Chapter 20 because you guys are the best and left a ton of comments on The Girl Who Loved, and the last chapter of this story :D Keep those votes and comments coming, I'm loving it!!

Ellison stood at the back wall of the alley beside Tom's flat, balancing two large coffees in one hand. Reaching up, she rapped against the brick, her hair whipping fiercely in the bitter wind.

The cool weather of autumn had come and gone in a flash, leaving a bone chilling cold in its wake. Ellison looked up at the dull, gray sky. Flurries of snow had begun to fall during the night, though nothing would stick for another month or so.

A familiar green door appeared, swinging open. Ellison's eyes darted away from the clouds overhead, to the small, wiry haired house elf standing before her.

"Good morning Beasley," she spoke, smiling down at the creature.

"Good morning miss Ellison!" Beasley replied enthusiastically. "Master is in a meeting, but you can wait for him in the study, if you please."

"Thank you Beasley," Ellison replied, stepping inside, a rush of warm air flooding her cheeks as the door closed behind her. Shaking a few stray snowflakes from her hair, she grasped one of the coffees she had been holding in one hand, with the other, and made her way to the study.

"I don't care what you have to do, just get it done," a low voice hissed from the stairwell. She had heard that voice too many times not to recognize it. Glancing up, her suspicions were confirmed ... Tom stood on the landing, glowering over a man she didn't recognize. Was this who Tom had been in a meeting with? The squat man, whose blonde hair was thinning at the crown of his head, looked unnerved by Tom's threatening words.

Averting his eyes from Tom's cold glare, the man's eyes fell on Ellison. She looked back at him, then to Tom, who had followed the man's gaze, and was now staring at her too. Warmth flooded her cheeks once again, a bright red blush creeping up her neck.

"Come on Mr. Sims," Tom began, his tone more collected than before, though it still held a hint of derisiveness, "I'll walk you out." Ellison glanced away, stepping out of view before swiftly entering the study.

Plopping down in an armchair, she sat the coffee cups down on the end table, exhaling sharply. Whatever Tom and that man has been discussing, he certainly hadn't intended for her to hear it. Worst of all, Tom had caught her listening. Would he be angry? Close himself off even more than usual?

She stood up, shaking the thoughts away. Since when did she care whether or not something she did made Tom Riddle angry? That wasn't what was bothering her. Not really. No, the exchange she had just overheard had, once again, brought questions to the forefront of her mind. Questions, for the most part, she had done a fair job of ignoring.

She wanted desperately to believe Tom wasn't responsible for the monstrous things the Daily Prophet had claimed ... to believe he was still the boy she had met at Hogwarts. Deep down though, she knew there was more truth to the stories than she wanted there to be.

She had always viewed Tom through rose colored glasses ... willing herself to see the good in him, no matter how hard he tried to cover it up. Maybe that's why she hadn't asked any questions ... why she had been content with Tom's secretiveness. Because, deep down, she knew the truth would make it that much more difficult to see him the way she had a decade ago. As much as she wanted him to be, maybe Tom wasn't the same person he had been all those years ago. Maybe he had changed ... then again, maybe he hadn't changed at all ... maybe she was just beginning to see him for who he truly was. Despite everything, she still believed there was good within him. She had seen it ... had experienced it. No matter what he had done, or was planning to do, that fact remained.

"Good morning," a voice called from behind her, pulling her out of her thoughts. She turned from the bookshelf she had been perusing  absentmindedly, to face Tom, who was standing in the door way, his eyes scanning her up and down.

"Good morning," she smiled. "I got that coffee we talked about," she added, nodding towards the cups sitting on the end table.

"You didn't have to pick anything up. Beasley could've made us some," Tom replied, taking a seat in one of the armchairs.

"It wasn't any trouble," she shrugged. "I swung by this little cafe downtown ... Jo's ... I swear they've got the best coffee in all of London," she continued, picking up her cup and taking a sip.

"Funny, I don't recall you being a coffee drinker," Tom said, taking a drink from his own cup.

"Running after two kids does that to you, I suppose."

"Fair enough," Tom chuckled, inclining his cup to her in a mock toast.

"So..." she began slowly, careful to maintain the airiness in her tone. "Who was that man  you were speaking with earlier?" The smile Tom had been wearing morphed into a knowing smirk at her question.

"Just an ... associate," he shrugged nonchalantly.

"An associate?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Tom simply nodded, taking another sip of coffee.

"And what were you and this associate talking about?" She pressed.

"Business."

"When are you actually going to tell me what this business of yours is?" She asked, abandoning her casual tone.

"When are you going to admit you don't actually want to know?" Tom countered, his smirk widening. "Besides, I think you have an idea."

"But I don't," Ellison argued, trying to hide the frustration rising within her. "Except for what I've read in the papers."

"I wouldn't believe everything you read in the newspaper," Tom replied coolly.

"So they're not true then? All the stories the Daily Prophet has printed about Voldemort?"

"That's not what I'm saying."

"What are you saying then?" She pressed, abandoning all restraint now.

"The Daily Prophet doesn't exactly ... align ... itself with my ideals," Tom replied, his smirk fading slightly.

"And what exactly are these ideals of yours?"

"That wizards shouldn't have to live in hiding," he began, his tone more serious now. "That families like yours ... pure bloods ... should be-"

"Superior?" Ellison cut him off, her tone more disdainful than she had intended.

"That's not exactly the word I would use."

"But it's what you meant," Ellison continued, cutting him off again. Tom gave no reply, his eyes trained on hers, searching them for something. She stood up, retreating to the window, trying to sort out the thoughts racing within her mind. "Blood isn't everything Tom," she said after a moment, turning back around to face him.

"Its certainly something," Tom countered, a smirk turning up the corners of his mouth once again.

"You know ... You're sounding a lot like Gellert Grindelwald."

"Is that a bad thing?" Tom asked matter-of-factly.

"You can't be serious?" Ellison raised her eyebrows incredulously.

"Maybe not all his ideas were bad," Tom shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Sure, unless your a half blood or muggle born," Ellison shot back, turning around towards the window, silence enveloping the room.

"Let's change the subject before your coffee gets cold," a voice sounded directly behind her after a moment. Ellison looked into the reflection of the window, her eyes meeting Tom's dark brown ones. Grasping her arm lightly, he turning her around to face him.

"Fine," she replied, accepting the coffee cup, which Tom had extended out to her. He gazed down at her, his eyes searching hers earnestly. Slowly, he reached up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She gazed back at him, his lingering touch muddling her thoughts even more than before.

Slipping his hand into her hair, Tom leaned in until their noses were nearly touching. "Besides, I don't think we've ever agreed on much of anything before, have we?" he spoke, his breath hot against her lips, which were mere inches from his now.

"Not that I can recall," she replied, closing her eyes, trying to think clearly through the haze that now eclipsed her mind. Her breath hitched in her throat as Tom's lips brushed against her own for a fleeting moment, electricity coursing through her entire body. Reaching up, she touched his face, cupping his cheek lightly in her hand. She leaned in, thoughts of the conversation they had just had fading to black as she pressed her lips against his.

——————————————

Whew... it might've taken all night, but here's chapter 20! Let me know what you guys think. P.S. I'm glad to finally be writing in some tension between Tom and Ellison again ;P