Picking Up The Pieces

[Ash Richards]

Five years... Five years and the biggest mistake of his life. As Ash Richards walked out of Broken Hill Correctional Centre, Australia, his belongings in a bag strapped over his shoulder, all he could think of was the mistakes he had made in his life. How had he let it all fall apart? That had been the question he had been asking himself for the past five years. He had lost control and imploded. Every waking second for the past one thousand, eight hundred and twenty five days that he had been locked away in the hell hole that was Sydney's finest correctional centre, he had had that single thought. That he had messed up and lost it all. As he walked down the street, he watched the countless faces of people passing him. Blurred faces he didnt recognise. He was in a place he hadnt really been before. Flashed of the scene from five years ago flashed through his head. He had been transferred 3 times during his stint in prison, and all that he had to be thankful for was that it was a muggle prison he had been locked up in, and not a wizard one. Walking down a side alley, he turned a corner, out of site of prying eyes. Kneeling down, he rummaged through his bag and found his packet of cigarettes. He wasnt even sure if they were still smokeable after all this time. He didnt care. Lighting one up, he sat back against the wall and drew in the sweet, yet cancerous nicotine and sighed to himself. Five years... What was he to do? He had completely lost everything in his life. He thought of his daughter briefly. She would be around about five by now. He had barely seen her, and he had lost five years of her life over a stupid mistake.

The images flashed into his head again. He was standing in Kida's house, yelling and shouting. Anger had flown through him at the sight of her new boyfriend. How could she have done that to him? How could she have just moved on like he had never existed? He had been so angry that he had apparated to the first place he had thought of. And for some reason, that place was Sydney, Australia. It made sense he had apparated here really. It was the closest country to New Zealand, and he had wanted to get away from her, but closer to alcohol. He had walked into the first bar he had found. Shotting five lots of bourbon upon arrival, he had then ordered two mixed drinks and thought of any way to get the thought of Kida out of his head. And that, of course, was women. Approaching a very attractive girl across the bar, he had offered to buy her a drink. By this point he was drunk and simply void of rational thought of any trace of emotion. Had he been, he might have noticed the girls boyfriend approaching him as he flirted openly with her. He might also have noticed the girls obvious disgust in him. He was a man too far gone to care. A fight had broken out between himself and the boyfriend, and before Ash knew it he was being arrested and tried for aggravated assault, drunk and disorderly, and resisting arrest. And after five years, Ash felt nothing but shame.

Flicking his now smoked cigarette across the allay, he reached through his bag again and withdrew his wand. The police had had no idea what the stick was, and figure it for a piece of wood that he had been carrying for some unknown reason. Smiling at it as he looked down, he thought about what he wanted to do. The image of his daughter, Scarlet, crossed his mind again. Closing his eyes, he smiled, and as he grabbed his bag, turned on the spot. With a rushing sensation and a slight feeling of nausea he opened his eyes, and there in front of him, was Kida's house. He stood across the road, buried in shadows. Following his leather jacket around him, he pulled the hood of his inner jacker over his head and leant against a wall, staring at the house. 'Now what?' He thought to himself.

 

[Kida Frost]

Days away from the chaos which was her life were bliss and ones that Kida wanted to enjoy with her Daughter as much as possible, She had been working on a million plans at once as she always does, keeping herself on the edge of her broomstick every second she got, Aside from planning her Wedding she was also building a small Granny Flat Village behind her Quidditch Pitch on her Property which she was Upgrading for At Home Practices, she knew that when her Second child Arrived she wouldn't want to Travel to work, so she had organized for her Team to Train at her house, Which reminded her she needed to also build a guest house, slightly larger with the Granny flats, she mentally added it to her list while she knelt beside the bath washing her Daughter who had insisted that Mummy help her wash her hair.

Kida laughed happily as Scarlet described to her all of her little Toys on their Ocean Adventure, Her child was a Water baby like her Mother. Kida worked Shampoo into her Daughters Long Velvet Brown hair, Scarlet didn't mind, she was busy playing with her Toys, Kida was the one who had to do the work following the head of an active child around the bath trying not to get the suds in her eyes was a challenging task. 'Sweetheart, please try to keep still' she said kindly and watched as Scarlet stopped her movements but focused on submerging a Mermaid Barbie Doll 'Mummy, Can you tell me about Rain again?' Scarlet asked as she brushed the dolls blonde hair around underwater with her spare hand. Rain was Kida's Mermaid Friend in School, Kida would spend Hours swimming in the lake with Rain the Mermaid, she missed her friend quite a bit.

After drying Scarlet off and sending her off to her room to get dressed Kida Stretched her legs and arched her back letting it crack, she sighed with relief and put on hand on her flat toned stomach 'I Hope you get some of your Fathers Traits little one, Mummy can't handle two children who are just like their mother, I would be run off my feet' she snickered to herself, Kida had found out a few days ago that she was Pregnant again, She hadn't told anyone yet she had an appointment with her Muggle Doctor at the beginning of next week and the Very next day she was off to meet all of Icarus' Family but Kida could tell, she could sense it.
Hanging up the Towel from the floor and draining the bath Kida made her way towards the stairs calling out to Scarlet as she went 'Come on Scarlet, The Sun is Out an it's not that Cold, I thought you wanted to go to the Park and get some Crepes while were out?' She heard Scarlet thump onto the ground when she jumped off the bed and ran around her room, her foot steps making banging sounds as she rushed.

