in the direction of the sound, where she knew the Death Eaters would be, probably more than ready to fight them.
She took a deep breath, her wand in hand, and steeled herself. "Here goes nothing," she repeated in a whisper.
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