Round Two ((Drake))

[Brianna Bowman R7]

Brianna sighed as she leaned against the wall in her room, her hands shaking slightly as she looked at the door that she had just slammed. She never…never lost her temper like she just did. Never yelled at her mother…the woman that loved her more than anything. She fought the onslaught of tears that wanted to ravage her face. Everything had gotten so far out of control lately. Her eyes fell on the long white gown that was half sticking out of her closet. It was there to remind her of everything that was going wrong in her life. She sunk to the floor her dress sliding up her thighs as she sat there. She put her head on her knees as she tried to breathe. A raspy breath passed her lips and she realized she was going to hyperventilate if she continued to think about everything going on. It was overwhelming her. Brianna took a couple deep breaths, her body calming slightly. It was as if someone was standing on her chest, enabling her from taking a good deep breath. She blamed it on everything that was going on inside her. Everything just felt wrong…so very wrong.

First there was her home life. It seemed she was getting more and more rebellious, which wasn’t something she was used to. Brianna never fought against people like she had been recently. It was as if someone was instilling this behavior in her. Someone that had made her want to argue and defy and just be an all out pain in the arse. And she was being one. She couldn’t believe that she was, but after her argument with her mother about not wanting to go to some stupid dinner party she realized that she was. She’d become increasingly selfish in the last few months since she had found out the man she was supposed to marry, but that would hopefully work itself out in a dignified manner, making her seem the victim and not Drake…even though he definitely would be by the time she got done with him.

Second there was the whole matter of Drake Manning himself! And her stupid wedding which was drawing every closer. The dress hung in the closest, a constant reminder of what was to take place after their graduation from Hogwarts. Brianna didn’t want to, couldn’t. Every step closer to Drake was a step away from reality itself. She hated that, hated the thought that she was going to be giving up her life for someone that she didn’t know…someone that irritated her beyond belief! Not to mention the fact that she found herself oddly attracted to him, which repulsed her. How could she feel anything for that man? How could she want to feel anything for him? Oh she’d figure out a way to get out of that wedding if it was the last thing she did!

Brianna heard the soft knock at her door. “Madam your mother wishes to speak with you,” the house elf said softly and Brianna growled as she grabbed up her hoodie, pulling it over her quickly, stuffing her wand into the small pocket. She was going out, she couldn’t stand being in that house for one more minute. She grabbed up her coin purse and apparated out of her house, not bothering to look back as she quickly put herself on the streets of London. She knew where she was going. It was a place she’d never in a million years think about going to, but at that moment she didn’t care. She was tired of her stupid façade. She was tired of being the goody good girl that never once questioned authority. Well now she was and she was damned if she was going to let that stupid want for her family to be proud of her get in her way right then.

Brianna moved through the streets, pulling her hood up on her brown hoodie, wanting to hide way from everyone that she passed. There was no one she cared to talk to. Her eyes traveled across the signs that lined the walkway and paused as she found the bar. She stepped through the door quickly and moved, her hips slowly swaying her thigh length blue dress as she walked. Eyes scanned the bar and she bit back a gasp as she her brown eyes landed on a rather intoxicated Drake Manning. She felt her heart go out to him and glared at herself for having such a thought as she moved to him, her body taking a seat beside him. She wasn’t sure what to say at first and just sighed instead. “Mr. Manning…” she said softly, not know what else to say to him…not even sure if she wanted to say what she had just said.

[Drake Manning]

The cold winter air bit the edges of Drake's face, and having dressed in his best clothes that helped him to blend in throughout muggle London, he was on his way to a bar. It was not just a bar though, it had been the very same place that he had taken India the night that they had first properly met, though Drake would never use the word proper to describe that night. Now, however, he was alone, a common way that Drake spent the majority of his time. With school being done for the year, winter holiday was upon them, which meant time at home with his dreadfully boring parents. As usual, he would spend the holiday by himself going to bars, at least until he found a girl or two. There weren't that many young girls his age though at the bars, and so usually he spent his time drinking away the nights and numbing himself to the boring and mundane life that he had felt entangled his every fiber of his being. Tonight was no different.

As he entered, Drake was surprised to see it was mostly vacant that evening. Though, with the holiday season abound, most people were likely with their families to enjoy the time together. There were, however, a few other lone souls like Drake, and he gave them a nod as he passed, making his way to the barman and ordering a drink. As he glanced around, Drake noticed that most of the people there were men. They were men older than himself, looking quite scruffy and lonesome. He let out a silent grunt as he thought to himself that it would be him someday. But he didn't care. He just wanted to be able to wash away the dull pain of life. Pulling out his money, Drake paid for his drink and then downed it within a minute or so, repeating the process until he felt the familiar effects of the alcohol. It was his heaven. His way of escape.

