Early Evening


In a plain, carefully wrapped package, Audrey had wrapped a onesie that said ‘Future Quidditch Player’ as well as a soft baby blanket adorned with mini golden snitches. With much convincing (and then support) from Flynn and her parents, Audrey decided to swallow up some of her pride and apologize to her cousin’s fiancé, Gabrielle. After all, she didn’t hold any ill will towards the witch, just Francis.

Audrey knocked on the door firmly, only to be let in by Imp. She gave him a polite nod. “I’m here to visit Gabrielle.” She said tersely, motioning towards the gift that was tucked under her arm. Imp let her in. He was the strangest house elf, and she wasn’t awfully fond of him. House elves in general made Audrey uncomfortable, though she did her best not to express that. He led her to the living room, and she sat and waited not-so-patiently for Gabie to appear, foot tapping against the floor rhythmically.

When Gabie entered the room, Audrey raised her eyebrows. “Good afternoon.” She glanced down at the gift, “I brought something.”

Gabie had been in the midst of checking the wards for the manor, ensuring their strengths and determining when would be the best time to grab a hold of Quince and a few others to patch up the weaker parts. Probably in a few weeks might be good, but she'd be able to wait until then. Mistress.....you have a visitor. Gabrielle's eyes moved quickly to look at Imp, eyebrow raised. "Visitor? We....we weren't expecting company today." Imp shrugged in indifference. "Oh, you're no help." Imp grinned, cackling as he disappeared in his huff of sulfuric smoke, causing Gabie to wave the scent away.

Such the life of a Sunday.

Gabrielle moved to the living room, hearing the foot tapping. Hmf. Impatient individuals.

And it was before entering that the witch paused upon recognising who said impatient company was. Go on, woman, her brain urged, slightly amused to take note of Gabrielle's remembrance of fireballs the weekend before. Blonde raised eyebrows matched one another as they recognised, acknowledged one another and their company. "Good afternoon to you as well, Audrey." Gabrielle's eyes followed the gift, her heart curious but concerned what lied beneath. However, Gabrielle knew to still remain polite towards company. "Oh, Audrey....you. You really didn't have to do that." A soft smile crept to her lips, partially genuine, partially concerned as to how this conversation might occur.

"Thank you very kindly. Shall....shall I fetch us some tea? I don't mind at all to go and fix it."

Gabrielle didn't seem distraught to see her. That was a good sign.  Or maybe she was upset and not hiding it. Very well. Audrey would understand. She wanted to make it clear that Gabrielle was not on her shit list-- it was Francis, and Francis only. If the two had a wedding... Audrey wasn't sure how she would react. Positively, for the sake of their child. Besides, Gabrielle was kind to Linus, and Li had taken a shining to her. Despite the fact that she was not fond of Francis at the moment didn't mean that their relationship with her son needed to be sacrificed.

It wouldn't be fair to him.

"You're pregnant. You're supposed to bring pregnant women gifts." Audrey insisted, quirking a brow and setting her mouth into a stern line. "No tea, thank you. If you want some, go ahead." She had too much caffeine today, she didn't need more.

Unlike the facial expression she had briefly made on Boxing Day, Gabrielle was good at perfecting the stony expression, especially with moments such as these. Listening to the woman speak, Gabie remained indifferent, void of over emotional expressions ever still. However, she felt touched that Audrey cared at least about the matter of their child. Sighing, Gabrielle rose, taking the package a moment later, carefully at that, and sat back down, staring at it.

This was damned uncomfortable and down right upsetting, the plain wrapping paper included.

Gingerly, Gabrielle began to unwrap the paper slowly, uncertain what precisely was underneath. Soon enough, her eyes saw the fluttering image of a golden snitch - no wait, snitches - and soon was smiling at last at the sight. It was adorable, a kind touch, gesture there. "Thank you, Audrey, I--" she began as the reveal of the onesie was soon seen. The witch chuckled faintly.

"Thank you, Audrey."

"You're welcome." Audrey replied, crossing one leg over the other and resting her hands on her knee. She wondered how she should apologize. She was not one who easily said sorry. It was her damned pride getting in the way. However, as angry and frustrated she was at the situation, Audrey didn't want to have Linus be cut off from a part of the family that he genuinely enjoyed. Linus looked up to Ambrose. Growing up without a dad, Linus latched on to all the adult male figures of the family.

Yes, he had met Maurice, and that-- well, that was a disaster that Audrey did not want to talk about.  The jerk had the audacity to send her son a giant stocking.

"Linus helped choose the onesie." Audrey gave Gabie a shadow of a smile. "He's been worried I would make him stop talking to you and Francis." The smile disappeared,  "I won't. You're... Family."

Gabrielle smiled at the mentioning of Linus' involvement pertaining to the wardrobe choices.

"I'll be sure to send a thank you note then to the Gryffindor table once he returns back from the holiday. I'm sure that will get conversations of some sort started - a brief moment of recognition from a Ministry worker, hm?" Briefly, Gabrielle traced the embroidered words, wondering if Linus had some insight about the baby to come. What if the little Pepper to be was destined to be a Quidditch player? Gabrielle chuckled at this thought, actually genuine amused to have such thoughts passing through her brain.

"He's been worried I would make him stop talking to you and Francis. I won't. You're... Family."

The glances towards the gifts immediately were torn away as Gabie looked up to Audrey, eyebrow raised. Family?

Family?

"Well, I'm sure Linus deserves to keep Francis in his life, one way or another, Audrey. After all, Linus deserves a relative such as Francis, hm?" Gabrielle was deflecting and she knew it. There was hurt still, unresolved tension and words she didn't wish to express. The fireballs were minor to how she had felt on Boxing Day when sitting outside alone for those few moments. "I'm thankful though you wish to keep the connect there. I'm sure Linus and Francis will be too."

