fight so dirty// closed noah&kay

[Ashton Wentworth]

Everything was a mess.

Things in his life had always been a bit more on the chaotic side, it was a fairly comfortable way for Ashton to live because being the sort of man that simply came home every day after working a desk job, was never going to have been the life for him. He couldn’t imagine a life where he wasn’t able to do field work. Where he wasn’t allowed to travel or learn new things. While Ashton had never been overly academically inclined, he did get bitten by curiosity about certain things. It was what had helped to eventually bridge the gap between he and Tristan. The fact that he did have a brain in his head where most were inclined to just assume that he was nothing but a brute. Granted, he did have his moments.

The weeks had passed eventfully. More than enough to thankfully keep his mind off of Kaydence and all of her doings. Seeing her had been a distraction that he was ill able to afford. Today however, he had started his morning out with very good news indeed. The whole goal that he had been chasing over the past year - was finally coming to a close. While Noah didn’t yet have the Babi - it was within reach. He would have it by the end of the week. Which meant that come next week at the absolute latest - it was going to be within Ashton’s hands. Which meant the end of all of this. It meant the end to not being able to see his kids, to not being able to go back to his house - to stop watching over his shoulders in case one of his misinformed co-workers happened to spot it. It meant an end to the web of lies that he had been breathing exclusively. It meant clear air and sunlight. He could give color back to his pasty skin - was going to pull a page right out of Noah’s book and abscond with his near-family to the closest beach for a month and that was just going to be that. He was ready to be done. He was ready to have the item in his hands. He was ready for this mission to be completed. Ashton didn’t know what else would be in store for him after the fact, but he was ready to move into that phase.

Reservations and dinner plans because that was what was supposed to have been done whenever a job was done well. Noah’s swift departure to go and retrieve the item that Ashton was spending an entire fortune on - Ashton had no choice but to move quickly to finalize the deal and take note of Noah’s final instructions. All for the sake of getting things ready to close whenever Noah returned. All of this time in the middle, the waiting period was simply providing him far too much time to think. It was hard to not think about the things that had happened so recently. He had said goodbye - the words had come out of his mouth and he had meant them. The temptation to go right back there and take it back was also present. There wasn’t going to be any winning here. Strangely, having the end so near also meant that technically, he had other work duties that he was supposed to fulfil. Noah was a wanted man with a price on his head - a man that Ashton was supposed to flip on, and arrest the moment that the Babi was in his own possession, but the more that he thought about it - the more that he was coming to dread that day. It was a bittersweet mix of feelings. He was a man who did illegal things, he should have to pay for them - but he was also a man just attempting to support his family. It wasn’t exactly honest work, but it was work. It was the life that no doubt, Ashton would have ended up in had only a small number of things started to go differently in his life. Choices that he had made in his youth, had he gone another way - he would have been Noah.

Dragging his feet after the reservations had been made, Ashton didn’t want to put on the face that he was going to have to. He wasn’t going to touch the stubble on his face. He didn’t have to mess with his hair because of how short it had become but that didn’t stop the way Ashton always moved to the mirror in an effort to style it - then to just remember that it wasn’t there. A constant adjustment no matter how long his hair had been this length. He did own suits. Not many. Yet, in the underworld dealings, suits were just another form of currency. The cut and price tag, if done right would be enough to vouch for a person before they ever opened their mouths. Of course, Ashton prefered mindless violence to speak for him - but this was a situation that wouldn’t be allowed. He had to keep that in mind. Constantly. Showered. Scented. Dressed and shoes that he wore so infrequently that they didn’t even have crease lines. He looked good, but in a way that he couldn’t even recognize himself. Apparating to the restaurant of choice with plenty of time to spare so that Ashton would have enough to set up their private room in the way that he liked.

Which, mostly just consisted of pre-gaming with a few drinks. Whiskey for him and that super fancy, annoyingly expensive drink that Noah liked so much. There was a part of Ashton that knew that Noah was doing this for the money, and because he happened to be good at it - but there was another part of him that really wondered how any person could just...exist like this on a daily basis. Living a life of so much excess all of the time, that they didn’t even blink at price tags. This had nothing to do with whether or not Ash could afford something - it was a principal. Glancing at the clock on the wall Ashton lifted from the seat that he had occupied, which just so happened to be perfect timing as those double doors opened to admit a small grouping of people. Taking a sip of his drink he placed the glass down near the table and turned to face those joining him - but never even got the chance to swallow.

Drink came out of Ashton’s mouth with such force that it sprayed halfway across the room. He didn’t think - that ever in his life he had been so shocked by an entrance. Naturally, he would play of off as if the woman on Noah’s arm was just so stunning to look at - which she was - in her silver dress and bits of skin poking out. He could have been knocked over with a feather. The waiter moved from his silent spot near the door - instantly wicking away the whiskey from the table top and the way it was threatening to sink into that white table cloth. Noah’s arms lifting in greeting to Ashton, one hand joined to Kaydence’s - spinning her around in a circle as if she were some sort of trophy. Well, that was a very accurate word for her really. Of course it was her - it absolutely had to be her. Stepping off of that train following after him with that child on her hand. Child. They had a child. She was a mother. She had - a whole baby. Things were clicking into place too quickly it was making his head hurt. Ashton’s mouth didn’t want to close - it was like the room was moving in slow motion, the light glinting off of her dress. The way the light was pooled in her skin, the ugly ass rock on her hand that was joined with Noah’s. The little giggle that she left when she stopped spinning and the overly proud way that Noah was beaming just to be next to her. He couldn’t help but to stare, it was like something out of a picture frame. Kaydence’s skirts settled around the floor and her arm lowered - her entire face shifting the moment that she laid eyes on Ashton - and it was like something inside of him snapped the world back into its regular speed.

Ashton’s game face moved back into its place.

As seamlessly as moving his gaze from Kaydence over to Noah.

“Sorry about that - what’s a girl like that, doing with a mug like you?” Ashton’s overly pleased smile as he moved over to Noah with his arms lifting, overly pleased and outstretched. Kaydence could ruin - everything for him. She could undo this entire thing - a years worth of work with a couple of sentences. Ashton’s arms encircled around Noah in a crude form of bro-hug because Ashton was here to play a role. He was here to be a certain person and he was here to celebrate the fact that Noah had nearly finished the job that Ashton had hired him to do. “You’re late!” Of course they weren’t late. At least Ashton had been of a mind to arrive early enough to have bottles waiting for them. Places like this were so far out of his comfort zone. He didn’t like the fact that he had to dress the way he did. His short hair making him look far more presentable in a tie than attempting to fight the unruly way his hair tended to naturally go. This suit had cost an obscene amount of money but games like this required sacrifice. He didn’t like to wear things so form fitting, let alone with fabrics this level of soft. He knew that he fit in here - dressed like this. He looked like every other overly rich bastard coming to spend a small house downpayment on a single meal of food. Those drinks alone had set him back a few hundred but what choice did he have. Had to sell the thing. Was just going to have to fully pretend that Kaydence - simply didn’t exist. He should have brought a date. Noah had teased about transforming that little thug of his into somebody else - much to Mikkael’s chagrin. If he had known though, he might have tried a little harder for impressions sake. Ashton also noted that while Noah had stopped bring anybody other than the one security officer around when they had their dealings, but tonight - tonight there was a small team of them. Protective. He clearly didn’t know that Kaydence was perfectly capable of fending for her damn self.

Ashton beamed, leaving one arm draped comfortably around Noah’s shoulders as he turned to Kaydence. “Sorry about my astonishment but - wow- you’ll have to tell me someday how you bagged somebody so out of your league.” Playful teasing as Ashton extended that other hand over to Kaydence. “Ashton.” He moved that hand a fraction closer, “And you are?” He moved to take her hand with the perfect copy of a gentlemanly bow in her direction.

[Noah Eklund]

A workaholic by nature, Noah Eklund’s life had been consumed by it for approximately twenty eight days. The other three hundred and sixty-five days had been devoted to his current venture as well but had not received the sleep deprivation that the last four weeks had. He had been given a very lengthy task. Research an ancient artifact. Learn everything he could about the item before seeking out the contacts who could provide him with more. Once he got them, seek out even more who knew people who knew other people that knew coordinates, last known sightings, anything and everything that could bring him to the location of it. It had been strenuous work. Life-altering. Daily routines had been disrupted. Family time limited. Mood swings were more common. Cocaine usage had gone up ten-fold to stay awake after only resting his eyes for no more than two hours each night. He was travelling abroad practically every day. Some places he could apparate too but most required use of a Portkey, causing him to throw up more times in a week then he probably ever had in his entire life. He was a man running on fumes and Noah was certain he was starting to lose his mind.

But then, just like that, he had done it. All the days, weeks and months had led to this very moment. Although he had been rightfully skeptical, Noah had seen it with his very own eyes. He knew the location of the Babi. Granted, he hadn’t seen the actual artifact. The Babi had been floating in a photo, an eerie red light surrounding it as it bobbed gently atop an ancient, deteriorating column. Now a picture was just that, a picture. Could have been taken any time, any place. Not this one. This one, it had been confirmed, was taken only two days ago just off of the coast of Buenos Aires. He wasn’t sure how it had gotten there since the thing had originated somewhere in Egypt. He didn’t really care to be honest. All Noah was concerned with was how he was going to retrieve it. His contact, a Spaniard who dabbled in black market transportation across country borders, had reached out to a ship captain based out of South America. The man had bragged about being able to cross treacherous waters to keep out of sight from coast guards. He had offered Noah passage for a hefty fee. Pocket change compared to the money that would be in his account within the next few days should all go according to plan. So, he had Mikkhal schedule the trip, remove the appropriate funds and prepare the portkey to the Bay of Biscay where he would take the three-day trip by boat to Buenos Aires, secure the artifact and bring it back with him to Austria.

It was a dangerous mission. One that could turn badly very quickly. In normal circumstances, it was one he would have easily assigned to a highly trusted associate. This was no normal circumstance though. The boat captain had been specific that no one but Noah and a guard would be permitted aboard his ship. He could understand why. Objects under such scrutiny were sought after by some of the evilest beings in the world. They held such power that any who were seeking it were accepting the risk that came with it. The greatest being their lives. Noah was a man of power. He had earned his keep in the world of the wizarding black market. He was trusted, reliable and knew how to get things that people wanted. That also made him an enemy to many unable to possess the same power or one to those who did possess such power but felt threatened by him. Yet this work was not to be done by just anyone. It was he, and he alone, who would have to make the journey to recover it. It was intimidating. He knew what had to be done though and the rewards that would come his way from attaining it. He’d make the trip and then he would be done. For a good long while. Noah had promised himself that. He had promised his family. When they moved, he would task Mikkhal with handling the business until he was ready to come back. Even then, he wouldn’t work full-time anymore. He’d travel considerably less, choosing to prioritize his family for once. He would do whatever it took to show them that everything was ultimately always for them. He’d get back in the good graces of his beloved Emmeline. Teach Lukas more things a father should to a son. He would make sure they knew how much he loved them.

Tomorrow was tomorrow. Tonight, was tonight and he had every intention on celebrating the way he knew best. Food, drinks, dancing and sex. Noah had left the condo early, as usual, this morning and had finalized his travel itinerary with his assistant. After that, he had wandered around Alzubra Alley in search of three very important gifts. One for his beautiful fiancée, one for his son and the other for the man whom he had developed an unlikely friendship with. He had always been weary of letting people into his life. Due to his high ranking in the upper class, he tended to deal with leeches more so then actual human beings. Wentworth, for whatever reason, had no interest in the money he had. In fact, he often made fun of it, whether it be the clothing he had picked for the day or the gold cigarette case he always kept on his person, though Noah knew he was secretly jealous of the latter. It was refreshing. Being able to be fully be himself while he was working. Too often he was forced to be uptight, strictly professional. It was the nature of his career, he understood that. Being able to have a few moments during the week where he could run around and goof off with someone who was okay with the lack of professionalism was the stress reliever he was having difficulty achieving at home. Emmeline was deeply upset with him. Although Noah had told her this would have to be how it was, she was going through something that he was unable to dig into at this point. Fortunately for him, she was typically asleep by the time he came home, but he would get constant intel from his assistant or guards about how apathetic she had become. How she refused to leave the house and seemingly became a shell of her former self. He wished to give her the attention she deserved, to aid in whatever crisis she was going through but right now he couldn’t give her that.

