Victoria swallowed slowly, feeling her nails bite into the flesh of her palms. Breathe. She slowly opened her eyes and wanted to cry in an instant.

It was beautiful. The valley that had been her home for three years was amazing. Most of the year it was green and lush, but now it was beautifully white and pure. The usual scorch marks that she was used to from the dragons were nowhere to be seen. But she could still smell the burning from the last time she was here.

And the images were back, tainting her happiness. The flames that engulfed her vision weren't the magical flames of dragons, but the devouring ones from that night. And she could smell the burning fabric and flesh. All the memories urged her to give up this stupid idea and apparate back home.

Instead, she took another breath and started walking. Beneath the snow she could see a small outcropping a little ways up the side of a mountain that she had used as her own perch for her tent.

Bronn wasn't sure why he did this to himself all the time. It was horrible, it was torture against himself. The pain that gripped his chest was worse than the torture curse. Heck, he would've preferred the torture curse a million times over.

But then, he almost wouldn't, because he had a moment to just lose himself, be the person he used to be and remember the girl he had loved and lost. Forever. Their love was so forbidden that it could never even be tried, for he would never allow Victoria to be hurt because of him. He doubted she even cared for him anymore.

The look on her face, in her eyes, the betrayal as he destroyed everything she loved had broken his heart. He didn't want her to care for him, he wanted her to hate him, and yet he so desperately desired the opportunity to tell her why he had done it. But he could never tell her, because she was better off thinking him evil.

And then, he gasped in horror as the woman he had just been thinking of appeared in his line of vision. She was very close to him, though her back was to him as he leant against the tree. He hadn't even seen her before, and now he desperately looked for a way to escape from her.

Victoria walked gently in the snow, not wanting to disturb it more than she needed to. She loved the crunch under her boots. It made her think of Alec and their little picnic the other day. She shook her head. Thoughts of him and this place didn't really mesh together. It felt like this place was part of another life, another her. A life where she wasn't afraid of love and what it could do. When she trusted unconditionally, not holding back anything.

She sighed. She couldn't go back to that world, as much as a part of her wanted to. It had been so easy. The men at camp had treated her like family. They'd embraced her, taunted her, pranked her, loved her. She hadn't felt so at home since she'd been with Tess. And now, since she had returned, they'd seemed to be closer and more distant all at once. Victoria didn't know how to bridge the gap between them, with her dating Alec. It wasn't like she could just tell her about it, it would probably make her sick.

She moved through a small gathering of trees, touching the branches as she moved. It felt like they were responding to her, but she stopped when she heard something new. Turning slowly, just in case it was an animal, she felt her heart stop. I've lost my damn mind. It couldn't be him. He couldn't be here. She didn't move, didn't speak. A small voice in her head yelled at her to pull her wand, or run, or both. But she couldn't even bring herself to that. The pain of seeing him made the world spin.

Bronn's heart ached painfully as he thought of the pain he'd suffered throughout those several weeks before he had to attack the camp, the place that she loved so much. He'd hurt her, attacked the one place that she'd been completely at home. All of them together, they'd been family, they'd pranked each other, teased each other, fought with one another, but they'd always pulled through.

And then, because of his fucking parents - damn them to the deepest darkest depths of hell - he had to rip that away from her. That beautiful woman with so much love for everyone and everything, he'd ruined her life. And to this day, he still loved her so much and it was the only reason he didn't turn into a soulless monster like the rest of them. She was the only thing that kept him normal, kept him sane.

There she was, in front of him, and though he'd moved as if to walk away the moment she turned and stared at him, shock clear on her features, he hadn't been able to move another step. He could only stare at her, drinking in the sight of her. She was still as beautiful as she had been back then. He wanted to desperately to hold her in his arms, but he couldn't move. Couldn't think straight. Victoria, it's Victoria, what is she doing here? Why NOW?

Victoria didn't know what shocked her more. The fact that he was here, not attacking her, or the fact that she wasn't attacking him. Before she came here, she was certain of her hatred. So sure that she'd hex him to hell and back if she ever saw him again. But as she looked at him he seemed to blur from the tears in her eyes.

They'd been happy. At least she had thought so. She'd once thought that they would be together forever. That, once their lives died down, they'd move back to London, start a family. Maybe their children would be friends with Tess's, if she ever got around to having them. But then he'd turned distant. Cold. Which only fed her thought that she had done something wrong. That she was the reason for the attack.

