Adon had not had much time to think in the short amount of time it had taken to Side-Along Apparate from Maiko's flat to the street outside of the modest Katz-Eleor home.  Which had been by design.  Thinking, feeling--that did not have a time or place.  He needed to act.  Dreogan was about to make a move, and he needed to be there for when he did.

Slowing down, taking the time to inform Akiva, then, all felt counter-intuitive.  Of course, he understood well the need for information, the need to know.  But the time it would take to do this...

Adon's stomach took a turn, and not from the Apparation, as he opened the small, wooden gate that allowed him to cut across the front lawn.  He did not entirely know how Akiva would take it, how he would take it, what he next steps were, or what her questions might be.

All he knew was that he didn't have the answers.

With a brief glance over to Maiko, Adon rapped his knuckles upon the front door.

Even after over ten years of apparating herself, the feeling of her stomach trying to leap out of her throat was never a plesant one-- though it was significantly better than portkeys or floo powder... Or brooms... Or, Merlin forbid, those flying metal death traps also known as cars. 

Maiko squeezed Adon's arm as they faced the door before letting go. What was she even going to say to Akiva? She had sent the witch a quick text moments ago that had said, "Aidan and I are coming over immediately. Important matters to discuss. Urgent." Akiva should be expecting them. Even so, the minuscule amount of time they had to wait for Kiv to answer the door felt like a fortnight.

She didn't realize that in the midst of her... what was it? Stress? Anger? Frustration? Worry? Everything? In the midst of everything, she had forgotten to breathe.  A plethora of profanities too inappropriate for Absit Omen's dear, innocent,  readers ran through her head.

If the text hadn't alarmed Akiva, Maiko's uncharacteristically stern, almost somber appearance might've. Maiko glanced at Adon, eyebrows furrowed together in concern.

It had been a busy morning.  Akiva had taken Gabriel to the park, they had played in the sand box and Akiva had pushed him in the swing.  She’d pushed him through the paths, naming birds and flowers and trees, trying to teach him language – and hoping he might copy her (that didn’t happen).  But, it was a good morning, for all it was worth, and then they’d come home in time for lunch. 

Gabriel had apparently built up a big appetite and Akiva had spent the better part of lunch laughing as he tried to squish dry cereal into his cheeks and managed to get quite a bit of it into his hair.  How cereal could even get stuck in a baby’s hair at one point would have been a legitimate question.  But, after ten months it obvious that anything could make a mess in his little hands. 

When he was done, Akiva had swung him out of the high chair – his laughter filling the kitchen, and Akiva knew she would never get tired of the sound of him laughing.  The way he smiled, his bottom teeth having poked through his gums, and his dark brown curls on top of his head and the way his jaw curved… he was definitely his father’s son.  Pressing her lips to his forehead, Akiva lingered there, sniffing his hair (that smelled like cereal) and took a deep breath.  “C’mon, Gabe,” she hoisted him on her hip and he grabbed onto the collar of her dress, babbling in return. 

They made their way upstairs where Akiva made quick work of cleaning him up and then putting him down for a nap.  It was one of the few times during the day where there was quiet in the house… true quiet, and Akiva actually didn’t know how she felt about it.  Looking at Gabriel sleeping in his crib, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed across her chest, he was the best thing in her life.  She would have stayed there for the entire duration of his nap if she hadn’t felt a buzzing against her hip and looked down – her cellular was buzzing.

” Aidan and I are coming over immediately. Important matters to discuss. Urgent.”

Akiva looked at the little screen and her stomach immediately dropped – Maiko and she could only assume she meant Adon were coming.  For something urgent?  There was cold sweat already on the back of her neck.  Raiisng her eyes, she looked at her sleeping son and closed her eyes, uttering prayers under her breath.  Akiva shut the door quietly as she tried to be as quiet as possible, hurrying down the stairs.  If they were coming immediately, she assumed a position near the door and stared out of the Peeping Tom to watch for their arrival. 

