Disclaimer: I own nothing, blah, blah, blah...
If you like this story, please, leave a review. If you don't like it, leave a review too (so I'll know what needs to be changed). Reviews are good :)
Enjoy!
The bedroom was dark and silent, except for a sound of a ticking clock on the wall. Two figures were lying in the bed, their naked bodies pressed against each other under the duvet. The woman was sleeping soundly, her face peaceful. The man on the other hand, had a look of distress on his sleeping face as he held his partner possessively, close to his chest. His body was drenched in sweat and he was clenching his teeth.
"Aaaaarrghh!" the cry had Rose awake in a second. For a moment, she had no idea what had woken her from her sleep. In her still drowsy mind, she at first presumed that the noise was a part of her dream. Then, she felt the body of her husband thrashing beside her, a pained wail coming from his mouth. Her body acted on its own accord as she tried to calm him down.
"Shhh, Barty, it's all right," she soothed, taking him in her arms. He trembled like a leaf, his brown eyes wide, insane from fear.
"Mother, don't let him! I'm your son! I don't want to, no, no, not to the dementors, no, no..." the wizard was repeating those words over and over again, his nails digging into Rose's arms. The girl brought his head to her breast, stroking his hair. She felt the wetness on his face and wiped away his tears with her fingers. He stopped thrashing, but his body still quivered. It looked like he wasn't even aware of the fact that Rose was near and that he wasn't dreaming anymore.
"You're safe now," she whispered. "I won't let anything bad happen to you."
Barty started to sob, still shaking. His cries were so heartbreaking, that Rose felt the tears welling in her own eyes. She blinked a couple of times to force them back, cradling the Death Eater, whispering sweet words in his ear. He had been sleeping in her bed for a week now, and this was the first time she witnessed something like that.
"Don't leave me alone," he cried. Rose shut her eyes, feeling the pain in her chest at seeing him like this.
"I won't leave you," she promised. "I'll never abandon you, calm down my sweet."
Barty snuggled closer into her body. The nightmare he had must have been a terrible one, judging from the man's reaction. Azkaban had taken its toll on him. Rose thought only about him, about his fears and his pain. She remembered the memories she saw in the Pensieve, the feeling of complete solitude that accompanied her husband in every moment of his miserable life. The life he ruined himself, with great help from the Death Eaters and his father.
'If I had been older, if I had attended Hogwarts with him, if I had met him earlier, I could have saved him in time,' the girl thought bitterly. It was too late now. Barty was completely devoted to Voldemort, his very existence dedicated to his master. There was no cure for madness.
'I wish he was so devoted to me, not to You-Know-Who.'
The thought appeared in Rose's head involuntarily, but she wasn't surprised by it. She would give everything to be loved completely by Barty, to meet him in different circumstances. She grew used to him, to his voice, to his smell. It felt natural to think, to feel this way. Rose wanted to have Barty only for her own, to be his most trusted companion, to fill his head and heart, if he still even had one. It was something more than desire, more than just sex. Rose wasn't fully aware of why and when she started to want him more, but it didn't matter. She pulled him even closer. Barty was silent now, though his breath was still stuttering from his tears earlier. His eyes were beginning to close and he pressed his head further into her breasts, listening to her heartbeat. After some time his breath finally became even and he fell asleep once more.
'He's just sick,' Rose thought, stroking his hair and humming some old lullaby her mother had taught her when she was little. The girl stopped thinking about freedom long ago, around the same time she had become addicted to Crouch, to all those things he was doing to her. If only she could be free and with him at the same time... She was sick too, for feeling that way towards an insane criminal. Lord Voldemort destroyed her innocence and soul when he had put her in the hands of his pet monster. Barty Crouch Jr. entangled himself around Rose like a giant serpent, sucking the life out of her, injecting her with his venom so she wouldn't even know when her doom would come. Everything for his lord's delight and amusement.
