There was a plan and it was set in motion from the moment that Devon left work for the day. Darren knew it was a little mad, but it was going smoothly thus far. It had been hatched between him, Aland, and Grail just one day before, when they had met up for drinks and Darren had shown them the ring. Of course, Grail had called him a nutter and said he should call the whole thing off, but thankfully, Aland had been louder in his support of getting this over with already.

Knowing that Devon would go from the floo to wine cabinet first thing, when she arrived home, was the key. Quite literally. The entire plan hinged on her going to the wine cabinet; the door handle was actually a port key. Thanks to a little help from his friends, the moment that Devon touched the cabinet, she would be transported to a place they both knew well – an enchanted bridge in rural Ireland where Darren had confessed his full love for her months earlier. The bridge was said to seal any relationship that was meant to be when lovers crossed it and well, Darren wanted to make damn sure that it all worked out, this time, too. Checking a pocket watch, he saw that it was time for her to be arriving home.

He took a deep breath and hoped she wasn’t apparated to plop in the stream below where he stood.

It had been an excruciatingly long day at work for Devon Kirke. It seemed like new notes kept flying towards her desk every 5 seconds, piling up at the corner, hardly giving her enough time to reply or deliver the message to someone else before people were approaching her desk in person, asking her why something hadn’t been taken care of. It seemed like she had never said ‘I’m sorry’ so many times in her life, and for things that weren’t even her fault! Honestly, how could they expect one person to take care of so much?

By the end of the day, when she went to the women’s bathroom in order to check her face in the mirror, she found herself scrunching her nose at the sight of mussed up hair and flushed cheeks. Slender fingers worked at fixing the clasp of her hair clip, auburn strands pulled back so her neat bun was released, sending soft curls down her shoulders and back. Spirals of copper and gold were fussed with by means of pink-painted nails, making herself look presentable before dabbing at the compact she pulled out of her purse. Her ivory complexion was once again flawless in a matter of moments, and she tucked the foundation back into its proper place before slinging the purse over her shoulders, only to walk back out into her personal hell.

It was only an hour later when she was finally released from her desk, now permitted to go home. She thanked Merlin beneath her breath before giving a blatantly forced smile to her boss, who checked her out (as he normally did), resulting in a few choice curse words that were aimed in his direction on her way out the door. Her heels clicked against the tiled flooring of the ministry, taking the floo network to the apartment she had been sharing with Darren for the last couple of months.

When she arrived at her destination, she stepped out of the fireplace to go to the mirror, groaning at the ash that had gotten on her forehead. She rubbed at it, her bottom lip pouting as she made the area red with her efforts. At least it would fade, eventually…unlike the black ash that had been there previously.

Dropping her hand down, she stepped towards the couch, her bag tossed to the side, looking around the apartment. “Darren?” She called out curiously, unaware of where her boyfriend was at that moment. She stuck her head into the bedroom, and when she didn’t see him there, she found herself arching a brow. It was sort of instinctive, for Devon to become just the slightest bit worried whenever Darren wasn’t home and she didn’t know where he was. It wasn’t that she was completely possessive, but…well, he had a horrible habit of just running away sometimes, and while he hadn’t pulled a stunt like that in a long time, she couldn’t help but worry that he might fall back into old patterns. But, she had to trust him…it was the only way their relationship would work, after everything they had been through.

Her long legs carried her over to the couch, her heels being kicked off before she sat down on the comfortable piece of furniture, her arms folding to make a pillow for her head as she leaned to the side, curling herself up into a tiny ball on the cushion. Her long lashes closed as she took in a deep breath, exhaling it as a heavy sigh just as she heard the door. Honey eyes, speckled with shades of emerald and gold, were opened again to greet the handsome man who was now standing before her. Her lips curled into a small and tired smile, though it was clear she was happy to see him.

“Hello, baby…” She said softly before she pushed herself into a seated position, her feet flat on the floor as she pressed her palms into the cushion on either side of her, her shoulders rounding as she leaned forward towards him. “How was your day?” Idle conversation meant Devon was too tired and/or cranky to take the initiative to think of something creative.

Her hand twisted around the cap of her mascara, making sure the black liquid substance covered the brush that was inside. Bringing it to her eyes, she applied it to her long lashes, and then placed the tube of makeup back into the drawer it had come from. Turning her gaze back to the mirror, she took a moment to stare at herself. It wasn’t because she was being self involved, not this time anyway, but because she was once again reflecting on how the last couple of months had been for her, her family, and the rest of the wizarding world. How much more pain did the world have to endure before things could go back to being the way they used to be? A sigh escaped her lips at the thought, reaching down to grab the tube of gloss that needed to be applied to them. Once that was done, she rose to her feet and shuffled over to sit on the edge of her bed. She grabbed the brown heeled boots that were sitting nearby, rolling her jeans down over them before standing to adjust the flattering scoop-neck sweater she was wearing.

