Broken Wings

Part Two - Fun and calculated games

A/N So everyone seems to like the beginning, it's going to get a bit darker than usual. Hope that doesn't put you off. Julia is complicated...as you'll start to see. :)

"Whisky, Irish if you have it. Straight no ice," Aaron spoke quietly and then added a, "thanks."

The bored looking barman nodded then poured him the drink, and he consumed it greedily, Aaron was aware that he needed to stay awake, and keep his wits about him, drinking wasn't the way to do that. But as the only remaining single Harding, in the last ten minutes, he had now become the sole target for his mother's matchmaking efforts. He groaned, running a hand through his hair, it was not a place or a role that he wanted at all. The Atlantic had been a great friend in that respect over the last ten years, but he'd need every ounce of strength and mental sharpness to keep at least one step ahead of her in this party.

Shaking his head as he spotted her detour to an aunt, he knew he had a little more time to himself, so he gestured to the barman for a refill. That was the bloody irony of the whole situation. He shouldn't have BEEN alone. That was a fairly last minute change. He was so angry about it, that as he guzzled the second drink in quick succession, he had to really think about whether he was more upset that he had to deal with this event alone, or that he found actually his lover of eight months in bed with her housemate?

Slamming the glass back on the bar he nodded again at the barman and digested the fact that he couldn't work out what hurt him with the conundrum of Melissa, his now ex-lover, and knew that it spoke volumes. Maybe he hadn't been as into things as he thought...

He nursed the third drink, knowing that he needed to avoid the effects of excess alcohol if he was to survive the evening both physically and emotionally. So instead of draining the glass he nursed it in his hands, turning and propped himself against the bar in time to see his brother approach, his new fiancée elegant and radiant on his arm.

They'd almost reached him when Abi deviated from Luke and headed towards her friend, the girl she'd arrived with, who was still hiding out like him, a little further along the bar.

"Congrats little bro, you've done it now!" Aaron clapped Luke on the shoulder before pulling him into an embrace. As they hugged, he added, "Mother is already thinking about flowers and cravat colour...it's like her every dream's come true. You really are the perfect son!"

"Bastard!" Luke responded to his jest with a low blow to Aaron's ribs, but it wasn't malicious, it just made him laugh even harder and he cuffed his younger brother's head in an equally teasing manner, "come on, let me get you a drink..."

"You KNEW!" A poke in the ribs made Julia gasp before the words reached her ears, laughing she turned to meet Abi's smile. "Come to the Blue Lodge." She mocked Julia's voice as the two hugged. "I CANNOT believe you kept this from me."

Julia ran a hand over Abi's hair, "it had to be perfect for you babe, you know that. Not that it was easy; you can be proper high maintenance sometimes. You deserved it though, you deserve the best."

There were tears in Abi's eyes as Julia pulled her back into an embrace, "I can't believe it...I never expected all this..."

Grinning, Julia waved at the barman and ordered her friend a glass of wine, then they did an elaborate 'cheers' as they clinked glasses for the second time that night.