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[bartyjr.livejournal.com]

[OOM: Barty and Cecilia Crouch have been together all day, just talking.

The time for her to leave arrives.]


Barty leads his Mother into the bar.


[OOC: plot-locked!]

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[http://users.livejournal.com/_mums_the_word_/]

She looks around the room, taking one last look at all the strangeness, all the wonders-- including the observation window -- before she turns back to her son, smiling bravely at him.

"Well," she says softly.

[young_tmriddle]

Tom walks slowly over to mother and son
If it was his mother, he'd have found another way.

"Cecilia." He dips a small bow to her. "I'm sorry to see you go so soon. For your sake, as well as Bartemius.

[bartyjr.livejournal.com]

He smiles back at his mother; it's a pained smile, but a smile nontheless. "Love you."

He turns at the voice. "Tom," Barty almost whispers.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mums_the_word_/]

"Lord Ostium," she says, a little uncertain in the face of his stern demeanor. "I-- thank you. I-- I'm glad we had the chance to meet like this."

She turns back to Barty and goes up on her toes to kiss his cheek.

"I love you too, darling. I always will."

[bartyjr.livejournal.com]

He leans in slightly as she does. He feels it, the last time his mother will ever kiss him. A muscle in his mouth twitches. He turns and kisses her, too, on the cheek.

"Yes." He nods. "Always."

He looks her in the eye.

"Ready, Mother?"

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mums_the_word_/]

No, she thinks wildly, I'm not, it's too soon!

But some things happen whether you're ready for them to or not, and in the end there's only so much time anyone is give. And so Cecilia stands up straight, smiling through the tears that she refuses to let fill her eyes, looking at her beloved, darling son, her only child, her boy, her Barty.

"Be well, Barty. Tell Morgan goodbye for me. Remember that Mother loves you-- you will, won't you? I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer, darling, but I'm so glad I was able to see you here."

And to figure out a way for him to be safe. To make everything all right. To protect her child.

She hugs him, and gives a little nod of farewell to Tom as she turns--

--and then Cecilia Crouch goes steadily to the front door of Milliways and pulls it open, revealing the upstairs hallway of the Crouch family home beyond it.

She walks through, turning as she does to give one final wave and to blow him a kiss, and then the door shuts between them.

[young_tmriddle]

Tom watches Bartemius watch her leave. He has to admit, were it him, he'd not be handling this well at all.

[bartyjr.livejournal.com]

It's the last he'll ever see of her, and he consciously memorises this image. Mother.

"I will. I will. I love you, Mother."

No tears.

He watches her open the door; he sees his old home for a moment; he sees her turn to look at him; he sees the door close.

It's closed, it's done, that's it. He turns and walks upstairs very quickly.

Tears, now.