When the Butterflies Fly Home

"Is this okay?" he asked her gently, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, "I promise I won't try anything." he teased, his green eye lighting up with mischievous light.

"It's fine…" she said shakily.

"You're nervous." He noted perceptively. "I can understand why but do you mind telling me?"

His gentle voice had the cadence of the ocean as it lapped the shores of sand. His voice reminded her of a sultry moon lit night, where the cicadas hummed and the moon hung low and heavy … pregnant and still.

She wanted to so badly tell him but she instead turned to him with a faint smile and said, "Bringing up the past won't do us any good, let it remain where it is. There is no use in rousing old, bitter ghosts. I prefer my time with you untainted."

He reluctantly agreed.

…

"Why me Teo? You could have any beautiful woman you wanted, without the scars. So why me?" she asked him one day.

"Why not you sweet-thing?" he scoffed in his husky voice, "What is the point of beauty that is only skin deep? You are beautiful inside out, sweet and forgiving. You make me feel painfully inadequate. Plus your eyes…" he said mischievously, his eyes dancing with wicked light, "Did I ever tell you I have a thing for hazel eyes."

….

"Do you think we could get married one day?" she said, one hand resting against his heart, "Without the master, slave stigma?"

"Oh I plan on marrying you." Teo told her, "And may Jupiter be with the idiot who tries to stop me."

She giggled gently, "What about the trail of broken hearts you'll leave behind." She teased.

"Oh they'll recover." He replied airily, "They'll have to." He smiled empathetically, his eyes going over every contour of her beloved face.

"Till then we'll have to keep it secret won't we?" She said sadly.

…..

"Why don't you kiss me?" Noor asked him one day unexpectedly.

Teo smiled at her tenderly, "Because I'm waiting for you to do that, I didn't want to scare you away."

"You want… me…to…kiss…you." She stammered.

"Yes." He grinned, "Why, are you scared?"

"NO!" she said indignantly, "It's just that I don't know how… my husband he was one who always…" she trailed of.

Teo gritted his teeth, "That's why I want you to make the first move my love." He said gently.

Noor hesitantly placed her hands on his broad shoulders, pulling him down to her height. She closed her eyes and tentatively brushed her lips against his.

It was like he lost control; gently he gripped her waist and pulled her closer to him, parting her soft lips with mastery that came only with experience. "Soft darling…" he berated gently as he felt her clumsy, inexperienced kisses, "Soft how only you can be."

Noor was sinking into the most exquisite sensation she had ever felt, her surrounding were forgotten, her past… erased, her future… of no relevance. It was like time stood still for them, as it often did for new-lovers just discovering the intimacy they could give each other.

Hesitantly Teo lifted his head and gave her a dazzling smile.

"I think I'm in love with you." He whispered.

"I think I'm in love with you too." She replied with a smile of her own.

….

She was sinking…. Further and further into the abyss. She tried to claw her way out but the darkness was too strong for her to fight it off anymore and that's how they found her the next morning.

Her body lay prone in a lake of blood and her blue lips were pulled into a grimace, she hated God, she finally had her happiness and she was being taken away again. She and Teo were planning to leave Rome before the revolution broke out, planning to go far away and get married. They had been together since the night at Lady Luna's house… in secret.

She knew her time was coming, closer and closer it was like death stood there to greet her but he wasn't the dark monster she had always thought death would be. He was kind, with wide brown eyes and ebony hair… handsome and gentle. She knew he would lead her away and she was tempted beyond belief to let go and follow him but instead a single laughing green eye and a face to dearly familiar came to her mind. A face she loved more than anything in the world, she had never told him.

"Tell…him…I'm…sorry." She rasped, barely able to keep her eyes open, "So…so…sorry."

…

"Hermione…" came a soft voice from behind her.

Hermione turned and gave him a taunting smile, "What?! You're speaking to me now?"

His expression was one of deep pain, "Hermione I have something to tell you… there is no easy way of saying this. In fact I can't even… process it right now." He said in an agonized voice, dropping his face into his hands, choking on his words.

"What…? What is it Draconis…?" she whispered, "Tell me…?"

"Noor…" he whispered, and before he could continue she screamed.

"NO! You liar! You filthy, filthy liar!" she screamed reading the expression on his face, rushing towards him like a mad woman, "NO!"

"I'm sorry but there was not much we could do!" he said, looking away so that the tears shimmering in his eyes were out of her view.

"NO!" she shrieked, her hysterical cries echoing off the walls of the room as she sobbed in anger, "Don't lie to me." She yelled angrily, "LET ME OUT OF HERE!" she screamed running past him and pounding and scratching on the door.

"I can't I'm so sorry…" he said retreating, leaving her sobbing… crumpled on the floor as she helplessly pounded the ground with her fists.

"At least tell me what happened." She said in an accusing tone, "If you won't let me see her."

"She was murdered; she was alive the whole night before anyone found her. It took her hours to bleed out. Her head was smashed into the wall, again and again until she had a sizeable wound and couldn't move." He told her somberly.

"Get out…" she said harshly, "Just…please go."

….

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