four letter word/ four letter word (Aerie)

It was dusk and Farren was still in her office. It had been an uneventful day. As the running of the business was forever in the hands of the capable executive board her days were filled with less business and more public relations. The Ministry's crack down on historically pureblood families and constant dogging of her every step was becoming more and more of a PR nightmare.

All day she's been here and there meeting and greeting. Posing. Smiling. Being a pretty young thing that was the doll of society. She was dressed up for the day more modern than she would normally. Her dress was elegant and pretty but short enough to pique interest in her long perfect legs and the deep v-neck left little to the imagination. Yet, her styling was perfection, she was exactly what she should be, wizarding nobility with a hint of frisky, just what the family needed in a spokeswoman. Now that the day was winding down she had some peace and quiet in her office. Her assistant was gone for the day as was most of the company's employees. The beautiful lobby was empty apart from a couple lingering desk attendants and the executive floor was empty apart from Farren and her two body guards that sat outside her office.

Gentle music was playing from the grammaphone in the corner and the lights were dimmed apart from the warm fire in the hearth. As the holiday season drew near it was her job to plan the annual family holiday party that raised money for St. Mungos. She'd finished much of the planning but now the best part needed planning. The decor. Sitting in a big, white, wingback chair amdist the perfectly arranged office she held her slender white wand out in front of her. She flicker her wrist and dozens of tiny flickering lights shot from the end of her wand. Again she flicked her wrist, more tiny, flickering lights. She kept going until there was a veritable cloud bank of tiny, dim flickering lights over her head. The affect was as stunning as she'd hoped.

The dim room was warm and flickering in the twinkling light. She stood from the chair and they moved higher as to not touch her like a school of hundreds of minows moved away from bigger fish. She slowly walked across the room and the little twinkling sparks parted for her as she did. At the window she looked at the reflection in the dark glass. It was like hundred of large pieces of gold glitter floating above and around her. She smiled and turned back to the room raising her wand to adjust the lights. Brighter, darker, larger, smaller, moving slowly in an invisible wind, and so forth. Finally she settled on their look, just the way they were at first. It was beautiful in her stark white and gold and black office suite.

A warm, content smile on her face she turned back to the window staring down into the street below. A soft knock on the door drew her attention. One of her guard wizards stuck his head in the door. "Guest coming up," he said matter of factly. "I don't have any appointments..." Farren protested a bit worried about whom it could be. "They checked out....school mate," the man said stepping out before Farren could ask him questions. Scowling she watched the door her wand clutched in her hand.

It was hard. Hard being the leader of a large family. Hard keeping them all safe. He had wondered long ago just how his grandfather had done it. How had the man maintained himself during those times of crisis? How had he not lost himself to the rage that followed betrayal? Aeric had wondered until he sat in the same chair behind that same oak desk. It was a task in itself trying to remain the man he had once been. Things had changed, someone had been foolish enough to harm a member of his family. Their death would be his glory, the legacy of his reign. "Niko I'm going out..stay here with Sky and Ivana." His main concern now was damage control.

Swiftly the ground lifted from beneath him and he found himself standing where he never thought he would visit again. Green eyes rose slowly to take in the building before he walked inside and went through the formalities of checking in. If the heart that had been went to Cassie had been brought then this woman was the one to see. He thought of their last encounter, the shady hotel room full of sexual tension. Farren was a force all on her own. His hands slid into his pockets as he walked the small journey to her office. The door was opened for him allowing him to step inside before it was closed again. "Well aren't we here passed business hours." He had been right to guess her here.

His eyes did a quick sweep of the room taking in all around him. Pulling his hand from his pocket he took a moment to lift a finger to point. "Nice touch" he spoke only of the lights that seemed to cast a warm glow over the room. "I know your wondering just what I'm doing here.." As he spoke he moved to sit down, getting comfortable. Not giving a reason to his sudden appearance or any explanation at all. His eyes traveled a slow path down the length of her body coming to rest on her legs. Perfection in heels. He had always been a leg man, there was just something about them. Hers were a mile long and tempting if he had even known the true meaning. "Before I dive into business, how have you been?" His eyes rose to her face as a smile touched his lips. "Its been awhile since we last spoke."

He had taken note of the wand in her hand and rose to open his vest showing her he was without one. The two holsters on his side felt lightweight and he felt vulnerable. But it was needed because he had to gain her trust. What he needed from her would only be given with a show of good faith. "I have a problem I think only you can solve..." With that he took his seat once more.

