Epiphany

[Alexis Richarde]

Looking down at the promise ring that seemed to lack the shine, which Alexis was certain, was from not keeping a promise and to herself and to her love… Well her ex-lover. She and Lewis, they did not exactly fit the way her ring did. When they kissed it didn’t seem to blur her mind from all that she was doing and even now, as she read in her bedroom and he in his, it dawned on her that she actually hated him. As her boyfriend, that is.

Alexis’ epiphany was a strange one, as she had been so fond of him before he told her of his feelings and basically convinced her to give him a try. Dating him just did not feel right to her and she wanted out. She wanted out of their strange relationship, out of their house and most especially out of Oxford.

Oxford University was the one thing that Alexis had always believed in and striven for. Now she was blisteringly aware that none of it mattered without him. She did not fully understand that she had everything that she had wanted and now all she could think of was Izaak Finch. Throughout her sixth and seventh year of wizarding education, even through her heartbreak, Oxford was the white light in her dreary life but not anymore. Now the only thing that Alexis felt from this school was stress, hate and sadness.

Quite honestly, Alexis Richarde needed Izaak. He brought her a strange clarity and was great for her, in his dislike for education and all things school; it made her more positive towards her learning and her future career. Alexis did not know if she was good for Izaak, but she certainly hoped she had been, along with the one other thing she hoped and wished for them.

But hoping and wishing, Alexis knew, guaranteed nothing and with that, she left her home in the loose pair of sweat pants and a baggy sweater she was already wearing, only slipping on a pair of running shoes. She did not know if she should go find him and tell him what she felt; perhaps she should call Leah first and ask her. She honestly did not know what to do but as she came across a phone booth on the campus she slipped in the fair for an international number and called Izaak’s house.

It rang once, twice and three times before the recorded message her love had made played. Dammit, answering machine. Alexis pursed her lips and huffed out a breath of air from her nostrils anxiously. “Izaak, I really don’t know what I’m doing but err… I love you still. I know your probably with her, but please just call me back. Leah knows the number,” she said, trailing off with another sigh. “Oh um, it is Alexis – never mind forget that I called.” Hanging up the receiver, the girl closed her eyes dejectedly. There was absolutely no way that Izaak was going to feel the same way about her anymore, with all she had said about his poor deceased daughter that she would have loved all the same and with all the time passed. Yes, there was absolutely no way he would love her anymore and maybe spending her life by herself would be okay.

Alexis looked up at the moon, nearly glaring at it hatefully. A full moon seemed so peaceful and perfect without any cracks in it, it was perhaps the exact opposite of her at this moment and she hated the stillness of the moon for this perfection. It was a rather strange thing to hate, sure, but that did not mean she hated it any less.

 

[Izaak Finch]

Shrugging his arms into the snug fit of a black blazer he was sure he had not worn since his graduation, Izaak Finch spared his reflection a glance in the bedroom mirror. The formal attire looked rather fresh over the jeans and t-shirt that he had thrown on in place of his work uniform but the azure-eyed lifeguard knew that any more of the suit and he’d start looking like a tool. The afternoon had been an anxious wait, not quite sure of when Alexis had her classes or her lectures or whatever they did over at Oxford. In fact he was not quite sure of anything she had been up to over, more or less, the past year. Save for a casual word from Leah or the rare few times the pair of ex-lovers had bumped into one another, Izaak felt utterly isolated. It was no wonder he had been so up and down with Isabella, so easy to defeat in his search for her, so emotionally exhausted when he’d heard indirect word of her through Sakura. He had been in love with the same girl for two years and whilst it may seem like a jump, he was already prepared (and excited) to spend the rest of his life with her.

Izaak’s own epiphany had rocked him a fortnight or so ago when he had been flicking through an envelope of photos his sister had only just thought to have printed. There had literally been hundreds; from ones of her in Thailand with Fletcher, to a newborn Gabriel and stretching right back to the previous Christmas. Izaak didn’t particularly need photographs to remind him of the last real time he had spent with his love, being that each moment was practically tacked to his memory. But there was one that stood forth amongst the rest. It hadn’t even been meant to be taken of himself and Alexis but rather of his sister and their cousin, the pair of lovers were merely in the background and mistakenly focused. Deep in conversation and immersed in love they were oblivious to all else but the gaze of one another as Alexis finished towelling dry a dish he had just washed. And there in the Kodak moment, standing behind her with his arms loosely draped around her waist Izaak’s brilliant grin meant nothing short of his being on the top of the world. Of all the things he did remember from that day, it was a struggle to even attempt to recall the degree of happiness he had felt. And they had been cleaning dishes for crying out loud. This, he had thought in that very moment as he had tried to relive the happiness Alexis drowned him in, is the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.

