falling down a memory lane (DARLA)

[NICHOLAS DAMIEN AVERY]

Nick swore under his breath as he felt a shot of pain travel up his leg. It had been a brutal Quidditch practice and he'd been having a lot of fun, zooming past shouting players as he shot goal after goal. He'd been working on some tactics and he didn't care what the rest of the team was doing. Until he got conveniently thrown of his broom and down twenty feet. He didn't think it was broken but he was sure something was wrong since it hurt like a bitch and he could feel blood running down his knee.

Hauling himself up to the third floor, he threw open the doors to the Hospital Wing and sat down on the nearest empty bed, sighing as the weight was lifted off his leg. "Hello? Is there anybody around here or do I do everything myself?" he called out, annoyed that nobody had shown up. He let his cloak drop the floor and grabbed a glass of water. Hearing footsteps he called out. "Finally! And I thought - Darla, what're you doing here?"

He raised a brow as he saw her walk in and frowned. There was no way she could've known he was hurt, so there must be some other reason for her to come to the Hospital Wing and he didn't like to think why. "Are you okay?" he asked, scooting over his bed, to give her place to sit.

[DARLA ADRIENNE SELWYN]

”Finite Incantatem!” she shouted out, waiting for her legs to stop moving. There she was in her element, so to speak. Darla—the well known Ravenclaw seemed to be the ‘one to beat’ so to speak in a duel. That being said, she found herself in her fourth duel of the hour at Dueling Club in the Room of Requirement. Though the club served very little purpose, as it was no where near as regulated as Quidditch (or really any activity at Hogwarts) it was the perfect excuse for Darla to civilly beat people up..for lack of a better word. There was no better feeling than knowing that you’ve beaten another at what they’ve trained for years to accomplish. As sadistic as it may sound, beating others at their own game…that was what Darla lived for.

But her mental gloating quickly came to a close as she was thrown backward using a blasting charm. The girl landed on her elbow and with a jolting sharp pain and her own sharp exhale, she knew what she was in for. Using her opposite hand to touch the injured area, with the sight of blood, the Ravenclaw only saw red. Her eyed her attacker up and down as she rose off the ground, teeth clenched, and ready for her revenge. How thick… she thought, her arm bleeding, bone pierced through the thin layer of skin covering her elbow. ”You know why I never lose?” she called out, moving with a force toward him. ”Because I won’t quit ‘till I’m dead!” she added, pointing her wand at him. In a flash she disarmed him, catching his wand. Without a moment to spare she used her own wand to break a hole in a nearby window, then proceeded to throw his wand out of the castle. Shaking her head at the older student, she began to leave for the hospital wing, simply commenting on the state, ”Now the duel has been won.”

The travel down to the third floor was a seemingly long one. Darla was still noticeably irritated, and as she came closer to the Hospital Wing, she heard the voice of her boyfriend, clearly not realizing who she was. ”Sorry love, I’m a bit preoccupied myself…” she replied as she turned the corner to see Nick for herself. Still in his quidditch gear, a large red patch stained into his trousers. She smiled weakly as she moved to him, sitting next to him. ”Me? Oh, just this…” she replied, turning her body to show him her elbow, blood bone and all. ”What’s your damage?” she asked, more concerned for him than herself. She didn’t want it to be an issue for his next quidditch match. Boy would he be angry if he had to miss that. ”We can compare battle scars later…I’ll go find that nurse…” she told him, ready to stand up and go nurse hunting.

[NICHOLAS DAMIEN AVERY]

He smirked to himself as she she replied, putting an arm around her as she sat down. Although they had talked to each other only a few periods back, it felt like ages since he'd met her. He didn't quite know why but he was starting to get very anxious around her for the past couple of days, almost jittery. And he didn't know why because he knew he cared for her and wanted her but they just seemed like they were growing more and more distant. Of course, he never quite voiced these thoughts because it would make gloomy whatever time they did manage to spend together.

"So, I see..." he said, grimacing at the blood on her elbow and giving her a look of pity. "That has got to hurt. Unless somebody attacked you, I don't even want to know how that happened," he joked, shaking his head and letting his head rest on the pillow behind him. He felt his body immediately relax. He pulled up his cloak to show her the gash across his knee. "Just a tip. Next time you're flying well over twenty feet high, don't get knocked off your broom." He examined the blood and grimaced. "Hopefully it'll be healed before the next match."

