CHAPTER 17

-Three years later

France-

Time means nothing to those who live above it. You may break and bend the body and its emotions any which way, but you can never change a person's destiny or his heart with the passage of time.

That was why she stood there, alone, looking up at the endless night sky staring up at the moon and stars, wondering how things would have turned out if she had been stronger then.

But there was no more time to reminisce on her past when a soft whisper came from within her bedroom. Slowly she stepped back from the balcony and slid the glass door shut behind her as she hurried back to the bed, where the only man in her life that mattered at the moment awaited her.

Gently pushing the covers back she uncovered her handsome gentleman still half asleep.

"Alex?" She leaned in to softy kiss his forehead, waiting to see if he would wake.

There was a quiet sigh and then a small hand reached out to grab hold of her fingers.

"Mummy?"

She smiled and lay down beside him, closing her eyes she drifted off to sleep with her son in her arms.

The past three years in France had been hard, not due to any set conditions, but because she had been so far away from home.

Her first year had gone by slowly, but she managed to go on happily, if not content. Sam had welcomed her into his home, letting her set herself up with little questions. Even as kids they had understood so much about each other with few words.

Sam was her adoptive brother; even though he was ten years older than her they had formed an everlasting bond right away. When he was eighteen she was only eight, his biological father came to look for him, claiming him as the only heir to the earldom of Stormy Point in France where his real family was from. When he had refused to acknowledge his biological father, a very sharp eight year old girl sat down with him and asked that if he were to become a Count in France one day then would she be a Countess?

Maybe it was the question that had set him off with a sense of responsibility or maybe he wanted to make both his families happy. But he set off to France and began the long process of becoming heir to a heritage older than her could imagine.

Over the years they had kept in touch by phone calls and letters and a few visits when he was not busy. He had gotten married when he was twenty five, still young, but old enough to think about himself and his responsibilities. And it was that marriage that her brother had begun to change, closing himself off to the outside world and to his adoptive family.

It was during those last weeks in April three years ago that she had received a letter from Sam, asking if she would go and visit him. She had heard about his divorce and the loss of his daughter, her niece, and she had accepted his invitation right away, even before she discovered the knowledge of her own pregnancy. When the collapse happened and she found out about her pregnancy she knew that he needed her as much as she needed him at that moment and without a second thought began to pack.

With his support she pushed through her pregnancy with a new determination and with the birth of her son, Sam began to slowly step out of his shadow. She would catch him sitting with Alex in his arms, a soft smile on his lips as he rocked the child back and forth. He too was healing with Alex as she was.

She had managed to tell no one in her family about her son until after his birth in November. When she finally worked up the courage to tell them, her family flew to France to see her. No one had asked who his father was, it was plainly seen who he belonged to. And no one asked her when she was going to go back home, because it seemed she was happy to stay with Sam and he happy to have family close by.

The second year flew by, with the sleepless nights and the crawling and walking and baby talk. When the third year came about her son was eagerly speaking and wanting to know everything from his ABCs to his cartoons and toy cars. And with the passing of the second year into the third Alex turned two and it was times, she declared, for her to step out of the shadows.

Her past would catch up with her if she did not face it, and running away was something she was done doing.

There were whispers about her before she stepped into the room.

The elegant ballroom was filled with high society gossip, gleaming jewels, and dazzling evening gowns.

It was a small charity event, held every year at the Grand Palace, and anyone who was anyone within a thousand miles was there. But it was at the announcement of the Count of Stormy Point that voices paused and heads turned to watch the grand staircase to see the Count walk in.

The Count was a tall man in his late thirties, but age had only made him more handsome with his charcoal colored hair and eyes the color of a besieging storm. But it was not the handsome man the gossips stared at, it was the woman beside him.

She was small, petite, but slim and beautiful in her long ball gown of a pale cream color. Her brown hair was tied back into a bun with little jewels twinkling from it, her earth brown eyes were cool and passive as she scanned the crowded room. And beside her was a young boy, who was about two, who held her hand tightly, shying away from the large crowd behind his mother's dress.

The trio walked past some of the gaping guest and toward a table reserved for them.

"Who is she?"

"She can't be his wife. There was no news of him getting married again."

"His sister? He doesn't have a sister?"

"That's the Duchess."

"She's a Duchess?"

"Not that anyone here knows, no."

"So she's his sister?"

"Adopted sister."

"But why Duchess?"

"Can't you see? She carries herself like a Duchess, cold as ice when it comes to it. No one knows much about her, just that she's related to the Count. Some say she's an exiled Princess and that she and her son are from—"

There was another pause of gossip as the Duchess got up from her seat, taking her son by the hand as they made their way to the snack buffet.

