There Will Be NO Drama Tonight (Marrow Family)

Daniel finally had off, and for him that was saying something. So he decided that tonight he would be taking his girls out for supper, and a possible trip to the London Eye later. However that depended entirely on them. Daniel was a strict father, and he liked having fun, but if his girls misbehaved they knew that he was not above bringing them straight home. Adjusting his tie he went into his bathroom and began searching for the bottle of cologne that he would be using that evening. After scanning bottle after bottle he found the correct scent and swiftly applied it. He just prayed that this one night would go without a hitch. IT had been forever since he had been able to have a peaceful meal with BOTH his girls. With them both away at Hogwarts he rarely got to see them, excluding Rowen...but how he saw her now was not his preferred way of seeing her. He wanted to see her the way he saw Felicity...in the sense that the only time he needed to write or go to Hogwarts was to visit his girls...rather than hearing the Headmaster complaining about how his oldest was causing trouble.

Walking out of the bathroom and his bedroom that was attached he went downstairs to wait for both his children. He knew that Felicity wouldn't take too long in the bathroom. Thankfully, his youngest hadn't discovered the wonders of make up yet. And, secretly, he hoped she never would. Daniel prayed that Felicity stayed innocent. But he knew that that would change as she continued through Hogwarts. He already knew that she was seeing the darkness that humanity possessed through bullying. He had gotten a letter from a kind Slytherin Prefect telling him of his little one's treatment and he was appalled! Needless to say it did not take Daniel long to go and complain to the Headmaster about the wellbeing of his Princess and the other students of the school.

It did not help as far as he could see, Felicity was still withdrawn from people and unwilling to make new friends. She insisted that the only friends she needed were the ones she made in her novels; and to Daniel that was a major culture shock. Rowen was a social butterfly, just as her mother had been when she was young...but he never thought Felicity would inherit his shyness. Oh well, he could only hope she outgrew it. Glancing down at his watch he sighed, what was taking them so long?

"C'mon girls!" he called. "I don't want us to miss our reservation!"

Rowan smiled as she finished off the lip gloss she was applying to her sister's lips. She looked fantastic, and Ro couldn't help but think that she had a lot to do with it. She had convinced her sister to let her make her over, and even if it may have been reluctant, Felicity had agreed. Now, what their father had to say about it, that was a different matter entirely. But Rowan could take him on, she didn't mind in the slightest. In fact, she almost yearned for it. Having an argument with her daddy meant that he was around and not forgetting about them at his job. And she would push him to the brink if it meant knowing he was there. And she was sure that tonight would bring another such 'discussion.' Rowan now had a boyfriend, who was in his sixth year. And Rowan had a feeling her daddy would not approve. Let the fireworks begin!

"You look beautiful, Lissy. Let me know if you want anything changed, but I think you look great."

She stood up straight and looked in the mirror. She wished she was using her father's bathroom, the mirror was much bigger. But he had been getting ready as well, and she wanted to make a grand entrance. She added more eyeliner to her already charcoal eyeshadow, then adjusted her strapless bra underneath her dress. She hoped her dress was just concealing enough that he wouldn't make her change, but revealing enough that she would raise a few eyebrows. She LOVED doing that. Especially if one of those eyebrows belonged to Dan Marrow. She giggled to herself and then slipped her shoes carefully onto her feet.

"Come on, you ready? Daddy will have a fit if we don't go downstairs soon."

Rowan

Felicity looked at herself in the mirror. She liked the lip gloss, but she knew her daddy would never let her keep it on. But she didn't want to upset her sister, she had been so excited to put makeup on her...so she had let her. But if her daddy wanted her to take it off she would let him. It kinda made her face feel a bit heavy. Looking at herself in the mirror she smiled weakly and nodded. She wasn't going to change anything, not that she knew how to. Felicity had never been into makeup and clothes...her passion was books and more books.

"Okay Ro," she said gently. "I'm ready."

Gently playing with the hem of her dress she went downstairs to go and see if her daddy was ready for them as well. She could already smell his cologne as she continued down the steps and felt a smile go across her lips. Her daddy always smelled so good, and that was part of the reason she loved hugging him so much. Rowan said he smelled like an old man...Felicity just supposed she was the type that liked that Old Man Scent. But she knew her sister, and knew that she only chose to say those things in hope of getting a rise out of her daddy. Rushing into his arms she gently pushed him to sit so that she could take a spot in his lap. She was sure that Rowan would want to make a big scene, so she had time for her daddy to hold her before supper.

"Hi daddy," she grinned. "You look very dashing tonight, oh...and you smell wonderful!"

Felicity

Daniel smiled as his little one rushed right into his arms, but just as he was about to place a kiss to her forehead something caught his eye. Her face, and although she looked as beautiful as she ever did...he knew that something was amiss. And that something was that she had makeup all over her beautiful little face. Dan felt his temper rise, he knew that Rowan had done this just to piss him. Gently as he could he turned little Felicity so that she was straddling him and began wiping off some of the makeup from her cheeks and eyes.

"Honey," he began. "You are such a natural beauty...you don't need all of this makeup. And neither does your sister."

He took out a hankercheif from his pocket and licked it a bit before removing the blush and eyeshadow more. He was feeling very generous today so he decided to let her keep the lip gloss on. That way Rowan couldn't say he was trying to keep her like a complete infant. Beside, he knew that Felicity would eventually lick it off herself.