A tall, dark rouge walked into her office casually and Farren was not sure if she felt more relaxed or more stressed. Aeric Regan showing up unannounced in her office was probably not a good thing. However she didn't feel unsafe. He was a business man, a dark one at that, and he knew better than to harm someone like her. However she didn't loosen her grip on her wand. Instead she just watched him intensely wondering what the hell he was doing in her office uninvited.

He commented on exactly her question as he moved to invite himself to sit down. "Why yes I am rather curious as to what makes you think it's alright for you to just invite yourself in here," she said cooly. Scowling she crossed her arms over her chest shifting the angle of her body to keep a watch on him. It wasn't that she didn't like Aeric, they'd been in the same house, albeit different ages and social groups. It was just that his entire family was unsavory. They were slippery in the worst possible way. In the way in which you didn't know which side they were on and when they were playing the other side for their benefit. Not to mention there were plenty of rumors that he was now with Ivana Karkaroff, the blood traitor that had been spotted by fellow DE at Hogwarts and named as her mother's murderer. This made her more upset than anything.

"How am I?" she echoed her eyebrow raised. Funny he would ask her that when they clearly weren't friends. "I can't see how that's relevant to you inviting yourself here," she said mocking him with a sly sneer. As he stood and showed he was unarmed she pursed her lips staring at him with cold blue eyes. It was clear she wasn't scared of him nor was he welcome in her space. However she slowly slid her wand into her pocket and stepped away from the window. As always she was elegant, her movements fluid as if she just floated through life flawlessly. She stopped beside the tall wingback chair across from his seat on the sofa. She didn't sit down but merely leaned gently against the side of the chair, her hip gently popped out to the side, her arm draped over the top of the chair.

At his final statement she smirked. "Me?" she said almost innocently. "Whatever can I help -you- with?" she asked sounding slightly amused. "Do you want to write a book?" she was sneering at him in the most beguiling way, "Upset you haven't been named Witch Weekly's Wizard of the Week and want to nominate yourself?" She smirked, laughing softly to herself. Eyeing him with a mischevious glint in her eye she shook her head. "What do you want Regan? Storm into my office unannounced. Set yourself on my sofa. Ask me personal questions...." she clucked her tongue almost scoldingly at him her long black lashes fluttering in his direction. "We don't have this kind of relationship. We don't have a relationship at all apart from you owe me from not killing that idiot cousin or yours. What do you want?"

The smirk that played on his lips was cool, his demeanor as calm as he looked. She was agitated that much he could tell. Their relationship hadn't been anything too serious, but they had been compatible. If circumstances had been different back then maybe they could have made it. The more he thought on it the more it seemed that maybe the paths their lives had taken had been the right ones. Destiny wasn't something a person could plan, so Aeric tended to go with the flow of things. It was no hidden secret that when he loved he loved hard. The former Slytherin couldn't say that he had loved Farren, but there had been a time he thought he was capable of it. "Technically I didn't invite myself in here...I was directed so if you look at it I was only following directions." Always the smart-ass. His weight shifted in his seat as he moved his vest to keep it from wrinkling.

He nodded, green eyes locked on her. "Yes, how are you?" A brow was arched for a brief second before the man spoke once more. "It isn't relevant but its what normal people ask when they haven't seen someone in a varied amount of time...I was just being polite. If you'd like me to be rude when I see you from now on, just say the word gorgeous" He watched her as she moved, his eyes locked on hers. She was of no threat to him. He feared very little and it would be a travesty if she ever made the list. Women running a family seemed like a disaster waiting to happen. Not that they weren't capable, because women gave birth to nations. It was just that women seemed to sometimes be led by their emotions. Some of his dealing required his own feelings to be put to the side. Aeric could tell from the slight things she did that his presence wasn't welcome. A tell he would never reveal regardless his distaste for anyone. Maybe she was doing it on purpose who knew.

"You're right our acquaintance is just that. But before I dive into the reason for my visit, understand that I owe you nothing. His life is of circumstance if it jeopardizes my family in anyway." His gaze dropped to his watch as he fixed the cuff-link on his left wrist. "I'm here because you're the woman to see about body parts and such....or has that changed?" As he asked his question emerald green eyes rose to her face. "I know how often a woman can change her mind...though you look like the type that doesn't stray too far from the plan laid out for you. Which is a good thing, it makes it easier to communicate I guess." He shrugged as if to say it wasn't too important of a subject to dive into. "Do you keep a record of your transactions?" What good business-minded person wouldn't?

