Everything Is Eclipsed by the Shape of Destiny

Joining the Order was a decision that would be met with opposition, Emerson knew that, but as she got yelled at in the middle of her parent’s living room, she couldn’t help but think that they were overreacting just a little bit, that the intensity with which they scolded her was better suited for a parent yelling at their pregnant teenage daughter and not their twenty five year old child that was informing them of a change in career.

“You’re going to go back and tell them that you changed your mind!” ordered Eleanor.

“Mom can’t you just . . .” began Emerson.

“Can’t I just what?!” barked Eleanor. “Don’t you understand how foolish you’re being right now? Don’t you understand how stupid it is for you to go to England during this time?! What if something happens to you? What if someone kills you?”

“That’s not going to happen,” assured Emerson.

“You may be a shifter, but even that’s not a good enough defense against the world’s evils.” Eleanor blinked away her tears. “There are things out there that are stronger than you, things that could destroy you.”

“So what would you have me do? Play archeologist in Mexico, while my hearts in danger?” Emerson’s chest swam with emotion at the mention of her heart, at the mention of her Bill.

“Just because he’s in danger that doesn’t mean that you have to put yourself in harms way,” whispered Eleanor.

“That’s exactly what that means,” Emerson stood. “He is my imprint. It’s my duty as a shifter to ensure his safety, no matter the cost.”

“He has a wife!” hissed Eleanor. “His wife can protect him.”

“She can’t even protect herself!” spat Emerson.

“Then he should’ve picked a better wife!” the veins on Eleanor’s neck throbbed violently.

Emerson had had enough. She wasn’t going to stand there so that her mother could tear her apart. She was a grown woman that had made her decision and she was going to stand by it, even if her family didn’t support her.

“I didn’t come here to ask for permission. I came to get your blessing and since it’s obvious that you’re not going to give it to me, then I think it’s time I go.”

“Emerson,” Eleanor took her daughter’s hand. “It’s not going to change his mind.”

“I’m not trying to change his mind,” Emerson freed herself. “I'm trying to keep him safe.”

That was the first time that Emerson had ever defied her mother. Her entire life she had been raised to respect her parent’s wishes, to abide by them as best she could but there could be no abiding by her mother’s desires, at least not on the subject of Bill. Emerson was going to keep him safe, even if it meant endangering herself and enraging her mother.

Knowing very well that remaining in the house would only further infuriate her mother, Emerson grabbed her coat and left. She made her way to the backyard, pushing through the various fruit trees that littered it and once Emerson had reached the bench that was tucked away in the far back, she sat down and buried her face in her hands.

She had known that her parents weren’t going to be thrilled with her decision to join the Order but she had thought that after a few minutes of discussing it, they would see that it was what was best for her and that they would support her. She hadn’t expected her mother to go off on her like she had. She hadn’t expected her to bring up Fleur.

It’s not going to change his mind . . .

Emerson couldn’t believe that her mother had had the audacity to say such a thing. It was a bitch move, no, not a bitch move, a cunt move. It was something that was said with the sole purpose of crushing her spirits and although Emerson knew that the odds of Bill falling in love with her were practically nonexistent, she clung to the small hope and she thought that her mother would wish for the same.

“She doesn’t mean it . . .” her father emerged through the trees. “She’s just upset.”

“That’s no excuse for what she said.” Emerson balled her fist. “I mean, did you hear how she said, he has a wife? She said it with so much malice. She said it with the sole intention of reminding me of my place and discouraging me from pursuing anything.”

“He is married Emery, that’s a fact.”

“But he doesn’t love her.”

“Just a few months ago you swore to me that he loved her and that you were going to respect the sanctity of his marriage.” He sat beside her.

“A few months ago I thought they loved each other, but I'm not so sure about it anymore.”

“What changed?”

“He did.” Emerson nervously fiddled with the hem of her shirt. “He was saying that he doesn’t know who she really she is, her habits and that they want different things in life. That changed my mind and don’t worry dad, I'm not going to throw myself at him. I'm not going to England so I can seduce him. I'm going so that I can keep him safe. That’s my only reason for going and I know that mom’s going to be pissed at me, but I have to do this.”

