Disclaimer: I'm Asian, not British. I'm brown-haired, not blonde. I have no money with me at the moment, so you (and I) can safely assume I do not own Harry Potter, or any of the characters or settings or anything else. Everything belongs to the wonderful J.K Rowling, who's British, blonde and is a billionaire.

"How do I know when it's love?
I can't tell you but it lasts forever
Oh! How does it feel when it's love?
It's just somethin' you feel together
When it's love."

- When It's Love by Van Halen

It's Love
by Lizzie the Witch

The sound of light footsteps made the occupant of the kitchen look up from his newspaper in time to see a black-haired girl enter the room. The gray-blue-eyed man looked on with raised eyebrows and an amused smile as the attractive teen immediately made a beeline for the kitchen counter and poured herself a cup of tea, taking a long sip and groaning contently.

"'Morning," the man, named Sirius Black, finally spoke up, taking in the girl's appearance. She was wearing an over-sized t-shirt that reached down to her mid thigh and a pair of cotton shorts barely peeking out from under the shirt. Sirius found his gaze fixed on her, running from her dark black hair tied in a messy ponytail to her long, shapely legs, all the while thinking, Merlin, she looks so good.

The girl jumped slightly, quickly turning around to face the voice behind her. "Oh," she said, looking startled as she took sight of Sirius for the first time. Looking quite taken aback, Bella Potter asked, "Padfoot? What are you - Aren't you suppose to be at work?"

Padfoot, as he was sometimes referred to by his best mate and girlfriend, stood up, sauntering over to where his girlfriend stood. He leaned against the counter and flashed an alluring smirk at her. "Since no one's here, I thought we might get some, err, bonding time together." His smirked widened as he wiggled his eyebrow suggestively at her.

Bella almost choked on her tea, her expression one of utmost amusement as she tried to contain her laughter. Sirius's attempt at wooing her mostly made her laugh than actually work its charm, but she tried to contain herself after the first time, when he had gotten rather offended at someone laughing at his famous lines.

Bella hauled herself up on the low countertop, hiding her smile with her cup. "Yeah?" She knew that wasn't the real reason, Sirius was just joking around, but she honestly didn't mind having some "bonding" time between the two of them. The last few weeks had been hectic, with Order members going in and out all the time, or when they weren't, Sirius was at work at the Ministry, having gotten his old job as an Auror back after he was freed. Their time together alone had been limited to only the few nights when Bella could escape Mrs. Weasley's watchful eyes and stay up late at night, and even those nights didn't work out well since Sirius was always exhausted from the day's work and quickly fell asleep soon after. So by now, the prospect of having some time alone with her partner was very appealing to her.

Sirius nodded, his smirk changing into a gentle smile. "Yeah," he replied sincerely, his hand reaching out to touch her cheek lightly. Unlike Bella, who didn't have much of a problem with showing physical affection to him, Sirius still had his bouts of uncertainty where the other side of him took over, and all he could think of was just how wrong the whole thing was and how she could do so, so much better than him. But then, when he looked at her, her eyes filled with trust and love for him, the selfish side of him - selfish for letting it happen, selfish for loving her - took control and everything was back to normal. It was truly a surprise that Bella bothered to put up with all his mixed emotions and mood swings, but she seemed to understand and Sirius was grateful for that.

Sirius snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a hand grabbing his and tugging him forward, and he blinked in surprise when Bella parted her legs and pulled him towards her, but he obliged, sliding into the open space between her legs, all the while groaning inside and wondering if she knew the effect she was having on him. Judging by the utterly oblivious look on her face, she didn't. While she was more mature than most adults Sirius knew, she truly was naïve when it came to understanding the effect she had on men. Which made him wonder - and it sent a wave of bitter and unpleasant jealousy through him - who else she had let come this close to her without realizing they were taking advantage of her.

Thankfully, Bella chose that moment to close the distance between them and Sirius forgot all about his unpleasant and jealous dwellings as her lips touched his in a long, passionate kiss. He gazed intently at her, watching as her eyes fluttered close, her lips moving in rhythm with his, and he could feel the heels of her feet digging into the small of his back, pressing him closer to her 'till she had to lean back against the cabinets behind her. Everything seemed much clearer and louder to Sirius that moment, as if his mind were suddenly hyperalert of what was happening. He could feel her chest moving up and down against his, hear her making a slight humming noise in her mouth, sending pleasant shivers down his body, and he could hear a voice, and it was probably inside his mind since Bella didn't seem to hear it, hear it say loudly and clearly as though it were the only true fact in the world, You're the luckiest man in the world, Sirius.

