|
|
Post by Derek Burke on Mar 8, 2017 2:10:45 GMT -5
"What the f*ck is your problem Ward?"
Derek was beyond fed up with Christian's surliness and drunken behavior. Derek, contrary to what Christian believed, had been doing recon trying to figure out who the last board member was. He hadn't seen Diana since that night she kissed him. He figured everything would be back to normal when he returned a week and a half later, but things were the worst they ever had been - which was saying something.
Christian was nearly always drunk or drinking. He was derisive and a bullheaded, and either seemed oblivious to or actually enjoyed his wife's apparent depression.
Diana was surprisingly docile. She wore a frown as though she were always concerned, and the fatigue was beginning to show. She was far from the woman Derek met two years ago, a shadow of her former self. After spending a few days back at the safe house he could see why.
Christian's callous behavior was enough to make Derek feel like sh*t, he could only imagine what the man's behavior did to the woman who loved him.
But Derek had enough. Diana wouldn't stick up for herself for some unknown reason, and Roselyn wasn't around to smack some sense into her son. Derek was the closest thing Diana had to a friend, and he would defend her or at least get to the bottom of whatever had crawled up Christian's arse.
|
|
|
|
Post by Christian Ward on Mar 10, 2017 0:49:22 GMT -5
Whenever Diana's meloncholy was noticed by Christian it created an unyeilding sensation in his gut which he drowned with scotch and whatever other liquors were available. He took to sitting in the back garden drinking and smoking a cigar, hunched over in focused thought or reclined in the deck chair staring up into the heavens trying to figure a way out of the mess he had gotten himself, Diana, and their children into. The obvious solution continued to circle back into his thoughts over and over again. The only way out of the Life Bond. The solution Diana had asked of him in a room full of blood hungry Death Eaters. Christian didn't want to die but what he was doing now was hardly considered living. It would make things easier for everyone else. Derek could have Diana. Loam could have a father in the man Diana had chosen over Christian. His mother could still have her grandchildren to spoil. The only thing standing in the way of the solution was Christian's stubborn will to survive. So he drank. He drank until he could find the courage to compel Diana to kill him.
Christian looked up from his glass, which was near empty. Derek. The other man. The better man. Christian stared at him silently amd finished his drink, setting the glass on the table next to his chair.
"What the f*ck is yours, Burke?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Derek Burke on Mar 11, 2017 2:18:48 GMT -5
"Me? I'm not the one acting like a bloody ass every ten minutes. So on top of the other problems I do have, I get the pleasure of deciphering your ever changing moods. Anyone ever tell you that PMS is supposed to be a woman's problem?" Derek asked snidely. Melancholy Diana was bad enough, he didn't have any patience for Christian's moping. Perhaps if he could dredge up some anger he could get to the bottom of the latest issue in the soap opera that was Christian and Diana.
|
|
|
|
Post by Christian Ward on Mar 12, 2017 3:10:40 GMT -5
"Let me clear it up for you, then. My mood is 'f*ck off, Burke'. I
ll let you know when it changes." Christian finished his drink and took the glass with him as he headed back inside to refill. He didn't need Derek jumping down his throat, he was already shoving his tongue down Diana's.
|
|
|
|
Post by Derek Burke on Mar 12, 2017 3:24:08 GMT -5
Derek trailed after the man. Diana was out on some errand with Roselyn concerning the baby. The woman had hemmed and hawed and in the end Diana was no match for the older woman's sheer stubbornness. Her absence allowed Derek to confront Christian, and he wasn't leaving without answers or bloodshed - though the latter seemed more likely.
"For f*cks sake Ward, you're worse than Diana, and that's saying something. At least I know what's bothering her-" Derek caught himself and sneered. He bit his tongue, but with one quick 'f*ck it' he threw caution to the wind and continued, "Speaking of, who is this mystery woman you've decided to replace your wife with?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Christian Ward on Mar 12, 2017 3:48:44 GMT -5
Christian turned sharply and rounded on Derek, a mad glint in his eye. Derek Burke, of all people, was questioning whom Christian had decided to bring into his marriage?! It wasn't even so much that Christian was lying to Diana to save face, though being found would have been a tad immasculating. But even that he could endure. But for Derek to ask about his supposed affair with Betty whem he himself was f*cking Diana...
"No one of importance, compared to who she's replaced me with," he snapped accusingly.
|
|
|
|
Post by Derek Burke on Mar 12, 2017 12:10:18 GMT -5
Derek looked at Christian as though he had grown a third head. It took him a moment for Derek to realize Christian was accusing him of sleeping with Diana, and his eyes bulged for a moment. Then he laughed as he realized all of Christian's surliness came from jealousy, easily remedied and quite amusing.
