Carrots, Chocolate and Nemo

The nursery needed another coat of paint. That was the first observation Elijah made when he crept into his daughter’s room early that fateful summer morning. He knelt down beside her bed and pushed away the pale blue covers that adorned her bed and covered her face. The rise and fall of her chest was reassuring to him. Every morning, seeing her chest expand and contract was a reassurance. He didn’t know what he would have done if he’d lost both of his girls that night. He’d have gone too, no doubt. He recalled once being asked why he hadn’t killed himself already. He’d been seventeen-years-old and his life had already been a rollercoaster that had broken down more than once. His daughter was now his lifeline. She was the only reason why he was still alive. She needed him as much as she needed her and one without the other was rarely happy. Alice was his daughter through and through but there was so much of her mother in her it was almost suffocating for Elijah. She had Mira’s mannerisms, her attitude, and that was becoming more and more obvious as the years passed.

Elijah reached forward and brushed her long blonde hair away from her face. She stirred and Elijah abruptly retracted his hand, desperate to preserve the innocence before him for as long as possible. He’d told Stelladora to take the day off. Today was his day with Alice. There would be no work today for either of them. She rolled onto her back and her arm flew out, her hand hitting the wall. She gave a throaty cry but did not wake. Elijah smiled wistfully and watched as she rolled over again, clearly uncomfortable with her position. Elijah ran a hand through his hair and rested his elbow on the bed frame, idly wondering when she’d finally wake. Her breathing had sped up a little. It wasn’t as controlled as it was when she was asleep. He was prepared to wait. He hoped she’d be able to wake up on her own though, instead of being rudely awoken by her brothers like Elijah had that same morning. Said brothers were now curled up in Elijah’s bed with the covers bundled up over their heads.

Finally, Alice’s eyes flickered open. She yawned loudly and stretched like a cat before rolling over to face Elijah. She gasped and sat up, prompting a chuckle from Elijah. He held up her giraffe toy and she took it into her arms, keeping her eyes firmly on her father. Slowly, recognition broke the blurriness of sleep and a wide smile appeared on Alice’s face. A giggle escaped her mouth and she threw herself at Elijah, sending him flying back onto the fluffy carpet that Stelladora had cleaned only days before. Alice cuddled herself into her father’s chest and he smiled, dropping a kiss to her forehead, before getting to his feet. He kept her bundled in his arms and he left her bedroom, lulling her to sleep with the gently sway of his upper body.

Elijah nudged open his bedroom door and paused in the doorway, trying to judge where the boys were. In the end he settled with pealing back the covers. They were wrapped up in each other having managed to get in the most awkward position they could find. Their mouths were agape and drool was dripping from the corners. Elijah couldn’t help but smirk and he nudged them over before getting back into bed. Mornings like this were much preferred. Of course, the only reason Cepheus and Caelum were in there was because they’d annoyed their mother and everyone else in the house. They’d been shut out of nearly every room so they’d retreated to their father’s, clambering into the luxurious bed and snuggling down without another thought to it. Elijah hadn’t minded. He rather liked their company; but just like with most things, they were better when they were asleep.

They were all found a few hours later by Stelladora who had gone shopping for the House Elves despite having the day off. She’d gone upstairs in search of Elijah and instead of finding him painting, she found the artist asleep surrounded by his children. She was touched by the scene but it was hardly proper. So, she ushered them all out of bed, sent them to respective showers and presented Elijah with a to-do list. He could do the rest of the shopping. There was no way he was going to lay about all day and do nothing. That simply wasn’t fair on everyone else. Stelladora didn’t care that he was master of the house and the head of the family; he still had to do his bit. Stelladora knew he wouldn’t help paint the house or round up the peacocks someone had decided to buy a few years back. She figured if anything he’d do the shopping.
“Can we get some chocolate?” Caelum asked, distracting Elijah from the task at hand. The painter looked down at the boys before him and pursed his lips. They looked a right state. They’d managed to have a few fights since leaving the house and now looked as rumpled as ever. Elijah handed Alice the list and knelt down, tugging on Cepheus’ collar before brushing the creases out of Caelum’s jumper. Caelum made a face before allowing his father to run his long fingers through the fluff on top of his head. Once the bush was suitably tidy, Elijah fished a twenty-pound note out of his pocket and told them, quote, “to go mad.” It would drive Stelladora absolutely crazy. The boys scrambled off, their clothes quickly becoming rumpled again and Elijah picked Alice up before attempting to direct the trolley successfully while trying to keep up with them.

The four successfully managed to make it to the sweet aisle without fail. Coincidently, there was also a toy aisle nearby so while Elijah was left with the boys’ demands, they scampered off to go and see the toys. Elijah looked down at Alice who had picked up a bar of Cadburys chocolate and he held his hand out to take it from her. She held it up to him and he smiled before taking it ad tossing it in with the rest of the tooth-melting solution. They’d need to go and see the dentist soon because Elijah knew how they felt about having a wand stuck in their mouths. Alice wasn’t as bad because she had a thing for carrots but the twins lived off of chocolate and it was surprising that they didn’t have the teeth to show for it. They seemed to favour Elijah’s spell that took off all of the bad bacteria and upped enamel levels. Oh, how he loved the dental-practicing members of the family.

“What else is on the list?” Alice asked, pulling on her father’s arm to try and see what had been written. Elijah knelt down and read the list out to her. She nodded when he finished and Elijah smiled at her. “Can we get a pet?” She questioned. “A cat, maybe? Or...or..or...a...”

“Dad! Dad! Look at this! Fish!” Elijah looked around and saw Cepheus and Caelum returning, both holding matching bags of fish. Elijah blanched and stared at them incredulously.

“Oh come on Dad...it’ll be awesome!” Cepheus enthused.

“Yeah!” Caelum agreed, giving his fish an inadvertent shake. “I mean...come on, what is the worst that could happen?”

“I’m not worried about the fish, guys. I’m just thinking that the cats are more likely to drown than the fish are to be eaten.”

“Daddy...can I have a Nemo?” Alice asked curiously as Cepheus handed her one of the bags. “Or a Dory?”

“Merlin’s beard!” Caelum exclaimed excitedly, getting some odd looks from Muggles. “Can I have a shark!?”