"There honey, gorgeous."

Gently he pecked her lips and turned her back around, straightening her beautiful pink dress as he did so.

"Now we just have to wait for Rowan."

Daniel

Rowan decided to give her father a bit more time to stew with Felicity. He was either pissed about the make-up she had on, or merely annoyed. Either way, the trick was finding the perfect balance on waiting time. If she made him wait too long, his scowl would intensify, thereby making his temper shorten and Dan Marrow with a short fuse was all too common. And it was not very endearing. No, she wanted him to get annoyed, but not mad. Flustered, but not in an angry way. It was such a delicate balance that she really had yet to master. But when he got to that annoyed stage, she found she could turn it around and manipulate him better. It was a strange dichotomy, but it worked for them.

So she sat in her room and waited. She picked up a magazine and flipped through it a couple of times. She washed and styled her hair again. And she even took the time to have a very entertaining texting conversation with King. She toyed with the idea of inviting him tonight, but she was undecided as of yet. She would have to see how irritable her father was first.

After a good long period of waiting time, and when her outward appearance was perfect, or as close to it as she could make it, she finally made her way downstairs. When she saw her father, she feigned a shocked expression.

"Were you waiting for me? Oh, I'm sorry. I've been ready, I thought you would come get me."

She grabbed her shawl because she knew he would put his foot down about her bare shoulders, then she opened the front door.

"Oh, and thanks for wiping off her make-up," she added with a hint of sarcasm. "I guess I'll have to use the waterproof stuff next time."

Then she flitted out to the car before her daddy could get any bad ideas, like smacking her ass or something.

Dan glared after his daughter, it did not take her long to ruin his good mood. As a matter of fact his daughter had a habit of just making it so that he did not want to go home. He could not say he did not love her, because he did...but he would admit that he often did not like being around her. She was such a brat, and he didn't know where she got it from. But soon...he had a feeling it would end. Dan was getting sick of the attitude, sick of the nights of stress his daughter put him through, he was too old for that bullshit and it was doing horrible things to his health. He had a stressful job, one that his eldest clearly did not take into appreciation and then he just came home to more stress. His youngest still thought the sun rose and set on him, for that he was grateful...but his oldest... Dan felt that he could drop dead and she wouldn't give a flying damn. He kissed the top of Felicity's head and just rested his chin there for a moment. Well now she could wait for him.

He did not understand that girl's logic...no one did. She wanted his attention, told him that she begged for it...but when he wanted to give it to her she acted like a little brat anyway. Well Dan was done! He could not keep going through these cycles with her anymore, and he was actually giving up on trying to understand her. He knew it wasn't the best thing to do, but it also wasn't fair to Felicity. His youngest girl missed so much because of his temper. Rowan would get him so mad at times that he would just not want to do anything. He would punish his youngest for things that his eldest would do and the worse part was Felicity would accept the punishment. She would go to her room and read... sometimes for hours. And that scared Dan...because he had been that way when he was a child...and it eventually blew up...well he did. He did not want Felicity going through a melt down...no, he would rather die before that happened.

"Lovey?" he said gently. "Go out to the car...daddy has a few things to lock up before we leave."

Gently nudging his baby off his lap he sent her to the car with a gentle tap and went back upstairs to his room. He needed a moment to calm himself...and he knew nothing would work better than a calming draught Aiden Showers had prescribed him. He had been to a Healer several months ago to discuss his high blood pressure...Aiden told him it was at dangerous levels...and the next temper could result in a heart attack. So he gave him strong enough calming draughts that it would make Severus Snape the most mellow fellow int he world. Downing the vial in one gulp he sighed with relief and went out to go and drive his children to the restaurant.



"That's a lovely dress Rowan," he commend smiling gently. "It looks absolutely stunning on you!"

Dan felt wonderful, he had never been so calm in all his life. He was sure that a Death Eater could walk right by him and he wouldn't have the fury to react other than saying a friendly hello.

"Order whatever you want my loves," he continued. "Oh, and I was thinking we could share a dessert...me and sweets."

He took his youngest's hand and gently stroked the top with his thumb. Tonight was going to be wonderful.

"My...my-my dress?"

Rowan looked at her father with wide eyes. She didn't know whether to be upset or frightened. She had never seen him like this and she had to admit her fear was overcoming her confusion. There was no way he was this calm and laid back on his own. She was sure he had either been drugged or he had lost his mind. But either way, she didn't feel very safe with him like this. If a dark wizard came along and recognized him, they would be done for. He didn't look like he was in any kind of fit state to defend them. Her heart flipped a little, and not in a good way. She instantly regretted ever doing anything wrong to make this night be where it was now. And she felt that all eyes were on their little family, darkness and evil ready to pounce.

She looked at her sister, unsure if she was scared too, or if she was just happy her daddy wasn't yelling for once. Well...he didn't really yell for no reason. It was usually Rowan's fault. And tonight, she wanted to take it all back and just be his little girl again. Her brain screamed that it might be too late.

"Daddy?" She asked timidly. All she could think about was getting them home and to a safe place. She may have been overreacting, but if they weren't safe with her father...her amazingly brave, strong, hero...they weren't safe anywhere.

"Can we go home please? I don't really feel well anymore. I'll make dinner. Can we do that please?"

