A/N: Welcome! Just to start off the title is inspired by a song, Look at You by Screaming Trees, which does a good job setting the story's tone for Rose and Scorpius's journey after their time at Hogwarts. While it is common to write about super villains that are rather cartoonish, I have attempted to write something a bit more grounded, emotionally complex, and hopefully intriguing. Things are never as simple and straight forward as they first seem to be, and that is a major theme of this story. This should be a pretty good read!

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You are always free to change your mind and choose a different future, or a different past.

-Richard Bach

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"We do not always get to define our lives, ourselves. Many a time they are defined by others, and the hope we have to correct our path darkens and fades. It clouds over and leaves us feeling alone. Yet within each of us is a choice. A choice to be swallowed by that darkness and be defined by it, or to stand. To stand and go toward the distant light that hovers just on the other side of the horizon, past the storm clouds and the night that follows them. Where a golden-red glow of hope and happiness lives."

Scorpius Malfoy placed the pen between the pages of his journal as he glazed out on the vast valley before him. He was seated on a rock just at the edge of short drop. The mountains in front of him were covered in grass, with shrubs and boulders sprouting up here and there. Clouds tumbled over the bare mountains, lightly brushed with snow.

A cold wind whipped around him. Tousling the long, blonde hair over his forehead. His face was lightly dusted with stubble beneath his hand as he rubbed his chin lightly a few times. Before closing his light gray eyes and running his hand under his thick jacket above his sweater.

Scorpius ran it along the line of the scar that now crossed his chest. As he did so he remembered the pain. The fear. He had been so close to death, but that was not the reason he was thinking about the events of that night. It was what had happened, for the shortest of moments after, that was causing him to think back. It was the reason he was here in the first place.

Two Months Ago

Scorpius sat low in the tall grass, just at the break in the low hedge that surrounded the small Sussex farm house. Night had fallen just a short time ago. "Are you sure he's in there?" Scorpius asked looking at Albus Potter. Both had become inseparable since they began Auror training. Now full Aurors, their old school rivalry forgotten, both were on the cusp of turning twenty-two.

"Yeah, I am." Albus said with certainty. "The intel is good."

Scorpius nodded. If Al thought it was good then he was certain it was. "Okay. Let's do this."

Albus nodded at Scorpius then turned left and made a series of hand signals. He did the same on the right. "Alright. On your go, Boss." Albus whispered.

Scorpius gave him a nod, then in one quick motion was on his feet with Albus on his heels. They stayed low, wands drawn and ready as they moved in the dark toward the house. Scorpius could see the others moving in to guard the outside, only to enter if they heard a call for back-up.

Within a few seconds of leaving the hedge he and Albus were at the door to the kitchen, one on each side wands ready. Scorpius gave Albus a nod, and the raven haired Auror moved in front of the door quickly. In seconds it was blown off of its hinges, falling into the kitchen.

Scorpius entered right behind Albus. With a flick of his out stretched wand he cast a beam of light, moving it systematically around in the dark.

"Clear" He said to Albus and they moved on into the hall, Scorpius taking the lead. They checked the bedroom, bath, and closet. All were empty.

Arriving in the small sitting room at the front of the house, Scorpius again moved the beam of light systematically around.

A low, quick creek was heard right above them. "Upstairs" Albus whispered, looking up.

Scorpius could feel his heartbeat rise at the sound just before Albus had spoken. He was here. Perhaps they were going to finally get the bastard. With that hope he made for the stairs.

Just as he placed his right foot on the first step, a beam of white light cut down the stairs making contact with Scorpius directly in the chest. Without thinking, Scorpius shot an disarming charm and stunner up at the attacker.

Albus ran past Scorpius, just after his stunner, up the stairs after the attacker.

It was him, Scorpius was sure of it. It meant the children had to be up there as well. Suddenly he felt as if his chest was on fire. Pain, the sort he had not ever encountered before ripped at him. His head became light as he attempted another step up the stairs. Suddenly his legs crumpled underneath him. Grabbing at the banister, in an attempt to stop his head from impacting the staircase.

He was only half successful, as he did manage to grasp the banister, but his head impacted a step, though not on the edge of it thankfully. Any pain that was expected form hitting his head didn't come. His chest was the only thing he could feel. It was as though knives were cutting away at him, over and over.

Lifting his head, Scorpius looked at his torso in the low light of his wand, which had fallen onto the bottom landing, still emitting its light. He could make out a large amount of a wet, scarlet looking substance on his olive colored Auror robes, which were ripped up.

