Trouble

[Christian Ward]

Christian shrugged and closed his eyes. If anyone were to walk in on them it would be Diana's superb ass that greeted them. Everything else was hidden from view. Excusing themselves might have been a sight, however.

They laid comfortably on each other for a while, enjoying the afterglow and taking a much needed break from the chaos that was their lives. It was amazing how quiet the house was with only the couple home (after the acrobatics were finished, that is). Aside from their breathing and the infrequent rustlings of their skin again each other or the fabric of the sofa as they moved, it was peaceful.

That peace was interrupted by flutter coming from Diana's stomach. It tickled Christian's abdomen but he barely noticed.

[Diana Ward]

"Diana? Diana are you with us?" Dr. Westin asked flashing a light in her eyes.

She sat upright startled by his sudden appearance.

"What is this? Where am I?!" she took in her surroundings growing more confused and even frightened as a dreaded sense of familiarity overwhelmed her. What was going on?

"It's working." Dr. Westin said with relief, "Diana, what is the last thing you remember?"

"I...I was with Christian." she said still unsure of what was going on.

Dr. Westin shook his head, "No Diana. You're at St. Anne's."

"I'm at St. Anne's." she repeated. Her mind began to accept it. "Christian...I need to talk to Christian. He's helping me...we're so close."

"Diana, Diana stop. It isn't real." Dr. Westin said urgently. "What I am going to tell you is going to sound incredible at first, but the more I tell you, the more it will begin to make sense. You're suffering from a psychotic break. We've only just been able to reach you. We gave you a stronger dose of Zetaline and it seems to break the hold your psychosis has over you. You came to the hospital two years ago. Your father had recently passed away and confessed to you he had sent your daughter away. The emotional intensity of that information caused a psychological fracture. You were so distraught, believing you had inadvertently abandoned your daughter, you created a fictional world inside of your mind in an attempt to 'earn' your daughter's love by overcoming incredible obstacles to reach her. Listen to me. Just listen-" he said as Diana began shaking her head.

"I know this is a lot to take in, but we still aren't sure how long you will be with us and it is imperative to give you the information you need to break the psychosis once and for all, and return to the people who love you."

That last part caught her attention, "Who..."

Diana woke suddenly her heart beating rapidly as she tried to gain her bearings. She was startled taking in her surroundings.

[Christian Ward]

Her sudden movements shook him and he opened his eyes to look at her. Impulsively he reached for his wand, but there was no threat nearby and he let the tension in his muscles relax. She must have had a bad dream.

"You alright?" he asked casually as he stretched and looked around for the clock to check the time.

[Diana Ward]

She gripped him a little tighter, "This is real." she said blinking though there was distress on her features. She looked at him, then around them once more.

"This is real." she repeated.

[Christian Ward]

Christian looked at her with concern as she insisted this was real. What this? Their relationship? It wasn't necessarily the thing either of them had thought it would be. Diana wanted more from Christian than he was prepared to give, but they came together physically and any inconsistencies in their plans for the future were disregarded by a lack of actual communication.

"Diana, what's going on?" The space between his eyebrows was crinkled as he looked at her. She looked lost. Was this a pregnancy thing?

[Diana Ward]

"Is this real?" she asked, placing a hand to her head. She blinked a few more times before getting to her feet.

What the hell was going on?

"I..I'm not sure..."

[Christian Ward]

Christian continued to watch her, perplexed. "Is what real? What aren't you sure about, Diana?" He gave a half-hearted chuckle and said, "don't tell me I banged your head against the headboard too many times."

Christian got up and made to follow her dazed movements. She had been fine only a moment ago. Where was this coming from?

[Diana Ward]

"I..." she frowned, "I must have fallen asleep...it was so real." she said. She looked lost. Worried. Suddenly she looked at him, "Did I fall asleep?" Her heart was returning to normal, but there was something in her surroundings she didn't quite trust.

She wrapped her arms around herself feeling vulnerable all of a sudden.

[Christian Ward]

"You must have," he replied as he pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her still naked figure. Christian had nearly fallen asleep himself before Diana's movements brought him to attention.

