A/N: TPOV

The attack had taken her completely by surprise. Tonks had been not been on the defense as she had the first time she had come to Severus' aide. She had expected him alone, possibly hurt, but alone. Her first thought when she found herself bound, suspended and disarmed was that she had been wrong. Tonks pushed the cold fear, threatening to weave its way through her, aside and cast out her senses, listening closely and trying to see in the all consuming darkness. She only heard one set of approaching footsteps, one person breathing. The dread subsided. She knew it had to be Severus. And if he feels well enough for this, she pulled testing her bonds playfully,he must be alright. "Did you know I was coming? Give me some light so I can see you, Sev."

Tonks jumped slightly when his hand gripped her throat, her heart speeding up. She breathed deeply, trying to calm herself, her nose filling with his earthly scent. Severus' gripped tightened slightly and Tonks winced. A shiver slithered down her spine raising every hair on the back of her neck. Something was off, but she couldn't quite place it. Why isn't he saying anything?

"You will not speak tonight, else I will silence you." His hand moved from her throat to her jaw, her lips puckering slightly with the force. "Do you understand?" His voice was as urgent and threatening as the wand pressed sharply against her cheek.

Her head nodded urgently in his grip, "Yes, Sir." She was rewarded by light returning to the room. Her eyes immediately sought out his, but stopped on the darkness surrounding his hand and wand. It was a type of darkness she recognized, the type usually surrounding wizards and witches consumed by dark magic, the type that could make one shiver in both fear and dangerous anticipation. Dark magic could never be contained cohesively inside someone, it wanted to be used, begged to be used. Even after one dark spell, a witch or wizard would always have that nagging urge, the subtle voice that would whisper and beg for the spell to be used just once more. It had been the end of many an auror, forced to fight fire with fire and use dark magic.

Her eyes traveled past the wand currently pointing at her and took in Severus as a whole. She had never seen him so undone, and apart from the unsettled look in his eyes it was a good look for him. Tonks felt her body respond accordingly, especially when her eyes traveled lower. Her tongue subconsciously darted out of her mouth wetting her lips appreciatively.

"No, something's different here…" Tonks brows drew in confusion, only to find her pink hair turned long and red, the color he had forbidden her to change it to. Lily? Is that what's wrong? Why would he make me look like her? She bit back her questions, remembering his order of silence. "You were naked and wanting me even as your blood was boiling. Said that you loved me all those years ago when I refused your offer of submission!"

This is wrong! I have to stop this. Tonks opened her mouth, not caring about orders at this point, only to feel as if her blood was on fire. She cried out before clenching her teeth against the phantom heat, her body struggling in her bonds. Her head swam with the pain. Part of her wanted to let go and simply ride the pain, but she knew Severus was in trouble, that he wasn't the man she knew.

"You were given that potion, the one I perfected that… has no antidote. WHY DID YOU SAY THAT YOU LOVED ME AS YOU KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO DIE?!"

It wasn't me! Please, I don't know who you are talking about! She screamed again as the pain rebuilt. As her eyes refocused, she saw a whip in front of her face. She looked up from the whip to Severus' face, her eyes begging for him to see her and recognize her, to come to his senses.

His raging diatribe continued and the burning in Tonks veins finally subsided enough for her to trust her voice not to come out in a scream, or even a moan, "Severus… it's me… its Nymphadora… please listen…" She continued to beg as he blindfolded her, plunging her once again into darkness. Her pleas were cut of abruptly as her voice was taken from her. Her struggling doubled. I have to get him to see me.

"Don't look at me like that, Catherine. I didn't want you then because you reminded me too much of her, but you couldn't give up until Albus took any choice out of our hands. I thought that I'd be fine with it, until I saw you begging with your fingers in your quim for me in front of The Dark Lord!" A new wave of pain hit Tonks, even as his hands trailed down her body to discover how wet she was. She blushed fiercely. Despite the sharp ridge pain and terror, there was also a pleasure-filled current running through her.

"I tortured you, and still you want me. I could just slide my fingers into you with no resistance after all of this. After all that happened." Severus sneered.

Tonks shame deepened, threatening to pull her under. The sharp deafening crack of the whip pulled her back to the surface. She braced her body for the cutting sting, jerking violently when she felt the falls of the flogger. The rhythmic thud of the flogger had her moaning, thankful it wasn't the shocking pain of the whip. She couldn't make sense of what he was saying, only that he was calling her Catherine and telling her she should be dead, the rest was lost on the waves of sensations and emotions running through her.