Yes, Sirius replied. Yes, I am.

It was a long time before they finally parted, Bella letting go of Sirius, feeling hot all over. The way Sirius was looking at her did nothing but make her cheeks redden even more, and she looked away, pushing loose strands of hair out of her face, trying to breathe evenly. It was a while before they calmed down, and Bella spoke up, breaking the silence between them.

"So, why are you home?"

"Remus is on a mission for Dumbledore." Sirius's voice tightened considerably at the headmaster's name, making Bella grimace guiltily. "Molly has taken her lot to Diagon Alley, and there was no way in hell I was about to leave you here alone in this hellhole of a place." Sirius's face suddenly took on an angry scowl, making Bella feel even worse as she placed her hand on his chest and looked at Sirius apologetically.

"I'm sorry," the black-haired teen said earnestly, feeling horribly guilty. It was, after all, her fault that Sirius was still forced to live in his childhood home even after he was freed, and it was her fault that he had an argument with Dumbledore. If it hadn't been for Sirius refusing to send her back to the Dursleys, this wouldn't have happened, since Dumbledore said the only way to keep Bella out of the Dursleys was to keep her at Grimmauld Place, the only place that Death Eaters could not ever enter or find out about. This had, of course, cued an argument between the ex-convict and the headmaster, but at the end, Sirius relented, determined to keep Bella away from her Muggle relatives' house at all cost.

Sirius's expression softened slightly before he gave the emerald-eyed girl in front of him a stern look. "It's not your fault, you understand? The way those - those fucking vermin treated you is not right in any way, but Dumbledore's too bloody obsessed with protecting you from Voldemort to realize what was going on inside the house. And that's wrong and I'd rather go back to Azkaban than let you go back in there!"

A tense silence fell over the couple as Sirius stared stonily at the old cabinet behind Bella and tried to control his anger, his eyes dark and devoid of the warmth it had before, while Bella stared at Sirius, trying to think of a way to express just how she felt. "Thank you" didn't do it any justice at all - does it ever? - and so she wrapped her arms around Sirius's neck and embraced him as tightly as she could, hoping he knew just how she felt. She swallowed the lump in her throat and nuzzled his neck, the warm and pleasant feeling of being loved and cared for flowing through her like butterbeer. It was a feeling that she valued over any other, because it felt like… love, and love was something she cherished above anything else, regardless of what form it took.

Sirius didn't respond at first, but Bella continued to hold on to him tightly, and a few moments later, he slowly wrapped an arm around her waist and gripped her tightly, while his other hand tangled itself in her hair, tugging at her ponytail 'till it came out and let her hair cascade down her back. She felt him burying his face in her hair, mumbling something that she couldn't understand. What is he saying? she asked herself, making to pull away but stopping short when Sirius held her even more tightly, refusing to let her go.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Sirius muttered incoherently in her hair, more to himself than to her. I'm sorry for not being there. Sorry for breaking my promise. He stayed like that for he didn't know how long, buried in his guilt and shame and regret, his eyes stinging and memories from the past flashing through his mind, along with all the what ifs that haunted his mind at night. What if? What if? What if? Sirius could feel Bella trying to pull away, but he couldn't let go, not wanting her to see him in that state. Instead, he tried to get his emotions under control, cursing himself for letting them slip in front of her.

It took a while before Sirius finally released her from his grip, and when Bella looked at him, there was a mischievous and playful grin akin to the one he had earlier now brightening his face. Any trace of the anger and guilt he was feeling was gone from his face, but Bella could see it glimmering in his eyes, another unhealed wound from twelve years in Azkaban, a damage that she knew she could never fix. But she didn't care about his scars from the past, because she loved him for whom he was, flaws and all, and hoped that Sirius knew that, too.

