better on the other side | Kyra & Roderick | July '81

[Fabian Prewett]

Today was easily the worst day in his entire life.

The sound of the commotion around him was nothing more than a buzz to him now. The scene needed to be cleaned up, the Dark Mark was still looming in the sky above him. But they were collecting evidence, they needed to figure out who exactly was responsible. It was no doubt the Death Eaters were involved, but proving which ones was going to be a challenge. The familiar pop of another member apparting in could be heard, and he barely recognized Alice as she touched his arm gently, the sadness behind her eyes almost to much for him to see. She left him standing there with Gideon, heading into the house to help start to piece together the puzzle.

But Fabian had an idea of who was behind this. He needed proof, but there weren't many twisted people in this world that could murder children and be content with it. And certainly not many that would take their time to make sure a Muggle suffered. He could imagine the screams echoing in his brain, angry at himself for not being here to save them. He clenched his fists tight, exchanging a look with his brother. They were solo operatives now, which gave them the freedom they needed to hunt down the group that had done this. A group it had to be, because there was no way the three magic users in that house had been beaten by one or two pathetic death eaters.

He closed his eyes, letting the noise fill his ears. People coming and going, whispering around him. A murder like this was significant, and he was sure it would be in the Daily Prophet the next day. He was surprised that Rita Skeeter wasn't around taking notes like the pest that she was. But he knew no matter what, the death of his friends family was going to rock the world around them. He was already seeing it in everyone around him. He saw it in Roderick when he had realized what had happened. And now Roderick was inside, identifying the bodies to make sure no one had been captured.

And that was when he heard it. The sound of tires behind him, a car door slamming. He didn't know any wizard that would have driven here, which meant they hadn't put up protection against muggles. He turned, his pulse quickening at the familiar woman approaching him.

"Kyra."

[Kyra Thatcher]

Have you ever been more late for something in your life?

Traffic coming out of the city tonight had been a - well, a word she hadn't been allowed to use in the proximity of the Bones house since Gray had been born, so she'd better use this drive to get back into that mindset - pain. A number of accidents had plagued the highway, blocking things even more than what Kyra had expected from the usual evening rush. She'd spent the longer than necessary drive amusing herself with the radio, and double-checking that she had all of the presents the night required. Tonight's party was the annual combination of Phoebe and the kids' birthdays - they all piled up over the summer, so one big party with guests had seemed the smartest decision in order to keep a touch of sanity in that house. She'd gotten her best friend a preemptive 30th birthday card, even though that particular birthday was still a few years down the road - there weren't funny 28th birthday cards, after all - to go with her gift of wines. And her godson was already six, Cami - hadn't she been a baby yesterday? - was three, Elle would be five and starting kindergarten...

And here you are - 28, perpetually single, and still temping.

While she usually didn't let thoughts like those voice themselves, maybe the touch-and-go traffic was getting to her, and the thought was there. Unable to be dismissed, even as she turned up the music. Envy wasn't a good color on her, and maybe it wasn't particularly envy that she felt - Phoebe's life was chaotic at best, and while she knew the other woman loved it, Kyra could hardly imagine juggling three kids, a dog, a husband, and a job. Maybe it's time you try to juggle more than friends and a job, though. Seriously try with a bloke. But the only bloke who'd stuck around in her life in a somewhat romantic fashion was Fabian. And while Phoebe and Edgar would just about blow a combined gasket if she ever voiced wanting more with him...if things were going to move forward, wouldn't they have by now? F*ck, first went on a date when you were fifteen...

Thankfully, by the time she was entering Waltham Forest, Kyra could drive above the speed limit, and was shortly climbing the rise that led to the Bones'. Against the sky's dusk was an odd greenish glow, and as she neared the house she wondered if Edgar had finally convinced Phoebe that fireworks really were safe enough to have around the kids. But the laugh to herself that she had about that died in the car as she pulled up the gravel drive. The glow above the house wasn't fireworks. A great green skull with a twining serpent for a tongue was illuminating their house, their yard - where people in dark sweeping robes were going purposely from Points A to B.

The utter wrongness of the scene propelled Kyra out of her car, the slam of the door behind her sending looks her way by the people she didn't know. She felt as though she'd stepped onto a movie set or a crime scene, what with the hushed tones and people in costumes all around. But this was Phoebe's home. The party was happening inside. The kids would be giving her hugs in a second while she mouthed apologies for her lateness over their heads to their parents.

But even as she thought these things, Kyra couldn't fully believe them. She couldn't place it exactly, but there wasn't a feeling of something ominous, but rather...what's happened has happened. She heard her name cut through the murmurs, saw the bloke who'd been in her thoughts in the car ahead of her, he and his twin looking like she was the last person they wanted to see. The few robed people who had started towards her stopped, nodding towards Fabian before getting back to their work.

