[Emerson Toscano]

Location: Hadley-Winters Home • Date: March 2004
Time of Day: 10am • Weather: Sunny, but cold

Through the crisp morning air, she could smell the soothing aroma of the fresh french pastries she had bought at her best friend's favorite café. She knew the editor hardly ever indulged in such sweet treats, but she loved to tempt her nonetheless. Her visit was not announced, but with Vera and Louis usually attending church un Sundays, she expected to find her friend either working or reading.

She did not knock before she unlocked the door and stepped inside. "Darling, I am home," she mimicked Vera's accent, in a tone that was gentler and more sophisticated than her own.

She kicked off her boots and shrugged off her cloak. They both gently floated towards their respective spots.

[Evelyn Winters]

Sat on the ground in her study, Evelyn stared down at the white booklet of instructions in her hand and then at the deconstructed bicycle next to her. How she was supposed to put all these things together to get the end result was beyond her, but she was determined to prove to Vera that she could do things without the use of magic. She could do this. After all, how hard was it to put together a bicycle for a four year old? Muggles did it all the time didn't they?

Evelyn huffed and threw the instruction booklet to the side and reached for a triangular metal piece. She stilled though when a voice not unlike her wife's reached the second landing. It wasn't Vera though, the lilt too high and the slight lisp Evelyn had grown accustomed to was missing completely. Then there was the huskiness to the voice that only one person in Evelyn's life could pull off and that person had just walked in her front door apparently.

"Up here," She called down to her best friend. "Take your boots off." Evelyn then added as she reached for another piece from the pile on her side.

[Emerson Toscano]

Emerson smirked as she was reminded to take off her boots. She had raised a household of boys, hadn't she? Raising by example had been one of her favored precepts.

She helped herself to a cup of coffee and prepared one for her friend. When she finally joined her friend in the study she chuckled. "You know you are a witch right?" She presented Evelyn with a fresh cup of coffee.

[Evelyn Winters]

Looking up at her friend as she entered the room, Evelyn scowled, though it didn't last long as she caught sight of the cup which housed, what she assumed to be coffee, in her left hand. The scent of her favorite brew, brought from Croatia by Vera for her especially, filled the room and Evelyn let out a content sound.

"I do." She said with only a slight frown. "But Vera not so kindly pointed out to me that I may or may not be relying to much on my magic as of late, and well," The witch let out a huff, turning to look at the pile of bike parts next to her. "I am trying to prove that she is wrong but the bike we bought Louis didn't come with instructions and it's--just--ugh." Dropping her hands into her lap, she sighed, more than a little disgruntled and then waved her hand in the air.

"Here, help me up."

[Emerson Toscano]

"No, no, no," she fluttered her friend's hands away and joined her on the ground. "We'll figure it out," she took a random tool and a random piece and attempted to make them fit together.

"How are you?" She asked without raising her eyes from the work at hand.

[Evelyn Winters]

“Fine,” Evelyn replies as she reached for the coffee Emerson had placed on the coffee table that sat in front of the small couch in her study. She tsked under her breath as she noticed the brunette hadn’t used a coaster when putting the mug down. Taking a sip, she let out a satisfied sound as she reached for a marble coaster that sat in the pile in the middle of the table.

Once her hands were free again, she grabbed the wheel and a triangular part that looked like maybe they would fit together, “I have started to reduce my hours at work. Vera is going to start traveling more for work and Louis is spending too much time with the nanny already.” Reducing her hours at work was an anxiety producing decision, or rather it had been at the start, but as she was entering her second week of working only from eight in the morning till five at night, she would her mental state was being to adjust a bit more. It helped that she got to spend more time with her son and wife as well. Not being constantly tired was also a nice bonus.

She looked at Emerson, “and how are you? Did you manage to persuade Julian to let you have the boys for the Easter Holidays?”

[Emerson Toscano]

Though she had advocated for Evelyn to cut her hours, she did take the news with a fair dose of skepticism. Evelyn had two children; The Daily Prophet and Louis. "Are you a nightmare yet?" She teased, imagining Evelyn's struggle as she attempted to balance her family and her career. She imagined both her employees and her loved ones would suffer her impatience.