He frowned, pretending to pout. "You could just holler?" he asked, giving her a slightly mischievous smirk, not removing the arm which was around her. "Mm...battle scars? Feisty," he winked, poking her in the side, careful not to jostle her arm by mistake.

[DARLA ADRIENNE SELWYN]

The moment she sat down his arm found its way around her. She made her own move by interlocking her own fingers with the ones around her waist smiling down at him. Yet in looking into his eyes, Darla could see something, even still for a brief moment. It was the same something she’d been trying to explain to Dom previously. But even now, Darla couldn’t put a finger on what it was—let alone why something was so off. Had she said something? Biting the inside of her cheek, the brunette turned her head, as though she was so very adamant on finding the nurse.

But as Nick commented on the gash on her elbow, Darla immediately turned back to him. She let a light chuckle escape her lips as he determined that he only needed to know if she was attacked. ”Well….technically…” she began, a coy smile on her face. ”But I won anyway so no matter” she added, noticeably watching ease take over his body. He was much calmer now, and not near as jumpy as he was only moments ago. As the bloody gash was uncovered Darla wriggled her nose up in disgust, still grimacing when it was again covered. ”Twenty feet you fell?” she repeated in surprise. On the one hand, she expected it to be higher up, but she didn’t know too much about quidditch. On the other hand, if he fell incorrectly, he could have died. ”It could’ve been much worse!” she finally added, a look of worry still on her face.

Where is this bloody nurse? she thought, looking between Nick and herself. ”It looks like we’ve gone to war! Look at us!” she exclaimed, partly laughing at the state. As he reminded her that she could just yell for the nurse, she simply raised a brow in disbelief. ”Nurse! I am dead. I am practically bleeding to death here!” she yelled out, laughing in the aftermath. As he poked her in the side, she jumped, a short ‘yelp’ escaping her lips. Her beaming smile grew and she lowered herself down to kiss him. But before their lips met she paused, watching his face go into ‘kiss-mode’ she gave a small chuckle once more. ”I don’t think I can just ‘holler’ for the nurse at this point” she added, smiling once again.

[NICHOLAS DAMIEN AVERY]

Nick wasn't blind. He noticed that Darla was becoming more and more suspicious day by day and he didn't know what the hell he was going to do about it. He knew he was going to break up sometime in the near future, but he didn't know. He wanted her to be prepared, to distance himself so she wasn't completely heartbroken. But he didn't want to spend whatever time he had left with her, so morose and confused. He looked down at their interlinked fingers and looked up at her. "What's wrong?" he asked, biting his tongue. He didn't really want to have this conversation now but he'd asked the question anyway. Besides, he was curious as to what she was making of his behavior.

He felt a flash of confusion and anger at her words, but then he smirked. "Duelling Club?" he asked, shaking his head. "I wonder what damage you did," he joked, knowing just how deadly his girlfriend could be. It's what he lov - liked about her. He nodded, hoisting his leg up on the bed. It didn't look like a nurse was going to show up any time soon, so he might as well get comfortable. He frowned at her worried look and shrugged. "Could've. Just an accident, babe," he replied, stroking her cheek as if to remove the worried expression.

He jumped as she screamed and for a second he thought she was in serious pain, before he noticed her laughing. He snorted, shaking his head, poking her again when she yelped. "We're very brave soldiers, Darla. We survived," he nodded along and grinned when she came closer. His fingers wrapped around her waist and the other hand went to the base of her neck. "Mm...you could just play nurse for me," he whispered against her lips and then kissed her, letting his worries and fears get lost in the kiss.

[DARLA ADRIENNE SELWYN]

It wasn’t long before a wave of confusion washed over her. It was the same feeling as earlier. She’s spoken with Dom about it—Nick just grew evermore distant by the day and Darla still hadn’t understood why. Of course the first reason that came to mind was that there was another girl, and with good reasoning. Nick was a natural flirt—he always had been. But knowing it was his personality, Darla never questioned it. Her silence was broken however, after asking what was wrong. Here, the young witch found herself subject to two possible answers. On the one hand, she could rip him a new one, yet on the other, she could be minimalistic about it—allowing the one with the problem to do the talking. She chose the latter. ”Why don’t you tell me?”

