Disclaimer: All Harry Potter related characters, places and themes belong to J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury and Scholastic.

A/N: The chapter title comes from the song, "Breathless" by Shayne Ward

THIS IS THE SECOND PART OF CHAPTER 13!!

Chapter 14: Charge In and Rescue You

Zane stared in fascination as he watched Hermione apply a light layer of pink lip balm to her lips. In her light green dress and her hair pulled up in a frenzied updo, she was the most beautiful mummy in the entire universe!

"Can I have some?" he asked, sitting next to her at the vanity table in the master bedroom.

She looked down at him with a smile. "You want some lip color?"

"Yes! It smells like strawberry jelly beans!" he laughed, puckering his lips.

She laughed and applied some of the pink color to Zane's lips and bent down to kiss them once she was finished. "Perfect!"

"It tastes yucky!" he said with grimace. "Can I have some on my eyes?"

"You don't put this on your eyes," she explained.

"You have pink on your eyes," he pointed out. "I want some too!"

She picked up the light pink powder and brush and applied a layer of pink to Zane's closed eyelids. "It tickles," he laughed. "Do I look pretty yet?"

A bubble of laughter escaped her throat at his incorruptibility. "You're the prettiest little boy I've ever seen."

He opened his eyes and gave her a sneaky grin. "Boys aren't pretty, Mummy! You're 'upposed to say that I'm handsome!"

"Oh, excuse me," she smiled. "You are, by far, the handsomest boy in the world."

Draco walked in to the room, buttoning up his navy dress-shirt. "Hermione, have you seen my blazer with the silver…" his voice trailed off as he looked at his son sitting next to her.

"Look, Daddy! I'm wearing makeup like Mummy!" he proudly announced.

He turned a furious glance to Hermione. "Why is my son wearing makeup?"

"He wanted to wear it, so I put some on him," she replied with a shrug.

"Zane, go wash your face," Draco said wearily. "Boys do not wear makeup."

"Okey dokey," Zane complied, jumping off the seat and scurrying to the bathroom, his giggles following him like a shadow. "My face is itchy!"

"That's just what I need, Hermione," he sighed once the boy left the room, "my son to experiment in drag; it would make my life so much easier. Why don't you let him try on your dress, too?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and couldn't help but laugh. "Your son is very confident in his gender role. Would you love him any less if he did decide to become a drag queen?"

"Don't ask me that," he replied with a scowl. "That's not a fair question. You know my father raised me with certain standards and God only knows what I would do if my son came up to me claiming that he wanted to be a girl…"

"We could call him Zana," she said teasingly, but stopped laughing when Draco glared at her. "Grow up, Draco. Zane is a typical curious boy who is going to be breaking many female hearts when he's older."

He shook his head in irritation and walked into the closet to grab his dress shoes. "Are you ready to get going?" he called from the closet.

"Yes. Did I tell you that your mother invited Donny to the party?" she called back to him.

He walked back into the room and placed his wand in the holster under his arm. "Really? Well, then this party should be a lot more entertaining than usual. I'd like to see how she interacts with the old hags who usually attend these things."

"She told me she recently joined a book club," Hermione told him as he helped her with her cloak. "They mostly read erotic fiction, so I'm sure she'll have plenty to talk about with these ladies."

They exchanged grins and together got Zane dressed and packed for his sleepover at Wolf's house.

"Hermione, dear! You're looking as lovely as ever," Narcissa greeted her son's wife warmly, kissing her cheeks and hugging her tight. "That green is simply beautiful on you."

"You flatter me beyond words, Narcissa," Hermione laughed. "But I can't even measure up to the hostess. You look younger every time I see you."

"Oh, stop," Narcissa replied with a chuckle. "I see you let Draco dress himself today. Darling, you're not supposed to wear navy to a spring party. Pastel colors are more proper."

Draco rolled his eyes as he bent his head to kiss his mother's cheek. "Tell that to your husband who is decked out in the cheeriest color of black."

Narcissa nodded with a roll of her own eyes. "He is so damned stubborn. He nearly fainted when I told him he should match his outfit with my new dress."

Hermione and Draco inwardly winced at the image of Lucius in light-pink robes. That definitely would have made the party a success.