An hour or so passed, and Drake slurred a conversation or two with some of the other men and the bartender. The muggle television was playing in one corner, and Drake could barely make out what was even flashing across the screen. His visual acuity was fading quickly, but through everything that he could feel, pain was not one of them. The loneliness had faded, and a wave of carefree feelings crashed over him as he sat at the bar with his seventh or eighth drink. At that moment, unbeknown to Drake, someone had entered the small pub and claimed the seat beside him. When he did realize that he had a neighbor, Drake released a slurred "hello." Then, the person spoke, and the feminine voice caused him to take a closer look. He squinted his eyes as the woman addressed him using his name.

"B-brianna?" he questioned, getting a better look at her. She was wearing a blue dress that had been covered with a sweatshirt which was not as formal looking as the dress. Still squinting as the outline of Brianna's figure spun and seemed to take the form of more than one shape. "What are you doing here, sexy?" Drake asked, his charm quite obviously not the sharpest whenever he was drunk. "Have a drink," he said, sliding his glass clumsily over to her, spilling bits of it as he did so. "Another drink!" he said, raising his hand groggily as he caught the bartender's attention.

[Brianna Bowman R7]

((So I meant to have this up for you a couple days ago, but it seems my internet is not as reliable as it was five days ago. In other words I've been without internet since I last talked to you. Anyway, without further a due...))

Pinch yourself. Wake up. This has to be a dream. Brianna Bowman thought over and over again to herself. Everything in the world seemed to turn upside down in one second. How? How had this happened? How had she found herself at the bar? Well she knew that answer. She had been trying to get away from her mother, from her family. The whole thought of the wedding, the arranged marriage that she didn’t want to be apart of was the reason she’d left. Sooner or later her mother would find her, would wonder why she left like she had, but she hoped it would be far from now. Well she did until she walked into the very bar that held the man she was supposed to marry. Not only that, but he was drunker than a skunk…or so he smelled that way.

Brianna freaked in those few seconds, for the first time in her entire life she had no idea what to do…didn’t want to do anything really. She was at a loss. Drake Manning, this man before her was not the same as normal and Brianna had a sneaking suspicion that not many people had seen him at this state, if any. Brianna on the other hand stood there looking at this drunken embodiment of the strong player that she had always known about, but this…this sight was enough to make her turn her head from him. Her whole being felt pity for him, but another part also understood. He was going through the same thing she was, or so it seemed to her. Maybe there was something deeper to Drake Manning that she didn’t know and probably wouldn’t ever know, but that wasn’t the point. The point of the matter was that she wanted to be sitting where he was right then. She wanted the booze to steal away the pain that was rolling through her. The pain of everything she’d kept inside, but with Drake there, she didn’t dare drink anything. Her mental state would have to be on guard around him, even if he was drunk it didn’t mean that he still wouldn’t try something.

"B-brianna? What are you doing here, sexy? Have a drink.”

Brianna bit her tongue hard at his word choice. Sexy? Where does he get off calling me sexy? she thought in anger to herself. It wasn’t as if it didn’t have a nice ring to it, it was just that it was Drake. This guy was notorious for playing others and he should know by now that Brianna wasn’t going to fall for any of his lame pick-up lines. She wasn’t one of those girls that fell over their own two feet in attempts to get to him. In fact if she did fall over her own two feet it was in her attempts to get away from him, but somehow she kept ending up running into him. How was that even possible? Did fate think it was funny or something? That was a stupid question. Fate obviously thought it was funny. I mean here she was at a bar that she thought would be a nice place to get a couple of drinks, but instead of drinks she finds herself in the presence of Drake Manning.

Brianna sighed as she looked down at the drink he had slid to her, some of the content had splashed over the side and she found herself intrigued by it before she looked up at him. “How long have you been here Mr. Manning? Or better yet how much have you had to drink?” Brianna asked as she pushed the drink away from both of them. She looked over at the bartender. “You give him another drink and I’ll make sure you regret it.” Brianna’s voice was dangerously low as she turned her brown eyes back on Drake. “I need to get you home. Come on.” Brianna moved her arm out and touched his back, it was probably the only bit of kindness she had ever really shown him, but she didn’t care at the moment that she had dropped her walls. She didn’t want him still sitting there, not when he was like this. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was worried about him, worried about his health and him in general. It was something she didn’t want to believe, something that confused her even more inside than she wanted to be. So here she was now, trying to get Drake out of the bar and back to his house so that he would be okay, at least for the time being.