So, to start the healing process, Noah had bought her an overpriced dress, though well worth it knowing how beautiful she would look once all dolled up for this dinner he had forced Ashton to book. Exiting the shop, he had tucked the box with the silver number folded carefully within and the gifts for Lukas and Wentworth nestled deep in his coat pocket. Making one last stop to a florist, he bought a bouquet of roses for his fiancée and whistled to himself as he secured his purchases and found a space to apparate back to the condo from. He closed his eyes, imagined their home away from home in his mind and disappeared.

Seconds later, he found himself in front of his destination. Noah continued whistling as he walked the winding driveway to the front door. “Afternoon Winston,” he greeted the door guard as the man stepped aside to let him in. His whistling turned to a low humming as he walked to the dining room, placing the box gingerly on the table top followed by the roses. “EMMELINE!” He yelled, removing his jacket while walking into the living room. ”Noah? What are you doing home?” He smiled, seeing his fiancée staring back at him with confusion. Joining her on the coach, where it appeared she had been for a significant amount of time, he gently grabbed her face and planted a lengthy kiss on her lips. “Hello to you too. You’re in a good mood.” Noah chuckled, standing and lowering his hand down to her. “Get up. We’re going to dinner.” Emmeline made no movement to accept it. “What are you talking about?” He shook the extended hand. ”I said get up my kärlak. Celebration is in order and I’m taking you out to celebrate with me.” He was not surprised when she refused. “No Noah. I’m not leaving the house.” He hadn’t meant to, knowing how angry it would make her, but he found himself laughing. ”Emmeline, you haven’t left the condo in weeks. I’ve given you your time to sulk. I’ve allowed Miss. Breylin to come here and plan with you. I know you’ve been upset with me for not being here. I can’t apologize enough apparently. We already have an eight-year-old acting out, I don’t think we need a thirty-year-old doing the same. I am trying to make it up to you tonight. You and me. Dinner for two with a night out afterwards. I will not take no for an answer.”

Although it wasn’t unusual for them to argue, the heated exchange of words that followed was. Whether it was due to the lack of sleep or the irritation of his fiancée not being able to properly take care of herself, Noah lost his temper. The two went back and forth about why, or why not, the dinner wasn’t going to take place as he had requested. It had gone on for so long that at one point, Lukas appeared and inquired why the two were yelling. Glaring at Emmeline, he quickly went to his son’s side, ushering him back into his bedroom where he calmly insisted his son stay in his room until he came to get him after Noah had proceeded to get ready. After dealing with his son, he ventured back downstairs to finish dealing with his significant other. ”Enough is enough! I don’t know what’s going on with you and frankly, I’m over your childish behavior Emmeline. I will not fight with you about this any longer. I bought you a dress. It’s on the dining room table. Get up, get out of this room and go clean yourself up.” On that final note, Noah left the living room, returned upstairs and entered their bedroom where he progressed in doing the very thing he was demanding from Emmeline. A quick shower, shave and brushing was all he needed. Digging into his wardrobe, ignoring the glares from his pissed fiancée as she sulked behind him, he grabbed a pair of black dinner pants, a pricey white shirt with black graffiti designed all over it and an equally expensive dinner jacket to place over the shirt. He was tempted to dress it up with a tie, just to irritate Emmeline by not matching but he decided against it, not wanting to further make things worse.

Noah tucked his gold cigarette case and matching lighter inside his left coat pocket, the gift for Wentworth on the right side along with his wand. Once assured that those were secure, he placed his wallet and Lukas’ gift in his back pocket and ran a quick hand of gel through his hair. He knew Ashton would appreciate the sleeked back look as well as Emmeline. Finished, he left her to finish getting ready and wandered down the hall to Lukas’ room. Knocking lightly, he opened the door and winked at his son, “Come on kiddo. Let’s go.” The two made their way down the stairs and into the kitchen where he motioned for his son to take a seat. “I got something for you,” he announced, leaning on the counter. ”What?” Chuckling, he reached in his back pocket and threw a pack of wizard cards to the young boy. “More to add to the collection,” he said, rubbing the young boys messy mop of dirty blond hair before turning around and setting to work on retrieving two wine glasses. Noah engaged his son in conversation as he found a bottle of red wine, opening it and pouring a decent amount in both glasses. Checking to make sure his son wasn’t looking; he grabbed a small pill that he had charmed earlier to disintegrate as soon as it touched liquid and dropped it in the glass he would hand to Emmeline whenever she made her arrival. He had yet to tell her they would be meeting Wentworth and knowing how she hated any form of social interaction, figured they could both use her taking a little edge off. Grabbing the glasses, he turned around and placed them on the counter before taking the seat next to his son and going over the cards he had just gotten for him.

He wasn’t sure how long they had been at it before Emmeline made her appearance known. If looks could kill, Noah would have been dead on the floor. ”Whoa mom.” Lukas had vocalized how they both felt. He quickly forgot how upset he was with her in the first place. Walking over to Emmeline, he complimented her before giving her a kiss. ”You guys are gross!” He used his son’s cue to retrieve the wine glasses, making sure that the right glasses were in the right hands. Placing hers in her hand, he grinned. “Liquid courage.” She had no idea. “Drink up. We need to get going. We’re already a few minutes behind.” Once they had both finished their glasses, they took Lukas upstairs to bed, tucked him in and wished him goodnight. How he wished he got to do this more often. He always made it a point to at least kiss him atop his head before retiring to his room when he got home late at night. Noah quickly moved them back downstairs. ”Let’s go my kärlak. There will be ten guards and Mikkhal on duty tonight for Lukas. I’m bringing three with us,” he informed her as they reached the door. Hopefully that would help give her piece of mind for leaving Lukas alone for the night. Opening it, the couple walked through, leaving the door guard to close it behind them. As they joined the three guards waiting for them, Noah led the way down to the bottom of the hill where they would be apparating from. Stopping once they reached it, he turned to face Emmeline. “Hold on to me my darling.” She should start to feel the pill kick in soon. Smirking, he enveloped his lady and envisioned the picture of the restaurant Wentworth had sent him earlier. Nodding to the guards to apparate on their own, he closed his eyes and felt the familiar pull behind his belly button.

When his feet hit solid ground, Noah opened his eyes, the sign of the Dragon’s Claw staring back down at him. He had been here a few weeks ago where he met that Stavros character from the Ministry. Removing his arms from around Emmeline, he took hold of her hand once more and led her to the entrance where the guard who would be staying outside had opened the door for them. He walked them to the host stand. ”Reservation sir?” He grinned. “Naturally. Should be under the name Bigstaff.” He did his best to refrain from laughing. “Tall, surly sort of man who should be looking dashing tonight in his suit and tie. Probably insulted our waiter twice by now.” The host nodded. Grabbing two menus while he came from behind the stand. ”Indeed he has sir. Noah could Emmeline’s eyes bearing into his soul as he pushed her in front of him and guided her with his hand on the small of her back as they walked through the rows of tables to a back room he requested Wentworth secure for them. Within a few seconds, the group of five had approached the doors leading to the room. He gave a brisk nod to the other two guards, indicating for them to follow behind and stay in opposite corners of the room once they had entered. Kissing Emmeline on her temple, sure that she was starting to fill considerably more chill then she had back at the condo, Noah waited for the host to open the door and pushed her through as they did. “Bigstaff!” he bellowed, grabbing Emmeline’s hand and giving her a twirl as if presenting a silver trophy he had just won. “Lookit, I turned Mikkhal into a woman. Hands off though my friend, he’s much feistier in this form then his normal one.” He was sure Emmeline would not find his joke to be funny but hopefully by now her head was in the clouds.

In the commotion, Noah had been oblivious to the drink that sprayed across the room from Ashton’s mouth. Had he of known, he probably would have yelled at the man for wasting such fine whiskey. He had told Wentworth to get a bottle or two of the good stuff for them to split. They had earned it after all. As he stopped spinning Emmeline, he lowered her hand to the ground and looked over to the waiter. “I’m ready for mine!” he said rather loudly, also oblivious to the brief exchange between Wentworth and his fiancée. Chuckling to himself, Noah squeezed her hand as he brought his attention back to his business partner. He noticed the facial expression change on Ashton’s face, no doubt stunned by the beauty next to him. ”Sorry about that – what’s a girl like that, doing with a mug like you?” Dropping Emmeline’s hand, he looked over to the side and threw up his hands with a shrug. “Beats me,” he answered, returning the half hug with a squeeze to the man’s shoulder. “I think she just likes me for my money.” Noah turned to face Emmeline, smiling as he gave her a wink. ”Sorry about my astonishment but – wow- you’ll have to tell me someday about how you bagged somebody so out of your league.” His free hand extended to her ear and pushed a strand of hair behind her it. “I might have to leave you hanging on that one mate. Not quite sure how I did it myself. I know I have a way of finding priceless beauties but this one if my greatest conquest.” As the waiter appeared in front of them, Noah took his hand from Kaydence’s face and reached to grab his whiskey as his friend introduced himself. ”Ashton. And you are?” He would have a lot of explaining to do to his fiancée about this one but hopefully the copious amounts of liquor and wine he planned on them drinking would save that fight for another day.

[Kaydence Morgan]

It had been a rough few weeks for Kaydence Morgan. The number paled in comparison to the amount of times things had truly been “rough” for her in the past but given that she wasn’t used to feeling so distraught in such a long time…it had really been taking a toll on her. It had all started the other month when her fiancé, Noah, had insisted that she and their son Lukas join him on a business venture to Austria. The very same country that had time and time again brought back trauma and heartache. She had been hesitant in saying no, very hesitant, mind you, but in the end, Kaydence had agreed to go with him. It was a great risk considering what all she had been trying to leave behind for so long but with a promise the trip was temporary and they would be at their final destination within a week or two, a tropical one to call their very own at that, it had been decided. From the moment the small family had stepped foot in the small country, she had felt a deep uneasiness that had no cure. It had only gotten worse as the days went on, despite not stepping a foot outside of the luxurious condo Noah had rented for the family and their personal staff. The cabin fever had kicked in quickly. Yet Kaydence had done nothing to ease the anxiety. Staying locked up was better than risking her safety.

Then one day, Noah, who had been heavily absent from her life since arriving here as well, had surprised her with a meeting with her wedding planner. The catch being that Kaydence had to leave the confines of their temporary home to go to a café on the Boardwalk of the Ilfracombe Resort. Against her better judgment, she had chosen to go. Despite her anxiety and looming panic attack, the day had started off relaxing. The little island had changed so much in the years that she had been gone that it provided a false sense of reassurance that her short time out and about would go without a hitch. How very wrong she had been. Within the course of only an hour or so, she had come face to face with Ashton Wentworth, the man whom she had upped and left eight years ago with no explanation for why or where she was going. Fighting ensued. As did some yelling. Ultimately ending with tears and closure that hadn’t set well with Kaydence. She had been part of numerous endings in the past. Dealt with the grieving processes and came through them anew. This time had been different. As soon as she had returned home from the Boardwalk that fateful day, she had quickly moved her way upstairs and locked herself in her bathroom for what had seemed like ages. Sat herself in a hot shower and bawled her eyes out until she had nothing left. When she had finally removed herself from the room, she dried off, threw on an old sleeping shirt of Noah’s and climbed into bed for an early nap. Sleep hadn’t come easy. She tossed and turned replaying the day’s events over and over in her mind until her tired eyes grew heavy and she slept. Only to be awoken sometime later by Noah who had returned from another business trip early and eager to make up for lost alone time.

Since then, Kaydence had refused to leave the condo. She wasn’t willing to risk seeing him again despite knowing well that he wouldn’t set foot back here ever again. Truthfully, she could have cared less about being exposed to anyone else, an extremely dangerous mentality given her notoriety in this part of the wizarding world. Her fear of them being joined together again was a painful one at that. They had said everything that needed to be said, more civilly, for them anyway, then to have been expected. However, their last moments together was nothing reminiscent of closure. If anything, Kaydence had been left with a longing. The few instances their skin had made contact with the others had been exhilarating. Heart racing like back when it was impossible for them to keep their hands off of each other. The connection she had felt with him was one she had never been able to fully reciprocate with anyone, not even her fiancé. The guilt had been weighing her down causing her to spend every day since held up in the condominium. She did everything she could to punish herself for feeling the way she did though the options were limited given how she was refusing to go anywhere. The only thing that eased her weary soul was spending time with Lukas. But even the small boy was acting out against both of his parents, feeling trapped and wanting to get out and run around like a normal child. At first, Kaydence had refused. Eventually, she allowed him to go outside in the yard and adjacent woods but only under strict supervision of herself and five security warlocks.

