The Mission From Hell
Chapter 9 Part II
"Homeward Bound... Hopefully..."
By: Deep Shadows and EckoStalker
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Author's Notes: After a fight like that and torture of such kinds how will the beaten and barely alive duo recover from their wounds... In ackward circumstances of course!
Alexis sat on the floor of the familiar apartment, breathing raggedly as she willed her head to stop spinning and her stomach to slow down on the flip flops. She hated portkeys with a passion. She pulled herself to her feet shakily, biting her lip from the pain it caused, and looked at the two girls who stood there, breathing heavily and staring at her and Severus.
Alexis looked down at Severus, who had passed out and was bleeding from unseen wounds onto the carpet. In her exhausted frustration, she yelled at him, though knowing he couldn't hear you. "Come on! You're bleeding all over the carpet... I'm not going to pay for all the stupid damage."
Vicky leaned in to Erica and whispered, though Alexis still caught what she said. "You sure we should leave them two together?"
Alexis growled at them through shallow breaths. "Yes. Thanks for the help, but you both need to leave before something bad happens, again. We'll be fine."
Erica looked slightly worried as she spoke, looking at her and then at Severus. "I don't know, you both are pretty beaten up... we can hel-"
"You're don't exactly look like peaches and cream either. Go. I have it all under control." Alexis snapped, glaring at them slightly, though not with anger but sternness. She was still coherent enough to know that if she and Severus were to be seen with the two girls, nothing would stop the entire American wizarding Black Market from tracking them down. She also knew their stalkers would be back in no time to presume their watch on them, and they couldn't risk the girls or themselves being caught, not in this state.
Vicky frowned, and then nodded slowly. "Alright... then we'll just be going. Um... call if anything goes wrong."
Erica nodded in agreement, and both girls slowly backed out of the room, watching Alexis warily the entire time. Alexis waved at them to finally leave as they slowly closed the door. As soon as the door clicked, Alexis slumped to her knees, breathing shallowly from her pains. She wearily looked over at Severus and sighed. There was no way she could get him in the car for the hospital in her own state, and there was no phone in the apartment either, why the extra bill? Besides, the doctors were Muggles; they sucked in the area of medicine. So, it was up to her, and she knew it was going to be a very long night.
She bit back her whimpers as she pushed herself to her feet, stumbling over to Severus and leaning down, lifting him under the shoulders. She drew in a deep breath and lifted him partially as she quickly dragged him to the bedroom, biting her lip till she tasted blood.
She pushed all the blankets and pillows off of the bed in the bedroom, then managed to roll him onto it, where he lay pale and unmoving, breathing in quick shallow breaths. She sat on the bed, trying to catch her breath and wondering aloud. "Well... the easy part, is over with..."
She pulled off her half torn bandanna and stripped off her jacket and boots, throwing them from her carelessly as she turned and surveyed Severus. She saw several tears in his jacket where blood was seeping through, and knew that the wounds had to be pretty serious.
She sighed, looking up at the ceiling and whispering. "Why me..."
She then shook her head, scooting beside Severus and carefully unbuckling all the buckles on his jacket. She maneuvered it off of him carefully, and then proceeded to remove his bloodstained shirt, pushing back the thought off how this was so wrong. Now chest bared, she saw the gaping wound on his one side, and another puncture wound slightly under his back. The rest of his bare skin was quickly bruising dark purple, looking like he was used as a punching bag, and she knew he had to have had a few broken ribs. But first protocol was stopping the bleeding and healing the open wounds. Which meant salves and potions.
She painfully got off the bed, finding herself quickly growing stiff and sore, but knowing she'd have to wait till later to heal herself. She knelt down by the dresser, going through several of his drawers and coming up with only three bottles of salves and a flask of some potion. She then gulped and turned to the 'Forbidden Drawer', which held his boxers and god knows what else.
"I have no other choice... I'm going in..." Alexis grumbled to herself, opening the drawer slowly. She frowned though, finding only two pairs of boxers and the rest only bottles of different salves and potions.
"The little ass..."Alexis growled at his ploy as she grabbed an armful. She limped back towards the bed, setting them down and retrieving bandages, gauze and some wet washcloths from the bathroom.
Sitting next to him on the bed, she quickly put pressure on the bleeding wound on his side, his only reaction a slight shifting and small wince. She looked through the different bottles of salves as she held the cloth to his side, finding one that looked like it would work and quickly removing the clothe and spreading some over the large laceration very gently. She noticed his head was bleeding, so she cleaned that and smeared some healing salve over the open cut, using a different bottle of the salve to rid of the swelling and bruising. That finished, she rolled him slightly on his less injured side with some painful difficulty and dressed the wound on his back, cleaning some of the blood off of the bed with some spare cloth.
The major problems now fixed to her best knowledge, she cleaned off the dried blood with the washcloths, making sure to be as careful as possible.
She found the salve that he had once used on her broken ribs, but stopped as a thought came to her tired mind. "Uh oh... I don't have the incantation to fix broken bones."
