A man loves a woman, but the woman loves another man. What can the first one do? He can live an illusion, where he is perfectly happy with his beloved, or he can accept the fact that the game is lost. But only a few go with the second option.

~Shawn Michaels

Bellatrix stood in front of the mirror, thinking. She knew she should remain calm and think rationally, but it really was difficult. She took a quick glance around the bathroom, as if fearing that someone could be watching her, and then her eyes returned on her reflection in the large mirror with the silver, sculptured edges. It had taken a great deal of effort to reach the mental state she was in now, and she didn't want to start panicking again. No, she should remain calm; getting upset wouldn't help, this she knew. As she kept looking inside the mirror, her eyes unconsciously dropped to the reflection of her stomach, searching for a bump. Don't be ridiculous, she thought, of course there's not a bump yet. Her hand traveled to her stomach and she took a deep breath. What am I going to do?

But what if she was not pregnant after all? What if she had just gotten a cold or something? After all, she wasn't even sure that what had happened to her only a few minutes ago was morning sickness. It could easily have been caused by some food that she had eaten. Bellatrix couldn't bear being unaware of what was happening to her, so she decided to test it. Yet, she didn't know how, and she was even afraid to do it. She was afraid to face the truth. She didn't want to be pregnant. Having a child had never been in Bellatrix's plans, much to her mother's displeasure and Rodolphus's disappointment, but she had made clear the fact that she did not want to become a mother ever since she had joined the Dark Lord's ranks. Therefore, she always took a contraception potion after sleeping with Rodolphus. But during the last couple of days, so much had happened that she hadn't bothered with taking it, thus the chances of getting pregnant weren't facing any difficulties at the matter.

She knew she should test it, to be sure, but she had no idea how. A thin voice in the back of her head kept telling her she should tell someone, and yet she didn't want to. Who could she talk to about something like this? Surely not Rodolphus, since the likelihood of the baby being his were very small, despite having slept with her last night. Of course, she couldn't tell the Dark Lord either. She was terrified of what he could do if he found out and didn't want the baby, and Bellatrix was most certain that being a father wasn't in his interests. She was sunk deeply into desperation when she remembered of her sister. Of course, Narcissa could help, and Bellatrix was sure that she wouldn't scold her or argue with her about something like that. Yes, talking to Narcissa was what she ought to do.

She quickly went out of the bathroom and down to the first floor. She noticed that, apart from the house elves that were gathered in the kitchen, the manor was silent and empty, a sign that Rodolphus was sleeping, which was much helpful to her. She summoned a quill of paper and hurriedly wrote a small note to her husband, telling him that she was going out with her sister and that he shouldn't worry, then folded it and placed it on the small table of the living room, where he was sure to find it. She put on a leather coat and quietly left the house, with her wand at hand, ready to disapparate to the Malfoy manor.

Once she was there, she passed through the gates, reached the huge main door and knocked slightly, wishing that Lucius Malfoy wasn't inside. The last thing she wanted right now was a confrontation with her rival. After a few moments passed, the doors opened and a tiny house elf appeared. It bowed low to Bellatrix after recognizing her, and stepped aside so she could come in. "Madame Lestrange," it squeaked, "what a pleasurable honour". Bellatrix walked inside the manor and found herself in the hall, where no one was to be seen. "Is your mistress here?" she asked the house elf, who bowed its head again and answered "Yes, mistress Malfoy is at the living room, does Madame Lestrange want Elly to announce her to mistress?"

"No, Elly, I'll go by myself" Bellatrix answered coolly, and then turned to the house elf again. "Is your master here, as well?" she required to know, wishing that she would receive a negative answer.

"No, Madame, master Malfoy left the house early in the morning," Elly answered in a high-pitched voice.

Bellatrix nodded, relieved that her sister's husband was not there, and walked to the living room, where she had been informed Narcissa was. Indeed, she found her there, sitting on one of the sofa's, with some papers of different colors and shapes unfolded around her. "Bella!" she exclaimed as she saw her sister, and stood up, pushing the papers aside, to go and hug her. "How are you?" she asked, happy to see Bellatrix after a long time.

"Fine," Bellatrix lied, and her eyes fell on the many papers on the sofa and coffee table. "What are those?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, I'm trying to decide about the invitations for our annual garden party," Narcissa replied, making Bellatrix chuckle. It was somehow fascinating to her, seeing her baby sister being so overly interested in things like that. "But the garden party is in almost one month from now," she said with a smile, and Narcissa rolled her eyes. "Well, yes, but everything has to be perfect. It's the second time I am apart of the preparations, and I want to make everything fantastic," she replied, and Bellatrix grinned. Her sister had only been married to Lucius Malfoy for two years, and she had always been excited to go to the Malfoy's annual garden party. Now, that she was organizing it, she seemed beyond simply excited.

"So," Narcissa commented, as the two sisters sat down on the couches. "What brings you here? I haven't seen you in ages!"

Bellatrix sighed, knowing that they had reached the point. She knew she had to tell Narcissa, but something held her back. "Umm, Cissy," she started, unaware of what exactly to say next. "Look, I…I need your help," she said hesitantly, observing the look on her sister's face. Narcissa nodded, "Sure, whatever you want," she said with a smile, making Bellatrix feel a little more comfortable. "What can I do?"

"Look, Cissy…" Bellatrix said, "I…I have a problem."