Turning her path to them, Kyra came close, jittery in her anxiety. The skull was still floating above them, casting shifting shadows over Fabian, making his face hard to read. She looked up at it before holding herself against the sudden chill she felt, struggling to focus on the one person here who she knew she could get answers out of. But she'd watched enough television, had seen enough movies, had read enough books, about scenes like this...the chill deepened with the dread that crept into her bones as she forced out her words. "What's going on? Where are they? Who are all these people?" A loud popping noise sounded behind her, and in fear her car was backfiring from someone tampering with it (because it could only be hers - how everyone had gotten here was as big a mystery to her as why they were there) she whipped around, only to see yet another person straightening his hair and robes, a person she swore hadn't been there moments ago...and her car looked fine...

[Fabian Prewett]

He had thought about a lot of people he would need to tell before the news broke. Phoebe's parents would have to be told, Amelia still didn't know. He'd prefer if a lot of their friends heard it from him rather than the paper. It wasn't just personal to Fabian, it was personal to the whole order. Everyone loved Edgar and Phoebe. This wasn't just an attack against them, but against everyone who was risking their lives to protect their world. If only you'd responded to the patronus sooner... The one person he hadn't considered, however, was Kyra. She wasn't a part of this world, she was an outsider who had gotten some glimpses in due to her friendship with Phoebe. And he knew Edgar had been forced to perform a few memory spells more than once. She was simply another muggle, but a muggle who was walking towards him with concern on her face, and confusion behind her eyes.

He didn't miss her glance up to the Dark Mark, and he hated that it was still floating there in the sky. "Gid, go find someone to take care of that," he murmured quietly to his brother. Gideon was great, but he didn't have the same relationship with Kyra that Fabian did. And while it wasn't much of a relationship, more like previous flings whenever they felt like it, he knew that the news needed to come from him. "These people are...well. Ah." He rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of where to start. Tell her about magic, or tell her what magic had done to her best friend? He motioned for her to follow him a bit further away from the house, stopping to turn and look at her once they were no longer in earshot of everyone.

"These people are wizards and witches, magical folk. And they are here investigating..." Fabian trailed off, running his hands across his face. "Normally I wouldn't tell you the truth, but considering the Dark Mark is floating in the sky I can't exactly dying the concept of magic. I'm a wizard, and Edgar," he stopped to look towards the house, feeling his heart pound in his chest. "Edgar and Pheebs, they're...they're gone Kyra."

[Kyra Thatcher]

"I swear that bloke wasn't there before..." Kyra muttered under her breath as she turned back to Fabian, the tall robed man who she would swear had appeared from thin air brushing past them. Her breaths weren't coming in full as Fabs couldn't find his words, her lungs seeming unable to fill properly as Gideon left them. She looked past Fabian to the house - there were too many strangers here, there were footprints in the front garden, rocks kicked out of place, flowers trampled...the party-decorated door was open for a moment as the bloke from before entered, and she couldn't make anything out but more people inside. That, and some smattering of colored decorations. She plodded after Fabs, keeping the door in her line of sight. But as he spoke? He drew her attention from her vigil, her bright eyes locking onto his. Witches and wizards? Investigating? You wouldn't normally tell me the truth? You're a...

"Always knew there was something different about you - Edgar too, eh? We'll deal with this hiding-things-from-me bit later, not appreciated." She swallowed thickly, the news about magic not hitting her as deeply as it would've had Phoebe been safely at her side. The feeling of betrayal was certainly there, but shock? Not so much. Kyra had had a million and one - it'd felt like that, at least - theories about what was up with the Bones' over the years. They'd been too pretty, too conveniently gone most of the year (her letters to their named boarding school had gone unreturned one too many times for it to be a mistake with the post), never once down and out because of the flu...hearing Fabian admit that magic was real? That there were witches and wizards walking among those like her? Easy to accept. Easy to accept that she knew them. Even this being kept from her for her life from people she held dear was something she could accept, given time. Much easier than accepting...where are they?

Because she couldn't fully realize his words. "Gone" could mean...it could mean a few things. She stepped closer, trying to keep her active imagination in check, her mind jumping to the worst conclusion his words could mean. Focus on him. "We should be with the kids, they should be with us - they've got to be scared. Because what d'you mean, they're gone?" she asked, steely as possible as she met his eye. "They've been - what - abducted by bad witches and wizards?" It can't be something worse than that - don't you dare tell me it's worse than that.

[Fabian Prewett]

Merlin, he was not prepared for this. He'd always had a soft spot for Kyra and her antics, and he didn't want to be the one to tell her the news. But Roderick already had enough on his plate, he didn't need to tell Kyra about the deaths of the family. That was up to Fabian, and him alone. Thankfully she didn't question the robed man who had appeared behind her too much, and followed him away from the crowd. He could tell she wanted to know more, wanted to know why all these people were in the house. He could tell that from the way she kept trying to see into the front door. And while he could tell her the truth now and wipe her memory later, he didn't know if he would be able to wipe the memory of her seeing what had happened to Phoebe out of his own mind. There was only two witches cruel enough to kill a mother like that, and he would make sure it was handled. But he needed to keep everyone else from crumbling first.

