A Storm Dragged In
The black clouds rolled overhead, a storm was brewing. Tonks and Liz sat with two cups of tea. Liz was focused on nothing, all she could see was the blurring around her eyes. Tonks was staring at her worriedly, she looked a mess. Her face was pale, eyes red and puffy, hair limp. She hadn't changed for three days in a row. It was the same grimy grey t-shirt and jean capri's. They had stains across them, from food, dirty, but mostly salty tears.
Tonks was worried, severely worried about the girl that had been her best friend since she was eleven years old. Putting her saucer down she reached across the table and put a hand over Liz's. "Al'right Liz?" She asked quietly.
Liz slowly turned her head to her friend. Her eyes were blank and wet. She didn't speak for a few moments.
"I'm...I'm dead inside Dora." Tonks jumped a bit. Liz hadn't called her Dora in years, it was her serious name for her (Tonks called her Betha when she was serious). "I lost Sirius...and I thought it was over, I wouldn't be able to go on, love or live again...Then Charlie came, he showed me I could, that life was worth it. He made me love again...and I pushed him away, time and time again.
We were fighting, Dora, over that exact thing, he had a right to be angry with me...not that I didn't have a right to be angry with him...but...I was pushing him away. He didn't deserve that, and now I can't apologize, I can't show him that I understand now. That I'm ready to give him all of my love. I've lost a second person to this FUCKING war. And it's barely begun...it's barely begun Dora. I can't do this anymore....It's to much...when he didn't come back yesterday, I died along with him."
"Betha, he might not be ...dead... we dont' know that."
"Dora! If he's not he's probably worse then dead! Look at Frank and Alice! Look at what's already happened to Arthur! I can't even imagine what horrors he's had to go through. If he is alive, who's to say he'll be even close to the person he was before? He might not remember anyone or anything! He may be so deformed he will refuse to even be seen. I can't even begin to comprehend what could be going on right now! It's over Dora, he's gone...and most likely in the most final way..." Liz didn't start crying but she was much paler then she was before.
Tonks didn't know what to do. She couldn't imagine losing two lovers in such a short amount of time. The only thing she could think of was hugging her. So with a grace she didn't know she possessed she got up and kneeled next to her friend wrapping her arms around her. Liz leaned into the hug and sighed, her breath broken, silent tears started to flow.
They sat there for so long, Tonks giving her friend strength and support, Liz trying to hold herself together. Outside the storm had started, lightening and thunder raged. Rain was pouring down and it matched Liz's internal storm. She felt the heavens where sympathizing with her pains.
That was when the front door was thrown open. The girls couldn't see who'd come in due to the half-wall blocking there view but they heard a gasp and stuttering. Tonks confused let go and stroked her friends matty hair. "Let me see who that is Liz...I'll be back" Liz nodded slightly not saying anything, instead looked out the window at the black raining, thundering clouds.
"Liz'beth!!" Tonks screamed from the other side. With a wrenching sigh she got up slowly. Pushing in her chair she took three futile steps around the partonage. Her eyes, already adjusted to the darkness, took in the small room. Tonks was almost right next to her gaping, Diggle--who'd been on 'watch' was standing and shaking. The front door was wide open and in it stood a soaking, exhausted red-head.
Liz gasped and cried all at once. "C-Cha-Charlie?!" She was sobbing, without another thought she ran over to him and threw her arms full around him, eyes pouring with relief and worry. "Oh God, Charlie, oh god, I'm sorry...Charlie?" He hadn't done anything. Backing off and looking up at him she saw he was worse off looking then her. His curly red hair was drenched and dripping down his face, into his eyes. His face was downcast, dirty, paler then the moon. His clothes were torn and his normal tanned body looked strained, tired. "Oh Charlie! What happened?!"
"No time. Need Dumbledore." Liz was so surprised she didn't know what to do, luckily Tonks was on top of things.
"Dumbledore gotcha." She apparated out quickly. As soon as she was gone Charlie's face seemed a little less tight and lined. He looked down at Liz again and stared at her. She became uncomfortable by his scrutiny, she realized how bad she looked...But before she could apologize or go hide herself he wrapped his arms tightly around her--seeming to forget Dedalus was around.
With his tight embrace, his body shaking, Liz lost control again, she sobbed. He held her tighter. "I am so sorry Lizzie. So sorry. I should never have doubted Lynn, I should never had said anything about Sirius, I never should have doubted you. Merlin, I'm so sorry."
"Oh Charlie, I'm sorry! I've never been so sorry in my entire life!" The two didn't say much more, just clung to one another until Dumbledore apparated with Tonks.
"Mr. Weasley..."
"Dumbledore, sir! The Death Eaters! They have gotten support from the Vampires of Bran! They've been meeting there for months...or so I could gander...The way it sounds is they are headed this way in hopes to get us Dragontamers on their side...for the dragons, sir!"