There was no denying the chemistry that had always existed between himself and Isabella, and when Izaak had told her that he loved her he had been all truth. And they had had all the ingredients for a perfect marriage; the bond of a daughter between them already, her sweetness, his passion, their persistence to stick by one another through every up and down they encountered, not to mention the amazing times they had had between the sheets. But the entire time there had been something missing. There had always been something, the disappearance of the sweet scent of vanilla, the emptiness of the bookshelves, talk of school days, the strong foundation of friendship. Isabella was wondrous in every way possible but as much as she swore that he was truly the love her life, Izaak knew she deserved so much better. More often than not he felt he was betraying her, like he was a leopard wearing a tiger’s stripes, like every time he thought Alexis was another reason for her to hate him. And now, as far as he knew, she did. Her disappearance had evolved from a misunderstanding and at first Izaak had been driven into frantics but by the time he was told of her well being he was less inclined to set the record straight. It was inevitable that he’d only cause her more heartbreak. Though as much as it ached to dwell on the certainty that they’d be lucky to be acquaintances after this decision of his, after all that the two of them had been through together and the soft spot he’d always harbour for her persona, Izaak for once felt like he was making the right one.

There was a certain glint in his azure eyes, one that had not been seen within them for several months, as they caught onto the compact, navy blue box atop his bedside table. Just imagining what it encased brought a wave of excited tingles to his body. After having dreamt about it for so long this was legit, Izaak was actually going to get down on one knee and propose to the love of his life. They had never intended it to be this soon but there was an air of change about and the young man had the most wonderful, instinctive feeling swelling inside of him that she’d say yes. It didn’t matter that they hadn’t properly been together in a year, he had never stopped loving Alexis Richarde no matter how many foul-mouthed comments he had had the cheek to spit her way once upon a time. He barely remembered her own retaliations through the shame of his own and prayed that in the time since she would have realised that he had never meant any of it. Not the harsh tongue about her late twin or the taunting comments about Ioan. They had all been so viciously out of character.

Leah had shared a secretive word or two though about the girl that they both loved so dearly and how she was still quite obviously hung up on him. Although she knew nothing of his intentions to ask for Alexis’ hand in marriage, her words had brought Izaak to the quakes of excitement. Now as he flipped open the lid and stared at the costly engagement ring he was beginning to bring this all down to destiny. As corny as it was, this turn of events had made him a conscious believer. Alexis and Izaak, Izaak and Alexis; they just fitted. Breathing a sigh as he stole one last glance and snapped it shut, Izaak buried the ring box deep within the pocket of his jacket. The beat of his heart drummed in with an irregularity as he did so and he could feel his palms begin to grown clammy. This would be the day that would change his life forever. There was no backing out now and there were no excuses either. But Izaak didn’t want to stoop to either; he wanted Alexis Richarde as his and it was as simple as that.

Searching for one last glance at his reflection, Izaak raked a now shaky hand through his tousled golden brown hair and pressed himself a thin smile. It would all work out to perfection, why was he suddenly so nervous? Having put it down to the mere fact that he had not physically seen the young woman that he was so madly in love with for several months, Izaak strode out towards the front door and wondered if he’d be carrying Alexis through it when he arrived back home. Yes, yes you will, He assured himself as he locked the front door and disappeared with a sharp ‘pop’ from his very porch. There was the faint trill of his home telephone in the last few seconds of his presence at Bondi but Izaak could do nothing about it, nor did he really care. He had a proposal to make.

With yet another near identical sound he was right by the mental picture of the house Leah had done well to sketch into his mind. This was it, this was it. The depth of his breaths were shallowing now as he edgily made his way towards the front door, there were beads of sweat lightly beginning to dot his forehead and if he were to speak, Izaak was sure it would sound just as if he was going through puberty for a second time around. But just as his fist reached out to rap against the door a scream of pain sliced through the eerie serenity of the night, whipping him around in the opposition direction to where he assumed his Alexis would be.

 

[Alexis Richarde]

As Alexis shuffled through the cobblestoned campus, she continued glaring at the moon but this all stopped as she picked up a scent most foul and looked over to the site of such a scent that as it wafted up her nostrils smelt of garbage and… was that blood? Her eyes widened to the size of saucers when she saw a snarling werewolf standing in front of her and approaching slowly. Fumbling for her wand, but not a hundred percent sure what spell she would use, Alexis took steps back as she did this.

“Nice doggy. Stay wolfy,” Alexis coaxed in a soft, shaky voice but it did not work as the werewolf plunged forward. A shrill scream erupted from her as she dropped onto the ground, hitting her back and head hard on the pavement but still somehow conscious of what was happening to her. The wand fell out of her hand and out of reach at the werewolf stood on top of her.

