Get a Life, Aviva! ((Derek, then Matt))

[Aviva Jade Morgan]

Aviva sighed. She really didn’t want to go out tonight. Hell she didn’t want to go out any night. She had work tomorrow after all, so what was the point in even going? Aviva needed her rest. But Diane, Aviva’s first cousin was pretty good at persuading people. She was a tired first time single mom whose baby was finally sleeping through the night. Her babysitter was going to care for her kid, so Diane was intent on a girl’s night out sort of thing. Girl’s night out was the farthest thing from Aviva’s mind. She’d just rented yet another murder mystery movie and another carton full of frozen yogurt. She’d even gone out of her way to buy one of those incredibly idiotic romantic comedies that Diane loved so much. It would have been perfect, but of course, Diane wasn’t willing to let her plans to go out to some bar go to waste. And of course, she couldn’t go alone, so Aviva was the only other option. “Come on, Diane! I really don’t want to go out tonight. I have work tomorrow! Why can’t we just stay in? I have strawberry frozen yogurt and those stupid romantic comedies you love! Please don’t make me go Di, please?!” Aviva pleaded. Aviva had known Diane Morgan pretty much since birth. Her mother was her father’s sister and they’d been next door neighbors growing up. Diane was a muggle, but she too shared that same love for solving mysteries and puzzles. They’d go all around the house as kids searching for clues to their latest mystery all through their childhood. She had of course been a bit jealous when Aviva had been accepted into Hogwarts, but she was a good sport about it. She looked forward to all the cool gadgets and stories Aviva would come home with every holiday. Now, the two led very different lives. While Aviva had chosen the route of detective work as a Homicide inspector, Diane had decided to study medicine and become a doctor. Her husband died of cancer a few years back, but she was still as cheery as ever. That was the one thing Aviva had always envied of her cousin. Even through the harshest of times, she was still her cheery, bubbly self.

“Aviva, come on! I’ve got this adorable new shirt you can borrow for tonight. Plus there will be plenty of gorgeous guys there! There’s some kind of big game tonight, so if you act interested, I’m sure it won’t be hard to pick up a cute guy or two.” Diane said fondly with a wink. Aviva rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Both of them were sitting on Aviva’s spotless couch watching some talk show neither of them were paying attention to. “Oh yeah, now I really want to go. You know, God forbid I try to have a successful career. I don’t want to even attempt to do my job on any less sleep than I’m used to.” Aviva said stubbornly, though she knew this was an excuse. Like marriage and dating, sleeping was an option in Aviva’s eyes. She only really needed two or three hours to be well rested for the night, and Diane knew this full well. “Oh don’t you pull that career crap on me. I’m a doctor for crying out loud! I have work tomorrow too, but that’s not stopping me from a night of fun. Aviva, I know you’re still hurt about Mr. Darwin, but you’ve got to get over it already! You can’t just let your personal life slip away because of some old man, no matter how special he was to you. You need to learn how to get out there and have fun again. I can’t stand sitting here watching you waste your life away on murder mystery movies. You’re going out tonight cuz, and that’s final.” Diane said with a tone that told Aviva that even she couldn’t argue with.


So, Aviva grudgingly let her older cousin dress her as she pleased, which made her uncomfortable to begin with. She didn’t like the tight skirt and red blouse she’d had to shove herself into just to get it to fit right. She didn’t even argue either as the ruby red lipstick was practically forcefully applied to her lips. Diane was always the one person Aviva couldn’t bring herself to argue with, and she used that to her advantage frequently. Aviva made her way immediately to the bar while her cousin wandered to some blonde guy near the dance floor. She ordered herself the first thing she saw, immediately earning the attention of a rather drunk man in an old t-shirt. “Hey beautiful. I was just wondering…did it hurt?” He said drunkenly, stumbling over his words. She backed up a bit out of instinct. She rolled her eyes. “What? When I fell down from heaven? Honestly, if you’re going to make an attempt at flirting I suggest you try and come up with something that hasn’t been used a million times.” The man laughed as his hand wandered onto her knee. Aviva sighed. So he was going to be like that, was he? “Take your hand off of me. Now. Aviva said, in a voice that could be compared to a snarl. “Easy, darling. I can’t exactly help myself. Why, with that little number you’ve got there, I’m surprised every man in the room hasn’t tried to lay a hand on you.” Aviva could almost feel her cousin’s nervous stare on her back as she clenched her fist. “Now that’s over the top. And by the way, I'm no angel. Now, witch would be much more fitting.” Aviva growled, (adding the "witch" part as a bit of a joke to herself) unable to control herself any longer. She punched the guy hard in the face without a second thought and a minute later, he was being hauled off by the bartender. Aviva sighed, taking a sip from what she recognized as a beer. “Men.” She grumbled under her breath.

