Pain. Throbbing pain.
That was the first thing Bella felt when she finally came round to consciousness. It almost seemed cliché to feel that way, but as she groggily flexed her fingers, she couldn't care what it seemed like. There was a dull ache spreading through her body, with her head being the focal point for the time being, and her first thought was to wonder where she was. It wasn't the feel that gave it away that she wasn't in her own bed – what she was laying on had no give, and the sheets draped over her hands were course – but it was the smell. It wasn't familiar by any stretch. Everything seemed... sterile. After a moment or so of quick thinking, she deduced that she was in the hospital before she actually opened her eyes. When she realized that, she also noted that two voices were currently causing her head to hurt more than necessary.
"... embarrassing, Rodolphus," Narcissa snapped, her heels noisily clacking against the tile floor. "You couldn't have brought her somewhere more private? Where is your family healer?"
"Sick, ironically," her husband remarked, his voice strained, "I couldn't just let her sit it out at home. The healer here said it would have put her out completely if left untreated."
"Well," came a haughty reply, "if you hadn't pushed her in the first place, none of this would have been necessary, now would it?"
"Narcissa, I didn't push her," was the following response. "She slipped."
"My sister," Narcissa snarled pointedly, "is not clumsy. She wouldn't just slip and topple down the stairs!"
"You know I would never dare push her," the man snapped, his voice seemingly dangerous, although she was sure that had no effect on her sister, "I could never put her life at that sort of risk-"
"Lies, I'm sure. You're well versed in them."
"Narcissa-"
"Lucius told me you had a woman in your bed when he was there," she sneered, a hand suddenly resting on her forehead. It felt remarkably cool, "You disgust me."
"I was trying to prove a point-"
"Enough," Bellatrix croaked finally, her eyes still closed. "You're both killing my head."
There was a loud shuffling across the room, footsteps she recognized as Rodolphus, and suddenly two large hands clasped hers, "Oh, Bella, I was so worried... You didn't move or anything when I tried to wake you, so I-"
"Stop talking, Rodolphus," she sighed, her eyes flickering open with quite a lot of effort. She studied him momentarily, noting the large circles under his eyes, and the disarray his clothing was in. It seemed like he just threw on the closest thing that was lying on the floor. His eyes were red, now that she looked closer, but his dishevelled appearance meant nothing to her. Dragging her hand away from him, she turned her head toward her sister, "Cissy... How long have I been here?"
"Since last night," the blonde stated, sounding more relieved than anything. "Your husband called Lucius after your apparent stumble, and the two of them thought it smart to bring you to Mungo's."
"I see."
"The healer has given you something to ensure you don't slip into a coma, or whatever he called it," she continued hurriedly, her arms folded over her chest. "You woke up once before, about three hours ago to take the medication, but I think he also gave you something to sleep."
"I don't recall that," Bella mused, easing herself up on the bed into a sitting position, taking in the white, bland room once before sparing a glance down at her husband, "but you can leave."
"Bella-"
"Get out, Rodolphus," she hissed, her eyes narrowing, "I don't want to see you."
A stifling silence filled the room, and Rodolphus was soon on his feet and had left without another word. She could see the pain on his face, but she didn't care. The resounding click of the door shutting officially was rather loud, but Bella merely folded her arms across her chest. For about a minute or so, she could ignore the way her younger sister's eyes stared down at her, and for that minute a blissful quietness had settled within the room. Narcissa, however, saw fit to break that before she undoubtedly burst, "Did he push you, Bella?"
She sighed, "No, Cissy... I am pretty sure I slipped on the stair. I was just so... angry with him, I wasn't thinking clearly."
Narcissa pursed her lips, clearly unconvinced, and tapped the heel of her shoe on the ground quickly, "I could have Lucius get the truth out of him-"
Her sister's sentiment was cut off when Bellatrix snorted noisily. It hurt her head to do so, and she placed a hand softly on her skull, which she only now noticed was wrapped up loosely in fabric, "I'm sorry, sister dearest, but I can't imagine Lucius torturing anyone to breaking point… even if it is Rodolphus."
She smirked at the slightly stung look on Narcissa's face. It wasn't there because she had insulted her husband. No, it was there because they both knew that Bellatrix was truly the one to understand how effective Lucius was at torturing his fellow man. Bella had been the one to see it firsthand, of course. Narcissa, surely, wouldn't have the stomach for the brutalities of Death Eater life, and as thick as Lucius might be sometimes, he was bound to understand that.