"Now, come along, Hermione, I want to introduce you to my friends. Donatella is already out in the garden regaling them with her fun little stories," Narcissa mentioned, looping her arm through Hermione's and walking towards the garden doors.

Draco heaved a sigh and followed the two women out to the garden decorated in pinks, light blues, pastel greens, and white. He bit back a curse as he remembered how he used to loathe these things as a child.

Narcissa was having a grand time, showing off her daughter-in-law to all the stuffy, pretentious women at the party. Hermione's wit and charm impressed Draco as she managed to make even the stiffest old crones burst into giggles.

He lounged in one of the wicker chairs near the back of the garden and watched his wife make the rounds with his mother. His eyes raked over Hermione's slender figure in the sleek dress Donny had helped pick out. Her hair was barely maintained in the French twist she quickly put together that morning. Pins and clips held in all the frizzy curls, yet some renegade strands had managed to escape their confines and frame her face softly.

Gritting his teeth, his gaze wandered down her body, pausing at her chest and hips. She wasn't overly-endowed in the chest area, but what she lacked upstairs, she made up for in the gracious curve of her buttocks. The way she stood, her back straight and her chin lifted, exuded feminine confidence and regal care…

"It's as if you two are still newlyweds," Donny said lightly, sitting down next to him in a matching wicker chair. "I swear she's going to catch on fire with that look you're giving her."

"And a hello to you, too, Donny," Draco muttered. "Enjoying the party?"

"Definitely," she laughed. "I just had the most interesting conversation with one of your mother's friends. She didn't know the difference between erotic fiction and romantic fiction, so I told her. Poor lady, I don't think she's regained consciousness."

He laughed with a shake of his head. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."

She shrugged and took a sip of the champagne in her hand. "I didn't think your father had so many young friends… why are all those young blokes here?" she asked, pointing to one side of the garden where men around Draco's age stood.

"Those are the sons of my parents' guests. I claim a strong hatred for them," he explained.

"Why?"

"They went to Durmstrang and I went to Hogwarts," he explained.

"Riiight," she replied. "You hate them because they went to a different school?"

"I hate them because they mocked me for not going to Durmstrang. I led a very prideful childhood, so once they bruised my ego, I resented them."

"Well, that makes me feel better for turning one of them down. He actually used a pickup line… I nearly vomited on his shoes," she said.

"I wish you had," he said softly, narrowing his eyes at the group of idiots he avoided at every Spring Soiree. "Which one hit on you?"

"The one wearing the dark grey suit. Tall, dark and evil-looking," she said and pointed to the group.

"Ah, Victor Reid, the most annoying one of all," he said. "His ego is even bigger than mine if you can believe it. I've always wanted to bring him down a peg or two, maybe punch him in that smug face of his."

"If it makes you feel any better, I told him that he uses too much cologne and the smell makes my eyes water," she said with a small laugh. "Had I known you hated him so much, I would have used my more colorful vocabulary."

"Have I told you how much I look forward to the day you start teaching my son?" he teased her. "I mean, he's not going to get a better street education from anyone else…"

She punched him on the arm and left him laughing to himself, a usual encounter between the two of them.

Hermione turned when she felt the warm hand on her shoulder, expecting Draco to be behind her as she stood admiring the professionally sculpted hedges. Instead, a man she didn't know stood behind her, a rakish smile on his attractive face. "Mrs. Malfoy?"

"Yes?" she replied, taking in his expensive suit and perfectly coiffed hair. He was darkly handsome and very much intimidating.

"I just had to come over and introduce myself," he said in a hushed voice. "I am Victor Reid, one of your husband's oldest friends. He's a right rogue for not introducing me to his beautiful new wife."

Hermione gave him a polite smile. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Reid. Draco has never mentioned you, I'm afraid."

"Like I said, he's a complete rogue," Victor said with a husky laugh. "Could you do me a favor?"

Absolutely not, you strange, creepy man… "What is it?" she asked instead.

"I was wondering if you would mind giving me a tour of the Malfoy family library. Lady Narcissa was telling me that you have an expansive knowledge in literature and I've always been fascinated by the collection that the Malfoys boast."

