What Happened to Us? (For Markise)

[Annabelle Hennessy]

The café was situated on a corner of two fairly quiet streets in Paris so Annabelle selected a table on the patio to enjoy the decent morning's weather. If she was being honest with herself, she'd admit that her nerves wouldn't take being inside closed walls, wondering if he would really show up. Out here she had the freedom to at least watch for his approach. The floral scents from the carefully landscaped garden surrounding the quaint establishment did little to calm her.

She couldn't believe she was doing this. Was she a complete nutter? Her life was going good, why was she here, taking the day off work and risking it all? Annabelle had recently been promoted to Senior Witch in the Muggle Relations department when Arthur Weasley announced his retirement last month. Her daughter had just been accepted to the most prestigious muggle junior school in London, and she herself had begun her studies at a university as a Bio-chemist thanks to all those years of potions class.

When the waiter came to take her order she quickly asked for a café au lait and a croissant before returning to scan each pedestrian for a glimpse of her old friend. It had been eight long years. She wasn't sure how she'd finally gotten the nerve to send him an owl after she'd disappeared from his life for so long. Even more amazing, he'd accepted her request to meet without any explanation as to why she had left in the first place or why she was now finally contacting him.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise had been stunned at the arrival of Annabelle's owl. It had been so incredibly long since he'd heard from her, and out of the blue she'd wanted to meet. It had been enough to make his head spin with questions.

He'd grabbed the nearest quill and written a quick yes before he gave himself time to wonder why. It wasn't difficult to find companionship—with his clothing line as popular as it was, it was more difficult to find quiet—but it was difficult to find someone who wanted more than to bask in the glow of his fast-paced lifestyle.

It had been half a decade since his designs had been discovered, but already his name was on the lips of anyone who mattered in the fashion world. Already he had homes in New York, Paris, London, and Rome. The glamorous parties, the exclusive clubs, he loved it all, but Anna...

Markise flipped one side of his light cloak back behind his shoulder, displaying the haute couture he was so well known for. Perfectly tailored white slacks with shoes the same deep violet as the cloth that billowed lightly in his wake, and his signature vest, white brocaded with thread so pale that it appeared to shimmer in the spring sunlight. It was silvers and violets, and it set off his hair, near-white blond with lavender and ice-blue tips.

Those on the street didn't blink at his appearance, one reason why he loved Paris so much. He could wear makeup if he pleased, could wear his own designs with only looks of appreciation.

Then he saw Anna, seated outside the café he'd recommended. His glossy lips curved into a glittering smile as he raised a hand to hail her. "Annabelle! He called brightly. Oh, he'd missed her so much more than even he'd known!

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle set down her cup of coffee at the familiar sound of her name. He had always been so sweet to her, that part of her tension went away at just seeing him again. She rose to stand next to her chair, waiting for him to enter the sidewalk café. Years ago she wouldn't have had the patience and would have ran to greet him. Even now part of her ached to rush into his arms. Instead she returned his smile with one of her own, waving and waiting for him to get closer so she could greet him.

"Markise! You look great, I trust the years have been good to you?" She called out, trying to control her battling nerves and excitement. He hadn't changed much outwardly beyond the maturity of years and discarding of school robes for much nicer clothes. She always felt so plain and frumpy about her appearance against his carefully put together looks. She wondered if he was the same caring person she had always loved to be around, if they would talk like old times, or if too much time had passed to salvage any connection. She wouldn't blame Markise if he walked away today hating her, but she had to at least try to erase some of her past mistakes.

[Markise Sterling]

His name being called turned a few gazes toward Markise, but he paid them no mind, only quickening his step a bit to get to Anna faster. "Years?" he called, his glittering smile in place. "Has it been that long?" He waved a hand airily. "Je fais un tabac," he said, the Parisian slang coming easily to him. "I'm the toast of the town." The translation wasn't literal, of course, but it was all the same.

"And how are you? Still a stone cold fox, I see." He gave Anna a teasing wink and pulled up a chair. He could tell that she was nervous, but nerves had no place in reunions with one's friends, no matter how long it had been.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna blushed as usual at the complement, "Codswallop. And I see you're still a lady's man when you choose to be." Markise had never been lacking in the charms department and Anna had missed hearing the complements no matter how misplaced they were. His familiar teasing reassured her a bit more that perhaps he was still the same, that he would somehow understand.

She had gone over and over in her head how she would answer that question when he asked, but every time she thought of it a different answer came to mind. Annabelle suddenly realized that she had never come up with a good clear answer, so she fell back on her normal cookie cutter response. "Oh you know, the usual. Working for the Ministry, dabbling in muggle science on the side, still searching for prince charming, and so on." She left out mention of her daughter, but that wasn't something one dropped on an old friend with as little concern for as the weather.

[Markise Sterling]

"Still searching?" Markise asked, eyes widening slightly. "How is that even possible? Men adore you, whether you notice their admiration or not. Please tell me you haven't been alone all this time. I'll refuse to believe it. You are à la fleur de l’âge, your prime, and you need someone."

