b r o k e n {zach&seth}

[wren]

The weak end-of-the-year sun had long since dipped below the horizon, a fierce wind howled outside and a freezing half-rain, half-snow mixture pounded at the windows- but inside to Foldger home it was warm, cozy, and quite still. Wren had just put the children to bed, it was coming up on eight in the evening now, Zach still wasn't home. Although she didn't like it, she knew his job was demanding, sometimes that meant late nights at the office. Wren hoped that he would come soon, however, as she was getting hungry- though she nevertheless began dinner preparations in anticipation that he would be home shortly.

Wren whipped up a quick, what she called, "leftover casserole," as it employed many random things they seemingly always had in the fridge. After popping it into the oven Wren charmed a knife to begin slicing vegetables for a salad when the doorbell rang. Wren frowned, puzzled. It was much too late for company, and when Zach came home he never rang the bell, he would just let himself in. Though Wren quickly made her way to the door so they wouldn't ring again and risk waking up the children she had just gotten to sleep.

She opened the door to see two very somber-looking ministry employees. They wore long black cloaks enchanted to repel the aggressive precipitation, they both held identical bowler hats in their hands. Wren didn't even need an explanation, she knew why they were here, why Zach wasn't home... She couldn't even say anything, her knees suddenly gave way and she didn't even care that she was falling. The men instinctively caught her and Wren came back to her senses immediately, she staggered backward and leaned against the wall, tears pooling in her eyes threatening to spill over onto her cheeks at any minute.

"He's gone isn't he? My Zach," Wren said hoarsely, watery gaze on the men as one of them closed the door behind himself. Much to her astonishment, the man on the left shook his head. "No ma'am, your husband is alive," said he. Her mind immediately jumped to the next worst thing, they didn't need to say anything further... Wren's throat constricted and this time the tears really did fall, there was only one person that could mean... "Your sister, Violet Cooper, was killed in the line of duty," said the first man, placing a hand on her shoulder.

For the first time in her life, Wren didn't want physical contact, she shrugged it off and bit her severely trembling lip. "H-h-how?" Wren demanded, her voice shaking as much as her person. It didn't make sense, Violet was pregnant, not allowed to go on missions, she was supposed to be safe at the office! A horrible mixture of rage and deepest sorrow was boiling inside of her, stronger than the ferocious storm. "Ma' am, you should sit down," said the first man, taking her by the arm and escorting her to her own living room, sitting her down in her own chair.

Wren listened and cried as the men explained that the auror department had been attacked, pressing a handkerchief over her mouth and nose, words impossible to find. Violet, her baby sister and the little boy that had been growing inside of her were gone. It was all she could do to not begin wailing in front of total strangers. The ministry personnel offered their condolences and left, and once the door finally closed behind them Wren fell to her knees in the hall, finally allowing herself to heart-wrenchingly sob.

She curled up on the floor, unable to summon the will to get up, not even when she could faintly smell the casserole she had put in the oven burning. Wren had never before felt so much pain, it felt as if her heart were being broken into a million pieces. She didn't know what to do, she just wanted to lie there. Wren didn't even flinch when the door opened, spraying her with the rain and snow mixture that was still heavily falling from the sky. Wren couldn't be bothered to care, not when not one, but two lives had been ended so cruelly...

[merlin]

Seth had heard the news of Violets death only moments ago and already he was preparing himself to leave for Wrens. Seth had simply emotionally shut himself down but knew that Wren wouldn't be able to. She needed someone to be there which was why he was getting ready to leave, yes that was why. He didn't need to think of how much it hurt to think of Violet gone or to think of the unborn child that had gone with Wren. No, Seth simply needed to move and find Wren.

Slipping on a coat Seth wrote a note to Marcus explaining where he had gone before disaparating to Wrens doorstep. Without bothering to knock he entered the house to the smell of burning food and to see Wren laying curled in a ball on the floor crying. Alright first step, go into kitchen turn off oven pull food out put on counter. Seth moved mechanically as he tried to remind himself not to feel or think to much. He needed control and Wren needed help. With the fire hazard taken care of Seth removed his coat and set on the coat rack. There now he wouldn't get Wren wet which meant he could go comfort her now.

