Let Me Be Your Superhero, There Isn't A Place I Won't Go...

The Yule Ball never really was his thing. Sure, he went just like everyone else, but he never really liked being there. He always got tired before it ended, before it was even half way through actually. Kaiden was a boring person, wasn't he? Not really, dances just weren't his strong suit.

This year though he was going, just a chaperon instead of a regular attendant with Adrienne. He wasn't really sure of why he agreed to it, besides to please her, but he also wasn't sure if she wanted to go either. Maybe it would be fun for once though, since he was going with a person he actually wanted to go with. Kaiden was usually dragged by a girl who he didn't particularly like but wanted him to go with them. Maybe he should have learned to say no, oh well.

Kaiden even decided to leave work early to get home and get ready. Some times he was even worse than a girl when it came to large events and getting ready for them. The ex-Slytherin didn't take a long time when it came to actually getting dressed, it was his hair that took a while. All because he could never decide how he wanted his hair to be, and because it never stayed in place when he finally did decide. Hopefully that didn't happen this time and he got ready before Addie did. He didn't want to make her wait too long.

He kind of preferred to stay at work though. Kaiden preferred paperwork to parties. Wow, shocker. Everyone knew that he wasn't the hardest worker when it came to school so if anyone heard that he preferred doing paperwork to going to the Yule Ball, there was no doubt that they'd be shocked. It was kind of a good thing that Kaiden never made that many friends while he was at Hogwarts. Either way, everyone was so busy with their personal lives to check what his likes and dislikes were, so it wasn't so bad.

The professor's quarters were far nicer than she had expected, and though it suited them well enough, Adrienne seemed to keep having strange feelings about Kaiden's going to and from work. Undoubtedly, the problems came down to the fact that he would talk about his friends from work, the issue of her hormones being all sorts of crazy, and the stress of both of their positions. She really did try her best not to react when such topics came up, or on the days when she found herself depressed and confused. But that afternoon, Avery swung by Adrienne's office for a chat and tea.

"I-I don't understand," Adrienne put in upon hearing what the blonde had to say. "Why would that be true?"

"I don't know, love. I just saw him with her again, that's all." Avery replied gently, leaning forward and reaching a hand out to rest it on Adrienne's shoulder. "I'm sure they are just in the same department. It's good that he's making friends, isn't it? He would want the same for you, you know that."

"Well, yes," Adrienne nodded slowly, "But..." Her hand fell to her stomach, unable to find the words to explain that she had changed. Certainly Avery could understand that? The older woman seemed to, given that she sighed and let her shoulders relax.

"That doesn't change the fact that he chose you, Addie. He did. You two could have been matched up but you weren't. And he's still here now that the law is done away with. Don't forget that he was the one who asked," Avery said, tilting her head to the side. "I would never suggest that I'm concerned about Robin - don't get me wrong. I love him, and he's a brilliant father. Even if neither of us know what we're doing yet. But he didn't choose this. He didn't want it. He's accepted it and gotten used to it, and that's fine by me. Truly, it is. I'm just saying that Kaiden... he wanted this. He chose you."

And while Adrienne understood that concept, she also knew that all of the verbs Avery used were in the past tense. They all were things that Kaiden had done, and the blonde seemed to have forgotten that he was allowed to change his mind. Everyone was. Just because Robin hadn't didn't assure her that Kaiden wouldn't. So as she prepared for the Yule Ball, she couldn't get her mind off the fact that he had been spending so much time with one of the girls at work.

His having friends was not a problem. She wanted him to have friends, just as she got along with Baldric and the other professors. The only difference, she assumed, was the fact that Baldric was interested in men - and, therefore, not a threat to Kaiden in any way. She wanted to trust her husband, truly, but they had so little time together and he had never mentioned whoever the girl was. Adrienne thought she told him everything, and had assumed that Kaiden did, too.

Once she had done up her hair and makeup, she found herself sitting on the end of the bed, watching Kaiden as he finished getting ready. Never having been one to take too long in her preparations, Adrienne didn't really mind waiting. She couldn't quite bring herself to get directly to her question, so instead she decided to hedge around it.

"Avery came to see me today. She said you've found some new to chat with at work. That's good," she offered lightly, standing to collect her wand when she realized that he was ready to leave. "Want to tell me about them, or your day, on the way down?" she asked, gesturing to the portrait hole.

