Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Redemption Recalled	By : MoonlightVision Category: HP Canon Characters paired with Original Characters > Het - Male/Female Views: 9161 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of JK's world and characters, I do not make any money from this. I merely borrow for fun. The only thing I own is my feisty Lexi and the story arch.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
A/N: Sorry it's been so long since I've updated!! It was March break this week so me and the kid were running all over the place on random fun adventures, which meant I've come home every night exhasusted with no energy for typing! But I finally got something finished. And happy news, I got my first college acceptance letter today! I will soon be a college student, again. So, without further ado, here is chapter 8 :D Please Rate and Review!!
Chapter 8: Hot and Cold
Slowly Lexington opened her eyes. The first thing she became aware of was the throbbing in her head, then the pale glow coming from outside the tent. Morning had arrived. She blinked as she lifted her head, and found she was sitting on a chair. Her muscles ached like she had just run a marathon. Trying to stretch them she realized she wasn't just sitting on a chair, she was tied to a chair. She looked around the room. No one was there with her. Scabior must have come back while she was passed out and tied her up. She groaned inwardly as she realized that meant he probably knew she'd been trying to escape. That would make it harder to get away. If he knew she was planning to run he'd be keeping an even closer eye on her.
She shifted in the chair, trying to stretch her cramped muscles somehow. Merlin, she was sore. Rolling her head to relieve the tension in it, her eye caught on her coat and shoe. They were sitting in a pile on the ground. She looked down at the jumper she still had on and realized the maps she'd had were gone too. He definitely knew she'd been running if he'd found those. Damn.
Lexington sat there for what felt like forever before she started to hear movement and voices outside the tent. She'd never realized how boring being tied up was, probably because she'd never been tied up before, but she almost wished Scabior would come back just so she could have something to take her mind off her thoughts. Or Thom, maybe Thom would come in with some food. Maybe she'd get untied so she could eat. She heard footsteps approaching the tent, so she looked expectantly at the door, only to have whoever it was stomp right by.
Sighing, Lexington let her thoughts drift else where. She wondered how Harry, Ron and Hermione were doing. Had they found any of the other Horcruxes yet? She knew they'd found one, the real locket, a while ago now, right when school was starting. The very few letters she had received from Hermione hadn't indicated whether they'd found anything new or not. How long ago had it been they'd broken into the Ministry? She tried to count the days in her head. That had been at the very start of September. She'd been at school until mid October. It'd been about a week and a half after her escape from Hogwarts that she ran into the snatchers. How long had she been with these ones? In Scabior's tent? Two days? If that's what it was then it was almost November. Surely they'd found something by now. She also hoped they had found a way to destroy them. That's what she'd been supposed to be figuring out at Hogwarts. She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. She'd failed. By getting caught she'd failed her friends. Please, let them find a way to destroy them, she thought desperately.
Not wanting to think about it any longer she swept her eyes around the room, looking for anything to distract her. It was then she noticed Gawaine wasn't with her. What had happened to him? Had he left when whomever tied her up had come inside? She hoped so. She didn't want the little thing to get hurt just because he wanted to stay near her.
Lexington looked up as Scabior suddenly entered the tent. “Where's Gawaine?” she demanded.
Surprise flickered across Scabiors face, “Who?”
“Gawaine, the kneazle,” she glared at him. “If you've hurt him-”
“Is that what you're callin' him? Interesting choice,” he said as he strode past her and started putting papers and charts away in his desk drawers.
“Well, where is he?”
“Relax, sweetheart. He's probably with Blaine or off chasin' butterflies somewhere,” he said as he continued putting things away.
He moved on to the bookshelf, pulling two books out of his coat and setting them on a shelf. She recognized them as the ones she had thrown through the tent flap earlier. She watched as he took his wand from his back pocket, under his coat, and tapped the top of the shelf. It unfolded large shutter like objects from it's sides and wrapped them around the front, sealing the books inside the shelf.
Curious, she asked, “What are you doing?”
He glanced at her for a second as he made his way to the wardrobe, “Packing,” he swished his wand and she heard the drawers lock. “We're movin' camp today.”
“But why are you locking everything?”
He looked at her as if she should know the answer. When she continued to look confused, he explained with a shrug, “So nothin' falls out of or off of things when we pack up the tents.”
