Are You Really Feeling Apathy?

Ana's breath caught in her throat at his words, her lips parting slightly in surprise. She would have continued to stare at him were it not for the fact that Poppy had disappeared and her key to finding Poppy was standing right in front of her. She hadn't expected him to allow her son to go - not truly. But somehow being on defense with him felt like something she had to do to keep control of the situation. So she just squared her shoulders and made off like she didn't quite care that he would have been the picture of a gentleman. As usual.

"Yes, fine," she snapped, rolling her eyes. "I know how it works, Marcus. You needn't reprimand me until I actually do something off book. Okay?"

Ana had to admit to herself that she was probably going about this the wrong way. Anton didn't need to see his mother practically having at some man he didn't know. But then, the boy had seen worse if Marcus's interpretation of Pavel was accurate. Something in the way her son looked nervous when his father's name was brought up made Ana anxious. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to leave them at home. It was almost lucky, she mused, that they had decided to put her into school early. She would end up being the youngest, but at least she wouldn't stay home without her brother when Ana was at work.

If they sorted all of this out and Poppy turned out alright, Ana wouldn't be leaving that house without her kids any time soon, if ever. Guilt struck her as she realized how much she should have worried after them instead of thinking about the law and all the things she didn't want to do. No, if they got everything back to normal, she would sooner move out and take them with her than stay with someone who apparently caused more problems than just destroying his relationship. Well, actually, Ana had started that bit a long time ago, but now Pavel was the one taking the lead in that area.

Either way, things needed to change.

She swallowed once, nodded, and extended a hand towards Marcus. "Then let's get him to Maddie's and go."

She watched him warily, waiting until he found himself comfortable enough to take hold, then closed her eyes and drew them away. As soon as Anton was in good hands, Ana turned around and walked back to meet Marcus. "Right. Where are we headed?"

Marcus did feel better that Ana's son was in safe hands because he couldn't guarantee anything about where he knew they had to go. He took Poppy's photo from his pocket and started to walk, studying the necklace. He wondered how much of a chance that the rainbow agate pendant could be duplicated. He was studying the stone, hoping he'd screwed up his initial assessment.

But, no. The stone had been left uncut, just polished. He recognized the odd natural elongated, slightly triangular shape to the stone. It wasn't something that a natural stone was prone to do, and certainly wasn't something that any jewelry maker would invest time in trying to duplicate. Not from an unusual but beautiful agate.

No. This was the stone he'd seen. The one that had caught his eye in the illegal potions lab in the catacombs deep below Knockturn. He had no doubt.

"Ana," he asked, more to try to broach the subject rather than needing to hear her repeat herself. "Tell me one more time. Are you sure, absolutely sure, that this was a handmade, one of a kind necklace?"

He looked at her. Ana Levski was about to find herself over her head. He ached for the news that he knew he was going to have to tell her. No mother wanted to hear that her child had, almost surely, been at the site of a horrific triple murder committed by the most terrifying monster in all England. He knew where Ana's mind would surely leap--the same place his own mind was trying to avoid going. He had no means of reassuring either one of them that little Poppy, her daughter---no. His daughter too. Their child--was still alive. He just didn't know.

He wasn't sure how she'd gotten to the lab--except if James had taken her there. The lab wasn't easy to find, not even for experienced aurors. Not something a ten year old could simply stumble into. He wished he had picked up the necklace. He wondered if it had been overlooked by the looters. It was surely possible. The low lives that were pilfering the shelves were more interested in the illegal potions than baubles.

He wasn't sure why James would have wanted a child so small and fragile. Didn't know what he would do with her. The other thing that bothered him was how it would affect her if indeed he had seen James fully transform--which in itself was worse than any nightmare most folks could dream up. If, though, she had seen the killings, Marcus feared the child would be traumatized for life.

And he was feeling like he was about to be forced into traumatizing her mother. A woman he still cared about. Damnit.