The girl watched her husband's sleeping form for hours. She was stroking his hair tenderly, placing soft kisses on his ear lobe. Merlin's beard, she really was in trouble. Her head felt dizzy just from being so near to this madman. Maybe he had drugged her with Amortentia... The girl realized that she couldn't leave him now, even if she had a chance. Barty had no one besides her and Winky. He needed her, even if he refused to acknowledge the fact. Rose sighed, nuzzling against his hair while he tightened his grip on her arms, still deep in sleep. She wanted so badly to whisper those three words she felt the need to say, but she wasn't that stupid. If he heard her, he'd laugh at her silliness. Temptation was too strong, though, so when Rose was sure that Barty was asleep, she whispered in his ear:
"I love you".
As soon as those words left her mouth, she felt strangely relieved. She realized that she had carried this weight for weeks. Barty hadn't heard her - he was still sleeping, completely relaxed in her arms. The girl had no idea if she even loved him for real, but she couldn't help herself - she was curious how that sentence would sound coming from her mouth. It sounded good. Soon she fell asleep too, keeping her man close. Rose smiled just before sleep overtook her, it was the first time he was so vulnerable around her and it felt good to know that she was needed, that he was still human.
Rose was woken up by loud slamming of the door. When she opened her eyes, Barty was nowhere in sight.
'Great,' she thought ironically. 'Now the macho man is angry that he has let some of his weaknesses slip.'
It was a foreseeable thing. Barty was in shock at night, so he didn't control himself in front of Rose. Now she knew what he feared and it pissed him off. The girl prepared herself mentally for a tough week. She didn't want Barty to avoid her once again, but she knew that he could be terrible when angered.
He didn't show his face for the next couple of days. Rose was seriously irritated by his stupid pride. What was wrong in being afraid? For Merlin's sake, it was just a nightmare. Everyone had bad dreams once in a while, especially those people who suffered a lot during their lifetime, like Barty. It didn't make them weak, it made them human.
But Barty was a Death Eater, and Death Eaters weren't meant to be humans. Voldemort wanted them to be superior, to be better than all the rest. Rose sighed. She was afraid very often, she was as human as one could get. She spent her days wondering what to do with her husband. The girl wanted to talk to him, but she wasn't suicidal. She could easily imagine his reaction to her, when she'd approach him and try to comfort him. The memory of Christmas Day still made her shudder. She didn't want to taste the Cruciatus Curse ever again.
Winky was anxious, too. She didn't want to see her master unhappy and her wide eyes got moist every time she looked at her mistress, who sat in the living room, staring faraway at the flames in the fireplace. The house was gloomier then ever.
One night, when both Winky and Rose were in the kitchen, Winky spoke:
"Master is very sad. He needs his Mistress."
Rose looked at the loyal house-elf, wondering if Winky was aware of the fact that any attempt to help her precious master could be fatal for Rose.
"Winky, I know that you worry about him, and believe me, I'm worried too. But he's stubborn and I'm not willing to risk my safety, just because he can't stand being normal." she said. Her little servant lowered her head.
"Winky apologizes, Winky doesn't want her Mistress to be hurt." she sniffed. "Winky doesn't know what to do to make her Master happy."
Rose sighed and patted the house-elf on her small shoulder.
"I'm sure that he'll come round eventually. He can't spend the rest of his life locked in his study." she smiled at the creature and Winky returned the smile with gratitude.
'Or at least I hope so,' Rose thought to herself. She wondered if Barty was still angry. The girl missed him very much and that thought was even more infuriating than the man himself. She was addicted to him, she knew that her feelings weren't normal, but she couldn't help it. The days without him were dragging endlessly and soon the girl had enough. She decided that she had to act or else she'd go insane.
One evening, when Rose was heading towards her bedroom after supper, she passed the door of Barty's room, her head full of dark thoughts. When she realized where exactly she was at the moment, she stopped in her tracks. Should she knock and try to talk to him? Would he curse her, beat her? She couldn't wait any longer, she longed for him terribly so she decided that it was high time to do something about it. If he wanted to hex her, then let him do it. Sooner or later Rose would snap at him for being so immature and he'd do it either way.