[Derek Alsbrow]

Derek walked along the cold streets of London, a pitstop he had made on his way to Hogwarts. Since he had started at Durmstrang, he had dreamed of going to London, and now that he was here, the dream was starting to fade. Even though he was happy to be there, he couldn’t keep his mind off finding his brother and sister. What was his brother like? Did he know that he had a brother at Durmstrang, at all? Derek doubted his brother knew about him at all. That was why he had to go see him, and convince him that he was the rightful heir to the Greene inheritance. He was the first born, after all. But right now, that all didn’t matter. What mattered right now was drowning his thoughts and feelings in glasses of alcohol and figuring out a way to forget all of it for just one night. The next evening he would board a train to Hogwarts, and London would be a far off memory. But for tonight, he would fill his mind with whatever he could to erase everything he could. As he walked down the street, he noted a few small bars open, but most of them seemed to be closing already. He looked at his muggle timepiece, realizing it was still early, as far as he knew. He kept walking, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. Matt then got close to another pub that seemed to be somewhat lively, but not overly packed. He was about to open the door when it slammed open for him.

Out stumbled a seemingly underdressed man, clearly drunk from one too many orders, and evidently the owner or bartender of the bar right behind him. “You’re not welcome here! Go take your indecency somewhere else. Not in my bar!” With that, the bartender slammed the door behind the man, and the sloppy drunk waddled over to Derek, practically falling into him. Derek swiftly walked to the side of the door, avoiding the drunk’s fall, as he fell face first into the nearby fluffy snowbank, obviously out cold. Derek noticed before the man fell that he had a bit of a bloody nose, sharply bruised. He would likely be there for the night. Feeling no compassion for the man, he walked up to the door, opening it slowly and pulling it securely behind him. He quickly walked to the bar and sat down, waiting for the bartender to get to him. While he could easily get a bit impatient, he didn’t need to get noticed much this night. All he needed tonight was drinks and something to keep his mind off the task at hand. As Derek ordered his drink, a tall strong double, he noticed the bartender that had kicked the drunk out over at the other end of the bar, apologizing to an attractive woman. Who was this woman? He decided it might be fun to find out. If she was the one who gave the drunk the bloody nose, it was definitely his kind of woman. Maybe he would get a bit of a chance tonight. It didn’t matter at all to him, because the game he would play with her would simply serve to just keep his mind off the Greene inheritance.

He walked over to the woman, slipping into the barstool behind her, taking notice of the large beer in front of her. By now the bartender had left, and he made his presence known by addressing the drunk, passed out outside. “Did you give that guy outside his bloody nose? Seems he might have had it coming.” Derek had a way of talking smoothly, but he didn’t really care right now. If this woman had punched a drunk in the face, she definitely wasn’t the type to take smooth talkers that well. “I would have just used some kind of spell on him to get rid of him for good. I can still do that, if you’d like,” he offered. Derek wasn’t shy about magic. If she was a muggle, it didn’t matter. He’d apparate out and that would be the end of it. If she was a witch, they would have something in common and the conversation would actually go somewhere. “I’m Derek,” he said pridefully, extending his hand. “And you are?” This was it. She would decide whether she wanted to pursue a conversation with him or not, because he had moved all conversation challenges onto her shoulders. It was all up to her now. All Derek had to do was lean up against the bar and wait. He sipped his sharp drink, feeling the liquid burn his throat once again, pleased at himself, and waited for her response.

[Aviva Jade Morgan]

Aviva rolled her eyes, taking a more than generous sip of her beer. She really needed something to get her mind off how not into this whole Girls Night thing she was. Besides, while Diane was sweet and the best cousin Aviva could ask for, she did have the habit of loving men just a bit too much. Whenever Diane tried planning these Girls Nights, she’d often end up leaving Aviva and she’d end up drinking the night away, falling asleep at the bar, or just going home early for another movie. Today would likely be one of those “drink the night away” kind of nights. Aviva was already halfway through the large drink and she didn’t even notice it. She wasn’t paying much attention to how much she was drinking because honestly, she was far too pissed off to care. Why did men insist on being such pigs?! Did they really think that they’d be able to get away with their disgusting behavior with every single girl they saw? It was horrible and Aviva felt no pity for those loose young women who gave men the false impression that they somehow had the skill to literally charm the pants off any woman they saw. Well, most men who were stupid enough to assume this with Aviva almost ended up disappointed, hurt, (both physically and emotionally) and with nothing to do for the rest of the night because they got kicked out of the place. Most times, their usually high self-confidence ended up forever bruised beyond repair. Aviva had taken to this little routine just after Tyler left her and she no longer had any faith in the ways of romance and love. Diane was just about the only one who had seen this process in its entirety. The first few times, Diane had been appalled at Aviva’s behavior. Now, she just expected it. Everyone of course had noticed the attractive and seemingly innocent and weak looking blonde woman beating the crap out of an old burly drunk. Obviously, Diane had a much different reaction to the mix of both amused and appalled stares in Aviva’s direction. Diane merely rolled her eyes and explained my behavior to whichever guy she’d decided to latch herself onto for the moment.