She took the truth well, admitting she had always sensed something off in them. He couldn't blame her, she was incredibly smart and perceptive. He didn't have the heart to admit how many times they had already had to wipe her memory of magical incidents she had witnessed over the years. Especially as the kids had gotten older, Kyra had seen plenty of strange things coming from them. He nodded to her words, heart heaving in knowing that him keeping the truth from her would never be a conversation they discussed. Him and Roderick would come up with a muggle reason for the death of the Bones' family, but right now she just needed to know the truth. She deserved to hear it at least one time.

But she didn't take his words well, and she didn't follow them in the way that he meant. She was asking about the kids, telling Fabian that they should be watching over them. How can I tell her Phoebe had to watch the kids die? Maybe he could just spare her the truth, tell her they had been abducted and wipe her memory, come up with a story later. Could erase all memories of everyone from her, the Ministry could handle that. But as he looked her, the worry evident behind her eyes he knew he couldn't. "Edgar and I work for a secret order fighting against an extremely evil wizard. It's a dangerous job, and often we don't know if we will come back from a mission alive." He took a breath, glancing to the house before he met her eyes. "A group of people who serve that evil wizard found Edgar here and they...they're dead Kyra."

[Kyra Thatcher]

They're dead, Kyra.

They're dead, Kyra.

They're dead, Kyra.

they're dead kyra they're dead kyra they're dead kyra they're dead -

"But their presents are in the car." Her words were too loud, her argument idiotic and invalid, but the pounding of the words in her mind, the pounding of her racing heart in her ears, they had to be drowned out by something. At the moment Kyra didn't even care to learn more about Fabian and Edgar's real work - only Fabian's now. The thought wasn't any better than the repetitive one sounding in the bloke's voice, and if she thought she wasn't breathing right before? Now that she knew - panic was driving the shallowest of breaths through her as she tried to process...

No.

She didn't care that the house was full of witches and wizards investigating the deaths of her favorite people. She didn't care that between her and them stood a man who, had he not even been a wizard, could hold her back with half the strength in his arm. Kyra broke the lock she'd had on his eyes, stiff legs pushing her into an ungainly sprint...

"I have to - I have to see them - how could he let this happen?! - Fabian, don't - don't! - let me go - "

...which lasted only a moment before Fabian stopped her. Holding her back as she caused as much of a scene as she could, perhaps trying to sway the sympathies of the nameless investigators enough for one of them to let her in. She fought him, trying to break out of his hold, hot tears rolling down her cheeks with every futile motion.

Every sight-unseen thing she'd ever believed had not prepared her for news like this. She couldn't believe they were dead, not until she saw them. Phoebe, Edgar, Gray, Elle, Cami. What about Sadie? What family did she know that was more alive? Phoebe, the glue that held everything together, who always knew the right thing to say to keep Ed in check, to make one of the kids stop crying, who kept her grounded. Who had been her best friend since she wasn't any older than their littlest. Edgar, who had taken years to earn her trust enough for her to trust him with Phoebe, who was the most aggravating and loving person she knew, whose energy she hadn't thought could ever go out. And the kids - Gray, who always colored in the lines and, obsessively, needed a particular Dr. Seuss book read before bed each night; Elle, who never tired of playing hairdresser, the odd little goober loved the taste of cough syrup so much that her parents were constantly hiding it in different parts of the house; Cami, just a baby, always giggling as she toddled her way through the world, wanting to be held, wanting to explore...

How could they just not - how could they just not exist anymore?

And if Edgar had been this hot-shot wizard soldier, how could this have happened?

It doesn't matter now, does it? The "how." It's...done.

Eventually, weak words left her. "They can't be. They can't." Her head fell into his chest with much less vehemence than her fists had been, and Kyra shut her eyes against the world.

[Fabian Prewett]

Of course the presents are in the car.

Because it was the birthday party. The one they had for the kids and Phoebe since all of their birthday's were so close together. He knew that, but he didn't think about it at the time. Maybe he could have spared Kyra this mess if he had just remembered. Could have called her, had her meet him someplace else. But it was too late to worry about that. Kyra took a glance to the house, and started towards it, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him, putting himself between her and the house. She fought him, causing a scene, but he held her tight, doing his best to wrap his arms around her and pull her into him.

He understood her mind set. He didn't know how to explain to her what happened. Because yes, Edgar was a great wizard. And his parents were both fantastic as well. But this had been a team - at least five if he had to guess - and they had come prepared. Whereas the Bones family, they hadn't been prepared. Because Kyra would have been there - so wands were stored just out of reach, magic kept to a minimum to keep anything suspicious from happening. But he couldn't tell her that either. He could see the battle in his mind, Phoebe taking the kids and running, yelling at them to follow. Edgar protecting his wife, sending a patronous for help when he realized how bad the situation was.