Her mind pulled itself out of the abyss. A single tear ran down her cheek. For everything they had. For everything that she couldn't understand. For her confusion, and pain, an heartache. For him. "Bronn?"

Bronn didn't know what to do, his head was beginning to ache from so much thinking. The world swam and became blurry, and it took him ages to realise he was crying. Tears streamed like an endless river down his cheeks, but he couldn't bring himself to wipe them away. But she would realise he didn't mean it through that one gesture the the was crying?

Before he'd come here, he'd told himself if he saw her he'd do something evil, like smirk and apparate away. Never hurt her of course, that was the whole reason he'd given her up so he could protect her, but he didn't want her to know that he did it because he HAD to. She was safer thinking he didn't really love her.

But his name, spoken in that beautiful, soft voice that haunted his dreams broke him, and immediately he walked towards her, hands up in a surrender gesture. He stopped in front of her, not giving her the opportunity to punch or slap him as he engulfed her in a hug, breathing in that forest, woodsy scent that was so entirely hers.

Victoria blinked a few times, sure that she was just imagining his tears. But as he walked closer, she could see them clearly. It seemed like forever since she'd seen someone show real emotion. She loved Tess, but she wasn't the most emotional person. And Alec...

She wanted to be sick. In one moment she'd forgotten him. The man that was trying to hard to be with her. So hard to show her how he felt. And in one moment it was gone. She looked into Bronn's eyes when he stopped. In all of her dreams, or nightmares, she had never expected this. She'd had night terrors because of him, about him. But seeing him standing in front of her, as much of a wreck as her, it was like it never happened.

When he hugged her she wanted to pull away and never let go at the same time. Her body betrayed her. She snaked her arms around him, hands wrapping up to his shoulders. "I...what..." She cleared her throat and tried again. "Why?"

Once Bronn had mustered up the courage to walk towards Victoria, he'd also enabled the ability to move. He lifted his hand and paused a moment, wiping at his cheeks to get rid of the tears. He wasn't embarrassed or anything.

Victoria looked utterly surprised to see him, and the surprise was still there as he neared her. He'd thought she'd be angry, he thought she'd have her wand against his neck, he thought she'd at least punch him or slap him or push him away from her. She didn't even look remotely angry, just surprised. He didn't blame her at all for being surprised though, he was shocked too. Shocked that she'd come back here after what he did.

For a moment, there was no response from Victoria. He waited for her to push him away, but then her arms wrapped around him and he held her tighter. He would treasure this moment for this rest of his life, even though it would torture him so knowing that the last time he held her would be now. "I'm sorry, Victoria." He whispered into her ear.

Sorry? Sorry...was for when you accidentally wash the whites with the reds and they bleed all over. Sorry was for when you forgot to bring the one thing you were in charge of to an important event. Sorry! was for when you forgot an anniversary or birthday. Victoria felt like there was a hot ball of fire in the pit of her stomach, that was growing and twisting and making its way upward. It was stifling and she pulled back from Bronn. 

Sorry was not for destroying everything someone cared about! "That's all you can say? Sorry." she wanted to pull away. To run away and never look back. To hold onto her anger and where it as a shield. 

But she wouldn't. And it wasn't for Bronn, or herself. It was for Tess, and Alec. The people who payed the most for what he'd done, for what she'd turned into. She stood her ground and looked him in the eyes, even though it broke her heart to do so. 

"Why." It was more of a statement. It was a demand. Now that she had him here, she wanted to know, even of it would break her. 

Bronn felt a shift in the air and sensed the magical aura around her turning angry. Her body tensed in his arms and he clutched her tighter, feeling tears well up in her eyes. She would snap any moment now, push him away roughly and scream that she never wanted to see his bastard face again. His legs began to shake and he breathed in her scent again, lodging her into his memory forever.

And then, she pulled back from him and he let her, his arms dropping away as his head dropped. But Bronn was not the calm person he used to be. He was bitter from all these years spent suffering because of his parents. Though he didn't wish to take it out on the woman he loved, he had no control know that she'd frustrated him.

