Her kiss with the Dark Lord had soothed Bella's concerns for a few days. The agitation had disappeared, and she was remarkably civil to everyone in the house. Rodolphus marveled in the change, but she was sure he wouldn't question it. After all, what idiot would ask why she was being so lovely? He would be smart to enjoy it, because as the days ticked by, Bella's good mood would become more and more strained. However, for now, she smiled more, treated the house elves better, and permitted her husband to wrap an arm around her waist when they spent the day in bed. It was a rare moment, but she actually enjoyed her time with Rodolphus. Seeing her lover had put her in such a good mood that she was willing to spend much more time with her husband than usual. They had a lovely dinner together, followed by dessert and foreplay, a little knife-work on Bella's behalf, and then a night of shagging. The following day was spent half-lounging and half-chatting as the house elves served them their meals. There were a few instances where Rodolphus tried to moan about them not doing this often enough, but he changed the subject when Bella's expression frosted over.

The only thing that dampened her days following the kiss was her lingering feelings of guilt regarding Narcissa. They hadn't spoken since she left in a huff, her insults stinging her sister as she went. She hadn't meant them completely, though a part of her wanted Narcissa to know that any sort of physical affection between the blonde and her lover was completely prohibited. Naturally, her sister was so in love with her husband, but she was also a fetching woman that was soon to be pleasing to any man's eye. If her lover had a wandering appetite for women – why wouldn't he? – then her sister was probably the next best after Bellatrix. However, the two had never fought like this before. Mind you, it wasn't necessarily a fight, but she hadn't ever left her sister and gone this long without smoothing over their issues. It felt as though there was some hole in her, some disconnect from a part of her life, and it was uncomfortable. However, she wasn't about to go sort things out. Narcissa made the mistake of telling Bellatrix that she so obviously disapproved of her feelings for the Dark Lord. If they wanted to sort themselves out, Narcissa would have to apologize first.

"I think I need to do something else other than lay like this," Rodolphus sighed, grazing his fingers along the curve of her hip. "How about another round?"

"Normally I would say no," Bella murmured, fiddling with a clump of her hair, "but that would be because I have something better to do… but today I just can't have another go."

"Are pigs flying?" her husband laughed, giving her a sharp pinch, "I never thought I'd live to see the day!"

"Fuck off," she grumbled, inching toward her bedside table and rummaging through the drawer. She fumbled around blindly until she found her carton of cigarettes, and then rolled back over, "Want a smoke?"

"I think I might try to quit," he replied as she lit up. "It's not good for you, you know?"

"Lots of things are bad for you," she purred, inhaling deeply. "We're bad for each other, and yet here we are."

"I'm sure I don't rot your organs, Bella."

"I bet I rot your heart," she cooed at him, shooting him a wink as she continued to enjoy her cigarette, sighing happily. He rolled over to face her, resting on his arm. For some time he watched her, almost to the point where she felt uncomfortable, and finally she blew a mouthful of smoke in face, making him cough.

"You know, despite how cruel you are to me, you're the one for me."

Bellatrix sighed, almost wanting to shrug off the notion, but she resisted the urge. Perhaps this day made him sentimental, but it had almost no impact on her. The feelings she had for Rodolphus hadn't lessened or grown, and she still felt remarkably neutral over the whole thing. However, she certainly wasn't about to spoil his mood after such a pleasant day by saying something inexplicitly horrible.

"You are a decent husband," she managed. "Out of everyone out there, I think I've ended up with someone just right for me."

"How nice of you, darling."

"Oh, for goodness sake," she snapped, flicking the bud of her cigarette onto the floor. "You know how I feel about you! I don't think it's necessary to say."

"It would make things a little better around here if you did."

"Nonsense," Bella snorted, rolling her eyes a little. "If I gave you my honest and true feelings, you'd see nothing would change."

"And what are your honest and true feelings?" he asked, stretching his lean, naked body a little, "You know mine… I think it's only fair."

"Haven't you deduced them already?"

"Not exactly," he replied. "You're a difficult woman to read."

"I think I've been obvious so far."

"Bellatrix…"

"All right, fine," she spat, sitting up and folding her arms across her bare breasts. "You really want to know?"

"Yes!"

"Fine," Bella snapped. "I think we make an acceptable Pureblood marriage. We are usually fairly civil, which is more than I can say for some. You're attractive to me, both physically and in personality. I love you in a specific way, but certainly not in the way you can ever hope for."

He sat in silence for some time, apparently taking everything in. She wasn't anxious over his answer. He wanted to know the truth, and finally she had given him something that was pretty close to exactly how she felt. She was never going to love him the way she loved the Dark Lord, but whenever they had a good stretch in their marriage, she did have some sort of affection for him.

"I'll take it."

"What?"

"I'll take that," Rodolphus clarified. "I'll take whatever you give me, Bellatrix."

She studied him for a moment, "Really?"

"I mean, I certainly didn't expect to have a marriage like… this going into it," he told her. "I thought eventually we would love each other like a happy couple."

"We can be happy without the stereotypical love," Bellatrix argued as she grabbed a second cigarette. "I want a partner. I want someone I can come home to."

"If he would let you come home to him, would you?"

She stiffened, but after she lit her cigarette, she was relieved to notice he didn't seem irritated or accusatory in anyway. Instead, he simply stared up at her curiously, as though they were discussing the events of their day. Like a normal couple. She ran a hand through her hair.

"I don't know how to answer that," she finally forced out. "He wouldn't… He doesn't want a housewife."

"Well, that's a relief."

She inhaled deeply, and then blew out a mouthful of smoke, "You and I are a companionship. I… I like that."

It was a revelation; a calm, level-headed revelation that Bellatrix hadn't had with her husband in quite some time. She looked over at him, and much to her surprise, he smiled.

"So… I'm a friend?"

"A friend I fuck," Bellatrix clarified. Suddenly, she felt as if a giant weight had been lifted. "I do love you, Rodolphus."

"I know," he insisted, "but it's nice to hear every so often."

"I can only hope you aren't completely delusional about us," she said suddenly. "Stop trying to make it change."

"I will," Rodolphus told her. "Now that I know, I… I'm staying at your pace. If we can stay like this… civil, together, and relatively happy, I'll be happy."

"Promise?"

"Of course."

She finished her cigarette and tossed the remains on the floor again. There was this wonderful calm in the air, something she hadn't expected at the end of this day. It always felt like once they made a little progress, something happened, and they would go two steps backward. However, this felt like a hundred steps forward, and Bellatrix felt a wonderful feeling of serenity when she looked at him.

Pursing her lips a little, Bella leaned forward, intent on kissing him. However, she changed her mind at the last second. Instead, she opted for resting her head on his chest, fingers splayed across his skin. He, on the other hand, placed his hands behind his head, eyes shut, breathing even. They relaxed together, and it was calm for quite some time after.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I know it's really short. When I started writing this, this wasn't how the chapter was supposed to go. I've decided to push what I originally had to the next chapter, so it'll still come back. But as I was writing, I found myself liking the fact that Bella and Rod finally set up some sort of guidelines for their relationship. A companionship is how I've always seen them, and I think she's a little too sexual to not have her needs met.