Home, Not so Sweet

[Aphrodite Fox]

Aphrodite felt like she had no other choice but to do this. She thought she had lost her grandfathers trust, and she didn't trust him, so she knew she had to run. She had packed up hers and Athena's things, and found out where her mother lived. She would send owl to Yakov with the reason of her sudden move, and she would still take Athena over there for visits. Aphrodite did not trust her mother at all, but knew she could pull off being sad, and all lovey-dovey. She was in the taxi, holding her sleeping toddler in her hands. The taxi slowed in a middle-upper class neighborhood, and stopped in front of a four story town house. Without a change in emotions, she paid the driver then he took out her suitcases for her from the trunk. Without stirring Athena, Aphrodite carefully opened the side door and climbed out of the car.

The sun had just set as the taxi drove away, leaving mother and child in front of a series of townhomes. Aphrodite walked up the steps, and then took out her wand at the top with her free hand. She non-verbally levitated their luggage up the stairs, and she knocked on the door, putting on her most sincere face, and bringing some tears out of her dark brown eyes.

 

[Evita Johansen]

Evita was in the kitchen finishing up dinner when she heard a knock on the door. Her husband was working late, Valentin was upstairs playing in his room, and Alexandra, of course, was at school finishing up the school year. 'Who could that be?' The dark haired mother thought to herself, as she covered the pot of Paella she was cooking. Her hair was up in a ponytail, and her bangs were sort of stringing in front of her face. She wiped her oily hands on the apron draped from her waist as she walked through a long hallway to the front door.

Evita opened the white door, and was caught off guard when there was a woman at her doorstep, with a baby in her arms and tears in her eyes. Attempting to remain unphased, and hiding her confusion, she kept her voice steady when she asked, "How can I help you?" She kept her body inbetween the doorframe and the door, with her left hand on the door, so there was no way that this woman would be able to get into the house in case she was crazy.

 

[Aphrodite Fox]

Aphrodite allowed the fake tears smear her black eyeliner and mascara as an aged woman opened the door, who was unmistakable for Aphrodite's mother. She wasn't surprised that Evita hadn't recognised her, and Aphrodite kept her voice low, but let it get shaky when she responded, "Mother, it is I, your daughter." She paused, for Athena stirred, and she looked down at her own daughter, cradling her a little bit. The younger of the two women spoke again, "I am your eldest daughter, here with your Grandaughter. I need your help." She said, she cracked her voice a little.

One would think that having a reunion with their mother after more than a decade apart would be an emotional one, but Aphrodite was different. She wasn't normal, and didn't feel the same emotions almost any other human would. She didn't feel any pain, any relief, to see her mother; not anymore, at least. In her mind, she had no mother, no father. For as long as Aphrodite could remember, she had blocked out the memories with her mother and father to make it easier on herself, and now that she came face-to-face with the woman that brought her to life, she made sure to seem like she was loving when she wasn't.

 

[Evita Johansen]

Evita knew this day would come. Her own father, Alejandro, had warned her that Aphrodite would come back, whether she was the same person or not. Every day since she left Lino and Aphrodite, she had regretted it, and always dreamt of the day that she would come face to face with her eldest child, her first daughter, but didn't imagine that it would be like this. The memories of her younger years came flooding back into her mind, and Evita forgot herself, allowing her emotions to overcome her wall, and her eyes stung and turned bloodshot.

She opened the door, moving her left arm off of the doorway. "Well don't just stand there then, come in." She said, with a heavy Spanish accent. She was so stunned, and couldn't believe she hadn't seen the resemblence sooner. They had the same hair, eyes, and even a few of the same facial features. In the seconds that Aphrodite walked into her house, Evita's mind had skipped over the part that she had a grandaughter. She rushed outside and grabbed Aphrodite's two suitcases and brought them in, shutting the door.

"May I?" Evita asked, with her almond eyes wide and red as ever, looking straight at her daughter's daughter, who was sound asleep.

 

[Aphrodite Fox]

Aphrodite may have been doing an amazing job at seeming genuine with her tears, but there was no way she would let Evita hold the one and only thing she lived for. She twisted her body away from her mother, and silently shook her head. "I do not want to wake Athena. We have had a long day." And she rocked her nearly two year-old daughter in her left arm (wand in her right hand). Athena was very small for her age, and it was partially due to the stressed delivery, but she was beginning to get fairly heavy for Aphrodite to carry her all day.