It wasn’t the life she dreamed of but it was the life Kaydence had to endure. For now anyway. Though she had to admit, she was growing increasingly frustrated day after day that they were still here. What had been promised to be a week had almost turned into a month at this point. Noah had been gone more than ever. Some nights he wasn’t even coming home. He had insisted it was all business related, which she had no reason not to trust, but it made giving herself fully to him difficult. She was trying her with every fiber of her being to get over Ashton but with Noah not being around to focus her energy on, she could feel herself growing resentful. He had warned her. He needed to do what had to be done in order to fully devote his time to her and Lukas when they moved away to that piece of paradise soon. Kaydence was starting to question how soon soon actually was though. The times he was home were only in bursts. Coming after she had already fallen asleep and leaving before she had to awake. She had been bothered he hadn’t even attempted to wake her up for even a few minutes each time just to comfort her. She chalked it up to the exhaustion she knew he was facing from travelling all over. In their eight years together, this was the first time she had ever felt distant from Noah and it ate her up. He wasn’t here for her in her time of need. He was too tired to even ask how her day was going. Kaydence hadn’t felt this alone in a very, very long time.

The day had started out just like any other. Kaydence had awoken alone. Had her usual morning coffee alone. Lukas joined her for breakfast as usual but remained silent for a majority of it. Only answering her questions with short, one-word answers before disappearing back into his room. After she had finished eating, she had retreated back to the living room and posted up on the coach watching old muggle movies curled up under a blanket, wishing that Lukas would join her under the cover so she could snuggle him and spend time together. She was there for hours before hearing Noah’s voice shatter the silence. ”EMMELINE!” Her eyes widened as she pushed herself up on the couch. “Noah?” she questioned. “What are you doing home?” He said nothing as he walked to where she was sitting, took the seat next to her and took her face into his hands. He planted a long, passionate kiss on her lips before pulling away with a grin. “Hello to you too. You’re in a good mood.” Noah stood, extending a hand down to her. ”Get up. We’re going to dinner.” Kaydence looked at him with confusion. ”What are you talking about?” He motioned with his hand for her to grab it. ”I said get up my kärlak. Celebration is in order and I’m taking you out to celebrate with me.” She shook her head. “No Noah. I’m not leaving the house.” He laughed. ”Emmeline, you haven’t left the condo in weeks. I’ve given you your time to sulk. I’ve allowed Miss. Breylin to come here and plan with you. I know you’ve been upset with me for not being here. I can’t apologize enough apparently. We already have an eight-year-old acting out, I don’t think we need a thirty-year-old doing the same. I am trying to make it up to you tonight. You and me. Dinner for two with a night out afterwards. I will not take no for an answer.”

The fight that had ensued had gotten so bad that Lukas came down at one point to see what all the yelling had been about. Noah had stopped long enough to take him back to his room and console him before rejoining Kaydence in the living room. ”Enough is enough! I don’t know what’s going on with you and frankly, I’m over your childish behavior Emmeline. I will not fight with you about this any longer. I bought you a dress. It’s on the dining room table. Get up, get out of this room and go clean yourself up.” And just like that, he disappeared upstairs to get himself ready. She had stood for a long time in disbelief. Noah had never lost his temper quite like that with her before. They had certainly had heated arguments but nowhere near what had just transpired. Numb, Kaydence dragged herself to the dining area to the box that was waiting for her on the table, a bouquet of ruby red roses sat atop it. Moving the roses to the side, she opened the top of the box and gasped at the glistening silver dress sparkling back at her. Slamming the lid back down, she looked up at the stairwell, anger coursing through her veins. Huffing, she grabbed the box and followed the same path he took to their bedroom.

It had taken her a little longer than normal to get ready but it had been done on purpose. As soon as he had finished, Noah said nothing as he left the room. After showering, she had dried her hair, using her wand to style it into a messy bob. She then took her time to carefully apply every bit of her makeup from foundation to highlighter to eyeshadow to eyebrows. Kaydence may have been being a spiteful bitch but she was going to look damn good when she walked down those stairs. Once she was finally finished, she sprayed a few quick bursts of an aromatic vanilla and brown sugar perfume that Noah liked on her neck, chest and wrists. She was done. All she had to do was grab her gold clutch and she was ready. As she left the room, she felt anxious. She may have been feeling spiteful but being mad for so long was draining. She should have been excited for the time alone with Noah. Anger towards him was unfamiliar to her so she knew she needed to do what she could to perk her spirits up so she could enjoy the little time they had together. Walking down the stairs, she immediately saw Lukas and Noah at the bar stools of the kitchen island. Kaydence smiled to herself as she saw the pile of wizarding cards in front of them. No doubt Noah had bought him some to add to his collection. Stopping once she was near the bottom, she cleared her throat. The noise caught the attention of the two men in her life. She bashfully looked down as both Lukas and Noah stared at her with big eyes. No doubt impressed. ”Whoa mom.” Noah followed suit with a long cat whistle. Pushing himself from the chair, he patted Lukas’ shoulders before stepping over to her. ”My kärlak,” he mumbled, grabbing her arms and looking at her up and down. ”You. Are. Stunning.” He lowered his face down to hers and pushed back a strand of her hair behind her ear with a smile. ”I’m sorry for earlier,” he apologized, kissing her on the lips as he did so. ”Truly. I know we’ve both been under a lot of stress lately but I promise it’s almost over. You have my word.” As he kissed her again, Kaydence’s hand moved to the back of his head. ”You guys are gross!”

The couple looked back at their son who had a look of pure disgust on his face. They both laughed as Noah walked over to the counter where two glasses of red wine sat. Kaydence moved over to her son, engulfing him in a hug from behind and resting her chin on the top of his head. “You’ll understand it one day Lukas.” Noah joined the two a few seconds later with the wine glasses in his hands. ”Liquid courage.” She accepted the glass, ‘cheers’ing him as she did so. ”Drink up,” he instructed as she did just that. ”We need to get going. We’re already running a few minutes behind.” The couple quickly finished their glasses before ushering their son back upstairs to his bedroom. After making sure the boy was tucked securely in his bed, both Kaydence and Noah kissed their son on his forehead before turning off his light and closing his door behind them. ”Let’s go my kärlak.” She took his hand as she allowed her fiancé to lead the way. ”There will be ten guards and Mikkhal on duty tonight for Lukas. I’m bringing three with us.” Noah squeezed her hand as they approached the entrance to the house. He opened the door, pulling her through and closing it tightly as a guard stepped in front of it. He then led them down the driveway, one guard in front and the other two behind them. As they reached the end of the driveway, Noah turned to her and embraced her. ”Hold on to me darling.” She smiled, beginning to feel strangely light-headed. Pressing herself into him, Kaydence rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. Within seconds, a small pop sounded and the two of them were gone.

Her eyes immediately opened as they landed, excited voices and footsteps filling her ears. She wasn’t sure if it had been from their travelling but Kaydence felt like her head was starting to spin for a bit. Not getting any time to right herself, Noah continued his leading of the group to the entrance of a restaurant. Looking up at the sign, she frowned when she read Dragon’s Claw. She knew that name very well. Too well, in fact. If she still remembered correctly, the fancy restaurant wasn’t too far away from the old nightclub her and Darren had owned back in the day, Halcyon Nights. Her head swimming, unable to focus on the seriousness of the situation, Kaydence barely noticed they had entered the establishment before almost running into Noah. ”Reservation sir?” The host asked. “Naturally. Should be under the name Bigstaff.” She frowned. What kind of a stupid fucking name was that? Noah never used his real name out in public but even she figured he’d be more mature than to use something so childish. “Tall, surly sort of man who should be looking dashing tonight in his suit and tie. Probably insulted our waiter twice by now.” Who was he talking about? Were they meeting someone? Noah had said it was only going to be a dinner date for the two of them. Hadn’t he? ”Indeed he has sir.” At the waiter’s confirmation that this man apparently did exist, Kaydence glared at Noah. Finding herself growing irritated as he refused to look down at her but instead pushed her ahead of him to follow behind the host. Why were they meeting someone for a celebration dinner? Was his name actually Bigstaff? Why was it impossible for the two of them to just spend time together?

So many questions, so many feelings but Kaydence couldn’t isolate a single one of them. She was feeling so oddly relaxed now. Not at all interested in letting any anger continue to take hold. She had already spent too much time feeling that way back at the condo. She could feel eyes watching as she, Noah and their group were being led to a set of double doors not too far away from where they were now. Smirking, knowing that they were probably taking in how attractive of a couple they were, and what a knockout she was in this gown he had picked out for her. Kaydence may have preferred being a loner nowadays but she couldn’t deny how good she felt flaunting herself out in public when she looked as good as she did. Stopping once they had reached the doors, she closed her eyes momentarily as Noah kissed her on the temple. Merlin did she love those sweet gestures. She swore she never met anyone who loved as hard as he did. As the doors opened, she had no time to center her attention on the mystery man as she felt her fiancé grab her hand and raise her arm in a spin. “Bigstaff! Lookit, I turned Mikkhal into a woman. Hands off though my friend, he’s much feistier in this form then his normal one.” In normal circumstances, Kaydence would have given her fiancé a stern look with a playful shove but she was feeling rather giddy. She loved how he enjoyed showing her off, rightfully claiming her as his. As he dropped her hand and she stumbled slightly to regain her footing, she giggled until her eyes landed on the face of the man staring back at her.

Ashton.

She could feel the change in her expression but her face was also feeling a bit numb so she wasn’t quite sure what emotion she was conveying. Merlin that glass of wine had been strong. Though they had practically chugged it before leaving the condo earlier. Not able to fully process who it was she was looking at, she stared at him blankly. ”Sorry about that – what’s a girl like that, doing with a mug like you?” That was definitely his voice. Kaydence would always be able to identify it even if she were a crowded room. But he couldn’t actually be standing in front of her. It was impossible. She watched as he moved over to Noah and…hugged him? Ashton didn’t hug people outside of her. He didn’t like anybody enough to do that. He treated the person closest to a friend in his life like a punching bag for Merlin’s sake. ”Beats me. I think she just likes me for my money.” Putty right into Ashton’s hands. She briefly recalled her loosely he had thrown around the money comments in the alley a few weeks ago. ”Sorry about my astonishment but – wow- you’ll have to tell me someday about how you bagged somebody so out of your league.” Kaydence could feel Ashton’s eyes move in her direction though she was careful not to return the gaze. “I might have to leave you hanging on that one mate. Not quite sure how I did it myself. I know I have a way of finding priceless beauties but this one if my greatest conquest.” Had she been in the right state of mind, she would have been mortified. Literally everything he was saying so far was only confirming the thoughts Ashton had vocalized about the unknown relationship that she was in. She would have wanted to crawl underneath the table and hide amongst the tablecloth that draped along the sides.

”Ashton. And you are?” Confirming that she was not in fact seeing an individual who not supposed to actually be there, Kaydence allowed her eyes to finally wander back to Ashton’s. There was nothing to read. No glare, no stern look. His lips even curled at the corners in dare she say, a smile? Moving her hand to accept his, she quickly grabbed it before letting go, the effects of the familiar tingling sensation apparent. “Emmeline, it’s a pleasure,” she responded, latching on to Noah’s other free side. She wondered if he remembered that the name she gave him was, in fact, her actual middle. Probably since he had been forced to look through her files at the Ministry during the Gringotts aftermath. “Don’t let him fool you. Beneath those piles of money lays a very humble man,” she joked, resting her chin on his shoulder. “The galleons are only an added bonus.”