"It's the first time she's come with her son. Last year she left him at Stormy Point, and only because he was sick."

"This is the only event she comes out to at all."

"Why do you suppose that is?"

"Maybe because it's the only charity she can bring her son along, since it's a children's charity and all. I heard she doesn't go anywhere without him."

They continued to talk in whispers as they watched behind hushed backs.

The Duchess made her way back to her seat without speaking with anyone, her son beside her with a plate of goodies.

"You holding up okay Mya?"

She turned away from helping her son sit down to her brother. Giving him a brief smile she nodded. "Could be worse."

He chuckled, "You just hide yourself behind those rumors."

"I'm fine. Anyway, it's not every day I get to wear a gown that's worth thousands , and Alex is enjoying the food." She said, turning to smile down at her son.

When she turned to look back at her brother her small smile evaporated at her brother's cold stare.

"Sam?"

"Malfoy is here."

At the mention of the name she felt her whole body stiffen and freeze. Her eyes closed and she took in a deep breath, gripping her hands together.

"You said he wouldn't be here." She said, tight lipped as she tried to remain calm.

"That's what I thought." He said and reached out to grip her hand.

"We can slip out; he's speaking with a crowd."

She nodded her head, Sam saw her face drain of color and curse himself for having lied to her. He had thought that she had gotten over Malfoy, but apparently he was wrong.

"Alex, it's time to go."

Alex looked up at his mother, "Already?" He asked.

She nodded, picking up the little boy and holding him in her arms, tight against her. She prayed that as they made their way out Malfoy did not see them. It had been three years since she had last seen him, and it would hurt too much to see him now.

And if he saw Alex, what would he do?

Just as they thought they had made it out of the ballroom with being seen they were stopped by the host and hostess of the charity event.

"Mummy, I want to go down." Came Alex's soft voice as he struggled in her arms to be put down.

She set him on his feet, bending down to tell him to stay beside her before standing up to greet her host and hostess with a hesitant smile.

When the conversation ended and she looked down, Alex was gone. A dozen horrors ran through her head as she walked away from Sam and their hosts. She made her way back into the crowd, searching among the children for her son. The crowd parted for her as she made her way through, giving her curious glances. She scanned the buffet and the tables, but he was nowhere to be found. Panic brought tears to her eyes as she continues to search.

"Mummy."

She turned around to find Alex looking up at her, a smudge of chocolate still apparent on the ends of his mouth as he smiled up at her. She hurried forward, coming to her knees as she brother her son into her arms, holding him to her. She did not see the man holding her son's hand until she let him go to examine if there had been any damage done to him.

She looked up from where she still kneeled and held her breath as cool grey eyes stared down at her.

She did not think that she could be in any more panic than she already was, but she was wrong, because those grey eyes made her light headed every time she looked into them. She blinked and almost fell forward, but before she knew it she was on her feet, her body pressed against the hard support of his.

"Don't let them see any of your weaknesses now."

The hard whisper came into her ear, making her stand taller, her gaze straight ahead as she avoided all eyes on them. They passed a surprised Sam and just before they made it out she saw the shocked looks on the other guests' faces as they made their exit.

She did not remember, but somehow she was sitting in a limo with Alex curled asleep on her lap. She stared down at her son and wondered why he had made no protest being shown into the limo, an unfamiliar place. He had always shied away from strangers and yet he had held onto a man that he never met before, and smiled up at him as if it was only natural.

But then again, this man was no stranger. They shared the same eyes, the same coloring, and even the same mischief in their eyes when they smiled.

The ride in the limo did not seem long enough as it came to a stop before a five star hotel. When the limo drove up to the hotel entrance she was the first to get out, reaching back in for Alex before giving her a hand to help her out.

It was as if he had done this a dozen times before; waiting for her to step out of the limo, his son's arms gripped about his neck, fast asleep from the long evening.

The hand that gripped her arm was almost painful as he lead her inside to the brightly lit lobby where the doormen greeted them. They headed toward the elevators, ignoring the curious looks thrown their way from some of the staff and guests. Once they were on the designated floor he pulled her out of the elevator and into a suit of rooms. He left her standing at the door, knowing that she would not run as long as she had her son.

She watched as he made his way to where the bed lay within the suite, setting Alex down onto the pillows and pulling the blanket over him after taking off his shoes and jacket. When he turned around to stare at her, she thought he would say something, but did not.

He walked over to where the bar was and took out two glasses, filling them with brown liquor he came over to her and handed once of the cups to her. She refused to take it, so he shrugged and went back to the bar to set it down. Then, as if she was not even there, he went to sit on the couch without a glance.