The brunette nodded in the affirmative with a coy smile. It was sort of exhilarating, know that her reputation in the castle was to be somewhat of a badass—or at least that is how she interpreted it. Still she’d never dueled Nick, but that day might come. It was more of an ego thing. He probably would go easy on her, underestimating her, and then she’d get him, killing his pride. It was actually, probably best that they hadn’t challenged one another. He brushed his fingers against her cheek and her breathing slowed to a calm one. She was not as tense as before; closing her eyes, she savored his gentle touch on her, wondering how much longer it would even be there.

Another squeal came out of the petite frame that was Darla. ”You little prat!” she started, trying herself to find a ticklish spot on him. She’d tried for years, but each and every time brought failure, and Nick laughing at her for even trying. She smiled coyly at the thought of playing nurse. It was extremely conceivable, especially if she had a cute little outfit (like this one yay picspam!). She herself was lost in the kiss. The fire and passion between them, even still was unlike any other person’s she’d seen in the castle, and nothing like her parents were. But she eventually broke it off. ”Are you sure you should be doing this? Monsieur Head Boy?” she added with a smile as she adjusted her blue jumper.

[NICHOLAS DAMIEN AVERY]

He momentarily froze in place, his heart pounding. Had she figured it out, what he was going to do? Was she going to save him the trouble and do it instead? He didn't want to hurt and maybe it was easier for her to hurt him but he wiped it all away with a confused smile, sighing. He reached forward and slowly pulled her to him, letting his chin rest on her head, so that she couldn't see his expression or the blatant lie in his eyes. "Don't worry. Things are slow and confusing but it's just a phase, beautiful. We'll work it out, it'll be fine. I'm just tired," he replied, keeping his tone light and reassuring.

He smirked at her smug expression and kissed her forehead. He didn't know why he was running away from all this. He didn't mind being sweet and gentle, not with her, and it felt like the best thing in the world. Easy as breathing. And then he remembered the night when Stefan had nearly burned down the dorms because Dominique had cheated on him, the look in his eyes when he lost her. He was too much of a coward to ever risk going through heart break and he mentally nodded to himself. He had to. He had no choice. He let his fingers trail her skin, not knowing how much time he had till he could hold her to him. (picspam}

"Oh, you love it," he said, as he let her try and find his tickle spot. He knew she'd never find it because the only person who knew was Danni, anyway. He groaned into the kiss, sitting up a bit and gently flipping them over without hurting her arm or his knee. He let his lips move down to he neck and chuckled against her skin. "Monsieur Head Boy? That's a new one," he mumbled against her. He let his fingers slip under her jumped, around her back and he felt the faint bumps of skin against his own. He'd never noticed it before, because every time he'd touched her there, they'd been too caught up in the heat of the moment but he pulled back, confused. He pulled her jumper a bit higher and against the olive skin he could see the beginning of a scar.

How come he hadn't seen it before. Probably since it had almost always been semi-dark and in the bright, industrial lights, he could see the faint line. He pulled her jumper even higher but it never seemed to end. "How did that happen? Looks painful," he commented, raising a brow, still confused as to how he'd never seen it before.

[DARLA ADRIENNE SELWYN]

The brunette looked deeply into his eyes, searching for something, anything to tell her what was on his mind, but his confused smile, the last thing she’d expected to see threw her from it. He pulled her closer, and she continued to melt at his touch. His words were easing her mind, but she didn’t forget the look in his eyes. They were empty, not like usual with a glimmer of mischief. Her body was rigid, and she still found herself unsure. But what Dom said only days prior resonated with her. She should have confronted him or threatened to leave. She thought about it briefly, listening to his heartbeat. How could she leave him? She could never. He however, with Caterina, still catching his eye on occasion, she could make him.

That girl, she was the bane of her existence. Caterina was manipulative and cold. She had no heart, and if she ever did—now it was a black hole. Caterina Zabini was simply a parasite—feeding on hearts until there was nothing left. Darla was well aware of the many one-night-stands between the two, and she’d often wondered whether they continued it on occasion, behind her own back. She looked up to Nick, who kissed her forehead immediately. He would never. He loved her…right? The look in his eyes! He looked at her and all she saw was love, even now. But upon reexamination, she saw that again, his eyes were hollow.

