Just the Three of Us, Plus One

[Hadan Winters]

Truth be told, Hadan Hensel was a little shocked to receive an invite over to Alyssa's house after she worked a full morning shift. Hadan was exhausted, but she worked through it and she took care of her two kids. It was hard to believe how old they were getting now. But then she remembered Vincent. He was an Auror. Sighing, Hadan took off her Scitorari ring and placed it into the drawer. She got ready in decent clothing. Mainly jeans and a comfortable shirt. Hadan never dressed up for anything anymore. She did not see the point in it. She was just going over to the home of her best friend. It would be nice to see Tyson, Deidre, Chacen and Azelle get along. Perhaps Alyssa had another one on the way. Vincent and Alyssa were animals after all. "Mommy! Hurry up! I wanna see auntie Alyssa!" Hadan looked toward her closed door when she heard Deidre's loud voice coming through. Shaking her head, she walked out of her bedroom to see that Deidre dressed herself, which wasn't too bad if her shirt wasn't on backward. Hadan fixed that, and felt relieved when Tyson's outfit was correctly put on. Tyson and Chacen got along famously, which she was glad for, despite the three year different between their ages.

Taking her children by their hands, Hadan apparated with them over to Alyssa's house. Tyson immediately let go of Hadan's hand and she looked down at him. He did not seem like he was in the best of moods today. She bent down in front of him before she murmured, "What's wrong, Tyson?" Tyson refused to answer before she rolled her red eyes. Boys. Hadan did not know how to raise them since it wasn't like she understood them. Perhaps, she could pull Vincent aside and get him to wonder what was going on with Tyson. Maybe he just missed Greyson or something? Hadan then scooped up Deidre and held her on her hip as she reached her free arm forward to ring the doorbell. The doorbell sounded pretty loud, but then again, Hadan was not used to such devices either. She still lived in her apartment and when people wanted to come in and visit her, she often heard knocks on the door. But, her best friend might have another kid and might not hear a few knocks on a wooden door. So, she was just nervous after all. And, the person that opened the door was definitely not Alyssa.​

 

[Vincent Chevalier]

Vincent Chevalier felt utter joy when he had the day off today. He could spend it with his increasingly growing family. Holding Brayden, the newest addition, Vincent noticed on how he looked a bit like Chacen did when he was this age. A little over a year old. Vincent might have just had another baby with Alyssa, but for some reason, he wanted more. He loved kids and he wanted to have about seven or eight. Alyssa probably had other thoughts in mind, such as stopping with Brayden. Chuckling as Brayden gurgled, Vincent set him down in the playpen with Azelle, who was a year older. He hoped that Azelle would be nice to her slightly younger brother. Who knew where Chacen was right now. The boy was getting up there, and eventually, he would be going to Hogwarts New Zealand. Or Beauxbatons. He did not care which school, as long as they were good to him. But so far, he was definitely a lady's man. He flirted with every girl that came along to him, which made him proud. His son would be more beautiful than Vincent would ever be, mainly because of the Veela blood that ran through the boy's veins thanks to his lovely mother.

The doorbell rang loud and clear from the front door. Vincent stood up straight and he walked over toward the front door, knowing whom it would be. Alyssa informed him of inviting Hadan over for dinner. Vincent felt excitement to meet up with some of his wife's friends once more. He wondered how Abigail Lurken was doing, since no one had heard from her in a long time. Her and her husband must have been living off on some deserted island or something. Vincent felt bad since he did not remember any of Alyssa's other friends while she was in school. She had a lot since she was popular. Damian was one of them, and now that he was back with Ostensia, he was sure that he would not see him around much more. Vincent walked over to the front door and he opened it. He greeted Hadan with a bright smile, "Hey! How has it been?" Vincent knelt down and he held out his arms for Tyson to run toward him, which he did, much to his mother's surprise. "Heya kiddo! I hope you have been protecting your mother just fine!" Tyson nodded as Vincent released him from his embrace. He stood up straight and ushered Hadan and her crew inside so that he could shut the door behind him. "Honey! Hadan and her kids are here!"​

 

[Alyssa Chevalier]

Alyssa never imagined how hard it would be to be the mother of three children. She had no idea how her own mother managed to take care of so many kids and manage to keep her sanity. Despite how difficult it could be at times, Alyssa also found it to be very rewarding. Her eldest was already approaching school age, and it literally killed her to know that he would be going off to school without her. Hogwarts had been some of the best years of his life, so she hoped he would choose to go there in the end. Either way though, Alyssa was going to be proud and miss him dearly. "Chacen, would you be willing to set the table for mommy?" Alyssa asked as handed her eldest son a stack of plates. He really liked to help out around the house, and that made Alyssa suspect that one day, he was going to have the ladies lining up at his door. As Chacen began to set the table, Alyssa went off to finish dinner. Vincent was off probably taking care of Brayden and Azelle. He wanted another baby, but Alyssa kept telling him no. She wasn't sure that she was ready for another baby. Three was enough for her right now, and she was going to do whatever she could to make sure that Vincent didn't get his fourth for awhile, or at all if she could help that. Alyssa heard a knock at the door and turned her head.