Kida Pulled on her Boots and Scarlet came thumping down the stairs dressed in jeans and a white Shirt and put on her little runners before smiling up at her Mum and raising her arms. Kida shook her head 'I Am not Carrying you all the way down there Miss' she said as she opened the door and guided Scarlet out handing Scarlet her jacket as she passed through the doorway, Shutting it behind her knowing that Blake was home all day 'However, I will give you a Piggy Back down the Drive' she said with a smile as she knelt down and looked over her shoulder, making sure her hair was out of the way. Scarlet Jumped on her back and Kida stood up adjusting her before making the walk down the Driveway, breaking into a light run every now and then and spinning around in circles to make her dizzy, Scarlet Squealed with Delight but hushed when they reached the bottom.
'Off you get, Time to be a Big Girl, No More Piggy backs until we get home and then I'm Sure Uncle Blake will go play with you in the back yard' Kida knelt down again and let Scarlet climb off, She gave her a kiss on the Cheek and buttoned up her Jacket.

Kida took Scarlet's hand in hers and made her way on the short 15 minute walk down the road towards Brightstone and then onto Tākarokaro Park.

 

[Ash Richards]

Ash stood, staring at the driveway to the house for a while. He was torn between choices that rummaged through his head. Should he approach the house? Should he try and call? Should he just wait here? It had been five long years, what seemed to be an eternity to him, locked away with only four walls to stare at. He had missed practically all of Scarlet's life. He was sure Kida was married and well moved on by now. And the rest of her family... Well, they hated him from the start anyway. He was completely torn. Lighting up yet another cigarette he stood, inhaling and exhaling the toxic smoke, considering his options. If he turned up, he would likely be screamed at and shunned by Kida and the family. He might even get punched, which he would take on the chin and cop. Scarlet wouldnt even remember him, and her first impression of her father would be one of horror in the eyes of a child. If he called, he risked being hung up on or abused verbally to which he'd have no chance to defend himself. If he stayed and didnt go at all, he would never again know his daughter, and of all the mistakes in his life, he didnt intend on making the abandonment of his child one of them. She was his flesh and blood. The only thing he had left to him, especially after his muggle parents had all but disowned him. He was left with nothing but a small, ebbing hope that he might one day make his way back into his daughters life, even if Kida had left him behind.

As if in answer to his inner struggle, he heard a child laughing, and as he looked up, his heart all but stopped. There in front of him stood Kida Frost, the only girl he had ever fallen in love with. To say it hurt seeing her would have been a major understatement. It almost tore him apart. She looked happy, which made him instantly happy. He would always have strong feelings for Kida. She will forever be the first girl he fell in love with, and the mother of his child, who stood by her side holding her hair. Looking at Scarlet, Ash felt a lump in his throat, and he struggled to breathe. She was huge, and so gorgeous. Her brown hair made him smile again. She looked like her mother, with only small tints of his traits in her. His eyes started to tear up as he looked at them both. His family stood right in front of him, happy and safe. At least, they were his family. He had lost the right to call them that a long time ago. Another problem presented itself as he walked them walk away. What did he do now? He could exactly just call out to them and not expect world war three in the street. He decided to stay in the shadows, and quietly follow them from a distance. Being a now ex convict, stalking his child and his ex girlfriend would probably be seen as slightly psychotic behaviour, but he brushed the thought out of his head as he followed them down the street. He needed to see more of them. He had to.

 

[Kida Frost]

With the Wind picking up slightly adding a slight chill to the Sunny Day, Kida dropped Scarlet's hand and wrapped one of her hands around her shoulder, Pulling her close to her to keep her warm. 'Are you Warm Sweetheart?' she asked making sure that Scarlet was warm enough, she wasn't far from home she could easily turn around and go get a thicker shirt or scarf for her. Scarlet just shook her head and looked at the ground while she walked, Kida smiled and shook her head, she knew she would trip over he own feet, but she would learn that soon enough.

The walk never felt like long, she was into the shopping district when she picked up Scarlet's hand again so she wouldn't loose her in the crowd 'Now My little Miss, Do you want Crepes Now or After?' It was a Ritual thing to do, When ever Scarlet and Kida had a mother daughter day they would get Crepes no matter where they went.
'Later Mummy' Scarlet said tugging on Kida's hand 'Auntie Eden might be there today, and I know that Hayley and Cole will be there, They told me Yesterday when we were playing with Uncle Blake' Kida smiled 'Eden won't be there today, she is working, but Park first'
Kida sensed a Strange presence near her, she had a strange feeling that someone was keeping an eye on her, she got this feeling when Ashton was stalking her because he was bored and wanted to see if she was meeting up with her Team Mates to try hook up with them or when a Quidditch Fan was following her for an autograph, she knew someone was keeping an eye on her, she Transfigured slightly to use her heightened Wolf Senses but she couldn't sense anything Dangerous, Dark Witches and Wizards had a certain scent about them, she could smell Cigarettes very strongly and she shut off her senses and shook her head, raising and dropping her shoulders as if she got a chill down her spine.

Arriving at the Park, Kida dropped Scarlet's hand and Scarlet ran off quickly towards the Climbing Tower, 'Be Safe!' she called out to her. Scarlet was correct Hayley and Cole were both there and some of her other friends from day care. Kida knew she was safe in the park. She smiled as Scarlet ran, she had quite a bit of speed on her, Kida had been teaching her how to fly a broom since she was almost 4 years old, she made a mental note to give her more lessons she could tell Scarlet was starting to lose her focus when she wanted something, Kida really wanted Scarlet to get into Quidditch when she went to school and if she was going to do that she needed to know how to Focus on the Goal and her surroundings, Scarlet stumbled a bit when she didn't notice some small rocks in front of her but recovered and made it to the play Equipment.
Kida scouted out a Park bench which gave her a Good view of the playground so she could keep an eye on Scarlet but also secluded enough that she could work on some plans for the Granny Flats or Rather Lofts she was building, Kida pulled out a note book from her coat pocket and a pen and tucked her legs under her on the bench resting the book against on leg she started to sketch out floor plans.

