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Redemption Recalled	By : MoonlightVision Category: HP Canon Characters paired with Original Characters > Het - Male/Female Views: 9162 -:- 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
- 18
- 19
- 20
Chapter 17: Truce and Requests
The few hours of sleep Scabior managed to get had not been restful. He'd woken several times, once shortly after drifting off when something woke him abruptly. It had taken him a few seconds to realize the noise he was hearing was Lexington dragging the arm chair across the floor.
He finally gave up on trying to sleep when he heard the birds start calling outside. The tent was still dark, but he knew dawn was only a few minutes away.
Scabior sat up and looked at the corner of the room where Lexington had dragged the chair. She'd moved it right next to the book shelf, as far from the bed as she could get it, and she was there with her feet curled up under her and her head resting against the chair back, arms wrapped around herself. He watched her for a few minutes, taking in her even breathing. At least she seemed to be sleeping alright. Though every few seconds small shivers shook her body. Scabior groaned, putting his head in his hands, hating himself. Hating the fact that she'd rather sleep uncomfortable and cold than use the bed while he was in it.
He stood, grabbing one of the blankets from the bed as he did, and headed towards her. He gently placed the blanket around her. Even in her sleep she flinched away from the contact. Scabior turned and went into the bathroom. He needed to take a long shower to clear his brain.
Scabior was already gone when Lexington finally did wake up. The first thing she noticed was the blanket and she had to swallow the lump in her throat to keep herself from crying again. She hated him, hated that he was being kind again. She didn't know how much more of this she could take. He'd gotten under her skin, she knew that now, that's why what he'd done hurt so much. She'd started to trust him and it felt like he'd betrayed her.
She'd sat up for a long time last night thinking. So many things had run through her brain. Like the fact that he'd said he found the scarf tied to a tree. Hermione never would have left that scarf behind. Unless something had happened to her, or to Ron. Ron had given Hermione that scarf one Christmas and she'd cherished it ever since. Hermione had never told Ron how much she loved it, but Lexington knew. That fact had sent Lexington's brain in circles, fighting all the what if's that popped into her mind. What if something had happened? What if another snatcher had caught them? What if something had happened to Ron?
Pushing the panic away Lexington knew the only way she would find out for sure was to escape. And to do that she needed to rest in order to have the energy to learn enough wandless magic to make that possible.
She hadn't wanted to be anywhere near him though, so she had dragged the arm chair as far from the bed as she could and curled up there with Gawaine. She knew she had woken him when she moved the chair, but she hadn't cared.
Now that she was awake though, she was surprised she had slept as well as she did. She hadn't even heard Scabior get up and leave, let alone noticed when he put the blanket around her. She unfolded herself and Gawaine jumped down from her lap where he'd been curled into a tiny ball. Standing she walked to the bed and threw the blanket on to it. Even though it had kept her warm, she couldn't be glad that he'd done it. She was still too bitter.
Gawaine meowed, drawing her attention to the table. Her stomach tightened painfully. He'd left her food. He'd even left a steaming mug of something. Walking over she could smell it. Hot cocoa. She bit her lip and breathed hard. It smelled delicious and she hated it! Grabbing the mug she turned and in one smooth motion threw it out the door. She would eat the food because it would give her the energy she needed, but she was not going to accept gifts from him. Gifts that were obviously his way of trying to make up for what he'd done.
She laughed bitterly. “You're going to have to do a whole lot better than that,” she said to the empty room.
After eating she settled down to practise with a renewed sense of focus and determination. By the end of the day she had managed to make the paper float a few millimetres off the table a couple times for about five seconds. She smiled with satisfaction as she put everything back in its place. Anger was clearly a good motivator.
Not wanting to face Scabior when he got home, she hastily ate something and curled up in her chair to sleep. She woke when she heard him come in, but pretended she hadn't. She fought her nerves and just managed to keep her breathing even when she heard him stop beside the chair. Once again a blanket was tucked around her gently and she almost gave up the ruse to pull away when she felt him place a soft kiss on the top of her head. She held it together until she heard him enter the bathroom. Inhaling sharply, she swallowed the sob that threatened to escape. Why? Why was he being nice? She hated him, she wanted to hate him forever. Why was he making that so hard to do?