She got off the bed, rifling through his drawers once again, then through his pretty empty suitcase, but only succeeded in finding some more salves and a flask of what was labeled as some kind of poison, the handwritten caption under it reading, 'Just In Case'.
Alexis looked at the unconscious man and spoke with confusion. "You are one screwed up bastard you know..."
She put that aside so she wouldn't accidentally use it or something, and rummaged through the desk drawers, but there was no sign of an incantation written down at all. She eased herself onto the bed once more, shaking her head with a frown. "Sorry dude, but until you wake up, you're going to have to stay broken."
She looked at the injured man with hopelessness, wondering what else she could do. She read through the salves again and picked out one that looked alright, turning and sighing at him. "I guess I can try to get rid of some of your bruising..."
She leaned over him and took some salve, then gently and slowly started rubbing it around the major wounds and along his chest, trying to use only light pressure. She shook her head as she grumbled during her work. "You know this is mostly your bloody fault... you don't just stand there while a giant pig is tearing you to pieces! What the hell were you thinking!"
She sighed, turning him over as gently as possible, having to try several times with her injured wrist before succeeding, and then rubbing his bruised shoulders with the salve using mostly her uninjured hand, watching the swelling go down and marks fade on Severus's back.
"Sometimes I think you do this kind of stuff just to spite me... I wouldn't put it past you. And why the hell am I even talking to you? You can't even hear me! God, its times like this when I need a drink..." Alexis continued to grumble, massaging Severus's shoulders and healing all the bruising and torn muscles she could. She sighed, finally finishing the massage and looked at the clock with tired eyes, the harsh red lettering now reading 5:47 AM.
She sat back tiredly, though winced as her back hit the wall behind the bed. She remembered faintly her encounter with the baseball bat and grimaced, slowly sliding off the bed. She stumbled to the bathroom, stopping in front of the mirror and looking at herself.
"Girl, you look like shit..." She told herself, touching her eye which was for some reason turning black with bruising. She stopped though, seeing her wrist swollen and discolored, and just then realized the pain it had been sending her the whole time while she was distracted fixing Severus.
She groaned and found an ace bandage, sloppily bandaging it for the meantime, then dousing her face with cold water to wake herself up. She couldn't go to sleep just yet, not until she was sure Severus would wake up and be alright. He didn't have to be bouncing up and down, just well enough so he wouldn't die. She just hoped that was soon.
She attempted to change shirts, but gasped as the material rubbed over her back near her side, the skin burning and stinging her enough it brought tears to her eyes and she hitched her breath. She looked with a wince, seeing the skin slightly blackened and chafed red, and the marks of a two pronged instrument.
"I'm going to petition for cattle prods to be forbidden..." Alexis growled painfully, slowly lowering her shirt and deciding she could wait a little while longer before she risked changing. She limped back to the bed feeling lightheaded, and pulled a light blanket over the unconscious Severus, who seemed to be breathing a little better and not so pale looking.
She slid onto the bed beside him, propping the fluffiest pillow behind her aching back and leaning against it slowly. She sighed, looking at Severus distractedly as she forced herself back away from the blissful oblivion of sleep that so beckoned to her.
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Severus looked at the ceiling, his mind returning to that place called reality for a moment.
Am I dead?... He thought for a moment, and then he inhaled, pain lancing through his side and he knew that he was not dead, but in fact, far from it and closer still. He breathed shallowly, trying to figure out where he was. Was he captured, or had they escaped? He looked at the ceiling once more and noticed the yellow color and knew he was back at the apartment.
Damn... What attacked me?... He asked himself as he felt another near debilitating pain shot through his side. He winced in the pain, closing his eyes as he forced himself to breath shallowly.
He knew he needed to assess his injuries and dress and care for them, but he hurt too damn much.
I've got to get up... I've got to move... He told himself, looking up as he willed himself to sit up. The willing part wasn't working much. He lifted his arm warily, feeling his now bare side and he noticed the feel of bandages. He craned his head and saw that his wounds had already been dressed. He looked at his chest, which he guessed would be black and blue all over and it was amazingly pale as usual. He turned on his uninjured side, or less injured side, and witnessed a very beaten up looking Alexis sleeping propped up on a pillow.
Ah... That explains it... She healed me but not herself, not very wise... God I hurt... Severus thought groggily as he grimaced.
Damn it all... now I have to use the restroom... Severus thought, deciding how best to get up as he held himself up on his elbow, feeling sleep calling him once again. He had noticed that Alexis had woken up at his jerky movement.
She snapped her head up, eyes wide and slightly bloodshot as she yelled. "I wasn't asleep for no more than a minute!"
He looked at her oddly, deciding that he really needed to go. Severus watched as she smiled at him, speaking through a yawn as he began to force himself up, grimacing in the strain.
"You're awake. And not dead." She stated as he grinded his teeth together as he made it upright. It took him a minute to answer and when he did his voice was scratchy and sore.
"Dead... ha, I wish..." He groaned as he sat up very, very carefully, He had figured at least two ribs were broken, if not more.
A pain ripped though his side once more and he groaned aloud, holding his side. He felt the bandages and looked at them wondering how bad his wounds were. He looked all over himself, not seeing a single bruise and the incessant need to urinate growing stronger.