“I’m so sorry miss, really. This doesn’t happen often at all. He came in here drunk. I only gave him a drink. Really, it won’t happen again. I really hope this does not affect your opinion of this here establishment.” The bartender apologized, almost pleading with Aviva. Aviva had come to learn that most shady people tended to have a certain sixth sense for knowing who had the power to bust them in jail. Obviously, this man seemed to think that Aviva was some kind of inspector, coming in to check on the activities of the man’s little bar. It did seem that way, but of course, Aviva was not a bar inspector, thank God for that. Unless this guy had any connection to a murder, Aviva had no interest in the goings on at the bar. That was a different department, one on a much lower level than she was. She rolled her eyes and held up her hand to get the man to stop with his frantic apologies. “Save your babbling, please sir. I’d like another drink.” She said calmly and in a completely bored tone, handing him his payment for only one of her drinks. If he was truly expecting her to pay for that first one, he was sadly mistaken. That scene could have ended in so many different ways had Aviva not been a stronger and capable woman. The man hurried off in an instant, returning with her beer almost seconds later. Aviva glanced to her side, noticing someone had just taken a seat beside her. She heard the comment before she saw the man who spoke it.

Aviva turned around to address the man’s question. “Well yes, I did. I don’t take kindly to people who don’t respect my boundaries, and that man made the sad mistake of crossing the line.” She said simply, taking in his appearance in that same professional matter. He only observed details and did not include her opinions on these details throughout her observations. Young male, early twenties, lots of scruffy facial hair, standing just below six feet. He didn’t look like he was around here. Aviva then turned back to her drink, opting to forget about the man and return to her night of loneliness and drinking. However, his next comment both surprised and intruiged her. She turned around to face him again, fully this time, instead of just halfway. “I think I handled it just fine, thank you for the offer though. So I take it you’re a wizard then? Do you always go around talking to people you don’t know about your abilities or have we met before? You’re lucky I don’t work for the Ministry. I could have busted you for breaking that secrecy code.” Aviva said, her bored expression and tone diminishing slightly. Could it even be slightly possible that Aviva had managed to find someone who wasn’t a blundering idiot in a place like this? She studied him once more, this time adding assessments to her observation. He seemed decent. Could use a good cleaning up, but otherwise not too bad. He didn’t look like a complete psychopath, which was a change. Giving her name probably wouldn’t be too terrible of an idea. “Aviva Morgan. Pleasure.” She said politely, her index finger circling the rim of her drink. She took another generous sip before placing it down again.

[Derek Alsbrow]

Derek sat next to the woman, knowing that his questions and light prodding into her life was a bit much, but it was really not that big of a deal. He could get out of a bad situation if he needed to, and he could do it quickly. She asked for another drink for the bartender as he babbled more about how apologetic he was for the drunk. He found it quite intelligent of her to simply give the man enough for one drink, when she was clearly on her second. It was a sly trick that only a woman like her could get away with, and after the little stunt pulled by the drunk, it just made it so much easier for the woman. He also liked how she noticed his presence without turning to face him. She answered his question without introducing herself yet, completely predictable of any woman. But Derek knew this one wasn’t like every other woman. She actually had an intelligent side, and if he wanted to get anywhere with her, he’d have to play his cards right. But Derek didn’t have any reason to get anywhere, not with anyone. London was simply a pit stop on his journey to Hogwarts. This woman meant less to him than the drink in his hand right now, which meant that he could apparate out at any second and move on, get to the place where he needed to be and continue his trek, his journey, his search for his siblings.

