Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want

[Dixie Holden-Greene]

[OOC: Right then. This is for Derek. Couldn't fit his name into the stupid title.]

Haven't had a dream in a long time.

"Right," Lette said dryly, her violet colored eyes piercing Dixie from behind the counter at Lovely Lumos!. Her blonde hair was straight, pulled back with a bright yellow headband. She was wearing a skirt today, much to Dixie's surprise, and she actually looked stylish. Were those shoes from the shop? "Well, as you can see, Manager, the shops kind of hoppin' so I can't really tear myself away right now." She motioned to the vast emptiness of the store and Dixie arched an eyebrow at the 16 year old. Both women stood there, silent, and then after about 30 seconds Lette groaned and grabbed her bag from beneath the counter and pulled it onto her shoulder; "Fine! But only because it's for work!" Dixie jumped slightly and clapped her hands in excitement. She was thinking about opening up a Diagon Alley location, but not a general clothing store - this would focus around school appropriate attire. She wasn't going to do it alone, though, and Rae was busy at the label - and so Lette was her next best bet. "Come on, Boss Lady! You're the one that wanted to do this thing." Dixie picked Jamie's carrier up into her arm and then grabbed Lette by the shoulder, soon they were apparated into Diagon Alley.

The place was busy, as usual, with people randomly running to and fro. Dixie had never liked the place simply for the fact of the claustrophobic feeling when bodies were rushing around her. She got a tighter grip on Jamie before she lead the way to the small building that she was thinking of buying. It was set between Gringotts and the Magical Menagarie; it was just big enough for her purpose, and Dixie was hoping that it wouldn't take too much fixing up to look semi-decent. Lette trailed after her, muttering under her breath about how she wanted to be back at Hogwarts, studying potions instead of being dragged to look at a building she wouldn't ever step foot into ever again. Dixie did her best to ignore the teenager's complaining. She had to keep in mind that, at one point in time, Dixie had been a complaining teenager as well. "Buck it up, Princess. If this works out, you'll be promoted - so, hush up." Dixie looked over her shoulder and smirked at the blonde as they finally stood in front of the building.

The wizard that was selling it stood off to the side of the building, looking at a magical watch with an impatient grimace upon his face. Dixie situated herself with Jamie's carrier better, and approached him with a bright and warm smile, "Hi, I'm Dixie Holden-Greene, I'm the one looking to buy this building?" The man made a noise of recognition, and then pushed himself away from the wall before moving to unlock the building and allow the two women inside to look around. Lette made a face and Dixie shrugged before following him inside to see what she would have to do to make it shop worthy. She had already decided she would buy the place, it was an ideal location, but she didn't know how much it would take to look better - and that's what Dixie was worried about. The building was two stories, which was something that Dixie liked - this way the office could be on the top floor, and the shopping on the bottom. The walls needed to be painted, the flooring was hardwood, but it needed to be redone. There were large windows in the front that were grimy and dated, Dixie would have to get those upgraded. Yes, it would need work - but not nearly as much as she thought it might.

"Alright," Dixie said after about 5 minutes of looking around, "I'll take it." The wizard and Lette looked at her as if she were crazy. She hadn't asked about the electricity, the plumbing, or anything like that. She was just taking it on a whim. Lette's amazement turned to irritation, while the Wizard became elated and stepped forward to grasp Dixie's hand in gratitude. The arrangements were made for the money to be apparated from her Gringott's account to the agency's account, and after a whole bunch of paperwork - the Wizard left Lette and Dixie to discuss the business venture the older woman had just made. "Don't be like that, Lette. It's a good deal." Dixie set Jamie's carrier on the floor and knelt down to take him out of it, pulling him up into her arms and walking around to get a closer look at the works she would need to make.

"You wouldn't know a good deal if it hit you in the head, Boss Lady." Lette raised her brows and then shook her head, "Can I go yet? I need to study for Transfig." Dixie nodded and waved the young girl out, she didn't need telling twice. Lette ran out, leaving the door open and allowing the sun to shine through and fall across the floor. Dixie was too entranced by the vision she had in her mind to actually worry about how Lette would get back to Hogsmeade, then to Hogwarts. It would all work out in the end. Dixie took out her wand as she paced in front of the windows, and with a flick of it and a spell she had picked up in 6th year - the windows cleaned themselves, repaired themselves, and were shiny and new. More light came into the building and Dixie found herself smiling brightly at the passing by people who were stopping to see what was going on.

Then, her eyes locked on a man passing by - who hadn't stopped to see the new shop - and Dixie blinked. Without the drinks inhibiting her sense, the man looked an awful lot like Adam, but there were significant differences. But that wasn't what made Dixie paused in her thoughts. No, it was the fact that she knew him - that she had thought he was a muggle - and that she couldn't believe she was seeing him again. Without thinking, she hurried to the open doorway, shifted Jamie on her hip, and called to him: "Hey, you! The man from the bar!"