"I can't say anything else, Victoria!" He snapped. He saw the anger in her eyes and bit back several curse words. "What do you WANT me to do? I can't change the past! Even if I could go back and change it, I wouldn't be able to! You'll never understand," he growled, more to himself then to her.

"Why?" He laughed dryly, finding no humour in the situation. "You say that like I had a choice in the matter." His voice was flat. This wasn't what he'd wanted. She was meant to think he'd done it of his own free will, why was he telling her otherwise? He ran a hand through his hair and groaned.

Victoria stayed silent, listening to Bronn. It felt like the anger was building in her, making her skin vibrate. The tears burned in her eyes. Of course she didn't expect him to be able to change the past, she wasn't an idiot.

"I don't know." She hissed, quietly. "Maybe I'd like to know why the man I loved betrayed me. What I did that was so terrible to turn you to that. Maybe...maybe I want to know why I have to live with nightmares of you now. You say I can't understand, well help me."

Her anger subsided just the tiniest bit. Could it be possible? How could he not have had a choice? She'd known him most of her life, and it was only within the last few weeks before the raid that he changed. It could be plausible that something had happened. But she didn't know what hurt worse, the actual raid, or that he couldn't come to her with whatever it was that turned him to that.

"Didn't you?" She found it hard to believe that he had no other alternative to destroying everything they'd built. Together.

Bronn had never seen her so angry, and he felt a pang of agony in his chest that HE was the reason she was so upset. He wanted to reach out to her, cup her face like he used to and stroke his thumbs over her cheeks. He shut his eyes and pushed the images out of his head.

She had nightmares about him? He felt the hurt show across his face and he immediately took a step back, away from her. He... he scared her... He didn't know how to deal with that information... He tried to get words out, but only managed to choke on them. He cleared his throat and tried again, but no sound came out.

"It was never you, Victoria, never. You were not the reason this happened. Never. Never." He repeated the word for emphasis, and slightly because his brain was faltering. How could she think that something she, his perfect angel, had turned him into a monster?

He shut his eyes and rubbed at his temples. "I didn't, Victoria, unless I wanted to loose something that meant more to me than this place, than anything else."

Victoria clenched her fists at her side. She saw the hurt within her mirrored on his face, which hurt even more. A part of her wanted so much for it all to have been a dream. To wake up in the camp, together. To go off to their secret places in the mountains, to laugh like they used to. To love like they used to. To be so emotionally free and open, something she missed dearly.

How could it not have been her fault! She couldn't process that idea. Her brow furrowed. She wasn't stupid enough to think the world revolved around her, but for Bronn, the only man she'd ever loved, to have done something like this, obviously working against her, she knew in her bones that it had something to do with her.

Her anger surged through her again. Anger and pain. There was something that meant more to him that this place. More than her. It felt like every inch of her body was aching at the thought that she'd loved too readily, so entirely, only to be cast aside for something else. And something that she wasn't even aware of. "At least I know where I stand with you, then." She lifted her chin, willing the tears clouding her vision not to fall.

"Well, I hope you're happy. You and whatever you didn't lose." She looked at him for a long moment, trying to memorize him. A part of her still loved the man he used to be after all, she couldn't deny it. But that man was gone. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, wanting to apparate away from this pain, but hesitating. She wasn't sure if she'd ever see him again, and that hurt more than anything.

Bronn bit back a sigh and watched as she balled her hands into fists at her side. He hated that he made her so angry, he hated himself for doing this to her, but what choice did he have? He never wanted any of this, he'd never asked for it, but rather had it thrust upon him. His body burned for those days that he'd been able to hold Victoria in his arms, press his lips against hers and dream of their future.

He'd always thought they'd be together, but it seemed fate had other plans. And yet, now they'd found each other once more and he couldn't help but wonder if she would ever take him back? Could he go back to her, protect her from the Dark Ones? Maybe. He had dirt on them that he could use against them. For a moment, he felt a flicker of hope.

He saw the anger flare up in her eyes again, accompanied with an expression of hurt, before she schooled her features into a look of hatred. He was shocked at how skilled she'd become with controlling the emotions on her face. But he saw the shine in her eyes that gave away she was near tears. His heart ached painfully. "No, Victoria that's not what I meant-" He ran his hands through his hair.

