Agree to Disagree

[Roland Ferrera]

Roland, meanwhile, felt a bit out of place, like he didn't entirely belong here. He'd never been comfortable in this big old house, and he knew that Geoffrey and Christine had been closer than ever lately, making him even more of an outsider than ever.

"Thanks, Christine," he said, giving her a light smile. "It's fine, really. I'm fine."

He had his wand out and he tapped it against his nose. "Episkey," he said, and with a painful crunch, he felt his nose snap back into place. The blood would be a little harder to clean up, and he let Christine resume dabbing at it with the napkin.

"That might be a good idea," he said to Geoffrey's suggestion. "Especially if it gets you out of the house. It'll be good for you. I'm sorry for what I said earlier, but my point still stands. You've got to get out there and do something, instead of hiding here."

Technically, that was true of Christine, too, but he wasn't going to say that to her. It wasn't his place to do so. But Geoffrey had invited him over here, looking for a fight, and Roland felt that entitled him to tell Geoffrey just what he thought about the situation.

[Christine Montgomery]

But what would that mean for Christine? If Geoffrey were gone then what would she do? What would prevent her from really going off the deep end then?

She shrugged then finished dabbing Roland's nose, "I'll go let Jensen know that we're having lunch."

[Roland Ferrera]

Roland really didn't want to stay for lunch, but at this point, he didn't have much choice. Christine was already on her way upstairs, and if he tried to back out now, he would only hurt her feelings. And he'd hurt her more than enough already.

Sighing, he looked over at Geoffrey, who seemed a little calmer now, but still annoyed. "Listen, what I was saying earlier... I don't mean to be harsh, but I'm worried about you. And so is Riley, although she's also hurt. You mean a lot to her, and she's afraid she's losing you."

[Geoffrey Montgomery]

Geoffrey's expression darkened. He didn't want Roland worrying about him. He didn't even want Riley worrying about him. He just wanted them to leave him alone and deal with this on his own. As soon as he figured out how.

"She is losing me," he said bluntly. "She doesn't need me anymore. She's got you. I'm just extra baggage that will weigh her down. She's got you, she's got a baby on the way.... I'm just the guy who used to be her best friend, and who tried to kill her under the Imperius Curse."

He'd been a warm up for Roland... the Spellotape that held her together until Roland came along and made her whole again. And yes, Geoffrey was feeling a little betrayed. He had been there for her all those years, and he hadn't expected anything in return... but when he was in trouble, she pushed him away. It wasn't fair.

[Roland Ferrera]

Roland sighed. "That's not true. She does need you. And I'm not going to stand in the way of your friendship. I'm not going to lie.... I'm not entirely comfortable with it, because I know how you feel about her, but I want her to be happy, and she won't be happy without her best friend. So I won't stand in your way. Right now, the only one doing that is you."

He glanced over his shoulder at the stairs, checking to see if Christine was on her way down again. He was treading dangerous ground here and he didn't want Christine to catch them fighting again.

[Christine Montgomery]

Christine decided to make an event of it, she felt as if she was interrupting something but she wasn't sure she cared, she just didn't want them to fight anymore. She informed Jensen that they would be eating on the outter terrace and to inform the cook then the boys.

He sent one of the house elves to the kitchens and went himself to see Roland and Geoffrey.

If anyone knew how everyone at the manor was doing it would be Jensen, he had his "spies" all over the place, but a butler's secrecy was infamous. Unlike most places where gossip ran like crazy in the households between rich families, Jensen personally saw to the staff that worked for him, although most of the staff respected the Montgomeries far too much to spread any bad news about them.

Entering the room where Roland and Geoffrey seemed to be having a tense conversation he cleared his throat, "Miss Montgomery wishes to inform you that lunch will be served on the outer west terrace."

[Geoffrey Montgomery]

Geoffrey avoided Roland's eyes, but he could feel that intense gaze on him. "Riley's my best friend," he said bluntly. "She's almost like another sister to me.... I'd do anything for her. I can't imagine why you'd feel threatened by that."

Yes, he knew exactly what Roland was trying to say, and, damn him, he was right. Just as Geoffrey had been able to tell in a single glance what Roland felt for Riley, so Roland was able to recognize the same thing in Geoffrey. It irked him to no end.

Mercifully, Jensen entered the room and advised them that lunch would be served on the terrace. It gave Geoffrey a slight bit of satisfaction to know that Roland was probably really uncomfortable with this turn of events, but couldn't back out without hurting Christine's feelings.

"Come on, we'd better get up to the terrace," he said. "It has a really nice view of the rose garden, you know."

