We're not actually family. Lucky me.

"Oh yes, I'm sure." Rose couldn't tell if her response was sarcastic or not, though she hoped Frank would take it as sarcastic.

Of course, she didn't think he would really have much time to process her response with the appearance of the waiter and- her cousin? Rose blinked as James sat himself down beside her and stuck up a conversation with Frank. She looked between the two men, suddenly feeling like a trapped little girl while they spoke.

"James? What are you doing here?" She felt a little stupid for basically repeating Frank but she couldn't exactly get her mind to wrap around the idea of her cousin being there. She flinched and sat up straighter than she had been when James' arm dropped over the back of her seat, as she turned herself a bit to face him. She didn't want to seem like she was agreeing with Frank by supporting the fact that he wasn't usually around, but she was curious as to why he was there.

Of all times for him to appear, too.

It was too much of a coincidence but she knew it couldn't have been planned.

James shot Rose a funny look. "What, am I not meant to eat lunch? The real question, cousin, is why you'd be here with Frank of all people." He leaned closer to her, sending a very genuine side-eyed look Frank's way. "Haven't you heard? He's a git. You'd best be careful."

Frank rolled his eyes dramatically, shaking his head. But then James looked at him again and Frank sobered up, staring right back.

"But seriously, Frank. Have you found a new job?"

The younger of the two men scowled at the elder. "I'll have you know that I choose how long I stay at any one job. Maybe I just haven't found the right place yet. How long did it take you to start at the Ministry, anyway? I've still got time."

Frank glanced at Rose, knowing she wouldn't speak for him but somehow still hoping she'd at least cut James off. But there the idiot went again, opening his mouth to put in the last word.

"Maybe you should go back to apprenticing." James followed Frank's gaze. "Don't you think so, Rosie?"

Rose could feel herself getting flustered with the current conversation. She felt like she had to choose her words carefully, regardless of who she was talking to. She didn't want to offend James nor Frank, though she couldn't say she'd mind if she accidentally did offend the latter. "I-" Rose cut herself off as James continued to speak. She couldn't really justify herself for accepting Frank's invitation, but then again it wasn't like she really needed to.

"James, I think I'm old enough to decide who I want or don't want to be around." She gave her cousin a stern look, before letting her eyes dart to Frank. "Although, I have to admit I'm only here because I was curious as to why he of all people would invite me to lunch." She flipped some loose strands of hair over her shoulder as she said this, looking at James once again, her gaze softened.

Here, this was where it got tricky. She was going to end up insulting someone here, and she had a feeling it wouldn't be James. She sighed, lifting her shoulders in a shrug. "I don't really know. He could, but would it really do any good?" She leaned forward to put her elbow on the table, cupping her chin in her hand. "Just let him keep doing whatever the bloody hell he does, maybe something will come of it?"

James looked well proud of himself, which was all the more grating from where Frank sat. Rather than responding, he picked up his glass and took another deep drink of it. This was ridiculous. Rose spoke, joining James in the game of pretending Frank wasn't sitting there, so he slapped the mug back on the table, making Potter jolt and frown at him sharply.

"Listen, you lot. I always figured you were the nicest one, Rose," he told her seriously, regardless of how stupid he felt. But he was angry. And boy did Frank retaliate when he felt weak. "But I bloody well wouldn't choose to be here if it weren't for your mum. Maybe you should just talk to her instead.

"Besides, it would do you well to listen to someone with a modicum of intelligence," he added, waving a hand at James. But then he remembered that, if he wanted to leave, his order would still arrive.

Frank pulled out some money, dropping it haphazardly on the table, and stood before throwing out one last comment. "I hope you enjoy rye sandwiches," he told James. His eyes swept to Rose. "I've lost my appetite."

So he turned, his hands slamming into the doors as he swung them out of his way.

Oh. And there it was. Bloody hell.

Well, even though it hadn't been in the best of circumstances, she had gotten the answer she had wanted from the very beginning. She thought that Frank wouldn't randomly ask her to lunch without any reason. She should have known the reason would have been her mother. She knew Hermione had the best intentions in the things she tried to do for her, but things never seemed to work out.

And now Rose felt like hell for the way this had all gone. She knew she was contradicting the way she had thought originally, but she really would have preferred that no one got insulted or hurt. But hindsight is always 20/20 and it wasn't the time to regret what was already done. "No, Frank, I didn't-" Her words stumbled all over her thoughts and she couldn't get the sentence out the way she was supposed to, all she could do was shoot an almost desperate look at James.