Shopping... in her family, it wasn't like other people's shopping days. When Calvin was jumping around, nearly as much as a kid would, and Katherine chatting away, flicking her red hair out of her eyes all the time, Selene would run ahead and grab things, making Chase run after her to stop her from opening things she wouldn't, and Antony, well.. he was still to small to really do any horrible things, but even he would start crying, or would start using magic accidentally. Which was the biggest concern for Chase when they were out shopping in muggle land, you couldn't get EVERYTHING from Diagon Alley, and they needed food.

Chase was holding onto Katherine's hand. She had convinced Calvin to let her take the kids out shopping for the day, and would bring him some stuff back later. Chase smiled lightly and looked up at the building. Selene was dragging along her stuffed rabbit, and Katherine was chatting about school, and how she was excited to go to Hogwarts next year. Katherine had managed to inherit Chase's ability to talk someone's ear off, but was exceptionally kind and caring, and would probably be a great healer some day. "Selene! No no honey! We have to pay for it before we eat it." Chase exclaimed, grabbing Selene's hand gently and putting back the bag she had just about opened. "Not yet sweetie." She said lightly, and picking up the four year old, she deposited her in the shopping cart, and laughed.

"Fauve! Oh.. where did she go?" Chase said exasperated, she turned around and nearly ran into Thierry, who had been standing behind her. "Oh! You scared me!" she said and shook her head. "Have you seen your sister? She ran off somewhere!" Chase said and turned around, watching Katherine jump off to go look at some toys, and Thierry just smiled. He was a very handsome young man, nineteen this year, and extremely protective of his mother. "She's over there.." He said pointing, and Chase turned to see Fauve standing, talking to a muggle boy who worked at the store. "Oh.. that girl.. flirting with everyone.." She muttered, shaking her head before laughing, and moving into the store with her wild family. "Moommmaaa can I get a toy?" Selene said in a high pitched voice. She was her father's daughter true and true, and had the silly attitude to match it. Selene was the first she had had with Calvin, and she was looking more and more like him everyday. Chase sighed. "Fine... We'll stop over in the toy aisle to get you all some toys once we get the shopping done alright?" Chase said with a laugh, as she pushed off into the store.

Fauve joined them a short time later, a light blush to her cheeks, a smile gracing her beautiful face. Fauve was something completely different then the rest of the family. Her hair was a nice blonde color today, mostly because Fauve loved changing her appearance with magic. Ever since she had graduated Hogwarts that spring, her apperance had changed at least five times a week, from different hair colors, to her eye color changing. Fauve was the master at color changing spells. Thierry on the other hand was just visiting for the summer. He had gotten a job as a Scholar, and was working up at the Ministry while he waited for his career to take off, he was heading off on a long trip that winter, to go study things in other countries. Fauve picked Selene up out of the shopping cart, and smiled at her mom. "I'll take her over to the toy section alright? I'll meet you there later.. I promise we won't leave the toy aisle!" Fauve said laughing at the look on her mom's face.

"Oh.. alright.." Muttered Chase, glancing at Thierry, who understood and followed after Fauve, leaving Chase with Katherine and Antony. Antony was looking around excitedly from the seat part of the cart, and was taking in the view of everything around him, speaking as one year olds do, and looking absolutely adorable. He had Chase's red hair, but everything else about him was Calvin. While Katherine was completely chase, and Selene was completely Calvin, Antony was both of them, and it was a blurred line to tell who he looked like the most. Chase grinned and handed Antony a toy of his, before she pushed off the cart to go shopping.

Fauve meanwhile, was showing Selene all of the different toys, when suddenly she heard Thierry make an odd choking noise behind her. She stood up and followed his gaze to a group of people at the other end of the aisle. Down at the end of the aisle, where the toys met the candy, was a family that Fauve knew pretty well, but didn't like going near. It was her father.. well, not HER father... he had adopted her when she was younger, but Chase had saved them from living in a house where they had no choice over their futures. Chase didn't talk about it much.. but Thierry knew more then Fauve did about what happened that day when Chase had left the Krum family. Thierry put himself between Fauve and the Krum family, and narrowed his eyes. He didn't like his father, and he felt the need to protect his family from them... sure his dad had wanted to see him quite a few times throughout his life.. but he hadn't wanted to see him, and it was the odd occasion, such as this, that they did meet face to face.

Elijah had a family, and so did Chase, they had grown apart, grown to be almost friends, but never as they were. Elijah had gotten married, and so had Chase, and now they lived completely different lives, even though Chase's family was always shadowed by the Krums, watched, but not interfered with. Thierry knew they were watched for a few reasons. Chase had a friend, his name was Gavrilo, and she had saved him from being killed by telling the Krum's where she had been hiding them during that scary period of time, right after Chase had left Elijah, Gavrilo tended to stick around the house a lot, but would never come inside, watching.. Chase 'owned' him.. whatever that meant, but Thierry didn't trust him. Other then that, they got a letter, every month from their grandfather, expressing his wish for them to come and visit him, and that in itself was a threat to the family, because he knew where they lived, and made it clear he did.

It had been ten years since Chase had left Elijah, and the only child between them was about to enter Hogwarts.. Fauve turned around as Chase entered the aisle, pulling Katherine along behind her, and suddenly Chase stopped, her eyes finding Elijah's before she quickly turned around to Fauve and gave Selene a quick look, before her eyes rested on Katherine. "Could you take her over to the clothes, and find her a cute dress for her to wear outside?" Chase asked Fauve, her lips set in a way they never were normally. Chase had vowed that Katherine would never meet her real father, and that wouldn't change today. "Come on Kitty Kat," Fauve said to Katherine, glancing back at her father. "Lets go get you a cute dress alright?" She said and disappeared up the aisle with one last look at the families that had clashed in the middle.

There was always something happening at home. There was always someone around willing to indulge the desires of Elijah’s children and his cousins’ offspring. Viktor was always hanging around but he preferred staying in Bulgaria. He’d often go up to Scotland to visit Elijah and in tow he would have a nice little blonde or a brunette or a redhead, each one willing to spread her legs and deliver. She was a gift – a forty-eight hour gift unless something else was going to come of it. Viktor would leave, take the kids with him for the weekend, and while Elijah begrudgingly wined and dined the woman, Cepheus and Caelum would take bets on how long she’d last. Cepheus was generally always on the mark. She’d get herself drunk, try seduction on for size and pass out before even getting a snog. It was one success story after the other and even Stelladora got a kick out of Viktor’s failures. The only thing she didn’t condone was the way Elijah would just get up and walk out, not even sparing a thought to where the poor girl landed.