 

[Ash Richards]

Many emotions tore through Ash as he followed Kida and his daughter down the street. He had no idea where they were heading, and he was swarmed with thoughts on how to approach them and talk to them. He knew that it would be a struggle. Kida all but hated and despised him. She had disliked him enough after Scarlet had been born, and now that he had disappeared from their lives for so long, he knew she would hate him. He had begged his parents to send word to her for him, but they had refused, and that had been the last time they had spoken to him almost five years ago. He hated them almost as much as he hated himself. And Scarlet... Well, she didnt even know who he was. How could you tell a five year old girl that you were her father when she hadnt seen you since she was nothing but a new born child? She had grown up with Kida and whatever man she was with now, and that guy would be the father figure in her eyes. How could Ash ever amount to anything in her eyes? He crossed through the shopping district, still at a distance but close enough to not lose track of them, and smiled to himself as they came across the park. 'Of course.' he thought to himself as he stopped and watched them walk towards the park. He thought quickly of a plan, and decided to walk around the outskirts of the park so that they wouldn't spot him. He still had no plan.

As he reached the spot he was aiming for, he stopped and leaned against the wall. Kida was seated now on a park bench, her back toward him. He was searching his mind for a viable idea. He wanted to talk to her first, away from Scarlet, so that he could assess what things would be like. Five years was a long time. Kida might not even recognise him. She might not even remember him. He shook that thought from his head. They had a child together. Kida wouldnt be able to forget about him that easily. He decided to light another smoke as he considered his options. He didnt want the first time Scarlet saw him to be one of him being screamed at by her mother. He wanted the best possible image of himself for her. He laughed at himself for the thought. "Ash, you're an ex convict. Your image is screwed beyond belief." he said to himself as he shook the thought from his mind. Luckily, he was clean shaved and his hair was in a similar fashion to what Kida would have last seen him. He had tried to keep as well as he could. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks, but lately that was his every day appearance. He rarely slept well anymore. Sighing to himself, he decided for the only option he had. Dropping the still lit cigarette on the ground, he walked across the road and towards the bench Kida sat on. He was as silent as he could be, but he knew she would still hear him. He gently took a seat next to her, but didnt look at her. His eyes were on his daughter, who was now playing with the other kids at the park. "Hi Kida." he said, his words choking in his throat, his eyes never once leaving his daughter.

 

[Kida Frost]

Kida had almost finished Sketching the Floor plans and designs for her Eldest Brother's Loft, She looked up and saw that Hayley and Cole's Parents had returned from getting Coffee, They had been visiting the park for long enough to have a system, Kida raised her pen and gave them a small wave, She could go walk around and get something to drink If she wanted, they were keeping an eye on Scarlet. Kida went to look back to her note when she smelt the smell of cigarettes again she crinkled up her nose, the Person was closer now, she put her pen in the center of her Book and looked up, the Person had sat next to her and she could tell just from his scent under the smell of tobacco who it was. 'Hello Ash' she responded, looking over at him she raised an eyebrow 'Can I help You?' she asked, she didn't like the fact that he had just shown up and sat down next to her, Did he expect to walk back into her Daughters life like that, Sitting down next to her at the park, letting her Daughter see her with a Man she didn't know and force Kida to introduce her Daughter to this man who contributed to her creation? At 25 years old, Kida wasn't going to yell at him but instead she closed her book and folded it up before putting it in her pocket.

Kida followed his Gaze and noticed he was looking at Scarlet, she rolled her eyes and looked at Scarlet, she hadn't looked over here thankfully she was busy hanging upside down on some monkey bars with her back to them.

 

[Ash Richards]

Her words just Ash like a whip. He had known his reception would be a cold one, and yet nothing ever prepared him for that feeling. No matter how bad the situation was, he always had that small hope in the bottom of his chest that things might go smoothly. But this one, like the rest, was very quickly stamped out. He wasn't sure what his reply would be. He had no game plan, no idea of what he was doing. All he had known wad that after five years he had wanted to see the only thing he had left. And now that he thought about it properly, he had made the biggest mistake of all coming over here. If Scarlet saw him, he had no answers, and no excuses. And what was worse, was that he would have to pretend he was something he wasn't. He couldn't possibly walk back into her life and announce that he was her father. It would crush her. He sighed audibly. "No, you can't. You can't change the last five years." he said very quietly, his voice still breaking under the massive amounts of emotions he was suffering. A single tear streaked down his cheek as he watch Scarlet giggle and enjoy her day. Raising his hand, he wiped it away quickly. Tears were useless now, and would only make it worse. He had to hold himself together. "I could tell you the truth. It wouldn't matter in the end though, even if you did believe it." he said to her, still not facing her. In all honesty, he didn't have the courage to look at her. He was scared of what he would see.

He knew what she would be seeing in him right now. A pathetic, weak excuse for a human who had abandoned his daughter for the first part of her life. And in a way, she would be right. The only difference she would see in Ash would be the giant scar that tore down from near his spine to his collar bone. He had been on the bad receiving end of one of the meaner inmates whilst he was inside, and had said the wrong thing. He didn't remember much of what had happened. He just remembered spending weeks in the infirmary and being lucky to live. The guards at the jail never did find what he was stabbed with. The scar still pained him to this day, but it was something he accepted. He deserved it and more in his eyes. "I just needed to see her." he sighed to himself, "Don't worry, i don't intend on telling her who i am." he said to try and reassure her that he wasn't here to cause problems.