At first, Ana was unsure whether or not Marcus was pacing or actually heading somewhere, but she started towards him regardless, stopping a few feet away and crossing her arms over her chest. If Anton wanted to, he could have watched the pair of them through the windows of Maddie's home. But Ana just hoped that the boy had been sufficiently distracted. Then she might be able to dodge some of his questions, or he might even have fewer than she expected of him. The boy was a bit too curious, though, so she wouldn't be surprised if she came home to a Ravenclaw with something he felt he needed to figure out.

Her eyebrows rose and she shifted her weight to one side, giving Marcus a fairly annoyed look. "Yes, I'm sure. What of it? How is some necklace going to help us find her? It's not like I put a tracker or on it or something. I almost never even wore it!"

Huffing, her eyes lifted to the sky in exasperation. "Can we just head off to wherever you wanted to look? Because standing her talking about my jewelry choices does not seem relevant."

If it truly was relevant, she would probably look the fool, but all she really wanted was for the man in front of her to start speaking plainly. How is inquiry would help her, Ana couldn't tell. But the sooner he explained, the sooner she would stop tossing him angry looks. Instead, she could go back to her nonchalance of pretending she didn't give a care. Until she understood what was going on, she would continue to play the defensive.

Her foot tapped impatiently, watching him and waiting for him to start making sense. Her daughter - their daughter - was missing and he wanted to talk about jewelry. Of all the ridiculous things... If he didn't explain himself, Ana would just go call up whomever was in charge of the Auror team and call out someone else to help her. She had been so convinced that Marcus would be sensible and efficient and... well, perfect for the task at hand.

But suddenly all she could think about was the fact that she was going to be in immense amounts of trouble when he remembered to question her.

It wouldn't have been so bad if Marcus didn't seem like his same old self. But he did, and it made her consider yet again what she had given up by not just telling Marcus originally. Would he have accepted it? Maybe she wouldn't be with Pavel and then the law wouldn't be trapping them - and the children - with each other in that stupid house. Ana had been given the chance to actually have Marcus, provided he hadn't gotten angry at her, and yet she had run away. No matter how strong she said she was, clearly the woman could make already complicated situations even worse.

He had no desire to hurt her. He talked, uncharacteristically, in hedging because he wanted to try to protect her. This was not anything any mother needed to see, or to be involved in. Besides this, she wasn't just any other mother. This was Ana. As hostile as he had been to her the last few years, it was his own self protection that had motivated that. Beneath that was the fact that, jilted or not, he still cared. Hated himself for still caring, but it was there.

"Ana," he said carefully, "I saw that necklace earlier this morning. I saw no child and no evidence of a child, but I did see the necklace--at a crime scene--the scene of the deaths of three women. I think somehow she was there, but she'd have not found that place alone. Its too hard to find. Since the necklace was there, and she was not, I feel fairly sure that when she left there, she was alive. But, I also feel fairly sure she was taken against her will.

"If I'm right, then I know who took her, and getting her back is going to be, probably, one of the most dangerous things you've ever been involved in, auror or not." He paused a moment before he replied quietly. "Its why I had to at least try to leave you behind. Frankly, I really don't want to take you into that with me.

"But if you're truly determined to come along, we need to go to London. You might do well to stop and get a cloak. You're fairly well known. It will not do for you to be seen where we need to go. It will cause you a great deal of trouble at your job if you are seen and recognized.

"Once we have the cloak, then we need to go to Knockturn Alley. Its not much of a lead, but its the best we have. And if I'm right, we are going to need some serious help. We won't be able to do this alone. But so you know, I don't know if this crime scene has been cleaned up or not. If not, you need to gear up. Its as far from clean and pretty as it gets. I need to go back and see if that necklace is still there and if there is any other sign of her at all in Knockturn Alley. If there is any evidence there, I need it."

He didn't honestly know if she had the stomach to see what he had seen this morning there. He needed to make sure she was braced up, hearing him very clearly that this was not Poppy. These were three full grown women. Not a child. Ugly as it was, it offered hope that Poppy might still be alive.

He was already considering how he could recruit help. It seemed to him that he was going to have to go right to the man who had all the connections. He was going to have Ana's absolute sworn secrecy and her loyalty--if it were to come that he had to take the whole matter--and Ana--to Robert in order to get enough help to deal with James Blood. Marcus wasn't sure yet how the heck he was going to do that.

