Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Rescue
Author's note: I must extend an enormous 'thank you' to my Beta reader and dearest friend and hetero-life-mate, Grunnarc the Loaf, without whom I couldn't find my glasses, would never have a clean kitchen, would never make it to work, would never pay the bills, couldn't have survived this week, and certainly could not have written this chapter! Thanks, Loaf. You are the whipped cream on the strawberries of my life.
Rose studied the bottle of laced wine, carefully weighing the risk of being caught drugging Lucius against the opportunity to see Severus tonight instead of tomorrow. On the one hand, the invitation to visit Sev was all she'd thought about as she had scrubbed the courtyard fountains, cleaned the library, and cooked. On the other, the first thing Lucius had done after he and his son were served was to cast a spell of detection over the food and drink to ensure that Rose hadn't attempted to poison them in revenge for being held captive.
Even after she informed him humbly that she neither harbored a desire to harm them nor had a death wish of her own, he had lain his wand on the table within easy reach as a reminder that he could check again at any time. The persistent picture of Severus in her mind, however, quickly overrode her better judgment and she crossed into the dining room with the new bottle.
Three hours later, she peeked into Lucius Malfoy's room to assure herself that he was indeed asleep. As much as he suspected her right now, it would never do to be caught sneaking out of the Manor. True, she could visit Sev with no consequences tomorrow morning, but the more she thought about it, the further away that seemed, and when it came to him, she lacked the patience to just wait quietly. Besides, Lucius might have decided that Rose could make up for her insolence in his bed, and he played roughly enough to compromise her rendezvous altogether.
The slow smile that was spreading across her face at the memory of Lucius at play was cut short by an all-too-familiar warmth at her wrist. She looked down in surprise, then rolled her eyes in irritation.
Damn.
Draco.
She mentally kicked herself as the door slid closed. Of course it was Draco. He'd been harassing her all week about going back to the Cauldron tonight, and she'd completely forgotten. Until now, the anticipation of taking him out again had been wonderful but damn it all, for once she had plans! Suddenly embarrassed at her own selfishness, she shook the self-pity from her mind. Really. She was acting just like Lucius, putting her personal life before Draco's feelings. Had she not sworn that she would stay here to take care of him until he went back to school? Of course, that time had been extended indefinitely, but she could worry about that later. Touching the bracelet lightly, she felt the familiar tug, and forced a smile.
"Hi, Drac," she greeted cheerfully.
"You're not ready?" Draco was very ready to go, sporting an outfit very much like the one she'd bought for him, but in Slytherin green and black with a spiked collar and masterfully tousled hair.
"Drac, I completely forgot." As his face fell, she hurriedly added, "That's easily remedied, though. Just give me a few."
His face lit up again as he shoved her playfully toward the door. "Hurry up!"
"Alright, alright!" The door hadn't fully closed before the disappointment settled in, but even with the weight of her lost opportunity weighing heavily on her shoulders, she made her way to her room with great haste. Once there, she shuffled off her clothes, popped a short green dress over her head and slid into her boots. She was back in his room in record time.
Draco opened the door before she could even knock and his eyes widened at the sight of her. "How do you do that?" he asked.
Rose was baffled. "Do what?"
He circled her appreciatively. "How do you leave the room looking like a maid and come back in five minutes looking like... this?" His eyes raked her figure far too closely to the way his father's did, and she decided that a quick change of subject was prudent.
"It's a woman's gift, I guess. You look great, too. Where'd you get the gear?"
"I'm not without my resources," he hedged, a wicked smile gracing his handsome features.
Rose nodded her approval. "Well, what do you know? We have something in common."
"Oh, I'm sure that's not the only thing," he answered quietly, suddenly too serious and too close for comfort. Alarms began pealing in her head as his eyes wandered of their own accord from her mouth to her eyes then back again. She immediately turned on her heel.
"Come on," she whispered cheerfully. "We're going to be late."
When they left the gate, she hesitated, suddenly unsure of how to apparate them both without sending the wrong signals to her young ward. She needn't have worried. Draco wasted no time in wrapping his arms around her tightly in an embrace which was a bit more than friendly. Wanting to stop him before she was forced to hurt him, she calmed her nerves and concentrated on their destination.