"In all actuality, Mr. Reid, I've only been in the library a few times. I don't think I'd be the right person to give you a tour," she said kindly.

"Oh, but it would please me greatly," he said, giving her a charming smile. "I see my old friend is occupied at the moment and I saw this as an opportunity to get to meet the new Mrs. Malfoy."

Hermione looked over to where Draco stood speaking to his father and a few other gentlemen. He smiled devastatingly at some quip someone made and Hermione felt her own lips curve into a smile and her heart give an odd beat as his gaze met hers across the garden. He gave her a wink and went back to pretending to laugh at some lame joke.

"Very well, Mr. Reid. I'll show you the library," she conceded, seeing no harm in showing the man the collection of books. "If you'll follow me?"

She walked back into the manor with Victor following her. Making their way to the vast library on the second floor, Hermione suddenly felt a prick of wariness in being alone with this stranger. She looked over her shoulder and found him staring at her backside.

Damn me! What have I gotten myself into?

"The earliest record indicates that Ranulf Malfoy, the second Lord of the Malfoy manor, was the one to start the library in the sixteenth century," she said calmly as they walked into the quiet, large room.

"How interesting," Victor murmured. "Tell me, lass, how do you know all of this information?"

"When I married Draco, I read some books on the Malfoy history. It's actually quite fascinating and I was surprised to find myself enthralled with the story behind one of the most powerful Pureblood families in the Wizarding world. I'm also surprised to find that you would want to tour the library when you claim you are one of Draco's oldest friends. Why are you really here?"

He smiled at her and took a step forward. "You are too smart for your own good, my sweet."

"I am not your sweet," she said sternly. "I am finished here. You can show yourself out." She took a step towards the door and gasped when her arm was gripped in his steel-grasp. "Please, unhand me, Mr. Reid."

"Now, why would I go and do that?" he asked, dragging her to the farthest corner of the library… the corner farthest from the door and her only exit. He clamped his hand over her mouth and pulled out his wand, casting a silencing spell on her, his smile still bright and devilish as his eyes raked over her struggling form. "Be a good girl and stop resisting. I know you'll enjoy this as much as I will."

Her ire and fury at him were equal to the anger she felt at herself for being stupid enough to fall for his ploy. She tried kicking him as he held her wrists tightly, but he wedged a knee between her legs to stop her.

Her heart beat rapidly and she willed her brain to think of a quick escape. Victor clasped both her wrists behind her back using only one of his hands while the other hand caressed her cheek. "So pretty, my sweet. That fool, Malfoy, does not deserve you."

I'm going to rip you to shreds the minute I can find a way to get out of your damn grasp!

"I see the way your eyes burn, searing into me… I like passion in a woman," he chuckled, bending his head to caress her neck.

Heavens above, did he take a swim in his fucking cologne? Hermione nearly gagged as his scent enveloped her and she still struggled to get out of his unceasing grasp. She gave an inaudible scream as she felt his hand cup her breast roughly. This was it… she was going to be raped… in her husband's childhood home, no less.

When she heard a tear in the fabric of her dress, it seemed as if her heart had stopped it was beating so hard. Victor's knee, wedged between her thighs, pushed up against her, making her wince at the violent contact. As his hand made contact with her bare chest, his grip on her wrists loosened slightly and she finally managed to bring one hand out. She reached for her wand, tucked in its holster around her thigh, but he immediately grabbed her hand and twisted it painfully.

She gave a soundless cry at the pain and turned to glare at him as he gazed back at her with unadulterated, crazed lust. He bent his head and kissed her harshly, his tongue plundering her mouth, despite her efforts to keep her teeth clenched tight.

A wave of nausea clenched her gut and she felt tears burn the back of her eyelids…

Suddenly, his mouth was ripped away from hers and she was free of his grasp. Startled, she opened her eyes to find Victor's feet dangling inches off the floor as Draco's hand encircled his neck, gripping it in relentless fury.

"I see you've met my wife," Draco said in a calm rage as Victor's face turned red from being choked. "What's that? I can't hear you, Reid. Did you say something?"

Victor clawed at Draco's grip around his neck.