Adon had barely a chance to knock before she had unfastened all of the wards on the door and with her heart in her chest and looked between the two of them – every question she could have had about the situation boiling down to the single phrase, “what’s going on?”

Akiva's face, framed in the dark wood of the doorway, looked terrified.  Adon quickly moved forward to give her a light hug.  It was the suspense.  Knowing would create a new cauldron of emotions--but he'd deal with that once she knew.  He proceeded in the way that he would have wanted to be told: the main points first, the lengthy prelude afterwards.  It did no good to soften the blow.  It would only heighten the suspense, and he did not want to keep her waiting, fearing like she was, for a moment longer.

"We made contact with Dree," he said quietly, pulling away and squeezing her arm reassuringly.  "He's alive."  That would take several moments to sink in--Adon was not quite certain he'd allowed it to penetrate himself.  "Can we come in?"

Way to be blunt. They couldn't even get inside the house before Adon blurted out the big news.  Not that she minded but Maiko hardly wanted Akiva to embarrass herself by crying where all the neighbors could see. Still, there was no use in beating around the bush. They had made contact. At the very least they knew that he wasn't dead. Everyone that Dreogan had ever impacted went through the grieving process, and now... It was apparently unnecessary-- but how could anybody know otherwise?

She gave Akiva a big, warm, loving hug-- partially because she needed one of her own. And she didn't even whisper "boob puzzle" when her chest fit perfectly underneath Akiva's like she usually did.

It wasn’t that Adon wasn’t a touchy individual, it was that he didn’t usually go about it so gingerly.  The hug was soft almost tentative, and though Akiva’s arms followed the motions to hug him back.  As her hand rested over his back and her chin was on his shoulder, she thought she must have been crazy. 

“He’s alive.”

Akiva’s hands squeezed harder onto him, her mouth went dry.  He was pulling away, but Akiva just kept hearing the words: he’s alive over and over in her head, like an echo.  Her mouth was hanging open a little and she nodded to his request.  They could come in.

That didn’t mean, however, that Akiva was moving.  Dreogan… was alive?  She felt like she was going to throw up.  Maiko embraced her and she had just about the same reaction to her hug as she did to Adon’s – stiffness, a sort of hug back… Though Maiko was trying to be comforting it wasn’t like she could feel anything but her stomach hurting and a sudden, intense pain in the front of her head.  It was also just a little harder to breathe and when they finally split apart, Akiva quietly moved from the door, like a walking ghost and looked between the two of them. 

“How?” she asked, her throat dry as a bone so the sound sort of scratched out of her mouth.  It was like she couldn’t even blink, looking between them. 

Adon gave a faint smile, one that he hoped might be reassuring, as he guided her by the elbow into the house and into the main room.  She was numb with shock, so there was very little resistance as he settled her onto a couch before taking a seat himself.  With a nod of encouragement, he indicated that Maiko should follow suit.

"I had Maiko scry for him this morning," he filled in.  She probably would not absorb most of the details beyond this point, but he spoke quietly and carried on all the same. "It occurred to me that, in all our time searching for him, we never turned to his method of finding people--because we didn't have a Seer.  But I also knew he had made a connection before in this way.  Maiko was able to connect--and she can probably tell you better than I what she experienced but," he said, looking over to Maiko, "to put it shortly, he is alive, and we are determined to find him."

She closed the door behind them and absentmindedly bent down to give Lady a scratch behind the ears before moving into the main room. Mai took a seat next to Akiva, at a total loss of things to say. If Akiva needed to know more, she'd ask.. And honestly there was not much that Maiko could tell her.  She nodded in confirmation of Adon's words. He could be articulate in this situation when she and Kiv were speechless.

Maybe it was best, best that she was at a loss for words. There were times when words didn't help; that they made things worse.

But she had to say something. "I'm staying with you tonight." She said with resolution, Akiva shouldn't have to be alone. And Mai was going to be sure of that.

The timing was horrendous of course-- she was going to be busy with preparing for the school year over the next couple days... But she would do what she could. Kohaku would likely want to help as well even if he didn't know any details. As far as Mai was concerned, Akiva was part of her family.