“I like a woman with boundaries. Means she actually means business, and has control on her life. I’ve met too many women who have no control over their lives and they’re just looking for that perfect man to waltz in and take care of everything. Not for me, thanks.” He said his words simply and confidently, showing he meant nothing by them, yet he also meant every word. Derek wasn’t as complicated as some people that he grew up with thought he was. Selfish and confident were words to describe Derek, but he didn’t care. If this woman wanted to continue a conversation with him, it would be decided after his next question, about magic. He mainly only dealt with wizards and witches, and didn’t take well to muggles. He only dealt with them if he had to, which was so in the case of the bartender and the drunk laying outside probably drowning in the light snow. He talked about magic openly with her, and she thanked him for his offer. He nodded, taking another generous sip of his drink, finishing it off. Banging it on the bar, he signaled the man for another. The woman then quickly deduced that he was a wizard and asked if they had met before, seemingly threatening him about the Ministry. He laughed at her comment. “I have no need to hide who I am from anyone. If people want to know about me, I’ll tell them what they want to know. If they get too close or too nosy, I get out, and I get out quickly. I have no concern for the Ministry.” It was partially the truth. The Ministry was in charge of everything, but it was not in charge of such a simple and lonely man such as Derek Alsbrow, and Derek intended on keeping it that way. He didn’t think of himself as what the muggles liked to call an ‘anarchist’, but he definitely did not care much about what the Ministry thought or did with themselves unless it affected him personally.

She then introduced herself after he gave his first name only. Aviva Morgan. The name didn’t ring any bells, and Derek hadn’t expected it to, after all, he had never met the woman in his life, and he wasn’t expecting to find his lost sister in London. Derek searched his mind for something to talk with Aviva about. He wasn’t about to let her just walk off, but at the same time what did he care? If she had come with a friend, which most women went to bars in groups, she would likely be running off to find her counterpart soon. This woman would have to prove to him that she was different than most, and he would have to poke and prod to get that side of her to come out to play. As it seemed, she was a bit uptight and spoke her mind freely, which he didn’t mind. He eyed her again, noticing she didn’t look quite comfortable in her tight ensemble. He decided to address it, and see where it would lead. “Do you come to bars often? It seems from the way you’re dressed you might have been dragged here against your will to ‘have a good time’. Am I right?” He smirked slightly, assuring himself that he had to be right, and if he wasn’t, things could get ugly. If they did get ugly, he knew the way out and he would use it.

[Aviva Jade Morgan]

Aviva already began to feel that the lines in the atmosphere that once seemed to be distinct were now beginning to blur. She didn’t see the apologetic babbling bartender as clearly as she did when he first served her. She didn’t really care though. This alcohol consuming, bar hopping, tight skirt wearing girl wasn’t her at all. Aviva was the type that worked hard for her high position in life. She pitied the woman who existed only to marry her “prince” and raised children for the rest of her life. She needed more than that. She needed more than the norm. She didn’t study hard all of her life just to give it away to some guy. There was a time when Aviva dreamed of settling down and having children. Tyler would be working in the force as well, and they’d both have very successful careers while they raised their children and grew old together. But of course, that dream was put to an abrupt end when Tyler was found in Aviva’s bed with the woman Aviva hated on their three year anniversary. Apparently it hadn’t occurred to Tyler that he should have probably waited until after his girlfriend had left the house before inviting his air-headed lover (who was a model, hence Aviva’s current hate of models) over to the apartment that didn’t even belong to him. It was on that very night that Aviva completely gave up on the male population. She was a complete wreck the entire week after she kicked him out, but it was on that Sunday night that Aviva decided she didn’t need the typical future most females fantasized about. She’d live for the thrill of a career and becoming a powerful member in society. Nothing more.

After Tyler, Aviva’s heart became hard. She learned how to block the pain of loss away and how to focus on work. The technique had worked in the past, and it worked even better after the Tyler era of her life. Aviva rolled her eyes just thinking about it. Since she didn’t have any immediate work on her hands, she erased the small bubble of sadness with two long swigs of beer. She glanced back at the man sitting next to her, who had introduced himself as Derek. He didn’t seem familiar, and he didn’t look like he was from around here at all. Throughout her years of training, Aviva had learned to distinguish the difference between three different classes of people. It was hard to tell who fit into what category at times, but with this one it was obvious. There were the normals, the potential freaks, and those who Aviva liked to call too far gone for salvation. After subtly observing him for a few moments, she had the feeling this Derek person was on the border between your average potential and those who have already gone completely mad. He seemed almost dangerous, so rough around the edges to a point where he should come equipped with a warning label. Normally, Aviva would be suspicious of these kinds of people. She wouldn’t be surprised if he was planning something. He seemed like the type. But why was she so intrigued by this certain air in which he carried himself? Aviva was here to get this night over with. She wouldn’t be surprised if Diane ended up going home with whichever guy she found tonight, so that would leave Aviva to sit here at the bar, drinking her heart out. Well…what was left of it anyway.