And Edgar's parents...it was clear they had gotten in the way to give Edgar and Phoebe and chance to escape. It was clear that there was floo powder on the ground, Phoebe trying to get her kids to safety before they got to her. He closed his eyes and she leaned into him, letting her cry. He couldn't let her see the own tears that were forming at the corners of his eyes. He could grieve later, right now he had a job to do. "Roderick is inside right now. He's going to want to see you, I'd reckon..." Fabian murmured softly, watching the crowd around him. Dumbledore would be pissed if he let Kyra inside...but...

"I can bring you inside, but you aren't going to like what you see. Edgar's parents - they were here too. But Phoebe she...she got the worst of it love. And I don't know if you want to see that," he whispered to her as he rested his chin on her head. "But I will leave it up to you. I just want you to be prepared." 

[Kyra Thatcher]

You're lucky you were late.

    Yeah - feeling proper lucky.

This wasn't supposed to happen. She always thought she'd be the one to go first - one too many drinks, a misstep into traffic, and there she'd go. Sure, the handful of people closest to her would grieve for a while, but in the grand scheme of things? Didn't really matter if the band lost a musician, if the agency lost a temp. Who relied on her, really? But this was a family. The kids were going to be epic people, already were, they were going to go do awesome things. And although she now knew it'd been a lie, at least the lie about Edgar's work hadn't been too far off - she'd always worried about Phoebe and the kids getting found out, being guilty-by-association with her special operatives husband. But she'd been assured time and time again that anything she proposed would not happen. There were defenses around the house (magical, no doubt), he used code names, was always undercover - nothing would ever happen, they'd proclaimed...she'd come to believe them...

And yet, years ago, being made Gray's godmother had felt a larger deal than becoming godmother of her sister's eldest daughter. Because with Edgar's work, there actually was the possibility of him not coming home. Of Phoebe being at physical risk too. Of Kyra actually taking responsibility for the child, not just being the cool aunt who gave the best presents and went on the best adventures with the kid.

Doesn't matter now.

Her slight frame shook with the tears, with the thoughts of what if plaguing her, and she held on to Fabian. It was strange to see him like this - distracting yourself from this, are you? - all seriousness, no jokes. Being just as close to the family as she was, he had to be breaking inside just as much as she was. How're you holding up at all? Because as he went on, it became evident that he'd been inside. That he'd seen what had been done to them...

Why would anyone do this? What did they do to Phoebe? Why was she the worst? The parents are dead too?

    You'll let me in?

She nodded shakily into Fabian's chest after his last, letting go of him with a hand to give her eyes and nose a few futile swipes. The more information she got, the more stunned she felt. In a way, that was a good thing. While seeing them would be unbearable beyond imagining, Kyra felt she had to. And with the shock overwhelming everything else, maybe she could handle it. However she'd respond - she owed it to them. Everything they'd been through together, she owed it to them to see their last moments. To not shy away from them, to honor them by this act. And Roderick...you should be with him. For as much funny and flirty banter that had passed between them in their youth, he'd become like a brother in recent years, going off and starting his own family and all. He needed her there with him, whether he knew it or not.

"Could never be prepared for this," she muttered. "Stay with me, all right?" She took his hand tightly and, head down, started towards the door. Questions were still pelting her on the inside, and she felt an ungodly rage towards her fortune teller for not giving her any warning of this, but for now, the questions had to rest. For now, she just needed to see them. Because while Fabian would never lie to her about something like this, and while she'd already shed tears over it, it still didn't feel real.

[Roderick Bones]

This was the worst day of his life, and standing in this house that he had been in so many times before was making his skin crawl. Furniture was knocked over, lamps and vases broken. Discarded birthday presents strew about - some still unwrapped sitting on the living room table. He knew there would be a present for Phoebe hidden somewhere that neither she or the kids would find it, as was in his brother's nature. And Phoebe had decided to make the switch to cupcakes this year so the kids wouldn't fight about the other possibly having a bigger piece of cake. He walked into the kitchen, shoes crunching over the glass scattered about the floor as he looked at the pictures on the fridge. He pulled a few off, stowing them in his pocket as he tried to ignore the stinging in his eyes. He looked up as Alice entered, accepting the huge she gave to him before she went to help with his parent's bodies. They had been the first he had seen - it was easy to tell how they had died. A simple unforgivable curse, something they had been willing to take to protect their child and grandchildren.

He walked down the hall, not ready to see his brother. But it was his job to identify them, make sure they were real and not a convincing dead corpse. He almost wished they were - that they had simply been captured instead of killed. At least then he could help try and save them. He stopped in the hall, looking down at the sheet that covered the body. Before he realized, Alice was at his side, rubbing his back gently. "I'm right here with you." Thank merlin for Alice Longbottom, she was a mother hen to all of the order members. Phoebe had been so fond of Alice. He nodded to the man waiting for him, trying to prepare his stomach. He saw a lot every day working in his ward in the hospital, but nothing could have prepared him for seeing Edgar. He leaned against the wall, giving a nod before they covered him back up. Alice, hearing a noise at the door, went to go and see if anyone needed help. Because Edgar didn't look peaceful in death. It was clear they had taken their time with him before letting him die.