I wonder how she managed to get me in here, let alone, dress my wounds... He thought as he looked at her questioningly.
"Did the best I can, but couldn't fix your ribs... don't know the incantation." She stated and he stared at her as if he didn't know what she was talking about. He couldn't seem to figure out why she wanted to save him. He shook his head as he braced himself to stand.
Alexis tried to quickly get up and help him, but stumbled and fell back against the wall and he heard her yelp and take shallower breaths as if she were in pain. He was feeling the pain too.
The ministry owes us so much right now... He thought as he shook his head at her, trying to make his voice work.
"No, I doubt you could help. I can manage by myself." He told her, determined to get up and walk to the bathroom by himself. He didn't need her help, even if it would be nice, he didn't need it. He rose to his feet shakily, as if he had never walked before, his knees wanting to give out on him and he determinedly stumbled for the bathroom like a toddler walking for its mother. If he could get to the bathroom he would be fine. He made it to the bathroom by some fate, managing not to fall as he quickly relieved himself. He shivered in the cold as he turned, stumbling slowly out of the bathroom. He saw Alexis sitting on the bed, looking like death warmed over, but his vision had blurred as he had exerted so much energy getting to the bathroom. He felt like he could just fall to the floor and go to sleep forever.
No, must make it to the bed... He told himself as he toppled over towards the bed. Getting to the side of it, he slowly and painfully eased himself upon it, sighing as he laid his head on the pillow and closing his eyes to fall asleep.
"Hold on, don't go back to sleep!" Alexis snapped him out of his sleep and he opened one eye at her, wondering what she wanted from him. He closed it after she didn't answer that second.
"Well, at least tell me the incantation then." Alexis grumbled at him and he looked at her for moment. What incantation... Oh that one... Damn how does it go... Think, think think... He thought through his exhaustion, finally figuring out the incantation that would solve all his broken bones. He sighed, grabbing a piece of parchment and pen, willing his hand to stop shaking as he wrote it down for her.
Severus turned and handed Alexis the paper, looking at her with confusion and yet with a hint of utter gratitude. Hoping she got the message he laid back down and closed his eyes and that was all he saw as darkness overtook him.
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Alexis was jostled slightly, and she snapped her head up, eyes wide and slightly bloodshot as she yelled. "I wasn't asleep for no more than a minute!"
She shook her head roughly, vision slightly blurry as she looked beside her at Severus, who was slightly up on one elbow and staring at her in half asleep confusion. Alexis smiled dazedly, speaking through a yawn. "You're awake. And not dead."
Severus didn't answer as he forced himself to sit up, gritting his teeth in pain as he eventually mumbled in a scratchy voice. "Dead... ha, I wish..."
Alexis pushed herself up from the backboard where she was propped, hissing in pain slightly, but ignoring it as she watched Severus sit up carefully, wondering if he was truly alright.
He held his side as he groaned, and then a look of confusion came over his face as he felt the bandages. He looked down at himself, seeing his wounds dressed and most of his bruising gone. He slowly looked up at Alexis with questioning and she yawned hugely again, explaining. "Did the best I can, but couldn't fix your ribs... don't know the incantation."
She looked at him tiredly as he continued to stare at her as if waiting for her to continue. Alexis frowned slightly. Jeesh, he acts like I was going to let him die or something...
He shook his head then and tensed to lift himself from the bed, and Alexis tried to quickly get up and help him, but stumbled and fell back against the wall. She yelped, clutching her wrist to herself and taking shallower breaths to ease the breathtaking pain from her back. She shook her head with grim determination, telling herself. I'm fine... not nearly as bad as Severus was... quit being a wuss...
She walked over to him, but he shook his head at her, speaking in a sore sounding voice. "No, I doubt you could help. I can manage by myself."
Alexis stopped, watching the stubborn dork rise shakily to his feet, and then proceed to stumbled towards the bathroom, stopping once or twice to catch his breath. Alexis sat once again on the bed, shaking her head as she glanced over at the clock once more. "4:34 in the afternoon... okay, I was asleep for three minutes... so shoot me..."
Doesn't sound to bad right about now though... Alexis thought grimly, thinking maybe now she could finally sleep with Severus up. Her injuries could wait, she just wanted to sleep. If there was any way of dying from sleep deprivation, she was sure she was pretty close to it. Severus came out of the bathroom, looking like the walking dead as he stumbled over to the bed and eased himself into it, sighing as he lay down, closing his eyes.
"Hold on, don't go back to sleep!" Alexis snapped at him, but he merely cracked one eye at her with confusion, then closing it again once more.
The little jerk... "Well, at least tell me the incantation then." Alexis grumbled at him. This idiot better be grateful... but I guess I can stay awake a little while longer...
Severus looked at her, seeming to debate with himself for a moment. He then sighed, reaching over to a nearby desk and grabbed a piece of paper, quickly writing the spell down. He handed it to her slowly, looking her in the eyes. Alexis stared back as she took it, and she saw a glint of slight confusion mixed with a sense of relief.