"Wren," Seth spoke softly as he knelt down next to her and placed a cold hand on her shoulder. Seth knew she must be breaking apart and so he carefully picked her up and pulled her to his chest and started to rock her. He wrapped both arms around her and held her to him as if he could stop her from breaking if he just held her.He rocked back and forth slowly and started to gently brush her hair just like one would if they were trying to comfort a child. Seth held her to him in hopes of comforting her as well as comforting himself. He had lost one of his sisters and held another in his arms to keep her safe.

"Shhhh Wren, we'll be alright, we can get through this," Seth felt like he was lying. He felt like the world was going to end and nothing was going to be alright again but they were the only words he could think of to say. Where was Zach? Seth wished Wrens husband were there so that Seth could leave and check on their other siblings. He needed to know that Jason and the others were all alright as well but he wouldn't dare leave Wren alone to handle this burden. Seth couldn't think of that 'burden' being Violets death. So long as Seth didn't think he would be helpful and not a crying ball like Wren was. Seth needed to just be strong and think about everything later...

[wren]

Wren couldn't move as Seth stepped around her to deal with the burning casserole, it was probably completely blackened at that point, but she couldn't get it through her skull that it was something that needed to be dealt with. She just knew that she needed to lie there and sob. For once in her life she couldn't be strong for anyone else, Wren needed to break down, have someone else be strong on her behalf. When Seth finally got down beside her and held her close, she clung to his shirt tightly, ignoring how cold and solid his arms felt around her.

In a way, the temperature of her brother's arms told her that this was, indeed, happening- that it wasn't just some horrible nightmare that she couldn't wake up from. Even if it felt that way- whenever she encountered a boggart it turned into the corpse of someone important to her. They were the one creature that Wren couldn't ever deal with on her own, though now... It was real, and there was nothing she could do about it. Violet and Devon Samuel were dead, there was nothing that she could do. Her breathing was unsteady as she cried like she never had before.

Wren hadn't ever really felt like her heart was breaking before, but now she felt she knew the sensation all too well. It hurt so badly, like a hole were quite literally being formed deep in her heart. She was the oldest sister, she was supposed to protect her younger siblings, things like these weren't supposed to happen with her taking care of them. Wren had known of the risks of Violet's position, but she had foolishly believed that it wouldn't happen. Not to them, and especially not while her little sister was pregnant, stuck at the office, out of the line of duty. She was supposed to be safe there.

Seth's consoling phrase fell upon mostly deaf ears, no, things most certainly weren't going to be all right. It sounded like something she might have said if this were happening to someone else, while she comforted them. Only then Wren realized how stupid thinking like that was. Sometimes there were just things like this that happened, even to good, innocent people- and nothing could be done or said to fix them. Wren could only continue to cry, she didn't have words anymore, only heartbreaking pain and tears.

[zachariahfoldger]

Zach was in a daze as he left the office...

Auror's were piling in and out of the cordened off office, all wearing sombre, deeply pained expressions. Zach though didn't pay them any attention as he slid down the outside wall, hitting the pavement, his eyes glazed with sorrow, helplessness as he stared unblinking at his bloodied up hands, not sure what was his own and what blood belonged to his sister-in-law...Violet.

The rain/snow battered down all around him, but again he didn't pay it any attention. His mind raced at a thousand miles an hour, all the while his chest thrummed painfully and he fought against the overwhelming urge to vomit, to yell out in frustration. How had this happened? Why? Why Violet? She was pregnant...she'd been in the office for goodness sake, she was supposed to have been safe, safe from the outside dangers. And the baby...oh God, he shook his head, forcing his blue eyes closed as he fought against the tirade of emotions he felt, he couldn't break down there were too many people out there who needed someone to be strong.

Jordan, his friend had bore witness to the body of his wife and their baby. He'd fought against Zach and the others and gone ahead into the office, immediatley crumbling to the ground beside his wife. Zach had never heard such a broken sound before and it shattered his heart all over again, especially when Jordan had held Violet's lifeless body in his arms tightly, sobbing loudly into her hair, rocking them back and forth, pleading with the blonde to come back to him, his hand splayed out over her rounded stomach.

