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Post by Diana Ward on Jan 4, 2017 23:49:05 GMT -5
It had been a week since their truce. Now that Diana was sleeping in the main bedroom there were really only a few areas she couldn't get to, and she wasn't overly concerned with getting to them.
The days had been mildly awkward at first. Diana had been simultaneously defensive and conciliatory. She wanted their peace to last, but she was still recovering emotionally from the way he had reacted to their honeymoon picture. It became clear that they could live peaceably so long as they both avoided bringing up the past.
If Diana thought of him as someone else rather than the husband she had lost, it was much easier to stay relatively sane around him.
She found ways to stay busy, and only spent a slightly obsessive amount of time at her 'crazy' wall. She ate meals with her husband, and the time passed mostly amicably.
They still fought. Diana didn't think that would ever change, they were both simply too stubborn, too passionate, and lately too pent up.
This was the longest they had ever been without sex, to make matters worse they were sleeping in the same bed. They would both begin on their own sides of the mattress, but some point during the night they gravitated toward one another and would wake up a mass of tangled limbs. Diana knew it was her fault. Her nightmares hadn't gone away, if anything they got worse, but she found him in the night and his strength chased the demons away. She was loathe to suggest sleeping in her own room again, but she was even more afraid of what might happen to the delicate hold she had on her emotions if they became physical again.
Currently she was reading. She had cleaned the house, finished the laundry, put in a few hours at her crazy wall, and was now waiting for Christian to return with hopefully news.
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Post by Christian Ward on Jan 5, 2017 1:36:28 GMT -5
For his part, Christian was trying his damnedest to come to grips with what being a father would actually mean. It was one thing to acknowledge his part in Diana's children's existence, but he felt an obligation to ensure the children were well cared for - once they were actually around. The oldest, their daughter Alyx, he reasoned would be the easier of the two. By the time the girl was located she'd be mostly grown. He could throw some money around as needed and she'd be fine. But the baby, his son, that was a completely different quidditch match.
Liam would need full time care, which he assumed Diana would want handle as the mother but she was rather broken and currently a target for most of the professional assassins in the country. Could she raise a baby? And how did Christian factor in to the equation? Whenever he was not occupied with something else, these were the questions he perseverated on.
Not only did he have his future and his children's future to think about, he also found his mind wandering to thoughts of Diana frequently. Even when she wasn't around. They were sharing a bed but the lack of physical release for the closeness was frustrating. Christian found himself reaching out to her in his sleep. Perhaps it was a subconscious reflex, left over from his previous life with Diana, but as she thrashed about fighting off her nightmares Christian would hold her and pull her in to his body. He would be completely asleep and have no conscious awareness of the act but when they awoke they would be tangled in each other. He would wake up smiling for a second before realizing how awkward the situation was. Sometimes though, if Christian woke before Diana, he wouldn't pull out of her grasp right away. He wasn't sure why, and that gave him more to think on.
Luckily today Christian had a full plate. He had meetings with his men regarding various business dealings, he did a little more research on spirit rituals (which did very little to ease his worries over Diana's nightmares), and did some more work preparing for the board member hit. He was tired when he arrived home.
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Post by Diana Ward on Jan 5, 2017 1:50:08 GMT -5
Diana looked up and smiled as he arrived, "You're back."
Living with Christian was confusing, it seemed it didn't matter what version of him she had she found him intolerably handsome. Her breath always caught when he entered a room. She had a feeling he knew how she felt and was smug about it, but he didn't look smug today. He looked very tired.
She frowned, "Long day?" she asked getting to her feet, almost by routine she went to the bar and poured him a scotch.
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Post by Christian Ward on Jan 5, 2017 2:06:57 GMT -5
"Busy," he answered and he threw his jacket over the back of the sofa and headed toward the bar. He was pleased when Diana beat him to it and handed him a glass of scotch. "I guess you are handy to have around," he said with a smirk as he moved to his usual chair in front of the window.
He sat with a relieved sigh and took a moment to settle in before taking a drink. He cocked his head sideways, trying to loosen the knot in his neck that had developed while he poured over several large books looking for any useful information to combating what he was steadily growing to realize was a much larger problem than Diana simply having nightmares.
