A/N: Sorry for the late update! Last weekend was super busy and I didn't have time to post. Let me know what you think of the chapter :)

Previously….

"Don't laugh at me," she whispered as their lips parted between kisses. Her tone was light and tired. Draco could hear the exhaustion in her voice from both her long day at work and the pleasure he had just sent through her.

"You're cute," Draco drawled as he reached down and put his hand over hers. Bringing her hand to his lips, he kissed her knuckles and then laid her palm on his chest.

"Don't you want…"

"Leave me something to look forward to," he interrupted.

Before she could protest further, he lowered himself down beside her and pulled her into him. Draco kissed her forehead lightly and started to twist strands of her hair around his fingers, watching as her eyes grew heavier and heavier. As he watched her finally lose the battle to the sleep that overcame her, Draco knew that his nightmares would be nonexistent that night.

Chapter 10

When Draco woke the next morning, he was sandwiched between the back of the small couch and the beautiful girl that lay beside him. He nuzzled his nose into the locks of her hair and inhaled the strawberry scent of her shampoo from her shower the night before. Catelyn's chest rose and fell with a steady rhythm that told Draco that she was still fast asleep.

Gently, he shifted his weight onto his arm and pushed himself up and off of the couch. Catelyn rolled in her sleep to fit the space that Draco had just vacated. He hated to leave her without saying goodbye, but he had to be to work in a little less than an hour and he didn't want to wake her. A school notebook sat open on her kitchen table. Draco walked over and grabbed the pen beside it, scribbling a note before he left.

Good morning beautiful,

I didn't want to wake you. I have to get to work. I still want to give you that surprise I told you about before I left. Text me when you wake up.

Draco

Quietly, Draco left the apartment, closing and locking the door quietly behind him.

Draco's meeting with the museums top three donors and Grant McCary had taken longer than he expected. Everyone was on edge with the opening of the new exhibit in just a few days. Everything had to be perfect, funds had to be set aside for the opening event, and all of the RSVPs had to be accounted for.

When the donors left,Grant filled Draco in on everything that he had missed in just the few short days he was out of the country.

"Honestly, I would have rather been here," Draco admitted.

"Vacation wasn't as relaxing as you thought it would be?"

"Not even close."

"That's usually how they are. What about that hostess from Bonne Nourriture? Have you seen anymore of her?" Grant wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and Draco felt his ears growing warm. "So you have…. nice, man!"

"Just a few times. I'm actually planning on inviting her to the opening event this weekend."

"Wow, things are getting serious if you're going to introduce her to me," Grant joked.

"I never said I was going to do that. I'm actually planning on keeping her away from you all night."

"Probably a good idea, man. One look at me and she will be leaving your sorry ass."

"Yeah," Draco countered. "Because she's disgusted with my friends."

Grant put his hand to his heart and stumbled backwards.

"That hurt. That really hurt."

Draco rolled his eyes as he packed up his paperwork and reached for the phone in his pocket. It had been on do not disturb during the meeting so he wanted to check if Catelyn had texted him yet. She had. A smile touched the edge of his lips as he read her text.

Catelyn: So about this surprise...

"Wow. You are smitten! I've never seen a smile on your face like that before. I'm actually a bit disturbed."

"Shut it, McCary. I expect you to be on your best behavior on Friday."

"Uh huh, sure. I can do that. I'll see ya later, Draco."

"See ya," Draco responded as his one friend walked out the door of the conference room. Instead of leaving, Draco sat down the rolling chair at the far end of the table and dialed Cat's number.

"Good morning," Catelyn greeted.

"Morning. Sorry I didn't get your text earlier. I was in a conference meeting with some donors," Draco explained.

"You're fine. I'm just picking up my morning coffee."

"Morning coffee? It's almost 11:30," he teased.

"Yes, well I had a lot going on last night," she teased back.

"I see. Well I hope you don't have a lot going on tonight. I wanted to show you something this evening."

"My surprise?"

Draco laughed when he heard the excitement in her voice.

"Yes. Your surprise. I have to catch up on some things so I'm working until eight tonight. Do you think you could meet me at the MoMA around then?"

