Turning Tides

Ava jolted awake like she did almost every night these days. There was just something about the fortress that kept her from sleeping peacefully. Now, normally she would wake up to an empty room, but tonight was different. She sighed, rubbing her eyes and blinking away sleep. "Tom? Is that you? What are you doing here?" She blinked a couple more times, now completely awake. "…How long have you been here?! Get out!"

Tom hurriedly placed a hand over her mouth, "shh shh shh. I'm here because I figured it out, I know how to unbind you."

Ava was looking at him incredulously. This was the third time he has claimed to be able to free her this week. In his defense he had thought he figured it out, and the second attempt almost seemed to work, at least the mark had faded considerably…before it came back with a vengeance and was painful to the point Tom ended up having to support Ava lest she collapse on the stone floor.

"I'm sure this time." He pulled out his wand, and motioned for her arm. "Let me see it." He could taste his freedom.

Batting his hand away, Ava rolled her eyes before speaking in a low voice. "That's what you said last time. And the time before that. And the time before that." Still, she held her arm out to him. The snake glimmered and pulsed in the weak moonlight. "You better be completely sure this time. I don't like nearly passing out."

For the briefest of moments she thought about what could happen to Riddle once they escaped, but she quickly pushed the thought away. Her freedom was more important. She felt she would suffocate if she continued to stay there.

Tom held her arm by a thin wrist that felt almost brittle in his hands, he knew better. He'd seen that Ava was anything but breakable. Still he was gentle when handling her.

"Your things better be ready to leave," he placed the tip of the wand against the head of the ornate snake. The words he whispered were in the ancient language of his House.

He waited a moment…two…nothing happened. He glared at the stubborn serpent brand and gently rubbed it with his thumb, "It should have worked." He said weakly.

"Wait! Ava look!"

It was gone.

It was gone.

Riddle lay in the silence of his chambers, the bleakness of the darkness closing in around him as he felt a deep, hollow emptiness. Something had been cut away, rudely, abruptly and without warning. He had the sudden impulse to gasp for air, to grab at whatever power he could before he was plunged into the fearful unknown. But what the hell could possibly be causing something like this?

His pet.

The link with Ava was severed. Riddle shot up out of his bed, shuddering as he realized exactly what had caused him to wake as though from a nightmare, but rather than escaping one, he had fallen straight into one. His dear little bird was attempting to fly away. He'd be damned if he let her.

Riddle made for the secret passages to her room, beginning to rush as he heard his shoes tap against the worn stones of the castle floors. He needed to hurry if he was to catch her, to regain his control and re-create a semblance of that link until his Lordship returned and remedied this horrible situation.

But the question remained, who could possibly do such a thing? Who had the power, the knowledge? Who would dare oppose him?

Ava, who had quite honestly been holding her breath, gave a sigh of relief once the mark vanished. "Oh thank god." She got up from her bed and grabbed her boots, which contained everything she needed in its hidden pockets. In terms of clothing, her pajamas would have to do, because the only other thing she had to wear was one of Riddle's fancy corseted dresses. "Okay. Let's go. I can almost feel Riddle getting closer."

Without thinking, she grabbed Tom's arm. "Can you apparate? Trying to get through the wards on my door will take too long, and we need to get going."

As Riddle sped forward through the hidden passages of the fortress, his feet barely hit the ground. His ability to hover and float was advanced enough to make it easy to reach his destination quickly enough and yet, while he sensed that his connection with Ava had been unceremoniously severed, there was yet another presence here that seemed to resonate from deep within him. It was almost too familiar.

Riddle eased open the doors to Ava's private quarters. The illustrious bird cage he had set up for his little pet had been exquisite by every meaning of the term. Everything from the ornate furniture to the blooming flowers painted lovingly on the walls seem to reek of affluence. It was a beautifully maintained cage.
He floated into the room, not wanting to alert her with oncoming footsteps. The door closed soundly behind him.

Who would dare oppose him? Who could be powerful enough to untie the knot he had linked between himself and her?

"Of course I can't apparate." Voldemort had made sure that when he created his fortress that no one but himself and those he allowed could apparate within the boundaries. Tom was not one of those people, he was a high flight risk. "You don't think that they would trust me that much do you." he fumbled through a bag he had stashed at the side of Ava's bed.

