A/N: only own what isn't from the books

The lyrics at the beginning are from 'Here's Who I Am' by Tiffany Taylor from the Camp soundtrack

A couple of scenes in this are largely based on Baz Lutherman's version of Romeo

Juliet they'll obviously be recognised and all of it belong to the film

Well the sex scene, not particularly I stopped halfway through but oh well lol hope you all enjoy it and plz review!

Chapter Nine - A Late Night Encounter

Here in the dark
I stand before you, knowing
This is my chance to show you my heart
This is the start, this is the start.
I have so much to say and I'm hoping
That your arms are open
Don't turn away, don't you need me?
But you have to hear me.

Here's where I stand,
Here's who I am
Love me, but don't tell me who I have to be
Here's who I am,
I'm what you see.

You said I had to change and I was trying
But my heart was lying
I'm not a child any longer
I am stronger


Here's where I stand,
Here's who I am
Help me, to move on but please don't tell me how
I'm on my way, I'm moving out
In this life we've come so far
But we're only who we are


Courage of love
Will show us the way
Unlock the power
To stand up and say

Appleby was getting physically stronger from the remedies by the day as she slowly died inside but she had no will to live anymore, Dante hadn't been to see her since the night after the attack two months ago and she spent her days and nights curled up in her bed staring out of the window silently crying.

In despair her parents had turned to an old friend.

"There must be something we can do for her."

Dumbledore raised his eyes and stared over his half-moon glasses winking in the moonlight at Ginny who was pacing desperately in front of the window besides Appleby's bed, Appleby herself having retreated to the opposite side of the room to give them privacy.

"I'm afraid there isn't Ginerva; it's all up to her now if she wants to live she will."

Draco halted his wife as she passed him and rubbed the back of his hand across his tired eyes, getting to his feet and turning to Dumbledore.

"I guess it's her choice. She'll pull through; I know it she has enough to live for."

Ginny snorted and Draco turned to look down at her.

"Yes all that watching her friends die as she fights to save a world that hasn't done anything but hand her pain."

The bitter sentence rested uneasily in the air as Draco pulled Ginny towards him before moving towards the hospital doors.

"There's still one thing."

Draco and Ginny turned to look at Dumbledore whose face was grave as he watched Appleby slump down onto the window ledge at the opposite end of the hospital wing and draw her knees up to her chin.

"What's that?"

Draco felt Ginny's shoulders tense beneath his fingers and he squeezed her comfortingly as they waited for Dumbledore's answer. Unknown to them Appleby was listening, her head resting on her knees turned slightly so she could hear with both ears as she scratched absently at her bare arm beneath her white strappy top and matching tiny shorts.

"Can she kill the man she loves to save us all?"

The three of them turned to look at her as she raised her head slightly and turned to stare out at the moonlight drenched grounds with Dumbledore's voice ringing in her head; could she kill Dante? Could she take away his life if it came to it? She didn't move even when Dumbledore and her parents retreated towards the door still conversing in terse whispers.

"But, Professor... surely if he cares so much for her he'll come for her."

Dumbledore paused with the door halfway open towards him, his hand resting on the door handle as he turned to look at Ginny.

"I imagine he will."

Draco's hand crept into his wife's and she squeezed it tightly trying to draw comfort from him; they were in a situation she had only encountered once in her life where she didn't know what to do or think and it scared her.

"So shouldn't we watch and make sure she's safe?"

Dumbledore fixed his piercing gaze on Draco; the boy had changed so much since he had married Ginny. She had softened him, showed him it was okay to love and he was much better for it except in situations like these where his newfound feelings overrode his instincts.

"He won't hurt her intentionally, not until the Final Battle at least where there will be no choice."

Tears welled in Ginny's eyes as she remembered the innocence she had lost after killing another person, maybe not an entirely human person but still a living breathing person and she felt the twisting of fear in her gut for her daughter.

"So what do we do?"

Draco had never before had to worry too much about someone; his friends and his wife had always been able to care for themselves and handle any threat on their own, but Appleby had only trained in fighting techniques and duels, she had never had to fight for her life and his helpless position in the whole thing was driving him insane.

"Let him come to her..."

Dumbledore glanced back at Appleby who was still staring out of the window but the Malfoy's watched him instead, his heavily lined face was suddenly lit from inside as his mind encountered the powerful thing of a love strong enough to survive death.

"If it's all we can do we shall give them one night to spend as they wish. In the end, a lot of things can happen in one night, things to hold onto when life gets too hard and hope seems to have forsaken us entirely."

His face was clouded for a second and Ginny was sure she could see the sadness drawn from a loss deep inside his eyes that made her reach a hand out to grip his slightly. He glanced down at their hands briefly; squeezing hers slightly before moving away and pulling open the door enough for them to pass through. None of them noticed Appleby now huddled on her bed behind the curtains with her arms wrapped around her legs as she sobbed silently into her knees.

Hearing someone outside the curtains thrown up to give her some privacy she pulled them apart slightly and screamed into whoever's hand had clamped over her mouth. She was dragged backwards into the space encircled by the curtains by a whirl of black where she was tossed onto the crumpled bed sheets unceremoniously as the black figure performed a Silencing Charm on the curtains.

"Dante!"

She shot off the bed and into his arms seconds after he had lowered the hood of the expensive black cloak covering his shoulders and sweeping the floor. Breathing in his scent and burying her face in his chest she felt a sense of calm and belonging only he could bring to her as he stroked her bare shoulders under the thin white straps of her top. She pulled away slightly so she could see his face, his eyes softened as they always were when they were together.

"If they find you here they'll kill you."

