Take a Holiday...

I pulled on a random outfit and left my room, shaking my head at the mess that was my brothers room. Sharing an apartment together was not particularily nice.
Though..it had its perks.
The newest fling was in front of me all of the sudden, clad in a bedsheet. Not even a good one.
"Who are you?!" she had a voice like a duck. Wow.
"Your worst nightmare." I laughed, always wanted to say that. I waved my wand, sending her back to where she came from and threw a box of aspirin at Buddys head.
"Thank me later!"
I called as I walked out of the door, agghh I needed a coffee.
So making my way to the three broomsticks I smiled, it was good to be here again. Though it brought back painful memories... Speaking of which I'd have to stop by the nursery- I closed my eyes and bit back a bout of tears drinking my coffee. Now was not the time. The weight of my situation struck me again suddenly and I endured it silently, this was my punishment and I would deal with it, subtly, calmly and alone.
Though now I was no longer alone...
Oh my God...
"A-A-Alex?" I nearly spat out my coffee in surprise and settled for just plain choking on it before I managed to compose myself.
Well...this was dandy.

Alexander wasn't sure why, but he felt the need to get away from the castle and go somewhere... different. He needed a change of scenery, something to brighten up his dull days, anything to get away from the boringness he was supposed to call his life. Over the past year and a half, his life had changed drastically and he wasn't completely positive if he liked it or not. In his sixth year, he'd been a flirt with a string of flings behind him rather then relationships. He'd been happy, joking, yet friendly all at the same time. He'd been close with his twin, which was no longer the case now. He knew he was to blame for that one, too. But now, he was just quiet, shrunken back into this sort of sad shell that he couldn't seem to break out of no matter how hard he tried. And truth be told, he wanted his old self back. It was just a matter of trying to figure out how to get it..

In just under four months he'd be eighteen, and nearly graduating from school. This was not how he was supposed to be feeling. By now he'd been wandering along for about fifteen minutes, his pace casual in the cool daytime air. It was sort of early in the morning and not many people were roaming about, not that he'd really be able to connect anyone's faces. With an exaggerated sigh he rolled his eyes and ended up wandering into the next place that he deemed suitable to hang out at for a little while, and that happened to be The Three Broomsticks. He would have never expected to see who his eyes connected with no more then three minutes later.

Her reaction was almost exactly how he was feeling, besides the fact that hers was more obvious then his own. His guarded eyes widened momentarily and he thought that just maybe, he was seeing a ghost. But after blinking a couple of times and saw that the blonde was still there, he wasn't sure what to do. She was stuttering his name and it shocked the hell out of him. Holy shit... Addy Holiday. What the hell was she doing here? Did that mean Buddy was here too? Last he'd heard, they'd moved to California.. what were they doing back here?! He was aware that he was standing there and gaping like an idiot, so in an attempt to redeem himself, he cleared his throat while glancing down. What a twist of events this day was bound to have.. "A-Addy? What.. what're you doing back here?" His voice was confused but surprised all at the same time.

He wasn't sure what to do and so he slowly approached the seat in front of her, slowly pulling it out. Inviting himself to join her, in a sense. He wasn't really thinking clearly though, because he was just so shocked.. and memories were tumbling around in his brain... holy damn.

I wasn't the only one surprised as hell, while Alex gaped I felt my brain give up.
"Ehm, Hi, Alex. Ehm long time no see.." last we'd been together we'd been snogginh and I'd not been wearing as much clothes as I was now. So mega understatement.
"Well, we're back- both of us. I ehm, I'm the new assistent librarian at Hogwarts and ehm, ah. God this is so- ehm, mhmmm." I pratically shoved my hand over my babbling mouth and squeezed my eyes shut. There she was, the old me. The shy, bibbering wallflower. Nut that wasn't me now. No no.
I took a deep breath before breaking out in a smile, "Im so glad to see you, where's Alli?" I looked over his shoulder to look for her, they used to be joined at the hip.

