Whirlwind

Chapter Three

When you withdrew from me, my first thought was that you had finally come to your senses – that the tree branch which had broken your leg earlier that night must have also struck your head, damaging your ability to reason, and now that your mental faculties had returned, awareness of who exactly you were touching and kissing and undressing had suddenly forced its way back into your conscious mind.

Quick to accept this conclusion as truth, I became convinced you were disgusted by me, your abrupt withdrawal proof of your eagerness to distance yourself from your least favorite student. And in that brief fragment of suspended reality – a reality fraught with my own panicked deductions – I was absolutely gutted... deeply mortified... and more heartbroken than I could ever remember being.

I was also very much mistaken.

Thank Merlin!

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"Wha–?" Harry blurted out but then faltered, his mind too distracted by the sudden removal of those eager hands on his skin and that long, lean body pressed against his back to function properly. Heart aching at what Severus' departure might mean, he tried once again to speak, but was denied the chance when the man grabbed his left wrist and spun him around to face him.

"Harry, do you want this?" Severus asked, his voice sounding so different than before – a hesitant, almost fearful edge coloring his tone. "Are you certain you want... me?"

Harry's chest tightened as he listened to the man's tentative words – words intimating not just uncertainty, but also fear and profound insecurity. Releasing a shaky breath to ease his own tension, Harry let himself fall into those dark, enigmatic eyes whose ebony depths were so steadfastly locked with his own. Staring deeply into the cavernous pools of black, Harry realized with a jolt of comprehension that these open, vulnerable eyes were nothing like the apathetic ones he'd remembered his old professor using to stare down his students in Potions class. Though they were certainly the same color – and just as intense – those eyes had been cold and distant... devoid of any real emotion. These however... these eyes were filled with doubt, yet they blazed with hopeful longing.

Harry's breath hitched and his heart gave another lurch as the reason for the discrepancy suddenly became clear to him. For years, the cold, distant and often hate-filled eyes of the forbidding Professor Snape had served as a shield for the man's wounded, yearning heart. They had acted as a protective mask, concealing away their owner's every real emotion – his pain, his fear, his love. But here... now... there was no such mask. These eyes were soulful and emotive... open and eager. They were the eyes of a man who, at long last, was taking a chance – a man whose soul was laid bare and whose heart was yearning for love.

Suddenly, the true meaning behind Severus' tentative words, as well as that strange and intense look he had directed at Harry time and time again this evening, made perfect sense.

Severus wanted him – all of him. Not just his body, but his heart, too. And now that the moment was finally upon them, he needed confirmation that his most desperate desire, secreted away and denied for so long, was also Harry's.

Without another thought, his aching heart now beating a mad rhythm against his ribcage, Harry placed his hands on either side of Severus' neck and edged closer, leaning in so that their lips were mere inches apart. Closing his eyes, Harry paused, becoming momentarily sidetracked by the exquisite sensation of the man's erratic breaths ghosting over his own lips, their heat and fitful pulse sending shivers of arousal and excitement down his bare back. Unable to wait any longer, his heart almost exploding with anticipation, Harry finally came back to himself and pushed forward, crushing their mouths together in a deep, driving kiss.

Severus reacted with avidity, wrapping his arms around Harry's waist and yanking him closer. Deepening their heated kiss, he pushed his tongue into Harry's willing mouth and twirled it around, trailing it along his teeth and sliding it across his lips. Soon, his hands moved from Harry's back to either side of his face as he intensified the already sensual oral onslaught, plunging his strong tongue in and out of Harry's mouth, penetrating it with motions resembling wild, unrestrained sexual thrusts.

Harry moaned into Severus' mouth and then gasped when that mouth withdrew, his fingers clenching reflexively at the fabric of Severus' robes as he sought to steady his quickened breaths. He ended up sucking in another sharp breath when his hips were grabbed a split second later and he was spun back around in a single, lightning-fast move. Another muttered incantation met Harry's ears and the DVD resumed its exhibitionistic display. Gulping in anticipation, Harry grabbed the bed's footboard again and then glanced up at the heated scene unfolding on the Muggle TV screen just as Severus grasped the waistbands of both his jeans and boxers, jerking them down past his hips and exposing his rock-hard erection at last.

"Talk to me, Harry," Severus rasped, the desire in his tone urgent now, raw, unbridled. "Tell me what you see."

"The man is on his knees now," Harry whispered hoarsely, voice shaking, "and the other man is grabbing his... grabbing his..."

