A/N: This is a bit more light-hearted than the past two chapters. I know you all are anxious to read so I'll leave you to it.
Chapter 14
My Darling Girl
How will I start
Tomorrow without you here
Who's heart will guide me
When all the answers disappear
Is it too late?
Are you too far gone
To stay best friends forever?
Should never have to go away
What will I do?
You know I'm only half without you
How will I make it through?
If only tears could bring
You back to me
If only love could find away
Find away
What I would do
What I would give
If you returned to me
Someday
Somehow
Somewhere
If my tears could bring
You back to me-
"If Only Tears Could Bring You Back"
Midnight Sons
The next morning, Draco woke up with a start. He'd had a nightmare, but once he was awake, he couldn't remember what it had been about. With a shrug, Draco stretched his arms and looked around his room groggily. That's when he saw that his dorm looked like a hurricane had run through it. Flashbacks of the night before flew through his head, and Draco remembered everything about that terrible night. Tears immediately sprung to his eyes. He pulled his knees up to his chest, put his hands on top of his kneecaps, and buried his face in his open palms. Every regret, every missed opportunity surfaced its ugly head again. The pain seemed to come so suddenly that it would have knocked him back if it could.
Then, a thought struck him. What was he doing here crying his eyes out for? He didn't even know if Alana was still doing poorly. Draco raised his head and started to wipe away his tears fiercely.
" Come on, Draco, suck it up! Forget about the pity party and get your lazy ass up out of bed!" He scolded himself. " Alana needs you!"
Draco went and took a quick shower before throwing on some fresh clothes. Without even going down to the Great Hall for breakfast, he rushed up to the Hospital Wing. The door was left open, so Draco went inside without any hesitation. But, he came to a sudden stop once he entered the room. There was someone sitting in the chair by Alana's beside already. It was a woman, probably in her middle to late twenties. She had her elbows up on the side of the bed with her forehead resting in her up-turned palms. Her eyes were closed, but tears continuously flowed out of them. Draco could make out the streak marks on her face, and judging by how pale she was, the woman had been crying for a long time. Her long, golden blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail, which was coming gradually undone.
She didn't seem to have noticed his presence at all. Draco walked up to her slowly and quietly, trying not to disturb her. He looked Alana over carefully, taking in her appearance. She seemed to be doing slightly better. Her lips were going back to their natural color, and her complexion was darkening ever so slowly. A few machines had been taken away as well, making the space around her bed seem less cluttered. The woman still hadn't noticed him yet, so Draco cleared his throat to get her attention. Her head snapped up, and she looked at him with shock. Her big, cocoa brown eyes were very large and showed that he'd completely surprised her.
" Sorry, but I've been standing here for awhile and you didn't notice me, so..." He tried to explain.
" Oh no, that's quite alright. I was just totally zoned out. I didn't even hear you come in." She replied, dismissing his apology and quickly wiping her eyes for any remaining tears.
The woman looked oddly familiar. He knew that he'd seen her somewhere before, but just couldn't place where. And the heavy accent that riddled her speech seemed familiar as well. It reminded him of how Alana used to talk before her friends' British accents had influenced her own Greek one. As she gazed up at him in fasination, Draco noticed the dark circles under her eyes. She obviously hadn't slept at all that previous night. A gentle smile graced her lips as she looked him over.
" Sorry, where are my manners? I'm Mia Kaligaris," She said, extending her hand for him to shake, " Alana's older sister."
" Hi, I'm Draco Malfoy." He replied, taking her hand and shaking it firmly.
That's why she looked familiar! She was Alana's sister from the picture in her room. He had to admit, Mia was even prettier in person. Good looks must run in their family.
" I know exactly who you are. I knew the instant I saw you." Mia told him with a spark in her eye.
" You did?" Draco asked, not knowing if that was a good or bad thing.
" Yeah, Alana's told me all about you. I think the letters started somewhere in mid-March. She'd met this boy with platinum hair, a very pale complexion, and stormy gray eyes that had a startling similar personality to hers. You fit the discription perfectly. Well...I'm not sure about the personality yet, but it's only a matter of time." Mia explained. " Yes, you made my baby sister very happy."
" Did she tell you about...what happened a few weeks ago?" He asked, hesitantly.
" Unfortunately, yes she did. That's one thing I just don't get, Draco. Why all of a sudden did you stop loving her? I asked myself this as I read that first letter. After that, Alana got very distant, even with me. I could tell that she was heart broken." She answered, her smile dwindling ever so slightly.
" I swear it's not true!" He began. " I would never have cheated on Alana!"
" You don't need to explain, Draco. I already know this." She said, raising a hand to stop him.