Then I wondered, what if he hated me? After all, I'd been so ashamed by my brothers behavior and Alex's too that I'd just grabbed my clothes and ran back then. If I remember correctly I'd left my earrings, maybe they still had them, they were my favorites after all.

"Fancy seeing you here, well, actually YOU live here so..fancy seeing me!" I crossed my legs and sighed softly, "You look..different. Less..wild" I observed, a small crease appearing on my forehead as I pondered this. Was this a good thing? Alex had been so much like Buddy..now he seemed so..bored...
Ooc: can both twins gm each other? Pasts and so

Alexander slowly lowered his large frame down onto the waiting seat, resting his arms immediately on the table just for some sort of support. His brain was having a hard time processing what exactly it was that was happening, with Ariadne Holiday seated in front of him after what, almost three years of not seeing her? Of course with her face came along all of the memories from the last time they'd been together and everything that they had been doing... he tried to banish the images from his mind, because that day had certainly been bittersweet. He heard her sweet, feminine voice speaking and he forced himself to listen, although his expression was still dazed and slightly out of it. "Ehm." He cleared his throat a bit awkwardly before nodding. "Hi Addy.." He replied slowly. He nodded again at her mention of them having not seen one another for a while. "Almost three years, right?" This was so awkward and extremely overwhelming all at once..

Again, the memories of them snogging were back in his memory. No matter how long ago he still remembered exactly how he'd felt, exactly how she'd tasted, and how she kissed, and how they'd been close to... exhaling heavily, he shook his head. He shouldn't be remembering things like that, but it was hard with her sitting in front of him after so long. She'd been beautiful then but she was beautiful now, more grown up and mature looking. He knew he looked different as well, his muscles defined, the strong line of his jaw, his masculine features. She was talking again, and he couldn't help but glance at her lips as she spoke. The action was discreet though. "Oh, really?" He mused. She'd be working at Hogwarts? Where he'd have the chance of seeing her every day? He tried to keep all of the color from draining from his cheeks. Could he handle that? After all, he was over her and everything that had happened with them, right? They'd just been young...

Yet all he could remember was her running off and leaving him standing there after walking in on Buddy and Alli. Not a word had been said then, and since then. Truth be told, it had hurt.. but he'd never let her know how deep she'd driven the knife. He attempted a smile when she said she was glad to see him, but shrugged when she mentioned Alli. "Probably back at the castle." He murmured absently. Usually, the twins were always together but they'd been drifting apart. As sad as that might have been. Yet he was almost glad that Buddy wasn't here with Addy. Again, another slight smile as she spoke. "You've got that right." He was doing his best to appear happy (because in a way, he was) but he was having a hard time swallowing everything.

His brow arched when she observed that he looked different, 'less wild' she called it. She was right, after all, but he still made a face. It was weird to think that after so long, someone would still remember him. "I could say the same about you." He countered with a slight chuckle. It wasn't that he wanted to hide who he was from her, it was just easier to cover it up then actually explain it. "Is it a bad thing?" He couldn't help but ask. He knew he shouldn't care but it was odd to think that her opinion still mattered to him.

ooc: Sure!

"Shes not with you?" I asked shocked, this was new, definately not a change I could say was good.
He seemed conflicted at my remark and I looked the same at his, me, less wild? True..sad..but nessecary. I couldn't go around getting my heart broken, I couldn't tell him he'd made me this way..
So I put on a thoughtful look, internally surprised at his question.
"Its...different..." I said carefully. To be honest, I didn't like it, this wasn't Alex, it was some stranger..
I must seem similar though. "three years change a person." I said, i'd be twenty soon, just a few months...
I slyly took a look at him, muscular, very masculine features proved a strong contrast to the fifteen year old I'd- well. That was over. Right?
After we'd left, I'd been different...until even Buddy had left me alone, then the incident had come and I locked the old Addy Holiday away forever. Buddy and I were close as ever, leaving the Stones had been a hard blow to us both, with differing results.
I'd become colder, wearing a mask all day long, whereas Buddy had thrown himself into one relationship after another. Each trying to forget the Twin that had caused us such turmoil.
After a while I'd numbed my heart so much I just stopped feeling abut Buddy...well. He hadn't. He'd always have a soft spot for Alli Stone. But it wasn't as bad as it had been.
"what about me? Good thing or not?" I asked, surprising myself with my false cnfidwnce and raising an eyebrow questioningly. As awkward as this was, my apparent confidence was overshadowing my insecurity and growing urge to run away.

