Disclaimer - I own nothing! I'm just borrowing from J.K. Rowling!

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Chapter 14

Severus was seated on the living room couch, waiting impatiently for over a week for Hermione's return. When was the damn witch going to return? He tried to contact her many times, but with no such luck. Hermione's cellphone remained out of reach.

After the weekend at Malfoy Manor, Severus had planned that he would go back to Paris with Giselle since Hermione decided that she was going on a vacation for a week. It was what he needed he thought since he and Giselle hadn't seen each other in months. Severus's plans however were shot lived. Not only did he spend less than twenty four hours with Giselle, their relationship had ended.

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"I don't understand," Severus spoke. He and Giselle were seated in her living room sofa. "You're ending our engagement—our relationship?"

"Yes," Giselle replied sadly.

"Why? Have I done something wrong?" Severus asked.

Giselle shook her head. "You still love Hermione, Severus. And to you, I'll never compare to that."

"What?! What did she say to you when you two had a talk? Don't take her words seriously Giselle," Severus said in anger. What did she say do or rather say this time? The woman already broke his heart years ago, and now she was breaking up his relationship with someone else?

"She didn't tell me anything," Giselle replied calmly. "She didn't have to. I can see it all… She still loves you, and you do her."

"You've got to be joking!" Severus stood up and started to pace back and forth, until he stopped and crossed his arms. Maybe Giselle was just jealous about not just him working with Hermione, but also living with her. "I'll quit the project right now if you want me to. I won't have to work and live with her anymore. It'll just be you."

Once again, Giselle saw what Severus couldn't see. He was still in love with Hermione, because she didn't hear what she needed to hear. Severus didn't acknowledge her previous comment, or deny it. It was all over his face, and actions. His arms crossed over his chest was, a subconscious sign of self defense. She knew him well enough. And since the beginning, she should've seen more of the signs when she felt his heart wasn't in it fully. She thought that it was just him, but when Hermione came into the picture, she understood.

They have been engaged for over a year, but a wedding date was never planned. A few times, Giselle had asked Severus what date would be good for him so that they could start planning. His excuse was that he was busy. But when the project came along, he dropped everything and went to San Francisco. It wasn't for the project she realized, but for Hermione. If Severus did love Giselle that much, then he would've dropped whatever needed so that they could move forward in their relationship and get married. But how could they, when there was someone else in his heart?

Giselle stood up on her feet and slowly made her way towards Severus. Once in front of him, she stared down at her engagement ring. Her heart pained yes, but she wasn't angry at him. It wasn't his fault for he was blinded by his own pain. "Maybe we're just better off as friends." She took off the ring, and placed it in his hand.

Severus stared down at the ring in his open palm. His relationship had ended, and it was all because of Hermione.

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Hermione drove down the city streets of San Francisco, nearing home. In one hand, she held an open carbonated drink that was in an unlabeled bottle. No, it wasn't beer, but a specially made carbonated drink that was rose flavored. She already was missing the place severely, most especially Bacon.

Before she had departed from Alice's Rose Farm and Inn, she was carrying Bacon in her arms. As her bags were being put in her car by Dean, the little puppy kept on crying and whimpering in her arms. The way Bacon's side brow eyes looked up at her, she knew that he didn't want her to leave, but she had to. She promised him that she'd return soon, feeling all teary eyed. And as she started to drive down the driveway, she refused to look back at Bacon, but could hear his little short puppy dog howls. It pained her that she left him, but she would see him soon when she returned.

After pulling into her garage, Hermione stared down at the drink she was holding. Throughout her entire trip back, she was sipped it slowly, tasting the rose flavored goodness, making the taste linger on her tongue. Her vacation was almost alcohol free as she did drink some wine during some of her meals. She knew her alcoholism was going to get back on track soon. It was back to the real world, and she wasn't happy about it. Sighing a curse to herself softly, she got out of the car, and carried her luggage and duffel back, walking her way to the kitchen door.

"Where have you been?" Severus asked aloud in anger as he watched her walk in. "I've been trying to call you all week!"

Hermione frowned at him. What blew his top off? "What's your problem?" she asked placing the bags on the floor nearby. Before she knew it, she found herself pinned against the wooden door, looking at a very angry Severus Snape. The drink that she was holding slipped from her hold, and crashed to the ground, making a fizzy mess on the floor.

