**Guys!!** let me start by saying how amazing you all are. The Girl Who Fought has reached 1K+ views :D ... Let me also say how thrilled I am with this chapter! Let me know what you think with some inline comments as you read, & as always, I'd love your votes!

Ellison lay sprawled out on the bed, staring wide eyed at the ceiling. It had been three days since Avery had ambushed her on the staircase, and his words had been turning over and over in her mind ever since.

He had accused her of manipulating Tom. Accused her of using him to get what she wanted most - a way out. That part hadn't stuck with her though ... No ... the part she hadn't been able to let go of was what had come after. Avery had said Tom had a weakness for her ... he had even hinted at the idea of Tom still having feelings for her.

The idea had sounded absurd initially. But the more it ran though her mind, the more it began to make sense. Why else had he changed his initial plans to obliviate her? Why else would he be keeping her here? It certainly hadn't been a strategic move. After all, no one knew she was here. So why then? Why go to all this trouble if she meant nothing to him.

She laughed bitterly at the thought. She had to be losing her mind ... There was no way Tom Riddle, Voldemort for Merlin's sake, wanted her. She doubted he wanted anyone at all really ... He had never been one for personal relationships ... That was except for the one they had shared...

She sat up, breathing out an exasperated sigh as she shook the thoughts away. She was being ridiculous. She knew that ... Still, the thought that maybe, just maybe, there was a bit of humanity left in 'The Dark Lord',  and that she was the sole reason for it, had been a nice idea to entertain the past three days.

It had been an easy one to entertain as well, considering Tom hadn't been around to give her a healthy dose of reality. She hadn't seen or heard from him since he had left three days ago, and she had no idea when he was planning to return either.

He had made sure she wouldn't be alone though. Avery, a long with a host of other Death Eaters she didn't recognize, had been staying at the flat since Tom's departure. Maybe it had to do with Lestrange's recent injuries ... but something told her that wasn't the only reason for this sudden rise in traffic within the flat. 

Consequently, she had taken to spending the majority of her days held up in her room. She had been rather blunt with Avery during their confrontation on the stairs. Still, she didn't feel like pressing her luck any farther than she already had. 

She scooted off the bed, her bare feet hitting the hardwood with a soft thud. Walking to the window, she stood in front of it, gazing out at the abandoned street below. After a moment, a figure appeared in the window and she watched as it moved closer, until finally, Tom's reflection stood only a few feet behind her.

"Where have you been?" She asked, studying his features in the window. He looked tired, thin, dark circles having formed underneath his eyes since she'd last saw him. He looked in need of a good shave too, the usual smooth skin of his jaw covered with a five o'clock shadow she had never seen on him before. It suited him, she thought, as her eyes traveled up to his. His eyes. It baffled her how, no matter what, his eyes always had a gleam about them. She stared into them, losing herself for a moment until his words pulled her back.

"Miss me, have you?" Tom asked, his lips drawing up into their familiar smirk. Ellison rolled her eyes, though a small smile flickered across her lips.

"Just wondering where you've been the past three days," she said casually.

"I had some ... business to attend to," Tom replied, his smirk widening.

"And that business didn't require you to pack a razor?" She retorted with a smirk of her own.

"You don't like it?" Tom chuckled.

"I suppose it suits you," she replied coolly. "So," she continued, turning around to face him. "What was this business of yours?"

"Just a meeting," Tom replied with a shrug.

"I suppose that's all I'm getting then?" She pressed, taking care to keep her tone nonchalant.

"You're catching on," Tom retorted, the same smirk from before gracing his lips. She rolled her eyes, turning back towards the window, staring out at the night sky above as silence overtook the room. The sky over London never twinkled as it had when she lived in the village of Puddlemere. The stars had shined brightly there, no street lamps to dim their glow.

"Thank you," she said after a moment. She glanced over her shoulder at Tom, who had furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "For giving my wand back," she explained. "I never thanked you properly the other day, and I know it wasn't the most ... popular decision with some of the others."

"Well, lucky for you, Avery doesn't make the decisions," Tom said matter-of-factly, his smirk widening at her surprised expression. "You didn't really think I wouldn't find out about what he did?" He added with a chuckle. "All it took was one look at him, and I saw everything." Tom took a step towards her, his eyes scanning her face intently. "Were you not going to tell me?"

"Avery and I don't particularly like one another, but that doesn't mean I want him dead," Ellison replied.

"You think I would've killed him?" Tom asked, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"That's what you do now, isn't it?" Ellison asked, looking into Tom's eyes, searching them for some sign her words weren't true.

"When it's called for," Tom replied simply, meeting her eyes, his own filled with something she couldn't quite place. She glanced away, suddenly uncomfortable under his gaze.

"I suppose that's true ... If you went around killing everyone who didn't bend to your every will and whim, I'd have been dead a long time ago," Ellison replied teasingly.

"Yes," Tom chuckled, "You would've been."