For all of two seconds, the wolf’s eyes pierced into Alexis’ jaded pair that wept rivers as she tried to kick the beast off. After those seconds were over, the beast Alexis feared so very much (and for very good reason) began attacking her. The first bite brought a scream, louder then the last, out of Alexis and it seemed to go on forever as blood spilled out of her body, onto her ripped sweater and the ground. The dark red blood stained the stone ground as the University student drifted in and out of consciousness whilst being attacked by the disgusting beast that would either kill her or scar her for life, which at this point seemed a rather dim light.

If one over looked the scene as it unfolded, Alexis was certain her innards would show, including her broken ribs and the flesh that was in places it did not belong. With one last scream, Alexis passed out for good as the paw of the beast struck her face with its claws.

Now in silence, the werewolf feasted on it’s meal in peace.

OOC: sorry for the lacking post but I should be studying.

 

[Izaak Finch]

Having retracted his hand from the door, it dove into the pocket of his jacket where his long fingers curled tight in frustration around the box; pulling it out, staring longingly at it, then pressing it into the pocket of his jeans instead. Izaak was caught in hesitation, torn between seeing his love again and sprinting towards the frightful scream that had pierced his ears. A pair of azure eyes, pooling wide with sorrow and worry, darted quickly between the front door and the shadows that had befallen the scenery behind him. But the cry rang shrill through the night again, louder and more desperate still. As inconvenient as the timing was this poor person needed help, and fast. There was scarcely enough time to steal another glance of Alexis’ residence before dashing into the night, towards the source of the screams. His all too important question would just have to wait.

The darker the night grew about him, the faster Izaak’s pace began to get. An urgency that had not been present before lashed his heart into fearful hysterics as one last blood curdling scream split the shadows in two. The tone of the voice, even through their frightened cries felt a little too close to home but his lean legs could take him no faster against the cobblestoned road. As he chased the resounded echo of the scream, Izaak absolutely point blank refused to believe that it was even remotely possible that it was Alexis’ side he’d be rushing to. But at the sight of the strawberry blonde tresses sprawled out against the pavement, doused in the eerie silver of the moonlight, Izaak’s worst fears had suddenly become his living nightmare. His heart had leapt upwards into his throat, his stomach was probably somewhere on the ground and his legs suddenly felt as if they consisted of nothing but jelly once he had sighted the snarling, shadowed silhouette. It was a werewolf, she had been attacked by a werewolf. Izaak did not have a plan of attack under his belt as he rushed towards the hunched beast that seemed intent on devouring his most precious Alexis. All he knew was that she had to make it, she had to come out of this alive. He was guarded with no wand, he bore no weapon, no guns or knives. Perhaps he could pummel it with his fists and if it turned on him then so be it. But he was not going to let its foul jaws bring death upon his love tonight.

Having not seen one in so very long, Izaak had initially assumed the wand that had presumably rolled a little way away from his love was a stick. But having quickly calculated that she had probably tried to use it in defence he made a hasty grasp for it. It felt clumsy and foolish in his fist but he was still a wizard, he always would be and magic was something he was ever capable of. The pressure mounted as he searched for a spell in the depths of his mind as the beast tucked into Alexis as if she were nothing more than an eye fillet. “In-incendio,” he muttered in his pathetic lack of confidence but a spark shot from the wands end nonetheless. He shouted the incantation then, loud and clear, and a rope of fire snaked out from the tip to settle painfully on the wolf. It yelped like he had heard Kobe yelp once or twice before and alight, streaked off into the night. But there was no time for celebrations.

Trembling with fatal fear, Izaak dropped to his knees and crawled over to his once so famous girlfriend, horrified to see that his hands and knees had been slicked with a scarlet red from the blood that had spilt onto the pavement. “Alexis!” He cried desperately, laying his bloodied fingers against her neck to search for a pulse. It was so faint that in the first instant he had thought he was too late, but glad to be proven wrong. His azure eyes stretched to the extent of her injuries and felt sick to his stomach when he realised just how awfully her abdomen had been torn open. Being that he was a lifeguard, Izaak was first aid savvy. There had been countless head lacerations, spinal injuries, dislocated shoulders, fractured bones that he had attended to but not once in his job had he ever been faced with an open abdominal wound. Now his mind spun in frantic circles as he stared wildly down at Alexis, trying to recall how he had learnt to treat them in his first aid course. A few seconds more and he was graced with the knowledge and he prayed to any greater force that would listen that she would make it through the night.

