Burning in the distance

Friday.

For most people, Friday means freedom.
Vacation.
Mirth.
Happiness.
Enjoying after an exhausting week.

For Alessia, Friday is just another ordinary day.
Actually, not so ordinary as she wanted. Friday means the weekend is coming, which meaning new two days when she will be in her huge house, left to her dark and sad thoughts that never leave her.
For her, fun is for a long time unknown term, as something you read about and you know it exists, but never to yourself have not experienced.

It all comes down to getting up from the bed with a small sigh in the morning as her through thoughts in her head about the day to come. Rising which represents a great effort, as if she were about to go into battle, where she will lose her life.
Then go to work.
The hours spent in the office or on the ground, what was once loved to do, and now represents only an obligation, something she knows she has to do.
Coming home.
The time spent with Lucas, the only light in her life, full of darkness and sadness.
Then sleep, at least until new day comes.

The weekend was a period of darkness. Most of the days, left to herself, without the daily work that is kept away from her thoughts. All thoughts are focused on Nik, to live after him and what she had but which no longer exists.

She was awakened by the tapping on the window. She looked at the clock; 7 am which means she must stand up for an hour.
She closed her eyes but could not sleep, tapping just didn't want to stop, the irritating sound of the blows took the glass and the last glimmer of hope to return to herr dreams disappeared.
She got up and opened the window and let in a beautiful white owl that was carrying a letter.
She really doesn't understand these owls.
People have long used phones in the wizarding world, but some people simply prefer the old-fashioned way of writing, as far as the way was irritating.
She quickly crossed with her look over written words in a letter and then put it down on the table and quite lazily walked to the bathroom and took a shower.

Two hours later, she went to work.
Today she didn't have any particular task, and most of the day spent in the office filling in a bunch of forms that were collected throughout the week.
Alessia is a person who will do things at the last minute, even though she knows that it carries twice more to do than she did when she needed.

At 4 pm, finally left the office and apparate to her house.
Lucas was sleeping.
She asked the nanny to stay with him tonight and then went to her room.
She rested, showered again, and then she realized it was time to getting ready.
Namely, letter she got this morning was sent by Christian. He wrote that it was time to her to finally go out and have some fun, as well as she won't accept no for answer.
She rolled her eyes and then pulled out of the closet a short black dress with open back which she wear .. never?
She bought it a little after Nik's disappearance, but never really had a chance to fwear it.
After a two-hour makeup and editing hairstyle, she looked at her reflection in the mirror asking herself who is this girl at the other side of mirros.
She saw Alessia Delacroix, cheerful and lovely girl as she was once upon a time, a reflection of who she was sure she would never see again.

When she arrived at the appointed place, Christian was already waiting for her.
As usual, he was handsome though dressed ordinary.
Dark jeans and a plain cotton T-shirt.
Next to him, she looked like if she is going on a festive event.
However, she has always admired people who could wear ordinary clothes and still look great.

He took her to a club which is not known to her. This is not surprising since she is relatively short in London, she has not been able to get to know this city.
In the beginning was bored, but after the fourth vodka, all her problems slowly began to disappear.
The world suddenly became a better place, and in a brief moment, she managed to escape from the reality.
All that she wanted now is adventure. Something that will make her feel the excitement and adrenaline, but in this clubm it will not happen.
Christian was occupied by refusing one sweet but too young girl who apparently just wanted to have some fun.
Under the pretext of going to the toilet, she slipped out of the club, laughing like a teenager.
He will probably be angry later, but now it doesn't matter.

She saw a sign for a cafe, apparently just opened, there is a new owner.
After a bit of wandering through Hogsmeade, finally found a cafe that is seen in the picture.
She walked in without thinking and marched went to the bar.
She took off her coat barely longer than the dress and then slid to the empty chair and looking for the waiter.
"What is necessary for the girl to get a drink?" she was annoyed but after a couple of minutes started laughing.
The music was loud enough to give her a headache but now she didn't care, she just wanted her drink.

Although Hogwarts students mostly visited The Three Broomsticks during weekends when they were allowed to visit Hogsmeade, aside from that Fridays were the busiest. Meaning Dimitri Aleksandrov barely had enough time to catch his breath in between serving people, mixing drinks and everything that comes with it, because, although he thought about it, he still wasn't sure if he want to hire someone to help him with the bar. It was painfully obvious he needed to do that, the guests weren't complaining knowing he's still new to the job, but as another end of the month rounded the corner he knew that excuse is about to get old pretty soon. Sooner than he wanted.