[Ashton Wentworth]

“Beats me,” Naturally. Ashton was fully expecting Kaydence to have fully orchestrated the entire thing ending in her having full access to all of those bank accounts. It was infuriating Ashton to no end that even now - Kaydence was getting so much of his sodding money. Evil witch had wormed her way so far into his life that apparently he was never going to be rid of her. “I think she just likes me for my money.” Somebody could have thrown a whole entire bag of galleons on the table in front of him and he wouldn’t have been able to stop that over arrogant ‘I-knew-it’ grin that he threw in Kaydence’s direction the moment that Noah spoke. The instant sense of self-gratification was nearly overpowering. He had to control himself - he couldn’t allow the fact that she was his goddamned fiance let Ashton get distracted. Of course she was with him - of course somebody as powerful as Noah was where she had landed. Couldn’t be without that safety net and the money there to catch her fall. Naturally. It really was something so obvious he should have placed it. Seeing her getting off the train - hearing her voice. It had been so familiar but he hadn’t been able to place it and now - now all of this? “I might have to leave you hanging on that one mate. Not quite sure how I did it myself. I know I have a way of finding priceless beauties but this one if my greatest conquest.” This whole mental image of the course of Noah and Kaydence started to play out in Ashton’s mind. Her putting herself like bait on a string, dangling in front of him and playing so hard to get until he felt like he was chasing her. Then of course she would allow herself to be caught, and all of the rivers of money would just come down on her head. Ashton would have loved to venture a guess as to just how much money Noah had dropped on her over the years. Had it been the whole time? How long had they been together? Things that Ashton couldn’t ask without breaking stride. Couldn’t seem too interested because that was the whole premise of their working friendship. Ashton didn’t speak too much unless he was teasing or talking about work - Noah would provide the details that he chose to provide. Ashton would just have to see if liquoring him up was going to loosen up Noah’s tongue at all now that he was currently in the presence of his fiance, a very unwelcome dinner guest addition.

Further self satisfied by the rapid way that Kaydence took his hand and released it. Hardly even shook it - and given the manner of high class breeding she had been brought up in he was real tempted to make a few comments on the subject. “Emmeline, it’s a pleasure,” Emmeline. The sort of stuck up, pretentious name was that? Almost as damned extra as the name ‘Kaydence’. Ashton’s mind was going off on a tangent until the obvious slapped him right in the damned face - that wasn’t her fucking name. It wasn’t her actual name. He didn’t know who the fuck she was. Oh, it made even more sense now. The fact that Noah didn’t blanch for a moment there was no way that she wasn’t actually going by that name. Ashton’s brows lifted on his face in clear, open amusement as he nodded. “Emmeline?” Wasn’t that her middle name? He remembered something similar to that from all of those intake papers that he had been forced to fill out those million years ago when she had gone and gotten herself arrested. “Nice to meet you.” Ashton winked for effect and turned right back to Noah as she started speaking again. “Don’t let him fool you. Beneath those piles of money lays a very humble man,” Humble she said? Ashton scoffed, turning to Noah - his hand moving over Noah’s chest in a half circle and shaking his head. “Where?” Ashton’s index finger hooked into the collar of Noah’s weirdly soft shirt and looked down the collar and laughed, there was no humble anywhere on this man’s body. She was simply attempting to explain her choices to herself. She didn’t need to attempt to justify herself to him. He had already said his peace on the subject. Watching this - seeing this in action was just hilarious. “The galleons are only an added bonus.” Was going to have the time of his life exploiting this one - there was no doubt about that. Ashton released his hold on Noah’s shirt, and turned back to Noah. “It sure doesn’t feel too humble when he’s spending all my money.” He teased, almost unrecognizable for how personable Ashton was coming across. “Unless she means in the bedroom?” He leaned in closer, flaunting the ability to move like this in front of Kaydence obviously. “Well of course she means in the bedroom - gotta step it up there Eklund-” Ashton’s gaze turned to Kaydence, “Girls like this take work.”

[Noah Eklund]

Macallan single malt scotch and whiskey. Other than a fine dining experience, it was the only thing Noah had requested from Wentworth tonight. It had been a longshot but fancy places liked this always seemed to have a hidden vault for the good stuff. He had been delighted to see a bottle of it on the tray in the waiter’s hand, accompanied by a crystal rocks glass with precisely three rocks in it. He appreciated a man who could remember the small details. He himself was one of those types. He was observant, almost to a fault. Always able to pick up on other people’s body language so he could respond appropriately. It was why Noah had felt he had been able to connect with Ashton the way he had. First impression hadn’t been the greatest. The man had looked like a seedy character. Hadn’t dressed up. Hair was unkempt. Didn’t even bother to stand when Noah had entered the table room. All attributes that could have been red flags. Not to mention that he once worked for the damn government. It was how he had responded when Noah had made his first comment about being a cute pen pal that he had felt at instant ease with the man. The tension easing more so the longer they worked together. It was why he felt comfortable bringing Emmeline out to celebrate with them. Wentworth knew he couldn’t have cared less about the artifact. He just wanted to get his money and go dote on his family. He had always seemed to respect that.

“Emmeline, it’s a pleasure.” Tilting his head back, Noah brought the whiskey to his lips and sniffed. His nostrils were greeted with the scent of vanilla and raisin, the vanilla not nearly as pronounced as Emmeline’s perfume but subtle. A hint of apple and citrus also joined the mix. Tilting his head back slightly, he took a generous first sip. More vanilla but also chocolate and oak. He allowed it to rest on his tongue for a few seconds before swallowing. Closing his eyes, he made a noise in the back of his throat as the warm and woody finish ended the experience. ”Emmeline?” Noah’s eyes opened. It wasn’t out of the ordinary to question what someone’s name was. Perhaps he just hadn’t heard her properly. ”Nice to meet you.” He chuckled as he watched the man wink towards his fiancée. There was no need to question the intent behind it. Wentworth knew to an extent how much Noah cared for his family. It would have been unlike him to be disrespectful like that in his presence. “Don’t let him fool you. Beneath those piles of money lays a very humble man.” He laughed again, wrapping his whiskey-clad arm around Emmeline’s tiny waist as she rested her chin on his shoulder. ”Where? Looking back to Ashton while the man grabbed his collar, he feigned a look of mock surprise. “How rude,” he said, clicking his tongue to the roof of his mouth while squeezing the man’s shoulder again. “I really would have hoped you would have seen the real me by now Wentworth. You’ve broken down barriers no one had before.” Again, to an extent. While Noah had been friendly with the man there were still many aspects that he chosen to keep personal.

“The galleons are only an added bonus.” Eyes quickly shifted back to Emmeline before again to Ashton. “I’m standing right here,” he joked. “Would you mind not talking about me as if I’m not here?” He moved his whiskey hand to his fiancee’s backside, cupping her bottom with his ring and little finger and giving a squeeze. ”It sure doesn’t feel too humble when he’s spending all of my money.” Shrugging his shoulders, he grinned at the man. “I’m simply trying to get a taste of what it feels like for Emme. Just wanted to step on the other side of the rope for once and have someone spoil me.” Noah’s taste buds were really yearning for another sip of the beautiful brown nectar sitting atop his fiancée’s ass. ”Unless she means in the bedroom? Well of course she means in the bedroom – gotta step it up there Eklund- girls like this take work.” He wasn’t quite sure what to make of his last comment. It could have been the red wine from earlier and the hearty sip of whiskey but had he detected a slight tone change in the last word? Chuckling, he pulled Emme closer and proceeded to give her a quick kiss to the lips. “She knows what she has my friend,” he said, pulling away and looking back at Ashton. “Don’t you worry about that.” Releasing his arm from the man’s shoulder, he switched the rocks glass to the now free one and took the second sip he had been yearning for. “Now that we have these pleasantries over with, shall we all take a seat? Maybe got some appetizers for the table? If you’re paying for this Wentworth I want to make sure I squeeze every little knut out of you.” Stepping behind Emme, he moved his hand up to the small of her back and gave her a slight tap. “After you darling.”

Following behind her as she took the few steps to the round table, Noah held up one finger from his whiskey glass towards Ashton. “Ahh ahh,” he warned, “ladies always take the first seat.” Taking his other hand from her back, he pulled her chair out and allowed her to sit before pushing her towards the table. “I would do the same for you Wentworth,” he teased, pulling out his own chair, “but I have to make sure my girl knows she’s number one in my life.”

[Kaydence Morgan]

Bringing her hand next to her chin on Noah’s shoulder, Kaydence peered at Ashton while she awaited his response. He looked so…different tonight. His short hair had been brushed, for starters, and slicked back. She was always a sucker for a man with slicked back hair. Moving her eyes down, she took in his black suit and skinny tie. He looked as if he had come from one of her fashion catalogues that she loved to peruse through. She was tempted to tease him and see if he felt offended. He looked so…dapper and she liked it. So incredibly handsome. A slight twinge of jealously briefly flared up as she wondered why he had never dressed up like this for her before. He had always refused to go to any sort of nice place with her. Absolutely wouldn’t stand for it. Even when Kaydence had pleaded with him to apparate out of country just for the night. He would always grumble about how she was already spending all of his money on pointless things like interior design and cleaning products for his home. He couldn’t justify throwing away hundreds of gallons on a dinner. Yet here he was now, standing right in front of them dressed like he fit in with her kind of people and it looked easy for him to do so. Hell, even Noah hadn’t even worn a tie.

”Emmeline?” Her gaze moved back up to him, her eyes flashing a warning, or attempting one. Kaydence had no idea what he was doing here. Ashton knew somewhat, at this point, why she was. She had never mentioned Noah by name during their interaction in the alley. She had never told him about how she had changed her identity. This was all new to him as his being their dinner guest was to her. It appeared they both had quite a few secrets being kept from Noah besides the obvious ones from themselves. She was going to be very interested in finding out why he was here and what his relation to her fiancé was. If this was a business deal, how was Ashton involved? Why was he involved? Was Noah aware of the ties he had to the Ministry? Her anxiety was threatening to creep in but was somehow being kept at bay by how light-headed she was feeling. Kaydence knew it was there but was completely incapable of focusing directly on it like she normally did. ”Nice to meet you.” As he winked at her, it took all she could to not smile in response. Instead, she gave him a brisk nod from Noah’s shoulder. ”Where?” She watched as Noah pretended to be offended. “How rude. I really would have hoped you would have seen the real me by now Wentworth. You’ve broken down barriers no one had before.” If her chin hadn’t been on Noah, Kaydence’s jaw would have surely hung open in disbelief as she watched the two men exchange friendly banter. Surely it wasn’t possible that all these years away had caused Ashton to develop social interaction skills. He had spoken more words in a single setting than what she had been used to that day at the Boardwalk but she hadn’t experienced any of the wit he was showboating with in front of Noah.

She chose to ignore the comments continuously being made about her use of Noah’s money. It had never been a topic of conversation until now. There was no question about how uncomfortable it was making her feel. The fact that Noah was egging it on was bothersome. She hoped he truly didn’t feel this way. If he did, this was the worst place to be letting his feelings known. Feeling his fingers on her rear, she turned to look at him and narrowed her eyes playfully. Ashton was to the side of them enough to not see what he had just done. Strangely, she was glad he hadn’t. ”Unless she means in the bedroom? Well of course she means in the bedroom – gotta step it up there Eklund- girls like this take work.” Even if Noah couldn’t, Kaydence could hear the small emphasis he placed on the last work. Leering at Ashton, he looked back at her. The audacity. What nerve he had to be so subtly condescending. She didn’t have much time to stew on the comment as she felt Noah pull her in for a kiss. ”She knows what she has my friend. Don’t you worry about that.” Looking back to Ashton, she smirked and cocked her head to the side in victory. She did know what she had in Noah. If he had been around her fiancé long enough, he would know why she had been attracted to him from the minute they had met at that club in Sweden. As Noah took his drink, Kaydence wished she also had a glass in her hand. Scanning the table, she had yet to see a bottle of anything for her. Not that she should have been surprised, clearly Ashton hadn’t known she would be Noah’s date.

“Now that we have these pleasantries over with, shall we all take a seat? Maybe get some appetizers for the table? If you’re paying for this Wentworth I want to make sure I squeeze every little knut out of you.” Her brows furrowed in the direction of Ashton. He was paying for this? Given the restaurant, the room, Noah’s favorite whiskey…all of this cost easily thousands of galleons. If that was the case, he had unquestionably been doing very well for himself in the Ministry. Maybe Kaydence would have known this if she had chosen to dig into what he had been up to in her absence. She doubted he was the Minister at this point, given his general abhorrence of his job. Responsibility like that only would have increased his workload and hours away from home. She suspected that was something he would ever allow to happen. It did intrigue her though, what was he doing now where he could afford such an expensive night out? For the past few weeks, she had been so depressed that she had made it a point to avoid the Timestopper that was delivered for Noah each day or do any sort of research that could have mentioned his name. It would have been too hard. Seeing his face scowling on the front page would have only reaffirmed over and over that what they had was finished. She was never going to see him again, until now that was. “After you darling.” Noah’s hand moved to her lower back. Both of her own went to the sides of her gown, picking the fabric up just enough to not trip over as she was guided to the table. ”Ahh ahh. Ladies always take the first seat.” Despite being handsy with her a few moments ago, he truly was the perfect gentleman. She smiled, sitting down into the chair and held on to the sides as she was gently pushed towards the table.