He didn’t want a new wife. Mira wasn’t as disposable as Marina had been for Viktor. Two wives later and Elijah had a number of half-siblings. He wasn’t especially fond of them but he couldn’t help the irrational distaste. They were barely older – some of them younger – than his own children. From what he could understand, Viktor could never have enough heirs so after two women he managed to procure five sons. Elijah wasn’t keen on any of them but he kept them with him during the school year. Ana was too busy trying to keep herself fertile to look after her own children and Viktor was slowing down with age. He spent more time in the Bulgarian ministry and put more energy into finding Elijah a new wife than he did his own children. So, despite Elijah’s aversion, he had Gabriel, Petre, Marko, Giorgi and Josif with him. With him they would be safe and loved. With him they would be ensured some sense of normality and somehow, they had begun to recognise him as more of a father than their biological one.

But, to reiterate, he didn’t need a new wife. He had his children.

Not all of them though, his subconscious reminded him.

Elijah blinked and refocused his attention on the boys who seemed intent on keeping the fish. Caelum had lumped his brother with his bags of fish and seemed now to be preoccupied with the chocolate. Elijah shook his head and rose up to his full height. He took the bags from Cepheus and stuck them on top of the chocolate. The fish were going to die before they made it home, Elijah was almost certain of it. He was sure they’d get a thrill out of burying them or flushing them done the toilet, though. Still, it was better than letting them play with fireworks. That had happened on more than one occasion while Elijah had been working. Finn and Euan had adopted Cepheus and Caelum into their band of troublemakers and so, after completing a mountain of paper work and processing a load of bank statements, the stables went up in a flash of lights. Needless to say, neither set of twins got off lightly.

Elijah wasn’t nearly as careless with them as he had been with Fauve and Thierry. He’d left the latter two to their own devices most of the time but he took a great interest in what the twins and Alice got up to. He was a real part of their lives. There were no obstructions. He was hard on them though. Not so much Alice but he wasn’t always the nicest of people when it came to Cepheus and Caelum. He knew the meaning of discipline and so did they. The rows they would have were explosive. Nine-years-old and they already had mouths on them like teenagers. That wasn’t all Elijah but it was a great portion. The rest was their mothers’ genes coming through. They were mouthy and petulant but Elijah saw to it that they were anythin but in public. He was determined to have them turn out the complete opposite of him.

He didn’t want them to be in his position at twenty-seven. He wanted their lives to be prosperous, their wives to be beautiful and their children to be gorgeous. At twenty-seven, Elijah should have been happy but instead, he could barely get up in the mornings. He’d wake up in the morning to the sounds of an argument between one of his cousins’ downstairs. Then he’d close his eyes and roll over, hoping to find his wife laid in bed beside him. He didn’t though. He never did. That hope was always dashed and despite knowing she would never lay there again, that slim hope was what made him even think about moving. Then, he’d get out of bed and head downstairs in search of something of the alcoholic description to numb the pain for a while, as if he hadn’t already had enough the night before.

All of the women in his life had left him. The Anderson girls had both perished because of him and their parents loathed him because of that. Alice was the only Anderson left, an Anderson hiding under the guise of a Krum. He adored her but Elijah knew that even her time would come when she’d fly the nest. One day, he will wake up alone. His thoughts stray to that prospect every day but still, after his father’s persisting, he refuses to take a wife to ensure that that doesn’t happen.

“Daddy?” Alice’s voice rose up to caress Elijah’s ears and he looked down at the blonde. “Are you thinking about fishes too?” Her eyebrows shot to her blonde, widow’s peak and Elijah sighed. He bent down and picked her up, resting her on his hip before pressing a kiss to her forehead. “It’s okay. I don’t like fishies either.” She confided in him, smiling brightly despite her father’s frown. “I think we should have a tiger.” Alice exclaimed. Elijah smiled wryly and cast his eyes up the aisle as she started babbling about tigers.

Elijah’s eyes found a familiar gaze, one that he’d not been taken by in years. “Thierry,” he whispered. Then of course, the blonde he was with turned and another dark gaze took Elijah. “Fauve.” But then, the icing was on the cake in a second when an elder version of the woman he could recall screaming at him, walked down the aisle with a small girl around ten years old; a redhead. “Kitty.” Elijah couldn’t help but notice how quickly Chase turned on her heel and walked away. Elijah bit down on his lip and slowly set Alice down onto her feet. “Chase! Hey! Do you have a moment?” he called to her, stepping forward, away from the trolley, keeping a firm grip on Alice’s tiny hand.

With Katherine out of the way, Chase had half a mind to just turn and walk away that very minute. Thierry looked as though he might punch something, and he was standing beside her in a nearly threatening way. Calvin wasn't there with her, and she seriously wished she had asked him to come along also, instead of letting him play video games with Reid for the afternoon. Chase's idea of leaving however, was shot down, when suddenly his voice broke through the babble of the children talking. “Chase! Hey! Do you have a moment?” She froze, and her gaze flew to Selene, and then to Antony. Antony was still in the cart, playing with his toy, but Selene was looking at her with confusion. She was far to wise for her young age..

Chase slowly turned around, and fixed a smile on her face. "Elijah! Hey.." She said and her hand found her cart, leaning against it lightly, she picked up Selene and held her tightly. "It's been a while.." She said and her eyes ran over the children that he had in tow. He had seen her children, and as much as it angered her, he had laid eyes on Katherine. Fauve and Thierry had both seen him too.. and that didn't help Chase's mood. "I didn't know you did your shopping at muggle stores." She said lightly, trying to keep her voice calm. She hadn't expected to see him today.. and it was just like whenever she saw a picture of him somewhere. or something that reminded her of him.. her heart would start to throb again, and it would pick up the pace.