Quickly, before she could change her mind, Rose knocked on the door. Of course, there was no answer. Barty was inside for sure, Winky informed the witch of that fact earlier that evening, with tears in her big eyes.
'This has to stop, right now,' Rose thought angrily, knocking harder.
"Barty?" she called.
Still no answer. Knowing that she was pushing her luck, the girl placed her hand on the doorknob. The doors weren't locked and opened with a crack. Rose peered inside cautiously. It was the first time she entered her husband's bedroom; she had seen it only in the pensieve. The room was cast in semidarkness, lit only by handful of flames placed in a goblet standing on the table. The room was different now, very different from the one that was inhabited by a young, shy boy many years ago. The blue wallpapers were faded, the furniture old and dusty. The window was hidden behind thick curtains. There was a four-posted single bed, its curtains as navy blue as on the day when Barty's father struck him across the face, only now they had few holes in them, probably thanks to some moths.
On the bed lay a man, his hair in a mess, his eyes wide as he stared at the door. His jaw was unshaven and he was very pale. The dark circles around his eyes indicated that he hadn't slept for a few nights. Rose gulped. He looked like a complete psycho, and she felt a familiar wave of fear running through her. It was too late though, so she took a step inside and whispered:
"Barty?"
His eyes widened even more, his tongue darting out. Rose's blood went cold. How could she be attracted to someone like that?
"Barty, why are you doing this to me?" she asked with trembling voice.
She had figured out long ago that questions like 'what's wrong' or 'let's talk about your problems' weren't doing anything good. Barty would throw a fit, threaten her or even hex her for insinuating that he was the one who needed help. Instead, Rose took different strategy - she was convincing him constantly that she was completely helpless without him, that he was her whole world, that he was the strong one. He seemed to buy that, and would laugh at her for being weak but protected her and let her be near him if she wished so. That way, Rose managed to survive all those months in this gloomy house. She played her role so well, that sometimes she wondered if it wasn't such a farce at all. She knew that she was addicted to him, that she cared for him, but she also knew that if she didn't fight for her place, Barty will destroy her. So she did everything in her power to manipulate him. He was very clever, but he was also crazy and that worked for her advantage. The girl had to survive somehow.
"You know that I can't fall asleep without you," she whispered, taking another step towards him. He blinked few times before turning his head away. The mad expression on his face was gone, now he was just irritated.
"I said that you're forbidden to enter this room. Go to bed." he growled, not looking at his wife.
That was out of the question. Seeing that he wasn't about to curse her, Rose came nearer to his bed and said:
"But I miss you. Will you come to me tonight?"
Barty's form went rigid as he closed his eyes and ground out:
"Get out. Now."
"But-"
"I said get out!" he yelled and pulled out his wand. Rose took a step back before turning on her heel and running away. She entered her bedroom and sat on her bed, breathing heavily. That was close. Her plan didn't work out, all she had managed was infuriating him even more. With a sigh, she changed into her nightie and picked a book to read.
However, hours passed and she couldn't focus on her reading. She couldn't sleep either. What should she do to make up with him? Rose was sure that she couldn't stand this infuriating silence between them any longer.
All her life Rose was running, hiding, merging into the background. No one noticed her, no one appreciated her. Now she wasn't going to give up without a fight. The girl had managed to get to know her sweet husband, she knew his weakness. He was a Death Eater, completely mental and deranged, but he was still a man.
With a smirk on her face she got up from the bed, dressed only in her silk nightie and tiptoed to the door. Careful not to make any noise, she approached his door and entered the room. It was completely dark now. The girl had difficulty with distinguishing the shape of her husband's body on the bed, but step by step she managed to reach him. His breath was even, he was asleep. Rose tried not to think what he could do to her if she surprised him in his sleep, but she had to try. If her plan should fail, she'll just give up and let Barty sulk in his bedroom forever.
