An Unexpected Visitor

Chase was so happy she could burst. The family was together at last, Katie lay on her blanket under her mobile, playing with the little toys she had around her, there was take out pizza on the counter in the kitchen, and chips and soda everywhere, monopoly was spread out on the coffee table in the front room, and the couch pushed back so they could all sit around it. Chase sat next to Katie at the moment, rubbing her belly and rattling toys for her to grab. Katie was being fussy and wanted held, but it was Chase's turn and she couldn't hold her right then. Rolling the dice with one hand, Chase moved her piece and then groaned. "Darn, you own that one Calvin!" She exclaimed, pulling out her money and paying up the fine. "How I let you be Banker I'm not quite sure.." She laughed and rolled the dice across the board towards him, before she picked up Katie and rocked her gently.

"Shhh.. it's okay honey! Don't be fussy.. are you hungry?" Chase grinned and stood up. "I'll be right back..." She said a grin on her face, as she moved into the kitchen and opened the fridge, pulling out a bottle and heating it up, she called into the front room after she did this. "What did you land on Calvin?" She rocked Katie gently and once the bottle was warmed up, moved back into the front room, holding the bottle as she sat near the table, Katie sucking hungrily on the nipple of the bottle, as Chase leaned over the game to see where she stood at the moment.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

Thomas aimed his wand in the direction of the little girl. She came and she went often and he did not even know her name. All Thomas knew was that she had died many years ago. He knew this because he had been the one who had killed her. Now she haunted him, coming occasionally just to stare at him. She rarely talked, but he actually enjoyed it when she did. When she just stared at him he could do nothing but yell in vain.

He closed his eyes and held them shut as tightly as he could, squeezing his wand tightly in his hand. When he opened them, she was gone. His body relaxed and he sunk to the ground. The voices, the visions, the nightmares, they were too much for him to handle sometimes. No one talked about the aftershock of being a murderer, but he could not help it. He loved the control that came with his job. He loved hearing them plea for their lives. Begging him, offering him all the gold in the world. Did they not understand that what they thought meant everything was nothing to him?

He gathered himself quickly and he looked up at the house he was stationed in front of. For years he had kept tabs on her. Watching her every move. Seeing her loves and heartbreaks. Now, she had a family, and Thomas hated her for it. She made him who he was now, a killer. He once thought he wanted to be a Death Eater and rise through the ranks, but he realized now that they were pathetic. The only thing he wanted was to cause the world the same pain it had caused him.

And that brought him here.

She sat in her house with a huge smile across her face while he stood in shambles just outside. He would cause her the same pain she had caused him. The pain he would inflict on her "family" would be never ending. She had forgotten him, that much he knew, but he had not forgotten her. And after tonight, she would never be able to close her eyes again without seeing his face.

It would certainly take some getting used to; living in a new home. A part of Calvin had always been aware of the fact that no household would ever compare to the flat that he had previously lived in, due to the fact that he had resided there for such a large portion of his life, but he could not have prepared himself for the strangeness that was the process of becoming familiar with new surroundings. This home was far bigger than the apartment had been, that Calvin was sure of. The floors were carpeted, rather than hardwood, so to prevent them from dropping in temperature in the way that the apartment's flooring had. No longer did Calvin own a diving board in his bedroom, as he had before. And as for the most significant change? This new home had not come with one geeky, supportive, gamer best friend by the name of Reid Deveroux.

A big fuss had not been made over the separation. Calvin had left Reid the apartment, for he had felt that it would not have been very kind of him to force Reid from his home. They had handled it well, despite the fact that this would be the first time since their years at Hogwarts that they had spent time apart. No tears had been shed - just a hug, and a few encouraging words from each. But that was not to say that it had been an easy transition. In fact, even after months of having been away from his best mate, Calvin occasionally caught himself glancing to his left in search of the lad.

Evidently, everything would take some adjusting to.

But for someone who had originally experienced such an excruciating degree of homesickness upon relocating, Calvin did not regret the decision to move in with Chase and Katie. On the contrary; despite the differences that he and the home shared, Calvin could not have been happier with the situation. The Ransom residence, it was called – a title that Calvin hadn’t ever expected to speak aloud, unless referring to his parents’ home. He certainly had never imagined settling down with someone. Especially not Chase Moor, of all people. It was far too good to be true.

