Unexpected Customer ((The One and Only Kennedy))

[Fiona O'Reilly S5]

Long strawberry blonde tresses cascaded down a bare back. Toned, tanned flesh was apparent underneath the golden strands and stood out against the black dress with a very low cut back. It was all that could be seen by the visitor in the shop as blue orbs landed on the unmoving figure as his hand slid out to pull the ruby encrusted athame from it’s leather sheath, the sound hardly enough to be considered a whisper. He darted to look at the unmoving woman…her head was bowed over a piece of parchment…or so he assumed it was by her stance. Hands were placed on the counter, unknown colored eyes focused on something on the counter and body hunched ever so slightly. With her back to him he couldn’t see her face, nor anything else about her as his hand feigned returning the blade to it’s sheath. The slight of hand would have barely recognizable to anyone, except to someone that was waiting for it.

Petrificus Totalus, it was a mere thought as the form didn’t even move to turn around as the man headed for the door. She finally had hard proof that he was stealing from her. All these months of having to filter through who was stealing from her and now she finally knew. The distinct sound of the man hitting the ground rang through the small shop and she smirked as she turned on her heel. Green orbs lit on the man as the small almond wand was placed back within it’s sheath that was conveniently placed in one of the many folds of her dress, a new look for the wizarding world and on that would become a success if she had anything to say about it…which she did. However at that moment the wicked little smirk was all that mattered as she moved toward the man who’s eyes darted around to watch her move even though he could not.

“This is the last time you will steal from my shop O’Donnell. If you want to make a name for yourself as a lying cheat than you best go to London for that, cause I won’t be havin’ you prowlin’ my shop any longer,” the words of the woman rang clear as day through the shop as she beat down and pulled the athame from his clothes. She looked it over before rounding it on him, the tip of its blade pressing neatly against his nose. “Next time I see you in ‘ere I won’t let you off so easy and trust me they won’t find your body when I’m through with you.” Her form straightened up from the solid man on the floor as she placed the athame back in its spot on the display. “Then again I always did hate giving people another chance to redeem themselves…” She smirked coldly as she pointed her wand at him, his eyes lighting up with fear. She flicked her wand the silent spell Mobilicorpus moving the man out of her shop and dropping him in the middle of the Irish wizarding street.

With a laugh the doors shut hard behind him as Fiona Lin O’Reilly turned back to look around her shop. The many displays ranged from simple jars of ingredients for potions to athame’s and jewelry. There was also a neat display of clothes…her very own design. She had been too influenced by the muggle world of late to keep the traditional robes that wizards and witches wore far too often. So she’d begun designing clothes more suitable to fit both the muggle world and the wizarding world. They would eventually become seamless with that world and maybe one day she’d sell to a larger audience for that reason. Truthfully she didn’t know if they would, but at least she’d been selling them to the younger crowds, most that were headed off to Hogwarts or other wizarding academies.

The sudden sound of an alto toned bell sounded through the shop and Fiona nodded her head in satisfaction. She’d made a small profit that day, which was more than other days, but figuratively speaking she was quite successful and her profits were definitely far more than a lot of shops around her. Magical Necessities had become a household name in Ireland and hopefully before long she’d have a chain shop set up in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. It was definitely possible if she could find an open area and get the right permits. She had no doubt that it would happen, she just wasn’t sure when. Her form turned wand in hand as she flicked it at the small sign that declared whether or not the shop was open. With the sign securely flipped to closed she went on her normal routine of dusting and giving a quick run over with her wand before locking up. At that time, while her back was to the door she heard the click of the door opening and the sound of feet step inside. “I’m sorry, but we’re closed,” she said without even turning to look at them, her voice holding a venomous edge.

[Kennedy Valak S6]

Seven years. Seven long years.

For most, it would have been longer, but Kennedy had been lucky. Well, as lucky as you can get considering his best friends had been ruthless scavengers, the coldest of them all. Night after lonely night, a single flicker of light which was imprisoned in a darkness like no other. Many wouldn't have survived, but a burning feeling inside of him that some how remained in tact was what kept Kennedy going. The burning feeling and... and the memory of that face. The face which haunted his every nightmare, his every waking thought - stone cold eyes of deep blue, the shocked mouth that rested agape with the look of terror plastered evidently across the thin lips. It was something Kennedy would never forget. Could never forget.