-----**-----
It'd been four days since Scabior had untied her and she still hadn't said a word to him. He was beginning to lose hope that she would ever speak to him again. She also still refused to use his bed. Even though she was asleep every night when he got back, she was always curled up in the chair and never with a blanket. He could have transfigured something into another bed for her but he stubbornly hoped that if he didn't, if he wasn't that accommodating, eventually she'd get tired of sleeping in the chair and he'd find her in his bed again when he returned. So, every night he wrapped her in the same blanket and kissed her head gently.
He had no idea why he kissed her every night, other than needing to still be able to touch her somehow. She was still as beautiful as she had always been, more so now that his hope of having her had been squashed so completely. He still wanted her, still needed to feel her, but he couldn't. So he snuck those few seconds when he covered her every night to satisfy the burning desire that still resided inside him.
Tonight, however, when he entered the tent she was awake, sitting in her chair. It appeared she had been waiting for him because as soon as he came in she stood. He stood still, waiting, hoping she was finally going to break her silence.
Lexington didn't want to talk to him. She hadn't wanted to wait up for him either, but she'd needed to. She'd decided she could break her promise to herself long enough to get what she needed, then go back to ignoring him.
She crossed her arms protectively in front of her as she spoke, “I need to talk to Thom.”
That caused Scabior's brows to arch. That was the first thing she was going to say to him? That she needed to talk to someone else? He took a step towards her, ready to question her about her long silence, but she hastily stepped around the chair, putting it between them. He stopped.
“Why?” he asked simply.
He watched her swallow nervously, “I just do.”
Scabior shook his head, “I'm gonna need more than that, luv.”
Lexington huffed angrily, closing her eyes for a second, “Can't you just do something for once without needing to know everything!”
He studied her quietly. She was talking to him again, maybe he should just do what she'd asked. He was however, still trying to figure out how to get her to stop hating him. He'd tried leaving her extra things to eat or drink but he'd found those outside the tent every time and making sure she wasn't cold at night didn't seem to be getting him anywhere either.
Coming to a conclusion he spoke softly, “I will on one condition.”
Lexington grit her teeth. He was impossible. “What?”
“You give up this notion you 'ave of never talkin' to me again. You're stuck here, whether you like it or not, an' it'd go easier for both of us if you started talkin' again.”
She stared at him incredulously. This was what he wanted from her? She scoffed, “Fine, when I have something to say to you I will. But I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you... Actually, please do.”
Scabior snorted softly, shaking his head. It wasn't much of a promise, but he'd take it. It was better than nothing and he was even glad she'd thrown in that taunt. In a weird way, it gave him some small hope that not everything was lost between them.
“Don't count on it, luv,” he replied, turning back to the door, “I'm rather fond of breathin'.”
Scabior found Thom by the fire with Blaine, working on dinner. He motioned Thom over.
“Hey, Boss. How's Lex doin'?”
Scabior narrowed his eyes. Thom had been asking about Lexington a lot recently and he could tell the other man was worried about her. It annoyed him slightly that the two of them seemed so close. Thom had offered to talk to Lexington while she wasn't talking to Scabior, but he hadn't wanted to let anyone near her, not even Thom.
“She's askin' for you.”
Thom looked surprised, “She is? Why?”
Scabior shrugged, “No idea, she wouldn't tell me.”
Thom hesitated, “An' yer gonna let me go see 'er?”
Scabior nodded slowly, “Yeah, I don't 'ave much choice. It's the first thing she's said to me in days.”
Thom watched Scabior's face closely, “Ya know she's jus' angry with ya. She'll come around. She's a sweet girl, an' she can' hate ya ferever.”
Scabior shook his head, “I'm pretty sure she's gonna try. Go see what she wants, I'll help Blaine with supper.”
Thom walked to the tent, went in and came face to face with Lexington. “Ya wanted ta see me, hun?”
Lexington was so relieved to see someone who wasn't Scabior that she immediately burst into tears.
Shock crossed Thom's face, “Lex, hun, are ya a'right?”
Shaking her head Lexington threw her arms around Thom's neck, not caring what he would think of her. But his arms swiftly encircled her and he held her tightly while she quietly sobbed into his shoulder for a few minutes.
Finally, composing herself she pulled out of his embrace, “I'm sorry, Thom. I didn't mean to do that. I don't normally cry in front of anyone. Though I feel like I've been doing nothing but that since I got here.”
