Days have passed since Hermione and Bellatrix opened up about their relationship. Since then, both women made no attempt to contact the other. Hermione, out of fear of being rejected. Bellatrix, due to anger. The older woman had moved beyond her sadness and found solace in anger at the entire situation. Over and over the thought of what they could have had ran through her mind on a loop. 'Had we just been open about everything from the beginning!' She had been pacing for the past hour. Her thoughts just wouldn't slow down. A knock at her door managed to disrupt her briefly. It was Narcissa.
"Bella, please tell me you're not avoiding the girl still."
"Well, hello to you too, Cissy." the woman said while walking away. Irritated, Bellatrix was in no mood to entertain her baby sister. Narcissa walked further into the suite and gasped at the sight in front of her. The place looked like a tornado had passed through. Sheets were all over the place, curtains were ripped and hanging off the wall. There was glass all over the dining area and near the bed. Empty bottles of Jack were found on the kitchen island as Narcissa ventured deeper into the mess of a room. 'Was the mattress flipped?!' the woman thought to herself. Her brows furrowed in concern as she spotted the couches flipped as well. 'And is that a hole in the wall!' This wasn't good at all. She hadn't seen Bella this manic since around the time she figured her and Hermione had split.
Looking up at her older sister, Narcissa pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. She just couldn't bring herself to accept this. With a plan in mind, the youngest Black marched over to her sister and grabbed her by the shoulders roughly, effectively stopping the woman's pacing. Bellatrix jumped at the sudden touch, forgetting that she had let Narcissa in. Once coming to her senses the older woman made an attempt to push her sister's hands off her, only to be pulled into a fierce hug. Struggle as she may, Narcissa had an iron grip on her and kept the angry woman in place. Huffing, Bellatrix balled her hands up and clenched her jaw, trying her best not to lash out at her sister. After all, she knows that Cissy is only trying to help. "Come now, Bella. I know its complicated, everything seems like a mess. You feel like so much time has been wasted. That if you had pushed a little harder or convinced her better, that it would have been alright, now. But what's done is done and we can't allow the what ifs to control us. Don't do this to yourself again." Rubbing her sister's back soothingly Narcissa kissed her on the side of the head and withdrew but kept her hands on her shoulder.
Looking into puffy red eyes, she smiled encouragingly, "Look at it this way, the split gave you both time to figure yourselves out and your careers. Settled all of the messy stuff life brings you and now you both can work on all of your personal mess with each other." Bellatrix was clenching her fists so hard it drew blood. She was still angry. She wanted to say it made absolutely no sense for why she was so angry but after all that crying she did, the woman only had enough emotional energy for anger. It just wasn't fair at all. "Had she just trusted me, Cissy! I would've been there for her if her friends withdrew from her. We would've been able to navigate our life together if everyone we loved turned their backs on us. Why couldn't she have seen that?!" The woman was shaking, either from uncontrolled anger or from the cold, Narcissa did not know, but she made a note to turn the air conditioning off. The room was unnecessarily cold. 'It's a wonder, Bellatrix didn't catch a cold of sorts' she thought.
Spying the dripping blood, Narcissa grabbed the woman's hands, unclenching them to see the finger nail marks. Tsking, the blonde woman shook her head in a mocking manner. "Now what would mother say, if she saw how you were acting? You're a Black, Bellatrix. You're strong by nature. Don't let your anger get the best of you." Letting her sister lead her to the bed so she could clean her wounds, Bellatrix looked up, tears in her eyes. "They just won't go away, Cissy. The voices." Narcissa nodded her head as she wiped the blood off. "I know it's irrational. I'm not stupid, but they're so convincing. They come to me when I sleep, when I'm awake. They feed off my sadness and I can't lock them away. There's no medication now." Narcissa took a bandage and wrapped her sister's hands as she sat there now staring blankly at the wall behind her. Narcissa decided she needed to get Andromeda over and maybe call their mother for some help. The youngest Black could only do so much for her sister.
Placing a hand on her cheek to get her attention, Narcissa said "Hey, we're gonna figure this out okay. I'll call Andy over and we'll get you through this. Remember, we said that we'll help you, but you can't get Hermione back in this state. Try and think of the times you guys were at your happiest. Happy thoughts, alright?" Narcissa watched the woman intently until she received a nod. "I'm gonna step out and call Andy." Sweeping her eyes over the room again, she added "And maybe cleaning services. We'll definitely be charging YOUR card for all of this destruction by the way. It's like we can never take you anywhere" A squeal was let out as Narcissa dodged a shoe thrown at her from a weakly smiling Bellatrix. Laughing she made her way into another room to phone Andy and message their mother.
Druella Black wasn't planning on joining the rest of the family for Draco's wedding until the rehearsal dinner. She was currently pool side enjoying the view of one hot young lifeguard and skimming the Los Angeles Times. Vegas wasn't too far and if her presence was needed she was more than capable of arriving early. Which is one of the main reasons why Narcissa was now texting her.
N: Mom, its Bella. We need you.
