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Scarlet Woman
Part Nine
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Draco woke up with Ginny in his arms. Hardly believing that she was finally in his bed, he closed his eyes and slowly opened them again.
Yup, still there.
He felt like grinning, like shouting his happiness to the world, like dancing in the streets. He also felt like taking Ginny and putting her into a tower where nothing could ever hurt her again. He knew he'd do neither.
He gently kissed her forehead, then slid out of bed and headed towards the kitchen. Stopping by the front door, he quickly grabbed the paper. He glanced at the headline as he gave the door a soft shove.
THIRD BRUTAL MURDER IN A WEEK
An appropriately gruesome photo was splashed underneath the bold print. The crime scenes of the three murders combined in one picture. The scenes looked almost identical, the only difference in the placement of garbage in the alleyway. Grimacing at the public's love of death, Draco threw the newspaper onto the kitchen table. He quickly made a pot of tea and sat down.
Sighing, he started reading the article.
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Ginny snuggled into the soft sheets, searching for the warmth of Draco's body. When she found his side of the bed cold, she blearily opened her eyes and looked around. Sighing, she threw off the covers. She hastily threw on one of Draco's shirts and left the bedroom.
She found Draco in the kitchen, a cup of tea held forgotten in one hand, the day's news paper in the other. Smiling, she grabbed his cup and took a sip. He seemed to jump out of a trance. She grinned wider.
"Good morning." She took another sip.
"Good morning to you, too." His gaze swept her from head to foot. "You look better in that shirt that I do." He grinned at her blush.
She sat in his lap, tea carefully held so as not to spill. "What are you reading?" She glanced at the headline and stopped smiling. "Oh, god."
"I know." He paused. "Virginia, I don't want you to leave the apartment alone from now on, okay? It's not…it's just not safe."
Numb, she nodded, taking in the composite picture. She felt like the floor had dropped out from under her.
"Why?" She whispered it, setting the tea on the table and running a hand over her face.
Draco set the paper down and pulled Ginny into a loose hug. "I don't know, love. I wish I did."
Closing her eyes, she breathed in his scent, feeling oddly comforted by it. She kissed the line of his jaw and stood. "I'm going to get a quick shower and get dressed." She ran a hand through her tangled hair. "I'm a mess." A self-deprecating grin quickly flashed across her face, then disappeared.
Draco grinned and picked the paper up again. "I'll still be here."
As she walked back towards the bathroom, Ginny wondered why that simple statement meant so much to her.
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When Draco finally heard the bathroom door close, he frowned and set the paper down. Something had to be done about these murders, and it didn't seem like the police had any leads. The article said that the victims seemed unconnected, yet the crimes similarities seemed to indicate that the murderer had a personal connection to the victims. There was a number for a tip line, asking for anyone with a suspicion to call the London police force and pass on the information.
Sipping at his cold tea, Draco couldn't help but shudder at the brutality of the killings. He'd seen some bad stuff during the War and as a Death Eater, but the amount of blood in each of the photos seemed to show that the mutilations on the bodies were deep, and done while the victim was still alive.
Turning his mind away from the disturbing article, Draco sat back and closed his eyes. Ginny's face played against his lids. He thought of what was happening between them. He already acknowledged his feelings for her, futile as they were, but he didn't know what to do with them. He felt like a weight was pressing on his heart, bearing down on him every minute he didn't say something. It was unnerving, this need and lust and love he felt for Virginia Weasley. It was indescribable and so new to him that Draco wasn't sure if he was sane or not.
I have to tell her, he thought. It terrified him, but he had to let her know. Now or never, Malfoy. Now or never.
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Feeling lighter than she'd felt in years, Ginny walked back into the kitchen to find Draco standing over the stove, a plate with eggs and bacon sitting at the kitchen table, and another on the counter next to the stove. Ginny looked, dumbfounded, at the food.
"You made me breakfast?" When Draco angled his head to look at her, a grin plastered across his face, she didn't know what to say.
"I hope you like your eggs sunny side up."
She sat down at the table, a noncommittal murmur her answer. She cautiously ate a bite, then dug in.
"This is delicious, Draco. When did you learn how to cook?" She nibbled at the bacon.
"Oh, somewhere between graduating and now. It seemed like a good skill to learn." He slid cooked eggs onto his plate, turned off the stove, and joined her at the table. "Did you sleep well?"
She nodded and swallowed. "You've got a very comfortable bed. Much better than the couch." She felt Draco's heated glance and grinned.
They spent the rest of breakfast just talking. Small talk turned to discussion of politics and current events, which turned into a small argument over a new law. Then sports, movies, music. It seemed to Ginny like they only talked for a short time, but it turned into an hour, then two, then three. Their empty plates were forgotten on the table, the tea long since finished. It was peaceful, and homey, and right.
When the phone rang, they both jumped. Ginny placed a hand over her heart. Draco grinned at her and answered.
"Mhm. Yes, I understand. No, that shouldn't be a problem. Is there anything else you need me to bring? No? Okay, I'll be over later tonight. Yes, seven-thirty is fine. I'll see you then. Bye." He hung up and ran a hand through his hair quickly.
"What is it?" Ginny stood, slightly confused by Draco's sudden change in mood.