"I understand that we came without notice, but I needed a safe place to live, and I didn't know where else to go. Is there a spare room I can put my daughter and my belongings?" The Death Eater asked her mother, fully knowing that for such a large house there had to be at least four bedrooms. She didn't care that she was imposing, and actually didn't want to stay here at all, though her grandfather had given her no choice. He was the only one in her life that Aphrodite had loved before Athena (and Yakov for that matter) came along, and he had done all that he could to keep her safe. He eventually thought that her occupation was harming Athena, and that growing up with a Death Eater for a parent would do his great-grandaughter no good, so he threatened to notify the ministry where she was. Aphrodite, scared and with nowhere else to go, found out where her mother lived, and there she was at that moment.

 

[Evita Johansen]

Evita was slightly offended that she couldn't hold her, having forgotten their history for a second. The older brunette nodded her head in understanding of what Aphrodite had said, and she silently led her daughter up two flights of stairs and through a dark mahogany door, which was a second master bedroom converted into the guest room. Aphrodite had levitated her luggage to follow them, something that Evita had just began to get used to since Alexandra had come home for the Christmas holidays able to do magic. Yes, Evita was a witch, though she didn't use her magic often. Though, whenever she did, it wasn't for simple tasks such as bringing a suitcase up to a room.

Evita stood in the middle of the room, and watched out of the corner of her eye as the two leather suitcases landed softly onto the queen bed. "There is no crib, I hope that is alright?" Evita asked, though it was more of a ritorical question. She saw Aphrodite nod her head, and she backed herself up to the door. "I'll leave you to your sleep, you've had a long trip; though, you may come down for a late dinner at seven if you like. The housewife said, as she closed the door and ran to her rice that she had just remembered was cooking on the stove.

 

[Aphrodite Fox]

The room was decorated nicely, Aphrodite noted as she stepped in and watched her mother leave the room. The bed was nice and large, which would be fine enough for Athena and herself to sleep on. She would put some pillows on the floor next to Athena, and she would be set for the night. The floor was warm, and Aphrodite put her slumbering daughter on the bed, covering her up with her small blanket that was at the very top of one of the suitcases. She unpacked just a change of clothes for herself, and Athena's pyjamas, then put the suitcase on the floor in the closet. Aphrodite made a barrier of pillows around the floor of the bed, and she went to the bathroom to clean herself up. She looked at herself in the mirror, black mascara running down her eyes. She cleaned herself up, and took a quick shower making sure to be fast enough that the water wouldn't be on too long to wake Athena.

She sat on her bed, and thought about her next move. She hoped that she would be able to stay here for at least a few months, but then realised that it was May, and that the school year would end soon. Alexandra would be back, and Aphrodite's half-sister knew who and what she really was. She knew that her grandfather wouldn't say anything to her mother, at least she hoped he wouldn't. Aphrodite would have to get back to New Zealand for a few trips, the Minister Elections were occuring and it was crucial that as a Death Eater, she knew what was going on, and that she didn't miss a beat.

Changed into her pyjamas, she lay in bed, the covers over her body, looking down at Athena, and how angelic she was. Aphrodite would do anything for her daughter, and that was the last thought she had before she fell asleep.

 

[Evita Johansen]

As soon as Evita had finished cooking the Paella, almost as though it were a reaction, Alfons had come home. She could hear him fiddling with the key in the lock, something he could never get right on the first try because she had enchanted the lock on the door to never allow the first key put in so she could hear him at the door to meet him. Again, she wiped her oily hands on her apron, and untied it from her waist, throwing it into the hamper in the laundry room that was just off the main hall. She untied her hair, and combed through it quickly with her fingers, taking short, quick steps to the front door to her husband. She was relieved that the evening had come, and dinnertime would be soon, which then meant the end of the day. What had started off as an uneventful weekday turned into a lifechanging one.