"Sure, I don't work again until tomorrow night."

"Great." Through the glass wall of the room, Draco saw the director of the museum coming his way. Probably to check to see that the donors were all lined up for Friday night's event. He waved him over before finishing his conversation with Catelyn. "Listen, I've got to go. I will see you tonight, ok?"

"I'll be there!"

Draco was so busy that before he knew it most of his co-workers were already leaving for the night. At 8:05, his phone buzzed and a texted popped up on his screen.

Catelyn: I'm here.

Setting his phone back down and rising from his desk, Draco made his way to the front lobby and let her in the doors since they were already locked. She stepped in and looked around the expansive room. The front desk was abandoned and the only lights on were the emergency lights that would shine through the night.

"Hi," she said almost timidly, smiling up at Draco. Her simple white shirt hugged her features and her short blue skirt showed off her legs nicely. Draco pulled her close and drew her in for a long kiss, feeling as if it had been days, not hours, since he had seen her last. "Did you bring me to an abandoned museum to kill me?"

Draco smiled and shook his head.

"No. I wanted to show you something." He took her hand and led her through several rooms. He looked over at her several times to see her marveling at the art around her, but he didn't stop at any of the exhibits. He spoke as they walked through the dimly lit rooms. "One of the reasons I was so busy today is that we are preparing for the launch of one of our newest exhibits. I've honestly never seen anything like it. It's breathtaking."

He slowed his steps as they approached the hall that led where he was taking her. He watched as her eyebrows knit together in confusion as she began to hear the soft murmur that came from within the room they were about to enter.

"It sounds like it's raining…"

Draco pulled her forward and stepped around the corner out in front of the exhibit that he had brought her here to see. Her breath caught as she saw what was before her. The dark room was illuminated by a single bright light across from them. The light reflected off of the raindrops that made up the indoor rainstorm.

"Oh my-" she stepped forward and Draco smiled as she hesitated, looking down at her outfit that was clearly not suitable for playing in the rain.

Draco walked up to her and kissed her lightly on the lips before walking into the rain himself.

"Draco! What are you-"

"Come on," he said, amused at her confusion. He held out her hand to beckon her forward.

Catelyn took a few hesitant steps toward the downpour in front of her and then finally stepped out into the rain. When the rain parted like the red sea around her, she giggled. Her careful steps turned more confident as the rain continued to completely avoid her presence. She passed Draco then, walking across the room. Draco watched as she became nothing but a silhouette against the light. She spread her hands wide and twirled around laughing.

Draco went to her then, taking her her face in her hands and kissing her deeply. His tongue explored her mouth and she moaned into him.

"Surprise," he whispered when he pulled away. The shower of rain around them almost muffling out his voice. "Do you like it?"

"It's like magic," she responded. She held out her hands almost expecting the rain to wet them. They stayed as dry as the rest of her body.

"It actually uses 3D tracking cameras to track where you're standing. That registers with the computers that run the exhibit and the rain stops all around you. It's actually quite fascinating how it works."

Catelyn placed her fingers on his lips to quiet him.

"Sometimes its just fun to pretend that it's magic," she whispered

Draco stood beside her confused.

"I guess," he conceded, although he didn't know if he technically agreed. The magic he had seen caused death and destruction. This was beautiful and beauty did not register with the magic he had seen in his life.

"It's so beautiful," Catelyn said, looking around again.

"So are you," Draco responded bending down to kiss her again.

Catelyn's hands bunched up into his shirt and pulled him closer to her. Draco felt his body respond. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist without breaking away from him. As they kissed the rain thundered around them.

When they broke their kiss, Draco pulled Catelyn close and she laid her head against him. Their bodies swayed slightly as if the room around them was a giant ballroom and the rain the music.

"So on Friday the museum is holding an opening gala event for the exhibit," Draco began. "It's mainly for the board of trustees and major donors to celebrate its opening. Some different company presidents and other important people will be there. I thought, maybe if you wanted to, you could be my plus one."

