Elio left a little bit after nine that night. Elena tried to entertain herself by reading and organizing some parts of their room. But it had been three hours, and he was still at work. He said that he'd owl her if plans would change, so she finally received a letter around one in the morning.
"Sweetheart,
Work is gonna take much longer, I probably have to stay the night at a motel somewhere close. I hate the idea of you being all alone on Christmas. Pack a small bag and come apparate to stay here, love. You know where I am, I put the location on the back of the letter in case you forgot.
Be safe,
Elio."
She immediately rushed out of her bed, opening her closet and stuffing a bunch of clothes into her bag. Elio was right, she didn't want to be alone on Christmas, it was more than depressing. She didn't change her clothes, but left herself in her black sweatpants and green sweater.
The thought of walking through the woods by herself was an absolute nightmare. But Elio was investigating a crime scene, of course it wasn't a beautiful five star hotel that she'd have to go to. She grabbed her wand from her desk, thinking and picturing the location clearly in her mind.
Then she was apparating— and she hated it once again. Apparating made her feel dizzy and nauseous, plus the amount of times she'd ended up in the wrong place was embarrassing.
When she spinning ended, air was knocked into her body when her feet hit the ground. She opened her eyes and shivered at the sight of the dark, foggy woods. Maybe she should've thought about wearing a coat or any type of warm clothing.
"Elio..?" She said, rubbing a hand over her upper arm, looking around. He said he'd be here in the area with his colleagues, but she didn't hear or see anything. Her steps creaked in the snow, her feet numb because of the thin shoes she was wearing. Her heart had started to pound.
This didn't feel good.
Her pace fastened, almost running around to find him. The whole scene was creeping her out. She looked but didn't see anything but fog. Until she turned left, the moon lighting up her path as her eyes fell on something human.
"Elio..?" Her voice shook from both the cold and fear when she stepped closer, narrowing her eyes to make out what it was. Her whole body and soul went ice cold when she saw it— her worst nightmare.
There was a body on the floor, half covered in snow, half covered in blood. A hollow ache shot right through her heart, unable to blink, to move, to swallow, to do anything. Because this wasn't just a body— she could recognize that shiny golden ring anywhere. It was the end of everything.
Just as she was about to crouch down and let the pain take her over, an arm snaked around her waist. She gasped as she was pulled against someone's body, a cloth being pressed against her mouth. No, no, no, no, no— this couldn't be happening.
Just a nightmare, just a nightmare, just a nightmare, just a nightmare, just a nightmare, just a nightmare, just a nightmare, just a nightmare, just a nightmare, just a nightmare, just a nightmare, just a nightmare, just a nightmare, just a nightmare, just a nightmare, just a nightmare, just a nightmare, just a nightmare.
The cloth smelled odd and too strong. The person kept her back pressed against their rock hard chest, their hand with the cloth clamped over her mouth. She struggled and sobbed and begged silently but everything went black before it could work.
The cause of all this took his hand off her mouth, throwing the cloth on the ground. Draco held her limp body in his arms, turning her around so he could finally take a look at her again.
And there she was. His beautiful, darling El he'd fallen in love with was still the same, possibly even more gorgeous. A corner of his mouth lifted, looking at her face like he'd never seen her before. It was her, it was real— all of it was real.
"It's okay, my love. I'm gonna take you home.." Draco whispered, picking her up in bridal style. He held her frozen body close to him, his steps creaking in the snow as he walked away from the body, away from the person who ruined his life.
His eyes barely left her face. The walk was only five minutes before he reached his home, entering the cottage and turning very few lights on. Draco held her body with one arm, pulling his key out of his pocket with the other. He unlocked the basement door, walking down the steps.
The basement wasn't cold, damp or remotely terrifying. Draco had made it look like a regular bedroom, only a bit bigger than usual. There was also a couch, a bookshelf and a door that led to the bathroom. He had to make sure that all of it would look normal if not tolerable.
