Trouble

[Christian Ward]

"I don't see why we're not looking right now. I still have lunch with a few of the wives from Christian's father's team. I'm sure we can hunt down someone who find her. I just hate the thought of her being alone. I've been worrying about it all week."

Roselyn suddenly realized how insensitive her comment may have come off, especially to a woman so clearly at the mercy of hormones. "Oh, my beautiful girl, I am sorry. What is my one week compared to the time you've been frantic...Forgive me dear." She pulled Diana into a firm hug without warning or permission.

[Diana Ward]

"It's alright." she said quickly, though truthfully she was stung a little. Not at Roselyn, she knew the woman didn't mean anything by her words, but by the fact that she hadn't found her daughter yet. She felt like a failure.

"It's not his fault Roselyn...there are things Christian and I haven't told you yet..." she chewed on her lip as indecision weighed on her. In the end she decided that Roselyn had lived through Grant Ward's business, she was no stranger to the darker side of Christian's business. She clearly loved Christian and her grandchildren. There was no reason not to tell her everything.

"I asked him to keep Alyx a secret initially. I didn't want you...or anyone really... getting hurt because of me. But you have a right to know about your grandchild...and about me."

She took a breath and began to explain. She jumped around a bit as she tried to give the complete story. Roselyn's engaging nature encouraged Diana to say more than she would have and soon she found herself simply pouring out more and more of her own sad tale. It was made more sad by the way that Diana spoke as though her heartbreak was of little consequence. But then she had never had anyone to truly care about her. No one had ever taught her that her feelings or her happiness was important, so she gave and gave and expected little in return.

She trusted Roselyn instinctively - like a mother - and spoke to her the way only a daughter could speak to a mother. Complete trust. Complete vulnerability. She never had the opportunity or inclination to share her past with another. Even with Christian she didn't want to burden him with her past, but speaking to Roselyn was different.

She explained that Christian had done all that he could do for Diana. She left out the darker parts of their relationship. She also left out the fact that she had obliviated her husband. The way Diana spoke about Christian was the way teenage girls spoke about movie stars. She loved Christian in the purest way a person could love another. She loved Christian unconditionally. But she had really only recently learned to stand up to him, because as much as she loved Christian, she loved her children more and she would do anything to make them safe and happy.

"...which is why I can't look for her. Which is why we haven't looked for her. I want to. God, more than anything I want to find her. I want to hold her...I never got to hold her..." Diana said, the tears threatening to spill over as her lip trembled, "I'm sorry."

She got a hold of herself and continued, "If they found out about Alyx, they would use her against me, and being on the run like this. I don't want that life for her. But you...you could look for her. Give her a home...until Christian and I could ...well if we..."she smiled, but it was brittle, she didn't want to think negatively.

[Christian Ward]

Roselyn listened intently, horrified by Diana's story. She asked questions where she thought it wouldn't be impolite and hugged Diana when she had a question she dared not ask. How Marcus Crawford could do such a thing to his own daughter, his own granddaughter! It made Roselyn so angry that were he not already dead she just might have hired someone to bring him very close to such a state. But mostly, Roselyn was understanding and loving.

"Don't you dare apologize for your emotions," she said as Diana showed promise of tears. Tears were what the story really called for and there simply hadn't been enough shed by the younger woman. The stoicism was, sadly, to be expected after such a harrowing tale.

Roselyn took Diana's hand and pressed it between both of hers. "Of course I will, my beautiful girl. Just as soon as my Christian gets this mess with his Death Eater colleague taken care of, I will find our girl and bring her home."

[Diana Ward]

Diana showed immediate relief and hope at Roselyn's acceptance. Then, "His what?" she asked showing confusion, "A death what? Eater?"

What was a death eater? How did one eat death? How was Christian involved? Who was his colleague?

Diana had assumed that her past held all the mystery, but Christian's was still a total enigma, much like the man himself. She knew he liked to f*ck her. She knew he was skilled with a wand, and he had the 'family business'. She knew him so intimately, she knew who he was, and yet she didn't know much about him.

