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Post by Riley Neves on May 18, 2009 13:05:39 GMT -5
For a quick, fleeting moment, Riley thought she had done the wrong thing by telling either of them. They weren't going to be any help at all, and she probably just ruined her chances of keeping things quiet.
But then Hayden added that last word, and she looked up again. Thank Merlin.
"I can't tell you," she replied softly. If she told them, they would worry about their family, or try to literally go after him, and Riley was not going to be responsible for them getting hurt, or worse.
"But I have a plan, and I need you to understand that I've completely thought this through. This is as safe as it's going to get. When we were there, at the warehouse, the death eaters were arguing. There is tension between them, and it's my goal to play on that. If I can get them to turn against each other... well, it makes things easier. All I'm going to do is write to Roland's killer. I'll tell him that I'm on to his partner, and once I get him to break, I'll be able to go after him. I'll be bluffing, of course, but if he gets nervous enough, he'll confront his partner."
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Post by Hayden Ferrera on May 18, 2009 13:14:43 GMT -5
"You write to his killer, and more than likely he will come after you." Hayden was going to be stubborn. "And someone is going to have to be there to help you. I'm not going to let you do this alone Riley, and that's it. We're not going to lose someone else, and don't even think about telling me that it'll be dangerous if I help you and it'll put a target on my back. If something happens to you, then what are we supposed to do? Just sit around and look at each other and say 'well, I wish she would have asked me to help'?"
There was no way that he was going to let Riley do anything alone. If she didn't let him help, then he was going to help talk her out of it even if it did wear him down.
"And why can't you tell me who?"
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Post by Geoffrey Montgomery on May 18, 2009 13:14:59 GMT -5
Geoffrey listened quietly. He'd made his displeasure at the whole situation perfectly clear, but he'd agreed to at least hear her out. But so far, he was not reassured. He also still had no idea why she was telling him this. She had to know he was going to worry about her involvement with these people. And even though he should have been used to the idea of her being in danger, since she was an auror, he really wasn't comfortable with it.
"But what if he goes after you instead?" Geoffrey asked, unable to help himself.
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Post by Riley Neves on May 18, 2009 13:21:03 GMT -5
Riley actually smiled. She had expected one of them to ask that question, and wasn't surprised that it was Geoffrey. "That's where you two come in," she replied honestly. "I'm not asking much from either of you. I can't, really, since there is so little I can tell you. But I am asking for your silence, and I'm asking that you just be aware of this. I already know that there's a chance my plan could unite them instead of tearing them apart. I don't ever intend to be alone. I'll spend the majority of my time at the Ministry. If I need to go out because of one of my assignments... it would be really helpful if I could ask one of you to come with me. I just need you to check in on me from time to time."
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Post by Geoffrey Montgomery on May 18, 2009 14:28:24 GMT -5
Geoffrey's eyes widenened. He really hated this, but Riley had a look in her eyes that he'd seen a few times before. And he knew what it meant. There would be no talking her out of it. All he could do at this point was do exactly as she asked and make the situation as safe for her as possible.
"Riley...." he said, a warning tone in his voice. "I think you know how I feel about this plan. And I think you know that all I have to do to stop you is tell your boss, Angelique. And I'm tempted to do just that.... But I can see this is important to you. So I'll help you, but just know that if I get a sense that you're in danger, I'm going straight to Angelique, got it? Roland went behind her back and it got him killed. I will not let that happen to you."
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Post by Riley Neves on May 18, 2009 14:43:56 GMT -5
"You can't tell Angelique," Riley said, her face growing serious. "You just promised me you wouldn't tell anyone, and that includes her. If you tell her, and Roland's killer finds out, he's going to go into hiding, and we'll never find him, and I'll be in even more danger. Not to mention, she would pull me from every assignment I'm on. Telling her takes me further away from helping... from avenging Roland's death."
She was already in danger and Geoffrey knew it. So it could take very little for him to go to Angelique, and she couldn't have that. What would set him off? She already knew she was probably going to get threatening letters in return, that she would have to be hyper aware of everything, everywhere she went. Nothing about this was safe. But telling Angelique would make it worse.
"Listen to me, Geoff. Roland told Angelique. And the information sat on her desk and nothing was done... there was very little she could do, but all the same..."
