Black Friday Rule

I want to believe in myself once again

So I dream of a man whose hopes never end

To kiss with a girl who's as lovely as you

I'd give ya my heart, if you gave me the truth

And for every tear that is lost from an eye

I'd dig me a well where no man could destroy

The breeze that followed the night was a cool one, chilling Vala and magnifying the stars. She sat alone outside Remus' humble home on the damp grass. The dew soaked the bottom of her robes, freezing and unpleasant, but unfelt. Her head tilted gently back, she gazed at the stars. Her knees were pulled up to her chest, and her mind was lost in a thought. Her life had been so simple before… Step through the day in a haze, unfeeling and untouched. Dressed up in flattering gowns and gorgeous jewelry… Taking each night in Saxon's bed, beside him, below him… stolen and kept in a shiny box. Each day for twelve years was the same--a never ending cycle. Saxon Malfoy was her alpha and omega.

That was different now. Now she was away from Saxon; she was back at home. She wasn't a Malfoy anymore; she was her own person again… Only it was different. She had married young; she had never really lived a life before now. Now she wasn't so sure she knew how to live. And what about Saxon? How will he carry on from this point? She had no doubt that he would learn to live a life without her, perhaps collect a new trophy wife--someone to bow and keep his every wish. But was it really that easy? Was it really that easy to forget the past twelve years and live your life anew? Could anyone really make that transition, that harsh of a change?

"Are you all right?"

Vala followed the voice and found Remus setting down off to her right.

"I brought this out for you," he said, handing her a cup of freshly brewed tea and draping a cloak across her shoulders.

"Thanks," she smiled softly, inhaling the sweet scent of the tea. She never liked the taste of tea much, but she had always found comfort in its calming fragrance.

Remus leaned back on one palm, bringing a knee up and turning his eyes to the sky. "What's on your mind?"

Vala sighed into her tea. "I know I'm doing the right thing, Remus," she began, looking at him. "But why do I feel so horrible?"

He nodded, stealing a moment for thought. "A lot's happened to you in only a few days time and that takes a lot of adjusting to… What exactly are you worried about?"

She moved the placement of her feet, holding her tea in loose hands between her knees. "I hate to say it," she admitted, avoiding Remus' gaze. "But I worry about Saxon…" She paused ruefully, her lips pursed and her eyes unfocused. "And my life," she added, tilting her head to address Remus. "And his and even Sirius'. I'm doing what's right--what's in my heart…" She sighed, her eyes dropping to the cup of tea. "But wasn't there a better way?" Staring hopelessly into her tea, her eyes eluded to bitter tears.

She found his eyes again, if only for a short moment. "Couldn't I have been more graceful? Less hurtful? Did I have to threaten my husband, nearly kill him--just to emphasize a point?" She looked down again, breaking the wolf's intense stare. "I love Sirius, Remus… I love him so much--More than I ever thought possible. And I know, I know Saxon was a horrible husband. I know he made me do things I never wanted to do, and see things I never wanted to see, feel things I never wanted to feel… I know that, Remus, I know that with every fiber of my being now…. But did he deserve that?" Her eyes drifted to his, severe curiosity ripping at her spine. "And if he did, was I the one to deliver him to it? Am I somehow justified by the cruelty of our marriage?"

Remus shifted uncomfortably under the weight of Vala's questions. "It's… hard to say, and I don't believe either of us would ever be able to answer for it." Concentrating on fixing his position, he continued, "What you did was not right. You know that… But you know, Vala, I also believe what you did may have been necessary. Saxon is a controlling and powerful individual--As a husband, I can only imagine what he expected of you. And a divorce? That's not something he would have taken casually. As for your departure… He and his father put a bounty on your head--dead or alive. Pick your poison, Vala, but I firmly believe that you wouldn't be here talking to me right now if you hadn't done what you did."

Vala stared at Remus… her brother, her uncle, her friend. All the useless titles she tried to place on him were useless, a waste of her thoughts and energy. Remus was her guardian--in every sense of the word. She loved him and she needed him, and everything he had just said soaked into her skin and filled her veins. She trusted and believed every word he had to say. She sniffled, and later would claim it was the chill. She set her tea down on her left, and reached out for Remus, hugging him around the neck and kissing his cheek.