"That's what has your knickers in a twist? Really? You think I'm sleeping with Diana?"
He stopped laughing, or tried to, and put his hands up defensively. Christian didn't have the best temper on a good day, let alone when he was confronting the supposed 'other man'.
He sobered.
"And how was I supposed to manage this illustrious affair from Morocco? Where I've been staying the past week. Which you would have known about had you spent a fraction of your time here and sober."
|
|
|
|
Post by Christian Ward on Mar 12, 2017 13:11:24 GMT -5
Christian's eyes narrowed on the blond man as Derek laughed in his face, as if he hadn't witnessed it with his own two eyes. Christian knew he had been suspicious of this in the past, and clearly there had been a reason for it. No straight man could possibly deny that Diana was gorgeous and intensely alluring, she was quite possibly the perfect woman with a side of nutcase. She and Derek had worked together before Christian came into the picture, and Derek himself had told Christian of his suspicions from before his memories had been stolen. Even without Diana blatantly telling Christian that she was going with Derek, and without having seen the two going at it in the kitchen, Christian would have had reason to be suspicious. But they cease to be suspicions when the events are confirmed.
"How you manage your cock is none of my f*cking concern." Christian set his glass on the counter, but decided against pouring another. There wasn't a reason for him to stay and drink here any longer. Not with Diana's lover returned. "I've done my job. I've kept her safe while you're away. You're back now, so you f*cking deal with her."
|
|
|
|
Post by Derek Burke on Mar 12, 2017 13:37:25 GMT -5
Derek had to resist rolling his eyes, but the situation really was preposterous.
"My God man, you really can't stand it can you?" he asked shaking his head slightly.
"You can't stand being in love with her. Is it her? Or just the idea in general that someone else means that much to you?" he asked honestly curious.
Then he relented, "Only a jealous man, a deeply, deeply jealous man would be as blind as you are right now to the fact that Diana is crazy...literally... about you." he rolled his eyes, the temptation being too great.
|
|
|
|
Post by Christian Ward on Mar 12, 2017 14:00:56 GMT -5
Derek posed a good question but there was no point in debating it now. Whether Christian was uncomfortable with the idea of loving someone or of just loving Diana, didn't matter.
The question was moot, because Christian had had enough of Derek's meddling. He pulled back his arm and swung it hard, connecting with Derek's jaw. "You f*cking question my jealousy when you're the one f*cking my wife?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Derek Burke on Mar 12, 2017 14:31:50 GMT -5
The man hit like a mack truck, thank Godric he was inebriated or Derek would have been laid out cold. Instead he would be nursing a swollen jaw for a few days.
"F*ck!" he growled, he came back up ready to swing instead he yelled out in frustration.
"We don't have time for this sh*t!" he growled, "I am not f*cking your wife, call me crazy but I don't believe in f*cking married women, let alone women who are married to friends who happen to be skilled assassins!"
|
|
|
|
Post by Christian Ward on Mar 12, 2017 14:38:46 GMT -5
"I f*cking saw you!" he snarled in return. The image of Diana kissing Derek was vivid in his mind and filled him with a sort of rage and numbness simultaneously. He swung again, aiming straight for them blond man's head.
|
|
|
|
Post by Derek Burke on Mar 12, 2017 15:21:12 GMT -5
Derek moved quickly, his reflexes kicking in now that Christian was entertaining violence. He dodged the blow and used Christian's momentum to move the man further away.
"You saw sh*t." Derek countered, "I never touched her." he said sincerely momentarily forgetting that Diana had kissed him.
|
|
|
|
Post by Christian Ward on Mar 12, 2017 15:29:32 GMT -5
Derek ducked out of his reach and Christian stumbled forward, turning and straightening as Burke continued to claim his innocence. Christian could have killed the man in less than a second if he had drawn his wand, but he wanted to satisfaction of feeling Derek's blood on his knuckles. This savage desire was the only reason Derek was alive to lie through his teeth at the moment. Christian took two long strides before swinging again.
|
|
|
|
Post by Derek Burke on Mar 12, 2017 16:25:06 GMT -5
"Enough, Damn it!" he said dodging once again. He wasn't fighting back, he wasn't doing anything but dodging and trying to talk, but Christian wasn't in a talking mood.
