Chapter One

~Draco~

Famished, there was no other word to describe my current state as I kicked off my work shoes in the wide entrance, stowing them away in the open cupboard while simultaneously dropping my car keys in the cream bowl.

I followed the sounds of the late afternoon radio station through the house and into the main living room. Never would I tire of seeing the welcoming smile of my wife. Despite the trying afternoon, I grinned back, before noticing hers did not reach her cheeks, like it usually did.

"Alright, Ellie?" I crossed the living area as she leapt up from the lounge where she'd been reading.

"Yeah, why? How was your day?" She met me, pulling me into a gentle embrace I automatically reciprocated.

"Busy, and it's not even the weekend yet." I murmured against her sun-kissed waves. "Where shall we go for dinner this evening?" It was minuscule, but her body stiffened against mine.

"I thought maybe I could cook, and we'll stay in?" Her voice hummed against my chest. I frowned, glad I faced away from her. Something was up. We always dinned out on a Friday night unless one or both of us were on a shift.

"That sounds lovely." I shifted, pulling away to look her in the eye. "You are alright?" She nodded, smiling.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You're not though! What did you do, spill chlorhexidine on yourself? You reek of it!"

"Something like that." I couldn't help but smirk, recalling the adorable little blonde three-year-old I'd treated today on the condition he swabbed my arms down with the antiseptic liquid.

"Go have a shower, I'll start dinner." Ellie shoved me lightly towards the stair, and I obediently made my way up to our quarters. Inside however, my mind worked on overdrive. Something was wrong with my girl, and I would find out what before we'd finished dinner.

~Ellie~

I pulled a bottle of white from the cabinet and stared at the rustic themed label and elegant script. No, wine was now off the table. Stomach roiling with nerves, I put it back and shut the glass doors, hands shaking.

How was I meant to tell him? We'd never discussed this, and I was sure he didn't want this. I felt guilty for the excitement I'd felt upon finding out. Now I was scared. He or she would be just like Draco. He'd explained it once, years ago, magical blood dominates. Swallowing hard, I moved back to the stove, adding the final ingredients to the carbanora sauce and stirring it in quickly to the hot saucepan of diced chicken breast.

By the time Draco entered the kitchen, I'd plated up for the two of us. "Smells divine." He murmured, taking down two wine glasses and going to the wine cabinet. I stared at him, panicked. "What do you think, the Kingston Estate Pinot Gris?"

"Uh, I'll just have water." He looked up from perusing the back label, grey eyes catching mine, searching. "I think I'm a bit dehydrated from this morning." I'd had a workout with our friend and work college, Steph, so it was plausible. Plus, I had thrown up directly afterwards upon smelling someone's cheap perfume, not that Draco needed to know that. He nodded, storing the wine away and instead filling the glasses with water from the fridge. "Then we'll both have water."

"Eat in the lounge?" I asked, hoping he'd agree, and I could use the TV as a distraction from his calculating gazes.

"Absolutely not, this smells too good to be wasted by television distractions." He strode into the dining area with our drinks and water pitcher, and I followed with our plates, stomach now so tied up in knots, I was unsure if I could eat.

~Draco~

"You're not eating much." I gestured to her barely touched bowl. She'd drunk all her water though; perhaps she was just dehydrated like she said. No, she was almost nervous, something was wrong. And all these subtle distractions, they most certainly weren't subtle to someone like me.

"I'm not very hungry." Well finally a straight answer from her!

"Any reason why?" It was time to find out what this was all about. Ellie hadn't acted anything like this for a long time, since before I asked her to marry me, and then that other time before that. Both had been to do with my magic and these ridiculous insecurities she'd had. Wait, was this the same?

"I had a late lunch." She was lying. I knew by the way her sea-blue eyes darted down to the tabletop, away from me. I put my fork down, deliberately pushing my bowl away. The action gained her attention and the brief, panicked look I received made my heart thud with dread.

"Ellie, this isn't you. We talk... why won't you tell me what's wrong?" She stared back, the one person I loved more than anything, who I'd do anything for, debating whether she could answer my question. Was this it, was she going to tell me after everything, we were over? Was she sick? Oh Merlin, if she was sick... I'd rather it be over than anything happen to her…

"Are you sick?" I choked out, the dark recesses of my mind dredging up the worst. Her nervous, short laugh made me start.

"No, I'm not sick..." She trailed off, grimacing at her barely touched bowl before quickly finishing off her second water. Relief swept through me, followed by more dread but before I could ask if it were me, our phones simultaneously went off. I fished mine from my pocket as Ellie leapt from her chair and hurried into the kitchen where she'd left her own.

"Symons." I greeted the voice at the other end.

"We've got a situation, seen the news?"

"No, what are we talking?"

"Serious crash, two busses involved, both full." I closed my eyes in horror as he rattled off the rest. Fatalities, intensive care, two private vehicles involved, pedestrians, victims still trapped in the wreckage, and an explosion. "We need you, and Ellie." Symons finished.

"We'll be there in five." I answered, knowing whatever was bothering Ellie could wait. A moment later she appeared, her entire demeanour changed as mine was. We had work to do, with not a moment to lose. Lives hung in the balance.

This is an idea I have been playing around with for a while, bit of a twist on Draco's redemption after the war.

Reviews welcome.