DISCLAIMER: All things Harry Potter belong to JKR.

A/N: This fic was inspired by a line from Deathly Hallows, a throwaway line which never has any follow-up to it in the book. But it got stuck in my mind and this little scene was spawned. Fic title is from an AFI song.

"But we definitely injured Rodolphus..." -Tonks, DH page 76

-- Three Tears I've Saved For You --

Rodolphus struggled slowly back to consciousness, as if from underwater. He opened his eyes and found himself looking up into his wife's blood-splattered face.

They were on the ground, somewhere outside, and he was laying on his back with his head in her lap.

"Did you get them?" he asked, noticing as he spoke that his voice sounded wrong. Something grated awkwardly in his throat.

Bellatrix shook her head. "They got away."

He opened his mouth to respond but she placed her finger against lips.

"Hush, don't try to talk."

He reached out and brushed his hand against the sticky red trails of half-dried blood on her cheek, gazing at her with a questioning expression.

"This is all yours," she said quietly. "It was bad, Rod, you're really hurt..." There was a note of panic in her voice and he thought he saw tears glittering in the corners of her eyes, but she forced the feeling down. She had to stay strong right now. "I did what I could, but I'm not a healer," she whispered. Louder, she said, "Someone's coming back to get us. I can't carry you by myself."

She leaned down and kissed him, very tenderly, on the mouth.

Something must be REALLY wrong, he thought.

They loved each other, of course, but not in a romantic way. They were childhood friends, and they had only married each other because their parents had pressured them into it. And not long afterward, they had both joined the Death Eaters and Bellatrix had fallen in love with the Dark Lord... As a result of that, they were rarely physically affectionate with each other.

"Am I dying?" he croaked out. The awful grating feeling in his throat was worse this time.

Bellatrix gazed down at him sadly.

"I... hope not..." she said quietly, a single tear sliding down her face.

- end -

A/N: Reviews are love.