Chapter Twenty Seven:: Sweet Dreams
"Draco."
Technically, it was morning, and the two were walking up to their rooms, Kit clutching what she affectionately called her 'cheetah rat': a stuffed cheetah, sitting upright like a fascinated cat.
Draco's black silk pajama's were rumpled, proof of the fitful bouts of sleep that he had fallen into in front of the hearth.
Kit wrapped her arms around her body and shivered as they paced the still halls, wishing she had on more than her oversized tee shirt.
"Draco," Kit started, "Can anyone ever really hate someone?"
He didn't even take a moment to think about it; his answer was an emphatic "Yes".
"Then what about the converse? Can anyone really, really ever love someone? Or something?"
A smirk played across his face. "What is this, twenty questions?"
Kit giggled then stopped, mid laugh. A thoughtful manner settled over her as she gazed at him. "Draco – what do you love?"
His expression seemed to freeze over. Then, after a moment, "I don't know." His voice was a breath below a whisper.
"Well – what is there in your life that you know you can't live without? That you care about, more than anything?" They had somehow wound up on one of the balconies that overlooked the enormous, snow-blanketed lawn; Kit now leaned over the side of one of the railings before turning her gaze back to him. "Besides food, of course." She added with a grin.
Draco was silent, his expression impassible. Finally, he spoke. "There's not much." He said softly, approaching the railing she was propped against.
She watched his hands clench and unclench the rail, still lost in thought. "That still means you care about something." She commented absently, eyes wandering up to his.
"Yeah." He replied softly, reaching out a hand to tuck a stray curl behind her ear.
Her subconscious must've registered his sudden proximity, for the next question out of her mouth was, "Draco – do you want to kiss me?"
Draco nodded slowly, leaning his head down toward her uptilted face. "Yeah." He murmured huskily.
Kit, one hand still clutching her cheetah rat's tale, impulsively moved her arms round his neck. "Good." She half sighed, closing her eyes as his lips met hers.
At the contact, he felt his entire body head as a tingling sensation filled him, a feeling of fire engulfing him.
This kiss – they weren't even as close as they could be. It was a phenomenal feeling; he had never experience such a rush, such a charge of emotion in one moment. It felt... impossible. Amazing.
Just then, Kit pulled back. She gazed up at him, her eyes wide, flaming and flickering like a dying ember. "Um. Draco...?"
He grinned halfway before stepping back up to kiss her once again – but she pulled away, just before his lips had a chance to brush hers.
"I – Draco –" She started, but couldn't seem to find the words to finish.
Leaning back slightly, he cleared his throat in response. "Yeah."
Silence fell, and the two left the balcony, hands clasped lightly.
At her door, Draco stopped and turned toward her. Opening his mouth, he closed it, tried again, and shook his head. Brushing her cheek with one hand, he moved over to the next door and disappeared.
Sugar plum fairies dancing in children's heads... Kit didn't remember much after entering her room, except for leaping into a warm, waiting bath and fighting the urge to fall asleep in the tub. Somehow, she resisted the temptation and managed to tug on a bathrobe as she stumbled out of the tub and fell into her inviting four-poster bed. This, she remembered thinking, seemed like a dream she had had before...
The next morning, she thanked all she had ever known that she had pulled up the covers. Lo and behold, at the foot of her bed, sat Lucius Malfoy.
"M- Mr. Malfoy!" She exclaimed weakly, desperately attempting to be discreet as she tugged at her bedcovers.
Unfortunately, discretion was not one of her strong points; Lucius only smirked. "My dear girl, you have no reason to fret; there is nothing you have that I haven't seen before."
Somehow, Kit didn't find this all too reassuring, but she stopped tugging and resigned herself to closing her bathrobe securely over her.
After a moment's silence, made longer by Lucius' unnerving gaze, Kit made a venture.
"Um – I don't mean to be – impudent – but, is this how you traditionally say good morning to your guests?"
Lucius' smirk never faded. "Only the... special ones."
"Am – am I special?"
"You might be." He responded shortly.
Another pause ensued, Lucius' stare reaching an impossible intensity, leaving Kit desperate to drop her pride and fidget. But she clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, and waited.
Finally, when she thought she could bear it no longer – besides, she was getting hungry – Lucius spoke again.
"You're her daughter, aren't you?"
"What?" A thoroughly confused Kit blurted.
He frowned. "Say 'beg pardon' or 'excuse me' if you must, but please, refrain from speaking so informal, so common, while in my household."