"You're my problem woman!" Severus bellowed as his hands squeeze her upper arms tightly. "What the fuck did you tell my fiancé the other weekend? What?!"

"Bloody hell Severus!" Hermione said allowed, trying to squirm away. He was too strong, his tightening and it was hurting her. "I don't know what you're getting at."

"She broke up with me because of you, you know that?!"

Hermione froze in complete shock. Because of her? How could she have become a cause?

"So, since you were having fun out with your boyfriend or whoever that sends you those fucking dead roses, my love life has been flushed down the toilet. And for what? Did you plan all this, wanting to tear me and her apart?"

"What? No!" Hermione answered aloud. She was honestly frightened of him at this moment. Never had she seen him angry before. He was angrier than he was the morning he had found her sleeping with Ron. His face was no longer pale, but red from anger. Next to his brows, she could see his veins pulsating. Severus's black eyes were filled with so much anger, as if there was actual fire burning within them. "I'd never do that to you—"

"Bullshit!" he interrupted. "First you broke my heart, and then you stand in the way of Giselle and I! Are you purposely causing pain and misery to me? Are you?!"

Hermione's mouth gaped open for a moment. She was too shocked to answer right away. Finally, she was able to shout to a level that pared with his voice. "No!"

Reluctantly, Severus let her go, but remained standing in front of her. "For months, you have become a pain in my arse; a burden not only to my work, but apparently, to my relationship as well." He looked down at the ground and kicked a big piece of the broken bottle, smashing into small pieces as it hit the wall. "Giselle said that you loved me, not that I care. And then she said that I still loved you. Guess what?"

Hermione flinched and covered her face the split second she saw Severus's fist coming towards her. Instead of getting hit, there was a very loud sound right next to her ears when his fist hit the wood behind her, barely away from her ear.

"It's gone Hermione! It went out the fucking window when you slept with that Weasley boy! And yet, up to now, you still manage to break my heart when I'm involved with someone else. What did I do to you to make you break me again and again?" Severus waited for an answer. He didn't care about her tears. They didn't unnerve him, not this time. He was too angry. "Give me a fucking answer!"

Hermione couldn't answer, too overwhelmed with everything that he just said and accused her of. Tears kept on flowing out of her eyes. No longer could she look at the man that she loved. He was blaming her for everything. And even though not everything was her fault, she was at fault to begin with. She hung her head low and just sobbed.

Severus stepped away from Hermione and moved towards the kitchen island. He bent himself over, resting his elbows on the wood, and hanging his head between his hands. His heart was tightening in pain. As he ran his fingers through his hair, he started to speak. "At the beginning of our relationship, you've healed me from being a broken man. And then you break me when you sleep with another. Then you break me when I was with Giselle. Just because you were the one that healed me first doesn't give you the right to break me whenever you want… Damn you Hermione. Damn you."

"Severus… I never meant to. Please—" Hermione said brokenly before she was interrupted.

"Why don't you just do me a favor and drop dead Hermione," Severus said softly. He closed his eyes, groaning when he felt the beginnings of a migraine build up.

Hermione looked at Severus's back through her tears. His last words were the final straw. Severus had caused her the worst kind of pain imaginable. She wanted to tell him the truth and say that she didn't mean to breakup his relationship. But with the way things were, she decided not to. Things were too painful as they were, and his mind was already more than made up on how he portrayed things. Broken is what everything was between them. It was like the past had repeated itself again. If she said anything else, she was afraid that it would make things worse, if that were possible.

Silently, Hermione walked out the door behind her, leaving Severus alone. She knew when she wasn't wanted, but her heart… It still wanted and loved him.

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The night seemed darker to Hermione as she viewed the world behind her sunglasses. It was very much late in the night, almost midnight. She had been walking for almost an hour to the closest twenty-four hour shop that she knew had liquor. The other shops that were closer by were already closed as they weren't open twenty-four hours. It was a long and hard walk. Taking a cab may have been faster. Apperating as well, if she didn't forget her wand in her duffel bag, but the walking would do her some good.

Drinking the night away is what she had in mind. Nothing like a lot of alcohol couldn't numb, even if it was just temporary. Going to one of her usual bars wasn't an option. This was one of the moments were she just really wanted to be alone. The helipad? Maybe if it wasn't too damned far. Having her best friend, Jack Daniel's was really all that mattered.

