RP: The First Step in a Second Chance
Date: June 22 2003
Character(s): Alice Longbottom, Jackson Lillermander (NPC)
Location: The Beedle Bar
Status: Private
Summary: Taking the first steps in bringing her husband to Annwn.
Completion: Complete
"So what do you think?" Alice asked quietly, nursing her drink - club soda, but she'd felt compelled to order something.
They sat at the back of the Beedle Bar, talking about bringing Frank to Annwn. She might have gone with some of the young ones Remus had suggested, that he knew, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't trust her husband to somebody she didn't know, someone she didn't trust implicitly. It was an ingrained and learned lesson, caused by time and circumstance. Her first choices were hindered in the same way as she - if around, they were dead, unable to leave the confines of the town, unable to effect change in the outside world. But they were selfish choices regardless, because the way she wanted it done, there was a slight personal risk inherent in it at least regarding their name in the outside world.
It had been half chance running into a man who had entered and gone through auror training at the same time as she - Jackson Lillermader, a good man, and friend to both her and Frank throughout. They'd lost touch when they became heavily involved in the Order, but for her the bond remained, and even with his slight hesitation it seemed to remain for him too. They'd reminisced for awhile, after he'd got over expressing his delight at finding her around here - he was living in the town full time, reunited with his muggle fiancé who had been killed by Death Eaters. She'd meant to wait, to feel him out, but it had come out quicker than planned. She couldn't help it, she wanted Frank here, with her - no matter what the outcome after.
Though she thought she knew what it was going to be.
"I wish I had an invisibility cloak to cover the two of us," Jackson admitted, fiddling with the handle of his pint. "I mean, I'm here in Annwn for the duration, but...but if I'm not...if I can't go in and out undetected with him, somebody will notice me and that means repercussions in the world outside. Are you sure you can't just have him transferred here with all the proper paperwork and that jazz? I mean I'll do the subterfuge if need be, but..."
It was a route she'd considered too, but there were a multitude of reasons why it wouldn't work. If nothing else because Annwn didn't exist. You couldn't transfer a patient to a place that had no location, no official hospital, nobody to take responsibility. And besides that reason, somebody's name would have to go on that paperwork, and as turbulent on the outside as things were right then - or so she'd been informed - people didn't just let things like that slide. She'd spelled out these reasons to Jackson already, and with a look from her he sighed in acknowledgement of them. "You're right, not really an option is it?"
"This should be a piece of cake for you," Alice said with a ghost of a smile, "Didn't you always claim you were better at stealth operations than I was back in the day?"
"I was and still am," he snorted, "and not even you famous Longbottoms could do this sort of thing better, nor Mad-Eye for that matter. I suppose I'm just getting paranoid in my old age."
She could have needled him into accepting, casual teasing - a slight prick at his pride, a few shots at his skill level, and he would have done it. Alice couldn't quite bring herself to do it however. For all she wanted this to work so very very badly, she couldn't manipulate him into doing this in that fashion. It wasn't exactly taking on Voldemort, but if it went south, it could make things sticky for Jackson on the outside.
"You do it how you think fit," she said reasonably, "but transfigure a few features on your face - enough to disguise yourself temporarily. Sign in at the front desk as Frank's cousin...I don't know, Thomas Longbottom. Don't take too long with it - take him for a walk in his wheelchair and apparate him here when you have the chance once getting outside."
"It seems easy enough," Jackson conceded. "You do realize that will raise the alarm even more than a fake transfer would?"
She shrugged, "It's like closing the barn door once the horses are out." At his confused expression, she changed the muggle clichéd response. "It will be too late, it will be done. They can deny a fake transfer, they can't stop this, and the alarm will be after you're well away, nobody the wiser to your involvement. Chances are, they're going to expect foul play - we had enemies, look at what happened to us after all. I know it's unlikely any enemies bided their time this long, but yet..."
Alice couldn't bring herself to feel much pity for the hospital and it's healers and medi-witches, for their guilt and their panic. Oh, she'd seen how they could be with Frank, he wasn't mistreated, but the lingering bitterness remained for her own death. It was a relief and a curse that event, but yet, her death had been an avoidable one. What she did feel was guilt for was those who still cared for him on the outside, who wouldn't know what happened to him. His mother for one, her son for another if Neville was keeping in any kind of contact regarding Frank.
"I'd do it myself," she said softly, "but I can't. I can't leave Jackson, much as I wish I could. And Frank, I...I need him here. Maybe we can do something, maybe we can't, but I can't touch him there. I can't be there with him."
For all she heard the words coming out of her mouth too, she couldn't quite believe them. Alice knew how selfish it was for other reasons besides repercussions on people from the outside. She was taking advantage of a friendship, of a bond from the past that had probably weakened for him over time - as he'd had much more of it pass than her. For all she hated the pity people felt for her, she was exploiting it now to get what she wanted. Alice hated herself for it, because for all she liked Jackson, respected him - he had never been one of that all important 'them', when maybe he was worthy of inclusion too, but she for one had never pushed. And even though she'd left him behind in some respects, she was asking a lot of him now. Not deathly dangerous, or really even that personally dangerous, but a favour larger than she had a right to expect granted.
"You don't have to do it," Alice said quietly, but she rested her hand on his arm in silent pleading.
It was a form of manipulation, but she couldn't bring herself to feel the proper guilt.
Jackson shook his head, patting her hand. From the look in his eyes, she could see the pity lingering there, and though she wished it gone, she knew was his answer would be - the one she wanted.
