Not Quite a Lost Cause

“Oh, yes, that’s right” she nodded, glad that she coud focus on something else for a moment. “Mum’s also excited. Finally one of us decided to become a healer… she was hoping for Caroline or Charlie, but they both turned out to be something completely different. I mean, I’m pretty sure Caroline would faint at the sight of blood” she admitted.

Marlene shrugged, offering him a small smile. “It’s the price to pay, I would rather be helpful than sleeping all day” she said. “Now that I know what’s happening, it’s hard to take a break” she explained.

“Parents do seem to like it when their children take after them. Hows your dad feel about you and your brother’s becoming lawmen?” He asked. His own father wasn’t too pleased that neither of his sons had any interest in becoming lawyers, but there was nothing that Evan could do about it. He didn’t mind working in the courts as a file clerk, but he couldn’t imagine being a lawyer. 

“Oh, good, good” she nodded when he mentioned being all patched up.. “How is he, by the way? Maven I mean, obviously, who else?” That’s great Marlene, just keep on rambling.

I can’t stop thinking about you. “I’m good, busy with work… too busy, I think dad goes hard on me because I’m his daughter” she chuckled, briefly looking down at the files. “I can’t remember the last time I slept more than five hours” she admitted.

“Oh Maven is great. He’s graduating this year and he’ll start training to be a healer for real. He’s awfully excited. Him and Ben actually. He’s always talking about Ben.” He grinned, mentioning her younger brother, who just happened to be one of his younger brother’s best friends. 

Marlene sighed as she stood up, juggling with the files until she lined them up neatly in her arms. “Yeah, one would think it would be more developed by now and yet…” she mumbled, rolling her eyes at the suspended quill and pad.  “But even as faulty as it is, it’s very useful” she admitted.

She stood there in silence, uncertain on what to say or do. She shouldn’t be this friendly with him, he was a death eater and in spite of that, she still couldn’t get him out of her head. “So, uh, how you been?” She asked, slightly bouncing on her place, just like she always did when she was nervous.

She was rambling slightly. He couldn’t remember a time that she’d ever rambled around him before, it seemed like a nervous habit, or at least something that she did when she didn’t know what else to say. 

She and Evan clicked way before this, they met when they were kids and it wasn’t until they were at school that they drifted apart. And then he showed up at her place, all beaten up and what the hell was she supposed to do? She couldn’t let him die. And then he just had to get high temperature… honestly, none of this was her fault.

“Mhm? Oh, yeah, I’m perfectly fine” she nodded, looking at him, her eyes lingering on him more than they should. When she realized this, she looked down again. “I uh… I believe these are yours” she said, handing him some papers. “Did I hurt you? I wasn’t looking, I have so many things to carry and I was also talking to the quill and…” she stopped abruptly and looked up at the floating quill that was scribbling furiously. “

“Hey, no, stop” she ordered. “No need to write that down… for fuck’s sake” she huffed as she retrieved her wand from her cloak and casted a spell to just leave them suspended in the air.

He took the files that she held out for him and nodded. “Thank you, and no, you didn’t hurt me.” He grinned. She’d patched him up rather well the last time they saw one another, but that didn’t stop him from having Maven check him over when he got home. He was tip-top now. “Do you need-” But then she was shouting at the quill that floated along beside her and spelled the objects into the air as well. 

@evan-rosier

What on earth was she thinking? Well, obviously she hadn’t been thinking at all. But now, in the security of her own mind Marlene had to admit that she had enjoyed it, she had absolutely enjoyed it and she would be lying to herself if she didn’t admit that she wanted more. But she was a strong woman, she could resist the temptation, right?

She made her way towards the Legal Department, speaking to the flying quill and notebook. “Write down, retrive files number 18.967, 18.968, 20.000 and 20.001″ she instructed as she adjusted the pile of files in her arms. “Then write down a reminder to talk to dad about the Callahan case, and then send Frank the anotations about Hastings… oh and also–” Marlene couldn’t even finish that sentence since she bumped into someone. 

“Shit, I am so sorry” she mumbled as she quickly got on her knees and began to pick everything up. “Sorry…” she added after noticing that she had also cursed. Her father always reminded her that she couldn’t do that in there and yet… yet she always forgot. “Did I hurt…” she began, finally looking up at the person. 

Ah, fuck.

It was ridiculous, but then again, so what the entire thing. It was ridiculous that he’d shown up on her doorstep of all places, it was ridiculous that she’d let him in. That she’d let him stay, that they had let things go as far as they did.