“Want to know a secret?” he took her hand in his.

“What is it?” she asked.

“When I found out that your brother and you were shifters, I prayed that you would never imprint.”

“Why would you do that?” her eyes widened.

“Because I didn’t want you to suffer like that,” it was the first time he’d ever said those words aloud. “I know that imprinting is supposed to be beautiful but I knew that it would be more of a curse to you than a blessing.”

A questioning stare was Emerson’s response.

“I know that seems like a terribly random thing to say, but it’s the truth. I knew that it wasn’t going to be something lovely because I knew that you wanted to be chased after, that you wanted to romanced but if you imprinted on someone then you wouldn’t be the one being romanced, you wouldn’t be the one being chased after. You would do the chasing. Your dreams of romance would be cast aside in order to be with that person and that’s exactly what you did.”

“That’s not true . . .” her voice was barely audible.

“Yes it is, aye mija (oh my daughter), I know about you and Bill, about what you did with him.”

Emerson’s face flushed a violent shade of red which bordered on purple.

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, it’s normal for young people to d-do those things but I know that if you hadn’t imprinted on him that you wouldn’t have agreed to that sort of arrangement.”

“Can we please not talk about this?” she was beyond humiliated.

“I know it’s not the most comfortable thing to talk about with your father but it is what it is and when you’re in England, I'm afraid that you’re going to forget yourself and that you’ll let him . . .”

“Dad!” cried Emerson. “That’s not going to happen. For crying out loud, the man’s married to a VEELA! Why would he want me when he has a Veela in his bed?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that I'm a grotesque obese toad when compared to Fleur!’

“That’s not true,” he argued.

“Yes it is!” cried an annoyed Emerson. “She’s fucking perfect! There’s not a blemish on her skin, there’s not a hair out of place. Her blonde hair is silky smooth. Her lips are full and red. Her body has the perfect amount of curves and she’s just every man’s fantasy. When I stand next to her, I look like shit and I'm not going to humor myself by thinking otherwise.”

“Just because you don’t have Eurocentric beauty that doesn’t mean that you’re not beautiful. Are you overweight? I don’t think so. I think that you have a healthy feminine build and I'm sure that there are men out there that would agree. You may not have porcelain skin but your tan skin is beautiful, you should take pride in the indigenous blood that runs through your veins.”

“I do take pride in it.”

“Then why are you resenting yourself for not having blonde smooth hair or porcelain skin?” her father smirked, knowing very well that he had won.

Emerson remained silent.

“Accept your beauty. Own it. If you do that, there’s no doubt in my mind that the veil on his eyes will finally be removed and he’ll finally see you as the one he belongs with.”

After quite some time, Emerson whispered, “What would I do without you?”

“Sulk and fight with your brother,” he responded with a faint smile. “Let’s go back inside.”

“Are you crazy? Mom will kill me! She’s probably pacing around, muttering to herself right now.”

“How are you so scared of your mother? You’ve fought vampires before.”

“I’d rather taken on a clan of vampires than mom. She may be 5’3 and pleasantly plump, but she’s the scariest thing out there.”

“Estas loca (you’re crazy).”

“I'm honest.”

“Well,” he stood up slowly. “Since you’re not going in, then I think it’s time you go to your grandparents and explain what’s going to happen.”

“Already told them,” Emerson smiled sheepishly.

“What do you mean you already told them?” he cocked his brow.

“I mean that I already told them and they’re supportive of it. They were both overjoyed by the news. Papa Pedro congratulated me on finally taking the initiative.”

“The one time I want my dad to be on my side and he’s on yours,” he mumbled under his breath.

“Papa Pedro’s always going to be on my side, I'm his favorite,” declared Emerson proudly. “I think I'm going to get going. I have to pack some bags.”

“You’re not going to live with him or his parents, right?” the idea of Emerson living with Bill or his family didn’t please her father.