It was really hard for Akiva to really keep listening.  She picked up bits and pieces of what was being said – the scrying, Maiko, alive… find him.  It was a lot to process.  It was like her ears were stuffed with cotton and her chest was suddenly full of pressure.  It was hard to breathe regularly.  Her flexed her fingers and then curled on her lap and even though Maiko was sitting next to her and Adon was right there too, she couldn’t help but feel like they were both light-years away. 

It had been the toughest almost year of her life, and though she still didn’t sleep well and there was always a nervousness whenever the doorbell rang: something else was wrong or that maybe it would be the time the door would open and it’d be like nothing happened at all...

But right now, her mouth was just hanging up a little bit and her eyes were glassy.  Maiko spoke, but the words were mushy in her ears.  Something about staying.  She just nodded and let out a deep, shaky breath and nodded again.  It was hard to focus.  Really hard. 

Of course, out of the inky blackness was the only thing she could come up with: Gabriel.  “Excuse me,” she said softly and immediately went to the stairs. A nap could be cut short… it would be fine.  She just… The walk up the stairs was quick and Akiva stopped before the door to Gabriel’s room.  It was so quiet… Akiva leaned against the wall next to the door and pinched her nose between her fingers. 

She shouldn’t wake him… but… Akiva needed a minute.    She slid down the wall, sitting on the floor and rested her elbows against her knees, pressing her hands into her face.  Maybe if she could just breathe… and survive the next ten seconds… then there’d be another ten after that… and she could do anything for ten seconds at a time. 

"Stay here--in case she comes back," Adon said.  Normally, he'd feel bad about leaving someone wholly alone, but first things first.  "I'll go put a kettle on." Like many a diligent son of a good, British mother, Adon had mastered the pavlovian response.  It got him out from underfoot, was more or less productive, but more than that, it gave him a moment or two alone himself, which he quickly put to use.

He looked around the kitchen, moving a couple of pots that rested by the sink, and gave the search for the kettle the good, earnest .2 seconds that he currently had the patience for. 

Damn it, this was impossible. He'd never find it.

On to more pressing matters.  Adon pulled out his wand, digging  his thumbnail into the now pocked surface of the wand as he considered the next course of action.  Having told Akiva, he next needed to get the word out to key players--those who could do something about this information. 

And so, Adon thought. And thought, feeling the time slip by as he wracked his brain in his brother's kitchen.  Casting a patronus should not be this difficult.  Any memories of Dreogan were tinged with regret.  Leaving his mother hadn't settled right with him, either.  And then there was Thea...

An image came to his mind.  The first time they reunited--he showed up to work in Jerusalem, across from her cube, like nothing had happened.  That hug...

Thin wisps of silver began to materialize.  Mere glimmers.  Adon growled, waving away the silver strands.  He needed something more immediate.  More secure.  He remembered coming back--just a month ago--to this house.  Akiva's hug, the sympathy, holding the warm squish of a nephew in his arms, when he sat on that stool, just there.

By now, the bear was beginning to take form.  It filled up the space between the sink and the counter, and Adon sighed in relief.  To Thea: "Tell Adnan to be on alert.  I've made contact with Dree, and he's planning to make a move. Today.  Has a beard, wearing white robes--potentially covered head.  May be headed for Jerusalem or for Gringotts.  I will investigate here.  Please keep me posted."

The bear bounded off, leaving the kitchen that much darker and colder as his hopes and memories of happiness shifted further and further away.

That might take some time to cover that distance.  And Adon had been waiting for--he checked his phone--8 seconds at least.

He began to dial.  Straight to Thea's voicemail.  With another sigh of frustration, Adon slammed it heavily onto the counter--deciding the LifeProof case had been a wise investment.  It was a pity more mages did not use cellular mobile telephones; they were unparalleled in instantaneous communication. 