Without much explanation, their mother sat up straighter and looked at her phone making sure she was reading properly. Yes, the text was few and simple, but she knew exactly what Narcissa meant. Bellatrix had entered one of her episodes. It's been such a long time since her last episode and that last one was terrible. Her oldest daughter almost had to be hospitalized as a result. The medication she was prescribed and with help from her sisters, Bellatrix was able to overcome the voices, her anger, and violent impulses. Grabbing her things and looking sadly at the hot lifeguard, Druella dialed the number of her driver and her pilot. She was gonna take the helicopter down to them since it was faster. There was no reason to respond to the text, Narcissa knew that their mother had seen it and she also knew that the woman would drop whatever she was doing to come as fast as she could.
After sending that text, Narcissa made a call to the front desk requesting cleaning services and telling them to add the fine for damages on the tab for the card that reserved the room. Once that was done, she went to peek in on her sister to see the woman clutching at her scalp and muttering to herself. Standing at the doorway to keep an eye on her, she dialed Andromeda telling her to come over and to bring something to help calm their sister down.
Bella was tired. It was a rough day in meetings all morning and with Fleur leaving early due to feeling ill, she had to stay later to make sure the work wouldn't back up. Now she just wanted a good drink and a hot bath. The woman was surprised when she pulled up to her home to see the young woman who captured her heart perched on the steps to her front door waiting for her, a stack of books in hand. Chuckling as she made her way to the bushy haired woman, Bella said "Well what do we have here? Are you lost young lady?" Smirking, Bella unlocked her door and stood aside watching Hermione rise from her position. Smiling the girl replied " Ha-ha. You're just soooo funny , Bella" The older woman grabbed a couple of the books her pet was holding as they made their way into the house. "I'm not complaining or anything but what brings you here? I hope you weren't outside for long." Dropping the books off in her study, Bellatrix made her way to the kitchen to grab that drink she's been craving. "You should've texted or called, I would've came sooner. I would've also picked something up for us to eat. I figure it's too late to cook something."
"It's fine, Bella. I ate before coming anyways." Walking up to the woman, Hermione smiled while holding her arms open. Bella smirked and pretended to not notice the girl waiting for her hug. This was something the two had grown accustomed to doing whenever they saw each other. It was always Hermione initiating the contact between them, Bellatrix secretly reveled in it. "Awww, Bella! I want my hug" With a fake pout Hermione walked closer to the older woman who was now taking sips of her whiskey while looking at her amused. The sight of Hermione pouting always caused Bella's chest to tighten. She wanted to kiss those lips so bad, it ached. Leaning forward until their faces were inches apart, the older woman whispered "You'll have to catch me first!" With that, she'd turned tail and headed out the room cackling like a witch. It had taken Hermione a couple of seconds to grasp her surroundings after having Bellatrix so close to her. Shaking her head, the young woman ran after her.
Bellatrix had sought shelter in her library, not making much of an attempt to actually hide from the girl. Not hearing her enter the room, the wind was knocked out of the Black matriarch as Hermione tackled her. Both women dropped on the carpeted floor with a thud, laughter and squeals on their way down. Limbs tangled, Hermione managed to land on top of the woman. "You really suck at this, Bella." Smiling Bellatrix shrugged her shoulders making no effort to deny her pet's claims. She really didn't mind the position they were currently in. "Doesn't this remind you of when we first met?" Laughing Bellatrix watched as Hermione giggled, shaking her head in agreement. The young woman's curls brushed gently across Bella's face causing the woman to fight the shivers that shot down her spine. Hermione suddenly allowed her arms to relax, placing her body firmly on top of Bellatrix's. Nuzzling her neck she whispered "I came because I missed you, Bella." Bellatrix felt her arms wrap around the brunette, pressing her even closer into her afraid that she'll disappear if she were to let go. Squeezing her eyes shut, she inhaled the minty scent of the girl's shampoo and replied "I missed you too, Kitten."
Both women could feel their hearts pick up in pace. They knew that they shouldn't be doing this, but they've missed each other greatly. With school and work taking up most of their time these days, they hardly saw each other, much less spoke. In silent agreement, they decided to stay like this for a little longer, smiling unbeknownst to the other.
Andromeda was out with Teddy when she received Narcissa's call. Now she needed to drop the boy off with his mother; shame really, she had hoped her daughter and her girlfriend were able to get some time to themselves after having Nymphadora most of her spend time with Teddy and Ginny was with Hermione and the boys. "I'm so sorry girls, but Cissy called and I can't keep him with me. It's Bella and I don't want Teddy there in case something goes wrong" Looks of worry and confusion crossed the young women's faces. Tonks knew exactly what her mother meant but Ginny had no clue. She hoped Nymphadora would tell her when they had time after putting Teddy to bed later that night. "It's alright mom, just go to Bella. She needs you more right now."
"Wait, what's wrong with Bella? Is everything alright?" Giving the ginger a defeated smile, Andy waved goodbye as she said "Only time will tell." Ginny turned to Tonks confused. "What does that even mean?" Tonks chuckled at her girlfriends face and led Teddy into his room to change. "It means we won't know what's wrong until Bella feels the need to tell us." Seeing the downtrodden expression on the girl, Tonks kissed her on the cheek and said "Don't worry about it, babes. If mom is going to see Aunt Bella, then Aunt Cissa is probably already with her as well."