[Derek Alsbrow]

Derek Alsbrow found himself walking through the streets of Diagon Alley, not that far from Hogsmeade, where he had run into who he had assumed was his brother Adam and his sister, Sierra. It hadn’t been a fully satisfying trip, since they had eaten their food quickly and left not long after he had arrived. But he had information from that conversation that he could use, and he intended on visiting that same establishment a few more times, in case the couple came back later that week. Right now he needed to get a few things to help his search along. A mini telescope would be nice to have, so as he stepped out of the side alley, Derek began looking into the windows for something that would satisfy his need. One of the first shops he passed had a small, pocket-sized telescope that collapsed into a pouch. That would be ideal. Pushing the door open, the large man who obviously owned the store came from behind the desk to greet him. “Good afternoon, sir! How can I help you today?” Derek didn’t have time for the chit-chat this man obviously was ready and willing to start with him, so he went right to his need. “That telescope in the window. How much?” The man laughed a low and full laugh. “You don’t even want to try it out first? Most wizards want to se---” Derek cut him off. “How much, old man?” he said with a tone that would scare any woman or child. “Twenty-five. I’ll throw the pouch in for free,” the man said feebly. Derek handed the man his payment, and reached his gloved hand into the window display, taking what was now rightfully his. “Have a nice day,” he said sharply as he left.

Pocketing the purchase, he didn’t need to look at it or inspect it. It would do the job he needed it to do, and if it broke, he would fix it with his wand. There were a few other things he needed, but he would pick them up as he passed them, just like he had picked up the telescope. Maybe it would have been easier to have just reached in through the glass and taken the telescope. There was a simple spell for that, but Derek was glad he had decided against it. He didn’t need to make a scene in the middle of Diagon Alley, especially at this hour with people flooding the street. However, for a wizard like him, pickpocketing was easier and something he could do without causing a stir. He stuck his hand out as some people passed him, pulling potions smoothly out of their back pockets. Fancy that, they were just the ones he needed. He knew he had smelled them around him somewhere. Derek kept walking, not giving any of the shops next to him even a glance. Suddenly he heard a woman yell out, “Hey you! The man from the bar!” The voice sounded familiar, but not familiar enough to warrant his reaction. But then he noticed that no one around him was noticing the voice, so the woman must have been yelling to him. He did find himself in plenty of bars, especially as of late, so why wouldn’t there be some random woman asking for him on the street of Diagon Alley?

Derek turned, only to find the drunk woman he had helped home a few nights before. What was she doing here in Diagon Alley, and in such a nice, fixed up shop? Dixie, wasn’t it? Dixie Greene. Or Holden, however she decided to go by that day. She had a child in her arms. This was a new development. Derek remembered the conversation they had had at the bar, she had implied that she had lost a child with Adam, hadn’t she? And here she was, with this child. Guess it was time to dig a little deeper into the story of Dixie Holden-Greene. “Dixie. What are you doing here in the streets of Diagon Alley? It’s quite a bustling and dangerous place for someone as attractive as you, isn’t it?” He walked over to her, as she stood in the doorway of the seemingly new shop. He laughed as he looked her over. “You cleaned up quite nicely from the drunk state you were in the other night. I’m glad you were able to recover from that night. Sprite definitely isn’t a cure-all for drunkenness, you know.” Derek wasn’t sure what to make of the child Dixie held in her arm, so he just made a simple comment. “And who is this little one?” Derek nuzzled the child’s face with his gloved hand, causing the child to giggle slightly. Derek knew she would likely ask for his name, since it was completely by chance that they were meeting in Diagon Alley right at this moment. He would have to lie, and keep lying, to serve his purpose of finding out more about Adam.

[Dixie Holden-Greene]

Granted, her speech might have sounded different considering she wasn't slurring and tripping over her words, but she had expected for him to at least turn around when she had called out. Most of the other people had, but they had continued on their way when they realized she hadn't been speaking to them. He, however, continued walking without turning. She was about to call out again, but he seemed to realize she might be talking to him, because he turned around. Recognition crossed his face and Dixie smiled, hiking Jamie up on her hip a little bit more as the 6 month old (he was almost a year!) started to tug on her hair. She smirked at his greeting, letting her shoulders shrug, and tilting her head to the side, a bit coyly. She had healed a bit since he had last seen her. She had talked to Sierra, talked to Adam. She wasn't completely better, nor was she completely happy; but she was slowly returning to her old self once more and it felt nice. Now, if only Rae was making as much progress. "Don't let my looks fool you, I can handle myself. Believe it or not, I'm a big girl." She, without thinking, reached and grabbed Jamie's hand from entwining itself in her hair. He made a noise and tried to pull his hand away and Dixie looked at him gently before releasing his hand. He didn't put it back in her hair. Instead, he rested his head on her shoulder and put his thumb in his mouth.