 

[Kida Frost]

Ash was an absolute mess, he couldn't seem to hold himself together to make a proper conversation, he started to ramble and Kida rolled her eyes again, She was a Mother, a Fiance, a Quidditch Captain and a Ministry Official, she didn't have time to deal with Break downs and Bad days, so she waited for Ash to get to the point, which is something she expected he wanted to see Scarlet, Kida ran her hands through her hair and gestured at the play ground 'There she is, You can see her' she said, she wasn't comfortable with letting Ash near Scarlet, She was an Intelligent young Girl, she would want to know who he was and Kida wasn't comfortable in telling her that he was her father. Scarlet knew nothing about having a Father, she was too young to understand, she knew Icarus wasn't her Biological Father but was still her Father figure, she never asked questions about her Birth Father she was happy living her life not knowing, and throwing a five year old into the deep end would give her a headache to last a week, She hadn't quite grasped the concept that Kida's Half brothers weren't her full blooded brothers, They were all her Uncles, but she would have to explain it soon since she would be getting a Half Sibling, but it would be easier to understand if she had one.

'What do you Expect me to do Ash? Introduce you to her as my Friend, Someone she has never heard of before randomly showing up and wants to see my Daughter' she shook her head 'You've been absent since almost from Birth, You never sent her Birthday Cards or Christmas Card' Kida said in case Ash forgot that you can't just slot into someones life 'As far as I'm Concerned, If you want to meet My Daughter, it will be on my Terms, You haven't soothed any tummy pains, Changed any Nappys' Kida begun not breaking her look at Scarlet 'You've never scared any monsters away, stood in a store for hours trying to decide if you wanted to purchase the Stroller with a Sippy cup holder or extra padding. You haven't even watched her break important milestones in her life, and you never tried to make contact to see how she was going' Kida rubbed the Scar on her right hand, the Scar she had had for years which had started to fade 'You Can't just walk into a Child's life like that, Throwing her Willingly into utter mind into Utter chaos to leave me to comfort an upset little girl who doesn't Understand why some strange man wanted to see her' Kida stood up and turned to face Ash, Her voice was cool but sharp, her expression calm but with a hint of anger lying underneath.

'So, What do you want apart from to cause more trouble then you are worth.' she said, Kida brushed her hands through her hair and shook her head 'You know what, Forget it, I don't even want to know' Kida knew she was over-reacting slightly, but she had every right to, She had raised her daughter by herself until Scarlet was 1 and a half when she met Icarus, A Single Mother. 'Keep away from My Daughter' Kida turned to walk towards the Coffee shop at the edge of the building.

 

[Ash Richards]

Ash had expected Kida's reaction. He had known it would be like this from the start. Ash was actually surprised that she hadn't slapped him yet, but then she probably didnt want to cause too much of a scene in front of Scarlet. He was trying his best not to break down, but the assault hurt him more than he had expected. He looked at Kida, pain in his eyes. "You think i chose this? You think i willing walked out of her life, and abandoned her. I am many things Kida, but of all the things you think of me do you honestly think i would willingly walk out of my daughters life?" he said, pain in his voice. He hadnt intended on defending himself, or arguing with Kida, but she knew how to get under his skin. "What do you expect me to say to her? You expect me to send her a christmas card saying 'Hi kiddo, daddy loves you but he's locked in jail because he's an idiot'!?" he asked, his voice hushed so that he didnt draw attention from anything. He was getting upset and more hurt by the second, but he knew that he had to keep his cool. When Kida went on about how he hadn't changed any nappys, or soothed any tummy pains, he lost it. Tears rolled down his cheeks and he had to looked away from her, hiding his pain. "I would have given anything to be there for that." he said more to himself than Kida, "Instead, i served five years in a correctional centre in Australia. I was cut off from my family who all but disowned me and left me to rot. I didnt have a phone to call, and i didnt know your number to get a hold of you. If i could have, i would have." he said to her, still looking away, his voice broken and croaking.

He had expected her to walk away, and had prepared for it. He stood up after her, and followed her. He reached out and gently grabbed her hand, not yanking it but gently pulling back on it. "Kida, im not here to introduce myself to her. I just wanted to see her. Five years i've spent staring at four walls and a bed. I have no one left and my first thought when i got out today was to see you two." he said, trying to reason with her. "I dont want to walk back into her life. I just wanted to see my daughter. She is literally all i have left, and the only reason i am still breathing right now." he said gently, dropping her hand and holding his hands out pleadingly to her. He didnt know what else to do.

 

[Kida Frost]

Ash grabbed her hands as she walked away and she stopped in her steps, and turned around to look at him, Giving him a look which was asking if he wanted to keep his arm. He explained that he was in Jail and that he couldn't send a Christmas Card or anything and she rolled her eyes again 'If you Loved your daughter so much, you would have found a way to contact her' she said plainly, She still hadn't forgiven him, She had asked Ash to stop smoking and Drinking so Heavily as now he had a responsibility as a father and briefly he did quit, but he went to his Gigs with his band and had started drinking again and she was over it, Having a child wasn't something you could just pass onto the Mother and do what you wanted, Kida asked Ash to stay away until he had made up his mind, He took a bit longer than expected, several months in fact, by the time he came back and had come clean Kida had already tried to contact him via owl twice and with no response she had moved on with her life, Started dating someone else and Scarlet was almost One. That must have aggravated Ash, He must have thought that Kida would wait for him, But Kida wasn't one to put her life on hold for someone, she had plans and they had to keep on moving, When Ash answered the Door Kida had asked Icarus to take Scarlet to her room and get her ready for bed and the sight must have torn him up, Kida handed back the engagement ring to Ash and told him to Owl her and shut the door in his face.