Sirius's tense form started to loosen itself as he saw Bella smile slightly at him, understanding shining through her eyes. There was no pity, no sympathy, and Sirius thought that that was one of the reasons he had somehow managed to fall in love with his own goddaughter.

"So," Sirius spoke up, trying to find an excuse to forget what had just happened and lighten the mood. "What about that bonding time, eh?" He waggled his eyebrows at his girlfriend again, grinning impishly.

Bella didn't feel like laughing, but knowing that talking about what had just happened would just embarrass Sirius further, she pretended to act normal and forced a grin. Looping her arms around Sirius's neck, she slyly replied, "Let's see what you have in mind, you mutt."

No sooner had she said this than Sirius's lips were on hers, and they were kissing again for the second time that morning. This time, though, it was different, and Bella felt as if Sirius's reactions were stronger and more intense. There was something akin to desperation in his touch, as if he were afraid she might disappear any second. Bella didn't object as his kiss got rougher; she knew Sirius still had his moments where the nightmares of his past overtook him, and it sometimes got to the point where he needed something to hold on to, and if her being there for him meant he would stop his usual get-depressed-and-drunk habit, then Bella was glad to be there. She hated seeing Sirius drunk; it was as if he was an entirely different person, and the man she had come to know so well wasn't there at all.

But if there was something she knew about nightmares of the past, it was that they never truly left you alone and the emotional scars never really healed. And no matter how much of a brave face you put up in front of the rest of the world, there were times when your past caught up to you when you were all alone, and during those moments, you would do anything and everything to escape the darkness in your mind. Bella had had her fair share of a horrible past, but she knew Sirius had it much, much worse. But they truly understood what the other was going through and Bella knew that was the main reason why they had feelings for each other that went beyond the usual godfather-goddaughter relationship. But at the same time, romantic feelings weren't the only thing Sirius and Bella had between them. She could never or would ever come up with one single word to describe what they had between them. They were as close as two people could ever be, knew the other in a way no one else did, and cared for each other in a way they didn't care for any other. Their relationship was special and exceptional, and to the sixteen-year-old teen, one-of-a-kind.

But as close as they were, Bella knew Sirius didn't like opening up and revealing his deepest emotions and insecurities and guilt and fear and everything else he kept so well- hidden inside him, not even in front of her. But Bella, even though it upset her to see the usual upbeat and careless Sirius Black be so brooding and hurt, liked those moments in some way, because it gave her a chance to be there for him instead of the other way around, to hold him tightly in her arms as he unwillingly fell victim to his nightmares, and be the anchor that held him down when he felt as though there was no escaping his mind. And she knew she could be that person for him, because he was that anchor for her, one that held her down when her moments came.

And it all worked together, in a way that neither of them could ever explain, but neither of them really wanted an explanation. It was an inexplicable bond that made them understand each other, held them together even when everything seemed to be crumbling around them, and managed to create love even though everything in their mind screamed it was all so, so wrong. It was a bond like no other, an experience they never had, an unknown territory willing to be explored, an adventure of a different kind, and it was a thrill of satisfaction and selfishness all at once knowing she was only his and he was only hers.

And as they finally ended their kiss and leaned their foreheads against each other's and took a moment to just look, green and blue-grey collided and Bella could feel something almost literally spark between them, and she inwardly struggled to find the word she was looking for. And when Sirius broke the silence and touched her hair and murmured, "I love you, you know that?" she knew.

It was love.

A/N: Soo... what did you think? This fanfic came out far more different than I thought. It was suppose to be something short & sweet & a little sad maybe, but then I kept adding stuff on it 'till it became a 2,533 word story, my longest fanfiction ever. I still think this one went kind of all over the place & doesn't exactly have a one specific topic like I usually do, but that's probably because I started right in the middle of the story with absolutely no clue how to start or end it. And I wrote far more character thoughts & descriptions than actual dialogues. But I liked it, so I thought I might as well post it here. This took quite a long time & work to do, so I'd appreciate if you leave a review & tell me what you think! And if you haven't already, check out my other Bella/Sirius fanfics!

And finally, a big, BIG thanks to mew-tsubaki for beta-ing this story! You may want to check out her fanfics if you like pairings that are different than the usual ones out there. They're really good!

Have a nice day/night! And again, review please! :D

- Liz