“Oh,” she said sheepishly, that made sense. She looked up to find him peering bemusedly at her. Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze she tried to shift in the chair, wincing as she felt the ropes on her wrists. She'd forgotten she was tied up. She'd been tied up for hours! Well, it felt like hours. Suddenly ticked off she glared at him, “Why am I tied up?”
He had the audacity to chuckle before he answered, “Come on, luv. Dumb doesn't look good on you. You should be able to figure that one out.”
Lexington angrily refused to answer him. Yes, she knew, but damned if she'd admit it to him. She watched as a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth and he started walking towards her. He stopped directly in front of her and bent forward, placing his hands on something just behind her, one arm on either side of her shoulders. Leaning as far back as the chair would allow she tried to put some distance between them. Her arms felt something hard dig into them. The table was right behind her, that's what he was leaning on. She stared into the brown eyes that were inches away from her face. She swallowed and willed her body to not betray how unnerved she was at his proximity. She smelled sandalwood again, she swallowed the groan that threatened to escape and tried to breath through her mouth. How long was he going to stare at her like that?
Finally he spoke, “You are tied up, darling Lexi, because you obviously tried to escape an' would probably 'ave continued to try had I not restrained you.”
Fire flamed in her eyes, “Don't call me Lexi!,” she hissed.
That only brought a smirk to Scabior's face, “What if I like callin' you Lexi?”
“Well don't!” she spat. “Now untie me!”
“Sorry, luv. I don' take orders from you. Maybe if you ask nicely.”
She grit her teeth. If it would get him to move away from her or untie her, it would be worth it. “Fine!” she growled. “Will you please until me?”
He regarded her coolly for a minute, “Are you gonna try an' escape again?”
“Probably,” she said before thinking.
“Then you'll 'ave to stay right where you are,” he said as he started to straighten up.
Furiously she said, “You can't keep me here forever!”
Pausing, he leaned back down, holding himself up with one hand. The other went to her hair and started playing with a few strands. She tried to jerk her head away, only to have his hand slip behind her neck and fist in her hair. She cried out as he pulled slowly on it, forcing her to tilt her head back. Her breaths grew more rapid as he leaned closer still, his lips hovering above the skin on her neck.
He moved his lips up to her ear before whispering in a rough voice, “Watch me.”
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, his warm breath causing her to shiver despite it being warm inside the tent. He pulled back to look at her, but didn't relinquish his hold on her hair. He smirked at her efforts to control her breathing then leaned in again to place a kiss to her lips. She felt his tongue swirl across her bottom lip, stinging slightly as it ghosted over the spot where she'd bitten it earlier. Her breath caught in her throat when his teeth closed lightly on her lip, pulling gently. Her skin started to tingle, as if tiny flames danced across it and a funny sensation coiled in her stomach, but she refused to give in to those feelings. She would not kiss him back. She had no idea how this man could infuriate and excite her at the same time. She had no way of getting away from him, but she would not return his kiss. Finally he pulled away and looked at her, fiery passion smouldering in his eyes.
He took in her rapid breathing and dilated pupils and couldn't help but grin. “I can. An' I will. Keep you,” he said as he let go of her and stood up. Without another look he walked out of the tent.
Scabior stood outside his tent for a moment, composing himself. Even though he was the one trying to seduce her, he found himself turned on every time he was around her. Her small, gasping breaths and soft cries had him coming undone, and that was when she was trying not to make them. He could only imagine the sounds she'd make if she let herself enjoy it. He would find out. He was sure of that.
He took a deep breath and looked around camp. Only his tent was still up, everything else neatly shrunk and packed in simple small rucksacks. He saw Thom and Ben putting the last of the cooking pots into a bag. Xander and Ty were putting out the fire from breakfast and Blaine was crouched on the ground petting that damn kneazle.
“We're leavin' that thing here right?” he asked Blaine, walking over to stand by him.
Blaine stood, picking up the kitten as he did so, “You can if you want to, Boss. But neither the girl nor this little guy'll thank you for it. Plus 'e's liable to follow us anyway. They can hone in on where their witch or wizard is.”
Scabior scowled at the creature, who looked back, blinking calmly, “Fine, but he's still your responsibility.”