He then sighed wearily and closed his eyes, falling into a deep sleep in less than a minute. She sighed, shaking her head as she looked at the incantation and scrambled for the right bottle of salve, the words on the labels blurring together in her exhaustion. After about the fifth bottle, she found the right one and scooted beside Severus, moving to turn him on his stomach. She whimpered softly as the movement strained her back, and she thought she felt Severus rolling over slightly himself, but wasn't sure.
She shook her head to rid of her blurring vision and fuzzy thoughts, and then proceeded to massage his back around his ribs while she chanted the incantation, going slowly at first as the bones healed back into place. He eventually started taking deeper breaths as his ribs healed, and she kneaded the soreness out of his muscles as he lay there limply.
She yawned as she finished the spell, drawing away from Severus after about a half hour of massaging, recapping the salve bottle clumsily. Her stomach then grumbled noisily and she found herself ravenous. She tossed the light blanket over the sleeping man and stumbled into the Kitchen, looking around tiredly for any type of food to satisfy her weak and beaten body. A simple answer to that lodged in her mind. Cereal...
She automatically grabbed the nearest thing that looked like a bowl and set it on the table, not realizing it was a pot. She squinted as she looked in the fridge, wavering slightly as she grabbed a carton of liquid, pouring it with a yawn into the pot. She then grabbed a bag on the counter that looked like cereal to her and poured some into the bowl as well. She plopped down wearily, lifting her spoon and taking a bite out of the concoction. She frowned, finding the cereal a little crunchy and the milk tasting sour. She stared hard at the bowl, and her vision cleared long enough for her to see chips floating in a pot full of orange juice.
She sighed tiredly, grumbling to herself. "It would figure..." She then shrugged, taking a few more bites, too tired and hungry to care about what it was. She half finished the bowl of chips and juice, and then stood up wobbly and almost fell over, but she righted herself and limped her way back to the bedroom, leaving the bowl, carton, and bag where they were.
She stood in the doorway of the bedroom and stared at the sleeping Severus wistfully, knowing that as soon as she sat down she would fall asleep as well. "Can't sleep yet... Severus's isn't up..." Alexis mumbled to herself. She told herself earlier that he wouldn't sleep until Severus was able to care for himself, and she was bent on keeping to her word.
So instead she leaned up against the dresser, crossing her arms and forcing herself to stay awake so she wouldn't fall and hurt herself further. So she stood slumped there for the better part of two hours, wisping in and out of a kind of catatonic trance as she willed herself to stay on her feet.
Eventually a blur of movement let her know that Severus was stirring once more. She watched hopefully as he groaned, though this time with a hint of relief, and stretched his arms.
Well, it's only been about TWO DAYS... Alexis thought dizzily to herself through a haze of pain and half sleep as she swayed a bit, and stumbled to keep her footing, the movement caused Severus to look up at her. His eyes widened in surprise, and he spoke carefully, though sounding muffled in her dim consciousness.
"You're actually still awake?"
Alexis smirked grimly. "Oh yeah. I'm the world class champion at staying up, didn't you know? Nothing can keep me down. Not any broken bone nor sore muscle, not any cut or bruise. I'm invincible." She hissed with a slightly slurred voice at his apparent ignorance.
He stared at her in confusion for a moment, sitting up in the bed as she rolled her eyes and explained with a stifled yawn. "I couldn't sleep without knowing if you were going to wake up or not."
He raised his eyebrow in slight surprise, moving to the edge of the bed. Alexis swayed again, no longer able to feel anything beside her pain and weariness, which was all that accompanied her world of consciousness.
"So, are you awake?" She asked slowly.
He was quiet for a moment as he looked himself over wonderingly, and then spoke slowly. "...Yeah..."
"Good. Are you alive?" She questioned again.
Severus looked up at her with slightly concerned confusion and answered carefully. "Yes."
"And can you walk?" She asked once again, a blackness tainting the outskirts of her vision.
"I'm pretty sure."
Alexis smiled almost druggedly as her ears buzzed with an odd noise and she mumbled. "Great. Now, good night..." Her legs then gave out and she crumpled to the floor, ignoring the screaming pain of her body as she lay on the floor on the edge of consciousness.
She dimly saw Severus's surprised face above hers and whispered before careening into unconsciousness. "Now we're even..."
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Severus awoke this time to considerably less pain. His thighs hurt and he felt sore, but the blessed part was that he could breathe. He groaned, stretching his arms in relief as he realized that he could move. He felt eyes on him and saw movement behind his eyelids and he looked at Alexis, seeing her swaying as she tried to lean against the dresser. His eyes widened in surprise upon seeing her, and he spoke carefully and curiously.
"You're actually still awake?"
She looked like she hadn't slept in days, having the tired soldier look about her and her reply only strengthened his worry.
"Oh yeah. I'm the world class champion at staying up, didn't you know? Nothing can keep me down. Not any broken bone nor sore muscle, not any cut or bruise. I'm invincible." She hissed as she smirked grimly with a slightly slurred voice. He now felt terrible that he had the chance to heal and she had sacrificed her relief for him.