"You said all it took was one look," Ellison began, changing the subject. "One look and you saw what Avery did ... Did you use-"

"Legillimency," Tom cut in, answering her question before she had even asked it. "Yes," he nodded, "I did."

"And one look is all it takes?" She asked, tracing her finger along the windowpane absently.

"Usually," Tom began. "Others can be a ... challenge."

"Like who?"

"Well, for starters ... you," Tom replied. Tearing her eyes away from the window, she looked back at Tom, whose eyes were still trained on her just as they had been before.

"Me?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Usually, I can take one look at a person and see everything ... things they wish for me to see ... things they wish to hide. I can see it all. But with you..." He trailed off.

"What do you see with me?" She asked, meeting his eyes, willing herself not to look away as they bore into hers.

"Fragments..." He began, stepping towards her. "Vague emotions ... bits of memories here and there ... nothing whole though."

"I bet that frustrates you," she replied, a small smirk flickering across her lips.

"Immensely," Tom admitted, his eyes searching hers for what he was unable to see. Silence filled the room as they stood there, looking at one another, until finally, Tom spoke. "It's late ... You should get some rest," he said, turning on his heel. He had nearly reached the door before Ellison found her voice.

"Why are you keeping me here?" She blurted out. Tom paused, but didn't turn around to look at her.

"Go to sleep Ellison." He replied, his back still to her.

"I don't believe you're the monster you've made yourself out to be," she pressed on. Tom cocked his head to the side, glancing back at her from over his shoulder.

"Who do you think I am then?" He asked coolly, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"The same person you were fifteen years ago."

Tom chuckled, shaking his head, "That person's gone."

"I don't believe that," She argued.

"He was weak," Tom cut in, scathingly.

"He was one of the strongest people I knew," she retorted. "And people change Tom, but they don't change that much. Who we are ... who we truly are ... that part stays with us," Ellison continued despite Tom's patronizing expression. "Now, I'll ask you again. Why are you keeping me here?" Turning around to face her, Tom's gaze fell on Ellison. He was looking at her the same way he had looked at her so many times before. He was sizing her up. Considering her words the same way he used to all those years ago.

"You seem to have all the answers, so why don't you tell me," Tom finally spoke, an all too familiar smirk gracing his lips. She drew in a deep breath, staring at him. She had an idea ... an absurd idea ... but an idea. "Go ahead," Tom pressed when she didn't answer.

"I think I remind you of something you thought you'd lost," She replied confidently, though she could feel the warmth of a blush creeping up her neck.

"And what would that be?" Tom asked smoothly, stepping towards her, closing the gap he had created between them.

"I...," she trailed off, her cheeks flushing a bright shade of pink. She took a step back as Tom approached her, her back pressing against the wall behind her. She averted her eyes, losing her nerve under Tom's piercing gaze. She was flustered and it annoyed her that, after fifteen years, Tom Riddle was still able to have that effect on her.

"Well?" Tom spoke, bracing a hand against the wall. Ellison looked up at him. His eyes were burning holes into hers.

"I-" Ellison began, trailing off as Tom's hand reached up, brushing a curl behind her ear. She closed her eyes, a million memories flooding back into her mind. Flashes from hers and Tom's first kiss ... from the first time they made love. She willed them to stop, but they kept coming. "Don't do that."

"Do what?" Tom asked, gazing down at her.

"Put those thoughts into my head," Ellison replied opening her eyes.

"Why? Would you rather think about something else?" Tom retorted. Thoughts of Amos raced into her mind. Fragments from their first date ... their wedding night.

"Stop," Ellison objected as more memories flashed through her brain. The moment she had heard the news of Amos's death ... His funeral. "Stop it!" she pleaded, squeezing her eyes shut. Just like that, the memories disappeared as quickly as they'd come. She clenched her jaw, biting back the tears that stung her eyes.Opening them, she stared up at Tom, her features marred with the hurt he had willfully caused her. Tom said nothing, though he still wore the same satisfied smirk he had before.

She pushed against him angrily, freeing herself from between the wall and Tom, and made for the door. Suddenly, a hand grasped her arm, pulling her backwards. Another hand grabbed her by the waist, pulling her against the body it belonged to. Tom's lips slammed against hers in a passionate kiss. Ellison melted into the familiar feeling, thoughts of their first kiss entering her mind by their own volition this time. His hand gripped her waist tighter, the other traveling up into her hair, his fingers intertwined within it. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his lips closer to her own.

Tom pulled away after a moment, a mixture of desire and disbelief painted across his features. He released her, running a hand through his hair in frustration. Without a word, he grabbed the door, jerked it open, and left the room.

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WOW. How many of you have been waiting for that since Chapter 1? ^^ I know I have.

This chapter has been my favorite to write by far, and I'd love to hear what you guys thought! I can't wait to see where Chapter 13 takes us ; )

(Also, I realized just now that the 'Tom' in the gif has a little 5 o'clock shadow going on, which was totally unplanned. But DAYUM. Can I get an amen?)