He raised his eyebrows at this, mocking Roland slightly. These kinds of stuffy, formal situations always made Roland miserable, and Geoffrey wanted to rub it in.

[Roland Ferrera]

Roland had to force himself not to scowl at all of this. It had been easier when it was just Geoffrey. He pretty much knew what to expect from Geoffrey; he'd invited him over for a fight. Whatever the reason he'd convinced himself of, the true reason was that he wanted an excuse to start a fight.

But now Christine was involved, and they were having a fancy lunch out on the terrace (was that like a patio?), and Roland really wanted to get out of here. But he couldn't say a word without hurting Christine or offending the cook, so he was stuck. Would his Aunt Lillian be joining them? Or any of the rest of the family? It had the potential to be extremely awkward, and Roland found himself wishing that he had told Riley about the note right away, so she could be there at his side.

"By all means, Geoffrey, lead the way," he replied. "I'm sure I'd never find the way on my own."

[Christine Montgomery]

Christine was waiting for them on the terrace (Yeah kind of like a patio). She had put a light shawl around her shoulders to keep her warm though the place was enchanted to keep the cold away. She sighed as the food was being brought out. There were triangle sandwiches, tea, crumpets, a soup, salad, and the personal favorites of both Roland and Geoffrey's.

[Roland Ferrera]

Roland followed Geoffrey through the house, which seemed like a labyrinth to him. Who really needed a house that big? He was much more accustomed to modest houses, like his parents' house.

It took several minutes for them to reach the terrace, which was already set up for lunch. Roland was not at all surprised that lunch consisted or little finger sandwiches and tea and crumpets. He smiled lightly at Christine, but inwardly he was cringing.

"It looks great," he said. "You really didn't have to do this..."

[Geoffrey Montgomery]

Geoffrey was enjoying Roland's discomfort. Maybe it was petty, but right now, it was the only thing that he'd really enjoyed in quite a while. Didn't Roland deserve this, at least, after what he'd put them all through?

"Oh, but you're our guest, Roland," Geoffrey said in a mockingly polite tone. "What kinds of hosts would we be if we didn't go all out to give you a pleasant lunch?"

He nodded to the table. "Go on, take a seat. Make yourself comfortable."

[Roland Ferrera]

Roland gave a scowl in Geoffrey's direction and lightly touched his nose, reminding him that only moments ago, Geoffrey's "hospitality" had resulted in a broken nose. He could feel the crusty remains of dried blood under his nose, and he quickly said a cleaning spell, hoping that would do the trick.

"Yes, well, it looks great," he said, managing a genuine smile at Christine. He was worried about the girl; well, he was worried about both of them really, but he had a little less sympathy for Geoffrey. Christine was a girl who loved adventure, and it wasn't good for her to be cooped up in this house, as big as it was. She should be out there, doing something and seeking out new adventures. At least she should have been in school.

"It's too bad Riley wasn't able to come," he continued, shooting a quick look at Geoffrey, "she would have liked to be here for lunch, I'm sure."

He sat down somewhat awkwardly on one of the small, wrought-iron chairs, but didn't begin to help himself to any of the food. "So, Christine... How have you been?"

[Geoffrey Montgomery]

Geoffrey almost laughed at the sour way Roland touched his injured nose. He really felt perfectly justified in hitting Roland, no matter what he said to Christine. She couldn't know what Roland had done to deserve it, but he did deserve it. Besides, it was also sort of a payback from the last time he had tried to hit Roland and wound up injuring himself more than his cousin.

He sat down next to Christine, so that Roland was on the opposite side of the table from them. He rather hoped that his cousin would feel like he was being ganged up on in some way. He might be prevented from fighting with Roland or even going all out to tell him what he thought of him, but at the very least, Geoffrey could silently torture his cousin and make him feel as uncomfortable as possible.

[Christine Montgomery]

Christine smiled at them both arriving and began to fiddle with the tea pot pouring them both a glass. She could sense the tension between them still, and she could also sense Roland's discomfort, though she never understood why he wouldn't be comfortable. In anycase she was just happy they were there and that Roland had visited them in the first place, she hated leaving the grounds these days, though a part of her was going crazy staying at home.

" I've been doing well." she lied, well in part. She had been doing better since her initial breakdown but she wasn't doing well at all. She was amazed that Samantha had insisted on going back to school immediately. The girl had barely healed before she told them all, rather ordered everyone to let her be and to stop worrying about her. Christine hadn't been so easy and the family understood. She kept up with her studies through tutors and left it at that. "How are you?" she smiled then again, "How's Riley?"