He went over to the bed in the middle of the room, placing Elena down on her back, on top of the black silk sheets. Draco knew it would take a little while for her to wake up, there was really no rush to tie her already. So he sat down on the side of the bed, taking his time to look at her.
He knew this day would come, yet it felt unreal to have her here, in his house. He'd never have to wake up another day without her by his side. It took a little bit more effort, but he had what he wanted now. He could make her happy again.
Draco brushed a few strands of her hair out of her face, stroking his fingers over her soft cheek. His hand tingled at the touch, furrowing his brows in relief. He knew that once she'd wake up, everything would be a chaos. Elena'd be screaming, crying, cursing at him and freaking out. But he had a little moment of peace for now.
Though, he did not really care what she'd do. She could throw things at his head, even. All he wanted was to have her with him. Angry or not.
He opened the top drawer of the nightstand, taking out the ropes he'd put there the night before. Draco grabbed her by her waist and slowly rolled her over onto her right side, tying her wrists together before tying them to the headboard. He didn't want to hurt her, but he had to take precautions.
Draco then tied her ankles together, also tying that to the edge of the bed. His heart jumped when he realized she could wake up any minute now. Draco wanted to hear her voice— even wanted to see her cry and beg him to let her go.
She made soft noises, her eyes fluttering a little and her fingers starting to move. He sat down in the armchair next to the bed to give her space, spreading his legs comfortably while watching her wake up. Draco wouldn't be able to take his eyes off her ever again. It was addicting to look at her.
A throbbing headache started to bring her back to consciousness. She blinked hard, furrowing her brows and trying to come back to her senses. When she opened her eyes, she wished she'd never woken up in the first place.
Elena's heart dropped into her stomach, as painful as a rock. She met eyes with Draco, her throat immediately closing up. She couldn't move— her wrists and ankles were tied up and he was just there, just sitting there and observing her. This wasn't the Draco she knew. He was worse.
He'd changed, that was one of the first things she noticed. The look in his eyes was darker, almost as if all the life had been drained from him. There was something about the energy in the room that made her believe that death was near. That death was him. She'd been so terribly wrong.
A shattered sob left her mouth, looking at her wrists and her body starting to tremble. Elio was dead. Draco killed him and she should've known. She should've known he wouldn't stop, he fucking told her that himself all those years back.
Draco's gaze softened as he continued to look at her. He got up from his chair, so she turned her face around until it was pressed into the pillow. Unable to look at him, unable to feel all of this again. She couldn't do it. Not now, not ever.
She gasped and sobbed softly, a weight being pressed into the mattress that was from him sitting down. Her body jolted in horror when she felt a hand on her back that was supposed to be reassuring. "Look at me, Elena." He whispered softly, but she didn't move a muscle.
His voice— his damned voice. It had deepened throughout the years and was probably one of the reasons that her whole body was shaking. She heard him sigh. He knew she was going to be like this, but they had to talk to each other.
Draco gently grabbed onto her jaw, making her flinch and unsuccessfully try to move away from him. He turned her head and held onto her jaw, forcing her to look at him. She couldn't look anywhere else, not anywhere but his stone cold eyes that used to be the ones she fell in love with.
He looked at her eyes that were red from crying, then at her mouth. There was so much he wanted to say, but so little that would comfort her. "Don't be scared, El. It's okay now.." He whispered, placing his hand gently on her cheek instead.
She hadn't been touched by him in three years. His touch was nostalgic yet so different— he wasn't the boy she fell in love with. The lovesick idiot had turned into a sociopathic killer. She shouldn't have been so light about it, about all the things he used to say. She should've recognized the signs.
"Why..?" Was all that came from her. That's the only one that kept repeating in her mind. Why, why, why? Why did he have to ruin all of this? "I can't give you any answers that will comfort you," Draco said, stroking the back of his hand over her cheek. "But it's okay now. You're safe with me."