Kit battled the immense urge to roll her eyes. Lucky for her, she won. Opening her mouth yet again, she suddenly found herself on her back, Lucius Malfoy atop her.
"Wh-?!" She gasped, but he placed two fingers over her lips to silence her.
"There have only been two women in my life that I have wanted and not had." His voice was astonishingly soft. "One of them I might have loved. Both went to those I hated." He sighed gently, his breath whispering across her face.
"L-Lucius, I –"
"You look exactly like her. Like my –" He stopped and touched his forehead to hers, his grip on her wrists loosening. "But you aren't her, are you?"
She didn't speak; she was afraid to so much as breathe. So she shook her head ever so slightly, heart pounding furiously, praying it wouldn't burst.
"Unfortunately," One hand let go of her and he began to trace her face lightly, "You also have some of his features. You facial structure, for instance. Your mother's face was very slim, bordering on long. Yours isn't much wider, but it isn't in danger of being odd. Your eyes – their wider, as well. Bigger. Your lips, though – they're exactly the same. No difference there – full – dark. So beautiful." His hand had left her face and was now trailing through her hair.
Kit cleared her throat, or tried to. "M-Mr. Malfoy – Lucius – I –"
"Shh..." He murmured, cutting her off again. "I'm not going to do anything. Like I said – I think I may've – loved – your mother. I would never do anything to harm her daughter. You are hers, aren't you?"
"Whose?" She whispered.
He told her and, after a moment of stunned silence, she gave him a weak nod of confirmation.
"Thought so." He said softly. Suddenly, he shifted; his weight was now full on her, and he buried his head against her collarbone.
Before Kit could get over her initial shock, Lucius spoke again. He seemed to hesitate, his emotions – emotions? – unclear as he clearly battled with... something.
"I don't think it anymore; I was a fool to ever be undecided. I loved your mother. I am sorry she's gone."
Breathing in deep, he shifted and she was free. Sitting up slowly, she watched in bewilderment as he crossed the guest room to the door.
There he paused. "There are so many things," he said slowly, almost to himself, "That I would feel justified in doing now, as your mother was so devoted to me for so long a time... but then, that's how I lost her. I leave those privileges to be earned by my son."
Before Kit could speak, he had slipped out the door and disappeared.
Kit was left with one more thing to shove into storage to think about later, but her storage area was filling up fast, and soon, she wouldn't be able to cram anything more, else risk everything tumbling down.
What she needed was quiet time.
Sighing, she wondered if she was ever going to find it.
Rednal29 Wow. I mean, wow. You read and reviewed every single one of my chapters in a day. HOW LONG DID THAT TAKE YOU?! You are, to put it simply, amazing, Rednal29. Wow. Thank you so much! I'm so happy, I could cry. ((hugskissesmorehugs)) ((Hands Rednal29 special secret yummy delicious cookies made by yours truly)) Thank you so MUCH! You may notice that I am repeating myself. That is caused by lack of any other words to express my heartfelt astonishment. But, question: What was so weird about chapter four? And, as per your profile, how tall is tall? Hazel eyes rock – though I don't have them – and you should dye your hair blue as to emphasize them. (End Random Thought Mode) I am SO happy you reviewed EVERY single CHAPTER! I'm in ecstasy! Indebted to you for eva! Oh, and thanks for the cookies.
SiriusLives001 I know what you mean, but that's the great thing about Blaise... he/she is totally up for your imagination! How great is that? And as to whether Ridge is evil or not... let's just say I enjoy blowing raspberries at him. Yeah, I'm in my six year old stage at the moment... he's a meanie. Hmph. Oh, by the way, paranoia can sometimes be a good thing. But – DON'T DESTROY YOUR COMPUTER! HOW WILL YOU REVIEW?! I NEED YOU!!!
Escaped Yeah, my first youngest brother, Danny, thought it was a real song and tried to remember the tune... it was so hilarious! You should have seen his face as he tried to sing a song with no tune... haha! I'm sorry, I'm getting carried away by the memory... heehee. Of course, once I stopped rolling on the floor and asked him to stop glaring at me, he laughed a bit too. So... all's well that ends well. Go Dan for Being Such a Good Sport! That Snowfight Scene – that was fun. Sigh. And now you can come out of your withdrawal! Yea!
Red-Devil15 aka Weirdo101 I am, sadly, exactly the same. No snowball would even dream of flying straight for me... of course, that might have something to do with the fact that my fingers won't bend for me in winter... hmm...
"Draco."