The club was much, much more crowded than it had been, word of its particular charm having apparently reached the ears of the wizarding community. Unfortunately, the crowd had also become a lot more raucous. Rose had barely stepped away from Draco when she was jostled roughly from behind. Her polite, "excuse me," was answered by a brusque "watch where you're going." She turned to hurl an insult, but stopped when she was faced with a man taller than Lucius and hugely muscled. He glared down at her, greasy red hair obscuring his eyes as he flexed revoltingly, and the sharp retort was tamped down by her good sense.
Unfortunately, her young companion didn't have her prudence. "Someone needs a lesson in manners," Draco shot at her assailant from behind her left shoulder.
"An' I suppose yer goin' ta teach me, is that it?" the man growled back.
"Do you have any idea who I am?" Rose glanced down to see that Draco had drawn his wand as he spoke. The enormous wizard took a step forward and she slid deftly between them, her mind working furiously to spare Draco's pride without getting them both in trouble.
"I'm sure if he did he wouldn't dream of speaking to you that way, Baby." Rose wrapped her arms around Draco's waist and nuzzled his ear. "Why don't you let this one keep his wand arm, and buy me a drink instead?" He hesitated, seeming torn between her unusually sensual behavior and his need to save face with the barbaric man who was looking on with a mixture of fascination and disgust. She kissed his neck teasingly, running her hands along his chest and smiled sweetly up at their aggressor. "Could you excuse us, please?" she asked unnecessarily as she steered Draco off to the bar.
Rose pulled him close with her arm around his waist and whispered in his ear, her voice having lost all its sultriness. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Apparently turning on my date," he drawled pulling her even closer.
"More like 'pissing off the maid,'" she retorted, not quite angrily. "Are you trying to get us both killed?"
"Hey, I'm not the one who's stepping on toes." He grinned irresistibly. "So, I hear there are rooms upstairs."
Rose leveled him with a look, hoping to spare his pride with humor. "Yes, Drac. I brought you here tonight so we could get off together in some sleazy rent-by-the-hour bedroom. Why don't you go find one of your adoring fans from last week? They seemed more than ready to take you up on an offer of dubious nature."
"Still holding out for my father, eh?" he joked.
She froze when she should have turned away, should have joked back, but her face betrayed the truth before she could do either. Draco's eyes narrowed. "You can't be serious?" She opened her mouth to respond, but he cut her off. "I don't bloody believe it!"
"Draco, it's a long story, but trust me, I..."
"You what?" he snapped. "Held out long enough to be considered more than just another whore? Don't kid yourself." His face had transformed itself into a mask of loathing, and her anger rose to meet it. "Now you'll never be anything else to him... or to me."
She considered stopping him as he stalked away from the bar, then realized that she just didn't care enough to do so. What was it with the men here? Unreasonable, controlling balls of angst, even the little ones! Cursing all three of them, she turned back to the bar and ordered a red currant rum. As the bartender turned away, a sharp pain stabbed her chest and she fought back the tears that had become all too familiar lately. "Pardon me, sir," she called to the bartender. "Could you make it a double, please?"
Several hours later, Rose was nursing a gillywater while leaning on the second story railing and unobtrusively keeping an eye on her young friend. Draco, for his part, was just throwing back his fourth glass of firewhiskey and dancing wildly with a lithe young brunette to a spiraling beat that had her head throbbing. She had no idea, even with his father's genes, how he was still moving gracefully.
What she did comprehend was just how much trouble was heading his way, threading its way through the dense crowd. Rose watched with rising panic as the sleazy-looking blonde slid up behind him and put her arms around his waist, a drink in his hand, and whispered something in his ear. Draco turned and smiled wickedly, draining the glass and sliding his hand in hers as she led him from the floor.
Rose rolled her eyes as she watched them follow the exact same path taken a moment ago by the red-headed brute he'd threatened earlier. How could Draco Malfoy, of all people, be so oblivious to such an obvious trap? No time to wonder now. Draco was no match for a well-built kitten in his current state. She slammed the bottle down on a nearby table, furious at the amount of trouble she seemed to attract. Shoving past the people crowding around the stairs, she caught sight of Draco stumbling halfway up the second flight, and redoubled her efforts to reach him. Unfortunately, the crowd seemed determined to prevent her from reaching him. They pressed in around her, causing a startling fluttering in her chest. Great, she thought, fine time for claustrophobic tendencies.