Kida had to admit she did feel sorry for Ash, he wanted to see his Daughter but Kida wasn't sure what he wanted, he didn't want to Introduce himself to her, just see her, she shook her head and raised one hand to the bridge of her nose 'You Can see her, She's right there playing on the Monkey Bars, what more do you want' she snapped yanking her hand out of his and placing it on her hip. 'Ash, I'm Sorry you took so long to get your life together and that caused you to miss out on her life, but that's not my Fault.' she said as she changed her position to her arms crossed in front of her chest, She studied Ash, he looked completely broken, Kida shook her head and rolled her eyes before digging her hand into her pocket and pulling out her wallet and handing Ash some coins 'Go to the Coffee shop and get me a Large White Hot Chocolate, A bottle of water and some Melting Moments, they are Scarlet's Favorite Biscuit and the Coffee shop here does a really nice one, I will Go sit down with Hayley and Cole's Parents, If you want to see your Daughter so bad you an come sit with us and when I call Scarlet to get her Biscuits, you can SEE her then' she said putting emphasis on the See making it clear that she didn't want Ash to talk to her unless Scarlet talked to him first. 'I will let Henry & Rebekah, Hayley and Cole's Parent's know Who you are, so if you Try anything to take my little girl, Henry will send you on your way. Do you Understand?' Kida asked, Her Hazel eyes swirling to a light gold, She knew she couldn't Transfigure if she was pregnant but Ash didn't know that, She could till remind him that she was a wolf and would tear him limb from limb if he tried something.

 

[Ash Richards]

Ash couldnt help but wince at her reply. She just didnt seem to understand that he wasnt lying for once. He wasnt making up excuses for walking away and he wasnt trying to get out of his punishment. He accepted it all. He was just trying to make her understand that he hadnt just willingly walked out of their lives. "I would have died to find a way to make contact. To let you both know that i hadnt just run away." he said as gently as he could, though his way looked like she had just slapped him. "I wanted to be in my daughters life. I had given it all up. I cleaned myself up and i was coming back to you. It look long than i had wanted, but i wanted to make completely sure that i would be the man you both needed. And it had already been too late." he said, remembering the night that he had come for Kida and Scarlet. Remembering her handing him back the engagement ring, and him losing himself to his emotions. "I would have given anything in the world to have been here for the last five years..." he said to her as he stood, awkwardly staring at the ground, sliding his hands into his pockets as she pulled her hand away. He wasnt making excuses. He was here to try and pick up the pieces of what little he could to remain in his daughters life.

He was slightly relieved when she tried to hand him money and suggested that he go and buy the sweets. He smiled gently, but painfully, and refused the money. With a soft nod, he turned and headed for the coffee shop. He felt that he was making some ground, thought he was still slightly terrified of actually meeting Scarlet. He wasnt sure how to act around her. He was virtually non-existent to her. As he crossed the road to the coffee shop, he passed a public bin. Pulling his cigarettes out of his pocket, he tossed them in the bin. Crossing the street, he entered the coffee shop and smiled at the attendant. "I'll take a large white hot chocolate, a large caramel chai latte, a bottle of water and some Melting Moments." he said, and had a quick glance at the cakes cabinet. "Oh, and a slice of the french vanilla cheesecake." he said, remembering one of Kida's favourites. Handing the girl the money, he left the shop and crossed the road again. Approaching Kida and the other parents, Ash felt slightly awkward. He was still a bit weird from having no social life for the past five years. His social skills would be very rusty. He smiled at Kida as he passed her the hot chocolate, the bottle of water and the melting moments. "I'm not sure if you still like it, but i thought i would get you this. Wasn't sure if you had eaten." he said, handing her the cheesecake and the small plastic spoon. He nodded a hello to the other parents and turned to face Scarlet as he sipped on his latte.

 

[Kida Frost]

Just wanting to tell someone to stop making excuses was difficult for Kida, she hated people dancing around the straight truth with I want to and I tried, If you wanted to do something they should do it. 'If you were the Man that we both needed you wouldn't have gone to Jail' she said softly looking at him. Ash refused the money and she shrugged and put the money back in her wallet and into her coat pocket, Kida was well off with her two Jobs, Being a Professional Quidditch Player with her own team and Working for the Ministry she was glad she never had to rely on Ash for money to help her Raise Scarlet.

Ash walked off and Kida walked towards the Table to sit with Henry and Rebekah, She waved at Scarlet who was standing on top of the Monkey Bars as proud as can be while she tried to help Hayley Climb up, Cole was more interested in gathering rocks and dirt and throwing them into the Toy cauldron to make some fake probably "Girl Repellent" Potion 'Ever think that Cole will Excel in Potions at School?' she said to Rebekah and gestured over to Cole, they laughed and had a little chat before Kida turned to Henry and placed her hand on his 'Henry, I don't know if you Noticed but i was approached by a Man when I was working on some Floor Plans for the houses I'm Building, That Man is Scarlet's Biological Father who apparently just got out of Jail, He wants to See Scarlet' Kida paused and looked up at her Daughter who had almost managed to show Hayley how to climb onto the top of the Monkey Bars 'I told him I don't think its right but he says he doesn't want to Introduce him to her just See her, I've sent him to get some water and Melting Moments for Scarlet from the Coffee Shop, but When he comes back and If he tries anything, Can I trust that you'll Straighten him out and remove him from the situation?' She smiled back at Henry and he nodded with a small smile on his Face, Rebekah and Henry had known Kida's God Father rather well before he Died, They had bought the house when they got married and Remus had helped them renovate a few things so they looked out for each other, It was just Chance that Kida's Daughter was around the Same age as their Kids.

Ash came to the table and passed Kida the Hot Chocolate, Water and Melting Moments as well as Some French Vanilla Cheesecake, something Kida enjoyed treating herself to on occasion, she shot a look at Ash before nodding towards the seat next to Henry. Kida opened the Bottle of water and unbagged the Melting moments. 'Scarlet Sweetheart' Kida called and watched as Scarlet jumped off the top of the Monkey Bars with no fear and landing square on the ground below her, She held out her hand and helped Hayley Jump down, Rebekah had called her children over as well. As Scarlet and Hayley Ran over Kida Turned in her chair and Scarlet jumped right onto her lap to sit on her knee's and be able to look over the table properly, Kida handed her the water bottle 'Drink some water First Scarlet then you can have some Melting moments, We don't want you to get Dehydrated' she said with a smile as she rested her chin on Scarlet's head softly.