Her eyes landed back on the man, and she smiled brightly at his compliment and then laughed easily at his comment about Sprite; "Thanks. I guess my partying days as a teenager kind of gave me an advantage as to how to handle a hangover. I had a meeting the next morning that I had to get to, and if I hadn't been so used to hangovers and how to treat them – I would have blown it." It would have been terrible. She would have lost quite a big client and she couldn't have afforded to. Jamie's eyes were locked on the man, and Dixie gave herself the time to look over him. He did look uncannily like Adam. He had the same hair, the same eyes, the same stature. He could be Adam's twin if possible. She knew that there were people out there who looked the same, or very similar, as other people without having any relation to them at all. It was somewhat like a doppelganger, but more realistic. Although, in a world of magic – a doppelganger was probably very realistic. She didn't think too much, though, of this man looking like Adam because she didn't want to. She didn't want to think about the fact that she was having a pleasant conversation with a man who looked like her soon-to-be-ex-husband. It made her feel uneasy inside.

"Oh!" Dixie exclaimed at his question, a bright and happy smile illuminating her face, "This is Jimmy-Jam," he made a popping sound as he took his thumb out of his mouth and gurgled, "James Greene, actually – he goes by Jamie, though. He's 6 months old. Jamie…" Dixie looked at her son as he giggled and clapped his hands. She took his little ones in her larger one and brought them to her lips, kissing them, "Jamie Baby, this is…" her eyes slid over to the man again and that was when it dawned on her, really dawned on her, that she hadn't known this man's name. He knew almost everything about her, and she absolutely nothing about him. She frowned, her brow furrowing as she thought his over, "I'm sorry…I'm so self-centered. I hadn't bothered to ask your name the other night." Her brown eyes dropped their gaze to her heeled feet and she thought over what exactly had happened. What had she told him? How much had she told him? Oh, God, did she make a fool out of herself? That would be terrible.

[Derek Alsbrow]

Derek found himself in quite the predicament. Here was Dixie, the woman he found himself taking care of just a few nights ago, a woman he hadn’t expected to see ever again. While he was glad he was getting to see her again, he wasn’t sure to completely make of the situation, or of her. He was flat out using her to get to Adam. Or was he? The fact that he had turned around and continued conversation with a woman that really meant nothing to him had to mean something, in and of itself. Was he just using her to get closer to Adam? She had spilled plenty of information those few nights ago in the bar, but he was sure he could get more out of her. What could it hurt? He was closer to finding his brother, but he could use more information so he could get even closer. He laughed as Dixie explained how she was a big girl, and she could handle herself. “Well you certainly seemed to appreciate my help the other night. Besides, it was my pleasure to help a woman in distress.” He hoped that she remembered what had gone on that night, and that she didn’t think he had pulled any kind of mischief with her.

Derek looked at Dixie and noticed her beauty. It wasn’t every day that he found himself talking to such an attractive woman, and he wasn’t about to let that go. While he did need to gather a few more supplies from the shops further down, it wasn’t pertinent. Derek then noticed the child again. He heard Dixie talk about her partying days being over, and how she had had a meeting the morning after her escapades he had saved her from, but all he could do was focus on the child’s gaze. It was like looking into a mirror, slightly. The child looked like him. Obviously this was Adam’s son, since it appeared that he and Adam looked alike. Another reason why Derek would have to lie eventually to Dixie. She wouldn’t understand if he began to describe the events he knew, and he could be sure that she wouldn’t give him any more information on his brother if she knew the truth. Dixie listened to his question then, about the child, and she seemed to be quite excited. James Greene. So this was indeed Adam’s son. There was really nothing he could do with that information, not yet anyway. Dixie paused, as if she was searching for the right word.

“My name?” he asked, repeating her question in a different way. This would be the beginning of the lie. He couldn’t bring up his real name, for fear that she might have known something about Adam having a long lost brother, or anything really. He had to keep his identity a secret, at least until he met Adam. Of course, when he finally did meet his brother, face to face, the truth would come out and things might not end well. He had to protect Dixie from any kind of hurt he might cause. “E-Erik,” he slightly stammered, thinking of the first name that came to his mind. It was close enough to his own so that he would likely remember to respond to it, if he ran into Dixie again. “Yes, it’s quite alright. Erik is my name. You were pretty out of it the other night, so I doubt you would have remembered my name then. It’s not a problem,” he assured her. Derek searched his mind quickly, trying to come up with something to change the conversation. He didn’t want to give any more of an explanation of his life than he had to, at least right now. “So what brings you to Diagon Alley, especially with this little one? Are you doing a bit of shopping?” Derek hoped that Dixie would just talk on for a while, like she had at the bar, so he could just listen and gain information, rather than lying through his teeth about everything in his life.