Why would she do that?... And for ME?... He thought as he looked at her with confusion as he sat up quickly, much to his delight and guilt. Alexis tried to hide her yawn as she spoke to him.
"I couldn't sleep without knowing if you were going to wake up or not." Her reply startled him as he raised an eyebrow at her, moving to the edge of the bed. She swayed almost drunkenly and he watched her intently.
"So, are you awake?" She asked him slowly and he thought, looking over himself. After assessing that he was awake he replied slowly, a bit worried about her.
"...Yeah..." He stated and she ranted off another question.
"Good. Are you alive?"
He looked at her with concern and answered her.
"Yes."
"And can you walk?" She asked him once again, and she looked like she was about to pass out on her feet.
"I'm pretty sure." He told her, tensing his leg muscles and sensing that though they were sore, they would work. What worried him was the near drugged smile she gave him as she mumbled.
"Great. Now, good night..."
As she spoke, it looked as if her knees gave out and Severus quickly dove to catch her as she plummeted to the floor, but didn't succeed. He looked down at her in surprise, wondering how much she had actually done for herself. She looked at him like she was drugged and whispered barely loud enough for him to hear her.
"Now we're even..." She spoke and he sighed, realizing this was all done for a debt, a debt he hadn't even considered she owed him, since when he had helped her, her injuries hadn't been life-threatening, as his had been. So in all technicalities, he owed her... but he didn't want to think about that just yet.
He shook his head as he groaned, picking Alexis up carefully and placing her on the bed. He shivered in the cold and hunted down a shirt as he looked at the beaten and bruised woman in front of him.
"Figures." He thought as he looked around the room, seeing vials and salves out over the dresser. He hunted down the bruise salve, which was scarily by his vial of asp's venom for his 'in case he is captured' situations.
"Wow, she went though my drawers... All of them..." He thought as he walked over to the bed, his knees aching fiercely. He noticed he was still in his thick black pants from the mission. Shaking his head he looked at Alexis, realizing that she was still in her mission clothes, minus the jacket, boots and other easily removables. Then he came to the revelation that he would have to remove her clothes to heal her again. He walked over to her, shaking her shoulder gently.
"Alexis... wake up for a moment..." Severus spoke and she grimaced at him.
"No mommy... I don't want any ice cream..." She moaned and Severus shook his head, shaking her again.
"Artimis, the cookies were out on the table, I swear, they told me to eat them..." Alexis replied with a slurred voice and Severus sighed, growling in his throat.
"Alexis, I need you to wake up so you can take your shirt off, so I can assess your wounds. Wake up." He told her and she shivered, groaning at him.
"You do it... You hunt down the cookie thief... I'm gonna just look at the colored dragons..." Alexis moaned and Severus, though knowing it would never hold up in any argument, took that as permission. He slowly lifted Alexis's arms, grabbing the bottom of her shirt and carefully removed it, trying not to hurt her.
He watched as her eyes closed tightly in pain as he lifted her up with one arm to get the shirt out from under her. He looked her over, seeing that she was bruised all over, even in areas he was never going to heal.
"Sorry Alexis, some parts of you are just gonna remain bruised." He stated, uncapping the salve and kneeling by the bed. He carefully began to rub her stomach, pushing aside all thoughts of how wrong this was. He watched as the bruising began to subside and he knew that she could be eased over on her stomach so he could get her back. He tucked his hand under her back and she yelped in pain in her sleep and he removed his hand quickly, instead rolling her over by her other side. When she was on her stomach he gasped in horror as the faint scent of burnt flesh hit his nose.
"What the hell did they hit you with! A lightning bolt?" He asked with astonishment as he noticed the two charred burn marks on her back. The skin around the wounds was black and deathly looking and he had to wonder how she was able to stay awake like that.
"This calls for burn salve." He stated worriedly, getting up and walking over toward the mountain of healing salves. He fished the red burn salve out and walked back over to the bed, shaking his head. This should have been seen to long before his broken ribs, long before his bruises. She could have died from whatever it was that had hit her.
He eased himself on the bed beside her, carefully prodding the site, seeing Alexis's whole back tense up. This is going to be painful... He thought as he began to rub the salve into the site, Alexis moaning and hissing in her pained sleep. He was thankful that she was sleeping or else she might not have remained this still. He watched as the skin began to heal, but he knew it would take a few applications before her back was any sense of normal. He healed her bruises on her back, seeing that she too had taken a hit to the back with a bat.
"Bloody barbarians..." He thought aloud as her back turned to some form of normal. He sighed, setting the bottle of salve near her left hand. Then he actually looked at her hand, seeing a sloppy bandage on it, yet another injury to add to her list.
"Good lord... What all did they do to you?" He snarled, taking and carefully unwrapping her wrist, then seeing the deep bruising that was shaped in a chain-like fashion around her wrist and upper forearm. He took out the salve and began to rub her wrist, realizing that she had broken a bone in her wrist.
"Bloody woman, trying to fix someone when she is more beat up..." He thought aloud with a stern growl as he shook his head, beginning the chant to heal her broken wrist. She grimaced as he touched the bone but after a moment she was silent and seeming to sleep more peacefully. He stood up, looking to see if he had missed any place that was in his realm of touching. He grimaced as he viewed the now brown mark on her back, wondering what had caused it.
