this is not the end {it's not the end of}

Restocking candy for her cravings was hard business, especially when all the good candy stores were miles away. Ever since that kiss with Rhys, Lena had been eating a little more regularly, and had succumbed to attending every meal of the day for the past week, which was an achievement in itself. Obviously, she was rather proud of herself - though she didn't know exactly how to brag about it.

Lena stared contemplatively at the candy she had gotten so far. They were enough to stock most people for a week, but considering her eating rate it might be enough to keep her alive for a month. Unless her eating habits changed within that month, of course, but the chances of that was dismal.

Frodo sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets ad he wondered around the store randomly. He didn't even like sweets and yet he was here. He supposed that he had a made a habit of walking around aimlessly these days almost any place he could find, as long as it was away from school. Things had been going out of control and he didn't even know whom to talk to.

He stared at all the Chocolate Frogs, reaching his hand out to take one but stopped and shook his head. He began walking once more, looking at the other shelves when he suddenly bumped into someone. "Oh, I'm so-" He stopped midsentence when he saw it was Lena. Not keeping eye contact, he stepped away from her and muttered a quick 'sorry'.

Had Lena been in one of her grumpier moods, she might have actually sworn at the person who bumped into her, but she was merely sad, not grumpy. Her eyes flickered towards the voice, and her heart pumped quicker than they should, because honestly, she was so scared of the owner of that voice she could die by just looking at his face.

She looked at him, and smiled sadly, "You don't have to apologize, you know?" She scanned his body, and to a blind man he looked upset. "Are you alright?" she asked, though she felt rather awkward doing so.

Wondering for a moment if he was somewhere else, Frodo stared at Lena. When did she turn so nice? He thought. His first instinct was to just ignore and walk away, but of course he couldn't do that. Maybe je could just do some small talk and get away.

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and cleared his voice. "Well, I'm sorry either way, I was kinda lost." He told, his voice neutral. "And I can honestly say I've been better," he said. He had no idea why Lena even wanted to talk to him in the first place, but he supposed he could play along with her.

"So how are you doing?" He asked quietly.

Lena's eyes twinkled. "Oh, me?" she echoed, "I'm grand, I really am!" She grinned, twirling around, trying not to bump into a shelf. She wondered slightly why Frodo was so sad, before flashes of their last encounter erupted in her mind, an her smile faded briefly before it was pasted back onto her face.

"I've been talking to Rhys loads lately!" she beamed, barely caring about what the other boy felt. After all, it was her turn to talk now. "Of course I fell grand! Grander than the Grand Eiffel Tower! Aaaand..." She flushed, thinking about Divination.

Frodo smiled lightly at Lena's excitement and obviously better state of mind. No matter what the circumstances, he couldn't deny the fact that he was glad she was feeling good. And by the looks of it, she definitely started eating more as well.

The Hitrost silently thanked Rhys for making the girl feel good again. He briefly wondered if they were back together, but wasn't interested in asking at the moment. "Well, that's really good news," he replied honestly. "And what?" He prodded her.

Lena's cheeks began to redden even more at what did happen in Divination, so she had not much choice if she were to reveal it to Frodo unless she whispered it in his ear. Leaning across, she whispered rather quickly, "We kinda made out and the Professor walked in on us, and Anya still has no idea."

She sighed loudly, and she barely blinked an eye at a fly who landed on her nose. "How are you doing, FroFro?" she asked.

Frodo looked at the Uchitel in surprise, not sure whether to be feel good about the revelation or not. After what seemed like minutes, he managed, "That's...great Lena. I'm happy for you I guess." He sighed. "Does this mean you both are back together?"

"How come you didn't tell Anya?" He asked her, leaning against the shelf. Ignoring her question, he continued, "And how's everyone else at Hogwarts?" He didn't know why he was making small chit chat, when he really wanted to bolt out of here. This was better than nothing, he supposed.

Lena's face froze when Frodo spoke of her and Rhys getting back together. It wasn't because of the shock of the thought of her and him being together was shocking, it was because of the fact that they had never thought of her and him being together, intertwined in each other's lives. Were they back together? She didn't know; she hasn't talked to him since then.

"Well, she walked in class right after the Professor told us to stop... eh..." she paused, "making out. I can't just tell her, 'Oh, I made out with my ex-boyfriend in class today! Wasn't that fantastic?'" She rolled her eyes.

