A/N: This will be the last chapter I post until after the Thanksgiving Break, mostly because I won't be able to get on a computer until after then, so please be patient.

This chapter was a bit hard for me to write. I didn't realize how much it bothered me until I was rereading it one day and my roommate asked me what was wrong, when I looked up to see what she meant, I realized my whole body was shaking.

Posted: Nov. 16, 2004

Chapter Seven: Tainted

It was noon as Angelina sat in the kitchen eating lunch with Grayson. He was talking about his boyhood as Angelina picked at her salad, half-listening to him. Her mind was preoccupied with the proposal Montague had given her. Kill Draco? No, she would not let that happen.

Yes, they got on each other's nerves from time to time, but that really wasn't a good reason to want someone dead. Besides Draco, even being who he was, was a good husband. He respected Angelina and her opinions; their marriage would have been ideal, if they weren't cheating on one another and had actually loved each other, that is.

"Madam?" said a tiny voice.

Angelina turned away from her salad and Grayson. "What is it, Darcy?" she spoke to one of the house elves.

"Darcy wanted the Madam to know that she has a visitor," Darcy spoke timidly.

"Thank you." Angelina smiled at Darcy which made her smile too. "Excuse me, Grayson," she excused herself as she stood up and walked to the front end of the house.

"Hello, Montague," she greeted him in the living room.

"You left in quite a hurry this morning," he said while sitting on the couch.

"Well, excuse me for not thinking your idea to kill my husband was brilliant," she said, before walking over to the patio door and stepping out.

Montague followed her. There was a brisk of wind sweeping by as, from behind, Montague wrapped his arms around her. "It's just, I don't understand how you two work. There's no love there, yet you fight and defend as if he were your entire world."

Angelina turned around as she brought her arms up and rested them on his shoulders. She then started to play with one of his ears. "It's because I know he would do the same for me. It's just an understanding we have," she explained.

"Fine." He nodded. "But you do know, I would like to be that someday right, Angelina?"

"Be what?" She didn't understand.

He reached for her hands and brought them down to his lips as he looked into Angelina's eyes. "Your world." He then kissed her hand. "What do you say we get out of here?"

"Well actually-" There was no time to protest before Montague pulled her close and they Apparated out of the estate. They were now standing outside of Montague's loft door. Angelina sighed. "I had a lunch guest, Montague."

"They're not a guest if they work for you, Johnson," he said as he opened the door and they walked in. "Now take off your clothes and meet me in the bedroom." He started walking up the stairs stripping as he went.

Angelina closed the door behind them as she shook her head. "Yeah, that's real romantic," she said sarcastically. "Just sweep me off my feet, why don't you," she stated as she followed him up.

He turned around at the top of the stairs smiling. "The name's David, sweetheart; not Romeo."

When she reached him at the top, she shoved him into the bedroom. "Bastard."

"Bitch," he countered as they closed the bedroom door behind them.

OoOoO

It was several hours later and Angelina was resting her head on Montague's chest as he played with her hair. "You know you never answered me before," Montague stated out the blue.

"Answered you about what?"Angelina opened her eyes, the soft rhythm of Montague's heart was making her sleepy.

"About if you loved me."

Angelina lifted her head so she could see Montague's face and she smiled. "I thought you said you already knew?"

"I just want to hear you say it." He felt Angelina pull away from him.

"Are you getting soft on me, David?" she teased.

"No," he replied a little offended as he pulled her back down to him and held her close. "I've just. . ." he realized he was putting his heart on the line. "I just want more."

Angelina was quiet for a moment, before saying softly, "I can't give you what I don't have. What we have now, is all I have to give."

"But do you love me?" His tone was almost desperate.

She kissed his chest. "Yes, David, I love you." It wasn't the same kind of love she felt for Fred, but it was still love. Besides, Fred had been away for so long, and Montague was right here, loving her right now.

"You love me, even after everything I've done?"

His sudden outpour of emotion was slightly making Angelina feel uneasy. "What are you getting at David?"

"I think we need to talk." She sat back up and she could see the concern on his face.

"This is serious, isn't it?" She completely sat up and Montague rose to meet her.

"Yeah." He took her hands and started to talk in a slow, low voice. "I have done many, many things. Horrible, unforgivable things, since I joined with the Dark Lord. Things I know I will never be forgiven for, but honestly none of those things matter. Only you matter, Angelina, and I need you to forgive me."

"Forgive you for what?"

"For what I'm about to tell you." He didn't look her in the eye. "Know that many may have wanted glory and power, but all I ever wanted was you. Even when I hated you, I knew I only hated you because I thought I could never have you. Yet, even then I knew I would do anything to make you mine." Montague figured it was all or nothing at this point. He knew by telling her what he was about to say, would affect their relationship drastically, but he could no longer love her, living behind his omission.