" Wait a minute! You do?" He responded, confusion etched across his face.
" Of course I do. I may be young for an adult, but I'm not stupid. A boy doesn't just say that he loves a girl with all his heart and suddenly cheat on her like she didn't mean anything to him. No, by the way Alana said you acted around her, it was impossible that you'd even consider doing something like that. I never knew that one person could make her so happy. I mean, she'd waste like two whole pages just talking about you. I thought it was incredibly sweet and romantic what you did for her. And now, you've proven me right. The nurse here said that you stayed until after midnight last night, waiting to see Alana and wouldn't leave until you did. And here you are again. You really do love Alana, don't you, Draco?"
" With everything I am, I do. I love your sister very much." Draco confessed, sincerely.
" Well, it's a good thing Papi and Mama came early this morning to see her or else Papi might have had a few choice words with you. He won't give up his little girl without a fight." Mia replied with a laugh. " He had a hard enough time letting me go."
" They were already here?"
" Yes. They came and stayed for three hours before Flooing back home. They both have to work at the family restaurant, even though they wanted to stay here with me. I promised to stay and watch over Alana until she wakes up, but from what Madame Pomfrey has told me, I might be here for a very long time." Mia answered, looking down at Alana sorrowfully.
" Why? What's wrong with her now?" Draco asked, worriedly.
" Alana's stable, but the loss of blood made her slip into a coma-like state. It's hard telling when she'll wake up. It might a few days or a couple of weeks to maybe several months. No one is a hundred percent certain." She explained.
Draco's heart dropped to somewhere down near his feet. A coma! Several months! No, this couldn't be! Not his Alana! Not his angel! He looked down at her with a horrified expression. She just merely continued to sleep peacefully; her face showing no traces of suffering from the night before.
" I know this must be terribly hard on you. I understand. It feels as if I've already lost my sister. But, there is always hope. We have to be hopeful that she'll pull through." Mia advised.
" I need to be with Alana alone for awhile." Draco mumbled, quietly.
" Okay, I'll stay outside until you're done." Mia replied, getting up from the chair.
She smoothed out her khakis before walking out of the room. When the door shut, Draco collapsed in the seat. He looked up at the ceiling and sighed deeply. His eyes closed slowly, and Draco kept them shut for what seemed to be the longest time. It was like he was trying to shut out the world, hoping that when he opened his eyes again, Alana would be sitting up and smiling at him. But, Draco knew that it was just a wish, and wishing had never gotten him anywhere before. When he opened his eyes again, Draco looked down at Alana. A little smile started to tug at her lips. She was dreaming.
" All well, at least she's happy while she's in this coma." He thought, vaguely.
" 'Brought something for you." He whispered, not knowing why he was talking to her since she couldn't hear him, but it seemed to help make it easy for Draco.
He took out his wand and with a quick flick, a dozen blue and purple roses appeared in his hand. Then, Draco conjured up a crystal vase full of water and set it on her night stand before putting the roses in it. He smiled down at her warmly and caressed her cheek.
" There, your favorite flowers in your favorite colors. I don't care if blue roses are technically not real if you don't. Please, Alana, come back home to me soon. I want to be able to hold you in my arms again and tell you how much I care. I want to remind you how much I love you. Don't sleep for too long, Alana. Please, don't keep me waiting, my darling girl." He pleaded, softly, trying not to let his voice break.
Mia swore she was about to cry as she watched Draco from the crack in the door. She put a hand to her mouth to silence herself before he found out that she was spying on him. Draco, then, leaned down and kissed her forehead, trailing his lips down to her nose, cheek, and finally her lips. His lingered there for awhile before he pulled away. Alana wasn't cold anymore and had regained her usual warmth. After saying that he loved her one more time, Draco got up from the chair and headed towards the door. Mia came back in before he even called for her. Draco saw her eyes glistening with fresh tears and was about to ask what was wrong when Mia said, " Well, I suppose you have classes to get to."
" Uh yeah, I suppose I do." He replied, almost forgetting about them.
" Um listen, I want you to come by Alana's dorm after dinner okay. There's somethings I think you should see." Mia told him.
" Okay, I'll try to remember." Draco assured her.
" Great, see you tonight then."
" Bye."
Draco walked out of the room without another word. He barely payed any attention in any of his classes that day. Thoughts of Alana and her problem commanded his full attention. Blaise and Jezebel hardly got a word out of him during lunch as he picked half-heartedly at his food. Later that night, just like he promised, Draco went up to the Ravenclaw Common Room. Cleo let him in, and he made his way to Alana's dorm. After knocking, Mia let him in. Draco stepped into the familiar room, looking around with a slightly saddened expression on his face.
