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Chapter ten. This is a landmark chapter! I've never made it to double digits before! This is truly exciting. This is the chapter my friends. Gabe will finally come into play! Gia will finally get to see Gabrielle and I can guarantee that there will be crying going on around here. Well, let's get this started.
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'Who does he think he is, the King of Siam?' Gia nervously paced her room as the moments ticked on inside her head. She tripped over the cream carpet in her newly acquired heels but that really didn't seem to matter to her.
'First he drags me all the way out here just so that I can see my son. MY SON! Then he DEMANDS my presence at dinner.' Emerald had just oh so sweetly informed her that she was required to come down to dinner with Draco. She had even walked over to her closet and picked out one of Gia's black dresses and a pair of matching shoes. Much to her dismay, Gia just stood there acting like a fish. After forcing herself to step into the dress and shoes, she began to pace the room. If you looked down, you could probably see that she had created a dent in the floor.
"He's going to pay for this," she mumbled under her breath. "One way or another, he's going to pay for this." There was a light knock on the door and Gia stopped her pacing. Emerald carefully pushed open the door and smiled sweetly at Gia. It amazed Gia that such a kindly woman was working for a snake like Malfoy. And the funny part was that Emerald thought that Draco was the greatest man that God ever put on this planet.
"Mr. Malfoy would like me to inform you that dinner is served. He requests your presence immediately." Gia scrunched up her nose in disgust but slowly walked to follow Emerald down to the dining room. They strolled down the long halls till they reached the main staircase. Emerald quickly went down leaving Gia to stand at the top. Gia rested a hand on the white marble handrail and sighed. This house was far too nice for people like the Malfoy family. Suddenly, she saw Draco enter from a door somewhere down the hall a ways. He looked up at her with his mouth slightly ajar. Gia rolled her eyes and began to descend the stairs.
"You look lovely." Draco called up to her. Gia's breath caught in her throat. She had to admit that Draco looked very handsome. He was wearing black pants with a navy blue turtleneck that made his pale skin look transparent against the dark colors. He looked better than he ever had before. Gia shook her head and pranced down the stairs at an alarming speed.
"Cut the nice guy routine. Let's just eat."
I sit and wait
Does an angel
Contemplate my fate
Draco nodded slowly and held out his elbow for Gia to take but she brushed right by it and headed into the dining room. Draco pursed his lips together and strode behind Gia into the dining room.
"It's tradition for the men to lead the women to their seats and seat them." Gia looked over her shoulder with a sly look on her face.
"I've always been one that believed in breaking traditions." Gia took her seat to the right of Draco who sat at the head of the table. As soon as he was seated, a swinging door opened and two butlers walked in with trays holding silver domes on top of them. One of them grandly presented them to Gia and ceremoniously took off the dome top. Gia smiled at what she saw on her plate.
"Alright, Mongolian beef with pilaf rice and barbequed mushrooms on the side. My favorite." Draco nodded as the silver dome was taken off of his plate to reveal the same meal.
"I know, I remember when you told me." Gia grunted and picked up her fork to begin eating her meal. Draco shrugged his shoulders.
"Just trying to be nice." He said as he took a bite of his rice. Gia set her fork down angrily.
"Nice would be letting me see my son." She said. Draco looked up at her and defiantly ate another fork full of rice.
"Sometimes I prefer to be without that child for one evening." He said in a low voice.
"Then let me be with him!" Gia demanded standing up from her seat.
And do they know
The places where we go
When we're gray and old
Draco pulled her back down to her seat.
"Maybe I want to just enjoy your company for the evening." He said with a slight growl emanating from his throat. Gia slowly plopped back down to her seat and picked up her fork again. She ever so daintily took a bite of her rice glaring daggers at Draco as he began to eat at a normal pace sipping his water every once in a while. Gia stared down at her plate and pushed around her food until she heard Draco set down his fork and take one last swig of his water. Her head popped up as he looked at her plate with scorning eyes.