"Oh, it's nothing. I just have to bring over a painting to a buyer's apartment. It's only a few blocks away, so it shouldn't take too long."
Ginny quickly cleared the table, and then placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "Would you mind if I came with you? I've been kind of interested in your work."
Draco seemed to light up. "Really? I didn't think you'd find it all that interesting. Let me get dressed, and I'll take you to my gallery."
"You have a gallery?"
He just grinned.
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Ginny had never been a big fan of art, but there was something about Draco's work that seemed to call to her. The field of flowers, painted in line green, pure white and bright yellow. The storm, a riotous field of blues and purples, with splashes of red lightening. They all seemed to show something of Draco, his joys and his pain. There were a few realistic portraits. One was clearly of his mother, her white-blond hair held up in a tight knot, a string of black pearls contrasting with her fairness. She seemed so aloof, so distant, yet the painting made you want to please this woman, to make her seem more real.
The other portrait was of a young woman. She was dancing in a field of blood-red roses, her red hair flying around her, the white dress she was wearing skipping against her legs. She was holding a rose in her hand, the other idly plucking a petal. Her lightly freckled face was flush, her grin teasing.
Ginny couldn't look away. When Draco's hand touched lightly on the small of her back, she started.
"It's… it's beautiful." She smiled up at him. "Who is she?"
"It's you." He had a wry smile on his face when he looked down at her. "It was my first painting."
She felt pole-axed. She looked again at the painting, looked closer. "Why me?" she asked, hardly daring to breathe.
He smiled again, and leaned down to kiss her softly. "Virginia, it…"
A chirping interrupted whatever Draco was about to say, breaking the mood. He scowled, and reached into his pocket. Flipping open his cell phone, he walked away angrily.
Ginny felt deflated, like she'd been cheated out of something vastly important. She looked again at the title of the painting, and felt the bottom of her stomach drop out.
My Inspiration
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He can barely believe it. Today is his chance. There is one more he has to deal with, one he saw last night and knew he had to take care of. And then, then he'll be free to finally catch his Angel. He knows it's soon, that he's been going fast, but in his clouded mind, he barely recognizes the danger. After all, he's been killing for years. They'd never noticed before.
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Seven came quickly. After dinner, Draco grabbed two paintings from his small studio, and passed the smaller one to Ginny.
"This one is for you. You can open it now or later, but I want you to have it." He smiled, then tucked the other painting underneath his arm. "You still want to come with me?"
"Of course." She smiled. "Let's get going."
They left the apartment in companionable silence. About halfway through the trip, Ginny twined her fingers through Draco's, smiling at the slight confusion reflected in his eyes. He squeezed her hand gently, letting their hands swing between them. Warmth spread up Ginny's arm from his hand, moving into her heart and finally shedding the last of her dark memories in the bright hope of love.
I never thought I'd feel this way, she reflected, though I guess I've always felt like this. How odd. She smiled at herself. I'm in love.
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Draco's buyer, John Dedick, was a warm, jovial man. Normally his personality grated on Draco, but his day with Ginny had been nothing less than perfect, and he actually enjoyed talking with the man. John was happy with the piece, one he'd commissioned a month or two ago, and wished Draco luck, winking at Ginny, who was looking at other pieces of art in John's studio apartment.
When they left, Draco felt like nothing in the world could go wrong. He was with the woman he loved, he'd had a great day, and the weather was unseasonably warm. His hand was clasped in Ginny's, and he was smiling. He slowed, waited for Ginny to look at him, confusion written all over her beautiful face, and kissed her underneath a street light.
When they parted, a dreamy smile stole over her face, lighting up the night.
"Draco, I…"
A scream came out of a nearby alley, then was silenced. Shocked widened Ginny's eyes and a sick sense of dread stole through Draco's soul, chilling his blood.
"Oh my god." Ginny whispered. Before he realized what was happening, she let go of his hand, turned towards the alley where the scream had come, and took off.
"Shit!" Draco, fear a tight fist in his throat, ran.
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Author's note: This was a very "quickly" written chapter. I quite enjoyed the fluffiness of it all. Happy D/G stuffs. And there's only one more chapter left. Time to meet the murderer. *evil laugh*
Thanks again to my wonderful, god-like beta, Sarah. You're a gem. :)
Readers, I love you all. Plates of fudge and the like.
Fanfiction.net
sw33t intoxication, Odette, numbluver, Michellebelle, Defective Ice Cream, skygazing, Felton118, underthetuscansun, Dark Angell908, shinywriterindarkness, and bigreader
Portkey.org
DeeCohen, ChelsE.E, Alicia, tomlover, down2earthangl85, Anonymous, MrsDanielRadcliffe, Anonymous, harry n hermione, DracoObsessed17, Anonymous, Zaiamara, Anonymous, Anonymous, tomlover, AngelEyez, blue_flame878, MrsChadmMurray11, Alorkin (I explained a lot of what you're asking about in previous chapters, so a quick re-read might not be a bad idea. She hooked up with a pimp because I didn't know prostitution was legal in Britain when I started writing this, and I went off of American law. As for the back story, it may or may not be explained in greater detail, but there are sections in previous chapters that explain some.), Vickie, monagy3, Anonymous, and polimitist
I've got lots stuff to go do, but expect another update soon, I promise. There's not much left. :)
paranoid
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