A/N: I know I've not done an author's note in some time, and if I had only written this chapter once, I wouldn't have... but I wrote two different (oh so very) different versions of chapter twelve. Of the two, this is the one I'm going with. There is a bit of the other version in this chapter, but they as a whole had two very different feelings to them. Anyways, this one is appropriately called 12.2

Disc.: Borrowed world, characters... plot is mine.

Chapter Twelve Point Two

Lily felt like she had been walking around for days, her feet ached and she sat down on a bench near the wharf, removing one of her slip-on sneakers and rubbing her foot through her sock. The damp air had made for her hair to be a wild mess, and it was misting just enough to see it swirling in the rain. She was beginning to doubt her reasoning for coming to Ushuaia.

For one, it had been a week and she felt like she was no closer to finding Damon, who she suspect had to be in the area. After all, how big could Argentina really be? For another, she didn't even know where to look to find information about Scorpius. She was starting to lose hope that this trip hadn't been a complete waste of her time.

She had to admit, the museums were awesome. She had visited quite a few of them, wandered them aimlessly for hours longer than she would have been able to if she had brought Theron with her. She was able to really enjoy without feeling rushed. She had taken a tour around the city on a blue double-deck bus, twice. The first time she was mesmerized by all the small town had to offer, and the second time was to make sure she didn't miss anything.

The steep cobbled roads were in disrepair in some places, and she'd fallen once, skinning her hands, but a few of the locals helped her up without so much as a giggled, concern on their faces. There was the language barrier, but she was finding her way around without much problem. The Spanish-to-English phrase book had come in handy, even if she butchered the pronunciations.

Senorita Gomes introduced Lily to her mother, Senora Gomes and her mother's mother, Abuela. Both women spoke pretty good English and Lily was able to converse with them about the town and the history. Lily shared a little about herself, about her son. After dinner out on the town, Lily would join the other guests on the portico for cafe and bread. Several were honeymooners, but for the most part they were single tourists visiting the last city at the end of the world.

Lily slipped her sneaker on and walked over to the railing, ignoring the darkness that was falling around her, or the gas lamps that were being lit by a man with a long flaming stick. Instead, she focused on the ship slowly sliding through the water. It was one of the few non-windy days, wet but not windy, and Lily could see the tiny wakes behind the giant boat. She had plans to see about a day cruise, to go see penguins. She leaned against the metal railing and watched for a moment.

The hairs on the back of her neck prickled slightly. Not thinking of it, she rubbed the back of her neck and continued to watch the black-bottomed barge as it slid by. The prickling feeling reappeared, more intensely now with the hair on her arms standing up under the sleeves of her jacket. She shuddered slightly, the feeling of someone watching her. She turned slowly, her back now to the barge and looked to the far side of the street, her eyes searching the dark shadows in vain.

"Hello?" She called out loudly. The wharf was sparsely populated and only the person closest to her glanced up and her way. Lily dismissed him immediately, the old bent body covered in a hooded coat, leaning heavily on a cane. She kept looking to the darkness of the shadows, her eyes straining to see more than she could. She took a slight step forward, the spans of grass and gravel, a roped off statue of some Darwin guy, and cobbled streets lay between Lily and the shadow of the alley.

She turned to look back at the barge when she saw a spark of something, perhaps a match to light a cigarette flare up slightly, and the red hot glow of the business end of the cigarette. In that momentary flash of fire, even as small as it seemed, Lily swore she saw the aged but ever familiar face of Scorpius. She didn't bother calling out again, and instead she took off toward the shadows, running through the grass and gravel, sliding under the roped off statue.

She could hear something moving behind her, something quick but not nearly as winded as she was. She closed in on the alley way, stopping short as she stood just outside of the shadow, staring deeply as if it could help her see further into the darkness. She had been so certain she saw someone there, she glanced around trying to see around the metal bins that lined the alley in several places. She sighed, believing that her mind had been playing tricks on her. She glanced down as her foot hit something. A lit cigarette rolled into a shallow puddle, but for a moment Lily saw that it glowed red hot and lit. She had seen someone, and she wondered if it was possible that it had been Scorpius.

"Lily," she heard her name whispered in the dark, a sigh of wind and her head jerked to the darkened ally. She moved her body, positioning it as if she were going to find its source when a hand clamped down on her arm. She looked up to see that same guy from the pub, the one who had directed her into the hallway with the door at the end of it.