“I would do the same for you Wentworth, but I have to make sure my girl knows she’s number one in my life.” Hearing Noah call her his girl brought back the memory of Kaydence and Ashton’s first weekend together in her old condo. ”Say that you’re my girl.” She bit down on her bottom lip. This was awkward. Had he picked up on that as well? She didn’t dare look him in the face. Instead, she found the waiter, who was patiently standing off to the side and lifted her hand. “A bottle of your finest sauvignon blanc please.” She may have been feeling relaxed but things were still tense. Drinking all the emotion away seemed like the only saving grace at this point.

[Ashton Wentworth]

. “I really would have hoped you would have seen the real me by now Wentworth. You’ve broken down barriers no one had before.” Ashton made a low noise of something nearing content from the back of his throat. Going right along with the charade that Noah was playing, why wouldn’t he? This whole thing was about keeping Noah happy - and being the person that would make Noah the happiest to keep all suspicions low. Which, had been really easy to do as Noah seemed to like the person that Ashton was when comfortable - right up until this very moment. Seeing him with Kaydence - that was rapidly becoming an issue. Clearly, he had known that she was engaged but he hadn’t wanted to know - anything at all about it. He wanted to know nothing and have her up and leave and let her and all of the memories about her just fade away like a bad memory. “I’m standing right here, Would you mind not talking about me as if I’m not here?” Ashton’s attention was turned back to Noah easily as he spoke - just in time to see that drink holding hand dip behind Kaydence’ back - muscles in Noah’s shoulder tensing and Ashton could venture a guess as to what had just happened given the overly contented look on Kaydence’s face. . “She knows what she has my friend, Don’t you worry about that.” Clearly - he wouldn’t have assumed anything less. All of Ashton’s opinions on the matter no longer had anything to do with Noah whatsoever - it had everything to do with the liar on his arm. In his hand. Whatever. “Now that we have these pleasantries over with, shall we all take a seat? Maybe got some appetizers for the table? If you’re paying for this Wentworth I want to make sure I squeeze every little knut out of you.” That was his line. Ashton was supposed to invite them to the table - he was getting distracted already and he couldn’t have that. He was just - going to have to pretend that Kaydence wasn’t here. Ashton already wouldn’t be able to talk about the details of the trip that Noah was about to take - he couldn’t discuss work at all. Noah had been very obvious in the fact that he didn’t often cross business and pleasure and the fact that he had brought ‘his’ woman was the sign that he was a touch more trusting of Ashton than he had otherwise assumed.

“After you darling.” Ashton was half tempted to pretend like Noah was talking to him for the sake of entertainment, but Kaydence was already moving. Gently guided by the hand behind her back as Ashton had no choice but to follow behind the pairing of them. He could feel that tension threatening his jaw as he moved for his glass. . “Ahh ahh, ladies always take the first seat.” Pausing only to stop from taking his seat, Ashton moved for his whiskey anyway, pulling a cube of ice between his teeth to crunch on it pointedly, needed to let the cold literally cool him off. She hadn’t even done anything - but he was still irritated with her. The fact that she had no control over this situation whatsoever - was of very little consequence. “I would do the same for you Wentworth, I have to make sure my girl knows she’s number one in my life.” Ashton laughed personably. Nodding once as he moved to pull his own chair out with the hand holding his drink and undoing the button on his jacket with the other before moving to sit. Comfortably, Ashton signaled for more whiskey and scooted closer to the table. “Naturally, can’t have her knowing about us just yet, eh Eklund?” There were no menus on the table. Not for a place like this - perhaps the waiter would ask their choice of protein, and perhaps they wouldn’t. A room like this - the chef tended to go out of their way to make sure that the food prepared and offered to them was the finest tasting menu that they could whip up. Merlin knew that Ashton was paying handsomely for it. “A bottle of your finest sauvignon blanc please.” Ashton glanced in her direction, only managing to tolerate a moment before he had to turn back to Noah, “So you’ve been training her already huh?” Another money jab, just about all that he thought that he was going to get away with before it became an actual button pressing issue. “Really though, please - be my guest throughout the dinner. What kind of host wouldn’t make sure that a lady was taken care of?” Ashton leaned forward, wishing very desperately that there was any sort of ashtray in sight - because he wasn’t going to make it through this dinner without a healthy dose of many vices. With Kaydence present - he was already at a loss of things to talk about. “How did you two meet?” Ashton said off hand as the waiter came with more ice for the table - helping himself to a couple cubes and refilling his glass with the bottle on the table. Whiskey was whiskey. Ashton never could understand the huge price tags for the fancy shit. Then again - perhaps he was just too low brow for things like that.

[Noah Eklund]

As soon as he was assured that Emmeline was seated and comfortable, Noah took a seat in his own and scooted forward. It was about the same time Wentworth had followed suit. The party of three were now sitting comfortably around the table. He and Emme closest to each other and Ashton across from them, as it should have been. Noticing Ashton motion for another whiskey, he quickly brought his glass to his lips and finished the remaining Macallan. “Have you ever had liquor so divine, Wentworth?” he asked, eyeballing the waiter as the man brought the bottle to the table. “I’ll answer that for you. No, you have not.” He grinned, watching his friend uncork the bottle and begin the slow and steady pour. Given how often Ashton railed on him for spending money on what he deemed to be such “frivolous” things, he was going to enjoy watching him take glass after glass of the expensive whiskey. Hopefully after tonight, he would realize that it was okay to spend money and have a night out every once in a while. Merlin knew he was going to have enough money to do so after he turned over the artifact to him. Maybe he would finally realize that he had worked hard enough to live a fairly luxurious life if he wanted. Perhaps he could even convince the man in taking a boy’s weekend yacht excursion with him off the coast of Italy at some point after all of this was over with.

”Naturally, can’t have her knowing about us just yet, eh Eklund?” Noah’s eyes darted to his fiancée who was seeming particularly interested in the tablecloth. “No, I figured it was best I just sprung you both on each other. Figured it’d be best to let the shock hit at the same time.” If only he knew the true impact the meeting of the two would actually have on each other, it would have been one he would have never allowed to happen. ”A bottle of your finest sauvignon blanc please.” He leaned forward, taking the bottle of whiskey from Ashton as he finished pouring himself a glass. It was rude for the two men to be drinking while Emme hadn’t even had a sip of anything but Noah figured she’d forgive him knowing how much he enjoyed this stuff. ”So you’ve been training her already huh?” He chuckled, placing the cork back into the bottle and leaning back into his chair. “I have done no such thing,” he replied, draping an arm over the back of his fiancée’s chair. “This just comes naturally to her. Though I probably should have given you a heads up I was bringing her with me. Should have prepared you for spending even more than you thought you would.” He gave Emme’s shoulder a small squeeze. Noah knew she was probably getting tired of being jokingly labelled as a gold-digger and if he didn’t stop himself and Ashton soon he was really going to be in for it the first chance they got to be alone. He damn sure wasn’t planning on spending the rest of their night fighting. Their blowout earlier had been enough to last him for the rest of the year. Though both of the stressors the couple were facing was likely to be the blame for that one. They both needed to just have a night to relax. Well, he needed to at least get to Emmeline’s level.

”Really though, please – be my guest throughout the dinner What kind of host wouldn’t make sure that a lady was taken care of.” Noah raised his glass to Ashton. “Hear hear!” he half-toasted, before taking another drink. “Wentworth, if I wasn’t seeing it with my own two eyes or hearing it with my own two ears, “I would have never actually believed that you were a gentleman. Looks can deceive.” He did value that the man was making sure his fiancée felt as if she was being tended to. He loved her very much and only always wanted to make sure she received the best treatment. As the waiter came back to the table with a bucket of ice as well as Emmeline’s bottle of vino, he exhaled deeply and watched as the man began the bottle service process. He turned the label towards Emme, announcing it as he did. Keeping the label faced towards her, he effortlessly peeled foil off around the lip. He then used a bottle opener to twist the cork out of the bottle gently before pouring her the first sip. Noah watched intently as Emme took her sip, knowing damn well she would send the expensive bottle back if it weren’t even the slightest to her liking. ”It’s perfect. Thank you.” Noah celebrated with her by taking another sip of his own. The waiter poured the white wine into her glass, stopping when it was at the standard pour but she was having none of it. ”Fill it up a bit more please.” His eyebrow raised. Her magic pill must have really put her completely at ease to not be so proper around the men. “That’s my girl,” he encouraged, “not letting the boys out do her!”

”How did you two meet?” Their love story had been a simple one. Boy sees girl at a club. Boy goes to girl. Boy dismisses another boy trying to get to his girl. Boy and girl fall in love. “It was almost a decade ago it feels like,” Noah began to answer, looking directly at Wentworth and not at all seeing the glare Emme was giving him from behind her wine glass. “We met a club back home in Sweden which seems to be the new age thing to do nowadays, huh? She was wearing a tight little purple number and I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her, just like all the other gents around her. She was getting hassled when she-“ He looked at Emme and winked “let me “speak for her”. The rest was history.” He tilted his head back for another swig from the glass, relishing the memory of her making the man at the bar feel like a complete idiot. She was so cute when she belittled people. Turning his attention back to his fiancée, Noah frowned when he noticed her glaring across the table at Wentworth. “Emmeline, why are you staring at him like that?” Had Wentworth done something to her? Or was she seeing something behind him? He hoped it was the former and that he hadn’t switched the pills he intended on her taking tonight. Otherwise he was going to have alot of explaining to do tonight.

[Kaydence Morgan]

As the two men seated themselves, Kaydence made it a point not to listen in on their conversation about whiskey. She had never cared too much for brown liquors. They always gave her splitting headaches the next morning. Rum had always been her go to. Fruity ones in particular. As she had gotten older, she had developed more of a palette for wine, just like her mother had. She didn’t really have a preference to red or whites. She went with whatever the mood was calling for. Truthfully, the mood tonight was absolutely calling for rum. Hard liquor was a necessity if she was going to deal with Ashton for the next several hours. However, Kaydence knew it was a terrible idea. Although she couldn’t hone in on one specific emotion for longer than a few seconds, liquor tended to either bring out a very aggressive or happy side to her. She truly had no idea which one the two men would see tonight and didn’t care to tempt fate. Wine would get her drunk just fine and make her sleepy. She could easily tell Noah that she was too tired to go after dinner and the two should simply head back home to fuck. He wanted them to have a night out but she also knew that the promise of sex would sway him more in getting what she wanted. She supposed she could have also told him her and Ashton were once lovers and that could have ended things then and there. That wasn’t a discussion she had any interest in having with him though. Ever.

”Naturally, can’t have her knowing about us just yet, eh Eklund?” She forced herself to look at the tablecloth to prevent the heavy eye roll pleading with her to let it have its way. He sounded so fucking fake. He had to have known that she saw past the bullshit. “No, I figured it was best I just sprung you both on each other. Figured it’d be best to let the shock hit at the same time.” Noah’s comment finally made her bring her eyes from the table. “Well that’s certainly a way to do it. Had to bring us both out in public so we wouldn’t cause a scene?” Kaydence finally asked, looking from both men, feigning a smile as she did her best to control her tone. ”So you’ve been training her already huh?” Her fiancé better not respond to that. “I have done no such thing. This just comes naturally to her. Though I probably should have given you a heads up I was bringing her with me. Should have prepared you for spending even more than you thought you would.” Rolling her bottom lip into her mouth, Kaydence bit down a little too hard on it, wincing as she did so. The comforting squeeze Noah gave to her shoulder did not have its expected effect. So many insults sat on her tongue. She was bad at spending money? How about this stupid dinner that she was not paying for? How about the bottles of expensive whiskey that sat on the table in front of them? She wasn’t going to drink them so those weren’t for her. She was beginning to feel spiteful, for however that would last before some other emotion took hold. They thought she spent too much money? She was very capable of making this night A LOT more expensive for the both of them if they really wanted to play that game.