”Oof!” she squealed as her flipped the two of them, gently minding her arm. She’d almost completely forgotten why she was even there, neglecting the white bone which exited her elbow. ”Mmm. I like a man in control” she purred, lust in her eyes. Then again, there were always sparks between the pair—they never got enough of one another. Though it was interrupted quickly as his hand gently found her back. She knew the moment he touched it that it was foreign to him. He’d never noticed it, had he? She asked herself as he trailed her spine. Soon Nick was pulling up her jumper to examine it more.

A scar, running along her spine, beginning near the small of her back, ending at the base of her neck. Though in the summer she used makeup and spells and loads of concoctions to cover it, in this time of year, she never found it necessary. ”Oh that? You haven’t noticed it before?” she asked, delaying her answer. ”It’s been there for ages!” she added, remembering the story she’d told others who’d seen it. Then he asked for it, and she knew he would. ”It’s from when I was little. I didn’t always hate quidditch you know… Anyways I fell off my broom and into a tree.” she quickly added, wanting to move on to a different conversation. The scar had its own story, one she didn’t want to tell Nick.

[NICHOLAS DAMIEN AVERY]

He could feel her taught and rigid body and he held her tighter to him, any words failing in his throat. She didn't believe him one bit and who blamed her? He was acting cold and distant and he probably the worst boyfriend ever. She could do so much better, find somebody else but even the thought of anybody else holding her like this, whispering to her, touching her; it made his blood boil.

When she pulled back, he saw her scrutinizing gaze, the thoughtful one and he placed his hands on either side of her face, giving her a small, almost chaste peck on her lips. He let his forehead rest against hers and spoke, knowing his words sounded like a half goodbye. It was the only way he could find to tell her the truth now before the lies which were to soon come. "You are everything to me. Please just remember that, okay?" he mumbled, hoping she heard, hoping she didn't. But I can't let myself feel that way or you, he told himself in his head.

"Okay, I don't think a nurse is coming anytime soon. Come on, close your eyes," he said, taking out his wand. He'd never healed cuts before, which is why his leg was still slashed open but he'd mended bones before and he was sure he could do hers.

He listened to her half baked explanation and he could hear the warning bells, loud sirens in his head. He tried to continue where he'd stopped and let his lips trail along hers, then down her neck. He left his hand on her skin though, still tracing the scars. "Beautiful, if you don't want to tell me the truth, just say so," he said, pulling back and looking her in the eye, pleading her to just say it. "But you don't have to lie to me," he replied, going back to kissing her neck. "I can tell it's not what happened."

[DARLA ADRIENNE SELWYN]

There was tension in the room so thick you could cut it—or at least, that’s what Darla thought. She was well aware of the obviousness of her resistance, and again made no attempt to lessen it. She felt his arms pulling her tighter, inhaling his scent for what may even be the final time. Nick had distanced himself emotionally so strong that she couldn’t even count on the last time he’d touch her, speak to her, even look at her. She could sense what was coming, but even still—she hadn’t understood why. She hummed a bit, clearing her throat in the process, but eventually coming to settle. Darla allowed her body to loosen up, even for a final time. Her deep breath had finally exhaled, and for a moment albeit brief, she allowed herself to be taken over by him once more.

When she pulled back, he saw her scrutinizing gaze, the thoughtful one and he placed his hands on either side of her face, giving her a small, almost chaste peck on her lips. He let his forehead rest against hers and spoke, knowing his words sounded like a half goodbye. It was the only way he could find to tell her the truth now before the lies which were to soon come. "You are everything to me. Please just remember that, okay?" he mumbled, hoping she heard, hoping she didn't.But I can't let myself feel that way or you, he told himself in his head.

She continued her gaze up until Nick himself broke it—something else that had changed. Though she rarely gazed at him as much as she’d been, Nicholas couldn’t even seem to sit still. It was as though each time Darla had noticeably concentrated on the boy, he shifted or altered her vision. Even now he’d done it; bringing her forehead to hers, a shadow cast above her eyes. He spoke so softly, that in any other location, Darla would’ve mistaken his words. Even now she strained to hear the moment his lips moved. That was where she studied now, his lips—and the brunette read them as intelligently as possible. His words, they were the same form and same pretense as a romance novel. Under the average circumstance, Darla wouldn’t have responded to something so vague and out there. But she was well aware of the dynamic in the room, and it seemed to fit. Her forehead still rested against his, hiding her own eyes now. In a similar tone, she whispered her response, doing her best from choking up in any matter, ”Don’t forget you said it.” she exhaled again, a rather staccato one at best.