"What did Raul say?" he asked in that same almost too deep voice that seemed to physically crawled on to Lily. She shivered.

"He said to stay in the light," Lily murmured, rolling her eyes.

She had hesitated but that brute of a guy was there behind her, propelling her down the too silent hallway until they came to the door. Lily didn't know what to do, to make a break for it or die trying, or to head forward. She knew her wand was there, in her purse, but she didn't want to make a move for it. Plus, with the enlarging spell on her purse, she knew it might take a few minutes to find it when seconds might count.

She needn't worry about making a decision. Instead, the man pushed her forward, holding the door open. Lily prided herself on her steel spine, but she couldn't help but feel ill at ease with the man who sat behind the shiny wood desk. He frowned when she walked in, his eyes examining her from where he sat. Lily had the strangest urge to try and hide away from his eyes.

"I was very clear with your ministry that I wouldn't tolerate them sending in operatives without my prior approval," he said, his voice gentle.

"Operatives?" Lily asked. The man frowned deeper, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"You're an employee of the ministry, are you not?" he asked. Lily hesitated.

"Not anymore," she told him."I quit, because they wouldn't approve my portkey here. I just wanted to go on holiday."

"Every creature, every witch and wizard, that cross into my country has to be approved," he told her, rising. He circled the desk and sat on the edge. He was well dressed for whatever he was, though Lily suspected he wasn't muggle in any form.

"I didn't know. I just got here," she promised. Her voice hitched up some.

"I'm Raul Rosa, the Minister of Magic in these parts," he explained. "Not nearly as big and magically populated as your region, but I still prefer to not have any old witch or wizard popping in unannounced. Especially after last time."

"Last time?"

"Last time, there was a war," he murmured quietly. He stroked his goatee for a moment, deep in thought before he looked back at her. "I shall allow you to holiday with one stipulation. Stay in the light."

"The light?" Lily asked. She expected him to explain or expand on it more, but he didn't. He only nodded once and waved his hand dismissively. Diego, the brute, gently took her arm and steered her back down the hall, back into the din of pub-goers.

"Stay in the light," Diego whispered as he released her and disappeared into the masses.

Lily frowned as Diego insisted on walking her home. He hadn't wanted to hear what she had to say about possibly seeing someone she knew. He just muttered stuff under his breath in Spanish and she wondered if he was cursing at her. She was getting rather sick of the bureaucracy.

"You know, Diego? I can walk home just fine," Lily told him. "I've been a grown up for some time."

"Hm," Diego grunted.

"Can I ask you a question?" Lily asked as she walked beside him. He grunted again, shuffling beside her. She took it as an invitation to ask. "What happened with the war thing?"

"No going to talk about it," he told her. He glanced at her, who had stopped.

"I don't feel like going back to my room," Lily shrugged slightly. She took a seat on a bench. Diego looked aggravated.

"Senorita Potter, please," he sighed. "I have a family I'd like to get back to."

"I'm not stopping you," Lily gestured. He stood there. "Look, I get that I'm not wanted here. I just want a peaceful holiday. I'll be gone before you know it and you can go back to whatever it is you do for the ministry."

"I'm an Auror," he told her.

"Of course you are," Lily shook her head. "Everyone's an Auror."

"Not everyone," he raise his eyebrow at her.

"Not me," she laughed. He pulled a flask out of his jacket and took a sip, recapping it before hiding it away. "Not much for sharing?"

"Er, no," he told her. "Fire whiskey."

"Ah," Lily frowned.

"I have a drinking problem," he explained.

"Ah," she replied.

"Plus, you don't exactly look like the Fire Whiskey type," he told her quietly. Lily glanced up at him for a second.

"You know, for an Argentinean, you have the strangest accent," Lily murmured. If she expected him to respond, she was left wanting. He just stood there, arms crossed against his broad chest. She sighed and rose. "Guess I'll go home."

"Back to London?" he asked almost hopefully. Lily frowned.

"To the hostel," she corrected. An expression crossed his face, one that Lily couldn't place. He looked almost saddened by the fact.

"Oh," he grunted after a second. Lily started off down the street. He followed behind her, a few feet behind. They were still a few blocks from the bed and breakfast, darkness sliding over them quickly.

"You can walk next to me," Lily told him. He quickened his step. Lightening cracked across the sky, the rain beginning to fall. Lily readied to run down the sidewalk when she heard a sound, quiet but still somehow demanding her attention. She turned and looked to the alley way.

"We need to go," Diego said stiffly.