Frodo was confused by the Uchitel's confusion, but decided not to say anything. After all, it wasn't really his business anymore. He had to admit that he would indeed be glad if they did get back together; they were quite a contrasting couple.

He chuckled lightly at her explanation. "You do know that you could have told her later?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "Unless of course you actually didn't want to tell her. How come? I don't think she'd be angry...that much," he commented with a slight grin.

"Well, that's true, but... I don't know what she'll say," Lena sighed, shaking her head, "I know she'll probably be happy about it, but she might ask about how sudden it was. I mean... sure, Rhys and I talk, but... barely. It'll be odd if we suddenly start to snog in the middle of class."

The Uchitel paused for a second and looked directly at her brother, "Well. I just told you. What do you feel about it?"

"For other people it may be odd, but for someone like you, it's not," Frodo stated with a shrug. "Are you sure that's the real reason you didn't want to tell her or is there something else?" He asked.

He looked at the blonde for a moment before replying, "I feel glad, honestly. You two should never have broken up in the first place, and there's probably a chance of fixing it. And how does Rhys feel about it?"

"Sure I'm sure it's the real reason," Lena replied, shrugging her shoulders, "I mean, why do I not want to tell her about this?" Her eyes brightened, "I mean... this is the tenth best thing that happened in my life."

The blonde paused, swatting a fly from her view. She had no answer to that question. "W-Well..." she began, before clearing her throat, "you tell me."

"Tenth best thing, huh? And what are the other nine?" Frodo asked the Uchitel curiously. "I don't think it's any of my business anymore, but no harm in asking."

He sighed and asked, "How am I supposed to tell you how he felt, Lena? I'm sure you two must have talked after that. And frankly, it's a mix of emotions for me right now, so I don't think I can answer that."

"The other nine are... long stories for other times," Lena sighed, "but you can be sure the top of that list is the moment I met Rhys. There is nothing better in my life than him, and there never will be. And I can honestly say that, with all the shit I've been through."

The blonde Uchitel's eyes widened, "What mix of emotions?" Her voice was sharp, biting, piercing. "Tell me more, tell me more!"

Frodo grinned and looked at Lena amusedly. "It's kind of obvious that Rhys would be the best thing that happened. I'll say it again; you both never should have broken up. But then again, every relationship has it's ups and downs, right?" He asked and gave a sad smile.

He looked at the Uchitel in surprise before replying. "I don't know Lena, I'm just not sure where we stand at the moment," he gestured between him and the blonde. "I don't know what's going on in your head, but I want us to clear this up right now. I'd say that I feel betrayed in a way," he admitted. "Mostly because it may cause me problems with Kait, which I already seem to be having," he told with a sigh.

"You said that right, brother!" Lena proclaimed, nodding along with what Frodo was saying. She couldn't think of anything else to utter, so she only put this large grin on her face.

That made her look really, really stupid. But fucking hell.

"We stand as brother and sister with a brief, unforgettable incestuous moment that was... uncalled for," Lena whispered, her eyes dilating. Her smile turned into a scowl when she realized what could have happened between them...

"Holy shit," she spat, "you told her, didn't you? You told her!"

Frodo looked at the Uchitel, confused as to why she was suddenly behaving hyper. He was surprised to hear her still call him as 'brother', thinking that they had already crossed that boundary and she wouldn't want a friendship that close from him.

"What's with the big grin?" He asked her.

"Damn right it was uncalled for," he muttered. "It was just so wrong Lena, I don't get why you would do that, especially knowing that I am already in a relationship." He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "What if I hadn't pushed you away, huh?" He asked quietly.

"I didn't tell her," he murmured. "How can I tell her that one of he close friends kissed her boyfriend? It's bad enough that we've been having a rough time since she came back from her kidnapping."

"Are you trying to chase away the big grin on my face, Frodo?" Lena asked in a quiet voice, trying to hide her grin in a demure fashion, "I'm still too glad because finally... Rhys and I are talking again!" She squealed genuinely once more in an effort to prove her point.

"Ew!" Lena frowned, acting as if The Incident wasn't that big a deal. Truth be told, it was. That was why the Uchitel's gut was churning with displeasure, and she felt as if she was going to hurl at any moment. "Why on earth would you like to imagine what would happen if you hadn't stopped me?" Her voice grew sharper, now.