“No problem, Boss,” Blaine smiled. “Me an' him are actually gettin' on pretty good. We 'ave an understanding. Don' we little fella?” He said as he held the tiny animal at face level.
Scabior rolled his eyes and turned to leave. “She calls him Gawaine, in case you were wondering,” he threw over his shoulder.
Blaine's eyes twinkled, and he spoke softly to the kitten, “See, your growin' on him. Not only is he lettin' you come with us but he's aware you have a name an' knows wha' it is. Gawaine, huh? Tha's a strong name for somethin' so tiny.”
Gawaine stretched out his paw, claws extended and lightly placed it on Blaine's nose. Giving a small, short growl, he flexed his paw, causing the tips of his claws to barely connect with Blaine's skin.
Blaine burst out laughing, as the tiny thing retracted both paw and claws, “Yeah, you might be right. It suits you, don' it?”
Hearing Blaine laugh Scabior glanced his way as he came up to Thom and Ben, “Can't believe we have to take that fur ball with us.”
Thom looked up from putting a shrunken pot into the rucksack, “If'n ya didn' she'd ne'er forgive ya.”
Ben scoffed, “I don' see why it matters if she forgives 'im or not. It's not like we're keepin' 'er around fer long.”
Thom glanced at Scabior, brow raised, “Tha' true, Boss?”
Scabior shrugged, “Stil workin' on a plan. She remembers who she is now, but I 'aven't decided yet how much value there is to handin' her over.”
He didn't mention what she had let slip about the Order and being friends with Hermione. He may tell Thom later but for some reason he didn't want Ben to know. Usually he told his crew everything he knew, but where Lexington was concerned he felt like keeping that vital information to himself. It would prevent them from doing something rash and stupid behind his back. He trusted most of his men for the most part, but most of them were Slytherin's, and you could never fully trust a Slytherin, especially in times like these.
“So, we're gonna jus' drag 'er all over the country with us?”
He glanced at Ben and saw his cheeks turning an angry red. Ben seemed to really not like her. Granted he was surly about almost everything, but discussing Lexington always brought on a particularly bad mood. He obviously was still holding a grudge about her knocking him unconscious the night they found her.
“For now, yes,” Scabior responded, letting his eyes warn the man not to press the issue. “Her being here hasn't affected you so I don' see why it's any of your concern.”
“If she's worth somethin' then that's my concern. We all share in the profits and not 'andin' 'er over means no one gets any gold for 'er,” Ben grumbled.
Scabior took a menacing step towards Ben, “When I am ready to hand her over I will, an' you will get your share. But I am not handin' her over before I'm ready to. Got it?”
Scowling fiercely Ben nodded, going back to packing the last of the pans.
Scabior turned to Thom, “Everythin' ready to go?”
“Sure is, Boss. Jus' yer tent left. I'm assumin' yer gonna get her ou' o' the tent afore we pack it up?” he asked with raised brows.
“Yeah, just give me a second. I gotta untie her first.”
Surprise washed across Thom's face, “Ya tied 'er up?”
Scabior shrugged his shoulders, “She was tryin' to escape. She actually knocked herself out tryin' to get by the wards. I figured it was the best option.”
Thom chuckled, “Stubborn chit, isn' she?”
Scabior just snorted as he turned back to his tent. It was obvious Lexington had won Thom over. She must be friendlier towards him, he thought dryly.
Upon entering the tent his eyes immediately fell on Lexington. She was still tied to the chair, but she had her head tipped all the way back staring absently at the ceiling. Her hair fell down the back of the chair to where her hands were tied and she was idly twirling strands between her fingers. Hearing him enter, she didn't raise her head, she merely rolled it towards him slightly, staring at him out of the corner of her eyes. Scabior could have laughed. She looked thoroughly and utterly bored. He drew his wand and released all the ropes except the one tying her hands together.
Feeling her bonds disappear, Lexington snapped her head up and sprang to her feet. Her muscles protested immediately, still stiff and sore. Her legs wobbled and unable to move her arms to balance herself she stumbled sideways right into him. She saw Scabior try to hide a smile as he brought his hands up to steady her.
“Easy there, luv. You might be a bit sore. It'd probably be best if you didn't move so fast.”
“I wouldn't be this sore if you hadn't left me tied to a chair for hours!” she grouched.
