A/N: First of all, I want to apologize for the super late post. The past few weeks have been a little hectic around here.

Secondly, thank you to those readers who have shown interest in my other story. I'm really excited to write more for it!

Third, holy moly. I know I left clues about what is happening next in this story… but I didn't think I was that obvious! More about that later… Enjoy your update!

Previously…..

"Draco doesn't talk about his past much, Cat, and I'll admit, I don't really know the details. It was hard enough to get him to explain that his tat was gang affiliation. But he's really turned his life around here. He's a good man. You really need to give him another chance. Even if you can't do that, at least let him explain."

She nodded slowly.

"Do you love him?" Grant asked.

"I- I don't know anymore."

Grant winced. There had to be more to this story than met the eye for her to change her tune about his best friend so quickly, but it was none of his business.

"How did you feel before he told you."

"He was the most amazing person I'd ever met," she responded without hesitation. Her response made her burst into tears again. "I thought I loved him."

"Then talk to him. He deserves at least that."

"Thank you for talking to me," Catelyn said, wiping the tears from her cheeks once again.

"You're welcome. I like you, and Draco's my best friend. I don't care what happened in his past because I see the person he is now. I hope you can see that too." Grant took Catelyn's hand and helped her to her feet. He wiped her tears away one last time and then pulled her into a hug. "Go home. Calm down. Call me if you need anything."

Grant took her phone and programed his number into it before turning to leave. He smiled to himself as he walked away when Catelyn took her phone out and began texting. He really hoped that she was texting Draco.

Chapter 14

Draco was still at work around dinner time. He had no desire to go home. No desire to get something to eat. He had sat shut off in his office all day and he didn't plan on changing that anytime soon. When his phone vibrated on his desk, he assumed it would be Grant checking in on him again. His breath caught when he realized it was Catelyn.

Catelyn: We need to talk.

Draco hesitated for a moment before answering. Usually those words would strike fear into anyone in any kind of relationship. After the silence he had received from her all weekend, however, even these words were a relief.

Draco: Sure. Ya. Whatever you want. I'm still at work. Do you want to meet here?

Catelyn: Somewhere public. Our coffee shop?

Her text broke his heart and gave him hope all that the same time. She didn't trust him enough to be alone with him, but she still saw the coffee shop where they had met as "ours".

Draco: I'll be there in fifteen minutes.

Draco hurried and gathered just the things that he would need and rushed out of his office. He caught a cab and within 15 minutes was arriving at the small shop. Already sitting at the same table where they had their first date was Catelyn. Draco could tell she looked on edge. Scared even. When he sat down he made sure to distance himself from her as much as possible.

"You told Grant you were in a gang?"

Those were the first words out of her mouth. They weren't angry. The question was just that, a question, although Draco could hear weariness in Catelyn's voice when she asked it. It quavered as if she were exhausted, and he could tell her eyes were red from crying.

"Is that what you were going to tell me?"

"No," Draco answered carefully. "I was going to tell you the truth. I wanted you to know everything. I expected you to not believe me and call me crazy. Instead- Cat, how do you know?"

Catelyn took a deep breath and picked at the coffee cup sitting in front of her nervously. She stared at the label the entire time she spoke. She didn't look up at Draco once.

"My father was a wizard," she began. "He was from a pure blood family. Very old school. He met my mother, a muggle vacationing through Europe, and fell in love. Nine months later I was born."

Draco couldn't believe what he was hearing. All this time, he had been so frightened to tell her the truth because he knew she wouldn't believe him and she had been part of his world all along.

"But why are you living here?" He asked. "Why do you live like a-"

"Muggle?" Catelyn finished for him. "Because much to my father's family's displeasure, I never showed any magical abilities. I took after my mother instead of my father. His family was livid of course. Not only had he shamed them by breaking the pureblood line, but he had me. The only people who seemed to understand and support him was his sister and her husband."

Draco's head spun. "So- you're a squib?"

"I prefer wizard-born," Catelyn replied with a sad smile. "My parents accepted what I was. They loved me anyways. They put me in the best muggle schools and music programs. My father always said my gift with music was the small remnants of magic inside of me."

