Life's like an hourglasses glued to the table, no one can find the rewind button now so breathe. Just breathe.

The difficulty was not in assessing the facts and appreciating the reality: the difficulty came in trying to spin the facts and reality to something wholly more pleasurable for the woman before young Theodore Rookwood to stomach despite having been docked the best part of a limb. By pointing out with the Rookwood swagger and a half-smile, a fleeting gesture, that, really, she was quite sexy without a leg, he wasn’t going to get far and that thought was banished to the outer rim of Theodore’s mind. No, he realised that amongst the tears and the screaming there wasn’t a higher purpose for now. The anger needed to come out. For everything, not least about the leg.

“Hey, hey, sweetheart, love, c’mere…” Theodore moved towards her, his hands coming to rest on her hips as his eyes implored after hers, searching for a little spark that would suggest a get-out-of-jail-free card for him. He knew he wasn’t owed one but what he took solace in was the ability to make the tough call. He’d made it by having Cael there. The man was a military doctor. He executed, pardon the pun, the tough calls and didn’t muck around with the bureaucracy of St. Mungo’s – he wasn’t defined by their practises and Theodore was no longer defined by the Ministry’s, either.

“I forced your mum into a corner, alright, babe?” Theodore murmured softly, his fingers moving small, slow circles into her sides. “She wanted St. Mungo’s, I wanted to know you were safe. I couldn’t wait. I wasn’t prepared to sit back and let someone else make the decision, to hanker over it and watch your life be frittered away because of indecisiveness. I made that judgement to save your life and I’d do it again a thousand times over if that’s what it would take to keep you with me. In this world. Puzzling as it may seem, you are my wife…and I care about you...”

Theodore smiled a little, lowering his eyes to the floor briefly before looking up again, his dark gaze bravely seeking Hallie’s.

“...more than I expect you can imagine at this moment in time but mark my words when I say I would go to hell and back to get you and bring you home so your mum can worry over you and do her mothering thing, okay? I would go to the ends of this earth and beyond if it meant that I can bring you home and let you forge a lasting relationship with your brother that is good and whole and makes you a family again. I would tear down every tree, every building, every person, everything and everyone that stands in my way without remorse if it meant I could bring you home and keep you home with me.”

Theodore sighed and shook his head, not quite able to believe what he’d let pass the barriers of his lips.

“So,” he resolved, meeting her gaze again. “Drink your tea, cool down, alright? Apologise to you mum or something. I’ll go to the movie store and get a selection, shall I? Any requests for something more exciting than soup? Methinks you could go for a rom-com and some ice cream, huh? Girl things…”

Theodore chuckled and rose to his feet, popping a kiss on Hallie’s forehead as he did so.

“Best husband ever. Saved you, maimed you and will watch movies with you. I should get a medal, shouldn’t I, Blondie?”

She would never successfully stop him from calling her that, would she?

Hallie allowed Theodore to speak, there were points where she wanted to interrupt, shoot him down, but half her energy had been dispelled onto her Mother. Poor Amelia. Hallie regretted how she'd shouted, screamed and smashed glass, especially after Theodore bringing light to how she'd fought for her daughters leg. Unlike him. Unlike this idiot before her wrath-of-hatred-filled eyes. This moron who was trying to sweet talk the whole thing. 

As Theodore leant to kiss her forehead she moved back, staring unpleasantly  into his eyes. 

'A movie? A rom-com? Ice cream? Do I look like I want to watch films and add twenty pounds to my ass? No! But that's where it'll go because my sweet bastard of a husband CUT. OFF. MY. LEG!'

Reaching for the first thing she could grab, her pillow, Hallie tossed it aggressively. 

'YOU CUT OFF MY LEG!' Hallie repeated as flickering embers raged into a burning bonfire within her eyes. 'This is all your fault! Your bastard of a Father payed death eaters to come and kill me and now I'm going to be a f^cking peg leg!' she spat. 

Reaching across to the bedside table for her wand, her eyes fixed deeply into Theodore's she rummaged on the side. In spite of losing a legs things hadn't changed. It was a muscle memory, as though her mind was on autopilot. Hallie always kept her wand on the table beside her but now... It was different. She couldn't feel her wand. 

Wrenching her glare from Theodore they widened at the spot where it should be, a glass of untouched water there in stead. Shifting across her bed the blonde pulled the draws open, slamming them with a bang. Her wand wasn't there. 

'Where is my wand?' She breathed as her fingers coiled tightly around the glass of water. 

Between his wife and his cousin, Theodore was heartily considering jumping ship and moving in with Robin to get some man-time and all of the darling women in his life out of his hair. However, if the rumours along the grapevine were to be believed, Robin had women troubles of his own and between him and Kieran, they weren’t having the best of times. So, perhaps it was time for a bloke’s holiday to Vegas or Monte Carlo in the summer and they could enjoy drinks, gambling and all collectively pine after their wives (bar Cael) once they realised that there was to be no skirt chasing due to the burdens of being married. Oops.

