bullets, birthday, blood

Iris groaned as she opened her eyes and looked around her surroundings. She tried to lift her arm, but realized that it was fractured and in a sling. The place looked all too familiar and came to the conclusion that she was in St.Mungos.

Her wrists bandaged, hiding the self induced cut marks underneath them. She tried to recall how she wound up here, but her mind was a blank canvas at the moment.

"What the fuck happened to me? How'd I end up here?" The brunette demanded, glaring at the nurse, not bothered if she freaked the woman out or not. She had a right to know, and damn it, she would get some answers.

"You were shot, one bullet to the shoulder blade, by your mother, who apparantly fled the house before the medics and police arrived," the healer answered in a professional tone, seeming unfazed by the Gryffindor. Yet, she couldn't hide the undercurrent of sympathy im her voice. "You hadn't shown up for your weekly check up, so we searched and found that you were at a Muggle hospital."

And just like that, the memories came flooding back and she shook her head vigourously, trying to forget it. Before she could say anything, the healer was called out by another patient and she quickly left the room.

With a sigh, Iris wondered how Kait and Game would feel when they found out that their mother tried to kill her. Not wanting to ache her head more, she tried to think of ways to pass the time when something dawned on her and she groaned out loud.

"Spending my birthday in a bloody hospital bed wearing a ugly dress; amazing. At least I got brown hair now," she muttered sarcastically to herself.

Alec had rushed to St. Mungo's as soon as he found out his best friend had been shot. He didn't know who had done that, hadn't been able to get that information out of anyone, all he knew was that she had been badly hurt.

"Hi, I'm looking for Iris Grayson?" he had asked the first person he found. The woman had taken her time looking for the girl's name, which annoyed Alec, and shaken her head.

"I'm sorry, she's still asleep and isn't getting visitors right now."

"I want to see her. I don't care if she's still sleeping, I want to see her now!"

"Sir, I'm sorry, I can't allow you." And after more tries and attempts to finding his way to her room, he stopped when she had threatened to call security. He'd just have to wait. He just wanted to know if she was okay. . .

"Mr. Blanchard?" the voice brought Alec back. "Miss Grayson's awake, you can see her now. Room 218, but be-" He didn't even let her finish and rushed through the halls of the hospital.

"Oh my Merlin," he gasped at the girl when he walked in the room, catching his breath for running all the way there. "Iris," he stumbled next to her bed, "Are you alright? What happened? Who did this? How long have you been here? You were asleep and I couldn't come in, I tried but the stupid woman wouldn't let me- Hi."

The Gryffindor's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of her best friend and moved aside, making sure he didn't fall down instead of sitting on the bed.

Iris shook her head at his questions as though asking him to slow down. "Well, the nurse said it was my mother who shot me, but I'm still trying to remember," she muttered. "Apparently I lost a lot of blood, and I've been here for a week, I guess. Who knew a stupid bullet could do this much damage?" She mused out loud. "And I've totally lost my good looks, haven't I?" She asked, indicating to the scars of her face. "Honestly, I'm going to kill that bitch one day."

And unlike last time she swore to kill someone, she knew she meant it this time. As though the reality hit her, she felt angry tears in her eyes. But at the same time, she couldn't help but feel grateful that Alec was here.

"Anyway, how the fuck did you know I was here?" Iris asked the Priduex. Reaching over with her good hand, she held his arm reassuringly. "I'm fine, alright? Like I said, it was just a stupid bullet." She shrugged. "I'm more hurt about the fact that I gotta spend my birthday in a hospital. But I totally went on a whim and dyed my hair," she said with a forced smirk. "Oh by the way, you got your wish pretty boy; I am no longer engaged. I'd say it was a mutual thing, but no, Hades broke up with me."

Even as she said the words, she still couldn't believe it was true.

"WHAT?!" Alec exclaimed, shocked at how a mother could do that to her own daughter. "She did this to you? THAT FUCKING BITCH DID THIS TO YOU?" he yelled, rage building up inside him. He wanted nothing more than to go out there and kill her, just like he had wanted to kill Grayson's kidnapper.

He gave her a small smirk and muttered, "Don't worry, your good looks haven't left you yet. And I'm liking the new hair color. It suits you better."