Calvin stretched out on the sitting room floor, lying on his side as he reached towards the board game before him in an attempt to move his piece. It had been his turn to choose what game was played that evening, and the muggle Monopoly had been his first choice – when video games were excluded, of course. He was an expert at rolling the dice and sliding his piece along the board’s sleek surface – or so it seemed in his eyes as he hummed Batman’s theme song quietly to himself, and made his move. Immediately, Calvin became a man on a mission, and that mission was to win.

“Chaaaase! I have to go to jail. I don’t want to go to jail! It is scary! Those meanie dementores are always hanging out there!” Calvin whined, acting as though he believed that the game was to be taken literally. He was aware, of course, that it was not so… or was he? He certainly wasn’t letting up on the pout that he had slapped on, and his high-pitched voice made his panic ever so convincing.

Chase laughed as she fed Katie, and then looked at the board. "It's okay Calvin! I'll come visit you alright." She said and rolled the dice, and just happening to land on the jail so that she could put her token next to his in the jail. She grinned and knew that a little bit of magic had been used on the dice to get her there, but she didn't mind, if it helped calm Calvin, she was fine with it. Ever since they had moved, Chase felt like a horrible person, tearing apart the friendship that Calvin and Reid had built, taking Calvin away from his flat, his home, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel happy as well. She was home.. for the first time in such a long time, she finally felt at home. She even had her old dresser that had her old journal in it, she had read it the other day and remembered all the bad times, and then compared them to today, and realized she was happy.

It had been while she was reading her journal that she had found an old slip of paper, an extremely old slip of paper, with only a few words written on it. Remember me for who I was today. Chase couldn't remember who had given it to her, or why it was there, but for some reason it felt important, so she had tucked it back into the drawer, and locked it with the key that she hung around her neck. Chase grinned at Calvin and then looked down at Katie. "Calvin, I"m gonna put Katie to sleep alright? I'll be right back. "She stood up and leaned down, kissing Calvin full on the lips, before giggling and moving out of the room to take Katie to the room she had all to herself, a room they had painstakingly painted and furnished, a room separate from theirs so that they could finally sleep together at night. Chase loved the feeling of being able to sleep with Calvin and not wake up Katie in the middle of the night, and she loved knowing that she was right next door to their room, in case anything happened to them.

Chase walked into Katie's room and gently prepared her for bed, getting her into her pajamas, and singing the whole while, once Katie was laying down and falling asleep, Chase went back into the front room and grinned. "Okay! Where were we? I sure hope you didn't cheat Calvin." She giggled and sat back down at the table, looking at the board with interest.

He slowly made his way closer to the house, knowing that neither of the people inside would notice him. He had come close many nights in a row now, testing the waters to see how much he could get away with. He needed to know how good at paying attention the two were, and luckily for him, they were both so into each other that they never paid much attention to anything besides each other.

He approached a window and he peered inside to see Chase and the man who he knew as Calvin playing a board game. He stared for a moment, placing himself in the spot of Calvin. He closed his eyes and he wondered if he would have been happy there. A small laugh brought him back to reality and his eyes snapped open. Who was he kidding, his life was never meant to be that way. This was who he was and nothing would ever change that. He fought the urge to smash the window and he continued with he plan.

He approached the young girls window slowly. He had been planning this for awhile now, but he wondered if he was ready. He shook his head, this was the night and nothing would stop him. He peered into the window and gazed upon the sleeping girl. Anger surged through him yet again, but he contained it. He had to contain it, at least tonight. He pulled his wand out and he tapped it against the window and slowly it opened. He looked around one last time before he crawled through the window without making a sound.

As quietly as he could he approached the girls bed. Once there, he did nothing but stare at her for a few seconds. This was the thing Chase cared about more than anything in the world, and he was going to take it from her. Very gently, he reach down and he picked the girl up in his arms. It brought back flashes of memories from a few years ago, a different child lay in his arms, the only difference was this one was alive.