[Drake Manning]

"Couple of hours," Drake slurred in response to Brianna's question. He took the new drink that the barman had brought him and downed at least a quarter of it. By this point, the tingling alcohol sensation had worn off, and Drake was becoming very passive and easy-going. That was, until Brianna slid his drink away from him and threatened the bartender about giving him anymore. "Wait... wha... no!" Drake protested. He reached for his drink and Brianna's attempt to stop him was futile. Despite becoming more passive when he drank, nothing could stop Drake from drinking if he wanted more. He downed the last of his ninth drink. "I've only had a couple," he said with a glare as he felt Brianna ushering him out of the pub. "You wanna go home with me?" he questioned, forgetting about his drinks and getting a silly smile on his face. "That's right, we are going to be married someday. Drake stepped down from his stool and threw his coat over his shoulders.

Drake emptied his pockets onto the bar counter to pay for his drinks. Like always, he probably had paid too much, but didn't really care. It was his parents' money that he had taken for the evening. The never knew it was missing when Drake was constantly taking it to fuel his habit every time he was home from Hogwarts. How else could he spend his holiday from school? Spending time with his parents was simply out of the question. Drake didn't have any friends. At least he didn't have any people that he called friends. Likely, there were few or none that would call him a friend in return. Drake didn't care though, or at least he convinced himself he didn't care.

"You're dressed up," Drake said as the two of them walked out of the bar. He had noticed the dress earlier, but it had just now registered in his mind that she was wearing a dress to a bar on such a cold night and she was all alone at that. "What are you doing out anyways?" Drake didn't exactly know Brianna that well, despite the fact that they were ironically set to marry. But, he did know that she wasn't the type that would seem to go out drinking on their own. Drake didn't really care though at this point. He was too numb and apathetic to much that was around him. He was drunk and he was happy to be so. Being drunk meant that he didn't have to care. He didn't have to think about everything that he hated about his life, everything he hated about himself. "Where are we going? This isn't the way to my house. I live that way," Drake pointed off in the distance. "Are you trying to trick me? Are you trying to seduce me?" Drake got another sly grin on his face as he stopped in the middle of the street after they hadn't walked very far. "You're not the Brianna that I know," he said with an assurance that she was trying to con him into something or that she was up to no good.

[Brianna Bowman R7]

Brianna could have throttled the bartender at that point in time as she attempted to take Drake’s drink away, but as usual the stubborn prick had stolen it back and downed it before she could even say a protest. Her face pulled into a frown as she looked at him and she felt her eyes tear a little. She looked away from him in anger…Why does he do this to me? she growled to herself. Why the hell did she feel anything for him? No…she didn’t, she refused to let Drake Manning affect her in any such way. He was a jerk, a womanizer, and she wasn’t about to let that man get the best of her. He was nothing to her…nothing. Confusion rolled through her as she ran her hands over her face and then through her hair. She was far more upset than she had been when she left home. Maybe it was the guilt washing over her for taking off, or maybe it was the fact that she had run into Drake Manning himself. The one person she would have given anything to avoid that night was the one person she had run into. Hope you find this funny Da, she muttered before letting her brown eyes fall back on Drake at his comment.

Brianna fought her entire conscious at his question about going home with him. She wanted to kill him, but knew she couldn’t so she just forced a cert smirk and made herself stand beside him in case he fell. Why was she always taking people’s crap? Why was she always allowing people to seemingly walk all over her? Use her as some sort of rug and not even care? But there was more to it than that…why did she find herself wanting to take care of Drake at that moment? Why did she care that he was plastered beyond belief? Why did she feel it was her ‘job’ to get him home? She cared too much about the guy as much as she hated to admit it. Drake had captured some part of her ice-cold heart and it scared her beyond belief. She’d never admit it though, not even if they did end up getting married, which by their last encounter at her home seemed to be the case. It was more than she could really stand to think about right then. Too many variables and too much pain washed through her if she tried to think about getting out of the wedding. It was what her father wanted and she wasn’t about to disappoint him, not when he was watching over her.

Brianna stepped out into the brisk cold with Drake beside her, she was staying silent. She knew that no matter what she said Drake would take it the wrong way. He always took everything she said the wrong way and she tensed when he asked her why she was out. She sidestepped the question by walking, only to have Drake call her out that she was going the wrong way. Turning on her heels she looked at him, her annoyance brimming before she grabbed his arm. “We’re in the middle of the street and you want to talk? We’ll get hit by a bus or something,” she muttered as she attempted to pull him back to the sidewalk, heading in the direction he had just pointed, before stopping in annoyance and facing him when he wouldn’t move. “No Mr. Manning, I’m not trying to seduce you. You’re extremely drunk and out in front of,” looked around and muttered, “Muggles. You might very well go off spouting things you shouldn’t spout and get yourself into trouble. Now if you don’t mind I don’t want us to die so can we please get out of the middle of the street?” Her voice was low and a hint of annoyance could be found in it as she stared at him, her arms crossed over her chest.

