Week Twelve

The air between and around the two women felt charged with a negative, stiff sort of energy that neither wanted to address. That feeling, of course, was born from Avery asking things she had no right to question. She couldn’t blame Elsie for being so purposefully vague. Anyone who wasn’t cautious in a situation like this would be a total idiot. So Avery did not let herself judge. She did not have the right to that, either.

A flash of concern and fear crossed her face at the fact that Claire probably did not know, after all. That made things a little worse if she were being honest. If her sister had known, it would not have been so strange for Avery to have heard about her. But then, Avery seemed to have her friends all over the Ministry, who inevitably had heard of her. Did that make it her fault if Claire had not known? Elsie said she needn’t worry, but it certainly raised Avery’s eyebrows as she pondered it.

Unfortunately, she just further was surprised as her face went from confusion to straight surprise. Avery blanched and said nothing for a moment before blurting out the most unintelligent thing she had said all day. “I- what? – That doesn’t – no.”

Shaking her head in an attempt to shoo away the blush that lit her cheeks, she repeated the last part. “No. No, that’s not a good idea.” Claire would not want to see her, of that Avery was certain. “There is no way that it would go well. She has every reason to hate me, and I’m sure she does. She should.”

The words escaped before she could help it, and Avery found herself glancing at her plate. Immediately, her fingers grasped the paper that sat between the sandwich and the tray, moving to wrap the food in question so she could take it with her. This had been a bad idea from the start. The best option she found in that breath of silence was to just leave and pretend it had never happened. Robin would chide her for it if she were ever brave enough to mention it, but surely he of all people would understand? He knew everything. It didn’t matter if he said it wasn’t her fault, or that she couldn’t have helped it. It was almost impossible, at least in Avery’s view, that the other blonde would feel the same way.

Elsie could not help the small smirk that crawled onto her face as Avery was immediately flung into a classic Bishop panic. Elsie had seen it a million times in Claire – every time Claire found out someone unexpected had feelings for her, or a deadline revealed itself to be a week earlier than she supposed it to be earlier. They had the same ticks. The most telling similarity was the confident stutters, because a Bishop girl always spoke with meaning, but when she was out of her element, her mind moved quicker than her lips could.

It was so hilarious for Elsie. These two girls were convinced, at some point, that they were polar opposites, two different girls planted into a family tree neither felt like they belonged to. Yet, they were both estranged from their family without truly understanding the reason, only feeling like it was somehow their fault and yet that they were truly not the root cause. Both blonde women were fabulous, truly, but they also had their dingbat moments.

“With all due respect, Avery,” Elsie said, “Please shut up. Lames excuses are just foul and I can tell by your investment thus far in this conversation that you have at least a small interest in making things right with your goddess of a sister, so don’t patronize me and pretend you don’t.” Every word was said with kindness, her plump lips curled into a smile, her long eyelashes fluttering to further instill trust in her innocence.

She tilted her head, smiling more widely. “It’ll be quick and easy. The way I, personally, like it.”

Avery’s mouth fell open for a moment before she slammed it shut, staring at Elsie from her half-standing position across the small table. She didn’t usually try to run away like that. Her thoughts were all a mass of jumbled confusion at the idea of Claire finally being able to say whatever she wanted to, and Avery being unable to say anything at all. She, as a general rule, was not a big fan of confrontation. Yes, it had to be done, and there were certain people she wouldn’t hesitate to talk to if need be. But Claire was so obviously not one of those people. Avery didn’t have a clue when it came to Claire.

Sinking slowly back into the chair, Avery frowned a little, letter her eyebrows tug together in the center. If Claire was the goddess, what did that make Avery after all of these years? Her younger sister, she decided, must really have her act together for Elsie to describe her that way. No way in a million years could she picture, say, Keiran saying something like that. But she felt almost lucky for that fact, once she considered it. Indeed, she didn’t quite want him to start talking that way.

“Easy?” Avery asked slowly, clearly not buying it. “I wouldn’t count on that. She’s probably got a lot that she blames me for. I have a feeling it will be more painful that we expect.”

Shaking her head, Avery just sighed, looking down at her newly-wrapped sandwich half as her fingers toyed with her cup. "Even if I wanted to see her, she probably wouldn't agree. It's just like our parents. I haven't gone to see them, either. I'm not quite a Bishop anymore."