Out of patience with the woman in front of her who had been stubbornly ignoring her polite entreaties to move, she hooked a foot around her ankle and tugged. The impeding witch promptly fell forward into the man in front of her, clearing a path just wide enough for Rose to slip through as they disentangled themselves. By the time she reached the third floor, Draco was just disappearing into the last room at the end of the hall with his consort.
Shaking off the crippling fear for her friend, she slipped down the hall and put her ear to the door. The muffled curses of the young noble told her little except that he was in trouble. Fools rush in, she counseled herself, listening carefully for any indication of how many were in there. She marked two, maybe three laughs that were neither feminine nor familiar before she drew the laced dagger from her boot, unsheathed her wand, and quietly disengaged the lock.
They were completely caught off-guard when the door was kicked open. All four, the girl, the red-head and two other wizards turned in unison to gawk at the intruder. She barely even registered Draco on the floor, his arms bound tightly, before she struck out at the first wizard, a young man about Draco's age. He fell almost instantly, a wicked gash on his face, and was unconscious before he hit the floor. The second she petrified with a bellowed hex as she ducked under his wand. He fell like a stone slab onto the scrawny blonde witch, effectively removing her from the altercation, and a few seconds later, the girl disappeared with a loud crack.
The fourth, the enormous red-head himself, knocked the wand from Rose's hand. She lost the dagger when he backhanded her a moment later into the still-swinging door. "You wanna play too, girlie?" he snarled. Her head exploded in a shower of stars and her ears rang horribly but not loudly enough to block out Draco's shouted obscenities. That's good, Drac. Way to tell him where to go. She shook her head to clear it, registered with some discomfort the nearness of her assailant and swung. The punch landed just above his temple, but not solidly enough or near enough to the mark to knock him out. He blinked hard, once, and lunged for her again.
He never reached his goal, however, falling backward as Draco's feet collided squarely with the backs of his knees. He rolled out of the way just as the man's bulk hit the ground. Rose wasted no time in landing two kicks of her own, this time squarely to the temple, knocking him out cold.
The room was abruptly silent as Rose and Draco stared, each mentally assessing the other. Then the young noble's eyes narrowed. "Are you going to untie me or not?"
Rose raised an authoritative eyebrow. "How 'bout we work on that tone, your highness?"
Draco glared daggers at her, then broke into a quiet laugh. "How 'bout now?" he mocked.
As usual, his mirth was infectious, and Rose found herself laughing with him as she collected her wand and dagger and unbound his arms. "We have to get home, Drac. I can't believe no one's come to check out the noise, yet."
He shook his head as she hauled him to his feet. "They silenced the room, but you're right. We should go." He reached up tentatively, regret clouding his youthful features, and touched her face where the ugly brute had hit her. She winced even from the delicate touch and was unsurprised when his fingers came away stained with blood. His next words were subdued and a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Rose."
Not even wanting to risk going to the safe apparation point downstairs, she wrapped her arms around him, gave him a quick squeeze, and took them both home.
Once back in Draco's room, she gave him a small smile and turned to leave.
"Where did you learn to do that?" he asked quietly.
She hesitated, wondering briefly whether she should obliviate the memory of tonight from his mind. No. She'd had to do it too many times before, and it was too close to mental rape for her to be comfortable with the idea of doing it when it wasn't necessary.
She turned to face him with a small smile. "I was raised with a rough and tumble father and three older brothers." She shrugged. "You pick things up."
Draco's eyes glittered with distrust. "You could just tell me to mind my own business. I prefer that to hearing lies from someone who just risked her life to save mine."
Rose shrugged again. "Oh, I don't think they would've killed us. They were just..."
Draco looked up at her through blonde lashes. "Just say it, Rose."
She sighed. How could a family who was known for subterfuge be so obsessed with directness?
"It's none of your business, Draco... but I'll tell you, anyway." She smiled warmly, and he responded in kind.
"I'd like that," he answered.
"Okay, but I'm hungry. How about a snack?"
"A snack would be great," he said, heading past her for the door. Rose caught him as he stumbled over his own feet.
"A snack and a sobering potion, kiddo," she clarified. "And we should change. If your father wakes up, we've both had it."
He looked down and surveyed his attire with surprise. "You're right. I'll meet you in the kitchen."
"Okay." She turned on her heel and headed for the servant's wing.