"Say it."

"...his cock." Harry burst out, louder this time, forcing himself to push past his shyness. "He's... he's grabbing his cock and squeezing it... stroking it."

Harry closed his eyes, a fiery burst of pleasure tearing through him as Severus wrapped his long, slender fingers around his hard length. They gripped tightly, squeezing the base hard before sliding all the way up to the sensitive head where his thumb brushed along the tip, smearing the hot fluid collecting there.

"Oh God, Severus!"

"Now what? Talk. Tell me what's happening." Severus had moved in closer and was now whispering directly into his ear, his hot breath caressing Harry's sensitive skin.

"Oh," Harry whimpered, excitement and nervousness warring within him as he stared at the men on the screen. "Oh, he's... he's..."

"Say it, Harry. Say it, and I'll do it to you."

"Oh God... he has his other hand... his fingers... on the man's arse. And he's rubbing his fingertips around... Ahhh!"

Harry never finished. Severus murmured something under his breath and immediately Harry could feel the unmistakable sensation of cool lubricant coating his entrance. The man's fingers were on him a second later, the very tip of his index finger circling the slick, puckered skin. Another incantation was whispered, causing the DVD to pause again, but that finger carried on with its fervent task, now pushing against the resisting ring with gentle, coaxing pressure. It withdrew a moment later though, as did the other hand gripping his erection. Before Harry could react to their absence, an arm encircled his chest, dragging his now pliant, trembling body away from the footboard of the bed and guiding him to lay back on the mattress with his head on the pillow.

Not certain what would happen next – and loving the uncertainty of it – Harry watched Severus climb off the bed and shrug off his cloak. Heart hammering in his chest, Harry continued to stare, transfixed, as the man stripped off his layers of black – first his shoes and socks, then his many-buttoned vest and shirt and finally his trousers – until the only thing remaining was a pair of black silk boxers. Harry took the opportunity to feast his gaze on the man's long, willowy body, green orbs traveling over the arousing sight of that pale, smooth-looking chest, the perfect flat stomach below it and then all the way down the narrow trail of fine hair that led to the clothed erection which was straining against the dark silk confining it. Harry's hungry eyes darted back up to equally hungry ebony ones in time to see their owner sink back onto the bed and stretch out beside him.

Wrapping his arms around Harry's waist once more, Severus pressed their bodies together, adjusting the both of them so that they were lying on their sides, facing one another. Then he claimed Harry's mouth again, distracting him with deep, driving kisses while his right hand inched its way down between Harry's legs, his index finger quickly resuming its earlier efforts. After several long minutes of Severus plundering his mouth while simultaneaously teasing his entrance with slow, wet touches, Harry was reduced to a quivering pile of desperate need. In spite of that escalating need, he couldn't help the sharp gasp that escaped his lips when Severus began to ease his finger into his tight channel.

It wasn't painful – not really – but it was definitely a new sensation. Not in all the times he had masturbated while watching his movies had he ever touched himself there, let alone simulate penetration with the aid of his fingers – a fact he was certain Severus was aware of, given that the man had habitually watched him from the shadows.

"Shhh... it's OK. I won't hurt you. Push back onto my finger when you're ready, Harry."

After a few deep, calming breaths, Harry felt his body relax a bit and he followed Severus' suggestion, inching his hips back toward Severus' hand until that partially buried finger was all the way inside him.

"Mmm..." Harry moaned. Small ripples of pleasure were rushing through him now, each one of them causing his inner muscles to clench and then relax in turn. He closed his eyes and threw his head back, losing himself to the new blissful stimulation.

"Look at me, Harry. I want to see your eyes as I pleasure you," Severus whispered.

The instant Harry submitted to the request and their eyes met, Severus curved his buried finger and brushed hard against something deep inside him.

"Fuck! Oh... Oh God!"

A burst of mind-blowing pleasure ripped through Harry with such intensity, he screamed out loud, his back arching and his fingers digging into Severus' shoulders, hips bucking back into that pleasuring finger.

Another finger was inside him now, but Harry had no idea when it had joined the first, so engrossed in those tight waves of rapturous ecstasy that were coming faster now – faster and stronger – as Severus pumped both of those fingers in and out of him.

