Do Things From Love, Not For Love

@fxprewettx

dorcxsmdws​:

…

“I know,” she said softly.  And she did know.  She did know that she was doing this well, and she knew that what she was doing was important, crucial even.  But that didn’t make it any easier.  It didn’t make it easier to give up her whole life, to throw herself into danger every day.  But she’d rather it be her than anyone else.  She knew that she could handle it.  “Hopefully we can end this sooner rather than later so that we can all have a little bit of peace.”  She smiled at her.  “Eavesdropping is how I find nearly everything I give you guys, so don’t underestimate it.  Men are sexist and will talk in front of you like you’re not even there.  Use it against them.”

She shook her head.  “But I haven’t really tried.  When a few more people get here I’ll head upstairs and see what I can find.  You’re just as pregnant as Lily is, are you sure that you’ll be okay all night?  Especially without Frank?”

...

Alice sighed, nodding in agreement with Dorcas but keeping her face neutral to keep up the illusion that they were merely making small talk. It was safer for Dorcas to interact with her than most members of the Order, but they still needed to be careful. Alice would be shocked if her cousins within the Dark Lord’s ranks didn’t have their suspicions about her own loyalty. “Yes, please Merlin just let this be over soon,” she breathed, her hands subconsciously moving to cradle her bump. Giving Dorcas an understanding smile, Alice chuckled. “Remind me to take you out for a beer when all of this is over. In fact, I think all of us will owe you free beers for life.” It wasn’t even the beginning of what they would all owe Dorcas for the danger she was putting herself in, but it was something. 

Alice waved her hand. “Oh, I’ll be fine. My parents are around here somewhere, and good manners dictate that my cousins have to be polite to me.” There was a benefit to being a Rosier, even if most of the time she would much rather have nothing to do with her extended family. She kept up the relationships anyway, knowing that those connections were invaluable in this war. Alice reached out to touch Dorcas’ arm. “Be careful,” she said seriously. “Even if they trust you, they won’t be too keen on finding you snooping through the house.”

@ala

frxnkislong​:

…

“I know,” he said softly, quietly agreeing with the words that she didn’t say.  She didn’t have to say them to know what was on her mind, he felt the same way.  “It’s disgusting, and it’s even more frustrating that I can come in here and say they can handle it.  It’s the sort of thing that should have us all up in arms, ready to burn the whole system down.  But it’s not anymore, and it’s disgusting.  It’s just life.”  He continued to rub out a soothing pattern against her skin.  “but it doesn’t have to be.  It’s not our problem right now, we have to focus on the here and now.”

“What’s wrong?”  He put his feet up on the coffee table, just now noticing that his socks didn’t match.  “Don’t tell me nothing, because the both of us know that isn’t true.  I know I haven’t been here lately, but I am now, and I’m ready to listen if you want to talk about it.  Or we can just sit here and wait if you don’t.”

...

Alice gave a soft hum, not entirely agreeing with Frank, but understanding his point. This was supposed to be a maternity leave, a time for them to focus on becoming parents, not worry about what was going on in the outside world. But it was a little difficult not to. It wasn’t in Alice’s nature to just stop thinking about her work, and besides, they were having a baby in the middle of a war. That wasn’t something that was easy to forget, even for a little while. They were Aurors, Order members, what some would consider blood traitors. Any child of theirs could be a target the second they were born. 

Alice leaned into Frank, sighing deeply as she considered how to express the anxiety she had been feeling. She should have just talked to him about it sooner; instead, she had let it grow and grow until it was so big that it felt insurmountable. They had wanted to have a child for so long, had put it off and put it off until the time felt right, but now that it was happening, she was afraid that she still wasn’t ready. “What if I’m a bad mom?”

@mrlenexmc​

@vancexemme​

@frxnkislong

maybe some things are inevitable

dorcxsmdws​:

…

“You’re of plenty use,” she said softly.  It never sat well with her when people downplayed their strength or usefulness, and although Alice didn’t necessarily need a self-esteem boost, she still deserved to know that she could be an important asset and pregnant at the same time.  “Nearly no one else has the same access you do.  I’m a halfblood, you know?  I’ve been working at this for nearly a year now and the trust is still only minimal.  Enough that I overhear important things, but not enough that I’m told them, anyway.  You’ll be a good asset down here while I try to run interference where I can.”

When she started all of this she would never have had such a frank conversation in a room full of people, but she had quickly learned that no one expected a secret conversation to be held in a room full of people – but the background noise made eavesdropping more difficult.  “I don’t like when things are out of my control,” she admitted.  “I’m good at this, I get why this is my mission, but it makes me nervous when others, who are less used to their tactics, have to put themselves at risk.  But it should all be fine.  It’s – it’s fairly simple.”

...

Alice listened intently to what Dorcas was saying, appreciating that the younger witch considered her useful despite how far along she was in her pregnancy. Giving her a sympathetic frown, Alice glanced over to where Bellatrix and Rodolphus were greeting guests. “You’re doing a great job,” she murmured, looking back at Dorcas. “It takes time to do what you’re doing, to gain the kind of trust we’re after. And I may be a pureblood, but my cousin knows me well enough to suspect my allegiances, so I’m fairly certain I only received an invitation because of my maiden name.” She laughed. “Still, I’m glad to be here, and I’ll do what I can to protect our people and eavesdrop for any useful information.”

Alice sighed, nodding her agreement at Marlene’s statement. She felt the same way every time she watched a young Order member go into battle or on a mission. They were eager and skilled, of course, but until you had seen as much of this war as people like Alice and Moody and Dorcas had, there was a certain naiveté that always put you at risk. “I know,” she said softly, thinking of all the people here tonight that she would have preferred to keep home. “Paulie and Lily really shouldn’t be here, but Moody wanted to let anyone who volunteered come. Personally, I’m not sure this mission is really worth the risk.” Alice looked into Dorcas’ eyes. “Have you heard anything so far?”

@frxnkislong

THE BROKEN HEARTS GALLERY (2020)