Drinking Buddies (Christian)

[Derek Burke]

Diana wasn't nearly as secretive about her affair as she liked to believe. With the added pressure of a public hunt being issued for her, as well as the loss of a professional killer on their team, Derek was taking extra precautions and that included keeping tabs on Diana's whereabouts.

He knew about her venture the other day to the Rusty Nail and her subsequent adventure with a memory-less Christian at the nearby inn. Derek found himself in the middle of an impossibly awkward situation and honestly wished that Diana had simply steered clear of Christian until the whole mess was over. Even if he too missed his drinking buddy.

Well not as much lately. They had just finished a DE meeting and Christian was back to being the arrogant ass he had been in the past. For good reason, the man was indeed skilled. Derek never had cause to talk to him before, and it would appear odd for Derek to approach him now.

And yet it had to be done. Derek wasn't just going to trust Diana's involvement with the guy wouldn't get messy, and he wanted to assess the situation for himself to make sure Diana's memory charm was holding and how far Christian had gotten in his investigation.

"Ward, wait up." he called out as the meeting ended.

[Christian Ward]

Christian left the meeting, glad that his lapse in memory had not affected his standing with the Dark Lord. In fact, no mention of any odd behavior or special missions had come up which Christian understood to mean that the Death Eaters were lying low for the time being. It made sense, the Ministry was in a panic over the serial killer and Voldemort needed to the power of the Ministry to gain control over the whole of wizarding Britain. They were on high alert until the rogue madman was captured which meant the Death Eaters were lying in wait. Christian had not been tasked with any new hits in the past three months.

Having checked off another box on the list of places to search for clues to his missing summer, Christian headed out of the headquarters. When he heard his name his pace slowed and he turned to see Burke catching up to him. He sighed.

"I'm not taking out that serial killer unless the Dark Lord orders it. I don't care that he's got your niece or cousin or whichever one it is."

[Derek Burke]

"You're all heart Christian." Derek deadpanned, "She's my niece and she's at home being fawned over by my brother and his brood, thanks for asking. Besides the Burkes can handle their own rescue missions and vendettas."

Not that it had been necessary, apparently the Montgomery girl who had escaped was able to give some concrete clues to the serial killer's location. The man had cleaned up shop, but not before leaving some girls behind. Kassia had been one of them, and besides suffering a broken arm (which had been splinted and taken care of during captivity) she was no worse for the wear. The same could not be said of some of the other girls.

"I thought I might be able to help you figure out where you've been for the past three months...but if you're not interested." he shrugged, turned and began walking away.

[Christian Ward]

Christian took all of two seconds to look around to be sure they were alone then grabbed Burke by the throat and shoved him up against the wall. At the same time he drew his wand which was now pointing squarely at Burke's temple.

"What the f*ck do you know about it?" Christian demanded. So far everyone that Christian had spoken to gave no reason for him to suspect that they knew anything about his situation. Christian had, apparently, acted normally over the last three months. The only sign that anything was amiss was Christian's inability to remembered a damned thing about it. And here Burke was, flaunting it about as if it were common knowledge.

[Derek Burke]

"Jesus! Would you lighten up man?!" he croaked his hands going to Christian's grip on his throat.

Derek had made certain they were alone before he taunted Christian, which looking back on it, probably wasn't the best idea. He didn't want his friend vulnerable, but now he realized his friend didn't know he was his friend, and Derek was the vulnerable one.

"In case you didn't get it beforehand I'm trying to help you, without the wand to the head thank you very much."

[Christian Ward]

Christian's grip only tightened on the man's neck. The only way Burke could have known that Christian was missing the last season was if he played some role in it. And if that were the case, then a wand to the head was the only way Christian was going to be talking to him now.

"Seeing as how it's my wand and your head, I think I get to decide how this little conversation plays out. I suggest you start talking while you still have control over your motor movements."

[Derek Burke]

"Again, it's hard to talk when you're crushing my windpipe, not to mention the blood flow to my brain." he said not really fighting Christian, but feeling light headed. Merlin Diana owed him.

"I know who took your memories." he said at last, "I can take you to her."

[Christian Ward]

Christian laughed coldly. "If you think I'm following you anywhere, Burke, perhaps I did cut off a bit too much blood flow." His eyes narrowed as he released Burke's throat, the tip of his wand still flush with the man's temple. 

"I suggest you start talking before it happens again. And I can promise you that next time I won't be so gentle."

[Derek Burke]

It wasn't too terribly difficult to reconcile this man to the one he had come to know, and yet it shocked him to think that he actually missed the old Christian who only threatened to dismantle him.

It was also hard not to roll his eyes considering how many times Christian had threatened him, he had to remember however that this wasn't the same man, and Diana didn't stand between them, an idea that sobered him immediately.

He cleared his throat, "It was a job. " he began, explaining the story he had come up with and got a reluctant Diana to agree to.

"You got too close to the target and they wiped your memories." Derek looked around, "We shouldn't be talking about this in the open. I can take you to the client, she can explain the details better than I can."

[Christian Ward]

Christian considered what Burke was telling him, but as they had never had a single conversation outside of their duties as Death Eaters, Christian wasn't about to follow Derek blindly into some trap.

"Where?" he ordered shortly.

[Derek Burke]

"Anyone ever tell you you're obscenely paranoid?" Derek kept his laughter to himself, knowing that he had once told Christian that very thing, it was one of the things he and Diana had in common, and it was probably what kept them alive this long.

"She's waiting at the Avalon."