After struggling with his hair for a few more minutes and realizing that Addie was already done and waiting for him, Kaiden decided that he would just leave his hair the way it was, with the front of it drooping down into his eyes. The style had never really bothered him, it just seemed a bit too messy sometimes. But for this occasion, it wasn't too bad right? There were people who would be dressed worse than he was and it shouldn't matter to him too much since he and Addie were only chaperons.

But they had to look good too.

Kaiden looked at her when she began to speak, letting her walk in front of him as he listened. Avery had told her about the new girl? Why would she need to mention that to Addie? Well it wasn't like there was anything wrong about him talking to her often, she was an intern and had been assigned to work under him for a little bit. She was nice, a few months younger than him and she was a really hard worker. Kaiden enjoyed having her around, she made good company when he was at work.

Addie asked if he wanted to talk about her or his day on their way down and Kaiden shrugged a little. There wasn't really anything new to tell her about, "It's been pretty boring lately. There's been mostly paperwork these past few days but I'm sure it'll pick up soon. There's been talk about a few of us being sent to Romania for a week or two on an assignment." he told her casually. He hadn't been planning on telling her that just yet, but he'd remembered it and he thought, why not?

He suddenly realized that what he just said so casually wasn't something that could be taken that way. Especially since it involved him going away and Addie being alone for the time he was away if he ended up going, which he was sure was going to be a thing. In fact, Kaiden was sure that it was going to be him and Alexander who ended up going with one or two others. The assignment wasn't particularly difficult or dangerous, he'd heard, it was just a bit time consuming. It had something to do with Werewolves he though, but he was probably wrong. He'd find out more in a couple of days when those who were going were called into the conference room to discuss what they were going to do.

Kaiden came in, drawing her gaze to his hair. A little smile pulled at the corners of her lips as she stood, reaching a hand out to push the longer hairs to the side so they wouldn't tickle at his forehead. When he spoke, though, his reaction made her smile slip away, and she led the way through the portrait hole as she listened to him. It was strange to think that Kaiden had been planning for something without having mentioned it before. Especially given the fact that he was going to be out of the country for so long, Adrienne had her reservations.

In the end, she couldn't find any decent way to reply, so she ended up struggling for words as they made their way down the stairs and into the foyer of the castle. "I didn't realize that you would be traveling. I mean, the timing is... poor, of course, given that I've only about a month left. Maybe a bit more. I mean..." she shook her head, lifting onto her toes and letting her hand fall to her stomach as she tried to feel less uncomfortable.

"It's fine if you're away. I'm sure you and... whoever goes with you... will have a good time. Well, given that it's work, I hope you will. Umm... Who are you going with?" Adrienne asked finally, unable to keep from doing so.

It felt wrong to be afraid of his leaving, but it was just terrible timing. And after what Avery had told her? She didn't think it was really so wrong to be nervous. To be afraid that things would change or Kaiden would change. She wouldn't hold it against him, to be sure, but it scared her nonetheless. So she turned her gaze to the Great Hall and started off towards the doors, not sure if she actually wanted to hear his answer.

"I wouldn't be gone that long." Kaiden played with the end of a long strand of hair that had fallen back into his face after Addie had tried to move his hair out of it. He pulled at it gently, thinking of a way to make up for his making her uncomfortable. He hadn't exactly thought about the fact that she was going to be due soon, and he wasn't planning on not going on the assignment if he was chosen to go.

"Besides, it's not like I know for sure that I'm going. We won't find out for a couple more days." He wasn't sure how much better saying that made anything, but it was better than letting her think that he was going for sure. "And even if I do end up going, I won't be gone for more than two weeks. If anything happens before I get back, you know that I'll come back here to be with you." he told her.

There was no way Kaiden was going to miss his first child's birth. Even if it meant having to leave Romania early, he was going to do everything in his power to get back as soon as he heard that the baby was coming. But he seriously doubted that he would have to leave early. Everyone was saying that the assignment wasn't that difficult and two weeks would be plenty of time to finish everything up. He wouldn't be gone long.

At her question, Kaiden pulled his hand away from the strand of hair he was playing with and let his gaze fall on her. He blinked a few times before answering, "Well, I don't know yet. It'll probably be Alexander and an older man we work with." he explained, bringing his hand up to his mouth as he thought. "Oh. And maybe the new girl. She's only an intern but she wants to be a Being Specialist and since this assignment doesn't seem like it'll be too hard, she'll probably come with." He didn't think there was anything wrong in the girl going. He was sure Addie wouldn't either.