"I did come prepared though." With a flourish he pulled out a small folded handkerchief. "Port Key," was all he offered in explanation as he gingerly unfolded the cloth revealing an ornamental hair comb decorated with flowers and a small song bird. It, of course, had been one of the many lavish "gifts" Riddle must have given her. Tom had filched it after one of their failed meetings.

"On my cou-" His words cut short. There was someone coming, they were close, maybe down the hall. He couldn't tell for sure. He felt the energy in his gut, and had no way to gage the actual distance.

The door groaned open slowly, Riddle stood at the threshold. The rage in his eyes made Tom's heart race in panic.

"Now Ava!" He only hoped she had reacted to his words and reached for the Port Key. The only way to be sure would be to arrive at the other end, because he didn't see her when felt himself ripped back by the navel.

Ava threw her hands up in exasperation. "Well how was I supposed to know? I haven't seen you in over a month! The last time I saw you Riddle had me locked away in his room at the flat." She took a deep breath to calm herself. No use getting worked up. Not when they were this close to escaping. "Sorry. I'm just nervous. If we get caught, I can kiss my existence goodbye. Because they /will/ kill me."

When Tom revealed the port key, she couldn't help but cringe. The comb was beautiful, but, once again, it didn't feel right. It seemed too ornate for someone like her. Just another reminder as to how she was nothing but a pretty display piece for Riddle to dress up. "Alright. But we're disposing this when we're done. I'm not carrying it with us."

The groan of the door tore her eyes from the comb to the entryway. Upon seeing Riddle, her eyes widened in fear, her hand flying to her throat almost unconsciously. She was right. He was going to kill her if they stayed a moment longer. At Tom's words, she reached desperately at the port key, her eyes never leaving Riddle's.

"Tom." Riddle pointed at his brother, confusion slipping into clear, cold realization.

It all made sense now. The entire picture clicked into place with such startling clarity that Riddle could not bite back his gasp of horror. Tom had been helping Ava all along. Ava had been gathering Tom into her plans of escape. It all seemed to make sense as the pieces fell into place, Tom's distant nature since his return, his disappearances from time to time, his furious studying well into the night hours, his visiting of Riddle's dear little pet. He didn't have the ability to feel angry beyond the jolt of shock that ran through him at the revelation.

His most beloved brother and his dear little pet. They stared at him, their eyes wide, panicked. They were both fleeing from him.

His body moved before he could give himself a chance to think further, to feel the sting of betrayal beyond the shock of the moment. He lunged forward, flinging himself at the two of them before they could escape, but it was already too late. With a hiss of frustration and anger, it dawned on Riddle that it would take much more than levitation and chasing to catch this duo, particularly if it were Tom that was planning the escape. Frankly, he could hardly believe it. Thanatos would perhaps betray him. Cidarim certainly would. But Tom…? His Tom? This had to be some sort of mistake.

They had managed to whisk themselves outside of the castle on some magical current, but Riddle hadn't managed to catch a glimpse of anything that might have taken them away. He sighed in frustration, realizing that he would need to leave immediately to find them. He felt for Tom's presence, now that Ava's was torn from him completely. Tom was…just outside of the fortress' grounds from what he could discern. They would be fleeing by foot form there, most likely.

But why? They were a happy family here. Why did they have to ruin this?

It took an incredible amount of power, but Riddle would be able to manage. He would have to, there was no choice. He needed to catch them both before they slipped through his fingers completely. Only his Lordship could apparate within the grounds of the castle, but Riddle had been collecting his Lordship's power for quite some time now. He concentrated hard, summoned up his strength, focused on his destination and with a crack, he vanished.

The ground rushed to meet him, and it stole his breath. Gasping, he looked around frantically for Ava. He needed her. The grass left his cloths damp, and a chill set in his bones almost immediately. The fortress had been warm, and he had not been outside in many a night. Still he bit back the cold and searched the immediate area for his escape partner.

"AVA!" he shouted, not seeing her, but maybe she had landed in the nearby bushes, or maybe she had been thrown further down the hill. He refused to believe that after all that work she hadn't made it with him.

Ouch. Okay, Ava /definitely/ didn't like traveling by port key. But it had done its job, taking them outside the boundaries of the fortress. The next step was to find somewhere to stay. If they wanted safety, it would've been best to go to Aurora and her family. They would've understood, and would have had the protection of the MCUSA, as Aurora's father was a key political figure. But unfortunately, she had completely (albeit reluctantly) cut ties with them after she had been captured the second time. They wouldn't remember her if she went to them for help. So she and Tom would have to figure something else out.