"What do you want?" She asked at last, breaking through her reservoir of silence.

He only looked up at her with a closed expression.

They had not seen each other for a little over three years, and yet it was as if they had never been apart at all. He had not changed, in years yes, but he still looked handsome even with the lines at his eyes and mouth. He would be thirty now, with more knowledge and wisdom than when they had first met.

She had thought it would hurt to see him again, but she did not expect her thought to ring so true. Over the three years she had gradually learned to forget him, well at least forget her love for him. She never could truly 'get rid' of him from her memories or her heart. When Alex had come into her world she had found solace in being with him, but as he grew older with each passing week she saw more and more of Draco in him.

"You never intended to tell me, did you?" He finally asked in that deep soft voice of his.

"He is none of your concern." She answered, not willing not willing to lose this fight to him.

"He is mine." Draco said standing up to face her and for the first time since she had seen him in three years, saw an emotion flicker across his face.

"No he is not yours." She said.

He took a step forward toward her, making her take a step back.

"Is he?" He asked, looking back at the sleeping boy. "If you do not tell me his birth certificate will."

"No!" She said and took two steps towards him as he reached for the phone.

He set the phone down and turned to lift a brow up at her, making her hate him more than she believed herself capable of hating him.

"Now answer my first question; why have you kept him away from me?"

"Because he is mine." She said.

"As he is also mine." He said.

She said nothing.

"You will leave your brother's house immediately and come back with me to Summer's Bluff."

"No!" She said and made her way towards Alex's sleeping form.

She could not go back to Summer's Bluff, after all she had gone through there, she could not go back and face the place where she had once called home.

But Draco stopped her by grabbing hold of her arm, bringing her to be pressed up against him.

"Either that or I take my son with me and you stay here."

"No!" She could not believe what she was hearing. "You have no right to take him away from me!" She shouted, struggling for him to let her go.

"I have every right." He said, his voice had not been raised louder than when he had first spoken.

"You have no right!"

"Oh, I think you'll find that I have every right."

She stopped struggling and looked up at him, her eyes pleading.

"You would take my son away from me?"

"Did you not take him away from me?" He asked.

She looked away from him as he finally let her go. She felt so bare, standing there before him with nothing but her will to fight him.

"I want my son."

"But he is my son too." She whispered.

"Then you will do as I say and move back into Summer's Bluff with me."

"I can't do that. We—"

"What?"

"You and I are over. If you want to see Alex then I'll allow you visitation rights, but we'll not move in with you."

Draco stared at her and then laughed, his laugh sent chills up her spine.

"If you believe for one minute that I will accept visitation rights you do not remember who you are talking to."

"I know who you are!" She shot back. "You're Draco Malfoy of Malfoy Inc. CEO of Star's Shippings. Multi-Billionaire and confirmed bachelor!"

He raised that familiar one eyebrow up at her in amusement, making her want to slap him in anger.

"Was a confirmed bachelor." He corrected giving her a sideways grin.

"Was?" She asked more herself than him.

Over the three years she had listened to news about him; reading from magazines watching the televisions, anything that gave out news of the very private Star family. She had wanted to hate herself for wanting to know about how he was doing, wondering about what he was doing at the exact same moment as she, wondering if he was thinking of her like she of him. And from all of the news she had seen pictures and articles about the Malfoy going around with some of the most beautiful women around the world, smiling for the camera one arm around the waist of the woman answering questions that were thrown at him. She had been saddened and almost heartbroken if she was not already.

"So you're going to get married. Congratulations. Alex and I will not be bothering you." Her voice was soft, almost shaky.

She made to walk past him and go to Alex, but once again he captured her arm with his hand, not letting her go. She looked up to meet his cool gaze and recognized the mischief behind them.

"Oh no Tinkerbelle. I already have a wife and you already know who she is."

Tinkerbelle, she had not heard or been called that in three whole years, it was almost like music to her ears, but she blinked up at her ex-husband with a confuse look.

"W—what? Have you gotten back with—?"

Before she could finish her sentence, and really before she could come up with another coherent thought, he was kissing her. His teeth tugging at her lip, a kiss not soft or light, but rough and mind boggling. It was a kiss that took more than her breath away, it took all of her fighting spirit away with it.

When he broke the kiss and looked down at her with a cocky smirk on his face she sobered up and reached for her wand that was tucked away in her dress ready to hex him, but he took her wand out of her hand and held her arm to her side.

"Would you hex your husband, Tinkerbelle, in front of our son?"

AN: Hope you enjoy it!

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