Time brings Change

[Annabelle Hennessy]

She'd been gone for so long, Anna was nervous. Markise was practically her best friend, yet she hadn't written at all after she left. The last time they'd seen each other hadn't gone so smoothly and then Anna hadn't known what to say or the words in which to explain things in a letter. She'd made several attempts to write but all had ended up crumbled in the trash. Through it all, she'd missed Markise. She had wanted to invite him to visit, to tell her everything would work out, or even just sit together talking about nothing and playing with each others' hair.

When she got back to Hogwarts she'd wanted to see him and had stopped by but he was still out of town for the summer. It had been a couple weeks now, and she was certain he'd be back for the term that was about to start. Chewing on her lower lip, Annabelle prepared herself for the unknown reception and opened the door to his shop. As she walked in, she prayed he'd be alone and glanced around the shop she'd only been in once before.

[Markise Sterling]

"I'll be right out!" Markise called from his office. The summer had been a mess and he and Ariel were hardly back, it seemed. He was sober again, but he was in the doghouse and therefore on his best behavior to keep Ariel from reminding him what had happened. But they'd survived! And his belongings had been well and truly gone through upon their arrival to get rid of his many stashes of perfectly good wine.

He was in a crisp white wifebeater and white jeans when he came out of the back, accented by black leather shoes and belt, a bracelet and at least two necklaces, one of which was actually a length of measuring tape. His hair was blue, setting off pale blue eyes also lined deeply in black, and his lips shone with gloss as they formed into a surprised O. He stopped entirely only a few steps out.

Then those glossy lips curved and his eyes glittered. "Oh my God, Anna! I thought you'd died or something! Come in!" He moved forward, only then noticing how miserable she looked.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna's eyes glistened at that smile, her face transforming into a huge smile even as she tried not to cry. She hadn't realized how much it would mean to have him welcome her back. She walked to him, trying not to run, "Gads, I've missed you so much." A few steps before she reached him she stopped and looked up at him. He was just as put together as she'd remembered, maybe even more so now that he wasn't trying to hold back. Anna, however, knew she looked a mess.

Her chocolate eyes were lined with the little bit of makeup she'd taken to wearing, but even with her foundation, the bags from lack of sleep were still visible. Last night had been worse than usual as Anna tossed and turned with worry over how this reunion would go. So much time had gone by, so much change. So much, and no communication. Anna knew Markise wasn't much for writing letters, but she didn't know if that was the only reason she hadn't heard from him. It was a two-way street, and she hadn't sent anything to him either. "Can I still rate a hug?" She asked hesitantly, raising her arms a few inches in invitation.

[Markise Sterling]

"Of course!" Markise said. He wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug, practically bouncing as he did so. "I was worried!" he said, stroking her hair lightly for a moment. "Where have you been? Did you graduate or something?" He had so many questions, but his biggest had been answered the moment she'd smiled back at him. He hadn't pushed her away.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle turned into the hug, lowering her head and nuzzling her face against his chest. She shook her head in reply to his question, giving herself a moment to compose herself or else she really would start crying. "I just, um..." She had decided if he welcomed her back, that she wouldn't lie to him. The problem was, she didn't know how to start to tell him the truth. She knew the middle of his clothing store when a customer could walk in at any moment wasn't the place for it though. She pulled back so she could look up at him. "I had to go away for a while. Are you closing anytime soon?" The look on her face was practically begging him to lock the door, hoping he would understand she didn't want to talk while he was working.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise's brows drew together slightly as he pulled back and their eyes met. "Yeah," he said, "of course. I'm closing now." He let her go and moved past, giving a brief, worried glance over his shoulder before shutting the door and switching the sign to Closed. "ARIEL! We're closing early! I'm talkin' to someone!" He turned back to Annabelle.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle threw a worried glance in the direction Ariel would be, hoping he wouldn't come out to see who 'someone' was that Markise would close early to talk to. When they'd met in here her and Ariel hadn't gotten on for some reason and she didn't want to deal with him, not today, not now. She turned back to Markise with a frown. "I don't know where to start." She told him softly, "I haven't told anyone the real reason I've been gone."

[Markise Sterling]

Markise's glance followed Anna's, then he gestured for her to wait while he crossed the room again, shutting the door by hand rather than relying on his clumsy wandwork. If there was anything that would make Ariel wonder, it'd be the thud of a slamming door. "Start with last term," he said, rounding the counter. "There's chairs back here," he said. Just a couple and they weren't really comfortable, but it was better than hovering.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna moved to the area quietly, trying to get her thoughts together still. "Um, okay. But I don't want anyone else to know okay?" Anna clarified as she turned a chair to face the one Markise had chosen. She trusted Markise, so she didn't wait for a reply. If he knew it wasn't to be repeated then he'd keep it to himself. "So last term.... I'd been working in my shop a lot, working long hours cleaning out my shop and all. A bit after term started I got sick, and thought it was just a stomach virus, but it wouldn't go away. It was pretty bad one weekend, I thought maybe I was stressing myself out, or who knows what, so I went to St. Mungos. I....I, um...." Anna paused, chewing on her lip with worry in her eyes. She didn't know how to go on, it wasn't something that people just blurted out. She'd wanted to be open with him but hadn't realized how hard it would be to spit the words out. She knew Markise would have questions, and she didn't know if she could answer them.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise's eyes were wide, and he scooted closer, leaning forward slightly to take Anna's hand. "Are you okay?" he asked. His worry was tripled now, or quadrupled as his mind jumped to one wrong conclusion after another. Was she sick? Dying? "You can tell me," he prompted.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna squeezed Markise's hand, grateful for the support and strength the little contact gave to her. "I, I'm fine. Nothings wrong....anymore. I...I....I was...." Her voice faltered and she leaned in, softly whispering the words to Markise that were so hard, even now to say out loud. She'd looked down, not wanting to see either the shame or pity from Markise that she'd witnessed on the healers faces. Only a select few at St. Mungo's had been privy to her situation so everyone else had just assumed she was yet another teen statistic.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise's eyes rounded, and suddenly all the ideas in his head stopped, replaced with dead air. Then he breathed again and blinked, both hands wrapping around hers. "Oh my God, Anna! Whose is it? Where is it? Do your parents know?" He looked her over, as though he'd suddenly see that she'd been hiding a baby with her all along.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna finally couldn't hold her composure any longer and a few drops of moisture escaped in silent trails down her cheeks. She'd been so strong through all of it, but right now, she needed this comfort of her friend. She let the questions hang in the air as she found her voice again. She still clung to him, not willing to let go of the security she felt at the moment. "I, I gave it up Markise. No one, no one knows. They don't need to."

[Markise Sterling]

"Anna," Markise said, slipping from his chair. He pulled her tightly into his arms to let her cry if she needed to. He could hardly imagine it. She'd had a baby and she'd given it up! "Anna, it's okay," he murmured. He'd hold her as long as she needed to be held.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"I'm, I'm sor-rry." Anna stuttered, her words muffled by the embrace. His reassurance was like the permission her tears must have been waiting for, and she softly cried in his arms, soaking the white fabric she was leaning against. Slowly, her tears lessened and she wiped the back of her hand against her eyes. "I'm so, sorry." She settled against him again, not wanting to have to look him in the eye yet.