Draco could not believe how nervous he was to ask her to a stupid social event. She was obviously interested in him if she was standing here with him, but it had been so long since he had made any attempt to get close to someone that he was sure that he would be shot down. Before she could answer he continued.

"I mean, it's probably going to be pretty boring and overly fancy but-"

"I would love to go," Catelyn interrupted. "I don't really have anything 'overly fancy' to wear, though."

She seemed slightly embarrassed by this fact, just as she had been when he first saw her small apartment.

"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it."

"Draco, I don't want you to-"

"I want to."

She giggled softly.

"It seems to be impossible to dissuade you when you want something."

"See! you already know me so well."

Draco checked his watch and was surprised to see that they had been in the museum for almost an hour.

"We should probably get going," he said. "I didn't technically get company permission to be in here and janitors will be showing up in a little less than an hour."

He took her hand and they made their way back through the rain. Draco could still see the almost childlike wonder in her face as the water continued to part for them. He led her back through the museum and into his office so that he could grab his things before they left.

As Draco grabbed the papers he had been working on earlier in the day and slid them into his portfolio, Catelyn sat in his chair curiously inspected the few personal effects on his desk. She ran her fingers over the phoenix paperweight his mother had sent him (by owl to his displeasure) for his first birthday in the states.

"It's a phoenix," Draco explained. "When they die they burst into flame and are-"

"Reborn from the ashes," Catelyn finished for him with a smile. "My parents were really into Greek mythology."

Draco picked up the object and turned it around in his hands.

"I like the idea of rebirth," he explained.

"A change from an old life?" Catelyn prodded, clearly remembering their conversation from weeks ago.

Draco nodded curtly and placed the paper weight back onto his desk. When he looked back up, Catelyn had grabbed a frame with a picture of him and his mother. Another gift from Narcissa. Draco had to break down and use his wand to disenchant the moving pictures when it had arrived. He knew he wanted it sitting on his desk, but couldn't have his mother magically kissing him on the cheek over and over for obvious reasons. Once the enchantment had been removed the picture showed a young Draco with feigned disgust as his mother kissed him lightly on the cheek. It was on a family vacation the summer before his fourth year at Hogwarts.

"Is this your mother?" Catelyn asked.

Draco once again nodded, his nerves peaking as she delved slightly into his past.

"How old were you in this picture?"

"Fourteen. We were in Wales on vacation."

"She's beautiful. Is your father taking the picture?"

Draco bristled at the mention of his father. Catelyn could obviously tell she had overstepped her bounds.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked," she put the picture down hurriedly and made to rise from the chair in which she sat.

Draco took a deep breath and shook his head.

"Don't apologize," he said. He placed his portfolio on the edge of his desk and made his way over to Catelyn. Pulling her up, he sat in her place and then pulled her onto his lap. He grabbed the photo she was just looking at and stared at it for a long time before beginning.

"My mother is a wonderful woman. She always puts her family first and would do anything for me or my father. She was my rock when my life was difficult," he swallowed painfully before continuing. "My father on the other hand is… not as wonderful, to put it lightly. A lot of the things I ran from when I came to the states stemmed from him. I tried to live up to what he wanted me to be and it almost destroyed my life."

"Is he still with your mother," Catelyn asked gently.

"He's in prison. So no, he is not."

The tone of his voice told Catelyn that was an end to the answers that she was going to get tonight.

"I'm sorry if my questions upset you," Catelyn whispered when Draco did not speak for several moments. "I just- I like you. A lot. And I want to know who you are."

"I know. I'm not mad," Draco promised. He tried to pull his lips into a smile, despite the feeling the nagging thoughts in the back of his mind that reminded him that she would never completely know him. "I want you to know who I am. It's just hard. This is the closest I've gotten to anyone since I left. It's just going to take me some time."

"I understand."

Catelyn bent to place a light kiss to Draco's mouth. Draco captured her lips in his and pulled her against him tightly, not ever wanting to let go. A low moan escaped Catelyn's lips as Draco ran the edge of his teeth along her bottom lip and he felt his body respond to the sound. Catelyn felt the hard push of his erection on her thigh and moved to straddle him in her skirt. He felt her slide her body along his length and he groaned.

