See Me

[Alana Finch]

Teenagers weren't supposed to own their own homes, especially not ones that were this massive. Alana hated that this very adult thing had succeeded in making her feel younger than ever with how lost she felt. She knew it was going to take her ages to find bedrooms and bathrooms and the like. On her first day in the home, she'd had to ask Chaos for help finding the bathroom, and that was after the whole awkwardness of taking her stuff to a guest bedroom, only to have Chaos tell her that the rest of her stuff, which her dad had sent over, was in their bedroom, the one they were meant to sleep in together. Alana had nearly hyperventilated at hearing that which was why she'd tried to run off to the bathroom...and gotten lost. Dinner had been an easy enough affair, at least. She'd filled the time telling him about quidditch and school drama, complaining really. And he'd told her more about the grill. And their bed was big enough for Alana to almost forget she wasn't alone on it. Almost. It had still taken her ages to fall asleep on the first, second, and third nights. With Chaos off to work, Alana would finally rest, falling into her deepest sleep after he'd left the bed. By day, she'd fixed up the house, adding some much needed holiday decorations. Chaos had done a good enough job on the home, but she still tried to add her own touch, an effort to make this place feel less like a cold structure and more like a home.

It was somewhere around her fifth or sixth day that Alana realized that she hadn't gotten lost once so far. She also realized that she kept checking the clock, counting down the minutes until Chaos would arrive home. The thought troubled her, but she just reassured herself that she was just bored, possibly lonely. Closing her magazine, Alana headed to the kitchen, opening and closing cabinets until she found what she was looking for, and she got to work. Alana figured she could manage making chocolate chip cookies. An hour later, the cookies were cooling and Alana was in the shower, cleaning off the mess she'd made of herself. She'd found a wizarding radio along the way and had it on, blasting music and singing loudly along to it. Quickly dressing and with a towel wrapped around her head, Alana decided to explore the house some, leaving the music on for company. She knew so little about this place that she was supposed to call home. She only knew slightly more about the man she was supposed to call husband, so there was that. Entering an office looking space, Alana wandered around, singing to herself as she opened and closed drawers, not even sure what it was exactly she was looking for.

 

[Chaos Zhefarovich]

Being seventeen an a home owner was a shocking in this day and age, especially with no schooling to back someone up besides cooking and potions. He thought about joining a cooking university, but they were filled with muggles and he would definitely not want to deal with that. He didn't like Logan, so he would have likely burned the place down out of spite. Working at the grill with Axel was definitely not walk in the park. The two might have had the same dad, but they definitely had different rearing. He'd always considering Kasura and Vladislav his parents. Havoc was different. He acted similar to Asparuh anyway. Chaos did resent Axel to a degree but that was because the man was ruthless. He'd kill someone just for bumping into him. Chaos may have had a temper, but at least he wasn't overdramatic. He had calmed down in the years, using cooking and potions as a way to deal with his anger, and his lack of a wand. He wouldn't blame anyone if they ran for the hills if he got his hands on one. Since it was nearing the week's end with Alana, Chaos shut dwon the grill for the night, and headed home.

The grill was not a long walk from the house, since he could not apparate and he hated floo travel. Eventually, he unlocked the front door and was greeted with not so great singing, but amazing aroma of cookies. He closed and locked the door behind him. Rather than following his nose, Chaos followed his ears to find where Alana could be at. Eventually, he found her in an office that was not yet complete, browsing through the drawers. He leaned against the doorway and smirked slightly, "Looking for something? Or did a frog jump out of your throat and hop in here." Of course, Chaos was teasing, even doing so lightly. This was his wife, so he didn't want to be cruel or mean to her.​