" You're remembering happy memories, aren't you?" She asked.
" Yeah, one imparticular." Draco answered, quietly, remembering the night he had given Alana his ring.
" Well, first, I think we should get some of the painful things out of the way. When I was brought up here, I found her room looking like a disaster area. I cleaned up the room and put everything back where it looked like it went. While I was cleaning her carpet," Mia explained, taking a small paper bag out of Alana's night stand, " I found this."
She held out the bag to Draco. He took it hesitantly and opened it, almost afraid of what he might find. That's when he heard the clinking of crystal. When he looked inside, a lump formed in his throat. Draco looked up at Mia, and she merely nodded to him. He turned to Alana's desk and dumped the contents of the bag onto it. There, laying in shattered pieces, was the crystal rose he'd given her. They glittered in the light, casting shards of rainbow colors on the wall.
" I found that broken into a ton of pieces and I hope that I found them all. I'm not sure if you'll be able to fix it or not." Mia explained, gently.
Draco continued to look down at it incredulously before taking out his wand and mumbling something under his breath. Suddenly, the rose fixed itself, and every last piece was put back together. He picked it up and examined it before holding it close. Mia walked up to him and rested a hand on his shoulder sympathetically.
" Come on, let's move onto something happier. I brought pictures of Alana with me of when she was growing up. I thought you might like to see them." She said, directing him towards the bed.
There was an assortment of books spread out on it. Draco sat down and took one up. It had cute little kitten designs all over it in different colors with white poka-dots all over them. He flipped it opened and saw dozens of pictures of Alana when she was a baby. Even when she was a baby, she had a thick head of dark hair. Her sapphire eyes were slightly lighter, but still as vibrant. As he flipped through it, he watched as she aged gradually. Draco laughed at the picture of when Alana ate spaghetti for the first time. It was all over the place; in her hair, on her clothes.
" She was a little cutie when she was that young. Never fussed or cried about anything. She always was smiling and giggling. Just a little bundle of joy sent to brighten up our lives." Mia commented.
After he was done with that book, he took up another that showed Alana from when she was three to six. In a half hour he'd gone through all five books. Draco stopped at one picture. It had to have been fairly recent. Alana stood on a balcony in a lime green and turquoise gown. The gown was held up by two, thin, turquoise spaghetti-straps. The neckline made a plunging v-dip, showing a lot of cleavage. Turquoise beading was embroidered all over the lime green material. In the middle of the bodice all around her waist was nothing, but transparent turquoise material and beading. The beads managed to hide her belly button fairly well. The skirt flared out from her waist, which was lime green with a transparent turquoise slip over it. It reached all the way to the stone floor, covering her feet. Alana rested one hand on the balcony, while the other held her turquoise shawl, so it would lay it the crook of her arms. Her hair was done up in a messy bun with strands of wavy hair falling into her face.
There were candles floating in the air around her, illuminating her face and making her long, blue crystal, chandellier earrings sparkle. The Eiffel Tower stood in the backround serenely. The sky was just growing dark and it had tinges of purple and rose in the clouds.
" We went to Paris for my wedding last summer. This was at the resception. Oh, Alana really enjoyed herself. She said Paris felt like it had always been her home. After we left, Alana said that someday she would have a home in Paris and study art after she graduated." Mia explained as Draco handed her the books.
Mia took them and packed them back up in the duffle bag she'd kept them in for the trip. Next, she walked over to Alana's desk and whispered the incantation to a locked drawer. When it opened, she took out Alana's sketch book. Draco's eyes widened at the sight of it. Mia came, sat back on the bed, and held it out to him. He looked at her in confusion at first, but after awhile he was scared to look in it. Draco knew that Alana drew in it almost everyday, updating it frequently. Slowly, he shook his head.
" You need to see what she drew, Draco. It may sting for a second, but it will help." Mia encouraged him.
" I don't think I can." He whispered.
" You can and you will. Draco, if you don't look, you'll never know how she actually felt while you two weren't together. If she does wake up and forgives you, knowing my sister, she'll never show it to you ever again. She'll forever be afraid about what she put in there." Mia explained, putting the sketch book in his hands.
Draco looked down at the book and ran a hand over the familiar dusty blue cover. Ever so carefully, he opened it. He flipped through the same pictures, pausing slightly at the one picture that had started his curiosity about Alana in the first place before going on. Then, he came to a sketch in colored pencil. It depicted a torn heart, ripped right down the middle. On one side was Alana, holding herself in the same pose as her one picture. She looked over her shoulder sorrowfully, tears streaming down her face. On the other side, was him. He had his back to her with his hands shoved in his pockets. It looked like he was walking away from her. He, too, was looking over his shoulder at her, only his expression was stony and cold. His eyes had never looked more harsh. How We Broke Apart.
