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Post by Diana Ward on Dec 23, 2016 2:27:03 GMT -5
The bump was clearly visible and even more prominent against the ropes that had tightly bound her and were continuing to bind tighter around her as she struggled.
She felt a well of despair wash over her as the pain continued, but she didn't dwell on it too much, she was still fighting.
Now she was sobbing and begging, "Please Christian!"
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Post by Christian Ward on Dec 23, 2016 2:40:10 GMT -5
Christian's eyes widened as her pregnant belly appeared. He had been expecting it to be a ruse but the bump of her stomach was as clear as the fear on her face. Christian panicked and released her binds, keeping his wand aimed at her for good measure.
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Post by Diana Ward on Dec 23, 2016 2:47:07 GMT -5
Diana sat up instantly and placed her hands on her stomach, she bared down against one more pain, then began to pray.
Her eyes were closed as she concentrated and held onto the small bump that was her stomach, and then it was clear, she wasn't praying she was casting a spell of some sort.
On Dr. Hanley's last visit he taught her how to see the baby with magic the way muggles used sonograms. Not that she was an expert at what she should see, but without Dr. Hanley, or any doctor for that matter, to check on her, she at least knew what to see for any complications.
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Post by Christian Ward on Dec 23, 2016 3:19:28 GMT -5
"What the f*ck are you doing?" Christian asked warily. He was at a loss on what to do, a thoroughly uncomfortable feeling for the man who liked to always be in charge.
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Post by Diana Ward on Dec 23, 2016 3:25:56 GMT -5
"I'm trying to see him!" she shouted back at him in a shrill voice, but she was so scared she was shaking and couldn't concentrate.
More tears fell down her cheek as she tried and failed to see the life inside her, not because it wasn't there, but because she couldn't calm down.
The pain had receded leaving a dull ache in her abdomen, and a sharp ache in her heart.
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Post by Christian Ward on Dec 23, 2016 3:46:31 GMT -5
"How the f*ck are you pregnant?" Christian knew the literal answer, but she was sleeping with him and on the run from a slew of professional hit wizards. How was she pregnant? What the hell was going on?
"F*ck!" Christian began to pace nervously across the floor, his hands running through his hair. This was certainly one for the books, but how was he getting out of it? "Tell me what to f*cking do!" he ordered.
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Post by Diana Ward on Dec 23, 2016 3:53:16 GMT -5
Diana was shaking too badly, "Stop f*cking yelling at me!" she yelled at him.
It was becoming clear that her hands were moving in a pattern around her stomach, but they were shaking and she couldn't perform the spell right.
She was getting more and more frustrated, which only made her hands shake worse.
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Post by Christian Ward on Dec 23, 2016 4:08:26 GMT -5
Christian wanted to retaliate by screaming more obscenities at her but the panic stopped him. He stood staring at her, his hands still in his hair when he realized what she was trying to do. Not the big picture, as that would have been more much more beneficial, but could at least make out the pattern that her hands were poorly attempting over her stomach.
"F*ck," he said again as he dropped to his knees in front of her and put his hands on hers. He steadied her hands and attempted to replicate the movements she had been failing at on her own.
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Post by Diana Ward on Dec 23, 2016 4:14:14 GMT -5
Diana didn't question Christian's actions, her sole focus was on seeing her baby.
With Christian's help Diana was able to hear the faint rapid beating of her child's heart, then the blurry shape began to clear.
He was there, more baby shaped now than the shrimp shape he had been, and his heart was beating strong. Diana wept in relief at Liam's heartbeat.
Christian wouldn't know it, but it was the first time they had both looked at the baby this way, and Diana didn't know it, but Christian's participation in the spell enabled him to hear and see his son as well.
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Post by Christian Ward on Dec 23, 2016 14:18:48 GMT -5
Only it wasn't his son, at least this Christian wasn't aware that that it was. The tiny baby inside Diana was some other man's offspring. Christian had no emotional connection to the moment at all.
"There." He pulled his hands away and got to his feet, his hand once again training his wand on her. "Is it safe?" he asked angrily.
Christian didn't fancy himself a "kid person". He never wanted children and he certainly wouldn't know what to do with one should he ever slip up so badly as to get a woman pregnant. But even he felt an overwhelming sense of guilt at having used the Cruciatus Curse unknowingly on the tiny thing growing inside of the woman he wanted to kill.
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Post by Diana Ward on Dec 23, 2016 16:13:30 GMT -5
"He is alright, no thanks to you, you despicible bastard." she hissed at him covering herself with a blanket only just realizing she was still naked and feeling distinctly vulnerable.
"This isn't funny anymore, I have to get out of here!"
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Post by Christian Ward on Dec 23, 2016 20:30:48 GMT -5
Christian had never found any part of this endeavor funny. He found it intriguing; as one would when their mild mannered former fling shows up out of nowhere with a bounty on her head. He found it frustrating and admittedly terrifying that he had risked an innocent life in pursuit of gold. He found it arousing, being with Diana after all these years. He found it frustrating that he now could only be with Diana because of some bloody curse she'd placed on him. No, nothing about this had ever been funny.