It had been a long time since they had been together, since Katherine had been born. Ten years almost... that was a long time for someone to hold a grudge against a family, but it was still there, and Chase had kept her chin above the water for this long, why buckle under the weight of Elijah's gaze. Lifting her chin up, she smiled slightly at him. "I don't believe I've let you meet my other children." She said softly, her gaze still on his. "Fauve and Katherine are getting clothes.. and this is Thierry.. all grown up.. and this little girl here." Chase said indicating the girl in her arms. "Is Selene... and he's Antony..." She said pointing at the one year old still strapped to the cart.

Chase glanced at Thierry, who was still glowering at his father, and she raised her eyebrows at him. He shrugged and moved around the cart so he was standing by Antony, and started to wiggle his toy in front of him, getting out a light bubbly laugh from the child. "Calvin is at home... I let him stay home today to play some video games with Reid." She said with a small smile. She had to make sure the name was stuck out there somewhere, make sure he remembered that she was MARRIED now.. not just engaged... not just a boyfriend, but happily married with kids, and a loving husband. Chase looked him over. She had read in the Daily Prophet that his wife had died... and he had lost another mother.. at least this one didn't take the kids with her.. like Chase had done.. Chase found herself staring at his chest, and quickly averted her eyes to a shelf, where she picked up a stuffed rabbit, and held it up, glancing it over before putting it in her cart. "Selene's is getting old.." She said distractedly, pushing her bright red hair out of her face.

Chase was older now.. the same height, the same fiery red hair, but older, and it showed. She had a more womanly body for one, it just looked older. Her fashion was much more, working mother then anything else. Simple jeans and a nice blouse. Her eyes looked a bit more tired, but she didn't look to much older then she had been ten years ago. Not much had changed, except that any frown lines she had had as a teenager were gone, and replaced with laugh lines, and it had been a long, LONG time, since Chase had cried for personal reasons, for Calvin made sure that she was happy... like it was his goal in life to make her smile, and he did, no matter how upset she was. "So what have you been doing with your life?" She asked, picking up a little boy's toy, and turning the box around to see all of the neat things it could do.

There was something internally disturbing to see Thierry look so, well, pissed. Elijah wasn’t sure what hurt him more; the fact that Thierry was so protective over Chase or the fact that he’d seemingly forgotten who had saved him from Paris. Thierry could have still been lugging cases of wine around that off-licence. He wasn’t though. He’d dealt with Hogwarts without fault, if Viktor’s delving into the files were worth any cop. Fauve had been brilliant too, just as Elijah knew she’d be. He’d known they’d grow up to do great things and he was content when he had them, to just sit and watch them do it. He’d had things planned out in his mind. After Chase had had Kitty he had planned on discarding Hogwarts and turning his attention to his family. Of course, none of that had gone to plan.

He’d married Mira on a whim. They’d been drunk and were sharing the last of a bottle of wine and a cigarette, talking about literature and movies. Then, Elijah had proposed in a rather undignified manner. It was a question, simple enough. “Marry me?” he’d asked. He could remember looking at her, one of his eyebrows cocked upwards as he waited for her answer. Then of course they had sex in a sodding field because getting drunk in the middle of a village wasn’t quite enough. She’d had her big white wedding and Elijah had thrown thousands of galleons away for it. The lived in relative harmony until Alice was born, then everything went to pot. Again.

For the third time in his life, at the loss of a woman he loved Elijah made the best of a bad situation. Of course, Mira’s absence hit him harder than Chase’s departing or Alice’s death did. He’d lost his best friend, not just his lover and his wife. The woman whose friendship meant the world to him had died. So, Elijah did what he always did. He drank and he drank and he drank. He spent nigh on a month with Daniel until Jen and Christophe picked him up and sent him home. Then of course he was unceremoniously dumped with his daughter and left with the impossible task of looking after her.

So while everything was falling apart for him, Chase had evidence of greatness. She had two beautiful children to show for it. He had a daughter without a mother and two sons that were going to go into the firework business. She was happy while he struggled with each hour of the day, wondering idly all the while why he still did this. She could laugh freely with her lover while he had to deal with blown up stables and obsessive women who just wanted to ‘help’ and the buxom chits that Viktor had picked to bear his heirs. Each day was a trial but each hour felt like a millennium.

Elijah cleared his throat. “Oh, I, um...I prefer markets, actually. The boys wanted chocolate though so we came here.” The sentence was awkward but it was there and he felt Alice’s grip tighten and loosen on his hand – a squeeze. Elijah looked down at her and they shared a small smile before he looked up again.

Elijah’s smile turned to a grimace when Chase spoke. He bristled when the meaning of the words hit him. He bit his tongue and forced a smile onto his lips as she described his children as hers. He couldn’t believe the gall. Fauve had been his entire world. Thierry her brother, her confident. He’d adored those children and they were whisked away with her overreaction. And now he had to grin and bear it as she called them ‘her children’. Never mind that he wanted to scream and shout and cry. He had no claim on them now did he? They were hers; and no matter how many times he thought it, he couldn’t shake off that sick feeling in his stomach. Her words came off snide and he hated her for it. It felt as if she was rubbing it in his face, boasting that she had them and he didn’t.

“Oh, uhm...” Again, he was so articulate but he figured he may as well introduce his children. “This is Cepheus,” he put his hand on the head of the fluffy-haired ten-year-old. The boy grinned toothily at Chase and he stepped forward, holding his hand out for her to shake. Elijah kept a smirk at bay and gestured to Cepheus’ twin. “And Caelum is this one. Although, it could easily be the other way around.” Caelum poked his tongue out at his father and stepped in line with his brother, holding the same hand out for Chase to shake. “And, er, this is Alice.”

Alice was the only one that spoke. She poked her head out from behind Elijah’s legs and smiled, murmuring “Hello” before ducking back behind him.

Elijah smiled easily and absent-mindedly fiddled with the wedding band on his fourth finger. It had always been a habit, one that Mira would scold him for because she feared he’d lose it. He hadn’t though. He also wore hers and kept the engagement ring on the chain around his neck. He was desperate to keep her close. He would never forget that day as long as he lived because Alice was there as proof of it. He just...still, after so long, he couldn’t let himself get over it. He couldn’t help but blame himself.