[Roland Ferrera]

Roland couldn't help the smile that broke out on his face when she asked about Riley. She had transformed him, changed his life for the better in so many ways. Sometimes he wasn't even sure where he stopped and she began, and when she wasn't around, he missed her so acutely that it was as though he was missing a part of himself. Just the mention of her name was enough to brighten him up, and he didn't bother to hide it.

"She's great," he replied. "We're both doing great. I've never been happier. The baby's starting to show already... I can't believe I'm going to be a father so soon. It's kind of surreal."

[Geoffrey Montgomery]

Geoffrey was a bit nauseated at this, and he took a rather large gulp of tea in an attempt to cover up his disgust. It just didn't seem fair to Geoffrey that Roland should get to be so happy with Riley, while Geoffrey was miserable and alone without his best friend. What had he done to deserve all of this? He had tried to be a good friend to Riley, to protect her and help her in her time of trouble and pain, like any good friend would do. And instead he wound up cursed, doubting his sanity, cooped up in this big old house and watching his cousin live happily ever after with his best friend. How exactly was that fair?

[Christine Montgomery]

Christine was incredibly observant. She sat there listening to Roland speak and nodded and smiled and shook her head, " I'm happy you're doing so well." it was a genuine statement. She could see however that this was torture for her brother and decided to nip the conversation, but not before adding, "This is a scary world I've come to realize...and bringing a child into it is a heavy responsibility...but with everything that's happened recently it's nice to have something to celebrate instead of mourn."

[Roland Ferrera]

In his job, Roland had already come to realize just how scary the world could be, and it was just getting worse. But this was the reason why his job was so important to him. Even if he could only fix a tiny portion of the problem, at least he could know that he was helping to make the world a better place for the people he loved--his brothers and sister, his cousins, and yes, Riley and his unborn child. He wanted his son or daughter, and any other children or grandchildren he might have, to know that there were still people who were not content to just sit back and let bad things happen... they were willing to fight to make things better.

"I agree," he said to her. "I'm scared of bringing a child into this world the way it is right now... but we can't let fear get the better of us. We need to live our lives, and we can't let anyone scare us into holding back."

He couldn't help but glance at Geoffrey as he said this. He was doing just that, hiding away out of fear. Yes, he'd been through a terrible ordeal, and he did need to rest and recover for a little while, but Roland sincerely hoped that his cousin would find a way to pull himself out of it and build himself back up, stronger than before.

"These people... Lord Voldemort and the death eaters.... they are trying to scare us into silence... to drive us all into hiding. That way they can just take over. We've got to show them that they can't tell us how to live."

[Geoffrey Montgomery]

Geoffrey couldn't help it. He rolled his eyes, and he wasn't exactly subtle about it, either. When they were kids, one of the things that Geoffrey had hated most about Roland was his superior, holier-than-thou tendency to preach to them about something or other. Sometimes it was something as simple as why they should eat their vegetables or why they shouldn't use magic outside of school. Other times it was bigger things, like how important it was to avoid dark magic. Geoffrey had learned to tune him out after a while, and many of his pompous speeches went unheard. And yet, he was still at it, still doing it, after all these years.

"You're right, Roland," Geoffrey said in an exaggerated tone. "As always. Tell you what, why don't you just go ahead and live my life for me, since you're so much smarter and braver than me?"

[Roland Ferrera]

(Christine, I hope you don't mind, I had an inspiration on this, and I'm going to plow on ahead for a bit....)


Roland sighed. He should have known this was coming. He didn’t mean to be “preachy,” as Geoffrey would have called it, but somehow it often came out when he was talking to Geoffrey. He wasn’t sure why it was, but maybe it was just because Roland expected so much better of Geoffrey.

As children, Geoffrey and Cyrus had been pretty close. They were about the same age, and had similar personalities. But Roland had always thought of Geoffrey as being a little more mature than Cyrus was. After all, Geoffrey was the oldest in his family, and that usually added a level of maturity to a person. But because Geoffrey was the same age as Cyrus, Roland still sort of acted like his older brother. He didn’t really mean to do it. But it happened. And sometimes it still did.

However, Roland had good reason to be acting this way right now. He was worried about Geoffrey. His cousin wasn’t “bouncing back” as quickly as he should have been. The same was true for Christine, as well… but then, she had been upset before his “death.” He wanted to help them both, to try and find a way to pull them out of the depressed states they were in. Unfortunately, in doing so, he wound up sounding like he was preaching to them.

“Geoffrey, I don’t mean it like that,” he said calmly. “I’m worried about you. Riley says you hardly go out. And she told me that you sabotaged your relationship with a perfectly lovely girl, and for what? Are you just going to sit here and hide while you throw your life away? You’re better than that.”