The cool breeze of an oncoming autumn fought to take over the warmth of the summer during a late evening sunset. The crowds of people slowly started to dwindle, eventually leaving a lone straggler here and there. Kennedy walked with a brisk pace, certain of his destination. Never before had he been in magical Ireland, or at least not this part of town anyways. As he walked, his fingers danced across the slender, smooth wand which was tucked safely in his leather jacket. Gradually, he had been learning to be accustomed to the new feeling, nothing like he remembered before, but still enough sense of power that he knew would grow in time. All new things took getting used to, and time had its ugly way of turning the familiar into the unknown.

Just ahead, he saw the door. The sparkling glass window panes reflected the setting sun, and his eyes were unfaltering as he moved forward toward the welcoming magical shop. Magical Necessities. A simple enough name, perhaps not the simplicity that he expected. When he heard about the success of his past love interest, Kennedy was somewhat surprised to discover the path that Fiona had taken. It wasn't a bad sort of surprise as much as an unexpected surprise. Either way, he knew he was determined to pay her a visit. After all, they had so much to catch up on...

Silently, he stepped up to the stone entrance, noticing an oddly awkward paralyzed man laying in the streets. A slight grin crossed his lips as he recognized the potential temper of long ago. Some things didn't change, apparently. A steady hand reached for the door, but then stopped as his eyes pierced through the glass and froze when he saw the familiar strawberry blond hair. She wasn't looking his way, and Kennedy stole a few seconds of a glance, his heart twisting and sending the same confused feelings throughout his blood. It was the one thing that left him unsure of everything, especially unsure of himself. She was the one thing that turned his confidence upside down and made his power seem futile.

CLOSED, the sign on the door read. Like he was really going to let a silly wooden sign dictate his actions. Kennedy finally turned the handle and pushed open the door, a task which seemed to also push through so many clouds of uncertainty and questions. There he was. This was his chance to find the answers he had been so desperate to unearth.

Her sudden words were a sweet tone to his ear despite the obvious disdain, and he took a fleeting second to instinctively allow himself to enjoy the long forgotten voice. It wasn't until she turned though that he felt his breath swell in his chest, almost like a balloon which was building up too much pressure that it might burst. And that's practically what it did as he let out a loud sort of sigh, his eyes catching hers, certain that they were recognizing the same thing as his. "I'm not here to buy anything," he replied softly, a surprising calmness in his voice. "Im here to get some answers."

[Fiona O'Reilly S5]

When Fiona did not hear the sound of the door open again she sighed in annoyance, thinking it was probably one of her father’s infamous sellers who didn’t know the front door from the back. Her form straightened and she turned to look at the intruder, her hands going to her hips as the familiar stance of a man she barely recognized filled her vision. Her heart jerked and sped up as she stopped dead, lips cracked open a bit from the shock as her eyes traveled up the body of a lover she had tried to forget about. She swallowed at the lump in her throat as her green irises fought to hold on to the sanity. This could not be happening…not here, not now. She’d spent too many restless nights thinking about him…of hoping to see him again…and now here he was in her store…in her father’s place of business. It was like an overload of emotions suddenly exploded within as panic, fear, love, hate, anger, regret, and many more clutched at her, every one of them vying for control over her body and speech, each wanting their own say.

It was that ever-present familiar confusion that seemed to grip her any time Kennedy Valak was around. The man held too much sway over her emotions, even now…seven years later. Seven years…he’d been gone that long. Another heart wrenching emotion gripped her and she suddenly felt nauseated and dizzy. It was even more profound than before as she actually took a moment to take in his features, the grizzled almost wild look of a man who had barely escaped an attack with his life, and his eyes…they’d lost some of their previous shine, dulled by something far more terrifying than Fiona could possibly imagine. She couldn’t look away from him…couldn’t help but burn his image into her mind for all eternity, knowing that he was like that because of her…because of what she had failed to do…because she had chosen a different path.

”I’m not here to buy anything. I’m here to get some answers.”

Fiona had to clamp down hard on her emotions at the sound of his voice. That sweet, calming voice that had always had the most soothing affect on her. It couldn’t be that way anymore. She was 25 years old now and her father was doing everything in him power to set her up for life with this business. She was already bringing in more revenue than he had in his first 5 years and she could not afford to be distracted, especially by the man her father hated. If Kennedy were found there…now, by her father he would kill him. Of that Fiona was more than certain. A part of her felt the same way…knew that her father was right and that he should be eliminated, but the part that cared for him…the part that still loved him could never bring harm to him. Instead she looked over her shoulder, back toward the back door of the shop before she looked back to him, the whole time trying to find the inner strength she would need for what was to come.