Darla sat up sharply, prepared to take his wand away from him. ”Nicholas Avery, if my elbow is not in proper condition by the time you are finished, I swear…” she trailed off, allowing him to only think of what she’d do. She was nervous, he’d never healed her before. ”W-well, what if instead, I fix your leg?” she offered, still cautious of his own. ”I’m sure there’s dittany around here…” she muttered still looking around and avoiding Nick’s wand altogether.

She bit the inside of her cheeks, refusing to show any sort of emotional change. Her dark eyes studied him once more, they themselves revealing nothing. She stayed his way for another moment or two as he kissed her neck. He’d caught her in her lie, but she didn’t want to go into it. The whole scar, the darkness behind it was all locked up in Azkaban and Darla wasn’t rushing back to thinking about it. She sighed heavily, looking down at the ground and then back to him. ”Must you know?” she asked, her innocent eyes gone empty and bleak. She hadn’t spoken about it to anyone besides Dom, and that was for the same reasoning. She looked again at Nick’s gash on his leg, and then considered the scar on her back; no wonder he knew she was lying. But Nick deserved the truth, she wasn’t going to lie to him. ”Tell me, what do you know about my family?” she asked, curious if she knew anything about her father, her mother, or her lineage. He must’ve known only the obvious, her bloodline and the sort that her family linked themselves with.

[NICHOLAS DAMIEN AVERY]

He sighed at her words and regretted saying anything in the first place. She'd hold it against him,every promise he'd so stupidly made to her, when he ended things. She wasn't one of the girls to just sit quietly and take it. She was going to fight back, he knew it, and for the first time, he hated that quality. He didn't want to fight her, because every word he'd retaliate with would bring his defenses down. He was just thankful that he'd never, ever said the words 'I love you' and that she'd actually believe it when he'd say he didn't. He refused to let go of her though and nodded. "I won't forget, ever," he said, choosing his sentence wisely. Of course he wouldn't forget, he couldn't if he wanted to. Because she was the only girl he loved and whom he'd probably always love.

"Relax, woman," she said, falling back and keeping his wand out of her reach. "No trust, seriously.." he said, shaking his head as he pretended to stow the wand away. When she was distracted enough, looking for Dittany for him, he pointed it and whispered, 'Episkey' and then closed his eyes as he heard the crunch of her bones fall back in place. It was fixed, obviously, but she was going to kill him nonetheless.

The moment she looked away from him, he pulled back and let his body hover above hers, holding his weight on his elbows. He stroked her cheek until she looked back at him and her eyes left his insides shaking. They were just...empty. He'd never seen her so desolate before and he felt the need to take that away, to put back the shine in them which he was so used to. "Hey, what's wrong.." he trailed softly, kissing her forehead, softly and looking her in the eye. "It's your choice, hon. But I want to know," he said, not liking where things were going.

He frowned at her question and opened and closed his mouth for a second. Now that he thought about it, he knew nothing at all. And it was very unfair since she knew so much about his own family. "Well...I know your sister and I know your mum passed away," he mentioned softly. "And I know your father was a Death Eater like mine, so we come from similar families, and that's it," he said, realizing how pathetic it sounded. For someone whom she'd been with so long, he knew awfully little about her family.

[DARLA ADRIENNE SELWYN]

30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvn97sgBnv1r1e62po4_500.gif

The girl closed her eyes still held tightly in his arms. She wasn’t running or escaping, because she knew she was still safe. Deep down, she knew she would always be safe with him, whether he wanted to admit it to himself or not. As Nick spoke again, all Darla could picture were daggers, flying to a sketched picture of her heart. She bit her lip and kept still, feeling like a fragile doll, ready to break at any moment.

She found herself still scanning the cupboards’ windows for dittany. She knew it was here, she just had to find it. The Ravenclaw girl turned away from Nick for a moment, after watching him stow his wand before she heard him mutter something. Then she felt a sharp pain in her elbow. She gasped rapidly and within seconds, her elbow was good as new. Darla looked from her elbow back to Nick, back to the elbow, and again to Nick, mouth agape. ”You! How! Ugh!!!” she grunted her frustration, hopping out of the hospital bed. Using her strength, (not to mention the element of surprise) she pushed Nick back, laying him down. Pulling out her wand from the inside of her robes, she muttered ‘Accio Dittany,’ catching it as it flew toward her. ”No trust…” she repeated as she applied the brown liquid drops to her boyfriend’s leg. Waiting for it to repair itself, all the while standing with her hands on her hips.