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana turned bright red, the color nearly rivalling her eyes as she heard Chaos speak. She immediately stopped, embarrassed that he'd heard her. She knew she didn't have a great voice which was why she didn't sing around others. It was always only when she was alone. Slamming the drawer shut- it had just been filled with the deed to their house and other paperwork like that, Alana composed herself as best she could, standing up tall though she felt like cringing inside. "No" she said firmly, moving towards him and the door, her arms wrapped tightly under her chest. She was going to stomp her way by and did so, but paused when she was a few steps towards their bedroom. "There's no need to be an ass. We're supposed to be learning to get along, no? Well, learn this: I don't like to be made fun of, Chaos." Not liking it was an understatement. She hated being teased, always had. It was like a strike to her soul, someone attacking the very essence of who she was. It wasn't fun or funny. She knew that most people didn't feel that way about being teased and even admired the easy way some people took pranks. She wasn't one of those people.

Picking up her brush as soon as she arrived in her room, Alana threw the towel off of her head and began to briskly brush at her hair. Her embarrassment was trying to change into anger, and she was trying her best to really not have that happen. She'd spent enough time angry at Chaos, and if she was going to be like that when they lived together, it would be a miserable (and short) marriage. Alana wasn't striving for love. She was pretty convinced she'd never love him, but civility and maybe even friendliness were goals they could shoot for. She knew that Chaos had other feelings, but he'd just have to meet her halfway here. She didn't have those feelings for him. Knowing he would come into the room eventually, Alana turned herself so that she wasn't facing the door as she continued to brush her hair. She didn't even want to see him right now. Reaching for her wand, she cast the hot air charm, using it to dry her hair and happy for additional noise to the loud music still playing to drown out anything he might say.

 

[Chaos Zhefarovich]

Chaos was not really surprised with her retort. He definitely knew how to press her buttons. He chuckled a bit, and pointed out, "You know, you can poke some at me. I definitely have some flaws." Chaos received a lot of that from his family, mainly not being able to wield a wand. It did not bother him anymore. It was more like a wall now. Not much could even make him twitch, unless someone poked him or got in his face. Then he would lose his temper within the family. Then lately he would be shut down easily. "As far as what I said, sorry. Forgot you were sensitive or wasn't aware." She was head girl, so pranks and things like that were often annoying or something. Chaos wasn't exactly used to the public yet, but he was getting there. He had not scared anyone in a week, but then again he was also stuck in the kitchen. Needless to say, Chaos was a lot happier there. Plus, cooking was his specialty. While Alana was drying her hair, using her wand, Chaos decided to go into the kitchen to get the cookies out, and onto a plate. Maybe if he brought these to her, and then she might not be nearly as upset with him, even though he had some light fun at her expense.

Carrying the plate with one hand, Chaos walked into the bedroom once more, and set the cookies down on the dresser, before taking one for himself. Why wouldn't he deserve a cookie after working all day? He took a small bite, before realizing that he had competition in the baking department. He smirked slightly, simply watching her since he didn't have anything to say at the moment. The loud music would definitely drown him out anyway, which was something he didn't want to endure. Though, in all honesty, it was giving him a headache, but he was putting up with it. After finishing one, he decided to do something different. He took the plate away from her reach, and sat down on the bed with them, almost saying that she couldn't have any. That wouldn't be the case, but his legs were actually sore from the shift. So, he needed to sit down anyway.​

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana turned as she heard Chaos come into the room, a plate of her cookies in hand. She saw him staring at her and she gave him a look as if to ask what he was staring at before rolling her eyes and shifting so that he was no longer in her line of sight. It was still unnerving to know she was being watched like this, especially when he moved so that he was behind her on their bed. Finishing up, Alana shut off the music, the silence in the room reigning. She turned, ready to try one of her cookies until she discovered that the plate was sitting on Chaos' lap. She groaned inwardly before moving to her side of the bed. "Do you realize how ****ed up it is that, even if I wanted to make fun of you, I wouldn't know how. We don't know much about each other" Alana stated quietly, tracing the pattern on their quilt.

