She felt like she was floating on the ocean. She had important things to do, things to take care of, people to take care of, but everything seemed so far away, just out of reach. "Fuzzy," she whispered aloud, blinking against the suddenly bright sun reflecting off the water she was surrounded by.

Wake up, ducks. You have a beautiful man who's waiting for you.

"But I'm happy here," Lavender said, turning in the unusually warm water to locate the voice.

You're happy there, too. We're here if you need us.

"I need you all the time." Swallowing harshly, a lump in her throat when she couldn't see anything but the expanse of ocean around her, Lavender closed her eyes and committed the sound to memory.

As we need you, but that gorgeous man needs you more right now. Wake up, Love. Wake up.

Groaning, the dream forgotten as soon as it'd ended, fading into nothingness along with the memory of the voice, Lavender threw her arm over her face, burying her eyes into the bend of her elbow.

Justin had nodded off. He jerked awake when Lavender made a noise and moved. She was trying to be on her back. He pulled her until she was settled back on her belly.

"Not on your back just yet. Try not to move. Do you need any pain potion?"

"What," Lavender managed to say, unable to open her eyes because of the brightness in the bedroom. "I don't-"

HIM. Slashing hex.

"Oh." She bit her lower lip, remembering what had happened during the Raid. "How bad is my back?"

"Is the light too bright?"

Justin flicked his wand and drew the shades, darkening the room a bit. He was also studiously avoiding her question because while it was not bad, per se, she would still have a scar, and Lavender would be upset about that.

"That should be better."

Nodding, Lavender opened one eye experimentally, looking up at Justin as she let her arm fall away from her face. She blinked a few times, letting her eyes adjust to the light. "It is. How is my back," she asked again. He didn't want her to be on her back, which meant something wasn't right. Had Ginny not been able to heal it all the way?

"It's going to be tender for a while. That was a nasty hex you took." Justin fidgeted and ran a hand through his hair. "You're um, probably going to er, have, this is, there will likely be, um..."

"A scar," Lavender finished for him. She could already feel the tightness in her back. She wanted to reach behind her and run a hand over the marks, but knew it was probably not a good idea. "How large is it?" He marked me. The bastard marked me on the outside just like he's done on the inside.

Justin sighed. "It goes from your shoulder blades to the top of your arse. It crisscrosses. It looks a bit like a wonky cross. I.... it doesn't bother me. It would never bother me. You're still you, only braver."

"I wasn't brave," Lavender said, shaking her head. "I tried to run away. That's not bravery. That's cowardice." He marked me. He marked me.

Justin crawled into the bed with her and put his face towards hers. Their noses were almost touching. "You stood your ground with a man who had taken so much from you. I don't see this as cowardice."

He touched his nose to hers.

"I'm proud to know you, prouder still to touch you."

Lavender peered into his eyes, looking for any sign of dishonestly. She didn't find any, as there was none to be found. She nodded, closing her eyes, leaned forward a bit to press her cheek against his. "Thank you."

"I'm just sorry he hurt you. Now he really has to die."

Justin had not spoken to anyone. He didn't know if they'd managed to catch the man. He had a face though. He was going to find him. Justin was not kidding when he said the Frenchman was going to die.

Lavender pulled back enough to look at him, worry on her face. "No, Justin. Just... no. I won't have you risking yourself for this. He already took two from me, do not make yourself the third."

"He's not taking me from you, and you think I intend to go this alone? Oh no. I see how he works now. I will be calling in favors. My personal hatred and need to kill the man is definitely overshadowed by the fact that he needs to be caught. He's not getting away this time. He just isn't. Not for long anyhow."

The very idea of Justin being near Him again made the blood in Lavender's veins turn to ice. If she never saw That Man again, she would die a happy woman. Wanting to change the subject, needing to change it, she attempted to flex her shoulders. "When can I start moving? I don't think I like the idea of being forced to stay on my stomach for hours on end."

"You can move. Everything is all together again. Just be careful. It's probably tender still. Are you hungry? Hannah made you some soup when she heard what had happened. She said she'd bring you three meals a day until you felt better."

Lavender nodded, sitting up experimentally, her arm pressed over her chest. Though the muscles in her back felt taut and sore, she didn't have much pain when she moved. She looked over at Justin as she settled onto the bed, an eyebrow raised. "And I'm wearing only my knickers... why?"

