Guess who's back? I'm SO sorry I disappeared for like, months. Life got super crazy and... okay, there's really not too much of an excuse I can offer. I just didn't feel like updating. For a very long time. Thanks SO much to my readers for staying with me and I promise to not disappear for that long ever again unless I get grounded or something that really requires I not update. Yeah. Alright. I'll be quiet and let you read your chapter now.

Chapter Twenty Two

Antonin took to spending most nights in my room, just so that we could have time together; he was getting increasingly busier with his Death Eater activities as the summer wore on.

Of course, half the time he would get called away in the early hours of the morning. He would always wake me up slightly as he left, I think on purpose, just so that I wouldn't miss him. I hardly ever noticed when he returned, though. All I knew was that I woke up in the morning with his arms around me, feeling as if I could handle anything the day threw at me just because he was there.

My parents were happily oblivious to the arrangement, naturally. Such a thing would definitely have registered as "improper" to them, even if we weren't doing anything wrong.

One night, though, I was awoken when he returned from one of his late-night missions by a low stream of expletives.

"Antonin?" I mumbled to the darkness, sitting up slightly and blinking in the too-bright light his wand was emitting.

"Go back to sleep, love," he commanded gently.

"What's wrong?" I questioned, because seemingly something was.

He sighed. "Just bleeding a bit is all. Nothing that won't heal. Go back to sleep."

Peering at him a bit more closely, I realised that 'a bit' was an understatement. There was a dark bruise across his cheekbone, and as he finished shrugging out of his robe, I saw that there was a fairly deep gash in his left shoulder.

"You're hurt," I gasped, standing so I could look more closely. "What happened?"

"I told you before, what I do is dangerous. It's nothing, Ally."

"Antonin... what have you been doing, every time you've been gone?" I'd avoided asking questions for this long, but suddenly, it seemed much more important. Especially considering the fact that half of his chest was bloody from the wound on his shoulder.

"Spying, some." He paused, his facial expression unreadable in the shadows as he extinguished the light coming from his wand. "Getting information. Taking care of certain problems."

As my eyes adjusted to the dark, my eyes once again were drawn to the cut he'd acquired. "Tell me without the euphemisms, Antonin. I want to know the truth."

"No you don't," he responded softly.

"Please, tell me," I pleaded, gently touching the side of his face. He winced when my fingers brushed against his bruise, and I pulled my hand away quickly.

"Spying is just what it sounds like." He looked away as he continued, "We get information mostly through use of... er... force."

"Torture, then?" I wouldn't put it past most of the guys I'd gone to school with, that was for sure.

Still not meeting my eyes, he nodded.

"And... taking care of problems?"

"Do you know who the Order of the Phoenix is?"

I shook my head in the negative.

"There are people who don't agree with the Dark Lord's ideals- mudblood lovers and fools, if you ask me. And they've created their own little alliance."

"And they create problems?"

"More than you would think." The mere thought of it seemed to disgust him.

"We'll defeat them, though. No one has been able to stand against the Dark Lord yet," I assured him.

With a dismissive nod, he abruptly changed the subject. "Ally, it's late. You ought to sleep."

"You ought to, as well," I returned stubbornly. "You've slept less than I have."

"I don't require beauty sleep," he grinned, suddenly lighthearted again.

"Obviously you haven't seen yourself lately. There's probably something- at least for that bruise- in the medicine cabinet. Are you sure you don't need to go to St. Mungo's?"

"I'm mostly healed, just not clean," he shrugged. "We've got a Healer on our side who does an alright job of healing up cuts- you usually can't even see."

Frowning, I asked, "So this isn't the first time you've been hurt?"

"I can usually avoid it," he assured me. "This is the worst it's gotten."

Pursing my lips disapprovingly, I murmured, "I don't like that, Antonin."

"I knew you wouldn't."

"Then why do you do it?"

"Some things are worth fighting for, Ally. The purity of our kind is one of them."