Technically, it was morning, and the two were walking up to their rooms, Kit clutching what she affectionately called her 'cheetah rat': a stuffed cheetah, sitting upright like a fascinated cat.
Draco's black silk pajama's were rumpled, proof of the fitful bouts of sleep that he had fallen into in front of the hearth.
Kit wrapped her arms around her body and shivered as they paced the still halls, wishing she had on more than her oversized tee shirt.
"Draco," Kit started, "Can anyone ever really hate someone?"
He didn't even take a moment to think about it; his answer was an emphatic "Yes".
"Then what about the converse? Can anyone really, really ever love someone? Or something?"
A smirk played across his face. "What is this, twenty questions?"
Kit giggled then stopped, mid laugh. A thoughtful manner settled over her as she gazed at him. "Draco – what do you love?"
His expression seemed to freeze over. Then, after a moment, "I don't know." His voice was a breath below a whisper.
"Well – what is there in your life that you know you can't live without? That you care about, more than anything?" They had somehow wound up on one of the balconies that overlooked the enormous, snow-blanketed lawn; Kit now leaned over the side of one of the railings before turning her gaze back to him. "Besides food, of course." She added with a grin.
Draco was silent, his expression impassible. Finally, he spoke. "There's not much." He said softly, approaching the railing she was propped against.
She watched his hands clench and unclench the rail, still lost in thought. "That still means you care about something." She commented absently, eyes wandering up to his.
"Yeah." He replied softly, reaching out a hand to tuck a stray curl behind her ear.
Her subconscious must've registered his sudden proximity, for the next question out of her mouth was, "Draco – do you want to kiss me?"
Draco nodded slowly, leaning his head down toward her uptilted face. "Yeah." He murmured huskily.
Kit, one hand still clutching her cheetah rat's tale, impulsively moved her arms round his neck. "Good." She half sighed, closing her eyes as his lips met hers.
At the contact, he felt his entire body head as a tingling sensation filled him, a feeling of fire engulfing him.
This kiss – they weren't even as close as they could be. It was a phenomenal feeling; he had never experience such a rush, such a charge of emotion in one moment. It felt... impossible. Amazing.
Just then, Kit pulled back. She gazed up at him, her eyes wide, flaming and flickering like a dying ember. "Um. Draco...?"
He grinned halfway before stepping back up to kiss her once again – but she pulled away, just before his lips had a chance to brush hers.
"I – Draco –" She started, but couldn't seem to find the words to finish.
Leaning back slightly, he cleared his throat in response. "Yeah."
Silence fell, and the two left the balcony, hands clasped lightly.
At her door, Draco stopped and turned toward her. Opening his mouth, he closed it, tried again, and shook his head. Brushing her cheek with one hand, he moved over to the next door and disappeared.
Sugar plum fairies dancing in children's heads... Kit didn't remember much after entering her room, except for leaping into a warm, waiting bath and fighting the urge to fall asleep in the tub. Somehow, she resisted the temptation and managed to tug on a bathrobe as she stumbled out of the tub and fell into her inviting four-poster bed. This, she remembered thinking, seemed like a dream she had had before...
The next morning, she thanked all she had ever known that she had pulled up the covers. Lo and behold, at the foot of her bed, sat Lucius Malfoy.
"M- Mr. Malfoy!" She exclaimed weakly, desperately attempting to be discreet as she tugged at her bedcovers.
Unfortunately, discretion was not one of her strong points; Lucius only smirked. "My dear girl, you have no reason to fret; there is nothing you have that I haven't seen before."
Somehow, Kit didn't find this all too reassuring, but she stopped tugging and resigned herself to closing her bathrobe securely over her.
After a moment's silence, made longer by Lucius' unnerving gaze, Kit made a venture.
"Um – I don't mean to be – impudent – but, is this how you traditionally say good morning to your guests?"
Lucius' smirk never faded. "Only the... special ones."
"Am – am I special?"
"You might be." He responded shortly.
Another pause ensued, Lucius' stare reaching an impossible intensity, leaving Kit desperate to drop her pride and fidget. But she clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, and waited.
Finally, when she thought she could bear it no longer – besides, she was getting hungry – Lucius spoke again.
"You're her daughter, aren't you?"
"What?" A thoroughly confused Kit blurted.
He frowned. "Say 'beg pardon' or 'excuse me' if you must, but please, refrain from speaking so informal, so common, while in my household."
Kit battled the immense urge to roll her eyes. Lucky for her, she won. Opening her mouth yet again, she suddenly found herself on her back, Lucius Malfoy atop her.