"I'm not happy, Victoria, I haven't been for a long time now. And I did loose her, in a way. I mean, I would rather've lost her this way then the way I would've lost her. At least now, I know she's safe and well, rather than having been murdered because of me." He then stepped forwards and took her face in his hands. "She's you, Victoria. You mean more to me than anything else in the world." He spoke softly, his voice barely more than a whisper as he touched his lips to hers.

Victoria felt like she'd been stabbed straight through the heart when Bronn mentioned 'her'. He said it was never about her, but how could it not be when there was another girl involved? If he'd left her, betrayed them all, for another girl, wasn't it her fault in some way? She resisted the urge to flee, letting her mind catch up with what he'd said.

She would have died? That didn't make sense! It felt like her mind was swimming in a sea too large to comprehend, as if her whole world was just a fabrication. When he touched her, her confidence broke, along with her anger, tears falling against his hands. How could he still mean so much to her, after everything? She knew she should hate him, wanted to, but couldn't.

Me? She didn't understand. There were so many questions and no answers at all. But it all faded away when he kissed her. She'd been kissed lately, many times, actually, but Bronn was different. Even though it was light, tentative, it was packed with so many emotions, Victoria felt like she was going to shatter into a million pieces if he let go. And that he would, too. She leaned into the kiss, afraid to do anything else but ride the raw feelings she had, with no idea where they were leading.

Bronn was hesitant to kiss Victoria, as much as he longed to feel her soft lips against his. He longed to drown in that old passion, that love they used to share because he longed for it every day. It had been so beautiful, so magnificent and because of his selfish parents he'd lost it all. But he hoped to have it back now.

Because if he could have just this one little bit of happiness, his world would be complete. He longed for Victoria every moment they were apart, he needed her. He wanted to be able to hover around her like a protective parent and keep her from any harm. She was everything to him, and he hated the world for taking her away from him. He often wondered if he just wasn't allowed to have happiness.

He let his lips just gently touch against hers, and though it was soft he felt overloaded with the emotions. The moment she started to kiss him back, his hands slid down to her waist. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and pulled her against him, so relieved to just be able to hold her, let alone kiss her. She was exactly how he remembered her, perfect in every way. The love for her that he already held blossomed and grew to the point that he knew it would be hard for him to tear himself away from her.

Victoria felt her body relax in Bronn. It was all so familiar, but like a distant dream. It'd only been a few months since they'd kissed, more if you didn't count the quick pecks in the last few weeks. She really should have known something was wrong. In all the years they'd known each other, all the times they'd shared their darkest secrets and desires, he'd never pulled back from her. Not like that.

She felt overwhelmed by him. By his strength and the familiar scent that completely him. It had been imprinted in her memory, even in the nightmares she'd had. She shuddered at the thought of them. Of him, coming after her for something she hadn't understood. But here he was, with her, holding her, kissing her.

And she couldn't say no. After what felt like forever, heaven, she pulled away, needing air. Her arms, which has wrapped tightly around his shoulders, relaxed a bit, one hand sliding to caress his cheek. "Tell me?"

Bronn's arms around her squeezed lightly, and he almost wanted to pinch himself to make sure that everything was real - that he was really standing here with this magnificent, captivating, beautiful woman in his arms, her lips against his. After what he did, he didn't believe that she'd ever be able to move on enough from what had happened to actually allow him to hold her once more, let alone kiss her.

He never wanted to let her go in that moment. She was all he needed to survive, and he would do anything to protect her. He would blackmail Dusk to keep her away from himself and Victoria. He'd do anything, just to make sure that he could stay with her. The thought of her with another man sickened him to the core.

Bronn knew he was being selfish. He should've let her go, should've smirked and taunted her when she saw him. But he didn't want to see that expression of pain on her face ever again, that expression that had been caused by him. "My parents..." He whispered. "They made a deal with the Dark Ones. They'd get all the riches in the world, if when I was old enough, the Dark Ones got to have me as one of their members."

Victoria watched the memories move in his eyes. Her lips parted, in shock of what Bronn was saying. It wasn't that the idea of his parents doing such a thing was so shocking. In fact, it sounded just like something they would do. But for them to actually stoop that low, just for money...she could believe people would be that cruel.

Letting her eyes close, her forehead against his, she caressed his face, knowing the features by heart. She knew all of him. Every scar, every burn mark from their work. Their life hadn't been easy, nothing with dragons ever was, but it had been amazing. And because of one stupid offer of money, it was stolen from them?