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Post by Hayden Ferrera on May 18, 2009 14:49:59 GMT -5
"I agree with Geoffrey," he said. "We're not going to let you get reckless. If they come after you, I will not hesitate to step in. Although I know that we can't tell Angelique either. That would be probably be hell in itself if we said anything to her about it." He understood where they were both coming from. Hayden wanted to do the same thing as Riley, but then again he also didn't want there to be any more blood shed, except of those that killed Roland.
"And if you want, I can talk to Angelique to see if she will let me help you in some way with your cases. I'm not really doing anything. That would be a way I can keep an eye on you if you leave the Ministry on assignment."
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Post by Geoffrey Montgomery on May 18, 2009 14:57:36 GMT -5
Geoffrey, however, was near tears. All of this on top of the fact that he was already worried about her to begin with... it was too much. She wasn't taking care of herself, she wasn't eating and she wasn't sleeping. And now this. He was, frankly, terrified for her.
"Fine," he said at last. "I won't say a word. But listen to me... I am not letting you stay in your apartment alone. Either you move in with me, or with Hayden, or let us stay with you... There's no way I'm letting you go to an empty apartment alone each night."
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Post by Riley Neves on May 18, 2009 15:04:31 GMT -5
Riley stared at Hayden for a moment, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, and then she nodded. "If you have the time, then yes. I'd like if you could get put on my assignments. Angelique knows I'm not thrilled about the idea of having a partner... but I think she knows I can't really do this by myself anymore, either. And you'd be the perfect person to step in."
She was sort of avoiding Geoffrey's eyes. Hayden was taking this all very well, very pragmatically. She could understand why Geoffrey was not. They had a tighter, deeper bond, and he knew her better than anybody. He was too close to it to look at it objectively.
She sighed and finally looked back to him when he said she had to move in with one of them. "Geoffrey..." she faltered, and then shook her head. "No. I don't want anyone to know that you're involved, and if I start staying with either of you... someone watching closely enough is bound to notice."
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Post by Geoffrey Montgomery on May 18, 2009 15:09:42 GMT -5
Geoffrey shook his head. No... this was not acceptable. There was no way he was going to let her stay in that apartment alone. He'd go along with the rest of this, because he could see she wasn't backing down. But on this one issue, he was putting his foot down.
Reaching across the table, he took both of her hands in his. "Riley. I am not letting you stay there alone. You're too vulnerable for attack there. If you won't stay with either of us, then you've got to stay somewhere else where they can't find you. Please. I'm begging you here. Please promise me, you won't stay in that apartment and you won't go out alone."
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Post by Riley Neves on May 18, 2009 16:31:47 GMT -5
"Okay," Riley said quickly, seeing how desperate he was for her to agree. He was going to fight her on the matter, and she could see his point. "I'll figure something out," she told them. "I won't go out alone, and I'll find somewhere safe to stay. I'll even give you my keys, if that will make you feel better. I just can't stay with either of you. It's too dangerous."
She ran her hand through her hair. "I'll be sending him the owl tonight, or maybe when I get back to the office. I want this over with soon."
The one glaring question that she expected hadn't been brought up yet, and she was glad for it. She didn't know how she would answer it. When they turned against each other... then what?
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Post by Hayden Ferrera on May 18, 2009 17:14:33 GMT -5
"If you want, I can get you a room somewhere. The room wouldn't even be under your name. That could be safe. Plus, Geoffrey and I could check on you whenever we can of course we'd have to make sure no one followed us. I would actually prefer if you would stay with one of us but as long as you don't stay in your apartment it'll be fine too." Hayden sighed. He was worried about Riley going after Roland's killer and his facial expression said so.
"I'll talk to Angelique after work and see if she'll change me over to help you. I don't really think that she would mind too much."
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Post by Riley Neves on May 18, 2009 17:31:12 GMT -5
Riley shook her head. "It's safer if you don't know where I'm staying, I think. I really want to keep you two as minimally involved as possible. I just... I needed someone to know, in case something happened, and Geoffrey, you're my best friend. And Hayden, Roland told me you were his best friend. So... you two were the ones I came to. I'll find somewhere to stay that I can apparate directly to and from."
