Just a little one-shot I felt like writing; criticism, compliments and comments are greatly appreciated :)

-o-

Severus felt extraordinarily light and weightless. It seemed as if centuries had passed since he last enjoyed the lack of burden upon his shoulders; that heavy, heavy cloud that has had him stooping all these years, with neither the courage nor the energy to face himself. He had paid dearly for the stupidity of his youth, that was for sure.

He looked around him. There was a sense of déjà vu, as if this were a place he spent a lot of time in. He was lying on a couch in a handsomely furbished room, and from the spiralling staircase before him, he deduced that the whole house consisted of at least two floors. Everything seemed so real, yet there was a peculiar blur around the edges of everything. Severus rubbed at his eyes furiously, to no avail.

All at once, the thumping of little feet pounding down the stairs caught his attention. A little girl with emerald eyes and fiery red hair jumped into view, one hand tightly clutching a teddy that was missing an eye. Severus' breath caught in his throat at this all too familiar scene…

"Lil-"

"Daddy!" the little girl happily exclaimed. Severus barely had the time to register what she said before a willowy young woman came dashing down the very same stairs, toothbrush in hand, red hair spilling out of her bun, allowing tendrils of hair to frame her almond-shaped face.

"Oh Severus! Get off your lazy ass and help me will you! We have got to stop Isabella from playing catch every time we tell her it's time for bed…" the young woman fumed.

"I -" Severus could barely defend himself before he was pulled to his feet, toothbrush shoved into his hands. He could feel her nimble hands pressed against his back as they guided him towards the direction of the staircase, the warmth from her hands radiating through the thin layer of his shirt and reaching his heart. Am I dreaming? He wondered. If that were true, he wished with all his might that it were possible for him to stay here forever…

Taking little Isabella by the hand, he stood at the foot of the stairs, preparing to ascend them. Right at that moment, he hesitated, and looked back to where the young woman was standing. He just had to make sure…

"Lily?"

"hmmm?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to say your name." The most radiant of smiles shone from his face. He looked so positively giddy with delight at that small moment that Lily's eyes softened. She could not help but chuckle fondly at his boyishness.

-o-

Lily stood beside Severus' hospital bed, eyes filled with tenderness not unlike that of his dream as she looked down on his unmoving form. If it were not for the slight rising and falling of his chest…it had been a year already, a year of waiting, whilst he showed close to no signs of life. Everyone else had given up already, yet Lily was sure he was still in there somewhere, and she was determined to find a way to pull him back out.

"I love you." She whispered. She gently pressed her soft lips against his.

A single drop of tear rolled down from the corner of his eye, vanishing into the fabric of the pillow.