Farren remained standing beside her chair for a moment watching him as he fiddled with his vest like he always did. "Oh fine, so my staff sent you up here AFTER you invited yourself to our office which you have no earthly reason to be at other than to come see me - unannounced," she said rolling her eyes, "semantics." Staring at him for a moment she narrowed her eyes debating if she despised him being here or not. She wasn't sure and thus decided to try and tolerate the invasion and be a moderately polite hostess. At least he wasn't pretending to be anything he wasn't or vice versa. "Mr. Regan you have never made any great effort to know how I am doing. If it's insights into my personal well being you're after then maybe making an announced visit with the declared purpose of catching up would be more appropriate," she was curt but not rude the snark dripping off her last syllable.

Unblinking she stared across the sitting area at him. She wasn't surprised he didn't care about his uncle or cousin or whatever the idiot was that she'd spared. As fare as she knew the Regans bred like rabbits with anything that stood still long enough to mount. Surely losing one of them wasn't a loss at all. When he announced his purpose it both didn't surprise her and took her off guard. It never occurred to her that the head of the Regan family, a notorious crime family, didn't have the resources to deal with the subject matter on his own. Then again, they couldn't be good at everything could they? Unflinching she stared back at him. Cocking her head to the side slightly she wasn't sure if he was asking her for help and then insulting her or if he was genuinely too dense to realize how insulting what he was saying sounded. Regardless of being annoyed she held her tongue.


There was an uncomfortable silence in the air when he finished his question she stared at him blankly, blinking slowly was the only sign of life in her. Slowly she lifted her hand reaching out towards the fancy cabinet at the wall which housed her liquor. Two glasses zoomed silently across the room, one hovering in front of Aeric as it filled itself with a beautiful red wine, waiting to be plucked out of the air. The other hovered in front of her hand. Once it was full she took it and gently sat down in the chair she'd been leaning against. Drink in one hand she smoothed her skirt with the other until she was satisfied and took a small sip of her wine. The glass was draped lazily between her fingers, arm resting on the arm of the chair as she resumed staring at him, her bright blue eyes piercing his. Her brow stitched together in a scowl, "Yes," she said starkly, "My life is going exactly as was planned for me. Here I am, heiress to a family lavished in favor by The Dark Lord. With my adoring war hero husband who slayed a dozen mudbloods and half a dozen pureblood children to make the family proud and prove I'm worthy of the mark on my arm and the generous favors I'm bestowed," she purred so sarcastically it was obvious she found his statement about following the path laid out for her utterly idiotic and insulting. Clearly her life was no where near what had been laid out for her. Half the people important to her life were dead and those that were left barely functioned independently.

Taking another sip of her wine she smiled at him letting the crystal rim press against her bottom lip. "Mr. Regan, you know if you're here to interview me about my hobbies and business there are legal arrangements you must make with my public relations team," she was teasing him of course, "Typically you should provide a copy of the questions you intend to ask to my publicist three days prior to the interview." She sipped from her glass again and then set it down on the coffee table between them. Sitting back in the chair she looked over at him her arms draped on the arms of the sofas, one long, slender leg draped over the other her foot bobbing casually. It was barely noticeable but she was smirking at him. Her right hand moved to her hip and from the seam of her dress she produced her wand. It was petite, no more than seven inches long and ashen white in color. The handle was antique filigree silver, it balanced between her fingers as if it were a natural extension of her hand. "Given that you seem to have forgotten our policy on interview agreements I assume you'll be willing to submit to a quick security check for recording, listening, and other such devices." Her eyebrows raised as she leaned forward in her chair slightly, "I promise I won't do anything inappropriate but you can't blame me for being weary so if you want to further our discussion of how my life is doing....I'll need you to stand up and hold out your arms."

Pursing his lips he gave her a nod. She was right, they had never exchanged such pleasantries. So much had changed since he'd last seen her, leaving him in his hospital bed. Instinctively his hand rose to allow the index finger of his left hand to run over the scar near his temple. "You're right, straight to the point but right. I don't want to play games or do this whole lets be friendly thing that people do. I know what kind of woman you are, and you know what kind of man I am. I asked how you were because honestly, I was curious." His jaw flexed softly as a sigh left full lips.

