You look familiar

Alessia has largely swearing in French as she walked toward the park. Lucas was whiny all morning and she hoped that he would like nature. She spread a blanket on the grass and took Lucas out of the wheelchair.
She put him in a blanket and sat down. From the bag she took out a pair of toy and gave them to him. She hoped that at least some time to be quiet. After a few minutes Lucas widely played, so she smiled happily. The plan was successful.
She watched people who have passed or sat there, occasionally taking her eyes for Lucas. He learned to walk, and she had him constantly keep an eye on that would not strayed.

In the distance she saw a guy who would always recognize. It was her friend from Hogwarts, which she hadn't seen in years. "Adrian," she shouted, hoping that he heard. Finally someone famous. Maybe she can ask him about Nikolai. She waved at him, hoping that he saw her. And above all, hoping that this is really he.

Spending day in the park seemed like wonderful idea when he got up. He dressed pretty fast, skipping morning shower, he did it after he got home last night so it was pointless. Adrian went to see his mother, this morning she showed no sign she recognized him, he left her after twenty minutes when she fell in sleep again. Before he visited her he was thinking about having a breakfast in a bistro few blocks from their house, but when he shut the entrance door he realized his appetite was gone. Sighing, he put his sunglasses and headed for the park.

He entered the park in the same mood. Trees had some greyish colour,as well as every other thing he saw. Or he imagined that? Adrian stopped after hearing his name. He probably imagined that, shaking his head he started walking again. Not a single person he knew haven't recognized him since he returned to England. Not even his own mother. Well adopted mother but still.. He stopped again, after hearing his name for the second time. Turning on his heal he searched the crowd looking for someone familiar that could call him. Adrian saw her a moment before he turned and started to walk again. Ally. His lips parted into a smile while he walked towards her.

"Alessia!" He hugged her then backed away. "It's good to see you again. You haven't changed at all." She is, in fact, she looked a bit older than the girl he saw for the last time two days before moving to Switzerland, and she didn't have a son back then. Adrian glanced at the boy, he couldn't be older than three years, four years at most, so it was expected he didn't saw him eight years ago.

Brilliant Blanchard, really brilliant.

She stood up as soon she realize he is really Adrian. She hug him happily because is seeing somebody familiar.
„Adrian, I can't describe you how glad I'm to see you here.“ she laughed happily. „Don't lie to me, I know I'm getting older every day. On the other side, you look like always. Do you still charm the girls but refuse to settle down?“ she tilted her head as she watched him.

She doesn't know what he's doing in London. She hasn't seeing him... Well, for a while... Seven or eight years for sure. Now, she realize how time flies. It seemed like she yesterday went to Moscow, got married, gave birth to a son... She has so many questions for him. Maybe he could help her in searching informations about Nikolai. It's worth to try.

In that moment, Lucas started crying. He always cries when he is close to strangers. She swore again in French and pick up child from the blanket. „Okay, Lucas..stop.. this is an old friend.“ she looked at Lucas and then at Adrian. "Well, this is my son, Lucas"

"Women always say that." Adrian replied with a smirk. He sat on a bench, and waited for her to sit before replying to the other half of her statement. Settle down? Him? He wanted to laugh just how much unreal that statement sounded. In his opinion, he was going to get old and die with no one around, not even cats, they were messy, if he needs to choose his way of dying it would be with a bottle of firewhiskey in his hand and completely alone, having a wife might change those plans. "Charming Delacroix, but you know my one and only love is and always will be Quidditch," he chuckled, "and I'm not brave enough to propose it just yet."

"You should really stop swearing like that." Adrian replied on a fluent French. Eight years of living in a country with four official languages has its perks. When he came to Switzerland he knew English, a few German words he heard from his father, and a giant ego. In Switzerland he learned how to play Quidditch better, how to drink, a few languages, how to make amazing gulash (yet he could say thank you to the lovely Izolde for that, and for many other things), and few more things, but his ego stayed the same.

"Nice to meet you Lucas, I guess." He frowned after realizing how that sounded. Lucas is a child. The child. "You know Ally, as much as I like you children still terrify me, so I would appreciate if he could stay in your lap." Flavia gave birth to a kid two years ago and he still hasn't touched his niece, nor he planned, at least until she reaches four years and stops being so fragile. He look at her frightened. "No offense."

„Ivashkova, not Delacroix“  she immediately correct him. „Actually, probably ex Ivashkova but...“ she said sadly.
„I don't believe in that. I'm sure there is or will be someone for you except Quidditch.“ She laughed. „Although, you play very well. Because of you I started watching that sport.“ she looked at him approvingly.

She laughed at his comment about swearing on Franch. „I guess that is matter of habit. Sometimes, I don't realize I speak on French. I can't change it.“ She really can't. She know English and Russian along French, but she is not always able to distinguish which language is spoken. Sometimes she can swear that she speaks in English, but when she see that people look pale and confused, realizing that speaking in French.

She laughed when she saw his terrified face. Sorry, I need to disappoint you. I think Lucas like you.“ She looked at him feigning shock because Lucas came down with her wings and went to Adrian. He stood and looked at him, probably expecting some sign of appreciation.“ He is just a child. He won't bite you.“ she was joking.