His trained hands moved quickly, knowing that time was of the essence, pushing her knees up to lessen the exposure of the wound before removing his jacket to make an improvised dressing. The gentle timbre of his voice rolled out to Alexis all the while as he set about tying the item of clothing as lightly as possible around her horrifically injured stomach. As shaky as it sounded, Izaak kept reassuring her that it was all going to be okay, that he was here now, that she’d make it. Because she had to make it, he didn’t know what he’d do without her. Doing his very best not to place pressure onto the wound, Izaak lifted her limp body into his arms and cradled her in close against his sturdy chest. He had dreamt doing this many a time but not in this way, not soaked in her blood or worried sick that if the loss of blood didn’t kill her than the internal bleeding would, not with Alexis out cold and as good as dead in his arms. This was purely nightmarish. In the space of a frantic heartbeat, Izaak had apparated to the St Mungo’s close by London, figuring it to be more logical in such an emergency and had burst through the triage doors open arrival. “HELP!” He screamed so urgently that it might have even sent the pagers of the doctors in the nearby muggle hospital buzzing. “Help, please!” Having known that he had done just about all that he could do now, Izaak heard his voice crack and falter out loud, felt the prick of worried tears behind his hysterical blue eyes and the shakes pick up in his knees. If he lost Alexis now, he’d lose his entire reason for being.

[hope you didn't mind that I moved this far ahead but I figured she wouldn't be doing much anyway. if you want me to edit anything, just shout out ]

 

[Alexis Richarde]

Alexis’ body grew colder as it was pressed to her loves and held. She had no recognition for all that was going around her and in the depths of her mind she could feel only darkness surround her. The limp and possibly lifeless girl kept full trust in the darkness to cease her outrageous pain. She could feel the darkness fear and wished it to calm and be peaceful as she was, she would help this darkness if she could but knew not of what the problem was, if only she could ask it but her mouth felt of butter when she tried to.

While Alexis was in the darkness of her own mind, she was ignorant to the fact that many healers buzzed about her, taking her body out of the protective arms of her love and straight into surgery (or the wizarding version of it) and reparations. One nurse stayed behind, she was a mousey lady of fourty-six, clearly a mother as she put a gentile hand on the young man’s shoulder and spoke in the most soothing of voices, “What happened to the poor dear?” The wrinkled lady frowned for him but hoped for the poor girl’s sake he would manage words.

Once that question was answered, the lady winced and sighed softly. Such a thing happened and rarely ever went well; hopefully this would help because the young man seemed so distraught. She wondered if he knew her personally or was simply shaken up from fear. “How are you darling? It didn’t get you now did it?” While the other Healers helped the girl in critical, the little lady would attend to her, supposed, savior. If this was not such a frantic thing, she would have had time to think that this boy was her white knight that saved her from the ‘dragon’. The woman was an old fashioned gal and had always enjoyed the stories through her childhood but the boy’s wellbeing, as well as the girl’s were more important then the stories she had read about in books.


once again, nothing much to post but sorry for the god mod, i felt it would go by faster. if you'd like to god mod their convo then skip ahead to after her "surgery" when izaak is in her room, that is fine. i'll ring up emily.

 

[Izaak Finch]

Despite his incapability to heal her any further, Izaak had been hesitant to allow the medical staff to take his love from his arms. What if she’d slip away at their hands? What if he wasn’t left with a chance to say goodbye? Having noted his reluctance, they’d hurriedly coaxed him with reassurances before taking Alexis away from his supportive cradle and whisking her down the white hallway. He had stood there for a long while after, staring blankly at the spot in which the frantic group had disappeared and trying to untangle the knots that were defeating his attempts at swallowing, quickening his breathing and leaving his blue, blue eyes glassy with fear. That was until a motherly hand was touched to his shoulder and still sick with worry, Izaak turned to distractedly answer her question. It was little more than a one word answer, he simply couldn’t manage much, not when he was still so unsure of Alexis’ condition. The voice that she carried was soothing though and for the first time in a very long time, Izaak remembered what it was like to have a mother to lean back on. “I-I’m fine.” Clearly still shaken by the incident and the blood he had been soaked with, Izaak glanced nervously down the hall once again. As an atheist of sorts, Izaak had never given thought to instilling his faith into a greater force. But desperate times called for desperate measures and right now as he stared down that empty corridor Izaak was willing to believe in just about anything should it spare Alexis’ life.

The nurse, sensing his anxiety, fetched him a steaming mug of coffee and Izaak dejectedly collapsed into the waiting room chairs at the fair point made that it would take a little longer than five minutes to heal her. One hand hugged the warm ceramic whilst the other fumbled with the box in his pockets and a sad sigh escaped him as he lifted it open before his helpless eyes. It was perfect, too perfect for this awful mess. But at his own expense, Izaak gave a sad chuckle. Life; ironic, wasn’t it? “I- I was going to ask her to marry me tonight...” The young man sighed yet again, so lost in his sorrows and worries that he had been rendered completely oblivious to the awe on the nurse’s face. His words continued to roll and Izaak surprised even himself as he confessed all to this kind stranger about Zaire and Isabella and the many ups and downs the couple had shared. But it was so oddly comforting that he could not stop himself. He talked and talked until there was no more to tell then fell into a resigned silence, not quite sure of himself as he fiddled with his hands in his lap. “Well you’ve probably saved her life dear.” She pottered quickly, still stunned by the young man’s story, and gave his hand a comforting squeeze. “She’ll pull through, you both will.” After having spoken for so long, Izaak now found himself speechless and merely nodded dazedly at the words that were passed to him. “Let me know if you need anything, love.” Again, he nodded and stared at his feet as she let him be, wanting desperately to believe her words but not knowing if he could.