"Enough thinking. I need food or else I'm not going to be much good to anyone." He thought as he headed out to the kitchen.
He noticed their was a pot on the table and he looked in it, seeing what it was Alexis had tried to cook. What he found disturbed him. There were chips floating in orange juice, a spoon sunken in the pot, as if she were eating cereal.
"Wow, she must have been exhausted... I want soup." He thought as he began to clean up the mess. He finished the cleaning and started on the soup, making some for Alexis as well. If chips and juice were all that she had, she was going to be starving when she woke up.
He placed the pot on the stove and set it on low as he turned back to the bedroom. He walked to the bed and grabbed the burn salve, adding another application to her back. After he was done it now only looked like sunburn, not a fire mark. Nodding in approval of his work he headed back out the kitchen, where the soup was done. He made himself a bowl and wolfed it down with the hunger of a beast. He didn't even know he had been that hungry. He made Alexis a bowl and walked back into the bedroom.
"Alexis... Food... Don't make me have to feed you..." Severus told her and she groaned at him, making him wondering how long she was going to sleep, it had already been about half a day.
"Alexis, please get up?" He asked and Alexis did not stir. He rolled her over gently, shaking his head as he did so. She lay on her back, not stirring at all as she breathed deeply and slowly. He grabbed her face in his hand and opened her eye with his other hand.
"Alexis?" He asked and all he saw was sleep. Deciding that she needed it more than food, he set her head back down and headed to the bathroom, needing a shower.
When he came out, Alexis was still dead asleep, having not even moved from where he had left her. He sighed, changing into some pajamas and walking over to his side of the bed. Then he noticed the bloodstains that must have come from him. He sighed in defeat and proceeded to change the bed sheet, picking Alexis up as he needed to get it out from under her. He put another sheet on and shook his head as he applied another application to Alexis's back, it now only a large red spot on her back.
Severus, now exhausted and worried, sat down on the bed, covering Alexis up. He leaned against the headboard as he waited for her to wake up, fighting back sleep with a proverbial iron pot. He watched her breathing slow and deep, realizing that if it had not been for her, his supposed bane, that he would have died.
He owed her something he couldn't just tell her he owed her. No, now she had a life debt over him, and she would never know. But when the time came he would save her life, just as she had saved his. With these thoughts, Severus laid his head back on the headboard, staring at the ugly yellow ceiling, unknowingly drifting off to sleep.
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All Alexis felt for the longest time was pain, though not even that was going to keep her from getting the sleep her body had been starving for ever since they had arrived back at the apartment. Though, when she finally awoke, expecting to be barraged with lances of agony and throbbing soreness, all she felt was a dull ache. And even that was comforted by the warm blanket draped over her. Dude... I guess I was wrong when I said chocolate's better than any sleep... don't think chocolate can do this... She thought, yawning as she opened her eyes, vision slightly fuzzy.
"Back to join the living I see. About time." She heard a familiar voice speak quietly as she looked up beside her to see Severus sitting against the headboard on the bed.
"Huh?" Was all she could say as she tensed to push herself up, but was surprised when no pain assaulted her from her back.
"You've been sleeping for almost two days. Are you finally going to wake up?" Severus spoke, glaring at her, but without his usual disgruntled hatred. She could've sworn it was quite the opposite; he actually seemed a bit relieved.
But why? That I'm awake? You would've thought he'd be in his glory with me out of his hair... Alexis thought as she sat up. The blankets fell off her, and she shivered at the cold. Glancing down, she realized what was really making her cold. Her eyes widened as she snatched the blanket back, covering her shirtless self, having been only scarcely clothed.
She glared daggers at Severus, about to yell something when he cut her off quickly. "I asked your permission already."
Alexis snapped her mouth closed in confusion, and then asked warily. "I gave you my permission to undress me? In what dimension was this?"
Severus rolled his eyes as he explained. "It was after you passed out. I woke you up enough to ask. I couldn't very well heal you fully dressed, posed a bit of a problem. Another shirt's right there." He spoke quietly, pointing at it on the nearby table.
Alexis sat still for a moment, staring at him in confusion. He healed me? Huh? She reached and grabbed her shirt then, Severus looking away for the moment as Alexis pulled off the blanket. She surveyed herself, seeing herself free of bruises and a light bandage on her back. Otherwise she was perfectly fine. She pulled over her shirt carefully, shaking her head in astonishment.
He really did fix me... though he didn't need to... She thought, but then her 'other' voice added in indignantly. Well, you didn't have to fix him either, but you did.
She shook her head. Still, that was because I couldn't well let him die... and I owed him.
The other voice laughed at her. Well, what do you think he was doing genius?
Alexis frowned at herself. He didn't owe her anything... did he? But she then guessed that he felt he needed to fix her up so he wouldn't get reamed out so bad when they returned home. She was just going to stick with that one.
"And what the hell did they hit you with?" Severus's wondering voice broke through her reverie suddenly. She turned to see him looking at her with confusion.