Extending a very unsteady, shaking hand he touched the warm liquid. He was bleeding, badly. Two booms came from above Scorpius and he looked from his blood covered hand to the ceiling. The front door, right next to the stairs, burst open and two other Aurors entered.

They moved their wand light around the room, then to the stairs landing on Scorpius. He couldn't see who had entered, just the olive robes. "Al... up... stairs..." He got out before something warm trickled over the corner of his mouth.

One Auror ran up toward Albus, while the other went over to Scorpius. Just as the Auror shown the wand light in his eyes everything went dark.

Scorpius opened his eyes suddenly in St. Mungo's a day and a half later. "Scorpius!" His mother shirked when he opened his eyes, causing him to sit up. He immediately regretted that decision upon the pain it caused in his chest. Scorpius fell back onto the bed. His mother placed a cool hand on his forehead and moved his hair.

His parents were both there along with fellow Aurors Vince Zabini and Albus, but the person that he focused on was the girl standing by the doorway, away form the rest. She was fidgeting, playing with her dark red hair. Her lightly freckled face looked anxious. Her blue eyes flooded with relief when they made contact with his. She gave him the briefest, smallest smile when his eyes made contact with hers, and something in side his chest sparked, oddly light and yet heavy. His face flooded with color, he could feel it. It happened every time he saw her.

"The Healer said you took one of the strongest sectumsempra's she's ever seen! Said its amazing that you managed to get off two spells, strong ones too, after taking that. Sweaty are you alright? Oh, Draco did the hit to his head do something to him?"

Scorpius's attention was quickly brought back to his mother. "Mum, I'm fine, really sore though." He then looked at Vince then Albus.

"We got him." Vince said smiling. "The Bilks are safe." Albus followed reaching over and giving Scorpius couple pats on the shoulder.

Scorpius smiled back then made to look back in the direction of Rose Weasley, but she was gone.

The Caucuses are brutally beautiful, Scorpius thought as he snapped out of the memory. He hadn't seen Rose much since Hogwarts. What they had, had been secret. They hadn't been ready to tell anyone and having to leave school it had ended, but it had never really ended for him.

With a deep breath Scorpius placed his journal back into his backpack. He looked out over the valley once more before grabbing the bag and standing. Slinging it over his shoulders he began walking.

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The village was nestled on the edge of a valley not far from where Scorpius had stopped at just a short while ago. It was reminiscent of Hogsmeade, but with everything in Georgian instead of English. No Weasley Wizards Wheezes, or Scrivenshaft's, or Honeydukes, but their regional equivalents were present. Young witches and wizards ran through the main street, as their parents and others did their shopping.

Seeing so many happy families, the laughter and the smiles, made Scorpius feel homesick. He missed home, not Malfoy Manor, that was his grandparents home, not his. No he missed his parent's house just outside of Torquay on the Devon coast.

A small house, just a few rooms, one story, it was modest, and nothing like the Manor. His parent's home was cozy and he always felt safe there, but he needed time away.

Since Mungo's, Scorpius knew his head wasn't in the right place. He loved being an Auror, loved the thrill, but his parent's faces, their worry was unlike anything he had seen before when he had woken up. The guard of Albus and Vince. Had it just been that, well Scorpius was sure he would be in Britain. But he wasn't because that wasn't all of it.

No he was in the little nation of Georgia, traipsing around the mountains. It was beautiful here, but not enough to distract him from her face. The anxiety he had seen etched so clearly there, but then that smile, that innocent, nervous smile and his heart melted, his thoughts raced.

If he had died, he would never have seen that face again, never mind his family or friends. If Vince and Leo had not entered the house when they did, he would never have seen her perfect face again. It had been almost a year since he had last seen her, and almost three since they had said more then just hello.

"The usual my boy?" A heavily accented voice asked in English, though he spoke it well.

Scorpius looked up at the sound of the voice. It was Amiran, the barman at the inn he's been staying at for the last seven weeks. "Oh, Amiran," Scorpius paused for a moment, "maybe something a bit stronger than the usual?" He had been so caught up in his thoughts that Scorpius had not realized where he had gone. Yet, somehow the bar felt like the place he should be.

Amiran was a bit shorter than Scorpius, and a bit older than his father. Very nice wizard that was for sure. His balding head had light gray hairs. He was plump, with a round face and a constant smile.