Jordan had since disappered from the office, and as much as he'd wanted to find his friend, Zach knew there was someone in this world who'd need him even more. So after assigning to other Auror's to find Johnathon and keep him safe, Zach had left the office. Gathering himself together, he stood up from the pavement and without thinking about where he was immediatley apparated back home.

--------

Zach stood immobile on his front door step, he knew Violet would know by now, it was customary for families to find out asap, and he knew without knowing that Seth would be inside with her, but still he couldn't move. Licking his lips he looked down at his clothes, performing a quick cleaning spell on his robes to clean away the blood, the burn marks from the spells he'd taken when he'd gotten to the office with the others. His hands were clean, he was sure there were a few scattered bruises over his body, his face but he couldn't do anything about his injuries, they were nothing really, he barely noticed them.

Steeling himself, Zach pushed open the door and the sight that greeted him shattered his heart into pieces again, and his chest ached painfully. Shrugging off his dripping wet robe, he hung it up looking from Seth to Wren as he crouched down in front of them. Reaching out he placed his hand over Wren's and squeezed it tightly, "It's me baby...I'm here...God I'm sorry..." he couldn't form a sentance, he didn't know what he could say.

[wren]

Wren felt that she couldn't even think logically anymore, it seemed her need to cry trumped everything else. She wasn't even thinking about Zach, or Ruby, or Daniel, like she usually was. She didn't really register the smell of the burnt casserole that still hung heavily in the air, even all the way in the foyer. Why had this happened? Why to them, why to Violet? They were good people, they hadn't ever done anything to deserve this. It was the lowest low, one that she had not thought that she could feel. Every last ounce of her signature happiness was gone.

It had been extinguished, cruelly stolen by heartless murderers. Wren didn't even flinch when the door opened allowing a new wave of the rain and snow mixture to blow in to the foyer. She felt vaguely the cold precipitation against her skin, though she found that she lacked the mental capacity to register that she was wet. She tightly grasped her husband's hand when he wrapped his around hers, the physical contact from a second person even more firmly confirming to her that this was real, not just some awful nightmare she could wake up from. This was her life now, and she was left to pick up the pieces.

Not even Zach's voice, which normally soothed her in two seconds flat, had a calming effect on her. Wren needed to break down, cry as she never had before. At least the children were in bed. In all honesty, she didn't think that she would be able to care for them, at least not while in the state that she was in. For once in her life Wren couldn't think about anyone else, she knew only her own pain, not that of anyone else's.

Wren clung to both her husband's hand and Seth's shirt as if her life depended on it, all while her brain struggled to figure out why this had happened. Now, to Violet. She had not been able to get her little sister and their parents to make amends, that made the pain worse. Violet had died not knowing if her own mother and father would ever love her the same way again. Wren attempted to say something, though the sounds came out jumbled with sobs, making them entirely incoherent. She took in a deep, shuddering breath, though it did nothing to soothe.

[zachariahfoldger]

For the first time in his life, Zach was lost, he had no idea what to do or say, how he could comfort his beautiful wife during this. It was killing him to see her in such a state, seeing his normally happy go lucky wife, so broken. She was always the optimistic one, the strong one but any trace of that was gone, it was up to him to be strong and support her but how?

Zach didn't know what to do...

There was thing he could do, he could go out and hunt the people responsible, hurt them the same way they were all hurting right now. Zach had never felt this type of rage, need for vengance, it was all consuming, left his whole body practically trembling with the need. Wren needed him though, that's why he refused to leave, fought away the urge to go hunt them down, his wife came first and right now she had to be his priority, she was holding his hand tightly but didn't move into his arms like he wanted, instead she seemed to cling to Seth all that more tighter...he supposed he could understand that.

"I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner..." he said, not adding that he'd had to fight against the killers, plus hold Jordan when his friend had all but broken down. Wren and Seth didn't need to hear that right now. He knew they'd worry about Jordan, he was family but right now they were both struggling with the death of their little sister, Zach himself was struggling to believe it to be real...it all felt like some kind of nightmare, some horrible nightmare they couldn't wake up from.

He sat down on the floor, his hand gripping Wren's tightly as his other tugged at his hair, his elbow resting on his knee, he was really clueless at the moment, he felt helpless. He pressed a kiss to Wren's hand, holding their clasped hands against his forehead as he closed his eyes tightly, willing himself, willing all of them to wake up and see none of this was real.