Darla’s face went pale, and her eyes hollow like before. ”I’ll tell you.” she replied, her voice lacking the liveliness it usually held. She was full of emptiness, and fell this way whenever she even thought of her father, what he did to her, to Celia, and to her mother. But she began her history, one full of detail and without a sugar coating. She gave Nick the full reasoning as to why she was, the way she was. ”I s’pose it affected me, and as to why I was never sorted into Slytherin like everyone else…” she added, knowing all of his Slytherin ‘friends’ spoke of Darla in contempt based on that factor alone. ”My father was a vile and cruel man.” she hissed, biting her tongue after. Granted, the statement was full of her repressed emotion, but she wasn’t going to allow herself to speak to the man she loved in such a way.

After pausing for a brief moment, she continued. ”I was born when he was in Azkaban. When he returned, he put himself on my mother…Celia…” she spoke in a very staccato way, refraining from tearing up. ”He hurt me…and mum. Then he killed her, right in front of me.” Darla bit her lip, but her eyes began to water. ”He threw Lia against the wall…knocked her unconscious before she knew what was happening….” she paused again briefly, her voice cracking. ”Then he found me, took his wand, and cut me open.” she finished, moving her hand to her back, suggesting her scar. ”My family hadn’t known love, only power.” she added, recalling everything she’d said. ”…and I refuse to live a life like that.” she finished, looking at her feet, hiding her face from him.

[NICHOLAS DAMIEN AVERY]

He couldn't stop himself from laughing as he saw her gasping, shocked and confused. He put his wand back in his pocket but before he could even explain himself, he found himself pinned to the bed. "I knew there was a reason I gave you all that - hey, hey! Wait!" he started but then hissed, watching his skin pull back together. He scowled at her and easily pushed her off himself as he examined his leg. "A warning would be nice, thanks," he commented dryly, but thankful all the same as the wound repaired itself before his eyes.

He felt his smile fall as he listened to her story with a sense of detached emotion and a hollow feeling in his stomach. As much as he was born in a strict and prejudiced family, Nicholas Avery had never known pain. Oh, sure, being pushed around, being told what to do, a slap on the knuckle for being naughty, but never had he felt like his parents did not love him. As a child, he'd grown up in the warmth of his home and had never felt deprived in anyway. And for that he was never thankful until now.

The moment she'd started talking, Nick knew it wouldn't be pretty but he couldn't even imagine the pain. Images filled his mind of his Darla, his girl broken, in pain, hurt, all the while unable to fight back and he let go of her, pulling away. He was not one to get angry easily, no, not at all, but when he did, it wasn't a pretty sight. He could feel his entire frame shaking and he stood up from the bed, abruptly, distancing himself from her as he tried not to do anything stupid. It didn't work as her words echoed in his ears and he grabbed the Dittany bottle and threw it against the wall, watching it smash into millions of pieces.

He could feel a coppery taste on his tongue and his judgement was clouded and all he could think was that he wanted to Apparate to wherever the hell her father was and rip him to shreds in the most painful way possible. He stayed away from her, not looking at her. It was several minutes before his body stopped shaking and he was able to breathe normally again. It was only then that he realized that it was rather stupid of him to just leave her hanging like that and he opened his mouth, his voice hoarse from the fury. "Darla..I -" he tried to say, but didn't as he walked to where she was and just pulled her up to him. He could think of a million things to say to her, but not one word escaped him. His fingers traced her hollow eyes, wiping away the tears and he kissed her softly, gently. "I - He will never hurt you again. I promise you, he will never ever hurt you or Celia again," he vowed, not wanting to say more as his anger still bubbled under his skin.

[DARLA ADRIENNE SELWYN]

Darla herself felt a smile creep upon her face at his reaction. He hadn’t seen it coming, but then again—wasn’t this the thing they loved about each other? How sometimes, from out of left wing, the other could trick the other; never maliciously, but enough to remind one another of their mischievous nature. But even still, Nick scowled at her, a hypocrite to say the least. Darla showed him just why he would miss her, giving him every reason to believe that distancing himself from her wasn’t the answer. ”Oh, and here I thought you liked it when I played dirty…” she said ending it a pout. Surely soon, she cracked a coy smile, a look of interest on her face.