“Great,” Elijah forced another smile but mentally rolled his eyes. Video games. Yeah right. This guy who Chase had married and had children with was at home playing video games with his friend. “I hope he’s well,” It was a pain to have to utter that. So much so that Elijah could have sworn Thierry’s frown deepened. In Elijah’s opinion, he was Muggle-loving twat. He didn’t honestly know how Chase could go from one spectrum to the other but if he himself was any example, she had a poor taste in men. But Calvin just made Elijah’s skin crawl. The idea that he’d brought up Kitty so far and finished Thierry and Fauve off made Elijah’s balls want to shrivel up and die. It was not a prospect that he wanted to entertain at all. It had happened though; much to his chagrin. It was too late to change things. He should have done that ten years ago.

Chase’s passing remark about her daughter made another forced smile appear on Elijah’s lips and it came free with a compliment. “She’s beautiful,” he cleared his throat again and looked at his sons who were stood obediently side by side, watching with wide eyes. Alice’s head popped out from behind his legs again and she waved shyly at Selene. Elijah pulled at the cuffs of his cardigan and wrapped the thick wool around himself. He wasn’t as well dressed as he could have been. In holey jeans, an old grey shirt and a knitted cardigan that looked like it had come straight out of the seventies; Elijah was hardly the most accomplished looking man. He liked it better that way. Most times, his children were better dressed than he was. Still, after all these years, Stelladora couldn’t get him to dress properly. She had the kids perfected but he still slobbed around in jeans covered in paint and t-shirts that are either ancient or too big and swath his frame. Chase was, well, business like in comparison.

“Accounting mostly,” Elijah mumbled, running his spare hand through the front of his hair. He fluffed it a little and smiled. “Looking after the family...writing a bit of music here and there. I think I’ve turned into the Krum childminder actually. They all seem to drop off their children with me. Not that I mind. It’s more people for Cepheus and Caelum to conspire with but y’know.” Elijah shrugged half-heartedly. “I’m a home bird now. This is the first time I’ve been out in...”

“Months,” Caelum supplied unhelpfully. “Dad is really antisocial. He spends all day in his office generally. He needs friends. You’re his friend aren’t you, Missus? You should come over and cheer him up a bit! He’s right sad sometimes. Then again, that might be because we’ve blown something up. We’re in the fireworks business you see. Ali is a daddy’s girl so she wouldn’t dare get herself into that sort of trouble. What about, um, that girl...with red hair? Would she like to set off some fireworks with us?”

Cepheus slapped his hand to his forehead and piped up to defend his brother and, ultimately, his father. “Dad doesn’t usually let us at the fireworks. It’s usually Uncle Finn and Uncle Euan. The horses are more fun to play with than it is to blow up their house. Maybe she would prefer that?” Cepheus nudged his brother and Caelum nodded enthusiastically.

“Right. I don’t like horses myself but Ali does. Course, she’s too little for ‘em. Selene looks about the same age, don’t she Ceph?”

“Doesn’t she,” Elijah corrected with a sigh. Caelum nodded.

“That’s right, Dad.” He winked before adding. “Ali likes to go fruit picking! Do you like fruit Selene? Dad and Mum planted a massive orchard when we were small. It’s brilliant now. We play in it all the time. Maybe you could come and see?”

“Dad’s an alright cook when he is sick of the House Elves mucking everything up,” Cepheus continued. “So maybe-”

“You could come over-”

“-And dad could cook-”

“-While we play!” the boys finished in unison.

“I have a dolls house!” Alice poked her head out from behind Elijah and sent a dazzling smile, her mother’s smile, in Chase’s direction, one that lit up her entire face and left Elijah feeling rather cold. The whole exchange left him feeling frozen. The last thing he truly wanted was to have them in his house. He wasn’t one to say no to his children, though. If Cephy and Caelum wanted them over then they could. Elijah would just make sure he’d let the paperwork mount up. He managed, just to finish the entire thing off with a certain amount of lameness, to utter,

“What have you been up to?”

Chase watched him as his smile, that had been slightly terse, suddenly changed to a full out grimace, and Thierry stiffened, scowling at his father. Chase hoisted Selene up farther on her hip, and glanced around the aisle, her cheeks red. She hadn't meant to make it sound like it had.. she was just pointing out that Thierry was older now.. and Fauve... they were beautiful... and not much younger then Chase was to be honest.. she had only been seventeen when she had gotten them.. and both of them had been older then too.. but still.. Chase was the mother, and she had been for the last ten years.. Elijah hadn't been in their lives, even if he had wanted to, she wouldn't have let him, except for the occasional visit to see him and a few other Krums, they had been kept well away from Krums, and each visit grew colder and colder, and more distant until they only ever saw each other when this happened.

"Very handsome." Chase said to the twins, and smiled at them, before her eyes caught site of the little girl behind his legs. Chase smiled and realized she was looking at his daughter, the one that his wife had died having... the poor girl, with no mother.. but now she had no claim on his life, none at all... nor would she ever... which was a good thing. The poor dear though.. growing up in a household like that.. at least Elijah LOOKED as though he were getting more mature.. though his clothes didn't speak very well for his hygiene. Chase's eyes wandered from the little girl, to his finger, where he was twirling a wedding band around his finger. Chase's went to her own unconsciously, and she couldn't help but remember that at one point.. it had been HIS ring on her finger.

Chase knew that Elijah didn't like Calvin, he was upset that she was happy without her... upset that she was able to push through her life, without the need of him. It was obvious that he hated her now.. hated her for what she had done, hated her for doing what was right, but she had always felt sorry for him. Knowing that nothing ever went the way he planned, nothing ever fell into place just right.. "But it's his own damn fault! If he would just pick himself up, brush himself off, buy a new outfit, and move away from the Krums.. he'd be alright.. he could have his children, he could have a life he wanted to lead.. and he could be happy! He's an idiot, and he always will be!"

"He is well.." Chase said in response, and felt herself grow red in the face, there was a rather long awkward silence. Chase looked at Elijah, and then looked away again, putting Selene down on the ground, who resumed a position similar to Alice, standing behind her legs, peeking out at the other little girl. When Alice waved, Selene hesitantly waved back, and smiled shyly, looking up at the man who was watching her with a small cute smile on her face. Selene giggled and grabbed onto Chase's pant leg, watching the other kids with a look of confusion and shyness.