He chuckled, “Actually, you would be. Those wards you were tryin' so hard to get through are mostly why you hurt. Especially 'cause you're not supposed to try gettin' by them repeatedly.”
She tried to move away but his hands tightened on her upper arms. “It's still your fault,” she grumbled, not meeting his gaze. “They were your wards.”
“Yeah, but you didn't 'ave to try to get by them.”
She looked up, fire in her blue eyes, “Yes, I did! You're a snatcher and I need to go help my friends!”
Scabior shook his head in wonder, “You're still plannin' on runnin' aren't you?”
“Yes,” she hissed.
“Luv, the only way you're gettin' away is if I let you an' right now I'm not lettin' you go anywhere.”
“You are impossible! You don't own me-”
“But you are my prisoner. Now come on,” he let go of one of her arms and started to pull her towards the door.
Lexington dug in her heels, “Where are you taking me?” Panic started to replace her anger. Was he going to hand her over now that he'd realized she would just keep trying to escape?
He looked back at her, “We're movin' camp, remember? So unless you wanna get packed inside the tent I'd suggest you stop fightin' me.”
She felt him drag her closer to the door, “What about the wards?”
“They needed to come down to pack. Don' worry it won't hurt goin' through the door. This time,” he still felt her hesitating, leaning away from him and the door. “What now?”
She spoke quietly this time, “My shoes and- and my coat. Can I have them back?” She knew it was cold outside and she didn't enjoy the thought of tramping around the forest without her shoes or coat.
He sighed and flicked his wand summoning her coat and shoe from the floor. Not wanting to take the chance of her running when he untied her hands, he murmured a spell that anchored her feet to the floor. She looked at him wide eyed. Another flick and her hands were free. He handed her the coat and let her put it on. Then used his wand to retie her wrists behind her back again. He dropped the shoe on the ground in front of her and took the charm off her feet.
“You only had one shoe when we found you, so it'll have to be enough.”
“Thanks,” she mumbled, shoving her toes into the shoe and wiggling her foot around until she got it on properly. She looked up to find him watching her, almost impatiently.
“You ready now, sweetheart?”
She nodded. He reached out and grabbed her arm again, hauling her through the tent flaps. She squinted as her eyes were assaulted by the sunshine in the clearing. She'd been in that tent for days and she wasn't used to things being this bright. Her breath turned into mist each time she breathed out and she shivered. She knew it would be cold outside, but she had gotten used to the warmth in the tent. Goosebumps rose on her arms despite the layers she wore. Unconsciously she drew closer to warmth she could feel coming from the man holding onto her.
“All set, Boss?” Thom asked.
“Yeah, take it down,” Scabior replied, steering her towards the centre of the clearing.
He stopped there and she took the opportunity to look at the other men standing near them. Two of them were standing almost shoulder to shoulder, and they had very similar features; black hair, prominent nose, and a square jaw. One was taller and broader than the other and appeared to be a few years older. The younger one was staring at her, amusement twinkled in his dark blue eyes. He winked at her and she quickly turned her attention to the next man. Tall and thin, this man had light brown hair and a thin face. He was holding something in his arms, something that was squirming. Gawaine! That must mean that was Blaine. That was the name Thom had given to the man who was looking after the kneazle when he wasn't sneaking in to see her. She noticed him looking at her curiously and she gave him a small smile. She was glad he was taking care of Gawaine. Even if he was a snatcher, the fact that the kitten seemed to like him made her feel a little friendlier towards him. Letting her eyes travel to the last person, she inhaled sharply. This man was also staring at her, but with fury and hatred radiating from him. She swallowed, flinching away from him slightly. She suddenly found herself feeling very anxious, but couldn't make herself look away from his piercing stare.
Scabior felt Lexington take a small step towards him and looked down at her. Her eyes were fixed on something and she looked rather nervous. Following her gaze he saw Ben a little ways away glaring vehemently at her, unblinking. Did the man not know how to take a hint? Huffing, Scabior turned Lexington's body away slightly and stepped between her and Ben, obscuring her line of sight to him. He'd strategically turned them towards Thom, who was shoving his tent into the last rucksack, so that neither Ben nor Lexington would know he'd purposely intervened in their stare off. He felt her body relax almost instantly.
Focusing on Thom he asked, “Are we good?”