Still, he couldn’t leave knowing that his wife only had one leg – though, granted, it would slow her down a bit. He could only imagine Robin’s face when he found out. Theodore doubted his friend would know whether to laugh or to cry. Theodore felt like crying now, this he knew. However, it wasn’t out of sorrow, it was out of exasperation and the idle wonder in the back of his mind whether he should have just let Hallie, two-legged, go to St. Mungo’s only for them to do the same thing. Why she was getting hung up on a leg, Theodore refused to understand – not when she was alive without it.

“You’ve got a lovely arse if it’s any consolation!” Theodore exclaimed, catching the pillow. “Look, I don’t know what you want to hear, okay?”

He was half tempted to snap that he had his own problems, never mind her leg: he had no idea where his next paycheque was going to come from. He had no idea how he was going to pay Cael what the man owed which was a mighty sum and maybe another couple of sessions with his therapist after all of that blood. Theodore didn’t know how he was going to pay for all of the frivolities which had, at one point, called for pocket change rather than what now felt like the majority of his vault. His grandfather had sealed off his loan and the rest of the money was tucked up tight in the trust funds of his future children. He couldn’t touch it.

He needed a job. Never mind the bloody leg. He just didn’t know who he was going to end up crawling to.

“What are you looking for?” Theodore asked, in tandem with Hallie’s question. His eyebrows rose and he blinked, unsure about the wand. “I don’t know, Hals. I’ll get you a replacement for tomorrow, alright?”

He was done with the arguing now. Done before it had even really fully gotten into swing. He was quite happy to back down where his father would’ve batted her away with the back of his hand, finishing the conversation in one fell swoop. Theodore set the pillow back down on Hallie’s bed and drew his fingers quickly through his hair before looking towards the door.

“I’ll leave then, shall I?”

Hallie pursed her lips. He didn't know where her wand was? Surely it had been lay next to her in the attic, clearly visible for her to see. Then again Hallie couldn't remember even having her wand when Henry took her to Borgin and Burkes, if she had then surely it would have been easier for her to escape? One swift stunning spell and on her way out she'd be, leaving behind the tingling of the Borgin and Burkes doorbell.

I dropped it. She realised, When Henry jinxed me. There her wand had cascaded along the snowy hill and out of site, no doubt a dog would come across it's path chew it and... Would the dog die? Or would her wand die? Maybe both. However Hallie didn't care about a stupid dog, perhaps she would usually, but right now she had lost her leg along with her heart.

'Don't bother.' She told Theodore. 'I'll get one myself before I go back to work. When do you think that will be' She asked, her question carrying a to-the-point tone. She didn't care about anything but her work, she'd started to care for Theodore but that love had been forgotten the moment he made it okay to her her leg amputated.

She couldn't walk. She couldn't go to the toilet, which she needed desperately. She couldn't run. She couldn't capture death eaters and dark wizards. She couldn't scurry down the stairs to get a bowl of strawberries. Hallie had become dependent, dependent on people who'd induced her dependency. How ironic.  

'If you're planning to leave.' She replied, 'Don't bother coming back.' 

There was no need for the demand to be made twice.

Theodore didn’t have to be told for a second time.

The air in the room crackled a little about him, a seeming infiltration of invisible Wrackspurts finally getting to have their wicked way. Indeed, his brain fuzzed and his eyes seemed not to focus for the barest of moments before out they went through the window cracked open just enough for a little smidgen of air to get in and free the room of stuffiness. Then of course, it was all dreadfully made clear and as the irritation and slight betrayal made itself at home, Theodore realised he’d allowed himself to be played.

He had been a fool to think for one moment that the little arrangement he had with his wife was anything other than a simple, waning business deal to placate the Ministry. He had managed, in that way those in love always tend to do, to trick himself to folly. If he had left her another few days, let Henry make his mark and do away with the blonde then Theodore would’ve been a somewhat grieving widower and Henry would be the Death Eater he so dreamed of being. Theodore would have been free to marry whosoever dipped into his crosshairs. If only he’d just left her to die. Perhaps he should’ve paid Henry, too.

He could’ve been free of her. Instead she wanted rid of him and he didn’t want to go.

Of course, that didn’t stop him from walking out of the door.

Theodore let the bedroom door slam behind him as he strode out onto the landing. He thundered down the stairs, not ceasing in his movements until his shoes and coat were back on. Cael, to his credit, launched himself to his feet and moved to don his own coat. Theodore apparated away first with a loud bang, sending the table and that which rested on it, flying across the room. Cael paused only a moment longer to set everything to rights before he himself popped away.

Theodore had no intention of going back.