Alex sat at the bar of the Leaky Cauldron for the first time in what felt far too long.  There was several known things about the man known as Alexander Belisario.  One was that his disappearances often had a reason to them.  The other was that he liked to indulge himself in firewhiskey.  His new career option since leaving his station as Head of Magical Law Enforcement and the Ministy was that as an Information Broker.  So by and large he often found himself interacting within the same circles that he had when he was the department head.  The only exception being that now his information of the workings and happenings of the streets and back alleys were highly sought after, instead of him using that information to hunt down a target. 

As a whole, Alex had not really changed much.  He looked the same and even his clothing remained all black as usual.  His black hair kept short but professional looking but as it had always been, his blue eyes still were the most predominant feature that drew attention away from the minor scars on his face from the many battles he had taken a part of.  Then he still wore his black steel toe boots out of years of habit.

His recent work had led him outside of London.  Something that Alex was quite accustomed to at this point in his life.  However, it was the first time that it had been not on Ministry business.  That was definitely something new to him.  Not that he was particularly worried about money...and honestly could probably get by without ever working another day in his life.  That would be quite a contradiction to his character though.  He spent his life working in the trenches and fighting uphill battles against odds that were stacked against him.  And maybe it was because of the constant danger and being a part of the war against Voldemort had been what continually made him restless.  Or maybe keeping moving stopped him from remembering that Ariella was gone. 

So much time had passed since then but the pain it brought would never fully be dulled.  It is said that time heals all wounds but that didn't mean you ever forgot.  All it meant is that in time you'll be able to look back at it objectively and remember the thoughts and feelings you had then.  That wasn't completely true.  The human mind had a tendency to skew memories into something completely different.  That was why the use of a pensieve was so invaluable.  When you pulled memories out, it was pulled in its most complete form before the mind has time to really change anything.  Memories were powerful and took considerable talent to be able to change them.  Alex himself had at one time poured over a pensieve many times as a Department Head when looking over old cases.  Especially about the ones revolving around Ariella's murder.  He knew he would never find the culprit.  That trail had long since gone dead.  Even with his new contacts as an information broker he had no new information.  He had tried, but in the end he realized it would be better if he had just forgotten.  That just led him back to his original thought.  He would never forget.

Something about the taste of firewhiskey had him reminiscing about the old days.  That just made Alex believe that there was a change coming to his life.  After all one often looks back before taking a step forward.  At least that was what one of his teachers had always said.  He placed the half empty glass down and stared at it for a moment.  How different could his life have been?  Where was he heading now?  There were many questions that would inevitably need answers.  Now it was best to just drink and celebrate the end of a successful job and his return to London.  His home.

Once inside the leaky Cauldron, Claudia took a moment to relish in the warmth of the familiar establishment to ease the chill of the London streets in January.  She had been more of a visitor to the city in the last few months than a resident but the streets still felt like home.  The news she had been waiting for, that Alex had been successful, had reached her in Rome during a brief visit with her family, which meant Marcus was safe and perhaps life could start returning to normal...whatever that meant.

Tucking her gloves and scarf into her coat pocket before removing it and hanging it on a hook near the door, she next scanned the room.  She had gone to the Burning Pot first looking for Alex only to be informed by the staff that he was out.  Her next guess had been the Leaky Cauldron, and when her eyes spied the familiar figure dressed in black, a small smile formed on her lips.

A year ago it seemed like the beginnings of a lasting relationship was starting to form between the two of them.  Then, the world started to implode.  First there was the kidnapping of Moira Randall, then Marcus' retirement from the Ministry, and then his disappearance.  Whatever had started to form between her and Alex had quickly taken a backseat to all the drama.  She knew there would likely always be danger lurking around the corner, that life would never be completely 'normal,' but the last few months had left her wondering where their relationship stood.

Settling herself on the bar stool next to Alex she said, "I had a feeling you might be here."  Ordering a firewhiskey she looked at the glass for a moment.  She always knew she was really back in London once she had a bit of Ogden's Old.  Lifting the glass she added, "To homecomings?"

Alex was used to plans never going as planned.  That probably had more to do with his paranoia than anything else.  Still when his best friend had disappeared he had become so focused on it that everything else went to the wayside.  And maybe that should be expected considering the past that Alex had.  There was no way he would lose Marcus...so it was only reasonable that he would put his whole focus on his work.  And maybe he had lost himself in his work once again.  Avoiding even his own thoughts and feelings for the sake of finding Marcus.