"They called me, I don't even know how they got my number, but they called me. They as in the people from St. Mungo's. I-I don't- they probably called your parents and they gave them my name, maybe they knew I'd want to see you. I don't know," he tried to explain, but his mind wasn't into the whole explanation at the moment, "That doesn't matter! How are you feeling? You say you're alright but really, what happened? Do you want me to kill that whore now or later?"

He shook his head slowly, jaws clenched and paced around the room, "That asshole. I told you he could overreact! But nevermind what I had said or hadn't said - is he an idiot? It ws just one kiss, for Merlin's sake!"

His face fell ever more when he realized he had forgotten her birthday present at home. In such a hurry to leave, he had left it on top of his bed. "I left it at home, fuck," he cursed under his breath and looked up at his friend, "Oh well, I suppose my presence will have to do as your birthday gift - for now."

On hearing Alec's shouting, the Gryffindor got up from the bed, careful not to hurt her arm and went over to his side. "Hey, it's okay pretty boy", she said softly trying to calm him down and gave him a hug, still not used to his anger or the fact that someone could get so furious just because something happened to her. Sure, he had a similar reaction before, but it wasn't this bad. "I'm so fucking glad you're here," she mumbled into his chest, wishing she could hug him properly.

Before she could reply, she clutched her bandaged forehead and groaned. "Fuck, that hurts. Damn it, I could have sworn that the guy I beat up didn't hit me that bad." And she sat down on the nearest chair, feeling too lazy and tired to get back to the bed.

If it was someone else, she would have replied that she was fine and made up all the necessary lies in politeness. But this wasn't just someone, this was her best friend, whom she didn't even try to hide from. "I feel like crap, pretty boy," she whispered, not looking at him only because she didn't want him to see her crying. For once, the tears fell hard and she couldn't stop them. "Why would my own mother want to kill me? I just went to visit her, and sure, I said some nasty things but still..." she trailed off, wiping her tears roughly. "I say kill her later because I kind of need you now," she mumbled. "Or if you don't want to kill her, that's fine but you cannot stop me from doing that."

"I guess he had a right to get angry, I cheated on him, didn't I?" Iris asked with a shrug. "God, I'm such a fucking mess. Why the hell do you even put up with me, Alec?" She questioned, as though asking a perfectly innocent question, which to her it was. It seemed like all the walls of self confidence she had built was slowly falling down.

"You got me a present?" Iris echoed and smiled lightly. "Dude, at least tell me what is it or I'll die of the suspence!"

Mel had gathered, from Alec's garbled explanation, shouted as he ran out of the house, that his best friend was in the hospital. Mel may not have known much about Alec's life or friends, but she did know that he really liked this Iris girl. So she calmly went up to his bedroom, though she was shaking, picked up the present with the tag for Iris and today's date, and walked to the fireplace. She Floo'd to St. Mungo's. She walked up to the receptionist's desk. "Hi, I'm looking for my brother. Tall, blonde hair, came in about 25 minutes ago, probably panicking and running around like a mad man?"

The woman gave her a dry look. "Room 218," she said. Mel smiled her thanks and set off down the hall. She found the right room and went in, seeing Iris on the bed and Alec beside her. Giving a crooked little smile, she said, "You forgot something," and gently tossed Alec the package. Looking at Iris, she said, "Hi, I'm Mel. I think we met at our Christmas party? I'm his sister." Glancing at the clock, she added, "And I'm going to be his grounded sister if I don't get back. Hope you get better fast." She waved and headed towards the door.

Instead of hugging his friend, Alec pushed her away and led her back to the bed. "You need to rest, you can't walk around the room like this," he warned her, which was a little strange, since he was usually the first one to break rules.

"And. . . a guy hit you up?" he asked with a sigh, crossing his arms over his chest as he took a seat in a chair, "Honestly, you can't just say these things randomly, Grayson. Like it's totally normal to beat up a person and have been hit by a boy."

