Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of thus characters. that all belongs to the amazing J.K. Rowling.

Stupid Abbie. Idiotic Abbie. Brainless Abbie.

There were not enough adjectives for that woman. She did contact Severus and let him know that their daughter was going to spend the summer with him, but it really wasn't up for debate. Abbie really didn't think on how this was going to affect him. She hadn't even asked him! Apparently she hadn't asked Nat either. The way his daughter was reacting you'd think she was going to be put to death.

Severus looked around. The stairs blasted apart, the state the kitchen was in, and everything else uninhabitable about this house. The only two rooms in the house that were in a normal state were the living room and... Nat's room... his room. His old room.

Severus shuddered at the thought of that room. The terrible things that had happened in there always made Severus want to get up and go to his liquor cabinet and drink until unconscious. He never did though. His father was always drunk when he beat Severus in that room. It would remind Severus of the way his father had used liquor to drown his problems. Severus learned that alcohol didn't just numb old problems, it created new ones.

He stared into the fire. Alcohol had never been a friend, an outlet. It had always caused problems.

Severus tipped the bottle back. The liquid rolled across his tongue and burned down his throat. Ah, the good taste of whiskey.

"Severus? Severus, I need some help," a female voice called from his kitchen.

"B' righ' there," he slurred, standing. His legs were wobbly beneath him, but he walked to the kitchen door anyway.

Without his consent his knees buckled from beneath him, and he crashed to the floor with a grunt. A pot was set down in the kitchen and the door swung open to reveal Abbie Snape. The lovely woman who was enormous with his child. She shrieked and kneeled down to help him up.

"Severus? What the heck? What are you doing?" She questioned urgently. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Then in a more disgusted tone, "Have you been drinking?"

Severus was silent for a moment obviously thinking it over. "I fell. I'm fine," he flashed a smile at her. "No, and," he hesitated before answering.

"And?"

"Yes."

"Severus! You shouldn't be drinking! You know what it does to you!" She berated.

"'M fine," Severus tried to stand on his own, but almost fell again.

"Severus, I swear I'm going to take it away! All away!" She set him on the couch. "You're always angry! I can't take it anymore!"

By this time, Severus was getting very angry. Take away his liquor? No, no way that was happening.

He stood up, towering over his wife; she suddenly felt very small. "No. You will not."

"But Severus,"

SMACK!

"I said no!" he yelled at her. A bruise was already forming on her cheek. She looked up at him in fear, her vision blurred by salty tears. How could he have hit her? Severus was a loving husband for the most part. Obviously this wasn't her loving husband.

Abbie got up and started to waddle away from him towards the door, her hands protectively over her stomach. He reached out and grabbed her roughly. "Understand?"

"Y-yes," Abbie answered terrified, not only for herself, but for the baby.

"Good." He let her go and sat back down in his armchair while Abbie hurried away.

Before long, Severus had passed out. Abbie went straight upstairs and packed her and the baby's things, shrinking them down into the large suitcase. Her tears belatedly started to fall and she collapsed to her knees, one hand on her cheek where he had hit her, the other on her belly. She cried freely for minutes, hours, she couldn't tell. After she got a hold of herself, she shrunk the suitcase and donned her traveling cloak.

Tiptoeing downstairs, Abbie made her way to the fireplace. He still slept in front of it, but since the war was over, he slept heavily. Abbie wasn't worried about him waking until morning. She looked at her husband a moment longer. Thinking of the many times he had told her he loved her. Fresh tears threatened to fall and Abbie turned and threw floo powder into the fireplace. The flames roared green, and she was gone.

Severus looked into the fire. The flames danced and feasted upon the log in the fireplace. They teased him mocked him in his misery.

No, alcohol never was good for him. It never would be.

A/N: SOOOOO sorry this late! I'll be better from now on. Sorry this is pretty short. Explains some stuff though that will come in handy. Thanks for reading! Please review.