"But-"

"Get in bed, Ally. I'll be there in a minute."

Suddenly, I was very tired; I did as he'd instructed and listened to the sound of my own breathing, not even hearing him as he left the room to clean himself up. I'd fallen asleep before he returned.

---

He and I no longer discussed his activities supporting Voldemort- he said I'd be better off not knowing, and I sort of believed him.

This did not, however, make me any less tense about the fact that he was in mortal danger many times a week, nor did it mitigate all the stress that was catching up to me about my fast approaching wedding.

I was dying to vent, to let out the tension that had been building in my mind, and a solo trip to Diagon Alley for a final fitting of my dress one week before the wedding provided the perfect opportunity in the form of Margot Leroux.

When I saw the flawless blonde back of someone's head, I knew without even getting any closer that it was her; the overwhelming scent of perfume pervading the street was a dead giveaway. Anger that had been building in the recesses of my mind for some time suddenly decided to resurface, and I swept across the street and dug my nails into her shoulder, whirling her around to face me.

Margot looked mildly surprised. "'Oo are you?" she inquired, hardly finishing before I could snap,

"You don't know who you're messing with."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," I hissed, "the fact that you can't keep your dirty French claws off of my husband."

"Oh, you are Tony's Alecto?"

"Damn right I am. And you'd better stay away from him."

"Ze last time I checked, you were not married."

"We will be in a matter of days," I snapped. "It's no excuse—"

With a bitter grin, she asked, "And 'oo are you to stop me, hmm? Silly little girl- you must know zat Antonin will not stay faithful."

I gritted my teeth together. "Just because he wouldn't lower his standards for a whore like you doesn't mean he can't love me."

Laughing at that, she replied, "Zere is no way anyone like 'im would ever learn 'ow to love, especially someone like you."

I didn't even think before my fist had collided with her nose with a sickening crunch. Words weren't even necessary- I apparated back to my house as soon as I saw blood begin trickling down her face.

---

Antonin came to see me later that evening.

I was thrilled to see him; more thrilled than usual, that is. It took me a second to realize he didn't do anything even though I'd thrown my arms around him. Usually, such a display from me would have merited some sort of reaction. Confused, I pulled back.

"... Antonin?"

"Alecto." His tone was even, but there was something about it that made me step back a bit farther.

"What's wrong?" I asked, a bit worried, my initial good mood suddenly dissipated.

"Oh, I don't know," he commented sarcastically. "It couldn't possibly be the fact that my parents are outraged because their closest allies on the European continent suddenly hate them due to a certain fiancee of mine punching their daughter in the face."

My eyebrows raised. Oh.

"So what, you're mad at me for losing my temper with her? Don't tell me you spent a single minute with her without wanting to do the exact same thing."

"The difference is that I controlled myself, Alecto."

"Are you sure you're not just upset about your dear Margot's beautiful nose being broken?"

"Shut up." I flinched slightly- there was something in his voice I didn't want to cross. "I'm not happy about this, Alecto. It doesn't accomplish anything except for causing my parents to form a very permanent grudge against you."

"Antonin, she kissed you. What was I supposed to do? Be completely passive about it? What do you want, complete freedom to do whatever you'd like with whoever you'd like whenever you'd like? Because I was under the impression-"

"I said shut up," he repeated, very calmly. His eyes were so dark they looked black; I shrank back, scared.

"I didn't mean to make you mad," I whispered, very softly. "I didn't mean to do anything."

"But you did. You let your emotions run away with you, like usual, and now look where it's gotten us. Alecto, it's not just the Leroux family- this is a matter of having the French Ministry of Magic's support of the Dark Lord."

"Oh..." I had to swallow to keep from crying. "Oh. Antonin I'm-"

"What, you're sorry?" he laughed harshly. "That's not changing anything. Why couldn't you have just thought for once?"

I looked down at my lap, "I didn't mean to."