Kaydence looked over her shoulder. Where was the waiter with her wine? ”Really though, please – be my guest throughout the dinner What kind of host wouldn’t make sure that a lady was taken care of.” Ignoring Noah’s toast, she looked back to Ashton. Cocking her head to the side, she smirked. “Wentworth, if I wasn’t seeing it with my own two eyes or hearing it with my own two ears…I would have never actually believed that you were a gentleman. Looks can deceive.” If Noah only knew. “Now now darling,” she said, smiling at Noah. “You can tell he’s trying. It seems he really wants to impress you. Don’t ruin the moment for him.” Before she could gauge Ashton’s reaction, the waiter reappeared next to her with the bottle she had requested. ”Pavillon Blanc du Chateau Margaux from Bordeaux ma’am.” As he presented the label to her, Kaydence nodded. She always fancied the presentation of a wine bottle. It was that little extra that made the wine that much more enjoyable. Eager to take the testing sip, she quickly picked up the glass and swirled it, watching the numerous legs slowly creep down the insides of the glass. High alcohol content. Good. Bringing the glass to her nose, she closed her eyes and sniffed at it. She wasn’t really interested in the smell at this point, just trying to put on a show and be polite. Once appearing satisfied, she opened her lips and finished the small pour in one sip. ”It’s perfect. Thank you.” Kaydence really was in no mood to critique the acidity. She just wanted to get drunk and fast.

The waiter began pouring her wine, stopping at about 4 ounces. “Fill it up a bit more please.” The man obliged, filling just above halfway. Kaydence would have preferred the entire glass full but she supposed she needed some to last a few more minutes. She didn’t want Noah scolding her for being impolite. “That’s my girl. Not letting the boys out do her!” She grabbed the glass by the stem and inclined her head in a toast to both of them. “Something like that.” Closing her eyes yet again, she took a hearty sip. She would have really preferred to have enjoyed the wine from start to finish but too much else was going on to focus on the complexity of the vino. ”How did you two meet?” Eyes shooting open, her look shot daggers at Ashton. How handsome he looked tonight could do nothing to cover the pompous asshole he always was. She should have known that son of a bitch was going to ask that. It was none of his business. NONE of it. He had made that very clear when they had last left in the alleyway. Neither had been interested in telling the other what they had been up to over the years. He had made it evident he had no interest in knowing her history with her unknown fiancé at the time. What was he trying to pull? “It was almost a decade ago it feels like.” Eight years ago to be exact. Of course he was going to answer. Of course Noah was going to gloat. “We met a club back home in Sweden which seems to be the new age thing to do nowadays, huh? She was wearing a tight little purple number and I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her, just like all the other gents around her. She was getting hassled when she let me “speak for her”. The rest was history.” She met Noah’s gaze long enough to smirk at his wink but the minute he stopped looking at her, Kaydence continued to glare at Ashton over the wine glass that had instinctively found its way back to her lips.

Of all people to know their story, Ashton was not the one who needed to. He didn’t deserve it. It didn’t fucking matter. Anything that needed to be said had been said weeks ago and that should have been that. “Emmeline, why are you staring at him like that?” Completely unaware that Noah had been watching her, she forced her features to soften. Offering him a meek smile, she turned back to Ashton, quickly needing to think of an excuse as not to raise Noah’s suspicions to anything. Fortunately, she saw something that could. “I’m sorry Mr. Wentworth, but your collar is turned half up and its been bothering me ever since I noticed it. Since we just met each other, it would have been rude for me to adjust but I suppose I have still been rude for staring at it for longer than I realized instead of asking you to fix it.” She set her wine glass on the table. “So could you…fix it?” To her relief, her fiancé began laughing. ”Wentworth, I apologize for my fiancée. She gets fixated easily on things that aren’t in place. I’m fairly certain she has OCD.” Laughing herself, she threw her hands up halfway. “I just can’t help myself. I just like things in order.” Something Ashton knew very well. Leaning into the table, she placed her hands on her elbows and looked across the table. “So, Mr. Wentworth. I think its only fair to tell how you two met as well.”

[Ashton Wentworth]

“No, I figured it was best I just sprung you both on each other. Figured it’d be best to let the shock hit at the same time.” Ashton laughed into the brim of his glass, already ready to have the rest of this evening over with. He was ready to move on with this night and have it done - he was ready to have Noah leave right now so that Kaydence would leave shortly afterward. More than before he was ready to have this job over and done with so that it wasn’t something he needed to think about any longer. Sitting here - it could ruin absolutely everything. Piss her off too bad and Ashton highly doubted that it was going to matter to her that he could tell her little beau exactly who she was and what family she came from. He didn’t think she would stop to consider the consequences whatsoever before popping off at the handle. If she said the wrong thing - Ashton was certain that his cover story would hold. He was certain that the fact that he used to work for the ministry wouldn’t bother Noah - because he already knew about it. Kaydence should know so as well, but given that she wasn’t using her real name, and Noah had been reluctant to speak about them in too many details - Ashton didn’t know just how open they were with one another about their real lives and feelings. Which - clearly lead to a super sturdy relationship base. ”Well that’s certainly a way to do it. Had to bring us both out in public so we wouldn’t cause a scene?” Since when did that ever stop Kaydence? What sort of person was she pretending to be exactly? There was no way that Noah could look him in the eye, say that Kaydence was well behaved at all times in public, and have Ashton believe him. In truth, he was already going back over each and every small detail about their relationship that he had ever been told - and questioning everything.


“I have done no such thing. This just comes naturally to her. Though I probably should have given you a heads up I was bringing her with me. Should have prepared you for spending even more than you thought you would.” Naturally indeed. Noah couldn’t know how fucking true that statement was. A warning would have been nice, not even for the Kaydence aspect of it but just because he would have known not to discuss work. He would have been better prepared with conversational topics. Money would be of no consequence tonight - because it couldn’t be. Ashton needed to get his head back in the game - and there was no getting around that. “Wentworth, if I wasn’t seeing it with my own two eyes or hearing it with my own two ears, I would have never actually believed that you were a gentleman. Looks can deceive.” Ashton scoffed around another sip of whiskey and shook his head, adjusting himself in the seat. “I’m a handsome devil and you know it.” it wasn’t a lie. Ashton would never had been able to live the life that he had, if he hadn’t been good looking. He was attractive in a nearly conventional way, built well. Rugged enough to pass on a motorcycle - had been told that whole rebel without a care thing worked for him. It was literally his only redeeming quality, in his own opinion. “You can tell he’s trying. It seems he really wants to impress you. Don’t ruin the moment for him.” Ashton nodded, somebody needed to feed him, and now damnit. “That’s right - don’t ruin my moment Eklund, that’s not what I pay you for.” Ashton winked in Noah’s direction, checking toward the door to see if there was any distraction in the form of food coming their way. Alas, none to be seen. Just the three of them, alone, in this very private room.


“Fill it up a bit more please.” “That’s my girl, not letting the boys out do her!”“Something like that.” Yes. Drink it up. Drink all the overpriced wine that you could possibly want because it wasn’t going to help her escape this room any more quickly than he was going to be able to. They were both stuck here for their various reasons. Ashton certainly wasn’t planning on making this any easier for her. He was very pleased with the way that she was glaring daggers at her. Self satisfied even though he could hardly see it out of the corner of his eye. “It was almost a decade ago it feels like,” A decade? Ashton couldn’t help but to wonder if that was literal or just a guesstimation. If it was literal - then the pair of them had overlapped for at years. Had she been with both of them? Had she only been with Ashton to kill time? Was Ashton in fact, the other man? If it was just an expression - it was a cruel one. Didn’t matter in that moment that Noah was just being conversational. “We met a club back home in Sweden which seems to be the new age thing to do nowadays, huh? She was wearing a tight little purple number and I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her, just like all the other gents around her. She was getting hassled when she- let me ...speak for her”. Ashton had only been the a handful of train stations in sweden. Passing through really, never had spent any amount of time. Certainly not enough to claim to be familiar with the area, or anything about it. ” The rest was history.” Ah, such an ‘organic’ meeting and not nearly enough details to satiate Ashton’s curiosity. Now, it was Ashton’s turn to return the glare that Kaydence had started. Intent as she was to bore a hole of fire directly through his head, she was the unwelcome party here - not him. Not this time.


“Emmeline, why are you staring at him like that?” Ah, so her little tantrum had gotten her caught. Good. It was a rather impressive feat actually, the way that her features softened so quickly under Noah’s attention. Had him all sorts of wrapped all around her fingers didn’t she? “I’m sorry Mr. Wentworth, but your collar is turned half up and its been bothering me ever since I noticed it. Since we just met each other, it would have been rude for me to adjust but I suppose I have still been rude for staring at it for longer than I realized instead of asking you to fix it.” Ashton’s attention lowered, attempting to catch a glimpse of his alleged collar flip up, and of course failing. Setting his whiskey glass on the table softly and lifted his hand to his collar, feeling around the stiff rim until he found the offending section with a soft smile. “So could you…fix it?” That was really the best that she could come up with? Out of all of everything...his collar? Ashton’s finger ran over that crooked spot and finally acquiesced, flipping it back down into it’s place with a bemused laugh. ”Wentworth, I apologize for my fiancée. She gets fixated easily on things that aren’t in place. I’m fairly certain she has OCD.” Another fucking understatement. There was no ‘fairly’ certain about any of it. She had it - in droves. Those droves had buckets more - it was an abundance. “I just can’t help myself. I just like things in order.” Ashton was very careful not to meet her gaze when she leant forward, all cleavage and fucking skin. God damned harlot. “So, Mr. Wentworth. I think its only fair to tell how you two met as well.” Ashton shrugged, leaning back in his chair and diverting to Noah for half a moment. It was a strange position to put him into - considering that Ashton didn’t want to say anything that would jeopardize their working relationship. How desperately he wanted to lock eyes with her - and inform her that her little boy toy was working for him. For all intents and purposes - Ashton had hired him to do a job, and Noah to provide a service for him. He would have relished the look of surprise that was going to no doubt cross over her features when it did - but he couldn’t risk it. Not without knowing what Noah said to her, how much of his life was private from her or not. “Geeze honey, how did we meet?” Ashton’s brow pinched, looking for absolutely any clue as to what Noah would be comfortable with Ashton divulgeing to Kaydence - Emmeline - whoever the fuck she actually was. “It was a dark and stormy night one september I believe,” he started, clearly teasing. “We locked eyes across a sand dune - and lightning struck somewhere in my cold, dead, heart.” Ashton almost couldn’t contain himself with the utter bullshit that he was sprouting. Eyes alight with mirth his blue eyes were practically shining, lifting his glass toward Noah in a half toast, his tone sombering just a touch. “Business associates?” clearly locked onto Noah’s own eyes, waiting for direction before giving out details.

[Noah Eklund]

If asked what was one of his favorite things about his fiancée, Noah would have to comb through a list to pick the thing he admired most. Her beauty, naturally. Emmeline, to this day, was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. She was a squared-jawed, blue eyed, blonde-haired, legs for days knockout. Her wit, she was certainly clever. Very quick on her toes when it came to humor. Her motherly instinct. Her love for their son knew no bounds. If he really had to pull at one though, it was her honesty. Sometimes almost too honest. Emme wasn’t afraid to say what was on her mind. Not once had Noah ever met a woman like her who wasn’t afraid of containing her outspoken personality. She was the only person he wanted to critique his business attire. Whenever he wanted to make a big purchase. She was the only one who would tell him that his need for a five-car garage when he didn’t even drive one was stupid (she had agreed on a three car one though). Mostly, he could always tell what she was thinking. She would always make her feelings on a subject very clear, leaving no puzzles for him to spend hours putting together. Noah was big on words. Perhaps that’s why they got on so well was because their love language was the same, words of affirmation. Even when it got under his skin, he always appreciated that she was truthful with him.

Truthful with others in public though? Although not a deal breaker, a trait of Emmeline’s that he often had difficulty allowing her to do for so long. While he wasn’t the type to sit back and not call a bastard out on his bullshit, Noah tended to have better table manners than his other half. He could barely count the numbers of dinner dates that had ended with the other woman leaving in tears for Emme’s overly petty behavior. Truthfully, it was part of the reason why he never wanted her involved with his professional life. He had yet to show her poker face, if she even had one, an attribute he could absolutely not allow someone to not have working under him. He could imagine taking her to a meeting, mortified as he watched her cross her arms and roll her eyes when a bidding war was going on. Perhaps it was wrong to think, but his lady had done little to prove else in their long time together. It wasn’t like he was ashamed of her. That could have been further from the truth. He just wished that she could put her dislike for people on the backburner for the entire duration of a dinner date without singling someone out. Just like the situation playing out in front of Noah right now. Hadn’t even known Wentworth fifteen minutes and already she was honing in on a flaw. “I’m sorry Mr. Wentworth, but your collar is turned half up and its been bothering me ever since I noticed it. Since we just met each other, it would have been rude for me to adjust but I suppose I have still been rude for staring at it for longer than I realized instead of asking you to fix it.” An upturned collar? That really pressing of a matter?

