Awkward Guy Talk (Ted)

[Roland Ferrera]

"Yes, I'm sure you're right," Roland said, a grim sort of smile on his face. Yes, the situation was pretty serious out there, and Angelique really did need everyone she could get out there. There were at least two killers out there, not to mention the person who had killed poor Katie Lawrence. Roland had always been upset by the case, thinking how it could just as easily have been his sister, or his cousin... but now, with a baby on the way--a baby he was convinced would be a little girl--well, it just seemed downright personal. They needed to get back on the job, and soon.

And yet, he also understood with far more clarity than ever just exactly why Angelique was angry with him. Roland had always thought himself so very mature and grown up, but now he realized that he had been, just as Riley had once accused him of being, brash and reckless. Sometime during his "death," Roland had finally grown up. He had learned that his actions had consequences, and he vowed to himself to think things through more carefully in the future.

"I know what you mean about the baby," he continued. "Riley and I are going through the same thing. Riley's really worried, and I'm trying to ease her mind, but how can I, when I have the same fears?"

[Ted Tonks]

This thought made Ted frown. He was far more worried about Andi and the baby than he would let on, and it really bothered him. He had eloped with the daughter of a very prominent, very wealthy pureblood, one who Ted would have bet galleons was a Death Eater. He was a muggleborn, she was now a blood traitor, and they were having a child. Really, it seemed like a miracle they weren't both hexed dead somewhere yet.

"I don't know. I think Andi reassures me more than I reassure her. Some days, I wonder how we're ever going to pull this off... but then I look at her, and the fact that she's carrying this tiny little thing that we made... that's a miracle. And if we can create a little person, we'll figure out how to protect it. At least, that's what I have to to tell myself. And maybe that's what you can tell Riley. Have the mood swings started yet, by the way?"

[Roland Ferrera]

"I'm having to accept that there are somethings I can't control," Roland said, a twist of his lips indicating just how he felt about this realization. "I mean, we can only do the best that we can... None of us are promised anything in this life. I know I'll do everything in my power to protect Riley and our baby... and that's about all I can do. I guess I'm just hoping... after all that we went through to be together, nothing could happen to pull us apart now."

Roland knew that Ted would probably identify with that statement; after all, he and Andi had gone through quite a lot to be together, as well. Still, he recognized that his fight against Blake had just been a small battle, and that the real war was only just starting. Things were going to get worse before they got better, and they were all going to have to protect themselves and the people they loved.

Before his thoughts got any darker, Ted mercifully changed the subject. The question made Roland laugh in spite of himself. Riley had mood swings even before she was pregnant, so it was hard to say just what was the result of the hormones and what was just natural. He was learning how to deal with her mood swings, but Merlin, he hoped they weren't going to get much worse...

"Yeah, you could say that," he replied. "We had our first fight as a couple the other night. At least, I think it was a fight. She was all over the map, though... sometimes it's really hard to keep up. How are things going with Andi."