In the brief pause after he spoke, the waiter appeared. Markise gave Annabelle a seemingly knowing look, though he was simply wondering if she would appreciate the time to form a response. He turned to the young man, and in a flow of French introduced himself and spoke for some minutes about nothing in particular. Then he ordered a brioche and café creme, and the waiter took himself off. Markise turned back to Anna questioningly.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna waited for the waiter to depart then shrugged her shoulders. "I've dated here or there, nothing serious really. I'd love to find someone to settle down with, but, well It's complicated." Having a daughter tended to make most guys run the other way which did little to encourage her to continue the dating scene. She'd been more cautious then necessary most likely, not wanting to expose her daughter to a procession of men coming in and out of their lives. Sometimes she wished she could just wave her wand and make Mr. Right suddenly be a fixture in her life.

Before she slipped and revealed too much, she turned the tables back to him. She needed to find out how he might take the news before springing it. "What about you? I heard that you came out at Hogwarts not too long after I left. Did you settle down with him?" That was the reason she'd never contacted him; she didn't want to destroy his chances to live the life he wanted.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise was silent a moment. Then his eyes widened and he burst into laughter. "Ariel?" he asked. "I'd forgotten we came out then. Well, we still sleep together sometimes, but I'm sure you don't care who I'm catching the Snitch with. Wow, you know, I think I was in love with him for a while. Then drugs came back into things and I couldn't take it again." He was quiet again. "Maybe I still love him a little..." He hadn't even let himself think of that in forever. "He's been clean a couple years this time."

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"That's an awfully long fling, I'd say there must be some attachment if you keep inviting him back." Anna would have been shocked if Markise had mentioned such things back at Hogwarts, but she was older and much more exposed to worldly desires. She'd had her own list of trysts throughout the years when she'd occasionally find a sitter to go get pissed with acquaintances. She certainly wouldn't judge him for his pursuit of bliss.

She flashed a smile at the glimpse of himself he'd revealed and couldn't help revealing a small glimpse of her own drama. "The closest I've come was getting a proposal from Ryan Magby a few years back. Do you remember him? I wasn't in love, but he did entertain me for a few good weeks. Perhaps I should have accepted, he's the star player for the Dallas Magpies now." She knew it would have never worked out, especially since she caught glimpses of his current flings fairly often in the Prophet. They would have been miserable together.

[Markise Sterling]

"Ryan Magby?" Markise repeated. It was all he could do to keep from laughing all over again. "He was so cute. I listened to him talk about sports once, and it was all worth it just to look at him. Maybe I'll play butch and go to a game some time." Maybe he'd drag Ariel along and get people talking. Of course, he wouldn't say a word of that to Annabelle. She didn't need to know that she had the dragon by the tail with her little assessment.

"So, back to you. Whatever happened to that guy with the rubber duck fetish? Wasn't he Headmaster of the school? Oh, you wouldn't know, you left." He was a little curious, though. Anna had been so hot and heavy with that guy. Chance or something.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"Blimey, I left the school, not the planet!" Although she'd purposefully never come across Markise, she had stayed in England, moving around a bit but always near London and her job at the Ministry. "I'm assuming you mean Headmaster Firebrand? The Governing Board of Hogwarts made him sever all ties with his long time Mistress in order to get the job I hear. Poor Dru, I do hope she moved on and isn't still secretly catering to him. It really was a blessing that he started ignoring me." It could have been her in Dru's position if the cards had been played different. She was often thankful that it hadn't been Chase's baby she'd left with, she didn't think she'd have survived that emotional turmoil.

[Markise Sterling]

"I didn't know Dru very well," Markise admitted. "We went to a few of DareandMichael's gatherings, but I knew more from the gossip you gave me at lunch." He gave her a teasing wink. The waiter returned now, bringing their modest breakfasts, then disappearing again to leave them in privacy. When they were once again alone, he picked up his coffee. "You'd be gobsmacked to know what they've been up to," he said, putting emphasis on the British slang he'd learned from her. He gave her an innocent look, then raised the hot drink to his lips.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"Oh?" Annabelle raised an eyebrow with avid interest. She'd long gotten over the urge to sock Michael for the way he'd treated her but still secretly held a small desire to see him fail. She liked Dare, as much as one could possibly like someone that had stolen a boyfriend away, and wouldn't have wished any ill will on him if it hadn't been for his association with her Ex. "Please do spill. I've always loved a good story."

[Markise Sterling]

"I'm sure you won't want the details," Markise said, "but they're working on fourteen right now." He created a dramatic pause by taking a leisurely bite of his brioche, then dabbed his lips with a bit of napkin. "I'd have thought they would stop at twelve, but the last time they had twins again and Dare said something about unlucky thirteen, so Michael's pregnant again. Lord knows how he keeps his figure. And he glows so much it's sickening. Cheeks red as apples and always wearing this little smile like he's got a secret."

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna's eyes widened. "Fourteen?!? How is that even possible?" It was a rhetorical question; Markise was right, she didn't want the details of any bum buddy babies the pair had. But it had only been 8 years and when she'd left there had been no hint of pregnancy whispers, at least not of Dare and Michael. She let out a low whistle of exclamation. "And here I thought Savannah Brooks having four was a lot."

She paused before getting up the nerve to broach the subject she was most anxious about. Letting the laughter fade from her eyes, she looked at him with a suddenly somber expression. "Did you ever hear word of my daughter?" She assumed he hadn't, surely he would have offered at least an owl if he had.