The Slytherin held her hand out for a cookie, not wanting to grab one from the plate in his lap. "That's what I was doing. Trying to learn something about you" she said, her cheeks reddening slightly at admitting this all. She dropped her gaze. "I don't know anything...you've got decent taste though I think your mom has a lot to do with it...you like cooking...you don't like being touched...or muggles...but you do like fire. You wear boots to the beach like a weirdo..." she ticked each thing off on a finger before she drifted into silence as she lifted her shoulders in a shrug. It was a dismal list for people who had spent summers and holidays together for years, but she'd learned more about his family and their ways than she'd ever learned about him. Alana didn't think he knew much more about her than she did about him.

 

[Chaos Zhefarovich]

Alana was right. She really didn't know much about him. About the same amount as he knew about her. There were so many things about him that she wouldn't want to know. Chaos placed two cookies into her hand, before looking down at the bedspread. He uttered, "I don't like flip flops because the sound annoys me. But I really don't like talking about myself." The whole story of Chaos Vaine was nothing short of a tragedy, from the very moment of his conception. Even his name itself, it was to remind Vladislav of the type of emotion that he and his brother brought into their lives. It was a painful reminder every time he looked in the mirror. Chaos sighed, before finally deciding that he should open up a little more, especially around his wife. "There are some things I want to keep to myself. It would only be confusing." Chaos should not have mentioned it, but he hoped that she would not care enough to press forward with it. Even his expression showed that it bothered him to some degree.

"You are aware I have difficulties controlling my temper. I happen to be fond of bats, and to deal with my emotions, I play the organ. The musical instrument." He did not know why he felt the need to clarify with her on what he meant. Chaos didn't really know what else to add on there. It wasn't like he talked about himself much. He wasn't boring, but he could be mean. He just had issues controlling his mouth at times. Chaos shrugged his shoulders, "We could play 20 questions or something, to get to know each other more." It was a strange offer, but he felt that it was right. He had never done that before, but talking with Alana might help him a little bit, as well as help her know him.​

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana accepted the cookies, but she didn't dig in right away. Instead, she listened to Chaos speak. The teenager didn't think she was asking a lot. She wasn't asking for his life story, just a few things to make herself more comfortable with him. He was her husband and yet he was more a stranger to her than anything. Alana wouldn't consider them friends if anyone asked. Thankfully, no one did. How embarrassing it would be to admit that she didn't even know her husband's favorite food, let alone his shoe size. She broke off a piece of cookie as he mentioned wanting to keep things to himself, a small sigh escaping her lips. She'd tried, and that was really the best she could do. No one knew what she was dealing, who she was dealing with. And if he wasn't willing to meet her halfway, there really wasn't anything more she could do. She bit into her cookie, its sweetness bringing tears to her eyes, though she didn't know why. She sniffed, glad that they weren't exactly facing each other.

When he began speaking again, Alana expected it to be something mundane, a change of topic. So she looked up when he actually dropped a few facts, one of which caused her to crack a smile. "The organ" she repeated, biting back a chuckle. She took another bite, relaxing a bit more as she heard his offer. Alana thought about it for only a second before nodding. This idea sounded better than anything. "Fine. Why the organ?" She asked, this time hiding her laughter with another bite of her cookie. She'd never have considered Chaos a musician at all, let alone an organ player.

 

[Chaos Zhefarovich]

Chaos thought it was strange that she found him playing the organ funny. It was a very hard instrument to play, and it helped him focus on something that did not hurt anything or anyone. He did not care if he did, but he did not want to risk anything happening to Alana, so he kept himself away from others. Chaos finished his bite of cookie, before explaining, “Something about the music just calms me down. I learned to play, since a lot of my family have anger issues, and that is a way to deal with it. They also duel, but I don’t have a wand. I have to keep my hands busy when I am aggravated. Potions and cooking go along with that.” Chaos paused for a moment, letting this sink in. Chaos had issues when it came to his anger and drive. Consequences were the furthest from his mind. People in his family thought that he fit right in because of his attachment to one person, or thing. That person was Alana for him. Somehow, that developed and he did not want to bring her harm. Ever.