She heard a low moan and despite her desire to run, she felt herself compelled to move toward it, deeper in the ally. She tripped over a pair of legs, crashing loudly into wet trash bins. The owner of the legs grunted and groaned. She couldn't see who it was in the shadows, and decided it might be worth the risk of taking her wand out to light. She dug around in her bag, pulling the small piece of wood out.

"Lumos," she whispered, casting a light from the tip of her wand.

"Lily, no," Damon groaned as something rushed her from the side, sending the wand flying off and landing in a shallow puddle of water. Lily's head slammed against the cobbles. She screamed, wondering where Diego was during this. She could hear fighting, shouting and the sick sounds of fists to bodies, but she didn't know who was fighting who. The alley was suddenly unnaturally dark.

The heavy weight of a large man crushed down on Lily, the stench of sweat and death filling Lily's nose and threatening to smother her. Lily tried to wiggle out from under him, a gritty, dirty clawed hand covering her entire face and jerking it to the side. She built up a scream only for it to be lost in the crushing pressure of his wrist on her throat. Her heart was racing as the fabric of her shirt and jacket were ripped from her body.

Lily felt the hot breath on the parts of her cheek that were still exposed, the pressure gone from her throat. She shuddered under his weight and the flick of his too rough tongue. His teeth sank in, Lily jerking at the last minute, causing his teeth to tear into the flesh of her shoulder instead of the base of her throat. The pain was blinding, bile bubbling up from her stomach and oozing out around his hand. She could hear the gulping sound, as if he was drinking deeply from a pint rather than slurping greedily on her.

'I can't die. Not here,' she thought. She closed her eyes, thinking of where her wand might be. She could feel it's energy vibrating near her, away but close enough to call with magic. 'Accio wand' She felt the smooth wood slap her hand hard, with such power and finality that she knew she still had fight left in her. She knew lots of healing spells and healing potions, but not much in the way of defense. Still, she closed her eyes against the assault and thought of injuring whatever it was on her. The tip of her wand, still lit bright white from her previous spell, burned red hot and she drew it up under him. It caught his clothes on fire.

The unearthly scream the man made as he scrambled away, the smell of burning flesh, and the light-headed feeling from loss of blood had Lily turning over in the rain to vomit. The rain continued to pour down, washing away the vomit and blood as quickly as it hit the cobblestone alley.

"Nox," Lily whispered, the light extinguishing from her wand. She stored it back in her bag for safe keeping and then crawled slowly to Damon. He was still, unmoving. She couldn't see him in the dark, but she easily found his shoes and slid her hands up his leg, waist, and torso until her hands were on either sides of his neck. She could feel the sticky wetness, thicker than water, oozing from a gaping tear in his throat.

"Lily, are you okay? You need to go!" Diego yelled at her, his face inches from hers. In the flashes of lightening, she could see that he was pretty bad off, bruising already blossoming on his face.

"No, I'm not leaving him," Lily snarled at him. "Damon is my friend. My lover." Diego fell back on his heels, shock twisting and under that, an unexplained twist of rage. Lily turned away from the almost hurt look on Diego's face and instead focused on Damon.

Lily scrambled to pull her wand out. She pointed it at Damon. She closed her eyes for a second, imagining the wound she'd felt. She ran her hands over him, finding two more bad wounds on him. He gasped as her fingers probed the wounds. She opened her eyes, trying to make him out in the dark, wiping her eyes and smearing blood across her face as she did so. Her right shoulder was useless, the meat and tendons torn. She was lucky she was left handed.

"Ferula, ferula, ferula," Lily whispered as she waved her wand at Damon, imagining exactly which of the bandages and ointments would best serve Damon's wounds. He moaned slightly, hissing as the wounds were covered. She crawled over to him. "Damon? Can you stand?"

"I don't know," he moaned softly.

"I need you to try," she whispered. She turned to Diego. "Help me, if you can."

"He's from the London Ministry," Diego explained. "I'm not supposed to get involved."

"Help me, please, Diego," Lily begged, grabbing Diego's hand hard. "Please. He's all I have left, other than my son." Diego hesitated and Lily pulled away, sliding her arm under Damon's arms.

"You're bleeding," he told her as she struggled to help him to his feet. She gasped when his fingers touched the ragged wound on her shoulder. Diego rushed to Damon's other side, taking on more of the weight.

"I'll be fine," she told him through gritted teeth.