Laughing, Noah quickly pushed himself up from his seat. ”Wentworth, I apologize for my fiancée. She gets fixated easily on things that aren’t in place. I’m fairly certain she has OCD.” He shot a look at Emmeline. ”I just can’t help myself. I just like things in order.” Understatement. The witch sitting next to him had color-coordinated their entire closets after a two-day project. He hoped Ashton would cast off her reaction as only a slight bump for their night. He also hoped Ashton could tell how equally embarrassed he was of her glaring. Maybe he shouldn’t have gave her the damn pill after all. No, he definitely should have done that. If he hadn’t, it was very likely Emmeline would have subtly belittled the man mercilessly from the minute they walked into the door. “So, Mr. Wentworth. I think it’s only fair to tell how you two met as well.” Noah cleared his throat as he shifted nervously in his seat, taking a drink large enough to finish his second glass and then pouring his third one. He and Wentworth had not discussed how to approach their association if the matter was ever pressed by a third party. He had especially given the man no warning that he would be bringing his fiancée, the very personal part of his life kept separate from his work one. He had made it very clear several times to Ashton that his family and business were kept secret. His family was simply off-limits. He treated work the same towards Emme. She could ask how his day was, and he would respond, but if she pried on to where he went or who he met, Noah would go silent. It was vital for her to be oblivious. Given her paranoid nature, he couldn’t risk the images she would force to play out in her head. Or even risk talking about top secret matters with individuals who did not have that sort of clearance.

Placing three more rocks in his glass, Noah quickly the contents of his glass with his pinky finger. A quick way to cool down the temperature of the liquor. Popping his finger into mouth to suck off the whiskey residue, he took it out and replaced it again with his glass. He leaned back, holding his glass with his right and propping his left elbow up to place his fingers on his chin that rested at the bases. “Geeze honey, how did we meet? He blinked moving his fingers away from his mouth in a shrug before bringing them back.”It was a dark and stormy night one September I believe.” Noah smiled. Good start.”We locked eyes across a sand dune – and lightening struck my dead, dead heart. He wanted badly to laugh as Ashton looked to him, instead choosing to turn his face and covered it with his palm in a silent chuckle. Moving his hand away back to normal position, he met eyes with his friend as he rose his own glass from his right hand. ”Business associates?” He brought the glass back to his lips. “Penpals who discovered we had a lot of the same interests. So we met to decide if we were the two best friends that any could have.” He opened enough to let a small sip filter in and down his throat. The buzz would be coming shortly. He was already starting to feel a little warm. Hopefully the food was on its way soon to soak up some of the alcohol. He could really use a bread basket of some sort. “Emmeline, I’ll have you know Ashton was a race car driver in his former life. He’s taken me for a few spins in his little muscle car and only nearly crashed five times. He’s got a need for speed so to say.” Noah hoped his attempt to deter the subject wouldn’t go unnoticed.

[Kaydence Morgan]

Not a single part of this meeting was going well. If Kaydence was smart, she would have made up some excuse about not feeling well and took one of the guards with her back home. That would have been the wise thing to do. Ashton and her both knew damn well that they couldn’t be in close proximity to each other like this when they were upset with the other. It wasn’t good for any other parties around them. They were both good at forgetting that other people seemed to exist when they started going in on one another. This was absolutely not one of those places. Noah was absolutely not the person to have outcasted. Kaydence really needed to pull herself together. He would tolerate her pettiness for only so long. She always appreciated how he accepted her for who he thought she was day in and day out. The one thing she had never been able to lose, despite making honest attempts to work on, was her sharp tongue and blatant disregard for the people on the receiving end of it. If Noah was only aware of their past history, he would understand that Ashton could take every ounce of whatever she spat at him. He could give it back just as well and then some. But that’s what she needed to remember. He wasn’t. And he wasn’t going to be. A fact that was for his own good. And theirs as well.

Wrapping her fingers around the stem of her glass, Kaydence took a drink from it as she awaited Ashton’s response while he fumbled with his collar. She was curious as to what he’d say, what he’d be allowed to say. Noah avoided the topic of business in her presence. Always had. She knew it was for her own good. She was aware that his business dealings weren’t limited to just antiques. There was no way with the amount of money that came into his hands at the frequency it did. She had never asked questions though, well, after he had told her he had no interest in discussing his daily business affairs…several times of course. Shady behavior to some but Kaydence didn’t feel justified in pursuing the matter given her own shady past she also refused to talk about. It wasn’t the healthiest of communication between them. It had just always worked. It was best she didn’t know all of his dealings anyway. Mingling with dangerous people, being in possession of items he probably shouldn’t…she wasn’t stupid. He likely did things that could put her and Lukas in jeopardy more often then he would ever admit. All she had to do was keep looking at the smug son of a bitch across from her to prove that. Did he know that Ashton worked for the Ministry? If so, was the Ministry involved in whatever they were doing? Merlin she hoped not. Given her unknown status with the country, it was incredibly fucking risky for him to be involved. She left a wanted woman. Kaydence figured that kind of stuff didn’t just change overnight. It just seemed like a recipe for fucking disaster Noah being involved with the government somehow. A fleeting moment of panic washed over her and she forced herself to take another drink to calm her weary nerves.

“Geeze honey, how did we meet?” How she wanted to roll her eyes so bad. Instead, Kaydence kept the smirk on her face and continued staring wide-eyed at Ashton. Clearly, he was struggling with unknown boundaries as well. She would love for him to slip up and spill all the little details of how they met, how long they’ve been in contact and just what the hell they were working on together. ”It was a dark and stormy night one September I believe.” She found herself trailing off. Could it be that he had actually found her long ago? That he was working undercover to infiltrate their relationship and get to her? Her nails began drumming nervously on the tabletop. It wasn’t completely off the wall. Ashton was a vengeful man. With his Ministry connects, it was not at all strange to think that somehow, someway he had found her long ago and was just waiting for his moment to strike. To destroy everything she had worked so hard at building after her new start. Of course, he would never admit to doing it in the alley. It would be too early to blow his cover. Was he biding his time before arresting her here and making a scene? Would he take Noah with her? Who would watch over Lukas while they got everything figured out? Mikkhal more than likely but Kaydence couldn’t stand the thought of being away from her son for the extended amount of time it would take to get all of her affairs in order. Merlin this was an awful train of thought to have gotten lost in. Maybe she should have gotten rum after all. She wasn’t sure this wine was going to be strong enough to deal with getting tossed into Azkaban again tonight.

Brining the glass to her lips again, Kaydence drained its contents and looked over to the server to pour her another glass. Hopefully he had enough sense to give her the same pour as before. ”We locked eyes across a sand dune – and lightening struck my dead, dead heart.” Again, wanted to roll her eyes n the worst way but refrained. “What a romantic story,” she commented, focusing her line of sight on the wine bottle coming in her direction. ”Business associates?” She turned to look at Noah. “Penpals who discovered we had a lot of the same interests. So we met to decide if we were the two best friends that any could have.” Kaydence frowned. “What sort of interests were those?” She was terribly intrigued. Terribly unhappy. Nothing about Noah’s business should have involved Ashton at all. Maybe it was a subtle way of getting close to her again. She could hear the sound of wine being poured into the glass from next to her. “Emmeline, I’ll have you know Ashton was a race car driver in his former life. He’s taken me for a few spins in his little muscle car and only nearly crashed five times. He’s got a need for speed so to say.” And the block. Noah had taken it upon himself to shut down that conversation just as quickly as it had started. She should have figured. As the waiter finished pouring her glass, Kaydence brought it in front of her. The feeling of light-headedness was more prevalent then ever. Tilting her head to the side, she slowly ran her nails down the right side of her neck. She felt so fucking uneasy. “A speed demon eh?” she asked, pretending to scold. “Ashton, I hope you’ll take it easy on my poor fiancé. He does have a wedding to attend to after all in a few short weeks.” She swore that if the next comment out of his mouth was about him being the best man or some nonsense, she was going to completely lose it.

[Ashton Wentworth]

It was interesting to watch, the way that Noah was so very subtly attempting to make up for Kaydence’s - Emmeline’s transgressions. As far as ‘Emmeline’ knew, the pair of them were just associates, a friend that Noah had clearly made in the time that they had been here. As far as she knew - for the role that she was playing, she was being very rude. Ashton had no choice but to wonder if this had happened before? Had she ever been invited out on business dinners? With the way that Noah was flaunting her, Ashton had to assume that the answer to that was yes. Was she acting out of character for ‘Emmeline’? Ashton had only been out in public a handful of times with Kaydence - but her temper, (when it wasn’t directed at him personally) was always something that had amused him to no end. He could recall a morning where he had talked her into meeting him at a diner. It must have been three in the morning, but he had been working late and he had wanted to see her. Didn’t get to take her out often, and not only had she actually shown up - seated in the booth when he had gotten there - seated on the booth but only touching the parts of the booth that were covered by the colorful silk headscarf. Her legs had been crossed, ankle twitching in anger - her arms folded in front of her body and a scowl set so deeply in her features that he could do nothing but smile. He could remember perfectly, he had slid into the booth across from her - remarking about her jeans were torn - and had that been on purpose. She had barked at him - physically barked that it was on fashion and that he would know that if he didn’t live under a rock all of the time. She had proceeded to go on about the coffee and how disgusting it was. That she had ordered food because he was late - and then her tangent moved onto him and his boots - to the color of the walls and the general state of the building that he had just forced her to be in. Ashton had slouched into the booth, putting his legs out across the space under the table and resting his boots on the booth by her thigh, rocking them into her hip just about the time that poor waitress had come up with apparently, the fourth brewing of Kaydence’s latte ...and Kay had lost her whole, entire, mind. It shouldn’t have been endearing - he shouldn’t have found it as...everything, as it was. He couldn’t help it - he had sat there watching her roast this woman alive with cruel words...but Kaydence still hadn’t left. She had sat there in a place that she had hated - bitter, and angry, and she had done it for him. He had even managed to coax half a waffle down her throat before she had lost her mind. Laughing and sputtering and coughing bits of waffle at him. Naturally, after that night neither of them had ever been allowed back in that diner again, but it had been so worth it.

Did she have moments like that with Noah?

“What a romantic story,” Noah was shifting in his seat, moving and helping himself to more liquor. While Ashton had come to know that Noah was a man who did enjoy his recreational activities to get him through any number of situations - he wasn’t sure if this was another situation that he had to ‘get through’ with her. Ashton knew that ring had been compensating for something. He had fucking knew it. It was an actual, physical struggle, to keep his grin from his features as that realization dawned on him fully. The air in the room was quickly getting thicker and it had absolutely nothing to do with the tension between himself and Kaydence anymore - it was exhilarating. Grateful whenever Noah took the pressure off of himself, and back to himself and the way that he was choosing to conduct his affairs within his own relationship. He had never known Kaydence to abide by himself to have secrets from her. She had always asked a dozen questions or more (after their last names had been established, of course. Had been secret city before then) about where he was going, what he was doing - when he would be back. Was that just because it was him? Was it because she hadn’t ever really trusted him? Was it because she was cooped up inside of his house for so many hours a day? Questions that he would never be allowed to have answers to. “Penpals who discovered we had a lot of the same interests. So we met to decide if we were the two best friends that any could have.” Sure. Something like that. It was accurate enough anyway. Close enough that it was passable and Ashton wasn’t forced to come up with any sort of story on the subject. “What sort of interests were those?” There was no way that he could touch that subject - couldn’t even look in her direction. There should have been food already damnit. That would have been a much better distraction than all of the rest of this.

“Emmeline, I’ll have you know Ashton was a race car driver in his former life. He’s taken me for a few spins in his little muscle car and only nearly crashed five times. He’s got a need for speed so to say.” It would have been so easy for him to have turned the conversation sexual yet again, but the air was too heavy. “A speed demon eh?” Ashton’s eyes cut to Kaydence - bitterness rising in his throat like bile - what was that supposed to mean? Thankfully, she kept talking and he was able to move past it before he was caught by Noah too. . “Ashton, I hope you’ll take it easy on my poor fiancé. He does have a wedding to attend to after all in a few short weeks.” Ashton nodded, “So soon?” He sat up in his chair. “Don’t worry - I’ve promised to go easy on him from the beginning.” Didn’t need her rubbing her little relationship in his face any more than that ring was doing every fucking time that she moved.