Uncomfortable silence was a bad thing. It was louder than any sound known to mankind. He watched the glass as it moved towards him, reaching out to take it once it was full. "Thank you." Shifting, he rested the glass on the table in front of him as she sat down in her chair. His chuckle was light as she spoke. "I wasn't trying to insult you, Farren. If I were trust me you would know. I am here on business and since we don't have the best history, what with you leaving me and all I have vowed not to bicker back and forth with you. I came to you because, I am pressed for time and doing this myself would use time i don't have to spare." He grabbed his glass to take a sip before looking at the red liquid. "No one really lives their lives according to plan that's for sure."

That much he knew for sure, after-all he had been handed an empire. An empire that was now being threatened by either someone stupid or with a lack of knowledge of just what family they were dealing with. Whomever had done these unforgivable acts would surely die. He would wipe them all out and then have dinner with his family, and play with his son. "So if I offended you I am sorry." And he was a man to never say those words. He never felt the need to be sorry for anything he did. An apology was a regret of actions and he rarely regretted his actions.

Green eyes were drawn to her legs, capturing his attention momentarily. Her statement went over his head, body tensing slightly as her wand was drawn. Cocking his head to the side he watched her for a moment. Aeric watched her as if he was deciding if she could be trusted or not. Standing he placed his glass on the table before pulling his vest from his body to rest over the back of the chair he'd been in. The former Slytherin moved around the table so that he was standing directly next to her, the scent of her perfume invading his senses. "We both know I have nothing to gain from spying on you. But go ahead and search me if you like...but do keep your hands to yourself." The smirk that played on his lips was light as he lifted his arms, empty wand holsters moving against his side slightly as he did so.

"I'm sorry for your lost...I know how confusing and destructive a lost like that can be." Why he said it, he wasn't sure. Maybe because it seemed like that right thing to say. Maybe because no one had been there to say it to him. Whatever the reason he meant his words, which made him wonder if he still cared about her.

Farren wondered if he knew how insulting he could be. She assumed not so she felt she should point out to him how ridiculously full of himself he sounded. He was afterall a Regan asking an Abercrombie for help. While they may be rich the Regans were basically an organized crime ring. If it hadn't been for his mother's fine reputation and the way most people feared them she doubted they'd have much place in pureblood society. Didn't he know who he was talking to? Both someone of true breeding and standing as well as the leader of an organized criminal organization although much smaller than his. They had respectable business and holdings for their income. At least the Abercrombie's criminal activity was just a hobby.

She arched her eyebrow her hands on her hips as she stood in front of him. "Doing it yourself would waste time you don't have? But I have time to do it? You do realize I run a multinational corporation right?" She scowled at him, clearly he'd worded that all wrong or just flat out really expected her to do his bitch work. Something she was neither willing to do nor had time to do nor should it even have crossed his mind that he could hand things off to her because he was 'busy'.

Shaking her head she stepped closer to him her wand drawn. He was smirking at her, full of himself as always. She gently pointed her wand at his chest and flourished her wrist. No surveillance devices detected. "You think I'm going to frisk you?" she asked stepping closer to him so the tip of her wand pressed gently into his neck. She smirked watching him, "I do have security to do that.  Though I'm sure your imagination is just going wild fantasizing about me giving you a full strip search. Unfortunately for you my checks are a bit more sophisticated." She withdrew her wand and flicked it again the contents of his pockets and those concealed on his person falling to the floor at her feet. She looked down at it, poking some of the items with the pointed toe of her shoe. Nothing abnormal : a dagger, some sorts of receipts, money, a few potion vials. she teased him pushing the junk from his pockets aside with her foot stepping closer to him yet.

"I know that you probably think that because we went on what? Two dates? One? To you that means I was yours and so my disappearing after the war meant I left you....I'm sure most of the....little girls you date operate like that. I'm not like anyone you ever took on a date. So please, don't try to rationalize my actions the way you do theirs."

She stepped behind him flicking her wand checking his back for surveillance items again just in case anything was overly concealed. Standing behind him she stared at the back of his head, her spell having turned up nothing. She did still find his broad hulking shoulders attractive in the way they tapered down to his narrow waist like his upper body was a triangle. Slowly circling back to his front she stepped close to him, close enough that he could have wrapped his arms around her and captured her. Looking up at him she stared at him for a moment. "I didn't leave you, you never had me. You had my attention for the briefest of moments before reality came crashing down. Don't carry around some battered persona like I left you wounded alone at that hospital and walked out on you. I wasn't yours, you never had me, we were never responsible for each other. I'm not like those silly girls that throw themselves at you because you're big and bad and scary with a side of copious amounts of money. I don't give a shit about that. We went on a date, the world ended, I didn't have time to continue trying to go on dates. That is all."