"Wh-?!" She gasped, but he placed two fingers over her lips to silence her.
"There have only been two women in my life that I have wanted and not had." His voice was astonishingly soft. "One of them I might have loved. Both went to those I hated." He sighed gently, his breath whispering across her face.
"L-Lucius, I –"
"You look exactly like her. Like my –" He stopped and touched his forehead to hers, his grip on her wrists loosening. "But you aren't her, are you?"
She didn't speak; she was afraid to so much as breathe. So she shook her head ever so slightly, heart pounding furiously, praying it wouldn't burst.
"Unfortunately," One hand let go of her and he began to trace her face lightly, "You also have some of his features. You facial structure, for instance. Your mother's face was very slim, bordering on long. Yours isn't much wider, but it isn't in danger of being odd. Your eyes – their wider, as well. Bigger. Your lips, though – they're exactly the same. No difference there – full – dark. So beautiful." His hand had left her face and was now trailing through her hair.
Kit cleared her throat, or tried to. "M-Mr. Malfoy – Lucius – I –"
"Shh..." He murmured, cutting her off again. "I'm not going to do anything. Like I said – I think I may've – loved – your mother. I would never do anything to harm her daughter. You are hers, aren't you?"
"Whose?" She whispered.
He told her and, after a moment of stunned silence, she gave him a weak nod of confirmation.
"Thought so." He said softly. Suddenly, he shifted; his weight was now full on her, and he buried his head against her collarbone.
Before Kit could get over her initial shock, Lucius spoke again. He seemed to hesitate, his emotions – emotions? – unclear as he clearly battled with... something.
"I don't think it anymore; I was a fool to ever be undecided. I loved your mother. I am sorry she's gone."
Breathing in deep, he shifted and she was free. Sitting up slowly, she watched in bewilderment as he crossed the guest room to the door.
There he paused. "There are so many things," he said slowly, almost to himself, "That I would feel justified in doing now, as your mother was so devoted to me for so long a time... but then, that's how I lost her. I leave those privileges to be earned by my son."
Before Kit could speak, he had slipped out the door and disappeared.
Kit was left with one more thing to shove into storage to think about later, but her storage area was filling up fast, and soon, she wouldn't be able to cram anything more, else risk everything tumbling down.
What she needed was quiet time.
Sighing, she wondered if she was ever going to find it.
Yes. I know. This is a weird chapter – but all will be explained. My mantra? Patience is key. No matter how much you despise it.
Hello, one and all! Thank you, ever so much, for your reviews! They give me so much confidence to continue to write... actually, they just make me feel happy in general.Rednal29 Wow. I mean, wow. You read and reviewed every single one of my chapters in a day. HOW LONG DID THAT TAKE YOU?! You are, to put it simply, amazing, Rednal29. Wow. Thank you so much! I'm so happy, I could cry. ((hugskissesmorehugs)) ((Hands Rednal29 special secret yummy delicious cookies made by yours truly)) Thank you so MUCH! You may notice that I am repeating myself. That is caused by lack of any other words to express my heartfelt astonishment. But, question: What was so weird about chapter four? And, as per your profile, how tall is tall? Hazel eyes rock – though I don't have them – and you should dye your hair blue as to emphasize them. (End Random Thought Mode) I am SO happy you reviewed EVERY single CHAPTER! I'm in ecstasy! Indebted to you for eva! Oh, and thanks for the cookies.
SiriusLives001 I know what you mean, but that's the great thing about Blaise... he/she is totally up for your imagination! How great is that? And as to whether Ridge is evil or not... let's just say I enjoy blowing raspberries at him. Yeah, I'm in my six year old stage at the moment... he's a meanie. Hmph. Oh, by the way, paranoia can sometimes be a good thing. But – DON'T DESTROY YOUR COMPUTER! HOW WILL YOU REVIEW?! I NEED YOU!!!
Escaped Yeah, my first youngest brother, Danny, thought it was a real song and tried to remember the tune... it was so hilarious! You should have seen his face as he tried to sing a song with no tune... haha! I'm sorry, I'm getting carried away by the memory... heehee. Of course, once I stopped rolling on the floor and asked him to stop glaring at me, he laughed a bit too. So... all's well that ends well. Go Dan for Being Such a Good Sport! That Snowfight Scene – that was fun. Sigh. And now you can come out of your withdrawal! Yea!
Red-Devil15 aka Weirdo101 I am, sadly, exactly the same. No snowball would even dream of flying straight for me... of course, that might have something to do with the fact that my fingers won't bend for me in winter... hmm...