Aviva sighed quietly, resting her hand on her cheek. How did her life ever turn out this way? She completely dreaded anything that had to do with social contact not involving work of course and she rarely ever left her house except to go to the grocery store or to the gym or something. How pathetic. Aviva was glad Tyler couldn’t see her now. He would have laughed at what had become of the once free-spirited and heavily opinionated Aviva Morgan. She knew that jerk had no way of knowing what was going on in Aviva’s life now, but she felt like if she didn’t get out there and have fun and meet new people every so often, she would be giving him some sort of advantage. Even though he had no way of telling what pathetic existence Aviva had begun to lead, she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he had changed her in such a dramatic way. He wouldn't be the winner, not after all he'd done to her already. So, as Aviva made the decision to prove she could still be that opinionated free-spirited girl Tyler had met in Hogwarts, she turned fully to the strange dangerous looking man, giving him her full attention for once. He seemed like he was just saying things to please Aviva. Well at least he was smart enough to acknowledge the fact that Aviva wasn’t like most fool hearted women. She listened to his rant about the Ministry, taking sips of her second rather large beer at regular intervals. Aviva only glanced down at the horribly tight skirt at the man’s mention of it. “No, I’m actually more of a stay at home kind of girl. You’re very observant by the way. Here I was thinking I was being discreet about just how unhappy I am to be here.” Aviva said with a glance at Diane, who was standing with some blonde haired man giving Aviva a wink and thumbs up from behind Derek’s back. Aviva merely rolled her eyes and chased off her cousin’s teasing with another sip of her drink.

[Derek Alsbrow]

Derek sat at the bar with the woman, Aviva Morgan, and drank his beer. He had been in the same predicament before, and had plenty of times had different outcomes. Some had ended up being good for him, while other nights had ended up being bad for him. He could tell the woman was slightly bored at his presence, especially from the frequent eye rolls and glances behind her. She obviously had someone with her that she was trying to find, so if he was going to try and make a move he would have to do it soon. It would be up to her ultimately, but it didn’t matter to him either way. He had ways of getting out of situations easily and quickly, and wasn’t afraid to use them. “Yes, I tend to be observant when I’m around such an attractive woman as yourself.” He said the phrase simply to sound a bit cheesy but to try and swoon her as well. She didn’t seem like the kind of person to be swooned, but he could at least try, couldn’t he? Maybe it was the alcohol in him acting differently than usual. Had the bartender given him something stronger than he was used to? He was sure it was the same beer he always drank, but there could have been something done to it.

There had been a time when he had been drugged at a pub, by the bartender. That hadn’t ended well. The bartender had slipped something--he hadn’t been able to beat the name of the drug out of the man--into his drink one time. While it had made him high as a kite, getting high was not something normal for Derek. Alcohol was fine, and was something he drank on a regular basis. Anything else that muggles did--smoking, drugs, etc.--he refused it. It wasn’t something he did, period. The bartender learned that quickly, the day after he had slipped the pill into the drink he had given Derek. The man had pleaded that he was just trying to help Derek relax since he had seemed tense. Derek’s response? “I’m always this way. Got anything for that?” Derek had left the premises knowing for a fact that the man wouldn’t try anything like that ever again. The situation surfaced to Derek’s mind but Aviva spoke again soon after that so he pushed the thought away.

She explained how she was unhappy to be at the bar and he looked at her intently. “Then why don’t you leave? I don’t live too far away. Let’s get out of here. Unless you’ve got some friend with you that will keep you from doing what you want. This place is completely full of people you don’t seem to belong with anyway. Am I not right?” He knew his offer was bold but Derek didn’t care. She could smack him, kiss him, or walk off. He could care less. The fact was he currently wanted out of the pub because it was getting a bit crowded with drunks and the way he liked drunks was the way the one Aviva had punched was outside: unconscious and not coherent. Derek noticed she hadn’t answered his question yet. She was glancing behind herself, at another woman with a blonde man that she was all over. “Is that your friend?” he asked quickly. “Seems like she’s having a lot more fun than you are. Let’s make her think she’s missing out on something. What do you say?” Derek was getting impatient, specifically because the bartender wasn’t getting his next drink and because Aviva wasn’t really enthused at his presence. He hoped she would make a decision soon so they could either part ways or get out of the overpopulated pub.