Daniel caught her fib instantly, if she didn't feel well how would she make dinner. No, they were not leaving. He had promised Felicity this supper weeks ago and he was not going to hurt her by breaking his promise, especially when he had broken so many already. Shaking his head he opened his menu as well as Felicity's. His little one was so thin and tiny, he always thought that she was so malnourished. The doctor said that she just had a fast metabolism...but Dan had always been a worry-wart.

"No," he continued. "I promised you both supper and now I intend to deliver. I also know when you are lying Rowan, you are fine."

Poking her nose gently with his finger he smiled and sipped from his water. He was not going to risk alcohol tonight, not with how relaxed he felt. Turning to Felicity he began helping her order.

"I am so forgetful my love," he continued. "I can't remember if it is you that is allergic to asparagus or if it is Rowan...or are you allergic to carrots? Oh well, honey you just order what you want...you too Ro-Ro."

Humming lightly he snapped his fingers and summoned the waiter.

"Can we have a basket of bread please?" he asked gently. "Oh, and my daughters would both like a salad to start...no carrots, no asparagus."

He knew that Felicity swelled up when she ate one of those two vegetables, it was best to play it safe and just get rid of both of them.

Rowan wanted to scream in protest. How could he be like this? Was he just playing with her? No, he would not be able to keep his temper in check for this long. She felt an awful pit descend upon her stomach and she thought that maybe if she could make herself sick up, he might believe it. She contemplated going to the loo and sticking her finger down her throat, but then he wouldn't witness the actual vomiting part. So she decided the easier thing to do would be to get Felicity on her side. So she smiled innocently at her father, then turned Felicity so that they could talk and not be interrupted by Mister Happy across the table from them.

"Felicity, listen to me. I don't know what you're thinking right now and I really don't want to scare you...but I think something is wrong with Daddy. Can you tell? He is way too calm right now, and I'm getting scared. Everyone knows who he is and what he does. If a Death Eater comes in, we're toast. And I don't know about you, but I can't fight those sons of bitches without Dad. Help me think of a way to get him out of here. You are the brains out of the two of us. There has to be a way."

She bit her bottom lip nervously and took her sister's hand. The only way this could backfire, would be if Felicity thought Rowan had ulterior motives about wanting to leave. But that wasn't the case! Truthfully, she did want to be out to dinner as a family tonight. But not if it meant risking their lives!

"I really want to have a nice family night, but I think we need to go home where the wards are. I just don't feel safe here, seriously. Now what can we do?"

Felicity could tell that there was something wrong with her father, she could see it in his dazed expression. And she was worried, but she also didn't want to ruin this evening. She was having so much fun and her daddy was behaving so gently. Her father acted this way towards her regardless, but now Rowan got to see that he was nice. Though she supposed that if he was drugged it didn't really count. She looked to her sister contemplating what they could do to leave. Her father was an ace at seeing through bullshit, so if either one of them faked being sick she was sure he would know and keep them there regardless. They needed something to legitimately happen. Sighing she sipped from her water and continued to think.

She really didn't know. One of them could make themselves sick, or maybe spill something on the other to get them sent home, but that wouldn't work either. She wasn't going to risk her daddy's health to make him sick. God only knew how the potion he took would react to such a thing. She just did not see another way out of this...maybe she could do something. Her father never suspected her of lying. Maybe if she was the one to throw up he would take them home.

"I don't know Rowan," she whispered picking at her napkin. "Want me to break my arm or something?"

She wasn't being completely serious, but if her sister wanted to do something to her to assure that they would be sent home that was fine. She was starting to get a little freaked out by her father's chipper mood anyway.

"Do something to me," she shrugged softly. "You can perform magic can't you?"

Rowan took a deep breath and nodded. Yes she could do magic. But if she did, she would be kicked out of Hogwarts. Now, if it came down to the wire and their safety actually was at stake, she would do it in a heartbeat. But for now, they needed something a little less drastic. Oh, this scheme was very drastic in and of itself. She would be risking her sister's health, as well as her own ass. Literally. If her father found out about this, she wouldn't be able to sit for a month. But it had to be done...there was no other way around it. She turned to her sister and spoke in the most intense whisper she had ever dared to try.

"I am not going to break your arm, and I'm not going to do any magic. But I am going to put you in danger. So if you're not up for it, we won't do it. But I think it's the only way to snap him out of this and get us out of here, okay? Cover for me."

She squeezed Felicity's hand, then she snuck away from the table and off to the kitchen. Her father hadn't remembered that Lissy was allergic to asparagus, but Rowan did. So she looked around, and when the coast was clear, she stole the biggest one she could find. Then she snuck back to the table and placed the vegetable in a napkin, then in her sister's hand.

"Like I said, it's up to you. But if you do this, it will definitely get us out of here. We may have to go to the hospital, but Daddy will be safe. And we won't have to be creeped out by that crazy smile anymore."

Felicity held the vegetable in her hand and sighed. She knew this was going to suck. Asparagus did horrible things to her stomach...thing she never really wanted to repeat. But she knew that they needed to leave. She hoped they wouldn't have to go to the hospital, it was never really that bad...she was sure that her daddy would just have to take her home and clean up after her for a couple of hours. Closing her eyes she waited until she was sure he wasn't looking before downing the entire thing in a few bites. She knew it wouldn't be instant, but it wouldn't take too long before she started feeling the affects of the asparagus.

"There..." she said softly. "We just have to wait a little bit."