[Diana Ward]

She suddenly noticed her nakedness and gave a small laugh the worry leaving her features, "We should get dressed. Your mother could walk in at any moment."

She looked around the room for her clothing and picked up pieces here and there until she was clothed once more.

[Christian Ward]

Christian gave her a look. "You just want me to work harder before I f*ck you again." He smacked her bare ass as she bent over to pick up her shirt from the floor and relented by fetching his own clothes and dressing.

"When Burke gets back we should talk about Silas. Between the two of us we should be able to figure out where he is and how he'll try to attack now that he can't get to your dreams." Christian was still sleeping in the bed with Diana, keeping watch for any odd behaviors. Now there was another reason to sleep next to each other.

[Diana Ward]

"If I let you f*ck me again." she teased. They both knew she would, but she enjoyed playing the coquette.

"Between the three of us." she corrected him, "I don't remember anything from the anchoring spell, do you?" she asked.

She was mildly concerned about it, how did they know whether or not it had worked? What if Silas was still connected to her mind?

[Christian Ward]

He wasn't excluding her from the planning, but she wouldn't have the background information that Derek and Christian would, as she was not a Death Eater alongside Silas. "Yes, you will figure it out with us. I only meant that Derek and I have more history with Silas than you do. Unless there's something you'd like to share?"

When she asked about the anchoring spell she was voicing Christian's concerns as well. He remembered nothing, only a strange sense of being connected to Diana which he took to meant that the spell had worked. But just as his lack of memories over his summer led to concerns and extra (admittedly jackass-ish) precautions, so too did his lack of memory for the spell lead him to keeping a closer eye on Diana. They slept side by side and spent a good amount of time with her. If not him, Derek and Roselyn would fill in. There were a few occasions where she was left to her own devices but the walls of this house were paper thin, he would be able to hear if there were any problems.

[Diana Ward]

"No, nothing." she said shaking her head. She felt different after the anchoring spell that was true. More confident perhaps. And strangely open, as though she had nothing to hide from Christian. It was a good feeling.

She grinned at him as he was still naked, Christian was a splendid specimen of the male form.

[Christian Ward]

Christian found that he enjoyed watching Diana dress, almost as watching her undress. But the act had distracted him, as did their conversation of the anchoring spell, and he merely stood in the living room, holding his clothes as Diana ogled him. He raised his brow at her. "See something you like?" he asked confidently and playfully.

There were sounds of movement from outside and Christian quickly pulled his pants on and was able to fasten them before the front door opened and his mother walked in followed by Derek. At least they had both dressed enough that no one had to run and hide. 

Roselyn pushed open the door and happily entered the house carrying a shopping bag. Her son's state of half undress didn't both her; she'd been the one to change his nappies and bathe him when he was younger, so seeing him shirtless now was nothing to flinch at. "Come see what I got for the baby," she demanded pleasantly as brushed past Christian and set the shopping bag down on the sofa. She pulled out a tiny green cardigan and matching onesie. "To prepare him for Slytherin like his daddy," she said of the color as she turned to Diana and laid the clothes over her belly as if dressing Liam.

[Diana Ward]

Diana bit her bottom lip in approval as she continued to stare at him. Her skin was hot and tight with images of everything they had just done. She wanted to do it again, she never wanted to stop. Things outside could be crazy, none of it made any sense, but naked and in Christian's arms, everything made sense.

She jumped when she heard the door opening and urged Christian to cover up. He just got his pants on when Roselyn entered the room followed by Derek. Derek gave a shrug his expression saying he had given them all he time he could, but he laughed at Christian's state of undress as well as the state of dishabille in the house.

Diana's belly was still fairly small, even when she wasn't hiding the bump, she didn't get big with Alyx either until the very end when she looked as though she had swallowed a watermelon overnight.

She laughed when Roselyn assumed Liam would be in Slytherin. Diana had been, which came as a pleasant surprise to her father who assumed she would be in Hufflepuff as she was 'meek' at home. Perhaps the hat simply knew better. Their daughter was in Gryffindor and truthfully Diana didn't care one whit about what house her children fell into, so long as they were happy.