Scarlet happily opened the water bottle and started downing the water until the bottle was just over half empty, she leaned forward and pulled the bag closer to her and peeked inside pulling out a Melting moment and breaking it in half getting crumbs all over the table and half on herself. Kida shook her head before sitting up straight again 'Did you See Mummy? Hayley can almost sit on top of the Monkey Bars with Me!' Scarlet said, her Voice loud and sweet, her accent hinted both Italian, Australian and Greek when she talked giving her a very interesting accent, Kida knew that when she grew up she would have guys just wanting to talk to her to hear her say some things 'Can Hayley come over soon and can we Teach her how to Ride a Broom, she say's she isn't Scared of heights and wants to try, and I Still have my Beginner Broom, It's in the Broom shed, it needs a bit of trimming, but it's in good condition, I still take care of it' Scarlet begged slightly, she had recently gotten a new Broom for her Birthday and wanted a friend to ride with, After all Mummy's Broom is a lot bigger than hers and a lot faster, she would need someone to play with her age. Kida looked up at Rebekah and Cole 'That's up to Hayleys Mum and Dad to Discuss sweetheart, Quidditch can be a Dangerous Sport, but Teaching her how to ride a Broom on the Pitch is very Safe as long as she understands to be Careful' Kida smiled at Hayley and Hayley giggled. Scarlet handed over half of her melting moment to Hayley and they started chattering to themselves about possibility of Hayley Riding a Broom but the conversation stopped when Cole looked at Ash after climbing into Henry's lap 'Dad, Who's That' he said Plainly and very much like a 6 Year old boy. Scarlet and Hayley stopped and looked at the man and tilted her head slightly before running her spare hand through her hair brushing the stray strands off her face, something she had picked up from her Mother 'Hello?' Scarlet said Sweetly before stuffing her face with Melting moment and downing it with water. Kida picked up her Hot Chocolate and took a sip from it 'This is just an Old Friend of Mine, Randomly bumped into me when I was drawing some plans and came to Discuss with Henry about Property here' Kida said not looking at Ash but focusing more on her Hot Chocolate, Henry was a Real Estate Agent for the Magical world and Scarlet knew that, it was the most plausible explanation Kida could think of.

 

[Ash Richards]

Ash smiled at the girl sitting before him. He had waited so long to finally be able to see his daughter this close, and now that he was finally here, he was all but frozen to the spot. He was lost for words and lost for breath. She was so adorable that it hurt slightly to look at her. This was his flesh and blood, hit only remaining thing left, sitting right in front of him, less than a metre away. And he had to pretend that he was nothing to her. It tore him apart inside. But he knew it had to be this way, or a risked losing her for good. Even this small show of sympathy from Kida meant more than anything he had felt in five years, and he didnt intend on tarnishing it. He smiled at the girl as she offered a greeting to him. He glanced up at Kida momentarily, checking he was allowed to speak to Scarlet, and decided from the look he had been given to tread very lightly. "Hello." he said back to the girl with a gently smile. He looked at the little boy sitting in Henry's lap. "Im Ash." he stated very softly, trying to keep his vocal tones as even and unpained as he could, "And your name is?" he asked the boy, trying to draw his eyes from Scarlet. It wasn't an easy feat, but he made the effort and looked at the boy sitting next to him with a smile. He was unsure of how to act with everything.

 

[Kida Frost]

The Young Boy looked at the Man named Ash 'I am Cole' he said like it was the best thing in the world, The Boy looked at Scarlet and pouted slightly 'Can I Have a Biscuit?' he asked. Scarlet pulled out another Biscuit and broke it in half handing half to Cole before pulling her half into little pieces and eating them. Cole smiled and took the piece 'Wait Are you Scarlet's Uncle? Don't you have an Uncle Named Ash Scarlet? The One who won't play with us and has those girl friends and they have those shoes and can't play ball with us' he said crinkling up his nose with biscuit in his mouth as he talked. Scarlet shook her head her brown hair falling in front of her face 'No, My Uncles name is Ashton, Not Ash.. I've never Met this person Before' she said before boucning up and down on Kida's lap 'Mum, Look Over at that Owl!' she said pointing at a Bird which had caught her eye flying over them which was carrying a letter 'It Looks like Notte' she said Her words sounding very Italian as she pronounced the Birds Italian Name, Scarlet's Grandparents had been teaching her Italian while Kida was at Practice in Tuscany. Kida looked up and smiled 'That's Because it Is Notte Silly' she said as she tickled her sides making her giggle 'He's Probably making a Delivery, Maybe Nonna has sent you a letter' she said and Scarlet clapped her hands together before draining the rest of her water.

Kida Looked up at Ash to see his reaction, He seemed trapped with Staring at Scarlet, she was Glad Scarlet didn't notice it may have made her ask too many questions. 'Ash, This is Scarlet, and that Munchkin over there is Hayley, Scarlet and Hayley are Good Friends aren't you?'
'Best Friends!' Scarlet and Hayley said at the same time 'and Aine Too, She's my Sister.. Like my Sister, We're all Best Friends... Can you Have Two Best Friends?' Scarlet Asked Kida curiously 'You Certainly Can' she responded before leaning back and picking up Scalets hair and brushing it between her fingers 'Just like Auntie Eden is my Best Friend but She is like my Sister, Rebekah is one of my Very Close and Best Friends, I think Henry has some Best Friends as well, Like Rebekah For Example' she said with a cheeky smile.