A beautiful smile graced her lips when she heard that it was Hadan! Alyssa looked at the food one last time and figured that it would be okay so long as she didn't wander away for too long. As soon as her eyes fell upon her best friend, Alyssa grinned widely. "Hey there stranger, it's been awhile!" Sadly, having both a family and a full time job made it really hard for Alyssa to have a social life. In fact, she couldn't even remember the last time she and Vincent had gone out on a date. They were just so busy all of the time. Alyssa even took the time to give her best friend a hug before she stepped over to the side so Hadan could relax and sit down. "How have things been? It's been so long! I've been meaning to come over and see you, but I've just been so busy with the kids and work!" Alyssa wasn't even sure if Hadan knew that she had three kids now instead of just two. If Vincent had his way, there's probably be a new baby hanging around the house every some one came over. What a scary thought! ​

 

[Alaric Winters]

Alaric really wished that he hadn't misplaced his walking stick. As much as he hated using the darn thing, it became really useful when Alaric was in pain like this. The injury that he had sustained years ago while on a mission had forever changed his life, and not in a good way. Alaric was forever injured, broken, and no longer really considered himself as an important part of society. When people saw Alaric, they only saw the injury that he bore, and they pitied him for it. Alaric didn't is being an Auror so much as he missed being in his prime. He missed being able to get up every morning without being in immense pain and feeling sorry for himself. "Stop thinking about it, idiot. You'll just ruin everyone's night by being a total sour puss." Alaric was normally a very positive guy who tried his best to love life and enjoy the fact that he was alive and still able to move around at all, but he had his days where he had a harder time being positive. He was going to try his best to get over his depressive state and actually try to put on a brave face for Vincent.

Alaric had met Vincent before he received his injury. Vincent had always been a positive and cheerful young man, and Alaric really enjoyed his company when they worked together. Even after Alaric had gotten hurt, he and Vincent remained good friends, and he intended to keep their friendship going even today. From what Alaric had heard through the grapevine, Vincent had quit working as an Auror as well. During dinner tonight Alaric was going to be sure to ask what had prompted Vincent do that. Slowly but surely, Alaric had managed to make his way up the steps to the Chevalier's home and he quickly formed his fingers into a fist so he could knock loudly on the front door. Hopefully he wasn't running too late. He'd feel awful if he had made Vincent's poor wife go through all the trouble of cooking for him if he only going to end up being late and unable to eat it in the first place. Alaric was excited to see Vincent though, he was the closest thing that Alaric had to a friend, and it would be nice to see a familiar face. ​

 

[Hadan Winters]

Hadan was mortified with how easily Tyson warmed up to Vincent. How come he could do that, but she couldn't? That was beyond frustrating. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. There were now five kids in the house, and Hadan didn't know how well that would work out. She never imagined herself with more than Tyson and Deidre. Plus, that would mean that she would have to go back out on the market. That was something she wasn't really ready to do. After what happened with Rafael, could she really be blamed? "Vincent, you need to tell me why he comes to you and not to me." Hadan had her hand on Deidre's shoulder, before she wondered off to find Chacen. There were a few year difference between them, but kids would be kids. She just wondered how Alyssa managed to have so many kids, and still manage such a household. Well, magic probably helped a lot more than Hadan could ever remember. She would have to remember to use the spells that were taught to her, so that she could have it easier as well. She looked to Alyssa, and a small smile graced her own lips.

