It was a small miracle that he managed to Apparate to St. Mungo's without splinching himself.

He'd been directed towards Malfoy immediately, but the trip in the lift was agonizingly slow. He tried to find a Healer to speak to, but the reception desk was empty of staff and the waiting area was devoid of anyone but his brother-in-law.

Ted staggered into the wall when he saw him.

Malfoy was sitting in a generic plastic chair, the sort that apparently littered both Muggle and Wizarding health institutions alike. Lucius' pale face was slick with sweat, his blond shoulder length hair disheveled in a way that would make most raise an eye, at the very least - Malfoys were always contained, neat, proper. Ted himself had never once seen Lucius so unkept, not even during their days playing Quidditch at Hogwarts. Had this been any other occasion, Ted would have undoubtedly made some snarky joke about how Lucius must've woken up on the wrong side of the bed. Jokes, however, even at the expense of Malfoy, were as far from his mind as possible at the moment. Ted wasn't sure he'd ever smile again, let alone crack a joke.

Ted took a few unsteady steps and as he did he noticed that not only was Lucius' hair a mess, it was flaked with what Ted stupidly thought was rust, only to quickly realize it was dried blood. Ted's eyes dropped and took in the rest of him. His feet were bare. His dark trousers hid any stains, but his white shirt was smeared with so much blood that it had yet to dry. Lucius' elegant hands were stained red.

Ted fought the overwhelming urge to puke.

Lucius had said very little once he realized Ted was standing there, only that Andromeda was still alive and that Bellatrix had been the one who did it. His voice shook in a way that Ted had never known it to. His face ashen and his eyes haunted, as if they were full of images that he would never be able to unsee.

"The baby?"

Lucius jerked his head and his eyes fell away from Ted and to the floor. He didn't ask how Ted knew Narcissa was pregnant, just replied solemnly, "They don't know."

Ted stumbled across the room and fell into one of the many empty seats. Lucius had gone silent and Ted had suddenly become unable to speak himself. Ted made no excuses as to why Andromeda had been at the Malfoy's Wiltshire Estate; Lucius made no mention of it either. At this point, he supposed it hardly mattered. The silence engulfed them, feeding their inner anguish as both their minds were left to imagine the worst.

People had been comparing situations to Hell for centuries. Scholars had poured over Dante's Inferno and students had studied it. Ministers preached about the perils of sin and the thousands of ways one could end up burning for eternity in Lucifer's Hell.

Fire and hell and brimstone.

None of them had a damn clue.

Not a single one.

Ted found himself sitting against the dull blue wall of the hospital, sick to his stomach. His hands were shaking even though they were curled into tight fists, his knuckles bloodless from the pressure. His eyes stared straight ahead, dead to his surroundings. Any and all noise filtering through his ears, failing to register in his brain. He found himself gasping for air more than once, unconscious of the fact that he was holding his breath until his body made a sudden demand for oxygen.

A flash of movement caught his attention and his eyes shot towards it, but it was only Lucius brushing his hair from his face, dried blood leaving more rusty streaks in his normally perfect locks. Ted's stomach churned; it was impossible to know if the blood was from his wife or not. He couldn't bring himself to ask.

Ted sat forward in his seat, leaning forward so his elbows dug into his thighs and his face rested in his hands. He should have never let her leave. If he hadn't allowed her leave, she'd be safe. She'd be home with him and Nymphadora and this nightmare would have never happened. But he knew better than anyone that there wasn't a soul on this planet that could for Andromeda Tonks to do a single thing she didn't wish. He just hoped that her willful spirit and rashness hadn't cost him a wife and their daughter a mother. No. What he truly wished is that he'd insisted on going with her, rather than spending what could have been their last moments together fighting.
Ted truly did lose his breakfast then, vomiting all over the floor at the mere thought of his last words to her being shouted ones. He heaved and coughed, sputtering as the last of his stomach contents fled his body. Before he could even raise his wand to vanish the mess, it disappeared right before his eyes. Bloody magical hospitals. Ted leaned back, grimacing as hard plastic dug into his spine. Bloody hospitals and their shitty chairs. He wiped his mouth with the back of hand and spelled his mouth fresh before sliding his wand back into it's holster on his left forearm.

Had Ted been in his right mind to pay attention, he would have been surprised that Lucius hadn't raved, hadn't screamed, hadn't even raised his wand to threaten a single soul – not that there was anyone around to threaten but him.