She could almost feel the bruises forming on her body, as they had landed quite harshly on the ground. Her pajamas clung to her small frame in the damp night air. She looked around at her environment, shivering in the cold. Tom was nowhere to be seen. They must have gotten separated when they landed. Reaching into her boot, she pulled out a small flashlight and began searching for him.

As wonderful as her relative freedom was, it was also a bit strange for her. Without the mark, there wasn't a pulsing sensation as she moved further from the castle, one that signaled a successful victory of escape. Then again, it didn't feel like a victory. Unlike last time, the escape left a hollow feeling inside of her. It was an unnamable emotion, and it confused her. She was free now. There was nothing tying her to those still inside the fortress….right?

A crack resounded and Riddle took a moment to survey his surroundings. The vision he had seen from Tom had revealed the forest surrounding the castle with surprising, startling clarity. His brother was feeling panic pulse through his system and he could only think as far as the next step ahead: Tom wanted to find Ava and escape. He was so panicked that he was forgetting his own ability to pick up on feelings, sensations and thoughts. How very careless of him.

Riddle stalked forward, floating silently to keep from alerting anyone of his presence. He flinched at the light which ignited in his vision and flashed off to the side. A…flash light? He peered closer and couldn't help but smile fondly at what he found. His dearest little pet was trying to find her way out. He might not be able to sense her anymore, but she had all but led him to her with a trail of breadcrumbs. He floated forward, landing softly a few feet away.

"My little Canary…" His voice was soft, cold, and strangely inviting. "You've strayed quite far, haven't you?" Before she could dash away, he had his wand drawn. With an effortless flourish, he held her in place as he neared her. His eyes were narrowed as they gleamed a faint red. "And carrying my dear brother away with you. That was so very…unexpected. I admit myself disappointed. You had so much promise, little one. So much promise…" He said faintly, running a single elegant fingertip across her jawline as he brought her eyes up to meet his. "All for nothing."

As soon as she heard his voice, Ava whipped around to face the newcomer. The beam from the flashlight lit up the face of her worst nightmare come true. Riddle had found her. With an audible, panicked gasp and a futile step back, the flashlight fell from her hand. How? How had he found them so quickly? There was just no way he could have gotten there in such a short amount of time. Unless…No. He couldn't have. From what she gathered, only Voldemort could apparate on the grounds.

There was no time to dwell on that thought. She could figure it out later. Right now she had to get away. Find Tom.

….Too late. She didn't even get a chance to react before Riddle had drawn his wand, freezing her in place. Her heartbeat quickened, beating furiously. His anger before, when he had taunted her with the notion of her death, was nothing compared to the rage he now possessed. Her eyes reflected nothing but pure terror as he ran his finger along her jaw, forcing her to look into those glowing red eyes. She could feel any sense of hope disappearing as he loomed over her, her heart pounding in her ears. This was it. This was the end of the line. She just prayed that Tom was okay.

In the distance Tom saw a light waving around, and since no one else would be out skulking around at this time of night, he knew Ava must have made it. He was about to call out to her again when a loud crack, the telltale sign of apparation, and Riddle magicking into being held him back. He shouldn't have been able to perform such magic, it was reserved for Lord Voldemort alone. Riddle was the closest to him though, and it made sense that he would be afforded such freedoms.
Riddle headed straight for Ava, he didn't see or sense Tom, though it should have been easy. His senses must have truly been muddled to make such a mistake as to leave his back exposed to an enemy so obviously near.

Cocky. There was no other word for it. Time in the fortress had made Riddle cocky.

Tom was prepared to take full advantage of it.

As he crept closer, he caught bits and pieces of what Riddle said, enough to make it clear that he thought Ava had made Tom come with her. Infuriating, 9As if he couldn't make up his own mind in anything. Would he always be stuck as the innocent in Riddle's mind, unable to do a damn thing for himself?!

He drew his wand.

He would show them all how much he could do for himself.

Tom aimed at the greenery not too far away, but enough that it wouldn't hurt the pair. He needed to get Ava and Riddle separated. He couldn't afford her to get hurt.

"EXPULSO!" and the night pulsed as a shrub exploded.

