These were the bad times

Some times were just bad times.

These were the bad times.

Reid could not even figure out how things had gone so wrong, so thoroughly, so quickly. First, the terrible ordeal with Kitty. And Chase was not long to follow. Funny, how two beings who had been relatively nothing to him, were suddenly everything. A year ago, they hadn’t been with them, and they were fine. Now they weren’t with them, and everything was wrong. Terribly, horribly, inconceivably dead wrong.

Reid could have managed. Grief was a natural phenomenon, it helped keep the world turning. People had to die, and people had to move. That was probably what would have happened to him; people died and he would grieve and then he would move on. For Calvin, however, that cycle did not seem like it would ever go it’s full way. Reid could get over it, why was Calvin so dedicated to his depression. However, it wasn’t Reid who had been in love with her.

It was hard being around new Calvin. The transition from old, carefree Calvin, to new, destroyed Calvin was absolutely heart crushing to Cal’s best friend. Reid had watched him disintegrate and been unable to console him, and had been left with no one to help him either. The two men who were so often on the same tract had become so different they could not even speak to each other.

Reid needed some solace, and that was what led him here. He stood at the top of the many-storied gazebo and blew out a long, slow breath as the sun beat on his face. He closed his eyes. Could this all just go away?

Life had fallen into a steady rhythm for Jamie Prophet. Every morning she woke to an alarm at 6:15am so she could get dressed, look presentable, pack Prim up, and drink about three cups of coffee. She then dropped Prim either with Jen (if she wasn't busy), Angelina, or Harrison. Then it was off to the ministry where she would occupy her days with filling out paperwork and writing reports on new ghostly arrivals. Not to mention wasting time talking to her favorite French receptionist. On a rare exciting day she would be part of a greeting team that worked on introducing the new ghost into coming to terms with their new reality and life. Even better, she might be placed on a containment unit to go and restrain a rogue ghost or spirit to bring back to the Ministry. Jamie didn't love her job. Unlike many of the others she wasn't passionate about the creatures they were dealing with. But it was a good, stable job none the less and Jamie knew she was lucky to have it. For the most part it provided everything the family of two needed to survive. They weren't starving and that was something to be thankful for.

Sometimes Jamie just wished she was back at Hogwarts. She would consider applying to be a professor but she just wasn't nearly smart enough. She hoped to god that Prim was magical too so she would be able to escape their ting apartment and make her own fortunes. The young girl was growing steadily. She was approaching two years old and was already waddling unsteadily on her own as well as speaking strange nonsense that sometimes formed words. The girl looked just like her granddad. She had deep brown hair and bright green eyes. In every way she was more perfect than Jamie could ever hope to be. 

Today, Jamie had taken a few minutes off after work to visit the Garden of Solace in Hogsmede. She had discovered the beauty of the place in her seventh year at Hogwarts when she needed to be left alone and it had been a comfort to her ever since. Now, a couple times a month she would pay it a visit to help to keep a stable(r) mind. As she walked down the path to enter she was surprised to find she was not alone here. The silhouette of a man was visible on the highest gazebo. Just as Jamie was about to turn and leave she realized who it was. Reid! With a smile she headed to the steps to him. It had been awhile since the pair had talked but she was fond of the man and she assumed he liked her too. Normally they talked about harmless little nothings - how Prim was doing, the weather, candy flavors, how Calvin/Chase/Kitty were doing, hating work, etc. But when Jamie saw the far off look in his gaze and the pain in his eyes she knew at once this wasn't the same Reid she had known before. She walked across the gazebo so she was standing next to the boy and leaned on the railing to overlook the view. For a second she just stayed there before turning to look at him. "Hey." she said softly and as kindly as she could manage. The whole gentle thing had pretty much become a mental block for Jamie over the last year. But for Reid she would try her best. 

The sun was warm on his face, and Reid worried that if he stood so still, that his face would begin to get a nice sunburn. Reid and Calvin had always had petty worries like that- sunburns gave you skin cancer, forgetting a sweater could mean a deathly case of pneumonia, and allergies were always a constant, immovable threat. It was almost as if the two men had forgotten their magical abilities out of their own anxieties and feared the things any ordinary muggle might.

He opened his eyes and shook his head a little, as though shaking off the damaging rays of the sun. He straightened up, his back popping and readjusting after having been stuck in one position for an extended amount of time hunched over in order to look out the window of the ornate gazebo. He leaned his head back, briefly looking at the ceiling of the gazebo as his neck stretched. Oh boy.

A voice met his ears and he flinched, though he was not flung into a panic as he usually might have been, for a brief second or two after the voice had spoken, his brain went through the painful process of registering and identifying who the voice belonged too. Reid was too tired to be terrified of Jamie, as he might have seemed on their last encounter. He had finally managed to be comfortable speaking to her then, but every new encounter with any female flung him into irrational fear.

However, it was hard to be afraid of her when everything that could have gone wrong in his life had happened, short of losing Calvin, though, Reid often felt as though that had been exactly what had happened. He dropped his head and approached the window sill of the gazebo again, gripping it with his large hands. He turned to face Jamie, taking her in. She definitely was a sight for sore eyes. He offered what he could muster up of a smile, “Hi Jamie. Um, what are you doing here?”

Jamie laughed, a sweet tinkling sound. This is why she liked Reid. He was truly the most unassuming, innocent guy she had ever met. Jamie never felt like she had to impress the man which was a nice change from her normal frame of mind. She didn't feel ugly when she was around Reid because his nerves made her feel stronger and more confident. He spoke and Jamie smiled over at him. "Oh, you know. I'm just trying to get away from it all I guess." She stared out over the view again. "Just.. a few minutes away from craziness." She had to get home soon but it was the last thing she wanted to do.

She looked over at Reid. "But I can go..." put on her sad eyes and shrugged. "if you want me to." She would be disappointed if he sent her off. Today was one of those days where she needed someone calm and level headed like him to hang around with. Someone who would give her some harmless fun. She could see it in her head.. just the two of them heading off and forgetting the world for a couple hours. But she could sense something different in Reid's manner today. It was something in his eyes.. There was a sadness there that she had never seen before. It intrigued her.

"How are you, Reid?" she asked giving him a look of concern.

She laughed a small, hot blush crept up around his eyes and over his nose, though he was tan enough to make him look flushed rather than embarrassed, but he blinked and swallowed a little. Was she already laughing at him? Reid never could tell. All he knew was that he was terrible with women. It had already taken all of his courage to even speak to her. Most of the time, he just sort of stared with large, reproachful eyes. And to be greeted by a laugh, even one so innocent, it was a small shot to his confidence. And what was worse, Jamie was a very pretty girl. Had Reid the nerve, he might have already tried to ask her out, but that was just the thing. He didn't.

She continued on though, and her tone did not imply she had been laughing at him and he exhaled ever so slightly, his shoulders drooping as he relaxed himself. He needed to calm himself down. Her words worried him and he looked down, his brain trying to figure out how one politely inquired about personal issues. Calvin and Reid sort of just… spouted. They never really hid much. Well, except for their feelings on the current situation.

Before Reid could ask, though, she suddenly asked if he would rather she left. The flush returned, this time much hotter and brighter, spreading to his eyes a little. “Oh! Oh, no. No, I don’t want you to go. It’s a free country- I mean I want you here- I mean, I don’t really, really want- well, maybe a lit-“ He coughed. Shit. That was… embarrassing.

She asked if he was alright and he raised himself up a bit straighter, suddenly having strength. “I’m fine. I was just about to inquire about you. A man is always supposed to look after a lady first and you seem a bit run down. No offense,” he added quickly, realizing it could be taken the wrong way.