“You want answers? Fine…but not here…never here. You know better than to walk into this shop or have you forgotten what you did,” Fiona said…the attempted venom to her voice was far below its normal standards as she moved behind the counter. Digits wrapped around the long black duster before she pulled the soft fabric to her so she could put it on. Her body tense as her arms quickly found the sleeves and she pulled it onto her shoulders, hands moving to pull her blonde hair out from beneath the fabric. “I don’t know why you even came here. I thought it was pretty obvious how things were left.” She turned then to grab her purse, pain slamming through her heart at her words, but it had to be done…for his own good. She had to do this. There was no turning back now. There never would be…never could be.

[Kennedy Valak S6]

She was willing to give him answers. Reluctant, but seemingly willing. Kennedy felt the pressure begin to cease in his chest. After seven years of agony, he might finally be able to put some of his curiosity and feelings of betrayal to rest. Then again, Fiona was obviously not thrilled to see him there, which indicated that things still weren’t going to just bounce back to the way they were prior to the seven year gap since they were once so “in love.”

“What I did? What I did?” he questioned, the disbelief and feelings of hurt piercing through his voice. She was blaming him for all of this, just as he had guessed she might be. It made sense. Or, at least it explained why she simply left him for the dementors. She was holding this all against him. Even if his actions had no obvious affect on her, Fiona was blaming him for the gruesome death of his father.

“You know very well that it had to be done,” he said through slightly gritted teeth. Kennedy felt his blood pressure begin to rise, wishing so badly that he knew why Fiona had abandoned him though. Why couldn’t she see that he had to do what he did? Why wasn’t it obvious to her that his father’s death was necessary?

“What’s not obvious is why,” he said quickly after Fiona seemed quite anxious to vacate and insisting that the seven year span need not be explained to him. “Why didn’t you come for me? Why didn’t you witness on my behalf? When the Wizengamot was so eager to throw me in Azkaban, where were you?” As she seemed to be ignoring him, Kennedy took a few steps toward her and gracefully spun her around by the shoulder until they were face to face. Nose to nose. His eyes searching into hers for the answers he so desperately needed. “Why did you give up on me? On Us?” His eyes began to gloss over, a thin layer of tears forming so slightly as he watched the one woman whom he loved seem to stare at him as though she never knew him.

[Fiona O'Reilly S5]

Fiona didn’t want this conversation…not now, not ever. Kennedy was not apart of her life anymore…well no more than he always would be…that small part that she couldn’t keep out. Fiona felt the pang of guilt…the heartache that she had tried to push aside for seven long years begin again. He didn’t know what had gone on back then…he didn’t know what she was going through, what it had meant when he had killed his father. It was a dangerous situation…one that her father had nearly been destroyed during. She couldn’t let that happen again, couldn’t let her family get hurt…get put into danger. Her blue/green eyes held more than it’s fair amount of sorrow…a pain that she hadn’t felt in a long time was shining through them and it was taking everything in her to try to keep herself grounded.

“No Kennedy…No. It did not have to be done,” she hissed as she stared him down, arms crossing over her chest. “You killed your own father…killed him! Do you have any idea the danger you posed to all of us…to my father and this operation? Do you? No Kennedy…you did not have to kill him.” Fiona was hissing in as soft a voice she could, trying not to grab her father’s attention who was down in the hidden basement. If he heard her, heard Kennedy he would be up there in seconds and Kennedy would be dead…no question about that. Her father did not take kindly to him and she knew he would kill him the first chance he got.

Kennedy didn’t get the hint…wouldn’t budge from his position to have this conversation here and now. Her eyes were fixed on the purse she’d just found when suddenly his hands were on her twisting her around. Familiarity in the touch, her flesh raised in goose pimples her body becoming rigid from his touch. There was also a flare of something she’d long tried to forget…the passion that came with his touch, the spike in her heart rate, and the breathlessness that came from the exhilarating feeling of his hands on her. It was too much in those moments, even more so when she found herself face to face with him…hardly inches away; she could feel his hot breath on her face.

It took everything inside Fiona to push away the sudden want to embrace him, to tell him everything, but she couldn’t. He was breaking all the rules…forcing her body to forget this would be something far more difficult than the first time. There wasn’t anything holding her back from telling the truth to Kennedy…well there was, but didn’t he deserve to know the truth? To know why she’d disappeared seven years ago from him…not coming to his rescue at the Wizengamot? No…she could not tell him that…

Eyes narrowed finally as she pulled herself from his hands. “Don’t touch me Kennedy,” she said in a cold voice as she brushed past him, his words ripping at her heartstrings. A part of her wanted to tell Kennedy that she had never given up on them, that she had every intention of showing up to prove her love for him, but something came up… Yeah perfect way of saying it, Fiona thought to herself as she tried to remember the lies she was forced to tell others. Her father had made it quite clear back then where her loyalties were and she would not turn against them now…even if it meant a heartbreaking lie. “Because I didn’t love you anymore…” the words were weak, much weaker than she had wanted them to sound and she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes…she pushed at them, tried to blink them away as she turned back to look at Kennedy.