”I also take martial arts and general fighting lessons. I enjoy working out and getting stronger, since I might not be able to use magic anymore, at least I can smash some faces,” Chaos let some information loose. There was so much about him that no one knew, and he was going to have to spill it all so that she will know. And she would not see him as a stranger. ”I only wear one color, black. I hate all shoes except boots. I am also fond of a Bulgarian dish called Korma. I also have a psychopath for a twin.” Chaos shrugged his shoulders, barely cracking a smile at the last part. Chaos turned to look at Alana, wondering if that would satisfy her enough. Anything that involved quick activity, he was game for. He just could not be around others, because he saw no consequence if they got on his nerves and he decided to retaliate.
​

 

[Chaos Zhefarovich]

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Fast forward to late July 2044

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Chaos looked at the calendar, with the judgment day coming in two weeks. Needless to say, he was nervous. He got off work hours ago and sat in his little office, trying to debate on what to do at this point. So, she might have miscarried in the past, but he was looking over the laws of an arranged marriage. Sure, some needed some serious updating, but others were vague. They had to have an heir. That much was true. But, Chaos didn't know why. If it was to spread the pure-blood legacy, then it should have it mentioned somewhere, besides in the main laws on to keep it as pure as possible. Chaos wanted to bring these laws up, but he could not. From what he heard, Havoc not only had one child, but he had another on the way with another woman. That part-veela girl that was obsessed with him. Chaos could not figure out who would want to breed with him, but it bothered him because Havoc seemed so natural at having children, whereas Chaos seemed to be lacking severely in that department. It took him ages to even be intimate with Alana anyway.

The former Hufflepuff dipped his quill into his bottle of ink to write a letter, but he held it over the blank sheet of parchment, until the ink dripped onto the page. Options. If they did not have a child now, they would not survive. Should they run? It might give them some time before the assassins came in, after Hades would locate them. He was a master at finding runaway family members. Although, he would be mortified if Asparuh himself came after them. He seemed to support the deaths of him and Alana, which was pretty horrifying as is considering their relation. Chaos could not bring himself to write anything. Not that he was illiterate. He just could not formulate words. Chaos did not know what Alana was up to, mainly because for the past couple of weeks, he had been looking into the laws for any sort of loophole, which nothing stood out. Any of the rules could be null and void if the Patriarch wanted them dead. When Chaos was fixated on something, he seemed to stay on it. He finally started a diagram, to try to locate even just one loophole.

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[Alana Finch]

Entering the house, Alana wondered if Chaos was even home yet. It wasn't until she'd reached her bedroom and spotted the light from his office that she realized he was. Alana changed slowly and then grabbing a paper bag, she headed for Chaos' office. The woman knocked softly and then peeked her head inside. "Hey, I just wanted to let you know I'm home" she said, her eyes roaming to his desk which was rather crowded tonight. She recognized the Zhefarovich book easily enough since it had been there for a while. She'd tried looking through it before, hoping to help if she could, but it wasn't in a language she could read. The papers were new, strewn everywhere. Curiosity getting the better of her even though she was exhausted and eager for bed, Alana stepped further into the room, her bare feet padding towards the chair right beside his desk. She sat down without waiting for an invitation and placed the paper bag on the desk, yawning loudly before she could give an explanation. The young woman turned her head to the side and then pulled her legs up, wrapping her arms around them. "My dad sent that. For us. He said it's similar to polyjuice but lasts longer, you know, in case we decide to run." Alana and Chaos knew that time was running out. Soon, there would be no choice but to run. That or die, and Alana wanted them to at least work for it if that was going to be the end result. It was nice to know her father felt similarly and was willing to give them some assistance.