Slowly, she climbed up the bed, tangled her hand in his hair and pressed her body to his back. The other hand went to his chest, unbuttoning his shirt little by little. Barty sighed in his sleep and Rose stifled a giggle. She started to kiss his neck, twisting his body so he was lying partially on his back. The wizard grunted and mumbled something incoherent as Rose proceeded with undressing him. It didn't take him long to finally wake up and flip his wife over, so he was on top of her, his lips pressed to her neck, his hands pulling at her clothes. This time, Rose didn't hold back and giggled out loud.
"Stop it, it tickles!" she exclaimed.
Barty brought his lips to her ear and whispered:
"That's what you get for being naughty. You should have stayed in your room." Then, he had bitten her neck, leaving a small bruise.
Their kisses were growing more intense with every minute. Rose was happy like a fool, smiling while her husband's hands worked their way down her body.
"You take away the last bits of my sanity." he rasped, looking at her with pure madness in his eyes. The girl knew that she should feel fear at seeing him in such state, but instead she felt excitement and something else, some funny feeling she couldn't describe. Was it lust? Or maybe love? She couldn't tell at the moment. All she knew was that if he stopped holding her now, she would feel physical pain.
Lucky for her, Barty wasn't planning to let her go. He completely lost his head, whispering to her with a smirk that she was his, that he couldn't refuse her anything, that she bewitched him. His eyes were wide with insanity as he made love to her and Rose wished with all her heart that someday, somehow, he would be cured from his sickness.
The next day everything returned back to normal. They both made a silent deal, not to discuss Barty's nightmares. He returned to Rose's bedroom and his attentions were growing more and more intense with every week. Rose did everything to make him content, to have some power over him. She realized that he really did care for her - if he hadn't, she would be dead for entering his bed without permission. Rose had no idea what Barty really felt and doubted that he himself realized his own feelings. One thing was sure - she became important. She didn't know how much, but she wasn't just a tool anymore and that was her greatest achievement in this house. She could use it to her advantage, to survive.
One evening, when Rose and Barty were sitting on the sofa in the living room, a black bird knocked on the window. Barty frowned and went to let it inside. The bird had a small note attached to its leg. The wizard read the letter quickly and looked at Rose.
"I must leave tonight," he told her.
"What? Why?" she asked anxiously. Barty chuckled in response. He kneeled down so he was face to face with her and took a strand of her hair, twirling it around his fingers.
"You're a sweet little thing, you know that?" he whispered with a grin. "I have important business to do, nothing you should concern your pretty head with."
Rose flinched at him inwardly. He was treating her like a child, as always. She knew she wasn't the brightest witch of the century, but she wasn't stupid either. Maybe a little naive.
'Yeah, and that's why you're so amusing to him. He likes ruining 'sweet little things' like you', she thought. Barty must have seen that she was upset because his grin grew even wider.
"Now, don't get angry, pet. I'll be back within a week, maybe two."
"Can I go outside, to the nearest town? I hate being locked in the manor all the time. I won't flee, I promise."
Rose already knew the answer, but she could try nonetheless.
"No." was Barty's response. His grin disappeared and was replaced by angry scowl. He cupped her chin and said menacingly:
"Don't even think about escaping, you know that's impossible. Over my dead body I'll let you go. I've secured the house, so you won't be able to go outside."
Rose felt tears welling in her eyes. Crouch sighed with exasperation.
"Don't start crying, because it won't help you."
A small tear left Rose's eye and she gave a soft whimper. Barty lowered his head, breathing heavily to calm himself down.
"All right," he growled. "When I come back we will go outside more often, but not to London. You will be leaving the manor only with me, understood?"
Rose blinked in surprise. She didn't expect him to actually agree to let her out. So many months she had been trying to persuade him and now he was giving up so easily?
She squealed in delight and pressed her lips to his mouth, ruffling his hair in the process.