"Christ man! After everything we've been through do you really think I'd get in the middle of it?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Christian Ward on Mar 12, 2017 16:35:52 GMT -5
Christian was rarely in a talking mood. He wasn't big on verbal communication; he liked to get the facts, decide on a plan, and then bark out orders. he had assumed he had already received enough of the facts, Diana said she was going to sleep with Derek and then Christian saw them kissing through the window. His plan was to step aside and let Diana live out her life untethered by this Life Bond that connected her to him. And the only orders than needed to be given were to Diana when he could manage to drink himself into a state of bravery and demand she end him. Christian didn't need to talk to Burke, but Derek refused to stop talking to him.
"I wouldn't have thought so," he spat out. "But seeing you two in the kitchen, I'm not quite sure of your intentions at all!" Anyone could claim to be upstanding enough to not pursue a married woman, but then they could just as easily lie. And it wasn't as though Christian and Diana's marriage was all that traditional in the first place. The husband and wife titles seemed more like empty gestures than anything else. Perhaps that was because he couldn't access all of his memories which was hindering him from accepting that he loved her. Or maybe he was just too much of a stubborn asshat. It was really anybody's guess at this point.
|
|
|
|
Post by Derek Burke on Mar 12, 2017 23:19:00 GMT -5
The recognition filtered through his eyes and he hesitated. He only barely managed to catch himself in time to avoid another one of Christian's inebriated yet powerful strikes.
"It's not what you think it is-" he said rather predictably.
Even he had to roll his eyes at how the words sounded, but he kept evading and trying to explain.
"Yes she kissed me." he admitted, "You were doing heaven knows what with heaven knows who and she was jealous. We ended up talking about you for the next some odd hours and I sent her back to you to work things out. It never went further than that. And at the risk of my own self esteem I'll admit that you missed the part where she looked as though she would have rather eaten dirt than kissed me again."
Derek seemed to think about it and his shoulders sagged a bit and he sighed, "Although if you saw us, that explains what you said to your mother...Diana was listening at the door. She's more or less convinced that you're more or less sticking around for Alyx and Liam...is she right?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Christian Ward on Mar 12, 2017 23:49:34 GMT -5
Derek spitted out the most cliched lines of anyone caught cheating and Christian swung at him again, just missing as Derek evaded the attack once more. Had Christian not been three sheets to the wind he could have knocked Derek's head off by now. But his actions were slower now, and not as precise. He still held all of the power in his punches which, upon missing his intended target, sent him stumbling a few steps forward or to the side.
"I was fixing this f*cking mess Silas left me with!" It was not just Christian's house that had been destroyed in Silas' attack, but also his standing with the Dark Lord, and to a lesser degree the family business. Not to mention the nerves that accompanied the feelings he was left with, the emotions that were unlike anything he could ever remember feeling.
Christian wanted to argue with Derek, continue to attack him and maintain this adrenaline level that was keeping him pumped up. But the man talked so damn much it was hard not to hear him. "So what if I am staying just for them? They're my children. I f*cking owe them that much!" But he wasn't planning on sticking around in the literal sense, not in their lives anyway. Christian would see things through to ensure their safety and then he'd be gone.
|
|
|
|
Post by Derek Burke on Mar 13, 2017 0:00:17 GMT -5
"Then what do you care whether she's sleeping with someone else or not?!" he asked throwing it back in Christian's face. He was sick of this. Christian was the better fighter hands down, but Derek had a few tricks up his sleeves and Christian was inebriated, he used the larger man's momentum against him and threw him to the ground. He stood over his friend.
"You don't get to have it both ways Christian, make up your damn mind before you actually do lose her, and everything else, for good."
He brushed a hand through his hair and moved away back toward the other room, "I found some new leads, if you're interested I'll be in the study. Or you can drink yourself to death, at this point I really don't care." he lied, hoping the man had sense enough to believe what Derek had said.
|
|
|
|
Post by Christian Ward on Mar 13, 2017 0:50:38 GMT -5
Christian hit the ground and slammed into the oven with a loud thud. His eyes narrowed as he glared at Derek for besting him. Not in the physical fight, but in the logical one.
Derek left and Christian climbed to his feet. He turned to the counter and grabbed his glass and the bottle of scotch, hesitated, then filled the glass with water from the tap instead. He drank the water as he thought over the most recent facts that Derek had presented to him. He didn't want to admit it, but if what Derek had said was true then Christian had deserved every moment of self-inflicted misery over the past week, and then some. He didn't know that Diana had overheard him talking with his mother but it explained her current mood. He would need to make things right.
He'd start by finishing off this f*cking board of directors. Christian finished his water and refilled the glass, then moved into the other room after Derek.
"What leads do you have?" he asked without giving the man an apology.
|
|