As Marcus went on, Ana couldn't help but cling to specific words and phrases. Crime scene, for example. Before she even registered the rest of his explanation, she immediately went back on the defensive side of things and opened her mouth to interject that their daughter was not a criminal and would not be around them. But then the world sped up, and his words hit her all at once. So rapidly it scared her.

Her lips remained parted, not realizing how she must have appeared to him as she stood there. Ana was really just too shocked to interrupt him, trying to first absorb everything and then start asking questions. Finally, a shuddering sigh left her, and Ana wrapped her arms around her torso.

"Fine. We could go through Diagon and grab one before heading over? I wish you'd thought of that before we left home..." she muttered unhelpfully, trying to lash out at the stupid things rather than becoming too furious about the situation at hand. It didn't even register that she had practically claimed that they had both come from the same home. We had too many connotations to it. Had seen been aware of herself enough to notice, Ana would have made a mental note not to use that word with him again. Ever.

As it were, she simply bit her lip and nodded repeatedly. "Yeah. Okay. Let's go, then. I'll be fine. -- It'll be fine," she amended quickly.

Even if the site was one that she was no longer accustomed to, Ana had a feeling that she would sooner go and have to see it than leave Poppy be. More than that, she wanted to be there when the found her daughter, no matter what state the girl was in. How would it look, really, if Ana wasn't there but this stranger - who, and she couldn't know it, was her father - was? Ana couldn't even imagine what Poppy would think. The girl already disliked her mother, and now Ana was starting to piece together the reasoning.

If only she hadn't waited so long to notice. To spend the time. To watch Pavel and see what he was doing. Maybe this never would have happened. She unconsciously bit the inside of her cheek as guilt washed over her for what must have been the millionth time, before Ana braced herself and walked over to meet him. Looking at him more closely, Ana had the worst feeling that he knew more than he was letting on. Narrowing her eyes at him, she frowned and hesitated, but decided that time was being wasted in her asking what she could easily find out for herself.

Drawing in a breath, she lifted her chin and took his arm wordlessly, waiting for his next move, or even just a reaction. Time was running out and he was many steps ahead of her, so Ana had no choice but to trust him.

He wanted to apologize, but he wasn't sure what for. This wasn't his fault. He hated the awkwardness between them. It really wasn't necessary and this wasn't the time for it. He redirected himself back to his own comfort zone. Work. The mission. When she took his arm, he apparated them to Diagon Alley.

She had been right. He should have thought of the cloak before. Just what she needed was one more. He saw a few of the vendors were doing some sales. Where the heck had those folks been earlier? He wasn't sure whether it was back-to-school, or end-of-summer or both. Looking closer, it did seem to be a bit of a jumble of both. How very typical to see Diagon Alley with things rather impulsively tossed together.

"Look here," he drew her attention to a sales rack out in front of Madam Malkins. It was another jumble of summer clothes, last year's winter clearance, with a smattering of cloaks tossed in. "Can you pick something from these? If you don't like it, you can toss it later."

He paused to let her look over the cloaks or reject them as she wished. He glanced up at the dark clouds overhead. A cold front. It might well bring storms tonight and some chilly temperatures. He silently hoped that James wasn't held up in some abandoned hovel with no heat and expecting their fur to keep them warm. Poppy would be cold in that case. He was feeling a sharper press to find her even more quickly. If James didn't get her, the elements just might.

Impulsively, he picked up a strange rust colored shawl that was on clearance. It was soft and it would be warm, and, ugly as it was, it was a bit oversized enough to wrap around her. He took the necessary galleons out of his pocket and pressed it into the clerk's hands.

The thing wasn't Poppy's color. Wasn't Ana's color. Wasn't Khaat's color. Wasn't gaudy enough to be The Harpy's color--although, he did have momentary passive aggressive thoughts about sending it to her this Christmas just for the sheer joy of irking her.

But, if it bothered Poppy, he'd simply transfigure it to a better color for her. Wait...he didn't know her favorite color. Didn't know her favorite food. Didn't know what made her skin crawl. He knew nothing. She was his, and he didn't know her.