[Sorry for it being short...I'll make it up to you with longer posts soon and cookies! =] ]

[Aviva Jade Morgan]

Aviva’s mind clouded with possibilities. She wanted to show Tyler she was over him, she really did. But was this little show worth compromising her own values and morals just to prove him wrong? It wasn’t like Tyler was really watching anyway. He would never know that Aviva had decided to go off with some guy she just met. She didn’t even know his last name. Or perhaps he had told her and Aviva just hadn’t noticed. But that wasn’t possible. Aviva noticed everything. But either way Aviva had no idea what she was getting herself into. She wanted to walk away from this bar, take a cab, and get her butt back home in time to finish her movie before midnight so she could work the next day, but she knew at this point that wouldn’t be possible. Aviva’s cousin wouldn’t let her leave the bar. Well, at least not alone anyway. Diane would have no problem with letting a half-drunk (okay, who are we kidding?) or rather completely drunk Aviva walk out of this pub with a man she had only met about a half an hour ago. Aviva was on a mission. She knew now that this wasn’t for Tyler. This wasn’t to show him anything. No, if Aviva decided to hop into the car with this man, it would be for her. Aviva would be proving to herself that she could move on. She could live without Tyler right? Sure he’d been her best friend, boyfriend, and lover for a matter of years, but that was all over and done with by now.

But Aviva didn’t need to prove anything, right? She already knew that man was a thing of the past. She already knew she was over him completely. She didn’t need to do something completely idiotic to figure that one out. What did this man care about her past, present, or future plans? He cared nothing. He was just looking for one thing and Aviva wasn’t going to give it to him. Or was she? Aviva had no idea. Her head was one big jumbled mess right now and her vision was beginning to blur. She didn’t see the pub as clearly as she did earlier, and this feeling of being handicapped in any way, shape or form irked her to no end. She didn’t know which way was up or which was down and for the first time in a very long time, she couldn’t think straight. It made Aviva want to yank her hair out. She was having an all out battle of the wits in her head between the two choices she could make at this point in time. Part of her—the drunken part was saying she should go for it, but the usual sensible Aviva was still arguing.

“Wonder how many times you’ve rehearsed that line before.” Aviva muttered, though she was sure he could hear her words. She wasn’t kidding though. Aviva hated pickup lines, yet people used them on her all the time. Aviva wasn’t self conscious or anything. She knew that she had the kind of beauty that most craved. Sure she dressed up occasionally with red lipstick and such, but really Aviva was what most would call a nerd. She didn’t care much for clothes, as they were just another part of life. You just threw some on and went about your day. She didn’t understand why people spent hours and hours at a time picking out outfits and merely masking what little beauty they probably had. As Aviva finished her third (or was it her fourth) beer, Aviva decided enough was enough. She had to make a decision now. Either she was going home with this Derek fellow or she was going home and getting some rest before work the next day. Aviva couldn’t help but see Tyler’s face cross her mind once more as she decided. If she did what she knew this man was offering, what would that really prove, in the grand scheme of things? It would prove that he was making her so crazy that Aviva would actually compromise her own morals to somehow prove to him that she was over him, even when somehow deep down, she really wasn’t. Aviva rolled her eyes. “Oh please, I’m not a child and neither is my cousin. Even if I was the kind of vulnerable young drunk woman you think I am, she wouldn’t have any sort of false idea that she’d be ‘missing out’ on anything. Now if you’ll excuse me,” Aviva pushed out of her seat and walked out of the pub, but not before leaving that smartass a nice little surprise. She quickly whipped her wand out and hexed Derek to make Derek disappear. A second later, his clothes were in Aviva’s hands. She smirked to herself as she called a cab, already hearing the wild laughter coming from inside the bar. As the cab pulled up to greet Aviva, she sighed and climbed in, barely able to walk straight. “Well if he wanted to take his clothes off so badly, he got his wish. Such a shame I couldn’t join him.” Aviva said to herself with a childish grin. She told the driver where she was heading, and just ten minutes later, Aviva was back at home where she belonged. She changed out of her incredibly tight skirt and climbed into bed, throwing Derek whats-his-face’s clothes in the trash before going to bed.