[Drake Manning]

"Good because if you were trying to seduce me, you weren't doing a very good job. You can't seduce Drake Manning." He was quite obviously under the influence a bit more than what he normally was as Drake had lost his verbal filter at least half an hour ago. He practically sounded like a juvenile preteen with his childish statements and blatant disregard to what Brianna had to say. He was only trying to do whatever was opposite of what she said. "Who cares if there are muggles?" he questioned, not bothering to keep his voice down at the use of the word. It was probably a good thing that Brianna was there. However, it wouldn't have been the first time Drake was out and about on his own, drunk in the streets of London. Being that he was drunk on these occasions though, his behaviour wasn't even seen as odd. Drunks were supposed to act ridiculous, right?

"When we get to my house, we have to be quiet! My parents will wake up if they hear us. If you want, we can just stay on the couch in the living room. That way, they won't hear us from their bedroom." Drake was rambling on, staggering back and forth as the two of them walked down the darkened street. "This is where we apparate from," he said quite sure of his statement. Drake was too drunk though to even properly begin to apparate, which was why whenever he tried, nothing even happened. It was a good thing though, for if he would have been slightly successful, it could have been bad. Apparating while drunk could end up causing some pretty undesirable results since the person's mind was not completely able to concentrate. In his anger, Drake kicked at the sidewalk, stubbing his toe in the process. He screamed in pain, and then jumped around, looking quite silly as he did so. "Bloody concrete!" he shouted.

Drake was somewhat ignorant of Brianna's presence at this point as he was again determined to try to apparate. "Here... grab my hand. You have to apparate with me if you want to come to my house." Oblivious to much that was going on, Drake tried yet again, this time no more successful than the first. "Dammit," he said, not quite sure what to do at this point. "Just let me try again," he insisted, even though Brianna hadn't said anything for him to argue against. "I know what I'm doing." It was very obvious that he didn't know what he was doing, but he was too drunk to begin to realize that. "Maybe I just need to hold onto you tighter," he said, grabbing her waist as he prepared to try apparating for a third time.

[Brianna Bowman R7]

Brianna didn’t know what to say at Drake’s comment. Why would she want to seduce Drake? The man didn’t need to be seduced to want to get into bed with anyone. All she had to do was just say she wanted him and that would probably be enough for the ‘great’ Drake Manning. Of course she wasn’t going to. Drake meant nothing to her…or so she kept telling herself. She shook her head at him. “I don’t want to seduce you,” she said in a growl, a little more annoyed than she had intended to sound. “Besides I don’t see a girl seducing you to get in your pants. From what I know they hardly stay up anyway.” She didn’t want to be cruel to him, to make him angry, but she couldn’t stop herself. All of her pent up emotions…all the aggression that had been running through her since she found out she was supposed to marry him seemed to be coming out of her at that moment.

She was getting more annoyed by the second as he started getting louder about not caring about muggles. She put her finger to his lips and shushed him. “You’re going to get us both in trouble and I don’t know about you but I don’t want to get kicked out of Hogwarts when I only have a few months left,” she said in a soft annoyed voice. Brianna had never really been around drunks. Nor had she wanted to be. She didn’t know how to handle them, didn’t know what she needed to do to get them to listen to her, to not be so d**n stubborn. Of course Drake wasn’t the type to not be stubborn. If anything he was the most stubborn person she had ever met. Brianna just shook her head as she glared at him, not knowing how to get him to shut up or at least lower his voice.

The moment he went on about his parent’s house Brianna froze. He actually thought she was going to…oh hell no! She was going to protest, but his stumbling figure moving back to the street caught her attention and she moved to grab his waist to keep him steady, not really even thinking about it as she did so. She shook her head. “Drake I’m not going to…” she was cut off by his next comment and she looked at him in shock. “You don’t really mean to try to apparate do you? You’re drunk…” But sure enough he attempted to and Brianna released him not wanting to get splinched if he were to actually succeed in his drunken state, but sure enough as she stood there watching him he didn’t accomplish it. Instead she held back a laugh as he screamed in pain and jumped around after stubbing his toe. She simply smirked at him, rather impressed with his stupidity.

