Developments

[Christian Ward]

Christian had extended Diana's barrier to grant her access to the laundry room at the back of the house. He decided that if she were to stay around, she might as well make herself useful and he permitted her to do the laundry not only for herself but he'd also thrown his things at her as well.

She had proven her worth tactically, but when she wasn't laying out plans or naked in his arms he found her annoying and unstable. She would scream and cry at him, then shut herself away and hide. Currently she was acting civilized, but who knew how long that would last. Diana's emotional state was a rollercoaster and Christian hadn't purchased any tickets. If it weren't for the Life Bond he'd have been done with her long ago.

[Diana Ward]

Diana wasn't entirely sure if the added emotions were due to the pregnancy or if it was her natural state and she had just grown comfortable with Christian. The tears were new. She had existed for two years without them, but Christian's presence in her life made her emotions more volatile.

She couldn't deny her feelings for the man, or the fact that she missed him. She doubted she would have been happier halfway across the world in hiding, even if life with Christian was an emotional rollercoaster.

She was in a good mood today though. At least they were still sexually compatible and she could enjoy herself in his arms. She thought about their most recent encounter, he had caught her on top of the washing machine. The memory made her skin feel tight, maybe they could have a repeat performance on top of the dryer. She smiled silently to herself and folded the clothes she had washed.

[Christian Ward]

Christian went into the spare room where Diana was staying. She'd made the bed and cleaned up the mess he'd made of the room as his baser urges overtook him. She could keep her little Beautiful Mind board, especially if it encouraged her to keep the whining about their supposed past relationship to herself. But he didn't trust her with the compass. He wasn't sure what hidden properties it might hold and he was taking no chances so long as his life force was bound to hers.

He moved a few things around on the desk top but didn't see the compass. He opened the top drawer and the compass slid forward. He picked it up and was about to shut the drawer when movement caught his eye. It was a picture. He pulled the photograph from the desk and inspected it, a sickening feeling overtaking his stomach.

The picture was of a couple, smiling and holding each other; obviously in love. They were on a ship in the evening, the sky was turning purple and a few stars were visible toward the top of the photo. It was Christian and Diana. On their wedding night, he suspected.

So it was true.

Unless she was an elaborate con artist. Christian stormed down the stairs, forgetting about the compass as he barged into the laundry room and shoved the photograph into Diana's face. "What the f*ck is this?"

[Diana Ward]

Diana put a hand against her chest as a deep ache went through her. Her brow furrowed in confusion not quite understanding what had happened. The ache was just easing as Christian stormed in the room which startled her.

"What-"

She was then nose to nose with her little secret for the past week. The photo of their wedding night, the only thing getting her through the heartache of living with Christian, but seeing a stranger.

She swallowed nervously, then straightened her shoulders. She didn't have anything to hide.

"It's a photograph. What does it look like?" she asked raising her chin.

[Christian Ward]

He pulled the picture back and his fist tightened around it, creasing it as his knuckles whitened.

"It's looks you've got a very f*cking elaborate scheme worked out here! Forging photographs, setting bounties on yourself, getting Burke to corroborate your story. What kind of game are you f*cking playing at Crawford?!"

[Diana Ward]

Her mouth tightened as he damaged the photograph. That was her lifeline, a precious object; she needed it.

His words were mildly surprising after all the time they spent together intimately. Was it so incredulous that they had been together?

"Are you f*cking kidding me?! Setting bounties on myself?" she gave him a look somewhere between incredulous and shocked.

"You think this is all some big f*cking scheme? What could I possibly get out of hiring someone to kill me?"

She thought of all the things she had endured since her father died, and further since that heavenly week with Christian sixteen years ago. It was hard to say whether she would do it again if she could go back in time. But in no sane or even insane world would she ever willingly put herself through what she had the past two years.

[Christian Ward]

"Did you really though? Or was that all part of your ruse? You sent the bounty notice to my men, didn't you? And that pathetic f*cking excuse for a hit man dressed as a waiter, you hired him too make it look real."

He sneered at her, then looked down to her clearly pregnant stomach. "And you waited until you got knocked up so you could claim that thing was mine. You're a f*cking mastermind, aren't you."

[Diana Ward]

She gave him a disgusted look.

"You're certifiable." she said shaking her head at his reasoning, "Or you're quite possibly the stupidest man I have ever met! My God your ego alone. I'm amazed there's enough room in this house for the both of us! Utterly delusional thinking anyone would go through even a quarter of those lengths to attach themselves to a narcissistic, dim-witted, bastard like you!"

She gathered the clothes she had folded intending to ignore him, then put her hand out, "Give me my photo, I'm done talking to you today."

[Christian Ward]

"You want this piece of sh*t? Too f*cking bad!" Christian tore the photograph in half, exaggerating the motion for effect. "I'm not about to enable your delusions in thinking I would ever love some weak, broken loon like you! The only use you've ever served is f*cking men. If you wanted a father for that f*cking thing growing in your gut, you should have gone to the man who put it there. Or did Derek not want you around either? Is that why he's helping you? To get out of having to raise his kid. Bravo to him. First f*cking smart thing that man has ever done in his whole f*cking life is try to get rid of you!"

[Diana Ward]

It happened slowly, Christian's words didn't even register at first. Her panic at having the picture torn in half elicited a sharp cry as she dropped the clothes to the floor. She reached for the photo grabbing his hand and fighting against his superior strength.