. . . . . . . .

Somewhere in downtown Hogsmeade, a man stumbled down the cobblestones. His collar and cloaks were disheveled, the knees of his pants torn. His hands were scraped from countless falls, and his feet dragged in a dull loss for existence. He had a home… somewhere, sometime in his life. He had a beautiful girl to curl up with at the end of the day, to kiss and lie to… But all of that seemed so far away. This charming, wonderful, exciting existence seemed so lost to him. He wanted to find it, but he knew his search was in vain.

His head ached and he knew the effects of his drink should have long since worn off. His head fell back on his neck and he saw the moon, he blinked his eyes in pain, but still stared. It seemed different somehow, brighter and more frightening. It was invading his mind with torn and twisted thoughts, illustrations of pain and anxiety.

Dropping his tormented mind to the stones, he thought, I'd rather die than ever see that moon again.

. . . . . . . . .

"It's getting colder, let's get you inside."

Vala smiled softly, reflecting sweetly on the care and guidance Remus had always offered. She thought lightly on the night he and Sirius had first found her; A teenager curled up in the rubbled remains of her home. Even now, as she sat before him as a full-grown woman, a broken marriage and three miscarriages behind her. Even now, he saw the scared little girl within.

Remus was first to his feet, and she allowed him to help her. Delicately, but firmly, she took his hand and rose to stand steadily before him. Words of appreciation fell softly from her lips and both of their eyes dropped in a light embarrassment. A smile touching their lips, they clasped arms and made their way inside.

Once inside, they spotted Sirius--curled and sleeping on the couch. Remus released Vala, patting her shoulder in an assuring manner. Take care of him, he seemed to say. You know what to do. And she did...

Choices are made cautiously and abruptly. Vala had her days of abruptness, leaping to a solution and following it out almost carelessly. She also had her days of cautiousness. She had married Saxon cautiously, she had left him cautiously… She had trusted Sirius and Remus cautiously. Those days of cautiousness, those bitter realizations and sad solutions were over. Vala was sick of her slow, timid plans falling apart. She wanted to live and to fall and to die as the passionate, forward and enjoyable person she had always been.

Tonight was perfect for such a transition, such a drastic change in her life. She was ready to get up and let the past go. And maybe eventually she could talk to Saxon again. Maybe they would understand each other then, maybe he will have learned by then. She doubted it, but maybe.

That's when she let her heart guide her. As Remus left for his room, Vala found herself crouched by Sirius' side, gently guiding the stray hairs from his face. She was careful not to wake him, but still found herself gazing softly into his deep, brown eyes. Still, softer than before, she continued in her affectionate task. He shifted his face under her hand, kissing her palm and fingers. Her posture slackened, and she set her chin on her arm near the edge of the battered couch. Closing her eyes, the softest of sighs escaped her.

The urges that lived and breathed within the two of them was more apparent than ever. The essence of the other's presence forever draining their willpower. They had fought and they had stood apart, pushing the other's touch away. Neither could stand it much longer.

It was only right that Vala should make the first advancement, that she should first hold Sirius… But she couldn't. She had lost her nerve. She lifted her eyelids, the stinging in her eyes more prominent than before. How did one move on? How did one take the first step?

Sirius touched her face, gracing her cheek. He lifted his shaggy head, brought his lips closer to hers. She bent her neck forward, her nose pointing to his lips, denying his kiss. Both could feel the other's breath. "I love you," he whispered, but it sounded more like a sigh. His eyes sparkled now that he knew what to say, now that he truly knew what it meant to love someone.

Looking into those eyes, she was lost forever… And she never lost sight of them as she rose her lips to his and kissed him their very first kiss.

. . . . . . . . .

One of two entwined bodies, sheets twisted and holding her to her lover, softly awoke. Breathing in the scent of her lover's hair, she exhaled a breath of pleasure and relaxation. For once, if not momentarily, the world was set right. Everything that could go immediately wrong had disappeared, and all that existed were small worries and the consciousness of another's touch.

"I hope this moment never ends," Fae whispered into Grant's sandy hair, holding him closer and tighter than before.