[Kennedy Valak S6]

Perhaps the seven year span had convinced Fiona that Kennedy no longer knew her. Maybe she thought he’d believe her when she spoke. If she thought he was going to just drop everything, she was dead wrong. Kennedy knew Fiona better than that, and he knew she was hiding something. She wasn’t answering him because she was either trying to keep something from him or trying to protect him. He was well aware that she’d lie straight to his face if it meant keeping him out of her business or out of danger. “Maybe you don’t love me anymore,” he said, believing that it was very well the case, “but you loved me back then. You can’t deny that.” He knew he was right, and he knew there was nothing she could say to deny it.

“I don’t care who you are now, Fiona, who you’ve become. It doesn’t matter to me if your love is still strong. I just want to know what happened then. Something happened. I’m not stupid. You’re hiding something from me, and I won’t stop until I find out what it is. You should know more than anybody how stubborn I can be.” By this time, he wasn’t talking in a demanding voice. His tone was very matter-of-fact and calm. Kennedy was determined, and he wasn’t about to let Fiona stand in his way. He’d find out why she abandoned him all those years ago. He’d get to the bottom of it, because it was the only thing he had to live for. Even though he had the chance to start new, Fiona was the only link to his past life, and his past life was all that he had. His future was blank, empty, lacking potential. But if he could unlock the keys to his past, perhaps his future would have more meaning.

“You knew I loved you, Fiona.” His voice began to sink back into his anger and hurt. “You knew I’d do anything for you. Anything for us. You knew I killed my father because I thought it was best for our future. So tell me… what was stronger than my love for you seven years ago? What made you choose the path you chose. What lead you to where you are today?” He didn’t want to admit it, but Kennedy knew only one thing, and that was his love for Fiona. Sure it was tainted by his feeling of having been betrayed, but his love for her was the only good thing he had when in Azkaban. It kept him going. Kept him hoping. If she was so willing to throw it all away, he had to know why. “Dammit, Fiona. Just tell me the truth. Most of our relationship has been tainted with lies. Can’t you just be honest. I just want to know why.”

[Fiona O'Reilly S5]

Fiona couldn’t wrench her eyes from Kennedy…she wanted to. So desperately did she want to forget that he was there…that he was nothing more than a ghost…or the nightmare she’d had over and over again for the last seven years, but she knew this was real. She knew that reality had finally caught up with her, that she could no longer hide what she’d been forced to hide from him seven years ago. It was dangerous for them both…her father was a desperate man and he would do anything to keep Fiona safe…even if that meant saving her from herself. If he was listening to her…to the conversation going on then he would be in there in a second and Kennedy would be dead… That in itself should have been enough for Fiona to find the courage to force him out of the shop, to get him out of there period. She couldn’t stand him being there…standing right in front of her, his eyes locked with hers…it was killing her in ways she had never thought possible, yet here he was…a part of her unwilling to make him go.

His words stung…dug deep into her heart, hooking themselves there like asbestos to the lungs. It was ripping her heart, making it bleed again. Fiona didn’t know what to say…didn’t know how to say it. Or if she should? Was it a good idea to tell Kennedy what he wanted to know? Was it a good idea to let him into her life again? No…it wasn’t…it never would be a good idea. There was too much pain and heartache from the past to let things go back to how she wanted them. She closed her eyes, forcing them to look away from him…forcing them to remember why she had abandoned him in the first place. It had been the only way and she had known it…but here Kennedy was demanding to know the secret she had sworn to her father never to tell him. There would be pain in the truth…far more than was necessary for both of them.

The pleading words of her lover…the only man she had ever and would ever care about began to penetrate into those closed eyes and a soft, silent tear slid down her face. She wouldn’t move to wipe it away, wouldn’t let him know that it was for him as she opened her eyes. There was a new determination there…one that was strong, intense, and held a flare of the familiarity from seven years ago. She shook her head as she moved back to Kennedy…her form mere centimeters from his. “You want to know why? I’ll tell you why Kennedy…but hear me know the moment I tell you you are to leave here immediately…you are to walk out of my life…out of my family’s life and never…never return,” Fiona said, her voice low and deadly. It was not how she wanted it to be…but she couldn’t stop herself from trying to protect the one she would die to protect. “Promise me now.” She waited…waited for his promise before she folded her arms over her chest tight, her expression unreadable. “I left you by choice…you brought the wrath of the ministry down upon not only yourself, but me...and your unborn daughter. I did what I had to to protect her.”