Draco let the man fall to the floor with a loud thud before picking him up by the lapels of his coat. "You enjoy preying on defenseless women?" he asked in a lethal whisper. "Did you actually think you could get away with touching my wife?"

Hermione felt her lower lip quiver as she watched the scene in front of her. Her heart still hadn't slowed down and her wrists ached from the bruising grasp they had been held in.

She watched as Draco drew his fist back and punched Victor squarely in the jaw. The groan of pain emitted from the other man seemed to elicit another punch from Draco. After four more punches, blood oozing from Victor's nose and covering Draco's fist, he let the battered man fall to the floor once more.

"If you come anywhere near her, Reid, I'm going to kill you with my bare hands. I won't even use a wand. If you talk to her, if you look at her, if you even think about her, I'm going to make you wish you had never been born," Draco said in a rough whisper before kicking the man once in the ribs.

Donny's gasp interrupted anything that would have happened next. "What the hell is going on?"

"Donny, could you please find my wife's cloak and retrieve it? I'm going to floo Mr. Reid back to where he belongs," Draco said tonelessly, picking up the invalid man from the floor.

With wide eyes and a concerned look towards Hermione, Donny did as she was told and left the library. Hermione watched as her husband dragged the bloodied gentleman to the fireplace and flooed him away to a place she couldn't hear.

Grabbing a handkerchief from the inside of his coat, Draco wiped the blood from his hand and pressed the cloth to his scraped knuckles. He gave Hermione one quick look that held an array of fury and frustration.

Donny came back into the library with Hermione's cloak and immediately rushed to her friend. "Hermione, what happened? Are you ok? Oh my goodness, your dress is torn and look at your wrists! They're red; oh, Hermione, what did he do to you?" her words came out in a rush of tears and gasps.

Hermione placed her hand on Donny's arm to calm her, shaking her head to tell her she was alright. She pointed to her throat and made a silencing motion with her fingers. Donny's eyes widened even further before she pulled out her wand and undid the silencing spell.

"I'm ok, Donny," Hermione said in a hoarse voice, adjusting to the ability of using her voice again. "Go back to the party. Don't let anyone know what has happened."

"What did happen?" she asked, helping Hermione put her cloak on.

"Nothing happened," Draco said callously from behind them, glaring daggers at Hermione. "My wife and I are going home. Tell my mother that we had to leave and if she asks why, tell her we had forgotten a previous engagement."

Donny looked between the two of them, not knowing the right thing to do. Draco looked like he was ready to murder someone and Hermione's eyes were resting on her shaking hands. "Please, Don, do as he says. I assure you, I'm fine."

With a final worried glance, Donny nodded her head and fled the library.

Alone in the library with her irate husband, Hermione shakily took a breath and managed a glance at him. He was still staring at her with no trace of a positive emotion. She flinched at his unwavering gaze and shook her head to clear it.

"Let's go," Draco finally said, grabbing her elbow and leading her to the fireplace.

They didn't say one word to each other as they finally landed in the living room of their flat. Hermione's eyes and throat burned with the sobs she had withheld and her whole body felt soiled. She wanted to take a long, long shower and then cry herself to sleep.

Before she could even take one step in the direction of the bathroom, Draco was standing in front of her, his eyes narrowed in icy ferocity and his hands grabbing her shoulders. "Just what the hell were you doing alone with him? You had no idea who he was, yet you agreed to go traipsing off with him without telling anyone where you were going!"

Hermione stared at him and opened her mouth to defend herself when he interrupted her unspoken argument. "Have you completely lost all of your sense? What on earth possessed you to even talk to him?"

"He didn't come up to me and introduce himself as a rapist, you stupid git!" she finally screamed. "He wanted a tour of the library and I…"

"A tour of the library?" Draco yelled. "Why on earth would anyone want a tour of the library? And why on earth were you dumb enough to fall for his deception? I nearly lost my mind with worry when I saw what he was doing to you!"