Christian ignored her comments and petty remarks. If the child was safe, then he was free to take a moment for himself. He needed a drink.
"Shut up," he said after placing a locking spell on the stateroom which would make it impossible for her to leave. He shut the door behind him and went back up to the deck of the boat. The wine was still sitting on the ledge and Christian happily finished it. He grabbed the bottle then sat on one of the bench seats with his head in his hands.
What was he going to do now?
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Post by Diana Ward on Dec 24, 2016 4:22:34 GMT -5
"Christian!" she yelled stunned by his disappearance and audacity. She was further incensed when her attempts to leave were futile. She suddenly thought of when she had locked him in a room.
"Karma..." she sighed.
Knowing there was no way out until he let her out she went to the bed and slept. She would need her energy for round two.
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Post by Christian Ward on Dec 24, 2016 15:30:50 GMT -5
Diana was locked in the lower part of the boat for nearly an hour but Christian was no nearer to finding a workable solution to his problem. He could let Diana go and allow one of the other bounty hunters to deal with her - he would feel no remorse over the loss of life if he was not the one to pull the trigger, but then he would lose out on the bounty. And if Diana managed to evade her hunters long enough, she could return to take revenge on Christian and he certainly didn't need to deal with that while still trying to piece together the last several months of his life.
And there was still the matter of the curse she'd placed on him. If he'd been able to kill her, there'd be no guarantee that the curse would dissipate with her life force and he'd be forced to remain celibate for the rest of his days. That fate seemed utterly unbearable. But as her curse also seemed to prevent him from harming her physically, he'd need to extract the information in another way. It was pure luck when that opportunity appeared on the boat suddenly.
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Post by Derek Burke on Dec 24, 2016 16:16:48 GMT -5
Derek was startled once his feet steadied beneath him. He had no idea when he apparated to Diana's location that it would be to a boat, giving him little to no opportunity for a secret arrival. When she didn't show for their departure time Derek began to feel nervous. He called several times on the mirror and didn't receive an answer, and suspected foul play.
"Sh*t." he managed to curse as he found himself in front of Christian effectively giving himself away. He had a few options, he could bluff and make up a story, he could fight (and knowing the man's reputation as well as seeing him in action, he would lose), or he could surrender - which he was loathe to do.
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Post by Christian Ward on Dec 24, 2016 16:33:32 GMT -5
Christian was caught be surprise as Burke appeared suddenly before him. He had no reason initially to suspect that Burke and Diana were working together, but there was also no reason for Burke to have followed him to the middle of the sea. There was also no method that he could have used unless...
He stood suddenly, his wand aimed at the man. "Fancy meeting you here, Burke."
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Post by Derek Burke on Dec 24, 2016 16:35:08 GMT -5
Burke's hands came up immediately. He was at a disadvantage, he couldn't fight and risk killing Christian, and there was no plausible story for simply appearing the way he had.
"Where is she?" he asked instead.
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Post by Christian Ward on Dec 24, 2016 16:53:21 GMT -5
Christian briefly wondered if Diana's husband and the father of her unborn baby was not Derek Burke. There would be time to think on that question later after he realized Burke's connection to his mark, whatever it may be, was likely enough to force Diana's hand in releasing him of the curse.
"Oh, you mean Eve? I'm assuming she's back in the hotel you likely paid for. Or is it Diana you're wanting? You'll have to be clearer when making your pathetic demands."
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Post by Derek Burke on Dec 24, 2016 17:03:30 GMT -5
"Where's Diana? I know she's alive. I know she's with you. Bloody chit couldn't stay away." he griped.
"There's an explanation for all of this, but first I just want to see her and make sure she's alright."
Derek had long ago given up any romantic intentions towards Diana, he wasn't a stupid man nor a desperate one. The way the couple looked at one another when no one else was watching, their petty squabbles, the way they thrived together, it was something Derek knew he would never be able to give her. He knew he wasn't the right man for her, and so he gracefully stepped out of the way. He still had no designs on her, and even though Christian didn't know it, he considered the man a good friend. The whole memory swipe business had really put a kink in the works and here they were, fighting each other instead of taking down their enemies.
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Post by Christian Ward on Dec 24, 2016 17:16:32 GMT -5
"I think I'm done with your explanations, Burke. I don't know what your end game is, but you're a fool if you think I'm going to play it. Did you hire that young thing to pretend she cared for me, or did you curse her into believing it too?" Christian had never felt completely comfortable with the story that Derek and Eve fed to him about his missing summer. The fact that it was all a ruse to get at Christian for some unknown reason made more sense than Christian falling in love with some rich girl while taking out her company's evil board members.
"I say, you picked poorly in teaming up with Diana, though. That stupid b*tch was all too happy to fall into my bed. She practically begged me to tie her up." Christian taunted Derek, thinking the two were a couple in a more romantic way than simply partners in crime. "Shame about the baby, though."
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