'You Can't be Best Friends with your Wife, Yucky! You're meant To LOVE your Wife, You Can't get Cooties from your Wife' she said using her Five year old Knowledge. Kida Giggled and Rebekah Nudged Henry and gave him a wink. Kida leaned forward and tapped Rebekah on the arm 'Another?' she asked wondering if Rebekah and Henry were trying again, Rebekah just winked at Kida and she giggled.
Scarlet missed the Exchange and looked at Ash 'Do you have any Best friends? Wives don't Count!' she said with a smile.

 

[Ash Richards]

Ash smiled at the boys lightly. "Its nice to meet you Cole." he chuckled softly. He seemed like a nice and well mannered kid of his age. Ash has always been partial to children. He had never seen himself as a father, and before Scarlet had never actually wanted kids, but he loved them. They brought out the inner child in him, and made him feel happy when he was around them. Before he had fallen off of the wagon, he had always wanted to run a daycare centre or become a preschool teacher. Those dreams seemed so distant to him now. He watched the boy take half of the biscuit from Scarlet and munch away at it. It only occured to Ash now that he should have gotten more of them. He watched Cole talk to Scarlet about her uncle Ashton and smiled to himself. He had been somewhat friends with Ashton back in the day. The boy had been musical and very similar to Ash. He made a mental note to try and reconnect with him at some point. That is, if he didnt hate Ash for leaving. He nodded his head when Kida introduced him to Scarlet. "Why hello Scarlet," he said with a gentle smile as he waved at her playfully.

Ash looked up and watched the owl as it made it way before them. Talk of best friends and cooties brought him back into the conversation, and Ash was a little shocked when Scarlet looked directly at him and asked if he had any best friends. He was slightly taken aback. He hadnt really thought of anyone other than Scarlet since his release. He thought about the question for a few moments more before answering very carefully. "I used to..." he said faintly, smiling at the girl, "Not so much anymore." He then decided studied her facial features. He could spot a few more of his features in her face now, but it was mainly Kida's feature she received. He was thankful for that he supposed.

 

[Kida Frost]

Scarlet's Face Fell slightly 'No Friends?' She asked wondering how someone couldn't have any friends, Kida shot a look at Ash as if to say, She doesn't Understand, She was Five after All, she thought that everyone had friends. Kida kissed the top of Scarlet's head 'Not Everyone has as many friends as you do Sweetheart, You're very Lucky' she said before taking another sip of her drink 'And You have your Uncles as well, Blake, Ashton and Perseus, Even Aeon' she added knowing that Scarlet had always had people are her who adored her. 'And Icarus' Scarlet Piped up. Kida looked at Ash to see how he wouldn't handle it, she wasn't going to correct Scarlet, she had every right to mention Icarus and just because Ash was here Kida wasn't going to make her second guess that. Kida just smiled down at Scarlet.

'Mummy the Clouds are changing colour' Scarlet said pointing over behind Ash's head where the sky was changing from a pleasant blue to a Faded Blue and Grey indicating that it might start snowing soon. Kida looked at Rebekah and Henry 'Did you walk here?' she asked knowing that they would have to leave soon if they were going to beat the cold. Kida got into a conversation with Rebekah and Henry while the Three Kids looked at Ash.
'What are those things on your arm?' Cole asked curiously 'Cole, You can't ask that' snapped Hayley. 'They Don't look like Scars, Like Mummy has on her hand, They look like Drawings... Did you Draw on your Arm?' Scarlet asked

 

[Ash Richards]

Ash smiled at the girl. Of course she wouldnt have understood what he meant, she was only five after all. The look Kida gave him justified his trail of thinking and he rummaged through his head for a response that the little girl would understand, without giving too much away. "I went on a bit of a long... Holiday." he said, wincing slightly as he said the word holiday, "And haven't spoken to my friends in a long time." he added, wondering if he had given too much away to the girl. He was confident that he hadnt given much away. She was five after all. No matter how smart the girl might be, he doubted she would start adding up where he had been for the past five years. Not that he had mentioned that it had been that long.

Ash closed his eyes momentarily as he heard Scarlet mentioned Kida's new boyfriends name. It was only fair that she added him to the list of friends she had. He, after all, had been the only father figure she had ever had. Ash was just thankful that she hadnt called him dad. That left some sense of relief in him that Kida hadn't hated him so much as to raise his daughter with the mindset that the man Kida was now with was her father. It left many questions in his head as to what Scarlet understood about her father, and her mother. By naming Icarus, she showed to him that Kida had mentioned something of it. He just wasn't sure how much. He definitely had to tread carefully here. He looked at Kida, a thankful look in his eyes as he thought of all of this. She owed him nothing, but had still given him at least that.

Raising an eyebrow, Ash chuckled as the children started asking about his tattoo's. He was glad that for once we was wearing a shirt underneath his jackets, as Scarlet's name was tattooed onto a rose with a piece of ribbon wrapped around the stem at the top of his arm. Ash removed his jacket, and showed the children both of his arms and hands, remembering to keep the sleeves of his shirt down so that they didnt show the children the tattoo on his shoulder. "They're tattoo's. And if you children have any brains, you wont ever get them." he said, joking with them slightly, but a note of seriousness in his voice. He had been young and stupid when he had gotten his tattoo's. He let the kids inspect all of the pictures that worked themselves into each other up his hands and arms. The tattoo's on his neck and check now showed as he had removed his jacket too. He glanced at Kida to make sure that this was okay behaviour.