The sight of her best friend never failed. Hadan nodded, "Yeah, it has been. Work and the kids..." Hadan did not need to explain more than that. Plus, Alyssa had her husband to handle. She heard that he was thinking of quitting his job as an Auror, but whether or not he actually did, that was something that she wasn't too worried about. Being a part of the Scitorari made things a little harder, but she did believe in the same things. Hadan was bombarded with questions, and she smiled, "Well, normal I suppose. I heard my sister finally left that no account ****, and is now with a respectable friend of mine. Surely I told you about Thane? Tyson only seems to respond to Vincent so... Anyway, how about you? Pregnant again or no?" Alyssa did look good pregnant, but then again, Hadan was used to seeing her as such. Hadan hated being pregnant, but it was a nice bonding experience. Hadan accepted the hug and she sat down on the couch. She was on her feet a lot, so it was nice to sit back and relax some. However, what surprised her was another knock on the door. Who else was coming over? Hadan didn't know about this.​

 

[Vincent Chevalier]

Vincent finished his embrace with Tyson before he noticed that the boy took a liking to him. He looked at Hadan and answered with a shrug, "Young boys do love fatherly figures, so perhaps that's it. But all kids love me. It definitely isn't a personal thing against you, Hadan." He however looked toward the door, expecting the last guest to arrive. He looked to Alyssa who knew who was coming over. A handsome fellow named Alaric Winters. Alaric had one odd past. They were also Auror friends, and even now, remained friends. Vincent felt horrible when Alaric was injured and he was forced to retire early, but now they can both bask in the fact that neither were Aurors anymore. Vincent quit his job and managed to become a healer, same as Alyssa. It was a good career, and both were safe. That was what mattered to him. Plus, his father was really happy about that too. He would never understand why, because Amauri risked his life all of the time, and he still worked as an Auror. But Vincent wanted to become a hero, but after some time, he realized that he was a hero already, in the eyes of people that actually mattered to him.

Vincent heard the knock on the door at last, and he rushed to the front, ignoring the confused gaze of Hadan. He opened the door and he greeted Alaric with a bright grin, "Hey there, bud, a little early, aren't you? Come in, come in!" Vincent quickly ushered Alaric inside and shut the door. He gestured toward the children, "You know Azelle and Chacen, but the new one there is Brayden. The two older ones running about are Tyson and Deidre Hensel. They are the children of..." Vincent paused for a moment, looking at Hadan, "Hadan there." He knew that he would have to introduce Alaric to Hadan as well. "Oh, Hadan, this here is Alaric Winters. We used to be Auror friends, but since neither of us work for that force anymore..." Vincent broke the news of him quitting the Aurors just then, to everyone except Alyssa who already knew. It was still a shock for the family, but the pay was still really good, and the children were spoiled. But the parents really needed some time to themselves. How else was he going to get his fourth baby?​

 

[Alyssa Chevalier]

Alyssa snorted from beside Vincent. Children loving him was an understatement, and a huge pain in the ass sometimes. "He isn't joking. I always have to check and make sure he didn't kidnap any of the neighbor kids by accident. They love to follow him around when he goes for walks." Alyssa knew that Vincent had a strong love for kids himself, so it was only a matter of time before he talked her into having another baby or he adopted one and tried to surprise her. Hopefully the last one had never crossed his mind, because he'd be grounded for months. When Hadan asked if she were pregnant again Alyssa coughed and shook her head. "Vincent's not happy about it, but I'm trying keep it at three kids." Whether she'd be successful or not was unclear though. If she had another baby though, Alyssa knew she'd have to look into getting a nanny, and a part of her hated the idea of it. But trying to raise four kids and work full time was exhausting. Plus Vincent was going to get the attention he wanted, and he could be just as bad as the children when it came to that sort of stuff.

Alyssa had just finished setting the table when Alaric walked through the door. Instantly she pitied him. He had been involved in the same work that her husband had and he walked away with severe injuries. From the way she had heard it, he almost died that night. "Hello Alaric. You're looking better." It was a complete lie because he looked absolutely horrible, but she didn't want him to feel bad. It was easy to see that the man detested his injuries. Vincent announced that he had quit being an Auror and Alyssa smiled softly. No matter what he decided to do, she was still proud of him. Actually, this job was safer so she had to worry less about him getting killed or injured while he was on the job. Alyssa pulled a chair out for Alaric so he could sit down and get off of his bad back. Dinner was just about ready too, so she checked to make sure that the table was set and that everyone had themselves a plate, a glass, and a set of silverware. Hopefully Hadan and Alaric liked wine, because Vincent and Alyssa drank it religiously. ​

 

[Alaric Winters]

Alaric remained silent when Vincent pointed out that he was early. He was always early, mostly because he had nothing better going on in his life. It was mostly, eat, sleep, and repeat. He occasionally wandered out to look for a job, but that usually wound up not such a great idea in the end. Vincent went on to introduce the new baby that Alaric had yet to meet, as well as a few other kids, and a woman. Alaric was merely going to give the woman a polite hello, but the odd color of her eyes caused him to pause for a moment. "Hello. What unusual color eyes you have." He didn't mean it as a negative thing, he just had never seen someone with red eyes. At least, naturally anyways. Those sorts of eyes usually belonged to rodents or reptiles, not humans. "Pleasure to meet you though." Alaric threw in at the end, attempting to cover up his earlier statement which might have seemed rude if she took it the wrong way. Alaric wasn't a people person, so he wasn't as suave as Vincent was when it came to speaking with other people. He had never been like that, even when he wasn't old and crippled.