Adon heard the soft clatter of claws on the wooden floors and looked down, seeing floppy, golden ears.  Lady was looking up, curiously.  That damn black cat, Tabitha, at her side.  Tabitha's whole frame seemed to compress--like a coiled spring--before silently she sailed through the air, landing on the counter space by the sink.  She flicked her tail, looking at Adon expectantly.

If she was expecting food or scratches, she was delusional.  Adon glowered back, wondering what the hell she could possibly want that would be--"Shit," he said, shaking his head.  Just behind her--where he'd only been looking... 15 seconds ago... was the blue, metal teapot.

Adon make a quick move for it, spooking both dog and cat from that corner of the room, and began to fill it with water.  He threw a spell over his shoulder towards the stove, coaxing the metal element to a glowing red before shuffling over.  The kettle, still wet, hissed as he dropped it down atop it.

Time for the second patronus.  To Gwen Irving:  "Could use some help on that personal case.  I need you to drop what you are doing.  Money isn't an object--I need you outside Gringott's... now, if you can.  Keep your eyes out for a missing person--Dreogan Eleor.  5 foot 8, beard, white robes, mid-30s. Do not engage; it may be dangerous.  Let me know if you can."  He snapped his wrist, sending the bear charging through the kitchen a second time.

He needed someone there, in case something happened in the 10 minutes it would likely take for him to arrive there.  Knowing the amount of time she spent in Diagon--or seemed to--he dearly hoped she might already be there.  It was unclear what Dreogan had planned, but if Toppuluk had their way, he'd be accessing his vault at some point.  Which meant, even if accompanied or threatened, Dreogan would need to be in possession of his own wand. 

Armed. In London.  The situation could not be more optimal.  For the first time in a long time, he felt a swelling of... well, it seemed to be optimism.

"Mai!" he called from the kitchen.  Adon had already exhausted his finding powers in finding the tea kettle--and his brother.  He doubted he had the wherewithall to find the teabags.  He needed someone else to do this sort of finding.[1]

1.	Hufflepuffs are particularly good finders!

Akiva, clearly, needed time to sit by herself and think. And there was no way in the world Maiko was going to deprive her of that. She sat and waited, patiently. Akiva was... Going through a maelstrom of emotions and memories right now.  Her husband was not dead. But could be soon? And that same husband... Was Adon's brother. She had expected more feelings out of him than this-- but sometimes your brain focuses on what you have to do before the feelings start to bleed in.

It wasn't long-- or rather, it hadn't felt like long-- until she heard her name from the kitchen. Without pause, she stood up and briskly made her way to the kitchen-- peeking her head in the doorway at first before fully entering. It was a familiar place-- she and Kiv had spent plenty of time here together, cooking or chatting. Or trying to take care of each other while refusing to be taken care of. Either way, she knew her way around here near as well as Akiva did. The kettle was on the stove. He was trying to take care of his sister in law, in his own way.

Adon Eleor looked tense, to say the least.

No. Tense wouldn't even begin to cover it. There was a strange pressure in the air, heavy and stifling in a way that a cup of tea wouldn't fix.

She stood on her tip toes and opened a cupboard. Mai jumped a bit and leaned against the counter. She pulled out her wand and instead of using wingardium leviosa, she physically used her wand as a stick to drag a couple boxes of tea within her reach. She lived mostly as a muggle at home for Kohaku's comfort, and in a home environment, magic was not always her first instinct.

Mai set the boxes on the counter and looked down at her feet. She wasn't going to let herself get strangled by this... Dree situation. And there was no way in Merlin's most holy balls that she was going to let it strangle the Eleor family either. She approached Adon and grabbed his hand, squeezing it in.. Comfort? Solidarity? Something? She wanted to hug him again, she wanted to hold Akiva and Gabriel close and help them forget all this until it was over and things were better. For their comfort, but for her own as well.

There was a chance that Dreogan wasn't going to survive this.

Whoever had captured Dree was dangerous, that much was certain. There was a chance that... Perhaps Adon wouldn't make it either. This wasn't the war, but it was a rescue mission. Something inside her told her that Adon would risk himself for Dree, like she would for Kohaku. Like Akiva would for... Any of her family, blood or no.