Thom fastened the last buckle and hoisted the pack to his shoulder, “Ye'sir. We can 'ead ou' now.”
“Alright,” Scabior nodded. “You all remember where I told you to go? There's a little clearing east of the town about 10 miles, next to the river. If you need to take care of any business, today's the day. Meet us in the clearing when you want. Just make sure you're there an' rested before tomorrow mornin'.”
Everyone nodded or spoke in agreement before they started apparating. Soon it was just Lexington, Scabior and Thom left.
“You got anythin' you need to do, Thom? I can take the pack with my tent,” Scabior offered.
“Nah, I'll come with ya an' see that ya get settled. Migh' pop over ta the pub fer a drink after tha' bu' I'm lookin' forward ta an early night.”
“Okay, see you there.”
“Sure thing, Boss,” Thom said as he turned on the spot and vanished with a loud crack.
“Ready, luv?” Scabior asked gently.
“No,” she mumbled.
He knew he could apparate them both while just holding her arm, but he drew her closer anyway. Keeping one hand on her arm he wrapped the other around her shoulders and pulled her against his chest.
Lexington stiffened and closed her eyes, trying not to breath in the scent of him. The last thing she felt before being sucked into the vortex of apparation, was Scabior pressing his face gently to the top of her hair and breathing deeply, holding her securely against his body.
Her feet suddenly hit the ground and she knew she would have fallen if Scabior hadn't been holding her still. Her legs wobbled, threatening to give out and she kept her eyes squeezed shut, willing the nausea to disappear. She hated apparating. She'd never been any good at it, and only side apparated if she absolutely needed to. She stood still, her forehead pressed to Scabior's chest and focused on her breathing. The smell of sandalwood was overwhelming her, but she didn't care, she just wanted her stomach to stop doing somersaults.
Scabior was surprised when Lexington didn't immediately try to move away from him, in fact she was leaning into him. With his arm still around her shoulders he could feel her breathing. She was taking long, slow breaths and seemed to be focusing intently on just that.
“You okay?” he asked her.
The barest shake of her head was her only response. He was sure he'd apparated them perfectly. Surely she hadn't gotten splinched. Scabior shifted to move her away from him so he could see her face. She groaned softly and he heard her swallow as she actually leaned closer to him. He stopped moving, she didn't sound good.
Quickly his eyes sought out Thom, who was standing a little ways a way watching them. Thom pointed to his stomach, then mimed being sick. Realization dawned on Scabior. He had forgotten that some people got sick during apparation, especially if they hadn't been dong it long. Lexington was in her final year at Hogwarts, or had been, which meant she would have only learned how to apparate last year. Scabior sighed as he found himself feeling relieved that it wasn't anything worse that was causing her pain. An upset stomach would go away on it's own relatively soon.
His arm loosened from her shoulders and she felt his hand start to rub against her back soothingly. She still found it odd anytime he did anything comforting, it went against everything she thought he stood for. He was a snatcher and snatchers weren't supposed to comfort people. But at the moment she didn't really care. His hand on her back felt good, rubbing small circles in time with her focused breaths. Gradually the nausea subsided and she started to feel normal again. Finally she shifted back from him and looked up at his face. She'd never realized how tall he was. Standing this close to him she had to tip her head back, almost to the point of being uncomfortable, to make eye contact.
“Better?” he asked as he raised his brow.
“Yeah,” she said softly.
He removed his hand from her back and she turned to look at where they had landed. The clearing they were in looked very similar to the one they'd just left. The only difference being this one had a small river running along one side of it, a grassy meadow on the opposite bank, and a light dusting of snow that covered everything. Looking down at the snow she realized the foot with only a sock on it should have been cold and wet by now, but it wasn't. She furrowed her brow as she gazed at her woollen clad toes. She didn't get to wonder about it long though before her thoughts were interrupted by Thom's voice.
“All set, Boss. Need anythin' else afore I pop off fer a drink?”
Looking towards him, Lexington found that in the time it had taken her to overcome her urge to puke her guts out, Thom had set up both his own tent and Scabior's.
“No, that's more than enough, Thom. Go 'ave some fun,” Scabior replied.
“Thanks, Scabior,” Thom said, just before he turned and disappeared with a pop.