"You haven't touched your food." He mumbled as the two butlers took away their plates. Gia shrugged her shoulders.
"I wasn't hungry." She lied quickly. "Can I see Gabe now?" Draco let out a deep sigh and rubbed his temples.
"You aren't going to leave me alone until I let you, will you?" Gia shook her head.
"I've made it this far and I'm not moving from this spot until I see my little boy." To prove her point, Gia pushed out from her chair and crossed both her arms and her legs. She stuck out her chin and watched to see how Draco would reply to her actions. He let out another heavy sigh and stood up from his seat.
"Emerald!" he called out not even looking up at Gia. Emerald came scurrying in. She quickly bowed in front of Draco.
"You called, Mr. Malfoy?" he nodded and waved her to go out the door.
"Bring Gabrielle down here at once. Tell him that his mother has come home."
'Cause I've been told
That salvation let's their wings unfold
" 'His mother has come home?' What kind of lies are you telling my child, Malfoy?" Draco walked away from the dining room table and strolled into the living room without even looking at Gia. She huffed and quickly followed him to see him just sitting down in a cushy armchair.
"I couldn't think of anything else to tell him." He admitted to Gia as she took a seat on the couch across from him. She leaned forward slightly.
"I could have told him that you were dead." He suggested. Gia seethed.
"If you would have told him that, you would be the one to be dead." Draco rolled his eyes and stared into the fireplace. A magnificent fire blazed and crackled in the clean pit.
"Do you think he'll like me?" Gia suddenly questioned. Draco looked up at her.
"Why would you ask something like that?" Gia shrugged her shoulders and leaned back in her chair.
"He's never seen me so he has every reason to hate and despise me." Draco thought for a moment.
"I never thought that a three year old could despise someone..." he mused to himself. Gia glared at him and he let out a little chuckle.
"I'm sure that you have nothing to worry about. That boy clings to anyone he can wrap his arms around." Gia smiled to herself.
"So I see that my son isn't a hard head like you."
So when I'm lying in my bed
Thoughts running through my head
And I feel that love is dead
I'm loving angels instead
Draco chuckled and placed his hand on Gia's knee.
"I never knew that you thought that I was a hard head. That's a lovely thing to know." Gia pushed Draco's hand off of her knee and rolled her eyes.
"Everyone thinks you have a hard head dumb butt." Draco glared at her for a moment but then his face softened. Gia quirked an eyebrow.
"What's your problem?" she asked placing her hands angrily onto her hips. Draco shrugged his shoulders.
"I just saw something." Gia leaned her head onto her palm and let out a deep sigh.
"And what, pre-tell, did you see?" she asked not really wanting to hear the answer.
"I saw why I liked you in the first place. You always had fire in your eyes." Gia felt a bit of heat rush to her cheeks.
"I-If you're trying t-to flatter me, it simply won't work. I've already p-played your little mind games and didn't much care for t-them." Draco pouted his lips.
"Hmm, that's just too bad." Gia let out a heavy sigh and leaned back in her seat. She tapped her foot as she heard the crackling of the fire resonate off the walls of the room. She glanced over to the door where Emerald had left to go and fetch Gabrielle and pursed her lips together.
"When will they get here?" she asked irritably. Draco smirked slightly.
"She's an old woman, give her a break." Gia let out a heavy sigh.
"Besides, Gabrielle's room is next to mine and that's in another wing of the house." Gia quirked an eyebrow.
"You're doing this to torture me, aren't you?" Draco's eyes shifted to the doorway. He smiled.
"Not entirely..."
"Mommy...?"
And through it all
He offers me protection
A lot of love and affection
Whether I'm right or wrong
Gia stopped dead in her tracks and slowly turned to face the doorway. Emerald stood with a bright and beaming look on her face holding a small boys hand. Gia's lower lip began to quiver as Emerald dropped the small boys hand and gently pushed him forward.