A sharp burn rocketed through Harry a few moments later when a third finger was added. But that burn faded as quickly as it came when Severus began to stroke that glorious spot inside him again before renewing his quick rhythm of powerful, driving thrusts. Again and again, Severus drove those long fingers deep inside him, angling them for greater access, twisting them and turning them to stretch him. Every third or fourth thrust, he would brush hard against that lovely spot inside him until Harry could no longer think, his body trembling, his every breath harsh and quivering.

"Severus... Severus, please... p-please!"

"Please, what? Say it. I need to hear it, Harry. Say it."

"Sev, please..." Harry stammered through ragged breaths. "I-I need... I need you to... to f-fuck me."

A feral growl erupted from Severus' throat as he withdrew his fingers from Harry and jerked upright like a shot. After yanking off his boxers with breakneck speed, he placed his hands on Harry's shoulders, pushing him back onto the mattress as he positioned himself between Harry's parted legs.

Harry only got a fleeting glimpse of the man's thick and slightly curved erection, before his ankles were snatched up and his legs forcibly wrapped around the man's slim waist.

Once again, the dominate, driving motions of that strong, sinful tongue ravished Harry's mouth, serving as welcome distraction while Severus began to press the turgid head of his erection into Harry's entrance. Another minute of deep kisses and insistent prodding, and pain tore through Harry.

"Ahhhh..." he cried out, the burn of being breached wresting the breath from his heaving lungs.

Severus stilled instantly, his lips sliding to the corner of Harry's panting mouth where he feathered a soothing kiss. "You tell me when you can take more, Harry. I don't want to hurt you."

Tears gathered at the corners of Harry's eyes and he blinked rapidly, taking in long, shuddering drags of air while trying to relax his tensing muscles. After a long moment where Severus remained still, holding him tightly, kissing his neck and cheeks and lips while Harry took several more slow breaths, his pain lessened at last.

"Mmm... Severus... more..."

Severus pushed forward another inch and then stopped, allowing Harry's body to adjust before pushing forward again. After several achingly slow, careful pushes forward, each one followed by tender kisses, quivering breaths of shaky restraint and sweet pulses of building pleasure, Severus thrust in the rest of the way.

"Does it feel good, Harry? You want me to move?" he purred in his ear. "Do you want me to make you come?"

That last question hurled Harry's aroused mind right back to the erotic fantasy he had remembered earlier in the evening while talking to Severus in the kitchen. The reminder of it now, while Severus' cock was buried deep inside him, nearly prompted him to come right then and there, but he held himself back long enough to answer him.

"Yes. Yes, move... please..."

Severus pulled out almost all the way and then thrust back into him in one slow, wet stimulating slide of friction.

The action caused a cascade of exquisite sensation to rush through Harry's entire body, his arms, legs and groin all tingling with pulsing pleasure. Sucking in a sharp breath, he grabbed onto Severus' shoulders, his fingernails piercing the man's sweat-dampened skin when every muscle in his body clenched reflexively in reaction, his legs tightening around that slim waist, back arching up further.

Severus shifted above him, widening his stance so that his knees were further apart. Then he leaned forward further and curved his hips downward.

The adjustment in position altered the angle of that rigid length inside Harry and when Severus pulsed his hips forward once more, it slammed into that spot his thrusting fingers had rubbed against earlier. The new stimulation caused Harry to lose all sense of reality and he howled in pleasure.

As if spurred on by the unbridled cry of ecstasy, Severus pulled out of Harry with deliberate haste and then plowed back in, making sure to hit that same blissful place before withdrawing and plunging back in.

Harry moaned and panted through the sensual onslaught of vigorous pounding, his volume and desperation increasing with each powerful, frenzied propulsion. And each time, Severus drove with more force – each thrust faster, deeper, harder than the one before it.

Every one of those intense thrusts heightened Harry's already razor-sharp arousal, prompting him to spread his legs wider and buck himself up into each mind-blowing plunge, his remaining self-control swiftly dwindling as his pleasure rocketed through him.

"More... Oh God, Sev... harder... deeper..." he cried out.

Severus pulled out of him entirely and then grabbed his hips, spinning him around and yanking him up to his knees. In a flash, Severus was embedded inside him again, this time from behind, and in no time he was driving into Harry once more, harder and with more intensity than ever. After a few powerful thrusts, he leaned all the way forward, angling himself so that his buried length was brushing up against Harry's most pleasurable spot. Then he moved his hips in small circles, the man's cock stroking and rubbing his prostate on every rotation, the intense stimulation propelling Harry to a state of mindless delirium.

"YES! Oh God! Severus... don't stop!"