Draco wiped her tears away with his thumb, watching her close her eyes. "That's right. You remember this, don't you? You and me.." He said, almost tempted to lean down and kiss her tears away. All he'd thought about these years was what it'd be like to kiss her again.
Of course she remembered. But that was the whole problem— she didn't want to remember any of it. "Elio— you.. you hurt him.." She croaked, unable to say the actual words. Saying them out loud meant that it was real, and she wasn't ready to admit that yet. "I had no other choice. He was never gonna let us be happy together." Draco said.
Happy together— was he being delusional? How on earth could he believe that they'd ever be together again? She sobbed harder, turning her head away to move away from his hand. No more touching. His hands had been stained with blood.
"I-I wanna go home.." She cried hoarsely, her chest aching to the point where she was hoping it'd cause heart failure. "You are home, love. I got this place for us after our first kiss," Draco smiled, taking her face into both of his hands, making her look at him. "I knew you'd love it— it's perfect for us.."
She looked around the room and was horrified by the absence of windows, not knowing that she was in a basement. "Please, don't be frightened of me. I would never do anything to hurt you.." Draco said, wiping more and more tears away as they kept coming. Did he expect her to calm down?
"I don't want this— I-I don't want to be with you. Let me go, please.." She whispered hoarsely, even if she could understand that this would never end. This little game of cat and mouse might just be his favorite in the world. Draco's gaze darkened at her words— she doesn't want to be with him.
"Don't say such things, you don't mean it. Of course you want to be with me. That was all you wanted.." Draco said, trying to convince himself again and again. "You fell in love with me. But he ruined it. He manipulated you and messed with your head. But we can be together now, without him.."
"I think you've got the stories mixed up.." She croaked, daring to look into his eyes after saying exactly what he didn't want to hear. Draco felt hot anger burning in his chest, breathing deeply and slowly to keep himself calm for her.
"You're with me now, whether you like it or not. You can weep and beg but I will never let you go again. Three years was three too many." Draco said in a cold voice, getting up from the bed. She curled up for as far as she could, sobbing into the pillow and wishing she never saw this side of him.
Romanticizing their past was useless now that she knew about the ugly truth that had been hidden behind his kindness.
Draco took some clothes for him to wear to bed out of the closet, starting to undress himself. She heard his clothes drop to the floor and shut her eyes even tighter, begging whatever force had control over her life to just let her sleep and never wake up again. This was going to be her life from now on.
Draco sat back down on the side of the bed when he'd changed into sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Her whole body was trembling, jolting every now and then from the aching sobs she continued to let out. She flinched when Draco stroked his hand over her hair, brushing it out of her face.
"I can untie you and show you around if you promise not to cause a scene." Draco said, causing her to take her face out of the pillow. The ropes were itchy and burning her skin, she desperately wanted him to untie her. So she nodded, not sure if she even had the energy to cause a scene.
"And even if you did cause a scene, you wouldn't be able to escape. I put protective enchantments all around the property." Draco said, starting to untie her wrists. She sniffed softly, her energy being drained more as she realized that there was no way in hell that she could escape.
He put the rope back in the drawer, grabbing her wrists and kissing the red skin softly. "I won't have to tie you up again if you promise to behave, love. It's just a precaution." He said, untying her ankles. Her mind was screaming at her to hit him in the face and at least try to get out, but she couldn't find the energy nor the heart to do it.
"C'mere.." Draco said, grabbing onto her hand, slowly helping her get up from the bed. She furrowed her brows as she noticed that he'd grown more, and that their height difference was now even larger. "Where are the windows..?" She asked quietly, her voice soft and hoarsh due to all the crying.
Draco chuckled, taking her along with him. "This is just the basement. The rest is upstairs." He said, walking towards stairs that were half the size of normal stairs, taking her up to them. Draco brought her upstairs, opening the door with the key he'd taken out of his pocket.
She looked around the room. She was standing in the living room, kitchen and dining room all at once. The cottage wasn't that small, and she had to admit that she quite liked the decor. "Pretty.." She whispered, looking around with her tear stained eyes. Draco had a deja vu.
