An Exquisite Pain

The Breaking Point

The loud chirping of a bird was the next thing Danielle was aware of. She opened her eyes, wincing at the stabbing pain in her lower back.

It was early morning and the sky was a light gray. She was still collapsed against Riddle. His eyes were closed and his breathing shallow, looking more vulnerable than Danielle had ever seen him. They must have both fallen asleep without meaning to.

Silently, she took off his jacket and placed it beside him. It was now swelteringly hot in their little cave. Danielle stuck her head out to get some fresh air, reveling in the silence and the bird songs. It was nearly impossible to believe the atmosphere had been thick with death and destruction just hours before. Now it was peaceful and tranquil.

Speaking of peacefulness and tranquility, Riddle hadn't noticed Danielle wake up. She watched his sleeping form for a moment, wondering at how defenseless he was. It would be too easy to pick him off right now…but she didn't have her wand—it was back at the orphanage, and besides, killing Tom Riddle was probably on Dumbledore's list of things not to do.

Without thinking, Danielle moved noiselessly toward him and gently brushed a lock of hair off of his forehead. This gave her an odd sort of pleasure, touching him. It made her want to do it again and caress his face as he had done with hers.

But those thoughts were forbidden. She mustn't think about him that way. In fact, she had no idea why she was even dwelling on it.

Slumping back into a corner, Danielle pulled her knees up to her chest and blew a curl out of her eyes, watching Riddle warily. She speculated how long it would be before he woke up. Perhaps even she would have to wake him up. Something told her that wasn't a good idea, however.

With a quiet beep, her watch informed her that it was eight o'clock. Mrs Cole would be frantic…if she'd even noticed they were gone. Perhaps when they got back they could pretend as if they'd been there all along.

"Riddle?" Danielle finally whispered against her better judgment, waiting with bated breath. He didn't stir.

She tried a little bit louder. "Riddle!" Still no response.

Rolling her eyes, Danielle crawled over to him and positioned her face right above his. Ridiculously, her heart was pounding. "Tom Riddle, wake up this instant!"

After what seemed like an eternity, his eyes slowly opened. "Miss Ashford?" he asked, sounding slightly dazed.

Danielle sat back on her heels, relieved he didn't try to kill her. "Yeah," she answered. "Who else would it be?"

Riddle didn't respond to that; instead he sat up and put on his jacket. "What time is it?"

"Just after eight. Do you think Mrs Cole will have noticed we're gone?"

His eyes flashed up to hers briefly before answering. "Yes."

Danielle swore under her breath. Riddle brushed dirt off of his clothes before climbing out of the cavern. "Hey, wait for me!" she called, following after him.

The birds continued merrily tweeting as the two of them set off for the orphanage. Danielle felt a kind of hope, until she remembered that there could be another air raid at any time. Her heart sank.

"Are there—er—usually air raids during the day?" she asked cautiously, then immediately regretted it. She was supposed to know this, for Merlin's sake! Marion and Roger Ashford had been killed in an air raid! How thick could she get?

"Occasionally," Riddle replied, raising one eyebrow.

Danielle hesitated before asking her next question. "Are you…are you afraid when it happens?"