Closing her eyes briefly she sipped from her water. Waiting was what sucked. Waiting for her to get sick, waiting to throw up, waiting to feel feverish and be stuck in the loo for about eight hours until the damn weed worked its way, slowly, out of her system. Her dad would snap out of his calmed state and have to baby her for the rest of the night. Her weekend was now going to be ruined...but she supposed that it was worth it if her, Rowan, and her daddy were safe.

As the minutes ticked by she whimpered, feeling her face pale and her stomach turn. She looked to Rowan and gently nudged her arm.

"I don't feel so good..."

Rowan felt awful about this, though she was sure she didn't feel as bad as her little sister. She looked over at Felicity and wanted to cry. It was so hard to see her get sick...she was such a sweetheart that didn't deserve any of this. And it was all her fault! If she hadn't been a brat to begin with, everything would be fine. But now Rowan had pushed it for enough for Felicity to possible need medical care. Ugh, this night was going to be awful.

She reached out a hand and lightly touched Felicity's cheek.

"I'm so sorry. I promise, I will make this up to you. I don't know how, but one of these days, I will find a way."

She tried to smile reassuringly, but there was no way a stupid smile would make this better. Lissy would have to suffer through an awful night of sickness in order to fix what Rowan had done. If this was not hitting rock bottom, she didn't know what was. The guilt she felt was overwhelming, but she took a deep breath and turned to her father anyway.

"Daddy, look at Felicity! She's sick! Oh no, it looks like we'll have to go home and make her better. Please Daddy, don't keep her out when it looks as if she'll sick up at any minute."

Daniel looked at his baby girl and immediately felt the calmness from the potion disappear. Felicity looked pale as a ghost and he could see her turning a slight twinge of green right in front of him! What had happened?! He had heard that there was a bug going around, and he knew that she hadn't eaten anything. His youngest rarely got sick, but when she did it was never laughing matter. Gently as he could he scooped her up into his arms and began taking her temperature. She didn't feel warm to him, so she didn't have a fever...but he wasn't one to make light of his children being legitimately sick...and he could see from Lissy that she was.

"Oh Lissy," he cooed, coaxing her to rest her head on his shoulder. "Are you okay? What's wrong honey? Is it your stomach?"

He set some money down on the table and getting his youngest's jacket draped it over her shoulders. He was not going to let her walk until he knew that he would be able to make her better. Dan was a spaz when it came to mysterious illnesses. He didn't want to take her to St. Mungo's though, there was no need for that just yet. No...he was pretty certain that it would be best for them to just go home and see if Lissy could sleep it off.

"Let's go Rowan," he said gently. "Lissy needs to go to bed."

Taking his eldest's hand he led her out to the car and opened the passenger seat for her. He was going to lay Lissy down in the back so she could rest. It was times like these that he was really glad he knew how to drive, apparation would just make his baby more uncomfortable. Settling her into the back and covering her with his jacket he kissed her forehead gently.

"We'll be home soon my love," he cooed. "Then you can lay down in daddy's bed and just relax."

Felicity nodded weakly and watched as her daddy went to get into the drivers side of the car. She closed her eyes and shuddered weakly as the car began to move. Her stomach felt so horrible and she just wanted to crawl into a small hole and die. She knew that that was pretty dramatic, but she could not help it. Their night had been ruined because she ate that asparagus...and even if she was worried for her daddy's safety Rowan owed her. Felicity had been looking forward to this night for weeks. The one night that maybe her daddy and older sister could find some common ground...well now that night wasn't going to happen and she didn't know when she would get another opportunity like that again.

Closing her eyes she tried to focus on something other than her gurgling tummy. But she could feel the car turning and turning and it was just getting to be all too much. She felt sea sick and without warning she leaned over the side of the car seat and threw up. Gagging softly she began to cry...it burned her throat and she couldn't catch her breath enough to speak.

Felicity hated throwing up, not that she knew many people that enjoyed it, but she tried to avoid it if at all possible. She didn't like boats, planes, or anything that induced nausea. Swallowing hard she leaned over and retched again, her tummy lurching forward while her daddy drove down the road towards home.

Rowan was crying softly from her place in the passenger seat. She kept glancing at her little sister in the back seat, and she looked as if she was going to die. Rowan knew what it felt like to be that ill, but it had been so long since she had been there herself. It was painful to watch, and even more so because she knew it was all her fault. Not only had she stressed her father out enough that she had put him into some form of creepy awake coma, but she had also given Felicity the asparagus to cause such distress. She wanted to crawl in a hole and die there.

The more she saw and heard of her sister throwing up in the backseat, the harder she cried, until she could no longer stand it anymore. She turned around and began rubbing her back, as much as she could reach. As long as she lived, she would never be able to completely make this night up for her sister...not even if they lived to be one hundred.

"Felicity, I'm so sorry! Please forgive me...I wish I was the sick one! I wish I had just been nice and loving like you. Then I wouldn't have made Daddy go mad. And then the asparagus! I can't believe I convinced you to eat it! I'm sorry, honey...SO SORRY!"

She was sobbing when she turned to her father, but this time she had no fear of being caught. She just felt awful about hurting her sister and she needed to find some way to make things right. Her father was the only one she knew that could fix everything with a snap of his fingers. And even though they didn't see eye to eye all the time, she was more proud of him than she had ever been proud of anything in her entire existence.