"I know that look." Amiran said in his accented voice, pouring a small goblet full of a dark liquid. Scorpius didn't ask what it was. Amiran placed it on the bar then walked around and sat on a stool next to Scorpius. "I know that look very well."

Scorpius nodded for him to continue as he brought the glass to his lips giving it a sniff. Some sort of brandy he surmised.

"Yes, you have been wearing it since you walked in here weeks ago, my boy." Amiran gave a small smile as he reached across the bar and grabbed the same bottle and another goblet, pouring one for himself. "You have told me of your injury. You have told me of your love of hiking, your home in England. But not why you are here. Aurors especially do not just walk away from home for no reason. Yes, you are young, and all young people want to see the world, but why are you here? What is her name and why has she brought you to Georgia?"

"Well," Scorpius said taking another sip of the brandy, "I honestly just asked for the soonest Portkey they had. Your Ministry's headquarters in Tbilisi was it. Then I just sorta ended up here. The only all wizarding village left in the country. I guess that's more how I ended up here rather than why I did, but Rose, her name is Rose."

"Rose, a very pretty name." Amiran said before he finished his goblet in one go and made to pour another. "I know why you are here. You want a distraction form your own thoughts. From thoughts about, Rose."

He gave Amiran a few nods, "That's true." Scorpius admitted.

"But your distractions aren't enought to make you stop thinking about her." Amiran continued. "If they had, you wouldn't have that look after so many weeks."

It was absolutely true. She was always somewhere in the back of his mind ever since they had started their relationship, or whatever you call a secret romance. Since becoming the head of an Auror team, he had pushed his thoughts of Rose Weasley so far back he had almost forgotten about her.

Yet waking up after nearly bleeding to death, and seeing her there, worried about him. It was like a switch flipped in his brain and everything was now about Rose Weasley. So here he sat in this small in, in this beautiful place in his attempt to escape everything familiar. To escape the weight of his thoughts.

Sure he had written his parents every few days. Albus and Vince at least once a week. Harry had given Scorpius an indefinate leave of absence so he had no time limit, and no real lack of funds.

"Why are you running away from home?" Amiran asked. "You are an Auror, could it be you no longer wish to be an Auror? That your last encounter with death has left you thinking about what happens next?"

Scorpius looked Amiran in the eyes. "I just don't want to die, yet." And there it was. Out of his lips before it registered in his brain. He was afraid of dying. He had the most dangerous job a wizard could have. He liked the thrill, well, that was until he thought about what the thrill was, death. He thought of all the things he couldn't have if he died. All the things he had given up to become an Auror, including Rose.

Auror trainees worked whenever, usually at random, to see how they could cope with the stress of the irregular hours while being exacting. They had kept it secret, and so it was easy in that way to just stop it. With the end of school, came the end of their romance. Perhaps if it wasn't a secret? Maybe they could have done it?

Scorpius took a very deep breath, letting it out slowly. Amiran had stayed silent all the while, staring into his goblet. "I think this is going to be my last night, Amiran." With that Scorpius stood and began walking to the stairs. His backpack slumped over his shoulders once more.

"You know there are other ways to help people." Amiran said, and Scorpius turned around to face the barman. "There are other things you can do, both within and outside of your Ministry to help people. You don't have to be an Auror, people wont think any less of you. Anyway. Have a good evening my friend, whatever you choose to do."

"Unfortunately, it's in my blood. Have a good night my friend." Scorpius said with a small smile and a nod. Before making his way up to his room. He placed his backpack on the bed and removed his jacket, before opening his trunk. Grabbing his backpack Scorpius dumped the contents on his bed and began placing them into the trunk, until he got to his journal. It was open to the last page he had written on. He read his words over.

"We do not always get to define our lives, ourselves. Many a time they are defined by others, and the hope we have to correct our path darkens and fades. It clouds over and leaves us feeling alone. Yet within each of us is a choice. A choice to be swallowed by that darkness and be defined by it, or to stand. To stand and go toward the distant light that hovers just on the other side of the horizon, past the storm clouds and the night that follows them. Where a golden-red glow of hope and happiness lives."

Perhaps it was time for him to stand? The adrenalin rush of a raid was not enough, there were pieces missing in his life. The Aurors were not going to solely define him. Scorpius gave a small smile, a real, genuine smile. Something he had not done in a while, because he, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, was going to find those missing pieces. He was going to re-define his life.

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