Besides, he was more likely to spend time with Alexander than with her since the two of them knew more about their job than she did. She was assigned to him, though, and that meant that she would be tagging along anywhere he went. He started to wonder if it would bother Alexander; the thought almost made him laugh. They didn't seem to get along to well but he was sure they'd hit it off soon enough.

"Why?" he asked curiously, suddenly feeling like he had done something to upset Addie.

(ooc: Dannnng, that signature XD I dig.)


"Of course," she nodded at his promise that he would return if he was needed.

They passed through the doors and into the decorated hall, Adrienne of course moving a bit slower than she would have usually. Why she was still at the school was honestly a mystery to her. Couldn't she take some time off to take care of their child and then find another job? It wasn't as though she had always been obsessed with teaching as Keiran had. He would be thrilled to have the post back, she knew. And perhaps in staying home with Kaiden, she could discover whether or not he really had changed.

Or perhaps it was Adrienne who had changed, though she was unsure what could have changed so much that they seemed so awkward. Had she caused that?

His explanation caught her attention, making her push away the question of whether or not she was the one truly at fault. So the girl really was going to go with Kaiden and his team. A long, heavy sigh escaped even though she didn't didn't actively think about doing so. "Look," she said finally, turning to face him as they came upon the first large tree in the Great Hall. "I probably should have mentioned it before, but... Well, I told Keiran I'm resigning. He's taking over for me next term, and... I thought you might be there when I came home. But instead you're leaving with that girl and it's all very messed up. Not at all how I expected it."

Shaking her head, Adrienne lifted a hand to toy with one of the ornaments before adding: "I don't expect you to stay home. I won't ask that of you. I'm just saying that it's bad timing."

[OOC: Is purty, no?]

Usually answering honestly was a good thing. Lying always made things go bad, and it would have probably been the case if he had lied to Addie, but telling the truth also seemed to be a problem now. So what was he supposed to do, just completely avoid certain subjects with her? No, because he was sure that wouldn't work either. Nothing worked, and it was all because women were fickle beings, he thought.

As she spoke about resigning from her position as professor, there was something that caught his attention. It wasn't what she was saying about Keiran, or about her actual resignation, it was her second to last sentence that made him give her a funny look. "That girl?" he echoed, wondering why she was bringing the girl up. "Why is her coming along a problem?" he asked, tilting his head to the side slightly.

He looked away from her for a moment, realizing why she might have a problem with the intern coming along. "Are you jealous?" he asked, looking at her again. "Or do you just not trust me? I thought you would by now, but maybe I was wrong."

Maybe he was taking things completely wrong. Well, maybe not completely, but maybe he was just blowing things out of proportion. Either way, it hurt to know that Addie might not trust him, even after everything they'd gone through together. He wasn't sure he could totally blame her though, he had done stupid things before. But those were out of fear of losing her.

He still wasn't sure about what made Addie so special to him, there were so many things that could be it, but that fear was terrible. He started to wonder if Addie felt the same way, and that was why she was uncomfortable with another girl coming along on his assignment. But there wasn't anything to fear, Kaiden wouldn't do anything and she should have known that, unless she didn't trust him. Which he was starting to believe was the case.

"I already said it wasn't going to be long anyways. I'll be back before you know it.."

Adrienne let out an unamused huff when he started questioning her in return, and she couldn't hold back the fact that she just wanted to roll her eyes at him. Indeed, she did so, and let her arms swing out to the sides as if to say, 'Well, what did you expect?'

"I'm- I'm just tired, Kaiden. Exhausted, honestly. And it's not just because of teaching or anything like that. It's because I don't see you as much as I want to and then when I do see you, it's after I've been told that you're hanging out with someone who probably has more in common with you than I do. So yeah, I think jealousy is inevitable in my case." She grumbled, turning away.

His additional comment made her bristle, even though she knew it hadn't been his idea to head off right before she was due. It wasn't his fault. She knew that. Adrienne let out a short, frustrated breath through her nose and looked up at the little magicked snowflakes that fell down towards the tops of the giant Christmas trees.

When she swung around to face him again, her eyes were sad and her shoulders had deflated a bit. "Kaiden, I want to be patient and understanding and... the person you want. The person you need. But... I don't know if I am, yet. You're far more calm and so readily prepared for all that life seems to throw at you. For what it throws at us. I just don't want to make you unhappy, and I feel like I am. So it's scary and yes, makes me... jealous. Of complete strangers, to make it all that much worse."

