(1) Lux Brumalis (R. Weasley)

Chapter Thirty-Five

Tatiana wakes on the floor of the motel room, everything in her aching and sore. She groans and she pushes herself up. Her mind struggles to catch up with what happened, to even remember what happened. There is a dull ache at the back of her head where Killian shoved her into the wall.

"Pixie" She realises and stumbles as she pushes herself to her feet too fast. She almost trips over her feet as she spins, looking around the room for her daughter, but Pixie isn't here. They took her. Tatiana swallows a little and takes a step back, almost tripping over the coffee table, but she sits down on it instead. She takes a deep breath as she thinks. Trying to work out what is going on, where they would take Pixie. But she has no idea. She isn't involved in Tony's work. She has no idea what to do. She rests her head in her hands, threading her fingers through her hair. Something is flickering in the corner of her eye. She lifts her head with a frown, turning it slightly before she finds out what it is. Something red and flashing has fallen out of Pixie's bag. Tatiana frowns and then pushes herself up, moving to the object. She turns it around in her hand, it's something that looks like Tony's work. She holds her wand to it and concentrates, it stops flashing red, instead, it flashes green before it crackles.

"Pixie Stix" She lets out a breath hearing Tony's voice. "It's me. I've got a lot of apologies to make and not a lot of time. So first off, I'm so sorry I put you and your mom in harm's way. That was selfish and stupid and it won't happen again" Tatiana turns it off as she wraps her mind around it.

"Tony" She whispers. He's alive. He's not at the bottom of the ocean, he's out there. Tatiana quickly pulls her cell phone out of her pocket. If he is out there, then he will be able to track her. She sets her phone against her ear and it picks up.

"Tatiana" He lets out relieved. "Honey, are you okay?"

"Tony" She whispers. "I'm sorry, they..."

"I know, I know" He stops her. He knows that Killian has Pixie. "He's got Pix" He assures her. "But I'm going to get her back, okay? Rhodey and I are on our way to get her, right now..." She nods a little as she leaves the motel room, closing the door behind her. "Where are you?"

"Some motel a few miles down the road from the mansion" She answers as she holds out her wand towards the sky. "Tell me where I'm going" She orders of him.

"Home" He offers.

"No, Tony, I'm not sitting..."

"No, listen to me" He stops her. "You remember when you warned me that if the house ever fell into the ocean I would lose everything?" He asks.

"Of course I do"

"Well, I listened, shocking I know, but..." He points out. "Jarvis will let you into the Cellar when you get there...get everything ready" She frowns a little but nods. Jarvis will likely fill her in when she gets there anyway. "I'll get her back, I promise"

"I know" She whispers and then hangs up before she ends up crying down the phone. She turns just in time to grab her broom out of the sky when it arrives.

......

Pixie wakes to machinery and whispers close by to her but she just feels so tired still, she wants to fall back to sleep. She's held upright in some kind of rig, medical equipment hooked up to her, an IV drop that pushes something orange into her body. She feels so cold and hot at the same time. Every breath is painful. Every twitch of her muscles is painful. Someone is watching her. She can feel eyes on her and when she opens her eyes, she finds out just who it is who is there. Killian. He gives her a mocking smile and she clenches her jaw, keeping her mouth shut, because she is not sure if she wants to snark at him or scream in pain. Neither of which will make things better, or make her feel better. Tears gather in her eyes but she doesn't want to cry because of this. She doesn't want to show any signs of weakness. She is not weak. She's a witch. She is her mother's daughter. She will not be broken. Killian leans closer to her.