"Daddy, I did it...I'm the one that made her sick! Please don't hate me, I just wanted us to go home and be out of danger. I'm sorry for everything, Daddy!" She cried.

Dan found a safe spot to pull over and went to the backseat of the car with his youngest. He had heard what Rowan had said but could not bring himself to be angry at her. At least not completely. He was a bit ticked off that she had the audacity to let her sister, generally, poison herself...but he knew that it had been out of fear...not spite. So that he could forgive. Taking out his wand he cleaned the sick from the floor and pulled his baby onto his lap. She was shivering, no doubt having the most adverse affects one could to a plain piece of asparagus. Pulling her hair up into a ponytail so no vomit could get there he gently stroked her forehead.

"Rowan," he said calmly. "You need to stop bawling and drive us home while I hold Felicity."

He still was calm from the potion but was far more alert now that he knew one of his babies were ill. He looked down at Felicity who looked pale and fragile in his arms. His poor little one, he just wanted to get her into bed and comfortable. Throwing up was never fun...but it wasn't nearly as bad when one was t home in their own bathroom.

"Rowan," he said once more. "If we want to help Felicity we need to get her home, now drive...carefully."

Rowan's eyes widened and her tears immediately subsided. She was no longer guilty, as much as she was scared out of her mind. Drive?! He wanted her to drive?! She had never even been behind the wheel, let alone while the car was ON! She knew her father was a bit crazy tonight, but letting her drive? That was ridiculous even for him. If she had even TRIED to pull a stunt like that on her own, her father would have buried her alive. But tonight he was actually asking her to do something dangerous and reckless? She nearly wanted to take a picture of the moment, but not when Felicity was so ill.

"D-d-drive? Daddy, are you kidding me? Is this some sort of test?! Because I don't think I can. There are real cars out there, I could get us all killed!"

She took in a deep breath and looked back at her sister. He was right, she did need to be home. But why couldn't Rowan hold her and her father drive? Oh Merlin, this was so bad. Her hands were shaking and she thought she might vomit as well. But at least he had magic. At least she wasn't scared that they would really die. He could save them if he needed to. She just didn't like the idea of him needing to. She knew that even if she got them close to getting in an accident, she would have a bloody heart attack. Her nerves were already shot to death...add driving a car for the first time at night, and she thought she might as well drive them to St. Mungo's anyway.

She watched his eyes and was ready to tell him that she just wouldn't do it. But even though he was calm, she could tell he was determined. So she sighed and climbed into the driver's seat. She took some time trying to figure out what every gear and button did. She closed her eyes and said a small prayer, then she put the car into drive. At least, that's what she hoped the little 'D' meant. If it meant 'Destruction' or something, they were doomed. Maybe 'D' stood for Doomed. Or Damn. Or Dipshit. Because that was what he was right now for having her do this.

When the car idled forward, she knew that she had found the correct letter. But when she pressed on what she thought was the gas and the car jolted to a stop, she blushed and laughed nervously.

"So...not the gas then, huh?"

She took another deep breath and moved her foot to the other pedal. The car lurched forward and she slammed the brake again.

"Holy crap, that was fast! You barely have to tap the damn thing!"

Another five minutes passed, and they were still on the shoulder of the road. But they had made progress, she had gone at least ten feet! She was so proud. But she could not bring herself to drive faster than two miles an hour. At this rate, they would be home by the time she was a sixth year and ready to learn to drive for real. But at least she was driving.

"Look, Daddy! I'm doing it, see? I'm doing it!!"

Dan smiled gently at his oldest and nodded, he was happy that she was getting her bearings with the car, that meant he could hold Felicity. He knew that Rowan would have sat back here with her baby sister but Felicity was vomiting and he didn't want Rowan to have to deal with that. Dan had been a father for so many years, he was equipped to handle one of his babies puking all over him. His eldest....probably not so much. So even though they were only going about two miles an hour he knew that they would be okay. He trusted his daughter to be a fast learned, after all she WAS a Marrow...and soon the would be home and he would be able to get Felicity into some pajamas and into bed.

"Good girl Rowan," he said gently. "Remember to watch for other cars, people, and traffic signals."

He had his wand at the ready, in case he needed to think fast and transport the car home. Dan was very, very, good when it came to charms and the like...but he didn't want to have to resort to that kind of magic when Felicity was as sick as she was. That would have been completely unfair to her. Kissing the top of his baby's head and move a stray strand of hair from her face he wrapped his jacket further around her.

"We will be home soon my little one," he cooed. "I promise."

He held her gently in his arms, almost afraid she would break if he didn't and sighed. He would definitely have to talk to Rowan later...he would tell her about his calming draught prescription and tell her why he was taking it...maybe then that would convince his eldest to change her attitude....at least for his sake, and so this would never happen again.

Rowan now had a goal. If she got home without hitting anything, she would be happy. She was becoming more confident, and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She moved the car faster down the stretch of road, but cars kept zooming past her. How was she supposed to get into the actual flow of traffic? She tried to remember everything her father had learned when he drove a car for the first time. Rowan and her sister had been in the back seat and had been more scared that day than they ever would have been of a dementor. Rowan remembered getting on her knees and praying in gratitude for her life when they returned home that day. And she had been on her best behavior for at least a week after that. She supposed it would be the same after tonight. Near death experiences tended to do that to a person

Alright, back to driving, she thought to herself. She looked around and saw her mirrors, remembering those were essential. She watched the mirror to her left so intently as she drove that she ended up scraping pretty badly along a parked car.