However, he hadn't been alone in that endeavor.  The woman who had been so supportive of him now sat next to him and as she did a smile came to his lips.  Still their relationship had generally been stagnant as they had been working on finding Marcus.  Having nothing to work with at the time, Alex figured it was time to expand his network of contacts and was the best way to learn of anythng new because the trail for Marcus ran dry quickly in Britian so it had been obvious that he was no longer in the country.

Claudia was a capable woman, so she fit in quite well with the work.  They worked together on the more...stubborn of contacts.  So they maybe tricked some of them.  Occasionally Alex and Claudia played out a scene to manipulate how people would react.  Well with Alex's Legelimency it made things easier to predict what people would do but that didn't mean they still weren't cautious in their dealings.

She settled in next to Alex and ordered herself a firewhiskey.  Alex didn't say anything at first.  Now that things were coming to a little more normalcy...he was now faced with something else.  What about them?  Claudia had been with him all this time and yet...when was the last time they really did anything?  The fact that he couldn't easily remember that fact bothered him greatly.

"To homecomings?"  Claudia said with a raised glass.

Alex smile grew and picked up his own glass, "Absolutely."  He tapped his glass against hers and then downed the drink and putting the glass on the table.  "Sorry, didn't mean to disappear on you.  I guess all the things we've been doing lately has finally caught up to me.  Things finally look like they might slow down.  So, you could say I've been thinking about things that I haven't really allowed myself to in the last few months."

It wasn't like things were going to stop...after all there was still the matter of fighting the one behind Marcus' disappearance.  But it would be nice to focus on something a little more normal.  And focusing on the relationship between him and Claudia might be the kind of thing he felt he should do.  And really...right now in his life...she was the one comforting element that remained...she had been his anchor and had kept him focus...not allowing his anger to take the best of him in situations.  He wanted to tell her all of that but...he wasn't sure how to approach the topic. 

She was a strong and fiery woman...much like Ariella had been.  He never meant to compare her to his deceased wife but it wasn't something he could help.  Still he took a long look at Claudia.  "I feel like I should be apologizing to you.  I know I was on the verge of losing myself.  Marcus is just one of those people that if I lost...it would be like when I lost Ariella.  He is one of the only people that ever gave a damn about me when I was a kid.  Did you know I was only twelve when I met him?  I mean Marcus is five years older than me when we were at Hogwarts.  And although he was in Ravenclaw and I was in Slytherin...we just kind of connected in this odd way and despite the age difference we became friends.  And when Marcus said he was going to be an Auror...well I decided I was going to follow him.  Spending a life helping people, it sounded good.  Maybe it was odd for a Slytherin to have a goal like that but...that's how it was.  I spent time just trying to catch up to Marcus...that before I knew it...years had passed by."

Alex let out a long sigh as the one tending the bar refilled his glass with firewhiskey.  He picked up the glass and stared at its contents for a long moment.  Before finally drinking its contents.

The past few months had been difficult, but at the same time showed that they could in fact handle a crisis situation together.  To say that her life was now completely different was a bit of an understatement in some ways.  For the first time since her graduation she was not employed by the Ministry of Magic.  She had spent over a decade building a career, but it all meant very little compared to the people she cared about.

She had stayed on for a brief time when Marcus left the office of Minister of Magic to help with the transition.  She hadn't even started to formulate a plan for her future at the Ministry when Marcus went missing.  The decision to help find him wasn't something she ever questioned, she had simply given her notice and left behind what had been her entire professional life.

Life had a funny way of working out though, and to her surprise she found she was actually good at helping Alex get the information he needed.  She was no stranger to using her femininity to charm men, and it had worked in their favor on occasion.  It had brought them closer despite the lack of time to just do the things that couples do...things like dates had lacked priority, but she understood the reasons why.

She listened to him talk, sipping at her firewhiskey without flinching from the taste.  What little chill was left in her fingers seemed to ease as the liquid worked its way through her system.  She didn't need an explanation to understand why finding Marcus was so important, but she listened, glad he was opening up to her.

"Alex, if I didn't understand I wouldn't be here," she said, offering a small smile.  "Believe me, I thought out all the possible outcomes and I knew had a fairly good idea what this would be like.  I've realized probably long before you were even aware the level of friendship you two share."

She took another sip of her drink and then asked, "How is he?"

He often felt that he took Claudia for granted.  Maybe that was more of a recent thing after he had finally rescued Marcus.  The fact that she had been by his side the whole time was not lost on him.  However, maybe he hadn't been as honest with himself as he should be.  She was like the last remaining light in the darkness of his world.  Maybe she was the first thing he had really seen after all the years in his life he had spent avoiding the feelings in his own heart.  How long had he avoided such obvious truths in his life?