[Christian Ward]

Oh dear, Christian and Diana really did need to talk things through more. Roselyn now wondered if all the couple ever did was fight and have sex. Did they ever discuss the important things? It didn't seem very likely as they had no idea where they would be living by the time Liam joined them in only four months or so. And Diana's clear confusion at Christian's political affiliation proved it had never been discussed either. 

"Death Eater, dear. The Knights of Walpurgis. I think you and Christian should have a little chat if you've been left in the dark about this matter. Remember, he's really just a teddy bear. Let him know who's boss, darling."

[Diana Ward]

Diana laughed, "Easy for you to say, he literally owes you his life." but Diana simply never felt good enough for Christian.

She sighed, somewhere in the home the clock struck and Diana gasped, had they really been talking so long?

"I should get back to them." Diana didn't want to be left out of the planning, and she was starving.

[Christian Ward]

"I may have given him life, sweet girl, but you've given him a family. It makes my heart so happy." She hugged Diana again.

"Alright, dear. I'll leave you three to your own devices. But do talk to Christian." Roselyn smiled warmly at Diana and then left for her bedroom to read.

[Diana Ward]

Diana yawned. Christian had taken a lot out of her, and speaking to Roselyn had been emotionally exhausting. Making a baby didn't help matters. She suddenly wanted to turn around and go to bed, but that wasn't possible she needed to -

Suddenly she was back at the psych ward. She could hear voices.

"I'm not sure how long...it could be days...weeks. This drug is very experimental."

"I understand Dr. Westin."

Christian? What was he doing here? She wanted to move, but her body wouldn't let her. She was strapped down to the bed.

"Please, if she wakes up again, I'd like to talk to her."

"Of course."

"Diana?" Derek asked coming into the hallway. Diana fell into his arms. "Oh Geeze D, what the hell..." he shook her as she went limp, "Diana!" he dropped his scotch on the floor and the glass shattered.

"Christian!"

[Christian Ward]

The more time Diana distracted his mother the better, as far as Christian was concerned. The break from the smotherly love was most welcome and Christian was happy to relax with a glass of scotch without hearing that he drank too much and "should think about what his family will do after he dies from liver failure". The peace was shattered by the sound of glass breaking and Derek calling for him from the hallway.

Christian moved quickly, leaving his drink on the table as he rushed to the hallway. Diana was unconscious in Derek's arms.

"What the f*ck happened?" he asked as he came upon the scene. Derek could have carried her, but Christian took her from him and hoisted her into his arms. "Diana? Diana, are you there?" He wanted to shake her awake but instead he carried her to their nearby bedroom and laid her down upon the mattress. "Diana, wake up. Diana, come on."

[Diana Ward]

"Mr. Ward, she's awake."

Diana was awake, or at least she felt awake, she felt completely awake. Completely aware, but there was a nervousness settling in the pit of her stomach as she made sense of her surroundings. She was at St. Annes again, this time in a room. White walls. White floors. White ceilings. White gowns.

Then he walked in.

His green eyes filled the room with color. His olive skin added warmth. His dark hair provided mystery and depth. He was everything alive in a place that felt dead.

"Christian..."

"It's been a long time." he said in an all too familiar smooth fashion. His voice was warm, his eyes were teasing, happy even. She could read so much from his expressions.

"I...what are you doing here?" she asked, feeling naked all of a sudden. Vulnerable.

He moved toward the bed, "We have much to talk about, you and I."

"We do?" she asked, still lost in his confident swagger toward her. She suddenly felt as though she were in her early twenties again.

"Dr. Westin says your treatment is working. I can see that it is...this is the longest conversation we've been able to have in a long while." he placed his hand on hers.

She was startled by his warmth.

"I'm sorry." he apologized and drew it back, but she reached for him. He smiled.

****

"I don't know. She just f*cking collapsed." Derek said startled. Diana didn't collapse. She didn't black out. What was happening to her?

[Christian Ward]

Healthy women don't just collapse. Dr Hanley would have said something if he thought this was a possibility with her pregnancy, but she was still supposed to be on bed rest and instead they had had a marathon shag fest.