Brianna leaned back against the wall of a building watching his attempt before suddenly her hand was in his. She looked somewhat astonished as she looked at him, her mind screaming at her to jerk her hand away, but she didn’t. She just watched him as she tried to make her heart stop racing. Why? Why was her heart racing? Why was her breathing picking up? Then his hand wound around her waist and she forced in the cool air, trying to fill her lungs, as she seemed to stop breathing. Why was she letting him affect her like this? Brown orbs opened in mere shock as she moved her hand around to grasp his and slowly move it off her waist. “We’ll use the Floo Network. You’re obviously in no state to apparate and I can’t apparate us without knowing where to go,” she said softly, her voice far more weak than she wanted it to be. She shook her head and tried to force her body to actually listen to her. “Come on. We’ll go back to my house and then use the Floo Network there…unless there’s someplace closer that you know of?”

[Drake Manning]

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do," Drake said with a bitter tone as Brianna warned him about splinching. It angered him though that he knew she was right, but it angered him even more that he wasn't even able to begin to be successful in his attempt to apparate. At least if he splinched himself it meant that he had partially succeeded, despite the negative results. Not going anywhere though, well, that just meant that he was less capable than what he had thought. He didn't feel drunk though. He knew he wasn't at his highest mental state, but he could at least tell where he was. Why in the heck couldn't he apparate?

As he had pulled Brianna in close to him, Drake felt the warmth from her body against his. It was getting to be quite a cold night, and he could feel the cold biting at his ears and his fingers. The cold air did help him to sober a bit more quickly, or at least kept him more aware than had he been in the warm pub still. "We're not using the floo network," he argued. "I can apparate, I just need to concentrate better. If you would just be quiet and let me think." Drake's drunken sense of giddiness was slowly fading as his brash nature started to take over. Had it been another girl with him besides Brianna though, Drake would have naturally tried to stay charming. With Brianna though, there was just some sort of obvious tension between them which caused Drake to purposely treat her quite differently than he treated most women. Instead of going out of his way to be extra kind, he was often downright mean in his comments. "I'm not totally drunk, and I'm not incapable." He was sure she might protest, but he didn't care. Drake kept his arms around Brianna, her scent filling his nostril as he took a deep breath of air and prepared to try once again to get them both back to his home.

With all of the concentration he could muster, Drake thought once again about his home... his room... his bed. Then, within a split second, he and Brianna disappeared from the muggle streets of London and reappeared in his bedroom. It was actually one of his better apparations since getting his license. He opened his eyes and Brianna was still in his arms. Drake gave her a sort of cunning and arrogant smile. "Told you I could do it. We'd still be walking in the bloody cold if we'd have went with the floo network. Now that he was back indoors, he could smell cigarette smoke on his clothes. Drake hated the smell of cigarette smoke. He stripped himself of his shirt and found another one laying on the floor to put on. He walked over to his closet and pulled out a half empty bottle of whiskey. Drake put the bottle to his mouth and drank some of it before holding it out toward Brianna. "Want some?" He didn't wait long for her to answer, and when she didn't answer, he took another drink and then placed the bottled on his dresser. "Not much of a room, eh?" It was dark in his room, the only light coming from the bright moon that filtered through the large window on his slanted ceiling. The hall light was left on too, a habit of his mother's.

As Drake began to sober even more, he found it ironic that Brianna was now back with him in his room. His future wife was standing in his room for the first time, and Drake couldn't really sort through his feelings for her. Half of him hated her because he knew she hated him. He knew she saw past his ways, past his games. Yet, another part of him was drawn to the fact that there was something about her that he couldn't quite understand. Somewhat like India, Brianna was able to do something to Drake that other girls hadn't been able to do. They confused him, messed him all up, and made it hard for him to play his games. Perhaps it was a natural gift, or perhaps they simply knew how to defend themselves toward Drake's manipulation. The thought of India though made him half sick. Just before break, Drake had told her his feelings. For once in his life, Drake was completely honest and vulnerable. In return, he had only been left wondering and angry. Thinking about India made him angry that she couldn't even give him an answer in return for everything he had told her. All he wanted was to know what she felt in return, and she couldn't offer him that.

In that moment, perhaps it was his anger that fueled him or maybe it was something else, but Drake felt like he wanted nothing to do with India. He felt that Brianna could make him forget about India. He felt that he could hurt India as much as she had hurt him with failing to give him an answer. "So why did you come here with me tonight?" Drake asked. "If you weren't trying to seduce me, and if you hate me as much as you pretend to hate me, then why were you so worried about me getting home tonight? If you really don't care about me, then why don't you just leave right now?" Obviously, Drake was playing another one of his games. It was impossible for him not to play games, even when he knew Brianna was good at recognizing them. "You like me. Admit it, Brianna, there's something about me that you can't push away." Drake was speaking merely by his gut instinct at this point. Quite honestly, he couldn't really read Brianna that well. She was just as complicated as himself it seemed. "Admit that you look forward to marrying me. You look forward to having me with you every night." Drake took a step closer to her, taking her again in his strong arms.

