Somewhere Only We Know

Iker glanced over at his wife’s parents before he sighed, a familiar sense of impending doom lingering in his stomach. He wasn’t surprised, not for a moment, but he didn’t think he had it in for him to listen to Isabella and Harry defend their older daughter. He had been through it one too many times to even contemplate taking them seriously. “Do we need to talk Harry?” he murmured, his grip on Ariana still strong as his dark eyes stared over at the older couple. Things were on track, Ariana had just agreed to take him back, but he couldn’t help but think that Isabella and Harry had appeared to throw another spanner in the works. They had always favored Lucia over Ariana in Iker’s eyes and he didn’t think he had the heart to listen to them insist that he just leave their daughters alone. To them, he was the only thing that stopped Ariana and Lucia rekindling the friendship that they had apparently had before him and Iker was sure that they were going to try and get rid of him. He was the only thing that stopped them having their ‘perfect family’ once more.

Harry sighed. “You verbally assaulted my daughter in a restaurant, you had your friends trick her” he explained.

Iker snorted. “It always amazes me Harry” he mused with a little smirk “You always manage to see all of the things I have done wrong, but never what Lucia has done. She has kissed me in an attempt to make Ariana leave me, she has created a fake boyfriend to make me leave her, and this time, she had Ariana so convinced that I had cheated that your younger daughter even presented me with divorce papers, but you don’t care about that. All you care about is your daughter who has done nothing more than try to make Ariana miserable” he spat, his figure stepping ahead of his wife slightly. He didn’t want to fight, it was futile, but he was sick of taking the blame for everything. Lucia was the mechanism that had led to his and Ariana’s problems and he was sick of it going unnoticed or unpunished. She was the reason that their other little girl cried.

“Iker” Isabella interjected “We are not blaming you, but what you did to Lucia was wrong” she added.

Iker scoffed. “Wrong? She should be glad that that was all I did to her” he muttered.

“What does that mean?” Harry snapped.

“It means that if I could I have done, I would have hurt her sir. She has done nothing for the last 16 months than bother me and upset my wife and I have had enough. Ariana is an amazing and wonderful woman, but she can’t see it and that is down to Lucia. For years, you let her get away with bloody murder, you let her put Ariana down and make her think that she was unlovable and unappealing, and never one have you two tried to stop her. She’s a witch, and I am merely sorry that I have had the misfortune of meeting her” he snarled as he approached the older man slightly.

“You don’t get to talk about my daughter like that” Harry snapped in return.

“And she doesn’t get away with hurting my wife, sir” Iker retorted just as bitterly.

Harry glared at the keeper and leant back, preparing to hit him, only to have Ariana step in front of him, her blue eyes soft and tearful. “Papa, don’t” she squeaked.

“He called your sister a witch Ari” Harry muttered.

“That’s because she is one papa” Ariana sighed.

Harry’s jaw fell a little slack. He had doubted that Ariana would have the guts to speak up.

“What did you say?” Isabella muttered.

“I said I agree with Iker, my sister is a witch and I am done with her mother. I have tried to be accommodating, I have tried to make this work, but she will not rest until I am miserable and I am not doing it anymore. She does nothing but try and get between us and I cannot handle it anymore. I have been a good sister, better than I should have had to be, but I can’t do it anymore, mama. I can’t be the sister she wants if it means giving up this” Ariana whispered as she lowered her hand, wrapping it tightly around Iker’s.

“She’s just a little worked up. She’ll get over this Ari” Isabella insisted.

“We’ve said that before mama and she hasn’t given up yet. She doesn’t want Iker, she wants me to be miserable because she believes that I have wronged her somehow. I am sorry madre, but I am finished with her” she whispered gently. Iker noticed the little quiver in her voice and squeezed her hand, offering her a little smile. He was proud of her, he had doubted she would have the nerve to get involved in a fight with her parents, but he was pleased to see her sticking up for them. It meant that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

“You don’t mean that Ari” Isabella protested.

“I do. I am happy mama, Iker and Lettie make me happy, and I cannot have someone around that doesn’t want it that way. Lucia is jealous, she has been from the moment I met Iker, and I am not putting up with her anymore. I made a mistake forgiving her last time” she replied gently, her blue eyes looking up at Iker who smiled gently back at her.

“So you’re picking him?” Harry snapped.

“You’re picking Lucia” Ariana countered “You have always picked Lucia, she has always had your attention and I am not going to put up with it anymore. You can have her, but that means you don’t have me or Lettie” she muttered.

“It doesn’t have to be like that Ari” Isabella protested.

“It does. You talked me into forgiving her last time, mama, and I don’t want to go through that again. I am sorry” she whispered gently.

“Ariana, we want both of our daughters in our lives” Harry whispered.

“And I want Lettie to have her grandparents, but I need your word that there will be no trying to talk me into seeing or forgiving Lucia” Ariana replied gently.

“She’s your sister” Isabella whimpered.

“She’s a witch” Iker interjected.

“Iker” Ariana warned softly before she turned back to her mother and father. “I need your word” she repeated.

“We can’t give it” Harry murmured “We want our family together and that means you and Lucia putting your differences aside” he added.

“Then we have nothing more to talk about” Ariana sighed gently “If you are going to insist that I play nice, then I will just have to take a step back. I am sorry” she whispered before she padded past her parents.

Isabella reached out to her, but Iker stopped her. “Leave it” he muttered “You and your other daughter have done enough to that girl. I hope you see what you have just given up” he muttered as he moved to collect Violeta before he too stormed out of the room.

Isabella watched after the couple before she turned to her husband, offering him a soft look. “Are we sure?” she whispered, a few tears pricking the corner of her eyes.

Harry sighed, but nodded his head. “Ari’s got Iker, Isabella, he will look after her. Lucia still needs me and you to make sure that things are alright. Ariana will be fine” he assured his wife.

Isabella offered him a dubious look, but nodded her head, knowing that he was right.

~#~
“Aria?” Iker murmured as he padded into the bedroom, his dark eyes fixed on his wife who was curled up in the middle of their bed “Ari, amor, they are fools for wanting to pick Lucia over you. They’ll see that they were wrong” he assured her as he sat down gently beside her, his hand softly brushing her shoulder.

Ariana shifted a little beneath his touch before she laid down on her back, her blue eyes looking up at him. “You’re sure about us?” she whispered.

Iker frowned. “What?” he stumbled out.

“You, Iker, are you sure that you and I are supposed to be together?” she whispered.

Iker blinked, but nodded. “More than sure. Certain” he mused softly.

Ariana smiled. “Then that is all I need from you. They will regret it or they won’t, but I don’t want to have regrets about you. If you are sure, then I am sure” she smiled.

Iker offered her a tender grin in return before he ducked down, kissing her gently. He was sure about them, he had been from the start, and he hadn’t changed his mind in the 16 months that they had been together. Ariana was what he wanted and nothing would change it.