He was rubbing his eyes when he heard Fabian's voice, and looked up to see the older man standing there with - Kyra. He was across the hall in seconds, pulling Phoebe's long time best friend into a hug as the tears he was trying to hide started to fall. Because he hadn't thought about her showing up, but he knew what she was feeling. He knew she'd already seen the serene faces of his parents, looking as if they had simply passed in their sleep. He pulled away, wiping at his face. He looked back to Edgar, moving over and crouching down. It was then he saw the note, and he picked it up gingerly. Looking for who to blame? Here he is! He thought he was going to vomit, and Fabian was at his side in a second, taking the note from him.

He swallowed hard, looking to Kyra. He knew she wanted to see them, just as he had wanted to. So he moved out of the way, letting her take her time with Edgar. He had no idea what was waiting for him in his brother's bedroom, but he could smell the blood from here and he didn't know how he was going to handle it. Fabian was busy directing the investigators to leave before he stood at the end of the hall to give Kyra and him some space. Once Kyra was done, he reached for her hand, grasping in tightly as he moved into Phoebe and Edgar's bedroom.

And nothing could have prepared him for what he saw.

They had taken the children down and laid them in a row, but he could see the burns around their necks. And he could see the nooses still hanging from the ceiling above the bed where Phoebe's body was tied down. And Phoebe, god it was hard to look at her. They hadn't covered her up yet, and Roderick could see why. Cuts and bruises covering the skin, her shirt was torn around the stomach and he was almost positive he could see blood coming from her cesarean scar she had from when Cami was born. They had killed her without magic, that much was clear. Killed her like a muggle. He let go of Kyra, going to stand at the edge of the bed.

And there it was, carved in the flesh of her arm.Mudblood.

He barely heard the curse leave his lips, barely felt Fabian pulling him out of the room forcefully as he tried to struggle. Had Edgar seen all this? Did his brother have to watch as his wife was and kids were tortured? Or did Phoebe have to listen to Edgar screaming while hoping that they were going to get out of this alive. Before he knew it he was outside, kicking the dirt and screaming at the dark mark still very much in the sky.

[Fabian Prewett]

If anything, he knew Roderick would need Kyra. That would be his reasoning if anyone asked. But he gave her had a squeeze as she took his, "I'll be right here," before he headed towards the house. No one bothered to try and stop them, all of them quite aware that whoever this muggle was, she was important. Instead they moved out of the way, giving them room. He opened the door, trying to ignore the banners and balloons that were in the walkway. He stood there for a moment, nodding over to where Edgar's parents were lying. They were the cleanest of the bunch, probably taken care of quickly. Alice soon appeared, giving Fabian and odd look before she recognized Kyra. She gave a sad smile and let them by, and Fabian led Kyra down to the hall where Edgar was.

"Roderick."

The former hufflepuff looked up, and within seconds was pulling Kyra away from Fabian as he wrapped her in a hug. He took a step back, letting them have their moment. He hated the pain he was seeing on Roderick's face, but his wasn't a memory that could be wiped after this. Can you even handle wiping Kyra's memory? He let them go, watching carefully as Roderick picked up something off the ground. Whatever it was he hadn't seen, and he moved to grab it from the younger man. His heart dropped at the note, his chin locking into place. He left the two of them, going to tell everyone in the bedroom to go outside and give them space before he walked to the end of the hall to stand guard. They needed time, and this letter needed to be further inspected.

He was only just handing off the letter to another order member when he heard Roderick cursing, and he was in there in a flash, grabbing his friend and dragging him outside. "Roderick, come on. You've seen enough, come on." It was a struggle, but once Roderick was gone Fabain returned to check on Kyra.

[Kyra Thatcher]

Really went all out this year, didn't you guys?

Even with the devastation that had torn through the house, Kyra could see the effort that had been put into decorating it for the special day. The investigators moved about Fabian and herself like dark ghosts, never getting close enough to become distinct, whisking away to do whatever it was witches and wizards did to document a crime scene. But she couldn't even become curious about that, because at Fabian's nod she saw Greg and Imogen laying as if in sleep on the living room floor. First time you've seen a dead body. Got a two-fer. At least the neighbor couple she'd known since childhood seemed - well - not peaceful, but at least...they're together. Fabian led her by the hand through the room and down the hall that led to Phoebe and Edgar's room, calling for Roderick. She didn't even have a weak smile for the man as he rushed towards them, so stunned was she still by all of this, by seeing the man's parents, by the dark shape on the floor where Roddy had just been. Her hands clutched at his shirt as she hugged him back, no words needed between them as they held each other. When he backed up, trying to rid his face of the marks of his tears, Kyra mutely followed him to what she knew had to be Edgar. While Roddy and Fabian had some sort of exchange, she looked down at the man who had given her hell for so many years. You gave it right back, don't act so innocent. A tearful gulp, fighting back the stupid impulse to laugh. Don't get hysterical, now. They'd gotten along, of course, but both being opinionated, especially about their Phoebe - they'd had their spats. Never a dull moment.