"David, what have you done?" She slipped her hands away from his and put them on either side of his face, forcing him to look at her. "Please, tell me."

"Forgive me, because it was I-" he was interrupted by an urgent pounding on his front door.

He tried to turn his head towards the sound, but Angelina wouldn't let him. "Leave it be and tell me." At this point she needed to know, she had to know.

Yet, more pounding could be heard on the door. "I can't with all that noise. I'll get rid of whoever it is." He slipped away from Angelina's touch. He put on some pants and opened the bedroom door. He had started down the steps when his front door was forcibly opened. A small group of Death Eaters barged into his loft. "What is the meaning of this!" Montague yelled angrily.

"David Lestat Montague," came a voice Montague knew all too well. "By the high decree of our Dark Lord, you have been found guilty of treason on several accounts, and it is hereby been. . . " There came a heavy sigh from the Death Eater speaking.

"There's no reason to hide behind that mask." Two other Death Eaters approached Montague and seized him. "I know who you are Malfoy, so face me. Give me that much."

Hearing all the noise, Angelina wrapped a sheet around herself and peered out the slightly adjacent bedroom door. She watched as Draco complied with Montague's request. Montague looked into Draco's eyes, which were void of any emotion. "What the hell were you thinking, Montague?"

"Nothing none of you haven't thought before," Montague replied.

Draco leaned into Montague so he could whisper in his ear. "Don't worry. Your death will be short and painless." He then backed away. Montague was astonished, Draco had actually shown him mercy.

Draco slowly shook his head as he pulled out his wand and pointed it towards Montague. "Draco, no!" Draco, out of sheer surprise, dropped his wand to the floor as his head turned and spotted his wife, covered only in a sheet, outside of Montague's bedroom door.

For some reason, unbeknown to Draco, his breath got stuck in his throat and his chest felt constricted. Something Draco had never felt before surged through his body. "Tulip?" he finally let out a whisper. His head swiftly turned back to Montague. Draco knew Angelina was sleeping with someone; he'd practically given her permission to do it, but Montague? Montague should have known better than to mess with anything that belonged to a Malfoy. This was something Draco could not forgive. "To think," his voice was lined with venom, "I almost felt pity for you." He spat in Montague's face. After picking up his wand, he turned his sights towards Angelina and gradually walked up the stairs.

"I want him tortured," Draco instructed the others not taking his eyes off Angelina. "I want it slow and I want it painful. If he makes even the slightest peep add another hour before you kill him." He reached the top of the stairs and gestured with his head for Angelina to enter the bedroom.

She ignored him and looked back down at Montague, where she saw him mouth the words, 'I love you.'

"Get in there," Draco whispered harshly as he pushed her into the room. He then turned back to the others. "Let it be known, that betraying the Dark Lord is nothing, when you betray me."

As Draco turned to enter the bedroom he didn't hear one of his fellow Death Eaters whisper to another. "A shame really, I used to envy him. Wealth, power, connections to kill for," he then chuckled a bit, "yet nothing to keep the wife satisfied at home."

Draco closed the door behind him. "Draco, you got to call them off!" Angelina yelled frantically.

Draco walked up to her and back handed her across face. "If you ever humiliate me like that again." Angelina stepped away from him, holding her face, not believing that he had actually hit her. "Dammit! We had a deal!" He looked towards the door. He didn't want anyone to hear their conversation. "Get dressed," he said in an angered whisper. "We're going home."

When she finished dressing, she pleaded with Draco again, "Draco it's been long enough, please call them off. Please."

He said nothing as he grabbed her around the wrist and Apparated into the living room of their home. He viciously pushed her onto the couch and pointed a finger at her. "All you had to do was stay in the damn bedroom!" He then began to ran his fingers repeatedly through his hair. "Do you know what you've done?" He walked away from her. "Do you have any fucking idea what you have done!"

"Draco, what about David?" She held back her tears as she imagined all the things they could be doing to him.

Draco's angered expression went flat, which was the scariest expression he could give anyone, because one never knew what hid behind those icy, silver orbs of his. He turned his head slowly towards Angelina. "Get out of my sight. Now," his lips barely moved as he said those words in a whisper, so soft, Angelina wasn't sure if they were actually spoken.

Angelina was tired of begging, she stood up and marched over to him. "Dammit Draco, listen to me! I want-"

Draco had warned her to get out; he knew he was in danger of losing his control. And as he was blinded by his anger, he struck Angelina across the face for the second time that day. Angelina was going to retaliate, but he was too quick for her as he grabbed her by the arm and swung her onto the ground. She hit her head on the coffee table before landing on the floor. Her hand went to her forehead, which now had a large bleeding gash across it.