Audrey crossed her arms over her chest protectively, effectively closing herself off from Gabie. She was still harboring bitter feelings towards Francis. Oh yes, she had swallowed her tongue when he corrected her tense when she said she loved Claire. Just because Claire was dead didn't mean that Audrey stopped caring for her. What did that imply about him? So he stopped loving Claire because she was no longer Claire? The thought was not a comfortable one. Though, Gabrielle leaving had caused her to hold her tongue on that. Francis had been so eager to move on conversation-wise.

"Linus deserves relatives like Monty and Ambrose." Audrey clarified, "You if you wish it. If you don't want to be labelled family, fine. " She was not pleased with the way Gabrielle had ignored Audrey's... Near acceptance. In fact, Gabrielle had dodged it completely. She had thought about apologizing, but now maybe not.

"I never said I didn't wish to be a part of this family, Audrey," came the icy response, Gabrielle eyeing the other closely, carefully. She was calculating her next choice of words, hoping that they came off proper, polite. The last thing she wished for was that more fire would release from fingertips, hands. "I would love nothing more than to be a part of it." Good start, continue on, Gabie self-coached herself.

"I don't intend to ever let Ambrose, Timothy, even you, Flynn, Adelebert, Linus, Catherine, Zeta, Eta, Theta, Monty, Francis forget who Claire was. Claire was a mainstay in the family and I respect that. Do I expect you all to forever accept me as one of your own? No, not necessarily, but I would appreciate a little support. Save my uncle and step brother, my family is either very busy, dead or not available. You all are alone a stable environment and I want that for the child Francis and I will be having."

Gabrielle exhaled slowly, hoping this would come off politely as possible.

"I don't ask for you to play suck up or pretty, but I do wish for us to get along much better than we have in the past week and a half. Is that too much to ask?"

Audrey tried to be quiet and patient. In fact, she allowed Gabrielle to go off on her little tangent, no matter how much it fueled the barely-suppressed flames. She did her best to stifle it, for Linus' stake. However, the longer that Gabrielle spoke, the more frustrated Audrey became. Her cheeks flushed a violent red, her manicured nails dug into the palms of her hands as she held herself back. She took a deep breath.

Why did Gabrielle have to open Pandora's box all over again? Audrey hadn't mentioned Claire. She hadn't mentioned the fight on Boxing Day. She hadn't mentioned her opinion. No. In fact, she had kept it quiet in order to be diplomatic. And here this woman was, putting words into her mouth. She came here offering support, and had been slapped in the face. Well then, if this was how it was going to be, claws were much more powerful than a slap. Nobody could say that Audrey didn't put in an effort.

What was it that her father had told her? Oh yes. Wait ten seconds before responding in anger. So she waited.. 1..2...3...

Pfft, that advice worked for people who were much more spineless than she was. No, she had a spine of steel and a threatened pride.

How dare Gabrielle Murray imply that she would forget Claire? That Ambrose or Tim would forget. No, that was not who she was concerned about. The people listed knew their place. It was Francis and Gabrielle who were forgetting where they should have stood.  And through it all, Gabrielle held on to this condescending air, this aura of 'better than you' that Audrey simply could not tolerate.

"I don't ask for you to play suck up or pretty, but I do wish for us to get along much better than we have in the past week and a half. Is that too much to ask?"


The witch stood up stiffly, "You put words into my mouth, things I did not say. Things I did not bring up because I wanted to move past it as much as I could," Audrey said spitefully as she glowered at the older woman. "You're IMPLYING that I thought you wanted me to kiss your ass." Audrey scoffed, "As if I ever would. And if you believe that thought ever crossed my mind, you're much more pathetic and foolish than I gave you credit for." She didn't yell, though her bitter words carried, the tone dark and harsh, venomous. 

To think, she had considered Gabrielle a worthy person to have in her son's life. And had vocalized it just moments before. She had been sorely wrong.

She clutched her purse and made her way to the door-- far too aware of what she would do to the interior of the home if she stayed much longer, to be poked and pestered and talked down to.

Oh, for - -

Gabie exhaled heavily in annoyance. Clearly, both women were throwing more blockades up than what they were ever to admit in partaking for -- this said, Gabrielle watched Audrey begin storming off. Well, tried as Gabrielle threw a wandless spell to slam the door to keep the other blonde from leaving. Truly, yes, this was utter suicide but she was growing tired of this feud. Sick of it, in fact.

"What is pathetic and bloody well foolish is this tirade. I don't want to be your enemy, Audrey Hughes, nor have I ever wanted to be. You'll always have your prejudices against Francis, I understand that completely, but enough. Stop with the fireballs, stop with the damn storming off. We're women, for crying out loud! We can learn to diplomatically speak to one another and try to fix this problem or we can end up loathing each other for eternity."

Gabrielle was now standing herself, eyes boring deep into that skull across from her own body.

"Take a chance on me."

The door slammed in her face.

And Gabrielle had the nerve to keep talking. Her words battered uselessly against a wall that was too stubborn and unwavering to give way.  When the door was shut, Audrey shut down. This was an act of control-- trying to keep her from leaving! How dare this woman keep her from leaving as she pleased? Audrey never would have done such a thing, or so she thought. No one ewas going to trap her here, like someone's caged pet.

Audrey took out her wand, took a few steps back and wordlessly pointed her wand at the door.[1] The intention, being to blast the door open. In her seething anger, she had blasted it a bit too strongly, blowing the door off the hinges and bits of the wall with it. Too furious to find words, the witch stepped outside, calling her broomstick to her.[2]

1.	Bombarda
2.	Accio