"So much beauty..." He whispered to the child as he rocked her gently back and forth. "I hate to have to waste it all." He wondered why his body never felt remorse for the things that he did. He always wanted to feel it, sometimes he even longed for it, but as he stood there he realized that he did not care what happened to the child in his arms. For a brief moment, he hated that he felt nothing, and in the end all he wanted was to know any emotion besides anger.

Chase sat back down, and turned on the baby monitor that she had made Calvin buy for her. No matter how close she was to Katie, she felt the need to know if she was okay, even though she could barely stir and Chase would be up and in her room in seconds. Just as she turned it on however, Chase's blood froze. A man's voice was coming from it, a man's voice that she vaguely recognized. Chase stood up and pulled out her wand. "Stay here Calvin." She whispered and went to the door of Katie's bedroom. She hadn't paid attention to what he was saying, she just knew he was in there, and she stood with her wand to her chest for a long moment, until she spun around and pushed open the door, her wand pointed at the man.

She held up her wand and then froze, her eyes locked on him. "Thomas?" She whispered, her wand lowering slightly, before she pointed it back up at him. He had Katie in his arms... no one said he could touch her baby. "Put Katie down.." She whispered, brushing her hair out of her face, her hand shaking slightly, her voice a little hoarse from fear, and a look of dead panic on her face as her eyes adjusted on Katie, who was snuggled soundly in Thomas's arms. "Put her down.. now."

He’d been lost in the cardboard world that was spread out before him. At that moment, nothing could have made its way past his thick skull; as he eyed the game that he was so keen to defeat, and his fingertips ghosting above the small, silver piece that he’d chosen, nothing was more important. Nothing, save the gentle kiss that Chase had brushed against Calvin’s lips.

Calvin averted his gaze from the floor, and his brown irises met with those of his beloved. He wore a bewildered expression; lips parted slightly, eyebrows teasing his hairline. What was it that she’d asked of him? Calvin had been far too enthralled by his game of Monopoly to have heard a word that had been uttered, if Chase had spoken at all, and was left feeling as though he’d been asked to fill in a blank. “Sure,” Calvin replied hesitantly. It was a simple, useful word that would surely do the trick, if he was lucky; he certainly didn’t want Chase to feel as though he’d ignored her. For that was not the case; his mind had simply taken a detour.

While it appeared as though Chase had been satisfied with this reply, however, Calvin could not shake the feeling that he had missed an important detail. A key piece of information that had been waved before his face for several moments, and had still gone unnoticed. In an attempt to rid his mind of this abrupt feeling of doubt, Calvin propped himself upward with the heel of his palm, and pushed himself up off of the floor, where he’d previously lounged.

“Chase? Is everything okie dokie?” he asked, obliviously misusing the pair of childish words in the process. Calvin twisted himself into a sitting position, and rested his forearms upon his bent knees. Surely, there was no more significant a reason for Calvin’s fluttering heartbeat than the kiss that he’d shared with Chase. His suspicion was simply a result of the many troubles that the pair had faced in the past...

And yet, Calvin could not compel himself to remain where he was. Rather than doing as he had so blissfully agreed to, Calvin pulled himself to his feet with his hand planted firmly on the back of the near sofa. He lifted a foot a mere millimeter above the carpet, so to walk in the direction in which Chase had disappeared – but he paused there for a moment as the glossy, white surface of Katie’s monitor captured his attention. The muggle device had started to speak, and the words that it emitted had caused Calvin’s blood to run cold.

"Put Katie down.."

The sloppy beating of his heart echoed in his ears.

“Chase!?” Calvin called for her ignorantly. Evidently, it had never occurred to him that he may very well be worsening the situation by making his presence known to the stranger. Thomas. The name rung no bells within Calvin’s mind, but the tone in which Chase had ordered the man to return Katie to her crib had been enough to convince Calvin that he was not to be regarded in a lighthearted manner.

Calvin had been incorrect to ignore his instinctual panic; something was terribly wrong.