The little bird was locked in his gaze now, entrapped by his magic, entranced by his words. It would be nothing to push her over the edge. A taunt here, a touch there, an unfulfilled promise and a wicked curse to follow. He would teach her respect. He would make her pay for her treachery and she would crawl back to him. She would beg him for mercy, for guidance…for love.

He laughed, tilting his head curiously as he leaned in to whisper. "Did you think you could escape me? You weak, delicate little nestling. I'll keep you in your cage until I see fit, do you understand?" His fingers slid from her jawline to her throat, tightening ever so slowly, so heartbreakingly gently. "You're mine to do with as I-"

Riddle gasped as he hit the ground hard. The aftershock was as painful as the attack itself. He snapped himself back to attention. If there was anything that a horcrux was good at, it was survival. He had to reserve this power he had collected in any way he possibly could, and that meant becoming battle ready in a matter of seconds. He scowled at being interrupted. Who could possibly dare to attack him while he-

Riddle sucked in air. It was Tom. Tom had attacked. Tom had attacked him. Riddle felt a rush of dizziness at the realization. "Tom?" He sighed, gazing at him in disbelief. "Tom, put your wand down. It's me." A smile played at the edges of Riddle's lips, though his irises were glowing a deep crimson by now. The power coursing through his system was borrowed directly from their lordship, but he couldn't possibly turn it on his own brother, his dearest brother.

"I'm here to take you home." He continued gently.

Tom was pleased to see that the pair flew away from one another. Ava didn't move through, and he was afraid he had hurt her, despite not hitting them directly. There was not much time to think of her though, when Riddle was in front of him. The glow in his eyes, red, was the sign of the power Voldemort had gifted. Tom, had he given into the sweetness their Lord offered, could have had those same eyes. It had left his older self half mad though. A double edge sword. "I will not." He held his wand steady, trained on the lithe form of Riddle in his dashing, if not overly adorned, robes. Even with the dirt covering him, he was beautiful. Tom felt his heart ache, he had never come so close to loving another, and he found himself in a position where he would have to hurt his brother or perish. Tom was a survivor. He always had been. He wouldn't let anyone stand in his way, not even himself, albeit an older more cunning version. "Anywhere you are could never possibly be my home. I'm leaving, and I'm taking Ava with me. You can go back yourself, rot in that fortress on your back. You're good for nothing else besides." The words cut Tom as he said them, but he tried not to let it show. If only he could trust Riddle, they could have all gone together. Once he had already proved himself untrustworthy, and Tom didn't like to make the same mistake twice.

Riddle's smile faded immediately as he watched Tom carefully as he spoke, taking careful note of the inflections in his voice, his tone, his scorn and anger. Riddle had to admit to himself that the words themselves hurt. At a base level, he was hearing the cutting remarks but there was something deep beyond it that brought Riddle a modicum of sense: the words sounded forced. He took a closer look at his younger counterpart.

The wide eyes, even in their anger looked scared and focused. The hand holding his wand was steady at first glance, but Riddle sensed a tremor the longer he continued to watch. Even though just a few years separated them, and yet Tom looked so heartbreakingly young, so terribly innocent.

"You know…" The older man began slowly. "If you're going to be making cutting remarks, you'll need to put some weight behind them. You sound like you're trying to convince yourself as much as you're trying to insult me." He laughed a bit sadly. True, it was a sharp barb to hear him tear away at his relationship with his lordship, but there was a note of longing within Tom that he couldn't deny. Riddle didn't just hear it within his voice, he sensed it like a vibration.

"I'm not angry with you. I'm not upset. I promise. Our lordship will be so pleased to see you. He won't hurt you, he'll welcome you home." Riddle took a few slow steps forward. "Everything will be fine. Tom, I-" His smooth voice caught, causing him to take a deep breath swallow before continuing.

"I miss you."

Still frozen in place, Ava watched their interactions from the sidelines, taking note of intentions and masked emotions with mild curiosity.

Tom felt deflated. Was he so easy to see through? His one talent was talking to people and making them believe what he what he said was true, had he really become so unpracticed in these past months?

Still he held his wand at the ready, he inched toward Ava.

"I miss you too." he sighed. He would try the truth then. "You aren't you anymore." he didn't keep the hurt from his voice, the heartbreak he felt at the loss of his best friend.

