WHO: Therese Bonaccord, Ralph Frobisher, and an unexpected guest
WHAT: Working overtime does not pay off
WHEN: Today after work!
WHERE: Her office!



Therese’s rather good day had been shattered a few minutes ago. She shut her eyes tightly and let out an involuntary shout of fear as Remy Valois kicked over a chair, cursing and swearing in French as he stormily paced the length of her office. Therese’s eyes opened slowly and she dared a look toward her co-worker, feeling the utmost guilt because Ralph had offered to stay behind with her while she plowed through some remaining paperwork.

Her hands were raised in a pleading manner, and her fists were balled tightly. Remy had already busted down her office’s door, the fire the hex had caused was still smoldering, and now he was going on about how she was supposed to have been alone.

“If you leave now---” she let out, but Therese flinched when Remy immediately struck out his wand in a threatening manner at her. Her restraining order on Remy had been in place for more than two months now, her life had been nice and quiet and fun. She’d been having fun and now---now----what was he going to do to her? Them. Them! Ralph had a baby, he shouldn’t be here! “Please let him go!”

Ralph was watching this whole display by Remy Valois with his eyes wide and his mouth open. People like this... still existed? He had thought, with the end of the war, that unhinged individuals would return to wherever they had come from, never to be heard from again, but apparently that had been a daft assumption. And it wasn’t--- he wasn’t thinking that Therese’s ex was a dark wizard, he was just showing some generally psychotic tendencies that were common with death eaters that Ralph had met in the past.

Did that made this situation better or worse? Ralph decided he didn’t want to know.

As he stood there beside Therese, randomly glancing at her, he began to think what he would do if this was still during the war, and he was still in the Order. How would the more-skilled Order members have dealt with this? Frank would just aimed a hex at the bloke’s head and take him out right there, Ralph was sure about that. Alice, she would’ve already figured out a way to distract and immobilizing him so he couldn’t do more damage, let alone move another muscle. But Ralph wasn’t confident nor smart enough to do either of those things, so.... what would Dedalus do? Dedalus would never be in this situation to begin with. That was no help.... what about Emmeline....

The smell of burning wood eventually brought Ralph back, making his stomach lurch and his muscles tense. He very vehemently did not want this to continue on any longer, and since leaving Therese was out of the question, the only solution was to put an end to this. But neither of them had their wands... palms also up in a complacent manner, Ralph subtly looked at Therese and tilted his head toward Remy. Moving his eyes purposely from her to him, he hoped she would understand the message. Talk to him, distract him--- do something so he could have the chance and get his wand.

Therese had already begun to think that it was going to be up to her to distract Remy, she was what he was here for, he wanted her, but to see that Ralph having the same thought made her stomach twist into a terrible knot. She had to focus on what was important here. Therese had loved this man once, she--maybe she could tap into those memories, the ones she had buried so far away and---

No, no, no, she couldn’t do this. Therese fearfully brought her fists to her chest and her sudden movement caught Remy’s attention. He stormed towards her and rounded the desk, moving so quickly that she nearly fell over. He grabbed her wrist and jerked her toward him. Therese felt like every bone in her body was rattling under her skin, but she somehow managed to keep her eyes locked on Remy’s. She’d never seen anyone look so----so lost.

Remy’s grip on her wrist tightened in the next second and he twisted hard enough to make her shout out in pain. Her face grew hot, but Therese knew that she’d only be able to get out of there using her words, her wit. She looked up at him, her hair creating a curtain over her face; hopefully it helped hide her fear.

“Remy...mon roi têtue,” she said in what she hoped was a sultry tone. Therese managed to stand straight, though she didn’t resist against his grip. He blinked quickly at her; she supposed the sound of her old nickname for him had woken up affected something. She muttered a question, asking him why he hurt her so as her other hand slid up his side. His wand pressed into her side as if he was mirroring her actions, and Therese knew she’d have to do more than sweet talk to completely distract the trained auror.

Wait, but that meant he had to--- Ralph continued to let his mouth hang loose, now regretting that he had let his Gryffindor/Order instinct take over. But he couldn’t think like that, right? If he said a word, the potential to set this wizard off.... it had to be Therese, which meant it had to be him with the action. Yes. That was the only way everyone would make it out of this alive and well. Despite having the same profession, she was still very much better with words that he was.

Ralph watched Therese and Remy for a few moments, as if waiting for a signal or sign that now would be the right time to strike. Plus, he’d--- her shout had made him jump, and that made him grow more concerned about their outcome. He knew Therese, and he was holding her like that? A hard line formed on Ralph’s brow as his determination to put an end to this took over again. You didn’t do that to witches. Or wizards. Or anyone for that matter. No.