"Is this about Bella's relationship with Hermione? 'Cause if so, I need to tell Hermi-"
"No! You tell Hermione nothing. We aren't even sure as to why mom had to go see Bella, it could be many reasons. Don't worry so much." Grabbing her hand and leading her into the suite's kitchen, Tonks planned to get her girlfriend's mind off of the Bella situation and also distract Teddy.
Andromeda had exited the elevator leading to Bellatrix's room when she heard shouting. "Bella! Stop!" Transitioning into a jog the middle sister burst through the door to find Narcissa crouching behind a flipped couch while their older sister hurled whatever she could get her hands on at her. Andy stood at the doorway taking inventory of the scene in front of her. The suite was an absolute mess. No wonder Cissy sounded so worried. "HAPPY THOUGHTS CISSY?! FUCK HAPPY THOUGHTS! SHE RIPPED THOSE THOUGHTS AWAY FROM ME WHEN SHE DECIDED TO FUCKING SPLIT. 'oh, it's just that I've been really distracted and my exams are coming up' BULLSHIT! THE LEAST SHE COULD'VE DONE WAS TELL ME THE FUCKING TRUTH. AND NOW, AFTER ALL THESE YEARS SHE FINALLY REALISES HOW MUCH OF A BITCH SHE'S BEEN AND I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO FEEL HURT?!" All the while, Andy took her time to approach Bellatrix noticing that both women hadn't seen her enter.
Bella was seeing red. The logical part of her mind knew that this wasn't a healthy nor safe reaction. That Narcissa really had good intentions in mind when she suggested that the woman focus on her happier memories with Hermione. She couldn't have known that those were the memories that had hurt the most.
"You know something Bella?" Bellatrix cast a curious look towards the young woman whose legs were in her lap. It was a Sunday afternoon and Bella had invited Hermione over to just relax and watch movies all day. She'd absentmindedly picked up the routine of massaging the girl's feet. Neither woman, although noticing, decided to make a comment. They were comfortable as they were. It all just felt right.
"I don't know much about you." Hermione scrambled to respond to the confused and slightly offended look Bellatrix shot her. "Wait-wait. What I'm trying to say is, I don't know much about younger you. I know about the type of sister you were, from your sisters, not you. I only truly know of the recent stuff. Your immediate history with your ex-husband and how it was taking over the family business. But I wanna know about teenage Bella, college Bella. The Bella who rebelled against her parents and would sneak out to meet girls in the middle of the night." Bellatrix hadn't noticed her hands coming to a standstill on the girl's calfs. "I wanna know about this tattoo right here, what made you get it? It's gorgeously detailed and beautiful. You sometimes trace your fingers over it when you think no one notices, or when you're lost in thought. I've always hoped you would decide to tell me." Bellatrix's breath hitched at the faint caress of Hermione's fingertips over her tattoo. The Skull and Snake. Her DeathEater mark, as it was once called. The memories surrounding that tattoo hit her like a truck. She just couldn't tell her. Not about this. Not now. Counting to three in her head, the Black woman exhaled a breath and gathered her thoughts for a response.
The feeling of cool fingers cupping her cheeks, startled her eyes open. 'When did I even close them?!' she thought. Hermione had moved closer into the woman's lap when she spotted her trying to control her breathing. "Hey, it's okay if you're not ready to tell me, you know. It's not a pressing issue and I don't want you to feel pressured or anything." Bellatrix weakly smiled as she stared at the young woman before. The young woman who seemed to make her day brighter no matter her mood. Made her feel sane and stable without even realising.
Why not just tell the girl, Bellatrix? 'She'll get scared. Think I'm crazy, dangerous, or a waste of time. It's too much of a gamble. I don't want to lose her.' Well, if you haven't noticed, but bearing yourself for her to see is the only way you guys can fully trust each other. Look, just look at her eyes. Bellatrix met warm hazel eyes. Hazel eyes that were more brown with specks of green, like the memories of a gruesome summer and the beginning of a cool autumn. Eyes that were radiating warmth, care, and patience. The feel of the law student's thumb gently caressing her cheek felt safe. 'In time- Just a little bit longer and I can tell her everything.' Okay then! Now you just have to let her know that before she starts to feel like you're not willing to trust her. "I- The things I've done during those periods of my life. The people I associated with- I'll need a bit more time before I can fully tell you things. Just- Promise you won't leave me after it all."
Her voice had gone to a whisper near the end of her little spiel. She'd felt the tears pooling in her eyes and closed them hoping she wouldn't start crying. The last thing she wanted to do was worry Hermione, who only wanted to know more about her. A very reasonable thing to ask of a friend. A kiss on the cheek caused her to gasp as her eyes flew open to see Hermione closer than before. She was smiling at Bellatrix with fondness. She giggled softly while wiping a stray tear that escaped the older woman's eyes. "Don't go getting all soft on me now, Black. You're supposed to be the tough one between the two of us." Bellatrix felt her heart speed up at her pet's giggle, at the feel of her breath on her lips. Her cheek still tingled from where the girl planted her lips just seconds ago.