Several cups of coffee and sharp dozes later, Izaak was given news of Alexis’ stable and hopeful condition and that, thank the lords above, he could see her now. He all but sprinted to the room she had been assigned to but hesitated pathetically at the doorway. The “what if’s” had finally caught up to his eager pace. Don’t be an idiot Izaak, he mentally hissed at himself before drawing on a deep breath of courage and stepping gingerly into the private room. And there Alexis was, like a red-headed angel amongst a white clothed bed, her physical injuries hidden beneath the sheets save for a vicious, clawed swipe across the side of her face. The high possibility that she was now a werewolf was not something he wanted to dwell on at this point in time, they’d cross that bridge when they came to it. “Alexis.” He breathed as he bounded towards her still so lifeless body. His lips swooped as Izaak reached her side and dropped a feathered kiss on to the corner of her eye. “I love you” His voice, but a whisper was loud and clear in the silence of the hospital room. Alexis wouldn’t have heard it though, she was still unconscious after all. But Izaak needed to hear it for himself and it just seemed to fit so tragically perfectly on the tip of his tongue. He settled into a chair by her head and reached gingerly for her limp hand, squeezing it gently with his own. Checking first that her eyelids were still shut over those beautifully mixed irises, the young man flipped open the box in his other hand and smiled down at the diamond ring with a new sense of hope regaled within him. Perhaps they’d be okay after all.

 

[Alexis Richarde]

The staff and healers of Saint Mungo's had worked tirelessly on a small body for hours, her body was not able to be repaired with a flick of the wrist, in fact some muggle tactics had been used to keep the internal bleeding from killing her. It was a wonder that this young girl had been attacked by a Werewolf and only because she wanted to tell someone that she loved them. But the Healers did not know what had happened before but they knew that there was someone in the waiting room, expecting her to recover the way she should. And when they had done all they could, the girl, the badly damaged girl was placed in a room of her own and left to sleep in the medicine and pain induced coma. The Healers cleaned her bandages every so often with a careful wave of their wand and a flick of their wrist as she slept. And once they knew that she would be alright to see that one someone waiting, a Healer approached the young man and told him of her condition and where she lay. The girl with the red hair lay on her back in the center of the windowless room under perfectly white, crisp sheets. Her face had swollen from the abrasion across her face and, yet she looked perfect. Her eyes were closed and her hands overtop of the light sheet and at her sides. Alexis Richarde actually seemed peaceful in what could very well be the most traumatic experience she had ever had.

Still unconscious, Alexis Marie felt a sudden bout of comfort as she distantly heard her love tell her the words she had longed for, for so long but she had not heard them. The young woman was still very much unconscious but the darkness of her mind comforted her, the way Izaak Finch would have if she were awake but she wasn’t, or not yet. The calm darkness of Alexis’ mind slowly lightened like the opposite of a faulty light bulb, this was faulty darkness. The chambers of her precious hazel stones, fluttered open slowly until they were completely open and she was awake. Through the glossy eyes, Alexis could make out the shape of something beautiful but knew not what it was and slowly tilting her head to the side, ignoring the pain in her neck and the pounding in her head, she made out the shape of a familiar form from the shade of the hospital light.

Exhausted and vaguely aware that something did not feel right with her body, Alexis opened her mouth to ask a question to the figure. But before she could get a word out, she was winded and whimpered in pain as she tightened her hands, not particularly aware that anyone was holding her hand until her hands pushed into it with all the strength she had left, which was proving to be barely any at all.

 

[Izaak Finch]

The pad of his thumb grazed over the two-and-a-half carat diamond and somewhere inside of him the synapses between every cell sparked in excitement but the moment his azure eyes flitted to his love, Izaak felt his stomach turn with the most morose of concern. The healers had said her chances of survival were somewhere near certain, miraculously, considering the horrific situation she had found herself at the mercy of. But flashes of memory crept unbidden to his mind; her sickening screams, the unsightly werewolf feasting on her from the inside out, her shiver of a pulse, the deathly pale complexion. Izaak had since rinsed her blood from his hands yet still it stained his shirt and his bruised and battered heart. He had never known a more sickly feeling than to know that the person whose blood that soaked you was the person you could dare to say that you loved most in the world. And he would never wish it on anyone, not even his most despised enemies.