But though she knew this had to be Edgar, Kyra could hardly believe it was him. The dark witches or wizards responsible for this had to have used magic in killing him; his face was contorted in pain, handsome features stuck in a caricature of himself as rigor mortis set in. Her heart was a dull and steady throbbing in her ears, noises blocked out as she stared at her old friend. You knew this could happen. This is why you two fought. She wanted to blame him, and in the moment, she did. While Kyra knew the last thing he would've wanted was this...never would've happened if you'd let her go. Over the years the couple had fought, and what if - what if they had split? They would've been miserable at first, but at least they wouldn't have had this.

Roddy was at her side, and she couldn't bear to look at Edgar any longer, her mouth a thin line of anger and disgust at the whole affair. As she and Roderick took the few steps from Edgar to the door of the bedroom, Kyra paused and looked back down the hall, towards Fabian. The smell eeking out of the room was ungodly, and she felt her stomach start to churn. I can't do this.

Why are you doing this to yourself?

    They wouldn't want you to see them.

I have to see her. I have to.

She joined Roddy in cutting the blood off to the other's fingers, her hand aching painfully from the pressure but needing it to keep her there, and they entered the bedroom. Three tiny nooses hung above the bed at various lengths, a step-stool from the bathroom lay upended on the floor next to where the three bruised and broken-necked children lay. To know that there were such monsters in the world was one thing; she wasn't completely naive, after all. News stories from now and yesteryear depicted things like this. Serial killers on a rampage, their minds twisted beyond belief - the most frightening stories, after all, were those who thought that what they did was right. That it was just. Is that what happened here? She could see the body on the bed, but as Roddy let go of her, Kyra couldn't yet face it. Trembling, she went to the kids, kneeling down to close their eyes with shaking fingers. Their sightless staring eyes were like those of dolls, glassy and marble-esque, but no dolls would be made to look like this, their last tortured moments frozen into them. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. If it could've been me instead, I would make that happen.

Roderick began to scream.

Firm footfalls, a struggle behind her, and Fabian had wrestled him out of the room. She stayed on her knees, stuck in the moment, until she heard the door slam and Roddy's screams from outside.

She had to see the body on the bed. It was compelling her, whether out of a sick desire to see what else these people were capable of or the need for closure, Kyra wasn't absolutely sure, and at the moment couldn't be bothered to figure out her cause. She stood. She looked. The comforter was stained dark with blood around the body, and she was convinced she could see it spreading yet, determined to block out the cheerful pattern. The body was hardly recognizable as Phoebe, just as the body outside could have been Edgar or just as easily another man. The body was bound to the bed; in her last moments, Phoebe wouldn't have been able to move an inch. Probably had to watch as the kids died above her. And had the madmen who had done this just left her to die after slicing her abdomen open? Let her bleed out, helpless, the swinging children -

Kyra darted to the attached bathroom, only just making it to the toilet in time for it to catch her sick. Not the first time you've done this. Not to say she was a terrible babysitter, but there'd been once or twice when Phoebe and Edgar had stayed out late and she'd taken advantage of the well-stocked liquor cabinet. When finished, she reached under the sink for the mouthwash, and was spitting it out when Fabian returned.

"How could someone do this?" she asked his reflection, unable to truly face him. "They hadn't done anything wrong. How are you - how are you still standing?"

[Fabian Prewett]

He could have tried to clean them up, make it seem a little less terrible than it actually was. But what had happened in this house, it was simply the truth of the matter. Edgar and his parents had been killed with magic, a silent respect to the fact they were from the world. The children....hung like traitors. For something they couldn't even control. And Phoebe, sweet and wonderful Phoebe, they had killed her like a muggle. He didn't even have to think about it, he knew they had watched her suffer. Watched her scream and struggle. But the culprits had left before she died, knowing that help was on the way due to Edgar's patronus. He and Gideon had been the first on the scene, wands ready not knowing what to expect.

He looked up into the mirror at Kyra, the normal light in his eyes long having left due to the events of today. She asked him a question he couldn't answer, because he didn't know. He had no idea how someone could be so twisted and cruel. If they had to die - why did they have to die? - they could have at least shown them mercy. Give them a quick death like they had Imogen and Greg. He remained silent, observing her through her reflection. She'd seen so much and was still here, still wanting answers. And hell, he wanted to give them to her. He would already be in trouble for bringing her in her, for letting her see exactly what was going on.

"This is my job. This is...this is personal. But it's not the first time I've been on a scene like this, just the first time it's been so close to home," he answered quietly. Not the first time he had seen so much blood, not by any means. "There's a group of witches and wizards that have a reputation of this sort of thing. But this war...a lot of people would say people like me are on the wrong side of it. People discuss their allegiance to Voldemort like it's politics." A sick, terrible sort of politics. The Ministry couldn't be trusted, not with spies for the Dark Lord everywhere.