Alexander shifted on his seat almost uncomfortably. "No.. she's not." He confirmed, trying to keep his face as emotionless as was possible with the given situation. He knew it shocked Addy, it normally shocked a lot of people who knew the Stone twins, because they'd always been practically joined at the hip. They'd done everything together, they'd been close.. and then their sixth year had begun, and thrown a dent in their relationship. He wasn't sure what it had been or who had been the one to start it, but all he knew now was how different things were. He still loved the girl to death though and would do anything for her, obviously. They just didn't really speak to one another anymore. He looked up into her eyes, although his brain was telling him not to. It was a mistake, and he knew it, but for some reason he couldn't just sit there and pretend like nothing had happened between them when it had affected him as much as it did. He wondered if he ever did have any affect on Addy.. but he would never ask. Some things were much better left unknown.

Her expression was thoughtful at his question, but he knew he'd been looking the same way. He was well aware that the change in who he had been was obvious, but he wanted that person back. He'd been so much more fun back then when he hadn't had to care about a single thing. When she said it was different, he managed to smile a bit. "Trust me.. I know what you mean." He said with a sigh, and it sucked to know that he really did catch her drift. "Guess that's what happens as we grow up, huh?" He was trying to make things light and less awkward, but it didn't seem to be working any. He was sure they both had a million and one thoughts racing through their brains about everything that was happening. How could they not? From how they'd felt then, to how they felt now, to the events of the night, to what had happened since, to them sitting across from one another now, to trying to keep everything in check, to.... BLOODY HELL. His mind was racing and about to explode, but he was trying to keep himself cool, calm, and collected. It was the only thing he could do. Three years change a person. "Yeah.. you've got that right."

After the Holiday twins had left, Alli had been hurt. She'd hated Alex practically, saying that the two boys were the cause of everything. For the Holidays leaving, for their broken friendships. She'd been a mess, but he'd been able to bring her back to life. Of course, that had included him not telling her about Buddy's attempts at reaching out to her, but it had been for the betterment of her. She'd gotten over things, or so it seemed. Internally, she'd probably been keeping her hurt from him. Alex.. well. He'd tried to throw himself into relationship after relationship to forget about everything, and it had worked for a time. Hell, he had a girlfriend he'd been with for almost two years which was not like the Alexander Stone they remembered. But for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to inform Addy about that and he wasn't sure why..

At her question, he regarded her in quiet surprise. She wasn't the Addy he'd fallen all over himself for, but.. "It's not bad." He said quietly. It wasn't fantastic, but it wasn't bad. "I'll be able to give you a more accurate answer after we've been talking for more then five minutes." He gave her a careful smirk, shifting on his seat. Where the hell did this lead them now? "So..... how's the last three years been...?" A vague question, but he didn't know what else he could even say. His mind was still on overdrive, as were his emotions.

"Yeah, being an adult and allthat.." I nodded, this was horrible,
how was I supposed to act?
Id been head over heels for Alex Stone, but now..I had responsabilities, i had secrets, i had safety...I couldnt throw that away...could I?
I felt a wave of nausea and bit my lip closing my eyes for a moment. This wasnt from me..it was from her...she was doing worse and i could feel it...my magic trying to heal her...leaving me to do so.
I opened my eyes again but they were duller, lighter than their normal grey. I didnt let any fatigue show though, couldnt.

"Last three years have been..quiet..." I stated. Liar, liar...
"Yeah, no relationships really, well one but thats done, ehm...Ive kept to myself mostly, you know me" I smiled slightly. trying to sound NOT pathetic when you really WERE pathetic was hard..