For a moment, everything was quiet. I looked up and realised he wasn't watching me. His eyes were fixed on the wall, his arms crossed, his jaw clenched. I'd never seen him so livid- nor had I ever had to fight so hard not to cry.

"I-" I began, but his eyes snapped onto me and I fell silent immediately.

"But you did, Alecto. You really screwed things up."

"I'm sorry!"

"Don't say that. It's stupid. It doesn't help anything. It just makes you look ridiculous."

"What do you want me to say, then? If you're so pissed and you don't want an apology, why'd you even come here? Just to tell me what a failure I am? Alright, thanks, now I know that the world would be better off without me."

His eyes narrowed. "You don't have to be so bloody sensitive all the time."

"I wasn't aware that responding how any rational human being would was considered being sensitive."

"Shut the hell up, Alecto."

Tears began to leak out of the corners of my eyes, and I hastily wiped them away before he could see and make some other comment about me being stupid or sensitive or whatever else he wanted to call me. "No. This is my house."

Again, he was silent.

"Get out of my room," I commanded softly after a moment. "And don't come back."

"No," he answered, just as quietly, and before I realised it he was standing over me on my bed. "Ally..."

A sob shook my body as I stared at him, terrified.

"Ally..." his tone was suddenly gentle. "Please don't cry."

"I'll cry if I bloody want," I answered. "You don't just come rant at me about how much I'm a failure and then tell me what to do."

"Please, Ally." His hand ghosted over the side of my face, removing a tear. "Please. Stop crying."

"What is wrong with you?" I inquired incredulously. "Are you bloody manic?"

"Possibly." His jaw clenched again. "Look, I... Ally. I didn't mean that. Any of it. It's just so hard sometimes, and they... I just..." With a sigh, he took a step away.

"What?"

"The Dark Lord already doesn't really approve of my devotion to you, Alecto. Imagine what he'll say if you've just cost him a lot of influence."

I groaned. "Antonin, I'm sorry, but... I guess I just didn't think that... I mean..." Suddenly, something registered in my mind. "They'll try to kill me, won't they?"

"No," he answered softly, evenly. "You have nothing to worry about."

"But..."

"Don't worry, Alecto, I'll take all the blame."

"They'll kill you."

"Hurt, possibly. Kill, I doubt it."

"You can't, Antonin. I was stupid. It's my fault. I'm so sorry."

"I'm not mad, Alecto," he informed me. "I was, but... I'm really not, now. She got what was coming to her. Apparently her nose won't be quite straight ever again." He sounded perfectly delighted.

I frowned at how quickly he'd changed emotions. "Do you think we're ready to get married, Antonin?"

"Never more ready for anything," he assured me, not even hesitating. I was baffled.

"So that's it, then? You're going to practically explode at me, and then you're over it?"

"Ally... life's too short to stay upset. And I hate it when you cry, besides."

"What do you think they'll do to you?"

"Maybe use crucio," he shrugged. "I can stand it."

I flinched. He would undergo that, just for the sake of keeping me out of trouble?

"Antonin... can't we just run away to Greenland or something?"

"He'd find us." There was something sinister about the way he spoke.

"What does he have against me in the first place?"

"Well, it's more that you're my one weakness, and love is... not accepted. Though there's also the fact that I'm not going to allow you to become a Death Eater."

"What does that have to do with anything? I don't even want to-"

"I know. But in the case that you did, the Dark Lord thinks you would be valuable."

"He said that?"

"Not flat out, but the way your brother carries on about you, I'm surprised you haven't been made a Death Eater by force already."

"What?"

Antonin shook his head. "I've said too much already. It's getting late."

"It's not quite eight in the evening."

"I mean I'm getting late. I have an... appointment tonight."

"Oh."

"Don't wait up for me."

I nodded, and he kissed me, a bit more roughly than usual.

"I love you, Ally."

Before I could return the statement, he was gone.

Dun dun duhhhh! Yeah. Expect a new chapter VERY soon. Like, within minutes. As always, please review and stuff!