“No, dad, I'm going to stay with Tonks and Remus until I make more permanent arrangements.”

“Alright, but if you need anything, anything at all, don’t hesitate to ask. Okay?”

“I won’t,” Emerson hugged her father tightly and kissed his cheek. “Bye dad, I’ll see you soon.”

Emerson stepped away from her father and backed up against a nearby tree. She closed her eyes, concentrating all her attention on her grandparent’s home and when she opened her eyes again, she was standing before the house, ready to make her way in. Emerson didn’t remain long at the house. She only stayed long enough to pack her things into her enchanted suitcase and to have a bite to eat. Her grandparents urged her to postpone her return to England a few more hours but Emerson refused their offer, she had to stop by the Mexican Ministry to inform them of her resignation.

Informing them of her resignation proved to be more difficult than Emerson had planned. They tried to convince her to remain at her post, even offering her a significant raise if she stayed on but Emerson refused them and in the end, they informed her that the position would not be made available for her if she chose to return in the future.

It was at that moment that Emerson reconsidered her decision to return to England, but just as she was parting her lips to tell them that she had changed her mind, Bill’s face popped up and she knew that she was making the right choice by going to England.

After the resignation had been made final, Emerson left the Ministry and walked towards the designated area where she would be able to apparate. Once there, she focused her mind on Remus and Tonks’ home, she had never been there, but they had shown her a picture and given her the exact address so that travel would be made easy. The travel was simple, slightly disorientating, but simple and the moment she knocked on the door, it was thrown open by a beaming Tonks whom looked as if she had just seen a long list sister.

“Emery!” exclaimed an overly zealous Tonks, “So good to see you again. How did things go? I hope they went well, but Merlin knows how tedious things can be at Ministry’s, the bureaucracy complicates every single bloody thing. Oh, how rude of me, come in, come in! I have dinner on the stove; it should be ready in a bit.”

“Things went surprisingly well,” Emerson lied. “I just had to file some paperwork and talk with the head of my department but everything’s been settled and I just really want to thank you guys for letting me stay here tonight.”

“It’s our pleasure,” spoke Remus as he stood from his place on the couch. “We never really have guests and I know I speak for both of us when I say that it’s nice to have someone new in the mix.”

“It really is nice,” agreed Tonks. “We always see the same old people and they’re lovely people, don’t get me wrong but it’s nice to make new friends. In fact, when I saw you at Bill’s wedding I told Remus that I had to make myself known to you but you vanished after the ceremony.”

“Yeah, I had another wedding to go to.”

“Another wedding?” laughter escaped Tonks lips.

“What can I say? I'm in high demand.”

“In such high demand that she almost didn’t come to my wedding,” spoke Bill as he emerged through the doorway.

Emerson’s head snapped in his voice’s direction, “Hey ugly.”

“You shouldn’t talk to yourself, people are going to think you’re crazy,” joked Bill.

“I said ugly, not gorgeous,” Emerson smirked. “So ugly, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to be at home with Fleur.”

“I was but then my mum told me to come tell you that there’s plenty of space at The Burrow.”

“We told him that we have plenty of room here but he refused to leave without telling you, probably because he’s afraid Molly would sense he didn’t tell you,” stated Tonks in a matter of fact tone.

“The only reason she’d know is because you and her are best friends,” Bill stepped closer.

“Awe Bill, are you jealous that I'm best friends with your mum? Don’t worry dear, soon I’ll be best friends with Emery as well and you’ll really be screwed.”

At that Remus laughed.

“Remus, you need to control your wife,” joked Bill.

“The last thing I’ll ever do is control Tonks,” a tender expression swept across Remus’ face. “She was born to be free.”

“Very true my love,” Tonks pecked his cheek.

“Ugh come on guys, tune down the PDA.” Bill feigned disgust.

“It’s not public since this is our home,” Tonks pointed out.

“Well since you guys are going to be making out, I'm going to show Emerson her room. It’s the one I stayed at last time, right?”

“Quit complaining, I’ll show her the way.” Tonks took Emerson’s hand. “Let’s go love.”