Narcissa frowned. "Problem?" she asked, worried. "What problem?"

"Look, I think… I think I'm pregnant," Bellatrix finally said, and then looked at Narcissa, half expecting her to stand up and start yelling. Instead, she was shocked to see her eyes lighten up and a huge smile spread across her face. "Oh, Bella, that's wonderful!" she exclaimed, and stood up, as if going to hug her sister. "You and Rodolphus must be so happy, oh, that's so great! You're going to be a mom!" she smiled, over-excited to hear the news. Bellatrix didn't know how to react to her sister's behavior, so she simply decided to state the facts and tell her the truth. "Cissy, I said I think I'm pregnant," she clarified, yet the smile never left Narcissa's face. "Then, the only thing we have to do is to check!" she exclaimed, and pulled Bellatrix up by the sleeve. "Come," she said, "there is a shop in Knockturn Alley, where we can find a pregnancy test."

"Narcissa, hold on!" Bellatrix snapped, a little more harshly than she had intended, causing her sister's smile to disappear. "Bella, what's wrong?" she asked, sensing that something wasn't going well.

"Look, Cissy, there's something I want to tell you. Please, don't get all mad at me, because you're the only one I can rely on about this," Bellatrix said sincerely, and sat down on the couch, beckoning her sister to do the same.

"Okay," Narcissa said worriedly, "tell me. I promise I won't get mad at you," she added, her expression showing that she was trying to figure out what Bellatrix wanted to tell her.

"Cissy, I… I don't know for sure who the father is, if I am pregnant, which I don't know, either," Bellatrix confessed, waiting for her sister's response to her words.

"Oh," Narcissa only said, her face suddenly serious. "So… there is a chance that Rodolphus is not the father?" she asked, trying to remain as calm as possible.

Bellatrix nodded. "And I think that chance is much more significant," she commented.

"So, who else can it be?" Narcissa asked. "Come on, Bella," she said, once she saw Bellatrix was not willing to tell her, "you may have cheated on Rodolphus, but you're my sister, and I promise I will help you out, whoever the father might be. Except if it's a mudblood or muggle, of course," she added with a smirk, as if trying to lighten the atmosphere.

Bellatrix chuckled bitterly, and then looked at her sister. She decided to tell her the truth, since she knew there was nothing else to do. "Narcissa, there is a fairly high likelihood that the father is the Dark Lord," she said flatly, trying to hide the fear she felt while saying these words. She saw Narcissa gasp, and wasn't surprised to hear the next question. "But… The Dark Lord… And you…?"

She nodded. "But how?" Narcissa asked, obviously not believing what she had just heard. "I don't want to talk about this now," Bellatrix stated simply, and then asked again; "So, are we going to get that test or what? I need to know before panicking."

Narcissa nodded, and stood up, her expression still puzzled and fearful. "What will you do if…?" she was unable to finish the sentence, but Bellatrix shook her head dismissively. "I don't even know if I really am pregnant yet," she said sharply, and Narcissa nodded, doubt obvious on her face. "Yes, we should find out first," she agreed.

Rodolphus yawned as he opened his eyes. He sat up sleepily and turned around with a smile on his face, expecting to see Bella sleeping peacefully next to him. He was shocked to see that once again he was alone on the bed, even after the events of last night. He frowned, but he soon forced himself to ease down. Obviously she had woken up earlier, as she always did, and had gone downstairs to have breakfast. There was nothing to worry about. Relieved with that thought, he stood up and quickly dressed, then went to the breakfast room, looking for Bella. He frowned again when he did not find her there, so he summoned a house elf to find out where his wife was. "Kati," he said once the house elf arrived and bowed low before him, "have you seen your mistress?" he asked. He was told that mistress Lestrange had left a note on the coffee-table before leaving the manor, and he ran to the living room, anxious to read it.

Rodolphus, he read, I woke up early and remembered that I had promised Narcissa to go shopping with her today. She is my younger sister, after all, and I rarely spend time with her lately, so forgive me for not staying for breakfast with you. I believe I'll be back home before lunchtime. Bella.

He calmed down as he finished reading the note, knowing that she was safe and probably having a good time, and decided to have some breakfast and then sit around and wait for her to return, when he felt a stinging pain on his left forearm. He hissed out as he grabbed his forearm with his right hand, realizing that the Dark Lord was calling him. What did he want? After all he had done to him and Bella, he was now summoning him? Rodolphus now feared that perhaps Bella had lied to him, that maybe she had once again been called by Voldemort and was now there with him, Merlin knows doing what, and their master wanted him to go there as well. Rodolphus knew that he did not have any choice but do as he was ordered, so he grabbed his wand to apparate to the Dark Lord's manor, wishing that Bella wasn't there. He didn't care about his own safety; he just wished that Bella was alright.

A.N/ Wow, I really hadn't had in mind that I would update so quickly! Usually it takes me a few days, so I'm actually surprised with myself… XD Well, I suppose it's because I had no school today… Oh well, I hope you liked the new chapter, although I'm once again not entirely satisfied with the result. I don't know why, I honestly have no idea, but for some reason, I don't entirely like it. Maybe I'll re-write it, maybe I won't. Nobody knows. Once again, I want to thank everyone who reads this story, and everyone who adds it to their favorites/alerts! :) I love you guys :) And I love even more everyone who reviews :) It's wonderful to have some feedback and know what people think of your story! I'll update as soon as I can!