He ran his hand gently atop the girls head, gazing at her with an affection unlike his body was used to. It was a weird affection though, he thought she was beautiful, but he thought she was disgusting all at the same time. He could not explain it and the only person to ever understand him would be him. That would always be the case though, he would be the only person to ever understand himself. That was why he would always be alone, and he had come to terms with that long ago.

His head shot up and saw her standing in front of him. His head twitched and for a few moments he was back at that one day, but he came soaring back as quickly as he left. He had twitched his head but he had brought himself back very fast. She was holding a wand at him and he smirked broadly. He could easily disarm her, but he would not. She would not attack him whilst he held her child, that much was certain.

"Is that how you greet an old friend?" He smiled brightly at her as if everything he was doing was OK. "It has been so long Chase!" He said happily, rocking the child in his arms very gently and not caring that she held a wand at him. "The baby... she is beautiful." He said, smiling again and looking down at her. Once he did though, his demeanor changed quickly. From loving and caring to anger. It swelled over him faster than he could handle. It almost broke loose, but he contained it.

"Whats her name?"

Chase stared at Thomas, holding her baby. HER baby... that was her baby.. the last she had seen of Thomas, he had just tortured her on the grounds of Hogwarts, nearly killed her ex boyfriend, and ran off with a mad woman who found it fun to inflict pain. Leaving some rather serious scars that would still ache occasionally. One that wrapped around her stomach to her hip, and then connected with a second all the way around her back and reconnected with the one in front. Chase stared at him, her wand not moving as he spoke. Acting as though everything was fine.

"Where have you been Thomas? You disappeared after that day.. sure I saw you.. but.. last I remembered you hated me.. what are you doing here?" She asked gently, moving forward carefully, letting her wand drop a little bit, her eyes locked on the man, and her baby. Katie was starting to react to the strange man now, and was stirring in his arms, and Chase willed the girl not to cry. "Katie.. her name is Katie..." She said softly, taking another cautious step forward so that she could get closer to him, her wand lowering the entire time. "Please.. just give her here Thomas.. we can talk in the front room.." Chase was ignoring Calvin's voice completely, pretending he wasn't there. "Calvin is in the other room.. you could meet him. "She said softly, taking a small step forward before she smiled again. "Please Thomas.. we should catch up.. Calvin... please.. can you make some tea.. we have a guest." She said lightly, her eyes flickering to the door but going back to Thomas quickly, not trusting him for a second.

He could do nothing but smirk widely at her as she tried to talk him down. Did she have any idea what he had been through? All of the pain he had suffered throughout his life! The loneliness, the visions, the people? All of it was her fault, all of it! The people he had killed, he had killed for her. He made other people less attractive so that she would be the most beautiful woman alive. Yet, there she was, directly in front of him and about to marry another man.

The anger was almost uncontrollable now. "Catch up...." He said it quietly, almost in a desperate voice. He wanted to, and for a moment he thought about it. Could he let everything go? The thought left as quickly as it had come. "CATCH UP?" The anger finally left him and he screamed. His clutched on Katie tightened and he backed away from her. "Do you really want to catch up with me Chase Moore?" He cackled loudly and then he quickly moved towards her.

He grabbed onto her arm and he clutched tightly. "Lets catch up then." A weird smile overcame his face and he reached into his pocket and put his wand in his hand. Before he let anything else happen they were gone, the only sound was loud crack that echoed throughout the house, leaving Calvin alone to wonder what would happen.

They appeared in a small cottage. In it was nothing more than a crib and a few chairs arranged oddly. He violently let go of Chase and he walked Katie over to the crib. She was awake now, and she was crying. "Shhhh, don't worry my dear, it will all be over soon." He gently laid her in the crib and then quickly whirled around and flicked his wand, sending Chase's wand across the room.

He stood over her for a second just staring before he flicked his wand again and a chair came scooting across the room. "Sit." Was all he said before he walked around the room. He was pacing very quickly now, not saying a word. Then, without another word, he put his wand to his head and he pulled out memories. Memories of the people he had killed and the pain he had suffered. He angrily approached Chase.

"Catch up with me CHASE!" He said before he forced the memories on her. She would see what he had done for her, oh would she ever.