He looked out to the bedroom, letting the tears that were stinging his eyes escape for the first time. "Phoebe was still alive when we got here, I could hear her from the back yard. She was able to describe the group of people who showed up..." He trailed off, turning to look back at Kyra. "She asked me to let her go. She didn't want to live without Edgar and the kids."

[Kyra Thatcher]

Roderick was in the yard, the house was likely still full of magical investigators, Edgar was in the hall, Phoebe on the bed, the kids on the floor. And Fabian was squeezed into the bathroom with her, giving her the basics of a situation she didn't know if she could ever fully comprehend. For all of her love of the weird, wonderful, and unexplained in the world, she couldn't find any excitement about this secret world of witches and wizards. Too much hurt too much - that, at the very least, Fabian, Gideon, Phoebe, and Edgar (his siblings and parents too?) (and the little ones?) had chosen to keep her in the dark - and that betrayal amid the devastation in this house was blocking any joy from the discovery. How could you've kept this from me, Pheebs? But she nodded along to his mini-history lesson, feeling sick again as Fabian brought up her best friend's last moments. She looked up to see him - good God, finally - crying. Means he saw Greg and Imogen, Edgar, the kids...and she was all who was left. It was hard not to imagine Phoebe tied in that bed, waiting for death, waiting for someone to show up, too hard not to imagine at present. What she must have felt...

"Of course she wouldn't want to live without them." I can't begrudge you that. You loved them more than anything. Her heart tore with her bitter words, hearing Phoebe, tormented, cry the sentiment to Fabian. "I know I shouldn't - she loved him, it had to be her call to stay, even once she knew this could happen - because he had told her, hadn't he? - " Regroup, come on. She let out a shuddering breath as she leaned against the bathroom wall, knees held to her chest as she spoke more to them than the man sharing the space with her, her thoughts a jumbled mess she couldn't make wholly linear for him. "I know I shouldn't hate him, you shouldn't begrudge the dead, they can't defend themselves, and he's your best friend so I shouldn't tell you this, we stood at their wedding, Christ's sake - and he didn't kill them - but he did, in a way, and I hate him, Fabian." The love in this house hadn't been something she'd ever fully understood, and now Kyra felt even more on the outside of it. Because how could Phoebe have loved him enough to risk this? To have children with him before whatever this war was had ended? To let him be part of the war and put a target on their family? She remembered that day, years ago, a lifetime ago, when Phoebe had run. She'd spun a story about Edgar wanting to join the military...is that when he told you about all this? Sobs threatened to overtake her, and it was with awkward attempted suppression of them that she continued. "I should've stopped her when I had the chance. I did, you know. Have chances. But she loved him. How could anything I ever said compete with everything he promised her?"

"Love coupled with a man's pride..."

    Note to self: All that about finding a bloke to fall for? Scratch that out. Scratch all of that out.

If this is how blind it makes you...however it makes you feel, it can't be worth this.

And, if she was continuing to be honest, while Kyra felt a deep burning hatred for Phoebe's husband and the nameless, faceless, witches and wizards responsible for the deaths, she wasn't feeling all that much more kindly towards Fabian. If it was any consolation for him, it was the same sort of gut-wrenching anger that she felt towards herself. He'd let this happen just as she had, after all. But he knew the real risks.

She stood abruptly, tying her hair back, splashing cold water on her face, feeling her heart hardening against him. You're just looking to pick a fight, like that's going to solve anything. "This 'Voldemort,'" Kyra tested out, drying her face and hands on her shirt, "what exactly are you fighting him against? This sort of thing, obviously, but there has to be a bigger picture, a killing like this can't have been random. And has - has anyone seen Sadie?" Her attempt to calm herself down by learning more about the grand scheme broke again at mention of the Bones' dog, and she blinked furiously at a hitching sob, wiping her eyes with the heels of her hands.

[Fabian Prewett]

This wasn’t how the conversation was supposed to go. Kyra finding out should have been full of joy, not this soul crushing nightmare that it was. He sighed at her first question, knowing the truth would hurt. Her let her take her time, silence falling between them with each pause in her thoughts. “Yes, she knew. Edgar told her the summer after we graduated Auror Training – sorry, we told you it was police academy – but that summer. We thought she might leave him, but she stayed.” Phoebe had loved the idiot for who he was, but if she had just left. They could have stayed friends, replaced her memories. Spared their lives. Then neither of them would be in this room, feeling similar feelings about the decision the two of them made. “I would hate him too. I want to be angry at someone but I can’t be angry at him. Not with how much he loved her – I know too much of what it’s like.” Not that he had ever told her that.

But that didn’t make him stronger than Edgar by any means. Edgar had a good life and a good family, this wasn’t something they could have planned for. How did they even know where they lived? “They were too good together to stop them. You know that, they were just meant to be.” It was a crap answer, but he had nothing to say. He couldn’t relate to Kyra on this, not with the same pain she was feeling. Not with deep secrets being exposed to only make the wound more raw.