"Well," Narcissa finally mustered, her chest puffing out a little, "then I will deal with him myself."
Although she wanted to laugh again, this time louder at the thought of Narcissa taking the situation into her own hands, she couldn't bring herself to do it. The pain was simply too much, and she rolled to the side, examining the table beside her. There were some flowers, a card with Narcissa's easily recognizable scrawl on it, and a glass of water.
"Why don't I have anything for the pain here?" Bellatrix demanded, deciding it was best to just steer the conversation elsewhere. After all, she had been the one to fall, even if Rodolphus put her in that situation, and it was all a little bit embarrassing. Narcissa shot her a look, one that meant she would pry later when given the opportunity, and then shook her head.
"This is why I always say we need private physicians," she insisted, folding her arms across her slim figure. "Give me a moment… I'll try to find someone competent enough to get you what you need."
"Thank you," Bellatrix managed, tentatively relaxing her body a little more in an effort to get her head to stop throbbing. Her eyes followed Narcissa as she exited the small room, only to be replaced by Lucius a moment later, Draco in his arms. Bella grinned happily, and held out her arms, "My little godson!"
"Good to see you too," Lucius scoffed as he slid Draco into Bella's beckoning hands. The boy grinned and bounced on her lap at the contact. Ha! Whoever said Bellatrix couldn't get a child to like her clearly hadn't thought that her own sister's ought to have some sort of affection toward her. She couldn't wait until he was old enough to start teaching him how to set things on fire.
"How are you feeling?" Lucius inquired politely as he dragged a chair up to sit next to the bed. Bella shrugged a little, frowning at her nephew and godson as he started tugging on a piece of her dark hair that stuck out from under the dressings. She pushed his hands away irritably, and then sighed.
"My head feels horrible… Can't believe these bloody idiots didn't leave me anything for the pain when I woke up," she complained, casting Lucius a sidelong glance before returning her attention to the toddler on her lap.
"I always insist on a private doctor to handle our needs," Lucius stated, echoing her sister's sentiments. "I can't understand why Rodolphus wouldn't just ask to borrow our healer… She's always waiting for our call."
"I suppose he panicked," Bellatrix mused, smirking a little as Draco began to play with the blue buttons on his little outfit. "After all, he probably thought he killed me."
"He was a mess when he called on us," the man informed her, his tone a little cautious. "He said you slipped after you caught him with that trollop from work."
Her dark eyes narrowed dangerously, "You knew he was with her-"
"No," Lucius managed to get in as quick as he could, his hands up innocently. "Not for long, anyway. He told me the day before yesterday about possibly doing this… ridiculous endeavour with that little girl from the office, and I told him he was insane."
"Why would you say that?" Bellatrix demanded, staring down her nose at her brother-in-law, scrutinizing the way he answered.
"Because he's married to you, obviously," Lucius droned, rolling his eyes as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You girls from that family really are one in a million… The thought that any other woman might even come close to what we've found seems… foolish. I told him he was playing with fire."
She blinked, momentarily taken back by the odd compliment he had given her, and then cleared her throat, "He can expect full repercussions."
"I wouldn't think you would stand for anything less."
Satisfied, Bellatrix returned her gaze to Draco, and then poked his side, making him squeal noisily. She smirked again, one that turned into a grin, and finally a genuine smile as the small boy's hands tried to grab at her. He wasn't all that old just yet, but Bellatrix thought he was brilliant. Already sitting up on his own…
"Draco looks good," she said finally, and she noticed Lucius was watching him too. "I hope you don't let Narcissa make him fat. You know how she spoils him."
"I try to rein her in," Lucius laughed, "but she's as stubborn as you are sometimes."
"I suppose I'll have a chat with her," she continued, arching an eyebrow. "Baby fat is only cute for so long, and no family will want to marry their daughter to him if he stays rotund."
"I… How have we gotten to him being rotund?" Lucius chuckled. She opened her mouth, eager to discuss the fact that obesity ran in his family line, but the door opened so suddenly that it threw her off. The figure who stood in the opening made Lucius frown, and seemingly steel himself against the intruder. However, Bellatrix knew exactly who it was… Tom. Her dark lord in disguise, the very same one he had used to trick her into putting his Hufflepuff cup into her vault, had come to see her.
"This is a private room," Lucius sneered, getting to his feet quickly. "Perhaps you're lost."
"He's a friend," Bellatrix stammered, sounding a touch unconvincing, even to herself, and she quickly hoisted Draco off her lap and held him out for his father to take. "Could you give us a moment, Lucius?"