"Have you been here all night?" she asked after another beat, her red eyes taking Chaos in as she leaned her head on her legs. He looked worn out, probably similar to her. Stress could take that toll, and if Chaos was feeling anything like her, he was stressed out to the max. The worst part about it all was that there was nothing more either of them could do. Alana had been to a Healer who told her that there was nothing preventing her from getting pregnant and to be patient. Alana had scoffed. She had considered suggesting for Chaos to see someone, but then they'd learned Havoc's news and she'd thought better of it. If the result was unfavorable, she wasn't sure what Chaos would do. Chaos was usually pleasant with her, but it was the rest of the world she feared for. His temper was something else. "Anything?" she asked, trying to keep her voice neutral and not show the desperation she felt. The tension was there, in her hands which tightened even more around her legs.

 

[Chaos Zhefarovich]

Chaos was sure that he would have found something, but everything seemed to be blurry. It felt like he had not blinked in two minutes. It was possible that he had not. Chaos flinched when he heard someone knock, and then the voice of his wife. He let out a sigh and nodded, with no words forming from his lips. He couldn't think of anything to say. However he did not expect Alana to pull up a chair and sit next to him. He looked at her and noticed that she seemed rather tired. But he was too tired to see that it was unusual. He figured that she might have had a long day. His eyes looked at the bag that she set down, as she explained what was in it, and the effects. Chaos sighed and responded softly, "I think that might be an option, but with people like Hades, spells or potions, it won't take him long to hunt us." Chaos didn't want to be the one that sucked the hope away, but that was what his family did. Hades was the best at finding the deserters, and then they were probably buried alive in Russia or something. Chaos knew better than to even try to outsmart the family. But at least her dad felt differently.

"Um, yeah, I don't even know what time it is." The window still showed darkness, so it was obviously still night. That much he gathered but how late? It must have been rather late judging by how tired he was, and how exhausted Alana was. Chaos placed both of his hands on his head, and when she asked if there was anything, all the stories jumbled in his head. Everything that could have had a loophole was filled. "There have been a lot of arranged marriages, but apparently having children just started within the last two centuries. Um, there has been maybe one or two failures, because they hated each other, but the rest were successful within a few months of marriage." Chaos jotted down initials and their birthdays, as well as their offspring. "That is, with the exception of one set about a hundred and some years ago, with the child coming along about two years of their marriage. But with the laws, I don't know when the child rearing came about. There's nothing in here about repeated miscarriages. Infertility, if the male could not provide, then another would be provided. But that's for the Zhefarovich born. The other, they were just killed."​

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana sighed heavily, feeling the weight on her shoulders shift and deepen. "I know" she said, gripping her hands tighter. Even her dad had seemed stressed, his usual levity gone during their conversation. Just before she'd left, he had even pulled her into a hug, totally uncharacteristic of their relationship. It had brought tears to Alana's eyes so she quickly left. The woman didn't know what else to do. She furrowed her brow. "Chaos...it's almost midnight" she replied. Alana hadn't expected to stay out so late, but she'd taken the long way home walking from Bleak Street home. The former Slytherin knew that no one, not her father and not Chaos, would be happy to hear she'd done that so she hoped he didn't ask. Alana hoped he just assumed that she'd been at her dad's that whole time. Still, it was concerning to her that he hadn't even realized how much time had passed. How long had he been there?

Listening to all he had to say, Alana didn't hear anything that gave her hope. The Zhefaroviches came up with the rules, so she knew they wouldn't hesitate to change them to suit their own needs, whatever those needs might be. For all she knew, they were dying out even though there had always seemed to be a Zhefarovich around whenever she'd turned at Hogwarts New Zealand. Alana appreciated all of the work Chaos was doing on this. She figured wanting to save his own neck was good motivation, but if that's what it took to find an answer she was fine with it. Alana wasn't exactly touchy feely. No, that wasn't exactly true. She simply wasn't touchy feely with Chaos. He didn't seem to like being touched anyway, so it normally worked out. Alana reached out, but fell short of touching her husband, her hand landing on the table before she pulled it back and stood up. She was closer to him now but she had no advantage in height, even with him sitting. Hesitating for a fraction of a second, Alana reached out again, this time touching his hand. "Chaos. You can't stay here all night. Not again. Come to bed" Alana said, a nicer tone than she'd ever used on Chaos though it was full of exhaustion, both mental and physical.