In a blinding rush, the black fabric was pulled from her eyes and she found herself staring up into his. Desperation shot through her as she pushed through the haze in her mind and the spell on her voice, "Severus, I'm Nymphadora. Look at my wrist."

Hope welled up inside her as he listened and looked at her bracelet, his collar on her. She practically wanted to sob as Severus' voice reached her ears, "This has to be a trick of The Dark Lord's. I watched you die. Legilimens!" Tonks thought of everything she could to get him to see the true her. Their time together, recent events, Remus…anything to jumpstart him enough to see reality. All of a sudden her thoughts morphed as Severus pushed his thoughts into her head. She saw Remus deck Severus and then her mother and aunt and her blood heated in anger rather than pain, for once this night. She saw the dark revel, forced to watch, but none the less transfixed in a horrified, macabre fascination. She felt sick, but couldn't turn or pull away even if she had had the option to. In a crushing blow she realized who Catherine was. He may not have been hemorrhaging as he was the first time Tonks had saved him, but if she didn't act quickly the Severus she knew and had come to care for would be as good as dead.

As he pulled out of her mind she noticed that his eyes were clearer, even as her own were filled with tears. She felt her bonds loosen and lower her to the ground. Righting herself, she had to fight the urge to lunge for her wand. She felt like she was confronting a cornered and wounded animal, and that any abrupt movements would set him off again. The red curls fell over her shoulder and she knew she had to distract him as she focused on regaining control of her appearance. "Severus…"

She approached slowly, seeing his eyes widen slightly when she didn't run. She forced her mind clear of everything except him, using him to focus her own mind just as she hoped he was focused on her. As she stepped forward she felt her hair shorten slowly. She stopped in front of him, a lock of bright pink hair falling in her eyes.

Tonks saw, in his eyes, the moment the hard edge reformed, not manic like earlier, but no less dark and determined. No! Stay with me, Severus! Stay with me!She winced as his hand fisted in her hair, her hands flying up to his. She forced herself not to struggle as she was thrown on and bound to the bed, knowing it would only encourage the darkness begging to takeover.

As his hand clamped on her throat and he positioned himself over her, she was almost certain she knew how this was going to end. Severus wouldn't be able to recover from this and she wasn't quite sure she would either. Already parts of her mind were shutting down, trying to block everything out, which was why when his voice hit her ears, her eyes went wide. "Permit me release." Three simple words, containing one blessed choice.

She focused on the wizard above her, her eyes losing focus on the wand aimed at her face. "Severus, look at me. Tell me who you see." He looked down at her, his entire body shaking with restraint. Confusion crossed his features as he glanced from her face to her restraints, the silver bracelet up against the cuff on her wrist, and back again. Stay with me, please.The thought became a mantra in her head, as she held her breath in silence. His grip loosened on her neck and he lowered his wand.

"Nymphadora?" Confusion, surprise and guilt mixed across his face as he looked down at her. He banished the restraints from her wrists and ankles, already pulling away from her, even as it was obvious the dark magic in him continued to burn for release.

The moment Tonks was free to move, she sat up capturing his face between her hands and kissing him deeply. With everything that had happened, she realized her greatest fear was that she wouldn't be able to save him. As her legs wrapped around him, his own control broke and he moaned into her lips, his hips thrusting against hers. Tonks lay back before rolling over; continuing to hold him close with her arms and legs. Now on top, she pulled away from the kiss, arching back as she rode his cock, keeping her eyes locked with his. With each swivel of her hips she rocked back and forth and his hands moved up and down her thighs.

Her nerves were already raw, her skin alive to every touch from everything earlier. Her pleasure built quickly, her hips moving faster and faster, taking him deep each time. With a low growl, Severus pulled her down to meet his lips, her pink hair falling on either side of his face, his hips thrusting wildly into her.

With a passionate cry she broke the kiss. Her fists clenched in the black bed sheets on either side of his head, her body flush with his, every muscle tensing as she came screaming out his name. His grip on her tightened, as her pussy convulsed around his cock, milking him, pushing him violently over the edge. His hips continued to thrust upward, even as hers continued to move down to meet him.

Fully spent, Tonks clung to him, her body shaking, breath ragged and heartbeat racing a mile a minute. She smiled, realizing his was as well as he held her close.