A frown drew lightly over his brow as Izaak returned his gaze to the magnificent ring propped in his hand. It held all the answers in the very implication of its beauty. Now he wasn’t exactly known for his strong basis of loyalty but Izaak was absolutely certain that from here on in his desires would spark for no other than the red-headed girl. He loved her and he’d love her for an eternity more. Having initially been thrown off by her course in affections for a once fellow Slytherin, Izaak realised now that ever since their perfect collision at the Tavern back in his schooling days Alexis Marie Richarde was all he had truly needed. This traumatic event was merely another hurdle when compared to the vast course of his love for her. Werewolf or not, she was his one and she was his only.

The pressure was so slight that it might very well have been overlooked by anyone ordinary but Izaak felt it as if it were the strongest of vices around his hand and that coupled with the softest of whines that crept from her mouth had him gazing amazedly at his love in a heartbeat. “Alexis,” Her name slid tenderly from his tongue as he hastily snapped the ring box shut and stuffed it into his pocket, freeing his other hand to gently brush a stray strand of hair from her marred cheek. Those eyes, those perfectly mixed eyes were looking back at him; dazed and perhaps unfocused but open nonetheless. A pressure built up within Izaak, a craving for something so urgent but he could not for the life of him distinguish what it was. And then he realised. He had forgotten to take a breath. “Oh thank god you’re okay.” His voice was breathless and hinted with an exhausted but delightfully relieved smile. The elation overwhelmed him and he settled a loving kiss against her forehead. She’d still be drowsy and probably unlikely to remember this moment when she came to at a later stage but Izaak had all the patience in the world for her. And he’d make sure that she knew it too.

 

[Alexis Richarde]

Physically and mentally exhausted, Alexis’ eyelids flittered open and shut as she heard the familiar voice of her love, although she could not yet identify him as such. “The pain,” she cracked breathlessly as she opened her eyes once more and did not understand why she was in so much pain. Her eyes asked what had happened to her and why it hurt so badly but the way that the man had kissed her she had a feeling it was horrific. “Where am I?” she asked drowsily, soaking up what she could with the familiar man incase he left her, which she was certain would make her feel like a pit of emptiness, but she was not sure why.

Before Alexis could hear the answer to her question, her eyes drifted shut once more and she fell quickly asleep. In her soft slumber, the red-headed girl shuddered and shook from absolute pain but did not take her hand out of Izaak's once. "Izaak," she crooned amidst her dream of the wonderful blue eyed man and the engagement ring she had somewhat seen. Slurred words, she said, "I love you" and if she was conscious, she would have said it anyway because she loved Izaak Jay Finch more then anything or anyone in the entire planet.

In the red-heads dream, there had not been any missing time between the young couple and they walked along their beach, yes their beach. Still exhausted from being awoken at such an early time, Alexis held Izaak's hand and curled into his body as they spoke idly as wondrous shades of orange, pink, purple and blue draped across the sky and reflected across the peaceful waters. In the heat of their conversation, Alexis Marie looked up at Izaak and kissed his cheek, her soft lips touching his jaw line affectionately before pulling away and saying "I love you." She smiled up at Izaak and was about to continue walking before, Izaak held her arm tightly in his grasp and held his stance.

As their gaze met, Izaak smiled charmingly before wrapping his muscular arms around Alexis' shoulders and held her close as her own arms slinked lovingly around his waist. "Es, I love you. I know we both thought we were going wait to get married but will you marry me?" Alexis' eyes widened and she pressed her lips eagerly on his. "Of course!" she laughed eagerly before she kissed him again. "Izaak, I so want to marry you!" Even if Alexis was awake this would be true but she would not have said it to her love at this moment.

 

[Izaak Finch]

There was nothing at all that Izaak could do to cure Alexis of her pain as she moaned in its forceful grasp and it rendered him pathetically helpless. If he could have, Izaak would have taken it from her and suffered through every last bruised rib and stomach laceration just so she wouldn’t have to. But not even magic could manipulate a force as great as that. So an uneasy sigh tumbled from his lips and he soothingly stroked the back of her hand with his thumb, hushing her gently as he went. “I know baby, I know.” To see the pain and the harsh distance in those wonderfully familiar hazel eyes was enough to tear Izaak’s heart straight down the middle. His own eyes, in all their azure glory, lifted and pleaded for her to get some more rest. At least that way she wouldn’t have to consciously feel all that her body had had to be stitched up for. “You’re in hospital Es.” With a still open mouth, Izaak went to speak once more. Not about the fact that she had been attacked by a werewolf or anything nearing to that degree but just to let her know that it was okay to go back to sleep. He hadn’t needed to though as soon her eyelids had flickered daintily closed and her breaths had steadied and slowed.