Thankfully, moments later there was a knock on the double doors to announce the presence of hopefully waitstaff - the doors swinging open moments later with a cheese trays and some sort of sampling something or another that he couldn’t have placed for the life of him. The man stopped beside their table to place water glasses at each of their place settings and a rather awkward silence fell between the lot of them. ”I do hope that you’ll enjoy - our chef has taken great pride in planning something...truly special for you all tonight. Before he delivers any items - we must ask if there are any life threatening allergies to be noted?” Ashton swallowed heavy another large gulp of whiskey. Damned it if wasn’t fucking palatable. He didn’t want to admit to Noah that he was right about that - and wouldn’t, not for the world. “Pecans.” Not that Ashton was allergic himself, not in the slightest - but Kaydence was. Ashton had phrased it in such a way as if he were speaking for himself, that he was the one - but it was something that Kaydence wouldn’t be allowed to miss because he had always been - real mean about it. It had always seemed funny at the time - but then always ended with her screaming because of his blatant disregard for her life all of the time. Which never was the point - but funny regardless. “Eklund?” Ashton waited for him to speak and then offered a charming smile to the waiter. “What do you think the chances of us getting an ashtray or two for the table here is a possibility?” The man seemed to fret for just a moment before folding his hands carefully in front of his person and nodded,“Of course Mr. Wentworth, I’ll be right back with that and your first course should be out shortly.” Ashton nodded, his hand reaching out to take those clasped in front of the waiter with a wink, sliding a couple coins into his palm subtly, mostly anyway. “Thanks.” Just pulling another card right out of Noah's playbook.

[Noah Eklund]

If the exchange with Emmeline had bothered him, Ashton made no indication. Noah figured it was safe to assume at this point. Or, if it had, he was simply attempting to be respectful of him and his choice in psychotic women. He celebrated by taking another sip of his whiskey. “A speed demon eh? Ashton, I hope you’ll take it easy on my poor fiancé. He does have a wedding to attend to after all in a few short weeks.” Leaning forward, he placed his glass to the table and scooted closer to Emme. He took her hand and rubbed the tops of her fingers. “I would say I’d let Ashton take my place but I’ve put too much devotion and money into you to just go away that easy. That’s why I’ve secretly charmed the hot rod to be equipped with a parachute should this idiot casually drive us off of a cliff.” Noah looked over to his friend and grinned. ”So soon? Don’t worry – I’ve promised to go easy on him from the beginning.” He was half tempted to lean across the table and grab Ashton’s hand. Then he would make some joke about not fighting and he can both love them equally but decided against it. Taking his own away from Emme, he replaced it back on his whiskey glass and downed the rest of its contents. “We’ve been together too long already my friend,” he commented, uncorking the bottle and pouring. “I’m done with the engagement. I just want to be married and call her my wife.” He wanted to also mention how the family of three would finally be legalized but he didn’t dare go there. His fiancée would shut him down immediately if he mentioned anything about Lukas.

The knock to the doors shook him a bit as he was replacing the cork, nearly tipping the rest of the Macallan bottle over in the process. He just hadn’t been expecting it. As water glasses were being dispersed and the waiter was going through his whole spiel, Noah was too busy focusing in on the sampling trays being placed in front of them. Cheeses, crackers and yes, thank Merlin, bread. He chuckled to himself, rubbing his hands together like a hungry child before grabbing a plate. His other dinner guests were beginning to do the same so he hadn’t felt bad about getting a head start. Reaching in towards a row of fresh mozzarella, he stabbed at four of the tiny white balls with toothpicks and set them on his plate. He moved towards the tray again. ”Before he delivers any items – we must ask if there are any allergies to be noted.” Picking up a few pieces of circular shaped crackers, Noah grabbed at a knife surrounded with different jellies. ”Pecans.” Ashton’s voice caught his attention. Pecans? He laughed. “Emme, don’t you have a nut allergy as well? How funny,” he half-heartedly remarked, smearing some red-looking jam onto two of the crackers. ”Eklund?” He placed the crackers on the plate before piercing a few olives to sit next to its other food counterparts. “Nay,” he responded, unfolding his silverware roll and placing his napkin on his lap. “I am apparently the only person in this room with no sort of allergy so I will take whatever they can’t eat. Gladly.” Once situated, he grabbed his fork and began to work on the mozzarella balls. ”What do you think the chances of us getting an ashtray or two for the table here is a possibility.” Fuck that sounded good. Food, drink and a good smoke? Wentworth really knew the way to his heart.

“Good call there mate,” Noah said, swallowing his mouthful of food. ”Thanks.” He watched carefully as Ashton slowly slid some coins into the man’s hand. That was his trick. He taught him that! He beamed like a proud father and celebrated by eating a cracker. Silence fell over the table as the three indulged in a few helpings of food. They were all equally starving. Not soon after, the waiter returned with the two ashtrays that had been requested, placing one in front of himself and the other in front of Wentworth. Once satisfied with his portions for the time being, Noah cleared his throat and reached into the right side of his coat pocket. Concealing the gift he had bought for Ashton earlier, he grabbed his cigarette box from his left side and opened it. Grabbing two hand-rolled cigarettes from his case, he quickly closed it and shoved it back on its side. He extended his hand, giving Ashton one of the sticks. He shoved his own cigarette between his lips. “Rolled with love,” he mumbled, fidgeting with the man’s gift. Making a noise with his throat, he tossed the solid gold cigarette lighter towards Ashton. As the man caught it, Noah went back into his coat and grabbed his matching one from next to his case. Showing his lighter to his friend, he wiggled it as him before bringing his covered hands to his mouth. “Happy early birthday Wentworth. You’ve earned it.” He lit the lighter, puffing until he could feel smoke entering his mouth and snapped the lid shut. Puffing on the stick, he straightened up to pocket his lighter. “You get a gift! You get a gift! Everybody gets a gift!” he exclaimed, suddenly feeling like his head was in the clouds. Noticing a piece of baguette sticking up, he reached for it and proceeded to promptly shove it in his mouth.

[Kaydence Morgan]

Kaydence had picked up her freshly refilled glass of wine and took a sip. “I would say I’d let Ashton take my place but I’ve put too much devotion and money into you to just go away that easy. That’s why I’ve secretly charmed the hot rod to be equipped with a parachute should this idiot casually drive us off of a cliff.” Had Noah’s hand not been on top of hers, she would have spat out the wine in her mouth. Tightening her lips as best as she could, she looked down and forced herself to swallow. What was with her fiancé and the jokes he thought were playful but were actually direct representations of the situation at hand between her and Ashton? ”So soon? Don’t worry – I’ve promised to go easy on him from the beginning.” Kaydence was thankful when Noah had released her hand, using it to pat her chest as she placed her wine glass back on the table. She was beginning to feel better than she had only minutes earlier. The chugging of the previous glass of wine probably had expediated things. Yet the feeling was still not overwhelming enough to allow his comments to simply roll off of her chest. She just really hoped that he wasn’t going to involve their names in the same sentence anymore. Where the fuck was the food?

As if on cue, a knock at the doors. Kaydence placed her hands on her lap and sat up straight, careful not to look at Ashton who had managed to sit down in some stellar lighting. His features even more pronounced then normal. She heard Noah move next to her as he poured himself another glass of whiskey. Three already in the course of twenty minutes. She wanted to scold him and tell him to slow down but knowing how sleepy drinking so fast made him, she refrained. It’d be much easier to tell him that they needed to go home after their dinner. She hoped he wouldn’t make some retreating comment about their sex life as they left. Didn’t want to leave Ashton with the last memory of seeing the two of them together. The shuffle of footsteps sounded around them as wait staff began to flood into the room, placing water glasses and food trays in front of the trio. Kaydence closed her eyes briefly and took a whiff of the delicious aromas levitating atop the food. ”I do hope that you’ll enjoy - our chef has taken great pride in planning something...truly special for you all tonight. Before he delivers any items - we must ask if there are any life threatening allergies to be noted?” Before she could even announce her own, someone beat her to it. ”Pecans.” Her eyes shot open, immediately landing on Ashton. He avoided her gaze, getting his linen napkin ready to unroll from his silverware. A strange feeling came from the pit of her stomach. It had been years since they had been together and yet he remembered that. “Emme, don’t you have a nut allergy as well? How funny.” While Noah couldn’t even remember what nut it was that she was allergic to. Sliding her upper lip atop the bottom, she looked down and did nothing to refrain the smirk that pulled at the corners of her mouth. Pecans had always given Kaydence bad memories of Ashton being a complete asshole, mocking her for her genetic defect. She silently chuckled as she remembered the time he had chased her around the house with a pair of snack pecan pie cakes until she had finally had enough, grabbed the cakes from his hands, instantly feeling her hands begin to swell and shoving them in Ashton’s face.

Still smirking, Kaydence began to help herself to the plates in front of her as her fiancé already had. “Nay. I am apparently the only person in this room with no sort of allergy so I will take whatever they can’t eat. Gladly.” She was glad Noah was distracted enough by the food to not see her expression. ”What do you think the chances of us getting an ashtray or two for the table here is a possibility.” While the idea of being surrounded by a cloud of smoke wasn’t appealing, she was too busy focusing on the grumbling in her stomach to argue. Placing a few pieces of cheese, bread and veggies on her plate, she was about to grab some of the various jellies when something shiny caught the corner of her eye. Looking in Ashton’s direction, Kaydence’s mouth dropped open seeing him give the man some galleons. Tipping? Before the meal is even over? Who the hell was sitting in front of her? This behavior was completely unlike Ashton. Was he trying to impress Noah? She looked over to her fiancée, noticing the weird grin on his face. Apparently. Grabbing the jellies she wanted, she placed them on her plate. Grabbing her knife and fork, she quietly chewed on a piece of roasted zucchini. The two men followed suit and she was grateful for the silence that ensued. There was too much conversation going on. Perhaps they could just all sit here amongst each other, shoving their faces with food and avoid any further jokes at her or her and Ashton’s expense. The doors opened again from behind them, but Kaydence didn’t stop to pay attention. The server re-entered with two cigarette trays, giving one to each man. Seeing Noah make movement towards his coat pocket, she laid her silverware on the tablecloth and dabbed at the corners of her lips. Leaning on the table, she grabbed her glass of wine, took a sip and suddenly found herself miles away, not noticing her free hand instinctively going back to her jaw and her nails slowly trickling down the side of her neck, a common pose of hers when she was lost in thought.

It was unbelievable how drastically her mood was changing. Kaydence knew she should have been buzzed, for certain, but she was definitely feeling some sort of drunk. It seemed impossible for her to be affected so quickly though. She had been feeling light-headed walking in here. There definitely felt like some other magic awork. Realizing she had gone far away, she pulled herself from her trance, this time feeling a pair of eyes on her. Looking forward, Ashton was leaning back in his chair, intently staring at her. Furrowing her brows, she anxiously grabbed her glass and returned his gaze with one of confusion. She knew that look. She knew that look very, very well. Often, she had seen it in the past right before he stomped over to her, grabbed a handful of her ass and used the other one to grab the back of her head. Biting down on her lip, Kaydence was careful to hide the tick behind her wine glass. More movement from Noah snapped her back to reality for the second time. She watched him take out two rolled cigarettes from his solid gold case and remove his lighter. Unexpectedly, he threw it to Ashton. He usually always lit his cigarettes before offering to a guest. He then proceeded to go back into his coat pocket and pull out…another gold lighter? “Happy early birthday Wentworth. You’ve earned it.” She couldn’t fucking believe it. Noah had gone and gotten Ashton a matching gold lighter. A MATCHING one. Keeping the wine glass in front of her mouth, she allowed her jaw to drop open as Noah exhaled a cloud of smoke. “You get a gift! You get a gift! Everybody gets a gift!” Well if anyone needed an indication of how her fiancée was feeling there it was.

Kaydence slid her forehead down to the brim of her glass. There were a lot of conflicting feelings raging around in her confused brain but was finding it impossible to hone in on any specific one. All she knew were that images of Ashton from times past were appearing in droves on the back of her eyelids.