Her rage returned. Not at Bronn, who was as much a victim as she was, but at his parents. He hadn't spoken of it much, but she knew how much their lack of support had hurt him. Victoria's mother had been the same way. It was one of the things they'd had in common, a feeling of not being good enough for them.

She tried to temper her anger, not wanting to let it win out over the feelings she had for Bronn. Opening her eyes, she let herself drown in his. "So how did it happen? What did they do?"

Bronn felt the in-justice of it all burn inside of him, and a flicker of rage swept through his body. For a moment, he wanted to punch something, but then his eyes took in Victoria and he felt himself soften. It was so un-fair, so cruel that he had to lose Victoria because his parents wanted money and the riches. Not only did he have to lose her, but he also had to kill other people.

Just so his parents could sit in their stupid fucking mansion and drink champagne. Damn them to the deepest, darkest pits of Hell, Bronn thought to himself angrily. He held her instinctively closer, wanting so desperately to bury his face in her curls like he used to and whisper sweet-nothings to her.

Bronn sighed heavily and absently ran his hands up and down her back, trying to get his thoughts together. They were a jumbled mess at the moment. "They came for me a few weeks before the attack, when I started getting distant, that was why. They told me I had to do this, I had to join them. I don't know why, but they wanted me to attack this place. They said if I didn't join them,"

He faltered and stared at her, tears swimming in his eyes. "They said they'd kill you."

Victoria shivered. Not because of the cold, but because of the memories flooding the back of her mind as he ran his hand along her back. It felt like it had been so long since she'd been this physically comfortable and free with someone. But her body remembered, her heart racing.

Pushing those thoughts aside, it felt like her world was shifting. As if those weeks before the accident finally made sense. The whole time she'd been so worried that she'd done something wrong, or that he'd realized that she wasn't good enough for him. Not once had she expected this.

He'd done it to protect her. He'd betrayed them all for her. All that pain and destruction she'd seen that was to keep her safe. She shuddered. Seeing his tears, she knew hers matched. He'd left everything behind so that she could be free. "Bronn.." She leaned in to kiss him soundly, pouring everything, every emotion, into her kiss. All the hurt and anger from the past months. The loneliness, with no one who really understood. It was all there.

She jerked back when she heard a branch snap some distance away. She froze, inches from his lips, fear flashing in her eyes.

Bronn had pulled Victoria close to him once more, needing to feel her against him to make sure she was real. He could feel her heart-beat thumping against his chest and smiled softly at her, despite the gravity of the situation. She was just so beautiful.

He could see that she was piecing everything together, how it all possibly made sense to her now. He waited and let her process everything, despite how much he wanted to kiss her. He knew she would just get slightly irritated if he did, as she was trying to think and he shouldn't distract her.

His name was soft on her lips, rolling off of her tongue, but it was so natural and lovely to hear her angelic voice say his name so softly, so tenderly. He stared down at her intensely, and immediately responded when she pressed her lips to his. One hand slid up her back, curling into her locks and running them through his fingers gently. Every emotion, every memory, every missed moment of passion was poured into that kiss, and he never wanted it to end.

She pulled back, startled when a branch snapped and Bronn was immediately on high alert. His wand was out and he stood in front of her protectively, back facing her as he pointed his wand in the direction he heard the noise. "Let's go." He turned back around, pressing a kiss against her forehead before wrapping his arms around her tightly and apparating them away from this place.

Victoria gripped the front of Bronn's shirt tightly as they apparated. She closed her eyes, trying to stop her world from spinning. It wasn't just the reality of the situation, pushing in on her, but when she looked down, they seemed to be very high up. Turning in his arms slowly, not wanting to pull away, she looked up at the most magnificent house she'd ever seen.

It was perfect! She'd always felt more at home in nature, it was one of the things she'd loved about camp life. The quiet, the beauty, the vibrant colors. Feeling as if she was part of something larger than herself, connected to it all. And this house was all of that and more. It had wonderful shapes and details, but didn't look like it impeded on the trees around it.

Completely in awe, she leaned her head back on Bronn's shoulder, tucking her nose under his chin. She was still shaking a bit with adrenaline from the unexpected person. But that was soon fading as she looked at the house of her dreams. "Where are we?"