Lexington hadn't taken her eyes off the tent she knew was Scabior's. She couldn't go back in there. If he got her inside and he got those wards up again she'd have next to no chance of getting back to her friends. He started to lead her towards the tent. Her eyes flew around the clearing. No one else was there. Just them. She could get away from just one man, couldn't she? Memories popped into her brain of all the times he'd held her down or pinned her to something. Normally she would have said yes, she could get away from one person, but somehow she knew Scabior was different. But she had to try.
Digging in her feet Lexington tried to twist out of the hand that was still holding her arm. Luckily he'd been holding it loosely and she managed to free herself. She glanced at his face just long enough to see surprise in his eyes before she turned and ran. As she fled towards the trees she could have sworn she heard him laugh.
The first few trees rushed by her. It couldn't have been that easy, could it? Her foot caught on a root and unable to use her arms to balance herself she stumbled sideways into a tree. She pushed off the tree with her shoulder and kept going. Her ears strained for any sound other than her own breathing and foot steps. Nothing. There were no sounds of pursuit. She slowed down, taking more care where she placed her feet, intent on making less noise and not leaving a trail.
Suddenly an arm wrapped around her waist from behind, lifted her fully off the ground and pulled her against a very hard, warm chest.
“NO!” she yelled, twisting in his grasp. “Let me go!”
“Nice try, luv, but I told you the only way you're leavin' is if I let you,” came his gruff voice next to her ear.
Her tied hands were being squashed into his stomach. She started pinching him and digging her fingers in as best she could. It wasn't as much pain as she'd wished she could cause, but it did make him drop her, swearing. She tried to sprint away from him, but his boot came out and tripped her. Lexington squeaked as she toppled towards the ground. She managed to turn just enough to land on her shoulder instead of her face.
Scabior hauled her to her feet and pushed her into a nearby tree, “Really, Lexi?” he sounded incredulous. “Your hands are bound, you are in the middle of a forest you don' know, you 'ave one shoe an' no wand. What could you 'ave possibly been hoping to gain by pullin' a stunt like that?”
She glowered, “It would have gotten me away from you.”
“No, it wouldn't of. I would 'ave found you,” he stated matter of factly as he stepped closer and pressed his body against hers. “I'm keepin' you, remember?” he added in a soft voice.
She winced as her hands were crushed into the tree. She wiggled, trying to find a more comfortable place for them. The back of her head bumped into it too as she leaned away from him.
“And I've already told you, you can't,” she replied, trying to ignore the feel of his muscled body pushing into her.
He smirked, “An' I've already told you, you don' 'ave much of a say in the matter.”
Wanting nothing more than to be free of him, Lexington used her shoulder to try to push his chest away. But he didn't budge, he just chuckled instead. Exasperated she huffed angrily as she twisted and squirmed against him, trying anything to get loose.
She heard his breath catch in his throat. “Merlin, Lex! Would you stop moving!” he bit out.
“Why?” she countered, struggling harder. “So you can have your way and cart me back to your tent! I'm not going to make it that easy for you!”
His forehead dropped to her shoulder, startling her. His voice came out strained and low, “You have no idea just how much I want to cart you back to my tent. But, I promise you, it is not for the reason you are thinking of.”
He shifted his hips slightly and she froze. Her eyes grew wide as she felt a tell tale bulge against her stomach.
“Y-you wouldn't-” she said, her voice suddenly sounding small and scared.
Scabior licked his lips and exhaled slowly, “No, I wouldn't. I know what you think of me an' I'm tryin' to change that. But you are just so god damned tempting.”
That last part was whispered into her neck as he turned his head. His lips found her pulse and she gave a small start as he pressed a kiss to it. She'd been shocked by his honesty, but not enough to make her want this.
“Scabior, please-” she whispered, taking a steadying breath. “Don't.”
He sucked gently on her neck before lightly grazing his teeth across the same spot, sending a shiver down her back. He then stepped away from her, still holding her to the tree with his hands on her arms, and searched her eyes with his. After a moment he dropped one hand and turned, pulling her after him, back towards the clearing.
Lexington let herself be pulled along quietly. Her brain was still telling her to run, but she didn't want to provoke him further. She was unsure how he would react. He could punish her in so many ways. He could hand her over, hurt her, rape her, and tied as she was she had come to the realization that she really was at his mercy. He had said he was trying to change the way she thought of him, why? She glanced sideways at him and saw he had a small scowl on his face. She didn't understand this man at all. She couldn't predict his reactions, sometimes he got angry, sometimes he merely laughed, and sometimes he was even kind. It unnerved her.