Exhausted beyond reason himself, Izaak gazed at her sleeping figure for a moment longer wondering how he had missed something so obvious as this true love, before sliding his stretched frame down in the chair by his love’s side. His eyes may have drawn closed but he had no intentions whatsoever of letting go of her hand and he’d never, ever let go again like he had so foolishly before. Just as he was begging to slip into his own state of slumber, Izaak heard his name mumbled amongst her breaths followed by a slurred rendition of the three little words he had been craving like nothing else in the world. In an instant his eyes were flicked open and staring over at her with such tenderness that he felt his heart melt inside of him. Alexis Richarde loved him, she still loved him. And they’d have that fairytale ending they were so deserving of, Izaak was excitedly positive now. “I love you, always.” He whispered despite the fact that she wouldn’t have heard and grinned wildly down at the promise ring on her finger, instilled with its original hopes and dreams now. And with that Izaak settled contentedly into the sunken embrace of the chair to rest his head until it lulled gently against her shoulder, letting his own dreams run wild- ones of Alexis back in Bondi, right where she belonged.

 

[Lewis Kane]

Lewis had his second placement of the year, it was the final week and he was pulling a night shift. He was happy with his life at that point in time. He had a career lined up, he was acing verytthing and he he had a girlfriend. It was clear though that she was unhappy. He couldn't understand this. Was it him. Was he doing something wrong. Rarely couldthr student say he fell for someone. Alexis was perfect so he guessed it would be him. It was early in the morning and it neared the end of his shift. He was looking forward to going back home, and seeing Alexis who would be waking forthe day. Lewis finished with his last patient. And got ready to leave.

The sun was rising as Lewis walked back to the apartement. He was talking to one of his muggle friends and the morning felt good so he wanted to feel the fresh air. It was close to 8am when Lewis reached the house. He dumped his book filled bag on the floor with his stethoscope on top. The house was strangely quiet. He called out to Alexis, wondering where she could be. He looked around the entire house and concluded that she wasn't here. It would be odd for her to be out at this early hour. It was then that he noticed the owl sitting in the living room with a letter attached toit's leg. Lewis was very curious. He walked over and opened the letter. He wondered if maybe it was just Alexis telling him she was off, or family member. What he didn't expect was a letter from St.Mungo's telling him that Alexis was there. Lewis was worried. Why was she there. Who had taken her there, why has she not told him she was unwell or why hadn't he been told sooner. Lewis put the letter in his pocket and headed straight for the door. He picked up his bag and Stethoscope and was out the door.

Lewis apparated straight to the hospital nd went inside. The 19 year old asked the person at the reception where she was and when asked who he was, he replied with the boyfriend. He looked more like one of the healers than anything else, but the nurselead him to where she was. He was pointed to where the room was and walked hurriedly to the room. Lewis spotted her straight away. She looked bad. It looked bad. He walked straigt over ignoring the boy sitting by her beside. He assumed it was her friend. He placed his bag on the ground and pulled off his jacket and placed that on top. He picked up the file sitting at the end of the bed and while pulling a seat towards him began to read . Werewolf. In Oxford?

"Werewolf?" The Australian asked to no one in particular.

 

[Izaak Finch]

Through his slumbering state Izaak tightened his fist over the bulkiness of his pocket, knowing even in his subconscious what it was and why its materialism was put up so high on a pedestal. That tiny engagement ring would make their wildest dreams come true and all that they had envisioned in the past would suddenly become the present. Alexis would be the absolute core of his world once more. If he tried to see the future without her now it would be nothing, just a black abyss beneath his feet and the moment he had seen her lifeless body tossed onto the cobblestones in shreds had been the moment he’d realised this. The twenty year old grasped the ring a little too tightly and it slipped out of his fist, out of his pocket and tumbled beneath the hospital bed.

Izaak woke with a start, drawing in a sharp inhale as he did so. The striking azure of his eyes swept dazedly across the room, not quite sure of what had woken him but feeling more exhausted now than he had before. They brushed over a figure at the end of the bed and thinking he was yet another healer, the young man couldn’t help but scowl. They should know as well as anyone that Alexis needed rest, why were they so intent on disturbing her? There was something though in the way that the male, that Izaak could now make out was his own age through the fuzziness of his mind, had questioned what had happened to her. Puzzled, Izaak drew his brow into a light frown yet nodded exhaustedly at the stranger. “She um, she was attacked back in Oxford and uh...” Izaak stared down at his love’s hand as it lay entwined with his own and again grazed the back of it with slow and soothing motions of his thumb all the while thinking of how terrible it was that she had done absolutely nothing to deserve this. Having paid little attention to the other in the last minute or so, Izaak finally lifted his head and passed the blonde a curious glance. “Are you a friend of hers?”