Alex smiled as she talked.  He appreciated Claudia more than he had been conscious about...maybe it was because he had been so focused on finding Marcus.  Marcus was his one friend that had always been there for him.  He should have been able to realize that he wasn't the only one there anymore.  Claudia had shown him more than enough in the last couple months as they had worked together to find his best friend.  Maybe it was why they had gotten so much closer without him even being aware of it.  And really he shouldn't be that surprised.

"How is he?"

Alex shrugged, "That's a good question.  He certainly isn't lacking in appetite, that is for sure."  He sighed a bit and took a drink of his firewhiskey.  "Now its just a question with him and Moira.  To be honest I think she was ready to move on with her life...and well maybe my decision to keep her in the dark about what really happened to him might have been the wrong one.  Well I mean there was a lot of danger in letting anyone know that Marcus had been taken but...maybe I should have told her.  I told her I would find him...but..."

Alex shook his head and tried to formulate some words in an order that he wanted.  "I was told once that my blind determination was a good trait...but what have I really done in my life?  Sure one of the youngest to become Head of Magical Law Enforcement...but I left that because I went off to do a job thatI figured I was expendable for.  In all honesty I never figure myself into those equations.  And it probably would have been the same this time...but this time I had you there."  He closed his eyes for a moment.  "You know I have a million things I want to say to you but I doubt the Leaky Cauldron is the right location to do it.  I don't know why I am being so...let's say...stuck in my past."

In the last few months she had primarily been the one to check in on Moira.  She had heard some of the details of their argument the night Marcus was taken, but she hadn't wanted to pry to much into the other couple's personal lives.  It had seemed though that the mediwitch had come to the conclusion relatively quickly that she had managed to push Marcus away.  It wasn't surprising when not long after he disappeared Moira started moving forward and rebuilding her life.

Well I mean there was a lot of danger in letting anyone know that Marcus had been taken but...maybe I should have told her.  I told her I would find him...but...

"You did what you thought was right at the time," she assured him.  "If they're meant to be together they will manage to work this out.  I think deep down she still cares for him a great deal...she's just going to have to figure out what to do with the fact that her assumptions about what happened were completely wrong.  We can't change the way we handled things, and to say  she was in a vulnerable place when he went missing would be a bit of an understatement."

She finished her drink, nodding to the bartender to pour her another while he spoke.  Her hand reached out to rest on his, the gesture familiar and almost and unconscious one on her part.  The Leaky Cauldron wasn't really a place on talked about most things, but none of the other patrons really seemed to take an interest in the couple at the bar.

"You know I have a million things I want to say to you but I doubt the Leaky Cauldron is the right location to do it.  I don't know why I am being so...let's say...stuck in my past."

"It's all part of returning somewhere with so much history," she said, sipping at her whiskey.  With a seductive smile she leaned toward him and added, "You know...we could always finish our drinks and seek some place a bit more...private and continue this conversation there.  Perhaps spend a quiet evening...talking about all the things we've put off the last few months."

Her smile had turned into a playful smirk when she mentioned talking.  Marcus was safe for the moment and life was relatively quiet until they figured out the next move.  She wasn't about to waste an opportunity to do enjoy the momentary peace.

Claudia was right, as she often was.  Alex thought he had made the right choice at the time, but it didn't mean he also didn't realize how Moira would take the news.  In the interest of not adding to her worries they had opted to give her as little information as possible.  Maybe it wasn't the correct solution but it seemed to be the best one after weighing the pros and cons of the situation. 

He eased significantly more when Claudia's hand rested on his.  A small gesture that had been rather normal in their relationship now.  Still it didn't mean that he didn't notice it when it occurred.  Her presence was so comforting to him...had he really missed it?  When had Claudia become so intricately tied into his life?  He could not deny the truth of it though.  Even his thoughts could not fathom his life being without her.  Alex couldn't help but smile a bit.

"You know...we could always finish our drinks and seek some place a bit more...private and continue this conversation there.  Perhaps spend a quiet evening...talking about all the things we've put off the last few months."

While the thought on it own was appealing...it was the way she had leaned towards him and the tone in her voice which added another level to its...implications.  When was the last time they had done something together without any other pretext other than to just spend time together?  And after a moment he could think of nothing else he would rather do.  He grinned a bit as he took another drink of his firewhiskey.

"Sounds like a good idea," Alex was half tempted to down the rest of his drink and head out at this exact moment.  But there was no real need to rush.  He could spend his time unnecessarily worrying about Marcus.  He knew that Marcus would work through his problems and come out stronger and better for it in the end.  That was just how things were with his partner.  Even after all these years.  He just wondered with having finished being the Ministry of Magic...what would he do next with his life?  It wasn't like he'd be able to top where he had been before.