And so Ted sat, not ten feet away from one of the very reasons fear ran amuck in Wizarding Britain. Not that the Lucius sitting across him was the same man he'd heard rumours of. For all Ted was feeling, Lucius could have taken to torturing him right then and there and he wouldn't be capable of feeling any of it. Nothing could ever compare to this, no physical pain could ever compete – not even the Cruciatus.

Not one disgusted sneer had been given in Ted's direction. Rather, the only expression on the pure-blood's face was something he could only describe as confusion and loss, as if Lucius couldn't quite understand how they both had ended up where they were. Ted knew he was probably giving the fair haired, ex-Slytherin the same look. For today, at least, their emotions were the same, their grief universal. It connected them, and gave them a common ground they had never had before.

An attendant had been in to tell them their wives were still in surgery, but had fled as soon as her message had been delivered, denying either of them a chance to batter her with questions.

Hours passed, agonizingly slow.

It felt like days, weeks; months, even.

Ted's legs were asleep by the time two Healers had been in to speak with them both, only to fill their minds with useless information that did neither of them any good. Muggle doctors were assisting with the surgeries. Critical condition. Internal bleeding. Impossible to determine the extent of the damage. Attempting to stabilize. Ted couldn't think about anything other than those phrases and what they implied. They stabbed and sliced at him, like he was being gutted like a fish, repeatedly.

Ted found the strength inside him to find a telephone in order to call his folks. He had to go down three floors and countless halls, but he was finally directed to the rarely used Muggle device. He absently wondered if it was the same phone that useless woman had used to call him earlier.

His mother answered on the second ring and went deadly quiet as her son explained where he was and why. "Mum, you've got to keep Dora. She can't – I can't. I don't–" Ted's voice trembled, and tears kept falling freely down his cheeks, gathering in his three day old beard.

His mum, bless her, was all assurances; even though she sounded upset, he knew she'd bury it deep and mask it for the sake of her granddaughter.

Ted somehow found himself back in the blue walled waiting area where he and Lucius had been left to stew in their distress and the unknown. He promptly fell into a chair, his body on autopilot. Lucius began to speak a few moments later, his voice devoid of the superior attitude it was normally filled with.

Ted listened in horror.

Bellatrix had popped in and found them both in the atrium, laughing as if they were little girls, or so Ted imagined. His wife and her sister had proved very susceptible to giggle fits, a sound Ted had come to very much enjoy.

"Cissa was barely conscious, but managed to tell me that it was Bellatrix. Andromeda–" Lucius's voice cracked, hitching as he continued, "I thought she was dead."

Ted waited for him to say more, but Lucius stayed silent, lost in his mindless misery once more. Ted didn't ask for more details. He didn't want them. Lucius and the Healers had already provided enough to cause his insides to twist into knots of grief and fury that he doubted he'd ever be able to untie. Perhaps knowing as little as possible would be for the best, at least for now.

Finally, after ages and ages of waiting, a Muggle surgeon and a Healer entered the room. Lucius was up first, Ted still lost inside himself and his grief and guilt to even notice. Ted only looked up after Lucius came over and nudged him with his foot. Most uncharacteristically, Lucius offered Ted a hand up. He took it, too far gone to realize this was the first time Lucius had ever touched him in a non-threatening manner. The men they were before were not the same men they were in this moment. In this moment, a sick twist of fate united them in mutual sorrow and fear.

Ted turned to the doctor and healer and looked at them expectantly, fearing the worst as he saw the grim expressions each medical professional wore.

The Healer spoke first. "Both Mrs. Tonks and Malfoy are in stable condition, for now. We've managed to stop the bleeding and heal many of their injuries, including their broken bones."

Lucius growled and Ted felt the rage inside him grow tenfold. Lucius had seen them both, known more about their condition than Ted. He imagined they wouldn't have a full list of what each of their wives had suffered until their conditions had stabilized more. Revenge was likely flying through Lucius' mind; It sure as hell was in his.

"The baby," Lucius croaked out in such a voice that Ted had never heard before. "What about our baby?"

Ted's heart skipped a beat and he held his his breath, anticipating the worst answer imaginable.

The doctor, a young man of about thirty, rung his hands and looked down, leaving the Healer to answer. The Healer coughed, then swallowed hard. The older man turned slightly to face Ted's brother-in-law directly. "Mr. Malfoy, your baby is fine. It was touch and go for a few moments, but you've got a fighter. We'll monitor his condition closely, but he should be absolutely fine."

Relief washed through him as a faint smile grew on Ted's lips, or as close to one as he could manage in his current state of emotions. His nephew was safe, as was his mother and aunt. Whatever torture Bellatrix delivered did not cost them their lives, nor their future, and Ted nearly cried with the relief of it all.