A relieved smile came across her face, and her harsh features softened as her husband, her rock, came through the door. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him on the lips. She knew he wouldn't be happy with the news she was about to break to him, so she led him to the kitchen. "Valentin ate dinner early and is in his room playing. Please, Alfons, sit down. Something has happened, and things are changing." She got out, getting straight to the point. Her facial expression was serious, her eyes piercing, and full of a variety of contradicting emotions.

 

[Alfons Johansen]

Alfons fumbled, again, with the key at the front door. By now he was used to it, and was beginning to think that Evita had enchanted it or something. He opened the door, to see the face of his beautiful wife, same as every other normal day, though today wasn't going to be just any normal day. As she wrapped her arms around his neck, he dropped his briefcase at the door, closing it with his foot. He wrapped his sleeved arms around her waist, and embraced her. He was exhausted, and appreciated that every day his wife made him dinner ready when he was home, though he could sense that there was something a bit different today, by the rush of him getting to the eat-in kitchen.

He grabbed himself a bowl of his favourite Spanish rice meal to start, and he was caught a bit off guard by the seriousness of his wife's tone in what she was saying. He had just sat down, with the spoon in his left hand, and he looked up at his wife, concern on her face. His face turned just as stern as hers, and he asked, "What happened?" Though he had a funny way of saying his Spanish, because it had a Swedish accent to it. He had gripped Spanish better and faster than Evita had Swedish, and his French and English was better than hers, though her Italian trumped his for reasons in her past, that he knew about.

This couple had lots of secrets, though none from each other. The secrets they kept were from Alexandra and Valentin. Alfons knew all about magic, and was excited to see when Valentin would show his signs of magic. He also knew all about Aphrodite, and Lino, and how Evita had walked out on them. All of those things rushed through his mind, as he sat looking at his wife, a spoon of Paella in his hand.

 

[Evita Johansen]

Evita always got straight to the point, and knew her husband didn't want anyone to beat around the bush, so they were a good combination in that sense. She looked at him in the eyes, and looked up. "She's here. Aphrodite arrived less than an hour ago, with a daughter of her own." Evita began, trying to recall as much as she could of their very brief conversation without breaking out into tears. Evita was mostly an emotionally stable person, and usually didn't even show any emotion, this was the one exception. "She said she is in trouble, and once morning comes I will be calling my father to see how much of this he knows. The last time I spoke to him, as you know, he told me she would be coming, but I didn't expect it to be so soon, or with a grandaughter." The olive skinned mother explained, very quickly.

Just like she had kept secrets from Alexandra, her father had done the same to her. Alejandro hadn't told her that Aphrodite was a Death Eater. He had always just said that she had gone in with the 'wrong bunch', not specifying the Dark Arts. Evita didn't know what to expect from Aphrodite, nor did she know why exactly she came here, now at this time. With a look of confusion and worry on her face, she looked back to her husband, who was hanging onto her every word. "Eat now, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought this on you as soon as you walked through the door, but I knew it was essential you found out as soon as possible. She is in the guest room, and I invited her down to eat if she liked, though I am positive that she is asleep."

 

[Alfons Johansen]

Alfons listened, and it hurt him to see his wife worrying so much. As soon as she had finished talking, his hunger had taken over him completely, and he had finished the bowl of Paella within minutes. He went to the oven and took out a few of the pieces of the Botifarra (grilled sausage) that were just warming in there. He was sort of stunned, though he took information better than Evita. He didn't dwell upon the facts, just wanting to give it time to sink in befor he spoke. His silence was not unusual, and Evita was cleaning up the kitchen as he finished eating. 'A grandaughter, and in trouble. Alejandro must know what is going on.' He thought to himself as he washed his own dishes in the sink, giving his wife a break.

He joined Evita in the family room, and sat right next to her, putting his arm over her shoulder to comfort her. "I don't think her being here will be any good. There is something about her sudden appearance that strikes me as strange, and she said she's in danger? Her being here must be putting Valentin, and Alexandra too when she returns, in danger as well." He said in a monotone voice. He was very opinionated, and almost always spoke his mind. Though Evita didn't always say what was on her mind, she wasn't swayed by others opinions' too easily without weighing all of the things first.

What had started off as a normal day for the Johansens' turned out to be a not-so normal night due to an unexpected, and somewhat unwanted visitor.