Catch Me If I Fall

The Cure- Chapter 5

Her palms start to feel sweaty, she feels suddenly hot, and nausea over takes her. "You can do this," she says to herself quietly. "A few more moments of pain for a lifetime of happiness."

She silently walks up to the woman at the front desk and hands her the slip. She inspects the slip before depositing it in a box and motions with her hand that Linda may enter the vaults. The double doors whip open and Linda makes her way inside.

Her heart hammers in her chest as she walks up to the railing overlooking the vaults. She pauses for a moment, taking a deep breath to collect herself. "Henri Jarvais." The floating cabinets begin to arrange themselves as a certain one slowly makes its way to the front. It stops right in –front of Linda, and the vault that she had called glows slightly.

She braces herself as she reaches to open the vault. Taking a breath she opens her eyes that she didn't realize she closed. And sitting in the vault is... a single piece of paper. Linda's vision begins to swim. Shouldn't there be stacks of papers with formulas written on them? Shouldn't there be a single miniature potion ready to take? Shouldn't there be something more than a single piece of paper.

She takes the harshly takes the paper out of the vault and opens it. It's a muggle newspaper clipping. Healer Killed in House Fire after Suspected Witchcraft. That's all Linda needs to read before bursting into tears. Her legs give out under her and she slides down the railing onto the floor. It feel like she's screaming but she can't hear anything but all she can hear is the ringing in her ears. She cries like she never has before. Wailing, kicking, screaming, crying, pounding on the floor to make it all stop. It feels like it goes on for hours.

"No!" she cries out. "This isn't how it was supposed to be!" she cries angrily. "I WAS SUPPOSED TO LIVE!" she screams at the top of her lungs. "I was supposed to live!" she yells, but this time softer and sadder.

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Meanwhile...

"Theseus we need to talk," speaks up Leta from her place at the dinner table in Theseus' apartment.

"Yea," agrees Theseus. "We do. But are you sure this is the right time—"

"Theseus we can't ignore it anymore," replies Leeta softly as she places her hands in his shoulders. "You were right, I still feel for your brother," he seems shocked to hear these words yet unsurprised at the same time. " And I'm sorry I couldn't love you with my whole heart. I feel like a monster." Leta takes off her ring and places it gently in Theseus' palm. She goes to retract her hands and leave the table, but he latches onto her hands.

"Leta you're not a monster. It was me too. You know I have feelings for Linda, and I thought I could shake them but I just can't, that doesn't matter now though, I've messed that right up," confesses Theseus. The two share a tender moment as they both realize that they feel relieved that they no longer have to hide their feelings from one another.

"I'm sure you couldn't have messed it up that badly," prods Leta.

"She wouldn't tell me the real reason she's going to Paris. I think Dumbledore's making her get something for him, I'm not sure, but then I saw them whispering in a classroom and I lost it. I pushed Dumbledore and I thought I was going to beat the living daylights out of him," recalls Theseus. "And then I told her to have a nice trip. So yea, it was pretty bad."

"At least you didn't almost marry her sister or something," chides Leta bitterly as she takes a sip of her wine. The two look at one another with serious expressions on their faces, before the expressions morph into smiles and they begin to laugh.

For the first time in a long time, the two genuinely laugh with one another, enjoying each other's company.
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