"I thought you'd be more comfortable that way. Don't worry, you had a gown on at the clinic. I didn't strip you down until Ginny let me bring you home. You want a shirt or something?"

"Not yet," she answered, standing. She didn't let the fact that he jumped up to help her make her feel uncomfortable. He had helped her, had been doing so since the raid. She looked over at him as he helped her towards the stairs. "What day is it? How long was I out?"

"It's Tuesday," Justin said. "You've pretty much been out of it the last two days. You talked in your sleep a little, but nothing that really made sense."

"Apparently I do that when I'm sick." It took a bit to get down all the stairs, but they made it without incident. "I want to look in a mirror," she said, looking over at him with a serious expression on her face.

Justin nodded and helped her to the bathroom. He held on to her while she put her back to the mirror above the sink and looked over her shoulder.

The lines were red and puffy. She'd seen scars on other people, but seeing them on herself made her stomach turn a bit. It wasn't so much that she was scarred. Lavender liked to think that while she still appreciated outer beauty, the time had passed where she only appreciated what was on the surface.

No, the fact that He had given the two marks to her made her insides churn.

Two marks. Two lines. One for Cat and one for Steven.

She grinned softly to herself in the mirror, tracing the scars with her eyes.

"Come on," Justin said. "Let's get you some food."

Justin steered her to her chair and grabbed a TV tray off of the set he'd picked up at a yard sale for them. He placed it before her. "What would you like, and sorry, love, no wine just yet."

Frowning, only feeling a little self-conscious that she was sitting in one of their chairs, nothing covering her top. Lavender let out a considering sound. "Soup sounds fine. Whatever Hannah's left."

Justin heated her a bowl and got her a glass of water. He also got her some bread.

"Sure you don't want a shirt - not that I dislike the view."

Looking up at him as he set her food down on the table in front of her, Lavender grinned slightly. "Well, I suppose you not disliking the view is a good thing for me." She grabbed the glass of water, draining it. Letting out a little moan of satisfaction, she set it back on the table. "Guess I was thirstier than I thought."

Justin grabbed the glass and went to get her some more. "But if you are cold or something, I can get you a blanket or your robe."

"I'm fine," she said, looking down at the soup. Now that it was in front of her, she wasn't sure if she was that hungry. "What's happened to Madeline," she asked, looking over her shoulder at him.

"Just eat a little, Lav. Not a lot. Maybe even a few bites and part of the bread. Madeline went to one of the safe houses. They're going to try to locate her family. Just like everyone else. She was unharmed. I'll find out for you when she is returned home and how things go if you like."

"I would." Lavender didn't know why, but since she'd helped Madeline, she needed to know that the little girl was alright. It would bother her to no end if she didn't. She dipped her spoon into the soup, taking a small taste. When her stomach didn't immediately revolt, she took another bite. The soup vanished quickly, the last bits of it soaked into the bread before that was eaten as well. Well, you were out for quite a few days. Eating like a pig is a little acceptable.

"Thank you for watching over me," she said after a bit. She looked over at him again, gratitude in her eyes. It'd gotten easier to say those two words, and mean them, since she'd started dating him.

Justin just nodded. "As if I'd be anywhere else. Do you want a bath? Or more food? I could give you a sponge bath."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but maybe you could use a bath. You're looking rather scruffy. I've never seen you with facial hair before."

"Well, I've been sitting next to you for the last few days." Justin lifted his arm and sniffed. He was a bit ripe. "Do you need anything? Like a blanket? I think I do need a bit of personal grooming."

Lavender perked up a little bit. "We could get clean together."

"I don't think we could both sit in the tub," Justin said, frowning. "Do you think you can stand in the shower that long? Maybe I can transfigure you a shower bench? We aren't supposed to... I mean... Ginny said that you need to rest. I know you won't like that, but I don't want to hurt you."

"I'm not asking you to ravage me, Justin. Though it does sound nice. I don't even think I'm up for that. I do think we could shower together and it'd be alright, though. Besides, if I started to fall, I know you'd catch me."

Justin smiled. It was very nice to be trusted and depended upon. That was a big step for her. He went upstairs to get fresh clothing for himself and her robe for her.


{SUMMARY} Lavender wakes to find that she has been looked after by Justin.