Their mild fight for the photo brought her close and she was able to look in his eyes as he whispered every hateful thing he could accuse her of.

She was weak. She was broken. And she certainly was crazy. Insecurities Christian had cured her from over the past four months all brought back to life in one vicious monologue.

When he began talking about their son Diana lost it. Whatever shred of hope she had been holding onto fell apart as he so clearly ruined the illusion that there was anything between them, that there ever could be anything between them.

"Stop...p-please..." she begged on a whisper as tears clogged her throat. She let her hands fall to the side no longer fighting for the photo of a past that was never coming back. His words hitting their mark and affecting her as though they were physical blows she leaned against the dryer machine.

She was spared further humiliation when the bell rang, but she had no will to answer to door be it friend or foe; she just didn't care.

[Christian Ward]

Christian maintained possession of the pieces of photograph, the occupants having ran for cover the remaining image was nothing but a ship on a beautiful night at sea. As Diana's fiery spirit collapsed in front of him Christian's sneer faded somewhat.

The doorbell caught him off guard. He knew Dr Hanley was planning a check up with Diana today, but in his rage at the further evidence that his life was nothing like he had known, Christian had completely forgotten about their visitor. He looked over his shoulder toward the door, then back to clearly defeated Diana.

"Pull yourself together and answer the door," he compelled her. "I'll be in my office." Christian adjusted Diana's barrier so she had free reign over most of the house so as not to draw any unwanted attention from Hanley, then shut himself in his office.

[Diana Ward]

The ache in Diana's chest returned tenfold. She held a hand over her heart as though it could stop the pain there. She clenched her jaw stifling down the hurt. She had trained for emotional fortitude, she had let herself slip in the past few months, but it wasn't anything she couldn't overcome. At least that's what she would have told herself if she was capable of thinking.

Christian's demand was hard and put more stress on her to appear fine. She had forgotten about Hanley's visit and was startled when he was the one at the door.

"Dr. Hanley..." she said a bit dazed. That small confusion was enough to break through her broken spirit and allow Christian's compulsion to work as she pulled herself together, "Please...come in."

[Christian Ward]

Hanley smiled as Diana opened the door. "Ah, such a lovely creature to be greeted by at the door," he said with a gentle laugh. He nodded at her invitation and stepped inside. "And how is our little boy doing today?" He eyed her belly as he readjusted the handle of his black medicine bag in his hand.

[Diana Ward]

Her chest pains were increasing in pain, but the smile on her face didn't fade, even if her eyebrows tensed and her arms crossed over her chest tightly.

"I was hoping you'd tell me." she said lightly leading Hanley upstairs. She instinctively went for Alyx's room as that was where she had been imprisoned. She paused at the door would Christian have given her access to their room? Would Hanley think it odd if Diana went into the spare bedroom? What about the work she had left out? She didn't want to involve Hanley any further in their business including the wall of board members.

She chewed on her lip and turned for Christian's room hoping it would open.

[Christian Ward]

It did open and Hanley followed Diana into the couple's bedroom. If he had noticed Diana's moment of hesitation, it was unreadable on his face as he smiled and set his bag down. He gestured for Diana to sit on the bed and lift her shirt enough for her small belly to be examined.

"Are the potions helping with the fatigue?" he inquired as his hands moved across her stomach lightly.

[Diana Ward]

She didn't have the potions to help with the fatigue, or the nausea, or any of the other potions Hanley had given her.

"Actually, if you wouldn't mind leaving a few more of ...well all the potions I'd be very grateful." she said managing a half smile that took quite some effort.

Diana laid back down sighing as she did so, letting Dr. Hanley look her over, silently begging him to not ask any questions.

When he did have a question for her, the answer was always pleasant but almost strained. Diana's vitals also showed an abnormally high amount of stress, which was saying something considering the patient who hadn't spiked at all with a broken rib and gunshot wound.

[Christian Ward]

The exam didn't take long and Hanley hid his concerns well. There was nothing mortally wrong with the baby and he was sure Christian would be able to resolve a majority of the issues that worried him. There was no need in adding any stress onto Diana's shoulders, she was clearly already bearing far too much for any one person let alone a pregnant woman.

"Have you been feeling him moving yet?" Hanley asked as he turned his attention to his medicine bag and began pulling out potion bottles, inspecting the labels, and setting the appropriate ones on the bedside table.

[Diana Ward]

"Yes!" she said with a brightness that didn't have to be faked. That one small spark of happiness she had felt her son move, "Yes, he's very active." she said with a smile as she sat up.

It gave her something to focus on, something she hadn't been focusing on in the wake of her own personal misery. She couldn't do this to herself. She couldn't allow Christian to break her spirit when she had her son to think about. She had done one pregnancy alone, she could do another one alone too.

[Christian Ward]

"Excellent," Hanley smiled as he pulled another potion from his bag, read the label, shook his head, then put it back. "That means he'll be an athlete. Perhaps he'll play Quidditch like his father. He's going to be a very special boy. Have you discussed names yet?"

[Diana Ward]

She smiled, she liked the thought of her son playing quidditch. She briefly recalled Christian's larger than life presence on campus and thought how proud his mother must have been of her handsome son. Of course the heartbreaking wasn't something a mother wanted their son to be involved in, but it was expected.

"Liam. Liam Oliver Ward." she smiled at the memory, "After our grandfathers."

Her happiness was followed by an acute sensation of pain and she couldn't help herself from putting her hand against her chest and expressing the ache.