"I can't go back to my place," Damon groaned as they shuffled forward at a painfully slow pace the way Lily had originally come. "It was raided."

"Maybe he should go to a hospital," Lily suggested. Diego shook his head.

"No, no hospitals," Diego told her. "He's not supposed to be here. He'll be executed."

"It's okay," Lily lied. She had her arm across his stomach, holding tight to her other wrist, his arm across her shoulders. She pictured a compass, with her room at the bed and breakfast at the top, in the position of 'due north'. She turned her wand over in her hand, letting it spin in a circle for a moment before it pointed the way she should go.

It was slow going, shuffling along with Damon limping along between the two of them, but before long the light of the porch came into view and Lily helped him up the steps, Senorita Gomes standing there with her eyes wide. Lily expected her to turn them away, but instead she swooped down, sliding her arm under Lily's, taking its place and guiding Damon into the kitchen. Her expression was guarded, but Lily had a feeling this wasn't the first time someone had shown up on her doorstep blooded and half dead.

"I was worried," Senorita Gomes whispered, throwing a look at Diego. Lily wondered why she was whispering but immediately saw why. Abuela, Senorita Gomes' mother's mother, entered, followed closely by Senora Gomes. The two women were serious, looking, their brown hair both streaked with every increasing stripes of silver and white. Senora Gomes cleared the long table quickly, her wand flickers barely visible as she set the house in motion. They barely glanced at Diego as they went to work.

Lily helped Senorita Gomes hoist Damon up on the table, his feet dangling off one side. Lily immediately set to work getting together the water to clean the wounds while Abuela seemed to start brewing something in a pot over the stove. Senorita Gomes whispered about laws against magic in the village, nodding towards the drawn shades and the use of ordinary things to make potions. She pointedly looked at Diego, and Lily frowned. Surely they must have known that Diego was a member of the ministry.

"You did good to staunch the bloods," Senora Gomes acknowledged as she and Lily went to work, removing the blood-caked scraps of clothes. Lily immediate went to work, cleaning up the dirt and blood from his face and body, trying not to look lower on him.

"Mami never praises anyone," Senorita Gomes whispered to Lily.

"Carla, no gossip," snapped Senora Gomes.

"Si, Mami," Senorita Gomes appeased. Damon remained unconscious on the table while the four women bathed him head to toe. They slathered thick ointments on his wounds, wrapping them with bright white bandages that stood out even more on his tan skin. Lily glanced at Diego, the man taking a long swig from his flask.

"Maria, un poco de ropa, por favor," Abuela croaked out in a voice that reminded Lily of rusty old hinges. Senora Gomes hurried away, and Lily caught Senorita Gomes glancing quickly at the small dish towel that barely seemed to keep him modest.

Once Damon was dressed, he was brought around slowly. He was weak, having lost a lot of blood, but when he was ready, they sat him in a chair at the table and Senorita Gomes fed him broth and potion. She would blush every time his fingers would touch hers as he tried to feed himself. Lily thought it was very curious, but she didn't focus much on it as Mami and Abuela went to work on her own wound. The superficial scrapes were washed and bandaged quickly, but the shoulder wound had been far greater damaged than she'd let on about.

Lily felt both Diego and Damon's eyes on her as they unbuttoned her shirt, her jacket already cast aside. The blood had stained her bra a deep red. She raised her eyes slowly to meet Diego's eyes, lust unhidden in his eyes as he looked at her. The only change from that unbridled lust was when he let his eyes map out the jagged tear in her shoulder. She glanced at Damon, who was frowning at the other man in the kitchen.

"This is very bad," Mami Gomes said. "Maybe worse than his, even."

"¿Puedes ayudarla?" Damon asked. He glanced away from the old woman to look at Diego before focusing back on Lily's wound.

"¡Claro que sí!" Abuela nodded at him.

"You speak Spanish? Since when?" Lily asked as she tried to ignore the way her body screamed as she touched her shoulder. She winced and could have sworn she saw Diego move forward a fraction.

"I always have," he explained. She cringed, unable to continue looking at him. Her eyes were clenched tightly and she felt his hands grip her hands. She twisted a second and a second set of hands clasped hers. They were big and manly, rough, and yet there was something distantly familiar.