 

[Chaos Zhefarovich]

Alana mentioned that it was almost midnight, Chaos looked up from his notes accordingly, before placing one of his hands on his head, leaning on it as he realized that he had been here for almost six hours. All that time, wasted. He did wonder what Alana was doing out so late, but he chose not to worry about it. Her dad might have been a real night owl, and was going to help them, so he had no reason to criticize. He felt warmth on his hand that rested on the desk, before looking to see that it was Alana, ushering him to bed. The tone was soothing, something he had not had not heard in a while. Or ever. Chaos was not sure. He looked down at the notes, thinking that he was on his way to a break through, but could not think of it for the life of him. Chaos sighed and decided that he shouldn't try to fight Alana's suggestion. Chaos turned off the lantern he used to light up the desk, allowing himself to be led to the bedroom to get some sleep, which was well deserved and well needed due to the laws and words that kept flowing through his head.

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The next morning...
Chaos jerked awake when he heard someone knocking on the front door. Who could that be? Chaos looked at the time, and outside the window. It was barely sunrise. Axel would not have bothered to open the restaurant this early, so who could it be? Chaos sighed and tapped his wife on the shoulder before he said, "Get your wand. Someone's at the door." Chaos reached for a few vials of potions he kept brewed on the nightstand, and got out of bed accordingly. Chaos walked to the front door, and bit his lip. Who was it? He turned the knob and opened the door. Chaos gripped the potions inside of his pockets, before greeting with a rude tone, "Ivaylo. What are you doing here?"

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[Alana Finch]

Alana half expected Chaos to reject her suggestion, and she was already ready to shrug it off, to tell him to suit himself, but instead he dimmed the lights and followed her as she made her way to their bedroom. Sleep was elusive for Alana as it always was when she was beside Chaos. She listened to him settle in and could even tell when he’d fallen asleep, his breathing growing more even. It was sometime after that when Alana nodded off herself, one leg sticking out from the blanket as she rested on her back. The teenager was in the middle of a dream where she was racing on a broom against Matthew Cosgrove. She knew it was him, even though she could only see his back as they raced forward into a dark forest. Alana kept telling him to slow down but he wasn’t listening to her and she grew more and more frustrated. They were going through some trees, though he was far, far ahead, the branches brushing her shoulders and her face. Tap. Tap. She felt it and slowly came out of the dream.

Chaos was speaking to her but his words took several moments to register and then she heard the loud knocking herself. Alana sat up, her wand on the top of her nightstand where she always kept it. She grabbed it as she untangled the blanket from her legs and stood up. Chaos had already left the room, and she rushed to throw on a robe as she followed after him. Alana could feel herself shaking as she wondered if this was it. If this was their last few moments. She glanced out a window, noting how very beautiful it looked this morning. “Chaos…wait for me” she hissed, but it was too late. He’d opened the door. Alana was still on the steps so she could see just over Chaos’ broad shoulders before she moved down to the base of the steps. It was Ivaylo. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. Alana knew she should have felt more at ease- Ivaylo had always been a friend- but Chaos’ last warnings about the man before her rang through her mind, and right now she didn’t trust anyone except for Chaos. She'd have to spend more time considering that whenever her life wasn't on the line. Right now though, she had a bad feeling about this moment.