It was with no surprise the attitude that he received after his statements, and he did his best to keep his face from showing any more emotion than he already had. Edgar had been his brother, there for each other through everything. They all made this decision together, as a group, to stop the hatred from taking over this world. And he would not regret that decision, just as he knew Edgar would not regret his. You don’t really know that though, do you? This wasn’t supposed to happen.

Her question was an easy one to answer, and she was owed an explanation. But did she really want to hear this right now? In this house. He needed to get both her and Roderick some place private so they could grieve, and he would have to get back to work. “He’s no different than your muggle dictator who slaughtered based on religion, no different than a country enslaving an entire race based on the color of their skin,” he stated, trying to keep his voice from showing any sort of emotion. “He kills those who don’t have magical blood. Muggles, like you. Being who can’t do magic. His goal is a world where only people like me exist – those who only have blood from documented lines of other witches and wizards.” Although his last name meant nothing as a form of protection, and he would rather be first to die than to ever serve a wizard like Voldemort. “He’s a murder with people willing to follow and kill in his name. And not just other humans, things much more dark and disturbing. Next question.”

[Kyra Thatcher]

Kyra was livid.

Every piece of information she got out of him was like the jagged slice of a serrated knife through her chest. She knew she should stop, just go before things became even worse, but her curiosity, her anger...it was better to prolong this than the overwhelming sadness that would over take her when she was alone. Hearing Fabian speak like this, admitting things about her best friend, Edgar, and himself through it - it was breaking the heart she'd once thought fully​ guarded against him. Sorry, yeah - not sorry enough to say anything until now. She remembered that time with Phoebe, where she'd been so unsure of progressing with Edgar - but even then, it was like there was something insurmountable holding them together. That love was something she hadn't understood then, and now with knowing more about the situation...you'll never comprehend it. Her anger was festering, and whether from tears or from perversely wanting to let it build, she only nodded. It was no mystery that the pair had had a great love...but you could have told me, Pheebs.

With her sobbing admission, her anger starting to outpour towards Edgar, Kyra was surprised her old companion didn't snap at her. The dead man in the hall had been his best friend, and had Fabian been so hardened by this secret world that he no longer felt like she did? His world had to be imploding just as quickly as hers was. But at his note of their friends' love, angry, curious, hurting eyes found his. He's...he's talking about her, isn't he? A selfish part of her wanted Fabian to be referencing her - but she'd never meant enough to him to break his heart. Not like Lauren.

"Yeah, I know - meant to be," she relented a tad, unable to argue against. Kyra stood to compose herself, to shift the conversation, but was met with...impassivity. Even as Fabian spoke of the horrors of the world, he appeared unrattled. A lie, of course, it had to be - but what was the point of it? Why try so hard to be stoic with her? Now?

This Businessman Prewett approach wasn't doing her feelings of betrayal and deceit any good. She'd never heard him speak like this - was even the personality she had fallen for knew a facade? Who was Fabian, really? Someone who'd lied to her for the better part of her life - one of many who had. Nothing you can do about them, she thought, full of bitter resentment, focus on him. Kyra felt her memories of them being tainted as she looked up at him, eyes still shimmering with tears. To think that on the drive here she'd thought of opening herself up to him, giving them a real shot if he was game...you're a fool. She took the given information in, and was full of follow-ups and contradictory emotions, but...she couldn't stay here much longer. The smell from the bedroom, knowing the desecration that had happened footsteps away...It was already too much to handle, but there was something she couldn't leave without knowing.

"Only have one more, then I'm finding Sadie and getting out of here," she said, swallowing back what emotion she could as she forced herself to keep her eyes on his. Not that you can tell if he's lying, evidently. But if he was talking about you...he'll answer. "And I can't handle hearing their sides of it right now, even though it's f*cked up that even my godson was told to lie to me. I just want - no, I deserve to hear your rationale.

Kyra's look turned to a glare at her first question; she was far from done with dealing with the anger of today, and each accusation was spat with more venom than the last. "Did you think it was funny? Screwing around with some ignorant muggle girl? Wanted to see how long you could trick me? You learned all about our police force so you could be more convincing?...It's despicable, Fabian. I know we weren't ever serious, but good God - I thought you valued me more than this. This is my world, and I know it wasn't just you, but you chose to keep it from me too. You've had fifteen years' worth of opportunities to clue me in!"

As if the deaths of those she called family weren't enough, Kyra didn't know how she was going to handle the lot of them having lied to her for so long. They knew how important it was for her to know the truth - they'd heard her researched theories and what, had just sat back and had a laugh once she was out of earshot? She would never have thought Phoebe would let her get played...but her best friend must have been in on it. While she must have had her reasons, they were reasons Kyra would never now know. "Don't worry, I'll nominate you for your BAFTA - you've earned it."