She looked over Roselyn's head toward Christian, helpless to the other woman's love as she carried her grandchild.

[Christian Ward]

Christian the look in Diana's eyes and raised his hands as if to say there was nothing he could do. He laughed and pulled his shirt on as his mother attempted to dress Diana's belly.

"When all of this is over, dear," Roselyn was looking at Diana now, "where will you two be living?" She turned to Christian who was now properly dressed. "Is there enough room at your house for your whole family?"

Christian blanched at the unexpected question.

"Surely you've talked about it," Roselyn prodded.

"Not as much," he said, stiffly.

"These are the sorts of things you should be discussing instead of trying to make another baby while the first one's still cooking."

"Mum..."

"I'm only saying, Christian dear, that there are things you need to consider. You're very good at planning, why haven't you applied those skills to what I dare say is a very important matter?"

"Let's not talk about this now," he said as he closed his eyes, annoyed, and rubbed his neck as the pain of his mother's nagging began to manifest in his muscles. Christian wondered if they had discussed the matter, before his memory was erased. He looked to Diana. He cared for her, desired her, and was possibly beginning to love her. And he certainly couldn't abandon his children. But were they going to stay married? Was that something he really wanted?

[Diana Ward]

Reality. This had to be reality. Because reality liked to crash down on people, and as Roselyn continued to 'badger' her son, Diana carefully observed him. They were married. Diana loved him, Christian finally accepted her love. They had two children who would need a roof over their head, and yet Christian didn't want to talk about it.

He didn't want to think about it.

He could take her love. He could take her body. He could house, or imprison her rather, when her life was in danger, but he didn't want to share his own life. He may have even begun to love her again, but he didn't want to. Why? What was so wrong with her that he couldn't just be happy?

His flat was a tad small for her, a teenager, and a new baby on the way, and her place was too large to really be comfortable. Maybe in some secret fantasy of Diana's they bought their own place that suited all of them. Wishful thinking indeed.

When Christian looked at her, she gave him a quick smile and a subtle shaking of her head to clear it.

"I think for now, those planning skills are needed figuring out how to stay alive. We will figure it out. In the meantime Roselyn, could I talk to you for a moment?" she asked and made a quick motion for Derek to stick around.

[Christian Ward]

"Of course, dear," Roselyn said as she carefully folded Liam's first outfit and placed it back into the shopping bag. She turned and took Diana's arm, patting her hand as they left the room. "Don't you worry about him, dear. My Christian is going to take good care of you all. He's such a good boy. I think he's just a little overwhelmed right now, what with everything that's happening. Doesn't give him the right to ignore such an important decision, but as I've told you before, you simply need to have a firm hand with him."

Christian was thankful for the reprieve from his well-intentioned, smothering, nagging mother. He loved the woman to no end but such prolonged periods together wore on him. He had moved out of his childhood home and away from his parents the summer after finishing Hogwarts. He spent plenty of time with his mother and his father, it wasn't their company he moved away from. It was their, particularly Roselyn's, boundary pushing love and affection. For the first month Christian was on his own his mother insisted they go to the market together each week to make sure he could manage the task of grocery shopping as an adult. The act was unneeded and unwanted but Christian hardly had a say in the matter.

[Diana Ward]

Once alone Diana smiled at Roselyn's concern.

"Thank you." she said with a soft voice, "Thank you for accepting all of this so easily. So...happily." she swallowed down the thickness in her throat. Whether Christian came around or didn't, Roselyn already had, and she was the closest thing Diana had to a mother. After her own mother died, Diana didn't have anyone to 'mother' her. Christian might have hated it, but Diana loved it, even if it was overbearing at times. Impulsively she hugged the woman before she could see the tears growing in the corner of Diana's eyes. Damn hormones.

When she pulled back she had her emotions well in control.

"I know we talked about if Christian or I don't make it you taking the children but..." she licked her lips.

"If we get out of this mess and you're not involved anymore, knowing your son that should be done rather quickly, then perhaps you would be free to search for Alyx. They wouldn't know to look for her, but she would still have someone...she would know that she was loved."