"Don't call me dumb!" she screeched at him, her blood boiling with pure anger and her eyes spitting fire at him. "I made a mistake… I was assaulted and you're standing there yelling at me as if it were my fault! I was so fucking scared and I couldn't even call for help and all I could think about was how stupid I was for believing the best in people… so, I don't need you tell--"

Her words were cut off as Draco's lips descended on hers in a crushing beat. She stood motionless for a limited number of seconds, her back against the wall, as she comprehended what was going on. She felt his hands cup her face in a firm grasp, his palms burning hot against her cheeks. Her heart already beating and her blood already boiling, Hermione found herself winding her arms around his neck and dragging his body closer to hers as he attacked her mouth with his lips.

Opening her mouth to him, she tasted him for the first time, feeling the velvet warmth of his tongue and his mouth, the taste of ambrosia…

Draco felt all the anger and fear and concern that had attacked his body from seeing his wife in the arms of a vicious man rush out as he feasted on her mouth. As her fingers reached up into his hair, he groaned slightly into her mouth, relishing in the feel of her nails scraping against his scalp.

They both knew it… this would be nothing sweet or gentle. He was going to take her, and he was going to take her hard.

Speaking of hard, Hermione could feel just how much this was affecting him against her waist. Dragging her mouth away from his to take a breath, she looked up into his eyes and saw the same needy emotion that she was sure emanated from her own. His look spoke volumes: there was no turning back for them.

Grabbing his face again, she brought their lips together once more and moaned as she felt his hands slide down her body, cupping her curves. He ripped his mouth away from hers and dragged his lips down her neck, nipping lightly with his teeth and kissing the marks he left behind.

She arched her back and pushed her front against him, needing to feel closer to him, to feel the body heat radiating from him. Her lungs hurt with the short pants of breath she was taking and a coil of warmth and tension was easing its way from her sensitive, tingling breasts to the apex of her thighs.

A small cry escaped her lips as Draco pulled down the strap of her dress with his teeth and gave her chest the attention it deserved. His teeth, tongue and lips spared her no mercy as he attended to her pleasure and she felt her knees go weak when his unoccupied hand gripped her thigh in a fierce grasp. A low sound came from his throat as his hand inched up her thigh to her warm womanhood. He pulled down her panties with absolute haste and with his other hand, cupped the back of her head and kissed her again, not satisfied with the small taste he had gotten before… he needed more.

His entire body was on fire, just from touching his wife, just from tasting her sweet, hot mouth, just from having her petite hands roam through his hair and down his chest. There was absolutely no damn way he was going to last after four years of abstinence…

His fingers explored aggressively between her open legs and the broken sigh she elicited was enough to drive him mad. She was burning, ready and completely compliant with his ministrations, urging him on with her tiny whimpers, her drawn out moans and her whispered calls of his name. His name… it sounded like the music of paradise coming from her ripe, swollen lips. Never had he been so eager to hear it.

"Do… you th-think … bad idea?" Hermione's breathless voice sounded as his fingers kept up their work on the lower half of her body.

He kissed her hard, finding the most sensitive part of her and attacking it with his fingers until she cried out it in blissful agony. "No," he replied. "But, then again… I don't really care."

Her limbs shaking and her knees weak, Hermione blinked her eyes open slowly. Her mind was muddled with the aftereffects of her climax and yet she still felt unfulfilled…

She brought her hand down to the button of Draco's pants and fumbled with the clasp and zipper, her hands quivering beyond reason. Once the challenge of taking off his pants, which had suddenly seemed to have the difficulty of rebuilding a rocket engine, was accomplished, Hermione felt the brazen side of her come out and she reached for him, taking him in her hand.

His breath hitched as he rested his forehead against hers and took her lips again. He swatted her hands away from stroking him, unable to take the unbearable pleasure. "Just a warning," he gasped, "I'm definitely not going to last very long once I'm inside you… it's been so long."

His words wrapped around her in a delicate caress and she nodded. He had already attended to her pleasure, knowing that he wouldn't be able to please her the way he wanted to. She brought her hands to his face and stroked the stubble against her palms. "Don't worry about it," she said. "There's always next time."

WHOA!Draco's heart nearly stopped. NEXT TIME?... Oh, the hell with it; this relationship was doomed to start with.

Dragging her dress up over her hips and to her waist, he cupped her derriere in both hands and lifted her off the floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeper.