Harry was so close now, teetering blissfully on the edge of what he knew would be the most intense physical release of his life, and he could tell by Severus' ragged, labored breaths and escalating grunts and groans of feral bliss that the man was right on that edge with him.

Harry soon found himself plummeting over that edge when in the next second, Severus grabbed a fistful of Harry's hair. Pulling his head to the side, he leaned down further, pressing his lips to Harry's newly exposed ear and whispering into it huskily, "Come for me, Harry. I want you to come while my cock's buried deep inside you... thrusting into you... fucking you... claiming you. I need you to be mine, Harry... mine... now come for me..."

Harry's orgasm was ripped from him in a tidal wave of unfathomable pleasure, unfettered explosions of rapturous bliss rocketing through him in deep, stimulating waves. The pulsing undulations of ecstasy encompassed all of him – not just his body, but his heart, mind and soul as well. Each one of those intense waves of pleasure seemed to release another deep-seated, crushing doubt that had laid claim to him and festered deep within him for years and Harry willingly let every one of them go – every lie meant to conceal or distract, every desperate act of repression, every single debilitating fear surrounding his own sexual hunger and his yearning for a love both socially unconventional and morally reprehensible. It was all gone now, leveled to the ground in this one moment of mind-blowing pleasure and release and Harry proclaimed its joyful absence in a scream of exultant ecstasy.

"Yes, Severus! YES! I'm yours! FUCK ME! CLAIM ME!"

Severus gripped his hips harder and plowed into him over and over again until at last, the man's entire body went rigid and a deep, growl-like cry issued from his throat. Harry felt the man's hold on him tighten as a surge of wet warmth filled him, coating his insides in deep, rhythmic pulses. Each pulsation caused another tremulous moan to fall from Severus' mouth, his body shuddering through his release.

After a long, long moment filled with trembling, shallow breaths and racing heartbeats, Severus tipped forward, wrapped his arms around Harry's quivering stomach and guided them both back down to the bed. Out of breath and wonderfully sated, they held each other in comfortable silence, Severus curled up around Harry with his chest pressed up against Harry's back, his lips brushing soft kisses to the back of his sweaty neck.

Long seconds passed into longer minutes with only the contended sounds of heavy breaths lengthening and deepening filling the heavy silence. As the protracted afterglow of physical and emotional gratification wore on, dissolving back into the mundane tedium of lucid reality, Harry felt his elation falter, an entropic downfall into panic beginning to take hold of him.

Oh God! What have I done?! I just cheated on my wife!

Despite the loveless state of his marriage with Ginny, Harry had never imagined he would stoop to infidelity. He knew this would mean the end of his marriage – a fact which both saddened him and filled him with overwhelming relief – but he had never wanted to engender that end by being unfaithful to his wife. He had figured, if it had ever come to the point where the both of them were willing to face reality and put an end to their failed marriage, it would happen peaceably – a mutually agreed upon termination of a flawed union. Now that end would be brought about in a very different light and under very different circumstances. Harry couldn't stop the deep caustic waves of shame from swelling inside his aching heart as he considered that inevitable variance fueled by his fall from grace.

His shame soon morphed into all-out dread when his next disturbing thought barreled through his now racing mind.

What about our children? Would Ginny be angry enough upon learning of my adultery to keep them from me?

Harry squeezed his eyes shut tight and exhaled a shaky breath as the dull ache in his heart intensified into a sharp stabbing pains, the possibility of losing his children nearly suffocating him. Could Ginny become so vengeful and bitter that she would deny Harry the right to spend time with Lily and the boys?

No, he answered himself, a wave of relief washing over him as the certainty of the situation became more clear. No, Ginny wouldn't do that. She was an incredible mother who loved their children without pause, unconditionally and selflessly. She would never do anything to cause them pain, especially something as emotionally damaging as refusing them time with their father.

But even as that small bit of comfort settled into his heart, another uneasy question begged for his attention.

What about Severus?

What about Severus indeed. The man obviously wanted to be with him, and Harry was fairly sure the man's desire for him extended well beyond physical longing. He had seen the yearning for emotional requital blazing within the depths of those jet-black eyes and had felt, through the man's kiss and touch, the burning need inside his heart to have all of Harry – his heart, body, mind and soul.

But perhaps Harry had read too much into that blazing look and those careful, tender touches. Maybe he had misinterpreted their night of passion. A new pang of fear twisted his heart as he dared to consider that this was really just a one off for the man, that this was just sexual gratification and nothing more.