Dumbledore's blue eyes were severely focused on the second oldest Weasley. "Let us talk in private Charlie. Elizabeth, Nymphadora, Dedalus, if you could please excuse us."
"Sir!" Tonks shouted, taking a look at her woe-begotten friend.
"I will return him safe and sound within the hour, Nymphadora."
"It's alright Tonks, it's important." Liz smiled slightly at her friend, then walked over to Charlie and kissed him softly on the cheek.
He looked down at her and with a quick fury kissed her on the lips then apparated with Dumbledore.
It was almost two hours before the two apparated back to the small hut. Diggle had apparated to Grimmauld, he knew that when Charlie returned Liz would want time alone with him, and Tonks said she'd wait until the two men had returned. And she had, the two had sat, almost in total silence waiting.
When they returned, Charlie looked a little less exhausted, but they both looked grim. Tonks and Liz immediately stood up. Liz held herself back from leaping at him once more.
"Nymphadora, I thank you for staying with Elizabeth, but if you could...I need to speak with these two alone."
"Of course Professor! I'll just head back then. You hold in there Liz, girl." And before Liz could respond Tonks was gone. Liz turned back to Dumbledore and Charlie. The three just stood there until Liz suddenly realized she was being rude.
"Oh! Sir would you like some tea?" Dumbledore gave her a crooked smile but politely declined.
"If we could just sit, I can let you two talk sooner."
"Right, right. Sitting." Liz quickly took a seat and the two followed her lead. Charlie sat in a small recliner next to the couch and Dumbledore took a nice rocker.
"From what Charlie has told me you soon will have Death Eaters trying to infiltrate the Reserve. I suggest you both try and subtly warn the others here of what is about to happen, and that you two yourselves arm against what's about to happen. The Order will be sending some members down, new recruits if you will, to help guard the area. But you two will be head of this assignment as you both have been down here longer then anyone else and know the area and the peoples. I will now leave you to your own devices as I have some things now to take care of."
Liz and Charlie stood as Dumbledore nodded at them and apparated away. After he'd gone, the two left stood not speaking at first. Then Charlie turned to Liz and opened his mouth to say something but she stopped him.
"Love, I don't care right now...I don't care where you went, why you went, what you found out, as long as you still love me that's all that matters. Is that still true?" He nodded furiously. "Good, now I need, more then anything else for you to kiss me." Charlie didn't need to be told twice. With as much force that had built up from sorrow, loneliness, worry, fear, and exploding love; he seared her lips with a passionate kiss.
The rest when I can focus.
Tonks was worried, severely worried about the girl that had been her best friend since she was eleven years old. Putting her saucer down she reached across the table and put a hand over Liz's. "Al'right Liz?" She asked quietly.
Liz slowly turned her head to her friend. Her eyes were blank and wet. She didn't speak for a few moments.
"I'm...I'm dead inside Dora." Tonks jumped a bit. Liz hadn't called her Dora in years, it was her serious name for her (Tonks called her Betha when she was serious). "I lost Sirius...and I thought it was over, I wouldn't be able to go on, love or live again...Then Charlie came, he showed me I could, that life was worth it. He made me love again...and I pushed him away, time and time again.
We were fighting, Dora, over that exact thing, he had a right to be angry with me...not that I didn't have a right to be angry with him...but...I was pushing him away. He didn't deserve that, and now I can't apologize, I can't show him that I understand now. That I'm ready to give him all of my love. I've lost a second person to this FUCKING war. And it's barely begun...it's barely begun Dora. I can't do this anymore....It's to much...when he didn't come back yesterday, I died along with him."
"Betha, he might not be ...dead... we dont' know that."
"Dora! If he's not he's probably worse then dead! Look at Frank and Alice! Look at what's already happened to Arthur! I can't even imagine what horrors he's had to go through. If he is alive, who's to say he'll be even close to the person he was before? He might not remember anyone or anything! He may be so deformed he will refuse to even be seen. I can't even begin to comprehend what could be going on right now! It's over Dora, he's gone...and most likely in the most final way..." Liz didn't start crying but she was much paler then she was before.
Tonks didn't know what to do. She couldn't imagine losing two lovers in such a short amount of time. The only thing she could think of was hugging her. So with a grace she didn't know she possessed she got up and kneeled next to her friend wrapping her arms around her. Liz leaned into the hug and sighed, her breath broken, silent tears started to flow.
They sat there for so long, Tonks giving her friend strength and support, Liz trying to hold herself together. Outside the storm had started, lightening and thunder raged. Rain was pouring down and it matched Liz's internal storm. She felt the heavens where sympathizing with her pains.