Alexander sat in silence for a couple of moments, mainly trying to pull his thoughts together. Addy was sitting here right in front of him after three years.. and he had yet to bring up the last time they'd seen each other. Maybe it was because he was much more comfortable with it being left unspoken. He knew that wasn't right though, and he realized that Addy deserved at least some sort of explanation from him. He knew this.. but he wasn't sure if he could bring himself to tell her anything at all. It had been so long ago and he didn't want to bother bringing up old stories and re-opening old wounds.. but he was sure he'd already managed to do that without even trying.

When he finally came back to reality he looked up into Addy's eyes and was surprised to see a difference in them. If he wasn't mistaken, they'd been slightly more grey before.. not as dull as they now were.. but then he figured he was just seeing things. After all, what would cause her eyes to change in the two minutes he hadn't been paying attention? When she claimed that the last three years had been quiet, he didn't question her. It wasn't his place to anymore, even if he knew she was keeping things from him. It was what he deserved though, after all.

He wasn't sure why he felt relief when she said the relationship she'd had was done. That shouldn't make him feel anything but sad for her. Now would be the best time to tell her about Morgaine.. and he knew that. He knew it, he had to get it out in the open. "Yeah..." He slowly began, before looking down at the table. "I have a girlfriend. I've been with her for almost two years." The silence on the receiving end of this news was almost deafening. Shifting uncomfortably on his seat he exhaled, before pinching the bridge of his nose. He had to do it. Had to.. had to..

"Addy.. look.. I'm.." He hated apologizing, hated admitting his faults. "I'm sorry. For everything. For not trying to talk to you afterward.. for hurting you.. for... all of it..." His voice was strained and tired. Did he expect her to forgive him? Not quite. But he needed to get things off his chest. After all, three years was a long time to walk around with unspoken words never too far from the tip of your tongue.

I heard the word girlfriend and froze. The unexpected pain choked me, robbing me of speech.
A few eternitues later he started apologizing and I felt an emotion I hadn't really felt in years.
Anger.
"Youre...sorry...huh..." I states blankly before slowly meeting his gaze.
"Sorry doesn't cut it babe." I felt my features turn cold.
"Sorry..sorry won't uncry my tears, sorry won't give me back what I gave to you, sorry won't make up for the sleepless nights, or the pain Alex. You have no idea what I've been through, what I've had to face alone because YOU and BUDDY could act like GROWN MEN!" I stood met with silence.
"You know what, I'm done. I'm done with you. Umyou may not care, but I do. Ha, feels so good to say it; Im done with you Alexander Stone. I don't care if you and my bro are friends, I'm going to find Alli and patch things up, but you will not hear from me again. Big relief, right? Sorry, pfft. Stick your sorry where the sun don't shine." the words shot out of my mouth and I turned away, starting towards the door.
Sorry...
Sorry for falling in love with you Alex.
Sorry fir letting you hurt me Alex.
Sorry for thinking you were different Alex.
Sorry for you.

Alexander knew that his apology more then likely wasn't going to go over well, and hell was he right, Addy turned on him even quicker then he'd expected, throwing his words back at his face while telling him that sorry didn't cut it. But he couldn't be angry with her, or even angry with her reactions. Because she was right. He had no idea what he'd put her through because he hadn't had any idea of just how much he'd meant to her. At fifteen, the word love had been laughed at. He'd never thought he'd fall in love, love was only for fools who didn't know how to have fun. He wasn't sure what he'd felt for Addy exactly at his young age of fifteen, but deep down he knew he'd cared for the blonde. He'd never been willing to admit to it then, but these few years later he just couldn't deny it anymore. His fifteen year old self had been a jerk, there was no doubt about it and maybe even now he was a jerk. He was listening to everything she was saying but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to react. Because everything she was saying was 100% true..