[merlin]

Seth knew when Zach apparated to the front door and starred at the closed door intently as he waited for the man to enter. The smell of blood and singed fabric quickly vanished before Zach entered. Seth watched the mans every move as he first removed his wet coat before coming over and taking Wrens hand. Seth almost wanted to growl at the other but stopped himself. Zach was safe, he would never harm Wren and Seth did not need to worry. But that was what Seth had thought about Violet working in the offices and looked at how that had turned out. Seth closed his eyes in an attempt to stop these horrible thoughts, realizing just how stupid he was being. He needed to stop thinking and do something before he turned into a crying mess like Wren. But gathering the motivation needed to move was proving to be pointless. Seth just didn't have the energy needed to get Wren to let him go let alone to stand up and do something. How was someone expected to handle a situation like this? Seth couldn't bring himself to speak and yet sitting in silence left only his thoughts to distract him.

Petting Wrens hair gently, Seth stared blankly ahead of him not seeing anything really. Violet was gone, that was all there was to it. He would no longer be given the chance to gain her forgiveness and show her how much he loved her. She would never experience mother hood and her unborn son would never breath air. Wren would never get to have the chance at the happy family she had been trying to get back. Jordan had lost both his wife and his child all at once. This was the reality they all faced now and Seth wasn't sure any of them had the strength to face it.

"Are you alright Zach? Do you know if Jordan is alright?" Seth asked in a soft monotone voice. He needed to do something and talking seemed like a good idea. Seth had smelt the blood before Zach had walked in and knew that Zach had been there. Seth also already knew that Zach had not been hurt but that wasn't what he was really asking. Zach seemed just as lost and unsure of what to do. Talking would be a good distraction right? Seth knew he needed a distraction and both those questions were important so why not ask them?

[zachariahfoldger]

Zach looked over at Seth, at first unable to answer him, why was he asking if he was okay? They'd lost their sister, the pain they were in he couldn't begin to imagine, his own was bad enough. So he didn't answer the question about whether he was alright, there was no real way for him to answer without it sounding callous or self pitying. The one thing he could respond to though was the question about Jordan, though how he was supposed to answer that honestly and not worry them was beyond him.

For a moment he kept his eyes locked firmly on his wife, before looking to a spot over her shoulder. "Jordan...it took us a while to get him away from...from Violet..." he said carefully, his voice soft, cautious as he tried to find the right words, the last thing they needed was to be worrying about Jordan. Though if he was honest with himself Zach was, he'd never seen his friend look so broken and lost, Violet and their unborn baby had been his world, just like Wren and their children were Zachs.

Life wouldn't be something he'd be able to carry on with without them.

"Jordan disappeared from the office when we finally reclaimed the place.... prised him away from Violet...I've sent a couple Auror's after him, but we can't find him...I don't know if..." he trailed off and shook his head, praying that Zach would be okay, another loss was not something they'd be able to handle right now.

[wren]

As Zach spoke Wren took in the deepest breaths that she was capable of in vague attempts to control her sobbing. It really was horrible, she didn't know what to do with herself, but knew that she could not stay like this forever. Morning would come, and she would need to care for her children. The next day she would need to cook, clean, and parent Ruby and Daniel just like always. But how would she be able to do it? Wren felt like her world was being broken into a million pieces, like she couldn't tell up from down. Then was when it finally sank in that Jordan must be hurting just as badly, if not worse than she was.

She finally somewhat collected herself, she was no longer sobbing, but tears still streamed from her eyes and her breathing was shallow and unsteady. Wren squeezed Zach's hand even harder if that were possible, praying with every fiber of her being that the other Aurors would be able to find Jordan before he did something drastic. Wren didn't even want to think about it, and if anyone needed this physical sort of support it was him, not her regardless if she felt like she was breaking.

Wren somehow had the urge to go out in the freezing rain and snow mixture, track down Jordan herself, though even in her emotional instability she knew it was a stupid idea. At any rate, Aurors would be able to track him down more easily than she could. Wren opened her mouth to try and say something, though found that her words got lost somewhere between her brain and her tongue, she couldn't even make a sound. So she sniffed and closed her mouth again, unable to recall a time where she had felt more helpless.