 

[Kida Frost]

Kida glanced up at Ash when she heard them tell the kids that if they had brains they wouldn't get Tattoo's she wanted to strike her forehead with her palm 'We Have Brains!' Cole Exclaimed loudly not to be told he was stupid. 'Yeah, Hayley and I have the most Stickers in our Day Care' she said proudly.
Kida watched as Cole touched some of the Tattoo's and Henry kept a close eye on Cole. 'We need to Head off Soon, If we don't leave soon we won't have time for crepes, and if we leave it to late and get takeaway crepes, Uncle Aeon will eat some of yours' she said slightly whispering in Scarlet's ear, who's eyes immediately widened, she jumped off Kida's lap and tugged at her hand 'Mummy, Lets Go Now' she said suddenly eager to get her Crepes.

Kida finished her drink and placed the cheesecake in the bag the Melting moments were once in to take it home with her. 'Calm Down Sweetheart, We still have Five Minutes, Rebekah and I are just planning some things for the Wedding, You know she's one of my Bridesmaids' Scarlet crinkled her nose and tugged on Kida's hand again.
Kida looked at Ash briefly, she wanted to give him enough time to See Scarlet before leaving so he wouldn't show up that afternoon to Say Hello again 'Scarlet, Why don't You Tell Ash about your Broom' she said picking her up and putting her back on her Knees and continuing her Conversation about dress colors.
'Okay Mummy' she said 'Hayley hasn't even seen My Broom, Mum Got is made just for me, it's got a Purple Foot Brace, My Favorite colour' Scarlet suddenly had a change of thought when she was thinking about her Broom 'Hayley, I asked Mummy for a Kitten for Christmas because Gatto is too old, But If i get one, Will you help me Teach it to perch on my Broom, I want to Look Really Witchy with a Cat on my Broom! That way when We Go To Hogwarts we will be so Awesome!' she said bouncing up and down, Hayley joined in on the excitement 'Only 6 More years and We get our Own Wands!' she exclaimed happily. Both Hayley and Scarlet loved Magic and couldn't wait to go to Magic School together. 'Hayley and Scarlet are going to be Top Witches at Hogwarts Aren't you?' Kida chimed in, she was listening to their conversation as well as talking to Rebekah and Henry 'Scarlet, Hayley and Aine have play dates where they practice their hand writing so they Exams will look perfect' she added with a smile, The Girls couldn't write yet, anything they did was a bit silly and they couldn't spell but they tried and they could write their names so they just wrote that over and over again, The Three of them were over excited for School but that will all change once they got there Kida guessed.

'I want to be an Anu... Anee... Ani.. What are you Mum?' Scarlet said trying to figure out how to Say Animagus, Scarlet had never seen Kida's full Animagus form but knew it was a wolf and had seen her transfigure her eyes occasionally 'I'm your Mummy Silly' Kida said tickling Scarlet again slightly 'I'm an Animagus' she said, Hayley and Cole knew about Kida being an Animagus but only Scarlet seemed to have the Interest.
'Ani-Mage-Gus' Scarlet said 'Yeah one of those, I don't know what I want my Animal will be.. What if I'm a Horse, Or a Cat, What if I'm a Wolf like Mummy?' she began, starting up a conversation with Hayley
'I think you would be a Bug' Cole said poking his tongue out at Scarlet. She looked at him her eyes slightly sad 'No, I Don't think so' her voice cracked a little. Kida wrapped her arms around Scarlet's waist 'You could be a Cockroach, and people will try to step on your because of all your cooties' Kida sensed Scarlet's breathing get a big shaky and she looked at Cole 'And what if you trained to be an Animagus Cole and your Animgaus form was a Bug, No Matter how much you thought about being a Lion' she said, Cole Looked up at his father and his Father just shook his head 'Sorry Scarlet' he said with a pout but Scarlet was still a Bit sad.

'Well We better Go' Kida said Standing up, Lifting Scarlet up to sit on her hip 'We have some Crepes to Get' she said which cheered Scarlet up again even though she still hugged Kida's shoulder.

 

[Ash Richards]

Chuckling, Ash nodded his head. "Oh, i dont doubt that you have!" he stated, running a hand through his hair. He liked having short, well kept hair. it made it alot easier to keep maintained and was definitely alot cooler on hotter days. Plus, he thought that it made him look a bit older and more mature. "Well, it seems like you and Hayley are very good girls!" he said to his daughter, smiling. He was, in fact, pretty proud to see how well his daughter had turned out. She was bright, smart, enthusiastic and charismatic. All in all, Ash couldnt have asked for a better daughter. Even though, in her eyes, she wasn't even his daughter.

Ash gave Kida a bit of a pained look when she said that it was almost time to leave. He was even more hurt when Scarlet so readily jumped up to leave. He knew he didnt have a right to be upset over it, but for the first time in five years, he was happy. And it was a feeling that he didnt readily want to let go of. He sighed, slightly relieved however, when Kida said that he had at least five more minutes. It wasnt much, but it was enough. He couldnt help but let his smile pop back to his face as Scarlet went on to talk about her broom. He knew that Kida would still have been playing quidditch. Ash himself was the former seeker of the Tutshill Tornados, thought it seemed like an age ago when he last played a game. He raised an eyebrow at his daughter when she suddenly changed the subject to cats. Ash had never really been an animal kind of guy, so he didnt really see what the enthusiasm on the subject was, but he was more than happy to continue admiring his daughter.

The talk of Hogwarts, wands and animagi made Ash fully realise just how quickly Scarlet was going up. It wouldnt be long until she would be at school, off on her own life. It upset Ash that he had already missed so much of her life, and made a vow to himself to be around for the remainder of it. He had never felt so happy, watching this little girl in front of him that was his blood. His legacy. And he would do his best to make sure he was here for her from now on. And all to quickly, Kida was saying that it was time to leave. This made Ash more awkward, because he wasnt sure what to do next. How did he say goodbye? How did he act? What did he do after they left him? He stood by awkwardly waiting to see what Kida wanted to do.