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Post by Diana Ward on Jan 5, 2017 2:15:44 GMT -5
Diana, in true Diana fashion when she was with Christian, didn't even think as she moved to where he was and placed her hands on his shoulders rubbing the tight muscles there and in his neck.
"What did Derek say?"
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Post by Christian Ward on Jan 5, 2017 2:39:59 GMT -5
Christian closed his eyes for a moment and let Diana work out the knot in his neck. He should have expected that she'd shatter his first moment of peace with questions, as she did nearly every day. He sighed before answering.
"He's actually spun it around to keep me on the contract. Now instead of working for Eve, I'm working to avenge her death. He seemed fairly broken up over her death - he should consider acting as a fallback career. I still don't see what use he is..."
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Post by Diana Ward on Jan 5, 2017 2:47:45 GMT -5
Diana was antsy. She tried not to be, but she was so accustomed to being the one in the driver's seat as well as being in control of everything, that now having to hear everything second hand was jarring.
She had the same 'business' mind that he did, and it didn't quiet down until she had all the pieces of the puzzle to work with.
"I wonder where he picked her up from, how long he had known her for." she said with a depressive sigh.
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Post by Christian Ward on Jan 5, 2017 2:58:17 GMT -5
Her questions caused Christian to chuckle. Derek had told him where he found Eve, just before Christian erased his memory and set him to thinking Diana had gone into hiding. "She was a stripper," he said with a laugh. "My bachelor party gift, apparently."
Had Christian had any memory of the night or of his relationship with Diana he would have thought to keep Eve's real identity a secret. Currently, however, the idea that Burke had hired a stripper as an actress to play the role of Diana was rather amusing.
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Post by Diana Ward on Jan 5, 2017 3:04:52 GMT -5
Her hands stopped what they were doing immediately as her face became flushed with anger.
"He hired that stripper?!" she asked her hands going to her hips.
And yet she couldn't even really be mad at the woman, after all she was deceased because of Diana. She felt a well of impotent rage come and go and then just sighed flatly put off.
"What are you laughing at?"
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Post by Christian Ward on Jan 5, 2017 3:09:40 GMT -5
He looked over his shoulder at her, still chuckling. "Really? You don't think it's a little humorous that Burke thought a solid replacement for this," he grabbed Diana by the wrist and brought her around to stand in front of him as he looked her over, "was a stripper? I mean, she sort of had a similar look, but come on." Christian rolled his eyes - a compliment toward Diana without saying as much. There was no possible replacement for a woman a gorgeous as Diana. Even with her pregnant belly Diana would have run circles around the younger Eve.
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Post by Diana Ward on Jan 5, 2017 3:20:30 GMT -5
Diana crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn't hurt, well yes she was, but she wouldn't let him see that.
So she didn't have the most voluptuous curves in the world, she had long ago accepted her body for the weapon it was. There were many things Diana could do with her pinky alone that most men couldn't do with a loaded gun, and she was proud of what she had. But apparently her husband found her lacking.
"I may not have the body of a stripper, but you found me appealing enough. Several times." she sneered reminding him, completely unaware that Christian's remark had been a compliment to her.
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Post by Christian Ward on Jan 5, 2017 3:26:07 GMT -5
Diana's hurt response stunned Christian for a moment before he found that funny as well. "Appealing enough?" He laughed again. "Do you have any idea how difficult its been sleeping next to this," he gestured to her figure, "and not do anything about it? I should get a f*cking medal!"
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Post by Diana Ward on Jan 5, 2017 3:34:32 GMT -5
Diana was confused as she replayed his words in her head. She realized belatedly that he had found the stripper lacking, not her, and blushed at her own insecurity.
He didn't understand, and she had too much pride to explain that she didn't know she was beautiful. She had been a late-bloomer, and even if someone had taken notice of her in school she only had eyes for him. She had considered their moments together the peak of her life before the accident, at which point she became a lifeless shell of a human being for the next fourteen-ish years until she learned the truth. She never had time or really desire for anyone but Christian, so her perception of her own attractiveness was severely warped.