 

[Lewis Kane]

Lewis couldn't believe there had been a werewolf in Oxford. And an attack. This wasn't good news. They couldn't have Alexis there, if there was a werewolf. A second. It threatened his and other wizards existence in the small student populated town. Lewis stood up as the boy in front of him asked if he was a friend. He placed the file at the end of the bed before giving half a nod and a shrug. He wondered who this guy could be and how he was related to Alexis. "The Boyfriend actually." Lewis said, leaning in a lightly kissing Alexis on the forehead. He sat back down and took her hand in both of his.

"Lewis Kane. 2nd Year Med student, Oxford. Just finished off for the day about an hour ago." Lewis introduced and explained, if the boy was wondering where the boyfriend had been for the past few hours that had been vital in Alexis survival. He looked straight at the boy. "Are you a friend? I'm also guessing you found her?" Lewis asked.


[Sorry it's soo short, My mind isn't working today.]

 

[Izaak Finch]

Things had finally seemed to be taking a credible direction for Izaak Jay Finch. Of course there was to be no underestimation of tonight’s grief and trauma, but he had Alexis now and she had him. They’d get through this ominous tunnel on each other’s shoulders and grasp that euphoric light at the end of it. As corny and awfully cliché as it may seem, nothing else mattered if they had one another. But of course this wasn’t even true to begin with, how could he have ever thought he’d be that lucky. His life was anything but nowadays. "The Boyfriend actually." The words echoed over and over and over in his mind until Izaak could think of nothing but what they truly meant. His heart had literally dropped and he had felt every excruciating inch of its descent. Izaak was all but down on his hands and knees, searching for it on the linoleum floor. She has a boyfriend? As much as he tried, Izaak could not gather together the mess of his thoughts but instead stood there as Lewis listed his credentials with his mouth continuously opening and shutting for lack of words like some pathetic goldfish. This Lewis Kane though, just an introduction and Izaak felt so intimidated that he wanted to be sick. The two young men were clearly polar opposites; Lewis striving in academics, himself in athletics, with clear differences in their goals in life, their achievements, the number of girls they had bedded in their schooling days. Intimidation was not something that Izaak had had much to do with at all and he was sure that despite their differences the two of them would have gotten along; he seemed nice enough and well Izaak got along with most everybody. But yes, despite their differences they shared one common desire (whether or not Lewis knew this or not) and that was to be Alexis’. It was a battle that if he had not already lost then he could see himself at serious odds with. No matter how certain he was that she was the one for him, even in the way that their disagreements seemed to click, none of it mattered. Because Lewis was clearly the man that ran at parallels with her. He could do no wrong.

Drowning slowly in the submission, Izaak’s bewildered bright blue eyes darted to his love then to her boyfriend again and back once more. How could he have even been so foolish as to assume that she still loved him too? Just because Leah had said so counted for little; she was so punch drunk on the stuff herself that she probably thought everybody was in love with somebody. And the words Alexis had muttered in her sleep? People did it all the time, he had even heard Alexis at one point when they had been together and it had been nothing but rubbish. Humorous rubbish, but rubbish nonetheless. Why should this be any different. And the ignorance of him, thinking that she’d accept his proposal! Having been so caught up in his headache of thoughts, Izaak did not register Lewis’ questions until a few seconds after he had posed them. The twenty year old was aware that he must have looked like a right mess, fumbling for words, big blue puppy dog eyes flickering in a daze about the three of them. Perhaps he could muster enough composure to answer and leave himself with a sliver of dignity. Finally, and with a forced sigh too, Izaak spoke up to the man who had all that he so selfishly wanted. “Izaak Finch. We were, uh, pretty close in school I guess. And I found her on the campus somewhere... It- It was all a bit of a blur really and I don’t know...” The azure-eyed man stood from his seat and wished he could have a moment alone with his now never-to-be lover, just to say his proper goodbyes to a girl he’d never be able to match. Ever. But having been robbed of that opportunity he shuffled his feet, unsure of whether to kiss her, to tell her that he loved her or whatever else. But it couldn’t be, it could never be. So nursing a heavy heart, he reached out brush her soft strawberry hued locks from her face with such tenderness that could never be challenged. Not even by Lewis. “Make it count Es,” Izaak had somehow managed to catch himself before he said “I love you” but it was practically scripted in big bold, neon lights a la Vegas above his head. “Please, don’t tell her I was here. We haven’t really been on good terms lately and it’ll only upset her.” As much as it pained him to do so, Izaak pleaded the Medicine student this anyway and purposefully chose not to shed light on the entirety of their relationship. What he said was the truth, just not the whole truth. And then with a hesitant nod and a glance back over his shoulder at the girl he had been so sure he’d be reciting vows to sooner or later, he relayed one last thing to her new boyfriend, “Look after her, she’s gonna need someone like you” before turning and leaving St Mungo’s, unable to bear the excruciating pain of his heartbreak any longer.