She frowned with question. "Hit me with? Who?"
"Your back! What was that?" He asked again, looking anxious to know as he sat there on the bed watching her.
Alexis paled, remembering suddenly. She spoke softly in reply. "Oh... that. It was an electric cattle prod."
Severus stared at her in surprise for a minute, and Alexis didn't think he understood. "It's like a taser..."
"I know what it is. Like a miniature dragon prod. Damn barbarians..." She heard Severus growl with a look of anger, and Alexis was a bit taken aback.
"What was that?" She asked, not sure if she had heard him right.
Severus looked at her, then shook his head and spoke gruffly. "Nothing. Are you going to get up? You need to take a shower and start packing so we can leave."
Alexis smiled widely at that statement. HOME! My own bed! Heat! Ron! YAY!
She scooted to the edge of the bed, but was halted as Severus snapped. "Hold on a minute. You're going to eat first. Your soup's right there, I warmed it up not too long ago."
Alexis stopped, turning to look at him with surprise. He didn't meet her gaze as he stood off the bed, straightening his shirt with dignity and pretending to look busy.
Alexis smirked to herself as she lay back against the headboard, taking the bowl of soup and eating it thoughtfully as she looked up at Severus. He saw her and nodded in approval, then leaving the room towards the Kitchen. Alexis shook her head as she smiled.
----------------------------
Severus found himself sleeping once again, having applied the last application to Alexis's back. He stirred when he felt her move beside him.
Is she awake? Or just having another nightmare?... It's been over a day that she's been out... He thought as he lifted his head, looking at her hopefully. Her eyes were still closed, but he sensed that she was awake. That was confirmed by a yawn and the opening of her eyes.
"Back to join the living I see. About time." He grumbled at her, trying very hard to sound upset, angered, hell even disappointed would work, but all that came out was quiet concern.
Severus, you can't be NICE to her... She's your bane... You aren't, WEREN'T, worried... Just upset that you had to baby-sit her... Yeah... He told himself as he braced himself against the backboard.
"Huh?" Alexis replied and he watched smugly as she acted surprised that she could painlessly move.
Glare... That's intimidating... He thought hopelessly as he replied.
"You've been sleeping for almost more than a day. Are you finally going to wake up?" Severus stated, trying to glare at her, but not feeling the anger, seeing as he was now relieved that she was awake and seemingly well. She seemed to be deep in thought as she sat up. He shook his head as the blankets fell off her and she shivered.
Severus braced with the onslaught of the yells as Alexis realized that she was near half naked, snatching the blankets up around her, as if he were looking. She turned her head, glaring daggers into him and he cut her off before she began to yell.
"I asked your permission already." He told her, knowing that it was true, yet at the same time it was false, for she wasn't really aware of the world. He watched as she snapped her mouth closed in confusion, asking warily.
"I gave you my permission to undress me? In what dimension was this?" She exclaimed, shaking his head as he rolled his eyes.
Do I have to explain everything?... He thought as he began to speak.
"It was after you passed out. I woke you up enough to ask. I couldn't very well heal you fully dressed, posed a bit of a problem. Another shirt's right there." He told her as he pointed to a clean shirt sitting on the bedside table, next to the salves and her soup, which he had warmed about a half an hour ago.
Alexis sat there, looking at him in utter confusion, as if she expected him to not care for her. Her injuries. That is...
He turned his head out of respect as she grabbed the shirt, dressing herself. He waited patiently as she was silent. He turned just in time to see a glimmer of the bandage on her back and the reminded him that he wanted to know what they had hit her with. Seeing that she was deep in thought he decided to ask.
"And what the hell did they hit you with?" Severus asked wonderingly and she turned to look at him with confusion.
"Hit me with? Who?" She asked him warily and he looked at her if she was crazy.
"Your back! What was that?" He asked again urgently, feeling anxious with the want to know as he sat there on the bed watching her carefully.
He watched as the color left her face and she seemed to recall an event that bothered her.
"Oh... that. It was an electric cattle prod." She replied softly and he couldn't believe his ears.
A cattle prod... The bloody muggle contraption that wizards based Dragon prods off of... That is just wrong... He thought as he stared at her. She must have thought his staring meant he did not understand as she tried to explain the concept to him.
"It's like a taser..." She began and he stopped her.
"I know what it is. Like a miniature dragon prod. Damn barbarians..."He growled in his throat, feeling enraged that one human being could do that to another human being. Alexis must have sensed his anger, because she drew back warily.
"What was that?" She asked him with wonder and he decided to not further incriminate himself with the fact that he was concerned. He shook his head, trying to make himself feel mean as he tried to bark a reply at her.
"Nothing. Are you going to get up? You need to take a shower and start packing so we can leave."
He watched as she smirked with the realization that they were going home. Severus on the other hand, really didn't want to go home but wanted to remain somewhere safe, away from Alexis, and most of all, her husband Ron. He watched Alexis as she went to get out of bed and he stopped her, realizing that all she still had in her system was chips and orange juice.