But knowing that he would probably do nothing to diffuse the situation, Rose sighed heavily and stood from her seat, leaving money for her meal, and took off after Frank.

"Frank, please. I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to come off like that."

James groaned as Rose got up, and ended up rolling his eyes before waving the waiter over. He asked to have the meals boxed up, figuring he owed them. Even Frank. Ugh. Why did he always have to be the good guy?

As for Frank, he skidded to a stop, but looked up to the sky rather than turning around to face her. At first. Her words didn't make sense, so his forehead creased with trying to work it out.

Finally, he turned, eyes narrowed at her. "Didn't mean it like that? How else could you have possibly meant it, Rose? James I understand. He's always been a git. But you? I knew you'd taken off, that you'd split away from your family. But you were never this before. What happened?"

"What do you mean 'what happened'? Nothing's happened, I'm still me." Rose answered, getting defensive. She didn't like the look in his eyes, the way he was looking at her, but she knew she deserved it. She hadn't thought her words out well enough and she couldn't blame him for being upset, but for some reason, she still felt like she was going to if she wasn't careful.

"Sometimes I don't think when I talk. It happens, I'm sorry." She felt her eye twitch when she apologized. "I wanted to keep myself neutral, not hurt anyone, but," she sighed. "Like always, I'm bad at it." Rose put her hand on her stomach and curled her hand into a fist, wrinkling the fabric of her shirt in it.

"Um, let me.. make it up to you? ..Somehow." She asked awkwardly.

He lifted an eyebrow at her denial, but he supposed that it really wasn't her fault. She'd grown up alongside the Potters, and he knew more than he probably should have about her parents' near divorce back in the day. The Gryffindor in him tried to write off her actions, for her sake, but he couldn't convince himself completely.

So he just listened and tried to accept her apology. "I can take a lot of abuse. I'm used to the jokes and questions and comments. I can deal with it."

Frank shrugged, sighing a little. He couldn't really say why Rose agreeing with James bothered him so much.

Speaking of James: the Prince Git himself walked out of the pub, two bags in hand. Frank lifted an eyebrow, silently asking what the other man was up to. But then the bags were proffered to each of them and James (blatantly grudgingly) explained. "I had them box your meals. Now either stop fighting or I'll obliviate both of you."

And after they'd taken the bags, he disapparated. Frank was puzzled, but decided that he would give her an answer anyway. "How about you talk to your mum so she'll leave me alone. Then we can talk."

"Ah, so Mum was really the only reason you did this." Rose pursed her lips, nodding slightly.

She already knew that. Frank had said it before, but a part of her had hoped (for whatever reason) that he'd been lying because he was angry. She couldn't figure it out though. She felt pain shoot through her chest, and it tightening, as the realization was made. But it shouldn't have mattered that much at all. The two of them didn't exactly get on most of the time, and Rose had always thought things wouldn't change that much between them; especially with the way their lives worked.

Rose had stopped paying attention to James and had absentmindedly taken the bag from him. She barely even noticed when he'd disapparated. The thing she was trying to do now was not show that she was bothered by the fact that Frank was there solely because of her mother. She nodded again. "Right. I'll see what I can do to talk to her."

She bit her lip. Her voice sounded strained, like she was holding something back. Something had formed in her throat that she couldn't swallow easily. Rose cleared her throat. "I should get back to the hospital now. Probably." She turned to leave. "Thanks for lunch."

He didn't want to think about what her first response might mean. He really didn't. But it made him feel icky and weird inside, and he did not like it. First off, he never bothered with real feelings beyond his immediate family -- and maybe Aunt Hermione. That was just asking for trouble. Second, he knew Rose, but only kind of. So why would she seem so taken aback by his seemingly careless and callous reasoning?

That's who he was, to them. To most everyone. And he knew it well enough to accept it.

Even if they were all dead wrong.

So, at first, a wave of bitter rage made his grit his teeth. She clearly wouldn't be surprised by a temper-fueled outburst, but that didn't make him feel like having one would do any good. In fact, it wasn't until she turned to leave that he moved. His gaze left her and went to the sky. His shoulders deflated.

"That wasn't the only reason," he said, perhaps loud enough for her to hear it, but perhaps not.

Frank gripped the bag containing his lunch, but discomfort took over so he shook his head, drew his wand, and disapparated.