"Whoa! That bloody car came out of nowhere!" She shouted. But she didn't want to be in trouble, so she just kept right on driving. Hopefully there had not been too much damage done. Maybe her father could look for the car tomorrow and fix it. For now, she used her newfound skill at looking in the mirror and drove back into the lane of traffic. Now she was going a steady fifteen miles an hour, and she felt pretty good about it. She tried to ignore all of the honking around her. If they wanted to pass, they could feel free. She was busy trying not to dismember her family.

Rowan was good at directions. She knew exactly where they were and how to get home. What was even more important, was the fact that she knew the side streets that were less popular. There were a few very heart pounding moments. At one point a little old lady began crossing the street and Rowan barely had enough time to stop for her. She certainly got an earful, though she couldn't really hear what the lady was saying anyway. And then another time, Rowan was sure she had hit a cat. But her mirror showed the cat running in the opposite direction. Apparently she had just scared the poor thing half to death. At least that was better than snuffing it.

Another twenty minutes, and Rowan successfully pulled into their driveway (minus a few of her father's hydrangeas), and she was quickly out of the car and jumping up and down in excitement.

"WE'RE ALIVE!!! I DID IT!!"

She did a little happy dance in her driveway, but her pleasure was short-lived. She soon remembered the reason why she had been the one to drive and she immediately looked toward her sister to see how the patient was doing. She gathered her wits about her and grabbed the keys out of the ignition, then ran toward the front door. She opened it for them and smiled at her father. A job well done, she thought. But her smile faded in an instant when she saw the empty car rolling backwards down the driveway.

"Uh oh..."

With a loud CRASH the car went into their neighbors nice, new Hummer. And along with their now smashed mailbox, Rowan knew she was dead. How was she supposed to remember about a stupid parking brake? She felt tears come to her eyes and walked past her father and her sister without looking up.

"I know. I'm grounded," she sighed, flopping down onto the couch miserably.

Daniel felt his temper rising and he wanted to scream at his daughter until he was blue in the face. But he had more important things to worry about than a car, and that was his baby girl. She was still sick and she was the one he needed to focus on at the present moment. Going upstairs to his bedroom he transfigured her dirty dress into clean pajamas and tucked her into bed. She looked so pale and he could practically sense the pain that was radiating off of her. Rowan owed her big...and they also needed to discuss her behavior. He was going to tell her exactly why he was being made to take these pills...what Rowan did with the information was entirely up to her. But it would go one of two ways. She would either try and help him so that he wouldn't have to take them anymore...or she would just remain how she was and his dosage would go up to the point that he would need the potion every evening he came home.

Pulling the blankets from his bed up so they were around her shoulders he smiled gently at her. She looked so much like him, at least that was what people told him. She was also very quiet like him, but she didn't have his temper. No...his little Lissy had always been gentle and calm...never one to get very angry at anything unless you tried to hurt one of her beloved novels or a family member. Taking his hand carefully over her forehead he gently pecked her lips.

"Just sleep baby," he cooed. "Your stomach will settle soon...and I'll be back later to check on you. Okay?"

He kissed her cheek once more and hugged her gently to his chest, before slipping out of his room and going downstairs to speak with his daughter.

"You and I need to talk," he said sitting across from her. "And yes, you are grounded....but not for the car...I do not wish to talk about your punishment just yet...I want to talk to you about my behavior at the restaurant...what did you think of it?"

Rowan looked up at him with fear in her eyes. It was the same fear she had kept with her throughout the night. But now she was also slightly annoyed. Did he know what would happen? Had he known that he would be so calm and loopy that they would possibly be in danger? That...that kind of hurt. He of all people understood the danger his job put their family in, and he purposely went out in public in that freakishly calm state? She wanted to scream at him! She wanted to pound on his chest with her fists and ask him why he would do such a thing! But she couldn't....because she was still too afraid of what had happened earlier. So she turned away from him and began to cry to herself. Oh, how had things become so screwed up in her family that this was the result? Was this all her fault? There had to be some other explanation...it couldn't just be because she was a bitch...could it?

She pulled a pillow into her arms and held onto it tightly, warm tears spilling down her cheeks and onto the cushiony fabric. She felt lost, scared...and just overall lousy. How could she have done this? She felt the guilt she had felt earlier, only now it was multiplied by a million because she was finally starting to understand who she was and what her decisions had cost her family. But how was she supposed to change? she couldn't just wake up one morning and lose her sarcasm. Or turn around and have completely lost every ounce of pride and selfishness. She needed help...the kind that came from someone who believed in her. And right now, she didn't think that person was her father. She might have been the brat of the family, but it didn't help that he no longer had an ounce of trust in her.

She finally seemed to remember that he had asked her a question, so she turned her body to face him. She couldn't look him straight in the eye, though, she was far too ashamed and hurt for that. But she took a deep breath and began to speak anyway, even though the tears continued coming.

"I was scared out of my mind, Daddy. And I know it was my fault...you took something because I'm too much to handle. Either that or I actually am making you go mad. Tonight I felt so..so vulnerable. I never want to feel that way again. But...but I know what you're thinking, and I don't need another reminder. Believe me. I already know what I've done...I know I've ruined...this family...and I don't know how to fix it," she cried.