His mind was racing ahead to the changes that they'd all have to make once they found her, and then it hit him a bit more squarely that there was at least an equal possibility that James might have already turned her--or worse.

He rejected that hideousness immediately. No, they were going to find her. He tossed the shawl over his arm and kept his peace. He didn't want Ana to know what he was thinking right now. She was, no doubt, going through her own little parental hell. He didn't need to add to it with his own negativity.

Releasing his arm upon landing and righting herself, Ana didn't hesitate before looking at him expectantly, eyebrows raised. He clearly had a plan in mind, so she would leave it to him to direct her and get things done. When he pointed out a collection of options, Ana just rolled her eyes. "It hardly matters which one," she pointed out, only glancing over them for a moment before drawing one from the rack and handing over the money for it. Marcus was just lucky she had yet to set down her wallet before Anton had rushed up to her. Otherwise his delayed decision would have actually cost him - and more than just time.

Turning around, she caught the item in his hands, lifting an eyebrow. Comments were kept to herself, though, as Ana didn't dare assume the fabric would be given to Poppy. It could just as easily have been for one of his own, besides. So she just donned the cloak, hood pulled up to hide her hair and hang partly in front of her eyes. "Knockturn, you said?" she asked finally, tone short and gaze jumping in the direction of the steps down to the other Alley.

Suddenly, Ana wasn't sure she actually wanted to go and see the proof of what may or may not have happened to her daughter. But she had to, because if she didn't show up when Poppy needed her, Ana was convinced that the girl would never dare trust her parents - especially her mother - again. So there was really no choice but to turn and head off towards Knockturn even though it meant leading herself down there.

The last thing she needed, after all, was for Marcus to believe she couldn't handle it and then send her off. So Ana stepped into the side alley, hesitating just enough for Marcus to catch up with her and fall into step beside her. As they walked, she dropped her voice and moved closer to his side so she could speak to him with some semblance of privacy. "I refuse to believe the worst going into this. So when we get her back, you'll have to sit down with us. She needs to know, especially with Pavel and everything."

"Oh, I don't believe the worst either," he said to her. "I believe she was alive when she was in Knockturn, and I believe she was alive when she let there.  What she saw there, if she saw it, was certainly not fit for even a grownup to see, much less a child.  I'm more concerned about if she's alright--physically and mentally.  The quicker we find her the better."

He took the quick turn into Knockturn and walked back to the magical hidden entrance in the brick wall that would lead back down into the illegal potions lab.  He had watched Khaat open it this morning and had followed her into that hellhole. He didn't need to be told twice how to get into tricky places. He did learn those things fast.  He knew which bricks to tap and in what sequence.  The wall slid open to reveal the old stone stairs that went down below cellar level down to the catacombs beneath the street.  

God, this really was no place for a child. Not Knockturn, not the catacombs. It appauled him that now that was the lesser of the evils the child faced. He didn't know if they could learn anything more down here, but it was worth the ray of hope they needed to give it. He was hoping he could still find the necklace. Maybe something else he'd missed. His mind was already spinning ahead, though, to wondering how they found where James was holding her. Rumors had already told Robert that James had been forced to go back to Fenrir when his own den was destroyed. And the location of where Fenrir's den had been was a very well preserved secret--one that Marcus didn't know. Nor did he know anyone who did know. Getting Poppy back was going to be outrageously difficult.

He was tempted to tell her to watch her step, but that seemed unnecessary. He drew his wand and leveled it, prepared to fire at anything that was still lingering here.  If there was anything now that was still alive down here, chances are they were going to have to kill it anyway, so he might as well go in prepared to do so quickly.

He could still smell the stinking odor that hung in the air from earlier. The odor of the dirty wet dog that the James Blood and the other werewolves had brought, and the strong odor of blood and death that they'd caused.  He figured Ana's skills were about to go into an immediate review download if they needed it. He was hoping, if that happened, she would still stay on her feet.

He glanced back at her. "This was grotesque earlier. I don't know if its any better. Just...be ready for it."