"There's a bathroom through that door," Draco said, pointing at a dark wooden door next to the dining table. "And there's my bedroom." He said, pointing at another door that was near the coffee colored couch. "You'll be sleeping there." She said, and it wasn't a question. It had to be true.
"No, I will be downstairs with you. We can both start to sleep up here when you're ready someday." Draco said, taking her towards the door. "I want to sleep alone." She said, not sure why she wasn't already trying to break windows. Draco ignored her, opening the door that led to his bedroom.
His room was mostly just forest green and dark brown, perfectly matching the color of the trees. She tried to let go of his hand, but he tightened his grip when he felt her loosen it. "This isn't as bad as it seems, you know," Draco said, closing the door when he realized she didn't care. "I'll work on controlling my temper if you just behave."
This isn't as bad as it seems—
'You just killed my boyfriend and locked me up in your basement. But no, this isn't bad,' she thought to herself.
"Behave, as in being your prisoner and wearing handcuffs all day..?" She said, still trying to wiggle her hand out of his. "Behave as in listening to me, and not trying to escape." Draco said, narrowing his eyes and gripping her hand even tighter. "So stop that.." He gritted through his teeth.
She stopped the useless struggling, it was starting to hurt and led her nowhere. "Good girl." Draco sighed, quickly kissing the side of her head before taking her along with him. She looked to her left, out the window. Her body went ice cold with the realization that Elio was probably still out there.
Three years of her life, three years of memories, laughter and love was all just gone. All because she fell in love with the wrong person before.
"You should get some sleep, it's late." Draco said. He took her back downstairs, all while she was wondering how she could ever go to sleep when she knew that she was sleeping next to a murderer. Draco locked the basement door, then went over to a small safe and locked the key up in there.
He'd really thought this through.
"Come with me." Draco said, gesturing for her to get in bed. She avoided eye contact with him, laying down on the mattress that felt too comfortable. Draco pulled the sheets over her body, tucking her in. "It's Christmas, I know it's your favorite holiday. So I got you some presents that you can open in the morning." He said softly.
She thought about her apartment, about all the presents laying underneath the Christmas tree. They'd never be opened. She'd never find out what Elio got her— why he seemed to excited to give it her. Her heart ached at the thought.
Draco leaned down, making her hold her breath. He pressed his lips against her forehead, closing his eyes and savoring every second of that moment. "Good night, my love." He whispered, tucking a few strands of her hair behind her ear. She didn't say anything, refusing to speak in case she'd accidentally say the wrong things. Silence was always better.
He got up from her side of the bed, taking something out of their nightstand before he layed down with her. She kept her eyes open, her body frozen when Draco moved closer to her. "Turn around." He whispered gently. She sighed, digging her nails into his palms as she turned onto her other side.
Draco grabbed her wrists, placing a kiss on her knuckles before tying them together again. "Don't.." Elena said hoarsely, trying to move her hands away, but he grabbed them again. "It's just for now. This won't be necessary when I can trust you enough." He said reassuringly.
When he'd tied her wrists together, he tied them to his wrist. There was so much she wanted to say, but she couldn't find the right words. "Is it too tight?" He asked, grabbing onto her hand because they couldn't move away from each other anymore. She shook her head, horrified by the idea of sleeping so close to him all night. It wasn't like she was planning on running away from him. She knew it was impossible.
And she had nothing to go back to. No loving boyfriend that was waiting for her anymore.
Draco turned the lights in the basement off with the mutter of a charm, noticing that she was still uncomfortable with being in the dark from the look on her face. "Get some sleep, darling. You'll feel better in the morning.." Draco said, leaning in and placing one, two, three kisses on her forehead.
Just being here with her was already such a privilege to him. It still felt unreal. He had to do everything possible to keep her this time, probably even worse, possibly even better. All he knew was that he couldn't let her slip through his fingers again.