"Go and see your mommy," she whispered into his ear before giving him another gentle push. The boy slowly walked forward before standing just a few feet away from Gia.
'Gabrielle?' she asked herself. She dropped to her knees and carefully opened her arms to see if he would come to her. Gabrielle seemed to hesitate for a moment and stared into her eyes deeply. A lone tear streaked down Gia's cheek as he stood there. Without warning, his chin quivered and he burst into tears. He came running into Gia's open arms.
"MOMMY!" he cried as Gia wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly to her body never wanting to let go. She swayed from side to side as Gabrielle cried into her shoulder.
"My baby...I'll never leave you again...I promise..." Gia let out a chocked sob and cried softly into his hair. She suddenly felt a warmth envelope them both but she paid no mind to it. All that mattered was that Gabrielle was in her arms and that she never had to let go.
And down the waterfall
Wherever it may take me
When I come to call
He won't forsake me
I'm loving angels instead
It was Draco. It had been Draco that had wrapped his arms around them both and hugged him to his chest, or so Emerald told Gia later on that evening. They were seated on Gia's bed: Emerald, Gabrielle, and herself. Emerald was describing as best she could about what she saw in Draco's eyes while Gia held a sleeping Gabrielle in her arms.
"I've never seen him with that look in his eyes before." She mused to herself. Gia slightly shrugged her shoulders so as not to wake up Gabrielle.
"It's probably something new. Draco was never one to really show feelings." Gia muttered to herself. Emerald shook her head knowingly.
"You're quite wrong, Mr. Malfoy has always been one to tell everyone how he's feeling at an exact moment. Ever since he was a little child, he was always telling his father that his hair made him look like a girl." Gia giggled to herself but stopped when she felt Gabrielle shift in her arms.
"He doesn't act like that in school." She whispered to Emerald. She nodded.
"He wouldn't, he was hurt rather badly by an old friend at school." Gia quirked an eyebrow.
"And who was that friend?" Emerald shrugged her shoulders.
"I can't remember his name, but Mr. Malfoy was very upset. Wrote a letter asking if he could come home for a few days." Gia cocked her head to the side and sighed.
"Well, he certainly hasn't told me anything." Emerald stood up from the bed and straitened out her skirt.
"If you would excuse me, I must go and attend to Mr. Malfoy to see if he wants anything before he retires to bed." Gia nodded and held Gabrielle a little closer to her as she crawled up the bed and snuggled into the covers with Gabrielle by her side.
When I'm feeling weak
And my pain walks down a one-way street
I look above
And I know I'll always be blessed with love
Gia leaned over and flipped off the lamp on her bedside table and leaned back into the bed. She wrapped her arms around Gabrielle and hugged him tight to her. As she closed her eyes planning to fall asleep, she heard a light tapping on her window. She looked up and saw a snowy white owl sitting on her ledge with a parcel wrapped in brown paper tied to its talon. She bit her lower lip as she eased out of her bed without waking Gabrielle up. She shuffled over to the window with impeccable speed and quickly opened it to let the owl into her room. It hopped onto the floor and shook off its feathers riding it of snow. Gia shut the window and knelt down beside the bird to untie its parcel. It was only as big as the palm on her hand and attached to it was a small note. She opened it and instantly recognized Harry's writing.
'Gia,
I couldn't wait for Christmas Eve to give you your gift. I hope you like sapphires.
Love,
Harry.'
The note was short and sweet and it was all that Gia really needed that cold night. She unwrapped the package to reveal a small black velvet box. She tossed the paper to the side and opened the box. She gasped and covered her mouth with her free hand. She reached in and took out a platinum ring with an emerald cut diamond surrounded by sapphires. She slowly put it on her ring finger and marveled it from afar. She felt hot tears brimming at her eyes as the ring shone in the moonlight.