She stood up and began pacing, wishing she could sort out her feelings properly. On the one hand, she wanted her father to know how much she loved him and needed him. But on the other, she wanted him to know how completely pissed off she was that he would willingly put them in danger. She wanted to speak her mind right now, but would that be a good idea right now with everything they had already been through tonight? Oh well, Rowan usually acted before she thought anyway. She turned to her father once more and wiped the tears from her face.

"Wait a minute...why am I the only one getting lectured here? YOU are the one that did something to calm yourself when you could have just freaking took the time to relax normally. YOU are the one who scared us both half to death because we could have been in danger. Maybe tonight was YOUR fault, did you ever think about that? Did you ever think that maybe if you weren't such a freaking hardass I wouldn't try to piss you off so much? Or maybe, you're just gone so much that I feel like I have to grab your attention. Or maybe you just love Felicity so much more than you love me that I have to FIGHT for you to notice me! You haven't thought of any of this, have you? Oh well, it fucking figures...you never think about it if it has to do with me."

Her chest was heaving, and she slumped back down against the couch. God, her thoughts and words were all over the place. Maybe she was pms-ing. That was another thing he didn't really care about or pay attention to. Maybe if he had remembered she might be on her period, he would cut her some freaking slack. Now that was a wish to put on the 'don't bloody count on it' list.

"Uh oh," she began sarcastically, "I'm speaking my mind and showing an attitude...can you handle the pressure? Maybe you should take something for it."

794

Daniel was pissed, and hurt. This tantrum had just proved to him that his daughter didn't give a fuck about anyone but herself. Where she got it from he did not know. It sure as hell wasn't from her mother, and Dan did all that he could to make his children's lives comfortable and happy. Grabbing her by the upper arm he pulled up her dress and swatted her as hard as he could. Willing himself to only swat her once he then began pulling her up to her room. Pulling the door open he shoved her in and closed it behind him. His glare was the most intense it has ever been and he almost could say that he could not stand to look at the girl in front of him.

"You..." he snarled. "I have never wanted to beat you..."

He broke up and tears suddenly filled his eyes. He could not believe he had thoughts of actually beating his Rowan...but she was pushing him so far over the edge that he was sure he would collapse any minute. She thought that he loved Felicity more...that was bullshit, it was just that Felicity didn't push him away as much. She thought that he was a hardass, he was, but she she needed to suck it up and deal with it. He has been the same since she was a child, obviously he wasn't going to change any time soon.

"Maybe you need to move in with your aunt," he whispered. "Because...because I can't...I can't do this with you anymore!"

He looked up at her, tears rolling down his face...and he quickly regretted. Dan had never let any of his children see him cry. It was something that Daniel Marrow never did. Even when thinking about his beloved wife he never willed himself to cry in front of his children.

"The potion wasn't just for you," he snapped. "It was for me...because my blood pressure is far too high. Aiden said I am at risk of having a major heart attack...but you wouldn't know that would you? Because you automatically assume that I take it just because of you. Well it isn't just because of you Rowan Marrow...it is because I am HEAD auror, it is because I am a SINGLE father, it is because my life is full of stress and it is NOT all about you!"

He sniffed, feeling more tears escape.

"I am on my own here Rowan," he continued. "And you just keep making it harder and harder for me...and you don't even give a fuck! You push me and push me, and you even admit to it! You even know it's wrong, but you don't care!"

His voice was cracking now, damn his emotions, damn that potion, and damn Aiden Showers for making him take it.

"You think I don't care about you?!" he continued. "I do a Hell of a lot more for you then you do for me! What do you do for ME Rowan?! You throw big ass tantrums when you don't get your way, AT SIXTEEN, you try and destroy things that I love, you constantly back talk me, you NEVER want to compromise! And then you blame me for being cross with you!"

He slammed his fists against the wall and turned back to her.

"I CAN'T relax normally Rowan!" he continued. "Because YOU won't let me! Every time I try and do something relaxing with you, YOU try and do something to piss me off! How was I supposed to relax without the potion when YOU and the rest of this FUCKING world won't let me!?"

His chest was heaving now and tears were still staining his cheeks with their wet trail. He did not know what more Rowan could ask of him. She sucked the life out of him, made him wish that his beloved had never died, made him wish that she could somehow give her the father that she wanted.

"Maybe you need to find a father that fits your needs," he whimpered. "A father that will give you whatever you want at the snap of your fingers...because Rowan at this point, I am done trying to figure out what you want from me. Tonight was supposed to be a nice night with you Felicity and myself...but you had to try and tick me off by putting makeup on Lissy. And you did it DELIBERATELY just to piss it off because I know that Lissy had no desire to wear makeup...this night was supposed to be about US....and as always you wanted to make it about you. And...and I just...I can't do it anymore. I can't keep fighting with you...it will literally be the death of me...it will...and you don't...you don't seem to care..."

Tears still rolling down his face he took one more look at his child and disappeared into his office...collapsing at his desk. Small sobs leaving his diaphragm as he tried to remember just where everything had fallen apart.

Rowan sat on her bed in complete and utter shock. She felt absolutely sick to her stomach and no amount of potion could have made her feel better. Tears ran silently down her cheeks as the image of her crying father was burned into her brain. She had a vague memory of him crying once when she was very small, maybe when her mother died...but it was so long ago, she wasn't sure if it had been a dream or not. Tonight, however, was not a dream. It had turned into a nightmare. She had never been so scared in her life, what with her father being drugged, and her having to drive a car for the first time. But it was nothing to how scared she was now. He had cried...she had actually made him cry. She laid down on her bed and began sobbing into her pillow. The pain she felt in her heart far surpassed any physical pain he could have inflicted on her. And apparently he had been close to it. He had never once said he wanted to beat her until tonight. Even the swat he had given her had made no real impact once he had said that.

