(A/N) Hello, someone suggested I change this story to an R rating and so I did. I hope nobody minds, it won't get too bad anyway. Well thanks to those who reviewed and please keep reviewing. It's nice to have feedback. So anyway here's the second chapter!!!

CHAPTER TWO: I've Always Been an Introvert, Happily Bleeding

Severus Snape stood in the foyer of the Malfoy mansion looking unusually worried. He had received an owl from Narcissa the day after Hogwarts had reopened after summer. Getting a little time off had been no problem, figuring out exactly what was wrong, had.

"He just won't come out! I don't understand it!" Narcissa's shrill voice echoed through his head. "Draco was the last one to see him."

Severus cocked his head and thought, Lucius was something of a mystery to him. He always had been, especially after, well after they had received the Dark Mark. For a long while now Lucius had been cold, closed off and devoid of feeling. He did only what his Master instructed, no more, no less. Severus had long ago given him up but it seemed, maybe, he hoped, that now the ice was starting to melt. Lucius was cracking.

"I'll go up." Severus said with a short smile. "I'm sure he's fine."

Narcissa sneered at him, tossing her blonde curls. "Well he'd better be; we have a dinner party tonight." With that she stalked off, her heels echoing through the empty halls.

Severus rolled his eyes and sighed, he could never live with Narcissa. He didn't know how Lucius put up with her. He didn't know how Lucius put up with a lot of things, things that Severus could hardly bear to think about.

With a heavy sigh he ascended the main staircase, his bony fingers gripping the black rails as he did so. He knew the way to Lucius's study like the back of his hand. He had been there so many times, for Death Eater meetings, to see Lucius or, rather, the ice statue that claimed to be the Lucius he had known all his life. Reaching out he knocked at the large wooden door.

"Lucius?" he called softly, an answer came in the form of something smashing against the door. Severus jumped back in alarm and tried again. "Lucius?"

"Fuck off!"

Severus shook his head, "I'm not going anywhere so you'd best let me in!"

When no reply came Severus tried the door, surprisingly it was unlocked and opened easily, creaking only a little. The room was dark as he entered, the heavy curtains drawn and all lights extinguished, only a few remaining flames flickered in the fireplace, illuminating a pale figure that sat hunched over the desk.

Severus approached with caution and touched the older man lightly on the head, feeling the long, silky hair shift under his fingers. "Fuck off." Lucius repeated, sitting up and shoving Severus backwards.

Glaring at the darker man Lucius picked up a half empty bottle of Fire-whisky and put it to his lips. He drained it like a fish, throwing the empty bottle against the wall where is smashed, showering sharp fragments of glass on the floor. Lucius smiled; a broken, insane smile before sinking to his knees and burying his face in his hands. A small, broken sob escaped his lips as Severus watched, shock written all over his dark face.

"Lucius?" Severus asked as he approached the man for the second time. When the smaller man gave no answer Severus knelt in front of him. Compassion in his black eyes he pulled Lucius's arms away from his face, revealing the silver eyes to be without tears.

"They're all gone." Lucius said. "I cried them all away last night."

Severus furrowed his brow, Lucius was cracking.

"I saw him yesterday, in a bookshop. Just standing there...he...he wanted the same book. I wanted him."

"Who?" Severus asked, bewildered.

"Remus!" Lucius spat, his hands reaching up to wipe at tears that had not fallen. "Remus, Remus, Remus." He whispered, "Remus."

Severus didn't know what to say, he couldn't think. Here was Lucius, showing some sort of emotion, more emotion than he had expressed in years and Severus didn't know how to help him.

"Why am I even thinking about him? Why can't I stop? Why is he still haunting me?"

Tearing his eyes away, Severus found his attention drawn to the Dark Mark that was etched deeply into the white skin of Lucius arm. The sleeve was torn away and the skin around the mark looked red and sore. "Lucius, what happened?" he asked.

Lucius froze and looked at him, his eyes widening as if he were a little boy been caught doing something bad. "I tried to scratch it out," he whispered. "I tried to be clean again but it didn't work. Please don't tell my Master."

Severus shook his head, "Lucius he isn't your Master. You're in charge of your own life."

At this statement Lucius laughed, not a little giggle but a full, head tilted back maniacal laugh that shook his whole body. "I'm his, his, HIS! I can't be anybody else's!"

"Voldemort's you mean?"

Lucius smirked and stood; unbuttoning his black silk shirt he smiled manically and said: "I am his, his pure-blooded whore."

Severus rose as well and came to stand behind the pale skinned man, pushing the long waves of white-gold hair over a pale shoulder; he stared in shock at Lucius's back. There, carved in scars that must have been painfully deep cuts was one word: Mine.

"You see?" Lucius murmured quietly, "I am his, Voldemort's property. I should not want Remus."

Remus smoothed his wavy hair nervously as he waited for someone to answer the door. He stood outside Sirius's family house in his best robes. Not that his best robes were much to shout about, ragged and patchy they screamed 'no money'. He had tied his hair back though, with a white bobble that he had purchased from the muggle Paper shop where he worked. A false smile sat on his face, ready to fool those who looked.

