NOTES:

            Sorry for not updating in a while. Have been possessed by rpg-ing of a mad sort and moreover, really, really needed a fandom break, for a multitude of reasons that I will not go into right here. But… yes. Here is chapter five.

DISCLAIMER:

            As always, disclaimers apply. I am in no humor to come up with a witty disclaimer right now. Who reads these things, anyway?

DEDICATION:

            A shout-out to all my SOBettes, who rule, and especially to Kate, who turns 17 in 9 days! Happy birthday, darling!

~*~ War Wounds ~*~

            She was warm. She was safe… she loved this… wherever she was. Fallon felt the sunlight hitting her closed eyes, but this was so comfortable, she didn't want to wake up. She had not slept so well for days…

            Wherever she was, it was awfully comfortable… a feeling of being safe, somehow. Her head was leaning against something warm but firm… and her body wrapped in a blanket and strong arms…… arms?!

            At this realization, her dark eyes snapped open, wide and shocked. Whoever was holding her must have felt her stiffen, and what felt suspiciously like a kiss brushed lightly upon the top of her head. A familiar, husky voice whispered into her hair.

            "Good morning, sleeping beauty."

            Fallon recoiled as if burnt, her eyes huge, her face going pale and red by turns. Slowly, almost fearfully, she lifted her gaze to his face.

            Damn him.

            Just… damn him!

            He looked almost boyish, a drowsy expression on his face, dark hair sleep-tousled on the pillow, a hint of an impertinent glint in his eyes. Slowly, the corners of his lips quirked up in a slight grin, as he idly fingered a long lock of her hair.

            "What… the devil… am I doing in your bed?" Fallon managed to weakly choke out at last. He smirked at that.

            "Why Fallon, sweet, I'm hurt… you don't remember what happened last night…" he purred, "The passionate, intoxicating love we made… three times in a row…"

            Fallon sprang out of the bed, eyes blazing, "You… you shut up! We did nothing of the sort!"

            He gave an exaggerated, dramatic sigh at that, "Yes… sadly. You're right."

            Fallon muttered choice words under her breath, the only audible ones being 'git', 'incorrigible', 'lecherous', and 'sodding', as she hastily smoothed down her clothing and almost savagely hit her hair with a de-tangling spell before starting to pin it into her usual, functional bun. "I've half a mind to strangle you with my bare hands," she informed Warrington between clenched teeth.

            He chuckled slightly, "Relax… you fell asleep in that chair," he pointed to the chair that still sat by the bedside. "It grew cold in the middle of the night, and I awoke. You were shivering. I pulled you into bed… and it was good for the both of us."

            "I…" Fallon gave a half-shaky, half-exasperated sigh, and whirled out of the tent, her hair still half-done.

            Cassius Warrington watched her go, an amused expression on his handsome face. He glanced down at the pillow, and his smirk widened. Lazily reaching out a hand, he picked it up… a single, long strand of her hair.

*          *          *

            While Fallon was in a tizzy and a fury at her irritating patient, Ravyn De Borgia was quite coolly having a posh light luncheon with Draco Malfoy in one of the priciest, most exclusive establishments of Hogsmeade.

            Dressed in elegant forest green damask, a delicate, filigreed silver serpent bracelet as her only jewelry, she sat at the table with the air of a queen as the waiter brought over their entrees. Picking up her glass of sparkling pumpkin juice, she toasted her companion. "All the best, Mr. Malfoy."

            Draco clinked his glass to hers, then smirked at her as she took a dainty sip. "Do call me Draco… and thank you for the toast." Taking a swig himself, he dug into his lemon-seared salmon with his fork. "I forget… what is it that you do for a living?"

            "You didn't forget, I never told you," Ravyn smirked. "And I don't do anything 'for a living'… I work… just because. And in answer to your question, I'm an Auror."

            The blond man's eyebrows shot up. "You… an… Auror?"

            "Yes," Ravyn answered unperturbedly, "Is that so hard to believe?" she quirked a somewhat challenging eyebrow at him. He blinked, then gave her a typical Slytherin grin.

            "Well… you must admit… the last Auror I met… was Mad-Eye Moody, in my 4th year," he scowled at the memories associated with that personage. "And you are not anything like him."

            "Oh, let me assure you, although I won't bounce you about the hallways as a ferret, I've undergone the same sort of training," Ravyn smirked, before softening her voice to a seductive purr, "But don't let that distress you… I don't scratch or bite… unless you want me to."

            The innuendo was not lost upon the blond man, and he burst out laughing. "You're certainly something else, Ravyn De Borgia."

            "For your sake, I'll take that as a compliment," she replied. He nodded, his eyes guarded but with a look of interest and respect.

            "Please do."

*          *          *

            In the afternoon, a troupe of trained mediwizards arrived at the Healer's camp to take away the Muggle patients.

            Fallon quickly went to greet them, giving the mediwizards a run-down of the patients' conditions, the information that they might have divulged, and other notable information. With the amount of patients that had to be moved out, accounted for, and discussed, the process was a long one… but she didn't mind.

            It gave her a respite from her mutinous head… which was focused on that mortifying and yet… oddly… compelling experience that morning. She didn't know what to think… and she couldn't help but think of it all day! Almost kind one moment… and then completely maddening the next! And… something about the… the allure of it all… caused her to instinctively raise her guard.

            As Fallon was recounting and chronicling the indications of the various patients, one after another, Cassius Warrington had been left to his own devices.

            Stretching, he pulled himself into a sitting position, then got out of the bed.

            After a long period of illness, he felt rather queasy at first… but after a few moments, he found that he could walk and move almost as well as before.

            Of course, all due to Fallon's care.

            She was one of them. She was friends with a bloody Auror. For all he knew… she could turn him in… or, more importantly, she could turn Demetrius Avery in… the uncle that had been almost like a father to him.

            Who was more important… a family member… someone who had given him innumerable things and care… or this slip of a girl… fascinating and lovely though she was… whom he barely knew… who could bring him and his family complete ruin?

            Her water glass, half-filled, sat on a table in the room. Where she would eat a lot of the time. And… on a shelf, close by, there were vials of different potions, neatly arranged in alphabetical order, each with a label.

            His eyes were riveted to one that bore the label of  "Digitalis".

            A healing agent… for people whose hearts were weak due to injuries or illnesses.

            And a poison to anyone else.

            He was certainly no potions whiz… but he was not completely clueless.

            Had Demetrius been there, he certainly would have told Cassius to upend that vial into Fallon's glass.

            No danger.

            But… something stayed his hand. Kill Fallon? She… didn't know anything about him, yet. She also… saved his life. He was sure of it. She…

            He would wait. She saved his life, after all. He couldn't kill her… it would be rather shoddy. And besides… she was the only interesting thing here. And he… well, he was sure that if she were ever to be a danger to him, he would know. He would be able to stop it before it even started.

            He thought.

~*~ End Chapter Five ~*~

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