The Last Person You Expected (Christine, etc)

[Roland Ferrera]

"No, it's OK," Roland said. "You've been hurting and it's only natural to lash out. I probably would, too, if I were in your position. That's why it's so important to me to fight... I don't want to feel the pain of losing someone I care about. But it's narrow-minded of me to think that I'm the only one with something to lose."

If she had been sitting a little closer, he would have taken her hand and squeezed it. But she was sitting so far away that all he could do was grip the edge of the couch and smile uncertainly at her. "Christine, I'm very sorry for what I put you through. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, please, don't hesitate to ask."

[Christine Montgomery]

She tried hard not to scoff at his concilitory speech, resisted the temptation to ask if he had practiced those words on the way over. She realized it was hard for him to apologize, to admit he was wrong, and she wasn't sure why she was trying to make it harder. Sighing she waved his offer away.

" How are you feeling?" she asked after a moment of silence. He had been injured after all.

[Roland Ferrera]

Roland sighed, feeling a bit deflated. He really hadn't expected any of this. He thought that just by coming back, it would heal the hurt that everyone had felt when he was gone. But he realized now how stupid he had been to think that. It was naive of him to have expected everyone to just welcome him back with open arms. He had always thought he understood people, especially his family, but he was starting to realize that he was actually rather clueless about such things.

And he hated feeling that way, more than anything. He liked to have control over a situation, but it seemed more often than not these days, he was finding himself in situations where he had no control at all.

"I'm fine, just a little stiffness in the elbow," he replied quietly. What else could he say to her?

[Christine Montgomery]

She nodded and let the silence descend over them, she didn't feel obligated to speak or encourage conversation at all, considering she was the injured party. Perhaps that thought wasn't entirely fair. No it wasn't fair at all, but Christine didn't care to be fair. Common courtesy took a back seat to the anxiety she felt in his presence.

"I'm glad you're alive." she offered in spite of herself.

[Roland Ferrera]

Merlin, he hated the awkwardness. He should be better at this by now. He liked Christine, and had always been able to say the right things to her in the past, so this shouldn't have been as hard as it was.

"Thank you," he replied, his lip twisting in an ironic smile. "So am I."

The silence started to stretch, and maybe that should have been a sign to him that it was time to leave. But he also felt he owed her this, after everything he'd gone through. Maybe if she could see that life was moving on, returning to normal, she would be able to heal.

"Er... have you heard... about me and Riley?" he asked hesitantly. "We're... a couple now."

[Christine Montgomery]

"Bout time." she muttered softly but then gave him a curious look, how did that happen? When did they get together? Did they all of a sudden hook up while he was at the hospital? Surely Riley was just as surprised as the rest of them to find out that Roland was alive.

"When did this happen?" she asked aloud without realizing it.

[Roland Ferrera]

It was, oddly, the first time anyone had asked that question. Most of his family hadn't even questioned it, they were just so happy to see him alive and in love that they didn't seem to care when or how it had happened. Leave it to Christine to ask.

"We... slept together on New Year's Eve," Roland replied, giving the lie that he and Riley had discussed. "Right before I... disappeared. "When I came back, we were just so happy to see each other that all those feelings came spilling out..."

He trailed off, smiling sheepishly. "You understand. I don't know what took us so long to figure it out, but we belong together."

[Christine Montgomery]

That was a bit TMI for Christine, she didn't need to know that her cousin had gotten physical with her brother's best friend, then a secondary look of remorse flashed over her features.

"So Geoffrey knows then...that you're together I mean?" she asked. Not that her brother had romantic feelings for Riley, they were too good of friends for that, but at the same time they had gotten so close after Roland's death, that now having Roland suddenly alive once more, couldn't have been easy on her brother, and it was her Brother whom she had been desperately clinging to the past few days.

[Roland Ferrera]

Roland nodded quietly. "He knows," he said. "He's... well, he's actually even less thrilled with me than you are. But he's been through a lot, and he just wants to make sure Riley's OK."

Roland sighed and rubbed his head. "Look... I know it doesn't make much of a difference now, but for what it's worth, I'm going to be more careful in the future. I have too much to live for now... I have my family, I have Riley... I've realized that I can do more for them alive than dead."

[Christine Montgomery]

She nodded, "I hope you remember that." she said, not knowing what else to say. He had agreed with her, he hadn't said anything or tried to defend himself really, he just took what she scolded him with and agreed mostly. For that she found she couldn't really pound into him, nor could she give in to yelling as an outlet for whatever anxious feelings she had inside.

[Roland Ferrera]

He almost laughed at her tone, so simple and matter-of-fact. It reminded him of his mother, and he found himself wondering if it was something she had inherited from her mother's side of the family.

"I will. I promise," he said, his lip quirking up in the corner. "I've already died once, and I have no intentions of doing it again. At least not until I'm an old man with my great-grandchildren by my bedside."

Again, he was thinking of things that would have been unimaginable before Riley. The idea of children, let alone grandchildren or great-grandchildren never would have crossed his mind before. Now the image of himself as a father was almost close enough to touch.