Her socked foot stepped on a particularly knobby root and she stumbled slightly. His hand tightened around her arm, supporting her. He looked at her for the briefest moment before turning his eyes back to the forest in front of them. Looking down at her feet she watched where she was stepping. Seeing her one shoeless foot brought back her question from earlier.
“Why isn't my foot wet?” she asked, suddenly peering at his face.
He spared her another brief glance, “What?”
“My foot. The one without the shoe. Why isn't it wet or cold? It should be, given where we've been walking.”
“Oh,” he paused before he answered her fully. “I charmed it.”
She waited to see if he was going to elaborate. When he didn't she enquired, “What do you mean you charmed it?”
He sighed as they walked into the clearing, “I didn't figure you'd like having a cold, wet sock so I charmed it to repel water and cold before you left the tent.”
“Oh,” she said thoughtfully. Here was yet another thing he'd done that could be considered kind and it hadn't even been in reaction to something she had said or done. It had been a small act, one that she suspected would have gone untold if she hadn't noticed and asked about it, but an act of caring all the same.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice he'd dragged her inside his tent. They were half way into the room when she became aware of how much warmer she was. Looking around she noticed he was pulling her straight towards the bed. She balked.
“You said y-you wouldn't,” she said, as fear slowly crept into her chest.
The fact that she had stopped walking did nothing, he simply pulled her bodily closer to the bed. She couldn't see it but the corners of his mouth twitched into a small smile.
“I'm not,” he replied, “but I'm also not takin' the risk of you tryin' to hurt yourself on the wards again.”
As he spoke he spun her to face him, her back to the bed and pushed her down to sit on the edge. He flicked his wand, which she hadn't seen him draw, and the rope tying her hands released itself. Movement flickered across her peripheral vision and she glanced to the right, seeing the rope trail towards the headboard where it attached itself to the bedpost. Slowly she brought her hands around in front of her, rubbing at her wrists. Feeling the rope still around one of them she looked down. Her eyes followed the rope from her hand to the bedpost, trepidation building inside her. Quickly she glanced up at Scabior, who was still standing over her.
He smirked at her expression of disbelief and turned to walk out of the tent.
She jumped up, reached out and caught his arm, “You can't just leave me like this!”
His eyes flickered to her hand on his arm, then back to her face. “An' why not?” he asked.
“Because-” she faltered momentarily, “Because what if I have to use the loo?”
He hadn't thought of that. He pointed his wand at the rope again, “There. It'll lengthen to let you reach the bathroom if you need to use it or feel the need for a bath, but that's the only times it'll stretch.”
She watched, mouth slightly a gap as he turned to leave the tent again. He really was just going to leave her tied to the bed. She tried to take a step after him but the rope brought her up short. Lexington glanced back and saw it only allowed her to move a few feet from the edge of the bed.
“W-wait,” she really didn't like the idea of being tied up indefinitely.
He paused by the door, turned to her once more and waited for her to continue.
“Where- where are you going?” she asked, her fingers trying to pry the rope from around her wrist.
“I'm goin' to get you somethin' to eat. You were a bit preoccupied this mornin', what with bein' unconscious an' all, an' I figure you're probably pretty hungry by now.”
Right on cue her stomach rumbled. He snorted and walked out the door, leaving her securely tied to the bed.
She turned to the bedpost and pulled against the rope, her fingers ripping at where it wrapped around her. She felt panic rising in her. Being tied to the chair had felt different, it had felt temporary, just something to contain her while he had packed up to move. This felt too real, too permanent. She scrambled to the bed and tried to find a knot to untie there. Nothing. Just like around her wrist. It was one seamless piece of magical rope, no edges to fray, no knots to pick at. Her breathing sped up as she realized how helpless she was. She cast her eyes around the tent. Nothing she could reach would help her escape. Just as she started hyperventilating she heard a small meow.
“Gawaine!” she sank to her knees and grasped the small kitten to her, burying her head in his fur. He seemed to know she just needed to hold him, because he stayed perfectly still, purring softly, rhythmically licking her cheek.