Going for her wand, she made sure to grab her jacket and her scarf before apparating to the location that had been chosen by Darren. She couldn’t lie and say she wasn’t surprised when her boyfriend had asked her to meet him there, without having a reason. Or, she didn’t think there was a reason. Sure, Christmas was approaching, but she wasn’t expecting him to do anything like this.

Arriving at the bridge, Devon looked around and noticed she was alone…or, she seemed to be alone. Her hands slid into her pockets, looking around as she approached the edge of the structure she was standing on. Leaning on it, she looked over into the water that was rippling beneath it. Yet again, she began thinking about everything that had been weighing on her mind before she felt a hand touch her waist. She jumped a bit and turned around to face Darren, her mouth curving up into a smile at the sight of him, leaning her back against the side of the bridge; her arms wrapped around him, pulling him closer.

“Hello, stranger..."

To say that this entire trip was frustrating was the biggest understatement of the year. Devon felt like she was looking for a needle in a haystack, wandering around Cuba. Luckily, she had sources of information about the country; sources of information that would actually help her, unlike Lydia fucking Proudfoot. That entire situation made her hate the woman even more than she already did, kicking herself mentally for even thinking that she would give two shits about someone other than her. She had already been searching for a couple of days before she decided to ask her, roaming around, knocking on people’s doors, trying to describe Darren to locals who didn’t understand a word she was saying. That just made her realize that she didn’t even have a picture of him, which made her even more depressed about their relationship. But she was sick of being sad. She was done sitting around, waiting for Darren to come home. The only way things were going to get better was if she made them better. If she went to Cuba, found him, and they just worked things out. That was what she was hoping would happen, anyway. She hadn’t thought that she would go to Cuba and find him in an instant, but she hoped that Lydia would make things maybe a little bit easier. But she didn’t. The next person she talked to was Evan Rosier, since she knew he traveled quite often. She didn’t tell him any details, and just said she was going on a vacation and wanted to know the wizarding areas before she left. That at least narrowed things down.

Raising her hand, she knocked on what had to be the hundredth door, dropping her hand back down as she waited for someone to answer. By now, she was losing all hope. She was beginning to think that she would never find him, and this was just fucking pointless. When the door opened, she looked up with those large brown eyes, focusing in on a Cuban boy who was looking up at her very strangely. Devon sighed and turned away, apologizing as she did so. Her hands moved to press her palms against her forehead, her fingers gripping at her hair as she took deep breaths. She just wanted to give up. She wanted to fucking stop, and she wanted to go back home, and she wanted Darren to be there waiting for her. But that wasn’t going to happen. Even if she was getting frustrated as all hell, and even if there was a huge knot forming in her stomach, she just had to keep trying. She’d knock on every God damn door in Cuba if she had to.

Moving to the next door, she closed her eyes, readying herself for yet another disappointment as her knuckles rapped against the wood. She waited for a couple of seconds, knocked again, and got no answer. Her mouth shifted to the side, biting at the inside of her cheek, looking down at her shoes. “Of course not…” She muttered to herself, scoffing as her back turned to the door.

It was only then that she heard it open behind her.

Characters: Darren Quigg and Devon Kirke
Setting: Devon's place, immediately following this
Summary: Response to ⇑ that ⇑
Status/Rating: Incomplete/probably R

( ''Just distract me, please.'' )

Who: Devon and Darren ugfhsg
What: He's back from Spain a bit early
Where: Devon's apartment
When: Friday Night
Rating: R

( There was no way she was letting him go, now. )

Characters: Darren Quigg and Devon Kirke.
Setting: Upscale restaurant and then Devon's flat, Valentine's Day, evening. (STFU. WE'RE SLOW.)
Summary: ANGST ANGST ANGST
Rating: PG-13/R (for language - Darren have a clean thread? Never.)

( Regrettably, Darren had been stuck on the really-grabby-old-bird circuit for the better part of three weeks. )

Characters: Darren Quigg and Devon Kirke
Setting: Devon's flat, Sunday January 20th, afternoon
Summary: Darren gets PWNed.
Rating/Status: PG-13/R (for language & vase throwing) / Finished!

( ''I know everything. I know about the drugs and I know about Lydia.'' )

Who: Lydia and Darren
What: Distractions are needed.
When: Saturday night (John's wedding night)
Rating: At least hard R for a dirty mouth and drug usage

When Darren had left the note on her journal, Lydia had already been planning on making tonight one of those nights where she completely forgot the date and time of day. The fact that Darren was coming over now only meant that she wouldn't have to be as careful as if she were alone. She brought her hand over the back of her neck as she leaned forward toward the mirror, touching up her make-up with a faint sigh.

As per usual, she'd slipped into a pair of long gloves and a corseted dress. Her hair was swept up and her shoulders were bare - definitely suggestive, but it sometimes helped lower the prices of her favorite dealers. The more she could get for ten galleons, the better. She picked up the last of her remaining opal and set it into her purse carefully, glancing toward the door and wondering when Darren would be coming around. She should have told her that she still had some of her last purchase with her - he'd have been at the door in ten seconds flat.

She tapped a gloved hand against the table, content with her appearance, and waited.