[Brianna Bowman R7]

Brianna wanted to get far away at that point. She couldn’t be that close to him, not now…not ever. She couldn’t help her body from reveling in the physical contact though. She hated herself for wanting it, especially from him, but it was a cold night and her body was having a hard time holding her normal body temperature. The chill was sinking in to her bones and she knew it would take forever to get warm once again. Rolling her brown eyes she glared at Drake as he told her to basically shut up so he could try to Apparate again. She wasn’t worried anymore. He was incapable of Apparating in his state; it was obvious by his several attempts already. He would give up eventually and then she would take him home through the Floo Network. Brianna didn’t bother trying to argue with him anymore, if he wanted to try to Apparate she was going to let him try even if she thought he was going to get hurt in the process. Besides it wasn’t like she was going to openly admit to liking him and that’s why she was concerned for his well being. No, that wasn’t Brianna at all. She didn’t care like that fro anyone…couldn’t care like that for anyone.

Brianna let out a gasp of surprised as the familiar feeling fell across her body and in a split second the streets of London disappeared and a bedroom appeared in its place. She couldn’t believe that Drake had actually managed to Apparate them both, without any splinching. Of course that didn’t stop her from checking over her body to make sure she had every piece of herself she had had back on the street, her eyes lifting up in time to catch Drake pulling his shirt off. Brown eyes widened as she took in his naked torso before she remembered who it was and turned her back, not wanting to see anything more, if he was going to take off anything else. When she heard him moving she turned to look over her shoulder into to see him grab a bottle out of his closet and offer it to her. She simply glared at him, not wanting anything he had to offer her at that moment. She just stood in the dark wondering why she was still there. Why couldn’t she get her body to move? Why couldn’t she just go home now that Drake was back in his own house? Why did she find her body frozen there in his room?

Brianna looked up in shock almost, but it was covered quickly by contempt as Drake’s questions began. She felt trapped at that moment. She wanted to get out of there, but her body was frozen there and wouldn’t move. Stuck in the bedroom of her future husband by her own unwillingness to move…yeah that was just great. The moment he stepped to her she wanted to back away, but he grabbed her up in his arms, her body not fighting it at all. She looked away from him her eyes falling to the ground. Never in her entire life had she felt so vulnerable then at that moment in his arms, one side of her wanting to scream at him for touching her, the other wanting to give in to him, to just become like every other girl he’d ever had. The thought seemed to wake her from her stupor and she tried to pull away from him. Wanted and needed to get away to be able to actually think clearly. However it was like trying to move a ton of bricks as her hands pushed against his chest. “Drake let me go,” she said simply, her voice not holding its normal tone of anger for him like usual.

When he didn’t release her she knew there was no way of getting away from him unless she answered his questions. She sighed trying to think of a way to get away. Yet she couldn’t say or think of anything to get him away from her. Brianna paused, letting her brown orbs move back to his almost soulless eyes. She couldn’t get him out of her mind, hadn’t been able to in months, not since that day in Diagon Alley. The suave he possessed, the charisma, the power…it was more than Brianna could handle. She felt brain washed, under a spell when she was with him and it scared the bloody hell out of her. She couldn’t remember what the last time was when she was so scared. She couldn’t do anything in his arms, couldn’t do anything when she was so lost in everything about him. Wake up Bri. You can’t let him get to you like this. It’s what he wants. Don’t let him win… her own voice sounded through her head, but she couldn’t help it. Instead it was a defeated look that held his gaze.

“I can’t play this game with you anymore. You win,” she said her voice held no contempt for him, which was much unlike her. But she couldn’t be the strong person she normally was. She couldn’t stand there trapped in his arms and be her normal hateful self toward him. When he finished his monologue as he tried to analyze how she was feeling she frowned at him, finally pushing him away from her completely, slipping out of his grasp. “I don’t know what it is you want from me Drake. I don’t know where you get it in yourself to try to figure me out. You don’t want anyone in your life and that’s obvious. So why are you so content on going through with this wedding? Why are you so content on trying to make me lose this game of yours? But most of all why do you want to know if I care for you or if I like you or whatever? Why is it so d**n important?” She glared at him, a newfound sense of anger slipped into her being as she took a step toward him her eyes staring up into his. “You want to know how I feel about you? You really want to know?” She paused for a second not really giving him the time to answer. “Yes Drake. I like you okay. Figures huh? The one guy I was determined to never like is the one I actually fall for,” her tone was angry, but not at him. She was pissed at herself for liking him, for wanting to be with him. It was everything she had not to just disappear right then, but that didn’t stop her from actually considering it and visualizing her own room as she waited for Drake to laugh hysterically at her.