Quickly, Draco flipped to the next page, only to come to another heart-wrenching watercolor painting of Alana. She lay on her stomach on the floor with no lights on in the backround. The painting was from her head to her waist. He could tell that the only thing Alana had on was a blanket that was spread over her from her ribs on down. Her plump breasts were pressed up against the carpet. She rested her cheek on her left hand with her right arm curved around her head delicately. Her hair lay splaid everywhere, covering her shoulders and a few strands in her face, setting off her glittering eyes. The only reason why her eyes glittered like the sapphires that they were was because Alana was crying. The pale moonlight pooled down around her, making her skin look translucent and pallid just as it did now. Her face was serene, except for her eyes, which held all of the bottled up emotion. Sorrow, grief, dispair, and disappointment poured from them like a waterfall. How could one girl know that much pain? Alone Again Tonight
Draco was almost afraid to turn to the next page. This was so difficult to endure. As if reading his thoughts, Mia put her hand on his shoulder again and murmured, " No one ever said that this would be easy, Draco."
He nodded in understanding and reluctantly flipped to the next page, even though his mind screamed at him not to. That page was almost enough to make him fling the book away from him. On that page was a sketch of how Alana had found Draco and Pansy. They were in the same exact pose, nothing different at all. It brought back every single detail of that night, followed by the pain and loss. The title got him the most. Even thought it was simple, it felt like Alana had stabbed him in the heart.
Betrayal
He closed the book and set it aside. Tears flowed down his face freely. Draco didn't even try to stop them. It brought him comfort to cry.
" No more. I can't take anymore, Mia. I just can't." He whispered, brokenly.
" There's just one more picture I need you to see, Draco. Just one more." Mia promised him as took a cuppled up piece of paper out of the sketch book. " I found this in Alana's trash can near her desk."
She smoothes out the wrinkles in it so he could see the picture better. This one didn't depict sorrow or loss. No, this picture brought Draco a feeling he hadn't felt in what felt like forever. Alana had painted out in watercolor what she'd hoped the future would look like. Again, she stood on a balcony looking out at the Eiffel Tower. This time she stood in a loose, white nightgown with blue lace on the the skirt. Draco could just barely see the tiny pearls in the lace. Alana leaned on the balcony with her elbows resting on the railing. Her hair lay over her shoulder in a messy braid. She looked like she'd just gotten out of bed. Then, he stood behind her in a pair of black slacks with no shirt on; his chest gleaming in the morning light. He had his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close to him. His chin rested on her shoulder as he whispered endearments in her ear and kissed her neck.
Roses grew along the sides of the brick walls behind them. Other flowers were planted in white, Grecian-styled pots on both sides of them. Butterflies rested on a few of them, drinking their sweet nectar. The sun was just coming up over the horizon, bathing the sky in different shades of yellows, pinks, purples, blues, and oranges. Draco felt tears come to his eyes again, only this time he cried about how beautiful it was. Mia smiled at him warmly, understanding how he felt.
" This is how she pictured her life with you. I think she painted it before the incident because she was too distressed to have painted it afterward." Mia explained, softly.
" She threw it away because she felt it reminded her of what she thought could never have." Draco mumbled, getting the idea.
" There is something else about the picture, but you have to look extra close to see it." Mia told him in a hushed tone. " Draco, look at Alana's stomach."
He did as she instructed, and it took him awhile to see what she was talking about. His eyes widened in surprise, and thought for a minute that he was seeing things.
" I can't believe it!" He whispered in awe.
" Neither could I at first, but after looking at it several time, I saw that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me." Mia said.
Alana's stomach on the picture had become round and protruded slightly in the nightgown. She'd painted herself in the beginning stages of pregnancy. Alana had wanted to bear his children! She had wanted to have a family with Draco. It touched him and made his heart soar.
" I know for a fact that Alana never gave up on her love for you. The proof is around the room. She never even had the heart to take down her old sketches and paintings of you." Mia told him, gesturing to the walls.
Draco looked up and saw that she was right. There were still some pictures of him and her together up on the walls, even though there weren't as many as before. If she wasn't ready to give up on him, then neither was he. Draco didn't care how long Alana was in her coma. He would always be there for her. With that in mind, Draco rolled up the painting carefully and got up off of the bed.
" If you'll excuse me, I have to go see someone. I'll see you tomorrow, Mia." Draco explained, heading towards the door.
" Okay. Good night, Draco." She called after him.
A/N: This was a bit of a difficult chapter to write, but I thought I did pretty well. It's kind of hard to describe Alana's paintings, so give me a little slack. Review please.