So that was how it was. Lou clenched his jaw, but said nothing. It wasn't worth the pain of opening his mouth to argue when he knew that his father held all the power in this situation. He was, at least for the moment, entirely impotent to do anything that didn't coincide with his father's wishes.

What next? He needed to convince his father that he wasn't planning on turning himself in again. Whether he actually still wanted to or not, Lou wasn't sure. He'd have to think it over long and hard on some day when his throat wasn't more or less in pieces and when there wasn't a full moon lingering only a few hours away, but in the meantime he needed his father to believe that they'd reached some sort of accord if he was to be able to live as he had been, instead of as a criminal.

Lou didn't need to find a solution to what he saw as an unsolvable problem, though; he only needed to find something his father would think was a solution. Something that could, feasibly, be enough to change his mind about the Ministry business.

"We need something," he said at last, gaze alternating from his father to his hands, which were fidgeting slightly on his lap. "Besides the chains. Wards or spells to prevent anything from getting out," he said, glancing briefly to his father before he added, cheeks flushing, "Maybe lethal ones."

  

Almost—but not quite—imperceptibly, Charles flinched at the word lethal. Though a dangerous situation full stop, the wizard did not care for his son being placed any more in harm’s way than he already was. Still, it was a practical solution—perhaps a necessary one—and so after a long moment’s consideration, the healer nodded.

“That will save others from the wolf, a noble goal—but is it enough, Lupus? Or need I worry about you still, in months to come, allowing your guilt to get the better of you, urging yourself to foolishly submit to the Ministry?” Charles asked frankly.

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Lou met his father's eyes for a long moment, unsure how to respond. He didn't know whether that would be enough, truthfully, but it was the only thing he could think of that might. If he could be really sure that he'd be dead before he inflicted this curse on anyone else... well, that was what he was doing with the Ministry, in essence. The idea that he might also be setting an example for others to come forward was rather attractive, but probably not realistic. He knew as well as anyone how attractive the idea of keeping this condition a secret was, when you still had a life and everything to lose.

His throat was dry, which made the pain there seem harsher than it had a moment ago. Lou's eyes flicked down to the corner of the room again and he shifted uncomfortably in the chair. He knew what answer he would give his father, but he didn't know whether it would be a lie, when he did, and he didn't think he could stomach lying directly to his father's face.

"It'll be enough," he said quietly, and was almost surprised at how easily the words tumbled out of his mouth. He looked back at the other man, to see whether he'd convinced him, and then added impulsively, "You can't tell Theo. He... wouldn't understand."

  

“And how am I to convince him otherwise that he won’t have to pull you kicking and screaming from the Ministry atrium once more?” Charles asked harshly, though there was a tiredness in his eyes. “You have worried us both tremendously, Lupus, and we must both be satisfied of your safety moving forward.”

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lady makes pretty things <3

"How'd you convince him I was dead?" Lou retorted, bitterness creeping back into his tone. It wasn't the harshness of his father's voice that bothered him, but the language he used, as though Lou were some sort of child who'd had an ill-advised temper tantrum, not a sober-minded and responsible adult who had been trying to do the right thing. "I'm sure you'll think of something."

  

“That is simply not good enough!” he snapped back. Merlin, what had he done to deserve so hard-headed a son? Charles knew that this was difficult for Lupus, but had never believed that Lupus considered how difficult it was for the family in turn. Given the attitude he was now receiving, the wizard’s suspicions had been accurate.

If they were to move forward, they had to be a team. Neither had the personality to pair well with the other.

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lady makes pretty things <3

If he hadn't already been angry, he might have recognized that this conversation had taken a turn and started down a direction that was Not Helpful, where his goals were concerned. If he'd been thinking reasonably about it, he might have tried to steer his father back towards some sort of common ground, but he wasn't thinking reasonably about it.

"Then what do you want from me?" Lou snapped. "If you don't want to trust me, you won't, and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it."