The man took Draco from her arms, probably out of a fear that she might drop him in her slightly addled, hospitalized state, but he seemed a little unwilling to leave. She cleared her throat, her eyes still on the young man in the doorway, "He works for the dark lord… That's how I met him."
"Oh."
When he still didn't move, Bellatrix finally tore her attention away from her new visitor and snapped, "For Merlin's sake, Malfoy, get out!"
The snarl in her voice was finally enough to get him out. He did shoot the dark lord something of a sceptical look as he passed, and she was sure he would suffer for it later. However, the moment he stepped into her room and closed the door behind him, everything on the outside was forgotten. He had come to see her. He had come all this way, in disguise, to see her. It was… unexpected, to say the least. After all, he had sent her out in such a fit of rage the other night, although a quiet, deadly fit, that Bellatrix was a little unsure if he would even want to see her in the near future.
"How are you feeling, Bella?" he inquired, his steps precise as he sauntered toward the bed and stood at the end of it.
"Horrible," she admitted honestly, pushing herself off the obnoxiously large pillow behind her to get a little closer, "but I'll live."
"I'm glad," the dark lord mused, fingers laced together behind his back. "I was worried I would lose my most exuberant servant to a set of stairs."
"Never," Bellatrix breathed happily, her eyes locked with his. "I'm yours forever."
"Forever is a long time, little girl," he remarked, "but I will take your word for it."
She nibbled on her lower lip, lost in thought only for a moment. This had to mean something. He had to care for her more than he let on… He just had to. Therefore, she felt confident enough at that point to make her move. It was a little difficult, but she carefully removed the bedcovers and crawled down to the end of the bed. He stood there, watching her stoically, and she finally stopped at the very end, her hands gripping the bedpost tightly to keep herself from launching her body onto his. It took a lot of reserve, a lot of schooled caution, but she knew that patience was what she needed with her dark lord.
At that moment, she realized she must have looked like a disaster. Her body ached, her unruly hair was wrapped up in some ridiculous hospital dressings, and if no one had washed her, she probably had the most horrible make-up smeared around her eyes.
"You were never my favourite for your looks," he said quietly, the familiar numbing buzz at the back of her mind as he read her thoughts. She held her breath quietly, and kept herself painfully still as he reached forward and ran his fingers along the bandages, just barely touching her. Their dark eyes met once more, "Get better soon, Bella. There is so much to do, and I cannot have you out of commission for too long."
"Of course not," Bellatrix managed, the softness of her voice matching his perfectly. "Thank you for coming."
She knew he would hate for her to thank him, but she did it anyway. It was as natural as breathing to praise him, and surely he was aware of this by now. However, she still felt her stomach knot when he pulled his hand away, a scolding look in his eye, but she ignored it. They stayed in that proximity for some time, although she realized he could leave at any moment. Perhaps he chose not to. She tentatively touched the front of his cloak with one hand, bringing herself a little closer, and then tilted her chin up.
If he wanted to, he could kiss her.
The moment, however, was spoiled as Narcissa burst into the room, a glass of water in one hand and a bottle of pills in the other, "It took me ages to find someone mentally capable at this ridiculous excuse for a…"
She trailed off when she caught sight of the pair by Bella's bed. Bellatrix hastily brought herself away from the dark lord, who had also taken a respectful step back. It was as though they were two teens caught by an adult in the midst of canoodling. Her cheeks tinted embarrassingly a little at the thought.
"Get better soon," the dark lord instructed, his tone decidedly more neutral than Bellatrix was comfortable with, and a moment later he had vanished from the room. She glared daggers at her sister, who arched an eyebrow haughtily, challenging her, but said nothing.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Yes! An update finalllly! After seeing HP 7.2 for the second time, I couldn't help but squee at the Bellamort moments I could get from it. Therefore, this seemed like a good time to get a muse back. Somehow it came while studying for a summer term midterm. It might be a little ... off, but that's because I've had no muse and haven't written anything for a year or two. However, I started moving 'Lovers' over to Mibba, as it's really my favourite, and re-reading it reminded me how much I actually LOVE this story. I plan on writing a Narcissa companion fic to 'Lovers' too, so keep an eye out for that.
SO. I think I will try to get this baby rolling. It won't be terribly long… I had always planned to do it in three stages, maybe four, detailing their relationship all the way through, particularly the in-between parts. I think this will also have a little more Voldemort than I originally thought. He's too fun here to let go.
Poor Rodolphus.