"Thank God!" yelled the Uchitel, "because if you told her, that means you broke your part of the deal. And mama doesn't like dealbreakers, darlin'."

Frodo shook his head and laughed softly. "No, I would never try to do such a thing. In fact, it is really good to see you so happy," he said genuinely. "I should definitely thank Rhys for being the reason of your current state of happiness," he smiled.

He looked stunned for a moment at what Lena's question implied, but he quickly regained his composure. "I didn't mean it like that, and you know it." He told in a firm tone. "I was just thinking that consequences would have been even more severe than they are going to be. And frankly, I'm having a hard time as it is." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"You do realize that I will have to tell her at some point, right?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "I don't mind if you do not tell Rhys, but if I tell her, chances are that he will find out."

"You should!" Lena squealed, her cheekbones bouncing, "do you know that ever since we kissed, the sky has never seemed bluer, and the world has never seemed so full of joy with its diverse cultures?" She sighed loudly, embracing Rhys's face in her mind.

Patience running out, Lena responded, "Oh honestly, do you take me for a fool? Of course I didn't think of that query that way!" Narrowing her eyes, Lena's temper began to flare. "You're having a hard time?" she yelled, "oh puh-lease, you're in Durmstrang with the people you love right behind you! I might seem like a selfish bitch saying this, but I'm the one in a new environment around people I don't care about trying to flirt with me!"

The blonde groaned and rested her head in her hands. "Fuck. My reputation as 'The Perfect Half to The Hottest Guy Ever' is dead. I'll be as much of a whore as Haze is."

Frodo's looked at the Uchitel, his face a mixture of surprise and gladness. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen her so joyous and excited, and it was definitely a good thing. "That's really nice, Lena," he told softly.

Being the one to rarely lost his temper, he listened to Lena's rant calmly and waited for her to finish. "No Lena, the people I love are not right behind me. I have no family because I am disowned, I have no place to go and the one girl I love with all my heart is going to hate me because of what you and I did," he told in a quiet voice, not realizing that he had never told her about his family troubles.

"Is that all you care about? Your reputation?" He asked, feeling a bit of anger but mostly hurt at her comment. "So you don't care about how this is going to affect any one of us, do you?" He shook his head and leaned against one of the shelves and closed his eyes.

"You're disowned, well done," snapped Lena, obvious that she didn't put much thought into how it would be affecting Frodo at that moment, "but at least your family has the guts to tell you they hate you!" She resented that, and the fact that she had to be the lion in a family of lambs. "Well, it's not my fault I chose to tell her what we both did! That choice had its consequences, and you chose to take that risk."

Crossing her arms, the Uchitel firmly put her foot on the ground. "Oh, I don't have time to tarry myself with all of you when my own life is at stake, and I don't mean from this trivial matter!" she reasoned, her voice more high-pitched than it usually is. She closed her eyes, thinking about Enya and Rhys and Rose and Patricia and Alex and anything, anything to calm her down...

Frodo was stunned, to say the least. He thought, no hoped, that they could talk through this and maybe fix it, but apparently not. At her comments, he felt as though he got slapped. "Yes Lena, I am so lucky that my step father told me he hates me, especially since he won't admit he's the reason my mother is dead," he told in an emotionless tone. "I'll tell her because I can't stand to lie to her and you know that."

"I'm trying to help you here Lena," he told quietly. "I've always listened to you and been there and just for once I wish you'd understand me. If this is how you really feel, I don't think we should talk to each other, at least for a while." His heart broke a little as he said the words, but he didn't have the strength anymore to hold onto the pain.

It was only when the words hit her that Lena had realized the meaning of what she had said. She had been harsh on him. Perhaps a little too harsh.

Okay. A lot too harsh.

"Your stepfather killed your mum?" asked the blonde, her eyes widening furiously. She flung her arms around him, ignoring the fact that it wasn't the best idea at the moment. "Holy fuck! I'm so, so sorry!" She shook her head, "Why am I such a douche?"

The Uchitel combed her fingers through her hair, and closed her eyes, trying to shut this out, just for a moment. Running into the concave that was the Dreamtrails, just for a brief second, she came out, and firmly nodded. "It's your choice," she replied, her voice breaking.