Pursing her lips she lifted her chin somewhat defiantly, her word on the matter was the last word, that's what this clearly meant. Her big blue eyes caught his for a moment and she held his gaze. He needed to understand what he was dealing with. She wasn't scared or impressed or enamored or  putting on a show of any kind. But she wasn't shutting him out. Breaking their gaze she offered a sly smile and pat his shoulder gently, "You passed inspection." Stepping away from him she stepped over the things she'd spilled onto the floor from his pockets not bothering to pick them up.

She returned to her arm chair, sinking into it gracefully, scooping up her glass in one hand pocketing her petite wand with the other. She took a sip of her drink and set her gaze on him again. His comment about her loss made her feel uncomfortable. No one talked about it. It was widely spread that Victoria had died of complications with her ongoing mental illness four months after the battle. Those close to the family knew she died at Hogwarts. Surely the public speculated but they official legal story was she'd died in October. Either way no one talked about it. No one spoke of VIctoria before the second war and no one spoke of her after. His apology changed her demeanor. She'd been coy, slightly defiant, seemingly inconvenienced by him seconds before. The mere allusion to the loss of her mother brought a cold, distance to her features. Her gaze immediately dropped from him to the window over her shoulder.

Of course he would know the truth. He was connected and smart enough to know what happened. Regardless the honest concern in his voice surprised her. Another moment of awkward silence hung between them as she stared blankly at the window willing herself to show no outward emotional response to his comment. Nodding she looked back at him quickly. "Yes, it's very difficult when there is a loss in a family. We are doing fine though," she said diplomatically, a response she'd obviously regurgitated time and time again.

Another gulp of liquor down and she returned to her smile. "So what is this task that you're just so so important you don't have time to do and need me to do?" she was mocking him again. "Though you know, I know it's not that you don't have time....you need help. You're just incapable of begging for help like you need to in whatever this situation is." Smirking she set her glass on the table and settled back in her chair. "You can tell me Aerie, what can I help you with?"

"Oh Farren,  see now you're making it seem like I'm trying to make you do this just because. Maybe I should have worded my statement differently." He shrugged lightly as he spoke. He knew she would take his words the wrong way. She always had a way of taking the context out of words sometimes. "So once again if I offended you, I do apologize." That was becoming agitating. He never worried about hurting someones feelings, but she was a woman and women were more prone to hurt feelings. Well from his experience they had been. His jaw tensed lightly as her wand came into contact with his shirt.

Being vulnerable was not something he enjoyed. But, being vulnerable with her holding the wand was a entirely different feeling. "I have no idea what you plan to do." He couldn't help but smirk for a moment. "Are you projecting Farren?" His eyes dropped down to look at the scattered things on the floor, allowing her perfume to once more invade his senses. "Oh I would never compare you, Ms. Abercrombie."

He gave a shake of his head as he spoke, "We both know you are in a league of your own." She circled him and then she was in front of him. Close enough to kiss. His brow arched as she spoke a smile playing on his lips. "I understand you leaving and dealing with real life. I never said you were mines, I don't lay claim to things so easily.  I guess it's a good thing though, that we never hooked up. Man could you imagine the ego in that relationship. A power couple ego at that." Damn, there was that gaze. That deep listen to me now gaze. "When I remembered finally who you were, I realized you didn't leave." 

He watched her go back to her chair before kneeling down to  gather his things from the floor. His hand froze over a potion vial as she spoke again, his gaze rising to lock with hers. The ocean of her eyes seemed so lost, so conflicted that it brought a frown to his face. "I'm not a newspaper or a magazine." He moved to sit on the table in front of her, keeping her gaze. "I get it you know, the lost in the wilderness feeling you get when it finally sinks in. She's gone. You go over it again and again in your head finding ways to keep it fresh in your mind." He knew the pain all too well, lived it every time he closed his eyes.

Standing he moved to retake his seat in his chair grabbing his glass as he leaned to grab the last remaining things on the floor. "You can keep pretending that everything is fine though, I forgot we don't do deep conversations. But the offer for one is there if you ever want to take it." Finishing his drink he shifted to get more comfortable in his chair.

"Well I just wanted to ask about a purchase to see if it came through your hands or not." He gave a shrug. "I am not asking for a favor, I'll pay whatever price you have for such a service. If you can help me that is..."