"Damn it! Come on, Diana." He was gently shaking her shoulders and stroking her arm in attempt to rouse her but it wasn't working. "F*ck! Call Dr Hanley."

[Diana Ward]

Derek moved to do just that when Diana's eyes opened.

"Stop shaking me." she frowned, her eyes turned dreamy all of a sudden when she saw Christian.

"You're still here." she smiled and took his hand. Derek returned to the bed and she appeared startled.

"Derek?" she asked confused for a moment, "But I thought you weren't...where am I?"

[Christian Ward]

Christian gave an odd look at Derek when Diana appeared startled by his presence. What was going on? He turned back to face Diana.

"Same place you've been for the last week. Godric's Hollow." He looked quizzically at her. "What happened? Derek said you just fainted, what were you doing?"

[Diana Ward]

"I was..." she had to think. Every time she transitioned from dream to reality it was harder to tell which was the dream and which was reality.

I was having a conversation with you...we talked for hours. We laughed. We talked without all the head games. We got to know each other.

Diana was sad to see it end. In a way it was almost as though she was losing him all over again. Why was it so hard with 'this' Christian? Was Dr. Westin right? Was this all some challenge her mind had conjured to 'earn' her daughter's love? Including reconciling with her daughter's father? Diana didn't think it was true, but at the same time, she honestly didn't understand so many things about the past two years of her life.

"I don't know." she said almost helpless.

[Christian Ward]

Christian was worried that she couldn't remember anything, and the pathetic whine in her voice as she admitted it scared him even worse. Diana didn't use a helpless tone. Even when she was sulking as his prisoner she was never helpless. This was unsettling.

"Alright, just lie down and stay in bed. You've been exerting yourself a lot today, I'm sure it's just exhaustion." He was calling Hanley anyway, just to be safe. He was going to have to start paying the doctor more for all the house visits the man was making.

[Derek Burke]

Derek raised a brow when Christian said she had been exerting herself too much. That he was sure it was just exhaustion. Diana didn't putter out the way most mortals did when she was exhausted. She became sharper, edgier, more deadly. She pushed through until she could rest. This was odd behavior indeed, perhaps pregnancy related or worse, assassin related.

Diana took his hand, "Stay with me." she said another small tremor in her voice.

Derek's expression mirrored his surprise.

[Christian Ward]

He was conflicted. When she asked him to stay he instantly accepted in his head. He would stay and comfort her. He would watch out for her. He wanted to be there with her. But Christian fought against that feeling with everything he knew. He was not a p*ssy whipped man who whispered sweet nothings in his wife's ear. F*ck, he wasn't the type of man to take a wife. But he had. And she was here now, and she was uncertain if not scared.

Christian nodded. "Just let me help Derek clean up out there. It won't be but two minutes." He bent over and kissed her forehead, noting how easy and simultaneously awkward it was. What was he doing? What were all these feelings? He felt the urge to cuss but he kept it bottled up inside of him as he turned headed for the door, gesturing sternly for Derek to follow.

[Derek Burke]

Diana wanted to fight his leaving, even to clean up, but she bit her lip instead. As she adjusted back to this reality she knew that she was tough and strong. She didn't need Christian to stay when she was frightened. She would simply quit being frightened.

Derek nodded and moved outside quickly, but not before giving Diana a reassuring nod.

Once the men were gone Diana focused on a spec on the wall, but soon her eyes glazed over and she was in another place entirely.

[Christian Ward]

The walls were thin and Christian didn't want to worry Diana should she overhear his conversation with Burke. He pulled his wand and placed a temporary silencing spell around the room. Now they were free to speak freely and Christian expressed his concerns.

His face was grim. "What the f*ck is going on? I thought the anchoring worked! What the f*ck is this, Burke?"

[Derek Burke]

Derek knew that Christian would find some way of making it his fault, he wasn't surprised when the questions came in a slightly accusatory manner.

"The anchoring spell did work. She isn't being controlled, but Silas is a crafty son of a b*tch. He's probably found some way of manipulating her subconscious, and after what happened last time I hesitate to put you back in. We need to get to Silas and end the bastard."