Elsie flicked her irises skyward, a smile still twisting playfully onto her lips. Though there was a coldness to this mission, she managed to maintain her ever bright, ever sunny aura. Elsie had been complimented several times, usually by older lovers, that she was effervescent, optimistic, shining. They did not know that beneath the smiles and bright eyes was a cold cynicism, a lack of belief in the goodness they claimed to have. It had not been horribly bad until the whole Nash business, but now there was this unsettling lack of… something within her.

It reminded her of an old lyric from a classic musical. Don’t they know they’re making love to one already dead?

“Easier than you think,” Elsie assured her. “Besides, it may be a little difficult, but nothing easy was ever worth doing, right?” Lie : Elsie usually chose what was easy over what was right. How would she even know? Still, the important thing was getting the blonde Bishops together. She just had a feeling that with a reunion would at least come one step of healing. Mostly, she just wanted Claire, possibly her favorite human being in the universe, to get better. But perhaps it was her subconscious hope that with the blonde girl happy and functioning, she would notice that Elsie was now a time bomb.

And not in the good way.

Elsie tipped her head. The lie came easily. “Actually, I’ve already mentioned it to her. She was willing as long as you were. And I could get her to meet with you anytime. Hell, even now!”

Avery nearly snorted at Elsie’s words, completely aware that her answer should be ‘yes, that’s true,’ but also entirely sure that she didn’t always follow that rule. Managing to keep quiet about it, she merely pursed her lips and eyed the brunette warily. Trust from Avery was something that took a while to gain. To earn, in her eyes. Elsie had not managed that, even if the blonde secretly hoped that younger girl had. Because she wanted to believe the words that came at her from across the table, smacking into her and making her blink rapidly for want of a better response.

Claire – she – she wanted to meet with Avery? The sentence didn’t form properly in her mind, confusing her all the more as she considered it. The information didn’t add up, and she wasn’t sure what to do with it now that it had been given to her.

A glance at the time.

A glance back at Elsie.

“Um, I’m supposed to be heading back soon. But, I mean,” she shrugged, trying to play it off as being only minimally interested, “if she has time after work sometime, we could meet here…? You know, if she can. If not, that’s fine. You can just owl me.”

Her fingers toyed with her shirt before she turned her head to watch the people on the street. She had no reason to be nervous. Being nervous about seeing her family was silly. Obviously. Nodding firmly, Avery stood, reaching for her drink and wrapped sandwich. “Just let me know.”

Elsie probably should see a therapist. She had simply decided that a meeting between the Bishop sisters would happen and here she was, mere minutes later, half of the battle was won. And Claire would be much of the same story. Elsie did not know Avery super well, but she guessed that her friend would be a harder sell. Fortunately, Elsie seemed to be capable of convincing Claire to do everything she would not to otherwise.

Avery looked shocked, but Elsie knew that she had won. The woman was so trained at reading these small social cues - though much more obvious ones could be so easily lost on her - that she would be a fool if she dod not recognize that the woman was tempted, if terrified, but the idea of meeting with her sister.

Avery began to prepare for a hasty escape, agreeing casually and reaching for her things. Elsie sucked a bit triumphantly on her straw, looking up at Avery with a Cheshire cat smile on her face. She tilted her head, swallowing the drink down. "Will do. Bu-bye now." She lifted a hand and her fingers danced. A polite dismissal, if somewhat abrupt. But Elsie had some more manuevering to do with another blonde.

In the middle of a reply to Robin, Avery’s head snapped up at the tap of an owl at her window. Lifting an eyebrow, she could only expect that the letter had come from Robin. The problem with that is that he had never sent her one before she replied to the previous. Instantly, worry made its way onto her face, and she stood to cross over to the window. Biting her lip, she took the letter and took a good look at the owl. It wasn’t theirs. She released a breath and let her shoulders relax before the bird took off once more.

The worried expression wasn’t gone for very long, though, considering what had been written to her on that parchment.

So it was a few hours later, at the end of her allotted time at work, that Avery braced herself and started down that same path to the café where she had met Elsie only a few days ago. She almost considered the fact that it could be a trick, just to see if she would go. But a part of her felt that even Claire, with every reason she had to do something like that, just wouldn’t. Shaking her head at the very idea, she chided herself mentally for even considering that her sister would do anything that harsh.