That was when the front door was thrown open. The girls couldn't see who'd come in due to the half-wall blocking there view but they heard a gasp and stuttering. Tonks confused let go and stroked her friends matty hair. "Let me see who that is Liz...I'll be back" Liz nodded slightly not saying anything, instead looked out the window at the black raining, thundering clouds.
"Liz'beth!!" Tonks screamed from the other side. With a wrenching sigh she got up slowly. Pushing in her chair she took three futile steps around the partonage. Her eyes, already adjusted to the darkness, took in the small room. Tonks was almost right next to her gaping, Diggle--who'd been on 'watch' was standing and shaking. The front door was wide open and in it stood a soaking, exhausted red-head.
Liz gasped and cried all at once. "C-Cha-Charlie?!" She was sobbing, without another thought she ran over to him and threw her arms full around him, eyes pouring with relief and worry. "Oh God, Charlie, oh god, I'm sorry...Charlie?" He hadn't done anything. Backing off and looking up at him she saw he was worse off looking then her. His curly red hair was drenched and dripping down his face, into his eyes. His face was downcast, dirty, paler then the moon. His clothes were torn and his normal tanned body looked strained, tired. "Oh Charlie! What happened?!"
"No time. Need Dumbledore." Liz was so surprised she didn't know what to do, luckily Tonks was on top of things.
"Dumbledore gotcha." She apparated out quickly. As soon as she was gone Charlie's face seemed a little less tight and lined. He looked down at Liz again and stared at her. She became uncomfortable by his scrutiny, she realized how bad she looked...But before she could apologize or go hide herself he wrapped his arms tightly around her--seeming to forget Dedalus was around.
With his tight embrace, his body shaking, Liz lost control again, she sobbed. He held her tighter. "I am so sorry Lizzie. So sorry. I should never have doubted Lynn, I should never had said anything about Sirius, I never should have doubted you. Merlin, I'm so sorry."
"Oh Charlie, I'm sorry! I've never been so sorry in my entire life!" The two didn't say much more, just clung to one another until Dumbledore apparated with Tonks.
"Mr. Weasley..."
"Dumbledore, sir! The Death Eaters! They have gotten support from the Vampires of Bran! They've been meeting there for months...or so I could gander...The way it sounds is they are headed this way in hopes to get us Dragontamers on their side...for the dragons, sir!"
Dumbledore's blue eyes were severely focused on the second oldest Weasley. "Let us talk in private Charlie. Elizabeth, Nymphadora, Dedalus, if you could please excuse us."
"Sir!" Tonks shouted, taking a look at her woe-begotten friend.
"I will return him safe and sound within the hour, Nymphadora."
"It's alright Tonks, it's important." Liz smiled slightly at her friend, then walked over to Charlie and kissed him softly on the cheek.
He looked down at her and with a quick fury kissed her on the lips then apparated with Dumbledore.
It was almost two hours before the two apparated back to the small hut. Diggle had apparated to Grimmauld, he knew that when Charlie returned Liz would want time alone with him, and Tonks said she'd wait until the two men had returned. And she had, the two had sat, almost in total silence waiting.
When they returned, Charlie looked a little less exhausted, but they both looked grim. Tonks and Liz immediately stood up. Liz held herself back from leaping at him once more.
"Nymphadora, I thank you for staying with Elizabeth, but if you could...I need to speak with these two alone."
"Of course Professor! I'll just head back then. You hold in there Liz, girl." And before Liz could respond Tonks was gone. Liz turned back to Dumbledore and Charlie. The three just stood there until Liz suddenly realized she was being rude.
"Oh! Sir would you like some tea?" Dumbledore gave her a crooked smile but politely declined.
"If we could just sit, I can let you two talk sooner."
"Right, right. Sitting." Liz quickly took a seat and the two followed her lead. Charlie sat in a small recliner next to the couch and Dumbledore took a nice rocker.
"From what Charlie has told me you soon will have Death Eaters trying to infiltrate the Reserve. I suggest you both try and subtly warn the others here of what is about to happen, and that you two yourselves arm against what's about to happen. The Order will be sending some members down, new recruits if you will, to help guard the area. But you two will be head of this assignment as you both have been down here longer then anyone else and know the area and the peoples. I will now leave you to your own devices as I have some things now to take care of."
Liz and Charlie stood as Dumbledore nodded at them and apparated away. After he'd gone, the two left stood not speaking at first. Then Charlie turned to Liz and opened his mouth to say something but she stopped him.
"Love, I don't care right now...I don't care where you went, why you went, what you found out, as long as you still love me that's all that matters. Is that still true?" He nodded furiously. "Good, now I need, more then anything else for you to kiss me." Charlie didn't need to be told twice. With as much force that had built up from sorrow, loneliness, worry, fear, and exploding love; he seared her lips with a passionate kiss.
The rest when I can focus.