"Ok, that's enough," he said sternly, pushing her away, however his brittleness was ruined by the twitch of his lips and a twinkle of amusement in the eyes. Rose thanked him again, kissed him, and went to find Winky so they could prepare Barty for the journey. When she left the room, Crouch's expression darkened. He clenched his fists and darted his tongue. It was clear that he wasn't too keen of the idea of leaving the girl alone without his control, but the Dark Lord was more important. The Dark Lord was everything.
Two days had passed since Barty left and Rose already missed him terribly. She spent her time painting, reading, and gardening. She and Winky put their best effort into restoring the grounds of the manor to their former glory. They'd already made great progress. April was warm and sunny this year. With a little help of house-elf magic (Rose still didn't have a wand) they seeded many trees, bushes, and flowers, which grew very quickly to their full size thanks to Winky. Magnolia trees, cherry trees, narcissus, forsythia, violets, and tulips filled the garden with a variety of colours.
Winky had sectioned a secluded part of the grounds off and placed a fountain, a swing, and a couple of benches there. It was covered in every strain of rose that ever existed. Pink, white, yellow, red, even the violet ones. Winky put a spell on them, so they were constantly blooming, regardless of the month. When Rose saw this enchanted recess, she nearly cried and hugged the little servant fondly. The house-elf was on the verge of tears too (a common thing in Winky's case) and assured that she'd be always devoted to her Mistress, who was so kind to her Master and to her.
"If only Master's mother could see it! If my poor mistress could meet Miss Rose!" she exclaimed when Rose was running through the garden, exploring every bit of it.
"Barty knows about this? Won't he be mad?" the girl asked, realizing that he probably had no idea what they were doing with his property. The house-elf shifted uncomfortably, smiling a little and said:
"Mistress is not to worry. Mistress is Lady Crouch after all."
Rose looked at Winky with suspicion, convinced that her servant was hiding something from her. Of course, the house-elf was blindly devoted to her master and wouldn't organize the garden full of roses without his permission. As absurd as the thought was, Rose had to acknowledge that Barty had something to do with the gift, but if asked, she was sure that he'd never in his life admit it.
The girl smiled when she exited the recess, closing the iron garden doors which were placed in the hedge. It reminded her of a muggle book she enjoyed when she was small - 'The Secret Garden'. She blessed the warm weather while she spent her time sitting near the fountain and painting.
It was there, where Severus Snape had found her one afternoon.
She was sitting on a bench, listening to the rustle of fountain's water, when she saw two figures on the garden path. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest when she saw her former teacher accompanied by Winky. They approached her and the house-elf spoke:
"Professor Snape is here to talk to Master, but Master's not home, so he wants to talk to Mistress instead."
It was clear that the house-elf doesn't trust the guest, but she was too obedient to send him away without Rose's permission.
The girl's hands trembled when she spoke:
"It's okay Winky. You may leave and start preparing dinner." The creature bowed and left. Rose's hands were shaking from emotions. The dark-haired man whispered "Muffliato" and motioned the girl to sit down. She didn't comply.
"What do you want? What did you cast that spell for?" she demanded, taking a step back.
"I did it so no one could hear what I have to tell you, Miss Clifton." he said slowly, his face impassive. "I'm on your side, believe me."
"Oh, yeah? Just like when You-Know-Who had been torturing me?"
"You know very well that I had no other choice. There were at least a dozen Death Eaters present at the moment, besides the Dark Lord himself."
Rose fell silent for a moment.
"How can I know that you're not deceiving me? That it isn't some kind of stupid test to check my loyalty?"
Snape sighed impatiently. "I have no time to stand here and convince you. Dumbledore asked me to send you a message."
"He's going to help me escape?" the girl asked, torn between the feeling of hope and the fear of being separated from her husband.
The Potion's Master opened his mouth to speak, but seemed to think better of it and closed it, clearly not knowing what to do. He turned his gaze to the fountain, avoiding Rose's eyes.