He liked her. Ever since they were kids he’d been drawn to her in some way or another. They hadn’t talked much in school, but when they had it had never felt like talking to a stranger. Just like the other night, when they shouldn’t have felt comfortable after not seeing each other for so long, especially with everything that had happened the last couple of years. But it felt as if none of that had mattered. 

Marlene frowned. She didn’t know how his brain worked or what made him think that, but she trusted him enough to be worried. He then turned at the next corner and cursed and Marlene knew all she had to know: they were being followed.

“Fuck” she mumbled. How dared they? They were just digging up their own grave. “In three blocks turn left” she told him, looking back to check on the car. “There’s an old parking lot, we can loose them there…”

He’d always been pretty cautious, and while that made his dad say some unkind things about him on occasion, it also meant that it was hard to take him by surprise completely. 

Rory made herself comfortable on the sofa within seconds and was glued to the screen once again. When Evan came back she returned to the position they had been in before and she rested her head on his chest, “The red haired one - I can’t remember her name - she’s cheating on her boyfriend with Nancy’s boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend,” she explained, listing off the connections on her fingers as if that made it easier to remember. She looked up at Evan and smiled. “Today’s a good day,” she decided.

He grinned at what she said. He didn’t know what kind of relationship they had, or who she spent the rest of her time with, but he knew he liked being around her. That he’d like to spend more time with her even. They were almost on the street she liked to be dropped off on now. He liked to take a different route every time so that people couldn’t track them.

He looked up the left side of the road and narrowed his eyes. Something didn’t look right.

He chuckled slightly and then shrugged one of his shoulders. “Wouldn’t like it if anyone else talked to me the way that you do, but with you I find it almost endearing.” He glanced over at her for a moment before turning down a different street. “What about you? You like annoying me?”

He pulled onto the road and started down the street. He liked that he didn’t have to ask her where he was taking her. He knew where she lived now, and he knew where she liked to be dropped off too. “You do annoy me, but I don’t really give a damn what my father thinks about most things.” He shrugged. 

“True” but did they have to make it even more dangerous than it was? She wasn’t sure.

She wasn’t trying to sass him or anything, she just wanted to know what he wanted from her. Men tended to want one thing from women like her and would go to any length to get it. Marlene though it was better to make things clear from the very begining since men tended to be an utter disppointment in general and as much as she could like Evan, she wasn’t to take a leap of faith for him, not until he told her what he really wanted from her. “Because I annoy you and your father?” She asked with a cheeky smirk.

Marlene shrugged. “I know when I can push the limits and when I can’t… you are walking through a dangerous line here, Evan” she told him, yet she didn’t let go of him until he opened the door for her and she got inside. “What’s wrong it’s always fun” she added, smirking just a little. Marlene waited for him to get in as well and then looked through the window. “So that’s what you want then?” She asked casually. “To have fun with the daughter of your father’s enemy?”

“We live on a dangerous line, Marlene,” He shrugged. 

“Have I?” She hummed, looking at him with a teasing smirk. “If you say so…” she shrugged before moving to take his arm again. “Or maybe… what I want and what is right are two different things” she offered. After all, they belonged to families that were supposed to hate each other, even if they were now working together.

Marlene smirked at his question. “No” she said simply. “You and I are not friends and will never be friends, Evan” she chuckled. 

“I don’t kiss my friends the way I kissed you the other day” she explained herself, not wanting him to jump into the wrong conclusions. She had no intentions of being his friend, she wanted him, yes, but not like that.

He narrowed his brow because even though she said things bluntly all the time, he couldn’t detect any sarcasm or sense of joking at all. He shifted, letting his hand drop down to his side, trying to come up with something to say to that. 

He was better than okay, he had literally taken her breath away, but she would never admit that because she liked to be difficult. Marlene took his hand and stood up, smoothering her flapper dress with her free hand.

“Such a gentleman” she hummed as she hang her purse on her shoulder and then took his arm. “Alright then, lead the way…”

He couldn’t help but to smile at her. “I do my best.” He chuckled, placing his hand onto of hers when she took his arm. He started leading them out of the club and back toward the street where he parked. It wasn’t that far, and he walked a bit slower because her shoes looked ridiculously hard to walk in. Though he thought all heels were hard to walk in. 

Marlene made sure to brush her fingertips against his hand purposefully but pretending not to notice he did it. “You were okay…” she drawled though her lips were curved into a tiny smirk.

“Yeah, I’m done” she nodded. “And that would be great if you could” she said softly when he mentioned giving her a lift.

He could tell that her touching his fingers hadn’t been an accident and he wondered how long they were going to play this game before someone finally gave. And by someone he meant her. She was the one who was pretending that she wasn’t interested. “I was better than okay.” He grinned.