This could, perhaps, be the last time she saw Adon Eleor. Did Akiva feel it too? Was she imagining things? Was Mai reading too much into this, building it up in her head? Perhaps. But she was not unaware of the dangers involved, the risks. And those were easier to be drawn into than any sort of optimism. It wasn't that she thought he was going to throw his life away, it wasn't that she thought he was incapable of getting Dree out unscathed... But it was foolish to underestimate what the Eleors were going up against. Not that she knew who the enemy was. Uuugh feelings.

And so she wrapped an arm around him, gently-- loosely. "You guys are getting a hell of a meal when this is over." Mai promised, and then hesitated before asking, "Are you--" She shook her head, "Comment Ça va?" It was typical of her to be ever concerned with matters of emotion.

Ten sets of ten seconds had passed, slowly and meticulously counted out before Akiva lifted her head and felt her heartbeat slowing, it didn’t feel like her chest would burst open anymore and though she was still reeling, maybe she could deal with it.  Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.  Maybe Dreogan would come home.

The thought, of course, was almost as scary as the idea he wouldn’t.  Someone gone that long… Akiva knew nothing of what he had been through or where he was… he could possibly not remember them… he could be a completely different person.  She didn’t know if he would even make it to their house now… She had just started accepting that idea – almost a year…

Wow.  The heaviness of the moment sort of sat with her for a moment.  Either way, something was going to happen.  While maybe her heart was no longer threatening to burst.  Even though she felt like she was breathing, she couldn’t even really tell if she was getting oxygen. 

It took the sharp sound of a cry piercing the air to even knock her out of her panic.  Scrambling to her feet, Akiva fumbled with the doorknob and walked into the bedroom, straight for her son.  He was wriggling, awake and Akiva scooped him up and cradled him against her shoulder.  The weight in her arms was grounding.  Gabriel whimpered and settled and Akiva rubbed his back, swaying softly from side to side to settle him.  “It’s okay,” she whispered and pressed her lips to the top of his curly head. 

Maybe it wasn’t, maybe everything would change today.  Or maybe nothing would.  Either way, having her son in her arms and his crying subsided, she was able to sort of center herself and let out some deep breaths before she took Gabriel out of his room and started back down the stairs, looking curiously into the now empty living room and turned her attention toward the sound of muffled voices – or voice, rather.  It sounded like Maiko. 

She didn’t really know what to say, if anything, but she stood in the doorway, bouncing Gabriel to continue to settle him, probably holding onto him just a little too tightly with both arms.  “Can I do something?” she finally asked, more able to focus when given a task or something to take care of.  Akiva was never one to be still or taken care of and this situation seemed to demand both things of her, an enormously draining feeling.  She wanted that feeling of helplessness to go away.

He heard Mai pad quietly into the room and turned from the stove to see her fiddling with cabinets and boxes.  Good.  That would have been far beyond him at the moment.

Mentally, Adon was already planning out his next steps.  After stopping at Gringott's, if things were not productive there, he could Apparate to the Ministry and use their Floo Network.  That would get him to Jerusalem.  He knew what that entailed, and the inherent risks in placing himself in the precise location and condition of where, ultimately, he was fated to meet his end... but this was Dree.  He needed to get to Gringotts. As soon as was possible.

There would not be time to come back here for goodbyes, if things did not go well at the bank.

Adon felt a Maiko's hand wrap around his and he gave a pinched sort of smile, back turned to her as much as he could manage.  He was not so certain he wanted to speak right now.  There were too many ideas and thoughts--bad thoughts--in his head right now.  One or two of them might slip out. 

"You guys are getting a hell of a meal when this is over." 

It was--the thing about a meal was.... Well, he didn't know how to respond to it.  When this was over...

The thought was meant to be a kind one, and with visible effort, he turned to face her, and nodded, but didn't manage a smile.  Automatically, Adon attempted to turn back to the kettle on the stove--once more blocking out Maiko, Akiva, anyone and anything but the flames from the stove unit and the pot.  He focused on these things, his mooring point,

"Are you--" she cut in. 