"Draco, stop!" she yelled in protest, but her cry went unanswered as Draco stood over her, ready to kick her. But Angelina would not give him that opportunity; she grabbed his ankle and pulled his leg from underneath him. He landed hard on his back as Angelina tried to get up and step over him, but this time it was Draco who grabbed Angelina's ankle and forced her back onto the floor.

She fell on top of him and took this as her chance to strike back. She balled her hand up into a fist and struck his face, but before she could get in another hit, Draco, being stronger than her, quickly managed to grab her hand mid-swing and roll over placing him on top of her. As he straddled her, he put both of his hands around her neck and started to squeeze.

Angelina made little sounds as her windpipe was being crushed and although it didn't look good for her, she continued to fight. She started hitting his arms trying to break them from their lock, long enough for her to escape, but it was no use. She soon started to claw and grab at Draco's chest because she couldn't reach his face as he held his chin high. Her attempts to free herself from her husband's grip grew feeble as she started to see spots in front of her eyes. Finally, having no more strength left, her eyes soon closed and her arms dropped to the floor.

As her arms fell, the gleam from Angelina's watch caught Draco's eye and he looked up to see what it was. As he looked up he caught his reflection in the sliding glass patio door, but it was not his face that he saw, but the face of his father. He looked back down and didn't see the face of Angelina, but the face of his mother.

He then heard a soft whimper and turned his head to locate where the sound was coming from. In the doorway, that lead to the front of the house stood Darcy, the little house elf, her hands were over her mouth, trying not to be heard as she cried. But again, Draco did not see what was actually there. What he saw was himself as a small child as he witnessed his father beat him mother, for something his father did not approve of her doing.

It was then, as that little boy, Draco had promised himself he would never lose control like that, he would never take his anger out on his wife, he would never be the man he saw in front of him, he would never be his father.

Draco looked back down and this time saw Angelina. His hands were still tightly around her neck. Draco's eyes went wide with shock, as if now just realizing what he was doing. He removed his hands from around her neck and got off her. She had passed out due to the lack of oxygen, but Draco could tell she was still alive by the soft rise and fall of her chest. He gathered her up in his arms and pulled her close to him. Her head fell back and her arms were limp at her sides. Draco buried his face in her neck and began to rock back and forth. "I'm not my father. I'm not my father." He repeated several times before picking Angelina up and carrying her to their bedroom, crying tears he would never allow her to see.

OoOoO

Angelina snapped straight up, gasping for air as her hand went to her throat. She was alone in the bedroom and began shaking and panting as she realized what had happened to her. She touched her forehead and felt that her wound had been addressed. She immediately got out of bed and reached under it and pulled out a suitcase. She put the suitcase on the bed and went to the dresser to pull out her clothes. I should have left when I had the chance, she thought. I should have listened to David, she paused. David. She knew he had not been as lucky as her, for she had survived the night. Tears stung in her eyes, with the thought, and she continued to pack.

"What do you think you're doing?" Came Draco's voice out of nowhere.

Angelina gasped and then looked up from her packing and wiped away her tears. She did not want him to know that he had gotten the better of her. "I'm leaving you," she stated defiantly.

"Like hell you are."

"Watch me." She closed the suitcase and zipped it up. She took it off the bed and started to wheel it towards the door.

Draco slammed the door and blocked it. "You're not leaving this house. Not till I say so!" He realized that he sounded angry and took a deep breath before speaking again. "Tulip, please. Listen to me. You don't know what you've done. It's safer here."

"Safer!" she yelled. "You tried to kill me!"

His gaze fell towards the floor as he rubbed the bump on the back of his head. "Yeah, about that." His eyes then raked up her body and stopped when he saw the impressions of his hands around her neck. His shoulders dropped slightly. "It won't happen again."

With his eyes still intently on her, Angelina felt uncomfortable and her hand went back up to her neck. Seeing this Draco finally made eye contact as she spoke. "I don't believe you, Draco." A single tear fell down her cheek.

Draco's lips were pressed together in hard thought. His voice was even. "I don't care what you believe, Tulip," he explained. "You're not going anywhere. I've put the wards back up. I also have two men posted at all the doors leading outside. And if, by some chance, you do manage to slip by them, I have several more walking around the gates of the estate." He turned around and opened the door. "This is Justice. Alan Justice. He'll be here to make sure you don't do anything stupid." Justice nodded towards Angelina.

"You can't keep me here like some prisoner," she told him, but he wasn't listening. "Draco." He walked out the door and closed it. "Draco!" He heard some object slam up against the door as she started screaming.

Draco shook his head and sighed heavily. "Keep her safe," he told Justice before leaving. Little did Angelina know, that the men posted around the estate weren't only there to keep her in, but to keep a certain someone out.

To Be Continued. . .

Preview Of Next Chapter:

"If I have not taught you anything, at least remember this: love is a weakness Draco, it will only destroy our line."

Draco looked his father dead in the eye. "Maybe I'm willing to risk it."