And as the feeling grows
He breathes flesh to my bones
And when love is dead
I'm loving angels instead
She wiped the tears away with her arm and picked up the bird. She led him over with her fingers making a light snapping noise to the window and lifted him up into the snowy night sky. She leaned on the windowsill and watched as his wings flapped in the moonlit night making the beams of the moon bounce off of his wings and come to settle on the snowy ground and Gia's face. It reminded her in some way of an orchestra working in perfect harmony to give you a beautiful picture that you would never forget for as long as you lived. She sighed and closed the window and shut out the cold night air. She bent down and picked up the little black velvet box and looked at it for a moment. After shaking her head making her return to her thought, she put the ring into the box and placed it into the bedside drawer. Gia crawled into bed and once again wrapped her arms around Gabrielle who in turn squirmed to wrap his little arms around Gia's neck. She smiled softly and felt the tears start to come back to her eyes as she listened to his soft breathing. She closed her eyes and held her little boy close to her heart. She slowly drifted off to sleep thinking of the life that had been laid before her.
And through it all
He offers me protection
A lot of love and affection
Whether I'm right or wrong
Gia slowly pushed herself out of her comfy sleep and opened her eyes to groggily greet the day. She looked down and saw that Gabrielle was still fast asleep. She smiled and pushed herself up and out of bed. The carpeted floor was cold against her warm feet and she felt a little shiver shoot up her spine. She eased out of bed and tucked the covers in around Gabrielle. He turned onto his side and continued to sleep. Gia silently walked out of the room and headed down the hallway to try and find the dining room. After heading down three dead ends, Gia finally managed to stumble upon the stairway. She glided down the stairs and strolled into the dining room. She instantly spotted Draco sitting at the head of the table drinking a cup of coffee. He looked up from his cup and smiled as she sat to his left.
"Sleep well?" he asked still smiling. Gia grabbed the cup that had been placed to the left of her plate and poured herself a cup of coffee.
"I slept fine, thank you." Draco nodded and took another sip of his coffee.
"Where's Gabrielle?" he inquired. Gia looked up at him with narrowed eyes.
"He's asleep in my bed." Draco nodded again and set down his cup.
"Tonight he's going to sleep in his own bed." He announced. Gia glared at him.
"Why can't he stay with me?" she inquired angrily. Draco looked at her over his cup and smiled.
"Because you will be staying in my bed tonight." Gia gritted her teeth and let out a growl from her throat.
And down the waterfall
Wherever it may take me
When I come to call
He won't forsake me
I'm loving angels instead
"I thought that I told you that I wasn't going to sleep with you." She said through gritted teeth. Draco rolled his eyes.
"I held up my part of the deal so now it's your turn." He said with a hint of mocking in his voice. Gia slammed her fists on the table and shot up.
"I never agreed to that and you know it." Draco shrugged his shoulders.
"Well, that's too bad for you." He said taking another sip of his coffee. Gia felt her lower lip quiver and she bent her head down not wanting Draco to see her start to cry. Draco sat up and set down his coffee.
"What's the matter with you, Gia?" he asked slightly concerned. Gia shot her head up with tears streaming down her cheeks.
"You can be such an ass sometimes, Malfoy." She said trying not to let her voice quiver. She shoved against the table and stormed out of the dining room. Draco let out a deep sigh and sipped his coffee.
'What did I do?' he wondered to himself. As he pondered this question, his young son entered the room with an angry look on his face.
"You made mommy cry." He stated with his voice slightly enraged. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at his father who just sat in his chair and stared down at him with a slightly shocked look on his face.
"Now you have to go and say you're sorry." He continued with a defiant look on his face. Draco quirked an eyebrow.
"And who's going to make me?" he asked leaning down a little closer to his son. Gabrielle suddenly reached out and smacked his father across the cheek with more force than any three year old should have.
"I am. Now go and say sorry to mommy." He said through gritted teeth. He stomped out of the room before Draco got a chance to say anything. Draco watched as his son climbed up the stairs and headed down the hall no doubt into his mother's room. He lightly touched his cheek and felt it tingle as his fingertips ran across it.