[Kennedy Valak S6]

Fiona's steely demeanour was the same as it had always been. She refused to let others in. Where he had once been a big part of her life, time had calloused the spot in her heart that had once belonged to him. Even more than he wanted answers, Kennedy wanted to fix what had been broken, though he knew that Fiona wouldn't let it happen so easily. Time wasn't on his side. People change and grow to adapt as fate unfolds. Fiona had grown to learn to live without Kennedy. He had done the same, but seeing her in front of him reminded him of how it once had been and he yearned to have that love once again.

"I promise, Fiona," he said, knowing that she wasn't going to budge. His voice was teeming with anticipation. Anticipation of the truth. It was all that he really wanted. With the truth, he knew he could go on. Without the truth he was lost and unarmed. If he had the truth, he could start to piece his life back together, hopefully starting with Fiona as the center piece. Perhaps it was far-fetched, but he had nothing else to live for. Or so he thought.

"My what?" he said, his eyes widening with surprise. "No. It's not true. You wouldn't have kept that from me." Tears stained his face. "Damn you, Fiona. How could you?" He was a father. For the past seven years he had been living with no clue of this fact. Seven years away from a daughter he never knew existed. "Dammit. Curse you." He closed his eyes, fury welling up inside him among the other emotions. He was in no state to figure this out now.

"Where is she? I will be a part of her life, Fiona. You can't keep her from me. The ministry has reprieved me. They will demand that she is part of my life. I don't care what it takes. Even if you're not willing to put back the pieces of our past, I will make sure that you can't keep her from me." Kennedy shook his head, unable to accept that the woman he would give anything for had kept something so valuable from him. "You may think you are protecting her, but she deserves to know the truth. She deserves to have a father. And you know damn well that I would give my life for her. I haven't even met her, but you know me better than anybody Fiona." With that, Kennedy turned, keeping his promise, and he disappeared.

[Fiona O'Reilly S5]

The words that had fallen from her lips just a moment before were hard, cold and above everything else heartbreaking for not just Kennedy…they broke her as his whole demeanor changed…a pain she had never known before stabbed through her heart. Kennedy had always been her life…her love through everything and here he was again, wanting to know why she had deserted him. It was one thing to tell him the truth, it was another to blame her fear on her daughter, but she had and she wasn’t about to take it back…not now, not ever. It was hard though not to go to him…not to ask his forgiveness for keeping something so important from him…the tears staining his face were even more difficult to deal with. This was not how she wanted this to go…she didn’t want him to cry. She wanted him to hurt, to give her a reason to hate him and keep her daughter from him, but he didn’t…he wouldn’t, of that she was positive. Even after what she did to him, he still cared for her more than she wanted him to.

Fiona shook her head, his words fueling her on. She was a strong woman, had to be in her line of work. She wasn’t going to stand here and listen to Kennedy’s threats about going to the ministry…they wouldn’t allow him to see her. She had already made sure of that a long time ago. They had given them full custody as she had claimed the father was someone else. The only proof would be to have a blood scan done by one of the healers and what would they say to that? A convicted murderer is her daughters father…no one would blame her for keeping her daughter from a man who killed his own father. They would deem him unfit and she would win…without even her father’s influence over a few of the ministry officials.

“You’re wrong Kennedy…the ministry won’t let you be apart of her life. As far as they know her real father is someone else entirely and the minute you come in claiming you are her father will be the minute they lock you up again. A murderer Kennedy…that’s what you are and you won’t have any part of my daughter’s life. She deserves better…and she has better,” Fiona called to him as he turned and disappeared from her life. Her whole form shuddered, as she finally felt able to move again, her hands shaking. It didn’t matter anyway, not really, Fiona had someone in her life and Kendra had a father…a real father.

A form moved from the darkness, tall and quiet as he slipped behind Fiona, arms encircling her waist from behind, pulling her back against his body. ”Was that Valak?” he asked in her ear, his dark green eyes looking at the door. She sighed as she leaned her head back against his chest, her blue eyes finding his. “Promise me you won’t kill him,” Fiona asked in a soft voice as she let her hands run down his arms. ”You know I won’t promise you that.” His voice was dark and menacing…Fiona knew what that meant…knew that he had already planned to kill Kennedy and her heart ached at the thought. She still loved him…more than she ever thought possible. “Please Caleb…” was all she said before he kissed her forehead and disappeared, leaving her alone to finish closing up.