"Hermione..." Was all she managed to whisper in response before the girl's cell phone rang. That seemed to have woken her girl out of the trance she had been in. Stumbling to her feet as fast as possible Hermione scurried over to her phone. "Hello? Draco, no I haven't seen him. Did you check with Harry? No, Ginny I'm not with her" Bellatrix chuckled as she watched the brunette scoff in mock offense to whatever the ginger said to her. "I do have other friends, Weasel. Yeah yeah, I'll make you pay for that comment later. Bye! And tell Dragon that he's in charge of groceries this time around whenever you locate him." The air in the room seemed to grow thick with tension once Hermione ended her call. Finally processing what was happening before the call, both women blushed fiercely.
Clearing her throat, Bellatrix decided to break this almost suffocating silence. "Hermione... Lo-"
"It's alright Bella. I can wait. I can wait until you're comfortable with telling me more about you."
"Why? I know I'm not being fair to you. I know so much about you. I know about how you felt in many of your courses that you didn't share with Draco or Ginny. I laughed when you told me that trolls used to scare you as a child after having the inflatable Halloween decor fall on you when you were eleven and Harry and Ron came to save you. You told me about your fear of flying and how your parents would read to you, to distract you. Or about that one time you walked in on Harry and Dra-"
The brunette was blushing harder as each memory was recounted by the Black woman. Some more embarrassing than others. "CAUSE YOU'RE WORTH IT BELLA!" This managed to shut the older woman up. Sighing, Hermione smiled apologetically for shouting.
"You may not think it or believe me, but you're worth the wait Bella. I promise I won't go anywhere." Walking up to the woman, Hermione wrapped her arms around her, holding her close. "You won't get rid of me that easily, Trixie" she whispered.
Bellatrix didn't know if she gasped as a result of the hug she was receiving or because of the use of her childhood nickname. Wrapping her arms around the girl, accepting the comfort, she mumbled "I'm so murdering Andy and Cissy for even telling you that god awful name."
Hermione's giggles placed a smile on the older woman's face. For friends, Hermione surely meant a lot to her. 'Even if she doesn't feel the same way about me, having her here will always be the better option than not having her at all. I'll try just for her. Because she's worth it too.'
"Bellatrix! Stop it right now! Don't let the emotions get the best of you." Approaching her sister, Andromeda raised her hands, palms facing up letting the other woman know that she meant no harm. Closer now, she watched as Bellatrix watched her but hadn't dropped the broken vase in her hand. Softly, Andy said "Yes, be angry Bella. Be as angry as you'd like. But you have to channel that into something safer. You're hurting but that doesn't mean you have to hurt yourself and others as a response." Standing before her now, Andromeda slowly lowered her hands, going to take the vase from her older sister. "You don't need to look at the brighter picture. Don't worry about the what-ifs. That's all in the past, we can only go forward from here. In this space and time, the best thing you can do is allow this hurt to run its course. Yell, scream, and cry, but we can't revert back to this."
Placing the vase on the nearest surface, Andromeda stood next to her older sister and nodded towards the room. "Look at this place. We know that you can afford it, but we also know that it didn't have to come down to this. You should've called one of us when the voices came back. When they got out of hand, you should've came to us. I'm not blaming you for allowing this to get as far as its gotten but you know what your therapist said about being mindful of your emotional highs and lows." Both sisters watched as Narcissa slowly raised herself from behind the couch once realising that Bella wasn't gonna throw anything else at her.
"We should've seen it coming as well, Andy." Narcissa said as she approached the two women. "The signs were all there. This entire week was filled with her highs and lows. In such a short span of time, it's no wonder she didn't blow up any earlier to be honest. She was happy, then angry. Two highs, despite being complete opposites. Then she was sad, defeated, scared, and hurt. All lows that wore her emotionally thin. Of course she latched onto anger in order to cope with it all."
Staring at the shaking woman, who was still breathing harshly with a vacant expression in her eyes, the two younger sisters wrapped their arms around their big sister, sandwiching her in an effort of comfort. Bellatrix had heard what they had to say, she really was trying to fight it all, but now that she's opened herself up to the memories she worked so hard to lock out, it was a struggle. Anger was the only way she knew how to balance that out. All this emotional turmoil just felt too suffocating and she didn't have much patience to meditate or talk it out, whenever it built up so suddenly. Trying to control her breathing, Bella took in the warm feeling of both her sisters holding her. 'I really don't deserve these two idiots, huh.' She thought.
"So.." Andy said as she pulled away from the hug. "Are you gonna stop trying to murder Cissy for the time being?" Bellatrix rolled her eyes at the woman's joke. Narcissa glared at her as well. Andromeda was lucky that she was better at reading Bella than she was or Narcissa would have murdered Andy for her joking. Taking Bella's silence as agreement, Andy grinned while pulling something out of her pocket. "Cissy told me to bring something to help you." Waving the baggy in front of their faces, Andromeda asked "Do they allow smoking in here?"
Narcissa bursted into laughter at her sister's antics. "Andy! When I said to bring something to help her, I didn't mean for you to bring her marijuana!" Andy responded with a look of false offense. "If I must have you know, Narcissa. I am a doctor and these are medically prescribed. They're really good for calming people down. Besides, it won't be your first time smoking them either so shush!"