Although Marcus didn't comment on the second half of her statement, Ana couldn't claim any sort of astonishment at his not wanting to say anything about it. Had the situation been reversed, Ana had a feeling she would have avoided the idea of talking to a child who might find it in her to resent the new authority figure. So she didn't say anything about it, either, instead following closely behind as he stepped ahead to lead the way down a back entry.

Her eyes jumped to him even in the shadow of the stairs, and for the first time since they had left the house, Ana was seriously wondering if Marcus was actually concerned for her as well as for Poppy. He acted it in certain words or actions, but Ana didn't dare believe it, even if she wished he could be. His warning gave her another shred of hope that maybe he really did still care, but she nodded her head in a show of understanding before squaring her shoulders and continuing down.

The place wasn't tidy by any means, and it just smelled like something had gone terribly wrong. Lifting a hand to cover her nose and mouth, Ana looked to Marcus once before moving down that final step into the seemingly cavernous room. Blood stained the floor, obviously from the wounds of the people Marcus had mentioned earlier, and Ana immediately wondered if he was right about the red not having come from Poppy. She didn't believe that he would make a claim so serious without meaning it, though, even after everything they had been through. Cold shoulders and arguments were normal for them, but not when their daughter was hanging in the balance. Or worse.

Her jaw locked as she walked behind him, looking for any sign of that necklace he had mentioned. It wasn't until she grew frustrated and lit her wand that something glinted at her from across the room. Her head whipped around, hair following as if in slow motion. "Marcus, I think-"

The sentence was left unfinished as she rushed over, lifting the chain with her fingers, hardly daring to touch it in case it decided to shatter. Unlikely, but the situation was so tense that Ana felt it wasn't uncalled for. Caution had become her middle name, so to speak, and she extended her hand to show it to him. "Okay, that is definitely mine. Or, well, Poppy's." Ana admitted, eyes wide and nervous.

He kept his eyes on Ana to make sure she was going to be able to cope with the gore that was still left here. Much of it was gone now, but there was still some left. The clean up wasn't done. He was guessing the aurors in charge of the clean up would be back shortly.

He saw Ana struggle a moment and then compose herself. He admired her for that. Not many mothers could have dealt with that. The Harpy would have shrieked in a tone so shrill and loud that it would have broken glass for several miles. Why the hell had he married her? Could he and Ana have made a better go of it? God forbid he end up hating her like he hated The Harpy.

He'd never gotten the chance to tell Ana, then, how close he had been to walking away from it all. The Harpy, the high paying espionage, the fast and high risk career choices. He had been ready to settle for some little thatched cottage in the country. He wasn't sure what the hell he'd have done for a living if he hadn't done this, but he'd have figured out something. He just had never gotten the chance.

Ana interrupted his thoughts. He looked at her and the necklace she was dangling. He nodded. It had been the one he'd seen earlier.

"Ana," he said, "that's actually a good thing. It gives us a lead. Is there even the slightest chance she was wearing rose colored satin, or leaf green brocade, or royal blue tapestry? Most if it was trimmed in rather gothic looking black crochet or lace. And, as disgusting as it was, there were mountains of ruffles. Sorry, awkward as it is, I've got to ask." He didn't see that as even a remote possibility, really. He didn't see Ana as ever owning it, much less her allowing her ten year old to own it. But he had to know if there was any sort of a chance in a match to any clothing Poppy might have been wearing or had with her.

"One of the women was a red head, one was a brunette. One was a dirty blonde. That's what I saw." Not quite accurate. That was the hair he had seen. That was what Khaat had identified. She knew the women. At no point had Khaat even remotely mentioned that she had seen a child in her vision. All she had mentioned was that they needed to hurry because they were running out of time. When they'd gotten to the lab and found the dead women, they had merely presumed they had been too late.

But perhaps they had been wrong in their assumptions. Perhaps, even after the battle in the catacombs and the annihilation of any hope of speaking terms with the Rookwoods, perhaps it had not all been in vain. Perhaps, the vision had not been about stopping a murder that had already happened. Perhaps it was about saving a child. His child. His and Ana's.