"Getting divorced, already?" Adrian mocked. "I told you that Ivashkov guy is a hippy, Delacroix." Adrian met Nikolas Ivashkov just one time, on their wedding, and although he tried to get any reaction from him, nothing but pure happiness radiated from Nikolas, so Blanchard decided he doesn't like him. He was just too one dimensional. "The only persons that still think that are you and my lovely mother, and as much as I don't want disappoint any of you, I'm not going to settle down." He replied fully convinced in his words, doubting that any other living person can shook his life that much to make him want to marry someone. Not gonna happen.

Adrian looked at the boy then back at Ally. "Alessia Leona Ivashkova! You should better stop him." He moved away from them, now sitting on the edge of the bench. "I'm serious, I'll run." Some people were afraid of spiders, some find dark terrifying, and Adrian Blanchard was, obviously, afraid of little children. "He probably won't, but why risk?"

"Actually ... we have not divorced .. He is disappear" she turned her head to the side to refrain from crying. She knew that Adrian does not like Nikolai, but still hoped he'll help her. Perhaps something could be done. However, she did not dare to mention anything for now.

She smiled slightly at his statement. "Until one. You know, when you meet the right one, you won't have time to think about it and already you'll send me wedding invitation. "Alessia thinks that Adrian was the type of person who is afraid of commitment. Most of the time he's the guy with catastrophic mood swings, cold and distant.. but a good person, she knew that very well.

She failed to refrain from laughing. "Adrian, this is a child, not the devil," she took Lucas who started crying instantly. A foreigner was too interesting for him. She rolled her eyes, "He has total of four teeth, do you really think he could substantially hurt you if he bite you? And before you say anything viciously, I know he won't bite you." She looked at him as if he was completely out of his mind. She has never understood this his fear. She even tried to suggest him to visit a psychiatrist, but he insisted this fear is normal because in his opinion the children are monsters.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Blanchard replied. He wanted to bomb her with questions. When did he disappear? Why do you think he disappeared? What if he simply left you? Yet something deep in his gut was telling him that wouldn't be a good idea, at least it wouldn't be a good ide if he doesn't want to make her cry. And he didn't want to do that. Crying woman and little children were things Adrian Blanchard really wanted to avoid. "What actually happened?"

He ignored her little speech about the right one, sometimes his mother and Alessia were pretty much the same. They both predicted he'll get marry and start breeding like rabbits. Unfortunately, they'll be very disappointed, because Blanchard never planed any of these things. Marrying someone? Maybe, but in distant future and without kids. They're distraction, he didn't need that.

"No, no touching. Keep him away from me, please." Adrian stretched and put his sunglasses into a pocket then turned back to face Alessia. "Now, start talking. I know you want to tell me. Your eyes always betray you." His lips twisted in barely visible smile.

She sighed. She knew that he was really sorry for her. But she also knew how much he hates crying. Therefore, without crying, she's promise to herself. Instead, she stared at Lucas. He so much resembled to Nik. Sometimes the similarity hurt her. She knows that something terrible happened to Nick, he would never have left her .. she simply knows it.

She rolled her eyes. As always, he ignored every attempt to talk about marriage. She just sighed and reconciled with that it was impossible to talk with Adrian about it.

She put Lucas on the grass. He headed for Adrian but he suddenly paused as if afraid.

She looked at Adriana thinking what to tell him.
"We .. we are both in the Order of the Phoenix. We joined a few years ago. Nikolai has often traveled to the 4 or 5 days at most. But the last time .. one year ago ... he didn't come back, "she barely uttered the last words. She still couldn't come to terms with the fact he's really disappear. "They were looking for him ... but he completely disappeared, lost track of him in London. They told me that probably caught him members of the DE and he was dead, at best. I ... I could not believe it. But I believed when he didn't return even after a year. "The promise was broken. She began to cry uncontrollably. "I came to find him .. or at least his body. You know he was a great believer. He deserves to be buried with dignity. Sometimes I feel ... like he's alive, like he's close ... but I know that's not possible. "

Don't cry. Don't cry. Please don't cry. If she start crying things would get awkward real fast, and Adrian really wasn't fond of it.

"Um, I'm pretty sure you shouldn't go around saying that you're a member of the Order. You never know who could hear you." Especially since he was a Death Eater, and as one, he was their enemy, or at least the group he was a member had the Order as their enemies. A tocsin rang somewhere in his mind reminding him he should probably give away her name, but he chose to ignore it. It would be low and very unfriendly thing to do, especially since she obviously lost his husband and she still hasn't reconciled with that. Maybe he was being cold harted because of thinking that way, but he wasn't the one suffering so he really couldn't know how she felt. "I…" am sorry? But he wasn't sorry, he felt sorry for her, but not because her husband is dead, he never liked him, he didn't hate him either, but mainly because it was too strong emotion to wast it on unimportant people. "I can look around. But I can't promise you anything, since he's missing for too long."

Because he's probably dead, he wanted to point that but it would be pointless, plus she already started crying, telling her that would only make her cry more. Adrian placed a package of wipes in her lap, it was the biggest thing he could do now cause he wasn't cuddle and it will go away kind of guy. Yet he'll try to help her the other way, the only way he can, he could go and ask around, see what he could find out. If the Death Eaters did that, he surely didn't know that, but he knew a person that might know something, so he could pay her a visit.