A siren sounded in her head right as she wrapped her legs around his waist. "Draco," she breathed. "I'm not protected."

"When Pansy told me she was pregnant I got a Healer to perform a semi-permanent contraceptive charm on me… we're fine," he said quickly, diverting her attention back to the task at hand or more precisely, the task at groin.

She smiled against his lips and threw her head back once he had thrust his whole length into her with no subtlety. She felt whole and stretched and complete in some sort of sexual nirvana. He was right… he didn't last long after sheathing himself in her silky warmth and after just a few seconds she heard him groan his release and felt his back shudder under her nails.

"Sorry," he mumbled against her shoulder. "I did warn you…"

She laughed breathlessly and turned his face to hers, kissing him gently. "Don't apologize."

He kissed her neck and nodded. "What did we just do?"

"I believe we just consummated our marriage," she said quietly. "Big mistake?"

"Oh, yes, very big," he said against her neck, withdrawing himself from her and placing his hand back on her most private area.

"What are you doing?" she asked on a gasp, feeling his fingers probe her and his thumb seeking the most responsive part of her.

"My pride is already battered; I need to gain a modicum of dignity back… now just enjoy this or I'll bite you," he whispered in her ear.

"Be my guest," she said in a fractured voice, moaning when he obeyed and bit her neck and jaw softly. Another moan escaped her lips as she grasped his shoulders tighter in her hands. "Draco…"

In a shattering of lights and sensation, she climaxed against his hand for the second time and felt the breath leave her body as he captured her mouth with his, catching her when she felt like she was falling from a substantial sensual high.

Lying in separate beds that night, not having spoken to each other since their liaison against the wall in the living room, Hermione turned on her side to face Draco's bed. "You know I can't just stay quiet about this," she started. "What have we gotten ourselves into?"

She heard his sigh and heard the bed creak as he turned to face her. "This is how I see it; we have four more months together and I was thinking… I was thinking that we, uh…"

"That we turn this into a mutually satisfying relationship?" she asked, knowing exactly what he was thinking.

"Yes. We're sexually attracted to each other and I don't think it would be that bad if we helped each other out… it would be strictly physical," he said.

Hubby-dear, it's way past just physical.

"We might as well take advantage of having a willing bed partner every night," he continued, "but, if you don't want to, just say so."

"I… want to," she said quietly. "Everyone already assumes we're a real married couple, so there's no harm in divulging in our, um, more carnal pleasures."

"Carnal pleasures?" he laughed. "Yeah, ok, you can call it whatever you want."

She ignored him, but smiled in the dark. "Draco?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you still angry with me?"

She heard another sigh from him. "No. I overreacted, Hermione. I'm sorry, I was just so… so fucking furious that you were in danger at the hands of one of the men I hate the most. I never asked, but are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

Her eyes stung with the sudden onslaught of shallow tears. "My wrists are a bit sore from his hold on them… but you stopped him before he could do any more damage."

"Bastard," she heard him grumble. "I would have liked to kill him."

"Oh yes, your mother would have loved to have that happen in her library," she said, trying to lighten the macabre mood. "The gossip would be atrocious."

"You talked to those ladies today for way too long. They've corrupted you," he said with a yawn.

"You're so right; I'm one step away from being a pretentious Pureblood princess," she said dryly, eliciting a sleepy laugh from him.

The night settled around them quietly with only their thoughts to keep their minds occupied.

A physical relationship was clearly not the smartest thing they could do, but it really wouldn't hurt anyone if they occasionally had a romp in the sheets.

The only problem was that physical intimacy usually led to the emotional kind, and Hermione, being the kindhearted, compassionate soul she was, would find herself completely shattered if she allowed her heart to get more involved than it already was…

Draco, whose rational side usually triumphed over his emotional side, was completely capable of having a purely physical relationship with a woman. That wasn't the problem, though. The problem was that the woman in question was slowly climbing the barriers he had tried to put around his heart; she had already ingratiated herself into his life, into his son's life and he couldn't even imagine what it would be like when she was gone…

It would be an interesting four months.

A/N: if you want, you can review each chapter separately, or you can review them both together. Whatever is best for you. :)