"That's how you knew-"

"My father's side of the family had been supporters of the Dark Lord during his first rise to power," she explained. "He was raised to believe that it was right. After he met my mother and had me, he distanced himself from all of his family except his sister. When I was fourteen, rumors spread that the Dark Lord had returned. Not many people in the general public believed it, but with my father's family connections he knew it was true. My parents sent me to live with my mother's sister in the United States. Dad wanted my mom to go too, but she refused to leave him."

Draco started to piece two and two together as she spoke.

"You're parents, you said they died unexpectedly?"

Tears sprang to her eyes then and her next words were little more than a whisper.

"They were murdered near the end of the war-"

"By Death Eaters," Draco finished for her.

She nodded her head and looked up at Draco timidly.

"They were targets because of their marriage?"

"Not exactly," Catelyn said. She reached towards the locket that hung from her neck and opened it carefully. Inside was an enchanted photo of a family of three, smiling and waving up at Draco. Although it was taken many years ago, the small girl in the picture was unmistakably Catelyn. Her black hair tumbled around her shoulders. Beside her, stood two people that Draco would only assume were her parents. It was the mark on her father's left forearm that caught his attention, though.

"Your father was a Death Eater," Draco said. It wasn't a question. It was a confused statement. He looked back up at Catelyn as she stared down at the picture with nothing but love and longing in her eyes.

"He joined before he met my mother. It was almost a family obligation. After he met her and had me, things changed. His life no longer centered around his family's expectations of him, but instead the safety of his new family. Not long afterward, the Dark Lord was defeated and my father was able to prove his shifted allegiance. Most of my father's family hated him after that, but he didn't care. He had us. We were happy. It was so hard for him to send me to live with my aunt when things started up again, but he wanted me to be safe. If he hadn't, they would have-"

Catelyn couldn't finish her sentence, but Draco didn't need her to for him to understand. She would have been killed as well. It made him sick to think that while this was happening, he was one of them.

Draco reached across the table and took Catelyn's hand in his. To his surprise she didn't move away.

"I'm not like them," Draco said, trying to communicate his sincerity in those words alone. "Not anymore. I told you the truth when I said I that I was running from bad decisions I made. It was a family obligation for me as well, but I can't place all the blame on my father. I did things that I have had to pay for, but I'm honestly trying everyday to be someone better. It's why I came here."

"I know. I'm sorry I left the other night. I lived in fear for years that someone would be sent to find me and come to finish off what they started with my parents. When I saw the- your arm- I just got scared and assumed that's what was happening."

"You don't have to explain or apologize," Draco said. Despite the shocking turn of events, Draco felt complete relief that everything was out in the open. It was an amazing feeling to be honest with this girl and it felt even better that she could completely understand him, something he never imagined possible.

"No. I could have at least texted you back. I was so scared everything we had done had been some kind of ruse to get close to me so that you could hurt me, but at the same time I was a wreck without you. I'm so glad that Grant stopped to talk to me today."

Draco's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. It was then that he remembered their conversation had started out with a question about his best friend.

"Grant talked to you today?"

Catelyn looked down, embarrassed.

"Ya he came to the restaurant and made up some story to get me out of work. He made me realize that maybe I was being a bit ridiculous. I hadn't even given you time to explain," she said. "You know, he really is a great friend. I honestly think that the whole sarcastic ass side of him is just an act."

"I don't know. He can be an asshole," Draco laughed. "But I guess I'll have to thank him for this one."

Catelyn smiled across the table and Draco knew that despite the rocky weekend that they had and the unknown places this might take their relationship, things were headed back into the right direction.

A/N: Well… I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations! Like I said, a lot of people saw it coming. Some of the reviewers who were on to something were marvinlovestacos, LeeForShort, molletta.2012, and tomwilliams1990. Schleifchen was spot on, so congrats for being awesome!

Also…. suggestion time! As the story progresses, I am going to need some filler chapters to work up to the main climax of the story. What would you like to see happen between Catelyn and Draco. Nothing too story altering as I have the climax and resolution planned already, but give me some ideas of where you would like to see their relationship go. I would love to explore different situations as the story progresses so let me know! Your opinion matters to me :)

Happy Reading!