  

“You can make certain that your trustworthiness is no longer in dispute,” he remarked slowly, his words more measured than his earlier outburst. “You would sooner die than risk harming a stranger—as a healer, I must commend that. But would you sooner die than risk putting your family in harm’s way?”

It was a proposal that had lingered at the back of Charles’ mind since that fateful day when Lupus had first revealed his condition, a quiet siren singing in a corner bidding him to take a more permanent approach to their situation. And that was an area in which the wizard had, thus far, failed. The cottage had seemed ideal, but had not stood the test of time. Solitude for Lupus, again, ideal, but had failed utterly. And marrying Miss Fisk—hah! What a nightmare that had become!

Permanence had eluded the Jameshill family ever since the werewolf had sunk its teeth into his firstborn. It was time that useless tradition came to an end.

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lady makes pretty things <3

With the memories of that morning still fresh in his mind--when he'd come out of the transformation and for a few harrowing minutes hadn't known whether he'd been responsible for hurting or killing either his father or Theo the night before--the question hit harder to home than it might otherwise have, and his cheeks colored immediately.

"Of course," he said firmly. Did his father really doubt that? Even with how terribly wrong his plan for the day before had gone, the healer had to know that Lou would never have intentionally put either of them in harm's way.

  

Of course.

He agreed so readily that Charles was not certain he knew what he was agreeing to, the weight of the promise that his father was asking. He paused a moment, turning the words over in his head, before speaking more clearly.

“I would have you make a Vow to that effect, Lupus—your brother might act as witness. To reassure us both that not you not only will not turn yourself over to the law, but you cannot. You ask what I want from you—what I want is certainty.”

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lady makes pretty things <3

The color that had risen to his face drained immediately.

Fuck.

He and his father had very different ideas about what constituted putting the family in harm's way, he realized with a sinking feeling. Lou was of the belief that reputation, wealth, and esteem were nothing at all when compared to someone's physical safety, but he knew his father had always cared much more about those things than he had. Perhaps he should have seen this coming.

Lou didn't want to subject himself to an Unbreakable Vow, but what choice did he really have? His father already held his freedom in his hands--and with his wand out of reach, the other man realistically already held his life in his hands, too.

"Wh—what would be the terms?" he asked, feeling both lightheaded and suddenly dizzy.

  

“That you will not disclose your condition to the Ministry of Magic, nor to anyone who you reasonably suspect might disclose it for you,” Charles responded. That was good, wasn’t it? No loopholes, no workarounds, but not so broad that Lou might drop dead unintentionally. None of the Jameshills were lawyers by any stretch, but the wording of an Unbreakable Vow was important. It must be well-executed, or it would be worthless—or needlessly fatal.

He did not wish for Lupus to die, but hoped the threat of death would rein in any further stupidity. Charles knew he could not endure another evening like the one before, and hoped dearly that fate would never again see one of his children become his patient.

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lady makes pretty things <3

Lou grimaced, and his thoughts flew--perhaps predictably--to Xena. She had supported his decision to go to the Ministry, and she might offer to do it for him, were he to suddenly find himself unable to do it. He didn't think the constraints of an Unbreakable Vow would allow him to ask her to (or, at the very least, it was enough of a chance that he wouldn't want to risk it), but if the situation at the cabin became truly untenable, that might offer him an escape route. He couldn't disclose to his one-time fiancee what she already knew.

On the heels of these thoughts came the realization that at least for the moment, his father didn't know that he'd been in touch with Xena again. Whether that was a condition that was going to last or not, he didn't know. He didn't know whether the letter had managed, somehow, to get caught before it had been sent or had simply been unread--and even if the former, it might be found in a pile at the post office and dispatched tomorrow, or the next day, or in a week. No, the only thing he could really count on for certain was that his father didn't know about Xena right now. He shuddered to think how the terms of this proposed arrangement might have been different, had all of Lou's cards been on the table.