Bellatrix sighed as she watched her sisters joke in front of her. Grabbing the baggy with much more force than she needed, the oldest Black walked towards the balcony to light up. Andy always had such unconventional ways of calming her mood. Even all those years ago, when she had lost it and they didn't even know why, Andy had been able to read her well enough to know what was best in that immediate moment. Hearing the two younger sisters hurry to catch up with her, Bellatrix felt her lips twitch in an effort to form a genuine smile since the night she had ran into Hermione again.
"Are you sure this place is good?" Hermione asked unsure. The restaurant was styled with gothic architecture, the inside interior was like something out of the medieval times. It was odd to find such a thing in modern day London. 'Even the waiters wore dated outfits. It must be really interesting working here.' the young woman thought to herself. To be fair, the restaurant was new. No one really knew if the food would be great or anything but Bellatrix knew just how much Hermione loved eating out and trying new things. When she had suggested they go out this weekend, she knew that she needed to pick something where they can guarantee that no one they knew, could randomly appear.
"Well, we won't know until we try, Kitten. Don't give me that face, have I ever led you astray... yet?" She chuckled as they were shown their booth. Hermione was pouting, unsure about how the night would go. The law student wouldn't call herself judgemental, obviously, but she did have fairly high standards for her well experienced palet. "How about," Smirking, after picking up the menu to view the appetizers, Bella made eye contact with the girl "A bet. If you don't like the food at this place, you get to pick the next restaurant we try and..." tapping her finger against her chin in thought Bellatrix tried figuring out what else to wager in order to make the night more fun. She honestly didn't know how she was going to feel about the place either but she didn't need to mention that.
The only reason they were even out was because Hermione had been having a rough week and Bella wanted to treat her to something nice to ease her mind. Her pet was studying more often with exams coming up and the stress was catching up with her. The dark circles under her eyes, pale complexion of her skin, and the slight drop in weight showed how much she spent her time studying and writing papers. Bellatrix had taken to inviting her out to lunch all week just to get the girl to take a break. This excessive studying was completely unhealthy. She would know, she was like this at some point in her life too. Hermione would come out of this fine, the girl was on top of her studies, she just always allowed her anxiety to take control of her. Bella had secretly vowed to make sure her kitten didn't lose herself in it.
"And I'll take you DisneyLand Paris over break." Bellatrix grinned as she watched Hermione react to the offer. She knew the girl wanted to go. She'd talk and reminisce about her childhood trips with her parents. Lamenting about the memories and hoping to go again someday. Hermione gasped lightly at the wager. It wasn't fair, Bellatrix wasn't playing fair. She had no clue whether the food here was good or not, she couldn't possibly know. 'So, why was she making such an offer?' Hermione asked herself. Deciding to take her up on the offer Hermione stuck her hand out.
"We shake on it. Deal?" Bella grinned. "Deal"
After searching through the menu, both women ordered their food. Spending the waiting time, they caught each other up on their lives and Bellatrix allowed Hermione to rant about her school work. "I just don't get it, how could any of those idiots expect to pass when all they do is party?! This wasn't undergrad anymore. They were nothing but lackluster and I should know since I've tutored half the class at some point and always reviewed their papers before they submitted them." Bellatrix scrunched her face up in confusion and displeasure.
"Wait. Have you been working on your own assignments while also doing your classmates' own?! Hermione!" The law student had stopped her rambling after hearing Bellatrix say her name. The woman didn't really raise her voice, but the cold tone made Hermione uncomfortable. She never enjoyed being on the receiving end of it. Sighing Hermione blew a curl out of her face and met the older woman's scowl. "How many times have I told you that it helped no one, if you kept on doing this? Yes, you can tutor them. But only when you had reasonable time and not when you're overworking yourself. But, helping them revise papers is not your duty. We both know that your version of revising work is actually doing it for them. You complain and complain about them being of no actual benefit, no intellectual stimulation, or no academic challenge for you, and yet here you are running yourself into the ground so these sorry excuses of students don't drop out of the program."
Hermione didn't know what to say, honestly. Bellatrix always told her to stop giving all of her energy away with school work, especially work that wasn't hers to do, but she had difficulty with telling her peers no. It was just a simple paper and she always made sure her own work was completed before focusing on anything else. The young woman also knew that this wouldn't be accepted by the Black woman, either way. She started tapping her fingers lightly against the table in search of an appropriate way to respond, the last thing she wanted was for this night to go south. "Truly Bella, it's not much of a deal. I always make sure my own work is complete before anything and it's not like these papers don't help me utilize all the information I've learned. So, it's a win win for everyone. I get to process and take in more information on a subject area, while they get a paper finished." The girl knew this was a piss poor response but she just hoped Bellatrix picked up on her desperate tone to end it. This was a conversation they could have another time. They both knew that.
Grabbing her hands in her own, Bellatrix brushed her thumb lightly over her kitten's knuckles in a soothing gesture. She didn't really mean to stress the girl out with her comments, but they had to be said. Seeing her girl overwork herself worried the older woman all the time. But right now, they should just focus on their time together. "Look, I know that you enjoy what you're studying just like you enjoy helping people but I really do wish you'd stop or at least do it less often." Squeezing her hands lightly at Hermione's attempt to respond Bella continued "No. This is a conversation for another time." Bringing one of her hands up, Bella gently laid a kiss on it. "Alright, enough of that. Tonight is supposed to be about relaxing and spending time together. Who's idea was it to even bring up our week?" Bella smiled at the giggle that left Hermione's lips. "That was you, Miss Black"
"Oh, well then. Change of topic. I never did request my payment from this little wager of ours."