He continued to remain speechless and reeling as she stood up from the table, and he could only stare up at her almost helplessly as her rampage continued. Only when she was stomping away did his senses finally come alive, and he was leaping up from the table, nearly sending his chair backwards in the process. He'd be damned if he let her leave after that. He was not going to sit there and act like a beaten puppy. "Ariadne. Stop." Why her full name was in use he wasn't sure, but maybe he was just that desperate to see her turn around. When she didn't, his long legs quickly closed the distance between the two and he slammed the door shut a mere second after she'd opened it. People were openly staring at them now, but he didn't care. He leaned his complete weight into the door, showing she was forbidden from leaving but also not allowing people in. He didn't care. "Addy. Look at me." It was no surprise that she wouldn't, her face was completely furious at his actions, but he plunged forward anyhow.

"Yeah, maybe sorry doesn't cut it but do you really think you were the only one who dealt with shit?" She'd probably dealt with much much more, but he'd been fifteen freaking years old! "Guess what, surprise surprise, but I do care. Sometimes I wished I hadn't, but I did! And I still do, Ariadne! You think I want to sit here and watch you go when I just got you back in my life? Hell no!" He was breathing slightly heavier now, his mind spinning. "I didn't try to talk to you because..." He'd never spoken it out loud, and would it even do him any justice? "I was just fifteen, Addy... and I was feeling something for you that scared me.." His voice had dropped, and his eyes weren't looking at her anymore.

"I was stupid and naive in terms of love. And I'm not saying that it makes everything I did okay, because it doesn't. But I truly am sorry, from the bottom of my heart, that I caused you all that pain. And if I could take it all back, I would. But I can't. If I knew then what I knew now.. I would have done everything different, Addy. I'm sorry. I can't say it enough." It had been much too long for him to hold all of this in, that the truth was pouring out of him and leaving him feeling exposed and raw.

Finally he stepped back in defeat, his tired arm falling to his side and allowing her to leave now if she so wished. "Now, you can go ahead and walk out that door if you so choose. But just think.. I went after you this time, Addy. I let you leave once and that was the biggest mistake, I couldn't sit here and let history repeat itself." With that, he shook his head and took a couple of steps away from her. He didn't know what else he could even say.. but if she left this time, it would be her own choice. Not his.

I listened to him closing my eyes tightly and turning away.
When he took a few steps back I shook my head
"Damnit. Damnit Alex, why couldn't you just be an asshole now?" I whispered to myself.
He'd felt something for me...he did..had...
Taking a deep breath I punched his shoulder, just hard enough.
"Dont. Ever. Call. Me. Ariadne." I hissed in reminder before my expression softest the smallest bit.
"Youre full of shit." he didn't argue, "you have no clue how we suffered." again no denying, "damnit I shouldn't be here still. I should hate you, I want to." I looked away, "but I can't. Though you are still an ass." I spoke the truth, "Why am I still here..." now my voice was small as I buried my face in my hands. I was such a failure, I couldn't even storm out right, couldn't even hold my own against Alwx Stone...

Alexander let her turn away from him, even if it bothered him immensely. If she didn't take what he'd just said into some sort of consideration, then he knew he'd just have to let her go. He hadn't expected his words to suddenly make everything alright again, because he knew no amount of words could ever take away what he'd done to her. Apparently, he'd affected her and her life a hell of a lot more then he'd ever intended to or even known about until this very moment. He was older now, much more mature, and he understood his decisions weren't the right ones now, and he took responsibility for them, even if he hated it. But he couldn't change the past no matter how he tried, so why not just look into the future? It would take a hell of a long time to heal the wounds, that was for sure. But he wasn't sure how else to go about what was happening.. her murmured words caused a brow to arch but he said nothing. He supposed he did deserve that.

His first real answer was a punch to the shoulder, which caused him to watch her with first a shocked expression and then one of mild annoyance. He knew he should have been practically waiting for that but it still didn't surprise him any less. It had been a while since he'd been on the recieving end of one of her flying fists of fury, after all. He'd always known she hated being called Ariadne so he supposed it hadn't helped his case much when he'd called her by her full name, but he hadn't really been thinking it all through. All he had wanted was to capture her attention, which in a way he supposed he had.