When he mentioned their sleeping arrangements she blushed further. She found it absolutely impossible that she could be embarrassed about anything at this point in her life, but her desire for her husband, and subsequent weak willed resolution to not become physical with him, was a red hot topic Diana was avoiding.
"I'm fresh out of medals, would you like some more scotch?"
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Post by Christian Ward on Jan 5, 2017 3:41:45 GMT -5
"We could split the difference and you could bend over for me," he drawled as he waggled his eyebrows at her. This conversation was leading into dangerous territory but it had been over a week since Christian had had sex and Diana wrapping herself around him every night was not making matters better.
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Post by Diana Ward on Jan 5, 2017 3:52:05 GMT -5
His offer to split the difference, and the accompanying idea of how to do so, sent a sharp warmth through her as her throat went dry. It didn't take much to turn Diana into a quivering mess where Christian was concerned, and indeed the territory was dangerous.
More than anything she wanted to pivot on her foot and bend over. She knew if she did so and cast a sly glance back at him their clothes would be torn off and they would sate the lust between them, at least for a little while, but then all peace would be lost.
"Or I could make you a sandwich and you could tell me about the upcoming mission." she said changing the subject.
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Post by Christian Ward on Jan 5, 2017 4:03:11 GMT -5
Christian's clever smirk faded as Diana turned him down. "Fine, but if you're going to be pregnant and in the kitchen you should at least be barefoot." He smirked at his own joke then took a long sip of his scotch.
Christian gave Diana a rundown of the minimal plans that Derek and he had developed. There was very little new information gained in the past week in regards to the final board member.
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Post by Diana Ward on Jan 5, 2017 22:06:22 GMT -5
She frowned, deep in thought, "It isn't much to go on is it?" she sighed, "I hate the thought of sending you guys in with so little."
When she was finished making his sandwich she brought it to him along with a tall glass of water, it was almost domestic.
They had done really well this last week, Diana hoped to keep the peace. There was really only one glaring hindrance to that peace, aside from the massive betrayals on both sides and the life or death situation they were in, their mutual lust for one another. That was a ticking time bomb, and heaven only knew how long until it went off.
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Post by Christian Ward on Jan 5, 2017 22:13:57 GMT -5
It wasn't much to go on, but Christian didn't need it to be a bloodbath. "We still have another week and my men are hitting every angle, we may get more intel before the meeting. But we aren't going in wands blazing. Like I told Burke, we go prepared but it may turn out to be a recon mission if the big players aren't present."
The problem wasn't knowing whether or not the "big players" were going to show up or not, but rather being able to identify them. According to both Diana and Burke, no one had seen the assassin's face and the identity of the final board member was a complete mystery. They' be relying on conversations and social cues to figure out who's who. Christian didn't like going in without a solid plan, but he was anxious to end the threat on Diana's life as it was indirectly a threat on his life as well.
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Post by Diana Ward on Jan 5, 2017 22:23:10 GMT -5
She gave him a faint smile. She had gone in a few times wands blazing, but luckily had lived through it. She didn't want that for Christian and Derek.
"Sometimes I have to remind myself that you've been doing this much longer than I have."
She brought her tea in from the kitchen as well and sat back on the sofa tucking her feet up, which was only possible as she had charmed the bump away. Now that she was showing more she usually charmed her appearance unless she were sleeping. Christian didn't often have visitors, and when he did Diana often stayed upstairs, but she didn't want to risk anyone knowing about Liam.
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Post by Christian Ward on Jan 5, 2017 22:33:54 GMT -5
She'd told him before, but it was during an argument and he was yelling more than he was listening. But he still found her interesting, at least in her transformation from the last time he saw her - the last time he remembered her. From a quiet waif of a girl who would quite literally bend over backwards for him to a breathtaking woman who showed a fierceness and cleverness that was completely unexpected. She claimed to be a fighter as well, but as Christian wasn't chancing her death he would never know if her claims were valid.
"Three years?" he asked, to clarify her statement. Christian had been working in the business since graduating Hogwarts, and running it since he was 25. He clearly had the longer history with this sort of thing.
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