The next morning, Aviva woke up late for the first time in years. She had a splitting headache and she felt like she was going to vomit. She hadn’t experienced a hangover this bad since she was sixteen. Aviva would stay home, but she didn’t take off days. Ever. She had too much work at the office to do anyway. Unless a new case had come in while Aviva was knocked out, Matt and Aviva would just be doing filing and paperwork. Aviva hastily got ready, dressing in a simple suit with her blonde hair loose. She wore hardly any makeup, as she didn’t have time for it. She rushed into the office, ignoring Harper’s jokes about being late. Aviva checked the assignment board and groaned when she saw a new case file. They were due at the murder scene within the next half hour. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. “I think you should drive this time. We’re off to downtown London. Seventeen year old kid died while delivering pizza. Let’s get this over with.” She slowly stumbled into the passenger’s seat and let Matt drive off. When he parked Aviva’s eyes widened in shock. There was a line full of witnesses behind the police line. Amongst them was none other than whats-his-face. She was surprised he had managed to find clothes, but didn’t look long enough to see who he got them from. “Harper, now I know I don’t ask you for many favors, but can you just go out there and take care of the case? I’m uhh…not feeling well.” Aviva lied.

((ok so I know this went a bit differently than planned, but I figure it would be funny to keep the same ‘next morning’ deal. You can post either Derek or Matt next and I’ll reply with Aviva afterwards. )

[Derek Alsbrow]

Derek was a bit put off at the fact that the woman thought all his words were lines, but then again, it didn’t surprise him based on how attractive she was. He downed another drink and listened as she griped about his lines again, and it was obvious she was drunk. He might actually be able to take her home and get something out of this night. She got up, and turned to leave. He was glad he had his hand on his wand in his pocket, since it was the last time he saw his clothes. Before he noticed, Aviva had hexed him and left him in the bar without any clothes at all. As the laughter began to flood the bar, he gripped his wand and covered himself as well as he could, apparating out into the street and using a spell to grab a spare set of clothes. Once he was clothed again, he walked back into the bar, as everyone in the room was still laughing, and grabbed his drink, finishing it. “Thank you very much. I hope you all enjoyed the show. Good night.” It was a sarcastic tone, and he knew most of the muggles that were there would just laugh at him again. He walked out, looking for Aviva to try and see if she had left his clothes around anywhere. He had been wearing his scarf with him when she had hexed him, and the scarf was given to him by Charles Surgan, the man who had given him his job right after graduating from Durmstrang. It had been a Christmas present, and he wanted it back.

After not finding her, he gave up and went back to his apartment that he had rented for the week that he was staying in London. Derek opened up his muggle laptop and searched Aviva’s name in the database in front of him. Surprisingly, she was a London homicide detective. “Guess I’ll just have to go and pay the lovely lady a visit at her precinct tomorrow.” After getting directions to the precinct, he cleaned up a bit and went to bed. Getting up rather early the next day, he locked the door behind him, making sure he had his wand handy. He might have to get back at Aviva for the hex she had thrown at him the night before, so he wanted to be prepared. As he walked around the corner, he noticed the muggle police at a crime scene that was roped off, and decided it wouldn’t hurt to see if Aviva was there already, even if it was an early morning after such a late drinking binge. Derek walked up to the caution tape and scanned each of the officers, seeing the one he was looking for at the end of the row. He tried to get her attention, but she was talking to a taller officer next to her, likely her partner. Then she turned his way and turned back towards her partner. Had she seen him?

The other officer was coming over, so he would just ask for her. “Good morning,” Matt said professionally, feeling the coffee flow through his veins. “I’m Homicide Detective Matthew Harper. Here’s what’s going to happen, we’re just going to go down the line and get statements from all of you. If you didn’t see anything with this crime, please do us a favor and leave now, as we don’t need any spectators. We’re just doing our jobs here. Any questions?” Matt scanned the line of about twenty as it lessened to about ten after he spoke, and saw that one man at the end of the row had his hand up. “Question, sir?” Derek looked the man and simply stated his case. “Yes, may I speak to Detective Morgan? Is she your partner? I met with her last night briefly and I need to speak with her.” Matt chuckled. “She met with you? I kind of have a hard time believing that, but I’ll get her for you. Just a sec.” Stifling laughter, he walked back to Aviva. “Morgan, some guy over there claims he needs to speak with you. You two met briefly last night? What kind of a night did you have?” Matt noticed she was rubbing her temples. “Headache? That’s a hungover headache isn’t it? Did you go home with this guy?” Matt almost couldn’t help himself from laughing. This had to be a great story.