[Christine Montgomery]

Christine thought it was odd too the way Roland was speaking about Grandchildren and the like. She realized that he never used to talk about the future, as in him having one, it was all about now, and what he had to do immediately. He was finally making plans, and it simply struck her as odd, but not necessarily a bad odd, in fact she liked the thought of him growing old, it helped with the fear. Then again she supposed almost dying had that affect on people.

"You paint a pretty picture cousin." she said a little wistfully.

[Roland Ferrera]

It was a nice picture. He found himself smiling as he imagined a much older version of himself, sitting in a rocking chair, with an older version of Riley at his side, and grandchildren at his feet. It was so sweet, it made him ache.

"I know things are scary now.... but it won't be this way forever. It can't be. Sooner or later, good is going to win out. And we'll be safe. We just have to hang in there until that happens. I can't promise that I'm going to stop fighting to protect the people I love, but I will promise to be a little less reckless. I really want that future. For all of us."

[Christine Montgomery]

Good would win out, or evil would, no one knew for sure, Roland could only hope for his side. Christine remembered how uncomplicated things were when she didn't have a side, when she was half way around the world and ignorant that sides were even being taken. She found it ironic now that her parents had moved her back home to avoid danger and suddenly danger had followed her and found her loved ones, well she found it ironic and painful to say the least.

She curbed the impulse to ask him if this was another speech he was making to her, and if he was going to disappear again after he made it. It would have been a mean thing to say and she didn't have the energy. "I'm sure you're right." she said instead a bit listless and disbelieving.

[Roland Ferrera]

Roland wasn't entirely sure that anything he said was getting through to her. She seemed drained and impassive, which he should have expected after talking to Geoffrey about her. But as smart as he was, he could be stupid about some things. He naively assumed that he could make it all better just by showing up, as if his being alive was enough to erase the two months when she had believed he was dead.

Almost as a last-ditch effort to prove to her that he was serious, that he wasn't planning on going anywhere anytime soon, he took a breath and blurted out, "I'm going to be a father. Riley and I... we're having a baby."

[Christine Montgomery]

Christine's eyes widened and all the air in her lungs seemed to come rushing out. Her expression clearly told him she hadn't been expecting that bit of news at all. As her features mellowed into more of a disbelieving stare she continued to blink until words came to her.

"W-what?" she shook her head, he did say that Riley and him had been intimate, but a baby? All of a sudden a baby? "Riley's pregnant...and you...you're ...wow Roland..."

[Roland Ferrera]

He couldn't help but smile at her reaction. It wasn't all that different from how he had felt the first time he heard the news. He still got breathless every time he thought about it.

"Yeah," he said. "It's happening really fast, I'm still getting used to the idea myself. But I'm excited about it. Riley and I... we're crazy about each other. I'm happy, for the first time in my life. So you see... I'm really not planning on going anywhere any time soon. I need to be there for Riley, and the baby."

[Christine Montgomery]

It would have been selfish and mean to point out that he had plenty of things to live for before Riley and the baby came along. Sure this baby was going to need him, and Riley loved him and needed him as well, but he had a family to live for too, if he died who would protect them? If someone could take down someone as strong as her cousin what was to stop them from taking down her? Well she had other cousins and uncles who would certainly put up a good fight, and yet look what happened to Sam...

Christine wasn't completely relieved at all. Still she nodded, "We all have reasons to be alive...it'd be far too painful to see anyone else go. I'm glad...I'm glad you have Riley and the baby."

[Roland Ferrera]

It wasn't that he hadn't had a reason to live before. He'd had plenty of them. But the real issue was that he simply hadn't been happy, not like he was now. He'd had his family, but deep down there had been something missing, something that only Riley could fill. Life had been about his family, protecting them, keeping order... but he'd never had anything that was truly his own. He'd needed that, more than he'd ever realized. Thanks to Riley, he was happier than he'd ever been in his life.

"I wish I could say that everything was going to be all right now," he said. "I can't. I don't know what will happen, but I do know that we both come from some pretty stubborn families. If we all stick together.... Hopefully, we can all make it through this."

[Christine Montgomery]

She was wary of his pep talks and he had to know that, but she didn't say anything negative in return. She even curbed her skeptic look. It was hard for her to accept his words, and she wasn't even sure if she did all the way. All she knew was that he was trying, very hard at that, and it took too much energy to continue with anger. It took a lot of energy to forgive too and so he wasn't in the clear.

The truth was, that somewhere along the way it ceased to be about Roland and Sam and the attack, and everything else gone bad. They were just the memories that continued to oppress and depress her into a state of mind that made it hard to breathe, that pushed her toward the real problem. These memories created then preyed on a new fear, that she wouldn't be able to protect herself, and that was how an addiction unbenknownst to herself was slowly seeping into her veins.

"I think that perhaps we can...if we could fight dirty like they do." she said though she hadn't meant to. Still the point remained, "Why is it that the most effective spells in fighting are dark...and to use them makes one a dark wizard or witch?"