He watched her for a moment, his face oddly cold and warm at the same time as she stared up at him with huge eyes, her bottom lip trembling ever so slightly.

"Isn't that your job?"

She stared up at him with something bordering on fear in her eyes as his hands caressed her slender white neck, so frail and easy to snap it would only take a little pressure to end it all right now. Instead he dropped his hands to her shoulders.

"Yes."

His eyes darkened until they were completely black and she swallowed nervously as his hands tightened slightly on her shoulders.

"Is that why you stayed with me?"

Shutters slammed up in her eyes and she wrenched away from him, dropping down onto the edge of the bed and swinging her legs over to the other side so she had her back to him.

"You actually believe that? Now you're just being goddamn childish." She hissed, tears welling in her eyes as she folded her arms and straightened her back away from him. She knew he'd left without even turning round and she collapsed onto the floor at the end of her bed, dissolving into tears once more as she cradled her head in her hands.

She knew it was late; everyone had already gone and the hospital wing was silent besides the heavy rhythmic breathing of the other patients. She was still slumped on the floor at the end of her bed, one arm resting on the edge of her mattress as she gazed unseeingly out of the window high up in the wall to the right of her bed.

She sensed him behind her and turned slowly, watching as he silently parted the curtains enough for him to pass through. His hood was down this time and she rose to her feet wordlessly, meeting him as he took a step forward, his hands met at her waist and hers locked around his shoulders. Their lips met exactly in time and she lost herself in the kiss, her pulse beating in the back of her mouth as he sucked gently on her tongue and bottom lip.

"Obviously you've done this before."

She blushed when he pulled away and spoke, she nodded; her entire body seemed to be alive to his touch and fire had joined the blood seeping through her veins. He crossed his arms at the small of her back and gripped the hem of her top, pulling it up over her head and capturing her lips in a kiss as it caught on her nose and she smirked. He trailed his hands over her bare back as he dropped her top on the floor and caught her lips in another kiss. No matter how often she kissed him she could always do it once more, his lips burned her with an inner fire and she could feel his need for her through his lips and fingertips.

He edged kisses down her jaw and along her neck and shoulder until she was squirming beneath his lips, then he moved down to her breasts. He teased her with his tongue and lips until she was hardly breathing and her hands were painfully knotted in his silky hair.

"Has anyone ever done that before?"

She nodded, her eyes darkened to slate-grey with lust as the scent of desire washed over him, almost releasing the demon he had kept shackled inside. He felt an explosion of jealousy at her nod and he gripped her arms savagely, only releasing his grip when she gazed down at him with huge eyes filled with innocence.

"On to new territory then."

He gave her a wicked grin and lifted her up easily, tossing her backwards onto the bed where she flailed among the pillows and sheets until she tore her head free and found him smirking down at her. Sliding a fingertip under the hem of her black lace thong he slowly edged it down her thighs, raising an eyebrow at 'Wishful Thinking' emblazoned across them in pink letters. He smoothed his hand over her soft satiny curves of her perfectly constructed body and placed his lips at the centre of her chest, slowly edging his way to her creamy thighs, their eyes remained locked the entire time as her hands gripped the sheets and her groans and squirms became louder and more vigorous.

"I'm guessing no one's done that before."

She shook her head, her cheeks were flushed, her body was coated with sweat and he was still fully dressed with the exception of his shoes and socks. Her uncharacteristic shyness had long since gone and she tore at his shirt, feeling a sudden need to feel his flesh against hers. His jeans were discarded as quickly as his shirt and he lay down besides her propped up on one elbow as he traced a hand over her body once again.

The sound of the nurse bustling about ripping open the curtains from the windows awoke Appleby and she stretched, reaching out across the pillow to find only empty crinkled sheets. The events of the night before came crashing back down on her and she sat up as quickly as the painful ache between her legs and in her heart would allow.

Her dazed eyes took a while to focus on Matt who was watching her silently from the chair next to her bed, his own eyes taking in the generous expanse of a long brown leg thrown carelessly over the top of the crisp white sheet. Lifting a hand to her head to swipe back her curtain of silver-blonde hair something glittered on her left hand and she held it up to the light.

Not moving her gaze from the sparkling object on her wedding finger Appleby answered Matt's unasked question in a dumbfounded tone as she shifted her hand slightly so it caught the light.

"Dante's signet ring."

Matt raised an eyebrow at her as she finally lowered her hand but remained staring at the ring with a totally frozen face.

"The parents won't like it, but it evidently makes you happy..."

Matt trailed off and got to his feet, kissing her temple gently and leaving the cubicle of the curtains around her bed, nodding stiffly at Dante who he knew had been hovering outside for a while now.

When Dante glided into the space her curtains made Appleby gaped up at him in even more shock than when she had first caught sight of her ring. He stared fixedly at her ring then back to her face and a smile broke out on her face as she leapt to her feet on the bed throwing herself at him until they were both tangled in the sheets in a passionate embrace.

AmericanGirl1114 – parents are there to go overboard and pay for everything its there job shrugs yeah anyway I'm not revealing if Appleby dies or not you'll just have to keep reading and find out evil laugh

little-munchkin-poo – as you can see Dumbledore reappeared just in time to give us all something riddling to think about as is his way cheers for reviewing x

Chantal J – I was watching Moulin rouge when I wrote it which is probably why it came out so much like the scene Anywho cheers for reviewing

valentines-hater - shrugs I have artistic license to do what I want with my characters :p keep reading and we'll find out if she dies or not

Alicandra Black – yeah I think there isn't much left to do in this story since it was a simple plot anyway shrugs thanks muchly for reviewing :D