"He's the catholic one," she shrugged off Evelyn's question hoping that she would not insist. The boys were the last thing the man could use against her and he seemed intent on hurting her as much as possible.

[Evelyn Winters]

Evelyn raised her brow and looked at the pile of bike parts next to her pointedly. Vera very obviously thought she was a nightmare, though in Evelyn's opinion, this was to be expected when she suddenly found herself with a lot more freedom. There was only a certain number of times Evelyn could take her son to the park without him complaining. He also seemed to have no interest in listening to her read the daily proofs, preferring to hear her recount the magical tales of Georgie the Giraffe over and over again. She loved her son, but he was young and not stimulating enough.

She nodded carefully at Emerson's response as she tightened a bolt on the bike with her fingers. Julian was indeed the Catholic one, but the boys had asked specifically to spend Easter with their mother. It was sad to watching, the back and forth between her best friend and ex-husband, but Evelyn had promised to stay out of it. Hexing Julian to oblivious was not going to help the situation. Or at least that's what Emerson thought. Evelyn thought it would help things dramatically, but when Vera had also made her promise, Evelyn had had no choice but to concede to the pair.

"Perhaps he would be willing to split the two weeks? You have them one week, and he the other?"

[Emerson Toscano]

"He might," she shrugged. She appreciated Evelyn's interest in her son's wellbeing but fighting with Julian had become such a drain that she barely had energy left.

"I don't think he'll ever recover from our divorce." And Emerson would always carry a certain amount of guilt for that.

[Louis Hadley]

The pitter-patter of footsteps spoiled the little boy's arrival seconds before his grinning smile lit the room. Curls bouncing as he stepped inside the room, the little boy in his Sunday clothes wrapped his arms around his aunt and his mother's shoulders.

"What is that?" he pointed at the pieces on the ground.

[Evelyn Winters]

"I'm sure he'll--" Turning her head mid sentence, her ears pricking up at the sound of tiny footsteps smacking against the aspen floorboard, Evelyn could barely react before Louis was barreling into her office and slinging himself around her shoulders.

Slightly irritated that Vera hadn't had the piece of mind to keep their son from entering her study with his birthday present strewn across the floor, Evelyn looked at Emerson and then reached to pull Louis into her lap.

"What do you think it is?" She asked the boy.

[Louis Hadley]

His eyes widened. "Would you like to learn how to ride a bicycle too?" He asked clearly excited at the prospect of learning how to ride a bicycle at the same time as his mother.

"Aunty Emerson, are you helping my maman build her bicycle?"

[Vera Hadley]

Once she had dropped the fresh croissants on the kitchen island she followed her son towards Evelyn's office.

She smiled politely as she noticed their visitor. "Emerson," she greeted with a soft nod. While they were in a rather smooth patch of their bumpy relationship, Vera always appreciated a moment to prepare mentally before she came face to face with her wife's best friend. It seemed today she would have to adjust quickly.

Taking in the scene before her she looked at her wife with wide eyes. "I didn't mean for tasks like this," she referred to her prior criticism about the use of magic.

[Emerson Toscano]

"Yes, we are building a bicycle for your maman," Emerson laughed as she imagined the editor on one of the contraptions.

"Vera," she gave the blonde a grin. Unlike Vera, she did not need preparation to face the blonde. She always had a retort or two in store for her best friend's wife.

[Evelyn Winters]

Sending a withering glare her best friends way, Evelyn pressed her face into Louis' curls to hide the small chuckle that threatened to escape at Louis' innocent question. Evelyn wouldn't be caught dead on a bicycle no matter how much her son had her wrapped around his finger.

"No coco, this isn't a bike for Maman. This is your bike, for your birthday." She told him, running her hand down his back, stopping at each vertebrae before moving on. Louis had always been a slim child, even when he was tottering around in a diaper, the only chunky thing about him was his stomach after having had too much to eat. She absolutely loved blowing raspberries on that stomach after he'd finished his bath.

Looking up at her wife, she eyed her as she stepped into the study, Evelyn raised her brow, "Oh? What did you mean exactly?" She asked.