Dimitri gazed up hearing the door open, although busy, it was a quiet night so he could watch over the bar and see new costumers coming in the same time. Although the quiet night meant less money in cash register he couldn't say he wanted to complain. Quiet night also meant night without any incidents, as he could see signs of trouble and stop it before it started.

He followed the new costumer, a blonde woman, on her way through the bar, feeling they know each other, yet he couldn't remember meeting her, or anything else about her. Strange. Dimitri waited a couple of minutes, washing dishes using spell it was something he never quite mastered in, so he was afraid that the glasses would break if he moves away from the sink. When the dishes were clean and sorted on shelves he dried the place around the sink, wiping away drops of water and soap that fell all over the bar due to his not quite elegant way of washing dishes. It was good thing he cast a spell over a gramophone so the costumers enjoyed classic music, if the place was completely silent they would all be able to hear noise the dishes produced while washing itself.

Dimitri walked toward the woman, carrying a writing pad and a pen feather with him. "Not much, just coming here, madam," he politely smiled looking at her, "what would you like to drink?"

After she sat down, Alessia was occupied by searching for her lip gloss in her purse.
In fact, it was not a purse.
It was enchanted with expanding spell, people would be really surprised to see how many things are in this purse.
Finally, she found her lip gloss after five minutes, but she gave up on the idea that she would have her drink soon.
She crossed her legs and then took a small mirror and carefully put a new layer of gloss on her lips.

She managed to restore gloss in her purse when she thought she heard a familiar voice.
Not only familiar, but voice she listens almost every night in her dreams.
It is not possible. Vodka is guilty. It is only logical justification, is not it?
She looked surprised at the guy who spoke to her, and immediately knew she really became mad.
She jumped from her chair and her small mirror fell and shattered into a million pieces.
If it was any other situation, she would be sad because of mirror because it is a mirror belonged to her grandmother.

She shook her head in disbelief, looking for her wand and whenshe found it pointed it at the man and stepped away from the bar.
"Nikolai? No, that's not possible." she shook her head again, her lips formed panicky smile.
And then, all became clear. This idiot doesn't love her. Simply, he wanted to leave her and for him, this was the easiest way.
"Je ne peux pas le croire! Je suis à la recherche de ces deux dernières années et vous jouez un serveur? Si vous voulez déjà me quitter, vous pourriez le faire dans une meilleure façon! Avez-vous jamais pensé à votre fils?" she was just furious, and as always in these situations, returned to her native language.
She wanted to do something, she really did.
She might get away, go back to Paris now that she knew he was alive, but just doesn't want to be with her.
Perhapsshe can kill him first? No, she still loves him too much.
Instead, Alessia Ivashkova fainted.

*I can not believe it! I'm looking for these past two years and you playing a waiter? If you want to leave me, you could do it in a better way! Do you ever think about your son?

Dimitri looked at woman with puzzled expression. He didn't know what triggered her change from normal human being to banshee but he knew he needed to find a way to calm her as soon as possible before other guests started to complain. Or worse - leave. He put his tray on the nearest empty table, knowing he won't need it before she calms down, pulled the chair beside her and sat down, only to jump back up when the woman seemed to realize she wanted to continue screaming while standing.

"Miss, hey, hey, calm down. Take one deep breath, slowly." Aleksandrov inhaled as he instructed, waiting the woman to follow his lead, "Now exhale, everything is fine." He exhaled and sat down again, placing elbows on the table. "Now, if you calmed down enough, could you tell me what's wrong." He flashed a dimpled smile and hoped it looked soothing. "I haven't understand anything, earlier. Maybe you guessed I'm French based on my strange accent, but honestly, I only understand Je t'aime when it comes to French. Could you translate it, please?"

Dimitri pulled his wand he often kept in his apron while working and made a quick snatch looking at her broken mirror, its broken pieces come together again. He raised it from the floor and tried to handle it to her but let it fall to the floor again as he rushed to his feet and hurried towards her side seeing she didn't look well.

"You must be kidding me." She fainted. She fainted. Dimitri wasn't sure what he needed to do now. Give her a CPR? Massage her heart? Something else?

"Hey Joe!" He called one of his regulars, an older man with long beard, "watch over the bar while I handle this, please." Seeing the man nod Dimitri bent down and lifted the woman, carrying her in his arms towards the storage of the bar where he had a bed for those times he was just too lazy to go home.

