Andromeda saw it happen, all in the split second before they jumped. There was a scream stuck in her throat, begging to be let out while they were thrown into the safe house. She stumbled onto new ground, where she dropped the mug with a muted shatter noise.
“Fuck,” she whispered under her breath, her own wide eyes. She looked around, as if the little girl would magically materialise herself at any moment.
“Where’s my daughter? Where is she?! What did you do to her?!” The mother was trembling, her voice getting louder and madder with every word.
Andromeda raised her hands quickly. “No, no, no– I’m going to get her, just give me a second.” Her eyes turned to Gwen, desperate. “Give me a second.”
Going back into the main house had been easy. They’d only been gone for a few seconds, but Andromeda already found the little girl back into that corner, this time sobbing into her hands. Doe eyes looked up at her as she apparated there, filled with something Andromeda couldn’t quite pick out.
“Sweetheart– I’m sorry, it’s okay, you fell off on accident,” she breathed, approaching the girl and kneeling down in front of her, offering to take her hands.
The girl complied, still sniffling back wounded tears as she put tiny hands against Andromeda’s slender ones.
“It was just an accident, you’re safe now. I’m going to get you back to your mom, alright? And your brother. Safe and sound. Just breathe, and count to three.” She squeezed the girl’s hands and took a deep breath herself, hoping the kid would follow.
Apparating with a child this young wouldn’t be an easy task, but Andromeda was skilled. She had the experience, she had the dexterity to do it, she was sure of it. Her hands held onto the girl’s tightly, unwilling to let her go this time, and then she focused. Out of the corner of her eye, a dark shadow creeped into the window.
With a gasp, Andromeda made the jump.
Pressure squeezed her head in, and immediately she felt agonising pain shooting up one of her arms. It was like nothing she’d ever felt before, it was excruciating, it was begging for her attention. She focused harder, held onto the girl tighter, and with another crack they were back at the safe house.
The girl ran to the mom’s arms.
Andromeda stumbled towards Gwen, her lips pressed into a thin line, eyes squeezed shut as the pain settled in – worse than before. Her arm was limp by her side, useless. Through the pain, she could barely feel the sickening warmth as blood started dripping down her forearm. Thankfully hidden by her heavy coat.
“Splinch. S– Splinch,” she stuttered out to Gwen, trying to keep quiet, trying to remember to breathe.
Gwen stepped forward to comfort the mother as best she could as Andromeda disappeared with a crack. “It’s going to be all right,” she said, trying for soothing. “Her hand slipped off. Andy went to get her. We have multiple ways of transportation that are quick. She’ll get the girl.”
Gwen looked down at the mug’s remains on the ground and wished she was also a witch to be able to take care of it. Instead she put a hand on the woman’s shoulder and squeezed it to reassure her. “You’re safe now, though. The things Aiden does? Someone much better at this than me is going to explain it to you. You’ll get to understand.”
Before the woman could respond, another crack signaled Andromeda’s return, and Gwen let out a heavy sigh of relief as she saw the girl. Gwen stepped back as the girl ran into her mother’s arms. She felt Andromeda at her side but paid no attention to her as she watched the family reunite.
Then Andromeda spoke. Gwen turned to her, trying not to let panic slip onto her face as she searched the other woman for what it had been. There was a stiffness to her posture, a tension in her shoulder. Gwen looked down her arm, and while she couldn’t see a splinch from here, that must be what it was.
She stepped toward to put a hand back on the mother’s shoulder. “I hate to do this, but we have to go,” she said.
Gwen shook her head, not letting her speak. “Someone else will be here to explain more. I’m so sorry to leave you like this. The house is yours for now. Explore, find rooms. Sleep. You’ve been through a lot.”
She took a step back, hoping the woman would take that as a goodbye, then grabbed Andromeda’s good arm to lead her toward the fireplace. She certainly didn’t expect the other to successfully apparate them both when she’d already splinched herself once.