'A three year old should not be able to hit that hard, even if he is my son.'
I'm loving angels instead, ohhh oh yeah
And through it all
He offers me protection
A lot of love and affection
Whether I'm right or wrong
For the entire day, Draco spent his time up in his room staring out the window at the snow-covered ground. He considered what Gabrielle had said about apologizing to Gia, but he instantly brushed off the thought. He hadn't done anything wrong so why should he have to apologize to her? But then the arisen thought was of what he was going to do about tonight. Even though he was cruel, he wasn't so cruel that he would make a woman sleep with him. Draco shuddered at the thought of her crying through the entire thing. He hated to see Gia cry. It was the one thing that could easily pull a string in his heart and almost snap it like a twig. No, he couldn't do this. He couldn't hurt her again. She was someone that he honestly cared about. Even though he treated her like an object, he knew that deep down he would die if anything broke her. The hardest thing to realize was that he had broken her many years ago. He had broken her heart, taken the one thing that had made her happy and had drug her back here only to break her heart once again. Draco looked up suddenly as he came to a realization. What Gia had said earlier was true: he could be such an ass sometimes. Not this time, this time he would make it up to Gia. He wouldn't break her heart, but make her happy again. He knew what he had to do. Now all he had to wait for was the night to cover the snowy ground and to consume the house with its moon to shine a light into the world of darkness.
And down the waterfall
Wherever it may take me
I know that life won't break me
When I come to call
He won't forsake me
Gia pulled a ratty old sweatshirt over her head and ruffled her hair a bit. She glanced in the mirror and smiled at how frumpy she looked. The last thing she wanted was to look desirable to Draco. She was praying to God that he would just up and change his mind and let her be for the rest of the holiday. But a little voice inside of her head continued to tell her that it was highly doubtful. She sighed as she stepped outside of her room and started to head to Draco's room which was downstairs in a small nook of the house. In Gia's opinion, it was too far away and she really didn't feel like walking. She started to play with her hair as she bounded down the stairs. They were covered by the light of the moon and sent an eerie light throughout the house. She skidded to a stop outside of Draco's door and knocked three times. She rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet until she heard a muffled 'enter'. She pushed the door open and looked around Draco's room. The moon was filtered through the bay window and cast a shadow upon his black-sheeted bed. The walls were painted a deep green with black trim. The floor was a simple black marble with wisps of white in it. She looked back over to the bay window and saw Draco sitting there staring out into the night sky. She lifted up her chin and let out a little sigh. She strutted over to Draco.
"Uh...I'm here." She said more scared then she thought she was. Draco glanced over at her and then looked back out the window.
"I'm so sorry..." he mumbled. Gia almost did a double take as she heard his words.
"What did you just say?" she asked still not believing her ears. Draco didn't look at her.
"I want you to take Gabrielle and go." Now this was too much for Gia to believe. She quickly rubbed out both of her ears.
"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you right." Draco continued to stare out the window with a sad and sorry look on his face.
"I've hurt you so much and this is the only way that I know how to make it up to you." Draco got up from his seat and walked over to Gia. Before she could say anything, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a warm hug. He leaned close to her ear.
"I want you to take Gabrielle and leave. Take him anywhere you want, he's your son." Draco pushed out of the hug and Gia stumbled back before regaining her balance. She looked at Draco as he returned to his spot at the bay window. Gia shakily walked over to the door and opened the handle. She looked back at Draco and felt a tug at her heart. She slipped half way out the door before turning back to him.
"Draco," she called out. "Thank you." Draco shook his head and chuckled slightly.
"No Gia, thank you."
I'm loving angels instead
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I finally made Draco do the right thing. You should all be very, very proud of him. That took a lot of courage. 21 pages, what do you guys think? Pretty spiffy, yah? I think so. Well, do I need to mention that I like reviews? No, I didn't think so. Demon of the Wind