[2] after darkness → tom riddle

Chapter Ten: I Need Your Help

After a long day at the office, Archer and Ophelia were finally about to leave for home. They were heading back to Ophelia's and Emory's house in south London to meet up with their friends. They had planned this meetup weeks ago as they never really saw each other unless they worked together or lived near each other.

However, before Ophelia fully gathered her stuff her office door opened, not looking to see who it was she just assumed it was Archer, "I told you I'd be there in a minute, Arch."

The door closed and Ophelia heard the lock go, she stopped in her tracks and stood completely still. She knew it wasn't Archer as he wouldn't lock the door, she turned around and once again, just as promised, Tom Riddle was back in her office a month later with a small evil smile on his face.

"You're back," Ophelia sighed as she rolled her eyes.

"I told you I would be," Tom scoffed, "by the way, you never did tell me your children's' names."

"My daughter's name is Emma," Ophelia sighed as she walked over to her desk and sat in her chair, "and my son's name is Nikolai."

"Lovely names," Tom looked at her as he walked round and sat on her desk, "what would you call our daughter?"

Ophelia looked at him in disbelief. When she realised he was being sincere she let out a loud scoff. "I don't know, both Emory and I equally decided on the names," Ophelia said, "we would've had to name her together."

Tom nodded, "I see." Tom eyed up Ophelia before deciding to continue, "for a first name, I'd let you decide, as for her middle name, I would've given her some obscene name. A name that proper stood out."

Ophelia shook her head, "of course you would." Ophelia sighed and turned around, "I don't want to talk about babies with you."

Tom looked at her, realisations hit and he swallowed hard, "oh, I understand." Tom looked at her, he took her in properly for the first time in twelve years. Her eyes were still different colours, but the bright blue was much paler than it used to be. Her freckles were still noticeable if you looked at her face for long enough.

His eyes moved to her hands as he looked at the three silver rings placed upon her ring finger. Her engagement ring had a large dark blue sapphire in the centre surrounded by an outer rim of diamonds. Her wedding ring was plain silver with faint engravings which looked like roman numerals. And finally the third ring was a thin strip with a little love heart engraved into it with small diamonds running around the entire thing.

"Stop staring," Ophelia broke the silence between them.

"He has good taste, I'll give him that, although your engagement ring reminds me of the pendent I bought you for your seventeenth," Tom looked at the ring further.

"If you mean the stone then no," Ophelia looked up at him.

"What do you mean?" he raised his eyebrows.

"You bought me a necklace with a raven made out of a blue alexandrite, that's my birthstone and is a much lighter colour than a sapphire," Ophelia shook her head.

He picked himself up off Ophelia's desk and squatted down next to the draws.

"You still have it don't you?" Tom asked as he looked up to her meeting her gaze, his hand hovering over the third draw down.

Ophelia watched carefully as Tom continued to hover over the third draw, he looked back up to her and saw the look in her eyes, he smiled smugly and then moved his hand to the draw above. Tom opened the draw, quickly finding the small box that contained the necklace. It was a shock to Tom that the necklace was still in the original box with the outer piece of cardboard still standing, he knew how reckless Ophelia could be with things as delicate as cardboard boxes, despite the cardboard being slightly worn, it still remained in tack.

He smiled to himself as he took the necklace out of the box, he held it up and admired the way the light shone through it creating little streams of blue light coming out of it.

"I must admit, you do have great taste," Ophelia smiled as she watched him play with the necklace.

"Then why don't you wear it still?" he looked back at her, their eyes meeting once again.

She laughed to herself again at Tom's comment, "yeah and what do I tell my husband? 'Oh hey honey, you see this necklace I'm wearing, this is the one my ex-boyfriend gave to me on my seventeenth birthday, oh you know the one who murdered two of our best friends'."

"If you do make sure I'm there, I'd love to see the look on his face when you do," Tom smirked.

"No, you will not wind up Emory any more than you already have in your life, I tell you something," Ophelia rolled her eyes in annoyance as she thought of all the times Tom purposely pissed Emory off, "but really, why are you here again? What do you want?"

Tom's smirk grew bigger as he chuckled to himself.

"You're supposed to answer, Riddle," Ophelia crossed her arms.

"I need your help," Tom put his serious act back on, "and that means you need to come with me."