She could ask to be put under protective custody, but Angelique would ask her why, and then they would be back to square one.
"Thank you both. I know you don't like this. I don't either. But it will be over soon."
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Post by Geoffrey Montgomery on May 18, 2009 17:40:14 GMT -5
"I don't like the idea of not knowing where you are," Geoffrey said, frowning again. "What happens if you don't show up for work one day? How are we supposed to check up on you to know if you're OK?"
He understood why she was doing this, but he didn't like that she was trying so hard to protect them that it left her vulnerable. It would be all to easy for the death eaters to just make her disappear if no one knew where to look for her.
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Post by Riley Neves on May 18, 2009 17:54:51 GMT -5
Riley sighed again. "You're making keeping you safe difficult, you know that?" He had a point though, and even if she were to ask for protective custody and be set up on some kind of safe house, something could still happen. But she also knew there was a very real danger to them if they knew where she was.
She shook her head. "No. Your family has already lost one member. I'm not going to put either of you at that much risk. I'll... I'll find a way to get a hold of you if something happens. Tell you what... I'll leave the information where I am in my desk. Don't look for it unless I go missing. Besides, if something happens, I doubt you'll find me where I'm hiding anyway."
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Post by Hayden Ferrera on May 18, 2009 18:04:11 GMT -5
"You're not going anywhere alone," Hayden said sternly. He was yet twenty, but he felt much older. "If you go after them, I am going with you. I don't care if you say that it is dangerous, I know what is at risk. You have to have back up, especially if he brings more people with him."
He didn't like the idea of her going at it alone. "And, even being an auror is dangerous. There is no way that you are going after them alone. I don't care if I have to stalk you to where ever."
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Post by Riley Neves on May 18, 2009 18:49:59 GMT -5
"Hayden, listen to me. Calm down. I'm not going after them like that," She said. She was getting frustrated. "I'm just sending him an owl to make him nervous. Nothing else. I promise you that I'm keeping this strictly in writing. I just needed to let someone know. You don't have to stalk me everywhere, you don't really have to worry that much. Okay? I would not go after one or both of them for a fight by myself. My goal is to never have to fight them again."
Because they were better than her, and she knew that. She rubbed her eyes, thinking things over as thoroughly as she could in her head, and finally nodded. "I'll stay with one of you, okay?" The words were soft, and it was evident that she didn't like the idea. She didn't want either one of them at risk, and that's exactly what was happening if she agreed to stay with one of them, but they were fighting her on this, and what could she do? "Just until the immediate threat is gone, or we see how the situation goes."
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Post by Hayden Ferrera on May 18, 2009 19:17:31 GMT -5
He would still be worried. Even though she would be sending writings out, he was still a little skeptical at how it would play out. Hayden knew that he shouldn't have jumped to conclusions that fast. Riley wouldn't pull anything like that. "Sorry," he mumbled quietly. "I'm just..." Hayden let it trail off. He was angry with Roland for not asking for more help, although he was glad that Roland did get Riley to go with him. He rubbed one of his eyes and then rested his elbow on the table.
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Post by Geoffrey Montgomery on May 18, 2009 20:17:11 GMT -5
Geoffrey released a breath. He felt much better knowing that Riley would be safe with one of them at night.
"Good," he said. "Listen, you can stay at my parents' estate. It's a big house, full of people, and it has very good security. You know my parents adore you, and they won't even question it. You'll be well protected there, and I could move back in for a while, so that I'll be close by."
Another concern was starting to nag at him, however. She had not yet told him the full extent of her plan and how she hoped it would work. He didn't say anything yet; he wanted to be sure the matter of where she was going to stay would be settled first.
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Post by Riley Neves on May 18, 2009 20:23:54 GMT -5
"Tired? Worried? Stressed? I know, Hayden. Me too," Riley said. She felt bad for putting him through more now.
She mulled over Geoffrey's idea for a while, and then nodded. "All right. But only because I know that Edward is obsessive about the security there. And you'd better have a good explaination why I'm there. They can't know about this plan, Geoffrey." She felt like she had to keep warning him about that, worried he would tell someone and he couldn't do that. Things would break down if he told anyone. "Can I stay at my apartment until there's a threat?" She asked, even though she'd already given in.
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