"Remus!" Molly said as she opened the door, a welcoming smile on her round face. "How are you? I haven't seen you for a while now, what- five months would it be?"

Remus nodded, the false smile still stretching his mouth in an expression he hadn't used for months. "I'm well," he lied. "And you?"

"Fine," Molly answered. "We're all fine but we've missed you so much, come in, come in. Arthur and Sirius are in the living room."

Reluctantly, Remus followed her round form down the hallway, passed the dreaded 'portrait' and into the living room. There, sitting on opposite sofas were Sirius and Arthur. As he looked at the black haired man Remus felt he could barely keep his smile up. Sirius's deep blue eyes bore into his own amber ones and Remus felt that Sirius could see right into his soul.

"Hello Remus!" Arthur said, looking over his copy of the Daily Prophet. "How have you been holding up?"

"Yes," Sirius repeated, concern etched into his features. "How have you been holding up...Remus?"

Remus opened his mouth, ready to say "Fine, life's good at the moment. How are you?" But no words came, instead his stomach gave a lurch and he stumbled backwards, their shocked looks registering in his mind before he stumbled out of the house and onto the busy street.

"Remus!" he heard Sirius run out of the house behind him. "Remus!" his friend called, following him down the street.

Remus walked quickly as the rain began to fall around them. The droplets fell quickly and heavily and Remus soon found himself standing by a bridge, soaked and cornered.

"Why are you running away?" Sirius asked, searching amber eyes. Remus opened his mouth, wanting to explain, wanting...something. But all that came out was a choked sob. Closing his eyes he buried his head in Sirius's worn leather jacket, another sob escaping his dry lips, cracked from smiling.

"Why do you keep running away?" Sirius murmured, his large hands winding their way into the honey and silver curls. "Stay here, stay with me Remus. I'll help you make it better. I will, I will."

Slowly, his teeth sinking through his bottom lip, Remus nodded against Sirius, "I'll stay," he whispered. "I'll stay."

Later, Sirius showed Remus to his room and closed the door behind him, leaving with words of "I'll come up later to check on you. Y'know, see if you want any dinner."

Remus took off his cloak and lay down on the comfortable looking mattress in his white shirt and jeans; sighing he pulled the white and blue patterned covers over his body and lay on his back, amber eyes staring up at the ceiling.

Maybe Sirius could help him, he thought. Maybe Sirius could help him forget silver eyes and white-gold hair and pale skin, soft as silk. If he stayed here, in this house with Sirius, and never left it, then he would never have to see Lucius Malfoy again and he would always have Sirius to look after him.

But Remus knew that he had no right to let Sirius take care of him. He had used Sirius in one of the worst ways possible and he had never apologized, he just couldn't bring himself to say the words: "I'm sorry."

Shifting uneasily in the warm sheets Remus turned to face the window and closed his eyes on sun.

Even the sun had lost its colour now.

In his dream Remus stood on a small, grey, stone bridge that overlooked a calm and peaceful river. The day was clear and the sky overhead was blue and cloudless, almost too blue. The grass and trees looked pale against it. The light breeze caressed Remus's skin, playing with his hair and tugging at his robes.

White blossom petals fell down around him, swirling at his ankles, landing gently in his honey and silver curls. Remus took a deep breath and inhaled the air around him, it smelled clean, of grass and rain and other sweet things. In the distance he could hear singing, it sounded beautiful but what it came from Remus had no idea. Suddenly his ears pricked up, the song was one of death, no suicide....drowning.

Remus felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up and slowly, tentatively he looked over the edge of the bridge.

There, floating in the cool, blue waters of the river was the snow-white body of Lucius Malfoy. His white-gold hair spread, mermaid-like about him and his silver eyes wide and staring, open in death. The white blossoms floated in the water about him along with other petals from roses, bluebells and lilies.

Silently Remus felt the tears begin to fall, through the haze of his tears the world around him seemed to melt together and as he looked at Lucius's body the dead man seemed to mouth the words: "I need you."

Remus awoke to find wet tearstains on his cheeks and he almost cried again as he recalled the dream and the horrible sinking feeling he had felt when he had looked over the bridge.

What if the dream foretold something? Remus didn't want to think about that, if Lucius died, he didn't know what he would do. He would die too.

What if Lucius really did need him? He knew he needed Lucius, needed him more than anything else. Lucius was the only thing he had ever wanted, the only thing he had ever asked for and God had seen fit to tear them apart. Maybe it was because he was cursed, maybe that was the reason he didn't have Lucius, because he didn't deserve him.

"I need you too." Remus whispered to the dark and empty room, secretly hoping that, wherever he was, Lucius would hear him.

"Remus?" Sirius asked, his large hand brushing a honey curl from the sleeping man's head.

When no answer came, no stir showing that the smaller man was waking up, Sirius sighed and sat down on the wicker chair beside the bed. Remus turned a little in his sleep and wrapped the covers tighter around his thin body.

Sirius smiled and closed his own eyes; he would help Remus, even if Remus didn't want it.

(A/N) okay, there we go- second chapter. Please review and tell me what you thought.