Would his father have made him swear not to see her again? He wouldn't hesitate if he thought it was necessary, that much Lou knew. This was the man who had locked him away for six years to save the family's reputation; he would think nothing of disallowing him to see someone that Charles perceived as dangerous. Although Lou had been prepared to give himself up to the Ministry and essentially exile himself, the idea of being parted from her once again had pained him at every step, and it was no more inviting now.

He couldn't go on living without her, not now that he knew she still loved him. The only reason he'd been able to drag himself to the Ministry had been, he realized retrospectively, because he wasn't really expecting to remain very long among the land of the living. Willingly sentencing himself to Azkaban was, in essence, a rather noble form of suicide.

Lou probably could have convinced his father to delay the Vow, to give him time to think it over (the older man still had his wand, after all, and plenty of magical ways to ensure Lou wouldn't go wandering in the meantime), but every hour he delayed only increased the chance that his father would come to understand the more complete picture, and make the loss of Xena another condition of this devil's deal. He couldn't allow that to happen. As much as he didn't want to do this, if it was the only way he could be sure he'd still be able to have Xena in his life, he'd stomach it.

"Alright," he said, having to force himself to stop grinding his teeth at the thought of what was about to happen. Lou didn't know how his father would react when (if) he found out that he'd spoken to Xena so recently, but even if he tried to force him back for a second Unbreakable Vow, the playing field would be more level, by then. He'd have his wand back, and he'd (probably) not be sitting in his father's parlor half dead and entirely sleep deprived. If it came down to it, he could fight for her. She was worth it.

She was worth this, too. But he didn't have to pretend to like it.

  

He wasn’t jumping for joy—no one would, under these circumstances, even if not injured—but he had agreed. That was enough for Charles, and the healer let out a breath he had not known he was holding. In truth, the wizard did not know what he would have done had Lupus refused. Charles had a stubborn and persuasive nature, but in many ways, was largely talk, relying on willpower rather than genuine force to get his way.

“Your brother would do well to serve as witness—it keeps your mother out of things, as I really see no reason for her to know that anything has transpired,” Charles replied.

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lady makes pretty things <3

Lou bristled, both at the idea of involving Theo in this and at the prospect that his father might intentionally be trying not to involve his mother. Lou didn't want his younger brother to see him like this--beaten, powerless, and entirely at the mercy of his father's magic--but after the scene the day before and then how Theo had found him that morning, he wasn't sure how much pride he really had left to salvage. He also didn't want Theo to know that he was willingly putting himself on death's door to appease their father. Would Theo even agree to act as a witness? He certainly never would have come up with the idea of subjecting Lou, against his will, to an Unbreakable Vow.

And why, he wondered tensely, was his father hoping to hide this entire ordeal from his mother? Was the older man worried that it would have some undue affect on her nerves, or was it, perhaps, that forcing an Unbreakable Vow on his oldest son wasn't an action that he could defend to her? Was Charles worried about how she would react, or that she might refuse to partake? Theo, whatever his feelings on the subject, could probably be cowed by their father, particularly if Lou wasn't putting up much of a fight on the subject, but if their mother thought this was a bad idea, she might not be willing to stand as a passive observer while her son's life was put at risk.

He hesitated. It might be that getting his mother involved would be a way to get out of this--but it might not be. Getting her into the parlor might end rather messily, depending on how she reacted to the entire situation--and it might not void, but rather only delay the process. Delays couldn't be tolerated; delays put his relationship with Xena at risk.

"If you think that's best," he said after a moment, his body tense and his tone now bordering on openly hostile.

  

“Barnabas… he’s already involved. It would be cleaner, easier, than finding a third party,” Charles explained. Not to mention that a third party would have to understand the situation fully, which was not something that the wizard was keen on.

“You may rest here, for the day,” he added, gesturing to his shelves and his settee, “and I shall send word for him to meet us here late in the afternoon.”

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lady makes pretty things <3