Suddenly the two boys started to talk, and Chase couldn't help but smile when they asked if she would be their daddy's friend... and that they could play with the girls. Selene grew extremely shy when they started to pay her some attention, and she looked up at Chase, who, with a small bit of hesitation, stepped out of the way so that Selene could speak with them. "Yes.. your father and I used to be very good friends." She said softly, never taking her eyes off of Selene, who was standing there, her arms clasped behind her back, rocking on her feet and staring at the ground. "I like ponies..." She whispered, an adorable smile on her face. "Momma lets us go out to the country sometimes... we has ponies there." She said and then went quiet staring at the ground.

"You have no idea how weird it is to see her like that..." Chase said casually. "She is normally quite the talker... she doesn't get shy to often.." She said, looking at the children as they interacted, not knowing what had happened between their parents, or that a couple of them were related. Althought Katherine wasn't there, it occurred to Chase that she and Alice would be half sisters, with the same father but different mothers... Chase stared at the little girl and then sighed. Selene suddenly pipped up. "Katy loves ponies! She likes fireworks too! But I dunno bout blowing stuff up!" She got quiet again, and then giggled happily as she moved closer to Alice. "Hi.." She said nervously, looking at the other girl like she was an alien or something. She hadn't been around many children her age quite yet, for Chase was going to put her with some neighborhood kids quite shortly.

"I like dolls!" Selene exclaimed, and was suddenly looking up at Chase. "Can we go over! Please! Please!" She said and tugged on Chase's pant leg again. Chase looked up at Elijah and knew what he was thinking. "I don't know sweetie.. your daddy has to go on that business trip remember? We'll have to ask him, alright?" She said gently and picked Selene up and put her in the cart again. Selene waved at Alice a bit unhappily, but soon busied herself with entertaining Antony, who looked as though he may start crying.

Just at that moment, Fauve and Katherine came back, holding a springy type dress, and talking. Fauve stopped and her eyes went wide. Thierry, who had been glowering behind the cart for most of the conversation between the children, looked panicked for a moment, his eyes darting from Katherine to Elijah, before he stood slightly between them. Katherine, who hadn't realized who was in the aisle with them, was still chatting, before she sense the tension, and stopped, looking around and her eyes met her father... Similar eyes met, because if there was one thing Katherine had that looked like the man who had helped make her, it was her eyes. Her eyes locked with her father's, and she blushed hard, hiding behind Fauve for a second, before she stepped out and cleared her throat.

Chase spun around, and her eyes landed on her daughter, the girl that looked so much like Chase, and yet had eyes that could make you feel like she was x-raying your soul, just as her father's did. Chase felt her face heat up, and she looked at Fauve, who bit her lower lip, and shrugged, placing the dress in the cart. Chase had let the other two kids go and see the Krum family every now and then, but she had never let Elijah see Katherine... And now here they were, face to face with each other. Katherine looked like she was staring at an alien or something. She had heard stories of her father, and knew what he was like, with a biased opinion of Chase's to help to influence her thinking, but of course, she had always been curious as to what her father was like, because it was no mystery in their household, that the only children who were their parents children, were Selene and Antony, and the others stuck together because of that, especially in the beginning, because they felt as though they didn't quite belong, though now they were all comfortable and happy, a perfect family, Katherine still wondered what her father was like.

The embarrassment that had welled up within Elijah was almost overwhelming. He may not leave the house often but he did get human contact sometimes He’d turned one of the ballrooms (yes, plural) into a dance hall. He’d sit in and watch the dancers on those Tuesday nights. He’d let some of them flirt and he’d return the favour but nothing ever came of the exchanges. Viktor was forever frustrated by the fact that despite all of the women Elijah still surrounded himself around; he never sought out any one of them with romantic intentions. He was their friend and often, their child’s godfather. That increased the feeling that he was the childminder. His Christmas lists were beyond comprehension now. With Mira gone, he was the one that was dragged out by his cousins to buy the stuff. He hated every waking minute of those days and months before the big Christmas event at the manor in Bulgaria. It was shopping non-stop. He was considering demanding a permanent place on the Bulgarian squad just so he could foot the bill. He was on the call up, the reserve squad if someone was ill. He liked it better that way; it meant he didn’t have to go out as much.

The boys exchanged smug smirks when Chase complimented them. Even Elijah managed a small smirk at the way their chests puffed out proudly. Elijah clopped Caelum around the back of the head and watched idly as Cepheus laughed and earned a punch on the shoulder from his brother, saving Elijah a job. They were supposed to be humble, not cocky. They knew this but they had too much Krum in them, too much ego for ones so small. Still, they were good lads who sometimes got a little too big for their boots. They were just boys; boys who loved Quidditch and chocolate and the idea of the fairer sex. They had never gone through the phase where they thought all girls were evil and disgusting. Elijah doubted they ever would. They were confident, brash and often unintentionally rude but what he’d ensured is that they knew how to treat females correctly. It was why they were so good with Alice. They overwhelmed her but adored her. She just wasn’t quite up to their speed which disappointed them but left Elijah feeling thrilled. He could barely deal with the fact that the two trouble makers would be terrorising Hogwarts from autumn onwards. He was almost prepared for seven years of detention letters. He could deal with theirs but certainly not from Alice.

Elijah looked at Chase carefully and managed a half smile, the first genuine one since he’d noticed her. “The best of friends,” he added, his dark eyes boring into her. Elijah looked down at the little girl hiding behind Chase when she spoke. He raised an eyebrow and smiled, glancing down at Alice who stepped out more confidently, her little white shoes clip-clopping against the linoleum. She took Elijah’s hand and nibbled on a lock of her long hair. She swung her leg back and forth before planting it firmly on the floor. She smiled widely at Selene and told her, “Daddy bought lots of ponies. He doesn’t like cars. We live up in the mountains sort of so Daddy takes us out on his horse...I can’t remember what she’s called.” Alice’s eyebrows furrowed and she looked up questioningly at her father. Elijah’s skin reddened and Caelum slid up beside him, a confident, to the point of cocky, grin on his face. It was if he knew something Elijah didn’t; or rather, something Chase didn’t.

“He has two.” Caelum supplied. “One is a white filly called Crilla, a gift from mum, and Dad bought his second one earlier on. A big proud one. She’s huge. Beautiful, though. She’s called Fen.” Elijah hadn’t been so worried about Crilla. He adored her because she was a gift of Mira’s. The horse he’d indulged in had been a lot more personal and he knew the significance just as much Chase did. The last thing he wanted to do was add to the awkwardness but they were his children and the boys seemed to forever be set out to throw him off balance. They’d done so many times already today and Elijah wanted to drown himself in the lake in the highlands where he’d take them for picnics. Moreover, he wanted to go home.