"Thank y-" Lucius began, his voice full of such raw emotion it hardly sounded like him.

"But," the Healer interrupted, his eyes now meeting Ted's, "we… we couldn't save yours, Mister Tonks. We're so sorry."

Ted's mouth fell open and he found himself shaking his head. "No. No, that's not-" he shook his head again and tears began to fall from his eyes. "We're not- she's not pregnant!" Ted's lips began to tremble and his knees went out, the cold tile floor slamming into his body as he fell.

Vaguely he heard, "It was early, sir. Only six or seven weeks. In all likelihood, your wife didn't even know. We're so sorry, sir, so sorry."

Again, as if though they were speaking on the other side of a shut door, Ted heard Lucius's hostile tones, though he couldn't make out what he was saying.

It didn't matter.

Nothing else mattered.

A baby.

Their baby.

Gone.

Gone before either of them had even known.

Sobs wracked his body; noisy, violent sobs that sounded as if they were coming from someone other than him. Sorrow engulfed him like a savage and unforgiving sea, one that swallowed up ships during a hurricane. Waves of anguish slammed into him, his breath hitching so quickly he was in danger of hyperventilating. Ted cried for their lost child, but even more so he cried because he knew he had to be the one who told Andromeda. She didn't deserve to hear it from anyone else, especially not a stranger.

If Hell was on Earth, he was, without a doubt, in it.

Both the Healer and surgeon retreated, leaving Ted to grieve and Lucius to stand there, uneasy. Ted wasn't sure how long he stood there before crouching down in front of him. Lucius shouldn't give a damn about him, about what he was going through. A Mudblood was of no concern of his, after all. But there he was before him, shaking him by his shoulders and demanding Ted's attention.

"Stop! Stop it, Tonks," he demanded harshly, sounding much more like the Lucius Ted remembered at school. "We can't show up like this. They said Cissa and Andromeda are sharing a room. They need us. Pull yourself together. Now."

Ted quieted, although he wasn't sure if it had to do with what Lucius had said, or if it was because Lucius was clutching Ted, offering him aid. Grief did funny things to people. Then again, so did love. If he knew one thing about Lucius Malfoy -one thing- it was that he loved Narcissa the way Ted loved Andromeda. Without reservations, unabashedly, and with every fibre of their being. There were some things a man could never fake, and Lucius had never been able to hide his affection for Andromeda's youngest sister.

Lucius stood and stepped back, a hint of disdain beginning to creep across his face, as if he were disgusted to find himself behaving the way he was. Ted could see him trying to reel in the emotions he'd been unable to control while they waited on the edge of uncertainty. The mask was slowly falling back into place now that he knew Narcissa was going to be okay.

Ted stood.

Lucius began to walk down the hall, but Ted stopped him. "Your shirt!" Ted waved his hand to gesture at Malfoy's entire appearance - at the blood of their wives'.

Malfoy's masked expression slipped and his face went ashen once more. "I– thank you." Lucius quietly choked out, right before he pulled out his wand and waved away every trace of blood from his person. He coughed uncomfortably, then nodded his head at the empty hallway; Ted assumed in the direction of the room their wives shared. "Let's see to our wives; I want to be there when Narcissa wakes." Lucius took a deep breath, as if bracing himself for the next words to come out of his mouth. "I'll do what I can to keep Bellatrix from your family, for Cissa." Lucius met his gaze and Ted saw the resolve in the man's icy blue eyes. Death Eater or no, Lucius Malfoy was, and always would be, a man that put his family first.

Ted held his eyes for a moment, long enough for them to come to a silent understanding. The Tonks' would face no danger from Lucius, nor would he assist in their capture, torture, or deaths.

Their moment of understanding passed; Lucius turned on his heel and began to stride out of the waiting area and down the hallway. Ted took an unstable step after him, still fighting back the desolation that threatened to overtake him. It was all so much to take in; he could feel his body rebelling against the assault of everything that had happened in the last three hours. When he was finally allowed a moment of rest, he knew he'd sleep for many, many hours. He dragged a hand down his face, wiping away the tears and the whimper that threatened to escape his mouth. Dread filled his belly, and the anguish he felt was barely kept at bay.

Ted clenched his fists and took a shuddering breath, expelling some of the tension coiled inside him.

For once, Lucius Malfoy was right. They should both be there before the women they loved regained consciousness, and they should be as strong as they could manage. He steeled himself to most of his despair, determination filling around his sorrow, if only for a little while. Ted hurried after his brother-in-law, determined to be there for his wife, and if she so wished, for his sister-in-law as well.