 

[Ivaylo Zhefarovich-Dolohov]

This visit was anything but a social call. With a smirk on his lips, Ivaylo Zhefarovich-Dolohov stood at the door of the resident of Chaos and Alana, with the latter still sporting her maiden name for some reason, when the Zhefarovich name was far more respected (in his opinion). He gave a few knocks, loud enough to waken a paranoid. He waited, with his arms folded and that smirk still present on his face as the door opened to reveal Chaos and Alana. The charade of his school years was completely behind him, as he was more of an assassin than anything else. And for him to be here, it only meant trouble, so he knew would go through their heads. "Still in bed? You guys make this far too easy." Ivaylo's voice still held that purr to it, almost like the devil. He often had Havoc with him, but this time, he did not. Havoc had children to take care of, whereas he had Charlotte to handle his baby girl that would never have a hair on her head harmed in any way. He would guarantee that. He gestured, where Chaos seemed to get uneasy, almost as if it would not be necessary.

"Settle down, Chaos, this might not be a social call, but I'm not here to kill you two. I came by because Kalif was unable to send you two a letter of what the elders decided, considering the circumstances." Ivaylo did not make a move to get his wand, before his smirk faded for a moment, to allow that to settle into their minds."You have been safe for months now. The rules state that the woman must produce an heir, but never that the heir had to survive. Since Alana miscarried, you technically fulfilled the traditions. I am actually here for another reason as well." Ivaylo reached into his pocket on his robes, and extended out one of the finest wines he could find, from Italy from the Cardosi family. "Non-alcoholic of course," paused the pure-blood as his eyes turned to Alana for a moment. "Congratulations, you two. Good luck." Ivaylo gave a curt wave, before apparating out with a pop.​

 

[Chaos Zhefarovich]

Chaos looked behind him, but wanted to make sure that at least he could shield Alana for what Ivaylo might try to do. As soon as Ivaylo started to talk, that voice made him tense up to the point where he reached for his potions, before hissing, "Ivaylo, don't even start. It isn't time yet and you know it." Chaos would have said this in Bulgarian, but figured that English might make this a little more threatening, without hiding anything from Alana since he was sure that she didn't know the language. But, even though the other man told him to settle down did not affect him at all. He was still like a statue, though ready to pounce to give Alana at least a few seconds to run. Ivaylo's skills with magic and whatnot rivaled those with others in the family, but then he said he wasn't there to kill them, but instead to let them know what the higher ups decided. Chaos relaxed a fraction, but was not buying it. There was something up, and he could sense it. However, when Ivaylo explained that they were safe for months, and the reason why, it was almost as if the missing link was figured out.

'That's why that one couple didn't die even though their firstborn came two years after. Complications were noted down, and that had to be it,' thought Chaos as he no longer seemed as tense as much as he was in shock. So, the last several weeks spent awake and researching, the feeling of panic as if their lives were going to end, that was all for nothing? Quickly, Chaos started to get angry, but wasn't able to retialiate as a bottle of wine was shoved into his hands, and Ivaylo left while wishing them good luck. Chaos slammed the door with his foot and he hissed in Bulgarian, "Heartless bastards." Strangely enough, Chaos did not feel safe still. He looked at the wine bottle before shrugging and turning to his wife. He held the wine out for Alana to look at, before sighing, "Sometimes, they are good to have for troubles, but when they target their own like with us, I regret ever being born to such a complex family." Everything about his family was complex, to the point where it gave him a migraine just trying to recall all the rules.​

 

[Alana Finch]

Alana was having a hard time breathing as she realized this could very well be her last few moments. She knew those potions in Chaos' hand would but her some time, but whether it would be enough for her to truly get away was not something they'd been able to practice. Still, she knew what to do. They'd talked about it as the day had drawn closer. Alana wasn't sure she'd be able to do her part with it being Ivaylo they'd sent. Would she really be able to hit him with an unforgivable curse? Styx, yea. She hated the guy so the intent would be there, but this was Ivaylo. Pissed at herself for this, Alana missed the first part of the conversation, though the words 'You have been safe for months' washed over her, a chill working its way from the top of her head to her toes. Her vision blinked in and out, and she found herself gripping the banister tightly, willing herself to not pass out. She'd be of no use if she fainted right now. Alana cringed at the casual way he mentioned her miscarriage, as if it was nothing to speak about her body and things that were happening to it. She could feel Chaos anger, the tension in the room so palpable she could taste it and nearly see it build, her own being added to it as Ivaylo continued on.