After telling him truth of everything, Darla couldn’t help but feel judged. What kind of person came from a background like that? The typical dark wizard had a similar up bringing as her, without the warmth of a family. How low could he have thought she was? The Selwyn name, how ‘respectable’ was it? The girl continued to look for a reaction from Nick but it hadn’t proved to have hit him yet. Could he even fathom it? Nick grew up in wealth with a loving family. He was the older brother who spoiled the sisters. Even the family pets saw comfort. Darla began to second guess herself, would he even understand?

The moment she'd started talking, Nick knew it wouldn't be pretty but he couldn't even imagine the pain. Images filled his mind of his Darla, his girl broken, in pain, hurt, all the while unable to fight back and he let go of her, pulling away. He was not one to get angry easily, no, not at all, but when he did, it wasn't a pretty sight. He could feel his entire frame shaking and he stood up from the bed, abruptly, distancing himself from her as he tried not to do anything stupid. It didn't work as her words echoed in his ears and he grabbed the Dittany bottle and threw it against the wall, watching it smash into millions of pieces.

Though caught up in her mind, she was pulled away from her last thought by the awkward movements of Nick. At first it was somewhat robotic like, the way she rose from the bed. But upon further investigation, he was shaking, almost convulsing. Darla’s eyes remained glued to Nick as he backed away from her. Was he simply repulsed by her? The brunette’s eyes were wide, and she bit her lip, curious of his current actions. But then she saw it, and it was red. Every part of his being, from his toes to his head was full of rage. He’d taken the dittany bottle and shattered it, causing Darla in reaction to flinch. It was so fast and full of anger, it startled her.

The poor girl didn’t know what to do. On one hand, she knew he’d never hurt her and she wanted to calm him down, but on the other—she hadn’t ever seen him this angry, or at least, not for something this serious. She didn’t know what he was capable of this point. She inhaled slowly, her eyes closed. She herself was ready to cry, now Nick was this upset? It was a good thing she hadn’t told him about what she told Dom. In a matter of weeks she was to meet her father, face to face; what would Nick say then? Could she even tell him? This though, it wasn’t present—it had no reason to be minded. Right now, Nick was angry as ever, leaving Darla still so helpless. But he came to her, sensing her realization. Wiping the tears from her eyes and holding her close—she inhaled once again, pacing her breath to stay focused. But his words took her by surprise; they were strong and forceful. She held him tighter, her petite body against his, praying that his vow was to be carried out.

[NICHOLAS DAMIEN AVERY]

His pout disappeared at the sight of her coy smile and he sat up, with her still over her, to kiss her cheek. "Oh, I love it when you play dirty.." he said, running a finger down her neck and her collarbone till it stopped right over her heart. "My little minx," he grinned, pulling back and falling on the bed again, his arms tucked behind his head. Merlin, he loved this woman and he grinned at her, hiding his uneasiness at his thoughts. He didn't want this, every moment, every thought tainted by second guesses.

Nick could see her, closed eyes and deep breaths and he could see she was on the verge of breaking down. He felt a little guilty for scaring her. She'd only just told him of how abusive her childhood had been and he'd gone around throwing things. Seeing her flinch at him, startled eyes was one of the most painful things he'd ever seen. He knew he had a temper, a bad one, but he would never, ever hurt her. He hoped she knew that.

He was still very very angry and he had to keep reminding himself of the girl in his arms, of her thoughts and feelings before he rushed out and did something stupid. "I won't hurt you, Darla, I swear I won't," he murmured, his chin resting on her head. He felt her pull him tighter and he readily responded to the embrace, his arms tight around her, holding her close. "I l-" he started and he tried to say it, he tried to forget everything and just say the words, I love you. But he couldn't and he backtracked. "I'll always protect you, no matter what."

He could feel his arms shaking and tightened his old to make them stop. He'd been so close to just admitting the truth and future be damned, but he couldn't. Because every time the words entered his throat, his mind echoed with Cathy's words of pain and betrayal and hurt. Why would Darla hurt him? She had the key to his heart, she knew him and that's why she could break him. She was already breaking him but he felt like he was happier than ever. And he hated himself for what he was about to do.

"I'm always watching over you," he promised, knowing that at least was the truth.