Dimitri put her in bed, her tiny figure leaving a plenty of space on bed to sit. He sat beside her and moved her hair away from her face. "Hey, madam? Wake up." The man gently shake hoping it would work.

She looked at him angrily.
"Don't you dare to teach me about breathing and tell me to calm down!" she said coldly, but still continued to talk a little more quietly. Probably because she herself realized that attracts attention. How she look like now to the others? Girl, completely mad screaming at the poor waiter?
She shook her head, laughing almost hysterically.
"You're really determined to pretend you don't know me, don't you? You French? For years I lived with you in Russia and now you pretend not to know who I am and telling me about your nationality!" She looked angrily at him.

Darkness, everywhere.
It's funny how a few moments before you lose consciousness, you know it's going to happen.
Alessia was aware of what was going on but could not react. Large amounts of alcohol and shock have done their part.
After, in her opinion 3 seconds, she came herself.
Where is she? Probably in a bar? Or is it all just a dream?
She opened her eyes and again, before her was Nik. So she is not dreaming.

"Why did you leave?" her words were now silent, on the verge of tears.
She put her hands to his face as if it would help her to make sure that this is really her husband.
She thought she would find ways to get over it, but now when she saw him again, she knew she would never be able to.
"You promised you will come back after a week ... Why did not you come back?" demanded an answer by looking at him almost accusingly.

"Okay, I won't, I'm sorry." He guessed that she might be a healer, so that's why she could be angry on him for telling her how to breathe to calm herself down. That or she really hates him for some unknown reason. He didn't give the last thought much of thinking knowing he never saw her before, let alone talked with her. Dimitri was sure he'd remember if that ever happened. Her voice, although angry, was melodic, it bought pictures of tropical flowers and butterflies, he felt like he could never get tired of hearing her speak. Aleksandrov shook his head, maybe he should visit a psychologist. He shifted on his feet, not sure what he could do so he wouldn't upset her. "I assure you, it won't happen again."

He stayed silent while she rambled about them living together in Russia. The only two person with whom he lived in Russia were his wife and their daughter. This woman wasn't his wife nor his daughter. Dimitri swallowed the lump. He will never seen them again, they were dead and buried six feet down.

Dimitri exhaled the sigh of relief when her eyes blink a second before she woke up. The air in the room was heavy, the scent of old wood and spilled alcohol tempting him. Being in this room was never to easy, fighting his addiction was so hard, but he found the way to ignore it in order to help the woman that lay on the bed.

"I haven't left you, you were unconscious for only a couple of minutes." Dimitri thanked Merlin for that. Even if leaving unconscious people wouldn't be frowned upon it wasn't something he ever even consider doing. He shifted, leaving more space between them so she wouldn't feel uncomfortable.

Dimitri's brows rose as he blankly stared at the woman. "Pardon me?"

"It's better for you if that is true, Nikolai! I'm really angry now!" she said with a strong French accent furiously looking at him with angry gaze. Seriously, if look could kill, Alessia would now for sure find a way to burn her husband, so that from him there is nothing left.
This all was unreal. She made her peace with that he was gone. She made her peace with it she will never be happy again.
She just wanted to find the body of her husband so that she could return him to Russia, to bury him and to allow his family to say goodbye to him. But instead, she found him here, in London, ejoying in life like that did not leave the whole family to suffer for it.

As she talked about them, he looked at her like she is the seventh wonder of the world.
Wait, what's going on here? Is it possible that he actually can not recognize her? What happened to him? What the hell is he doing?

When she heard his words, the blonde frowned and shook her head.
"Nik, listen to me, I do not talk about that. Why did you leave me two years ago? Why did you let our son to growing up without a father?" she looked at him honestly hurt.
When she heard his next words, anger is again prevailed everything else.
"Damn Nikolai, when are you going to stop pretending that you do not know me?!" and just like that, she began to cry. This is perhaps even worse than death. He was there, but as it actually is not.
"Please, you know me. It's me. Alessia, Alessia Ivashkova, your wife. We have a son who needs his father, come back to your family. Come back to me," she said, almost pleadingly, a woman on the brink of madness, too desperate to behave reasonably.

She get up in a sitting position and looked him in the eyes, those eyes that she know so well.
She put her palm again on his face, obviously he had not shaved for a long time, which is unusual for him.
"Please," she whispered again, so quietly that she was not sure he even heard what she said.