"I didn't know," Lily gasped as a burning liquid was swabbed at the wound with a large cloth. Abuela went to work quickly, doing the worst for the best reasons, scrubbing the wound and coating the layers of meat, tendon, and flesh with a sickly smelling ointment before removing Lily's bra and cleaning her up. Lily kept her eyes closed tightly, but she could still hear the slight sigh of breath. The more she thought of Damon's eyes on her, sitting there on the table topless, the greater the conflict that warred within and the hotter her cheeks burned. Diego had dropped her hand and she wondered if he had stayed around for the main show. She felt the prickle of something, that same feeling of being watched but she couldn't bring herself to check if he was still in the room

Once she was fully bandaged, and a long cotton night gown pulled over her head, Lily felt strong enough to open her eyes and look at him. Diego was still there, leaning against the wall silently. His arms were crossed against his chest, but there was something there in his eyes. It was just below the rage that seemed to flash on the edges of his expression, his jaw clenched tight. Damon had reigned his desires back greatly so that he looked upon her with just an appropriate level of concern and interest. Lily sipped the same broth and stood, thankful for once she wasn't weak-kneed.

"I have no rooms left," Carla fretted.

"They will share," Mami shared, glancing at Diego. "Now go up and sleep, and only sleep, both of you."

"Yes ma'am," Lily and Damon both replied in unison.

"I'll be going," Diego was gruff. Lily stood and followed him out onto the porch. He rounded quickly, startling Lily a bit. "You know, they could be executed for helping him."

"Please, Diego," Lily begged. "Please don't say anything."

"I'm going to have to explain these wounds," he told her. "Bites are supposed to be reported."

"I read the books in school. I know that it takes more than a single bite," Lily bit her lip slightly, looking up at him. "So, that was an Argentinean Vampire, huh?"

"Yeah," he nodded once. Lily watched him sigh, running his hand through his hair. It was strangely reminiscent of something, long forgotten though Lily couldn't place it.

"I'm sorry that I got you mixed up in this," Lily apologized.

"Do you love him?" Diego's voice cracked. Lily shrugged.

"Maybe, possibly. I could see myself falling for him, eventually," Lily sighed softly. She focused on the floor of the portico. She looked up at Diego. "He was the best friend of the love of my life. I've known him forever."

"Oh," Diego grunted.

"Please don't bring anyone in to this, Diego," Lily begged grabbing his arm. Fire burned under her finger tips, which confused her. She wasn't even remotely attracted to the giant man standing before her. "If I have to, I'll take Damon and leave as soon as he's fit to travel. I don't want anyone to get in trouble, and I can't lose anyone else to this place."

Lily was in tears, gripping hard to his arm. Her breaths came in shudders as she begged him to keep his silence.

"I'll think about it," he told her, pulling free from her easily. "Just for the love of Merlin, Lils. Stay in the light."

In a flash, he was gone, apparated away. Lily stood on the porch a moment longer, something nagging her to her core. Something was wrong, she could feel it, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She turned and started back to the door, stopping only for a second when she felt the prickle of someone's eyes on her. Maybe, she had been stupid to come.

She returned to help Damon upstairs, reminded by the ladies that nothing more than sleep should go on while they shared a bed. Thoughts of alternative possibilities went out the door with each painfully, aching step up the flights of stairs. Lily opened the room, placing the wand beside the bed before she helped him under the covers. Without a word, she flipped off the light and climbed under there with him, only hesitating a second before she curled her body against him.

"I'm sorry I put it in your head to come, Lily," Damon apologized. "I'm sorry I allowed the ministry to do such a stupid recon mission, and not even tell you what you were risking and why. You're not even an Auror. If I had even suspected you would have gotten hurt like this, I would never have gone along with it all." Lily froze, contemplating what he just admitted to.

"So, those moments we shared? All a part of the master ministry scheme to get me here?" Lily said bitterly. "Was sleeping with me a bonus?"

"Actually, that got me in trouble. I was forbidden to do that, and well, I've kind of loved you since you just a kid. I told Scorpius countless times, especially when he was being particularly stupid about you, that if it wasn't for him I'd have pursued you," Damon confessed in a quiet whisper in the dark. "Had I had my way, once the appropriate time had passed, I would have firmly inserted myself into your and Theron's lives and been a father and husband. But the department forbade it."

"Why?" Lily asked, though she suspected she knew the truth.

"Scorpius," Damon replied simply. "He's forbidden it."

"He had or he has?" Lily pressed.

"He has," Damon confirmed softly in the dark.

"He's alive," Lily gasped quietly. She buried her face into his neck. Damon groaned softly. "This whole time, he's been alive?"

"Yes, Lily," Damon breathed softly, still holding tight to her. "He's alive."