“It's a'right. From wha' I hear ya've been through a bit o' a rough spot. Clearly ya needed it.”
“I did, thanks,” she sniffed.
“I'm no' sure how much time Scabior's gonna give us, so ya better spit ou' wha' it is ya wanted,” he said gently.
Colour immediately rose to her cheeks. This wasn't something she wanted to ask anyone. But after stewing about it for half the day she'd decided she needed to.
“I, um.... I got my... my period this afternoon,” she started, staring at her toes, mortified, “and I uh, I don't...”
“An' ya don' 'ave anythin' here ta deal with it,” Thom supplied matter of factly.
Lexington's eyes rose. Thom didn't appear embarrassed at all, which immediately calmed her nerves. Nodding, she gave him a small smile, “I was wondering if there was any way you could get some things for me?”
“O' course, hun. I'll pop ou' right now an' grab somethin'.”
Lexington opened her mouth to say something, then shut it, deciding against it.
“I had three sister's growin' up, in case ya were wonderin' how I'll know wha' ya need,” he added chuckling.
Lexington smiled. That was what she had been wondering. “Thanks, Thom.”
Thom left the tent and immediately ran into Scabior, who was hovering outside the door.
“Well, what'd she want?” he asked.
Thom chuckled before answering softly, “She wanted some supplies.”
“Supplies?” Scabior repeated, getting suspicious. If Thom was helping Lexington plan something, they'd both be sorry.
“Relax, Scabior, it's jus' tha' time o' the month an' she needs some stuff.”
Confusion clouded Scabior's mind, “That time of the month? Thom, what... Oh!”
Thom grinned as Scabior's eyes grew wide and colour crept up his cheeks. He hadn't even thought about the fact that she would need that type of thing. He'd been so focused on her being a girl, a girl with a delicious body, that he'd completely forgotten that she was a girl and forgotten what they dealt with every month.
Scabior cleared his throat, “Fine, okay. Get her whatever she needs. I'm gonna go take over watch from Ty.”
Thom laughed as Scabior walked away. Having grown up with sisters, this sort of thing was completely normal to him and the panicked embarrassment Scabior was displaying, having grown up an only child, was greatly amusing.
Lexington was waiting anxiously for Thom. She hoped he'd get back before Scabior came back and started demanding explanations. This was not the kind of thing she wanted to discuss with anyone, let alone him.
The flap was pulled open and Thom entered, bag in hand.
“Oh, thank you!” she cried, rushing to him.
He handed her the bag, “No problem, hun. If ya ever need more jus' let me know. I suppose ya have some laundry ya'd want done then?”
Lexington coloured, “I do, but I don't want to ask you to deal with that...”
“Don' think on it, hun. Yer not askin', I'm offerin'. It used ta sneak up on my sisters sometimes an' they didn' 'ave to wait half a day for someone ta get home ta get stuff.”
Lexington let out a huge sigh of relief, “Thank you, Thom. You can't imagine how helpful you've been. Just give me a minute and I'll bring you what I have.”
She hurried to the bathroom to change and emerged with a small bundle of clothes in the bag that Thom had brought her. She knew he was going to see everything when he washed them, but it still would have felt weird to just hand him her soiled clothes.
“Thanks again, Thom,” she said handing over the bag.
“Really, Lex, it's no' a problem.” He paused for a moment, regarding her, “Now, 'ave ya decided ta talk ta Scabior again? He's a might put ou' tha' ya've been ignorin' him.”
Lexington frowned, she didn't want to talk about Scabior, but Thom had been so helpful that she felt she had to oblige him. “He didn't leave me much of a choice. He basically demanded that I talk to him again in return for him getting you.”
Thom shook his head, “Sounds like somethin' he would do. But ya know its only 'cause he regrets wha' he did...”
“He can regret it all he wants, and he should, but I am not ready to forgive him.”
“I know, hun, but keep in mind why he lost his temper.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but Thom held up a hand.
“I'm no' makin' excuses for him. Jus' tryin' ta give ya a little perspective. He trusted ya, trusted ya not ta break yer word abou' testin' the wards, so he was already pissed when he left us tha' day. I don' know wha' happened here but ya made him lose control. He hasn' done tha' in years. He hasn' cared enough about somethin' ta be that hurt by it.”
Lexington tried to make sense of what she was hearing. Why did all this even matter? It didn't change how she felt about him right now. “What he did was still wrong.”