Ava was laying stiff in the grass, her night cloths slowly soaking through. He wondered how much she could hear, what sort of spell she was under. If he could just get to her, he could release her from it and she would be able to help manage Riddle.
There would only be one shot at this.
"I loved you! You fool." A tremor ran through him.

"Incarserous!" black ropes, like snakes at his command, shot from his wand and wrapped themselves around Riddle, but they wouldn't hold him longer than a moment. The dash over to Ava's side was a scrambling and frantic one. He slid next to her prone body on the wet grass, and murmured counter curse after counter curse in rapid fire till her shoulders sagged.

He placed a hand gently on her face, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Give me your robe. I'm bloody freezing." Tom handed over his outermost robe.

"He's already drawing on too much power from his reserves. We just need to get rid of the rest. I'm going to confront him. What I need you to do is use this." She handed him a page from her notebook, neatly folded. Upon unfolding it, it revealed the runes and incantation of the blasted spell. The power-draining one that had started this madness in the first place. "I was just going to do my own research," she justified. "I didn't intend on using it. I know it's going to hurt you to use it on him, but we have to. If we don't drain him, he's going to capture us. Because, no offense, but you're weak. It's not on purpose, but your relationship with Riddle holds you back from dealing any serious damage. And I have no magical qualities at my disposal." She pressed the page into his hands, trusting him to perform the spell.

She stood up, stretched, and cracked her hands. Time to get to work. In a manner that was almost inhuman, she stalked towards Riddle, her eyes glowing murderously. While he was still bound, she snatched his wand away before proceeding to kick him in the groin, and, when he was low enough, punched him in the face. Any fear that was once in her eyes was long gone.

"You're pathetic." Unlike Tom, her words were poisonous and razor sharp. She knew what she was saying and needed no internal convincing. "Do you really think dragging us back will win back your lord's favor? He's moved on to bigger and better things. Why do you think he gave you that name? You're nothing but a trinket used for your beauty. We both know that Voldemort looks the way he does out of choice. The good looks that you all shared at one point were nothing but a crutch for him. Honestly, the only thing you're good for is lying on your back for him when he tires of his other partners. Your pride and lust have blinded you and driven you mad with delusions. There's no such thing as a happy family."

As she spoke, she could vaguely feel the remainder of his energy being syphoned off, forcing him into his locket.

"You lo-" He had managed to choke out before the ropes tightened around his torso, arms and legs. Tom was right in thinking that those snake-like bindings would not hold him for long, but, it was more his words that kept Riddle from immediately reacting. He gasped, staggering back as the words stuck in his head, echoing over and over again. In all that he had done for his lordship, all the nights that they spent together, all the sweet-nothings that had been whispered in his ear, he had never heard the words, I love you.

He knew it was a ploy to distract him. He knew that Tom felt nothing for him aside from a vague fondness perhaps, and even that seemed to be dying quick between them but Riddle couldn't help but give himself a moment of undefinable pleasure, of unnamable warmth. Riddle didn't have the luxury time though. He struggled against the bindings with his own cutting spell, narrowly avoiding slicing himself open as he did so, but he was no rookie at spell-casting after all. Of course, being a good wizard didn't manage to save him from his little bird's wrath.

He took the hit to the groin and face with a yelp, doubling over helplessly, exactly the way she had wanted it. The attack was crude but the pain was incredible for the first few seconds. Nothing he couldn't handle, but he made sure to milk it for all that it was worth and give his little bird exactly what she wanted. He gasped, looking terrified as she loomed over him, spouting off would-be self-righteous attacks about what she thought she knew. Oh, how little she realized that in trying to hurt him, she had come painfully close to the mark.

Not close enough, of course.

With her distracted by her own speech and his hands freed from the bindings, he summoned his wand to himself. Wandless magic cost him a great deal of effort, but it was a necessary sacrifice as he managed to free himself in a matter of seconds thereafter. In one swift, fluid motion, he was on his feet, defenseless expression forgotten completely as he loomed over her.

He grabbed Ava by the throat and yanked her forward, turning her to face Tom. Putting the tip of his wand elegantly to her temple he breathed deeply for a moment before he caught his breath and laughed sardonically. "I can't believe it's come to this, brother…" He trailed, looking both sad and assured all at once. "Whatever you are planning, abandon it now. It's over." He sustained, pressing the tip of his wand to her head for emphasis.