He wasn't really taken aback when she accused him of being full of shit. Anger briefly flickerd across his expression but he said nothing. Nor did he say anything to her next set of words either, but after a moment he did find his voice again. "I'm full of shit? What, you think I'd waste my time spewing out a bunch of lies at you? Seriously, Addy." He shook his head, unable to accept the fact that she assumed he was 'full of shit.' "And I didn't ask for you guys to suffer, you know. I was fifteen freaking years old, how was I supposed to know one simple mistake was going to change your lives so drastically?! You think I would have still done it if I knew that?!" His voice was sharp and angry all of a sudden, but he forced himself to calm down. Yeah, he might have been an asshole but he'd still cared about the Holiday twins. He'd just had his own twisted way of showing it.

Inwardly he winced when she claimed that she should still hate him. Probably true, but it still bothered him. And an ass.. well, she'd probably call him that for the rest of her lifetime. "You're still here because a part of you believes what I just said. Even if you're trying to act like you don't." He stated the fact simply, almost cooly. He noticed the look of shock and then indignance from Addy, but then she was covering her face and he could feel a yank at his heart. Oh lord... "Addy..." He sighed softly. He wanted to hug her but didn't think she'd like that very much, so he stood where he was, his green eyes watching her quietly.

"don't-" I said choked as he said my name.
I moved my hands up into my hair and breathed deeply.
As I was about to either smack or yell at him I saw the ring on my finger glow softly. That would be a nurse calling.
I opened my mouth and then closed it again.
"I have to go..and I changed my mind. Call me Ariadne, only my friends- call me Addy." my voice broke as tears silently streamed down my face. I couldn't deal with this right Now, it was too much, I'd missed him so much, loved him so much...
I tore my eyes away from his as a pang in my lungs alerted me that Marissa was having problems and I needed to go.
I opened the door, rushed outside and turned, my eyes meeting his as the door slowly closed, the moment we broke eye contact I apparated.
Minutes later I was in Mungos, special department, sitting next to her bed, while the nurse held her wand between us, transferring some more of my energy to Marrissa. I coughed a few times, ignoring the familiar taste of blood andclosed my eyes, tears at the corners.
"Miss Holiday, are you alright!"
I looked at the nurse soberly and after a sad moment I nodded.
I was fine.
I looked over at Marissas sleeping form,
As always.

Alexander fell completely silent when she basically told him not to say a word, and he diverted his attention toward the ground for a moment as she moved her fingers through her hair. He wondered if it was still as silky as he remembered it being.. no. He had to focus on the serious situation at hand, even though it seemed he was only making things worse rather then better. He never would have imagined that the meeting would even turn out to be anything like it was, and in a way he wished he would have had maybe some time to prepare himself just a bit better. Maybe then he could have said things differently and in a more forgiving way, instead of him standing in the predicament he was in. With Addy hating his guts and obviously extremely upset.. and still hurt over everything that had happened between everyone.

The ring on her finger suddenly caught his attention though, and his brow arched as he noticed the way it glowed. Was it because she was feeling something particular and that was why it glowed? Or maybe it was someone who was summoning her? That seemed more likely, seeing as seconds later she was telling him that she had to go, and he opened his mouth to protest. Things were even more of a mess now then they were before, that's what if felt like. And now she had to leave? The last blow came when she informed him that she wished for him to call her Ariadne - and he knew how much she loathed that. He didn't bother hiding the slight hurt on his expression as he winced, rubbing at the back of his neck. He wanted to reach out and grab at her, pull her into his arms and wipe her tears away. Just fix everything and make it all alright again. But his fifteen year old self had screwed everything up.. that was for sure.

All he could do was wordlessly watch as she hurried out, although he was beginning after her seconds later. He couldn't let her leave! Though it was too late, because he saw her disappearing seconds after he was out into the cool air. "Shit!" He swore automatically, wishing to punch at something but settled for kicking at the ground in anger. She'd left. And they were even on worse terms then before.. and he felt horrible. Terrible. Like such a loser.. he knew the guilt was going to eat away at him. Slowly, he turned away from The Three Broomsticks and (almost like a zombie) began to wander in a random direction. With his head buzzing with thoughts and his heart heavy.