She didn't know what to do, and now she was past the point of no return. She was pushing him to the grave...her own father was going to literally die of heart failure because he had such a selfish child. But she did love him...she just didn't know how to behave anymore, and he wasn't really trying to teach her. She supposed she had caused him to give up. And she deserved for him to hate her now. Even if she went downstairs and tried to make it right, he would just say he didn't want to see her anymore. So now that left only one option...she knew what she had to do. She would make both of their lives easier and just go. It actually felt like the kindest thing to do.

It didn't take long to pack a small bag of clothing and toiletries. She also made sure she had her wand with her, just in case. And as soon as she was changed out of her dress and into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, she walked over to her window. But she couldn't leave like this, she couldn't leave them with nothing at all. She loved them too much to not say goodbye. So she set down her bag and went to her desk, taking out a parchment and quill. She took a deep breath and began pouring her heart out on the page.


Dear Daddy,

I don't think there is a way to express how sorry I am. I crossed a line tonight, and I broke your heart. If there was a way for me to fix it, I would. But I think it is best for all of us if I just go. I wish I could explain why I am always so awful to you, but I don't even think I understand it myself. It's not because I don't love you...I do. I love you more than you will ever know. But I don't know how to express that I need you. So I go all crazy until you pull me back down to earth and remind me of who I am. I didn't realize that every time I did that, I was literally hurting you. I never wanted to cause you pain. You are the strongest man in the world...and I was tearing you down without meaning to. I am so sorry.

Please tell Felicity that I love her and I am so proud of her. I will miss both of you with every piece of me, but I don't want you to worry. I've been saving my allowance, so I have enough to take care of myself until I find a job. I think it's probably best if you don't come looking for me. If I come back, we both know I will just continue to destroy you and Lissy until there is nothing left. And I don't want to be the cause of any more pain for either of you.

I only ask one thing...please don't think of me the way I was tonight. Think of me as your baby girl...the one who used to run to you after work and jump on your back. The one who would bring you flowers from the garden and sing you little songs. I want to do those things now, but I know I don't deserve you anymore. I have lost my privilege of being your daughter and I wish more than anything that I could take it all back. Please don't cry...this isn't your fault. This was all me. I love you.

Love,

Ro


She sniffled and wiped her tears away, then she folded up the note and put it on her pillow. She straightened up her room once more and took a look around. She did have many fond memories in here. Coloring with her sister on the walls and giggling and running from their daddy when he got home to find it...or listening to Felicity reading her beloved books...or snuggling in that bed with her father when she was sick or afraid. She would never have those moments again. She took a deep breath, knowing that it had to be done.

"I love you Lissy...I love you Daddy," she whispered to the nothingness. Then she climbed out her window and down to the street.

After a few minutes of crying and trying to calm herself, she took out her cell phone and dialed King's number. He was the only person she could think of that could stand to be near her right now, and she needed him to hold her so badly.

"King? It's Rowan. Do you think...can you pick me up at the park close to my house? I need you. And hurry," she sniffled into her phone.

1,018

King was doing his homework, and he was starting to get very sleepy. He didn't want to have it left over for the next day, though, he wanted to see if there was a way that he could spend the day with Rowan. He wanted to show her some of the new creations that he'd made in the kitchen lately and get her opinion about them. But first, he needed to finish his Potions essay, or he'd never be able to leave this desk, much less indulge in his favorite past time.

He yawned as he consulted his Advanced Potion Making textbook. He really needed to get some sleep! He had another inch and a half to satisfy the professor, it could wait until morning. He changed into a pair of sweats and went to bed, falling asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, his last thought before he crashed was that he shouldn't have stayed up for the last twenty-four hours.

He didn't know how long he'd been out, but when he heard his cell ring, it took a moment to get through to him that it wasn't part of his dream. He woke up and answered it, slightly irritated that it was a telemarketer that had interrupted his dream. The dream that now made him smile as he lay back down and tried to fall asleep again. He'd been dreaming of opening a restaurant with Rowan as his favorite customer. She would be one of the few that would get anything she wanted. Even if it wasn't on the menu, he would make it for her.

He managed to get back to sleep and had another dream, this one involving a phone call from his great-great grandmother, who had died before he was even born. He'd just hung up the phone in the dream when he heard ringing again. He opened his eyes, realizing it was his phone. He sighed, hoping that it wasn't another telemarketer, he would be giving them an ear full if it were. He sat up straight in his bed when he heard Rowan's voice, and learned that she was very upset. She asked him to pick her up at a park near her house, and he told her that he'd be there as soon as he could.

Flipping his phone closed, he swung his legs out of bed and moved to his closet, grabbing a t-shirt and jeans to change into. He ran down the stairs, telling his brother Adam that he'd be back as soon as he could, and to tell their parents to not worry. Rushing to his car, King started it and headed off to see what was troubling Rowan so.

Less than twenty minutes later, he arrived at the park and found her. He parked his car and went to her, wrapping his arms around her when he saw the expression on her face.

"Ro, tell me what happened?"

Outfit