Hermione tried to not think of what Severus had told her. His words were utterly painful. He wanted her dead. Honestly, it was killing her slowly and softly. No longer could she hear the words of love that once echoed into her ears and down to her heart. Now it was words of hatred and death. Severus may have said them before, but this last time was different. He once loved her, and all that was left was nothing but hate. He even said so himself, in his own different and hurtful words.

The tears continued on. They never stopped, but only slowed. Hermione could feel the heat of them on her skin as the cool night wind blew on her cheeks. She cried over him for years, but now it wasn't just him. She was crying because of herself.

Hermione felt like she had been ran over by a truck. She was the one to blame for everything. Not just how he destroyed his life, but hers as well. She was right before, everything happened after she slept with Ron. And again, she pained Severus's life without knowing. On top of that, all that dreaming made her selfish, and she got what she rightfully deserved—a shit ass life.

"Fucking hell…" she sniffled to herself as suicidal thoughts started to cross her mind. She remembered the first and only time she tried to take her life. There was no alcohol to help her numb the pain. Now, the pain was so unbearable, maybe the alcohol wouldn't help. Maybe it would be best if she did die. That's what Severus wanted after all.

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After Hermione placed her items on the counter, she pulled out a few dollars from her pocket and paid. Just before her drinks and mints were going to be packed by the Indian man behind the cashier, a punk looking man rudely shoved her out of the way, and started to talk to the Indian guy.

"You sir must wait your turn," the Indian man said rudely. Actually he was the owner of the place, and recognized Hermione as a regular customer, coming in at the afterhours of the night. She was one of the few that never gave him trouble. Just paid and walked away.

"Yeah, and what are you going to do about it?" the punk asked.

"Hey buddy, like he said, wait your turn," Hermione snapped. She was angry and wanted to get out of the shop as soon as possible. Suddenly, she stepped back and raised her arms up in the air. Fear coursed through her veins in less than a second when she found a gun pointing straight at her.

"And what are you going to do about it lady?" he asked raising his chin up. "This is a hold up!" he shouted.

The few other customers that were in the shop all froze on the spot for a moment before ducking behind the short aisles not wanting to get shot if the time came.

The punk turned towards the owner, pointing his gun at him. "All the cash in your safe and in the register, now!"

The owner did as told, grabbing a grocery bag behind him, and started filling it with money.

Hermione started to walk backwards, not wanting to stay so close to the punk. He looked nervous, wanting everything to be done quickly. Perhaps the owner had pressed an emergency button beneath his counter to call for help. If she had her wand, she would've done something, regardless if she was in muggle territory. Obviously she didn't have her wand, and felt scared and hopeless standing next to an armed person.

The punk man looked at Hermione, and stretched his hand out. "Your fucking necklace. Give it to me lady!"

Immediately, Hermione held onto the pendant with one hand. She couldn't give it. Severus had given it to her. It was valuable and she wasn't going to part with it what so ever. "No!" she said firmly in refusal. She gulped when she watched him cock the gun.

"Give it!" he demanded.

"No…" Hermione said nervously. For a brief split second, she heard the sound of a gunshot, and then a severe pain in her belly. She looked down at her stomach and saw the blood. Her knees unbuckled, making her fall to the ground.

The pain was agonizing, and was nothing like Hermione felt. She brought to hands to the open wound, not knowing what to hold on to. There was so much blood coming out that everything around her started to slow down, blur and the sounds echoed in her ears.

When a person had come into her eyes sight, part of her brain remembered who it was. She brought her hand up towards her pendant, and felt another hand hold onto hers. With what little strength she had left, she held onto the pendant for life as she felt the chain tug and break around her neck. It was tug of war between her and the punk. But it wasn't a game.

Upon hearing the sounds of sirens from afar, and closing in, the punk gave up on his fight for the pendant. He leapt on to his feet and started to run towards the door. On the way, he grabbed the money bag and fired one random shot into the ceiling before running outside.

Hermione couldn't breathe. She tasted the familiar taste of copper that had flooded her mouth quickly. She unclasped her hand, and saw the pendant covered in her own blood. Before everything went dark, the last thing that came into her mind was that Severus got his wish…

She was going to die.

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AN – Was able to do a quick update because of the long weekend :) Cliffy! Cliffy! Cliffy! Review! Review! Review!