Then again, how well did she know Claire? Not at all, really.

A sigh left her but she stared at the café from across the street, half wanting to apparate home and pretend she had never gone. Or at least get Robin’s permission to go. The idea sounded stupid the moment she had thought it, but at the same time, didn’t it make some sense? Claire allegiance almost certainly lied more strongly with Avery’s husband than with the woman herself. What would happen when Robin found out? She imagined he would be supportive, but also slightly nervous.

Or maybe she was projecting her own feelings onto her image of him. Avery wasn’t sure where her true feelings settled, considering she very badly wanted to cross the street and look for the equally blonde Bishop daughter. Deciding that she would not be the coward she wanted to be, Avery nodded firmly to herself before crossing the street and pushing the door of the café open.

Every Friday after work, Elsie and Claire went to the same cafe down the street to order coffees and danishes and unwind while still enjoying the society that being out in the public eye provided. At home, they would don more comfortable clothing (Elsie in her tailored, silk pajamas; Claire in sweats and a pullover) and would freely complain about and berate those who had crossed them during the week. They would express their disappointments, their fears, their failures, their worries, and their anxieties. They would get takeout and eat more brownies that either cared to admit, drink wine, and yell at the men in their romantic comedies. And then they would fall asleep and enjoy their weekend without the ghosts of week past.

But, until then, they would go and enjoy a coffee in the hopes that they might run into someone else to give them hope in humanity.

Elsie was more hyperactive than she usually was. She was speaking so fast that the ends of her words were dropped so that the beginnings could keep up, and she was moving so quick that Claire had to, on several occassions, catch her friends arm down and manually slow down her movements. Every question as to her well being was answered with a bright denial of any problem, but Claire could smell an Elsie scheme from three miles away. She followed her friend nevertheless and soon found her hands wrapped around a cup of coffee.

They had barely begun their discussion when Elsie suddenly stopped midsentence and looked down at her watch. "Oh. Um. I have a phone call to make. I'll be back in a second." She stood, picking up her purse and coffee, looking as casual as a twelve year old sneaking her first cigarette. "Oh, and um, I invited your sister here. She really wanted to talk to you. Toodles!"

And with that, she was out of the shop.

Claire felt as though she had just been pushed out of a boat (a yacht, if it was truly at the hands of Elsie Norton) and was now being attacked by the waves, unable to move or block her face from the onslaught. Her mind was working a mile a minute as she tried to process Elsie's words. No, the words were easy to process. It took a little longer to understand the situation itself. It was clear that Elsie had set her up, but what was less clear was how honest the words she had given her were. Was she going to actually see a willing Bishop walk through that door, or had she too been tricked?

Claire did not know, and she did not plan on finding out. She grabbed her own bag and coffee and hurried for the door, looking incredibly professional in her business attire, and less so in the mild look of insanity that was settling onto her face.

She went to open the door and it was opened for her. She had to lean back to prevent herself from running into the person coming in - Avery Bishop. Of course.

For a moment, Claire stared at her elder sister. Had she not been planning what wine she was going to pick out for tonight just minutes ago? Had she not been enjoying the company of someone who suspected she could do no wrong? And now... of course. OF COURSE.

A strained smile of surprise formed on her face. "Hi."

Great start.

"Um..." The smile was gone as she tried to take on some semblance of sanity and composure. "I... was just looking for Elsie. I think... I think she wasn't feeling well." She wasn't going to later when Claire beat her. "Um. Let's... get coffee. I have coffee. You can get coffee." She turned and walked in, taking her spot again.

She was already ruining it.

Avery leaned back, not at all expecting to open the door into someone, immediately blurting out an apology. Looking up, though, she froze and stood in the open door, fully aware that she would be blocking the path of anyone trying to enter or leave. The tension was palpable and it immediately weighed the elder sister down. Avery did not feel like the older of the two in that moment, though, because Claire spoke first, drawing an embarrassed attempt at a smile.

"Hi," she returned, her voice higher than usual regardless of her attempts to calm her heart rate. It had jumped and skittered into a painfully quick rhythm that had Avery desperate to be anywhere else. Immediately.

