A/N: The first few chapters were short, I know, but I wanted to have those three scenes isolated from each other.

If anyone is wondering (or worrying), I will never go into graphic detail of the rape scene.

~ Black Sick Spider ~

- Chapter 4: Cut in the Shape of a Star -

Walburga wakes up slowly, drifting from a for-once-dreamless sleep back to the waking world, where she is cradled in the warmth and safety of her husband's embrace. She is curled into his side, her head on his shoulder, his arm draped loosely around her waist.

How adorable, she thinks as she brushes a stray lock of hair back from his forehead. Relaxed in sleep, without the worried expression that often graces his features, he looks so young and cute - and she is reminded that he is four years her junior and only came of age recently.

Orion shifts in his sleep and his hair falls over his face again. As Walburga reaches out to attempt to tame the offending lock once more, the early-morning sunlight catches on the stone of her engagement ring and for a moment she is dazzled by the glittering light. In that moment, Orion comes awake and captures her hand in his, guiding it gently to his mouth, where he presses a soft kiss into her palm. His thumb strokes over her knuckles, pausing ever so slightly as it passes over the rings on her third finger; there is a plain gold wedding band, along with her engagement ring - also gold - which is set with a black diamond cut in the shape of a star.

"Orion..." She slides her fingers free of his, and smooths down his unruly hair. "It's still early. Go back to sleep."

He smiles up at her.

"But how can I go back to sleep when my beautiful wife is demanding my attention?"

And, with that, the mood is broken.

"Don't!" she snaps, scrambling away from him.

"Don't... what?" he asks slowly, nonplussed. He takes in her defensive posture and his expression darkens. Something in what he said to her was triggering, dragging up a memory of her brother and the night of the Black family Christmas party, but he isn't sure exactly what. "I'm sorry," he whispers, once he thinks he's found the answer. "I didn't mean to imply that I was prepared to make unwanted advances toward you."

"I don't... I just..." Walburga falters. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath to steady her nerves, then lets it out slowly in the form of a shuddering sigh. "It's not that."

"What, then?" he asks.

She opens her eyes but keeps her gaze averted so that she does not have to see his expression as she tells him, "Cygnus... called me beautiful, that night..."

"He did, and now I can't?"

He sounds... offended, she thinks. No, not so much offended as... hurt. Perhaps even, jealous? For, even though it was against her will, she has been with her brother in a way that she can't be with him - not yet, anyway. After everything Orion has done for her, the last thing she wants to do is hurt him, but she can't sacrifice her sanity to spare his feelings. More than anything, she wants her marriage to work - she wants to be able to be a proper wife to her sweet and caring savior, not a scarred and broken creature who pushes her husband away because her traitorous mind continues to allow her brother's cruel words to sting her.

"You haven't before," she says, and while he has called her other things that mean the same, it's true that he never used that specific word. "It caught me off-guard."

She is still wary, refusing to meet his gaze, and he isn't sure what to do, isn't sure what she needs from him in this moment.

"It's what he said to me right before he-" Walburga stops, unable to finish her sentence, refusing to speak aloud the name of the sin that was committed against her. She can't stop her mind from replaying the memories of the event, however, and the tears she has been trying to hold back begin to fall.

"Love, please, will you come here and let me hold you?" Orion whispers, opening his arms to her, and his voice is so full of pain that Walburga does not know which of them will be more comforted by the embrace.

She goes to him and buries her face against his chest. He slides his arms around her and holds her tightly against him. She feels safe - safe, not trapped - because while he is physically much stronger than her, she knows that he would never use his strength against her. She knows that he would let her go if she asked. But she does not want to be let go; she wants to stay here in Orion's arms, while he holds onto her as if she is the most precious thing in the world.

Hours later, they are rudely awakened by their house elf knocking on the bedroom door and calling out agitatedly, "Master! Master!"

"Ugh... Kreacher, what?" Orion growls, cranky after being woken in such a manner. "I've told you before that I'm not to be disturbed in the morning. Go away!"

"But it's afternoon, Master!" Kreacher protests. "And Master's sister is here to see Master and Mistress!"

~to be continued~