RP: I need answers
Date: 4 March 2009 Characters: Jacelyn Champlaign, Cosette Myriel Location: The phone lines Private/Public: Private Rating: -- Summary: Jacelyn has some questions for her mother Completion: In Progress
Thankfully, the past couple of days had been relatively calm in her department at the Ministry. There ere other departments working overtime to solve the Morgana time traveling thing as well as the people coming back to life thing. There were apparently more than just the two she met that had come back to life that day. Was it a mere coincidence that she met a woman her mother had known in school and the man who might very well be her father? Or was it some cruel twist of fate? Yes, she'd been wanting to know who her father was and having possibly met him could be a good thing, though everything lately had been far too confusing.
What Jacelyn really needed was answers and there was only one person she could really get those from. She paced her living room a few times before walking over to the phone and picking it up. Most wizarding households didn't have phones and most wizards didn't even know how to use them. Jacelyn had grown up raised like a muggle but with the knowledge that she had magic blood in her. She knew how to use a phone and the only reason she had one now was for communication with her mother, who had for some reason forsaken the wizarding world entirely. The wizarding world and England, that was, both of which her daughter was now a part of.
Picking up the phone, she dialed the number to her mother's house in France. She continued to pace while listening to the phone ring. When she finally got an answer, she heard her mother's voice. It was a sad voice and Jacelyn had honestly never heard it any other way, yet she had a feeling that the news she was about to present to her mother was going to change it. Anger? Fear perhaps? Jacelyn couldn't be sure until all was said and done. After her mother's 'hello?' Jacelyn cleared her throat. "Hello, mother," she said into the phone, trying to keep anything but happiness to talk to her mother from her voice. "How are you?"
Cosette heard her daughter's voice and couldn't help but smile. There were two constants in her life, two things that kept her happy. Her daughter and her sister. "I'm fine," she told Jacelyn honestly. Nothing very interesting had happened to her lately, but that was to be expected. Ever since she moved to France and packed away every part of her wizarding life, interesting things didn't happen to her anymore. She was happier that way. "How are you?"
"Good," Jacelyn answered. "I met a couple of people the other day," she said, deciding she may as well take the plunge. "People you actually might know," she added, waiting for her mother to take the bait.
Cosette pursed her lips together for a moment, trying to think of who Jacelyn might have met and how much they might have told her. There were few of her friends still alive and well. As far as she knew, the Longbottoms were alive but both were permanently incapacitated in the wizarding hospital. Emmeline and Remus might still be alive, but other than that there was no one else she could think of. Had Jacelyn met either Emmeline or Remus? Maybe both, as Jacelyn had said it in the plural sense. "Oh really?" she asked, trying to keep the worry from straining her voice.
"Yes," Jacelyn answered before continuing. "I was on my way to work the other day and I met a woman who thought I looked like someone she knew After talking a little I discovered that she knows you." She decided to keep the strange parts about Emmeline being confused about the year and thinking that there was no way Cosette could have a daughter as old as she was. All of this was theory right now, there was no need to concern her mother with speculation. There could be a perfectly reasonable answer to all of this. Maybe. "Her name was Emmeline Vance," she added.
One of Cosette's guesses had apparently been right. This was bad, though. Very bad. Emmeline had been one of Sirius' closest friends in school. While Emmeline had never heard of Cosette's pregnancy, it wouldn't be terribly hard to put two and two together to figure out who the father was and tell Jacelyn. Cosette had worked hard for over twenty-five years to keep her daughter from finding out anything about her father and who he was. Would Emmeline unintentionally ruin all that? "Emmeline was a nice girl," Cosette felt that she should say something. "How is she doing?"
"She's great," Jacelyn lied slightly. "I'll probably be visiting her within the next few days if you'd like me to pass on any messages."
Cosette didn't like the idea of Jacelyn seeing Emmeline again. What if Emmeline said something she shouldn't? "Sure," she said biting her tongue for now. "Just tell her I said hello and that it'd be nice to hear from her." She paused a moment. "You said there was another, right?"
Jacelyn bit her lip. She'd been stalling on this one. Her mother had always tensed up at the subject of her father. If Sirius Black really was her father, then she'd really not like this part. "Sirius Black," she said finally, letting out a breath as she waited for her mother's likely deadly reaction.
Cosette froze at the name. Wasn't Sirius supposed to be dead? Candyce had told her that he died when her daughter was still in school. If he was, though, how could Jacelyn have met him now? She remained silent as internally, she panicked. If Sirius had somehow faked his death and made contact with his daughter, would he go after them both and kill them next? "Sirius is dead," she told her, her voice stoic and cold.
Jacelyn had expected something either emotionless or full of anger, so she wasn't surprised by her mother's reaction now. Did that make him her dad, though? Not necessarily, though Jacelyn had a strong feeling he was. Cosette could be mad at Sirius for other reasons that didn't necessarily make him her father but she found herself believing that he was. It all seemed to fit, except for the answer of someone who knew for certain. "No he's not, mum," she said finally, "I met him."
Cosette didn't know what to make of any of this. Her daughter never lied to her and she doubted that Jacelyn picked the name up out of thin air. Even if Emmeline had mentioned him, she didn't see Jacelyn lying about it. "Stay away from him, Jace, the man is a murderer."
"I thought you said he was dead," Jacelyn pointed out to her mother, trying to figure out the best way to pose her question. 'Is he my father?' wouldn't come out easily even if Cosette's reaction had been different.
Cosette rolled her eyes at her daughter's words and remained silent for a moment. "If you say you met him, I believe you, just trust me and stay away from him."
Jacelyn wasn't so sure she could stay away from the man, so instead of acknowleging her words and promising to stay away, Jacelyn didn't say a word. "I've never seen my eyes on anyone before," she said finally. "You, aunt Candyce, grandmum or grandpa."
Cosette sighed at the mention of eyes. It was true, Jacelyn had Sirius' eyes and if Jacelyn had met the man she more than likely noticed that particular quality. "I've always told you, you're special," she said taking it as a subject change rather than the confrontation she knew it was.
"His eyes match mine, mum," Jacelyn pressed on. "I know he was with you intimately." She swallowed a lump in her throat before finishing what she had to say. "He's my father, isn't he?" she asked, finally.
Cosette remained silent for a longer period this time. She had been asked many times about Jacelyn's father but she'd never answered the questions. With the confrontation of Jacelyn meeting the man for herself, was there really any point in hiding it? Jacelyn knew, she probably just wanted confirmation. "Stay away from him," she repeated.
Jacelyn closed her eyes. "Mum, please answer me," she told her, still refusing to promise she'd stay away. "I've wanted to know where I came from for so many years. Just please tell me if he's really my father."
Cosette sighed softly. "I've never been with anyone else," she said finally. She'd dated, but it'd never been serious, she'd always run away before it got to that point. Sirius had been the only one she'd ever been serious with and the only man she'd ever slept with. Of course he was Jacelyn's father, but she couldn't say that. "I need to go," she said not sure how much longer she could hold up. "Stay away from him," she said one last time before the line went dead.