At her bidding he cast the spell, and then she was upon him with a fury he didn't know someone so small could possess. When she made contact with his groin Tom almost sucked in a breath himself.
The paper he was holding drew his eyes. He recognized these words. These were the notes he had come back to the flat for in the first place…the reason he had been captured! The reason he had spent the last few months in a hell hole!

It had been right there the whole time.
How many times had he seen her tuck away her little journal, never thinking twice about it?

Laughter rose in his chest and bubbled past his lips.

By the time Riddle had turned the tides with the little bird, he was gasping for breath.

"Kill her for all I care!" he pocketed the scrap of paper and took a daring step forward.

Ava might have said something but he couldn't hear her over the laughter that still roared in his head. Here he was, draining Riddle as he stood and in possession of the one thing that would free him from all this madness.

His long legs moved at a ground eating pace and he was before them, grabbing a stunned Riddle by the wrist of his wand hand, freeing Ava. As he drew nearer the faster he drained magic.

"No? I thought not." he grabbed the stunned with a smirk befitting even their Lord.

By the lapels, Tom drew Riddle down so they were face to face. "You were right, it is over. Goodbye."

Tom's lips crushed against Riddle's in what might have seemed like passion to anyone watching, but it was a final blow to the Horcrux.

A locket fell to the ground, shining in the moonlight. He picked it up gently, with care.

"Ava, I have a present for you." he hung the long chain around her delicate neck. "I feel like this won't be the last time we see him." he smiled down at her, and the necklace. "Take care of him, he wasn't always so…" he sighed, and left it at that.

He didn't know, did he? Or maybe he had forgotten in his absence. Riddle worked almost exclusively through physical contact. By hanging the locket around her neck, Tom had put her right into Riddle's hands. Was it an accident? Or was he really that cunning in his betrayal?

For such a heavy locket, it felt perfectly into place and felt relatively light against her sternum. Something tickled at the back of her mind, a creeping sensation that eased her agitated thoughts into something smooth, fluid and calm. She felt the ghost of a heartbeat against her own, the lingering warmth of an embrace. She tried to block it all out. She needed to focus on the task at hand.

She took a deep breath before responding. "Yes, I know he wasn't always like this. You forget I've been with the two of you for a long time now." She absently ran her fingers along the edges of the locket. "Don't worry. I may hate him with everything I have, but I'm not a monster. I'll take care of him as best I can." She gave him a shaky smile, one that she hoped he would interpret as nerves after what just happened. "Now, we should probably get going. We don't need any more delays and I'm itching to get as far away from this place as I can."

Riddle quirked an eyebrow as Tom stepped forward. The laughter was jarring, unnerving and entirely unexpected, which is what Riddle supposed Tom meant it to be. There was a madness in his eyes that seemed to ebb away at whatever sanity had been within Tom's words. His grip on the wand tightened as Tom screamed for him to kill her, taunting him with that terrible, insane smile. "You doubt me? You don't think-" Riddle's breath hitched.

The spell. The spell was already cast. He was trapped by it. His hands began to shake as he felt the remained of his own power being siphoned off and sucked away. He gripped Ava, but not as a threat, but more as support. He gasped, feeling himself weaken. "Tom, what are you doing?" He demanded, sounding neither angry nor enraged, but for the first time in ages, afraid.

"You have no idea what you're doing!" He shouted, feeling his thoughts becoming sluggish, and unclear. His body felt hard to move and exhaustion crept into his limbs before he had a chance to even try to magic it away. "Tom, don't!" His other self was stepping forward now and with each footfall, he began to realize exactly how much he must have overlooked his younger self not to see the hatred within his eyes until this moment. Had Tom really just confessed his love not a few moments ago? "I'll lose everything-" He gasped, staggering now as the world spun beneath his feet.

He recalled a warm embrace from a more powerful, more dependable rendition of himself. He remembered feeling wanted, having purpose, and being important. He remember laughing with someone far more innocent than he could ever hope to be once again. He wanted to protect that young innocent desperately, to make them feel as safe and accepted as possible. He remembered belonging. He remembered feeling as though he genuinely had reason to smile. There was less and less and less to draw upon until…

What was happening? Who is this pretty young girl and why does she make my heart ache? Who was this man and why was he grabbing him by the lapels? Why was he so terrified?

The kiss between them felt blessedly, beautifully, crushingly warm. And then it felt like nothing at all.