"I was under the assumption that this wager was just your way of announcing our trip to Paris." the younger woman quipped.
Bella chuckled "Aww, you got me!"
"I'm sure you've already bought our tickets and have an entire itinerary planned."
"Nothing gets by you, does it? But no, I'd like it if you'd spend the week with me."
Hermione blinked "That's it? I mean, I'm not judging or anything but I would have thought you'd want something of equal value in return. Especially since this wouldn't be my first time spending the week at your place."
She's right of course, but Bella only made the suggestion hoping to mask her worry for the girl. Having her over for the week would give Bellatrix the opportunity to make sure she ate and got adequate rest in between studying. One can only imagine how Ginny and Draco just leaves the girl up to her own devices during these times during the term. Speaking of them, you must be wondering how Hermione affords to spend so much time with Bella without her roommates questioning her. Simple, really. Hermione often visited her parents or spent weekends at a school mates place. At least, that's what she tells them now whenever they text or call asking. Sure, there were moments when she would speak with Bella on the phone and one of them would walk in on the conversation forcing her to end the call. But now it wasn't much. She didn't share much about her relationship with others and her friends respected and trusted her about it. No one really visited Bella's place except for her sisters and even those were far in between. Bellatrix also had the privilege of knowing beforehand when they'd popup and so she would avoid having Hermione over and would text her warning her from showing up randomly as well.
"I- It- It's just that we've been busy lately and I think we should spend some time together. I could help you with you're studying and I know how much you hate being holed up in your study back at the loft. But also, I just wanna keep an eye on you. I get so worried for you when you're studying yourself into the ground. Let me help you carry your stress, Hermione."
The young woman blinked a few times, eyes burning. She didn't want to cry. It would ruin the mood, but dammit. Bellatrix just always knew what to say in order to make her heart flutter and send a wave of warmth through her entire being. She made it so easy to love her. "Alright, I'll take you up on your wager." Smiling softly, Hermione leaned over the table and placed a kiss on Bellatrix's cheek, whispering "Thank you for caring about me."
Bella was going to respond when their waiter approached the table with their food. The food was a welcomed change of mood. Things were getting really emotional and Bella didn't know if she could keep herself back from saying those three words. She knew the time wasn't right, neither was the setting, but it was moments like these that always made her want to just blurt it out to the girl. Sighing the woman looked towards their plates, she hadn't really paid much attention to what she or Hermione had ordered. Casting a queer look at the rather larger turkey leg on Hermione's plate, Bella giggled. "Um, Kitten... what'd you get?" Hermione wasn't paying much attention to anything once her food was in front of her. She was a lot more hungry than she figured and the smell from the turkey leg was rather inviting. On her plate was also a side of creamy mash potatoes with gravy and mixed vegetables that smell like they were lightly roasted in a stone oven. Figuring how eccentric this place has been already, Hermione wouldn't put it past them to have actually cooked using a stone oven. Forgoing utensils, Hermione grabbed the turkey leg going straight for a bite at the meaty center.
Stars exploded behind her eyes as her taste buds rejoiced over the taste. The meat was well moist and succulent. Tender and cooked thoroughly. There was just the right amount of saltiness in it that made the strong barbeque flavor sweeten. A low groan slipped out as the young woman finished chewing her first bite and prepared for another. As her teeth took to another part of the leg, she knew her reactions were ridiculous but she couldn't stop another moan from escaping her lips. 'There was just no way a turkey leg should taste this good' she thought to herself.
On the other side of the table, Bellatrix was staring at her plate with uncertainty. It seems that she had ordered baked chicken with rice and beans with a small salad. Basic, safe, something she was sure to eat. Frowning at the thought of not looking at the menu better, she grabbed her fork preparing to eat when a sudden low groan pierced her ears. The sound shot straight through the woman and found solace in her groin. In her brief lapse of judgement, Bella lost grip of the fork and fumbled to grab it before it fell off the table. Her eyes darted towards the woman before her, who seemed to be enjoying her meal very much. Her eyes caught the blown pupils of Hermione's when the young girl had finally opened her eyes to regard the piece of meat she had just ate. A sudden wave of arousal washed over Bellatrix's senses causing her throat to dry out. There was a sudden low pitch moan that dived straight to her core, causing the woman to choke on her drink. Liquid spluttering everywhere as she tried to cough up whatever went down the wrong hole. 'Why the hell is she making those sounds?! Is she trying to kill me?!' Bellatrix heatedly thought as she rushed to wipe away the remnants of her drink off her thighs.