A little shocked, not to mention uncomfortable, when she started crying, Alec got up and walked next to her bed. "Ssshhh," he whispered, running a hand through her hair and holding her hand tightly, "Cry, it's okay." He had never been very good with crying people, but it was Iris - his best friend. What was he supposed to do? He was the only one in the room. "There's nothing wrong with you," he told her softly, "It's not you, it's her. Yes, that sound annoyingly clichéd, but it's true. You're not crap, trust me. Your woman's just plain crazy. That's why she wanted to kill you, she wasn't thinking straight, she's mentally unstable or something."

He sighed and rolled his eyes, "That wasn't cheating. That was a kiss, that doesn't count as cheating. Not really. And why do I put up with you? Even I ask myself that question sometimes..." He cracked a grin and winked at her, but upon seeing her expression, realizing that she was asking a serious question, the smile fell from his face. "You're my friend, Iris. And yes, you're annoying, you're a bitch, but that's why we're friends."

The Prideux opened his mouth to tell her she'd just have to wait, when someone came in the room. Someone who looked a lot like his little sister. "Mel? What are you doing here?" he asked and took the gift he toss her, with a smirk, "Gracias." The blonde quickly left and he handed the package to the girl in the bed, "I guess your wish came true, here's your gift. Sadly, it's not me inside the package 'cause I'm already here, though I know that's what you really wanted. Go ahead, open it."

Iris rolled her eyes at Alec's comment and reluctantly sat down on the bed once more. "I'm not some porcelain doll who can't get a hug, okay?" She muttered. "Besides, I feel perfectly fine."

"That wasn't the first time some guy tried to hit me, pretty boy," she said with a sigh. "So yes, for me it's very normal to beat up someone. But don't worry, he may have had some sort of weapon, but I think I broke his bones. What else am I supposed to do when no one's there to help me?"

Realizing that she probably looked an idiot, she quickly wiped away her tears, though a small part of her just wanted to keep crying. She held Alec's hand tightly, as though he would disappear any minute, which he might considering the way she's acting right now. "It still hurts knowing that your own birth mother hates you," she told softly, her voice shaking slightly. "I just feel so fucking alone and I just feel like ending it." She showed him the scars on her wrist. "I tried to do it Alec, I tried to hurt myself," she whispered. "I was just so sick of every fucking thing and I knew no one would give a damn."

"So you wouldn't mind if your girlfriend made out with another guy while drunk?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. "Oh sure, every girl wants to be called a bitch on her birthday, pretty boy," she muttered and rolled her eyes. "So we're friends because of my flaws?"

Iris suddenly saw her best friend's sister and thanked her for getting the present and for the wishes. "Nope, I don't think I would want you as a gift," she teased. She quickly ripped the package and her eyes widened at the contents inside.

There was a beautiful and sexy black strapless dress, that was slightly backless as well, with a sequenced design. There was also a dagger on the inside and she knew it was pretty much the only good birthday presents she had recieved.

"They're stunning, pretty boy," she breathed. "Thank you so fucking much," she said and pulled him to her side, giving a one sided hug.

Alec rolled his eyes at the girl, "You're not a doll but you've been shot. Stay in the bed." He sighed and shook his head, "Really, how do you get into so many fights?"

"She's an idiot if she really hates you," he muttered and gave her a small smile. It sucked seeing her so fragile like that, he was still not used to that. His eyes widened at the cuts on her wrist - he knew she was feeling bad and things weren't going well, but he didn't think she'd actually try to end her life. "Hey!" he grabbed her wrist and made her look at him in the eye, "You listen to me: you're not alone. What am I? A nobody? You still got me, and if you care about me even the tiniest bit, you'll never do this again. Understood? Because fuck, Grayson, do you think I'd be totally alright with you dying? Do you think your friends would, your sister, even your brother? You might think they all hate you, but they don't!"

He shrugged and paced around the room. Of course he would care but. . . "Well, I'd know she was drunk. I'd know it meant nothing." He raised an eyebrow at her question and frowned, stopping to actually think why they were friends, "We're friends because we both have flaws that are very similar. But we're sexy and that makes up for our small, irrelevant flaws."