"Hey," he cautioned. "You know where this leads."

She continued to rock back and forth against him and his arousal continued to grow. He silently cursed the tight restriction of his pants. His hands cupped her bum as he guided her movements. He trailed his lips from her mouth, to the corners of her lips, to her neck. Careful not leave bruises, he nibbled and sucked her soft skin.

Lost in the smell of her hair that tumbled around them both, Draco was surprised when Catelyn lifted herself slightly as her hands worked quickly at the button and zipper of his jeans. Freeing his erection from the denim she continued to grind against him. Draco sucked in his breath at the change of pace. The dull pleasure that he had felt before through their clothes gave way to something much better-the only thing separating them now was the thin strip of silk panties that Catelyn wore under her skirt. The smooth fabric and the pressure of her body was enough to just about drive him over the edge.

"Cat. Stop," he pleaded. "Oh god. You're gonna make me-."

She captured his mouth then, silencing his plea. Her body shook and she slowed her movements.

"Draco." Her voice was quiet, almost nervous despite her brazen advances. "I want you. Can we?"

Draco almost laughed from the innocence of her question.

"Here?"

She pulled away from him and nodded, biting her lip like a child.

"Nobody will walk in on us will they?"

"They shouldn't. The janitors will be here to clear the main museum… we can just turn out the lights and try to be quiet."

Draco reached passed her and grabbed the remote sitting on his desk. He clicked a button and the lights dimmed around them. After a few seconds, their eyes adjusted just enough to make out the faint outlines of the room around them. Placing his hands under Catelyn's arms, he hoisted her up to her feet, stood and then sat her gingerly on the top of his desk. Catelyn watched as he pulled his wallet from his back pocket and produced a single square packet. As he slipped on the condom, Catelyn turned and gently set the picture of teenage Draco and his mother face down on the desk.

Draco pulled himself snugly between her legs. Catelyn lifted her bum and allowed him to slide her panties off and onto the ground. He lifted her shirt above her head and then pinched the back of her bra to expose her breasts. Draco cursed the dark as he ran his thumbs over her nipples and she gasped. The dim view he got of them didn't do them justice.

It was when Catelyn lifted Draco's long sleeve shirt over his head that he no longer minded the darkness around them. Instead, he was thankful for it. Looking down, he could barely make out the dark curves of the serpent and skull that had he tried so hard to hide from her. He was glad that the worry that surround her seeing it for the first time did not have to ruin this moment for him.

Catelyn ran her small fingers along Draco's collarbone, down his chest, and to the faint trail of blond hair that made it's way south. Despite his pants being undone, they still hung loosely at Draco's hips. Catelyn hooked her fingers into the sides and slide them down. As her hands climbed back up she ran her hands along his length and felt a bead of desire at his tip. She gasped and brought her finger to her mouth to suck the liquid off.

Draco watched her with desire in his eyes. He brought his hand to hers and lowered it. Replacing it with his own, he brushed her lips gently. Her tongue came out to meet the pad of his thumb.

With his beating heart reverberating throughout his entire body, Draco watch Catelyn sucked the tip of each of his fingers. His other hand guided the tip of his erection to the wet folds between her legs. She gasped as he moved over her clit.

"Draco?"

"Hmm?" he closed eyes as she brought her lips to his ear.

"I think… I think I'm falling in love with you."

He pulled his head away from her and looked into her eyes. They were shining despite the dark that surrounded them. He knew looking into them that she didn't require or expect a response. Just saying it was enough for her.

When Draco opened his mouth, he thought for sure no sound would escape, but his response was clear and strong.

"I've already fallen, Cat. I've fallen so hard."

He bent to kiss her then and, as their lips met, he slid inside of her. She was wet and warm and oh so welcoming. Despite his early warning to stay as quiet as possible, her moans filled his ears and the room around him, but he didn't care. Hell, he wouldn't care if her screams echoed through the halls of the museum and the janitors came running.

She was here and she was his.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed! Also hopefully this long chapter made up for the late update. Please let me know what you think. I see a lot of people adding the story, but not a lot of reviews. I want to know what you think :)