Good God! What had he thought? That he and Severus were going to end up married and living happily ever after in Sirius Black's childhood home? Had he really been dim enough to envision Severus Snape – former Death Eater and purveyor of doom to all Hogwarts' potion hopefuls – taking on the role of surrogate parent to his three children? Severus had always hated children! For that matter, he had always hated Harry, too!

The sound of his name being whispered wrenched Harry from his spiraling reverie and he stiffened at the feel of Severus' warm lips and breath brushing the shell of his ear, terrified that the man might have somehow perceived his panic.

"Harry," Severus whispered again, more insistently this time, "look at me."

Obeying the request, Harry turned around in Severus' arms so that they were now facing one another. His gaze instantly fell into those blazing dark orbs and in the next second, Harry felt the familiar sensation of a subtle brush against his mind. It receded a moment later, followed by another whispered utterance as the man pulled him closer, pressing his lips to Harry's and speaking again in rush of soft, hesitant breath.

"I'll guide you – you need only to look deeply into my eyes and speak the incantation."

There was little doubt as to what Severus was referring. The man's impromptu mental caress, followed by his hasty withdrawal made it obvious to Harry which spell he wished Harry to cast on him. What remained a mystery however, were Severus' reasons for wanting it. Harry had only ever delved into Severus' mind once and that occurrence had been rather unpleasant as it had resulted in Harry being thrust into a memory from the man's less than happy childhood. He couldn't fathom why Severus wanted to risk a possible repeat of that moment or why it seemed so important to him.

Despite his bemusement, Harry readied himself. After drawing a steadying breath into his lungs and releasing it in a long, slow exhalation, Harry deepened his gaze into those dark, cavernous orbs, lengthening his focal point. Letting his tight grip on his own consciousness loosen, he breathed out the required incantation to enter Severus' unshielded mind, "Legilimens."

His first thought was that he must have done something wrong. Harry wasn't certain what he was expecting to see, but he had never imagined this.

He found himself standing just outside the back door of Grimmauld Place, the very spot he'd stood earlier that evening when he'd heard Severus cry out in pain. This time however, there was no storm or fallen tree, no howling winds or driving rain. It was a bright moonlit summer's night – the air warm and still with stars strewn across the inky sky.

The backyard was set up for some kind of gathering. Dozens of chairs were lined up in neat rows and facing a small platform set under the very oak tree that after last night, lay broken and demised across his storm-ravaged lawn. Smiling people were milling around the decorated yard, laughing and conversing with one another, and as Harry watched them begin to move toward those lined up chairs and take their seats, he realized that these people were his friends and family, as well as his former professors from school. Harry recognized the entire Weasley family, as well as Hermione, Neville, Luna, Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout and Hagrid and many others. Moving closer to the settling crowd, he noticed with a pleasant lurch to his heart, that all three of his children, dressed in their best robes, were sitting in the front row with Ginny. His boys were sporting identical smiles of elation and excitement while Lily seemed engrossed with a small stuffed unicorn she was playing with as she sat in her mother's lap, giggling to herself.

Harry furrowed his brow as he considered what it was he was seeing. This was not a memory. It couldn't be. This was his backyard and his children. Harry knew he'd never hosted any kind of gathering… or ceremony… or whatever this was at Grimmauld Place. So that only left one possibility – this was a fantasy, a dream – Severus' dream.

"I still can't believe Ginny agreed to come," came a whispered voice behind him. Its tone was faint, but its intonation was so weirdly familiar to Harry that he spun around and moved toward it without conscious thought. He soon found himself standing frozen in shock in his own kitchen, eyes wide and transfixed upon the surprising sight in front of him.

Dream versions of both himself and Severus were locked in an embrace, both clad in stunning dress robes – Severus in midnight black with silver trim and Harry in emerald green, the same vivid pigment as his eyes. The dream-Severus pulled away and smiled at dream-Harry, a beautiful, beaming smile filled with affection for the man gazing upon it.

"Of course she came. She's the mother of your children and she still cares a great deal for you." Severus brought a hand up to cup Harry's cheek as he spoke, his thumb sweeping affectionately across his cheekbone.

"Yeah. I know," dream-Harry replied. "I guess I just figured it might be too weird for her to watch her ex-husband marry her former Potions Professor."

"You worry too much," Severus chided, his smile growing. "You always have."