Lexington let out one shuddering sob, before trying to pull herself together, “It'll be okay, Gawaine.”
He mewed and bumped his head into her chin.
“It'll be okay,” she said again, trying to sound more convincing this time. “I'll be okay. It has to work out somehow. I just have to be smart about this.”
Gawaine rubbed his cheek along her jaw, purring louder now that she seemed calmer. He started kneading his paws into her chest, his claws catching slightly on the fabric of her shirt.
She looked down at the kneazle gratefully, a small smile on her lips, which was quickly replaced by a scowl when she realized she was still wearing Scabior's shirt under her sweater and coat.
“What I wouldn't give for a change of my own clothes,” she commented absently. “Or my own soap, I hate having his smell follow me around constantly.”
She shifted so she was sitting on the floor, her knees drawn up to her chest, Gawaine snuggled in her lap. She was talking more to keep her brain occupied so it wouldn't focus on her current predicament than anything else. Gawaine lay curled into her, seemingly content to have her fingers wander through his fur as she mumbled to herself.
“A hair brush would be nice too,” she mused, “and a decent book. If I'm going to be confined to this tent again I would at least like to have some decent reading material.”
“Some of the stuff on my shelf ain't that bad a read, luv.”
Lexington's head shot up and she found Scabior standing just inside the door, a plate of something in his hand. He walked over to her and placed the food on the side of the bed.
“Which would be wonderful, but I seem unable to reach your bookshelf,” she bit out sarcastically.
He shrugged, “You only need to ask an' I'll get you one.”
She glared angrily up at him. He regarded her for a bit, then he shrugged again and turned to leave.
“Suit yourself.”
“Fine!” she exhaled, as scathingly as she could. “Would you please bring me a book to read?”
“Sure,” he grinned as he walked over to the shelf, randomly selected one and returned, tossing it onto the bed behind her.
“You didn't even look at the title! How do you know it's a good one?”
He crouched down in front of her so their eyes were level, “Because all the books on my shelf have something of interest in them at some point.” His eyes dropped to her lap and he spoke to Gawaine, who had flattened his ears trying to remain unseen, “You. Out.”
Gawaine flicked his tail haughtily but slide from her lap and stalked to the door.
“Why can't you let him stay?” she implored.
“Because I don' want to let him stay.”
“But that's not fair-”
“Nothin's fair, Lexi. Surely, you've realized that by now.”
Her face darkened, “Would you stop calling me that!”
His mouth twitched, “I really don' understand your dislike of bein' called that.”
“It makes my name sound weak. It's so girly and I hate it!”
He laughed, “You don't like it because it sounds like a girls name? Luv, I'm sorry to be the one to break this to you, but you are a girl.” He eyed her body appreciatively, “Very definitely a girl.”
Her eyes practically spit fire, “It's what everyone called me when I was little. When they tried to force me to wear pink, fluffy crap and attend tea parties and play with dolls. All I wanted was to be out looking for frogs or rolling down hills trying to be the first to reach the bottom. They never understood. To me that name means delicate bows and lace trimmings, and I hate it.”
Scabior couldn't stop the grin that was plastered on his face, “Alright then, Lex, how about you eat an' enjoy your book while I go make sure everythin' is gettin' set up properly.”
She glared at him as he stood and walked across the tent, chuckling the whole time. He ducked out of the tent and she exhaled a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. Leaning her head back against the bed she thought about the emotional roller coaster she'd been on ever since being found. She knew she angered quickly, but she'd never been so infuriated with one person so sporadically before. His random lapses into kindness didn't help either, they just added to her confusion. And why had she told him about hating her childhood nickname? She seemed to tell him a lot of things she didn't mean to. She really needed to start thinking before she spoke, but that had never been a strong point for her.
Kicking off her one shoe, she crawled onto the bed, picked up the plate of food and started picking at the bread and ham that was on it. She reached out and grabbed the book he'd given her, Chess: A Game of Cunning. She groaned loudly, of all the books he could have picked, why did it have to be this one? She had never enjoyed chess, simply because she was rubbish at it and could never remember how all the pieces moved. Sighing she settled down to eat, opening the book on her knees. Maybe she'd actually learn how to play chess properly by the time she finished it.
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Redemption Recalled