Looking back up, her eyes met Hermione's. The girl was trying to cover her giggle, but the glint in her eyes made it clear to Bella that she had noticed her little choking debacle a moment ago. "Is everything alright, Bella?" Bellatrix gritted her teeth in irritation at her growing libido. This couldn't be possible. She refused to believe that this young woman was capable of getting her so hot and bothered with just a couple of moans; while eating food no less. Cautiously taking another sip of her drink without breaking eye contact she responded "Everything is just perfect, Kitten. I see you're enjoying your meal." She smirked while briefly eyeing the turkey leg that was still in the girl's hand. "It's actually a lot better than it looks. Would you like a taste?"
"It's not the turkey I'd like to taste, right now" Bella muttered. Shaking her head she went back to her own dish while Hermione stared at her in thought for a couple seconds. Seeming to shake off whatever thought that passed, the young woman resumed her meal as well. Things were going well. Bella had managed to eat half of her dish, and was surprised to find how she did enjoy the chicken more than she thought she would. It was grilled with a garlic and honey glaze, the lightly charred skin only added a rich flavor to it. "Mmmm!" 'Not again!' Bella thought as Hermione's moans filled the air. She wasn't even cooled down from her earlier display and here Bella was, getting even more flustered over the sounds the girl was making. Rubbing her thighs together to ease the building ache between her legs, Bellatrix tried focusing on her breathing. Hermione had to be doing this on purpose. 'Did she notice my reactions earlier? Did she catch what I said as well?' In a low tone, strained with arousal Bella frustratingly growled "What are you playing at, Kitten?"
"What are you talking about, Bella?" The smirk on her face betrayed her tone of innocence. Hermione knew exactly what she was doing. She'd seen how Bellatrix had reacted to her earlier reactions to the food, she had heard what the woman muttered when she thought Hermione wouldn't catch on. The young woman knew her lover was turned on from her moaning. She always suspected that Bella got off on her moans, and since there was no better time than the present, Hermione was dedicated to making her go over the edge. She'd decided to order desert earlier, much to her happiness and Bella's frustration. That tone and look told Hermione just what the woman was ready to eat, but not yet she told herself. She was gonna get Bella off before their night ended.
"Are you sure, you don't want a taste?" Dropping her tone an octave, she quirked an eyebrow at the woman across from her. Bella was following the movements of her lips without blinking. "Mmmm! It's just so juicy and tender, Bella. Absolutely delicious!" Hermione chuckled as she watched the older woman choke on her drink again after licking some of the gravy off her lips. "Oh my god!" she gasped. Sure she was laying it on thick but she was also getting turned on from Bella's reactions and how flustered she looked. If Bellatrix kept looking at her like she was gonna start fucking her right then and there, then all would be lost. No, Hermione wanted to best her in something for once. "Bella!" the young woman whimpered as she swallowed the last of her food.
"You did not!" Narcissa screamed in shock. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. After smoking a couple of joints together, the three sisters were lounging on the balcony, watching the day pass on by. Bellatrix had taken to randomly talking about some of her memories with her ex-lover. The mood was no longer charged, like it was earlier, but everyone silently walked around the subtle feeling on it sparking back up at any moment.
"Really, Cissy? It's Bella, we're talking about here. Of course she'd come from just the girl's moans. She has absolutely no restraint when she's ready." Andromeda said as she rose to grab everyone a drink. Bellatrix was lying on the ground with her head in Narcissa's lap as the youngest sister played in her hair. Andy smiled at the image in front of her. Things were going as fine as possible, she just needed to keep it this way until then.
Coming back onto the balcony, Andy was met with two laughing women. Both were hunched over clutching their stomachs with tears in their eyes. Signing, Andy handed each a bottle of water and took a seat against the door to the suite. "So, is anyone going to tell me what's so funny? I wanna laugh too." she fake pouted. Bellatrix looked at her then, and doubled once more in laughter. Knowing she wasn't going to get a response from that one, Andy looked to Narcissa for answers. The blonde sister, chuckled lightly while taking small sips of her water. Motioning for Andy to hold on while she got herself together, Narcissa giggled lightly as she wiped the tears away. "We-ha- we were- haha" taking a big breath she rushed past the urge to laugh again "Bella had mentioned the time she and Hermione had ended up fucking in an alleyway outside a club after Bella lost a bet." Looking a bit lost, Andy raised an eyebrow in question. She didn't see where the joke was in this, and she knew that neither of her sisters were high enough to laugh at just anything. "Well, you see... The bet was about who could collect the most numbers that night. Bella or Hermione, right. So, halfway through the night, Bella notices this blonde woman talking with Hermione. Being the jealous idiot that she was, Bella had stormed over there preparing to curse the woman out, only to find out that the blonde was actually Fleur!" The image of a shell shocked Bellatrix flashed across Narcissa's mind and the woman completely lost it again. Deciding to finish the story Bella leaned up and continued "In my defence, I was very near intoxication and it was really dark at that club. But, Fleur had saw us together and so I couldn't lie my way out of that one. Hermione had laughed herself to tears like that one over there" she motioned to the still laughing Narcissa. "After speaking with Fleur a bit, Hermione decided it was time for us to leave. We just never made it further than the clubs exist before she pulled me into an alleyway with mentions of how hot my jealousy made her. And you know what they say, the rest was history after that." Andromeda had burst into a fit of giggles as Bellatrix flopped back down into Cissy's lap after wiggling her eyebrows obscenely.