"I never thought you'd be the optimistic one in this relationship," Harry chuckled, before reaching for Severus' hand and lacing their fingers together. Then he looked up into Severus' dark eyes, his grin widening, and whispered, "Ready, love?"

Severus didn't answer. Instead he pulled Harry back into his arms and pressed their lips together, kissing him with such deliberate slowness and tenderness that emotional tears were soon sliding down dream-Harry's cheeks. When Severus withdrew, he wiped those fallen drops away with his fingers and then spoke in a hushed voice.

"Yes, Harry. I'm ready. I've been ready to make you mine for a long time. And I love you… so much."

Mind reeling and body trembling, Harry tumbled out of Severus' consciousness and gasped for breath, his heart racing at a frenzied pace and his thoughts jumbled and spinning.

Immediately, Severus tightened his grip around Harry and pressed his lips to Harry's cheeks and his closed eyelids, peppering soft kisses to his heated skin while Harry took deep gulps of air into his lungs to steady himself.

At length, Harry opened his now tearful, burning eyes and returned his gaze to those emotive dark eyes, startled to see them glistening with tears as well.

"Was that… was that just a dream?" Harry breathed out, voice trembling. His heart clenched in pain at the fleeting thought that perhaps what he had just witnessed was simply a delusion brought about by fitful sleep, a freak delve of the man's slumbrous mind into bizarre nighttime hallucinations.

"Not just a dream, Harry. It was a wish. A hope. An outpouring of truth embodying my heart's most desperate desire," he whispered. Then he brought his lips to Harry's and kissed him – the same way dream-Severus had kissed dream-Harry – deeply, slowly, lovingly.

Severus pulled away slowly, his lips still brushing against Harry's as he spoke once more, his voice now cracking with emotion.

"I have no idea what the future really holds for us, Harry. But I was being truthful when I said I wanted you to be mine." Gazing deeply into shimmering green, Severus paused, seemingly searching for the right words before continuing. "I can't promise you that the road ahead will be easy, but I'm not about to let you go – not now that I have you. I do have you, don't I, Harry?"

"Yes," Harry breathed out without hesitation, heart pounding again. "Yes. You have me. God, yes!"

Their lips met once more in an emotional, passionate kiss and Harry let the love in his heart guide his every touch and hold and intimate caress. He brought his hands up to Severus' face and then slid his fingers through the soft, ebony locks framing it as their kiss deepened and their bodies melded together, limbs entangling and heartbeats thrashing in tandem, breaths coalescing and shallowing in escalating desire.

"If you want… you can have me again right now," Harry breathed out into Severus' mouth, his arousal renewed and pulsing its fervent need.

"Oh, I will have you again, love. To that you can be sure," Severus answered, his lips turning upward in a devilish smirk as he ground his hips against Harry's. "We have until Monday, after all. And I'm just getting started with you."

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Yes, it was the wind that changed my life that night and it did so in such a profound way that it ushered in the beginning of a whole new life...

A life with you by my side.

Of course, it wasn't just the wind that engendered this new life. Your heartfelt, honest words that night might have also had something to do with it, Severus. Or maybe my new life's inception had more to do with me than you. Maybe it began the moment I finally noticed how my heart seemed to come alive when I stared into your eyes, beating in ways it never had before as you confessed your fervent need for me, your longing for me to be a part of your life… now and forever.

I suppose it could be argued that I didn't deserve to feel such bliss that night, especially after so many years of living a lie, after hiding who I truly from those friends and family who cared about me. Maybe I was right to consider myself – as I had for so long – a truly awful person... a deviant... a perverted, sick and unfaithful freak.

But in those first moments of stolen passion and emotional honesty, love, those moments of unparalled joy spent in your arms and dreaming of the years of exquisite moments that were to come, I found myself – for once in my life – caring very little for how the rest of the world viewed me... or even how I used to view myself.

My only thoughts that pivotal night were about how much I needed you, how alive I felt now that you were finally in my life after so many years of emotional numbness and sexual repression, and how unbelievably grateful I was that fate had brought us together…

Grateful for the wind…

...and for the whirlwind love that came about because of it.

Story End - TBC?

A/N: Sorry that I was a couple of days late posting this but... well... you know how real life is... always getting in the way! Anyway, this concludes this three-part story, but if you liked this fic, you'll be happy to know I plan on following it up with another one sometime soon. Just consider this story the first of the Whirlwind series. But please don't ask me when the next one will be posted because I really have no idea! Maybe in the fall? :)

Please review!