The only thing that surprised her more than running straight into her younger sister with a door? When said younger sister jumped straight from awkward greetings to awkward suggestions of sitting around and drinking coffee. Avery’s mouth opened for a moment before she closed it and nodded.

Was it awful of Avery to want to make a comment about being able to trust Elsie? Because at least the brunette hadn’t lied to her. Or it didn’t seem that way, in that moment. But she didn’t think Claire would take kindly to any jokes about her best friend. So Avery kept it to herself, and shuffled over to the counter to request something without caffeine. The awkward moment, Avery knew, would be when Claire realized that she and Robin were expecting. That would just flip everything around, wouldn’t it? Hopefully the question wouldn’t come up until they had at least settled in and asked more… normal questions.

Forcing herself to relax her shoulders, Avery fought against the desire to fidget, thanking the girl behind the counter quietly before turning to find Claire again. A sigh left her before she crossed the room and settled across the table from her sister. Although her gaze focused on the cup in front of her, all of her attention was really directed at the younger blonde.

“I, um,” Avery started quickly, wanting to make up for her lack of reply before. “I’ve got to admit, I was… surprised when Elsie said you wanted to see me.” Deciding to put on a brave face, she sat up properly too look at Claire for a moment before going on. “I’m sure that there are some things that you may need to say. I know I have a few, myself.”

Although her throat felt tight at the very idea of having to apologize for everything, Avery recognized the fact that she was getting a chance to say something, which was more than she had ever expected.

Of course, taking charge and leaving Avery in the doorway so she could regain her own composure did nothing to actually help Claire’s situation. Avery was still there and the problems that were sure to come up were not going to suddenly disappear either. But the brief escape was enough for Claire to become the Claire she preferred the world to see. The vulnerable Claire who indulged in too much takeout, cried over horrible movies, and loved to drown herself in comfy sweaters was a private Claire, that she was not certain she wanted anyone to see outside of her close circle of friends - circle. Pfft, more like triangle. No, the Claire that was permissible for the outside world was the tightly wound blonde that no one could shake or rattle.

It was especially important that Avery saw that Claire too. It was in pursuit of that Claire that she left their home, abandoned their Durmstrang upbringing, and went to New York. Becoming that Claire meant becoming a complete stranger to the Bishop family. It meant leaving the social scene she had been brought up in. It meant telling Robin that not only would she not be with him forever, but she would no longer be with him at all. Too much had been sacrificed for her new identity to be something that could be thrown off at the slightest surprise.

She had to be stronger. She had been saying it for months and now was the time to just buckle down and do it.

While Avery went to the front, Claire reclaimed her spot, putting her bag down on the ground next to her and setting the coffee down before her on the table. An elbow rested on the edge of the table and the attached hand began to stroke her bangs back into place. She turned as she saw Avery approach and that was when her eyes fell on Avery’s stomach. She blinked and looked away, allowing her brain to go through the redundant analysis of events.

Bump. No excess fat on the legs or arms though. Slightly bigger boobs. Married. Right. That meant kids too. Probably. Evidently. Kids. Baby Robin Ivanovs. Robin Juniors. The heir that she, once upon a time, had thought she would have been rearing.

At least you can still fit a size three, came the weak joke in the back of her mind. Elsie’s influence, no doubt.

Avery opened her mouth to speak and Claire was ready to be civil. That first sentence through her off, however. Her mouth remained open for a long moment, before she blinked and ducked her head. A tight grin wrangled itself onto her lips and she lifted her chin, spreading the smile wider. “Yes. Elsie can be… very informative and even more helpful. It’s almost like she decides to just… make the world a better place.”

Claire hoped Elsie was looking for a hiding place in the apartment. She was going to need one.

Nevertheless, she had to speak now. She would have been lying if she said she had not considered the idea of trying to fix things with her sister, but she was a person who had, thus far, planned everything in her life. Only a few distractions had thrown her for a loop, but she had always been in control. She was at a severe disadvantage, so she would leave her big sister to take up the duty of starting. She figured she could at least give her a starting place. “Might want to start with your recent weight gain.” She flickered a small smile in the hopes of offering a white flag. Claire, of course, wanted to discuss her sister’s marriage and future with Robin Ivanov about as much as she wanted to discuss earthworms, but she had to get it out now, or she would go insane.