[Christian Ward]

Several people had claimed Christian was paranoid, the only ones left alive now were his mother and his lawyer, both of whom were still on Christian's list to check in with about his summer happenings. Though if Burke was to be trusted, which Christian didn't believe to be the case, and this had been a job gone wrong, then he wouldn't have told his mother or his lawyer before it was finished. His mother worried about her son, his lawyer worried about himself.

"Which room?" Christian demanded, without acknowledging Derek's critique. Christian wasn't going in blind. He would have his men do a quick surveillance job and test for any obvious magical traps before stepping foot into that hotel. Maybe he'd knock out Burke for good measure.

[Derek Burke]

"Look Ward, she's skittish enough as is. You're supposed to be the best there is and someone got the better of you." he put his hands up in defense of whatever anger that comment would illicit.

"She has answers, but she's not going to talk unless it's on her terms which means me alive, and me taking you to her. Now you could kill me, but then you'd have the entire Burke family after you and you'll never figure out what happened the last three months, or you could trust that you're the badass you think you are and follow me."

[Christian Ward]

Christian didn't claim to be the best, others put that title on him. But he knew what he was doing and he had only ever been successful thus far. This botched job and a memory wipe was the first blemish on his perfect record as a professional hit wizard and mobster. He didn't like it, almost as much as he didn't like the idea of walking in to an unknown situation with Burke at his side to speak to some mystery woman about events he currently had no way of verifying.

But it was the first lead he'd gotten since discovering it was September.

"I'm not going without a little assurance," Christian said threateningly. He immobilized Derek so he couldn't move but was able to see and hear everything that followed. Next, Christian pulled a small mirror from his pocket and tapped it with his wand. One of Christian's men appeared in the glass.

"Watch the Burke household. If you don't hear from me in an hour, kill the youngest." He tapped the mirror again and the man disappeared, then he pocketed the mirror and smiled cruelly at Derek as he granted him use of his body again. 

"Now that that's taken care of, let's have a chat with your girlfriend."

[Derek Burke]

Derek thought back to his mild interrogation of Christian just before his memories had been taken. He had been reluctant to hurt the man. He realized now that if the opportunity had ever presented itself again he wouldn't have such restraint. He thought of this while he was immobilized.

It took a moment for Derek to realize Christian was threatening his brother's children, as Derek didn't live with his brother, but nor did he have any 'youngest' anything. He would have laughed if he could have.

When he could move and speak again he brushed his jacket as though getting rid of dirt or dust.

"First of all, your man has a better chance of getting to the Minister than he does getting to any of my nieces after what happened to Kassia. Secondly, she isn't my girlfriend old chap..." he said friendly with a wide smile, "She's yours."

[Christian Ward]

Christian smirked at Derek's assumption that his men couldn't get to the Burke girls, and he was about to comment on how wrong Derek was when Christian was met with a shock. Girlfriend? Christian didn't have girlfriends. Depending on how fast and loose one wanted to play with the definition the only girl who might have considered herself a girlfriend was...

"Betty?" he asked with his brow furrowed.

[Derek Burke]

"Betty?" Derek repeated, stopping in his tracks. Oh Diana was going to love that. Were this any other situation Derek might have chuckled, as it was, he shook his head, "No."

On the way to the hotel Derek filled in what gaps he could according to the story he had come up with which leaned very closely to the truth simply withholding Diana's part in it.

Derek had run into 'Eve' during his sojourn into the States. Apparently her father had left her a fortune, but the board members of her father's company decided to eliminate her and split the profits. She's been on the run since. Derek had helped her track down several threats and eliminate them, but when the journey brought them back to the UK, Derek thought to bring in reinforcements. Even though Derek and Christian had never been close Derek knew of Christian's reputation, and Eve agreed to hire the man. Since then Christian has been working for Eve. They had eliminated all but the last board member when Christian's memory had been erased.

[Christian Ward]

Christian knew very little about Derek Burke, so he couldn't say for certain that it wasn't in the man's nature to join up with a Yank and seek aid in Christian's expertise. But he could say with the utmost certainty that if the funds were high enough and the mission possible, Christian most definitely would have take the contract to eliminate a few business men.

He walked with his hand tightly around his wand which was concealed in his pocket as they entered the muggle infested hotel lobby. He followed Burke by a few steps so as to have the upper hand if the man decided to double-cross him.

[Derek Burke]

Derek led him to the room where the impersonator he had hired and briefed waited to meet them. He paused at the door, "One last thing, I know you don't remember her, but you two kind of had a thing...you know how women can be about that sort of stuff." Derek said casually.

He had kept that part of the plan from Diana, knowing she wouldn't have gone for it, but Derek knew pre-Diana Christian to be something of a ladies man, and if it would help keep him distracted then that was all the better.

Derek opened the door and led them inside the room. A woman Christian knew, but wouldn't remember came around the sofa to greet him.

She had brown hair and brown eyes and somewhat Asian features. She was gorgeous, long legged, and faintly familiar. Her real name was Eve, but her stage name, and the name Christian would have known had he had his memories was Gypsie.

"Christian! Thank God!"Eve said wrapping her arms around him and embracing him the way she would a lover.

[Christian Ward]

The woman who flung herself at him did seem somewhat familiar and Christian didn't bother to try to figure out why that was, as Derek had already explained it. Yet she jogged no other memories for him.

"Hey, doll," he said in return, unsure of what exactly the woman was expecting of him. Looking her over, Christian had a few ideas himself, but none would be appropriate given the company and his current desire to figure out what had happened over the past three months and where the bastard who had stolen his memories was won out.