“Aye, it was, hun. An' I'm no' sayin' ya shouldn' make him suffer for it. Jus' try no' ta hate him ferever. It'll leave ya both bitter an' hurtin'. He's tryin' ta make amends, mayhaps ya should too.”
Lexington wrapped her arms around herself. “I don't know if I can do that,” she said softly.
“Mayhaps if ya try... ya might find ya can. Mayhaps if ya can get why he loses control outta him, ya'll understand better. He won' even talk ta me abou' it. I've no idea wha' used ta happen, why he lost control, only tha' he lost track o' time an' couldn' control his actions. If he's gonna tell anyone though, it'll be ya, especially now, since he's tryin' ta make it up ta ya.”
Her chin wobbled and she swallowed, shaking her head. She didn't want there to be a reason for his actions. If she found a reason, she'd start making excuses for him, she might start forgiving him, and that is the last thing she wanted. Wasn't it?
“Jus' give it some thought, eh?”
Lexington met Thom's eyes, searching them. He certainly was loyal to Scabior and she didn't think Thom would be such good friends with someone who was all bad. And Scabior hadn't been all bad, not before that incident and he'd certainly been working on being nice since then. Which only confused her more. How could someone be so different one situation to the next? It just didn't make sense to her that someone who covered her up every night and left her hot cocoa could be the same person that had lied to her about her friends, scared her and hurt her. She couldn't think of a reason someone would be like that, so unpredictable.
“Ya'll think on it, won't ya, Lex?” Thom pressed.
Slowly she nodded, “I can't promise anything, but I'll think about everything you've said.”
“Good enough, hun, good enough. Now, if'in ya'll excuse me, I gotta go get on with dinner.”
She nodded, “Okay, night Thom.”
“Night, Lex,” he replied as he left the tent.
Lexington turned, her eyes catching on the bed as she did. The blanket she put back there every morning was sitting on top of the covers. The nights had been getting progressively colder and she'd been glad of it the last few mornings. She wished she could curl up in the bed under all the covers, but she knew if she did, Scabior would join her when he got in and she did not want that to happen.
But maybe Thom was right, maybe she shouldn't hate him forever. Especially if they were stuck sharing the same tent for who knew how long. She had definitely been in a bad mood since the incident and pouring as much energy into hating him as she was was leaving her more drained than normal. It was also slowing her progress on her wandless practise. Maybe she should find out why he lost it. She thought it'd just been because he was angry and she'd slapped him, but Thom made it sound like he suspected there was another reason. A darker reason. Did she even want to know? Did she want to be able to forgive him?
Lexington sighed, she needed to escape, that would solve all her problems. The means to do that however, was proving harder to learn than she'd thought. When she'd found the book she'd thought she would be out in a few days. But it'd been several days now and her progress was still slow. Her parchment was now floating nine times out of ten for about ten seconds, but she could still only get it to hover an inch or so off the desk. She couldn't come up with any way in which that would be helpful, no matter how hard she tried.
She was still standing beside the bed. Making a decision she picked up the blanket and dropped it on the arm chair on her way to the bathroom. After getting ready for bed she curled up in her chair and pulled the blanket around herself. She was asleep within minutes.
Scabior was tired after taking Ty's watch and he was ready to get some sleep. Taking off his boot as he came into the tent he looked towards the chair that he now thought of as 'her' chair. Sure enough, she was there. But tonight she was already curled up underneath the blanket he usually wrapped around her. He took that as a sign that maybe she was starting to warm up to him again and a small smile graced his lips.
Lexington had woken when he came in, but as usual she didn't move, not wanting him to know she was awake. She'd grabbed the blanket for several reasons. She was already cold and she was tired of going to sleep cold. She had also decided it was a good first step in seeing if she could try to forgive him and she'd thought that maybe, if he didn't have to cover her up, he wouldn't feel the need to kiss her tonight and she could skip having her stomach clench painfully at the emotions that small gesture stirred.
He stopped beside the chair, though, just like every other night and she focused on her breathing. She heard him sigh and felt his fingers brush some hair off her forehead before they trailed gently down her cheek. Her heart beat erratically and she hoped it wasn't loud enough for him to hear. His hand lingered there for a moment, feather light against her skin, as he leaned down to kiss her hair. Then he was gone and she heard the bathroom door close softly.
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Redemption Recalled