When he held out a bottle of wine, an offering of celebration, a harsh laugh bubbled its way out of her body. Alana almost wished to see Ivaylo get a punch from Chaos, but then another chill passed through her and this time the spots were darker. Alana sank down onto the bottom step and concentrated on taking deep breaths, the anxiety of this all flooding her system. She heard the door slam and could hear Chaos talking to her but not what he was saying. Alana gripped her knees, breathing in and out slowly. Eventually, she started feeling better, the dizziness dissipating. This was all too much. They'd just gone from thinking they were on their last days to learning they'd finally be left alone. Alana felt like laughing and crying but didn't want Chaos to think she'd lost it. Her body had other intentions and a moment later she found herself crying and then sobbing, the stress of this all hitting her.

 

[Chaos Zhefarovich]

Chaos could not help but notice that Alana was not feeling the best. He saw her sink down, seeing and hearing her laug before she just started to sob. Chaos dropped the wine bottle, and went to the stairs to her aid, kneeling dwon in front of her, before reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder, but stopping short. This was not exactly his best feature, since he did not know how to comfort a woman that was crying. The wine bottle he had dropped shattered as it hit the floor, but Chaos did not care about the mess that it had made. Chaos had to think, think what he could do to comfort her. Everything was hitting her at once, and he did not know what to do. What could he do? Chaos struggled to think, to remember what people did to their women when they were upset like this. Wait. That was it. The guys just held them. That's it. Chaos positioned himself so that he was next to Alana on the stairs, and wrapped one arm around her, his anger just melting away.

"Let it all out, Alana," Chaos did not really have a lot of comforting words. Chaos pondered on Ivaylo's words, before wondering why they had sent him. Was Ivaylo actually in the area of higher ups now? How did he manage to do that? And, what did he mean by good luck? Was it on their marriage? No, it was directed to Alana. Maybe it was wishing her luck with him. That had to be it. Chaos just hoped that she would not mind him attempting to console her. Going by the most basic of instincts, though for a while, he did not think he even had any. Apparently, he had something buried deep within there.​

 

[Alana Finch]

When Alana felt an arm go around her, she simply leaned in, her head falling onto Chaos’ chest, her hand clutching his side as she continued to cry. Thankfully, Chaos didn’t say much. What did one say when they found out their life was spared? She expected that the Zhefarovich family would expect her to be grateful that they’d chosen to let her live. The thought of expressing any form of gratitude towards them was a bitter seed she would never swallow. The sobs eventually lessened and Alana realized she was holding on to Chaos almost as if he were an anchor for her. In that moment, he was. Releasing him, Alana wiped at her eye, her head still settled on his chest. He does have a heart. She amused herself with this thought as she heard its beating.

As she glanced down, Alana saw the puddle of wine slowly moving along the floor towards the carpet. Alana reached for her wand which had settled beside her and vanished the mess as she pondered Ivaylo’s presence and his words some more. They’d sent him for a reason, she was sure. A short moment later, Alana’s breath hitched. She licked her lips, tasting the salt from her tears as she did. “Um…Chaos. Don’t be mad” she began, slowly and hesitantly as she lifted her head from his chest. Really, it made perfect sense. The exhaustion no matter how much she slept, the dizzy spells, she'd been able to reason away as stress but there were other, more obvious signs too that she only realized just at this moment as she took register of the day. Her red eyes were still watery from her breakdown, but she refused to let herself cry any more. At least, not right now anyway. “I…I think I might be pregnant” she said quietly, the words filling the room.

Fin​