I consider wishing that he would die and I'd finally be rid of him, the curse of him, this madness that drags me down to hell and burns me red-I consider dying but I would end up in hell and I know that he'd be there. LM/HG, MLC

"What do you want from me?" he whispered, running his fingers down her back—she shuddered violently, recklessly at the pooling streams of wanton ecstasy—her shoulders snapped backwards and she grabbed his collar for support. Her skin felt thin and raw—she clawed at him, her jagged curls dismembering the air around them—she convulsed against him and breathed, "Absolution."

"Is this a dream?" she whispered as she felt his warm breath against her shoulder grow ragged and felt him reach to remove a few hairs from her face. He drew her closer to himself and pulled the blanket over both of them, silently as always, and resumed those agonising ministrations. He kissed her neck once more, then the spot between her shoulders and stroked her sides tenderly…

She beheld his pale face with those greasy hair and dark eyes. For a moment, she thought she saw a kindred soul in there somewhere "Do you trust me?" "Yes." She thought she felt his hand shake a little at her response. "When I say jump," he spoke quietly and pressed her hand carefully, "jump. And no matter what happens, do not let go of my hand."

AU. Social outcasts, thieves, murderers: the captain leads his motley band of soldiers to pursue mercenary goals, amassing fabulous riches that draw the ire of the overlord. The wise wizard sits in his castle, redrawing boundaries and stoking wars. A chance discovery leads Sergeant Granger to suspect that there is more to this mercenary business than meets the eye.

"I'm going to sleep now, under this bleeding dark sky and wake up in the morning. Want to join me, Snape?" She is insane. And he has a headache. "No, thank you," he snaps and jumps to his feet. "I think I never want to see you again. Have a good night." SS/HG. Time Travel.

I shall rise again. Even if it has to be over your dead body.