Cepheus took over next, deciding his father looked too much like a drowning fish (however that worked) to really create a sentence long enough to please the redhead. He smiled widely, charmingly, at Selene and looked up at Chase before declaring. “I think she’s rather lovely.” And at that, Elijah really wanted to die. If it had been Chase wearing the blush he’d tried on for size, he’d have been wondering where exactly it went. He knew where his went. It went all the way down to the tips of his toes. He was absolutely mortified in more ways than one. He couldn’t believe his boys. He didn’t know whether he should take his wand from his pocket and use Avada Kedavra on himself or throttle his sons. This was all too much for one person to have to deal with. But of course, Cepheus wasn’t finished yet but he seemed to run out of lines and stuttered over his next sentence. “Shy or not she’s really...rather...lovely.” Elijah could have sworn he’d heard Caelum mutter “Merlin’s beard” but he thought nothing of it for, it was exactly what he was thinking.

Alice gained the confidence her brothers were exuding in waves and smiled her mother’s smile once more. Alice brushed invisible lint off of her pretty white dress and played with a piece of the pink embroidery before looking at Selene. “Hello,” she greeted easily, her English rolling off her tongue with the Bulgarian twang her father possessed. “I, um, I like your hair.” She complimented with a small flush to her cheeks. “It’s very pretty. Daddy has a few pictures on his wall in his gallery of someone with red hair. She’s very pretty.” Alice leaned over and whispered, “She sort of looks like your mummy.” Caelum overheard the little add-on and everything snapped into place. This time, he really did say “Merlin’s beard,” and took a step back, right into his brother who gave a yelp as Caelum trod on his foot. Alice waved at Selene when she was put away and quickly scuttled back to Elijah whose face had gone from red to white. Not a yellowy white, paper white. Off-white.

He looked like he’d seen a ghost and, to a degree, he had. His daughter had been mere days old when Chase had left. Now she stood before him, ten-years-old and on the peak of blossoming into a woman that would become something ultimately very special. Elijah’s artist’s eye was on her in a second, taking in every detail possible and mentally drawing up sketches. It had been too long. His right hand twitched a little and his ear grew heavy with the weight of a pencil that should have been there. He had spent Mira’s last days drawing and painting pictures of her. After her death, he’d burned every last one in a fit of rage. There was nothing left but ash and photographs now. He could redo them all if he wanted but he could barely pick up a pencil, let alone do an entire painting. He couldn’t do it. He physically couldn’t. He hadn’t lost his ability to paint but he’d lost all desire and thereby convinced himself that he couldn’t paint and that he’d never really been any good. The studio had turned into a gallery and had become what the portrait room had been to him as a child. The children would sneak in past the wards and take in the delights inside before being ushered out by Stelladora in a similar way Elijah had been as a child.

But as he peered at her, his eyes boring into hers, he felt a need to draw flare up within him one more. It hurt. No, it burned. It was a pure, unadulterated need; almost a lust. That was his child. The child before him was his. She was his and there was no going back on that. He could see so much of Chase in her but there were little undercurrents, little blips of himself. It was proof that she was part of him. She’d been taken from him so abruptly that he hadn’t even had time to grieve her loss. Ten years was a long time; too long for Elijah. He’d missed out on everything. Her first steps, her first word, her first day of school....all of the firsts and he’d missed every one. Elijah’s hand flew to his mouth and he blinked rapidly, holding back the emotional overload that was threatening his very sanity.

Alice looked up at him and so did Cepheus and Caelum. They wouldn’t understand. They didn’t have to. He did. In an ideal world he probably would have opened his arms to her and she would have run to him. That was never going to happen though. There was a ten year gap – a ten year brick wall – between them. She wasn’t the little girl he picked up and freed from swaddling when she was mere minutes old. She wasn’t the little girl he spent hours painting a nursery for. She was all grown up. She wasn’t his anymore. She was Chase’s and Calvin’s. She’d never been his really. She never would be. He’d leave today and that would be it. Maybe they’d exchange glances at King’s Cross but no more. Elijah didn’t know what hurt more, the fact that Chase had kept her from him for so long and that she would no doubt continue to do so...or the fact that she was so close yet so far away at the same time.

Chase didn't quite know what to say.. the kids thought they were really good friends, and only the elder of Chase's kids knew what had really happened, and even Katherine didn't know the extent of it. But when he said they had been the best of friends, Chase couldn't break the eye contact. He seemed to have so much want in his life.. so much desire, and yet.. he was a different man.. she could see it, he wasn't all bad, and he had learned to live.. he had learned to deal with it.. of course some things would never change.. things like his need for family... She had taken Fauve and Thierry away.. but he had gotten twin boys.. then had had a daughter of his own... She felt sorry for him.. that even his children knew that he wasn't happy.. and she hated knowing that he might have been, had she not left him.. he might have been happy.

Chase could have sworn her jaw hit the floor it dropped so fast when the little boy said that the beautiful horse was named Fen. Her eyes went from looking at the little boy, to looking at Elijah, unsure of what to think. Chase could feel her lower lip quivering, but she just stared at him, unsure of what to think. He had gotten a horse.. Proud... and huge... named Fen... FEN! Chase was staring at Elijah, a mixture of confusion and something else in her eyes. Something else that even Chase couldn't describe, she felt so confused though.. Why would he... why would he do that? Her face was growing more and more red, and she saw his was doing the same. But the children weren't done talking yet.. oh no... he went on. Shy... Chase could have died right there on the spot, died and not been to upset... She couldn't look at Elijah anymore, but stared at Selene, who was looking at Alice nervously.

Selene looked at Alice and then smiled widely when she complimented her hair. "Thank you! Momma says is runs in my family... I.. I.. erm.. I like your dress! It's very white.." She said and blushed, her hands clasping behind her back, as she swung her hips back and forth, staring at the floor. "oh, really? A picture? Momma got a picture of all of us together once.." Selene said, but then she was picked up, and she waved back to Alice as she was put in the cart. Chase couldn't believe it... her face was horribly red, and she could feel tears pricking her eyes, which she wiped away quickly as she set Selene back in the cart. "You kept it I see..." She said softly, turning to look at him carefully. "Both of them? Or just the first one?" She asked, getting curious glances from the family around them.