The Prideux scoffed and walked back to the side of her bed, "Of course you'd want me as a gift. I know you, Iris Grayson." He grinned as he saw her reaction - it seemed like she'd loved it. He hadn't felt happy for anybody in a while, but he was experiencing a very similar feeling seeing his best friend enjoy her gift so much. She deserved it - she deserved some good in her life.

"Getting into fights becomes a common thing when you have a dark wizard for a father who wanted you dead for some unfathomable reason," Iris stated, not knowing what else to say. "Though in Greece, the men there are kind of fucking mad, ready to take away any outsider girl who comes there," she shuddered lightly. "Not my fault that they don't know that's my home place."

Her eyes flashed angrily at the boy's shouting. "Newsflash for you pretty boy, I don't have any friends, except for you. Mostly because I stay away from people and they stay away from me. As for my sister and brother, I haven't seen them in over a year and the last time I did, I fought with them. They probably forgot all about me and who knows where or what they're doing?" She growled. "I can't have people keep popping into my life just to end up leaving in the end. You'd be the only one who'd shed a few tears here and there, but you'd get over it because I'm fucking replaceable!"

The Gryffindor didn't want to argue with Alec on that. Truth of the matter was, she missed Hades, especially since she nearly got killed..again. She didn't know how to tell her best friend, seeing as he was just as bad as her when it came to this sort of stuff, and for once wished she had a girl friend she could explain it to. "Glad to know that's the amazing reason we're friends," she commented amusedly. "But yes, people tend to admire our sexiness so they don't really notice the flaws," she said and grinned at how unusual that sounded.

"How I can want you as a gift when you're already in my life, Blanchard?" Iris asked with a smile and shook her head. "The dagger is awesome and so is the dress ," she told softly and kissed his cheek, and a genuine smile spread across her face, one she hadn't used in a long time.

"So, anything interesting going on at your boring French school?" The brunette questioned and nudged Alec's shoulder.

"Fine! Fine, whatever!" Alec yelled with a shrug, "If you think you're so fucking replaceable, then what the hell am I even doing here? Merlin, Grayson! It's like you want people to not like you, it's like you want to be alone and not have any friends. But you just can't accept that you do! Or have you always been lonely in Hogwarts? Ever since first year, not a single soul to talk to?"

Alec smirked, "Knew you'd like it." He shrugged at the mention of Beauxbatons and bit his lip. Well, things there certainly were. . . boring. Yes, boring. Absolutely boring. And, after he voiced that thought to Grayson, he spoke, "It just seems like people are so stuck in their own problems, there's nothing fun to do around there anymore."

Iris frowned as she pondered the French boy's words. Was she really like that? Was she purposely pushing people away from her because of fear? "I don't know what you're doing here either," she finally said, her voice neutral. Suddenly, she just wanted to cry. For once in her life, she wanted to cry and make everything go away.

"You're a disgrace to the family name!"

"It was a mistake to bring you here!"

"Should have kept you in the orphange itself."

All the comments came flooding like memories and she shook her head to get them out. "I only had one friend," the Gryffindor mumbled. "But she's fucking gone and I have no idea where too."

"So basically your school sucks," Iris remarked with a smirk, though she wasn't really into it. "Oh, were you made a Prefect this year? Because I hear that all annoying people are badge holders."

"Ssshh! We don't talk about those things," Alec joked, "It's embarrassing enough as it is. Me as a Prefect. Who in Merlin's name thought doing something like that was any good for the school?" He shrugged, "Maybe they've finally realized my true awesomeness. Or maybe they're losing their minds as of lately. I mean, Ninette Fontaine, Julian Rousseau, and now me?" The boy smirked, "Not that it's a bad thing, being a Prefect. I can take off house points, I can blame being out after curfew on patrol or something like that, and I get privileges."

As soon as those words came out, Alec's mouth tightened. "Well, if you don't want me here, I supposed I'll just leave you to think," he breathed, grabbing his coat and making his way to the door. He wasn't mad at her, he knew she was sad, angry, she was having a tough time. She needed time to think. He heard her last words when he was at the door, and he turned his head just to say, "I hope she's alright and she comes back soon. Maybe then we can both prove to you that you do have friends."

And with that, he left the room. He really did need to get home, but not before stopping by the front desk and telling them that if Grayson needed anything, they could call him.