[Drake Manning]

Standing there with Brianna in his arms, Drake had entered a state of mind in which he just wanted to to block out all the pain. It was a familiar feeling for Drake, and time after time again he had used his drinking and his women to cover up the pain like he was doing with Brianna now. He really couldn't tell what she was thinking though, what she was feeling. It didn't help him either that he couldn't even sort through his own feelings. Then, for the first time since he had met Brianna, Drake finally saw the weakness in her, the pain, the suffering. It had been there all along, and he had known that it was. Just like his own pain and suffering, but Brianna had done the same in him as she covered it up from the world. Drake felt a sudden sense of deja vu as he watched Brianna crumble under the walls she had built up around herself. It was the same thing Drake had done when he confessed everything to India. That could only mean one thing: Brianna was feeling exactly the same way that he had been feeling that day in the castle. The day that he wanted an answer, so simple, and yet he was left with an open wound that was the most painful thing he had ever experienced. Brianna must have been feeling that right now, or at least that's the only way he could relate to her and try to finally figure out what she was thinking and feeling.

"I just want to cover up all the pain," he said finally. "I want to cover it up, make it go away. My pain. Your pain. Pain in general. Don't you see, Brianna? These games are the only way that I can live, the only way that I can get through another day. The games are the only way that I feel like I have any control in the life that I've become so lost in." Drake didn't care that he was revealing himself to her. He was opening up himself and showing her the twisted mess that was behind his wall. Brianna already knew all of that though. Just like he had known with India and with Brianna, there was a person underneath who was suffering. Everyone suffered from something different, but when their walls were taken down they all were the same mess inside, begging to just cover up the pain. Drake just so happened to make it his life- covering up his own pain, even if it meant causing more pain for others. With India though, he had finally figured out what she was different. And now Brianna was the same way. They were both people that Drake wanted to simply use in his game of life, but couldn't bring himself to actually do it. Brianna loved him, she said it herself. And he loved India. But through all of that, Drake realized that Brianna and India were both people in his life that he would never be able to hurt at his own expense. He couldn't make himself use them to cover up the pain like he had with so many other people, with so many other girls in his life.

With that thought though, Drake couldn't help but remember his anger toward India. He loved her and she couldn't even love him back. Whether she simply refused to, or just didn't want to admit it, she didn't love him. Brianna did though. Brianna loved Drake despite knowing what black monster hid behind the mask. She had admitted it. "I can make it better, Brianna. I can take away the pain of everything." Drake knew in his heart that this would be the one thing that could hurt India as much as it had hurt him. Brianna had turned her back on him, but he approached her again, wrapping his arms around her from behind. "I know how you feel. I know that you are angry and confused. But I can make it all go away." At this point, half of his words came from the heart and half of them came from his habitual ways. He kissed the back of her neck gently and couldn't help but feel that she seemed very tense, very much paralyzed by the pain in the same way Drake remembered feeling just days ago. "Don't you just want to make it all go away?"

[Brianna Bowman R7]

Brianna couldn’t believe what she had just said. She couldn’t believe that she had finally let everything go, told him everything. She was shaking with anger…anger at herself for being so weak…for giving into him when she didn’t want to, when she fought so hard to make him believe that she hadn’t gotten attached. Why did you say that? Why did you put yourself out there like that? You’re just going to get yourself hurt, like always. Drake isn’t the type of guy you want. He isn’t the type of guy to want you. You should just leave before he says anything…before he crushes you… Brianna thought to herself. Her negativity trying to keep her from getting hurt, trying to keep her from getting her hopes up to only get hurt in the end. It was how life always was. Fate constantly reminded her that she was nothing but a pawn in the master game of chess, a game that she was losing quickly. It was always how things were with her.

Brianna was about ready to Apparate out of there, to get home and hide herself away from the world for a few more days of break. She ran her hand through her short hair, slipping a few brown strands that had fallen free behind her ear. A deep breath entered her lungs and when she began to visualize her room, his deep voice filled her ears. She turned, rather surprised by his admission. Words seemed to be forgotten as she stood, her eyes soft, her body closed, but opened to what he had to say. She was lost in a world of make belief at that moment. What she had secretly been hoping for, for nearly two months was happening…Drake was opening up, he was throwing away his masks, throwing away everything so that Brianna could see him for who he truly was, to let her see the broken person he was. He’s just like me…I can see the pain… she thought to herself, her eyes watching him closely.