Adrienne shook her head and let her gaze fall to the floor as she turned to head towards the drinks table. When she saw Declan and Dom standing there and knocking back drinks, though, she realized that one of the students had likely changed the contents of the punch. She wouldn't be having any of that, then. Certainly not while she was expecting, although she did have a bit of trouble allowing herself to let loose and drink on a regular occasion, too. So instead she sighed and sank into a chair at the closest table, ignoring the fact that a blonde Ravenclaw was sitting there with her Slytherin friend. The blonde, of course, was easily recognizable after her disappearance the previous year. But she couldn't place the Slytherin, given that he was turned away from her. Regardless, however, she let her chin sink into the palm of her hand and leaned her elbow on the table, staring out at the multitudes of students and professors having a good time.


(ooc: should I make threads for Kit/Evander and Casha?)

He didn't know what to say, what he was supposed to say. Was there even anything that you could actually say in his situation? Probably, but Kaiden had no idea what that could be. He wanted to tell her that he wouldn't go on the assignment if she didn't want him to, but the thing was that he wanted to. If she asked him not to go, he wouldn't guarantee that he wouldn't go and that would mean that he was lying to her.

He'd lowered his gaze while she spoke, not being able to look her in the eyes, but something she said made him pick up his gaze to stare at her. "What does it matter if she has things in common with me?" he asked, his eyes narrowing without him wanting them to. "It's not like I'll choose her over you. Why does it matter if she's my friend or if I do things with her at work? You're my wife and I love you, Adrienne." he told her, turning his head slightly away from her.

He sighed, the night wasn't supposed to go like this. He didn't think that before the ball even got into full swing, he'd be arguing with Addie about something from work.

"What you think you need to be for me, doesn't matter." he probably could have phrased that better, "I love you the way you are and don't think you need to change anything. You're exactly what I need, even if you don't think so, and I really don't want you thinking otherwise." Seeing Addie sad made Kaiden feel weird, he didn't like when she was sad and he couldn't explain what feeling he got when he saw her like that but he guessed it was a form of sadness too. All he wanted to do was keep her happy, but he doubted he could if just him being at work made her unhappy.

Maybe things would be a lot easier if Kaiden knew how to express himself more. Especially right now. If he could just figured out how to make things better now, he could slowly fix everything else. But nothing was coming to him so when Addie started to walk away, Kaiden didn't move. Instead he watched her walk away until he couldn't anymore and he dropped his gaze to the floor, curling his hands into fists.

Why did he always somehow mess up?

[OOC: Sure, if you want. Or we can have everyone in this one? Unless that'd get confusing.]

If there was one person that Katherine was not afraid of talking to after her time away from Hogwarts, it was Adrienne. Well, and Evander to an extend. But the almost new mother that was the now-resigned Transfiguration professor had been Katherine's go-to during her early years at Hogwarts. Then, the fact that Adrienne was not pureblood hadn't mattered so much. Over the years, she had come to understand the difference, but somehow she had not questioned it. Especially after her time at the hospital, with people of all types, Katherine was most certainly not one to judge others. Not anymore.

So when Adrienne sank into the seat across the table from her, Katherine looked to Evander with a worried expression on her face. She tried to relax her eyebrows, rather than leaving them pulled together, but as she turned to look at the older woman again, she let out a quiet sigh.

On Adrienne's part, she was slightly disappointed that Kaiden had not followed her. What he had said to her made sense, she supposed. She loved him, too, even if some might say that they were not perfect for each other. Ever since that night when she had found him so willing to harm himself, and had been completely unable to leave for the fear that he might really get into some trouble, Adrienne had not been able to properly handle time without him. Just being around him had made her feel more at ease. She supposed, in hindsight, it was because she knew she could look out for him. But who would look out for her while he was away and she could potentially be left on her own for the beginning of her labor.

When Adrienne's gaze met Katherine's the younger Ravenclaw bit the inside of her cheek and lifted a shoulder apologetically. Adrienne gave a little nod, as if to say that the girl should go and enjoy herself instead of worrying after whether or not the brunette would be okay. Katherine supposed, though, that Adrienne might just have wanted a bit of privacy in case Kaiden did try to talk to her again.

So she turned to Evander and swallowed hard, once, then gave a firm nod as she spoke. "Ask me to dance."