"There's an old myth about a goddess Ananke. It is said that she gave a powerful artifact to a mortal woman who-"
"I know this story." said Rose. Snape looked at her questioningly.
"I've read about it. Here." she explained. "But what does it have to do with me?"
"The Amulet is here. Crouch has it. We need to get to know where it is and retrieve it without causing any suspicion. That'll be your task."
Severus Snape spoke these words quickly, and at first Rose thought that she had misheard him. They both fell silent and she realized that her former teacher really had meant what he'd just said.
"What?" she exclaimed. "And just how am I supposed to do it?"
"Make Crouch trust you. Extract information from him and steal the Amulet. Then you'll have to use this," he showed her a small phoenix figure. "Push the wings to its sides and Dumbledore will receive the sign that the artifact is already in your possession. We'll do the rest."
Rose opened her mouth in shock. How is it possible? After a half year of waiting, suffering, they are contacting her now? If Snape could come here so easily then why hadn't he done so earlier?
"I can't," she whispered. "I won't do it, it's too risky-"
"It's your purpose." Snape's harsh words cut through her like a knife. "When you had agreed to be a member of the Order, you agreed to take the risk." He hesitated for a moment before adding more softly:
"Dumbledore knew that Death Eaters wanted you, that Crouch had the Amulet and was searching for a wife. He let them capture you on purpose, so you could help the Order."
Rose's heart was beating rapidly, her eyes full of tears. Make Barty trust her? Pretend to care for him, to love him and then stab him in the back, like all those girls at Hogwarts, like everyone else in his life? But then again, did she truly have to pretend? The girl already liked her captor, craved him, maybe even loved him...
"Why?" she said with a small voice, tears streaming down her face. "Why couldn't you come earlier for me? I had been here all alone, imprisoned, only with him as a companion... I thought that you gave up on me. If you had come earlier, before... before..."
Before what? Before she fell in love with a Death Eater? Even if she hadn't loved him, Rose wasn't sure if she was capable of deceiving someone in such way. Maybe before Christmas, before Barty had defended her from Greyback. But now she was eating with him, sleeping in the same bed, sometimes even taking baths with him... The memory of his hands caressing her skin while they were together in tub, and the things he had done to her after that sent a shiver down her spine.
"I know that it's hard Miss Clifton and that you've endured terrible things. Dumbledore had been waiting for the right moment, now your husband is abroad and I could talk to you in peace. I know that you suffered greatly, being forced to share his bed but you have to do this one last thing to be free from him at last. If we destroy the Dark Lord, Crouch will be destroyed too." Snape told her urgently, putting his hands on her arms. Rose took another step back, blushing furiously when she remembered just how she had 'suffered greatly' in Barty's arms, how he had been 'torturing' her, making her scream. She hoped that Snape wasn't using Legillimency on her.
"I won't do it," she said, her voice strong. "You used me as a bait, not giving a shit if he killed me or not! Well, he didn't do it. And I won't betray him-"
"Do you have a slightest idea what you are saying? He's a Death Eater, for Merlin's sake!" Snape exclaimed, clearly shocked.
Rose was breathing heavily, not knowing what to do. She wanted Voldemort to be dead, but she didn't want to hurt Barty.
"I don't know what that psycho had done to you, but you'd better get a grip on yourself, girl. The Dark Lord will destroy the world and you worry about one, crazy murderer." said Snape, regaining his composure. He looked at the girl with mixture of pity and disbelief.
"I'll try," she whispered. "I know that You-Know-Who must be destroyed, just give me..." she forced back a sob. "Just give me some time to do it. I'll let you know when it's done".
Snape nodded slightly and gave her the figure. Her hands shook as she had extended them to him. The Potion's Master nodded again and said:
"Good luck, Miss Clifton," before leaving, his black cloak fluttering behind him.
'Mrs. Crouch', Rose corrected him in her mind as she sat on the bench, her face drained from colour.