"No, but I will anyway."
Character(s): Alice Longbottom, Jackson Lillermander (NPC)
Location: The Beedle Bar
Status: Private
Summary: Taking the first steps in bringing her husband to Annwn.
Completion: Complete
"So what do you think?" Alice asked quietly, nursing her drink - club soda, but she'd felt compelled to order something.
They sat at the back of the Beedle Bar, talking about bringing Frank to Annwn. She might have gone with some of the young ones Remus had suggested, that he knew, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't trust her husband to somebody she didn't know, someone she didn't trust implicitly. It was an ingrained and learned lesson, caused by time and circumstance. Her first choices were hindered in the same way as she - if around, they were dead, unable to leave the confines of the town, unable to effect change in the outside world. But they were selfish choices regardless, because the way she wanted it done, there was a slight personal risk inherent in it at least regarding their name in the outside world.
It had been half chance running into a man who had entered and gone through auror training at the same time as she - Jackson Lillermader, a good man, and friend to both her and Frank throughout. They'd lost touch when they became heavily involved in the Order, but for her the bond remained, and even with his slight hesitation it seemed to remain for him too. They'd reminisced for awhile, after he'd got over expressing his delight at finding her around here - he was living in the town full time, reunited with his muggle fiancé who had been killed by Death Eaters. She'd meant to wait, to feel him out, but it had come out quicker than planned. She couldn't help it, she wanted Frank here, with her - no matter what the outcome after.
Though she thought she knew what it was going to be.
"I wish I had an invisibility cloak to cover the two of us," Jackson admitted, fiddling with the handle of his pint. "I mean, I'm here in Annwn for the duration, but...but if I'm not...if I can't go in and out undetected with him, somebody will notice me and that means repercussions in the world outside. Are you sure you can't just have him transferred here with all the proper paperwork and that jazz? I mean I'll do the subterfuge if need be, but..."
It was a route she'd considered too, but there were a multitude of reasons why it wouldn't work. If nothing else because Annwn didn't exist. You couldn't transfer a patient to a place that had no location, no official hospital, nobody to take responsibility. And besides that reason, somebody's name would have to go on that paperwork, and as turbulent on the outside as things were right then - or so she'd been informed - people didn't just let things like that slide. She'd spelled out these reasons to Jackson already, and with a look from her he sighed in acknowledgement of them. "You're right, not really an option is it?"
"This should be a piece of cake for you," Alice said with a ghost of a smile, "Didn't you always claim you were better at stealth operations than I was back in the day?"
"I was and still am," he snorted, "and not even you famous Longbottoms could do this sort of thing better, nor Mad-Eye for that matter. I suppose I'm just getting paranoid in my old age."
She could have needled him into accepting, casual teasing - a slight prick at his pride, a few shots at his skill level, and he would have done it. Alice couldn't quite bring herself to do it however. For all she wanted this to work so very very badly, she couldn't manipulate him into doing this in that fashion. It wasn't exactly taking on Voldemort, but if it went south, it could make things sticky for Jackson on the outside.
"You do it how you think fit," she said reasonably, "but transfigure a few features on your face - enough to disguise yourself temporarily. Sign in at the front desk as Frank's cousin...I don't know, Thomas Longbottom. Don't take too long with it - take him for a walk in his wheelchair and apparate him here when you have the chance once getting outside."
"It seems easy enough," Jackson conceded. "You do realize that will raise the alarm even more than a fake transfer would?"
She shrugged, "It's like closing the barn door once the horses are out." At his confused expression, she changed the muggle clichéd response. "It will be too late, it will be done. They can deny a fake transfer, they can't stop this, and the alarm will be after you're well away, nobody the wiser to your involvement. Chances are, they're going to expect foul play - we had enemies, look at what happened to us after all. I know it's unlikely any enemies bided their time this long, but yet..."
Alice couldn't bring herself to feel much pity for the hospital and it's healers and medi-witches, for their guilt and their panic. Oh, she'd seen how they could be with Frank, he wasn't mistreated, but the lingering bitterness remained for her own death. It was a relief and a curse that event, but yet, her death had been an avoidable one. What she did feel was guilt for was those who still cared for him on the outside, who wouldn't know what happened to him. His mother for one, her son for another if Neville was keeping in any kind of contact regarding Frank.
"I'd do it myself," she said softly, "but I can't. I can't leave Jackson, much as I wish I could. And Frank, I...I need him here. Maybe we can do something, maybe we can't, but I can't touch him there. I can't be there with him."
For all she heard the words coming out of her mouth too, she couldn't quite believe them. Alice knew how selfish it was for other reasons besides repercussions on people from the outside. She was taking advantage of a friendship, of a bond from the past that had probably weakened for him over time - as he'd had much more of it pass than her. For all she hated the pity people felt for her, she was exploiting it now to get what she wanted. Alice hated herself for it, because for all she liked Jackson, respected him - he had never been one of that all important 'them', when maybe he was worthy of inclusion too, but she for one had never pushed. And even though she'd left him behind in some respects, she was asking a lot of him now. Not deathly dangerous, or really even that personally dangerous, but a favour larger than she had a right to expect granted.
"You don't have to do it," Alice said quietly, but she rested her hand on his arm in silent pleading.
It was a form of manipulation, but she couldn't bring herself to feel the proper guilt.
Jackson shook his head, patting her hand. From the look in his eyes, she could see the pity lingering there, and though she wished it gone, she knew was his answer would be - the one she wanted.
"No, but I will anyway."