When the kitchen window began to lighten with the first glow of dawn, Rose finally insisted that Draco go to bed. She had kept him enthralled all night with fabricated tales of being a runner for Mr. Tamburo, the trouble that his errands had gotten her into, and the thieves and thugs she'd had to face down when delivering items of a sensitive nature to her employer and his contacts. By the time Draco left, they were bonded once more, this time with deeper secrets than before. And, for just a little while, she basked in the glow of having manipulated his opinion of her so thoroughly.
It lasted until she delivered his breakfast tray a few hours later and saw him sleeping peacefully, then the guilt dug into her gut. One day he was bound to find out that she'd been lying to him all along, and what that knowledge would do to him she didn't even want to consider. Right now, though, the kid's feelings had to play second fiddle to her own survival. She shook her head sadly as she gazed down on his curled form and offered a silent apology for whatever the future brought them.
Rycca: Missed you! Hope you're alright!
Annie: Thank you, thank you, thank you for both of your reviews! I really appreciated your going back to 'Not For Sale' and telling me what you thought. It feels like I wrote that story a lifetime ago, and it's so nice to hear a good word about it. It makes me realize that the story isn't dead. It's wonderfully simple to pick out the hints and tips between the lines of your reviews, and that makes them much easier to digest somehow. It's almost like playing a Myst game: see how many clues you can gather from the text of Annie's review. Fun! You made an interesting point about Severus and Lucius. They are made rather simple conquests in the first story... for their own selfish reasons, but still I agree with you and I'm happy to hear that they are better developed in the second story. And, speaking of the second story, I hope that Severus continues to live up to your expectations, and I'm glad that Lucius remains "sextacular." That's a great word, by the way. Do you mind if I steal it?
Arwen 78: Hi! Good to hear from you. It's alright that you don't review every chapter. I quite understand. You're not alone in your frustration with Severus. Apparently a few of my other readers also think that this is too little, too late. Alex disagrees, but the poor girl's deeply in love. You're probably right, if Alex deigns to tell him about Lucius, he will be a very unhappy man and they'll probably wind up all angry with one another again. Why can't they just get along? You are also correct about Lucius' 'feelings' for Rose. He'd eliminate her in a heartbeat if she ever crossed him. I'm a little worried for her. Thanks for the good word.
mary: I'm glad that you're still enjoying the story. You'll be enlightened about Severus in the next chapter, so hang on.
Arabella Minerva: Ah, yes. Severus finally comes clean... or does he? We're soon to find out.
Lady Jenilyn: So, Severus finally admits his feelings for you - um - Alex. It's nice, isn't it? How... unusual for him. Lucius has indeed mentally put a collar and leash on our little Rose. At least she seems to realize that, as sexy as it is, this isn't a good thing. How she gets herself into these predicaments is beyond me! Somehow, I get the feeling that you're not totally opposed to the idea of being tied to Lucius' bed. Hmm... I can't imagine how that would appeal to anyone. (Sigh) Yeah, Severus is great, I agree. Thanks for reminding me of that in your last chapter. I hope that their upcoming conversation doesn't disappoint. As for Draco's reaction, was it not exactly what everyone was expecting? Sometimes, I hate how predictable I have to be to keep a character, well, in character. It's good to know that my writing wasn't too dreadful as my mind has been bent on survival rather than creativity. Thanks for the encouragement. Things are starting to look up for me again. I hope that you can say the same for yourself soon. I can't afford to go and see POA just yet (yeah, I'm that broke) so I can neither confirm nor deny your movie points. Soon, I promise.
Quietude: I think that Lucius hit the nail on the head: she's way too inquisitive and her curiosity is the type that kills cats. I hope that Severus is willing to even talk to her when/if she tells him what happened in the dungeon. I don't know that our little Alex is clever at all. I happen to disagree with Lucius on that point. I think she's crazy! I'd have been out of there the night after her first encounter with Lucius in 'Not For Sale,' but then I'm a major coward. It's much more fun to write about people like her. I'm babbling, aren't I? Sorry. At any rate... it's good to know that someone else out there likes the Indigo Girls. Now I just have resubmit the damned chapter to fix the quote. My Beta reader claims that he missed the typo because (get this flimsy excuse) I added it after he checked the story. Oh, yeah, like that's a plausible excuse! He's such a loser. Of course, he's also my best friend, so what does that say about me? You are who you hang with, after all.
PPP: Poor girl does seem to be rather twisted in her own mind. And Severus and Lucius don't make anything easy. You know, I sometimes want to just strangle the author of this story for tormenting this poor woman!