Now it was time for Alex to take some time for himself.  He shook his head for a moment, "It's been so long I think I'm out of practice of thinking about something not related to information gathering.  Or at least it feel like it has been forever.  So it might take us all night to be..."  he paused for a moment searching for the right word and then gave Claudia a grin.  "...reacquainted."

So it might take us all night to be...reacquainted.

She felt a tingle of anticipation run down her spine.  After the last few months they deserved to have one night to themselves.  Certainly they wouldn't be able to just shut out the reality of their lives, but the chance to recharge would certainly be welcomed.  She had learned early on to enjoy the little moments in life whenever possible.

"Sounds quite intense, but I'm sure I can help keep you focused on the task at hand," she said with a playful wink.  "They do say though that practice makes perfect..."

Closing the distance she leaned in to give him a lingering kiss before sitting back in her seat once more and taking another sip of her drink, musing a bit to herself about how different life really was now.  She had developed quite a reputation around the Ministry, one built by never trusting in a steady relationship.  She didn't even want to think about how many times she had flirted rather shamelessly with Alex only to have her efforts go unnoticed...Although in the end it had obviously worked out.

"I think the reason we work so well together is because we provide a little balance in each others lives," she said after a moment.  "The world will still be here tomorrow."

Taking another sip of her drink she couldn't help thinking about how focused on finding Marcus they had been the last few months.  She hadn't really made any plans for the future...somehow she had just slipped into this life without even stopping to consider what happened once things settled down a bit.  For someone who had been so career driven, it was an odd place to be.  Not that she had given it much thought before now.  She would take her own advice on that though...the world would be there tomorrow.

The kiss had been a reminder to Alex about several things.  It reminded him of how good it felt to just be around Claudia.  For the longest time his life had often left him buried in work.  When he had been Head of Magical Law Enforcement he had never even realized that Claudia had made advances on him then.  He had been completely unaware because well...exactly the same thing that happen over the last couple months.  When Alex was neck deep in work it was the only thing he could ever see.  He was focused on the job to a fault.

She was right, the two of them just had this way of balancing each other.  But Alex felt it was more than that.  It was hard to explain to other people but easy to say between each other.  Things simply worked well between them.  She was like the missing peice of the puzzle in his life.  Claudia just put him at ease that allowed him to think more clearly than he usually did.  The fog that often plagued his vision just simply wasn't there when he was with her. 

A part of him made him feel guilty.  After so many long years he was finally ready to move on with his life.  To move past Ariella.  He shook his head, Alex had read somewhere that men actually have a much harder time moving on if they lose their wives than women do if they lose their husbands.  His world had stopped when he lost Ariella...and on occasion it still felt that way.  However Claudia had changed that.  It was like the hands of time had been forced to move by this amazing woman.

"What would I have done without you?" Alex said with a smile on his face.  To be honest he would probably still be a workaholic and things would still be the same.  Avoiding the truth about his own life.  But with Claudia...he was finally living again.

"What would I have done without you?"

Claudia returned the smile, very aware of the fluttering in her stomach as his words washed over her.  Despite the confident facade she had carefully been developing for years, she knew she had been floundering a bit in her personal life before Alex.  She hadn't started their relationship with the assumption it would be different then the long list of prior attempts that ended up being relatively short term.

Work had always been an escape for her as well.  She had been good at her previous career path, and it was a safe place to be.  She had risen to the top by making her job her main focus, and everything else came second.  Being at the top of the professional ladder she had been climbing though meant things had gotten a bit stagnant.

"You know...." she said, looking down at her drink, "I often feel the same way in regards to you.  I was pretty convinced I was cursed when it came to relationships with men and I was about ready to just give up."

Finishing her drink, she added, "It's sort of strange to think that a couple years ago I probably would have been quite convinced I would  be slaving away for the Ministry for the rest of my professional life.  There's simply never been anything else."

A cheer from across the bar drew her attention for a moment.  They were listening to a wireless, undoubtedly a broadcast of their favorite Quidditch team's latest match.

"It's a bit surreal being back here," she said.  "Something obviously never change."

Alex agreed with Claudia.  There was something surreal about being back here...in the Leaky Cauldron.  For Alex this place had been the first time he had really learned about the wizarding world.  After learning about being a wizard himself...things had changed part of his life.  So this place often held a bit of nostalgia for him.  He could remember sitting across from an elderly wizard as the old man explained the world...and often using magic to show him.  Just like every other kid that had grown up without th knowledge of the wizarding world...it was life changing. 