"Hold on a minute. You're going to eat first. Your soup's right there, I warmed it up not too long ago." He told her and she looked at him with surprise. He didn't look her in the eyes, knowing that his had a way of letting others know when he cared and when he didn't.
He got out of the bed, fixing himself in a dignified manner as he looked for something to do. He walked over to the dresser and began to pull out his shirts, preparing to pack them. He turned to make sure Alexis was eating and she was indeed. She looked up at him and he nodded in approval of her eating and he then headed to the kitchen for some food himself, seeing as he now was hungry.
He made himself a sandwich and then went back to the bedroom, seeing that Alexis had gotten up to take a shower.
He sighed as he grabbed his suitcase, packing his clothes neatly in it. He placed all his potions and salves in their placed in the false bottom of his suitcase, magically hiding them from muggle prying eyes. He made sure he had everything he brought with him, all the while taking occasional bites of his sandwich.
He carried his suitcase to the living room, dropping it on the couch, shaking his head as it sunk in. Just then Alexis burst out of the room, looking frantic, diving for his bag.
"Do you have them! Please tell me you have them!" She yelped at him and he looked at her like she was nuts.
"What?" He asked and she tore open his bag, proceeding to rummage thought his neatly folded clothes, making it look like a clothes hamper.
"My nunchucks! Do you have them? Please say you do and are hiding them on me..." She whined and he shook his head, taking his bag away from her, holding back his anger.
"No, I don't have your nunchucks. Check your bags and your clothes. I haven't seen them." He stated as he tried to refold his clothes.
"We have to find them! I looked everywhere!" Alexis hissed with desperation and Severus snorted.
"Everywhere? Really... Where was the last place you saw them?" He asked and Alexis stopped, thinking hard. Then she began to silently sob, sitting back on her knees despairingly.
"At the warehouse..." She cried and Severus looked at her with incredulity.
"Well, then I'm not going back for them." He hissed, closing his bag after he managed to fix most of the damage.
"But we have too!" She wailed and he shook his head.
"Alexis, they are just nunchucks, you can get another pair in London." He told her and she cried, glaring at him.
"Those aren't just nunchucks; they are my mother's nunchucks!" Alexis whined and he shook his head.
"Alexis ok, I understand now your panic, but we just spent the last week almost healing from our last visit down there. Do you honestly want to spend another week in this blasted country? I don't." He stated and Alexis shook her head, tears glistening lightly on her cheeks. She stood shakily and trudged over to the heater, obviously to kick it. She lifted her foot and kicked it solidly, taking her anger out on it. Severus turned his back to her and shook his head.
Then she was silent. "Severus?" She whispered after a minute and he turned around, wondering what now. She was holding up a brown plug with a shocked look on her face.
"What is that?" He questioned and she glared, clenching the plug in her fist.
"A plug." She growled angrily and he sighed.
"To what?" He asked her, and then following it with his eyes and seeing it lead up to the heater. She didn't even have to tell him what it was for.
"I HATE THIS PLACE! Damn it... Where was that at?" He yelled and Alexis pointed to an inch between the wall and the unit. He snarled as she plugged it in and it began to make noise. Alexis stood in front of it and shook her head in disbelief, turning to look at him.
"It's warm." She stated and he growled, walking over and kicking it for good measure.
"Get your bags... We're going home." He barked, now angry.
Alexis stalked back into the bedroom, and Severus sighed, glancing at the television that was on and muted. It was the news station, and the picture shown was that of the warehouse. Interested, he turned it up, the reporter speaking into his microphone.
"-a long operating ring of black market criminals have finally been caught. In the process of transporting endangered and valuable animals to sources in Britain, an event occurred that left this warehouse in shambles and freed most of the wildlife into the surrounding neighborhoods, which alerted officers to this scam. Attempts to recapture all these animals were successful, and all of the persecutors were apprehended. Details are still fuzzy on what had resulted in this ring being busted, though there is talk of an undercover team that had been on the case. The agency from which this team was sent from hasn't been disclosed yet, but whoever they are, we hope they know they were successful and are appreciated. More on the story at eleven. Back to you Stacy-"
Severus turned off the station, shaking his head.
"Hey, that was about us wasn't it? You'd think the damn Ministry would cover it up about us better... idiots..." He heard Alexis yell from the bedroom, and he smirked as he gathered his things, finally feeling as if they had accomplished something.
After about thirty minutes, they were ready to go, ready to leave this bloody place and all its bad memories. Severus drove to the airport, a knot of nervousness in his stomach as he held his vial of sleeping potion tightly. They got on the plane and Severus downed it, sleeping thought all 12 hours of the flight.
They got out to Alexis's jeep, which she spent twenty minutes talking to and then they finally headed home, Alexis driving this time, seeing as the potion hadn't quite worn all the way off.
By the time Manor Dela Loyalty came into view, Severus was awake, alert, and prepared to die. They got out, bags in hand. Walking up the front door, Severus braced for the worst. They both walked in the front door and before they could say a word, they saw a bright flash of light and the quick shout of, "Immobilus!"
Uh oh, looks like Sev and Lex have walked from one problem to another...
What will happen now?
Toodles,
Deep Shadows