"Thank you, Alyssa. You don't have to lie though. I know I look like a miserable mess." Alaric smiled softly and took a seat in the empty chair. Although she was trying to be nice, he could tell just by the look in her eyes that she felt sorry for him. Who could blame her though, he looked like a mess and he knew it. Alaric raised and eyebrow and glanced at Vincent when he announced that neither of them were Aurors anymore. Ah so he had quit too? "I'm surprised. You loved that job. But I commend you on getting out while you still can." Alaric envied Vincent. He was young, handsome, had a beautiful wife and kids, and he still had his health and his body in tip top shape. What he wouldn't give to have a life like that someday. If only he had been more careful during his youth, he might not be where he was today. ​

 

[Hadan Winters]

Hadan looked toward Vincent as Alyssa spoke about how he was not joking, and how she had to make sure that he didn't kidnap the neighborhood kids. Apparently, they follow him around or something. She merely shook her head and did not comment on it. It was really none of her business what Vincent did with his free time, but she watched as her son continually love on him. It wasn't really fair, but she was not going to push the issue. Alyssa mentioned on how she was trying to keep it at three kids, and nothing more. Vincent apparently wanted more than three. "I would keep to that statement if I were you, Alyssa. Personally, I don't know how someone would want more than just two kids myself. The two keep me busy all the time." Every now and then, their father would come by but Hadan wasn't a fan of how they were made. But she had her babies, that was all that mattered. It was a good thing that they both got her looks. She did not want to be reminded of her mistake with Greyson over and over again. Nah, she could just pretend that it never happened, and the stork or something equivalent brought her the babies.

The new guy, apparently named Alaric, introduced himself to Hadan, after he noted on her eye color. Her eyes narrowed slightly, wondering if she should take that as a compliment or an insult. She heard his little statement at the end, and she nodded, "Pleasure." She was a little uncertain on how she wanted to behave around him. He was one of those that had issues with a leg or a back. She couldn't tell. Many things could cause an injury that requires a cane. Hadan walked over and found her own seat, before she neatened her top a bit. She heard Vincent quit the Aurors, and she looked up with surprise. That was something that made her dislike him for a while, but now she could be comfortable around the couple. "Vincent, why did you quit the Aurors? I thought you loved being in the same profession as your dad." Apparently, Alaric used to be an Auror too. She was in the company of really good nature people. Her, on the other hand, was prone to violent fits to make sure she got what she needed. Never before now had she felt so out of place.​

 

[Vincent Chevalier]

It was no secret that Vincent loved children. He loved them all and he could not help himself but want to have more. Right now, their house was a little cramped. If he wanted more children, then he would have to have a bigger house. With him out of a job, for now, he would have to hurry and see if he was accepted as a Healer. He could not wait to be one, and he could work with his gorgeous wife. Perhaps they could have similar hours, and the same days off to spend together. It would be nice. "Yeah, it isn't fun to send them off and away when I just want to keep them like puppies or something. I also don't want to get in trouble with the parents." The thought of having more children excited him, but Alyssa wanted to stop at three. Three was not enough. Ten was enough for him. So he thought. He might not want to be one of those that had a dozen children. People lose their sanity. But Chacen was getting so old now. He could not help but want more little babies while watching the oldest ones grow up and leave him. "We can stop at twelve kids, honey. Not three." Vincent winked at his wife.

As soon as Alaric mentioned Hadan's eye color, he prayed that Hadan did not take it the wrong way. That was not what he was intending. He actually hoped that Alaric could find himself a woman to help him out, and well, in his heart of hearts, he hoped that Hadan could be a good match if she just melted her ice cold heart from her last break ups. Everyone needed a love like he and his wife had. And he wanted the best for his good friend. He was glad that he had Alaric in his small circle of friends. He and Xavier long ago lost touch. "Yeah, I loved that job, but I didn't want to end up like my mother. Also, Hadan, I quit because it was a dangerous job, and I'd rather be at home, or working at Saint Mungo's. I applied there recently." Vincent took his seat, while keeping an eye on the kids while they found the toys. "So, Alaric, what have you been doing? I quit my job and stuff. I hope that you have some news for us as well."​