As he slowly reached for his wand in his pocket, Ralph kept a close eye the couple for any signs of breaking. A plan, a plan--- he would knock his wand away! Yes, and if that didn’t work.... he had always thought of himself as a good weaver and ducker. And he had a track record of not dying. That wasn’t an appropriate thought right now. In the few seconds it took before quickly raising his wand to cast his spell, Ralph had a fleeting thought that Miranda was going to bloody kill him if this turned out unfavorably.

His non-wand hand had gone to her neck, his face was so close. Remy’s breath was hot and dizzying, his cologne sending her mind whirling with dangerous memories. Therese had continued to whisper questions and murmurs of what they could do if he simply let her go. She felt nauseous, unsure how she was even able to stand, but the idea that he was going against her attempts to change her life, to move on, that he wanted to hurt her even more...Therese managed to convince herself long enough to be strong to gain his complete attention. Knowing that his...his desire for her hadn’t died out once they’d broken up, thanks to his now ex-fiancee, it was rather easy to make him think that her words were true.

Merlin, maybe she should write a book.

It was terrifying to think about where Remy’s mind was going, but thankfully Ralph had managed to keep his composure far better than she. The spell hit Remy in the shoulder, sending him across the room and the force knocking Therese back into her bookcase. The sharp sound of the books, frames, and other memorabilia hitting the ground and the whole commotion caused her to yell out in surprise and pain, but instinct had her pulling her wand out. She pointed it at Remy, who was most definitely stunned and having a hard time moving. Tears were streaming down her face as he groggily stared at her.

She shook her head and sent another stunning spell at him, knocking him out cold. Therese turned back to Ralph, wand dropping to the floor as she covered her mouth with her hands to try and hold back her sobbing. She couldn’t breathe.

Ralph let out a shout, and quickly jumped toward Therese. Okay, okay! This was working, this had worked--- right? He looked down at the foreign wand in his hand, and wearily glanced across the room at their unconscious visitor. What if he... woke up? What if he was faking? What if--- Ralph twisted his body a bit, deciding he did not feel safe turning his back to this wizard, not even for a moment. So, for good measure, he muttered a quick body-bind curse and moved to focus on other things.

His eyes widened when he realized the right state Therese was in, and Ralph dropped to one knee to get on her level. Did she--- should he--- he didn’t know what to do. What to say! There wasn’t--- where would he even begin with a topic he obviously knew so little about? In addition to all that, Therese Bonaccord was a witch that struck him as not easily reduced to tears, and to see that she was--- she needed to train him more.

“It’s--- okay,” he began seamlessly, astonished at his leveled voice. Because he felt like a bloody mess, a rusted old cauldron thrown back into Order-like situations he had long thought over. His heart was still pounding in his ears. Ralph inched closer to Therese, and rested one arm on his knee. “It’s over, we’re fine. It’s okay to cry.” He noticed her wand on the ground, and extended his body to pick it up. “Yeah?” he asked, now feeling quite strange as he was sure he had never held so many wands in one hand in his life, in addition to completely understanding and accepting a woman’s tears.

That was what he was thinking about? At a time like this. Merlin, he could already hear Miranda---

Miranda! Ralph’s eyes widened again, as it dawned on him that just because this had ended-- there was still a mess to deal with. He shook his head, ideas about what to do next already jumbling around. “I’ll go contact the Ministry--- are you going to be alright?” he asked, already deciding that as soon as he flooed the Ministry, he would send Miranda a patronus as well.

She nodded numbly along to his words, hands holding the back of her neck as she tried to calm herself down. It wasn’t going to happen, but attempting to calm her breaths and tears was all she could do at the moment. Therese wanted nothing more than to find the strength to get as far away from this room as possible, to turn back time, to have decided to leave work early and skive off the extra paperwork.

Therese watched Ralph stand and began to move into action. The aurors would get here, or---the hitwizards, who--whoever would come for something like this. They’d be interviewed, they’d send her to Mungo’s for sure, she’d have to explain what had happened over, and over, and over.

What had she done to deserve this? Therese hated thinking that way, she often told her patients that question wasn’t allowed, but her mind went there anyway. She had done absolutely nothing wrong, this---this entire time! From meeting Remy in Paris, to his betrayal, to him coming back into her life because his was falling apart. Nothing! All she’d done was....trust the wrong person, fall in love with the wrong person.

Therese forced herself up to her feet, moving quickly out of the office and over Remy’s frozen form. She didn’t make it very far and dropped into one of the waiting room chairs; she need to wake up from this nightmare.