When he had finished, Brianna turned, her mind reeling with the new information. This was a side of Drake she never thought she’d ever meet. She didn’t know how to handle it, didn’t know if she could. Everything seemed to be crashing around the two of them. Maybe Brianna had judged Drake far too harshly in the beginning. Even with his prick demeanor Drake wasn’t such a bad guy. How could he be after what he just said? After he just opened up to Brianna, the girl he’d been trying to play for so long, how could he be so bad? His words made her head lift up. Make it all better? Take away the pain? Brianna couldn’t stop her mind from wondering what that would be like. How would she be without the pain of her past, the pain of everything that had ever happened? She sighed as she went to turn back, her body shivering as she felt his arms wrap around her before she could turn around. When she felt his lips on the back of her neck, her eyes slipped closed, her pulse raced, and her breathing quickened.

Brianna turned in his arms, her eyes meeting his, those brown orbs that usually hid behind obedience, behind harshness…her eyes held the pain of losing her father, the pain of her whole world crumbling, the need to obey at her fathers command while he lay dying. Everything was held there and she could see his own eyes reflecting the same form of pain. She placed her hands against his chest, not trying to push him away this time like she would normally do. No…she had seen at least a portion of the true Drake, the Drake beneath all the layers and she couldn’t push him away, not when he saw the same thing in her, the same pain. Finally…finally she could find her voice, weak, but full of emotion that usually never crossed her tone, especially in front of Drake.

“Please…” she said softly, her heart skipping a couple beats. “Please make it go away…make everything go away. I don’t want to feel any of it anymore. I can’t. I’m counting down to self-destruction every second of every day. I’m tired Drake. I’m tired of everything crashing down on me. Please make it go away.” Brianna wasn’t begging, wasn’t pleading, but at the same time she was pouring everything out into her words, wanting him to understand her, hoping that he really could just take it all away, to melt away the darkness that always lined her dreams, the emptiness that plagued her whole being. She didn’t want to wait for him at that point…didn’t want him to think she was too weak to do anything on her own and with that thought she lifted herself up onto her toes, one hand sliding behind his neck, and for the second time since she had met Drake she kissed him before he could steal a kiss from her.

[Drake Manning]

He was unsure what she would do, but the moment she spoke, Drake knew that she had finally let go. She had finally given into the part of her that had been keeping him at arms length. She was willing, and Drake was wanting to be free from all the pain as badly as she was. Her hands left his chest and moved to his neck, and soon the two of them were embraced in a kiss. It was more than when they had kissed before. Perhaps it was because both of them were equally desiring this kiss. They were both on the same page for once, despite Drake being drunk with alcohol and also drunk with his own habits. He couldn't distinguish between the part of him that was acting willingly and the part that was acting naturally. Amidst the two parts, he knew there was yet a third that was acting out of revenge. He let the wondering and thinking all go though as he embraced the chance to slip away, the chance to ease the pain; both his and Brianna's. There was something freeing, something empowering about being able to control the pain. It only made Drake more in tune to what was happening, almost as if it could pull him from the affects of the alcohol to the point where he felt more in control and alive than anything. It was the way that it always felt though, with Brianna or with any other girl he had been with in the past. The feeling he had was always the same, always welcome though, for Drake loved the feeling of control and freedom.

He held Brianna gently as they kissed. For how evil and dark Drake could be, he was always gentle, always kind when he needed to be. He hadn't kissed anyone like this in a while, and he missed the feeling. Caressing Brianna's back as their kissing slowed, he closed his eyes and let the moment wash over him; the feeling once again giving him a high that he longed for and needed. Then, he opened his eyes and smiled at Brianna. It was an odd smile, difficult to explain. It was a smile that wasn't so much full of happiness but of relief. It was a smile that almost showed his certainty and his pride. It was a soft smile, yet it was free of pain, showing that Drake was no longer lost in the darkness but momentarily free from it all. Then, he pulled Brianna closely to him again. "Don't think about the pain," he said. "Let it go. Let everything go. Just let your mind be free. If you do, I promise that you can escape. Just trust me, and I can make the pain all go away." Drake didn't want Brianna to allow the pain from stopping them. He didn't want her to be clouded in the darkness. Drake knew, from so many times before, that you had to let go. You simply had to free your mind, step out in faith, and trust. Very rarely did Drake trust anybody, but he knew that when you did, it was worth it.