Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,

[womnizr_womnizr]

~Cygnus' vow not to engage in sexual activities hadn't lasted very long. A stop on Santorini to view the Villa turned up one of his girlfriends and she really didn't have to work very hard to convince him to take her back to his place in Thessaly.

When they are through there is a gentle smile on his face; his eyes are closed and he appears to have

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[l_lady_noir_l]

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~Druella arrived in sunny Thessaly that afternoon in a bright and cheerful mood, unaware as to what awaited her at her husband's villa. Since his recent hospital admission, Druella had been stricken with guilt, not to mention the frightening realisation that Cygnus might not always be around. After hours of reflecting over her marriage, she had decided that a bold gesture was needed - to prove to him that she was no longer the stoical alcoholic that he had come to call his wife, but, instead, a new woman - determined to fix the unfixable. Though sadly, Druella was too late - for this gesture would never be acknowledged.~

*Druella steps through the front door, being careful not to make a noise as she creeps through the house. She opens the door to the bedroom*

Cygnus?

*Her eyes fall upon her husband*

Oh, you lazy thing. Asleep at this hour? *laughs, and approaches Cygnus's body. She sits on the bed beside him, and begins to brush his hair back lovingly but her hand draws back sharply; his skin is like ice*

Cygnus? *Druella's smile begins to fade and her brows knit together, forming a frown* Darling?
*slaps his cheek gently. Her voice getting higher with each word*
Wake up, Cygnus. This isn't funny.
*shakes him by the shoulders*
CYGNUS?! For Merlin's sake, you're scaring me!
*feels his neck for a pulse, tears forming*

...wake up, Cygnus, please...you can't do this to me...not now!
*frantic, Druella shakes him again, tears streaming down her cheeks*

[womnizr_womnizr]

*the sheet slips down a little as she shakes, revealing some of the more insistently red lipstick marks on his chest*

[l_lady_noir_l]

*Druella's wipes her cheeks with her sleeve as she stares at these red marks, then runs a finger over the nearest one. She holds her stained finger up to the light and watches the lipstick glitter.

Druella stands and pulls back the covers, revealing her husband's (very) naked body. Her eyes widen and she quickly pulls the covers back over his more private areas*

Oh, Cygnus...you didn't...? *sits back down and grabs his shoulders again* You promised to be good. *she spots his wedding ring laying abandoned on the bedside table, and she reaches for his left hand*

[womnizr_womnizr]

*a point of fact is that he did, and to further this point, there is a bit of red material now exposed, poking out from under his back*

[l_lady_noir_l]

*her hand pauses en route and she pulls at the red material, holding it up to the light.

Realising it's a pair of knickers, Druella shrieks and throws them across the room. Her mind is racing, surely he couldn't have died...during the act? The girl would have noticed, she would have called an ambulance or something.

Druella stares after the knickers for a while, tears returning to her cheeks as she imagines what she is going to tell her family.
She looks back at him and notices the restraining straps around his wrists. The very same items he had accidentally given to her for Christmas.*

You bastard. How am I going to explain this to our girls? *she shakes her head, breaking into hysterics*
You stupid, STUPID MAN! *strikes Cygnus across the cheek with the back of her hand* How could you do this to me?! I don't deserve this...

*Druella collapses on top of him, burying her head in her arms and crying loudly*
Please, d-don't leave me, Cygnus. I'm n-not ready to l-lose you.

[womnizr_womnizr]

*Cygnus would have surely said to her, "There, there, my dear." and petted her head and soothed her the best that he could, but he cannot, and all earthly cares are past him now*

[l_lady_noir_l]

*After what seems like hours, Druella rises from the bed. Her eyes puffy and red from crying.
She needs her daughters. She had never longed for their company so much in her life. She needed to hold them close to her like she used to, and laugh about how silly Mummy was for crying over Daddy - just like she used to.

But before she attempted to contact anyone, Druella opened the front door and walked outside - letting the warm sunshine wash over her. She closed her eyes and sighed, Cygnus' death was going to cause a whole lot of chaos.*

[ooc - I will get Druella to write to each family member individually. She's just going to mull for a while, and try to work out what she's going to say to everyone...]

[womnizr_womnizr]

[ooc: sounds good - you wrote her grief beautifully and very convincingly... poor thing]

[l_lady_noir_l]

*Druella makes her way back to the bedroom, her skin almost as cold as her husband's - despite the warmth of the Greek sun. Emotionally drained, she picks up the red knickers and puts them in a paper bag, before throwing them in the rubbish bin. She then unties the restraints that grasp Cygnus' wrist and with a handkerchief attempts to wipe away the lipstick. She didn't need the humiliation right now. After pulling a pair of underpants onto her husband, she flicked her wand and summoned Healers. She knew it was probably a bad idea to tamper with the 'crime scene', so to speak, but she couldn't deal with the smirks of medi-witches...or deal with the sight of what they might write in their reports.
She knew the reality of it all would come to light sooner or later.

The medi-team arrived within minutes. They were Greek, of course, but they would take Cygnus back to St Mungo's that evening, and make sure Cygnus' house was taken care of until the next owner took it over. Druella kissed her husband's cold lips for the last time and watched in tears as two Medi-Wizards moved him onto a stretcher.*

*Shaking her head*My Cygnus...

*A Medi-Witch puts her arm around Druella's shoulder as the others carry him out of the room*

*starting up* W-where are you t-taking him? *brushes the Medi-witch off her shoulder* Don't take him away from me! I don't want him out of my sight ever again *She pushes her way after them, and grasps her husband's lifeless hand*
Cygnus...my love...*The Medi-Wizards stop in their tracks to allow her the moment. She grips tightly and kisses the back of his hand, allowing fresh tears to form*

I'm so sorry...for everything.

[ooc - Really? Thank you. That means a lot! I was hoping it would come out well :) ]

[l_lady_noir_l]

*Druella didn't have to wait long for the Healers to start asking her questions. She answers them as best she can, and as descreetly as she can. When they were satisfied, Healers from St Mungo's were summoned. Druella was oddly comforted at the sight of the British Healers, even when they apparated away with Cygnus' body. The remaining St Mungo's Medi-wizard gave Druella an encouraging smile.*

Do you wish to return with us, Madam?

*Druella nods and together they return to England. Though she is a little dismayed upon her arrival in St Mungo's - as her husband's body nowhere in sight.*

Don't worry Madam, he'll be well taken care of. You can visit him later, the healers just have to run an examination. *The Medi-Wizard ushers to a small room* You must be exhausted. Rest here, have some tea. Relax. You've had a rough time...

*Druella nods, and enters the room. It is small, but comfortable looking, with a bed, a desk and chair and a couple of squashy pouffes

"There are Owls available if you want to contact family. We would summon them ourselves, but I think this occasion calls for a more personal approach - you understand."
Druella nods again then sits down at the desk and stares at the parchment.*

*in a slightly hoarse voice* Couldn't I just leave the hospital and tell my daughter's in person?

*"I've been told to keep you safe here, just in case you...well, just to keep an eye on you. You must understand where we are coming from, Madam? A person grieving has the tendency to act out of sorts...especially considering this situation. It's nothing personal, it's just hospital policy."
Druella frowns, but nods her agreement.

"Very well, Madam. I'll send a member of our Kitchen Staff round shortly, to offer you some tea or a bite to eat."
The man bows his way out of the door, and leaves the Widow alone with her thoughts once more...*