They walked up a long flight of stairs, veered to the right when they hit the hallway and walked until they hit the last door on the right hand side. Tonks opened the door to the guest room, eager to show her guests the quarters that she had spent hours fixing up.

“I hope you like it,” stated Tonks.

“I love it,” Emerson stepped inside. “It’s so classic yet hip, very rad.”

Tonks brow furrowed. “I don’t know what rad means but it sounds like something positive so thank you.”

“It’s a really positive thing and I really do love it. Thanks again for letting me stay.”

“No need to thank me, it’s our pleasure to have you here.” Tonks looked around. “Let me give you the tour. This is the bed, it has fresh linens and blankets, there’s a closet behind that door, the drawers are free for you to put your things and the bathroom is down the hall to the left, it has the word bathroom written on it.”

“Why did you guys write bathroom on it?” Emerson’s voice held a hint of humor.

Tonks smiled sheepishly, “Because there are so many doors in this bloody house that even I get confused.

“There’s no shame in that, I put a decorative doorknob on my bathroom door so I wouldn’t get confused.”

“Yeah, but you did that because you were always high,” Bill spoke without thinking.

Emerson elbowed him in the ribs. “Bill!”

“Bloody hell!” hissed Bill. “What was that for?”

“It’s for opening your fucking mouth. What if she doesn’t want a marijuana enthusiast in her home?” Emerson turned to Tonks. “I promise that it’s just marijuana and the occasional drink but no other drugs.”

“Its fine,” Tonks assured. “I used to smoke to but I haven’t had a chance to do it since the war started.”

“Why haven’t you done it lately?” inquired Emerson.

“Because I never know when I’ll have to fight and I can’t risk being stoned during a mission or duel.”

“True.”

“I’ll leave you to get settled in. I’ll come fetch you when dinner’s ready.” Tonks offered them a smile before rushing out the door.

Instead of paying attention to Bill, Emerson observed the medium sized bedroom that she would be spending the night in. It was a nice bedroom with two windows that would let in light in the morning and best of all, there was enough room for her to do her daily yoga.

“You know you can still change your mind. There’s room with me if you don’t want to stay with my parents.” Bill stepped closer to her, his breath tickling her neck.

“I'm perfectly fine here,” responded Emerson.

Bill sighed. “Why don’t you want to live with me? Before we used to . . .”

“How many times do I have to tell you that things have changed before you listen to me?” Emerson took in several deep breaths.

Bill placed his hand on her hip, turning her so that she faced him. “What changed?”

In that moment all she could focus on was the feel of his hand on her flesh. It drove her wild, made her crave his touch, his lips but she restrained herself. She had to remain in control of her emotions.

“You’re married and it would be rude to live at your place when you’re barely settling in with your wife so thanks for the offer, but I'm better off here.”

“But Remus and Tonks got married after Fleur and me,” he argued.

“No offense, but it seems like they’re more settled in than you and Fleur are.”

“What’s that’s supposed to mean?” Bill was offended by her choice of words.

“It means that Remus and Tonks seem like they have the marriage thing a little more down, like they know each other and their habits better than you and Fleur.”

“How do you even know how Fleur and I are doing?”

“I don’t know exactly how you’re doing, but I know that the last time you talked to me about it you didn’t sound all that thrilled with the situation.”

“I'm happy with my wife and the life I lead with her,” Bill’s voice held an edge, he was getting defensive.

“Calm the fuck down,” ordered Emerson. “I'm not saying that you’re unhappy with her. I'm just saying that you’re settling in because that’s what I assumed from our conversation.”

“Well don’t assume,” snapped Bill.

“Then don’t bitch to me about how your life’s going,” Emerson glared at him. “And if you’re going to keep acting like such a douche bag then you can leave, because I'm not in the mood to be getting yelled at.”

Bill stood there motionless, flabbergasted by the exchange that they had just had. He opened his mouth to speak, but just as he was parting his lips, he realized that he had nothing to say and seeing as how his words failed him, he decided to leave the room and its occupant.