Before that moment Alex's world had been relatively small and striaght forward.  His main goal was to graduate and live life on his own up until he learned he was a wizard.  Alex's drive to be independent didn't change, but he wasn't sure what being a wizard would really do to change his future.  For the most part it didn't really change anything.  It wasn't until he was on his way t Hogwarts where everything changed for him.  He would meet Ariella and Marcus.  He would make several good friends as well as some enemies. 

Alex was already a fighter, but through the years and the many struggles of being a wizard...he became a warrior.  Then in a blink of an eye he was here.  His friends living their own lives...Ariella was dead, but their daughter was off making a future for herself.  And now Alex had found someone again.  Claudia gave him a comfort that he hadn't felt since Ariella was alive.  But it was different.  After all she was a different woman, and not fair to compare the two.  He'd been told before it was only natural for him to make comparisons because it was just human nature.  But Alex enjoyed what him and Claudia had...and it was time for them to really enjoy their relationship.  that was how he felt.

"You know...I never really enjoyed Quidditch until I had to fill in for a spot on the Slytherin team in my fifth year at Hogwarts.  It was more problematic though...even though I had a lot of fun...well its an issue when one of the most popular Gryffindor girls is cheering more for you than her own team.  It wasn't an issue for me...but apparently it was for some of the other Gryffindor's...and I ended up in a fight with them in the end," Alex couldn't help but laugh at the memory.  Ariella went through a lot of crap like that because the two of them had dated.  A Gryffindor and a Slytherin?  How crazy was that?  Well it had been hard on Alex's end, but he was more than capable of handaling it.  Alex was good at martial arts.  Something that most wizards...if not all...didn't know.  Which is why eventually he was attacked at a distance.  But a few good lessons from Marcus helped him to counter even that.

He refocused his attention to Claudia.  They really hadn't been together all that long, but it felt like it had been.  After working with her for so long...either in the Minitry or as they were now...they really had spent quite a long time together, almost without noticing.  He looked at Claudia from head to toe and let a grin crawl over his face, "Did I tell you how incredibly beautiful you are today?"

Claudia could feel herself start to blush.  Alex had a way, even after all the time they had spent together, of eliciting that type of response from her.  Her confidence in her appearance and appeal had been a defense mechanism.  His words weren't just lip service and they broke through her defenses every time.

"You know," she said with a coy smile, "I don't believe you have."  In a more serious tone she added, "I don't believe I'll ever grow tired of hearing you say it."

Turning on her stool back in his direction, she leaned towards Alex once more.  The rest of the bar was forgotten for the moment.  After the last few months of being so focused on one goal, she had a very different sort of conquest in mind for the evening.  As she had said earlier, the rest of the world could wait until tomorrow. She wanted to spend a few hours simply living for the present moment.

"Nor will I grow tired of seeing the way you look at me, mio caro," she said softly.  "I think I am ready to go and get...how did you put it....reacquainted."

Not long ago he had been all over the world searching for his partner and best friend, Marcus Annwyl.  A wizard former Minister of Magic...and before that a Wizengamot Elder and before that a Senior Auror and his partner.  Before all of that Marcus had been an older Ravenclaw that had no problems befriending a Slytherin.  One that was unorthodox for many reasons.  All those years and experiences he felt had led Alex on a path.  One that had many hills and turns.  There was no way to predict the bumps and problems he would face.  He lost a wife along the way, which left him in years of agony that he refocused by polishing his career and getting a rank he wasn't sure he would have every strived for without that event.  Then the world changed on him.  The war finally ended and his job became of little importance to the wizarding world.

How does one move past the only world he had ever known?  How could he finally take steps forward into a future where he felt he had no place?  He did nothing, because without knowing he had already encountered the place that he belonged.  The possibility of feeling alive again had been so close to him for so long that he hadn't seen it.  How could he have known that Claudia would have become this important to him?  Claudia had made passes at him many times before but he had mostly ignored them much to Claudia's displeasure. 

Circumstances changed, and so did Alex's career.  No longer apart of the ministry, things felt fresh...and different.  As if he had finally woken up from a dream.  And there had been Claudia.  Now more time has passed and he had a chance to finally enjoy his time with her.

Having finished his last drink a while ago he placed the money he owed up on the bar and got to his feet.  He turned to Claudia and extended his hand to her.  And as he helped her up, he stepped toward her to whisper, "I hope you don't want to rush.  I'm prepared to enjoy you from head to toe.  And that may take the rest of the night."