None of the women heard the door to the suite open. Lost in their conversation and laughter, they also neglected to hear someone moving throughout the penthouse suite. Druella had went straight to Bellatrix's suite as soon as her car door was opened. There was only one thing on her mind and that was her daughter. Stepping beyond the threshold, the elder Black took in her settings. The place was an absolute mess. Druella became uneasy, though. The place was almost too quiet. They couldn't have gone somewhere, not when Narcissa knew that she'd be coming. Walking through the mess, in search of the occupants, the scent of marijuana caught her nose. Perking up, knowing that her girls were in the suite, the mother followed the scent to the balcony within Bellatrix's room.
There on the other side of the tinted glass door was her three girls. She smiled as the heaviness from all the worrying lifted a bit from her heart. The sight of her daughters all together never failed to make her day brighter. She loved them all deeply and equally. Would do anything for them. Turning back to Bella's room, she sighed knowing that she was here because her darkest baby needed her. Of all her sisters, Bellatrix had been gifted with the temperament of her grandmother, whom she happened to share the same birthday with, among other things. Druella's own mother was a force to be reckoned, so these episodes at least came with a care plan.
"...and so the guy at the store is just like 'Is she your mom?' and Mione's face turns the shade of a firetruck! To make it even worse, I walked right over wearing a displayed strap on asking her if she thought it would fit." Laughters and gasps were all that filled the air as Bellatrix continued her story "I didn't think Hermione could get any more flustered. She looked like she was going to faint. The cashier did however choke on his spit though." The clearing of someone's throat caused Narcissa to squeak , while Andromeda and Bellatrix looked towards the door. Druella stepped out onto the balcony smiling in welcome to her girls. "Mom!" gasped the two oldest. Narcissa smiled at her mother, mouthing a silent thank you for showing up. Being the closest to her, Andy rose off the floor and gave her mother a hug and kiss. Bellatrix was at a loss. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen her mother. It's not like they're distant or anything, time just seemed to have passed by and she didn't realise. Watching as Druella opened her arms wide, Narcissa and Bellatrix stood as well.
"Come here, Bella" Druella's warm tone seemed to have struck a chord in the woman, causing the oldest sister to dive rushing into her mother's arms as tears poured from her eyes. Tightening her arms around the sobbing woman, Druella looked towards her other two girls. "So, who's going to explain what happened here?" Sniffling, Bellatrix withdrew from her mother. "I will."
To Narcissa and Andy's surprise including Bellatrix herself, the eldest Black was able to retell all the events leading up to the current day without breaking down in her mother's arms. Sure, she sniffled a bit, but the waterworks had completely stopped. She had a raging headache and an almost violent case of the munchies, but that all worked in her favor by blocking out the urge to hurt herself. No matter how happy she was to see her mother and to be telling her these things now, the fact that one of her sisters called their mother said it all. Everyone was worried.
"Well..." Druella said as she allowed everything her daughter told her process. "Compared to last time, this was a lot tamer, don't you think?"
"Mother!" Narcissa hissed as she spotted that signature Black grin on her mother's face. "There's a hole in the wall! Several of the furniture are destroyed. Tamed? You must be as mad as she!" The blonde felt her cheeks flushed as her older siblings and mother chuckled at her reaction. Grumbling under her breath, the blonde woman went back inside in search for more drinks. As she approached the kitchen area, there was a faint beeping sound coming from the living area. Narcissa decided to find the source of the sound, lifting broken pieces of glass, moving chairs and cushions, she spotted the slim black device. Magically not broken or even scratch, she turned the phone over see several notifications pop up.
The woman's eyes grew wide as she read the name of the sender. All thoughts of drinks forgotten as she shot up from the ground and back out to the owner. Ignoring the odd glances from her mother and sister, Narcissa forced the phone into Bellatrix's hands, urging that she take notice. Bella, on the other hand was not expecting her sister to return with her phone but with drinks. Unlocking her phone, Bellatrix felt her blood run hot at the single text she received. Her mind immediately went blank in response. The woman was so lost in her head, that she didn't hear when her mother asked her what was wrong, or when Narcissa told them about the amount of missed calls and voicemail notifications popped up, and who their sender was. No, Bella had retracted so far into herself, that she hadn't noticed when her phone slipped out of her hands, crashing onto the ground. Maybe it was residual effects from smoking, or the lack of food she's eaten in the past week, but Bellatrix just knew she was angry again. Those same fucking words. Those exact five words. What kind of twisted deja vu, was this?
Andy bent down to retrieve the phone, glancing at the screen she read the text aloud to everyone, a sudden mixture of confusion and understanding appeared as they prepared for Bella's impending explosion.
Kitten: I'm sorry. Can we talk?
A/N: Hi guys! So, I've finally returned! This shouldn't have taken as long as it did to be honest. But then life came and slapped me in the face, and for that I apologize. I originally started out really liking where this chapter was heading, the whole mixing of the flashbacks, I enjoyed cause they were short and cute and gave us some background on their relationship. It got a bit harder in the end because I let it drag on for too long. Beyond things of my control, I couldn't write when I wanted to and so this chapter changed endings quite a bit with me finally settling for this one. But I hope you guys enjoyed it, and I truly am sorry for the wait.
See you next chapter!