Title: Jealousy – Break Down part 1

Author: T. aka Doc Ete

Livejournal: DocEte linkity link link

Rating:

Author's note: This is all part of my Jealousy series that I'm writing. It includes pairings such as Hermione/Fleur, Nanao/Shunsui, and Soi/Yoruichi. I'm also taking requests so if you wish to request a pairing to go with my Jealousy series leave a comment on my Livejournal

Hermione felt anger well up from the pit of her stomach and explode into all of her extremities, zinging from fingertips to toes. How dare Fleur be so close to that woman? How dare that woman be so close to Fleur? Hermione and Fleur had agreed to meet at the Italian Café down the street from the Leaky Cauldron, wanting a more open atmosphere on the warm summer day, especially when both of their jobs had been consuming so much of their time recently.

Hermione was up to her ears in deciphering texts of this and that, most harmless, but recently a slew of encoded Death Eater messages were recovered, contributing to her sudden time shortage. Not that Fleur was any better, she herself was flooing and apparating here and there, following cold trails of Death Eater's, chasing down the last tendrils of darkness. Sometimes it would be a week before Hermione and Fleur could do more than say hello, and give a quick kiss, and it was tearing them both apart.

Fleur took the distance by becoming more distant, unable to cope properly with the game of "come here, go away," they seemed to be inadvertently playing with each other, and Hermione just seemed to be growing more passively aggressive with every day. In her heart, in both their hearts, they knew it was neither person's fault, but that didn't stop the consequences from occurring,

"Fleur!" Hermione snapped looking more angry than hurt. Fleur snapped her gaze around from the eyes of the waitress to Hermione's, feeling resignation well up in her as she met the cold angry eyes of her lover – no, her once lover – it seemed now they were only together in name. That's all it was now these days, her unable to connect and feel the true love her veela nature craved, and Hermione perpetually angry.

"Ma amour," Fleur murmured demurely preparing herself for the outburst surely to occur, she certainly didn't mean to flirt with anyone, but Hermione never seemed to see that. All Hermione took in was Fleur's plastered smile, which once, Hermione could detect the fakeness of, and the glazed look of her unwilling admirer.

"Don't you 'ma amour' me" Hermione retorted blazing with fury just as Fleur predicted. It wasn't that Hermione didn't realize it wasn't particularly Fleur's fault; it was that she couldn't make other's understand Fleur was hers. They still kept coming like zombies bent on destruction, their relationship's destruction, and Hermione didn't know how to make it stop. It seemed she was doomed to share Fleur, and Hermione didn't know how to make it so that didn't hurt her heart.

Fleur walked away from the waitress behind the billing counter, moving towards Hermione a pleading her eyes, trying to make the brunette understand. I need you; I crave you, where do I go? Hermione wasn't unaffected by the look, in fact it seemed to snap her out of her fury. Fleur looked as beautiful as ever with her silky blonde hair glowing brilliantly like the sun, her light blue top and dark skirt under her black robes making her eyes look ethereal in the daylight, but there was something else there. Tiredness; a perpetual hurt behind the ethereal of Fleur's eyes, and it was enough to shock Hermione into silence.

On her part Fleur did not know what stopped Hermione's anger but after a careful scrutiny of Hermione's own eyes, now unguarded which rarely occurred, she saw the dawning pain as the anger deflated and winked out of existence. What where they doing to each other? Long ago, Fleur would not have hesitated to take her love into her arms, but despondently she supposed she had no right to do so anymore, and they stood facing one other, pain visible on both their faces. Fleur couldn't bring herself to take the first step and begin to repair the damage they had done to each other, and that was her flaw. The pride that Hermione loved so much, even in its broken state, was unable to capitulate, and nothing was done.

A stray tear fell from Fleur's eye, making its way down her pale cheek and abruptly the part vela whirled away leaving the still shocked Hermione where she stood. The moment barely passed when Hermione stirred from her guilt, understanding how much she had taken her frustrations out on Fleur, understanding how much she drove them apart. Fleur Delacour was not one to take insult nor hurt, an intensely prideful person that initially drew Hermione with her self confidence – yet here was the same person resigning herself to Hermione's wrath, unfounded wrath to boot. What happened to the times where Hermione would simply stand close, allowing Fleur to draw her into a kiss that solidified their relationship a smugness welling up in her as Fleur dropped anyone and everyone to lavish attention on her?

Hermione didn't know when it all started to go wrong, surely there must have been a moment, at the beginning, where she could have said no, stopped all of this nonsense from occurring. But somehow, she missed it, and as a result, she did this – they did this. Surely Fleur could have seen the moment, stopped it herself, but she didn't as Hermione didn't, it was both of their faults, an equal burden they had to equally try to throw away.

Hermione felt like everything was in slow motion; she spun around and raced out of the door, but immediately stopped. Fleur was no where to be found, she could have apparated anywhere, and Hermione didn't know where to begin to look. A tear fell from her eye, then another, then another until a silent stream of tears began to flow. With blurry eyes and a consuming pain in her hear Hermione apparated to the first place she thought of. Gasping as she arrived Hermione collapsed onto the soft grass before the placid lake – the place where Hermione and Fleur had their last anniversary, where they made love under the stars, where they were together happy, and so sure of each other.

Fleur fought the tears that wanted to burst free and apparated to the place that once made her heart soar, trying to bring up that moment from her memory. With shaky legs Fleur lent on a nearby park bench overlooking a clear blue lake, as memories assaulted her from every angle. Flashes of Hermione's eyes, shining with happiness hit her like lightning, Hermione's hands stroking through her hair in their afterglow, Hermione's mouth whispering sweet nothings – then it changed to the flash of cold angry eyes, her lover shouting rather than soothing, and Fleur opened her eyes, trying to make the remembering stop.

A sharp familiar cry arched through her ears, and Fleur saw the hunched over form of Hermione collapsing on the ground. Steel flowed Fleur in a moment.

This was enough!

With clear eyes Fleur stalked over to Hermione stiff and with anger flowing through her, she had subdued her veela nature so often lately, effectively shutting down her passion, her drive, and her strength, but enough was certainly enough. They had hurt each other too long, and they were both broken; now it was time to heal and most importantly rebuild.

Fleur wrapped her arms around Hermione, startling the witch a little, but immediately Fleur soothed her with familiar shushing noise. It seemed Hermione recognized Fleur's voice and relaxed, but being in Fleur's arms, after everything she did, they both did, made her unable to hold back her tears and with a sob Hermione let the dam break free. Fleur herself struggled to maintain the composure she always thought was necessary but failed as several tears began the prelude to her own tears – but the healing had begun.