[G-Moding of Matt allowed]

[Aviva Jade Morgan]

Aviva was mortified. She knew she hated the invention of the internet. It seemed that would be the only way he would have found out her place of business. It was really rather unsettling that this creepy man from the bar had been able to find her at her job, but she tried not to think about it. Any thought about whats-his-face just gave Aviva an even larger headache than she already had. What was the deal anyway? Why had he even bothered spending all that time trying to find her and then actually bothering to come to Aviva’s job to speak to her? Did he really need his clothes back that badly? Obviously Aviva didn’t want to get involved with him, so shouldn’t he get the picture and just go back to wherever it was he was going already? Aviva groaned, trying to contain her raging headache. Matt hadn’t seemed to catch on to exactly what was happening just yet, or if he had he didn’t say anything about it. Other than a quick little joke about seeing Aviva walk in late for once in her life, he didn’t really say anything about her change in attitude. She was glad. She would have hated for him to figure out what had almost happened to her. Normally, she really wouldn’t have cared if one of her co-workers knew she had been out drinking last night. For some reason though, Aviva thought she’d be very uncomfortable telling Matt where she was last night. She figured it must have just been because he was her partner and loved to make fun of her.

Aviva sighed, stealing a glance at the man behind the caution tape. For the life of her, she couldn’t even remember his first name. It was already an odd thing in itself that Aviva had forgotten anything at all, but she tried not to think about that as well. She felt almost as vulnerable as last night not being able to remember much. Most of the details were foggy. She remembered his face and features quite clearly, but most of the events that went on were pretty hazy. She remembered some sort of confrontation before seeing the man, though perhaps there was more than one with him. She remembered feeling the stench of beer on her tongue, but she didn’t remember actually drinking the beers. She also couldn’t remember much of what she did or talked about with the man that was now standing behind the caution tape. She definitely remembered what she did at the end of the night though. That part stuck out in her memory the most because she still had the clothes sitting in the trash can behind her home. This small foggy memory of the hex she had cast was the main reason Aviva recognized the face that she was sure was staring right at her at that very moment.

Aviva knew she’d have to get out and do her job. She couldn’t hide in Harper’s car for the entire day, she knew that. Besides, she was sure the man from the bar already knew she was here but couldn’t come forward because of the caution tape and the many muggles that were surrounding him. Aviva opened the door hesitantly, feeling absolutely terrible the moment she got up. This was by far one of the worst hangovers Aviva had experienced in her life. She tried to busy herself talking to some of the other Inspectors, but failed miserably as she noticed the man talking to Aviva’s partner. She didn’t know why, but she supposed this meant trouble for her. It wouldn’t be long before Matt figured out what exactly had gone on between the two of them last night. Aviva didn’t even know what herself she was up to last night. Matt Harper came back over from the police line holding back laughter. “Can it Harper. Tell the guy he’ll have to come back another time. I’m not in the mood to be talking to civilians. He knows nothing about the crime so therefore I don’t have time for whatever it is he wants. And I didn’t go home with him. Even if I did, that would be none of your business, wouldn’t it Harper? Why don’t you just go do your job, please?” Aviva snapped through tired bloodshot eyes. It was hard to stand straight let alone conduct an investigation, but she had to try. Aviva leaned down to examine the body, but she couldn’t work the same way she usually could knowing that guy was simply standing there watching her. So, before Matt could go up and tell the man to leave, Aviva took off her protective gloves and walked over to the caution tape herself. “Listen. I don’t know who you are or what you want, but I need to get my job done here and unless you saw what happened to this man, I’m afraid I’m going to have you escorted out.” Aviva said sternly, looking the strange blonde man in the eyes, hoping she was getting her point across.

[Matt Harper]

Matt couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. Aviva, of all people, might have had a few drinks with this guy who looked like a slob, and she could have gone home with him too? What had gotten into her? Matt had his nights where he just found it easier to let himself go, so that he could pass out and kick himself for it in the morning, but he never expected that kind of behavior from his partner. It was her life though, and her choice to go out with this slob of a man. Matt sniffed the air briefly and realized that a certain stench was coming from the crowd, particularly the man himself. It was a wonder how that man had gotten so close to Aviva. Of course, he didn’t know the whole story. But whatever the whole story was, he was sure it would be an enjoyable one to share with the squad when they got back later that day.

Aviva told him to keep his mouth shut, and told him to tell the guy to come back another time. Then she went off on him. She claimed that she hadn’t gone home with the man, and even if she had, it wasn’t Matt’s business. She did have him there. It didn’t matter right now anyway. “Fine, fine. I’m going.” Matt didn’t appreciate the lecture Aviva was giving him, but if she had just woken up from quite a hard night, he couldn’t blame her. Matt turned around to let the man know he had to leave, but before he could, Aviva pushed him out of the way and took care of the man herself. “Okay, tell him yourself.” Matt walked off, a little upset by the fact that Aviva wouldn’t let him get his job done, and that she was spreading her foul mood all over the crime scene. Getting in his car, he waited for Aviva to finish with the man. The drive back to the precinct would be a silent one, if he was lucky enough.

End of Thread.