Katherine stared at her dad for a long moment, waiting for her mom to realize she was there, and when she did, Chase was quick to try and recover herself. "Oh... I should introduce my other two daughters... well you know Fauve of course.. and Katherine..." She said, saying this more for the children's benefit then Elijah's, her eyes purposely avoiding his gaze, as she swept around to put her arm around Katherine's shoulders. Katherine looked at her mom for a long moment, her eyes wide, before turning her gaze on the other family. "Hi.." She said carefully, her gaze going over the other people. "I'm Katherine.. Umm... it's nice to meet you.." She said carefully, brushing her hair out of her eyes. Bright red hair, even redder then Chase's was, if that was possible. Fauve was looking stunned, her eyes staring at the man who had raised her, and saved her.. the man who had broken her mother's heart... the man who she barely knew.. Fauve was feeling something along the same lines as Katherine. Of course she had been old enough to understand what was going on, to a degree, but looking at him now.. it was obvious that she was much better off with her mother. Fauve ran her hand through her hair, and stared without feeling awkward, as she watched her father interact with kids of his own.

Katherine was feeling much to shocked to really react at all. This man.. This man was horrid... Chase had just had her, when Chase had discovered he had been cheating on her.. Katherine hadn't even been born yet, when this man.. this man had cheated on her, hurt her feelings, made her feel all alone in the world.. Katherine, tightened her hold on her mother, and stared at him with large eyes, eyes that were growing harder, and harder, until she said in a quiet voice. "Lets go home mom..." She turned, and pushed the cart away, grabbing Fauve's hand and pulling her off with her, the older in tow. Fauve kept turning to look at her dad, but Thierry turned and stalked off, having not said a word, and they left Chase there for a moment, her arms uselessly at her sides. "It was nice to see you again... I'll ask Calvin if we may visit..." She said and then shook her head, turning away from him, she walked down the aisle, stopping at the end to see where her family had gone.

But before she turned away completely, she glanced back at the family, seeing them there.. a family she had almost had.. a family that if she had had them, she would never had had little Selene, or Antony.. no, they had different worlds. The Krum family was an unusual family, they ruled each other more then they ruled others, they had plans for their children that were impossible for them to succeed. The Ransom Family.. they had other ideals, they knew that to be a good person, it meant living to your potential, their talents were honed and built, so that they could do whatever they wanted, but still within reason. They knew what it was like to have to need before getting what you want. Yes... The Krum and Ransom family were two different worlds.. seperated by galaxies, and for a moment in time, an odd twist, the two had come together, to make a bundle of a new galaxy... Katherine Ransom, the best, of both worlds.

Elijah would never understand the inherent need for women to complement each other. Alice did it flawlessly in a fashion so similar to her mother’s. Selene’s response was awkward but Alice seemed pleased none the less and smiled brightly once more. Her innocent reply to Alice’s observation made Elijah’s face of shock break. His lips upturned a little and his eyes darted up to meet Chase’s gaze as she questioned him. Elijah cleared his throat and averted his eyes, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. He cleared his throat for the second time before nodding and meeting her gaze sheepishly. “Both,” he replied, a hesitant lilt in his voice. “An ode to...happier, easier times perhaps. Arnold wanted them sold but I...I didn’t want to deal with never seeing them again. Surely...losing the real thing is punishment enough?” Elijah looked at his hands and wrung them together before tucking them into the pockets of his cardigan.

Then there was that poisonous my again. Elijah could just about deal with Thierry but not Fauve. Fauve in his mind would never be Chase’s. She was the young girl t.hat Amelia had promised she’d take to Never Land. She was the little girl that laid out on the grass with water colours while her father read a book that he’d bought the day before having already gotten half way. She was his everything and now, just like with Kitty, there was a wall of ten years between them. He’d lost the girl that had needed him from point blank. He’d saved her too, plucked her away from the models that expected him to treat her the way he did them. Chillingly, he could remember the way his blood froze in his veins even now. He could remember wiping the makeup off of her face using wipes he’d had to buy. She’d been this little girl with a French twist and big doe eyes. Now she was a young woman with blonde hair that just looked wrong and those same doe eyes.

She wasn’t his though. Like Thierry and like Kitty, she wasn’t his as she should have been.

“You alright, Fauvie?” He asked, flashing her the smile he always used to send her way. It was her smile, one that he always saved for her. He greeted her the same way too, as if ten years hadn’t passed, as if her influence and opinions of him hadn’t been warped by Chase’s bitterness. He saw Vivienne the other day too. She decided to appear on the scene again, expecting to find her daughter. Elijah was interested to find that they were able to share their bitterness. She for him and him for Chase as both of them had, had Fauve taken away from them. Two bottles of wine later Vivienne spent the night in a spare room and for once, Elijah had thought of her positively instead of negatively. “You, um, cut your hair. It’s nice. ‘Course, I’ll always prefer it long and dark. It was always easier to plait that way.”

Elijah looked down at Katherine and managed yet another smile. He clicked his fingers and rotated his wrist before opening his palm. A flower was seated in the middle and he held it out for her to take. The aversion on her face made him retract it though and he nibbled on his bottom lip, wondering if that had been such a good idea. He closed his palm and the flower disappeared. He straightened back up and smiled a strained smile at Chase. He watched them turn and leave and he did the same, desperate to put distance between himself and them. He could feel Thierry’s lingering glare but he thought nothing of it. His opinion, as ever, was heavily influence by those he cared about. They’d never stop to hear his side of the story. They wouldn’t want to hear about it.

“Like hell it was,” he muttered.

Elijah bent down and picked Alice up. She cuddled into him instinctively and gripped hold of the cardigan he wore. The twins were oddly silent. They took control of the trolley and wheeled it towards the check out, deciding to put as much distance as possible between themselves and their father who seemed to have the same idea with regards to Chase and her family. Elijah was forced to put on a smile for the flirty woman at the checkout. He sat Alice in the seat and complimented the woman on the gaudy jewellery she wore along with her work ethic as he felt her eyes rake over him. As soon as the money was paid and his change was in his pocket, Elijah was out of there.