"Fine," Adon said in a hoarse voice.  He cleared his throat and said, more quietly. "Because I have to be."  He didn't have time to feel, he didn't even have time to help others through their feelings.  Adon was the only person with both the knowledge and the skill set to resolve this and bring his brother back.  And he had to act. He needed backup.  Gwen, maybe a couple of Aurors in London that he trusted, the Aurors in Jerusalem--

"Can I do something?" came Akiva's soft voice.  She sounded drained, exhausted.  Adon wanted to say something that could be of any comfort, but instead, he found himself gripping at the edges of the stove, forcing down a mounting frustration.

"I'm fine," Adon repeated, a bit louder.  With a sigh, he turned to face both directly.  He opened his mouth, preparing an apology before shaking his head.  There was no time.

"Kiv," he said, quietly, crossing the kitchen and holding out his finger for Gabriel to wrap his chubby hand around.  He paused a moment, tilting his head down slightly to look Gabriel in the eyes.  He gave a sad smile and kissed him on the forehead.  "I need to go to Gringotts.  If Dreogan goes anywhere--it will be there.  I don't know what Toppuluk wants from our vault, but it's something.  And if I can intercept..."

He wet his lips. "And if I can't, I will need to go to Jerusalem."  He hoped she understood what that could mean.  There was a long silence.  Adon's eyes stung and he searched for what to say.  There was such a feeling of inevitability to this.  He rubbed his chin, stalling. 

He was suddenly aware of everything in the room.  The bubbling of the boiling kettle, the feeling of Maiko, just behind him, Gabriel's sticky-soft squeeze.  He locked eyes with her.  She was reeling--he knew it.  He was floundering as well, but one thing informed all of his actions from here on out:  "I will bring him back, Akiva.  I promise."

Akiva appeared. She came back. It was just as well-- she needed to see Adon again just in case... Mai looked down at her feet, suddenly feeling very much like she shouldn't be here, in the middle of this moment between family. As much as Akiva was like family to Mai, that didn't mean that she belonged in the private Eleor circle. If all this shit got resolved, then yes-- she would love to have Dree and Kiv and Adon over for food, games, and chatting.

But now was not the time to think about that.

"Goodbye Adon." She gave him a wan smile, despite the fact his back was to her.  "It was--" She cleared her throat, "Thank you for--" she motioned vaguely at nothing in particular. "Rescuing Dree." And risking himself to do it. "Your devotion to your family is...." As it should be, with family. But Mai couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence cohesively. What was she supposed to say now? Good luck? She didn't particularly believe in luck.

Luck wouldn't get him out of this. It would be his own skill and determination.

Akiva didn’t truly know how to react to what was going on.  There was, unfortunately, no handbook to figure out what to do when your presumed dead husband was actually determined to be living.  By extension, there would be no chapter on the impending potential loss… again.  Of bigger loss, actually, if Adon’s demeanor suggested anything to her.

Letting out a deep breath, she had two choices: she could collapse and panic and let the world swallow her whole, or she could look up at Adon and hope that they would both come home, force herself to believe they wouldn’t be gone in a matter of hours. 

Even if he couldn’t really promise her anything – Adon was not the seer in the family – she knew he wasn’t lying when he promised he would bring Dree home.  Adon genuinely thought he would, and Akiva hoped he was right.  For her sake and her son’s sake.  Despite everything, she really didn’t have a voice to use.  There was a lump in her throat, thinking of the possibilities, and instead of answering, she put her free hand out and touched Adon’s arm with a nod, swallowing hard. 

Thankfully, where she lacked words, Maiko had some.  She sniffed, trying to be discreet, despite the fact that her eyes were definitely stinging and let out another deep breath.  Gabriel gently burbled, perhaps picking up on the atmosphere of the room, or maybe just post-nap drowsiness.  Akiva imagined he could tell though, and looking between both Maiko and Adon, Akiva just stood there, wordless.